Pioneer Electronic Corporation

Toshiyuki Kimura

Fumio Endo

Yoshio Aoyagi

Akira Haeno

Akira Hayama

Yoshihiko Watanabe

Hitoshi Sato

Kiyoshi Furukawa

Susumu Niinuma

Junichi Nishida

Yoshikatsu Ikata

Hiroshi Shimotsuma

Yutaro Ishikawa

Kenji Kaneko

Fumihiko Yokogawa

Hiroyuki Hirano

Yasunao Go

Keiichi Matsumoto

Takashi Sato

Minoru Yoshioka

Youichi Ogawa

Yasunao Gou

Yoshiro Nishi

Hiroyuki Abe

Takayuki Iijima

Kazuhiro Kiyoura

Takashi Miyake

Kazuhiro Kamiya

Akio Namiki

Shinichi Abe

Kazuo Yabe

Youichi Yamazaki

Isamu Nomura

Kimito Kobayashi

Isao Matsumoto

Kazuto Shimokawa

Yoshiro Aoyagi

Kazunari Nakamura

Tsuneyoshi Nagashita

Yoshiya Nonaka

Kiyoshi Morikawa

Yoshinori Yamada

Masanori Kurosaki

Chiaki Hirano

Yoichi Yamazaki

Mitsuo Syoji

Hiroyuki Komata

Shigeto Mori

Yoshinori Saito

Susumi Niinuma

An audio disk/memory disk player. At the time of playing a disk, TOC information in a lead-in area will be read out first after loading of the disk is complete. The player determines whether the disk to be played is an audio disk (CD) or a memory disk (CD-ROM) based on identifying information in the TOC information. If the disk is the memory disk, the operation goes directly to a pause mode so that upon reception of a read command transition to the searching for a designated address is promptly executed to quickly read out the desired data. Only when the disk being played is the audio disk, the audio system is changed to the audio disk from another source, thus permitting a user to view a map while listening to the previous source. When playing for an area having a series of group information recorded is complete in special play mode, the mode is quickly changed to the pause mode in the case of the memory disk to wait for the read command, thus ensuring quick reading of designated map data. If the disk discrimination result indicates the memory disk, a muting process is performed to inhibit a sound generation from a loudspeaker. If in this case there are operation commands originating from erroneous confirmation by the user, at least one of the commands is ignored.

Disk player having automatic control based upon audio disk or memory disk determination

An on-vehicle data communication system is provided with at least one master unit, a plurality of slave units and a communication bus. Each of the slave units is provided with: a first receiving device for receiving broadcast communication data through the communication bus; a first judgement device for judging whether or not the first receiving device failed to normally receive the broadcast communication data; and a first transmission device for transmitting acknowledge data to indicate a failure in reception of the first receiving device, if the first judgement device judges that the first receiving device failed to normally receive. The master unit is provided with: a second transmission device for transmitting the broadcast communication data to the slave units; a second receiving device for receiving the transmitted acknowledge data; a second judgement device for judging whether or not the acknowledge data corresponding to the transmitted broadcast communication data are received by the second receiving device; and a process control device for performing a predetermined process to cope with the failure of the first receiving device.

On-vehicle data communication system and method

A receiving apparatus has a database containing broadcasting-station information. A controller in this receiving apparatus determines based on the storage contents of a memory that a reception frequency set to be tuned matches with reception frequencies of a plurality of broadcasting stations in a predetermined geographical range when the reception position lies within the predetermined geographical range. When the reception of broadcast waves is detected in the tuning operation, the controller determines that the set reception frequency is the reception frequency of a multistation. When the set reception frequency is determined as the reception frequency of the multistation, the controller selects information associated with one of a plurality of broadcasting stations which uses that reception frequency, based on the storage contents of the memory and sequentially stores the selected broadcasting-station information together with the reception frequency as the reception history of the multistation in association with the predetermined geographical range.

Receiving apparatus having a database containing broadcasting-station

A receiver with automatic tuning function includes: unit for dividing an area where broadcasting stations exist into a plurality of blocks and storing block information relating to the blocks; unit for storing station information relating to each of the broadcasting stations located in the block in association with the block information of the block; unit for storing block information of a current block and blocks surrounding the current block; unit for selecting a broadcasting station out of the plurality of broadcasting stations located in the current block by referring to the station information associated with the block information of the current block; unit for receiving electric wave from the station selected; unit for judging receiving condition of the electric wave and outputting a judgement signal; and unit for renewing the current block.

Receiver with automatic tuning function

An automatic station selecting and receiving apparatus mounted on a movable body is provided with: a memory unit for storing information indicating a tendency of programs and information indicating a broadcast frequency as for each of the broadcasting stations in association with a plurality of regional blocks obtained by dividing a whole region, where the broadcasting stations exist, into a plurality of blocks; an operation unit for specifying a desirable tendency of programs to be received; a current block detection unit for detecting one regional block including a position where the movable body is currently positioned; a station selection unit for selecting one of broadcasting stations, which is positioned in the detected one regional block and which has the specified tendency of programs, according to the stored information indicating the tendency of programs; and a receiving unit for receiving an electric wave of the broadcast frequency corresponding the selected one of the broadcasting stations according to the stored information indicating the broadcast frequency.

