Abstract: A facial direction detecting apparatus includes a nostril extracting unit for extracting the nostrils of a person from among multiple characteristic portions that are extracted by a characteristic portion extracting unit. The nostril extracting unit extracts the nostrils as the characteristic portion having a greatest amount of movement from among all of the multiple characteristic portions.

Abstract: If an iris or a pupil is detected as being positioned in a right area, a vehicle-mounted device identifier of a vehicle-mounted device identifying apparatus identifies a vehicle-mounted device group, which is disposed in an area that is on the right side of an area that is identified based on a facial direction detected by a facial direction detector. If the iris or the pupil is detected as being positioned in a left area, the vehicle-mounted device identifier identifies a vehicle-mounted device group, which is disposed in an area that is on the left side of an area that is identified based on the facial direction. If the iris or the pupil is detected as being positioned in a central area, the vehicle-mounted device identifier identifies a vehicle-mounted device group, which is disposed in an area that is identified based on the facial direction.

Abstract: An opening and closing apparatus of a manhole cover has a simple structure and by which opening and closing operation of a cover can be performed safely by a worker alone. An opening and closing apparatus of a manhole cover has such a configuration that the manhole cover is openably and closably coupled to an opening portion of a supporting frame via a rotational joining portion. A hydraulic jack in which a plunger pump is driven by a manual lever raises a ram and the ram lowers due to releasing of an oil returning valve attached on the supporting frame near the rotational joining portion such that the hydraulic jack is rotatable at a lower end portion thereof, and the hydraulic jack and an engagement member fixed attachably to and detachably from the manhole cover are coupled to each other by a pulling member.

Abstract: To provide a zirconia-based composite ceramic sintered compact capable of being colored to white appropriate for a dental prosthesis while maintaining its mechanical and physical properties, and also provide a method for producing the same. The method for producing the zirconia-based composite ceramic sintered compact includes semi-sintering a zirconia-alumina composite ceramic containing an alumina particle and a zirconia particle comprising of tetragonal zirconia containing ceria of 8 to 12 mol %, forming the composite ceramic; dipping the formed composite ceramic in a neodymium ion solution or complex solution; drying the dipped composite ceramic; and finally sintering it.

Abstract: To provide a dental implant abutment made of titanium, which is mounted on the intraoral side of a dental implant fixture embedded in a jawbone and coming to be an artificial tooth root, penetrates through gingiva, and comes to be a base of an upper structure. The dental implant abutment does not remarkably impair aesthetic property even when the intraoral portion of the dental implant abutment is seen through gingiva. The surface of the dental implant abutment made of titanium is colored to have the value of L* within a range from 40 to 44, the value of a* within a range from 21 to 40 and the value of b* within a range from ?20 to 10, which are represented by L*a*b* color system.

Abstract: Embodiments of a lamp having an internal fuse system are provided herein. In some embodiments, a lamp may include a transparent housing; a filament disposed in the housing, the filament having a main body disposed between a first end and a second end of the filament; a first conductor coupled to the filament at the first end of the filament; a first interceptor bar disposed in the housing and beneath the main body of the filament, wherein the first interceptor bar is coupled to the second end of the filament; a second conductor disposed proximate the first end of the filament and conductively coupled to the second end of the filament via the first interceptor bar, wherein the first interceptor bar is positioned such that an electrical short forms between the first and second conductors when the main body of the filament contacts the first interceptor bar.

Abstract: Microphones are provided at an air inlet of the engine and a vehicle-cabin-side wall surface of an engine room, and engine sounds are picked up. The engine sound is processed by a signal processing section, and the processed engine sound is output from a speaker provided in a vehicle cabin. The signal processing section is provided with a filter which simulates a sound insulation characteristic of the vehicle cabin and a transformation section for processing the engine sound according to driving condition. A spectrum transformation characteristic of the transformation section is determined according to values detected by a vehicle speed sensor, an engine speed sensor, and an accelerator depression sensor, and a spectrum of the engine sound is transformed by means of specification of the spectrum transformation characteristic, thereby enhancing an engine sound.

