Abstract: An in-vehicle running-environment recognition apparatus including an input unit for inputting an image signal from in-vehicle imaging devices for photographing external environment of a vehicle, an image processing unit for detecting a first image area by processing the image signal, the first image area having a factor which prevents recognition of the external environment, an image determination unit for determining a second image area based on at least any one of size of the first image area, position thereof, and set-up positions of the in-vehicle imaging devices having the first image area, an environment recognition processing being performed in the second image area, the first image area being detected by the image processing unit, and an environment recognition unit for recognizing the external environment of the vehicle based on the second image area.

Abstract: In order to extract, given information from a stereo camera, only the headlights of an oncoming vehicle or the taillights of a preceding vehicle from various light spot at night for the purpose of offering the driver a safer field of view, there are provided: first distance information calculation means which calculates information on a first distance to a detection object candidate from two images obtained by a first imaging element and a second imaging element; second distance information calculation means which calculates information on a second distance to the detection object candidate from the image obtained by the first imaging element; and object detection means which compares the first distance information with the second distance information to detect the object from the detection object candidate on the basis of the result of the comparison.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a housing, an image forming section, an air passage that is disposed so as to be movable between a first position and a second position, the air passage having an interior through which air is allowed to flow while the air passage is in the first position, a trapping member that is mountably and dismountably disposed in the interior of the air passage, the trapping member trapping an object contained in the air flowing through the interior of the air passage, and a mounting system that mounts the trapping member, which is not completely mounted in the interior of the air passage, in the interior of the air passage by an operation of moving the air passage from the second position to the first position.

Abstract: A traveling lane detector according to the present invention includes: an imaging unit mounted on a vehicle to take a road surface image; and an image processor performing image processing on the image to detect lane marks on the road surface. The image processor judges whether the vehicle is crossing the lane marks, and, when the vehicle is not crossing any of the lane marks, defines first and second windows, in the image, for detecting the lane marks located respectively on left and right parts of a road surface in front of or behind the vehicle, performs image processing on the image in each of the windows to detect the lane marks, and, when the vehicle is crossing any of the lane marks, defines a third window including the currently-crossed lane mark in the image, performs image processing on the image in the third window to detect the lane mark.

Abstract: A medium feeding device includes a loading member; a holding member that includes a movable holding-member body having a gas suction opening, and a suction device connected to the gas suction opening, the holding member being configured to attract and hold each of mediums on the loading member while the suction device performs suction; a holding-member-moving mechanism that moves the holding member between a suction position where the medium is attracted to the holding member and a feed position on a downstream side with respect to the suction position; a transport member that transports the medium held by the holding member at the feed position toward the downstream side; and a suction-force-changing mechanism that reduces a suction force after the medium is attracted to the holding member and before a trailing end of the medium attracted to the holding member passes over the gas suction opening.

Abstract: A method for forming an undercut portion of a formed article formed by plastically deforming a plate-shaped workpiece and a method for manufacturing a formed article having an undercut portion are provided. In these methods, the undercut portion is formed by press working performed using a punch and a die. These methods make the forming work more economical and more efficient. An outer portion of a plate member 91 (plate-shaped workpiece) located outward of a portion where an inwardly inclined portion 94 (undercut portion) is to be formed is bent by an angle determined such that an undercut surface 94a which constitutes the inwardly inclined portion 94 becomes parallel to the pressing direction of a punch 110. In addition, a peripheral wall portion 93 inclined by an angle corresponding to the bending angle is formed on the outer portion.

