Abstract: A photoelectric converter of a high signal-to-noise ratio, low cost, high productivity and stable characteristics and a system including the above photoelectric converter. The photoelectric converter includes a photoelectric converting portion in which a first electrode layer, an insulating layer for inhibiting carriers from transferring, a photoelectric converting semiconductor layer of a non-single-crystal type, an injection blocking layer for inhibiting a first type of carriers from being injected into the semiconductor layer and a second electrode layer are laminated in this order on an insulating substrate.

Abstract: There is disclosed an illumination device in which a light guide is adapted to emit the light from a face thereof and is provided with an area, on a face opposite to the light emitting face, for diffusing and/or reflecting the light introduced into the light guide from an end face thereof or is provided with uneven light emitting characteristics along the longitudinal direction of the light guide, and the center of the light source positioned at the end of the light guide is placed at a position aberrated from the normal line to the area, whereby attained are compactness, a low cost, a low electric power consumption, a high efficiency of utilization of the light emitted by the light source, and excellent and uniform illumination characteristics. There are also disclosed an image reading device and an information processing apparatus, equipped with the above-mentioned illumination device.

Abstract: In a method of providing a portfolio by combining a plurality of financial instruments for a prefixed operating period, there are included a setting step of systematically setting up beforehand a plurality of fluctuation scenarios of market prices related to said instruments, a simulation step of making profit and loss simulation in the future for each one of said plurality of fluctuation scenarios, by using first parameters representing said fluctuation scenarios and second parameters representing characteristics of market, an optimizing step of configuring the optimum portfolio out of the set of portfolios which have been reduced in the preceding step, and a step of making a presentation as the optimum portfolio together with the whole or a part of said fluctuation scenarios.

Abstract: A photoelectric converter of a high signal-to-noise ratio, low cost, high productivity and stable characteristics and a system including the above photoelectric converter. The photoelectric converter includes a photoelectric converting portion in which a first electrode layer, an insulating layer for inhibiting carriers from transferring, a photoelectric converting semiconductor layer of a non-single-crystal type, an injection blocking layer for inhibiting a first type of carriers from being injected into the semiconductor layer and a second electrode layer are laminated in this order on an insulating substrate.

Abstract: In order to realize a photoelectric conversion apparatus capable of easily switching a mode requiring a wide dynamic range in obtaining a motion image and a mode requiring a reduction in noise in obtaining a still image, a mode switching means is used, when a refresh operation is performed for each photoelectric conversion element, to switch between a mode of setting the potential of one electrode of the photoelectric conversion element to be higher than the potential of the other electrode, and a mode of setting the potential of one electrode of the photoelectric conversion element to be lower than the potential of the other electrode, thereby arbitrarily changing the refresh voltage. With this operation, desired photoelectric conversion signals for a motion image and a still image can be obtained.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for waveform shaping of signal light. This method includes the steps of supplying signal light to a first waveform shaper to obtain intermediate signal light, dividing the intermediate signal light into first and second signal lights, supplying the first signal light to a clock recovery circuit to obtain a clock pulse, and supplying the second signal light and the clock pulse to a second waveform shaper to obtain regenerated signal light synchronous with the clock pulse.

Abstract: A first control member is disposed in a drum shaft away from a photoconductive drum, and a second control member is disposed in a roller shaft away from a transfer roller. The first and second control members abut on each other at their circumferential surfaces. This helps reduce an amount of displacement resulting from an impact caused by insertion of a recording paper sheet in between the photoconductive drum and the transfer roller, and thereby reduce vibrations in the photoconductive drum. Consequently, a toner image formed on the photoconductive drum and an unfixed toner image transferred onto the recording paper sheet are not affected by vibrations, so that a high-quality image is obtained that is free from blurriness or irregularities.

Abstract: There is disclosed an illumination device in which a light guide is adapted to emit the light from a face thereof and is provided with an area, on a face opposite to the light emitting face, for diffusing and/or reflecting the light introduced into the light guide from an end face thereof or is provided with uneven light emitting characteristics along the longitudinal direction of the light guide, and the center of the light source positioned at the end of the light guide is placed at a position aberrated from the normal line to the area, whereby attained are compactness, a low cost, a low electric power consumption, a high efficiency of utilization of the light emitted by the light source, and excellent and uniform illumination characteristics. There are also disclosed an image reading device and an information processing apparatus, equipped with the above-mentioned illumination device.

Abstract: There are provided a conveying path provided in an apparatus body and serving to convey a sheet-like object in a longitudinal direction, a moving body capable of being moved to a position in which the conveying path is to be exposed and a position in which the sheet-like object can be conveyed to cover the conveying path, and at least three support members for supporting the moving body to be slid in an almost horizontal direction with respect to the apparatus body and to be separated or joined are provided on a lower end portion at the side that a user accesses for a jam processing in the moving body and both upper and lower end portions at the opposite side thereof. Accordingly, in the case in which the user is to carry out the jam processing by separating the moving body from the apparatus body, a jammed paper in the conveying path can be removed easily.

