Patents Assigned to Alpine Electronics, Inc
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Patent number: 9495088Abstract: A method of receiving text entries on a display of an infotainment system including a character input slider that has a slider controller, includes sensing gesture as the slider controller is moved, moving the slider controller along the character input slider in a direction of a sensing result when the gesture is in proximity with the slider controller along the character input slider, presenting one character when the slider controller is in a proximity with a location related to the one character on the character input slider, focusing the one character when the gesture regarding moving the slider controller is not detected for a predetermined period of time, selecting the one character when a predetermined gesture other than the gesture is detected after focusing the one character, and entering the selected one character into an active location of an active text input field.Type: GrantFiled: December 26, 2014Date of Patent: November 15, 2016Assignee: Alpine Electronics, IncInventors: Fredrick P. Garcia, Jr., Shuhei Hayashi
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Patent number: 8655383Abstract: An apparatus and method provides event notifications to a user according to the user's current location and the content in the user's electronic device. Since the content, such as play counts, a number of songs, etc., may indicate the user's preference about some specific artists, it is possible to establish an intelligent content delivery system according to the user's preference. The content delivery system includes an event searching unit, a playback information retrieving unit and an information processing unit which is configured to determine whether to provide and display the content information by considering factors as distance, future occurrence, ticket availability, etc. of the event.Type: GrantFiled: June 15, 2009Date of Patent: February 18, 2014Assignee: Alpine Electronics, IncInventors: Kyte Feng, Eddy Lo
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Patent number: 8606612Abstract: A method and apparatus for improving efficiency and accuracy in event information exchange among users of navigation systems or other devices through wireless communication. The method includes the steps of: receiving information indicating an upcoming event, an event location, and participants thereof input by a user; checking a database storing data regarding types of event in response to the information input by the user to determine a type of the event; retrieving information regarding items required for the type of event determined and generating a template including a list of what items to bring by the participants of the event; and sending the template to the participants of the event through wireless communication.Type: GrantFiled: December 10, 2008Date of Patent: December 10, 2013Assignee: Alpine Electronics, IncInventors: Andrew de Silva, Jose Mazas, Alex Panganiban, Jianning Zhuang
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Patent number: 8504297Abstract: A map display device that displays a map image around a vehicle position includes a display unit; a first storage unit storing map data including road data of a road and road-related information related to the road; a second storage unit storing adjustment data based on a relationship between display positions of the road data and the road-related information; and a map display control unit for calculating the display position of the road-related information based on the adjustment data for the individual road, and displaying the road-related information on a screen of the display unit. A road width to be displayed o the screen may be determined in accordance with the number of lanes and a road type. The adjustment data may be a distance between the display positions of the road and the road-related information, and may be determined in accordance with the road type and the road width.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2010Date of Patent: August 6, 2013Assignee: Alpine Electronics, IncInventors: Kazuomi Chiba, Yukio Sato
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Patent number: 8346560Abstract: A state oriented dialog design apparatus and method facilitates creation of natural language dialogs and provides data structures for voice user interfaces. The dialog design apparatus may include inputting means for receiving a user's prompt; response generating means for the user to generating at least one response; dialog structure generating means for structurally managing the user's input and response; and output means for outputting and displaying at least one dialog structure. A state used in the dialog design apparatus and method may include at least one system prompt and at least one response, and a linking unit may link a first state to a second state related to the first state, link the second state to a third state, and so on until certain system actions are achieved. A loop detecting unit in the dialog design apparatus and method detects and identifies loops in the dialog structure.Type: GrantFiled: May 1, 2009Date of Patent: January 1, 2013Assignee: Alpine Electronics, IncInventors: Inci Ozkaragoz, Yan Wang, Benjamin Ao
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Patent number: 8332140Abstract: A method and apparatus to optimize energy consumption in a mobile phone having a navigation system is disclosed. The navigation-based method and apparatus efficiently use a smartphone battery to provide the highest possible location accuracy to the driver. When the driver is travelling from a complex route segment to a less complex route segment, current location sensor is switched to another location sensor with lower location accuracy which consumes less battery power. When the driver is travelling from a less complex route segment to a complex route segment, the navigation system continues to use a location sensor with lower accuracy until the navigation system determines that switching to higher accuracy location sensor is necessary to conserve more battery power. The navigation system can determine a best timing to switch according to the driver's familiarity with the route segment or geographical area.Type: GrantFiled: March 31, 2010Date of Patent: December 11, 2012Assignee: Alpine Electronics, IncInventors: Andrew S. de Silva, Linh Doan, Alex Panganiban
