Abstract: An optical sensor for detecting at least one of proximity and gesture is disclosed. The optical sensor is configured to detect or sense an object that is located out of the sensor's primary axis. This off-axis detection is facilitated by projecting light emitted by a light source away from the sensor's primary axis and away from the direction in which the light was originally emitted by the light source. The light detector is also configured to detect the light that is being projected off-axis.

Abstract: An identifying method for detecting a specific region of a translucent medium provided includes steps as follows. A light sensing module is adjusted to allow an operation point of the light sensing module to be in an active region. Light is emitted to a driven translucent medium by a light-emitting module. The light been passed through the translucent medium is sensed by the light sensing module to generate a first light-intensity signal based on the light sensed at one time instant, and the voltages of the first light-intensity signal are regulated to derive a second light-intensity signal. A voltage level of the first light-intensity signal is compared with that of the second light-intensity signal to generate a comparison result. A determination of whether a specific region of the translucent medium is positioned between light sensing module and light-emitting module is made based on the comparison result.

Abstract: An arrangement for optical measurement of at least one process variable in a medium, comprising: at least one light source; at least one light receiver; an optical sensor element at least one data processing unit; and a light conductor. The light conductor connects the light source with the optical sensor element and the optical sensor element with the light receiver. The light conductor is embodied with at least three arms, wherein the first arm is arranged at the light source, the second arm is arranged at the light receiver and the third arm is arranged at the optical sensor element first arm and the second arm combine to form the third arm. The invention relates further to a measuring device comprising an above described arrangement.

Abstract: An image sensor comprising a semiconductor substrate with a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements and a charge-voltage conversion element. The plurality of photoelectric conversion elements further includes at least a first photoelectric conversion element and a second photoelectric conversion element. The charge-voltage conversion element is shared by the first and second photoelectric conversion elements. The image sensor further includes a first charge accumulation element adjacent to the first photoelectric conversion element and at least a portion of the first charge accumulation element overlaps a charge accumulation region of the first photoelectric conversion element. The image sensor also includes a second charge accumulation element adjacent to the second photoelectric conversion element and at least a portion of the second charge accumulation element overlaps a charge accumulation region of the second photoelectric conversion element.

Abstract: A method is for evaluating a coverage factor of a photon emission cone of a time of flight sensor. The method may include the steps of assigning a reference curve to the sensory providing a photon flux intensity as a function of time of flight; and acquiring a time of flight and a corresponding flux intensity with the sensor. The method may also include reading the intensity provided by the reference curve for the acquired time of flight, and providing an indication of the coverage factor based on the ratio between the acquired intensity and the read intensity.

Abstract: An optical transmission module includes a first member having a bottom portion, sidewalls and an opening, a second member joined to a sidewall end surface of the first member and sealing the opening, a light-emitting element mounted on an inner surface of the second member, an interconnection formed on the inner surface of the second member and extending inside and outside the first member across the sidewalls of the first member, and electrodes formed on outer surfaces of the sidewalls of the first member. The second member transmits therethrough light outputted from the light-emitting element. One end portion of the electrode is electrically connected to one end portion of the interconnection extending outside the first member. The other end of the electrode is soldered to an interconnection formed on a substrate surface on which the optical transmission module is mounted.

Abstract: An electron-bombarded detector for detecting low light signals includes a vacuum tube structure defining a cylindrical vacuum tube chamber, a photocathode disposed at a first end of the vacuum tube chamber, a sensor disposed at a second end of the vacuum tube chamber, ring electrodes disposed in the vacuum tube chamber for generating an electric field that accelerates emitted photoelectrons toward the sensor, and a magnetic field generator configured to generate a symmetric magnetic field that applies a focusing lens effect on the photoelectrons. The ring electrodes and magnetic field generator are operating using one of a reduced distance focusing approach and an acceleration/deceleration approach such that the photoelectrons have a landing energy below 2 keV. The use of reflective mode photocathodes is enabled using either multi-pole deflector coils, or ring electrodes formed by segmented circular electrode structures. Large angle deflections are achieved using magnetic or electrostatic deflectors.

Abstract: An image pickup module includes: a wiring board including a first main surface on which chip electrodes are disposed and a second main surface on which the cable electrodes connected respectively to the chip electrodes via respective through wirings are disposed; an image pickup device chip including external electrodes bonded respectively to the chip electrodes; and a cable including conductive wires bonded respectively to the cable electrodes, in which all of the cable electrodes are disposed in a region not facing a region where the chip electrodes are disposed.

Abstract: A detector apparatus that is embodied to receive light and to generate electrical signals has a housing and a detector arranged in the housing. The detector includes a light sensor that is embodied to receive light and to release electrons. The light sensor is at a lower electrical potential level than the housing; and that the detector is in thermally conductive contact with the housing via an electrically insulating intermediate arrangement, the thermal conduction direction inside the housing being opposite to the light propagation direction of the light to be detected.

Abstract: Even when some light emitting elements among the plurality of light emitting elements fail, a repeater, can be continuously operated. Means for solving the problems A light source unit 50 which includes a plurality of pumping light source modules 51 (51a to 51d) which include light emitting elements 52 (52a to 52d) for emitting an excitation light and monitor elements 53 (53a to 53d) for monitoring the excitation lights of the light emitting elements 52 (52a to 52d), respectively, a distribution unit 40 which combines the excitation lights from the plurality of pumping light source modules 51 (51a to 51d) and distributes it, and a control unit 60 which supplies a drive current flowing serially through the plurality of light emitting elements 52 (52a to 52d) in a plurality of excitation modules 51 (51a to 51d) are included.

