Abstract: There is provided a map data access method and device capable of reading out from a recording medium the map data requested by a navigation system and providing them to the system whether C language, etc. or JAVA (trademark), etc. is employed to constitute a processing program on the navigation system side. In the recording medium, the map data and a reading method of the data are recorded in pairs in a map data section and a method section, respectively. When a navigation function section requests the map data, a data access section reads out desired data in a method (program) read out from the method section according to a requested application programming interface (API). The data read out are supplied as a byte array object to the navigation function section.

Abstract: A semiconductor device equipped with secondary pads having adequate arrangement for an arbitrary packaging process. The secondary pads are connected with the primary pads of the semiconductor device with a novel lead wire structure, which is characterized by its low electric resistance, good mechanical strength to protect active components of the device, good adhesion to bumps, and anti-electromigration property.

Abstract: A detection circuit for a vibratory gyro includes a first circuit which detects a detection signal output from the vibratory gyro and produces an output signal indicative of an angular velocity applied to the vibratory gyro, and a second circuit which is operatively coupled to the first circuit and reduces a leakage component included in the detection signal.

Abstract: A cable entrance module is provided at a position of equipment at which a cable enters the equipment from the outside. The cable is inserted through the inside of the cable entrance module. The cable entrance module includes an entrance-side membrane, an exit-side membrane, and a viscous-matter-filling portion. The inside of the filling portion is filled with viscous matter. The entrance-side membrane has such strength that when it is pierced by the extending end of the cable it is pushed by the extending end of the cable. The exit-side membrane has a strength such that it is not pierced by the viscous matter when the cable pierces the entrance-side membrane, enters the viscous-matter filling portion, and moves through the viscous matter in the viscous-matter filling portion while pushing the viscous matter aside. The exit-side membrane is pierced by the extending end of the cable when it is pushed by the extending end of the cable.

Abstract: A semiconductor device and a method of fabricating thereof, including an insulator layer having alternately layered insulator films and boundary layers, wherein the boundary layers are more dense than the insulator films to prevent expansion and elongation of string-like defects across the boundary layers. The method includes mixing a nitrogen containing gas and a silane group gas to form an insulator film; temporarily stopping a flow of the silane group gas for approximately one to fifteen seconds to form a boundary layer over the insulator film; restarting the flow of the silane group gas; and repeating the steps of temporarily stopping and restarting for a predetermined number of times to form the plurality of alternately layered insulator films and boundary layers. The plurality of alternately layered insulator films and boundary layers is also etched at an etching rate for the insulator films greater than an etching rate for the boundary layers to form a step-shaped sloped opening.

Abstract: A tuning-fork vibratory gyro has first and second arms and a base integrally connected to the first and second arms. The gyro includes drive electrodes used to generate tuning-fork vibrations due to a piezoelectric transversal effect, and detection electrodes provided on the first and second arms and used to output a detection voltage due to an angular velocity.

Abstract: A semiconductor device which receives addresses in synchronism with a clock signal and receives data in synchronism with a strobe signal includes address-latch circuits, a first control circuit which selects one of the address-latch circuits in sequence in response to the clock signal, and controls the selected one of the address-latch circuits to latch a corresponding one of the addresses in response to the clock signal, and a second control circuit which selects one of the address-latch circuits in sequence in response to the strobe signal, and controls the selected one of the address-latch circuits to output a corresponding one of the addresses in response to the strobe signal.

Abstract: An information inconsistency judgment apparatus, an information inconsistency judgment method, and a medium recorded with an information inconsistency judgment program, for judging as to whether an inconsistency has occurred in a transmitted information, based on an object at a higher level of the object to be operated, and on the registered object. An information inconsistency correction apparatus, an information inconsistency correction method, and a medium recorded with an information inconsistency correction program, for correcting the registered object based on an operational information, when it is judged that an inconsistency has occurred in the transmitted information.

Abstract: A ferroelectric capacitor is provided that can write ROM data at a manufacturing process, change the data after that, and restore the rewritten initial data. The ferroelectric memory device composing a memory cell, in which ferroelectric capacitors are provided, the memory cell includes ferroelectric capacitors each having a different hysteresis characteristic. The capacitor having the different hysteresis characteristic is formed at a manufacturing process as ROM data. The initial ROM data written at the manufacturing process can be restored and can be recorded as a polarizing direction by employing the difference between the hysteresis characteristics. In addition, the recorded data can be freely rewritten by a normal writing method and the recorded data can be maintained even when a power is OFF. Even after the initial ROM data is changed, the initial ROM data can be restored or recovered by employing the above-described different hysteresis characteristic.

Abstract: A realtime sensitivity correction method for use in an infrared imaging system, which compensates for possible sensitivity variations among a plurality of sensor elements constituting a infrared sensor device. The infrared imaging system comprises: an infrared sensor which accepts infrared rays emanating from a target object through an appropriate optical system, two reference heat sources, a sensitivity correction circuit composed of digital signal processors, RAM, and other components, a sensitivity correction sequence controller, and a video monitor. The system's scanning cycle consists of an effective scanning period and a non-effective scanning period. During a non-effective scanning period, the infrared sensor scans the high-temperature and normal-temperature reference heat sources. By averaging the detected values, high-temperature reference data and normal-temperature reference data are obtained.

