Abstract: According to an image sensor disclosed, a pixel circuit includes a photo-diode 14 for generating a photo-electric conversion voltage which corresponds to an input optical level, a transistor 11 which is activated in response to a Reset signal RST, to initialize the photo-diode 14 from a power supply VDD, a transistor 12 which, when connected between the power supply VDD and a bit line BL, amplifies a photo-electric conversion voltage and outputs it onto the bit line BL, and a transistor 13 which is activated by a word-line readout control signal WL, to interconnect the transistor 12 and the bit line BL, in which the transistor 11 is of a depletion type.

Abstract: In a scanning optical device having an APC (automatic power control) circuit for controlling an output power of a laser diode, a reference value is determined by sampling saw-tooth wave which varies time elapses. A triggering system is provided to output a trigger signal, and the saw-tooth wave is sampled and held in response to the trigger signal. Based on the sampled and held value, i.e., the reference value and a value corresponding to the output power of the laser diode, an APC operation is performed.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus for optoelectronically determining power for a moving machine element. The apparatus includes two parallel coding discs which are mounted on the machine element and each have grid lines or light windows distributed over their circumference. A light source is arranged on one side of the coding discs and has an associated light meter on the opposite side of the discs. The light source and the light meter are preferably of an annular design in order to transilluminate all the light windows to a largely uniform degree. A diffusion disc is arranged in the beam path between the light source and the coding discs and a light barrier is mounted outside the region of the light windows. At least one of the light windows on one of the coding discs is formed in the beam path of the light barrier and a translucent endless zone is formed on the other of the parallel coding discs.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to enable manufacturing at low cost and to suppress blooming in providing an image reading apparatus using a contact image sensor. A two-piece backing plate divided into two parts in a main scanning direction of a CIS (perpendicular to the direction of movement of an original) is disposed to be opposite to the CIS. The original is advanced between the two-piece backing plate and CIS.

Abstract: The invention provides an apparatus for measuring the physical properties of a sample by optically monitoring the response of the sample to illumination by ultrashort optical pulses. The apparatus is a common path optical interferometer of a Sagnac type that can measure physical properties at normal incidence, i.e., a single-arm Sagnac interferometer featuring two beam splitters. Measurement is performed in such a manner that a sample is excited by a beam of ultrashort optical pulses, and variations in intensity and phase of another optical beam are detected. This enables a wide range of measurement of physical properties such as thickness, sound velocity, and thermal properties of substances.

Abstract: The invention provides an apparatus for measuring the physical properties of a sample by optically monitoring the response of the sample to illumination by ultrashort optical pulses. The apparatus is a common path optical interferometer of a Sagnac type that can measure physical properties at normal incidence. The interferometer is a two-arm Sagnac interferometer featuring two beam splitters. Measurement is performed in such a manner that a sample is excited by a beam of ultrashort optical pulses, and variations in intensity and phase of another optical beam are detected. This enables a wide range of measurement of physical properties such as thickness, sound velocity, and thermal properties of substances.

Abstract: A glare protecting device for protecting a worker's eyes from a light comprising a solar cell for generating a solar voltage when the light is applied thereto; an optical detector for generating a light detecting signal by detecting the light; a non-optical detector for generating an electromagnetic wave detecting signal by detecting an electromagnetic wave; a controller transferring to an operating mode when the light detecting signal is changed, disabling a driving control signal when the driving control signal is enabled, generating a starting signal and enabling the driving control signal in case that the light and/or electromagnetic wave detecting signal is produced when the driving control signal is disabled, and then transferring to a stop mode; a driving means for generating a driving signal by inputting a starting voltage in response to the starting signal and a driving voltage in response to the driving signal; and a glare protecting plate which is driven in response to the driving signal.

Abstract: In order to obtain a simple, inexpensive and low-maintenance monitoring device for controlling the setting width of individual teeth of saw blades or belt-saw blades, in particular for controlling the setting result of a setting machine the present invention invisages that the monitoring device comprises at least one photo-detector whose light beam at least partly runs through one or both regions laterally next to the running-past saw blade or belt-saw blade, into said regions the set teeth project.

Abstract: A wavefront sensor is provided to determine characteristics of an incoming distorted energy beam, such as a tilt angle and/or a degree of focus. The sensor includes a multi-lens array, a screen, and a beam detector. The multi-lens array focuses the energy beam to a multiple focal points. The screen, positioned adjacent to the multi-lens array, has at least one aperture to allow a portion of the energy beam to pass, while blocking the remainder of the energy beam from arriving at the multi-lens array. Each aperture is aligned with a lens of the multi-lens array. The beam detector detects the resulted focal point(s) of the energy beam passing through the corresponding aperture(s) and determines the characteristics of the passing energy beam. The screen may include a central aperture to measure a local tilt angle of a segment of incoming wavefront entering a lens of the lens array.

