Abstract: A horizontal direction component pixel extractor extracts a pixel of interest and a horizontal direction component pixel thereof from an input video signal. A vertical direction component pixel extractor extracts the pixel of interest and a vertical direction component pixel thereof from the input video signal. A threshold setter sets a threshold value from the pixel of interest and the vertical processing direction component pixel thereof. A non-linear smoother non-linearly smoothes the pixel of interest using a horizontal processing direction component pixel in accordance with the set threshold value, thereby generating a video signal. A flat rate calculator calculates a flat rate in a vertical direction of the pixel of interest using a vertical processing direction component pixel. A mixer mixes the input video signal and the generated video signal using the flat rate, thereby outputting a horizontal direction smoothed video signal.

Abstract: There is provided an automatic transmission comprising a first shaft capable of receiving torque from an engine, and four planetary gear sets arranged coaxially on the first shaft and in series in an axial direction of the first shaft. Each of the four planetary gear sets has a single sun gear and a single ring gear. Further, the automatic transmission comprises an output wheel arranged coaxially on the first shaft, and capable of outputting torque transmitted from the engine through some of the four planetary gear sets. The output wheel is arranged between two of the four planetary gear sets. Accordingly, the noise or vibration from the planetary gear sets in the automatic transmission may be reduced, while the overall length of the first shaft may be made shorter, and the overall size of the automatic transmission may be made smaller.

Abstract: In an image pickup apparatus, a level compensator compensates the level of an image xL (i, j) sensed by an image sensor by exposure for a long time on the basis of the exposure of the image to produce a compensated image xL? (i, j), while another level compensator compensates the level of an image xS (i, j) sensed by the image sensor by exposure for a short time on the basis of the exposure of the image to produce a compensated image xS? (i, j). The image pickup apparatus also includes an image synthesizer to synthesize these compensates images xL? (i, j) and xS? (i, j) to produce a single synthetic image x (i, j). A dynamic range compressor also included in the image pickup apparatus compresses the synthetic image x (i, j) to produce a compressed image y (i, j) for delivery to outside.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and method, a recording medium, and a program that can very sharply display video images which are subjected to frame rate conversion by suppressing a decrease in the image quality (blurred images) caused by imaging blur. A high frame converter 11 performs high frame rate conversion on an input moving picture. An imaging blur suppression processor 13 corrects each pixel value forming a subject frame based on at least one value corresponding to the subject frame of the parameter values representing imaging blur detected by an imaging blur characteristic detector 12. Accordingly, a moving picture having a higher rate than that of the input moving picture and having each pixel value suitably corrected to suppress imaging blur is output. The present invention is applicable to a television system.

Abstract: In an automatic transmission (AT) in which an input shaft (Input) and an output gear (Output) are disposed on the same axis and three clutches (C1-C3) and two brakes (B1, B2) are selectively operated to provide six forward speeds, first and second planetary gear sets (GS1, GS2) are configured to consistently reduce the speed of input rotation and output the speed-reduced rotation, thereby enabling downsizing of them. The first and second planetary gear sets (GS1, GS2) are arranged in a transmission case at both the axial ends thereof. Third and fourth planetary gear sets (GS3, GS4) are connected to each other to have four rotation elements in combination, thereby constituting a Simpson planetary gear train. One of the four rotation elements (a fourth carrier (PC4) in an illustrated example) is connected to the output gear (Output).

Abstract: The invention provides an image processing apparatus and an image processing method. An area to which image data belongs is discriminated, and a correction coefficient to be used for correction of a pixel value of the image data is produced based on a result of the discrimination. Then, the pixel value of the image data is corrected with the correction coefficient. The relationship in magnitude among pixel values in the same area is maintained because the same coefficient is used, but pixel values which belong to different areas can be varied or even reversed. This allows the gradation of an entire image to be corrected while preventing partial deterioration of the contrast.

