Abstract: A connector includes a connector main body 1 having a metallic electrical connecting portion 2, an inner molded portion 10a provided outside the connector main body and having a pair of protrusions 12 which are integrally formed on the opposite surfaces of the inner molded portion 10a, and an outer molded portion 20a provided outside the inner molded portion so that the protrusions 12 are partially exposed on the outer surface of the outer molded portion 20a. The pair of protrusions 12 protrude toward a pair of metal molds for molding the outer molding portion, respectively.

Abstract: An optical packet header identifier having a simplified configuration and being superior in reliability, stability, and economical efficiency, an optical router incorporating the identifier therein, and a routing method using the optical router are provided. The optical packet header identifier includes an optical waveguide, optical focusing elements, and a photo receiver. Tilted gratings for diffracting an incident optical beam and emitting the beams as diffracted optical beams to the outside of the waveguide are formed within the optical waveguide. The tilted gratings are not formed uniformly in a longitudinal direction of a core of the optical waveguide, but are arranged at intervals. The length of a portion containing a set of gratings and the length of a portion containing no gratings can be defined in increments of length “L”. “L” equals to the spatial length which 1 bit in an optical signal occupies.

Abstract: A positive terminal 20 for a dry battery of a battery box 1a includes an electrode portion 22 adapted to make contact with the anode of a battery, a soldering portion 13 soldered to the substrate 6, and a lead portion 21 integrally provided between the electrode portion 22 and the soldering portion 13. Further, a load absorbing means is provided in the lead portion 21 to prevent a force exerted in the longitudinal direction of the battery from being applied directly to the soldering portion 13. The lead portion 21 includes an extending part 21a which extends in the longitudinal direction of the battery and is continuous with the electrode portion 22, and a loop part 21b bent in a substantially ring shape and positioned within a plane roughly perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the battery, wherein the loop part 21b forms the load absorbing means.

Abstract: Original images, large images, medium images and thumbnail images are registered with a server system. An original-image file is transmitted from a client computer to the server system. The server system converts the format of the original-image file to generate a large-image file, generates a medium-image file, in which the quantity of data is less than that of the large-image file, from the large-image file, and generates a thumbnail-image file, in which the quantity of data is less than that of the medium-image file, from the medium-image file. The original-image file, large-image file, medium-image file and thumbnail-image file are placed on one folder and stored in an image file unit. After the folder containing the original-image file, etc., has been stored in the image file unit, the user of a client computer having access privileges is capable of accessing files such as the large-image file.

Abstract: A fiber-type optical coupler has two optical fibers including a core on which a slanting Bragg diffraction grating is formed and a first cladding and a second cladding bordered with a boundary plane close to the core. The two optical fibers are placed by approximating the boundary plane almost contacting the core, making respective optical axes almost parallel and also making slanting directions of the respective Bragg diffraction gratings almost parallel. A wave vector of the slanting Bragg diffraction grating is located in a plane made by a normal set up on the boundary plane almost contacting the core and the optical axis of the core, and an angle ? made by the wave vector and the optical axis is 0 degree<?<90 degrees. In addition, a refractive index of the second cladding is lower than that of the first cladding.

Abstract: Original images, large images, medium images and thumbnail images are registered with a server system. An original-image file is transmitted from a client computer to the server system. The server system converts the format of the original-image file to generate a large-image file, generates a medium-image file, in which the quantity of data is less than that of the large-image file, from the large-image file, and generates a thumbnail-image file, in which the quantity of data is less than that of the medium-image file, from the medium-image file. The original-image file, large-image file, medium-image file and thumbnail-image file are placed on one folder and stored in an image file unit. After the folder containing the original-image file, etc., has been stored in the image file unit, the user of a client computer having access privileges is capable of accessing files such as the large-image file.

Abstract: A secondary cell residual capacity calculation method and a battery pack capable of calculating the secondary cell residual capacity is provided. The calculation method includes detecting a temperature of a plurality of secondary cells; detecting a current and a terminal voltage of the plurality of secondary cells; digitizing temperature, current, and terminal voltage; calculating a cell polarization voltage from the digitized temperature, current and terminal voltage; calculating an original cell voltage from both of the calculated cell polarization voltage and the detected terminal voltage; and calculating a residual capacity rate based on the calculated original cell voltage with reference to a prearranged residual capacity reference data table.

Abstract: An insulative connector body is accommodated in a conductive shield case. A conductive contact is provided on the connector body. An insulative cover is accommodated in the shield case so as to be slidable between a first position for concealing the contact and a second position for exposing a part of the contact and allowing a mating connector to electrically contact therewith. A conductive shield member is attached onto a front face of the cover which faces the mating connector.

Abstract: An electromagnetic sound generator is proposed that can be easily and inexpensively fabricated for producing an indicating sound to enable use in an automobile or other similar environment. A spool (2) on which a coil (3) has been wound, a core (4) that is movable up and down, and a round spring (5) are installed inside a cup-shaped yoke (1); whereby supplying or cutting off the supply of current to the coil (3) causes the core (4) to strike, in single beats in accordance with drive, against the yoke (1) itself or on the side of spring (5) to produce a sound. The yoke (1), which is the magnetic circuit for driving, also serves as a sound generator, and the provision of openings such as slits in the upper surface and side surfaces of the cup-shaped yoke (1) enhances sound effects such as the tone, volume and direction of emission of the generated sound.