Abstract: A tunable wavelength four light wave mixer using at least a dispersion-shifted optical fiber and having a larger freedom in the wavelength of the converted light is disclosed. The mixer comprises at least a dispersion-shifted optical fiber supplied with signal light of wavelength &lgr;s from an input optical fiber 14 and with pump light of wavelength &lgr;p from a pump light source 12 through a wave multiplexing unit 15. The dispersion-shifted optical fiber is configured with a plurality of sequentially connected dispersion-shifted optical fibers 11-1, 11-2 of different zero dispersion wavelengths &lgr;01, &lgr;02. The pump light source 12 outputs the pump light of the same wavelength &lgr;p1 or &lgr;p2 as one of a plurality of different zero dispersion wavelengths &lgr;01, &lgr;02. The converted light of wavelength &lgr;c(=&lgr;c1 or &lgr;c2) is output from an optical bandpass filter (BPF) 13.

Abstract: In a photoelectric conversion apparatus obtained by arranging and fixing a plurality of semiconductor element substrates onto a base with an adhesive, the levels of the upper surfaces of the substrates are adjusted with a desired thickness of the adhesive so as to set the upper surfaces within the same plane while the distance from the upper surface of the base to the semiconductor element surface of each substrate is kept to a design value, thereby realizing a photoelectric conversion apparatus constituted by a plurality of substrates arranged two-dimensionally, which eliminates level gaps between the substrates, and hence is free from problems such as a decrease in resolution, a deterioration in sensitivity, and peeling of a phosphor and the like.

Abstract: Illumination device, image apparatus using the device and information processing system using the apparatus for illuminating a light beam emitted from at least two light emitting elements of different light emission wavelength ranges to an original through a light conductor prevent irregularity of illumination on the original without providing compensation means to attain improvement in color discrimination ability of a color document sheet read signal without increasing a cost. A light beam applied from an illumination device 30 arranged at an end of a light conductor 3 is scattered and reflected by a scatter and reflection area 5 of the light conductor to illuminate the original 100. The illumination device 30 has at least two light emitting elements 81G and 81R of different light emission wavelength ranges and centers of the light emitting elements are arranged at positions spaced from a normal line passing through a center of the scatter and reflection area 5.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method and device for waveform shaping of signal light. The method includes the steps of providing a waveform shaper for waveform shaping input signal light and outputting output signal light, measuring the quality of the output signal light, and controlling the power of the input signal light so that the quality measured is improved. According to this method, a substantially optimum threshold can be obtained to allow a good regenerating operation.

Abstract: A photoelectric converter of a high signal-to-noise ratio, low cost, high productivity and stable characteristics and a system including the above photoelectric converter. The photoelectric converter includes a photoelectric converting portion in which a first electrode layer, an insulating layer for inhibiting carriers from transferring, a photoelectric converting semiconductor layer of a non-single-crystal type, an injection blocking layer for inhibiting a first type of carriers from being injected into the semiconductor layer and a second electrode layer are laminated in this order on an insulating substrate.

Abstract: Disclosed is a photoelectric converter.

Abstract: A photoelectric converter includes a plurality of substrates, which are located adjacent to each other and on which a plurality of photoelectric conversion devices are two-dimensionally arranged, either scan circuits or detection circuits, at least, that are arranged on two opposing sides of the photoelectric converter, whereby scanning directions either from the scan circuits or from the detection circuits, which are arranged on the two opposing sides, are capable of being set so as to be performed in like directions.

Abstract: A two-dimensional image input unit is disposed on one surface, and data processed by an image processing circuit for processing an image input by the image input unit can be displayed on a two-dimensional image output unit disposed on the other surface as a rear surface with respect to the one surface. Size and cost reductions of the entire apparatus are attained, and read image information can be displayed on the image output surface as the upper surface in real time.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for waveform shaping of signal light. This method includes the steps of supplying signal light to a first waveform shaper to obtain intermediate signal light, dividing the intermediate signal light into first and second signal lights, supplying the first signal light to a clock recovery circuit to obtain a clock pulse, and supplying the second signal light and the clock pulse to a second waveform shaper to obtain regenerated signal light synchronous with the clock pulse.

Abstract: An X-ray image pickup device has a two-dimensional image reading device which is constituted by two-dimensionally forming a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements on an insulating substrate, and has switching elements in the vicinities of these photoelectric conversion elements, a phosphor which is formed on the two-dimensional image reading device and serves as a wavelength converter for converting X-ray radiation into visible light, and a grid plate which is formed on the phosphor and guides only X-rays from a specific direction toward the phosphor and the two-dimensional image reading device, whereby a next-generation X-ray image pickup device which can improve diagnostic efficiency that cannot be attained by the conventional film method, and has a high space factor and a high S/N ratio that cannot be attained by the CCD method can be provided.

Abstract: An electromagnetic-wave detector having an electromagnetic-wave detection unit having the structure that M (M.gtoreq.1) contiguous pairs of a metallic layer and an insulating layer are provided at the side of incidence of an electromagnetic-wave, such as X-rays.