Abstract: The following operations are performed according to instructions from a CPU. The ID information of music information having a copyright that is recorded on a reproduction-side recording medium is detected by a first inherent information detection circuit. The ID information indicating the kind of a recording-side recording medium is detected by a second inherent information detection circuit. Based on information retrieved from a history memory, a judgment circuit judges whether the music information has already been copied to and recorded onto a recording medium of the same kind as the recording-side recording medium. If a judgment result is affirmative, the CPU prohibits the operation of copying and recording the music information recorded on the reproduction-side recording medium onto the recording-side recording medium.

Abstract: A disk cartridge in which a pair of shutter members can be opened and closed smoothly and reliably, and a dust-proof property and an airtightness of a large opening portion can be increased by reducing a space between a pair of shutter members and a cartridge housing as much as possible. The disk cartridge comprises a cartridge housing in which a disk compartment is formed between an upper shell and a middle shell by overlapping the upper shell, the middle shell and the lower shell and the middle shell is supported by the upper shell and the lower shell so as to become freely rotatable, an optical disk rotatably stored within the disk compartment and a pair of shutter members attached to the middle shell in such a manner that they can be moved in the plane direction on the same plane. A shutter opening and closing mechanism for opening and closing opening portions by moving the pair of shutter members based rotation of the middle shell.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and to devices (26, 27) for transmitting and receiving data in a code division multiple access telecommunication system. A random access time window (1) is provided, which comprises a plurality of random access slots for transmitting random access data from at least one first communication device (27) to a second communication device (26). A partition point is determined, which defines a number of contention based random access slots and a number of reservation based random access slots in the random access time window on the basis of statistical information generated in at least one first communication device (27). The random access time window (1) is partitioned in a first and a second section on the basis of said partition point, whereby the first section contains contention based random access slots and the second section contains reservation based random access slots.

Abstract: A robot apparatus (1) includes leg blocks (3A to 3D), head block (4), etc. as a moving part (16), a motion controller (102), learning unit (103), prediction unit (104) and a drive unit (105). When the moving part (106), any of the blocks, is operated from outside, the learning unit (103) learns a time-series signal generated due to the external operation. The motion controller (102) and drive unit (105) control together the moving part (106) based on a signal generated at the moving part (106) due to an external force applied to the robot apparatus (1) and a signal having already been learned by the learning unit (103) to make an action taught by the user. The prediction unit (105) predicts whether the moving part (106) makes the taught action according to the initial signal generated at the moving part (106) due to the applied external force. Thus, the robot apparatus (1) can learn an action taught by the user and determine an external force-caused signal to make the taught action.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus and an information processing method are capable of preventing information from being copied illegally. To put it in detail, a hash function and a service key are stored in advance in an EEPROM of a DVD player serving as a source. In an EEPROM of a personal computer (PC) serving as a sink, on the other hand, its ID and a license key are stored beforehand. The DVD player requests the PC to transmit the ID. The DVD player then applies the hash function to data resulting from concatenation of the ID with the service key to generate a license key (=hash (ID ∥ service-key)). Subsequently, the DVD player generates a source side common session key and encrypts the session key by using the generated license key. Then, the DVD player transmits the encrypted source side common session key to the PC.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus comprising: a keyboard for inputting signals; a display part for displaying the signals input through the keyboard; and a pointing member attached to the keyboard and having a board, a strain gage and a post. The strain gage is furnished on the board. The post is erected at a center of the board to transmit strain to the strain gage. The post is further displaced so as to move a cursor on the display part. The board is attached fixedly to a back of the keyboard by means of screws. The post is inserted through a hole in the keyboard so as to protrude from a face of the keyboard.

Abstract: A carrier reproducing apparatus and method enabling stable operation even at a low S/N, wherein, when phase signals are locked and exceed a predetermined value, a tracking circuit generates a signal and an oscillation frequency of a signal output from a numerical control oscillation circuit is controlled so that the phase signals do not exceed the predetermined value and wherein a down sampling circuit and an interpolation circuit convert signals having a frequency of more than twice the symbol rate to signals having a frequency of twice the symbol rate.

Abstract: A disk drive for recording information on and reproducing information from a hard disk drive. The CPU of a host device controls the maximum allowable number of retries, or the maximum period of time allowed for retries, performed by the disk drive when an error occurs in a seek, record, or reproduce operation.

Abstract: The stability of attitude of a robot can be recovered by an ambulation control apparatus and an ambulation control method if it is lost in the course of a gesture for which the upper limbs take a major role. The apparatus and the method obtain the pattern of movement of the entire body for walking by deriving the pattern of movement of the loins from an arbitrarily selected pattern of movement of the feet, the trajectory of the ZMP, the pattern of movement of the trunk and that of the upper limbs. Therefore, a robot can determine the gait of the lower limbs so as to realize a stable walk regardless if the robot is standing upright or walking. Particularly, if the robot is made to gesture, using the upper body half including the upper limbs and the trunk while standing upright, it can determine the gait of the lower limbs so as to make a stable walk in response to such a gait of the upper body half.

Abstract: A system for distributing information comprises at least one content source (2, 3), at least one client (4, 5), a communication network (6), a distribution server (1), a profile data base (10) associated with the distribution server (1) in which client profile information is stored, and a target count unit (9) in the distribution server (10) for effecting a target count by comparing the client profile information of the profile data base (10) with target client information of a target count request sent from one of the content sources (2, 3). Information from one of the content sources (2, 3) is distributed to at least one client (4, 5) by means of the distribution server (1) corresponding to the result of the target count effected by the target count unit (9).

