Abstract: A design for reducing the power dissipation in an integrated circuit for an image pickup device. Placing a circuit block (2), such as for generating a driving signal to an image pickup apparatus, in a standby state within a vertical blanking period or horizontal blanking period reduces the power dissipation at the circuit block (2). Since the blanking period is short, it is necessary to rapidly restore normal operation from standby so as to ensure the standby time. A switch (6) is provided between a terminal of the circuit block (2) and a capacitor (4) that is provided for voltage regulation at the terminal. A controller (8) turns off the switch (6) and disconnects the capacitor (4) from the circuit block (2) in a period where the circuit block (2) is placed in a standby state.

Abstract: A water treating apparatus is provided which is capable of producing a hypochlorous acid-containing electrolytic water having a satisfactory sterilizing ability in a household. The water treating apparatus is an apparatus for producing hypochlorous acid in for-treatment water containing a salt by use of an electrochemical reaction which occurs in the for-treatment water when a direct current voltage is applied to at least a pair of electrodes oppositely disposed in the for-treatment water, wherein the direct current voltage to be applied to the electrodes is obtained by smoothing an alternating voltage of domestic use power supply into direct current power of a predetermined voltage, an electrode having titanium covered with a coating containing at least palladium or ruthenium is used as an anode, and at most 90% of the salt added to the for-treatment water is converted into hypochlorous acid by the electrochemical reaction.

Abstract: An optical pickup device is applied to DVD recorders and includes a beam expander unit. A drive coil wound around a lens holder within the beam expander unit, is located in a magnetic field formed by a magnet. When an electric current is passed through the drive coil, the drive coil moves an expander second lens in a direction of an optical axis, receiving a force based on interaction between the electric current and the magnetic field. This changes a distance between an expander first lens and the expander second lens, and thus light emitted from the beam expander unit toward an object lens becomes diffused light or converged light. Consequently, the objective lens generates a spherical aberration in a reverse direction of a spherical aberration that has occurred owing to a deviation of a cover layer in film thickness from a reference value, which cancels the latter spherical aberration.

Abstract: The ring oscillator circuit with the current mirror type current limit circuit of this invention prevents the malfunction and the halt of the ring oscillator. The ring oscillator is configured with the serially connected CMOS inverters INV1-INV5 where the output of the last CMOS inverter INV5 is fed back to the input of the first CMOS inverter INV1. Also, the current mirror type current limit circuit for controlling the electric current going through the CMOS inverters INV1-INV5 is formed. The first supporting transistor T1 that helps the output of the CMOS inverter INV5 achieve the full-swing for reaching the power supply voltage Vdd and the second supporting transistor T2 that helps the output of the CMOS inverter INV5 achieve the full-swing for reaching the ground voltage Vss according to the output of the CMOS inverter INV3 two positions ahead of the last inverter INV5 are also formed.

Abstract: This invention provides an electrostatic damage protection device which can protects a device to be protected enough from an electrostatic damage and prevents damages of protection transistors themselves. A N-channel type first MOS transistor and a N-channel type second MOS transistor serving as protection transistors are connected in series between an output terminal and a ground potential. On the other hand, a P-channel type third MOS transistor and a P-channel type fourth MOS transistor serving as protection transistors are connected in series between a high power supply potential and the output terminal. These first, second, third, and fourth MOS transistors are formed of low withstand voltage MOS transistors.

Abstract: A cleaning solution for a mask used in a vacuum vapor deposition step in the production of a low molecular weight organic EL device is provided, the cleaning solution including one type or two or more types of aprotic polar solvent. There is also provided a cleaning method for a mask used in a vacuum vapor deposition step in the production of a low molecular weight organic EL device, wherein cleaning is carried out by immersion or jet flow using the cleaning solution.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a medicine feeding apparatus in which a usability is improved by automatically executing a fine adjustment of a horizontal position and a vertical position of a door panel in correspondence to an operating of taking a drawer in and out without necessity of executing a troublesome mount fine adjusting work of a door panel. In a medicine feeding apparatus provided with a main body, drawers attached to the main body so as to be freely drawn, and a plurality of tablet cases detachably attached to the drawers and receiving medicines, a door panel of the drawer is rotatably held and is finely adjusted to a proper position in correspondence to an operation of taking the drawer in and out.

