Abstract: The driver assistance system comprises a detector, a navigator, a stimulator, and a voice interactor. The detector detects wakefulness reduction of a driver or absent-minded driving by the driver. The navigator navigates a vehicle based on map information. The stimulator continuously or intermittently applies stimulation to the driver. The voice interactor interacts with the driver by voice. The navigator searches for a resting facility on a route from the map information in response to a detection of the wakefulness reduction or the absent-minded driving. The voice interactor executes a first interaction of proposing navigation to the resting facility by the navigator in response to the detection of the wakefulness reduction or the absent-minded driving, and executes a second interaction of proposing application of stimulation by the stimulator after an execution of the first interaction and during a period until the vehicle arrives at the resting facility.

Abstract: An apparatus for determining a state includes a processor configured to, when a movement area in which movement values indicating looking directions or face orientations of a driver of a vehicle are distributed is included in a predetermined area, determine that the driver is in a state of careless driving, and enlarge the predetermined area in accordance with a road condition around the vehicle. A method for determining a state includes, when a movement area in which movement values indicating looking directions or face orientations of a driver of a vehicle are distributed is included in a predetermined area, determining that the driver is in a state of careless driving, and enlarging the predetermined area in accordance with a road condition around the vehicle.

Abstract: An information reproducing control apparatus, a display device, a control method, and a storage medium are disclosed, the control apparatus includes a display control device for controlling to display a reproducing point in sequential content data; an operating device including an operator, a user being able to directly touch the operator, the operator being used for designating a desired point of the content data as a new reproducing point; a specifying device for directly specifying a reproducing point corresponding to the new reproducing point. The operator having an operation area including one end portion provided along with one end portion of a display area of the elapsed time on the display device and the other end portion provided along with the other portion of the display area of the elapsed time on the display device.

Abstract: The present invention provides an information reproducing apparatus which can directly and intuitively designate a reproduction point, as desired by a user, on the basis of a change in level of a visually-provided information amount. An optical disk reproducing apparatus 100 reads content data from an optical disk 10 loaded and has a reproduction-time specification operating unit 220 which is formed by a movable operator MF. The reproduction-time specification operating unit 220 displays a change in amount of information on a beat according to elapsed time in the entire content data and includes a movable operator MF which is used to specify reproduction time of the optical disk 10 while being movable in an operation area OF corresponding to a display area A1. The reproduction-time specification operating unit 220 moves the movable operator MF such that the center of the movable operator MF corresponds to the reproduction time of the contents data in the beat density data displayed on a display unit 221.

Abstract: The present invention provides an information reproducing apparatus which can directly and intuitively designate a reproduction point, as desired by a user, on the basis of a change in level of a visually-provided information amount. An optical disk reproducing apparatus 100 reads content data from an optical disk 10 loaded and has a reproduction-time specification operating unit 220 which is formed by a movable operator MF. The reproduction-time specification operating unit 220 displays a change in amount of information on a beat according to elapsed time in the entire content data and includes a movable operator MF which is used to specify reproduction time of the optical disk 10 while being movable in an operation area OF corresponding to a display area A1. The reproduction-time specification operating unit 220 moves the movable operator MF such that the center of the movable operator MF corresponds to the reproduction time of the contents data in the beat density data displayed on a display unit 221.

Abstract: The present invention provides an information processing unit with improved operability. A reading section (10) reads information recorded in an optical disk, and outputs a read signal. A DSP (20) detects the read signal and processes to a reproducible form. A quick return button selects at least one of the processing details for starting or stopping the information processing and for changing a reproducing position of the information. When a reproducing state changing section (120) recognizes a change instruction for changing a processing state for the information, a reproduction control section (52) changes the processing state by the DSP 20 based on the processing details selected with the quick return button.

