Abstract: A reflector for the lighting device and an illumination system of the projection apparatus are provided. The reflector comprises a first reflecting structure and a second reflecting structure disposed on the portion of the first reflecting structure. The reflecting surfaces of the first and second reflecting structures are formed with a distance therebetween. After the first portion of the light is reflected from the first reflecting surface and the second portion of the light is reflected from the second reflecting surface, the second portion of the light is adapted to remove the centrally dimmed area at the opening of the lighting device. Thus, the luminance performance can be improved.

Abstract: The invention relates to image focus. In particular, it relates to a focus assist system that conveys focus level data to a user. There are a wide variety of different display methods, including, but not limited to, graphs, highlights, symbols, and varied levels of brightness or color.

Abstract: A method for scanning a surface, consisting of focusing an array of optical beams using optics having an axis, so as to illuminate a region of the surface intercepted by the axis, such that each optical beam illuminates a portion of a respective sub-region within the region. The method further includes moving at least one of the array and the surface so as to cause a translation of the surface relative to the axis in a first direction. During the translation in the first direction, each of the optical beams is scanned over the respective sub-region in a second direction, which is different from the first direction.

Abstract: A method for measuring incident light employing a simple semiconductor structure provided with a single electron-capturing section corresponding to incident light, and a sensor having a spectroscopic mechanism employing the same are provided. A spectroscopic sensor includes a semiconductor substrate (1), a first diffusion layer (2) provided on the semiconductor substrate (1), a second diffusion layer (3)provided at a part of the first diffusion layer (2), and an electrode (7)film provided on the first diffusion layer (2) with an insulating film (4) provided therebetween, the electrode film (7) transmitting the incident light and being applied with a gate voltage. In the spectroscopic sensor, the gate voltage is varied, the depth (position) for capturing electrons generated in the first diffusion layer (2) by the incident light is varied so as to correspond to the gate voltage, and a current indicating the quantity of the electrons is measured.

Abstract: A rotation angle detector is provided with a spring to thrust a rotary body against protrusions formed on an inner wall of an opening via a detector body in a manner to keep the rotary body rotatable without any play in a linked motion with a steering shaft. As a result, the detector can detect rotation angles of the steering shaft with high accuracy.

Abstract: The semiconductor device includes a first photodiode, a second photodiode which is shielded from light, a first circuit group including a voltage follower circuit, a second circuit group, and a compensation circuit, in which an output from the first photodiode is inputted to the voltage follower circuit of the first circuit group, an output from the first circuit group is inputted to the compensation circuit, and an output from the second photodiode is inputted to the compensation circuit through the second circuit group. By adding or subtracting these inputs in the compensation circuit, an output fluctuation due to temperature of the first photodiode is removed. Note that a reference potential is supplied to the first photodiode so that an open circuit voltage is outputted, and a potential is supplied to the second photodiode so that a forward bias is applied to the second photodiode.

Abstract: A circuit for detecting light comprising: a) a light-integrating photosensor circuit responsive to light for producing a variable voltage signal representing the accumulation of the light over time; and b) a measurement circuit for receiving a time measurement signal and the variable voltage signal to produce an output value representing the time required for the variable voltage signal to reach a predetermined voltage level, wherein the output value is proportional to the light accumulated during the required time.

Abstract: A motion sensor incorporates an internal light source, typically a super bright LED. A multi-lens system or an arrangement of small windows in front of the LED projects a visible light pattern that mimics the detection pattern of the motion sensor to an observer standing in the detection zone and looking at the sensor.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes a document placing table having a transparent member, a document pressing member, an image reading unit, a scanning unit that is disposed on a side opposite to a document placing surface of the transparent member and reciprocates in a predetermined direction along the transparent member with the image reading unit mounted thereon, an open/closed state detecting unit that detects open and closed states of the document pressing member, a control unit that controls an image reading operation of the image reading unit and a reciprocation movement of the scanning unit, and a reference member that serves as a luminance reference of the image reading unit. When the open/closed state detecting unit detects the open state of the document pressing member, the control unit set a predetermined light intensity set value to a light intensity value of light irradiated from the light source at the time of image reading.

Abstract: An imaging device with readout chain circuitry that uses multiple analog-to-digital converters and amplifiers, which are similarly calibrated using a stitching technique, to readout each color of a column and mitigate the possibility of a boundary effect.

Abstract: A photocoupler having a first and second light-emitting diodes, a compensation circuit, which compensates input signals to the first light-emitting diode and generates input signals to the second light-emitting diode, and further makes the current waveform at the second light-emitting diode complementary to the current waveform at the first light-emitting diode, and at least one photodiode that detects the light emitted from the first and second light-emitting diodes.

