Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed comprising a first disk surface, a first head coupled to a distal end of an actuator arm, and a voice coil motor (VCM) and a first microactuator operable to actuate the first head over the first disk surface. A servo loop for servoing the head in response to the servo sectors is disabled, and after disabling the servo loop, the first microactuator is excited with a control signal at a test frequency in order to accentuate a crack in the first microactuator. After exciting the first microactuator, the servo loop is enabled, and after enabling the servo loop, the first microactuator is evaluated to detect the crack in the first microactuator.

Abstract: Instead of estimating a saturation value for an ADC color comb register of an LCD made in a region without a standard color bar, a standard color bar of another geographic region is used to calculate the saturation value for the register so as to optimize the color of images presented on the LCD.

Abstract: Methods, Integrated Circuits (IC) and computer programs for decoding contacts in a digital resistive screen overlay (DRSO) are presented. The method includes coupling in succession columns of the DRSO to a first voltage while floating a remainder of the columns. Further, the method includes the operation of checking during a sampling time if each row of the DRSO is connected through closed switches in the DRSO to the column coupled to the first voltage. The sampling time is configured such that the sampling time for a given row is previous to the arrival time of a signal that started with the coupling of a column and that propagated to the given row through more than one closed switch in the DRSO.

Abstract: A device for recording data and data structures on a write-once storage medium. The device has writing means for recording the data and the data structures and controlling means for generating the data structures and controlling the writing means. The data structures comprise space bit map and defect management structures. The controlling means are adapted to record the data structures at a predefined temporary location on the write-once storage medium and to finalize the write-once storage medium by recording the data structures at a predefined fixed location as defined for a rewritable storage medium.

Abstract: There is provided an image recording/reproducing device that can discriminate a disk separation error that is specific to removable hard disks. A disk error detector (51) detects an occurrence of a disk error depending on whether a removable hard disk (15) can be recognized or not. A mount status detector (55) detects a presence or absence of the removable hard disk (15) as a disk mount status. The mount status detector (55) may detect the disk mount status based on a detection result of a write-protect switch (19) of the removable hard disk (15). An error type discriminator (57), based on the detected disk mount status, discriminates an error type of the disk error, and determines that the error type is disk separation if the removable hard disk (15) has become nonexistent. An error handler (59) performs error handling in accordance with the error type discriminated by the error type discriminator (57).

Abstract: A digital jukebox (14) allows for playback of a first offering and a second offering. The contents of each offering are individually licensed for public performance at a particular location where the jukebox is found. The jukebox (14) displays advertisements that are selected in response to user interaction with the jukebox or a number of other factors. The jukebox (14) features a screen (18 and 20) that allows user to interact with the jukebox to select offerings, but also to respond to advertising. Jukebox can function in cooperation with a server (12), but in the alternate, can function as an independent and stand-alone device when connection (16) to server (12) is not available.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a shift register and GOA architecture of the same in a display panel comprising a substrate and a plurality of pixels spatially formed on the substrate defining a number of pixel rows, each pixel row having a height of H. The shift register has the plurality of shift register stages disposed spatially and sequentially on the substrate in such a way that the layout of each shift register stage has a height of (j*H), j being an integer greater than one. Each shift register stages is configured to generate j scanning signals for driving j neighboring pixel rows, respectively.

Abstract: Systems and methods for writing data to a disk under write disturbance conditions are provided. In one embodiment, a disk drive comprises a disk and a detection system configured to detect a write disturbance condition. The disk drive further comprises a controller configured to alternately operate in a normal mode and a write disturbance mode, wherein, the controller is configured to write data to data tracks on the disk in the normal mode and to write data to data tracks on the disk that are spaced farther apart in the write disturbance mode, and the controller is configured to switch from the normal mode to the write disturbance mode when the detection system detects the write disturbance condition.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a display apparatus including a display section; a light radiating section; a plurality of light converging lenses; and a plurality of light receiving devices, wherein the display section includes pixel areas each used for creating a pixel section, and sensor areas each used for creating one of the light receiving devices; the light radiating section outputs light and radiates the output light to the display section from a particular-side surface of the display section; each of the light converging lenses is created in one of the sensor areas each located in the display section and converges light generated by the light radiating section on a focal point inside the display section, passing on the converged light to the other-side surface of the display section; and each of the light receiving devices is created in one of the sensor areas to serve as a device for receiving light which arrives at the other-side surface of the display section as light reflected by a subject of detection.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a magnetic disk device includes a magnetic disk, a magnetic head, a position error signal output module, a vibration pattern detector, an adder, and a head positioning controller. The magnetic head moves over the magnetic disk. The position error signal output module outputs a position error signal based on a difference between a head position of the magnetic head over the magnetic disk and a target position on the magnetic disk. The vibration pattern detector detects a vibration pattern of the magnetic head caused by vibration. The adder adds the position error signal to an offset signal indicating amplitude of the vibration pattern. The head positioning controller moves the head position to the target position based on a result of addition by the adder.

