Abstract: In appearance inspection for a printed image, image data without a fault or image data in which a fault is corrected is selected as a reference image, and a table having, as its elements, flags in a number corresponding to the number of levels of an image for each pixel of the reference image is prepared. An index space is formed by a set of tables of all the pixels, and a reference pattern is formed by turning on the flags in the space. The flags in the index space are inspected and determined once for each pixel in accordance with attribute values of an image to be inspected. Setting of an allowable range for inspection is performed as pre-processing before flag propagation processing for turning on flags within the allowable range in the index space is performed. The flag is not limited to a binary one having values of ON and OFF but may be a multivalue one. The index space can be compressed by expressing flags by a hierarchical structure utilizing image data characteristics.

Abstract: An ultra-sensitive laser magnetic immunoassay method comprising the steps of: labeling an antigen or antibody with micro-particles of a magnetic substance to form a magnetic-labeled body; subjecting a specimen and the magnetic-labeled body to an antigen-antibody reaction to form a reacted body-specimen complex; separating and removing unreacted body from the reacted complex; guiding and concentrating the reacted complex magnetically; irradiating the concentrated complex with a laser beam; detecting outgoing light from a measurement system to provide a quantitative result in the picogram range. An apparatus comprising a specimen container for storing a specimen labeled with magnetic micro-particles, concentration means for guiding and locally concentrating the specimen, a laser beam irradiating optical system for guiding a laser beam into the specimen, and a light receiving system arranged so as to detect outgoing beams from the specimen.

Abstract: This invention allows a subscriber of a telephone network to receive a call by a telephone registered under his/her personal telephone number no matter where he/she carries the telephone with him/her by maintaining a reference table of a personal telephone number assigned to each subscriber, a station number assigned to each telephone, and a subscriber loop address assigned to a telephone connection terminal of the network in a memory within the network.

Abstract: This invention relates to a linear transmitter which controls the bias voltage of either the drain electrode or collector electrode of an amplifier for radio frequency based on the envelope of the modulated signal, and is characterized in that it controls the bias voltage of the radio frequency amplifier in digital arithmetic processing by generating the envelope using in-phase envelope component and quadrature envelope component obtained from the base band signals.

Abstract: A thin film silicon semiconductor device provided on a substrate according to the present invention comprises a thin polycrystalline silicon film having a lattice constant smaller than that of a silicon single crystal and a small crystal grain size. This thin polycrystalline silicon film can be obtained by depositing a thin amorphous silicon film in an inert gas having a pressure of 3.5 Pa or lower by a sputtering deposition method and annealing the thin amorphous silicon film for a short time of 10 seconds or less to effect polycrystallization thereof. A thin film silicon semiconductor device comprising such a thin polycrystalline silicon film having a small lattice constant has excellent characteristics including a carrier mobility of 100 cm.sup.2 /V.multidot.s or higher.

Abstract: A waveguide-type optical matrix switch including as its switching element a Mach-Zehnder interferometer which includes two directional couplers and an optical phase shifter. The two directional couplers are arranged by placing two optical waveguides in close proximity at two positions on a substrate, and have an identical coupling ratio. The optical phase shifter is disposed over at least one of the two optical waveguides between the directional couplers. The two optical waveguides have an effective optical path length difference of half a wavelength of a light signal between the two directional couplers, and are intersected in the optical switch element. The waveguide-type optical matrix switch is little affected by fabrication errors in the coupling ratio of the directional couplers, and superior in the extinction ratio.

Abstract: A light wavelength measuring apparatus is designed to obtain a wavelength (.lambda.) of target light, by using the number (N) of interference fringes having predetermined repetitive waveforms generated when an optical path length is changed by a change amount (D.sub.S) by continuously moving a movable portion (7) of an interference spectroscopic unit (1) at a constant speed throughout a predetermined distance (D.sub.S), according to .lambda.=D.sub.S /N. A wave counter (13) forms waveform count information (Na) by counting the number of specific points, corresponding to each other in respective periods of the interference fringes, throughout an interval between predetermined measurement start and end points. A reference pulse generator (21) generates a reference pulse having a frequency higher than that of the repetitive waveforms of the interference fringes.

