Abstract: In a steam cooker, for heating of a food which is a mass of granular matters or linear matters such as rice or chow mein, a steam superheater is not turned on or is turned on with a very weak electric power so that steam supplied from steam supply pipes (94A to 94C) is substantially not superheated. Steam of 80° C. to 90° C. derived from the steam supply pipe (94B) is jetted out right downward from an opening (111a) of a steam jet pipe (111). Then, steam located around an end portion of the steam jet pipe (111) in a tray-shaped case (51) is pulled in by steam jetted out from the opening (111a), so that a large amount of steam is jetted against a bowl of rice or a dish of chow mein. As a result, surfaces of, for example, rice grains are prevented from immediately going beyond 100° C., so that condensation at the surfaces of the rice grains is efficiently achieved, and supply of condensed latent heat and penetration of condensed water (hot water) to the rice grains is efficiently achieved.

Abstract: On a surface of a GaAs substrate, layers to be a top cell are formed by epitaxial growth. On the top cell, layers to be a bottom cell are formed. Thereafter, on a surface of the bottom cell, a back surface electrode is formed. Thereafter, a glass plate is adhered to the back surface electrode by wax. Then, the GaAs substrate supported by the glass plate is dipped in an alkali solution, whereby the GaAs substrate is removed. Thereafter, a surface electrode is formed on the top cell. Finally the glass plate is separated from the back surface electrode. In this manner, a compound solar battery that improves efficiency of conversion to electric energy can be obtained.

Abstract: A semiconductor laser chip is mounted on one surface of an electrode lead for chip mounting having a heat release region for releasing heat around the semiconductor laser chip. Therefore, it is possible to release heat of the semiconductor laser chip to the chip mounting lead and release the heat from the heat release region, thereby suppressing increase of a temperature of the semiconductor laser chip and suppressing shortening of life of the semiconductor laser chip.

Abstract: A color image forming apparatus includes: a multiple number of process printing units, each having a photoreceptor drum for forming a toner image with a toner corresponding to color-separated image information for each color and a developing unit for supplying the toner to the surface of the photoreceptor drum, wherein the toner images formed by electrophtography on the surfaces of the photoreceptor drums are transferred to a recording medium by the function of a transfer electric field, and is characterized in that the toners to be supplied to the photoreceptor drums from the developing units for every color are specified so that the time constants ? of the toners become greater as the position of toner supply is located more upstream in the development process.

Abstract: In a photoelectric encoder, each of light receiving elements (33a-33d) has a parallelogram shape formed by adjoining two congruent triangular light receiving regions (B), which each have a height dx1 with a dy1-long base edge, where one light receiving region (B) is adjacent to another with their base edges being coincident with each other. The base edge extends in a Y direction, while the height direction against the base edge is an X direction. Trailing and leading edges of detection signals from comparators (34, 36) are made abrupt to reduce jitter. A total light reception area of 4×(dx1)×(dy1) is obtained from regions whose total area is 4×(dx1)×(dy1+?), so that setting ‘?’ (?>0) to a small one allows the light efficiency to be greatly improved.

Abstract: When a setting input through a control portion falls within the first setup range, the settings in the first setup storage are rewritten with the setting in the second setup storage. Since the setting was revised, the revision history including the setup content and the data of the setting is stored in a revision history storage. Next, a determination process for the revised setting is carried out. Specifically, it is determined whether a usually expected input setting from the control portion falls within the second setup range. When it does not fall within the second setup range, the controller determines that the input setting is not a proper value, and reads out the setting before revision, stored in the third setup storage to rewrite the settings in the first setup storage with it.

Abstract: An illuminating lamp for a display device is capable of minimizing a luminance difference between a high-voltage driving side and a low-voltage driving side. The illuminating lamp is arranged behind a display panel via optical sheets and driven in a high-voltage driving method. The illuminating lamp includes discharge lamps connected in series, wherein gas pressures of the discharge lamps at a high-voltage driving side are set to be higher than those of the discharge lamps at a low-voltage driving side.

Abstract: In a card serving as an external storage device to be inserted into a digital color multi-function printer, features of a reference image and processing rule information indicating processing content to be applied to input image data judged to be similar to the reference image are prestored. Then, in cases where the input image data is judged to be similar to the reference image, the content of a process to be performed on the input image data is controlled in accordance with the processing rule information corresponding to the reference image. This makes it possible to save users the trouble of setting the content of a process to be performed on input image data, and to prevent a shortage of memory capacity of a memory of the image processing apparatus even in cases where there is an increase in the number of reference images.

Abstract: The present invention is to provide an output control system in which an information processing apparatus instructs an image output apparatus to output image data, and in which the image output apparatus outputs the image data. The output control system is configured by an image output apparatus 1 and a plurality of information processing apparatuses 7. The information processing apparatus 7 includes an output data creation section 14 which generates output data from image data to be processed. When an image data file to be processed is opened, a control section 13 instructs the output data creation section 14 to generate output data of the first page of the image data to be processed without depending on an output instruction from a user, and transmits the output data to the image output apparatus 1. The image output apparatus 1 temporarily holds the received output data. When the output instruction is inputted from the user, the image output apparatus 1 outputs the temporarily held output data.

Abstract: A backlight includes at least one first light source, and a light guide arranged to receive light from the at least one first light source on a side surface thereof and to emit planar light from a principle surface thereof substantially perpendicular to the side surface. Each of the at least one first light source includes a first elongated light emitting member and a second elongated light emitting member arranged substantially parallel to the first light emitting member. The second light emitting member is different in length in the lengthwise direction from the first light emitting member.