Abstract: An IC to be tested having solder bumps is mounted on an IC socket mounted on a test board. The IC socket is provided with a contact unit including a plurality of straight contact pins each having an lower end connected to the test board and an upper end connected to the solder bumps and also including an elastic member for supporting the plurality of contact pins. A diameter of the plurality of contact pins is configured to be sufficiently small for the plurality of contact pins to pierce the respective solder bumps so that an electrical connection is established by the upper end of each of the plurality of solder bumps piercing an associated one of the solder bumps.

Abstract: A network system of the present invention is constructed of first to third terminal equipments connected to a network. In the case of establishing such a plurality of connection calls that a plurality of connections belong to one call between the first and second terminal equipments, if unable to set all the connections between the first and second terminal equipments, the network sets the connections capable of ensuring bandwidths between the first and second terminal equipments, and sets a remaining connection between the first and third terminal equipments.

Abstract: An optical connector comprises a housing having a ferrule holding portion for holding a ferrule to be connected to an optical fiber, wherein said ferrule is equipped with a split sleeve for implementing an alignment with a ferrule of a mate connector, and said ferrule holding portion has a ferrule holding through passage which allows said ferrule to be received along the direction of ferrule diameter, allows said split sleeve to be inserted along the axial direction of said sleeve, and allows said ferrule to be installed into and held to said housing.

Abstract: A system for delivering a caller's phone number to a called subscriber in an Internet telephony system. A calling subscriber (caller) first makes a call to its local server (caller-side server) to request an Internet-based call connection to a remote subscriber (callee). A first transmission unit, disposed in a caller-side local switch, transmits the caller's phone number to the caller-side server through a first control channel. A second transmission unit disposed in the caller-side server then transmits, over the Internet, the caller's phone number to another server (caller-side server) that is local to the callee. The caller's phone number is now available in the callee-side server. A caller number acquisition unit, disposed in the callee-side local switch, makes access to that information by using a second control channel. In this way, the callee-side local switch obtains the phone number of the caller.

Abstract: The present invention provides an exposure device capable of operating at a high speed and obtaining an excellent printing result. The exposure device according to the present invention includes optical write heads using shift registers of two systems, and a circuit that supplies image data for one line divided into the first half and the second half to the respective shift registers. The circuit is consist of a write control section, a memory, a read control section and a transfer control section), and receives data of twice the number of bits of data inputted to the shift register.

Abstract: The invention provides a developing apparatus which prevents transportation of aggregated toner powder to an image carrier and thereby assures a high print quality by taking a countermeasure to disperse aggregated toner powder when development of an image carrier with developer which includes toner powder and magnetic powder is performed. The developing apparatus includes a developing roller, a developer control member, and an aggregated toner dispersion member disposed in an opposing relationship to the transport magnetic pole of the fixed magnet on the upstream side with respect to the position of the developer control member and having a contact face in the form of a flat face with which the developer held on the outer circumferential face of the developing roller may be contacted under pressure in order to disperse aggregated toner powder in the developer held on the outer circumferential face of the developing roller.

Abstract: A magnetic disk drive has a magnetic disk and a magnetic head assembly mounted on an arm. The assembly is utilized in the recording and reproducing of data on and from a recording/reproducing surface of a magnetic disk. The magnetic head assembly includes a support body for connecting the magnetic head assembly to the arm and a head chip attached to the support body. The head chip is configured and arranged for making substantially continuous sliding contact with the recording/reproducing surface of the magnetic disk during recording/reproducing. The head chip includes a wafer base, a read/write element for recording/reproducing data from the recording/reproducing surface of the magnetic disk. The read/write element is formed from a plurality of thin film layers superposed upon the wafer base and the head is elongated in a direction generally perpendicular to a plane generally defined by the recording/reproducing surface.

Abstract: Disclosed is a laser diode protecting circuit adapted to prevent a laser diode from producing an excessive emission when the laser diode is driven at low temperature, thereby assuring that the laser diode will not be damaged or degraded in terms of its characteristic. When the laser diode is started at low temperature, a laser diode protecting circuit has a power monitor circuit for monitoring backward power of the laser diode and a laser diode current limiting circuit for limiting the laser diode current when the backward power becomes equal to the set power. When the laser diode temperature subsequently rises and the backward power falls below the set power, an automatic current control circuit performs automatic current control in such a manner that the laser diode current attains a set current value.

Abstract: A virtual world computer process includes portable virtual token objects that can be used by on-line users of the virtual world to facilitate exchange of goods and services within the virtual world. In particular, client-server computer processes are provided for the virtual world that allow on-line users to conduct activities within the virtual world including getting, putting, giving, and receiving portable virtual token objects as well as other portable virtual objects. Each on-line user is represented in the graphic user interface by a virtual avatar object. Token objects are put into circulation by virtual ATM objects. A virtual ATM object allows a user to obtain a balance, deposit tokens, and withdraw tokens. A vendroid object is an object that sells portable virtual items in exchange for tokens deposited by avatars. Different virtual items have different values, and vendroids do not all have the same virtual items for sale. In the virtual world, a lurker is represented in a locale by a ghost object.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a heat sink. More particularly, the present invention relates to a heat sink used for radiating heat from an integrated circuit package such as a micro-processor arranged in a portable type electronic apparatus such as a notebook type personal computer and also used for radiating heat from a hard disk unit used in an electronic apparatus. The heat sink comprises: a heat transmitting member for transmitting heat generated by a heating component; a holding section for holding the heat transmitting member; and a heat sink body having a space in which a cooling fan having at least blades and a drive motor is embedded, wherein a portion of the holding section for holding the heat transmitting member, the portion being located below the space, is cut out.