Abstract: A cartridge is set in a printer main unit, and has a remaining toner measurer which measures toner in a toner chamber upon setting of the cartridge. A cartridge memory stores information of a remaining toner amount measured previously. CPU compares the remaining toner amount measured newly with the remaining toner amount measured previously and read from the cartridge memory. If there is an increase in the toner, the cartridge is determined as improper cartridge reloaded with the toner. An alarm signal is generated. Also, printing is inhibited. In another preferred embodiment, shortage information is assigned to the cartridge upon using up the toner. The cartridge, if it has the shortage information, is determined as improper. If a characteristic of the toner is not within a reference range, the cartridge is determined improper. In another preferred embodiment, an upper limit of the number of times of toner reloading is predetermined.

Abstract: An ink cartridge, which is removably set in a printer, has an ink chamber storing ink, an absorbent chamber containing a sponge that absorbs the ink from the ink chamber and holds it, and a fuel chamber storing a liquid fuel to be supplied to a fuel cell of the printer. The fuel chamber is located outside and adjacent to the ink chamber, so that the ink stored in the ink chamber is kept in a constant temperature range. Data on residual amounts of the ink and the fuel in the ink cartridge are detected by a residual ink detector and a residual fuel detector of the printer, and are written in a memory card that is removably attached to the ink cartridge.

Abstract: An impact driver in which a drill mode can be selected without fail is provided. In a hammer case, a connecting sleeve is provided so as to be slidable back and forth. At the backward position, the connecting sleeve engages with only a first engaging tooth provided on the outer circumference of the hammer for rotating integrally. At the forward position, it engages with both the first engaging tooth of the hammer and a second engaging tooth of an anvil for rotating integrally with both of them, and thus a drill mode is obtained. Further, an operating bolt is provided in the hammer case to be inserted into a concave groove of the connecting sleeve through a guide groove formed in the hammer case. The operating bolt slides the connecting sleeve to the forward or backward position by its movement in the guide groove.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, includes a rotatable image bearing member; a developing member for developing a latent image formed on the image bearing member; a cleaning blade for removing a developer from the image bearing member, the cleaning blade being cooperative with the image bearing member to form a nip in which the cleaning blade is contacted to the image bearing member within a predetermined area; and a controller for executing a first step of stopping rotation of the image bearing member after completion of an image forming operation for forming an image on the recording material; a second step of rotating, after the first step, the image bearing member through a predetermined peripheral distance in a rotational direction which is the same as a direction in which the image bearing member is rotated during the image forming operation; a third step of rotating, after the second step, the image bearing member in a rotational direction which is opposite the di

Abstract: A first drive shaft is disposed with a first piezoelectric element at one end and a second piezoelectric element at the other end. A second drive shaft is disposed with the second piezoelectric element at one end and a third piezoelectric element at the other end. First and second lens holding frames are frictionally engaged with the first and second drive shafts respectively in a slidable manner. The first, second and third piezoelectric elements are expanded and contracted according to a drive signal and move the first and second lens holding frames in an axial direction respectively. When the moving velocity of the first and second lens holding frames are reduced, the phase difference between the drive signals, which are output to the respective piezoelectric elements, is adjusted so that the moving velocity becomes higher.

Abstract: A lens barrel has its collapsed length that can be further decreased by removing unnecessary space and bringing lens groups close to each other and a photographic apparatus incorporates the lens barrel. When the lens barrel is collapsed, at least a fourth lens group is retracted from a photographic optical axis by an advance/retract mechanism. In that case, a first lens group and third lens group are aligned along the optical axis and stuffed into the lens barrel, the fourth lens group is placed on the top, bottom, right, or left side of these lenses, and a second lens group is placed on the top, bottom, right, or left side of the first and third lens groups. This reduces the length of the lens barrel. During extension, the second and fourth lens groups are advanced onto the photographic optical axis by the advance/retract mechanism to extend the lens barrel greatly.