Abstract: An optical amplifier using either rare-earth doped optical fiber, which can amplify an optical signal when a pumping light is injected, or a laser diode amplifier, which can amplify an optical signal by injection of an electric current. The amplifiers being of simple construction and having a gain which can be maintained constant through feedback control based on the detection of spontaneous emission from the sides of either the rare-earth doped optical fiber or the laser diode. The control being performed without the need for detection of input or output optical signal of the optical amplifier.

Abstract: A vertical XY stage includes a base, an X-axis slider, a Y-axis slider, and a stage. The X-axis slider is movably mounted on the base. The Y-axis slider is movably mounted on the X-axis slider. Workpieces are arranged on the stage. The Y-axis slider includes a horizontally arranged slider main body, and a vertical portion vertically arranged and having a guide for allowing the Y-axis slider to move in a Y-axis direction. The stage is arranged in a space surrounded by the slider main body and the vertical portion of the Y-axis slider. The stage can be pivoted through a shaft mounted on the Y-axis slider.

Abstract: A laser magnetic immunoassay (LMIA) technique is presented which combines the high detection sensitivity of the radioimmunoassay (RIA) technique with the simplicity of particle agglutination (PA) technique. The LMIA technique dispenses with the separation step of bound and free species (B/F separation), yet provides detectivity of the order of picogram of viral species per milliliter of analyte solution. The procedure includes of the steps of: preparing a superparamagnetic-labeled body of antigen or antibody; subjecting a specimen sample and the magnetic-labeled body to a specific immunoreaction to produce a reacted body; subjecting the reacted body containing both bound and free species to a spot magnetic field gradient; irradiating the spot with a laser beam; measuring the intensity of the outgoing light from the spot; and making a quantitative determination of the virus according to the time difference in the outgoing light signals generated by bound and free species.

Abstract: In a cordless key telephone system, access units are located in groups corresponding to service areas for broadcasting radio signals on a control channel or on an assigned speech channel to cordless stations. A main controller selects one of the access units for each service area in response to an incoming call from the switched telephone network and sends a first alert signal to the selected access units to cause them to broadcast a recurrent sequence of second alert signals containing the identifiers of standby cordless stations. The second alert signal is received by each standby cordless station and an ACK signal is transmitted if the received signal contains its identifier. The ACK signal is copied by each access unit for transmission to the main controller, whereupon it returns a proceed-to-assign signal if the number of the received copies of the ACK signals is equal to the number of all standby stations.

Abstract: A laser magnetic immunoassay (LMIA) method which enables detection of less than picograms of target analyte in milliliter of analyte solution. The method involves the steps of: affixing an antibody or antigen on the surface of non-magnetic carrier particles; immunoreacting the affixed antibody or antigen to capture a target analyte contained in a specimen; preparing magnetic labeled microparticles treated so as to bind with the target analyte; reacting the labeled complex to sandwich the target analyte between the magnetic particles and the non-magnetic carrier particles; separating the free species from the bound species by centrifugation; dispersing the precipitated solid to make an analyte solution; applying a spot magnetic field gradient on the analyte solution and irradiating a selected spot with a laser beam; and analyzing the resulting interference patterns to quantitatively determine the quantity of target analyte.

Abstract: An in-situ laser magnetic immunoassay ("LMIA") method which eliminates the step of B/F separation generally required in the labeling method of immunoassays. The laser magnetic immunoassay permits a quantitative determination of a target immunological substance, for example, an antigen, an antibody, lymphocytes, viruses, tumorous cells and infections cells, in an analyte solution containing both bound and free species. A transitory increase in the magnetophoretic scattering of laser beam is observed when the analyte solution contains magnetic-labeled, bound target analyte, while no such increase is observed in a control test solution, containing only the relevant reagents. A magnetophoretic LMIA apparatus is provided which includes a magnetic gradient generating device which forms an integral part of the in-situ LMIA.

Abstract: A dielectric multilayer filter applicable to optical communication systems is disclosed, as is a fabrication method therefor, and an optical element incorporating the same. The disclosed dielectric multilayer filter includes a fluorinated polyimide base layer with a dielectric multilayer formed thereover. According to the disclosed fabrication method, a fluorinated polyimide layer is formed by applying liquid fluorinated polyimide material over a smooth surface to a predetermined thickness followed by drying and hardening, after which a dielectric multilayer is formed over the fluorinated polyimide layer by an ion assist vapor deposition method, and then stripping the fluorinated polyimide layer away from the underlying smooth surface. The disclosed dielectric multilayer filter can be easily and economically produced at a suitably small thickness with no need for grinding, exhibits highly uniform physical and optical properties, and is exceedingly durable and resistant to curling and warping.

