Abstract: A magnetostrictive active member configured to withstanding significant bending moments and having a prestress mechanism that is adjustable for maintaining optimal performance of an integral magnetostrictive element. The magnetostrictive active member includes a magnetostrictive actuator and parallel flexures incorporated in a housing to create a load path for bending moments to be carried by the housing, through the parallel flexures, as opposed to being carried by the magnetostrictive actuator. A plurality of ball-joints are integrated with the flexures and magnetostrictive actuator, receiving compressire forces and ensuring that no moments are applied to the magnetostrictive actuator. A prestress or preload mechanism is incorporated which provides a compressire preload to the magnetostrictive actuator internal to the housing. The preload mechanism includes an adjustable nut than is externally accessible to adjust the preload and facilitate optimal performance of the magnetostrictive actuator.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a detecting section for detecting a density value as a threshold value for suppressing an effect from a background from image data composed of plural picture element data obtained by digitizing each picture element of the image and a density converting section for outputting the image data after converting density values of the picture element data whose density values are below the threshold value into a predetermined value indicating white when the density value of the picture element data is below the threshold value. The detecting section computes a degree of separation indicating a ratio of a between-class dispersion to a within-class dispersion of two classes divided by the threshold value by sequentially varying the density value. Then, the density value corresponding to a gravitational center of a differential histogram showing the respective differences in degree of separation from a density Tm which maximizes the degree of separation to a highest density Te.

Abstract: A magneto-optical recording medium including a base; a readout layer formed on the base; a recording layer formed on the readout layer; and an auxiliary recording layer formed on the recording layer, each of the readout layer, recording layer and auxiliary recording layer being made of an alloy of rare-earth metal and transition metal showing ferrimagnetism.

Abstract: A magnetic head has a magnetic core structured so that soft magnetic thin films and insulating thin films are stacked alternately. In each layer of the soft magnetic thin films, the thickness of the vicinity of a gap portion is made smaller than that of the other portions. According to this structure, it is possible to decrease a magnetic reluctance of the magnetic core. Such magnetic core is formed by repeating, to a substrate having a plurality of grooves formed thereon, the step of forming a thin film by using self-shadowing effects of a peak portion of the groove and the step of applying an anisotropic etching process.

Abstract: There are provided a solid state imaging device having high sensitivity and exhibiting high degree of light utilization and a method of manufacturing the same. An insulating film 42, a transfer electrode 43, a light shielding film 44, a protective film 45, and a flat layer 51 are formed above a layer having a photoelectric conversion portion, and a concave lens layer 52 is formed on the flat layer 51 to a lattice pattern. The concave lens layer 52 of the lattice pattern is hot melted for conversion into a concave type micro-lens 52. A resin layer 53 having a refractive index smaller than that of the concave lens 52, a buffer layer 54, and a convex type micro-lens 57 are sequentially formed above the concave type micro-lens 52. The concave type micro-lens 52 functions to bring light rays focused by the convex type micro-lens 57 to a position close to light incident vertically upon the photoelectric conversion portion 41.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus adopting a cleaningless process using contact-type charging means, includes developer scattering means which is located between the charging means and an exposure position in contact with the surface of an image carrier. For example, the developer scattering means is a conducting brush which scatters, catches and temporarily holds the residual toner on the image carrier. With this structure, even in an image forming apparatus adopting the cleaningless process using the contact-type charging means, the residual toner on the image carrier is scattered and caught by developer catching means before the residual toner reaches the exposure position. Thus, a lowering of the image quality which is caused if the residual toner is patterned by the charging means is prevented, thereby improving the image quality.

Abstract: In the distribution copy mode, when plural sets of copies are selected, a copying machine C1 of a transmitting end checks the status of copying machines C2 and C3 being connected through a communication line based on status information data. As a result of this check, if both of the copying machines C2 and C3 are set in the idle state, the number of copies specifying data and the image data are transmitted to be distributed to each copying machine. In the described arrangement, since one copy job can be divided to be distributed to plural copying machines, an improved productivity of copy operation and more effective use of the copying machines can be achieved.

