Abstract: A vehicle display control apparatus mounted on a vehicle includes a display control portion that controls a head-up display device displaying an image by superimposing the image on a view visible to a driver of the vehicle through a windshield of the vehicle, and a condition determination portion that determines whether a condition under which the vehicle should slow down is satisfied. The display control portion causes, based on a determination of the condition determination portion that the condition is satisfied, the head-up display device to display an object that does not actually exist on a road under circumstances where the condition is satisfied, as an illusion image that produces an optical illusion appearing that a road surface viewed from the driver flows faster than an actual speed in an opposite direction to a travel direction by superimposing the illusion image on the view.

Abstract: Provided is a regeneration rotary kiln capable of reducing the proportion of combustible gas in waste gas and capable of reducing cost for generating superheated steam. A regeneration rotary kiln (1) is characterized by including: a superheated steam generation unit (2) that generates superheated steam; a tube (3) capable of rotating about its axis and having a heating section (A) where, while the superheated steam is being supplied thereto, carbon fiber reinforced plastic (10) containing a matrix resin and carbon fibers is heated to generate combustible gas (10G) from the matrix resin to extract the carbon fibers (10S) from the carbon fiber reinforced plastic (10); a first combustion chamber (43a) that is placed outside the tube (3) and that burns the gas (10G) introduced from the heating section (A) to heat the heating section (A); and a second combustion chamber (43b) that burns the gas (10G) introduced from the first combustion chamber (43a) to supply heat for generating the superheated steam.

Abstract: A remote operation device includes a first operation acceptance portion having a rotary dial, a second operation acceptance portion provided along an outer periphery of the rotary dial and allowed to rotate separately from the rotary dial, and a control portion. When a relative position of a user's hand with respect to the first operation acceptance portion is at a covered position, the control portion switches the first operation acceptance portion and the second operation acceptance portion to a locked state and accepts an operation on the first operation acceptance portion. When the relative position of the user's hand with respect to the first operation acceptance portion is at an uncovered position, the control portion switches the first operation acceptance portion and the second operation acceptance portion to an unlocked state and accepts an operation on the second acceptance portion.

Abstract: A vehicle display control apparatus mounted on a vehicle includes a display control portion that controls a head-up display device displaying an image by superimposing the image on a view visible to a driver of the vehicle through a windshield of the vehicle, and a condition determination portion that determines whether a condition under which the vehicle should slow down is satisfied. The display control portion causes, based on a determination of the condition determination portion that the condition is satisfied, the head-up display device to display an object that does not actually exist on a road under circumstances where the condition is satisfied, as an illusion image that produces an optical illusion appearing that a road surface viewed from the driver flows faster than an actual speed in an opposite direction to a travel direction by superimposing the illusion image on the view.

Abstract: A remote operation device includes a first operation acceptance portion provided as a mechanism to accept an operation from an outside and having a rotary dial supported in a displaceable and rotatable manner, a second operation acceptance portion formed of a touch panel provided on an outer surface of the rotary dial, and a control portion. The control portion accepts displacement of the rotary dial from a preliminarily determined neutral position as one operation from the outside, accepts a rotation angle of the rotary dial as one operation from the outside, and accepts an operation on the second operation acceptance portion as one operation from the outside. The control portion operates an in-vehicle device by remote control by transmitting contents of accepted operations to the in-vehicle device.

Abstract: A remote operation device includes a first operation acceptance portion having a rotary dial, a second operation acceptance portion provided along an outer periphery of the rotary dial and allowed to rotate separately from the rotary dial, and a control portion. When a relative position of a user's hand with respect to the first operation acceptance portion is at a covered position, the control portion switches the first operation acceptance portion and the second operation acceptance portion to a locked state and accepts an operation on the first operation acceptance portion. When the relative position of the user's hand with respect to the first operation acceptance portion is at an uncovered position, the control portion switches the first operation acceptance portion and the second operation acceptance portion to an unlocked state and accepts an operation on the second acceptance portion.

Abstract: Provided is a regeneration rotary kiln capable of reducing the proportion of combustible gas in waste gas and capable of reducing cost for generating superheated steam. A regeneration rotary kiln (1) is characterized by including: a superheated steam generation unit (2) that generates superheated steam; a tube (3) capable of rotating about its axis and having a heating section (A) where, while the superheated steam is being supplied thereto, carbon fiber reinforced plastic (10) containing a matrix resin and carbon fibers is heated to generate combustible gas (10G) from the matrix resin to extract the carbon fibers (10S) from the carbon fiber reinforced plastic (10); a first combustion chamber (43a) that is placed outside the tube (3) and that burns the gas (10G) introduced from the heating section (A) to heat the heating section (A); and a second combustion chamber (43b) that burns the gas (10G) introduced from the first combustion chamber (43a) to supply heat for generating the superheated steam.

Abstract: A signal processing system comprises multiple signal processors, each having functional blocks. A control circuit selects one of the signal processors as a target processor, and configures an inspection circuit having equivalent functions to the target processor in a reconfigurable circuit, and retrieves input/output data from each functional block of the target processor to perform inspection on the functional block by using the configured inspection circuit and the input/output data to produce an inspection result. The functional block is replaced with a substitute circuit which forms part of the inspection circuit when the inspection result indicates that the functional block is faulty.

