Abstract: An optical transmission device includes: a serializer and deserializer configured to convert an input client signal into parallel data at a sampling rate of k times (k is a power of 2) a rate of the input client signal and output the parallel data; a frame generation section configured to generate an optical channel payload unit (OPU) frame from the client signal; and a stuff control section connected to an output of the parallel data and configured to perform, in units of 1/k bits, a stuff operation to map the client signal into the OPU frame and thereby calculate a Cn(n=1/k) value which is a theoretical value of the stuff operation.

Abstract: According to one aspect of the teachings presented herein, a machine vision system includes one or more sensor units that are each advantageously configured to use different pairings among a set of spaced-apart image sensors, to provide redundant object detection for a primary monitoring zone, while simultaneously providing for the detection of objects that may shadow the primary monitoring zone. Further, a plurality of “mitigations” and enhancements provide safety-of-design and robust operation. Such mitigations and enhancements include, for example, bad-pixel detection and mapping, cluster-based pixel processing for improved object detection, test-image injection for fault detection, dual-channel, redundant processing for safety-critical object detection, temporal filtering to reduce false detections, and the use of high dynamic range (HDR) images, for improved operation over variable ambient lighting conditions.

Abstract: According to one aspect of the teachings presented herein, a projective volume monitoring apparatus is configured to detect objects intruding into a monitoring zone. The projective volume monitoring apparatus is configured to detect the intrusion of objects of a minimum object size relative to a protection boundary, based on an advantageous processing technique that represents range pixels obtained from stereo correlation processing in spherical coordinates and maps those range pixels to a two-dimensional histogram that is defined over the projective coordinate space associated with capturing the stereo images used in correlation processing. The histogram quantizes the horizontal and vertical solid angle ranges of the projective coordinate space into a grid of cells. The apparatus flags range pixels that are within the protection boundary and accumulates them into corresponding cells of the histogram, and then performs clustering on the histogram cells to detect object intrusions.

Abstract: A heating plate 10 includes: a pair of glass plates 11, 12; a conductive pattern 40, 70 disposed between the pair of glass plates 11, 12 and defining a plurality of opening areas 43, 73; and a joint layer 13, 14 disposed between the conductive pattern 40, 70 and at least one of the pair of glass plates 11, 12; wherein the conductive pattern 40, 70 includes a plurality of connection elements 44, 74 that extend between two branch points 42, 72 to define the opening areas 43, 73; and a rate of the connection elements 44, 74, which are straight line segments connecting the two branch points 42, 72, relative to the plurality of connection elements 44, 74, is less than 20%.

Abstract: According to one aspect of the teachings presented herein, a projective volume monitoring apparatus is configured to protect against the intrusion of crawling and walking persons into a monitoring zone. The apparatus acquires stereo images of a first monitoring zone that begins at a defined height above a floor and of a second monitoring zone that lies below the first monitoring zone and extends downward to a floor or other surface on which persons may walk or crawl, and processes the stereo images to obtain range pixels. The apparatus detects object intrusions within the first monitoring zone by processing the corresponding range pixels using first object detection parameters that are tuned for the detection of walking or running persons, and detects object intrusions within the second monitoring zone by processing the corresponding range pixels using second object detection parameters that are tuned for the detection of crawling or prone persons.

Abstract: A solid oxidized glutathione salt is produced by heating an oxidized glutathione at 30° C. or higher while the oxidized glutathione is brought into contact with an aqueous medium in the presence of a substance for providing a cation, to produce the salt of the oxidized glutathione and the cation as a solid, wherein the aqueous medium is composed of water and/or a water-soluble medium, and the cation is at least one selected from an ammonium cation, a calcium cation and a magnesium cation.

Abstract: An optical transmission device includes: a serializer and deserializer configured to convert an input client signal into parallel data at a sampling rate of k times (k is a power of 2) a rate of the input client signal and output the parallel data; a frame generation section configured to generate an optical channel payload unit (OPU) frame from the client signal; and a stuff control section connected to an output of the parallel data and configured to perform, in units of 1/k bits, a stuff operation to map the client signal into the OPU frame and thereby calculate a Cn(n=1/k) value which is a theoretical value of the stuff operation.

