Abstract: A coverage area picture imaging a maximum area is displayed on a coverage area picture display. A camera is moved within a predetermined range and a plurality of frames obtained as a result form a picture. The pixels of the picture is decimated in vertical and horizontal directions and form a thumbnail as the coverage area picture. The coverage area picture display presents a display indicating a direction in which the camera is currently directed for picture photographing. In accordance with the display, a photographing direction is controlled. A plurality of frames are photographed with respect to a designated position, then stored, and displayed. A whole picture display presents a whole panorama picture. A selective picture display presents a frame at the position designated within the whole panorama picture as a selected picture.

Abstract: A coverage area picture imaging a maximum area is displayed on a coverage area picture display. A camera is moved within a predetermined range and a plurality of frames obtained as a result form a picture. The pixels of the picture is decimated in vertical and horizontal directions and form a thumbnail as the coverage area picture. The coverage area picture display presents a display indicating a direction in which the camera is currently directed for picture photographing. In accordance with the display, a photographing direction is controlled. A plurality of frames are photographed with respect to a designated position, then stored, and displayed. A whole picture display presents a whole panorama picture. A selective picture display presents a frame at the position designated within the whole panorama picture as a selected picture.

Abstract: A storage system having a plurality of optical disc devices allows other optical disc devices inside the storage system to reproduce the optical disc recorded by a certain optical disc device but inhibits optical disc devices outside the storage system to reproduce the optical disc. A device key as a base for generating an encryption key is common to the plurality of optical disc devices. In the optical disc devices, a guest key other than the device key can be used temporarily to generate the encryption key. An authentication list containing a reproduction condition is recorded with the key information to the optical disc.

Abstract: A coverage area picture imaging a maximum area is displayed on a coverage area picture display. A camera is moved within a predetermined range and a plurality of frames obtained as a result form a picture. The pixels of the picture is decimated in vertical and horizontal directions and form a thumbnail as the coverage area picture. The coverage area picture display presents a display indicating a direction in which the camera is currently directed for picture photographing. In accordance with the display, a photographing direction is controlled. A plurality of frames are photographed with respect to a designated position, then stored, and displayed. A whole picture display presents a whole panorama picture. A selective picture display presents a frame at the position designated within the whole panorama picture as a selected picture.

Abstract: A coverage area picture imaging a maximum area is displayed on a coverage area picture display. A camera is moved within a predetermined range and a plurality of frames obtained as a result form a picture. The pixels of the picture is decimated in vertical and horizontal directions and form a thumbnail as the coverage area picture. The coverage area picture display presents a display indicating a direction in which the camera is currently directed for picture photographing. In accordance with the display, a photographing direction is controlled. A plurality of frames are photographed with respect to a designated position, then stored, and displayed. A whole picture display presents a whole panorama picture. A selective picture display presents a frame at the position designated within the whole panorama picture as a selected picture.

Abstract: There is provided a method of calculating the degradation over time of the quality of data recorded on an optical disk in a short time. In the method, when user data is recorded on a data area, a test signal including a component in which the signal level is smaller than a reference value, is recorded on a test area. Then, the test signal is reproduced from the test area when a predetermined time has passed, to calculate the quality degradation of the user data from the evaluation result. Alternatively, every time when the user data is recorded/reproduced on/from the data area, the test signal is recorded/reproduced repeatedly on/from the test area. Then, the test signal is reproduced from the test area at a predetermined timing, to calculate the quality degradation of the user data from the evaluation result.

Abstract: For a disc on which recording is to be performed at a plurality of recording densities, a technique for easily reading out disc management information without an error is disclosed. An optical disc (1) includes a plurality of data recording areas (103,104) for recording information at data recording densities different from each other. Information regarding the data recording densities of the data recording areas (103,104) is recorded in a management information recording area (BCA area (101) or PIC area (102)) in a specific format that does not depend on the data recording densities of the data recording areas (103,104). Each data recording area is divided to be arranged on the same surface of the disc, or is divided and arranged on a plurality of recording layers.

Abstract: Recording parameters are decided so that the time control information on at least the front edge and the rear edge of a parameter forming a mark of twice size or above of the laser spot diameter focused on the recording medium is substantially proportional to the recording linear velocity. The mark is recorded and reproduced at a predetermined linear velocity to obtain an electric signal waveform having a time width Tm. A parameter is decided so as to control the laser pulse for recording information so that a voltage value change amount at two points at a distance Ts (Ts<Tm/2) in the time axis direction before and after the time position Tm/2 from the front edge of the waveform is substantially constant for the recording linear velocity change. Identification information indicating the parameter is described on the recording medium.

Abstract: A storage system having a plurality of optical disc devices allows other optical disc devices inside the storage system to reproduce the optical disc recorded by a certain optical disc device but inhibits optical disc devices outside the storage system to reproduce the optical disc. A device key as a base for generating an encryption key is common to the plurality of optical disc devices. In the optical disc devices, a guest key other than the device key can be used temporarily to generate the encryption key. An authentication list containing a reproduction condition is recorded with the key information to the optical disc.

Abstract: A system and method to monitor a target area of a panoramic images by shooting the target area, sequentially shifting the shooting direction. A unit image of a generated panoramic image and a corresponding unit image of another panoramic image generated before the first panoramic image are compared and the change, if any, in the luminance level is detected. Then, the detected difference of luminance level is compared with a predetermined threshold value and predetermined information is displayed on the display screen with the generated panoramic image. It is possible to define small regions in the area for which a large threshold is predetermined and/or small regions in the area for which no such comparison is made on a unit image basis.

