Abstract: A piston for an internal combustion engine includes a piston main body for the internal combustion engine, and a crosshatched groove being formed on a surface of the piston main body. The crosshatched groove includes a crosshatch angle that corresponds to a crossing angle of lines that configure a crosshatch, the crosshatch angle that is set at a range from equal to or greater than 15 degrees to equal to or less than 35 degrees.

Abstract: To provide a high-reliable transfer mold type sensor device in which a combined sensor including a plurality of sensors having a function of detecting physical amounts, a substrate processing a signal from the combined sensor and controlling a signal input/output with an external device, a chip pad mounted with the combined sensor and the substrate, and a lead frame are sealed with a mold resin and a package is formed, the combined sensor is configured to be thicker than the substrate and the chip pad, a principal surface side of the combined sensor is covered with the mold resin and a back surface side thereof contacts the substrate by a joint material, and the combined sensor is arranged on a package neutral surface in a cross-section of a thickness direction of the package including the combined sensor, the substrate, and the chip pad.

Abstract: An image capturing apparatus includes a temporary image accumulating unit in which still images are stored, the still images being captured automatically and continuously regardless of an instruction of a user; an image capturing timing data storage unit in which image capturing timing data is stored, the image capturing timing data including speech information based on sound data and delay time information which are associated with each other; an image capturing timing data specifying unit specifying image capturing timing data containing speech information corresponding to the sound data from the plurality of image capturing timing data; a sound event detecting unit detecting a sound event from the sound data; and a temporary image selecting unit selecting the still image captured at a time before the sound event from the temporary image accumulating unit based on the sound event and the delay time of the specified image capturing timing data.

Abstract: A sliding component for an internal combustion engine includes: a sliding component main body that includes a plurality of concave portions formed in a predetermined portion thereof; and a coating layer that covers a portion of the sliding component main body, in which the plurality of concave portions are not formed.

Abstract: A mechanical component for an internal combustion engine includes a mechanical component body made of one of aluminum and aluminum alloy and used for the internal combustion engine, a nickel plating layer formed to cover a surface of a predetermined portion of the mechanical component body, and a reforming layer formed between the surface of the predetermined portion of the mechanical component body and the nickel plating layer.

Abstract: An image capturing apparatus includes a temporary image accumulating unit in which still images are stored, the still images being captured automatically and continuously regardless of an instruction of a user; an image capturing timing data storage unit in which image capturing timing data is stored, the image capturing timing data including speech information based on sound data and delay time information which are associated with each other; an image capturing timing data specifying unit specifying image capturing timing data containing speech information corresponding to the sound data from the plurality of image capturing timing data; a sound event detecting unit detecting a sound event from the sound data; and a temporary image selecting unit selecting the still image captured at a time before the sound event from the temporary image accumulating unit based on the sound event and the delay time of the specified image capturing timing data.

Abstract: An interchangeable lens mountable to a camera body, includes a focus lens operable to adjust a focus state of a subject, a driver operable to drive the focus lens by repeatedly performing slight advancing and retreating of the focus lens along an optical axis, a lens-side obtaining unit operable to obtain a control signal for driving the driver from the camera body, and a lens-side transmission unit operable to transmit, to the camera body, information about a direction of slight advancing and retreating operations of the focus lens.

Abstract: When it is determined that sound data is unrecognizable through a speech recognition process by a first speech recognition unit (3), the same sound data as the sound data inputted to the first speech recognition unit (3) is transmitted to a second server device (60) and a first server device (70). Recognition data is generated which is formed of a character string that is a speech recognition result by the second server device (60) with respect to the sound data, and an acoustic model identifier series generated by a first acoustic model identifier series generation unit (27) of the first server (70) based on the sound data, and the generated recognition data is registered in a first recognition dictionary (3b) of the first speech recognition unit (3).

Abstract: The imaging device of the present invention includes an image generator that generates an electric image from optical information inputted thereto; an operation portion that receives an instruction for a shooting preparation operation or a shooting operation from a user; a scene discriminator that discriminates a shooting scene on the basis of the image generated by the image generator and a picture quality adjuster that adjusts the picture quality of the image generated by the image generator on the basis of a result of discrimination performed by the scene discriminator. Due to this configuration, it is possible to discriminate an optimum shooting scene on the basis of an image to be captured, and consequently the operability can be improved.

Abstract: An interchangeable lens has a zoom lens, a zoom driver operable to drive the zoom lens along an optical axis, a focus lens, a focus driver operable to drive the focus lens along the optical axis, and a storage unit operable to store link information which links position information indicating a position of the zoom lens on the optical axis with information about a variation in magnification caused by the focus lens advancing and retreating on the optical axis with the zoom lens located at the position indicated by the position information.

Abstract: An interchangeable lens has a zoom lens, a zoom driver operable to drive the zoom lens along an optical axis, a focus lens, a focus driver operable to drive the focus lens along the optical axis, and a storage unit operable to store link information which links position information indicating a position of the zoom lens on the optical axis with information about a variation in magnification caused by the focus lens advancing and retreating on the optical axis with the zoom lens located at the position indicated by the position information.

