Abstract: To make it possible to grasp a biological condition, in particular, a condition ascribable to the movement of the heart. According to the embodiments, it is possible to find a boundary frequency between cardiac apex beat and heart sound. This makes it possible to find not only heart sound, but also cardiac apex beat, from a biological signal which is a collection of biological sound and in-vivo vibration. The boundary frequency is represented by a quadratic function of heart rate, and the use of correlation data based on the quadratic function makes it possible to find heart rate or a boundary frequency in real time. As a result, for example, if heart rate is known, the level of a boundary frequency is known. This facilitates inferring a health condition, for example, whether or not the heart is under stress, from a broader viewpoint than conventionally.

Abstract: There are improved a vibration absorption characteristic and an impact absorption characteristic. In a suspension mechanism 1 of the present invention, first and second dampers (150, 160) are suspended in parallel between an upper frame (120) and a lower frame (110) with mounting angles different from each other. For this reason, the smaller mounting angle the damper has, the smaller a vertical component of damping force becomes, and the damping force which acts on the upper frame (120) and the lower frame (110) which move up and down relatively is moderate in effectiveness as compared with a case of disposing all the dampers at the same mounting angle. Thus, a sense of incongruity in which strong damping force acts abruptly is suppressed and the vibration absorption characteristic and the impact absorption characteristic are improved, which leads to improvement in ride comfort.

Abstract: There are improved a vibration absorption characteristic and an impact absorption characteristic. In a suspension mechanism 1 of the present invention, first and second dampers (150, 160) are suspended in parallel between an upper frame (120) and a lower frame (110) with mounting angles different from each other. For this reason, the smaller mounting angle the damper has, the smaller a vertical component of damping force becomes, and the damping force which acts on the upper frame (120) and the lower frame (110) which move up and down relatively is moderate in effectiveness as compared with a case of disposing all the dampers at the same mounting angle. Thus, a sense of incongruity in which strong damping force acts abruptly is suppressed and the vibration absorption characteristic and the impact absorption characteristic are improved, which leads to improvement in ride comfort.

Abstract: To make it possible to improve seated person's posture stability with respect to input vibration, and more improve a vibration absorption characteristic or an impact absorption characteristic caused by impact vibration as compared with conventional ones. A suspension mechanism 1 has a structure in which two suspension units 100, 200 which support a movable support part 140 and a seat support part 240 through link mechanisms 110, 120 respectively are arranged in two upper and lower stages, and a configuration such that, when the movable support part 140 and the seat support part 240 move up and down relatively in response to input vibration, the two link mechanisms 110, 210 supporting the respective parts are operated to rotate in opposite directions to each other.

Abstract: Determination about presence/absence of alcohol in the body is made accurately. A frequency dynamic information processing means 610 which obtains a tendency of time-series fluctuation regarding a frequency of a pulse wave of a back portion of a person detected by an air pack and an alcohol-drinking determining means 650 which determines an alcohol-drinking state when a tendency of a time-series fluctuation regarding the frequency obtained by the frequency dynamic information processing means 610 is separated from a tendency of time-series fluctuation regarding the frequency at a non-drinking state are provided.

Abstract: A configuration is adopted where elastic members made of expanded rein beads and having a size covering air cushions are disposed between a skin member and the air cushions of a human body supporting device. By arranging a plurality of elastic members made of expanded rein beads and in a stacking manner, preferably, arranging two elastic members made of expanded resin beads, spring constants of the elastic members obtained from load-deflection characteristics when they are pressed to a deflection amount of 1 mm by a pressing plate with a diameter of 30 mm being higher than that of the air cushion and being different from each other, a biological signal can be transmitted to the air cushions without damping the biological signal, though the elastic members made of expanded rein beads and are provided.