Abstract: An external environment recognizing device for vehicle includes an image acquiring unit configured to acquire image obtained by picking up image of an area ahead of an own vehicle, a light-source extracting unit configured to extract light source from the acquired image, an own-vehicle-speed acquiring unit configured to acquire own vehicle speed, an oncoming-vehicle-presence-possible-region estimating unit configured to estimate oncoming vehicle presence possible region on the basis of own vehicle speed, and an oncoming-vehicle detecting unit configured to detect an oncoming vehicle on the basis of the oncoming vehicle presence possible region and the light source.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a housing, an image forming section, an air passage that is disposed so as to be movable between a first position and a second position, the air passage having an interior through which air is allowed to flow while the air passage is in the first position, a trapping member that is mountably and dismountably disposed in the interior of the air passage, the trapping member trapping an object contained in the air flowing through the interior of the air passage, and a mounting system that mounts the trapping member, which is not completely mounted in the interior of the air passage, in the interior of the air passage by an operation of moving the air passage from the second position to the first position.

Abstract: A recording-material-feeding device includes a stacking portion that holds a stack of recording materials, a lifting member that moves the stacking portion up and down between a feeding position at which a recording material is fed and a refilling position at which refill recording materials are supplied, a suction member that draws one or more recording materials by suction with a negative pressure, a negative-pressure-generating member that generates the negative pressure, and a stopping member that stops an edge of the stack of recording materials on the stacking portion and includes a sealing member that maintains the level of the negative pressure. The sealing member moves up and down between a retracted position at which refill recording materials are supplied and a sealing position at which the level of the negative pressure is maintained, the sealing member moving with the up-and-down movement of the stacking portion.

Abstract: A medium feeding device includes a loading member; a holding member that includes a movable holding-member body having a gas suction opening, and a suction device connected to the gas suction opening, the holding member being configured to attract and hold each of mediums on the loading member while the suction device performs suction; a holding-member-moving mechanism that moves the holding member between a suction position where the medium is attracted to the holding member and a feed position on a downstream side with respect to the suction position; a transport member that transports the medium held by the holding member at the feed position toward the downstream side; and a suction-force-changing mechanism that reduces a suction force after the medium is attracted to the holding member and before a trailing end of the medium attracted to the holding member passes over the gas suction opening.

Abstract: A recording-material-feeding device includes a stacking portion that holds a stack of recording materials, a lifting member that moves the stacking portion up and down between a feeding position at which a recording material is fed and a refilling position at which refill recording materials are supplied, a suction member that draws one or more recording materials by suction with a negative pressure, a negative-pressure-generating member that generates the negative pressure, and a stopping member that stops an edge of the stack of recording materials on the stacking portion and includes a sealing member that maintains the level of the negative pressure. The sealing member moves up and down between a retracted position at which refill recording materials are supplied and a sealing position at which the level of the negative pressure is maintained, the sealing member moving with the up-and-down movement of the stacking portion.

Abstract: A vehicle-mounted environment recognition apparatus including a simple pattern matching unit which extracts an object candidate from an image acquired from a vehicle-mounted image capturing apparatus by using a pattern shape stored in advance and outputs a position of the object candidate, an area change amount prediction unit which calculates a change amount prediction of the extracted object candidate on the basis of an object change amount prediction calculation method set differently for each area of a plurality of areas obtained by dividing the acquired image, detected vehicle behavior information, and an inputted position of the object candidate, and outputs a predicted position of an object, and a tracking unit which tracks the object on the basis of an inputted predicted position of the object.

Abstract: In a plasma processing method, a conductor of an electrostatic chuck (ESC) and an electrode are electrically grounded prior to starting the plasma processing. A DC voltage with a polarity is applied to the conductor at a first time point after loading a substrate on the electrode. Then, the electrode is switched from an electrically grounded state to an electrically floating state at a second time point. A RF power is then applied to the electrode at a third time point. The application of the RF power is stopped at a fourth time point after a specified time has lapsed from the third time point. Then, the electrode is switched from the electrically floating state to the electrically grounded state at a fifth time point. Thereafter, the application of the DC voltage is stopped and the conductor is restored to a ground potential at a sixth time point.

