Abstract: A substance dispense system is provided for a biological sample analysis instrument. The substance dispense system can operate to prepare a fluidic substance, such as a sample, using a dispense tip in different operational modes based on the volume of the fluid substance to be prepared. The substance dispense system thereby improves accuracy and/or precision in pipetting with the dispense tip.

Abstract: A printer has a pair of frame panels that support the ends of a carriage guide shaft, a carriage that carries a print head, a carriage drive motor, and first and second pulleys on which a belt connected to the carriage is mounted. The first and second pulleys limit the range of bidirectional carriage movement so that the maximum width of carriage movement is substantially equal to the width between the pair of frame panels. A tube that carries ink to the print head is disposed curving in a U-shape in the direction of the width between the pair of frame panels. The carriage drive motor is disposed in the space in which the tube is located in the space on the opposite side as the direction in which the tube curves, and the drive shaft of the carriage drive motor is perpendicular to the scanning plane of the carriage.

Abstract: A particle agglutination-evaluating container for immunological analysis, based on an agglutinate formed in an agglutination reaction between an antibody- or antigen-containing sample and agglutination particles, includes a transparent container body having a bottom face including a sloping bottom face and a raised bottom face extended in a horizontal direction at the top of the sloping bottom face to form an obtuse angle with the sloping bottom face, and a fluidal separation layer containing insoluble particles which are filled in the container body and where the agglutination particles are separated according to the agglutination degree, wherein agglutination is evaluated by observation from the bottom of the container body, where the agglutination reaction is judged positive when the agglutination particles are observed through the raised bottom face, negative when observed at the bottom end of the sloping bottom face, and weakly positive when observed in the middle of the sloping bottom face.

Abstract: A particle agglutination-evaluating container for immunological analysis, based on an agglutinate formed in an agglutination reaction between an antibody- or antigen-containing sample and agglutination particles, includes a transparent container body having a bottom face including a sloping bottom face and a raised bottom face extended in a horizontal direction at the top of the sloping bottom face to form an obtuse angle with the sloping bottom face, and a fluidal separation layer containing insoluble particles which are filled in the container body and where the agglutination particles are separated according to the agglutination degree, wherein agglutination is evaluated by observation from the bottom of the container body, where the agglutination reaction is judged positive when the agglutination particles are observed through the raised bottom face, negative when observed at the bottom end of the sloping bottom face, and weakly positive when observed in the middle of the sloping bottom face.

Abstract: In disposing a display part, such as an LCD panel, on a side face of the body of a compact video camera of a rectangular parallelepiped shape extending longer in the direction of height for use as a viewfinder as well as for a reproduction display, an attempt to minimize the whole size of the video camera for improvement in portability severely limits the size of a major side of the display part, preventing the display image plane from having an easily viewable size. To solve this problem, an intermediate connection part disposed between the video camera body and the display part is arranged to enable the display part to rotate in opening and closing directions with respect to the video camera body and also to rotate in directions included in a plane at which the display part is connected to the video camera body.

Abstract: A video camera comprises a grip part for holding a camera body, and a mechanism part having a tape path forming part which forms a predetermined tape path for a magnetic tape. The mechanism part has a tape path forming plane approximately in parallel to a plane orthogonally intersecting the longitudinal direction of the grip part. The video camera further comprises two trigger switches for starting or stopping recording video information, and a zoom switch for varying the zoom ratio of a lens. The two trigger switches are positioned to be operable with the camera holding hand in a first camera holding posture and in a second camera holding posture, respectively. The zoom switch is positioned to be operable with the camera holding hand both in the first camera holding posture and in the second camera holding posture.

Abstract: A video camera comprises a grip part for holding a camera body, and a mechanism part having a tape path forming part which forms a predetermined tape path for a magnetic tape. The mechanism part has a tape path forming plane approximately in parallel to a plane orthogonally intersecting the longitudinal direction of the grip part. The video camera further comprises two trigger switches for starting or stopping recording video information, and a zoom switch for varying the zoom ratio of a lens. The two trigger switches are positioned to be operable with the camera holding hand in a first camera holding posture and in a second camera holding posture, respectively. The zoom switch is positioned to be operable with the camera holding hand both in the first camera holding posture and in the second camera holding posture.

Abstract: The disclosed image sensing apparatus includes a first circuit for forming a first signal to control gains of various color signals included in the outputs of an image sensing device in accordance with the levels of the various color signals, a second circuit for forming a second signal to control the gains of the various color signals in accordance with a color temperature of an object to be photographed, and a gain control circuit for controlling and determining the gains of the various color signals by mixing the first and second signals formed by the first and second circuits, in which a high accurate white balance adjustment is effected and the variation of the color temperature of the object is followed.

