1. A mass spectrometer equipped with a MALDI ion source structured to receive a sample plate and a mass analyzer adapted to perform mass analysis by ionizing spots of a sample adhered at different locations on a surface of a sample plate by irradiating the spots of the sample with laser light in turn to ionize the spots of the sample and introducing obtained sample ions into the mass analyzer to obtain mass spectra of the spots of the sample, means for observing the spots of the sample adhered at different locations on the surface of the sample plate, a data processing portion having associated memory with a stored program for processing data derived from the mass spectra and calibrating said data according to spot position on and topography of the sample plate, and reading means,
wherein a code or mark indicating identification information about the sample plate is formed on the surface of the sample plate such that the code or mark can be read by reading means, and
wherein the identification information about the sample plate read by the reading means is combined with the data derived from the mass spectra and stored in memory.
2. A mass spectrometer equipped with a MALDI ion source as set forth in claim 1, wherein observation means for observing the spots of the sample adhering at the different locations on the surface of the sample plate acts as said reading means.
3. A TOF mass spectrometer equipped with a MALDI ion source as set forth in any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the data processing portion has a stored program such that the mass spectra obtained from the spots of the sample adhering at the different locations on the surface of the sample plate are calibrated in terms of mass by previously registering the identification information about the sample plate and information about topography of the surface of the sample plate while the identification information and the information about the topography are made to correspond to each other by reading the information about the topography of the surface of the sample plate from a storage device based on the identification information about the sample plate read by said reading means to find information about the heights of the locations at which the spots of the sample adhere, and calibrating the mass spectra in terms of mass based on the found information about the heights.
4. A TOF mass spectrometer equipped with a MALDI ion source as set forth in any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein codes or marks indicating information about the topography of the surface of the sample plate are formed on the surface of the sample plate such that the codes or marks can be read by said reading means, and wherein the data processing portion has a stored program such that information about the heights of the locations at which the spots of the sample adhere is found based on the information about the topography of the surface of the sample plate read by the reading means and mass spectra obtained from the spots of the sample adhering at the different locations of the surface of the sample plate are calibrated in terms of mass based on the found information about the heights.
5. A TOF mass spectrometer equipped with a MALDI ion source structured to receive a sample plate and a mass analyzer adapted to perform mass analysis by causing spots of a sample to adhere at different locations on a surface of a sample plate, irradiating the spots of the sample with laser light in turn to ionize the spots of the sample, introducing obtained sample ions into the mass analyzer to obtain mass spectra of the spots of the sample, and processing data derived from the mass spectra by means of a data-processing portion, said mass spectrometer further comprising:
codes or marks formed on the surface of the sample plate to indicate information about topography of the surface of the sample plate; and
reading means for reading the codes or marks,
wherein said data-processing portion has a stored program such that it calibrates the mass spectra obtained from the spots of the sample in terms of mass, based on the information about the topography of the surface of the sample plate read by the reading means.
6. A TOF mass spectrometer equipped with a MALDI ion source as set forth in claim 5, wherein said data-processing portion has a stored program such that it finds information about heights of said individual locations based on information about topography of the surface of the sample plate read by said reading means and performs mass calibration of the mass spectra based on corresponding sets of the found information about the heights.
7. A TOF mass spectrometer equipped with a MALDI ion source as set forth in any one of claims 5 and 6, wherein a code or mark indicating information for identification of the sample plate is formed on the surface of the sample plate such that the code or mark can be read by said reading means, and wherein the information about the identification of the sample plate read by the reading means is combined with the mass spectra and stored in memory.
8. A sample plate for use in a mass spectrometer equipped with a MALDI ion source, said sample plate comprising:
marks indicating positions at which spots of a sample are made to adhere; and
a code or mark indicating information for identification of the sample plate indicating information about the topography of the surface of the sample plate.
9. A sample plate for use in a mass spectrometer equipped with a MALDI ion source as set forth in claim 8, wherein said code indicating information for identification of the sample plate and said codes indicating information about the topography of the surface of the sample plate are made of a barcode or QR code.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A lock-up clutch mechanism for a torque converter, comprising:
a lock-up clutch including a substantially annular friction material having a friction surface; and
a front cover having an engagement surface, said friction surface and said engagement surface being axially opposed such that said friction surface frictionally engages with said engagement surface when said friction material is urged in an axial direction,
wherein said friction surface is curved convexly toward said engagement surface throughout substantially an entire circumference of the friction material, and
when said friction material is urged toward said engagement surface with a relatively small urging force during lock-up slip, an apex portion of the curved friction surface is contacted with said engagement surface with a sufficiently high surface pressure so that the surface pressure along a circumferential direction of the curved friction surface is substantially uniform.
