Abstract: The present invention provides a WDM optical system that includes a tunable filter for selecting one or more optical channels from a WDM optical signal. A portion of a WDM signal enters a first optical filter stage that exhibits a periodic transmission spectrum and possesses individually tunable filter elements. A second optical filter stage receives throughput from the first filter stage and has a periodic transmission spectrum and individually tunable filter elements. A controller electrically communicates with the optical filter to select individual optical channels from the portion of the wavelength division multiplexed optical signal received through the filter input port; each selected optical channel is output via a filter throughput port. In an exemplary embodiment, each tunable filter element is a micro-ring resonator and the micro-ring resonators in the first filter stage have a different free spectral range (FSR) than the micro-ring resonators of the second filter stage.

Abstract: Outer diameters of upper and lower flanges of a reel are formed equal to each other irrespective of a diameter of a hub, and a cylindrical wall having the same inner diameter as the hub of the reel having the small diameter hub is provided in the reel having the large diameter hub. Thereby, there is provided a low-capacity type recording tape cartridge, in which other parts can be used both as the reel having the small diameter hub and the reel having the large diameter hub only by changing the reels and a displaced angle of a recording tape does not vary with respect to a case sidewall of a leader member.

Abstract: A photographic system of plural photographic devices includes a master device, which is a device that is instructed to prepare for the photographing, is provided. The master device includes a request section that requests photographic condition information from another device; a receiving section that receives the photographic condition information; a first setting section that computes photographic condition information for use in the entire photographic system using the received photographic condition information and photographic condition information acquired by itself, and sets the computed photographic condition information as its own photographic condition information; a provision section which provides the computed photographic condition information to the other device; a first photograph execution section which executes the photographing based on the set photographic condition information; and an instruction section which instructs execution of the photographing to the other device.

Abstract: The present invention provides a photothermographic material having, on at least one side of a support, an image forming layer including at least a photosensitive silver halide, a non-photosensitive organic silver salt, a reducing agent, and a binder, and a non-photosensitive layer, wherein the non-photosensitive layer includes at least a polymer matting agent having a refractive index of from 1.51 to 1.56 and a glass transition temperature of 90° C. or higher. A photothermographic material which is excellent in film surface properties and photographic properties is provided.

Abstract: A flying vehicle-launching apparatus and method for launching a winged flying vehicle by accelerating the vehicle in a predetermined direction includes a flying vehicle-supporting platform, a guide device, and a driving device. The flying vehicle-supporting platform supports the winged flying vehicle so that it can lift off therefrom. The guide device supports the flying vehicle-supporting platform across two or more separated and parallel guide ways and guides the flying vehicle-supporting platform along the guide ways. In the flying vehicle-launching method, a propulsive engine of the winged flying vehicle is started after initiating acceleration with a flying vehicle-accelerating device. The winged flying vehicle is released from the flying vehicle-accelerating device in a predetermined angle of attack that is positive to a direction of acceleration after reaching a predetermined velocity.

Abstract: The invention provides a light receiving device having a single semiconductor substrate and a short-wavelength light receiving section. The single semiconductor substrate has regions of a first conductivity type and regions of a second (opposite) conductivity type alternately multiply laminated. Each of junction surfaces between the regions of the first conductivity type and the regions of the second conductivity type is formed to have a depth which enables converting light in a wavelength band, which is different from light in other wavelength bands converted by other junction surfaces, to electricity. The short-wavelength light receiving section is provided on or above the incident light surface of the semiconductor substrate and detects light having a wavelength shorter than the central wavelengths of all the respective wavelength bands converted by the junction surfaces. The invention further provides an image pickup device which uses an array of a plurality of the light receiving device.

Abstract: A smoke detecting device including: a light-emitting portion that emits light; a light-receiving portion that receives scattered light resulting from the light which the light-emitting portion emits being scattered by smoke generated from a recording medium on which flash-light is irradiated from a flash fusing device; and a judging section that acquires a light amount signal of the received light, from the light-receiving portion, and that judges, on the basis of the light amount signal, whether or not smoke has been generated from the recording medium on which flash-light is irradiated from the flash fusing device, the light that the light-emitting portion emits passing through a space between the flash fusing device and the recording medium, is provided.

Abstract: The present invention provides a phthalocyanine compound represented by the following formula (PC-1): Formula (PC-1) (wherein M represents a hydrogen atom or a metal atom, R1, R4, R5, R8, R9, R12, R13, and R16 each represents independently a hydrogen atom or a substituent, at least one of R1, R4, R5, R8, R9, R12, R13, and R16 is a group represented by formula (II), and R2, R3, R6, R7, R10, R11, R14, and R15 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a substituent); —SO2R17??Formula (II) (wherein R17 represents an alkyl group, aryl group or a heterocyclic group having a hydrophilic group). A novel phthalocyanine compound having high durability and useful as a functional dye is provided.

Abstract: A recording tape cartridge comprises a single reel at which a recording tape is wound around a hub, a case rotatably accommodating the reel, an opening for pulling-out of a leader member attached to an end portion of the recording tape, and a tape guide which the recording tape slidingly contacts is provided within the case. After the recording tape slidingly contacts the tape guide, the recording tape is taken-up at a drive device, and therefore, traveling of the recording tape is stable. In this way, occurrence of reading errors of servo signals and recording/playback errors of data signals at a drive device can be reduced, even with recording tapes whose recording densities are improved.

