Abstract: An image sensing system comprises a solid-state image sensor including a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix and vertical output lines connected by column to each pixel, with signals in accordance with voltages of the vertical output lines each output to a horizontal output line via column circuits provided for each vertical output line. Electrical charges in photoelectric conversion elements included in the pixels are not output to the vertical output lines, while signals corresponding to voltages of the vertical output lines and output to the horizontal output line via the column circuits are averaged by column to acquire a correction value. Then, electrical charges in the photoelectric conversion elements are output by row to the vertical output lines, and signals corresponding to voltages of the vertical output lines and output to the horizontal output line via the column circuits are corrected using the correction value.

Abstract: A heating apparatus 1 includes a shell 2, a primary heat exchanger (sensible heat exchanger) 3, a burner (combustion means) 5, and a fan 6. A secondary heat exchanger (latent heat exchanger) 7 has a plurality of heat receiving tubes 18 arranged in parallel between a pair of headers 16 and 17, the heat receiving tubes 18 being fixed to tube plates 20. The heat receiving tubes 18 are bare tubes without fins and are arranged across flow of combustion gas. The number of the tubes 18 arranged vertically is less than the number of the tubes 18 arranged horizontally.

Abstract: Disclosed is an optical disc apparatus that sets a plurality of virtual zones, which correspond to a plurality of zones that are arranged in the radial direction of an optical disc, for a plurality of recording layers of the optical disc. When a servo signal distortion is detected in a virtual zone to change the rotation speed of the optical disc to a low speed in the virtual zone during an information recording or reproduction operation relative to a first recording layer, the optical disc apparatus stores the change information. When a recording or reproducing operation is to be performed in a virtual zone of a second recording layer, which is in the same disc radial position as the virtual zone of the first layer, the optical disc apparatus changes the rotation speed of the optical disc for the virtual zone to a low speed in accordance with the change information.

Abstract: An object of this invention is to enable performing accurate DC recovery operation for an output signal from an image sensing element, and obtaining a high-quality image free from any image degradation such as a horizontal streak. To achieve this object, an image sensing apparatus includes first and second clamping circuits on the output side of an image sensing element. The image sensing element outputs a signal from an effective pixel region, a first reference signal for DC recovery of an image signal that is set for each row, and a second reference signal that is uniformly set for the pixel region. The first clamping circuit DC-recovers a signal from the effective pixel region for each row on the basis of the first reference signal. The second clamping circuit uniformly DC-recovers signals from the effective pixel region for the pixel region on the basis of the second reference signal.

Abstract: An optical disc apparatus, as a learning operation before a recording or reproducing operation, rotates an optical disc at a first speed to read PID information, discriminates between lands and grooves of the optical disc, detects switching positions between lands and grooves, sets a rotation angle position of tracking pull-in of an objective lens of a time length that allows the PID information to be stably read, with respect to the switching position, and stores the set position information of tracking pull-in as learning result information. During recording or reproducing, the optical disc apparatus rotates the optical disk at a second speed higher than the first speed, pulls in the objective lens for tracking based on the stored position information of tracking pull-in, reads PID information, and performs the recording or reproducing operation while discriminating between lands and grooves and detecting switching positions between lands and grooves.

Abstract: A display device includes a plurality of gate lines, at least one data line, and a plurality of pixels connected to the plurality of gate lines and the at least one data line. The display device is configured to perform a first step of sequentially selecting N lines of the plurality of gate lines, and sequentially outputting N times display signals to the data line, and to perform a second step of selecting Z lines of the plurality of gate lines at one time, and outputting one time a blanking signal, where N and Z are natural numbers at least equal to 2. The Z lines are separate from the N lines, and the first step and the second step are repeatedly performed.