Abstract: In an optical apparatus having a group of contacts for electrical connection with another apparatus, a plurality of contacts for communication are disposed between a power-supply contact and a grounding contact; the power-supply and grounding contacts are spaced at a larger distance away from adjoining communication contacts than the spacing distance provided between communication contacts; the group of contacts are electrically connected by spring members to patterns formed on a contact substrate; and the width of patterns provided for the power-supply and grounding contacts is arranged to be wider than the width of patterns for the communication contacts.

Abstract: In a camera system comprising a camera body and an optical accessory which can be detachably coupled with each other through their mounts by rotating around an optical axis, mutually corresponding groups of electric connection terminals including power-supply and power-supply receiving terminals are aligned around the optical axis on the camera body and the optical accessory and arranged to come into contact with each other when the two mounts are coupled, a protruding part is formed close to the connection terminals of the camera body to protrude further than them in their contacting direction; and a cutout part is formed close to the electric connection terminals of the optical accessory in their contacting direction in a position corresponding to the protruding part of the camera body when the two mounts are coupled with each other.

Abstract: In an optical apparatus having a group of contacts for electrical connection with another apparatus, a plurality of contacts for communication are disposed between a power-supply contact and a grounding contact; the power-supply and grounding contacts are spaced at a larger distance away from adjoining communication contacts than the spacing distance provided between communication contacts; the group of contacts are electrically connected by spring members to patterns formed on a contact substrate; and the width of patterns provided for the power-supply and grounding contacts is arranged to be wider than the width of patterns for the communication contacts.

Abstract: In a camera system comprising a camera body and an optical accessory which can be detachably coupled with each other through their mounts by rotating around an optical axis, mutually corresponding groups of electric connection terminals including power-supply and power-supply receiving terminals are aligned around the optical axis on the camera body and the optical accessory and arranged to come into contact with each other when the two mounts are coupled, a protruding part is formed close to the connection terminals of the camera body to protrude further than them in their contacting direction; and a cutout part is formed close to the electric connection terminals of the optical accessory in their contacting direction in a position corresponding to the protruding part of the camera body when the two mounts are coupled with each other.

Abstract: A camera system comprises a camera body and an optical accessory which are detachably coupled with each other through their mounts by rotating them around an optical axis relative to each other. Each of the camera body and the optical accessory has a group of electric connection terminals. Each group is aligned approximately around the optical axis and arranged to come into contact with the other group when the mounts are coupled with each other by rotating them. The height in their contacting direction of each group of terminals is arranged to have a stepped difference at least by one step. At least one of the two groups of connection terminals is arranged to be movable in the contacting direction and to be elastically urged to move in that direction. Among each of said groups of connection terminals, a plurality of power supply connection terminals are disposed away from each other with other connection terminals which are provided for data communication disposed between the power supply terminals.

Abstract: The image sensing apparatus includes a first circuit for forming a signal to control the gains of the various color signals included in the outputs of a image sensing device in accordance with the amplitudes of the color-difference signals of the various color signals, a second circuit for forming a signal to control the gains of the various color signals in accordance with the color temperature of an object to be photographed, and a gain control circuit for controlling and determining the gains of the various color signals in response to a combined output of the signals formed by the first and second circuits.

Abstract: A floating offshore structure which is moored at a fixed position on the sea by means of mooring hawsers and anchors connected to the ends thereof respectively for conducting a submarine excavating operation from a deck of the structure. The structure includes a moorage hull part provided with a vertical through-hole formed therein for receiving an excavating drill pipe and the mooring hawsers and a movable hull part connected to the moorage hull part so as to be rotatable within a horizontal plane. The movable hull part is constituted as a hull defining the outer wall of the floating offshore structure and connected with the moorage hull part by inserting it into a moorage hull part receiving hole formed at a position closer to the bow thereof.

Abstract: A floating offshore structure which is moored at a fixed position on the sea by means of mooring hawsers and anchors connected to the ends thereof respectively for conducting a submarine excavating operation from a deck of the structure. The structure includes a moorage hull part provided with a vertical through-hole formed therein for receiving an excavating drill pipe and the mooring hawsers and a movable hull part connected to the moorage hull part so as to be rotatable within a horizontal plane. The movable hull part is constituted as a hull defining the outer wall of the floating offshore structure and connected with the moorage hull part by inserting it into a moorage hull part receiving hole formed at a position closer to the bow thereof.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a ship with structural improvements which prevent factors causing an increase in the horsepower required for propulsion or an increase in propeller cavitation, hull vibration and noise, all of which result from the water turbulence and nonuniformity of flow field along the stern caused by corpulence of ship, and the present invention provides such a ship with a structural improvement comprising having a ring-shaped construction directly attached to the hull on each of the ship's stern and in front of the propeller.

Abstract: A printing hammer unit is produced by forming a group of hammers having hammer portions secured to resilient members of electrically conductive material connected together by connecting portions and also forming a base integrally secured to the resilient members at locations thereof spaced apart from the hammer portions, and by removing at least a part of the connecting portions to break the electrical connection between at least one of the resilient members secured to the hammer portions and the other resilient members.