Abstract: High-accuracy multimodal biometric authentication of a plurality of body organisms is achieved while suppressing postural fluctuation when the plurality of body organisms are captured. An authentication system stores feature quantities for body organisms in association with users and performs biometric authentication on the basis of images from a capture device. The capture device photographs a first body organism of a first user during a first period and captures a second body organism and a third body organism of the first user during a second period. The authentication processing device calculates a first feature quantity from the first body part photographed during the first period, respectively calculates a second feature quantity and a third feature quantity from the second body organism and the third body organism captured during the second period, and compares with the feature quantities for the body organisms of each user stored at the storage device.

Abstract: A photographing apparatus includes: an imaging unit which is arranged at a position opposed to a plurality of fingers to be presented, and is configured to image the plurality of fingers; and a plurality of light sources which are arranged in plurality in an array direction of the plurality of fingers, and are configured to irradiate the plurality of fingers with light from an outside of an opposing region in which the imaging unit is opposed to the plurality of fingers toward an inside of the opposing region.

Abstract: A stirring blade unit includes a plurality of main blade bodies radially projected from the outer periphery of a boss and auxiliary blade bodies respectively provided at tip portions of the main blade bodies in a manner so as to be downwardly projected. With this arrangement, it is possible to prevent swinging of the rotational shaft, the fabrication and mounting of the auxiliary blade bodies is made easier, material costs are reduced, and the mounting space required is reduced.

Abstract: An equilibrator for a universal head which is simple in construction, light-weight, and small-sized. The equilibrator includes a cylindrical cam which has an axis extending in a substantially horizontal direction, and is mounted on a base so as to be rotatable about the axis, and having a cam surface formed on an end thereof, in addition to a compression spring which is arranged so as to be substantially coaxial with the cylindrical cam and resiliently engaged with the cam surface of the cylindrical cam. The cam surface has a configuration sufficient to allow the balance between the force transmitted to the cam surface due to the inclination of the universal head and the restoring force of the spring, to be kept at any inclination of the universal head.