Abstract: An air bag device includes an air bag which is accommodated in a folded state along sides of a seat back and a seat cushion of a seat for an occupant. Upon side collision of a vehicle, the air bag is expanded by a gas generated by an inflator and deployed between an inner surface of a side of a vehicle compartment and an occupant. The air bag is disposed outside a lap belt of a seat belt device, and hence is deployed from the sides of the seat back and the seat cushion, so that a shock-absorbing effect can be effectively exhibited.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a ring system, in particular to a ring control node which increases the upper limit of the number of nodes that can be arranged on one ring by a BLSR control and conforms to an increase in line capacity and the scale of a system. The ring control node made of a plurality of nodes for performing ring control, and spans for connecting the plurality of nodes in a ring shape, and each of the nodes detects a fault occurring in a span between itself and another node adjacent thereto, and transmits the fault information to the other node using, as a destination, a span ID assigned to the span.

Abstract: A method of testing a performance of the HGA has a step of writing information from the at least one thin-film magnetic head element onto a magnetic disk with driving the actuator for displacement by applying an alternating drive signal to the actuator, a step of reading out the information of at least one rotation of the magnetic disk by the at least one thin-film magnetic head element without driving the actuator for displacement, a step of storing the information read-out from the magnetic disk as a read-out information along a disk-rotating direction, a step of moving the HGA toward an off-track direction by a predetermined distance, a step of repeatedly executing the reading, storing and moving steps to obtain two-dimensional read-out information along the disk-rotating direction and the off-track direction, and a step of determining, from the two-dimensional read-out information, an off-track position where the read-out information becomes maximum at each position along the disk-rotating direction, the

Abstract: A refrigerating cycle comprising a compressor 1 which compresses and discharges a refrigerant containing a refrigerating machine oil in a refrigerant circulating passage for lubricating the compressor 1, wherein fine particles 17 having a nearly circular shape in cross section are put into the refrigerant circulating passage. The fine particles 17 present between the sliding surfaces of the compressor prevent direct contact between the sliding surfaces. Besides, the fine particles 17 having a nearly circular shape in cross section roll when the opposing side surfaces move relative to each other creating rolling friction. Therefore, the coefficient of friction decreases on the sliding portions of the compressor 1.

Abstract: A digital-to-analog converter generates a monotonic sequence of reference voltages and selects an arbitrary pair of reference voltages, adjacent in the monotonic sequence, according to digital input. A switching network charges a capacitor according to the difference between the two selected reference voltages, then connects another capacitor to the first capacitor to generate a voltage intermediate between the two selected reference voltages by redistributing charge between the capacitors. The switching network also selects one of the selected reference voltages or the intermediate voltage as the analog output voltage. This conversion scheme saves space with little or no increase in current consumption.

Abstract: A channel control apparatus is arranged in a plurality of nodes on a source as a transmission side and at a node on a sink as a reception side, and changes a bandwidth of virtual concatenation (VC) between the nodes on the source and the sink using link capacity adjustment scheme (LCAS) information. The channel control apparatus includes a VC/LCAS main controller that sets member use-request information for the VC or member usable information for the VC in the LCAS information, and changes the member of the VC between the nodes on the source and the node on the sink.

Abstract: A signal generator circuit prevents a shift of a timing at which an output signal at high voltage level changes from a timing at which an output signal at low voltage level changes, and a level shifter prevents a through current from flowing between a high voltage power supply and a ground potential. The signal generator circuit has an output adjustor circuit for outputting a first output signal and a second output signal in accordance with an input signal, and a level shifter for converting a voltage level in accordance with the input signal to generate a third output signal and a fourth output signal. In response to a rising of the input signal, the first output signal first changes, then the third and fourth output signals change, and subsequently the first output signal changes.

Abstract: A head arm assembly (HAA) includes a head slider having at least one head element, an arm member for supporting the head slider at one end section, an actuator, mounted to the other end section of the arm member, for rotationally moving the arm member in a direction substantially parallel with a recording medium surface around an axis for horizontal rotation of the arm member, and a load generation unit for generating a load for energizing the head slider in a direction to the recording medium surface by rotationally moving the arm member in a direction substantially orthogonal to the recording medium surface around an axis for vertical rotation. The position of the center of gravity of the HAA is located at a different position from the axis for vertical rotation on a center axis of the arm member.

Abstract: A lead conductor member for a thin-film magnetic head, includes a plurality of head connection pads to be connected to a plurality of terminal electrodes of a thin-film magnetic head element, a plurality of external connection pads used for external connections, a plurality of trace conductors, one end of each of the plurality of trace conductors being connected to the plurality of head connection pads and the other ends of the plurality of trace conductors being connected to the plurality of external connection pads, respectively, and at least one pair of test connection pads capable of being temporally and electrically short-circuited with at least one pair of trace conductors of the plurality of trace conductors, respectively.

