Abstract: A drawing apparatus to draw a sheet includes a first protrusion group aligned in rows along a drawing direction of the sheet; and a second protrusion group aligned in rows along the drawing direction and that meshes with the first protrusion group. The sheet is bitten in between the first and second protrusion groups. A space in which the sheet is bitten with the first protrusion group and the second protrusion group includes a first region, a second region adjacent to the first region, and a third region adjacent to the second region opposite to the first region. A drawing amount of the sheet in the case that the sheet is bitten with the first protrusion group and the second protrusion group in the second region is greater than the drawing amount in the first region and is smaller than the drawing amount in the third region.

Abstract: A rod- or plate-shaped light guide includes a first end that receives illuminating light incident thereon, a bottom surface having a reflecting portion thereon for reflecting the light, an emitting face which emits the reflected light, and a protruding portion protruding longitudinally and continuously from the light guide at a second end thereof. The protruding portion has a reduced peripheral dimension compared to a peripheral dimension of an adjacent portion of the light guide, and a reflective body is provided on the protruding portion and covers a longitudinal end face of the protruding portion extending perpendicular to the emitting face. When viewed along an axial direction of the light guide, the reflective body does not jut out from an end face of the light guide even when the body wraps on to a side surface of the protruding portion or expansion occurs.

Abstract: In a method for forming a thermoplastic polymer sheet, a plurality of the forming blades are configured so as to have projected cross-sectional shapes on the sheet defined by similar curved lines and/or similar flexural lines arranged around a center of similitude and extending in the thickness direction of the sheet from the stationery mold and the movable mold so as to be engaged one with another but not to come in contact one with another. The method includes a step of introducing the sheet between the stationery mold and the movable mold and a step of bring the forming blades of the stationery mold and the movable mold into engagement with one another to stretch the sheet between distal ends of each pair of the adjacent forming blades.

Abstract: To provide a rod-like light guide and a line lighting device including the rod-like light guide, both of which are easy to include in an image reading device, a contact-type image sensor and an image reading device. For instance, a protruding portion having a flat or curved surface is formed by grinding an end face of a rod-like light guide in a longitudinal direction while leaving at least 80% of the surface area of the end face, and a reflective surface is formed by bonding a heat transfer film to the protruding portion. Thus, even if a portion of the protrusion portion melts when performing thermal processing on the heat transfer film, the portion will not jut out beyond a cross-sectional area of the rod-like light guide, and the rod-like light guide can be easily contained in a case.

Abstract: The invention provides a film-forming apparatus by a photo-CVD method comprising such essential structural elements as a light inlet in the form of a tube, a film-forming chamber, a light outlet in the form of a tube and a nozzle for feeding a mixture of a reactant and a gas for dilution so that a specific relation exists in the dimensions between the elements.With this structure, the film-forming apparatus by a photo-CVD method prevents the blur of the laser beam-incoming window due to contaminants adhered thereto, thereby enabling the extension of reaction time, increase of the deposition, and formation of a film with uniform thickness, and making the composition of the film closest to the stoichiometric one.

Abstract: An improved apparatus for forming plates of irregular cross-sectional shape has a plate-form die which cooperates with a plurality of reciprocating rollers for forming a strip of plate material which is passed incrementally between the rollers and the die. The die includes a plate surface portion having a wedge-shaped leading end portion for forming a groove in the plate material. The rollers reciprocate with a stroke which is less than the length of the plate surface portion.