Abstract: Optical pickup device equipped with liquid crystal diffraction element is provided with liquid crystal diffraction element control portion, which includes detecting portions for detecting light quantities of 0 order light and 1st order light from signal of photo detector for receiving the 0 order light and 1st order light generated by liquid crystal diffraction element, processing portion for determining light quantity ratio of 0 order light to 1st order light from light quantities obtained by detecting portions and for deciding whether or not difference between light quantity ratio and prescribed light quantity ratio is within predetermined range and for determining correction value of voltage to be applied to transparent electrodes if difference is not within predetermined range, and voltage control portion for controlling the voltage value to be applied to transparent electrodes based on process result of processing portion.

Abstract: An optical head includes a blue color laser beam sources, a red color laser beam sources, a dichroic prism, a collimator lens, a beam splitter, an objective lens, a photo detector element, a detection lens, and a hologram element having a first hologram and a second hologram and the first hologram changes a phase of a +1st order diffraction light of a blue color laser beam so that its condensing point falls on a second photo detecting portion and the second hologram changes a phase of a ?1st order diffraction light of a red color laser beam so that its condensing point falls on a third photo detecting portion.

Abstract: A liquid crystal element includes a first transparent electrode (14) and a second transparent electrode (15), which have different concentric split areas (14a-14d) and (15a-15e), each of the split areas (14a-14d) of the first transparent electrode (14) faces two areas out of the split areas (15a-15e) of the second transparent electrode (15), and on the other hand, each of the split area (15a) and the split area (15e) out of the split areas (15a-15e) of the second transparent electrode (15) faces only one area, i.e., the split area (14a) and (14d) of the first transparent electrode (14), and each of the other split areas (15b-15d) faces two areas out of the split areas (14a-14d) of the first transparent electrode (14).

Abstract: An optical pickup device includes a liquid crystal element having transparent electrodes, one of which has a plurality of areas divided in a concentric manner. The liquid crystal element can compensate for a spherical aberration that is generated when information is reproduced or recorded on two types of optical recording media. When one of two light beams supporting the two types of optical recording media having a larger value of an effective diameter is a first light beam and the other having a smaller value is a second light beam, parts of areas located inside an effective diameter of the second light beam and areas located outside the same to which the same voltage is applied for compensating for a spherical aberration generated in the first light beam are connected electrically to be the same potential.

Abstract: The optical pickup device (1) includes a two-wavelength compound light source (2) that is capable of emitting two light beams having different wavelengths and a light source (3) emitting a single wavelength light beam. The laser beam emitted from the latter single wavelength light source (3) has an optical path length different from that of the laser beam emitted from the former two-wavelength compound light source (2). The optical pickup device (1) is equipped with a hologram element (8). One of the surfaces (8a) of the hologram element (8) has a lens effect for compensating the difference between the optical path lengths of the laser beams emitted from the single wavelength light source (3) and the two-wavelength compound light source (2). The other surface (8b) of the hologram element (8) has an optical control function for enabling generation of a servo signal.

Abstract: An optical pickup device includes a two-wavelength composite light source that can emit laser beams for a CD and for a DVD, a light source that can emit a laser beam for a BD, a hologram element and a photo detector. When spots formed on the photo detector by 0 order light generated by diffraction of the three laser beams in the hologram element are first, second and third spots in the descending order of the wavelength of the laser beams, an attachment angle of the two-wavelength composite light source is adjusted so that positions of the third spot and the second spot match substantially each other while a position of the first spot is shifted from the position of the second spot in the same direction as a diffraction direction of +1st diffracted light.

Abstract: An optical pickup includes a laser diode for BD, a laser diode for DVD and CD, a collimator lens, an objective lens for BD. A blue color laser beam emitted from the laser diode for BD passes through the collimator lens to become parallel rays, which enter the objective lens for BD. Other red color laser beam and infrared laser beam emitted from the laser diode for DVD and CD pass through the collimator lens to become diverging non-parallel rays, which enter the objective lens for BD. In this way, optical components are arranged.

