Abstract: A learning assistance device for a user to perform a learning task includes: a first concentration level estimator that estimates a first concentration level of the user, by analyzing information from an image capturing section that captures an image of a user; a second concentration level estimator that estimates a second concentration level of the user, by analyzing information which the user has actively input when performing a learning task; and a presentation switching section that switches between learning task content and between presentation schemes, based on at least one of the first concentration level or the second concentration level.

Abstract: A concentration-level estimation device includes an obtainer which obtains task information indicating a type of a task executed by a user among types of tasks; a sensor which outputs motion information indicating a feature of a motion of the user who executes the task, based on a result of sensing obtained from a sensing device; a storage which stores profiles concerning habits of the user for the types of tasks; and a calculator which calculates a concentration level of the user using the motion information and a profile corresponding to the type of the task indicated in the task information among the profiles stored in the storage.

Abstract: An image synthesizing apparatus includes an illuminating device that outputs linearly polarized light having a first polarization direction and linearly polarized light having a second polarization direction, a camera that captures an image in a third polarization direction including a plurality of pixels and an image in a fourth polarization direction including a plurality of pixels, and a control circuit that synthesizes, on a pixel-by-pixel basis, the image in the third polarization direction and the image in the fourth polarization direction into an authentication image for iris authentication. The first, the second, the third and the fourth polarization directions are different from one another. The camera acquires the image in the third polarization direction using the linearly polarized light in the first polarization direction and acquires the image in the fourth polarization direction using the linearly polarized light in the second polarization direction.

Abstract: An authentication apparatus includes: an illumination device outputting light having a first polarization direction; a camera taking a first eyeball image, a second eyeball image, and a third eyeball image, of the user, which have a second polarization direction, a third polarization direction, a fourth polarization direction, respectively; and a control circuit. The control circuit (a) acquires cornea authentication information and iris authentication information, (b) generates an amplitude image, a phase image, and an average image, using the first eyeball image, the second eyeball image, and the third eyeball image, (c) authenticates a user ID corresponding to the average image, by referring to the iris authentication information, (d) authenticates a user ID corresponding to the amplitude image and the phase image, by referring to the cornea authentication information, and (e) determines a user ID corresponding to the user, using authentication results of the user ID in (c) and (d).

Abstract: An embodiment of an image processing apparatus includes: an illuminating section which sequentially irradiates an object with a first and second illuminating light beams polarized in different directions. The section emits the polarized light beams sequentially so that the wavelength ranges of the light beams do not overlap with each other. The apparatus further includes: a polarization image sensor; a polarization mosaic processing section which obtains a first polarization image while the object is being irradiated with the first illuminating light beam and a second polarization image while the object is being irradiated with the second illuminating light beam; a depressed area detecting section which detects a depressed area on the surface of the object based on the polarization images; and an image forming section which forms an image representing the depressed area in an enhanced form.

Abstract: An authentication apparatus includes: an illumination device outputting light having a first polarization direction; a camera taking a first eyeball image, a second eyeball image, and a third eyeball image, of the user, which have a second polarization direction, a third polarization direction, a fourth polarization direction, respectively; and a control circuit. The control circuit (a) acquires cornea authentication information and iris authentication information, (b) generates an amplitude image, a phase image, and an average image, using the first eyeball image, the second eyeball image, and the third eyeball image, (c) authenticates a user ID corresponding to the average image, by referring to the iris authentication information, (d) authenticates a user ID corresponding to the amplitude image and the phase image, by referring to the cornea authentication information, and (e) determines a user ID corresponding to the user, using authentication results of the user ID in (c) and (d).

Abstract: An image synthesizing apparatus includes an illuminating device that outputs linearly polarized light having a first polarization direction and linearly polarized light having a second polarization direction, a camera that captures an image in a third polarization direction including a plurality of pixels and an image in a fourth polarization direction including a plurality of pixels, and a control circuit that synthesizes, on a pixel-by-pixel basis, the image in the third polarization direction and the image in the fourth polarization direction into an authentication image for iris authentication. The first, the second, the third and the fourth polarization directions are different from one another. The camera acquires the image in the third polarization direction using the linearly polarized light in the first polarization direction and acquires the image in the fourth polarization direction using the linearly polarized light in the second polarization direction.

