Abstract: A fuel cell system is provided which includes a fuel cell to which fuel gas and oxidizing gas are supplied to generate electricity, a purge valve which purges fuel gas discharged from the fuel cell, a dilutor which mixes the purged fuel gas with the oxidizing gas and purges the purged fuel gas mixed with the oxidizing gas into the atmosphere, and an ECU which stops supply of the oxidizing gas to the fuel cell so as to cause an idle stop and determines whether to permit the idle stop depending on a concentration of the fuel gas in the dilutor.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a control device for setting an oxygen-containing gas operating pressure target value on the cathode side using a relative pressure relative to atmospheric pressure, setting a fuel gas operating pressure target value on the anode side using an absolute pressure, and controlling a power generation current of the fuel cell using as command values the relative pressure and the absolute pressure. The control device controls operation of the entire fuel cell system.

Abstract: An image sensor provided with: a plurality of photodiodes arranged on a surface of a semiconductor substrate, the photodiodes each including a first region of a first conductivity type provided on the semiconductor substrate, a second region of a second conductivity type provided on the first region, the second conductivity type being different from the first conductivity type, and a signal extraction region of the second conductivity type provided on the second region; and an isolation region which electrically isolates the second regions of each adjacent pair of photodiodes from each other, the isolation region including a first trench provided between the second regions of the adjacent photodiodes and an oxide film provided on the first trench in the vicinity of surfaces of the second regions and having a greater width than the first trench.

Abstract: A sheet handling apparatus comprises a switchback path including a switchback section, and a straight path that bypasses the switchback section. The controller of the sheet handling apparatus detects the conveyance-directional length of a sheet assigned to the switchback section, using a length sensor, and also detects the sheet conveyance rate of each path, thereby controlling a switchback roller based on the detection results.

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: A home agent, when receiving a binding update message containing designation of a priority level in such a status that unauthorized binding is registered in a binding cache, judges which priority level, the priority level designated in this binding update message or a priority level related to the unauthorized binding, is higher, then updates, when judging that the former is higher than the latter, the binding cache with the binging contained in this binding update message, and deletes the unauthorized binding.

Abstract: A switchback unit has a switchback roller which receives a paper sheet conveyed in a first direction into a nip for forward rotation and backwardly rotates the paper sheet after stopping the paper sheet to feed the paper sheet to a second conveyance path. When the conveyance of the paper sheet stopped on the way to the switchback section is resumed, control is performed so that the switchback roller is forwardly rotated until a sensor detects the tip of the paper sheet, and then the switchback roller is stopped and backwardly rotated.

Abstract: A switch function selector collects vehicle's positional information and road data of roads surrounding the vehicle from a navigation device, and thereby determines whether the turn-signal lamps need controlling. When affirmatively determining, the switch function selector outputs an operating signal from a lever switch to a turn-signal lamp controller. When negatively determining, the switch function selector outputs the operating signal to a navigation device.

Abstract: An image sensor provided with: a plurality of photodiodes arranged on a surface of a semiconductor substrate, the photodiodes each including a first region of a first conductivity type provided on the semiconductor substrate, a second region of a second conductivity type provided on the first region, the second conductivity type being different from the first conductivity type, and a signal extraction region of the second conductivity type provided on the second region; and an isolation region which electrically isolates the second regions of each adjacent pair of photodiodes from each other, the isolation region including a first trench provided between the second regions of the adjacent photodiodes and an oxide film provided on the first trench in the vicinity of surfaces of the second regions and having a greater width than the first trench.

Abstract: A disclosed process synchronous proving system includes: a holding part configured to hold a determination condition for a factor based on an action, which factor is difficult to obtain by anyone except for a valid user; a detection part configured to detect the factor; a determination part configured to determine whether the determination condition is satisfied by the factor that is detected; and a providing part configured to provide proving information according to a result of determination by the determination part.