Abstract: A taking lens consists of first to third lens groups. The second lens group is held in a lens frame that is coupled through an arm to a supporting shaft, and is able to rotate about the supporting shaft, to move the second lens group in a circular direction in a plane perpendicular to an optical axis of the taking lens. As a movable lens barrel retreats into a camera body, the lens frame rotates to remove the second lens group from an inserted position inserted in an optical path of the taking lens to a removed position set out of the optical path. The arm is provided with an actuator that causes the lens frame to move in a lengthwise direction of the arm. Because the movement in the circular direction includes a component that is perpendicular to the lengthwise movement of the arm, it is possible to move the lens frame and thus the second lens group in any directions in the perpendicular plane to the optical axis, in order to cancel a deviation of an optical image that result from a camera shake.

Abstract: A lens unit is provided with two CCD image sensors and a color-separation prism for separating subject light into green light (G light), and a mixture of red light (R light) and blue light (B light). The color-separation prism allows the G light to enter into one of the CCD image sensors, and the mixture of the R and B light to enter into the other CCD image sensor. Sensor moving mechanisms drive the CCD image sensors individually in a plane perpendicular to an optical axis when camera shake is detected, thereby preventing the image from blurring.

Abstract: A lens frame is contained in a lower lens barrel and moves in a direction of an optical axis as guided by a guide shaft. An adjusting lever is provided with a lever body having a bearing for supporting the lower end of the guide shaft and an opening into which an adjusting pin is inserted, and a holding portion extended from near the opening of the lever body to outside the lower lens barrel. A length between an edge of the holding portion and a center of the opening is longer than the length between the center of the opening and a center of the bearing. The lever moves around the adjusting pin in a plane orthogonal to the optical axis to adjust the position of the guide shaft.

Abstract: An agent for fixing (a) substance(s), which can fix various substances to be fixed on a substrate via covalent bonds and which has an excellent effect for the prevention of non-specific adsorption is disclosed. A polymer containing a plurality of phosphorylcholine groups and photoreactive groups in one molecule is used. The polymer binds to the substrate and to the substance to be fixed via the photoreactive groups, thereby the substance to be fixed is bound to the substrate via covalent bonds through the polymer, and non-specific adsorption is effectively prevented by the phosphorylcholine groups. Further, an agent for fixing (a) substance(s) for fixing the substance on a substrate, comprising a nonionic water-soluble macromolecule having at least 2 photoreactive groups in one molecule was also provided.

Abstract: A receiving apparatus includes a receiving section for receiving image data output from an autonomously traveling robot at a predetermined output position and a storage section for storing the image data received from the robot at the receiving section.

Abstract: A cartridge is set in a printer main unit, and has a remaining toner measurer which measures toner in a toner chamber upon setting of the cartridge. A cartridge memory stores information of a remaining toner amount measured previously. CPU compares the remaining toner amount measured newly with the remaining toner amount measured previously and read from the cartridge memory. If there is an increase in the toner, the cartridge is determined as improper cartridge reloaded with the toner. An alarm signal is generated. Also, printing is inhibited. In another preferred embodiment, shortage information is assigned to the cartridge upon using up the toner. The cartridge, if it has the shortage information, is determined as improper. If a characteristic of the toner is not within a reference range, the cartridge is determined improper. In another preferred embodiment, an upper limit of the number of times of toner reloading is predetermined.

Abstract: A stepping motor comprises first to third coil portions and first to second rotors. The first rotor has a cylindrical shape and a circumferential surface thereof is magnetically-polarized so as to alternately arrange south poles and north poles. The first rotor is disposed inside the first and second coil portions, and is rotated by magnetic fields generated at a time when the first and second coil portions are energized. The second rotor has a disk shape and a surface thereof is magnetically polarized so as to alternately arrange south poles and north poles. The second rotor is disposed such that edge areas of both surfaces thereof are interposed between the second and third coil portions. The second rotor is rotated by magnetic fields generated at a time when the second and third coil portions are energized.

Abstract: A cartridge is set in a printer main unit, and has a remaining toner measurer which measures toner in a toner chamber upon setting of the cartridge. A cartridge memory stores information of a remaining toner amount measured previously. CPU compares the remaining toner amount measured newly with the remaining toner amount measured previously and read from the cartridge memory. If there is an increase in the toner, the cartridge is determined as improper cartridge reloaded with the toner. An alarm signal is generated. Also, printing is inhibited. In another preferred embodiment, shortage information is assigned to the cartridge upon using up the toner. The cartridge, if it has the shortage information, is determined as improper. If a characteristic of the toner is not within a reference range, the cartridge is determined improper. In another preferred embodiment, an upper limit of the number of times of toner reloading is predetermined.

