1. A motor vehicle, comprising:
a driver’s seat contained in a cabin that accommodates in width only one person, said cabin being mounted on an inclinable chassis comprising a driver protection structure,
balancing means connected to said chassis for balancing the vehicle when cornering or when on a ground sloping relative to a horizontal direction, by simultaneous inclination of said chassis and of at least front wheels of said vehicle relative to the ground, said balancing means allowing said chassis and wheels to incline at an angle of inclination having a value different from an ideal inclination angle value, such that a resultant of forces as applied to the a center of gravity of said chassis passes between said wheels while maintaining vehicle balance,
means for locking said inclination when the vehicle is at rest or moving at reduced speed,
and means for limiting said inclination to a maximum value such that, on horizontal ground and at said maximum inclination, the vehicle at rest does not roll over.
2. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said balancing means comprise a servomechanism controlling said inclination of said chassis and wheels.
3. A vehicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein said servomechanism forms further said means for locking said inclination.
4. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, in which said balancing means comprise means for varying, as a function of a speed of the vehicle, a force magnitude which the driver has to exert to bring about said inclination, said function being such that at low speeds the force is greater than at high speeds.
5. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said balancing means comprise a cam pivoted at one end to said chassis, and two damper springs, each having one end attached on one or other side of said chassis to one of axle arms while the other ends of said two damper springs are pivoted directly to the cam.
6. A vehicle as claimed in claim 5, wherein said springs are attached to either of said axle arms close to the respective wheel and pivoted to the cam in such a way that an axis of each of said damper springs is retained along a vertical direction.
7. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said balancing means comprise means for detecting a residual transverse acceleration to which the vehicle is subject and means for locking said inclination of said chassis as a function of said residual transverse acceleration in a direction of said residual transverse acceleration.
8. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inclination limiting means comprise means for varying said maximum inclination as a function of a speed of the vehicle in such a way that at low speeds said maximum inclination is less than at high speeds.
9. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, further comprising righting means for righting the vehicle if it is not in a vertical position.
10. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means available to the driver for releasing on demand said inclination-locking means, thereby enabling the vehicle to be restored to a vertical position at rest.
11. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, as equipped with at least one sliding door occupying less space around the vehicle when opened, avoiding the risk of vehicle roll-over.
12. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cabin comprises a front seat and a rear seat, one placed behind the other, to accommodate a driver in front and a passenger behind, each of the two seats having a horizontal squab and a seat back, and wherein the back of the driver’s seat pivots about an axis so that it can be placed against a body to enable said passenger to enter said rear seat.
13. A vehicle as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a front seat and a rear seat, one placed behind the other, to accommodate a driver in front and a passenger behind, each of the two seats having a horizontal squab and a seat back, wherein the back of the rear seat can be moved translationally and placed against the back of the front seat if the passenger is not present, in order to free up more storage space in a rear of the vehicle.
14. A vehicle according to claim 13, wherein the back of the rear seat is advantageously fitted with a tray hinged to the rear of the seat back between a position in which it forms a floor for a luggage space covering said horizontal squab of the rear seat when the back of said rear seat is placed against the back of said front seat, and a position in which said tray is placed against the back of the seat back.
15. A motor vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said balancing means allows for inclination angles of said chassis and wheels that are less than said ideal inclination angle value.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A solid-state imaging apparatus, comprising:
a charge accumulation unit configured to accumulate photoelectrically converted charges, the charge accumulation unit being formed on a silicon substrate;
a signal voltage detection unit configured to detect signal voltage corresponding to the charges accumulated in the charge accumulation unit, the signal voltage detection unit being formed on the silicon substrate;
a transfer transistor configured to transfer the charges accumulated in the charge accumulation unit to the signal voltage detection unit, the transfer transistor being formed on the silicon substrate; and
a pinning layer configured to pin a surface of the silicon substrate so that the surface is filled with electron holes, the pinning layer being formed directly on the silicon substrate at a gate end at which a gate electrode of the transfer transistor and the charge accumulation unit come into contact with each other on the silicon substrate.
2. The solid-state imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the charge accumulation unit is formed by having
an n-type semiconductor area formed in the silicon substrate so as to have a first depth, and
a p-type semiconductor area formed in the silicon substrate so as to have a second depth, the second depth being closer to the gate electrode than the first depth.
3. The solid-state imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein
the n-type semiconductor area is formed by injecting an n-type impurity ion on the silicon substrate, and
the p-type semiconductor area is formed of the pinning layer.
4. The solid-state imaging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein
the n-type impurity ion is injected on the silicon substrate after the gate electrode is formed on the silicon substrate.
5. The solid-state imaging apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising
a side wall that covers the gate electrode, wherein
the p-type semiconductor area is formed by injecting an n-type impurity ion on the silicon substrate after the side wall is formed on the silicon substrate.
6. The solid-state imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the pinning layer includes one of a hafnium (Hf)-based insulating film and an aluminum (Al)-based insulating film.
7. The solid-state imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the pinning layer is formed directly on the silicon substrate at the gate end and on a side surface of the gate electrode.
8. The solid-state imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising
a side wall that covers the gate electrode, wherein
the pinning layer is formed directly on the silicon substrate and on a side surface of the gate electrode, under the side wall having the gate end.
9. An electronic apparatus, comprising
a solid-state imaging apparatus, including
a charge accumulation unit configured to accumulate photoelectrically converted charges, the charge accumulation unit being formed on a silicon substrate;
a signal voltage detection unit configured to detect signal voltage corresponding to the charges accumulated in the charge accumulation unit, the signal voltage detection unit being formed on the silicon substrate;
a transfer transistor configured to transfer the charges accumulated in the charge accumulation unit to the signal voltage detection unit, the transfer transistor being formed on the silicon substrate; and
a pinning layer configured to pin a surface of the silicon substrate so that the surface is filled with electron holes, the pinning layer being formed directly on the silicon substrate at a gate end at which a gate electrode of the transfer transistor and the charge accumulation unit come into contact with each other on the silicon substrate.