Abstract: In a CCD image sensor mounted with a mosaic filter, when color components are separated from an image signal obtained by additively synthesizing plural lines, there is a problem that a vertical resolution is deteriorated. In a color filter to be fitted to the image sensor, G and B are alternately arranged in odd columns, R and G are alternately arranged in even columns, the arrangement cycles of adjacent odd columns are deviated by one pixel in a column direction from each other, and the arrangement cycles of adjacent even columns are deviated by one pixel in the column direction from each other. An image signal processor extracts data D(a, b) and D(a, b+2) deviated by two columns from the same line (a-th line) of an image signal obtained by additively synthesizing three lines with the image sensor. D(a, b) includes a color Cx corresponding to two pixels and a color Cy corresponding to one pixel, and D(a, b+2) includes a color Cx corresponding to one pixel and a color Cy corresponding to two pixels.

Abstract: A semiconductor switching device includes two FETs with different device characteristics, a common input terminal, and two output terminals. A signal transmitting FET has a gate width of 500 ?m and a signal receiving FET has a gate width of 400 ?m. A resistor connecting a gate electrode and a control terminal of the signal transmitting FET is tightly configured to provide expanding space for the FET. Despite the reduced size, the switching device can allow a maximum power of 22.5 dBm to pass through because of the asymmetrical device design. The switching device operates at frequencies of 2.4 GHz or higher without use of shunt FET.

Abstract: A portable electronic device including a USB connector, an internal power source, a USB controller to execute data communication processing for data communication with a personal computer connected to the USB connector, a main CPU to execute device operation processing for usual operation of the device. When the USB controller executes data communication processing, the device is supplied with power at high voltage from the personal computer through the USB connector. When the main CPU executes device operation processing, the device is supplied with power at low voltage from the internal power source. Accordingly, this makes not only high speed data communication available, but also prolongs the life of the internal power source.

Abstract: A portable electronic device according to the invention comprises a USB connector 4, a USB controller 6 for executing predetermined data communication processing attendant on data communication with a personal computer 2 connected to the USB connector 4, and a main CPU 7 for executing device operation processing for the usual operation of the device, and is adapted to receive a power supply from the personal computer 2 or an external power source 3 as connected to the USB connector 4. Discriminating between the sources of supply of power, the main CPU 7 causes the USB controller 6 to execute the predetermined data communication processing while power is supplied from the personal computer 2, or executes the usual device operation processing while power is supplied from the external power source 3. This assures more rapid and simplified processing even when the USB connector is used also as a connector for the external power source.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a metal hydride alkaline storage cell includes a first step of preparing a negative electrode by applying a paste containing hydrogen absorbing alloy powder onto a substrate; and a second step of placing the negative electrode and a positive electrode into a cell can with disposing separator therebetween, and thereafter pouring an electrolyte into the cell can. Into the paste or the electrolyte, a catalytic metal compound that has a proportion of 0.1 to 2.5 wt. % based on the weight of the hydrogen-absorbing alloy powder and that is soluble in the electrolyte is added. Consequently, the catalytic action of the metal is fully utilized by this method that dots a catalytic metal or metal compound on the alloy surface, and thereby the inner pressure characteristic (high-rate charge characteristic) of a cell is improved.

Abstract: An electronic camera includes a mode change switch. This mode change switch selects a still image recording mode to record 1 scene of an image signal to a recording medium, and a continuous image recording mode to record a plurality of scenes of continuous image signals to the memory medium. In the still recording mode, an battery remaining capacity goes below 5%, the shutter button is disabled in operation. In the continuous image recording mode, when the battery remaining capacity goes below 25%, the shutter button is disabled in operation. These threshold values are related to a consumed power required for recording the image signal taken in each of the modes.