Abstract: A vehicle seat includes a tension structure extended on a back frame with a configuration in which a natural frequency in the right-and-left direction of the back frame is set lower than the natural frequency in the front-and-rear direction. Thereby, the structure can easily deflect in the right-and-left direction. Therefore, since an impact load larger than a predetermined level inputted in the front-and-rear direction due to front-and-rear/pitching vibration or a rear collision and the like becomes a force of deflecting the back frame in the right-and-left direction, the vibration/impact energy is consumed by that, and moreover, rearward displacement of the back frame consumes vibration/impact energy. Thus, absorbing performances of the vibration/impact energy are higher than before.

Abstract: A structural material is provided, the strength and toughness of which are well-balanced at a high level, suitable in particular for seat frames in automobiles, aircrafts and the like. Specifically disclosed is a structural material produced by integrally joining thin steel members in a part thereof and, after joining, thermally heating a part thereof so that the heat-treated part differs from the other parts in strength and toughness. Unlike a structural material, the strength of which as a whole has been uniformly improved by heat treatment, the above-described structural material consists of a part having a high strength and a part having low strength. Thus, a structural material, the strength and toughness of which are well-balanced at a high level can be obtained. Since the strength and toughness are well-balanced at a high level, the structural material is suitable particularly for seat frames in automobiles, aircrafts and the like.

Abstract: To provide a technique suitable for elevating strength and toughness of a thin low-carbon steel. By performing rapid heating and rapid cooling to a thin low-carbon steel which is an ordinary steel with a thickness of 1.2 mm or less, a steel where a microstructure becomes a duplex grain size structure mixed with crystal grains having different grain diameters, which is not homogeneous, preferably, hard phase structures are contained in addition to the duplex grain size structure is obtained, and a high-strength and high-toughness thin low-carbon steel is obtained. Further, by performing a heat treatment process involving rapid heating and rapid cooling multiple times, a duplex grain size structure of crystal grains with smaller grain diameters or a hard phase structure contained therein is obtained, so that a thin low-carbon steel with higher strength and higher toughness is obtained.

Abstract: A state change of a person is captured with timing closer to consciousness of the person. A frequency slope waveform of a time series signal of a pulse wave of a body of a person detected by an air pack is obtained by a frequency slope time-series analyzing and a computing device and a frequency fluctuation time-series waveform is obtained by a frequency fluctuation time-series analyzing and computing device. By comparing changes of two waveforms with each other in a waveform determining device, a state change of a person can be captured with timing closer to consciousness of the person.

Abstract: Follow-up performance to respiratory movements is made higher than that of the prior art without obstructing movements of the pelvis of a person. A configuration is adopted that a cushioning member arrangement frame for a seat back 34, 140 and a cushioning member arrangement frame for a seat cushion are displaced according to load fluctuation to a cushioning member for a seat back 40, 150 or a cushioning member for a seat cushion 20. That is, such a configuration is adopted that the cushioning member arrangement frame for a seat back 34, 140 or the cushioning member for a seat cushion 20 not only moves according to load fluctuation but also frames themselves supporting them move via tension structure members spread over the frames (a cushioning member for a seat back and a cushioning member for a seat cushion).

Abstract: A vehicle seat includes a tension structure extended on a back frame with a configuration in which a natural frequency in the right-and-left direction of the back frame is set lower than the natural frequency in the front-and-rear direction. Thereby, the structure can easily deflect in the right-and-left direction. Therefore, since an impact load larger than a predetermined level inputted in the front-and-rear direction due to front-and-rear/pitching vibration or a rear collision and the like becomes a force of deflecting the back frame in the right-and-left direction, the vibration/impact energy is consumed by that, and moreover, rearward displacement of the back frame consumes vibration/impact energy. Thus, absorbing performances of the vibration/impact energy are higher than before.

Abstract: Determination about presence/absence of alcohol in the body is made accurately. A frequency dynamic information processing means 610 which obtains a tendency of time-series fluctuation regarding a frequency of a pulse wave of a back portion of a person detected by an air pack and an alcohol-drinking determining means 650 which determines an alcohol-drinking state when a tendency of a time-series fluctuation regarding the frequency obtained by the frequency dynamic information processing means 610 is separated from a tendency of time-series fluctuation regarding the frequency at a non-drinking state are provided.

