Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus includes a sheet conveying path; a sheet entrance unit provided in the sheet conveying path; a sheet discharge unit provided in a location separated from the sheet entrance unit by a predetermined distance; a driving unit that drives the sheet entrance unit and the sheet discharge unit; a sheet guide unit that guides sheets and is provided between the sheet entrance unit and the sheet discharge unit to allow the sheets passing through the sheet entrance unit to be sequentially stacked; and a sheet buffer device that is configured such that the stacked sheets pass through the sheet discharge unit while the stacked sheets are loaded on a step with each leading end of the stacked sheets being separated with a predetermined interval.

Abstract: A sheet-processing device for performing various sheet post-processing functions at high speed and implementing a compact structure includes a compiler 106 that causes a stacked sheet to wait until stapling processing is performed; a jogger 107 that aligns the sheet stacked on the compiler 106; a stapler device 24 that performs the stapling processing to the sheet aligned by the jogger 107 as many as the setting number of sheets; and a sheet transfer pathway 105 through which the sheet in which an image is formed is delivered to the compiler 106.

Abstract: A vehicle includes a contact-position-dependent type operational intention determining unit that detects a change in posture of a rider using posture sensors for a backrest disposed in areas of a backrest with which left and right shoulder blades of the rider come into contact, and thereby determines whether there is an operational intention of the rider; and a left-right amount-of-change comparison type turn intention determining unit that determines, only when it is determined that there is an operational intention, whether there is a left or right turn intention of the rider from a difference between sensor output values located left-right symmetrically.

Abstract: In an exemplary assessment system of speech sound listening, an output section presents a speech sound to a user as an auditory stimulation; a positive component determination section determines whether a positive component appears in an event-related potential of an electroencephalogram signal of the user in a range from 600-900 ms from a starting point, the starting point being a point in time at which the speech sound is presented, and outputs an assessment result as to whether the user is listening to the speech sound with strife or not; and a negative component determination section determines whether a negative component appears in the event-related potential in a range from 100-300 ms from a starting point, the starting point being the point in time at which the speech sound is presented, and outputs an assessment result as to whether the user is annoyed by the speech sound or not.

Abstract: A voice emphasizing device emphasizes in a speech a “strained rough voice” at a position where a speaker or user of the speech intends to generate emphasis or musical expression. Thereby, the voice emphasizing device can provide the position with emphasis of anger, excitement, tension, or an animated way of speaking, or musical expression of Enka (Japanese ballad), blues, rock, or the like. As a result, rich vocal expression can be achieved. The voice emphasizing device includes: an emphasis utterance section detection unit (12) detecting, from an input speech waveform, an emphasis section that is a time duration having a waveform intended by the speaker or user to be converted; and a voice emphasizing unit (13) increasing fluctuation of an amplitude envelope of the waveform in the detected emphasis section.

Abstract: A safety device for a machine having an action part for processing or moving an object includes: a posture obtainment unit configured to obtain a plurality of posture data indicating a posture of at least part of the lower body of a worker; and a preparatory movement determination unit configured to determine that a preparatory movement preceding a dangerous movement which brings at least part of the upper body of the worker closer to a working area of the action part is being performed in the case where a change in the posture indicated by the plurality of posture data shows that the worker is shifting a center of gravity of whole body of the worker in an orientation away from the working area of the action part without changing positions of both feet.

Abstract: A vehicle includes a contact-position-dependent type operational intention determining unit that detects a change in posture of a rider using posture sensors for a backrest disposed in areas of a backrest with which left and right shoulder blades of the rider come into contact, and thereby determines whether there is an operational intention of the rider; and a left-right amount-of-change comparison type turn intention determining unit that determines, only when it is determined that there is an operational intention, whether there is a left or right turn intention of the rider from a difference between sensor output values located left-right symmetrically.

Abstract: An electroencephalogram measurement apparatus includes: an electroencephalogram measurement section for measuring an electroencephalogram of a user by using a plurality of electrodes; an electro-acoustic transducer for presenting an acoustic signal to the user, the electro-acoustic transducer being in a vicinity of at least one electrode among the plurality of electrodes while the electroencephalogram measurement section is worn by the user; an amplitude envelope extraction section for extracting an amplitude envelope of the acoustic signal presented by the electro-acoustic transducer; a frequency analysis section for applying a frequency analysis to the amplitude envelope extracted by the amplitude envelope extraction section; and a noise estimation section for estimating an electrical noise which is mixed at the at least one electrode by using a previously provided set of transform rules and the extracted amplitude envelope.

