Abstract: An article storage house in a clean room for airtightly accommodating a wafer cassette, etc. in which the wafer cassette carried in from the outside of an article carry-in/out portion is accommodated into a container by an automatic article delivery unit disposed in the article carry-in/out portion or it is carried in the article storage house while it is accommodated in the container and is stored in sections of the article storage house. An inert gas purge mechanism and an automatic container cleaning portion are disposed in the automatic article delivery unit or each section.

Abstract: A wafer storing, closed container for use in a clean room of a semiconductor manufacturing system is provided with an attached inert gas tank so as to eliminate the need to convey the container to an inert gas purge station to supplement the inert gas supply in the container due to leakage. A gas passageway is formed in a body of the container in such a manner that one end thereof is open inside the container. The other end is open outside the container. The portable inert gas tank is detachably connected to the other end of the gas passageway so as to automatically supplement the container with the inert gas.

Abstract: A wafer keeping apparatus includes a closed wafer keeping space, and an arrangement for circulating an inert gas through a filter and then through the wafer keeping space. In one embodiment, several wafer keeping shelves are each provided within the space, and the inert gas is supplied through a respective filter to flow across each shelf. In another embodiment, a plurality of wafer keeping spaces are each accessible through a respective door which forms an airtight seal when it is closed, and respective filters are provided on opposite sides of the space, the inert gas being supplied to the space through one filter and exiting the space through the other filter. In a further embodiment, several of the wafer keeping spaces are provided at angularly and vertically spaced locations in a rotatable stocker body provided within a casing, and several vertically spaced doors are provided on the casing to provide access to respective wafer keeping spaces in the stocker body.

Abstract: A moving robot system, employing a charging control system for robots, is configured by plural moving robots, at least one charging station and a control station. Each moving robot is designed to perform an operation thereof in accordance with programs stored therein under control of the control station. When the power of a charging-type-battery equipped in each moving robot is consumed and lowered to the predetermined level, it automatically moves to its nearest charging station designated by the control station other than the charging station which is used for another moving robot. In this case, the control station controls the moving robots such that plural moving robots are not simultaneously concentrated to one charging station.

Abstract: An eddy current flaw detecting endoscope apparatus has an endoscope having an elongate insertable part and an objective optical system provided on the tip side of the insertable part. A flaw detecting device is provided on the tip side of the endoscope. A signal processing device processes a signal for the flaw detecting device. An eddy current flaw detecting apparatus detects a flaw in an object to be inspected and generates a flaw detecting signal. A controlling device generates a control signal controlling a controlled device with a flaw detecting signal of the eddy current flaw detecting apparatus.

Abstract: In an imaging apparatus, the position of an image displayed on the display screen of a display device is stepwise shifted by a device for effecting stepwise time-shifting of the time of an input video signal or a synchronizing signal. The shifted image is focused or projected while the position of the shifted image on a sensitizing surface or a projection surface is being shifted by a position shifting circuit.

Abstract: This endoscope system is provided with an endoscope and an image receiving apparatus to be fitted to the eyepiece part of this endoscope. The endoscope has an elongate insertable part, an objective optical system provided in the tip part of the insertable part, an eyepiece part provided on the rear end side of the insertable part and an image guide consisting of a fiber bundle transmitting the image formed by the objective optical system to the eyepiece part. The image receiving apparatus has an image receiving part of many pixels on which the image from the eyepiece part is formed. Further, the endoscope system is provided with a vibrating apparatus relatively vibrating the image formed on the image receiving part and the image receiving part. The image receiving apparatus is a television camera, co-viewing apparatus or electronic still camera.

Abstract: An endoscope apparatus for inspecting an object including an insertion section insertable into the object and having a distal end and a proximal end, an image guide arranged within the insertion section and having entrance and exit ends arranged at the distal and proximal ends of insertion section, respectively, an objective lens system arranged at the distal end of insertion section for forming an optical image of the object onto the entrance end of image guide, an eyepiece lens system arranged at the proximal end of insertion section for projecting the optical image transmitted through the image guide onto an observating position, a first piezo-electric bimorph arranged at the distal end of insertion section for vibrating the entrance end of image guide in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the insertion section over a given distance, a second piezo-electric element arranged at the proximal end of insertion section for vibrating the exit end of image guide in the same direction and over the

Abstract: A process for changing a running direction of an electromagnetically guided driverless vehicle is provided which process is applicable to the vehicles of both a single conduction wire guided type and a two conduction, wires guided type. The vehicle has right and left drive wheels and independent drive motors for the respective wheels. The drive motor is controlled by a motor speed control drive to which steering signals from a route sensors are supplied. The route sensor also delivers an on-route signal to a steering control device which produces a speed setting signal, a steering signal on-off command, and a forward/reverse command for the right/left drive wheels to supply them to the motor speed control device. The process for changing the running direction of the vehicle is characterized in the method of driving the right and left wheels independently with each other forward and reverse according to the turning direction.