Abstract: A semiconductor device that can be miniaturized or highly integrated is provided. The semiconductor device includes a first conductor, a second conductor over the first conductor, a first insulator covering the second conductor, a first oxide over the first insulator, and a second oxide over the first oxide, an opening overlapping with at least part of the first conductor is provided in the first oxide and the first insulator, and the second oxide is electrically connected to the first conductor through the opening.

Abstract: A vehicle interior lighting device includes a light source which is installed at an end of an instrument panel of a vehicle. Light emitted from the light source propagates from the instrument panel toward a door panel, and is projected on a surface of a door trim of the door panel. A decorative pattern element is installed on a light emitting side of the light source. As light from the light source passes through the decorative pattern element, the light can create a pattern on a surface of the door trim. Because the light source is installed on the instrument panel spaced from the door trim rather than on the door trim itself, light can be projected on a large area of the door trim. Furthermore, an impressive feature of a decorative pattern which changes in accordance with a door opening angle can be achieved.

Abstract: A ceramic electronic component includes a ceramic body and an external electrode including an end surface region on an end surface of the ceramic body and a side surface region on a side surface of the ceramic body. The side surface region includes a first end portion electrically connected to the end surface region, and a second end portion opposite to the first end portion. At at least a portion where an internal electrode is led out, the end surface region includes a high glass content layer in contact with the ceramic body. At least the second end portion and a vicinity thereof includes a low glass content layer in contact with the ceramic body. At least a portion of the side surface region includes a surface with the low glass content layer exposed.

Abstract: A ceramic electronic component includes a ceramic body and an external electrode including an end surface region on an end surface of the ceramic body and a side surface region on a side surface of the ceramic body. The side surface region includes a first end portion electrically connected to the end surface region, and a second end portion opposite to the first end portion. At at least a portion where an internal electrode is led out, the end surface region includes a high glass content layer in contact with the ceramic body. At least the second end portion and a vicinity thereof includes a low glass content layer in contact with the ceramic body. At least a portion of the side surface region includes a surface with the low glass content layer exposed.

Abstract: A device for determining a sound source direction determines a direction in which a source of a reached sound exists, based on at least one of a sound pressure difference between a first sound pressure that is a sound pressure of a first frequency component of a first part of the reached sound acquired by a first microphone and a second sound pressure that is a sound pressure of the first frequency component of a second part of the reached sound acquired by a second microphone, and a phase difference between a first phase that is a phase of a second frequency component of the first part of the reached sound and a second phase that is a phase of the second frequency component of the second part of the reached sound.

Abstract: A device for determining a sound source direction determines a direction in which a source of a reached sound exists, based on at least one of a sound pressure difference between a first sound pressure that is a sound pressure of a first frequency component of a first part of the reached sound acquired by a first microphone and a second sound pressure that is a sound pressure of the first frequency component of a second part of the reached sound acquired by a second microphone, and a phase difference between a first phase that is a phase of a second frequency component of the first part of the reached sound and a second phase that is a phase of the second frequency component of the second part of the reached sound.

Abstract: A laminated ceramic electronic component mounting structure includes a laminated ceramic electronic component including a ceramic body, first and second inner electrodes in the ceramic body including opposed portions including at least portions of which are opposed to each other in a thickness direction of the ceramic body, a first terminal electrode electrically connected to the first inner electrode, and a second terminal electrode electrically connected to the second inner electrode; and a circuit board including first and second electrode lands electrically connected to the first and second terminal electrodes and on which the laminated ceramic electronic component is mounted, wherein widths of the first and second electrode lands are smaller than widths of the first and second inner electrodes at the opposed portions.

Abstract: A plurality of candidates of prediction coefficients of a channel signal out of a plurality of channel signals are extracted from a code book storing a plurality of prediction coefficients, each candidate having a predictive error falling within a specific range of predictive error of predictive encoding of two other channel signals, and a prediction coefficient is selected from the extracted candidates as a result of the predictive encoding in accordance with a specific data embedding rule and embedding embed target data into the selected prediction coefficient.

Abstract: A laminated ceramic electronic component includes a ceramic body, first and second inner electrodes within the ceramic body and including opposed portions opposed to each other in the thickness direction of the ceramic body, a first terminal electrode electrically connected to the first inner electrode, and a second terminal electrode electrically connected to the second inner electrode. The widthwise distance between first widthwise edges and second widthwise edges of the first and second terminal electrodes are smaller, in plan view, than widths of the first and second inner electrodes at the opposed portions.

Abstract: A device for embedding data upon a prediction coding of a multi-channel signal includes a storage unit to store a code book that includes a plurality of prediction parameter sets, each of the plurality of prediction parameter sets including a plurality of kinds of prediction parameters for a processing regarding the prediction coding. The device extracts a plurality of candidates of a prediction parameter set for the multi-channel signal from the code book, wherein the plurality of candidates are capable of suppressing a prediction error in the prediction coding within a predetermined range, converts an embedding object that is at least part of the data in accordance with a number corresponding to a number of the candidates, selects, from the plurality of candidates, the prediction parameter set corresponding to the converted embedding object, and multiplexes the selected prediction parameter set with coded data which are down-mixed from the multi-channel signal.

