Abstract: Provided is an ultrasonic endoscope. A treatment tool lead-out portion having an erecting base that erects a treatment tool led out of a treatment tool channel is arranged on a base end side of an ultrasonic transducer in a tip part rigid portion of an endoscope insertion section. The ultrasonic transducer and the treatment tool lead-out portion are arranged at a position shifted in the direction orthogonal to a scanning plane (scanning center plane) of an ultrasonic wave, and the erecting base is rotated around a rotational axis in a direction orthogonal to the scanning plane, and a guide surface is formed so as to guide the treatment tool in a direction intersecting the scanning plane.

Abstract: A switching valve assembly for an endoscope includes a cylinder, a piston unit, a button device, a flow channel in the piston unit, and plural flow openings. The piston unit changes over plural flow lines between communication and interruption by changing a combination of the flow openings with the flow channel for communication. The switching valve assembly includes a cylinder cap device and a slide device of a cup shape. A ring projection of the button device is directed downwards. A cup plate portion of the slide device contacts the ring projection when the piston unit is slid down to a halfway position. Seal packing deforms resiliently to seal the ring projection and cup plate portion together in an air-tight manner. A vent hole is formed through the cup plate portion, surrounded by the seal packing, for connection with one of the plural flow lines to come open to atmosphere.

Abstract: A switching valve assembly for an endoscope includes a cylinder, a piston unit, a button device, a flow channel in the piston unit, and plural flow openings. The piston unit changes over plural flow lines between communication and interruption by changing a combination of the flow openings with the flow channel for communication. The switching valve assembly includes a cylinder cap device and a slide device of a cup shape. An end ring keeps the slide device contained in the cylinder cap device. A first coil spring is disposed between the slide device and cylinder cap device, for biasing the slide device in an upward direction from the cylinder. A second coil spring is disposed between the button device and slide device, for biasing the button device in the upward direction with smaller force of bias than the first coil spring. The slide device includes an inner guide sleeve.

Abstract: A switching valve assembly for an endoscope has a cylinder and a piston unit, which includes a valve head, a flow channel, an end rod and a button device. The piston unit is settable in an initial position, a down position and a halfway position to change over flow lines. A biasing unit of a two-stage type is secured to the cylinder on an upper side of the cylinder passage, biases the piston unit, and stops the piston unit in the halfway position when the button device is pushed in a downward direction from the initial position. A first regulating device prevents the piston unit from rotating relative to the biasing unit. A second regulating device prevents the biasing unit from rotating relative to the cylinder, so as to ensure alignment of a channel opening of the flow channel with one of the flow openings upon sliding the piston unit.

Abstract: An observation unit can be stably held in a state where the observation unit is mounted on a distal portion, and can be easily removed without interfering with a connection pipe. A mounting hole for mounting an observation unit on a distal end body which constitutes a distal portion is formed. The mounting hole is formed with a first holding portion into which the distal portion of the lens barrel is inserted, a second holding portion into which a prism holder is inserted, and a releasing portion having a space larger than the external diameter of the lens barrel between the first and second holding portions.

Abstract: A digital exposure apparatus for forming a pattern on a topside surface of a substrate has an alignment unit, which detects a position of the substrate from image data obtained through a camera from a reference mark provided on the topside surface of the substrate. The alignment unit further has a Z-direction sensor to measure a fluctuation amount ? of the topside surface of the substrate from a predetermined focal plane of the camera. Depending upon the measured amount ?, a set of distortion correction data is selected from or calculated on the basis of previously stored distortion correction data. The image data of the reference mark is corrected with the selected or calculated distortion correction data, so that errors induced by the fluctuation from the focal plane are corrected without adjusting the position of the substrate in the direction of an optical axis of the camera of the alignment unit.

Abstract: The information display system of the present invention has a database in which objects including position information and attribute information different from the position information are stored, and electronic map storage section, a set forming section which forms at least a certain number of sets of objects positioned in proximity with each other and including a set of objects, a section for selecting the pair of objects contained in each of the sets by locating position coordinates in the electronic map on which display is performed, assigning an indicating figure in variable indicating form, and designating position coordinates for the objects and the indicating figure to be displayed, and a section for placing objects and the indicating figure on the electronic map by using the designated position coordinates.

Abstract: A spatial data mining apparatus for calculating an optimal distance from a database, wherein spatial information, such as addresses, is stored, includes an input mechanism, for the input of an objective function required for the optimization of a distance, an intermediate table generator 30, for employing in the database starting point data and query point data for calculating the distances between each starting point and each query point and for generating an intermediate table, and an optimal distance calculator for calculating a distance based on the intermediate table generated by the intermediate table generator, in order to optimize the value of the objective function that is entered by the input mechanism.

