Abstract: A developing device includes a developing roller, a conveyor roller, a developer stirring unit and a development bias applying unit. The developing roller is arranged to face a photoconductive drum at a predetermined developing position and supplies the toner. The conveyor roller is arranged to face the developing roller at a predetermined facing position and supplies the developer to the developing roller. The development bias applying unit applies development biases to the first sleeve of the developing roller and the second sleeve of the conveyor roller during a developing operation of developing the electrostatic latent image on the photoconductive drum with the toner. The development bias applying unit applies the development biases such that a shifting electric field to move the toner on the first sleeve of the developing roller toward the second sleeve of the conveyor roller is formed at the facing position during the developing operation.

Abstract: A roadside object detection apparatus to detect a roadside object by analyzing images, detecting height information of an object in the images in a neighboring region having a distance less than or equal to a threshold from a vehicle, detecting a change of a height of a road surface due to the roadside object from the height information in the neighboring region, determining positions having the change of the height detected as characteristic points of the roadside object, extrapolating the characteristic points into a far-off region having a distance greater than or equal to the threshold from the vehicle, based on a road model, setting a search range for the roadside object in the far-off region based on a virtual line that is obtained by the characteristic points being extrapolated by the characteristic point extrapolation unit, and detecting the roadside object in the far-off region based on the search range.

Abstract: A lane recognition apparatus includes a lane recognizer, a lane evaluator, and a recognition state monitor. The lane recognizer recognizes lane lines of a road on which a vehicle travels. The lane lines include a first lane line and a second lane line. The lane evaluator evaluates, as recognition reliability, reliability of the recognition of the lane lines recognized by the lane recognizer, based on a plurality of characteristic amounts that are obtained from the recognition of the lane lines. The recognition state monitor monitors, upon completion of the recognition of the first lane line following the evaluation on the recognition reliability, a state of the recognition of the second lane line to adjust a timing at which a result of the recognition of the lane lines is provided to a driver.

Abstract: A steering assistant includes a lane width setting unit and a determination unit. The lane width setting unit provides setting of a lane width between lane lines on right and left sides of an own vehicle. The determination unit monitors a lane line state to determine how the lane line state has transited, in which the lane line state involves presence or absence of the lane lines on the right and left sides of the own vehicle. The lane width setting unit provides the setting of the lane width, with a virtual lane line assumed on side on which the lane line is missing, when it is determined that the lane line state has transited to a state in which the lane line is provided on either one of the right and left sides of the own vehicle.

Abstract: An apparatus and method provide logic for processing information. In one implementation, an apparatus includes a receiving unit configured to receive a selection of displayed content from a user. An obtaining unit is configured to obtain data corresponding to the selection. The data includes text data. An identification unit is configured to identify a keyword within the text data, and a storage unit is configured to store the keyword in a keyword database.

Abstract: There is provided an information processing apparatus to allow a user to use a device network by a natural and simple operation by automatically selecting a device for providing a response to a request, the information processing apparatus including: a request acquiring part configured to acquire a request to a system; a response determining part configured to determine a response to the request; a device selecting part configured to select, on the basis of at least an attribute of the response, a device that provides the response among devices included in the system; and a device controller configured to perform control that causes the selected device to provide the response.

Abstract: A driving assistant for vehicles provides lane change assistance, and includes a proposed lane change section setting unit and a lane change determination unit. The proposed lane change section setting unit provides setting of a proposed lane change section that is a proposed section where an own vehicle enters an adjacent lane, based on relative speeds and relative positions of the own vehicle to respective ones of a plurality of parallel-travelling vehicles on the adjacent lane. The lane change determination unit determines whether or not the own vehicle is allowed to enter the proposed lane change section, based on a moving speed of the proposed lane change section and a speed of the own vehicle.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, a developer carrier, a bias applying section, a leakage detecting section, and a bias controlling section. The developer carrier carries developer in the form of a layer of magnetized filaments to supply toner to the image carrier. The bias applying section applies to the developer carrier a development bias including a direct current voltage VmagDC and an alternating current voltage VmagAC superposed on each other. The leakage detecting section causes a discharge between the image carrier and the developer carrier and detects a leakage voltage when the discharge occurs. The leakage detecting section performs the leakage voltage detection in a blank region of the image carrier bearing no electrostatic latent image. The bias controlling section determines an alternating current voltage VmagAC according to a detected leakage voltage, and a frequency of the alternating current voltage VmagAC according to the voltage VmagAC.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a selection unit selecting at least a part of a text included in contents, an acquisition unit acquiring a processing result of natural language processing for the part of the text selected by the selection unit, a specifying unit specifying a predetermined part of the text based on the processing result acquired by the acquisition unit, a detection unit detecting a keyword from the predetermined part of the text based on the processing result acquired by the acquisition unit, a tag generation unit automatically generating a tag in accordance with the keyword detected by the detection unit, and an association unit associating the tag generated by the tag generation unit with the predetermined part of the text.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developer carrying body, a layer thickness limiting portion, and a rotation control portion. The layer thickness limiting portion includes a base body and a flexible member. The base body protrudes toward a part at a third position between a first position and a second position on the outer circumferential surface of the developer carrying body. The flexible member is a sheet-like member having flexibility, and is attached to the base body such that the flexible member covers, via a gap, a range of the base body from a front end surface facing the developer carrying body to an upper surface, and a bent portion covering a boundary portion between the front end surface and the upper surface of the base body is closer to the outer circumferential surface of the developer carrying body than the other part is.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a selection unit selecting at least a part of a text included in contents, an acquisition unit acquiring a processing result of natural language processing for the part of the text selected by the selection unit, a specifying unit specifying a predetermined part of the text based on the processing result acquired by the acquisition unit, a detection unit detecting a keyword from the predetermined part of the text based on the processing result acquired by the acquisition unit, a tag generation unit automatically generating a tag in accordance with the keyword detected by the detection unit, and an association unit associating the tag generated by the tag generation unit with the predetermined part of the text.

