Abstract: A vehicle is autonomously driven in an environment where a first road for vehicles running in a first direction and a second road for vehicles running in a second direction, different from the first direction, are provided alongside each other, and where a first parking space that is entered from the first road and exited to the first road is set and a second parking space that is entered from the second road and exited to the second road is set. When the vehicle is temporarily parked in the first parking space and a running direction of the vehicle heading for the next destination after being parked is the second direction, the vehicle is transferred from the first parking space to the second parking space by autonomous driving after a user of the vehicle gets out of the vehicle.

Abstract: Whether a vehicle is parked inside parking lines in a parking lot is detected. When the vehicle is detected not parked inside the parking lines, either the vehicle or the parking lines are moved in such a manner that the vehicle is parked inside the parking lines.

Abstract: A parking action notification device includes an information notification unit configured to give a notice of information to an exterior of a vehicle. The information notification unit displays parking information to the exterior of the vehicle, the parking information being relevant to a parking action of the vehicle when the vehicle performs automatic parking.

Abstract: An upper-limit speed of a vehicle in automatic parking control is set, and the vehicle is caused to park automatically in a parking space at a vehicle speed equal to or lower than the set upper-limit speed. In this case, the upper-limit speed is set according to a vehicle body size of the vehicle, and the upper-limit speed is lower when the vehicle body size of the vehicle is greater than a preset size than when the vehicle body size of the vehicle is less than the preset size.

Abstract: The position of the vehicle for loading articles on a cart with a self-propelled function is acquired, the travel route of the cart to the vehicle is determined, and the cart is self-propelled to the vehicle along the determined travel route and stopped around the vehicle.

Abstract: When an autonomous vehicle is caused to depart from a current position to a pickup location, a waiting location for temporarily parking the autonomous vehicle is set between the current position and the pickup location. The autonomous vehicle is autonomously driven from the current position to the waiting location, temporarily parked at the waiting location, and then autonomously driven to the pickup location.

Abstract: Whether a vehicle is parked inside parking lines in a parking lot is detected. When the vehicle is detected not parked inside the parking lines, either the vehicle or the parking lines are moved in such a manner that the vehicle is parked inside the parking lines.

Abstract: A parking lot management system for managing a parking lot intended for autonomous vehicles and manually driven vehicles includes: a reservation unit configured to reserve a parking space for an autonomous vehicle; and a reserved parking space notification unit configured to notify a manually driven vehicle in the parking lot of the reserved parking space.

Abstract: Provided is an automatic parking service causes a vehicle that has arrived at a platform to enter one parking space among a plurality of parking spaces by autonomous driving and that causes the vehicle parked in the parking space exit the platform by autonomous driving. A congestion degree of a platform requested to be used in an entry-exit time zone specified by a user that uses the automatic parking service is determined when an entry-exit request in which one platform among the plurality of platforms is used is received from the user. The use of another platform is proposed to the user when the congestion degree of the platform requested to be used is high, the other platform having a lower congestion degree than the platform requested to be used.

Abstract: A vehicle is autonomously driven in an environment where a first road for vehicles running in a first direction and a second road for vehicles running in a second direction, different from the first direction, are provided alongside each other, and where a first parking space that is entered from the first road and exited to the first road is set and a second parking space that is entered from the second road and exited to the second road is set. When the vehicle is temporarily parked in the first parking space and a running direction of the vehicle heading for the next destination after being parked is the second direction, the vehicle is transferred from the first parking space to the second parking space by autonomous driving after a user of the vehicle gets out of the vehicle.

Abstract: Disclosed is a charging device capable of appropriately charging of a battery while preventing battery depletion. In a charging system including a charging device, when the output power from a solar battery is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, power is supplied to a charging control system which controls charging of batteries. Accordingly, when the output power from the solar battery is small, since the charging control system will not start, no power is consumed in the charging control system. As a result, battery depletion can be prevented. When the output power from the solar battery is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, charging of the battery is performed by the charging control system, thereby appropriately performing charging of the batteries.

Abstract: An output control apparatus of a solar cell is provided with: a first controlling device for sequentially increasing a load for extracting the output from a load in an increase area in which the output increases with respect to an increase in the load; a detecting device for detecting a decrease in the output with respect to the increase in the load in a process of sequentially increasing the load; and a second controlling device for rapidly reducing the load to an initial load which belongs to the increase area in comparison with the process of sequentially increasing the load in cases where a change in the output is detected, the first controlling device sequentially increasing the load again after the load is reduced to the initial load.

