Abstract: The present invention provides a medical instrument which is capable of reducing damage, such as cutting of a wire, to the medical instrument even if excessively large load is applied to an inserting portion. A medical instrument including: a deformable portion; a wire configured to deform the deformable portion; a driving unit configured to drive the wire; a drive control unit configured to control the driving unit; and a load detecting unit configured to detect load applied to the deformable portion, wherein when the load detected by the load detecting unit exceeds a threshold value, the drive control unit controls the driving unit to retain posture of the deformable portion.

Abstract: A file management method has highly general versatility among applications, does not waste recording area, and facilitates handling of volumes of discrete and grouped files and group information. A recording medium for use in the file management method.

Abstract: A reproduction power test method for setting an optimal power of a reproduction light beam for reproducing an information from a domain wall displacement type magneto-optical medium comprises the steps of detecting a domain wall displacement start reproduction power Prdwd at which the domain wall starts to be displaced, and a maximum reproduction power Prmax allowing the domain wall displacement, and determining an optimal reproduction power Pr using a previously obtained relational expression whereby Prdwd, Prmax and the jitter characteristics of a reproduced signal are optimized.

Abstract: A reproduction power test method for setting an optimal power of a reproduction light beam for reproducing an information from a domain wall displacement type magneto-optical medium comprises the steps of detecting a domain wall displacement start reproduction power Prwd at which the domain wall starts to be displaced, and a maximum reproduction power Prmax allowing the domain wall displacement, and setting an optimal reproduction power Pr based on the obtained domain wall displacement start reproduction power Prdwd and maximum reproduction power Prmax.

Abstract: A micro mark on a magnetic recording medium is reproduced in a signal reproducing apparatus by causing a magnetic wall to move on the recording medium. A partial temperature profile is applied on the medium by a heating device which is adapted to be movable relative to the medium. A reproducing device generates a first reproduction signal containing a signal component due to a first magnetic wall movement from a front side of a temperature peak position in the temperature profile toward the temperature peak position and a signal component due to a second magnetic wall movement from a rear side of the temperature peak position toward the temperature peak position. The signal component due to the second magnetic wall movement is reduced in the reproduction signal so as to generate a second reproduction signal which mainly contains the signal component due to the first magnetic wall movement.

Abstract: A test recording method is provided to determine an optimum power of a light output from a light source in erasing pieces of information recorded on a land and a groove of a recording medium. A predetermined signal is recorded on a predetermined track of the medium. Data on a track adjacent to the track where the signal is recorded is erased with different erasing powers. The signal recorded on the track is reproduced to detect a reproduction signal. An optimum erasing power is set on the basis of the reproduction signal and the different erasing powers.

Abstract: A write test method for use in a recording process for recording information is effected by such that the power of a laser light is modulated to form a high-temperature state and a low-temperature state on a recording medium. First, a predetermined signal is recorded on the recording medium while varying the power level of the laser light. The information recorded on the recording medium is reproduced to detect the power level of the laser light, immediately before formation of the high-temperature state, based on the amplitude of a reproduced signal. The power levels of the laser light for forming the low-temperature state and for forming the high-temperature state are determined on the basis of the detected power level.

Abstract: There is an information reproducing apparatus having a first comparator for comparing a reproduction signal from an information recording medium such as a magnetooptical disc and a first reference signal, thereby binarizing the reproduction signal, a clock signal generating circuit for generating a clock signal from the signal binarized by the first comparator, and a synchronous circuit for synchronizing the binary signal by the clock signal. A phase comparator compares the phase of the binary signal and the phase of the output of the synchronous circuit, a charge/discharge circuit such as a charge pump circuit is driven by an output of the phase comparator, and a second comparator compares an output of the charge/discharge circuit and a second reference signal. The first reference signal is controlled by an output of the second comparator synchronously with the binary signal or the output of the synchronous circuit.

Abstract: A light beam is applied to an information recording medium to record information. A light amount of the light beam reflected by the recording medium is detected simultaneously with the recording of information. A defect of the recording medium is detected by comparing the detected light amount with a reference value. When a degree of the detected defect exceeds a predetermined level, the information is rerecorded on another portion of the recording medium.

Abstract: An information recording and reproducing apparatus includes: a recording device to record information to a recording medium such as a magnetooptic disc, optical disc, or the like; a reproducing device to reproduce the information recorded to this medium; and a controller to control the recording and reproducing devices on the basis of optimum recording and reproducing conditions for the recording medium which have preliminarily been recorded in a predetermined area of the medium. The recording device includes a laser beam generator or magnetic field generator. The reproducing device includes a laser beam generator. The controller controls a strength of the laser beam or magnetic field. With this apparatus, the recording and reproducing operations for the recording medium can always be performed in an optimum state, so that the reliability of the reproduced data is improved.

Abstract: An optical information recording/reproducing apparatus for stably recording, reproducing, or erasing the information by a laser beam with respect to different kinds of optical disks is represented. This apparatus includes a processor to record, reproduce, or erase the information for an optical disk, a disk sort detector to detect the sort of optical disk, and a controller to control the processing parameters of the processor in response to an output signal from the disk sort detector. The disk sort detector reads the disk sort identifying information preliminarily recorded on the optical disk by the processor to detect the sort of disk. Or, this detector irradiates light onto labels having different reflection factors or transmission factors preliminarily provided on the optical disks by the processor and detects the reflected light amounts or transmitted light amounts from the labels, thereby detecting the sort of disk.

Abstract: An apparatus for recording or reproducing information on or from a recording medium such as a disk which rotates at a constant angular velocity. This apparatus comprises: a system to record or reproduce the data on or from the disk; a circuit to designate the recording or reproduction address of the data on the disk; and a control circuit to control the data recording or reproducing rate for the disk. The control circuit makes the recording or reproducing rate constant for a predetermined data and changes the recording or reproducing rate for the other data in accordance with the recording or reproduction address. In this apparatus, by providing track groups in the header portions and data recording portions in the direction of radius of the disk, the clock rate can be easily changed and the recording density is increased and the access time is reduced.

Abstract: An image system can output image information to a plurality of output devices at a time, has a function to print, display, or store an image information before all of the image information is completely read out, and has a function to output an image information stored in a memory device by using an interface, before the completion of reading all of the image information. The image processing system includes for an example a readout device for reading image information; a storage device for storing the image information from the readout device; an output device for printing or displaying the image information from the readout device; an interface device for outputting a read-out information to the output device before the image information is completely read out; wherein the image information from the readout device is stored into the storage device by using the interface device.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus with stapling or punching capability, in which the direction of image formed on a sheet is controlled according to the position of stapling or punching, in order to achieve efficient stapling or punching with a stapling or punching device.

Abstract: An image processing system for recording or reproducing image information includes: a reader for photo-electrically reading image information from a photo disc; a movable storage medium such as a photo sensitive drum in which image information has been stored; a recorder such as a printer for recording on a recording medium the image information read out from the reader; and a signal transmitter such as a line buffer memory for transmitting the image information read out by the reader to the recorder in response to a synchronization signal from the recorder, in which this synchronization signal and a synchronization signal of the reader are formed on the basis of the same internal reference clock of the recorder. With this system, the successive image information can be stably and certainly recorded or reproduced on a nearly real-time basis without using a page memory.