Abstract: A hit-less cell switching device capable of switching ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) cells between a system ZERO and a system ONE is disclosed. The system ZERO includes a first cell switch, a first input cell gate, a first output cell gate, and a first shaper. Likewise, the system ONE includes a second cell switch, a second input cell gate, a second output cell gate, and a second shaper. First, a controller opens the first and second input cell gates and first output cell gate, closes the second output cell gate, and puts the first and second cell switches and first and second shapers in a fully switched condition, thereby initializing the switching device. Subsequently, the controller closes the second input cell gate, evacuates queue buffers included in the second cell switch and second shaper, and opens the second output gate. After putting the two cell switches and two shapers in an in-switching state, the controller closes the first input cell gate and opens the second input cell gate simultaneously.

Abstract: A telephone communication method capable of promoting the efficient use of the limited number of IP (Internet Protocol) addresses is disclosed. When a call is originated on a first telephone terminal, a first gateway accommodating the terminal accesses a DNS (Domain Name System) server via a UDP (User Datagram Protocol) channel of Internet or Intranet. The first gateway inquires the DNS server of the IP address of a second gateway accommodating a telephone terminal to be called, using an office number assigned to the second telephone terminal as a host name. The DNS server returns the IP address of the second gateway to the first gateway via the UDP channel. In response, the first gateway selects its own IP address for speech transfer and sends a call connection request to the second gateway on a TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) channel of Internet.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an interruption processing circuit which can send out an interruption information correctly to a data processor even when timing of occurrence of an interruption event is overlapped with that of its reading. An event signal indicating the occurrence of an interruption event is read and held in accordance with timing of the occurrence of an event or starting timing of data processing in a data processor and furthermore the signal held here is read and held in accordance with the subsequent processing start timing and sent out to a data processor in response to a readout signal fed by a data processor.

Abstract: An optical switch of the present invention has a plurality of elements arranged in each of a row and a column direction thereof, where the slits of each element are located at corresponding crossing point between an optical wave guide extending to a row direction and a column direction. A heating element, provided near each of the slits, with a predetermined resistance value, and liquid with predetermined optical characteristic which moves within the slit. The liquid is moved to switch the optical paths at the crossing point between the optical wave-guides.

Abstract: A wrist mechanism of an industrial robot is described which have a first ring-shaped hollow reduction unit secured to an arm of the robot, and a first hollow drive tube and a second ring-shaped hollow reduction unit secured to an output shaft of the first reduction unit, respectively. The wrist mechanism further have a second hollow drive tube and a third ring-shaped hollow reduction unit secured to an output shaft of the second reduction unit, respectively, and a third hollow drive tube secured to an output shaft of the third hollow reduction unit rotatably around a first axis. The first, second and third hollow drive tubes are connected to first, second and third wrist elements, respectively, to rotate each of the wrist elements relative to each other, which leave a hollow space inside thereof free for passage of supply cables and pipes which are to be connected to a tool being secured to the robot wrist.

Abstract: The present invention aims to provide a field effect transistor which inhibits an aggregation of silicon atoms attendant on heat treatment and has stable source/drain shapes. The field effect transistor according to the present invention is manufactured using a substrate on which a silicon layer, an buried oxide film (BOX film) and an SOI layer are stacked in order. The field effect transistor has an element isolation layer formed in the SOI layer and further includes visored portions provided so as to cover angular portions on the main surface side of an activation layer defined by the element isolation layer.

Abstract: A titanium dioxide film having at least photocatalytic activity, whose light linear transmittance corresponding to light having a wavelength of 550 nm is not less than 50 % and whose thickness is 0.1 to 5 &mgr;m or so, is formed on a transparent substrate constituted by a glass plate or the like. Preferably, a precoat film, which has optical transmissivity and is constituted by a SiO2 film having a thickness of 0.02 to 0.2 &mgr;m or so, is provided between the transparent substrate and the titanium dioxide film. Thereby, excellent photocatalytic action and optical transmissivity can be obtained. Moreover, members composing various structures such as a glass window, which are especially required to have optical transparency, can be further provided with photocatalytic activities.

Abstract: A signal deciding apparatus which can obtain a stable digital signal OUT irrespective of an amplitude and a duty ratio of an input signal IN is provided. The input signal IN is amplified by inverters (51 to 53 and 8) and outputted as a digital signal OUT. A signal (S5) on the input side of the inverter (8) is integrated by a time constant which is equal to a data period of the input signal IN by an integrator (9) and supplied to a differential amplifier (20). A signal (S8) on the output side of the inverter (8) is integrated by a large time constant by an integrator (10), a control voltage VC supplied from a control terminal (13) is multiplexed to the integrated signal S8, and a resultant signal is sent to the differential amplifier (20). An output signal of the differential amplifier (20) is integrated by a resistor (11) and a capacitor (4) and its average level is fed back as a threshold voltage to the input side of the inverter (51) through a resistor (3) and multiplexed to the input signal IN.

Abstract: A shape adaptive wavelet transform is performed on a digitized image signal representing an image. First, a shape information is obtained about the image, and the shape information is applied to a shape adaptive wavelet filter. The shape adaptive wavelet filter detects a starting point and an ending point of the image. The digitized image signal is divided into a low-frequency component and a high-frequency component. Then each frequency component is sampled, using the shape information. The shape adaptive wavelet filter then generates converted shape information indicating the shape for each sampled frequency component.