Abstract: An orthogonal transform apparatus includes: an interchanging unit which interchanges MDCT coefficients contained in a first half of a prescribed interval with MDCT coefficients contained in a second half thereof; an inverting unit which inverts the sign of the MDCT coefficients contained in the second half of the prescribed interval after the interchange; an inverse cosine transform unit which computes the real components of QMF coefficients by applying an IMDCT using FFT to the MDCT coefficients contained in the first half and the sign-inverted MDCT coefficients contained in the second half; an inverse sine transform unit which computes the imaginary components of the QMF coefficients by applying an IMDST using FFT to the MDCT coefficients contained in the first half and the sign-inverted MDCT coefficients contained in the second half; and a coefficient adjusting unit which computes the QMF coefficients by combining the real components with the imaginary components.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a multilayer electronic component includes the steps of preparing a laminate including a plurality of laminated insulating layers and a plurality of internal electrodes disposed along interfaces between the insulating layers, edges of the internal electrodes being exposed at a predetermined surface of the laminate, and forming an external electrode on the predetermined surface to electrically connect exposed the edges of the internal electrodes. The step of forming an external electrode includes a plating step of forming a continuous plating film by depositing plating deposits on the edges of the internal electrodes exposed at the predetermined surface and by performing plating growth to be connected to each other, and a heat treatment step of performing a heat treatment at an oxygen partial pressure of about 5 ppm or less and at a temperature of about 600° C. or more.

Abstract: An audio coding device that performs predictive coding on a third-channel signal included in a plurality of channels in an audio signal according to a first-channel signal and a second-channel signal, which are included in the plurality of channels, and to a plurality of channel prediction coefficients included in a coding book, the device includes a processor; and a memory which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to execute, selecting channel prediction coefficients corresponding to the first-channel signal and the second-channel signal so that an error, which is determined by a difference between the third-channel signal before predictive coding and the third-channel signal after predictive coding, is minimized; and controlling the first-channel signal or the second-channel signal so that the error is further reduced.

Abstract: A multilayer ceramic electronic component including thin external terminal electrodes each having a superior bonding force to a ceramic base body is provided. In order to form the external terminal electrodes, after Cu plating films are deposited on exposed portions of internal electrodes by direct plating on a ceramic base body, a Cu liquid phase, an O2-containing liquid phase, and a Cu solid phase are generated between the Cu plating film and the ceramic base body by a heat treatment, so that Cu oxides are dispersed in the Cu plating film, at least near an interface with the ceramic base body. Since the Cu oxides function as an adhesive, a bonding force of the Cu plating film to the ceramic base body can be increased, and hence the external terminal electrode having a superior bonding force to the ceramic base body can be obtained.

Abstract: An audio encoding device includes a processor; and a memory which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to execute, calculating first phases indicating phases of a first channel signal and a second channel signal included in audio signals of a plurality of channels; and performing, on the basis of the first phases, either first predictive coding in which a third channel signal included in the audio signals of the plurality of channels is predicted using the first channel signal and the second channel signal or second predictive coding in which the second channel signal is predicted using the first channel signal.

Abstract: An orthogonal transform apparatus computes either one of the real and imaginary components of the quadrature mirror filter coefficient contained in a first subinterval of a plurality of subintervals among which a coefficient sequence containing a plurality of quadrature mirror filter coefficients is divided so that the values of basis functions are symmetrically placed, by computing a sum of products of the plurality of modified discrete cosine transform coefficients and the basis functions corresponding to the subinterval, computes the other one of the real and imaginary components of the quadrature mirror filter coefficient contained in the first subinterval and the real and imaginary components of the quadrature mirror filter coefficient contained in another subintervals by performing a butterfly operation using a computed value produced as a result of the sum of products and computes each quadrature mirror filter coefficient by combining the real component and imaginary component thereof.

Abstract: An audio decoding device includes a processor; and a memory which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to execute, decoding, using a first channel signal and a second channel signal included in a plurality of channels of an audio signal having a first frequency range and a second frequency range, a first prediction coefficient of the first frequency range and a second prediction coefficient of the second frequency range, both selected from a code book when prediction-encoding a third channel signal that is not subjected to prediction encoding and that is included in the plurality of channels; decoding a residual signal included in the first frequency range, the residual signal representing an error occurring in prediction encoding; and prediction-decoding the third channel signal subjected to prediction-encoding in the second frequency range from the first channel signal, the second channel signal.

Abstract: An orthogonal transform apparatus computes either one of the real and imaginary components of the quadrature mirror filter coefficient contained in a first subinterval of a plurality of subintervals among which a coefficient sequence containing a plurality of quadrature mirror filter coefficients is divided so that the values of basis functions are symmetrically placed, by computing a sum of products of the plurality of modified discrete cosine transform coefficients and the basis functions corresponding to the subinterval, computes the other one of the real and imaginary components of the quadrature mirror filter coefficient contained in the first subinterval and the real and imaginary components of the quadrature mirror filter coefficient contained in another subintervals by performing a butterfly operation using a computed value produced as a result of the sum of products and computes each quadrature mirror filter coefficient by combining the real component and imaginary component thereof.

Abstract: A laminated ceramic electronic component includes a ceramic body, first and second inner electrodes within the ceramic body and including opposed portions opposed to each other in the thickness direction of the ceramic body, a first terminal electrode electrically connected to the first inner electrode, and a second terminal electrode electrically connected to the second inner electrode. The widthwise distance between first widthwise edges and second widthwise edges of the first and second terminal electrodes are smaller, in plan view, than widths of the first and second inner electrodes at the opposed portions.

Abstract: A laminated ceramic electronic component mounting structure includes a laminated ceramic electronic component including a ceramic body, first and second inner electrodes in the ceramic body including opposed portions including at least portions of which are opposed to each other in a thickness direction of the ceramic body, a first terminal electrode electrically connected to the first inner electrode, and a second terminal electrode electrically connected to the second inner electrode; and a circuit board including first and second electrode lands electrically connected to the first and second terminal electrodes and on which the laminated ceramic electronic component is mounted, wherein widths of the first and second electrode lands are smaller than widths of the first and second inner electrodes at the opposed portions.