Other

I-o Data Device, Inc.

Akira Hirabayashi

Wataru Kakinoki

Katsuichi Kitagawa

Hidemitsu Ogawa

Hiroyuki Hidenaga

Tamaki Ura

A surface profile measuring apparatus for measuring rugged profiles of object surfaces includes a white light source, a varying device for varying a relative distance between an object surface and a reference surface, a frequency band limiting device for limiting the frequency band of white light to a particular frequency band, an image pickup device for picking up an image of the object surface, a sampling device for successively acquiring intensity values of interference light corresponding to varying interference fringes, from a particular location at sampling intervals corresponding to a bandwidth of the particular frequency band, a storage device for storing a group of interference light intensity values acquired, and a computing device for estimating characteristic functions from the group of interference light intensity values stored, and determining a height in the particular location based on a peak position of the characteristic functions.

Surface profile measuring method and apparatus

In a PC card to be connected to a personal computer, two kinds of operational modes which are different in data bus width from each other can be changed over selectively. Either the CardBus mode with a data bus width of 32 bits or the 16-bit mode is selectable by a selector switch provided in a side face. The PC card is operated in the 16-bit mode for use with a 16-bit-compatible personal computer, and operated in the 32-bit mode for use with a 32-bit-compatible personal computer. Thus, one PC card is useable with various personal computers.

PC card with variable width data bus communication capabilities

The PC card of the present invention preferably includes a logic circuit operating in either a 16-bit mode or a 32-bit mode, a ground line on the circuit, a connector for transferring a signal between the circuit and the external device, and a series of elastic metal members arranged on the top surface of the connector and connected to the ground line. When the connector of the PC card is inserted into the PC card slot, the elastic metal member is retained by a support frame arranged on the periphery of the PC card slot, and is deformed upward toward the top surface of the connector. When the PC card is fully inserted into the slot, the elastic metal member urges the support frame and both are firmly connected.

PC card switchably compatible with 16-bit and 32-bit modes

The invention provides a data transfer method useful for data transfer with PC cards or other external equipment connected to a personal computer. First in a memory-to-memory data transfer mode, a part of data to be transferred is used as address data and the rest of the data to be transferred is stored at memory addresses specified by the address data. Next, in a block transfer mode, the data is transferred to a PC card or other external equipment. In this process, because transfer-source address data, i.e. part of the data to be transferred, is put on the address bus in the block transfer mode, the data is transferred with both address bus and data bus.

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Kanazawa, Japan

Akira Hirabayashi