Abstract: An eye imaging apparatus includes a lighting device including a fundus illuminator and a cornea illuminator; a half mirror; an imaging device including a camera having a first objective lens; and a first polarizer. The first polarizer is disposed between the half mirror and the camera. The fundus illuminator irradiates the half mirror with first light polarized in a direction orthogonal to a transmission axis of the first polarizer. The half mirror receives the first light and outputs resulting light to an eye. A travel direction of the resulting light is in alignment with an optical axis of the first objective lens. The cornea illuminator emits light at a timing different from an emission timing of the first light, and the eye is irradiated with second light based on the light emitted by the cornea illuminator from a direction different from a direction parallel with the optical axis.

Abstract: A hydraulic braking system includes: a master cylinder including a pressurizing piston, a rearward chamber, and a pressure chamber; and a rearward-hydraulic-pressure controller connected to the rearward chamber and including a pressure increase valve and a regulator for controlling a hydraulic pressure in an output chamber. An air detector includes: an upstream detector, including the rearward-hydraulic-pressure controller, for detecting presence or absence of air in an upstream portion based on a relationship between the hydraulic pressure in the output chamber and an open time of the pressure increase valve; and a downstream detector for detecting presence or absence of air in a downstream portion based on a relationship between a stroke of the pressurizing piston and the hydraulic pressure in the output chamber. The downstream portion includes a portion located downstream of the pressure chamber of the master cylinder.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an illumination device, a beam splitter, an imaging device, and an image forming circuit. The illumination device includes first emitters emitting first light polarized at 30°, second emitters emitting second light polarized at 90°, and third emitters emitting third light polarized at 150°, and illuminates a subject with the first, second, and/or third light. The beam splitter splits returning light and outputs a first component polarized at 0°, a second component polarized at 60°, and a third component polarized at 120°. The imaging device has an imaging surface that includes a first region receiving the first component, a second region receiving the second component, and a third region receiving the third component. The image forming circuit generates an image of the subject based on first, second, and third groups of images acquired when the subject is illuminated with the first, second, and third light.

Abstract: Images are formed from first and second polarized images acquired through illumination of the subject with first illumination light beams, and third and fourth polarized images acquired through illumination of the subject with second illumination light beams. Images of a subject are formed from translated first, second, third, and fourth polarized images, acquired from first and second luminous point images. The first bright spots appear on the first polarized image when the first illumination light beams are mirror-reflected off the subject. The second bright spots appear on the fourth polarized image when the second illumination light beams are mirror-reflected off the subject. The image forming circuit forms images of the subject by calculating a difference between a first average image, obtained by averaging the translated first and fourth polarized images, and a second average image, obtained by averaging the translated second and third polarized images.

Abstract: An embodiment of an image processing apparatus includes: an illuminating section which sequentially irradiates an object with a first and second illuminating light beams polarized in different directions. The section emits the polarized light beams sequentially so that the wavelength ranges of the light beams do not overlap with each other. The apparatus further includes: a polarization image sensor; a polarization mosaic processing section which obtains a first polarization image while the object is being irradiated with the first illuminating light beam and a second polarization image while the object is being irradiated with the second illuminating light beam; a depressed area detecting section which detects a depressed area on the surface of the object based on the polarization images; and an image forming section which forms an image representing the depressed area in an enhanced form.

Abstract: An eye imaging apparatus includes a lighting device including a fundus illuminator and a cornea illuminator; a half mirror; an imaging device including a camera having a first objective lens; and a first polarizer. The first polarizer is disposed between the half mirror and the camera. The fundus illuminator irradiates the half mirror with first light polarized in a direction orthogonal to a transmission axis of the first polarizer. The half mirror receives the first light and outputs resulting light to an eye. A travel direction of the resulting light is in alignment with an optical axis of the first objective lens. The cornea illuminator emits light at a timing different from an emission timing of the first light, and the eye is irradiated with second light based on the light emitted by the cornea illuminator from a direction different from a direction parallel with the optical axis.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an illumination device, a beam splitter, an imaging device, and an image forming circuit. The illumination device includes first emitters emitting first light polarized at 30°, second emitters emitting second light polarized at 90°, and third emitters emitting third light polarized at 150°, and illuminates a subject with the first, second, and/or third light. The beam splitter splits returning light and outputs a first component polarized at 0°, a second component polarized at 60°, and a third component polarized at 120°. The imaging device has an imaging surface that includes a first region receiving the first component, a second region receiving the second component, and a third region receiving the third component. The image forming circuit generates an image of the subject based on first, second, and third groups of images acquired when the subject is illuminated with the first, second, and third light.

