Hitachi, Ltd.

Takako Mizoguchi

Akihiko Kandori

Ryuzo Kawabata

Kuniomi Ogata

Yuko Sano

Tsukasa Funane

Keiji Enpuku

To perform respiratory monitoring and cardiac-output measurement on general patients, an aspect of a biological measurement apparatus includes: at least two electrodes that are attached to a living body; a power supply that causes an AC current to flow between the two electrodes; at least two coils that are placed so as to sandwich a line linking the two electrodes, and detect a magnetic field related to a change in the AC current accompanying a change in impedance of the living body; and a detection circuit that performs addition or subtraction of signals related to the magnetic field detected with the two coils, and outputs the signals as a change in the impedance.

Biological measurement method

A magnetic signal measuring apparatus includes a first magnetic field applying unit that applies a first magnetic field to magnetic substances when a measured substance is binding to the magnetic substances, a second magnetic field applying unit that applies a second magnetic field to the magnetic substances to which the first magnetic field has been applied, and a SQUID that measures a magnetic signal derived from the magnetic substances. The first magnetic field has an intensity of such a degree that the magnetic substances do not flocculate with each other and such a degree that directions of magnetic moments in the magnetic substances can be aligned with each other. The second magnetic field has an intensity of such a degree that the magnetic substances do not flocculate with each other and such a degree that a magnetic signal can be obtained from the magnetic substances.

Magnetic signal measuring apparatus and magnetic signal measuring method

A compression depth calculation system is configured to calculate the compression depth which is a magnitude of depression of the compressed object generated by the compression and includes a measuring apparatus to be mounted on the object, and a compression depth calculating apparatus is configured to calculate the compression depth on the basis of information from the measuring apparatus. The compression depth calculation apparatus calculates a coefficient of transformation on the basis of a second-order differential waveform created for the information acquired from a magnetic sensor and acceleration information acquired from an acceleration sensor, creates a displacement waveform of a compressed portion by multiplying the acquired information by the coefficient of transformation, and calculates the compression depth on the basis of the displacement waveform.

Compression depth calculation system and compression depth calculation method

In a magnetic immunoassay using AC magnetic susceptibility measurement, a signal from non-coupled magnetic particles is prevented to mix with a desired measurement signal from magnetic particles coupled with an object to be measured. A sample vessel in which a mixed solution of an inspection objective sample and the magnetic particles are included is carried by a sample support, such that a precipitation of the magnetic particle coupled with the object to be measured dispersed in the solution by a magnetic field from a dissociating coil is promoted. Next, the sample vessel is carried to the magnetizing coil and the magnetic signal from the non-coupled magnetic particle remaining in a supernatant in the vessel is peculiarly measured by an MR sensor to perform AC magnetic susceptibility measurement with high precision.

Magnetic immunoassay using AC susceptibility measurement

For measuring hardness of an object, a measurement apparatus is pushed against the object and a degree of hardness calculation system calculates hardness based on information from the measurement apparatus. The measurement apparatus includes an acceleration sensor which outputs first information of acceleration of a contact area of the measurement apparatus, and a second sensor, such as a magnetic sensor or a pressure sensor, which outputs second information based on pressure applied to the contact area. The degree of hardness calculation system generates a second-derivative waveform by twice differentiating a waveform based on the output of the second sensor, compares the second-derivative waveform and the information of acceleration from the acceleration sensor, and calculates hardness of the object based on the comparison result.

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Sayama, Japan

Takako Mizoguchi