Abstract: A dilator that includes a hollow shaft including a tapered section having a diameter increasing from a distal end toward a proximal end, and a spirally-arranged protruding portion provided on an outer peripheral surface of the hollow shaft and including spirally-arranged protruding sections and gaps between adjacent spirally-arranged protruding sections along an axial direction of the hollow shaft. The spirally-arranged protruding portion includes an apex section having the greatest height from the outer peripheral surface in a transverse cross-section thereof, and a side surface section facing outward and extending from the apex section toward the outer peripheral surface. The side surface section includes an inclined surface inclined substantially linearly toward at least one of the distal and proximal end direction between the outer peripheral surface and the apex section in the transverse cross-section of the spirally-arranged protruding portion.

Abstract: A dilator that includes a shaft and a spirally-arranged protruding portion. The shaft includes a tapered section, a distal end section, and a body section. The spirally-arranged protruding portion includes spirally-arranged protruding sections provided on outer peripheral surfaces of each of the tapered section, the distal end section, and the body section, and gaps between adjacent spirally-arranged protruding sections along an axial direction of the shaft. At least one of a height t of the spirally-arranged protruding portion at a first location gradually decreases toward a distal end side and a height of the spirally-arranged protruding portion at a second location gradually decreases toward a proximal end side.

Abstract: Facet-based search processing is provided which includes receiving a query search context for querying documents of a document set, and retrieving, by similar document search processing, a document subset from the document set. The document subset includes documents of the set most similar to a search document of the query search context. Facet analysis processing is used to generate M candidate facets most-related to the query search context, and facets of the M candidate facets associated with documents of the subset are identified, and classified into a positive facet set and a negative facet set based, at least in part, on extent of facet commonality across the documents. A listing is of the documents in the document subset is provided, with the listing highlighting facets of the positive facet set.

Abstract: A touch weight adjustment mechanism for a keyboard device, which is capable of adjusting a touch weight of a key easily and appropriately by using a coil spring and changing the urging force of the spring. An adjustment spring is formed by a coil spring for causing a tensile force thereof to act on the key, thereby increasing the touch weight of the key. An adjustment shaft is formed in a rod shape and is movable in a lengthwise direction by being operated for rotation. A rotary connection member connects between one end of the adjustment spring and one end of the adjustment shaft, which are closest to each other, and a spring-side connecting portion thereof connected to the adjustment spring and a shaft-side connecting portion thereof connected to the adjustment shaft are rotatable relative to each other.

Abstract: The dilator includes a hollow shaft and a spirally-arranged protruding portion. The shaft has a tapered portion, a distal end portion positioned on a distal end of the tapered portion, and a main body positioned on a proximal end of the tapered portion, or alternatively the shaft does not have the distal end portion but has the tapered portion and the main body. When the shaft has no distal end portion, a height of a spirally-arranged protruding portion formed on the tapered portion is larger than a height of a spirally-arranged protruding portion formed on the main body. When the shaft has the distal end portion, the height of the spirally-arranged protruding portion on the tapered portion is larger than of spirally-arranged protruding portions on the distal end portion and/or the main body.

Abstract: The dilator includes a hollow shaft and a spirally-arranged protruding portion, and the shaft is either a shaft that has a tapered portion, a distal end portion, and a main body, or a shaft that does not have the distal end portion but has the tapered portion and the main body. When the shaft does not have the distal end portion, the spirally-arranged protruding portion is formed on outer peripheral surfaces of the tapered portion and the main body and has gaps between adjacent sections of the spirally-arranged protruding portion, and when the shaft has the distal end portion, the spirally-arranged protruding portion is formed on outer peripheral surfaces of the tapered portion, and the distal end portion and/or the main body and has gaps between adjacent sections of the spirally-arranged protruding portion.

Abstract: The shaft of a dilator has a tapered part whose outer diameter at a distal end is smaller than at a proximal end, and either a distal end part and a proximal end part, or a proximal end part without a distal end part. If only the proximal end part is provided, the pitch of neighboring sections of a spirally-arranged protruding portion on the tapered part is larger than that on the proximal end part. If both the proximal end part and the distal end part are provided, the pitch of neighboring sections of the spirally-arranged protruding portion on the tapered part is larger than those on the distal end part or the proximal end part.

Abstract: A dilator includes a shaft in a hollow shape whose distal end has a smaller outer diameter than the proximal end, and a connector on the proximal end of the shaft. A spirally-arranged protruding portion on an outer peripheral face of the shaft has gaps between neighboring sections along an axis of the shaft. The shaft has a first location and a second location located closer to the distal end than the first location and having an outer diameter smaller than at the first location. The spirally-arranged protruding portion has, with respect to the axis, an angle of inclination that is larger at the second location than at the first location.

Abstract: A touch weight adjustment mechanism for a keyboard device, which is capable of adjusting a touch weight of a key easily and appropriately by using a coil spring and changing the urging force of the spring. An adjustment spring is formed by a coil spring for causing a tensile force thereof to act on the key, thereby increasing the touch weight of the key. An adjustment shaft is formed in a rod shape and is movable in a lengthwise direction by being operated for rotation. A rotary connection member connects between one end of the adjustment spring and one end of the adjustment shaft, which are closest to each other, and a spring-side connecting portion thereof connected to the adjustment spring and a shaft-side connecting portion thereof connected to the adjustment shaft are rotatable relative to each other.

