Abstract: An optical sensor including a light-emitting element, four light-receiving elements facing the light-emitting element, and a substrate at which the light-emitting element and the light-receiving elements are provided. The substrate includes a first portion at which the light-emitting element is provided and a second portion at which the light-receiving elements are provided, the first portion and the second portion being integrated. Respective distances from the four light-receiving elements to one point on a predetermined plane are equal, four line segments that connect the one point and centers of respective light-receiving regions of the four light-receiving elements form right angles with each other, and a normal line of the predetermined plane that passes through the one point passes through an emission point of the light of the light-emitting element or a center of an emission surface of the light of the light-emitting element.

Abstract: A sensor including a generating unit; a detecting unit; a substrate; a member that exerts influence on an object to be detected; and a housing that includes a first housing that operably supports the member and a second housing to which a part of the substrate is fixed. The substrate includes a first portion provided with the generating unit and a second portion provided with the detecting unit that are integrated, and has a curved shape or a bent shape in which a surface of the first portion at which the generating unit is provided and a surface of the second portion at which the detecting unit is provided face each other. One of the first portion and the second portion is fixed to the second housing. A surface of the other of the first portion and the second portion adheres to the first housing.

Abstract: This seam-welding device carries out seam welding while repeating one cycle comprising a melting period, an interruption period, and a heating period implemented either before or after the interruption period. A welding current is applied between a pair of roller electrodes so as to form a welded part between workpieces during the melting period, the application of the current between the roller electrode pair is interrupted so as to solidify the welded part during the interruption period, and a heating current smaller than the welding current is applied between the roller electrode pair so as to heat the laminated body within a solidification temperature range of the welded part during the heating period. Consequently, even when the welding speed is increased, formation of cracks and spatter is effectively suppressed such that a high-quality joined product is obtained.

Abstract: In the electrophotographic photosensitive member of the present invention, a plurality of convex portions having a longest diameter L1 in the generatrix direction of the electrophotographic photosensitive member of 30 ?m or more arid a height H1 of 1 ?m or more are formed on the surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member, a plurality of convex portions corresponding to the convex portions formed on the surface of the surface layer are formed at the interface between the surface layer and a layer immediately below the surface layer, and the rate of fitting of the convex portions formed on the surface of the surface layer to the convex portions formed at the interface between the surface layer and the layer immediately below the surface layer is 20% or more and 200% or less.

Abstract: An electric power demand adjustment program management apparatus, comprises a server which includes: a communication unit that communicates with a plurality of customer terminals that manage customer devices through a communication network; a program unit that creates an electric power demand adjustment program showing a demand adjustment amount allocated to at least one first customer terminal selected from the plurality of customer terminals in each predetermined time segment, based on predetermined constraint conditions and predetermined information received from the plurality of customer terminals; a program executing unit that transmits the electric power demand adjustment program, and instructs the first customer terminal to execute the electric power demand adjustment program; and a providing unit that provides, when the program unit fails to create the electric power demand adjustment program, investigation result information including an investigation result for a cause of the failure.

Abstract: A transmission case houses a gear mechanism that transmits power through the meshing of gears, the transmission case including an oil pan, the oil pan including a soft magnet in at least one portion thereof, the soft magnet being attached to the oil pan by magnetic attractive force.

Abstract: Provided is an electrophotographic photosensitive member in which a surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member has: a plurality of specific depressed portions; and a plurality of specific line grooves formed at portions other than the specific depressed portions, and in which when a square region 500 ?m on a side is arranged at an arbitrary position of the surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member, an area of the plurality of depressed portions in the square region 500 ?m on a side is 95,000 ?m2 or more and 180,000 ?m2 or less.

Abstract: In a seam welding method, a pressing force applied to workpiece by roller electrodes is reduced and an energization to the roller electrodes is stopped when the roller electrodes pass at least a portion where metal sheets are temporarily fastened together through spot welding, and the pressing force to the workpiece by the roller electrodes and the energization to the roller electrodes are restored after the roller electrodes have passed the spot welded portion.

Abstract: In the cross-section perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the electrophotographic photosensitive member, when an arc which is a line at the intersection of the cross-section with a contacting face (face where the electrophotographic photosensitive member and the molding member contact), is represented by an arc AB, the center of a circle of the cross-section of the electrophotographic photosensitive member is represented by a center O, and the point at the intersection of a straight line via the center O among straight lines of a direction of the pressure contact of the molding member with the arc AB is represented by an intersection C, the uneven structure on the surface of the molding member transfers to the surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member so that ?AOC and ?BOC satisfy the following formulas (1) and (2), respectively: 0.5°??AOC?45°??(1), and 0.5°??BOC?45°??(2).

Abstract: Shifts of a reference point C in a robot coordinate system among three postures of a seam welding apparatus 10 are found, and calibration data is obtained (STEP 1). Correction data is found from the calibration data based on deformation of elastic units 22a due to weight of the seam welding apparatus 10 in accordance with the posture of the seam welding apparatus 10 relative to a robot 20 (STEP 5). Teaching data is corrected based on the correction data (STEP 6).

Abstract: Distance to the upper face of workpieces W sandwiched between electrode rollers 15 and 16 is measured by a range sensor 41 that has a predetermined positional relationship with the electrode rollers 15 and 16 (STEPs 1, 3). Correction is made based on the distance found by the range sensor 41 by moving the pair of electrode rollers 15, 16 with reference to the workpieces W so that an angle Rx between a straight line L0 connecting centers of the pair of electrode rollers 15, 16 and the surface of the plurality of workpieces W is preset angle (STEP 5).

