Abstract: There are provided a method and apparatus for forming a three-dimensional image. The method and apparatus form an arbitrary colored image on the surface of a thermally expandable sheet by using surface image data. The method and apparatus form a mirror image, of which the density of a black component is adjusted in consideration of the influence of the density of the colored image on a bulge height of a thermally expandable layer so that an originally scheduled bulge height can be achieved, on the back of the thermally expandable sheet. The method and apparatus can achieve an intended bulge height by expanding the thermally expandable layer with thermal energy that is generated in the mirror image and the colored image when the thermally expandable sheet is irradiated with light including infrared wavelengths from the back of the thermally expandable sheet.

Abstract: A sub-image extractor extracts a target sub-image from a light field image. A partial area definer defines a predetermined area in the target sub-image as a partial area. A pixel extractor extracts pixels from the partial area, the number of pixels meeting correspondence areas of a generation image. The pixel arranger arranges the extracted pixels to the correspondence areas of the generation image in an arrangement according to the optical path of the optical system which photographs the light field image. Pixels are extracted for all sub-images in the light field image, and are arranged to the generation image to generate a reconstruction image.

Abstract: A switch device of the present invention includes a case having a through hole; a cylindrical member attached to the through hole of the case; and an operating member having a shaft section inserted into the cylindrical member and an operating section provided in an outer end portion of the shaft section, wherein the operating member is provided with an engaging projected section, and has a spring member, wherein the cylindrical member is provided with, in an end portion in an outer direction of the case, a release groove where the engaging projected section is movable in an axial direction, and a restricting projected section which restricts movement to the outer direction of the engaging projected section, wherein the cylindrical member is provided with a lock groove which locks the spring member.

Abstract: A connecting unit including an outer frame member having a pair of hole sections, a pair of first connecting sections and long holes for inserting a controller. The connecting unit further includes a holding frame body which includes through-holes at positions corresponding to the long holes, slide members which include a second connecting section which protrudes and retracts from the pair of hole sections and slide in the extending direction of the long holes by slide operation of the controller, elastic members which bias the slide members to an opposite direction of an insertion direction of the controller and a locking member which locks the slide member at a position where connection between the second connecting section and the first connecting section of the adjacent segment members is released.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus provided with a detachable fixing unit having fixing paired-rollers, a heating unit heats at least one of the fixing paired-rollers, and a temperature detecting unit detects a temperature of the detachable fixing unit. The image forming apparatus is further provided with an adjustment mechanism for preventing the detachable fixing unit from being taken out from the apparatus body, when the temperature detecting unit determines that the temperature of the detachable fixing unit exceeds a predetermined value, and allowing the detachable fixing unit to be taken out from the apparatus body, when the temperature detecting unit determines that the temperature of the detachable fixing unit is the predetermined value or less, whereby protecting users from getting their hands burned when taking out the detachable fixing unit from the apparatus body.

Abstract: An erasable electrophotographic toner includes a binder resin, a near-infrared absorbing material, a decolorizing agent and an organic white pigment.

Abstract: An image composition apparatus 1 is provided with an information acquisition section 53, an image adjustment section 54 and a synthesis section 56. The information acquisition section 53 acquires numerical values relating to brightness of image regions with a particular hue in corrected exposure image data among plural sets of image data that are sequentially captured with the exposure duration being varied. The synthesis section 56 performs pixel addition of the plural sets of image data by changing a degree of addition of the plural sets of image data, based on the numerical values thus acquired, and generates composite image data with a widened dynamic range.

Abstract: A word string acquirer unit acquires a word string including a plurality of words. An extractor extracts partial strings including words contained in the word string acquired by the word string acquirer. A division pattern generator generates division patterns containing division flags indicating whether or not the word string acquired by the word string acquirer is divided at spaces between the words contained in the partial strings extracted by the extractor. The division probability coefficient acquirer acquires division probability coefficients indicating a degree of a certainty that the word string is divided with a division method indicated by the division patterns generated by the division pattern generator, for each of the partial strings extracted by the extractor. A partitioning unit partitions the word string based on the division probability coefficients acquired by the division probability coefficient acquirer.

Abstract: A music playing movement display device includes CPU displaying a music playing movement image on a display unit based on music playing information, movement information, and structural data stored in RAM. the CPU determines whether to perform display of a music playing technique based on a music playing technique flag of the music playing information stored in the RAM, and, when determining to perform the display of the music playing technique, allows to change a display mode of the image corresponding to the music playing technique, compared to a display mode of a image corresponding to that of a case of not displaying the music playing technique.

Abstract: Determination is made whether or not a cross point coordinate of a zoom value and a degree of luminance belongs to the continuous imaging area of a two-dimensional coordinate plane. When the cross point coordinate is in a single imaging area, since the provability of shake occurrence is low, a first imaging processing is operated. In contrast, when the cross point coordinate is in the continuous imaging area, a shake correction flag representing the execution of the shake correction is set. A multiplane addition composition imaging is not performed uselessly under an imaging condition where the provability of shake occurrence is low. As a result, since the multiplane addition composition imaging is not performed without inevitability, it is possible to avoid a disadvantage that a useless addition processing is executed to thereby generate noise in a shot image stored in an image memory medium.

