Abstract: A curved leaf spring which is a first urging member surrounds an outer wheel of a second bearing, and urges, through the second bearing, a second end of a worm shaft in a direction in which the distance between the center of the worm shaft and the center of a worm wheel is shortened. A second urging member includes an annular support member received by an end surface of the outer wheel and a plurality of elastic pins extending in a direction in parallel with the axial direction of a support member. The elastic pins have fixed ends fixed to the support member and free ends that come into elastic contact with an end wall of a housing.

Abstract: Provided are an audio encoding device and an audio decoding device, by which optimal trade-off between code rates and sound quality can be flexibly adjusted. A variable frequency segmentation encoding unit (110) has: difference degree calculation units (101, 102, and 103) for calculating a difference degree between the first and second input signals, depending on a segmentation method A, B, or C for segmenting a frequency band into sub-bands; a selection unit (104) for selecting one of the segmentation methods; and a difference degree and segmentation information encoding unit (105) for encoding the selected method and the difference degree for each sub-band by the method.

Abstract: Herein disclosed is an acoustic signal encoding device comprising: a coefficient table (17) having described therein coefficients representable in the form of a matrix with 2 rows by N columns simulating head-related transfer characteristics to be applied when a multi-channel signal is reproduced, a first signal outputting unit (12) for downmixing a N-channel frequency domain signal to have a 2-channel downmixed signal outputted therethrough in accordance with the coefficient table (17), and a second signal outputting unit (14) for generating subsidiary information to be used to reconstruct a multi-channel signal based on the 2-channel downmixed signal, thereby making it possible for the downmixed signal to be filtered in accordance with a desired transfer function, and thus enabling the acoustic signal decoding device to reproduce the original multi-channel spatial information simply by reproducing the first coded signal, and the original multi-channel signal by reproducing the first coded signal with the ai

Abstract: An audio encoder, which is capable of encoding multiple-channel signals so that only a downmixed signal is decoded and of further generating specific auxiliary information necessary for dividing the downmixed signal, is provided. An audio encoder (10), which compresses and encodes audio signals of N-channels (N>1), includes a downmixed signal encoding unit (11) which encodes the downmixed signal obtained by downmixing the audio signals, and an auxiliary information generation unit (12a) which generates auxiliary information necessary for decoding the downmixed signal encoded by the downmixed signal encoding unit (11) into N-channel audio signals.

Abstract: An audio decoder which reproduces original signals from a bit stream including a downmix signal of the original signals and supplementary information indicating the gain ratio D and the phase difference ? between the original signals.

Abstract: An audio encoder, generating a stereo signal based on a multi-channel signal, includes a downmix unit (100) for downmixing a multi-channel signal exceeding two channels to a two-channel stereo signal, a first coding unit (101) for generating a first coded signal by coding the downmixed stereo signal, a second coding unit (102) for generating a second coded signal by coding information to restore the downmixed stereo signal to a multi-channel signal, a code size calculating unit (103) for calculating a code size of the second coded signal, and a first multiplexing unit (104) for multiplexing the calculated code size in either the first coded signal or the second coded signal. Accordingly a decoder is able to easily extract a coded signal of the multi-channel signal based on the code size, and the decoder reproducing only the downmixed signal can be configured inexpensively.

Abstract: An audio signal encoding device includes a downmix signal encoding unit 203 and an auxiliary information generation unit 204. The downmix signal encoding unit 203 generates a downmix signal acquired by adding input signals each other using a predetermined method, encodes the downmix signal, and outputs downmix signal information 206. The auxiliary information generation unit 204 generates auxiliary information 205 using the downmix signal and the downmix signal information 206 generated by the downmix signal encoding unit 203. The auxiliary information generation unit 204 efficiently quantizes the auxiliary information 205 using human's characteristics of a perceptual direction of a sound source, a perceptual broadening, and a perceptual distance.

Abstract: A friction material for a synchronizer ring comprises (A) a petroleum coke with an ash content of 0.1 mass % to 8 mass % or (B) a pitch coke with an ash content of 0.1 mass % to 8 mass %, more preferably (C) a calcined petroleum coke with an ash content of 0.1 mass % to 1 mass % or (D) a foundry coke with an ash content of 5 mass % to 8 mass %. The friction material is effectively used for a synchronizer ring requiring high coefficient of dynamic friction.

Abstract: The process for purifying an ultraviolet absorber of the present invention is characterized by including an adsorbent treatment step of bringing the ultraviolet absorber into contact with an absorbent. According to the process, an ultraviolet absorber having a reduced odor, an improved hue and less skin irritation can be obtained.

Abstract: A curved leaf spring which is a first urging member surrounds an outer wheel of a second bearing, and urges, through the second bearing, a second end of a worm shaft in a direction in which the distance between the center of the worm shaft and the center of a worm wheel is shortened. A second urging member includes an annular support member received by an end surface of the outer wheel and a plurality of elastic pins extending in a direction in parallel with the axial direction of a support member. The elastic pins have fixed ends fixed to the support member and free ends that come into elastic contact with an end wall of a housing.

