Abstract: An interest degree estimating device, which estimates a degree of interest of a user in a video displayed on a screen, includes: an eye gaze detecting unit for detecting an eye gaze direction of the user; a saliency information obtaining unit for obtaining saliency information on a saliency area having salient attractiveness in the video; and a user response analyzing unit for calculating a correlation between the saliency area specified from the obtained saliency information and the detected eye gaze direction, and estimate the degree of interest of the user in the video, the degree of interest being higher as the calculated correlation is higher.

Abstract: A heating process makes a temperature of joining surfaces Wa and Ta of a pair of metal parts W and T at the start of a first joining process equal to 20% or greater, preferably, 40% or greater of a melting point of material of the metal parts W and T. The heating process makes a heating depth h of the pair of metal parts W and T at the start of the first joining process equal to 1.0 mm or greater.

Abstract: A heating process makes a temperature of joining surfaces Wa and Ta of a pair of metal parts W and T at the start of a first joining process equal to 20% or greater, preferably, 40% or greater of a melting point of material of the metal parts W and T. The heating process makes a heating depth h of the pair of metal parts W and T at the start of the first joining process equal to 1.0 mm or greater.

Abstract: A gaze target determination device includes an event setting unit that generates, for each object at different times, a display event which triggers a movement of the gaze direction of the user who is gazing at the object and which indicates a movement or a change of the object; and a gaze trajectory calculation unit that calculates a gaze trajectory based on the detected user's gaze direction. An eye movement event detection unit detects an event detection time which is a time at which the gaze direction moves according to the display event, based on the calculated gaze trajectory. A synchronization structure analysis unit calculates, for each object, time difference between the event detection time and event occurrence time; and a gaze target determination unit determines the object at which the user is gazing from among the objects, based on the calculated time difference.

Abstract: A heating process makes a temperature of joining surfaces Wa and Ta of a pair of metal parts W and T at the start of a first joining process equal to 20% or greater, preferably, 40% or greater of a melting point of material of the metal parts W and T. The heating process makes a heating depth h of the pair of metal parts W and T at the start of the first joining process equal to 1.0 mm or greater.

Abstract: The invention of the present application provides a lighting apparatus that has superior waterproofing property, durability, impact resistance, and pressure resistance and that can be used in various places such as a construction site, a plastic greenhouse, a poultry house, water, or seawater. The invention of the present application provides a lighting apparatus in which electric wires are connected to a substrate 3 on which light-emitting diodes 31, 32, and 33 are mounted and synthetic resin material is used to closely cover the electric wires 52 and 53, the substrate 3, and the light-emitting diodes 31, 32, and 33 in an integrated manner.

Abstract: A lighting apparatus using light-emitting diodes as the light source, which has light-dispersible property, heat dissipation property, excellent waterproof property, durability and shock resistance, giving no local glares, giving soft illumination, and can be used as a guiding light and a garden light, is provided. The lighting apparatus according to the present invention is so configured that a substrate 3 on which light-emitting diodes 2 are mounted is connected with electricity supply lines 5, the substrate 3 including connecting points with the electricity supply lines 5 is enclosed with silicon resin 6 to which light-dispersible particulates causing scattering of the irradiated light from light-emitting diodes are mixed, and the insulated covertures 7 of the electricity supply lines 5 at the outer periphery of the silicon resin 6 and the portion in the vicinity of said silicon resin are molded with transparent acrylic resin 8.

Abstract: An interest degree estimating device, which estimates a degree of interest of a user in a video displayed on a screen, includes: an eye gaze detecting unit for detecting an eye gaze direction of the user; a saliency information obtaining unit for obtaining saliency information on a saliency area having salient attractiveness in the video; and a user response analyzing unit for calculating a correlation between the saliency area specified from the obtained saliency information and the detected eye gaze direction, and estimate the degree of interest of the user in the video, the degree of interest being higher as the calculated correlation is higher.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide lighting appliances of various shapes, which use light emitting diodes as a light source, having excellent light directivity, light-diffusing property, durability and shock-proof property. The lighting appliance 1 according to the present invention is constituted by including a light illuminating member 13 formed by sealing off a substrate 8 mounted with light emitting diodes 81 therein with a synthetic resin material 9 prepared by mixing particulates 92 capable of diffusing light irradiated from the light emitting diodes 81 to the matrix substance 91.

Abstract: The invention of the present application provides a lighting apparatus that has superior waterproofing property, durability, impact resistance, and pressure resistance and that can be used in various places such as a construction site, a plastic greenhouse, a poultry house, water, or seawater. The invention of the present application provides a lighting apparatus in which electric wires are connected to a substrate 3 on which light-emitting diodes 31, 32, and 33 are mounted and synthetic resin material is used to closely cover the electric wires 52 and 53, the substrate 3, and the light-emitting diodes 31, 32, and 33 in an integrated manner.

Abstract: The object at which a user is gazing Is accurately determined from among objects displayed on a screen.

Abstract: A magnetic head includes: a coil; a pole layer; a shield having an end face located in a medium facing surface forward of an end face of the pole layer along a direction of travel of a recording medium; a gap layer between the shield and the pole layer; and a substrate on which the foregoing elements are stacked. The top surface of the pole layer includes: first and second portions with a difference in height therebetween; and a third portion connecting the first and second portions to each other. The first portion has an edge located in the medium facing surface, and the second portion is located farther from the medium facing surface and from the substrate than the first portion. The magnetic head further includes a nonmagnetic layer disposed between the second portion and the gap layer. The nonmagnetic layer has a surface touching the second portion, the surface having an edge located at the boundary between the second and third portions.

