Abstract: An individual animal identification apparatus has an eye region image pick-up unit for obtaining an input image by taking a picture of an eye, including an iridial granule, of an animal to be registered and identified, a geometric normalizer for performing a coordinate transformation process by using a specified parameter to move the iridial granule region of the input image onto predetermined coordinates, a feature extractor for extracting the feature of the normalized iridial granule, a dictionary memory for registering data on the features of the iridial granule regions corresponding to animals to be registered, the data having been extracted by the feature extractor, and a collator for checking whether or not an animal to be identified has been registered by comparing data on the feature of the iridial granule region corresponding to the animal under identification, the feature having been extracted by the feature extractor, with the feature data registered in the dictionary memory.

Abstract: Bit data of a received video signal is partially converted into a first signal representing a data sequence corresponding to the resolution of an LED head. The first signal is transmitted to the LED head in the form of a real printing data signal that is to be printed on a basic raster line in synchronism with a line timing signal. The remaining bit data of the received video signal, which are not converted into the first signal, are converted into a second signal representing another data sequence, and then stored in a line buffer. The second signal stored in the line buffer is transmitted to the LED head in the form of a real printing data signal that is to be printed on an additional raster line in synchronism with an additional line timing signal. The LED head drive energy with which the basic raster lines are printed and another LED head drive energy with which the additional raster lines are printed are set independently of each other. The LED head may be provided with such a resolution function.

Abstract: In a pretreatment process, a silicon oxide film (13) with nitrogen content is formed on a semiconductor substrate (10). In a segregation process executing heat treatment in an inert gas atmosphere, a silicon nitride layer (14) segregates out at the interface of the silicon substrate (10) and the silicon oxide film (13). In a high dielectric film forming process, the unnecessary silicon oxide film (13) on the silicon nitride layer (14) is removed, a high dielectric oxide layer (15) is formed on the exposed silicon nitride layer (14). Whereby, a gate electrode (16) consisting of the silicon nitride layer (14) and the high dielectric oxide layer (15) is formed.

Abstract: An interleaving apparatus is provided which stores input bits temporarily and transfers some of the bits only required to execute an operation to code each of the stored bits to a coding circuit. This allows a storage region to be decreased as compared with a conventional system.

Abstract: A cache memory device including an input/output (ESRQ) for receiving a request (REQ) having a main address (AP) and optional data (D); an input/output (ESMP) to an addressable main memory (MP) or another addressable cache memory; a plurality of X memory banks (BCi) wherein i is lower than X and higher than 0, each having a number Li of lines for containing data, the lines being individually designated by a local address (AL) in each bank; an arrangement for answering a request (REQ) by connecting the main address (AP) in the request to a local address (AL) in the bank (BCi) in accordance with a predetermined la (fi) for each bank (BCi), whereby the line thus designated in the bank (BCi) is the only line to contain the datum referred to by the main address; and an arrangement (CHA) for loading the cache memory according to the received requests.

Abstract: An optical coupling module suitable for use as an optical-communication terminal station, which facilitates alignment and helps to reduce production cost. The module comprises a semiconductor substrate 14 having a mirror-finished surface 14a and having mounted on this mirror-finished surface an optical functional element 11 with an optical functional surface 11a kept substantially parallel with the mirror-finished surface 14a and with a reverse surface, opposite the optical functional surface 11a, facing the mirror-finished surface 14a; and an optical device 15, supported on the mirror-finished surface 14a of the semiconductor substrate in such a way that the optical device is optically coupled to the optical functional element 11.

Abstract: A spread spectrum communication apparatus includes at least one surface acoustic wave matched filter, a plurality of surface acoustic wave delay lines having different delay amounts, and integrating circuits for integrating an output signal of the surface acoustic wave matched filter and the respective output signals of the plurality of surface acoustic wave delay lines.

Abstract: When a treatment process and an inspection process are continuous, in order to transfer a lot therebetween more simply and more reliably, in a conveying system comprising a depository storing lots each of which is one group of the same species, there is provided a plurality of treatment apparatuses for treating the lots; an inspection apparatus for inspecting the lots after treatment; an automated guided vehicle for conveying the lot by moving between the depository and the treatment apparatus; and a control computer which controls treatment processing of the lot, wherein a delivery device is disposed at an area adjacent to the inspection apparatus for conveying the lot in and out the automated guided vehicle so that a plurality of lots can be placed thereon simultaneously.

Abstract: There is disclosed a negative feedback amplifier provided with a feedback circuit used to make impedance variable and to improve high frequency characteristics and so configured to prevent a problem of parasitic capacity caused by a by-pass condenser. The feedback circuit connected in parallel to an inverting amplifier circuit is composed of a first feedback resistor connected in parallel to the inverting amplifier circuit, and a second feedback resistor and the by-pass condenser, both being connected in parallel to the first feedback resistor, and both ends of the by-pass condenser, together with the second feedback resistor, can be connected to the inverting amplifier circuit via first and second switching devices.

Abstract: Disclosed are a semiconductor device, a method for manufacturing the same, and a method for mounting the same.

Abstract: When a semiconductor integrated device is in an inactive state without being supplied with electric power, depletion type NMOS transistors act as resistors whereby a signal line connected to an input pad is electrically connected to the sources of input transistors via the NMOS transistors. In this situation, if an electrostatic surge is applied to the input pad, the surge is released to a voltage supply line. This ensures that the semiconductor integrated device is prevented from being damaged by the electrostatic surge. When electric power is supplied to the semiconductor integrated device and it becomes active, the NMOS transistors come to behave as insulating elements and thus these NMOS transistors have no adverse effects on the normal operation of the semiconductor integrated device.

