Abstract: The end parts of three optical waveguide parts are supported, mutually in parallel, on a substrate, the end part of the center optical waveguide part being one input port and the end parts of other two optical waveguide parts being a first and a second output port, the emitted light from the input port is switched, by means of a first moving mirror and a second moving mirror which are switchingly inserted into positions having the same distance from the end face of the input port, to either the first output port side or the second output port side, the light from the first moving mirror and the light from the second moving mirror being reflected respectively in a first fixed mirror or a second fixed mirror, the light being respectively coupled to the first or the second output port.

Abstract: A direction-change element for changing the direction of travel of an incident electromagnetic wave and electromagnetic wave transmitting/receiving elements are disposed on a substrate. The direction-change element has a periodic array of materials of different refractive indexes arranged in parallel to the substrate surface. The electromagnetic wave transmitting/receiving elements are positioned at opposite ends of the periodic array in the direction of its arrangement. The output ratio between the two electromagnetic wave transmitting/receiving elements can be used to detect the incidence angle of the electromagnetic wave with high accuracy. By changing the relative intensity of electromagnetic waves to be sent from the two electromagnetic wave transmitting/receiving elements, it is possible to achieve high-accuracy control of the angle of emittance of the electromagnetic wave to be sent from the device.

Abstract: A interface board is provided with a first and second contact instruments each comprising a first and second contact terminal groups to which a first to third type semiconductor devices having different numbers of external terminals used can be connected. The first contact terminal group of the first contact instrument is connected to the corresponding terminals of the second contact terminal group of the second contact instrument using bridging lines. One end of each bridging wire is connected to a driver output pin of an IO channel provided in pin electronics. The other end of the bridging wire is connected to a comparator input pin of the IO channel provided in the pin electronics. The first contact terminal group of the second contact instrument is connected, using different connection lines, to a driver output pin and a comparator input pin of an IO channel provided in the pin electronics.

Abstract: Attachments are respectively attached to one ends of a pair of light guides, which are integrally formed via a connecting portion, such that the attachments surround the one ends of the light guides. The one ends protrude from a rear face of a receptacle body and are opposed to a light-emitting device and a light-receiving device, respectively. The attachments are inserted and positioned in guide holes formed respectively on the light-emitting device and the light-receiving device, and the optical axes of the pair of light guides and the optical axes of the light-emitting device and the light-receiving device are aligned with each other.

Abstract: Disclosed is a framework system improved such that flow of complex business logic for processing a variety of messages may be easily defined and changed without need for programming. Messaging service(s) 15 may relay message(s) between client(s) 11, 13 and framework service(s) 16. Among request message(s) relayed from client(s) 11, 13 to framework service(s) 16 there may be message(s) comprising subject ID(s) associated with subject(s) of such message(s). Framework service(s) 16 may possess a plurality of sets of business logic 22 and flow definition file(s) 23. Flow definition file(s) 23 may comprise a plurality of definition sentences respectively corresponding to various subject IDs, and each such definition sentence may indicate schedule(s) for execution of business logic.

Abstract: Audio sources in typical computer systems provide different numbers of channels of audio signals to a mixing component of the operating system. This conventional arrangement usually prevents the audio signals from all sources from being played back through all output channels. Novel arrangements of upmixing and mixing components are disclosed that allow audio signals to be delivered to all output channels regardless of the configuration of the audio sources and the number of channels that are provided by those audio sources.

Abstract: Timing jitter sequences ??j[n] and ??k[n] of respective clock signals under measurement xj(t) and xk(t) are estimated, and a timing difference sequence between those timing jitter sequences is calculated. In addition, initial phase angles ?0j and ?0k of linear instantaneous phases of the xj(t) and xk(t) are estimated, respectively. A sum of a difference between those initial angles and the timing difference sequence is calculated to obtain a clock skew sequence between the xj(t) and xk(t).

Abstract: An electret-condenser microphone according to the present invention includes a vibrating diaphragm and a back electrode which compose a condenser; a cylindrical case which houses the vibrating diaphragm and the back electrode; a circuit board which is housed in an opening of the cylindrical case, is fixed to the opening by crimping a crimp edge formed by bending an opening end of the cylindrical case inward, and covers the opening; and a substrate fastened to an outer surface of the circuit board. A circular pattern and annular pattern are formed on the outer surface of the circuit board and a circular pattern and annular pattern are formed on that surface of the substrate which is farther from the circuit board. The circular pattern and annular pattern are connected with the circular pattern and annular pattern via thru-holes in the substrate, and that surface of the substrate on which and are formed serves as a reflow-soldering surface.

