Abstract: A parking lot evaluation apparatus for evaluating a parking lot usable as a station of a vehicle used for car sharing service including a microprocessor and a memory coupled to the microprocessor. The microprocessor and the memory are configured to perform receiving an input of a condition relating to an area, selecting a corresponding area based on the condition relating to the area, extracting a parking lot in the corresponding area to specify an attribute of the extracted parking lot based on a predetermined condition indicating the attribute of the extracted parking lot, and evaluating a suitability of the extracted parking lot in the corresponding area as the station based on the attribute of the extracted parking lot.

Abstract: An information notification apparatus including a microprocessor and a memory. The microprocessor and the memory are configured to perform acquiring a first data on an image of an appearance of a shared vehicle used in a car sharing service in which a vehicle is rented without human intervention, when the shared vehicle is returned, acquiring a second data on an image of an interior of the shared vehicle when the shared vehicle is returned, determining a degree of dirt of the shared vehicle based on the first data and the second data, determining a presence or absence of an object left in the shared vehicle by a user of the shared vehicle based on the second data; and transmitting an information on the degree of dirt and an information on the presence or absence of the object to a manager terminal of a manager of the shared vehicle.

Abstract: An information processing server and the like are provided that can generate information in a more meaningful manner for a user on the basis of multiple images taken by a client. In response to a start of an ON period of a mobile station X, the taken image registered in a client 2 and “designated point” are associated with each other, are transmitted to an information processing server 1, and registered in a database 10. An editing policy is determined on the basis of the image registered in the database 10, or the editing policy is designated in the client 2. The images taken in a travel period of the client 2 and registered in the database 10 are edited according to the editing policy, thereby generating an “image library” in the travel period.

Abstract: Provided is an information processing server and the like, in which in response to the start of an “on” period of the movable body V, imaged images that are registered at the client 2 and a “designated location” are associated and transmitted to an information processing server 1. An image corresponding to a “first designated location” that is a designated location that is outside a “base area” that is specific to the client 2 is registered as a “first image” in the information processing server 1. Further, an “image library” with respect to a trip period of the client 2 is generated based on a plurality of first images that are registered in the information processing server 1 in response to the start of an “off” period of the movable body V that occurs one or a plurality of times.

Abstract: An information processing system includes: an acquisition unit configured to acquires position information indicating a position of a vehicle, sensor performance information indicating the performance of a sensor mounted on the vehicle, and weather information corresponding to the position of the vehicle; and a database creation unit configured to creates correlation data indicating a correlation between the weather information and the sensor performance information on the basis of the information acquired by the acquisition unit.

Abstract: An information processing server and the like are provided that can generate information in a more meaningful manner for a user on the basis of multiple images taken by a client. In response to a start of an ON period of a mobile station X, the taken image registered in a client 2 and “designated point” are associated with each other, are transmitted to an information processing server 1, and registered in a database 10. An editing policy is determined on the basis of the image registered in the database 10, or the editing policy is designated in the client 2. The images taken in a travel period of the client 2 and registered in the database 10 are edited according to the editing policy, thereby generating an “image library” in the travel period.

Abstract: An information processing system includes: an acquisition unit configured to acquires position information indicating a position of a vehicle, sensor performance information indicating the performance of a sensor mounted on the vehicle, and weather information corresponding to the position of the vehicle; and a database creation unit configured to creates correlation data indicating a correlation between the weather information and the sensor performance information on the basis of the information acquired by the acquisition unit.

Abstract: Provided is an information processing server and the like, in which in response to the start of an “on” period of the movable body V, imaged images that are registered at the client 2 and a “designated location” are associated and transmitted to an information processing server 1. An image corresponding to a “first designated location” that is a designated location that is outside a “base area” that is specific to the client 2 is registered as a “first image” in the information processing server 1. Further, an “image library” with respect to a trip period of the client 2 is generated based on a plurality of first images that are registered in the information processing server 1 in response to the start of an “off” period of the movable body V that occurs one or a plurality of times.

Abstract: A vehicle electric power supply system includes: an electric power generating source; a battery; a first voltage converter configured to raise a voltage of the electric power generating source; a second voltage converter configured to raise a voltage of the battery; and an electric power converter configured to supply voltages, which are obtained by conversions by the respective first and second voltage converters, to a vehicle load. A power control unit, which includes the first voltage converter, the second voltage converter and the electric power converter, and the battery are integrated into a unitary component, and are placed in a front portion of a vehicle while isolated from a vehicle interior. Accordingly, it is possible to widen the vehicle interior and a luggage containing space in the vehicle's rear portion, and to avoid increase in the weight of the vehicle.

Abstract: In a legged mobile robot having an imaging device (such as CCD camera) for taking an image utilizing incident light from external world in which a human being to be imaged is present, brightness reduction operation is executed to reduce brightness of a high-brightness imaging region produced by high-brightness incident light, when the high-brightness imaging region is present in the image taken by the imaging device. With this, when the imaged high-brightness imaging region is present owing to high-brightness incident light from the sun or the like, the legged mobile robot can reduce the brightness to image a human being or other object with suitable brightness.

