Pioneer Electronic Corporation

Pioneer Corporation

Takao Yamada

Masahiko Miyashita

Nobuo Ohyama

Kazuo Kamei

Yoshiaki Moriyama

Sumio Hosaka

Kouichi Ono

Kou Atsumi

Eiji Kojima

Toshio Ohtani

Takashi Suzuki

Jun Takahashi

Takeaki Funada

Haruyasu Sakata

Katsumi Kawamura

Katsuhiro Shiba

Makoto Takanashi

Yoshikiyo Konno

Hiroyasu Eguchi

Masaya Ogawa

Satomi Sudo

Kenji Okuda

Ichiro Narumi

Yuuji Murai

Atsuki Tada

Sanpei Asai

Toshiyuki Amaya

Kazuo Yajika

Hisashi Hoda

Takeshi Kitaki

Kenji Muratani

Norihisa Kato

Minoru Goto

Kuniaki Siratori

A signal processor includes a buffer memory for storing the image signal for output as a main image signal; a point setting section for storing a position on a temporal axis of the main image signal as a registration point in response to a given capture command, the main image signal corresponding to the capture command; a playback control section for causing the buffer memory to output an image frame following the registration point in response to a given playback command; a video capture section for generating a registration image based on at least one image frame in a neighborhood of the registration point of the main image signal outputted from the buffer memory, and storing the registration image; and an image superimposing section for superimposing the registration image onto the main image signal for display in a signal screen to generate a composite image signal.

Signal processor

A signal processor includes a point setting part that sets a position of a main image signal, as a registration point. A playback control part causes output of an image frame from the registration point used as a starting point in response to a given playback instruction. A capture processing part generates a registration image based on the main image signal and stores the registration image, the at least one image frame being placed in a neighborhood of the registration point. A point recording part writes the registration point into a memory and writes the registration image corresponding to the recorded point into the memory. A point calling part reads out the recorded image and the recorded point in response to a given calling instruction. The point setting part sets the recorded point and the recorded image as the registration point and the registration image, respectively.

An information reproduction apparatus which can perform repetitive reproduction is provided. In the apparatus, information recorded in an information storage medium is read. The read information is decoded. The decoded information is stored in a predetermined region of a storage device. During reproduction, information is sequentially read out and outputted in order of precedence at the time of writing the decoded information while the decoded information is stored in the predetermined region. When a start position of repetitive reproduction is designated, a repetition reproduction range is set. The repetition reproduction range is a range that would include the decoded information to be reproduced at one repetition reproduction. The decoded information is maintained in the repetition reproduction range. When an instruction to start the repetitive reproduction is provided, the decoded information in the repetition reproduction range is outputted and the decoded information subsequent to the repetition reproduction range is acquired.

Information reproduction apparatus and information reproduction method

An information reproducing apparatus is provided, which has a new cue point setting function with excellent operability for enabling new application form. Specifically, a cue point for specifying a start position for playing back a disc, and additional information or disc identification information corresponding to the cue point are stored in a backup memory. The additional information or the disc identification information is associated with the cue point and shown on a display according to a proper operation of operation buttons and a turning member. When the operation buttons and the turning member are properly operated, a system controller edits and adds the additional information, or edits the disc identification information in the backup memory. When the operation buttons and the turning member are properly operated to enter retrieval information, information stored in the backup memory is compared and retrieved, and the retrieved information associated with a cue point is shown on the display.

Information reproducing apparatus having cue point setting function

An information reproduction apparatus which can perform repetitive reproduction is provided. In the apparatus, Information read from an information recording medium is decoded by the plurality of decoding devices. Then a source of an output of the information reproduction apparatus is switched among outputs of a plurality of the decoding devices. If a start position to start repetitive reproduction is designated, another decoding device except one decoding device whose output is currently switched as the source is controlled so as to be able to begin to decode the information on and after the start position. Then if a start instruction is provided, the source is switched from the output of the one decoding device to the output of the another device. Further, the another decoding device is controlled to decode the information on and after the start position, and the one decoding device is controlled to be able to begin to decode the information on and after the start position.

A method for reproducing information, comprising the steps of: reading compressed audio data from an information recording medium in which the compressed audio data is recorded in a frame unit; and subjecting the compressed audio data thus read to an expansion processing to reproduce same. When an instruction is given to make a special reproduction in which a frame region to be reproduced and an other frame region not to be reproduced are mixed, control is made so that the compressed audio data in respective frames are successively reproduced in the frame region to be reproduced, and a header information for the respective frames is read out in the other frame region not to be reproduced, and determination on a leading position of a subsequent frame is made on a basis of the header information, thereby conducting a successive migration for the respective frames.

