Abstract: A method optimizes energy consumption in a railway system including a set of trains and a set of substations connected to a grid. The method optimizes control parameters controlling at least part of the energy consumption of the railway system to produce optimized control parameters minimizing a total power provided by the grid to satisfy a power demand of the railway system. The optimizing is subject to constraints on operations of the railway system, which include as complementarily constraint. Next, the method generates a command to control the energy consumption of the railway system based on the optimized control parameters.

Abstract: A vehicle drive device comprises: an electric motor as a drive force source for running, the vehicle drive device further comprising one end portion of an output rotating member of the electric motor being coupled to first drive wheels via a first power connecting/disconnecting device selectively interrupting power transmission, the other end portion of the output rotating member being coupled to second drive wheels through a second power connecting/disconnecting device selectively interrupting power transmission at a shift ratio different from a shift ratio between the one end portion and the first drive wheels, and the first power connecting/disconnecting device and the second power connecting/disconnecting device being alternatively put into a power transmittable state of transmitting power so as to shift gears between the first drive wheels or the second drive wheels and the electric motor.

Abstract: A speed profile creation device includes: a traveling simulator that creates, from a traveling instruction, a speed profile of allowing the train to travel through a traveling section together with a traveling time and energy consumption amount thereof by using a route condition, train performance, and a traveling condition; a traveling instruction draft creator that creates a plurality of traveling instruction drafts in which a reference speed profile is changed so that the energy consumption amount can decrease though the traveling time is lengthened a little; an optimum speed profile selector that selects an optimum speed profile in which an energy consumption amount reduction effect is maximum among the plurality of traveling instruction drafts; and a reference speed profile updating unit that updates the reference speed profile until the traveling time of the optimum speed profile becomes equivalent to the target traveling time.

Abstract: In accordance with a predetermined segment definition rule based on a point-switch protection section, a point switch control direction, and a train advancing direction, a plurality of segments are defined in advance with respect to a railway network. Segment competition information in which a competitive relationship between the plurality of segments is set in advance is prepared. A segment use permission setting part determines whether or not a competition for a use-requested segment in terms of a train operation occurs between the plurality of trains, by using segment competition information and segment use permission status information. A use-requested segment for which it is determined that no competition occurs is incorporated, as a use permission segment, into use permission segment information of the corresponding train. In accordance with a result of the competition determination, the segment use permission status information is updated.

Abstract: Providing a vehicle torque limiter device enabling acquisition of a hysteresis torque with a simple structure. Since a friction force F1 generated on friction surfaces between a pressure plate 80 and a first friction material 88 is smaller than a friction force F2 generated on friction surfaces between a lining plate 76 and the first friction material 88, when a torque T is input to a damper device 38, a slip first occurs between the pressure plate 80 and the first friction material 88, and the lining plate 76 and the first friction material 88 integrally rotate. In this case, a hysteresis torque T1 is generated based on the friction force between the pressure plate 80 and the first friction material 80. Since a torque limiter mechanism 68 also acts as a hysteresis mechanism in this way, the torque limiter mechanism 68 is realized that can generate the hysteresis torque with a simple structure.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging apparatus including an insulating structural body having a through opening, a wiring part formed on a front surface of the structural body, a solid-state imaging element which is connected to the wiring part and also is attached to the structural body so as to close the through opening, a translucent member which is opposed to the solid-state imaging element and is attached to the structural body through an adhesive inside an adhesion region R so as to close the through opening, and a solder resist film with which at least a part of the front surface of the structural body is covered, and is characterized in that a region R0 in which the solder resist film is selectively removed is had in the adhesion region R and the removed region R0 is filled with the adhesive.

Abstract: A 3D display, at least comprising a display panel, a backlight module disposed beneath the display panel and a lens sheet disposed on the display panel is provided. The display panel comprises a display medium sandwiched between two substrates, and at least two alignment marks are formed at one of the substrates, and each alignment mark comprises an indicator and a reference mark. The lens sheet has an array of plural lenticular elements arranged in a lens direction, wherein the alignment marks are identifiable through the lens sheet and corresponding alignment mark images are presented on the lens sheet, and each alignment mark image comprises an indicator image and a reference mark image. Whether the alignment between the lens sheet and the display panel is accurate is determined by a correlation between the indicator image and the reference mark image.

Abstract: An alignment method applied to a barrier-type 3D display includes providing a 3D alignment device at least comprising an image capture tool and an alignment shift analysis software; disposing a display panel with a barrier laminated thereon in the 3D alignment device; presenting a display and a barrier alignment check patterns on the display panel and the barrier; the image capture tool capturing an image of a moiré pattern generated by the display and the barrier alignment check patterns; analyzing the image of the moiré pattern by the alignment shift analysis software, and determining at least three measurement points of the image of the moiré pattern; calculating position shift for each measurement point and rotation angle between display panel and barrier by the alignment shift analysis software; and adjusting corresponding position between display panel and barrier if the calculation results exceed predetermined alignment errors.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory and configured to perform control, when it has been detected that there is a device among a plurality of devices each including a battery for which a state of an external power supply has changed from on to off, such that the battery for which the state of the external power supply has changed from on to off is not charged, obtain a plurality of pieces of information regarding operation states, in each of which information regarding the state of the external power supply and a power receiving state, from the plurality of devices, obtain information including a total value of power consumption of the plurality of devices corresponding to the plurality of pieces of information regarding the operation states, and calculate the power consumption of each of the plurality of devices in each operation state.

