Abstract: A backlight unit includes: a light guide plate; a light source facing an entrance surface of the light guide plate; an optical sheet member located toward an exit surface of the light guide plate; and a frame surrounding the optical sheet member, the light source, and the light guide plate to retain the optical sheet member, the light source, and the light guide plate. The optical sheet member includes a protrusion protruding toward the light source and fixed to the light guide plate.

Abstract: It enhances heat collecting efficiency of sunlight received by heliostats. It is a solar light collecting method in a multi-tower beam-down light collecting system, including a tower selection. The multi-tower beam-down light collecting system is a system in which, in a field where a plurality of beam-down light collecting towers are present, light primarily reflected by heliostats 1 around each tower 4 is secondarily reflected by a reflector 3 at a top part of the tower 4 and is collected on a receiver 3 on the ground, and the tower selection is a process in which, assuming that the heliostat 1 in a given position receives sunlight and reflects the sunlight toward each of optionally selected two of the towers 4, 4, a light receiving quantity on the receiver 3 of each of the towers 4 is compared, and one of the towers 4 in which the light receiving quantity is relatively large is selected to reflect the sunlight toward the one of the towers 4.

Abstract: An external electrode forming apparatus is used to form external electrodes on the component chips. The external electrode forming apparatus comprises a component conveyer belt, a belt feeding mechanism, a component-inserting machine, a component-reversing machine, a paste-coating machine, and a component-discharging machine. For the component-inserting machine, the component-reversing machine, and the component-discharging machine, pressure pins are used to insert or move the component chips. These pressure pins have at the tip part a taper portion with a tip shape smaller than that of the component holding hole. Since the pressure pins of this type are used, the tip portions of these pressure pins may be prevented from impinging upon the opening edges of the component holding holes, and the pressure pins after the impingement may be hindered from forcibly being inserted into the component holding holes, whereby damage to the interiors of the component holding holes can be extremely diminished.

Abstract: An external electrode forming apparatus is used to form external electrodes on the component chips. The external electrode forming apparatus comprises a component conveyer belt, a belt feeding mechanism, a component-inserting machine, a component-reversing machine, a paste-coating machine, and a component-discharging machine. For the component-inserting machine, the component-reversing machine, and the component-discharging machine, pressure pins are used to insert or move the component chips. These pressure pins have at the tip part a taper portion with a tip shape smaller than that of the component holding hole. Since the pressure pins of this type are used, the tip portions of these pressure pins may be prevented from impinging upon the opening edges of the component holding holes, and the pressure pins after the impingement may be hindered from forcibly being inserted into the component holding holes, whereby damage to the interiors of the component holding holes can be extremely diminished.

Abstract: An external electrode forming apparatus is used to form external electrodes on the component chips. The external electrode forming apparatus comprises a component conveyer belt, a belt feeding mechanism, a component-inserting machine, a component-reversing machine, a paste-coating machine, and a component-discharging machine. For the component-inserting machine, the component-reversing machine, and the component-discharging machine, pressure pins are used to insert or move the component chips. These pressure pins have at the tip part a taper portion with a tip shape smaller than that of the component holding hole. Since the pressure pins of this type are used, the tip portions of these pressure pins may be prevented from impinging upon the opening edges of the component holding holes, and the pressure pins after the impingement may be hindered from forcibly being inserted into the component holding holes, whereby damage to the interiors of the component holding holes can be extremely diminished.

Abstract: An external electrode forming apparatus is used to form external electrodes on the component chips. The external electrode forming apparatus comprises a component conveyer belt, a belt feeding mechanism, a component-inserting machine, a component-reversing machine, a paste-coating machine, and a component-discharging machine. For the component-inserting machine, the component-reversing machine, and the component-discharging machine, pressure pins are used to insert or move the component chips. These pressure pins have at the tip part a taper portion with a tip shape smaller than that of the component holding hole. Since the pressure pins of this type are used, the tip portions of these pressure pins may be prevented from impinging upon the opening edges of the component holding holes, and the pressure pins after the impingement may be hindered from forcibly being inserted into the component holding holes, whereby damage to the interiors of the component holding holes can be extremely diminished.