Abstract: A developing unit includable in a process cartridge and in an image forming apparatus includes a developer bearing member including a magnetic field generator and a nonmagnetic hollow member, a developer container, an agitation/conveyance member, a developer regulating member to regulate the thickness of a layer of the two-component developer. The magnetic field generator has first and second magnetic poles to generate respective magnetic forces for removing the developer from the developer bearing member after the developer passes the development region. The second magnetic pole generates a magnetic force to attract the developer to form a magnetic brush on the developer bearing member. The developer regulating member includes a magnetic member outwardly disposed on an exterior perimeter surface of the developer bearing member upstream from the developer regulating member, and one planar surface of the magnetic member faces the second magnetic pole across an effective development region.

Abstract: A development device includes a developer bearer to carry the developer to a development range, a magnetic field generator disposed inside the developer bearer for generating magnetic force, a developer regulator for adjusting an amount of the developer, a developer supply compartment disposed adjacent to the developer bearer, separated by a side wall from a portion where the developer bearer is provided, a developer agitator provided in the supply compartment, and a blocker disposed above the side wall of the supply compartment across a supply gap through which the developer moves from the supply compartment. The magnetic field generator has an attraction magnetic pole and a regulation magnetic pole. The blocker prevents the developer blocked by the developer regulator from moving along a magnetic force line of the regulation magnetic force toward the circumferential surface of the developer bearer.

Abstract: A toner supply assembly includes a toner container mount and a toner container including a container body, a cap having a toner outlet, and a shutter for the toner outlet, to move horizontally. The cap includes a shutter guide rail, a contact portion, and a pressed rail provided on a lateral side. The shutter includes a shutter body to engage the shutter guide rail and a deformable portion deformable vertically and including a stopper to contact the contact portion of the cap for inhibiting the shutter from opening the toner outlet, and a stopper release projection pressed by a bottom projection on a bottom surface of the toner container mount in conjunction with installation of the toner container. A pressing member provided in a side portion of the toner container mount engages the pressed rail of the cap, inhibiting the cap from moving upward.

Abstract: A wafer level package structure, in which a plurality of compact sensor devices with small variations in sensor characteristics are formed, and a method of producing the same are provided. This package structure has a semiconductor wafer having plural sensor units, and a package wafer bonded to the semiconductor wafer. The semiconductor wafer has a first metal layer formed with respect to each of the sensor units. The package wafer has a bonding metal layer at a position facing the first metal layer. Since a bonding portion between the semiconductor wafer and the package wafer is formed at room temperature by a direct bonding between activated surfaces of the first metal layer and the bonding metal layer, it is possible to prevent that variations in sensor characteristics occur due to residual stress at the bonding portion.

Abstract: A wafer level package structure with a plurality of compact sensors such as acceleration sensors and gyro sensors is provided. This package structure is composed of a semiconductor wafer with plural sensor units, and a pair of package wafers bonded to both surfaces of the semiconductor wafer. Each of the sensor units has a frame having an opening, a movable portion held in the opening to be movable relative to the frame, and a detecting portion for outputting an electric signal according to a positional displacement of the movable portion. Since the semiconductor wafer is bonded to each of the package wafers by a solid-phase direct bonding without diffusion between a surface-activated region formed on the frame and a surface-activated region formed on the package wafer, it is possible to prevent that variations in sensor characteristics occur due to residual stress at the bonding interface.

Abstract: In a solar cell module and a manufacturing method thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention, the solar cell module has a configuration in which in a solar cell element (10) including a transparent conductive film (12), a photoelectric conversion layer (13) and a back face electrode layer (14) formed on a light-transmitting insulating substrate (11), a bus bar (21) is bonded on the back face electrode layer (14) with a conductive adhesive (18), and the bus bar (21) has a portion in which a plurality of conductive wires (21a, 21a, . . . ) are disposed side by side in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the transparent conductive film (12) or the back face electrode layer (14). These conductive wires (21a, 21a, . . . ) are disposed to be spaced apart from each other in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the transparent conductive film (12) or the back face electrode layer (14).

