Abstract: In a vehicle control device for an autonomous driving vehicle that autonomously travels based on an operation command, a gesture image of a person around the autonomous driving vehicle is acquired, and a stored reference gesture image is collated with the acquired gesture image. At this time, when it is discriminated that the gesture of the person around the autonomous driving vehicle is a gesture requesting the autonomous driving vehicle to stop, it is determined whether a disaster has occurred. When it is determined that the disaster has occurred, the autonomous driving vehicle is caused to stop around the person requesting the autonomous driving vehicle to stop.

Abstract: A piezoelectric material includes: an oxide containing Na, Ba, Nb, Ti, and Mn, in which the oxide has a perovskite-type structure, a total amount of metal elements other than Na, Ba, Nb, Ti, and Mn contained in the piezoelectric material is 0.5 mol % or less with respect to a total amount of Na, Ba, Nb, Ti, and Mn, a molar ratio x of Ti to a total molar amount of Nb and Ti is 0.05?x?0.12, a molar ratio y of Na to Nb is 0.93?y?0.98, a molar ratio z of Ba to Ti is 1.09?z?1.60, a molar ratio m of Mn to the total molar amount of Nb and Ti is 0.0006?m?0.0030, and 1.07?y×z?1.50 is satisfied.

Abstract: The present invention provides a vibrator made of a non-lead-based piezoelectric material and capable of being driven at a sufficient speed with low power consumption, and provides a vibration wave drive device and an electronical device each using the vibrator. To that end, the vibrator according to the present invention includes a piezoelectric element including a piezoelectric material and electrodes, and an elastic body, wherein a Pb component contained in the piezoelectric material is less than 1000 ppm, and a resonance frequency fA in a vibration mode A and a resonance frequency fB in a vibration mode B satisfy a relation of an absolute value of (fB?fA)>2 (kHz), the vibration mode A and the vibration mode B generating vibration waves in the elastic body with wave fronts of the vibration waves intersecting each other.

Abstract: Provided is a toner comprising: a toner particle containing a binder resin; and an organic silicon polymer particle on a surface of the toner particle, wherein the binder resin contains a crystalline resin, and when the toner particle is pelletized and a Young's modulus of the toner measured in a micro compression test at 25° C. is represented by TE (MPa) and when one organic silicon polymer particle is separated from the toner and a Young's modulus of the one organic silicon polymer particle measured in a micro compression test at 25° C. is represented by SiE (MPa), TE and SiE satisfies 800?TE?2500 and 1.5?SiE/TE?10.0.

Abstract: A toner comprising a toner particle containing a binder resin and an inorganic fine particle, wherein the binder resin contains a crystalline resin, the crystalline resin has a first monomer unit represented by the following formula (1), the inorganic fine particle is at least one inorganic fine particle selected from the group consisting of a particle containing CaCO3, a particle containing BaSO4, a particle containing Mg3Si4O10(OH)2, and a particle containing Al2Si2O5(OH)4, the inorganic fine particle is treated with a fatty acid, and a content B of the inorganic fine particle in the toner particle is 1.0 mass % or more to 15.0 mass % or less, wherein RZ1 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, and R1 represents an alkyl group having 18 to 36 carbon atoms.

Abstract: Provided is a piezoelectric ceramics having a gradual change in piezoelectric constant depending on an ambient temperature. Specifically, provided is a single-piece piezoelectric ceramics including as a main component a perovskite-type metal oxide represented by a compositional formula of ABO3, wherein an A site element in the compositional formula contains Ba and M1, the M1 being formed of at least one kind selected from the group consisting of Ca and Bi, wherein a B site element in the compositional formula contains T1 and M2, the M2 being formed of at least one kind selected from the group consisting of Zr, Sn, and Hf, wherein concentrations of the M1 and the M2 change in at least one direction of the piezoelectric ceramics, and wherein increase and decrease directions of concentration changes of the M1 and the M2 are directions opposite to each other.

