Abstract: An adjuster performs simultaneous irradiation of M laser beams to an atomic beam, where M is a predetermined integer satisfying 3?M. The course of each of the M laser beams intersects with an approach path of the atomic beam. A component, in a direction perpendicular to the approach path of the atomic beam, of the sum of radiation pressure vectors that the M laser beams respectively have is non-zero. A component, in a direction of the approach path of the atomic beam, of the sum of the radiation pressure vectors that the M laser beams respectively have is negative for atoms having speeds greater than the predetermined speed, and positive for the atoms having speeds smaller than the predetermined speed.

Abstract: An atomic beam is quantum-mechanically collimated. The atomic beam is irradiated with a pumping laser beam and a filtering laser beam in this order. The pumping laser beam has a wavelength corresponding to a transition between a ground state and an excited state of atoms in the atomic beam. Irradiation with the pumping laser beam causes atoms to make transition from the ground state to the excited state and further relax from the excited state to a metastable state. The filtering laser beam has a wavelength corresponding to a transition between the ground state and the metastable state. By irradiating the filtering laser beam, atoms in the metastable state having velocity components equal to or smaller than a predetermined velocity component ?v in a traveling direction of the filtering laser beam are caused to make transition to the ground state.

Abstract: A vehicle control device includes a sleep depth estimation unit that estimates a sleep depth of an occupant seated in a seat provided in a vehicle, and a control unit that controls the vehicle such that a magnitude of the external force to be applied to at least one of a plurality of the occupants is equal to or less than a first threshold value when the estimated sleep depth of the occupant is equal to or lower than a predetermined reference depth or when the occupant is awake, and that controls the vehicle such that the magnitude of the external force to be applied to each of all the occupants is equal to or less than a second threshold value larger than the first threshold value when the sleep depth of each of the occupants is greater than the reference depth.

Abstract: Sleeping equipment includes a mat body and a plurality of air bags. The mat body includes a middle support portion, an upper support portion, and a lower support portion. The mat body is configured to switch between a bed mode and a chair mode. The air bags are arranged in the mat body in a mat length direction from the upper support portion toward the lower support portion. At least a part of the air bags is divided into right and left bag portions in a mat width direction, and the right bag portion and the left bag portion are configured to be independently inflated and deflated.

Abstract: A vehicle usage fee determination system includes a reception unit that receives a usage application by a user who has an intention to drive a vehicle, a wakefulness level estimation unit that estimates a wakefulness level of the user, and a fee determination unit that sets a usage fee of the vehicle when a target wakefulness level that is the wakefulness level at a time a first predetermined time before a scheduled driving start time of the vehicle by the user is a predetermined value to be equal to or less than a usage fee of the vehicle when the target wakefulness level is lower than the predetermined value.

Abstract: A vehicle usage fee determination system includes a reception unit that receives a usage application by a user who has an intention to drive a vehicle, a wakefulness level estimation unit that estimates a wakefulness level of the user, and a fee determination unit that sets a usage fee of the vehicle when a target wakefulness level that is the wakefulness level at a time a first predetermined time before a scheduled driving start time of the vehicle by the user is a predetermined value to be equal to or less than a usage fee of the vehicle when the target wakefulness level is lower than the predetermined value.

Abstract: A vehicle control device includes a sleep depth estimation unit that estimates a sleep depth of an occupant seated in a seat provided in a vehicle, and a control unit that controls the vehicle such that a magnitude of the external force to be applied to at least one of a plurality of the occupants is equal to or less than a first threshold value when the estimated sleep depth of the occupant is equal to or lower than a predetermined reference depth or when the occupant is awake, and that controls the vehicle such that the magnitude of the external force to be applied to each of all the occupants is equal to or less than a second threshold value larger than the first threshold value when the sleep depth of each of the occupants is greater than the reference depth.

Abstract: A sleep apparatus includes: a mat main body portion configured to support a user in a supine state; and a tilting mechanism that, at the mat main body portion, periodically tilts a body of a user left and right, by alternately raising a right side supporting portion, which includes portions supporting a right-side hipbone and a right-side shoulder blade of a user, and a left side supporting portion, which includes portions supporting a left-side hipbone and a left-side shoulder blade of a user.

Abstract: Sleeping equipment includes: a mat body including a middle support portion configured to support buttocks of a user, an upper support portion configured to support a back and head of the user, and a lower support portion configured to support thighs of the user; a movable mechanism configured to switch the mat body between a bed mode in which the mat body has a flat shape in which the middle support portion, the upper support portion, and the lower support portion are continuous with each other and a comfortable mode in which the upper support portion and the lower support portion are tilted upward with respect to the middle support portion; and a lower back pressing mechanism configured to cause a part of the upper support portion corresponding to a lower back of the user in the comfortable mode to bulge out toward the user.

Abstract: Sleeping equipment includes a mat body and a plurality of air bags. The mat body includes a middle support portion, an upper support portion, and a lower support portion. The mat body is configured to switch between a bed mode and a chair mode. The air bags are arranged in the mat body in a mat length direction from the upper support portion toward the lower support portion. At least a part of the air bags is divided into right and left bag portions in a mat width direction, and the right bag portion and the left bag portion are configured to be independently inflated and deflated.

Abstract: A sleep apparatus includes: a mat main body portion configured to support a user in a supine state; and a tilting mechanism that, at the mat main body portion, periodically tilts a body of a user left and right, by alternately raising a right side supporting portion, which includes portions supporting a right-side hipbone and a right-side shoulder blade of a user, and a left side supporting portion, which includes portions supporting a left-side hipbone and a left-side shoulder blade of a user.