Abstract: A disk has a plurality of recording layers in a laminated direction. When a defect occurs in any one of recording layers during disk manufacture, information about the defect is recorded in a read-only region in the recording layer. An optical disk apparatus determines which of the recording layers is usable based on the information about the defect read from the disk, and executes a recording/reproducing operation according to a determination result. Therefore, even when a disk with a defect in the recording layer is used, that disk may be offered to a user as an appropriately usable disk.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a disk device rotates a disk information storage medium to record and reproduce information on the information storage medium by use of a head that slides in contact with a lubricant coated on the information storage medium, wherein a sliding speed U, area A and normal force N are set to cause U×A/N to fall within a monotonously increasing region in which a coefficient of friction associated with a frictional force occurring in a contact area of the head that faces the information storage medium monotonously increases as U×A/N increases, where the sliding speed U represents a sliding speed at a sliding time of the head, the area A represents the contact area of the head, and the normal force N represents a normal force applied to the contact area of the head.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for bipolar servo marks writing with high output. The method includes providing a servo write head having first and second write gaps; and applying a varying current comprising either (i) abrupt changes in current in combination with current ramps or (ii) patterns of high-frequency current pulses before and after writing servo marks to a medium proximate to and moving past the first and second write gaps. The apparatus includes a bipolar servo write driver configured to generate a varying bipolar current signal having both negative and positive polarity currents and a servo write head having a first write gap and second write gap spaced apart, the varying current signal comprising either (i) abrupt changes in current in combination with current ramps or (ii) patterns of high-frequency current pulses before and after low-frequency pulses and a component to move a medium proximate to and past the first and second write gaps.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for adaptive read and read-after-write for carbon nanotube recorders is described. In one embodiment, the invention is an apparatus, utilizing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to read and write data, and deflecting the emissions of such CNTs precisely in the process. In an alternate embodiment, the invention is a method of locating CNTs for purposes of reading and writing data on a disk, using a rough location and feedback to refine the location into a precise location for the track, both for a group of heads and for individual heads within the group. Location may include both physical movement of the heads and deflection of emissions of the heads.

Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed comprising a disk including a plurality of tracks, and a head actuated over the disk, wherein the head comprises a read element radial offset from a write element. A jog value corresponding to the radial offset is calibrated by writing data to a plurality of tracks, reading the plurality of written tracks to generate an actual track crossing signal, cross correlating the actual track crossing signal with an ideal track crossing signal to generate a cross correlation signal, and calibrating the jog value in response to the cross correlation signal.

Abstract: A method for minimizing glare and/or increasing privacy for a user of a self-service device is provided. The method may include mechanical means such as a fixed visor and/or hood or a user operated hinged glare reducing overlay screen. The method may further include as using sensors that detect the user's eyes and other sensors to detect a source of light that produces glare. Information from these sensors may be sent to a computer controlled system that operates system of actuators. The actuators are operated by the computer in response to sensor inputs to adjust the screen angle relative the user to minimize glare for that user and/or increase privacy from surreptitiously observing eyes or cameras.

Abstract: An operation signal corresponding to an input operation on a rotating body by a user is output to an information-processing unit 400 and the operation signal is processed by a processing condition in accordance with the condition of the input operation. Based on the information property such as sound volume processed based on the operation signal and output by the output unit 200 or a setting position such as a cue point that is set by the input operation on the switch section 340 and at which a reproducing position is changed by a processing unit 440 in accordance with a pressing operation on the rotating body 600, the location of the reproducing position that is moved in accordance with the condition of the input operation on the rotating body 600 is recognized. And the rotating body 600 is operated (conducting click-like movement restriction, vibration and the like) in accordance with output condition corresponding to the condition of the input operation based on the property.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a magnetic recording device based on shingled-write recording method comprises a magnetic storage medium, a recording head, and an actuator. The magnetic storage medium comprises dot rows wherein a phase shift is between adjacent rows. The recording head covers a predetermined number of dot rows of the magnetic storage medium and comprises an edge at one of the dot rows. The actuator configured to move a recording head by an amount equivalent to a dot row after recording is performed on one of the dot rows by the recording head.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a disk drive includes an actuator, a servo controller, a calculation module and an adjustment module. The actuator is configured to move the head over a disk, in the radial direction of the disk. The servo controller is configured to make the head move along a target orbit on the disk, in accordance with the distance the actuator has been moved. The calculation module is configured to calculate, as disk runout, a virtual target orbit value supplied to the servo controller to suppress the disturbance at the target orbit. The adjustment module is configured to multiply the virtual target orbit value by a gain that has been preset.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for detecting activation of a touch panel. The method includes the steps of providing an N by M touch panel including a matrix of N rows of touch elements along a first axis and M columns of touch elements along a second axis, providing N optical beams where a characteristic of each beam of the N beams is different than the corresponding characteristic of any other of the N optical beams, where the summation of a characteristic any first group of the N optical beams is different than the summation the corresponding characteristic of any other N beams and where each respective beam of the N optical beams corresponds to an input of each of the N rows; and summing the characteristic from an output of each of the N rows.