Mitsubishi Cable Industries, Ltd.

Nissan Motor Company Limited

Masahiro Miura

Yoshitaka Deguchi

Atsushi Utsumi

Naoki Kojo

Takeshi Satake

Tadashi Tamasho

Yutaka Mikuriya

Tomoko Kurotobi

Motohiko Yamasaki

Manabu Murayama

Tetsurou Kamada

Toru Okubo

Koji Okawa

Homare Mizusawa

Yushi Nakahata

Noriyuki Goto

A parking assist method includes acquiring recognition information on parked vehicles existing in a parking lot; extracting two or more vehicles parked side by side from the recognition information and grouping the two or more vehicles into a set of vehicles; and when a space into which parking is possible exists between the parked vehicles included in the grouped set of vehicles, estimating the space as an available parking space. The disclosure further includes setting a pathway direction reference line extending along a pathway of the parking lot; calculating reference distances between the pathway direction reference line and the parked vehicles included in the above recognition information; and extracting the two or more vehicles from the above recognition information and grouping the two or more vehicles into the set of vehicles on the basis of the calculated reference distances.

Method and device for parking assistance

An optical fiber structure () includes an optical fiber (), and a block-like chip () joined to the optical fiber (). The block-like chip () is tapered toward its fiber-joined end.

Optical fiber structure, system for fabricating the same, and block-like chip for use therein

An automotive vehicle with a steering apparatus includes a steering wheel, front and rear steerable road wheels, and a steering mechanism for steering the front and rear steerable road wheels. The steering apparatus measures a steering wheel angle of the steering wheel; sets a desired position of a center of rotation about which the vehicle is to rotate for changing a heading angle of the vehicle with respect to a path of the vehicle; sets a desired turning behavior of the vehicle in accordance with the measured steering wheel angle and the desired position of the center of rotation; sets the desired front and rear road wheel steer angles in accordance with the desired turning behavior; and controls the steering mechanism in accordance with the desired front and rear road wheel steer angles.

Steering apparatus, automotive vehicle with the same, and steering control method

An endoscope provided with a lighting apparatus. In this lighting apparatus, a tapered fiber is applied between a lamp and a base end face of a light guide. This taper fiber is in a tapered configuration which gradually diminishes in diameter toward an end side. The lamp is a high luminance lamp of a low outgoing angle. The lamp, a battery, and the tapered fiber of the lighting apparatus are arranged unitedly on a grip portion of the endoscope.

Endoscope including an improved lighting apparatus

A pulling wire for tip articulation mechanism of endoscope is fitted with an overload preventing spring in the middle thereof. This spring is arranged to stretch upon more than a certain amount of tension. Elongation of the overload preventing spring absorbs any excessive tension which is exerted upon the pulling wire as a result of motion restriction of the endoscope. This spring is fabricated such that the material wire thereof is spirally coiled, and is simultaneously twisted so that forcing pressure is introduced in the spring in the direction in which the adjoining ring portions thereof are brought into pressure contact with one another it is subjected to tension.

Tip articulation mechanism for endoscopes

Growing community of inventors

Itami, Japan

Masahiro Miura