Abstract: A sensing method includes acquiring a thermal image of an object space, identifying an object within the object space included in the thermal image, based on the acquired thermal image, presenting to a user the thermal image to which information, indicating identification results of the identifying, has been added, and accepting a response as to the presented thermal image to which the information has been added. And at least one of the acquiring, the identifying, the presenting, and the accepting is performed by a processor.

Abstract: A picture processing apparatus is composed of an infrared ray sensor for producing an infrared picture in which a heat distribution of a measured area is recorded, a picture processing section for processing the infrared picture to extract pieces of personal characteristic data and environmental characteristic data from the infrared picture, and a picture information detecting section composed of a neural network for detecting pieces of personal information and environmental information according to the characteristic data. To be concrete, one or more human-areas respectively recording one or more persons are picked out from the infrared picture, and representative points of the human-areas, the number of human-areas, the number of pixels in each of the human-areas and shapes of the human-areas are extracted as the personal characteristic data.

Abstract: A pattern classification system includes a plurality of classification sections. Each of the classification sections includes a device for storing information of N coefficients W representing a reference pattern, a device for calculating an evaluation value V on the basis of N input signals S and the N coefficients W, the N input signals representing an input pattern, the evaluation value V representing a relation between the input pattern and the reference pattern, a device for storing information of a fixed threshold value R, and a device for comparing the evaluation value V and the threshold value R and for outputting an estimation signal depending on a result of the comparing, the estimation signal including a category signal P which represents a category. A selection section is operative for selecting one of categories in response to the category signals outputted from the classification sections and for outputting a signal Px representing the selected one of the categories.

Abstract: A pattern classification system includes a plurality of classification sections. Each of the classification sections includes a device for storing information of N coefficients W representing a reference pattern, a device for calculating an evaluation value V on the basis of N input signals S and the N coefficients W, the N input signals representing an input pattern, the evaluation value V representing a relation between the input pattern and the reference pattern, a device for storing information of a fixed threshold value R, and a device for comparing the evaluation value V and the threshold value R and for outputting an estimation signal depending on a result of the comparing, the estimation signal including a category signal P which represents a category. A selection section is operative for selecting one of categories in response to the category signals outputted from the classification sections and for outputting a signal Px representing the selected one of the categories.