Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a workpiece holding method which enables a workpiece to be held when a multi-fingered hand is used to grasp the workpiece that is in an untidy heap, even if a target workpiece is subject to interference from another workpiece, and thereby the method enhances the success rate for holding the workpiece.

Abstract: In automatic following control in a travel control unit of a driving support apparatus, a prerequisite inter-vehicle distance to a front vehicle is set, a time to reaching this requisite inter-vehicle distance is set as a control target time, an estimated position of the front vehicle after the control target time elapses is computed, an acceleration from a present vehicle speed that will bring to a preset target inter-vehicle distance the inter-vehicle distance to the front vehicle at an own vehicle speed as of when the control target time elapses is computed as a target acceleration on the basis of the present inter-vehicle distance to the front vehicle and the estimated position of the front vehicle after the control target time elapses, and automatic braking control and automatic acceleration control are carried out to follow the front vehicle.

Abstract: When a vehicle attempts to enter a priority road from a non-priority road, a visibility determination processing section compares moving object information on the priority road obtained from a first infrastructure facility installed near a stop position with moving object information on the priority road detected by an autonomous sensor mounted on the vehicle, and determines that the visibility is poor if the former does not match the latter or determines that the visibility is good if the former matches the latter. Then, when the former does not match the latter, the driver is informed of intersection support information. When the former matches the latter, the driver is not informed since it is determined that the driver has already recognized the information by visual observation.

Abstract: When an own vehicle waits to turn right, a vehicle data processing unit processes information of an oncoming vehicle based on data analyzed by data analyzing units. A support processing unit sets a blind angle rank according to a difficulty degree of recognizing a following vehicle due to the blind angle of a lead vehicle from the relationship in the vehicle body size between the lead and following vehicles based on the oncoming vehicle information, and sets the highest blind angle rank value as an oncoming straight-ahead vehicle rank flag. It also sets an evaluation rank according to a risk degree when the own vehicle turns right, based on the oncoming straight-ahead vehicle rank flag and an oncoming right-turning vehicle rank flag set according to the size of an oncoming vehicle waiting to turn right, and informs the driver of right-turn driving support information according to the evaluation rank.

Abstract: When an own vehicle waits to turn left or right, a vehicle data processing unit processes information of an oncoming vehicle based on data analyzed by data analyzing units. A support processing unit sets a blind angle rank according to a difficulty degree of recognizing a following vehicle due to the blind angle of a lead vehicle from the relationship in the vehicle body size between the lead and following vehicles based on the oncoming vehicle information, and sets the highest blind angle rank value as an oncoming straight-ahead vehicle rank flag. It also sets an evaluation rank according to a risk degree when the own vehicle turns left or right, based on the oncoming straight-ahead vehicle rank flag and an oncoming vehicle rank flag set according to the size of an oncoming vehicle waiting to turn left or right, and informs the driver of driving support information according to the evaluation rank.

Abstract: The object of the invention is to provide driving support with appropriate timing for both obstacles that can be visually recognized by the driver of a vehicle and obstacles that are visually unrecognizable to the driver. When an obstacle is detected, whether the obstacle is a first-type obstacle that is visually recognizable to the driver of a vehicle or a second-type obstacle that is visually unrecognizable to the driver is determined (S2), the collision risk (base value) for each kind of obstacle is modified and adjusted such that the collision risk of a second-type obstacle is larger than the collision risk of a first-type obstacle (S3). In addition, the collision risk R2 of a second-type obstacle is compared with a threshold value Rc, and when R2?Rc, a warning is output for the second-type obstacle (S5).

Abstract: In automatic following control in a travel control unit of a driving support apparatus, a prerequisite inter-vehicle distance to a front vehicle is set, a time to reaching this requisite inter-vehicle distance is set as a control target time, an estimated position of the front vehicle after the control target time elapses is computed, an acceleration from a present vehicle speed that will bring to a preset target inter-vehicle distance the inter-vehicle distance to the front vehicle at an own vehicle speed as of when the control target time elapses is computed as a target acceleration on the basis of the present inter-vehicle distance to the front vehicle and the estimated position of the front vehicle after the control target time elapses, and automatic braking control and automatic acceleration control are carried out to follow the front vehicle.

Abstract: A hand-indication type electronic timepiece is disclosed which has a vibrator such as a quartz crystal vibrator, an electronic circuit including an oscillator, a frequency divider, a driver, and a motor for operating hands, and other components, said electronic circuit comprising a plurality of pulse control circuits for different functions such as a pulse generator for normal hand operation, a fast feed pulse forming circuit, a pulse output stop circuit, and a circuit for producing output pulses for said normal hand operation after some specific periods of time with external control signals applied thereto as input signals, said pulse control circuits being selectively operated by external operating means, so that said motor for operating hands may be controlled by multiple steps by said external operating means.