Abstract: A retrofocus wide-angle lens is formed of only three lens groups, in order from the object side, a first lens group of negative refractive power, a second lens group that includes a stop, and a third lens group of positive refractive power. The first lens group is at the object end of the retrofocus wide-angle lens and includes, in order from the object side, a plurality of negative lens components and a plurality of positive lens components. The first lens group includes three lens groups with particular lens features, the first of which, from the object side, also includes two lens groups with particular features. Various combinations of lens elements satisfy two conditions for ratios of absolute values of focal lengths for the various combinations of lens elements that assist in achieving excellent imaging.

Abstract: An endoscope pretest capsule has approximately the same shape and weight as a capsule-type endoscope and is brought into the body before applying the capsule-type endoscope, and it includes barium sulfate which is a radiopaque substance (or a microcapsule wrapping a radiopaque substance) in a capsule body formed by a material having main components such as chitosan, and has an enteric coat for dissolving after elapse of a predetermined time provided on the surface side thereof. It is possible, by having the pretest capsule swallowed by an examinee in advance, to grasp passage conditions of the capsule-type endoscope in the body and secure good discharge out of the body because it dissolves in the case of remaining in the body for the predetermined time or longer.

Abstract: The present invention provides a light pen having a rod-like body portion, a leading end portion removably mounted to the body, an emitter for emitting light and a switch for turning the emitter ON and OFF. The emitter and the switch are provided at the leading end portion.

Abstract: In multi-point distance measurement, the distance of a distance measurement object is three-way divided into a very short distance range, a short distance range and a moderate to long distance range, and if the distance of an object located at a very short distance is measured in any one of the endmost distance measurement areas of a plurality of distance measurement areas, and all the distances measured in other distance measurement areas belong to the moderate to long distance, the distance belonging to the very short distance range is not employed, and the shortest distance of distances belonging to the moderate to long distance range is employed as a measured distance. On the other hand, if any of the distances measured in other distance measurement areas belongs to the short distance range which is closer than the moderate to long distance range, the distance belonging to the very short distance range is employed, thereby reducing the frequency of erroneous distance measurement.

Abstract: A roll film, which is wound up on a feeder spool with emulsion surface facing inward on the roll, is turned inside out and is drawn from the feeder spool to a first guide roller. The photo film is turned inside out again while being fed through a second guide roller and is wound up on a take-up spool with the emulsion surface facing inward on the roll. On an inner wall of a film magazine facing the second guide roller, a press roller presses the photo film to prevent loosening of the photo film in a film feeding path from the periphery of the second guide roller to the take-up spool.

Abstract: An imaging optical system includes at least one ghost image prevention element. Ghost images are prevented even when the imaging optical system includes an optical element that has at least one planar surface that is generally orthogonal to an optical axis of the imaging optical system, and is located in a light flux area with at least a central portion of the light flux area being generally parallel to the optical axis. The ghost image prevention element is especially useful in video cameras and digital cameras that use an image sensor having a planar surface that exhibits a high coefficient of reflection. The ghost image prevention element includes one planar surface, that is “tightly bound” to the planar surface of the optical element, and another surface that is curved so as to satisfy a given condition. The curved surface diffuses light that would otherwise contribute to a ghost image.

Abstract: A projection-type image display device includes a light source, converging optics, a rod integrator having a first optical axis, a light deflecting structure, and a light beam separating structure. The light beam separating structure directs light to a digital micromirror device and modulated light from the digital micromirror device along a second optical axis of a projection lens that projects an image formed by the modulated light on a screen. The rod integrator is between the light beam separating structure and the projection lens in the direction of the second optical axis and is outside the optical path of the modulated light beam from the digital micromirror device. The rod integrator may include a solid rod member and a leaky ray shielding member at least at one of the entrance end, the exit end, and around the solid rod member. The converging optics may include a parabolic reflector and an aspheric lens.

Abstract: A three-group zoom lens includes, in order from the object side, a first lens group of negative refractive power, and second and third lens groups, each of positive refractive power. The first and second lens groups include negative and positive components and the third lens group is a single lens component. All but one lens component may be a single lens element. When zooming from the wide-angle end to the telephoto end, the first and second lens groups move closer together while the second lens group moves farther from the third lens group. The third lens group remains stationary during zooming but moves for focusing. The second lens group includes a diaphragm on its object side. Aspheric lens surfaces are disclosed. The zoom lens satisfies certain conditions for the focal lengths of the zoom lens and a component of the zoom lens, and for Abbe numbers of two lens elements.

Abstract: A nip roller is provided to interpose a leading portion of a photo film between the nip roller and a core. The nip roller performs a circular motion along the periphery of the core in synchronism with the rotation of the core. The circular motion is performed by first to third motors until the leading portion of the photo film makes one revolution around the core and is just about to be wound in a stack condition. A conveyance slip is hardly caused between the photo film and the core, and between the photo film and the nip roller.

