Abstract: A porous silica material disclosed in the present application is a porous silica material in which a plurality of silica particles are connected to one another three-dimensionally, wherein: a density of the porous silica material is less than 220 kg/m3; a particle diameter of the silica particles is 3.5 nm or more; and the water content of the porous silica material is 8 wt % or less.

Abstract: An optical microphone for detecting an acoustic wave propagating through an environmental fluid by using a light wave, includes: an acoustic wave receiving section having a propagation medium portion through which an acoustic wave propagate and a first support portion for supporting the propagation medium portion; a light source for outputting a light wave so that the light wave passes through the propagation medium portion across the acoustic wave propagating through the propagation medium portion; a light-blocking portion having an edge line for splitting the light wave having passed through the propagation medium portion into a blocked portion and a non-blocked portion; and a photoelectric conversion section for receiving a portion of the light wave having passed through the propagation medium portion which has not been blocked by the light-blocking portion to output an electric signal.

Abstract: A method of producing a porous silica material includes: preparing a raw material solution containing silicon alkoxides including diisobutyldimethoxysilane and tetramethoxysilane in such a mass ratio that a mass of the diisobutyldimethoxysilane is 0.25 or more and 1 or less per mass of the tetramethoxysilane, and a solvent; obtaining a wet gel by adding, to the raw material solution, an aqueous solution containing a catalyst for promoting hydrolysis and condensation polymerization of the silicon alkoxides, the aqueous solution having a pH of 8.9 or more and 11.3 or less; washing the wet gel; and drying the washed wet gel under supercritical conditions.

Abstract: An acousto-optic imaging system includes: an ultrasonic wave source for irradiating an imaged object with an ultrasonic wave; an acoustic lens for converting a scattered wave of the ultrasonic wave to a plane wave; a light-transmitting acoustic medium provided in an area on an opposite side of the imaged object with respect to the acoustic lens; a light source for outputting a monochromatic light plane wave; an image-forming lens arranged so as to condense diffraction light of the monochromatic light plane wave which is produced in the light-transmitting acoustic medium; an image-receiving section for obtaining an optical image formed by the image-forming lens; and a distortion compensation section for correcting a distortion of the optical image or a distortion.

Abstract: A method of producing a porous silica material includes: preparing a raw material solution containing silicon alkoxides including diisobutyldimethoxysilane and tetramethoxysilane in such a mass ratio that a mass of the diisobutyldimethoxysilane is 0.25 or more and 1 or less per mass of the tetramethoxysilane, and a solvent; obtaining a wet gel by adding, to the raw material solution, an aqueous solution containing a catalyst for promoting hydrolysis and condensation polymerization of the silicon alkoxides, the aqueous solution having a pH of 8.9 or more and 11.3 or less; washing the wet gel; and drying the washed wet gel under supercritical conditions.

Abstract: An optical microphone includes: an acousto-optic medium section having a pair of principal surfaces and at least one lateral surface provided therebetween; a restraint section which is in contact with the at least one lateral surface for preventing a shape change of the acousto-optic medium section; and a light emitting section for emitting a light wave so as to propagate through the acousto-optic medium section between the pair of principal surfaces. The pair of principal surfaces are in contact with an environmental fluid through which an acoustic wave to be detected is propagating and are capable of freely vibrating, and an optical path length variation of a light wave propagating through the acousto-optic medium section, which is caused by the acoustic wave that comes into the acousto-optic medium section from at least one of the pair of principal surfaces and propagates through the acousto-optic medium section, is detected.

Abstract: An acousto-optic imaging device disclosed in the present application includes: an acoustic wave source; an acoustic lens system for converting a scattered wave produced by irradiation of an object with an acoustic wave emitted from the acoustic wave source into a predetermined converged state; an acousto-optic medium section which is arranged such that a scattered wave transmitted through the acoustic lens system is incident on the acousto-optic medium section; a light source for emitting a light beam which is formed by a plurality of superposed monochromatic light rays traveling in different directions; an image formation lens system for condensing diffracted light of a plurality of the monochromatic plane wave light rays produced at the acousto-optic medium section; and an image receiving section for detecting light condensed by the image formation lens system to output an electric signal.

