Abstract: A method of driving a solid-state image pickup apparatus suppresses a shading in the dark output of the apparatus. The apparatus has a line of photosensors to produce signal charges in response to the intensity of incident light, and parallel lines of analog shift registers to successively transfer the signal charges from the photosensors. When the charges are transferred from an inner one of the shift register lines to an outer one thereof, dark charges in the inner shift register line are kept as they are.

Abstract: A data processing apparatus for processing data structured as records, each record including a number of fields. The processing consists of replacing the contents of specific fields in specific records. The apparatus has a memory for storing a record to be processed, a memory for storing data to be used in replacement processing, a register for storing information designating specific record fields to be processed, and a control section for successively reading out the stored record fields. As each field is read out, either the field data or the replacement data are transferred as output data from the apparatus, in accordance with the corresponding information in the aforementioned register.

Abstract: Phosphoramidite compounds of the general formula ##STR1## wherein each of R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 represents a hydroxyl group having a protective group, or the group --OR.sub.4, R.sub.3 represents a hydrogen atom, a hydroxyl group having a protective group, or the group --OR.sub.4, R.sub.4 represents the group ##STR2## X represents a secondary amino group, R.sub.5 represents an allylic residue or a protective group capable of being split off by beta-cleavage, and B.sup.AOC represents a nucleoside base residue in which the amino or imino group is protected with an allyloxycarbonyl-type residue, with the proviso that only one of R.sub.1, R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 represents the group--OR.sub.4. The compounds can be produced by reacting a nucleoside represented by the general formula ##STR3## wherein each of R.sub.1 ' and R.sub.2 ' represents a hydroxyl group which may have a protective group, R.sub.3 ' represents a hydrogen atom, or a hydroxyl group which may have a protective group, and B.sup.

Abstract: A ultrasonic bloodstream diagnostic apparatus wherein the frequencies of Doppler shift ultrasound information are analyzed by a frequency analyzer to derive a power spectrum represented by N-bit data. The N-bit data comprises (K+M+L) bits, where K represents the number of binary 0's in the highest order bit positions and varies in the range between zero and N-M, M represents a fixed number of significant bits immediately following the binary 0's and L represents the number of insignificant bits in the lowest order bit positions immediately following the M significant bits, where K+L equals N-M. A data compression technique is employed to conver the N-bit data to (m+l)-bit data by a data conversion circuit, with the m bits respectively identical to the M bits and l bits being a binary representation of the number of the L bits. A microprocessor derives a signal representing the average frequency of the power spectrum from the (m+l)-bit output data signal.

Abstract: An ultrasonic wave blood flow meter comprises a probe which sends to and receives an ultrasonic wave reflected with Doppler effect from the blood flow, a detecting circuit for converting a frequency variation of the received reflected wave into a first signal whose amplitude varies with frequency and a second signal whose amplitude is kept constant, and first and second effective-value detecting circuits for obtaining d.c. components of the first and second signals. A level discrimination circuit is further provided for discriminating the level of the d.c. component detected by the second effective-value detecting circuit. First and second sensitivity-variable amplifiers are also provided for varying their sensitivities in accordance with the result of the level discrimination circuit. A dividing circuit divides the d.c. component amplified by the first sensitivity-variable amplifier by the d.c.

Abstract: An ultrasonic imaging system comprises a transducer array including a plurality of elongated piezoelectric transducers successively arranged along a curved surface for emission of diverging beams of acoustic energy and an acoustic diverging lens affixed to the curved surface for increasing the angle of divergence of the emitted acoustic energy. The system includes a source for successively generating burst energy and means for selectively establishing a connection from the energy source to a subarray of the transducers to transmit a beam of acoustic energy therefrom and shifting the connection to the next subarray by at least one transducer in response to the generation of subsequent acoustic energy to cause the emitted acoustic energy to be angulated in an arc scan format. Means are provided for compensating for differences in energy level resulting from the differences in the path-length of the acoustic lens.

Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer array for arc scan imaging systems comprises a plurality of elongated piezoelectric transducers arranged successively to define a convexed energy radiating surface. A plano-concave acoustic diverging lens is attached to the convexed surface to diverge the acoustic energy transmitted from the transducers in an increased steering angle. The transducers are assembled on an impedance matching layer which defines the convexed radiating surface. The acoustic impedance of the diverging lens is substantially equal to the acoustic impedance of the human body, while the acoustic impedance of the impedance matching layer is greater than that of the human body.

Abstract: Ultrasonic echo signals are successively sampled and converted to digital echo data which are written into a first digital memory column by column and then read out row by row into a first buffer memory. The digital echo data which are derived in response to beams successively transmitted in a predetermined direction are written into columns of a second digital memory and read out of the memory in rows into a second buffer memory. The data stored in the first and second buffer memories are read out for digital-to-analog conversion and selectively applied within a television "frame" interval to control electron beam intensity of a single cathode ray tube so as to present tomographic and cardiographic images in different display areas of the tube.

