Abstract: An autonomous traveler 1 includes an information acquisition part 11, a map storage part 12 and a travel control part 7. The information acquisition part 11 acquires information on a traveling area. The map storage part 12 creates and stores a base map, by determining the traveling area on the basis of the information acquired by the information acquisition part 11 at a predetermined timing. The travel control part 7 controls traveling on the basis of a map stored in the map storage part 12. The travel control part 7 controls the traveling on the basis of the base map, even when a traveling obstacle stored in the base map is removed.

Abstract: A washing machine includes: a vertical axis type washing tub in which laundry and a washing liquid are housed and a washing operation including a wash step is performed; and a roller rotatably provided in an inner wall portion of the washing tub in a state that a rotation axis is vertically oriented, the roller being rotated to facilitate movement of laundry, wherein a water level of the washing liquid in the washing tub is settable in a plurality of levels ranging from a minimum water level to a maximum water level, and the roller is disposed such that an entire vertical length extends over two or more water levels among the plurality of set water levels.

Abstract: A household electrical appliance of the embodiment includes: a peripheral camera that records the periphery of a household electrical appliance main body; control means that controls operation of the peripheral camera; and human detection means that detects human presence. When human presence is detected by the human detection means, the control means activates the peripheral camera.

Abstract: A vacuum cleaner includes a main casing, a driving wheel, a camera, a distance calculation part, a self-position estimation part, a mapping part, and a controller. The driving wheel enables the main casing to travel. The camera is disposed on the main casing to capture an image in traveling direction side of the main casing. The distance calculation part calculates a distance to an object positioned in the traveling direction side based on the captured image. The self-position estimation part calculates a position of the main casing based on the captured image. The mapping part generates a map of a traveling place by using three-dimensional data based on calculation results by the distance calculation part and the self-position estimation part. The controller controls an operation of the driving wheel based on the three-dimensional data of the map generated by the mapping part, to make the main casing travel autonomously.

Abstract: In a dust station, a suction part is connected selectively to one of a first suction port and a second suction port. In a state where the first suction port is connected to the suction part, a dust-collecting control unit drives the suction part and also automatically stops the suction part after elapsing of a first specified period of time. In a state where the second suction port is connected to the suction part, the dust-collecting control unit drives the suction part, and enables stopping the suction part through specified operation and also stops the suction part automatically when the suction part is not stopped even after elapsing of a second specified period of time or longer in a state where the suction part is driven, the second specified period of time being different from the first specified period of time.

Abstract: A vacuum cleaner is provided with a cleaner main body having an electric blower and a handle. The handle is shaped such that a gravity center position of the cleaner main body remains substantially unchanged in a state in which any one region is gripped.

Abstract: A washing machine (10) including a wash tub configured by a water tub (13) and a rotary tub (14); a connecting port (21) connected to a water source; a water feeding case (40) connected to the connecting port (21) to receive water from the water source and containing a detergent storing part (42) in which a detergent is stored; a first water feeding port (41) configured to feed water flown into the water feeding case (40) into the wash tub; a minute bubble generator (22) configured to generate minute bubbles in water passing therethrough; a minute bubble water path (B) extending from the connecting port (21) and reaching into the wash tub from the first water feeding port (41) after passing through the minute bubble generator (22) and the detergent storing part (42) inside the water feeding case (40); a tap water path (A) extending from the connecting port (21) to the wash tub without passing through the minute bubble generator (22); a water supplying valve for tap water (31) provided midway of the tap water

Abstract: A home appliance control system includes at least one home appliance, a server, a scheduler, and terminal devices. The server is configured to communicate with the at least one home appliance and may be configured to control an operation of the at least one home appliance. The scheduler may be stored in the server and configured to store each of schedule information of a plurality of users. The terminal devices are configured to access the scheduler. The terminal devices are configured to send the schedule information to the scheduler. The server is configured to control the operation of the at least one home appliance based on common schedule information among the schedule information of the users stored in the scheduler.

Abstract: Provided herein a vacuum cleaner capable of effectively escaping from a situation where driving wheels are in an idling state. The vacuum cleaner includes a main casing, driving wheels, a control unit and an idling detection part. The driving wheels enable the main casing to travel. The control unit controls the driving of the driving wheels to make the main casing autonomously travel. The idling detection part detects that the driving wheels are in an idling state. In the case where the idling detection part detects that the driving wheels are in an idling state, the control unit controls the operation of the driving wheels so as to, after the operation to make the main casing retreat by a certain distance, repeat consecutively for a plurality of times the operation to make the main casing turn in a specified one direction and advance by a specified distance.

Abstract: A vacuum cleaner capable of recording an abnormality immediately upon occurrence of the abnormality. The vacuum cleaner has a main casing. The vacuum cleaner has driving wheels for enabling the main casing to travel. The vacuum cleaner has a control unit for controlling drive of the driving wheels to make the main casing autonomously travel. The control unit has a function as an abnormality sensor for detecting an abnormality. The vacuum cleaner has a camera for picking up an image. The control unit has a cleaning mode for cleaning a cleaning-object surface, an image pickup mode for performing image pickup with the camera, and a standby mode applied during a standby state. Upon detection of an abnormality during the cleaning mode, the control unit is switched over to the image pickup mode to perform image pickup with the camera.