Abstract: There is provided a method of calculating the degradation over time of the quality of data recorded on an optical disk in a short time. In the method, when user data is recorded on a data area, a test signal including a component in which the signal level is smaller than a reference value, is recorded on a test area. Then, the test signal is reproduced from the test area when a predetermined time has passed, to calculate the quality degradation of the user data from the evaluation result. Alternatively, every time when the user data is recorded/reproduced on/from the data area, the test signal is recorded/reproduced repeatedly on/from the test area. Then, the test signal is reproduced from the test area at a predetermined timing, to calculate the quality degradation of the user data from the evaluation result.

Abstract: In an optical disc apparatus, whether an unrecorded recording layer without information recorded thereon is included in the multiple recording layers of the optical disc mounted inside the apparatus is judged. then when the unrecorded recording layer is judged to be present, a signal for focus offset adjustment is recorded in a non-user data recording area of the unrecorded recording layer, and reproduction of the recorded focus offset adjusting signal is followed by its quality evaluation, which is further followed by calculation and setup of an appropriate focus offset value based on evaluation results.

Abstract: For a disc on which recording is to be performed at a plurality of recording densities, a technique for easily reading out disc management information without an error is disclosed. An optical disc (1) includes a plurality of data recording areas (103,104) for recording information at data recording densities different from each other. Information regarding the data recording densities of the data recording areas (103,104) is recorded in a management information recording area (BCA area (101) or PIC area (102)) in a specific format that does not depend on the data recording densities of the data recording areas (103,104). Each data recording area is divided to be arranged on the same surface of the disc, or is divided and arranged on a plurality of recording layers.

Abstract: A coverage area picture imaging a maximum area is displayed on a coverage area picture display. A camera is moved within a predetermined range and a plurality of frames obtained as a result form a picture. The pixels of the picture is decimated in vertical and horizontal directions and form a thumbnail as the coverage area picture. The coverage area picture display presents a display indicating a direction in which the camera is currently directed for picture photographing. In accordance with the display, a photographing direction is controlled. A plurality of frames are photographed with respect to a designated position, then stored, and displayed. A whole picture display presents a whole panorama picture. A selective picture display presents a frame at the position designated within the whole panorama picture as a selected picture.

Abstract: A camera system includes a camera apparatus for shooting an object to output an image signal and a camera control apparatus for controlling the camera apparatus such that the camera apparatus shoots a plurality of images constructing a panorama image in a predetermined order while changing zoom magnifications based on previously-determined setting and making a panorama image by joining a plurality of images with different zoom magnifications shot by the camera apparatus together.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes a camera unit, a panorama-image generating section generating a panorama image of the entire area by combining a plurality of unit images obtained by the camera unit, a panorama-image storage/management section storing and managing the panorama image generated by the panorama-image generating section, an infrared camera photographing an object that has a temperature falling within a preset temperature range as an infrared image, a direction controller sequentially shifting the photographing direction of the infrared camera within the area being photographed, an infrared-image generating section combining a plurality of infrared images provided by the infrared camera, an image-synthesizing section synthesizing the panorama image generated by the panorama-image generating section, with the panorama infrared image generated by the infrared-image generating section, and a display displaying the synthesized image generated by the image-synthesizing section.

Abstract: In an optical disc apparatus, whether an unrecorded recording layer without information recorded thereon is included in the multiple recording layers of the optical disc mounted inside the apparatus is judged. then when the unrecorded recording layer is judged to be present, a signal for focus offset adjustment is recorded in a non-user data recording area of the unrecorded recording layer, and reproduction of the recorded focus offset adjusting signal is followed by its quality evaluation, which is further followed by calculation and setup of an appropriate focus offset value based on evaluation results.

Abstract: Positional and elevation data obtained from a camera unit is correlated with coordinates in an entire image display portion, used as a GUI having positional information to select a specified image with a mouse. Which frame this corresponds to in the entire image is calculated, and further, the position within the clicked frame is calculated. The calculated positional information is converted into positional information and elevation data of the frame. The camera unit is controlled with the positional information and elevation data from the camera unit, and an image of a range indicated by a specified image display frame superimposed on the display portion is taken, and stored and/or displayed. This allows confirmation an image of a range to be photographed beforehand, and the user can tell the relation between the range capable of acquiring images and the photography range at a glance, so desired portions can be continuously monitored.

Abstract: In an optical disc apparatus, whether an unrecorded recording layer without information recorded thereon is included in the multiple recording layers of the optical disc mounted inside the apparatus is judged. then when the unrecorded recording layer is judged to be present, a signal for focus offset adjustment is recorded in a non-user data recording area of the unrecorded recording layer, and reproduction of the recorded focus offset adjusting signal is followed by its quality evaluation, which is further followed by calculation and setup of an appropriate focus offset value based on evaluation results.

Abstract: An optical disk drive includes drive current generation unit for supplying a mark forming semiconductor laser drive current and a space forming semiconductor laser drive current; first high-frequency superimposition unit for superimposing a high-frequency component on the space forming semiconductor laser drive current; and high-frequency superimposition control unit for controlling the first high-frequency superimposition unit to stop the superimposition of the high-frequency component for a predetermined duration prior to a timing at which to switch from the space forming semiconductor laser drive current to the mark forming semiconductor laser drive current, eliminating positional variations on the disk of the mark leading and trailing edges due to the high frequency superimposition.