Sony Corporation

Citizen Watch Company, Ltd.

Kenji Irie

Hachiro Kushida

Tsuneji Takasugi

Ken Tamayama

Yoshitaka Ukita

Toshio Murata

Yoshihiro Nakamura

Hirotaka Yamamoto

Kazumi Hamano

Machiro Kushida

Yoshitsugu Imazawa

Disclosed is a physical processor. The processor is connected to an electronic device. The electronic device includes a rechargeable battery, a connector, and operation unit. The processor is configured to: determine whether an external device is a predetermined power supply apparatus; control communication with the external device so that the rechargeable battery is charged by a first current from the external device when the external device is the predetermined power supply apparatus; and control communication with the external device so that the rechargeable battery is charged by a second current from the external device when the external device is not the predetermined power supply apparatus. The second current is greater than the first current. The processor is further configured to control to playback content data stored in the electronic device based on a command from the operation unit by using power of the rechargeable battery.

Dedicated power supply apparatus, terminal, power supply system, and power supply method

Disclosed is an electronic device including a rechargeable battery, a connector, a controller, an operation unit, a storage unit, and a playback unit. The connector includes a power supply pin used for supplying power from an external device and for detecting whether the connector being connected to the external device; a ground pin; and two signal pins used for transmitting data between the electronic device and the external device. The controller controls charging of the rechargeable battery. The controller is configured to judge whether the external device is a predetermined power supply apparatus based on a state of the two signal pins when the external device is connected to the electronic device via the connector. The controller may also be configured to control communication with the external device via the connector so that the rechargeable battery is charged by a first current from the external device.

An electronic machine connectable to a different apparatus is disclosed. The electronic machine includes a resistance, a connector to be connected to the different apparatus, and a detecting section that detects one state from multiple states based on the resistance value of the resistance and the resistance value of a resistance included in the different apparatus connected to the connector and controls multiple parameters based on the detected one state.

Electronic machine, connected machine identifying method for electronic machine and control system

A terminal for a power supply system is disclosed. The terminal may have a connection portion, a battery that receives power from an external device via the connection portion, and a detector that detects a data signal from the external device. The terminal may also have a determination unit, a current converter that selectively converts an amount of charging current from a first current to a second current larger than the first current, and a controller that controls charging of the battery on the basis of a determination result. The controller is configured to control the current converter to charge the battery with the first current when the determination unit determines the external device is not a dedicated power supply, and to control the current converter to charge the battery with the second current when the determination unit determines the external device is a dedicated power supply.

A reproduction apparatus and a reproduction method by which an error of time information that arises from interruption of power supplied to a timer that manages the term of term-managed contents data is minimized to allow accurate term management of the contents data. The timer produces time information when power is supplied to the timer from a cell, but the timer stops operating when no power is supplied thereto. The time information produced by the timer is stored into a memory, and the memory holds the stored time information when no power is supplied to the timer. When power from the cell is restored to the timer, the timer is set accordingly to the time information stored in the memory, so that the timer may thereafter produce correct time information thereby allowing term management of the term-managed contents data to be performed accurately.

Reproduction apparatus and reproduction method

In an ID transfer method used in a wireless communication appliance system, a bit number of the ID used to avoid erroneous recognitions is increased. However, when the bit number of this ID is increased, the protocol time of a message is prolonged, resulting in a short battery lifetime, and radio interference problems. To avoid these problems, in an ID transfer method used in a wireless communication appliance system in which a wireless communication is established between wireless communication appliances having the same IDs, when data is transmitted/received by way of a message of a wireless form, a portion of the ID is overlapped with information of the message by executing an arithmetic operation, and then the message overlapped with the portion of the ID is transmitted.