Abstract: In an optical disc device employing a CLV method, executing pickup return processing when focus drop occurs during recording poses problems of increased waiting time for rotation and increased focus servo recovery processing time. When defocusing occurs and focus pull-in cannot be achieved by retry, a first rotation frequency at a radial position thereof is calculated. Next, a second rotation frequency at the innermost circumferential position at the current speed is calculated. Next, a third rotation frequency at a radial position where recording is restarted after focus servo recovery is calculated. Next, a fourth rotation frequency at pickup return position at a different speed is calculated.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a plurality of pixels having a first and second pixel group corresponding respectively to odd and even-numbered lines extending along gate signal lines, an alternation signal transmitter outputting an alternation signal, an alternating circuit alternating polarities of voltages applied to the plurality of pixels for every frame period with respect to the alternation signal, a first and a second accumulator accumulating respective signal levels of pixel data of the first and second pixel groups for every frame period and outputting a first and a second value, and a subtractor which outputs a result of subtraction between the first value and the second value. The alternation signal transmitter outputs a first alternation signal when the result of the subtraction is less than a reference value and outputs a second alternation signal when the result of the subtraction is not less than the reference value.

Abstract: A display device includes a plurality of gate lines, at least one data line, and a plurality of pixels connected to the plurality of gate lines and the at least one data line. The display device is configured to perform a first step of sequentially selecting N lines of the plurality of gate lines, and sequentially outputting N times display signals to the data line, and to perform a second step of selecting Z lines of the plurality of gate lines at one time, and outputting one time a blanking signal, where N and Z are natural numbers at least equal to 2. The Z lines are separate from the N lines, and the first step and the second step are repeatedly performed.

Abstract: To change a proportion of a black image display period based on an image brightness in one frame, improving a moving image performance while suppressing a reduction in luminance. A method of driving a liquid crystal display device which includes a liquid crystal display panel having plural pixels, and displays a black image after displaying a video in each pixel, includes: when taking a period for which the video is displayed as a video display period, and a period for which the black image is displayed as a black image display period, based on an image brightness in one frame, changing a ratio of the black image display period to the video display period.

Abstract: An image sensor includes a plurality of photoelectric conversion units disposed in line and column directions, transfer capacitances that store a signal read out from the (n?1)th line (n being an integer of 2 or more) of the plurality of photoelectric conversion units, transfer capacitances that store a signal read out from the nth line of the plurality of photoelectric conversion units, and a system control CPU that controls the image sensor. While a level of a predetermined driving pulse generated within the image sensor changes during the period where the signal of the (n?1)th line stored in the transfer capacitance is read out from the transfer capacitances, the system control CPU control not to output the signal of the (n?1)th line from the transfer capacitances.

Abstract: A secondary heat exchanger B for recovering latent heat from combustion gas includes water tubes 5 each of which is so inclined that a first end 50a is positioned lower than a second end 50b. Therefore, in draining water from each of the water tubes 5, water can be caused to flow smoothly into a water-inflow and hot-water-outflow header 6A connected to the first ends 50a. The secondary heat exchanger B includes a casing 7 which includes an upper wall 70a and a bottom wall 70b which are so inclined that the inner surfaces thereof extend generally in parallel with the water tubes 5, and the upper and the lower gaps 79a and 79b have constant widths s2 and s3. Therefore, the amount of heat recovery from the combustion gas passing through the gaps 79a and 79b can be increased.

Abstract: An optical disk apparatus and an optical disk recording and reproducing method are provided in which an actuator can be controlled in stable fashion at the time of high-speed recording operation. Before performing the high-speed recording operation under servo control of average type, the learning of a servo signal of average type by application of a disturbance signal is carried out for both the servo control of continuous servo type for reproduction and the servo control of sample-and-hold type for low-speed recording operation. Based on the result of the learning, the gain is set for a servo loop of average servo type for high-speed recording operation.

Abstract: A pixel unit in which a plurality of pixels shares an accumulating unit for temporarily accumulating charges accumulated in photoelectric conversion devices, is arranged so that a control unit of a photoelectric conversion apparatus is adapted, when an accumulated charge amount of a first photodiode exceeds a saturation charge amount, to effect control in accordance with a first operation to discharge excess charges to a floating diffusion FD, and adapted, when an accumulated charge amount of a second photodiode exceeds a saturation charge amount, to effect control in accordance with a second operation to discharge excess charges to a charge discharge area, thereby expanding a dynamic range.

