Abstract: Disclosed are an image processing method, apparatus and storage medium for forming a mosaic image by combining a plurality of material images. The method includes dividing an image, which is the basis of the mosaic image, into a plurality of tile areas, obtaining an image characteristic of each tile area obtained by division, calculating distances between the image characteristics of each of the tile areas and image characteristics of respective ones of the plurality of material images, selecting material images corresponding to each of the tile areas in dependence upon result of calculation of the distances, forming a mosaic image by pasting the selected material images to the corresponding tile areas, and subjecting this mosaic image to filtering processing, thereby generating a mosaic image in which the joints between tile areas are no longer noticeable.

Abstract: To provide an image editing technique that enables a user to perform movement and magnification of an image with a single operation, and to perform trimming while grasping image composition in printing, the image editing method includes a step of instructing to move an arbitrary point of an image displayed in an image display area among image data; a step of calculating an image movement amount and a magnification ratio in response to the instruction to move the arbitrary point; and a step displaying a predetermined area of the image data in the image display area on the basis of the image movement amount and the magnification ratio, which are calculated in the calculating step.

Abstract: There are provided an image processing method and apparatus for generating a mosaic image by combining a plurality of material images in a mosaic pattern. The number of material images is increased on the basis of a plurality of stored material images, material images added by capturing a moving image, or the like, and a mosaic image with higher image quality is generated based on such material images.

Abstract: Disclosed are an image data processing method and apparatus for reading image data out of a memory and processing the image data, in which the memory stores image data representing an image as a collection of a plurality of partial images and from which the image data can be read out upon specifying image data in units of the partial images. If sequence information indicating the display sequence of the plurality of partial images of the image is stored in association with the image, then the partial images can be read out and displayed in accordance with the sequence information. By displaying completed partial images upon appending specific information thereto, it is possible to distinguish partial images whose display has been completed on a screen from partial images whose display has not been completed on the screen.

Abstract: First control controls execution of a process for inputting an image drawn by the user using an input window, and a process for computing the image feature amount of the input image. Parallel to the first control, second control controls execution of a process for storing a plurality of image data in correspondence with their image feature amounts, a process for computing image similarity on the basis of the computed image feature amount and those of the stored image data, and a process for displaying a list of image data as search results on the basis of the computed image similarity. Also, communications between the first control and the second control are controlled.

Abstract: To generating a mosaic image by combining a plurality of material images, an original image is divided into tiles and a material image having a characteristic similar to that of an image in each tile is applied to the tile. If more than one version of image data having different resolutions is provided as the image data for the material image, a low-resolution version of the image data is used to calculate a characteristic quantity of the image. Thus, the amount of time required to generate the mosaic image can be reduced.

Abstract: A PC card camera has a structure in which a universal joint to which a video camera is attached is mounted on a PC card body. The video camera comprises an optical lens unit and a solid-state area sensor of the photoelectric transducer type. The universal joint holds the video camera in such a manner that the angular position thereof can be adjusted freely with respect to the PC card. The PC card body is provided with a guide for guiding the card into a slot provided in a personal computer, a connector for connecting the PC card to the personal computer, and a cut-out which prevents the PC card from being inserted incorrectly. With the PC card connected to the personal computer, the angular position of the video camera can be adjusted via the universal joint.

Abstract: Upon forming a mosaic image by combining a plurality of material images, an original image of the mosaic image is segmented into M×N areas. The image characteristics of these segmented areas are calculated, and a material image corresponding to each segmented area is determined on the basis of the calculated image characteristics while inhibiting a single material image from being repetitively selected for a plurality of areas. By generating the mosaic image in this way, an expected texture pattern due to a specific combination of material images can be prevented from being formed.

Abstract: A PC card camera has a structure in which a universal joint to which a video camera is attached is mounted on a PC card body. The video camera comprises an optical lens unit and a solid-state area sensor of the photoelectric transducer type. The universal joint holds the video camera in such a manner that the angular position thereof can be adjusted freely with respect to the PC card. The PC card body is provided with a guide for guiding the card into a slot provided in a personal computer, a connector for connecting the PC card to the personal computer, and a cut-out which prevents the PC card from being inserted incorrectly. With the PC card connected to the personal computer, the angular position of the video camera can be adjusted via the universal joint.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus comprising a divider for dividing an input image into plural areas, a controller for controlling a storage format of image data representing the input image in a unit of a divided area, a converter for converting the image data into the storage format, and an adder for adding predetermined information to the input image in the unit of the area. The controlling performed by the controller includes controlling whether or not the image data is compressed.