Abstract: An optical pickup device has a variable-shape mirror that reflects a light beam emitted from a light source and that, by use of piezoelectric elements sandwiched between a support substrate and a mirror portion arranged to face the support substrate, corrects for wavefront aberrations in the light beam by deforming a mirror surface of the mirror portion, and converging means for directing, while condensing, the light beam reflected from the variable-shape mirror to a recording surface of an optical recording medium. Let a direction perpendicular to the travel direction of the light beam emitted from the light source be the X direction on the mirror surface and let the direction perpendicular to the X direction be the Y direction on the mirror surface, the mirror surface is inclined about the X direction such that the mirror surface forms a predetermined angle relative to the travel direction of the light bean emitted from the light source.

Abstract: A variable-shape mirror has a support substrate, a mirror portion that faces the support substrate and that has a mirror surface on the side thereof opposite to the side thereof facing the support substrate, a plurality of fixing portions that fix the mirror portion to the support substrate, and a plurality of driving portions that deform the mirror surface by expanding and contracting between the support substrate and the mirror portion. On the support substrate, elevations are formed to serve as bonding surfaces bonded to the fixing portions, as electrodes bonded to the driving portions to feed voltages thereto, and as conductors electrically connected to the electrodes.

Abstract: A variable-shape mirror is provided with: a support base; a mirror portion that is disposed to face the support base and that has, on a side thereof facing away from the support base, a mirror surface which is irradiated with a light beam; fixed portions that fix the mirror portion to the support base; and piezoelectric elements that are sandwiched between the support base and the mirror portion and that vary a shape of the mirror surface. Here, the piezoelectric elements are arranged closer to a center of the mirror portion than the fixed portions are.

Abstract: In a variable-shape mirror provided with a support base, a mirror portion that is disposed to face the support base and that has, on a side thereof facing away from the support base, a mirror surface which is irradiated with a light beam, and piezoelectric elements that are sandwiched between the support base and the mirror portion and that vary the shape of the mirror surface, the piezoelectric elements are bonded, by means of a thin layer of metal, to at least one of the support base and the mirror portion by the application of heat and pressure.

Abstract: An optical head by which a good detection signal can be obtained based on a zeroth-order diffracted beam and first-order diffracted beams is provided. The optical head includes: a shaping element for shaping a beam emitted from a light source; a converging element for converging the beam that has been shaped by the shaping element on an optical recoding medium; and a detector for detecting an electric signal based on a zeroth-order diffracted beam and a first-order diffracted beam contained in the beam that has been reflected by the optical recoding medium. The shaping element is provided in a swingable manner so that a distance between a spot position at which the zeroth-order diffracted beam is incident on the detector and a spot position at which the first-order diffracted beam is incident on the detector can be adjusted.

Abstract: In a variable-shape mirror (1) of which the shape of the mirror surface can be varied, four piezoelectric elements (4) are sandwiched between a support base (2) and a mirror portion (3), and are arranged symmetrically in cross-shaped directions. The piezoelectric elements (4) are bonded to the mirror portion (3), and serve both to vary the shape of the mirror portion (3) by being driven and to fix the mirror portion (3) to the support base (2). Support portions (5) are arranged one inside each of the piezoelectric elements (4). With this structure, a small movement that the piezoelectric elements (4) produce when driven can be converted into a large movement of the mirror portion (3).

Abstract: The present invention allows a user to easily find out destinations on maps without forcing him/her to perform troublesome operations. An apparatus displays a main map image 21 showing a current position at substantially a center of a screen. The apparatus also disposes a plurality of map images 22 through 29 around the main map image 21 in thumbnail format such that each map image 22 through 29 corresponds to each direction on the main map image 21. In this manner, the apparatus provides the user with information about wider area than the main map image 21 by showing him/her the thumbnails 22 through 29, which are disposed around the main map image 21 such that each thumbnail 22 through 29 corresponds to each direction on the main map image 21. That allows the user to easily find out destinations on maps without forcing him/her to perform troublesome operations.

