Abstract: A voice dialogue method performed by a voice dialogue system includes: a voice signal generation unit; a voice dialogue agent unit; a voice output unit; and a voice input control unit, the method including: a step of, by the voice signal generation unit, receiving a voice input and generating a voice signal based on the received voice input; a step of, by the voice dialogue agent unit, performing voice recognition processing on the voice signal and performing processing based on a result of the voice recognition processing to generate a response signal; a step of, by the voice output unit, outputting a voice based on the response signal; and a step of, when the voice output unit outputs the voice, by the voice input control unit, keeping the voice signal generation unit, for predetermined period after output of the voice, a receivable state in which a voice input is receivable.

Abstract: A wafer cleaner and a method therefor that efficiently cleans a wafer with a little amount of a cleaning liquid and efficiently performs a heating wet cleaning processing. The present invention includes a stage where a wafer is placed, a rotary driving unit that rotates the stage in a circumferential direction, a liquid discharge nozzle disposed facing the wafer placed on the stage and supplies a cleaning liquid on the wafer placed on the stage, and a control unit that causes the liquid discharge nozzle to supply a space between the wafer placed on the stage and the liquid discharge nozzle with a predetermined amount of the cleaning liquid to fill the space. The present invention also includes a lamp disposed on a position facing the wafer placed on the stage to heat at least an interface portion of the wafer and a cleaning liquid.

Abstract: A radical generator includes a supply tube, a plasma-generating tube, a coil winding about an outer circumference of the plasma-generating tube, for generating an inductively coupled plasma in the plasma-generating tube, an electrode for generating a capacitively coupled plasma in the plasma-generating tube and adding the capacitively coupled plasma to the inductively coupled plasma, and a parasitic-plasma-preventing tube including a dielectric material which extends from a bottom of the plasma-generating tube to an opening of the supply tube in a space between the bottom and the opening, and a tip part thereof is inserted into the supply tube to cover an inner wall of the supply tube for preventing a generation of a parasitic plasma between the electrode and the inner wall of the supply tube.

Abstract: A surface of a sapphire (0001) substrate is processed to form recesses and protrusions so that protrusion tops are flat and a given plane-view pattern is provided. An initial-stage AlN layer is grown on the surface of the sapphire (0001) substrate having recesses and protrusions by performing a C+ orientation control so that a C+ oriented AlN layer is grown on flat surfaces of the protrusion tops, excluding edges, in such a thickness that the recesses are not completely filled and the openings of the recesses are not closed. An AlxGayN(0001) layer (1?x>0, x+y=1) is epitaxially grown on the initial-stage AlN layer by a lateral overgrowth method. The recesses are covered with the AlxGayN(0001) layer laterally overgrown from above the protrusion tops. Thus, an template for epitaxial growth having a fine and flat surface and a reduced threading dislocation density is produced.

Abstract: Provided is an image processing device which performs plural processes efficiently, by pipelining, on a coded stream obtained by coding an image based on various coding unit blocks. The image processing device which performs plural first processes, by pipelining, on a coded stream obtained by dividing an image into plural coding unit blocks having at least two sizes, and coding the image on a coding unit block-by-block basis includes: plural first process units which perform, by the pipelining, the plural first processes on the coded stream by each executing one of the plural first processes; and a control unit which divides the coded stream into plural first processing unit blocks each having a first size, and control the plural first process units to cause the plural first processes to be executed for each of the first processing unit blocks.

Abstract: An information presenting device (100) presents image information; an operative device (200) accepts a predetermined input operation during the presentation of the image information; a guide information managing device (300) stores date and time information indicating a date and a time at which the input operation is accepted, image specifying information specifying image information presented when the input operation is accepted, and guide destination information indicating a guide destination to which the user is guided is stored in a database in association with one another, the guide destination information being specified by the date and time information, and the image specifying information; and a guide device (400) presents the guide destination information in response to a request from the user.

Abstract: In a risk determination method: moving body information, in which accompanying information that indicates the current position of a moving body and a current-position image that indicates a situation around the moving body at the current position are included in correspondence to each other, is obtained; and, if risk occurrence information corresponding to the current position indicated in the accompanying information included in the moving body information is not stored in a risk occurrence information manager and risk occurrence information corresponding to a position other than the current position is stored in the risk occurrence information manager, a degree of risk at the current position is determined on the basis of a similarity between the current-position image included in the moving body information and a risky-position image included in at least one piece of risk occurrence information stored in the risk occurrence information manager.

Abstract: A risk information processing method used in a risk information processing system that manages a degree of risk at a spot where a moving object is located includes: storing, as risk information in a storage, a degree of risk for a combination of spot and situation; and estimating first risk information for a first combination for which a degree of risk has not been input by using three or more pieces of risk information including degrees of risk for a second combination whose spot is the same as the first combination and whose situation is different from the first combination, for a third combination whose situation is the same as the first combination and whose spot is different from the first combination, and for a fourth combination whose situation is the same as the second combination and whose spot is the same as the third combination.

Abstract: A resource request arbitration device is connected with each of a plurality of masters, and arbitrates transfer requests issued by the masters. The resource request arbitration device includes a plurality of counters each indicating a slack time of a transfer request issued by a master corresponding to the counter, and compares counter values stored in the counters by a tournament method, and specifies a master that has issued a transfer request having the highest priority. The resource request arbitration device grants access permission to the specified master to permit the specified master to use a slave.