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Patent number: 8332144Abstract: The image correction method and system for navigation device with portable navigation unit converts an image based on projection to a first display into a suitable image on a second display such that the area of the second display is used economically and efficiently while maintaining some elements of the image in substantially common aspect ratio between the images on the first display and on the second display. The image correction method determines the ratio of the second display, determines if image correction is required, and checks a correction table and performs image correction according to correction rules to generate the corrected image for projecting on the second display.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 2006Date of Patent: December 11, 2012Assignee: Alpine Electronics, IncInventors: Melvin Bernard Diaz, Tsutomu Tommy Ogawa
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Patent number: 7995774Abstract: In a sound field control apparatus including multiple speakers, multiple microphones gathering sound radiated from the multiple speakers, a mode decomposition filter that performs mode decomposition on a sound pressure distribution, and a control filter that controls the input signals to be input to the multiple speakers such that the mode amplitudes of the modes decomposed by the mode decomposition filter can have a predetermined value, a sound pressure distribution in the acoustic space is measured, and the sound pressure distribution in the acoustic space is expressed by using a sinusoidal function and cosine function of a space frequency of the mode to be controlled in amplitude. The mode space frequency is corrected such that the expressed sound pressure distribution can be equal to the measured sound pressure distribution, and the filter coefficient for the mode decomposition filter is determined based on the mode space frequency obtained by the correction (corrected mode space frequency).Type: GrantFiled: August 5, 2008Date of Patent: August 9, 2011Assignee: Alpine Electronics, IncInventor: Tomohiko Ise
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Patent number: 7957898Abstract: A computational scheme for an INS which utilizes micro-electro mechanical systems (MEMS) sensors resolves issues of unnecessarily large computational burden and numerical instability which happen in using conventional methods using high-end inertial sensors. The first aspect is to omit computing Earth radii of curvatures that were used in a high-frequency application. The second aspect is to ignore the Earth rotation and the rotation of the local tangent plane with respect to Earth which are much smaller than noise and bias in the MEMS sensor output. The last aspect is to assume that the absolute amount of the platform pitch and roll angles is less than 90 degrees. According to the aspects noted above, the computational load will be one-fourth of the conventional method without degradation of accuracy.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 2007Date of Patent: June 7, 2011Assignee: Alpine Electronics, IncInventors: Takayuki Hoshizaki, Eric Tashiro
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Patent number: 7945383Abstract: A navigation system is able to find an optimum route to a destination even when a large non-digitized area exists between a starting point to the destination. The navigation system produces processing points based on a particular shape and size of the large non-digitized area and determines whether such processing points should be used for route search operations. When it is determined that the route search operation is effective, the navigation system performs A* algorithm search operations with respect to the start point, processing points and the destination and detects an optimum route to detour the large non-digitized area.Type: GrantFiled: April 20, 2005Date of Patent: May 17, 2011Assignee: Alpine Electronics, IncInventors: Ihung Tu, David Schaaf, Tien Vu
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Patent number: 7890256Abstract: A map scrolling method and apparatus enables to incrementally tracing back to previous relevant locations of the map image. The method includes the steps of: recording information on a stopped location of a map image every time when a user stops during a map scrolling operation; comparing the recorded information with a predetermined threshold value to determine whether the information satisfies threshold value; recording the stopped location in a memory as a traceable location when the recorded information satisfies the threshold value; and tracing back to the map image of the traceable locations recorded in the memory, one by one, every time when the user presses a cancel key or its equivalent of the navigation system.Type: GrantFiled: August 8, 2007Date of Patent: February 15, 2011Assignee: Alpine Electronics, IncInventor: Maung Han
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Patent number: 7889101Abstract: A method and apparatus for a navigation system for generating a reminder message by applying predefined validation rule to display and/or voice announce the reminder message associated with a particular location. The method includes the steps of creating reminder message data which include a reminder message, a primary location, a secondary location, and a validation rule; comparing a reference location with the primary location; applying the validation rule in the reminder message data to determine whether a relationship between the primary location and the reference location satisfies the condition in the validation rule; displaying the reminder message when the condition is satisfied; and conducting a route guidance operation to reach a location selected by the user.Type: GrantFiled: April 14, 2008Date of Patent: February 15, 2011Assignee: Alpine Electronics, IncInventor: Tatsuo Yokota
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Patent number: 7868821Abstract: A navigation system with a capability of estimating positions of the platform vehicle and recognized landmarks using satellite information and camera measurements is disclosed. One aspect is to represent a landmark by one or few representative features by executing image recognition and feature extraction to find representative features inside the recognized landmark. Another aspect is to re-identify the recognized landmarks in the landmark database correlating the landmark attributes obtained by image recognition and mathematical feature characteristics obtained by feature extraction with the corresponding data in the landmark database. A further aspect is to enhance navigation accuracy through the Kalman filter architecture with additional imagery measurements of landmarks whose positions are known or previously estimated.Type: GrantFiled: January 15, 2009Date of Patent: January 11, 2011Assignee: Alpine Electronics, IncInventor: Takayuki Hoshizaki
