Abstract: A moving image reproducing apparatus for reproducing a moving image recorded on an optical disk includes a storage unit which stores a reproduction permissible level set with respect to a parental level and stores a reference level, a moving image reproducing unit which restricts reproduction of the moving image based on the reproduction permissible level, and a control unit which changes the reproduction permissible level. Preferably, when the reproduction permissible level is instructed to change to a level with restriction easier than the reference level and easier than the present reproduction permissible level, or when the reference level is instructed to change, the control unit requests to input a password, and when a particular input is done with respect to a body, the control unit changes the reproduction permissible level to a level with the hardest restriction.

Abstract: In a self-propelled cleaner 10, after distance data from an ultrasonic ranging-sensor 31 is obtained, a judgment is made as to whether the distance data is below an approaching limit value. If the distance data is below the approaching limit value, travel of a body is stopped. If the distance data is not the approaching limit value, distance data from light ranging-sensors 32R, 32L are obtained. If distance data is below the approaching limit value, and the travel of the body is stopped, so that even if a target is a target which can not be subjected to precise ranging by the ultrasonic ranging-sensor only, it can be subjected to the precise ranging by using the light ranging-sensors. Thus it is possible to increase the number of targets capable of being subjected to the precise ranging and prevent the body from colliding against the obstacle.

Abstract: The automatic cleaning system according to the present invention comprises a radio wave generating device 70, a radio wave receiver antenna 61 for receiving a radio wave transmitted from the radio wave generating device 70, and a radio wave-strength measuring circuit 62 for measuring strength of the radio wave received by the radio wave receiver antenna 61. When radio wave-strength measured by the radio wave-strength measuring circuit 62 exceeds a predetermined threshold level, the number of revolutions of drive wheel motors 42R, 42L, a main brush motor 52, a side brush motor 58 and a suction motor 55 which are provided at a body BD of the self-propelled cleaner 10 are reduced, and loudness of a speaker 29b is reduced.

Abstract: A self-advancing cleaner is provided with a bumper, a damper made of a resin arranged at a space at which a rotating brush and a projected corner portion on an upper side of the rotating brush are opposed, and a resin hinge portion for connecting an end portion of the bumper and the damper and displacing the damper in an inner and outer direction. A sensor element for detecting a hazard is provided at the bumper. The bumper may be attached to a cabinet by loosely fitting an opening portion of a supporting member to a round shaft. A switch is provided on the side of the cabinet in correspondence with operating portion of the bumper. The operating portions selectively switch electricity conducting of the switch when the bumper is pivoted to left and right sides of the neutral position.

Abstract: In a spin-up process in a disk drive, the values of a PMA counter and a TOC counter are compared with each other with respect to a write-once disk. The PM counter is a adapted to count the number of disks in which information is written in a PMA region, among the disks from which information is theretofore read in the disk drive. The TOC counter is adapted to count the number of disks in which information is not written in the PMA region.

Abstract: Disclosed is a self-propelled cleaner making it possible to reduce a cost by decreasing the number of components through multipurpose use of one sensor. When ultrasonic sensors sense a forward wall, the direction of movement in which a body is moved is corrected based on the distances to the wall measured by two ultrasonic sensors so that the direction of movement will be perpendicular to the wall. Thereafter, an azimuth indicated by a gyro-sensor is reset with a direction perpendicular to the wall regarded as a reference direction. The ultrasonic sensors designed to prevent collision with the forward wall may be used as sensors for compensating an error caused by the gyro-sensor. Consequently, the number of components is decreased, and a cost of manufacture is reduced.

Abstract: A suspension mechanism includes: a drive unit that includes the drive wheel, a drive source for rotating the drive wheel, and a transmission mechanism that transmits a driving force of the drive source to the drive wheel, being integrally provided with each other; a supporting member that supports the drive unit and is fixedly mounted on the cleaner main body; a biasing member that biases the drive unit towards a traveling surface of the self-propelled cleaner; a first and a second linking members that connects the drive unit to the supporting member at two different points, respectively.

Abstract: A self-running cleaner that can be operated longer at reduced cost includes a cleaning unit for suction of dust and dirt, a storage battery supplying power consumed by the cleaning unit, a solar cell recharging the storage battery, a camera detecting illuminance of a plurality of sites, a running unit for travel, and a control unit controlling the running unit so as to move, based on the illuminance detected by the camera, to a site where illuminance is highest among the sites where illuminance is detected by the camera.

Abstract: There are robots that make an emotional expression with light and sound but they are very typical and lack something that attract the user. According to the present invention, in a self-propelled cleaner, after selection of the type of emotion at step S404, an operation step sequence appropriate to the selected type of emotion is chosen at steps S406 to S410 where steps S412 to S416 are carried out for joy, S418 to S422 for anger, S424 to S428 for sadness, and S430 to S434 for delight. At steps S414, S420, S428 and S432, the pattern of power supply to the suction motor is determined to vary the suction sound pattern according to the selected type of emotion to express an emotion.

Abstract: A conventional gas leak alarm system is installed in a fixed place of a kitchen or similar space and just generates an alarm sound. Therefore, only a person which is at home can hear an alarm sound which it generates and even a person at home may not be able to hear it if he/she is away from it. According to this invention, after movement to a standby position at step S440, a system judges whether there is a gas leak, according to the result of detection by a gas sensor. If there is a gas leak, it transmits a text mail to notify a predetermined destination (person) of occurrence of a gas leak and calculates a travel route to a specified first alarm position at steps S452 and S454; after movement along the travel route to the alarm position at step S456, an alarm sounder generates an alarm sound at step S458. After a preset time period, it moves to a specified second alarm position by taking a similar procedure at steps S462 to 466 and continues to generate an alarm sound.

