Abstract: A non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery according to the present invention is characterized by including a non-aqueous electrolyte which contains at least one of vinylene carbonate derivatives at a concentration of 1 wt % or less and at least one of cyclic sulfates at a concentration of 2 wt % or less. According to the present invention, a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery having excellent discharge characteristics at a low temperature can be obtained.

Abstract: The present invention is characterized in that a nonaqueous electrolyte contains a sultone compound having unsaturated bonds, and the present invention thereby aims at suppressing the swelling of a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery, as represented by a lithium secondary battery, after being allowed to stand at a high temperature and at obtaining an excellent high temperature standing performance. Furthermore, by making the nonaqueous electrolyte contain, in addition to the sultone compound containing unsaturated bonds, a vinylene carbonate derivative in 1.0 wt % or below, and/or a cyclic sulfate in 2.0 wt % or below, there can be obtain a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery which prevents the initial discharge capacity degradation, occurring when the addition amount of the sultone compound having unsaturated bonds is increased, and has an excellent high temperature standing performance and a large initial discharge capacity.

Abstract: A non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery according to the present invention is characterized by including a non-aqueous electrolyte which contains at least one of vinylene carbonate derivatives at a concentration of 1 wt % or less and at least one of cyclic sulfates at a concentration of 2 wt % or less. According to the present invention, a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery having excellent discharge characteristics at a low temperature can be obtained.

Abstract: The present invention is characterized in that a nonaqueous electrolyte contains a sultone compound having unsaturated bonds, and the present invention thereby aims at suppressing the swelling of a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery, as represented by a lithium secondary battery, after being allowed to stand at a high temperature and at obtaining an excellent high temperature standing performance. Furthermore, by making the nonaqueous electrolyte contain, in addition to the sultone compound containing unsaturated bonds, a vinylene carbonate derivative in 1.0 wt % or below, and/or a cyclic sulfate in 2.0 wt % or below, there can be obtain a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery which prevents the initial discharge capacity degradation, occurring when the addition amount of the sultone compound having unsaturated bonds is increased, and has an excellent high temperature standing performance and a large initial discharge capacity.

Abstract: The present invention can provide the nonaqueous electrolytic secondary battery excellent in cycle life characteristics and characteristics in discharge at a high rate as well as in safety in overcharge without reducing the discharge capacity by using the positive active material, which is obtained from starting materials containing Na and S by a simple production step such as water-washing treatment after synthesis and which contains less than 0.1% by weight of the sulfate group (SO42−), less than 0.024% by weight of Na and/or less than 0.13% by weight of lithium sodium sulfate (LiNaSO4).

Abstract: A microwave plasma etching method and apparatus for manufacturing electronic devices such as transistors. The method includes the steps of forming a stream of plasma from a processing gas within a plasma formation chamber by using an electric field produced by a microwave and an electron cyclotron resonance phenomenon produced by a magnetic field perpendicular to the electric field, and processing a substrate surface by locating it at the electron cyclotron resonance point and exposing it to a radiation of the plasma stream. The apparatus has a plasma formation chamber, a microwave introducing device connected to the plasma formation chamber, a magnetic field applying device for producing a magnetic field perpendicular to an electric field produced within the plasma formation chamber, and a gas introducing system for introducing a processing gas into the plasma formation chamber.

Abstract: A microwave plasma treatment apparatus comprises a plurality of auxiliary magnets arranged around the periphery of a plasma formation chamber. A plurality of auxiliary magnets are disposed along the circumference of the plasma formation chamber while a plurality of auxiliary magnets may also be arranged in the axial direction of the plasma formation chamber. Also, the magnetic poles of every auxiliary magnet are respectively reverse in polarity to the adjoining magnetic poles of an auxiliary magnet(s) disposed adjacent thereto either along the circumference of the plasma formation chamber or in the axial direction thereof. This enables the whole high-density plasma to be substantially uniform throughout the inside of the plasma formation chamber.

Abstract: An adaptive type compression method for a color image in which each sequence of picture elements obtained by combination of sum-difference transformation with DPCM is compressed by being multiplied by an adaptive zonal filter. The sum-difference transformation is used to simplify transformation of the image into a spatial frequency zone. The zone filter characteristic is adaptively selected according to a predetermined transmission bit rate (compression rate). Further, this zonal filter characteristic is set so as to correspond with luminance and color difference signals. According to this method, image information to be recorded can be arbitrarily selected and distortion of the image at compressing and reproducing can be eliminated.