Automatic station selecting and receiving apparatus and automatic

A disk selection control device for a multidisk player, in which disk content identifying information and TOC information of the disks are preliminarily stored correspondingly with each other, and the disk content identifying information and disk holding position information of the disks are stored correspondingly with each other according to the TOC information when it is read-out. By inputting the disk content identifying information, the disk holding position information corresponding to the input disk content identifying information can be obtained from the above correspondency therebetween to thereby select a desired disk.

Disk selection control device for multidisk player

A communication network, such as an audiovisual system, on an automobile has a master unit and a plurality of slave units which are connected to a common communication bus. The display unit displays operation of the other slave units based on display data transmitted from the other slave units. The display data includes character data regarding a character to be displayed and/or standard bit data common with the slave units. The character data and/or the standard bit data may be positioned at the leading end of the display data.

System for data communication

A communication network, such as an audiovisual system, on an automobile has a master unit and a plurality of slave units which are connected to a common communication bus. When the communication network starts operating, connection confirmation request information is transmitted from the slave units to the master unit. The master unit awaits connection confirmation request information from at least one of the slave units for a predetermined period of time after the communication network starts operating. Thereafter, the predetermined period of time is extended if the reception of connection confirmation request information from all the slave units that were connected when the connection network stopped operating in a preceding cycle is not completed. If reception acknowledgement information from the master unit is not detected for a predetermined period of time, then the slave units automatically enter a low power consumption mode.

Method of data communication in communication network on automobile

A data communication system for use on a motor vehicle includes at least one master unit and at least one slave unit which are connected to a communication bus. When the master unit is enabled, the master controller of the master unit outputs connection request demand data to the slave unit. The slave unit has a slave controller which transmits its own connection request information to the master unit in response to the connection request demand data from the master unit. The slave controller transmits, to the master unit, first change information indicating whether the connection information stored in a first memory and connection information of the slave unit that has been transmitted to the master unit are identical to each other or not. The master controller transmits some or all of connection information stored in a second memory to slave units based on the first change information of the slave units. When the data communication system is enabled, the slave controller of each slave unit transmits its own connection request information to the master unit. In response to the connection request information, the master controller establishes a communication address of each slave unit different from those of the other slave units and transmits the established communication address to the slave unit.

System for data communication on automobile

A map display apparatus for displaying a wide area map and an enlarged map is disclosed. When a display mode is shifted from the mode of displaying the enlarged map to the mode of displaying the wide area map, a cursor frame is displayed on a position on a parent screen corresponding to the divided area which has been displayed in an enlarged manner just before the shift of the display mode, so that the position on the parent screen of the area which has been displayed in the enlarged manner so far can be easily discriminated.

Map display apparatus

A communication network, such as an audiovisual system, on an automobile has a master unit and a plurality of slave units which are connected to a common communication bus. Each of the master and slave units is capable of successively issuing a plurality of command data through asynchronous transmission to another unit and returning acknowledgement data in response to the command data transmitted from another unit. The units add received command data to acknowledgement data when the acknowledgement data is to be returned. The command data includes first command data requiring acknowledgement data and second command data requiring no acknowledgement data. Each unit handles the first and second command data differently when the acknowledgement data is to be returned. When communication data is to be transmitted between the units, major classification data and subclassification data, depending on the contents of the communication data, are added to a leading portion of the communication data.

Method of and system for data communication in communication network on

A voice-operated remote control system has two microphone and an ambient noise remover in a transmitter. One of the microphones picks up a voice command, and the other picks up ambient noise. When the voice command is picked up by one microphone, the ambient noise is also picked up thereby. The ambient noise remover cancels an ambient noise component with an electric signal of the ambient noise picked up by the other microphone, and outputs only a voice command component. The remote control system may have a voice command detector and a mute control circuit. If the preparation of entry of a voice command is detected by the voice command detector, the mute control circuit lowers the sound pressure level of sound reproduced by an information reproducing device before the voice command starts being inputted. The remote control system may also have a recognition condition setting unit for automatically modifying speech recognition conditions if a voice command is rejected to be recognized. The remote control system may further include a speech storage unit for storing input voice commands and a speech reproduction unit for reproducing the stored voice commands as required.

Voice-operated remote control system

A voice-operated remote control system which transmits a remote control signal in response to a voice command has a degree-of-importance determining unit for determining the degree of importance of the voice command that is applied to the remote control system. The degree-of-importance determining unit sends a degree-of-importance signal corresponding to the degree of importance of the voice command to a recognition accuracy determining unit. Depending on the degree of importance of the input voice command as indicated by the degree-of-importance signal, the recognition accuracy determining unit determines whether the accuracy of the recognition result is high or low, and delivers only the recognition result of higher recognition accuracy to a transmitting circuit.

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Kawagoe, Japan

Toshiyuki Kimura