Abstract: When a conventional semiconductor container opening/closing apparatus opens a lid of a semiconductor container, foreign particles enter into the container from outside through a gap between the container and a wall surface of the container opening/closing apparatus and adhere to a wafer in the container. An apparatus is provided to reduce the number of foreign particles adhering to the wafer by preventing foreign particles from entering into the container at the time of opening the container by the opening/closing apparatus. To achieve this, a velocity-differential pressure ratio obtained by dividing the maximum velocity at the time of opening the lid of the container in a vertical direction to an opening of the container, by the differential pressure between the inside pressure and the outside pressure of said semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, is set to be 0.06 ((m/s) Pa) or less.

Abstract: A system and process for capturing and rendering ink is described. An ink canvas object may contain none, one, or more objects or elements and may specify the z-order of the objects or elements. The ink canvas object may host a variety of objects or elements and, therefore, provide ink functionality to the objects or elements, even though the objects or elements themselves may not have ink functionality.

Abstract: A conveyor device includes a conveyor belt and a driving unit that applies a driving force to the conveyor belt at different portions in a width direction of the conveyor belt to drive the conveyor belt. The driving unit includes a driving shaft having a projection corresponding to each of the portions. The belt includes a recess corresponding to the projection arranged on each side of the conveyor belt in the width direction.

Abstract: The invention provides an effective technique for improving the sealing performance and durability of a fluid control valve, particularly a fuel injector. The fuel injector 10 has a ball valve 32 and a valve seat body 41. A fuel jet opening 41c formed in the valve seat body 41 is closed when the ball valve 32 contacts a sealing surface 41b of the valve seat body 41, while being opened when the ball valve 31 separates from the sealing surface 41b of the valve seat body 41. A stainless steel base material and a Sn plated film softer than the base material form a smooth surface 42 on the sealing surface 41b of the valve seat body 41.

Abstract: A wide-angle lens system includes a negative front lens group and a positive rear lens group, in this order from the object. The negative front lens group includes a negative first sub-lens group and a positive second sub-lens group, in this order from the object. The positive rear lens group includes cemented lens elements having a positive lens element, a negative lens element and a positive lens element. The wide-angle lens system satisfies the following conditions: ?0.8<f1a/f1b<?0.2 ??(1) 0.7<f/fR<1.1 ??(2) wherein f1a designates the focal length of the negative first sub-lens group; f1b designates the focal length of the positive second sub-lens group; f designates the focal length of the entire wide-angle lens system; and fR designates the focal length of the positive rear lens group.

Abstract: A wide-angle lens system includes a negative front lens group and a positive rear lens group, in this order from the object. The negative front lens group includes a negative first sub-lens group and a positive second sub-lens group, in this order from the object. The positive rear lens group includes cemented lens elements having a positive R1 lens element and a negative R2 lens element, a positive R3 lens element having a convex surface facing toward the image, and a positive R4 lens element, in this order from the object. The wide-angle lens system satisfies the following conditions: ?0.8<f1a/f1b<?0.1 ??(1) 0.6<f/fR<1.1 ??(2) wherein f1a designates the focal length of the negative first sub-lens group; f1b designates the focal length of the positive second sub-lens group; f designates the focal length of the entire wide-angle lens system; and fR designates the focal length of the positive rear lens group.

Abstract: A system and process for capturing and rendering ink is described. An ink canvas object may contain none, one, or more objects or elements and may specify the z-order of the objects or elements. The ink canvas object may host a variety of objects or elements and, therefore, provide ink functionality to the objects or elements, even though the objects or elements themselves may not have ink functionality.

Abstract: A photographic lens system for forming an object image is placed in the lens barrel of an electronic camera. In a camera body, a beam splitter for forming branched optical paths and an image sensing element for photoelectrically converting the formed object image are arranged. An optical filter attached to a filter cap is inserted between the beam splitter and the image sensing element. The filter cap intimately contacts with the perimeter of the exit surface of the beam splitter and the perimeter of the image sensing surface of the image sensing element, thereby forming closed spaces, between the optical filter and the beam splitter and between the optical filter and the image sensing element, which allow incident light to pass through.

Abstract: A satellite-positioning receiving device includes: an antenna which receives a signal from a satellite; an RF amplifier unit which amplifies the signal received by the antenna; a reference quartz oscillator; a digital processor unit which performs signal processing; an operation accepting unit; and two reception processing systems, that is, a first reception processing system including a first mixer unit, a first local oscillator, a first IF amplifier unit, and a first IF filter unit and a second reception processing system including a second mixer unit, a second local oscillator, a second IF amplifier unit, and a second IF filter unit. The digital processor unit is connected to the local oscillators and the IF filter units, and is so constituted that it is capable of individually changing and setting their characteristics.

