Abstract: In a neckband type headphone device there is provided a band onto which speaker units are connected at both ends thereof. These speaker units are worn on the left and right ears. The band has a shape wherein the area close to the connecting part between both speaker units forms a curve and passes on one of a position above and below the ears of the listener when it is wound in a circular shape and extended. The band is formed from an elastic material into a shape that presses down at the approximate center on the rear of the head of the listener.

Abstract: Communication method and apparatus for allowing restriction-free transmission of various kinds of information, such as control information, among devices constituting, for example, an IEEE 1394 network. At least one of the network-linked devices is provided with a storage region to/from which data can be written/read out by any other device on the network upon transmission of a predetermined command, so that data can be transmitted throughout the network by using the storage region.

Abstract: A housing for an information processing apparatus includes an apparatus body of a substantially rectangular shape having an inclined face formed thereon, and a panel rigidly attached to the inclined face of the apparatus body, so as to be without play relative to the apparatus body.

Abstract: A print producing apparatus of a print producing system is provided with a recording medium conveying section that intermittently conveys a strip-like hologram recording medium, a cutting out section that cuts out, as a piece of hologram recording medium, a predetermined region of the recording medium that includes at least a piece of a holographic stereogram image or a hologram from a hologram recording medium, a film retaining section, and a film supplying section. The film supplying section provides plural sheets of protecting film that are retained, a film opening and closing section that opens and folds a single sheet of the protecting film that has been folded in two along a folding line, a mounting retaining and supplying section that one by one provides plural sheets of mountings, and a laminating section that laminates the piece of hologram recording medium and the mounting with the protective film.

Abstract: Obtaining a satisfactory feeling of mounting an earphone regardless of the user and achieving listening to reproduced acoustics with satisfactory sound quality is provided by an elastic auricle-mounting member surrounding a sound-discharging opening formed on a housing that accommodates a speaker unit. A space formed by the eardrum membrane, the speaker unit and the auricle-mounting member when a user wears the earphone on the auricle is communicated to the outside of the earphone via a ventilation resistor. Thus, it is possible to prevent deterioration in the sound quality attributable to pooled indistinct sound generated when the space encircled by the eardrum membrane, the speaker unit and the auricle-mounting member has been sealed.

Abstract: A system controller reads first identification information from a semiconductor storage medium. The system controller causes an audio block to operate when a portion of the first identification information coincides with one of a whole and a portion of the second identification information stored in a non-volatile memory. The system controller stores another portion of the first identification information as a portion of the second identification information in the non-volatile memory. Even if a user adds the first identification information to the semiconductor storage medium, an onboard audio apparatus reads and stores an additional portion of the first identification information in the non-volatile memory. The first identification information added by the user is used for a next operation enable/disable determination for the audio block.

Abstract: In a sound synthesizer, a noise adder generates a noise signal having a frequency band of 3,400 to 4,600 Hz, adjusts the gain of the noise signal, and adds the gain-adjusted noise signal to an excitation source after being filled with zeros by a zero-filling circuit, thereby providing a wide-band excitation source which is rather flat. The signal gain is adjusted by determining a narrow-band excitation source or a power of the wide-band excitation source after being filled with zeros and fitting the gain to the narrow-band excitation source or the power.

Abstract: A null symbol position detecting method, apparatus, and receiver for quickly and accurately detecting a null symbol from a broadcast signal containing it in any broadcast signal receiving environment. A digital audio broadcast (DAB) signal is received and tuned in and this signal is I/Q-demodulated. The I and Q signal obtained by the I/Q demodulation are delayed by an I-component delay circuit and a Q-component delay circuit respectively by one valid symbol period to form a delay signal Id and a delay signal Qd respectively. Correlation is obtained between the delay signals Id and Qd and the signals I and Q which are not delayed. The peak of this correlation is determined by a peak decision circuit. The level pattern of the peak is detected by a level pattern decision circuit.

Abstract: A sync signal detection method for receiving a sync signal regularly radio-transmitted from a predetermined station at a predetermined cycle and detecting the received sync signal is used in which a cycle at which a sync signal is detected is judged, a detection window having a predetermined width is set at every judged cycle, and only a sync signal detected from received signals in the detection window is judged as an effective sync signal.

Abstract: A password corresponding to an IC card or a service is stored or registered in a terminal apparatus provided with a preferably contactless IC card section having a read/write function. A password is inputted before utilizing the IC card function. The IC card function, which is disabled for utilization under other conditions, is enabled for utilization during a period of time only when the inputted password matches the registered password, thus even when the device is lost or stolen, others cannot have access to the services available for the apparatus without authentication.

Abstract: A circuit that includes a combination of a current resonance type converter of a switching frequency controlling system with a partial-voltage resonance circuit is configured such that, in order to improve the power factor where the load power is 150 W or more and the circuit employs an input double-voltage rectification system, a series resonance capacitor or inductor is connected in series to a tertiary winding wound on the primary side of an isolation converter transformer, so that the voltage is fed back to a rectification circuit composed of a high-speed recovery type diode.

