Abstract: A combination of a semiconductor member and a metal member is selected appropriately from a view point of increasing an enhancement factor of a near-field light. A device (1) has a semiconductor member (101) and a metal member (102), a near-field light is generated at the metal member when an energy is supplied to the semiconductor member, the metal member is made of an alloy including a first metal and a second metal, a condition of Rm1<Rs<Rm2 is satisfied, wherein a resonance wavelength of the first metal is Rm1, a resonance wavelength of the second metal is Rm2, and a resonance wavelength of the semiconductor member is Rs.

Abstract: An actively controlled colloidal damper having controllable damping characteristics. The damper has a cylinder (2); a piston (4) reciprocatably guided and supported by the cylinder (2) and forming a closed space (3) in cooperation with the cylinder (2); a porous body (8) having a large number of fine holes and received in the closed space (3); operation liquid (7) received in the closed space (3) together with the porous body (8), flowing into the fine holes in the porous body (8) when the pressure in the closed space (3) is increased, and flowing out of the fine holes when the pressure in the closed space (3) is decreased, and pressure regulation means, such as a servo value (6) and a pump device (10), for regulating the pressure in the closed space (3).

Abstract: A colloidal damper includes: a cylinder; a piston guided and supported by the cylinder and defining a closed space in association with the cylinder; a porous body having a multiplicity of first pores and being housed in the closed space; a liquid contained in the closed space together with the porous body, the liquid flowing into the first pores of the porous body when pressurized, and flowing out from the first pores of the porous body when the pressure is relieved. The damper may include a partition wall which has a multiplicity of second pores and which isolates the porous body from a frictional area, each of the second pores having a diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the porous body. The porous body may have an outer diameter larger than the size of the gap formed between the cylinder and the piston.

Abstract: An oscillation-echo preventing circuit has a microphone/speaker unit and a voltage-canceling circuit for canceling voltages of audio receive signals. The microphone/speaker unit has a main body, at least two microphones, and a speaker or an earphone. The microphone seals a first inside space from an outside space. The microphone seals the first inside space from a second inside space. The speaker or the earphone seals the first inside space from the outside space. The voltage-canceling circuit cancels out the voltages of audio receive signals coming from the microphones, respectively, generating an output of minimum magnitude. Thus, the circuit can sufficiently suppress oscillation and echoing.

Abstract: A three-dimensional measuring apparatus, method, and program for acquiring many pieces of information on a pattern of light by a single projection and highly accurate three-dimensional information at high speed. The three-dimensional measuring apparatus comprises a pattern projector serving as projecting means for projecting a pattern of light onto a measurement object, a camera serving as imaging means for capturing an image of the measurement object illuminated with the pattern of light, and a computer for processing data on the image captured by the camera. The computer computes the direction angle of each individual pattern of light which forms the projected pattern of light from the intensity value of the projected pattern of light detected from the captured image, divides the intensity distribution, and computes the depth distance from the phase value at each measuring point of the divided pattern. Thus, highly accurate three-dimensional information is acquired.

Abstract: An oscillation-echo preventing circuit according to the present invention has a microphone/speaker unit (12) and a voltage-canceling circuit (13) for canceling voltages of audio receive signals. The microphone/speaker unit (12) has a main body, at least two microphones MIC1 and MIC2, and a speaker SP1 or an earphone. The microphone MIC1 seals a first inside space from an outside space. The microphone MIC2 seals the first inside space from a second inside space. The speaker SP1 or the earphone seals the first inside space from the outside space. The voltage-canceling circuit (13) cancels out the voltages of audio receive signals coming from the microphones, respectively, generating an output of minimum magnitude. Thus, the circuit can sufficiently suppress oscillation and echoing.

Abstract: A three-dimensional measuring apparatus, method, and program for acquiring many pieces of information on a pattern of light by a single projection and highly accurate three-dimensional information at high speed. The three-dimensional measuring apparatus comprises a pattern projector (1) serving as projecting means for projecting a pattern of light onto a measurement object (A), a camera (2) serving as imaging means for capturing an image of the measurement object (A) illuminated with the pattern of light, and a computer (3) for processing data on the image captured by the camera (2). The computer (3) computes the direction angle of each individual pattern of light which forms the projected pattern of light from the intensity value of the projected pattern of light detected from the captured image, divides the intensity distribution, and computes the depth distance from the phase value at each measuring point of the divided pattern. Thus, highly accurate three-dimensional information is acquired.

Abstract: [Problem] To determine the length, area or volume of the whole or some specified portion of various architectural structures by using simple apparatus and operation. [Solution] An object is photographed from vertically spaced multiple points by using a digital camera and the length between multiple measured points on the object in multiple photographed images or the area or volume of a portion thereof surrounded by said measured points is determined based on the position of the multiple measured points on the object in the multiple images and the heights of said multiple photographing points. A digital camera is mounted on a pan head on a tripod to photograph an object from multiple positions by vertically moving the pan head, multiple photographed images and level information of multiple photographing points are input to a computer, and the computer performs computation by clicking multiple measured points on the object in one of said multiple images.

Abstract: A soy milk coagulating device includes: a coagulation vessel with an internal volume of 1,000 cc or less; two electrode plates facing each other to form a pair in the vessel; and a power feed controlling mechanism for controlling electricity fed to the electrode plates, and in the soy milk coagulating device, the power feed controlling mechanism is composed of: a tofu control system which is provided to heat soy milk to a set temperature at an average heating rate of equal to or less than 8° C. per minute, or at an average heating rate of more than 8° C. per minute and equal to or less than 15° C. per minute, and to keep the soy milk at the temperature for at least 5 minutes; a yuba control system; and switching unit which is provided to switch between the two control systems.