Abstract: A lead-free piezoelectric material includes perovskite-type metal oxide containing Na, Nb, Ba, Ti, and Mg and indicates excellent piezoelectric properties. The piezoelectric material satisfies the following relational expression (1): 0.430?a?0.460, 0.433?b?0.479, 0.040?c?0.070, 0.0125?d?0.0650, 0.0015?e?0.0092, 0.9×3e?c?d?1.1×3e, a+b+c+d+e=1, where a, b, c, d, and e denote the relative numbers of Na, Nb, Ba, Ti, and Mg atoms, respectively.

Abstract: A piezoelectric transformer comprises at least a laminate of a first member, a first piezoelectric element, a second piezoelectric element and a second member sequentially stacked one on the other in the above-listed order and a pressurizing mechanism for squeezing the first member and the second member together in the stacking direction. The ratio of the electromechanical coupling coefficient k33 relative to the electromechanical coupling coefficient k31 (k33/k31) of the first piezoelectric element and the second piezoelectric element is not less than 2.0.

Abstract: Provided is a lead-free piezoelectric material reduced in dielectric loss tangent, and achieving both a large piezoelectric constant and a large mechanical quality factor. A piezoelectric material according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is a piezoelectric material including a main component formed of a perovskite-type metal oxide represented by the general formula (1): Nax+s(1?y)(BiwBa1?s?w)1?yNbyTi1?yO3 (where 0.84?x?0.92, 0.84?y?0.92, 0.002?(w+s)(1?y)?0.035, and 0.9?w/s?1.1), and a Mn component, wherein the content of the Mn is 0.01 mol % or more and 1.00 mol % or less with respect to the perovskite-type metal oxide.

Abstract: A toner comprising a toner particle comprising a binder resin, wherein the binder resin comprises a first resin and a second resin, the first resin is a crystalline resin, the second resin is an amorphous resin, and in observations of cross sections of 100 toner particles using a transmission electron microscope, (i) when an area ratio A (area %) denotes a ratio of an area occupied by the first resin in each of cross sections of the toner particles, an average value of the area ratio A is 30 to 75 area %, and (ii) when X denotes the number of cross sections of the toner particle for which the area ratio A is 90 area % or more and Z denotes the total number of cross sections of observed toner particles, then a value of X/Z is 0.15 or more.

Abstract: A toner comprising a toner particle comprising a binder resin and a release agent, wherein the binder resin comprises a first resin and a second resin; the first resin is a crystalline resin having a melting point Tp of 50° C. to 90° C.; the second resin is an amorphous resin; in a cross section of the toner particle observed by a transmission electron microscope, the cross section of the toner particle has a matrix-domain structure composed of a matrix comprising the first resin and domains comprising the second resin; an area ratio of the matrix comprising the first resin in a total area of the cross section of the toner particle is 35 to 70 area %; and where a longest direction of each of the domains is taken as a longitudinal direction, a standard deviation of an angle of the longitudinal direction of the domains is 25° or less.

Abstract: A toner comprising a toner particle comprising a binder resin, wherein the binder resin comprises a first resin and a second resin, the first resin is a crystalline resin, the second resin is an amorphous resin, in an observation of a cross section of the toner particle with a transmission electron microscope, a matrix-domain structure composed of a matrix comprising the first resin and domains comprising the second resin is present, an area ratio occupied by the matrix in a total area of the matrix and the domains is from 35 area % to 70 area %, a [hydrocarbon group index (Ge)]/[hydrocarbon group index (DIA)] after washing the toner with hexane is 1.10 or more.

Abstract: Provided is a method of manufacturing an oscillator, including: arranging an electrode on a piezoelectric ceramics free from being subjected to polarization treatment, to thereby provide a piezoelectric element; bonding the piezoelectric element and a diaphragm to each other at a temperature T1; bonding the piezoelectric element and a power supply member to each other at a temperature T2; and subjecting the piezoelectric ceramics to polarization treatment at a temperature T3, in which the temperature T1, the temperature T2, and the temperature T3 satisfy a relationship T1>T3 and a relationship T2>T3.