Abstract: A binding apparatus performs a binding process by bonding the end side of the sheet bundle, and is provided with a notch cutter that forms a notch in the end side used in the sheet binding process in the middle of the sheet conveyance path of the binding apparatus. The notch forming unit includes a pair of sheet conveyance guides for forming a part of the sheet conveyance path, a cutter provided in a rotatably supported bracket, and a biasing means for applying a force to the cutter to face the sheet conveyance path formed by a pair of the sheet conveyance guides at all times.

Abstract: An emotion recognition apparatus performs accurate and stable speech-based emotion recognition, irrespective of individual, regional, and language differences of prosodic information.

Abstract: A sheet processing device for performing various sheet post-processing functions at high speed and implementing a compact structure includes a compiler 106 that causes a stacked sheet to wait until stapling processing is performed; a jogger 107 that aligns the sheet stacked on the compiler 106; a stapler device 24 that performs the stapling processing to the sheet aligned by the jogger 107 as many as the setting number of sheets; and a sheet transfer pathway 105 through which the sheet in which an image is formed is delivered to the compiler 106.

Abstract: A voice synthesis device is provided to include: an emotion input unit obtaining an utterance mode of a voice waveform, a prosody generation unit generating a prosody, a characteristic tone selection unit selecting a characteristic tone based on the utterance mode; and a characteristic tone temporal position estimation unit (i) judging whether or not each of phonemes included in a phonologic sequence of text is to be uttered with the characteristic tone, based on the phonologic sequence, the characteristic tone, and the prosody, and (ii) deciding a phoneme, which is an utterance position where the text is uttered with the characteristic tone. The voice synthesis device also includes an element selection unit and an element connection unit generating the voice waveform based on the phonologic sequence, the prosody, and the utterance position, so that the text is uttered in the utterance mode with the characteristic tone at the determined utterance position.

Abstract: A vehicle control device (10) is provided that can predict a driving operation of a driver earlier to respond to the driving operation quickly. The vehicle control device (10) includes: a posture measuring unit (11) to measure a posture indicating a state of at least one of the buttock region, the upper pelvic region, and the driver's leg opposite to the other leg with which the driver operates a brake or an accelerator; a posture change detection unit (12) to detect a posture change measured; a preparatory movement identification unit (13) to identify whether the posture change is caused by the driver's preparatory movement spontaneously made before the brake or accelerator operation, based on whether the posture change detected satisfies a predetermined condition; and a vehicle control unit (14) to control the vehicle when it is identified that the posture change has been caused by the preparatory movement.

Abstract: A text edit apparatus which presents, based on language analysis information regarding a text, a portion of the text where voice quality may change when the text is read aloud has advantages of predicting likelihood of the voice quality change and judging whether or not the voice quality change will occur.

Abstract: To purchase an item which is viewed on a broadcast. The items may include furniture, jewelry, clothing and automobiles. The viewer is able to utter a phrase in reference to a viewed item that they wish to view or purchase. The system then searches the broadcast information and displays all relevant items. The viewer is then able to select and purchase a particular item.

Abstract: A broadcast receiving system includes a broadcast receiving part for receiving a broadcast in which additional information that corresponds to an object appearing in broadcast contents and that contains keyword information for specifying the object is broadcasted simultaneously with the broadcast contents; a recognition vocabulary generating section for generating a recognition vocabulary set in a manner corresponding to the additional information by using a synonym dictionary; a speech recognition section for performing the speech recognition of a voice uttered by a viewing person, and for thereby specifying keyword information corresponding to a recognition vocabulary set when a word recognized as the speech recognition result is contained in the recognition vocabulary set; and a displaying section for displaying additional information corresponding to the specified keyword information.

Abstract: A voice emphasizing device emphasizes in a speech a “strained rough voice” at a position where a speaker or user of the speech intends to generate emphasis or musical expression. Thereby, the voice emphasizing device can provide the position with emphasis of anger, excitement, tension, or an animated way of speaking, or musical expression of Enka (Japanese ballad), blues, rock, or the like. As a result, rich vocal expression can be achieved. The voice emphasizing device includes: an emphasis utterance section detection unit (12) detecting, from an input speech waveform, an emphasis section that is a time duration having a waveform intended by the speaker or user to be converted; and a voice emphasizing unit (13) increasing fluctuation of an amplitude envelope of the waveform in the detected emphasis section.

Abstract: An emotion recognition apparatus is capable of performing accurate and stable speech-based emotion recognition, irrespective of individual, regional, and language differences of prosodic information.

Abstract: A voice quality conversion device converts voice quality of an input speech using information of the speech.

Abstract: A text edit apparatus which presents, based on language analysis information regarding a text, a portion of the text where voice quality may change when the text is read aloud has advantages of predicting likelihood of the voice quality change and judging whether or not the voice quality change will occur.