Abstract: A substrate support device including a support member having a lower-surface support section to support a lower surface of a substrate; and a position restriction section provided on the lower-surface support section, the position restriction section being formed to surround a periphery of the substrate supported on the lower-surface support section and restrict a position of the substrate. At least one of the lower-surface support section and the position restriction section includes a base material and a protective film formed to cover the base material and prevent at least one of wear and chemical erosion to which the base material will be subject. The substrate support device further includes, for example, a base that supports the support member, and a driving structure that moves the support member in a relative fashion with respect to the base, and is constructed as a substrate transport device.

Abstract: A substrate transfer apparatus, for transferring a substrate from a first module to a second module, includes a moving base having a Y-motion axis for moving the moving base in Y-direction, and a substrate holding member mounted to the moving base via X-motion axis so as to move relative to the moving base to be in an advanced position and a retracted position relative to the moving base. The X-motion axis operates when the Y-motion axis is operating, if the X-motion axis must be parallel to the Y-motion axis when transferring the substrate from the substrate holding member to the second module.

Abstract: An interference filter assembly includes a condenser lens, a collimating lens, an interference filter, and an imaging device, which are arranged in a direction of light travel. The collimating lens is spaced from the condenser lens by a predetermined distance that corresponds to one of a focal length of the condenser lens and a focal length of the collimating lens. The collimating lens is provided by a single lens and applies a collimated light toward the imaging device through the interference filter in the direction of light travel. The collimating lens has a first surface adjacent to the condenser lens and a second surface adjacent to the interference filter. The first surface is a curved surface that is convex toward the condenser lens and a circular hyperboloid. The second surface is a plane surface and outputs the collimated light to the interference filter.

Abstract: A substrate transfer method of delivering a substrate transferred by a transfer arm to a mounting unit and associated apparatus. The method includes moving the transfer arm to a position above the mounting unit, and, when delivering the substrate onto the mounting unit, detecting a mounting portion of the mounting unit by a mounting portion detector having a light emitting element and a light receiving element provided at opposite positions across a center point of the transfer arm on a bottom surface of the transfer arm, and then lowering the transfer arm in an oblique direction to mount the substrate on the mounting unit.

Abstract: The present invention is a substrate transfer apparatus including a transfer arm for transferring a substrate and a mounting portion for receiving the substrate transferred by the transfer arm from the transfer arm, including: a mounting portion detector provided at the transfer arm for detecting the mounting portion; a moving means for raising and lowering and moving in a horizontal direction the transfer arm; and a controller for controlling the moving means based on a detection signal from the mounting portion detector. When the substrate transferred by the transfer arm is delivered to a spin chuck, the mounting portion detector detects the mounting portion of the spin chuck, and then the moving means is driven based on a control signal from the controller to lower the transfer arm in an oblique direction to thereby mount the substrate on the mounting portion.

Abstract: A substrate transfer apparatus, for transferring a substrate from a first module to a second module, includes a moving base having a Y-motion axis for moving the moving base in Y-direction, and a substrate holding member mounted to the moving base via X-motion axis so as to move relative to the moving base to be in an advanced position and a retracted position relative to the moving base. The X-motion axis operates when the Y-motion axis is operating, if the X-motion axis must be parallel to the Y-motion axis when transferring the substrate from the substrate holding member to the second module.

Abstract: A substrate support device including a support member having a lower-surface support section to support a lower surface of a substrate; and a position restriction section provided on the lower-surface support section, the position restriction section being formed to surround a periphery of the substrate supported on the lower-surface support section and restrict a position of the substrate. At least one of the lower-surface support section and the position restriction section includes a base material and a protective film formed to cover the base material and prevent at least one of wear and chemical erosion to which the base material will be subject. The substrate support device further includes, for example, a base that supports the support member, and a driving structure that moves the support member in a relative fashion with respect to the base, and is constructed as a substrate transport device.