Abstract: Left and right video cameras 18L and 18R are disposed on both sides of a front video camera 18M. Solid-pictorial video signals used upon signal transmission are generated by using video signals outputted from the left and right video cameras with respect to a video signal outputted from the front video camera. The left and right video cameras make use of simplified video cameras and are cameras with no zoom functions or the like. The video signals obtained from the left and right video cameras are used as signals for forming a solid picture. In the present example, only solid information with respect to a main picture is transmitted as a video signal to reduce the amount of transmission. Since a motion-compensated DCT encode process using the front video signal as a reference picture is performed to extract only the video signal having the solid information from the left and right video signals. Since the simplified video cameras can be utilized, solid-pictorial video signals can be generated at low cost.

Abstract: There is disclosed an image photographing apparatus which makes it possible to electrically perform inversion/non-inversion of positional relation of a captured image according to the kind of an optical lens. The image photographing apparatus of the present invention includes an optical lens for converging an image of an object to be captured, CCDs for receiving the image converged by the optical lens and for converting it into an electric signal, and an image processing portion for electrically performing, on the basis of an inversion/non-inversion control signal, an inversion/non-inversion processing of positional relation which is in the electric signal obtained through conversion at the CCDs and which is at the time when the image was received.

Abstract: A robot apparatus includes a command controller (101) for outputting an output command associated with an input command, management units (102), (103) and (104) for outputting data associated with the commands output by the command controller (101), a command transmitter (105) for controlling the transmission of the data output by the management units (102), (103) and (104) and controllers (106), (107) and (108) for controlling action units (109), (110) and (111), such as a motor, based on data output by the command transmitter (105). The command transmitter (105) sends the action control data for synchronization, output by the management units (102), (103) and (104), in synchroneity to the action units (109), (110) and (111).

Abstract: Based on a control object, a result of the detection of driving of an actuator and a response from a standard mathematical model of the actuator, the actuator is controlled, or in a servo system that controls the angle of a joint, etc., the control value is corrected so that the response from the thing to be driven and the response from the model of the thing to be driven are set to coincide with each other, and also based on a result of the correction of the control value, at least the moment of inertia of the thing to be driven is detected. Thereby, the moment of inertia of the driver and the like can be detected in real-time without providing a special sensor.

Abstract: At least one program is selected from MPEG encoded transport streams carrying a plurality of packets, and is recorded/reproduced without a need to determine the contents of those transport streams. When an MPEG encoded transport stream containing at least one program is selected, additional data is attached to each packet of this transport stream. The additional information indicates how many programs are contained in the selected MPEG encoded transport stream; indicates an error in the MPEG encoded transport stream; and indicates a transition point representing a beginning of a program in the MPEG encoded transport stream.

Abstract: A characteristic point detection circuit detects a characteristic point from a base band video signal and generates a characteristic point file. A compressed video signal received from the digital satellite broadcast is supplied to a multiplexing circuit as it is in the form of a bit stream. The multiplexing circuit multiplexes the compressed video signal and characteristic point file. A control circuit obtains the characteristic point file from an optical disc during reproduction, and controls reproduction of the compressed video signal. As described herein above, the supplied compressed video signal is recorded in a recording medium without deterioration of the image quality, and the recorded video signal accepts random access.

Abstract: A printing system including printing equipment in which, even if the equipment are interconnected through an interface pursuant to the IEEE 1394 standard, the printing image may be set to effect printing. There is provided a CPU 23 for generating the printing control information containing the text printing image information indicating the picture processing contents for the text at the time of printing and the picture printing image information indicating the processing contents for a picture at the time of printing. There is also provided a data conversion unit 13 which manages control so that picture data and the printing control information will be contained in a packet consistent with the IEEE 1394 standard and sent as output to a printer device 5, and so that the picture data contained in the packet sent as output to the printer device 5 will be printed in accordance with the printing control information.

Abstract: A data processing method for a data processing system having: a server comprising an application program constructed from a plurality of objects, an execution environment constructed from a plurality of objects for specifying operations of the application program and an application program interface for specifying an interface between the application program and the execution environment; and a client for being downloaded with the application program from the server, the data processing method comprising the steps of: having the server execute a check whether or not the client has the execution environment for the application environment to be downloaded when the application program is to be downloaded to the client; and having the server download the application program to the client in accordance with the results of the check.

Abstract: A power supply apparatus includes an interface microcomputer driven by the output voltage from a first voltage transducer circuit for boosting the output voltage of a DC power supply. The interface microcomputer outputs an activation signal for activating a control IC. When a switch receives the activation signal from the control IC, the switch becomes conducting and applies the output voltage from the first voltage transducer circuit to the control IC. A delay circuit delays the activation signal from the interface microcomputer for a predetermined period of time and supplies the delayed activation signal to the control IC, thus causing the control IC to start controlling the operation of a voltage output unit. A second voltage transducer circuit for boosting the output voltage of the DC power supply and outputting a voltage of 5 V includes a charge pump circuit at the output stage thereof.

Abstract: A recording medium is logically divided to form a cluster. Each cluster records AV (Audio Visual) data. A reference number indicates the number of files which reference AV data. A free space byte map having the reference number is used for determining whether to enable or disable deletion of AV data on a cluster basis. That is, a cluster having the reference number 0 is released as a free area, thus facilitating management of a file and realizing effective use of a recording medium.