Abstract: A 6,6′-dialkyl-3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride is prepared by brominating a 4-alkylphthalic anhydride at its 5-position, and coupling the bromination product in the presence of a nickel catalyst; A photosensitive resin composition containing a polyimide precursor having repetitive units of general formula (7) is applied onto a substrate, exposed to i-line, developed and heated to form a polyimide relief pattern. wherein Y is a divalent organic group, R7 and R8 are OH or a monovalent organic group, R9 and R10 are a monovalent hydrocarbon group, R11, R12 and R13 are a monovalent hydrocarbon group, a and b are an integer of 0 to 2, c is an integer of 0 to 4, and m is an integer of 0 to 3.

Abstract: Data formulated according to a user's request signal is transmitted from a transmitter device to a receiver device under a wireless or a wired system. The transmitter device includes a transmission controller that formulates the data to be transmitted and memorizes the request signal as a backup signal. If the data transmission is not completed due to a power source trouble such as a voltage drop, the data to be transmitted is automatically formulated again based on the backup signal and sent out to the receiver. If the data transmission is successful, the backup signal is eliminated from a memory. Thus, the data requested by the user is transmitted without fail even if the transmitter becomes temporarily inoperative.

Abstract: A photosensitive resin composition comprising an aromatic polyimide precursor, wherein a 35 &mgr;m film made by imidating ring closure on a silicon substrate has a light transmittance at a wavelength of 365 nm of at least 1% and a residual stress of at most 25 MPa. The composition can be patterned through i-line exposure followed by development with alkaline solutions, and can be imidized into low-stress polyimide patterns. Electronic components having the polyimide patterns have high reliability.

Abstract: In the method for the preparation of a laminated ferrite inductor device comprising the steps of: laminating a ferrite green sheet lined with and supported by a substrate film of, for example, polyethylene terephthalate provided with a penetrating through-hole and a coil pattern to a second ferrite green sheet followed by removal of the substrate film by peeling to form a laminate of ferrite green sheets to be subjected to sintering, peelability of the substrate film from the ferrite green sheet can be improved to prevent the ferrite green sheet from occurrence of defects such as breaking, crease formation and stretching by providing a snap groove of an adequate incision depth having a rectangular profile of a frame and, along the outer periphery of the snap groove, a peel-facilitating reinforcement pattern by printing with a printing paste to have a specified line width and printing thickness.

Abstract: In a multiplex communication system, a communication bus is connected to a communication bus disconnect control device. In the communication bus disconnect control device, a control section generates a communication bus disconnect signal when a trouble of the communication bus is detected. A communication bus disconnect device is provided for separating the communication bus into at least two communication bus groups in response to the communication bus disconnect signal.

Abstract: A 6,6′-dialkyl-3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride is prepared by brominating a 4-alkylphthalic anhydride at its 5-position, and coupling the bromination product in the presence of a nickel catalyst; A photosensitive resin composition containing a polyimide precursor having repetitive units of general formula (7) is applied onto a substrate, exposed to 1-line, developed and heated to form a polyimide relief pattern.

Abstract: A photosensitive resin composition comprising an aromatic polyimide precursor, wherein a 10 &mgr;m thick layer of precursor has light transmittance at a wavelength of 365 nm of at least 1% and a 10 &mgr;m thick polyimide film made from the resin composition by imidation ring closure and deposited on a silicon substrate results in a residual stress of at most 25 MPa. The composition can be patterned through i-line exposure followed by development with alkaline solutions, and can be imidized into low-stress polyimide patterns. Electronic components having the polyimide patterns have high reliability.

Abstract: A 6,6′-dialkyl-3,3′4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride is prepared by brominating a 4-alkylphthalic anhydride at its 5-position, and coupling the bromination product in the presence of a nickel catalyst; A photosensitive resin composition containing a polyimide precursor having repetitive units of general formula (7) is applied onto a substrate, exposed to i-line, developed and heated to form a polyimide relief pattern wherein Y is a divalent organic group, R7 and R8 are OH or a monovalent organic group, R9 and R10 are a monovalent hydrocarbon group, R11, R12 and R13 are a monovalent hydrocarbon group, a and b are an integer of 0 to 2, c is an integer of 0 to 4, and m is an integer of 0 to 3.

Abstract: To provide a microprocessor that can perform high-speed CRC code generation and can be implemented simply and at a low cost, a microprocessor has, at a part of a data input path to a shift circuit which is conventionally installed in an ALU of the microprocessor to execute shift commands, one bit of data that corresponds to the path, an exclusive OR circuit, which computes the exclusive OR of an uppermost bit of byte data and a bit data, is provided. For this circuit, a result according to a generating polynomial such as [X8+X4+X3+X2+1] is determined on the basis of the installation location of the exclusive OR circuit along the path, and by setting an initial value to the byte data, inputting one bit of the transmission data sequentially to the bit data and operating the shift circuit, a computed result for the CRC code is derived. Consequently, for the microprocessor, the CRC code can be generated at a high speed using the computation commands of the CRC code section.

Abstract: In a data communication system in which many nodes are connected to a common data bus so that each node can communicate with other nodes, a data frame to be transmitted from a node to other nodes includes a message having a variable length interposed between a signal indicating the length of the message and a signal indicating the end of the message in the frame. The message and the signals are coded according to a coding rule such as NRZ, and a bit stuffing rule is applied to the signal indicating the length of the message and the message while another rule violating the bit stuffing rule is applied to the signal indicating the end of the message. When the message length is changed due to noise or other causes in the course of data transmission, the signal indicating the end of the message is clearly detected at a receiving end because it is coded according to a rule different from the rule applied to the message and other signals.

