Abstract: Provided is a vehicle periphery monitoring device capable of making a driver reliably recognize the shape of an object to which attention should be paid. According to an image processing unit (1) (vehicle periphery monitoring device), for example, when it is highly probable that the shape of the object is difficult to be visually recognized through the output image because of the reason that the object is present far from the vehicle or other reason, an enlarged image (Q?) of the object (Q) is displayed on an HUD (7) so as not to overlap with the object (Q).

Abstract: A vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus which includes: an imaging device that captures a surroundings of a vehicle; a temperature measuring device that measures a temperature of the imaging device; and an OFF signal output device that outputs a command signal to set a power supply of the imaging device to the OFF state in accordance with the temperature of the imaging device measured by the temperature measuring device.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a diode for restraining deterioration of an electric discharge device caused when a voltage applied to a discharge electrode and a shield electrode is switched. By switching the voltage at only one position using the diode, both of the voltage applied to the discharge electrode and the voltage applied to the shield electrode can be switched simultaneously.

Abstract: Disclosed is an organic-inorganic composite material obtained by chemically modifying a microorganism-derived ceramic material with an organic group, and a process for producing the organic-inorganic composite material. The process is characterized by reacting a microorganism-derived ceramic material with at least one compound selected from the group consisting of silane coupling agents represented by formula (1), silane coupling agents represented by formula (2), and titanate coupling agents represented by formula (3). The organic-inorganic complex can be used in applications for immobilized catalysts and immobilized enzyme catalysts.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing an ion implantation mask is disclosed which includes the steps of: forming an oxide film as a protective film over the entire surface of a semiconductor substrate; forming a thin metal film over the oxide film; and forming an ion-inhibiting layer composed of an ion-inhibiting metal over the thin metal film. The obtained ion implantation mask is used to form a deeper selectively electroconductive region.

Abstract: Disclosed is a semiconductor device comprising a p-type SiC semiconductor and an ohmic electrode having an Ni/Al laminated structure provided on the p-type SiC semiconductor. The semiconductor device simultaneously has improved contact resistance and surface roughness in the ohmic electrode. The semiconductor device comprises an ohmic electrode (18) comprising a nickel (Ni) layer (21), a titanium (Ti) layer (22), and an aluminum (Al) layer (23) stacked in that order on a p-type silicon carbide semiconductor region (13). The ohmic electrode (18) comprises 14 to 47 atomic % of a nickel element, 5 to 12 atomic % of titanium element, and 35 to 74 atomic % of an aluminum element, provided that the atomic ratio of the nickel element to the titanium element is 1 to 11.

Abstract: Disclosed is a bipolar semiconductor device which is capable of reducing the surface state density of a bipolar transistor and increasing the current gain of the transistor, thereby improving the transistor performance. A bipolar semiconductor device (100) has a surface protective film (30) on the surface of a semiconductor element. The surface protective film is composed of a thermal oxide film (31) formed on the surface of the semiconductor element, and a deposited oxide film (32) formed on the thermal oxide film. The deposited oxide film contains at least one of hydrogen element and nitrogen element in an amount of not less than 1018 cm?3.

Abstract: A vehicle periphery monitoring device is operable to report a high contact possibility between a vehicle and an object at an appropriate time or frequency according to the type of the object. When the object is determined to be a human being and the position of the object in real space is contained in a first contact determination area, a high contact possibility between the vehicle and the object is reported. On the other hand, when the object is determined to be a quadruped animal and the real spatial position of the object is contained in a second contact determination area, the corresponding report is made. The second contact determination area has an overlapped area that overlaps with the first contact determination area, and an overflowed area that has at least a part thereof overflowing from the first contact determination area.

Abstract: A bipolar semiconductor device includes a collector region that is an n-type low-resistance layer formed in one surface of a semiconductor crystal substrate, an n-type first high-resistance region on the collector region, a p-type base region on the first high-resistance region, an n-type low-resistance emitter region that is formed in another surface of the semiconductor crystal substrate, an n-type second high-resistance region between the emitter region and the base region so as to contact the emitter region, an n-type recombination suppressing region around the second high-resistance region so as to adjoin the second high-resistance region, and a p-type low-resistance base contact region which is provided so as to adjoin the recombination suppressing region, and which contacts the base region. Each of doping concentrations of the second high-resistance region and the recombination suppressing region is equal to or lower than 1×1017 cm?3.

Abstract: A vehicle environment monitoring apparatus capable of extracting an image of a monitored object in an environment around a vehicle by separating the same from the background image with a simple configuration having a single camera mounted on the vehicle is provided. The apparatus includes a first image portion extracting processing unit to extract first image portions (A1, A2) considered to be the head of a pedestrian from a currently picked up image and a previously picked up image by an infrared camera, a mask area setting processing unit to set mask areas (M1(0,0), M1(1,0), . . .

