Abstract: An image capturing apparatus includes an image pickup unit including an image pickup element that captures a plurality of colors in ranges of visible and invisible light incoming through an image capturing lens, a pixel value calculating unit that calculates a pixel value of each pixel regarding at least one of the captured colors, a contrast value calculating unit that calculates a contrast value for each color based on the calculated pixel values, a correction value calculating unit that calculates a focus correction value for a distance from a current position of the image capturing lens to a focus position based on a temporal change in the calculated contrast values of the at least one color, and an image capturing lens driving unit that drives the image capturing lens based on the calculated focus correction value.

Abstract: A power generator that can be utilized as a small facility of low capacitance. The power generator comprises a float that is placed on a surface of the sea, supporting members mounted on the float, and a movable member supported by the supporting members and can be movable by the swing motion of the float caused by waves.

Abstract: A sheet supplying unit having no need to place a great many skew sensors and enabling printing apparatus to simplify structure and to reduce cost. The sheet supplying unit moves a skew sensor to a most left sensor position in which the table sensor detected that the print medium exists, detects the upper edge of print medium, and executes a skew detection; in the case that the print medium is narrow, moves a skew sensor, detects the upper edge of print medium, and executes a skew detection; in the case that a position of skew sensor does not place at a position keeping a predetermined margin at the inside of the print medium, moves skew sensor to the inside of the print medium and executes again an inclination detection; or according to print medium width and skew sensor width, changes a skew judgment quantity.

Abstract: Portable information recording/play-back arrangements, wherein a controller judges whether a mode, controlling a first recording/play-back module and second recording/play-back module, is an imaging mode or a dubbing mode, and wherein when the controller judges that the mode is the imaging mode, the controller controls so that the imaging module and the first or second recording/play-back module operate on battery or a power supply from an external power source; and when the controller judges that the mode is the dubbing mode and the first and second recording/play-back module operate on the power supply from the external power source, the controller controls so that the dubbing operation is permitted.

Abstract: An input/output port, a birefringent element, variable polarization rotator, and a reflector are arranged along an optical axis in the order named. The variable polarization rotator includes permanent magnets for applying a fixed magnetic field to a Faraday rotator in an in-plane direction to magnetically saturate the Faraday rotator and a solenoid coil for applying a variable magnetic field to the Faraday rotator in a direction of the optical axis. A fixed magnetic field is applied in the <211> direction, in which the Faraday rotator is likely to be magnetically saturated. The Faraday rotator can be saturated with a low magnetic field of about 100 Oe. The permanent magnets may employ ferrite permanent magnets, which have weak magnetic forces. A variable magnetic field may also be reduced. Therefore, an air-core coil can be used.

Abstract: There is provided an image processing apparatus including: a predicting unit calculating, based on a global motion vector found for a past picked-up image, predicted values of a global motion vector of a picked-up image to be processed; an effective region calculating unit deciding an effective region on the picked-up image based on the predicted values; a feature value calculating unit extracting feature values from the effective region on the picked-up image; a projecting unit calculating projected feature vectors by projecting the feature values onto an axis in a specified direction; and a global motion vector calculating unit calculating a global motion vector of the picked-up image to be processed by matching the projected feature vectors of the picked-up image to be processed and projected feature vectors of another picked-up image.

Abstract: The apparatus is for estimating a state of charge of a rechargeable battery charged by a vehicle-mounted power generation apparatus capable of generating a variable output voltage. The estimating apparatus includes a detecting function of detecting a charging/discharging current of the rechargeable battery, and an estimating function of making an estimation of the state of charge on the basis of relationship data defining the relationship among the output voltage, the state of charge, and a convergence value to which the charging/discharging current converges through transient behavior thereof in a state where variation of the output voltage is below a predetermined value after the output voltage is changed.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a feature extracting unit configured to extract a feature in each local area from an image including a plurality of colors in bands of visible radiation and non-visible radiation, the feature having elements representing ratios between a reference color and individual colors; and a discriminating unit configured to discriminate an object in each local area by using the feature extracted for the local area by the feature extracting unit.

Abstract: A product identification apparatus for determining whether an inspection target product to be identified is the same as a predetermined verification product includes: an extraction unit configured to extract an input pattern formed of asperities on the surface of a predetermined part of the inspection target product from a captured image obtained by capturing the image of the predetermined part of the inspection target product; and a comparison unit configured to compare the input pattern with an identification pattern extracted from a captured image obtained by capturing in advance the image of a part of the verification product so as to determine whether the input pattern is the same as the identification pattern or the input pattern includes the identification pattern.

Abstract: A hybrid vehicle includes a power generator that generates electric power using power from an internal combustion engine; a motor that outputs power for travel of the hybrid vehicle; a first inverter connected to an electric power storage device and the motor to drive the motor; a second inverter connected to the electric power storage device; and a large drive power determination portion that determines whether the hybrid vehicle is in a large-drive-power required state in which drive power equal to or larger than a predetermined value is required for the travel of the hybrid vehicle. When it is determined that the hybrid vehicle is not in the large-drive-force required state, the second inverter is connected to the power generator. When it is determined that the hybrid vehicle is in the large-drive-force required state, the second inverter is connected to the motor.