Abstract: An image recorded on photo film is projected through an imaging lens onto an image sensor. In accordance with a selected mode, set values are read out from a data ROM and are applied to a band pass filter consisting of programmable digital filters. Pixel signals from the image sensor are converted into evaluation signals which are correlative with spatial frequencies of the image, and are filtered through the band pass filter with the frequency band determined by the set values. The evaluation signals are integrated, and a peak value of integration values obtained at different focusing positions is determined to be an in-focus position.

Abstract: An optical packet header identifier having a simplified configuration and being superior in reliability, stability, and economical efficiency, an optical router incorporating the identifier therein, and a routing method using the optical router are provided.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus and method are disclosed. The system includes an image area designating device that designates an area to be extracted of an original-image displayed on a display screen. A color changing device changes the color of an area, excluding the area to be extracted which has been designated by the image area designating device, of the displayed original image into a particular color. Additionally, a storage controlling device stories pixel data representing pixels having colors excluding the particular color obtained by the change in said color changing means in the displayed original image and coordinate data representing positions of the pixels in the displayed original image with the pixel data and the coordinate data correlated with each other.

Abstract: Alternatively, a set of pixel image data and a set of coordinate data are respectively compressed, and compressed pixel image data and the compressed coordinate data are stored. To perform proper color correction (conversion) even when a user image is inlaid in a template image to produce a composite image. A position, in which the user image is to be inlaid, on the template image is defined by mask information. The template image and the mask information are correlated with each other. The user image is inlaid in the position, on the template image, defined by the mask information, to produce a composite image. Data representing the produced composite image and the corresponding mask information are transmitted from a client computer to an image synthesizer. In the image synthesizer, the mask information is referred to, to separate the template image and the user image from the composite image.

Abstract: When a group keyword is input to a group keyword setting area on a display screen and a grouping area is clicked, a grouping search command is applied to an image database system. Data belonging to the group keyword is retrieved from the database and representative images are displayed in a thumbnail image display area. When a thumbnail image is clicked, data belonging to the group represented by this representative image is displayed. This makes it possible to find a desired image in a comparatively simple manner.

Abstract: An electromagnetic sound generator is proposed that can be easily and inexpensively fabricated for producing an indicating sound to enable use in an automobile or other similar environment. A spool (2) on which a coil (3) has been wound, a core (4) that is movable up and down, and a round spring (5) are installed inside a cup-shaped yoke (1); whereby supplying or cutting off the supply of current to the coil (3) causes the core (4) to strike, in single beats in accordance with drive, against the yoke (1) itself or on the side of spring (5) to produce a sound. The yoke (1), which is the magnetic circuit for driving, also serves as a sound generator, and the provision of openings such as slits in the upper surface and side surfaces of the cup-shaped yoke (1) enhances sound effects such as the tone, volume and direction of emission of the generated sound.

Abstract: An image recorded on a photo film is projected through an imaging lens onto an image sensor. In accordance with a selected mode, set values are read out from a data ROM and are applied to a band pass filter having programmable digital filters. Pixel signals from the image sensor are converted into evaluation signals that are correlative with spatial frequencies of the image, and are filtered through the band pass filter with the frequency band determined by the set values. The evaluation signals are integrated, and a peak value of integration values obtained at different focusing positions is determined to be an in-focus position.

Abstract: Order data is transmitted from a computer that has been installed at a travel agency to a center server. The order data is transmitted from the server to a photo lab. An order form is printed by an order-form printer located in the photo lab. Film having an image that complies with the order is found in a film library in accordance with the specifics written on the order form. The film that has been found is duplicated by a developing apparatus. The duplicated film and the order form are sealed in an envelope and mailed to the travel agency.

Abstract: A fiber-type optical coupler has two optical fibers including a core on which a slanting Bragg diffraction grating is formed and a first cladding and a second cladding bordered with a boundary plane close to the core. The two optical fibers are placed by approximating the boundary plane almost contacting the core, making respective optical axes almost parallel and also making slanting directions of the respective Bragg diffraction gratings almost parallel. A wave vector of the slanting Bragg diffraction grating is located in a plane made by a normal set up on the boundary plane almost contacting the core and the optical axis of the core, and an angle &thgr; made by the wave vector and the optical axis is 0 degree<&thgr;<90 degrees. In addition, a refractive index of the second cladding is lower than that of the first cladding.

Abstract: An optical non-reciprocal circuit is constituted by a channel waveguide, a planar waveguide, and a diffraction lattice or grating. The channel waveguide is disposed in a planar substrate that is transmissive to optical waves. The planar waveguide is disposed on only one side of a substrate plane divided by the channel waveguide in the substrate plane and having an equivalent refractive index lower than that in the channel waveguide. The diffraction grating provides a spatial periodic change of the refractive index to a guided optical wave of the channel waveguide. The periodicity of the lattice direction, that is, the direction of the wavenumber vector is neither parallel nor perpendicular to the optical transmission direction of the channel waveguide but is given a finite angle. The optical non-reciprocal circuit can be realized by using only an ordinary dielectric material with the circuit being highly productive and low priced and having high performance.

Abstract: A hole is formed in a silicon substrate, passing through the substrate. An insulating film is formed on one face of the silicon substrate and one open end of the hole is thus closed by the insulating film. An antireflection film is attached to that area of the insulating film by which the one open end of the hole is closed. An optical fiber is fitted and fixed in the hole. An optically-transparent conical probe is formed on the area of the insulating film which corresponds to the hole in the silicon substrate and the probe is coated by a metal film while leaving a tip of the probe not coated. A fine aperture is thus formed at the tip of the probe to allow light to enter into the probe through the fine aperture. The metal film prevents light reflected from entering into the probe and light from being leaked from the probe, and it is connected to an electrode to use tunnel current to position the fine aperture near a sample.