Abstract: A method of determining the location of an object uses data representing the bearing of the object from a plurality of observation locations. The method comprises (a) deriving, for each bearing, the coordinates of a point, the coordinates comprising a first value p representing the signed distance between a predetermined location and the closest point on the bearing line, and a second value ? representing the angle of the bearing line, using a procedure according to which co-linear bearings of opposite direction have first values which are of opposite sign to each other and second values which differ from each other by ?; and (b) deriving parameters defining a curve fitting said points, said parameters representing the object location.

Abstract: A control apparatus for a synchromesh automatic transmission (3) for automatically changing over a plurality of speed gear stages from one to another in an internal combustion engine (1), which apparatus is capable of suppressing occurrence of rapid deceleration of the engine, engine blowup or like problems even when the accelerator pedal is manipulated during a period in which the throttle valve is being closed. The control apparatus includes an electromagnetic clutch (2), an accelerator pedal position sensor (13), an engine rotation speed sensor (15), and a control unit (4) arranged such that upon decision of start of upshift operation, a closing speed of an electronically controlled throttle valve (11) is arithmetically determined by the control unit (4) on the basis of a data map prepared in advance with opening degree of the throttle valve (11) being controlled in response to a command value issued by the control unit (4).

Abstract: An object is to provide a semiconductor device having high reliability and capable of high speed operation. The semiconductor device includes a silicon substrate, a silicon nitrided oxide film formed on the silicon substrate, and a gate electrode formed on the silicon nitrided oxide film. Nitrogen is distributed only in the vicinity of an interface between the silicon substrate and the silicon nitrided oxide film. In the vicinity of the interface, every nitrogen atom is bonded to two silicon atoms and one oxygen atom.

Abstract: An optical recording apparatus which reduces light loss by expanding the laser beam diameters irradiated from a plurality of beam sources, and reducing the expanded beam diameters immediately before focusing the beams onto an information recording/reproducing medium to make the beams circular, thereby minimizing deviation of the laser beam from the optical axis.An optical system for use in recording apparatus with a multi-beam optical head provided with a plurality of laser beam sources in a fixed unit which reduces light loss by minimizing deviation of the laser beam from the optical axis, and also by maintaining the laser power of each laser beam at a predetermined intensity independent of changes in distance between the fixed unit half and the moving unit half of the optical system by detecting intensities of the laser beams focused on a recording medium.

Abstract: A pulse-signal extracting method and apparatus which are capable of generating an accurate pulse output even if the pulse input signal greatly pulsates due to a low-frequency noise component. A predetermined offset voltage is added to the input signal where the low-frequency noise component is superimposed on a pulse waveform which is the signal component so as to obtain an amplified signal. This amplified signal is inputted to a low-pass filter so as to output only the amplified flow-frequency component, and the original input signal is compared with the amplified low-frequency component in a comparator so as to extract the pulse waveform, which is the signal component, on the basis of the comparison result.

Abstract: A horizontal deflection apparatus which is provided with a circuit to convert a vertical deflection voltage into a crosswise pincushion distortion correction voltage in a parabola form, a vertical frequency detecting circuit which detects a frequency of a vertical synchronizing signal and outputs a control signal of a voltage corresponding to the frequency, an automatic gain control circuit which amplifies the correction voltage with the gain controlled in response to the control signal corresponding to the outputted vertical frequency and outputs a voltage signal in a parabola form with a fixed amplitude for correcting a crosswise pincushion distortion, a pulse width modulating circuit which modulates a pulse signal synchronized with a horizontal synchronizing signal in response to the outputted voltage signal from the automatic gain control circuit, and a chopper-type power circuit which chops a power voltage with the pulse width modulating output and gives the chopped power voltage to a horizontal output c

Abstract: In a method of trapping ions in a silicon oxide film or a silicon oxy-nitride film, silicon or silicon nitride as an electrode is first immersed in a nonaqueous solvent containing an electrolyte. Then, a voltage is applied between the electrode and a counter electrode so as to oxidize the surface of the silicon or silicon nitride to form a silicon oxide film or a silicon oxy-nitride film. At the same time, the ions contained in the electrolyte are caused to permeate into the silicon oxide film or the silicon oxy-nitride film and trapped therein. The method is thus capable of trapping ions in a silicon oxide film or a silicon oxy-nitride film for a short time without using any evaporation apparatus and of shifting the flat band potential of the silicon.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for discriminating the linearity of a line segment in an image processing system consisting of elements for extracting and tracking a train of points from a high contrast portion of a video image and for determining whether the position of one ofthe points exceeds a predetermined threshold value representative of a condition which defines the end of the linearity of the train of points.

Abstract: An apparatus for controlling an elevator adds cage moving distances per unit time by advance position calculating means at predetermined time to a reference value in parallel with the running operation of the elevator, corrects the moving distance by advance position correcting means in accordance with plate position information at the time of detecting the plate disposed in an elevator shaft in a position corresponding to a floor, and then compares the actually moved distance with the plate position information stored in a memory to obtain a cage advance floor.

Abstract: Disclosed is a suspension control apparatus for a vehicle having a plurality of suspension units each disposed between a road wheel and the body of a vehicle for effectively and quickly correcting any deviation of the vehicle height from a normal height level immediately upon finishing of active suspension control operations. Priority is determined for vehicle-height control and various active suspension control operations such as roll control, nose-dive and squat control, and pitching and bouncing control so that normal vehicle-height control is stopped or inhibited during active suspension control operations are being carried out, thereby preventing the traveling attitude of the vehicle from being made unstable.

Abstract: A semiconductor laser device of the buried heterostructure type in which leakage current is substantially reduced. A mesa portion carries the active lasing portion of the laser, and current blocking layers are grown at either side of the mesa portion. One of the current blocking layers has its conductivity type inverted to the opposite type to eliminate a current leakage path, thereby to provide a high efficiency low leakage current semiconductor laser. Conductivity inversion is accomplished by adjusting the impurity concentration levels in the layers on either side of the mesa portion, and controllably diffusing impurities from one layer to another until conductivity inversion is accomplished in a thin tip portion of one of the layers.

Abstract: A semiconductor device which comprises: a first main electrode on a first main surface of the semiconductor substrate, and a second main electrode on a second main surface thereof, the first main surface including a control electrode; a first outer main electrode and a second outer main electrode provided on the first and second main surface, respectively, wherein the first and second outer main electrodes are respectively connected to the first main electrode and the second main electrode; an external control electrode adapted for connection to the control electrode on the semiconductor substrate; a control electrode access electrode whereby the control electrode on the substrate is connected to the external control electrode; the control electrode access electrode including a ring-shaped body having a contact section on the undersurface thereof, and a lead for connection to the external control electrode, wherein the ring-shaped body is covered with an insulating film in the portion excluding the contact se

Abstract: A band compression apparatus for transmitting a video signal having three color component signals sampled at a sampling frequency of 2Fs and a gradation of N bits per picture element by a transmission path of a gradation of N bits per sample and a sample transmission frequency 2Fs includes a prefilter for restricting the band of each color component signal; a sub-sample circuit for compressing the respective band restricted color component signal to a sampling frequency Fs; a signal separation switching circuit for separating data of 3n bits comprising the upper n bits of the sub-sampled color component signals3n=2N+k (k<N)into two main signals as transmission samples of N bits and a fraction signal of k bits; a fraction signal storage RAM for storing one line video signal portions of said fraction signal; and a signal outputting switching circuit for outputting said stored fraction signal to the transmission path by time compressing the same into a signal of N bits as a first transmission sample during th