2. A lock-up clutch mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said friction surface is curved such that a radially outer portion of said friction surface protrudes toward said engagement surface.
3. A lock-up clutch mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said friction surface is curved such that a substantially radially central portion of said friction surface protrudes toward said engagement surface.
4. A lock-up clutch mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said friction material has a varying thickness in a radial direction.
5. A lock-up clutch mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said friction material has a uniform thickness in a radial direction and is supported on a curved surface of the lock-up clutch.
6. A lock-up clutch mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the friction surface follows a continuous curved profile from an inner radial edge of the friction material to an outer radial edge of the friction material.
7. A method for manufacturing a lock-up clutch mechanism for a torque converter, comprising the steps of:
providing a lock-up clutch;
securing to the lock-up clutch a substantially annular friction material having a friction surface;
simultaneously with the securing, molding said friction material such that said friction surface is curved convexly throughout substantially an entire circumference of said friction material; and
providing a front cover having an engagement surface such that said friction surface and said engagement surface are axially opposed,
wherein said friction surface is curved convexly toward said engagement surface so as to frictionally engage with said engagement surface when said friction material is urged in an axial direction,
and when said friction material is urged toward said engagement surface with a relatively small urging force during lock-up slip, an apex portion of the curved friction surface is contacted with said engagement surface with a sufficiently high surface pressure so that the surface pressure along a circumferential direction of the curved friction surface is substantially uniform.
8. A method for manufacturing a lock-up clutch mechanism according to claim 7, wherein said friction surface of the molded friction material is curved such that a radially outer portion of said friction surface protrudes toward said engagement surface.
9. A method for manufacturing a lock-up clutch mechanism according to claim 7, wherein said friction surface of the molded friction material is curved such that a substantially radially central portion of said friction surface protrudes toward said engagement surface.
10. A method for manufacturing a lock-up clutch mechanism according to claim 7, wherein the friction surface of the molded friction material follows a continuous curved profile from an inner radial edge of the friction material to an outer radial edge of the friction material.
11. A method for manufacturing a lock-up clutch mechanism according to claim 7, wherein the molded friction material has a varying thickness in a radial direction.
12. A method for manufacturing a lock-up clutch mechanism according to claim 7, wherein the molded friction material has a uniform thickness in a radial direction and is secured on a curved surface of the lock-up clutch.
13. A method for manufacturing a lock-up clutch mechanism for a torque converter, comprising the steps of:
providing a lock-up clutch having a curved surface;
securing to the lock-up clutch at the curved surface a substantially annular friction material having a friction surface such that the friction surface is curved convexly throughout substantially an entire circumference of said friction material; and
providing a front cover having an engagement surface such that said friction surface and said engagement surface are axially opposed,
wherein said friction surface is curved convexly toward said engagement surface so as to frictionally engage with said engagement surface when said friction material is urged in an axial direction,
and when said friction material is urged toward said engagement surface with a relatively small urging force during lock-up slip, an apex portion of the curved friction surface is contacted with said engagement surface with a sufficiently high surface pressure so that the surface pressure along a circumferential direction of the curved friction surface is substantially uniform.
14. A method for manufacturing a lock-up clutch mechanism according to claim 13, wherein said friction surface is curved such that a radially outer portion of said friction surface protrudes toward said engagement surface.
15. A method for manufacturing a lock-up clutch mechanism according to claim 13, wherein said friction surface is curved such that a substantially radially central portion of said friction surface protrudes toward said engagement surface.
16. A method for manufacturing a lock-up clutch mechanism according to claim 13, wherein the friction surface follows a continuous curved profile from an inner radial edge of the friction material to an outer radial edge of the friction material.
17. A method for manufacturing a lock-up clutch mechanism according to claim 13, wherein said friction material has a varying thickness in a radial direction.
18. A method for manufacturing a lock-up clutch mechanism according to claim 13, wherein said friction material has a uniform thickness in a radial direction.