Abstract: A screen includes a screen main body, having flexibility, onto which an image light is projected; a first support and a second support which, extending one along each of a pair of opposed edges of the screen main body, each support one of the pair of edges; an auxiliary support which, being disposed between the first support and the second support, extends parallel to the first support and the second support, and supports a pair of intersecting edges intersecting with the pair of edges of the screen main body; and linkage mechanisms which, bridging adjacent supports, among the first support, second support, and auxiliary support, as well as regulating a movement of the adjacent supports in an out-of-plane direction of a projection surface of the screen main body, extend and contract in a direction in which the adjacent supports face each other, bringing the adjacent supports closer to and away from each other.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a NOx sensor for accurately obtaining the resistance value of a heater. When a second layer is laminated immediately above a first layer on which the heater for electrically heating the proximity of an inner space of the NOx sensor and two heater leads having substantially same shape which are energizing paths to the heater are formed, the second layer on which at least one of leads is formed out of a first lead for electrically connecting a reference electrode to outside, a second lead for electrically connecting a measuring electrode to outside, and a third lead for electrically connecting a plurality of pump electrodes to outside, the lead formed on the second layer is arranged so as not to overlap any of two heater leads in a laminating direction of the first layer and the second layer.

Abstract: A sensor element is formed by cutting a laminated body and heating with the cutting taking place in a state where a difference in resistance on sides of a cutting component is as small as possible. That is, a uniform cutting is where resistance added to both sides of the cutting component is substantially the same. When uniform cutting cannot be performed, a nonuniform cutting in a state where resistance added to both sides of the cutting component is different is performed. Consequently, a surface perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the sensor element is trapezoidal.

Abstract: According to an apparatus for inspecting defects of a honeycomb structure that is provided with a current plate and an air current formation means (air source and a header tube), fine defects or defects taking place in the vicinity of an outer periphery of the honeycomb structure can be detected with high sensitivity.

Abstract: A honeycomb segment 10 is provided with a spacer(s) 11 in each of predetermined regions from both the end face toward inside along the axial direction on one end side and the other end side in the axial direction of the outer peripheral surface 7s of the outer peripheral wall 7 so that the spacer(s) occupies(y) 30 to 80% of a route length through the center from a long side 7x to the other long side 7x of the outer peripheral surface. Since spacers are aligned in the direction along the short side 7y, the spacers are formed in such a manner that the length b1+b2 in the short side direction of the spacers 11 occupies 30 to 80% of a length a of the short side 7y, thereby a honeycomb structure having practically no misalignment between segments upon bonding, with little dimensional deviation can be obtained.

Abstract: A method of treating a gas sensor element for improving measurement characteristics thereof, including: heating the gas sensor element at a temperature of 600-1000° C. for 3-24 hours in a treatment atmosphere in which an oxygen concentration is regulated to be not higher than 0.2% and in which are included: (A) not lower than 1000 ppm of an adsorptive gas component wherein an adsorptive capable of being adsorbed on the measuring electrode is bound to oxygen; and (B) a combustible gas in an amount that can be substantially stoichiometrically oxidized by oxygen that is generated upon reduction or decomposition of the adsorptive gas component, so that the adsorptive gas component is reduced or decomposed for permitting the adsorptive in the adsorptive gas component to be adsorbed on the measuring electrode, and so that the noble metal material of the measuring electrode is reduced.

Abstract: A lens holder is disclosed which holds a plurality of objective lenses, the lens holder holding the plurality of objective lenses so as to be arranged with a composite gravity center position of the plurality of objective lenses matching a gravity center position of the entire lens holder without the plurality of objective lenses.

Abstract: An illuminator includes a polarization converter that converts source light into first polarized light, a polarization separation member that separates the first polarized light of from the polarization converter and second polarized light different from the first polarized light, by reflection and transmission, a polarization switch member that reflects the first polarized light passed through the polarization separation member and changes same into the second polarized light, and a light guide having a first rod arranged between the polarization converter and the polarization separation member, a second rod arranged between the polarization separation member and the polarization switch member, and a third rod arranged on an optical path of the second polarized light separated by the polarization separation member.

Abstract: A screen includes plural three-dimensional portions having a concave shape arranged at a front surface side of a screen substrate, wherein the three-dimensional portions are disposed so that the number of the three-dimensional portions provided in a range of a given length along a first direction on the screen substrate which is determined corresponding to at least either one of a direction of a chief ray and a chief direction of outside light is larger than the number of three-dimensional portions provided in a range of the given length along a second direction crossing the first direction and in which the plural three-dimensional portions are arranged so that at least two three-dimensional portions of the three-dimensional portions provided in the range of the given length along the first direction contact each other.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a sintered body is provided. A molding powder, a gel-forming material powder and a solvent are mixed at a temperature not higher than a dissolving point of the gel-forming material. A treatment of pulverizing agglomerates containing the molding powder, gel-forming material powder and solvent absorbed in the gel-forming material powder is carried out. The mixture is then heated to a temperature not lower than the dissolving point thereby forming a sol. The sol is then cooled to a temperature not higher than the gel point, thereby forming a molding material. The molding material is used for producing a sintering body.