Method and apparatus for reproducing information

A method of and an apparatus for processing communication data transmitted from a data center such as a sing-along data center to a terminal communication apparatus such as a communication type sing-along apparatus via a communication line. The method and apparatus are such that a data file may be stored in a first memory provided in the terminal communication apparatus when said data file has been transmitted from the data center while the terminal communication apparatus itself is not in operation, a version of the data file stored in the first memory is compared with a version of an existing data file formerly recorded in a second memory provided in the terminal communication apparatus when said terminal communication apparatus is in operation and said second memory is in ON state, the data file formerly recorded in the second memory is replaced by the data file recorded in the first memory if it is determined that the version of the data file recorded in the second memory is older than the version of the data file recorded in the first memory.

Method of and apparatus for processing data transmitted through a communication line

A supporting device is provided for supporting disc stockers in a case of a disc changer. Each of the disc stockers stores a plurality of discs. A lock device is mounted on each of side walls of the disc stocker. The lock device comprises a lock lever slidably mounted on the side wall and having a locking hook, and a manually operated release lever. The locking hook is provided to engage with a pin provided on the case so as to lock the disc stocker. The release lever is arranged to release the lock lever from the pin.

Structure for supporting disc stockers in a disc changer with a manually

A method of recording compressed and coded data is designed to improve the speed and ease of random accessing, and to reduce the buffer capacity and facilitate control and editing in the reproducing system. The method comprises the steps of compressing and coding video signals for every predetermined number of frames with the amount of codes per predetermined number of frames being constant; storing the predetermined number of frames of compressed and coded video signals into at least one video packet; storing the video packet in a pack having a time slot corresponding to the predetermined number of frames (preferably at the end of the pack); and recording the video signals on the recording medium in a pack stream containing such packs, with the relation between the size of the pack and the size of the logical block of the recording medium being set to 1:n (n: an integer) and the relation between the size of the pack and the size of the physical block of the recording medium being set to 2:m (m: an integer).

Compressed data recording method using integral logical block size and

A synchronizing system with a simple structure accomplishes synchronous reproduction without complicating a control circuit for synchronizing video and audio signals with each other. The number of unit audio data blocks to be put in one pack is set in such a way that the difference between the presentation start times for the stream of video data and the stream of audio data in one pack in a predetermined pack period becomes a predetermined value, and the pack carries positional information of the pack in the predetermined pack period to the pack. In a reproducing apparatus, the difference between presentation start times for video signals and audio signals in each pack is acquired by referring to positional information (AAU sequence number) in a stream of packs, transferred by the above transmission method, and at least one of the presentation start times for video signals and audio signals in the stream of packs is controlled so that the difference between the presentation start times coincides with the difference between the presentation start times corresponding to the positional information.

Synchronizing system for time-divided video and audio signals

A disc playing and controlling apparatus which includes a plurality of magazine type disc players. When a first disc player is operating, the apparatus controls the other disk players to find and load a disc holding the next song to be played. Before searching for the next song, the controller determines whether one player is already set in a standby position or whether the next song is located in the player currently being operated. If no player has been set for the next program, the apparatus reads the next selection from a program list and identifies which magazine contains the selected program based on a data map. The map stores each player number and magazine number in an one-to-one relation with the table of contents data for each song.

Controlling playing operations of a plurality of magazine type disc

A focus servo lead-in method is implemented where the focus servo loop is first in an open state. An objective lens located at a position separated by a predetermined distance from the recording surface of a disk is first moved toward the recording surface at a high velocity. At a predetermined time, the moving velocity is decreased to a lower velocity and the focus servo loop is brought to a closed state based on the level of the focus error signal obtained while the objective lens is moving at the lower velocity.

Method and apparatus for leading-in focus servo by moving the objective

A method and apparatus for controlling a visual data playback apparatus such as a video disc player whereby control is executed in response to input commands which are generated by scanning a printed code, e.g. bar code, on a document to produce code signals which are supplied to the control apparatus of the invention. Portions of the code are positioned close to respective sections of a printed document, so that a user can cause moving or still images relating to a document section to be produced on a monitor display, without the need for the user's eyes to move away from the document being read, e.g. to operate a separate control unit.

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Tokorozawa, Japan

Takao Yamada