Patents Assigned to Alpine Electronics, Inc
  • Publication number: 20140270270
    Abstract: A loudspeaker unit includes a voice coil, a diaphragm, a damper, a frame supporting an outer edge of the diaphragm and an outer edge of the damper, and a duct projecting from an outer surface of the frame, with air moved by vibration of the diaphragm flowing into and out of the loudspeaker unit through the duct. The frame has an aperture that communicates with a space inside the frame. The duct, serving as a separate member, is attached to the frame so as to cover the aperture. The frame further includes a support tab that projects into the aperture. Link terminals are attached to the support tab. Before the duct is attached to the frame, lead wires extending from the voice coil are formed into a predetermined shape and are then connected to the link terminals in a space within the aperture.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2014
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: Alpine Electronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Ryo Ito
  • Publication number: 20140278022
    Abstract: A power supply device is mounted in a vehicle capable of starting an engine with power supplied from a battery, and includes a booster configured to boost voltage supplied from the battery, a detecting unit configured to detect an engine start, a counting unit configured to count an engine start count based on the detecting unit, and a control unit configured to control the booster. The control unit outputs a control signal to permit the booster to boost the voltage in response to the engine start when the engine start count counted by the counting unit within a timer period does not exceed an allowable number of times.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2014
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: Alpine Electronics, Inc.
    Inventors: Takahiko Shoji, Masao Hayashi, Takafumi Kurimoto
  • Patent number: 8837122
    Abstract: A front panel apparatus improves aesthetic qualities while avoiding interference between a display panel and a surrounding member. The front panel apparatus includes a display panel capable of pivoting in opening and closing directions, power transmission mechanisms that operate in tandem with the opening and closing operations of the display panel, and a lock mechanism that locks the display panel in a closed state and unlocks the display panel. Each power transmission mechanism includes a biasing lever linked to the rear surface of the display panel and capable of advancing and withdrawing, a driving gear, a pivot lever provided on a driving gear and linked to the biasing lever, an intermediate gear that interlocks with the driving gear, and a rack member that interlocks with the intermediate gear and is capable of ascending and descending. The rack members support corresponding pivot support shafts of the display panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Alpine Electronics, Inc.
    Inventors: Yasushi Shibuya, Masahi Endo, Kiminori Yabuki
  • Patent number: 8837762
    Abstract: In a speaker, a space surrounded by a frame on one side of a diaphragm is separated by a damper into a first internal space and a second internal space. The first internal space and the second internal space are caused to face one part and another part of an opening provided in the frame. A duct protrudes from the frame, and the opening is an open end of the duct on the base end side thereof. The speaker is installed, for example, outside a vehicle cabin with the duct inserted into an opening in a vehicle cabin wall, and the first and second internal spaces are caused to communicate with a space in the vehicle cabin through the duct. Therefore, reproduced sound in the bass range having a high sound pressure can be discharged through the duct to the space in the vehicle cabin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Alpine Electronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Arata Tada
  • Patent number: 8830199
    Abstract: An in-vehicle apparatus includes an LCD that displays an operation screen, an operation position detector that detects a position that is part of the operation screen displayed on the LCD and that is touched by a user with an operation force larger than or equal to an operation determination threshold value with a touch panel on a certain detection cycle, a connection determiner that determines whether a mobile terminal apparatus is connected to the in-vehicle apparatus, and an operation determination threshold value changer that changes the operation determination threshold value to a value corresponding to the connected mobile terminal apparatus if the connection determiner determines that the mobile terminal apparatus is connected to the in-vehicle apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Alpine Electronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Takashi Yasumoto
  • Patent number: 8810510
    Abstract: When an input mode is switched from input of a first-type character written in a first character input direction into input of a second-type character written in a second character input direction opposite to the first character input direction, a displayed cursor is moved in the second character input direction in response to progression of input of second-type characters. At that time, first display-position movement processing is performed so that a display position of each character input before the switching is moved in the second character input direction in response to the progression of input of second-type characters with a display position of a second-type character input after the switching being fixed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Alpine Electronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Shinobu Doi
  • Patent number: 8798903
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for a navigation system to detect arrival to a new city and provide information on the city such as dining, lodging, popular sightseeing place, etc. to the user. In addition, it can also provide the user a list of his or her friends in the new city according to an address book or from social networking websites. The navigation includes a detecting unit communicatively coupled with a position measuring device and a map information memory to detect whether the user is entering a new city by determining whether the user is moving across the new city border line. Further, the detecting unit indicates the user is entering a new city when the user is moving a predetermined distance away from an airport. Further, the new city information may not be shown if the user has visited the city before within a predetermined period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Alpine Electronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Kyte Feng
  • Patent number: 8798999
    Abstract: A dialog design tool includes a dialog manager including a system prompt generator and a response generator which allows a dialog designer to generate at least one response; a dialog synthesizer for structurally managing the input and response; and an output and display unit for outputting and displaying at least one dialog structure. At least one system prompt and at least one response are included in each state, 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 can be achieved. A dialog synthesizer includes a loop detecting unit which detects and identifies loops in the dialog structure. Thus, the dialog design tool facilitates the creation of natural language dialogs by creating data structures for voice user interfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Alpine Electronics, Inc.
    Inventors: Inci Ozkaragoz, Yan Wang, Benjamin Ao
  • Publication number: 20140214786
    Abstract: An Internet search apparatus includes a current location detection unit configured to detect a current location, an administrative district name acquisition unit configured to acquire a name of an administrative district to which the current location belongs, and an information search unit configured to perform an Internet search and display a search result in the form of a list such that a web page that does not include the administrative district name is excluded.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2013
    Publication date: July 31, 2014
    Applicant: Alpine Electronics, Inc.