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Patent number: 7869938Abstract: The display method and apparatus for a navigation system interchangeably displays a normal map image and a simplified map image in accordance with a user's preference and complexity of the map image. The method includes the steps of checking whether a simple map mode or a normal map mode is set for displaying a map image on a monitor screen of the navigation system, determining which map elements are selected to be displayed when the simple map mode is set, and displaying the map image with only the selected map elements when the simple map mode is set while displaying the map image with all the map elements when the normal map mode is set. The navigation system is designed to switch between the normal map mode and the simple map mode either manually or automatically.Type: GrantFiled: March 29, 2007Date of Patent: January 11, 2011Assignee: Alpine Electronics, IncInventor: Hikaru Wako
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Publication number: 20100142747Abstract: A thermal management system improves thermal property of the speaker system by promoting air circulation to cool the speaker system. The thermal management system includes a speaker frame, an air guide formed on the speaker frame for guiding the air, a ventilation slit formed on the air guide which penetrates through the speaker frame for air communication, and a spider mounting ring for mounting a spider of the speaker system on the speaker frame. The spider mounting ring has a cut-out at its upper edge which positionally match the air guide. The cut-out is curved sharply at its upper surface while a lower edge of the spider mounting ring is gently curved, thereby creating an air passage of directional property.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 10, 2010Publication date: June 10, 2010Applicant: ALPINE ELECTRONICS, INCInventor: Jason Kemmerer
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Patent number: 7634101Abstract: A thermal management system promotes cooling effects of a loudspeaker. The thermal management system includes an internal heat sink having a tubular shape and mounted between a pole piece and a magnet of the loudspeaker, the internal heat sink having pleat portions to form a plurality of air passages on an inner surface from top to bottom thereof; and a back plate connected to the pole piece and having ventilation holes that vertically penetrate through the back plate, the internal heat sink and the magnet being mounted on the back plate. A lower end of the air passage on the internal heat sink is positionally matched with an upper opening of the ventilation hole on the back plate, thereby allowing an air flow through the air passage and the ventilation hole.Type: GrantFiled: January 31, 2006Date of Patent: December 15, 2009Assignee: Alpine Electronics, IncInventor: Jason Kemmerer
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Patent number: 7447127Abstract: In a disc playback apparatus for playing back audio signals recorded on a disc medium, a system controller detects a channel format of the audio signals that can be outputted from the playback apparatus. When content is recorded on a disc so as to be played back in a channel format other than the player channel format, it is not played back.Type: GrantFiled: December 16, 2003Date of Patent: November 4, 2008Assignee: Alpine Electronics, IncInventor: Masaru Kimura
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Patent number: 7107147Abstract: An input data correction method and apparatus for a navigation system that has a key filtering function to assist the user to determine possible entries for inputting data. The input data correction method includes the steps of displaying a keyboard screen, inputting data through alphanumeric keys on the keyboard screen, positioning a cursor to a location of a character of the input data that is desired to be changed, searching for candidate entries that match the input data if the character at the cursor location of the input data is changed, highlighting alphanumeric keys corresponding to the characters to change the character at the cursor location so that the input data after the change match with the candidate entries, and selecting one or more highlighted keys thereby changing the input data to the candidate entry.Type: GrantFiled: September 14, 2004Date of Patent: September 12, 2006Assignee: Alpine Electronics, IncInventors: Joey Pascual, Ihung S. Tu
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Patent number: 7099773Abstract: A method for navigation system modifies a route to the destination by allowing a user to select a type of items or conditions to be avoided from the route. The method includes the steps of displaying a set of data indicating items that a user will encounter when the user follows the calculated route, prompting the user to select a type of the item to be avoided in a new route to the destination, and recalculating the new route according to the user's selection and guiding the user to the destination through the new route. The navigation system displays the set of items which is classified into distance ranges each representing a range of distance from a current user position where each item is represented by a corresponding icon.Type: GrantFiled: November 6, 2003Date of Patent: August 29, 2006Assignee: Alpine Electronics, IncInventor: Jian-Liang Linn
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Patent number: 7043356Abstract: A method and apparatus for a navigation system to update unfinished destinations set in the navigation system when one or more destinations have not been reached within a predetermined time limit. The method includes the steps of inputting one or more destinations in the navigation system, measuring a time passage for each destination starting from a time when the destination is set in the navigation system, comparing the measured time passage with a predetermined time limit which is a time length commonly applied to all of the destinations and reporting the user that the destination is expired when the time passage exceeds a predetermined time limit, and deleting or renewing the expired destination in response to the user's instruction. When the expired destination is renewed, a time passage for the renewed destination is newly measured from a time of the renewal.Type: GrantFiled: November 6, 2003Date of Patent: May 9, 2006Assignee: Alpine Electronics, IncInventor: Jian-Liang Linn