Abstract: This hollow shaft member 10 includes paired diameter-reduced sections 11 respectively formed at both shaft ends of a hollow shaft-like tubular material by performing swaging processing on both the shaft ends, and an intermediate section 12 located between the paired diameter-reduced sections, and having an outer diameter larger than an outer diameter of the paired diameter-reduced sections. Shapes of connection boundaries between the intermediate section 12 and the diameter-reduced sections 11 are formed as perpendicular step-shaped sections 13 stepped substantially perpendicular to an axial direction, and the perpendicular step-shaped sections 13 are formed by the swaging processing.

Abstract: A composite container is provided where FRP layers are formed by winding FRP around a metal liner so that the dome sections are reinforced while limiting an increase in the weight. The FRP layers include a hoop layer that covers the entirety of the cylindrical section in hoop winding, and dome section reinforcing layers that also cover as least the portions of the cylindrical section near the dome sections. In the dome section reinforcing layers, FRP are wound in helical form in such a manner that the orientation angle of the FRP over the cylindrical section relative to the direction of the axis of the liner continuously changes towards the center of the cylindrical section, and thus, the weight of FRP near the center of the cylindrical section is reduced.

Abstract: A composite container is provided where FRP layers are formed by winding FRP around a metal liner so that the dome sections are reinforced while limiting an increase in the weight. The FRP layers include a hoop layer that covers the entirety of the cylindrical section in hoop winding, and dome section reinforcing layers and that also cover as least the portions of the cylindrical section near the dome sections and. In the dome section reinforcing layers and, FRP are wound in helical form in such a manner that the orientation angle of the FRP over the cylindrical section relative to the direction of the axis of the liner continuously changes towards the center of the cylindrical section, and thus, the weight of FRP near the center of the cylindrical section is reduced.

Abstract: A writable storage medium has a first storage area divided into a plurality of sectors having the same data capacity and a second storage area. The first storage area stores at least encoded moving picture data and encoded audio data. The second storage area stores at least first information indicating whether the audio data is silence data, second information indicating an encoding method by which the audio data has been encoded at a constant bit rate and third information indicating the number of audio channels related to the audio data. The first and second storage areas may further store encoded bitmap video data and data identification information indicating whether the bitmap video data is invisible data, respectively. The first information is detected to determine whether the first audio data is silence data.

Abstract: When a code word sequence is generated by converting input data words of p bits into code words of q bits and concatenating adjacent ones of the code words with a merge bit sequence of r bits in order to obtain the best DSV value, according to one aspect, the adjacent code words are concatenated with the merge bit sequence of r bits which is selected, free from the restriction of the minimum run-length of (d+1)T and the maximum run-length of (k+1)T based on the run-length limiting rule RLL(d, k) but permitting the minimum run-length of (d+1)T and the maximum run-length of (k+2)T.

Abstract: Video and audio data is packed as defined in the MPEG and is stored into within a video object unit as a row of packs to be reproduced within a prescribed period of time. Data cells each consisting of a plurality of units are arrayed to constitute a video object. A navigation pack is disposed at a foremost position of the row of packs in the unit. A data cell identification number of the unit is set according to the recordable time length of one data cell that is designated beforehand and actual recording time length. Further, data reproduction termination time is set according to the signal processing time length that is designated beforehand. Furthermore, the termination addresses of one or a plurality of reference information pieces are set according to the predetermined size of reference information that is designated beforehand.

Abstract: A picture target amount-of-code calculating unit calculates a target amount of codes for each picture type that corresponds to an encoding rate that has been determined by an audio/video encoding rate determining unit. An amount-of-code controlling unit controls the quantizing scale of a quantizing unit so as to make the target amount of codes for each picture type match with a total amount of codes of a unit as a whole. A unit address calculating unit calculates the addresses used when a search is made, as navigation data, on the basis of the target amount of codes for each picture type and the encoding rate. A unifying unit makes a construction of the unit while, on the other hand, a navigation data producing unit depicts navigation data at a foremost position of the unit.

Abstract: A writable storage medium has a first storage area divided into a plurality of sectors having the same data capacity and a second storage area. The first storage area stores at least encoded moving picture data and encoded audio data. The second storage area stores at least first information indicating whether the audio data is silence data, second information indicating an encoding method by which the audio data has been encoded at a constant bit rate and third information indicating the number of audio channels related to the audio data. The first and second storage areas may further store encoded bitmap video data and data identification information indicating whether the bitmap video data is invisible data, respectively. The first information is detected to determine whether the first audio data is silence data.

