Abstract: Information regarding an object, especially brightness information, is obned by scanning the object with an optical scanner, especially an infrared scanner to provide a respective analog signal. The analog signal is produced by passing the received radiation past a chopper disk onto a detector through a secondary optical assembly. The output signal of the detector is digitized and supplied to a fast Fourier transformation processor which also receives a counting signal derived from the oscillation of the chopper disk. The system may be used, for example, for obtaining deviation and/or presence signals regarding the orientation of an earth satellite relative to the center of the earth.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and to an apparatus for acoustic supervision of the adjustment of a light bundle with respect to position and/or direction. A measuring surface lying in the beam path of the light bundle is divided into sectors. Apexes of centering angles of the sectors define a rated position. Light components of the light bundle incident into the individual sectors are measured opto-electronically as a measure of the positional deviations. Oscillations are generated for the individual sectors. Respective parameters of the oscillations are modified dependent on the measured positional deviations, and the modified oscillations are made audible as measuring tones. For the directional adjustment of the light bundle, the light bundle is focused onto the measuring surface whereby apexes of the centering angles of the sectors define the point of penetration of the rated direction through the measuring surface.

Abstract: Disclosed is a light source device for an endoscope including a lamp to flash or to normally emit light according to current fed thereto, a shutter for photographing, and a diaphragm for photographing/observing. In the light source device, the amount of light emitted is variable. In response to a supplied check start command signal, except when the endoscope body is used, the light source device successively checks at least two of the following items; the operation of the shutter, the operation of the diaphragm, normal light emission of the lamp and the flashing of the lamp. Then, the light source device automatically checks, according to the amount of light detected by a photosensitive element, whether the above functions are operating normally or not, and displays the result of the check.

Abstract: A hand-held scanner, namely, a hand-operated optical reader, capable of selectively and partially reading a necessary portion of a document. The hand-held scanner is equipped with a speed control device capable of producing a load for controlling the moving speed of the hand-operated scanning unit for approximate uniform motion to enable a compact and inexpensive apparatus to reproduce an original picture easily and accurately.

Abstract: A projection aligner wherein light from a light source is passed through a mask so as to focus an image of a pattern of the mask on a wafer, characterized in that at least one sensor for monitoring a luminosity and a distribution thereof is disposed in an optical path between the light source and the mask, whereby a luminosity and a distribution thereof on the wafer can be controlled to proper values. The projection aligner is effective for application to minute processing technologies for the production of semiconductor devices, etc.

Abstract: An encoder having improved output abnormality detection. First and second input signals differing in phase from one another are compared by respective first and second comparators with a first reference level at an amplitude center of each of the first and second signals, and the outputs of the first and second comparators are applied to respective inputs of an EXCLUSIVE-OR gate. Third and fourth comparators compare a composite signal of the first and second signals with respective third and fourth reference levels located on opposite sides of the first reference level, and the output of the third and fourth comparators are applied to respective inputs of a first AND gate. A second AND gate, at the output of which the circuit output is provided, receives as inputs the output of the first AND gate and the output of the EXCLUSIVE-OR gate.

Abstract: A method of operating a radiation sensor is described. The sensor has a plurality of radiation sensitive devices such as photodiodes, transfer buffers associated with the radiation sensitive devices, and at least one isolation buffer identical with the transfer buffers but not associated with a radiation sensitive device. The method comprises (a) exposing the radiation sensor to radiation, whereby each radiation sensitive device stores a charge related to the total radiation incident thereon, and simultaneously sequentially reading out the contents of the transfer and isolation buffers at a regular rate; (b) transferring the charge stored in the radiation sensitive devices into the corresponding transfer buffers; and, (c) while exposing the sensor under substantially the same conditions as in step (a), sequentially reading out the contents of the transfer and isolation buffers at the same regular rate.

Abstract: A focus detection system includes an object lens for focusing an image of an object, a refocusing optical system for refocusing a plurality of component image having parallax from the image of the image, a view field mask arranged between the object lens and the refocusing optical system and having a laterally extending aperture, and a sensing device having a photo-sensor array for sensing the component images. Focus detection error is prevented by determining a sense area of the photo-sensor array in accordance with a distortion created in an aperture image by the refocusing optical system.

Abstract: A lighting device for apparatus detecting flaws in objects having a photoelectric sensor aligned with the object and a processor responsive to the sensor for determining the light received by the sensor. The lighting device includes a ring-shaped lamp and an opaque shield having predetermined light paths controlling the direction of the light from the lamp in a selected direction, so that the light irradiates the object to be inspected in a manner whereby the light is reflected from the object to the sensor only when the object is flawed.

Abstract: An optical projection system, e.g., an imaging infrared system, is compensated for errors caused by scan-to-scan jitter, framing jitter, vibrational effects, and scan nonlinearities. One or two closed control loops compensate for errors associated with mirrors (32, 52) of the optical projection system. In the scan control loop, a set of scan reference marks (75) in a reference plane (7) is superimposed onto a scan position detector (59) lying in a plane (10) containing a detector array (9), producing a scan error compensation signal (56). For wide scan fields of view (72), the scan position detector (59) comprises two pairs (94, 95) of triangular detectors, and means (86) for periodically switching therebetween.

