Abstract: First, a displacement field (first displacement field) for deforming a first image so as to associate the first image with a second image is calculated based on information on an input corresponding point group. Then, upon a corresponding point candidate pair being input, a displacement field (second displacement field) for deforming the first image so as to associate the first image with the second image is calculated with the corresponding point candidate pair taken into consideration as well. Thereafter, a matching degree is calculated based on a difference between the two displacement fields, and a determination result indicating a match or a mismatch is displayed on a display unit.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes an extraction unit configured to scan document data in a direction from a first page to a last page to extract a first page range required for reducing one page and to scan the document data from the last page in the first page range in a direction opposite to the direction of scanning the first page range to extract a second page range required for reducing one page, and a page reduction unit configured to execute page reduction processing by reducing a blank region included in a page in the second page range if a number of pages included in the second page range is smaller than a number of pages included in the first page range.

Abstract: There is provided a piezoelectric ceramic having a high and stable piezoelectric constant and a high and stable mechanical quality factor in a wide operating temperature range, and a piezoelectric element according to the present invention includes a main component containing a perovskite type metal oxide having the following general formula (1) or (2); and Mn as a first auxiliary component, (Ba1-xCax)a(Ti1-y-zSnyZrz)O3??(1) (0.08?x?0.20, 0.01?y?0.04, 0<z?0.04) (Ba1-xCax)a(Ti1-ySny)O3??(2) (0.08?x?0.20, 0.01?y?0.04) wherein the amount b (mol) of Mn per mole of the metal oxide is in the range of 0.0048?b?0.0400, and the value a of the general formula (1) or (2) is in the range of 0.9925+b?a?1.0025+b.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a pressure rotating member which achieves the shortening of a warm-up time while suppressing a non-recording material-contacting area's temperature rise. The pressure rotating member which is used in a thermal fixing apparatus includes: a substrate; and an elastic layer that is formed on the substrate and has a void, wherein the elastic layer contains a needle-shaped filler, wherein the needle-shaped filler has such a thermal conductivity ?1 of the elastic layer in a direction along a rotary axis of the pressure rotating member as to be 6 times or more and 900 times or less of a thermal conductivity ?2 of the elastic layer in a thickness direction.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus can form a correction image for correcting a positional deviation and includes an image forming unit, an image carrying member, a light detection unit, an ambient condition detection unit, and a control unit. The image carrying member receives the correction image, which is formed by the image forming unit. The light detection unit illuminates the correction image on the image carrying member and detects light reflected thereby. The ambient condition detection unit detects, as an ambient condition, at least one of temperature and humidity in an operating condition of the image forming apparatus. The control unit effects position correction control at a time of image formation of the image forming unit on the basis of a detection result of the light detection unit and an ambient condition detected by the ambient condition detection unit.

Abstract: The present invention provides a magnetic force sensor that can precisely detect and correct variations in a magnetic field generated by a magnetic flux generating source. Therefore, a displacement magneto-electric transducer, which detects a change in the magnetic field caused by an external force, and a fixed magneto-electric transducer, where the change in the magnetic field caused by the external force does not occur, are provided to face end sides of magnetic poles of the magnetic flux generating source. The fixed magneto-electric transducer detects a variation of the magnetic field caused by, for example, changes with time and environmental variations such as a temperature rise in the interior of the sensor. On the basis of a detection amount thereof, an operational section performs a correction operation, so that a sensitivity coefficient or an offset of the displacement magneto-electric transducer is corrected.

Abstract: To provide an image processing technique compatible with both a CCD and a CIS, which controls storage of image data read by each device in a memory and the read of the stored data for each rectangular area to obtain a high memory efficiency, an image processing apparatus includes a memory area control section which sets, for image data bitmapped on a first memory, a rectangular area divided in a main scanning direction and sub-scanning direction, an address generation section which generates address information to read out image data corresponding to the rectangular area in correspondence with the set rectangular area, a memory control section which reads out the image data corresponding to the rectangular area and DMA-transfers the image data to a second memory in accordance with the generated address information, and an image processing section which executes image processing for each rectangular area of the DMA-transferred data by using the second memory.

Abstract: An image processing system has a host computer to which a scanner and a printer are connected. A color space conversion module, for converting a color space of a device input-output image into a predetermined color space, likewise a resolution conversion module, for converting the resolution of the image into a predetermined resolution, and a counterfeit determination module, which determines a degree of a match between the image signal converted into predetermined color space and resolution and a particular image, are included in the OS of the host computer. The OS further includes an anti-counterfeiting module for preventing or suppressing counterfeiting based on the results of the matching determination. By providing the various modules in the OS instead of the device, the system is able to provide counterfeiting prevention and anti-counterfeiting capabilities designed to accommodate a plurality of different types of input-out devices efficiently.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus capable of completing photography normally without falling in a low battery (LB) state in the middle of the photography in case of performing the photography with a light emitting device such as an LED emitting light is disclosed. The maximum current value (the maximum light emission amount) of the LED is calculated by the LED maximum current operation unit from the electric power source voltage value obtained by an electric power source control circuit and the data read from a memory. Hereupon, the current operation unit calculates the maximum LED current value at which the electric power source voltage dropping by the light emission of the LED does not become the minimum drive voltage (LB) or less of the image pickup device.

Abstract: In an optical unit having a holding structure which brings a junk ring or the like into contact with an optical surface of a lens, the optical surface suffers from a serious elastic deformation leading to deterioration of optical performance. Upon holding the lens, therefore, a face other than the optical surface is provided on the lens so that the lens is held by applying a force to the face from element holding members.

Abstract: When light from a reflection image display element is incident on a polarization split surface at an angle other than 45°, leakage light that decreases the contrast of an image is produced.