Abstract: A voltage-impressed current measuring apparatus, wherein the voltage from a direct-current power supply portion is impressed on the terminal of a device under test via a range switching portion and the current flowing in the same terminal is measured; wherein the range switching portion has a plurality of current buffers with switches corresponding to current measurement ranges, and a plurality of current measurement resistances respectively connected in series to the output sides of the same; and wherein the current flowing in the terminal of the device under test is measured by measuring the voltage across both ends of the current measurement resistance of the selected series connection, by a voltage difference measuring portion. Each current buffer with switch has an output stage capable of connection/disconnection in response to a control signal.

Abstract: An electro-acoustic transducer, for example a microphone, with a holder is provided with a block-shaped holder having on the front face a housing chamber housing a microphone main body with its acoustic holes situated on the external face, the microphone main body housed in the housing chamber, a plurality of connection electrodes connected to a plurality of terminal electrodes formed on the microphone main body, respectively, and a plurality of mounting electrodes exposed at each of a front face, a back face and a rear end face in correspondence with the plurality of connection electrodes.

Abstract: There is provided an optical fiber device including two optical fibers, rod lenses, and an optical functional element. The two rod lenses have the same refractive index distribution and the front face of each is respectively formed, at the approximate midpoint of a position where the mode field diameter of the propagating light emitted from the optical fiber and propagating through the interior of the rod lens forms a local maximum, and a position where the mode field diameter, in case the same rod lens is assumed to be extended in the axial direction, forms a local minimum subsequent to the aforementioned local maximum, in the propagation direction of the same propagating light, perpendicularly to the axis. Also, both front faces of the two rod lenses are arranged symmetrically with respect to a point where a beam waist is formed.

Abstract: A receiver in an audio coding system receives a signal conveying frequency subband signals representing an audio signal. The subband signals are examined to assess one or more characteristics of the audio signal. Spectral components are synthesized having the assessed characteristics. The synthesized spectral components are integrated with the subband signals and passed through a synthesis filterbank to generate an output signal. In one implementation, the assessed characteristic is temporal shape and noise-like spectral components are synthesized having the temporal shape of the audio signal.

Abstract: An optical coupling component for use in an optical communication connector is provided which comprises a pair of columnar sending side and receiving side optical functional sections and a joint section integrally molded with the optical functional sections and made from the same material as the material of the optically functional sections and having joint regions adjoining the side walls of the optical functional sections, the joint regions of the joint section having a circumferential length along the side walls of the optically functional sections which is equal to or less than a half circumference of the optically functional sections.

Abstract: In an audio coding system, an encoding transmitter represents encoded spectral components as normalized floating-point numbers. The transmitter provides first and second control parameters that may be used to transcode the encoded spectral parameters. A transcoder uses first control parameters to partially decode the encoded components and uses second control parameters to re-encode the components. The transmitter determines the second control parameters by analyzing the effects of arithmetic operations in the partial-decoding process to identify situations where the floating-point representations lose normalization. Exponents associated with the numbers that lose normalization are modified and the modified exponents are used to calculate the second control parameters.

Abstract: An audio encoder discards spectral components of an input signal and uses channel coupling to reduce the information capacity requirements of an encoded signal. Channel coupling represents selected spectral components of multiple channels of signals in a composite form. An audio decoder synthesizes spectral components to replace the discarded spectral components and generates spectral components for individual channel signals from the coupled-channel signal. The encoder provides scale factors in the encoded signal that improve the efficiency of the decoder to generate output signals that substantially preserve the spectral energy of the original input signals.

Abstract: Distortion artifacts preceding a signal transient in an audio signal stream processed by a transform-based low-bit-rate audio coding system employing coding blocks are reduced by detecting a transient in the audio signal stream and shifting the temporal relationship of the transient with respect to the coding blocks such that the time duration of the distortion artifacts is reduced. The audio data is time scaled in such a way that the transients are temporally repositioned prior to quantization in a transform-based low-bit-rate audio encoder so as to reduce the amount of pre-noise in the decoded audio signal. Alternatively, or in addition, in a transform-based low-bit-rate audio coding system, a transient in the audio signal stream is detected and a portion of the distortion artifacts are time compressed such that the time duration of the distortion artifacts is reduced.