Abstract: The present invention provides a method for controlling the shrinkage of formed ceramic bodies, by which it is possible to suppress fluctuation of the shrinkage of formed ceramic bodies and to cause the shrinkage to approximate the target rate. The method comprises controlling the shrinkage of formed ceramic bodies in manufacturing ceramic products by a predetermined manufacturing process from ceramic powder ground by a dry-type ball mill. Such control can be achieved by determining a correlation between the change in the amount of the ground ceramic powder taken out from the dry-type ball mill with elapse time and the shrinkage during firing of the formed ceramic body, and thereafter adjusting the manufacturing conditions based on the previously-determined conditions for the above-mentioned manufacturing process and the correlation with respect to the shrinkage obtained.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus has a battery portion which supplies power, a remaining capacity detecting portion which detects a remaining capacity of the battery portion, a remaining time computing portion which computes a remaining time during which processing of an application for information processing can be carried out by the power supplied from the battery portion, on the basis of the remaining capacity detected by the remaining capacity detecting portion, and a display portion which displays the remaining time computed by the remaining time computing portion. In this manner, a user can know a time of an application which can be used with a current remaining battery capacity from a screen.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for vehicle-to-vehicle communication between vehicles having vehicle-to-vehicle communication apparatuses. When a vehicle transmits a request, a network is formed including the vehicle that has transmitted the request and the vehicles that should respond to the request. The vehicles included in the network respond to the request or take action in response to the request.

Abstract: A point service utilizing system, a method of utilizing a point service, and a navigation apparatus are provided that enable obtaining the point service effectively in the usage of a vehicle.

Abstract: In a mobile system, a power supply switch 34 receives the output from a clock 33 and a CPU 1, and selectively supplies the power supplied from the Bup line to position measuring means comprising a GPS receiver 4, a GPS antenna 5, a gyro 6, and a transit distance sensor 7 via a stabilizer 35, enabling the position measuring means to continue the position measuring operation after stopping the main operation of the mobile system.

Abstract: Two grooves are provided on a rear face of the remote control transmission apparatus and a plurality of electrodes are arranged in the grooves in substantially the same direction as an extension direction thereof. The plurality of the electrodes are connected to a conversion device. The conversion device measures an impedance between each of the electrodes and the finger placed in the groove, codes that impedance distribution pattern and transmits it to a recognition device. The recognition device determines whether or not he is a particular registered person by verifying with a preliminarily stored registration pattern and controls availability of a pay channel according to the determination result.

Abstract: A hand-held image scanner can scan an object larger than the scanner itself. Successive multiple partial images scanned in the Y (or longitudinal) direction) are combined to form a single image by keeping track of the position and motion of the scanner in both the Y direction and the X (or latitudinal) direction. The scanner measures distance moved in either the X or the Y direction, but it cannot measure in both directions at once, nor does it scan when it moves in the X direction.