Abstract: A semiconductor ring laser gyroscope includes: a semiconductor laser for emitting two lights from both end surfaces thereof; an optical fiber ring through which the two light propagate in the respective opposite directions, which, in association with the semiconductor laser, constitutes a laser resonator, and which includes a sensor coil made of an optical fiber wound in a multilayer manner; and an optical detection unit for detecting a rotational angular velocity based on beat frequencies of the two lights, wherein an expression: 2?Fbeat—max<Frlg?10?Fbeat—min is satisfied in which Frlg=C/nL, where ?Fbeat—max and ?Fbeat—min are beat frequencies corresponding respectively to the upper and lower limits of an angular velocity measuring range, Frlg is a ring resonance frequency, C is a light speed, n is a refractive index of the optical fiber, and L is an overall length of the optical fiber.

Abstract: A spread illuminating apparatus includes a plurality (m×n pieces) of lighting units (P11 to Pmn) which are disposed in a matrix with m rows and n columns, and each of which is an edge light type principally including a light conductor plate and at least one LED disposed at one side of the light conductor plate, and the entire luminous region of the spread illuminating apparatus is divided into segment areas constituted respectively by the lighting units (P11 to Pmn) which can be turned on and off in a controlled manner independently of one another.

Abstract: A spread illuminating apparatus includes a plurality of lighting units each of which includes a light conductor plate having a light outlet surface and a light inlet surface, and a light source disposed at the light inlet surface, and which are arranged two dimensionally with a predetermined distance provided between every two adjacent lighting units. The spread illuminating apparatus further includes a plurality of light transmissive members each of which is provided with means to reflect and diffuse light from the light source, and each of which is disposed at the light outlet surface side of the lighting unit. Leakage light from the light source is reflected and disused by the light transmissive member thereby reducing stray light, and at the same time the light transmissive member receives the leakage light and emits it from the outlet surface as effective light thereby enhancing the overall brightness in a uniform manner.

Abstract: A semiconductor ring laser gyro comprises: A semiconductor ring laser gyro comprises: a closed optical circuit, the closed optical circuit comprising a plurality of reflection members; a semiconductor laser element disposed in the closed optical circuit and emitting laser light from each end thereof, the semiconductor laser element having a luminous region with a width that is at least ten times as large as a wavelength of the laser light; and a pair of optical systems for forming a shape of the laser light emitted from each end of the semiconductor laser element.

Abstract: A semiconductor ring laser gyro comprises: a semiconductor laser for emitting light from each of both ends thereof; a splitting means for splitting and guiding the light emitted from the semiconductor laser into two axis directions; a plurality of reflecting means for reflecting the light split and guided by the splitting means into the two axis directions; two optical circuits, in each of which the plurality of reflecting means cause the light to travel in a plane and to enter an end of the semiconductor laser opposite to the end from which the light is emitted; and a blocking means for blocking light traveling in one of the two optical circuits.

Abstract: An optical displacement sensor structure includes a plurality of light receiving elements and a plurality of optical fibers together with one light source, wherein light emitted from the one light source is efficiently introduced into the plurality of optical fibers from the circumferences of the optical fibers, well kept inside the optical fibers while transmitting therethrough, and exits out from the end face of one end portion of each optical fiber so as to impinge on each light receiving element. This structure, with only one light source, provides a plurality of optical displacement sensors thus reducing power consumption without suffering a problem of light loss and successfully enables downsizing.

Abstract: A semiconductor ring laser gyro includes: a semiconductor laser for emitting light from each end of the gyro; at least one reflection prism comprising a plurality of reflection surfaces for forming an optical circuit, the at least one reflection prism adapted to receive and internally reflect the light emitted from the semiconductor laser; a transmissive mirror disposed at one of the plurality of reflection surfaces of the at least one reflection prism and adapted to transmit part of the light traveling clockwise and part of the light traveling counterclockwise through the optical circuit; and a beam multiplexing prism for multiplexing the light transmitted through the transmissive mirror.

Abstract: A spread illuminating apparatus includes a plurality of lighting units which are arranged two dimensionally, and each of which includes light sources and a light conductor plate which has a light inlet surface having the light sources disposed thereat, an opposite end surface opposite to the light inlet surface, and a major surface defined as a light outlet surface for the lighting unit, wherein an overhang is formed integrally with the light conductor plate so as to protrude from the opposite end surface, and wherein every two adjacent lighting units of the plurality of lighting units are jointed to each other such that the light outlet surface side face of the light source of the lighting unit is covered by the overhang, and wherein a light diffusing means is disposed at a side surface of the overhang positioned toward the light outlet surface.

Abstract: A spread illuminating apparatus includes a plurality of lighting units each of which includes a light conductor plate having a light outlet surface and a light inlet surface, and a light source disposed at the light inlet surface, and which are arranged two dimensionally with a predetermined distance provided between every two adjacent lighting units. The spread illuminating apparatus further includes a plurality of light transmissive members each of which is provided with means to reflect and diffuse light from the light source, and each of which is disposed at the light outlet surface side of the lighting unit. Leakage light from the light source is reflected and disused by the light transmissive member thereby reducing stray light, and at the same time the light transmissive member receives the leakage light and emits it from the outlet surface as effective light thereby enhancing the overall brightness in a uniform manner.