Abstract: A state-of-charge estimation device and a state of charge estimation method are provided that estimate a state of charge in a battery having a large polarization, requiring a long time for depolarization, and having a large charge/discharge hysteresis in its SOC-OCV characteristics. The state-of-charge estimation device includes a voltage measuring unit which measures a closed circuit voltage in a battery, a charge estimation unit which estimates a state of charge in a charge mode by referring to charge mode information that associates a closed circuit voltage with a state of charge in the battery, and a discharge estimation unit which estimates a state of charge in a discharge mode by referring to discharge mode information that associates a closed circuit voltage generated by use of a discharge pattern of the battery with a state of charge in the battery by use of the measured closed circuit voltage.

Abstract: A state-of-charge estimation device includes a transition estimation unit, when a transition from a charge mode to a discharge mode starts, which starts current integration by use of a measured current and obtains a second state of charge by use of a first state of charge at the start of the transition and a current integration value, so as to estimate that the second state of charge is a state of charge upon transition until a target state of charge is reached that is determined by a current integration value obtained for a predetermined time period after the start of the transition, and/or when a transition from a discharge mode to a charge mode starts, which starts current integration by use of a measured current and obtains a sixth state of charge by use of a third state of charge at the start of the transition and a current integration value.

Abstract: A power storage apparatus including a battery and a control circuit controlling charging/discharging of the battery, wherein the control circuit determines, when a predetermined time period that has elapsed after the charging/discharging of the battery was ended is shorter than a polarization elimination time period extending from a time at which the charging/discharging of the battery was ended to a time at which polarization of the battery was judged to have been eliminated, an estimated open-circuit voltage for the battery after the elimination of the polarization of the battery; determines the difference between a first estimated charge state and a charge state determined by a time at which the estimated open-circuit voltage was estimated; and determines a second estimated charge state by summing the state of charge determined by the time at which the estimated open-circuit voltage was estimated and the product of the difference and the reflection coefficient.

Abstract: When it has been determined according to a voltage detected by a voltage detecting unit 31 that a voltage detection line 23 between a focused-on battery 21 and the voltage detecting unit 31 has been broken, operations of each of switches 22 are controlled to separate a battery module 2 that includes the voltage detection line 23 from a power supply apparatus 1. When it has been determined according to the voltage detected by the voltage detecting unit 31 that the focused-on battery 21 has been overcharged or overdischarged, power input to, or output from, every battery module 2 is limited.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a gradient compressing apparatus includes a memory and processing circuitry. The memory stores data. The processing circuitry is configured to calculate statistics of gradients calculated regarding a plurality of parameters being learning targets, with respect to an error function in learning; determine, based on the statistics, whether or not to be a transmission parameter being a parameter which transmits gradients regarding each of the parameters, via a communication network; and quantize a gradient representative value being a representative value of gradients regarding the parameter determined to be a transmission parameter.

Abstract: A power storage apparatus including a battery and a control circuit controlling charging/discharging of the battery, wherein the control circuit determines, when a predetermined time period that has elapsed after the charging/discharging of the battery was ended is shorter than a polarization elimination time period extending from a time at which the charging/discharging of the battery was ended to a time at which polarization of the battery was judged to have been eliminated, an estimated open-circuit voltage for the battery after the elimination of the polarization of the battery; determines the difference between a first estimated charge state and a charge state determined by a time at which the estimated open-circuit voltage was estimated; and determines a second estimated charge state by summing the state of charge determined by the time at which the estimated open-circuit voltage was estimated and the product of the difference and the reflection coefficient.

Abstract: A battery monitoring device is configured to include a monitoring unit that monitors a state of a battery, an interrupter that interrupts a power supply to a load, and another interrupter that interrupts a power supply to the interrupter, wherein the monitoring unit controls an operation of the interrupter such that a power supply to the load is interrupted, and controls an operation of the other interrupter such that a power supply to the interrupter is interrupted.

Abstract: Each of a plurality of monitoring units (10) that monitor the states of batteries allocates, as identifying information for itself, identifying information corresponding to an input signal inputted from a preceding control unit (3) or monitoring unit (10); outputs, to a subsequent monitoring unit (10), a signal that differs from the input signal corresponding to the identifying information the monitoring unit (10) in question has allocated to itself; and, if and when identifying information corresponding to an input signal differs from the identifying information the monitoring unit (10) in question had allocated to itself, reallocates identifying information corresponding to said input signal as identifying information for itself.

Abstract: A battery monitoring device is configured to include a monitoring unit that transmits state information that indicates a state of a battery and that interrupts, using an interrupter, a power supply from a battery to a load upon receiving a power-interruption request or when a power supply to the monitoring unit is interrupted, and a controller that transmits a power-interruption request to the monitoring unit upon determining, on the basis of the state information transmitted from the monitoring unit, that an anomaly has occurred in the battery, wherein the controller interrupts, using an interrupter, a power supply to the monitoring unit upon determining that a communication anomaly has occurred between the monitoring unit and the controller, or that an anomaly has occurred in the monitoring unit.

Abstract: A battery control unit system is provided that detects a state of a battery used for driving a vehicle and monitors the state of the battery on the basis of detected information so as to control a circuit device surrounding the battery according to a result of the monitoring. The battery control unit system may include an internal power source that is connected directly in parallel with the battery and that supplies power to the battery control unit system, and a microcontroller that operates using the internal power source and detects, by a software process, an on/off-state of a battery pack switch that is provided in a battery pack including the battery and the battery control unit system.

Abstract: When it has been determined according to a voltage detected by a voltage detecting unit 31 that a voltage detection line 23 between a focused-on battery 21 and the voltage detecting unit 31 has been broken, operations of each of switches 22 are controlled to separate a battery module 2 that includes the voltage detection line 23 from a power supply apparatus 1. When it has been determined according to the voltage detected by the voltage detecting unit 31 that the focused-on battery 21 has been overcharged or overdischarged, power input to, or output from, every battery module 2 is limited.