Abstract: An optical audio disc comprises the first pack (A Pack), the second pack (A-CONT Pack), the third pack (V Pack), and the fourth pack (CONT Pack) in which the A-CONT Pack is placed at the head of a data array and a plurality of the A and V Packs follow the A-CONT Pack in each audio contents block unit (ACBU). Information contained in an A-CONT Pack manages audio data contained in the A Pack. The A Pack contains audio data and the V Pack contains other data than the audio data such as closed caption (CC) data as well as video data. A reproduction apparatus for an optical audio disc (DVD-Audio disc) comprises the CONT Pack detector section 1103, the A-CONT Pack detector section 1109, the parameter sections 1108 and 1114, the V Pack buffer section 1104, and the A Pack buffer section 1110. The CONT Pack detector section 1103 and the A-CONT Pack detector section 1109 detect reproduced CONT and A-CONT Packs contained in the DVD-Audio disc 1101 respectively.

Abstract: A particulate accumulation amount estimating system is configured to accurately estimate an amount of particulate matter accumulated in a particulate filter based on the pressure difference across the particulate filter even when ash is accumulated in the particulate filter. The particulate accumulation amount estimating system is configured to estimate a particulate accumulation amount of particulate matter accumulated in the particulate filter based on a pressure difference that was detected across the particulate filter and an effective area change of the particulate filter that was detected due to the accumulation of ash in the particulate filter. The estimate of the particulate accumulation amount based on the pressure difference across the filter will be lower as the estimate value of the ash accumulation amount becomes larger.

Abstract: The invention provides a thermal fuse and a fuse element of the low-melting fusible alloy type. The fuse element has an alloy composition in which a total of 0.01 to 7 weight parts of at least one selected from the group consisting of Au, Bi, Cu, Ni, and Pd is added to 100 weight parts of a composition of 100% In, that of 90 to 99.9% In and 0.1 to 10% Ag, or that of 95 to 99.9% In and 0.1 to 5% Sb. As a result, the operating temperature is in the range of 135 to 160° C., requests for environment conservation can be satisfied, the diameter of the fuse element can be made very thin or reduced to about 300 ?m?, and the thermal stability can be satisfactorily guaranteed.

Abstract: An electrical connection is formed by using a double laminated conductive fine particle provided with a conductive metal layer on the surface of a spherical elastic base particle by electroless plating and electroplating and a layer of a low-melting-point-metal on the surface of the conductive metal layer and wherein the conductive metal layer comprise a plurality of metal layers.

Abstract: An optical audio disc comprises the first pack (A Pack), the second pack (A-CONT Pack), the third pack (V Pack), and the fourth pack (CONT Pack) in which the A-(CONT Pack is placed at the head of a data array and a plurality of the A and V Packs follow the A-CONT Pack in each audio contents block unit (ACBU). Information contained in an A-CONT Pack manages audio data contained in the A Pack. The A Pack contains audio data and the V Pack contains other data than the audio data such as closed caption (CC) data as well as video data. A reproduction apparatus for an optical audio disc (DVD-Audio disc) comprises the CONT Pack detector section 1103, the A-CONT Pack detector section 1109, the parameter sections 1108 and 1114, the V Pack buffer section 1104, and the A Pack buffer section 1110. The CONT Pack detector section 1103 and the A-CONT Pack detector section 1109 detect reproduced CONT and A-CONT Packs contained in the DVD-Audio disc 1101 respectively.

Abstract: A print control program for controlling execution of a print job, the print job being shared among a main printing apparatus and one or more sub-printing apparatus(es), the print control program allowing a computer to function as: a print requesting section for requesting the main printing apparatus and the sub-printing apparatus(es) to execute the print job in a cooperative manner; an apparatus information acquiring section for acquiring information relating to printing capabilities of the respective printing apparatuses as apparatus information, the apparatus information being stored in the main printing apparatus in advance; an instruction determining section for determining shares of the print job assigned to the respective apparatuses based upon the acquired apparatus information; and a controlling section for generating control instructions to be transmitted to the respective apparatuses.

