Abstract: The invention provides a molded foam molding method capable of obtaining a molded foam in which pinholes may not be formed with ease even when a blow ratio is high and which has a high expansion ratio. The invention also provides a molded foam which includes no pinholes, is reduced in weight, and is excellent in heat insulating property. The molding method includes blending a polypropylene-based resin having an equilibrium compliance from 2.0 to 6.0 (10?3×Pa?1) with a foaming agent and kneading the blend in an extruder. The extruded foamed resin is molded so as to be fit along a mold by a pressurized fluid. Moreover, the molded foam is formed by the method described above, and has an expansion ratio from 1.5 to 5.0 times and an impact strength of not less than 30 kg·cm.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a blow-molded foam which has homogeneous foamed cells in size, is light in weight, and is excellent in surface smoothness, and a process for producing the same. The invention is directed to a blow-molded foam 1 having a wall portion formed in such a manner that a thermoplastic resin containing a foaming agent mixed therewith is subjected to blow molding. Herein, the wall portion has a closed cell structure in which a plurality of foamed cells are contained. The wall portion has an expansion ratio of not less than 2.0 times. The wall portion has an outer face having a center-line average surface roughness Ra of less than 9.0 ?m. The foamed cell has a cell diameter having a standard deviation of less than 40 ?m in a thickness direction of the wall portion.

Abstract: A representative value calculator calculates a representative value which is a luminance value representing a main inspection object area from an input image. On the other hand, an image divider divides an image area of the input image, and sets a plurality of divided ranges. A factor calculator calculates a tone conversion factor for enhancing or suppressing contrast adjacent the representative value calculated by the representative value calculator for each area (each divided area) divided by the image divider. A tone converter converts the tone of each pixel of the input image based on the tone conversion factor for the range divided by the image divider, which range includes a pixel for image processing, and ranges adjacent that range. As a result, the contrast of the area for which enhancement is desired can be enhanced optimally.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of fans, a drive part and a controller. The drive part drives each of the fans. The controller controls the drive part in such a way that while the apparatus is operated, a part of the plurality of fans are stopped and the fan to be stopped is changed and the amount of change in a noise level of all the fans before and after the change of the fan to be stopped is limited to within a specified range.

Abstract: An intake fan (62) is provided on a side surface of an exposure device (40) provided below a plurality of image formation portions (20) far from a fixing unit (30), and a ventilation path (70) is formed on a side surface of the exposure device (40) on a back side, and outside air sucked by the intake fan (62) into a body of an apparatus is fed through the ventilation path (70) to the back side of the image formation portion (20K) closest to the fixing unit (30). The air flows through a space between a division plate (80) and the image formation portions (20) toward a discharge fan (61), and the image formation portions (20) are air-cooled sequentially from the image formation portion (20K). Thus, it is possible to effectively air-cool the image formation portions without increasing the size of the apparatus.

Abstract: A radiographic image processing apparatus in this invention decreases a spatial resolution twice in total by a low-frequency image generating device and a low-frequency characteristic generating device. Thereby an influence such as noise and thus calculation amounts are decreased. Moreover, excessive characteristic amounts (patterns) not removed among characteristic amounts extracted through the low-frequency image generating device and a characteristic extracting device can be decreased by decrease of the spatial resolution by the low-frequency characteristic generating device. Consequently, influence such as noise and calculation amounts can be decreased for the low-frequency characteristics generated by the low-frequency characteristic generating device and a radiation area extracted by an area extracting device on the latter stage.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing multilayer foam where easy generation of dead air and improvement in foam magnification is offered. Multilayer resin that has non-foam layer outside foam layer is pushed out, the innermost side of the multilayer resin is bonded mutually, and multilayer resin laminating body is formed. Multilayer resin laminating body is clamped in the empty space between outermost side of multilayer resin laminating body and cavity side with metal mold. Multilayer resin laminating body is molded in the shape along cavity side, and the multilayer foam is molded.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a blow-molded foam which has homogeneous foamed cells in size, is light in weight, and is excellent in surface smoothness, and a process for producing the same. The invention is directed to a blow-molded foam 1 having a wall portion formed in such a manner that a thermoplastic resin containing a foaming agent mixed therewith is subjected to blow molding. Herein, the wall portion has a closed cell structure in which a plurality of foamed cells are contained. The wall portion has an expansion ratio of not less than 2.0 times. The wall portion has an outer face having a center-line average surface roughness Ra of less than 9.0 ?m. The foamed cell has a cell diameter having a standard deviation of less than 40 ?m in a thickness direction of the wall portion.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a blow-molded foam which has homogeneous foamed cells in size, is light in weight, and is excellent in surface smoothness, and a process for producing the same. The invention is directed to a blow-molded foam 1 having a wall portion formed in such a manner that a thermoplastic resin containing a foaming agent mixed therewith is subjected to blow molding. Herein, the wall portion has a closed cell structure in which a plurality of foamed cells are contained. The wall portion has an expansion ratio of not less than 2.0 times. The wall portion has an outer face having a center-line average surface roughness Ra of less than 9.0 ?m. The foamed cell has a cell diameter having a standard deviation of less than 40 ?m in a thickness direction of the wall portion.

Abstract: A blow-molded foam having a wall portion formed in such a manner that a thermoplastic resin containing a foaming agent mixed therewith is subjected to blow molding. Herein, the wall portion has a closed cell structure in which a plurality of foamed cells are contained. The wall portion has an expansion ratio of not less than 2.0 times. The wall portion has an outer face having a center-line average surface roughness Ra of less than 9.0 ?m. The foamed cell has a cell diameter having a standard deviation of less than 40 ?m in a thickness direction of the wall portion.

