Abstract: A technique that allows the shared use of a zoom lens barrel in a camera having plural zoom specifications with low cost, the camera having an optical zoom system with a variable focal length from the wide-angle end to telephoto end by moving the zoom lens barrel from the wide-angle end to telephoto end. The camera has a zoom lens barrel for changing the focal length of a photographic optical system, a zooming part for driving the zoom lens barrel, a pulse generator part for generating pulse signals according to the movement of the zoom lens barrel, a counter part for increasing or decreasing the pulse number of the pulse signals according to the moving direction of the zoom lens barrel, a position detection part for detecting that the zoom lens barrel is at plural certain positions, and a control part for controlling the zooming part to prevent the zoom lens barrel from moving beyond the zoom limit.

Abstract: Helical arrays comprising structurally different chiral non-racemic molecules or molecular entities that control the helical sense of the helical array provide a method for temperature measurement with a unique characteristic in that the temperature dependent chiral biases of the competing structurally different chiral non-racemic entities control the helical sense population since these biases differ in their temperature dependence. By varying the composition of the chiral non-racemic entities, the temperature at which the helical sense population is equal and how the helical sense population varies as a function of temperature can be controlled. In this way, competing structurally different non-racemic chiral groups can be varied in their composition so that a helical array can be formed under their effect and be sensitive to temperature over a wide temperature range.

Abstract: This invention provides a photographing apparatus with a shake detection function that can instantaneously execute shake detection operation while suppressing current consumption in non-use. More specifically, the photographing apparatus with the shake detection function according to this invention is characterized in that a standby shift determination unit changes, in accordance with the photographing mode state set by a photographing mode setting unit, a time used to determine whether to shift the photographing apparatus to a low-power consumption mode.

Abstract: This invention provides equipment for fabricating partitioning ribs of a plasma display device. The equipment comprises a head, a driver, an X position sensor and a Y position sensor, a laser displacement sensor for detecting the distance of the head from a glass plate or substrate, a motor and a motor driver for moving the head relative to the glass plate, and a CPU for controlling various circuits. The head has nozzle members for ejecting partitioning rib grains by an electrostatic ejection method or ink jet technology to form partitioning ribs. The driver controls the volume of the partitioning rib grains ejected from the head. The X and Y position sensors detect the position of the head relative to the glass plate within a plane.

Abstract: A snow removal device for use with an air handler or HVAC system includes an extractor plate and a heater for heating the extractor plate. The extractor plate has a plurality of holes and may be bent to define a series of connected “Vs”. The heater may be a heater core, which may be coupled with a snow sensor. Air deflectors may be provided to deflect incoming air towards the hottest part(s) of the extractor plate. The holes in the extractor plate should be sized such that it does not act as a filter. If the heater is a heater core, it may be coupled with the extractor plate using bent metal retainers.

Abstract: The present invention is a translucent screen comprising a plurality of spherical lenses arranged in an orthohexagonal lattice structure or a tetragonal lattice structure on a two-dimensional plane, a supporting member disposed at the incident side of the spherical lenses, a diffusion plate which is disposed at the emission side of the spherical lenses where the surface at the side facing the spherical lenses is the diffusion surface, and a shield which connects the spherical lenses, defines the entrance aperture at the incident side and functions as a black matrix at the emission side, wherein the luminous flux entering diagonally is converted to the luminous flux which center is a direction approximately vertical to the main surface of the translucent screen, and are emitted.

Abstract: Highly detailed image data from an input terminal is divided by an input image divider in accordance with projectors. The divided image data are subjected to compensation processing by an image compensator, using compensation data for the respective characteristics of the various types of output characteristics. The output characteristics are subjected to compensation processing using the compensation data for the various types of output characteristics stored in the compensation data memory unit. The image data for each projector subjected to compensation processing, after D/A conversion, are sent to respective projectors.

Abstract: Forming graft copolymers in water using labeling of water soluble polymers with photoinitiators. Water soluble polymers can form environmentally responsive hydrophobically stimulated cages. The cages, which contain initiating radicals after irradiation, may be “opened” or “closed” by changes in environmental conditions. When the cage is closed, the radicals are trapped inside and thus do not cause substantial polymerization of water soluble monomers in the same solution. When the cage is closed, the radicals escape and cause polymerization. In another variation, hydrogels and graft copolymers are formed by covalently linking phototoinitiator groups to water soluble polymers that do not form cages. Thus, monomers may form grafts to the polymer, allowing formation of physical hydrogels.

Abstract: In an apparatus comprising a zoom lens and an electric flash, a range finder that determines, on the basis of an output result obtained by means of one method out of an active AF and a passive AF, whether or not to operate the other method, is utilized.

Abstract: An electronic camera 1 is disclosed, which has a USB host detector 51 for checking whether a host computer other than itself is connected to a universal series bus. When it is detected that no host computer other than the camera 1 is connected, a host mode is set, in which a USB host controller 52 is operated to set the camera 1 as host. When it is detected that a host computer other than the camera 1 is connected, a terminal mode is set, in which the camera 1 is operated under control of the other host computer.

