Abstract: Light which tries to enter a diffuser plate 3 at an angle which exceeds an angle at which a percentage of reflected light increases rapidly (that is, the incidence angle ?=70 degrees) is all reflected by a reflecting surface 21 and then enters the diffuser plate 3. Therefore, a pseudo light source is formed by light which was collected near a connection point between adjacent reflecting surfaces 21 out of the emitted light of the discharge lamps 1. So, the brightness between the adjacent discharge lamps 1 is increased, and it is possible to reduce unevenness in brightness. Furthermore, since the discharge lamp 1 is housed inside the reflecting surface 21 whose cross-sectional shape is a parabola, it is possible to reduce the distance between a reflecting plate 2 and the diffuser plate 3, as compared with the prior art, and to reduce the thickness dimension in the anteroposterior direction.

Abstract: An LED luminaire is provided with a light emitting module composed of plural kinds of LEDs emitting lights of different colors, a lens unit having a lens for diffusing the mixed-color light from the light emitting module, a light output controller for controlling electric current fed to each of the LEDs, and a light sensor for sensing the light from the light emitting module. The light output controller performs feedback control on the electric current fed to each of the LEDs based upon light levels of the sensed light, so that the light emitted from the light emitting module has desired chromaticity. The lens unit contains a light guide for guiding the light from the lens to the light sensor and can guide the light from the light emitting module to the light sensor with a high efficiency.

Abstract: An X-ray tube and a flat panel X-ray detector (FPD) are constructed movable parallel to each other in the same direction along a body axis which is a longitudinal direction of a patient. The X-ray tube intermittently emits radiation and the FPD detects radiation transmitted through the patient irradiated intermittently whenever the X-ray tube and FPD move every pitch. X-ray images O1, O2, . . . , OI, . . . , and OM are decomposed for every pitch noted above. The decomposed images are composed for each projection angle to obtain projection images P1, P2 and so on. Therefore, a sectional image with a long field of view in the longitudinal direction can be obtained by carrying out a reconstruction process based on the composed projection images.

Abstract: An aligned workpiece is mounted on and held by a holding table, and a support board separating mechanism separates a support board from a semiconductor wafer. Herein, a double-faced adhesive tape is left on one of the support board and the semiconductor wafer. Either the support board or the semiconductor wafer on which the double-faced adhesive tape is left is transported to an adhesive tape peeling mechanism while being held by the holding table, and the double-faced adhesive tape is peeled off and removed from the surface of thereof. The separated semiconductor wafer and support board are collected independently.

Abstract: An apparatus which comprises: an organic-substance oxidation part in which organic substances contained in a sample water supplied are oxidized into carbon dioxide; a carbon dioxide separation part in which the carbon dioxide contained in the sample water is caused to permeate and come into a measurement water; and a conductivity measurement part in which the conductivity of the measurement water is measured. The carbon dioxide separation part comprises: a sample water channel in which sample water flows; an intermediate water part in which intermediate water having a higher pH value in a neutral region than the sample water is present; and a measurement water channel through which the measurement water comprising deionized water flows. The sample water channel is in contact with the intermediate water part through a gas-permeable membrane, and the intermediate water part is in contact with the measurement water channel through a gas-permeable membrane.

Abstract: A drying system for a hair removing device is capable of effectively drying the cutter head. The drying system includes a casing having a dry chamber configured to detachably receive a cutter head of the hair removing device, a heater for heating the cutter head; and a blower for generating a forced air flow and drying the cutter head. The casing is formed with an air flow channel configured to direct the forced air flow towards the cutter head. A tray is provided to define the bottom of the dry chamber and bear the cutter head. The tray is formed with a draft port through which the flow channel communicates into the dry chamber so that the forced air flow can be directed straight to the cutter head for effectively cooling or drying the cutter head.

