Abstract: In a video system of the invention, a controller is provided for a terminal input apparatus which is connected by a communication network to a camera on the partner side and which has an image display apparatus with a multi-window display function for selecting and displaying the camera setting. An image pickup operation which is required to operate the camera on the partner side, for example, the image pickup direction, focal distance, panning, exposure amount, white balance, automatic focusing, and the like of the designated camera are input by using an image display and a window display of the image display apparatus. The operation of the camera on the partner side and the operations of a tripod, a movable arm, and the like to hold the camera are controlled through a communicating device. A photographed image is displayed by the display apparatus.

Abstract: A thermoplastic resin composition comprising a thermoplastic resin (A) not forming an anisotropic melt phase and a liquid crystal polymer (B) capable of forming an anisotropic melt phase, an injection molding method thereof and an injection molded article capable of providing a thin molded article having excellent mechanical strength.

Abstract: In a video system of the invention, control means is provided for a terminal input apparatus which is connected by a communication network of a camera on the partner side and which comprises an image display apparatus having a multiwindow display function for selecting and displaying the camera. An image pickup operation which is required to the camera on the partner side, for example, the image pickup direction, focal distance, panning, exposure amount, white balance, automatic focusing, and the like of the designated camera are inputted by using an image display and a window display of the image display apparatus. The operation of the camera on the partner side and the operations of a tripod, a movable arm, and the like to hold the camera are controlled through communicating means. A photographed image is displayed by the display apparatus.

Abstract: An embedding hole is formed in a base made of thermoplastic resin, an embedded part is inserted in the embedding hole, the base is subjected to heating treatment for softening the base to bring the base into an elastomeric region and restraining treatment for restricting outward thermal expansion of the base to thereby expand the base in an inward direction of the embedding hole 2a to reduce a hole diameter and to deform a hole wall of the embedding hole along a shape of an outer wall face of the embedded part and to bring the hole wall into close contact with the outer wall face, and then the base is cooled and hardened.

Abstract: In manufacture of a fluid passage forming member by heating and joining passage members formed of a thermoplastic synthetic resin, there is provided a method for forming the external configurations of the fluid passages and the fluid passage forming members to virtually predetermined configurations despite the heating. In this method, to join passage members 1a through 1c made of a thermoplastic synthetic resin, fluid passages formed by apertures 3 or grooves 4 in junction surfaces 2 between the passage members are formed by allowing expected shrinkage of the passages beforehand so that they are formed to have predetermined design sections by the shrinkage when heating and joining the passage members. The passage members are closely fitted in a forming mold 10, sealed in a state wherein the jointing surfaces to be joined with each other are pressed into contact, and heated and softened to join them.

Abstract: Image pickup control apparatus and method displays, on a screen, an image picked up a camera and transmitted through a communications system. A plurality of control devices may control the camera through the communications system. When one of the control devices is in control of the camera through the communications system, the other control devices are inhibited from controlling the camera.

Abstract: A compound eye camera provided integrally with plural image pickup elements and a display unit adapted to display an image, divided into stripes in every scanning line or in every plural scanning lines and to give different directionalities to the display of the striped image in the odd-numbered lines and the display of the striped image in the even-numbered lines, thereby providing stereoscopic display at a predetermined observing position. The camera further has a display control unit for dividing each of two images, picked up with the plural image pickup elements and having a parallax, into stripes in the horizontal direction and alternately arranging the divided stripes by every line to synthesize a striped image, and causing the display unit to display such synthesized striped image.

Abstract: A three-dimensional information processing apparatus for obtaining three-dimensional information from an object having a three-dimensional shape, and performing predetermined information processing, comprises: a camera for sensing images of the object from a plurality of coordinate positions using an image sensing system having one or a plurality of optical systems. A plurality of depth information are extracted from image sensing related information sensed by the camera at the plurality of coordinate positions, and the plurality of extracted depth information are converted and unified into depth information expressed by a unified coordinate system.

Abstract: For facilitating the search of corresponding points in plural images obtained from plural image pickup systems, in obtaining left and right images from left and right image pickup systems and searching two corresponding points in the two images by a corresponding point extraction unit, the search range thereof is determined according to the phototaking parameters of the image pickup systems. The paired corresponding points, thus extracted, are synthesized, in a synthesis/conversion unit, into a panoramic image or a high definition image. Thus achieved are a reduction in the search time and an improvement in the precision of search.

Abstract: A rodless cylinder comprises a cylinder tube and guide shafts which are arranged in parallel to one another. The cylinder tube comprises a piston therein which is displaceable in the axial direction. Driving magnets are provided on outer circumference of the piston. A slider, which is displaceable in the axial direction, is provided on the guide shafts. The slider is supported on the guide shafts by the aid of ball bushes. Driven magnets, which correspond to the driving magnets, are provided in a hole of the slider. Inner circumferential surfaces of the driven magnets are slightly separated from an outer circumferential surface of the cylinder tube. Accordingly, it is unnecessary to apply any surface treatment to the cylinder tube, and it is possible to avoid appearance of dust or the like. It is unnecessary to assemble the rodless cylinder with a high degree of accuracy, and thus the production cost can be reduced.