Abstract: A writable storage medium has a first storage area divided into a plurality of sectors having the same data capacity and a second storage area. The first storage area stores at least encoded moving picture data and encoded audio data. The second storage area stores at least first information indicating whether the audio data is silence data, second information indicating an encoding method by which the audio data has been encoded at a constant bit rate and third information indicating the number of audio channels related to the audio data. The first and second storage areas may further store encoded bitmap video data and data identification information indicating whether the bitmap video data is invisible data, respectively. The first information is detected to determine whether the first audio data is silence data.

Abstract: When a code word sequence is generated by converting input data words of p bits into code words of q bits and concatenating adjacent ones of the code words with a merge bit sequence of r bits in order to obtain the best DSV value, according to one aspect, the adjacent code words are concatenated with the merge bit sequence of r bits which is selected, free from the restriction of the minimum run-length of (d+1)T and the maximum run-length of (k+1)T based on the run-length limiting rule RLL(d, k) but permitting the minimum run-length of (d+1)T and the maximum run-length of (k+2)T.

Abstract: A picture target amount-of-code calculating unit calculates a target amount of codes for each picture type that corresponds to an encoding rate that has been determined by an audio/video encoding rate determining unit. An amount-of-code controlling unit controls the quantizing scale of a quantizing unit so as to make the target amount of codes for each picture type match with a total amount of codes of a unit as a whole. A unit address calculating unit calculates the addresses used when a search is made, as navigation data, on the basis of the target amount of codes for each picture type and the encoding rate. A unifying unit makes a construction of the unit while, on the other hand, a navigation data producing unit depicts navigation data at a foremost position of the unit.

Abstract: A picture target amount-of-code calculating unit calculates a target amount of codes for each picture type that corresponds to an encoding rate that has been determined by an audio/video encoding rate determining unit. An amount-of-code controlling unit controls the quantizing scale of a quantizing unit so as to make the target amount of codes for each picture type match with a total amount of codes of a unit as a whole. A unit address calculating unit calculates the addresses used when a search is made, as navigation data, on the basis of the target amount of codes for each picture type and the encoding rate. A unifying unit makes a construction of the unit while, on the other hand, a navigation data producing unit depicts navigation data at a foremost position of the unit.

Abstract: In case that a skipping section is provided by editing in a recording region other than a recording region for block data in an information recording medium recorded with at least more than one collation table of time recording location, which is composed of more than one collation data by each fixed time interval and time compensating data, a collation table of time recording location is read out from the information recording medium and divided in response to a designated skipping period. A collation data, which assigns block data of designated skipping period, are deleted. A second time compensating data is calculated in response to the skipping period. Combining the second time compensating data with collation data succeeding the deleted collation data composes a new collation table of time recording location.

Abstract: A picture target amount-of-code calculating unit calculates a target amount of codes for each picture type that corresponds to an encoding rate that has been determined by an audio/video encoding rate determining unit. An amount-of-code controlling unit controls the quantizing scale of a quantizing unit so as to make the target amount of codes for each picture type match with a total amount of codes of a unit as a whole. A unit address calculating unit calculates the addresses used when a search is made, as navigation data, on the basis of the target amount of codes for each picture type and the encoding rate. A unifying unit makes a construction of the unit while, on the other hand, a navigation data producing unit depicts navigation data at a foremost position of the unit.

Abstract: Among a first and second video data each being variable length coded data such that an occupancy of a decoder buffer is neither overflown nor underflown, having an end code at a rear end thereof and being comprised of a plurality of compressed portion data, a value related to a buffer occupancy at a decoding timing of the last picture of the first video data is compared by an invalid data amount calculator 13 with the buffer occupancy at the decoding timing of the first picture of the second video data. According to a data amount corresponding to a difference between the occupancies when the result of comparison is a predetermined one, the invalid data of this data amount is added by an invalid data adder 14 to the last picture of the first video data and the second video data is connected by a video data connector 15 to the first video data.

Abstract: An inferential method is disclosed, where fact information and a time tag assigned thereto are matched and stored. A rule group is stored. A pattern match of the fact information and the rule group is executed. A combination of the fact information and the rule group is selected. When a plurality of combinations have been selected, one of them is further selected. The selected rule is executed and new fact information in the working memory is created. When new fact information is created to the working memory by executing the rule, if the time tag assigned to the fact information exceeds the given value, the time tag which has been assigned to the fact information in the working memory is reassigned.