    Inventors: Yusuke Sato, Kaname Kimura
  • Patent number: 8781734
    Abstract: The invention provides a map display device and map display method that enhance the information density of displayed road names while maintaining legibility of a map image. First, the map drawing unit draws, to an image storage unit, a map image of roads and so forth in a desired scale, by using the background layer of a first hierarchy corresponding to the desired scale. Second, the map drawing unit draws place names and facility names by using the character layer of the first hierarchy to superimpose them on the map image. Third, the map drawing unit extracts the road names that do not overlap with the map characters of the place names and facility names on the map image by using the character layer of the first hierarchy, and superimposes them on the map image at the normal character size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: Alpine Electronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Noboru Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 8776944
    Abstract: An opening is formed in a ceiling lining of a vehicle cabin part. The diameter of the opening in the ceiling lining is smaller than a diameter of a speaker, which has a frame. The speaker is disposed at the opening, and a fixing screw is inserted into a fixing aperture formed in a central part of the speaker. A fixing screw is screwed to a screw hole formed in a reinforcing brace positioned at an inner side of a top plate proximate the ceiling of the vehicle. A central part of the speaker is fixed to the reinforcing brace while a circumferential periphery of the frame is pressed against a peripheral edge of the opening in the ceiling lining via a frame interposing material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: Alpine Electronics, Inc.
    Inventors: Ryo Ito, Masami Imai, Takashi Kanari, Masami Anzai, Arata Tada
  • Publication number: 20140188483
    Abstract: An audio device transfers voice data which requests playback, generated by a user to a portable player. The portable player performs voice recognition of the transferred voice data. Control for playback start is started in accordance with the content as the result of the voice recognition. The audio device starts monitoring for a playback state of the portable player. If the start of the playback operation is detected within a predetermined period, an output source of sound to be output is changed to the portable player.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2013
    Publication date: July 3, 2014
    Applicant: Alpine Electronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Seiichi Hisada
  • Publication number: 20140184946
    Abstract: In a touch screen device, a second space is secured between a peripheral edge of an opening of an exterior case and a panel surface of a touch panel; an elastic body is provided on the back surface of an easily deformable portion extending along the peripheral edge of the opening; and a third space that is narrower than the second space is secured between the elastic body and the panel surface of the touch panel. When the easily deformable portion is pressed and bent by the input operation, the elastic body is brought into contact with the panel surface and displaces the touch panel backward so that the vibrating touch panel does not come into direct contact with the peripheral edge of the opening.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2013
    Publication date: July 3, 2014
    Applicant: Alpine Electronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Koji Watanabe
  • Patent number: 8760515
    Abstract: An image display apparatus combines vehicle-surroundings images photographed by cameras and displays a top view image. The image display apparatus includes image memories for storing images of landscapes ahead of the vehicle, at the left side of the vehicle, at the right side of the vehicle, and behind the vehicle which are photographed by the corresponding cameras, a mapping-table determining unit for determining a mapping table to be used by detecting the number of passengers in back seats, and a mapping unit for reading image data from the image memories by using the mapping table corresponding to the number of passengers and mapping the read image data to a frame memory to display a top view image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Alpine Electronics, Inc.
    Inventors: Koichi Abe, Tsubasa Nomura
  • Publication number: 20140173664
    Abstract: When a user selects a topic tag included in a posted article on a display of a timeline obtained from an SNS server, an SNS client looks up an information channel related word table registering correspondence between a TV channel and a term related to the TV channel, searches a TV channel registering correspondence with a term and the topic tag, and causes the TV control to receive the searched TV channel and display and output the received program.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 11, 2013
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Applicant: Alpine Electronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Manabu Kusano
  • Patent number: 8756008
    Abstract: A navigation apparatus includes a satellite positioning section for calculating a present position, and a route setting section for searching for a route to a destination based on map data, and sets a detected route as a recommended route. A satellite positioning disable time guiding section sets as a focus point, a candidate point through which a vehicle first passes when traveling along the recommended route, and displays point guide information for guiding the focus point among candidate points as a route change point, when the satellite positioning section is incapable of calculating the present position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2014
    Assignee: Alpine Electronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Yuji Funato
  • Publication number: 20140163878
    Abstract: An in-vehicle navigation apparatus that provides guidance to a lane on which a user's vehicle should travel, among driving lanes on a route, includes a landmark information acquiring unit and a lane guide unit. The landmark information acquiring unit acquires landmark information representing an object which serves as a landmark existing along the route within a landmark acquisition range that is set between a certain point on a near side of a specific point and the specific point. The lane on which the user's vehicle should travel on the route is restricted at the specific point. The lane guide unit provides guidance to the lane on which the user's vehicle should travel in association with the object represented by the landmark information acquired by the landmark information acquiring unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2013
    Publication date: June 12, 2014
    Applicant: Alpine Electronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Michinao Asano
  • Patent number: 8751717
    Abstract: An interrupt control apparatus and interrupt control method reduce situations in which the output of interrupt information is suspended and thus reduce stress caused in a user, without missing the appropriate output timing for interrupt information having a high priority level. A priority level setting unit raises the value of a priority level for an interrupt voice message during a period in which the interrupt voice message is being outputted, and a voice output control unit, when interrupts from two or more overlapping interrupt voice messages occurs, carries out control in accordance with priority levels set for each of the two or more interrupt voice messages so that the interrupt voice message having the higher priority level value is preferentially outputted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Alpine Electronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Takashi Miyake
  • Patent number: D711367
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Alpine Electronics, Inc.
    Inventors: Hideki Endo, Takayuki Horie
  • Patent number: D712869
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Alpine Electronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Masatada Muramoto