Abstract: A travel controller of a vehicle that can travel on a road under autonomous driving control detecting two-wheelers, including bicycles, located in surroundings of the vehicle from surrounding data representing the surroundings of the vehicle generated by a surrounding sensor mounted on the vehicle, determining whether a target road on which the vehicle was traveling when the surrounding data in which a two-wheeler was detected was generated is a shared road on which travel by bicycles is permitted, when it is determined that the target road is a shared road, notifying a driver of the vehicle of a transition demand demanding transition in control of the vehicle from autonomous driving control to manual driving control requiring driving operations by the driver of the vehicle, and when it is determined that the target road is not a shared road, not notifying the driver of the transition demand.

Abstract: A vehicle controller includes a processor configured to detect a vehicle ahead of a host vehicle from time-series sensor signals obtained by a sensor provided on the host vehicle for sensing objects around the host vehicle, track the vehicle ahead detected from the time-series sensor signals, determine whether the vehicle ahead has performed an avoidance action, based on the result of tracking, detect, when the vehicle ahead has performed an avoidance action, a trajectory of an edge of the vehicle ahead opposite a direction of avoidance in the avoidance action, and control travel of the host vehicle so that an edge of the host vehicle opposite the direction of avoidance moves along the detected trajectory.

Abstract: An apparatus for object detection detects a number of lanes included in a road on which a vehicle is traveling, detects one or more surrounding vehicles positioned in surroundings of the vehicle from a surrounding image showing the surroundings of the vehicle generated by a camera mounted in the vehicle, and determines, when more surrounding vehicles than the number of lanes detected in a predetermined range at the back of the vehicle are detected alongside in a width direction of the vehicle, that a possibility that any one of the surrounding vehicles being an emergency vehicle which is allowed to travel without obeying the traveling rule of the road is higher than when more surrounding vehicles than the number of lanes are not detected alongside in a width direction of the vehicle.

Abstract: The conventional holding mechanism for foldable side rails have such problems that the release lever can be accidentally pressed for release action and that if a double lock is employed for preventing it, automatic holding action cannot be performed.

Abstract: The conventional holding mechanism for foldable side rails have such problems that the release lever can be accidentally pressed for release action and that if a double lock is employed for preventing it, automatic holding action cannot be performed.

Abstract: There is provided a method for quantitatively evaluating properties of a graphite structure of a gray cast iron based on a number and a thick and thin degree of graphite components in the structure. In particular, only non-spherical graphite pieces having an average size of 5 ?m or more are extracted from a preprocessed image of the graphite structure, and counted (Step S5 of FIG. 3). Further, only graphite pieces having a maximum length of 50 ?m or more and less than 150 ?m are selected therefrom, and a length and an area of each selected graphite piece are measured (Step S6). An area of an assumptive representative graphite piece having a maximum length (a maximum size) of 100 ?m is calculated from these data, and divided by the length 100 ?m, to obtain the thick and thin degree (Step S7). The thick and thin degree is shown with the number of the graphite pieces (Step S8).

Abstract: A semiconductor device comprises a photoelectric conversion portion formed on a semiconductor substrate, a first transparent film provided on the photoelectric conversion portion, and an interlayer lens provided on the first transparent film at a position corresponding to the photoelectric conversion portion, in which the interlayer lens has a higher refractive index than the first transparent film, and at least one of upper and lower surfaces of a second transparent film formed with a thin film multilayer structure of two or more types of compounds is formed to have a protruded shape.

Abstract: The conventional holding mechanism for foldable side rails have such problems that the release lever can be accidentally pressed for release action and that if a double lock is employed for preventing it, automatic holding action cannot be performed.

Abstract: A process for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising the steps of: forming a transparent film on a semiconductor substrate including a photoelectric conversion section, the transparent film having a concave portion above the photoelectric conversion section; forming a material film on the transparent film, the material film being made of a photosensitive material having a refractive index higher than that of the transparent film; and irradiating selectively a predetermined portion of the material film with rays, and then developing the material film, whereby forming an intralayer lens having a convex portion facing into the concave portion.

Abstract: A semiconductor device comprises a photoelectric conversion portion formed on a semiconductor substrate, a first transparent film provided on the photoelectric conversion portion, and an interlayer lens provided on the first transparent film at a position corresponding to the photoelectric conversion portion, in which the interlayer lens has a higher refractive index than the first transparent film, and at least one of upper and lower surfaces of a second transparent film formed with a thin film multilayer structure of two or more types of compounds is formed to have a protruded shape.

Abstract: There is provided a method for quantitatively evaluating properties of a graphite structure of a gray cast iron based on a number and a thick and thin degree of graphite components in the structure. In particular, only non-spherical graphite pieces having an average size of 5 ?m or more are extracted from a preprocessed image of the graphite structure, and counted (Step S5 of FIG. 3). Further, only graphite pieces having a maximum length of 50 ?m or more and less than 150 ?m are selected therefrom, and a length and an area of each selected graphite piece are measured (Step S6). An area of an assumptive representative graphite piece having a maximum length (a maximum size) of 100 ?m is calculated from these data, and divided by the length 100 ?m, to obtain the thick and thin degree (Step S7). The thick and thin degree is shown with the number of the graphite pieces (Step S8).

