Toyota

About: Toyota is a company organization based out in Safenwil, Switzerland. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Internal combustion engine & Battery (electricity). The organization has 40032 authors who have published 55003 publications receiving 735317 citations. The organization is also known as: Toyota Motor Corporation & Toyota Jidosha KK.

Novel strategy for three-dimensional real-time imaging of microbial fuel cell communities: monitoring the inhibitory effects of proton accumulation within the anode biofilm

Abstract: Harvesting electricity from the environment, organic wastes, or renewable biomass with microbial fuel cells (MFCs) is an appealing strategy, but the destructive sampling required to investigate the anode-associated biofilms has hampered research designed to better understand and optimize microbe–anode interactions. Therefore, a MFC that permits real-time imaging of the anode biofilm with confocal scanning laser microscopy was developed. In this new MFC Geobacter sulfurreducens, an organism closely related to those often found on MFC anodes and capable of high current densities, produced current comparable to that previously reported with other MFC designs. G. sulfurreducens engineered to produce the fluorescent protein mcherry to facilitate real-time imaging produced current comparable to wild-type cells. Introducing C-SNARF-4, a pH-sensitive fluoroprobe, into the anode chamber revealed strong pH gradients within the anode biofilms. The pH decreased with increased proximity to the anode surface and from the exterior to the interior of biofilm pillars. Near the anode surface pH levels were as low as 6.1 compared to ca. 7 in the external medium. Various controls demonstrated that the proton accumulation was associated with current production. Dropping the pH of culture medium from 7 to 6 severely limited the growth of G. sulfurreducens. These results demonstrate that it is feasible to non-destructively monitor the activity of anode biofilms in real time and suggest that the accumulation of protons that are released from organic matter oxidation within anode biofilms can limit current production.

Parking assisting device

Abstract: When a vehicle advances in parallel with a parking frame to reach an initial stop position, measurement of a distance to a parked vehicle is continuously performed by means of an ultrasonic sensor and a moving distance of the vehicle is simultaneously calculated using a signal from a wheel speed sensor. When actuating an in-line mode switch under a state where the vehicle stops in the initial stop position, a turning angle is calculated so as to enable appropriate in-line parking to the parking frame from an actual initial stop position, based on a deviation of the vehicle from a reference position for the initial stop measured by the ultrasonic sensor. Information on a driving operation that is necessary for back parking is provided to a driver via a speaker based on this turning angle and output from a yaw rate sensor.

Magnetroviscoelastic behavior of composite gels

Abstract: Dynamic viscoelasticity of silicone gels having many lines of dispersed iron particles under the influence of external magnetic fields was studied. The particulate composite enhanced its elastic modulus by action of magnetic fields. The magnetroviscoelastic behavior was caused by the cohesive forces between magnetically polarized particles and was analyzed using a simple model of induced dipole-induced dipole interactions. The presented results provide insight into the relationship between macroscopic viscoelastic behavior of the composite gels and the microscopic bondings between dispersed particles. © 1995 John Wiley & sons, Inc.

Navigation system to be mounted on vehicles

Abstract: A navigation system to be mounted on a vehicle for carrying out a route search and displaying the searched route. Traffic jam information and the like are obtained by an beacon receiver and an input part inputs time as a driving condition. An ECU executes a predetermined calculation based on map data of a CD-ROM and traffic jam data and to obtain a range and routes reachable within the input time and to display the same. In case of residual fuel as a condition, the reachable range by this fuel is displayed. A display of gasoline stands as information for expanding reachability is also executed. Hence, a driver can plan a driving based on these information. Also, a reachable range within 2 hours is displayed and the use of railways is guided when the driver cannot reach the destination within a predetermined time.