Abstract: In a recording medium conveying mechanism for an image forming apparatus of the present invention, a first and a second rotary body rotate in contact with each other for conveying a paper sheet to which a toner image is to be transferred. The first and second rotary bodies are respectively mounted on the apparatus body and an openable cover mounted on the apparatus body. The second rotary body moves into or out of contact with the first rotary body in interlocked relation to the closing or the opening, respectively, of the cover. The conveying mechanism includes a first support member rotatably supporting the first rotary body on the apparatus body and including a first engaging portion. A second support member rotatably supports the second rotary body on the cover and includes a second engaging portion. The first and second engaging portions mate with each other when the cover is closed.

Abstract: Preventing malicious code from reading an authenticator and being falsely authenticated using the read authenticator. Authenticator accepting period detection means detects an authenticator accepting period during which inoperativeness of all unauthenticated programs is guaranteed. Program executing means transmits its authenticator only during the authenticator accepting period. After authentication means is authenticated as genuine, the authentication means computes a one-way function value of the authenticator received from the program executing means and compares the one-way function value X with a stored value Y for the program executing means. If X=Y, then the authentication means authenticates the program executing means.

Abstract: Electric apparatus, computer apparatus, controller, and battery switching method and program is provided to prevent a system shutdown caused by a reduction of electric power from a battery. A computer apparatus is constructed to be able to accept and be powered by a rechargeable main battery and a rechargeable sub-battery. An embedded controller in the computer apparatus monitors a remaining capacity at a pre-specified temperature of the sub-battery under discharge by receiving information from CPU. When the monitored temperature exceeds a predetermined temperature and when the monitored remaining capacity becomes less than a predetermined capacity, the embedded controller receives electric power from the main battery by switching the power supply circuit to provide power from the main battery instead of the sub-battery.

Abstract: In a method of manufacturing an optical medium, an extended optical conductor containing active substance is formed to a predetermined shape by the use of resin by repeatedly folding or winding the optical conductor. A laser light beam or an amplified light beam is outputted from an edge portion of the optical conductor by absorbing an excitation light beam incident from the side surface of the optical conductor into the active substance through the resin. Thermoplastic resin is used as the resin. The thermoplastic resin transmits the excitation light beam. The resin is heated up to a glass transition temperature or higher. The optical conductor and the resin are bonded to each other so as to constitute a predetermined shape. The resin is cured.

Abstract: Method of mounting an electric component on a component-mounting surface such that the electric component held by a suction nozzle under a negative pressure is forced onto the component-mounting surface, with termination of application of the negative pressure to the suction nozzle, and the suction nozzle is then moved away from the component-mounting surface, the method comprising the steps of: initiating application of a positive pressure to a passage communicating with the suction nozzle, before the electric component is forced onto the component-mounting surface; maintaining the application of the positive pressure to the passage, until the suction nozzle is spaced apart from the electric component by at least 0.4 mm; and then exposing the passage to the atmosphere. Also disclosed is an electric-component mounting system arranged to practice the method.

Abstract: A laser fiber 1 is wound around an outer peripheral face 2a of a glass cylindrical member 2 serving as a structural member which can confine excitation lights L1 and L2 for exciting the laser fiber 1. The excitation lights L1 and L2 from laser diodes 41 and 42 impinge on the vicinity of the outer peripheral end portion of an end face 2b of the glass cylindrical member 2, through prisms 31 and 32, and confined by repeating total reflection at the inner side face of the outer peripheral face 2a. The confined excitation lights are introduced into the laser fiber 1 through portions contacted with the glass cylindrical member 2, thereby causing excitation.

Abstract: An angular position adjusting device including a first member which holds an object having an axis of rotation, a second member which holds the first member rotatably about the axis of the object, and a rotating mechanism interposed between the first and second members and operable to rotate the first member relative to the second member about the axis of the object, and wherein one of the first and second members has an guiding surface formed to extend along an arc of a circle having a center at the axis of the object, the arc having a center angle smaller than 180°, and the other of the first and second members has a guided surface for sliding contact with the arcuate guiding surface, when the first member is rotated by the rotating mechanism relative to the second member, to adjust the angular position of the object about its axis.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a charge roller rotatable in contact with the surface of an image carrier to thereby charge the surface. The charged surface of the image carrier is exposed imagewise for forming a latent image. A developing device develops the latent image to thereby form a corresponding toner image. The toner image is transferred to a recording sheet. The charge roller is formed of a core and an elastic body affixed to the periphery of the core. Stearic acid to be added to rubber, which is the major component of the elastic body, is selected to be 1 wt % or less. An AC current value to be applied to the core is selected to be 1.1 mA or less. The image carrier is free from defective charging ascribable to impurities to deposit on the charge roller.

Abstract: In a recording medium conveying mechanism for an image forming apparatus of the present invention, a first and a second rotary body rotate in contact with each other for conveying a paper sheet to which a toner image is to be transferred. The first and second rotary bodies are respectively mounted on the apparatus body and an openable cover mounted on the apparatus body. The second rotary body moves into or out of contact with the first rotary body in interlocked relation to the closing or the opening, respectively, of the cover. The conveying mechanism includes a first support member rotatably supporting the first rotary body on the apparatus body and including a first engaging portion. A second support member rotatably supports the second rotary body on the cover and includes a second engaging portion. The first and second engaging portions mate with each other when the cover is closed.