Abstract: An image area extracting device includes a low-frequency image generating unit for generating a low-frequency image from a radiological image by a frequency filter process lower than a spatial frequency inside an object area, a luminance variation image generating unit for generating a luminance variation image by detecting luminance variations of the low-frequency image, and a boundary selecting unit for selecting boundary pixels located on a boundary of an area of interest based on pixel values of the luminance variation image and the low-frequency image. Influences of noise components or fine structural components inside a patient M are reduced by generating the low-frequency image, which facilitates recognition of a contour shape of the patient M. The boundary pixels are selected based on the low-frequency image and the luminance variation image generated from the low-frequency image. This assures highly accurate and stable area extraction.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a method of forming a hollow blow-molded foam and also provide such a hollow-molded foam, which are capable of improving a flow-rate efficiency of a fluid that flows through the inside of the hollow blow-molded foam. A foaming resin is sandwiched between molds so that a hollow blow-molded foam having a ventilation path is molded, and a fluid for use in cooling the hollow blow-molded foam is allowed to flow through the ventilation path so that the hollow blow-molded foam is cooled.

Abstract: [Problem] To provide a light-weight air conditioning duct for vehicle that is light in weight and excellent in mechanical strength. [Solution] The present invention is directed to a light-weight air conditioning duct for vehicle 1 for letting conditioned air supplied from an air conditioning unit pass through to a desired location, the duct being obtained by blow-molding a mixed resin including a polypropylene-based resin for foaming and a hydrogenated styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer, and the duct having an Izod impact strength equal to or larger than 10 J/m at ?20 degrees Celsius.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a molded foam which is lightweight and excellent in strength. According to the invention, a method for manufacturing a molded foam from a foamed parison includes: an extruding step of extruding a resin blend containing a foaming agent and a thermoplastic resin to form a foamed parison; an attaching step of closely attaching facing portions of an inner wall surface of the foamed parison to each other to form a foamed parison laminated body; a mold clamping step of sealing and mold clamping the foamed parison laminated body by clamping the foamed parison laminated body by split mold blocks; and a sucking step of sucking air between the split mold blocks to reduce a pressure between the split mold blocks, after the attaching step and the mold clamping step.

Abstract: A radiographic image processing apparatus in this invention decreases a spatial resolution twice in total by a low-frequency image generating device and a low-frequency characteristic generating device. Thereby an influence such as noise and thus calculation amounts are decreased. Moreover, excessive characteristic amounts (patterns) not removed among characteristic amounts extracted through the low-frequency image generating device and a characteristic extracting device can be decreased by decrease of the spatial resolution by the low-frequency characteristic generating device. Consequently, influence such as noise and calculation amounts can be decreased for the low-frequency characteristics generated by the low-frequency characteristic generating device and a radiation area extracted by an area extracting device on the latter stage.

Abstract: An intake fan (62) is provided on a side surface of an exposure device (40) provided below a plurality of image formation portions (20) far from a fixing unit (30), and a ventilation path (70) is formed on a side surface of the exposure device (40) on a back side, and outside air sucked by the intake fan (62) into a body of an apparatus is fed through the ventilation path (70) to the back side of the image formation portion (20K) closest to the fixing unit (30). The air flows through a space between a division plate (80) and the image formation portions (20) toward a discharge fan (61), and the image formation portions (20) are air-cooled sequentially from the image formation portion (20K). Thus, it is possible to effectively air-cool the image formation portions without increasing the size of the apparatus.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing multilayer foam where easy generation of dead air and improvement in foam magnification is offered. Multilayer resin that has non-foam layer outside foam layer is pushed out, the innermost side of the multilayer resin is bonded mutually, and multilayer resin laminating body is formed. Multilayer resin laminating body is clamped in the empty space between outermost side of multilayer resin laminating body and cavity side with metal mold. Multilayer resin laminating body is molded in the shape along cavity side, and the multilayer foam is molded.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a plurality of fans; a drive part for driving each of the fans; and a controller for controlling the drive part in such a way that while the apparatus is operated, a part of the plurality of fans are stopped and the fan to be stopped is changed and the amount of change in a noise level of all the fans before and after the change of the fan to be stopped is limited to within a specified range.

Abstract: An image area extracting device includes a low-frequency image generating unit for generating a low-frequency image from a radiological image by a frequency filter process lower than a spatial frequency inside an object area, a luminance variation image generating unit for generating a luminance variation image by detecting luminance variations of the low-frequency image, and a boundary selecting unit for selecting boundary pixels located on a boundary of an area of interest based on pixel values of the luminance variation image and the low-frequency image. Influences of noise components or fine structural components inside a patient M are reduced by generating the low-frequency image, which facilitates recognition of a contour shape of the patient M. The boundary pixels are selected based on the low-frequency image and the luminance variation image generated from the low-frequency image. This assures highly accurate and stable area extraction.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing molded foam which uses cheap materials, is light in weight and which is excellent in impact resistance. In the method for manufacturing molded foam, propylene homopolymer with a long chain branch, propylene ethylene block copolymer and low density polyethylene are mixed in the base resin at a prescribed mixing ratio. A blowing agent is added to carry outfoaming. A prescribed mixing ratio is determined based on the value arrived at by a multiplying melt tension of each material mixed with the melt flow rate and the Tensile Rupture Elongation.