Abstract: In a robot operation terminal, a storage unit has a group-belonging article table that indicates articles belonging to each of groups. Upon receipt of operation information indicating an operation to be instructed to the robot through an input unit, when this operation information specifies a group as its operation subject, a conversion unit converts this group to articles belonging to the group in the operation information by reference to the group-belonging article table. Thus, the instruction of an operation is made simpler, thereby reducing the occurrence of a human error.

Abstract: An article present region estimating means references information on location and time of an article detected in an article detecting device and stored in an article management database and information on location and time of a person detected in a person detecting device and stored in a person management database to estimate a location where the article is most likely to be present. An article position candidate weighting means may be perform weighting based on information such as movement of the person, location where the article is normally placed.

Abstract: A vehicle-operation assist includes a circumferential-state imager for imaging a circumferential state of a vehicle with a camera and generating a circumferential-state image; a synthetic-image generator for generating a synthetic image by superimposing on the circumferential-state image, an assumed-movement pattern of the vehicle performing a predetermined series of driving operations; and a display for displaying the synthetic image. The circumferential-state imager has at least one camera and a camera parameter table for storing characteristics of the camera and generating the circumferential-state image on the basis of the camera characteristics.

Abstract: An article transporting robot or an article transporting system includes a state recognizing means for recognizing the state of the article, a transportation method specifying means for specifying the transportation method according to the state recognized by the state recognizing means, and a transporting device for transporting the article according to the transportation method specified by the transportation method specifying means.

Abstract: A search article estimation apparatus is provided that is capable of estimating an article that a user is trying to search for, even when the user cannot accurately provide information on the article that the user wants to search for. The state of access to a storage equipment by the user and a change in articles in the storage equipment during the access are checked by a sensing apparatus. If there is no change in articles, then a search state detection means determines that the user has performed an article search but has been unable to find the article. Furthermore, a search article estimation means refers to a storage location database and estimates an article that should originally be stored in the storage equipment, to be the article that the user is searching for.

Abstract: For supporting a complicated driving operation, a synthesized image is presented to the driver. The driver can view this image and thus drive with a sense of security. The synthesized image may include an image of at least one tire and may have an enlargement/reduction ratio that is relatively higher in a nearby area of the vehicle, including a grounding portion of at least one tire of the vehicle, as compared with a peripheral area of the vehicle.

Abstract: An article transporting robot or an article transporting system includes a state recognizing means for recognizing the state of the article, a transportation method specifying means for specifying the transportation method according to the state recognized by the state recognizing means, and a transporting device for transporting the article according to the transportation method specified by the transportation method specifying means.

Abstract: A camera or other sensing unit senses the conditions of articles and mobile entities, including humans within a living space. An article management/operation server manages, within an article database, attribute information about the articles, including operators, according to the information from the sensing unit. The server receives a user's instruction, input through a console unit, and refers to the article database to convert this instruction into a control command, which is then transmitted to a life-support robot.

Abstract: A camera or other sensing unit senses the conditions of articles and mobile entities, including humans within a living space. An article management/operation server manages, within an article database, attribute information about the articles, including operators, according to the information from the sensing unit. The server receives a user's instruction, input through a console unit, and refers to the article database to convert this instruction into a control command, which is then transmitted to a life-support robot.

Abstract: A state recognition tag is configured to include a tag main body, and a tag fragment separable from the tag main body, and each of the tag main body and the tag fragment is provided with an information holding unit storing therein information to be transmitted, a separation-state recognizing unit which recognizes a separation state between the tag main body and the tag fragment, a control unit which exercises transmission control for transmitting the information from the information holding unit based on the separation state, and an electric power supplying unit which supplies electric power to the information holding unit, the separation-state recognizing unit, and the control unit. Regardless of whether the tag main body and the tag fragment are connected to each other or separated from each other, both the tag main body and the tag fragment can function as tags as needed.

