Abstract: In optimum number of teeth setting method for a helical gear pair and the helical gear pair manufactured on the basis of the set optimum number of teeth of each helical gear of the helical gear pair, a sound pressure level of a gear sound is compared with the sound pressure level of an audible limit with respect to a meshing frequency of the helical gear pair at a predetermined vehicle speed of an automotive vehicle in which the helical gear pair is mounted to select a frequency region in which the calculated sound pressure of the gear sound is relatively low to the sound pressure level of the audible limit, and number of teeth of each helical gear of the helical gear pair corresponding to the selected frequency region is set to an optimum number of teeth of each helical gear of the helical gear pair.

Abstract: In order to generate a three-dimensional shape model corresponding to a two-dimensional image easily, a data processing apparatus includes a three-dimensional shape generating section and a texture image generating section generating a three-dimensional shape and a texture image, respectively, upon application of a model parameter, a two-dimensional image input section receiving an input two-dimensional image, a modulating section for modulating the input two-dimensional image to the three-dimensional shape, and a parameter transforming section calculating a parameter of the modulated two-dimensional image and applying the calculated parameter to the three-dimensional shape generating section and to the texture image generating section.

Abstract: An apparatus for detecting a person or the like from an image extracts candidates, which are considered to human body regions, from the image. Region likelihood probabilities of the respective candidates are obtained, and a human body likelihood of a collection of the candidates is probabilistically calculated using the region likelihood probabilities and correlations among the candidates. It is thereby possible to detect the person robustly against occlusion or change in photographic environment without increasing calculation cost.

Abstract: An object detection apparatus is provided that detects a target object correctly without decreasing a process speed so much even if there is a change in a shooting environment. The human body detection apparatus for detecting a human body in an image includes an image input portion for entering an image taken by a camera, a plurality of plane generation portions for detecting features of the image by using different methods, a section for obtaining conditions about shooting by the camera, a section for calculating reliability values of features detected by the plane generation portions in the case of the obtained condition, and a detection process portion for detecting a human body in the shot image in accordance with features detected from the shot image detected by one or more of the plane generation portions and reliability values of the features.

Abstract: The present invention provides an object measuring apparatus capable of performing high-speed process and accurately counting the number of a plurality of objects even in the case where the plurality of objects pass a boundary line simultaneously. The object measuring apparatus extracts motion vectors at a plurality of times in each of a plurality of positions on a boundary line on the basis of a plurality of images. The object measuring apparatus obtains at least one integral value by integrating components perpendicular to the boundary line of the motion vectors. As the at least one integral value, for example, an integral value derived by integrating the perpendicular components of one of positive and negative signs is obtained. The object measuring apparatus calculates the number of moving objects (people and the like) passing the boundary line on the basis of the integral value.

Abstract: In optimum number of teeth setting method for a helical gear pair and the helical gear pair manufactured on the basis of the set optimum number of teeth of each helical gear of the helical gear pair, a sound pressure level of a gear sound is compared with the sound pressure level of an audible limit with respect to a meshing frequency of the helical gear pair at a predetermined vehicle speed of an automotive vehicle in which the helical gear pair is mounted to select a frequency region in which the calculated sound pressure of the gear sound is relatively low to the sound pressure level of the audible limit, and number of teeth of each helical gear of the helical gear pair corresponding to the selected frequency region is set to an optimum number of teeth of each helical gear of the helical gear pair.

Abstract: An image of which restoration degree is determined based on the difference between each pixel and a neighboring pixel of the pixel in a light receiving element array 101 is divided into a plurality of areas based on the determined restoration degree, and the areas of the image are each restored in accordance with the determined restoration degree. By doing this, not only ringing and noise enhancement can effectively be suppressed but also the border between the areas which is conspicuous when the image is divided into two kinds of areas becomes less conspicuous, so that a natural restored image can be obtained.

Abstract: The present invention provides an authentication apparatus comprising a first acquiring part for acquiring three-dimensional information of a first object to be authenticated, a second acquiring part for acquiring two-dimensional information of the first object and an authenticating part for performing an authenticating operation on the first object by using the three-dimensional information and the two-dimensional information.

Abstract: An authentication apparatus comprises a first acquiring part for acquiring three-dimensional shape information of a face of a target person to be authenticated, a compressing part for compressing said three-dimensional shape information by using a predetermined mapping relation, thereby generating three-dimensional shape feature information, and an authenticating part for performing an operation of authenticating said target person by using said three-dimensional shape feature information.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to provide an eye opening degree estimating apparatus capable of properly estimating the opening degree of an eye. In an eye opening degree estimating apparatus, a search axis used for estimating the eye opening degree is set in an eye region image. By integrating luminance values of the eye region image in positions in the direction of the search axis along the direction perpendicular to the search axis, a vertical-direction integral projection histogram is generated. On the basis of a feature amount of at least one of the vertical-direction integral projection histogram in a position in the direction of the search axis in which the vertical-direction integral projection histogram has an extreme value and the eye region image, the opening degree of an eye included in the eye region image is estimated.

