Abstract: A vertical take-off and landing aircraft includes a wing body, a duct, a rotary wing, upper-surface hinges, and upper-surface covers. The upper-surface hinges are provided at an upper-surface opening of the duct. The upper-surface covers are pivotally supported by the upper-surface hinges, and configured to cause the upper-surface opening to be open and closed. The upper-surface covers are configured to pivot, upon forward moving of the aircraft, in a closing direction by negative pressure generated on an upper surface side of the wing body, to cause the upper-surface opening to be closed. The upper-surface covers are configured to pivot, upon hovering of the aircraft, in an opening direction by pressure of an airflow flowing in the duct from the upper side to a lower side in accordance with rotation of the rotary wing, own weights of the upper-surface covers, or both, to cause the upper-surface opening to be open.

Abstract: A vertical take-off and landing aircraft includes a ducted rotary wing. The ducted rotary wing includes a duct and a rotary wing. The duct runs through a body from an upper surface to a lower surface thereof. The rotary wing is provided inside the duct and includes a hub and a blade configured to rotate about the hub. The blade includes a tip inlet, a trailing-edge outlet, and a trailing-edge flow path. The tip inlet is provided on a tip surface of the blade. The trailing-edge outlet is provided at a trailing edge that is an edge on a rear side in a rotation direction of the blade. The trailing-edge flow path allows the tip inlet and the trailing-edge outlet to be in communication with each other.

Abstract: An unmanned lawn mowing system includes a plurality of unmanned lawn mowers that perform work while traveling without a human operator and a management server. Each of the unmanned lawn mowers includes an information transmission section that transmits operation information including information indicating a work state to the management server. The management server includes: a case storage section that stores a case related to a failure in and/or a case related to maintenance of each of the unmanned lawn mowers; a maintenance determination section that determines whether or not maintenance of the unmanned lawn mower is necessary, based on the case associated with operation information identical or similar to the operation information; and a maintenance notification transmission section that notifies maintenance to the unmanned lawn mowers, based on a determination result made by the maintenance determination section.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for setting parameters in an autonomous working device. The autonomous working device can be controlled based on a plurality of parameters. For each of a plurality of different working environments a set of sensor values is generated. The plurality of sets is partitioned into categories, each category corresponding to a prototypical working environment. The parameters for each category are optimized to find an optimized parameter set for each prototypical working environment. For an individual working environment, an individual set of sensor values that the sensors of the autonomous working device produce is generated. Based at least on the individual set of sensor values, the prototypical working environment showing highest similarity to the individual environment is determined, and the parameters in the autonomous working device are set according to the optimized parameter set corresponding to the determined prototypical working environment.

Abstract: In an autonomously navigating vehicle including a sensor (contact-lift sensor) configured to produce an output proportional to displacement between a chassis and the cover and the control unit configured to receive output of the sensor, wherein the control unit is configured to determine whether change of the sensor output per prescribed time period is equal to or greater than the threshold value, count up time period during which change has been determined to be equal to or greater than the threshold value, and compare time period counted up by the time integration unit with prescribed time periods (first prescribed time period and second prescribed time period) and discriminate whether the vehicle has contacted an obstacle or whether the cover has been lifted from the chassis based on the result of the comparison with the prescribed time periods.

Abstract: A light detection device detects incident light according to a detection start timing. The light detection device includes a plurality of photosensors, a signal combining circuit, a detection circuit, and at least one time measurement circuit. The plurality of photosensors receive light to generate output signals indicating light reception results, respectively. The signal combining circuit sums a plurality of output signals from the respective photosensors to generate a combined signal. The detection circuit detects a timing, at which the combined signal is maximized after the detection start timing, to generate a detection signal indicating the detected timing. The time measurement circuit measures a count period between the detection start timing and the detected timing based on the detection signal.

