Abstract: A receiver device is intended to detect a beam of electromagnetic entry signals of a known geometry, arriving at a variable entry angle of incidence. It comprises an optical lens, comprising at least one aspherical surface capable of correcting the geometry of an incident beam according to a correction formula chosen in accordance with the entry angle of incidence, for transforming it into an incident beam and applying it to a quadratic detector. This tends to suppress the divergences of the energy received by the detector cording to the angle of incidence, and makes it possible to render substantially constant the signal-to-noise ratio of the detection and the detected signal, irrespective of the entry angle of incidence of the incident entry beam.

Abstract: An optical device assembly includes a planar optical filter and a planar sensor having an optically active area. The optical filter and the sensor are joined together with a gap therebetween by a standoff structure extending between the optical filter and the sensor. The standoff structure is positioned at a location outside of the optically active area of the planar sensor. The standoff structure includes a standoff element, a first bonding element between the standoff and the filter, and a second bonding element between the standoff and the sensor. The two bonding elements each preferably comprise a cold-weldable indium bump. If the standoff structure, the filter, or the sensor is made of a material to which indium does not readily cold weld, a bonding pad of a material such as titanium/nickel can be inserted to facilitate the cold welding.

Abstract: There is disclosed an automobile steering angle sensor which includes a fixed disk, in which a steering shaft passes through its center, fixed to a column cover, which supports the steering shaft so it can rotate; a rotatable disk, which is mounted facing and at a specified distance from the fixed disk, is fixed to and rotates together with the steering shaft, and has a slot formed in the direction of its radius; a resistance body and common part, which are fixed in a spiral shape making three revolutions on the face of the fixed disk, the width of the resistance body increases at a fixed rate as it spirals along toward the outside; first, second, and third light sensors are mounted on the face of the fixed disk; a humidity moving member inserted in a slot of the rotatable disk, which electronically connects the common part and the resistance body; and slits, formed in the rotatable disk for the light emitted from the first, second, and third light sensors to pass through.

Abstract: An electronic system having optical elements in association with photosensitive elements is described. In some of the arrangements, the optical elements are formed integrally with a substrate containing the photosensitive elements. In other arrangements, an optical element is mounted to a package, or the like, containing the substrate and photosensitive elements. In other arrangements, two or more optical elements are employed, including conventional refractive elements, refractive focusing elements, and refractive beam splitting elements. Utility as solid state image sensors is discussed. Utility for monochromatic and color imaging is discussed. Various devices based on such camera arrangements and methods of making same are discussed.

Abstract: A method and device for positioning moving machine parts by using two sensors to detect the spacing of code markers on a code bearing part attached to the machine part and counting the number of code markers detected while accounting for uneven spacing between code markers which invariably occur when two code bearing parts are joined for use on a single machine part.

Abstract: During the collection operation for the imaging data of the optical image supplied to the light receiving unit in which the vertical light receiving sections are horizontally arranged, each vertical light receiving section having the light receiving devices arranged vertically therein, among the integration circuit, the buffer circuit, and horizontal reading-out section, which are arranged in each horizontal signal processing section, the integration circuit and the buffer circuit are rendered at non-operation state during the horizontal reading-out operation controlled by the timing control section, so that power is not consumed substantially during the horizontal reading-out operation. As a result, the image picking-up of the optical image supplied to the light receiving unit can be executed with a high S/N ratio and low power consumption, thereby providing a solid-state imaging apparatus which is capable of picking-up the image with a high S/N ratio and achieving a reduction in power consumption.

Abstract: A slotted rotor is fixed to a manual shaft operatable by using a shift lever. The slotted rotor is turnable in a restricted angle about the manual shaft. The rotor has a slot in arc segment a, slots in arc segment b, slots in arc segment c, slots in arc segment d, and slots in arc segment e that are arranged concentrically about the manual shaft, in that order starting from the manual shaft. As the rotor turns, the slots in arc segments d, e cause incremental pulses to be generated. Based on the number of pulses, a control unit detects deviation from the planned neutral position and establishes a correct neutral position. The position detecting apparatus and method make it easy for a worker to perform the neutral position alignment of a neutral start switch and to maintain the alignment after the switch has been mounted.

Abstract: A reel sensor for detecting the number of rotations or the rotation condition of a tape winding reel employed in a video cassette recorder, for example. The reel sensor includes a light conductive element formed of a light transmissible material and including a base portion mountable on a printed circuit board and a pair of light conductive portions respectively erected on the base portion. Further, two element storage pockets are formed separately in the base portion in such a manner that they respectively correspond to the two light conductive portions, and two reflecting surfaces are formed respectively in the end portions of the two light conductive portions for reflecting and entering the light passing through one of the two light conductive portions into the other light conductive portion. Furthermore, a light shield member for shielding the light between the two element storage pockets is disposed in the base portion.

Abstract: By giving an attention to the fact that the difference in the transmittance of solar radiation in the visible light region is small for each type of glass, even though the type of window glass is changed, the sensitivity ratio .alpha. of a sensor element 43a in a solar sensor 43 is set to be from 0.8 to 5 so that it has a spectral sensitivity closer to the visible light region in comparison with a conventional solar sensor. By this, the variation in the deviation of the sensor outputs depending on the types of the window glass is eliminated. Thus, a target sensor output corresponding to the amount of solar radiation can be attained without being influenced by the types of the glass, even when the transmittance for the wavelengths of sun light changes depending on the types of the glass.