Abstract: A relaying controller communicates with an external tool through a first communication path based on a first communication protocol and communicates with sub-controllers through a second communication path based on a second communication protocol, thus relaying communications between the external tool and the sub-controllers. The relaying controller includes a rewritable non-volatile memory having predetermined storage areas divided in correspondence with the sub-controllers. The relaying controller transmits, in response to a memory reading request from the sub-controller, a stored data in the corresponding storage area to the sub-controller through the second communication path, and writes, in response to a memory writing request from the sub-controller, a writing data received through the second communication path in the corresponding storage area. That is, the relaying controller executes accesses of the sub-controllers to the non-volatile memory.

Abstract: Electroconductive composite metal powders comprising flat non-noble metal powders, each covered with a noble metal in an amount of 2 to 30% by weight in average based on the weight of the non-noble metal powders, on 50% or more in average of the whole surface area of the non-noble metal powders, interposing a layer of a mixture of the non-noble metal and noble metal between each non-noble metal powder and a noble metal covering layer, are suitable for providing an electroconductive paste after mixing with a binder, said paste showing excellent electroconductivity and prevention of migration.

Abstract: A light sensing apparatus for different control systems includes a photosensitive element which generates a light current depending on light incident thereto. A pre-circuit connected to the photosensitive element is operative for generating separate basic signals in response to the light current generated by the photosensitive element. Processing circuits connected to the pre-circuit are active simultaneously for converting the basic signals generated by the pre-circuit into conversion-resultant signals having different forms respectively. The conversion-resultant signals are outputted to the control systems respectively. At least one of the processing circuits may include an oscillation circuit which oscillates at a frequency depending on related one of the basic signals generated by the pre-circuit.

Abstract: Electroconductive composite metal powders comprising flat non-noble metal powders, each covered with a noble metal in an amount of 2 to 30% by weight in average based on the weight of the non-noble metal powders, on 50% or more in average of the whole surface area of the non-noble metal powders, interposing a layer of a mixture of the non-noble metal and noble metal between each non-noble metal powder and a noble metal covering layer, are suitable for providing an electroconductive paste after mixing with a binder, said paste showing excellent electroconductivity and prevention of migration.

Abstract: A communication apparatus is used in a communication system, having a communication line, where an operation timing in each of the communication apparatus is coupled to the communication line and synchronized with the received signals in each of the communication apparatus. This communication apparatus comprises a signal-chip microprocessor having a central processing unit for executing main and interruption processing, a register storing data to be transmitted next, an output buffer for transmitting the transmission data, and an edge detector for detecting an edge in the communication line. The output buffer is directly responsive to an edge detection circuit, so that the transmission data can be immediately transmitted in response to the detection of an edge without a variable delay time caused by the operation condition which may be varied by the interruption processing or like.

Abstract: A circuit arrangement disposed in a node within a local area network is connected to a communication bus within the local area network. The circuit arrangement includes an input circuit for introducing data from the communication bus into the node. A node state detecting device is operative for detecting whether or not the node is in a stand-by state. A power feed suspending device is operative for suspending power feed to at least part of the input circuit when the node state detecting device detects that the node is in the stand-by state. A power feed restarting device is operative for monitoring a voltage at the communication bus, and restarting the power feed to at least part of the input circuit when the voltage at the communication bus becomes equal to a level indicating reception of data. A protective circuit is operative for protecting the input circuit from an abnormal current which flows from the communication bus.

Abstract: For a system which receives a sleep command to terminate the application of machine clock signals to a microprocessor and which clocks control execution time and stabilization time after the return from sleep control and resumes the supply of the machine clock signal, the clocking device for each of the time durations is implemented using a small-scale timing device. Following a sleep command from a microprocessor, sleep control, which terminates the operation of the main oscillator and the machine clock generation circuit that generates the machine clock signal based on the oscillation of the main oscillator, is started. Then, counting the oscillation signal from an RC oscillator used for clocking using an RC timer, the lapse time after starting sleep control is started and if the clocked time reaches a predetermined time, the main oscillator is reactivated.

Abstract: The laundry dresser includes (a) a dresser frame having two segments arranged horizontally; (b) a flat table plate extending horizontally over the two segments; (c) a hollow portion disposed in a first segment beneath the table plate for receiving a drum rotation-type washing machine; (d) a washbowl mounted to the dresser frame; and (e) a drain pipe having (i) an upright portion rotatable around a vertical axis thereof, and (ii) a slightly slanting, horizontal portion connected to a lower end of the upright portion and having an exit opening at a lower end thereof, the direction and length of the horizontal portion being determined such that the exit opening of the horizontal portion is fitted into a drain opening of a floor, the drain pipe receiving a drain hose of the washing machine and a drain hose of the washbowl through the upper opening to allow drainage from the washing machine and the washbowl to flow into the drain opening.

Abstract: In a receiving device, when a communication signal, which changes between low level and high level, is received via a filter circuit, an occurrence of an edge of the filtered received signal is monitored. Upon detection of the edge, a type of the edge, that is, whether the edge is a leading or trailing edge, is determined. Depending on the type of the edge, one of preset times prestored corresponding to types of the edges, is selected and starts to be measured. When the selected preset time elapses, the filtered received signal is sampled. With this arrangement, even when a filtering time of the filter circuit differs depending on a type of the edge of the communication signal, a constant sampling timing relative to the communication signal can be achieved irrespective of whether the detected edge is the leading or trailing edge.

Abstract: A transparent resin obtained by polymerizing styrene, a methacrylic or acrylic acid ester, a polyfunctional monomer, and if necessary a copolymerizable vinyl monomer in the presence of a molecular weight modifier is suitable for producing a polymer lens having a low specific gravity, and excellent in transparency, edging ability with other good properties.