Abstract: Charging and discharging of a battery are controlled while observing the state of the battery, thereby improving its efficiency and increasing battery service life. A program control circuit acquires vehicle speed from a vehicle speed sensor and the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine from a rotation sensor. The program control circuit controls an inverter which performs AC-to-DC or DC-to-AC conversion between a motor-generator coupled to the internal combustion engine and a battery mounted on the vehicle. At the same time, the program control circuit acquires the charging and discharging current (i) of the battery, which is detected by a current sensor, and calculates the time integral I of the charging and discharging current (i). The circuit controls the charging current to the battery during regenerative braking, and the discharge current when the vehicle is being driven, in accordance with a function of the time integral I.

Abstract: An ultrasonic welding method for welding a first metal sheet to a second metal sheet by using an anvil and a horn includes the following steps. The first metal sheet includes a protective portion, a protected portion and a middle portion therebetween. The protective portion is folded back over the protected portion along a return line on the middle portion. The first metal sheet is mounted on the second sheet in such a way that the protected portion lays between the protective portion and the second metal sheet. The first metal sheet may be a stripped conductive flat cable; the second metal sheet may be a copper sheet; and the middle portion of the first metal sheet may remain covered by its covering material.

Abstract: A selective diversity apparatus in which a predetection diversity system is used and branches can be switched without generating a signal error, etc., even at the time the reception of a communication physical slot having a short preamble signal zone, and a control method thereof. When a control physical slot is received in which a preamble signal zone contained in a burst received is sufficiently longer than the time necessary for selecting and switching the branches, judgment and switching of the branches are executed in the preamble signal zone, and when a communication physical slot not having a sufficient time is received, judgement of the branches is made during reception of the burst and switching of the branches is made in a guard time immediately before the burst after one frame.

Abstract: A buffer layer having crystal orientation In a (111) face is formed on a semiconductor single-crystal (100) substrate and a ferroelectric thin film having crystal orientation in a (111) or (0001) face is then formed over the buffer layer. The buffer layer is preferably formed of MgO at a temperature ranging from 20.degree. to 600.degree. C. and at a rate ranging from 0.5 to 50 .ANG./sec. The thus formed ferroelectric thin film has its axes of polarization aligned in one direction. Using the oriented ferroelectric thin-film device, highly functional nonvolatile memories, capacitors or optical modulators can be fabricated on semiconductor substrates.

Abstract: In a digital mobile communication system comprising a cell station and a plurality of personal stations and employing a TDMS-TDD method, a personal station which is going to originate a call in a transceiver mode detects a unique word contained in a signal being transmitted from a control slot or communication slot by a busy personal station or cell station, recognizes the timing of the receiving slot and the receiving frame in view of the position of the unique word and controls to synchronize the timing of its own slot and frame with the aforementioned timing. A personal station which is to start a personal station-to-personal station direct communication can determine a communication slot after establishing complete synchronization with the busy personal station or cell station, and can improve the efficiency of using a frequency by eliminating time when a communication cannot be made.

Abstract: A high-level synthesis apparatus synthesizes a large-scale logic circuit. The apparatus has a unit for generating a control description graph according to a behavioral description graph written in a behavioral description language; a unit for sorting the control description graph according to control conditions and extracting single flows including partial graphs or closed loops from the sorted control description graph; a unit for providing an initial circuit; a unit for dividing the single flows into execution steps; a unit for allocating hardware parts of the initial circuit to the execution steps; and a unit for converting each of the single flows into a finite state machine and combining the finite state machines into one. This apparatus optimizes each single flow and adds parts to or modifies the initial circuit, to synthesize a large-scale circuit.

Abstract: A vertical installation structure includes a plurality of placing stages on each of which information processing apparatuses are to be installed, and supporting members for supporting the plurality of placing stages so that the plurality of placing stages are vertically arranged. A vertical installation system includes the above vertical installation structure, and moving structure capable of moving along the vertical installation structure, the moving structure having a plurality of stages on each of which at least one information processing apparatus is to be placed and supporting members for supporting the plurality of stages so that each of the plurality of stages is level with a corresponding one of the plurality of placing stages of the vertical installation structure. The information processing apparatus set on each of the stages is transferred to the corresponding one of the plurality of placing stages of the vertical installation structure.

Abstract: A buffer layer having crystal orientation in a (111) face is formed on a semiconductor single-crystal (100) substrate and a ferroelectric thin film having crystal orientation in a (111) or (0001) face is then formed over the buffer layer. The buffer layer is preferably formed of MgO at a temperature ranging from 20 to 600.degree. C. and at a rate ranging from 0.5 to 50 .ANG./sec. The thus formed ferroelectric thin film has its axes of polarization aligned in one direction. Using the oriented ferroelectric thin-film device, highly functional nonvolatile memories, capacitors or optical modulators can be fabricated on semiconductor substrates.

Abstract: Disclosed is a test assistant system for a logical design process comprising a description storage data base for storing statements expressing logical functions of circuit components to be tested, a compiler for compiling the statements to output object data, a data base for storing the object data, a test pattern generator for generating test patterns by using the object data stored in the data base, a test pattern data base for storing the test patterns, each having a level number, a simulator for executing a simulation for the logical function by using the test patterns stored in the test pattern data base, and a display for displaying the object data, the test patterns, the information used in the simulation, and relationships among them.

Abstract: A bearing device for rotatably supporting the end of a rotational shaft through a slide bearing to a base comprising a through opening perforated at a part of the base for press-fitting the slide bearing, and a retainer containing opening formed at the base to substantially perpendicularly cross the through opening, and a retainer disposed in the retainer containing opening of the base for bearing the axial force of the rotational shaft, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost and improving its accuracy.

Abstract: In a disc driving device with a carriage moving means including a screw shaft formed with a single spiral groove on an outer circumference thereof, the spiral groove being formed by a plurality of circumferential groove portions each having a greatly small lead angle and a straight bottom, the groove portions being sequentially shifted in an axial direction of the screw shaft, a stepping motor for rotatively driving the screw shaft, and a carriage having an engagement means adapted to be engaged with the spiral groove; the improvement is characterized in that each of the groove portions is divided into three parts, that is, a central small groove corresponding to a normal track position and both adjacent small grooves corresponding to a fine adjustment position, and that both the adjacent small grooves are axially shifted from the central small groove by an amount required for predetermined fine adjustment.