Abstract: There is provided a respiratory movement measurement apparatus that can obtain a respiratory movement signal for each region by dividing and setting a region to be evaluated in a simple manner with good reproducibility. The respiratory movement measurement apparatus emits a light flux to a body surface 32 of a subject 31, captures reflected light by a camera 35, and thereby measures a respiration rate of the subject, wherein a merkmal indicating a mark position is further set on the body surface of the subject, a mark having a reflectance different from that of the body surface is placed on the merkmal, the body surface is divided into a plurality of regions on an observed image by a dividing line passing through the mark, bright spot reflection for each of the divided regions is summed, and thereby a respiratory movement signal is obtained.

Abstract: A swallowing function evaluating apparatus capable of quantitatively evaluating a swallowing function safely and repeatedly, which comprises a height variation detecting unit 10 for detecting a variation in the height of the surface of a throat from a predetermined reference position in the height direction in which a thyroid protrudes and an analyzing unit 21 for time-serially analyzing the variation to calculate an index for evaluating a swallowing function. The swallowing function evaluating apparatus can repeatedly detect the variation safely without radiating X-rays and can quantitatively evaluate the swallowing function using a calculated index.

Abstract: A 3-D shape measurement apparatus for grasping the state of an object with ease and accuracy is provided.

Abstract: A condition analysis apparatus capable of grasping the condition of an object easily and accurately is provided. The condition analysis apparatus 1 includes a three-dimensional sensor 10 for measuring sampling-point-moves in the height direction of an object 2 existing in a target area at a plurality of sampling points, and area definition means 22 for defining an area where a plurality of the sampling-point-moves are in the generally same phase. The thus constructed condition analysis apparatus 1 can grasp the condition of the object 2 easily and accurately. Preferably, the condition analysis apparatus 1 includes information output means 40 for outputting information of an area including the area defined by the area definition means 22.

Abstract: A monitor which can detect respiration of a sleeping person without being affected by the attitude of the sleeping person or the indoor illumination light and can easily evaluate detected respiration quantitatively through image measurement. The monitor comprises means (1) for projecting a specified illumination pattern, means (5) for picking up the image of projected light continuously, means (7) for calculating inter-frame moving amount of the illumination pattern from the image of two frames acquired by the image pickup means at different times, means (8) for generating a moving amount waveform data comprising inter-frame moving amounts arranged in time series, and means (9) for detecting the movement of an object from the moving amount waveform data.

Abstract: To provide a monitoring device which can detect conditions of a sleeping person reliably and which is simple. A monitoring device comprising: multiple independent distance sensors 11 installed facing different positions in a monitored target area 50 to be monitored for measuring a distance to a monitored target 2, a calculating unit 22 for calculating changes over time in the outputs of the distance sensors 11, and a detection processor 23 for detecting changes in shape of the monitored target 2 based on the calculated changes over time in one or multiple distance sensor 11 among the multiple distance sensors 11.

Abstract: A swallowing function evaluating apparatus capable of quantitatively evaluating a swallowing function safely and repeatedly, which comprises a height variation detecting unit 10 for detecting a variation in the height of the surface of a throat from a predetermined reference position in the height direction in which a thyroid protrudes and an analyzing unit 21 for time-serially analyzing the variation to calculate an index for evaluating a swallowing function. The swallowing function evaluating apparatus can repeatedly detect the variation safely without radiating X-rays and can quantitatively evaluate the swallowing function using a calculated index.

Abstract: A condition analysis apparatus capable of grasping the condition of an object easily and accurately is provided. The condition analysis apparatus 1 includes a three-dimensional sensor 10 for measuring sampling-point-moves in the height direction of an object 2 existing in a target area at a plurality of sampling points, and area definition means 22 for defining an area where a plurality of the sampling-point-moves are in the generally same phase. The thus constructed condition analysis apparatus 1 can grasp the condition of the object 2 easily and accurately. Preferably, the condition analysis apparatus 1 includes information output means 40 for outputting information of an area including the area defined by the area definition means 22.

Abstract: A 3-D shape measurement apparatus for grasping the state of an object with ease and accuracy is provided.

Abstract: A silicon film is crystallized in a predetermined direction by selectively adding a metal element having a catalytic action for crystallizing an amorphous silicon and annealing. In manufacturing TFT using the crystallized silicon film, TFT provided such that the crystallization direction is roughly parallel to a current-flow between a source and a drain, and TFT provided such that the crystallization direction is roughly vertical to a current-flow between a source and a drain are manufactured. Therefore, TFT capable of conducting a high speed operation and TFT having a low leak current are formed on the same substrate.

