Abstract: A navigation system, portable information processing device and its control program, data server, information processing server, navigation method, traveling route establishing method, information providing method, and area information providing method are disclosed having a portable terminal (10,54,210) to read out code data, indicative of area information of a destination and routed spots, from a print product (112,114). The code data are converted into area information and stored in a storage unit (23,66,72, 123,223,232,323), from which particular area information is retrieved and transmitted to an on-vehicle navigation device (30,58,104,230) by which a traveling route of the vehicle is established on the basis of area information to guide the vehicle to the destination.

Abstract: A driving support system including: a vehicle location detector which detects current location and velocity vector of a vehicle; a traffic and road information database which stores point information of points on a route of the vehicle; a point information acquisition unit which acquires, from the database, the point information of the approaching points located in a given distance from the vehicle current location, based on the detected vehicle current location and velocity vector; a display device which provides displays of the acquired point information on a horizontally long screen thereof along a windshield of the vehicle; and a display control unit for controlling the display device. The display control unit determines display positions on the screen to display the point information, based on a positional relationship between the current location of the vehicle and the points where the point information related thereto are displayed.

Abstract: A curvature radius calculator employs point sequence data of map information representing a road shape, for calculation to determine a curvature radius of a curved interval of a travel path of a vehicle, a shape pattern decider employs the point sequence data to decide a shape pattern of the curved interval, a curvature radius corrector corrects the curvature radius, commensurately with a decision result of the shape pattern decider, and a curved interval extractor selects prescribed intervals of the travel path as targets, and extracts therefrom an interval meting preset conditions on an average of link lengths representing spacings between sequential two points of the point sequence data, respectively; an extreme as a maximum or minimum of the link lengths, and an average of link angles representing angles between adjacent two links, respectively, allowing the curvature radius calculator to use point sequence data of the extracted curved interval, to acquire a curvature radius of the curved interval.

Abstract: A navigation system, portable information processing device and its control program, data server, information processing server, navigation method, traveling route establishing method, information providing method, and area information providing method are disclosed having a portable terminal (10,54,210) to read out code data, indicative of area information of a destination and routed spots, from a print product (112,114). The code data are converted into area information and stored in a storage unit (23,66,72,123,223,232,323), from which particular area information is retrieved and transmitted to an on-vehicle navigation device (30,58,104,230) by which a traveling route of the vehicle is established on the basis of area information to guide the vehicle to the destination.

Abstract: A map image display device, a map image display method and a map image display program are disclosed. Upon determination of a map image for an objective to be displayed in response to a user's command input, a standard surface area setting unit 21 divides a surface area of a whole area shown in the map image to be displayed into n equal divisions to assign resulting values to standard surface areas. Then, a particular designation selecting unit 16 selects n pieces of relevant particular designations of areas, whose surface areas are closer to the standard surface areas, among areas involved in the map image for the objective to be displayed. A display image preparing unit 17 prepares image data to cause the selected n pieces of the relevant particular designations to be displayed on the map image as icons, and a display control unit 18 controllably drives the display unit based on image data.

Abstract: An electric washing machine according to the present invention performs a washing process with the use of electrolyzed water. When the level of supplied water reaches an electrolyzing water level which is lower than a washing water level, energization of an electrolyzing device (31) is started. At this time, air is supplied into an electrolyzing chamber (32) by an air pump (89), so that water in the electrolyzing chamber (32) is caused to flow, thereby assisting efficient electrolysis of the water. The water thus electrolyzed has an enhanced cleaning capability thereby to improve the washing performance of the washing machine.

Abstract: An electric washing machine according to the present invention performs a washing process for washing laundry without the use of a detergent by generating water streams in an outer tub (2) containing an electrolyzed liquid produced through electrolysis by an electrolyzing device (31) when a zero detergent course is selected by a user. The electrolyzing device (31) is provided as a water treatment unit (60) attached to a lower portion of an outer side surface (66) of the outer tub (2), and includes a thin-box-shaped electrolyzing chamber (32), a pair of electrodes (33) supported at opposite edges thereof, and a pair of water communication paths (34, 35). The pair of water communication paths (34, 35) are disposed in a vertically juxtaposed relation to connect the outer tub (2) to the electrolyzing chamber (32) with the intervention of packings (81). Thus, an assembling operation and the like can conveniently be performed, and water can efficiently be electrolyzed for use in the washing process.

Abstract: A navigation system, portable information processing device and its control program, data server, information processing server, navigation method, traveling route establishing method, information providing method, and area information providing method are disclosed having a portable terminal (10,54,210) to read out code data, indicative of area information of a destination and routed spots, from a print product (112,114). The code data are converted into area information and stored in a storage unit (23,66,72, 123,223,232,323), from which particular area information is retrieved and transmitted to an on-vehicle navigation device (30,58,104,230) by which a traveling route of the vehicle is established on the basis of area information to guide the vehicle to the destination.

