Abstract: In an optical disc drive, a laser light source emits a laser beam having an intensity changeable with the amount of drive current supplied. A first photodetector receives the laser beam reflected from an optical disc, thereby generating a readout signal. A second photodetector receives the laser beam, generates an electric signal representing the power of the laser beam received, and outputs the electric signal as a light quantity detection signal. A feedback control loop compares the level of the light quantity detection signal with a predetermined target value and regulates the drive current such that the level of the light quantity detection signal approaches the target value. In reading data from the optical disc, the target value is changed so as to compensate for a variation of the sensitivity of the second photodetector, thereby controlling the power of the laser beam emitted from the laser light source.

Abstract: An image sensing apparatus having an electronic shutter for controlling the charge accumulation time of an image sensing element and a mechanical shutter for releasing/shielding an optical path to the image sensing element includes an electronic shutter mode of controlling the image sensing time mainly by the electronic shutter and a mechanical shutter mode of controlling the image sensing time mainly by the mechanical shutter. In the electronic shutter mode, the operations of the electronic and mechanical shutters are controlled to overlap each other, and a charge reading period of the image sensing element and part of a release operation period of the mechanical shutter are controlled to overlap each other.

Abstract: An image sensor is provided with a light source for illuminating an original document with light, a plurality of rod lens arrays arranged continuously and connected to each other in such a manner that end rod lenses located at the ends of the rod lens arrays are in contact with each other among rod lenses for forming images of light reflected from the original document, a sealing agent that fills in each of gaps between the end rod lenses, light-receiving elements for receiving image-forming light produced by the rod lenses over a prescribed reading width, and a frame to which the rod lens arrays are fixed via buffers over the prescribed reading width. A long image sensor can be realized at a low cost by using short, general-purpose rod lens arrays.

Abstract: A control apparatus which controls a controlled system with a transfer function regarded as a secondary delay, comprises an outer loop which performs negative feedback of an output of the controlled system in order to obtain a deviation between the output and a desired value, an inner loop which performs negative feedback of a signal obtained by multiplying a differential value of the output of the controlled system by a first gain to the deviation, and a nonlinear inner feedback loop which uses the differential value of the output of the controlled system and a product obtained by multiplying an absolute value of the deviation e or n-th (n is an integer) power of the absolute value by the second gain to perform positive feedback to the deviation.

Abstract: A camera on which a lens apparatus is mounted is disclosed. The camera includes a controller which performs a focusing control corresponding to the mounted lens apparatus; a display unit which performs display process corresponding to an output of the controller; and a storage section which stores correction information for correcting a calculation result in the focusing control by the controller, in association with the mounted lens apparatus.

Abstract: A porous calcium phosphate ceramic comprising a support portion having pores, and ring-shaped portions formed in the pores, the ring-shaped portions having pluralities of fine pores so that they have a network structure. A method for producing a porous calcium phosphate ceramic comprising stirring a slurry containing coarse calcium phosphate particles, fine calcium phosphate particles, a nonionic surfactant and a water-soluble high-molecular compound to foam the slurry; gelling the foamed slurry; and then drying the resultant get to obtain a sintered porous calcium phosphate ceramic; the nonionic surfactant being malamide and/or polyoxyethylene lauryl ether.

Abstract: A laser control unit, a laser control circuit and a laser-power adjustment method are provided which are capable of controlling laser power precisely, even if an error is produced in the duty of an optical pulse.

Abstract: An organic device has a hole current-electron current conversion layer which comprises a laminate of an electron transportation section and a hole transportation section. The electron transportation section includes a charge transfer complex formed upon an oxidation-reduction reaction between a reduced low work function metal and an electron-accepting organic compound, the reduced metal being produced upon an in-situ thermal reduction reaction caused upon contact, through lamination or mixing by co-deposition, of an organic metal complex compound or an inorganic compound containing at least one metal ion selected from ions of low work function metals having a work function of not more than 4.0 eV, and a thermally reducible metal capable of reducing a metal ion contained in the organic metal complex compound or the inorganic compound in vacuum to the corresponding metal state, and the electron transportation section having the electron-accepting organic compound in the state of radical anions.

Abstract: There is provided such a shape of a light-guiding body that can guide light emitted from a LED while reflecting such light under conditions which satisfy total reflection as much as possible within the light-guiding body, to thereby improve the light intensity on the surface of a document in the shorter axial direction (i.e., the sub-scanning direction), and also, the light-guiding body has such an optimized shape of a light-incoming face that makes it possible to control the angle of light fluxes in the longer axial direction (i.e., the main scanning direction) to thereby illuminate the surface of the document with light having an uniform intensity distribution. Further, a reflecting member is provided at a position opposite the light outgoing face of the light-guiding body so as to improve the efficiency of illuminating an objective image-reading region on the surface of the document.

