Abstract: A program and apparatus which draw and display images of graphical objects, enabling their smooth and continuous transition from visible state to invisible state. For each given object, its distance from the current eye point is calculated for comparison with a predetermined semi-transparent distance, as well as with a predetermined invisible distance which is longer than the semi-transparent distance. The object is selected as a visible object that is to be subjected to image drawing operations if the above comparison has revealed that the calculated distance is shorter than the invisible distance. An image of the visible object is drawn in opaque mode if the distance is shorter than the semi-transparent distance, or in semi-transparent mode if the distance is longer than the semi-transparent distance. The resultant image is then displayed on a monitor screen.

Abstract: A magnetic head parking system of a hard disk drive to move a magnetic head mounted on a slider of an actuator from a data zone of a disk and to place the magnetic head in a parking zone thereof when the disk stops rotating. The magnetic head parking system includes a head limiter provided on an upper surface of a flange of a spindle motor to protrude toward the disk and restricting a range of movement in upward and downward directions of the magnetic head placed in the parking zone of the disk. The head limiter is provided at a position opposite to a position where the slider of the actuator is installed or at a position deviating from and/or adjacent to a position directly under the slider. Thus, when an external impact is applied and an operation of the hard disk drive is stopped, the range of the up and down movement of the magnetic head is limited by the head limiter, so that the possibility of the damage to the magnetic head due to the head slap can be lowered.

Abstract: A portable computer having a main board; an antenna receiving and transmitting an RF signal; a PCI slot part provided in the main board and receiving the RF signal received and transmitted through the antenna; a wireless LAN card including a main card removably inserted into the PCI slot part, and an RF connector provided at a side of the main card and through which the RF signal is inputted/outputted between the antenna and the PCI slot part; and an antenna connecting part connected to the RF connector and allowing the RF signal to be inputted/outputted through the RF connector between the antenna and the PCI slot part when the wireless LAN card is inserted into the PCI slot part. With this configuration, the present invention provides a portable computer improved in a mounting structure of a wireless LAN card doing not have an antenna.

Abstract: An optical apparatus for producing chromatic dispersion. The apparatus includes a virtually imaged phased array (VIPA) generator, a mirror and a lens. The VIPA generator receives an input light at a respective wavelength and produces a corresponding collimated output light traveling from the VIPA generator in a direction determined by the wavelength of the input light, the output light thereby being spatially distinguishable from an output light produced for an input light at a different wavelength. The mirror has a cone shape, or a modified cone shape. The lens focuses the output light traveling from the VIPA generator onto the mirror so that the mirror reflects the output light. The reflected light is directed by the lens back to the VIPA generator. In this manner, the apparatus provides chromatic dispersion to the input light.

Abstract: Media manipulation and sensing apparatuses having a media type detector and method for media type detection, wherein non-linear characteristics of light sensors used for measuring a media type are compensated for by adjusting for the light flux capability of one of the sensors to be greater than the light flux capability of another sensor, such that the ratio between the two sensors accurately represents the glossiness of an illuminated media. An algorithm technique is applied such that a value for a detected sensor signal, which falls in a non-linear range of a sensor characteristic curve, is extrapolated to a value that corresponds to a position on a projection of a linear portion of the sensor characteristic curve, and thereby measuring the glossiness based on the extrapolated sensor signal.

Abstract: Light input from a single-mode fiber is collected into linear light beams by a line focuser, and collected on a VIPA element. A light beam output from the VIPA element is made to pass through a space filter having a predetermined transmission loss characteristic, and focused on a mirror with a focusing lens. The light is reflected by the mirror, again passes through the space filter via the focusing lens, enters the VIPA element, and again enters the single-mode fiber via the line focuser. The insertion loss wavelength characteristic of the wavelength dispersion compensator using the VIPA element is optimized by being superimposed on the transmission loss characteristic of the space filter.

Abstract: A printed circuit board design system performs, with a 3D-CAD system, a mounting design including a cabinet. In order to prepare, without mistakes in less man-hours, an accurate 3D model of a printed circuit board provided to the 3D-CAD system, a converter converts the printed circuit board into a unit-type model, a division-type model, a single-type model, and a library-type model composed of one or more models based on attributes preliminarily added to a mounting component stored in a mounting design DB storage.

Abstract: A storage controller executes logical format to enable host access to a physical disk, where the logical format of a physical disk is executed without waiting for host access. The storage controller comprises a logical format management module having bit map memory for managing progress information on format processing of a logical volume, and a lower layer module which accesses a physical disk according to the request of the management module. The management module judges whether all the access areas have been formatted referring to the bit map memory, requests the disk access to the lower layer module if judged as formatted, while, issues a logical format processing request before the disk access, queues the disk access request to the queue if not formatted, further searches the unformatted area from the bit map memory, and issues a logical format processing request if no disk access request exists in the queue.

Abstract: A computer graphics apparatus includes a walk-through function to simulate with a computer the concept of walking through a structure such as a building. Display processing time and calculation processing time for one frame of a computer graphic image are improved by an input unit which receives a viewline moving instruction to move a viewline of a computer image. A viewline control unit determines positions and directions of the viewline while a storage unit stores computer graphics data including three-dimensional data of objects, walk-through attribute data and viewline data. An image generation unit then generates images including animated images based on the position of the viewline and the computer graphics data. The resultant images are then displayed on an image display unit.

Abstract: A device which generates horizontal and vertical sync signals of a composite signal to create a soft picture on a display monitor by preventing a free running effect of a composite signal which is caused by a mode conversion between recorded and unrecorded areas of the picture when a composite signal generated from an alternative source such as a VCR instead of an external input signal is applied to the display monitor. The device includes a microcomputer for generating a sync select signal based on a display mode, and a composite signal analyzing and horizontal/vertical oscillating circuit for generating horizontal and vertical oscillating signals based on a luminance signal separated from a composite signal input. A horizontal sync signal generator processes the horizontal oscillating signal, to generate a composite horizontal sync signal. A vertical sync signal generator processes the vertical oscillating signal, to generate a composite vertical sync signal.

