Abstract: A transparent conductor including a transparent substrate, a first dielectric layer, a metal layer containing silver or a silver alloy as a primary component, a second dielectric layer composed of a semiconductor, and a third dielectric layer of which electrical conductivity is different from that of the second dielectric layer in the order presented, wherein the third dielectric layer-is composed of a conductor.

Abstract: A light control film to be bonded to a panel member for a vehicle includes film substrates, conductive layers, and a liquid crystal layer. The conductive layers are on surfaces of the film substrates opposed to each other, respectively. The liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between conductive layers. The light control film is switchable between a first state with a first haze percentage and a second state with a second haze percentage that is lower than the first haze percentage. Each film substrate includes at least an acrylic imide layer made of acrylic imide. Each conductive layer includes a thin silver film or a copper wire mesh.

Abstract: A transparent conductor including a transparent substrate, a first dielectric layer, a metal layer containing silver or a silver alloy as a primary component, a second dielectric layer composed of a semiconductor, and a third dielectric layer of which electrical conductivity is different from that of the second dielectric layer in the order presented, wherein the third dielectric layer-is composed of a conductor.

Abstract: A light control film to be bonded to a panel member for a vehicle includes film substrates, conductive layers, and a liquid crystal layer. The conductive layers are on surfaces of the film substrates opposed to each other, respectively. The liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between conductive layers. The light control film is switchable between a first state with a first haze percentage and a second state with a second haze percentage that is lower than the first haze percentage. Each film substrate includes at least an acrylic imide layer made of acrylic imide. Each conductive layer includes a thin silver film or a copper wire mesh.

Abstract: An energy management system includes an energy management apparatus configured to mange energy supplied to equipment devices of a plurality of buildings, and a control apparatus configured to control the equipment devices in the buildings. The energy management apparatus is located superordinate to the buildings. The control apparatus is connected to the energy management apparatus. The control apparatus includes an operating status perceiving unit configured to perceive operating status of the equipment devices, and a reducing capability presentation unit configured to present a plurality of energy reducing capabilities for at least one condition to the energy management apparatus. The energy reducing capabilities are amounts of energy that can be reduced for the equipment devices based on the operating status perceived.

Abstract: Information is recorded on a multi-layered optical recording medium by irradiating it with a laser beam. The recording medium can form a first information recording layer that is the farthest from a light incident surface, a second information recording layer that is the second farthest from the light incident surface, and at least one third information recording layer that is located closer to the light incident surface than the second information recording layer is. At this time, if all the information recording layers other than the first information recording layer are either blank or have been completely recorded, then information is recorded on the first information recording layer. This allows for stabilizing the energy of a recording laser beam during recording and thereby providing improved recording quality.

Abstract: An optical recording medium having three or more information recording layers reduces crosstalk caused by multi-reflected beams and improves signal quality. In the optical recording medium having three or more information recording layers, the refractive index of a plurality of intermediate layers disposed between adjacent information recording layers is greater than the refractive index of a cover layer disposed between a light incident surface and an information recording layer being the closest from the light incident surface.

Abstract: An optical recording and reading method capable of enhancing the design flexibility of recording layers of an optical recording medium and performing accurate optical recording and reading operations. A basic recording layer is arranged in a position that is in the range of 90 ?m to 110 ?m away from a light incident surface of an optical recording medium, and recording layers are arranged in parallel with the basic recording layer. At least the position information of the recording layers is recorded in one of the basic recording layer and the recording layers.

Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide an energy management system that works both to reduce energy and to maintain amenity in each building. The energy management system (100) of the present invention is provided with an energy management apparatus (10) and a control apparatus (30, 30). The energy management apparatus is located superordinate to a plurality of buildings, and manages energy supplied to equipment devices provided to each building. The control apparatus is connected to the energy management apparatus, and controls the equipment devices in the buildings. The control apparatus has an operating status perceiving unit (36a, 236a, 336a, 436a) and a reducing capability presentation unit (36g, 236g, 336g, 436g), The operating status perceiving unit perceives the operating status of the equipment devices.

Abstract: An optical recording medium which includes three or more information layers and has a higher stack density of information layers than before in the direction of thickness while reducing crosstalk during reproduction, and a method for reading the optical recording medium are provided. The optical recording medium has a three-layer structure which includes a substrate, a first information layer, a first spacer layer, a second information layer, a second spacer layer, a third information layer, and a cover layer thinner than the substrate, with these layers being stacked in that order over the substrate, wherein the following Equation (I) is satisfied: (R2×R3×R2)/R1?0.0032??Equation (I) where R1 is the reflectivity of the first information layer, R2 is the reflectivity of the second information layer, and R3 is the reflectivity of the third information layer, and the first spacer layer and the second spacer layer are equal to each other in thickness.

Abstract: In a multi-layer optical disc, having three (3) or more recording layers thereof, for enabling an easy focus lead-in operation onto a desired recording layer, reflectivity of respective recording layers are so determined that a ratio between the reflectivity of the desired recording layer and the reflectivity of other recording layers is equal or greater than a predetermined value, upon basis of the reflectivity of the other recording layers.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide an optical recording medium and a method for producing an optical recording medium that enable to improve the quality of a servo signal and a reproduction signal. The optical recording medium satisfies: t3?t4?1 ?m, t4?t2?1 ?m, t2?10 ?m, and t1?(t2+t3+t4)?1 ?m, where t1 is a thickness between a surface of the optical recording medium, and the first information recording surface, t2 is a thickness between the first optical recording surface and the second information recording surface, t3 is a thickness between the second optical recording surface and the third information recording surface, and t4 is a thickness between the third optical recording surface and the fourth information recording surface.

Abstract: A recording method for irradiating a multi-layered optical recording medium with a laser beam to record information thereon. The optical recording medium can form a first information recording layer that is the farthest from a light incident surface, a second information recording layer that is the second farthest from the light incident surface, and at least one third information recording layer that is located closer to the light incident surface than the second information recording layer is. The method is to record information on the second information recording layer when all the information recording layers other than the second information recording layer are either blank or have been completely recorded. This allows for realizing high-quality information recording in consideration of adherence of foreign matters or occurrence of scratches.

Abstract: A multilayer recording medium has a three-layered structure for an increased capacity, including an L0 layer, an L1 layer, and an L2 layer in order from the side farthest away from the incident surface of laser light. The recording layers are made of respective recording film materials selected so that the recording films of the recording layers have respective recording-reaction temperatures T0, T1, and T2, where T0?T1?T2 and T0<T2. This makes the recording sensitivities of the respective recording layers substantially the same and, by extension, the optimal recording powers of the laser light for the respective recording layers substantially the same so that the recording power of the laser light necessary for recording information on the L0 layer in particular is prevented from becoming excessively high.

Abstract: An optical head device (optical head) for a multi-layered optical recording medium has a focus control mechanism that makes use of astigmatism. The focus control mechanism has a sensor lens that includes a cylindrical lens. The focus control mechanism causes a light beam having passed through the sensor lens to have astigmatism, thereby being focused linearly in the Y direction on a front focal line located closer to the sensor lens and focused linearly in the X direction at a rear focal line located farther therefrom. The optical head also includes a photodetector which is disposed between the front focal line and the rear focal line to detect a focal position from the shape of a light beam. At the position of the front focal line, a shield plate with a window portion is disposed. The window portion has a size so as to allow the focal line to pass therethrough and shield stray light reflected from an unfocused recording layer.

Abstract: A multilayer optical recording medium having three or more information recording layers is irradiated with a laser beam, and a first signal obtained from the reflected laser beam is subjected to a frequency filter. A second signal obtained by filtration through a high-pass filter is used to evaluate the characteristics of the multilayer optical recording medium. In this manner, even in a multilayer optical recording medium having three or more information recording layers, the influence of the variation of the thickness and material of the information recording layers and the influence of the variation of the thickness of a spacer layer can be clearly determined and evaluated.

Abstract: An optical recording medium and a method of recording and reproducing of the optical recording medium are provided, which are capable of recording and reproducing data with reliability even when blue or blue violet laser light is used as irradiation light. The optical recording medium has a recording layer in which a recording mark composed of a plurality of cavities is formed by irradiation of the laser light. The recording layer is configured so that, in a plan view taken in a direction of irradiation of the laser light, cavities lying in an area of the center and its vicinities of the recording mark, out of the plurality of cavities, include cavities greater than ones lying around the area.

Abstract: In a multilayer optical recording medium having three or more recording layers, when data is recorded on a recording layer far away from an incident surface of laser light, and especially on a recording layer farthest away from the incident surface of the laser light, by applying the laser light, the recording power margin of the farthest recording layer allows for a variation in the optimal recording sensitivity even if the transmittance of the recording layers located between the laser light incident surface side and the target recording layer is varied due to existing recordings and the amount of the laser light passing therethrough is also varied. In this case, the recording layer which is the farthest from an incident surface of laser light has a phase change recording film, and the recording layer which is the nearest from the incident surface of the laser light has a write-once read-multiple recording film.

Abstract: An optical recording medium includes a substrate and a plurality of recording layers laminated via at least intermediate layers, at least one of the recording layers other than a recording layer farthest from a light incidence plane among the plurality of recording layers containing at least one metal M selected from a group consisting of Ni, Cu, Si, Ti, Ge, Zr, Nb, Mo, In, Sn, W, Pb, Bi, Zn and La and an element X which can combine with the metal M upon being irradiated with a laser beam for recording data, thereby forming a crystal of a compound of the element X with the metal M. According to the thus constituted optical recording medium, it is possible to record data in and reproduce from a farthest recording layer from a light incidence plane in a desired manner and it is possible to record data in and reproduce from recording layer(s) other than the farthest recording layer from the light incidence plane in a desired manner.

Abstract: When there is a defect area in a specific recording layer, recording of information is continued to restrain reduction in a recording rate. In an optical recording method for recording information on a multilayer optical recording medium having a plurality of recording layers by irradiating the recording layer with a beam spot, when a defect area is detected while the information is recorded on a specific recording layer selected from the plurality of recording layers, an escape recording layer which is selected from among the other recording layers except for the specific recording layer is irradiated with the beam spot to continue recording the information.