Abstract: The occurrence of a sudden change in physical condition is detected. In a physical condition determination device 100, a heart rate-relate index calculation unit 110 specifies an appearance time of a sign of a sudden change in heart rate, from a time-series waveform of an index corresponding to a variation in the heart rate (heart rate-related index) and a blood pressure-related index calculation unit 120 specifies an appearance time of a sign of a sudden change in blood pressure, from a time-series waveform of an index corresponding to a variation in the blood pressure (blood pressure-related index). A physical condition sudden change determination unit 130 determines that a sudden change in physical condition (physical condition sudden change) has occurred in a case where these appearance times are both within a predetermined time.

Abstract: By promoting air circulation, heat and humidity are reduced more efficiently. A vehicle seat ventilation mechanism includes: a body case which is provided in a cushioning material of at least one of a seat cushion and a seat back and whose interior is an air circulation space; a fan disposed in the body case; and an exhaust port which is provided at a position apart from the fan and discharges an air stream created by air suction by the fan. The air stream enhances the comfort of a microclimate condition on a vehicle seat side which is a rear side of a contact surface, and with this microclimate condition, a thermal environment on a seat occupant side having an increased causal factor of discomfort is replaced, thereby making it possible to enhance the comfort of the clothing microclimate.

Abstract: To reduce the roughening of a surface of a workpiece whose hardness is increased by heat treatment. In a workpiece such as a guide plate (11), not a surface (11a1) of a groove (11a) that is a desired part for hardening (hardening target position) but a surface (11a2) opposite the surface (11a1) is heat-treated as a surface to be heated that is to be directly heated by an induction heating device. This can inhibit the surface (11a1) of the hardening target position from being roughened by the heat treatment and becoming lower in surface precision than before the heat treatment. Further, according to the present invention, the use of the induction heating device makes it possible to heat-treat only a necessary part.

Abstract: There are provided a biological signal measurement device capable of obtaining a variety of biological information and applicable also to medical fields and the like, a biological state inference device, and a biological state inference system using these. The biological signal measurement device 1 of the present invention includes three biological signal detection units, namely, a left upper part biological signal detection unit 11, a right upper part biological signal detection unit 12, and a lower part biological signal detection unit 13. The biological state inference device 1 is capable of obtaining a highly precise inference-use processed waveform from which electrical noise has been removed, by using an appropriate combination of time-series data obtained from the three biological signal detection units 11 to 13.

Abstract: An internal gear includes a thin annular portion and a thick annular portion whose outside diameters are the same and whose inside diameters are different are continuously provided integrally in an axial direction, and an outer peripheral surface of the thin annular portion and the thick annular portion is formed in a substantially L shape in a flush cross section. Therefore, a conventionally substantially convex section formed with the memory internal teeth does not become the weak point in terms of strength. An axial outer end surface of the thick annular portion of the internal gear is formed to be substantially flat, and the coupling cover member is fixed to the thick annular portion to be coupled to a frame of a seat cushion or a seat back.

Abstract: A seat cushion includes a seat cushion base layer which biases two base support parts in directions approaching each other, and has base support part elastic members which are elastically deformed in an up-down direction, thereby causing the seat cushion to have a configuration having a high spring characteristic. In the seat cushion and the seat back, the seat cushion is configured to be set to be larger than the seat back regarding a range of connecting an origin, a maximum displacement point, and a maximum load point, and a ratio of an area of a range including an inward curve to an area of a range including an outward curve in a predetermined load-deflection characteristic.

Abstract: There are improved a vibration absorption characteristic and an impact absorption characteristic. In a suspension mechanism 1 of the present invention, first and second dampers (150, 160) are suspended in parallel between an upper frame (120) and a lower frame (110) with mounting angles different from each other. For this reason, the smaller mounting angle the damper has, the smaller a vertical component of damping force becomes, and the damping force which acts on the upper frame (120) and the lower frame (110) which move up and down relatively is moderate in effectiveness as compared with a case of disposing all the dampers at the same mounting angle. Thus, a sense of incongruity in which strong damping force acts abruptly is suppressed and the vibration absorption characteristic and the impact absorption characteristic are improved, which leads to improvement in ride comfort.