Abstract: An in-vehicle running-environment recognition apparatus including an input unit for inputting an image signal from in-vehicle imaging devices for photographing external environment of a vehicle, an image processing unit for detecting a first image area by processing the image signal, the first image area having a factor which prevents recognition of the external environment, an image determination unit for determining a second image area based on at least any one of size of the first image area, position thereof, and set-up positions of the in-vehicle imaging devices having the first image area, an environment recognition processing being performed in the second image area, the first image area being detected by the image processing unit, and an environment recognition unit for recognizing the external environment of the vehicle based on the second image area.

Abstract: There is provided a plasma etching method for forming a hole in a silicon oxide film formed on an etching stopper layer. The plasma etching method includes a main etching process for etching the silicon oxide film; and an etching process that is performed when at least a part of the etching stopper layer is exposed after the main etching process. The etching process includes a first etching process using a gaseous mixture of a C4F6 gas, an Ar gas and an O2 gas as the processing gas; and a second etching process using a gaseous mixture of a C4F8 gas, an Ar gas and an O2 gas or a gaseous mixture of a C3F8 gas, an Ar gas and an O2 gas as the processing gas. The first etching process and the second etching process are alternately performed plural times.

Abstract: An on-vehicle camera calibration apparatus includes: an on-vehicle camera; a camera parameter calculation unit configured to calculate camera parameters from a characteristic amount of a road surface sign photographed by the on-vehicle camera and recognized by an image processing and to output the camera parameters, wherein the camera parameters include an installation height and installation angle of the on-vehicle camera in photographing; and a camera parameter calibration unit configured to perform optical axis calibration control of the on-vehicle camera by the camera parameters output from the camera parameter calculation unit.

Abstract: A virtual vehicle which approaches to a monitor-side vehicle and a virtual background are defined in a camera image, and a region in which a virtual vehicle moves fast with respect to a virtual background is defined as a first region F1, and a region in which a virtual vehicle moves slowly with respect to a virtual background is defined as a second region F2. Then, the first region F1 and the second region F2 combined with an actual camera image. In the first region F1, in which the virtual vehicle moves fast, a monitored vehicle is detected by a movement aspect of feature portions in the region, and in the second region F2, in which the virtual vehicle moves slowly, a monitored vehicle is detected by pattern recognition.

Abstract: An in-vehicle running-environment recognition apparatus including an input unit for inputting an image signal from in-vehicle imaging devices for photographing external environment of a vehicle, an image processing unit for detecting a first image area by processing the image signal, the first image area having a factor which prevents recognition of the external environment, an image determination unit for determining a second image area based on at least any one of size of the first image area, position thereof, and set-up positions of the in-vehicle imaging devices having the first image area, an environment recognition processing being performed in the second image area, the first image area being detected by the image processing unit, and an environment recognition unit for recognizing the external environment of the vehicle based on the second image area.

Abstract: An image processing device of the present invention performs a task to execute an image processing This image processing device comprises a picture frame assigning unit that assigns an identification number to the image data to be collected by a picture collection device, an image capture requested picture of checking unit that checks whether the image data to which the identification number is assigned is identical with the image data that is requested by the task, an requested picture frame image collection notification unit that notifies the task of the image data having been collected which the task requests, if the image data to which the picture frame number is assigned is identical with the image data which the task requests, and an image capture requested picture frame receiving unit receives an image collection request from the task.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus capable of detecting, simultaneously and with high precision, headlights of oncoming cars, taillights of cars ahead, and pedestrians at night, the image processing apparatus comprising: means that obtains first exposure data at a first shutter speed; means that obtains second exposure data at a second shutter speed that is slower than the shutter speed; means that obtains third exposure data at a third shutter speed that is slower than the first shutter speed; means that converts the first exposure data into a visible grayscale image; means that outputs the visible grayscale image; means that converts the second exposure data into a color image; means that outputs the color image; means that converts the third exposure data into an infrared grayscale image; means that outputs the infrared grayscale image; means that detects a headlight based on the visible grayscale image; means that detects a taillight based on the color image; and means that detects a pedestrian based on an ima