Abstract: An autonomous metal-plate inspection apparatus, an inspection method, and a method for manufacturing a metal plate by using the inspection apparatus. The autonomous metal-plate inspection apparatus includes a carriage that travels on a surface of a metal plate, a navigational transmitter or a navigational receiver, an inspection device that includes flaw detection head including an inspection sensor, which scans an inspection region of the metal plate, and an inspection-result generation unit for generating an inspection result, and a control unit that performs, on the basis of a position of the carriage measured by the position measurement system and a target position, control the carriage to autonomously travel to the target position and control the flaw detection head to scan. The inspection-result generation unit generates the inspection result on the basis of inspection information obtained by the inspection sensor and position information of the flaw detection head.

Abstract: An apparatus holds a plurality of hollow cylindrical members and pushes off the hollow cylindrical members. The apparatus includes a holder shaft for holding the hollow cylindrical members in tandem thereon, a gripper member projecting outwardly from a side wall surface of the holder shaft and engaging an inner wall surface of a foremost one of the hollow cylindrical members, a cam disposed in the holder shaft for displacing the gripper member, a pusher cylinder for pressing an end face of a rearmost one of the hollow cylindrical members and moving all the hollow cylindrical members forward, to release the foremost one of the hollow cylindrical members from the holder shaft and position a next one of the hollow cylindrical members as a new foremost one of the hollow cylindrical members, and a turning cylinder for turning the holder shaft.

Abstract: An apparatus holds a plurality of hollow cylindrical members and pushes off the hollow cylindrical members. The apparatus includes a holder shaft for holding the hollow cylindrical members in tandem thereon, a gripper member projecting outwardly from a side wall surface of the holder shaft and engaging an inner wall surface of a foremost one of the hollow cylindrical members, a cam disposed in the holder shaft for displacing the gripper member, a pusher cylinder for pressing an end face of a rearmost one of the hollow cylindrical members and moving all the hollow cylindrical members forward, to release the foremost one of the hollow cylindrical members from the holder shaft and position a next one of the hollow cylindrical members as a new foremost one of the hollow cylindrical members, and a turning cylinder for turning the holder shaft.

Abstract: A seedling planting apparatus wherein a body of the seedling planting apparatus including one planting unit or a plurality of planting units for picking a seedling from each pot provided in a seedling tray to plant them in the field is connected to the rear portion of a traveling vehicle, wherein the body of the seedling planting apparatus is provided at its front portion with an operation platform and the planting unit is arranged such that an empty seedling tray wherein the planting operation has been finished, is withdrawn at the front portion of the body of the seedling planting apparatus. The thus constituted seedling planting apparatus can travel stably and straightly, and in the apparatus, an excessive force is not applied on the connection between the body and the traveling vehicle, and during the turning, little jolt is caused, and at the same time, an operator standing on the platform can effect all operations without getting down from the platform.

Abstract: A light beam recording apparatus modulates a light beam on the basis of image information and deflects the modulated light beam to scan a photosensitive recording material, thereby recording an image born by the image information on the recording material. The light beam recording apparatus is provided with a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the photosensitive recording material, and the quantity of light in the light beam is controlled on the basis of the output of the temperature sensor to compensate for change in the photosensitivity of the recording material with change in the temperature of the recording material.

Abstract: A modulated light beam is deflected by a light deflector to scan a recording medium in a main scanning direction while the recording medium is being fed through a feed path in an auxiliary scanning direction. The light beam is applied during intervals before and after the recording medium is scanned by the modulated light beam. The light beam deflected during the intervals is detected across the feed path by a light detector. A scanning period in which the recording medium is scanned by the modulated light beam is detected based on a change in an output signal from the light detector due to the presence of the recording medium in the feed path between the light detector and the light deflector. The speed of feed of the recording medium in the auxiliary scanning direction by counting pulses of a reference clock signal during the detected scanning period.

Abstract: A laser beam recording method and apparatus are constituted for recording a continuous tone image by scanning a laser beam emitted by a semiconductor laser on a photosensitive material by a beam scanning system, and controlling a drive current for the semiconductor laser based on a light emission level instructing signal corresponding to an image signal, thereby to modulate the intensity of the laser beam. The laser beam intensity is detected, and a feedback signal corresponding to the detected intensity is fed back to the light emission level instructing signal.

Abstract: A radiation image recording and reproducing system comprises recording apparatuses for recording image information on a stimulable phosphor sheet, read-out apparatuses for photoelectrically detecting the image information by scanning the stimulable phosphor sheet by stimulating rays, and a reproducing apparatus for scanning a recording sheet by light modulated with the image information thus read out to reproduce the image information on the recording sheet. The reproducing apparatus is provided with a plurality of trays, and the recording sheet with the image information reproduced thereon is distributed and fed into any one of the trays.

Abstract: In a light beam scanning recording apparatus, a light beam is modulated by a modulator according to image signals and is caused to scan a photosensitive recording material, and the recording material is developed.

Abstract: A light beam scanning system two-dimensionally scans a recording medium with a light beam to record image information on or read out recorded image information from a recording medium such as a stimulable phosphor sheet. The light beam scanning system includes a main scanning light deflector for deflecting a light beam in a main scnning direction, an auxiliary scanning light deflector angularly movable about an axis for deflecting the light beam in an auxiliary scanning direction normal to the main scanning direction, and an image-forming lens disposed between the main and auxiliary scanning light deflectors. The recording medium is supported by a recording medium support and scanned with the light beam deflected by the main and auxiliary scanning light deflectors. The recording medium support includes an arcuate support surface having a center of curvature substantially aligned with the axis of angular movement of the auxiliary scanning light deflector.

