Abstract: The objective of the present invention is to provide a simple and accurate process for extracting an object from an image, which is used to impose a great load for an operator. According to the present invention, an image processing apparatus comprises an object extracting unit, for performing a predetermined process for image data for a position or an area that is designated and for extracting a specific object from an image, an outline part deciding unit, for selecting and authenticating an arbitrary segment of an outline obtained by the extracting unit, and an outline synthesis unit, for linking and synthesizing together the outline segments that are authenticated. Since a closed curve is formed by synthesizing the outline segments obtained by repeating the above process, and the outline of the object is thus determined, the outline segment that is extracted from the image and matches the correct outline of the object is sequentially selected and authenticated.

Abstract: When a dispersion value of a shading value is equal to or more than a threshold value in the neighborhood of a standard point, it is determined that an image pattern has a texture dominant characteristic. When the value is less than the threshold value, a change of the shading value is determined to be moderate (S11). When the dispersion value is equal to or more than the threshold value (S11), a texture characteristic amount is loaded (S12), a characteristic amount suitable for area growth (e.g., texture energy) is calculated (S13), and a distance DT concerning the texture characteristic amount is obtained (S14). When the dispersion value is less than the threshold value (S11), a color component characteristic amount is loaded (S16), a characteristic amount suitable for the area growth (e.g., a characteristic vector obtained from a local histogram concerning a color component or a list of representative color components) is extracted (S17), and a distance DC concerning the color component is obtained (S18).

Abstract: The objective of the present invention is to provide a simple and accurate process for extracting an object from an image, which is used to impose a great load for an operator. According to the present invention, an image processing apparatus comprises an object extracting unit, for performing a predetermined process for image data for a position or an area that is designated and for extracting a specific object from an image, an outline part deciding unit, for selecting and authenticating an arbitrary segment of an outline obtained by the extracting unit, and an outline synthesis unit, for linking and synthesizing together the outline segments that are authenticated. Since a closed curve is formed by synthesizing the outline segments obtained by repeating the above process, and the outline of the object is thus determined, the outline segment that is extracted from the image and matches the correct outline of the object is sequentially selected and authenticated.

Abstract: There is disclosed an image processing apparatus. A contour interval intended to be extracted is designated (S1). A start point designated in S1 is used as the initial position of an attended point, and an end point is set as a target point of contour tracing (S2). A positional relation of the attended point and the target point is calculated (S3). A blind mask for blinding pixels in the vicinity of the attended point is prepared (S4). This mask processing permits a considerably free contour line tracing, while setting a restriction to securely converge to the target point. The pixel with the maximum edge strength is searched for from the pixels in the vicinity of the attended point (S5), and the searched contour pixel is set as a new attended point (S6). The operation is repeated from S3 to S6 until the new attended point reaches the target point (S7).

Abstract: The image of a processing target is input. A feature quantity extraction device obtains a feature quantity distribution of the input image, and makes it binary. When desired template data is selected by a user, a template data generation device automatically generates a plurality of template sets different in size from each other from the selected template data. A template scan device raster-scans each template on the respective images with a predetermined sampling pitch according to the size, and obtains the first shape fit at each position. When the user instructs start of extraction execution processing, a template figure element deformation device shifts the representative point of a figure element constituting the template figure within the shift range, and generates a new curve segment interconnecting the representative points after shift.

Abstract: There is provided configuration for enabling extraction of the concerned area with simple operations. An arbitrary position within the desired concerned area is designated by the position designation means, and the pixel color of the designated position is stored in the memory. The tolerable color difference setting means sets the initial color difference from the pixel color of the designated position as 0. The pixel group (within tolerable color difference) extraction means extracts the pixels within the tolerable color difference from all the pixels. The adjacent pixel group (within tolerable color difference) selective display means selectively displays the pixel group including the pixel of the designated position, based on the result of extraction by the extraction means. At each execution by the selective display means, the tolerable color difference setting means increases the tolerable color difference. Thereafter the extraction means and the selective display means repeat the execution.

Abstract: An electroconductive low thermal expansion ceramic sintered body is disclosed which containing a &bgr;-eucryptite phase in a quantity of not less than 75 vol. % and not more than 99 vol. % and having an absolute value of thermal expansion coefficient of not more than 1.0×10−7/K at a temperature of 0° C. to 50° C., a volumetric specific resistance of not more than 1.0×107 &OHgr;·cm, and a specific rigidity of not less than 40 GPa/g/cm3.

Abstract: An image synthesization method, whereby a plurality of images, each of which has a partially overlapping image area, are synthesized to create a single synthetic image, comprises a determination step of inputting a plurality of image data sets that correspond to the plurality of images that are input, and of determining whether or not an image in the partially overlapping image area of each of images that are indicated by the plurality of image data sets includes mainly characters an image processing step of performing, for the plurality of image data sets that are input, image processing in consonance with a result of a determination performed at the determination step and an image synthesization step of synthesizing images that are indicated by the resultant plurality of image data, for which the image processing has been performed at the image processing step. With this arrangement, a plurality of images can be easily and effectively synthesized.

Abstract: An image synthesization method, whereby a plurality of images, each of which has a partially overlapping image area, are synthesized to create a single synthetic image, comprises a determination step of inputting a plurality of image data sets that correspond to the plurality of images that are input, and of determining whether or not an image in the partially overlapping image area of each of images that are indicated by the plurality of image data sets includes mainly characters an image processing step of performing, for the plurality of image data sets that are input, image processing in consonance with a result of a determination performed at the determination step and an image synthesization step of synthesizing images that are indicated by the resultant plurality of image data, for which the image processing has been performed at the image processing step. With this arrangement, a plurality of images can be easily and effectively synthesized.

