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: To make it possible to grasp a biological condition, in particular, a condition ascribable to the movement of the heart. According to the embodiments, it is possible to find a boundary frequency between cardiac apex beat and heart sound. This makes it possible to find not only heart sound, but also cardiac apex beat, from a biological signal which is a collection of biological sound and in-vivo vibration. The boundary frequency is represented by a quadratic function of heart rate, and the use of correlation data based on the quadratic function makes it possible to find heart rate or a boundary frequency in real time. As a result, for example, if heart rate is known, the level of a boundary frequency is known. This facilitates inferring a health condition, for example, whether or not the heart is under stress, from a broader viewpoint than conventionally.

Abstract: A biological signal detection device is capable of accurately and simply measuring biological signals and promotes daily health care. A body abutting-side cushioning member 10 formed of a three-dimensional knitted fabric is substantially circular in plan view. A base cushioning member 20 is also substantially circular in plan view. A square one tends to undergo deformation such as turning-up or folding of its edges around the corners when, for example, a person sits thereon. Such deformation tends to distort detection data. Moreover, the folding and the like give a feeling of something foreign. In contrast, a substantially circular one less undergoes such folding and the like.

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: 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: 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: 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: 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.

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 novel technique for analyzing a biological state is provided. A body trunk biological signal (aortic pulse wave) extracted from the back of a body trunk is differentiated twice. By using a resultant second derivative waveform, a waveform component of a maximum amplitude of a low frequency appearing as a result of switch of an amplitude from attenuation to amplification in transition from a contracting phase to a diastolic phase of a ventricle is specified in each period of the second derivative waveform. Inflection points are specified that appear before and after the maximum amplitude waveform component. A biological state is analyzed using information about each of the inflection points. The two inflection points obtained from a reference form of the second derivative waveform of the aortic pulse wave substantially agree in time phase with first heart sound and second heart sound (or an R wave and a T wave in an electrocardiogram) indicating the dynamic state of a cardiovascular system.

Abstract: A surface fastener formed of a synthetic resin and in which a base with a 0.1 to 0.9 mm thickness and engagement element groups including engagement elements with a 0.2 to 0.8 mm protrusion height are integrally molded, and engagement element rows are composed of the plural engagement elements arranged in a row direction and each protruding independently. A cushioning member is covered with a covering member via the surface fastener. A resistance value of the surface fastener by itself as measured by a handle-o-meter method conforming to the JIS L 1096 E method is 80 to 150 g, whereas a load-deflection characteristic when a pressure is applied to an overlapping portion of the stacked surface fastener and cushioning member by a pressure plate with a 30 mm diameter approximates a similarly measured load-deflection characteristic of the cushioning member by itself.

Abstract: A torque transfer control mechanism that suppresses output-side displacement, and including a rotation control unit that maintains a locked state when an input torque rotating a transfer mechanism is not applied, and releases the locked state when the transfer mechanism rotates. The rotation control unit includes an internal gear and lock plates that include outer teeth that can engage with inner teeth of the internal gear. When an input torque is not applied, the inner teeth of the internal gear engage with the outer teeth of the lock plates, and when the transfer mechanism is rotated, engagement between the inner teeth and the outer teeth is released. Thus, even when torque is applied from the output unit side, engagement between the inner teeth and the outer teeth is not released by the torque.

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: A seat support mechanism including a lifter, and configured to perform a cushion frame suspension function no matter to what height a cushion frame is adjusted. Torsion bars extending in the width direction of a cushion frame and elastically supporting the cushion frame are supported by a link mechanism disposed between sliders and the cushion frame. Even if the attitude of the link mechanism is displaced when the lifter adjusts the height, the positions of the torsion bars are displaced so as to follow the displacement. The torsion bars elastically support the cushion frame no matter to what height the torsion bars are displaced. Thus, no matter to what height the cushion frame is adjusted, the torsion bars are able to support the cushion frame with predetermined elasticity and to exhibit predetermined vibration absorption characteristics.

Abstract: A back cushioning member having a tensile structure to reduce discomfort of a seated person. A lower lumbar support 10 installed in a lower portion of a back frame 111 and an upper lumbar support 20 installed in an upper portion of the lower lumbar support 10 are provided. Having vertically two lumbar supports 10, 20 enables a first support plate 12 of the lower lumbar support 10 to be provided so as to correspond mainly to a pelvis part where the sense of contact is hardly perceived, whereby the back cushioning member 112 having a tensile structure can be provided with a predetermined restoring force at a predetermined applicable elastic strength. Since the pelvis part located at a lower portion of a human body can be supported reliably, prevention of collapse of posture can be facilitated.

Abstract: The present invention prevents a three-dimensional fabric arranged in front surfaces of speakers from flapping due to sound. In the respective front surface sides of, sound-emitting direction regulating members that include annular portions that project forward by a predetermined distance are arranged. A three-dimensional fabric is tensioned and arranged so as to cover the front surface sides of the sound-emitting direction regulating members. When the three-dimensional fabric is pressed against the annular portions configuring the sound-emitting direction regulating members, the annular portions bite into the three-dimensional fabric since the three-dimensional fabric has a predetermined thickness. The annular portions are provided so as to surround diaphragms of the speakers. Sound output from the speakers passes inside the annular portions.