Abstract: A conversion lens which includes a pair of transparent members is provided. At least one of the transparent members is formed of a deformable film; a connecting member for connecting the pair of transparent members so as to form a sealed space sandwiched between the pair of transparent members; a liquid filled in the sealed space; and a curvature changing mechanism for changing the curvature of the deformable film by moving the liquid filled in the sealed space. A conversion lens system and an imaging device, provided with the conversion lens are also provided.

Abstract: An optical pickup for recording/reproducing information on/from an optical disc having recording layers, includes a light source; an objective lens for condensing an optical beam emitted from the light source on the recording layer; a photo-detector having a light-receiving section for receiving return light from the optical disc; an optical-path separating unit for separating the optical path of the return light reflected by the optical disc from the optical path of the optical beam emitted from the light source; and a masking member having a masking unit shielding part of a passing-through optical beam, in which the masking unit shields the central region of the optical beam to be incident in the light-receiving section among the optical beams reflected by the other recording layers or surfaces different from the recording layer recording/reproducing information so as not to admit the central region to the light-receiving section.

Abstract: A device includes a rotary base; an approach stage; a substrate holding table and a nozzle head. The substrate holding table holds the work by suction, and comes into intimate contact with the approach stage and the rotary base through first and second annular seal members to form a liquid storage space, respectively. When the suction holding and the intimate contact are released, the substrate becomes rotatable together with the rotary base and the approach stage.

Abstract: The present invention can simplify the configuration of a polarization adjustment plate. According to the present invention, the crystal axis of the polarization adjustment wavelength plate 32 is so arranged as to be turned up from the X-Y plane being an orthogonal plane with respect to the optical axis 40a, and the wavelength dependence which the crystal material is originally provided with is largely expressed, and further the thickness “ta” with respect to the optical axis 40a is set up such that the phase difference ? to be brought about at the beam center becomes low from 360°+180°=540° being a desired design value to irradiate the optical beam as the P-polarization by a predetermined difference value or 60°.

Abstract: An optical pickup includes: a light source emitting a light beam; an objective lens condensing the light beam emitted from the light source on a recording layer of an optical disc; a photodetector including a photoreception portion receiving the returned light from the optical disc; an optical-path separating unit separating the optical path of the returned light reflected at the optical disc from the optical path of the light beam emitted from the light source; an astigmatism generating unit generating astigmatism regarding a light beam to pass through, forming an image in a first direction at a first position in the optical axis direction, and also forming an image in a second direction generally orthogonal to the first direction at a second position in the optical axis direction; and a polarization-direction adjusting unit adjusting the polarization direction of a light beam to pass through for each region.

Abstract: An optical pickup for recording/reproducing information on/from an optical disc having recording layers, includes a light source; an objective lens for condensing an optical beam emitted from the light source on the recording layer; a photo-detector having a light-receiving section for receiving return light from the optical disc; an optical-path separating unit for separating the optical path of the return light reflected by the optical disc from the optical path of the optical beam emitted from the light source; and a masking member having a masking unit shielding part of a passing-through optical beam, in which the masking unit shields the central region of the optical beam to be incident in the light-receiving section among the optical beams reflected by the other recording layers or surfaces different from the recording layer recording/reproducing information so as not to admit the central region to the light-receiving section.

Abstract: An optical pickup includes at least a laser light source emitting a laser beam, a collimator lens system including a plurality of lenses for collimating the light beam emitted from the laser light source and incident thereupon as diffused light, and an objective lens. The laser beam transmitted through the collimator lens system is incident upon the objective lens. The collimator lens system includes a first lens unit held so as to be movable in an optical axis direction of the laser beam and a fixed second lens unit.

Abstract: An optical disc device performs tracking control using a light amount difference at two overlapping areas. The optical disc device includes a splitter, objective lens, detection-signal generator, tracking-signal generator, and driver. The splitter splits the light beam from a light source into a main beam and sub-beams. The objective lens converges the split beams and illuminates a signal-recording-layer track. The detection-signal generator receives reflected light beams and generates a detection signal according to the reflected-light-beam light amounts. The tracking-signal generator generates a tracking error signal on the basis of the detection signal. The driver drives the objective lens in a tracking direction on the basis of the tracking error signal. The splitter causes the light amounts of the overlapping areas at sub-reflected-light beams to be less than a light amount of an area other than the overlapping areas.