Abstract: A method includes specifying an image area which is contained in the subject-present image taken and in which nonflatness is less than or equal to a predetermined value, determining whether or not a range of the specified image area in the subject-present image in which the nonflatness is less than or equal to a predetermined value is greater than or equal to a predetermined range, generating an extraction background image used to extract a subject area in the subject-present image containing the subject, from the image area when the range of the image area in which the nonflatness is less than or equal to a predetermined value is determined to be greater than or equal to the predetermined range, and extracting the subject area from the subject-present image based on information on a difference between each pixel in the extraction background image and a corresponding pixel in the subject-present image.

Abstract: A reception unit receives global positioning system signals transmitted by a plurality of satellites to obtain satellite information. A determination unit determines whether or not a state in which the reception unit receives the global positioning system signals is a predetermined reception state. A positional calculation unit calculates a current position based on ephemeris information and almanac information when the reception state is the predetermined reception state, the ephemeris information including at least six orbital elements and being obtained from satellite information of first and second satellites among satellite information of three satellites, and the almanac information including at least six orbital elements on a general orbit of a third satellite of the three satellites.

Abstract: The present invention provides an antenna that enables circular polarization in a plurality of oscillation frequencies. A multi-frequency circular polarization antenna is formed with a substrate and multi-frequency antennas. The multi-frequency antennas are formed with antenna elements, shunt inductor conductors, series capacitor conductors, series inductor conductors, a center point, and input/output terminals. The multi-frequency antenna is arranged to cross the multi-frequency antenna at the center point to make an angle that is less than 90 degrees with respect to the multi-frequency antenna.

Abstract: In a projector, a controller sets a start timing and an end timing of a color transitional period which includes the color switch timing in a center of the color transitional period, and sets one of the start timing and the end timing to coincide with a light source switch timing at which the color of the light emitted by the light source unit switches. A projection drive unit controls the display drive of the display element based on the start timing and the end timing.

Abstract: A display apparatus includes an input unit to input an image signal, a display unit to display an image based on the input image signal, an observer information acquiring unit to acquire the number and positions of observers facing the display object, a display mode determining unit to determine a display mode including a direction of the image to be displayer on the basis of the acquired number and the acquired positions of the observers, and a display control unit to cause the display unit to display an image on the display object in the determined display mode.

Abstract: An image acquisition unit 52 acquires images consecutively captured while an image capture range is moved in a predetermined direction. A face detection unit 53 detects same subject images from the images acquired. A facial expression determination unit 55 calculates evaluation values of each of the same subject images detected. A facial expression decision unit 56 decides, as a combination target, a specific subject image from the same subject images, based on the evaluation values calculated. A combination unit 58 generates a wide-range image by combining the subject image decided as the combination target with the images sequentially acquired by the image acquisition unit 52.

Abstract: An advertisement display device displays an outdoor advertising image and emits light (advertisement ID light) modulated in accordance with the advertisement ID and having the luminance changed temporally in the same direction as the display direction of the outdoor advertising image. Receiving the advertisement ID light, a portable terminal demodulates and decodes it to acquire the advertisement ID and sends advertisement recognition information including the advertisement ID, time, location of the portable terminal, direction from the portable terminal to the advertisement display device, and terminal ID to a server. The server aggregates the advertisement recognition information for each advertisement and for each time window and creates advertising effect information.

Abstract: Moving-objects movable in a workspace, each includes an imaging unit with a two-dimensional light receiving surface; and a decoding processing unit. If light received by an imaging surface of the imaging unit is brightness-modulated information, the decoding processing unit decodes the received light to the information. If the information decoded by the decoding processing unit contains spatial position information of moving-objects other than a self-moving-object, the self-moving-object receives the light from light sources, has the decoding processing unit decode the light to acquire pieces of position information of the other moving-objects, thereby acquiring position information of the self-moving-object in the workspace from these pieces of position information.

Abstract: There is provided a printing apparatus, including a printing head that prints on a tape, a roller that conveys the tape, and a control circuit that inquires of the user whether or not second printing contents are printed on the tape continuously without any interruption after the printing device is caused to print first printing contents on the tape.

Abstract: A corrector corrects a main image acquired by an image acquirer based on correction setting acquired by a correction setting acquirer, and stores corrected main image in a buffer. An unused area detector detects the area that has not stored the corrected main image in the buffer, and transmits the result to a sub-image selector. The sub-image selector selects, among sub-image candidates registered in a sub-image information memory, a candidate that can be displayed on the unused area and has the highest priority as a sub-image. The sub-image controller executes a program stored in the sub-image displaying program memory, and displays the selected sub-image on the unused area.