Funai Electric Company Ltd.

Sumitomo Electric Industries, Limited

Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Limited

Autonetworks Technologies, Limited

Yoshihisa Nagamura

Toshihiro Takagi

Yasuhiro Inui

Takehiro Onomatsu

Takeshi Hagihara

Yasuhiro Yabuuchi

Hirofumi Urayama

Akihiro Ogawa

Darmawan Go

Kazuhiko Tani

Kazuhide Ishihara

Kenichiro Okabe

A vehicle-mounted communication system includes multiple switch devices that are mounted on a vehicle. At least one of the multiple switch devices is capable of performing intermediate processing that is intermediate information processing on measurement information from a sensor that is mounted on the vehicle. The at least one of the multiple switch devices transmits at least information that is generated by the intermediate processing or the measurement information as relay information to another switch device. The other switch device transmits the relay information that is transmitted to a functional unit that is to perform a target process by using the relay information.

Vehicle-mounted communication system, switch device, functional unit, communication control method, and communication control program

A vehicle virtualization system includes a terminal device, one or more in-vehicle devices, and a determination unit. The determination unit acquires terminal configuration information about a hardware configuration of the terminal device and in-vehicle configuration information about a hardware configuration of the in-vehicle device. The determination unit determines a virtual configuration of the terminal device and the in-vehicle device on the basis of the acquired terminal configuration information and the acquired in-vehicle configuration information, the virtual configuration being required for predetermined processing. The determination unit generates setting information for implementing the determined virtual configuration, and transmits the setting information to the terminal device and the in-vehicle device. The terminal device and the in-vehicle device each change settings thereof on the basis of the setting information received from the determination unit.

Vehicle virtualization system, terminal device, in-vehicle device, virtualization method, and virtualization program

A control apparatus that includes an in-vehicle communication unit configured to communicate with an on-vehicle control device, a storage unit configured to store a plurality of types of communication paths from the in-vehicle communication unit to the on-vehicle control device, and a selection unit configured to select a transmission path for transmitting an update program to the on-vehicle control device, among the plurality of types of stored communication paths.

Control apparatus, control method, and computer program

An in-vehicle communication system is an in-vehicle communication system to be mounted on a vehicle, and includes: a gateway performing relay processing involving communication protocol conversion; and one or a plurality of switching devices performing relay processing not involving the communication protocol conversion, the gateway or the switching device manages data update of a target device mounted on the vehicle, the gateway receives update data for the target device from an external device disposed outside the vehicle, transmits, to the switching device connected thereunder, the update data for the target device, which is connected to the switching device, not holding the update data at least after completing the update, and holds the update data for the target device, which is connected thereto, also after completing the update not through the switching device.

In-vehicle communication system, gateway, switching device and communication control method

Provided is an extra-vehicular communication device, installed on a vehicle, including: a reception unit configured to receive data from an external device located outside the vehicle; a position acquisition unit configured to create, based on the data received by the reception unit, transmission source position information indicating a position of a transmission source of the data; a correspondence information acquisition unit configured to acquire correspondence information that indicates a correspondence relationship between peripheral position information indicating a position of a peripheral area around the vehicle, and a priority level; a setting unit configured to set a priority level for the data, on the basis of the transmission source position information created by the position acquisition unit and the correspondence information acquired by the correspondence information acquisition unit; and a processing unit configured to process the data in accordance with the priority level set by the setting unit.

Extra-vehicular communication device, onboard device, onboard communication system, communication control method, and communication control program

A picture and audio recording apparatus that manages record positions of contents by using a management table, saves only one contents among overlapping contents recorded on a recording medium and erases other overlapping contents; stores information about which one of saved contents is the same as the erased contents in a management table; and looks up the management table for reproducing the same contents that are recorded when reproduction of the erased contents is instructed.

Picture and audio recording apparatus and hard disk recorder

A TV receiver preliminarily measures and stores, in a memory, data of best receiving directions, each giving maximum signal intensity, of a multi-directional antenna for receivable channels. When the antenna rotationally shifts physically for some reason, one channel is selected and subjected to measurements by an omni-directional scanning again to determine a new best receiving direction. A receiving direction number difference between the stored best receiving direction and the new best receiving direction of the same channel is determined. Using the receiving direction number difference for the one channel, all data stored in the memory are renewed at one time, the data being the best receiving direction numbers and the signal intensities therefor for all the channels. The antenna direction can be quickly adjusted to the rotational shift by new measurements for one channel, without requiring time to make unnecessary measurements for all channels, achieving a best receiving condition steadily.