Abstract: An optical microphone includes: a light source; a first polarizer for allowing linearly-polarized light, of light output from the light source, to pass therethrough; a second polarizer for allowing linearly-polarized light having a different polarization plane from the first polarizer to pass therethrough; a sound-receiving section including an acoustic medium having a smaller sound velocity than the air, wherein an acoustic signal propagates through the acoustic medium, the sound-receiving section being arranged so that the linearly-polarized light from the first polarizer passes through the acoustic medium and enters the second polarizer; and a photodetector for converting an intensity of light having passed through the second polarizer to an electric signal, wherein between the first polarizer and the second polarizer, the linearly-polarized light having passed through the first polarizer is given different phase shifts in two orthogonal directions which are each different from a polarization direction.

Abstract: A porous silica material in which silica particles are connected to one another three-dimensionally, wherein: the porous silica material includes a through hole including first pores smaller than a mean free path of an air, and second pores larger than the first pores; the porous silica material has a density of 100 kg/m3 or more and 300 kg/m3 or the silica particles.

Abstract: An optical ultrasonic microphone includes an acoustic waveguide that transmits a sound wave received from an opening, an optical acoustic propagation medium that forms at least one portion of a wall face of the acoustic waveguide and an LDV head, and a sound wave proceeding through the acoustic waveguide is received by the optical acoustic propagation medium so that a change in the refractive index caused by the proceeding sound wave inside the optical acoustic propagation medium is generated with high efficiency, and by detecting this as an optical modulation by the LDV head, the optical ultrasonic microphone is allowed to have a very wide band.

Abstract: There is provided an optical microphone for detecting an acoustic wave propagating in an ambient fluid, the optical microphone including: a propagation medium section; a light source for emitting a light wave to be transmitted through a diffraction region in the propagation medium section; and a photoelectric conversion section for detecting the light wave having been transmitted through the propagation medium section. A first acoustic wave which is a portion of the acoustic wave and a second acoustic wave which is another portion thereof are allowed to propagate in the propagation medium section so as to simultaneously arrive at the diffraction region, and an interference component between a +1st order diffracted light wave and a ?1st order diffracted light wave of the light wave generated based on a refractive index distribution of the propagation medium occurring in the diffraction region.

Abstract: An optoacoustic convolver includes: a light source; a first acoustic waveguide filled with a light-transmissive first acoustic medium; a second acoustic waveguide filled with a light-transmissive second acoustic medium; an optical system whereby light emitted from the light source is split into a first light beam and a second light beam, the first light beam entering the first acoustic waveguide, and the second light beam entering the second acoustic waveguide, thereby generating interference light between the first light beam having passed through the first acoustic waveguide and the second light beam having passed through the second acoustic waveguide; a light-receiving section for receiving the interference light and outputting an electric signal based on an intensity of the received light; and a correlation determination section for determining whether the received signal is correlated with the reference signal by observing the electric signal output from the light-receiving section.

Abstract: An optoacoustic convolver includes: a light source; a first acoustic waveguide filled with a light-transmissive first acoustic medium; a second acoustic waveguide filled with a light-transmissive second acoustic medium; an optical system whereby light emitted from the light source is split into a first light beam and a second light beam, the first light beam entering the first acoustic waveguide, and the second light beam entering the second acoustic waveguide, thereby generating interference light between the first light beam having passed through the first acoustic waveguide and the second light beam having passed through the second acoustic waveguide; a light-receiving section for receiving the interference light and outputting an electric signal based on an intensity of the received light; and a correlation determination section for determining whether the received signal is correlated with the reference signal by observing the electric signal output from the light-receiving section.

Abstract: An ultrasonic measuring method includes: (A) receiving a coded spread spectrum ultrasonic signal in at least two receivers, and generating at least two received signals; (B) performing an quadrature detection on the received signals using the carrier frequency, and producing I and Q components of the received signals; (C) performing phase difference processing on the I and Q components with a coding period synchronized with that of the carrier frequency, and obtaining I? and Q? components from which a phase shift caused by a Doppler shift has been canceled; (D) despreading the I? and Q? components signals using different codes at time intervals synchronized with the carrier frequency, and obtaining despread I? and Q? components; (E) computing the amplitude and phase information based on the I? and Q? components; and (F) calculating the propagation distance and/or orientation of the ultrasonic wave based on the amplitude and phase information.

