Abstract: A diversity reception device which weights in proportion to the reception level and combines a plurality of reception signals, includes a phase demodulator for demodulating the phase of the reception signal, a converter to output the sine and cosine elements of the reception signal, a sine element adder to add up sine element of each reception signal, and a cosine element adder to add up cosine element of each reception signal. The converter fetches and outputs predetermined values on sine and cosine elements of the reception signal upon input of the reception signal's reception level and phase data that is sent from phase demodulator. Therefore, the present device does not require expensive electronic circuits and can be made of small digital circuits suitable for IC including a memory.

Abstract: A container packed with a mixture of powders classified respectively into two or at least three particle-size distribution groups which are different in average particle size, the powders comprising a hydrogen absorbing alloy singly or the combination of such an alloy and a substance not absorbing hydrogen. The mixture is at least 0.03 to not greater than 0.50 in the ratio d.sub.2 /d.sub.1 wherein d.sub.1 is the average particle size of the powder having the particle-size distribution of the largest average particle size, and d.sub.2 is the average particle size of the powder having the particle-size distribution of the second largest average particle size. The weight ratio of the powder to the total weight of the powders is greater when that powder has a particle-size distribution of larger average particle size.

Abstract: A thin-film magnetic head includes an upper protective layer, a lower protective layer, and a head forming layer which is provided between the upper and lower protective layers, and the head forming layer further includes a recording head forming layer, a reproducing head forming layer, and a separation layer which is provided between the recording and reproducing head forming layers, while any one of the upper protective layer, the lower protective layer and the separation layer is formed by a diamond-like carbon coating.

Abstract: The method of preventing battery over-discharge measures battery voltage with a control circuit, and switches an over-discharge protection switch connected in series with the batteries off with the control circuit when battery voltage drops below a minimum set voltage. Once the over-discharge protection switch turns to an off state, the off voltage at the output side of the switch is measured, and the over-discharge protection switch is held in the off state by this off voltage. When battery voltage rises above the minimum set voltage, return of the over-discharge protection switch to the on state is prevented.

Abstract: A parallel computer system includes a plurality of processing elements each comprising a network control unit. The network control unit of the processing element has ports to north, east, west and south, and row directional communication lines and column directional communication lines are connected to each port forming a taurus mesh network. Each processing element operates in two communication control modes, in a bi-directional communication mode or in a unidirectional communication mode. In the bi-directional communication mode, the network control unit permits eastward and westward transmission of data through the row directional communication lines and northward and southward transmission of data through the column directional communication lines.

Abstract: A non-volatile semiconductor memory device accurately stores multivalued data with reduced damage to an insulating layer. The non-volatile semiconductor memory device includes a floating gate electrode configured to be divided into at least two portions. The first portion is employed for accumulating carriers migrating from at least one control gate electrode through a gate insulating layer to the floating gate electrode.

Abstract: A processor uses a special instruction set to enhance exception handling, such as interrupt handling. The processor uses a pipeline comprising five separate stages of fetch, decode, execute, memory access and register write. For each operation executed by the processor, the operation has an operation initiation instruction and an operation result fetch instruction, each of which has multiple stages. The operation result fetch instruction awaits the completion of the operation initiation instruction. While waiting, the operation result fetch instruction is suspended, preferably before any hardware resource is changed, and if necessary canceled to accommodate an exception handling signal. Since the hardware resource is changed at the "execute" stage of the operation, the operation result fetch instruction is suspended at the "decode" stage. Upon receiving the exception handling signal, the operation result fetch instruction may be canceled and the processor is free to process the exception handling.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes an insulating layer and an interconnection layer having a conductive layer provided over the insulating layer. The interconnection layer is patterned by photolithography. The device further includes a cap-metal layer, which is deposited on the conductive layer and suppresses reflection of light beams at the time of patterning the interconnection layer. The cap-metal layer has any one of the following structures: a double-layered structure having a titanium nitride layer and a titanium layer located between the titanium nitride layer and the conductive layer; a double-layered structure having a titanium nitride layer and an aluminum-titanium alloy layer located between the titanium nitride layer and the conductive layer; and a single-layered structure consisting essentially of an aluminum-titanium alloy. These design ensure accurate interconnection patterning in the photolithography, and provide improved EM and SM immunities of the interconnection.

Abstract: An audio decoding apparatus capable of preventing a buffer for storing an audio stream from overflowing is provided. The audio decoding apparatus decodes an audio stream including various kinds of coded data. The audio decoding apparatus includes a bit buffer for temporarily storing the audio stream, a decoder for receiving the audio stream from the bit buffer and decoding the audio stream to produce decoded audio data, and a data extractor, operatively coupled to the bit buffer, for extracting coded data necessary for the decoder from the audio stream and supplying the audio stream including the extracted necessary coded data to the bit buffer.

