Abstract: A vehicular display unit includes: a main display disposed in a forward position of a driver and adapted to display vehicle information; an external display, other than the main display, disposed in the forward position of the driver, adapted to display vehicle information and having a screen functioning as an operation portion; and a display mover mechanism including a gear belt disposed on a circumferential track and configured to move the external display in a vehicle forward-rearward direction by a circumferential movement of the gear belt, and a gear mechanism configured to transmit a driving force of a driving source to the gear belt.

Abstract: A vehicular display unit includes: a main display disposed in a forward position of a driver and adapted to display vehicle information; an external display, other than the main display, disposed in the forward position of the driver, and switchable between a touch panel display mode for displaying vehicle information and capable of making a touch panel operation and an ordinary display mode for displaying the vehicle information and incapable of making the touch panel operation; a display mover mechanism configured to move the external display in a vehicular forward-rearward direction; and a controller for controlling the moving of the display mover mechanism based on a display movement request from the driver, vehicle speed information and a touch panel display request of the external display.

Abstract: A vehicular display unit includes: a main display disposed in a forward position of a driver and adapted to display vehicle information; an external display, other than the main display, disposed in the forward position of the driver, and switchable between a touch panel display mode for displaying vehicle information and capable of making a touch panel operation and an ordinary display mode for displaying the vehicle information and incapable of making the touch panel operation; a display mover mechanism configured to move the external display in a vehicular forward-rearward direction; and a controller for controlling the moving of the display mover mechanism based on a display movement request from the driver, vehicle speed information and a touch panel display request of the external display.

Abstract: An imaging device, which includes: an imaging section which photoelectrically converts an optical image of an object and generates an image signal; an outputting section which outputs the image signal generated by the imaging section to a transmission path; a driving section which drives the imaging section to generate the image signal; and a controlling section which drives the driving section to cause the imaging section to generate the image signal in a predetermined exposure time and reduces an image rate for the image signal generated by the imaging section so as to narrow a bandwidth necessary for transmission of the image signal.

Abstract: An image signal processing apparatus for performing signal processing with respect to output from an image pickup device, which includes an image signal correcting unit for receiving an output signal corresponding to each of divided areas of the image pickup device to perform correcting processing. The image signal processing unit includes a calculating unit for calculating a total sum of pixel values of a string of pixels on a boundary between the divided areas, and further calculating a difference between the total sums of pixel values corresponding to the respective divided areas, and a correcting unit for making a comparison between the difference calculated by the calculating unit with a predetermined threshold, and then determining a correction mode of a divided area image based on the result of the comparison, followed by performing pixel value correcting processing with respect to the divided area image according to the determined correction mode.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image pickup apparatus, including: an image pickup section of the plural channel output type configured to output signals individually corresponding to divisional regions of an image pickup device; a plurality of signal processing sections configured to individually receive the output signals of the plural channels of the image pickup device as inputs thereto to produce digital data corresponding to pixel values, and a digital signal processing section configured to receive the pixel value data produced by the signal processing sections as inputs thereto to execute an image correction process.

Abstract: An image signal processing circuit for executing signal processing for an output of an image pickup device, includes an image signal correction section; the image signal correction section including a calculation section, and a correction section.

Abstract: An imaging device, which includes: an imaging section which photoelectrically converts an optical image of an object and generates an image signal; an outputting section which outputs the image signal generated by the imaging section to a transmission path; a driving section which drives the imaging section to generate the image signal; and a controlling section which drives the driving section to cause the imaging section to generate the image signal in a predetermined exposure time and reduces an image rate for the image signal generated by the imaging section so as to narrow a bandwidth necessary for transmission of the image signal.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus which exposes a wafer with an illumination light via a reticle includes a vortex tube which generates a cool gas and a warm gas from a compressed gas injected from a compressed gas supply tube; a flow rate control valve and a Y-shaped joint which mix the cool gas and the warm gas generated from the vortex tube at a variable mixing ratio to output a temperature-controlled gas; and a gas supply duct which supplies the temperature-controlled gas to a heat source or a vicinity thereof. It is possible to perform the local temperature control or the local cooling by the simple mechanism without using any refrigerant or any cooling medium.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image pickup apparatus, including: an image pickup section of the plural channel output type configured to output signals individually corresponding to divisional regions of an image pickup device; a plurality of signal processing sections configured to individually receive the output signals of the plural channels of the image pickup device as inputs thereto to produce digital data corresponding to pixel values, and a digital signal processing section configured to receive the pixel value data produced by the signal processing sections as inputs thereto to execute an image correction process.

Abstract: An image signal processing circuit for executing signal processing for an output of an image pickup device, includes an image signal correction section; the image signal correction section including a calculation section, and a correction section.

Abstract: A stage apparatus which can highly accurately measure the position of a stage, while achieving a high throughput, and an exposure apparatus provided with the stage apparatus. A stage apparatus is provided with: air-conditioning apparatuses (28X, 28Y) that supply temperature controlled air (down flow), which comes from a +Z direction to a ?Z direction, to a light path of a laser beam radiated from a laser interferometer onto moving mirrors (26X, 26Y) provided on a wafer stage (WST); and an air conditioning apparatus (29) that supplies temperature controlled air (lower layer side flow), which comes from a ?Y direction to a +Y direction, to a space lower than the light path of the laser beam. Furthermore, an air conditioning apparatus (34), which supplied temperature controlled air to a light path of an autofocusing sensor composed of an irradiation optical system (33a) and a light receiving optical system (33b), is provided.