Abstract: While a receiver 6 receives radio wave of a predetermined frequency transmitted from a transmitter 11, a self-propelling cleaner 1 operates a main body in a silent mode and sets the propelling speed of the main body to a low speed lower than a normal speed irrespective whether the selected operation mode is a normal mode or the silent mode, so that noise generated from the main body can be reduced. Thus, so long as a user merely places the transmitter 11 nearby, noise generated from the main body can be reduced when the self-propelling cleaner 1 approaches the user, so that the user's action taken at this time can not be interfered by noise generated from the self-propelling cleaner 1.

Abstract: A side wall 51 provided with a coupling hole 50 coupled to the dust transporting pipe 6 of a dust chamber 5 is configured in a sloped shape so as to have a predetermined angle ? with respect to the bottom surface of the dust chamber. A photo detector 14 having a light receiving surface along the surface 51 is disposed near the coupling hole 50 of the side wall 51. A photo diode 15 for irradiating light toward the photo detector 14 is disposed on the upper surface of the dust chamber 5. When dust is filled within the dust chamber 5, since dust is accumulated on the photo detector 14, the photo detector 14 does not outputs a light detection signal.

Abstract: In a dust transporting pipe 6, a microphone 20 is installed in a predetermined position. An output signal of the microphone 20, that is, a voltage signal of amplitude according to sound volume of the inside of the dust transporting pipe 6 picked is inputted to a controller 10. Initial amplitude according to sound volume of the inside of the dust transporting pipe 6 in the case of sucking dust in a state in which there is no dust inside a dust chamber 5 at all and the amount of change in amplitude indicating what amount amplitude changes from the initial amplitude in the case that the dust chamber 5 becomes full of dust are previously stored in the controller 10.

Abstract: An acceleration sensor is disposed on the center line of a main body to sense and output to a determination processing unit the acceleration component in three axial directions orthogonal to each other. The determination processing unit has a predetermined threshold value set for the acceleration in the z axis direction to determine the overturning possibility of the main body by the tilt angle of the main body exceeding a certain critical angle when falling short of the threshold value. The determination processing unit controls the travel steering unit so as to effect an obviation operation (for example, moving back the main body a predetermined distance and rotating the main body) to decrease the tilt angle of the main body, i.e. to increase the acceleration in the z axis directions. Thus, the main body is prevented from turning over.

Abstract: It is determined whether a sensor band reacts and, if the sensor band reacts, it is determined whether the sensor band continues to react for a predetermined period of time. If the sensor band continues to react for the predetermined period of time in the previous step, it is determined that sucking is dangerous because an object is considered as an object that may possibly obstruct a cleaning work, for example, a long object such as a cord-shaped object. In accordance therewith, a control unit gives a command for stoppage of the sucking of a suction unit, whereby decrease of the sucking power by entanglement with a long object such as a cord-shaped object can be prevented, and the cleaning work can be carried out efficiently and safely.

Abstract: When an object collides with a main body 1 during a cleaning and propelling operation, an acceleration sensor 11 obtains acceleration information according to the movement of the main body 1 due to the collision unlike the normal cleaning and propelling operation state. The control unit 10 detects based on the acceleration information that the main body 1 has collided with the object and controls motors 8 to rotate the main body 1 at that position by one revolution. A non-contact type sensor 12 detects the peripheral state of the main body and supplies the detected information to the control unit 10. When the control unit 10 determines based on the detected information that there is a new obstacle, the control unit reflects the obstacle on mapping data stored in a memory 13 and corrects a propelling route so as to avoid the obstacle.

Abstract: A self-propelled vacuum cleaner having right and left side brushes for directing dust on a floor surface toward the inside of the bottom of the cleaner body. The right side brush rotates in a counterclockwise direction as viewed from top on a rotary shaft, which is tilted so that the lower end is located toward the right of and the rear of the cleaner body as compared with the upper end. The left side brush rotates in a clockwise direction as viewed from top on a rotary shaft, which is tilted so that the lower end is located toward the left of and the rear of the cleaner body as compared with the upper end. The tilted rotary shafts can prevent the outer portions of the side brushes at their rear portions from contacting a floor surface, thereby preventing dust collected by the front portions of the side brushes from being scattered to the outside of the cleaner body by the rear portions of the brushes.

Abstract: A passive sensor is provided in a forward direction of a main body of a self-traveling vacuum cleaner. The passive sensor receives a reflected light of an external light of a target object at a length within a certain length range at a predetermined angle of visibility, and measures the length to a target object based on a phase difference of the received reflected light of the target object. The passive sensor includes a predetermined detectable length, and also includes an obstacle detection range of a predetermined area relative to the forward direction. The passive sensor has a long detectable length and an extremely wide angle of visibility, as compared with an active sensor. It is, therefore, possible to ensure a wider obstacle detection range than the active sensor, using the single passive sensor.

Abstract: An autonomous vacuum cleaner comprises: obstacle detection sensors; moving means; a cleaning means including a power brush, a suction fan and a nozzle for sucking up dust on a floor surface; floor surface sensors each comprising a passive-type CMOS line sensor to receive light from the floor surface for detecting floor surface conditions. It performs cleaning while autonomously moving. Based on received light signals of the floor surface sensors, distance distributions to floor surface areas within the viewing angle of each sensor are derived. Detection of a step on the floor surface and identification of the material of the floor surface (polished floorboard, tatami or carpet) are performed by analyzing spatial frequency in the distance distribution. Based on the identification, cleaning conditions including at least the moving speed, the dust suction force of the suction fan or the brushing strength of the power brush are changed.