Abstract: A radio broadcast receiver includes a front end unit for tuning by changing a local oscillation frequency; and a control unit for managing by dividing the receiving band into a third frequency domain including a third frequency obtained by subtracting the intermediate frequency from an upper end frequency of the receiving band, a first frequency domain including a first frequency obtained by adding the intermediate frequency to a lower end frequency of the receiving band, and a second frequency domain where the first frequency domain and third frequency domain overlap, and for switching, when tuning is made across the frequency domains, the local oscillation frequency to an upper local oscillation frequency when the tuning frequency is higher than the third frequency by controlling the front end unit, and to a lower local oscillation frequency when it is lower than the first frequency by controlling the front end unit.

Abstract: A mobile receiver apparatus includes first tuner 2 for converting a received frequency signal by antenna 1 into an intermediate frequency signal, delay circuit 4 for setting a time required for the movement corresponding to a specific wavelength of the received frequency signal as a delay time, second tuner 3 for converting an output of the circuit 4 into a second intermediate frequency signal, and control units 5A and 7A for dynamically setting the delay time in the circuit 4 in response to a measured movement speed of a mobile unit and a received electric field strength upon the measurement, and equiphase-combining the intermediate frequency signals generated by the tuners 2 and 3 to be outputted, and the unit 7A sets the delay time corresponding to a received frequency and a Doppler shift frequency in the circuit 4, and equiphase-combines signals having a phase difference of about 1/4 wavelength (90°).

Abstract: A receiving apparatus has counters 15 for counting intervals between group types 8A containing TMC data in RDS data in synchronization with an RDS clock signal, and causes a radio control unit 17 to control a sub tuner front end 7 so as to receive the group type 8A and to execute radio processing other than receiving the TMC data during counting of the counters.

Abstract: When switching from a digital broadcast to a analog broadcast, a broadcast receiver switches to the analog broadcast after adjusting the reproduced frequency band and the degree of left-right separation of the digital broadcast to be equal to the values of the analog broadcast specified from the receiving state of the analog broadcast respectively, and, when switching from the analog broadcast to the digital broadcast, after adjusting the reproduced frequency band and the degree of left-right separation of the digital broadcast to be equal to the specified values of the analog broadcast respectively and then switching to the digital broadcast, adjusts the reproduced frequency band and the degree of left-right separation of the digital broadcast to be equal to values set for the digital broadcast respectively.

Abstract: A receiving apparatus has counters 15 for counting intervals between group types 8A containing TMC data in RDS data in synchronization with an RDS clock signal, and causes a radio control unit 17 to control a sub tuner front end 7 so as to receive the group type 8A and to execute radio processing other than receiving the TMC data during counting of the counters.

Abstract: A receiving apparatus discriminates RDS data containing traffic information corresponding to the vehicle's own position from RDS data of broadcasting stations searched for by frequency sweeping by a sub tuner front end 7; stores step by step into a pool memory 16 frequencies of alternative stations identified by each PI code of the RDS data and the number of the alternative stations; determines the PI code with the greatest number of the alternative stations by comparing the numbers of the alternative stations for individual PI codes stored in the pool memory 16 in a frequency sweeping range; and receives the traffic information from the station with the highest received electric field strength among all the alternative stations identified by the PI code determined.

Abstract: An idle stop controller includes an idle stop mechanism 2 controlling the stop and the restart of an engine 1; a vehicle location detecting section 5 detecting a vehicle location; and a controller 4, when an ETC gate is retrieved within a predetermined region from a vehicle location detected by the vehicle location detecting section, prohibiting the idle stop mechanism from stopping the engine, and when no ETC gate has been detected within the predetermined region, releasing the prohibition.

Abstract: A control section 8 detects the symmetry of an input pulse-like noise waveform with respect to a reference value from its Fourier spectrum distribution, and restricts, in the case of a symmetric wave, the operation of a noise elimination circuit such as a noise killer circuit 7, which performs previous value hold or various interpolation processing.

Abstract: A recording apparatus includes an electrolytic capacitor for stabilizing the head power source voltage, a transistor for charging the electrolytic capacitor, a transistor for discharging the electrolytic capacitor, a push-pull circuit, a resistor for controlling the charging/discharging current to the electrolytic capacitor, and a resistor for dividing the head power source voltage. The power supply to the head is turned on with the head power source voltage increased by the capacitor.

Abstract: Metal materials made of iron (Fe) or the like are butted together at a joint, and a probe of a rotary tool is inserted into the joint. The rotary tool is rotated while being moved in the lengthwise direction of the joint, whereby the metallographic structure of the joint is stirred, and the metal materials are joined. While the rotary tool is being rotated and moved, liquid CO2 is supplied to the joint and the rotary tool. Electromagnetic valves are suitably opened and closed so that nozzles discharge the liquid CO2 from the rear in the movement direction of the rotary tool. Supplying the liquid CO2 to the joint and the rotary tool reduces wear of the rotary tool, and also increases the joining strength of the joint.