Abstract: Provided is a seat cover whose attachment work is easy and that can be manufactured at a low cost even if a material having excellent durability is used. The seat cover (1) of the present invention has a cushion cover part (10) and a back cover part (20), and since an upper portion (22) of the back cover part (20) is located at a position within a range from a pelvis top corresponding part to a chest middle corresponding part, the height range that it covers in a seat back part is shorter than that of a conventional seat cover that covers a range up to the vicinity of the bottom of a headrest. This can make the amount of a material used for forming the back cover part (20) smaller than conventionally to reduce a cost increase even if a more expensive material having high durability against friction is used.

Abstract: There is provided a touch fastener that has high followability to the relative movement of portions to be engaged and does not easily separate from a mating member, and thus is usable in a wider range of applications. In the touch fastener, all the elements, that is, first strands, second strands, and engagement elements are formed of a thermoplastic elastomer. Further, the plurality of first strands and the plurality of second strands are disposed to intersect with each other, and consequently, hole portions each surrounded by the two adjacent first strands and the two adjacent second strands are provided. Accordingly, it has a high elastic function, easily stretches, and has high followability to the relative movement of portions to be engaged.

Abstract: A damper includes: a line-shaped member wound around an outer peripheral surface of a piston which makes a relative motion in a cylinder; and a viscous fluid made to adhere to the line-shaped member and exhibiting viscous damping force. The relative motion of the cylinder and the piston produces tension, and in the line-shaped member, as an amplitude is smaller, its contiguously wound portions each try to deform to twist along a circumferential direction of the line-shaped member itself, and as the amplitude is larger, the contiguously wound portions try to deform as a unit. When the amplitude is small, frictional resistance decreases, resulting in smooth motion of the piston, and appropriate damping force is obtained due to the viscous damping force of the viscous fluid. When the amplitude is large, as a result of the increased tendency that the contiguously wound portions of the line-shaped member try to deform as a unit, friction damping force acts relatively greatly.

Abstract: By promoting air circulation, heat and humidity are reduced more efficiently. A vehicle seat ventilation mechanism includes: a body case which is provided in a cushioning material of at least one of a seat cushion and a seat back and whose interior is an air circulation space; a fan disposed in the body case; and an exhaust port which is provided at a position apart from the fan and discharges an air stream created by air suction by the fan. The air stream enhances the comfort of a microclimate condition on a vehicle seat side which is a rear side of a contact surface, and with this microclimate condition, a thermal environment on a seat occupant side having an increased causal factor of discomfort is replaced, thereby making it possible to enhance the comfort of the clothing microclimate.

Abstract: Blood pressure is estimated in a non-constraining manner continuously and in real time. A biological signal collected from a person's dorsal part is analyzed, vibration in the human body ascribable to a blood flow rate change in a period from the ventricular filling period to the isovolumetric systole is captured, and the state of fluctuation of an index indicating the state of the in vivo vibration is further captured. This fluctuation index correlates with a person's blood pressure. Therefore, it is possible to estimate whether the blood pressure is in a range indicating a normal-range blood pressure or in a range indicating a high blood pressure, only by having the person sit or lie supine on a surface provided with a biological signal measurement device to measure a biological signal in a non-constraining manner, so as to make the biological signal measurement device contiguous with the person's dorsal part.

Abstract: A seat cushion part includes a base fabric extending between and looped around a front edge frame and a rear edge frame, and having an upper layer part and a lower layer part which are provided apart from each other in an up-down direction. Wire members of metal are provided respectively on side edge portions of the base fabric, and coil springs are spring members each extending between an end portion of the wire member and the front edge frame or the rear edge frame. A load further applied due to vibration, impact, and so on causes the upper layer part to come into contact with the lower layer part to also displace the lower layer part in the up-down direction. Consequently, the coil springs connected through the wire members extend/contract, and their elastic force acts.

Abstract: A damper includes: a line-shaped member wound around an outer peripheral surface of a piston which makes a relative motion in a cylinder; and a viscous fluid made to adhere to the line-shaped member and exhibiting viscous damping force. The relative motion of the cylinder and the piston produces tension, and in the line-shaped member, as an amplitude is smaller, its contiguously wound portions each try to deform to twist along a circumferential direction of the line-shaped member itself, and as the amplitude is larger, the contiguously wound portions try to deform as a unit. When the amplitude is small, frictional resistance decreases, resulting in smooth motion of the piston, and appropriate damping force is obtained due to the viscous damping force of the viscous fluid. When the amplitude is large, as a result of the increased tendency that the contiguously wound portions of the line-shaped member try to deform as a unit, friction damping force acts relatively greatly.