Abstract: To generating a mosaic image by combining a plurality of material images, an original image is divided into tiles and a material image having a characteristic similar to that of an image in each tile is applied to the tile. If more than one version of image data having different resolutions is provided as the image data for the material image, a low-resolution version of the image data is used to calculate a characteristic quantity of the image. Thus, the amount of time required to generate the mosaic image can be reduced.

Abstract: A search result of a search target object is displayed at a high speed. By dividing an image into a plurality of areas and allocating attribute information to each area, only the area including the attribute information showing the search target object is searched and is displayed or transmitted, so that a part of a desired image can be extracted at a high speed.

Abstract: The invention intends, in the storage of image information with a predetermined image storage format, to add predetermined information to the input image matching such storage format.

Abstract: Image processing method and apparatus for combining a plurality of texture images and generating a mosaic image. A first image serving as an original image is divided into a plurality of tile areas; a texture image having a minimum difference between the average luminance of R, G and B tristimulus values in each tile area and average luminance of R, G and B tristimulus values in each texture image is selected; and a mosaic image is produced by substituting the tile area by the selected texture image. In determination of the texture image, L*a*b* space parameters of each tile area and each texture image are compared and a texture image having the closest space parameter is selected as the image for the corresponding tile area, and a mosaic image is generated.

Abstract: A search result of a search target object is displayed at a high speed. By dividing an image into a plurality of areas and allocating attribute information to each area, only the area including the attribute information showing the search target object is searched and is displayed or transmitted, so that a part of a desired image can be extracted at a high speed.

Abstract: An exhaust gas purification system comprises a NOx catalyst for absorbing the NOx in the exhaust gas when the air-fuel ratio of the influent exhaust gas is lean and purifying by reducing the absorbed NOx with a reducing agent in the exhaust gas when the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas turns rich, a first unit for calculating the amount of NOx absorbed per unit time in each area of the NOx catalyst when the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas flowing into the NOx catalyst is lean, and a second unit for calculating the total amount of NOx absorbed into the NOx catalyst by totaling the amounts of NOx calculated by the first calculation unit for the areas of the NOx catalyst.

Abstract: A catalytic emission control apparatus of an internal combustion engine that has an engine stop mode of stopping the internal combustion engine during a run of a vehicle utilizes an oxygen absorption-storage action of an emission control catalyst disposed in an exhaust passage of the internal combustion engine. The emission control apparatus has a storage computing device that computes a storage of oxygen in the emission control catalyst, and air-fuel ratio controller performs an air-fuel ratio control of the internal combustion engine based on the storage of oxygen computed by the storage computing device. The storage computing device computes the storage of oxygen during the engine stop mode of the internal combustion engine. The air-fuel ratio controller performs the air-fuel ratio control when the internal combustion engine is restarted after the engine stop mode is discontinued, based on the storage of oxygen computed by the storage computing device during the engine stop mode.

Abstract: Reduced image data of images recorded in a memory card of a digital camera is transmitted from the digital camera to a portable phone. In the portable phone, while viewing the photographs one by one, a print order instruction operation is performed on the desired images. The print order information is transmitted from the portable phone to the digital camera, and the information is recorded as a print order file into the memory card in the digital camera.

Abstract: A search result of a search target object is displayed at a high speed. By dividing an image into a plurality of areas and allocating attribute information to each area, only the area including the attribute information showing the search target object is searched and is displayed or transmitted, so that a part of a desired image can be extracted at a high speed.

Abstract: An electric instrument amplifier emulates an audio characteristics of a traditional vacuum-tube type amplifier. The electric instrument amplifier is formed in a single housing for amplifying an audio signal from an electric instrument. The electric instrument amplifier includes an A/D (analog-to-digital) converter for converting a first analog signal from the electric instrument to a digital signal, a digital signal processing circuit for processing the digital signal to add an intended effect to the digital signal, a D/A (digital-to-analog) converter for converting the digital signal processed by the digital signal processing circuit to a second analog signal, a tube amplifier having at least one vacuum-tube for amplifying the second analog signal, and a virtual power circuit formed with semiconductor devices for amplifying or attenuating an audio signal produced by the tube amplifier.