Abstract: An apparatus for detecting vital functions has a pulse wave sensor attachable to a body and a control unit. The control unit checks if amplitude of pulse wave signals produced from the pulse wave sensor varies. The control unit further checks if a large change in the amplitude during a systolic phase of a pulse wave corresponding to the systolic phase of the heart. If a first large change in the amplitude during a diastolic phase of a pulse wave corresponding to the diastolic phase of the heart, it is highly probable that a motion artifact has occurred. Therefore, a motion artifact flag is set. Next, it is checked if the amplitude in the next diastole is changing by more than 30%. If it is presumed that the occurrence of cough is highly probable, a cough flag is set. If it is neither the motion artifact nor the cough, then a yawn flag is set.

Abstract: Pressure sensors are sorted out from the other sensors based on a signal from each sensor element. Sensor outputs of the pressure sensors that have been sorted out are filtered using an FIR filter through which sensor outputs of the other sensors are eliminated. Frequency analysis is performed on the filtered sensor outputs using FFT. A reference sensor is chosen from power spectra of the filtered pressure sensors. Phase differences are calculated between a sensor output of the reference sensor and the sensor outputs of the other pressure sensors. Based on the phase differences, pressure sensors other than the reference sensor are sorted into those with large phase differences and those with small phase differences. Phases of sensor signals of those with large phase differences are reversed, and their sensor outputs are added together. For those with small phase differences, their sensor outputs are added together without reversing the phases.

Abstract: A drowsiness detecting apparatus has a pulse wave sensor and a determination circuit. The sensor is provided to a steering wheel to detect a pulse wave of a vehicle driver gripping the steering wheel. The determination circuit generates a thorax pressure signal indicative of the depth of breathing by envelope-detecting a pulse wave signal of the sensor and determines whether the driver is drowsy by comparing a pattern of the thorax pressure signal with a reference pattern. The display and the buzzer notify the driver and any other passengers in the vehicle of the drowsiness of the driver by a visual indication and buzzing sound, respectively. A body surface motion may be used as a signal that indicates the depth of breathing.

Abstract: In a clinical and physiological abnormality monitoring apparatus, and blood pressure monitoring apparatus detects a blood pressure abnormality and the like of a body by employing a pulse wave signal. A frequency analysis is carried out with respect to a pulse wave signal, while this pulse wave signal corresponds to time sequential data of pulse waves. As a result, both a C-frequency component indicative of a fluctuation component of a base line of the pulse wave signal, and also an A-frequency component representative of the respective pulse waves are acquired. A ratio C/A of power of a peak contained in the C-frequency component with respect to power of a peak contained in the A-frequency component is calculated to determine abnormality of the blood pressure.

Abstract: A physiological condition detecting method detects pulse waves from the body of a patient, and creates the envelope of the pulse waves by connecting every peak of the pulse waves. It determines that the patient is in non-REM sleep, if the envelope fluctuates regularly. It determines that the patient is in REM sleep, if the envelope fluctuates irregularly. Further the method calculates and normalizes the amplitude and period of the envelope. It determines whether the patient has obstructive sleep apnea syndrome based on the normalized amplitude. It determines whether the patient has central sleep apnea syndrome based on the normalized period. It determines that the patient has mixed sleep apnea syndrome based on the normalized amplitude and the normalized period.

Abstract: An application program that was encrypted by using a predetermined secret key is input to an input section that is a part of a program execution system, and encrypted sentences as the encrypted application program are supplied to a decoding section as they are. The decoding section is supplied not only with the encrypted sentences from the input section but also with a publicized key corresponding to a secret key that was used in generating the encrypted sentences. The decoding section decodes the encrypted sentences by using the publicized key and supplies Java byte codes as a decoding result to a Java virtual machine. The Java virtual machine interprets and executes the Java byte codes that are supplied from the decoding section.

Abstract: An abnormal respiration detecting system includes a sensing device for sensing a sphygmographic signal and a control device for determining a respiratory condition. The control device calculates a pulse rate, an amplitude of a pulse wave, a ratio between the pulse rate and the amplitude, and a respiration curve. The sensing device also senses a signal indicative of an oxygen saturation level in blood. The control device detects abnormal respiration based on a variation in the pulse rate and the ratio, a respiration rate, apnea, an apneic period that are calculated from the respiration curve, and the oxygen saturation level. Each abnormal respiration is rated and an overall abnormal respiration is rated. A warning is produced when the overall rating is equal to or higher than a predetermined level.

Abstract: A pleural pressure is predicted from pleural pressure based upon pulse wave signals, which are continuously produced and picked up in a time sequential manner. A first variation signal indicative of a condition of a variation contained in the pulse wave signals is acquired based upon the pulse wave signals. A second variation signal representative of a condition of a variation contained in the first variation signal is acquired based upon the first variation signal. The pleural pressure is predicted based on a difference between the first variation signal and the second variation signal.

Abstract: In an information processing apparatus and method, an application program that was encrypted using secret key-A is supplied to a decoding section 82, and publicized key-B and an encrypted publicized key-A (corresponding to secret key-A) that was encrypted by using secret key-B corresponding to publicized key-B are supplied to a decoding section 84. The decoding section 84 decodes the encrypted publicized key-A by using publicized key-B and supplies a resulting publicized key-A to the decoding section 82. The decoding section 82 decodes the encrypted application program by using publicized key that is supplied from the decoding section 84 and supplies Java byte codes as a decoding result to a Java virtual machine 83. The Java virtual machine 83 interprets and executes the Java byte codes that are supplied from the decoding section 82. As a result, it becomes possible to allow only programs developed by a legitimate software developer to be executed in certain program execution environments.

