Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Naoko Umeki

Miwako Doi

Akira Morishita

Shunichi Numazaki

Yasunobu Yamauchi

Minoru Ishikawa

Takahiro Harashima

Yoshiyuki Matsunaga

Isao Mihara

Nobuko Kato

Takahiro Murata

Hiroki Miura

Keigo Matsuda

An image sensor repeatedly receives a light from an object through a lens and generates images of the object. A differential image generating unit generates a differential image from at least two images. A detector detects a change cycle or an intensity of an external light. An evaluation unit evaluates an influence of the external light and derives an optimal timing in which a minimum influence of the external light is attained. A controller controls a timing of receiving the light of the image sensor, depending upon the optimal timing derived by the evaluation unit, and repeatedly synchronizes a term of two timings with the change cycle of the external light by shifting the term into the change cycle by a unit of predetermined phase difference.

Apparatus to synchronize change cycle of external light and associated methodology

An area image sensor outputs the difference between charges received by light-receiving cells arranged in an array pattern. A system controller generates a timing signal for generating a pulse or modulation signal. A control signal generator generates a control signal for separately controlling the light-receiving timings of the light-receiving cells of the area image sensor on the basis of the timing signal from the system controller. A light emitting controller controls a light source to generate light, the intensity of which changes on the basis of the timing signal from the system controller. A reflected light image processor extracts a reflected image of an object from the difference outputted from the area image sensor.

Apparatus and method for inputting reflected light image of a target object

An image input apparatus. A detection section detects a change cycle of an intensity of an external light inputted to a camera. A timing control section synchronizes the change cycle of the intensity of the xternal light with a plurality of input timings of the camera by changing a phase difference in order. An evaluation section compares each storage quantity of the external light inputted to the camera at the plurality of input timings synchronized by the timing control section for each phase difference. A selection section selects the phase difference whose difference of the storage quantities of the external light is smallest from all phase difference changed by the timing control section.

Image input apparatus and method

An image capture module and an image capture apparatus for inputting shape of an object in three dimensional space, including a light emitting section which emits light to the object for reflection by the object and imaging of reflected light on a photo-receiving plane of a reflected light image detecting section via an image capture optical system. The reflected light image detecting section detects a reflected light image indicative of a distribution of intensity of the reflected light. The light may be irradiated evenly to the object and the shape of the object may be detected correctly even if the object has irregularity by disposing the light emitting section closely to the image capture optical system. The object may be illuminated evenly by the light from a light emitting section having plural light emitting elements by disposing the light emitting elements symmetrically about the image capture optical system. The object may be illuminated more evenly by the light from the light emitting elements by using reflecting elements which surround respective light emitting elements and focus light toward the object.

Image capture module and image capture apparatus for inputting shape of object on three dimensional space

In an information extraction apparatus of the present invention, a distance image input section inputs a distance image including a plurality of objects to be respectively recognized. An area division section divides the distance image into a plurality of areas according to position information of a plurality of blocks to respectively execute an active event. An image processing section recognizes the plurality of objects in the areas corresponding to the blocks actually executed the active event, and supplies the recognition result to a system of the active event.

Information extraction apparatus and method

An image input apparatus. A detection section detects a change cycle of an intensity of an external light inputted to a camera. A timing control section synchronizes the change cycle of the intensity of the external light with a plurality of input timings of the camera by changing a phase difference in order. An evaluation section compares each storage quantity of the external light inputted to the camera at the plurality of input timings synchronized by the timing control section for each phase difference. A selection section selects the phase difference whose difference of the storage quantities of the external light is smallest from all phase difference changed by the timing control section.

An information processing apparatus is connected to a plurality of application devices. A memory section in the information processing apparatus stores, by unit of object corresponding to the application equipment, an input data type for each object and output data type for each object. The user indicates a first object as a serving side object and a second object as a receiving side object from among the plurality of the objects through an indication section. A retrieval section retrieves a third object whose input data type is the output data type of the first object and whose output data type is the input data type of the second object from the memory section, if the output data type of the first object is different from the input data type of the second object. A control section assigns the third object between the first object and the second object as a relay object.

Information processing apparatus and a method

The present invention provides an object detection apparatus which includes an image capture section for capturing a distance image indicating distance information to a subject and representing intensity distribution of light reflected by the subject and a detection section for detecting one of a target object and/or a motion of the target object from the distance image captured by the image capture section. The present invention also provides a motion control apparatus for controlling a motion of an object such as a toy. The motion control apparatus includes an image capture section for capturing a distance image indicating distance information to a subject and representing intensity distribution of light reflected by the subject, a detection section for detecting one of a target object and/or a motion of the target object from the distance image captured by the image capture section, and a control section for controlling a motion of an object based on a result of detection of the detection section. The present invention also provides a pattern recognition apparatus which is capable of robustly recognizing a pattern at high speed and which can easily be miniaturized.

Object detection apparatus, motion control apparatus and pattern recognition apparatus

When the computed velocity of barycenter of image data, acquired based on initial values of image capturing parameters, is greater than a specified value, an image capturing timing is set quicker than an initial value and a resolution of image data to be captured is reduced. When the velocity of barycenter is smaller than the specified value, the resolution of image data to be captured is set higher than an initial value and the image capturing timing is set slower than the initial value.

Image processing apparatus

When a path for associating a plurality of object images selected in advance is input, the synthesis ratios of the object images corresponding to each dividing point obtained by equally dividing the path are calculated on the basis of the position of the dividing point, and the object images are synthesized on the basis of the object images for each dividing point, thereby generating a plurality of frame images.

Animation generating apparatus and method

A user interface apparatus for performing input by image processing of an input image includes a unit for switching a mode for performing pointing and other modes on the basis of a result of the image processing of the input image. A user interface apparatus for performing input by image processing of an input image includes a unit for switching at least a cursor move mode, a select mode, and a double click mode on the basis of a result of the image processing of the input image. A user interface apparatus for performing input by image processing includes a unit for checking whether an object of image processing is in a proper range within which the image processing is possible, and a unit for presenting at least one of predetermined visual information and audio information, if it is determined that the object is outside the proper range. For example, the cursor is made smaller and/or lighter in color or made larger if the object is farther or closer, respectively, than the proper range, and the left or the right side of the cursor is deformed if the object falls outside the proper range to the left or the right.

User interface apparatus and operation range presenting method

An apparatus having an input for inputting a plurality of line drawings indicating changed shapes of a stroke and a quantizer for quantizing corresponding strokes between the plural line drawings input by the input into unit vectors each having a predetermined length. A portion between the plural line drawings is interpolated by obtaining an interpolating vector for interpolating a portion between the corresponding unit vectors in accordance with an amount of change between the corresponding unit vectors of the plural line drawings obtained by the quantization performed by the quantizer.

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Kanagawa-ken, Japan

Naoko Umeki