Abstract: The invention provides a reflective optical element which has three or more reflecting surfaces by which a light flux from an object is successively reflected. In an area enclosed by each of the reflecting surfaces, the reference axis intersects at least two times and the light flux forms an intermediate image. The reference axis is a path of the light beam which passes through the center of an object surface, is then reflected by the reflecting surfaces, and passes through a center of a pupil. The reflective optical element satisfies the following condition: 4·f·tan&thgr;<ea wherein &thgr; is a maximum field angle that passes through the pupil in a plane that includes the reference axis, f is a focal length of an optical part between the pupil and an intermediate-image forming surface, and ea is a maximum optical effective diameter of the reflective optical element.

Abstract: A compact finder with excellent optical performance, and a camera including the finder are disclosed. The finder of the present invention includes an objective optical system, and an eyepiece optical system. The objective optical system includes, from an object side to an image side, a first lens unit having positive power, a second lens unit having negative power, a third lens unit having positive power, and a fourth lens unit having positive power. During zooming from a wide-angle end to a telephoto end, the second lens unit is moved toward the image side, the third lens unit is moved toward the object side, and the fourth lens unit is moved such that an air space between the fourth lens unit and the third lens unit is changed. The camera of the present invention includes a photo-taking optical system, and the finder of the present invention whose optical axis is different from an optical axis of the photo-taking optical system.

Abstract: To purchase a thing which the viewer thinks that he or she wants to buy while a program is on the air, it is necessary to take procedures, (1) searching for information and (2) placing an order (at a store), which requires trouble and time.

Abstract: An observation optical system is disclosed with which the Fresnel reflection at the surfaces of optical members can be reduced, the transmittance can be improved, and the surface reflection ghost that occur among a plurality of optical surfaces can be suppressed. The observation optical system of the present invention comprises a plurality of optical surfaces, and a fine periodic structure, with a period smaller than the wavelength of incident light, is provided at an effective optical region of at least one surface among the aforementioned plurality of optical surfaces.

Abstract: A compact finder with excellent optical performance, and a camera including the finder are disclosed. The finder of the present invention includes an objective optical system, and an eyepiece optical system. The objective optical system includes, from an object side to an image side, a first lens unit having positive power, a second lens unit having negative power, a third lens unit having positive power, and a fourth lens unit having positive power. During zooming from a wide-angle end to a telephoto end, the second lens unit is moved toward the image side, the third lens unit is moved toward the object side, and the fourth lens unit is moved such that an air space between the fourth lens unit and the third lens unit is changed. The camera of the present invention includes a photo-taking optical system, and the finder of the present invention whose optical axis is different from an optical axis of the photo-taking optical system.

Abstract: A prosody generation apparatus capable of suppressing distortion that occurs when generating prosodic patterns and therefore generating a natural prosody is provided. A prosody changing point extraction unit in this apparatus extracts a prosody changing point located at the beginning and the ending of a sentence, the beginning and the ending of a breath group, an accent position and the like. A selection rule and a transformation rule of a prosodic pattern including the prosody changing point is generated by means of a statistical or learning technique and the thus generate rules are stored in a representative prosodic pattern selection rule table and a transformation rule table beforehand. A pattern selection unit selects a representative prosodic pattern from the representative prosodic pattern selection rule table according to the selection rule.

Abstract: A speech segment to be analyzed is cut out with a window having a length of a plurality of pitch periods for RK model voicing source parameter estimation. GCIs are all estimated for a plurality of voicing source pulses. Based on such estimations, an RK model voicing source waveform is generated, its relationship with the speech segment is analyzed by ARX system identification, and then a glottal transform function is estimated. While this process repeated, when GCIs converge at a predetermined value, the identification is completed. Accordingly, a high quality analysis-synthesis system, which isolates voicing source parameters of speech signals from vocal tract parameters thereof with high accuracy, can be realized.

Abstract: The invention provides a reflective optical element which has three or more reflecting surfaces by which a light flux from an object is successively reflected. In an area enclosed by each of the reflecting surfaces, the reference axis intersects at least two times and the light flux forms an intermediate image. The reference axis is a path of the light beam which passes through the center of an object surface, is then reflected by the reflecting surfaces, and passes through a center of a pupil.

Abstract: An apparatus for providing information by speech, has analyzing means of extracting all or some of words from an input sentence based on a predetermined criterion, replacing the extracted words with standard words by use of predetermined relation information, selecting a standard sentence pattern most relevant to the input sentence from among a plurality of prepared standard sentence patterns by use of the standard words, and replacing all or some of the standard words of the selected standard sentence pattern with the corresponding words; and

Abstract: According to this fundamental frequency generating method, a fundamental frequency pattern is set from a data base of a fundamental frequency pattern of each accent phrase standardized by the phoneme time length or the time length of the vowel and the vowel corresponding portion, and when the corresponding fundamental frequency pattern is not stored in the data base, the fundamental frequency pattern is generated by interpolating the interval between points serving as the references of the fundamental frequency pattern. With this method, a fundamental frequency pattern having higher naturalness than with conventional methods can be generated.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a field emission display (200) includes the steps of affixing a first tab (122) of an alignment member (120) to a protruding portion (118) of an anode plate (113), affixing a second tab (122) of the alignment member (120) to a protruding portion (121) of a cathode plate (112), aligning the anode plate (113) with the cathode plate (112), affixing the anode plate (113) to the cathode plate (112), and, thereafter, removing the alignment member (120) by removing both the protruding portion (118) of the anode plate (113) and the protruding portion (121) of the cathode plate (112). The tabs (122) are connected to a spacer (124). The thermal expansion coefficients of the cathode plate (112), the anode plate (113), and the alignment member (120) are substantially equal to one another.

Abstract: A ultra-high vacuum field emission display (100, 200) is disclosed including an anode (102, 202), a cathode (106, 206), side members (112, 212), a first non-evaporable getter material (120, 220) which is activated during the sealing and evacuation of the package, and a second getter material (122, 222) which is activated during the normal operation of the ultra-high vacuum field emission display (100, 200). The second getter material (122, 222) is activated by subsequent heating provided by radio-frequency radiation, resistive heating, or a laser.

Abstract: Emitters (14, 16, 17, 18) of a field emission display (10) are conditioned to improve electron emission. The emitters (14, 16, 17, 18) and the rows (21, 22) are operated at voltages that stimulate electron emission from the emitters (14, 16, 17, 18). An anode (23) is operated at a voltage that does not attract electrons so that the electrons are attracted to the rows (21, 22).

Abstract: An automatic dialing device is provided, which receives the telephone number of a party to be called by forwarding a call and which performs dialing automatically.

Abstract: An image display faceplate having a plurality of recesses (dimples) formed therein for receiving discrete phosphor droplets and having a conformal metallization layer disposed thereon is provided. The phosphor system so described may be dispensed onto the faceplate without the need for multiple sequential depositions, maskings, and material removals and provides for a single step deposition of dis-similar phosphor materials of which the phosphor system is comprised.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a system switching system in an exchange system in which an ATM switch for exchanging asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) cells is duplexed. In order to switch between ATM switches accurately with drop-out and overlap of cells eliminated, at the input side of the ATM switches, a bit indicating active is inserted into the header of a cell from a transmission line for application to the switch in the active system and a bit indicating standby is inserted into the header of a cell for application to the switch in the standby system and, at the output side of the ATM switches, bits in the headers of cells output from respective switches are referred to and only active indicating cells are selected to be output to a transmission line. Buffers for storing active indicating cells are provided at the outputs of the ATM switches, respectively.