Abstract: An apparatus and method for detecting total voltage of an assembled battery including a number of serially-connected electric cells. Voltages of the respective cells are detected and added up, correlation between the resulting total voltage and a total voltage obtained by detecting the voltage of the assembled battery directly from its terminals is obtained, and a corrective arithmetic operation is carried out inside the device to correct the total voltage obtained through direct detection. The total voltage is detected with a high degree of accuracy without the need for individual adjustment operations using a variable resistance, high-accuracy external tester.

Abstract: A ground fault detector and detection method for a vehicle that can determine the cause of the occurrence of a ground fault after detecting the presence of the ground fault. The output terminal of a high-voltage battery is connected to one side of a coupling capacitor. In operation, a pulse signal is applied to a measurement point on the other side of the coupling capacitor, and the voltage generated at that point is detected. Whether the high-voltage battery or the electrical equipment units are grounded is determined. To determine the cause of the ground fault, the oscillation frequency of the square-wave pulse signal is changed and applied to the measurement point. From the change in voltage amplitude detected, it is determined whether the cause of the ground fault is a resistive or a capacitive ground fault, according to the change in the impedance of the battery or the units.

Abstract: In secondary battery capacity adjustment apparatus and method for an assembled cell unit, the assembled cell unit includes: a plurality of secondary batteries; and a control board on which a capacity adjusting section is mounted, the capacity adjusting section being installed to correspond to each of the secondary batteries and configured to consume an electric power of a corresponding one of the secondary batteries to adjust a residual capacity of the corresponding one of the secondary batteries, a priority order of the secondary batteries to be capacity adjusted is determined in accordance with a mounted position of the capacity adjusting section corresponding to one of the secondary batteries on the control board and an electric power of each of the secondary batteries is caused to have consumed by the corresponding capacity adjusting section in accordance with the determined priority order to adjust a capacity of each of the secondary batteries.

Abstract: In secondary battery capacity adjustment apparatus and method for an assembled cell unit, the assembled cell unit includes: a plurality of secondary batteries; and a control board on which a capacity adjusting section is mounted, the capacity adjusting section being installed to correspond to each of the secondary batteries and configured to consume an electric power of a corresponding one of the secondary batteries to adjust a residual capacity of the corresponding one of the secondary batteries, the number of the secondary batteries to be capacity adjusted is determined in accordance with a heat radiation quantity of the control board, and the electric power of each of the secondary batteries to be capacity adjusted is caused to have consumed by the corresponding capacity adjusting section, for the determined number of secondary batteries to be capacity adjusted, to adjust a capacity of each of the secondary batteries.

Abstract: A grounding detector capable of detecting grounding of a circuit that is connected to a power supply, while using an inexpensive circuit configuration. In the grounding detector, a coupling capacitor is connected at one end to output terminal of the power supply. The coupling capacitor is connected at the other end to a measuring point. A voltage detector detects a voltage generated at the measuring point. A pulse generator generates a pulse signal with a prescribed frequency, and applies it to the measuring point. The pulse generator also generates a modified pulse signal or otherwise sets the frequency, of a modified pulse signal when the voltage detected by the voltage detector has gone outside of a prescribed range. The modified frequency or the sets frequency of the modified pulse is below the normally frequency prescribed when the voltage detected by the voltage detector is within the prescribed voltage range.

Abstract: Surface impact strength in a molded article of an impact-resistant styrene resin composition, and balance between the surface impact strength and the rigidity is improved. Disclosed is a styrene resin composition comprising a styrene copolymer (A), and a block copolymer (B) comprising a polymer block (b1) of a styrene monomer and a polymer block (b2) of a conjugated diene monomer, wherein the styrene copolymer (A) is a copolymer of a styrene monomer (a), a butyl acrylate (b) and a methyl methacrylate (c), the block copolymer (B) forms a multi-layered structure in which a layer of the polymer block (b1) and a layer of the polymer block (b2) of the diene monomer are alternately laminated, and the styrene resin composition has 9 to 25%, on a weight basis, of structural units derived from the conjugated diene monomer.