Abstract: An inspection device of the present invention includes: a linear irregularity detecting section for detecting linear irregularities individually in an image L of dots on a substrate being inspected by projecting light from a first direction and in an image R of the dots by projecting light from a second direction, which differs from the first direction; a specific-cycle irregularity extracting section for extracting linear irregularities detected at predetermined intervals T in the individual mages L and R, the intervals being taken vertical to the linear irregularities on the substrate; and a detection-target-irregularity extracting section for extracting a linear irregularity detected in both the images L and R as a detection-target linear irregularity. The device therefore is capable of detecting only linear irregularities of a specific cycle which are caused by the presence of dots having irregular thickness when compared to a dot with normal thickness.

Abstract: In a liquid crystal display device, an array substrate and a CF substrate arranged face to face with each other. A liquid crystal layer is provided between the array substrate and the CF substrate. The array substrate and the CF substrate are bonded together by a sealing member containing a photo curing material. The array substrate has a surface opposed to the CF substrate. Metal wires are provided in the circumferential portion of the opposed surface. A transparent film is disposed between the metal wires and the sealing member.

Abstract: A display device includes an illuminator; a display panel for performing displaying by using light which is emitted from the illuminator; and a control circuit for controlling the illuminator. The illuminator includes a plurality of light source blocks, at least one light source belonging to each of the plurality of light source blocks. A displaying region of the display panel has a plurality of regions each performing displaying by using light which is emitted from a respective one of the light source blocks. The control circuit detects a level of a display signal which is input to each of the plurality of regions, and is capable of controlling a luminance of the respective light source block in accordance with the detected level of the display signal.

Abstract: There is provided a storage layer (13) between storage layers (11), (15). The storage layer (13) produces a relatively large spherical aberration for a protection layer thickness error. Information is written to or read from the storage layer (13) with a beam of light having a second wavelength. Information is written to or read from the storage layers (11), (15) with a beam of light having a first wavelength (longer than the second wavelength). Accordingly, a multi-format optical storage medium is realized on which information can be recorded or reproduced with a single objective lens. Also, an optical pickup is realized which is capable of recording or reproducing information on the multi-format optical storage medium.

Abstract: In a liquid crystal display device, liquid crystal molecules are oriented in a vertical direction to the first substrate and the second substrate by the first molecule orientation film and the second molecule orientation film, respectively, in a non-driving state. A structural pattern is formed so as to extend in a first direction parallel to a surface of the liquid crystal layer and so as to form, in a driving state, an electric field periodically changing in a second direction that is parallel to the liquid crystal layer and vertical to the first direction. The liquid crystal molecules substantially tilt in the first direction in the driving state.

Abstract: A toner cartridge is provided, which comprises a toner bottle containing toner, and a support member supporting the toner bottle in an axially rotatable manner. The toner bottle has a toner outlet port provided in a portion thereof supported by the support member. The support member has an outlet port shutter provided slidably on an outer surface thereof for opening and closing the toner outlet port, and a projecting engagement portion for positioning the toner cartridge with respect to a cartridge insertion port of an image forming apparatus when the toner cartridge is mounted in the image forming apparatus. The support member and the toner bottle respectively have a projection and a recess serving as a locking portion and a to-be-locked portion for restricting rotation of the toner bottle with respect to the support member when the toner cartridge is not mounted in the image forming apparatus.

Abstract: A pixel charge-discharge circuit charges and discharges a series circuit of a capacitor by alternately connecting two types of auxiliary capacitance wires to a high voltage source and a low voltage source by using four types of switches. The high voltage source and the low voltage source are positive voltage sources, and a potential of the high voltage source is greater than that of the low voltage source. The low voltage source serving as a sink-current-flowing voltage source includes a stored energy adjustment section. The stored energy adjustment section discharges electrostatic energy from the high voltage source by turning ON and OFF two types of switches and causes the electrostatic energy to be balanced by energy supplied from the series circuit.

Abstract: A local computer sends out mount requests to remote computers for identifying folders or files that are available for sharing (shares). The local computer sends out the mount requests without previously discovering if the folders or files exist or are available for sharing on the remote computers. Any of the folders or files that are successfully mounted are identified as available for sharing.

Abstract: A display device includes: a main LCD; a SW LCD, disposed on an optical path of light transmitting through the main LCD, for electrically switching a visible image between a single image display mode and a multiple image display mode; a first polarizer; and a second polarizer. The major axis direction of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer of the SW LCD is always substantially parallel to the polarization direction of light after transmission through the first polarizer when projected from the normal to the substrates. At least some of the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer are controlled in terms of alignment direction so that the major axis direction of the liquid crystal molecules is substantially parallel to the substrates in the single image display mode and tilted from the substrates in the multiple image display mode.

Abstract: In order to obtain a thin plate manufacturing method capable of extremely increasing manufacturing efficiency by enlarging the production scale and remarkably reducing the manufacturing cost per unit area and an apparatus for manufacturing this thin plate, a method and an apparatus performing introduction of a substrate into a main chamber and discharge of the substrate from the main chamber through at least one subsidiary chamber (3, 4) adjacent to the main chamber (1) are employed when manufacturing a silicon thin plate by dipping a surface layer part of the substrate into a silicon melt (7) in a crucible (2) arranged in the main chamber (1) for bonding silicon (5) to the surface of the substrate.