Abstract: An information processing device of the present invention is capable of collaboration with a learning device to determine whether an image group that has been obtained in time series by the first endoscope is an image group obtained at a first time or at a second time, and to create a first inference model for image feature determination of images for the first endoscope by performing learning with results of having performed annotation on the image group that was obtained at the second time as training data, the information processing device comprising at least one or a plurality of classifying processors that classify image groups constituting training data candidates, within an image group from the first endoscope that has been newly acquired, or an image group from a second endoscope, using the image group that has been obtained at the first time, when the first inference model was created.

Abstract: A drive device in which the frequency of a drive waveform applied to a piezoelectric element is easily settable with less obligation to consider resonance in a stationary member. The device includes a piezo element that expands and contracts according to a drive voltage, a transmission shaft that receives vibration produced by the piezo element, a stationary member that holds the transmission shaft in a slidable state along the longitudinal direction of the transmission shaft, and a lens holder that is displaced together with the piezo element and transmission shaft relative to the stationary member according to drive of the piezo element. The piezo element and the transmission shaft move in the moving direction of the lens holder in synchronization with the lens holder according to drive of the piezo element in the state where the piezo element is spaced from the stationary member.

Abstract: A drive device in which the frequency of a drive waveform applied to a piezoelectric element is easily settable with less obligation to consider resonance in a stationary member. The device includes a piezo element that expands and contracts according to a drive voltage, a transmission shaft that receives vibration produced by the element, a stationary member that holds the transmission shaft in a slidable state along the longitudinal direction of the transmission shaft, and a lens holder that is displaced together with the piezo element and transmission shaft relative to the stationary member according to drive of the piezo element. The piezo element and the transmission shaft move in the moving direction of the lens holder in synchronization with the lens holder according to drive of the piezo element in the state where the piezo element is spaced from the stationary member.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes a plurality of imaging units each having a lens and an image pickup device. At least one of the imaging units is a wide-angle imaging unit having a lens with a wider angle of view, and at least another one is a zoom imaging unit having a lens with a narrower angle of view and a higher magnification and mounted rotatably to the imaging apparatus. The imaging apparatus includes a driving unit that rotates the zoom imaging unit to change an imaging range of the zoom imaging unit, an image comparison unit that compares a partial image of a wide-angle image captured by the wide-angle imaging unit and a magnified image captured by the zoom imaging unit, and an optical axis information update unit that updates optical axis information of the zoom imaging unit based on a comparison result of the image comparison unit.

Abstract: In order to reduce local deflection mainly caused by static electricity generated on a flexible disk which is capable of optical recording and reproducing and is mounted on an attitude control plate, and to perform stable focusing in the optical recording and reproducing, according to the present invention, a spacer is incorporated into the attitude control plate having a penetrating vents for air inflow, the flexible disk capable of the optical recording and reproducing is mounted to rotate integrally to generate a stable air flow in a gap secured between the flexible disk and the attitude control plate so as to equilibrate a force due to the air flow and gravity and a centrifugal force of the flexible disk, and electrostatic repulsion, so that a stably balanced state of the flexible disk is maintained.

Abstract: A magneto-optical recording medium includes a recording layer, a reproducing layer in which information is subjected to expansion reproduction, a first intermediate layer which is provided between the recording layer and the reproducing layer, a recording magnetic field assist layer which is provided on a side opposite to a side of the first intermediate layer with respect to the recording layer, and a second intermediate layer which is provided between the recording layer and the recording magnetic field assist layer. The recording magnetic field assist layer exhibits perpendicular magnetization, which is one of an amorphous alloy film containing GdFeCo as major component and a multilayer film formed by alternately stacking transition metal layers and noble metal layers. The recording magnetic field assist layer generates the assist magnetic field during recording of information to form stable recording magnetic domains even when the external magnetic field is low.

Abstract: A means is provided to determine, accurately in a shorter period of time, an optimum reproducing laser beam intensity for reproducing user data or various management data on a magneto-optical recording medium based on the magnetic amplifying magneto-optical transfer system. In a method for determining the reproducing laser beam intensity of the present invention, a test reproduction area, which is formed of maze magnetic domains having random sizes not subjected to any recording process and provided on a magneto-optical recording medium based on Zero-Field MAMMOS, is irradiated with a laser beam before reproducing user information while changing the laser beam intensity to detect a magneto-optical signal. Subsequently, the reproducing laser beam intensity is determined for user information on the basis of the magneto-optical signal obtained from the test reproduction area.

Abstract: A magneto-optical recording medium wherein a magnetic domain is transferred from a recording layer to a reproducing layer is expanded. When the reproducing layer is formed, the composition ratio of a transition metal at a surface of the reproducing layer on a reproducing light beam-incoming side is made to be higher than the composition ratio of the transition metal at a surface of the reproducing layer on a side opposite to the reproducing light beam-incoming side. Thus, the operation to expand the magnetic domain, transferred from the recording layer to the reproducing layer, is performed smoothly, and the jitter of the reproduced signal is reduced to improve signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of the reproduced signal.

Abstract: A magneto-optical recording medium comprises a recording layer 5, an intermediate layer 4, and a reproducing layer 3. The reproducing layer 3 is formed of a rare earth transition metal alloy in which rare earth metal is dominant, and each of the intermediate layer 4 and the recording layer 5 is formed of a rare earth transition metal alloy in which transition metal is dominant. The intermediate layer 4 exhibits in-plane magnetization at a temperature of not less than 140° C. Therefore, the intermediate layer 4 cuts off the exchange coupling force between the recording layer 5 and the reproducing layer 3 during the reproduction. A magnetic domain 3A, which is transferred to the reproducing layer 3, is expanded to a size of a minimum magnetic domain diameter by the magnetostatic repulsive force exerted between the magnetic domain in the intermediate layer 4 and the magnetic domain in the reproducing layer.

