Abstract: A still image acquisition device includes: a fluctuation detection unit (5) for detecting a horizontal or a vertical fluctuation generated in an imaging device; light refraction means (10A, 10B) for refracting light into an arbitrary direction; hand shake control means (6A) for controlling the refraction direction of the light by the light refraction means; control amount detection means (8A, 8B) for detecting control amounts of the light refraction means (10A, 10B); angle calculation means (6B) for calculating the hand shake angle of the horizontal direction or the vertical direction from the detected control amounts; acquisition reference time decision means (6C) for deciding a reference time for acquiring a still image according to the time when the absolute value of the calculated hand shake angle of the horizontal direction or the vertical direction is zero or a minimum value; and a still image processing unit (25) for acquiring the hand shake-corrected image corresponding to a moment immediately after t

Abstract: A hinge apparatus comprises a rotation body and a fixed body. The rotation body includes a frame which has a side portion orthogonal to a rotation axis and having a first through hole and a cut portion, and a longer side portion having an extending portion and extending along the rotation axis. The extending portion is engaged with the cut portion and has a protruding portion protruding outwardly of the side portion. The fixed body includes: a bracket having first and second side portions, a superimposed portion extending from the second side portion to be overlapped with the first side portion, and an opening passing through the first side portion and the superimposed portion; and a stud inserted through the opening and rotatably securing the frame to the bracket. The protruding portion is contacted with the superimposed portion at a predetermined angle to regulate the rotation of the rotation body.

Abstract: The portable player is connected to a first connector, and the PC is connected to a second connector. A first connection detecting unit detects whether the portable player is connected, and a second connection detecting unit detects whether the PC is connected. A central processing unit (CPU) switches to a reproduction mode in which an audio signal based on audio data reproduced by the portable player is supplied by the audio processing unit to the speaker, or a PC communication mode in which the portable player and the PC are connected to be in a state in which they can communicate with each other.

Abstract: An image display device includes a gain calculator, a multiplier and an overdrive unit. The gain calculator calculates a ratio “Gmax0/Gmax1” as gain, with respect to each segmented region of liquid crystal panel. The symbol “Gmax1” represents a maximum gradation in one frame period of an image signal to be supplied to each segmented region. The symbol “Gmax0” represents a maximum gradation to be determined depending on the number of bits in the image signal. The multiplier multiplies an image signal subjected to frame frequency conversion in a frame frequency conversion unit by the gain to generate an image signal subjected to the area control processing, with respect to each segmented region. The overdrive unit emphasizes the image signal subjected to the area control processing, using an image signal generated by delaying the image signal subjected to the area control processing for one frame period.

Abstract: A controller of a recording device issues a secure command to a storage device, and then waits the time estimated necessary for the storage device to execute the secure command before issuing the next secure command. When a controller of the storage device is executing the previous command, it notifies the recording device of being in process. When the previous command has been completed normally, the controller moves to the next process. Information for estimating the execution time of the command is obtained from the storage device in advance.

Abstract: An input signal is quantized into a quantization-resultant signal. The quantization-resultant signal is compressed into a compression-resultant signal. The compression-resultant signal is formatted into a formatting-resultant signal corresponding to a predetermined format for a digital recording disc. The formatting-resultant signal includes segments corresponding to user data areas prescribed in the predetermined format. The compression-resultant signal is placed in the segments of the formatting-resultant signal. The formatting-resultant signal is encoded into an encoding-resultant signal of a CD format. The encoding-resultant signal is recorded on a recording medium.

Abstract: A backlight device includes a housing, a light source, a diffuse plate and a fixing member. The housing has an open surface. The light source is arranged in the housing. The diffuser plate is arranged on the open surface of the housing and allows light emitted from the light source to pass therethrough while diffusing the light. The fixing member prevents the diffuser plate from bending in a direction in which light passes through the diffuser plate. A part of the fixing member has transmittance adjusted to substantially equalize luminance distribution of light passed through the diffuser plate.

Abstract: An information recording apparatus is provided whereby in the reproduction of broadcasting information, the broadcasting information can be recorded so that the combination and so on of contents included in the broadcasting information can be recognized without the need for reproducing the broadcasting information itself. An information recording apparatus for recording broadcasting information constituted of a packet which has a predetermined amount of information and includes different types of contents, each type including one or more contents, the apparatus including a controller 8.

Abstract: An information recording medium 1 at least comprises a substrate 13 having a microscopic pattern 20, which is constituted by a shape of continuous substance of approximately parallel grooves formed with a groove section G and a land section L alternately, a recording layer 12 formed on the microscopic pattern 20 and a light transmission layer 11 formed on the recording layer. The microscopic pattern 20 is formed so as to satisfy a relation of P<?<NA and a thickness of the light transmission layer 11 is within a range of 0.07 to 0.12 mm, wherein P is a pitch of the groove section G or the land section L, ? is a wavelength of reproducing light beam and NA is a numerical aperture of an objective lens. Further, there provided an information recording medium, which is improved in cross erase and recorded in high density, and a reproducing apparatus and a recording apparatus for the information recording medium.

