Abstract: A solar tracker comprises: a measuring section which measures the quantity of electric power generated by a solar panel; a solar position getting section which gets information about the theoretical solar position; a driving section which changes the orientation of the solar panel; a dither control section which measures a solar position; a positional shift measuring section which measures a solar positional shift between the measured solar position and the theoretical solar position. The driving section corrects the theoretical solar position based on the estimated attitude error and controls the orientation of the solar panel based on the theoretical position corrected.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a light concentrating device for a photochemical reaction device capable of decreasing abnormal chemical reactions that occur when intensity of sunlight is too strong for an electrode of a photochemical reaction device. The light concentrating device includes a lens for concentrating sunlight on the electrode of the photochemical reaction device, a lens movement device for moving the lens in an optical axis direction, an image pickup device for picking up an image of transmitted sunlight that passes through the electrode, an abnormal chemical reaction detector for detecting presence of an abnormal chemical reaction on the electrode based on information on the image picked up by the image pickup device, and a lens position controller for controlling the lens movement device to move the lens to decrease occurrence of the abnormal chemical reaction when the abnormal chemical reaction detector detects the abnormal chemical reaction.

Abstract: An optical disk apparatus has: a laser (14) that outputs light; an optical system that includes an SIL (2) for forming a predetermined sized beam spot on an optical disk (1) using the light from the laser; a detector (26) that detects output power of the laser and generates a laser power detection signal; a laser power control circuit (27) that controls the output power of the laser using the laser power detection signal; a detector (10) that detects a gap length between the optical disk and the SIL and generates a gap detection signal; and a gap control circuit (15) that controls the gap length between the optical disk and the SIL using the gap detection signal. The power control circuit has a gain crossover frequency greater than a gain crossover frequency of the gap control circuit.

Abstract: A solar tracker comprises: a measuring section which measures the quantity of electric power generated by a solar panel; a solar position getting section which gets information about the theoretical solar position; a driving section which changes the orientation of the solar panel; a dither control section which measures a solar position; a positional shift measuring section which measures a solar positional shift between the measured solar position and the theoretical solar position. The driving section corrects the theoretical solar position based on the estimated attitude error and controls the orientation of the solar panel based on the theoretical position corrected.

Abstract: An optical disk apparatus has: a laser (14) that outputs light; an optical system that includes an SIL (2) for forming a predetermined sized beam spot on an optical disk (1) using the light from the laser; a detector (26) that detects output power of the laser and generates a laser power detection signal; a laser power control circuit (27) that controls the output power of the laser using the laser power detection signal; a detector (10) that detects a gap length between the optical disk and the SIL and generates a gap detection signal; and a gap control circuit (15) that controls the gap length between the optical disk and the SIL using the gap detection signal. The power control circuit has a gain crossover frequency greater than a gain crossover frequency of the gap control circuit.

Abstract: An optical disk device has: a detector (11) that converts a reflected light from an optical disk (5) and a reflected light of an incident light from a light source (1) side of a solid immersion lens (4), into electric signals and outputs the signals; a subtracter (15) that computes the output signal of the detector (11) according to a predetermined rule and outputs the result as a tilt detection signal; a CPU (21), an amplifier/phase compensation circuit (16), a switch (17) and an actuator (13) that perform tilt control for controlling tilt of the solid immersion lens (4) with respect to the optical disk (5) using the tilt detection signal; and the CPU (21), a nut (24), a feed screw (25), a decelerator (26) and a stepping motor (27) that perform gap adjustment for changing the gap of the solid immersion lens (4) and optical disk (5), and in the process of adjustment of gap between the solid immersion lens (4) and optical disk (5), the CPU (21) enables tilt control by closing the switch (17) according to the t

Abstract: A gap controller according to the present invention can set a reference level reasonably for a gap control that needs to be done to keep the gap between a solid immersion lens (SIL) and an optical disc constant. With the gap varied at a substantially regular step, gap detection signal levels are logged to find an extreme value of its second-order difference. And the gap control reference level is determined by the gap detection signal level that results in that extreme value.

Abstract: An optical disc device includes: a light source; a condensing system including a solid immersion lens for emitting light from the light source onto an optical disc; a gap control circuit for setting a distance between the solid immersion lens and the optical disc to a constant value; a CPU for adjusting a condensing position of emission light from the solid immersion lens with respect to an information recording/reproducing surface of the optical disc by moving a concave lens in a direction of an optical axis; and a focus control circuit for setting the condensing position on the information recording/reproducing surface, while following plane displacement of the information recording/reproducing surface, using a focus error signal. The CPU is operable to correct coma aberration in focus position adjustment by moving the concave lens in a direction perpendicularly intersecting with the optical axis.

Abstract: An optical information apparatus according to the present invention includes: an optical system that includes a solid immersion lens (SIL) 11 and that produces near-field light to be incident on an optical disc 10; a first actuator for displacing the SIL 11; a second actuator 29 for varying the distance between the optical disc 10 and the first actuator 12 by moving the first actuator 12; a gap detecting section 18 for outputting a gap signal 19 representing the magnitude of the gap 17 between the SIL 11 and the optical disc 10; and a gap control system for controlling the first actuator 12 in response to the gap signal 19 such that the gap is maintained at a predetermined setting. The gap control system works so as to control the second actuator 29 in accordance with a signal representing the magnitude of displacement of the SIL 11 caused by the first actuator 12.

