Abstract: A liquid container for containing liquid incldes a reflection member provided in a liquid containing portion and having a plurality of roof mirror assemblies arranged in a predetermined direction, each of the roof mirror assemblies having at least two reflecting surfaces positioned with a predetermined angle therebetween; wherein the reflection member is effective to divide incident light, which is scattering light, into a plurality of light beams by the plurality of roof mirror assemblies and to condense at a predetermined position the beams sequentially reflected by the at least two reflecting surfaces of the roof mirror assemblies, and wherein an amount of the liquid in the liquid container is detected on the basis of the light reflected by the reflection member.

Abstract: A divergent light beam from a light source unit having a plurality of light-emitting regions is almost contained within the surface of a reflecting body that is an array of micro roof mirrors/roof prisms disposed in a regular manner. The light beam emitted from the light source unit with an angle of divergence is reflected by the reflecting body and is almost converged on a light-receiving surface. As a result, there is increased the ray density of a light beam on the light-receiving surface.

Abstract: In a postal information input apparatus in which when a postcode to be read by a reader of a postal matter sorting machine cannot be normally read, a correct postcode is reentered manually from an input device, a first display means which displays on a display device of the input apparatus a first display so as to indicate that the postal information input apparatus receives a data to be input from the postal matter sorting machine, and also displays an unprocessed number in the postal information input apparatus, is provided.

Abstract: To provide a package for an optical semiconductor having a light-emitting device and a light-receiving device in one package, in which a groove is provided between the light-emitting device and the light-receiving device to thereby avoid rays of light from the light-emitting device to directly enter the light-receiving device.

Abstract: A divergent light beam from a light source unit having a plurality of light-emitting regions is almost contained within the surface of a reflecting body that is an array of micro roof mirrors/roof prisms disposed in a regular manner. The light beam emitted from the light source unit with an angle of divergence is reflected by the reflecting body and is almost converged on a light-receiving surface. As a result, there is increased the ray density of a light beam on the light-receiving surface.

Abstract: An optical encoder includes a scale having an optical grating formed thereon, a plurality of light-receiving devices, a light-emitting device, and a position-information detecting unit. The plurality of light-receiving devices is movable with respect to the scale. The light-emitting device applies light to the plurality of light-receiving devices through the scale. A position-information detecting unit detects position information in one cycle of a two-phase signal supplied from the light-receiving device. A determining unit determines an amplitude of an analog signal based on the position information.

Abstract: A rotation information record surface of a rotary disk is disposed at an intermediate position between a fixing point of the rotary disk and a rotary shaft and a fixing position of a detection head, so that a stable gap can be obtained with a variation due to thermal expansion being reduced. In order to attain this, the fitting portion of the rotary disk is shaped to have a first fitting portion and a second fitting portion. The first fitting portion is provided for attaining satisfactory coaxiality, and the second fitting portion is adapted to form a clearance into which bonding means such as an adhesive is to be infused. With the above structure, an optimum detection position (i.e. an optimum gap position) would not be varied by a change in the ambient temperature.

Abstract: A divergent light beam from a light source unit having a plurality of light-emitting regions is almost contained within the surface of a reflecting body that is an array of micro roof mirrors/roof prisms disposed in a regular manner. The light beam emitted from the light source unit with an angle of divergence is reflected by the reflecting body and is almost converged on a light-receiving surface. As a result, there is increased the ray density of a light beam on the light-receiving surface.

Abstract: An optical encoder includes a light-emitting unit, a scale with a discontinuous part, and a plurality of light-receiving elements arranged in relationship to a pitch of the scale. In the optical encoder, a light beam from the light-emitting unit reflects off the scale, and is received at the light-receiving elements. As a result of the processing of signals from the light-receiving elements, the discontinuous part is detected and the origin detection can be achieved.

Abstract: This invention realizes a detection system which serves as a displacement measurement apparatus for optically detecting a relative position, improves the use efficiency of a light amount, and is resistant to mechanical variations. More specifically, in an optical sensor having a light source, a reflector for reflecting a divergent light beam from the light source, and a light-receiving portion for receiving a reflected light beam from the reflector. The reflector has an optical characteristic that a divergent light beam from the light source is wavefront-split into a plurality of beams and the respective split light beams are overlaid at a predetermined position.

Abstract: In two phases signals (A, B) outputted from a scale or a scale having a discontinuous portion provided in its incidental member to a light receiving portion, a region in which amplitudes of the two phases signals (A, B) are small corresponds to outputs when a reflecting portion lies in the scale in terms of rotation position, and a region in which amplitudes of the two phases signals (A, B) are large corresponds to outputs when a nonreflecting portion lies in the scale in terms of rotation position. An optical encoder for discriminating positions of a reflecting portion and a nonreflecting portion of a scale using a threshold value (L) to detect an absolute position based on a reason that when the signals (A, B) are arithmetically operated by an arithmetic operation processing circuit to obtain a sum of squares of the signals (A, B), change points in the amplitudes of the signals (A, B) are steeply obtained.

