Abstract: An imaging device includes a plurality of detectors for converting an electromagnetic radiation into electric signals, a first regulated constant-current source for supplying a constant bias current to the detectors, and a second regulated constant-current source connected to the first regulated constant-current source, for correcting variations of the detectors. The second regulated constant-current source is effective for correcting variations of pixels due to variations of amplifying elements.

Abstract: Provided is a multilayer gas sensing element having a high measurement accuracy and less susceptible to a leakage current. The element comprises an oxygen pump cell for adjusting an oxygen concentration in a measured gas chamber, a sensor cell for detecting a specified gas concentration in the measured gas chamber, and a heater for heating the cells up to an activating temperature. The heater includes a heat generator for generating heat when energized, a heater terminal provided externally and a heater lead for making electrical connection therebetween. When the electrical resistance value of the heat generator is taken as RH and the electrical resistance value of the heater lead is taken as RL, these values are set to satisfy the relationship of 1.5≦RH/RL.

Abstract: A gas sensing element has a pump cell for pumping oxygen into or from a measuring-object gas chamber and a sensor cell for measuring the concentration of a specific gas contained in a measuring-object gas. The pump cell includes a measured gas side pump electrode exposed to the measuring-object gas stored in the measuring-object gas chamber.

Abstract: A heater control apparatus used for a gas concentration sensor heats a sensor element including a solid electrolyte body up to a desired activation temperature. The heater control apparatus determines an actual resistance value of the sensor element, controls a power supply to the heater as a function of a difference between the actual resistance value and a target one, determines a power supplied to the heater, and determines a reference resistance value of the sensor element based on a predetermined fundamental relation between a power used in the heater and a resistance value of the sensor element to correct the target resistance value as a function of a difference between the reference resistance value and the actual resistance value.

Abstract: A sea-land-sky craft capable of navigating on the water, running on the land and flying in the air (that is, climbing vertically, flying horizontally and hovering in the air) usable in a new transportation system 1. The sea-land-sky craft comprises rotating wings rotatable in opposite directions on their centers. Mounting shafts are disposed at positions eccentric to the centers of the rotating wings and mount the rotating wings so that the orientation of the rotating wings can be turned. A cylindrical duct encloses the outer circumferences of the maximum diameters of the rotations of the rotating wings. A fuselage is located at a central portion of the craft. Movable struts are provided for connecting the cylindrical duct and the fuselage. In the sea-land-sky craft, the cylindrical duct is deformed into a fixed wing by the actions of the movable struts.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor apparatus for solving a trade-off between the area, power consumption, noise and accuracy of correction of a variation correction circuit that corrects variations in resistance and threshold voltage, etc. The present invention comprises a multi-value voltage generation circuit shared by a plurality of reading circuits, a multi-value voltage bus that supplies multi-value voltages to the reading circuits and switches that select a voltage suited to variation correction from multi-value voltages, wherein the multi-value voltages are distributed from the multi-value voltage generation circuit to the plurality of reading circuits, the switches select an optimum voltage for correction in the respective reading circuits to thereby correct variations in the elements.

Abstract: A system and method for controlling the position of an optical head of a disc during high speed recording. In one embodiment of the method, an optical disc has a plurality of tracks. The method comprises implementing CLV recording by said optical drive, determining a wobble signal based on address information contained in said plurality of tracks of said optical disk and determining a wobble clock signal based on said wobble signal. The method further comprises decoding said wobble clock signal by a decoder, said decoder to provide a sync clock signal to an encoder loop circuit, said sync clock signal based on said wobble clock signal generating an encoder clock signal using said encoder loop circuit. In addition, the method comprises comparing said sync clock signal to said encoder clock signal to provide a position command to position the optical head of said optical drive.

Abstract: A NOx gas detecting apparatus including an oxygen pumping cell for removing oxygen from a measurement gas, and a NOx detecting cell positioned downstream from the oxygen pumping cell to detect concentration of NOx in the measurement gas, the NOx detecting cell being configured to measure current which flows when oxygen generated from reducing NOx is pumped, wherein the NOx detecting cell has a NOx detecting cathode made of an electrode material including at least one alloy selected from the group consisting of a Pt-Pd alloy, a Pt-Au-Pd alloy, and a Pt-Pd-Rh alloy.

Abstract: An objective gas to be measured is introduced into first and second chambers which are connected via a diffusion resistive passage. A first electrochemical cell is provided in the first chamber for pumping in and out oxygen in accordance with an applied voltage. A second electrochemical cell is provided in the second chamber and responsive to application of a predetermined voltage for generating a sensor current representing a specific gas concentration in the objective gas. The first electrochemical cell is located between the first chamber and a reference gas chamber so that oxygen pumping in and out operation can be performed between the first chamber and the reference gas chamber.

Abstract: A mechanism for implementing fault tolerant logic in an information storage system is disclosed. The mechanism comprises an inhibit logic which is invoked when the first RUNOUT block of a link sequence is detected. Once invoked, the inhibit logic outputs a disable signal, and so long as the disable signal is asserted, certain control signals are inhibited. These control signals may include a trigger signal, a target match signal, and a miss signal. The disable signal is maintained during the reading of blocks, such as link sequence blocks, in which information corruption is most likely to occur. By doing so, the inhibit logic prevents erroneous signals generated as a result of corrupted information from adversely affecting the operation of the storage system. As a result, the corrupted information is tolerated.

