Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a plating method on a glass base plate. The method allows forming a plating film on a base plate composed of a glass material with excellent adhesivity and homogeneity by means of an electroless plating method even to a thickness of 1 ?m or more. Before forming a plating film by a step of electroless plating S6, a surface treatment process is conducted on a surface of the base plate composed of a glass material. The surface treatment process comprises at least a step of glass activation treatment S2 to increase quantity of silanol groups on the surface of the base plate at least by a factor of two using an aqueous solution of diluted acid, a step of silane coupling agent treatment S3, a step of palladium catalyst treatment S4, and a step of palladium bonding treatment S5.

Abstract: A disk substrate for a perpendicular magnetic recording medium is, disclosed. The substrate exhibits sufficient productivity, serves the function of a soft magnetic backing layer of the perpendicular magnetic recording medium, and scarcely generates noise. A perpendicular magnetic recording medium using such a substrate also is disclosed. The disk substrate comprises at least a soft magnetic underlayer formed on a nonmagnetic base plate by means of an electroless plating method. The thermal expansion coefficient of the soft magnetic underlayer is larger than a thermal expansion coefficient of the nonmagnetic disk-shaped base plate. A saturation magnetostriction constant ?s satisfies a relation ?s??1×10?5.

Abstract: A method of forming a carbon protective film is disclosed that improves electromagnetic conversion characteristics through reduction of the film thickness without any damage on a magnetic layer. Also disclosed is a magnetic recording medium that exhibits good electromagnetic conversion characteristics and corrosion resistance. The method of forming the carbon protective film uses a high frequency plasma CVD method on a disk including at least a magnetic film on a nonmagnetic substrate. A bias voltage in a range of ?200 V to zero V is applied at the beginning of discharge in a process of forming the carbon protective film, and a bias voltage in a range of ?500 V to ?200 V is applied at the end of discharge. Also disclosed is a magnetic recording medium having at least a magnetic film and a protective film on a nonmagnetic substrate, wherein the protective film is formed by the method of forming a protective film stated above according to the invention.

Abstract: A manufacturing method for a magnetic recording medium is disclosed. By using the method, the anisotropic magnetic field (Hk) of an underlayer is improved, spike noise generated in the soft magnetic underlayer is suppressed, and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is improved without employing a special layer configuration and without the need for complicated and expensive processing. A soft magnetic underlayer is formed by laminating a soft magnetic lower underlayer, a non-magnetic metal layer, and a soft magnetic upper underlayer in succession on a non-magnetic substrate. After forming the non-magnetic metal layer, its surface is exposed to a gas containing between 2 and 100 at % oxygen. A perpendicular magnetic recording layer is formed on the soft magnetic underlayer.

Abstract: A perpendicular magnetic recording medium is disclosed. The formation of a domain wall in a soft magnetic backing layer relative to a large external magnetic field can be suppressed better in the medium, the Hk of the backing layer is improved, and productivity can be increased. The perpendicular magnetic recording medium is formed by laminating at least a soft magnetic backing layer, a non-magnetic underlayer, a magnetic recording layer, and a protective film in succession on a non-magnetic substrate. The backing layer, underlayer, magnetic recording layer, and protective film are formed by a vapor deposition method. The backing layer is a laminated body with a soft magnetic lower backing layer, non-magnetic metal layer, and soft magnetic upper backing layer. The non-magnetic metal layer is formed by forming a metal layer and then subjecting the metal layer to surface exposure processing using a nitrogen-containing gas containing 0.1 to 100 at % nitrogen.

Abstract: An electronic watch in which the display on a liquid crystal display 236 is prohibited when the detected output voltage of a secondary battery 220 drops to a first predefined voltage. An initialization process is performed when the detected voltage of the secondary battery 220 drops to a second voltage lower than the first voltage, and the display on the liquid crystal display unit 236 is restarted when the detected voltage of the secondary battery 220 rises to a third voltage not lower than the first voltage after having reached the second voltage.