Abstract: A magnetic head includes: a coil; a pole layer; a shield having an end face located in a medium facing surface forward of an end face of the pole layer along a direction of travel of a recording medium; a gap layer between the shield and the pole layer; and a substrate on which the foregoing elements are stacked. The top surface of the pole layer includes: first and second portions with a difference in height therebetween; and a third portion connecting the first and second portions to each other. The first portion has an edge located in the medium facing surface, and the second portion is located farther from the medium facing surface and from the substrate than the first portion. The magnetic head further includes a nonmagnetic layer disposed between the second portion and the gap layer. The nonmagnetic layer has a surface touching the second portion, the surface having an edge located at the boundary between the second and third portions.

Abstract: A soft magnetic layer constituting a spin valve type magnetoresistance effect film comprises a multilayered body having at least two layers and including a first soft magnetic layer substantially made of Co or CoFe, and a second soft magnetic layer substantially made of NiFeX (wherein X represents at least one selected from Ta and Nb) in the order named from the side of a non-magnetic metal layer. More preferably, the soft magnetic layer comprises a multilayered body having at least three layers and including a first soft magnetic layer substantially made of Co or CoFe, a third soft magnetic layer substantially made of NiFe, and a second soft magnetic layer substantially made of NiFeX (wherein X represents at least one selected from Ta and Nb) in the order named from the side of the non-magnetic metal layer. Therefore, the detection sensitivity of a magnetic signal and the output of the magnetic head can be improved. Further, the linearity of the derived signal is also excellent.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a MR sensor having at least an anti-ferromagnetic layer and a ferromagnetic layer, and to a method for manufacturing a magnetic head with the MR sensor. The sensor utilizes bias magnetic field provided by exchange coupling between the anti-ferromagnetic layer and the ferromagnetic layer. The sensor manufacturing method includes a step of depositing an anti-ferromagnetic layer to have a larger thickness than a target thickness, a step of ordering the deposited anti-ferromagnetic layer, and a step of thinning the ordered anti-ferromagnetic layer to have the target thickness.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to minimize the difference in reproducing output of a magnetoresistive device for a reproducing head. An MR device which composes a reproducing head is formed as a laminated structure in which a SAL film, an insulating film and an MR film which is a magnetoresistive film are laminated. The side-end faces of the MR film slope toward the supporting surface of a base body and the side-end faces of the SAL film are formed substantially vertical to the supporting surface of the base body. An insulating film, which is provided in the related art, is not provided on the side-end faces of the MR film and the SAL film so as to make them directly in contact with a first electrode layer. The area of the side-end faces of the SAL film is sufficiently smaller than that of the MR film, and the ratio of both areas can be set to a constant value.

Abstract: A GMR head comprising a spin valve GMR film, which has a free layer containing a Co containing magnetic layer, and a hard magnetic biasing film for inputting a bias magnetic field to the spin valve GMR film. The hard magnetic biasing film is constituted of a film formed by laminating a hard magnetic layer on the magnetic under layer. The hard magnetic layer is disposed adjoining to edge portion of the spin valve GMR film through the magnetic under layer. The magnetic under layer has saturation magnetization Ms.sup.under which satisfies at least one condition of Ms.sup.under .gtoreq.Ms.sup.free and Ms.sup.under .gtoreq.Ms.sup.hard when saturation magnetization of the free layer is Ms.sup.free and saturation magnetization of the hard magnetic layer is Ms.sup.hard. In a MR head of this abutted junction structure, even when the track width is narrowed, occurrence of Barkhausen noise can be effectively suppressed.

Abstract: A semiconductor sensor mount is formed as follows: through holes are formed that penetrate a glass plate; and then the glass plate having the through holes is dipped into hydrofluoric acid etchant to smooth the inner peripheral surfaces of the respective through holes. By etching the inner peripheral surfaces of the respective through holes after the through hole formation, minute roughness and cracks formed on the inner peripheral surfaces are removed, and thereby the areas for adsorbing gas are substantially reduced. That is, vacuums within the through holes can be maintained at a high degree during the anodic bonding, whereby undesirable electric discharge phenomena are prevented even if a relatively high voltage is applied during the anodic bonding. Accordingly, the yield of products can be improved while improving productivity.

Abstract: A magnetoresistance effect head comprises a giant magnetoresistance effect film, a pair of leads to supply an electric current to the giant magnetoresistance effect head, and upper and lower magnetic shielding layers made of a crystalline soft magnetic film and disposed to hold the giant magnetoresistance effect film therebetween with a magnetic gap film intervened, wherein the surface roughness of an under layer of the giant magnetoresistance effect film is determined so that a center period L of the surface roughness satisfies L>70 nm.

Abstract: A semiconductor sensor mount is formed as follows: through holes are formed that penetrate a glass plate; and then the glass plate having the through holes is dipped into hydrofluoric acid etchant to smooth the inner peripheral surfaces of the respective through holes. By etching the inner peripheral surfaces of the respective through holes after the through hole formation, minute roughness and cracks formed on the inner peripheral surfaces are removed, and thereby the areas for adsorbing gas are substantially reduced. That is, vacuums within the through holes can be maintained at a high degree during the anodic bonding, whereby undesirable electric discharge phenomena are prevented even if a relatively high voltage is applied during the anodic bonding. Accordingly, the yield of products can be improved while improving productivity.