Abstract: To provide a digital camera which is thinner than conventional when a lens barrel is collapsed, and is improved in suppression of degradation of image quality due to dust or the like introduced into the lens barrel. A lens barrel has: an optical-member advancement/retraction mechanism that retracts any of plural optical members from an optical axis for picture taking when the lens barrel is collapsed, and advances the optical member, which is retracted when the lens barrel is collapsed, onto the optical axis for picture taking when the lens barrel is extended; and a cleaning member that cleans at least either of the optical member or one, which is adjacent to the optical member, of the plural optical members and a solid-state image pickup section as a result of retracting or advancing the optical member by the optical-member retraction/advancement mechanism.

Abstract: A cartridge is set in a printer main unit, and has a remaining toner measurer which measures toner in a toner chamber upon setting of the cartridge. A cartridge memory stores information of a remaining toner amount measured previously. CPU compares the remaining toner amount measured newly with the remaining toner amount measured previously and read from the cartridge memory. If there is an increase in the toner, the cartridge is determined as improper cartridge reloaded with the toner. An alarm signal is generated. Also, printing is inhibited. In another preferred embodiment, shortage information is assigned to the cartridge upon using up the toner. The cartridge, if it has the shortage information, is determined as improper. If a characteristic of the toner is not within a reference range, the cartridge is determined improper. In another preferred embodiment, an upper limit of the number of times of toner reloading is predetermined.

Abstract: A cartridge is set in a printer main unit, and has a remaining toner measurer which measures toner in a toner chamber upon setting of the cartridge. A cartridge memory stores information of a remaining toner amount measured previously. CPU compares the remaining toner amount measured newly with the remaining toner amount measured previously and read from the cartridge memory. If there is an increase in the toner, the cartridge is determined as improper cartridge reloaded with the toner. An alarm signal is generated. Also, printing is inhibited. In another preferred embodiment, shortage information is assigned to the cartridge upon using up the toner. The cartridge, if it has the shortage information, is determined as improper. If a characteristic of the toner is not within a reference range, the cartridge is determined improper. In another preferred embodiment, an upper limit of the number of times of toner reloading is predetermined.

Abstract: A cartridge is set in a printer main unit, and has a remaining toner measurer which measures toner in a toner chamber upon setting of the cartridge. A cartridge memory stores information of a remaining toner amount measured previously. CPU compares the remaining toner amount measured newly with the remaining toner amount measured previously and read from the cartridge memory. If there is an increase in the toner, the cartridge is determined as improper cartridge reloaded with the toner. An alarm signal is generated. Also, printing is inhibited. In another preferred embodiment, shortage information is assigned to the cartridge upon using up the toner. The cartridge, if it has the shortage information, is determined as improper. If a characteristic of the toner is not within a reference range, the cartridge is determined improper. In another preferred embodiment, an upper limit of the number of times of toner reloading is predetermined.

Abstract: A piezoelectric actuator having a frame portion includes a drive shaft for frictional engagement with an engageable barrel arm of a lens unit. First and second piezoelectric elements are supported on the frame portion, and provided with first and second ends of respectively the drive shaft. A drive pulse generator supplies the piezoelectric elements with a drive signal to expand or contract the piezoelectric elements, and moves the engageable barrel arm in an axial direction by an alternately repeating sequence of shifting the drive shaft at low and high speeds in the axial direction. In the shifting at the high speed, the piezoelectric elements shift the drive shaft in a backward direction quickly, to move the drive shaft in the backward direction relative to the engageable barrel arm being stationary with inertial force.

Abstract: A lens frame holding a taking lens is movably connected to a driving shaft via a connector. A guide member is disposed at a lower portion of the lens frame so as to separate from the connector by about 180 degrees around an optical axis. The guide member is movably attached to a guide rod. A light emitter is disposed on a lateral side of the lens frame so as to separate from the connector by about 90 degrees around the optical axis. The light emitter applies the light to a light receiver of a line sensor confronting the light emitter. The line sensor sends a light-reception signal, which is outputted from the light receiver, to a lens-position controller. Positional information of the taking lens is obtained on the basis of the light-reception signal so that a position of the taking lens is accurately detected.