Abstract: An object detection apparatus includes an image acquisition unit that acquires image data, a reading unit that reads the acquired image data in a predetermined image area at predetermined resolution, an object area detection unit that detects an object area from first image data read by the reading unit, an object discrimination unit that discriminates a predetermined object from the object area detected by the object area detection unit, and a determination unit that determines an image area and resolution used to read second image data which is captured later than the first image data from the object area detected by the object area detection unit, wherein the reading unit reads the second image data from the image area at the resolution determined by the determination unit.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus obtains a difference between a partial region of an input image and a partial region of a background image, stored in a storage device, corresponding to the partial region of the input image, determines whether each partial region of the input image is a moving body region or a background region based on the difference, and combines the partial region of the input image determined as the background region and the partial region of the background image corresponding to the partial region of the input image to update the background image.

Abstract: When discriminating a plurality of types of objects, a plurality of local feature quantities are extracted from local regions in an image, and positions of the local regions, and attributes according to image characteristics of the local feature quantities are stored in correspondence with each other. Then, object likelihoods with respect to a plurality of objects are determined from attributes of feature quantities in a region-of-interest, an object whose object likelihood is not less than a threshold value is determined as an object candidate, and whether an object candidate is a predetermined object is determined.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus comprises an extractor for extracting a brightness component from image data; a scale converter for obtaining a distribution of the brightness component on relatively large scale; a brightness component improver for improving the distribution of the brightness component of the image data by using the brightness component and an output of the converter; and an image reproducer for reproducing the image data by using an output of the improver as a distribution of a brightness component of a new image, wherein the apparatus further comprises a face detector for detecting a face area from the image data, and the improver adjusts a degree of improvement by using a distribution of a brightness component of the face area being an output of the detector. Thus, it is possible to automatically adjust the degree of improvement of the luminance distribution according to the image data to be processed.

Abstract: A cut point detection unit segments a frame sequence including successive frames into one or more subframe sequences. A face discrimination unit identifies an image group in which an object registered in advance appears, of images of respective frames that form one subframe sequence, and a representative frame candidate extraction unit selects one image from the identified image group as a selection image. A representative frame display control unit controls a display unit to display selection images for respective subframe sequences as representative images of the frame sequence.

Abstract: A producing method of a carbon fiber by spraying a raw material solution containing a carbon source and a transition metallic compound into a reaction zone and subjecting the raw material solution to thermal decomposition, which is characterized in (1) spraying the raw material solution at a spray angle of 3° to 30° and (2) feeding a carrier gas through at least one site other than an inlet through which the raw material solution is sprayed. A composite material comprising a vapor grown carbon fiber, each fiber filament of the carbon fiber having a branching degree of at least 0.15 occurrences/?m and a bulk density of 0.025 g/cm3 or less.

Abstract: A method and apparatus obtains an image of a proper brightness in various scenes in which it is difficult to appropriately determine the brightness of an image. The apparatus includes a unit which extracts luminance components from image data, a unit which obtains on a predetermined scale the distribution of the extracted luminance components, a unit which sets a middle luminance value for the image data, corrects a luminance value larger than the middle luminance value in the converted luminance distribution to decrease a luminance value before scale conversion that corresponds to the larger luminance value, and corrects a luminance value smaller than the middle luminance value to increase a luminance value before scale conversion that corresponds to the smaller luminance value, and a unit which reproduces the image data by using the enhanced luminance distribution as a new image luminance distribution.

Abstract: In an object detecting method, an imaging condition of an image pickup unit is determined, a detecting method is selected based on the determined imaging condition, and at least one predetermined object is detected from an image picked up through the image pickup unit according to the selected detecting method.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention relate to an information processing system that is triggered by a detection of a medium removing action, detects a user's action of leaving a sheet discharge tray from which the user has removed the medium, and counts the number of carrying-away users. The information processing system counts as the number of outputting users the number of users who have issued an instruction to output a medium. Based on the number of users who removed and left and the number of outputting users, the information processing system sends a notification prompting to check a carried-away medium or a medium that the user is about to carry away from the sheet discharge tray.

Abstract: When a three-dimensional image viewed stereoscopically by superposition of a lenticular sheet is merely binarized and output, fringes are produced in the direction in which cylindrical lens elements repeat on the lenticular sheet, and therefore an appropriate stereoscopic image is not observed. Accordingly, a multiple viewpoint image sequence of the image of a subject is acquired, a three-dimensional stripe image is synthesized by the images of the image sequence, the stripe image is converted to a multivalued image by reducing the number of tones by the error diffusion method, the multivalued image is convened to a binary dot pattern by the density pattern method, and the dot pattern is formed on a recording medium.

