Abstract: The process of the present invention can easily produce a solid polymer electrolyte having a high ion conductivity, by reacting an acrylic copolymer comprising structural units represented by the following formulas (I) and (II) with a compound represented by formula (III) Y—R—Y, provided that in formulas (II) and (III), X and Y are a combination of an isocyanate group and a hydroxyl group, thereby being solidified.

Abstract: In an antiglare mirror apparatus mounted inside a vehicle compartment a mirror member is an electrochromic element comprising an antiglare material including an electrochromic layer, a light transmission electrode material and a light reflective electrode material where the light transmission electrode material and the light reflective electrode material are positioned on both sides of the antiglare material and a control circuit controls a drive-electric energy to the electrochromic element based upon a driving electric signal of a signal generator wherein the mirror member is detachably mounted to a facility in a vehicle compartment so that a holder holds the mirror member and the mirror member covers a pre-mounted inner mirror.

Abstract: A binary image encoding method includes a predicting step of predicting a binary image, and a blocking step of blocking a data sequence, which indicates the prediction hit or miss in the predicting step, into blocks to produce blocked data. Also, a binary image encoding method includes an encoding step of switching a Huffman table in accordance with the blocked data around a Huffman-block-encoding-target block to apply the Huffman block encoding to the encoding-target block.

Abstract: A large volume of digital media home information output from each of audio, visual, computer and communication (AVCC) apparatuses is transmitted to a digital media home information network at a high data speed and is received by one AVCC apparatus. Also, a small volume of digital environment home information output from each of self-management apparatuses such as an energy sensor, a security sensor and a health case sensor is transmitted to a digital environment home information network at a low data speed and is received by a digital information transmitting/receiving and protocol converting unit. In this unit, A protocol of the digital environment home information in the digital environment home information network is converted into that in the digital media home information network, and the data speed of the digital environment home information in the digital environment home information network is changed to that in the digital media home information network.

Abstract: The electrochromic devices have an ion conductive layer formed by curing a composition comprising a bipyridinium compound represented by the formula a specific metallocene compound and a precursor of a polymeric solid electrolyte, between two electrically conductive substrates, at least one of which is transparent.

Abstract: A disk array unit connected to a host unit to give information thereto and receive information therefrom. The disk unit includes a plurality of disk units for storing information transmitted from the host unit and a management information recording device, formed by utilizing information storage areas in the disk units, for causing information relating to a logical unit for storing information from the host unit to correspond to information relating to the units. The invention further includes a control unit, when there is no access from the host unit to the logical unit for a predetermined time, for determining the disk units corresponding to the logical unit based on information recorded in the management information recording device and performing power saving of power supply for the disk units.

Abstract: A disk array unit connected to a host unit to give information thereto and receive information therefrom. The disk unit includes a plurality of disk units for storing information transmitted from the host unit and a management information recording device, formed by utilizing information storage areas in the disk units, for causing information relating to a logical unit for storing information from the host unit to correspond to information relating to the units. The invention further includes a control unit, when there is no access from the host unit to the logical unit for a predetermined time, for determining the disk units corresponding to the logical unit based on information recorded in the management information recording device and performing power saving of power supply for the disk units.

Abstract: An electrochromic element comprises an ion conduction layer between two conducting substrates, at least one of which is transparent. The ion conduction layer contains an organic compounds, which has both a structure exhibiting a cathodic electrochromic characteristic and a structure exhibiting an anodic electrochromic characteristic.

Abstract: A NOx catalyst in the exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine is capable of lean burn and adapted to release and reduce absorbed NOx by a reducing agent. Reducing agent supplier is provided in the exhaust passage on the upstream side of the NOx catalyst. A load detector detects the load of an internal combustion engine. Reducing agent addition controller controls the reducing agent addition period and the reducing agent addition interval based on the load of the internal combustion engine, whereby sufficient reducing agent is supplied to the NOx catalyst side independently of the operating condition.

Abstract: The present invention includes a motion vector detector for detecting motion vectors using a first image signal of high resolution; a resolution reducer for creating a second image signal of low resolution from the first image signal; an image signal interpolater for interpolating the second image signal so that it has the same number of pixels as the first image signal, thereby creating an interpolated signal; a differentiator for determining a differential between the first image signal and the interpolated signal; and an encoder for using the motion vectors to high-efficiency-encode the differential signal. Thus, by encoding two types of image signals of different resolutions, the present invention improves the accuracy of the motion vectors during the encoding of the high-resolution signal and reduces the rate after encoding due to the encoding of the differential signal.

