Abstract: A film forming method includes preparing a substrate having an amorphous silicon film on a surface thereof, diffusing nickel into the amorphous silicon film by supplying a nickel source gas to the amorphous silicon film, and forming a polycrystalline silicon film by heating the amorphous silicon film, and crystallizing the amorphous silicon film by metal-induced lateral crystallization using the nickel diffused in the amorphous silicon film as a nucleus.

Abstract: Exemplary communication system 1 includes game devices 10, communication terminals 20, and game support server 30. Game devices 10 enable users to perform a multi-play activity. Each of communication terminals 20 runs an application associated with corresponding game device 10. Game support server 30 divides communication terminals 20 into separate communication groups in accordance with a situation of the multi-play activity performed by game devices 10 so that communication terminals 20 belonging to a same communication group can communicate with each other.

Abstract: A vehicle includes a vehicle body, and a reinforcement member extending along a vehicle cabin-side side portion to vehicle cabin-side peripheral portion of a rear wheel housing of the vehicle body to an opening edge of the vehicle body. The opening edge receives a rear lower portion of a rear door. The reinforcement member includes a projecting portion that defines two or more closed-section spaces respectively extending toward different locations of the opening edge.

Abstract: The present disclosure has an object to provide an information processing apparatus that can easily grasp a passenger during a driver's driving. A controller included in an information processing apparatus according to the present disclosure executes: acquiring first information that is information related to an appearance of a passenger having requested a ride in a vehicle being driven by a driver and is image information taken; and generating information related to the passenger by converting the first information into second information representing a predetermined characteristic part of the appearance of the passenger.

Abstract: A vehicle includes a vehicle body, and a reinforcement member extending along a vehicle cabin-side side portion to vehicle cabin-side peripheral portion of a rear wheel housing of the vehicle body to an opening edge of the vehicle body. The opening edge receives a rear lower portion of a rear door. The reinforcement member includes a projecting portion that defines two or more closed-section spaces respectively extending toward different locations of the opening edge.

Abstract: A shock absorber includes a cylinder sealed with a working oil liquid, a piston slidably fitted in the cylinder, a piston rod connected to the piston and extended to the outside of the cylinder, and a plurality of passages through which the working oil liquid flows due to the sliding of pistons therein, and a damping force generating mechanism that is provided in a part of the passages and suppresses the flow of the working oil liquid to generate a damping force. The damping force generating mechanism includes a valve body through which the passage penetrates, an annular seat that projects from the valve body and surrounds the passage, and a disc that can be seated on the seat. A contact width at which the disc and the seat come into contact with each other is different depending on a position in the circumferential direction.

Abstract: A program causes an information processing device communicable with a server to execute steps of: displaying stoppage points of the specific vehicle and at least part of a travel route passing through the stoppage points; transmitting the server a first request to modify the travel plan so that a user of the information processing device gets on the specific vehicle or gets off the specific vehicle at the stoppage point when the stoppage point is designated by a user operation; and transmitting the server a second request to modify the travel plan so that the specific vehicle goes by way of the designated point as an additional stoppage point and the user gets on the specific vehicle or gets off the specific vehicle at the additional stoppage point when the point other than the stoppage points is designated by the user operation.

Abstract: An information processing system includes a vehicle, and a server communicable with the vehicle. The vehicle includes a first acquisition unit configured to acquire first vital information on a user who boards the vehicle. The vehicle is configured to transmit to the server the first vital information on the user acquired with the first acquisition unit. The server is configured to prestore first vital information and settlement information on a registered user, determine whether or not the user is the registered user based on the first vital information on the user received from the vehicle and the first vital information on the registered user, and execute, when determining that the user is the registered user, a settlement process based on the settlement information on the registered user.

Abstract: A vehicle includes a vehicle body, and a reinforcement member extending along a vehicle cabin-side side portion to vehicle cabin-side peripheral portion of a rear wheel housing of the vehicle body to an opening edge of the vehicle body. The opening edge receives a rear lower portion of a rear door. The reinforcement member includes a projecting portion that defines two or more closed-section spaces respectively extending toward different locations of the opening edge.

Abstract: An information processing device includes: a server transmitting and receiving unit configured to receive location information indicating a location of a vehicle from an on-board device mounted on the vehicle; and a server control unit configured to when the vehicle is traveling in an area that the vehicle has visited a predetermined number of times or less, extract a facility that faces a first road located within a predetermined range based on the location information and having traffic capacity equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold, wherein the server transmitting and receiving unit is configured to send advertisement information of the facility to the on-board device.

