Abstract: An exhaust gas cleaning catalyst is formed of a carrier layer, and a noble metal catalyst and a SOx absorbing agent both carried on the carrier layer. The carrier layer of the exhaust gas cleaning catalyst includes at least a first distribution portion and a second distribution portion each having a different sulfate retention level. The sulfate retention level of the first distribution portion is lower than the sulfate retention level of the second distribution portion, and the noble metal catalyst is carried on the first distribution portion such that a SOx that has been oxidized on the noble metal catalyst diffuses toward the second distribution portion so as to be settled therein.

Abstract: Exhaust emission control apparatus and method for an internal combustion engine maintain a small amount of sulfur components contained in exhaust gas flowing out of a sulfur component retainer agent even if the amount of sulfur components retained by the agent becomes great. The exhaust emission control apparatus includes a NOx retainer agent and the sulfur component retainer agent. The apparatus performs a NOx releasing process of adjusting the air-fuel ratio of exhaust gas flowing into the sulfur component retainer agent so that the air-fuel ratio of exhaust gas flowing into the NOx retainer agent becomes substantially stoichiometric or rich of stoichiometry if NOx retained by the NOx retainer agent is to be released. The apparatus prohibits the air-fuel ratio of exhaust gas flowing into the sulfur component retainer agent from becoming substantially stoichiometric or rich of stoichiometry if the amount of the sulfur components retained by the agent is at least a first predetermined amount.

Abstract: An exhaust gas collecting apparatus, of an internal combustion engine including a collection vessel that can hold exhaust gas, an exhaust gas taking-out passage through which exhaust gas is introduced from an exhaust passage to the collection vessel, an exhaust gas introduction passage through which the exhaust gas is introduced from the collection vessel to the exhaust passage at a position upstream from the catalytic converter, a first valve that is switchable between a position where the introduction of the exhaust gas from the exhaust passage to the exhaust gas taking-out passage is permitted and a position where the introduction of the exhaust gas is prevented, and a second valve that is switchable between a position where the introduction of the exhaust gas through the exhaust gas introduction passage is permitted and a position where the introduction of the exhaust gas is prevented.

Abstract: In an exhaust gas purifying system including two NOx catalysts disposed in series with each other on an exhaust passage, oxides occluded in the NOx catalysts can be reduced appropriately. When the oxides occluded in an upstream or downstream NOx catalyst are reduced, the surrounding atmosphere of each NOx catalyst is changed between a reducing atmosphere and an oxidative atmosphere. The air-fuel ratio of exhaust gas upstream of the upstream NOx catalyst is made lower when the surrounding atmosphere of the downstream NOx catalyst is changed into a reducing atmosphere than when the surrounding atmosphere of the upstream NOx catalyst is changed into a reducing atmosphere, and the duration of the oxidative atmosphere is made longer when the surrounding atmosphere of the downstream NOx catalyst is changed into an oxidative atmosphere than when the surrounding atmosphere of the upstream NOx catalyst is changed into an oxidative atmosphere.

Abstract: A device for purifying the exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine includes a particulate filter carrying an active-oxygen releasing agent that can cause the sulfur poisoning, a SOx trap unit arranged upstream of the particulate filter, and a bypass section for making the exhaust gas mainly bypass said particulate filter when SOx is released from the SOx trap unit. Further, an exhaust choke valve for an exhaust brake is arranged between the SOx trap unit and the exhaust gas branch portion of the bypass section.

Abstract: An exhaust purification device, including a NOx storing catalyst comprised of a precious metal catalyst and NOx absorbent, arranged in an engine exhaust passage, which increases the ratio of the nitrogen dioxide to the nitrogen monoxide produced when burning fuel under a lean air-fuel ratio when the NOx storing catalyst is not active compared with the time when the NOx storing catalyst is active under the same engine operating conditions and stores the nitrogen dioxide contained in the exhaust gas in the NOx absorbent at that time.

Abstract: Exhaust emission control apparatus and method for an internal combustion engine maintain a small amount of sulfur components contained in exhaust gas flowing out of a sulfur component retainer agent even if the amount of sulfur components retained by the agent becomes great. The exhaust emission control apparatus includes a NOx retainer agent and the sulfur component retainer agent. The apparatus performs a NOx releasing process of adjusting the air-fuel ratio of exhaust gas flowing into the sulfur component retainer agent so that the air-fuel ratio of exhaust gas flowing into the NOx retainer agent becomes substantially stoichiometric or rich of stoichiometry if NOx retained by the NOx retainer agent is to be released. The apparatus prohibits the air-fuel ratio of exhaust gas flowing into the sulfur component retainer agent from becoming substantially stoichiometric or rich of stoichiometry if the amount of the sulfur components retained by the agent is at least a first predetermined amount.

Abstract: An exhaust emission purification device comprises a sulfur component holding agent arranged on the exhaust path of an internal combustion engine for holding a sulfur component, a NOx holding agent arranged downstream of the sulfur component holding agent in the exhaust gas for holding NOx and the sulfur components when the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas flowing thereinto is lean, and a reducing agent adding unit for adding a reducing agent to the exhaust gas flowing into the NOx holding agent. The concentration of the sulfur component contained in the reducing agent added by the reducing agent adding unit is lower than the concentration of at least the sulfur component contained in the fuel supplied to the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine. Thus, the sulfur poisoning of the exhaust emission purifier can be avoided while at the same time reducing the fuel consumption rate.

