Abstract: A beam-forming device includes a first target sound blocker 103 and a second target sound blocker 104 that remove a target signal having a correlation mutually from a first sound signal x1 and a second sound signal x2 which are converted by first and second microphones 101 and 102, a phase synchronizer 105 that synchronizes the phases of the first sound signal x1 and the second sound signal x2 and synthesizes these sound signals by using information acquired when the first target sound blocker 103 removes the target signal, and a noise learner 106 that learns a noise component included in an output signal of the phase synchronizer 105 from signals from which the target signal is removed by the first target sound blocker 103 and the second target sound blocker 104.

Abstract: A method, a program, and a device for evaluating food preference of pets that do not require humans to eat a pet food itself. The preference of pets can be evaluated by conducting sensory analysis on selected palatants contained in a pet food by humans. Accordingly, highly precise prediction of the preference can be made by a simple and intuitive method based on sensory attributes for human. Further, humans are not required to eat a pet food itself because the humans may conduct sensory analysis on selected palatants contained in the pet food.

Abstract: A reverberation suppression device comprises: an echo canceller that removes an echo component included in an input signal; a howling suppressor that detects occurrence of howling based on a frequency characteristic of the input signal from which the echo component has been removed and attenuates a frequency level of a component of the detected howling; and an initial sound suppressor that detects a sound section of the input signal in which the frequency level of the howling component has been attenuated and suppresses a signal value at a sound start portion of the detected sound section.

Abstract: A target sound enhancement device 10 has a first beamformer 16 and a second beamformer 17 which are of different types. A vehicle interior environment model in which this target sound enhancement device 10 is mounted is stored in a vehicle interior environment model storage unit 13. A beamformer type determining unit 14 selects a most suitable beamformer according to the vehicle interior environment model for each of predetermined frequency bands, and a BF selector 15 outputs a signal in each frequency band to the beamformer selected. A signal combining unit 18 combines signals in the frequency bands in each of which the driver's voice outputted from the first beamformer 16 or the second beamformer 17 is enhanced.

Abstract: An object detection device includes: an ultrasonic sensor for transmitting a signal and further receiving reflected signals of the transmitted signal; a delay-sum processing unit for generating two-dimensional distance information in which the reflected signals received by the ultrasonic sensor are delay-summed in a plurality of reference planes set in advance; a distance information integration unit for generating integrated distance information in which the two-dimensional distance information in the plurality of reference planes generated by the delay-sum processing unit is summed in a vertical direction to the reference planes; and an object detection unit for detecting an object at a position where an intensity in the vertical direction is equal to or larger than a threshold value by referring to an intensity in the vertical direction of the integrated distance information generated by the distance information integration unit.

Abstract: An object detection device includes: an ultrasonic sensor for transmitting a signal and further receiving reflected signals of the transmitted signal; a delay-sum processing unit for generating two-dimensional distance information in which the reflected signals received by the ultrasonic sensor are delay-summed in a plurality of reference planes set in advance; a distance information integration unit for generating integrated distance information in which the two-dimensional distance information in the plurality of reference planes generated by the delay-sum processing unit is summed in a vertical direction to the reference planes; and an object detection unit for detecting an object at a position where an intensity in the vertical direction is equal to or larger than a threshold value by referring to an intensity in the vertical direction of the integrated distance information generated by the distance information integration unit.

Abstract: An input support device, including: a keyword dictionary for storing a keyword including one or more words; a candidate search mechanism searching entries within the keyword dictionary by using a search key including one or more words specified based on a user operation; a presentation candidate generation mechanism generating a presentation candidate list based on search results from the candidate search mechanism by extracting a word break mismatching presentation candidate from the keywords whose word break does not match that of the specified search key including the one or more words and which start with the specified search key including the one or more words; and a candidate display displaying the presentation candidate list generated by the presentation candidate generation mechanism.

Abstract: There are provided a method and an apparatus which form silicon dots having substantially uniform particle diameters and exhibiting a substantially uniform density distribution directly on a substrate at a low temperature. A hydrogen gas (or a hydrogen gas and a silane-containing gas) is supplied into a vacuum chamber (1) provided with a silicon sputter target (e.g., target 30), or the hydrogen gas and the silane-containing gas are supplied into the chamber (1) without arranging the silicon sputter target therein, a high-frequency power is applied to the gas(es) so that plasma is generated such that a ratio (Si(288 nm)/H?) between an emission intensity Si(288 nm) of silicon atoms at a wavelength of 288 nm and an emission intensity H? of hydrogen atoms at a wavelength of 484 nm in plasma emission is 10.0 or lower, and preferably 3.0 or lower, or 0.

Abstract: A silicon object formation target substrate is arranged in a first chamber, a silicon sputter target is arranged in a second chamber communicated with the first chamber, plasma for chemical sputtering is formed from a hydrogen gas in the second chamber, chemical sputtering is effected on the silicon sputter target with the plasma thus formed, producing particles contributing to formation of silicon object, whereby a silicon object is formed, on the substrate, from the particles moved from the second chamber to the first chamber.

Abstract: A silicon object formation target substrate is arranged in a first chamber, a silicon sputter target is arranged in a second chamber communicated with the first chamber, plasma for chemical sputtering is formed from a hydrogen gas in the second chamber, chemical sputtering is effected on the silicon sputter target with the plasma thus formed, producing particles contributing to formation of silicon object, whereby a silicon object is formed, on the substrate, from the particles moved from the second chamber to the first chamber.

