Abstract: A scanning unit for moving an object to be moved along at least one axis, which comprises a first actuator for moving the object along a first axis, the first actuator having a pair of end portions, and the object being attached to one of the end portions, the first actuator being held at a position in the vicinity of the center in dimension or the center of gravity thereof.

Abstract: A medical instrument includes a swingable operating section formed of a pair of forceps which rock around a first rocking axis, a tubular sheath having a distal end portion situated on the proximal end side of the operating section, the distal end portion having a circular-section portion having a circular cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal central axis thereof and a pair of flat portions formed by cutting the opposite sides of the circular-section portion and in sliding contact with the respective proximal end portions of the forceps, a manipulator which advances and retreats in a longitudinal direction of the sheath, thereby rocking the forceps around the first rocking axis, and a junction which connects the manipulator for rocking motion around a second rocking axis with respect to the forceps in the flat portions, the junction being situated on or near a reference plane passing through the longitudinal central axis of the sheath and extending parallel to the second rocking axis when the opera

Abstract: A reconstituting section obtains block-address information from each of read out blocks. According to the obtained pattern in the block-address information obtained by the reconstituting section, a reproducing section determines a code-scanning state of manual scanning performed along a scanning direction. When scanning is performed in an off-code state and an overspeed state, and when scanning is terminated in an incomplete state, notification is performed in each of modes differing from each other depending on the scanning state.

Abstract: There is disclosed an image-recording apparatus including a recoding head, a carriage which is reciprocatable along a main scanning direction, and carriage-driving mechanism for moving the carriage along the main scanning direction. The carriage-driving mechanism reciprocates the carriage so that a phase of a periodic speed fluctuation of the carriage during a forward movement deviates from the phase of the periodic speed fluctuation during a backward movement.

Abstract: An image display apparatus for displaying an image to a viewer, including: a back light for emitting a light for use in displaying; a polarization beam splitter for separating into two parts the emitted light from the back light and projecting one thereof as a polarized light in a specified direction toward a reflecting type LCD display device; the LCD display device for causing the incident light to be reflected at a reflecting film on the back surface thereof to emit a specified displaying light in a polarized condition; and a pixel shifting unit on which the polarized displaying light from the reflective LCD display device after passing through the polarization beam splitter is caused to be incident so that a high-resolution display can be obtained by performing 2-point or 4-point pixel shift.

Abstract: This invention constitutes a measuring distance device including a sensor array which detects image signals of an object in a finder screen, a projection unit which projects a signal light on the object, a selection unit which selects a detection area for the image signal of the sensor array, a change unit (control unit) which makes detection areas selected by the selection unit different from each other when the signal light is projected or is not projected by the projection unit, and a focus adjustment unit which performs focus adjustment by an image signal output in the detection area of the sensor array selected by the selection unit. A reduction in time lag is achieved without increasing a read area, and an influence of harmful light is reduced. This device which can perform an accurate and high-speed process can be applied to a hybrid AF camera.

Abstract: A scanning laser microscope includes a laser generation unit which generates a laser beam, a light modulation unit which modulates the laser beam, a scanning unit which scans a sample, a light receiving unit which receives a light from the sample, a control unit which controls the light modulation unit for each pixel of a scanning image acquired by the light receiving of the light receiving unit, and a storage unit which stores a plurality of controlled patterns. The number of pixels of the patterns correspond to the number of pixels of the scanned image. A modulation information of the laser beam is set for each pixel. The control unit reads the control patterns stored in the storage unit, controls the light modulation unit based on the modulation information of each pixel, and performs such control that the control patterns are changed at an arbitrary timing.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus, in which an object image focused by a lens is split into a plurality of images by means of a light splitting section. These images are converted into image data items by a plurality of imaging devices which are arranged with their imaging area overlapping in part. The image data items are stored temporarily in an image storing section. A displacement detecting section detects displacement coefficients (rotation angle R and parallel displacement S) from the image signals representing the mutual overlap region of two images which are to be combined and which are represented by two image data items read from the image storing section. The position of any specified pixel of the image displayed is identified by the pixel signal generated by the corresponding pixel of any imaging device.

Abstract: A laser scanning microscope according to the present invention is a laser scanning microscope which scans a laser beam on a sample by a scanning optical system in a scanning optical system main body to detect a fluorescence or reflected light from the sample, and a light source section comprising a light source manufactured by a semiconductor process and an optical fiber provided on a radiation side of the light source is incorporated in the scanning optical system main body.

Abstract: An observation optical system comprises an image display element 5 and an eyepiece optical system which introduces an image formed by the image display element 5 to a center of an eye of an observer without forming an intermediate image, so as to allow the observer to observe the image as a virtual image. The eyepiece optical system is constructed and arranged to bend the optical axis using reflecting surfaces so as to be compact. The optical axis lies in a plane, with respect to which the optical system is formed symmetric. The optical system includes a prism 3 having an entrance surface 33, a plurality of curved reflecting surfaces 31, 32 and an exit surface 31. The reflecting surface 32 is provided with a volume hologram (HOE) 4.

Abstract: The invention relates to a scanning optical system of small size, which is constructed of a reduced number of optical elements. A scanning optical system 10 comprises a prism. In forward ray tracing from a light source 11 to an image plane (the surface to be scanned), a light beam from the light source is collimated by a condensing optical system constructed of a first transmitting surface 1T, a second reflecting surface 1R and a second transmitting surface 2T into a substantially parallel light beam, which is then reflected and deflected at a two-dimensional scanner 12. The reflected and deflected light forms an image through an image-formation optical system constructed of a third transmitting surface 3T, a second reflecting surface 2R, a third reflecting (total reflection) surface 3R and a fourth transmitting surface 4T for two-dimensional scanning of the surface to be scanned.