Abstract: In a CDMA receiver, an A/D converter over-samples an analog reception baseband signal with a sampling clock a frequency of which is 2n times higher than a chip clock, and converts it into a digital reception baseband signal. A correlator obtains a correlation value between the digital reception baseband signal and a pilot spreading code which is synchronous with a reception timing. A phase difference detecting unit obtains a phase difference between the digital reception baseband signal and the reception timing based on the correlation value. A timing controlling unit changes the reception timing in such a manner as to eliminate the phase difference obtained by the phase difference detecting unit.

Abstract: A level shifter K1 receives a part of a precharge generation signal Sp, raises its level to a predetermined value, and transfers it to an NMOS transistor NT1. A capacitor Cp receives a part of the output of the level shifter K1, supplies it to a first electrode of a complementary amplifier composed of a PMOS transistor PT1 and an NMOS transistor NT2, and pumps an operation power source to a predetermined value. The operation power source of the complementary amplifier is pumped by an electric charge charged in the capacitor Cp, and the level of a precharge control signal Spc is raised.

Abstract: A mobile station is provided for autonomously detect an abrupt change of a propagation environment of a radio wave signal from a base station for servicing a peripheral cell and immediately executing a peripheral cell search. In order to execute a received signal strength indication plural times within one period of the peripheral cell search, the mobile station operates to set a cell search execution period &Dgr;t1 to a timer of a peripheral cell search controller and a RSSI measuring execution period &Dgr;t2 to a timer. The RSSI measuring unit operates to measure the RSSI in the receiving band at each RSSI measuring execution period &Dgr;t2 and immediately execute the peripheral cell search when the peripheral cell search controller determines that the RSSI has greatly varied.

Abstract: There is provided an individual identification system and a method thereof which are capable of identifying individuals having elliptical pupils and elliptical irises. In the individual identification system 10, the image storage unit 11 stores eye images 20, the ellipse preparation unit 12 prepares a plurality of ellipses, and the pixel addition unit 13 adds up pixels laid along circumferences of the ellipses. The ellipse selection unit 14 selects ellipses representative of the pupil 21 and the iris 22 among the plurality of ellipses based upon the sums of the pixels given by the pixel addition unit 13, whereby the parameters of the selected ellipses are output.

Abstract: An animal identification system is provided which is designed to determine outlines of a pupil and irial granule in an input image of an eye of an animal to be identified, apply an arc to a lower portion of the outline of the pupil, turn back the arc from a principal axis to define a reference axis, and map an image of the irial granule into a polar coordinate system whose origin is the center of the reference axis. The shape of the irial granule corrected in the above manner is compared with a reference shape stored in a memory to determine whether the input image arises from the same animal or not.

Abstract: A digitized image is encoded by detecting edges in the image, encoding the position and sharpness of the detected edges, filtering the image by a low-pass filter to generate a low-frequency image, and encoding the low-frequency image. A digitized image encoded in this way is reconstructed by generating a horizontal edge image and a vertical edge image from the encoded edge position and sharpness information, synthesizing a pair of high-frequency images by filtering the horizontal and vertical edge images with an edge synthesis filter, decoding the low-frequency image, and performing an inverse wavelet transform on the decoded low-frequency image and the high-frequency images.

Abstract: A booster circuit uses a source voltage to generate a boosted voltage that is higher than the source voltage. The booster circuit has two capacitors. The two capacitors are alternately charged and discharged in response to a signal applied to an input terminal. The first capacitor is discharged to boost a voltage at the boosting node, whereas the second capacitor is discharged to boost the voltage at an output terminal. Further, the booster circuit includes a control circuit. When the voltage at the input terminal changes from an “H” level to an “L” level, the control circuit supplies a voltage for discharging the first capacitor to the first capacitor after the second capacitor has been brought into a charging state. Since the voltage at the output terminal is reduced by the charging of the second capacitor, a transistor is deactivated in response to the voltage at the output terminal.

Abstract: A spread spectrum demodulation circuit includes a correlation signal generator which generates a correlation signal from a reception signal to which a quadrature phase shift keying and a spread spectrum modulation are performed. First and second delay elements have different delay times, and delay the correlation signal to obtain first and second delay signals, respectively. First and second adders add the correlation signal and the first and second delay signals to obtain first and second addition signals, respectively. First and second distributors distribute the first and second addition signals, respectively. First and second multiplication circuits obtain first and second multiplication signals from distributed signals inputted from the first and second distributors, respectively. A data demodulation circuit demodulates the first and second multiplication signals to recover a transmission information signal.

Abstract: An input image that includes an eye is divided into a plurality of blocks, and a mosaic image in which each of the blocks has a density value is produced. Among all the blocks, one having a small distance from a center point of the mosaic image and having a small density value is determined to be a block including the center of the pupil of the eye. Then, based on the determined block, a center position of the pupil in the input image is derived. Based on the density value of the block including the center of the pupil, a density threshold value is set. Then, based on the density threshold value, a two-valued image is produced from the input image. Among regions in the two-valued image which are darker than the density threshold value, one including the center position of the pupil is extracted as a pupil region.