Abstract: To provide a system for producing safe and high nutrition vegetables at low cost. A plant cultivation system for cultivating a plant on a nonporous hydrophilic film, which comprises a nonporous hydrophilic film and a feeding means for supplying water or a nutrient fluid to the lower surface of the film in the absence of a hydroponic tank for accommodating water or a nutrient fluid and cultivating a plant therein. As the feeding means, use is made of a water absorbing material which is in contact with the film and which is disposed between the film and a water impermeable material. A system for producing safe and high nutrition vegetables at low cost can be obtained by disposing the water impermeable material directly on ground soil, whereupon the water absorbing material and an irrigation tube are disposed, followed by disposing the film thereon.

Abstract: An image capture device that can cut down power dissipation to a certain degree while carrying out an image stabilizing operation to a certain degree at any zoom power is provided. An image capture device that can change zoom powers includes: an optical system for producing a subject's image; an imager for capturing the subject's image that has been produced by the optical system; a compensation section for stabilizing the subject's image on the imager; and a control section for choosing one of multiple control modes according to the zoom power and controlling the compensation section in the control mode chosen. At least one of the control modes is defined so that the control section instructs the compensation section to stabilize the subject's image during a still picture shooting period and not to stabilize the subject's image during a non-shooting interval other than the still picture shooting period.

Abstract: A device having a shape capable of receiving the plant body to be cultivated. As at least a portion of the device, a film which can substantially be integrated with the root of the plant body is disposed. Such a structure can provide a plant-cultivating device, a plant-film integrate, and a plant-cultivating method which can preferably attain both of the supply of oxygen and the supply of water and a fertilizer component to the root of the plant body.

Abstract: An interchangeable lens has a zoom lens, a zoom driver operable to drive the zoom lens along an optical axis, a focus lens, a focus driver operable to drive the focus lens along the optical axis, and a storage unit operable to store link information which links position information indicating a position of the zoom lens on the optical axis with information about a variation in magnification caused by the focus lens advancing and retreating on the optical axis with the zoom lens located at the position indicated by the position information.

Abstract: An interchangeable lens mountable to a camera body, includes a focus lens operable to adjust a focus state of a subject, a driver operable to drive the focus lens by repeatedly performing slight advancing and retreating of the focus lens along an optical axis, a lens-side obtaining unit operable to obtain a control signal for driving the driver from the camera body, and a lens-side transmission unit operable to transmit, to the camera body, information about a direction of slight advancing and retreating operations of the focus lens.

Abstract: The imaging device of the present invention includes an image generator that generates an electric image from optical information inputted thereto; an operation portion that receives an instruction for a shooting preparation operation or a shooting operation from a user; a scene discriminator that discriminates a shooting scene on the basis of the image generated by the image generator and a picture quality adjuster that adjusts the picture quality of the image generated by the image generator on the basis of a result of discrimination performed by the scene discriminator. Due to this configuration, it is possible to discriminate an optimum shooting scene on the basis of an image to be captured, and consequently the operability can be improved.

Abstract: [Problems] To provide a system for producing safe and high nutrition vegetables at low cost. [Means to solve the problems] A plant cultivation system for cultivating a plant on a nonporous hydrophilic film, which comprises a nonporous hydrophilic film and a feeding means for supplying water or a nutrient fluid to the lower surface of the film in the absence of a hydroponic tank for accommodating water or a nutrient fluid and cultivating a plant therein. As the feeding means, use is made of a water absorbing material which is in contact with the film and which is disposed between the film and a water impermeable material. A system for producing safe and high nutrition vegetables at low cost can be obtained by disposing the water impermeable material directly on ground soil, whereupon the water absorbing material and an irrigation tube are disposed, followed by disposing the film thereon.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes an imaging unit operable to output an image signal of a subject, an amplifier unit operable to amplify the image signal output by the imaging unit, a gain adjusting unit operable to adjust a gain of the amplifier unit, and a frame rate adjusting unit operable to set a read frame rate of the imaging unit for a normal operation period to a first frame rate, and set the read frame rate for a focus operation period to a second frame rate which is larger than the first frame rate. When the frame rate adjusting unit changes the read frame rate of the imaging unit from the first frame rate to the second frame rate, the gain adjusting unit adjusts the gain of the amplifier unit so that a substantially equivalent exposure amount is maintained before and after the change in the read frame rate.

Abstract: In a multi-cylinder engine, to compute the air-fuel ratio of each cylinder by an air-fuel ratio sensor disposed in an exhaust pipe, a cylinder is determined by a crank angle detected by a crank angle sensor. A deviation in the air-fuel ratio of each cylinder is detected on the basis of the output signal of the air-fuel ratio sensor disposed in the exhaust pipe and the forcibly changed quantity of the air-fuel ratio.