Abstract: A coding apparatus 100 that generates coded data by coding inputted data in a predetermined unit basis, maps one or more units of the coded data onto a packet of fixed length and output the packet including: a storage unit 103 that stores the coded data and outputs the data size of the stored coded data; a packetization unit 104 that maps the coded data stored in the storage unit 103 onto the packet and outputs the header size assigned to the one or more units of the coded data and the payload size of the packet; a control unit 107 that generates the control information based on the data size of the outputted coded data, the header size and the payload size and outputs the control information; and a coding unit 102 that generates the coded data by calculating an outer candidate value that makes the data size of the coded data to be mapped onto the packet an integral multiple of the payload size of the packet based on the outputted control information and coding the predetermined units of inputted data up to t

Abstract: A sound signal encoding apparatus for encoding two different sound signals, comprising: compression level calculating means for calculating a compression level for each of the sound signal sections; compression level judging means for judging whether or not the calculated compression level for each of the sound signal sections exceeds a predetermined threshold compression value; frequency components encoding means for encoding the quantized frequency components for each of the sound signal sections to a multiplexed bit stream with a predetermined bit rate under two different states consisting of the first state in which the frequency components for each of the sound signal sections are compressed by the first frequency components compressing means when the compression level judging means is operative to judge that the compression level for each of the sound signal sections exceeds the predetermined threshold compression value and the second state in which the frequency components for each of the sound signal

Abstract: A sub-band adaptive differential pulse code modulation/encoding apparatus includes means (102, 103, 104, 105) having a predetermined asymmetric impulse response for receiving an audio signal and band-dividing the received audio signal into a predetermined number of sub-bands, so as to obtain a plurality of band-divided sub-band audio signals, a plurality of quantization means (110, 111, 112, 113) for quantizing the band-divided sub-band audio signals with the predetermined number of sub-bands, and encoding means (115) for performing adaptive differential pulse code modulation/encoding of the quantized sub-band audio signals.

Abstract: An electric steering apparatus designed to eliminate backlash by enabling a hypoid pinion 7, which operates with rotation of a steering assisting motor, to swing with a bearing as a fulcrum and deflecting the hypoid pinion 7 in a radial direction by an elastic member 16. With this electric steering apparatus, it is possible to satisfactorily eliminate backlash without being affected by dimensional errors of parts such as gears used for assisting steering and to automatically eliminate backlash if it is caused by an increase of abrasion of teeth of the gears.

Abstract: A sound signal encoding apparatus for encoding two different sound signals, comprising: compression level calculating means for calculating a compression level for each of the sound signal sections; compression level judging means for judging whether or not the calculated compression level for each of the sound signal sections exceeds a predetermined threshold compression value; frequency components encoding means for encoding the quantized frequency components for each of the sound signal sections to a multiplexed bit stream with a predetermined bit rate under two different states consisting of the first state in which the frequency components for each of the sound signal sections are compressed by the first frequency components compressing means when the compression level judging means is operative to judge that the compression level for each of the sound signal sections exceeds the predetermined threshold compression value and the second state in which the frequency components for each of the sound signal

Abstract: Herein disclosed is a sound signal encoding apparatus, comprises: sampling means for dividing and sampling a signal inputted therein into a plurality of sound signal sections based on the frequency ranges of the sound signal; each of the sound sections having a pure sound component and a non-pure sound component, and encoding means for encoding the sound signal sections after quantizing the sound signal sections divided and sampled based on the frequency ranges of the sound signal The encoding means comprises a deciding unit for deciding which one in the pure sound component and non-pure sound component is more than the other of the pure sound component and non-pure sound component with respect to each of the sound signal sections divided and sampled based on the frequency ranges of the sound signal; a fast quantizing unit for quantizing only the pure sound component at a first quantization level when the deciding unit is operated to decide that the pure sound component is more than the non-pure sound compone

Abstract: In a audio signal coding apparatus, a band separating filter separates a digital audio signal into M bands of audio data. A quantizing circuit quantizes M bands of the audio data. A data grouping circuit groups M bands of the audio data to output N bands of the audio data in accordance with frequency resolution of the human being. M and N being natural numbers more than one, M>N. In an audio signal decoding apparatus, a receiving circuit receives the bit stream including audio data which are grouped into N bands from M bands of audio data which is generated from an audio signal A coded data separating circuit separates N bands of audio data to M bands of the audio data. A de-quantizing circuit for de-quantizes M bands of the audio data. A combining circuit combines M bands of the audio data into an output audio signal. A wireless microphone system using the audio signal coding apparatus and the audio signal decoding apparatus is also disclosed.

Abstract: An electric steering apparatus designed to eliminate backlash by enabling a hypoid pinion 7, which operates with rotation of a steering assisting motor, to swing with a bearing as a fulcrum and deflecting the hypoid pinion 7 in a radial direction by an elastic member 16. With this electric steering apparatus, it is possible to satisfactorily eliminate backlash without being affected by dimensional errors of parts such as gears used for assisting steering and to automatically eliminate backlash if it is caused by an increase of abrasion of teeth of the gears.

Abstract: An NO.sub.x sensor is produced by sintering a plurality of columnar crystals of .beta.-type Nb.sub.2 O.sub.5. The average value M of aspect ratios b/a (wherein a represents a width and b represents a length) in the columnar crystals is set in a range of 2.11<M.ltoreq.5. The NO.sub.x sensor has a high sensitivity to NO.sub.x via an enhancement attained by control of crystal type and structure.

Abstract: An NOx sensor for an exhaust gas is made from .beta.-Nb.sub.2 O.sub.5 as a primary component and TiO.sub.2 as a subsidiary component. The TiO.sub.2 content is in a range of 0.1% by weight .ltoreq.TiO.sub.2 .ltoreq. 20% by weight. In place of TiO.sub.2, Ru may be used in the NOx sensor. The Ru content is in a range of 0.1% by weight .ltoreq.Ru.ltoreq. 10% by weight. Thus, the NOx sensor has an excellent NOx adsorbing ability and is higher in sensitivity to NOx in an exhaust gas.