Abstract: A master device for performing data transmission and reception with a slave device includes: a data transmission and reception circuit for performing transmission of data to the slave device and reception of data from the slave device via a first transmission path in a time division manner; and a control circuit wherein when data is transmitted or received, the control circuit provides a clock signal synchronous with the data to the slave device via a second transmission path, the control circuit provides a signal for setting a state of the slave device, to the slave device via a third transmission path while setting the clock signal at a first level, and the control circuit provides a signal for serving as a trigger for the slave device performing a predetermined operation, to the slave device via the third transmission path while setting the clock signal at a second level different from the first level.

Abstract: A center site is disposed to intervene in a business transaction achieved through a network. The center site includes an open business information database in which open business information received from member sites connected to the network is accumulated to be opened to the sites and a notarization database to keep therein contents of contracts of transactions between the sites. The center site receives a transaction request from a transaction partner site in accordance with the open business information and notifies the request to an information supply site associated therewith. The center site intervenes in a transaction resultantly accomplished between the information supply site and the transaction partner site and conducts a notarization process for the contents of contract for the transaction to accumulate the contract in a notarization database.

Abstract: The optical disc apparatus according to the present invention includes a tilt detecting means; a coma aberration correcting means; and a spherical aberration correcting means. Based on the result of a tilt detection, the amount of the correction performed by the coma aberration correcting means is determined so that the amount of correction is constant for the whole circumference of an optical disc, and then a spherical aberration is corrected by the spherical aberration correcting means. Thus, it is possible to correct the spherical aberration that has occurred due to the coma aberration correcting means, while the tilt margin is secured, thereby improving the reliability of reproduction and recording by the optical disc apparatus. Further, the optical disc apparatus according to the present invention is configured, in the case where a thermal shock tilt has occurred during the activation of the apparatus, to wait until the thermal shock tilt has settled.

Abstract: An object of this invention is to measure the tilt quantity of, and perform a tilt control on, an optical disc accurately without depending on the rotation control method. An optical disc drive includes: a motor for rotating an optical disc; an optical system for irradiating the optical disc with a light beam; a moving mechanism for moving the optical system along the radius of the optical disc; a focus control section for controlling movement of the optical system perpendicularly to the optical disc based on drive values, thereby focusing the light beam onto a storage layer of the optical disc; and a tilt control section for measuring the tilt quantities of the storage layer at multiple different radial locations on the optical disc based on drive values for the respective radial locations when the focus control section focuses the light beam there.

Abstract: An optical disc controller of the present invention servo-controls an optical disc device which comprises a disc motor rotating an optical disc and an optical head emitting a light beam for recording data on the optical disc and/or reproducing data from the optical disc. The optical disc controller comprises: a variable clock output section for outputting a plurality of clock signals of different frequencies, and a control section which receives from the optical head a signal indicating a deviation from a predetermined target value to servo-control the light beam of the optical disc device and performs an operation according to the signal indicating the deviation so as to obtain and output a signal indicating a control amount.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for recording/reproducing information on/from an optical disc, wherein the optical disc has a first to an n-th recording layers (n is an integer of 2 or greater) laminated on a substrate, each of the first to the n-th layers having data regions segmented into a first to an m-th data zone groups (m is an integer of 2 or greater) along a radial direction of the optical disc, each of the first to the m-th data zone groups including at least one data zone, the method comprising the steps of: a) recording/reproducing information in/from data zone groups from a j-th data zone group of a first recording layer to a j-th data zone group of an n-th recording layer; and b) repeating step a) for j=1, 2, . . . , m.

Abstract: A center site is disposed to intervene in a business transaction achieved through a network. The center site includes an open business information database in which open business information received from member sites connected to the network is accumulated to be opened to the sites and a notarization database to keep therein contents of contracts of transactions between the sites. The center site receives a transaction request from a transaction partner site in accordance with the open business information and notifies the request to an information supply site associated therewith. The center site intervenes in a transaction resultantly accomplished between the information supply site and the transaction partner site and conducts a notarization process for the contents of contract for the transaction to accumulate the contract in a notarization database.

Abstract: A center site is disposed to intervene in a business transaction achieved through a network. The center site includes an open business information database in which open business information received from member sites connected to the network is accumulated to be opened to the sites and a notarization database to keep therein contents of contracts of transactions between the sites. The center site receives a transaction request from a transaction partner site in accordance with the open business information and notifies the request to an information supply site associated therewith. The center site intervenes in a transaction resultantly accomplished between the information supply site and the transaction partner site and conducts a notarization process for the contents of contract for the transaction to accumulate the contract in a notarization database.

Abstract: First dummy memory cells connected to a first dummy signal line have the same shape and characteristics as those of a real memory cell. The first dummy memory cells are arranged to be adjacent to outermost real memory cells. A voltage setting circuit changes the voltage of the first dummy signal line from a first voltage to a second voltage in order to write test data onto the first dummy memory cell during a test mode. By writing data of a logic opposite to that of the test data onto the real memory cell adjacent to the first dummy memory cell by means of an operation control circuit, a leak failure that may occur between the first dummy memory cell and the real memory cell adjacent thereto can be checked.