Abstract: An alloy type thermal fuse is provided in which a ternary Sn—In—Bi alloy is used, excellent overload characteristic and dielectric breakdown characteristic are attained, the insulation stability after an operation can be sufficiently assured, and a fuse element can be easily thinned. A fuse element having an alloy composition in which Sn is larger than 25% and 44% or smaller, Bi is 1% or larger and smaller than 20%, and In is larger than 55% and 74% or smaller is used.

Abstract: An optical audio disc comprises the first pack (A Pack), the second pack (A-CONT Pack), the third pack (V Pack), and the fourth pack (CONT Pack) in which the A-CONT Pack is placed at the head of a data array and a plurality of the A and V Packs follow the A-CONT Pack in each audio contents block unit (ACBU). Information contained in an A-CONT Pack manages audio data contained in the A Pack. The A Pack contains audio data and the V Pack contains other data than the audio data such as closed caption (CC) data as well as video data. A reproduction apparatus for an optical audio disc (DVD-Audio disc) comprises the CONT Pack detector section 1103, the A-CONT Pack detector section 1109, the parameter sections 1108 and 1114, the V Pack buffer section 1104, and the A Pack buffer section 1110. The CONT Pack detector section 1103 and the A-CONT Pack detector section 1109 detect reproduced CONT and A-CONT Packs contained in the DVD-Audio disc 1101 respectively.

Abstract: In an audio signal encoding apparatus, a first audio signal and a second audio signal are added into an addition-result signal. The first audio signal is subtracted from the second audio signal to generate a subtraction-result signal. A first difference signal is generated which represents a difference in the addition-result signal. A second difference signal is generated which represents a difference in the subtraction-result signal. A plurality of first predictors have different prediction characteristics respectively, and are responsive to the first difference signal for generating first different prediction signals for the first difference signal, respectively. A plurality of first subtracters operate for generating first prediction-error signals representing differences between the first difference signal and the first different prediction signals, respectively. A first minimum prediction-error signal representative of a smallest difference is selected from among the first prediction-error signals.

Abstract: The present invention provides a high-temperature oxide superconductors, which comprises an oxide expressed as (Bi1-xAx)—B—C—Cu oxide (where, A is Sb and/or AS; B and C are elements different from each other, each being one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Be, Mg, Ca, Sr and Ba; and x is characterized by 0?x?1). According to the present invention, it is possible to manufacture a high-temperature oxide superconductor having a transition temperature of over 100 K and not containg a rare-earth element at all, and to manufacture an excellent superconductor in reliability and stability easilier than doing conventional superconductors such as Y—Ba type ones.

Abstract: A piezoelectric resonator comprises: an insulating package provided with a concave portion at a lower region thereof, an piezoelectric resonator installed within the concave portion of the insulating package; a lid sealing a lower opening of the concave portion; and a metal lead terminal of which a upper region is electromechanically connected and fixed to the outer terminal installed at the outer surface of the insulating package, and a lower region thereof is projected downward from the lid. The metal lead terminal includes a drooping portion extending along the side surface of the insulating package and a connecting member extending from the lower part of the drooping portion. The drooping portion is not constrained from the connecting member, and the drooping portion and the connecting member are capable of elastically deformed.

Abstract: A digital signal recording disc has a first area and a second area. The second area differs from the first area. The first area stores a first-channel digital audio signal and a second-channel digital audio signal. The first-channel digital audio signal results from quantizing a first-channel analog audio signal with a first quantization bit number. The second-channel digital audio signal results from quantizing a second-channel analog audio signal with a second quantization bit number. The second area stores information of the first and second quantization bit numbers.

Abstract: A data distribution system has a portable user terminal, which sends a portable terminal ID or memory card ID and electronic money are sent to a store-based terminal (10) and receives data content, a store-based terminal (11), which receives the portable terminal ID or memory card ID and electronic money from the portable user terminal (10), and which sends these to a billing center (12), along with a content ID and a store-based terminal ID, a billing center (12) that receives the content ID, the portable terminal ID or memory card ID, the store-based terminal ID, and the electronic money from the store-based terminal (11), and a content center (13), which receives the content ID, the portable terminal ID or memory card ID, and the store-based terminal ID, and which distributes data content, via the store-based terminal (11), to the portable terminal (10).