Abstract: A main scale of an optical displacement measuring apparatus has slits arranged on it at regular intervals, a part of which is a missing slit that does not allow light to pass through used for detecting the original point. An index scale has four sets of windows formed on it. The four windows are arranged with mutual phase differences of ¼P, where P is the pitch of the arrangement of the slits. When a part of the missing slit overlaps with the index scale, no light reaches to photodiodes from the missing slit and only a partial light flux passes through a window, so that the light quantity decreases. An original point signal associated with the missing slit can be obtained by adding up the outputs of all the photodiodes.

Abstract: A rotary disc made of synthetic resin has a fixed portion fixed to a rotary shaft, a cylindrical portion extending in the thrust direction from the outer peripheral edge of the fixed portion, and a disc main body portion extending in the radial direction from the lower portion of the cylindrical portion, and a scale portion for detecting the rotation angle is disposed on the underside of the disc main body portion.

Abstract: It is an object of this invention to provide a mold for manufacturing an optical scale which can be easily manufactured and is capable of outputting high-precision position signals. In order to achieve this object, there is provided a mold for an optical scale, which has fixed and movable platens and is used to mold an optical scale, wherein both a first mold portion for forming a shaft mount hole for the optical scale and a second mold portion for forming a slit portion of the optical scale are arranged in one of the fixed and movable platens.

Abstract: A sensor signal processor includes a scale having optically or magnetically fine divisions; a detection sensor that moves with respect to the scale and that is provided in association with the divisions of the scale; and a position detecting unit for calculating positional information by using a counter value of digital pulse signals generated from the outputs from the detection sensor and analog signals generated from the outputs from the detection sensor. The sensor signal processor yields the positional information by using both the digital pulse signals and the analog signals.

Abstract: A liquid container for containing liquid includes a reflection member having a plurality of roof mirror assemblies arranged in a predetermined direction, each of the roof mirror assemblies having at least two reflecting surfaces positioned with a predetermined angle therebetween; wherein the reflection member is effective to divide incident light into a plurality of light beams by the plurality of roof mirror assemblies and to condensing at a predetermined position the beams sequentially reflected by the at least two reflecting surfaces of the roof mirror assemblies; wherein the reflection member is effective to divide incident light into a plurality of light beams by the plurality of roof mirror assemblies and to condensing at a predetermined position the beams sequentially reflected by the at least two reflecting surfaces of the roof mirror assemblies.

Abstract: An optical encoder includes a scale having an optical grating formed thereon, a plurality of light-receiving devices, a light-emitting device, and a position-information detecting unit. The plurality of light-receiving devices is movable with respect to the scale. The light-emitting device applies light to the plurality of light-receiving devices through the scale. A position-information detecting unit detects position information in one cycle of a two-phase signal supplied from the light-receiving device. A determining unit determines an amplitude of an analog signal based on the position information.

Abstract: An optical encoder has a light irradiating device; an optical scale having a grating for transmitting or reflecting incident light; light-receiving elements disposed in a plurality of different directions; and an optical system for amplitude-modulating light traveling from the light irradiating device to the optical scale and transmitted or reflected by the grating, by a dividing element in which a plurality of V-shaped grooves are juxtaposed, and for dividing the amplitude-modulated light into beams along a plurality of different directions to guide the beams to the respective light-receiving elements. The dividing element is comprised of repetitions of such structure that a plurality of V-grooves consisting of planes of mutually different angles are juxtaposed at a predetermined pitch.

Abstract: In an optical encoder, a plurality of light sources is controlled on and off so as to use light rays to irradiate an optical grating of a scale from a plurality of different directions. The light rays are received by a plurality of photoreceptor elements. Operations are performed using signals output from the photoreceptor elements. Accordingly, the relative position between the photoreceptor elements and the scale is detected precisely.

Abstract: A liquid container for containing liquid incldes a reflection member provided in a liquid containing portion and having a plurality of roof mirror assemblies arranged in a predetermined direction, each of the roof mirror assemblies having at least two reflecting surfaces positioned with a predetermined angle therebetween; wherein the reflection member is effective to divide incident light, which is scattering light, into a plurality of light beams by the plurality of roof mirror assemblies and to condense at a predetermined position the beams sequentially reflected by the at least two reflecting surfaces of the roof mirror assemblies, and wherein an amount of the liquid in the liquid container is detected on the basis of the light reflected by the reflection member.