Abstract: Provided herein is a method for the repair of damaged tissue present at or on the surface of bone in an animal, the method comprising forming a narrow groove around at least part of said damaged tissue, which groove extends into the bone below the damaged tissue, replacing the tissue around which the groove extends by at least one layer of biocompatible replacement material, and anchoring the material to the bone using a retainer extending from the material into the groove; instruments for use in the repair of damaged tissue and kits comprising said instruments.

Abstract: A compound-eye imaging device comprises: an optical lens array with integrated optical lenses; a stop member for shielding unnecessary ambient light from entering the optical lenses; a photodetector array formed of a semiconductor substrate and placed at a predetermined distance from the optical lens array for imaging images formed by the optical lenses; a light shielding block placed between the two arrays; and an optical filter for transmitting light from the optical lenses in a specific wavelength range. The optical filter is a part of, and integral with, the photodetector array. The optical filter can be a deposited film formed by depositing silicon oxide and titanium oxide on a glass plate provided for protecting a surface of, and integrally formed on, the semiconductor substrate. This enables to easily omit an optical filter separately provided between the two arrays, thereby reducing the thickness of the imaging device.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the repair of damaged tissue present at or on the surface of bone in an animal, the method comprising forming a narrow groove around at least part of said damaged tissue, which groove extends into the bone below the damaged tissue, replacing the tissue around which the groove extends by at least one layer of biocompatible replacement material, and anchoring the material to the bone by the use of retaining means extending from the material into the groove; instruments for use in the repair of damaged tissue and kits comprising said instruments.

Abstract: A skin area detection imaging device for detecting a skin area of a human body as an object comprises: two optical lenses to form two unit images on an imaging element by collecting light from the object illuminated by near-infrared light; a rolling shutter for sequentially reading the unit images; and two LEDs for emitting lights with different wavelengths (850 nm and 940 nm) in the near-infrared range. A microprocessor switches on the two LEDs when reading the two unit images, respectively. The skin area of one read unit image is displayed with brightness different from that of the other unit image based on difference in reflectance to various wavelengths of near-infrared light. The microprocessor compares the two unit images to determine, as a skin area, an area having difference in brightness larger than a predetermined value. This makes it possible to detect the skin area in a short time.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the repair of damaged tissue present at or on the surface of bone in an animal, the method comprising forming a narrow groove around at least part of said damaged tissue, which groove extends into the bone below the damaged tissue, replacing the tissue around which the groove extends by at least one layer of biocompatible replacement material, and anchoring the material to the bone by the use of retaining means extending from the material into the groove; instruments for use in the repair of damaged tissue and kits comprising said instruments.

Abstract: There is provided an information processing apparatus in which a CPU and an audio processing unit are coupled by a bus. The audio processing unit includes a ring buffer that temporarily retains audio data, and performs an input/output process of the audio data. An interrupt signal generator generates a buffer empty signal, when the audio data is output from a buffer in the ring buffer and the buffer is empty, decimates the buffer empty signal in accordance with a sampling frequency of audio, and then feeds the interrupt signal that survives the decimation to the CPU. The CPU, upon receiving the buffer empty signal, issues a DMA transfer instruction for writing the audio data into the empty buffer in the ring buffer.

Abstract: A panoramic imaging device comprises: a lens array with lenses in a matrix; an imaging element; and prisms for mirror-reflecting lights entering in left/right ranges in a capture range to guide them to side lenses in left/right columns. Light in a front range is inverted up/down by center lenses and formed as up/down inverted images on the imaging element. Lights in the left/right ranges are inverted up/down and left/right by the prisms with the side lenses and formed as up/down and left/right inverted images on the imaging element. The images in the left/right ranges are read in one direction. The images in the front range are read in an opposite direction. The read images are combined as is, without inverting the images, to reproduce a panoramic image. This can prevent the entire device from becoming large in volume, and imaging processing from becoming complex.

