Abstract: To provide a small-sized liquid seal sensor that can enhance degrees of freedom in detection directions. A liquid seal sensor having a liquid seal part that seals a liquid therein, and a detecting part that detects changes in the liquid sealed in the liquid seal part has a configuration in which the detecting part detects changes in the liquid sealed in the liquid seal part, and thus when an acceleration is applied, the detecting part detects changes in the liquid sealed in the liquid seal part, whereby the sensitivity to accelerations can be enhanced in any directions.

Abstract: In a method of calculating circulation dynamics of a living body, a resistance component corresponding to a shape of a blood vessel in the living body is derived using previously obtained values of viscosity, pressure and flow rate of blood flowing in the blood vessel. Information corresponding to the viscosity of the blood is calculated using the derived resistance component.

Abstract: To provide a noninvasive type blood rheology measuring apparatus capable of simply and conveniently measuring blood rheology information without sampling blood from a subject in measuring the blood rheology and a small-sized and portable apparatus, a blood rheology measuring apparatus of the invention is on a basis of a constitution including means form on invasively detecting a flow velocity of the blood flowing in the blood vessel as a Doppler shift signal by transmitting and receiving a wave from the face of the skin and means for analyzing blood rheology by a temporal change of the flow velocity value of the blood detected by the means.

Abstract: A blood rheology measuring apparatus has a measuring portion for measuring a flow velocity of the blood flowing in a blood vessel of a person in a mode of a Doppler shift signal by transmitting and receiving a wave to and from a surface of the person's skin. An information processing portion calculates an intensity at each of frequency components of the Doppler shift signal, extracts a maximum frequency in a signal at an intensity level equal to or larger than a threshold in the histogram or a maximum frequency when an integrated value from a low frequency component reaches a predetermined rate of a total thereof in the histogram, and provides a temporal change waveform of the extracted frequency. The blood rheology is analyzed based on the maximum frequency in the frequency waveform.

Abstract: A blood rheology measuring apparatus has a measuring portion for measuring blood circulation information inside of a living body from outside of the living body. The blood circulation information is a maximum blood flow velocity for one pulse. An information processing portion processes the measured information from the measuring portion to obtain information concerning a blood rheology of the living body.

Abstract: There is disclosed a miniature blood rheology measurement device and a blood rheology measurement method which are capable of performing measurement of a portion such as a wrist or a fingertip with a high precision and which are simple without requiring measurement of a blood pressure. The method: detects an artery blood flow rate, a pulsatile displacement, an artery diameter, an artery wall thickness, a heartbeat frequency, and a phase difference or an amplitude ratio of the blood flow rate and the pulsatile displacement, which change with elapse of time, by use of a sensor including ultrasonic wave transmitting and receiving elements for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves between the surface of a living body and an artery blood flow in the living body; and calculates a blood kinematic viscosity by use of one of the phase difference and the amplitude ratio, the blood vessel diameter, and the heartbeat frequency to obtain an index value of a blood rheology.

Abstract: A blood rheology measurement device and a blood rheology measurement method which detect a fingerprint or a vein to thereby measure a positional relation between an artery in a living body and a sensor on the same conditions for each subject during non-invasive measurement and which correctly evaluate a change of blood rheology with elapse of time. A vein pattern or a fingerprint pattern peculiar to a subject is detected, recognized, and stored, a position of a sensor is adjusted so that the detected vein pattern or fingerprint pattern agrees with the stored vein pattern or fingerprint pattern every measurement, and a blood rheology index value indicating blood fluidity (fluidity/viscosity) is measured.

Abstract: In order to make it possible to predict a dissociation constant at an initial stage of reaction, a concentration sensor for a sample is provided on a downstream side of a mass sensor. This makes it possible to learn concentration of a sample solution at the time when a mass is detected by the mass sensor. When the concentration and the mass are substituted in a predetermined logical expression, it is possible to obtain a predicted value of a dissociation constant. The concentration sensor is a capacitor constituted by electrodes opposed to each other. Since a dielectric constant changes when analytes are present between the electrodes, it is possible to detect analyte concentration according to the dielectric constant. Since it is possible to reduce a size of the capacitor, it is possible to keep a size of a micro-reactor small. Note that the mass sensor outputs a resonance frequency of a quartz resonator. A measuring apparatus can calculate a mass from transition of this frequency.