Abstract: Surface impact strength in a molded article of an impact-resistant styrene resin composition, and balance between the surface impact strength and the rigidity is improved. Disclosed is a styrene resin composition comprising a styrene copolymer (A), and a block copolymer (B) comprising a polymer block (b1) of a styrene monomer and a polymer block (b2) of a conjugated diene monomer, wherein the styrene copolymer (A) is a copolymer of a styrene monomer (a), a butyl acrylate (b) and a methyl methacrylate (c), the block copolymer (B) forms a multi-layered structure in which a layer of the polymer block (b1) and a layer of the polymer block (b2) of the diene monomer are alternately laminated, and the styrene resin composition has 9 to 25%, on a weight basis, of structural units derived from the conjugated diene monomer.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for detecting total voltage of an assembled battery including a number of serially-connected electric cells. Voltages of the respective cells are detected and added up, correlation between the resulting total voltage and a total voltage obtained by detecting the voltage of the assembled battery directly from its terminals is obtained, and a corrective arithmetic operation is carried out inside the device to correct the total voltage obtained through direct detection. The total voltage is detected with a high degree of accuracy without the need for individual adjustment operations using a variable resistance, high-accuracy external tester.

Abstract: A ground fault detector and detection method for a vehicle that can determine the cause of the occurrence of a ground fault after detecting the presence of the ground fault. The output terminal of a high-voltage battery is connected to one side of a coupling capacitor. In operation, a pulse signal is applied to a measurement point on the other side of the coupling capacitor, and the voltage generated at that point is detected. Whether the high-voltage battery or the electrical equipment units are grounded is determined. To determine the cause of the ground fault, the oscillation frequency of the square-wave pulse signal is changed and applied to the measurement point. From the change in voltage amplitude detected, it is determined whether the cause of the ground fault is a resistive or a capacitive ground fault, according to the change in the impedance of the battery or the units.

Abstract: A battery pack of a series combination of cell units is connected with a motor drive control circuit to drive a traction motor for a vehicle. A current sensor senses a discharge/charge current of the battery pack, and a voltage detecting circuit senses a voltage between two separate points in the series combination of the battery pack. A memory section stores a reference voltage drop quantity representing a decrease in voltage during a predetermined time interval between the two separate points. An offset detecting section compares an actual voltage drop quantity sensed by the voltage detecting circuit, with the reference voltage drop quantity, thereby detects a non-discharge/charge-current state of the current sensor, and reserves an output of the current sensor, as an offset quantity upon the detection. A correcting section corrects a sensed value of the discharge/charge current with the reserved offset quantity.

Abstract: A styrene resin composition is provided which has a high molecular weight enabling a molded product obtained therefrom to have satisfactory strength, has a high melt mass-flow rate, high melt tension, and hence excellent moldability, and is less apt to gel during production, and a process for producing such a styrene resin composition. The styrene resin composition comprises a linear polystyrene having a weight average molecular weight of 200,000 to 350,000 and a multibranched polystyrene having a weight average molecular weight of 1,000,000 to 10,000,000, has an average molecular weight of 250,000 to 700,000, and a melt mass-flow rate (MFR) and melt tension (MT) which satisfy the following formulas (1) and (2) respectively: MFR?45×exp(?0.1×Mw×10?4)??(1) MT?0.07Mw×10?4+1.8.

Abstract: A styrene resin composition is provided which has a high molecular weight enabling a molded product obtained therefrom to have satisfactory strength, has a high melt mass-flow rate, high melt tension, and hence excellent moldability, and is less apt to gel during production, and a process for producing such a styrene resin composition. The styrene resin composition comprises a linear polystyrene having a weight average molecular weight of 200,000 to 350,000 and a multibranched polystyrene having a weight average molecular weight of 1,000,000 to 10,000,000, has an average molecular weight of 250,000 to 700,000, and a melt mass-flow rate (MFR) and melt tension (MT) which satisfy the following formulas (1) and (2) respectively: MFR?45×exp(?0.1×Mw×10?4)??(1) MT?0.07Mw×10?4+1.8??(2).

Abstract: A battery pack of a series combination of cell units is connected with a motor drive control circuit to drive a traction motor for a vehicle. A current sensor senses a discharge/charge current of the battery pack, and a voltage detecting circuit senses a voltage between two separate points in the series combination of the battery pack. A memory section stores a reference voltage drop quantity representing a decrease in voltage during a predetermined time interval between the two separate points. An offset detecting section compares an actual voltage drop quantity sensed by the voltage detecting circuit, with the reference voltage drop quantity, thereby detects a non-discharge/charge-current state of the current sensor, and reserves an output of the current sensor, as an offset quantity upon the detection. A correcting section corrects a sensed value of the discharge/charge current with the reserved offset quantity.