Abstract: Disclosed is a surface acoustic wave filter having a first serial-arm SAW resonator coupled to an input terminal and a first dual-mode SAW resonator coupled between the first serial-arm SAW resonator and an output terminal, wherein the first dual-mode SAW resonator includes first to third comb-shaped interdigital transducers, the second comb-shaped interdigital transducer is arranged between the first and third comb-shaped interdigital transducers and also coupled between the first serial-arm SAW resonator and the ground potential, and each of the first and third comb-shaped interdigital transducers is coupled between the ground potential and the output terminal. Also disclosed is a branching filter utilizing the surface acoustic wave filter.

Abstract: In an Internet telephone system, even though a user need not enter a user ID and a password, this internet telephone system can judge as to whether or not a telephone user is an authorized telephone user. To achieve this function, an Internet access point apparatus includes: a network interface unit functioning as an interface with a telephone line; a reception control unit for controlling the telephone line; a user data detecting unit for detecting user data and system data to thereby separate the user data from the system data; a calling telephone number detecting unit for detecting a calling telephone number sent via the telephone line to thereby recognize the telephone number of the telephone caller; an individual identifying unit for determining whether or not a telephone connection request is issued from an authorized telephone user on the basis of a detection result made by the calling telephone number detecting unit; and an output unit functioning as an interface with the Internet.

Abstract: A semiconductor device according to the invention of the present application comprises a first semiconductor layer, a first insulating layer formed over the first semiconductor layer, a second semiconductor layer formed over the insulating layer, a protective element formed over the second semiconductor layer, an electrode pad, and a plurality of series-connected through holes for connecting the electrode pad and the protective element. Thus, a surge voltage applied across a diffused resistor can be lightened and hence an oxide film placed below the diffused resistor can be prevented from destruction.

Abstract: An Internet phone server device includes a database storing users' telephone numbers and nearby ISPA information, a telephone number acquiring unit for acquiring the telephone number of the other party in response to user's call origination, an ISPA acquiring unit for obtaining the nearby ISPA of the terminating side from the acquired telephone number, and an ordinary public line calling unit for originating a call to a terminating Internet phone from the ISPA of the terminating side by using an ordinary public line. At an arbitrary time, the user originates a call. Even if the other-party does not communicate using IP connection, an communication can be effected.

Abstract: A spreading code synchronization circuit in a RAKE receiver in a spread-spectrum mobile communication system reassigns receiver fingers that are tracking substantially the same synchronization positions as other fingers, as well as reassigning fingers that are tracking synchronization positions with low correlation power. Under adverse multipath reception conditions, receiver fingers are quickly released from weak signal components and reassigned to stronger signal components, while maximum path diversity is maintained.

Abstract: A surface-acoustic-wave filter has a pair of series-arm surface-acoustic-wave resonators and a shunt-arm surface-acoustic-wave resonator coupled in a T configuration. An additional bridging surface-acoustic-wave resonator is coupled between the input and output terminals, in parallel with the series arm. The bridging surface-acoustic-wave resonator provides enhanced attenuation of spurious signals at multiples of the passband frequency.

Abstract: A group-IV semiconductor substrate has an inclined front surface, the inclination being toward a direction differing from the <010>crystal lattice direction. The substrate is cleansed by heating in the presence of a gas including a compound of the group-IV substrate element. A source gas of a group-III element is then supplied, forming an atomic film of the group-III element on the substrate surface. Starting at the same time, or shortly afterward, a source gas of a group-V element is supplied, and a III-V compound semiconductor hetero-epitaxial layer is grown. Chemical bonding of the group-III element to the group-IV substrate surface produces a crystal alignment of the hetero-epitaxial layer that leads to improved conversion efficiency when the semiconductor substrate is used in the fabrication of solar cells with compound semiconductor base and emitter layers.

Abstract: A device for positioning control of a magnetic head in consideration of eccentricity amount generated due to chucking under the same structure or condition as a hard disk drive of the actual machine is provided. The device includes a thin suspension for supporting a magnetic head for testing, a thick rotary positioner for supporting the suspension, a voice coil disposed at the reverse direction end of the magnetic head for testing of ends of the rotary positioner, a rotary shaft for supporting the magnetic head for testing, the suspension and the rotary positioner, and a pair of magnets and b for sandwiching the voice coil are provided on a stage, thereby constructing the same mechanism as a hard disk drive of the actual machine.

Abstract: A branching filter includes a transmitting filter and a receiving filter, both of the SAW-resonator type. The transmitting filter and receiving filter are housed in separate packages. The packages also include coupling circuitry and other necessary circuit elements such as inductor-capacitor chips. Accommodation of the SAW-resonator-type filters and other circuit elements in two separate packages leads to improved performance characteristics.

Abstract: An optical device having a large extinction ratio and being suitable for the digital operation including first and second electrodes (7, 8) formed on both sides of a waveguide structure, respectively such that a carrier-injection region (3a) and a non-carrier injection regions (3b) are formed adjacent to each other in the waveguide structure. When mass carriers are stored in the carrier injection region, its refractive index is reduced lower than the non-carrier-injection regions. In this state, when a light wave with low optical power propagates through the carrier-injection region, since an amount of carriers consumed thereby is small, the refractive index of this region is still lower than the non-carrier-injection regions, and the input light wave is emitted sideways through the non-carrier-injection region.

Abstract: The invention intends to provide a motion vector detecting device capable of increasing the processing speed and simplifying the construction of the device. The motion vector detecting device relating to the invention searches a block most similar to a reduced image of a gazed block from reduced images of the reference region as a first step, and searches a block most similar to the gazed block from a part including the block searched in the first step, of the reference region not reduced, as a second step. And, the motion vector detecting device stores the gazed block and the reference region in the internal memory, and executes the first step and the second step. Further, the device contains an image processing unit that reduces at least one of the gazed block and the reference region into a form that can be used in the first step, and thereafter transfers the reduced one to the internal memory.