Abstract: Provided is an apparatus capable of, even when an object is moving, measuring the position of the object at a high accuracy. A vehicle periphery monitoring apparatus (10) calculates the change rate (Rate(t)) of the size of an object region between two times separated by a specified interval (?T). The specified interval (?T) is a time interval defined so that the shapes and postures of an object in images resemble or match each other to such an extent that it is possible to identify that the object is identical. Based on the change rage (Rate(t)) of the size of the object region during the specified interval (?T), it is possible to measure the distance from a vehicle (1) to the object or the position at a high accuracy even when the object is moving.

Abstract: The photoelectric conversion device includes a photoelectric conversion element configured to convert light reflected from an original image to electrical signals and a clock generator configured to generate driving signals for driving the photoelectric conversion element from a reference clock. Each of the driving signals is generated using the same logic gate or substantially the same logic gate.

Abstract: Provided is an apparatus capable of, even when an object is moving, measuring the position of the object at a high accuracy. According to a vehicle periphery monitoring apparatus (10), an enlargement factor relevant to when the degree of correlation between an enlarged local region (EB(?i)) obtained by enlarging a local region (B(k?1)) at a previous time (k?1) and a local region (B(k)) at a time (k) later than the previous time (k?1) becomes the maximum is calculated as a change rate (Rate(k)) of the size of the local region (B(k)). Based on the change rage (Rate(k)), it is possible to measure the distance (Z(k)) from a vehicle (1) to the object or the position (P(k)) at a high accuracy even when the object is moving.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a junction semiconductor device having a drain region including a low-resistance layer of a first conductive type formed on one surface of a semiconductor crystal, a source region including a low-resistance layer of a first conductive type formed on the other surface of the semiconductor crystal, a gate region of a second conductive type formed on the periphery of the source region, a high-resistance layer of a first conductive type between the source region and the drain region, and a recombination-inhibiting semiconductor layer of a second conductive type provided in the vicinity of the surface of the semiconductor crystal between the gate region and the source region.

Abstract: Provided is an input device for a billiard game comprising: a simulative ball provided as an object to be shot by a player; a link portion having a ball axis on which the simulative ball is mounted; a support portion for movably supporting the link portion; and a sensor for outputting a signal that corresponds to an operation of the link portion, wherein at least either one of rotational motion of the simulative ball around an axle of a ball axis and linear motion of the simulative ball in a predetermined range along an axial direction of the ball axis is permitted.

Abstract: A vehicle environment monitoring apparatus is equipped with a monitored object detecting unit 26 which detects an object having possibility of contact by applying an object detecting algorithm for short range when the distance calculated from data on one disparity by the first distance calculating unit 24 is equal to or less than a predetermined distance, and detects the object having possibility of contact by applying an object detecting algorithm for long range when the distance is longer than the predetermined distance, using the distance between the object and the vehicle calculated from a disparity gradient by the second distance calculating unit 25.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing an ion implantation mask is disclosed which includes the steps of: forming an oxide film as a protective film over the entire surface of a semiconductor substrate; forming a thin metal film over the oxide film; and forming an ion-inhibiting layer composed of an ion-inhibiting metal over the thin metal film. The obtained ion implantation mask is used to form a deeper selectively electroconductive region.

Abstract: A damper mechanism 4 has an input rotary body 2, a hub flange 6, a splined hub 3, a third friction washer 60, a bushing 70, and an output plate 90. The third friction washer 60 is non-rotatably mounted on the hub flange 6 with respect to the hub flange 6, and has a friction member that contacts the input rotary body 2 in the axial direction. The bushing 70 is axially disposed between the hub flange 6 and the third friction washer 60, and is mounted on the hub flange 6 and the third friction washer 60 to be incapable of rotation with respect to the third friction washer 60. The output plate 90 is disposed between the third friction washer 60 and the bushing 70 in the axial direction, and is supported by the splined hub 3 to be capable of rotating integrally with the splined hub 3.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing an ion implantation mask is disclosed which includes the steps of: forming an oxide film as a protective film over the entire surface of a semiconductor substrate; forming a thin metal film over the oxide film; and forming an ion-inhibiting layer composed of an ion-inhibiting metal over the thin metal film. The obtained ion implantation mask is used to form a deeper selectively electroconductive region.

Abstract: An abnormality detecting apparatus for an imaging apparatus that detects a presence of abnormalities in imaging apparatuses mounted on a vehicle to capture vehicle surroundings, which includes: a luminance variance value calculating device that calculates a luminance variance value of each image from the imaging apparatuses using the luminance value of each image from the imaging apparatuses obtained by the imaging apparatuses; and an abnormality detecting device that detects the presence of abnormalities in any of the imaging apparatuses in accordance with the luminance variance values calculated by the luminance variance value calculating device.