Abstract: An observation system includes an observation apparatus including a housing having an arrangement surface for placement of a sample, the sample including a culture medium, and an external illumination unit which is disposed outside the housing and includes at least one light source configured to emit illumination light. At least a part of the arrangement surface is formed of a transparent member having an optically transparent property. The observation apparatus includes an imaging unit which is provided in the housing and includes an image sensor configured to image, via the transparent member, the sample illuminated by the illumination light from the external illumination unit to acquire images of at least three colors.

Abstract: An observation apparatus including: a top plate on which a container in which a specimen is accommodated can be placed, and through which illumination light can pass; a light source that emits the illumination light upward from below the specimen; an objective lens that focuses, below the specimen and the top plate, transmitted light which is the illumination light that has passed through the specimen from thereabove and that has passed through the top plate; and a camera that captures the transmitted light, wherein the light source emits the illumination light toward an area above the specimen from outside the objective lens in a radial direction, and the top plate is provided with a mark that specifies a viewing-field area of the camera.

Abstract: An observation apparatus including: a light-source that emits illumination light and excitation light upward from below a specimen; and an image-capturing optical system having an objective lens that focuses, below the specimen, transmitted light, which is the illumination light that is emitted from the light-source, that is reflected above the specimen, and that has passed through the specimen, and fluorescence that is generated in the specimen that has been irradiated with the excitation light emitted from the light-source, wherein the light-source is disposed radially outside the objective lens.

Abstract: An observation system includes an illumination unit including a light source from which emits an illumination light including light of a plurality of colors, and light receiving unit including an optical sensor which acquires a light intensity. The illumination unit emits the illumination light for a culture vessel so that the illumination light travels from a first side to a second side of the culture vessel, the first side and the second side being defined by interposing a culture medium. The light receiving unit receives, on the first side, light emitted from the illumination unit, entering the culture vessel from the first side, reflected at the second side, and transmitted through the culture medium, and acquires a light intensity for each color in the received light for calculation of a pH value of the culture medium.

Abstract: An observation system includes an observation apparatus including a housing having an arrangement surface for placement of a sample, the sample including a culture medium, and an external illumination unit which is disposed outside the housing and includes at least one light source configured to emit illumination light. At least a part of the arrangement surface is formed of a transparent member having an optically transparent property. The observation apparatus includes an imaging unit which is provided in the housing and includes an image sensor configured to image, via the transparent member, the sample illuminated by the illumination light from the external illumination unit to acquire images of at least three colors.

Abstract: A quantitative evaluation apparatus of the present invention includes: a counter that counts the numbers of cells or densities of cells contained in individual images of a plurality of image-capturing regions in a culturing vessel for culturing the cells; an evaluation-value calculating portion that calculates an evaluation value related to variation in the distribution of the cells in the culturing vessel on the basis of the numbers of the cells or the densities of cells counted by means of the counter in each of the images; a determining portion that determines whether or not the evaluation value calculated by the evaluation-value calculating portion is in a range of a prescribed threshold; and a display that displays determination result determined by the determining portion.

Abstract: A medium changing device includes a lid disposed at a position where two or more regions in which a medium may be stored are covered therewith, the regions being disposed adjacent to each other and being open upward; one or more flow-path members each disposed so as to penetrate the lid, and each disposed at a position where one of the regions is bridged to another therewith when the lid is disposed at the position where the regions are covered; and a pump disposed on the other side of the lid and acting on the intermediate sections of the flow-path members, exposed on the other side, so as to cause the medium to flow from the opening at one end toward the opening at the other end of each of the flow-path members.

Abstract: An observation apparatus including: a light-source that emits illumination light and excitation light upward from below a specimen; and an image-capturing optical system having an objective lens that focuses, below the specimen, transmitted light, which is the illumination light that is emitted from the light-source, that is reflected above the specimen, and that has passed through the specimen, and fluorescence that is generated in the specimen that has been irradiated with the excitation light emitted from the light-source, wherein the light-source is disposed radially outside the objective lens.

Abstract: An observation device includes: a housing having, in a top surface, a glass window on which a vessel accommodating samples is placed and through which illumination light is transmitted; and an image acquisition unit accommodated in the housing and configured to capture transmitted light obtained after illumination light is transmitted through the samples from above, is transmitted through the glass window, and enters the housing.

Abstract: An observation apparatus including: a top plate on which a container in which a specimen is accommodated can be placed, and through which illumination light can pass; a light source that emits the illumination light upward from below the specimen; an objective lens that focuses, below the specimen and the top plate, transmitted light which is the illumination light that has passed through the specimen from thereabove and that has passed through the top plate; and a camera that captures the transmitted light, wherein the light source emits the illumination light toward an area above the specimen from outside the objective lens in a radial direction, and the top plate is provided with a mark that specifies a viewing-field area of the camera.

