Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell for generating electricity using a chemical reaction between hydrogen and air supplied thereto; a diluter for diluting hydrogen discharged from the fuel cell with air discharged from the fuel cell; a request load air amount calculation unit for calculating an amount of air required for generating electricity in the fuel cell which meets request load; a dilution air amount calculation unit for calculating an amount of air to be supplied to the fuel cell that provides an amount of discharged gas required for diluting hydrogen in the diluter to a specific concentration; and an air supply control unit for supplying air to the fuel cell in an amount which is the larger amount selected from between the amount of air calculated in the request load air amount calculation unit and the amount of air calculated in the dilution air amount calculation unit.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods for producing a multi-element oxide single crystal which contains Bi, which has high crystallinity independently of a preparation process, and which is represented by the formula (Bi2O2)Am?1BmO3m+1, wherein A is Sr, Ba, Ca, or Bi and B is Ti, Ta, or Nb. A flux layer, containing a composition satisfying the inequality 0<CuO/Bi2O3<2 and/or 0?TiO/Bi2O3<7/6 on a molar basis is deposited on a wafer and a single-crystalline thin-film is then deposited on the flux layer placed on the wafer. A melt of a composition which contains raw materials and a flux and which satisfies the above inequality is prepared and the melt is cooled such that a single crystal is grown. A CuO flux layer is deposited on a wafer and Bi—Ti—O is supplied to the flux layer using a Bi6Ti3O12, Bi7Ti3O12, or Bi8Ti3O12 target of which the Bi content is greater than that of an object film such that a Bi4Ti3O12 single-crystalline thin-film is formed above the wafer.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell system enabling an improvement in fuel consumption and a method for controlling thereof. A fuel cell system 1 includes a fuel cell 10, an air pump 21, an air supply channel, a hydrogen supply channel, a hydrogen tank, a hydrogen discharge channel, a hydrogen reflux channel, an air discharge channel, a purge valve 441, and a control device 30. The control device 30 includes a dilution judgment portion 31 judging whether dilution of hydrogen gas has been completed; an air increase portion 33 for increasing an air mass in the air discharge channel; a power production calculation portion 34 calculating an amount of power production based on the air mass increased; and a fuel cell drive portion 35 driving the fuel cell 10 to produce electric power to obtain the amount of power production calculated.

Abstract: Object: To provide a semiconductor device using titanium dioxide as an active layer and a method for producing thereof. Means for Solving the Problems: The semiconductor device 10 according to the present invention includes TiO2 as an active layer thereof. The semiconductor device 10 according to the present invention includes a gate electrode 20, a TiO2 layer 12 which functions as a semiconductor active layer and forming a channel, a source electrode and a drain electrode being electrically connected to the TiO2 layer, and an insulating film formed between the gate electrode and the TiO2 layer. The TiO2 layer 12 may be a single crystal substrate including a Rutile or Anatase structure which has a step-terrace structure. The TiO2 layer 12 may be a vapor deposition film of TiO2. Further the present invention provides a method for producing the semiconductor device using titanium dioxide as the active layer.

Abstract: A failure determination device for a cell voltage monitor which detects cell voltages of a plurality of single cells comprising a fuel cell stack comprises: a memory for storing cell voltages detected by the cell voltage monitor; a minimum value determination unit for determining whether or not a present cell voltage which the cell voltage monitor detects is equal to or lower than a minimum value cell voltage which is in a detectable range of the cell voltage monitor; a failure determination unit for determining that the cell voltage monitor has a failure when the minimum value determination unit determines that the present cell voltage is equal to or lower than the minimum value cell voltage, and a cell voltage detected by the cell voltage monitor in the past and stored in the memory is greater than a determination cell voltage.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a scavenging gas supply device for supplying a scavenging gas to a fuel cell stack; a scavenging switching valve for performing switching between first scavenging for performing scavenging by supplying the scavenging gas to one of a cathode gas passage and an anode gas passage, and second scavenging for performing scavenging by supplying the scavenging gas to the other gas passage; a pressure control device for controlling the pressure of the scavenging gas; and a control part for controlling operations of the scavenging gas supply device, the scavenging switching valve, and the pressure control device. When the scavenging is switched from the first scavenging to the second scavenging via the scavenging switching valve, the pressure of the scavenging gas at the upstream side with respect to the scavenging switching valve becomes lower than the pressure of the scavenging gas during the first scavenging.