Abstract: In order to provide a reactor, a micro reactor chip, and a micro reactor system which can maintain high sensitivity without residual stresses on a crystal oscillator and unwanted oscillation modes, both surfaces of an AT-cut crystal plate 100 is deposited or sputtered with gold to prepare a detection electrode 601, an opposite electrode 602, and wiring to both electrodes. A resist is then formed on a cleaned silicon wafer. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is then poured onto the silicon wafer and allowed to cure. The PDMS is then peeled from the silicon wafer to form a groove 500 in the PDMS. The PDMS is then laid on the crystal plate. When the crystal substrate side is then irradiate with ultraviolet light the silicon-carbon bond between the crystal and the PDMS is cut, thus causing the crystal and the PDMS to bond to each other by means of a siloxane bond. The liquid introduction port and the liquid discharge port are then cut to form the reactor.

Abstract: It is a problem to provide a microchip for analysis which is miniaturized, is disposable for ease to use, and does not have a risk of contamination in flow channels. On a substrate 2, a first flow channel having a buffer solution supply channel 6 and a reaction bath section 3, a second flow channel having a sample solution supply channel 5 and a waste solution channel 7, and a connecting channel 9 connecting both the flow channels upstream of the reaction bath section 3 are provided. The waste solution channel 7 and the reaction bath section 3 are connected to a waste solution tank 8 and a pump 11. After a ligand is modified in the reaction bath section 3, a sample solution is allowed to flow in the sample solution supply channel 5 and the waste solution channel 7, and a buffer solution is allowed to flow in the buffer solution supply channel 6, the connecting channel 9 and the waste solution channel 7, subsequently to flow in the buffer solution supply channel 6 and the reaction bath section 3.

Abstract: There is provided a pulse detecting device which resists fluctuations in the quality by locating an ultrasound transmitting piezoelectric element and an ultrasound receiving piezoelectric element with high precision. In the pulse detecting device, a detection sensitivity of the pulse is improved. A transmitting piezoelectric element and a receiving piezoelectric element are fixed onto a substrate by electrodes. The transmitting piezoelectric element is excited in response to an inputted drive voltage signal to generate an ultrasound and transmits the generated ultrasound to a living body. The receiving piezoelectric element receives an echo produced by reflecting the ultrasound transmitted into the living body by a blood flow of the living body and converts it into a voltage signal. A processing arithmetic unit compares the frequency of the ultrasound generated by the transmitting piezoelectric element with that of the echo received in the receiving piezoelectric element to thereby detect a pulse.

Abstract: A piezoelectric transducer comprises: a substrate having first and second substrate electrodes forming input and output terminals, and one or more piezoelectric elements for transmitting a supersonic wave to an object to be measured and receiving a reflected wave from the object. The piezoelectric elements are arranged on the substrate and have a first surface electrode connected to the first substrate electrode and a second surface electrode connected to the second substrate electrode via a conductive member. An acoustic matching layer is superposed on the piezoelectric elements for efficiently propagating the supersonic wave on the second surface electrode. The conductive member has a thickness not more than that of the acoustic matching layer and is embedded in the acoustic matching layer.

Abstract: There is provided a pulse detecting device which resists fluctuations in the quality by locating an ultrasound transmitting piezoelectric element and an ultrasound receiving piezoelectric element with high precision. In the pulse detecting device, a detection sensitivity of the pulse is improved. A transmitting piezoelectric element and a receiving piezoelectric element are fixed onto a substrate by electrodes. The transmitting piezoelectric element is excited in response to an inputted drive voltage signal to generate an ultrasound and transmits the generated ultrasound to a living body. The receiving piezoelectric element receives an echo produced by reflecting the ultrasound transmitted into the living body by a blood flow of the living body and converts it into a voltage signal. A processing arithmetic unit compares the frequency of the ultrasound generated by the transmitting piezoelectric element with that of the echo received in the receiving piezoelectric element to thereby detect a pulse.