Abstract: There is disclosed a distance measurement apparatus of a camera which obtains subject distance information (phase difference of a subject luminance signal) of each distance measurement area by a photoelectric conversion element with a plurality of distance measurement areas including a peripheral region outside a region to be photographed arranged therein, divides the distance measurement areas having numeric values in a predetermined range and being adjacent to one another into groups from the obtained subject distance information, excludes the group extending into the region to be photographed, performs distance measurement operation processing of a major subject by a distance measurement result of the group existing only in the region to be photographed, selects a result indicating a closest distance from distance measurement results, and obtains a final distance measurement output.

Abstract: A camera system comprises a camera and a panoramic image synthesizing apparatus. The camera includes a photographing device for photographing an object, and a recording medium for storing divisional images of the object photographed by the photographing device and information relating to an angle of view of photographing. The panoramic image synthesizing apparatus performs a cylindrical conversion process based on the divisional images stored in the recording medium and the information relating to the angle of view, and synthesizing cylindrically converted images, thereby producing a panoramic image.

Abstract: A system allows a user to submit an ambiguous search query and to receive potentially disambiguated search results. In one implementation, a search engine's conventional alphanumeric index is translated into a second index that is ambiguated in the same manner as which the user's input is ambiguated. The user's ambiguous search query is compared to this ambiguated index, and the corresponding documents are provided to the user as search results.

Abstract: A correction camera that makes it possible to confirm the result of correction through a viewfinder without an increase in the size of a taking lens or an increase in costs. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a camera in which a taking lens 2 is attachable/detachable to/from a camera body 1 includes an optical correction member 14 that is moved in order to correct a tremble by photographer. The optical correction member 14 is located near a mounting/dismounting member of the camera body 1 in or from which the taking lens 2 is mounted or dismounted.

Abstract: A distance measuring sensor applied to the present distance measuring device has three pairs of line sensors and a control circuit arranged in the center thereof. In three pairs of line sensors, the central line sensors have a train of photodetector units and a train of processing units, to be divided into two, for processing output signals of the train of photodetector units. The upper line sensors and lower line sensors are arranged on the upper and lower sides of the train of photodetector units on the right and left of the center line sensors, opposed to the train of processing units. The upper and lower line sensors have the train of photodetector units corresponding to a length of two-divided line-sensor.

Abstract: A CMOS image sensor unit with serial data transmitting function is disclosed. A CMOS sensor unit as a two-dimensional sensor constituted by a plurality of CMOS elements arranged in a regular array in the row and column directions, a clock unit for obtaining a clock signal at a predetermined oscillation frequency, a PLL circuit unit receiving the clock signal from the clock unit and a parallel-to-serial converter unit for converting parallel data read out from the CMOS sensor to serial data in synchronism to the clock signal from the PLL circuit are mounted on a single image sensor unit.

Abstract: The present invention provides a multi-display device that has a plurality of projectors and constructs one image as a whole. Partial images projected on a screen from the projectors overlap to have the edges thereof superposed on edges of adjoining partial images in shared fields on the screen. A sheet interceptor intercepts part of light to be projected on a shared field so that the luminance level in the shared field will agree with the luminance levels in the other fields except the shared fields. An interceptor portion of the sheet interceptor, which intercepts light from the right-hand side of a range on the screen within which a partial image is projected, can be displaced horizontally relative to an interceptor portion thereof that intercepts light from the left-hand side thereof.

Abstract: The camera of this invention has a zoom optical system 21, 23 which forms an object image on silver-salt film 27; an image capture element 15 which captures an electronic image of the above object image; and an image capture optical system 2, 11, 13, 14 which forms the object image on the image capture element. The image capture optical system is provided separately from the zoom optical system, and has an angle of view which covers the broadest photography angle of view of the zoom optical system. The above camera also has memory which stores the image data of an image capture bounding frame; a signal processing circuit 45 which merges the electronic image captured by the image capture element and the image data of the photography bounding range stored in memory; and a monitor device 8 which displays the electronic image merged by the signal processing circuit.

Abstract: Provided is a distance measuring apparatus that can cope with the problem of wrong distance measuring attributable to the presence of miscellaneous subjects and minimize the possibility of defocused photographing. In this distance measuring apparatus, passive-type distance measuring is carried out in accordance with a subject image signal for the central portion of a view field. Signal light for distance measuring from an infrared-emitting diode is projected on a subject in the central portion of the view field, and active-type distance measuring is carried out by means of a sensor array in accordance with reflected signal light reflected by the subject. According to the output result of the passive-type central distance measuring, a CPU determines whether or not to effect distance measuring for the peripheral portion of the view field based on an image signal for the peripheral portion.

Abstract: The present invention is electronic apparatus using removable batteries as a drive source, the apparatus comprising a control section for detecting an internal resistance value of the batteries and using this value to determine how the batteries are consumed, a memory that stores a result of the determination made by the determination circuit, a display section for showing how the batteries are consumed, and a control circuit for controlling the display section. In particular, the control circuit determines display contents depending on information stored in the memory.