Abstract: A signal processing apparatus includes a plurality of equalizers configured to input an audio signal of a corresponding channel among audio signals of a plurality of channels and configured to perform at least gain adjustment on the basis of a set parameter, each of the equalizers being provided in such a manner as to correspond to an audio signal of one of the plurality of channels; a plurality of output sections configured to output each audio signal for each of the plurality of channels, the audio signal being processed by the equalizer; a measurement section configured to measure frequency-amplitude characteristics of the audio signal output from the output section; and a computation section configured to perform a computation process for correcting frequency-amplitude characteristics of an audio signal of each channel on the basis of the measurement result by the measurement section.

Abstract: An audio reproducing apparatus is disclosed. The audio reproducing apparatus includes a plurality of speaker units and a directivity controlling section. The radiation surfaces of the plurality of speaker units outwardly face. The directivity controlling section controls directivities of the plurality of speaker units so as to form one or a plurality of low sensitivity regions.

Abstract: An information acquisition device for acquiring digital Information includes: a first transmission unit (14) having directivity and transmitting by wireless an information request signal to be transmitted in a direction of the directivity; an information addition unit (13) adding at least one piece of address information to the information request signal to be transmitted; a reception unit (15) receiving a radio signal transmitted by wireless in response to the information request signal transmitted by the first transmission unit, and acquiring information contained in the signal; an information storage unit (16) which is built in the information acquisition device or attached to the device as removable from the device, and can store all or a part of information acquired by the reception unit; and an operation unit (11) issuing an instruction to start an information requesting operation. The reception unit (15) has no directivity or has broader directivity than the first transmission unit.

Abstract: A signal processing apparatus includes at least one equalization section, each of the equalization section being capable of setting a center frequency, a gain value at the center frequency, and a Q value and allowing set frequency-amplitude characteristics to be applied to an input signal; and a computation section. The computation section performs a center frequency determination process for computing, for target characteristics of the equalization section, a difference from the target characteristics for each area divided by a frequency portion where the gain of the characteristics of the equalization section is small and a frequency portion where the gain of the characteristics of the equalization section is large, a gain value determination process for determining the gain value at the center frequency of the equalization section, and a Q value determination process for setting the determined center frequency and the determined gain value.

Abstract: A signal processing apparatus includes: an audio image localization processing unit performing audio image localization processing on a sound signal of each frequency band for each channel of the sound signal based on information used to determine an audio image localization position of each frequency band; and a mixing unit mixing the sound signals of the respective channels subjected to the audio image localization processing by the audio image localization processing unit.

Abstract: A gas appliance judgment apparatus and method by which a type of gas appliance in use and the existence of a gas leak can be identified. In operation, noise is removed from measured instantaneous flow volume, whereupon the “length”, “initial flow volume” and “sequence of transited regions” of the variable portion of the flow volume and the “length”, “average value” and “gradient” of the flat portion of the flow volume are extracted. A rule having characteristics data which matches the characteristics of the variable portion and the flat portion of the flow volume is then searched, and points are added respectively for the type of gas appliance and for the existence of a gas leak. When the added points are not less than a previously established threshold value, then the type of gas appliance in use is determined, and appliance type information is output as a judgment result.

Abstract: According to the present invention, mistaken detection of a gas leak can be prevented even when using an appliance which has been newly installed in a dwelling receiving a gas supply, and whereby a gas leak can be detected rapidly, efficiently and accurately. The characteristics extraction means 5 extracts characteristics of a gas flow including a combination of the instantaneous flow volume data and the instantaneous flow volume time differential value, on the basis of the data obtained by the flow volume measurement means 1, pressure measurement means 2, instantaneous flow volume time differential operation means 3 and pressure time differential operation means 4.

Abstract: A gas appliance judgment apparatus and method by which a type of gas appliance in use and the existence of a gas leak can be identified. In operation, noise is removed from measured instantaneous flow volume, whereupon the “length”, “initial flow volume” and “sequence of transited regions” of the variable portion of the flow volume and the “length”, “average value” and “gradient” of the flat portion of the flow volume are extracted. A rule having characteristics data which matches the characteristics of the variable portion and the flat portion of the flow volume is then searched, and points are added respectively for the type of gas appliance and for the existence of a gas leak. When the added points are not less than a previously established threshold value, then the type of gas appliance in use is determined, and appliance type information is output as a judgment result.

Abstract: A battery device includes secondary battery cells, a detector configured to detect respective voltages of the cells, a first circuit configured to output an overvoltage alarm signal for notifying whether each of the voltage values of the cells is an overvoltage equal to or more than a threshold. value, a second circuit configured to output a first level shutdown signal to an upper controller when any of the secondary battery cells is judged to be overvoltage by the overvoltage alarm signal, and a third circuit configured to be supplied with the shutdown signal and to control operations of the first circuit and the second circuit. The second circuit assumes the shutdown signal at a second level when making self-diagnosis on the first circuit, and outputs an alarm signal for notifying the third circuit of, when the overvoltage alarm signal noticing an overvoltage is supplied, the overvoltage.