Abstract: The present invention provides an efficient method for industrially producing a naturally-derived carotenoid composition with a large amount of a carotenoid such as astaxanthin from a culture of a yeast of the genus Xanthophyllomyces without requiring any special extraction equipment and any complicated refinement process and without any need for organic solvents harmful to humans. Provided is a method for producing a carotenoid composition, including the steps of washing a carotenoid-containing yeast of the genus Xanthophyllomyces with an organic solvent (A) at 30° C. or lower, and extracting a carotenoid from the washed yeast with an organic solvent (B) at 10° C. to 70° C.

Abstract: A solid oxidized glutathione salt is produced by heating an oxidized glutathione at 30° C. or higher while the oxidized glutathione is brought into contact with an aqueous medium in the presence of a substance for providing a cation, to produce the salt of the oxidized glutathione and the cation as a solid, wherein the aqueous medium is composed of water and/or a water-soluble medium, and the cation is at least one selected from an ammonium cation, a calcium cation and a magnesium cation.

Abstract: The present invention provides an efficient method for industrially producing a naturally-derived carotenoid composition with a large amount of a carotenoid such as astaxanthin from a culture of a yeast of the genus Xanthophyllomyces without requiring any special extraction equipment and any complicated refinement process and without any need for organic solvents harmful to humans. Provided is a method for producing a carotenoid composition, including the steps of washing a carotenoid-containing yeast of the genus Xanthophyllomyces with an organic solvent (A) at 30° C. or lower, and extracting a carotenoid from the washed yeast with an organic solvent (B) at 10° C. to 70° C.

Abstract: A configuration controller configured to control configuration of a partially configurable programmable device, includes a determination unit configured to determine whether or not circuit data to be arranged in any one of a plurality of areas in the programmable device matches desired circuit data for which a desired arrangement target area is specified, before the circuit data to be arranged is written into the programmable device, and a data controller configured to control whether or not the circuit data to be arranged is to be written into the programmable device, in accordance with the determination result of the determination unit.

Abstract: In one aspect, this disclosure presents a method and apparatus for verifying that minimum object contrast requirements are met within a region representing a volume to be monitored by a machine vision system. In complementary fashion, the disclosure also presents a methodology for constraining the positions of the lighting sources to be used for illuminating the monitored volume at a minimum height above the floor, and for the use of a key light that provides asymmetrical lighting within the monitored volume relative to the camera(s) used for imaging the monitored volume. Correspondingly, the disclosure also presents a method and apparatus for monitoring for proper operation of the key light and responding to improper operation. The minimum contrast verification and key light monitoring operations can be implemented using standalone apparatuses, or can be incorporated into the machine vision system.

Abstract: According to one aspect of the teachings presented herein, a machine vision system includes one or more sensor units that are each advantageously configured to use different pairings among a set of spaced-apart image sensors, to provide redundant object detection for a primary monitoring zone, while simultaneously providing for the detection of objects that may shadow the primary monitoring zone. Further, a plurality of “mitigations” and enhancements provide safety-of-design and robust operation. Such mitigations and enhancements include, for example, bad-pixel detection and mapping, cluster-based pixel processing for improved object detection, test-image injection for fault detection, dual-channel, redundant processing for safety-critical object detection, temporal filtering to reduce false detections, and the use of high dynamic range (HDR) images, for improved operation over variable ambient lighting conditions.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an easy-to-handle, before and after dilution with water, concentrated liquid cleanser composition and a production method thereof. A concentrated cleanser composition of the present invention is characterized by comprising: (A) an anionic surfactant, (B) an amphoteric surfactant, (C) 5 to 15 mass % of a monohydric or dihydric alcohol, (D) 8 to 18 mass % of a nonionic surfactant with the IOB value of 0.8 to 1.1 and the molecular weight of 500 or lower, and (E) 45 mass % or less of water, wherein the sum of (A) and (B) is 40 to 60 mass %; wherein the blending ratio (C):(D) is 3.5:1 to 1:2.5; and wherein the viscosity at 30° C. is 300 mPa·s or higher when the composition is diluted until the concentration of (A) and (B) becomes 15 mass %.