Abstract: An apparatus is arranged to have two cameras set at a predetermined angle of convergence, image motion vector extracting portions each for extracting motion vectors between predetermined frames from images obtained in time series from the respective cameras, a stereoscopic parallax extracting portion for extracting a stereoscopic parallax between the predetermined frames, and a portion for obtaining final motion vectors or distance information from the motion vectors extracted by the respective motion vector extracting portions and the stereoscopic parallax extracted by the stereoscopic parallax extracting portion.

Abstract: A multiple lens image pickup apparatus includes a plurality of image pickup systems, a control system, and an optical viewfinder. Each image pickup system is arranged to allow an angle an optical path makes through the system to be changed. The control system selects a stereoscopic photographing mode in which images taken through the plurality of image pickup systems overlap in a large proportion, or a panoramic photographing mode in which images taken through the plurality of image pickup systems overlap in a small proportion. The optical viewfinder selectively sets an observing range in accordance with the photographing mode selected.

Abstract: In a three-dimensional shape extraction apparatus, a distance distribution extraction unit (54) obtains the distance distribution of an object on the basis of a plurality of images which are sensed by a camera at different image sensing positions, so that the images of the object partially overlap each other, and the position information of the respective image sensing positions of the camera. A three-dimensional model forming unit (55) forms a three-dimensional model of the object by sequentially combining the sequentially calculated distance distributions and the sensed images using the position information. A 3D display image generation unit (56) generates and displays a two-dimensional image from the three-dimensional model.

Abstract: An apparatus has a multi-eye image pickup apparatus comprising left and right image pickup systems for picking up two images, left and right image memories for storing the left and right images picked up by the left and right image pickup systems, a corresponding point extracting portion for determining a partial image common to the left and right images from the left and right images stored in the left and right image memories, a combining conversion portion and a combined image memory for combining the left and right images to form an image, based on the result of determination by the corresponding point extracting portion, and an image outputting portion for separating the image combined by the combining conversion portion and then stored in the combined image memory, into separate images to output the separate images as images for constructing a panorama image.

Abstract: A compound eye image pickup apparatus with reduced parallax having two optical image pickup systems wherein the cross points between entrance pupils and optical axes of the two optical image pickup systems are generally coincident.

Abstract: An image processing method and apparatus for block-based corresponding-point extraction with high-precision, even if an image includes a discontinuous portion. The method comprises an extraction step of extracting edges or outline of a plurality of images, a dividing step of dividing the images into a plurality of blocks in such a manner that every block contains no edge and the sides of every block do not intersect with an edge, and a corresponding-point determination step of determining corresponding points between the images, based on similarity between one block of one image and a corresponding block of another image. Thus, even if one of the images includes a discontinuous portion, the corresponding-point extraction can be smoothly performed.

Abstract: An image capturing and processing apparatus has image pickup means, first image memorizing means in which an object image from a predetermined viewing point position captured by the image pickup means is memorized, three-dimensional shape model memorizing means for producing a reference object image from a viewing point position nearest to the pick-up object image on the basis of a reference three-dimensional shape model, second image memorizing means in which the produced reference object image is memorized, different portion extracting means for extracting the difference between the object image and the reference object image memorized in the respective image memorizing means, and shape model correcting means for correcting the reference three-dimensional shape model on the basis of the extracted difference.

Abstract: A double eye image pickup apparatus performs image pickup using a plurality of image pickup systems with partly overlapping fields in order to obtain an image at an arbitrary aspect ratio while correcting the registration and taking an image of occlusion area into consideration, and the apparatus has a device for setting a virtual projection plane in a subject space, based on image signals of overlap portions output from the respective image pickup systems, and a device for projecting image signals onto the projection plane to combine the image signals into a single image signal.

Abstract: In order to assure sufficient precision for both binary image and variable density image, a corresponding point extraction method for a plurality of images includes the steps of taking in two binary images, then extracting an arbitrary set of epipolar lines, inserting a picture element having the picture element value of a virtual picture element between adjacent picture elements on said two epipolar lines as extracted, creating an initial screen having the initial values on a parallax screen, using two epipolar lines into which the picture element having the picture element value of virtual picture element is inserted, performing in parallel local calculation having excitatory combination and inhibitory combination based on actual picutre element and local calculation having excitatory combination and inhibitory combination based on virtual picture element for each black point on the created initial screen to create a new parallax screen.

Abstract: This invention provides a method of extracting corresponding points from plural images with improved reliability and with a shortened process time. In the method of this invention, the extraction of the corresponding points in plural images is achieved by determining the right-side epipolar line, on which the corresponding points should be positioned, by calculation, and transferring candidate corresponding points, obtained on the right-side image by a conventional method for extracting the corresponding points, onto the points of shortest distance on thus determined right-side epipolar line.