Abstract: In a capsule endoscope illuminating units are disposed around an image capturing unit in such a manner that an optical axis of the illuminating units do not intersect with an optical axis of the observation unit, and illumination areas of the illuminating units overlap at substantially a central portion of an image capturing area of the image capturing unit.

Abstract: An intra-subject position detection system includes a subject insertable device introduced into a subject, moving through the subject; and including a magnetic field generator that generates a magnetostatic field. The system also includes a position detecting device arranged outside the subject and obtaining position information of the subject insertable device inside the subject. The position detecting device also includes a magnetic field detector that is arranged on the subject at a time of use and detects a strength of the magnetostatic field output from the magnetic field generator; a reference sensor that derives a position of the magnetic field detector relative to a reference position on the subject; and a position deriving unit that derives a position of the subject insertable device inside the subject based on the magnetic field strength and the position of the magnetic field detector.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device and an apparatus of automatically adjusting a semiconductor pattern can precisely correct a difference in the shape or position of a pattern exposed or formed in two exposure steps. A pattern measuring unit measures an offset between the first pattern and the second pattern in a pattern measuring step. Based on the information on the offset thus detected, the first pattern is adjusted in a first patterning step with a high degree of freedom in the next manufacturing step cycle of a semiconductor device to precisely align the shape or position of the first pattern with the second pattern in a second patterning step with a low degree of freedom.

Abstract: Disclosed is a charging apparatus for charging a secondary battery incorporated in a portable electronic device. The charging apparatus includes a contactless IC card reader configured to supply operating power to a contactless IC card unit incorporated in the portable electronic device and have an authentication function of authenticating that an object to be authenticated is a correct one, a charging circuit configured to perform contactless charging of the secondary battery, and a control unit configured to activate the charging circuit if an authentication result is OK after the contactless IC card reader authenticates an object to be authenticated when the object to be authenticated is placed.

Abstract: A medical bed in which an endoscope after use can be easily tidied up is provided. A medical bed of the present invention constitutes a medical bed having a laying table on which a patient is laid for inspection or treatment with an endoscope, and it has a tray housing portion for housing an endoscope tray in which an endoscope is housed.

Abstract: An endoscope is provided that can reduce examination costs by realizing commonality of an operating unit by making an inserting unit and the operating unit attachable/detachable with respect to each other to enable the exchange of inserting units. The endoscope of this invention includes an operating unit, an inserting unit that can be detachably connected to the operating unit, and transmission and reception coils provided in the operating unit and the inserting unit, respectively, for sending and receiving signals in a non-contact manner between the operating unit and the inserting unit when the inserting unit is connected to the operating unit.

Abstract: A body-insertable apparatus is inserted into a subject body and travels through the subject body and includes a magnetic field generator that generates a constant magnetic field; a covering member that covers the magnetic field generator and that is made of a biocompatible material; and a container that houses and seals the magnetic field generator covered by the covering member.

Abstract: An endoscope is provided wherein a variable rigidity portion is not restricted by a physical mechanism, and which allows a surgeon, in performing a rigidity varying operation, to operate the rigidity varying operation along with other operations without releasing inputting sections. The endoscope of the invention includes an inserting section and an operating section. The inserting section has variable-rigidity actuators. The operating section has a rigidity-variation controlling section, a trackball, and scope switches.

Abstract: In an endoscope, air/water feed pipe lines are arranged through an elongated insertion portion having an image pickup unit at its front end. In an operation portion arranged at the rear end of the insertion portion, there are provided an antenna, and a wireless transmission unit for wirelessly transmitting, using this antenna, information including image data on a subject picked up by the image pickup unit, to endoscope peripheral apparatuses in the outside.

Abstract: The endoscope has an elongated insertion portion, an operation portion provided at the rear end of the insertion portion, and a contact-less endoscope exterior body in which no electrical contact is exposed on the outer surface thereof including the insertion portion and the operation portion. Inside the endoscope exterior body, there are disposed an image pickup apparatus for picking up images and a signal processing portion for performing signal processing for the image pickup apparatus. The endoscope comprises a battery of a water-tight structure for supplying power for the image pickup apparatus and the signal processing portion, and a charging apparatus of a water-tight structure for charging the battery with power supplied in a contact-less fashion.