Abstract: A spread illuminating apparatus includes a plurality (m×n pieces) of lighting units (P11 to Pmn) which are disposed in a matrix with m rows and n columns, and each of which is an edge light type principally including a light conductor plate and at least one LED disposed at one side of the light conductor plate, and the entire luminous region of the spread illuminating apparatus is divided into segment areas constituted respectively by the lighting units (P11 to Pmn) which can be turned on and off in a controlled manner independently of one another.

Abstract: In an external force detecting device including a support section and an action section disposed inside the support section, three optical displacement sensors are provided at an equiangular distance of 120 degrees about the rotational symmetry axis of the support section and each include a light source disposed at either the support section or the action section, and a light receiving element disposed at one section of the support section and the action section, the one section not provided with the light source, and the action section is located between the light source and the light receiving element. The external force detecting device described above enables an easy mounting of constituent members and a high resolution measurement, even when the diameter of the device is reduced.

Abstract: A method of preventing or reducing fogging of a surface of a composite when subjected to humid conditions includes providing a composite with a surface. The composite includes a substrate and a photocatalytic surface layer. The photocatalytic surface layer includes a photocatalyst. The method further includes subjecting the photocatalyst to photoexcitation to render the surface of the composite hydrophilic, wherein, after the photoexcitation, the surface of the composite has a water wettability of less than 10° in terms of the contact angle with water. The method further includes subjecting the composite to humidity that is sufficient to induce fogging of the substrate if the photocatalytic surface layer were absent.

Abstract: In a six-axis force sensor, each optical displacement sensor comprises an optical module to emit a light and a reflecting member to reflect the light back to the optical module, such that the optical axis of the light from the optical module is aligned to the axial direction of the six-axis force sensor, rather than to the radial direction. Consequently, the six-axis force sensor can be downsized in the radial direction.

Abstract: A spread illuminating apparatus includes a light converging element which has a refractive index profile in a direction orthogonal to two major surfaces of a light conductive plate, and which is disposed between at least one light source and one end surface of the light conductive plate. The light converging element comprises: a plurality of transparent resin films which have respective refractive indexes so as to constitute a refractive index gradation mirror-imaged with respect to the center plane of the light converging element, and which are layered over one another; and a plurality of light-transmittable adhesive layers each of which is sandwiched between two adjacent transparent resin films.

Abstract: A data-type expressing unit expresses, when a data type of a parameter for an application is out of a range of data type supported by an interface definition language, a predetermined data type of the interface definition language corresponding to the data type of the application in the interface definition language, based on information on the data type of the application. A file generating unit generates an interface-definition-language file in which information required for generating a broker program is expressed in the interface definition language using the data type of the interface definition language expressed by the data-type expressing unit.

Abstract: An image processing system is provided that includes a first-motor control apparatus (40), having a communication interface (42) connected in series with a transmission line, for obtaining a detection position of a control subject and outputting a position-detection signal, an image processing apparatus (30), having a communication interface (32) connected in series with the transmission line and a memory (34) that stores the position-detection signal, for capturing an image of a workpiece (60) and generating an image-processing signal based on image processing, and a master apparatus (10) for implementing communication control of the image processing apparatus (30) and the first-motor control apparatus (40), and in which the image processing apparatus (10) starts the image processing, in accordance with an in-bound start command, stores in the memory (32) the position-detection signal, and outputs to the master apparatus (10) the position-detection signal along with the image-processing signal.

Abstract: A light source assembly includes: a plurality of point light sources; a beam composing composite prism including a plurality of light inlet surfaces, a plurality of dichroic planes, and a light outlet surface; and an optical integrator including a plurality of light reflecting planes forming a light guide path, a light inlet end corresponding to one end of the light guide path, and a light outlet end corresponding to the other end of the light guide path. In the light source assembly, the plurality of point sources are each disposed in contact with one light inlet surface of the beam combining composite prism, and the beam combining composite prism and the optical integrator are coupled to each other such that the light outlet surface of the beam combining composite prism and the light inlet end of the optical integrator are in contact with each other.

Abstract: An external force detecting device comprises a hollow-cylindrical support section, an action section disposed centrally inside the support section, and an optical displacement sensor which includes, at the action section on its center axis: a light source to emit a light beam in a direction along the center axis of the action section; a light branching member to branch the light beam into three light beams to progress respectively in three directions oriented at an equi-angular distance; and a light reflecting member to reflect the three light beams in a direction parallel to a plane perpendicular to the center axis, and which also includes, at the support section, three light receiving elements arranged in a rotation-symmetric manner at a 120 degree interval with their light receiving faces looking toward the center axis of the action section so as to receive respectively the three light beams reflected.

Abstract: There is provided an optical multiplexer which includes a plurality of light sources to emit light beams having respective different wavelengths, and a diffraction grating to reflect the light beams emitted from the light sources. The plurality of light sources are positioned and oriented with respect to one another and to the diffraction grating so that the light beams which are emitted from the light sources, fall on the diffraction grating, and are reflected thereat are mixed so as to proceed along one common optical path. This enables downsizing of a device and ensures a reliable multiplexing of light beams with a simple optical system.

Abstract: An optical displacement sensor structure includes a plurality of light receiving elements and a plurality of optical fibers together with one light source, wherein light emitted from the one light source is efficiently introduced into the plurality of optical fibers from the circumferences of the optical fibers, well kept inside the optical fibers while transmitting therethrough, and exits out from the end face of one end portion of each optical fiber so as to impinge on each light receiving element. This structure, with only one light source, provides a plurality of optical displacement sensors thus reducing power consumption without suffering a problem of light loss and successfully enables downsizing.