What is claimed is:
1. An individual membrane keyboard apparatus for use in controlling electrical apparatus wherein individual membrane structures provide tactile sensitivity to the user to determine by touch an individual key of the keyboard to facilitate rapid operation of the keyboard, said individual membrane structure keyboard comprising:
a) a thin polycarbonate sheet with printed indicia thereon in predetermined locations wherein said individual indicia is in the form of numbers, letters and icons to designate an operation element of controlled electrical apparatus, wherein a means of controlling said electrical apparatus comprises an integral electrical switch matrix therein, including actuating switch members to control said electrical apparatus, which is positioned and in alignment with said individual indicia to provide operation elements of said controlled electrical apparatus, said matrix secured to said thin polycarbonate sheet:
b) a printed ink outline located to outline each printed indicia and enclose each printed indicia, said printed ink outline printed on said thin polycarbonate sheet:
c) individual soft tactile transparent urethane plastic dome membrane structures located within barriers of each printed ink outline, each said membrane structure over each individual indicia in predetermined locations on said thin polycarbonate sheet wherein said soft tactile transparent urethane dome membrane structures are manually compressable to activate an electrical switch of said integral electrical switch matrix:
d) a plastic substrate whereon said thin polycarbonate sheet with printed indicia is mounted thereon.
2. The soft tactile transparent urethane plastic dome membrane structures of the individual membrane keyboard apparatus of claim 1 wherein said each individual soft tactile urethane plastic dome membrane structure located within enclosure of each printed ink outline is applied by means of a plastic application process of flowable urethane plastic in a heated state.
3. The individual membrane keyboard apparatus of claim 1 wherein said printed indicia in predetermined locations is by conventional printing processes over said integral electrical switch matrix in said thin polycarbonate sheet.
4. The individual membrane keyboard apparatus of claim 1 wherein said printed ink outline located to outline each printed indicia and enclose each printed indicia is by conventional printing processes.
5. The individual membrane keyboard apparatus of claim 1 wherein thickness of said thin polycarbonate sheet is in the range of from about 0.01 to 0.03 inches thick.
6. The individual membrane keyboard apparatus of claim 1 wherein said thin polycarbonate sheet is transparent, clear, possesses a velvet-like texture surface, and is scratch-resistant.
7. The individual membrane keyboard apparatus of claim 1 wherein thickness of said thin polycarbonate sheet is greater than 0.03 inches thick.
8. The individual membrane keyboard apparatus of claim 1 wherein thickness of said plastic substrate is within the range of from 0.05 to 0.20 inches thick.
9. The individual membrane keyboard apparatus of claim 1 wherein said plastic substrate is selected from plastic materials including polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinylchloride, polystyrene, polyethylene, polyvinyl acetate, and polyethylene terephthalate glycol.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. A substrate laminating apparatus having an upper stage for holding an upper substrate and a lower stage for holding a lower substrate and for laminating together the upper substrate and the lower substrate in a condition that both of the substrates have been positioned relative to each other, the substrate laminating apparatus further comprising:
an image pickup device for photographing a position detecting mark on at least one substrate of the upper and lower substrates;
a moving device for changing a relative distance between the image pickup device and the at least one substrate;
a data acquiring device which acquires data about the relative distance between the at least one substrate and the image pickup device; and
a control device for controlling the moving device based on acquired data about the relative distance.
2. A substrate laminating apparatus having an upper stage for holding an upper substrate and a lower stage for holding a lower substrate, and laminating together the upper substrate and the lower substrate in a condition that both of the substrates have been positioned relative to each other, the substrate laminating apparatus further comprising:
an image pickup device for photographing a position detecting mark on at least one substrate of the upper and lower substrates;
a moving device for changing a relative distance between the image pickup device and the at least one substrate;
an image processing device for computing a degree of coincidence between a mark pattern acquired by the image pickup device and a set reference mark pattern; and
a control device for controlling the moving device based on the computed degree of coincidence.
