Abstract: In a fuel cell stack, gas channels and heat medium channels are disposed on one surface and the other surface of one plate, respectively. Gas channels are disposed on the other plate such that they face the gas channels in the one plate. A gas inlet header is disposed at the upper part of the gas channel in the plate and a heat medium inlet header is disposed at the upper part of the heat medium channels such that they face the gas inlet header on the other side. Cooling water as a heat medium is supplied from a heat medium supply manifold hole to a heat medium inlet header. Water vapor in the reaction gas (wet fuel gas) is prevented from being condensed in the inlet area of the gas channels by heating the gas inlet header by heat conduction.

Abstract: A digital camera 1 captures at least photographic subjects intended to be positioned on the left and right ends of a group photograph (temporary imaging), and prompts a user to designate the photographic subjects intended to be positioned on the left and right ends. Next, the digital camera 1, which has been placed on a suitable surface (such as on a desk), moves the optical zoom further to the wide-angle side than during the temporary imaging, and performs actual imaging when the self-timer reaches time up. Then, the digital camera 1 identifies the photographic subjects designated by the temporary imaging within the actually captured image, and after determining the left, right, upper, and lower ends of a clipping area such that the identified photographic subjects are included, clips an image of the determined clipping area as a final image.

Abstract: A processing apparatus for processing a sheet member used in manufacturing of an absorbent article includes: a rotating roller that rotates with both ends thereof in an axial direction being supported; a sheet-placing portion having a sheet-placing surface on which the sheet member is placed; and a processing portion and a protuberance that are included on a peripheral surface of the rotating roller. The sheet member is processed by being pinched between the sheet-placing surface and the processing portion. The processing portion is located at a side where one end of the rotating roller is positioned with respect to a center of the rotating roller in the axial direction of the rotating roller. The protuberance is located at an other side where an other end of the rotating roller is positioned with respect to the center in the axial direction.

Abstract: An apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent article having a first material and a second material includes (A) a holding body that includes a holding surface and that holds the first material with the holding surface and (B) a transfer section that transfers the first material to the second material by moving the holding body, that is holding the first material, to the second material. (C) The first material has a first portion and a second portion, the second portion having a thickness greater than that of the first portion in a thickness direction of the first material. (D) The holding surface has a first region and a second region, the second region being located at a position that is more recessed to an inner side than the first region in a height direction of the holding body. (E) The holding body holds the first material by causing the first portion to be held by suction on the first region and causing the second portion to be held by suction on the second region.

Abstract: In an image pickup apparatus 1, reference image data is generated from plural pieces of image data and further, at least two pieces of arbitrary image data are selected from among the plural pieces of image data. A first difference calculating unit 71 calculates differences between the selected pieces of image data for two adjacent pixels. A second difference calculating unit 72 calculates differences in pixel values of the selected pieces of image data from the reference image data. A cost function is set, having variables of the differences calculated by the first difference calculating unit and the differences calculated by the second difference calculating unit. A boundary setting unit 74 sets boundaries respectively in the selected pieces of image data so as to minimize the cost function. The selected pieces of image data are combined together in accordance with the boundaries set by the boundary setting unit.

Abstract: In a digital camera, when a photographer holds the digital camera and decides an imaging area (the area currently being captured by live-view), a CPU performs a first imaging processing (temporary imaging). Next, when the photographer sets the digital camera on a suitable surface (such as a desk), and moves into the imaging area, the CPU moves the optical zoom further to the wide-angle side than during the temporary imaging, and performs a second imaging processing (actual imaging) after a self-timer reaches time up. Then, the CPU performs positioning between the temporarily captured image and the actually captured image, and clips an image of the imaging area defined by the temporarily captured image from the actually captured image. According to the present invention, the degree of freedom of a camera setting location during self-timer imaging is increased and an image including an intended imaging area is easily captured.