Abstract: A power supply device includes negative-side and positive-side battery blocks serially connected to each other through a resistor element 19. The ends of the element 19 correspond to reference and auxiliary ground points 8A and 8B. A voltage detector 3 detects the voltages of battery modules 2 of a load-driving battery 1. The detector 3 includes an asymmetric resistor circuit that is asymmetrically constructed with respect to the reference point 8A. The detector 3 detects the voltage of the auxiliary point 8B with respect to the reference point 8A in a load driven state. A disconnection detecting circuit 20 compares the detected voltage with a reference voltage of the auxiliary point 8B with respect to the reference point 8A not in the load driven state, and determines that the line 9 is disconnected in the load driven state if the deviation of the detected voltage from the reference voltage falls out of a predetermined range.

Abstract: An ultrasonic measurement method, including: receiving a plurality of ultrasonic waves that have been spectrum-spread with different codes by first and second wave-receivers; de-spreading the first and second receive signals respectively with a selected code and a non-selected code; obtaining an amplitude ratio between the produced selected de-spread signal and the non-selected de-spread signal; determining a threshold value based on the amplitude ratio; extracting a signal having an amplitude greater than or equal to the threshold value from the non-selected de-spread signal to thereby produce an interfering signal; spreading the interfering signal with a corresponding non-selected code and then removing the interfering signal from the first and second receive signals to thereby produce first and second receive signals from which the interfering signal has been removed; de-spreading the first and second receive signals from which the interfering signal has been removed each with the selected code to thereby

Abstract: An ultrasonic receiver according to the present invention includes: a wave propagating portion 6, which defines a first opening 63 and a waveguide 60 that makes an ultrasonic wave, coming through the first opening 63, propagate in a predetermined direction; and a propagation medium portion 3, which has a transmissive interface 61 and which is arranged with respect to the waveguide 60 such that the transmissive interface 61 defines one surface of the waveguide 60 in the direction in which the ultrasonic wave propagates. The interface 61 is designed and arranged with respect to the waveguide 60 such that as the ultrasonic wave propagates along the waveguide 60, each portion of the ultrasonic wave is transmitted into the propagation medium portion 3 through the interface 61 and then converged toward a predetermined convergence point. The receiver further includes a sensor portion 2, which is arranged at the convergence point 33 to detect the ultrasonic wave converged.

Abstract: An optical ultrasonic microphone includes an acoustic waveguide that transmits a sound wave received from an opening, an optical acoustic propagation medium that forms at least one portion of a wall face of the acoustic waveguide and an LDV head, and a sound wave proceeding through the acoustic waveguide is received by the optical acoustic propagation medium so that a change in the refractive index caused by the proceeding sound wave inside the optical acoustic propagation medium is generated with high efficiency, and by detecting this as an optical modulation by the LDV head, the optical ultrasonic microphone is allowed to have a very wide band.

Abstract: A medical stapler is provided with a stapler body having a head portion at one end thereof, which drives out medical staples S, and a manipulating lever that can be opened and closed by being turned in a state in which a part provided at the side of the head portion is housed in an accommodating portion of the stapler body. A grip portion opposed to the head portion of the manipulating lever is usually urged in an opening direction in which the grip portion protrudes from the accommodating portion. When a staple S is driven out, the manipulating lever is turned in a closing direction in which the manipulating lever is housed in the accommodating portion. Thus, the staple S is driven out of the head portion. Then, the staple S is put into skin “a” while both sides of a wound are brought toward each other. Thus, the wound is sutured while both tip end parts of the staple are inwardly bent.

Abstract: A massage apparatus includes: a massage unit configured to massage a user; a biological information acquisition unit configured to acquire biological information of the user; a stress estimation unit configured to estimate a degree of stress of the user based on the biological information acquired by the biological information acquisition unit; and an operation determination unit configured to determine a massage operation to be performed for the user by the massage unit based on the degree of stress of the user estimated by the stress estimation unit.