Abstract: A start-up method for a fuel cell system that includes a fuel cell that carries out power generation by the electrochemical reaction between a fuel gas and the oxygen gas in the air; a fuel gas discharge path and a fuel gas supply path that are connected to the fuel cell; a fuel gas circulation path in which the fuel gas discharge path merges with the fuel gas supply path; and a purge valve provided on the fuel gas circulation path in order to discharge the circulating fuel gas from the fuel gas circulation path. The method includes the steps of opening the purge valve at the same time that the fuel gas is supplied to the fuel cell and replacing the nitrogen gas that originates in the air and is present in the fuel gas circulation path by fuel gas; and closing the purge valve after the nitrogen gas in the fuel gas circulation path has been replaced by the fuel gas.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell which generates electrical power from a chemical reaction of a reaction gas; a discharge path for discharging the reaction gas supplied to the fuel cell; a discharge valve which is provided in the discharge path and discharges the reaction gas from the discharge path; and valve control units for controlling opening of the discharge valve, wherein the valve control units are adapted such that, since the discharge valve has been opened by a valve open command issued by one of the valve control units, the valve control units prohibit the discharge valve from being opened by a valve open command issued by any of the other valve control units until a predetermined time period elapses.

Abstract: It is intended to provide a signal detection circuit and a signal detection method capable of preventing influences of variations in transistor characteristics, occurrence of yield degradations of the signal detection circuit and capable of detecting differential input signals at high speed. The signal detection circuit 4 comprises an amplifier section 1, a comparator section 2, and an output section 3. Differential input signals and differential reference voltages are differential-amplified by differential amplifiers 10, 11 of identical circuit structure provided in the amplifier section 1. The relationship of degree between differential input signals and differential reference voltages after differential amplification are compared in comparators 12 and 13 of the comparator section 2.

Abstract: A multicast communications system that updates multicast trees in a reliable way to prevent transmitted packets from being dropped or reversed before they reach their destinations. When a transmitting device sending multicast packets has moved from an initial access point to a new access point, a trigger data generator produces and sends trigger data to a network control server. This trigger data includes a sequence number of a particular packet as a trigger condition that initiates a change from an initial multicast tree to a new multicast tree. A trigger data distributor then sends the trigger data to both the initial and new access points. In packet routing devices, an update processor maintains the initial multicast tree until a packet having the sequence number specified in the trigger data is received and forwarded. After that, the update processor replaces the initial multicast tree with the new multicast tree.

Abstract: To provide a communications apparatus for preventing degradation in data quality, which is caused by the missing of reception data at the time of a data communication, an application processing unit comprises a load monitor processing unit for monitoring a load imposed at the time of a reception data process, and a reception response processing unit for issuing a reception response instruction to a protocol processing unit, and the protocol processing unit comprises a first data notifying unit for transmitting a reception response to reception data, and a second data notifying unit for transmitting a reception response according to an instruction from the reception response processing unit.

Abstract: A start-up method for a fuel cell system that includes a fuel cell that carries out power generation by the electrochemical reaction between a fuel gas and the oxygen gas in the air; a fuel gas discharge path and a fuel gas supply path that are connected to the fuel cell; a fuel gas circulation path in which the fuel gas discharge path merges with the fuel gas supply path; and a purge valve provided on the fuel gas circulation path in order to discharge the circulating fuel gas from the fuel gas circulation path. The method includes the steps of opening the purge valve at the same time that the fuel gas is supplied to the fuel cell and replacing the nitrogen gas that originates in the air and is present in the fuel gas circulation path by fuel gas; and closing the purge valve after the nitrogen gas in the fuel gas circulation path has been replaced by the fuel gas.