Abstract: A speaker apparatus in which the acoustic sound is radiated by flexural oscillations of a diaphragm in the form of a panel having a substantially flat surface. The speaker apparatus includes a panel-shaped diaphragm the outer rim of which can be oscillated substantially freely at least in the direction along the diaphragm thickness and at least one driver unit constituting an oscillation source secured to the diaphragm surface for imparting oscillations to the diaphragm. The diaphragm is set into flexural oscillations by oscillations applied from the driver unit driven on the basis of the playback input signal. By flexurally oscillating the diaphragm to radiate the acoustic sound, optimum frequency response characteristics can be obtained over a wide frequency range from the low to high frequency range. Moreover, the acoustic sound of optimum sound quality may be radiated in a state of minimum sound pressure level fluctuations over a frequency range from the low to high frequency range.

Abstract: An optical disc recorder and/or player using as a recording medium an optical disc having a plurality of recording layers formed one over another includes an optical pickup having a photodetector to direct a light beam towards any one of the plurality of recording layers and detect a return light beam from a recording layer, and an identifier to compare an output signal from the photodetector with a predetermined reference value and identify, based on a comparison result, which one of the plurality of recording layers formed in the optical disc has focused thereon the light beam from the optical pickup.

Abstract: A recording medium at least having a first recording layer for recording first information and a second recording layer for recording second information. A discriminating signal indicating the playback mode is recorded on at least one of the first and second recording layers provided on the recording medium. The discriminating signal indicates a first playback mode for respectively reproducing the first information recorded in the first recording layer and the second information recorded on the second recording layer, or a second playback mode for calculating the first information recorded in the first recording layer and the second information recorded in the second recording layer to generate playback signals. A reproducing method and apparatus for the recording medium are also provided for reproducing the recording medium.

Abstract: An ear-hanging type headphone has an ear hanger arm attached to a rotation shaft portion that is movably mounted on a convex housing of a headphone body at a location that is offset from a central axis of the convex housing by a predetermined eccentric angle. Upon moving the rotation shaft portion relative to the convex housing a distance between the ear hanger arm and a sound emitting side of the headphone is altered to facilitate placing the headphone on the ear. The rotation shaft portion can be spring biased toward one end position and a retaining element can be used to temporarily retain the rotation shaft portion at another end position.

Abstract: A method for allowing a communication station to newly join an existing radio network constituted of plural units of communication stations includes a radio transmission a method for carrying out radio transmission in a radio network formed of plural communication stations by a control signal from a communication station set up as a central control station, including the steps of: specifying a frame cycle of a radio transmission signal by a control of the centrat control station; setting a predetermined position in the specified frame cycle as a slot for newly joining the radio network; and if a predetermined signal is transmitted through the slot, carrying out a processing for allowing a transmission source of the signal to join the radio network.

Abstract: A projector having flat outside surfaces when not in use and a control panel disposed at an upper portion of a main body of the projector during use. A front cover is provided with a control panel on its back side and is rotatably supported on the main body by double hinge mechanisms such that the projector is box-shaped when the front cover is stored in a storage position for covering the front side of a projection lens, and a surface of the front cover is inclined and directed to the rear upper side of the projector main body when the front cover is rotated from the storage position to an open position. Loudspeakers are incorporated in the cover so that the loudspeakers are projected at an upper portion of the main body when the front cover is rotated from the storage position to the open position.

Abstract: A packet passed to an IEEE 1394 bus is received by a packet receiver (421) and stored into a packet buffer (422). Source and destination IDs from the packet buffer (422) are supplied to a comparison/calculation circuit (428) which are also supplied with ID values from a subnetwork routing register (425), bus routing register (426) and node IDs register (427). The comparison/calculation circuit (428) will judge, based on such signals, whether the packet is to be transferred, and when it decides that the packet is to be transferred, will activate the output signal and open a gate (423) to transmit the packet to an inner fabric (401).

Abstract: In order to connect a control signal processing system of a device, which does not have a control signal processing system for coding and processing a control signal, to a control signal processing system for coding and processing such a control signal, circuitry is added to the existing control signal processing systems for delivering mutual signals between a control signal processing system (1) for coding and processing control signals such as VISCA and a control signal processing system for processing a signal representing information as a signal level value. It thus becomes possible to connect control signals of a device (30, 37, 38) which does not have a control signal processing system for coding and processing the control signal to a control signal processing system (1) for coding and processing the control signal.

Abstract: Communication equipment having an available bandwidth less than 100 Mbps may be regarded as IEEE1394 communication equipment in which buses (21, 31) are connected together via a bridge (40). The bridge (40) includes portals (40A, 40B), and the portals (40A, 40B) communicate with each other through infrared rays. RAMs (43A, 43B) include bandwidth available registers for writing a remaining amount of an available bandwidth, which may be used in an isochronous communication within the bridge (40). ROMs (44A, 44B) store an available bandwidth, which may be used in a isochronous communication in respective infrared communication units (45A, 45B), as an initial value (BWR). When the bridge (40) is initialized, the initial value (BWR) is written in the bandwidth available registers. Thus, even when an available bandwidth between the infrared communication units (45A, 45B) is less than 100 Mbps, the bridge (40) may be regarded and operated as communication equipment in which the available bandwidth is 100 Mbps.