Abstract: An image signal processing apparatus for performing signal processing with respect to output from an image pickup device, which includes an image signal correcting unit for receiving an output signal corresponding to each of divided areas of the image pickup device to perform correcting processing. The image signal processing unit includes a calculating unit for calculating a total sum of pixel values of a string of pixels on a boundary between the divided areas, and further calculating a difference between the total sums of pixel values corresponding to the respective divided areas, and a correcting unit for making a comparison between the difference calculated by the calculating unit with a predetermined threshold, and then determining a correction mode of a divided area image based on the result of the comparison, followed by performing pixel value correcting processing with respect to the divided area image according to the determined correction mode.

Abstract: An image capture apparatus includes a charge coupled device (CCD), an analog front end circuit, and a control unit. The CCD individually output an image capture signal corresponding to each of divided areas of an image capture area through a horizontal CCD. The analog front end circuit includes an amplifier and a digital converting unit for converting into digital data. The control unit controls a drive level of a reset gate signal for resetting process of the horizontal CCD, and controls the drive level of the reset gate signal according to a gain setting value of the amplifier to lower the drive level of the reset gate signal when the gain setting value of the amplifier is relatively low, and to raise the drive level of the reset gate signal when the gain setting value of the amplifier is relatively high.

Abstract: When scanning exposure is performed by illuminating an illumination area on a mask with a pulse light from a pulse light source, synchronously moving the mask and a photosensitive object, and transferring a pattern of the mask onto the photosensitive object, a main controller performs dose control on a high sensitivity range where scanning velocity of the mask and the photosensitive object is set at a maximum so as to maintain an exposure pulse number at a minimum exposure pulse number. A pulse light source, which pulse energy is variable within a predetermined range, maintains the exposure pulse number at the minimum exposure pulse number within the variable range. The pulse light source comprises a housing in which an outgoing opening that emits a light is formed, a plurality of units housed in the housing, and a drive unit that moves the plurality of units, partially or in total inside the housing.

Abstract: In the exposure apparatus of the present invention, a sealed chamber defined by a first lens and a second lens in an input lens system on a plane of incidence of a fly-eye lens in an illumination optical system is provided. In a gas exchanging step, the impurity gas in the sealed chamber is first exhausted through an electromagnetic valve provided with a check valve and a gas exhaust pipe, using a gas exhaust pump and then, a high-purity nitrogen gas is supplied from a gas bomb through a gas supply pipe and an electromagnetic valve provided with a check valve to the sealed chamber. Using a pressure sensor provided in the sealed chamber, the gas exchanging step is repeated while maintaining an amount of change in pressure in the sealed chamber within a predetermined allowable range, to thereby reduce the concentration of impurities in the gas in the sealed chamber to a target value.

Abstract: In the present invention, a light source portion including a laser resonator of a laser unit is housed in an environment control chamber where the main body of the exposure apparatus including a projection optical system is also housed, and temperature control of the main body of the exposure apparatus and the light source portion is performed so as to maintain the temperature of the entire optical system within the chamber uniform. Thus, the footprint of the apparatus can be reduced compared with when the whole laser unit is arranged separately from the main body of the exposure apparatus. Shift of the center wavelength and change in the spectral half-width and the degree of energy concentration can be avoided, and variation of image forming characteristics including the chromatic aberration of the projection optical system due to the wavelength shift can be suppressed to a minimum.

Abstract: When scanning exposure is performed by illuminating an illumination area on a mask with a pulse light from a pulse light source, synchronously moving the mask and a photosensitive object, and transferring a pattern of the mask onto the photosensitive object, a main controller performs dose control on a high sensitivity range where scanning velocity of the mask and the photosensitive object is set at a maximum so as to maintain an exposure pulse number at a minimum exposure pulse number. A pulse light source, which pulse energy is variable within a predetermined range, maintains the exposure pulse number at the minimum exposure pulse number within the variable range. The pulse light source comprises a housing in which an outgoing opening that emits a light is formed, a plurality of units housed in the housing, and a drive unit that moves the plurality of units, partially or in total inside the housing.

Abstract: In a scanning exposure apparatus and method, a pattern formed on a mask is transferred onto a substrate by scanning the mask and the substrate synchronously with respect to pulsed light emitted from a pulsed laser light source. A number of pulses of a light beam that are to be emitted to each point on the substrate during scanning exposure is determined, and the light source is controlled according to the determined number of pulses, so that the maximum scanning speeds of the mask and the substrate and/or the maximum oscillation period of the pulsed light are maintained during the scanning exposure process. In another arrangement, during the process of exposing a shot area on the substrate, integral values of the amount of exposure energy are detected at a plurality of points in that shot area. Based on this detection result, the oscillation frequency of the pulsed light that is to be emitted to the next shot area is determined so that the next shot area is exposed at an appropriate exposure level.

Abstract: An exposure system of the invention comprises: a first unit incorporating a first apparatus for transferring an image of a pattern of a mask onto a substrate, a second unit incorporating a second apparatus having a function different from that of the first apparatus, and a connection unit for connecting the first unit and the second unit, and is characterized in that an internal pressure of the connecting section is set to be lower that an internal pressure of either of the first unit and the second unit, and is set to be higher than a pressure of the surroundings in which the connection unit is installed.