Abstract: An ultrasonic imaging system includes a linear array of transducers of which a group of successively arranged transducers is selected and successively shifted to the next by at least one transducer. The transducers of the selected group are successively activated at respective delay times to transmit a radial scan beam which appears to emanate from a hypothetical point source located behind the transducer array. A scan converter is provided for conversion of analog echo signals in sector scan format to digital echo data in raster format for visual display.

Abstract: A sector scan ultrasonic imaging system comprises a source of a plurality of square wave pulse trains each being delayed by a unit quantization time with respect to adjacent trains, and a plurality of transmitter circuits corresponding to the elements of a transducer array. The duration of each square wave pulse is an integral multiple of the unit quantization time interval. Each transmitter circuit includes a read only memory in which a set of different digital delay time data is stored for the corresponding transducer element and is arranged to be retrieved in response to each angle increment of the ultrasonic beam transmitted from the array. Further included are a data selector for selecting a pulse train in response to a pulse train selection data retrieved from the memory and a programmable counter for counting the pulses of the selected train to generate an output in accordance with a pulse selection data retrieved from the memory.

Abstract: A tire internal pressure control apparatus for tired vehicles comprising a resonance coil assembly secured to a rotational body of a vehicle and an oscillation coil assembly secured to a stationary vehicle body side, these assemblies being distant apart from each other and electromagnetically coupled with each other and operative to produce resonance phenomenon and generate a signal sensitive to the internal pressure of the tire. The signal is displayed at a driver's seat without utilizing any expensive and complex integrated circuit.

Abstract: An apparatus for detecting a pressure drop in a tire chamber of a tire-and-wheel assembly for an automotive vehicle, comprising an oscillator assembly held stationary with respect to the vehicle body structure and a resonator assembly mounted on the wheel rim of the tire-and-wheel assembly, wherein the resonator assembly comprises a resonant inductor and a resonant capacitor which are electrically connected together across a pressure-sensitive switch unit directly communicating with the tire chamber and which are positioned together with a portion of the switch unit within a protective receptacle secured to the wheel rim and wherein the resonant inductor and capacitor and the portion of the switch unit are encapsulated in a body of potting compound forming a potted resonance circuit structure within the protective receptacle, the switch unit and the resonant capacitor being positioned intermally of the resonant inductor.

Abstract: A scan converter is disclosed for use in a sector scan type ultrasound imaging system in which ultrasound echo signals return from targets along a plurality of radial scan lines distributed in a sector field with a substantially equal tangential angular increment with respect to a reference line. The scan converter comprises a sampling circuit which samples the echo signals at a speed inversely proportional to the cosine of the angle of deflection of the radial scan lines with respect to the reference line so that the sampled points align themselves in lateral lines perpendicular to the reference line. The sampled echo signals are converted into digital echo data and stored in a random access memory in the direction of its columns. The stored data are retrieved serially in the direction of the rows and fed into an interpolator for making interpolations between the successively retrieved echo data.

Abstract: Beam deflection delay time data of (L.times.M) data bits are stored in a read-only memory from which each datum is retrieved successively when the ultrasound beam is deflected to a given angle and repeatedly accumulated in a digital adder through a latching circuit connected between the output and input of the adder, where L is the number of discrete steps of deflection angle and M is a binary number representing the total delay time of piezoelectric transducers. The successively latched data is distributed to respective programmable counters for presetting the count values thereof to store therein respective delay time data. High frequency count pulses are supplied to the counters after the latter has been preset for delivery of carry outputs to the associated piezoelectric transducers.

Abstract: A pneumatic safety tire with a pair of annular rubber reinforcements having crescent sectional shape and applied to a tire carcass at tire sidewalls, the rubber of the reinforcements having a JIS hardness of not less than 70, a tensile stress (Mod.sub.25) after an aging test of not less than 10 kg/cm.sup.2, and a repulsive elasticity by Dunlop tripsometer of not less than 65%.

Abstract: A rubber composition comprising a sulfur-vulcanizable rubber, N,N'-dithiodiamine, a thermosetting resin and a curing agent has a high dynamic modulus in the vulcanizate. A tire using the vulcanizate as a bead filler rubber has improved impact absorbing property and vibration damping property and is excellent in the ride feeling.

Abstract: Process for the preparation of tropane alkaloids, more particularly of N-acyl-dehydronortropinones, dehydrotropine and tropine. The compounds can be prepared by cyclocoupling N-acyl-pyrrole with .alpha.,.alpha.'-halogenoketone in the presence of a reducing agent and, if necessary, subjecting the resulting N-acyl-dehydronortropinone to either partial reduction and then stereo-selective reduction, or stereo-selective reduction and then partial reduction.