Abstract: A system and method for reducing peak power of a laser pulse and reducing speckle contrast of a single pulse comprises a plurality of elements oriented to split and delay a pulse or pulses transmitted from a light emitting device. The design provides the ability to divide the pulse into multiple pulses by delaying the components relative to one another. Reduction of speckle contrast entails using the same or similar components to the power reduction design, reoriented to orient received energy wherein angles between the optical paths are altered such that the split or divided light energy components strike the target at different angles or different positions. An alternate embodiment for reducing speckle contrast is disclosed wherein a single pulse is passed in an angular orientation through a grating to create a delayed portion of the pulse relative to the leading edge of the pulse.

Abstract: A sensor and method for page-based optical data storage. The sensor includes a partially-reflective mirror, a reflective mirror disposed substantially collinear with and spaced apart from the partially-reflective mirror, and an active layer disposed substantially collinear with and between the partially-reflective mirror and the reflective mirror. The partially-reflective mirror has a first and second side and transmits a portion of light incident on the first side. The reflective mirror reflects light incident on the reflective mirror toward the partially-reflective mirror. The active layer absorbs at least a portion of the light oscillating at the resonant frequency.

Abstract: A multi-spectrum image capturing device includes a multi-spectrum illuminating device comprising LED's for emitting lights of different wavelengths from one another, a plurality of optical rods for relaying the lights emitted from the LED's, an optical diffusion element for diffusively reflecting the lights from the optical rods by a white diffusion surface and an aluminum-coated reflecting surface to be irradiated at an angle of about 60° with respect to an image-capturing optical axis, and an optical sheet for further diffusing the lights from the optical diffusion element, and also includes an image-capturing optical system and a CCD for forming an image based on lights reflected from an irradiated surface under illumination by the multi-spectrum illuminating device to capture the formed image. An image output captured by the CCD is analyzed to measure color components of the irradiated surface.

Abstract: A streak apparatus includes: a vacuum container 10 having an electron beam source 20 provided on one end side to emit an electron beam E and an output section 60 provided on the other end side to convert the electron beam into an image; an accelerating section 30 provided in the vacuum container to accelerate the electron beam; an irradiation optical system 40 for collecting and applying to-be-measured light R to the electron beam accelerated by the accelerating section; and a sweep section 50 provided between the accelerating section and the output section to sweep the electron beam having interacted with the to-be-measured light in a direction approximately perpendicular to the direction of a displacement of the electron beam generated through the interaction. This allows the streak apparatus to have a higher temporal resolution.

Abstract: An angle-measuring instrument including a cap defining an opening and a base body that is covered by the cap. A printed circuit board positioned on the base body and on which an electrical coupling element is fixed in place. A spacer that aids in positioning the cap in such a way relative to the printed circuit board so that the opening is aligned with respect to the electrical coupling element.

Abstract: The invention has a monitoring portion which detects change of ambient temperature and degradation with time, provided with a plurality of monitoring pixels and a monitoring line. Each of the plurality of monitoring pixels has a light emitting element for monitoring, a constant current source, a switch, and a detecting circuit, and one electrode of the light emitting element for monitoring is connected to the monitoring line through the switch. The detecting circuit controls on and off of the switch, and specifically in the case where both electrodes of the light emitting element for monitoring are short-circuited, the switch is turned off. The invention having the aforementioned configuration generates no potential change of the power supply line of the pixel portion when both electrodes of a light emitting element for monitoring are short-circuited.

Abstract: A cascaded imaging storage system for a pixel is disclosed for improving intrascene dynamic range. Charges accumulated in a first capacitor spill over into a second capacitor when a charge storage capacity of the first capacitor is exceeded. A third capacitor may also be provided such that charges accumulated by said second capacitor spill over into the third capacitor when the charge storage capacity of the second capacitor is exceeded.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed that facilitate increasing a coverage area for an emitter-receiver pair in a light curtain by generating multiple light beams from a single emitter and aggregating the light beams at a corresponding receiver. A plurality of light beams can be generated by reflection off of a MEMS mirror associated with the emitter, which can then be reflected from receiver-side mirrors along generally parallel paths, to corresponding emitter-side mirrors, which in turn reflect the light beams back to a MEMS mirror associated with the receiver. The receiver-side MEMS mirror can aggregate the reflected light beams for detection thereof by the receiver. According to a related aspect, transmissive LCD arrays can be employed at both the emitter and receiver to generate and recombine a plurality of light beams, respectively.

Abstract: A CMOS image sensor performing an analog correlated double sampling is disclosed. The CMOS image sensor may include an image capture device for capturing an image for analog image signal from an object an analog-to-digital converter for converting the analog image signal to a digital value using a ramp signal. In such an arrangement the analog-to-digital converter may includes a chopper-type comparator receiving the analog image signal and the ramp signal and a capacitor for receiving a start voltage of the ramp signal and charging a voltage level corresponding the start voltage of the ramp signal in a reset mode and for receiving a down-ramping signal of the ramp signal in a count mode in order to remove an device offset voltage. The analog-to-digital converter may also include a ramp signal generator providing the ramp signal to the analog-to-digital converter.