Abstract: A compound planetary gear mechanism includes at least two planetary gear mechanisms and a carrier. The at least two planetary gear mechanisms include a first planetary gear mechanism and a second planetary gear mechanism. The first planetary gear mechanism includes a plurality of first planetary gears. The second planetary gear mechanism includes a plurality of second planetary gears. The carrier is coupled to the plurality of first planetary gears and the plurality of second planetary gears. The carrier includes a first support shaft and a second support shaft. The first support shaft rotatably supports a first planetary gear among the plurality of first planetary gears. The second support shaft rotatably supports a second planetary gear among the plurality of second planetary gears and is independent of the first support shaft.

Abstract: A compound planetary gear mechanism includes at least two planetary gear mechanisms and a carrier. The at least two planetary gear mechanisms include a first planetary gear mechanism and a second planetary gear mechanism. The first planetary gear mechanism includes a plurality of first planetary gears. The second planetary gear mechanism includes a plurality of second planetary gears. The carrier is coupled to the plurality of first planetary gears and the plurality of second planetary gears. The carrier includes a first support shaft and a second support shaft. The first support shaft rotatably supports a first planetary gear among the plurality of first planetary gears. The second support shaft rotatably supports a second planetary gear among the plurality of second planetary gears and is independent of the first support shaft.

Abstract: A vacuum deposition device, wherein an evaporation source 2 and a deposited body 3 are disposed in a vacuum chamber 1 and a space between the evaporation source 2 and the deposited body 3 is surrounded by a tubular body 4 heated at a temperature for vaporizing the substances of the evaporation source so that the substances vaporized from the evaporation source 2 can reach the surface of the deposited body 3 through the inside of the tubular body 4 and then be deposited thereon, and a control member 8 for controllably guiding the movement of the vaporized substances to the deposited body 3 inside the tubular body 4 is installed in the tubular body 4, whereby the distribution of the vaporized substances adhered onto the deposited body can be controlled so that deposition with uniform film thickness can be performed on the deposited body and, as the case may be, the deposition can be performed with an intentionally set film thickness distribution.

Abstract: A vacuum deposition device, wherein an evaporation source 2 and a deposited body 3 are disposed in a vacuum chamber 1 and a space between the evaporation source 2 and the deposited body 3 is surrounded by a tubular body 4 heated at a temperature for vaporizing the substances of the evaporation source so that the substances vaporized from the evaporation source 2 can reach the surface of the deposited body 3 through the inside of the tubular body 4 and then be deposited thereon, and a control member 8 for controllably guiding the movement of the vaporized substances to the deposited body 3 inside the tubular body 4 is installed in the tubular body 4, whereby the distribution of the vaporized substances adhered onto the deposited body can be controlled so that deposition with uniform film thickness can be performed on the deposited body and, as the case may be, the deposition can be performed with an intentionally set film thickness distribution.

Abstract: A photovoltaic module comprises a photovoltaic panel having a top edge and a bottom edge. An exterior frame structure attached to edges of the photovoltaic panel defines an upwardly open groove extending along at least the top and bottom edges of the panel to direct rain water away from underside of the panel.

Abstract: A flexible photovoltaic device comprises a first, insulating and flexible resin layer; a first electrode formed on the first resin layer; a flexible resin type locking member formed having satisfactory adherence and formed along the inner periphery of the transparent electrode; a semiconductor layer formed to cover the first electrode and the locking member for photoelectric conversion; a second electrode formed on the semiconductor layer; and a second insulating and flexible resin layer formed on the second electrode.

Abstract: An optical printer includes a housing in which a photoreceptor including a transparent substrate, a transparent electrode layer and a photosensitive layer composed of a-Si which are formed on the substrate is housed. A main surface of photoreceptor is moved in a first direction parallel therewith. The charging of the photoreceptor, the forming of an electrostatic latent image and the toner-developing are performed at approximately the same time and a toner image formed on the photoreceptor is transcribed onto a paper by a transcribing roller. The paper which is inserted from a first opening formed on the housing is fed in the first direction with respect to the transcribing roller through a first feeding path. A contact line sensor is arranged above the photoreceptor at a position in the vicinity of the transcribing roller. An original which is inserted from a second opening formed on the housing is fed to the line sensor in a second direction opposite to the first direction through a second feeding path.

Abstract: A manufacturing method of a photovoltaic device, whereby a photovoltaic device of a large area in the laminated structure of a first resin layer with light- transmitting property, a photo-electric converting element consisting of a transparent electrode layer, a thin-film semiconductor layer and a back electrode layer, and a second resin layer in this order is mechanically cut into an optional size, which is followed by a step wherein the first and second resin layers of the cut photovoltaic device of a smaller area are thermally treated or at least one of the transparent electrode layer and back electrode layer at the section is etched and removed. Because of the above treatment for the cut photovoltaic device of a smaller area, an electric short circuit between the transparent electrode layer and back electrode layer at the section is prevented.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a photovoltaic device includes the steps of: preparing a plurality of photovoltaic elements each including an insulator film, a first electrode, an amorphous semiconductor film for photoelectric conversion and a second electrode stacked in this order on a supporting substrate; electrically connecting the photovoltaic elements with each other; attaching a common protection film onto the second electrodes of the photovoltaic elements; and removing the supporting substrate from the photovoltaic elements, wherein the protection film mechanically couples the plurality of photovoltaic elements with each other.

Abstract: A flexible photovoltaic device comprises a first transparent, insulating, and flexible resin layer; a transparent electrode formed on the first resin layer; a flexible resin type locking member formed having satisfactory adherence along the inner periphery of the transparent electrode; a semiconductor layer formed to cover the transparent electrode and the locking member for photoelectric conversion; a back electrode formed on the semiconductor layer; and a second insulating and flexible resin layer formed on the back electrode.

