Abstract: A communication system including two layers, each having a switching function. The two layers includes lower-layer apparatuses which are connected with communication lines of a lower layer and communication lines of an upper layer and upper-layer apparatuses which are connected with the communication lines of the upper layer. Line failure in the lower and upper communication lines is detected and line switching is coordinated by the line-switching function of the lower and upper-layer apparatuses by using failure information on the lower and upper-layer communication lines.

Abstract: A semiconductor sensing device has a semiconductor substrate with a pressure sensing bridge circuit including piezo-resistance elements formed on the substrate. Further, the semiconductor sensing device has a temperature sensing bridge circuit including resistance elements formed on the semiconductor substrate. A pair of the resistance elements is connected with a power supply terminal, and the other pair of the resistance elements is connected with a grounding terminal. The resistance elements in either or both of these pairs are formed of different resistance types from each other and of the same conductivity type.

Abstract: A pressure sensor device (1) includes a sensing element (2) for sending an analog signal according to pressure. The pressure sensor device (1) outputs the analog voltage to a microcomputer (20) through an input-output terminal (8). An input-output control circuit (4) monitors the voltage value in the input-output terminal (8). When the voltage of the input-output terminal (8) is set to high by the microcomputer (20) and is dislocated from a predetermined range, the input-output control circuit (4) functionally changes the input-output terminal (8) outputting a detecting signal to a terminal for inputting an external signal from the microcomputer. After the input-output terminal (8) is changed to the terminal for inputting the external signal, a range control circuit (7) fetches an external command signal through the input-output terminal (8) and switches the output characteristics.

Abstract: A method serves to compose a VPN (Virtual Private Network) over a plurality of networks, each of which is managed by a different Internet Service Provider (ISP). When a packet with a first capsule header used for composing a VPN in a first ISP network is transmitted to a second ISP network, a route for outputting the packet to the second ISP network is determined based on the information both in the capsule header and in the IP header. In addition, a second capsule header used for composing a VPN in the second ISP network is determined based on the above information.

Abstract: A method serves to compose a VPN (Virtual Private Network) over a plurality networks each of which is managed by different Internet Service Providers (ISP). When a packet with a first capsule header used for composing a VPN in a first ISP network is transmitted to a second ISP network, a route for outputting packet to the second ISP network is determined based on the information both in the capsule header and in the IP header. In addition, a second capsule header used for composing a VPN in the second ISP network is determined based on the above information.

Abstract: A magnetic sensor apparatus has a ring circuit constructed with an odd number of semiconductor magnetic sensors connected in a ring shape. The drain regions of each magnetic sensor are separated from each other, so that currents flowing into the drain regions vary corresponding to the magnitude of the applied magnetic field. The semiconductor magnetic sensors function as inverters and inverting operations thereof cause time delay variable with the magnetic field strength. Digital data indicating a propagation condition of a pulse signal within the ring circuit correspond to the magnetic field.

Abstract: A semiconductor magnetic sensor includes a semiconductor substrate, a source, a drain, a gate, and a carrier condensing means. The source and the drain are located in a surface of the substrate. One of the source and the drain includes adjoining two regions. The gate is located between the source and the drain for drawing minority carriers of the substrate to induce a channel, through which the carriers flow between the source and the drain to form a channel carrier current. The carriers flow into the two regions to form two regional carrier currents. The magnitude of a magnetic field where the sensor is placed is measured using the difference in quantity between the two regional carrier currents. The carrier condensing means locally increases carrier density in the channel carrier current in the proximity of an axis that passes between the two regions in order to increase the difference.

Abstract: In an image-recording device of the present invention, driving force of a motor for driving is transmitted to two idle gears, which are the same shape and are disposed at positions of linear symmetry with respect to a center line C. Driving force is transmitted by way of the idle gears to power-input gears which are fixed coaxially with a supply gear and an ejection gear, respectively. That is, a supply side driving force transmission system, ranging from the motor to the supply gear, and a discharge side driving force transmission system, ranging from the motor to the ejection gear, have the same structure. Therefore, a recording sheet will be stably conveyed at the same conveyance speed throughout an image recording region, and high quality image recording can be carried out reliably. Thus, conveyance amounts can be kept consistent in the image recording region, even without using special apparatus, and high quality images can be recorded at low cost.

Abstract: An image-recording device including a pair of rollers on a side of a recording region at which a recording sheet is supplied thereto and a pair of rollers on a side of the recording region at which the recording sheet is ejected therefrom. The recording sheet is nipped between the rollers and is thereby conveyed. The roller arranged to be in contact with the recording sheet on a side opposite to a surface thereof on which an image is formed has a rigid body including a metal material and having a cylindrical surface. The surface of the roller is subjected to ceramic or urethane coating to generate a friction force, required for conveyance of the recording sheet, between the surface and the recording sheet, which passes between the roller and a roller arranged opposite to the roller.

Abstract: This invention provides a network management equipment and a packet switching equipment which eliminate a connection setup delay time, reduce a delay and a delay variation involved in data transfer, and effectively perform connectionless data flow processing in a large data network. The network is divided into a connection-oriented core network and a plurality of connectionless access networks connected to the core network where a plurality of connections (called permanent virtual route (PVR)) are set up among a plurality of edge nodes. The network management equipment selects one route from a plurality of PVRs for connectionless data flow received from one of the access networks and transfers data along the PVR.

Abstract: This invention provides a network management equipment and a packet switching equipment which eliminate a connection setup delay time, reduce a delay and a delay variation involved in data transfer, and effectively perform connectionless data flow processing in a large data network. The network is divided into a connection-oriented core network and a plurality of connectionless access networks connected to the core network where a plurality of connections (called permanent virtual route (PVR)) are set up among a plurality of edge nodes. The network management equipment selects one route from a plurality of PVRs for connectionless data flow received from one of the access networks and transfers data along the PVR.

