Abstract: A vehicle display control device includes a hardware processor functioning as a regulation recognition unit, a regulation validity determination unit, and a display controller. The regulation recognition unit serves to recognize a traffic regulation mark indicating a traffic regulation provided on a traveling route of a host vehicle. The regulation validity determination unit serves to determine whether or not regulation content information is valid. The regulation content information is content of the regulation indicated by the traffic regulation mark recognized by the regulation recognition unit. The display controller serves to control a display device mounted on the host vehicle to display the regulation content information in a display region. The display controller changes a display mode of the regulation content information in response to determining by the regulation validity determination unit that the regulation content information is not valid.

Abstract: A vehicle guidance system includes a hardware processor. The hardware processor specifies, outside a vehicle, a route from a starting position to a target position in a parking lot, and transmits, to the vehicle over a communication network, information about at least one route section of the route. The hardware processor determines detection accuracy of a first monitoring device being set as an active monitoring device out of monitoring devices. The active monitoring device serves to monitor deviation of the vehicle from the route section during autonomous driving along the route section. In response to determining that the detection accuracy of the first monitoring device is lower than a reference accuracy, the hardware processor sets a second monitoring device as the active monitoring device in place of the first monitoring device. The second monitoring device is different from the first monitoring device among the monitoring devices.

Abstract: A program recommendation apparatus that recommends a program to a user that is in accordance with the user's preference, by taking into account the importance of keywords used in classifying programs' contents into correct categories. The program recommendation apparatus has a category dictionary containing words as keywords, where each of the keywords is stored in association with contribution factors assigned with respect to categories respectively, searches program information of each program in an EPG for the keywords contained in the category dictionary, for any found keywords, obtains category summations of contribution factors of the found keywords for each of the categories, calculates category evaluation values of the program according to the category summations of the contribution factors, and recommends one or more programs to the user according to a degree of similarity between the category evaluation values of the programs and user preference factors.

Abstract: Provided is a program recommendation apparatus that recommends a program to a user that is in accordance with the user's preference, by taking into account the importance of keywords used in classifying programs' contents into correct categories. The program recommendation apparatus has a category dictionary containing words as keywords, where each of the keywords is stored in association with contribution factors assigned with respect to categories respectively, searches program information of each program in an EPG for the keywords contained in the category dictionary, for any found keywords, obtains category summations of contribution factors of the found keywords for each of the categories, calculates category evaluation values of the program according to the category summations of the contribution factors, and recommends one or more programs to the user according to a degree of similarity between the category evaluation values of the programs and user preference factors.

Abstract: A content distribution system according to the present invention accepts content request information from a user terminal, and detects and extracts pieces of stream data of programs and commercial messages based on a keyword contained in the content request information. When splicing an extracted piece of stream data of the program with an extracted piece of stream data of the commercial message, a transition effect is added to a splicing point therebetween. A line of stream data that is generated by splicing the pieces of stream data is distributed to the user terminal.

Abstract: A power conversion apparatus includes serially connected arms U and X, serially connected arms V and Y, serially connected arms W and Z, and a capacitor, the pairs of serially connected arms and the capacitor all connected in parallel to one another. The input-side arms U and X and the output-side arms W and Z are subjected to PWM control so that the arms W and Z are controlled to have a voltage that is lower than that of the arms U and X, thereby providing a step down operation. A step up operation also can be provided by an opposite relation in which the arms W and Z are controlled to have a voltage that is higher than that of the arms U and X, thereby to expand the range within which the output voltage is controlled with the effect of reducing distortion.

Abstract: A power-supply device suppresses high harmonic waves, controls the flow of AC power, and minimizes adverse effects on a load that might otherwise be caused by a large surge of current into the load during the startup or stopping of the power-supply device. The power supply device includes a voltage supply unit 2 disposed in series between input and output terminals. This voltage supply unit functions to gradually lower the output-voltage level from a state of canceling the voltage across input terminals of the power supply device at the time of starting up the power-supply device, so that a gradual rise in the output voltage from the power-supply device is achieved. When the power-supply device is stopped, a gradual lowering of the output voltage from the power-supply device is obtained by gradually increasing the output voltage of the voltage supply unit so as to cancel the input voltage.

Abstract: A program recording apparatus for receiving and recording a program. The program recording apparatus includes: a receiving unit operable to receive a first program and a second program; a recording unit operable to record the received first and second programs; an acquiring unit operable to acquire a first title of the first program and a second title of the second program; an extracting unit operable to extract a first difference from the first title, and extracts a second difference from the second title, the first and second differences being respectively portions of the first and second titles and being different from each other; and a program list generating unit operable to generate a program list based on the first and second differences extracted by the extracting unit.