Abstract: There is provided a pulse wave detector enabling pulse wave detection with reduced power consumption, and prolonged usage time. Ultrasonic waves having a frequency of 10 MHz are transmitted from a transmitter towards an artery, and reflected waves that have undergone frequency modulation as a result of the Doppler effect of the artery are received by a receiver, pulse waves are extracted by FM detection, and a pulse rate is counted and displayed. Transmission of ultrasonic waves by the transmitter and reception of reflected waves by the receiver are carried intermittently at a frequency of 64 Hz to reduce the power consumption, to enable installation even in a small portable device with low battery capacity such as a watch, and to enable prolonged usage time.

Abstract: A pulse detection device has a base plate having a first main surface disposable against a part of a living body during use of the pulse detection device, a second main surface disposed opposite the first main surface, and a channel formed in the second main surface. A first piezoelectric element is disposed in the channel of the base plate for transmitting an ultrasonic signal toward an artery in the living body. A second piezoelectric element is disposed in the channel of the base plate for receiving the ultrasonic signal transmitted by the first piezoelectric element and reflected by the artery.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic device has an ultrasonic sensor having a substrate, a piezoelectric element mounted on the substrate for generating an ultrasonic wave to be transmitted into a living body in accordance with an input drive signal, and an intimate contact layer having a first main surface disposed in contact with the piezoelectric element and a second main surface opposite the first main surface for contacting a part of the living body. The intimate contact layer is formed of a flexible material such that the second main surface of the intimate contact layer is brought into close contact with the part of the living body so that no air gaps exist between the second main surface of the intimate contact layer and the part of the living body. A driver circuit generates an input drive signal to drive the piezoelectric element.

Abstract: There is provided a pulse detecting device which resists fluctuations in the quality by locating an ultrasound transmitting piezoelectric element and an ultrasound receiving piezoelectric element with high precision. In the pulse detecting device, a detection sensitivity of the pulse is improved. A transmitting piezoelectric element and a receiving piezoelectric element are fixed onto a substrate by electrodes. The transmitting piezoelectric element is excited in response to an inputted drive voltage signal to generate an ultrasound and transmits the generated ultrasound to a living body. The receiving piezoelectric element receives an echo produced by reflecting the ultrasound transmitted into the living body by a blood flow of the living body and converts it into a voltage signal. A processing arithmetic unit compares the frequency of the ultrasound generated by the transmitting piezoelectric element with that of the echo received in the receiving piezoelectric element to thereby detect a pulse.

Abstract: With respect to a conventional and general supersonic probe, it is necessary to apply a special patterning to a piezoelectric element, so that this involves a problem such that the supersonic probe is difficult to manufacture. Alternatively, in the case of bonding the conducting wire to the piezoelectric element with the conductive adhesive or the like, it is necessary to make the thickness of the conductive adhesive and the thickness of the conductive wire less than or equal to that of the above mentioned acoustic matching layer, so that it is very difficult to manufacture and the thickness of the acoustic matching layer becomes thicker than the optimum thickness. This involves a problem such that the detection sensitivity has been deteriorated.

Abstract: When a wave is noninvasively inputted through a surface of a living body to be reflected by a body fluid flowing through the living body, and the state of blood and the like is analyzed on the basis of the motion and the position to obtain circulation information in order to evaluate the health state, the circulation information can be accurately measured irrespective of the degree of strain of a blood vessel of a part to be measured in the living body. In a circulation dynamics measuring apparatus having a circulation sensor portion for transmitting/receiving a wave to/from the inside of the living body through a surface of the living body, and a processing portion for calculating a circulation dynamics from the received wave, the circulation sensor portion has a portion for measuring a blood pressure and a portion for measuring a blood flow rate, and information concerned with viscosity of blood is calculated by the processing portion.

Abstract: An ultrasonograph capable of diagnosing a region with high sensitivity has a sensor provided with an ultrasound sending unit for sending ultrasound to the region and an ultrasound receiving unit for receiving ultrasound waves reflected from the region, a band for holding the sensor from a back side thereof relative to the diagnosed region and positioning a front side of the sensor against the diagnosed region, an information acquisition unit for acquiring information about the diagnosed region based on the reflected waves received by the ultrasound receiving unit, and an ultrasound-attenuating portion interposed between the sensor and the band for attenuating propagation of external noise from the band to the sensor and attenuating propagation of ultrasound signals through the band.