Abstract: It is one object of the present invention to perform regional optimization while taking spatial continuity into account, and to provide higher-level spatial data mining.

Abstract: The information display system of the present invention has a database in which objects including position information and attribute information different from the position information are stored, and electronic map storage section, a set forming section which forms at least a certain number of sets of objects positioned in proximity with each other and including a set of objects, a section for selecting the pair of objects contained in each of the sets by locating position coordinates in the electronic map on which display is performed, assigning an indicating figure in variable indicating form, and designating position coordinates for the objects and the indicating figure to be displayed, and a section for placing objects and the indicating figure on the electronic map by using the designated position coordinates.

Abstract: It is one object of the present invention to perform regional optimization while taking spatial continuity into account, and to provide higher-level spatial data mining.

Abstract: A spatial data mining apparatus for calculating an optimal distance from a database, wherein spatial information, such as addresses, is stored, includes an input mechanism, for the input of an objective function required for the optimization of a distance, an intermediate table generator 30, for employing in the database starting point data and query point data for calculating the distances between each starting point and each query point and for generating an intermediate table, and an optimal distance calculator for calculating a distance based on the intermediate table generated by the intermediate table generator, in order to optimize the value of the objective function that is entered by the input mechanism.

Abstract: When determining a rule associated with an objective attribute of data in a database to predict the objective attribute value of data, following steps are performed: storing values relative to data belonging to each bucket wherein the values correspond to each bucket in a plane, and the plane has two axes respectively corresponding to two predicative numeric attributes of data and is divided into N×M buckets; segmenting a bucket region that is satisfied with a predetermined condition, from the plane; performing a smoothing processing for a boundary of the segmented bucket region; and determining a rule for predicting the object attribute value of the data by the smoothed region.

Abstract: To generate a more preferable regression tree by using two predicative numeric attributes as a rule for splitting. For N.times.M buckets of a plane that has two axes corresponding to two predicative numeric attributes of data in a database, which belongs to one node of a regression tree, the number u(i, j) of data, belonging to a bucket (coordinate (i, j)), and sum v(i, j) of an objective numeric attribute value of data belonging to the bucket are stored. A bucket region which maximizes the interclass variance is segmented from the plane. Nodes are prepared for the data included in the extracted bucket region and for data outside the bucket region.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for computing an association rule in a database having numerical attributes and 0-1 attributes. First, a numerical attribute is divided into a plurality of intervals (or buckets), and each data set is placed into a single bucket according to the value of the numerical attribute. The number of data sets in each bucket and the number of data sets with a 0-1 attribute being 1 are counted. Second, the starting bucket of an interval to be detected is to be detected. Third, the terminating bucket corresponding to the starting bucket is detected. That is, the largest interval with a confidence equal to or larger than a predetermined value. Fourth, one of the detected pairs of starting and terminating buckets which includes the largest number of customers is the answer to this question. Finally, the required data attributes of data included in this interval is subsequently retrieved.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for determining the correlation among data sets having a numerical attribute and a 0-1 attribute. First, a numerical attribute is divided into a plurality of buckets, and each data set is placed into a single bucket according to the value of the numerical attribute. The number of data sets in each bucket and the number of data sets with a 0-1 attribute of 1 are counted. Second, an axis corresponding to the total number of data sets in a first through a particular buckets (X axis) and an axis corresponding to the total number of data sets with a 0-1 attribute of 1 in a first through a particular buckets (Y axis) are virtually established, and points corresponding to the respective values of the first through the particular buckets are virtually plotted. Third, after a plane is constructed in this manner, one of the pairs of points separated at an interval of T.times.N or T or larger which has the largest slope is found.

Abstract: A method is described for finding correlation between a plurality of data having two kinds of numerical attributes and a true-false attribute. The method comprises the steps of: constituting a plane with two numerical attributes, dividing the plane into meshes, and counting the number of data in each mesh (also called a "bucket") and the number of data whose true-false attribute represents true. If each mesh is assumed to be a pixel, such plane can be considered as a plane image in which the number of data corresponds to brilliance, and the number of data whose true-false attribute represents true corresponds to saturation. The method further includes the step of segmenting an admissible image which is convex along an axis of the plane according to a predetermined condition .theta. to find an area with strong correlation. If the segmented area as the admissible image satisfies the above-described condition such as the maximized support rule, the method also presents the area to the user.