Abstract: A vehicle includes a vehicle body having a frame structure provided with a pair of right and left side rails, and hydrogen tanks and a secondary battery disposed in a region between the side rails. The side rails have deformed portions that are deformed due to a vehicle front collision load at the time of a vehicle front collision, and the hydrogen tanks are disposed in front of the secondary battery or on both outer sides of the secondary battery in a vehicle width direction such that the deformed portions, when the amount of movement of each of the deformed portions of the side rails has reached a predetermined amount, reach the hydrogen tanks without reaching the secondary battery.

Abstract: A vehicle structure of a fuel cell vehicle including: hydrogen tanks; a set of cases that house the hydrogen tanks at a roof side and an underfloor side respectively, and that respectively have, in a vehicle longitudinal direction, mouthpieces of a connecting pipe that is connected to the hydrogen tanks; a center module in which the set of cases is provided; a front module that is joined to a vehicle front side of the center module; a rear module that is joined to a vehicle rear side of the center module; a fuel cell stack that is provided at the front module or the rear module, and to which the hydrogen is supplied from a pipe connected to the mouthpieces; a control unit that is provided at the front module or the rear module; and a driving unit that is provided at the front module or the rear module.

Abstract: A porous carbon electrode substrate hardly causes a short circuit when used in a fuel cell, and from which carbon fibers protruding from the substrate surface, carbon fibers that protrude from the substrate surface when the porous carbon electrode substrate is pressurized in a direction perpendicular to a surface thereof, and short carbon fibers that are insufficiently bonded at the substrate surface have been sufficiently removed. The porous carbon electrode substrate includes short carbon fibers and carbonized resin bonding the short carbon fibers, the porous carbon electrode substrate having an average short circuit current value measured at a first surface of 10 mA or less.

Abstract: A vehicle structure of a fuel cell vehicle including: hydrogen tanks; a set of cases that house the hydrogen tanks at a roof side and an underfloor side respectively, and that respectively have, in a vehicle longitudinal direction, mouthpieces of a connecting pipe that is connected to the hydrogen tanks; a center module in which the set of cases is provided; a front module that is joined to a vehicle front side of the center module; a rear module that is joined to a vehicle rear side of the center module; a fuel cell stack that is provided at the front module or the rear module, and to which the hydrogen is supplied from a pipe connected to the mouthpieces; a control unit that is provided at the front module or the rear module; and a driving unit that is provided at the front module or the rear module.

Abstract: A vehicle includes a vehicle body having a frame structure provided with a pair of right and left side rails, and hydrogen tanks and a secondary battery disposed in a region between the side rails. The side rails have deformed portions that are deformed due to a vehicle front collision load at the time of a vehicle front collision, and the hydrogen tanks are disposed in front of the secondary battery or on both outer sides of the secondary battery in a vehicle width direction such that the deformed portions, when the amount of movement of each of the deformed portions of the side rails has reached a predetermined amount, reach the hydrogen tanks without reaching the secondary battery.

Abstract: A porous carbon electrode substrate hardly causes a short circuit when used in a fuel cell, and from which carbon fibers protruding from the substrate surface, carbon fibers that protrude from the substrate surface when the porous carbon electrode substrate is pressurized in a direction perpendicular to a surface thereof, and short carbon fibers that are insufficiently bonded at the substrate surface have been sufficiently removed. The porous carbon electrode substrate includes short carbon fibers and carbonized resin bonding the short carbon fibers, the porous carbon electrode substrate having an average short circuit current value measured at a first surface of 10 mA or less.

Abstract: In an internal combustion engine of the present invention, an exhaust purification catalyst (13) and a hydrocarbon supply valve (15) are disposed in an engine exhaust path, and NOx contained in exhaust gas is purified by injecting hydrocarbon from the hydrocarbon supply valve (15) at a predetermined cycle. With respect to the injection amount per unit time of the hydrocarbon from the hydrocarbon supply valve (15), there is a difference provided between the first half and the second half of one injection time period, and in the first-half injection time period (Y), the injection amount per unit time of hydrocarbon is made to be less as compared to the second-half injection time period (X).

Abstract: A method for purifying exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine, including chemically reducing NOx that is contained in the exhaust gas when a concentration of hydrocarbons flowing into an exhaust purification catalyst is made to vibrate within a predetermined range of amplitude and within a predetermined range of period, wherein, during the chemical reduction, the NOx contained in the exhaust gas is reacted with reformed hydrocarbons to produce a reducing intermediate containing nitrogen and hydrocarbons, a reducing action of the reducing intermediate chemically reduces the NOx, and the NOx is chemically reduced without storing nitrates or with storing a fine amount of the nitrates in a basic layer of the exhaust purification catalyst.

Abstract: A three-way catalyst (20) having an oxygen storage function and an exhaust purification catalyst (22) are arranged in the exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine. During medium-load operation of the engine the degree of lean of the air-fuel ratio in the combustion chamber (5) is increased so as to increase the oxygen storage amount of the three-way catalyst (20) to the maximum oxygen storage amount, and the air-fuel ratio in the combustion chamber (5) even after the oxygen storage amount of the three-way catalyst (20) has reached the maximum oxygen, storage amount is maintained at lean, after which the air-fuel ratio is returned to rich, and at this time, as the amount of poisoning of a noble metal catalyst when the air-fuel ratio in the combustion chamber (5) is rich increases, the amount of time for which the air-fuel ratio in the combustion chamber (5) is maintained at lean is increased.