Abstract: An electric bower supply system includes a power supply controlling element (62) configured to switch a plug-out power supply which supplies electric power (75) from a fuel cell (20) or a battery (21) to a house (70) and a plug-in power supply which supplies electric power from a commercial power source (75) disposed in the house (70) to a fuel cell vehicle (1a) on the basis of a vehicular power state of the fuel cell (20) and the battery (21) detected by a vehicular power state detecting element (61) and a household power state of the commercial power source (75) detected by a household power state detecting element (81) when a receptacle (10) of the fuel cell vehicle (1a) and an outlet (71) of the commercial power source (75) have been connected by a power cable (100).

Abstract: A vehicle electric power supply system includes: an electric power generating source; a battery; a first voltage converter configured to raise a voltage of the electric power generating source; a second voltage converter configured to raise a voltage of the battery; and an electric power converter configured to supply voltages, which are obtained by conversions by the respective first and second voltage converters, to a vehicle load. A power control unit, which includes the first voltage converter, the second voltage converter and the electric power converter, and the battery are integrated into a unitary component, and are placed in a front portion of a vehicle while isolated from a vehicle interior. Accordingly, it is possible to widen the vehicle interior and a luggage containing space in the vehicle's rear portion, and to avoid increase in the weight of the vehicle.

Abstract: In an exposure controller of a camera mounted on a robot for taking an image utilizing incident light from external world in which an object such as a human being is present, a brightness histogram of the image is generated and exposure parameters are set based on the generated histogram. Then, it is determined whether the set exposure parameters are within a predetermined range and when they are out of the range and if a high-brightness imaging region is present in the image due to high-brightness incident light, it is again determined whether it is necessary to remove the high-brightness imaging region. When it is determined to be necessary, the high-brightness imaging region is extracted and is removed from the image, thereby enabling the camera to image the object with suitable brightness even when a bright light source such as the sun is within the camera angle of view.

Abstract: A communication system between vehicles of the present invention is equipped in each of the vehicles with an image taking device for taking an image around the vehicle; a moving body detection unit for detecting a moving body from the image taken by the image taking device; a display unit for displaying the image; an image data generation unit for generating image data output to the display unit of the each vehicle; and a transmitting/receiving device for any of transmitting/receiving data, wherein the image data generation unit generates image data for displaying an existence of a moving body, of which an image is taken by said image taking device of one of the vehicles, and outputs the image data to the display unit of other vehicle.

Abstract: A mobile robot that is fitted with a camera and can be controlled from a remote terminal such as a mobile phone moves about in an event site to detect and track a moving object such as a visitor and entertainer. Because the camera along with the robot itself can change its position freely autonomously and/or according to a command from the mobile terminal, a desired frame layout can be accomplished by moving the position of the robot. Therefore, the operator is not required to execute a complex image trimming process or other adjustment of the obtained picture image so that a desired picture can be obtained quickly and without any difficulty. If the user is allowed access the managing server, the user can download the desired picture images and have them printed out at will. Also, because the selected picture images can be transmitted to the managing server, the robot is prevented from running out of memory for storing the picture images.

Abstract: An electric bower supply system includes a power supply controlling element (62) configured to switch a plug-out power supply which supplies electric power (75) from a fuel cell (20) or a battery (21) to a house (70) and a plug-in power supply which supplies electric power from a commercial power source (75) disposed in the house (70) to a fuel cell vehicle (1a) on the basis of a vehicular power state of the fuel cell (20) and the battery (21) detected by a vehicular power state detecting element (61) and a household power state of the commercial power source (75) detected by a household power state detecting element (81) when a receptacle (10) of the fuel cell vehicle (1a) and an outlet (71) of the commercial power source (75) have been connected by a power cable (100).

Abstract: In an event site or the like, a visitor may waste time and effort trying to find a spot where an event of interest may be taking place because the visitor is unable to look through the entire site from any particular spot. An information gathering robot roams in such an event site typically along a prescribed route, and notes spots of interest to transmit this information to a data server. The visitor can access the data server to find a spot of interest of his or her choice substantially on a real time basis.

Abstract: A gesture recognition apparatus for recognizing postures or gestures of an object person based on images of the object person captured by cameras. The gesture recognition apparatus includes: a face/fingertip position detection means which detects a face position and a fingertip position of the object person in three-dimensional space based on contour information and human skin region information of the object person to be produced by the images captured; and a posture/gesture recognition means which operates to detect changes of the fingertip position by a predetermined method, to process the detected results by a previously stored method, to determine a posture or a gesture of the object person, and to recognize a posture or a gesture of the object person.

Abstract: In an exposure controller of a camera mounted on a robot for taking an image utilizing incident light from external world in which an object such as a human being is present, a brightness histogram of the image is generated and exposure parameters are set based on the generated histogram. Then, it is determined whether the set exposure parameters are within a predetermined range and when they are out of the range and if a high-brightness imaging region is present in the image due to high-brightness incident light, it is again determined whether it is necessary to remove the high-brightness imaging region. When it is determined to be necessary, the high-brightness imaging region is extracted and is removed from the image, thereby enabling the camera to image the object with suitable brightness even when a bright light source such as the sun is within the camera angle of view.

Abstract: In a legged mobile robot having an imaging device (such as CCD camera) for taking an image utilizing incident light from external world in which a human being to be imaged is present, brightness reduction operation is executed to reduce brightness of a high-brightness imaging region produced by high-brightness incident light, when the high-brightness imaging region is present in the image taken by the imaging device. With this, when the imaged high-brightness imaging region is present owing to high-brightness incident light from the sun or the like, the legged mobile robot can reduce the brightness to image a human being or other object with suitable brightness.