Abstract: A vital signal detecting apparatus comprises an attachable device to be attached to a finger, a sensor having a light-emitting device and a light-receiving device, and a transmitting circuit for transmitting a signal waveform as a pulse wave from the sensor to a pulse wave monitoring unit. The pulse wave detecting unit also has an attachment detecting circuit for detecting whether or not the attachable device is in an attached state by comparing a signal waveform obtained when the light-emitting device is on with a signal waveform obtained when the light-emitting device is off and an operation control circuit for controlling the operation of the sensor, the transmitting circuit and the attachment detecting circuit. Preferably, the light-transmitting plate is disposed above the light-emitting device and the light-receiving device to pass light therethrough, and the light transmitting plate may be an IR-cut filter capable of blocking light of wavelengths greater than 700 nm.

Abstract: In a clinical and physiological abnormality monitoring apparatus, and blood pressure monitoring apparatus detects a blood pressure abnormality and the like of a body by employing a pulse wave signal. A frequency analysis is carried out with respect to a pulse wave signal, while this pulse wave signal corresponds to time sequential data of pulse waves. As a result, both a C-frequency component indicative of a fluctuation component of a base line of the pulse wave signal, and also an A-frequency component representative of the respective pulse waves are acquired. A ratio C/A of power of a peak contained in the C-frequency component with respect to power of a peak contained in the A-frequency component is calculated to determine abnormality of the blood pressure.

Abstract: A pleural pressure is predicted from pleural pressure based upon pulse wave signals, which are continuously produced and picked up in a time sequential manner. A first variation signal indicative of a condition of a variation contained in the pulse wave signals is acquired based upon the pulse wave signals. A second variation signal representative of a condition of a variation contained in the first variation signal is acquired based upon the first variation signal. The pleural pressure is predicted based on a difference between the first variation signal and the second variation signal.

Abstract: An infrared rays detection apparatus including an optical window member having a characteristic that scatters noise light, which is capable of reducing an influence of noise light with a simple structure. An infrared rays detection apparatus includes: a condenser lens; an infrared rays image sensor made up of plural thermal detection elements; and a signal detection/process circuit (SDP circuit). The image sensor detects a thermal distribution of a predetermined area condensed by the condenser lens in a passenger room. The SDP circuit makes a thermal image data based on the thermal distribution detected by the image sensor. Various types of system control circuits control each of the vehicular system as described later based on the thermal image data provided from the SDP circuit. The condenser lens is formed so that noise light such as visible light is scattered thereby and that infrared rays is transmitted therethrough to the image sensor.

Abstract: An application program that was encrypted by using a predetermined secret key is input to an input section that is a part of a program execution system, and encrypted sentences as the encrypted application program are supplied to a decoding section as they are. The decoding section is supplied not only with the encrypted sentences from the input section but also with a publicized key corresponding to a secret key that was used in generating the encrypted sentences. The decoding section decodes the encrypted sentences by using the publicized key and supplies Java byte codes as a decoding result to a Java virtual machine. The Java virtual machine interprets and executes the Java byte codes that are supplied from the decoding section.

Abstract: A physiological condition detecting method detects pulse waves from the body of a patient, and creates the envelope of the pulse waves by connecting every peak of the pulse waves. It determines that the patient is in non-REM sleep, if the envelope fluctuates regularly. It determines that the patient is in REM sleep, if the envelope fluctuates irregularly. Further the method calculates and normalizes the amplitude and period of the envelope. It determines whether the patient has obstructive sleep apnea syndrome based on the normalized amplitude. It determines whether the patient has central sleep apnea syndrome based on the normalized period. It determines that the patient has mixed sleep apnea syndrome based on the normalized amplitude and the normalized period.

Abstract: A build object of build class Builder has build method build (Object resolved) for building reference relations among construction-element objects by calling a field setting method owned by construction-element object resolved. A get object of class Getter has get method get object ( ) for acquiring a construction-element object and is also allowed to own a build object. In the get object, construction-element object resolved is acquired by calling get method get object ( ). In a build object owned by the get object, construction-element object resolved acquired by the get object is initialized by build method build (Object resolved). By adopting the procedure described above, construction-element objects required for constructing desired software such as an application program can be collected for constructing the desired software.

Abstract: A method of executing a branch instruction of jumping to a subroutine in a pipeline control system. The pipeline control system, which utilizes a data bus for instruction read operation and also for data read/write operation, performs at least one stage between an instruction fetching stage and an instruction executing stage. A branch instruction is fetched with a branch address fed through an address bus. The content of a first program counter is temporarily saved in a second program counter. The content of the first program counter is then updated with a new branch address. Following this, the content of the second program counter is saved in a computer memory for use as a return address.

Abstract: When a first program executed on a first processor of a plurality of processors of a multiprocessing system intends to lock a given shared resource of a main memory in order to use same, if the desired resource is in use by a second program executed on a second processor, the first processor awaits an unlock signal which indicates that one of the shared resources is released for use. The first processor responds to the unlock signal and checks whether or not the desired resource is available. If not available, the first program again awaits the reception of the unlock signal, while if available, the first program accesses the desired resource to use same.