Abstract: A driving support system for a vehicle includes an information obtainer, a target vehicle speed calculator, a comparison processor, and a determination processor. The information obtainer is configured to obtain curvature information about a curvature of a driving lane of the vehicle and about a curvature of an adjacent lane. The adjacent lane is adjacent to the driving lane. The target vehicle speed calculator is configured to calculate a target vehicle speed in the driving lane and a target vehicle speed in the adjacent lane using the curvature information. The comparison processor is configured to compare a difference between the target vehicle speed in the driving lane and the target vehicle speed in the adjacent lane with a threshold. If the difference is greater than or equal to the threshold, the determination processor is configured to determine that a road branches off in a traveling direction of the vehicle.

Abstract: A wheat bran composition of the invention contains a white wheat as a raw material, wherein the wheat bran composition has a dietary fiber content of 43 mass % or greater and a glucide content of 18 mass % or less. The invention also provides a method for producing a wheat bran composition, involving pulverizing grains of a white wheat to obtain a wheat bran composition having a dietary fiber content of 43 mass % or greater and a glucide content of 18 mass % or less. The invention also provides a premix containing the wheat bran composition. The invention also provides a method for producing a processed food involving using the wheat bran composition as a raw material.

Abstract: A driving support system for a vehicle includes an information obtainer, a target vehicle speed calculator, a comparison processor, and a determination processor. The information obtainer is configured to obtain curvature information about a curvature of a driving lane of the vehicle and about a curvature of an adjacent lane. The adjacent lane is adjacent to the driving lane. The target vehicle speed calculator is configured to calculate a target vehicle speed in the driving lane and a target vehicle speed in the adjacent lane using the curvature information. The comparison processor is configured to compare a difference between the target vehicle speed in the driving lane and the target vehicle speed in the adjacent lane with a threshold. If the difference is greater than or equal to the threshold, the determination processor is configured to determine that a road branches off in a traveling direction of the vehicle.

Abstract: An optical fiber splicer includes a fiber fixing portion, a first optical fiber fixed to the fiber fixing portion, a clamp portion which is capable of holding and fixing an extending portion extended from the fiber fixing portion of the first optical fiber and a tip portion of a second optical fiber optically connected to the extending portion of the first optical fiber between a base member and a pressing member being openable and closable with respect to the base member, and a solid index matching material which is attached to a tip surface of the extending portion of the first optical fiber and is interposed between the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber.

Abstract: A wheat flour for deep-fried food crusts is obtained by subjecting a mixture including a wheat flour and from 0.05 to 0.5 parts by mass of an emulsifier with respect to 100 parts by mass of the wheat flour to a heating treatment for 1 to 20 seconds under a condition where the temperature of the mixture is from 65 to 99° C. The emulsifier is at least one type of emulsifier selected from sucrose fatty acid esters and lecithin. The blending ratio of the emulsifier is preferably from 0.1 to 0.45 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the wheat flour. The wheat flour has an average grain size of preferably less than 100 ?m. A crust material for deep-fried foods including the aforementioned wheat flour for deep-fried food crusts, and a tempura flour including the aforementioned wheat flour for deep-fried food crusts are also described.

Abstract: The density of fuel being used by a compression-ignition engine and the flammability of the fuel (readiness to ignite when injected into a combustion chamber of the engine, under the current operating conditions of the engine) are respectively detected. When the flammability is excessively low and the density is above a threshold value, the oxygen concentration of the intake air supplied to the cylinders is increased until the flammability reaches a reference condition, while when the flammability is excessively low and the density is below the threshold value, the compression ratio of the engine (and/or each pilot injection amount) is increased until the flammability reaches the reference condition.

Abstract: An optical fiber splicer includes a fiber fixing portion, a first optical fiber fixed to the fiber fixing portion, a clamp portion which is capable of holding and fixing an extending portion extended from the fiber fixing portion of the first optical fiber and a tip portion of a second optical fiber optically connected to the extending portion of the first optical fiber between a base member and a pressing member being openable and closable with respect to the base member, and a solid index matching material which is attached to a tip surface of the extending portion of the first optical fiber and is interposed between the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber.

