Abstract: A fuel cell includes: an electrolyte membrane; a fuel-side catalyst layer placed on one surface of the electrolyte membrane; an oxidant-side catalyst layer placed on another surface of the electrolyte membrane; a fuel-side gas-diffusion layer placed on a main surface of the fuel-side catalyst layer; an oxidant-side gas-diffusion layer placed on a main surface of the oxidant-side catalyst layer; a pair of separators that hold the fuel-side gas-diffusion layer and the oxidant-side gas-diffusion layer therebetween; a frame that surrounds outer peripheries of the fuel-side gas-diffusion layer and the oxidant-side gas diffusion layer; a fuel-side seal member placed on a main surface of the fuel-side gas-diffusion layer; and an oxidant-side seal member placed on a main surface of the oxidant-side gas-diffusion layer. In the fuel cell, no spaces are provided between the fuel-side gas-diffusion layer and the fuel-side catalyst layer and between the oxidant-side gas-diffusion layer and the oxidant-side catalyst layer.

Abstract: A demand responsive operation system includes: a user terminal; an on-demand vehicle that operates based on a use request from the user terminal; and an operation management center that manages an operation of the on-demand vehicle. The operation management center includes a use receiver and an operation plan generator. The use receiver receives the use request from the user terminal. The operation plan generator generates an operation plan within a permissible range of a reference operation schedule based on the reference operation schedule and the use request received by the use receiver, the reference operation schedule having an operation section, a departure place departure time and a final destination arrival time preset, and provides the generated operation plan to the on-demand vehicle and the user terminal. The user terminal presents this operation plan to a user, and the on-demand vehicle operates according to this operation plan.

Abstract: A vehicle including an air conditioner and a thermal sensation estimation apparatus is disclosed. The thermal sensation estimation apparatus includes a processor and a memory that stores a program, which causes the processor to perform a set of operations. The operations include obtaining thermal environment information at least regarding a thermal environment of or around a person, and estimating first and second thermal sensations using first and second methods, respectively, on the basis of the thermal environment information. The operations further include selecting at least one of the first thermal sensation estimated using the first method and the second thermal sensation estimated using the second method, and outputting, to the air conditioner, instruction information using the selected at least one of the first thermal sensation and the second thermal sensation.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device comprises: a plurality of pixels arranged in a first direction and a second direction intersecting the first direction, the plurality of pixels including a first pixel, a second pixel, and a third pixel; a plurality of subpixel electrodes arranged in each of the plurality of pixels in the second direction; a plurality of source lines extending in the first direction and crossing a space between the plurality of subpixel electrodes and a space between the first pixel and the second pixel; a first gate lead line extending in the first direction and crossing a space between the first pixel and the second pixel; and a first gate line extending in the second direction, crossing a space between the first pixel and the third pixel, and is electrically connected to the first gate lead line.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging apparatus includes a plurality of high-sensitivity pixels that are arranged in a matrix, and perform a photoelectric conversion at a predetermined sensitivity; a plurality of low-sensitivity pixels that are arranged in a matrix in gaps between the plurality of high-sensitivity pixels, and perform a photoelectric conversion at a lower sensitivity than the predetermined sensitivity; and a signal processor that generates a pixel signal by (i) detecting a difference signal between a signal from the plurality of high-sensitivity pixels and a signal from the plurality of low-sensitivity pixels, and (ii) correcting the signal from the plurality of high-sensitivity pixels using the difference signal.

Abstract: An acoustic processing device performs acoustic processing in a space having a first listening position and a second listening position apart from the first listening position. The acoustic processing device includes a first input unit, a first output unit, and a signal processing circuit. The first input unit receives a first sound source signal to be reproduced at the first listening position. The first sound source signal includes a first left-channel signal and a first right-channel signal. The first output unit outputs the first sound source signal to a first speaker group including a first speaker disposed near a place of a head of a listener at the first listening position. The signal processing circuit draws out a first common signal common to both the first left-channel signal and the first right-channel signal and outputs the first common signal to the first speaker.

Abstract: An imaging device includes a semiconductor substrate having a first surface; a microlens located above the first surface of the semiconductor substrate; and one or more photoelectric converters located between the first surface of the semiconductor substrate and the microlens, each of the one or more photoelectric converters including a first electrode, a second electrode located closer to the microlens than the first electrode is, and a photoelectric conversion layer that is located between the first electrode and the second electrode and that converts light into electric charges, wherein a focal point of the microlens is located below a lowermost surface of the photoelectric conversion layer of a first photoelectric converter, the first photoelectric converter being located closest to the first surface of the semiconductor substrate among the one or more photoelectric converters.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes: first and second liquid crystal cells; first and second circuit boards connected to the first and second liquid crystal cells through first and second flexible wiring boards, respectively; a frame disposed on an opposite side to the first liquid crystal cell with respect to the second liquid crystal cell; and a holder that holds the first circuit board and the second circuit board. The first circuit board and the second circuit board are disposed on an opposite side to the second liquid crystal cell with respect to the frame. The second circuit board is located closer to the frame than the first circuit board, and the holder sandwiches the first circuit board, and stores the second circuit board between the frame and the holder.

Abstract: A driver circuit which is supplied with a positive power supply voltage, a negative power supply voltage, and an input signal, and drives a switching element including a control terminal according to the input signal includes: a first output terminal connected to the control terminal via a first impedance circuit, and outputs the positive power supply voltage or the negative power supply voltage according to the input signal, to charge the control terminal and put the switching element into an ON state; a negative power supply terminal supplied with the negative power supply voltage; a negative voltage switch having a first end connected to the negative power supply terminal; a third output terminal connected to a second end of the negative voltage switch and to the control terminal via a second impedance circuit; and a first discharge switch disposed between the negative power supply terminal and the first output terminal.