Abstract: An endoscope has an insertion portion provided with a freely curvable curving portion; a grip portion provided at a base end side of the insertion portion and grasped by an operator. There provided at the grip portion and in its periphery is an instructing operation element with a function of implementing a curve instructing operation of the curving portion and a function of implementing the other instructing operation different from the above described curve instructing operation.

Abstract: An intra-subject position display system for displaying a position of an intra-subject device, which is introduced into a subject and moves therein, wherein a relative position of the intra-subject device to an outer surface of the subject is detected and displayed. The position of the intra-subject device is displayed in a relation with the outer surface of the subject. Thereby, it is possible to easily determine in which site of the subject the intra-subject device exists. The present invention is effective to recognize a position of, for example, a capsule type endoscope or a test capsule therefor in the subject (e.g., a human body). To recognize the outer surface of the subject, for example, a plurality of radio devices are arranged on the outer surface of the subject and their radio signals are analyzed.

Abstract: A container body includes an illumination section and an image pickup section. A tube body is integrally provided to the container body. A distal end of a hollow duct line provided in the tube body penetrates the container body to have an opening on an outer surface of the container body.

Abstract: An endoscope of the present invention includes an insert section inserted in a subject body, an operation section provided at a base end of the insert section, a control process section provided in the operation section, for controlling an image pickup section for capturing a subject body image and a predetermined function in the operation section, a signal circuit extending from the control process section, and a connection section provided to the operation section, for allowing detachable connection of a tube unit through which at least one duct line is inserted.

Abstract: An endoscope of the present invention includes an insert section inserted in a subject body, an operation section provided on a base end side of the insert section, a grasping section provided to the operation section and formed to be substantially bilaterally symmetric to a reference line extending in a longitudinal direction, and a plurality of instruction input sections provided to be substantially bilaterally symmetric to the reference line extending in the longitudinal direction of the grasping section.

Abstract: A main body unit includes a wire cabling circuit body which is formed by bending rigid wires into predetermined cabling pattern shapes, a base member allowing the wire cabling circuit body to be disposed on an upper surface thereof and allowing electronic components such as a read-only memory to be mounted thereon, and a cover which is fixed to the base member in a manner that covers the wire cabling circuit body disposed on the base member. The main body unit is disposed inside a transmission case.

Abstract: A hospital information system according to the present invention lets an RF reader 12 comprised by a PDA 8 read tag information, once for all, recorded by RF tags either attached to, or embedded in, plural kinds of a plurality of patient wrist bands, injection medicine bottles, patient charts, medical instrument cases, et cetera, and transmits a query to a server 5 by way of a wireless LAN 9, server 7 and LAN 3 for confirmation from the server 5. The server 5 collates it with the content of a medical practice order recorded in its data base, and registers a completion of instructed operation for an instructed item in the database, as well as responds back with notifying “correct” if the transmitted readout data from the PDA 8 is correct. If the readout data is not correct, the PDA will be notified of “incorrect” with an instruction for reading again.

Abstract: The pattern defect inspection apparatus is operable to detect defects by comparing a detection image, which is obtained through scanning by an image sensor those patterns that have the identical shape and are continuously disposed on the object under tested at equal intervals in row and column directions, with a reference image obtained by scanning neighboring identical shape patterns in the row and column directions. This apparatus has a unit for generating an average reference image by statistical computation processing from the images of identical shape patterns lying next to the detection image including at least eight nearest chips on the up-and-down and right-and-left sides and at diagonal positions with the detection image being intermediately situated. The apparatus also includes a unit that detects a defect by comparing the detection image to the average reference image thus generated.

Abstract: In an electrical junction box, a first board part and a second board part are arranged substantially in parallel while opposing to each other. An electric wire extends along both of the first board part and the second board part, and has a bent portion extending across a gap defined between the first board part and the second board part. An electronic unit is disposed in the gap.

Abstract: An electric stringed instrument has a frame body the contour of which is like the outline of a solid body of a corresponding electric or acoustic stringed instrument; the frame body is constituted by plural frame pieces, and the frame piece is detachably connected to a trunk of the electric stringed instrument; a user slings the electric stringed instrument over his or her shoulder by means of a strap so that the strap is to be connected to the trunk by means of fasteners; the fasteners are further used for securing the frame piece to the trunk so that the frame pieces are not unintentionally dropped out from the trunk without increasing the fasteners.