Abstract: A laser radar sensor includes a light emitting circuit, a light receiving circuit, an object detection circuit, and a CPU. The object detection circuit has a summation block, a noise reference determination block, a noise reference storing block, and a differentiation block. The summation block sums up photoreception signals outputted from a photoreceptor also included in the radar sensor and produces a summation signal. The noise reference determination block determines the summation signal outputted in a condition that no object is present in a detection area as a noise reference signal. The noise reference storing block stores the noise reference signal. The differentiation block calculates a subtraction signal by subtracting the noise reference signal from the summation signal for removing a noise component from the summation signal. Object detection is performed based on the subtraction signal.

Abstract: A substrate carrying apparatus includes an arm body; supporting portion provided in the arm body and adapted to support a region inside the periphery of the rear face of the substrate; a one-side restricting portion and an other-side restricting portion provided at opposite positions across the periphery of the substrate to restrict the peripheral positions of the substrate; and liquid receivers provided between each supporting portion and each restricting portion. A liquid drop attached to the rear peripheral portion of the substrate flows down on the bottom face of each liquid receiver. Even though repeated substrate carrying operations are performed and thus the liquid drop is accumulated in each liquid receiver, there is no risk that the liquid drop in each liquid receiver would be scattered in the air by the action of the periphery of the substrate and hence the scattered liquid would be attached again onto the surface of the substrate.

Abstract: In a radar device installed in a vehicle for detecting a target around the vehicle, a transmitter transmits a plurality of radio signals at intervals. A scanning mechanism is arranged such that each of the plurality of radio signals is individually entered thereto. The scanning mechanism is swingable relative to the transmitter to change a direction of each of the plurality of radio signals entered thereto, thus scanning each of the plurality of radio signals over an angular scanning field. The angular scanning field is located around the vehicle. A receiver receives a plurality of reflected signals to detect intensities of the plurality of received reflected signals. At least some of the plurality of reflected signals are generated based on reflection of at least some of the plurality of radio signals from the target.

Abstract: In a radar device installed in a vehicle for detecting a target around the vehicle, a transmitter transmits a plurality of radio signals at intervals. A scanning mechanism is arranged such that each of the plurality of radio signals is individually entered thereto. The scanning mechanism is swingable relative to the transmitter to change a direction of each of the plurality of radio signals entered thereto, thus scanning each of the plurality of radio signals over an angular scanning field. The angular scanning field is located around the vehicle. A receiver receives a plurality of reflected signals to detect intensities of the plurality of received reflected signals. At least some of the plurality of reflected signals are generated based on reflection of at least some of the plurality of radio signals from the target.

Abstract: A substrate carrying apparatus includes an arm body; supporting portion provided in the arm body and adapted to support a region inside the periphery of the rear face of the substrate; a one-side restricting portion and an other-side restricting portion provided at opposite positions across the periphery of the substrate to restrict the peripheral positions of the substrate; and liquid receivers provided between each supporting portion and each restricting portion. A liquid drop attached to the rear peripheral portion of the substrate flows down on the bottom face of each liquid receiver. Even though repeated substrate carrying operations are performed and thus the liquid drop is accumulated in each liquid receiver, there is no risk that the liquid drop in each liquid receiver would be scattered in the air by the action of the periphery of the substrate and hence the scattered liquid would be attached again onto the surface of the substrate.

Abstract: The present invention is a substrate transfer apparatus including a transfer arm for transferring a substrate and a mounting portion for receiving the substrate transferred by the transfer arm from the transfer arm, including: a mounting portion detector provided at the transfer arm for detecting the mounting portion; a moving means for raising and lowering and moving in a horizontal direction the transfer arm; and a controller for controlling the moving means based on a detection signal from the mounting portion detector. When the substrate transferred by the transfer arm is delivered to a spin chuck, the mounting portion detector detects the mounting portion of the spin chuck, and then the moving means is driven based on a control signal from the controller to lower the transfer arm in an oblique direction to thereby mount the substrate on the mounting portion.