Abstract: A recording tape cartridge includes: a reel having a cylindrical hub with a bottom and a reel gear formed therein with recording tape wound therearound; a casing; a brake component; and a releasing component that is provided between the bottom of the hub and the brake component and which has plural legs inserted through plural through-holes formed on the reel gear where, when in use, the plural legs are pressed upwards by a drive gear of a drive device, whereby the releasing component lifts the brake component, releases engagement with the engaging portion and rotates with the reel. The legs are formed into approximate D shapes in plan view whose outer side surfaces facing an inner peripheral surface of the hub are flat surfaces, while the through-holes are formed into approximate D shapes in plan view through which the legs can each be inserted.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image sensor that includes a plurality of light-receiving elements and a charge output component. The plurality of light-receiving elements are disposed inside the image sensor in a matrix arrangement corresponding to respective pixels. The light-receiving elements each includes a light-receiving surface at a front face and accumulates charge in accordance with light amounts received at the light-receiving surface. The charge output component outputs the charges accumulated at the plurality of light-receiving elements to outside the image sensor. The image sensor is configured to enable incidence of light on rear faces of the plurality of light-receiving elements. The plurality of light-receiving elements are capable of accumulating charges in accordance with light amounts received at the rear faces.

Abstract: A developing unit which includes a conveying shaft; a developing conveying portion conveying a developer in an axial direction as the conveying shaft rotates; a discharge opening discharging the developer from the inner wall surface; an accumulating chamber accumulating the discharged developer; and an opening/closing member opening and closing the discharge opening due to its own weight as the rotating body rotates, and being in an open state at the developing position, an opening/closing fulcrum of the opening/closing member being at a lower end portion of the opening/closing member at the developing position, the developing unit being held at a rotating body, and successively being made to oppose a developing position of an image carrier due to rotation of the rotating body.

Abstract: Magnetic particles of the present invention comprising monocrystals of rare earth element-transition metal-metalloid having particle diameters of 5 nm to 50 nm. The magnetic particles are produced by a producing method comprising a step of fabricating a quenched thin band comprising rare earth element-transition metal-metalloid. A magnetic recording medium of the present invention includes the magnetic layer which contains therein the magnetic particles and the binder, and which is formed on the non-magnetic substrate.

Abstract: A recording tape cartridge has a door with a first guard portion provided on the upper end of the door in the height direction and having a first through-hole through which a support axis is inserted; and a second guard portion provided on the lower end of the door in the height direction and having a second through-hole through which a support axis is inserted. A torsion spring is provided between the first guard portion and the second guard portion.

Abstract: It is determined whether or not blocks of a main scanning direction-wise pixel line of an LCD and a sub-image data of an image information table are superposed. When they are determined to be superposed, a reading out address of the sub-image data is calculated, a sub-image block data is read out from the calculated reading out address, and the obtained sub-image block data is stored in a block buffer. After the superposition has been realized for all the sub-image data of the image information table, and then the sub-image block data have been stored in the block buffers, the plural sub-image block data stored in the block buffers are compounded.

Abstract: A photopolymerization-curable inkjet-recording ink composition, including an ethylenic unsaturated monomer, a colorant, and a photopolymerization initiator containing an organic dye and an organic boron compound. The ethylenic unsaturated monomer is preferably a compound which polymerizes to form a polymer having an oxygen permeability coefficient at 25° C. of 2.6×10?13 [m3(STP)·m/(s·m2·kPa)] or lower.

Abstract: A photothermographic material having a support, an image forming layer which is disposed on the support and contains at least a photosensitive silver halide, a non-photosensitive organic silver salt, a reducing agent, and a binder, at least one non-photosensitive layer which is disposed on the same side of the support as the image forming layer and farther from the support than the image forming layer, and a back layer which includes at least another non-photosensitive layer and is disposed on the opposite side of the support from the image forming layer, wherein the back layer contains a fluorocarbon polymer having a monomer component represented by the following (M2): (M2) a monomer containing a fluorine atom and having an unsaturated bond capable of radical polymerization. An image forming method is also provided.

Abstract: An image forming method comprising: imagewise exposing and thermal developing a photothermographic material using an image recording apparatus, wherein a part of the sheet is exposed and, in parallel with the exposure, development is started on a part of the sheet having been already exposed: wherein the photothermographic material comprises a reducing agent represented by formula (R), and wherein the photosensitive silver halide contains at least two preformed photosensitive silver halides having respective sensitivities different from each other for a light with the same exposure wavelength and a silver iodide content of the photosensitive silver halide is 40% by mole or more.

Abstract: The invention provides a photothermographic material having, on both sides of a support, an image forming layer including at least a photosensitive silver halide, a non-photosensitive organic silver salt, a reducing agent, and a binder, which is to be exposed with X-rays using a fluorescent intensifying screen, wherein (1) a coating amount of the photosensitive silver halide per one side is from 0.01 g/m2 to 0.45 g/m2 in terms of silver amount; and (2) a crossover (%) is 30% or more, or when parallel light having the same wavelength as a main emission peak wavelength of the fluorescent intensifying screen is incident perpendicular to the surface of the photothermographic material, the parallel light component of transmitted light comprises 5% or more of the incident light. A photothermographic material for medical use having high sensitivity and high image quality is provided.

Abstract: The invention provides a photothermographic material containing an image forming layer having at least a photosensitive silver halide, a non-photosensitive organic silver salt, a reducing agent, and a binder on at least one side of a support, an outermost layer on the same side of the support as the image forming layer, and a non-photosensitive intermediate layer between the outermost layer and the image forming layer, wherein 50% by weight or more of a binder of the non-photosensitive intermediate layer is formed by a hydrophobic polymer latex, the outermost layer has a mean thickness of from 0.1 ?m to 0.45 ?m, and the non-photosensitive intermediate layer has a variation coefficient of a thickness distribution of 50% or less based on a mean thickness of the non-photosensitive intermediate layer. A photothermographic material, which exhibits reduced image unevenness and excellent image storage stability, is provided.