Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.

Kenichi Okumura

Ryota Tomizawa

Taizo Masuda

Tatsuya Sugano

Satoshi Nakamura

Yushi Seki

Naotoshi Kadotani

Makoto Kawaharada

Tomonori Nagashima

Kiyoto Sasaki

Atsuki Yoshimura

Miki Nomoto

Yuka Nishiyama

Tokuhiro Masui

Tatsuya Miyoshi

Seigen Maeno

Tatsuya Hasegawa

In an apparatus producing hydrogen gas by a decomposition reaction of water using a photocatalyst, the water is warmed with waste heat of a light source for improving the production efficiency of hydrogen gas. The hydrogen gas producing apparatuscomprises a container portion receiving water; a photocatalyst body, dispersed or placed in the water, having a photocatalyst material to generate excited electrons and electron holes by irradiation of light, causing the decomposition reaction of water which decomposes water into hydrogen and oxygen to generate hydrogen gas; a light source emitting the light to be irradiated to the photocatalyst body; and a housing carrying the light source; wherein the housing is placed in the water, which is warmed by the waste heat of the light source discharged from the housing surface which is coated with a photocatalyst material.

Hydrogen gas producing apparatus using a photocatalyst

A method for managing a souvenir supply service is provided. The method includes the step of acquiring map information and information on a sightseeing plan of a user using the souvenir supply service. The information on the sightseeing plan comprises positional information on a sightseeing spot visited by the user and information on a time zone during which the user visits the sightseeing spot. The method also includes the step of sending a mobile vehicle loaded with a souvenir associated with the sightseeing spot to the sightseeing spot in the time zone during which the user visits the sightseeing spot based on the map information and the sightseeing plan information.

Method, system and computer-readable medium for managing souvenir supply service

The sightseeing plan provision system includes a communication terminal and a server. The communication terminal is operated by a user who is traveling for purposes other than tourism. The server includes a processor and a storage device, and presents a sightseeing plan to the user. The processor automatically generates a new sightseeing plan based on the travel route planning information so as to include a desired stop-by spot of the user in response to a request of the user operating the communication terminal. Then, the processor registers the generated new sightseeing plan in the database of the storage device.

Sightseeing plan provision system and sightseeing plan provision method

A vehicle control device includes a first prediction unit that predicts a reaching time for a vehicle to reach a cross point in front of the vehicle in a case where a pedestrian who crosses the cross point is detected based on information transmitted from a wearable device attached to the pedestrian, a second prediction unit that predicts a crossing time for the pedestrian to complete crossing the cross point based on information for specifying a walking speed acquired from the wearable device, an estimation unit that estimates whether or not the pedestrian is able to safely cross the cross point based on the predicted reaching time and the predicted crossing time, and an execution controller that executes a safe driving assistance control with respect to the vehicle in a case where the estimation unit estimates that the pedestrian is not able to safely cross the cross point.

Driving assistance device utilizing pedestrian-wearable device data for calculating pedestrian position within a road crossing

A household service matching system built on a communication network, includes: a request disclosing unit configured to disclose on the communication network, a request transmitted from a terminal apparatus related to a client who wishes to entrust household service; an acceptance receiving unit configured to receive an acceptance transmitted from a terminal apparatus related to a consignment applicant in response to the request; a determination unit configured to determine a formal consignee from consignment applicants related to the terminal apparatuses having transmitted the acceptance; a vehicle dispatching unit configured to dispatch a vehicle for picking up the formal consignee to a designated position designated by the formal consignee; and a vehicle control unit configured to control the vehicle such that the vehicle that carries the formal consignee arrives at the client's address.

Household service matching system

In an apparatus producing hydrogen gas by the decomposition reaction of water using photocatalyst, its miniaturization is achieved while suppressing the decrease of production efficiency of hydrogen gas as low as possible or improving the efficiency. The apparatuscomprises a container portionreceiving water W; a photocatalyst memberimmersed in the water, having photocatalyst which generates excited electrons and positive holes when irradiated with light, causes a decomposition reaction of the water and generates hydrogen gas; a light sourceemitting the light irradiated to the photocatalyst member; and a heat exchange deviceconducting waste heat of the light source to the water in the container portion; wherein the water to be decomposed on the photocatalyst member in the container portion is warmed by the waste heat of the light source by the heat exchange device.

Hydrogen gas producing apparatus using photocatalyst

A photoelectric conversion device includes: a fluorescent light guide plate that has a plate-shaped structure in which fluorescent substances that absorb sunlight and emit fluorescent light are dispersed and which is formed of a material having a refractive index different from a refractive index of an outside, the fluorescent light emitted from the fluorescent substances being concentrated onto an edge surface to be emitted when the sunlight is incident; a first photoelectric cell configured to generate power by being irradiated with the sunlight; a lens layer configured such that light incident from an outer surface is concentrated onto the first photoelectric cell; a second photoelectric cell configured to generate power by being irradiated with the fluorescent light emitted from the edge surface of the fluorescent light guide plate; and power output units configured to extract power obtained in the photoelectric cells.

Photoelectric conversion device for solar photovoltaic generation

A control device which performs at least MPPT control of output of a solar cell mounted in a vehicle includes a determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is in a travelling state or a stationary state. Different methods are applied when the vehicle is determined to be in the travelling state and in the stationary state respectively.

Control device for in-vehicle solar cell

An onboard charging system in which a main battery () is charged with generated power by a solar cell () after the generated power is stepped up in a voltage by a step-up converter () includes a step-up ratio calculating portion () configured to calculate a step-up ratio when stepping up the voltage with the step-up converter (). The auxiliary battery () is set as a charging target battery if it is determined that the calculated step-up ratio is equal to or greater than the determination threshold value, and the main battery () is set as the charging target battery if it is not determined that the calculated step-up ratio is equal to or greater than the determination threshold value.

Onboard charging system and control method thereof

In a back-surface electrode type photoelectric conversion element having electrodes and semiconductor layers for collecting carriers disposed only on a back surface side of a semiconductor substrate, a semiconductor thin film that is larger in band gap than the semiconductor substrate and that contains an element causing a conductivity identical to or different from a conductivity of the semiconductor substrate is provided on a light-receiving surface side of the semiconductor substrate, and a diffusion layer is formed on a surface of the semiconductor substrate. Alternatively, 95% or more of light beams having a wavelength of anywhere from 800 nm to 2000 nm are caused to penetrate the light-receiving surface side of the semiconductor substrate, and an insulative thin film containing an element causing a conductivity identical to or different from the conductivity of the semiconductor substrate is provided so as to form a diffusion layer on the surface of the semiconductor substrate through diffusion of the element.

Growing community of inventors

Susono, Japan

Kenichi Okumura