Abstract: In a vehicle radar device, a predetermined number of received light signals output based on a predetermined number of laser beams radiated from a radar sensor are integrated by an integrator to produce an integrated signal. Integration of the predetermined number of received light signals helps amplify the received light signal components corresponding to the waves reflected by reflecting objects, making it possible to improve the sensitivity for detecting the waves reflected by the reflecting object. There are set a plurality of ranges of the received light signals to be integrated, each being shifted by one received light signal. This minimizes a drop in the angular resolution based on the integrated signals.

Abstract: A laser radar sensor includes a light emitting circuit, a light receiving circuit, an object detection circuit, and a CPU. The object detection circuit has a summation block, a noise reference determination block, a noise reference storing block, and a differentiation block. The summation block sums up photoreception signals outputted from a photoreceptor also included in the radar sensor and produces a summation signal. The noise reference determination block determines the summation signal outputted in a condition that no object is present in a detection area as a noise reference signal. The noise reference storing block stores the noise reference signal. The differentiation block calculates a subtraction signal by subtracting the noise reference signal from the summation signal for removing a noise component from the summation signal. Object detection is performed based on the subtraction signal.

Abstract: In a vehicle radar device, a predetermined number of received light signals output based on a predetermined number of laser beams radiated from a radar sensor are integrated by an integrator to produce an integrated signal. Integration of the predetermined number of received light signals helps amplify the received light signal components corresponding to the waves reflected by reflecting objects, making it possible to improve the sensitivity for detecting the waves reflected by the reflecting object. There are set a plurality of ranges of the received light signals to be integrated, each being shifted by one received light signal. This minimizes a drop in the angular resolution based on the integrated signals.

Abstract: In a shift clock signal generating apparatus, a delay line includes a plurality of unit delay elements connected in cascade. A reference clock signal propagates in the delay line while being successively delayed by the unit delay elements. Switches have first ends connected with output terminals of the unit delay elements respectively, and second ends connected with a shift clock signal output path. When specified one among the switches is in its on position, a delayed clock signal which results from delaying the reference clock signal by a prescribed time interval is transmitted via the specified switch to the shift clock signal output path as a shift clock signal. The specified one among the switches is determined on the basis of data representing a phase difference of the shift clock signal from the reference clock signal. The specified switch is set in its on position.

Abstract: A scanning device periodically changes the direction of the transmission of an electromagnetic wave from an electromagnetic wave generating device. A first driving device operates for repetitively driving the electromagnetic wave generating device a plurality of times per one period of the change of the direction by the scanning device, and thereby for repetitively transmitting a distance measurement electromagnetic wave. A second driving device operates for, before the first driving device drives the electromagnetic wave generating device, driving the electromagnetic wave generating device and thereby transmitting a judgment electromagnetic wave having an energy smaller than that of the distance measurement electromagnetic wave.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of measuring a distance to a reflection object is disclosed. A sensitivity time control (STC) process is applied to a received signal from the reflection object to provide an STC-processed signal. The radar apparatus includes a controller. The controller obtains a quantity corresponding to the distance from a transmission time of the transmission signal and a detection time of the STC-processed signal. The quantity is corrected by using a first correction value associated with the intensity of the STC-processed reflection signal to provide a corrected quantity. The corrected quantity is further corrected by using a second correction value associated with the corrected quantity and the intensity of the STC-processed reflection signal to correct the error regardless of the intensity of the STC-processed reflection signal.

Abstract: A forward electromagnetic wave is generated in accordance with a succession of pseudo random noise code signals. An echo electromagnetic wave caused by reflection of the forward electromagnetic wave at an object is converted into a received signal. Direct-current and low-frequency components are removed from the received signal to generate a filtering-resultant signal. The filtering-resultant signal is compared with a preset decision reference voltage to generate a binary signal. The binary signal is sampled into received data. Calculation is made as to a correlation between the received data and the pseudo random noise code signal. The distance to the object is computed on the basis of the calculated correlation. The pseudo random noise code signal is repetitively generated to produce a succession of the pseudo random noise code signals during a surplus time covering a stabilization time taken by the received signal to stabilize in direct-current voltage level.