Abstract: A light detection device detects incident light according to a detection start timing. The light detection device includes photosensors, a signal combining circuit, a detection circuit, a time measurement circuit, and a timing extraction circuit. The photosensors receive light to generate output signals indicating light reception results, respectively. The signal combining circuit sums output signals from the respective photosensors to generate a combined signal. The detection circuit detects a timing at which the combined signal reaches a first threshold or larger to generate a detection signal. The time measurement circuit measures a count period between the detection start timing and the detected timing based on the detection signal. The timing extraction circuit extracts timing information from a predetermined period defined by the detected timing as a reference, the timing information indicating a timing at which the combined signal increases.

Abstract: A light detection device includes a light projector, a light receiver, a detector, and a controller. The light projector projects light to a predetermined range. The light receiver has a light receiving region in which light is received. The detector detects light by comparing a light reception result by the light receiver with a predetermined threshold. The controller controls the threshold. The controller shifts in turn a range where light is projected from the light projector. The controller, causes the detector to detect light per a portion of the light receiving region, the portion corresponding to a range with light being projected from the light projector, and sets the threshold based on a light reception result by the light receiver in a different portion of the light receiving region from the portion corresponding to the range with light being projected.

Abstract: A platinum core-shell catalyst that uses palladium (Pd) as a core metal, or a platinum catalyst containing platinum and a metal besides platinum is manufactured industrially on a mass scale. The platinum catalyst is supported on carbon and has excellent oxygen reduction activity. The platinum catalyst is made for a fuel cell by bringing about the presence of a chemical species imparting higher potential than the initial oxide formation potential of the platinum of the platinum catalyst, and by bringing about the presence of a chemical species imparting lower potential than the initial oxide formation potential of the platinum of the platinum catalyst. The manufacture is carried out in a dispersion solution of the platinum catalyst dispersed in an acidic solution containing protons.

Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes a tank forming an ink chamber and including an injection inlet, a recording head, a cover, a monitor, a cover sensor, an operation panel, and a controller. The controller controls operation of the recording head and the monitor. The controller performs decision processing deciding whether ink injection into the ink chamber after complement of an initial process is completed, and counts an amount of ink discharged from the recording head. The controller controls the monitor to display notification depending on the decision processing and the counted amount of discharged ink.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus, including a body including a path to convey a sheet from a feeder tray to an ejection tray; a conveyer unit to convey the sheet; a recording unit to record an image on the sheet; and a controller to control the conveyer unit and the recording unit, is provided. The controller is configured to execute a ejection request accepting process, in which the controller accepts a request for executing a sheet ejection job being a single job to eject the sheet without causing a recording action in the recording unit; and a sheet ejecting process, in which, after accepting the request for executing the sheet ejection job, the controller controls the conveyer unit to convey the sheet from the feeder tray to the ejection tray without causing the recording action in the recording unit.

Abstract: An unmanned lawn mowing system including a plurality of unmanned lawn mowers and a management server Each of the unmanned lawn mowers communicate with the management server and includes: a travel control unit that controls an operation based on a traveling parameter; and a lawn mowing operation information collection unit that collects lawn mowing operation information. The management server includes: a lawn mowing operation information acquisition unit that acquires the lawn mowing operation information from each of the unmanned lawn mowers; and an optimal setting specifying unit that specifies, for each of the unmanned lawn mowers, a value of the traveling parameter suitable for the lawn mowing work based on the lawn mowing operation information. Each of the unmanned lawn mowers controls an operation based on the value of the traveling parameter specified by the management server.

Abstract: A distance measuring device includes a light emission portion for emitting light; a light receiving portion for receiving measurement light that is emitted by the light emission portion and reflected by a measurement object, the light receiving portion comprising a plurality of pixels, each pixel having at least one light receiving portion and outputting a light reception signal that depends on the measurement light incident on the pixel; a discrimination portion for discriminating whether the pixel receives measurement light; a pixel output control portion for selectively outputting the light reception signal of each pixel individually, depending on the determination result of the discrimination portion; and an evaluation portion for receiving the light reception signals output by the pixel output control portion and outputting a distance signal that is indicative of a distance between the measuring device and the measurement object based on these light reception signals.