Abstract: The minimum Sum of Absolute Differences obtained by a motion vector search roughly judges the magnitude of quantization error by whether or not exceeding a predetermined threshold value. When the quantization error is lower, whether or not visually noticeable noise exists in some of the pixels of the current macroblock is judged based on the amount of flatness and noise detected in each of the 4x4 pixel blocks of the current macroblock partitioned into 16 sub-macroblocks. If there is visually noticeable noise, intra-frame coding is selected. When the quantization error is higher, whether or not visually noticeable noise exists in the current macroblock is judged while considering the magnitude of the motion vector. If there is visually noticeable noise, intra-frame coding is selected.

Abstract: A moving body image extraction apparatus calculates difference intensity relating to a background portion with respect to a plurality of frame of continuous shoot, calculates a value by dividing difference intensity of an arbitrary frame of the plurality of frames by summed difference intensity for the plurality of frames, outputs an extracted image of a moving body in the arbitrary frame based on the calculated value.

Abstract: A fuel cell, a method for operating a fuel cell and a fuel cell system, which ensure no dew condensation for a wet reaction gas in the inlet area of gas channels in plates in a fuel cell stack, are provided. Gas channels 2 and heat medium channels are disposed on one surface and the other surface of one plate 1, respectively. Gas channels are disposed on the other plate such that they face the gas channels 2 in the plate 1. A gas inlet header 3 is disposed at the upper part of the gas channel 2 in the plate 1 and a heat medium inlet header is disposed at the upper part of the heat medium channels such that they face the gas inlet header on the other side. Cooling water such as heat medium is supplied from the heat medium supply manifold hole 7 to the heat medium inlet header, thereby warming up the same. The water vapor in the reaction gas (wet fuel gas) is prevented from being condensed in the inlet area of the gas channels 2 by heating up the gas inlet header by the heat conduction.

Abstract: A filter coefficient calculating unit 81 sets as a filter window a range, which contains plural coordinates including an attention coordinate “p” in an initial alpha map, and uses a pixel value Ip at a coordinate of an original image corresponding to a coordinate “p” in the filter window and a pixel value Iq at a coordinate of the original image corresponding to a coordinate “q” in the filter window to calculate a filter coefficient Kq at the coordinate “q” on a coordinate to coordinate basis in the filter window. That is, a filter coefficient set is created, which consists of filter coefficients calculated on a coordinate to coordinate basis in the filter window. A weighted-average filtering unit 83 uses the filter coefficient set to apply a weighted-average filtering operation on each pixel value in the filter window.

Abstract: A fuel cell, a method for operating a fuel cell and a fuel cell system, which ensure no dew condensation for a wet reaction gas in the inlet area of gas channels in plates in a fuel cell stack, are provided. Gas channels 2 and heat medium channels are disposed on one surface and the other surface of one plate 1, respectively. Gas channels are disposed on the other plate such that they face the gas channels 2 in the plate 1. A gas inlet header 3 is disposed at the upper part of the gas channel 2 in the plate 1 and a heat medium inlet header is disposed at the upper part of the heat medium channels such that they face the gas inlet header on the other side. Cooling water such as heat medium is supplied from the heat medium supply manifold hole 7 to the heat medium inlet header, thereby warming up the same. The water vapor in the reaction gas (wet fuel gas) is prevented from being condensed in the inlet area of the gas channels 2 by heating up the gas inlet header by the heat conduction.

Abstract: An image capturing apparatus includes: an image capturing unit capturing an image of an object; an image capture controller that causes the image capturing unit to capture first color component images having a first color component by multi-shot exposure, and causes the image capturing unit to capture second and third color component images, a displacement information acquiring unit that acquires displacement information; an image adding unit that aligns and adds the first color component images based on the displacement information to generate an added image; a calculator that calculates a first point spread function based on the displacement information; a first correcting unit that corrects the second and third color component images using the first point spread function; and a combining unit that combines the added image with the corrected second and third color component images.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a full feature point detection section for detecting as a full feature point a point whose pixel value changes significantly along any line through the point, and a semi feature point detection section for detecting as a semi feature point a point whose pixel value hardly changes along one line through the point but changes significantly along other lines through the point.