Abstract: An optical receiver module includes: a circuit board; a plurality of photo detectors mounted on a first surface of the circuit board; a plurality of amplifiers mounted on the first surface; a plurality of anode wiring patterns that are respectively formed between anode terminals of the photo detectors and the amplifiers on the first surface; a plurality of cathode wiring patterns that are respectively formed between cathode terminals of the plurality of photo detectors and the plurality of amplifiers on the first surface; and an electrode formed on a second surface of the circuit board or in an inner layer of the circuit board so as to include a region in which the plurality of cathode wiring patterns are formed. The plurality of cathode wiring patterns are respectively electrically connected to the electrode.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for RF signal discrimination. A master laser of the apparatus is connected to an optical input of an optical phase modulator. The optical phase modulator is configured to receive a plurality of RF signals at an RF input and further configured to receive an output from the master laser at an optical input. A slave laser operating below a lasing threshold is configured to receive a modulated output from the optical phase modulator. An optical filter is configured to receive a mixed signal generated inside the slave laser. A photodetector receives the filtered mixed signal and is configured to recover a RF signal from the plurality of RF signals, where a frequency of a sideband of the recovered RF signal corresponds to a mode of the slave laser.

Abstract: A plurality of photodiodes arrayed in a one-dimensional form are divided into a plurality of groups. The structure of an antireflection coating is changed for each group so that all the surfaces of the photodiodes belonging to each group are covered with an antireflection coating having a transmittance characteristic which shows a maximum transmittance within a range of wavelengths of light to be received by those photodiodes. In particular, a SiO2 coating layer on the silicon substrate and an Al2O3 coating layer are common to all the photodiodes, while the structure of the upper layers are modified with respect to the wavelength. Within an ultraviolet wavelength region, the coating structure is more finely changed with respect to the wavelength. By such a design, the transmittance can be improved while making the best efforts to avoid a complex manufacturing process.

Abstract: A projection type display apparatus including an oblique projection optical system having a plurality of lenses is disclosed. A lens nearest to a projection screen has a vertical effective image area through which a light flux passes. The lens is arranged at a position not including an optical axis shared by the largest number of lenses among the plurality of lenses. A flat mirror for returning the optical path is arranged between the particular lens and the projection screen at a predetermined angle to the optical axis. An enlarged image obtained by the light flux returned by the flat mirror is formed toward a display screen.

Abstract: An optical touch system is provided. At least one light source is disposed at a side of a base plane. A first optical sensor and a second optical sensor detect a space in front of the base plane to generate a first signal and a second signal. When two groups of objects approach to or touch the base plane, a processing unit determines at least one first portion of the first signal corresponding to the two groups of the objects and at least one second portion of the second signal corresponding to the two groups of the objects, and converts the at least one first portion and the at least one second portion into a plurality of touch regions, and determines group transformations according to positions corresponding to at least part of touch regions. Additionally, a method of touch detection, and a computer program product are also provided.

Abstract: An optical position sensing system and method for sensing a gimbal position in a gimbal-based optical system. One example of an optical position sensing system includes an off-gimbal light source that generates a position sensing light beam and transmits the position sensing light beam along an optical coude path of the optical system, and an on-gimbal optical element that causes a change in an intensity of the position sensing light beam based on rotation of the gimbal about the axis. The system further includes an off-gimbal detector configured to receive the position sensing light beam returned from the optical element and to detect the change in the intensity of the position sensing light beam, and a controller coupled to the detector and configured to determine the gimbal position based on a correlation between the change in the intensity of the position sensing light beam and the gimbal position.

Abstract: A rod lens array includes a plurality of columnar rod lenses each having a refractive index distribution in which a refractive index continuously decreases from a central axis thereof to an outer periphery, and arranged in at least one row to align the central axes in parallel to each other. Each of the plurality of columnar rod lenses includes an emission-side end portion region, an incident-side end portion region, and an intermediate region between the emission-side end portion region and the incident-side end portion region, each having a central refractive index. The central refractive index of the incident-side end portion is equal to that of the emission-side end portion region in an optical axis direction, and the central refractive index at the intermediate region is higher than those of the emission-side and incident-side end portion regions.

Abstract: A solid-state image pickup device capable of suppressing the generation of dark current and/or leakage current is provided. The solid-state image pickup device has a first substrate provided with a photoelectric converter on its primary face, a first wiring structure having a first bonding portion which contains a conductive material, a second substrate provided with a part of a peripheral circuit on its primary face, and a second wiring structure having a second bonding portion which contains a conductive material. In addition, the first bonding portion and the second bonding portion are bonded so that the first substrate, the first wiring structure, the second wiring structure, and the second substrate are disposed in this order. Furthermore, the conductive material of the first bonding portion and the conductive material of the second bonding portion are surrounded with diffusion preventing films.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging device includes: a semiconductor substrate provided with an effective pixel region including a light receiving section that photoelectrically converts incident light; an interconnection layer that is provided at a plane side opposite to the light receiving plane of the semiconductor substrate; a first groove portion that is provided between adjacent light receiving sections and is formed at a predetermined depth from the light receiving plane side of the semiconductor substrate; and an insulating material that is embedded in at least a part of the first groove portion.

Abstract: Photovoltaic systems with managed output and methods for managing variability of output from photovoltaic systems are described. A system includes a plurality of photovoltaic modules configured to receive and convert solar energy. The system also includes a sensor configured to determine an orientation for each of the plurality of photovoltaic modules, the orientations based on a maximum output from the photovoltaic system. The system also includes an orientation system configured to alter the orientation of one or more of the plurality of photovoltaic modules to provide a reduced output from the photovoltaic system, the reduced output less than the maximum output.