Abstract: To provide an image decoding apparatus that suppresses overhead of parallel processing to improve parallelization efficiency and reduce circuit costs, while solving neighboring macroblock dependencies. The image decoding apparatus (100) includes first and second decoding circuits (101, 102) having a transfer unit that transfers right neighborhood information or left neighborhood information, and first and second transfer completion detection units (104, 105) that respectively detect whether or not the left neighborhood information or the right neighborhood information has been transferred to the first and second decoding circuits (101, 102). Each of the first and second decoding circuits (101, 102) decodes a decoding target macroblock positioned at an edge of a region, when the transfer of the left neighborhood information or the right neighborhood information is detected.

Abstract: A presentation information learning method for performing learning for presenting information to a driver of a movable body, the presentation information learning method including: obtaining a result of a response from a driver to a presentation information item which is an information item included in a plurality of presentable information items and presented to the driver; identifying a driving load on the driver; and performing the learning by updating a reference information item associated with the presentation information item from among reference information items which are associated one-to-one with a plurality of presentable information items and are referred to for judging whether or not the presentation information items are to be presented, based on the driving load identified and the obtained result of the response.

Abstract: A map information creation device for presenting information at an appropriate time includes: an operation obtaining unit which obtains operation information indicating (i) each of positions passed through by a movable body that is moved by a user and (ii) a frequency of an operation performed on a device by a user of the movable body when the movable body is at the position; a determining unit which determines, for each of positions on a map, whether or not information presentation is allowed, based on the frequency at the position indicated by the operation information; and a creating unit which creates the map information indicating a result of the determination by the determining unit for each position on the map.

Abstract: Group III nitride semiconductor having reduced threading dislocation density and uniform Ga-polar surface is provided. Forming a capping layer on a buffer layer containing Al as an essential element at a temperature lower than a temperature at which an oxide of element constituting the buffer layer is formed. Heat treating the substrate having the buffer layer covered by the capping layer at a temperature higher than a temperature at which a crystal of body semiconductor grows without exposing the surface of the buffer layer. The substrate temperature is decreased to a temperature at which a crystal of the body semiconductor grows and the body semiconductor is grown.

Abstract: A first side surface of post of the first stripe is formed so that a plane which is most parallel to the first side surface among low-index planes of the growing Group III nitride semiconductor is a m-plane (10-10), and a first angle between the first lateral vector obtained by orthogonally projecting a normal vector of the first side surfaces to the main surface and a m-axis projected vector obtained by orthogonally projecting a normal vector of the m-plane of the growing semiconductor to the main surface is from 0.5° to 6°. A second side surface of post of the second stripe is formed so that a plane which is most parallel to the second side surface among low-index planes of the growing semiconductor is an a-plane (11-20), and a second angle between the second lateral vector and an a-axis projected vector of the a-plane is from 0° to 10°.

Abstract: The present application discloses a method for controlling a terminal apparatus that is used for an appliance control system for executing a remote operation on a plurality of air conditioners from a car.

Abstract: The present application discloses a method for controlling a terminal apparatus that is used for an appliance control system for executing a remote operation on a plurality of air conditioners from a car.

Abstract: A method for producing a Ga-containing group III nitride semiconductor having reduced threading dislocation is disclosed. A buffer layer in a polycrystal, amorphous or polycrystal/amorphous mixed state, comprising AlGaN is formed on a substrate. The substrate having the buffer layer formed thereon is heat-treated at a temperature higher than a temperature at which a single crystal of a Ga-containing group III nitride semiconductor grows on the buffer layer and at a temperature that the Ga-containing group III nitride semiconductor does not grow, to reduce crystal nucleus density of the buffer layer as compared with the density before the heat treatment. After the heat treatment, the temperature of the substrate is decreased to a temperature that the Ga-containing group III nitride semiconductor grows, the temperature is maintained, and the Ga-containing group III nitride semiconductor is grown on the buffer layer.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a biomass solid fuel obtained by steam exploding and then molding biomass into biomass blocks and then heating the biomass blocks, wherein the biomass solid fuel has a fuel ratio of 0.2 to 2.5, a dry-based higher heating value of 5,000 to 7,500 (kcal/kg), a molar ratio of oxygen O to carbon C (O/C) of 0.1 to 0.6, and a molar ratio of hydrogen H to carbon C (H/C) of 0.5 to 1.35.

Abstract: A reservation system reserves a charger to charge a power source of an electric automobile. A control method of an information processing device enables a charger to be reserved while taking into consideration arriving at a destination earlier. The information processing device searches for a charger within a predetermined range from a current location if the battery level has fallen below a first threshold value, and if a destination has been set and a plurality of searched chargers exist, calculates a predicted charging end point-in-time at each charger, based on a predicted arrival point-in-time to each charger and the availability state and charging capability of each charger. With the calculated predicted charging end point-in-time for each charger as the departure point-in-time from each charger, a charger of which the predicted destination arrival point-in-time is the earliest of the calculated predicted destination arrival point-in-times for each charger, is reserved.

Abstract: An image decoding device which decodes, by pipeline processing which includes plural processes, an encoded image obtained by encoding plural blocks of at least two sizes divided from the image includes: a first storage unit having a capacity for storing two or more blocks having a largest size of the at least two sizes; a first process unit which performs a first process among the plural processes on the plural blocks sequentially, and sequentially stores the plural blocks on which the first process has been performed into the first storage unit; and a second process unit sequentially extracts the plural blocks from the first storage unit, and performs a second process among the plural processes on the extracted plural blocks sequentially.