Abstract: A torque applying device is provided for applying a driving torque to at least a pair of wheels, and a torque restraining device is provided for restraining the torque created on the wheels to be applied with the torque by the torque applying device. A friction braking device is provided for applying a braking torque to each wheel in response to operation of a brake pedal. An automatic braking control device automatically actuates the friction braking device independently of operation of the brake pedal, to apply the braking torque to each wheel. And, a torque restraining cancellation device is provided for cancelling the torque restraining operation for a time period determined in response to a vehicle speed decreasing state, after a condition for initiating the automatic braking control was fulfilled.

Abstract: An image-taking apparatus generates an output image from a photographed image obtained by photographing and displays this output image on a display screen of a display section. The image-taking apparatus includes a recognition processing section for recognizing a specific subject (facial region of a person, or a facial component such as eyes) included in the photographed image. Referring to results of this recognition, the image-taking apparatus evaluates the dimension of the specific subject in each photographed image. If the dimension evaluated is relatively large, a relatively small magnification ratio to be employed upon the generation of the output image from the photographed image is provided. If the dimension evaluated is relatively small, a relatively large magnification ratio to be employed upon the generation of the output image from the photographed image is provided. As a result, the dimension of the specific subject in the output image is kept substantially constant.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for controlling acceleration of a vehicle to a target acceleration. In the apparatus, a target acceleration calculator calculates the target acceleration. A provisional acceleration setting unit sets a provisional target acceleration such that a change rate of the provisional target acceleration is limited to a target limitation value. The provisional target acceleration is used during a step during which the acceleration of the vehicle is changed to the target acceleration. A drive power calculator calculates a drive power to obtain the provisional target acceleration. In the provisional acceleration setting unit, an initial value of the provisional target acceleration depends on a running state of the vehicle.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an image processing circuit. The image processing circuit is configured by an image processing portion for performing an image process on a first image so as to generate a third image, an image composing portion for composing the first image and the third image, and an addition-ratio calculating portion for calculating a degree of composition of a composing process between the first image and the third image by the image composing portion based on a difference signal from a difference calculating portion.

Abstract: In a vehicle control device, a brake feedback control unit calculates a brake feedback torque Tfb-BK using a PID control model when a current state is a brake feedback use state. The brake feedback control unit stops the calculation of the brake feedback torque Tfb-BK when the current state is a brake feedback limitation state, and stores as an output value the brake feedback torque Tfb-BK that is output at a brake limitation start timing. At a brake limitation release timing, the brake feedback control unit restarts the feedback control using the stored brake feedback torque Tfb-BK as an initial value. The brake mechanism can thereby generate a predetermined brake torque of not more than 0 [N·m] immediately after the brake limitation release timing.

Abstract: A technology for reducing the so-called “phosphor burn-in” phenomenon where the variation of luminance arises by reducing display luminance of a certain pixel caused by deterioration in a display apparatus constituted by an organic electro luminescence element is provided. In the display apparatus, when displaying an image acquired by an image acquiring unit, luminance substantially same as average luminance of the acquired image is set to a non-display area where the image is not displayed.

Abstract: A technology for reducing the so-called “phosphor burn-in” phenomenon where the variation of luminance arises by reducing display luminance of a certain pixel caused by deterioration in a display apparatus constituted by an organic electro luminescence element is provided. In the display apparatus, when displaying an image acquired by an image acquiring unit, luminance substantially same as average luminance of the acquired image is set to a non-display area where the image is not displayed.

Abstract: A merged image is generated by merging together a first image obtained by shooting with a reduced exposure time, a second image obtained by shooting with an increased exposure time, and a third image obtained by filtering out a high-frequency component from the first image. Here, a merging ratio at which the second and third images are merged together is determined by use of differential values obtained from the second and third images. Also, a merging ratio at which the first image and the second and third images (a fourth image) are merged together is determined by use of edge intensity values obtained from an image based on the first image.

Abstract: An easy-to-carry image pickup device is provided to obtain images with multiple view angles in which a target subject is positioned in an appropriate size. When capturing an image of a person as a target subject, the size and position of the person's face in the image are detected as a specified part, and a zoom magnification ratio for a lens unit and a shift amount of the incident light position for a light-axis shifting unit are automatically controlled based on the detected size and position of the person's face, so that the person's face has a predetermined size and is positioned in a predetermined position in the image.

Abstract: An image-sensing apparatus has: an optical zoom control portion varying the size of the subject image on the source images by optical zooming; a particular subject detection portion detecting the position and size of a particular subject on the source images based on the image data of the source images; a narrow-angle image extraction portion setting a narrow-angle image including the particular subject to set the position and size of the narrow-angle image on image; a wide-angle image extraction portion extracting a wide-angle image that includes the narrow-angle image; a resolution enhancement processing portion cutting out a plurality of narrow-angle images according to a setting in the narrow-angle image extraction portion, to generate a narrow-angle high-resolution image having a number of pixels greater than the number of pixels of the narrow-angle image.

