Abstract: A plasma display panel includes a pair of substrates forming a discharge space between the substrates, and lateral barrier ribs extending in a row direction and longitudinal barrier ribs extending in a column direction that divide the discharge space into cells. Each lateral barrier rib is divided into two portions in the column direction such that a vent passage is formed in the divided portion. In the plasma display panel, raised portions, which are lower than the lateral barrier ribs and connect the lateral barrier ribs divided into the two portions with each other, are formed in the vent passage.

Abstract: The invention completely prevents a twist of a hose in accordance with a fastening. A loosely fitting portion (4) is rotatably fitted along an outer peripheral surface (1b) of a nipple (1), the loosely fitting portion (4) and a sleeve (2) are independently attached so as to be immovable in an axial direction, and a fastening member (3) is screwed on an outer peripheral surface of the loosely fitting portion (4) so as to be movable in the axial direction toward the sleeve (2). Accordingly, if the fastening member (3) is pulled in a fastening direction without rotating while only rotating the loosely fitting portion (4), after attaching a hose (H) along an outer peripheral surface (1a) of the nipple (1), the sleeve (2) is reduced in diameter accordingly without being exposed to a rotating force, and the hose (H) is closely attached in its inner peripheral surface (H1) to the outer peripheral surface (1a) of the nipple (1) without being exposed to an external force caused by a rotational friction at all.

Abstract: An interlace-type PDP is driven by an improved driving method so as to achieve a greater operating margin, higher resolution, and higher brightness. The interlace-type PDP is driven using odd and even frames in such a manner that the cells are grouped into cell groups such that each cell group includes two or three cells which are adjacent in a direction crossing the electrode pairs, and the cells are driven in units of cell groups. The grouping of cells is performed differently for even and odd frames such that, in one type of frame, locations of two or three cells grouped into each group are shifted by one cell, in the direction crossing the electrode pairs, from the locations of cells grouped together in the other type of frame.

Abstract: A plasma display device performing display control by utilizing plasma discharge includes a panel having a plurality of address electrodes and a plurality of display electrodes disposed to intersect with the address electrodes, and a drive circuit performing address discharge drive for selectively producing a discharge in cells between the address electrodes and the display electrodes, and display discharge drive for applying to the display electrode a display drive pulse having a voltage increasing with such a gradient as to continuously produce a discharge current in the selected cell. In the display discharge drive performed after the address discharge drive, a display drive pulse with an increasing voltage of gentle gradient is applied to the display electrode, thereby producing faint discharges continuously in the selected cell during the increase of the voltage applied to the display electrode. Display luminance is controlled by the above ramp-wave discharge.

Abstract: A receiving system and a receiving device are provided for receiving and processing broadcast digital and analog signals such as video and audio programs. The system and device are capable of determining whether a received program is subject to copy prohibition. If the program is subject to copy prohibition, the system prevents copying of the program. The system and device are capable of performing timed recording of received programs, including checking the status of the device and/or the recording medium to determine whether timed recording is permitted. Timed recording may be permitted if a selected broadcast receiving device is a registered device.

Abstract: A method for driving an AC type plasma display panel includes the steps of performing initialization at least once for each frame so as to clear binary setting of wall charge quantity in a screen by discharge except for micro discharge in which electrodes covered with a plurality of fluorescent materials become cathodes, and performing special initialization at frequency of once for M frames, where M=two or more, so as to erase unnecessary wall charge in the screen by discharge in which electrodes become cathodes and that is stronger than the discharge in the initialization.

Abstract: A display device (1) including a surface discharge type plasma display panel (2) performs an addressing operation, a sustain operation and a reset operation. In the addressing operation, address discharge of an opposed discharge form with the second electrode (Y) used as a cathode is generated between the second electrode (Y) and a third electrode (A) in a cell to be energized or in a cell not to be energized. In the reset operation, an obtuse wave pulse (Pr1) having a negative polarity is applied to the second electrode (Y) so as to generate charge adjustment discharge starting from discharge of the opposed discharge form with the second electrode (Y) used as a cathode between the second electrode (Y) and the third electrode (A).

Abstract: A video signal receiver receives a plurality of video channels simultaneously carrying, offset by a transmission interval, a single video program, selects one channel from which to obtain the program for display to a user, and achieves a pause function in the display of the transmitted video program by temporarily storing a segment of the video program equal to the length of the transmission interval and obtaining the remainder of the program at a later time from the same or another channel.

Abstract: An artificial elbow joint of constraint type that makes it easier to assemble a joint section even when a surgery for replacing an elbow joint is in process, and is effective in improving the safety of surgery and reducing the time taken to complete the surgery. The artificial elbow joint of the present invention comprises: a humeral component comprising a humeral stem, a shaft and a anterior flange; and an ulnar component comprising an ulnar stem and a sleeve, wherein the shaft of the humeral component is fitted in the sleeve of the ulnar component rotatably.

Abstract: A plasma display panel, having a discharge space between a first and a second substrates, includes a plurality of scan electrodes, each disposed along a display line, which can be driven individually and a plurality of address electrodes disposed to intersect with the above scan electrodes, and pixel areas at the intersecting positions of the scan electrodes and the address electrodes Further, the plasma display panel includes a sustain electrode for producing sustain discharge with the scan electrodes, and the sustain electrode is formed to have a grid shape. Each pixel area is surrounded with the grid shape.