Abstract: The present invention includes front-mounted in-vehicle equipment arranged to a front part of a vehicle internal space, rear-mounted in-vehicle equipment arranged to a rear part of the vehicle internal space, and a connection adapted to connect the front-mounted in-vehicle equipment and the rear-mounted in-vehicle equipment. As a result of the rear-mounted in-vehicle equipment controlling the front-mounted in-vehicle equipment via a keyboard or game controller, it is possible for a passenger to control the front-mounted in-vehicle equipment in a straightforward manner from the rear-mounted in-vehicle equipment via a keyboard or game controller instead of the driver operating the front-mounted in-vehicle equipment and a passenger can therefore provide support for a driver's seat input operation.

Abstract: A laser light source emits a laser light of an elliptical shape in its polarization plane in parallel to the information recording surface of an optical disc. The laser light is incident into a raising unit, which is placed in a manner that the plane including the optical axis of the incident light and the optical axis of the reflected light forms about 45 degrees with respect to the tangential line direction of the optical disc, in a manner that the direction of the major axis of the elliptical-shaped polarization plane of the laser light is in parallel to the information recording surface of the optical disc. Then, the laser light reflected by the raising unit is focused and irradiated on the information recording surface of an optical disc as a spot light.

Abstract: Astigmatism of a beam of first laser light is cancelled at a position separated from first optical element by a predetermined distance on an optical axis of the beam of first laser light by refracting to transmit the beam of the first laser light by being refracted by rotating by a predetermined angle around an axis orthogonal to the optical axis of the beam of the first laser light, refracting a beam of second laser light to coincide with the optical axis of the beam of the first laser light and rotating by a predetermined angle around a second axis orthogonal thereto.

Abstract: An optical disk device has an aperture of an objective lens in an incoming path of a beam from a semiconductor laser to an optical disk formed larger than an aperture in a return path from the optical disk or an aperture is varied in recording and in reproduction. This configuration improves recording/reproducing ability since light is focused on an optical disk with high numerical aperture. In addition, since reflected light from the optical disk is detected with low numerical aperture, margins for tilt and defocus are not reduced. Furthermore, since unnecessary signal components contained in the reflected light can be eliminated, a S/N (signal-to-noise ratio) of an information signal also increases. Thus, a high-performance optical disk device can be obtained. Alternatively, by varying the aperture of an objective lens in recording and in reproduction, an optical disk device in which recording density and recording quality are increased without deteriorating reproduction quality can be obtained.

Abstract: An optical disk device has an aperture of an objective lens in an incoming path of a beam from a semiconductor laser to an optical disk formed larger than an aperture in a return path from the optical disk or an aperture is varied in recording and in reproduction. This configuration improves recording/reproducing ability since light is focused on an optical disk with high numerical aperture. In addition, since reflected light from the optical disk is detected with low numerical aperture, margins for tilt and defocus are not reduced. Furthermore, since unnecessary signal components contained in the reflected light can be eliminated, a S/N (signal-to-noise ratio) of an information signal also increases. Thus, a high-performance optical disk device can be obtained. Alternatively, by varying the aperture of an objective lens in recording and in reproduction, an optical disk device in which recording density and recording quality are increased without deteriorating reproduction quality can be obtained.

Abstract: A mirror actuator includes a piezoelectric element having a thickness in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the mirror, and a circular surface bonded to a circular rear surface of the mirror such that the center of the circular surface of the piezoelectric element and that of the circular rear surface of the mirror match. The piezoelectric element receives a potential to cause the circular surface bonded to the mirror to expand/contract radially around 360 degrees by a uniform ratio to allow the mirror to have a surface modified in geometry. The piezoelectric element is adjusted in thickness so that as the piezoelectric element expands/contracts, the piezoelectric element allows the mirror to have a surface with a ratio of a radius of curvature in a radial direction of the mirror to that of curvature in a tangential direction of the mirror of (cos(2?) +1)/2, where ? represents an angle of incidence on the surface of the mirror.