Abstract: A panoramic imaging device comprises: a photodetector array; a lens array having, on one plane, a center lens for receiving light in a front range of 36° to form a central unit image on the photodetector array, and left and right side lenses for receiving lights in left and right ranges each of 72° in capture angle of 180°; and four prisms in two pairs placed facing the side lenses. The two pairs of left and right prisms (more inclined and less inclined pairs) collect lights in divided two pairs of left and right ranges each of 36° in the 72° range (pairs closer to, and farther from, the front range), respectively, to form four side unit images on the photodetector array which are combined with the central unit image to reproduce a panoramic image without using wide-angle lenses or complex image correction process.

Abstract: A motion detection imaging device comprises an imaging element and an optical lens system for collecting light entering in a capture range to form images on the imaging element. The optical lens system comprises: an optical lens array having center lenses for collecting light in a front capture range and left/right side lenses for collecting lights in side capture ranges; and prisms for guiding lights in the side capture ranges to the side lenses. The imaging device further comprises: a timing generator for allowing images formed by the lenses to be imaged with a time difference between in-row images; and a microprocessor for reproducing wide angle images from the in-row images by one operation of a shutter to detect movement of a target based on difference between the wide angle images. The imaging device with simple structure can monitor, with high probability, a target moving fast in a wide range.

Abstract: A compound-eye imaging device comprises: an optical lens array with integrated optical lenses; a stop member; a photodetector array for imaging multiple images formed by the optical lenses; and a light shielding block for partitioning a space between the two arrays into a matrix of spaces, with light-passing holes, so as to prevent lights emitted from the optical lenses from interfering each other. The light shielding block is formed of unit plates in a stack, each having light-passing windows. Each light-passing window has blackened surface. The unit plates in the stack are alternately reversed upside down and left-right so as to allow the horizontal positions of the light-passing windows for forming each light-passing hole through the unit plates in the stack to be alternately offset in depth direction of the hole, thereby forming an irregular inner wall surface which serves as a light scattering surface to prevent e.g. ghost.

Abstract: A panoramic imaging device comprises: a lens array having a center lens for receiving light entering in a front range of at most 60° in a capture angle and left and right side lenses formed on the same plane as that with the center lens formed thereon and having optical axes parallel to that of the center lens for receiving lights entering in left and right ranges each of at most 60° in the capture angle; and prisms or mirrors placed on light entrance side of the lens array for guiding and reflecting lights entering in the left and right ranges, such that each light entering each side lens is directed along the optical axis of each side lens. Images formed by the center lens and the left and right side lenses are combined into a panoramic image with a picture angle of at least 120°.

Abstract: The respective jobs of copying, printing, scanning, and faxing processed by an integrated application are unitarily divided into four job steps. A package of function modules 41A selectively used in the respective jobs is classified into four groups of input, create, edit, and output function modules 410 to 412 according to the division. A data format is unified into bitmap by a create function module 411A, and the bitmap data is processed by an edit function module 411B for pagination or aggregation, etc. In response to receiving setting information and a job code, a job controlling module 43A creates job step control blocks 440 to 442 and writes the information therein to create a job. Each of job step controlling (JSC) modules 450 to 452 starts a function module for each page, and after the completion thereof, creates a thread control block for the next downstream side JSC module.

Abstract: A photographic device includes an image sensor in which a plurality of pixels are arrayed. A horizontal scan circuit selects in order vertical drive lines to which the pixels are connected. And a vertical scan circuit reads voltages, due to accumulated electric charges, from the pixels in the horizontal row which is selected. A plurality of lenses are provided to the image sensor, arranged along the direction parallel to the vertical drive lines. Each of these lenses images an image of the same photographic region upon a pixel region which it confronts. The accumulated electric charges are read out from each pixel, arrayed in order. An image processing unit acquires a plurality of images of the photographic region spaced apart in time. And a moving body detection unit performs moving body detection from the differences between this plurality of images of the photographic region.

Abstract: A compound-eye imaging device comprises: an optical lens array with integrated multiple optical lenses; a photodetector array for imaging images formed by the optical lenses; and a light shielding block placed between the two arrays for partitioning a space between the two arrays into a matrix of spaces as seen on a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of each optical lens so as to prevent lights emitted from the optical lenses from interfering each other. The light shielding block is formed of flat unit plates of two kinds having different thicknesses and stacked between the optical lens array and the photodetector array. Since the light shielding block is formed of stacked flat unit plates, it is easy to manufacture a light shielding block having apertures with dense structure having a small distance between adjacent apertures, and also easy to adapt to variations in focal length of the optical lenses.