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a thin film solar cell includes a bonding step of bonding a bus bar on a back face electrode layer of a solar cell string including a transparent conductive film, a photoelectric conversion layer and the back face electrode layer formed on a light-transmitting insulating substrate. The bonding step includes a first step of bonding conductive tape on the bonding surface of the bus bar that is to be bonded to the back face electrode layer, and a second step of bonding the bus bar to which the conductive tape has been bonded to the back face electrode layer of the solar cell string.

Abstract: There is provided an electrostatic induction conversion device which is small, has high conversion efficiency between electric energy and kinetic energy, and can prevent degradation of an electret. The electret is formed by injecting an electric charge into the vicinity of the surface of an insulating material, is disposed between two conductors, and is constructed so that it moves relatively to at least one of the conductors opposite to the electret and converts between electric energy and kinetic energy. As the insulating material forming the electret, it is preferable to use a polymer having a fluorine-containing aliphatic cyclic structure.

Abstract: An optical connector assembling method capable of preventing workability from worsening is provided. First, when assembling the optical connector, an optical cord (2) is passed through a rear housing (8), an outer jacket holding member (9), a securing member (10), and a boot (11), and an outer jacket (4) is removed from a leading end portion of the optical cord (2), so as to expose a coated optical fiber (3) and a tension-resistant fiber (5). A handled dust cap (16A) is mounted to a ferrule member (6) holding a built-in fiber. Then, a fusion splicer fusion-splices the built-in fiber and the coated optical fiber (3) to each other. Thereafter, while the ferrule member (6) keeps the handled dust cap (16A) mounted thereto, a plug housing (7) is assembled to the rear housing (8). Then, the outer jacket holding member (9) and securing member (10) secure the outer jacket (4) and tension-resistant fiber (5) to the rear housing (8), and the boot (11) is mounted to the securing member (10).

Abstract: A sensor device having small variations in sensor characteristics and improved resistance to electrical noise is provided. This sensor device has a sensor unit, which is provided with a frame having an opening, a movable portion held in the opening to be movable relative to the frame, and a detecting portion for outputting an electric signal according to a positional displacement of the movable portion, and a package substrate made of a semiconductor material, and bonded to a surface of the sensor unit. The package substrate has an electrical insulating film on a surface facing the sensor unit. The package substrate is bonded to the sensor unit by forming a direct bonding between an activated surface of the electrical insulating film and an activated surface of the sensor unit at room temperature.

Abstract: A toner replenishing device includes a sub hopper (toner container), a toner detection sensor, an agitator, and a paddle. The sub hopper contains toner. The toner detection sensor is located on a wall surface in the sub hopper and detects whether toner remains at a height at which it is located. The agitator rotates in the sub hopper to clean the detection surface of the toner detection sensor. The paddle serves as a toner collecting unit that collects toner to the vicinity of the detection surface of the toner detection sensor in the sub hopper.

Abstract: The invention has as its object to provide an ultra-thin copper foil with a carrier which suppresses occurrence of blistering and is stable in peeling strength, in particular provides an ultra-thin copper foil with a carrier enabling easy peeling of a carrier foil from an ultra-thin copper foil even under a high temperature environment. As means for that, there is provided an ultra-thin copper foil with a carrier comprised of a carrier foil, a release layer, and a copper foil, wherein the release layer is formed by a first release layer disposed on the carrier foil side and a second release layer disposed on the ultra-thin copper foil side, there is a first interface between the carrier foil and the first release layer, a second interface between the ultra-thin copper foil and the second release layer, and a third interface between the first release layer and the second release layer, and the peeling strengths at the interfaces are first interface>third interface, and second interface>third interface.

Abstract: An information attaching unit attaches either one of carrier density information of initial developer and loose apparent density information of toner in the initial developer to a housing of a developing device. A density-information storage unit stores therein either one of the carrier density information and the loose apparent density information as electronic data. At least one of the information attaching unit and the density-information storage unit is provided before shipment of the developing device.

