Pioneer Corporation

Michihiro Kaneko

Koichi Nagaki

Keiichi Yamauchi

Tomo Watanabe

Kazunori Matsuo

Yoshikazu Takeuchi

Hajime Adachi

Toshiharu Uchida

Atsuo Ohmori

An audio information reproducing apparatus (NS) is provided with: a memory (HD) for storing audio information comprising a plurality of unit information, such as a plurality of music compositions; a transmitting device (HO) for transmitting correspondence information, such as music list information or the like, corresponding to each of the plurality of the unit information to an external portion; an obtaining device (HO) for obtaining reproduction control information to control a reproduction manner of each of the plurality of unit information from the external portion, the reproduction control information being generated on the basis of the transmitted correspondence information; and a controlling device () for reproducing the plurality of unit information from the memory while controlling the reproduction manner of each of the plurality of unit information in accordance with the obtained reproduction control information.

Audio information reproducing apparatus, movable body, and audio information reproduction controlling system

In a disk drive apparatus for forcibly restoring a head to a retract position when a power voltage is greatly lowered, the head is moved in a direction toward the retract position when detecting a small decrease in the power voltage.

Disk drive

A disk drive device in which emergency unloading at the start of the engine is prevented, a head may have a prolonged life and improved reliability as an HDD is achieved. A disk drive device is driven or the movement of a magnetic head is allowed after an engine start in a vehicle is detected by an engine start detecting part, so that emergency unloading can be prevented at the start of the engine. In order to detect the engine start, voltage values on four power supply lines for a vehicle power supply device are monitored or the outputs of various sensors such as a tachometer, a vibration detection sensor, an engine sound detection sensor, a vehicle speed pulse, a gyro sensor and a parking brake are monitored. In another embodiment, the number of emergency unloading occurrence at the start of the engine is reduced, which allows the head to have a prolonged life, so that the disk drive device has improved reliability as an HDD. The voltage values on two power supply lines, first and second power supply lines for a vehicle power supply device are monitored. The magnetic head is allowed to move when the voltage values on the first and second power supply lines attain a prescribed value after a prescribed time period after the voltage value on the first power supply line attains prescribed value.

Disk drive device

A disc drive arrangement adapted to move a head to a retract position upon shutting down of a power source voltage, wherein the number of retraction actions of the head is counted and notified. With this notification, a user can assume performance deterioration of the disc drive arrangement.

Disc drive apparatus

A navigation system is provided with: a present position detecting device for detecting a present position of a movable body; a reading device for reading map data recorded on a recording medium; a nonvolatile storage device for storing the map data thereon; a selecting device for selecting an area as an object to be transmitted in accordance with the present position; a transmitting device for reading the recorded map data corresponding to the area from the recording medium and transmitting the read map data to the nonvolatile storage device at a predetermined timing; and a controlling device for controlling a navigation operation to assist the movable body in traveling on the basis of the recorded map data on the recording medium and the stored map data on the nonvolatile storage device.

Navigation system

A navigation system detects a present position of a movable body and performs a navigation for the movable body on the basis of map information. The navigation system is provided with: a storage device ( ) of non-volatile type capable of writing the map data thereinto and reading the map data therefrom; a map data transferring device ( ) for obtaining the map data corresponding to a predetermined area, and transferring and storing the map data corresponding to the predetermined area to the storage device; an empty area judging device ( ) for judging whether or not an empty storage area having a predetermined capacity is reserved in the storage device when the map data transferring device is to transfer the map data corresponding to the predetermined area to the storage device; and an erasing device ( ) for determining unnecessary data among data stored in the storage device on the basis of a predetermined condition, and erasing the unnecessary data from the storage device if the empty area judging device judges that the empty storage area is not reserved.

A navigation system is provided with: a present position detecting device ( ) for detecting a present position; and a navigation device ( ) for performing a navigation in correspondence with the detected present position on the basis of map data. The navigation system is also provided with a menu controlling device ( ) for controlling a menu display of the navigation by using menu information capable of being updated.

Growing community of inventors

Tsurugashima, Japan

Michihiro Kaneko