Abstract: A lens driving apparatus includes a first lens-barrel having a lens built thereinto; a second lens-barrel; an electromechanical conversion element that applies a driving force f1 to the first lens-barrel and a driving force f2 to the second lens-barrel; and a housing that supports the lateral surfaces of the first lens-barrel and the second lens-barrel such that a lens-barrel body is mounted slidably on the housing in the light axis direction of the lens, the lens barrel body being the first lens-barrel and the second lens-barrel connected via the electromechanical conversion element therebetween, wherein the electromechanical conversion element generates deformation which results in displacement in the light axis direction of the lens by applying a drive voltage.

Abstract: An evaluation method and apparatus is provided for evaluating a displacement between patterns of a pattern image by using design data representative of a plurality of patterns superimposed ideally. A first distance is measured for an upper layer pattern between a line segment of the design data and an edge of the charged particle radiation image, a second distance is measured for a lower layer pattern between a line segment of the design data and an edge of the charged particle radiation image; and an superimposition displacement is detected between the upper layer pattern and lower layer pattern in accordance with the first distance and second distance.

Abstract: An optical pickup apparatus comprising: an objective lens configured to focus laser light having the Gaussian distribution properties emitted from a laser diode to a signal recording layer of an optical disc; and an adjustment coating formed on a surface of an incident face of the objective lens on which the laser light is to be made incident, the adjustment coating being configured to adjust transmittance of the laser light passing through the objective lens, the adjustment coating being formed on the surface of the incident face such that the transmittance is lowered as a numerical aperture of the objective lens is reduced.

Abstract: Disclosed is a light detecting apparatus using a differential astigmatic method to focus 0th order light on any information surfaces of a multilayer optical disc medium, the 0th order light being among 0th order light, positive higher-order diffracted light of 1st or higher order, and negative higher-order diffracted light of 1st or higher order, all of which are generated by diffracting a laser beam, the apparatus comprising: a first photodetector that includes a light-receiving area for receiving the reflected light of the 0th order light from an information surface where the 0th order light should be focused on; a second photodetector that is adjacent to the first photodetector leaving a predetermined space therebetween, the second photodetector including a light-receiving area for receiving the reflected light of the positive higher-order diffracted light from the information surface where the 0th order light should be focused on; and a third photodetector that is adjacent to the first photodetector leavi

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a sintered body is provided. A molding powder, a gel-forming material powder and a solvent are mixed at a temperature not higher than a dissolving point of the gel-forming material. A treatment of pulverizing agglomerates containing the molding powder, gel-forming material powder and solvent absorbed in the gel-forming material powder is carried out. The mixture is then heated to a temperature not lower than the dissolving point thereby forming a sol. The sol is then cooled to a temperature not higher than the gel point, thereby forming a molding material. The molding material is used for producing a sintering body.

Abstract: A lens holder is disclosed which holds a plurality of objective lenses, the lens holder holding the plurality of objective lenses so as to be arranged with a composite gravity center position of the plurality of objective lenses matching a gravity center position of the entire lens holder without the plurality of objective lenses.

Abstract: A photodetector comprising: a first light-receiving surface configured to receive reflected light of zero-order light generated based on a laser beam, from one information recording layer of a multilayer optical disc; a second light-receiving surface that is adjacent to the first light-receiving surface with a predetermined interval, the second light-receiving surface being configured to receive reflected light of diffracted light generated based on the laser beam, from the one information recording layer; and a third light-receiving surface for canceling out reflected light of the zero-order light from other information recording layer of the multilayer optical disc, received by the first light-receiving surface or the second light-receiving surface, the third light-receiving surface being configured to receive the reflected light of the zero-order light from other information recording layer.

Abstract: An optical pickup apparatus comprising: an objective lens configured to apply a laser beam for recording or reproducing information to a plurality of layers of information recording surfaces selectively, the plurality of layers of information recording surfaces being included in an optical disc mounted on a turn table; and a spherical aberration correction lens configured to be movable on a light path on the side where the laser beam is incident on the objective lens, so as to correct spherical aberration when the laser beam is applied from the objective lens to any one of the plurality of information recording surfaces in the optical disc, a distance between the spherical aberration correction lens and the objective lens on each light path when the laser beam is focused on each of the plurality of layers of information recording surfaces in the optical disc with movement of the spherical aberration correction lens, including a distance at which optical magnification of an optical system including the spheric

Abstract: A pattern matching method which is capable of selecting a suitable measurement object pattern, even on a sample containing a periodic structure, and a computer program for making a computer execute the pattern matching. In a pattern matching method which executes matching between the design data-based first image of an object sample, and a second image, whether or not a periodic structure is included in a region to execute the matching is determined, so as to select a pattern, based on distance between an original point which is set in said image, and the pattern configuring said periodic structure, in the case where the periodic structure is included in said region, and to select a pattern based on coincidence of the pattern in said image, in the case where the periodic structure is not included in said region, and a computer program product.

Abstract: An objective lens focusing light emitted from a light source onto an information surface of an optical disk, comprising: a first lens surface to be positioned on the light-source side; a second lens surface to be positioned on the optical-disc side; a first edge surface to be positioned on the light-source side, provided in an outer region of the first lens surface; and a second edge surface to be positioned on the optical-disc side, provided in an outer region of the second lens surface, a first optical axis of the first lens surface coinciding with a second optical axis of the second lens surface, the first optical axis and the second optical axis being orthogonal to the second edge surface.