Abstract: In order to provide a flexible laminate circuit board using a surface treated copper foil satisfying all of a bonding strength of a copper foil with respect to polyimide, acid resistance, and etching property, in a flexible laminate circuit board formed by a copper foil on the surface of a polyimide resin layer, the copper foil is a surface treated copper foil formed by depositing an Ni—Zn alloy onto at least one surface of a untreated copper foil, and the Zn deposition amount in the deposited Ni—Zn alloy is 6% or more and 15% or less of the (Ni deposition amount+Zn deposition amount), and the Zn deposition amount is 0.08 mg/dm2 or more to provide a flexible cupper clad laminate.

Abstract: To provide a surface treated copper foil satisfying all of the bonding strength to polyimide film, chemical resistance, and etching property, and to provide a CCL using the surface treated copper foil, a surface treated copper foil is formed being comprising an untreated copper foil on at least one surface of which Ni—Zn alloy is deposited, wherein Zn content (wt %)=Zn deposition amount/(Ni deposition amount+Zn deposition amount)×100 is 6% or more and 15% or less, and Zn deposition amount is 0.08 mg/dm2 or more, or, a CCL is formed being comprising a surface treated copper foil and a polyimide film laminated on the surface treated copper foil, wherein the surface treated copper foil comprises an untreated copper foil on at least one surface of which Ni—Zn alloy is deposited, Zn content (wt %)=Zn deposition amount/(Ni deposition amount+Zn deposition amount)×100 is 6% or more and 15% or less, and Zn deposition amount is 0.08 mg/dm2 or more.

Abstract: A brazing fin material for heat exchangers includes a core material and a filler metal clad on each side of the core material, wherein the core material is an aluminum alloy including manganese, the filler metal is an aluminum alloy including 6 to 9.5 mass % of silicon, silicon particles in the filler metal have an average circle equivalent diameter of 3 ?m or less, and the brazing fin material has a thickness of 0.06 mm or less.

Abstract: To provide an electrodeposited copper foil having flexibility and bending property equivalent to or better than that of rolled copper foil, an electrodeposited copper foil wherein regarding a crystal structure after heat treatment is applied to the electrodeposited copper foil wherein LMP defined as formula 1 is 9000 or more, either color tone of a red system or a blue system occupies 80% or more in a surface in the EBSP analysis is provided. LMP=(T+273)*(20+Log t)??Formula 1 wherein 20 is a material constant of copper, T is temperature (° C.), and t is time (Hr). Preferably, relative intensity of (331) face against (111) face is 15 or more in the X-ray diffraction of the electrodeposited copper foil after the heat treatment is applied to the electrodeposited copper foil.

Abstract: A movable BF guide is provided in a movable-blade receiving area into which a movable blade slides along a fixed blade while being pressed against the fixed blade in a process of cutting recording paper. The movable-blade receiving area is blocked by the BF guide when the cutting process is not performed, thus preventing the entry of the end portion of the downstream connected recording paper into the movable-blade receiving area.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an electrolytic copper coating that exhibits a bendability and flexibility equal to or better than those of rolled copper foil after the heat history in a circuit board fabrication process, especially after a heat history equivalent to the heat history applied when bonding with a polyimide film. The present invention provides an electrolytic copper coating and a method of manufacturing the same wherein, when performing heat treatment so that the LMP value shown in Equation 1 becomes 9000 or more, the result becomes a crystal distribution of crystal grains, having a maximum length of crystal grains after heat treatment of 10 ?m or more, of 70% or more: LMP=(T+273)*(20+Log t)??Equation 1 where, 20 is a material constant of copper, T is temperature (° C.), and t is time (hr).

Abstract: An acceleration sensor includes: a rectangular moving electrode; a pair of beams which connect to centers of two opposite sides of the moving electrode, and support the moving electrode freely swingably; and first and second fixed electrodes which are provided on one side and other side of a boundary line, respectively, and are arranged to be opposed to a front surface of the moving electrode at a predetermined interval. A straight line that connects the pair of beams to each other is taken as the boundary line. Then, on a back surface of the moving electrode, first and second recessed portions are formed on one side of the boundary line and the other side thereof, respectively.