Abstract: A fuel property detection apparatus detects fuel properties based on cetane number and density of a tested fuel. Tested fuel is examined in terms of ignition timing, and, when the tested fuel has an ignition timing earlier than a threshold, the tested fuel is identified as having a standard cetane number. When the tested fuel has an ignition timing later than the threshold, the tested fuel is identified as having a low cetane number. An advance angle of the ignition timing is increased for yielding a greater ignition timing difference between a light property fuel and a heavy property fuel, and, in such manner, the difference therebetween is detected. When an advancement of the ignition timing is greater than a threshold, the fuel property is identified as heavy, and, when an advancement of the ignition timing is smaller than the threshold, the fuel property is identified as light.

Abstract: A wheat flour for deep-fried food crusts is obtained by subjecting a mixture including a wheat flour and from 0.05 to 0.5 parts by mass of an emulsifier with respect to 100 parts by mass of the wheat flour to a heating treatment for 1 to 20 seconds under a condition where the temperature of the mixture is from 65 to 99° C. The emulsifier is at least one type of emulsifier selected from sucrose fatty acid esters and lecithin. The blending ratio of the emulsifier is preferably from 0.1 to 0.45 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the wheat flour. The wheat flour has an average grain size of preferably less than 100 ?m. A crust material for deep-fried foods including the aforementioned wheat flour for deep-fried food crusts, and a tempura flour including the aforementioned wheat flour for deep-fried food crusts are also described.

Abstract: A fuel-injector-replacement device obtains a learning value of characteristic data of an injector while an engine is running. The learning value stored in an ECU is updated into the learning value. When the engine is stopped, the characteristic data stored in an INJ-EEPROM are updated into the characteristic data stored in the ECU. When the engine is started, it is determined whether the characteristic data stored in the ECU agrees with the characteristic data stored in the INJ-EEPROM. When these data do not agree with each other, it is determined that the fuel-injector is improperly replaced without updating the characteristic data stored in the ECU.

Abstract: An engine control apparatus works to determine target values of a plurality of combustion parameters which represent combustion states of fuel in a combustion engine and are needed to achieve required performances of the combustion engine, calculate a combustion parameter deviation that is a deviation of an actual value of each of the combustion parameters from the target value thereof, select at least one of controlled parameters correlating with the combustion parameters as a function of a degree of a selected one of the combustion parameter deviations for minimizing the selected one of the combustion parameter deviations. The controlled parameters are parameters for controlling operations of actuators working to control the combustion states of the combustion engine. The engine control apparatus controls the one of the controlled parameters, as selected by the controlled parameter selector, to minimize the selected one of the combustion parameter deviations.

Abstract: An injection port includes a straightening area which straightens a flow of a fuel, and an increasing area which is a slit connected to a downstream end of the straightening area and increasing a cross-sectional area of the flow toward a downstream end of the increasing area. The fuel is injected from the downstream end of the increasing area. When a cross-sectional area of the downstream end of the straightening area is expressed as S1, a cross-sectional area of the downstream end of the increasing area is expressed as S2, and a shape property value is expressed as X that is equal to S2/S1, the shape property value X is set to be greater than 1.0 and be less than or equal to 4.0.

Abstract: A fuel property detection apparatus detects fuel properties based on cetane number and density of a tested fuel. Tested fuel is examined in terms of ignition timing, and, when the tested fuel has an ignition timing earlier than a threshold, the tested fuel is identified as having a standard cetane number. When the tested fuel has an ignition timing later than the threshold, the tested fuel is identified as having a low cetane number. An advance angle of the ignition timing is increased for yielding a greater ignition timing difference between a light property fuel and a heavy property fuel, and, in such manner, the difference therebetween is detected. When an advancement of the ignition timing is greater than a threshold, the fuel property is identified as heavy, and, when an advancement of the ignition timing is smaller than the threshold, the fuel property is identified as light.

