Abstract: An engine-starting device for stopping the engine after satisfaction of an idling-stop condition during idling of a vehicle, starting rotation of a starter-motor upon satisfaction of a starter-motor rotation start condition, and causing a pinion gear to mesh with a ring gear upon satisfaction of a pinion gear meshing condition, includes the ring gear to be connected to a crank shaft, the pinion gear for transmitting the starter-motor rotation, a plunger for causing the pinion gear to mesh with the ring gear, and a starter control section for instructing energization of the starter-motor, in which the starter-motor is energized to be rotated upon the satisfaction of the starter-motor rotation start condition prior to clearing of the idling-stop condition in response to a restart request, and the pinion gear is caused to mesh with the ring gear by the plunger upon the satisfaction of the pinion gear meshing condition.

Abstract: Robotics visual and auditory system is provided which is made capable of accurately conducting the sound source localization of a target by associating a visual and an auditory information with respect to a target.

Abstract: It is a robotics visual and auditory system provided with an auditory module (20), a face module (30), a stereo module (37), a motor control module (40), and an association module (50) to control these respective modules.

Abstract: A smooth portion is efficiently extracted from an image. There is provided an entropy filter in which a noted pixel (x, y) is determined in an original image, said image is partitioned by a window of size (width, height)=(A, B) from the noted pixel, entropy of the partitioned window is calculated, and obtained entropy value is saved on the coordinates (x, y) of a resulting image. Here, in a noted pixel (x, y), x is ranged from 0 to (an image width minus a window width) and y is ranged from 0 to (an image height minus a window height). By using an entropy filter, a smooth portion in image quality is extracted from an original image. A preferred example of the smooth portion is a cell nucleus.

Abstract: A cell lineage can be constructed in a less labor intensive manner and in less time by using a computer. Areas, which are misidentified as nuclei, are efficiently removed. The invention comprises the steps of: selecting one or more nuclei for making a forward link from extracted nucleus candidates, in a plurality of 4D microscopic images in which the nucleus candidates are extracted; obtaining forward linkage information by sequentially extracting a nucleus candidate that meets a predetermined link condition with regard to the selected one or more nuclei from said 4D images; selecting one or more nuclei for making a reverse link from the forward linkage information; and obtaining backward linkage information by sequentially extracting a nucleus candidate that meets a predetermined link condition with regard to the selected one or more nuclei for backward link from said 4D images, removing misidentified nucleus candidates from the forward link information based on the reverse link information.

Abstract: An apparatus according to this invention allows a user to set at least one of desired metabolic circuit information, environmental factor information, and end condition information, changes all of nodes and edges included in the metabolic circuit information or either the nodes or the edges based on at least one of the metabolic circuit information set by simulation condition setting and the environmental factor information until the end condition information set by the simulation condition setting is satisfied, executes a metabolic simulation by a metabolic flux balance analysis, and outputs a result of the simulation executed by simulation execution.

Abstract: A robot auditory apparatus and system are disclosed which are made capable of attaining active perception upon collecting a sound from an external target with no influence received from noises generated interior of the robot such as those emitted from the robot driving elements.

Abstract: Robotics visual and auditory system is provided which is made capable of accurately conducting the sound source localization of a target by associating a visual and an auditory information with respect to a target.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for constructing cell lineage that is less labor intensive and requires less time as a result of using a computer. The method comprises the step for obtaining a plurality of 2D images different in focal plane and a time by taking a plurality of the 2D images by changing the focal plane and taking a plurality of the 2D images in a time series for a cell constituting the subject of observation. The method further comprises the steps of extracting a nucleus area by carrying out image processing for individual 2D images; unifying the nucleus area, which is derived from the identical nucleus, from the nucleus area extracted from the individual 2D images; and constructing the cell lineage from a time and a position, where the nucleus area appears and disappears in the image, in the unified nucleus area.

Abstract: It is a biped (two-footed) walking humanoid robot, which is provided with drive motors (11d, 11e, 18L, 18R-24L, 24R, 28L, 28R-33L, 33R, 35, 36) to pivotally move respective joint portions, and a motion control apparatus (40) to drive-control respective drive motors, and said motion control apparatus (40), together with a detector (45) to detect the robot's current posture and others, compares the robot's detected current posture and others with next motion command input from outside, and if next motion command is within the range of stability limit with respect to the robot's current posture and others, the complementary data with respect to intermediate motion from current posture till initial posture of next motion command and the motion data corresponding to next motion command are generated, each drive motor is drive-controlled based on said complementary and motion data, and thereby various motions are conducted smoothly and continually.

Abstract: Provided in accordance with the invention are a sound source identifying apparatus and method whereby objects as sound sources can be determined as to their locations with higher accuracy by using sound information and image information thereof and are separated from mixed sounds with certainty by using position information thereof. The sound source identifying apparatus (10) is constructed to include a sound collecting part; an imaging part; a sensing part; an image processing part; a sound processing part; and a control part.

Abstract: The invention is directed to an auditory robot for a human or animal like robot, e.g., a human like robot (10) having a noise generating source such as a driving system in its interior. The apparatus includes a sound insulating cover (14) with which at least a head part (13) of the robot is covered; a pair of outer microphones (16; 16a and 16b) installed outside of the cover and located at a pair of positions where a pair of ears may be provided spaced apart for the robot, respectively, for collecting an external sound primarily; at least one inner microphone (17; 17a and 17b) installed inside of the cover for primarily collecting a noise from the noise generating source in the robot interior; and a processing module (18) on the basis of signals from the outer and inner microphones for removing from sound signals from the outer microphones (16a and 16b), a noise signal from the internal noise generating source.