Abstract: In an audio signal encoding apparatus, a first audio signal and a second audio signal are added into an addition-result signal. The first audio signal is subtracted from the second audio signal to generate a subtraction-result signal. A first difference signal is generated which represents a difference in the addition-result signal. A second difference signal is generated which represents a difference in the subtraction-result signal. A plurality of first predictors have different prediction characteristics respectively, and are responsive to the first difference signal for generating first different prediction signals for the first difference signal, respectively. A plurality of first subtracters operate for generating first prediction-error signals representing differences between the first difference signal and the first different prediction signals, respectively. A first minimum prediction-error signal representative of a smallest difference is selected from among the first prediction-error signals.

Abstract: A variable compression ratio mechanism that changes the compression ratio according to the rotation angle of a control shaft, wherein a stopper is provided at the highest compression ratio side for regulating the rotation of said control shaft. Then, the output detected by a compression ratio sensor for detecting the rotation angle of said control shaft when said stopper is in an abutted state is read and an adjustment value is learned in order to revise the sensor output based on said detected output.

Abstract: A miniaturized articulated manipulator 20 has a first arm member 31A internally provided with two driving motors 33 and 34, and a second arm member 30B not provided with any devices corresponding to the driving motors 33 and 34 and capable of being miniaturized. The driving motors 33 and 34 can be disposed in common areas 135 at least partially overlapping each other with respect to a direction parallel to the axis of the first arm member 30A and can be arranged in a direction perpendicular to the axis. Thus the first arm member 30A can be formed in a small axial size. Thus the first arm 30A and the second arm 30B can be miniaturized and hence the articulated manipulator 20 can be formed in a short overall length.

Abstract: In an audio signal encoding apparatus, a first audio signal and a second audio signal are added into an addition-result signal. The first audio signal is subtracted from the second audio signal to generate a subtraction-result signal. A first difference signal is generated which represents a difference in the addition-result signal. A second difference signal is generated which represents a difference in the subtraction-result signal. A plurality of first predictors have different prediction characteristics respectively, and are responsive to the first difference signal for generating first different prediction signals for the first difference signal, respectively. A plurality of first subtracters operate for generating first prediction-error signals representing differences between the first difference signal and the first different prediction signals, respectively. A first minimum prediction-error signal representative of a smallest difference is selected from among the first prediction-error signals.

Abstract: In an audio signal encoding apparatus, a first audio signal and a second audio signal are added into an addition-result signal. The first audio signal is subtracted from the second audio signal to generate a subtraction-result signal. A first difference signal is generated which represents a difference in the addition-result signal. A second difference signal is generated which represents a difference in the subtraction-result signal. A plurality of first predictors have different prediction characteristics respectively, and are responsive to the first difference signal for generating first different prediction signals for the first difference signal, respectively. A plurality of first subtracters operate for generating first prediction-error signals representing differences between the first difference signal and the first different prediction signals, respectively. A first minimum prediction-error signal representative of a smallest difference is selected from among the first prediction-error signals.

Abstract: In an audio signal encoding apparatus, a first audio signal and a second audio signal are added into an addition-result signal. The first audio signal is subtracted from the second audio signal to generate a subtraction-result signal. A first difference signal is generated which represents a difference in the addition-result signal. A second difference signal is generated which represents a difference in the subtraction-result signal. A plurality of first predictors have different prediction characteristics respectively, and are responsive to the first difference signal for generating first different prediction signals for the first difference signal, respectively. A plurality of first subtracters operate for generating first prediction-error signals representing differences between the first difference signal and the first different prediction signals, respectively. A first minimum prediction-error signal representative of a smallest difference is selected from among the first prediction-error signals.

Abstract: An alloy type thermal fuse is provided in which a Bi—Sn alloy is used as a fuse element, which has an operating temperature of about 140° C., which, even when used at a high power, can safely operate, and in which dispersion of the operating temperature can be sufficiently reduced. Also a material for a thermal fuse element is provided. An alloy composition in which Bi is larger than 50% and 56% or smaller, and a balance is Sn is used as a fuse element of the alloy type thermal fuse.