ID transfer method for wireless communication appliances

A method and apparatus to avoid wrong detection when detecting signals including CAS (Call Alert Signal) formed by specific frequencies in the audio range, wherein frequency components forming a specific signal are detected from an input signal, and it is judged whether any signal component other than that of specified frequency range is included or not in entered audio range signal by comparing the energy level of the entered audio range signal with the energy level of only the specified frequency components extracted from the input signal. If any signal component other than that of the specified frequency range is judged to be included as a result of the energy level comparison, the signal is judged not to be the CAS signal.

Apparatus and method for checking signals

A signal detection circuit includes band pass filters for detecting frequency components of a Call Alert signal (CAS) signal, a tone detection circuit for detecting whether or not a signal component is present in the output signals of the band pass filters, and two types of guard time setting circuits that have different guard times. When the CAS signal component is present, a transmitting speech signal is muted. Thereafter, with the guard time setting circuit having the normal guard time, it is determined whether or not the signal component lasts for a predetermined time period. Since the CAS signal is detected with two types of guard times, even if the transmitting speech signal contains a frequency component of the CAS signal, the transmitting speech signal is not mis-detected as the CAS signal.

Signal detection circuit and telephone apparatus

An improved telephone answering machine having a codec circuit 31 for converting an audio signal input/output from/to a telephone line 3 from analog to digital or digital to analog, a DSP 32 and a memory 33 for storing the supplied digital audio signal. The DSP 32 is adapted to compress data of the digital audio signal, to expand the compressed data of the digital audio signal and to correct the supplied digital audio signal so that the level of an analog audio signal after conversion from digital to analog becomes constant. When recording, the analog audio signal is recorded in the memory 33 via the codec circuit 31 and the DSP 32. When reproducing it, the audio signal recorded in the memory 33 is taken out via the DSP 32 and the codec circuit 31. Because the level of the digital audio signal is controlled in the DSP 32, the sound quality of an OGM or ICM is substantially improved in the telephone answering machine.

Telephone answering machine with audio signal compression/expansion

A metal-made ornamental article, such as watch cases and the like, is provided with a bilayered coating layer composed of an undercoating layer of a specified thickness formed from an aqueous colloidal solution of sodium silicate and silica sol in a specified proportion and a top-coating layer of a specified thickness formed by coating with a solution of a partial hydrolysis-condensation product of an organic silicate ester compound, such as ethyl silicate, followed by baking to effect curing of the coating layer.

Method of preparation of a surface-coated metal-made ornamental article

The invention provides a means for solving the difficult problem of the deposition of stain in the recesses to cause loss of beautiful appearance on the matted surface of an article for personal ornament made of titanium, zirconium or an alloy thereof formed by honing or barrel finishing. The method comprises the steps of (a) forming a first matted surface with microscopically fine protrusions and recesses on the article by honing or barrel finishing, (b) forming a hardened layer on the matted surface by nitriding, carbonizing, boriding or oxidizing, (c) partially removing the hardened layer covering the protrusions on the matted surface by a first electrolytic or chemical polishing, (d) forming a second matted surface on the article by honing or barrel finishing, and (e) partially removing the surface layer at the protrusions by a second electrolytic or chemical polishing to smoothen the surface leaving a sandy appearance.

Method for finishing matted surface on a metal-made article for personal

The polyhedral body of aluminum such as a watch case obtained by the inventive method is colored in two different colors on different polyhedral faces demarcated by the ridgeline therebetween with remarkable decisiveness not obtained in the prior art methods. The inventive method utilizes anodization and coloring by dyeing in two steps. A part of the polyhedral faces anodized and colored in a dark color in the first step is ground to expose the bare surface of aluminum, which is then activated by dipping in an aqueous acid solution and again anodized by applying an unconventionally high voltage in an electrolyte bath of a specific composition followed by coloring in a light color decoratively distinguishable from the dark color imparted in the first step coloring. By virtue of the activation treatment of the bare aluminum surface and the unusual conditions in the second anodization, the demarcation between the differently colored polyhedral faces is very decisive and beautiful and the oxide films on both sides of the ridgeline have excellent adhesion and high anti-corrosion resistance.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Kenji Irie