Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a technique to make it possible to estimate a travel route even if no destination is set or estimated. A travel route estimation apparatus includes an acquisition unit and a route estimation unit. The acquisition unit acquires an estimated destination which is estimated as a destination of a vehicle, a current position of the vehicle, and a travel history of the vehicle. When the acquisition unit does not acquire the estimated destination, the route estimation unit estimates a travel route which the vehicle travels from the current position, on the basis of the current position and the travel history which are acquired by the acquisition unit.

Abstract: A vehicle air-conditioning system capable of reducing energy consumed during traveling while preventing a significant uncomfortable feeling of a user. An inside-vehicle environment predicting unit calculates, by using inside-vehicle sensor information and outside-vehicle sensor information being output from an environmental sensor device and a predicted travel time acquired by a predicted travel information acquisition unit, at least one predicted environmental characteristic which is an environmental characteristic inside a vehicle after a predicted travel time on an assumption that an air-conditioning device is operated in each of at least one candidate mode which has lower intensity than intensity of a selection mode among a plurality of operation modes. A mode controller resets the selection mode to one of the at least one candidate mode, in which the predicted environmental characteristic being within the allowable range is calculated by the inside-vehicle environment predicting unit.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle air-conditioning system capable of reducing energy consumed during traveling while preventing a significant uncomfortable feeling of a user. An inside-vehicle environment predicting unit (51) calculates, by using inside-vehicle sensor information and outside-vehicle sensor information being output from an environmental sensor device (4) and a predicted travel time acquired by a predicted travel information acquisition unit (53), at least one predicted environmental characteristic which is an environmental characteristic inside a vehicle (900) after a predicted travel time on an assumption that an air-conditioning device (3) is operated in each of at least one candidate mode which has lower intensity than intensity of a selection mode among a plurality of operation modes.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a destination estimating system and a destination estimating method capable of estimating a destination with a high degree of accuracy even when a user uses a detour or stops off somewhere.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a destination estimating system and a destination estimating method capable of estimating a destination with a high degree of accuracy even when a user uses a detour or stops off somewhere.

Abstract: A variable optical attenuator in which a polarization beam splitter splits a beam incoming from the front into two linearly-polarized beams perpendicular to each other and separately outputs them to the back along first and second light paths. A Faraday rotator rotates a polarization plane of the two incoming linearly-polarized beams to an arbitrary angle by controlling a magnetic field to be applied to a Faraday element by a magnetism applying means and outputs them to the back. First and second analyzers arranged in the first and the second light paths and parallelly arranged perpendicular to these light paths are arranged in that order. The two analyzers have optical axes perpendicular to each other so that the optical axes are in the same direction as that of the polarization plane of the two linearly-polarized beams output from the polarization beam splitter.

Abstract: An in-vehicle information processing device capable of efficiently processing information by extracting an event that exists outside of a travel route but can possibly reach the travel route. The in-vehicle information processing device includes a map database, a traffic information database, a vehicle position determination mechanism, a driving assist information extraction mechanism for extracting driving assist information, and a driving assist information database for storing the driving assist information. An aid information extraction mechanism includes a travel route determination mechanism for determining a vehicle travel route based on a vehicle position. The driving assist information extraction mechanism extracts the driving assist information from map information and traffic information on the travel route.

Abstract: A stopping vehicle estimating unit estimates one of a number of stopping vehicles and a length of a stopping vehicle line of different vehicles that are stopping at a traffic light along an estimated driving route ahead of the own vehicle closer to the traffic light than the own vehicle, based on a position information of a site at which a traffic light is provided, an own vehicle position, an own vehicle speed, and traffic information. A passable time zone estimating unit estimates a passable time zone during which the own vehicle is able to pass by the traffic light, based on the one of the number of stopping vehicles and the length of the stopping vehicle line that have been estimated by the stopping vehicle estimating unit, and on schedule information.

Abstract: A travel interval division part and a low fuel consumption travel pattern generation part are included, the travel interval division part dividing, based on a reference travel pattern indicating a speed and a travel time period in a case where a vehicle travels without consideration of energy consumption and based on travel route information indicating a travel route that the vehicle travels, the travel route into a plurality of travel intervals at a plurality of reference points, the low fuel consumption travel pattern generation part determining a low fuel consumption travel pattern in which a travel time period of each travel interval falls within a predetermined range of a travel time period of each travel interval of the reference travel pattern and a cumulative speed increase amount in each travel interval is smaller than that of the reference travel pattern.

Abstract: An input/output port, a birefringent element, variable polarization rotator, and a reflector are arranged along an optical axis in the order named. The variable polarization rotator includes permanent magnets for applying a fixed magnetic field to a Faraday rotator in an in-plane direction to magnetically saturate the Faraday rotator and a solenoid coil for applying a variable magnetic field to the Faraday rotator in a direction of the optical axis. A fixed magnetic field is applied in the <211> direction, in which the Faraday rotator is likely to be magnetically saturated. The Faraday rotator can be saturated with a low magnetic field of about 100 Oe. The permanent magnets may employ ferrite permanent magnets, which have weak magnetic forces. A variable magnetic field may also be reduced. Therefore, an air-core coil can be used.

Abstract: A stopping vehicle estimating unit estimates one of a number of stopping vehicles and a length of a stopping vehicle line of different vehicles that are stopping at a traffic light along an estimated driving route ahead of the own vehicle closer to the traffic light than the own vehicle, based on a position information of a site at which a traffic light is provided, an own vehicle position, an own vehicle speed, and traffic information. A passable time zone estimating unit estimates a passable time zone during which the own vehicle is able to pass by the traffic light, based on the one of the number of stopping vehicles and the length of the stopping vehicle line that have been estimated by the stopping vehicle estimating unit, and on schedule information.