Abstract: A braking/driving control apparatus for a vehicle includes a basic control unit which calculates and outputs a target axle torque based on a target acceleration and a driving resistance of the vehicle and which determines an axle torque for a power train of the vehicle and an axle torque for a braking apparatus of the vehicle based on the calculated target axle torque, a sliding-down prediction determining unit which determines whether there is a possibility that the vehicle slides down rearwards on an uphill road, and a sliding-down preventing process executing unit which performs a process for reducing a possibility that the vehicle slides down, based on a determination result of the sliding-down prediction determining unit.

Abstract: A distance from a stopped position of a vehicle to a target parking position is determined as a set distance. The vehicle is then moved by gradually lowering a requisite braking force that includes an oscillating braking force. It is thus possible to run the engine-powered vehicle at an extremely low speed, regardless of whether a motor is provided.

Abstract: An initial value ?0 of a vehicle deflection angle ? and an initial value L0 of a distance L are set, a normalized coefficient R is determined from the ratio of the vehicle deflection angle ? or the distance L to the initial value ?0 or the initial value L0 when vehicle stop control is started, and the target speed VREF of a body speed VL is determined by that coefficient R. Since the body speed V of the vehicle VL is very low when the vehicle VL arrives at a target parking position, the vehicle VL can be stopped precisely at the target parking position.

Abstract: The imaging apparatus includes an image sensor for obtaining a picture image from an optical image that is projected to the image sensor through an optical system, an image moving portion for moving the optical image on the image sensor, a motion detecting portion for detecting a movement on the picture image of a moving subject that appears in the optical image, and a control portion for controlling, during an exposure period after a predetermined operation, the image moving portion in the direction of canceling the movement of the moving subject on the image sensor due to a movement of the moving subject in the real space, based on a movement of the moving subject detected in advance. The control portion sets length of the exposure period based on the movement of the moving subject detected in advance.

Abstract: Based on, for example, the image at the start of a movie, a thumbnail image is tentatively generated and is stored in a header file. If a predetermined triggering condition is fulfilled during movie shooting, a thumbnail image is generated from the frame image at the timing that the triggering condition is fulfilled, and the thumbnail image existing in the header file is replaced with the newly generated thumbnail image. The triggering condition is fulfilled, for example, if, after zooming-in, the angle of view has been kept fixed for a predetermined period or longer, or if the focus has been kept locked for a predetermined period.

Abstract: A vehicle stop control device is provided. The device is configured to perform a stop control for stopping a vehicle by adjusting a braking force for wheels and includes a target deceleration setting unit which sets a target deceleration as a target for stopping the vehicle so as to have a smaller value as a vehicle body velocity comes closer to zero, a deceleration obtaining unit which obtains a vehicle body deceleration of the vehicle, a control unit which performs the stop control of setting the braking force to have a smaller value as a subtraction value obtained by subtracting the target deceleration from the vehicle body deceleration is greater, and causing the set braking force to be applied to the wheels; and a determining unit which determines that a road surface is an ascent road when the braking force set by the control unit is zero.

Abstract: An electronic camera includes an imager. An imager, having an imaging surface capturing a scene through a focus lens, repeatedly outputs a scene image. An extractor checks the scene image outputted from the imager with each of a plurality of characteristic patterns so as to extract a specific characteristic pattern satisfying a predetermined condition. A restrictor restricts behavior of adjusting a distance from the focus lens to the imaging surface in association with an extraction process of the extractor. A creator creates a reference image based on the scene image outputted from the imager corresponding to the extraction of the specific characteristic pattern. A register registers the specific characteristic pattern as a characteristic pattern used for searching for an image coincident with the reference image created by the creator.

Abstract: A region-of-interest setting unit sets a region of interest within each frame image picked up contiguously. A coding unit codes entire-region moving images where the frame images continue, and region-of-interest moving images where images of regions of interest set by the region-of-interest setting unit continue. A recording unit records coded data of the entire-region moving images and coded data of the region-of-interest moving images both coded by the coding unit in a manner such that the coded data of the entire-region moving images and the coded data of the region-of-interest moving images are associated with each other.

Abstract: A frame rate converting apparatus includes a pan/tilt determining unit which determines whether an image is in a pan/tilt state on the basis of information related to motion of the image detected by a motion detecting unit for each frame of a moving image, a moving distance setting unit which sets 0 as a moving distance of an image with respect to a frame the image of which is not determined as an image in a pan/tilt state by the pan/tilt determining unit, which calculates a moving distance of an image from the information related to the motion of the image detected by the motion detecting unit with respect to a frame the image of which is determined as an image in a pan/tilt state, and which sets the obtained moving distance as a moving distance of the image, and a prediction image generating unit which generates a prediction image necessary for frame rate conversion on the basis of the moving distance of the image set for each frame by the moving distance setting unit.

Abstract: An imaging element having an imaging surface on which an optical image of a subject field passing through an optical lens is emitted generates an image signal corresponding to the optical image of the subject field by photoelectric conversion. An aperture mechanism controls an aperture of the optical lens. A shutter controls exposure time for the imaging element. An exposure adjustment unit adjusts an exposure value for the imaging surface based on an evaluation value of brightness of the subject field. A focus adjustment unit adjusts a focus position of the optical lens. A CPU detects a foreign object adhering to the optical lens by performing shooting under a plurality of shooting conditions in which the exposure value and the focus position are identical and aperture values are different from each other, and comparing a plurality of the image signals obtained from the imaging element during the shooting.