Abstract: A washing machine includes a water tub storing water, a rotary tub arranged in the water tub, a dissolving area in which a detergent is fed and dissolved, an FB feed-water pathway which includes a fine-bubble generation apparatus allowing generation of fine bubble water and along which water fed from a feed-water source is passed through the fine-bubble generation apparatus to be fed to the dissolving area as fine bubble water, an FB feed-water valve opening and closing the FB feed-water pathway, and a control apparatus controlling opening and closing of the FB feed-water valve. The detergent and the fine bubble water are controllably brought into contact with each other to dissolve the detergent, in a washing course in which the washing machine is operated and during a period when the detergent is dissolved in feed-water.

Abstract: A refrigerator (1) is provided with an image capturing camera 18 (image capturing unit) configured to capture an image of an interior of a storage chamber (such as a refrigeration chamber 3); and a communication portion (52) (communication unit) configured to transmit image of the interior of the storage chamber captured by the image capturing camera (18) to an external device.

Abstract: A vacuum cleaner includes a main casing, driving wheels, a cleaning unit, a memory, a sensor part and a communication part, a discriminating part, and a travel control part. The memory stores map data. The sensor part and the communication part acquire the information on a plurality of cleaning areas from an outside. The discriminating part discriminates the plurality of cleaning areas from the map data stored in the memory, on the basis of the information acquired by the sensor part and the communication part. The travel control part controls the driving of the driving wheels to make the main casing autonomously travel in each of the cleaning areas discriminated by the discriminating part. The vacuum can perform smart cleaning operation appealing to a user.

Abstract: A vacuum cleaner having improved obstacle detection precision. The vacuum cleaner includes a main casing, driving wheels, control unit, cameras, an image generation part, and a discrimination part. The driving wheels enable the main casing to travel. The control unit controls drive of the driving wheels to make the main casing autonomously travel. The cameras are disposed apart from each other in the main casing to pick up images on a traveling-direction side of the main casing. The image generation part generates a distance image of an object positioned on the traveling-direction side based on the images picked up by the cameras. The discrimination part discriminates whether or not the picked-up object is an obstacle based on the distance image generated by the image generation part.

Abstract: A dust collecting device achieving higher efficiency in dust-and-dirt separation while suppressing adhesion of dust and dirt, and a vacuum cleaner equipped therewith. The dust-collecting device includes a cylindrical casing and an insertion part. The casing includes an introduction port allowing dust-containing air to be introduced inside. The insertion part is disposed inside the casing to allow swirling flow of the dust-containing air to be formed between the insertion part and an inner surface of the casing. The insertion part includes a cylindrical enlarged part, an opening part, and a wall part. The opening part is formed on a surface of the enlarged part in a side of a first centrifuge separator. The wall part projects at least at a position corresponding to an outside of the opening part, from the surface of the enlarged part in the side of the first centrifuge separator, toward the first centrifuge separator.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an image capturing system is configured so that a device for capturing images is communicable with an external device through a communication unit. The image capturing system is provided with an operating unit configured to make settings pertaining to image capturing, an image capturing device serving as the device for capturing images and being configured to produce image data by periodically capturing images based on the settings made to the operating unit and a display unit configured to produce a display output based on the image data.

Abstract: A smaller-sized vacuum cleaner capable of controlling traveling with high precision. A vacuum cleaner includes a main casing capable of traveling, a traveling/sensor type CPU configured to control traveling of the main casing, a plurality of cameras mounted on the main casing, and an image processor having the functions of an image input, image processor, self-position estimator, and map generator. The image processor acquires image data from at least two cameras out of the plurality of cameras. The image processor performs image processing to the acquired image data. The image processor estimates a self-position on the basis of the image data subjected to the image processing. The image processor generates a map of a traveling area where the main casing travels, on the basis of the image data subjected to the image processing.

Abstract: An autonomous traveling type vacuum cleaner capable of cleaning an area closely adjacent to an obstacle of a floor surface, and the control method therefor. A main body includes a front face part formed in a linear shape. A detector detects an obstacle in a traveling direction of the main body. A traveling part makes the front face part of the main body face the obstacle and makes the main body travel to the obstacle, on the basis of the result detected by the detector. A cleaning unit, which is disposed on a front portion of the main body, cleans a cleaning-object surface in the state where the traveling part has made the main body travel to the obstacle.

Abstract: A dust-collecting device includes a cylindrical casing and an insertion part. The casing includes an introduction port introducing dust-containing air. The insertion part is positioned inside the casing to allow a swirling flow of the dust-containing air to be formed between the insertion part and the casing. The insertion part includes a cylindrical side surface part spaced away from and facing the casing and a projection part. The projection part includes, in a side of the first dust-collecting part, a projection surface projecting outward from the side surface part. The projection surface includes plural straightening parts and a connection part. The straightening parts are formed spirally toward the side of the first dust-collecting part, from upstream to downstream sides of the swirling flow. The connection part connects a downstream end side of one of the straightening parts and an upstream end side of another one of the straightening parts.

Abstract: A liquid electromagnetic valve includes an inlet connected to an external liquid source; an outlet discharging liquid entering from the inlet; a flow path forming member having a flow path connecting the inlet and the outlet formed thereto; an opening-closing member capable of opening and closing the flow path; a drive portion opening and closing the opening-closing member based on a control performed by an external element; and a minute bubble generator provided in the flow path and having plural narrowing portions for adding minute bubbles to a liquid passing through the flow path by narrowing the flow path in plural stages.