Abstract: A hermetically coated optical fiber comprising a core made of glass, a cladding made of quartz glass surrounding the core the outermost layer of which glass contains fluorine, and a carbon layer surrounding the fluorine-containing glass layer, which optical fiber has good initial strength and fatigue characteristics.

Abstract: A perfluorinated polyimide comprising a repeating unit represented by general formula (1): ##STR1## and a perfluorinated poly(amic acid) comprising a repeating unit represented by general formula (6): ##STR2## wherein R.sub.1 is a tetravalent organic group; and R.sub.2 is a divalent organic group, provided that chemical bonds between carbon atoms and monovalent elements contained in R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are exclusively carbon-to-fluorine bonds; methods for preparing them; and optical material including the perfluorinated polyimide. 1,4-Bis(3,4-dicarboxytrifluorophenoxy)tetrafluorobenzene dianhydride, 1,4-difluoropyromellitic anhydride, 1,4-bis(3,4-dicarboxytrifluorophenoxy)tetrafluorobenzene, 1,4-difluoropyromellitic acid, and 1,4-bis(3,4-dicyanotrifluorophenoxy)tetrafluorobenzene as well as methods preparing them. The perfluorinated polyimide has a thermal stability and has a low optical loss in an optical communication wavelength region (0.8 to 1.7 .mu.m).

Abstract: In radio communication equipment for use in a mobile station, provision is made for selectively applying either one of the oscillation outputs of first and second local oscillators to a transmitting part and a receiving part by first and second RF switches, respectively. In a traffic channel hand-off system for a mobile communication system in which each time the mobile station moves from a certain zone to another, its traffic channel is switched to another traffic channel of a different frequency, a control part responds to a traffic channel assigning signal from the current base station to allot an idle one of the local oscillators to the assigned channel, set the allotted local oscillator to an oscillation frequency corresponding to the assigned channel, and control the second RF switch, in an idle time of the receiving part in the current communication, to set the receiving part to the assigned channel for receiving a down link hand-off preparatory signal from a new base station.

Abstract: A location method and system for a mobile communication system having a plurality of zones and a plurality of sectors in each zone. The location method and system locate a zone and sector in a zone where a mobile station is located. In the location system a base station associated with each zone transmits a control channel signal and transmits a sector signal for each sector in the zone. Each control signal of a zone differs from control channel signals of other zones. Each sector signal differs from other sector signal and control channel signals. A mobile station controller associated with each mobile station receives the control channel signals, determines which zone the mobile station is in as a location zone based on the received control channel signals, receives sector signals for sectors within the location zone, and determines which sector of the location zone the mobile station is in as a location sector based on the received sector signals.

Abstract: A field-effect semiconductor device of this invention includes a first insulating film formed on a semiconductor substrate, a source region of a second conductivity type and a drain region of the second conductivity type, which are arranged on the insulating film and are formed on both the sides of a semiconductor active layer of a first conductivity type, a second insulating film for covering the top and side surfaces of the semiconductor active layer, the source region, and the drain region, a gate electrode arranged on the second insulating film corresponding to the semiconductor active layer, a non-oxidizable third insulating film arranged on the second insulating film for covering the side surfaces of the semiconductor active layer and the source and drain regions, and the other regions, a fourth insulating film arranged on the non-oxidizable third insulating film, a fifth insulating film for covering a portion of the third insulating film located on the side surfaces of the source and drain regions, the

Abstract: In an electronic cash system, K sets of blind signature information are derived from secret information containing identification information of a user, K/2 sets of them are opened and a bank attaches a blind signature to the remaining K/2 sets of information. The user obtains a signed license from the blind signature. The user generates blind signature information from the license and a desired amount of money and gets a blind signature of the bank to the blind signature information and obtains electronic cash signed by the bank from the blind signature. The user presents to a shop a residue power root of a node in a money hierarchial structure and the electronic cash, corresponding to the amount of money to be used, and the shop verifies their validity and, if they are valid, offers inquiry information to the user. The user offers, as response information, a residue power root of the node corresponding to the amount of money to be used to the shop.