3. The substrate laminating apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:
a setting section for setting an allowable value for the degree of coincidence; and
a comparing section for comparing the computed degree of coincidence with the set allowable value,
and wherein the control device controls the moving device under the condition that the computed degree of coincidence has deviated from the set allowable value and changes the relative distance between the substrate and the image pickup device by a predetermined set amount.
4. The substrate laminating apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:
a memory section for storing data expressing a relation between a relative distance between at least one of (i) an image pickup device and a substrate photographed by the image pickup device and (ii) a relative distance adjustment amount and a degree of coincidence corresponding thereto,
and wherein the control device sets a relative distance changing amount between the substrate and the image pickup device by the moving device based on data stored in the memory section.
5. The substrate laminating apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:
a memory section for storing data expressing a relation between a relative distance between at least one of (i) an image pickup device and a substrate photographed by the image pickup device and (ii) a relative distance adjustment amount and a degree of coincidence corresponding thereto,
and wherein the control device sets a relative distance changing amount between the substrate and the image pickup device by the moving device based on data stored in the memory section.
6. A substrate laminating method for laminating together an upper substrate held by an upper stage with a lower substrate held by a lower stage in a condition that both of the substrates have been positioned relative to each other, the substrate laminating method comprising the steps of:
photographing a position detecting mark of at least one substrate of the upper and lower substrates;
computing a degree of coincidence between a photographed mark pattern and a set reference mark pattern; and
changing a relative distance between the image pickup device and the at least one substrate based on a computed degree of coincidence.
7. The substrate laminating method according to claim 6, further comprising the steps of:
setting an allowable value about the degree of coincidence;
comparing the computed degree of coincidence with the set allowable value; and
when the computed degree of coincidence has deviated from the set allowable value, changing the relative distance between the image pickup device and the substrate only by a predetermined set amount; and
photographing the position detecting mark of the substrate again and computing the degree of coincidence between the last photographed mark pattern and the reference mark pattern.
8. A substrate laminating apparatus having an upper stage for holding an upper substrate and a lower stage for holding a lower substrate and for laminating together the upper substrate and the lower substrate in a condition that both of the substrates are positioned relative to each other, the substrate laminating apparatus further comprising:
an image pickup device for photographing a position detecting mark at least one substrate of the upper and lower substrates;
a moving device for changing a relative distance between the image pickup device and the at least one substrate;
a thickness measuring device for measuring a thickness of the at least one substrate; and
a control device for controlling the moving device based on a measurement result of the thickness measuring device.
9. The substrate laminating apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:
the thickness measuring device specifies the thickness of each of the upper and lower substrates; and
the control device controls the moving device based on a measurement result of the thickness measuring device so that a distance between both the substrates becomes a predetermined value and a distance between both the substrates and the image pickup device becomes a target relative distance.
10. A substrate laminating method for laminating together an upper substrate held by an upper stage and a lower substrate held by a lower stage in a condition that both of the substrates are positioned relative to each other, the substrate laminating method comprising the steps of:
measuring the thickness of a substrate to be held;
adjusting a relative distance between the image pickup device and at least one substrate based on the thickness of the measured substrate; and
photographing a position detecting mark of the at least one substrate.
11. A substrate laminating method for laminating together an upper substrate held by an upper stage and a lower substrate held by a lower stage in a condition that both of the substrates are positioned relative to each other, the substrate laminating method comprising the steps of:
measuring the thickness of the upper substrate and the lower substrate; and
adjusting a relative distance between the image pickup device and a substrate based on a measured substrate thicknesses so that a distance between both of the substrates becomes a predetermined value and a distance between the both substrates and the image pickup device becomes a target relative distance.
12. A substrate detecting apparatus for detecting a position of a substrate, comprising:
an image pickup device for photographing a position detecting mark of a substrate;
a moving device for changing a relative distance between the image pickup device and the substrate;
a data acquiring device which acquires data about a relative distance between the substrate and the image pickup device; and
a control device for controlling the moving device based on acquired data about the relative distance.