Abstract: A valved plug to be fitted on a mouth piece at an inlet opening of an endoscopic biopsy channel. The plug as a whole is formed of a resilient material, and has, at the opposite ends of a foldable connecting strip or string, a generally tubular main body portion which is provided with a constricted portion in its axial passage, and a valved nesting piece which is adapted to be detachably coupled with the main body portion and provided with a normally closed slit valve axially in an aligned position relative to the constricted passage on the side of the main body portion. The main body portion is provided with an inward interlocking projection of a predetermined thickness at its outer end, for tight interlocking engagement with an interlocking groove which is provided on the side of the nesting piece in such a way as to grip the interlocking projection tightly in a compressed state.

Abstract: In a magazine, when a lid is opened for loading a recording material, a discrimination pin is unlocked and shifted from a first position to a second position. When a magazine is set to a printer processor, a positioning pin presses the discrimination pin to shift to the first position, at which the discrimination pin is locked. After removal of the magazine from the printer processor, the discrimination pin is in the first position. When the lid is opened to load fresh recording material in the magazine, the discrimination pin is in the second position. It is discriminated by detecting the position of the discrimination pin whether the magazine is a partially used one. When the partially used magazine is set to the printer processor, a forward edge of the recording material is not cut.

Abstract: A light source device for a medical endoscope system comprises a lamp unit including a xenon lamp and a heat sink, a lamp housing in which the lamp unit is removably set which is provided with first power electrodes and discharge electrodes of a discharge circuit. These first power electrodes and discharge electrodes are biased in a direction of removal of the lamp unit. The first power electrodes are brought into contact with the heat sink and thrust back by the heat sink when the lamp unit is set in the lamp housing. The discharge electrodes are thrust back away from the discharge circuit by the heat sink on the way of insertion of the lamp unit into the lamp housing and allowed to return to electric coupling to the discharge circuit on the way of removal insertion of the lamp unit from the lamp housing.

Abstract: An imaging device assembly for an electronic stereoscopic endoscope system comprises right and left solid state image pick-up modules set out side by side and right and left circuit boards with circuits formed thereon, respectively, that are connected to the right and left image pick-up modules, respectively. Each circuit board comprises a front section having a width approximately equal to a width of the solid state image pick-up module and a rear section broader than the front board section which is shaped to project laterally so as to overhang a rear section of the other circuit board and on which electronic parts incorporated in the circuit are mounted.

Abstract: For detecting three-dimensional shapes of an elongated flexible body, a sensor cable to be placed in a passage or channel which is formed axially and coextensively within the elongated flexible body. The sensor cable has two pairs of fiber Bragg grating strands within a tubular carrier casing. A signal light beam containing Bragg wavelength bands is projected from a light source to input same to refractive index change portions in the fiber Bragg grating strands. Reflection diffraction light signals from the refractive index change portions are received by a signal processor to measure the degree of strain at each one of the respective refractive index change portions by comparing wavelengths of the reflection diffraction light signals with reference wavelength.

Abstract: A stopper pin for defining the rotational limits of a knob of a focus demand is provided on a gear that can be turned by a motor. When a preset shooting function and the like move a focus lens to shift the rotational limits of the knob with respect to the movement ends of the focus lens, the stopper pin is moved so that the rotational limits of the knob with respect to the current position thereof can correspond to the movement ends of the focus lens.

Abstract: An objective lens and optical pickup device that uses it is disclosed having an optical diffraction surface on its surface nearest a light source which may be switched in wavelength for either CD or DVD recording/replaying. The optical diffraction surface causes a selected wavelength beam to converge or diverge more than the other wavelength beam. Superimposed in a peripheral region of the diffraction grating is a step change in height (higher or lower) which causes destructive interference for light in the peripheral region for only one of the beams. In this way, an objective lens is provided that, with a simple and compact structure, enables a light beam to be converged accurately into a spot on a selected recording medium, despite the need to have the converged beam have different wavelengths and numerical apertures, depending on the recording medium used.

Abstract: A presentation device for generating a virtual screen used for performing a pointing operation, has a photographing section of which an angle of view can be adjusted by operating a zoom function and a pan-and-tilt mechanism, a monitor for a presenter, displaying an image photographed by the photographing section, and a control section. A mark for generating the virtual screen is set on a photographing range of the photographing section or the monitor, a virtual screen area having a predetermined size is set within the angle of view of the photographing section based on the mark, and the control section generates XY coordinates of the virtual screen on the virtual screen area.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus comprises: a light source for irradiating light to a photographic photosensitive material; an image forming optical system for forming reflected or transmitted light emitted from a photosensitive film into an image; a film carrier having a shape correspomding to various types of photographic films to be loaded from the outside and supporting the photosensitive film; and an optical waveguide being replaceably attached to a predetermined reference attachment position and having a shape corresponding to the type of photographic film. Furthermore, there are provided a withdrawing mechanism for moving the optical waveguide from the reference attachment position in the case of an incorrect combination of the shape of the film carrier and the shape of the optical waveguide, and a detecting mechanism therefor.

Abstract: A phase shift fringe image analysis method comprises the steps of shifting an object to be observed and a reference relative to each other by using a phase shift device, obtaining fringe image data at three or more phase shift positions having a given phase gap therebetween, and determining a phase of the object by analyzing thus obtained plurality of fringe image data items. The positional data of at least three phase positions are specified, and the whole or part of the fringe image data on which carrier fringes at these phase positions are superposed is subjected to a predetermined arithmetic operation so as to carry out a phase analysis and determine the phase of the object.