Abstract: A method for driving an AC type plasma display panel includes the steps of performing initialization at least once for each frame so as to clear binary setting of wall charge quantity in a screen by discharge except for micro discharge in which electrodes covered with a plurality of fluorescent materials become cathodes, and performing special initialization at frequency of once for M frames, where M=two or more, so as to erase unnecessary wall charge in the screen by discharge in which electrodes become cathodes and that is stronger than the discharge in the initialization.

Abstract: A video signal receiver receives a plurality of video channels simultaneously carrying, offset by a transmission interval, a single video program, selects one channel from which to obtain the program for display to a user, and achieves a pause function in the display of the transmitted video program by temporarily storing a segment of the video program equal to the length of the transmission interval and obtaining the remainder of the program at a later time from the same or another channel.

Abstract: A method for driving an AC type plasma display panel includes the steps of performing initialization at least once for each frame so as to clear binary setting of wall charge quantity in a screen by discharge except for micro discharge in which electrodes covered with a plurality of fluorescent materials become cathodes, and performing special initialization at frequency of once for M frames, where M=two or more, so as to erase unnecessary wall charge in the screen by discharge in which electrodes become cathodes and that is stronger than the discharge in the initialization.

Abstract: On a front substrate, a dielectric layer for accumulating the wall charge is formed, and inside the dielectric layer, a first electrode and a second electrode intersecting each other are formed with a predetermined pitch. The dielectric layer is not flat but is convex at the intersection of the first electrode and the second electrode, and the thickness in the direction of the discharge space from the second electrode at the intersection is larger than the thickness in the remaining area. Consequently, since the electric field distribution at the intersection is coarser than that at places apart from the intersection when discharge is sustained by causing an electric field distribution in the discharge space through the dielectric layer, discharge occurs not at the intersection but in four positions at places apart from the intersection, so that the luminous efficiency per discharge cell is improved.

Abstract: A transport stream (TS) is recorded and the recorded TS is reproduced simultaneously. An input PID parser extracts the first packet only to be recorded, the second packet to be recorded and to be used for controlling, and the third packet to be used only for controlling from among the TS packet that constitutes the TS supplied from a descrambler. The first and second packets are supplied to a receiver and supplied to a hard disk drive (HDD) for recording. The second and third packets are supplied to an MUX. On the other hand, the TS packet stored in the HDD is read out and supplied to the MUX by way of an output PID parser. The MUX multiplexes the second or third packet supplied from the input PID parser and the TS packet read out from the HDD, and supplies the multiplexed packet to a CPU that controls a descrambler or the like.

Abstract: An aspect of the present invention provides an image taking apparatus, comprising: a solid-state image sensor; and a taking lens including a lens barrel that houses a lens disposed in front of the solid-state image sensor, wherein a shielding member that blocks an electromagnetic wave radiated from the front surface of the solid-state image sensor is provided on an outer circumference of the lens barrel, and a metallic member electrically floating in the lens barrel is grounded.

Abstract: A plasma display panel includes a pair of substrates forming a discharge space between the substrates, and lateral barrier ribs extending in a row direction and longitudinal barrier ribs extending in a column direction that divide the discharge space into cells. Each lateral barrier rib is divided into two portions in the column direction such that a vent passage is formed in the divided portion. In the plasma display panel, raised portions, which are lower than the lateral barrier ribs and connect the lateral barrier ribs divided into the two portions with each other, are formed in the vent passage.

Abstract: A direct color thermal printer includes a heating element array for yellow, a heating element array for magenta, and a heating element array for cyan to perform the thermal printing on each of recording areas in color thermosensitive recording paper. When one of the heating element arrays, the heating element array for yellow, for instance, faces a blank area of the color thermosensitive recording paper, the heating element array for yellow starts a blank area recording to thermally print the blank area. Thereby, all of the heating element arrays constantly remain in a state of thermal printing, so that variations in recording density, which is caused by the load fluctuations in the power supply, does not occur.

Abstract: An interlace-type PDP is driven by an improved driving method so as to achieve a greater operating margin, higher resolution, and higher brightness. The interlace-type PDP is driven using odd and even frames in such a manner that the cells are grouped into cell groups such that each cell group includes two or three cells which are adjacent in a direction crossing the electrode pairs, and the cells are driven in units of cell groups. The grouping of cells is performed differently for even and odd frames such that, in one type of frame, locations of two or three cells grouped into each group are shifted by one cell, in the direction crossing the electrode pairs, from the locations of cells grouped together in the other type of frame.

Abstract: An interlace-type PDP is driven by an improved driving method so as to achieve a greater operating margin, higher resolution, and higher brightness. The interlace-type PDP is driven using odd and even frames in such a manner that the cells are grouped into cell groups such that each cell group includes two or three cells which are adjacent in a direction crossing the electrode pairs, and the cells are driven in units of cell groups. The grouping of cells is performed differently for even and odd frames such that, in one type of frame, locations of two or three cells grouped into each group are shifted by one cell, in the direction crossing the electrode pairs, from the locations of cells grouped together in the other type of frame.