Abstract: This discloses a novel human or rat polypeptide useful in improving and/or preventing organ fibrosis and a polynucleotide encoding the aforementioned polypeptide, an expression vector containing the aforementioned polynucleotide, and a cell transfected with the aforementioned expression vector. The aforementioned polynucleotide shows a remarkable decrease in the expression dose in the kidney of a chronic renal insufficiency model rat and in the bladder of a rat suffering from the induction of fibrotic conditions in the bladder, compared with a normal individual. Also, the production of extracellular matrix is suppressed by overexpression of the aforementioned polypeptide. Also disclosed are the promoter region of the aforementioned polypeptide, a method for screening a remedy for fibrotic conditions, and a process for producing a medicinal composition for improving fibrotic conditions which contains a substance obtained by the aforementioned screening method as the active ingredient.

Abstract: There is provided a car navigation device for performing voice guidance on a guiding route to a predetermined destination. The car navigation device has history recording means and change means. The history recording means records the vehicle's driving history on a storage medium. The change means changes voice guidance quantities for a given section in the guiding route based on the driving history recorded by the history recording means concerning the given section.

Abstract: A signal processing system comprises multiple signal processors, each having functional blocks. A control circuit selects one of the signal processors as a target processor, and configures an inspection circuit having equivalent functions to the target processor in a reconfigurable circuit, and retrieves input/output data from each functional block of the target processor to perform inspection on the functional block by using the configured inspection circuit and the input/output data to produce an inspection result. The functional block is replaced with a substitute circuit which forms part of the inspection circuit when the inspection result indicates that the functional block is faulty.

Abstract: A road traffic congestion degree estimation system includes smart plate readers that detect vehicles driven on a general road externally leading to a resort. The numbers of local vehicles and strange vehicles that currently exist in the resort are calculated, based on the number of vehicles approaching the resort, the number of vehicles receding from the resort, and information of smart plates of the detected vehicles. Furthermore, a prospective degree of traffic congestion on an expressway, which introduces the strange vehicles receding from the resort via the general road into areas where the strange vehicles are based, is estimated based on the above calculated numbers of local vehicles and strange vehicles. In this estimation, the number of strange vehicles contributes more greatly to an increase in the degree of traffic congestion than the number of local vehicles does.

Abstract: In an illuminating device for vehicles in which a light conductor made of light transmissive material having a predetermined light refractive index is placed between an outgoing light end of an optical cable and an incident light end of a lens body. The light conductor is shaped so as to cover the whole surface of the outgoing light end of the optical cable practically as well as to have an outgoing light surface shaped suitable for defining an illumination pattern. The lens body has the incident light end shaped to cover satisfactorily the outgoing light surface of the light conductor. Thus, the luminous flux from the outgoing light surface is emitted forward based on its shape as luminous flux of the desired light distribution without the waste of the luminous flux.

Abstract: A self-cleaning plate shaped device for use in an automotive rear view mirror. The device preferably includes a mirror and a vibrator disposed on the mirror for propagating oscillations in the mirror substantially entirely parallel to the plane of the mirror. The vibrations remove foreign substances from the mirror. The mirror also includes a heater disposed on the back of the mirror for distributing heat substantially entirely throughout the mirror. When the mirror is heated by the heater, a moisture blur or the like are evaporated quickly and removed from the reflecting surface of the mirror. Further, frost, ice and the like is melted into water drops, and removed from the reflecting surface of the mirror due to the vibration of the mirror by the vibrator.

Abstract: A liquid crystal antidazzle mirror comprising discharging electrodes respectively provided at electrodes of liquid crystal electrodes, a grounding electrode opposed to the discharging electrodes for discharging a static electricity charged in the liquid crystal section between the discharging electrodes and the grounding electrode. Thus, the antidazzle mirror can protect itself against a static electricity.

Abstract: A liquid crystal antidazzle mirror for turning OFF a power of a liquid crystal drive control circuit by a power switch provided between the liquid crystal drive control circuit and a power source comprising a capacitor of a predetermined capacity disposed between the power switch and the liquid crystal drive control circuit and connected in parallel between power lines to supply power from the capacitor to at least a mode memory circuit in the liquid crystal drive control circuit for a predetermined time determined by the discharging characteristic of the capacitor when the power switch is opened. Thus, the mirror can reset the set mode of the antidazzle mirror to the used mode immediately before a power switch is opened when the power switch is closed within a predetermined time after the power switch is opened.

Abstract: A concealed type head lamp device in which head lamps are provided on a motor vehicle body and are capable of performing exposed, concealed, turning on and off and passing operations by a plurality of switches driven by means of a single operating lever. The head lamp device has a delay circuit by which the head lamps are concealed after a predetermined period of time from turning off of the head lamps to prevent the head lamps from emitting a dazzling beam toward a facing vehicle. The head lamp device has also a temperature sensitive switch for measuring an ambient temperature of a motor vehicle whereby the head lamps are driven to be exposed when the ambient temperature is below a set level for preventing the lamp portions from being freezed.