Denso Corporation

Nippon Soken, Inc.

Takashi Komura

Rie Osaki

Hirohiko Tatsumoto

Katsuyoshi Nishii

Mitsuo Inagaki

Hideki Asano

Yasuyuki Haseo

Shouji Osaki

A device for measuring concentration of a constituent in blood includes: an irradiation unit for irradiating light toward a living body, the light having a wavelength disposed in a light absorption band of the constituent in the blood; a light receiving unit for receiving light, which is reflected in the living body or transmitted through the living body; and a concentration measurement unit for measuring the concentration of the constituent in the blood based on variation of light intensity of light received by the light receiving unit, the variation attributed to a pulse wave of the living body.

Device for measuring concentration of constituent in blood and measuring method

When a driver of a vehicle brings his/her detection part close to a case, a sensor detects a pulse of the driver at the detection part with an optical method, and takes an image of the detection part. An individual certification means determines whether the driver of the vehicle is an authorized person or not based on the image of the detection part taken by the sensor. An alcohol concentration determiner calculates an index value of a blood alcohol concentration of the driver based on the pulse detected at the detection part by the sensor, and determines whether the index value exceeds a criterial value of a drinking assessment. When it is determined that the driver of the vehicle is an authorized person and the index value does not exceed the criterial value of the drinking assessment, a permission means permits the driver to start an engine of the vehicle.

Engine starting controller

A blood constituent concentration detector includes: a detection portion having an optical window for measuring a blood constituent concentration of a part of a living body in an optical manner when the part of the living body is pressed on the detection portion; a load determination element for determining whether a load to the detection portion is equal to or larger than a first threshold, and smaller than a second threshold, wherein the second threshold is larger than the first threshold; and a measurement element for measuring the blood constituent concentration when the load determination element determines that the load to the detection portion is equal to or larger than the first threshold, and smaller than the second threshold.

Blood constituent concentration detector and starter for transporter

A driver's appearance recognition system comprises: a camera to capture a driver's face image; a near infrared ray LED to radiate near infrared ray to the driver's face; an LED current control circuit to control the amount of current supplied to the near infrared ray LED; and an image processing circuit to execute an individual authentication process and a closed-eye detection process. When the individual authentication process is executed, it is necessary to increase the illumination intensity during image capture by the camera. For this purpose, a setup current value for the LED current control circuit is set to a high current value. When the closed-eye detection process is executed, the illumination intensity needs to be ensured as much as required for the closed-eye detection process. For this purpose, a setup current value is set to a current value lower than that used for execution of the individual authentication process.

Driver's appearance recognition system

A meter unit for indicating a physical quantity includes an indication part and a control part. The indication part memorizes a first indication deviation data, which provides a deviation between a detected value detected by a physical quantity sensor and a raw value indicated by the indication part without compensating the deviation. The control part memorizes a second indication deviation data, compensates the detected value on the basis of the second indication deviation data, and controls the indication part on the basis of the compensated detected value. The second indication deviation data is rewritable so that the second indication deviation data coincides with the first indication deviation data.

Meter unit having indication part and control part

A speed meter unit has a magnetic pointer position detector, including an output coil, a detection coil and a magnetic piece. The output coil generates magnetic flux. The detection coil is for detecting the magnetic flux from the output coil. When a pointer has returned to an initial position, the magnetic flux generated in the output coil can reach the detection coil through the magnetic piece, so that a microcomputer can detect the initial position of the pointer. Such the magnetic pointer position detector is resistive to the soil or the oxidization, so that the speed meter unit can detect the initial position of the pointer accurately and securely.

Meter unit having magnetic pointer position detector

In an indicating instrument for a vehicle including a step motor and a stopper unit for stopping a pointer at a zero position, a memory for pre-storing a zero-level electric angle as a correction value at which zero-return alternating signal becomes a zero level at least twice after a zero-return signal is supplied. When the phase of the zero-return alternating signal becomes the zero-level electric angle, the zero-return signal is stopped to provide induced voltage induced in the stator of the step motor. If the induced voltage is lower than a threshold voltage, it is judged that the pointer is stopped.

Indicating instrument for a vehicle

An indicating instrument includes a transparent dial plate, a printed circuit board disposed behind the dial plate, a drive unit disposed behind the printed circuit board having a plurality of lead wires soldered to the printed circuit board, a light conductive luminous pointer and a light emitting diode disposed on the printed circuit board near a rotary shaft so that the pointer can receive light emitted from the light emitting diode. Each end of the plurality of lead wires is disposed on the printed circuit board at a distance from the light emitting diode sufficient to insulate the light emitting diode from heat of soldering the plurality of lead wires to the circuit board.

Heat insulation arrangement of indicating instrument

A meter such as a speedometer for use in an automobile instrument panel includes a pointer driven by a stepping motor. A pulse voltage having a wider pulse width is supplied to the stepping motor to obtain a higher induced voltage to be compared with a threshold voltage for detecting the pointer-zero-position. After the pointer-zero-position is detected, the stepping motor is driven by a pulse voltage having a narrower pulse width to obtain a quicker response of the pointer. In this manner, the pointer-zero-position is accurately adjusted without sacrificing the quick response of the meter pointer.

Meter having pointer-zero-position adjusting function

An indicating instrument includes a dial plate, a casing disposed behind the dial plate, a drive control section disposed in the casing and a rotary shaft driven by the drive control section. The rotary shaft is comprised of a pair of thin shafts respectively supported by a pair of bearings and a thick shaft connecting the pair of thin shafts. Each thin shaft has such a length and an outside diameter that the ratio of the length to the outside diameter provides a sufficient bending strength. Therefore, the rotary shaft rotates smoothly and a pointer carried by the shaft indicates accurate values of a vehicle operating condition.

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Toyota, Japan

Takashi Komura