Abstract: An optical pickup for recording or reproducing an information signal in an optical disc includes a light source for emitting a light beam toward the optical disc, an objective lens for focusing the light beam emitted from the light source onto a recording surface of the optical disc, and a photodetector for receiving the light beam reflected by the recording surface of the optical disc and outputting a signal corresponding to an intensity of the received light beam. A spot of the light beam received by the photodetector is asymmetric in both a radial direction and a tangential direction of the optical disc. A lens shift signal for the objective lens is detected by a controller on the basis of the signal output from the photodetector, the controller controlling the objective lens to follow the optical disc.

Abstract: An optical pickup includes an optical system in which light from a light source is introduced through an objective lens into an optical recording medium and in which light reflected from the optical recording medium is introduced into a light-receiving unit and an objective lens driving unit for driving the objective lens based on a light output detected at said light-receiving unit. In this optical pickup, a diffraction element is provided between the light source and the objective lens, the diffraction element is provided with at least first and second diffraction areas and the first and second diffraction areas have such grating shapes that ±first-order diffracted lights diffracted are received by the light-receiving unit at the position in which 0-th order light and ±first-order diffracted lights generated from guide grooves of the optical recording medium may not overlap with each other.

Abstract: A tracking error detecting method comprises the steps of causing intensity distributions of single light introduced into an objective lens to have symmetry with respect to the track direction of an optical recording medium and the direction oblique to the direction perpendicular to the track direction, dividing a light-receiving unit into at least light-receiving units of the track direction and light-receiving units of the direction perpendicular to the track direction and detecting a tracking error signal based on detection signals from the divided light-receiving units.

Abstract: A method for separating light coming from an illuminated multilayer medium having a plurality of reflective surfaces to reach a light receiver through a focusing lens includes the steps of splitting the light traveling toward the light receiver through the focusing lens into at least two portions along the optical axis thereof and separating a light component coming from a particular position of the illuminated medium from each of the split portions of the light by removing a light component focused at a position closer to the focusing lens than the focal position of the light component coming from the particular position between the two focal positions and/or removing a light component focused at a position closer to the light receiver than the focal position of the light component coming from the particular position between the two focal positions.

Abstract: An optical pickup includes at least a laser light source emitting a laser beam, a collimator lens system including a plurality of lenses for collimating the light beam emitted from the laser light source and incident thereupon as diffused light, and an objective lens. The laser beam transmitted through the collimator lens system is incident upon the objective lens. The collimator lens system includes a first lens unit held so as to be movable in an optical axis direction of the laser beam and a fixed second lens unit.

Abstract: An optical pickup includes a laser light source configured to emit laser light, an objective lens configured to focus the laser light emitted from the laser light onto an optical disk, and an image-formation magnification rate varying section for varying an image-formation magnification rate at which the laser light is focused on the optical disk.

Abstract: The present invention relates to novel compounds which contain no sulfur or chlorine, and which thus contribute to the cleaning of the environment as organo-metal complexes used in metal pastes, etc., and a method for manufacturing the same.Metal acetylide compounds expressed by the general formula M(--C.tbd.C--R).sub.n (in the formula, M indicates a metal atom, n indicates the valence number of the metal atom M, and R indicates a hydrocarbon group with 1 to 8 carbon atoms which may or may not contain an oxygen atom) are provided as novel organo-metal complexes. Since these compounds contain no sulfur or chlorine, there is no release of sulfurous acid gas or chlorine compounds when the compounds are used in metal pastes, etc., even if the pastes are fired. Accordingly, these compounds contribute to the cleaning of the environment.

Abstract: A metallic composition such as a metal liquid, metal paste, etc. is manufactured by using a metal acetylide compound expressed by the general formula M(--C.tbd.C--R).sub.n (in the formula, M indicates a metal atom, n indicates the valence number of the metal atom M, and R is a hydrocarbon group which may or may not contain oxygen atoms) as an organo-metal source, and by mixing and kneading an organic solvent and/or a resin together with such a metal acetylide compound. When this metallic composition is applied in a desired pattern to prescribed portions of electronic elements or ornamental items such as porcelain vessels or glass, etc., and at least these prescribed portions are dried and heated, the result is that the organic substances other than the metal are broken down and released, and the metal alone is sintered in the pattern. This pattern shows an ornamental metallic luster in the case of ornamental items, and forms electrodes in the case of electronic elements.

Abstract: A navigation-monitoring apparatus comprises a fixed ground station sending forth an interrogation signal to a ship and a transponder carried on the ship and transmitting a reply signal to the fixed ground station in response to the interrogation signal. A microwave sensor carried on the ship measures the distance between the ship and the nearest bank. Data on the measured distance is added to a reply signal sent forth from the ship to the fixed ground station. The fixed ground station measures an interval between a point of time at which the interrogation signal was issued and a point of time at which a reply signal from the ship was received, thereby defining the position of the ship from said time interval and data on the ship-to-bank distance.