Abstract: The present invention provides an information reproducing apparatus which can directly and intuitively designate a reproduction point, as desired by a user, on the basis of a change in level of a visually-provided information amount. An optical disk reproducing apparatus 100 reads content data from an optical disk 10 loaded and has a reproduction-time specification operating unit 220 which is formed by a movable operator MF. The reproduction-time specification operating unit 220 displays a change in amount of information on a beat according to elapsed time in the entire content data and includes a movable operator MF which is used to specify reproduction time of the optical disk 10 while being movable in an operation area OF corresponding to a display area A1. The reproduction-time specification operating unit 220 moves the movable operator MF such that the center of the movable operator MF corresponds to the reproduction time of the contents data in the beat density data displayed on a display unit 221.

Abstract: An information playback apparatus is provided to obtain editing effects using an optical disc in the same sense as an analog record disc is manipulated. An audio editing apparatus for playing back an optical disc such as a CD is provided with a rotatable jog dial, detecting device for detecting the amount of rotation of the jog dial, and sensing device for sensing the presence or absence of a pressing force on the jog dial. When the jog dial is rotated while being depressed with a predetermined pressing force, processing for providing sound effects is performed on the playback data to be played back from the optical disc in response to the amount of rotation detected by the detecting device. It is thereby possible to provide the same feeling of operation as provided by rotating an analog record disc through hand operations to produce playback sounds.

Abstract: A reading section (10) reads information recorded in an optical disk and outputs a read signal. A DSP (20) detects the read signal, and make it reproducible. An operational instruction recognizing section (51) recognizes an instruction for a specified position of the information. Then a display control section (54) makes a cue point position display section of a display section (130) display an instructed position. Because of this feature, the specified instructed position can be recognized easily and accurately.

Abstract: An information playback apparatus is provided to obtain editing effects using an optical disc in the same sense as an analog record disc is manipulated. An audio editing apparatus for playing back an optical disc such as a CD is provided with a rotatable jog dial, detecting device for detecting the amount of rotation of the jog dial, and sensing device for sensing the presence or absence of a pressing force on the jog dial. When the jog dial is rotated while being depressed with a predetermined pressing force, processing for providing sound effects is performed on the playback data to be played back from the optical disc in response to the amount of rotation detected by the detecting device. It is thereby possible to provide the same feeling of operation as provided by rotating an analog record disc through hand operations to produce playback sounds.

Abstract: A beat density detecting apparatus and an information playback apparatus are provided to detect distinctive characteristics that music or the like has and to provide the same as a novel information volume. Playback data read out from an information recording medium, such as an optical disc, and sub-code data containing the information of an elapsed track time indicating a recording position of the playback data are provided to a beat detecting unit and a beat position detecting unit, respectively. The beat detecting unit detects the number of occurrences of a change in amplitude at each predetermined frequency of the playback data, and the beat position detecting unit detects an elapsed track time from the sub-code data. Further, a beat density computing unit finds the number of occurrences with respect to the elapsed track time as the characteristics information of a beat density.

Abstract: An information playback apparatus is provided to obtain editing effects using an optical disc in the same sense as an analog record disc is manipulated. An audio editing apparatus for playing back an optical disc such as a CD is provided with a rotatable jog dial, detecting device for detecting the amount of rotation of the jog dial, and sensing device for sensing the presence or absence of a pressing force on the jog dial. When the jog dial is rotated while being depressed with a predetermined pressing force, processing for providing sound effects is performed on the playback data to be played back from the optical disc in response to the amount of rotation detected by the detecting device. It is thereby possible to provide the same feeling of operation as provided by rotating an analog record disc through hand operations to produce playback sounds.

Abstract: A beat density detecting apparatus and an information playback apparatus are provided to detect distinctive characteristics that music or the like has and to provide the same as a novel information volume. Playback data read out from an information recording medium, such as an optical disc, and sub-code data containing the information of an elapsed track time indicating a recording position of the playback data are provided to a beat detecting unit and a beat position detecting unit, respectively. The beat detecting unit detects the number of occurrences of a change in amplitude at each predetermined frequency of the playback data, and the beat position detecting unit detects an elapsed track time from the sub-code data. Further, a beat density computing unit finds the number of occurrences with respect to the elapsed track time as the characteristics information of a beat density.

