Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Corporation

Phc Holdings Corporation

Ryoichi Imanaka

Ichiro Kawamura

Yoshikazu Goto

Tetsuo Saimi

Yukinori Okazaki

Katsuya Watanabe

Yasuhiro Tai

Masayoshi Abe

Goro Naoki

Akira Kagata

Ichirou Kawamura

Yoshihiro Okino

Masatsugu Tanji

Hiroshi Kayama

Seizou Tsuji

A container management apparatus is provided with: a container storing unit that can store a plurality of tubular sample containers one by one separately, each of the plurality of tubular sample containers being provided with a two-dimensional bar code on the bottom surface thereof, and container-identifying information being coded in the two-dimensional bar code; and a reading unit that reads the two-dimensional bar code of each of the tubular sample containers stored in the container storing unit and retrieves the container identifying information. The reading unit has, in correspondence with each storing position, an LED that irradiates the two-dimensional bar code with irradiation light and an imaging unit that receives reflection light from the two-dimensional bar code.

Container management apparatus and wireless tag

An information on demand system provides a user of a terminal (subscriber) information through a network such as CATV such that the user pays an adequate charge to a server (information provider). According to the information on demand system, the received information can be recorded in a recording medium under control of the terminal equipment. Cases in which 1) the subscriber merely watches a program on a television receiver and; 2) the subscriber records the program and watches it by reproducing the recorded information at another time are distinguished and the subscriber is charged a different amount by the server accordingly.

Server apparatus, subscriber apparatus and information on demand system

A cartridge for housing a recording medium therein. The cartridge includes a cartridge body configured such that a signal recording apparatus can record a signal onto the recording medium when the cartridge is loaded in the signal recording apparatus. The cartridge also includes an opening in the cartridge body for removing the recording medium from the cartridge body, and a cover covering the opening. An indicator on the cartridge body indicates whether the cover has ever been opened or removed from the cartridge body.

Recording medium cartridge and signal recording apparatus

In an optical recording and reproducing apparatus, two light sources such as a laser diode of different wavelengths from each other are provided, and photosensors receive the light emitted by the light sources and reflected by the optical recording medium. Before recording or reproduction is started, the type of optical recording medium having a different wavelength dependent reflectance is discriminated. Because two wavelengths are used, the difference of the outputs is large, and the type of the optical recording medium is discriminated reliably according to the outputs of the photosensors. Then, the operation of the apparatus is stabilized according to the type of the optical recording medium by optimizing the laser power, the gain of the controller, the revolution number of the medium or the like.

Optical recording medium discriminating apparatus using laser beams of

An optical disk apparatus includes an optical disk drive including an optical disk and an optical head, a power source for supplying electric power to the optical disk drive an apparatus casing for enclosing at least the optical disk drive and the power source, and a first air feed member having a first air passage. The first air feed member includes a first air inlet for introducing cooling air into the apparatus casing from outside of the apparatus casing so as to cool the optical disk drive, and an air filter disposed upstream of the optical disk drive in the first air passage such that the cooling air flows into the optical disk drive through the air filter. A second air feed member has a second air passage and included a second air inlet for introducing cooling air into the apparatus casing from outside of the apparatus casing so as to cool at least the power source. A partition member is provided for separating the first and second air passages from each other. The flow rate of the cooling air in the first air passage is set to such a value as to maintain the optical disk drive at a predetermined temperature or less such that the optical disk drive is not polluted with airborne dust.

Optical disk apparatus with cooling arrangement

An apparatus for generating a bias magnetic field to a magneto-optical disk includes a movable magnet which serves to generate a bias magnetic field. A suitable device serves to generate a drive magnetic field to move the magnet. A stopper is engageable with the magnet to stop the magnet at a predetermined position.

Bias magnetic field generating apparatus for magneto-optical recording

The present invention generally relates to optical recording/reproducing apparatus, and relates particularly to a tracking system therefor. Tracking pit rows are provided on opposite sides of an information signal recording area. The frequencies of the tracking pit rows differ from each other, such that tracking servo normalizes a detected difference in amplitude between the reproduced signals of the tracking pit rows, resulting in improved tracking accuracy.

Tracking system in recording/reproducing apparatus

An apparatus is provided for recording and reproducing information signals on an opto-magnetic disk at a high speed using plural light beams. The phase relation between the information signals is fixed when they are simultaneously recorded and reproduced on plural tracks of the disk. The overwrite of simultaneously performing erasing and recording of the information signals is executed using the plural beams.

Recording and reproducing apparatus using opto-magneto media

Disc-shaped recording medium capable of recording data signals by means

A digital servo system for use in an optical recording/reproducing apparatus equipped with an optical system for illuminating an optical recording medium with a light beam to record and reproduce an information signal on and from the optical recording medium, the servo system being for more accurately performing a tracking and focusing control of the light beam with respect to the optical recording medium. The servo system is provided with a plurality of photodetectors to obtain a servo error signal which is in turn supplied to an attenuator and then supplied to an analog-to-digital converter to be digitized so as to constitute a digital filter. The servo system is arranged so as to set the attenuation factor of the attenuator so that the input signal of the analog-to-digital converter is kept in a predetermined range. This permits the tracking and focusing control with a high precision and further allows an AGC amplifier having a high-speed automatic gain-controllable function to be arranged to be digitally controllable.

Servo system for optical recording/reproducing drive

A gain crossover frequency in a tracking servo system for a disc-shaped optical record medium is lowered during an application of a track jump signal to the tracking servo system for jumping from one track to another, thereby removing the tracking jump operation from the servo system, and performing a sure-footed track jump operation; whereas, displacement of the scanning point, which is slower than the response speed corresponding to the lowered gain crossover frequency, is corrected even during the track jump operation.

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Hirakata, Japan

Ryoichi Imanaka