Abstract: In a drive device for an optical system of which scanning is carried out by means of a motor controlled for drive and stop by availability and unavailability of the power supply, any collision of the optical system moving by its inertia with its surrounding devices is not permitted, and furthermore even in restarting after the power supply is stopped during action of image forming, any collision of the optical system with its surrounding devices is not permitted. When the optical system is located in an area outside from a timing switch and a return switch, the motor is controlled for reversal braking so as to quickly reverse the direction of moving, thereby causing the motor to be usually stopped when the optical system returns to the safety area.

Abstract: An optical sensor device for detecting reflecting objects (11) has a light pulse emitter (12) and a light receiver (13) connected to an evaluation circuit (14) having a pulse generator (17) and a reception signal processing stage (24) which only emits an object detection signal when the light pulses or light pulse sequences received by the light receiver (13) lie above a switching threshold. The evaluation circuit (14) has a pulse emission influencing and triggering stage (15) connected in parallel to the reception signal processing stage (24) which triggers the emission of the following light pulse by the pulse generator (17) only when a detected variable disturbing signal has disappeared.

Abstract: A solid state image sensor device has a semiconductor substrate, picture elements arranged on the semiconductor substrate in a matrix, and microlenses. Each microlens is arranged with a plurality of single-layer microlens parts on each picture element for condensing an incident light transferred from outside of the solid state image sensor device.

Abstract: A data storage system comprised of a plurality of disc drives which each comprise a plurality of data storage discs rotated by a polyphase motor. Each disc drive has a servo system for radially positioning transducer heads proximate the disc surfaces and generating an index signal for a selected orientation of the discs. A reference signal generator in each disc drive produces a reference signal at each of a succession of time intervals equal to the desired period of rotation of the discs and the disc drives are interconnected to enable each disc drive to sense a reference signal generated by any other disc drive. Each disc drive includes a microcomputer that is periodically interrupted and, during the interrupt, transmits the reference signal generated by the disc drive to the other disc drives in the absence of reception of a reference signal from another disc drive prior to the interrupt to provide a common reference signal for all of the disc drives.

Abstract: A length of exposed film has a timing track which extends along one of the longitudinal margins thereof. The timing track includes a begin segment having a first width, an end segment having a different second width and a grating between the segments. The grating consists of alternating light and dark segments having a uniform width different from the widths of the begin and end segments. The two longitudinal margins of the film are scanned by respective sensors as the film advances towards a film processing apparatus. Whenever a segment passes by a sensor, the width of the segment and its position in the timing track are recorded. Since the widths of the begin and end segments differ from the width of the grating segments, the position of the begin or end segment relative to the grating can be established. This information, combined with a knowledge of which sensor detected the timing track, makes it possible to determine the orientation of the film.

Abstract: An integrated optical displacement sensor for measuring displacement of a sample, comprises a semiconductor substrate, laser for generating a laser beam, two micro-lens for focusing the laser beam generated from the laser on a surface of the sample, and an optical detector for detecting a reflection light reflected on the surface of the sample and for obtaining an output signal which varies in accordance with displacement of the sample. The laser, lens and detector are integrated with the substrate.

Abstract: The position of an aircraft control surface actuator is determined by a combination of a linear transducer and light radar. A link has a first end attached to a magnet and a second end attached to the actuator. Movement of the actuator causes the magnet to move axially along the outer cylindrical surface of a hermetically sealed housing. The transducer includes a magnetic coupling between the magnet end and a ferromagnetic follower inside the sealed housing. Preferably, the magnet is a ring magnet, and the ferromagnetic follower is a tubular cylinder. The follower carries a corner cube reflector that receives light from, and reflects light back to, the end of an optical fiber. The transit time of the light is measured and is used to calculate the distance between the fiber end and the reflector to thereby determine the position of the actuator.

Abstract: A mark detecting apparatus comprises an illuminator means for illuminating a film with marks having density different from the density of its periphery, a plurality of photosensors arranged in the feeding direction of the film, which serve as light receivers for receiving the transmitting light of the film illuminated by the illuminator means to detect the presence of marks, setting device for establishing a reference value on the basis of the maximum value and quasimaximal value among each of the output signals of the photosensors, and discriminator for discriminating the presence of marks by comparing the reference value established by the setting device and the output of the light receivers. With the structure thus arranged, it is possible to establish the binalizing reference value of the photosensors accurately even when the fluctuation of the luminous energy of the light source occurs as well as to correctly establish the reference value reliably even when the base density of the film varies.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus for exposing mask patterns on a sensitive plate comprises a set (for X and Y direction) of a laser interferometer for measuring a position of a wafer stage and satisfying Abbe's condition with respect to a projection lens and a set (for X and Y direction) of the laser interferometer and satisfying Abbe's condition with respect to off-axis alignment system.When a fiducial mark on the wafer stage is positioned directly under the projection lens, a presetting is performed so that measuring values by the two sets of laser interferometers are equal to each other.

Abstract: A photoelectric sensor device has a two-dimensional arrangement of a multiplicity of unit structures each including a pixel. The sensor device includes a circuit for simultaneously designating a plurality of pixel blocks of any desired sizes at any desired positions on the two dimensional arrangement of unit structures, each pixel block being composed of pixels which are to be actually used. The sensor device also includes a monitor output circuit for outputting, for each of the pixel blocks, at least one monitor output as the representative of the amounts of charges accumulated in the pixels in each of the pixel blocks. The sensor device further includes a circuit which executes the control of accumulation of charges and the control of outputting of the image signals on each of the pixel blocks independently of other pixel blocks. Disclosed also is a focus detection system using the sensor device.