Abstract: A seat cushion includes a seat cushion base layer which biases two base support parts in directions approaching each other, and has base support part elastic members which are elastically deformed in an up-down direction, thereby causing the seat cushion to have a configuration having a high spring characteristic. In the seat cushion and the seat back, the seat cushion is configured to be set to be larger than the seat back regarding a range of connecting an origin, a maximum displacement point, and a maximum load point, and a ratio of an area of a range including an inward curve to an area of a range including an outward curve in a predetermined load-deflection characteristic.

Abstract: To provide a power seat slide device having improved effects of reducing abnormal sound, a temperature increase, and so on in gear mechanisms and so on. Gear mechanisms each include a case in which a worm and a worm wheel are rotatably supported, the cases are suspended from and supported by upper rails. The worms are connected to and supported by a rotational force transmission shaft of a drive mechanism, and the worm wheels are screwed to and supported by slide screws provided in lower rails. Further, the cases are supported on the lower rails via balls which are rolling members. This structure stabilizes a slide operation of the cases themselves and can further improve the effects of reducing abnormal sound and so on.

Abstract: To reduce energy loss to increase power transmission efficiency, as well as to suppress unusual sound resulting from whirling vibration. A driving force transmission mechanism includes a drive unit that generates a rotation force and consists of a motor, as well as an independent rotating mechanism that is disposed between the drive unit and one of a pair of left and right gear mechanisms so as to be connected to the output shaft of the drive unit and has greater kinetic energy than the rotating parts of the gear mechanisms. Flexible shafts that rotate by smaller kinetic energy than any of the kinetic energy of the drive unit, the kinetic energy of the rotating mechanism, and the friction forces and damping forces of the rotating parts of the gear mechanisms connect between the drive unit and rotating mechanism, between the rotating mechanism and one gear mechanism, and between the drive unit and the other gear mechanism.

Abstract: To make it possible to improve seated person's posture stability with respect to input vibration, and more improve a vibration absorption characteristic or an impact absorption characteristic caused by impact vibration as compared with conventional ones. A suspension mechanism 1 has a structure in which two suspension units 100, 200 which support a movable support part 140 and a seat support part 240 through link mechanisms 110, 120 respectively are arranged in two upper and lower stages, and a configuration such that, when the movable support part 140 and the seat support part 240 move up and down relatively in response to input vibration, the two link mechanisms 110, 210 supporting the respective parts are operated to rotate in opposite directions to each other.

Abstract: Wobbling among components is reduced. The seat reclining device includes: outer rolling members (80) disposed between a ring-shaped bottom surface portion (71) of a mounting ring (70) and an outer surface of a guide bracket (20) or an outer surface of an internal gear (30), that faces the ring-shaped bottom surface portion (71); and inner rolling members (90) which are disposed between opposed surfaces of guide groove portions of the guide bracket (20) and lock plates (60A to 60D) to guide the lock plates (60A, 60C) in a radial direction. Owing to the outer rolling members (80) and the inner rolling members (90), force pressing stacked members relatively to one another functions in a stacking direction, and as its reaction force, spring force of the mounting ring (70) acts, so that wobbling is reduced.

Abstract: A damper is provided on an upper frame which is a main vibrating body supported on upper portions of front links and rear links of a frame link mechanism, so as to be a sub-vibrating body which generates vibration whose behavior is different from that of vibration of the upper frame caused by the rotary motion of the front links and the rear links. When the upper frame is vibrated by input vibration, since the damper exhibits the different vibration behavior, energy of the input vibration not only is distributed as vibrational energy of the upper frame and heat energy generated by the elongation and contraction of the damper but also is consumed as energy which vibrates the damper itself provided as the vibrating body. Such arrangement and configuration of the damper improve basic performance of vibration absorbency and impact absorbency of the suspension and achieves a reduction in thickness.