Abstract: Images are formed from first and second polarized images acquired through illumination of the subject with first illumination light beams, and third and fourth polarized images acquired through illumination of the subject with second illumination light beams. Images of a subject are formed from translated first, second, third, and fourth polarized images, acquired from first and second luminous point images. The first bright spots appear on the first polarized image when the first illumination light beams are mirror-reflected off the subject. The second bright spots appear on the fourth polarized image when the second illumination light beams are mirror-reflected off the subject. The image forming circuit forms images of the subject by calculating a difference between a first average image, obtained by averaging the translated first and fourth polarized images, and a second average image, obtained by averaging the translated second and third polarized images.

Abstract: A camera system that captures images of the eyeballs of an animal is provided with: a first illumination device that illuminates an eyeball of the animal; a fundus imaging camera that captures a fundus image of the eyeball illuminated by the first illumination device; a second illumination device that illuminates an eyeball of the animal at the same timing as the first illumination device; a pupil imaging camera that captures a pupil image of the eyeball illuminated by the second illumination device; and an output circuit that outputs the fundus image as identification information of the animal, and outputs the pupil image as biological information of the animal corresponding to that identification information.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus according to the present disclosure includes an illuminating section which sequentially irradiates an object with first and second illuminating light beams polarized in first and second directions. First and second polarization images are generated based on signals representing light transmitted through polarizers having the polarization transmission axis in respective directions that are parallel to, and intersect with, the first direction while the object is being irradiated with the first illuminating light beam, and third and fourth polarization images are generated based on signals representing light transmitted through polarizers having the polarization transmission axis in respective directions that are parallel to, and intersect with, the second direction while the object is being irradiated with the second illuminating light beam.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an illumination unit in which illumination axes of first and second illumination light substantially coincide with an imaging axis and which illuminates an object with the first and second illumination light alternately, the first and second illumination light being respectively polarized in a first direction and a second direction that crosses the first direction; a splitter that divides returning light into at least two returning light components; and first and second polarization imaging devices that receive the returning light components. The first polarization imaging device obtains first and second polarization images polarized in the first direction while the object is being illuminated with the first and second illumination light, respectively. The second polarization imaging device obtains third and fourth polarization images polarized in the second direction while the object is being illuminated with the first and second illumination light, respectively.

Abstract: The present disclosure is an optical filter which includes: a Fabry-Perot resonator equipped with a laminated structure including one sheet of first metal layer, one sheet of second metal layer, and a dielectric layer; and one sheet of plate-shaped wire grid polarizer. The second metal layer is parallel to the first metal layer, the dielectric layer is interposed between the first metal layer and the second metal layer, the one sheet of plate-shaped wire grid polarizer is embedded in the dielectric layer, the one sheet of plate-shaped wire grid polarizer comprises three or more metal wire layers, the metal wire layers are parallel to one another, and the one sheet of plate-shaped wire grid polarizer is parallel to the first metal layer. In the optical filter according to the present invention, the effective extinction ratio of the wire grid polarizer is increased.

Abstract: A hydraulic braking system includes: a master cylinder including a pressurizing piston, a rearward chamber, and a pressure chamber; and a rearward-hydraulic-pressure controller connected to the rearward chamber and including a pressure increase valve and a regulator for controlling a hydraulic pressure in an output chamber. An air detector includes: an upstream detector, including the rearward-hydraulic-pressure controller, for detecting presence or absence of air in an upstream portion based on a relationship between the hydraulic pressure in the output chamber and an open time of the pressure increase valve; and a downstream detector for detecting presence or absence of air in a downstream portion based on a relationship between a stroke of the pressurizing piston and the hydraulic pressure in the output chamber. The downstream portion includes a portion located downstream of the pressure chamber of the master cylinder.