Abstract: A method of joining dissimilar materials of the present invention has a step of lapping a high melting point material on a low melting point material with a third material interposed therebetween. The third material is different from the high and low melting point materials. Further, the method has a step of irradiating an energy beam onto the high melting point material and a step of pressing the high and low melting point materials to cause eutectic melting between at least one of the high and low melting point materials and the third material and to join the high and low melting point materials in the form of a line.

Abstract: An optical pickup includes a diffraction grating partitioned into three areas, in which the phase of periodic grating groove structure in an area is successively shifted from that in the adjacent area by 90°. In the generation of a differential push-pull signal, an amplification factor K for sub push-pull signals is varied depending on the type of the optical disk. By such composition of the optical pickup, amplitude deterioration of the tracking error signal accompanying displacement of the object lens is reduced.

Abstract: An optical pickup and an optical information recording and reproducing device in which spherical aberration correction control after a disc is loaded can be efficiently made in a short time. Before an information recording medium is loaded into a drive, an optical axis direction position of a concave lens is preset to a state so as to optimize a converging spot on a recording surface of a single-layered medium of as a first recording medium or a predetermined layer (first layer having a substrate thickness of 0.1 mm) of a medium having two or more layers to which the recording/reproduction is executed by a laser light source. After the information recording medium is loaded, if it is determined to be a second (third) recording medium to which the recording/reproduction is executed by a laser light source, setting of the optical axis direction position of the concave lens is changed.

Abstract: An optical pickup and an optical information recording and reproducing device in which spherical aberration correction control after a disc is loaded can be efficiently made in a short time. Before an information recording medium is loaded into a drive, an optical axis direction position of a concave lens is preset to a state so as to optimize a converging spot on a recording surface of a single-layered medium of as a first recording medium or a predetermined layer (first layer having a substrate thickness of 0.1 mm) of a medium having two or more layers to which the recording/reproduction is executed by a laser light source. After the information recording medium is loaded, if it is determined to be a second (third) recording medium to which the recording/reproduction is executed by a laser light source, setting of the optical axis direction position of the concave lens is changed.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an information processor, which is capable of supplying power to an external device, includes a connector, a storage module, and a power supply control module. The connector connects the external device to the information processor. The storage module stores a plurality of power supply modes each defining conditions of respective modules of the information processor to make the external device connected to the connector chargeable. The power supply control module selects a power supply mode effective for the external device from the power supply modes when the external device is connected to the connector, and sets the respective modules of the information processor according to the conditions corresponding to the power supply mode selected.

Abstract: The present invention provides a photodetector capable of generating highly accurate tracking and focusing error signals free of variations in light quantity caused by interference, in an optical pickup with a two-wavelength multilaser. The photodetector comprises first three light receiving areas arranged linearly to receive three light beams respectively resulting from splitting of a light beam emitted from a laser light source of a first wavelength and second three light receiving areas arranged linearly to receive three light beams respectively resulting from splitting of a light beam emitted from a laser light source of a second wavelength longer than the first wavelength. The distance between both-end light receiving areas out of the first three light receiving areas is longer than the distance between both-end light receiving areas out of the second three light receiving areas.

Abstract: An optical pickup includes a diffraction grating partitioned into three areas, in which the phase of periodic grating groove structure in an area is successively shifted from that in the adjacent area by 90°. In the generation of a differential push-pull signal, an amplification factor K for sub push-pull signals is varied depending on the type of the optical disk. By such composition of the optical pickup, amplitude deterioration of the tracking error signal accompanying displacement of the object lens is reduced.

Abstract: An optical pickup includes a diffraction grating partitioned into three areas, in which the phase of periodic grating groove structure in an area is successively shifted from that in the adjacent area by 90°. In the generation of a differential push-pull signal, an amplification factor K for sub push-pull signals is varied depending on the type of the optical disk. By such composition of the optical pickup, amplitude deterioration of the tracking error signal accompanying displacement of the object lens is reduced.

Abstract: A video recorder for recording a program video in a built-in HDD (hard disk drive) or the like on the basis of EPG data is easily put in a reserve-recording mode. To this end, reserve-recording candidate data is generated from the EPG data with use of recorded program information to facilitate selection of the reserve-recording mode. In a method for reserve-recording a broadcast program, similar program information is extracted from the EPG data on the basis of recorded title data held as the recorded program information, the extracted similar program data is converted to a data format usable for the reserve-recording, and is stored as reserve-recording candidate data upon reserve-recording.

Abstract: An electronic money transferring method that enables the payment of electronic money through an electronic money transferring system with reliability. An external information processor is operated to enter the product number of a desired product, and then a host apparatus sends information about electronic money information indicating an amount of money necessary for purchasing the product, etc. to a control unit. The data processing unit reads electronic money information indicating the amount of money from an IC card. The electronic money information is transferred to the host apparatus.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus and method is disclosed wherein slideshow images can be reproduced for an arbitrary period of time. A scaling coefficient calculation section divides a slideshow reproduction time period by a selected effect total time period to calculate the ratio between them as a scaling coefficient and supplies the calculated scaling coefficient to a correction section. The correction section corrects the reproduction time period of each effect of a deletion result supplied from a deletion candidate deletion section or each selected effect supplied from an effect selection section using the scaling coefficient supplied from the scaling coefficient calculation section so as to make the total reproduction time period of the selected effects coincide with a slideshow reproduction time period. The invention can be applied to a personal computer or the like which can handle still pictures.