Abstract: A distance measuring device includes a light emission portion configured to emit light; a light receiving portion configured to receive measurement light that is emitted by the light emission portion and reflected by the measurement object, the light receiving portion comprising a plurality of pixels configured to output light reception signals that depend on the received measurement light; a plurality of determination portions configured to receive the light reception signals and to determine characteristic values from the received light reception signals, and an evaluation portion that is connected to the plurality of determination portions, the evaluation portion being configured to calculate a distance from the characteristic values determined by the determination portions. Each of the plurality of determination portions is configured to receive the light reception signals only from a plurality of non-adjacent pixels.

Abstract: [Object] To provide a method for producing an electrical wiring member having a layered structure of copper wiring and a blackening layer and to provide the electrical wiring member through a search for a material for the blackening layer, the material being etched at a rate close to that for the copper wiring under conditions where etching controllability is ensured. [Solution] A method for producing an electrical wiring member according to the present invention includes a step of forming, on at least one main surface of a substrate, a layered film 6 of a Cu layer 3 and CuNO-based blackening layers (2a and 2b); a step of forming a resist layer 4a in a predetermined region on the layered film 6; and a step of removing a partial region of the layered film 6 by bringing the layered film 6 into contact with an etchant.

Abstract: An unmanned lawn mowing system includes a plurality of unmanned lawn mowers that perform work while traveling without a human operator and a management server. Each of the unmanned lawn mowers includes an information transmission section that transmits operation information including information indicating a work state to the management server. The management server includes: a case storage section that stores a case related to a failure in and/or a case related to maintenance of each of the unmanned lawn mowers; a maintenance determination section that determines whether or not maintenance of the unmanned lawn mower is necessary, based on the case associated with operation information identical or similar to the operation information; and a maintenance notification transmission section that notifies maintenance to the unmanned lawn mowers, based on a determination result made by the maintenance determination section.

Abstract: A photoelectric sensor capable of preventing a malfunction caused by mutual interference is provided. The photoelectric sensor includes: a light projecting unit that repetitively emits a set of pulse light, which follows a projected light pattern in which a light projecting period is made different by a fixed time, as signal light; a light receiving element that receives the signal light; and a light receiving controller that distinguishes a light incident state and a light blocked state based on a received light signal from the light receiving element. The light projecting unit has a first pattern having the light projecting period increased by a fixed time and a second pattern having the light projecting period reduced by a fixed time as the projected light pattern, and in the first and second patterns, a pulse indicating a shortest period is included in the light projecting period other than the shortest period.

Abstract: In an apparatus for controlling operation of a utility vehicle that detects a magnetic field generated by electric current flowing through a boundary wire of a working area and is driven to run within the working area based on the detected magnetic field, having left and right magnetic sensor installed at lateral right and left positions of the vehicle to produce outputs proportional to strength of the magnetic field, turning mode is switched between gentle turning mode to make the vehicle turn while running near the boundary wire and sharp turning mode to make the vehicle pause near the boundary wire and then turn, when it is determined from the outputs of the magnetic sensors that the vehicle approaches the boundary wire, each time predetermined conditions are satisfied, and operation of the prime mover is controlled such that the vehicle turns in accordance with the switched turning mode.

Abstract: In an autonomously navigating vehicle including a sensor (contact-lift sensor) configured to produce an output proportional to displacement between a chassis and the cover and the control unit configured to receive output of the sensor, wherein the control unit is configured to determine whether change of the sensor output per prescribed time period is equal to or greater than the threshold value, count up time period during which change has been determined to be equal to or greater than the threshold value, and compare time period counted up by the time integration unit with prescribed time periods (first prescribed time period and second prescribed time period) and discriminate whether the vehicle has contacted an obstacle or whether the cover has been lifted from the chassis based on the result of the comparison with the prescribed time periods.

Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes a tank forming an ink chamber and including an injection inlet, a recording head, a cover, a monitor, a cover sensor, an operation panel, and a controller. The controller controls operation of the recording head and the monitor. The controller performs decision processing deciding whether ink injection into the ink chamber after complement of an initial process is completed, and counts an amount of ink discharged from the recording head. The controller controls the monitor to display notification depending on the decision processing and the counted amount of discharged ink.