Abstract: A Ce-activated GSO single crystal is provided which comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of Mg, Ta and Zr. The GSO single crystal possesses a faster fluorescence-attenuation time and a smaller output ratio and is colorless and highly transparent. Accordingly, the single crystal may suitably be used as a scintillator for PET.

Abstract: Still color image data is separated into plural planes, and pixels of each plane are processed predictive coding within plane and/or between planes, and the predictive error data is modified by using the correlation of predictive errors within plane and/or between planes, and the modified data is coded by entropy coding so as to curtail the quantity of data, thereby realizing high speed and efficient predictive coding.

Abstract: N_Port_Name information capable of distinctly identifying a host computer has seen set in a microprocessor 42 of a storage controller 40 prior to start-up of host computers 10, 20, 30; upon startup of the host computers 10, 20, 30, when the storage controller 40 receives a frame issued, then the microprocessor 42 operates to perform comparison for determining whether the N_Port_Name information stored in the frame has been already set in the microprocessor 42 and registered to the N_Port_Name list within a control table maintained. When such comparison results in match, then continue execution of processing based on the frame instruction; if comparison results in failure of match, then reject any request.

Abstract: A method for producing a cell for an electrochromic mirror which comprises a step of applying a epoxy-based sealant containing beads by a method selected from the group consisting of dispensing or screen-printing on a predetermined position of the surface peripheral edge of at least one of two electrically conductive substrates; and a step of superposing the two substrates such that the width of the applied sealant is made 2 mm or less.

Abstract: When a request to conduct format process is received from the external device, a write history management table which records histories of conducted writing processes in block units is referred to confirm whether or not writing process has been conducted to the block. As a result of the confirmation, the format process is conducted to only a block, which a writing process has not been conducted, and a history of conducting the writing process of the formatted block is recorded. In conducting the format process, when a request is received to conduct reading process and/or writing process from the external device, the write history management table is referred, and only in a case that a writing process has been conducted to said block, the disk array device is accessed and a reading process and/or writing process is conducted to the block.

Abstract: A disk array unit connected to a host unit to give information thereto and receive information therefrom. The disk unit includes a plurality of disk units for storing information transmitted from the host unit and a management information recording device, formed by utilizing information storage areas in the disk units, for causing information relating to a logical unit for storing information from the host unit to correspond to information relating to the units. The invention further includes a control unit, when there is no access from the host unit to the logical unit for a predetermined time, for determining the disk units corresponding to the logical unit based on information recorded in the management information recording device and performing power saving of power supply for the disk units.

Abstract: According to the present invention, a solid electrolytic capacitor is manufactured by repeating a plurality of times a first step of immersing a substrate made of a valve metal whose surface is roughened and which is formed with an insulating oxide film in an ethylene dioxythiophene solution and a second step of bringing the substrate into contact with an oxidizing agent solution containing quadrivalent cerium salt at a concentration of 1% to 7% by weight so that the cumulative total time during which the second step is performed is shorter than five minutes, thereby forming a solid high molecular polymer electrolyte layer on the surface of the substrate.

Abstract: A substrate fiber for a dry friction material includes a trunk portion extending in the axial direction of the fiber and divergent portions slightly diverged from a part of the trunk portion and having small diameters. The diameter of the trunk portion is from about 10 to 20 &mgr;m and the length of the trunk portion is from about 0.5 to 5 mm.

Abstract: To provide a neutron scintillator, which does not contain a heavy element, which is absolutely necessary in realizing a scintillation detector having low sensitivity to gamma ray and fully capable of counting high intensity neutron, Cu is doped in oxide comprised of Li and B. The oxide comprised of Li and B is a transparent single crystal having composition ratio of Li2B4O7. The neutron scintillator contains Cu by 0.001 to 0.1 wt %. Furthermore, a (001) plane cut off perpendicularly to a growth axis and polished from the single crystal whose orientation has been grown in a <001> axis is made to be a scintillator plate crystal.

Abstract: An electrochromic element composed of an ionically conductive substance layer containing a specified electrochromic substance sandwiched between two electrically conductive substrates at least one of which is transparent.