Abstract: A vehicle battery pack for an electric vehicle includes a battery, a battery-cooling-air channel, a fume exhaust channel, a fume-ventilation restricting unit, a temperature sensor, a blower fan, and a controller. Cooling air that cools the battery flows through the battery-cooling-air channel. Fumes generated from the battery flow through the fume exhaust channel. The fume exhaust channel is coupled to the battery-cooling-air channel. The fume-ventilation restricting unit closes off the fume exhaust channel from the battery-cooling-air channel in a normal state, whereas causing the battery-cooling-air channel and the fume exhaust channel to communicate with each other in an abnormal state. The temperature sensor detects a temperature of the fumes. The controller controls the blower fan, and increase the air volume of the blower fan on the basis of the temperature detected by the temperature sensor.

Abstract: A protection system for an electromagnetic relay mounted on a vehicle is configured to protect the electromagnetic relay from causing a coupling failure due to freezing of the electromagnetic relay. The system includes a temperature detector, a cooler, and a control unit. The temperature detector sequentially measures an ambient temperature of a location in which the electromagnetic relay is disposed and outputs information on a change in the ambient temperature. The cooler cools an electric power line coupled to a fixing terminal of the electromagnetic relay. The control unit activates the cooler to cool the electric power line in a case where the control unit determines that the electromagnetic relay has a possibility of freezing on the basis of the information on the change in the ambient temperature from the temperature detector.

Abstract: A junction box controller controls a junction box including a circuit for vehicle travel that supplies power from a battery for vehicle travel to an electrical component for vehicle travel and a charging circuit including a positive electrode charging relay and an negative electrode charging relay that are for use in coupling and decoupling the battery for vehicle travel to and from an external charging power source in a state in which the positive electrode charging relay and the negative electrode charging relay are coupled to the circuit for vehicle travel. The junction box controller includes a temperature sensor that detects a temperature of the circuit for vehicle travel, and a controller that, when the temperature of the circuit for vehicle travel reaches or exceeds a preset threshold, controls and switches on either one of the positive electrode charging relay and the negative electrode charging relay.

Abstract: A vehicle battery pack for an electric vehicle includes a battery, a battery-cooling-air channel, a fume exhaust channel, a fume-ventilation restricting unit, a temperature sensor, a blower fan, and a controller. Cooling air that cools the battery flows through the battery-cooling-air channel. Fumes generated from the battery flow through the fume exhaust channel. The fume exhaust channel is coupled to the battery-cooling-air channel. The fume-ventilation restricting unit closes off the fume exhaust channel from the battery-cooling-air channel in a normal state, whereas causing the battery-cooling-air channel and the fume exhaust channel to communicate with each other in an abnormal state. The temperature sensor detects a temperature of the fumes. The controller controls the blower fan, and increase the air volume of the blower fan on the basis of the temperature detected by the temperature sensor.

Abstract: A motor control apparatus includes first and second detectors, and a switcher. The first detector detects a rotation position of a rotor using a signal from a resolver, and allows resolution of the rotation position to become lower in a region where a rotation speed of the rotor is higher than a first predetermined value, than in a region where the rotation speed is equal to or lower than the first predetermined value. The second detector estimates the rotation position using a current of the motor. The switcher switches between a first control and a second control in the region where the rotation speed is equal to or lower than the first predetermined value. The first control includes controlling the motor using the rotation position detected by the first detector. The second control includes controlling the motor using the rotation position estimated by the second detector.

Abstract: A junction box controller controls a junction box including a circuit for vehicle travel that supplies power from a battery for vehicle travel to an electrical component for vehicle travel and a charging circuit including a positive electrode charging relay and an negative electrode charging relay that are for use in coupling and decoupling the battery for vehicle travel to and from an external charging power source in a state in which the positive electrode charging relay and the negative electrode charging relay are coupled to the circuit for vehicle travel. The junction box controller includes a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the circuit for vehicle travel, and a controller that, when the temperature of the circuit for vehicle travel reaches or exceeds a preset threshold, controls and switches on either of the positive electrode charging relay and the negative electrode charging relay.

Abstract: A non-contact power receiving device includes a power receiving device, a shielding member, supports, a housing, and fastening elements. The power receiving device is mounted on a vehicle body and configured to receive wirelessly transmitted electric power. The shielding member is provided between the vehicle body and the power receiving device. The supports are provided so as to project from the vehicle body. The housing is provided between the supports and in which the power receiving device is disposed. The fastening elements are respectively mounted on the supports so as to be disposed on the opposite side of the housing and that respectively fasten the shielding member to the supports.

Abstract: A non-contact power receiving device includes a power receiving device, a shielding member, supports, a housing, and fastening elements. The power receiving device is mounted on a vehicle body and configured to receive wirelessly transmitted electric power. The shielding member is provided between the vehicle body and the power receiving device. The supports are provided so as to project from the vehicle body. The housing is provided between the supports and in which the power receiving device is disposed. The fastening elements are respectively mounted on the supports so as to be disposed on the opposite side of the housing and that respectively fasten the shielding member to the supports.

