Abstract: An enhanced map information processing unit 14 of a driving assistance device 1 acquires from a determination unit 13 information on surroundings of a vehicle which is needed to perform autonomous driving, and acquires from a server device 2 environment information on surroundings of a route on which autonomous driving is performed. On the basis of the acquired environment information, the enhanced map information processing unit 14 extracts, as an autonomous driving unsuitable location Pn, a location at which the accuracy of the acquirement of the sensor unit 12 is predicted not to satisfy a standard for acquiring the information on the surroundings of the vehicle needed to perform autonomous driving. An informing unit 18 alerts the extracted autonomous driving unsuitable location Pn to a user.

Abstract: A power theft inspection apparatus is provided with: a controlling device configured to open a third switch unit between a power reception unit and a power reception control circuit of a power receiving apparatus at the start of a power theft inspection, then open a first switch unit between a power transmission unit and a power supply unit of a power transmitting apparatus after the opening of the third switch unit, and then close a second switch unit configured to short-circuit the power transmission unit of the power transmitting apparatus after the opening of the first switch unit; and a determining device configured to determine whether or not there is power theft according to a current detected by a first current detecting device configured to detect a current in the power transmission unit of the power transmitting apparatus upon the power theft inspection.

Abstract: An enhanced map information processing unit 14 of a driving assistance device 1 acquires from a determination unit 13 information on surroundings of a vehicle which is needed to perform autonomous driving, and acquires from a server device 2 environment information on surroundings of a route on which autonomous driving is performed. On the basis of the acquired environment information, the enhanced map information processing unit 14 extracts, as an autonomous driving unsuitable location Pn, a location at which the accuracy of the acquirement of the sensor unit 12 is predicted not to satisfy a standard for acquiring the information on the surroundings of the vehicle needed to perform autonomous driving. An informing unit 18 alerts the extracted autonomous driving unsuitable location Pn to a user.

Abstract: An enhanced map information processing unit 14 of a driving assistance device 1 acquires from a determination unit 13 information on surroundings of a vehicle which is needed to perform autonomous driving, and acquires from a server device 2 environment information on surroundings of a route on which autonomous driving is performed. On the basis of the acquired environment information, the enhanced map information processing unit 14 extracts, as an autonomous driving unsuitable location Pn, a location at which the accuracy of the acquirement of the sensor unit 12 is predicted not to satisfy a standard for acquiring the information on the surroundings of the vehicle needed to perform autonomous driving. An informing unit 18 alerts the extracted autonomous driving unsuitable location Pn to a user.

Abstract: A power theft inspection apparatus (100) is mounted on a power transmitting apparatus (10) which has a power transmission unit (13) and a power supply unit (12) configured to supply alternating current (AC) power to the power transmission unit. The power theft inspection apparatus has a controlling device (101) configured to (i) control the short-circuiting device (SW1, SW2) to electrically cut off the power transmission unit from the power supply unit and to short-circuit the input unit of the power transmission unit, and further (ii) transmit, to the power receiving apparatus (20), a signal indicating a request to open the power reception unit (23), upon power theft inspection, and a determining device (101) configured to determine whether or not there is power theft according to current detected by a current detecting device (102) upon the power theft inspection.

Abstract: A power theft inspection apparatus is provided with: a controlling device configured to open a third switch unit between a power reception unit and a power reception control circuit of a power receiving apparatus at the start of a power theft inspection, then open a first switch unit between a power transmission unit and a power supply unit of a power transmitting apparatus after the opening of the third switch unit, and then close a second switch unit configured to short-circuit the power transmission unit of the power transmitting apparatus after the opening of the first switch unit; and a deter g device configured to determine whether or not there is power theft according to a current detected by a first current detecting device configured to detect a current in the power transmission unit of the power transmitting apparatus upon the power theft inspection.