Abstract: An optical pickup includes a diffraction grating partitioned into three areas, in which the phase of periodic grating groove structure in an area is successively shifted from that in the adjacent area by 90°. In the generation of a differential push-pull signal, an amplification factor K for sub push-pull signals is varied depending on the type of the optical disk. By such composition of the optical pickup, amplitude deterioration of the tracking error signal accompanying displacement of the object lens is reduced.

Abstract: A vertically aligned system liquid crystal display in which deterioration in display quality such as graininess, burn-in, afterimages due to disorder in orientation of liquid crystal molecules based on a connection electrodes for interconnecting sub-pixel electrodes can be prevented, and a method for manufacturing such liquid crystal display. In the liquid crystal display, each pixel electrode (2) of a liquid crystal panel is constituted by combining at least two sub-pixel electrodes (2a), and each sub-pixel electrode (2a) is connected through a bridge (3) narrower than the sub-pixel electrode (2a). A vertically aligned system in which liquid crystal molecules tilt symmetrically to the central axis of orientation in the direction perpendicular to the surface of each sub-pixel electrode (2a) upon application of a voltage is employed. The bridge (3) is provided at a position asymmetric to the sub-pixel electrode (2a).

Abstract: Time required for setting a print mode in a print standby state is shortened, in performing recovering operation. In an attachment state of consumable units on an image forming apparatus, information of the consumable unit memorized in nonvolatile memories of consumable units is memorized in a second nonvolatile memory, and after the print mode is set in an unprintable state, recovering operation having possibility of replacing the consumable units is performed. Thereafter, whether the same consumable units as those before the unprintable state are attached to the image forming apparatus is determined.

Abstract: When an image forming apparatus is disabled due to a cause rather than the detection of the toner empty condition, it is determined whether a recovery operation is a first recovery operation or a second recovery operation. The first recovery operation is associated with a mounting/dismounting of the toner cartridge performed from when the image forming apparatus is disabled until when the recovery operation begins. The second recovery operation is not associated with the mounting/dismounting. A toner supply control controls the toner supply operation when the recovery operation is performed on condition that the empty memory memorizes that the toner empty detector detects the empty condition. When the recovery operation is the first recovery operation, the toner supply control allows the toner to be supplied into the developer housing. While, when the recovery operation is the second recovery operation, the toner supply control prohibits the toner from being supplied into developer housing.

Abstract: In a sensor for detecting a carbon dioxide gas in an expiration gas of a living body, an airway case is adapted to be disposed below nostrils of the living body, and formed with an airway passage extending across an optical axis of a light beam emitted from a right emitter of the sensor. A mouth guide is adapted to be disposed in front of a mouth of the living body so as to define a space communicated with the airway passage. The mouth guide is pivotably supported on the airway case. A retainer is adapted to retain an oxygen supply tube on the airway adapter body in such an attitude that an oxygen gas supplied from prongs of the oxygen supply tube is not directly injected into the nostrils.

Abstract: An ultra wide angle imaging optical system includes, in order from an object side, a first lens group, an aperture stop, and a second lens group. The first lens group includes, in order from the position closest to the object side, a negative meniscus lens element convex to the object side, a negative lens element, and a negative lens element. The second lens group includes a plurality of positive lens elements. The first lens group and the second lens group each includes at least one anamorphic surface having different optical powers with respect to a first section extending in a first direction on a flat plane substantially orthogonal to an optical axis, and with respect to a second section extending in a second direction substantially orthogonal to the first direction. The first lens group includes the lens element satisfying the following conditional formula (1): ?0.6<(Ph?Pv)*(fh+fv)<?0.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes: a non-volatile memory that stores a BIOS program that performs legacy emulation process for enabling a device not supported by an operating system to be accessed from the operating system; a controller that controls the device; a boot process unit that performs a boot sequence for booting the operating system stored in the device by controlling the controller through the legacy emulation process of the BIOS program; and a legacy emulation process control unit that performs a stop control process including: monitoring write access by software to a predetermined register, in which a value for designating an operation environment for controlling the device to the controller is set; and aborting execution of the legacy emulation process by the BIOS program when the write access is detected.

Abstract: The present invention has an object to provide a vehicle-mounted camera system capable of preventing the occurrence of only a smear in an area without a mask image on a picked up image, and substantially reducing a ghost and stray light. The vehicle-mounted camera system according to the present invention includes an imaging element (30a), an imaging lens (30c) disposed in front of the imaging element (30a), a superimposing means for superimposing a mask image on part of a picked up image of the imaging element (30a), and a light-shielding part (31b) arranged in a range corresponding to the mask image within the angle of view of the imaging lens (30c) for shielding part of incident light from the exterior.

Abstract: In a sensor for detecting a carbon dioxide gas in an expiration gas of a living body, an airway case is adapted to be disposed below nostrils of the living body, and formed with an airway passage extending across an optical axis of a light beam emitted from a light emitter of the sensor. A mouth guide is adapted to be disposed in front of a mouth of the living body so as to define a space communicated with the airway passage. The mouth guide is pivotably supported on the airway case. A retainer is adapted to retain an oxygen supply tube on the airway adapter body in such an attitude that an oxygen gas supplied from prongs of the oxygen supply tube is not directly injected into the nostrils.