Abstract: A communication method for a vehicle dispatch system includes a communication apparatus configured to control communication between a first apparatus and a second apparatus. The first apparatus and the second apparatus are capable of information exchange with each other. The communication apparatus includes a processor. The processor operates to: acquire a position of a boarding point for a user and a current position of a target vehicle to be dispatched to the user; at identification timing at which a determination is made that the current position of the target vehicle belongs to a predetermined area defined with reference to the position of the boarding point, generate target vehicle information using a captured image captured by one or more cameras of the target vehicle; and transmit the target vehicle information to the second apparatus. The second apparatus operates to display the received target vehicle information on a display.

Abstract: A vehicle allocation support device: acquires baggage information about baggage carried in a vehicle; acquires user information that includes at least user position information indicating a current position of a user or destination information indicating a scheduled destination of the user; acquires vehicle information including vehicle position information indicating a position of the vehicle; specifies a usage area in which the baggage is to be used, based on an estimated usage place that is information corresponding to the baggage and in which the baggage is estimated to be used and one of the user information and the vehicle information; and determines a vehicle allocation route for allocating the vehicle to at least the current position of the user, the scheduled destination of the user, or the usage area, based on a positional relationship between the usage area and one of the user position information and the scheduled destination information.

Abstract: Vehicle allocation system includes an information provision apparatus, a first apparatus: control apparatus, and a user's second apparatus: user terminal apparatus. Processor of the information provision apparatus calculates a first driving plan for a vehicle in response to request information. When a second driving plan different from the first driving plan is calculated based on detection information acquired from the vehicle, the processor determines the cause of a change in the driving plan on the basis of the detection information. The processor transmits cause information including the cause to the user terminal apparatus. The user terminal apparatus presents the cause information on a display.

Abstract: A vehicle allocation control device, when a forgotten item in the vehicle is detected after setting a first travel route including a drop-off place, is configured to: calculate a first time at which the vehicle arrives at the drop-off place by travelling along the set first travel route, set at least one second travel route which is different from the first travel route and goes through a facility for depositing the forgotten item, calculate a second time at which the vehicle arrives at the drop-off place by travelling along the second travel route, and change the first travel route to the second travel route where a time difference between the first time and the second time is equal to or less than a permissible time.

Abstract: A vehicle travel route control system controls a plurality of vehicles having an autonomous driving function or a driving assist function, wherein a vehicle dispatch information data server creates a travel route map, in which driving mode switching position at which vehicles have switched over during travel to the manual driving mode from the autonomous driving mode, have been added to a road map. Based on the travel route map, a travel route that avoids the driving mode switching position is calculated from among a plurality of routes on which a dispatch vehicle candidate travels to a destination via user position. When a travel route that avoids the driving mode switching position is calculated, a dispatch vehicle candidate is set as a dispatch vehicle, and the calculated travel route information is transmitted to an on-board unit mounted in the dispatch vehicle.

Abstract: A candidate route providing system that provides a vehicle with a candidate route as a candidate of a travel route, based on traveled paths of a plurality of vehicles includes a storage that stores the traveled paths of the plurality of vehicles and travel history information associated with the traveled paths, a current location setter that sets a current location of the vehicle, a passage candidate point setter that sets a passage candidate point selectable by the vehicle to pass through, within a predetermined range being a distance range between a lower-limit distance and an upper-limit distance from the current location, a path extractor that extracts, from the traveled paths, traveled paths that pass through the current location and the passage candidate point, and a candidate route selector.

Abstract: A communication method for a vehicle dispatch system includes a communication apparatus configured to control communication between a first apparatus and a second apparatus. The first apparatus and the second apparatus are capable of information exchange with each other. The communication apparatus includes a processor. The processor operates to: acquire a position of a boarding point for a user and a current position of a target vehicle to be dispatched to the user; at identification timing at which a determination is made that the current position of the target vehicle belongs to a predetermined area defined with reference to the position of the boarding point, generate target vehicle information using a captured image captured by one or more cameras of the target vehicle; and transmit the target vehicle information to the second apparatus. The second apparatus operates to display the received target vehicle information on a display.

Abstract: A vehicle reach area presentation device sets a unit area in which a start point exists as a start area among unit areas into which a region on map data is divided and extracts pieces of probe data including records of past travels within a certain range from the start area. The device sets the unit areas, including goal points recorded in the extracted pieces of probe data, as reach areas, calculates energy consumptions from the start area to the reach areas by using the pieces of probe data, and presents the reach areas to a user while changing display of the reach areas depending on the calculated energy consumptions.

Abstract: Vehicle allocation system includes an information provision apparatus, a first apparatus: control apparatus, and a user's second apparatus: user terminal apparatus. Processor of the information provision apparatus calculates a first driving plan for a vehicle in response to request information. When a second driving plan different from the first driving plan is calculated based on detection information acquired from the vehicle, the processor determines the cause of a change in the driving plan on the basis of the detection information. The processor transmits cause information including the cause to the user terminal apparatus. The user terminal apparatus presents the cause information on a display.

Abstract: A vehicle reach area presentation device sets a unit area in which a start point exists as a start area among unit areas into which a region on map data is divided and extracts pieces of probe data including records of past travels within a certain range from the start area. The device sets the unit areas, including goal points recorded in the extracted pieces of probe data, as reach areas, calculates energy consumptions from the start area to the reach areas by using the pieces of probe data, and presents the reach areas to a user while changing display of the reach areas depending on the calculated energy consumptions.