Abstract: A communications system in a first vehicle sends departing information indicating that the first vehicle is about to depart from a parking space along with the vehicle information of the first vehicle when a door is unlocked, a key is inserted, and an engine is started. When the sent departing information is received by a communications system in a different second vehicle that is searching a parking space, the sent vehicle information of the first vehicle is shown in a display device in the second vehicle. The vehicle information includes the number of the license plate, the vehicle kind, the vehicle color, and the vehicle class. The driver of the second vehicle can easily determine whether a nearby vehicle where an occupant is present is the first vehicle that sends the departing information.

Abstract: A device for detecting an obstacle located backward of a vehicle is mounted on a vehicle such as a pickup truck having a rear loading space and a tailgate for closing the loading space. Ultrasonic waves are transmitted backward, and the backward obstacle is detected by receiving ultrasonic waves reflected by the backward obstacle. When the tailgate is open or the load extends backward from the open tailgate, the transmitted waves are reflected by the open tailgate or the extending load. This may cause erroneous detection of the backward obstacle. To avoid the erroneous detection, detection of the reflected waves from the backward obstacle is delayed by a predetermined period when the tailgate is open or the load extends backward.

Abstract: A toner recovery device, capable of preventing toner from spilling out of the space between protruding sections and an inner wall of a toner-conveying pipe, and process cartridge and image forming apparatus having this device. Residual toner after transfer, which is carried into a carry-in section of the toner-conveying pipe, is held by the protruding sections of a toner-conveying belt and a bottom surface of the toner-conveying pipe, and conveyed to a carry-out section. Accordingly, the residual toner after transfer can be prevented from oscillating while being conveyed to the carry-out section. Therefore, the residual toner after transfer is prevented from spilling out of the space between the protruding sections and the inner wall of the toner-conveying pipe, and the amount of residual toner after transfer to be conveyed to the carry-out section can be prevented from being reduced.

Abstract: A camera comprises a beam splitter configured to divide an incident light from a subject through a photographing lens, an eyepiece lens configured to observe the incident light divided by the beam splitter with a viewfinder, a relay lens provided between the beam splitter and the eyepiece lens, and a shutter provided in a vicinity of the relay lens and configured to cut a reverse-incident light from the eyepiece lens.

Abstract: A silicon single crystal and a method for growing a silicon single crystal are provided. A p-type silicon single crystal is grown with a uniform resistivity value in a pulling direction. Pulling is conducted by the Czochralski method from molten silicon obtained by adding phosphorus to an initial melt in an amount equivalent to 25˜35% of an absolute concentration (atoms/cc) of boron contained in the melt.

Abstract: An object detector capable of reliably detecting objects around a vehicle is mounted on a wall of a bumper of a vehicle. Thicknesses of the bumper and of a bottom surface portion of a housing are less than one-half the wavelength of ultrasonic waves generated by a piezoelectric vibrator. This suppresses the reflection of ultrasonic waves by the bumper and by the bottom surface portion of the housing, and enhances the ultrasonic wave propagation efficiency, making it possible to reliably detect objects positioned around the vehicle.

Abstract: A silicon wafer for an IGBT is produced by forming an ingot having an interstitial oxygen concentration [Oi] of not more than 7.0×1017 atoms/cm3 by the Czochralski method; doping phosphorus in the ingot by neutron beam irradiation to the ingot; slicing a wafer from the ingot; performing annealing of the wafer in an oxidizing atmosphere containing at least oxygen at a temperature satisfying a predetermined formula; and forming a polysilicon layer or a strained layer on one side of the wafer.

Abstract: A system and method for performing ink related operations in a tree-based presentation system is described. Ink-related programmatical interfaces may relate to interactions with a stroke object, a stroke collection object, and ink input elements.

Abstract: A thermal head includes a substrate, a partial glaze, a resistor layer and an aluminum electrode layer overlaid on one another sequentially. A protective layer protects the electrode layer and the resistor layer. The substrate is obtained by cutting a plate workpiece along a cut line for the electrode layer and the resistor layer. In a thermal head producing method, a spot pattern is formed on the electrode layer. The spot pattern includes plural spot regions arranged on the plate workpiece in a two-dimensional manner. The spot pattern is cut along the cut line to cause the electrode layer to appear on a cut end face of the cut line. Preferably, the spot pattern extends toward the circuit pattern from the cut end face at a predetermined extent equal to or more than 100 microns.

Abstract: A process for rendering highlighter ink strokes and non-highlighter ink strokes in a non-rastering environment is described. Strokes may be grouped under a node having a predefined opacity. The strokes inherit the opacity from the node.

Abstract: A pair of distance measurement sensors provided at different heights measures distances to an obstruction. When the measured distances are shorter than a threshold distance, the height of the vehicle is found based on the measured distances. When the height of the vehicle is found greater than a threshold height, the existence of the obstruction is reported to the driver. When the height of the vehicle is found smaller than the threshold height, on the other hand, a change in obstruction height is found and compared with a threshold. When the change in obstruction height is greater than the threshold, the existence of the obstruction is reported to the driver since the height is determined to be an unreliable result of computation.