Abstract: A signal processing method multiplexes/arranges digital data of a specific unit to form a predetermined unit, adds an error correction code to the predetermined unit to constitute an error correction coded block, replaces a part of the error correction coded block with specific data, and outputs the error correction coded block with the specific data being replaced to a transmission medium or a recording medium.

Abstract: An information recording method for recording content information in a recording medium having at least re-readable area, comprising converting, based on a first conversion rule &phgr;1, first information including a first component for obtaining content control information, converting, based on a second conversion rule &phgr;2, second information including a second component for obtaining the first information, and writing the converted first information and the converted second information into the re-recordable area of the recording medium.

Abstract: In a signal processing system in which a data block containing encrypted main data and error correction codes is formed of symbols of M rows×N columns (M×N), one row is divided into R frames, a synchronous signal is added to each frame, data of each frame is modulated by a modulator, and the data is recorded on a recording medium or transmitted on a transmission path, an encrypted key encrypting the main data is modulated by a modulator other than the modulator of the data block signal. Copying of a recording medium, on which information for which copyright protection is required is recorded, can be easily prevented.

Abstract: A heater control apparatus used for a gas concentration sensor is provided which heats a sensor element a solid electrolyte body of up to a desired activation temperature. The heater control apparatus determines an actual resistance value of the sensor element, controls a power supply to the heater as a function of a difference between the actual resistance value and a target one, determines a power supplied to the heater, and determines a reference resistance value of the sensor element based on a predetermined fundamental relation between a power used in the heater and a resistance value of the sensor element to correct the target resistance value as a function of a difference between the reference resistance value and the actual resistance value.

Abstract: A gas sensor element consists of an oxygen pump cell, an oxygen monitor cell, and a sensor cell. The oxygen monitor cell measures the concentration of the oxygen molecules within the gas cavity which is fed back to the oxygen pump cell for keeping the concentration of oxygen molecules within the gas cavity constant. The sensor cell ionizes a specified oxygen containing gas and produce a signal indicative of the concentration of the specified oxygen containing gas within the gas cavity. The oxygen monitor cell and the sensor cell are disposed at substantially the same location in a direction of flow of the gasses, thereby minimizing a difference in concentration of oxygen molecules around the oxygen monitor cell and the sensor cell for eliminating an error of the signal outputted from the sensor cell arising from a variation in concentration of oxygen molecules within the gas cavity.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for enabling blocks of various sizes to be read from a storage medium without causing subsequent errors to be experienced by a host. According to one embodiment, the present invention receives information read from a block, and maintains a count of the amount of information received. As the information is received, a determination is made as to whether an indication of the beginning of a subsequent block has been detected. If so, then a determination is made as to whether the current count is within a predetermined guardband. If the current count is not within the guardband, then a buffer page pointer or a block counter is incremented. However, if the current count is within the guardband, then the buffer page pointer or the block counter is not incremented but is rather maintained at its current value.

Abstract: An imaging device has a control block for offsetting signal levels and controlling the amplification factor for the signal levels within one frame. The imaging device can image a subject having low-illuminance and high-illuminance areas without reduction in the sensitivity, and allows a wide dynamic range and high sensitivity to be achieved real-time. The imaging device thus can image subjects of different illuminance levels ranging from a low-illuminance subject to a high-illuminance subject, and can differentiate small illuminance distributions.

Abstract: A composite gas sensor comprises a pump cell, a NOx sensor cell and an oxygen sensor cell. The NOx sensor cell is connected to a first ammeter and a constant power source to measure the NOx concentration of a sample gas. The pump cell is connected to a second ammeter and a variable power source to measure an air-fuel ratio of the sample gas. The oxygen sensor cell is connected to a voltmeter. A controller adjusts the variable power source to produce a constant value from the voltmeter.

Abstract: A semiconductor device having a large bias component detects a faint signal component on the bias component, includes a first bias circuit with a reference resistance connected to a measuring resistance group and having the same resistance temperature coefficient as the measuring resistance, a second bias circuit provided with a reference resistance being connected to a cancel resistance and having the same resistance temperature coefficient as the cancel resistance, and a third bias circuit provided with a reference resistance being connected to a correction resistance and having the same resistance temperature coefficient as the correction resistance. The first bias circuit is for applying the output voltage to the measuring resistance group; the second bias circuit is for applying the output voltage to the cancel resistance; and the third bias circuit is for applying the output voltage to the correction resistance.

Abstract: A thermal-type infrared imaging device includes a first thermo-electric converting element (101) for generating an electric signal which corresponds to temperature determined according to heat generated by absorbing an incident infrared ray, a first bipolar transistor (102) having its emitted connected to the first thermo-electric converting element (101), and a second bipolar transistor (104) having its collector connected to the collector of the first bipolar transistor (102). The thermal-type infrared imaging device further includes a resistor (103) connected at one end thereof to a power supply and at the other end to the emitter of the second bipolar transistor (104), and an integration capacitor (105) connected to a connecting point of the respective collectors of the first and second bipolar transistor (102 and 104).