Abstract: An encoding device which further improves coding technique includes processing circuitry and memory. By using the memory, the processing circuitry: performs filtering on a pixel value of a current reference sample to be processed included in reference samples located on a left of or above a current block to be predicted, using pixel values of the reference samples; generates a prediction image by performing intra prediction using the filtered pixel value of the current reference sample. When performing the filtering, the processing circuitry: determines a weight for each reference sample, based on a distance between the reference sample and the current reference sample and a difference in pixel value between the same; and performs filtering on the pixel value of the current reference sample by weighted addition using each of the pixel values of the reference samples and the weight determined for each reference sample.

Abstract: Provided is a laser processing apparatus comprises a stage holding a substrate, the stage being movable in a first direction, a laser beam source radiating a laser beam onto the substrate, a dust-suction duct having a first optical path extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the laser beam travelling along the first optical path thereof, and an air aspirator aspirating an air toward a direction opposite to the first direction, wherein the dust-suction duct includes a pair of air-guiding plates opposed to each other along a third direction perpendicular to the first and second directions, and wherein the pair of the air-guiding plates are configured to have a gap therebetween such that it is narrowest in an optical path region and gets wider as it is far away from the optical path region in upstream and downstream regions thereof.

Abstract: A playback method of reading out and playing streams from a recording medium is provided in which are recorded a stream file, a playlist file, first and second combination information, elementary streams that can be played at the same time with the first luminance video, and elementary streams that can be played at the same time with the second luminance video. The playback method includes in a case of playing the first luminance video, reading out any one of the elementary streams listed in the first combination information of the playlist file, and playing at the same time with the first luminance video, and in a case of playing the second luminance video, reading out any one of the elementary streams listed in the second combination information of the playlist file, and playing at the same time with the second luminance video.

Abstract: A sound output device includes a loudspeaker including a diaphragm, a loudspeaker back space located behind the loudspeaker on a side opposite to a diaphragm, and a cable which is electrically connected to the loudspeaker and extends from the inside of the loudspeaker back space to the outside. The loudspeaker includes a diaphragm back space located in the back of the diaphragm on a side opposite to the sound radiating direction, and a sound hole having a first opening opened to the diaphragm back space and a second opening opened to the loudspeaker back space. When viewed from the first opening toward the second opening, the cable inside the loudspeaker back space is disposed outside the region of the sound hole.

Abstract: A negative electrode for a nonaqueous electrolyte with a negative electrode mixture layer that includes a first layer and a second layer. The first layer is formed on the negative electrode current collector and includes a negative electrode active material and a first binding agent. The negative electrode active material in the first layer includes a carbon material A and a Si-containing compound. The first binding agent includes polyacrylic acid or a salt thereof. The second layer is formed on the first layer and includes a negative electrode active material and a second binding agent. The negative electrode active material in the second layer includes a carbon material B. The carbon material B has a tap density higher than a tap density of the carbon material A. A packing density of the second layer is lower than a packing density of the first layer.

Abstract: A non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery includes an electrode body in which a plurality of positive electrodes and a plurality of negative electrodes are alternately stacked with a separator interposed therebetween, and a non-aqueous electrolytic solution containing a non-aqueous solvent. The electrode body has 8 or more layers of pairs of a positive electrode and a negative electrode. The non-aqueous electrolytic solution contains, at 25° C, 10 to 40% by volume of a fluoroethylene carbonate and 15 to 40% by volume of a chain carboxylate ester having 5 or less carbon atoms, relative to the total volume of the non-aqueous solvent.

Abstract: A sleepiness estimating device includes a biometric information acquirer that acquires biometric information of a person, an auxiliary information acquirer that acquires auxiliary information including at least one of five-sense information perceived by the person or emotion information indicating an emotion of the person, and a sleepiness estimator that estimates a sleepiness of the person based on the biometric information and the auxiliary information.

Abstract: A positive electrode as an example of an embodiment includes a positive electrode current collector, a positive electrode mixture layer which is disposed on at least one surface side of the positive electrode current collector, and an intermediate layer which is interposed between the positive electrode current collector and the positive electrode mixture layer. The intermediate layer contains insulating inorganic particles having a thermal conductivity of less than 50 W/mK, highly thermal conductive particles having a thermal conductivity of 50 W/mK or more, a thermoplastic resin, and polyvinylidene fluoride. The content of the inorganic particles is 50% by mass or more relative to the mass of the intermediate layer.

Abstract: A glass panel unit includes a first glass panel, a second glass panel, a third glass panel, a first evacuated space, a second evacuated space, and a gas adsorbent. The third glass panel is arranged between the first glass panel and the second glass panel. The first evacuated space is created between the first glass panel and the third glass panel. The second evacuated space is created between the second glass panel and the third glass panel. The gas adsorbent is arranged, when viewed perpendicularly to a direction in which the first glass panel, the third glass panel, and the second glass panel are laid one on top of another, between two surfaces. One of the two surfaces is a surface, facing the third glass panel, of the first glass panel. The other of the two surfaces is a surface, facing the third glass panel, of the second glass panel.

Abstract: Provided are negative electrode active substance particles containing: a lithium silicate phase represented by Li2zSiO(2+z){0<z<2}; silicon particles dispersed in the lithium silicate phase; and metal particles that include a metal, an alloy, or a metal compound as the primary component and that are dispersed in the lithium silicate phase. The aspect ratio of the metal particles is 2.7 or greater.

Abstract: Negative electrode active material particles according to the present invention have composite particles that include: a sodium silicate phase with a Vickers hardness of 150 Hv or greater, and silicon particles dispersed in the sodium silicate phase.