Abstract: A server for enabling automatic determination of the lending type for a vehicle returned from a user in a vehicle lending service for lending out a vehicle to the user includes first calculation means for calculating, based on information (revenues and expenses) corresponding to a state value of a battery, a subscription profit to be gained when the returned vehicle is lent out for subscription and a share profit to be gained when the returned vehicle is lent out for car share. The server also includes determination means for determining the subscription or the car share as the lending type for the returned vehicle based on the subscription profit and the share profit that have been calculated.

Abstract: A method for controlling a comfort component of a vehicle includes setting a comfort component, while a passenger is occupying the vehicle, to an active state to adjust a temperature within the vehicle to a passenger desired temperature based on receiving an input from the passenger. The method further includes maintaining, after the passenger exited the vehicle, the comfort component in an active state based on a likelihood of the passenger returning to the vehicle satisfying an active state condition. The method still further includes capturing, after the passenger exited the vehicle, an image of a person approaching the vehicle via one or more sensors of the vehicle. The method also includes adjusting the comfort component from the active state to a default state based on an identity of the person being different from an identity of the passenger, the identity of the person being determined based on the image.

Abstract: Provided is a highly convenient vehicle lending service. Included are first reception means (111) for receiving registration of a subscription member, second reception means (112) for receiving registration of a car share member, storage means (120) for storing registration information that sets a user as the subscription member based on the reception performed by the first reception means (111) and storing registration information that sets the user as the car share member based on the reception performed by the second reception means (112), and payment means (170) for executing payment processing for a usage fee for subscription and executing payment processing for a usage fee for car share. The storage means (120) is allowed to store, based on the reception performed by the first reception means (111), registration information that sets the user as the car share member while setting the user as the subscription member.

Abstract: An image processing device includes an image processing unit that specifies a target pixel area including a target subject from an image to be processed and performs image processing using the specified target pixel area.

Abstract: A control device for a vehicle comprises: a communication section configured to receive first information from a sensor installed at a tire, and receive second information from a sensor installed at a vehicle body; and a controller configured to estimate a wheel load from the first information, estimate a vehicle weight from the second information, and control the vehicle based on one of the wheel load and the vehicle weight.

Abstract: A tire state monitoring system comprises an acquisition device and a control device. The acquisition device is configured to repeatedly acquire a pressure and temperature inside a tire. The control device is configured to: calculate, based on ratios between the pressure and temperature acquired in a first period, a representative value of the ratios in the first period; and compare a ratio between the pressure and temperature acquired in a second period after the first period with the representative value, to determine whether the pressure inside the tire has dropped.

Abstract: A tire air pressure monitoring system includes: a data acquisition unit that acquires tire air pressure data at each fixed detection period; a storage unit that stores newly acquired air pressure data P(0), and air pressure data P(1) to P(N) acquired 1 to N periods prior to the air pressure data P(0); a determination unit that determines a state in which air pressure has decreased, on the basis of air pressure data; and a communication unit that transmits a determination result of the determination unit to an external device, in which the determination unit compares each piece of the air pressure data P(1) to P(n) with the air pressure data P(0) to calculate decrease values, compares the decrease values with a preset first threshold value (th1), and determines that tire air pressure is decreasing when at least one decrease value is greater than or equal to the first threshold value.

Abstract: A vacuum cleaner includes a primary dust container that includes a container body, the container body delineating a dust collecting chamber that accumulates dust sucked into the vacuum cleaner and including a waste outlet that discharges the dust accumulated in the dust collecting chamber, the primary dust container also including a waste-outlet lid that opens and closes the waste outlet. A station includes a secondary dust container that accumulates the dust discharged from the primary dust container, and a driving source that generates opening driving force and closing driving force for the waste outlet. The electric vacuum cleaner generates a driving force for opening and closing an air passage connecting a primary dust container and a secondary dust container, without impairing convenience of a vacuum cleaner.

Abstract: A vacuum cleaner includes a primary dust container that includes a container body, the container body delineating a dust collecting chamber that accumulates dust sucked into the vacuum cleaner and including a waste outlet that discharges the dust accumulated in the dust collecting chamber, the primary dust container also including a waste-outlet lid that opens and closes the waste outlet. A station includes a secondary dust container that accumulates the dust discharged from the primary dust container, and a driving source that generates opening driving force and closing driving force for the waste outlet. The electric vacuum cleaner generates a driving force for opening and closing an air passage connecting a primary dust container and a secondary dust container, without impairing convenience of a vacuum cleaner.

Abstract: An electric vacuum cleaning apparatus that offers a high degree of convenience is provided that is capable of easily switching between a function that empties dust from an electric vacuum cleaner by moving dust collected by the cleaner to a station and accumulating the dust at the station, and a function that accumulates dust that is swept up together after quickly performing localized cleaning using an cleaning implement other than the cleaner at the station.

Abstract: A vacuum cleaner includes a main casing, driving wheels, side brushes, an obstacle sensor, and a controller. The driving wheels enable the main casing to travel. The side brushes are reciprocatively movable in both a direction of protruding from an outer frame of the main casing and its opposite direction, enabling cleaning of dust and dirt located outside the outer frame of the main casing. The obstacle sensor detects an obstacle by detecting a movement of the side brush in the opposite direction due to its contact with the obstacle. The controller controls drive of the driving wheels based on detection of an obstacle by the obstacle sensor to make the main casing autonomously travel. The vacuum cleaner can detect an obstacle at a position of a side brush while securely cleaning dust and dirt located outside an outer frame of a main casing by the side brush.

