Abstract: An excessive torque releasing type clutch apparatus comprises an outer ring, an inner ring arranged radially inside and coaxially with the outer ring and rotatably relative to the outer ring, a torque transmitting portion capable of transmitting torque between the outer ring and the inner ring, and a restricting mechanism for restricting excessive torque from being input from an input torque transmitting member to a driving ring of the outer ring and the inner ring and restricting excessive inverse torque that is input to a driven ring of the outer ring and the inner ring from being input to the input torque transmitting member. Treatment steps for securing strength of constituent members of the clutch apparatus in manufacturing be simplified or omitted.

Abstract: An excessive torque releasing type clutch apparatus which can release torque when an excessive torque is input thereto, comprises an outer ring 3, an inner ring 5 arranged radially inside and in coaxial with the center axis of the outer ring 3 and rotatably relative to the outer ring 3, a torque transmitting portion that is capable of transmitting torque having the center axis as the center between the outer ring 3 and the inner ring 5, and a restricting mechanism for restricting a torque that exceeds a predetermined torque from being input from an input torque transmitting member to a driving ring of the outer ring 3 and the inner ring 5 and an inverse torque that is input to a driven ring of the outer ring 3 and the inner ring 5 and exceeds the predetermined torque from being input to the input torque transmitting member. Treatment step for securing strength of constituent members of the clutch apparatus in manufacturing process can be simplified or omitted.

Abstract: A structure of a ratchet type one-way clutch that enables a reduction of the installation space along the direction of the center axis and high torque setting. The structure includes a securing member arranged on the center axis of a ratchet type one-way clutch and having a holding portion opposed to the ratchet type one-way clutch in the axial direction. The outer race of the ratchet type one-way clutch is provided with a first fit portion including a plurality of through holes. The holding portion is provided with a second fit portion including a plurality of projections that is in fitting engagement with the first fit portions, respectively.

Abstract: A structure of a ratchet type one-way clutch that enables a reduction of the installation space along the direction of the center axis and high torque setting. The structure includes a securing member arranged on the center axis of a ratchet type one-way clutch and having a holding portion opposed to the ratchet type one-way clutch in the axial direction. The outer race of the ratchet type one-way clutch is provided with a first fit portion including a plurality of through holes. The holding portion is provided with a second fit portion including a plurality of projections that is in fitting engagement with the first fit portions, respectively.

Abstract: A lock release apparatus in a vehicle includes a vehicle unit and a portable device, for an exchange of the first and second reference signals transmitted therebetween from the portable device through human body of the driver toward the right and left hands of the driver onto the first and second interfaces. The signals received by the interfaces are used to set the first and second determination conditions. At a time of a shift lever operation, an interface on a shift lever is used to receive the first determination signal for determining the first determination condition, together with the second determination signal from the other interface for releasing the lock of the shift lever.

Abstract: A lock release apparatus in a vehicle includes a vehicle unit and a portable device, for an exchange of the first and second reference signals transmitted therebetween from the portable device through human body of the driver toward the right and left hands of the driver onto the first and second interfaces. The signals received by the interfaces are used to set the first and second determination conditions. At a time of a shift lever operation, an interface on a shift lever is used to receive the first determination signal for determining the first determination condition, together with the second determination signal from the other interface for releasing the lock of the shift lever.

Abstract: An operation control system includes a transmitter circuit, a transmitter interface, an engine start button switch, a receiver unit and an engine ECU. The transmitter circuit generates a transmission signal and the transmitter interface inputs a communication signal to an operator by converting the transmission signal. The receiver unit receives the communication signal through the operator, when the operator touches the engine start button switch. The engine start button switch detects in-blood alcohol concentration of the operator. The receiver unit generates and applies an engine start control signal in response to output signals of the receiver unit indicative of the operator's engine start operation and alcohol detection result.

Abstract: An identification apparatus and an identification method are disclosed. According to the identification apparatus and method, an identification code is created by combining multiple information items. Further one or more of multiple tactile information items that represents the created identification code is produced based on a correspondence relation between the multiple tactile information items and the multiple information units. Further, identification is performed based on determining whether the created identification code is equal to the identification code that is actually input in response to the producing of the one or more of the multiple tactile information items that represents the created identification code.

Abstract: A dynamic contour extracting means detects, using a dynamic contour extraction method generally known as SNAKE, a contour of a recognition object included on an image by the following steps: a curve with control points is disposed in an image; an internal energy Eint indicating smoothness of the curve, an image energy Eimage, and an external energy Eext are summed up; and the curve is modified so that the summed total energy becomes the minimum. Here, a template is stored for including disposition information of primary control points that are bound to be moved only in a vertical or horizontal direction based on a road shape. The dynamic contour extracting means moves the primary control points based on the template. The primary control points can be rapidly moved owing to their limited movement direction.

Abstract: A driver's gaze distribution is detected. Based on the detected distribution, an image corresponding to a driver's visual-field is extracted from images photographed by a front monitor camera and is accumulated. A first driver's gaze probability distribution necessary for steering operation is computed based on the accumulated images, and a second driver's gaze probability distribution that is expected is computed based on visual characteristics within the images. An ideal gaze probability distribution is obtained by adding up the first and the second probability distributions. Presence of a risk is determined when the difference between the driver's gaze and the ideal gaze probability distribution becomes a given threshold. A windshield display or a speaker outputs the determined result.

