Abstract: An active tube and its system are offered which can be directed by bending its tip, controlling the degree of bend, thereby easily capable of insertion into difficult positions, and which can be driven at low temperature at which it can be used for inspection and medical treatment. A bending mechanism (21) is constructed by wiring an SMA coil (21e) along an outer side of a working channel tube (21a). The bending mechanism (21) is inserted into an outer skin tube (25) with a plurality of built-in weights (22). A front tip (23) is attached to the front end side of the bending mechanism (21) as a tip (2) of an active tube (1). A main tube (4) is connected through the working channel tube (21a) at the tip (2). A wire (21g) is connected to the SMA coil (21e). Said wire (21g) is inserted to the behind end side (41) of the main tube (4) in a wiring channel (4B9 of the main tube, thereby makes it possible to drive the bending mechanism (21) from outside.

Abstract: A bimorph switch electrically connecting a traveling contact and a fixed contact. The switch comprises a substrate having a front face, a rear face, and a through hole penetrating from the front face to the rear face; a fixed contact extending from an edge portion of the aperture of the through hole towards the inside of the aperture; and a bimorph section holding the traveling contact at a position facing the aperture and driving the traveling contact. One end of the bimorph section may be formed on a silicon oxide layer formed on a front face of the substrate.

Abstract: A recording/reproducing head for performing at least one of a record operation of recording information onto a dielectric recording medium and a reproduction operation of reproducing the information from the dielectric recording medium, the recording/reproducing head provided with: a support member which extends in a longitudinal direction; and a projection portion which is mounted on the support member such that a tip of the projection portion faces the dielectric recording medium, the support member having a rounded shape at a surface thereof on a side facing the dielectric recording medium, at least in a mounted portion on which the projection portion is mounted.

Abstract: A functional multilayer film and a method for manufacturing the same is provided wherein the intervals of fine metallic bodies in the thickness direction of film and the arrangement thereof in the surface direction of film are regular, and the fine metallic bodies arranged on each layer in the surface direction of film are aligned in the thickness direction of film.

Abstract: An active guide wire (1) that can be used in a narrow blood vessel in a complicate vascular system such as intracerebral is disclosed as well as a method of making the same. The active wire comprises a bias coil spring (3); an outer tube (4) having the bias coil spring (3) sheathed therewith and providing an external wall for the active wire guide (1); and a shape memory alloy (SMA) actuator (5) in the form of a flat sheet anchored in and securely connected to the outer tube (4), wherein the flat sheet SMA actuator (5) is shape memorized so as to bend in a direction of the thickness of the flat sheet and has a shape running zigzag longitudinally thereof. The actuator (5) is energized with an electric current and thereby heated to have its leading end bent.

Abstract: The invention provides a semiconductor acceleration sensor which is small in size, light in weight, simple in manufacture, low in manufacturing cost, and high in accuracy, and which, with a switch-on time set to a predetermined value, is stable in operation. In a semiconductor acceleration sensor in which a central board 1 having a central contact section 11, and outside boards 2 at least one of which has an outside contact section 21 are stacked; the central board 1 has a weight 12 near the central contact section 11, and the outside board 2 having the outside contact section 21 has a weight confronting section 11 which confronts with the weight 12, for squeezed damping effect.

Abstract: A semiconductor acceleration sensor including a central board having a movable electrode section, an outside board having a stationary electrode section, and a sealing insulating section for joining the central board and the outside board which are laminated on each other, wherein the sealing insulating section has a conductive layer, and the conductive layer is a sealing member or an anodic bonding electrode.