Abstract: A power theft inspection apparatus (100) is mounted on a power transmitting apparatus (10) which has a power transmission unit (13) and a power supply unit (12) configured to supply alternating current (AC) power to the power transmission unit. The power theft inspection apparatus has a controlling device (101) configured to (i) control the short-circuiting device (SW1, SW2) to electrically cut off the power transmission unit from the power supply unit and to short-circuit the input unit of the power transmission unit, and further (ii) transmit, to the power receiving apparatus (20), a signal indicating a request to open the power reception unit (23), upon power theft inspection, and a determining device (101) configured to determine whether or not there is power theft according to current detected by a current detecting device (102) upon the power theft inspection.

Abstract: A capaciatance detector is provided, which outputs an electric signal dependent on the capacitance present on an object to be measured. The capaciatance detector includes a measurement terminal to be disposed in contact with or in proximity to the object being measured; an impedance conversion circuit connected to the measurement terminal to form a resonant circuit; a reference phase oscillator for supplying a reference phase signal at a constant frequency to the resonant circuit; phase comparison means for outputting, as a capacitance detected signal, a phase difference signal indicative of the phase difference between a resonant signal, which is extracted from the resonant circuit in response to the reference phase signal being applied to the resonant circuit, and the reference phase signal; and resonance frequency regulation means for regulating the resonance frequency of the resonant circuit based on the phase difference signal.

Abstract: A capaciatance detector is provided, which outputs an electric signal dependent on the capacitance present on an object to be measured. The capaciatance detector includes a measurement terminal to be disposed in contact with or in proximity to the object being measured; an impedance conversion circuit connected to the measurement terminal to form a resonant circuit; a reference phase oscillator for supplying a reference phase signal at a constant frequency to the resonant circuit; phase comparison means for outputting, as a capacitance detected signal, a phase difference signal indicative of the phase difference between a resonant signal, which is extracted from the resonant circuit in response to the reference phase signal being applied to the resonant circuit, and the reference phase signal; and resonance frequency regulation means for regulating the resonance frequency of the resonant circuit based on the phase difference signal.

Abstract: A combined signal Spc in which a pre-pit signal is superposed on a wobble signal is generated based on a radial push-pull signal Spp with a noise component having been removed therefrom. Based on the combined signal Spc, a wobble signal SWB with the phase ?0 not having time fluctuation and a pre-pit signal SPD are generated with the phases compared to each other, and then a phase adjustment signal SCNT corresponding to a phase difference ?e is generated. The phase differences ?e are stored, and an average value ?r thereof generated, the phase difference ?e is compared to the average value ?r, the phase ?0 is shifted according to only by the phase difference ?e only when the phase difference ?e is within the range of (?r±W), and then a wobble signal SWB with the phase ?1 synchronized to the pre-pit signal SPD is generated.

Abstract: A push-pull signal Spp fetched with tracking open is smoothed to a smoothing signal Spp to remove signal components generated wobbling due to radial runout, and the smoothing signal is binarized to compute an autocorrelation value in the autocorrelation computing circuit 210. This computing is made by multiplying the binarized signal by a signal delayed by the half cycle and sign-negated to compute the integrated value, and the integrated value output signal Dint is generated. A maximum value of the integrated value output signal Dint within a predetermined period of time is computed by the maximum value holding circuit 220 to output a maximum value output signal Dout. Depending on the amplitude of the maximum value signal Dout, the CPU 105 determines whether the recording medium is a writable one or read only one. Wobble determination can be made keeping tracking open, and a type of a recording medium is carried out accurately.

Abstract: An information recording and reproducing apparatus performs information recording and reproducing on an optical disc having a recording track wobbled by a predetermined frequency. The apparatus includes an optical pickup which irradiates a laser light on the optical disc and receives the laser light reflected by the optical disc to output an electric signal corresponding to the laser light, a push-pull signal generating unit which includes a sample-hold unit and generates the sample-hold push-pull signal and the non-sample-hold push-pull signal from the electric signal, a sample-hold circuit which samples and holds the push-pull signal, a recording clock generating unit which generates a recording clock synchronized with the wobble signal based on the sample-hold push-pull signal during recording and based on the non-sample-hold push-pull signal during reproduction, and a phase adjusting unit which adjusts the phases of the non-sample-hold push-pull signal and the sample-hold push-pull signal.