Abstract: The optical disc drive reads and/or writes data from/on an optical disc having an information storage layer. In an optical disc drive 100, light from a light source 3 is focused by a focusing section 1, and each of the peripheral and non-peripheral part of light reflected by the information storage layer is received by a photodetector 4. Then, for each part of light, the drive 100 generates a focus signal and a light quantity signal, and normalizes the focus signal based on the light quantity signal. As a result, it is possible to generate a spherical aberration signal according to a quantity of spherical aberration produced at the focusing position of the light. Hence, the signal is not affected by defocusing and thus it is possible to precisely detect a spherical aberration caused by an uneven thickness of the disc and to detect a spherical aberration with high accuracy.

Abstract: An optical disc drive includes a light source, a lens, a focusing section, a spherical aberration corrector, a focus signal generator, a gain calculator and a processor. The focusing section forms a beam spot in a focusing state on the information storage layer of an optical disc by controlling the position of the lens. The spherical aberration corrector changes a spherical aberration with the beam spot in a focusing state according to a drive value of a driving signal supplied to the spherical aberration corrector. The focus signal generator generates a focus signal representing the focusing state of the beam spot. The gain calculator calculates a loop gain of a focus control system in response to the focus signal. The processor determines the drive value for the spherical aberration corrector by the loop gain.

Abstract: A semiconductor memory device with low power consumption in driving control signals of shift registers. The device contains a plurality of memory cell arrays each composed of a predetermined number of rows of memory cells. One set of shift registers are coupled to each cell array, and the nth set of shift registers successively activate word line selection signals according to a given control signal, so that the corresponding word lines of the nth cell array will be refreshed. Also coupled to each cell array is a shift register controller. The nth shift register controller provides a control signal to the nth set of shift registers when the nth cell array is being refreshed. When the refresh of that cell array is finished, the nth shift register controller forwards the control signal to the (n+1)th set of shift registers, thus initiating refresh operation for the (n+1)th cell array.

Abstract: A steering damper includes a steering damper body installed in a steering system of a vehicle, and having a fluid path therein, and a pressure control valve for controlling a damping force in the steering system, and provided in the fluid path, wherein the pressure control valve controls the damping force so that an increasing rate of the damping force with respect to a steering angular velocity when the steering angular velocity is large is lower than that when the steering angular velocity is small.

Abstract: A rotary damper having an oil chamber within a housing which is divided into two by a vane, and generates a damping force by passing operating oil between the two oil chambers when the vane oscillates, has a shaft supporting the vane to allow oscillation in relation to the housing, fixed to a base part of the vane, and seal washers for dividing in a fluid-tight manner between a bearing rotatably supporting the shaft on the housing shaft, and the oil chamber, is provided on the base part of the vane.

Abstract: An optical disc drive includes a light source, a lens, a focusing section, a spherical aberration corrector, a focus signal generator, a gain calculator and a processor. The focusing section forms a beam spot in a focusing state on the information storage layer of an optical disc by controlling the position of the lens. The spherical aberration corrector changes a spherical aberration with the beam spot in a focusing state according to a drive value of a driving signal supplied to the spherical aberration corrector. The focus signal generator generates a focus signal representing the focusing state of the beam spot. The gain calculator calculates a loop gain of a focus control system in response to the focus signal. The processor determines the drive value for the spherical aberration corrector by the loop gain.

Abstract: A register part of a mode register has a plurality of operation setting parts in which plural types of operating specifications are respectively set to operate the semiconductor memory. The mode register outputs a soft reset signal when at least a value of one-bit of the register part represents a reset state. A reset signal generator outputs a reset signal for resetting an internal circuit in response to the soft reset signal. In the present invention, a system that controls the semiconductor memory is required to necessarily assign a predetermined bit with a setting command of the mode register in order to generate the soft reset signal. Accordingly, it is possible to reliably reset the internal circuit by external control.

Abstract: First dummy memory cells connected to a first dummy signal line have the same shape and characteristics as those of a real memory cell. The first dummy memory cells are arranged to be adjacent to outermost real memory cells. A voltage setting circuit changes the voltage of the first dummy signal line from a first voltage to a second voltage in order to write test data onto the first dummy memory cell during a test mode. By writing data of a logic opposite to that of the test data onto the real memory cell adjacent to the first dummy memory cell by means of an operation control circuit, a leak failure that may occur between the first dummy memory cell and the real memory cell adjacent thereto can be checked.

Abstract: In a track jumping scan control device wherein an optical beam is irradiated on an optical disc provided with a header region capable of a mark-recording operation with respect to both of land and groove tracks adjacent in a radial direction of the disc and comprising prepits, and a signal based on a reflected light resulting therefrom is used to make the optical beam jumping-scan with respect to a predetermined track, a full track jumping scan for making the optical beam track-jump between the land tracks or the groove tracks or a half track jumping scan for making the optical beam track-jump from the land track to the groove track or from the groove track to the land track is executed as the track jumping scan. Which of the two track jumping scans is executed is selected in accordance with a cycle at which the header region is set.

Abstract: An axial gap electronic motor includes a stator and a rotor disposed opposingly with a predetermined gap. In order to provide an easy assembling operation of the stator, the stator includes a plurality of pole members annularly connectable. The annular stator core is obtained by connecting each of the pole members to which coil winding is previously applied.

Abstract: A second tracking error detector detects the displacement between the track and the light beam and outputs a second displacement detection result based on the comparison of the reproduction signals between first and second pit strings respectively. A second tracking error controller corrects a target position for push-pull control based on the second displacement detection result. A third tracking error controller calculates a correction data of a first displacement detection result based on the correction amount of the target position by the second tracking error controller, and corrects the first displacement detection result based on the calculated correction data.