Abstract: A compound-eye imaging device comprises a flash control means for controlling a flash unit to alternatively emit two kinds of near-infrared lights having different wavelengths while multiple single-eye images are read using a rolling shutter; a single-eye image reading means for reading, from the single-eye images, a single-eye image (hereafter “pre-change single-eye image”) imaged under a first illumination condition before an illumination condition change by the flash control means, and a single-eye image (hereafter “post-change single-eye image”) imaged under a second illumination condition after the illumination condition change; and an eye position detecting means for detecting eye positions in the single-eye images based on a comparison between the read pre-change and post-change single-eye images.

Abstract: A compound-eye imaging device comprising: an optical lens array with multiple integrated optical lenses having mutually parallel optical axes; a photodetector array placed at a predetermined distance from the optical lens array for imaging multiple images (referred to as single-eye images) formed by the optical lenses; and a microprocessor for reading the single-eye images imaged by the photodetector array. The image reading mode of the microprocessor is switchable between an all-read mode in which all the single-eye images on the photodetector array are sequentially read, and a partial-read mode in which a part of the single-eye images thereon are selectively read. The image reading speed of the microprocessor is changeable. The compound-eye imaging device enables a high frame rate and a high resolution imaging while reducing an increase in a clock frequency for the frame rate and thus reducing an increase in power consumption.

Abstract: A compound-eye imaging device comprises: an optical lens array with integrated optical lenses; a stop member for shielding unnecessary ambient light from entering the optical lens array; a photodetector array placed at a predetermined distance from the optical lens array for imaging images formed by the optical lenses; and a light shielding block placed between the two arrays for partitioning a space between the two arrays into a matrix of spaces as seen on a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of each optical lens to prevent lights from the optical lenses from interfering each other. The optical lenses are formed of a molded glass having a refractive index distribution to increase the refractive index of each optical lens in the direction of light propagation. The focal length of each optical lens can be reduced as compared with an ordinary lens, thereby reducing the thickness of the compound-eye imaging device.

Abstract: Electronic circuit wiring wherein wiring breakdown due to electrostatic discharge is reduced, the yield is improved, and the reliability of a display panel is improved, and a display device provided with the same, having an effective display region 12 formed on a board and electronic circuit wiring 13 arranged so as to surround the effective display region 12 in order to protect the effective display region from static electricity and laid so as to include a crossover region 15 partially crossing other wiring via an insulation film, wherein the electronic circuit wiring 13 includes a start point terminal A11, an end point terminal B11 arranged on the start point terminal All side via the crossover region 15, and a resistor element R11, the resistor element R11 being connected to the start point terminal A11 side with respect to the crossover region 15.

Abstract: A compound-eye imaging device comprises: an optical lens array with integrated optical lenses; a stop member for shielding unnecessary ambient light from entering the optical lenses; a photodetector array formed of a semiconductor substrate and placed at a predetermined distance from the optical lens array for imaging images formed by the optical lenses; a light shielding block placed between the two arrays; and an optical filter for transmitting light from the optical lenses in a specific wavelength range. The optical filter is a part of, and integral with, the photodetector array. The optical filter can be a deposited film formed by depositing silicon oxide and titanium oxide on a glass plate provided for protecting a surface of, and integrally formed on, the semiconductor substrate. This enables to easily omit an optical filter separately provided between the two arrays, thereby reducing the thickness of the imaging device.

Abstract: The present invention relates to robot control apparatuses which make a user recognize that speech is accepted. A user's speech input to a microphone 15 is subjected to speech recognition by a speech recognizer 50A. Based on the speech recognition result, an action determining unit 52 determines subsequent actions to be taken by a robot. At the same time, an echo back unit 56 analyzes prosodic information of the user's speech input to the microphone 15 and, based on the prosodic information, generates echo back speech which is prosody-controlled speech. The echo back speech is supplied to a loudspeaker 18 through an output controller 57 and is output from the loudspeaker 18.