The present invention provides a tactile-sensation providing device that reduces the transmission of vibration to the base part. The tactile-sensation providing device has: a vibrating body; a vibration-target object that is elastically connected with the vibrating body and vibrated in accordance with vibration of the vibrating body; and a base part that is elastically connected with the vibration-target object, the tactile-sensation providing device providing a tactile sensation to a living body based on vibration of the vibration-target object, the base part is spaced apart from the vibrating body, and a resonance frequency of a first vibrating system including the base part and the vibration-target object is ⅔ or less of a resonance frequency of a second vibrating system including the vibration-target object and the vibrating body.

An operation device includes a movable part having an operating surface on which a contact operation is performed by an living body, a vibration exciter attached to the movable part at a position other than the operating surface, and configured to excite the movable part in a first direction along the operating surface, and in a second direction intersecting the operating surface, a base part, and an elastic support, provided between the movable part and the base part, and configured to elastically support the movable part with respect to the base part. The movable part provides a tactile sensation to the living body making the contact operation when excited in the first direction by the vibration exciter, and generates a sound from the operating surface when excited in the second direction by the vibration exciter.

One illustrative integrated electromagnetic-acoustic sensor includes: a ground plane; a patch antenna above the ground plane to send or receive an electromagnetic (EM) signal having an EM signal frequency; and an array of capacitive micromachined acoustic transducers formed by cavities between the patch antenna and a base electrode to send or receive an acoustic signal having an acoustic signal frequency. One illustrative sensing method includes: driving or sensing a EM signal between a ground plane and a patch antenna; and driving or sensing an acoustic signal between the patch antenna and a base electrode, the base electrode and the patch antenna having an array of capacitive micromachined acoustic transducer cavities therebetween.

One illustrative integrated electromagnetic-acoustic sensor includes: a ground plane; a patch antenna above the ground plane to send or receive an electromagnetic (EM) signal having an EM signal frequency; and an array of capacitive micromachined acoustic transducers formed by cavities between the patch antenna and a base electrode to send or receive an acoustic signal having an acoustic signal frequency. One illustrative sensing method includes: driving or sensing a EM signal between a ground plane and a patch antenna; and driving or sensing an acoustic signal between the patch antenna and a base electrode, the base electrode and the patch antenna having an array of capacitive micromachined acoustic transducer cavities therebetween.

A holder is used while attached to a chassis of a vibration generator that moves a vibrator to generate a vibration. The holder includes a vibrator retention unit retaining the vibrator, a fixed unit fixed to the chassis, and an arm. The arm connects the fixed unit and the vibrator retention unit, and the arm supports the vibrator retention unit while the vibrator retention unit can be displaced with respect to the fixed unit. The fixed unit, the arm, and the vibrator retention unit are integrally formed using resin.

Provided is a method of providing information from a first device to a second device. The method includes: receiving message information by the second device, the message information comprising a text, a geometric figure, or a symbol that is input into the first device; transforming the message information into a tactile signal; and actuating an operator to provide tactile information according to the tactile signal. The operator includes at least one cell and provides the tactile information in the form of handwriting or vibration to a user of the second device, by operating the at least one cell sequentially. The operator provides the tactile information by sequentially or simultaneously applying/removing an external electric field to/from each of the cells according to the tactile signal. The operator includes at least one tactile sensation provider, that contacts the user of the second device, including polarizable or piezoelectric particles distributed in a matrix.

The invention relates to devices and methods in the field of mechanical vibrational energy therapy, in particular oscillation stimulation of a subject. A device comprises a housing and the housing comprises a contact surface for being put in contact with the subject; a sensor element configured to detect a contact between the contact surface and the subject and optionally to transform a contact pressure between the contact surface of the device and the subject to which the mechanical vibrational energy is to be applied into a pressure dependent output signal; and a transducer configured to convert an electric input signal into an axial oscillatory motion of a mass, wherein the transducer comprises a coil and a permanent magnet, wherein the mass can be moved relative to the housing, wherein the relative movement of the mass is configured to cause at least the contact surface to vibrate, and wherein the mass comprises the permanent magnet.

A method is in particular a computer-implemented method and comprises a step S3 of detecting a contact between the device as described and the subject and generating an output signal, wherein a characteristic of the output signal is different in case a contact is detected compared to a case in which no contact is detected. The method comprises further a step S5 of comparing the characteristic of the output signal with a pre-set threshold value.

Provided is a photoacoustic measurement device including: an ultrasound image generation unit that generates an ultrasound image on the basis of a detection signal of reflected ultrasonic waves generated by the transmission of ultrasonic waves; a puncture needle detection unit that detects a length direction of a puncture needle on the basis of the ultrasound image; and a controller that controls a steering direction of a sample gate which is a Doppler measurement target on the basis of the length direction of the puncture needle such that an angle θ formed between a straight line extending in the length direction of the puncture needle and a straight line extending in the steering direction of the sample gate satisfies 0°≤θ<90°.

An actuator comprising: a support body; a movable body which is movable with respect to the support body; and a drive mechanism structured to drive the movable body; wherein the drive mechanism comprises: a first magnetic drive circuit which comprises a first coil and a first magnet facing each other in a first direction and is structured to drive the movable body in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; and a second magnetic drive circuit which comprises a second coil and a second magnet facing each other in the first direction at a position overlapping with the first magnetic drive circuit in the first direction, the second magnetic drive circuit being structured to drive the movable body in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and intersecting the second direction.

A vibration generator includes a housing, a vibrating body accommodated in the housing, an elastic support supporting the vibrating body such that the vibrating body can vibrate along a first direction and a second direction intersecting each other, and a magnetic drive configured to drive the vibrating body along the first direction and the second direction using a magnetic force, and wherein the magnetic drive includes a plurality of first magnetic field generators disposed side by side at a predetermined interval in the vibrating body in the first direction or the second direction, and a plurality of second magnetic field generators disposed on positions facing both ends of each of the plurality of first magnetic field generators in the housing, and wherein a longitudinal direction of the housing is in a third direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction.