Abstract: A host information memory is provided in a semiconductor memory card and a data write start address and a data size supplied by an access unit are stored. A free physical area generation section determines whether or not to perform erasing of an invalid block of a nonvolatile memory when writing of data based on the data write start address and data size, and determines the number of blocks to be erased. When erasing, writing of data and erasing of invalid blocks are simultaneously performed with respect to different memory chips. Erase process of data, herewith, can be optimized and high speed access from the access unit to a semiconductor memory card can be realized.

Abstract: When a file system control part 155A writes file data into a main memory 142, a file can be easily written continuously and the number of file copy can be decreased at updating a directory entry by writing the file data and a directory entry into different allocation units. In this manner, when using a nonvolatile memory in which physical block size as an erase unit is larger than cluster size, the write performance can be enhanced.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a damping and soundproofing member not only excellent in an excellent damping and soundproofing effect but also excellent in easiness of forming thereof, especially capable of forming directly a damping and soundproofing layer on a substance to be adhered and further excellent in lightness, washing ability, durability, and the like. The invention relates to a structure formed by laminating cured product layers formed from plurality of fluid resin compositions on a substrate expecting a damping or soundproofing effect, wherein at least two cured product layers of the above cured product layers are different in hardness. Moreover, preferably, no part of the hardest layer in the above cured product layers is directly formed on the substrate and the hardest layer is formed on the substrate via an intermediate layer.

Abstract: There are provided a plating method for a roll and a grinding method before a cell is formed in which copper sulfate plating having a uniform thickness without any particles or pits can be applied to the roll for a gravure printing, both a middle finish grinding and a mirror surface finish grinding not depending on a grinding stone grinding can be carried out in a short period of time and a high quality roll can be provided. The grinding is carried out after applying the copper sulfate plating to the roll to attain a mirror surface finish state. The copper sulfate plating is carried out in such a way that non-soluble anode having a length more than the maximum roll length is ascended to the rotating process roll and approached to the lower surface of the roll, plating liquid having some avoidable impurities becoming a cause of particles or pits removed through a filter so as to perform a plating having no thickened portions at both ends of the roll.

Abstract: A driving apparatus of a plasma display panel includes a sustain generator section that sustains sustain electrodes at a specific potential (ground potential) and applies alternately a first positive pulse voltage and a first negative pulse voltage to scan electrodes, as a sustain pulse voltage, during a sustain period, and an address voltage generator that applies a voltage changing temporally to address electrodes. The address voltage generator applies a second pulse voltage with a predetermined polarity to the address electrode in synchronization with a pulse with the same polarity as the second pulse voltage out of sustain pulse voltages during the sustain period.

Abstract: A bypass control section (6) maintains a bypass switch (5) in the ON state during the period when a battery voltage (Vi) is higher than the output voltage (Vo) to an external load (L). Upon falling of the output voltage (Vo) at a desired voltage (ET), a converter control section (4) starts switching control at once, and a step-up chopper (3) promptly starts boost operation. The bypass control section (6) maintains the bypass switch (5) in the ON state from the start of the boost operation of the step-up chopper (3) until the match between the battery voltage (Vi) and the output voltage (Vo).

Abstract: Disclosed is a respiration leading system which can leads a living body to respire so that relaxation is effectively induced without any physiological load even if a respiration exercise feedback is not employed. This system comprises a control unit and a sense-stimulating unit. The control unit makes the sense-stimulating unit change the output energy for stimulating a sense of the living body so that the living body is induced to inhale and exhale as a physiological reaction. The energy change is done within the range of a respiration period x(sec) and a parameter y defined as 2 sec<x<12 sec and 0.85<y<1.45 (a region x?4 sec and y?1.3 is excluded). The parameter y is a ratio of exhaling time to inhaling time. The energy output in the first half period corresponding to either inhaling or exhaling and the energy output in the latter half corresponding to the other, induce the living body to respire.

Abstract: A reset pulse generating section applies the total of voltages of a positive voltage source and two constant-voltage sources from a high side ramp wave generating section to a high side scan switching device as the upper limit of a reset voltage pulse, and applies the ground potential from a low side ramp wave generating section to a low side scan switching device as the lower limit of the reset voltage pulse. A sustaining pulse generating section applies the upper and lower limits of a sustaining voltage pulse through a common sustaining pulse transmission path to the low side scan switching device.

Abstract: A reset pulse generating section applies the total of voltages of a positive voltage source and two constant-voltage sources from a high side ramp wave generating section to a high side scan switching device as the upper limit of a reset voltage pulse, and applies the ground potential from a low side ramp wave generating section to a low side scan switching device as the lower limit of the reset voltage pulse. A sustaining pulse generating section applies the upper and lower limits of a sustaining voltage pulse through a common sustaining pulse transmission path to the low side scan switching device.

Abstract: Pulse generating sections (1X, 1Y) convert a DC voltage (Vs) into voltage pulses (Vp), and apply the pulses to the sustain and scan electrodes (X, Y) of a PDP (20). Recovery switching devices (Q3X, Q4X, Q3Y, Q4Y) of power recovery sections (2X, 2Y) are turned on and off under the rising and falling edges of the voltage pulses (Vp), thereby connect recovery inductors (LpX, LpY) to recovery capacitors (CX, CY). Then, the recovery inductors (LpX, LpY) resonate with the panel capacitance (Cp). While the amounts of the resonance currents (ILX, ILY) are small, the inductances of the recovery inductors (LpX, LpY) are high. When the amounts of the resonance currents (ILX, ILY) exceed a threshold value, the inductances of the recovery inductors (LpX, LpY) are reduced.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a processing solution used for forming a hexavalent chromium free, black conversion film, which is applied onto the surface of zinc or zinc alloy plating layers, and which has corrosion resistance identical to or higher than that achieved by the conventional hexavalent chromium-containing conversion film. According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a processing solution for forming a hexavalent chromium free, black conversion film on zinc or zinc alloy plating layers, the processing solution comprising: nitrate ions and trivalent chromium in a mole ratio (NO3?/Cr3+) of less than 0.

Abstract: A processing solution for forming a hexavalent chromium free, corrosion resistant trivalent chromate conversion film on zinc or zinc alloy plating layers comprises: trivalent chromium and oxalic acid in a molar ratio ranging from 0.5/1 to 1.5/1, wherein the trivalent chromium is present in the form of a water-soluble complex with oxalic acid; and cobalt ions, which do not form a hardly soluble metal salt with oxalic acid and are stably present in the processing solution without causing any precipitation; wherein the solution reacts with zinc when bringing it into contact with the zinc or zinc alloy plating to form a hexavalent chromium free, corrosion resistant, trivalent chromate conversion film containing zinc, chromium, cobalt, oxalic acid and silicon on the plating.

Abstract: Sustain electrodes (X1, X2, . . . ) of a PDP (20) are grounded. A PFC converter (40) converts an alternating voltage into a DC voltage (Vs) and applies it directly across a PDP driver (10). A sustaining pulse generating section (1) converts the DC voltage (Vs) into a primary voltage pulse (VF), and applies it across a primary winding (2a) of a transformer (2). The transformer (2) converts the primary voltage pulse (VF) into a sustaining voltage pulse (Vp), and applies it to scan electrodes (Y1, Y2, . . . ) of the PDP (20) through a reset/scanning pulse generating section (3). An inductor (L) is connected in parallel with a secondary winding (2b) of the transformer (2). The inductor (L) resonates with the panel capacitance of the PDP (20) at the rising and falling edges of the sustain voltage pulse (Vp).