Abstract: A filter generates a received-light signal LAD2 from which impulse components TR included in a received-light LAD1 have been removed. A filter generates a received-light signal LBC2 from which impulse components TR included in a received-light LBC1 have been removed. A subtracter subtracts a received-light signal WBC from a received-light signal WAD, thereby generating a radial push-pull signal WPP. A comparator compares the radial push-pull signal WPP from which the impulse components have been removed with a reference level VT, thereby detecting a land prepit.

Abstract: An information recording and reproducing apparatus performs information recording and reproducing on an optical disc having a recording track wobbled by a predetermined frequency, such as a DVD-RW.

Abstract: A push-pull signal Spp fetched with tracking open is smoothed to a smoothing signal Spp to remove signal components generated wobbling due to radial runout, and the smoothing signal is binarized to compute an autocorrelation value in the autocorrelation computing circuit 210. This computing is made by multiplying the binarized signal by a signal delayed by the half cycle and sign-negated to compute the integrated value, and the integrated value output signal Dint is generated. A maximum value of the integrated value output signal Dint within a predetermined period of time is computed by the maximum value holding circuit 220 to output a maximum value output signal Dout. Depending on the amplitude of the maximum value signal Dout, the CPU 105 determines whether the recording medium is a writable one or read only one. Wobble determination can be made keeping tracking open, and a type of a recording medium is carried out accurately.

Abstract: A combined signal Spc in which a pre-pit signal is superposed on a wobble signal is generated based on a radial push-pull signal Spp with a noise component having been removed therefrom. Based on the combined signal Spc, a wobble signal SWB with the phase &thgr;0 not having time fluctuation and a pre-pit signal SPD are generated with the phases compared to each other, and then a phase adjustment signal SCNT corresponding to a phase difference &thgr;e is generated. The phase differences &thgr;e are stored, and an average value &thgr;r thereof generated, the phase difference &thgr;e is compared to the average value &thgr;r, the phase &thgr;0 is shifted according to only by the phase difference &thgr;e only when the phase difference &thgr;e is within the range of (&thgr;r±W), and then a wobble signal SWB with the phase &thgr;1 synchronized to the pre-pit signal SPD is generated.

Abstract: A pre-pit signal detecting apparatus is used in an information recording apparatus for recording record information onto a record medium on which record control information for controlling a recording operation is recorded in advance by forming a pre-pit on the record medium, and detects a pre-pit signal corresponding to the pre-pit when the information recording apparatus records the record information onto the record medium.

Abstract: Provided are a method and apparatus for detecting an occurrence of erroneous recording in recording information to be recorded into a DVD-R. The information consists of a plurality of ECC blocks each including a predetermined number of recording sectors. In the DVD-R, synchronizing information, accomplished by wobbling of groove tracks, and positional information, such as pre-pits, are previously recorded. Both the synchronizing information and the positional information are detected, then a synchronizing timing signal showing a time at which the synchronizing information is detected and a positional timing signal showing a time at which each ECC block is assigned to be recorded are produced. The synchronizing timing signal produced during an interval defined by the successive two positional timing signals is counted in number, and a state signal for estimating the occurrence of the erroneous recording is produced on comparison between the counted number and the predetermined number of the recording sectors.

Abstract: An optical disk player having a tracking servo apparatus and a focusing servo apparatus. By amplifying a focusing error at a predetermined gain and adding it to a tracking error, the rolling which occurs due to a mass balance distortion of a pickup is electrically suppressed. Thus, an adverse influence on the tracking servo by the rolling upon focusing driving can be prevented.

Abstract: An optical disk player provided with tilt servo unit. A quadrant type photodetector is used as disk tilt detecting means, and the push-pull output is issued as a disk tilt detecting signal. By simultaneous use of the photodetector of the pickup, there is no need to use special-purpose tilt sensor, and this contributes to compact design of the pickup and to the reduction of manufacturing cost.