Abstract: A plating method on a glass base plate is disclosed. The method allows an electroless plating film to be formed on a base plate composed of a glass material with excellent adhesivity through a process that removes alkaline and alkaline earth metals on the surface of the base plate. Also disclosed is a method of manufacturing a magnetic recording medium employing the method of plating on a glass base plate. Before forming a plating film in a step of electroless plating, a series of surface treatments are conducted on the surface of the base plate composed of a glass material. The series of surface treatments comprises at least an ultraviolet light irradiation, an etching treatment, an adhesion layer formation treatment, a catalyst layer formation treatment, and a catalyst activation treatment.

Abstract: A method of plating on a glass base plate is disclosed. The method allows a plating film to be formed on a base plate composed of a glass material with excellent adhesivity and homogeneity by means of an electroless plating method, even to a thickness of 1 ?m or more. Before forming the plating film by electroless plating, a series of surface treatments are conducted on the surface of the base plate composed of a glass material. The surface treatments comprises at least a glass activation treatment, a silane coupling agent treatment, a palladium catalyst treatment, a palladium bonding treatment, ab electroless plating to form a preliminary plating film having a thickness in the range of 0.02 ?m to 0.5 ?m, and an annealing at a temperature in the range of 200° C. to 350° C.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a plating method on a glass base plate. The method allows forming a plating film on a base plate composed of a glass material with excellent adhesivity and homogeneity by means of an electroless plating method even to a thickness of 1 ?m or more. Before forming a plating film by a step of electroless plating S6, a surface treatment process is conducted on a surface of the base plate composed of a glass material. The surface treatment process comprises at least a step of glass activation treatment S2 to increase quantity of silanol groups on the surface of the base plate at least by a factor of two using an aqueous solution of diluted acid, a step of silane coupling agent treatment S3, a step of palladium catalyst treatment S4, and a step of palladium bonding treatment S5.

Abstract: A disk substrate for a perpendicular magnetic recording medium is, disclosed. The substrate exhibits sufficient productivity, serves the function of a soft magnetic backing layer of the perpendicular magnetic recording medium, and scarcely generates noise. A perpendicular magnetic recording medium using such a substrate also is disclosed. The disk substrate comprises at least a soft magnetic underlayer formed on a nonmagnetic base plate by means of an electroless plating method. The thermal expansion coefficient of the soft magnetic underlayer is larger than a thermal expansion coefficient of the nonmagnetic disk-shaped base plate. A saturation magnetostriction constant ?s satisfies a relation ?s??1×10?5.

Abstract: A voltage and internal resistance of a battery are measured in advance as its capacity decreases. In a flash memory of a device powered by the battery, voltages necessary to drive a motor, an EL display, and a bezel input unit are stored. By comparing the voltage of the battery with a resistor connected as a dummy load and the voltage read from the flash memory, it can be determined whether it is possible to drive the motor, the EL display, or the bezel input unit.

Abstract: In transmitting signals to an opposing terminal by introducing a system current from a terminal of this side, a dummy bit interpolator (105) is provided for inserting dummy bits among the fixed frame lengths of the transmission signals to adjust the length of the transmission data by using dummy bits in order to maintain synchronism in the sampling timings even when there does not hold a multiple relationship between the sampling frequency and the rate of transmission.

Abstract: An electronic watch in which the display on a liquid crystal display 236 is prohibited in the case where the output voltage of a secondary battery 220 drops and reaches a first voltage based on the result of detecting the voltage of the secondary battery 220, the initialization processing is performed in the case where the voltage of the secondary battery 220 drops and reaches a second voltage lower than the first voltage, and the display on the liquid crystal display unit 236 is restarted in the case where the voltage of the secondary battery 220 reaches a third voltage not lower than the first voltage after reaching the second voltage.

Abstract: A voltage and internal resistance of a battery are measured in advance as its capacity decreases. In a flash memory of a device powered by the battery, voltages necessary to drive a motor, an EL display, and a bezel input unit are stored. By comparing the voltage of the battery with a resistor connected as a dummy load and the voltage read from the flash memory, it can be determined whether it is possible to drive the motor, the EL display, or the bezel input unit.