Abstract: There is provided a method for recording digital information that, when digital information is recorded as a two-dimensional pattern on a planar recording surface, the digital information can be easily coded and decoded. A specific pattern for representing a location within the recording surface is made up by giving marks in a specified pattern to a plurality of meshes which are adjoined to one another into a specific shape. A rectangular block is composed of a plurality of meshes adjoined to one another longitudinally and transversely into a rectangular shape and has longitudinal and transverse dimensions larger than those of the specific pattern. A segment in which the specific patterns are overlaid in the units of meshes or circumscribed to the rectangular block is set. An information recording area for expressing the two-dimensional pattern is composed by arraying a plurality of the segments without clearances on the recording surface.

Abstract: A reader having a high-resolution mode and a high-speed mode is disclosed. The reader comprises a CCD sensor, a buffer, a first AD convertor, a second AD convertor, a data selector and a control circuit. The input of the buffer is connected to the CCD sensor through a capacitor and a 5 V power source through an analog switch, and an output of the buffer is connected to the first AD convertor for the high-resolution mode and the second AD convertor for the high-speed mode in parallel. The data selector for selecting an output from the first AD convertor or the second AD convertor and sending it out to the control circuit is connected to the outputs of the first AD convertor and the second AD convertor.

Abstract: The noise removing device is used in a data communication system utilizing a transmitting signal modulated by a data signal to be transmitted. The noise removing device includes a receiving section for receiving the transmitting signal, and converting it into an electric signal, so as to supply an input signal, an analog signal processing circuit for selectively passing the input signal in a first frequency range including a carrier frequency of the transmitting signal, thereby removing a first noise, for converting the passed signal into a digital signal, and for outputting the digital signal, and a digital signal processing circuit for sampling the digital signal, and for selectively passing the digital signal in a second frequency range including the carrier frequency based on a result of comparison of a pattern obtained by the sampling with a predetermined pattern, thereby removing a second noise.

Abstract: A color liquid crystal display for improving the white balance of the color filter by using a multilayer structure of inorganic thin films and preventing a liquid crystal cell from being colored is provided. The spectral transmission characteristic is such that the transmission wavelength area of the G (green) filter is narrowed. For the pixel array having four pixels as a constituent, two pixels for the G filter are arranged diagonally and the remaining two pixels consist of R (red) and B (blue).

Abstract: Event logging using a single board computer control card configurable onto a backplane containing target processor(s) being monitored. A high resolution clock on the control card time stamps events. Memory on the control card provides a central buffer to store event data, and stores a control program effecting functionality of the card A network interface a facilitates communication with host computer(s) for post processing of event data and to control, communicate with and access the control card. A control program effects event data collection and organization/storage of events in control card memory. The control program coordinates retrieval of events from an event interface area of memory on slave target processors prior to processing by the control card. The control program coordinates offloading of event data from the control card to host computer(s) for post processing by known software visualization tools.

Abstract: Disclosed is a liquid crystal display device which comprises first and second transparent substrates disposed one above the other, and a liquid crystal layer disposed therebetween and having pixels. The second transparent substrate includes a microlens array therein, which has microlenses for converging light on the respective pixels. The microlenses are so positioned that their focal points are located in the vicinity of the inner surface of the second transparent substrate, which is the surface on the side provided with the liquid crystal layer. Since the microlens array is included in one of the two transparent substrates, the focal length of each microlens can be made shorter, resulting in an improved effective aperture ratio.