Abstract: A vapor grown carbon fiber, each fiber filament of the carbonfiber having a branching degree of at least 0.15 occurrences/?m and a bulk density of 0.025 g/cm3 or less and a producing method of the carbon fiber by spraying a raw material solution containing a carbon source and a transition metallic compound into a reaction zone and subjecting the raw material solution to thermal decomposition, which is characterized in (1) spraying the raw material solution at a spray angle of 3° to 30° and (2) feeding a carrier gas through at least one site other than an inlet through which the raw material solution is sprayed, and a composite material comprising the carbon fiber.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an extraction unit configured to extract a feature amount from information recorded on a recording medium, an acquisition unit configured to acquire an identification image identifying an operator of the recording apparatus, a storage unit configured to store the feature amount and the identification image, wherein the identification image is associated with the feature amount, a search unit configured to compare a feature amount extracted from a predetermined medium by the extraction unit with the feature amount stored in the storage unit, wherein, based on a result of the comparison, the identification image associated with the stored feature amount is associated with the predetermined medium, and an output unit configured to output the identification image associated with the predetermined medium.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus comprises an extractor for extracting a brightness component from image data; a scale converter for obtaining a distribution of the brightness component on relatively large scale; a brightness component improver for improving the distribution of the brightness component of the image data by using the brightness component and an output of the converter; and an image reproducer for reproducing the image data by using an output of the improver as a distribution of a brightness component of a new image, wherein the apparatus further comprises a face detector for detecting a face area from the image data, and the improver adjusts a degree of improvement by using a distribution of a brightness component of the face area being an output of the detector. Thus, it is possible to automatically adjust the degree of improvement of the luminance distribution according to the image data to be processed.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus comprises a luminance extraction means for extracting a luminance component from image data, a scale conversion means for obtaining a distribution of the luminance component on a relatively large scale, a luminance improvement means for improving the luminance distribution of the image data by using the luminance component and an output from the scale conversion means, and an image reproduction means for reproducing the image data by using an output from the luminance improvement means as a luminance distribution of a new image, wherein the luminance improvement means further comprises a parameter adjustment means for adjusting a degree of improvement by means of a parameter. Thus, a brightness distribution is optimally improved according to image quality of a digital image to be processed.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus comprises an extractor for extracting a brightness component from image data; a scale converter for obtaining a distribution of the brightness component on relatively large scale; a brightness component improver for improving the distribution of the brightness component of the image data by using the brightness component and an output of the converter; and an image reproducer for reproducing the image data by using an output of the improver as a distribution of a brightness component of a new image, wherein the apparatus further comprises a face detector for detecting a face area from the image data, and the improver adjusts a degree of improvement by using a distribution of a brightness component of the face area being an output of the detector. Thus, it is possible to automatically adjust the degree of improvement of the luminance distribution according to the image data to be processed.

Abstract: It aims to prevent occurrence of gradation jump or color displacement even if a process for improving a brightness distribution of a digital image to be processed is performed. An image processing method for achieving such prevention comprises: an extraction step of extracting a brightness component from image data; a scale conversion step of obtaining a distribution of the brightness component on relatively large scale; an improvement step of improving the brightness component distribution of the image data by using the brightness component and an output in the scale conversion step; and a gradation compression step of judging whether or not the image data reconstituted according to the improved brightness component distribution is within a predetermined color gamut, and, when it is judged that the reconstituted image data includes the image data outside the predetermined color gamut, of performing a gradation compression process.

Abstract: An image synthesization method, whereby a plurality of images, each of which has a partially overlapping image area, are synthesized to create a single synthetic image, comprises a determination step of inputting a plurality of image data sets that correspond to the plurality of images that are input, and of determining whether or not an image in the partially overlapping image area of each of images that are indicated by the plurality of image data sets includes mainly characters an image processing step of performing, for the plurality of image data sets that are input, image processing in consonance with a result of a determination performed at the determination step and an image synthesization step of synthesizing images that are indicated by the resultant plurality of image data, for which the image processing has been performed at the image processing step. With this arrangement, a plurality of images can be easily and effectively synthesized.

Abstract: In image processing apparatus and method for displaying and printing a person image photographed by a digital camera, it is possible to automatically correct image data and output the person image of an optimum characteristic. In this apparatus, an image obtaining processor obtains the image data from a recording medium, a face region extraction processor extracts a face region of a person from the obtained image data, an image feature amount calculator calculates an image feature amount of the extracted face region, a correction effect inference processor infers whether or not a correction effect can be obtained by correcting a characteristic of the image data, based on the calculated image feature amount, and an image correction processor corrects the characteristic of the image data based on the image feature amount and thus outputs post-correction image data when it is inferred that the correction effect can be obtained.

Abstract: The invention relates to a vapor grown carbon fiber having a mean fiber diameter of 80 to 500 nm, an aspect ratio of 100 to 200 and preferably a bulk density of 0.02 g/cm3 or less, wherein filaments having a diameter within ±20% the mean fiber diameter occupies 65% (on a number basis) or more of the total. The production method involves thermal decomposition of a carbon source at 800 to 1,300° C. in the presence of, as a catalyst, a transition metal compound having a vapor pressure of 0.13 kPa (1 mmHg) or more at 150° C. and spraying of the carbon source and the transition metal compound in gas form toward the reactor inner wall to allow reaction to proceed. The vapor grown carbon fiber having a larger aspect ratio has excellent dispersibility, and when added in a resin, a smaller amount contributes to enhancement in electroconductivity and thermal conductivity, as compared with a case using conventional one.

Abstract: A plurality of collation patterns having different resolutions are generated from an original collation pattern which includes a plurality of local regions. Subject reliabilities for individual local regions are calculated based on local features of the local regions in the collation patterns having different resolutions. In accordance with the subject reliabilities for individual local regions, it is determined that the original collation pattern includes a specific image of a subject.