Abstract: A digital camera includes a timing generator. The timing generator reads shutter speed data out of a register in response to a vertical synchronizing signal outputted from a signal generator, and controls exposure by a CCD imager according to this shutter speed data. The data in the register is updated in predetermined timing based on a vertical synchronizing signal. As a result, continuous shots of a subject are performed with different exposures.

Abstract: A digital camera includes a CCD imager having an interline transfer scheme. A first charge produced due to first exposure is read from light receiving elements positioned vertically intermittently. A second charge produced due to second exposure is also read from the same light receiving elements to vertical transfer regions. Here, the first charge is vertically moved simultaneously with or prior to reading out the second charge. The moving distance, at this time, is equal to or greater than a distance that the light receiving elements continue in the vertical direction. As a result of this, the second charge will not be mixed with the first charge. The first and second charges are subjected to a compositing process to display a composite image on an LCD.

Abstract: An antenna is provided as a substrate member, and, as with the antenna, a ground part is provided as a substrate member. The ground part includes a folded pattern formed of a copper foil provided on the surface of a substrate material. When a folded pattern in the antenna and the folded pattern in the ground part are configured in a length of ?/4, a pseudo-antenna having a length of ?/2 can be formed. In this case, the antenna gain is about 2 dB, that is, the radiation of the radio wave can be improved. At the same time, the antinoise properties and the arrival distance of the radio wave can be improved. That is, the above construction can realize radio equipment which can stably radiate radio waves even under ungroundable conditions and, at the same time, can realize good characteristics even under low transmission output conditions.

Abstract: The invention provides a digital broadcast receiver for receiving broadcast waves comprising multiplexed broadcast signals of a plurality of channels including a main channel and a subchannel. The receiver comprises demodulator circuits for demodulating received data of one of the channels selected and outputting the resulting data, a memory capable of storing received data as to a program transmitted on the subchannel, and a controller for writing the received data as to the program transmitted on the subchannel to the memory while updating the received data at all times, and reading the received data stored in the memory from the head of the program and feeding the read data to the demodulator circuits upon a changeover from the main channel to the subchannel. When the main channel is changed over to the subchannel, the program broadcast on the subchannel can be listened to always from the beginning.

Abstract: An n-contact layer, an n-cladding layer, an MQW active layer, and a p-first cladding layer are formed in this order on a sapphire substrate. An n-current blocking layer having a striped opening is formed on the p-first cladding layer. The width of the striped opening gradually increases from W2 to W1 as the depth thereof decreases from a lower layer to an upper layer in the current blocking layer. A p-second cladding layer is formed on the n-current blocking layer and on the p-first cladding layer inside the striped opening. The p-second cladding layer comprises a lower layer having the width W2 at its lower end and an upper layer having a width W1 lager than the width W2.

Abstract: Each light path changing member forms a first light flux by reflecting a half of light flux emitted from a particular area (central area or peripheral area) of light source in one direction using a polarizing beam splitter, and forms a second light flux by reflecting the other half of light flux, which has passed through the beamsplitter, in the afore-mentioned direction using the first mirror. Then, each light path changing member transmits a half of a light flux emitted from the other light source and guided by the second mirror in the same direction as that in which the first light flux has been guided using the polarizing beam splitter, and superposes the light flux on the aforementioned first light flux, and reflects the other half of light flux, which has been reflected by the beam splitter, in the aforementioned direction using the first mirror, and superposes the light flux on the second light flux.

Abstract: In a frame transfer CCD image sensor, the frame rate is improved while suppressing a smear component in the case that the image from a part of the imaging portion is used. A smear evaluation circuit obtains the smear component of each line of image signal V(j) of a center area which is an image extraction target from an accumulated value of preceding lines of image signal. Here, contribution of the smear component from the preceding read area of the center area is estimated based on the image signal of the first line of the center area, without using the accumulation of the image signals of the preceding read area. This estimate value is set in a line memory as a smear component initial value and an accumulating process for each line of the center area begins. Thereby, the read of the image signal of the preceding read area is omitted and thus the frame rate is improved.