Abstract: A piezoelectric material having a large electromechanical coupling coefficient is provided. The material is manufactured by a method including the steps of: heating a piezoelectric material having a low-temperature side ferroelectric phase A and a high-temperature side ferroelectric phase B between which the phase of the piezoelectric material transitions according to a temperature change, from room temperature to a temperature range higher than T(B?A) at which temperature a change from the ferroelectric phase B to the ferroelectric phase A occurs in a temperature lowering process and lower than T(A?B) at which temperature a change from the ferroelectric phase A to the ferroelectric phase B occurs in a temperature rising process; starting application of an electric field to the piezoelectric material in a state where it is held within this temperature range; and continuing and finishing the electric field application at a temperature lower than T(A?B).

Abstract: A vibrator which is constructed by bonding a piezoelectric element and an elastic body together via a bonding layer. The piezoelectric element has a piezoelectric ceramic and electrodes. The bonding layer has an unbonded region that is located close to a nodal line of a vibration in a primary out-of-plane vibration mode when the vibration is excited in the vibrator, and in the unbonded region, the piezoelectric element and the elastic body are not bonded together.

Abstract: Provided is a lead-free piezoelectric material reduced in dielectric loss tangent, and achieving both a large piezoelectric constant and a large mechanical quality factor. A piezoelectric material according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is a piezoelectric material including a main component formed of a perovskite-type metal oxide represented by the general formula (1): Nax+s(1?y)(BiwBa1?s?w)1?yNbyTi1?yO3 (where 0.84?x?0.92, 0.84?y?0.92, 0.002?(w+s)(1?y)?0.035, and 0.9?w/s?1.1), and a Mn component, wherein the content of the Mn is 0.01 mol % or more and 1.00 mol % or less with respect to the perovskite-type metal oxide.

Abstract: A lead-free piezoelectric material includes perovskite-type metal oxide containing Na, Nb, Ba, Ti, and Mg and indicates excellent piezoelectric properties. The piezoelectric material satisfies the following relational expression (1): 0.430?a?0.460, 0.433?b?0.479, 0.040?c?0.070, 0.0125?d?0.0650, 0.0015?e?0.0092, 0.9×3e?c?d?1.1×3e, a+b+c+d+e=1, where a, b, c, d, and e denote the relative numbers of Na, Nb, Ba, Ti, and Mg atoms, respectively.

Abstract: A piezoelectric material includes: an oxide containing Na, Ba, Nb, Ti, and Mn, in which the oxide has a perovskite-type structure, a total amount of metal elements other than Na, Ba, Nb, Ti, and Mn contained in the piezoelectric material is 0.5 mol % or less with respect to a total amount of Na, Ba, Nb, Ti, and Mn, a molar ratio x of Ti to a total molar amount of Nb and Ti is 0.05?x?0.12, a molar ratio y of Na to Nb is 0.93?y?0.98, a molar ratio z of Ba to Ti is 1.09?z?1.60, a molar ratio m of Mn to the total molar amount of Nb and Ti is 0.0006?m?0.0030, and 1.07?y×z?1.50 is satisfied.

Abstract: A piezoelectric transformer comprises at least a laminate of a first member, a first piezoelectric element, a second piezoelectric element and a second member sequentially stacked one on the other in the above-listed order and a pressurizing mechanism for squeezing the first member and the second member together in the stacking direction. The ratio of the electromechanical coupling coefficient k33 relative to the electromechanical coupling coefficient k31 (k33/k31) of the first piezoelectric element and the second piezoelectric element is not less than 2.0.

Abstract: There is provided a piezoelectric transformer including a first output terminal, a first piezoelectric element connected to the first output terminal, a second output terminal, a second piezoelectric element connected to the second output terminal, an input terminal, and a third piezoelectric element connected to the input terminal, wherein each of the first and second output terminals is formed to be individually connectable to a corresponding external load and outputs a voltage at a different frequency.