Abstract: An upright microscope includes: a stage on which a specimen is placed; a revolver configured to hold a plurality of objective lenses and enable each objective lens on an observation optical axis to be switched by rotating an operation collar; a lens barrel including an optical system; a microscope body including a base, a stand that stands on a back side of the base and holds the stage, and an arm that is supported by the stand, extends toward a font side of the upright microscope, and includes a top part to which the lens barrel is attached and a bottom part to which the revolver is attached; and a finger hooking part that is positioned between the revolver and a lower part of the lens barrel and is for placing any of hand fingers other than a thumb of an observer when rotating the operation collar.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a manufacturing method of a circuit board. The manufacturing method includes a first step for preparing a prepreg in which a core material is impregnated with an uncured resin. The prepreg has a through-hole surrounded by the core material and the resin so as to penetrate through the core material and the resin. The manufacturing method further includes a second step for housing a semiconductor IC in the through-hole, and a third step for pressing the prepreg so that a part of the resin flows into the through-hole to allow the semiconductor IC housed in the through-hole to be embedded in the resin.

Abstract: An exhaust-gas muffler includes a casing and a relief valve. The relief valve is provided to open when a pressure of an upstream exhaust-gas chamber is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. The relief valve includes a shutter, a spring, and a seal member. The shutter member is provided to face an open end of a gas passage provided between an upstream exhaust-gas chamber and a downstream exhaust-gas chamber. The spring is to bias the shutter member in a direction in which the gas passage is closed. The seal member is disposed on a downstream side of the gas passage. The seal member is made of a metal mesh material and has a disc shape to cover the open end of the gas passage.

Abstract: Multiple signal lines in a circuit net the vertex of which is a maximum observation point having a maximum diagnosis difficulty index among a plurality of diagnosis difficulty indexes of all the observation points that are used for observing signal lines in the circuit, each of the plurality of diagnosis difficulty indexes of the observation points representing the difficulty in fault diagnosis at the corresponding observation point are selected as first insersion candidates. A second insertion candidate onto which the test point is to be inserted is selected from the first insertion candidates, considering effects of inserting the test point onto the respective first insertion candidates. Thereby, insertion of a test point reduces dispersion of the diagnosis difficulty indexes of all the observation points.

Abstract: Multiple signal lines in a circuit net the vertex of which is a maximum observation point having a maximum diagnosis difficulty index among a plurality of diagnosis difficulty indexes of all the observation points that are used for observing signal lines in the circuit, each of the plurality of diagnosis difficulty indexes of the observation points representing the difficulty in fault diagnosis at the corresponding observation point are selected as first insersion candidates. A second insertion candidate onto which the test point is to be inserted is selected from the first insertion candidates, considering effects of inserting the test point onto the respective first insertion candidates. Thereby, insertion of a test point reduces dispersion of the diagnosis difficulty indexes of all the observation points.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a manufacturing method of a circuit board. The manufacturing method includes a first step for preparing a prepreg in which a core material is impregnated with an uncured resin. The prepreg has a through-hole surrounded by the core material and the resin so as to penetrate through the core material and the resin. The manufacturing method further includes a second step for housing a semiconductor IC in the through-hole, and a third step for pressing the prepreg so that a part of the resin flows into the through-hole to allow the semiconductor IC housed in the through-hole to be embedded in the resin.

Abstract: A microscope includes a microscope main unit including a stage on which a specimen is to be placed; and a light source provided on the microscope main unit and emitting illumination light for illuminating the specimen. The microscope also includes a main power supply operable to be turned on and off; a sensor that senses the presence or absence of a subject in a front or side area of the microscope main unit; a determining unit that determines based on a result of the sensing whether the subject moves; and a control unit that turns on the light source when the main power supply is turned on, maintains the light source in an ON state when the determining unit determines that the subject moves, and turns off the light source when the determining unit determines that the subject does not move and a predetermined period of time passes.

Abstract: An exhaust-gas muffler includes a casing and a relief valve. The relief valve is provided to open when a pressure of an upstream exhaust-gas chamber is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. The relief valve includes a shutter, a spring, and a seal member. The shutter member is provided to face an open end of a gas passage provided between an upstream exhaust-gas chamber and a downstream exhaust-gas chamber. The spring is to bias the shutter member in a direction in which the gas passage is closed. The seal member is disposed on a downstream side of the gas passage. The seal member is made of a metal mesh material and has a disc shape to cover the open end of the gas passage.

Abstract: A microscope includes a microscope main unit including a stage on which a specimen is to be placed; and a light source provided on the microscope main unit and emitting illumination light for illuminating the specimen. The microscope also includes a main power supply operable to be turned on and off; a sensor that senses the presence or absence of a subject in a front or side area of the microscope main unit; a determining unit that determines based on a result of the sensing whether the subject moves; and a control unit that turns on the light source when the main power supply is turned on, maintains the light source in an ON state when the determining unit determines that the subject moves, and turns off the light source when the determining unit determines that the subject does not move and a predetermined period of time passes.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus has an image sensor recording image information; a dustproof glass for keeping hermeticity of the periphery of the image sensor, placed in front of the image sensor; an optical filter removably placed in front of the dustproof glass; and a camera mount placed in front of the optical filter. The image pickup apparatus further has a parfocal adjusting device in which a focal position where the optical filter is demounted can be adjusted so as to be nearly equal to the focal position where the optical filter is mounted.