Abstract: A laser apparatus comprises a case, a laser tube positioned within the case, and a temperature control means for controlling the temperature of the atmosphere within the case. The temperature is controlled within the range of 35.degree. to 70.degree. C. The temperature control means is an air cooling means for generating air streams flowing from an air inlet formed in one side wall of the case to air outlets formed in the opposite side wall.

Abstract: A radiation image reader/recorder which mainly scans an optical beam (2, 22) emitted from the optical beam generation means of a laser light source (1, 21) via a light deflector (4, 25) with a frequency less than a main scanning frequency of 1 KHz, and which sub-scans at a sub-scanning density of more than 2.5 lines/mm, reading or recording a radiation image of continuous halftones. A cover (11, 29) is provided over at least at the optical passage between the means (1, 21) and the deflector (4, 25), thereby preventing the flow of air.

Abstract: A metal mount of a galvanometer is secured to a plate made of an electrically conductive material via a thin insulating layer in electrically insulated relation to the plate. The thin insulating layer has a thickness within the range of about 10 .mu.m to about 500 .mu.m. The metal mount and the thin insulating layer are cylindrical and are secured to a cylindrical through hole formed in the plate. Or, the metal mount has an L-shaped cross-section. One section of the L-shaped metal mount is secured to the plate by use of bolts, and the other section thereof is secured to the galvanometer by use of screws. In this case, an insulation sheet is positioned between the one section of the L-shaped metal mount and the plate.

Abstract: A sawtooth voltage waveform for driving a galvanometer mirror is applied until the voltage reaches a peak value exceeding a prescribed voltage value at which the galvanometer mirror is angularly displaced through a maximum angle at one stroke end of reciprocating angular movement thereof. The voltage is then changed from the peak value to the prescribed voltage value after the galvanometer mirror has been angularly displaced through the maximum angle. The voltage is kept at the prescribed voltage value for a time interval to attain a desired period of the reciprocating angular movement of the galvanometer mirror. The voltage may be increased along a ramp or reduced along a fall toward the peak value.

Abstract: A light beam scanning apparatus includes a sweeping unit for sweeping a light beam in response to a first signal. A photodetector has a plurality of optical gratings arranged in an array in a predetermined direction in which the light beam is swept. The photodetector generates a second signal in response to a movement of the light beam along the grating array. A control circuit generates the first signal in response to the second signal. The control circuit detects a scan speed of the light beam based on the second signal, and adjusts the first signal in response to the detected scan speed to control the scan speed of the light beam such that the detected scan speed substantially coincides with a predetermined speed.

Abstract: Apparatus for compensating for a quantity of light includes an acoustooptic modulator which modulates light incident thereon in response to a first signal to produce output light. A photoelectric converter is provided for detecting a level of the output light of the acoustooptic modulator to generate a second signal associated with the detected light level. The first signal is compensated for by a compensation circuit in response to the second signal. The compensation circuit has input-to-output characteristics corresponding to linear function which is given by approximating the characteristic of the acoustooptic modulator on the output light relative to the first signal. The compensator compensates for the first signal in accordance with the input-to-output characteristics.

Abstract: A recording laser beam is intensity-modulated and is caused to scan a photosensitive recording material in both the main and sub scanning directions. The position of the recording laser beam on the recording material in the main scanning direction is detected and position reference pulses are generated each time the laser beam moves along the recording material in the main scanning direction by a predetermined constant distance. The recording laser beam is intensity-modulated only for a predetermined constant time interval between each pair of adjacent position reference pulses and is made essentially null for the rest time interval between the adjacent position reference pulses so that a unit area of the recording material corresponding to one picture element is exposed to the recording laser beam for a predetermined constant time interval regardless of fluctuation in the scanning speed of the recording laser beam.

Abstract: In a system for reading out radiation image information recorded on a stimulable phosphor sheet which emits light upon stimulation by stimulating rays according to the recorded radiation image information, the phosphor sheet is two-dimensionally scanned by a laser beam and the light emitted therefrom is detected by a photodetector. The integrated output of the photodetector is read out for every unit of time period corresponding to a picture element of the radiation image. Position reference pulses are generated every time the relative position of the laser beam scans on the phosphor sheet by a standard amount in the main scanning direction. The integrated value of the output of the photodetector is read out every time the output is integrated for a fixed time period within each time interval between the position reference pulses.

Abstract: A half-tone picture recording device with which half-tone images are accurately recorded. With the number of pulses applied during each sampling period being fixed, a light beam such as laser source is subjected to binary modulation and scanned on a photosensitive material to record the image of a half-tone picture thereon. Input signal levels representing the picture to be recorded are converted into a number of pulses for each sampling period by representing numbers of pulses to be applied during any particular sampling period with these values determined in accordance with output density levels with input signal levels, necessary exposure with output density levels, and pulse numbers with necessary exposure.

Abstract: A laser recorder device in which many levels of half-tone densities are accurately produced with smooth transitions between areas of different densities. An input signal is sampled with a sampling pulse in response to which digital output values of a predetermined function of the input signal are produced. Pulses are applied to a semiconductor laser beam source with the number and frequency of the pulses during a preset application time being determined in accordance with the magnitude of the input signal.