Abstract: A processing solution for forming a hexavalent chromium free, corrosion resistant trivalent chromate conversion film on zinc or zinc alloy plating layers comprises: trivalent chromium and oxalic acid in a molar ratio ranging from 0.5/1 to 1.5/1, wherein the trivalent chromium is present in the form of a water-soluble complex with oxalic acid; and cobalt ions, which do not form a hardly soluble metal salt with oxalic acid and are stably present in the processing solution without causing any precipitation; wherein the solution reacts with zinc when bringing it into contact with the zinc or zinc alloy plating to form a hexavalent chromium free, corrosion resistant, trivalent chromate conversion film containing zinc, chromium, cobalt, oxalic acid and silicon on the plating.

Abstract: In a DC-DC converter equipped with an operation mode (standby operation mode) which is only for reducing consumption power in a light load state such as at the time of a start-up, there is an output power dive detecting circuit disposed which outputs a result of a comparison of an upper limit output voltage E1, which is higher a predetermined voltage than a target output voltage E0, with an output DC voltage Vo. The DC-DC converter does not enter the standby operation mode when the output DC voltage Vo is higher than the upper limit output voltage E1, which greatly improves a response speed at which the output DC voltage Vo efficiently reaches the target output voltage E0.

Abstract: Blocks and clusters are brought to correspondence thereby to erase blocks of memory area efficiently. A flash memory has its physical addresses partitioned from address 0h sequentially into blocks each having eight sectors. The data area of logical address starts at address 4Dh, which is set to the starting physical address 50h of the block which is close to the top of data area, and the data area is set sequentially to the following physical addresses. The remaining logical addresses 3D7Dh-3D7Fh are brought back to the top of physical address and set to physical addresses 0h-2h. Consequently, clusters (a cluster has 4 k bytes or 2 k bytes) of data sent from a host unit correspond to blocks of physical addresses, enabling block erasure of the flash memory, whereby the number of times of erasing operation at data writing can be reduced significantly.

Abstract: In a lighting system capable of varying luminance of the light emitting surface periodically used for adjusting rhythm of breathing of an observer when he wishes to fall asleep, a light source is controlled in a manner so that variation of the luminance “L” per a unit time in the vicinity at a time tMAX when the luminance “L” takes the largest value in one period becomes larger than the variation of the luminance “L” per the unit time in the vicinity at a time tMIN when the luminance “L” takes the smallest value.

Abstract: A processing solution for forming a hexavalent chromium free, corrosion resistant trivalent chromate conversion film on zinc or zinc alloy plating layers comprises a silicon compound; trivalent chromium and oxalic acid in a molar ratio ranging from 0.5 to 1.5, wherein the trivalent chromium is present in the form of a water-soluble complex with oxalic acid; and cobalt ions, which form a hardly soluble metal salt with oxalic acid and are stably present in the processing solution without causing any precipitation, wherein the solution reacts with zinc when bringing it into contact with the zinc or zinc alloy plating to form a hexavalent chromium free, corrosion resistant, trivalent chromate conversion film containing zinc, chromium, cobalt, oxalic acid and silicon on the plating. This solution can provide a corrosion resistant trivalent chromate conversion film excellent in the corrosion resistance after heating.

Abstract: In a DC-DC converter equipped with an operation mode (standby operation mode) which is only for reducing consumption power in a light load state such as at the time of a start-up, there is an output power dive detecting circuit disposed which outputs a result of a comparison of an upper limit output voltage E1, which is higher a predetermined voltage than a target output voltage E0, with an output DC voltage Vo. The DC-DC converter does not enter the standby operation mode when the output DC voltage Vo is higher than the upper limit output voltage E1, which greatly improves a response speed at which the output DC voltage Vo efficiently reaches the target output voltage E0.

Abstract: A compact film player has a picture reproducing unit and an information reading unit capable of reading a photographing information on each frame of the film. When a developed film is fed in an inlet of the picture reproducing unit in a prescribed direction, a scan mirror scans a picture provided on the film perpendicularly to the feed direction, so that a line sensor takes the picture every line. The line sensor and the scan mirror read two-dimensional pictures provided on the film. When the picture of the frame previously read is on display, the scan of the next frame is effected.