Abstract: A focus detecting apparatus in which a pair of bundles of rays, transmitted through different portions of an exit pupil of a taking lens, are transmitted through a common focus detecting zone on a predetermined focal plane of the taking lens and converged onto corresponding line sensors through a condenser lens and separator lenses to re-image the image formed on the predetermined focal plane of the taking lens into two separate images. A light deflector is provided between the taking lens and the separator lenses to deflect an optical path of the bundles of rays to make the bundles of rays incident upon the separator lenses and the corresponding line sensors.

Abstract: A fiber optic viewing device has in a first embodiment, a color-preserving image intensifier positioned at the viewing end thereof. In a second embodiment, an input light source is sequentially modulated through a cycle of wavelength sets. The resulting image is intensified and recolored by an output recoloring filter which is synchronized with the input light modulation. In yet another embodiment, a set of red, green and blue LEDs are sequentially modulated by a controller to provide input light. A CCD camera receives the resultant intensified image and converts it to video format. A video processor stores frames during a cycle of modulation and then integrates the frames for viewing in full color.

Abstract: A sleeve (2) of elastomeric material is operationally mounted on support rollers (5, 6) which can be operated to rotate the sleeve. At least one or more television camera (15) shoots the surface (2a) of the sleeve (2) which is illuminated with light at a low angle. The superficial appearance of the sleeve (2) is recorded in the form of images, each divided into a plurality of pixels (P) distributed in an orderly fashion. The values of luminosity of the individual pixels (P) are recorded and processed to highlight those pixels wherein due to superficial irregularities (C) on the sleeve (2), a variation is detected of the light reflected by the surface (2a) of the sleeve itself. On the basis of the position occupied by the highlighted pixels (P) it is possible to go back to the position of the superficial defects (C) along the extension of the sleeve (2).

Abstract: The invention provides a device which utilizes the tunnel effect occuring upon a condition of geometric total reflection, for measuring a narrow gap and surface unevenness of a specimen with high precision. An optical device 40 includes a semi-conductor laser 42, a photodiode 43, and a waveguide layer 44 is formed on a semi-conductor substrate 41 by epitaxial growth. A reflecting surface 44b of the waveguide layer 44 is parallel to the plane of the semi-conductor substrate. A laser beam emitted from the semi-conductor laser is reflected from the reflecting surface 44b under a condition of total reflection in geometrical optics. When the gap between the reflecting surface and the specimen is less than or equal to about the wavelength of the laser beam, part of the laser beam is transmitted into the specimen. The intensity of the transmitted light, which is calculated corresponding to the intensity of the reflected light, depends on the dimension of the gap.

Abstract: In a color filter or a monochromatic filter (4) to be used by bonding to imaging sensor (1), at least two resin layers (A) and (B) adjacent to each other on transparent substrate and having different refractive indices are furnished, and the boundary surface of these resin layers (A) and (B) is formed in such curved surface that incident light (7) is converged on each of the light receiving units (2) of imaging sensor. Therefore, light converging effect can be obtained even on a solid-state imaging device of bonding type, and the sensitivity can be increased.

Abstract: Device for automatically controlling the lighting level of premises (A) having available one or more openings (B) to the outside. This device acts on means (V, S, E) of masking the openings and on means of artificial lighting with dimmer (L) as a function of a set point value corresponding to a lighting level established by the user and recorded instantaneously. The masking and lighting means are furthermore controlled in a specified order so as to limit the consumption of energy. In certain implementations, this order is determined as a function of the deviation between a measured temperature and a threshold temperature.

Abstract: A method of positioning a light beam on a picture surface relative to a light sensor located on the picture surface includes the step of completely illuminating the sensor with the light beam while the sensor is exposed to ambient light and recording a first output signal. A second output signal is recorded when the sensor is exposed to only ambient light. The first and second output signals are provided to an evaluation circuit to calculate a positioning signal having a value equal to a selected percentage of the difference between the first and second output signals.

Abstract: The cylindrical container's inner surface tester extracts image information about the opening portion and the deformation of the inner surface of a test cylindrical container through an image recognizing technique, and checks the circularity of the opening portion of the container. According to the image information, it specifies the position of a test cylindrical container as a predetermined position. Since it sequentially checks a series of cylindrical containers, the adjacent point between the containers must be identified. Then, the cylindrical container's inner surface tester identifies the adjacent point of cylindrical containers through calculations and logical operations according to the image information.

Abstract: A light sensor device which uses semiconductors, can assure linearity even with low light intensity, and has a fast response time provides a voltage output proportional to a photoelectric current obtained from the output of an operational amplifier by accumulating the photoelectric current from a photodiode using the operational amplifier and an integration capacitance connected in parallel to the operational amplifier.

Abstract: An optical bar code reading instrument has a uniport interface circuit which accepts through a common terminal both charging current for the reader's internal rechargeable battery and incoming digital electric information signals. The uniport interface also allows digital electrical signals produced by the instrument to pass through the same terminal.