Abstract: A vacuum cleaner capable of ensuring communication between a suction port and a dust collecting unit even in a state that a body portion of a cleaning unit has pivoted along an up/down direction relative to a main casing. The body portion is provided on the main casing to be pivotable along the up/down direction. A sliding-contact surface portion is provided in the body portion and curved along a pivoting direction of the body portion. A curved surface portion is provided in the communicating section body and curved along the pivoting direction of the body portion to be brought into sliding contact with the sliding-contact surface portion by pivoting motion of the body portion. A communicating opening is opened in the curved surface portion to communicate with the dust collecting unit.

Abstract: A vacuum cleaner includes link mechanisms that connect a bumper to be movable in a relatively horizontal direction with respect to a case main body. A coil spring energizes the bumper in a direction separated from the case main body. Obstacle sensors are arranged at positions facing the bumper in the case main body, and detect an obstacle by detecting movement of the bumper, due to contact with the obstacle, in at least one of a direction opposite to an energizing direction of the coil spring and a direction crossing such a direction. A controller controls the drive of a driving wheel based on detection of the obstacle by the obstacle sensor to allow the main body case to travel autonomously. The vacuum cleaner can detect an obstacle brought into contact with the bumper in a wide range with a simple configuration.

Abstract: An electric vacuum cleaner includes a main body case, driving wheels, and a cleaning portion. The main body case includes an electric blower, and a dust collecting portion communicating with a suction side of the electric blower. The driving wheels allow the main body case to travel on the surface to be cleaned. The cleaning portion includes a main body portion, the suction port, and wheels. The main body portion with a bottom surface portion facing the surface to be cleaned is located in a lower portion of the main body case and can move up and down. The suction port is provided on the bottom surface portion and communicates with the dust collecting portion. The wheels protrude downward from the bottom surface portion to contact the surface to be cleaned, thereby causing the main body portion to move up and down to trace the surface to be cleaned.

Abstract: An electric vacuum cleaning apparatus including an autonomous robotic vacuum cleaner that autonomously moves between surfaces to be cleaned and collects dust and a station fluidly connectable to the autonomous robotic vacuum cleaner. The autonomous robotic vacuum cleaner includes: a container body accumulating collected dust, the container body including: a bottom wall including a disposal port; and a disposal lid opening and closing the disposal port. The station unit includes: a dust transfer pipe connected to the disposal port; a secondary dust container accumulating dust; and a secondary electric blower that generates negative suction pressure in the dust transfer pipe via the secondary dust container. At least one irregularly shaped ventilation groove that causes air to flow below the dust within the container body by the negative pressure generated by the secondary electric blower is provided to the inner surface of the bottom wall of the container body.

Abstract: An electric vacuum cleaning apparatus including an autonomous robotic vacuum cleaner that autonomously moves between surfaces to be cleaned and collects dust and a station fluidly connectable to the autonomous robotic vacuum cleaner. The autonomous robotic vacuum cleaner includes: a container body accumulating collected dust, the container body including: a bottom wall including a disposal port; and a disposal lid opening and closing the disposal port. The station unit includes: a dust transfer pipe connected to the disposal port; a secondary dust container accumulating dust; and a secondary electric blower that generates negative suction pressure in the dust transfer pipe via the secondary dust container. At least one irregularly shaped ventilation groove that causes air to flow below the dust within the container body by the negative pressure generated by the secondary electric blower is provided to the inner surface of the bottom wall of the container body.

Abstract: An electric cleaning apparatus, which comprises an autonomous cleaning unit which moves autonomously over a surface to be cleaned and collects dust, and a station unit which has a charging electrode for the autonomous cleaning unit, wherein the autonomous cleaning unit includes a first body case having a first inlet, a secondary battery which accumulates electric power supplied from the charging electrode, a first dust collecting container which accumulates dust sucked from the first inlet, and an electric blower which is driven by electric power supplied from the secondary battery and makes negative pressure act on the first dust collecting container, and wherein the station unit is provided with a second body case having a second inlet which sucks other dust different from the dust which the autonomous cleaning unit collects.

Abstract: An electric vacuum cleaner, including a cleaning unit includes a body case including a dust container opening, and a primary dust container including: a container body detachably provided to the body case accumulating dust collected by the cleaning unit; a connecting part exposed from or facing the dust container opening, when attached to the body case; a disposal port provided in the connecting part, for discharging dust from inside the container body; and a disposal lid opening and closing the disposal port. The station includes a dust transfer pipe contacting the connecting part of the primary dust container and connected to the disposal port, and a secondary dust container in which dust discharged from the primary dust container through the dust transfer pipe is accumulated.

Abstract: A vacuum cleaner includes: a body case having an outer circumferential surface formed along either a circular arc or a polygon; a drive wheel allowing travel of the body case on a cleaning target surface; a side brush provided to the body case to be movable in a certain direction. The side brush: projects from the outer circumferential surface of the body case by an amount that changes in response to movement; includes a brush body movable to retreat toward the outer circumferential surface of the body case in response to external force acting in a direction crossing the certain direction; and includes a cleaning unit rotatably provided to the brush body. The cleaning unit rotates to clean the cleaning target surface. The side brush projecting from an outer circumferential surface of a body case can retreat readily and reliably when the side brush contacts an obstacle.

Abstract: An electric vacuum cleaner in which a dust container inside an autonomous robotic vacuum cleaning unit can be fluidically connected to a station using propulsive force of the cleaning unit moving to a dust discharge position. The cleaning unit includes a body case, and a primary dust container including: a container body accumulating dust collected by the cleaning unit; a disposal port discharging dust from inside the container body; and a disposal lid opening and closing the disposal port. The station includes a dust transfer pipe connected to the disposal port of the primary dust container; a lever hooked by the disposal lid while the cleaning unit is homing, opening the disposal lid and connecting the disposal port and the dust transfer pipe; and a secondary dust container in which dust discharged from the primary dust container through the dust transfer pipe is accumulated.