Abstract: In a decentralized control system, a program of the system is described in one form to flexibly cope with changes of the system, and the program developing efficiency, processing performance, and reliability of the system are increased. In configuration, a plurality of control processors and a plurality of devices are connected to a network, the control processors connected to the network are automatically detected and there is determined program execution assignment to possibly equalize the processing load imposed on the control processors. Each control processor executes the program in accordance with the program execution assignment.

Abstract: The production of semiconductor devices manufactured through a plurality of manufacturing sites is unitarily managed and an appropriate production plan is instructed. A computer projects a production plan of an entire company from necessary information such as a planning and finishing volume and a day's schedule of each of the manufacturing sites, each item and each process for satisfying a demand estimation of a product, order information on the product, and a product volume required to be manufactured which information are collected from a customer computer and a production management computer and the like. The production plan is provided to each manufacturing site as a production instruction and provided to each business person or customer as a storing reply or an order accepting period reply.

Abstract: It is an object of the invention to prevent a rice grain from sticking to a scooping portion of a rice scoop. More specifically, in the invention, a large projection (13) and a small projection (14) are provided on a surface, a side surface and a rear surface of a scooping portion (12) of the rice scoop. Consequently, a contact area with a rice grain can be reduced, a separating property can be enhanced and rice can be prevented from sticking.

Abstract: The production of semiconductor devices manufactured through a plurality of manufacturing sites is unitarily managed and an appropriate production plan is instructed. A computer projects a production plan of an entire company from necessary information such as a planning and finishing volume and a day's schedule of each of the manufacturing sites, each item and each process for satisfying a demand estimation of a product, order information on the product, and a product volume required to be manufactured which information are collected from a customer computer and a production management computer and the like. The production plan is provided to each manufacturing site as a production instruction and provided to each business person or customer as a storing reply or an order accepting period reply.

Abstract: There is input type information defining a type of portable terminal as well as various music composing parameters. Automatic music composition process is carried out on the basis of the input type information and music composing parameters, so as to generate musical composition data suitable for reproduction on a portable terminal of the type indicated by the type information. Balance in predetermined musical characteristics of the generated musical composition data can also be achieved by adjusting the predetermined musical characteristics in accordance with the type of portable terminal. It is also possible to convert the generated musical composition data into a predetermined data format suiting the type of a portable terminal to be used. The generated musical composition data may be transmitted online to the portable terminal.

Abstract: The present invention aims to prevent degradation in performance due to a change in image quality and deflection distortions or the like in the vicinity of both ends of a scan area and detect a defect in a sample such as a semiconductor wafer or the like with high accuracy when the defect is inspected by use of an electron beam image, and allow a monitor to confirm an image area to be checked. The present invention is provided with means for comparing and checking defects in the sample, based on an image signal in which the neighborhoods of both ends of horizontal and vertical scan areas are respectively deleted under control of a blanking signal and a vertical synchronizing signal.

Abstract: The present invention aims to prevent degradation in performance due to a change in image quality and deflection distortions or the like in the vicinity of both ends of a scan area and detect a defect in a sample such as a semiconductor wafer or the like with high accuracy when the defect is inspected by use of an electron beam image, and allow a monitor to confirm an image area to be checked. The present invention is provided with means for comparing and checking defects in the sample, based on an image signal in which the neighborhoods of both ends of horizontal and vertical scan areas are respectively deleted under control of a blanking signal and a vertical synchronizing signal.

Abstract: There is input type information defining a type of portable terminal as well as various music composing parameters. Automatic music composition process is carried out on the basis of the input type information and music composing parameters, so as to generate musical composition data suitable for reproduction on a portable terminal of the type indicated by the type information. Balance in predetermined musical characteristics of the generated musical composition data can also be achieved by adjusting the predetermined musical characteristics in accordance with the type of portable terminal. It is also possible to convert the generated musical composition data into a predetermined data format suiting the type of a portable terminal to be used. The generated musical composition data may be transmitted online to the portable terminal.

Abstract: A compact rice cooker with excellent rice cooking performance while preventing boiling-over is presented. This rice cooker includes a main body 31, a lid for covering the top of the main body, an inner pan detachably accommodated in the main body, a bottom heating coil for induction heating of the inner pan, a control unit for controlling high frequency power to be supplied to the bottom heating coil, and a rice gruel detecting unit disposed in a steam tube of the lid, and therefore electric power supply is controlled by the control unit depending on the detection state by the rice gruel detecting unit. The rice gruel detecting unit makes use of movement of the float due to the rise of rice gruel, and the lid is formed in a compact size, and boiling-over is prevented, so that tasty rice can be cooked.

Abstract: A compact rice cooker with excellent rice cooking performance while preventing boiling-over is presented. This rice cooker comprises a main body 31, a lid 36 for covering the top of the main body 31, an inner pan 32 detachably accommodated in the main body 31, a bottom heating coil 33a for induction heating of the inner pan 32, control means for controlling high frequency power to be supplied to the bottom heating coil 33a, and rice gruel detecting means disposed in a steam tube 47 of the lid 36, and therefore electric power supply is controlled by the control means depending on the detection state by the rice gruel detecting means. The rice gruel detecting means makes use of move of the float 48 due to rice gruel, and the lid 36 is formed in a compact size, boiling-over is prevented, so that tasty rice can be cooked.