Abstract: An inattention determining device includes range changing unit and inattention determining unit. When a curve detection result is output from curve detector, the range changing unit changes a first predetermined range to a second predetermined range by the predetermined amount in the curve direction before a turning direction of an acquisition result is changed in the curve direction of the curve detection result. The inattention determining unit determines whether or not a driver is in an inattention state on the basis of the second predetermined range.

Abstract: There is provided a face image pick-up apparatus for a vehicle including an image pick-up unit installed in a vehicle having a steering wheel disposed in front of a driver's seat of a vehicle interior and a tilt mechanism adjusting a tilt angle with respect to a vertical direction of the steering wheel to image a face image of a driver seated on the driver's seat, wherein the image pick-up unit is disposed vertically above a central axis line of the steering wheel and vertically above the upper end of the steering wheel when the steering wheel is displaced to the upper limit position by the tilt mechanism, when viewing the steering wheel from the front.

Abstract: An inattention determination device includes a sight direction detecting unit that detects a sight direction of a driver, and an inattention determining unit that measures an inattention continuation time from a time point when the sight direction is a predetermined inattention direction to a time point when the sight direction deviates from the predetermined inattention direction and becomes a direction other than the inattention direction and determines that the driver is inattentive when the intention continuation time is equal to or more than a predetermined time. The inattention determining unit maintains measurement of the inattention continuation time when the sight direction is changed at a speed higher than a predetermined movement speed from the predetermined inattention direction to a direction other than the inattention direction or when the sight direction is momentarily a direction other than the inattention direction.

Abstract: An object such as a person is extracted from images captured by cameras (2R, 2L) to determine the degree of vertical symmetry of the object (step 33). In the case where the degree of vertical symmetry is determined to be high, the object is determined to be other than a living body (step 33a). In the case where the degree of vertical symmetry is determined to be low, the object is determined likely to be a living body (step 33b). In the case where determined likely to be a living body, the object is further determined to be a predetermined kind of living body (for example, a person) or not based on the image of the object (steps 34 and 35). This allows an extremely reliable and simple determination of whether the type of the object extracted from the image captured by the camera is a living body such as a person.

Abstract: An anti-drunk driving apparatus for a vehicle including: an alcohol drinking determination device which determines whether or not a first person seated in a driver's seat is drunk; a driving restriction device which restricts driving of the vehicle in a case where it is determined that the first person seated in the driver's seat is drunk by the alcohol drinking determination device; a driving intention presumption device which presumes whether or not a second person seated in the driver's seat has an intention to drive; a photograph device which photographs the faces of the first and second persons; and a person identification device which determines whether or not the first and second persons are the same by comparing their faces in images, wherein if it is determined that the first and the second persons are not the same, the driving restriction device restricts driving of the vehicle.

Abstract: When an occupant's sight line detected by sight line detector is directed to any one of multiple onboard units (a side mirror, a rear view mirror, a navigation system, an in-vehicle phone, an air blowout port, and a meter panel), a controller allows the onboard unit, to which the sight line is directed, to be operable. Thus, the occupant can select the onboard unit, which the occupant wishes to operate, by the sight line without using the hand and further can operate the onboard unit by use of a common steering switch, thereby enhancing the convenience of operation. In addition, a corresponding one of pilot lamps notifies the occupant that the corresponding one of the onboard units, to which the sight line is directed, is operable. Accordingly, the occupant can avoid operating a wrong onboard unit while reliably recognizing the operable onboard unit even if the multiple onboard units are arranged close to one another.

Abstract: Embodiments of a lamp having an internal fuse system are provided herein. In some embodiments, a lamp may include a transparent housing; a filament disposed in the housing, the filament having a main body disposed between a first end and a second end of the filament; a first conductor coupled to the filament at the first end of the filament; a first interceptor bar disposed in the housing and beneath the main body of the filament, wherein the first interceptor bar is coupled to the second end of the filament; a second conductor disposed proximate the first end of the filament and conductively coupled to the second end of the filament via the first interceptor bar, wherein the first interceptor bar is positioned such that an electrical short forms between the first and second conductors when the main body of the filament contacts the first interceptor bar.