Abstract: An uninterruptible power supply system prevents an output voltage from dropping due to an operation delay of a relay for isolating an alternating-current power source side and avoids an unexpected current flowing between the alternating-current power source side and the uninterruptible power supply system side. When short circuit occurs, a parallel converter connected in parallel to input terminals connected to an alternating-current power source is made to operate so that the output voltage thereof becomes “0” or the input voltage Vin and a series inverter connected in series between an input relay and one of output terminals is made to carry out a compensating operation with a smoothing capacitor taken as a power source so that a value of an applied voltage to the output terminals becomes an output voltage command value Vout*.

Abstract: A power conversion apparatus includes serially connected arms U and X, serially connected arms V and Y, serially connected arms W and Z, and a capacitor, the pairs of serially connected arms and the capacitor all connected in parallel to one another. The input-side arms U and X and the output-side arms W and Z are subjected to PWM control so that the arms W and Z are controlled to have a voltage that is lower than that of the arms U and X, thereby providing a step down operation. A step up operation also can be provided by an opposite relation in which the arms W and Z are controlled to have a voltage that is higher than that of the arms U and X, thereby to expand the range within which the output voltage is controlled with the effect of reducing distortion.

Abstract: An uninterruptible power supply includes a first converter connected in parallel with an AC power system, a second converter series-connected to the first converter, and an energy accumulation device connected between the first and second converters. A control apparatus controls the first converter and the second converter so that when the voltage of the AC power system is within a first voltage range, the second converter switches at a frequency of the AC power system and the system voltage is output via the second converter. When the system voltage is within a second voltage range, outside the first voltage range, the second converter is used to compensate the voltage of the AC power system to output a reference voltage value, and when the system voltage is outside the second voltage range, the energy accumulation means and the second converter are used to generate and output the reference voltage value.

Abstract: A power-supply device suppresses high harmonic waves, controls the flow of AC power, and minimizes adverse effects on a load that might otherwise be caused by a large surge of current into the load during the startup or stopping of the power-supply device. The power supply device includes a voltage supply unit 2 disposed in series between input and output terminals. This voltage supply unit functions to gradually lower the output-voltage level from a state of canceling the voltage across input terminals of the power supply device at the time of starting up the power-supply device, so that a gradual rise in the output voltage from the power-supply device is achieved. When the power-supply device is stopped, a gradual lowering of the output voltage from the power-supply device is obtained by gradually increasing the output voltage of the voltage supply unit so as to cancel the input voltage.

Abstract: An uninterruptible power supply system prevents an output voltage from dropping due to an operation delay of a relay for isolating an alternating-current power source side and avoids an unexpected current flowing between the alternating-current power source side and the uninterruptible power supply system side. When short circuit occurs, a parallel converter connected in parallel to input terminals connected to an alternating-current power source is made to operate so that the output voltage thereof becomes “0” or the input voltage Vin and a series inverter connected in series between an input relay and one of output terminals is made to carry out a compensating operation with a smoothing capacitor taken as a power source so that a value of an applied voltage to the output terminals becomes an output voltage command value Vout*.

Abstract: A content distribution system according to the present invention accepts content request information from a user terminal, and detects and extracts pieces of stream data of programs and commercial messages based on a keyword contained in the content request information. When splicing an extracted piece of stream data of the program with an extracted piece of stream data of the commercial message, a transition effect is added to a splicing point therebetween. A line of stream data that is generated by splicing the pieces of stream data is distributed to the user terminal.

Abstract: A content distribution system composed of a server device for selecting and distributing video scenes according to a user request, and a terminal device for receiving the video scenes from the server device. The server device stores a plurality of content files. Each content file is composed of a plurality of pieces of scene data together with scene additional information regarding playback of each piece of scene data. The server device selects pieces of scene data matching the user request, reads scene additional information from each content file containing the selected pieces of scene data, generates, based on the read scene additional information, selected-scene additional information, and transmits the selected pieces of scene data in association with the generated selected-scene additional information. The terminal device receives and stores the selected pieces of scene data and the selected-scene additional information.

Abstract: What is provided is: a) a program production apparatus for producing a secondary program that is intended for distribution and is based on an original program produced in advanced; and b) a program distribution system that includes this program production apparatus. For every image scene that makes up the original program, the program production apparatus has corresponding scene data stored within it that includes usage restriction information, this information indicating whether the image scene in question is permitted to be distributed along specified distribution routes. After receiving inputs from the producer of the secondary program that indicate a preferred distribution route for the secondary program, the program production apparatus compares these inputs with the usage restriction information to determine whether each scene is permitted to be distributed along the requested distribution route.

Abstract: A program distribution system stores compressed program information created by compressing a plurality of consecutive frame images. Then, after receiving segment information that indicates a specific segment of frame images to be distributed, the system produces a plurality of decompressed frame images by decompressing a section of the compressed information that corresponds to the segment of frame images indicated by the segment information. Next, the system performs inter-frame compression on the plurality of decompressed frame images, thus producing a new stream of compressed information that is then transmitted as distribution program.