Abstract: The low thermal expansion and high rigidity ceramic sintered body of this invention is characterized by assuming as a crystal structure a hexagonal close-packed structure and substantially comprising solid solution crystal grains represented by the formula: MgaLibFecAldSieOf (wherein a is in the range of 1.8 to 1.9, b is in the range of 0.1 to 0.3, c is in the range of 0 to 0.2, d is in the range of 3.9 to 4.1, e is in the range of 6.0 to 7.0, and f is in the range of 19 to 23). It is further characterized by the solid solution crystal grains having lattice constants in the ranges, a0 in the range of 9.774 to 9.804 Å and c0 in the range of 9.286 to 9.330 Å, the relative density of the sintered body being of not less than 98%.

Abstract: A control system comprises a plurality of peripheral devices represented as objects, and a controller connectable to the plurality of peripheral devices via a common communication line for unitarily controlling the plurality of peripheral devices. The controller is arranged to be connected to an arbitrary number of peripheral devices selected from among the plurality of peripheral devices, read control information stored in the arbitrary number of peripheral devices via the communication line into a predetermined memory area of the controller in a predetermined format so that the controller can control the arbitrary number of peripheral devices. The controller is also arranged to issue a command and transmit the command to each of the arbitrary number of peripheral devices via the communication line.

Abstract: A graphic representing possible values of attribute data for multimedia data to be stored is displayed and a desired position on the graphic is designated to store the multimedia data and the attribute data. Thus, the registration of the multimedia information is facilitated and the databases is effectively utilized.

Abstract: A graphic, representing possible values of attribute data for multimedia data to be stored, is displayed, and a desired position on the graphic is designated to store the multimedia data and the attribute data. Multimedia data and attribute data of the multimedia data are stored in a memory, status of the attribute data is displayed in a graphic form, a desired position on the graphic is designated, and the multimedia data is read form the memory in accordance with the designation.

Abstract: In order to provide an image pickup device capable of providing a high quality image by enabling satisfactory image processing, a photographing device transmits photographed image information, obtained by photographing means, through photographing side communication means to an information processing device, which receives the photographed image information from the photographing device, by information processing side communication means, and, after image processing by image processing means, returns the photographed image information after the image processing to the photographing device by the information processing side communication means.

Abstract: A document editing system edits a document which includes image data. A processing script for editing the image data is either selective or nonselective. If the processing script is nonselective, image editing is automatically performed without user intervention. If the processing script is selective, a user selects a preferred image while observing a certain number of automatically edited images obtained as a result of processing. The processing script assigns a template for providing a minimum user interface, which is selectively displayed for image editing in accordance with the processing script. Thus, a user who is unfamiliar with image editing can easily perform such editing.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus is arranged to set a center pixel in coloring each area within a diagram image prepared by detecting an edge in an original image, to obtain the shortest of distances from the center pixel to the edge in eight directions, and to color the inside of a coloring circle whose radius is the shortest distance. The arrangement effectively prevents a colored area form excessively bulging out beyond the edge even when the edge includes a vague part, because the area of coloring is limited to the inside of the coloring circle. Therefore, the possibility of having an image prepared in any undesirable manner can be minimized. Further, a plurality of pixels selected at uniform intervals within the diagram image are arranged to be used as the center pixel for coloring.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for managing data including images, voice, characters, and the like, in a unified manner. The apparatus has an attribute file or an attribute table for registering therein an attribute peculiar to the data to be registered so that the data attribute can be registered simultaneously with the registration of the data. The data can thus be managed through an application in a unified manner based on the attribute data registered in the attribute file or the attribute table. In order to complete the processing of the application, the attribute data of the attribute file or the attribute table is set to be a mode either of "read-only" or "hidden".

Abstract: A file retrieval apparatus and method for retrieving a desired file out of a plurality of files stored in a storage medium. Retrieval is made based on the files, information on correspondence between the files and keywords, and attribute information of the keywords, to find a file that corresponds to an input keyword. When displaying the retrieved results in form of a list, a file a user most desires is displayed at the top of the list, and keywords located at lower levels of hierarchical keywords are also displayed as retrieval objects.

Abstract: A control system comprises a plurality of peripheral devices represented as objects, and a controller connectable to the plurality of peripheral devices via a common communication line for unitarily controlling the plurality of peripheral devices. The controller is arranged to be connected to an arbitrary number of peripheral devices selected from among the plurality of peripheral devices, read control information stored in the arbitrary number of peripheral devices via the communication line into a predetermined memory area of the controller in a predetermined format so that the controller can control the arbitrary number of peripheral devices. The controller is also arranged to issue a command and transmit the command to each of the arbitrary number of peripheral devices via the communication line.

Abstract: This invention provides an information processing method and apparatus, which can automatically set a word, which has already been electronically stored, as a search keyword, and can perform a search operation. For this purpose, in an information search apparatus for searching a data file for desired data, and reading out the desired data, input text data is stored in a data storage area, and when extraction of a search keyword is instructed, a search keyword extraction program automatically extracts a keyword used for search from the text data stored in the data storage area in response to the instruction. A multimedia data file stored in a nonvolatile storage medium is searched based on the extracted keyword.