Abstract: An optical recording medium having three or more information recording layers reduces crosstalk caused by multi-reflected beams and improves signal quality. In the optical recording medium having three or more information recording layers, the refractive index of a plurality of intermediate layers disposed between adjacent information recording layers is greater than the refractive index of a cover layer disposed between a light incident surface and an information recording layer being the closest from the light incident surface.

Abstract: An imaging device includes: a pixel unit that converts incident light into an electrical signal corresponding to the amount of the incident light; and a read-out unit that reads out a read-out signal from the pixel unit for a first period and a second period, wherein the read-out unit includes a clock signal generating section that generates clock signals having a frequency corresponding to the voltage of the read-out signal, a first counter section that counts the clock signals generated by the clock signal generating section, a second counter section that counts output clock signals of the first counter section, a first correction section that corrects the voltage of the read-out signal to be constant before start of counting of the first and second counter sections for the first period and stops correction of the voltage of the read-out signal after the start of counting of the first and second counting sections for the first period and during the second period, and a second correction section that correct

Abstract: A method of and an apparatus for automatically estimating the tilting angle in tilted images enables level correction of the images. A preferred orientation of objects in an image and the deviation of the current orientation from the preferred orientation is determined by tilt image analysis without object recognition. Tilt image analysis includes several steps such as gradient feature computation, line segment tracking, line segment estimation and orientation deviation estimation. Once the tilt angle is determined, the image can be corrected so that an object or scene is not tilted or is tilted by only the appropriate amount.

Abstract: A display device is provided and includes pixel electrodes, each including a plurality of electrode sections which are arranged parallel to each other. Each electrode section is bent approximately in the middle along its extension direction in plan view. The pixel electrodes include a center connection portion adapted to connect together the electrode sections at their bent portions, and include end connection portions adapted to connect together the electrode sections at their end portions, and include protruding portions each of which is formed by extending the end connection portion in such a manner as to protrude from the arranged electrode sections. The display device also includes a substrate on which the pixel electrodes are arranged, an opposed substrate provided to face the side of the substrate on which the pixel electrodes are formed, and a liquid crystal layer filled and sealed between the substrate and opposed substrate.

Abstract: Electronic apparatus which may include a main body portion having a back surface and a keyboard located at a part of the main body portion other than the main body portion back surface, a display portion having a back surface and a display screen on a display surface opposite the display portion back surface, and a coupling portion that rotatably couples the main body portion and the display portion. In a closed state, the main body portion back surface and the display portion back surface may face each other and the electronic apparatus may be operable as a portable apparatus in which all of the display surface having the display screen except for a relatively small perimeter portion thereof may be usable as a display in at least a direction corresponding to the width thereof. In an open state, the electronic apparatus may be operable as a personal computer.

Abstract: An image processing device includes: an estimated plane calculation portion calculating, for inputted image data, estimated planes defined by luminance values in blocks each containing a predetermined number of pixels including a reference pixel; an optimal estimated plane selection portion selecting an optimal estimated plane having a least summation of errors between luminance values of respective pixels in a block and an estimated plane among the estimated planes; a weighting factor calculation portion calculating a weighting factor for the reference pixel base on luminance values of the reference pixel and in the optimal estimated plane; and a weighted smoothing portion computing a sum of products of relative luminance differences between the luminance values of the respective pixels in the block and in the optimal estimated plane and the weighting factor for the reference pixel and adding a luminance value in the optimal estimated plane at a reference pixel position to a result of computation.

Abstract: A microphone apparatus of the present invention is applied to a camera including a panel type view finder for displaying a picture taken by the camera, a touch panel for pointing a desired position of the picture displayed on the view finder, determining circuit for determining a direction of the real picture in accordance with the position pointed by the touch panel, a microphone device having a plurality of microphone units for collecting a sound that comes from the picture taken by the camera; and directivity generating circuit for generating a sound directivity signal with which the microphone device collects the sound coming from the direction determined by the determining circuit.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus for performing dialogue processing. The apparatus acquires text data described in a natural language and stores a plurality of examples each including an example statement and frame information described using a frame format and corresponding to the example statement. A similarity between the text data and the example statement is calculated. An example is selected corresponding to an example statement whose similarity to the text data is the highest from among the plurality of examples in accordance with the calculated similarity. Text data is converted into the frame format in accordance with the frame information corresponding to the example selected by the example selection. Dialogue processing is performed in accordance with the text data converted into the frame format.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus detecting, from an input image, a still-zone area disposed at an edge of the input image and displaying a same image continuously, the apparatus including: a difference calculation mechanism calculating a difference between pixel values of pixels located at a same position of the input image in different frames with each other for each pixel of the input image; a pixel-motion-information generation mechanism generating pixel-motion information indicating whether there is a change in the pixel values of the pixels of the input image on the basis of the difference; and a first detection mechanism comparing the pixel-motion information of a plurality of the pixels arranged in a first direction in the input image, and detecting a boundary position in the first direction between the still-zone area and an effective area excluding the still-zone area in the input image.