Abstract: There are provided a torque detection apparatus with high reliability and an electric power steering system and a vehicle which use the torque detection apparatus. The torque detection apparatus (30) detects the torque based upon a difference in the terminal voltage of the pair of detection coils. In this situation, the torque detection apparatus (30) outputs two analog torque signals (analog main torque signal Tma and analog sub torque signal Tsa) to the ECU (15), and outputs to the ECU (15) a digital communication signal S in which digital torque values obtained by converting the two analog torque signals to a digital format (main torque value Tm and sub torque value Ts) and diagnosis information Diag of the torque sensor circuit are superimposed.

Abstract: The seam welding apparatus includes a pair of rotating electrodes, an electrode supporting frame, a distance measuring means, and a controller. The electrode supporting frame supports the pair of rotating electrodes. The distance measuring means is provided on the electrode supporting frame and measures a distance to an edge of the steel plate. The controller controls the robot to adjust a running direction of the rotating electrodes so that a deviation comes into zero when a distance actually measured by the distance measuring means deviates from a predetermined distance. Thereby, it is accomplished that the seam welding apparatus is downsized as well as uninfluenced by the surface state and/or shape of workpiece (steel plate).

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus in which an electrostatic image is formed on an electrophotographic photosensitive member using at least a process of a pseudo halftone formed by dots as a method of representing gradation, the electrophotographic photosensitive member is provided on a surface thereof with a plurality of recessed portions of 0.5 ?m more and 5 ?m or less in depth and 20 ?m or more and 80 ?m or less in longest diameter of an opening, when a square region of 500 ?m×500 ?m is arbitrarily extracted on the surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member, in the square region, a total area of the recessed portions is 10000 ?m2 or more and 90000 ?m2 or less and a total area of a flat portion contained in a portion other than the recessed portion is 80000 ?m2 or more and 240000 ?m2 or less, and an arrangement (A) of the plurality of recessed portions is such an arrangement that an image quality lowering index (f) calculated by specific processing is 14% or less.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for producing a multilayer coat characterized by including the steps of coating a substrate with an undercoating material to form an undercoat layer, coating the undercoat layer with an active energy ray-curing type ink in an ink-jet system, curing the active energy ray-curing type ink through active energy ray irradiation, and coating the cured active energy ray-curing type ink with a top coating material to form a top coat layer, wherein the surface free energy of the undercoat layer is ?s=20-50 mN/m, the active energy ray-curing type ink has a surface tension at 40° C. of 20-35 mN/m, and the top coating material has a surface tension at 25° C. of 20-50 mN/m, as well as a multilayer coat obtained by the production method.

Abstract: Provided is an electrophotographic photosensitive member in which a surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member has: a plurality of specific depressed portions; and a plurality of specific line grooves formed at portions other than the specific depressed portions, and in which when a square region 500 ?m on a side is arranged at an arbitrary position of the surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member, an area of the plurality of depressed portions in the square region 500 ?m on a side is 95,000 ?m2 or more and 180,000 ?m2 or less.

Abstract: In the case where an uneven structure is formed on the surface of cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive members, for the purpose of reducing the variation of the uneven structure between the individual cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive members even when a large number of cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive members are continuously processed, an insert is inserted into the interior of a cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member including a cylindrical substrate and a surface layer, the surface uneven structure of a molding member is transferred to and formed on the surface of the surface layer of the photosensitive member. The insert includes an abutting part having an outer peripheral surface capable of abutting on the inner peripheral surface of the substrate, a connecting part positioned inside of the abutting part in the radical direction and a shaft part positioned inside of the connecting part in the radical direction.

Abstract: There are provided a torque detection apparatus with high reliability and an electric power steering system and a vehicle which use the torque detection apparatus. The torque detection apparatus (30) detects the torque based upon a difference in the terminal voltage of the pair of detection coils. In this situation, the torque detection apparatus (30) outputs two analog torque signals (analog main torque signal Tma and analog sub torque signal Tsa) to the ECU (15), and outputs to the ECU (15) a digital communication signal S in which digital torque values obtained by converting the two analog torque signals to a digital format (main torque value Tm and sub torque value Ts) and diagnosis information Diag of the torque sensor circuit are superimposed.

Abstract: A voltage control apparatus controls a voltage value of power that is supplied to a consumer from either a distribution substation or a pole-mounted transformer. A power management apparatus calculates an adjustable amount of demand for enabling power demand from a plurality of consumers to be adjusted, and sends the adjustable amount of demand to a demand adjustment plan management apparatus. The demand adjustment plan management apparatus prepares a demand adjustment plan for satisfying a request value for the amount of demand adjustment, and sends the demand adjustment plan to the power management apparatus. The power management apparatus, on the basis of the demand adjustment plan, prepares a voltage control plan for controlling the output voltage value of the voltage control apparatus, and causes the output voltage value of the voltage control apparatus to be controlled in accordance with the voltage control plan.

Abstract: According to a water-based composition characterized by containing a colorant, water, a wetting agent, an amine compound, a hydroxyl group-containing organic solvent and a urethane resin having a polycarbonate group, there is provided a water-based coating composition being capable of easily controlling the gloss of a coating film applied on an object to be coated, having good storage stability, and being excellent in wetting properties to an object to be coated and continuous discharge stability without causing nozzle clogging.