Abstract: A vacuum cleaner includes a driving wheel, a cleaning part, a dust-collecting unit, a dust collection amount detection part, and a travel control part. The dust collection amount detection part detects the amount of the dust and dirt accumulated in the dust-collecting unit. The travel control part controls the driving of the driving wheel to make the vacuum cleaner travel autonomously. The travel control part makes the vacuum cleaner travel to a dust station in the case the amount of the dust and dirt detected by the dust collection amount detection part is equal to or more than a specified amount while the cleaning part performs cleaning. The travel control part further makes the vacuum cleaner undock from the dust station to restart the cleaning after the dust and dirt accumulated in the dust-collecting unit is transferred to a dust-collecting container at the dust station. The vacuum cleaning apparatus can adopt a downsized vacuum cleaner while ensuring convenience.

Abstract: A vacuum cleaner that can achieve efficient and accurate autonomous traveling. An obstacle detection part detects an object corresponding to an obstacle outside a main casing. A map generation part generates a map indicating information on an area having been traveled by the main casing, based on detection of the object by the obstacle detection part and a self-position estimated by a self-position estimation part during traveling of the main casing. A controller controls an operation of a driving wheel to make the main casing autonomously travel. The controller includes a traveling mode for controlling the operation of the driving wheel so as to make the main casing autonomously travel along a traveling route set based on the map. The controller determines whether or not to change the traveling route for next time based on the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection part during the traveling mode.

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); 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 exterior device; wherein the image capturing unit is stored in a recess provided in the interior of the storage chamber.

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: 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 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: 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: A refrigerator includes a storage compartment, a door opening and closing a front opening of the storage compartment, a terminal mounting part located on a front of the door so that a portable information terminal is detachably mounted thereon, and a terminal power supply part supplying power to the portable information terminal when the portable information terminal is mounted on the terminal mounting part.

Abstract: A control system includes a detector configured to detect speech of a plurality of users and a controller. The controller is configured to specify an attribute of the user who spoke based on a content and/or voice of the speech of the user detected by the detector, and output notification information suitable for the attribute and/or execute control suitable for the attribute.

Abstract: The home appliance system comprises a detector capable of communicating with a plurality of home appliances and configured to detect speech of a user and a controller. The controller is configured to specify one or more home appliances from among the plurality of home appliances based on a content of the speech of the user detected by the detector.

Abstract: An autonomous electrical cleaning apparatus including: an electric blower that generates suction negative pressure on a suction port; a rotating brush disposed at the suction port; a rotating brush driver that drives the rotating brush; a drive wheel that supports a cleaner body, driven by a drive wheel driver, a cleaning-target-surface detector that detects the surface type to be cleaned; and a robot controller that adjusts a controlled variable for any of the suction negative pressure, speed of the rotating brush, rotation direction of the rotating brush, and speed of the drive wheel, based on the surface type to be cleaned. The cleaning-target-surface detector detects the surface type be cleaned at a detection position ahead of the element for which the controlled variable is to be adjusted, and the robot controller adjusts the controlled variable when the element for which the controlled variable is to be changed reaches the detection position.

Abstract: A camera device for use in a storage unit according to an embodiment includes a case installable to an opening end side of a door of the storage unit; an image capturing element stored inside the case and configured to capture an image inside the storage unit; and a battery stored inside the case. The battery is disposed in a lower portion of the case. A center of gravity of the camera device is different from the center.

Abstract: A vacuum cleaner includes a main casing, a driving wheel, a control unit, a camera, a self-position estimation part, an obstacle detection part, and a mapping part. The camera captures an image in a traveling direction side of the main casing. The self-position estimation part estimates a position of the main casing on a basis of the image captured by the camera. The obstacle detection part detects an obstacle on a basis of the image captured by the camera. A timing in which either of processing by the self-position estimation part or processing by the obstacle detection part is executed during the main casing's traveling, as well as a timing when the both types of processing are executed simultaneously during the same, are set. The vacuum cleaner can autonomously traveling while reducing a load of image processing.

Abstract: A vacuum cleaner includes a driving wheel, a cleaning part, a dust-collecting unit, a dust collection amount detection part, and a travel control part. The dust collection amount detection part detects the amount of the dust and dirt accumulated in the dust-collecting unit. The travel control part controls the driving of the driving wheel to make the vacuum cleaner travel autonomously. The travel control part makes the vacuum cleaner travel to a dust station in the case the amount of the dust and dirt detected by the dust collection amount detection part is equal to or more than a specified amount while the cleaning part performs cleaning. The travel control part further makes the vacuum cleaner undock from the dust station to restart the cleaning after the dust and dirt accumulated in the dust-collecting unit is transferred to a dust-collecting container at the dust station. The vacuum cleaning apparatus can adopt a downsized vacuum cleaner while ensuring convenience.

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: A vacuum cleaner includes a main casing, a driving wheel, a camera, an obstacle detection part, a lamp, and a control unit. The driving wheel allows the main casing to travel. The camera is disposed on the main casing to capture an image in a traveling direction side of the main casing. The obstacle detection part performs detection of an obstacle on a basis of the image captured by the camera. The lamp assists the detection performed by the obstacle detection part. The control unit makes the main casing travel autonomously, by controlling driving of the driving wheel on a basis of the detection of the obstacle performed by the obstacle detection part. The vacuum cleaner can secure accuracy in obstacle detection.