Abstract: An illumination apparatus comprises a small-plane light source having diffusion radiation characteristics, a columnar light leading member, having an incident end surface, an outgoing radiation end surface and a reflection surface, configured to reflect on the reflection surface at least a part of a light ray from the small-plane light source collected from the incident end surface, thereby leading the light to the outgoing radiation end surface, and an angle position converting member configured to convert an outgoing light angle intensity of the outgoing light from the outgoing radiation end surface of the columnar light leading member into a position intensity in a predetermined irradiation area.

Abstract: An endo-therapy accessory device used in combination with an endoscope having an endo-therapy accessory channel includes a catheter and an endo-therapy accessory inserted into the catheter. The catheter is inserted into the endo-therapy accessory channel of the endoscope, and has a tip opening, and a first main-index recognized at a hand side in a predetermined position of a rear side from the tip opening. The endo-therapy accessory is inserted into the catheter so that its tip is recessed/projected from the tip opening, and has a second main-index in a position where a distance from the tip coincides with a distance from the tip opening of the catheter to the first main-index, and an insertion portion of the endo-therapy accessory to recognize a projection length when projected from the tip opening of the catheter based on a relative position of the second main-index with the first main-index of the catheter.

Abstract: To provide an image pickup system having CCDs 25 driven at different frequencies respectively which can drive each CCD 25 with a predetermined frequency if a detachable camera head (or electronic endoscope) 28 is used and also can process a signal processing clock of a video processing circuit 29 with one type of clock. A drive signal of the predetermined frequency supplied to the CCD is produced via a generating circuit CXO 155 in the video processing circuit 29, a frequency dividing circuit 132 and a timing generator (T.G.) 131. A CCD signal outputted from the CCD 25 is inputted to a line memory 139 in a floating circuit 135. As a writing clock (WCK) of the line memory 139, the one which is divided in the frequency dividing circuit 132 to a frequency in accordance with the CCD 25 to be used is used, and as a reading clock (RCK), the one of one type of frequency is used without regard to the CCD 25 to be used.

Abstract: An artificial bone comprising a calcium phosphate-based ceramic porous body having a plurality of pores which are three-dimensionally distributed throughout an entire region of the porous body including a surface thereof and have a diameter ranging from 0.01 &mgr;m to 2000 &mgr;m, and interconnecting portions which are formed between neighboring pores, interconnect a plurality of pores existing on a surface of the porous body.

Abstract: A base member formed of rubber or the like, which transmits ultrasound waves, includes a storage portion with a small width connected with a storage portion with a great width, wherein internal organ models, formed of animal internal organs or the like, such as an esophagus model, stomach model, and the like, are stored in these storage portions. A jelly-like member, which transmits ultrasound waves, is filled in around the internal organ models. An ultrasonic endoscope or the like can be inserted through an inserting hole so as to obtain ultrasonic images generally the same as with a case of inserting the ultrasonic endoscope or the like into a human body, thereby providing a training device which can be easily used.

Abstract: An endoscope system has at least one of an endoscope including a first discrimination section having readable characteristic information for discriminating each endoscope, a peripheral device including a second discrimination section having readable characteristic information for discriminating each peripheral device, and a third discrimination section having readable characteristic information for discriminating an operator operating the endoscope or the peripheral device. A reading section is capable of reading the characteristic information of the first, second or third discrimination section. A management section manages a status of use of the endoscope and information related to the peripheral device and the endoscope.

Abstract: The invention provides a zoom lens system much more reduced in size and cost than ever before and best-suited for use on portable information terminals of small size. The zoom lens system comprises, in order from an object side thereof, a first lens group G1 having positive refracting power and designed to be fixed during zooming, a second lens group G2 having negative refracting power and designed to move from the object side to an image plane side of the system for zooming from a wide-angle end to a telephoto end of the system, a third lens group having refracting power and designed to move from the image plane side to the object side for zooming from the wide-angle end to the telephoto end, and a fourth lens group G4 having positive refracting power and designed to be movable during zooming.

Abstract: A treatment instrument for an endoscope includes a main body, a cutting wire and an insertion portion. The cutting wire has an insertion portion inserted in the main body and an exposed portion situated at a distal side of the insertion portion and exposed out of the main body. The cutting wire is supplied with high-frequency current, and the insulating member electrically insulates a peripheral surface of the cutting wire. The insulating member insulates that part of the exposed portion, which is other than a non-insulated portion extending in a range of 5 mm to 15 mm from a distal end of the exposed portion. The excision portion is formed of the non-insulated portion of the cutting wire.

Abstract: A diagnostic support apparatus includes a diagnostic support content storage section which stores a plurality of diagnostic support contents for providing diagnostic support, a selecting section which selects desired diagnostic support content from the plurality of diagnostic support contents stored in the diagnostic support content storage section, an information acquiring section which acquires diagnostic information concerning at least one of a patient, an examination, and an image from a medical system, a diagnostic support information creating section which creates diagnostic support information on the basis of the diagnostic support content selected by the selecting section and the diagnostic information acquired from the medical system, and a diagnostic support information display section which displays the created diagnostic support information.