Abstract: A head control device for controlling, through thermal expansion of a heater, a position of a head for reading and writing data from and to a storage medium, includes a heater control unit that increases a current supplied to the heater stepwise; and an external-force sample retrieving unit that retrieves sampling values of signals each indicating a magnitude of an external force acting on the head in a moving direction of a head support mechanism. The head control device also includes an external-force evaluating unit that calculates a representative value of the sampling values retrieved by the external-force sample retrieving unit to evaluate the magnitude of the external force every time the heater control unit increases the current; and a contact detecting unit that detects contact between the head and the storage medium by comparing each evaluation result by the external-force evaluating unit with a predetermined threshold value.

Abstract: A head-slap detecting device detects a head slap. The head slap causes a storage medium to be slapped by at least one storage-medium driving unit that performs at least one of reproduction and recording of data from and to the storage medium. The head-slap detecting device includes a detecting unit that detects the head slap by determining whether a first variable gain obtained from a variable gain amplifier that amplifies an output of data reproduced by the storage-medium driving unit exceeds a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus of wood pressing usable in manufacturing glued laminated wood such as laminated veneer lumber (LVL) using a number of wood veneer sheets are disclosed. A hot press used for wood pressing includes a pair of heating plates which are disposed one above the other and have pressing surfaces facing each other. The paired heating plates are both movable toward and away from each other. In operation, firstly one of the heating plates is moved toward the other heating plate to a position where the pressing surface of the one heating plate is spaced from a surface to which a veneer sheet is to be glued by a distance corresponding to the thickness of the veneer sheet. Then, the other heating plate is moved toward the one heating plate until a desired pressure is produced pressing.

Abstract: A rewrite determining unit acquires, for every servo frame recorded on a magnetic disk, an amplification degree, i.e., a gain of an amplifier circuit by which a read signal read from the magnetic disk is amplified to a predetermined output, determines a rewrite sector count based on the amplification degree, and performs data rewriting according to the rewrite sector count.

Abstract: Offtrack amounts corresponding to every servo in which data writing has been completed is stored in a storage unit. Offtrack amount corresponding to a next servo frame, which is a servo frame present next to a servo frame for which data has been written, is calculated from the offtrack amounts stored in the storage unit. Based on the offtrack amount of the next servo frame, it is decided whether data needs to be rewritten in a sector present before the next servo frame.

Abstract: A rewrite determining unit of a hard disk apparatus acquires a servo signal that includes an offtrack amount corresponding to each servo frame from a position information memory, and determines whether a write fault has occurred based on the servo signal. If a write fault has occurred, the rewrite determining unit determines a rewrite sector count, and a write controller controls a hard disk controller so that rewriting is performed to correspond to the rewrite sector count determined by the rewrite determining unit.

Abstract: An amplitude measurement unit measures an amplitude of a read signal from a preamble unit in a servo area of a predetermined frame number m per one rotation of the recording medium for a predetermined cycle number n while increasing an electric power amount distributed to the heater in the state in which the head is positioned to a track on the recording medium, and a mean amplitude calculating unit calculates a mean amplitude from an amplitude measurement value which is measured by the number which is the frame number m multiplied by the cycle number n.

Abstract: A waveguide type variable optical attenuator is provided with a substrate for forming a waveguide for optical signal propagation; a waveguide element comprising 2 arm waveguides arranged on the surface of the substrate for constituting a portion of the waveguide and cladding for covering the arm waveguides and the surface of the substrate; and a heater arranged on the surface of the waveguide element for heating the arm waveguides. The 2 arm waveguides are connected thermally.

Abstract: A disk control apparatus controls a disk driving unit that performs read/write of data with a head. A vibration detecting unit detects a vibration of the disk driving unit. A disk control unit controls the disk driving unit based on the detected vibration.

Abstract: A retraction control unit controls a retraction of a head of a storage device to a retraction position apart from a ramp by a predetermined distance. When the head is retracted from the retraction position to the ramp, a speed control unit controls a speed of the head to ascend the ramp to be constant by outputting a preset control signal.

Abstract: A head-slap detecting device detects a head slap. The head slap causes a storage medium to be slapped by at least one storage-medium driving unit that performs at least one of reproduction and recording of data from and to the storage medium. The head-slap detecting device includes a detecting unit that detects the head slap by determining whether a first variable gain obtained from a variable gain amplifier that amplifies an output of data reproduced by the storage-medium driving unit exceeds a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: When a head is subjected to external vibration while a controller is controlling the head according to a positioning-oriented controller characteristic, the positioning-oriented controller characteristic are changed to a vibration-reducing controller characteristic. Moreover, when the external vibration stop while the controller is controlling the head according to the vibration-reducing controller characteristic, the vibration-reducing controller characteristic are changed to the positioning-oriented controller characteristic.