Abstract: An organic electroluminescent device includes an anode electrode layer; a cathode electrode layer opposed to the anode electrode layer; a hole injection layer provided adjacent to the anode electrode layer an organic structure including at least one light-emissive layer_or at least one light-emissive unit having at least one light-emissive layer; between the anode electrode layer and the cathode electrode layer. At least one of the anode electrode layer and the cathode electrode layer is transparent. The hole injection layer includes a mixed layer of a metal oxide and an organic compound. The mixed layer is formed upon co-deposition of the metal oxide and the organic compound.

Abstract: An organic electroluminescent device including a substrate, the substrate includes, laminated thereon, an anode layer; an organic structure including at least one light- emissive layer or at least one light-emissive unit having at least one light-emissive layer; a low resistance electron-transporting layer including a mixed layer of an electron-donating metal dopant and an organic compound; an organometallic complex-contained layer including an organometallic complex compound containing at least one metal ion selected from the group having an alkaline metal ion, an alkaline earth metal ion and a rare earth metal ion; a reducing reaction generating layer; and a cathode layer, in that order. At least one of the anode layer and the cathode layer is transparent.

Abstract: Method for controlling a laser power used in recording on an optical disk includes: causing the laser to emit a test light emission pattern including a multipulse light emission interval and an at-bottom value continuous light emission interval; receiving the test light emission pattern of the laser to convert the pattern to an electric signal and to thereby obtain a light detection signal; calculating a detection value of a multipulse average value from the average value of the light detection signal, and calculating a bottom detection value from the light detection signal to obtain a light emission power characteristic of the laser on a supplied current based on the detection value of the multipulse average value and the bottom detection value; and controlling the current supplied to the laser based on the light emission power characteristic on the current supplied to the laser.

Abstract: A porous sintered body of a calcium phosphate-based ceramic having a porosity of 80% or more. The porous sintered body is produced by a method comprising the steps of: (1) preparing a slurry comprising a calcium phosphate-based ceramic powder, a water-soluble high molecular compound and a nonionic surface active agent; (2) stirring the slurry vigorously to froth the slurry; (3) solidifying the frothed slurry into a gel; and (4) drying and sintering the gel.

Abstract: In a magneto-optical disk drive using a domain wall moving magneto-optical recording medium, the test-writing adjustment in operation to deal with dynamic fluctuation factors is minimized, and a reproducing or recording laser power is automatically optimized.

Abstract: A recording medium which has a high recording density and realizes a short search time is provided. The recording medium according to the present invention is a recording medium which comprises addresses indicative of positions on the recording medium and which is for recording or reproduction using sectors as data rewrite units or data read units, and starting positions of said addresses and starting positions of said sectors are different in the recording medium.

Abstract: A line light source according to the present invention is provided with a plurality of external electrode rare gas fluorescent lamps, and a fixing member fixing the plurality of external electrode rare gas fluorescent lamps such that the center lines thereof are aligned. A contact image sensor of the present invention is provided with the above mentioned line light source.

Abstract: A lighting device includes a mount adapted to be attached to a power tool. A flexible support extends from the mount and permits the lighting device to be oriented in any desired direction. A fluorescent lamp is mounted on the flexible support opposite to the mount. An electric circuit serves to light the fluorescent lamp and includes an inverter circuit.

Abstract: A sensor frame for an image sensor is manufactured in the step of forming a sensor frame for an image sensor by extrusion molding so that a frame support portion for supporting the frame is formed above a lens array holding portion, and the step of removing the thus-formed sensor frame support portion by machining while leaving parts of the support portion located at the longitudinally corresponding to the upper ends of the lens array holding portion. Accordingly, machined surfaces subjected to the machining exist outside the hollow space where the sensor ICs are located.

Abstract: A sensor frame has a first frame portion and a second frame portion, and a rod lens array extending in a longitudinal direction is arranged and fixed between the first and second frame portions. An L-shaped plate having a first plate-shaped portion and a second plate-shaped portion is arranged below the rod lens array. A sensor substrate is placed on the first plate-shaped portion, and a sensor IC is held on the sensor substrate so as to receive rays of light reflected on a manuscript and passing through the rod lens array. The second plate-shaped portion is fixed on an end surface of the first frame portion by a plurality of screws arranged along the longitudinal direction. A diameter of each screw hole formed in the second plate-shaped portion is larger than that of the corresponding screw so as to allow that the height of the sensor IC is adjusted by moving up and down the second plate-shaped portion before the fixing of the second plate-shaped portion.

Abstract: An image sensing apparatus capable of operating in at least a single-shot mode and a sequential mode, includes: an image sensor that outputs charge signals from a plurality of divided areas. A plurality of image processing units which respectively process the charge signals and output a plurality of image signals. A light source illuminates the plurality of divided areas of the image sensing device. Correction data is calculated on the basis of a plurality of image signals obtained by reading charge signals from the plurality of divided areas of the image sensing device, illuminating the image sensing device with the light source, and processing the read charge signals by the plurality of image processing units. The image signals are corrected using the correction data and combined to generate a combined image signal of a single image.