Abstract: A sight line vector detecting method includes: emitting LED light beams from LED light sources arranged on both sides of a camera to an eye; photographing the eye by the camera; acquiring a plane which includes one light source position of the LED light sources, a lens center position of the camera, and a spatial position on a photographed image as to one luminescent spot on a cornea spherical surface, and another plane which includes the other light source position, the lens center position of the camera, and a spatial position on the photographed image as to the other luminescent spot on the cornea spherical surface; acquiring a line of intersection between the two planes; acquiring a center of a cornea ball which is on the intersection line and satisfies a predetermined condition; and acquiring a center of a pupil.

Abstract: In a sight line vector detecting system comprising: an infrared light source for illuminating either an eye or a face; a camera for photographing either the eye or the face; and a computer for processing photographed image data of said camera so as to calculate a sight line vector, the computer includes an image processing unit for detecting the true luminance point and the center of the pupil from the photographed image data; and a calculating unit for calculating the sight line vector; and the image processing unit performs such a processing operation that the image processing unit determines a luminance point capable of satisfying a predetermined requirement as the true luminance point among luminance points having the pupils at near places, calculates a center of the pupils, and further, calculates a center of a cornea ball.

Abstract: An absorbent article 1 includes an absorbent body 3 and an outer cover 2. The outer cover 2 has a front section A, crotch section C, and a rear section B and includes an outer sheet 21, an inner sheet 22, and elastic members 23. The outer cover 2 has a below-waist gather formed of a composite stretch panel in its below-waist portion D. The composite stretch panel has the outer and inner sheets 21, 22 bonded at bonds discretely arranged in the stretch direction thereof and the direction perpendicular thereto. The elastic members 23 extend not to pass the bonds without being fixed to the outer and inner sheets 21, 22 at other than their both ends. The outer and inner sheets 21, 22 form folds continuously extending over a plurality of the elastic members 23. The waist portion F of the outer cover 2 has a lower extension percentage in its laterally middle part than in the other parts on both sides of the middle part.

Abstract: A reflector system of a fast reactor according to the present invention comprises a reflector having a neutron reflecting portion reflecting a neutron radiated from a reactor core, and a cavity portion provided above the neutron reflecting portion and having a lower neutron reflecting capacity than a coolant, and a reflector drive apparatus coupled to the reflector and moving the reflector in a vertical direction. The reflector drive apparatus has a driving portion which is coupled to the reflector via a drive shaft, and drives the reflector up and down, and a load sensing portion which is provided between the driving portion and the drive shaft, and senses a load of the reflector. A detecting portion receiving a load signal from the load sensing portion so as to detect a breakage of the cavity portion of the reflector is connected to the load sensing portion.

Abstract: A line of sight detection apparatus includes: a line of sight detection device which detects the line of sight of an occupant; an operation detection device which detects the operation of on-board equipment by the occupant; and a calibration device which calibrates a detection value of the line of sight detection device based on the operation of the on-board equipment by the occupant which is detected by the operation detection device and position data of the on-board equipment.

Abstract: An opening and closing apparatus of a manhole cover has a simple structure and by which opening and closing operation of a cover can be performed safely by a worker alone. An opening and closing apparatus of a manhole cover has such a configuration that the manhole cover is openably and closably coupled to an opening portion of a supporting frame via a rotational joining portion. A hydraulic jack in which a plunger pump is driven by a manual lever raises a ram and the ram lowers due to releasing of an oil returning valve attached on the supporting frame near the rotational joining portion such that the hydraulic jack is rotatable at a lower end portion thereof, and the hydraulic jack and an engagement member fixed attachably to and detachably from the manhole cover are coupled to each other by a pulling member.