Abstract: The present invention aims at provision of a pressure-sensitive adhesive composition that affords a cured product having good adhesive property. Reduction of the amount of tackifier resin to be used, which is attributable to the good adhesive property, is a secondary object of the present invention. The above-mentioned problem can be solved by a pressure-sensitive adhesive composition containing (A) a polyoxyalkylene polymer having at least one alkenyl group in one molecule, (B) a compound having 1 to 3 hydrosilyl groups on average in one molecule, and (C) a hydrosilylation catalyst as essential components.

Abstract: A video signal processing apparatus for outputting an output video signal to a display unit and displaying an image based on an input video signal on the display unit includes a signal processor for dividing the input video signal into a predetermined number of signals and outputting the signals as the output video signal. The signals as the output video signal drive associated areas obtained by dividing a display-capable area of the display unit. In accordance with the display unit, the predetermined number of signals is set so that the clock frequency of each of the signals output as the output video signal is less than or equal to a clock frequency that can be processed by the display unit.

Abstract: The present invention provides a composition, which is easy to produce because of high ease of handling the starting materials. The composition exhibits excellent transparency, and a product prepared using the composition exhibits excellent mechanical properties and adhesive properties. The curable resin composition contains (A) an oxyalkylene polymer having silicon-containing functional groups crosslinkable through formation of siloxane bonds; (B) a copolymer having silicon-containing functional groups crosslinkable through formation of siloxane bonds, the molecular chain of the copolymer consisting substantially of (b-1) an alkyl (meth)acrylate monomeric unit having C1–C2 alkyl and (b-2) an alkyl (meth)acrylate monomeric unit having C7–C9 alkyl; and (C) a curing agent.

Abstract: A soft magnetic material includes a plurality of composite magnetic particles each having a metal magnetic particle and an insulating film surrounding a surface of the metal magnetic particle, and an organic substance joining the plurality of composite magnetic particles together. The organic substance has a deflection temperature under load of not more than 100° C. With this structure, the soft magnetic material can obtain a desired magnetic property.

Abstract: By the use of an epsilon filter, in the case where a plurality of different illuminations exist, a boundary between the illuminations can be appropriately extracted, and an unnatural image pattern can be prevented from being generated, therefore subjectively preferable compression of a dynamic range can be achieved. An edge strength G(x, y) is calculated per position on an input image, and a threshold E(x, y) of an epsilon filter (12) is controlled on the basis of the edge strength G(x, y). The epsilon filter (12) filters the input image on the basis of the controlled threshold E(x, y). On the basis of the edge strength G(x, y), the threshold E of the epsilon filter (12) is adaptively changed according to a local gradient of a pixel value I(x, y), so in the case of using a linear lowpass filter or a fixed threshold epsilon filter, an illumination boundary can be more accurately extracted.

Abstract: An image including a bright point which is specified in another image on a screen is captured. An image processing apparatus applies threshold processing to the pixel values of the captured image to determine the position of the bright point. The image processing apparatus calculates the logical product of a pixel value in the current frame line and that in the line one frame line before (or after) for binarization in the unit period of the blinking pattern of the bright point having a margin of one frame to detect the blinking pattern of the bright point.

Abstract: A linear motor device includes an inner yoke, an outer yoke, a coil-wound body and a movable magnet portion, first and second clamp rings for clamping the outer yoke, and a spacer for coupling the first and second clamp rings at a given spacing. The movable magnet portion drives a piston reciprocating in a cylinder. The first clamping member is provided with a support portion for supporting a spring for pushing the piston. The second clamping member is fixed directly or indirectly to the cylinder. A linear compressor and a Stirling engine include the above-described linear motor device.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a signal processing apparatus and a method, a recording medium, and a program, in which portions except an edge can be smoothed while the edge whose change in pixel value is steep is held correctly. A pixel of attention is determined in step S11, and a neighbouring pixel is determined in step S12. In step S13, a difference in pixel values between the pixel of attention and each neighbouring pixel is calculated. In step S14, according to a relationship in size between the difference and a threshold value ?., flags are raised for the neighbouring pixel and a neighbouring pixel which are symmetrical. Furthermore, a flag is also raised for a neighbouring pixel away from, in view of the pixel of attention, the symmetrical neighbouring pixel for which the flag is raised. In step S15, 7-pixel taps centered around the pixel of attention are averaged by weight.