Abstract: A heater for changing a projection distance protrusion value by thermal expansion accompanying electric-power-distributed heating is embedded in a head having a reading element and a recording element. A clearance control information measurement unit measures and saves, at desired correction timing, clearance control information including a clearance required for controlling the clearance between the reading element and the recording medium, heater projection sensitivity protrusion sensitivity, projection distance protrusion value transition time, recording current projection distance protrusion value, and a temperature correction coefficient. The clearance control unit varies the electric power distributed to the heater and changes the projection distance protrusion value of the head, thereby controlling the clearance to a target clearance upon reproduction and recording.

Abstract: A heater for changing a projection distance protrusion value by thermal expansion accompanying electric-power-distributed heating is provided in a head having at least a reading element. At desired correction timing, a changed distance detection unit measures a clearance changed distance in a state in which the head is positioned to a track on the recording medium while increasing the amount of electric power distributed to the heater. A contact determination unit determines that the head is brought into contact with the recording medium when a derivative value of the clearance changed distance is below a predetermined threshold value. A measurement output unit outputs the clearance changed distance detected by the changed distance detection unit at the time of contact determination of the contact determination unit as a measurement result of the clearance between the reading element and the recording medium.

Abstract: While there are contact joining and capacitance type switches for detecting an operation of a door handle, a problem that is to be solved by the invention is to solve problems of contact failure due to aging and a malfunction triggered by rain drops. According to the invention, a piezoelectric sensor (4) has such flexibility as to be annexed to a door handle (3), whereby a minute displacement of the door handle (3) can be detected with high sensitivity. Consequently, a sufficient signal output can be obtained only through a simple touch to the door handle (3), whereby a touch or contact to the door handle (3) can be detected. In addition, since electrodes are not exposed to the outside, the piezoelectric sensor (4) is made difficult to be affected by disturbance, and dust, rain, snow and the like which come to adhere thereto.

Abstract: A negative-type planographic printing plate having, disposed on a support, a recording layer comprising an image recording material which contains an infrared ray absorbing agent and can be recorded by irradiation with an infrared ray, in which, as for the infrared ray absorbing agent comprising a cyanine dye, at least one of substituents on nitrogen atoms at both ends was selected from the group consisting of the following substituents: —C(?X)R1; —C(?X)NR2R3; —CH?CR4R5; —C?CR6; —CHR7R8;—CR9R10R11; and —Ar, wherein X represents O, S or Se; R1 to R6 each independently represent H or a hydrocarbon group having 20 or fewer carbon atoms which may have a substituent; R7 to R11 each independently represent a hydrocarbon group having 20 or fewer carbon atoms which may have a substituent; and Ar represents an aromatic group which may have a substituent.

Abstract: A storage device, which comprises a storage media, a spindle motor which spins the storage media, a head unit which records and reads the data to the storage media, an actuator which carries out the positioning operation to the head unit on the storage media, a loading and unloading system which controls the actuator and carries out the unload operation that withdraws the head unit from the storage media and the loading operation that shifts the head unit onto the storage media, and a measurement means which measures the unloading energy required for the unload operation.

Abstract: A disk control apparatus controls a disk driving unit that performs read/write of data with a head. A vibration detecting unit detects a vibration of the disk driving unit. A disk control unit controls the disk driving unit based on the detected vibration.

Abstract: A waveguide type variable optical attenuator is provided with a substrate for forming a waveguide for optical signal propagation; a waveguide element comprising 2 arm waveguides arranged on the surface of the substrate for constituting a portion of the waveguide and cladding for covering the arm waveguides and the surface of the substrate; and a heater arranged on the surface of the waveguide element for heating the arm waveguides. The 2 arm waveguides are connected thermally.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of manufacturing glued laminated wood such as laminated veneer lumber (LVL) are disclosed. The glued laminated wood is made of a number of wood sheets such as veneer sheets which are laminated together by a hot press with a thermosetting adhesive into a continuous length of multiple-layered board of the glued laminated wood wherein wood sheets in each layer of the multiple-layered board are arranged in a staggered relation in the lengthwise direction of the board to wood sheets in an adjacent layer. The hot press has a pair of heating plates arranged substantially in facing relation to each other and an auxiliary heating plate disposed adjacent to one end of each heating plate. The auxiliary heating plate is adapted to press part of wood sheet which extends out beyond the above end of the heating plate.