Abstract: An exercise assisting apparatus includes a seat supporting buttocks and a foot base supporting the bottom of the feet, and is arranged to swing the seat for contracting leg muscles. An elevator mechanism regulates a position of the seat. A display and manipulator unit has a physique designating section providing a plurality of classes classified according to the user's height, and a moving direction instructing section with pushbuttons instructing the moving direction of the elevator mechanism. The elevator mechanism is controlled by an elevator controller, and includes a position adjusting section configured to read out a position of the elevator mechanism corresponding to the physique designated at the physique designating section for rough adjustment of the position of the elevator mechanism and a position modifying section configured to make a precise adjustment of the position of the elevator mechanism while the moving direction instructing section is manipulated.

Abstract: A ZrO2—Al2O3 composite ceramic material having excellent wear resistance, hardness, strength and toughness is provided. This ceramic material comprises a ZrO2 phase composed of 90 vol % or more of tetragonal ZrO2, and containing 10 to 12 mol % of CeO2 as a stabilizer, and an Al2O3 phase. An amount of the Al2O3 phase in the ceramic material is in a range of 20 to 70 vol %, and preferably 40 to 70 vol %. In the composite ceramic material, Al2O3 grains each having a fine ZrO2 grain therein are dispersed. Some of the Al2O3 grains each having the fine ZrO2 grain therein are trapped within ZrO2 grains to form composite grains. A ratio of the number of the Al2O3 grains each having the fine ZrO2 grain therein relative to the number of the entire Al2O3 grains dispersed in the composite ceramic material is 10% or more, and preferably 50% or more.

Abstract: A receiver base receives from below a front end portion of a label that is fed forward from a folded-back portion of an release paper and droops forward, so that the label is held in a predetermined forwardly and downwardly inclined posture. In a process of separating and feeding the label in such a state where part of a rear end of the label is joined and held onto the release paper, a suction head having a downward suction surface that is inclined forward and downward is brought closer to a top surface of the label being separated so as to suck the label.

Abstract: Upon detection of an error such as a malfunction occurring at a drive mechanism, a sensor transmits an error signal to a control section. The control section selects character information about details of the error corresponding to the error signal and an image representing the drive mechanism where the error occurs and a position of the sensor in the drive mechanism, and reads out the character information and the image from a storage part. Then, the control section allows a liquid crystal display device to display error information in which a first image of character information is combined with a second image of an error occurrence site in the drive mechanism. Then, error correction is sequentially performed in accordance with details of an error displayed as an uppermost layer on a screen.

Abstract: An adhesive tape joining apparatus of this invention adopts an inverted “T”-shaped layout configured with a rectangular section that extends laterally when being viewed in a plane and a protrusion section that is coupled on a center of the rectangular section. An adhesive tape joining part is disposed in the protrusion section and joins an adhesive tape to a ring frame and a wafer. A transport mechanism is disposed in the rectangular section and transports the wafer, the ring frame, and the wafer held by the ring frame. An electronic substrate processing unit is disposed in at least one of two regions adjoining to the rectangular section with the protrusion section being interposed therebetween, and is coupled to the transport mechanism.

Abstract: Inorganic/organic hybrid polymers containing silsesquioxane cages are robust and exhibit desirable physical properties such as strength, hardness, and optical transparency at infrared and ultraviolet wavelengths. The polymers are prepared by polymerizing functionalized polyhedral silsesquioxane monomers such as polyhedral silsesquioxanes bearing two complementarily reactive functional groups bonded to cage silicon atoms by means of spacer moieties. The spacer moieties allow for steric mobility and more complete cure than polyhedral silsesquioxanes bearing reactive functional groups bound directly to cage silicon atoms.

