Abstract: A power converter includes: a multiphase inverter circuit including a plurality of switching elements; a plurality of current sensors each configured to detect a current of the inverter circuit and output a value of the current detected; a terminal voltage detector configured to detect a voltage of each terminal of a load connected to the inverter circuit and output a value of the voltage detected; a switching element drive circuit configured to control the plurality of switching elements of the inverter circuit according to a switching pattern given; a fault detector configured to detect a fault in the inverter circuit or the plurality of current sensors; and a fault identifier configured to, after the fault detector detects the fault, switch the switching pattern to be given to the switching element drive circuit according to types of faults detectable by the fault detector, and perform identification processing of identifying a type and a location of the fault in the inverter circuit or the plurality of cu

Abstract: The objective of the present invention is to provide a technology capable of estimating a battery condition in conjunction with charging/discharging operations of a battery, without employing dedicated equipment for estimating the condition of the battery. A battery management device according to the present invention identifies a first period and a subsequent second period in a rest period after a battery finishes discharging or charging, and uses an output voltage difference in the second period to estimate the condition of the battery (see FIG. 1).

Abstract: A commercial vehicle operation system is provided with a server that can respectively communicate with a vehicle terminal of a commercial vehicle and with a user terminal owned by a user via a communication network. The server includes a communication unit, a vehicle operation information management unit that acquires and manages vehicle operation information including at least current location information of the commercial vehicle, and a roaming travel execution determination unit that determines whether to carry out roaming travel based on current location information of the commercial vehicle.

Abstract: The internal resistance and state of health of a battery is measured at the same time in a short time by a simple method. A battery management device acquires a first difference between a voltage at a first start time point after an end time point when charging or discharging is ended and the voltage at a first time point when a first period elapses after the first start time point, further acquires a second difference between the voltage at a second start time point after the first time point and the voltage at a second time point when a second period elapses after the second start time point, estimates an internal resistance according to a relationship between the first difference and the internal resistance of the battery, and estimates a state of health according to a relationship between the second difference and the state of health of the battery.

Abstract: A vehicle management method includes calculating, based on a desired condition of each user sharing a ride on a vehicle, a first route for the vehicle to travel and a first required time for the vehicle to arrive at a destination on the first route, when a delay time with respect to the first required time exceeds a predetermined time while the vehicle is traveling along the first route, setting an alternative boarding location for a boarding location or an alternative deboarding location for a deboarding location based on the desired condition of each user, calculating a second route including the alternative boarding location or the alternative deboarding location and a second required time for the vehicle to arrive at a destination on the second route, and notifying the users of at least the alternative boarding location or the alternative deboarding location and the second required time.

Abstract: The present disclosure includes receiving, by a server (1), experience information via a telecommunications network (3) from each of terminals (3) carried by respective users (A to E), the experience information being information regarding an experience desired by each of the users; extracting, in the server, two or more users to generate a single community for the experience information of the two or more users, the two or more users transmitting the experience information having a similarity level not less than a predetermined threshold; extracting, in the server, a destination (5) associated with the experience information having the similarity level not lower than the predetermined threshold using a database (17) configured to preliminarily store the experience information and the destination in association with each other; and transmitting the destination from the server via the telecommunications network to the terminals carried by the two or more users who constitute the single community.

Abstract: A commercial vehicle operation system is provided with a server that can respectively communicate with a vehicle terminal of a commercial vehicle and with a user terminal owned by a user via a communication network. The server includes a communication unit, a vehicle operation information management unit that acquires and manages vehicle operation information including at least current location information of the commercial vehicle, and a roaming travel execution determination unit that determines whether to carry out roaming travel based on current location information of the commercial vehicle.

Abstract: A commercial vehicle operation system is provided with a server that can communicate with an assistive work service for providing vehicles and a vehicle that is not equipped with an assistant's terminal or assistive equipment. The server selects a candidate vehicle and instructs a vehicle to be dispatched to a user. The server is provided with a user information acquisition unit that acquires user information including at least necessity of the assistive work from a user terminal possessed by the user, and when there is a request for the assistive work in the user information, the assistive work service providing vehicle is dispatched.

Abstract: A route searching method using a route searching device for searching for a first route to reach a destination includes accumulating a history of activities of a driver in a database, when the history of activities is accumulated, setting a region based on a position on a map at which the history of activities is accumulated as a first region, increasing an area of the first region as the history of activities increases, and searching for a secondary route for reaching the destination from the first region using the route searching device.

Abstract: Terminal (2) used by a user includes a transmitter configured to transmit desire information required for determining a desired facility desired by the user to a server (1) via a telecommunications network. The server (1) includes a destination setting unit configured to set a destination of a vehicle on the basis of the desire information and a facility information acquisition unit configured to acquire, via the telecommunications network, facility information including information indicative of an empty situation of the desired facility. The vehicle includes an arrival time adjustment unit configured to manage a travel of the vehicle on the basis of the facility information to adjust an arrival time at which the vehicle arrives at the destination.

Abstract: A vehicle management method is provided for setting a travel plan for a vehicle (Vn) using a server (10) configured to manage vehicle requests from a plurality of users. This method includes specifying an available vehicle from among a plurality of the vehicles as an in-use vehicle on the basis of the vehicle requests from the users who request use of the vehicle (Vn), setting the travel plan including a travel route of the in-use vehicle by way of a boarding location for each of the users on the basis of the vehicle requests from the users, and in a case in which a user of the users is absent at the boarding location when the in-use vehicle arrives at the boarding location, setting a waiting time at the boarding location on the basis of the travel plan.