Abstract: A photoconductive power switch capable of producing electrical pulses of at least 10 amperes and 100 volts at switching speeds of one nanosecond or less is disclosed. The photoconductive power switch comprises a wafer of high resistivity semiconductor material selected from Group III and Group V compounds, preferably indium phosphide. A pair of electrodes are mounted on the wafer and are spaced apart to form a gap. A diode laser is provided for illuminating the gap with light having a wavelength of from about 200 to about 850 nanometers at an intensity of at least 50 picojoules.

Abstract: A proximity sensor is disclosed having two bifurcate fiber optical bundles arranged in series. Light is directed at a target by the bundles and the reflected light from the target is transmitted to two different sensors. The output of the sensors is used to derive a differential control signal for tracking a target. One of the sensors picks up reflected light from the fibers which also transmit light to the target while the second sensor detects light from receiver fibers disposed around said transmitter fibers.

Abstract: In a focus adjusting device having a light projecting source for projecting distance measuring light onto an object, a light sensing element divided into a plurality of light sensing areas for sensing the light reflected by the object, and a control member for controlling a lens to be at an in-focus position based on a signal from the light sensing element, a boundary line between the divided light sensing areas of the light sensing element is formed with a number of straight lines or curves, so that the boundary is comb-tooth formed or saw-tooth formed in such a manner that a part of one divided area is positioned in the other divided area.

Abstract: A hand held bar code reader employs a laser diode as its laser source, for an efficient and compact construction. The diode is modulated, and an associated bar code reading detector is timed accordingly, so that (1) the effects of strong ambient light which may be present on the bar code surface can be subtracted out, by alternating reflected light readings of the detector between laser beam plus ambient and ambient alone, and subtracting the readings electronically, and (2) peak power can be increased to obtain more dependable readings while staying within permissible power levels for such devices, since average power is reduced by the modulation of the laser.

Abstract: A fiber optic load measuring system is disclosed comprising an optical pulse generator, an optical bus, a plurality of optical pulse routing switches, a plurality of optical attenuators disposed along the surface where the load is to be measured, a plurality of optical pulse routing switches, and a signal processor. The optical attenuators are each connected to a dedicated optical pulse routing switch and are adapted to vary the attenuation of the optical pulse in response to the applied load. The optical pulse routing switches are adapted to selectively direct the optical pulses to individual optical attenuators, such that each of the optical attenuators is separately and sequentially pulsed.

Abstract: An optical shaft encoder has a light detector configuration that includes the function of a phase plate. The light detectors are one-half the width of a code wheel transmissive section and are arranged in groups of four so that each group corresponds to one pitch of the code wheel. The light detectors are interdigitated such that they are adjacent to one another and receive information from two channels. One light beam illuminates the four light detectors producing four electrical signals. The physical layout of the light detectors causes the output signals to be phase shifted 90.degree. from each other. These signals are combined electronically in pairs forming quadrature push pull signals.

Abstract: A fiber optical measuring apparatus in accordance with the invention utilizes the thermal shift of the absorption edge in doped insulators such as colored glass filters. A radiant energy source is operable in a first, normal mode for temperature measurement, and is selectively operable in a second mode for calibration purposes. In the first mode, the source emits light at a wavelength extending into the absorption edge, and in the second mode emits light at a wavelength removed from the absorption edge and at which transmission of the light through the sensing element is not affected by temperature shift. A reference photodetector coupled to the radiant energy source to receive light directly therefrom provides a correcting signal to correct for variations in source intensity. Means are provided for compensation for variations in the temperature of the source.

Abstract: In a method for controlling magnification variation in which an original picture image is projected on a light receiving surface with a desired magnification, the projected picture image is moved in the sub-scanning direction which intersects the main scanning direction where the sensor is aligned, and the feeding speed (V) in the sub-scanning direction and the electric charge storage time are controlled.

Abstract: A preamplifier network or circuit for converting non-linear signal information, such as is produced by a mercury cadmium tellurium (MCT) detector, to a substantially linear voltage signal output corresponding to the incident light levels on the MCT detector. Conceptually speaking, the subject preamplifier functions as a constant-voltage variable-current source to the MCT detector, and incorporates positive feedback for being effective as a negative resistance to nullify the MCT detector resisance introduced signal component of the signal information being monitored.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an image pickup apparatus for a printed wiring board comprising a solid state image sensor whose light receiving surface is set to be opposed to the surface of the printed wiring board, a main illumination source arranged to satisfy the law of regular reflection on the surface of the printed wiring board with respect to the light receiving surface of the solid state image sensor and a subsidiary illumination source arranged not to satisfy the law of regular reflection with respect to the light receiving surface of the solid state image sensor thereby to supply the light receiving surface with scattering light by strias formed on copper patterns.