Abstract: An information playback apparatus is provided, which displays the status of playback in a way more suitable to the human sense as well as detects and then displays as new information the feature characteristic of audio information such as a music selection. The frequency of occurrence of variations in amplitude of audio information to be played back is measured at each predetermined frequency. The measured frequency of occurrence is displayed in a predetermined area of a display unit as the feature information of beat densities with respect to the playback elapsed time of the audio information to be played back. An index display unit is displayed in a substantially circular playback speed display unit. The amount of audio information to be sequentially played back corresponding to elapsed time is divided by a predetermined value to determine a remainder.

Abstract: Both of one audio information and another audio information are recorded on a same information record medium. An audio information reproducing apparatus is provided with: a detecting device for detecting said one audio information and said another audio information from the information record medium and also detecting a time period required for one beat of the detected another audio information; and an accumulating device for accumulating said one audio information detected from the information record medium to thereby continue reproducing and outputting said one audio information through the accumulating device. The audio information reproducing apparatus is also provided with a controlling device for controlling the detecting device to detect said another audio information and the time period required for one beat, within a time duration that the accumulated one audio information is being reproduced and outputted through the accumulating device.

Abstract: An information playback apparatus is provided to obtain sound effects by using an optical disc in much the same way an analog record is manipulated. A pressing pressure applied onto a rotatable jog dial is detected by providing a pressure sensing layer to the jog dial. When no pressing pressure is applied onto the jog dial, audio information is played back from an optical disc at a normal tempo. When an end of the jog dial at rest is pressed with a pressing pressure within a predetermined range, a tempo of a playback sound played from the audio information is changed in response to the pressing pressure. When an end of the jog dial at rest is pressed with a large pressing pressure, a tempo of a playback sound played from the audio information is changed in such a manner that playback of a playback sound is stopped eventually.

Abstract: A reading section (10) reads information recorded in an optical disk and outputs a read signal. A DSP (20) detects the read signal, and make it reproducible. An operational instruction recognizing section (51) recognizes an instruction for a specified position of the information. Then a display control section (54) makes a cue point position display section of a display section (130) display an instructed position. Because of this feature, the specified instructed position can be recognized easily and accurately.

Abstract: The present invention provides an information processing unit with improved operability. A reading section (10) reads information recorded in an optical disk, and outputs a read signal. A DSP (20) detects the read signal and processes to a reproducible form. A quick return button selects at least one of the processing details for starting or stopping the information processing and for changing a reproducing position of the information. When a reproducing state changing section (120) recognizes a change instruction for changing a processing state for the information, a reproduction control section (52) changes the processing state by the DSP 20 based on the processing details selected with the quick return button.

Abstract: An audio information reproducing apparatus reproduces one audio information and reproduces another audio information after said one audio information. The apparatus is provided with: a detecting device for detecting one time period required for one beat of said one audio information, and also detecting another time period for one beat of said another audio information; and a reproducing device for reproducing said another audio information continuously to said one audio information while controlling the detected another time period to be coincident with the detected one time period. Alternatively or additionally, the apparatus is provided with: a detecting device for detecting one beat timing which is a timing of a beat of said one audio information and also detecting another beat timing which is a timing of a beat of said another audio information, so that the reproducing device controls the detected another beat timing to be coincident with the detected one beat timing.

Abstract: An information playback apparatus is provided, which displays the status of playback in a way more suitable to the human sense as well as detects and then displays as new information the feature characteristic of audio information such as a music selection. The frequency of occurrence of variations in amplitude of audio information to be played back is measured at each predetermined frequency. The measured frequency of occurrence is displayed in a predetermined area of a display unit as the feature information of beat densities with respect to the playback elapsed time of the audio information to be played back. An index display unit is displayed in a substantially circular playback speed display unit. The amount of audio information to be sequentially played back corresponding to elapsed time is divided by a predetermined value to determine a remainder.