Abstract: According to one embodiment, a speech dialog apparatus includes a speech detection unit that detects a start and an end of echo removed speech obtained by removing an echo of response speech contained in input speech; a response interruption control unit that outputs a response interruption command if the end is not yet detected when a predetermined period from the detection of the start passes; and a dialog control unit that causes a response speech output unit to interrupt output of the response speech upon receipt of the response interruption command from the response interruption control unit.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, in response to a first acoustic signal output, a second acoustic signal is input. A filter unit is configured to generate a third acoustic signal by convoluting the first acoustic signal with coefficients. A subtraction unit is configured to generate a fourth acoustic signal by subtracting the third acoustic signal from the second acoustic signal. An estimation unit is configured to decide whether a sound volume of the first acoustic signal is below a predetermined threshold, and to set a sound volume of the second acoustic signal as a non-echo sound level when the sound volume of the first acoustic signal is below the predetermined threshold. A determination unit is configured to determine a step size to correct the coefficients using the non-echo sound level. A correction unit is configured to correct the coefficients using the step size.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a speech detection apparatus includes a first acoustic signal analyzing unit configured to analyze a frequency spectrum of a first acoustic signal, and a feature extracting unit configured to remove a frequency spectrum of the first acoustic signal from a third acoustic signal, which is obtained by suppressing an echo component of the first acoustic signal contained in a second acoustic signal, so as to extract a feature of a frequency spectrum of the third acoustic signal.

Abstract: An electric power-feeding structure for feeding electric power to a moving body which is driven to be raised or lowered, includes: an arm having a distal end connected to the moving body movably in a direction perpendicular to a raising or lowering direction of the moving body, and a proximal end adapted to be rotatably driven so as to swing, to thereby drive the raising or lowering of the moving body. An electrical wire is routed alongside the arm, and one end of the electrical wire extending from the distal end of the arm is connected to the moving body to feed electric power to the moving body. In a vicinity of a rotating shaft of the arm, the electrical wire is routed around the rotating shaft to be bent and deformed.

Abstract: A method of synthesizing a hyperbranched polymer by living radical polymerization of a monomer in the presence of a metal catalyst includes at least adding a compound or setting the amount of the monomer in the living radical polymerization. The compound added is at least a compound represented by R1-A or a compound represented by R2—B—R3, where R1 denotes hydrogen, an alkyl group (1-10 carbons), aryl group (1-10 carbons), or aralkyl group (7-10 carbons), A denotes a cyano group, hydroxyl group, or nitro group, R2 and R3 denote hydrogen, alkyl groups (1-10 carbons), aryl groups (6-10 carbons), aralkyl groups (7-10 carbons), or dialkylamino groups (2-10 carbons), and B denotes a carbonyl group or sulfonyl group. Setting of the monomer amount includes setting the amount of monomer to be mixed into a reaction system at one mixing to be less than the total monomer to be mixed with the reaction system.

Abstract: A hyperbranched polymer synthesizing method employs living radical polymerization of a monomer in the presence of a metal catalyst.

Abstract: Provided is a polymer composition including (A) an ionomer containing an ethylene/?,?-unsaturated carboxylic acid copolymer and an ethylene/?,?-unsaturated carboxylic acid/?,?-unsaturated carboxylic acid ester terpolymer, and (B) a propylene-based polymer, wherein the mass of constituent units derived from the ?,?-unsaturated carboxylic acid ester is from 1 to 4.5% by mass of the entire mass of the ionomer. Through this, a high seal strength may be obtained in a high-temperature range when forming a lock seal, while a high seal strength, as compared with the related art, can be stably obtained over a wide temperature range with a temperature dependence suppressed when forming a peelable seal.

Abstract: A transparent-film-forming composition contains at least one microparticle-form inorganic substance having a refractive index of 1.80 or higher and lower than 3.00 (ingredient A), at least one microparticle-form inorganic substance having a refractive index of 1.55 or higher and lower than 1.80 (ingredient B), and a binder having a refractive index lower than that of the ingredient B, and preferably, a dispersion stabilizer, and being capable of forming, on a surface of a transparent substrate, a transparent film having excellent transparency and free from interference-related disturbance. A transparent-film-layered product has a transparent substrate and, on a surface of the substrate, a transparent film formed from the composition, which layered product exhibits a difference in refractive index between the transparent substrate and the transparent film of 0.03 or smaller and excellent transparency, and providing minimized interference-related disturbance.

Abstract: Disclosed is composition providing high refractive index to form a transparent conductive film having excellent transparency and high refractive index, a transparent conductive film produced thereby, a display having the transparent conductive film, and a dispersion having high storage stability for use in preparation of the composition. LCDs employ an anti-reflection film produced from the composition containing a metal complex in a resin solution or a solvent and a high refractive index metal oxide and a conductive metal oxide dispersed therein. However, conventional dispersion has problems such as corroding an apparatus and a material employed in a dispersion step and poor storage stability. Disclosed is a dispersion which contains a high refractive index metal oxide having a refractive index of 1.8 or higher, a conductive metal oxide, an alkoxide-free metal complex, and a dispersion medium, and which has a water content of 3 mass % or less.

Abstract: An electric connection box which is electrically connected to electrical equipments of an automobile via wire harnesses is installed at a center cluster provided at a central portion of an instrument panel of the automobile. A plurality of switches for controlling the electrical equipments are provided at a front portion of a connection box body of the electric connection box. Operating portions of the switches are exposed to form part of a design surface (front surface) of the center cluster.