Abstract: A high sensitivity, high frequency directional hydrophone is disclosed which utilizes flexible optical waveguide wrapped about an hemispherical mandrel located at the focus of a paraboloidal acoustic reflector.

Abstract: An opto-electronic scale reading apparatus includes a reflective scale (410) relative to which a readhead is movable. The readhead includes a light source in the form of the emission end of an optical fiber (300), which directs light via collimating lens (420), beam splitter (310), and deflecting optics (312,314) onto the scale. The light reflected from the scale passes through an index grating (416) to generate a series of spatial fringes in the plane of an analyzer (418). The analyzer comprises a series of elongate light transmitting color filters, extending substantially parallel to the fringes and arranged in a repeating pattern (e.g. red, blue, green, red, blue . . . ); like-colored elements are separated by a distance corresponding to an integer multiple of the fringe pitch. The array (418) encodes the fringes into a plurality of phase-shifted signals, which pass through the beam splitter (310), lens (420) and back along fiber (300).

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a hand-held scanning device which contacts an object to be scanned only at substantially colinear points, e.g., via a roller. This configuration allows the scanning device to scan very close to the edge of an object to be scanned while remaining fully supported by the object. In order to counteract detrimental effects caused by tilting of the scanning device during a scan, the scan region of the scanning device is located close to the roller, a relatively high f-number lens is used and a widened illumination area is employed. The scanning device is also configured to provide for easy grasping by a user and to allow the user to view the scan region during a scan.

Abstract: An array of reflectors is arranged to approximately match the arrangement of a two-dimensional array of LEDs such as used in a 2-D bar code scanner. Each reflector has at least one reflecting wall for reflecting light from a respective LED, thus increasing the amount of LED light illuminating the target.

Abstract: A failure detector for a position encoder which uses a plurality of position sensors. The failure detector receives position signals from the plurality of position sensors. The position signals represent the rotor position for a switched reluctance machine, and the position signals have allowable states and allowable output state sequences that occur if the position encoder is operating properly. If one or more of the plurality of sensors fail or the rotating element of the position encoder is damaged, an illegal state occurs in the position signals from the position sensors. The failure detector produces a failure signal upon the occurrence of an illegal state. In addition, the failure detector monitors the sequence of the output states and generates a failure when the output states change in a sequence that is not one of the allowed sequences. The machine controller can respond to the failure signal to stop machine operation or trigger an alternate positioning scheme.

Abstract: Proposed is an improvement in a frame-supported pellicle, which is a device for dust-proof protection of a photomask used in the photolithographic patterning works in the manufacture of fine electronic devices, consisting of a rigid pellicle frame, a highly transparent membrane of a plastic resin spread over and adhesively bonded to one end surface of the pellicle frame in a slack-free fashion and a layer of a pressure-sensitive adhesive formed on the other end surface of the pellicle frame to facilitate mounting of the frame-supported pellicle on the surface of a photomask and to secure the same at the correct position.

Abstract: 057238701Apparatus for detecting fluid level in a container, comprises a housing adapted to be disposed in the container; a float with an associated magnetic element, the float position corresponding to fluid level in the container; a magnetostrictive sensor disposed inside the housing; and a stick gauge disposed inside the housing; the magnetostrictive sensor and the stick gauge each being operable to determine the float position.

Abstract: An optical transmitting/receiving module including a light emitting element, a light receiving element, a transmitting optical communication line for transmitting an optical signal, a receiving optical communication line for receiving an optical signal, and a single aspherical lens for coupling the transmitting light emitted from the light emitting element to the transmitting optical communication line and for coupling the receiving light emergent from the receiving optical communication line to the light receiving element. The light emitting element is arranged so that the center line of a beam of the transmitting light emitted from the light emitting element is inclined with respect to the optical axis of the lens. With this arrangement, the optical transmitting/receiving module can be reduced in size.

Abstract: A flat panel display, image sensor memory device, or other type of large area electronic device, particularly but not exclusively with thin-film circuitry, includes an array of device elements (8) which are arranged in rows (N . . . ) and columns (M . . . ) with the device elements (8) in each pair of neighbouring columns (M, M+1) sharing a column conductor (11). The device elements (8) are coupled to their associated row conductor (21) via a first switching element (S1). In each pair (M, M+1) of neighbouring columns, the device elements (8) share a column conductor (11). Each device element of a row (n) in one column (M) of each pair is coupled via a respective second switching element (S2) to one reference conductor (1), while each device element (8) of the same row (N) in the other column (M+1) of the pair is coupled via a respective second switching element (S2) to another reference conductor (2).

Abstract: A device for diagnosing the condition of copy substrate sensors including a transparent test document supposing a plurality of stripes of predetermined optical density The stripes are arranged in descending optical density about a stripe of maximum density and a transporter conveys the test document into communication with the optical path of each sensor. Circuitry responds to the stripes of predetermined optical density to provide a timing pulse of response of each sensor to the test document. The timing pulse is a. digital step pulse identifying the range of optical sensitivity each sensor and the step pulse represents a given set of stripes that provide a detector signal exceeding a threshold value.

Abstract: There is disclosed an image reading apparatus having a sensor in which a plurality of photo-reception elements are arranged, a displacement mechanism for changing a relative position between the sensor and an original in an arranging direction of the photo-reception elements or a direction different from the arranging direction, a detecting unit for detecting an image interval on the original which was read by the sensor, and a control unit for controlling a relative displacement direction or displacement amount between the sensor and the original due to the displacement mechanism in accordance with the image interval detected by the detecting unit.