Abstract: A recording apparatus including: a light-illuminating/receiving-unit illuminating an optical-disc-recording-medium through a common object-lens with recording-light and ATS-light and receiving reflected-ATS-light; a rotation-driving-unit driving rotation of the medium; a tracking-mechanism driving the lens in a tracking-direction parallel to the radial direction; a tracking-error-signal-generation-unit generating a tracking-error-signal; and a tracking-servo-controller performing tracking-servo-control on the lens based on the tracking-error-signal, wherein the tracking-servo-controller includes: a servo-calculation-unit based on the tracking-error-signal in a feedback-loop as a tracking-servo-loop; and a feed-forward-controller calculating an estimated control-target-value of the tracking-servo-control based on an estimated illumination-spot-position value of the ATS-light obtained in a first-filter-process emulating a transfer-characteristic of the tracking-mechanism on an output of the servo-calculation-un

Abstract: A first wireless ad hoc network with a certain available amount of bandwidth comprises a plurality of wireless terminals communicating via wireless connections with each other. Each wireless connection requires a certain amount of the available amount of bandwidth. A problem occurs, if a wireless terminal wants to set up a new wireless connection requiring bandwidth or requires more bandwidth for an existing wireless connection and the required amount of bandwidth exceeds the left amount of the available amount of bandwidth of the first wireless ad hoc network. In a state of the art wireless ad hoc network the requested bandwidth cannot be provided and a user application may not be possible. According to the invention, however, the required amount of bandwidth can be provided by splitting the first wireless ad hoc network such that a second wireless ad hoc network is spawned which operates in a different communication channel and thus provides additional bandwidth.

Abstract: A cable television method for a cable television network involves sending a polling message to a modem forming a part of a television set top box from a cable television headend via a cable television cable connection to the set top box; wherein the polling message instructs the cable television set top box to report a currently tuned channel of the television set top box; receiving a response message from the cable television set top box transmitted by the modem and containing the currently tuned channel of the television set top box; and compiling the currently tuned channel information from a plurality of set top boxes received in response messages to determine actual program viewing statistics for a television time slot during which the polling responses were sent. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.

Abstract: A black level correction circuit includes: a counter counting a black signal level of an image; a black level determination section determining a feedback gain by comparing data outputted from the counter with a previously set threshold; an average value calculation section calculating an average value from data supplied from the counter; a feedback calculation processing section selecting the feedback gain by a control signal supplied from the black level determination section and calculating the selected feedback gain and the averaged data; and a digital-analog converter correcting data to which feedback calculation processing has been performed and converting the corrected data into analog data to output an analog black signal.

Abstract: Realization of an adequate hole accumulation layer and reduction in dark current are allowed to become mutually compatible. A solid-state imaging device 1 having a light-receiving portion 12 to photoelectrically convert incident light is characterized by including a film 21, which is disposed on a light-receiving surface 12s of the above-described light-receiving portion 12 and which lowers an interface state, and a film 22, which is disposed on the above-described film 21 to lower the interface state and which has a negative fixed charge, wherein a hole accumulation layer 23 is disposed on the light-receiving surface 12s side of the light-receiving portion 12.

Abstract: An optical recording medium includes: a substrate having a first principal surface and a second principal surface; one or plural information signal layers formed on the first principal surface of the substrate for undergoing recording or reproduction of information signals upon irradiation with light; and a barrier layer formed on the second principal surface of the substrate for suppressing the gas release from the second principal surface of the substrate, wherein an area of a region exposing from the barrier layer of the second principal surface of the substrate is not more than 688 mm2.

Abstract: A data processing apparatus that processes image data of a moving image includes: an acquiring unit acquiring variations representing degrees of change in the image data, in a unit of picture; a display-type determining unit determining, on the basis of the variations in pictures, display types, which represent display methods in displaying the pictures, in a unit of picture; a display-type acquiring unit acquiring a display type for a picture designated by a picture-designation operating unit operated in designating a picture to be displayed; and a display control unit causing a display to display a picture with a display method represented by a display type for the picture.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an electronic equipment for a wireless communication system comprising a near field interface (4) for exchanging contact information with at least one further electronic equipment via near field communication, said contact information serving for communicating within the wireless communication system, a group editing means (3) for creating a group of contact information comprising at least the received contact information, whereby each contact information of the group relates to an electronic equipment, and a communication means (8) for setting up a communication within the wireless communication system to the group of electronic equipments in accordance with the group of contact information. The present invention further relates to a method for operating such an electronic equipment.

Abstract: An optical pickup includes a light source emitting a light beam, a diffraction element diffracting the light beam to separate it into a main beam and a sub beam, an objective lens focusing the main and sub beams onto a desired recording layer of an optical disc, a lens moving section moving the objective lens in focusing and tracking directions, a light-separating element separating a reflected light beam, formed by reflecting each of the main and sub beams at the recording layer, into multiple beam components and allowing the reflected light beam to travel without rotating an image thereof, and a light-receiving element having multiple light-receiving regions that optically receive the reflected light beam and generating a light reception signal based on the amount of received light to allow a signal processing section to generate a focus error signal and a tracking error signal based on the light reception signal.

Abstract: A method of producing the image display unit, wherein the image display unit includes an array of a plurality of light emitting devices for displaying an image, and wherein the method of producing the image display unit employs, for example, a space expanding transfer, whereby a first transfer step includes transferring the devices arrayed on a first substrate to a temporary holding member such that the devices are spaced from each other with a pitch larger than a pitch of the devices arrayed on the first substrate, a second holding step includes holding the devices on the temporary holding member, and a third transfer step includes transferring the devices held on the temporary holding member onto a second board such that the devices are spaced from each other with a pitch larger than the pitch of the devices held on the temporary holding member.

Abstract: A method for distributing advertisement data to display terminal devices from a distribution server via a relay server. The relay server receives status notifications of the display terminal devices and transmits a tenor of receipt of the status notifications to the display terminal devices. The distribution server receiving status notifications and transmits the tenor of receipt of the status notifications to the relay server. The distribution server determines whether the reproduction schedule of the advertisement data has been changed and transmits a notification on a change. If the distribution server receives a request for acquisition of the as-changed reproduction schedule, the distribution server sends the as-changed reproduction schedule to the relay server. If the relay server determines that the reproduction schedule acquired from the distribution server has been changed, the relay server transmits the notification on the change of the reproduction schedule.