Abstract: The present invention aims at providing a thermoelectric device which can be prevented from being destroyed by thermal stresses, and a thermoelectric module using a plurality of such thermoelectric devices. The thermoelectric device in accordance with the present invention comprises an element for transforming energy between thermal energy and electric energy and a pair of electrodes connected to both end parts of the element, while the element is provided with a stress alleviating part for alleviating a stress caused by a temperature difference between the both end parts. Therefore, when generating electricity by using the thermoelectric device, the stress alleviating part can alleviate the stress caused by the temperature difference between both end parts of the element and restrain the element from being destroyed by the thermal stress.

Abstract: A wireless energy transfer device (1) includes: a power transmission unit (2) that generates an oscillating magnetic field or oscillating electric field; a power reception unit (3), which is provided with a receiving antenna (31), and which converts the oscillating magnetic field or the oscillating electric field of the power transmission unit (2) to electric power by the receiving antenna (31); and an electric power theft suppression unit that suppresses the theft of energy with the oscillating magnetic field or the oscillating electric field of the power transmission unit (2).

Abstract: An output control apparatus of a solar cell for controlling output of the solar cell is an output control apparatus of a solar cell for controlling output of the solar cell, the output control apparatus provided with: a first controlling device for sequentially increasing a load for extracting the output from a load in an increase area in which the output increases with respect to an increase in the load; a detecting device for detecting a decrease in the output with respect to the increase in the load in a process of sequentially increasing the load; and a second controlling device for rapidly reducing the load to an initial load which belongs to the increase area in comparison with the process of sequentially increasing the load in cases where a change in the output is detected, the first controlling device sequentially increasing the load again after the load is reduced to the initial load.

Abstract: Disclosed is a charging device capable of appropriately charging of a battery while preventing battery depletion. In a charging system including a charging device, when the output power from a solar battery is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, power is supplied to a charging control system which controls charging of batteries. Accordingly, when the output power from the solar battery is small, since the charging control system will not start, no power is consumed in the charging control system. As a result, battery depletion can be prevented. When the output power from the solar battery is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, charging of the battery is performed by the charging control system, thereby appropriately performing charging of the batteries.

Abstract: A main object of the present invention is to provide a photoelectric conversion device which is capable of improving the photoelectric conversion efficiency. The invention comprises: a semiconductor; and a layer being disposed inside the semiconductor and having metal nanoparticles.

Abstract: The present invention provides a solar cell from which an electric current can be taken out by transferring carriers while obtaining phonon bottleneck effects of quantum dots. The invention is a solar cell comprising: a first material layer comprising a wetting layer and quantum dots formed in the wetting layer; a second material layer where the first material layer is formed on the surface; a negative electrode; and a positive electrode, the negative electrode or the positive electrode being connected with the wetting layer, wherein when the negative electrode and the wetting layer are connected, these are connected so that electrons existing in the wetting layer can travel to the negative electrode, and when the positive electrode and the wetting layer are connected, these are connected so that holes existing in the wetting layer can travel to the positive electrode.

Abstract: A wireless energy transfer device (1) includes: a power transmission unit (2) that generates an oscillating magnetic field or oscillating electric field; a power reception unit (3), which is provided with a receiving antenna (31), and which converts the oscillating magnetic field or the oscillating electric field of the power transmission unit (2) to electric power by the receiving antenna (31); and an electric power theft suppression unit that suppresses the theft of energy with the oscillating magnetic field or the oscillating electric field of the power transmission unit (2).

Abstract: The present invention aims at providing a thermoelectric device which can be prevented from being destroyed by thermal stresses, and a thermoelectric module using a plurality of such thermoelectric devices. The thermoelectric device in accordance with the present invention comprises an element for transforming energy between thermal energy and electric energy and a pair of electrodes connected to both end parts of the element, while the element is provided with a stress alleviating part for alleviating a stress caused by a temperature difference between the both end parts. Therefore, when generating electricity by using the thermoelectric device, the stress alleviating part can alleviate the stress caused by the temperature difference between both end parts of the element and restrain the element from being destroyed by the thermal stress.