Abstract: A driving handover control device includes a memory and a processor coupled to the memory. In a case in which driving is handed over from a first state in which a vehicle is traveling by remote driving by a first driver from outside the vehicle or by occupant driving by the first driver in the vehicle, to a second state in which the vehicle travels by the remote driving or the occupant driving by a second driver who is different from the first driver, the processor is configured to cause transition from the first state to a third state in which the vehicle is caused to travel by automatic driving, and then cause transition from the third state to the second state.

Abstract: A driving handover control device includes a memory and a processor coupled to the memory. In a case in which driving is handed over from a first state in which a vehicle travels in accordance with instruction from a remote operator of the vehicle to a second state in which the vehicle travels in accordance with operation by a passenger of the vehicle, the processor implements a transition from the first state to a third state in which the vehicle travels autonomously without instruction from the remote operator or operation by the passenger, and, after the transition from the first state to the third state, implements a transition from the third state to the second state.

Abstract: A driving handover control device includes a memory and a processor coupled to the memory. In a case in which driving is handed over from a first state in which a vehicle travels in accordance with instruction from a first remote operator of the vehicle to a second state in which the vehicle travels in accordance with instruction from a second remote operator who is different from the first remote operator, the processor implements a transition from the first state to a third state in which the vehicle travels autonomously without instruction from the first remote operator or the second remote operator, and, after the transition from the first state to the third state, implements a transition from the third state to the second state.

Abstract: In a vehicle travel system for a vehicle that is switchable at least between manual driving and remote driving, the vehicle includes a memory, and a processor connected to the memory. The processor acquires driver information related to a driver that manually drives the vehicle. The driver information indicates a specific situation during a time of manual driving. The processor enables manual driving to be switched to remote driving upon occurrence of the specific situation indicated by the acquired driver information.

Abstract: A vehicle driving system includes: an acquisition unit that acquires information relating to a state of a driver driving a first vehicle in a manual driving mode; a switching control unit that switches the first vehicle from the manual driving mode to a remote driving mode in a case in which it is verified, by means of the information acquired by the acquisition unit, that it is difficult for the driver to drive; and a notification unit that, in a case in which the first vehicle is switched to the remote driving mode by the switching control unit, notifies a second vehicle located within a predetermined range from the first vehicle that the first vehicle has become an urgent vehicle.

Abstract: A vehicle travel system includes a determination unit that inputs image information that has been acquired during a current trip of a vehicle, and that shows at least a peripheral situation currently around the vehicle, and inputs driving information that shows the state of the current manual driving into a learned model that has been created using image information that has been collected in a specific situation during manual driving for a driver who is manually driving a vehicle, and that shows at least a peripheral situation around the vehicle, and also using driving information that shows the state of the manual driving, and then determines whether the current situation corresponds to the specific situation, and a switching unit that, when it is determined by the determination unit that the current situation corresponds to the specific situation, is able to switch the manual driving to the remote driving.

Abstract: A driving handover control device includes a memory and a processor coupled to the memory. In a case in which driving is handed over from a first state in which a vehicle is traveling by remote driving by a first driver from outside the vehicle or by occupant driving by the first driver in the vehicle, to a second state in which the vehicle travels by the remote driving or the occupant driving by a second driver who is different from the first driver, the processor is configured to cause transition from the first state to a third state in which the vehicle is caused to travel by automatic driving, and then cause transition from the third state to the second state.

Abstract: An urgent vehicle driving system includes: an acquisition unit that acquires driving information relating to a driving state of a first vehicle that is an urgent vehicle; and a switching unit that, on the basis of the driving information acquired by the acquisition unit, switches a second vehicle, which is in a manual driving mode or a remote driving mode and is located within a predetermined range from the first vehicle, to an autonomous driving mode configured to avoid the first vehicle.

Abstract: A guidance control device includes an acquisition section configured to acquire travel states of a plurality of vehicles traveling on a road, a detection section configured to detect a situation in which, among the plurality of vehicles, a predetermined proportion or more are a plurality of autonomously driven vehicles traveling in a periphery of a manually driven vehicle, and a guidance section configured to recommend remote driving or autonomous driving to a driver of the manually driven vehicle in a case in which the predetermined proportion or more of the plurality of autonomously driven vehicles traveling in the periphery of the manually driven vehicle are detected by the detection section.

Abstract: In a vehicle travel system for a vehicle that is switchable at least between manual driving and remote driving, the vehicle includes a memory, and a processor connected to the memory. The processor acquires driver information related to a driver that manually drives the vehicle. The driver information indicates a specific situation during a time of manual driving. The processor enables manual driving to be switched to remote driving upon occurrence of the specific situation indicated by the acquired driver information.