Abstract: A compact rice cooker with excellent rice cooking performance while preventing boiling-over is presented. This rice cooker comprises a main body, a lid for covering the top of the main body, an inner pan detachably accommodated in the main body, a bottom heating coil for induction heating of the inner pan, a control unit for controlling high frequency power to be supplied to the bottom heating coil, and a rice gruel detector disposed in a steam tube of the lid, and therefore electric power supply is controlled by the control unit depending on the detection state by the rice gruel detecting means. The rice gruel detector makes use of move of the float due to rice gruel, the lid is formed in a compact size, and boiling-over is prevented, so that tasty rice can be cooked.

Abstract: A rice cooker does not cause malfunction if the operation unit is touched by mistake when closing the lid, and is capable of preventing boil-over without lowering the rice cooking performance. The rice cooker includes a main body, a lid for covering the top of the main body, an inner pan detachably accommodated in the main body, a heater for induction heating of the inner pan, a controller for controlling the supply of high frequency power to the heater, an operating unit, and a lid opening and closing detector or a rice gruel detector disposed in a steam tube of the lid. The controller inhibits operation signal input of the operating unit when detecting an open state of the lid, and controls the power supply to the heater when detecting a rise in the rice gruel. Therefore, the rice cooker prevents a wrong input in rice cooking when opening or closing the lid, and prevents boil-over of the rice gruel.

Abstract: A singing sound-synthesizing apparatus sequentially synthesizes vocal sounds based on singing data including lyric data of a lyric formed of a plurality of phonemes and sounding data designating a sounding time period over which the lyric data is sounded. A designating device designates a predetermined voiced phoneme from the plurality of phonemes of the lyric data. A sounding control device carries out sounding control such that sounding of the predetermined voiced phoneme designated by the designating device is started within the sounding time period designated for the plurality of phonemes by the sounding data and continued until the sounding time period designated for the plurality of phonemes elapses. In another form, ones of phoneme parameter sets and ones of coarticulation parameter sets corresponding to signing data are read from a phoneme data storing the phoneme parameter sets and the coarticulation parameter sets.

Abstract: A plurality of digital signal processors are provided in parallel relation to each other, and a series of operations for desired sound signal synthesis or processing is divided into a plurality of operation groups to be allocated to the signal processors. First and second buses are connected to each of the signal processors so that parameters necessary for the operations are distributively supplied to the signal processors via the first bus and the operation result of each of the signal processors is transferred to another digital signal processor or an output port via the second bus. One digital signal processor receives the output data from another digital signal processor via the second bus so as to perform a predetermined operation using the received data. The desired sound signal processing is thus executed by combinations of the operations performed by such signal processors.

Abstract: When sound parameters defining a selected element among plural elements constituting a sound are edited, a predetermined schematic display of the entire elements constituting the sound is made and, also, a particular part of the schematic display corresponding to the selected element in a special form is made about the selected element for emphasizing it. An operator can thereby recognize easily for which part of element in the entire sound structure he is currently making the parameter editing. In response to designation of a desired object of editing by the operator, plural possible candidates of edition processings corresponding to the designated object are displayed. Upon selection of one of the plural processings by the operator, the selected editing processing is automatically performed.

Abstract: A computer-implemented control method and a control apparatus of factory automation system having a cell formed by a plurality of working machines including at least one automated machine to execute a series of works in accordance with a control program. From a cell control program including specifications of working of entire cell that is input to the computer, information relating to working sequence of a plurality of working machines and information about control of inputs and outputs of a plurality of working machines are described, the specifications and informations are extracted by the computer. On the basis of the extracted information, a sequence control program by which control of the working sequence of a plurality of working machines and control of inputs and outputs of a plurality of working machines is generated by the computer are described.

Abstract: An electronic musical instrument having a musical tone parameter display function includes a musical tone information designation device for designating a musical tone pitch or other parameter of a musical tone to be edit, a memory storing a basic formant display pattern shape for generating a musical tone wave, and a pattern shape change device for changing the basic formant display pattern shape according to the designated musical tone information. The changed formant pattern is displayed on a display graphically to allow a player to easily edit a tone color.

Abstract: A process for the production of canned coffee, having the steps of:(1) preparing a cold extract of coffee by rapidly cooling a coffee extract at a temperature no higher than about 20.degree. C.;(2) adding at least one antioxidant selected from the group consisting of erythorbic acid, ascorbic acid and water-soluble salts thereof to said cold extract, optionally followed by diluting the resulting mixture;(3) filling the cold extract containing the at least one antioxidant in a can without heating; and(4) replacing air contained in the can with a mixed gas comprising at least two members selected from the group consisting of steam, carbon dioxide gas, and nitrogen gas.

Abstract: When a switch is activated while a help switch for designating a help operation is activated, the explanation of a function assigned to the activated switch during a current operation mode is displayed on a display, without executing the function assigned to the activated switch. In an electronic musical instrument of the type having switches whose functions change with the operation mode, it is possible to readily know the function of each switch without relying upon a voluminous manual, and easily know how to manipulate switches in order to realize a desired function.

Abstract: An in-tank type fuel pump installed in a fuel tank includes a suction inlet through which fuel is supplied from the fuel tank to the in-tank type fuel pump; a strainer coupled to the suction inlet and having a screen for removing foreign matter from the fuel; and a protective board provided on the bottom of the screen of the strainer for protecting the screen.