Abstract: For the first use of an authentication device, a remote machine makes a query of an address of a local machine to be permanently assigned to the remote machine, to which the authentication device is connected, to a management server. In response to the query, the management server determines the local machine to be permanently assigned to the remote machine and notifies the remote machine of an address of the local machine. The remote machine remotely controls the local machine specified by the address notified from the management server.

Abstract: This invention is directed to a carbon film-coated article comprising a substrate; a mixed layer formed on at least a part of the substrate, and composed of an element(s) constituting the substrate and tungsten; a tungsten film formed on the mixed layer; and a carbon film formed on the tungsten film. The invention provides a method of producing the carbon film-coated article, the method comprising the steps of: forming a mixed layer on at least a part of the substrate, the mixed layer being composed of an element(s) constituting the substrate and tungsten, forming a tungsten film on the mixed layer, and forming a carbon film on the tungsten film, wherein at least one of the mixing layer, the tungsten film and the carbon film is formed using a cathode material evaporated by arc discharge in a vacuum arc deposition apparatus having a vacuum arc evaporation source including the cathode.

Abstract: A substrate having silicon dots wherein at least one insulating layer and at least one group of silicon dots are formed on a substrate selected from a non-alkali glass substrate and a substrate made of a polymer material.

Abstract: A substrate is accommodated in a vacuum chamber provided with a silicon sputter target, a sputtering gas (typically a hydrogen gas) is supplied into the vacuum chamber, a high-frequency power is applied to the gas to form plasma in the chamber, a bias voltage is applied to the target for control of chemical sputtering, and the chemical sputtering is effected on the target by the plasma to form silicon dots on the substrate.

Abstract: This invention is directed to a carbon film-coated article comprising a substrate; a mixed layer formed on at least a part of the substrate, and composed of an element(s) constituting the substrate and tungsten; a tungsten film formed on the mixed layer; and a carbon film formed on the tungsten film. The invention provides a method of producing the carbon film-coated article, the method comprising the steps of: forming a mixed layer on at least a part of the substrate, the mixed layer being composed of an element(s) constituting the substrate and tungsten, forming a tungsten film on the mixed layer, and forming a carbon film on the tungsten film, wherein at least one of the mixing layer, the tungsten film and the carbon film is formed using a cathode material evaporated by arc discharge in a vacuum arc deposition apparatus having a vacuum arc evaporation source including the cathode.

Abstract: There are provided a method and an apparatus which form silicon dots having substantially uniform particle diameters and exhibiting a substantially uniform density distribution directly on a substrate at a low temperature. A hydrogen gas (or a hydrogen gas and a silane-containing gas) is supplied into a vacuum chamber (1) provided with a silicon sputter target (e.g., target 30), or the hydrogen gas and the silane-containing gas are supplied into the chamber (1) without arranging the silicon sputter target therein, a high-frequency power is applied to the gas(es) so that plasma is generated such that a ratio (Si(288 nm)/H?) between an emission intensity Si(288 nm) of silicon atoms at a wavelength of 288 nm and an emission intensity H? of hydrogen atoms at a wavelength of 484 nm in plasma emission is 10.0 or lower, and preferably 3.0 or lower, or 0.

Abstract: To prevent the film forming characteristic deterioration by a magnetic field of a magnetic filter to thereby make vacuum arc vapor deposition uniform, in the invention, plurality of magnets includes a terminal magnet closest to a plasma injection hole located at the other end of duct and specified magnets. The terminal magnet located closest to plasma injection hole may be set to incline to a plasma injection plane of the plasma injection hole. Further, at lease one of specified magnets may be inclined to the plasma injection plane. Further more, at least one of magnetic field generating coils may be formed with a plurality of electromagnetic coils, which are inclined at different angles with respect to a cross section of the duct. One of electromagnetic coils may be selectively energized by current on a basis of setting and controlling of deflection magnetic field generated by the magnetic filter.

Abstract: This invention is directed to a carbon film-coated article comprising a substrate; a mixed layer formed on at least a part of the substrate, and composed of an element(s) constituting the substrate and tungsten; a tungsten film formed on the mixed layer; and a carbon film formed on the tungsten film. The invention provides a method of producing the carbon film-coated article, the method comprising the steps of: forming a mixed layer on at least a part of the substrate, the mixed layer being composed of an element(s) constituting the substrate and tungsten, forming a tungsten film on the mixed layer, and forming a carbon film on the tungsten film, wherein at least one of the mixing layer, the tungsten film and the carbon film is formed using a cathode material evaporated by arc discharge in a vacuum arc deposition apparatus having a vacuum arc evaporation source including the cathode.

Abstract: Grains are put into a test tube containing a specific reagent solution and are stirred to produce a reactive solution and this solution is put into a cell. A light is irradiated to the cell to detect an absorbance at a wavelength where the absorbance reaches a peak and an absorbance in a wavelength region in which the absorbance hardly varies. Then, freshness of the grains and beans is judged based on a difference between the two absorbances.

Abstract: A ring-like rib 19 is erected on an inner circumferential edge of an insertion hole 11, which is opened in the scroll casing 1 so that the fan f is inserted therethrough, while a side wall 18 facing the ring-like rib 19 is provided in the bracket 15 blocking the insertion hole 11. A helical groove portion 20 and a protruding portion 21 are formed in one of an outer surface of the side wall 18 and an inner surface of the ring-like rib 19 and in the other thereof, respectively. The bracket 15 is caught in the scroll casing 1 by turning the bracket 15 in a direction opposite to a direction of rotation of said fan f. Further, during the engagement therebetween, a cooling duct 4 is formed.