Abstract: To provide a monitoring device which can detect conditions of a sleeping person reliably and which is simple. A monitoring device comprising: multiple independent distance sensors 11 installed facing different positions in a monitored target area 50 to be monitored for measuring a distance to a monitored target 2, a calculating unit 22 for calculating changes over time in the outputs of the distance sensors 11, and a detection processor 23 for detecting changes in shape of the monitored target 2 based on the calculated changes over time in one or multiple distance sensor 11 among the multiple distance sensors 11.

Abstract: A monitor which can detect respiration of a sleeping person without being affected by the attitude of the sleeping person or the indoor illumination light and can easily evaluate detected respiration quantitatively through image measurement. The monitor comprises means (1) for projecting a specified illumination pattern, means (5) for picking up the image of projected light continuously, means (7) for calculating inter-frame moving amount of the illumination pattern from the image of two frames acquired by he image pickup means at different times, means (8) for generating a moving amount waveform data comprising inter-frame moving amounts arranged in time series, and means (9) for detecting the movement of an object from the moving amount waveform data.

Abstract: The invention relates to spherical granules having a uniform grain size and a uniform density which are suitable for a controlled-release preparation, a process for producing the same, and a spherical granule preparation using the same. Specifically, the invention relates to a process for producing spherical granules comprising the steps of: wetting powder materials comprising one or more kinds of pharmaceutical substances and have a mean particle size of from 1 to 100 &mgr;m; charging the wet powder materials into a centrifugal fluidized granulating apparatus; spraying a liquid to the wet powder materials at a rate of less than 3% based on the plastic limit of the powder materials per min.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method for recognizing and classifying one or more unknown patterns, such as letters or numerals, by comparing these unknown patterns to a set of reference patterns. The unknown patterns, as well as the reference patterns, are irradiated by a coherent or incoherent beam, and correlation outputs are measured which would be at peak value of an auto-correlation output or a cross-correlation output between the unknown patterns and the reference patterns. Membership functions are created for each of the reference patterns, and a membership value is estimated or calculated on the basis of the output correlation between the unknown patterns and the reference patterns. Based upon this membership value, the specific unknown pattern is determined.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a method and a apparatus for optical pattern recognition capable of accurately comparing and identifying a reference image accurately at a real-time even when the input image rotates or its size changes by being compared with a reference image that is a desirous target. The method and apparatus comprise the processes of; steps (6, 11) for independently obtaining a lower-frequency component and a higher-frequency component from a joint Fourier transform image 5 of the reference image 4 and the input image 3; steps (10, 15) for calculating correlation coefficients respectively from the lower-frequency component and the higher-frequency component; step (16) for obtaining a ratio of the respective correlation coefficients; and step (19) for identifying and comparing a correlation coefficient ratio of the two same reference images to be required with a correlation coefficient ratio obtained from step (16).

Abstract: A method and apparatus for identifying an object having non-specific outer boundaries, such as a leukocyte, includes a device for tracking, in two dimensions, the position of the object to be identified. An identification device for identifying the object tracked by the device includes a coherent light beam emissions source, a lens assembly to direct the coherent light beam from the source to the object to be identified, a detection device for detecting the light beam which is transmitted through the object, the detection device provided with a plurality of circular or semicircular coaxial sections, the center of which is at the axis of the coherent light beam in the plane on which Fraunhofer's diffraction patterns are formed. Finally, an identification apparatus is provided which uses the output of the detection device to provide various characteristic parameters which are utilized to identify the object.

Abstract: A method of obtaining a correlation between a pattern to be identified and a number of reference patterns by irradiating and displaying the pattern to be identified and the reference patterns on an optical display plane, thereby producing a complex optical amplitude distribution. This distribution is Fourier-transformed to produce a first power spectrum corresponding to the light intensity distribution of its Fourier transformation patterns. The patterns are again irradiated based upon the first power spectrum and a second Fourier transform is performed to produce a second power spectrum which is the light intensity distribution of the second Fourier transformation pattern. The area of this distribution is restricted by controlling the transmittance or the reflectance of each of the portions of the display plane.

Abstract: An optical associative identifier is disclosed which is used to determine the closest match between an image to be identified and a plurality of reference images. The identifier includes a display area for displaying the various images, the display area additionally functioning as a spatial light modulator. First and second optical Fourier transform devices are included which are used to compare the reference images to the image to be identified. The output light intensity of each of the reference images is modulated in accordance with a two-dimensional intensity distribution corresponding to the correlation between the image to be identified in each of the reference images. Based upon a comparison of these output light intensities, a match between the image to be identified and one of the reference images can be made.