Abstract: A variable optical attenuator in which a polarization beam splitter splits a beam incoming from the front into two linearly-polarized beams perpendicular to each other and separately outputs them to the back along first and second light paths. A Faraday rotator rotates a polarization plane of the two incoming linearly-polarized beams to an arbitrary angle by controlling a magnetic field to be applied to a Faraday element by a magnetism applying means and outputs them to the back. First and second analyzers arranged in the first and the second light paths and parallelly arranged perpendicular to these light paths are arranged in that order. The two analyzers have optical axes perpendicular to each other so that the optical axes are in the same direction as that of the polarization plane of the two linearly-polarized beams output from the polarization beam splitter.

Abstract: An input/output port, a birefringent element, variable polarization rotator, and a reflector are arranged along an optical axis in the order named. The variable polarization rotator includes permanent magnets for applying a fixed magnetic field to a Faraday rotator in an in-plane direction to magnetically saturate the Faraday rotator and a solenoid coil for applying a variable magnetic field to the Faraday rotator in a direction of the optical axis. A fixed magnetic field is applied in the <211> direction, in which the Faraday rotator is likely to be magnetically saturated. The Faraday rotator can be saturated with a low magnetic field of about 100 Oe. The permanent magnets may employ ferrite permanent magnets, which have weak magnetic forces. A variable magnetic field may also be reduced. Therefore, an air-core coil can be used.

Abstract: An in-vehicle information processing device capable of efficiently processing information by extracting an event that exists outside of a travel route but can possibly reach the travel route. The in-vehicle information processing device includes a map database, a traffic information database, a vehicle position determination mechanism, a driving assist information extraction mechanism for extracting driving assist information, and a driving assist information database for storing the driving assist information. An aid information extraction mechanism includes a travel route determination mechanism for determining a vehicle travel route based on a vehicle position. The driving assist information extraction mechanism extracts the driving assist information from map information and traffic information on the travel route.

Abstract: A travel interval division part and a low fuel consumption travel pattern generation part are included, the travel interval division part dividing, based on a reference travel pattern indicating a speed and a travel time period in a case where a vehicle travels without consideration of energy consumption and based on travel route information indicating a travel route that the vehicle travels, the travel route into a plurality of travel intervals at a plurality of reference points, the low fuel consumption travel pattern generation part determining a low fuel consumption travel pattern in which a travel time period of each travel interval falls within a predetermined range of a travel time period of each travel interval of the reference travel pattern and a cumulative speed increase amount in each travel interval is smaller than that of the reference travel pattern.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet of recording medium, a sheet feed tray selecting unit, a medium size selecting unit that selects a first medium size, a medium type selecting unit that selects a medium type. A determining unit determines operation of the image forming unit based on a search result of a first sheet feed tray corresponding to the first medium size selected by the medium size selecting unit, a search result of a second sheet feed tray corresponding to the medium type selected by the medium type selecting unit, a selected tray selected by the sheet feed tray selecting unit, and resetting values specified for the operation of the image forming unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet of recording medium, a sheet feed tray selecting unit, a medium size selecting unit that selects a first medium size, a medium type selecting unit that selects a medium type. A determining unit determines operation of the image forming unit based on a search result of a first sheet feed tray corresponding to the first medium size selected by the medium size selecting unit, a search result of a second sheet feed tray corresponding to the medium type selected by the medium type selecting unit, a selected tray selected by the sheet feed tray selecting unit, and resetting values specified for the operation of the image forming unit.

Abstract: A low-cost compact optical attenuator structure has an input port and an output port for optical signals arranged side by side; a reflecting member arranged to face both ports to reverse light from the input side on an optical path folded 180°; a birefringence crystal splits incident light into two polarization components, a converging lens converges the incident light, a fixed Faraday rotator having a variable rotation angle arranged in that order in the optical path. The partial reflecting member that transmits a portion of incident light to the rear side thereof, an optical sensor at the rear side of the reflecting member, optical guide means guide only the transmitted light from the input port side to the optical sensor, and optical detection signals of the optical sensor are used as optical input monitoring signals.

Abstract: A variable optical filter comprises a first polarizer, a first phase difference element operable to generate a phase difference, a variable Faraday rotator operable to impart a variable Faraday rotation, a second phase difference element operable to generate a phase difference, and a second polarizer, wherein said polarizers, said variable Faraday rotator, and said phase difference elements are arranged in the mentioned order along the optical axis, and wherein when the angles formed by the optic axes of said first and second phase difference elements and the transmitted polarization azimuth of the first polarizer are assumed respectively to be ?1 and ?2, these ?1 and ?2 are set to different angles.

Abstract: A low-cost compact optical attenuator having a simple structure is constructed from an input port and an output port for optical signals arranged side by side; a reflecting member arranged to face both of the ports to reverse light from the input side on an optical path folded 180°; a birefringence crystal which splits incident light into two polarization components, a converging lens which converges the incident light, a fixed Faraday rotator having a fixed rotation angle, and a variable Faraday rotator having a variable rotation angle arranged in that order in the optical path; wherein the reflecting member is a partial reflecting member that transmits a portion of the incident light to the rear side thereof, an optical sensor is provided at the rear side of the reflecting member, optical guide means are provided to guide only the transmitted light from the input port side to the optical sensor, and optical detection signals of the optical sensor are used as optical input monitoring signals.