Abstract: A vehicle reach area presentation device sets a unit area in which a start point exists as a start area among unit areas into which a region on map data is divided and extracts pieces of probe data including records of past travels within a certain range from the start area. The device sets the unit areas, including goal points recorded in the extracted pieces of probe data, as reach areas, calculates energy consumptions from the start area to the reach areas by using the pieces of probe data, and presents the reach areas to a user while changing display of the reach areas depending on the calculated energy consumptions.

Abstract: A vehicle reach area presentation device sets a unit area in which a start point exists as a start area among unit areas into which a region on map data is divided and extracts pieces of probe data including records of past travels within a certain range from the start area. The device sets the unit areas, including goal points recorded in the extracted pieces of probe data, as reach areas, calculates energy consumptions from the start area to the reach areas by using the pieces of probe data, and presents the reach areas to a user while changing display of the reach areas depending on the calculated energy consumptions.

Abstract: A candidate route providing system that provides a vehicle with a candidate route as a candidate of a travel route, based on traveled paths of a plurality of vehicles includes a storage that stores the traveled paths of the plurality of vehicles and travel history information associated with the traveled paths, a current location setter that sets a current location of the vehicle, a passage candidate point setter that sets a passage candidate point selectable by the vehicle to pass through, within a predetermined range being a distance range between a lower-limit distance and an upper-limit distance from the current location, a path extractor that extracts, from the traveled paths, traveled paths that pass through the current location and the passage candidate point, and a candidate route selector.

Abstract: An arc-plasma film formation device includes a film formation chamber in which a substrate to be treated is stored, a plasma chamber in which at least a part of a target is stored, the plasma chamber being configured to be connected to the film formation chamber, and a plurality of hollow coils configured to generate a continuous line of magnetic force between the target and the film formation chamber and having at least one curved section, the plurality of hollow coils being arrange in the plasma chamber and covered by an outer coat made of a non-magnetic metal. Plasma containing ions derived from the target material and generated in the plasma chamber as a result of arc discharge is transported from the target to the substrate by passing an inside of the plurality of hollow coils.

Abstract: When a parking assistant assists a driver in carrying out parking operation, the parking assistant takes image of vehicle surroundings to generate vehicle surroundings images, converts coordinates of vehicle surroundings images to generate overhead view image, and sets a parking target area in the overhead view image. On the overhead view image, the parking assistant superposes a parking target area image which denotes the parking target area. The parking assistant generates the parking target area image when a first certain portion where a solid object is present is superposed with the parking target area. The parking target area image is generated in a second certain portion other than the superposed first certain portion. The generating operation is implemented even when another vehicle included in the overhead view image falls in the set parking target area image. The parking assistant displays the overhead view image and the parking target area image.

Abstract: A parking assistant includes: shooting part shooting surroundings; parking target position setter setting parking target position in surroundings image by shooting part; rearward movement starting position calculator calculating rearward movement starting position based on: target position by position setter, and vehicle's movable area, rearward movement starting position denoting position stopping vehicle and starting rearward movement of vehicle, to park vehicle in target position; movement calculator sensing movement direction and movement amount of vehicle; and image generator superposing an information image on surroundings image based on movement direction and amount which are sensed with movement calculator. Information image denotes rearward movement starting position for allowing vehicle to be parked in target position.

Abstract: A method of producing a microproduct comprises: providing a resin composition including 30 to 90 wt % of a polypropylene-based resin and 10 to 70 wt % of a hydrogenated derivative of a block copolymer shown by “X-Y” (X represents a polymer block immiscible with the polypropylene-based resin, Y represents an elastomeric polymer block of a conjugated diene that's miscible with the polypropylene-based resin after hydrogenation); attaching a silicon stamper to a mold cavity of an injection molding machine, the silicon stamper having micromachined features formed by etching the surface of a silicon plate; and precisely transferring the micromachined features of the silicon stamper to the resin composition by injecting the resin composition into the mold cavity, a resulting molded surface having recesses and/or protrusions that are 0.3 to 200 ?m deep or tall and 0.3 to 100 ?m wide.

Abstract: A microwell array chip that has multiple microwells and is employed to contain a single lymphocyte specimen in each microwell and detect antigen-specific lymphocytes in single units; wherein the microwell array chip is of a shape and of dimensions where only one lymphocyte is contained in each microwell. A method of detecting antigen-specific lymphocytes comprising the steps of adding antigen to each microwell in the above microwell array chip, stimulating the lymphocyte specimen, and detecting lymphocyte specimens reacting with the antigen.

Abstract: This surface wave excitation plasma CVD system, along with feeding a material gas including silicon element by feeding the material gas into a chamber 1 from at least one of an upper surface gas introduction conduit and a side surface gas introduction conduit, also activates the material gas with a surface wave excitation plasma and feeds a process gas which initiates chemical reactions within the material gas into the chamber 1 from a process gas introduction conduit 5. A gas feed aperture of the upper surface gas introduction conduit and/or the side surface gas introduction conduit is provided in a position which is closer to the substrate than the gas feed aperture of the process gas introduction conduit.

Abstract: In a film-forming process with a capacitively-coupled plasma (CCP) chemical vapor deposition (CVD) device, pulse control is performed on a low-frequency radio-frequency power source. During the pulse control, an ON time and an OFF time form one period. Furthermore, in the pulse control, a time interval between a time period from the moment that the electric power supply is stopped till the electron density decreases to a residual plasma threshold capable of causing an arc discharge and a time period from the moment that the electric power supply is stopped till the density of high-temperature electrons decreases to a specific plasma state serves as the OFF time; a saturation time during the rising process of the density of the high-temperature electrons in the plasma after the electric power supply is started serves as an upper limit of the ON time; and electric power is intermittently supplied under the above conditions.