Abstract: In a contact-type image sensor according to the present invention, a protrusion is formed in a transparent plate, a recess is formed in a sensor frame, and the transparent plate is engaged with the sensor frame so that the heights of surfaces of the transparent plate and the sensor frame on sides of conveying a manuscript are substantially the same. In conventional techniques, it was necessary to bend a manuscript conveying path because of different heights of a protrusion of the frame and the transparent plate. Further, even though the heights of the sensor frame and the transparent plate are the same, a contact portion therebetween forms an angle, whereby a contact surface is not brought into close contact alone an entire length of an image sensor, and gaps are partially formed in the contact surface.

Abstract: An apparatus for measuring the physical properties of a sample by optically monitoring the response of the sample to illumination by ultrashort optical pulses utilizes a common path optical interferometer of a Sagnac type that can measure physical properties at normal incidence. The interferometer is a two-arm Sagnac interferometer featuring three beam splitters. A sample is excited by a beam of ultrashort optical pulses, and variations in intensity and phase of another optical beam are detected. This enables a wide range of measurement of physical properties such as thickness, sound velocity, and thermal properties of substances.

Abstract: A light scanning optical device comprises a light source for entirely illuminating a subject, a converging optical system for converging light returning from a specific minute region of the subject, a light detector for detecting the light converged by the converging optical system, and a scanning mirror for scanning the minute region, the scanning mirror being produced by a semiconductor manufacturing process.

Abstract: A method and system for aligning optical fibers includes aperturing the optical beams from the optical fibers at two points along a path. Photodetectors are placed on the apertures and the positions of the tips of the optical fibers are controlled using actuators to center the optical beams within the apertures.

Abstract: A photodetector pixel cell is proposed by the invention. Herein, the presented pixel cell comprises a diode region and a circuit region, and is enclosed by isolation. Moreover, the doped region is existed inside both regions. The structure of the presented pixel cell comprises following characteristics: First, the first well is only located inside the circuit region, where the conductive type of the first well is opposite to the conductive type of the doped region. Second, the second well is located inside the diode region and is contiguous to the isolation, where the conductive type of the second well is equal to that of the doped region. Third, the doped region is not contiguous to the second well, they are separated by uncovered surface part of the substrate. Fourth, the doped region and the substrate provide the diode.

Abstract: A substrate beam 1b is formed so as to divide a membrane for enabling detection of an energy ray upon back illumination, there by suppressing distortion of the membrane and preventing defocus upon detection due to the distortion, or the like. The distance is set sufficiently short from each region of the membrane to a substrate frame or to the substrate beam, thereby decreasing substrate resistance and enabling high-speed reading operation.

Abstract: The basic idea is as follows: operational simulations of subtractive focal planes, based on the French patent No. 2 756 666, have shown that the optimal subtraction rate should not be total in order to preserve the dynamic range of the system. In this case, the low-frequency fluctuations of the temperature of the focal plane of the bias voltages will be amplified and will give rise to a fluctuation of the mean gray level of the signal at output of the multiplexer. This variation can be corrected simply by: the making of several columns of subtractive pixels without diffraction grating, for which the integrated signal is directly the residual level of the thermal current; the integration of a comparator circuit at input of the electronic card to subtract the signal generated in the reference pixels from the signals integrated into the active pixels.

Abstract: A digital pixel sensor is formed on a semiconductor substrate and comprises a phototransducer responsive to light for providing an analog output signal that is a function of an incident amount of light. A comparator is configured to compare the analog output signal and a ramp reference signal. A plurality of n DRAM cells are configured to store an at least n-bit digital signal in response to the output of the comparator. An array of digital pixel sensors is also disclosed.

Abstract: A method and device for detecting the position of a transparent conveyor belt including directing light beams (2) onto the region of an edge (3) of the conveyor belt, detecting a jump in intensity of the light beam (2, 2′) as a consequence of the partial insertion of the conveyor belt into the beam path (2) and evaluating the detected jump in intensity in order to determine the position of the conveyor belt, wherein the light beams (2) are linear polarized light and the beam path (2) is directed at an angle or irradiation (&agr;) between 40° and 80° of the light (2) onto the bounding surface (7) in such a way that a high degree of reflection is achieved and reflected light and non-reflected light is detected.

Abstract: An optical arrangement, in particular a microlithographic projection printing installation, has in particular a slot-shaped image field or rotationally non-symmetrical illumination. A refractive optical element, e.g. a lens (2), is heated by the rotationally non-symmetrical radiated impingement (3) of a light source. At least one electric heating element is coupled to the optical element. Said heating element comprises a resistance heating coating carried by the optical element. In the region of the surface (3) of the optical element acted upon by the radiation of the light source the resistance heating coating is substantially optically transparent. It comprises a plurality of parallel, electrically mutually insulated coating strips (5 to 10). A heating current source (17 to 19) is additionally part of the heating element.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for reading out radiation image information stored on an image medium (12). A scanning unit (10) has a laser (16) for scanning the image medium (12) with a readout light beam (22). The read/processing device (14) functions with two channels so that the luminescent light emitted by the image medium (12) during scanning and also the reflected read-out light are synchronously detected, evaluated and correlated. The digital luminescent light image values are corrected according to the digital reflection light values in order to better obtain the radiation image information.