Abstract: Group photographs are continuously taken with the same background, whereby at least two image frames are produced. A position of a face of each person is detected from each image frame. A combination weighting function w[p](x, y) is set such that, on the basis of the face detected in one of the two image frames, combination weights of pixels of the said one image frame to corresponding pixels of the other image frame are set, which combination weights decrease with increasing distance from the face of the person in said one image frame. The pixels of the said one image frame are laid on the corresponding pixels of the other image frame based on the combination weighting function w[p](x, y), whereby one composed image is produced.

Abstract: The interval designation section 222 sequentially alters and designates a movement interval D and a non-movement interval D? in an entire interval. Each time a movement interval D is designated, the value determination section 223 determines the average value of the image variation amount array E in the movement interval D as a function value a of the unit rectangular function r[x] and the average value of the image variation amount array E in the non-movement intervals D? as a function value b of the unit rectangular function r[x]. Each time a movement interval D is designated, a degree of divergence J between the function values a, b and the image variation amount array E is calculated by the divergence calculation section 224. Then, only the frame images contained in the movement interval D designated when the degree of divergence J is at a minimum are extracted.

Abstract: A data output apparatus generates and transmits a data stream in which content data coded by a default coding method and a decoding program for content data coded by a changeable coding method are multiplexed together. The decoding program is multiplexed on the data stream plural times repeatedly at predetermined intervals. A decoding apparatus receives the data stream transmitted by the data output apparatus, and acquires and installs the multiplexed decoding program. Until the decoding program is completely installed to be executable, the decoding apparatus decodes the content data by a decoding process corresponding to the default coding method. When the decoding program is completely installed, the decoding apparatus executes the decoding program and decodes the content data by a decoding process corresponding to the changeable coding method.

Abstract: In the present invention, an administration server stores therein: a user ID and an academic conference book-classification which are associated with each other; and a book ID and a library book-classification which are associated with each other. Further, a copy device includes: a user ID acquiring section for acquiring the user ID; a book ID acquiring section for acquiring the book ID; a first acquiring section for acquiring from the administration server the academic conference book-classification associated with the user ID; a second acquiring section for acquiring, from the administration server, a library book-classification associated with the book ID; and a copy control section for controlling a copying operation to be performed with respect to a book, based on the academic conference book-classification, and the library book-classification.

Abstract: There is described an image forming apparatus equipped with a cleaning unit to clean a belt-type transfer member. The cleaning unit includes: a conductive opposing roller that contacts an inner surface of the intermediate transfer member; a first conductive brush member and a second conductive brush member, both of which are pressed against the conductive opposing roller while putting the intermediate transfer member between them; a cleaning-voltage applying power source to apply a cleaning voltage having a polarity opposite to that of the residual toner onto the first conductive brush member; and an opposing-roller potential controlling unit to control an electric potential state of the conductive opposing roller, so that an electric potential difference, between the first conductive brush member and the conductive opposing roller at a time when the secondary transferring unit is deactivated, is larger than that at a time when the primary transferring unit is activated.

Abstract: The invention provides a high activity electrode catalyst for fuel cells whose catalytic activity due to an expensive noble metal, such as platinum, has been improved to a higher level through the use of an inexpensive material to enable a reduction in noble metal catalyst usage, a fuel cell in which the above high activity electrode catalyst is used, a membrane-electrode assembly in which the above high activity electrode catalyst is used, and a gas diffusion electrode in which the above high activity electrode catalyst is used.

Abstract: A control unit controls an image capture unit to perform a plurality of image captures of an object and acquires a plurality of mutually different image data based on a positional change of an image capturing device. Then, the control unit extracts a specified object image common to each of the acquired plurality of image data. The control unit synthesizes the acquired plurality of image data using the extracted specified object image as a reference, and thereby creates synthesized image data. The synthesized image data is an image equivalent to a captured image having a shallow depth of field such that only the specified object image is clearly photographed and the other portions are blurred.