Abstract: The transposed filter of the image degrading filter is calculated, and a residual gradient image is calculated by the convolution operation of the transposed filter and a residual image obtained from the image degrading filter, the estimated restored image and the degraded image. Then, a modified image of the estimated image is calculated from the residual gradient image, and the estimated image is modified and updated based on the modified image. Consequently, even when the degradation function is one that can be expressed as a complicated helical filter, the memory consumption is small and the calculation time is short compared to a method depending on a large matrix and an inverse matrix.

Abstract: In order to eliminate influence due to difference in the image pickup condition from an input image, an image processing apparatus includes a landmark point data input unit to input coordinates of a landmark point of a face image input through an image input unit and the grey-level value of texture of a face image, an inclination amount input unit to input an inclination amount of a face image in the depth direction, and an image space formation unit forming an image space by carrying out principal component analysis on a plurality of landmark point data and a plurality of inclination amounts with respect to a plurality of the input face images.

Abstract: An object detection apparatus is provided that detects a target object correctly without decreasing a process speed so much even if there is a change in a shooting environment. The human body detection apparatus for detecting a human body in an image includes an image input portion for entering an image taken by a camera, a plurality of plane generation portions for detecting features of the image by using different methods, a section for obtaining conditions about shooting by the camera, a section for calculating reliability values of features detected by the plane generation portions in the case of the obtained condition, and a detection process portion for detecting a human body in the shot image in accordance with features detected from the shot image detected by one or more of the plane generation portions and reliability values of the features.

Abstract: The present invention provides an object measuring apparatus capable of performing high-speed process and accurately counting the number of a plurality of objects even in the case where the plurality of objects pass a boundary line simultaneously. The object measuring apparatus extracts motion vectors at a plurality of times in each of a plurality of positions on a boundary line on the basis of a plurality of images. The object measuring apparatus obtains at least one integral value by integrating components perpendicular to the boundary line of the motion vectors. As the at least one integral value, for example, an integral value derived by integrating the perpendicular components of one of positive and negative signs is obtained. The object measuring apparatus calculates the number of moving objects (people and the like) passing the boundary line on the basis of the integral value.

Abstract: The present invention provides a monitoring system capable of performing monitoring operation more efficiently. The monitoring system has a plurality of cameras. In the monitoring system, on the basis of an image captured by at least one of the cameras, a plurality of persons included in the captured image is detected, and detection information of the plurality of persons is obtained. On the basis of the detection information, the image capturing condition of at least one camera is changed. For example, when the number of persons detected is larger than a predetermined value, the image capturing region of at least one camera is changed.

Abstract: An apparatus for detecting a person or the like from an image extracts candidates, which are considered to human body regions, from the image. Region likelihood probabilities of the respective candidates are obtained, and a human body likelihood of a collection of the candidates is probabilistically calculated using the region likelihood probabilities and correlations among the candidates. It is thereby possible to detect the person robustly against occlusion or change in photographic environment without increasing calculation cost.

Abstract: An image of which restoration degree is determined based on the difference between each pixel and a neighboring pixel of the pixel in a light receiving element array 101 is divided into a plurality of areas based on the determined restoration degree, and the areas of the image are each restored in accordance with the determined restoration degree. By doing this, not only ringing and noise enhancement can effectively be suppressed but also the border between the areas which is conspicuous when the image is divided into two kinds of areas becomes less conspicuous, so that a natural restored image can be obtained.

Abstract: The transposed filter of the image degrading filter is calculated, and a residual gradient image is calculated by the convolution operation of the transposed filter and a residual image obtained from the image degrading filter, the estimated restored image and the degraded image. Then, a modified image of the estimated image is calculated from the residual gradient image, and the estimated image is modified and updated based on the modified image. Consequently, even when the degradation function is one that can be expressed as a complicated helical filter, the memory consumption is small and the calculation time is short compared to a method depending on a large matrix and an inverse matrix.

Abstract: In order to generate a three-dimensional shape model corresponding to a two-dimensional image easily, a data processing apparatus includes a three-dimensional shape generating section and a texture image generating section generating a three-dimensional shape and a texture image, respectively, upon application of a model parameter, a two-dimensional image input section receiving an input two-dimensional image, a modulating section for modulating the input two-dimensional image to the three-dimensional shape, and a parameter transforming section calculating a parameter of the modulated two-dimensional image and applying the calculated parameter to the three-dimensional shape generating section and to the texture image generating section.

Abstract: A digital camera acquires information about an optical system such as the arrangement of lenses in image capture, an aperture value, and the like to obtain a degradation function indicating a degradation characteristic of an image relative to the optical system. An image obtained is restored by using the degradation function. An area to be restored may be a whole or part of the image. Alternatively, the area to be restored may be reset and restored again on the basis of a restored image. The degradation function can also be obtained on the basis of subject movements in a plurality of continuously captured images. This enables proper image restoration without the use of a sensor for detecting a shake of an image capturing device.