Abstract: A driver's gaze distribution is detected. Based on the detected distribution, an image corresponding to a driver's visual-field is extracted from images photographed by a front monitor camera and is accumulated. A first driver's gaze probability distribution necessary for steering operation is computed based on the accumulated images, and a second driver's gaze probability distribution that is expected is computed based on visual characteristics within the images. An ideal gaze probability distribution is obtained by adding up the first and the second probability distributions. Presence of a risk is determined when the difference between the driver's gaze and the ideal gaze probability distribution becomes a given threshold. A windshield display or a speaker outputs the determined result.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus draws an image, stores the drawn image in a memory, reads image data from the memory along a raster direction, and executes a processing operation required for a display with respect to the read image data to output the processed image data to a display device. A display processing unit executes a processing operation including a coordinate calculation with respect to the image data read out along the raster direction. As a result, the image can be formed at high speed even under transition state of displayed images.

Abstract: A dynamic contour extracting means detects, using a dynamic contour extraction method generally known as SNAKE, a contour of a recognition object included on an image by the following steps: a curve with control points is disposed in an image; an internal energy Eint indicating smoothness of the curve, an image energy Eimage, and an external energy Eext are summed up; and the curve is modified so that the summed total energy becomes the minimum. Here, a template is stored for including disposition information of primary control points that are bound to be moved only in a vertical or horizontal direction based on a road shape. The dynamic contour extracting means moves the primary control points based on the template. The primary control points can be rapidly moved owing to their limited movement direction.

Abstract: An image data compressing apparatus comprises a color selecting unit, a data separating unit and a data compressing unit. The selecting unit selects an arbitrary color contained in an original map image. The separating unit separates the original image data into a modified color data and a selected position data. The compressing unit compresses these data separately from each other to improve data compression efficiency. The modified color data may be data in which a color of a background portion is made equal to a color of a road, and the background color may be a color which is most popularly used.

Abstract: A display panel having plural capacitive elements such as electroluminescent elements is driven by an integrated circuit connected between the display panel and a power source. A pair of power transistors such as MOSFETs is connected between the power source and the integrated circuit. The capacitive elements are selectively charged and discharged by operating switching elements in the integrated circuit. The pair of transistors disposed separately from the integrated circuit is turned on or off after the switching elements in the integrated circuit are closed, so that the switching loss only occurs in the transistors outside the integrated circuit, thereby suppressing temperature rise in the integrated circuit. A pair of resistors may be used in place of the transistors to divide a voltage supplied to the capacitive elements between the resistors and the integrated driver circuit.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus draws an image, stores the drawn image in a memory, reads image data from the memory along a raster direction, and executes a processing operation required for a display with respect to the read image data to output the processed image data to a display device. A display processing unit executes a processing operation including a coordinate calculation with respect to the image data read out along the raster direction. As a result, the image can be formed at high speed even under transition state of displayed images.

Abstract: An image data compressing apparatus comprises a color selecting unit, a data separating unit and a data compressing unit. The selecting unit selects an arbitrary color contained in an original map image. The separating unit separates the original image data into a modified color data and a selected position data. The compressing unit compresses these data separately from each other to improve data compression efficiency. The modified color data may be data in which a color of a background portion is made equal to a color of a road, and the background color may be a color which is most popularly used.

Abstract: All two-character chains including two general characters and all three-character chains including one special character between two general characters are detected from a registration character string in which a large number of special characters not having any meaning are frequently arranged, or all two-character chains including two general or symbolic characters are detected from a converted registration character string produced by changing each special character of the registration character string to one type of symbolic character determined in correspondence to one general character adjacent to the special character. Also, occurrence frequencies of the general or symbolic characters of each chain are counted and stored in a recording medium with the registration character chains.

Abstract: A device selectively supplying a high voltage and a ground level voltage to electrodes of an electroluminescent display panel. The voltage supply device includes a first and a second transistor connected in series, and outputs the high voltage upon turning on the first switching transistor and the ground level voltage upon turning on the second switching transistor. The device includes a circuit for selecting either an operation mode under which the device is normally operated with the high voltage or a test mode under which the device is tested under a low test voltage. The mode selection is performed by an external signal supplied to the device. Under the test mode, the switching transistors are turned on with a low gate voltage by operation of a circuit built in the device. Accordingly, the voltage supply device normally operated under the high voltage is easily tested under the low test voltage.

Abstract: When display data for both odd-numbered and even-numbered scan electrodes in an electroluminescent display are both actuating data, the brightness of electroluminescent elements connected to the odd-numbered electrode is adjusted by adjusting the timing for starting the application of the actuating voltage and the brightness of electroluminescent elements connected to the even-numbered electrode is adjusted by adjusting the timing for terminating the application of the actuating voltage. Moreover, electric charge in the EL elements is retained by maintaining the application of the actuating voltages during scanning operations.