Abstract: A recording method for recording information on a recording layer of a magneto optical recording medium by radiating a recording light beam onto the medium while applying a magnetic field in a recording direction to the medium. The method includes applying a magnetic field having a magnetic field strength H1 in the recording direction when recording a record mark having a mark length A on the recording layer, and applying a magnetic field have a magnetic field strength H2 in the recording direction when recording a record mark having a mark length B (B≠A) on the recording layer. Independent of the lengths of the magnetic domains recorded on the recording layer, the record information can be transferred to a reproducing layer making it possible to reproduce high density record information.

Abstract: When recording marks having various lengths are recorded to represent information on a magneto-optical recording medium, a mark length-correcting circuit is used to correct a mark length nT with a mark length correction amount Lc determined for each mark length so that the recording is performed with a shorter mark length nT′=nT−Lc. When reproduction is performed on the magneto-optical recording medium, an appropriate reproducing light power and an appropriate reproducing magnetic field intensity can be easily selected for any recording mark having any length. Thus, the reproducing power margin is widened. The recording method is effective on a magneto-optical recording medium of the MAMMOS type comprising a recording layer and a reproducing layer, in which the light and the magnetic field are applied during the reproduction to transfer a magnetic domain from the recording layer to the reproducing layer in a magnified form.

Abstract: An electrostatic force microscope wherein electrostatic force applied to the detector is determined through obtaining the field distribution on several different shaped detectors with the calculation of the voltage distribution near the detector with the Finite Element Method to direct the measurement of the absolute charge amount on surface under test so that one can define the differences between the analysis and the results from the parallel plate model. Of interest is how large the error in the charge detection occurs in conjunction with thickness change of dielectric materials to be tested. There is provided a detector with cantilever which has proper shape for the spatial resolution of 10&mgr; made out of nickel foil for an electrostatic force microscope and the electrostatic force which appeared on it has been calculated.

Abstract: Disclosed are a reproducing method and a reproducing apparatus capable of performing reproduction with a wide power margin, as well as a recording method and a recording apparatus preferably used for super high density recording. A recording and reproducing apparatus 101 principally comprises a magnetic field-applying unit, a laser beam-radiating section, and a signal processing system. A magnetic coil 29, which is provided for the magnetic field-applying unit, is arranged so that its axis of magnetic field generation 102 is oblique to a surface of an information-recording medium 100. A reproducing magnetic field is applied in an oblique direction to the surface of the information-recording medium 100 by using the magnetic coil 29 while radiating a reproducing light beam to the medium by using the laser beam-radiating section. Accordingly, the leak magnetic field in the in-plane direction from a recording magnetic domain in a recording layer is amplified.

Abstract: A bit of binary information which is one of the “1” and “0” is assigned to a domain pattern which is a combination of a recorded magnetic domain and a magnetic domain magnetized in the direction opposite to the direction in which the recording domain is magnetized. A bit of binary information which is the other of “1” and “0” is assigned to a domain pattern consisting of two magnetic domains magnetized in the same direction as the foregoing magnetic domain is magnetized. Consequently, two or more consecutive bits of record information are formed, on a recording layer, as a series of domain patterns each of which is a combination, as a record information unit, of a recorded magnetic domain and a magnetic domain magnetized in the direction opposite to the direction in which the recording domain is magnetized. Independent of the lengths of the magnetic domains recorded on the recording layer, the record information can be transferred to a reproducing layer.

Abstract: The magneto-optical recording medium has a magnetic domain magnification reproducing layer and an information recording layer. Clock marks are formed on the information recording layer, making it possible to generate a reproducing clock on the basis of these. The clock marks are detected either by irradiating directly with light of wavelength &lgr;2(&lgr;1≠&lgr;2), being different from the light of wavelength &lgr;1 which is used for reproducing the recording marks, or by applying a direct-current magnetic field, transferring and enlarging the clock marks on to the magnetic domain magnification reproducing layer, and detecting the reproduction signals from this magnetic domain magnification reproducing layer. Since the reproducing clock is in exact synchronisation with the recording marks, it is eminently suitable as a clock for pulse-modulated reproducing light and reproducing magnetic fields used when reproducing the reproducing layer.

Abstract: A bit of binary information which is one of “1” and “0” is assigned to a domain pattern which is a combination of a recorded magnetic domain and a magnetic domain magnetized in the direction opposite to the direction in which the recording domain is magnetized. A bit of binary information which is the other of “1” and “0” is assigned to a domain pattern consisting of two magnetic domains magnetized in the same direction as the foregoing magnetic domain is magnetized. Consequently, two or more consecutive bits of record information are formed, on a recording layer, as a series of domain patterns each of which is a combination, as a record information unit, of a recorded magnetic domain and a magnetic domain magnetized in the direction opposite to the direction in which the recording domain is magnetized. Independent of the lengths of the magnetic domains recorded on the recording layer, the record information can be transferred to a reproducing layer.

Abstract: An electrostatic force microscope for measuring electrostatic force of a sample under test including a detector comprising a cantilever arm having a tip formation at one end and located so that electrostatic force is induced at the tip due to electrostatic charge on the sample under test, an optical system for transforming bending of the cantilever arm due to electrostatic force induced at the tip into an electrical signal containing a frequency component of the electrostatic force induced at the detector tip, a source for applying bias voltage to the detector, a detector for detecting the frequency component of the electrostatic force induced at the detector tip so that a measurement of electrostatic force on the sample under test can be obtained, and an electrostatic shield operatively associated with the cantilever arm. The shield is located between the cantilever arm and the sample under test, in particular in close spaced relation to the arm.