Abstract: A socket for an electrical part includes a socket body to which an electrical part having terminals are mounted, a number of contact pins arranged to the socket body so as to be contacted to or separated from the terminals of the electrical part, an operation member mounted to the socket body to be reciprocally movable with respect to the socket body, an open/close unit mounted to the socket body to be opened or closed in accordance with the reciprocal motion of the operation member and to press the electrical part when closed, and a closing speed reduction feature arranged for the open/close unit so as to reduce a closing speed thereof when the open/close unit is rotated in a closing direction thereof.

Abstract: A method of producing a semiconductor device includes a device body producing step, electrically coupling leads and a semiconductor chip, and producing a device body by encapsulating the semiconductor chip by a resin package so that portions of the leads are exposed from the resin package, a honing step, carrying out a honing process using a polishing solution at least with respect to a resin flash adhered on the portions of the leads exposed from the resin package, an etching step, removing an unwanted stacked layer structure formed on the leads by carrying out an etching process after the honing step, and a plating step, carrying out a plating process with respect to the leads after the etching step to form a plated layer made of a soft bonding material. The honing step removes a portion of the unwanted stacked layer structure in addition to the resin flash.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for selecting a program of a digital multichannel television. The method includes the steps of checking whether numeral keys for designating a radio frequency (RF) channel, a distinction key, and numeral keys for designating a program received through the RF channel are successively pressed; if the numeral keys for designating the RF channel, distinction key, and numeral keys for designating the program received through the RF channel are successively pressed, selecting the RF channel corresponding to the numeral keys before the distinction key; arranging digital multichannel television broadcasting programs received through the selected RF channel in the order of their unique numbers; sequentially assigning reference numbers to the arranged programs; and selectively outputting a program to which the reference number corresponding to the numeral keys after the distinction key is assigned.

Abstract: Along an annular conveyance path there are provided plural work stations 4a, 4b, 4c and a warehouse 6 for temporary storage of products. Between the work stations 4a, 4b, 4c and the conveyance path there are disposed station conveyors 10. Further, a buffer mechanism 12 comprising a parting conveyor 14 and a stock conveyor 16 is interposed between the warehouse 6 and the conveyance path 2. Products are conveyed between the work stations 4a, 4b, 4c and the warehouse 6 by means of a carrier 8 which moves on the conveyance path 2.

Abstract: An optical modulator for modulating light emitted from a signal light source has a substrate having electrooptic effect, an optical waveguide of a Mach-Zehnder type formed on the substrate, an electrode formed on the substrate to control light propagated in the optical waveguide, an interference light generating means for making radiation light radiated from the optical waveguide and signal light leaking from the optical waveguide interfere with each other to generate interference light, and emitting the interference light from an end surface of the substrate, a photo-detector for monitoring the interference light of the radiation light and the signal light, and a signal controlling circuit for controlling an operating point of the optical modulator according to a change of the interference light monitored by the photo-detector It is thereby possible to prevent degradation of a distinction ratio due to a shift of the operating point of the optical modulator so as to allow stable optical modulation, while faci

Abstract: A communication control apparatus controls the transmission of data between client and server applications in a client/server system. The alteration to the system of a server machine does not affect the client application by temporarily storing the data in an internal database.The communication control apparatus contains a queue-structure entry table or response table as the database storing data notified of by the client application or the response data by the server application. It also stores the table defining information which defines the format of each table. The data transmitted between the client application and the server application is queued and retrieved on each of the tables.

Abstract: A cooling device for a mounting module in which heat generated from a predetermined number of circuit elements mounted on the mounting module is dissipated by a cooling arrangement. The cooling device is comprised of at least one conduction element which thermally connects the circuit element with the cooling arrangement, the conduction element includes a predetermined number of first conductive members which is placed in a respective hole formed in the conduction arrangement and is movably supported by a first conductive material filled between the side surface of the first conductive member and the surface of the conduction element so as to complete a thermal flow from the circuit element to the cooling arrangement.

Abstract: A portable telephone having a cover (14) rotatably mounted to a cover body (2). When the cover (14) is in a closed condition, it covers and protects a switch section of the body (2), while when the cover (14) is in an open condition, it is held in a stable position at a predetermined inclined angle with respect to the body (2) by a cover holding mechanism. When the cover (14) is in the open condition, it also functions as a voice reflecting and collecting board for a microphone provided in the body (2).

Abstract: A function processing system processes functions to make a three-dimensional display on a screen of a display means by connecting a plurality of lattice points of a space coordinate in a three-dimensional space region. The function processing system includes a computing system for computing a function value at each of the lattice points by a multivariable function having the space coordinate as an independent variable, where the computing system replaces the multivariable function by a product of a predetermined number of single variable functions and computing each of the single variable functions in advance so that the multivariable function is computed based on function values of each of the single variable functions, and a storage unit for storing the function values of the single variable functions which are computed in advance by the computing system. The computing system reads the stored function values of the single variable functions from the storage unit when computing the multivariable function.

Abstract: A gear noise evaluation system having a neuro-computer which is provided with sound pressure values from an FFT analyzer. At this time, an evaluator simultaneously presets an absolutely sensual evaluating value as a teacher signal from a control bench. The neuro-computer repeatedly performs a learning so that the pressure values may become the absolutely sensual evaluating value until the difference between the sound pressure value and the sensual evaluating value lies in a permissive error range thereby determining a function value.