Abstract: The invention provides a system that associates data files with one another effectively to visually represent a relation among the data files and allows a user to easily understand relationship of contents of the data files. The system determines whether there is a parent data file for a selected retrieval object data file with reference to a contract association table and, if the parent data file is present, changes the retrieval object to the parent data file and repeats the processing. If the parent data file is not present, the system stores a present retrieval object data file as display data, that is, store a top data file as display data. Then, the system retrieves all data files associated with the top data file, stores the data files as display data, generates a relation diagram of the data files, and transmits the relation diagram to a user terminal.

Abstract: The invention provides a system that associates data files with one another effectively to visually represent a relation among the data files and allows a user to easily understand relationship of contents of the data files. The system determines whether there is a parent data file for a selected retrieval object data file with reference to a contract association table and, if the parent data file is present, changes the retrieval object to the parent data file and repeats the processing. If the parent data file is not present, the system stores a present retrieval object data file as display data, that is, store a top data file as display data. Then, the system retrieves all data files associated with the top data file, stores the data files as display data, generates a relation diagram of the data files, and transmits the relation diagram to a user terminal.

Abstract: A lane image processing system for a vehicle to recognize the lane on which the vehicle travels. The system has a CCD camera mounted on the vehicle for viewing a roadway scene ahead of the vehicle to output image data of the roadway scene including the lane on which the vehicle travels. Obstacles such as preceding vehicle are detected and a region for image data processing is determined so as to avoid the position of the obstacle and the lane on which the vehicle travels is recognized based on the processed result. More specifically, lane boundary positions estimated up to a preceding cycle are stored as historical information and in the region Hough transformation is limited in areas determined based on the historical information and the horizon in the roadway scene.

Abstract: A device and a process for judging the contour of a road by processing data from an image taken of the road by a camera. In the data processing, Hough transform is used to obtain a plurality of straight lines approximate to the edges of the road. In order to recognize the contour of a road, it is most important to recognize the edges of the road. For the recognition of a road, for example, an image taken of the road is divided into upper and lower regions. In the lower region, two straight lines are given approximate to the right and the left edges of the road. In the upper region as well, two straight lines are given approximate to the right and the left edges of the road. Then, positional relationships between the intersection of the former two straight lines and that of the latter two straight lines are compared. Based on positional relationships, it can be judged very easily whether the road is straight, curves, inclines or declines.

Abstract: The configuration of a path for motor vehicles is recognized on the basis of image data produced by a television camera or the like. Feature points contained in original image data of the path are determined, and a group of straight lines approximating the array of the feature points are also determined. From the group of straight lines, there are extracted straight lines which are effective to determine boundaries of the path. The extracted straight lines divided into a plurality of line segments by points of intersection between the straight lines. The line segments are then checked against the feature points of the original image data to determine whether the line segments correspond to the boundaries of the path. The original image data may be divided into a plurality of areas, and the above process may be carried out with respect to the image data in each of the areas.

Abstract: The first aspect of this invention relates to a peak data extracting device used in picture processing devices. The peak data extracting device comprises a DDA (data differential analysis) computing unit, an peak filter and a sorting unit. The computing unit gives Hough curves (sine curves) based on points to be processed on an original picture. The peak filter extracts peak data. The sorting unit sorts the peak data extracted with the noise components removed.The second aspect of this invention relates to a rotary motion recurrence formula computing device which are used in the DDA computing unit. The device computes the rotary motion formulax.sub.i+1 =f.sub.x (x.sub.i, y.sub.i, .epsilon.)y.sub.i+1 =f.sub.y (x.sub.i, y.sub.i, .epsilon.).

Abstract: A device for detecting road surface condition in front of a running car by radiating a directional beam or beams onto a point or points on the road surface at predetermined distance or distances in front of the car body and receiving the reflected beam or beams from said point or points, and determining the road surface condition based on the measurement of the distance or distances.