Abstract: An information processing device includes a control unit configured to execute acquiring a crowding level of a destination store that is a destination of a vehicle in which a user rides, extracting a store with a crowding level lower than the crowding level of the destination store as a predetermined recommended store from among other stores that belong to the same genre as the destination store and that do not belong to the same affiliated group as the destination store when the crowding level of the destination store is higher than a predetermined threshold value, generating a proposal advertisement for proposing to change the destination of the vehicle from the destination store to the predetermined recommended store, and presenting the proposal advertisement to the user who rides in the vehicle via a mobile terminal that moves with the vehicle.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus is applied to a traffic mode where a plurality of users including a first user and a second user ride in an identical vehicle and travel, and the second user gets off the identical vehicle earlier than the first user. A controller is configured to execute: acquiring destination points of the first user and the second user; setting a predetermined area including the destination point of the first user and an area proximate to the destination point of the first user; determining whether the destination point of the second user is within or outside the predetermined area; and upon determining that the destination point of the second user is outside the predetermined area, setting a combination between the first user and the second user so that the first user and the second user are allowed to ride in the identical vehicle.

Abstract: An information processing system includes a vehicle, a terminal device, and a server that can communicate with the vehicle and the terminal device. The vehicle repeatedly transmits positional information on the vehicle to the server at predetermined timings. The terminal device repeatedly transmits user identification information for identifying a user of the terminal device and positional information on the terminal device to the server at predetermined timings. The server determines, based on the positional information on the vehicle and the positional information on the terminal device, whether or not the terminal device is located in a reference region within a predetermined distance from the vehicle, and determines, based on the user identification information, that the user of the terminal device is on board the vehicle, when it is determined that the terminal device is located in the reference region.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus according to this disclosure is an information processing apparatus applied to a traffic mode where a plurality of users including a first user and a second user ride in an identical vehicle and travel, and the second user gets off the identical vehicle earlier than the first user does, including a controller configured to execute: acquiring destination points of the first user and the second user; and setting a combination between the first user and the second user allowed to ride in the identical vehicle so that the destination point of the second user does not belong to a destination area that is a predetermined area including the destination point of the first user.

Abstract: An information processing system includes a vehicle, a terminal device, and a server that can communicate with the vehicle and the terminal device. The vehicle repeatedly transmits positional information on the vehicle to the server at predetermined timings. The terminal device repeatedly transmits user identification information for identifying a user of the terminal device and positional information on the terminal device to the server at predetermined timings. The server determines, based on the positional information on the vehicle and the positional information on the terminal device, whether or not the terminal device is located in a reference region within a predetermined distance from the vehicle, and determines, based on the user identification information, that the user of the terminal device is on board the vehicle, when it is determined that the terminal device is located in the reference region.

Abstract: A shock absorber includes a cylinder sealed with a working oil liquid, a piston slidably fitted in the cylinder, a piston rod connected to the piston and extended to the outside of the cylinder, and a plurality of passages through which the working oil liquid flows due to the sliding of pistons therein, and a damping force generating mechanism that is provided in a part of the passages and suppresses the flow of the working oil liquid to generate a damping force. The damping force generating mechanism includes a valve body through which the passage penetrates, an annular seat that projects from the valve body and surrounds the passage, and a disc that can be seated on the seat. A contact width at which the disc and the seat come into contact with each other is different depending on a position in the circumferential direction.

Abstract: An information processing system includes a plurality of vehicles, and a server capable of communicating with the plurality of vehicles. Each of the plurality of the vehicles generates an image resulting from picking up a vehicle exterior view, each of the plurality of the vehicles or the server decides a candidate spot at which a particular vehicle halts in order for a passenger to get on or get off the particular vehicle, based on the image, and the server stores position information about each of a plurality of the candidate spots decided by the plurality of the vehicles.

Abstract: A program causes an information processing device communicable with a server to execute steps of: displaying stoppage points of the specific vehicle and at least part of a travel route passing through the stoppage points; transmitting the server a first request to modify the travel plan so that a user of the information processing device gets on the specific vehicle or gets off the specific vehicle at the stoppage point when the stoppage point is designated by a user operation; and transmitting the server a second request to modify the travel plan so that the specific vehicle goes by way of the designated point as an additional stoppage point and the user gets on the specific vehicle or gets off the specific vehicle at the additional stoppage point when the point other than the stoppage points is designated by the user operation.

Abstract: An information processing device includes a control unit configured to receive location information indicating a location of a vehicle from an on-board device, when the vehicle is traveling in an area that the vehicle has visited a predetermined number of times or less, extract a facility that faces a first road located within a predetermined range based on the location information and having traffic capacity equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold, and send advertisement information of the extracted facility to the on-board device.

Abstract: An information processing device includes: a server transmitting and receiving unit configured to receive location information indicating a location of a vehicle from an on-board device mounted on the vehicle; and a server control unit configured to when the vehicle is traveling in an area that the vehicle has visited a predetermined number of times or less, extract a facility that faces a first road located within a predetermined range based on the location information and having traffic capacity equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold, wherein the server transmitting and receiving unit is configured to send advertisement information of the facility to the on-board device.