Abstract: An apparatus and method provide logic for processing information. In one implementation, an apparatus includes a receiving unit configured to receive a selection of displayed content from a user. An obtaining unit is configured to obtain data corresponding to the selection. The data includes text data. An identification unit is configured to identify a keyword within the text data, and a control unit configured to generate a signal to highlight the keyword within the displayed content.

Abstract: A developing device 43 includes a first rotation control portion and a second rotation control portion. When a developing process is performed, the first rotation control portion causes a developer carrying member to rotate in a first rotation direction at a first rotation speed previously determined. When the developing process is not performed, the second rotation control portion causes the developer carrying member to rotate at a second rotation speed V2 faster than a rotation speed V1 during the developing process in a direction X2 reverse to a development rotation direction X1, and then, causes the developer carrying member to rotate at a third rotation speed V3 slower than the second rotation speed V2 in the direction X2.

Abstract: A complex marking determining device includes a brightness state calculating portion configured to calculate a lane marking representative value indicative of a brightness state of a plurality of pixels that make up a lane marking display region, and calculate a road surface representative value indicative of a brightness state of a plurality of pixels that make up the road surface display region; and a complex marking determining portion configured to determine that the lane marking is a complex marking at least when a degree of deviation between the lane marking representative value and the road surface representative value is equal to or greater than a first threshold value.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developer carrying body, a layer thickness limiting portion, and a rotation control portion. The layer thickness limiting portion includes a base body and a flexible member. The base body protrudes toward a part at a third position between a first position and a second position on the outer circumferential surface of the developer carrying body. The flexible member is a sheet-like member having flexibility, and is attached to the base body such that the flexible member covers, via a gap, a range of the base body from a front end surface facing the developer carrying body to an upper surface, and a bent portion covering a boundary portion between the front end surface and the upper surface of the base body is closer to the outer circumferential surface of the developer carrying body than the other part is.

Abstract: A developing device 43 includes a first rotation control portion and a second rotation control portion. When a developing process is performed, the first rotation control portion causes a developer carrying member to rotate in a first rotation direction at a first rotation speed previously determined. When the developing process is not performed, the second rotation control portion causes the developer carrying member to rotate at a second rotation speed V2 faster than a rotation speed V1 during the developing process in a direction X2 reverse to a development rotation direction X1, and then, causes the developer carrying member to rotate at a third rotation speed V3 slower than the second rotation speed V2 in the direction X2.

Abstract: A development execution control portion executes a development process by causing an intermediate lateral conveyance portion and a developing portion to operate. A developer replenishment control portion causes a developer replenishment portion to operate when a detection result of a developer amount sensor satisfies a predetermined shortage condition. A post-development processing control portion causes the intermediate lateral conveyance portion and the developing portion to operate continuously from and after a development process and then stop.

Abstract: A developing device includes a housing, a development roller, and a roller gear. The roller gear is disposed at one axial end of the development roller and transmits a rotational drive force to the development roller. The development roller includes a sleeve and a coating layer. The coating layer is formed by dipping the sleeve in a dipping bath with the sleeve directed axially vertically. The development roller is mounted to the housing such that a lower axial end of the development roller at the time of the dipping is an opposite axial end to the one axial end at which the roller gear is disposed.

Abstract: A developing roller includes a roller main body disposed to face, without contact, an outer circumferential surface of an image carrier. In the roller main body, a boehmite layer has been formed on an outer circumferential surface of a base body that is made of a metal including aluminum, by a surface treatment by a boehmite method, and a resin coat layer has been formed on a surface of the boehmite layer, the resin coat layer being made of a resin material having electric conductivity.

Abstract: A development execution control portion executes a development process by causing an intermediate lateral conveyance portion and a developing portion to operate. A developer replenishment control portion causes a developer replenishment portion to operate when a detection result of a developer amount sensor satisfies a predetermined shortage condition. A post-development processing control portion causes the intermediate lateral conveyance portion and the developing portion to operate continuously from and after a development process and then stop.