Abstract: Video data is segmented into a plurality of scenes. For each of the segmented scenes, an index is produced as an assembly of section information required in a playback of each scene, scene number, and representative frame of scene. A title is added to each index according to search purpose. In a retrieving operation, a desired index is easily found according to the title. The scenes of the retrieved index are successively played back in order of scene number.

Abstract: Every frame represented by a moving picture signal is divided into blocks. Calculation is made as to a number of pixels forming portions of a caption in each of the blocks. The calculated number of pixels is compared with a threshold value. When the calculated number of pixels is equal to or greater than the threshold value, it is decided that the related block is a caption-containing block. Detection is made as to a time interval related to the moving picture signal during which every frame represented by the moving picture signal has a caption-containing block. A 1-frame-corresponding segment of the moving picture signal is selected which represents a caption-added frame present in the detected time interval.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a charge roller rotatable in contact with the surface of an image carrier to thereby charge the surface. The charged surface of the image carrier is exposed imagewise for forming a latent image. A developing device develops the latent image to thereby form a corresponding toner image. The toner image is transferred to a recording sheet. The charge roller is formed of a core and an elastic body affixed to the periphery of the core. Stearic acid to be added to rubber, which is the major component of the elastic body, is selected to be 1 wt % or less. An AC current value to be applied to the core is selected to be 1.1 mA or less. The image carrier is free from defective charging ascribable to impurities to deposit on the charge roller.

Abstract: In a picture coding apparatus, a picture reproducing section is prepared at the latter part of the picture coding apparatus, detection of noise existing in a reproduced picture and selection of an appropriate filter to correct the reproduced picture according to characteristics of noise are carried out by comparing the input picture and the reproduced picture and information concerning a picture and information concerning a filter are multiplexed to transmit. And in a picture decoding apparatus, the information concerning the picture and the information concerning the filter are extracted from input signals, a picture is reproduced from the information concerning the picture and the filter to correction process to the reproduced picture is switched according to the information concerning filter.

Abstract: Every frame represented by a moving picture signal is divided into blocks. Calculation is made as to a number of pixels forming portions of a caption in each of the blocks. The calculated number of pixels is compared with a threshold value. When the calculated number of pixels is equal to or greater than the threshold value, it is decided that the related block is a caption-containing block. Detection is made as to a time interval related to the moving picture signal during which every frame represented by the moving picture signal has a caption-containing block. A 1-frame-corresponding segment of the moving picture signal is selected which represents a caption-added frame present in the detected time interval.

Abstract: In a motion vector detection apparatus which processes a plurality of candidate blocks of pixels defined in a search range within a reference frame, to detect a candidate block having maximum correlation with an object block of M.times.N pixels in an object frame, a first input circuit receives successive pixels of the object block in respective clock periods and transfers each pixel to a specific one of a set of M.times.N processor circuits, while a second input circuit receives successive pixels of the search range and transfers each to a specific one of the processor circuits, such that the pixel values of a candidate block are respectively sequentially processed by each of the processor circuits in successive clock periods, with difference values between corresponding object and candidate block pixel values, generated by respective processor circuits, being cumulatively added to obtain an inter-block error value for that candidate block.

Abstract: In a motion vector detection apparatus which processes a plurality of candidate blocks of pixels defined in a search range within a reference frame, to detect a candidate block having maximum correlation with an object block of M.times.N pixels in an object frame, a first input circuit receives successive pixels of the object block in respective clock periods and transfers each pixel to a specific one of a set of M.times.N processor circuits, while a second input circuit receives successive pixels of the search range and transfers each to a specific one of the processor circuits, such that the pixel values of a candidate block are respectively sequentially processed by each of the processor circuits in successive clock periods, with difference values between corresponding object and candidate block pixel values, generated by respective processor circuits, being cumulatively added to obtain an inter-block error value for that candidate block.

Abstract: A scanning-line interpolation apparatus for an image represented by a plurality of blocks of picture elements, provided with a motion vector detecting circuit for detecting an inter-frame motion vector of each block of an image represented by image information of a succeeding field, from image information of preceding and succeeding fields, a judgement circuit for generating and outputting predetermined data by using a detected motion vector of each block of the succeeding field and motion vectors of corresponding neighboring blocks thereof, a mixer circuit for outputting an interpolation signal obtained by mixing an inter-field interpolation signal representing an image obtained by moving another image represented by image information of the preceding field by a distance, which is one-half the magnitude of the detected motion vector of each block of the image represented by the image information of the succeeding field, in the direction of the motion vector with an intra-field interpolation signal representi

Abstract: A motion compensated prediction interframe coding system which first measures characteristics regarding the fineness of a pattern or texture of a picture, which is represented by an input television signal and is divided into a group of continuous blocks each quantized by using a quantization step size, and changes the quantization step size into a smaller one if quantizes a block having a picture pattern or texture finer than patterns of the other blocks. Thereby, an amount of generated codes can be limited but a motion compensated prediction frame coding operation can be performed without degrading the fineness of the texture of the original input picture.