Abstract: A flux assisted solid phase epitaxy that can make a thin film having a crystalline perfection comparable with that of a bulk crystal and at a reduced cost is provided in which an amorphous film of a mixture of an objective substance to be grown epitaxially and a flux of a substance producing a eutectic with the objective substance but not producing any compound therewith is deposited on a substrate at a temperature less than a eutectic point of the substances, and the substrate is heat-treated at a temperature not less than the eutectic point of the objective and flux substances. A solid phase reaction, namely solid phase diffusion causes the objective and flux substances to be mixed together to form a liquid phase in their eutectic state from which the objective substance precipitates and epitaxially grows on the substrate.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a diluting apparatus which comprises a first introducing portion, a second introducing portion and an inner space and a discharge portion, and a control unit which comprises discharged fuel gas quantity detection means, a current remaining fuel gas detection means and a purge treatment means. In this fuel cell system purging the fuel gas is controlled calculating a current remaining fuel gas quantity in the inner space based on a fuel gas quantity introduced into the inner space, a flow rate of an oxidizing off-gas, a ventilation rate and a flow rate of a diluting gas.

Abstract: A fuel-cell system is provided, which includes a fuel cell, a reactive-gas supply unit and a control unit. The reactive-gas supply unit supplies the reactive gases to the fuel cell. The control unit includes an average stoichiometric flow-ratio calculation part and a reactive-gas reduction part. The average stoichiometric flow-ratio calculation part calculates an average stoichiometric flow ratio by averaging stoichiometric flow ratios. A stoichiometric flow ratio is a ratio of an amount of the reactive gases supplied to the fuel cell with respect to a required amount of the reactive gases of the fuel cell in accordance with a required amount of power generation. When the average stoichiometric flow ratio is equal to or greater than a first predetermined value, the reactive-gas reduction part reduces the amount of the reactive gases supplied to the fuel cell so as to lower the stoichiometric flow ratio.

Abstract: A group communication method capable of performing group communication without additional functions provided on a network and with preventing excessive network traffic. Each communication device first transmits an enrollment message. A providing device groups the communication devices, creates a group key specifying the communication devices that are identified as a same subgroup, and transmits the group key to the communication devices. The communication devices receive and store the group key. To transmit distribution data to a subgroup, the providing device transmits the data together with data corresponding to the group key to a selected communication device of the subgroup. When the communication devices recognize the distribution data, the communication devices determine whether to receive the distribution data, based on the distribution data and the stored group key.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell to which a reaction gas is supplied to generate electricity; a circulating system which returns unreacted reaction gas discharged from the fuel cell to an upstream of the fuel cell to thereby circulate the unreacted reaction gas; a discharge device which discharges the unreacted reaction gas from the circulating system; a first pressure detector which detects a pressure at a downstream of the discharge device; and a controller which controls an amount of discharged gas to be discharged from the circulating system by the discharge device, based on the pressure detected by the first pressure detector.

Abstract: A production method for an image sensor which is provided with a plurality of sensor portions arranged on a semiconductor substrate and each having a first photodiode constituted by a first region of a first conductivity type and a second region of a second conductivity type different from the first conductivity type and a second photodiode constituted by the second region and a third region of the first conductivity type. The method includes the steps of: forming a second region of the second conductivity type on a first region defined in a semiconductor substrate by epitaxial growth; and forming a third region of the first conductivity type on the second region by epitaxial growth.

Abstract: A merge support system includes a first detection unit and a second detection unit for detecting a position and a speed of an approaching vehicle in a traffic on a main lane and a position and a speed of a subject vehicle, an information provision unit for providing information for a driver of the subject vehicle and a control unit for calculating a merge speed of the subject vehicle relative to the traffic on the main lane and a merge position relative to the traffic on the main lane. The control unit calculates the merge speed and the merge position on the main lane based on the position and the speed of the approaching vehicle and the subject vehicle, and the control unit controls the information provision unit for providing a calculation result of the merge speed and the merge position for the driver of the subject vehicle.