Abstract: A method for forming a film is carried out by a film forming apparatus in which two cylindrical discharge electrodes are arranged opposite to each other at an inner wall and at an outer wall of an annular reaction chamber. A plurality of cylindrical substrates on which film is to be formed are arranged along the circumference in the region surrounded by the discharge electrodes. The substrate revolves about its own axis and additionally the substrate rotates with a platform. An electric power of 200 W is applied to the discharge electrode of the inner wall by an electric power supply having a frequency of 231 KHz, for example. An electric power of 600 W is applied to the discharge electrode at the outer wall by an electric power supply having a frequency of 400 KHz, for example. A reaction gas mainly in the form of SiH.sub.4 gas is introduced into the reaction chamber and the pressure in the reaction chamber is held at about 0.5 to 2.0 Torr.

Abstract: A color sensor produced in accordance with the present invention comprises a colorless and transparent substrate; at least one color filter disposed on a main surface of the substrate; a colorless and transparent front electrode layer of transparent conductive oxides (TCO) formed on the opposite main surface of the substrate, corresponding to each of the filters; a semiconductor layer formed on the front electrode layer, wherein the interface between the front electrode layer and semiconductor layer is roughened to have a periodic unevenness thereby to decrease the reflectance of visible incident light at the interface; and a back electrode layer formed on the semiconductor layer.

Abstract: A photovoltaic device includes a substrate on which a plurality of transparent electrodes for each photoelectric conversion cell are arranged. On each transparent electrode, a coupling conductor and a plurality of collecting electrodes connected to the coupling conductor are formed. On the substrate, an insulator layer is further formed, which includes a first portion extending in parallel with the coupling conductor and second portions covering the collecting conductors. A semiconductor photo-active layer and a back electrode are formed in this order so as to cover the respective components previously formed. By irradiating a laser beam onto the respective first portions above the back electrodes, the irradiated part of the back electrode and the semiconductor photo-active layer thereunder are separated into the respective photoelectric conversion cells.

Abstract: A photovoltaic device copmrises a transparent insulating substrate, a transparent front electrode layer on the substrate, a semiconductor layer for photoelectric conversion on the front electrode layer, and a metallic back electrode layer on the semiconductor layer, wherein at least the back electrode layer has a plurality of holes for transmission of light.

Abstract: A photosensor comprises a frame for shielding of light having a front window and a back entrance, and a photoelectric conversion device including a transparent substrate on a front face thereof. The photoelectric conversion device is fitted in the frame through the back entrance to cause the substrate to face the window and is fixed by one or more stop portions formed by deformation of a surrounding end portion of the back entrance.

Abstract: A method for processing a transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layer in accordance with the present invention comprises the steps of: uniformly depositing the TCO layer on a substantially flat surface of a transparent substrate; and etching the exposed surface of the TCO layer thereof to roughen the exposed surface. The so-treated TCO layer is used as a transparent electrode in photovoltaic devices and has a decreased, substantially constant reflectance throughout the visible light range.

Abstract: A photovoltaic device comprises a glass substrate, and on a surface of the glass substrate, a plurality of transparent electrodes which define each photoelectric conversion cell are arranged at intervals. At one end of each transparent electrode in the direction of width thereof, a conductor and an insulator are formed so as to extend in parallel in the direction of length of the photoelectric conversion cell with a spacing maintained inbetween, for example, by means of screen printing. On the surface of the glass substrate, a semiconductor photo-active layer composed of amorphous silicon is formed so as to cover the transparent electrode and the conductor and the insulator stripes formed thereon. On the semiconductor photo-active layer, a back electrode composed of aluminum is formed. By irradiating a laser beam onto the insulator from the back electrode side, the irradiated part of the back electrode and the semiconductor photo-active layer thereunder are separated at each photoelectric conversion cell.

Abstract: A transparent glass substrate 1 having flat surfaces parallel to each other is prepared and a plurality of film-shaped photoelectric conversion elements are formed on one flat surface 1b thereof. After that, the glass substrate 1 is made to face a curved surface 3b of a transparent light receiving plate 3 having a larger mechanical strength than that of the glass substrate 1 with an adhesive sheet being interposed therebetween. Then, the glass substrate 1 and the light receiving plate 3 are kept under a reduced pressure so that the glass substrate 1 is curved along the curved surface 3b by atmospheric pressure and is made to adhere to the curved surface 3b of the light receiving plate 3 through the adhesive sheet.

Abstract: The present invention consists of a photovoltaic device and a method of manufacturing thereof, in which first electrode films (12a, 12b, l and 12c) are separately disposed on a plurality of regions (A, B, and C) of the insulated surface of a substrate (10) and semiconductor photoactive film layers (13) and second electrode films (14) are placed in an overlapping manner on the respective first electrode films. The portions of the semiconductor photoactive layers (13) located in the spacing regions (ab and bc) of the respective second electrode films (14) are removed by etching so that a first electrode film (12a) in one adjacent region is partially exposed.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a photovoltaic device having a plurality of a photoelectric converting regions formed on an insulating surface of a substrate electrically connected in series, comprises the steps of dividing a first large area electrode layer on an insulating surface of a substrate into a plurality of first electrode layer portions corresponding to a plurality of photoelectric converting regions, depositing in succession a film-like photoelectric semiconductor layer and a second electrode layer lying continuously on the divided first electrode layers, and removing portions of the photoelectric semiconductor layer and the second electrode layer formed continuously to divide them into a plurality of portions corresponding to the plurality of the photoelectric converting regions.