Abstract: An information processing device to which data can be input by the use of a rotary bezel. A pulse-count detection sensor unit 32 and a rotational-direction detection sensor unit 33 read an optical pattern which is formed on the rotary bezel to generate a series of pulse signals. The pulse-count detection sensor unit 32 and the rotational-direction detection sensor unit 33 are arranged such that a phase difference occurs between the signals of the sensor unit 32 and the signals of the sensor unit 33, so that it is possible to detect the rotational direction of the rotary bezel. A data-signal generating element 81 generates a data signal on the basis of the detected rotational angle and the pulse count generated by the pulse-count detection sensor unit 32.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a laser beam scanning unit adapted for scanning laser beams on a surface of a charged image bearing member (5). The laser beam scanning unit (53) comprises a semiconductor laser array (21) having a plurality of light emitting portions (21a) and a rotating polygon mirror adapted for deflecting laser beams emitted from the light emitting portions to the image bearing member (5). The light emitting portions (21a) are disposed two-dimensionally on a surface of the semiconductor laser array. The lighting and the amount of light of the light emitting portions (21a) are discretely controlled by a control unit. The scanning unit further includes a collimator lens having a focal length fc, where a distance between a most spaced two of the plurality of light emitting portions is .delta. max, and fc/.delta. max is 25 or more.

Abstract: When emitted light from LED 31 is incident on photodiodes 32 and 33 with luminance Pa and Pb, currents ia and ib are generated according to luminance Pa and Pb. When outside light is incident through the finger tissues on photodiodes 32 and 33 with luminance Pc, current ic is produced. The current i1 (=ia+ic) generated by photodiode 32, and the current i2 (=−ib−ic) generated by photodiode 33, are added at node X, and the current ic corresponding to outside light is thus cancelled. In addition, photodiodes 32 and 33 are disposed at different distances from LED 31. As a result, the current flowing to opamp 34 is current ia corresponding to luminance Pa because luminance Pb is extremely low. The opamp 34 then applies a current voltage conversion to generate pulse wave signal Vm.

Abstract: A laser beam scanning unit (53) adapted for scanning laser beams on a surface of a charged image bearing member (5) is provided. The laser beam scanning apparatus (53) comprises a semiconductor laser array (21) having a plurality of light emitting portions (21a) and a rotating polygon mirror (3) adapted for deflecting laser beams emitted from the light emitting portions to the image bearing member (5). The light emitting portions (21a) are disposed two-dimensionally on a surface of the semiconductor laser array. The lighting and the amount of light of the light emitting portions (21a) are discretely controlled by a control unit (60).

Abstract: A charger capable of reliably and uniformly maintaining a discharging gap formed in the vicinity of a contact portion between a charging member and a photosensitive member. A charging member 101 is arranged by supporting and fixing both ends of a flexible film 102 by means of support members 103 to 105. The film 102 forms a flexible portion oriented downwardly from fixed ends S1, S2. The film 102 is brought into contact with the member 110 to be charged in a state in which an unsupported side of the film 102 is oriented toward the downstream side in the rotating direction of the member 110 to be charged. Then, the film 102 is brought into contact with the member 110 to be charged in a contact area N, and the radius of curvature of the film 102 in a zone P2 located downstream of that zone N in the rotating direction of the member 110 to be charged becomes smaller than the radius of curvature of the film 102 in an upstream zone P1.

Abstract: A thermal transfer type image formation device employs a new regeneration method for reconditioning ink sheets employed in the thermal inking process. The ink sheet has a transparent base layer, which also serves as a dielectric layer, an ink layer and a transparent conductive layer, functioning also as an electrode, on a side of the base layer opposite the ink layer. A fixing device is provided for the transfer of photoconductive powder ink to bare areas of the ink sheet to be rejuvenated. A bias voltage is impressed on the photoconductive powder ink, and the photoconductive powder ink which comes in contact with bare areas becomes conductive when exposed with light through the transparent conductive layer and ink adheres to the base layer due to an established electrostatic force between the ink and the conductive layer electrode on the light exposing side of the ink sheet.