Abstract: An electricity meter capable of minimizing a risk of data destruction in case of lightning or surge that involves improperly high voltage is provided. The electricity meter includes a measurement part, an operation part, and an insulation part. The measurement part includes a detection unit to detect electricity consumption of an objective system and a transmission unit to wirelessly transmit data representative of the detected electricity consumption. The operation part includes a reception unit to receive the wirelessly transmitted data and an operation unit to process the received data into data representative of electric energy consumed by the objective system. The insulation part electrically insulates the measurement part and operation part from each other.

Abstract: A manufacturing method of a double spiral glass tube having a bump that is difficult to break. The manufacturing method includes the steps of: causing the bump forming section (32) in the central portion (13) to have greater tube thickness than the other sections in the glass tube (23) that has been deformed into a double spiral shape; heating and softening part of the bump forming section; and forming a bump (14) by injecting a nitrogen gas (27) into the inner space of the glass tube from both ends thereof to expand the bump forming section. With this structure, the bump forming section is preliminarily formed to have a greater tube thickness than the other sections. As a result, the bump, which is formed by expanding the bump forming section to have a smaller tube thickness than before the expansion, still maintains a sufficient strength.

Abstract: An audio-signal processing device that processes an audio signal and supplies the audio signal to an audio output unit includes a characteristic-component extraction unit that extracts at least a high frequency component contained in the audio signal as a characteristic component. The audio signal and the extracted characteristic component are supplied to the audio output unit so that a sound image of the extracted characteristic component is localized closer to a listener than a sound image of the audio signal.

Abstract: The electrode mount includes a filament coil, paired lead wires supporting the filament coil therebetween in a manner that the filament coil hangs across the lead wires; and bead glass retaining the paired leadwires. The arc tube includes an arc tube main body formed by winding a glass tube, and an electrode fixed to the end portion of the arc tube main body. For this electrode, the electrode mount is used. The fixing of the electrode mount at the end portion of the arc tube main body is made at a region of the lead wires positioned between the filament coil and the bead glass, and the bead glass is disposed outside the arc tube main body.

Abstract: A sound processing apparatus includes: a filter means for providing a sound signal with a frequency-gain characteristic according to a spectrum difference between a previously measured first head-related transfer function of a sound generated from a virtual sound image position to an ear of a listener and a previously measured second head-related transfer function of a sound generated from a real sound source position to the ear, and outputting the sound signal.

Abstract: A sound is picked up using a plurality of microphones that are arranged so that respective directivity axes of the microphones differ from each other or so that they function as a plurality of microphones having directivities in different directions by performing a calculation on sound signals output from the plurality of microphones. Rotation of the plurality of microphones is detected, and the sound signals output from the plurality of microphones are processed according to the detected rotation so that a change in orientation of each of the microphones is canceled. The processed output sound signals are output to a reproduction side.

Abstract: A signal processing apparatus includes a plurality of equalizer each used for a corresponding frequency band, controller for setting a gain value in each of the plurality of equalizer, and signal processor for processing an input signal by means of the plurality of equalizer. The controller determines a target gain value for each of the plurality of frequency bands, obtains a value of gain leakage from the first frequency band to a second frequency band adjacent to the first frequency band, updates a gain value set for the second frequency band, updates a gain value set for the first frequency band, repeats an update process for updating the gain value for each of the first frequency band and the second frequency band in an alternate manner until the gain value satisfies a predetermined condition, and sets the updated gain value for each of the frequency bands in the corresponding equalizer.

Abstract: A binaural sound reproduction apparatus includes a correction filter operable to filter an input sound signal that is recorded using a binaural recording microphone and to supply the filtered signal to a headphone, an adaptive filter to which the input sound signal is supplied, and a difference detector determining a difference between a sound signal that is obtained by collecting a sound reproduced by the headphone using a sound-collecting microphone that is the same as the binaural recording microphone, or that has a similar characteristic to that of the binaural recording microphone, and a sound signal output from the adaptive filter, and for transmitting the difference to the adaptive filter. The adaptive filter determines the inverse of a synthesis characteristic from the headphone to the sound-collecting microphone based on the input sound signal and the difference, and sets the determined characteristic as a characteristic of the correction filter.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a semiconductor device includes: supporting a semiconductor substrate formed with a polishing target film by a polishing head; and polishing the polishing target film while restricting movement in a radial direction of the semiconductor substrate by a retainer formed on the polishing head with a tilted surface formed on an inner peripheral section of the retainer, wherein when the polishing target film is polished, an outer peripheral surface of the semiconductor substrate comes into contact with the tilted surface formed on the inner peripheral section of the retainer.

Abstract: In a watt-hour meter, encoders 116, 117, 118 and 119 respectively convert a signal concerning a current and voltage used by a customer into a code sequence signal by Reed-Solomon codes or convolutional codes. Decoders 121, 122, 123, and 124 reversely convert the code sequence signal to the signal concerning the current and voltage. A power calculating section 125 converts the signal concerning the current and voltage into data concerning electricity consumption.

Abstract: A signal processing apparatus includes a low-pass-filter processing unit configured to perform processing for limiting a band of an input audio signal on the basis of a cutoff frequency; a high-pass-filter processing unit configured to perform processing for limiting a band of the input audio signal on the basis of the cutoff frequency; a delay processing unit configured to perform processing for delaying the audio signal band-limited by the high-pass-filter processing unit; and a combination processing unit configured to combine the audio signal band-limited by the low-pass-filter processing unit and the audio signal subjected to the delay processing performed by the delay processing unit.