Abstract: A styrene resin composition excellent in luster, rigidity and surface impact strength is provided. A mixed solution of (b1) a homopolymer of a diene monomer or (b2) a copolymer of a styrene monomer and a diene monomer, the copolymer having 15% or less on a weight basis of the styrene structure units, (b3) a copolymer of a styrene monomer and a diene monomer, the copolymer having 20 to 50% on a weight basis of the styrene structure units, (a1) a styrene monomer, and (a2) a (meth)acrylic acid alkyl ester is continuously bulk polymerized in a continuous bulk polymerization line having incorporated therein a tubular reactor with a plurality of mixing elements that have no mobile part fixed inside thereof.

Abstract: A semiconductor memory including read memory cells, and detection memory cells, and being able to prevent an erroneous data inversion due to the time-varying reduction in the electric charge injected into their floating gate electrodes. The data in the read memory cells are read through read sense amplifiers, and the data in the detection memory cells are read by one or more detection sense amplifiers. The detection sense amplifiers are more likely to invert the data read out of the detection memory cells than the read sense amplifiers invert the data read out of the read memory cells. This enables the semiconductor memory to detect a sign of the data inversion through the outputs of the detection sense amplifiers before the data inversion of the desired data read from the read memory cells actually takes place, thereby preventing the data inversion of the desired data.

Abstract: An impact resistant styrene resin is prepared by the continuous bulk polymerization of a styrene monomer in the presence of a second component having a 5 wt % styrene solution viscosity which may be polybutadiene, styrene-butadiene copolymerization rubber, or mixtures thereof. Preliminary polymerization is carried out in a reactor having a dynamic mixing structure and which is integrated between and connected to the material feed line and the initial-stage polymerization line.

Abstract: An apparatus for devolatilizing liquid composition containing polymer and volatile constituents including a heat exchanger, a volatilizer coupled to the underside of the heat exchanger and a vacuum connected to the volatilizer, the apparatus further comprising a distributor provided between the heat exchanger and the volatilizer; and a method of devolatilizing liquid composition containing polymer and volatile constitutents using a devolatilization apparatus, the devolatilization apparatus comprising a heat exchanger, a volatilizer coupled to the underside of said heat exchanger, a vacuum connected to the volatilizer and a distributor provided between the heat exchanger and volatilizer.

Abstract: In a process for producing a high impact styrene resin by continuously polymerizing a styrene monomer in bulk in the presence of a rubbery polymer, the improvement whereina polymerization line is used which is comprised of an initial-stage polymerization line (II) following a material feed line (I) and consisting of one or more tubular reactors having fixedly set therein a plurality of mixing elements having no moving parts, a main polymerization line (III) following the initial-stage polymerization line (II) and consisting of one or more tubular reactors having fixedly set therein a plurality of mixing elements having no moving parts, and a recycle line (IV) which branches between the initial-stage polymerization line (II) and the main polymerization line (III) and returns to the initial-stage polymerization line (II), anda minor part or a major part of a flow of the initial-stage polymer solution leaving the initial-stage polymerization line (II) is recycled through the recycle line (IV) while the remaining

Abstract: A process for producing a styrene resin by continuous bulk polymerization using a polymerization apparatus comprising a circulating line (I) for initial-stage polymerization including at least one tubular reactor having fixedly set therein a plurality of mixing elements having no moving parts and a main-polymerization line (II) following the circulating line (I) and including at least one tubular reactor having fixedly set therein a plurality of mixing elements having no moving parts; characterized in that while a polmerization solution containing a styrene monomer (A), an organic solvent (B) and an organic peroxide (C) whose half life reaches 10 hours at a temperature of 75.degree. to 130.degree. C. is polymerized in the initial stage while it is circulated through the circulating line (I), and at the same time, a minor part or a major part of the initial-stage polymerization solution is introduced continuously into the main-polymerization line (II) and polymerized.

Abstract: This invention provides a styrene copolymer resin having heat resistance and impact resistance. The resin is a moldable thermoplastic resin obtained by copolymerizing 3 to 70% by weight of a rubbery polymer and 97 to 30% by weight in total of styrene and methacrylic acid, provided that the proportions of styrene and methacrylic acid are 97 to 65% by weight and 3 to 35% by weight, respectively. The styrene and methacrylic acid are partly grafted to the rubbery polymer.