Abstract: A switching power supply device includes a full-bridge circuit, a transformer, a rectifier circuit, a filter circuit, a first series connection of a snubber capacitor and a first diode, and a second diode. The full-bridge circuit includes switching elements which are controlled to be driven under phase-shift control. The first series connection is connected in parallel with the smoothing reactor, where one terminal is connected to a terminal on positive side of the rectifier circuit, and the other terminal is connected to an anode of the first diode. A cathode of the first diode is connected to one terminal of the smoothing capacitor which is applied with positive voltage. The second diode is provided between a terminal on negative side of the rectifier circuit and a connecting point of the snubber capacitor and the first diode. A cathode of the second diode is connected to the connecting point.

Abstract: A control circuit (microcomputer) is provided in each of two inverter portions. Magnitude of a target waveform signal corresponding to a voltage to be output by each of the inverter portions is varied according to an operation state. The number of revolution of the engine is adjusted according to the larger one of the effective powers output from the two inverter portions. To cope with a temporary output shortage from the AC generator, the output voltage is temporarily lowered and then the output voltage is restored after waiting for the number of revolution of the engine increases.

Abstract: The method of this invention for heat treatment of a Si single crystal grown by the Czochralski method at a speed of pull of not less than 0.8 mm/min., characterized by heat-treating at a temperature in the range of from 1,150.degree. C. to 1,280.degree. C. a wafer cut out of the Si single crystal thereby producing a Si wafer excellent in oxide film dielectric breakdown voltage characteristic due to elimination of crystal defects. Consequently, this invention ensures production of LSI in a high yield.

Abstract: The evaluation of the oxide film dielectric breakdown voltage of a silicon semiconductor single crystal is caried out by cutting a wafer out of the single crystal rod, etching the surface of the wafer with the mixed solution of hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid thereby relieving the wafer of strain, then etching the surface of the wafer with the mixed solution of K.sub.2 Cr.sub.2 O.sub.7, hydrofluoric acid, and water therby inducing occurrence of pits and scale-like patterns on the surface, determining the density of the scale-like patterns, and computing the oxide film dielectric breakdown voltage by making use of the correlating between the density of scale-like patterns and the oxide film dielectric breakdown voltage. This fact established the method of this invention to be capable of effecting an evaluation equivalent to the evaluation of the oxide film dielectric breakdown voltage of a PW wafer prepared from the single crystal rod.

Abstract: The evaluation of the oxide film dielectric breakdown voltage of a silicon semiconductor single crystal is caried out by cutting a wafer out of the single crystal rod, etching the surface of the wafer with the mixed solution of hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid thereby relieving the wafer of strain, then etching the surface of the wafer with the mixed solution of K.sub.2 Cr.sub.2 O.sub.7, hydrofluoric acid, and water thereby inducing occurrence of pits and scale-like patterns on the surface, determining the density of the scale-like patterns, and computing the oxide film dielectric breakdown voltage by making use of the correlating between the density of scale-like patterns and the oxide film dielectric breakdown voltage. This fact established the method of this invention to be capable of effecting an evaluation equivalent to the evaluation of the oxide film dielectric breakdown voltage of a PW wafer prepared from the single crystal rod.

Abstract: Quick and inexpensive determination of an aggregate of point defects in a grown silicon semiconductor single crystal bar is accomplished by a method which comprises cutting a wafer from a freshly grown silicon single crystal bar, etching the surface of this wafer with the mixture of hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid thereby relieving the wafer of strain, treating the wafer with the mixture of K.sub.2 Cr.sub.2 O.sub.7, hydrofluoric acid, and water thereby giving rise to pits 2 and ripple patterns 1 therein, determining the density of the pits 2 and that of the ripple patterns 1, and rating the aggregate of point defects by virtue of the correlation between the densities of the pits 1 and the ripple patterns 1 and the aggregate of point defects.

Abstract: A semiconductor device of the MOS construction such that a gate oxide film of the device has a gate area in the range of from 5 to 15 mm.sup.2 and a thickness in the range of from 15 to 40 nm and the oxide film dielectric breakdown voltage is not less than 8 MV/cm when a gate current caused to flow in response to application of a direct-current voltage between a phosphorus-doped polysilicon electrode formed on the oxide film and a silicon single crystal substrate increases past 1 .mu.A/mm.sup.2 as current density is obtained by using a silicon wafer substrate having an oxygen concentration of not more than 1.times.10.sup.18 atoms/cm.sup.3.

Abstract: A method of producing a Czochralski-grown silicon single crystal stably and efficiently with high production yield comprises the steps of setting pulling conditions such that at least a portion of a growing silicon single crystal having a temperature in excess of 1150.degree. C. is spaced upwardly from a surface of silicon melt by a distance greater than 280 mm; and pulling the growing silicon single crystal upward while maintaining the pulling conditions. The silicon single crystal produced by this method has an excellent oxide film dielectric breakdown strength. An apparatus for carrying out the method is also disclosed.