Abstract: A process for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising the steps of: forming a transparent film on a semiconductor substrate including a photoelectric conversion section, the transparent film having a concave portion above the photoelectric conversion section; forming a material film on the transparent film, the material film being made of a photosensitive material having a refractive index higher than that of the transparent film; and irradiating selectively a predetermined portion of the material film with rays, and then developing the material film, whereby forming an intralayer lens having a convex portion facing into the concave portion.

Abstract: A color filter is formed by directly coating a color filter material on the entire groundwork device surface so as to bury the material in a recessed region, subjecting the material to pattern transfer exposure and thereafter subjecting the resulting material to a developing process. The thickness striation of the device is thus improved by burying the color filter material from a low position without interposition of a resist pattern layer. The edges of the color filter is formed into a forward taper shape, thereby assuring the continuity of the filter to the color filters of the other colors formed adjacent to the filter. A groundwork alignment mark can be directly detected from the surface of the color filter material that is located at a short distance from the substrate in the pattern transfer exposure process stage, so that a detection error is reduced for the reduction of image deterioration.

Abstract: A ventilated disc brake rotor has first and second discs separated by radially extending ribs. The first disc has a thin wall section, and a peripheral thick wall section having an increased wall thickness increased by a raised portion raised from the inside surface of the first disc toward the second disc. The thick wall section extends radially from the outer periphery over a radial range of about ⅓ of the radial width of the braking friction surface of the first disc.

Abstract: A red filter and a red alignment mark are simultaneously formed by performing alignment of a photomask for exposure with a groundwork alignment mark. When forming a blue filter, a blue filter pattern is formed from a blue resist by performing alignment of a photomask with the red alignment mark by using a red alignment light. Intensities of reflection lights concerning the red alignment mark are increased by using the red alignment mark that does not absorb the red alignment light when forming the blue filter, so that a high contrast of the red alignment mark is obtained.

Abstract: There are provided a solid state imaging device having high sensitivity and exhibiting high degree of light utilization and a method of manufacturing the same. An insulating film 42, a transfer electrode 43, a light shielding film 44, a protective film 45, and a flat layer 51 are formed above a layer having a photoelectric conversion portion, and a concave lens layer 52 is formed on the flat layer 51 to a lattice pattern. The concave lens layer 52 of the lattice pattern is hot melted for conversion into a concave type micro-lens 52. A resin layer 53 having a refractive index smaller than that of the concave lens 52, a buffer layer 54, and a convex type micro-lens 57 are sequentially formed above the concave type micro-lens 52. The concave type micro-lens 52 functions to bring light rays focused by the convex type micro-lens 57 to a position close to light incident vertically upon the photoelectric conversion portion 41.

Abstract: A first transparent protection layer is formed on color filters, and micro lenses are further formed on the first transparent protection layer. Then unevenness due to the micro lenses is flattened by a first transparent resin layer which has water repellency and oil repellency (low surface energy), a high transmittance in visible light range, a high flattening capability in a coating process, and a refractive index lower than the refractive index of the micro lenses. With the above-mentioned arrangement, dust or the like can be difficult to contaminate the surface of the solid state image sensor without loosing the light converging effect of the micro lenses. Even when dust or the like attaches to the surface, it can be easily removed with a cotton swab or the like.

Abstract: A ventilated-type disc rotor free from thermal deformation at the time of braking operation, generation of cracks and the phenomenon of brake jadder is provided. An inner end of a rib continuously connecting an external disc and an internal disc extends radially and inwardly beyond the inner peripheral surfaces of the discs and continuously connected to a cylindrical member which is by turn connected to a flange to be fitted to a body of a vehicle, and a gap is formed between the inner peripheral surface of the external disc and an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical member.

Abstract: A solid image pick-up element comprises a semiconductor substrate, a photoelectric transfer region formed on the substrate, and an optical black region formed on the substrate. Each of the photoelectric transfer region and the optical black region includes a plurality of regularly arrayed light receiving units. A shielding film is formed on the light receiving units of the optical black region and is covered with a shielding layer. Preferably, the shielding film comprises three color filters in red, green and blue. Even if the shielding film causes light leakage, the shielding layer makes light damp, thereby reducing the occurrence of light leakage.

Abstract: A solid image pick-up element has a pixel region, an output region located near the pixel region, and a field portion located remote from the pixel region, all of which are formed at un upper layer of a semiconductor substrate. The pixel region is provided with plural rows of light receiving portions for performing photoelectric conversion with respect to light received thereby. Between the plural rows of the light receiving portions are interposed transfer portions for transferring signals obtained through the photoelectric conversion. The output region is provided with an output portion for outputting the signals transferred from the transfer portions. The semiconductor substrate is covered with three dielectric films, and an opening is formed through two dielectric films at a location above the output portion.