Abstract: An image generating apparatus includes: a lighting apparatus that emits illumination light to an imaging area where at least a part of an electronic component is located; an imaging apparatus that images the imaging area irradiated with the illumination light; and an image processing apparatus that processes a captured image obtained by the imaging. The image processing apparatus generates a before-adjustment image based on the captured image, generates an adjusted image by adjusting luminance of the before-adjustment image, and generates an optimal image by setting a difference in average luminance between a designated area and a comparison area in the adjusted image largest.

Abstract: An image display apparatus including a first storage means for storing at least one item of image data, correction condition data for correcting the image data, and corrected image data obtained after the image data is corrected on the basis of the correction condition data; an image processing means for producing the corrected image data; a display means comprising a screen for superimposing an original image based on the image data and a corrected image based on the corrected image data onto each other and displaying either the original image or the corrected image; an input means for selecting an image to be displayed on the display screen, and a display control means for switching between the images in response to an input from the input means, so that either the original image or the corrected image is displayed on the display screen.

Abstract: A component presence/absence judging apparatus judges the presence/absence of components through a registration step and an inspection step. The registration step includes an ante-mounting feature acquisition step, a post-mounting feature acquisition step and a classifier configuration step. At the ante-mounting and post-mounting feature acquisition steps, ante-mounting features and post-mounting features are respectively acquired from an ante-mounting image and a post-mounting image taken at each of predetermined places on an ante-mounting board and a post-mounting board. At the classifier configuration step, a classifier is configured by registering the ante-mounting features and the post-mounting features as training data to a support vector machine.

Abstract: A component presence/absence judging apparatus judges the presence/absence of a component through a registration step and an inspection step. The registration step comprises an ante-mounting color information acquisition step, a post-mounting color information acquisition step and an inspection area determination step. Ante-mounting color information is acquired from an ante-mounting image taken at a predetermined portion on an ante-mounting board. Post-mounting color information is acquired from a post-mounting image taken at the predetermined portion on a post-mounting board. Then, a section having a large difference between both color information of the ante-mounting image and the post-mounting image is identified and is determined as an inspection area. At the inspection step, the presence/absence of the component at a predetermined place on each inspection board to be inspected is judged in dependence on the color information on the determined inspection area.

Abstract: To image a component larger than the field of view of a camera, a range based on the shape and dimension of the component to be imaged and the field of view of the camera, a range of the component is divided, and imaging ranges of a plurality of characteristic parts to be imaged are determined. Then, images of the plurality of characteristic parts obtained by imaging the plurality of characteristic parts with the camera are combined to create a combined image of the characteristic parts of the component. Based on the combined image, the position of the component is measured.

Abstract: An automatic ice maker includes an ice tray supplied with water, which water is made into ice. After the water in the ice tray is made into ice, the ice tray is inverted so that ice cubes are removed from the ice tray. During the ice making stage, a vibrator vibrates the ice tray so that the ice making at the water surface side in the ice tray is retarded, which causes air bubbles contained in the water in the ice tray to escape therefrom, thereby providing transparent ice cubes.

Abstract: An automatic ice maker includes an ice tray supplied with water, which water is made into ice. The ice tray is inverted after the ice making so that ice cubes are removed from the ice tray. An outlet is directed to the underside of the ice tray so that the chilled air from the outlet flows along the underside of the ice tray. As a result, the water at the bottom side of the ice tray is first made into ice, thereby providing opaque ice cubes. A thermistor for determining completion of the ice making senses the temperature of the upper portion of the ice tray where the water is last made into ice.

Abstract: In an automatic ice maker of a refrigerator, water is supplied into an ice tray disposed in an ice making compartment of the refrigerator. The water in the ice tray is frozen and then, the ice tray is turned with a twisting motion by a drive mechanism including a motor so that ice cubes are removed from the ice tray. Vibration is applied to the ice tray by an electromagnet excited by a pulse current during a water freezing step so that escape of air bubbles out of the water is promoted. A cover covers an upper open end of the ice tray during the water freezing step so that freezing is retarded at the water surface side as compared with the ice tray bottom side. Alternatively, a heater is employed for the cover.

Abstract: An automatic ice maker includes an ice tray supplied with water, which water is made into ice. After the water in the ice tray is made into ice, the ice tray is inverted so that ice cubes are removed from the ice tray. During the ice making stage, a vibrator vibrates the ice tray so that the ice making at the water surface side in the ice tray is retarded, which causes air bubbles contained in the water in the ice tray to escape therefrom, thereby providing transparent ice cubes.

Abstract: An automatic ice maker in an ice making compartment of a refrigerator includes an ice tray placed in the ice making compartment, a temperature sensing element for sensing the temperture of the ice tray, an ice removing driver for driving the ice tray so that ice is removed from it, and a controller for controlling the ice removing driver. The controller initiates one or more timing operations when the temperature sensed by the temperature sensing element falls to or below one of a plurality of set temperatures. When one of these timing operations runs to completion, the system determines that the ice making operation has been completed. The time period corresponding to each set temperature decreases with decreasing set temperatures.

Abstract: A temperature controller and method of controlling temperature for use in a refrigerating device includes a temperature sensor for detecting temperature in a compartment of the refrigerator, a conversion element, a refrigerating cycle driving element, a comparison element, and a memory element. The conversion element converts the temperature detected by the temperature sensor into a voltage value. The refrigerating cycle driving element operates a refrigerating cycle to cool the compartment in accordance with the voltage value. The comparison element compares the voltage value with a predetermined voltage range. This predetermined voltage range is wider than a voltage range corresponding to an ordinary operating temperature range at which the temperature in the compartment is maintained.

Abstract: A refrigerator comprises a damper controlling inflow of cold air into a compartment thereof, a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature within the compartment, a damper drive device for driving the damper in accordance with the detected temperature in the compartment, a damper position detection device for detecting the open state and the closed state of the damper, a heater for defrosting the damper, an abnormality detection device, and a malfunction detection device. The abnormality detection device monitors the time that the damper drive device drives the damper, and when the driven time reaches a predetermined value, energizes the heater to defrost the damper. The malfunction detection device monitors the time that the heater is energized, and when the energization time of the heater reaches a predetermined value, deenergizes the heater.

Abstract: A temperature controller and method of controlling a refrigerating device includes a temperature sensor for detecting temperature, a conversion circuit, a refrigerating cycle driving circuit, a comparison circuit, a failure decision circuit, and a memory circuit. The conversion circuit converts the temperature detected by the temperature sensor into a voltage value. The refrigerating cycle driving circuit operates a refrigerating cycle to cool a compartment in accordance with the voltage value. The comparison circuit compares the voltage value with a reference voltage range. The reference voltage range is changed by the failure decision circuit to two different states. The reference voltage range in the first state includes an ordinary voltage range corresponding to an ordinary operating temperature range of the refrigerating device. The reference voltage range in the second state includes the first state reference voltage range.