Abstract: An exercise assisting apparatus has a seat with a contact surface of which position is varied within an adjustable range defined by a user's physique in order to successfully adjust the user's knee at a desired bent angle irrespective of the user's height. The seat 21 bears the buttock of the user M with the user's feet resting on a foot supporting surface on top of a foot stand 40. The seat 21 is displaced by a seat driver 50 with a motor in a direction of varying the user's weight acting on the legs of the user M. The seat 21 is driven by an elevator mechanism 60 to move up and down together with the seat driver 50. The elevator mechanism 60 moves the seat 21 in a direction which is restricted to a line inclined rearwardly and upwardly with respect to a vertical direction and deducted by a user of maximum physique and a user of minimum physique.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a temperature control faucet with an improved structure in the valve technical field. The temperature control faucet addresses the defects existing in the prior art of inconvenient control and narrow range of use. The temperature control faucet of the invention comprises a valve body which has two inflow conduits and an outflow conduit, and a temperature control valve set in the valve body. The temperature control valve is arranged at the convergence of cold water and hot water of the inflow conduits within the cavity of the valve body. The temperature control valve is linked with a turn handle out of the valve body. A flow valve is provided at one end of the outflow conduit of the valve body to control the flow rate. The temperate and the flow rate could be separately controlled by the temperature control faucet with an improved structure of the invention. Therefore, the faucet is conveniently used, and has a small volume and a wide range of use.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an optical measuring device which includes container for storing a sample, and an electrode pair for generating an electric field distribution upon impression of a voltage by an electrical power supply, thereby generating or extinguishing diffraction grating formed by a density modulation of particles within the sample. The particles within the sample are evaluated based upon a temporal change of an intensity of a diffracted light beam obtained by irradiating a light beam upon the diffraction grating formed by the density modulation of the particles. The electrodes constituting the electrode pair are configured to have a comb-like electrode teeth that are parallel with each other and are arranged such that the electrode teeth of one electrode are inserted between the electrode teeth of the other electrode. From such configuration, an optical measuring device of a high sensitivity and excellent S/N ratio can be obtained.

Abstract: An outer edge of a protective tape projected from a semiconductor wafer is fixed and held by a tape holding section. In the condition, a part of the projected protective tape is caught and supported with a tape supporting section with a face having lower adhesive property provided in the outside of the traveling groove for the cutter. Furthermore, the part of the protective tape having the outer edge fixed and held with the tape holding section is compulsorily deformed and inserted into a depression provided between the tape holding section and the tape supporting section. Thereby, the part of the protective tape located in a traveling groove for the cutter is tensioned outward. A cutter blade is stuck into this tensioned part, and cuts the protective tape all over the peripheries of the wafer.

Abstract: A heater chip (4) as a heat generation element is secured to the surface on the periphery of piping (2). Further, a temperature sensor chip couple (6) is placed on the surface on the periphery of the piping (2), along the direction of flow of fluid flowing in the piping (2). One (6a) of the sensor chips in the couple is placed on the upstream side of the heater chip (4) and the other (6b) is placed on the downstream side of the heater chip (4). The heater chip (4) and the temperature sensor chips (6a, 6b) are formed in a chip type. The temperature sensor chips (6a, 6b) as the pair are placed at positions spaced by the same distance from the heater chip (4).

Abstract: A grinding unit grinds an annular convex portion formed at an outer periphery of a back face of a wafer such that the wafer has a uniform thickness. After such process, a robot arm of a transport unit transports the wafer to an inspection unit for inspecting occurrence of damage at the wafer. Then, the robot arm transports the wafer without damage to a mount frame preparation unit. Herein, the wafer is joined to a ring frame through a dicing tape, and then a protective tape is separated from a front face of the wafer. Thus, a mount frame is prepared.

Abstract: In an electric power storage system according to the present invention, in the case of charging, a plurality of capacitors of each circuit block of the electric power storage system are switched to a serial connection to initiate the charging. When the output voltage of power storage means reaches the maximum input voltage of DC-AC conversion means, each capacitor of a number j of circuit blocks is switched to a parallel connection in order of higher block voltage. Also up to the time when the maximum input voltage is reached again, each capacitor of a number j of circuit blocks is switched to a parallel connection in order of higher block voltage. In the case of discharging, pluralities of capacitors of each circuit block of the electric power storage system are switched to a parallel connection to initiate the discharging.