Abstract: A state change of a person is captured with timing closer to consciousness of the person. A frequency slope waveform of a time series signal of a pulse wave of a body of a person detected by an air pack is obtained by a frequency slope time-series analyzing and a computing device and a frequency fluctuation time-series waveform is obtained by a frequency fluctuation time-series analyzing and computing device. By comparing changes of two waveforms with each other in a waveform determining device, a state change of a person can be captured with timing closer to consciousness of the person. A sleep-onset point can be specified clearly based upon the case where a fluctuation waveform steep gradient portion indicating a steep gradient change emerges in the frequency fluctuation waveform, and amplitude and a base line position of the frequency fluctuation waveform or the frequency slope waveform are in predetermined ranges.

Abstract: To provide a technique suitable for elevating strength and toughness of a thin low-carbon steel. By performing rapid heating and rapid cooling to a thin low-carbon steel which is an ordinary steel with a thickness of 1.2 mm or less, a steel where a microstructure becomes a duplex grain size structure mixed with crystal grains having different grain diameters, which is not homogeneous, preferably, hard phase structures are contained in addition to the duplex grain size structure is obtained, and a high-strength and high-toughness thin low-carbon steel is obtained. Further, by performing a heat treatment process involving rapid heating and rapid cooling multiple times, a duplex grain size structure of crystal grains with smaller grain diameters or a hard phase structure contained therein is obtained, so that a thin low-carbon steel with higher strength and higher toughness is obtained.

Abstract: A structural material is provided, the strength and toughness of which are well-balanced at a high level, suitable in particular for seat frames in automobiles, aircrafts and the like. Specifically disclosed is a structural material produced by integrally joining thin steel members in a part thereof and, after joining, thermally heating a part thereof so that the heat-treated part differs from the other parts in strength and toughness. Unlike a structural material, the strength of which as a whole has been uniformly improved by heat treatment, the above-described structural material consists of a part having a high strength and a part having low strength. Thus, a structural material, the strength and toughness of which are well-balanced at a high level can be obtained. Since the strength and toughness are well-balanced at a high level, the structural material is suitable particularly for seat frames in automobiles, aircrafts and the like.

Abstract: A configuration is adopted where elastic members made of expanded rein beads and having a size covering air cushions are disposed between a skin member and the air cushions of a human body supporting device. By arranging a plurality of elastic members made of expanded rein beads and in a stacking manner, preferably, arranging two elastic members made of expanded resin beads, spring constants of the elastic members obtained from load-deflection characteristics when they are pressed to a deflection amount of 1 mm by a pressing plate with a diameter of 30 mm being higher than that of the air cushion and being different from each other, a biological signal can be transmitted to the air cushions without damping the biological signal, though the elastic members made of expanded rein beads and are provided.

Abstract: Follow-up performance to respiratory movements is made higher than that of the prior art without obstructing movements of the pelvis of a person. A configuration is adopted that a cushioning member arrangement frame for a seat back 34, 140 and a cushioning member arrangement frame for a seat cushion are displaced according to load fluctuation to a cushioning member for a seat back 40, 150 or a cushioning member for a seat cushion 20. That is, such a configuration is adopted that the cushioning member arrangement frame for a seat back 34, 140 or the cushioning member for a seat cushion 20 not only moves according to load fluctuation but also frames themselves supporting them move via tension structure members spread over the frames (a cushioning member for a seat back and a cushioning member for a seat cushion).

Abstract: A method of detecting a virus in a specimen, whereby a Norwalk-like virus (GII) is detected by using as an index the nucleic acids of a complementary nucleotide sequence corresponding to the 4851- to 5450-positions of the nucleotide sequence of the cDNA of the prototype (standard strain) of the Norwalk-like virus (GII); and a detection kit for performing this method.

Abstract: A method of detecting a virus in a specimen, whereby a Norwalk-like virus (GI) is detected by using as an index the nucleic acids of a complementary nucleotide sequence corresponding to the 5201- to 5700-positions of the nucleotide sequence of the cDNA of the prototype (standard strain) of the Norwalk-like virus (GI); and a detection kit for performing this method.