Abstract: There are provided a method of superflattening an oxide crystal that is soluble neither with acid nor with alkaline, a method of making a ReCa4O(BO3)3 family oxide single crystal thin film using the superflattening method, a ReCa4O(BO3)3 family oxide single crystal thin film having a SHG property, a superflattening method for light incident/emitting surfaces, and a defect assessing method for oxide crystals. The surface of an oxide crystal that is soluble neither with acid nor with alkaline is reduced with a reducing agent, the reduced oxide crystal surface is dissolved with an aqueous solution of acid or alkaline, the surface dissolved oxide crystal is heat-treated in the atmosphere, whereby the surface of an oxide crystal that is soluble neither with acid nor with alkaline is superflattened to an atomic level.

Abstract: A device control system allows a terminal owned by the user to control the functions of various connected devices as if through operation panels of those devices. A control requester sends a terminal message including coordinate information of a display screen and an identifier of the terminal for making a control request. A display controller displays on the display screen a search category of control items, the functions that can be provided by another device, and events in a display mode based on event detail information. A control request processor sends a control request message to the other device in response to operation of the events displayed on the display screen.

Abstract: A communication method by which a first device and a second device each having a wireless interface perform communications, includes a step of making the first device transmit a communication element ensuring request containing a predetermined communication pattern, a step of making the second device judge from a relationship with a self-allocated resource quantity whether a communication having the predetermined communication pattern contained in the communication element ensuring request is acceptable or not, if judged acceptable, generate and transmit a new address, and retain an associated relationship between the new address and the predetermined communication pattern, a step of making the first device transmit predetermined information by use of the new address, and a step of making the second device transfer the predetermined information transmitted by use of the new address with the predetermined communication pattern associated with the new address.

Abstract: In a data transfer method using a communications network that comprises, at least, a mobile node, a corresponding node that distributes data to the mobile node, and a relay node that relays data transfer between the mobile node and the corresponding node, the mobile node requests the relay node to initiate buffering data that is transmitted from the corresponding node. The relay node buffers data that is transmitted from the corresponding node and addressed to the mobile node. The mobile node requests the relay node to transmit the buffered data to the mobile node. The relay node transmits the buffered data to the mobile node.

Abstract: It comprises a mask (11) having a first, a second and a third action edge (11a, 11b, 11c), and a drive means for moving the mask (11) relative to a substrate (12) in a uniaxial direction (A) whereby moving the mask at a fixed rate of movement to cause the edges to successively act on an identical substrate region while successively applying different materials thereto forms thin films of three components successively with respective film thickness gradients oriented in three different directions mutually angularly spaced apart by an angle of 120° to allow these films to overlap, thereby forming a ternary phase diagrammatic thin film 13.

Abstract: According to the invention, the wavelength of a laser pulse is once converted to another wavelength by using a nonlinear optical action. A ratio of the intensity at a temporal peak of a pulse to that at a front part thereof is increased. The converted laser light is reconverted by using a nonlinear optical action in such a way as to have an initial wavelength again. Thus, simultaneously with extremely enhancing the contrast at the front part of the pulse, the amplification thereof by a used laser amplifier is enabled. Saturation amplification is then performed on the pulse to thereby form ultrashort pulses. When the generation of ultrashort excimer laser pulses is performed, the generation thereof can be performed without using a costly mode-locked laser.

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: The present invention relates to a handover technique used in a mobile communications system. For instance, a mobility management node selects an access line to be used for transferring application data, on the basis of the type of application data (http, ftp, voip, or the like) to be transferred from a communication node at the other end to a mobile node, and transfers the application data by means of the selected access line. As a result, a plurality of access lines connected simultaneously to the mobile node can be used according to the type of application, such as http, ftp, voip, or the like. Therefore, the quality desired by a user is ensured, and an attempt to effectively utilize a network can be realized.

Abstract: A driving assistance system able to suitably inform a user of the occurrence of congestion or an accident or other situation which may obstruct the advance of one's own vehicle and accordingly able to suitably assist driving, that is, a driving assistance system which judges whether or not congestion, an accident, etc. has occurred in a direction of advance of the vehicle on the basis of road information transmitted from a road information center and the current location of the vehicle and changes an operating force of a direction instruction operation lever in the corresponding direction of advance when detecting the occurrence of congestion, an accident, etc. in the direction of advance of the vehicle. By the change of the operating force of the direction instruction operation lever, the occurrence of congestion, an accident, etc.

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.