Abstract: An audio system 10 has a plurality of audio sources 12a-12c for outputting audio signals different from each other. A coefficient device 15d adjusts the gain of the audio signal output from one of the audio sources. A nonvolatile memory 15i stores, as internal gains, gains to be set to the coefficient device in correspondence with the audio sources. When a switch changeover section 17 selects one of the audio sources, the CPU 15h reads from the nonvolatile memory the internal gain corresponding to the audio source selected, and sets the internal gain to the coefficient device.

Abstract: When selecting a specific input source that can be processed by only a second voice-data processing unit instead of an input source currently being processed by a first voice-data processing unit, a voice-data processing circuit selects and delivers an input source selected by a second analog switch to the first voice-data processing unit by using a first analog switch. Then, after the first and second voice-data processing units simultaneously process the identical input source other than the specific input source over a certain time period, the second analog switch selects and delivers the specific input source to the second voice-data processing unit and a first switch selects an output of the second voice-data processing unit and outputs a voice of the specific input source as an analog audio output.

Abstract: A method of raising the printing speed of an image printing device when time-division drive is performed, utilizes time-division drive using four times divisions. Image data is read out of the editing buffer of a RAM in regular order, in the form of a staircase, four dots at a time, and the image data is rearranged in the form of a staircase of eight dots in a print buffer within the same RAM. This makes it possible to transmit data from the RAM to a printhead one byte at a time in an efficient manner.

Abstract: When selecting a specific input source that can be processed by only a second voice-data processing unit instead of an input source currently being processed by a first voice-data processing unit, a voice-data processing circuit selects and delivers an input source selected by a second analog switch to the first voice-data processing unit by using a first analog switch. Then, after the first and second voice-data processing units simultaneously process the identical input source other than the specific input source over a certain time period, the second analog switch selects and delivers the specific input source to the second voice-data processing unit and a first switch selects an output of the second voice-data processing unit and outputs a voice of the specific input source as an analog audio output.

Abstract: In a serial recording apparatus having three recording modes, i.e., normal, high-quality, and high-speed recording mode, sheet feed control satisfying requirements in these modes is performed. More specifically, high-speed sheet feed control is performed in the normal or high-speed recording mode, and low-noise sheet feed control with improved precision is performed in the high-quality recording mode although the speed is low.

Abstract: A data transfer circuit or a recording apparatus includes an address setting unit for setting a start address for a buffer memory, an offset setting unit for setting an offset for the buffer memory, and an address creating unit for creating a predetermined number of consecutive transfer addresses to be supplied for the buffer memory using a reference address. The circuit also includes an arithmetic logic unit that, after the address creating unit has created transfer addresses using the start address as a reference address, calculates a new reference address in accordance with the offset relative to the start address so as to provide the new reference address to the address creating unit.

Abstract: A code printing method and apparatus which prints an image and a code on the same recording medium. The apparatus stores a plurality of density patterns corresponding to each density, and codes corresponding to the density patterns. When code data is inputted and printing of the code is instructed, the apparatus determines the density of each pixel of image data, selects the density pattern representing the code data among the density patterns corresponding to the pixel density, and prints the density pattern instead of the image pixel. Thus, the image and code are printed without deterioration of image quality.

Abstract: In a serial recording apparatus having three recording modes, i.e., normal, high-quality, and high-speed recording modes, sheet feed control satisfying requirements in these modes is performed. More specifically, high-speed sheet feed control is performed in the normal or high-speed recording mode, and low-noise sheet feed control with improved precision is performed in the high-quality recording mode, although the speed is low. The apparatus can include a sheet feeder, a designator, a selector and a controller. The sheet feeder feeds a recording sheet relative to a recording head. The designator designates one of the recording modes. The selector selects one of a plurality of patterns for driving the sheet feeder in accordance with the designated recording mode. The controller controls a moving speed of the sheet feeder in accordance with the selected pattern for driving the sheet feeder.

Abstract: Random masks each having a given size and defining a random array of non-record pixel locations and record pixel locations are placed in association with record areas in mask registers. Using the placed masks, record data is thinned-out and supplied to a recording head. An image is then recorded. Thus, since thinning-out masks do not have periodicity, any inherent density nonuniformity loses periodicity. Consequently, high-definition images can be produced.

Abstract: An image is recorded on a recording medium by recording dots of a black ink and a color ink discharged onto the recording medium from a recording head. A boundary proximity-degree detecting circuit detects the degree of positional proximity, i.e., closeness, between the recording dots of the black ink and the recording dots of the color ink at the boundary between these dots. A dot substituting circuit performs, in accordance with the detected degree of positional proximity, substitution of the black pixels with recording dots of a color ink at the boundary. Thus, pixels of the image to be recorded are replaced with recording dots of a color ink by an extent which is determined based on the degree of positional proximity between the pixels of the different colors. A sharp black image can be obtained with minimized color mixing at the boundary between the black image region and the color region, regardless of the degree of positional proximity between these regions.