Abstract: The present invention provides a hair cosmetic composition contains (A) a di-long-chain cationic surfactant represented by formula (1); (B) an ethylene oxide adduct of 1,2-alkanediol represented by formula (2) and/or an N-acyl-N-methylmonoethanolamide represented by formula (3); and (C) a hydrophobicized alkyl cellulose represented by formula (4) and/or a cationic polymer represented by formula (5), and (D) water (chemical formulas not shown). The hair cosmetic composition has remarkably high safety and excellent stability. In addition, the composition exhibits excellent spreadability over hair upon application thereof and can finish hair with suppleness and less stickiness. Also, even when the composition has a low base material content, a lamellar liquid crystal structure can be formed.

Abstract: The present invention provides a hair cosmetic composition contains (A) a di-long-chain cationic surfactant represented by formula (1); (B) an ethylene oxide adduct of 1,2-alkanediol represented by formula (2), and/or an N-acyl-N-methylmonoethanolamide represented by formula (3); and (C) water, wherein the number (?1) of the carbon atoms that form RaCO of the di-long-chain cationic surfactant represented by formula (1) and the number (?2) of the carbon atoms that form each of RbCHCH2 of the ethylene oxide adduct of 1,2-alkanediol represented by formula (2) and RcCO of the N-acyl-N-methylmonoethanolamide represented by formula (3) satisfy the relationship: (?2?2)??1?(?2+2) (chemical formulas not shown). The hair cosmetic composition of the present invention has remarkably high safety and excellent stability. Also, even when the composition has a low base material content, a lamellar liquid crystal structure can be formed.

Abstract: The present invention provides a hair cosmetic composition contains (A) a di-long-chain cationic surfactant represented by formula (1); (B) an ethylene oxide adduct of 1,2-alkanediol represented by formula (2) and/or an N-acyl-N-methylmonoethanolamide represented by formula (3); and (C) a hydrophobicized alkyl cellulose represented by formula (4) and/or a cationic polymer represented by formula (5), and (D) water (chemical formulas not shown). The hair cosmetic composition has remarkably high safety and excellent stability. In addition, the composition exhibits excellent spreadability over hair upon application thereof and can finish hair with suppleness and less stickiness. Also, even when the composition has a low base material content, a lamellar liquid crystal structure can be formed.

Abstract: A tracking apparatus and method in which the possible position of a current face is estimated based on the face positions previously determined as well as plural pieces of ambient information corresponding to the possible positions obtained. The current face position is estimated based on the position of the ambient information that is most similar to the ambient information obtained from previous detections.

Abstract: Plural nodes are arranged at predetermined initial positions, and feature values at plural sampling points around each node are obtained as a node feature value of each corresponding node. An error estimator indicating displacement between the current position of each node and the position of corresponding feature point is obtained based on correlation information on a difference between the node feature value obtained in a state in which the plural nodes are arranged at correct positions of the corresponding feature points and the node feature value obtained in a state in which the plural nodes are arranged at wrong positions of the corresponding feature points in a learning image, correlation information on a difference between the correct position and the wrong position, and a node feature value of each node. The position of each feature point is estimated in an input image based on the error estimator and the current position of each node.

Abstract: A device and method for detecting feature points of an object from an image. A three-dimensional model is created in which a plurality of nodes corresponding to feature points in a learning image are defined. The model is projected onto an input image and a feature value is derived from a plurality of sampling points around a projection point of each node. An error estimated amount is computed based on the displacement of a feature point between a correct model and an error model. The three dimensional position of each feature point in the input image is estimated based on the error estimated amount and a three dimensional model.