Abstract: An optical disk device has: a detector (11) that converts a reflected light from an optical disk (5) and a reflected light of an incident light from a light source (1) side of a solid immersion lens (4), into electric signals and outputs the signals; a subtracter (15) that computes the output signal of the detector (11) according to a predetermined rule and outputs the result as a tilt detection signal; a CPU (21), an amplifier/phase compensation circuit (16), a switch (17) and an actuator (13) that perform tilt control for controlling tilt of the solid immersion lens (4) with respect to the optical disk (5) using the tilt detection signal; and the CPU (21), a nut (24), a feed screw (25), a decelerator (26) and a stepping motor (27) that perform gap adjustment for changing the gap of the solid immersion lens (4) and optical disk (5), and in the process of adjustment of gap between the solid immersion lens (4) and optical disk (5), the CPU (21) enables tilt control by closing the switch (17) according to the t

Abstract: An optical information apparatus according to the present invention includes: an optical system that includes a solid immersion lens (SIL) 11 and that produces near-field light to be incident on an optical disc 10; a first actuator for displacing the SIL 11; a second actuator 29 for varying the distance between the optical disc 10 and the first actuator 12 by moving the first actuator 12; a gap detecting section 18 for outputting a gap signal 19 representing the magnitude of the gap 17 between the SIL 11 and the optical disc 10; and a gap control system for controlling the first actuator 12 in response to the gap signal 19 such that the gap is maintained at a predetermined setting. The gap control system works so as to control the second actuator 29 in accordance with a signal representing the magnitude of displacement of the SIL 11 caused by the first actuator 12.

Abstract: An optical disc device includes: a light source; a condensing system including a solid immersion lens for emitting light from the light source onto an optical disc; a gap control circuit for setting a distance between the solid immersion lens and the optical disc to a constant value; a CPU for adjusting a condensing position of emission light from the solid immersion lens with respect to an information recording/reproducing surface of the optical disc by moving a concave lens in a direction of an optical axis; and a focus control circuit for setting the condensing position on the information recording/reproducing surface, while following plane displacement of the information recording/reproducing surface, using a focus error signal. The CPU is operable to correct coma aberration in focus position adjustment by moving the concave lens in a direction perpendicularly intersecting with the optical axis.

Abstract: A gap controller according to the present invention can set a reference level reasonably for a gap control that needs to be done to keep the gap between a solid immersion lens (SIL) and an optical disc constant. With the gap varied at a substantially regular step, gap detection signal levels are logged to find an extreme value of its second-order difference. And the gap control reference level is determined by the gap detection signal level that results in that extreme value.

Abstract: An optical disk, an optical disk device, and a method for setting an optical disk device are disclosed, in which the optical disk can enter a good state of recording and reproduction within a shorter amount of time. Specific information including parameters that determine the recording and reproduction state of an optical disk are prerecorded on said optical disk. An optical disk device decides the characteristics of a control circuit for recording and reproduction to and from an optical disk, on the basis of the recorded specific information.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an optical disk device which is capable of forming a recording mark at a more suitable position by using a more suitable recording compensation value. To achieve the object above, the optical disk device of the present invention is a device which records recording data by forming a mark on an optical disk 9 by using a recording pulse 1 in accordance with the recording data, and includes an optical pickup and a control unit. The optical pickup includes a laser 7 which emits a laser beam 8 in accordance with a recording pulse 1 and an optical component to guides a laser beam 8 to the optical disk 9. The control unit controls the emission of the laser 7 by using a recording compensation value predetermined in accordance with an emission property of the laser 7.

Abstract: The reproduction method includes steps of: performing an addition operation on a detection signal obtained by the first light-detecting element group and a detection signal obtained by the second light-detecting element group so as to generate a summation signal and outputting the summation signal to a signal processing section; performing a difference operation on a detection signal obtained by the first light-detecting element group and a detection signal obtained by the second light-detecting element group so as to generate a differential signal and outputting the differential signal to the signal processing section; digitalizing the summation signal so as to generate a binary signal, and generating a binary signal edge pulse; when an amplitude which is equal to or greater than a predetermined value of the differential signal is detected, outputting the binary signal edge pulse as a reproduction edge pulse from the signal processing section; and generating the reproduction data.

Abstract: A disc capable of reproducing an address signal and a data signal correctly even by using a multilayer optical disc that includes a plurality of recording reproduction surfaces bonded together in a state in which front positions in sectors of the respective recording reproduction surfaces do not match completely, a method and a device are provided. In one embodiment, a relationship between a bonding precision L and a length G of a gap area is determined to be L≦G. In another embodiment, by recording information in a range of a length corresponding to the bonding precision L not only in the data area but also in the gap area, a data recording starting position and a data recording ending position for each sector of the respective recording reproduction surfaces are matched. In yet another embodiment, guard areas are provided in a tip portion and a back end portion of the data area.