Abstract: A once-recordable optical disk has a data recorded area in which application software for creating an information group and a first file system are prerecorded. The application software is readable with the first file system and is used to select desired ones from among information pieces stored in a personal computer and form the information group. According to instructions from the application software, a second file system and the information group readable with the second file system are written in a blank area of the optical disk. After the creation of the information group, the application software and first file system in the optical disk are disabled so that they are unreadable with the second file system.

Abstract: Plural grooves or lands formed in an information recording carrier include at least a wobbling region and data is recorded wobblingly in this wobbling region by phase shift modulation while recorded digitally with a single or multiple waves as a channel bit.

Abstract: A screen assembly and a rear-projection type graphic display device are provided to block overscanned light Lo projected outside a fresnel lens screen. The screen assembly 20A includes the fresnel lens screen 21, a screen retainer 22 and a light blocking member 23. The fresnel lens screen 21 forms an image on the side of a front surface 21b by image light Le incoming through a back surface 21a. The screen retainer 22 has a back surface 22a whose area is larger than the back surface 21a and the front surface 21b and which is opposed to the front surface 21b to hold it, and a front surface 22b located on opposite side of the back surface 22a to allow an image formed by the image light incoming through the back surface 21a to be visible through the front surface 22b. The screen retainer 22 has an optical transparency. The light blocking member 23 is arranged so as to surround respective side surfaces of the screen 21 in the form of a frame.

Abstract: An information recording medium comprises a substrate, a second recording layer, a second light transmitting layer, a first recording layer for recording different information from that to be recorded in the second recording layer, and a first light transmitting layer. The second recording layer is formed with a continuous second microscopic pattern of grooves. The first recording layer is formed with a continuous first microscopic pattern of grooves that is different from the second microscopic pattern. Both sidewalls of raised portions of the first and second microscopic patterns are formed with wobbling so as to be parallel with each other. Auxiliary information and a reference clock is recorded on these sidewalls alternately and continuously.

Abstract: A diaphragm in one mode of the present invention comprises an outer shape section having a circle with one diameter, or a shape of a polygon to be inscribed in a circle with the one diameter; an inner shape section protruding in one direction with regard to a plane including the outer shape section, wherein a shape formed by projecting the inner shape section on the plane is rotationally symmetric about the central axis of the circle; and a vibrating face section linking the outer shape section and the inner shape section and having an inclined face inclined to the central axis, wherein any one of cross-sectional shapes of the vibrating face section is rotationally symmetric about an eccentric axis which is eccentric with regard to the central axis, the cross-sectional shapes being defined by a plane intersecting perpendicularly to the central axis. An electroacoustic transducer uses the above diaphragm.

Abstract: For a tracking of a target object in a time series of frames of image data, a tracking object designation acceptor accepts a designation of a tracking object, a target color setter sets a color of the designated tracking object as a target color, and a particle filter processor employs particles for measurements to determine color likelihoods by comparison between the target color and colors in vicinities of particles, works, as the color likelihoods meet a criterion, to estimate a region of the tracking object in a frame of image data in accordance with results of the measurements, and as the color likelihoods fails to meet the criterion, to use particles, for measurements to determine luminance likelihoods based on luminance differences between frames of image data in a time series of frames of image data, and estimate a region of the tracking object in a frame of image data in accordance with results of the measurements, and updates the target color by a color in either estimated region.

Abstract: An information recording medium having at least a read only area and a recording and reproducing area is composed of at least: a substrate; a recording layer formed on the substrate so as to record and reproduce information; and a light transmission layer having transparency formed on the recording layer. The information recording medium is further characterized in that a wobbling groove corresponding to the read only area and another wobbling groove corresponding to the recording and reproducing area is formed on the substrate without overlapping with each other, the recording and light transmitting layers are continuously adhered over at least two areas of the read only area and the recording and reproducing area, reflectivity of the recording layer is more than 5%, and a push-pull signal output T3 reproduced from the read only area and another push-pull signal output T4 reproduced from the recording and reproducing area before recording satisfies relations of T3?0.1, T4?0.1 and 1.5?T3/T4?0.5.

Abstract: In a navigation apparatus having a base unit that is fastenable to a vehicle and a front panel unit that is attachable to and detachable from the base unit, it is configured such that there are provided with at least three detectors including a GPS signal receiver, wheel speed sensor and gyrosensor; and the microcomputer of the front panel unit determines the detector or detectors to be used for determining the location of the vehicle in accordance with output condition of the detector or detectors. Since the determination is made based on the output condition of the detector or detectors, the detector(s) used for location determination can be optimally selected to enhance the accuracy of vehicle location determination, while the flexibility of detector use in location determination can be improved in the point that the location determination is not necessarily restricted to use of the three detectors.

Abstract: A motion vector detection circuit detects a motion vector from a video signal and a one-frame delayed video signal. An interpolation video signal generation circuit uses this detected motion vector to generate an interpolation video signal which is interpolated between frames. Further, two time base emphasizing circuits respectively use a video signal of a preceding frame to perform time base emphasis with respect to the video signal and the generated interpolation video signal. The video signal and the interpolation video signal subjected to time base emphasis are written in a time-series conversion memory. Furthermore, alternately reading the interpolation video signal and the video signal in the mentioned order with a frequency which is double a write frequency can obtain an output video signal having a doubled frame frequency.