Abstract: A robot apparatus includes a moving unit configured to move in a moving plane on flooring, and turn in horizontal direction of the flooring about a rotation axis vertical to the flooring; an imaging unit configured to take images in a direction horizontal to the moving plane, and rotate in horizontal direction of the flooring about the rotation axis; a storage unit configured to store the image taken by the image processor when the moving unit receives a turning request of a command angle; a detector configured to detect a rotation angle of the imaging unit relative to the moving unit; a controller configured to control a turning of the moving unit and a rotating of the imaging unit based on a common value which makes the moving unit turn in a direction of the command angle and which makes the imaging unit rotate in an opposite direction, and based on a rate value which changes turning of the moving unit or rotating of the imaging unit so as to compensate a gap determined by comparing the taken image with the

Abstract: [Problem] It is an object to provide an unstretched film and a sheet that are excellent in an antistatic property and transparency, a resin composition that is used in producing the unstretched film or the sheet and a potassium ionomer that is contained in the composition. [Means for Solving Problem] Disclosed is a potassium ionomer of a polymer or a polymer composition that contains (a) an ethylene unit in the range of 30 to 60% by weight, (b) a propylene unit in the range of 30 to 60% by weight, (c) a butene unit in the range of 2 to 10% by weight, (d) a (meth)acrylic acid ester unit in the range of 0 to 10% by weight, and (e) a (meth)acrylic acid unit in the range of 5 to 15% by weight (with the total of the component units (a) to (e) being 100% by weight). The potassium ionomer has a potassium ion density in the range of 0.5 to 1.5 mmol/g.

Abstract: To provide a molding material having good affinity to a starchy material, is homogeneously compatible therewith even without adding compatibility-imparting agent, can be favorably mold-worked despite the starchy material is blended in large amounts, and features excellent balance between the flexibility and the mechanical properties, as well as excellent moisture permeability, antistatic property and transparence (haze) depending upon the composition that is used. A resin composition comprising 10 to 97% by weight of at least one (A) of those selected from an ethylene copolymer containing an unsaturated carboxylic acid and an unsaturated carboxylic acid ester as constituent units or a copolymer composition thereof, and an ionomer comprising, as a base resin, the ethylene copolymer containing the unsaturated carboxylic acid and the unsaturated carboxylic acid ester as constituent units or the copolymer composition thereof; and 3 to 90% by weight a starchy material (B).

Abstract: An image data area extracting system includes: a threshold value setting unit configured to set a threshold value for three dimensional image data of an object; an area managing unit configured to extract a threshold value area from the three dimensional image data based at least in part on the threshold value; a three dimensional projection image display unit configured to display an image, the image being constructed from the three dimensional image data; a starting point designating unit configured to designate a starting point for a connected area to be deleted from the image; and an extract connected area deleting unit configured to remove the connected area from the image.

Abstract: An electric power-feeding structure for feeding electric power to a moving body which is driven to be raised or lowered, includes: an arm having a distal end connected to the moving body movably in a horizontal direction and a proximal end rotatably driven to swing, to thereby drive the raising or lowering of the moving body. An electrical wire is routed alongside the arm, and one end of the electrical wire extending from the distal end is connected to the moving body. In a vicinity of a rotating shaft of the arm, the electrical wire is fixed to the arm at a first fixing point and to a base for supporting the arm at a second fixing point. The first fixing point is provided on a straight line defined by the rotating shaft and the second fixing point when the arm is at an intermediate position of its swinging range.

Abstract: An acoustic signal processing apparatus includes an acoustic signal input device, a frequency resolution device, a two-dimensional data generating device, a graphics detection device, a sound source candidate information generating device, and a sound source information generating device. The sound source information generating device generates sound source information including at least one of the number of sound sources, the spatial existence range of the sound source, an existence period of the voice, a frequency component configuration of the voice, amplitude information on the voice, and symbolic contents of the voice based on the sound source candidate information and corresponding information which are generated by the sound source candidate information generating device.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to achieve an efficient and low-cost processing for switching contents on a display according to travel areas, time frames and vehicle attributions of a transportation object. To this end, the present invention provides a system constituted of a content delivery server and the e-paper.

Abstract: An interactive robot capable of speech recognition includes a sound-source-direction estimating unit that estimates a direction of a sound source for target voices which are required to undergo speech recognition; a moving unit that moves the interactive robot in the sound-source direction; a target-voice acquiring unit that acquires the target voices at a position after moving; and a speech recognizing unit that performs speech recognition of the target voices.

Abstract: The present invention provides a memory card (1) using a write-once memory IC (17), such as PROM. In this memory IC (17), an entity data recording area, where the entity data of a file is recorded, and a management data recording area, where management data for supervising the recorded files in accordance with a hierarchical director structure is recorded, are formed at the outset. In the management data recording area, a file entry specifying the files recorded in the memory card (1), a root entry specifying the uppermost order director in the hierarchical directory structure and a sub-entry specifying sub directories in the hierarchical directory structure, are recorded as management data in association with the files, root directory and the sub-directories generated, respectively.

Abstract: According to one aspect of the invention, a speech recognizer includes: an audio data acquiring portion configured to acquire audio data via a microphone; a speech section detecting portion configured to detect a talking start time and a talking end time based on the audio data; a spoken word identifying portion configured to identify the audio in a speech section from the talking start time to the talking end time; and a noise suppressing portion configured to suppress a generation of a noise from an electrical noise source for the speech section.