Abstract: A Head Arm Assembly includes a head slider having at least one head element, an arm member for supporting the head slider at one end section, an actuator, mounted to the other end section of the arm member for rotationally moving the arm member in a direction substantially parallel with a recording medium surface around a horizontal rotation axis of the arm member, a load generation unit for generating a load for energizing the head slider in a direction toward the recording medium surface by rotationally moving the arm member in a direction substantially orthogonal to the recording medium surface around a vertical rotation axis, and a limiter unit for restraining the arm member from rotationally moving more than a predetermined limit around the vertical rotation axis in a direction away from the recording medium surface.

Abstract: A recording/reproducing apparatus and a recording/reproducing method for reducing a load which must be borne when image data is obtained, enabling a title image to flexibly be processed, information for a sufficiently long time to be recorded and images to collectively be downloaded and arranged to display full information in a floppy disc. The recording/reproducing apparatus incorporates a DV recording/reproducing signal processing circuit for recording/reproducing a signal to and from a recording medium; a PCMCIA I/O/ATA I/F processing circuit for interfacing with the PCMCIA standard; a PCMCIA connector for establishing the connection with an external FDD; key blocks with which input is performed; and a control circuit for controlling the circuits.

Abstract: A suspension is provided, which comprises: a flexure with elasticity for supporting a head slider having at least one head element; a first load beam having first ribs for reinforcement at both side ends of the first load beam, for supporting the flexure; and a second load beam having second ribs for reinforcement at both side ends of the second load beam, at least a part of the second load beam being overlapped with the first load beam and being fixed to the first load beam, at least a part of the first and second ribs being overlapped with each other.

Abstract: A precise positioning actuator to be fixed to a head slider provided with at least one head element, for precisely positioning the at least one head element includes a base, and a pair of movable arms extending from the base and having slider fixing portions to be fixed to side surfaces of the head slider at top end sections thereof. Each of the pair of movable arms includes an arm member and an actuator layer formed on a side surface of the arm member, for displacing the arm member in response to a drive signal applied thereto. The actuator layer is terminated on the side surface of the arm member at a frontward position form the slider fixing portion.

Abstract: An HGA includes a magnetic head slider with at least one thin-film magnetic head element, a metal suspension for supporting the magnetic head slider, signal trace conductors formed via an insulation material layer on the metal suspension, for transmitting signals of the at least one thin-film magnetic head element, and external signal connection pads formed via an insulation material layer on the metal suspension and electrically connected to the signal trace conductors. At least part of the metal suspension under the external signal connection pads is removed.

Abstract: A switching method in a bidirectional line switched ring includes the steps of performing span switch by one node of the ring for getting rid of a fault detected by the one node, changing the span switch into ring switch when the span switch could not be performed normally, and performing the ring switch, and holding the ring switch request as an internal request of the one node when a span switch request, higher in priority than the ring switch, generated in another node is received by the one node.

Abstract: A head support mechanism includes a rigid support arm, a suspension for supporting, at its leading end section, a head slider with at least one head element, the suspension having a balance structure that can be pivoted in a direction crossing a surface of a recording medium using as a fulcrum a load support point established between the suspension and the support arm, a load generation unit for generating a load applied to the load support point for pressing the head slider toward the surface of the recording medium, a horizontal rotation bearing unit for pivotally bearing the support arm and the suspension so that the support arm and the suspension are capable of rotatively moving in a direction parallel to the surface of the recording medium, and an weight unit coupled to a trailing end section of the suspension to match the center of gravity of the suspension including the head slider with the load support point.

Abstract: A complementary signal generator, for outputting complementary positive-phase and antiphase signals that vary between a first logical value and a second logical value, which includes a signal forming unit for outputting a positive-phase intermediate signal being in phase with an input signal varying between the first logical value and the second logical value, and an antiphase intermediate signal antiphase to the input signal. The generator also includes a first connecting means for simultaneously transferring the second logical value of the positive-phase intermediate signal and the first logical value of the antiphase intermediate signal to a positive-phase signal output part and an antiphase signal output part in synchronism with a state change of the input signal from the first logical value to the second logical value.

Abstract: A precise positioning actuator to be fixed to a head slider provided with at least one head element, for precisely positioning the at least one head element includes a base, and a pair of movable arms extending from the base and having slider fixing portions to be fixed to side surfaces of the head slider at top end sections thereof. Each of the pair of movable arms includes an arm member and an actuator layer formed on a side surface of the arm member, for displacing the arm member in response to a drive signal applied thereto. The actuator layer is terminated on the side surface of the arm member at a frontward position from the slider fixing portion.

Abstract: A transmission apparatus provided in a communication network and controlling connection in the circuit network, includes a signal switching part configured to output input signals provided to a plurality of input ports to a plurality of arbitrary output ports, respectively, and to arbitrarily set an operation line circuit and a line testing circuit.

Abstract: A suspension includes a multilayered plate member formed by at least three layers laminated together. Modulus of elasticity of neighbor layers of the at least three layers are different from each other. Both side edges of only a part of the layers of the multilayered plate member within a stiffness-required region are bent to form ribs.