Abstract: A barrier film includes a base which is formed of a plastic film having a first surface and a second surface opposed to the first surface, a first barrier layer which is formed on the first surface by an atomic layer deposition method and is made of an inorganic material having a water vapor barrier property; and a second barrier layer which is formed on the second surface by an atomic layer deposition method and is made of an inorganic material having a water vapor barrier property.

Abstract: The shopping server provides an online shopping service with retrieving information of items handled, relations among the items, user's purchase history, user's request, and the like via the internet or the intrafirm network. The shopping server generates electronic catalogs personalized for each user based on the retrieved information so as to show useful and helpful information to each user. The catalogs are categorized in accordance with the purposes. Some of the categories are fulfilled by the automatic entry in accordance with the item relations or the user's purchase through the online shopping service, while the others are fulfilled by the user's arbitrary designation. The shopping server presents the generated catalogs to the users via the internet, so that the categories are switchable and customizable by the user.

Abstract: A recording condition and a dubbing condition of a desired program that is to be broadcast are designated by using a remote controller. These conditions are stored in the information storage unit. In accordance with the recording condition, a controller permits a tuner to receive a program for which unattended recording is designated, and to record the program on an HDD. When a DVD is set in a dubbing unit and the dubbing operation is instructed by using the remote controller, a recorded program for which a dubbing condition stored in the information storage unit is applied can be dubbed. Then, the information for this program is displayed on a monitor so as to confirm the program and the dubbing condition, and to examine or correct CM skip if the CM skip is included in the dubbing condition. Thereafter, the dubbing operation is performed.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a power generator so as to be preferably utilized as a small facility of low capacitance. A power generator comprises a float F that is placed on a surface of the sea, supporting members S, S, . . . that is mounted on the float F, and a movable member M that is supported by the supporting members S, S, . . . and can be movable by the swing motion of the float F caused by waves.

Abstract: An information recording apparatus such as an optical disc that can avoid an unrecordable condition between a power-on operation and an available state for recording thereby to solve a problem that an image taking chance is missed in a recording step, wherein its constitution is such that: receiving a command to turn on the apparatus after switching, a system controller drives a power-supply circuit to activate a drive controller and a memory controller; if the optical disc is not replaced while in power-off operation by a sub-battery, the system controller issues a request for high-speed activation, based on information stored in an EEPROM, to the drive controller, and drives plural drive control units one after another thereby to establish an activation period confirmedly, allowing the memory controller to accept a request for a recording start from the system controller without waiting for a report of activation completion to be issued by the drive controller.

Abstract: The apparatus, which is for estimating a state of charge of a rechargeable battery charged by a vehicle-mounted power generation apparatus capable of generating a variable output voltage, includes a first function of quantifying charging/discharging history of the rechargeable battery, and a second function of performing estimation of a state of charge of the rechargeable battery on the basis of a parameter which indicates a charging/discharging current of the rechargeable battery when variation of the output voltage of the vehicle-mounted power generation apparatus is below a predetermined value, and the quantified charging/discharging history, while eliminating an effect which polarization of the rechargeable battery due to the charging/discharging history has on the charging/discharging current before the variation of the output voltage becomes below the predetermined value.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus comprising: background generation means for generating, on each of corresponding pixel positions of more than one input image, a pixel value involved in a predetermined distribution among pixel values of the input images as a background pixel value in the pixel position; degree-of-difference generation means for generating, on each of the pixel positions, a degree-of-difference indicating a degree to which each input image pixel value has a difference from the background pixel value; and output image generation means for generating, on each of the pixel positions, an output image pixel value by reflecting the input image pixel values depending on the degree-of-difference.

Abstract: In a proposed apparatus and method, constant-voltage charge is performed with an in-vehicle secondary battery immediately after start of a vehicle or during running of the vehicle. A quantity relevant to polarization caused in the battery immediately after start of the constant-voltage charge is calculated using data of the charge current. It is determined whether or not a change rate of the calculated polarization-relevant quantity is less than a given threshold. When the change rate is less than the given threshold, a plurality of data of the charge current sampled and held during a predetermined period of time are acquired. A value of the charge current to be accumulated until the charge current reaches a given final value is calculated using the plurality of data of the charge current. The internal electric state of the battery is estimated based on the accumulated value of the charge current.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus which can restore, from a color and sensitivity mosaic image acquired using a CCD image sensor of the single plate type or the like, a color image signal of a wide dynamic range wherein the sensitivity characteristics of pixels are uniformized and each of the pixels has all of a plurality of color components. A sensitivity uniformization section uniformizes the sensitivities of pixels of a color and sensitivity mosaic image to produce a color mosaic image, and a color interpolation section interpolates color components of the pixels of the color mosaic image M to produce output images R, G and B. The present invention can be applied to a digital camera which converts a picked up optical image into a color image signal of a wide dynamic range.