Abstract: A heating apparatus 1 includes a shell 2, a primary heat exchanger (sensible heat exchanger)3, a burner (combustion means) 5, and a fan 6. A secondary heat exchanger (latent heat exchanger) 7 has a plurality of heat receiving tubes 18 arranged in parallel between a pair of headers 16 and 17, the heat receiving tubes 18 being fixed to tube plates 20. The heat receiving tubes 18 are bare tubes without fins and are arranged across flow of combustion gas. The number of the tubes 18 arranged vertically is less than the number of the tubes 18 arranged horizontally.

Abstract: An optical disc apparatus is designed to perform focus control of an objective lens of an optical pickup by generating a first focus error signal of an astigmatism method from a signal based on 0-order light of a reflected laser beam, as well as generating a second focus error signal of a differential astigmatism method from the signal based on the 0-order light and from a signal based on ±1-order light. The focus control of the objective lens is performed by the second focus error signal during recording or reproducing operation within a recording layer of an optical disc. The focus control is performed by the first focus error signal when a focus jump is performed in response to switching of the recording layer of the optical disc.

Abstract: A secondary heat exchanger B for recovering latent heat from combustion gas includes water tubes 5 each of which is so inclined that a first end 50a is positioned lower than a second end 50b. Therefore, in draining water from each of the water tubes 5, water can be caused to flow smoothly into a water-inflow and hot-water-outflow header 6A connected to the first ends 50a. The secondary heat exchanger B includes a casing 7 which includes an upper wall 70a and a bottom wall 70b which are so inclined that the inner surfaces thereof extend generally in parallel with the water tubes 5, and the upper and the lower gaps 79a and 79b have constant widths s2 and s3. Therefore, the amount of heat recovery from the combustion gas passing through the gaps 79a and 79b can be increased.

Abstract: For achieving pulling operation into tracking servo during seek operation at high-speed and with stability, in timing thereof, even on an optical disk forming lands and grooves on a recording surface thereof, in a seek control method, according to the present invention, for moving an optical spot onto an arbitrary track through movement of an optical pickup 110 into the radial direction on the optical disk forming the lands and the grooves, thereby forming a track on the recording surface thereof, in particular, in the seek operation, measurement is made on a period of a tracking error (TE) signal generated due to the movement in the radial direction, and a time point when the measured period of the tracking error signal exceeds a predetermined value is determined to be a starting point for pulling the optical spot of the optical pickup into the track, through the tracking servo, thereby pulling it selectively, into either one of the land and the groove building up the track.

Abstract: In an optical disc device employing a CLV method, executing pickup return processing when focus drop occurs during recording poses problems of increased waiting time for rotation and increased focus servo recovery processing time. When defocusing occurs and focus pull-in cannot be achieved by retry, a first rotation frequency at a radial position thereof is calculated. Next, a second rotation frequency at the innermost circumferential position at the current speed is calculated. Next, a third rotation frequency at a radial position where recording is restarted after focus servo recovery is calculated. Next, a fourth rotation frequency at pickup return position at a different speed is calculated.

Abstract: Within a seek control method for moving an optical spot onto an arbitrary track, by moving the optical spot into a radial direction of an optical information recording medium, which is formed with lands and grooves, spirally, on an information recording surface thereof, calculation is made on time from staring of seek operation up to completion of pulling the optical spot onto a target track, calculating is made an amount of rotation of the optical information recording medium within that time, which is calculated in the above, determination is made on whether the pulling operation can be conducted or not within a pull-in escape region on a land/groove exchange portion of a tack on the information recording surface of the optical information recording medium, upon the amount of rotation which is calculated in the above, and a starting position of the pulling operation is changed so that the pulling operation can be executed escaping from said pulling escape region, upon basis of result of the determination, t