Abstract: By further incorporating a reductant into a composition including an oxyalkylene polymer prepared by polymerization in the presence of a cobalt-containing double metal cyanide complex catalyst; and an acrylic polymer prepared by radical polymerization in the presence of a mercapto group-containing compound, a resin composition in which excessive coloration is prevented and that is suitably used for an adhesive or the like is prepared.

Abstract: The present invention provides a solution to a problem that a composition including a reactive silicon group-containing polyether undergoes red coloration. More specifically, in a reactive silicon group-containing organic polymer which contains Co, the problem concerned is solved by limiting the Co content to 0.5 ppm or less. As the reactive silicon group-containing organic polymer, for example, a reactive silicon group-containing polyether (A) or a mixture of the reactive silicon group-containing polyether (A) and a vinyl polymer (B) may be cited. The reactive silicon group-containing polyether (A) is obtained, for example, by reacting a polyether or a derivative thereof which contains Co in a content of 0.5 ppm or less with a silane compound which has a group capable of reacting with the polyether or the derivative thereof and has a hydrolyzable group.

Abstract: An n-filter according to the present invention includes a nonlinear filter, a pattern detector, and a switch. The nonlinear filter maintains a steep edge whose size is larger than a predetermined threshold in fluctuations of pixels constituting an input image signal and, at the same time, smoothes a non-edge portion that does not include the edge. The pattern detector detects a fine edge in the fluctuations of the pixels constituting the input image signal and notifies the switch that the fine edge exists. The switch outputs the input image signal or an image signal output from the nonlinear filter to the subsequent stage in accordance with the notification from the pattern detector.

Abstract: The present invention is a reactive modifier which is an acrylic polymer having a number average molecular weight of 5000 or more, obtained by copolymerizing (A) a hydrolyzable silyl group-containing monomer, (B) methyl methacrylate, (C) butyl acrylate and (D) an alkyl (meth)acrylate in which the alkyl chain has 7 to 9 carbon atoms, wherein the content of the component A is 0.01 to 10 parts by weight, the content of the component B is 5 to 95 parts by weight, the content of the component C is 5 to 95 parts by weight, the content of the component D is 5 to 95 parts by weight, the total content of the components A to D is 50 to 100 parts by weight and the weight ratio of the component C to the component D is 0.5 to 2.0. The present invention provides a reactive modifier which is inexpensive in the raw materials thereof, easy to handle and excellent in the storage stability as observed at the time of mixing with a polymer.

Abstract: An image capturing apparatus and a method therefor are proposed for the production of a natural composite image corresponding to an object to be imaged. A misregistration amount (d) of each image (xS1) except for a reference image (xL1) is detected with respect to the reference image, misregistration of each image except for the reference image with respect to the reference image is corrected on the basis of the misregistration amount, and then the reference image and each misregistration corrected image (xS4) except for the reference image are composed, thereby making it possible to avoid a degraded image quality which would otherwise be produced when a plurality of images are composed without correction, and consequently produce a natural composite image corresponding to an object to be imaged.

Abstract: A dot detection section of a dot-interference detection section detects a portion where pixels are arranged as “dark-bright-dark” or “bright-dark-bright” in the horizontal direction, within a Y signal containing dot interference, separated by a YC separation process, and outputs the detection result as dot values to a horizontal array checking section and a vertical array checking section. The horizontal array checking section detects whether or not dot values of a predetermined number of pixels arranged horizontally in such a manner as to contain a subject pixel, have the same value. The vertical array checking section detects whether or not dot values of a predetermined number of pixels arranged vertically in such a manner as to contain a subject pixel, are alternately generated as 1 and 2. An enhancement processing section performs an enhancement process on the Y signal of portions other than the portions where dot interference occurs.