Abstract: A steam turbine plant includes a steam turbine with a shrink-fit type rotor and a gland seal steam supply apparatus that supplies gland seal steam into the gland portion of the steam turbine. The gland seal steam supply apparatus has an evaporator that uses main steam or turbine extraction steam as a heating medium. A steam supply apparatus supplies steam generated within the evaporator into the portions of the turbine which are in danger of developing stress corrosion cracks. The steam supply apparatus includes a pressure reducing apparatus for supplying steam at a reduced pressure into the portions which are in danger of developing stress corrosion cracks. A steam detecting apparatus detects the steam conditions in the rotor as a function of the turbine load and a control apparatus receives the detected signal from the steam detecting apparatus for the purpose of controlling either the pressure of steam generated within the evaporator or the operation of the pressure reducing apparatus.

Abstract: An image compression system wherein the image is arranged in a block 1 of elements which are Hadamard transformed 2 and then quantized 3 into sequences. The DC component is prediction 4 into a DC error prediction term and all the sequences are then encoded 5 into a variable length code depending on the combination of the sequences. The variable length codes are written into a buffer memory 6 at an input bit rate and read therefrom at an output bit rate asynchronously with the writing. A counter 10 keeps track of the amount of unused space in the buffer memory and a quantization characteristic selector 9 uses this amount to determine the quantization level.

Abstract: An adaptative quantizer for use with color images separates each color component for separate quantization and breaks up the input image into a plurality of blocks. A quantization characteristic determining unit determines the characteristic to be used for a given block according to the distribution of quantization level values obtained when an estimation error in a preceding block is quantized according to a particular quantization characteristic. The characteristic may be changed when the distribution of quantization level values is smaller than or exceeds given threshold values.

Abstract: A band compression method for a shaded image in which a sample input picture element value and an estimation error obtained from an estimation value of the input picture element are converted into quantization values and coded. First codes are temporarily stored in at least one block of buffer memories according to a quantization step number. The estimation errors are converted into quantization values corresponding to the input picture element values. Each quantization value is converted into the first code when the estimation error is quantized corresponding to the estimation error and quantization value. The next picture element value is estimated in accordance with the quantization value.

Abstract: An information processing system is used in a computer output microfilmer in which sub-information such as titles and indices is recorded on a recording medium such as a microfilm together with pre-processed main information obtained from a computer. The pre-processed main information is processed through a main information processing unit. The sub-information is prepared and processed through a sub-information processing unit in which key words contained in the main information are detected and the sub-information is prepared based on the key words. The output of the main information processing unit and the output of the sub-information processing unit are combined and recorded on the recording medium by means of a recorder.

Abstract: A method for adaptively equalizing sampled input picture element values in which an estimation error obtained from a sampled input picture element value and the estimation value thereof are adaptively quantized by selecting one of a plurality of quantization characteristics. Quantization steps are determined in accordance with the desired quantization characteristics. Input groups of picture elements are divided into adjacent blocks and a quantization characteristic used for succeeding blocks is determined according to the distribution of quantization level values of preceding blocks. A quantization characteristic selecting unit selects a quantization characteristic set by the quantization characteristic determining unit from among a plurality of quantization characteristics. The estimation errors are quantized in a predetermined block using the quantization characteristic which is so selected.

Abstract: A shaded picture signal processing system and method which produces recorded pictures of high quality with a small number of gradation levels with the resolution of the picture maintained nearly unchanged. False contours appearing as quantization distortion are removed by dispersing noise of equal magnitude to the false contours throughout the whole picture or a specified portion of the picture so that the false contours cannot be detected by the human eye.

Abstract: In an image recording or displaying system using a light beam scanning means, format lines are generated in combination with character data to be recorded or displayed together therewith. A format line data memory memorizes the format line data and the output format line data read out therefrom are combined with the character data. The format line data memory is provided with a horizontal pattern memory and a vertical pattern memory. The horizontal pattern memory memorizes various horizontal patterns in the direction parallel to the scanning line of the light beam scanning means. The vertical pattern memory memorizes the kind of the horizontal pattern according to the position of the scanning line. The vertical pattern memory generates the horizontal pattern code according to the scanning line signal and the horizontal pattern memory generates the selected horizontal pattern for every scanning line.