Digital television broadcast signal receiver

A multi-directional antenna connected with a digital television broadcast signal receiver is arranged not to move one full turn instantaneously in response to an abrupt drop down in the intensity of a received signal thus to avoid any downward overshooting of the intensity of the received signal and eliminate any useless direction searching time while remains favorably controlled to face in the direction where the intensity of the received signal is at optimum. More specifically, the maximum of the intensity of a received signal at each channel is measured and the threshold is set to a level lower than the maximum. When the intensity of a received signal has dropped down from the threshold, the antenna remains not turned within a predetermined period of marginal time. The antenna is moved one full turn only when the intensity drops down from the threshold and stays continuously over the predetermined period of marginal time. Then, the maximum of the intensity of the received signal is modified and stored for future use.

In a private video recorder for recording contents of TV program delivered from TV stations, data of the contents of TV program (contents data) are memorized into segments in a contents data memory area, and the contents data are controlled as one video picture file by appointing the segments memorizing the contents data in segment appointing information of the video picture file. When the contents recorded in the private video recorder is edited, only the appointment of the segments in the segment appointing information is rewritten without cutting, copying or inserting the contents data.

Private video recorder using content segment pointing information to record, edit and reproduce content

A broadcast receiving apparatus includes an NIM having a digital terrestrial wave processing unit for processing a received broadcast signal as required for digital terrestrial broadcast and a digital cable processing unit for processing a received broadcast signal as required for digital cable broadcast, and a signal acquisition determining circuit for determining whether a received broadcast signal is for digital terrestrial broadcast or digital cable broadcast, based on waveform characteristic of the received broadcast signal. A CPU causes selected one of the digital terrestrial processing unit and the digital cable processing unit of the NIM to execute the signal processing, based on acquisition result information of the signal acquisition determining circuit.

Receiving apparatus and television set for receiving broadcast signals

A TV broadcast receiver measures, at least two times, a signal intensity in a maximum receiving direction and a signal intensity in the 180 degree opposite receiving direction among 16 receiving directions of a smart antenna. If the signal intensity in the maximum receiving direction is significantly different from that in the opposite receiving direction, it determines that the smart antenna is connected. If the signal intensity in the maximum receiving direction is substantially the same as that in the opposite receiving direction, it determines that the smart antenna is disconnected. It displays messages of the connection and disconnection of the smart antenna on a monitor. This makes it possible to quickly determine whether the antenna connected to the TV broadcast receiver is a smart antenna or a stationary unidirectional antenna.

In a manufacturing process in a factory or in a maintenance process in a service center, an initial control program or an updated control program is easily written in a digital TV receiver. The digital TV receiver has an IDE connector to which an external memory apparatus through an IDE cable. A main controller judges whether the external memory apparatus is connected or not with utilizing opening terminals of the IDE connector. When the external memory apparatus is connected, the control program is read out from the external memory apparatus, and written into a control program memory of the digital TV receiver or the existing control program is replaced with the updated control program. When the external memory apparatus is not connected, the existing control program is read out from the control program memory and the digital TV receiver is controlled corresponding to the control program.

Digital TV receiver

A broadcast receiver retrieves from a database the image of a program on a user-selected channel which was stored previously at the same time so as to display the image on a display device, in response to a channel selection command by a user. If a broadcast exists on the user-selected channel, the broadcast receiver displays the broadcast program on the display device. If no broadcast exists on the user-selected channel, the broadcast receiver displays a message that there is no corresponding broadcast on the display device. By viewing, during the channel selection, the displayed image of the program stored previously, the user can ascertain whether or not the channel being selected is the same channel as the user desires to view. If the channel is not the desired channel, the user can provide a second channel selection command while the preceding channel selection is performed. This permits the user to select a desired channel quickly.

Broadcast receiver having a function of displaying previously stored image during channel selection

A digital/analog broadcast receiving device has either in a first setting mode (proficient mode) in which whole of setting items can be changed without any limitation and a second setting mode (beginner mode) in which the setting items can be changed with some limitation. The receiving device is set in the second setting mode at the time of shipment from a factory. On the screen displaying thereon a setting menu including setting items for a various operations, such a setting item that cannot be changed is not displayed or prevented from being selected. Thus, the menu items that are desired not to be touched by a beginner user etc. can be prevented from being displayed or selected, so as to improve the operability and also protect the settings.

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Osaka, Japan

Yoshihisa Nagamura