Abstract: A switching element drive circuit that drives a main switching element by providing a control terminal of the main switching element with a drive signal that has asymmetric positive and negative potentials with respect to a reference potential, the main switching element including a ground terminal, which is a source terminal or an emitter terminal, and to which the reference potential is connected.

Abstract: A rotating electrical machine control device where the changeover control circuit switches the source of electric power for the electronic control unit when the electric power that is supplied from the second DC power supply to the electronic control unit becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined first reference value and electric power that is output from the backup power supply is equal to or higher than a predetermined second reference value, and the electronic control unit uses the electric power supplied from the backup power supply to cause the inverter o perform the switching operation to perform fail-safe control.

Abstract: A touch key of an operation console includes a circuit board (310) having a light source (312, 314), a light transmitting portion (322) transmitting light, a non-transparent light shielding portion (324) and a semi-transparent operation panel (300) covering upper surfaces of the light transmitting portion and the light shielding portion. The light transmitting portion accommodates the light source. The surfaces of light transmitting portion and light shielding portion in contact with each other are tightly sealed, and the circuit board (310) and the light shielding portion (324) cover the light transmitting portion (322) such that the light is emitted only from the surface in contact with the operation panel (300). Thus, leakage of light from around a figure indicating a touch key can be prevented, and the operation console comes to have a high-class look.

Abstract: There is provided a nickel-metal hydride storage battery with suppression of rise in internal pressure, allowing suppression of alkaline electrolyte leakage even when two or more of the batteries are used. The battery includes: positive and negative electrodes; a separator interposed therebetween; and an alkaline electrolyte. The negative electrode includes: a material mixture layer including hydrogen storage alloy powder capable of electrochemically absorbing and releasing hydrogen; and a water-repellent layer including a first polymer including tetrafluoroethylene as monomer units, formed on the material mixture layer. The separator includes: a primary layer having a non-woven fabric structure of fibers; and a composite layer formed on the primary layer and being in contact with the water-repellent layer. The composite layer includes: fibers in continuity with the non-woven fabric structure; and a second polymer including tetrafluoroethylene as monomer units.

Abstract: An operation unit comprises a touch panel display, a home key and a power saving key. The power saving key includes an indication portion, and a first indication portion out of the indication portion has light permeability, and a color of its surface is a dark color, and a second indication portion has no light permeability or has it hardly, which is constituted by a double-layered print. In a surface side of this second indication portion, a figure indicative of a power saving key is printed in silver ink, and in a rear side thereof, a figure indicative of the power saving key is printed in black ink. In a normal state, when a backlight is lit, a surface of the first indication portion is bright, and a surface of the second indication portion is darker than the surface of the first indication portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprises an image reading portion, and an operation unit having at least a touch panel display is provided in a front side of the image reading portion. A housing of the image reading portion has a housing projection portion that is projected frontward as compared with a front surface of a document pressing cover, and a power key that is a hardware key is provided on an upper surface of the housing projection portion in a back side as compared with the touch panel display and within a range of a breadth of the operation unit. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the power key from being operated carelessly, and it becomes easy to recognize a position of the power key.

Abstract: A clutch includes a clutch housing configured to hold a clutch plate, and a clutch gear configured to transmit rotary drive power to the clutch housing via a damper. The clutch housing has a rib that regulates a position, of the damper, in an axial direction. The dampers are accommodated in accommodation holes that are spaced from each other in a circumferential direction of the clutch gear. The rib is formed in an annular shape so as to be aligned with the accommodation holes.

Abstract: An inverter apparatus that includes an inverter that is interposed between an AC rotary electric machine and both a DC power supply and a smoothing capacitor and that includes a plurality of switching elements; a controller that controls driving of the plurality of switching elements; and a current sensor that detects a current flowing through a wire connecting the DC power supply and the inverter together, wherein the controller determines whether or not to stop driving of all of the plurality of switching elements based on the current detected by the current sensor while the AC rotary electric machine is caused to perform a regenerative operation of generating power.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes an indexer block, a first processing block, a second processing block, and an interface block. The indexer block includes a pair of carrier platforms and a transport section. A carrier storing a plurality of substrates in multiple stages is placed in each of the carrier platforms. The transport section includes transport mechanisms. The transport mechanisms concurrently transport the substrates.

