Abstract: According to one embodiment, a parking assist device includes a detector configured to detect a target parking position from a captured image obtained from an imager; a position identifier that identifies, during a period while the vehicle is moving after the captured image was displayed on the display device and before a captured image captured next by the imager is displayed, the target parking position with respect to a current position of the vehicle, based on a first moving amount by which the vehicle has moved since the captured image was displayed on the display device and on a positional relation between the vehicle and the target parking position at the time when the captured image was captured; and a parking assist unit that guides the vehicle during the period based on the identified target parking position when a request for guiding the vehicle to the target parking position is made.

Abstract: Mesoscopic magnetic field sensors which can detect weak magnetic fields (typically 0.05 Tesla) over areas as small as tens of thousands of square nanometers (e.g. 40 nm×400 nm). The combination of enhanced magneto-resistance in an inhomogeneous high mobility semiconductor, having special electrode arrangements, with the use of island lithography, enables the production of special semiconductor/metal nano-composite structures, and has made possible the fabrication of an entirely new type of magnetic field sensor which exhibits very superior magneto-resistive behavior.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a blasting method which comprises conducting a delay blast at a particular location; predicting time series data of a waveform of ground vibration or noise at a remote location to be generated by a hypothetical single-hole blast at the particular location using at least one of previous time series data of a waveform of ground vibration or noise generated by said delay blast and actually monitored at the remote location, and the corresponding previous actually applied initiation time series of said delay blast; computing a delay blasting initiation time series for a delay blasting, which provides a waveform of ground vibration or noise satisfying specific conditions, based on the above-predicted time series data of a single-hole blast; and carrying out a subsequent delay blast according to the computed delay blasting initiation time series.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method are presented for preparing a single crystal ingot of a compound semiconductor material which contains a high vapor pressure component. The apparatus includes: a furnace housing 78 housing a cylindrical hermetic vessel 20 having a ceiling plate section 22A and a bottom plate section 42. External heaters 36, 38 and 40 surrounding the hermetic vessel 20, and a vapor pressure control section which communicates hermetically with the vessel 20.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for mono-crystalline growth of a dissociative compound semiconductor. The method, which is based on the Czochralski method, includes the following steps. First, a first volatile component material and second material of the dissociative compound semiconductor are prepared. The first material is placed on the bottom of an inner air-tight vessel which is contained in the outer air-tight vessel. The second material is contained in a crucible in the inner vessel. The crucible is supported by a lower shaft extending from the inside to the outside of the inner vessel. The first material is, next, heated for evaporating so as to react with the second material in the crucible. Therefore, the dissociative compound semiconductor is synthesized in the crucible. Then, a single crystal is pulled up from the melt by an upper shaft. The upper shaft extends from inside to outside of the inner vessel, thereby the single crystal is grown.

Abstract: In a single-crystal growth method disclosed herein, a melt is first prepared in a container having a cylindrical wall. The container is such that at least the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical wall is formed of a material which is not wettable to the melt. A seed is then immersed in the melt and a single crystal rod formed on the seed is pulled in such a manner as to be coaxial with the cylindrical wall. The distance between the single crystal rod and the inner peripheral surface is set to a prescribed value G, so that the melt adjacent to the inner peripheral surface is formed into a prescribed meniscus shape. The temperature distribution at the melt surface is controlled to maintain the meniscus shape between the single crystal rod and the inner peripheral surface at an equilibrium state to thereby control the diameter of the single crystal rod.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for mono-crystalline growth of a dissociative compound semiconductor. The method, which is based on the Czochralski method, includes the following steps. First, a first volatile component material and second material of the dissociative compound semiconductor are prepared. The first material is placed on the bottom of an inner air-tight vessel which is contained in an outer air-tight vessel. The second material is contained in a crucible supported in the inner vessel by a lower shaft extending from the inside to the outside of the inner vessel. The first material is, next, heated for evaporating so as to react with the second material. Therefore, the dissociative compound semiconductor is synthesized in the crucible. Then, temperature of a furnace installed on the inner vessel is adjusted so that the pressure of the gas of the first volatile component material in the inner vessel is controlled.

Abstract: A method for growing single crystals of a dissociative compound semiconductor which are pulled in an atmosphere of a gas of a volatile component of the dissociative compound filled in an inner chamber sealed within a growth apparatus is provided wherein the space of the inner chamber is divided into different parts by means of partition wall, which is disposed in the inner chamber and the lower part of which is immersed in a melt contained in a crucible, thereby high quality single crystals with a correct stoichiometric composition can be grown under the constant conditions of temperature and pressure without detrimental effects due to thermal convection in the crystal growth region and the melt. The partition wall may be made either of a monolithic structure or a composite structure capable of being divided into two parts, an upper member and a lower member like a float, the upper part of the lower member is vertically movably inserted into upper member.

Abstract: An apparatus for pulling single crystals of dissociative compounds, with a volatile component gas sealed in a growth chamber at a controlled pressure thereof, is disclosed, wherein the chamber is made of one or more materials selected from the group consisting of ceramics, gas-tight carbon, heat-resistant metallic materials, ceramic-coated carbon and ceramic-coated heat-resistant metallic materials, the chamber can be divided, with a structure of the divided portion of the chamber capable of being sealed by making use of a sealing material with a pressure exerted on the seal, and an optical window is disposed in the chamber through which the growing state of the crystal in the chamber can be observed.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for growing single crystals of a dissociative compound by pulling with a volatile component gas of the dissociative compound sealed at a controlled pressure in a heated growth chamber in which the single crystals are pulled, wherein a partition pipe having a lower density than the density of melt of the dissociative compound is disposed so as to immerse its lower end in the melt and the melt is covered with B.sub.2 O.sub.3 at either one of the inside or outside of the partition pipe. The method of the present invention enables the precise, appropriate control of the melt composition during the course of growing and thereby provides single crystals free from any detrimental contamination and undesirable dislocation problems. The thus obtained crystals are especially desirable for use as substrates for high speed and/or optical devices, because of their excellent semi-insulating properties.