Abstract: A characteristics-detecting-portion analyzes a fuel injection condition based on a fuel pressure waveform which represents a variation in a detection value of the fuel pressure sensor and then detects the fuel-injection-characteristic value based on the analyzed fuel injection condition. The detected parameter is learned and stored in a memory in association with a fuel temperature detected by a fuel temperature sensor. A fuel-injection-rate model is established based on the learned detected parameters. A command-fuel-injection start time and a command-fuel-injection period are defined by use of the fuel-injection-rate model and the current fuel temperature.

Abstract: The density of fuel being used by a compression-ignition engine and the flammability of the fuel (readiness to ignite when injected into a combustion chamber of the engine, under the current operating conditions of the engine) are respectively detected. When the flammability is excessively low and the density is above a threshold value, the oxygen concentration of the intake air supplied to the cylinders is increased until the flammability reaches a reference condition, while when the flammability is excessively low and the density is below the threshold value, the compression ratio of the engine (and/or each pilot injection amount) is increased until the flammability reaches the reference condition.

Abstract: A multicylinder engine is provided with a fuel injector for each cylinder. An ECU defines a fuel injection condition of the fuel injector based on an engine driving condition and executes a fuel injection control for each cylinder based on the defined fuel injection condition. The ECU computes an engine speed with respect to each cylinder. While the engine is running, the fuel injection condition is operated in an operation cylinder. A fuel property is determined based on the engine speed of the operation cylinder and an engine speed of a non-operation cylinder.

Abstract: An engine control system which may be used in automotive vehicles includes first correlation data representing correlations between performance parameters associated with different types of performances of a combustion engine and uncorrelated common factors existing among the performance parameters and second correlation data representing correlations between the common factors and combustion parameters associated with combustion states of fuel in the combustion engine. The engine control system determines target values of the common factors using the first correlation data and also determines target values of the combustion parameters using the second correlation data. The engine control system determines command values as a function of the target values of the combustion parameter and outputs them to actuators which control combustion states of fuel in the engine for achieving desired levels of the performances of the combustion engine.

Abstract: A fuel injection system for an internal combustion engine is provided which calculates the quantity of fuel required to bring the pressure in a fuel accumulator into agreement with a target pressure and then control an operation of a high-pressure pump based on the required quantity. Even in the absence of a change in pressure in the accumulator, the system controls the high-pressure pump based on the required quantity. Specifically, the system calculates a feedback fuel quantity required to compensate for a difference between the required quantity and a quantity of the fuel actually supplied to the accumulator, in other words, leans such a quantity difference to correct the required quantity, thus resulting in an enhanced response of the system to control the high-pressure pump to a change in pressure in the accumulator.

Abstract: An engine control apparatus works to determine a target value of each of performance parameters associated with different types of performances of a combustion engine based on operating conditions of the combustion engine, determine target values of combustion parameters associated with combustion states of fuel in the combustion engine based on the target values of the performance parameters using first correlation data representing correlations between the performance parameters and the combustion parameters, and calculate command values of controlled parameters for actuators as a function of the target values of the combustion parameters. When actual values of the performance parameters are in coincidence with the target values, the system changes or corrects the target value of a selected one of the performance parameters so as to enhance the level of a corresponding one of the performances of the engine based on the other performance parameters.

Abstract: An engine control apparatus which may be employed in automotive vehicles. The engine control apparatus is equipped with a controlled variable arithmetic expression which defines correlations between a plurality of combustion parameters and a plurality of controlled variables of actuators for control of an operation of the engine to calculate a combination of command values to be outputted to the actuators for regulating the controlled variables needed to achieve target values of the combustion parameters. When one of the command values is produced outside an allowable operation range of a corresponding one of the actuators, the engine control apparatus corrects or limits the one of the command values to an upper or a lower limit of the allowable operation range, thereby ensuring the stability in bringing engine output characteristics close to desired values.