Abstract: An operating method and a display panel are provided. The method Includes a number steps. A display panel is provided, and has a pixel element, the pixel element including an n-bit memory, n being a positive integer in accordance with image data. The pixel element is driven by using a k-th data voltage, k being smaller than 2n, the k-th data voltage ranging between a plurality of data voltages having absolute values in an increasing order. When k is odd, the k-th data voltage has one of positive and negative polarities. When k is even, the k-th data voltage has the other one of positive and negative polarities.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device comprises an optically diffusively reflecting layer arranged to maximize utilization of incident light. The reflecting layer contains a thin metallic film with projections (14a) each having an unsymmetrical cross section to centralise reflected light in a specific azimuth direction (y). The range of viewing angles (?x-z, ?y-z) into which a substantial portion of the incident light is reflected is broader in the specific azimuth direction (y) than in another direction (x). The director (5d) of liquid crystal molecules initiallly lies in a plane (y-z) parallel to the specific azimuth direction (y) to achieve retardation self-compensation.

Abstract: An autostereoscopic display apparatus is provided. The autostereoscopic display apparatus includes a liquid-crystal panel and a barrier cell. The barrier cell includes a first substrate, a second substrate, and a liquid-crystal layer. The first substrate includes a first electrode. The second substrate includes a second electrode and a third electrode, wherein the second and third electrodes are separated from each other. The liquid-crystal layer is disposed between the first and second substrates. A black region between the first and third electrodes is formed when a first voltage is applied to the first and second electrodes and a second voltage is applied to the third electrode.

Abstract: In an embodiment of the invention, a 3D display device is provided. The 3D display device includes: a backlight system with a reflector disposed thereunder; a reflective barrier disposed above the backlight system; and a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel disposed above the backlight system. The 3D display device includes fixed-barrier-type 3D display devices and switchable-barrier-type 3D display devices.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a housing, an image reading section, shaft sections, bearing sections, abutment sections, and abutting sections. The housing is provided with an upper surface section. The image reading section has a first wall, a second wall, a bottom surface and a platen. The image reading section is mounted on the upper surface section of the housing. The shaft sections are installed at the bottom surface and provided with a rotating shaft. The bearing sections are provided at the upper surface section of the housing and the shaft sections are inserted into the bearing sections. The abutment sections are disposed at the upper surface section and arranged to face the bottom surface of the image reading section. The abutting sections are disposed at the bottom surface and are caused by the weight of the image reading section to abut against the abutment sections.

Abstract: In a multi-domain vertical alignment liquid crystal display, a pixel electrode, a common electrode and liquid crystal molecules are combined to form an LC alignment unit. In the LC alignment unit, at least two slits crossing each other at one point are created in the common electrode; and slanting slits are created in the pixel electrode, extending along diagonals of the pixel electrode. The slits in the common electrode and the slits in the pixel electrode stagger from one another.

Abstract: In a valve-regulated lead-acid battery in which charging is performed intermittently on every short time and high rate discharging to a load is performed in a partial state of charge (PSOC), a valve-regulated lead-acid battery improved for the charge acceptance and the life characteristic under PSOC than usual is provided. A positive electrode plate having a specific surface area of an active material of 5.5 m2/g or more is used. A valve-regulated lead-acid battery is manufactured by using a negative electrode plate improved for the charge acceptance and the life performance by adding a carbonaceous electroconductive material and a formaldehyde condensate of bisphenols aminobenzene sulfonic acid to a negative electrode active material and setting the specific gravity of an electrolyte to 1.30 or more and 1.35 or less.

Abstract: An elevator apparatus includes a safety circuit section including a plurality of abnormality detection units, a safety control device, failure detection unit, and circuit changeover unit. The safety control device controls electric power supply to a driving device and a brake device in accordance with a content of an abnormality detected by the abnormality detection units. The failure detection unit detects a failure of the safety control device. When the failure of the safety control device is detected, the circuit changeover unit forms a failure-time circuit in which the electric power supply to the driving device and the brake device is interrupted directly by the abnormality detection unit.

Abstract: A flooded-type lead-acid battery in which charging is intermittently carried out in a short period of time and high-rate discharge to a load is carried out in a partial state of charge, wherein the charge acceptance and service life characteristics under PSOC are improved by using a positive plate in which the total surface area of the positive active material per unit of the plate pack volume is set in a range of 3.5 to 15.6 m2/cm3; a negative plate with improved charge acceptance and service life performance obtained by adding a carbonaceous electrically conductive material, and a formaldehyde condensate of bisphenol and aminobenzene sulfonic acid to the negative active material; and a separator formed from a nonwoven in which a surface facing the negative plate is composed of material selected from glass, pulp, and polyolefin.

Abstract: A communication device and method is disclosed for indicating a connection to a network and transmitting a living notification having a term of validity to the network when the device is connected with the network. The disclosed device includes an obtaining unit obtaining a first information representing a device status of the communication device, a determining unit determining a term of validity based on the first information obtained, and a first transmission unit transmitting a living notification having the term of validity determined to the network.

Abstract: Provided is an electric outboard motor that includes a drive motor, which is an AC motor, as a drive source. The electric outboard motor includes: an outboard motor main body that includes the drive motor and an inverter that converters a direct current to an alternating current to supply the alternating current to the drive motor; a control/power supply unit that is formed separately from the outboard motor main body and that can supply the direct current to the inverter; and a connection cable that electrically connects the outboard motor main body and the control/power supply unit. The inverter and the drive motor are stacked and arranged in an axial direction of a rotation output axis of the drive motor. Part of the inverter falls within an outline of the drive motor in a view in the axial direction of the rotation output axis of the drive motor.