Abstract: A high density optical disc having a track pitch of 0.85 .mu.m, a shortest pit length of 0.49 .mu.m, a pit depth of 100 nm, and a pit width of 0.35 .mu.m is rotated at a linear velocity of 2.4-2.8 m/s such that the same is optically reproduced by a laser beam having a wavelength of 635 nm which is converged to a spot size of 0.9 .mu.m by an objective lens having a numerical aperture of 0.6. Accordingly, data is read from the optical disc at a transfer rate of 5.6 Mbps.

Abstract: The electric shaver of the present invention is mounted with the beard cutting blade portion of the inner blade moving in a reciprocating motion and rubbing the inner face of the outer blade having several slit ports for introducing the beard. The width of the outer blade becomes wider in a tapered manner towards the extremity. In a preferred form, the cross-sectional shape of the inner blade is an upside down "J", and a space for introducing the beard is formed in the lower part of the beard cutting blade portion.

Abstract: By rotating a drum at a low speed, the laundry is redistributed so that the eccentric load due to the laundry comes at a position opposing a balancing chamber. Then, while the drum is rotated at a middle speed, a balancing-water supply valve is opened to supply water from a balancing-water nozzle into a water-guiding chamber provided on the back of the drum. The water supplied flows into the balancing chamber, thus increasing the weight of the balancing chamber. The water supply is continued until the magnitude of the eccentric load of the drum holding the laundry and the water becomes smaller than a predetermined value. After an adequate amount of water is supplied, the total eccentric load is so small that the abnormal vibration does not occur even when the drum is rotated at a high speed for extraction.

Abstract: A superconductor device comprises a Schottky barrier region S.sub.B for selectively passing injected carriers and a collector barrier region L.sub.B for selectively blocking leakage carriers. The Schottky barrier region is formed in a low permittivity region .epsilon..sub.L between the first operating region (B) made of superconductor material and the second operating region (C) made of either semiconductor material or metallic material. A resonance region R is formed in the low permittivity region .epsilon..sub.L.

Abstract: A magnetron including: an anode cylinder in which a plurality of vanes are formed, a filament provided at a center of the anode cylinder, a top hat which supports an upper end of the filament, a top lead for connecting the top hat at an upper end of the top lead, an end hat which supports a lower end of the filament, an end lead for connecting the end hat at an upper end of the end lead, a stem metal hermetically sealed at an open end of the anode cylinder through a pole piece, and a choke disposed inside the stem metal, wherein the choke is disposed approximately in a position of wavelength of a predetermined high frequency from the top hat in a distance along a surface of the top lead. It is possible to suppress generation of undesired high frequency, especially of the fifth high frequency, from the input portion.

Abstract: A method of testing the electrical capacity of a plurality of secondary batteries connected to a load. The battery testing method reduces the time during which the entire electrical capacity of the secondary batteries remains low. In the case of secondary batteries which are made up of a nickel cadmium battery cell, the testing method prevents a memory effect from arising in the batteries. Using the battery testing method, the secondary battery is forcibly discharged, whereby the characteristics of the battery resulting from the discharge are tested. During the test, the secondary battery to be tested is discharged when the other secondary batteries are charged to saturation. In the case of the nickel cadmium secondary batteries, the batteries are fully discharged. The electrical capacity of the secondary battery is checked by measuring the time that elapses before the secondary battery has completely discharged.

Abstract: A second execution unit such as a coprocessor incorporated into a processor is connected such that the direction of its processing flow is opposite to that of the main pipeline processing flow, and executes high-speed multiplication operations and specific operations. Conventionally, the second execution unit has been provided in the same direction as a first execution unit. With this prior art arrangement, the second execution unit is initiated at an early stage of pipeline processing. With the arrangement of this invention, the second execution unit is initiated at a later stage, giving sufficient time before all the operation data are prepared. Thus, it is unnecessary for the apparatus to start subsequent processing until all operation data become available, thereby enhancing processing performance.

Abstract: A disk playback device comprises a magazine having a plurality of disk spaces for accommodating disks in an upright position, and an inlet-outlet portion provided externally of the magazine for permitting the disk to pass therethrough into the magazine from outside a device main body. Sensors for detecting loading of the disk into the magazine are disposed beside a path of travel of the disk and connected to a processor for storing information as to presence or absence of the disk in each of the disk spaces. The device main body has an automatic loading mode wherein an empty disk space having no disk accommodated therein is searched for based on the information stored in the processor as to presence or absence of the disk, the magazine is rotated to position the empty disk space as opposed to the inlet-outlet portion and the operation to search for an empty disk space is repeated again after completely loading a disk into the empty disk space.

Abstract: A key scanning circuit scans a key matrix circuit to generate key input data as for key operations. A remote control decoder decodes an encoded signal, which has been output from a remote control transmitter and received by a remote control receiving circuit, to generate remote control data. A transmission register selectively stores either the key input data or remote control data. By transmitting the data stored in the single transmission register, it is possible to transmit any one of the key input data and remote control data to the microcomputer.