Abstract: In a highly efficient encoding apparatus, image data are encoded by multiple encoding techniques so as to obtain highly compressed image data. For example, a block segmentation circuit segments received digital image data into a plurality of relatively small blocks each having a plurality of pixels, and such small blocks are encoded by a block encoding circuit so as to compress the pixel data in each of the small blocks. The output data of the block encoding circuit are encoded by a predictive encoding circuit so as to obtain highly compressed image data.

Abstract: An apparatus for looping or data-compressing sampled waveform data digitized from musical sound signals (or the like) to produce sound source data, recording the sound source data on a storage medium, and reading out the sound source data from the storage medium for reproduction. To eliminate amplitude discontinuities at repetition points during looping, two connection samples of repetitive waveform portions having values closest to each other are selected from actual samples and interpolated samples. An interpolation filter performs multiple oversampling to produce the interpolated samples. The interpolation filter includes a filter for each degree of oversampling, and all the filters have the same amplitude characteristics. By asserting pulse code modulated data at the beginning portion of a looping domain, adverse compression effects can be avoided without the necessity of providing compression parameters.

Abstract: The present invention provides an engine intake air preheating device having(A) an intake air preheater for preheating air to be fed into an engine, the preheater including a first metal hydride and being disposed within an intake air feeding tube for heat exchange with the intake air,(B) a hydrogen storage container including hydrogen or a second metal hydride, and(C) a pipe having a valve and connecting the intake air preheater to the hydrogen storage container so that hydrogen can move between them;and also an engine preheating device having(A') an engine preheater for preheating an engine, the preheater including a first metal hydride and being mounted on the engine for heat-exchange with the engine,(B) the hydrogen storage container, and(C) the pipe.There is also provided a method for preheating intake air at the time of starting the engine using an engine intake air preheating device such as the one according to the present invention.