Abstract: In communications control apparatus and method for an automotive vehicle, a buffer enabling quantity by which data of the requested content is enabled to be buffered into a receiving buffer during a vehicular run on the traveling scheduled route is calculated using a traveling time and a communication speed; and a capacity of the receiving buffer is set according to a calculated result of the buffer enabling quantity calculation described above and an upper limit value of the receiving buffer capacity, data on a requested content being downloaded onto the receiving buffer whose capacity is set.

Abstract: A navigation system, portable information processing device and its control program, data server, information processing server, navigation method, traveling route establishing method, information providing method, and area information providing method are disclosed having a portable terminal (10,54,210) to read out code data, indicative of area information of a destination and routed spots, from a print product (112,114). The code data are converted into area information and stored in a storage unit (23,66,72, 123,223,232,323), from which particular area information is retrieved and transmitted to an on-vehicle navigation device (30,58,104,230) by which a traveling route of the vehicle is established on the basis of area information to guide the vehicle to the destination.

Abstract: A contents reproduction system includes a reproducing section to reproduce a content received via telecommunication when the receiving condition is in an acceptable state, and to reproduce one of recorded contents stored in a storage section when the receiving condition is in an unacceptable state. A preference discriminating section determines a preference of a user by examining at least one content selected by a user for reproduction. A contents selecting section selects one, as a reserve content, from the contents stored in the storage section in accordance with the preference and supplies the reserve content to the reproducing section for reproduction instead of the received content when the receiving condition is in the unacceptable state.

Abstract: A map image display device, a map image display method and a map image display program are disclosed. Upon determination of a map image for an objective to be displayed in response to a user's command input, a standard surface area setting unit 21 divides a surface area of a whole area shown in the map image to be displayed into n equal divisions to assign resulting values to standard surface areas. Then, a particular designation selecting unit 16 selects n pieces of relevant particular designations of areas, whose surface areas are closer to the standard surface areas, among areas involved in the map image for the objective to be displayed. A display image preparing unit 17 prepares image data to cause the selected n pieces of the relevant particular designations to be displayed on the map image as icons, and a display control unit 18 controllably drives the display unit based on image data.

Abstract: A map information providing apparatus includes a detecting unit 13 and a searching part 21. In operation, the part 21 searches a target object in accordance with a position of a user's vehicle detected by the detecting unit 13. A positional relationship analyzing part 22 analyzes a positional relationship between the target object and the user's vehicle. A reduced scale calculating part 23 calculates a reduced scale of the map information on the basis of the positional relationship analyzed by the part 22 and a display format of an onboard monitor 3. Further, the apparatus picks up the map information with the calculated reduced scale allowing the vehicle and the target object to be displayed on the monitor 3 simultaneously.

Abstract: A navigation system, portable information processing device and its control program, data server, information processing server, navigation method, traveling route establishing method, information providing method, and area information providing method are disclosed having a portable terminal (10,54,210) to read out code data, indicative of area information of a destination and routed spots, from a print product (112,114). The code data are converted into area information and stored in a storage unit (23,66,72, 123,223,232,323), from which particular area information is retrieved and transmitted to an on-vehicle navigation device (30,58,104,230) by which a traveling route of the vehicle is established on the basis of area information to guide the vehicle to the destination.

Abstract: In communications control apparatus and method for an automotive vehicle, a buffer enabling quantity by which data of the requested content is enabled to be buffered into a receiving buffer during a vehicular run on the traveling scheduled route is calculated using a traveling time and a communication speed; and a capacity of the receiving buffer is set according to a calculated result of the buffer enabling quantity calculation described above and an upper limit value of the receiving buffer capacity, data on a requested content being downloaded onto the receiving buffer whose capacity is set.

Abstract: A map information providing apparatus includes a detecting unit 13 and a searching part 21. In operation, the part 21 searches a target object in accordance with a position of a user's vehicle detected by the detecting unit 13. A positional relationship analyzing part 22 analyzes a positional relationship between the target object and the user's vehicle. A reduced scale calculating part 23 calculates a reduced scale of the map information on the basis of the positional relationship analyzed by the part 22 and a display format of an onboard monitor 3. Further, the apparatus picks up the map information with the calculated reduced scale allowing the vehicle and the target object to be displayed on the monitor 3 simultaneously.

Abstract: A clothes drier according to the present invention can minimize failures in a sensor and can satisfactorily detect drying processing irrespective of the environment. In the clothes drier, an atmospheric temperature sensor 44L for detecting the substrate temperature required to determine the termination of the drying processing is disposed outside a circulating duct 18 and is mounted on a control substrate 42 having a thermal capacity on which a microcomputer for controlling operations performed by the clothes drier is mounted. Since the sensor 44L is provided outside the circulating duct 18, the sensor 44L is less affected by dust and water, as compared with a case where it is provided inside the circulating duct 18.