Abstract: A vehicle transmission includes an input shaft and an input side fifth speed gear that is relatively rotatably mounted on the input shaft. Axial one end face of the fifth speed gear is so disposed as to neighbor a stepped face between a large and reduced diameter portions in the input shaft. At a root portion continued to the stepped face in an outer peripheral surface of the input shaft, an escapement is formed so as to be recessed radially outwardly. A chamfered portion is formed in an angled portion at one end on the stepped face side in the inner peripheral surface of the fifth speed gear. The axial distance (b) from one end of the fifth speed gear to a terminating end of the chamfered portion is chosen to be greater than the axial distance (a) from the stepped face to the terminating end of the escapement.

Abstract: An objective of the present invention is to provide an anti-human IgM monoclonal antibody that is capable of reacting specifically with human IgM and inducing immunoagglutination based on an antigen-antibody reaction with human IgM in solution, and an immunoassay using the said monoclonal antibody. Another objective of the present invention is to provide an agent for suppressing non-specific reactions caused by human IgM that could not be prevented by conventional methods, and an immunoassay in which non-specific reactions caused by human IgM are suppressed. By selecting a monoclonal antibody that reacts with human IgM on the basis of evaluation of reactivity with human IgM in solution, a novel monoclonal antibody capable of agglutinating human IgM by itself and performing a practical immunoagglutination assay has been obtained, and the objectives above have been thus achieved.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes an indexer block, a first processing block, a second processing block, and an interface block. The indexer block includes a pair of carrier platforms and a transport section. A carrier storing a plurality of substrates in multiple stages is placed in each of the carrier platforms. The transport section includes transport mechanisms. The transport mechanisms concurrently transport the substrates.

Abstract: A power conversion device including at least two transformers having a first transformer and a second transformer, each for transforming a power between a primary coil and a secondary coil, wherein each secondary coil of the first transformer and the second transformer includes a positive output coil whose output voltage is positive, and a negative output coil whose output voltage is negative with respect to a reference voltage on a secondary side, and output powers of the positive output coil and the negative output coil are different from each other.

Abstract: The present invention provides an insulin-specific assay and an assay reagent capable of sensitively and specifically assaying insulin using an antibody having a property of reacting with insulin bound to an anti-insulin antibody while not reacting with insulin not bound to an anti-insulin antibody, without being affected by proinsulin and insulin analogs.

Abstract: A positive electrode for alkaline storage batteries that enables to improve the active material utilization rate, while suppressing the self-discharge. The positive electrode for alkaline storage batteries includes a support having conductivity, and a positive electrode active material adhering to the support. The positive electrode active material includes particles of a nickel oxide. The particles of the nickel oxide include a first particle group having a particle diameter of 20 ?m or more, and a second particle group having a particle diameter of less than 20 ?m. The first particle group includes a first component with cracks, and a second component without cracks. The proportion of the first particle group in the particles of the nickel oxide is 15 vol % or more, and the proportion by number of the first component in the first particle group is 15% or more.

Abstract: An inverter apparatus that includes an inverter that is interposed between an AC rotary electric machine and both a DC power supply and a smoothing capacitor and that includes a plurality of switching elements; a controller that controls driving of the plurality of switching elements; and a current sensor that detects a current flowing through a wire connecting the DC power supply and the inverter together, wherein the controller determines whether or not to stop driving of all of the plurality of switching elements based on the current detected by the current sensor while the AC rotary electric machine is caused to perform a regenerative operation of generating power.

Abstract: A discharge control device where the discharge circuit is configured by a series circuit including a discharging resistor and a discharge control switch; and the discharge control unit controls the discharge control switch to a non-conducting state during non-discharge control in which the discharge control is not executed, and controls the discharge control switch to a conducting state during execution of the discharge control.

Abstract: There is provided an intake manifold of a multicylinder engine capable of facilitating homogenization of concentration distribution of EGR gas in intake air and distribution of EGR gas into respective cylinders.

Abstract: Provided is a self-propelled electronic device in which performance for running over a level difference of a floor surface of a room is improved.

Abstract: Provided is a method for the simple and highly accurate assay of PSA by a one-step reaction that does not use carriers having different average grain sizes. Also provided is a reagent therefor. The PSA assay method comprises sensitizing insoluble carriers having the same average grain size within a range of greater than 0.20 nm but 0.40 nm or less using two types of anti-PSA monoclonal antibodies having different epitopes that are anti-PSA monoclonal antibodies that will react with both free PSA and PSA-ACT, which is a complex of free PSA and ?1-antichymotrypsin, and bringing the carriers into contact with a sample in the presence of an aggregation promoter.