Abstract: The present disclosure includes receiving, by a server (1), experience information via a telecommunications network (3) from each of terminals (3) carried by respective users (A to E), the experience information being information regarding an experience desired by each of the users; extracting, in the server, two or more users to generate a single community for the experience information of the two or more users, the two or more users transmitting the experience information having a similarity level not less than a predetermined threshold; extracting, in the server, a destination (5) associated with the experience information having the similarity level not lower than the predetermined threshold using a database (17) configured to preliminarily store the experience information and the destination in association with each other; and transmitting the destination from the server via the telecommunications network to the terminals carried by the two or more users who constitute the single community.

Abstract: A vehicle management method includes calculating, based on a desired condition of each user sharing a ride on a vehicle, a first route for the vehicle to travel and a first required time for the vehicle to arrive at a destination on the first route, when a delay time with respect to the first required time exceeds a predetermined time while the vehicle is traveling along the first route, setting an alternative boarding location for a boarding location or an alternative deboarding location for a deboarding location based on the desired condition of each user, calculating a second route including the alternative boarding location or the alternative deboarding location and a second required time for the vehicle to arrive at a destination on the second route, and notifying the users of at least the alternative boarding location or the alternative deboarding location and the second required time.

Abstract: A route searching method using a route searching device for searching for a first route to reach a destination includes accumulating a history of activities of a driver in a database, when the history of activities is accumulated, setting a region based on a position on a map at which the history of activities is accumulated as a first region, increasing an area of the first region as the history of activities increases, and searching for a secondary route for reaching the destination from the first region using the route searching device.

Abstract: A vehicle guidance device has a stopping vehicle detector configured to detect stopping vehicles failing to pass through a traffic light while a light is green, the traffic light being installed beside a plurality of lanes extending in a same direction, an information acquisition unit configured to acquire a starting characteristic of each detected vehicle, and a simultaneous passage line calculator configured to calculate a simultaneous passage line including a first line and a second line based on the acquired starting characteristics, when a vehicle having a lower starting characteristic than a reference starting characteristic is included in the vehicles stopping on a first lane included in the plurality of lanes, and when a vehicle having a higher starting characteristic than starting characteristics of the vehicles on the first lane is included in the vehicles stopping on a second lane included in the plurality of lanes.

Abstract: A vehicle guidance device has a stopping vehicle detector configured to detect stopping vehicles failing to pass through a traffic light while a light is green, the traffic light being installed beside a plurality of lanes extending in a same direction, an information acquisition unit configured to acquire a starting characteristic of each detected vehicle, and a simultaneous passage line calculator configured to calculate a simultaneous passage line including a first line and a second line based on the acquired starting characteristics, when a vehicle having a lower starting characteristic than a reference starting characteristic is included in the vehicles stopping on a first lane included in the plurality of lanes, and when a vehicle having a higher starting characteristic than starting characteristics of the vehicles on the first lane is included in the vehicles stopping on a second lane included in the plurality of lanes.

Abstract: In a piston actuation system of a V-type internal combustion engine with two cylinder banks having at least one pair of cylinders, a piston pin, an upper link, a lower link, and a control link are mechanically linked to each other for each cylinder bank. When changing a compression ratio of the engine, ends of the control links of the two cylinder banks are moved in synchronism. The lower links of the two cylinder banks are coaxially rotatably fitted on the outer periphery of the same crankpin whose axis is eccentric to the axis of the crankshaft.

Abstract: A paired counterweights of a crankshaft have projected inner surfaces which protrude toward each other defining a given space therebetween. A plurality of links are arranged to convert a reciprocating motion of a piston to a rotational motion of the crankshaft. One of the links is pivotally connected to other links through link connecting portions and swingably disposed on a crank pin of the crankshaft so that upon rotation of the crankshaft, a peripheral portion of the link passes through the given space. At least one of the link connecting portions is placed within an imaginary circle which would be described by a radially innermost part of the projected inner surfaces of the paired counterweights when the paired counterweights turn about an axis of the crank pin.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine is constructed to include a variable compression ratio mechanism. The mechanism has the following structure. An upper link has one end pivotally connected to a piston pin of a piston of the engine. A lower link is pivotally disposed on a crank pin of a crankshaft of the engine and has one part pivotally connected to the other end of the upper link. A control shaft extends substantially in parallel with the crankshaft. A control link has an end pivotally connected to the other part of the lower link. The other end of the control link is connected to the control shaft through an eccentric bearing structure, so that rotation of the control shaft about its axis induces a pivoting of the lower link about the crank pin varying the stroke of the piston.

Abstract: A variable compression ratio mechanism of a reciprocating engine includes at least an upper link connected at one end to a piston pin and a lower link connecting the other end of the upper link to a crankpin. At top dead center, when hypothetical connecting points between the upper and lower links are able to be supposed on both sides of the line segment connecting the piston-pin center and the crankpin center, and the first one of the connecting points has a smaller inclination angle, measured in the same direction as a direction of rotation of the crankshaft, from the axial line of reciprocating motion of the piston-pin center and to a line segment connecting the piston-pin center and the first connecting point; as compared to the second connecting point, the first connecting point is selected as the actual connecting point.