Abstract: A travel control device including a congestion situation acquisition section configured to acquire a currently occurring congestion situation for traveling vehicles or a predicted congestion situation of predicted congestion for traveling vehicles, a vehicle formation acquisition section configured to acquire information relating to a predefined vehicle formation in a traveling state, a communication section configured to communicate with vehicles configuring the vehicle formation, and a switchover control section configured to switch a leading vehicle traveling at a head of the vehicle formation acquired by the vehicle formation acquisition section over to remote driving when the currently occurring congestion situation or the predicted congestion situation has been acquired by the congestion situation acquisition section.

Abstract: An endless metal belt having an excellent abrasion resistance and a method for manufacturing such endless metal belts, capable of sufficiently reducing a tensile stress related to a metal ring in the innermost layer are provided. An endless metal belt includes a belt member formed by laminating a plurality of metal rings; and an element supported by the belt member, in which among the plurality of metal rings, a metal ring in an innermost layer is formed by a maraging steel plate, and another metal ring includes a nitride layer on its surface, and has a specific chemical composition; a tensile strength of the another metal ring is 1,700 MPa or higher; and a surface hardness of the nitride layer is HV800 to HV950.

Abstract: A method of producing an endless metal ring includes welding ends of a maraging steel plate such that the maraging steel plate has a ring shape, annealing the maraging steel plate with the ring shape in a furnace at 845° C. or higher, and nitriding the annealed maraging steel plate, wherein, during the annealing, a dew point temperature indicating an amount of water in the furnace is adjusted such that a value of the dew point temperature [° C.] is equal to or higher than a value obtained by subtracting 35 from time [min] at an annealing temperature of 845° C. or higher.

Abstract: There is provided a charging member cleaning roller including: a core body; and an elastic layer that is provided on a peripheral surface of the core body and includes a polyurethane foam obtained from at least a polyester polyol, a foam stabilizer, and a catalyst. Moreover, there is provided a charging member cleaning roller including: a core body; and an elastic layer that is provided on a peripheral surface of the core body and includes a urethane foam having an open-cell structure, a resilience of approximately 15% to 30%, and a hardness of approximately 150N to 230N.

Abstract: There is provided a charging member cleaning roller including: a core body; and an elastic layer that is provided on a peripheral surface of the core body and includes a polyurethane foam obtained from at least a polyester polyol, a foam stabilizer, and a catalyst. Moreover, there is provided a charging member cleaning roller including: a core body; and an elastic layer that is provided on a peripheral surface of the core body and includes a urethane foam having an open-cell structure, a resilience of approximately 15% to 30%, and a hardness of approximately 150N to 230N.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus containing an image holding member, a contact-type charger for charging a surface of the image holding member, an exposure unit for forming an electrostatic latent image by exposing the charged surface of the image holding member, a developing unit for developing the electrostatic latent image with a spherical toner to obtain a toner image, and a transfer member for electrostatically transferring the toner image from the surface of the image holding member onto a transfer material. A number of toner particles remaining on the surface of the image holding member before passing through an abutting portion between the image holding member and the contact-type charger is in a range of 100 to 400 per unit area (mm2).

Abstract: An image forming apparatus containing an image holding member, a contact-type charger for charging a surface of the image holding member, an exposure unit for forming an electrostatic latent image by exposing the charged surface of the image holding member, a developing unit for developing the electrostatic latent image with a spherical toner to obtain a toner image, and a transfer member for electrostatically transferring the toner image from the surface of the image holding member onto a transfer material. A number of toner particles remaining on the surface of the image holding member before passing through an abutting portion between the image holding member and the contact-type charger is in a range of 100 to 400 per unit area (mm2).

Abstract: An image forming device which is capable of preventing generation of toner filming and obtaining a stable image quality without defects over a long period and which is environmentally friendly. The image forming device, for forming an image with a spherical toner, includes image holding members, contact type charging member, exposing member, developing member, and transfer member. A toner shape change ratio (Tt) of deformed toner particles passed between the contacting portions of the image holding members and the charging member is in a range of 50 to 100 percent.

Abstract: An image forming device which is capable of preventing generation of toner filming and obtaining a stable image quality without defects over a long period and which is environmentally friendly. The image forming device, for forming an image with a spherical toner, comprises image holding members, contact type charging means, exposing means, developing means and transfer means. A toner shape change ratio (Tt) of deformed toner particles passed between the contacting portions of the image holding members and the charging means is in a range of 50 to 100 percent.

Abstract: The invention is to provide a toner, a toner cartridge and a developing device using the same in that an excellent image without a defect on the image is obtained in a long period of time, and stable agitation and transportation can be conducted. In a toner cartridge containing a toner containing at least a binder resin, a colorant and wax, inside the toner cartridge, and a toner agitating and transporting member for supplying the toner under agitation and transportation, the toner contains the wax in an amount of from 3 to 10% by weight and has a mean particle diameter of from 3 to 10 &mgr;m, and the toner agitating and transporting member is arranged as rotatably inside the toner cartridge to form a distance of from 0.5 to 3.0 mm between the member and an inner wall of a main body of the toner cartridge.