Abstract: A camera or other sensing unit senses the conditions of articles and mobile entities, including humans within a living space. An article management/operation server manages, within an article database, attribute information about the articles, including operators, according to the information from the sensing unit. The server receives a user's instruction, input through a console unit, and refers to the article database to convert this instruction into a control command, which is then transmitted to a life-support robot.

Abstract: A camera or other sensing unit senses the conditions of articles and mobile entities, including humans within a living space. An article management/operation server manages, within an article database, attribute information about the articles, including operators, according to the information from the sensing unit. The server receives a user's instruction, input through a console unit, and refers to the article database to convert this instruction into a control command, which is then transmitted to a life-support robot.

Abstract: A camera or other sensing unit senses the conditions of articles and mobile entities, including humans within a living space. An article management/operation server manages, within an article database, attribute information about the articles, including operators, according to the information from the sensing unit. The server receives a user's instruction, input through a console unit, and refers to the article database to convert this instruction into a control command, which is then transmitted to a life-support robot.

Abstract: A tag communication section (12) receives tag information transmitted from an information tag (11) attached to a person (P) to be detected. An attribute lookup section (15) looks up an attribute storage section (16) using ID included in the tag information to obtain attribute information such as the height of the person (P). A target detection section (14) specifies the position, posture and the like of the person (P) in an image obtained from an imaging section (13) using the attribute information.

Abstract: In the vehicle surroundings display device of the invention, an image processor generates an image showing the situation around a vehicle. When an obstacle is detected by an obstacle detection means, the image processor determines an image missing region using the position of the border of the obstacle on the vehicle side detected by an obstacle position detection means and fills the image missing region with substitute image data. This eliminates unnaturalness of a display image the user may feel and enables the user to accurately recognize the position of a neighboring obstacle that is important in driving operation.

Abstract: On a basis of information obtained by reading information for specifying articles carried by a user from identification tags attached to the articles by means of a sensor, a list of the articles carried by the user at the time point is formed. The list is stored every time the list is formed, and the event that the user has lost the article and the lost article are specified on the basis of two or more lists. Upon specifying the lost article, the user is notified of information concerning the lost article.

Abstract: A synthetic image viewed from a virtual point of view above a vehicle is generated, using images captured by a plurality of cameras shooting surroundings of the vehicle. In the synthetic image, an illustration image or an actual image of the vehicle is displayed in a vehicle region in which the vehicle is present. The area around the vehicle that is not shot by any of the cameras is displayed as a blind spot region.

Abstract: The image processor of the present invention generates a more natural synthesized image from camera images taken with a plurality of cameras capturing the surroundings of a vehicle. A parameter storage section stores a plurality of image synthesis parameter groups representing the correspondence between the camera images and the synthesized image and having different spatial or temporal resolution relations. A parameter selection section selects the image synthesis parameter group according to the output of a vehicle motion detection section for detecting the motion of the vehicle such as the driving speed and direction. An image synthesis section generates the synthesized image from the camera images according to the selected image synthesis parameter group.

Abstract: A living assistance system is provided with an information presentation device capable of directly displaying information relating to an article onto actual environment, a moving area generation unit (for generating a moving area of the robot, a grabbing feasible area generation unit for generating a grabbing feasible area of the robot, and a guide information generation unit for calculating guide information from an user to the article. The living assistance system displays information obtained by the moving area generation unit, the grabbing feasible area generation unit, and the guide information generation unit by using the information presentation device. Thus, there is provided the living assistance system that manages articles and the like in a house or the like, and can more intuitionally present attribute information to the article or information to be used for smoothly transferring the article to the user.

Abstract: In a robot operation terminal, a storage unit has a group-belonging article table that indicates articles belonging to each of groups. Upon receipt of operation information indicating an operation to be instructed to the robot through an input unit, when this operation information specifies a group as its operation subject, a conversion unit converts this group to articles belonging to the group in the operation information by reference to the group-belonging article table. Thus, the instruction of an operation is made simpler, thereby reducing the occurrence of a human error.