Abstract: For the purpose of providing an image encoding technique for reducing the amount of codes, in inter prediction in which motion search is performed by using a block obtained by dividing an input image and a reference image, the motion vector of the block is predicted by selecting from the motion vectors of the surrounding blocks. Further, in the method of calculating a differential vector and then performing encoding, the number or positions of candidate blocks from which a prediction vector is selected are changed block by block or frame by frame and thereby adaptive and efficient video image compression is performed.

Abstract: A charging control method and a charging mechanism for a lithium ion secondary battery are provided that can determine the life of the lithium ion secondary battery with more accuracy and a simple configuration. A charging control method for a lithium ion secondary battery calculates an integrated value of the number of charged times. The method includes: adding a predetermined value to the integrated value of the number of charged times of the lithium ion secondary battery if both a residual voltage that is a voltage value of the lithium ion secondary battery before the beginning of charging and an elapsed time from the time of the previous charging of the lithium ion secondary battery are not less than predetermined values; and estimating the life of the lithium ion secondary battery based on the integrated value of the number of charged times.

Abstract: A flat battery (1) includes a positive electrode can (10), a negative electrode can (20), a positive electrode material (41), a negative electrode material (42), and a positive electrode ring (44) provided on an inner surface of a bottom (11) of the positive electrode can (10) to hold one of the positive electrode material (41) and the negative electrode material (42). The positive electrode ring (44) has a side wall (44a) and a flange (44b) that extends outward to overlap an open end of a circumferential wall (22) of the negative electrode can (20). The flange (44b) is placed between the open end of the circumferential wall (22) of the negative electrode can (20) and the inner surface of the bottom (11) of the positive electrode can (10).

Abstract: A digital information recording apparatus includes a recording circuit for recording information of a retention period included in the digital information and indicating a period for permitting the digital information to be held in the recording medium, starting with a time at which the digital information is recorded on the recording medium; and information of a playback permission period included in the digital information and indicating a period for permitting the digital information to be played back starting with a time at which the information is reproduced initially following recording of the digital information on the recording medium, permitting temporary recording or copying for the information permitted for “copy never” or “copy one generation.

Abstract: A video recording device (100) includes: a first imaging unit (123) (in camera) arranged on a same face as that of a display unit (121) of a casing of the device; a second imaging unit (124) (out camera) arranged on a face different from that of the display unit of the casing of the device; and an audio input unit (133) that inputs a command voice giving an instruction for recording a video signal. A control unit (104) sets a delay time until start of a recording process performed by the recording unit after input of the command voice to be different in accordance with the enabled imaging unit and sets a delay time of a case where the first imaging unit (123) is enabled to be longer than a delay time of a case where the second imaging unit (124) is enabled.

Abstract: An interface is realized that can prevent video signals from being copied easily and which uses a luminance/color difference signal transmission scheme with an excellent harmony with a television circuit. In a video transmission using a digital interface, colorimetry information for defining the conversion from the luminance/color difference signal into a primary color signal and video aspect ratio information are transmitted along with the luminance/color difference type video signal. This allows reproduction of video with high quality and high resolution and also realizes a copyright protection which allows only the users authorized by key information to use the content of the video. With this transmission scheme, it is possible to provide a transmitting apparatus, a receiving apparatus and an interface which highly harmonize with a rationalized television-based circuit.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium of the present invention is a magnetic recording medium including a non-magnetic substrate; a non-magnetic layer that is formed on one of principal surfaces of the non-magnetic substrate and contains a non-magnetic powder, a binder, and a lubricant; and a magnetic layer that is formed on a principal surface of the non-magnetic layer opposite to the non-magnetic substrate and contains a magnetic powder and a binder. The magnetic powder has an average particle size between 10 nm and 35 nm inclusive. The lubricant is migratable to the magnetic layer and forms a lubricant layer on a surface of the magnetic layer when a pressure is applied to the magnetic layer. When spacing of the surface of the magnetic layer before and after washing the lubricant with n-hexane is measured with a TSA (Tape Spacing Analyzer), the value of the spacing after washing is 3 to 10 nm, and the value of the spacing before washing is 1 to 5 nm smaller than the value of the spacing after washing.

Abstract: Provided are a non-aqueous electrolyte battery and a non-aqueous electrolyte battery system that can be repeatedly charged and that have good storage characteristics in a high-temperature environment. A non-aqueous electrolyte battery of the present invention includes an electrode body in which a positive electrode and a negative electrode are laminated with a separator interposed therebetween, and a non-aqueous electrolyte. The negative electrode has a laminated body including a metal base layer that does not form an alloy with Li, and Al active layers respectively bonded to both faces of the metal base layer, or a laminated body including a metal base layer that is made of a metal selected from Ni, Ti, and Fe, or an alloy thereof, and an Al active layer bonded to the metal base layer. A Li—Al alloy is formed at least on a surface side of each Al active layer.

Abstract: A contents receiving system can include a content receiver and a portable terminal storing ID information. The content receiver can further include: a receiving unit capable of receiving content and subsidiary content from at least one of a broadcast wave and a network; an output unit capable of outputting, as audio video content, a video and/or audio of the content received by the receiving unit; a transmission unit capable of transmitting the subsidiary content to the portable terminal, the transmission unit enabling information on a payment transaction corresponding to an ID information of the portable terminal to be transmitted to the portable terminal individually, the portable terminal including: a second transmission unit capable of receiving the subsidiary content and the information on the payment transaction transmitted from the transmission unit of the content receiver; and a processing unit for performing a processing regarding the payment transaction.