Abstract: A walk controller (30) for a biped (two-footed) walking mobile system, which drive-controls each joint drive motor (15L, 15R–20L, 20R) of each leg portion (13L, 13R) of a biped walking mobile system based on gait data, includes a force detector (23L, 23R) to detect the force allied to a sole of each foot portion (14L, 14R), and a compensator (32) to modify the gait data from a gait former (24) based on the force detected by a force detector, and is constituted so that each force detector (23L, 23R) comprises at least three 3-axial force sensors (36a, 36b, 36c) allocated on a sole of each foot portion (14L, 14R), and a compensator (32) modifies gait data based on the detected signals from three 3-axial force sensors (36a, 36b, 36c) which detect effective force, thereby the walk stability of a robot is realized, even on the unstable road surface condition with complex roughness.

Abstract: The present invention provides a biped (two-footed) walking mobile system, its walk controller, and walk control method therefore, which are to realize enhancing an walk stability, as well as a consumed energy saving. A walk controller (30) of a biped walking mobile system forms a gait data by a gait forming part (33) based on parameters from a gait stabilizing part (32), and drive-controls drive means of respective joint portions (15L, 15R–20L, 20R) of each leg portion based on said gait data. In this case, the walk controller (30) is so constituted as to selectively witch a powered mode to conduct ordinary drive-control and a passive mode to drive-control the drive means similarly with passive joints, whereby drive-controlling respective joint portions.

Abstract: A robot visuoauditory system that makes it possible to process data in real time to track vision and audition for an object, that can integrate visual and auditory information on an object to permit the object to be kept tracked without fail and that makes it possible to process the information in real time to keep tracking the object both visually and auditorily and visualize the real-time processing is disclosed. In the system, the audition module (20) in response to sound signals from microphones extracts pitches therefrom, separate their sound sources from each other and locate sound sources such as to identify a sound source as at least one speaker, thereby extracting an auditory event (28) for each object speaker. The vision module (30) on the basis of an image taken by a camera identifies by face, and locate, each such speaker, thereby extracting a visual event (39) therefor. The motor control module (40) for turning the robot horizontally.

Abstract: The present invention provides a biped (two-footed) walking humanoid robot easily capable of such full body movement as, for example, protective action when tumbling down, arising action and rolling action. The body part (11) is configured with a waist part (11b) below, a breast part (11a) attached biaxially movably to said waist part, and a drive means (11d, 11e) to move said breast part biaxially, and a controller (50) makes full body movement performed by drive controlling each drive means in mutual coordination. A walk controller (50) drive controls each drive means in mutual coordination, whereby moving the breast part (11a) biaxially with respect to the waist part (11b), namely moving longitudinally or rotating horizontally, and thus makes it possible to move totally the upper part configured with the breast part and arm parts with respect to the lower part configured with the waist part (11b) and leg parts (12) by so-called stoop forward and twisting of a waist.

Abstract: Disclosed is a biped walking mobile system which achieves stability without altering a preestablished gait, and a walk controller and control method therefor. The biped walking mobile apparatus includes a gait former for forming gait data and a walk controller for controlling actions of the drive means based on the gait data. The walk controller includes a ZMP compensator, including: a ZMP sensor, a ZMP converter for computing a ZMP target value based on the gait data from the gait former, and a ZMP compensating stage for comparing the actual measurement value of ZMP detected by the ZMP sensor with the ZMP target value from the ZMP converter to modify the targeted angular velocity and acceleration in the gait data and thereby to compensate or correct the ZMP target value. Thus, the targeted angular path of movement in the gait data remains unaltered when the ZMP target value is compensated.

Abstract: A walk controller (30) to drive-control drive means of respective joint portions (15L, 15R to 20L, 20R) of respective leg portions (13L, 13R) based on gait data comprises force sensors (23L, 23R) to detect forces applied to the soles of respective foot portions (14L, 14R), and a compensation part (32) to adjust the gait data from a gait forming part (24) based on horizontal floor reaction force among the forces detected by the force sensors, respective force sensor parts (23L, 23R) comprises 3-axis force sensors (36a to 36d) provided to respective parts of soles divided into a plurality at respective foot portions (14L, 14R), a contact detection part (32b) detects a contact of foot sides by the force sensors provided to regions next to end edges of respective soles, and the compensation part (32) adjusts the gait data from the gait forming part (24) referring to the contact of foot sides, and thereby the contact of foot sides to such a matter as an obstacle is detected, and a walk stability is realized.

Abstract: It is a biped (two-footed) walking humanoid robot, which is provided with drive motors (11d, 11e, 18L, 18R-24L, 24R, 28L, 28R-33L, 33R, 35, 36) to pivotally move respective joint portions, and a motion control apparatus (40) to drive-control respective drive motors, and said motion control apparatus (40), together with a detector (45) to detect the robot's current posture and others, compares the robot's detected current posture and others with next motion command input from outside, and if next motion command is within the range of stability limit with respect to the robot's current posture and others, the complementary data with respect to intermediate motion from current posture till initial posture of next motion command and the motion data corresponding to next motion command are generated, each drive motor is drive-controlled based on said complementary and motion data, and thereby various motions are conducted smoothly and continually.

Abstract: The invention provides an information retrieval apparatus and an information retrieval method by which information can be retrieved in an improved operability. A CPU controls a video camera to fetch an image and controls a GPS to detect a current position. The CPU reads out, from within image data stored in a corresponding relationship with URLs of WWW servers, those image data which correspond to position data regarding positions around the detected current position from a WWW data base via a modem and a host machine. Then, the CPU selects, from among the read out image data, that image data which matches with the fetched data, reads out a URL corresponding to the image data and accesses a WWW server designated by the URL.