Abstract: To restrict the discharging of harmful components immediately after the starting of an internal combustion engine, an exhaust gas collecting apparatus of an internal combustion engine comprises: a collection vessel that can hold exhaust gas; an exhaust gas taking-out passage through which exhaust gas is introduced from an exhaust passage to the collection vessel; an exhaust gas introduction passage through which the exhaust gas is introduced from the collection vessel to the exhaust passage at a position upstream from the catalytic converter; a switching valve that is switchable between a position where the introduction of the exhaust gas from the exhaust passage to the exhaust gas taking-out passage is permitted and a position where the introduction of the exhaust gas is prevented; and an open/close valve that is switchable between a position where the introduction of the exhaust gas through the exhaust gas introduction passage is permitted and a position where the introduction of the exhaust gas is prevente

Abstract: A storage-reduction type NOx purifying catalyst is disclosed, comprising a monolith substrate having formed thereon a coat layer containing a cerium-zirconium composite oxide and a cerium-free oxide, a noble metal and an NOx storing material being supported on the coat layer and the cerium content of the cerium-zirconium composite oxide being less than 30 mol % based on the total molar number of metal atoms contained.

Abstract: A device for purifying the exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine is disclosed. The device comprises a particulate filter carrying an active-oxygen releasing agent that can cause the sulfur poisoning, a SOx trap unit arranged upstream of the particulate filter, and a bypass means for making the exhaust gas mainly bypass said particulate filter when SOx is released from the SOx trap unit. Further, an exhaust choke valve for an exhaust brake is arranged between the SOx trap unit and the exhaust gas branch portion of the bypass means.

Abstract: A document storage and retrieval system is provided with means for storing a document body in the form of image, means for storing text information in the form of a character code string for retrieval, means for executing a retrieval with reference to the text information, and means for displaying a document image relating thereto on a retrieval terminal according to the retrieval result. Such a form of the system is available for retrieving the full contents of a document and also for displaying the document body printed in a format easy to read straight in the form of image. Accordingly, users are capable of retrieving documents with arbitrary words and also capable of reading even such a document as is complicated to include mathematical expressions and charts through a terminal in the form of image, the same as on paper. Further, the invention provides a system wherein the text information for retrieval is extracted automatically from the document image through character recognition.

Abstract: A document storage and retrieval system for storing a document body in the form of image, means for storing text information in the form of a character code string for retrieval, apparatus for executing a retrieval with reference to the text information, and apparatus for displaying a document image relating thereto on a retrieval terminal according to the retrieval result. Such a form of the system is available for retrieving the full contents of a document and also for displaying the document body printed in a format easy to read straight in the form of image. Users are capable of retrieving documents with arbitrary words and also capable of reading even such a document as is complicated to include mathematical expressions and charts through a terminal in the form of image, the same as on paper. A system is provided wherein the text information for retrieval is extracted automatically from the document image through character recognition.

Abstract: A document analysis system for determining format information of a document, wherein frames and a relationship of the frames are extracted from an image of an unmarked sample document, characters in a frame of the document are recognized, and an image structure is analyzed based on the frame and the recognized characters.

Abstract: This invention relates to a document image registration system which adds a code which is referred to as "connection data" and inherent to each document to each of image data and indexing data, registrates the connection data added to the image data by use of a header sheet, and automatically associates the image data with the indexing data through the connection data in order to improve efficiency of registration.

Abstract: A document storage and retrieval system stores a document body in the form of an image, storing text information in the form of a character code string for retrieval, and executing a retrieval with reference to the text information, followed by displaying a document image relating thereto on a retrieval terminal according to the retrieval result. Such a form of the system is available for retrieving the full contents of a document and also for displaying the document body printed in a format easy to read straight in the form of an image.

Abstract: A document analysis system for determining format information of a document, wherein frames and a relationship of the frames are extracted from an image of an unmarked sample document, characters in a frame of the document are recognized, and an image structure is analyzed based on the frame and the recognized characters.

Abstract: An image understanding system of this invention uses a grammer describing a document image, and represents the structure of an unknown input image by parsing a statement (the structure of the grammar) written in accordance with this grammer. In other words, the grammer describes an image as substructures and the relative relation between them, and when the substructures and their relative relation are identified in parsing, search is then made whether or not the substructures and their relative relation exist in an unknown input image. The structure of the unknown input image is represented on the basis of the result of this search.

Abstract: Pattern segmentation and recognition in which hand-written characters are transformed electrically into 2-dimensional image patterns, wherein if ambiguity exists in segmenting a unit pattern including a character from the image patterns, character recognition is not made compulsively, but a plurality of possible unit patterns are first established. Then, the various unit patterns are segmented, and each unit pattern is identified to be a partial pattern, linked patterns, etc., so that each character is recognized on a basis of total judgement, whereby ambiguity of segmentation is resolved.

Abstract: In a pattern recognition device for recognizing an unknown pattern in accordance with the magnitude of the similarities between the unknown pattern and a plurality of standard patterns, the similarity between the unknown pattern and one of the standard patterns is detected as follows.Similarities are detected at first in respective shifting conditions where the unknown and standard patterns are relatively shifted from each other over the first limited extent, including the condition without the shift. The maximum value of these similarities is then detected. The similarities are further detected in respective shifting conditions where the unknown and standard patterns are relatively shifted from each other over the second extend larger than the first limited extent, when the shifting condition which gave the maximum value is that without relative shift.