Abstract: A traffic control method and apparatus for simplifying declaration of a traffic parameter and improving the utilization rate of a network having a plurality of nodes. Each of the nodes monitors a queuing delay of a cell and periodically sends a monitoring result to a network management system. The network management system stores monitoring results in a data base, estimates an average cell rate and peak cell rate by using delay information in a route, a declared peak cell rate, and the maximum data frame length obtained from the data base, decides whether to accept connection set-up, and generates a policing parameter when new connection set-up request is sent through a terminal. Each of the nodes monitors the peak cell rate and average cell rate for each connection. If an average cell rate monitoring result is extremely different from the above policing parameter request to the network management system.

Abstract: A packet switch comprising a plurality of line interfaces each connected to a pair of input and output ATM lines, and a routing unit for transferring packets received from each of said line interfaces to one of the other line interfaces specified by the header information of the packets, wherein each of the line interfaces is configured to convert a group of ATM cells received from the input ATM line selectively into either a first type of packet in which ATM cell headers are excluded or a second type of packet in which ATM cell headers are remained, whereby management cells received from the input ATM line are relayed to said one of the other line interface by inserting said management cell into said second type of packet together with user cells on the same connection.

Abstract: A packet switch comprising a plurality of line interfaces each connected to a pair of input and output ATM lines, and a routing unit for transferring packets received from each of said line interfaces to one of the other line interfaces specified by the header information of the packets, wherein each of the line interfaces is configured to convert a group of ATM cells received from the input ATM line selectively into either a first type of packet in which ATM cell headers are excluded or a second type of packet in which ATM cell headers are remained, whereby management cells received from the input ATM line are relayed to said one of the other line interface by inserting said management cell into said second type of packet together with user cells on the same connection.

Abstract: An analog multiplexer is provided to time divisionally process a reference signal Sa obtained from a reference voltage generating circuit, a temperature signal St obtained from a temperature detecting bridge circuit, and a sensor signal Sd obtained from a pressure detecting bridge circuit. These signals Sa, St and Sd are converted into digital data through a common differential amplification circuit and a common A/D conversion circuit. A correction circuit calculates an applied pressure value based on the digital data produced from the A/D conversion circuit, as a value corrected with reference to the temperature signal St and the reference signal Sa.

Abstract: Upon initialization, a VPC is set up between edge nodes. A control processor of each node creates an IP address/VPC mapping table using IP routing information and an address mapping table mapping correspondence between IP addresses and ATM addresses and supplied by a network management system. A gateway assigns a VCC to each packet input to the network. A sending-side edge node inputs the packet to the VPC corresponding to its destination by referring to the IP address/VPC mapping table. A transit node performs packet switching over VP. A receiving-side edge node transfers each packet to the gateway corresponding to its destination. If a series of packets meet a predetermined condition in a given edge node, its control processor sends VCC information to input interfaces of the edge node so that the packets are switched by an ATM switch in the edge node without intervention of the control processor.

Abstract: A packet switch identifies a communication flow carried across an IP network, observes the communication flow, and acquires statistics data thereof, such as the number of packets that passed through the switch, the number of discarded packets, time at which the packets arrived at the switch, and time at which the packets were sent out from the switch. The packet switch continues to acquire the statistics data on the communication flow while the communication flow continues. If the packet switch performs a relay function, it sends the locally obtained statistics data to the adjoining packet switch placed downstream. If the packet switch is a node placed on either end edge of the network, it gathers the statistics data obtained by and delivered from other switches in the network and sends the gathered statistics data to the network management system.

Abstract: Upon initialization, a VPC is set up between edge nodes. A control processor of each node creates an IP address/VPC mapping table using IP routing information and an address mapping table mapping correspondence between IP addresses and ATM addresses and supplied by a network management system. A gateway assigns a VCC to each packet input to the network. A sending-side edge node inputs the packet to the VPC corresponding to its destination by referring to the IP address/VPC mapping table. A transit node performs packet switching over VP. A receiving-side edge node transfers each packet to the gateway corresponding to its destination. If a series of packets meet a predetermined condition in a given edge node, its control processor sends VCC information to input interfaces of the edge node so that the packets are switched by an ATM switch in the edge node without intervention of the control processor.

Abstract: An intentional offset value is set beforehand. The intentional offset value is larger than a sensing objective signal “sig.” A measuring device is provided for measuring the intentional offset value to obtain a measured intentional offset value “a” representing the quantity of the intentional offset value, and also for measuring a sum of the sensing objective signal “sig” and the intentional offset value to obtain a measured signal value “b” representing a summation of the quantity of the sensing objective signal and the quantity of the intentional offset value. A ratio (b/a) of the measured signal value to the measured intentional offset value is obtained. The obtained ratio is used as noise reducing data for reducing the noise involved in a sensor output.

Abstract: A semiconductor pressure sensor includes a semiconductor substrate having a diaphragm portion. A diaphragm formation region including the diaphragm portion is electrically insulated from a peripheral region therearound. Voltage is applied to the diaphragm formation region via a pad and a wire both formed on a surface of the semiconductor substrate, for fixing a potential of the diaphragm formation region when the sensor is put in an operating state. The fixed potential is set to be equal to or higher than a maximum potential of a gauge diffusion resistive layer formed in the diaphragm formation region. As a result, even when the maximum potential of the gauge diffusion resistive layer is a power supply voltage, it can be prevented that current leaks from the gauge diffusion resistive layer.