Abstract: The present invention addresses the problem of limiting power consumption and radio wave interference when assessing the movements of multiple sites of a living body. The present invention is a movement function assessment system provided with: a movement function measurement apparatus for calculating movement data on the basis of the relative distances of pairs of transmission coils and reception coils attached to movable portions of a living body; and an assessment apparatus for assessing the movement function of the living body on the basis of the movement data received from the movement function measurement apparatus. A control unit of the movement function measurement apparatus performs the switching of the multiple transmission coils by a switching unit (1) and the switching of the multiple reception coils by a switching unit (2) so that the paired transmission coils and reception coils are operated sequentially.

Abstract: A system for evaluating the degree of brain dysfunction of a subject, such as a decline in cognitive function, calculates a difference in movement functions between both hands in a coordination movement. The system includes a storage device for storing time-series data on a finger movement task of each of both hands of a test subject acquired by a movement sensor; a data processing device for analyzing the time-series data stored in the storage device; and a display device for displaying an analysis result analyzed by the data processing device. The data processing device includes a movement waveform generation unit for generating a movement waveform corresponding to the time-series data stored in the storage device; and a difference-between-hands feature quantity generation unit for generating a difference-between-hands feature quantity which represents a difference in respective finger movement tasks between both hands, based on the respective movement waveforms of both hands.

Abstract: Service can be offered free of charge and the cost of a skin condition measuring device can be reduced by effectively using data on the occasion of obtaining an analysis result by transmitting measurement data by the skin condition measuring device to a server of a company providing a service of analyzing the measurement data. When a request is made from a contractor client to acquire data registered in a measurement data database, authentication is executed based on a contractor ID input from the contractor client. Additionally, when the measurement data database is searched from a contractor database based on the contractor ID, a search level and an access level are obtained. The contractor client is permitted to search the measurement data database within a range of the search level and the access level.

Abstract: In a digital contents receiver for receiving transmitted digital contents, the digital contents include at least component information indicating an element which constitutes a program of the contents. When the component information indicates that the received digital contents are a 3D component, it is determined whether a display part corresponds to display of the 3D component. If the display part corresponds to display of the 3D component, the received digital contents are displayed in 3D.

Abstract: The input device and the input system include a hand detection means which detects the position of the hand, a body part detection means which detects positions of user's body parts such as the face, for example, a relative position calculation means which calculates a relative position of the hand with respect to body parts from hand position information being a detection result of the hand detection means and body part position information being a detection result of the body part detection means, and a gesture recognition means which recognizes a hand gesture on the basis of a change in the hand position information being the detection result of the hand detection means, wherein when a hand gesture is recognized, the operation of the input device with respect to the user's gesture is changed according to a relative position of the hand with respect to body parts.

Abstract: A non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery including a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a non-aqueous electrolyte, and a separator, wherein the positive electrode includes a positive electrode current collector and a positive electrode material mixture layer formed on one or both sides of the positive electrode current collector, the positive electrode material mixture layer has a thickness greater than 80 ?m per side of the positive electrode current collector, the positive electrode material mixture layer includes a positive electrode active material, the positive electrode active material is composed of secondary particles formed by aggregation of primary particles, the secondary particles have an average particle size of 6 ?m or less, and, when diffraction-line integrated intensities of the (003) plane and the (104) plane in an X-ray diffraction chart of the positive electrode material mixture layer are I003 and I104, respectively, the ratio I003/I104 of the integrated intensities is 1.

Abstract: A video transmitting/receiving device includes: a receiving unit which receives video content; a converting unit which performs predetermined conversion on a video signal included in the video content; an information adding unit which adds a complement signal to the video signal converted by the converting unit; an input/output unit which inputs information of an external device and outputs the video signal; and a control unit, and the control unit performs control to select and output one of the video signal before performing the conversion by the converting unit, the video signal which has been converted by the converting unit, and the video signal to which the complement signal has been added by the information adding unit, in accordance with device information of the external device serving as an output destination, which is obtained by the input/output unit.

Abstract: A digital content operating apparatus, including: a communication unit which communicates with an external device which has a display for displaying the digital content; a user operation interface which receives a user operation to control the digital content which is displayed on the external device; a display which displays either a linear content operation panel or an interactive content operation panel; and a controller which controls the user operation interface corresponding to information on the digital content which is displayed on the external device; wherein either the linear content operation panel or the interactive content operation panel is displayed alternatively as the user operation interface on the display.

Abstract: A vehicular lighting apparatus is relatively small, low cost, superior in mountability, and offers a superior design. The vehicular lighting apparatus attachable to a front end of a vehicle includes: a composite lens element that is a light guide element constructed by molding a translucent resin substantially into a plate-like shape; a planar light-emitting unit that emits illumination light; an optical system that transforms planar light from the light-emitting unit into linear light and that causes the linear transformed light to be incident on a rear side face of the light guide element; and a diffraction lens formed on the rear side face of the light guide element on which the linear transformed light is incident, and condensing the linear transformed light. The light condensed by the lens means is emitted from a front side face of the light guide element onto a road surface in front of the vehicle.

Abstract: There is provided a method of producing a foamed molded product, including: plasticizing and melting a resin material containing a thermoplastic resin and a chemical foaming agent in a plasticizing cylinder in which a screw is provided, to provide a molten resin containing the chemical foaming agent; supplying a fluid with a fixed pressure into the plasticizing cylinder to pressurize the molten resin; and performing foam molding of the molten resin. The resin material contains 0.1 to 2% by weight of the chemical foaming agent.