Abstract: A transparent substrate of an optical memory is produced by injection molding using a stamper. Grooves and lands are alternately arranged on the optical memory, for tracking of light converged on the optical memory. The groove width is set in the range of 0.3 .mu.m to 0.4 .mu.m and the groove depth is set in the rage of 80 nm to 100 nm. A decrease in the width of a land at each edge is restrained to 0.2 .mu.m in maximum. With such dimensions, even when the track pitch is set to about 1.4 .mu.m, it is possible to obtain a track crossing signal with intensity sufficient for performing an access operation to a target track. Moreover, since the dimensions bring about an improved reflectance at a land, the optical memory achieves an improved C/N and recording density.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device including a first substrate, a second substrate, and a sealing member for bonding the first and the second substrates, wherein a spacer for determining a thickness of a gap between the first and the second substrates is included only in the sealing member and wherein d<D where D is the thickness of the gap and d is the thickness of the sealing member. The gap is filled with a liquid crystal.

Abstract: A backlight emits diffused light beams. An emission direction characteristic-forming plate allows light beams which have been incident thereon at generally right angles therewith to pass therethrough and intercepts light beams which have been incident thereon obliquely. An image display/input panel has light receiving elements each incorporated in a corresponding pixel having a liquid crystal cell. In an image input operation, pixels are sequentially turned on and off so as to scan an original document by parallel light emitted vertically from a turned-on pixel. Light reflected by the original document is received by the light receiving element incorporated in the turned-on pixel and converted into an electric signal. Light emitted from the turned-on pixel of the image display/input panel and reflected by the original document is received by only the turned-on pixel. In this manner, a high resolution can be obtained in the image input operation.

Abstract: A method and apparatus to search, locate and inspect an object or characteristic of interest on a non-rigid package. First, a model of patterns of interest are stored to train the system with a model of the characteristics of interest. A minimum spanning forest (MSF) is generated defining the characteristics of interest as vertices with each vertex referencing a vertex closest to itself in order to minimize the sum of the distances between vertices in each minimum spanning tree (MST) of the MSF. At run time two coarse alignment features that the system has been trained to identify are located to determine rotation and coarse position of a non-rigid package being inspected. Local alignment then determines the exact position of local alignment points each of which is a starting vertex associated with one or more characteristics of interest as vertices in that starting vertexes MST.

Abstract: Grooves and lands are provided to a magneto-optical disk so as to be alternately arranged, and recording bit strings are formed on the grooves and lands respectively so that information is recorded. Moreover, pit rows are formed on boundary sections between the adjoining grooves and lands so that address information of a recording/reproducing track is recorded, and the pit rows are formed every other boundary section. When the grooves and the lands are scanned as the recording/reproducing track by a light, an address of the recording/reproducing track is read out from the pit rows, and successively, discrimination is made whether the recording/reproducing track which is scanned by an optical spot is the groove or the land. This prevents crosstalk which causes inclusion of address information in the next pit rows, thereby, making it possible to obtain accurate address information.

Abstract: An apparatus for manufacturing a display device in which a rubbing process is carried out to an orientation member included by a substrate member, the substrate member further including: a transparent substrate; a plurality of electrodes formed on one surface of the transparent substrate; a plurality of terminals which are formed in a peripheral portion of the transparent substrate and through which a drive signal is supplied to the electrodes, the orientation member covering the surface of the transparent substrate on which the electrodes are formed, comprises:holding means having a mounting face on which the substrate member is to be mounted, for holding the substrate member so that the orientation member is directed upward in relation to the mounting face;short-circuit means which can be contacted with and separated from a peripheral portion of the substrate member held by the holding means, where the terminals of the substrate member are formed, and have an electrically conductive contact face to be conta

Abstract: A magneto-optical recording medium with a first, second, and third magnetic layers which are laminated on a substrate. The first magnetic layer has a perpendicular magnetization in a temperature range between room temperature and its Curie temperature. The second magnetic layer has an in-plane magnetization at room temperature, and has a perpendicular magnetization at or above a temperature falling within a range between room temperature and its Curie temperature. The third magnetic layer has an in-plane magnetization at room temperature, and has a perpendicular magnetization at or above a temperature falling within a range between room temperature and the temperature at which a transition occurs in the second magnetic layer from the in-plane magnetization to the perpendicular magnetization.