Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Kazuya Matsumoto

Susumu Matsumura

Naoto Kawamura

Tetsuro Kuwayama

Youichi Okuno

Kiyonobu Endo

Nobuyoshi Tanaka

Takashi Suzuki

Aiichiro Koyama

Mamoru Miyawaki

Tadashi Ito

Noriyuki Nose

Setsuo Minami

Shigetaro Ogura

Mitsuo Takeda

Takao Tsuji

Akio Yano

Tokuichi Tsunekawa

Kazuo Tanaka

Kazuo Minoura

Hideaki Sato

Masataka Yashima

Osamu Kanome

Takehiko Kiyohara

Eigo Kawakami

Naoki Ayata

Kikuo Momiyama

Takeo Ono

Takashi Kitamura

Hiroyuki Imataki

Hitoshi Oda

Masamichi Tateoka

Tsuyoshi Santoh

Masaaki Matsushima

Isao Yamaguchi

Takeshi Goshima

Yasuo Tomita

Kiyoshi Iizuka

Hisashi Nakatsui

Tomoaki Kawamura

Matsuo Takashima

Minoru Ohtsuka

Tokuichi Tsunlkawa

Optical pickup apparatus using split beams impinging on different photo-detector areas includes optical structure for projecting a light beam polarized in a predetermined direction toward a recording medium where information is recorded. Optical separating structure is provided for dividing a light beam reflected by the recording medium, with modulation of its polarization state in accordance with the recorded information, into first and second light beams which are polarized in directions perpendicular to each other. First and second light detectors respectively detect the first and second light beams. Preferably, a single lens is located between the separation structure and the first and second light detectors for converging the first and second light beams. Also preferably, the first and second light detectors are formed on the same substrate and are each divided into a plurality of light receiving areas. Further, an amplifier circuit is preferably formed on the same substrate as the first and second light detectors. Where the amplifier is a differential amplifier, it may produce an information signal by differentiating output signals of the first and second light detectors.

Optical pickup using split beams impinging on different photodetector

An optical pickup apparatus having a photo-detection unit having a plurality of detectors, a unit for converting a light beam emitted from a recording medium on which information is magnetically recorded and intensity-modulated, and splitting the light beam into two beams guide them respectively onto different areas of the photo-detection unit, and a device for processing outputs from each area of the photo-detection unit to provide an information signal.

An optical pickup device for producing information magnetically recorded on a recording medium includes a light source for generating a light beam polarized in a predetermined direction. An object lens is provided for focusing the light beam generated from the light source onto the recording medium. A beam splitter is arranged in an optical path extending from the light source to the recording medium, the beam splitter having a reflection plane for reflecting the light beam from the light source toward the recording medium. The beam splitter simultaneously causes the reflecting light from the recording medium to pass through the reflection plane to separate the reflected light beam from the light beam irradiated toward the recording medium. The polarization state of the reflecting light beam is modulated in accordance with the recorded information. The beam splitter splits the reflected light beam passed through the reflection plane into first and second light beams both of which are polarized in directions perpendicular to each other. The beam splitter has a bi-refractive property. First and second detection circuits are also provided for detecting the first and second light beams, respectively, and for providing first and second detection outputs respectively corresponding thereto. Circuitry is also provided for differentiating the detection outputs from the first and second detection circuits to provide information signals.

Optical pickup using split beams impinging on different photo-detector

An optical cutting method includes a step of detecting a center position on a sheet film with a position-detecting light flux; and a step of cutting out a disk film from the sheet film by projecting a cutting laser beam along circumference of a substantially circular form around the detected center position.

Optical cutting method and optical cutter

A solid state memory device has a thin film for bubble memory, a laser light source, and optical means using a laser light emitted from the laser light source to cause information to be stored in the form of bubbles on the thin film for bubble memory and reproduce the stored information.

Solid state memory device

A slider for guiding a movable article along a guide has an elastic guide member and a movable member which is movable along the guide and is in contact at least on a face with the guide. A standing surface elastic wave is generated on the face of the guide contacting the movable member for supporting the movable member on the peaks of the standing elastic wave.

Slider

A process for fabricating a color filter comprising a support and a color element layer comprises irradiating a coloring matter with an energy ray modulated by a pattern mask to melt or sublime the coloring matter and applying selectively the coloring matter to the support corresponding to the modulation to form the color element layer.

Process for fabricating color filters

In a light waveguide lens comprises a light waveguide and a lens portion provided in a portion of the light waveguide, the refractive index of the light waveguide and/or the lens portion is variable to vary the focal length of the lens portion, thereby causing the waveguide light to be accurately converged at a predetermined position.

Light waveguide lens

This specification discloses an information processing method and apparatus in which light deflected by diffraction is caused to arrive at the surface of a recording medium and when recording or reproduction of information is to be effected by effecting focus control or tracking control of the deflected light on the surface of the recording medium by the utilization of the O-order light in the diffraction, the deflected light can be moved at a high speed on the recording medium and accurate focus or tracking control of the deflected light is possible.

Information processing apparatus in which a deflected light and O-order

A waveguide for propagating a light beam, a coupler for coupling the light beam to the waveguide, and a thin film layer provided on the bottom surface of the coupler and consisting of a substance having a refractive index lower than the refractive indices of the waveguide and the coupler, the coupler being joined to the waveguide by optical contact with the thin film layer interposed therebetween, together constitute an optical coupler device which is compact and stable in optical coupling characteristic.

Method of making an optical coupler device utilizing volatile liquid to

An optical head comprises a light source unit for supplying a light beam, a condensing unit for condensing the light beam from the light source unit on an object surface and directing the light beam from the object surface to a detecting unit, the condensing unit being movable relative to the light source unit and the detecting unit, a detecting unit for detecting the light beam from the condensing unit, and a flexible optical transmitter forming an optical path leading from the light source unit to the condensing unit and an optical path leading from the condensing unit to the detecting unit.

Optical head and method of detecting the focus thereof

In a magnetooptic reproducing device wherein a light beam polarized in a predetermined direction is incident on a magnetic recording medium and signals recorded on the recording medium are optically read by the utilization of the magnetooptic effect, a polarization component of the signal light from the recording medium in a direction perpendicular to a polarization component in the predetermined direction is relatively increased as compared with the latter component, thereby enhancing the utilization efficiency of the signal light in detection and enabling detection of great S/N ratio or observation of a recorded pattern of high visibility. Also, signal recording as well as reproducing can be accomplished by one common optical system.

Magnetooptic reproducing device

This specification discloses an original reading apparatus for converting information such as pictures an writings on an original surface into electrical signals for reading. The apparatus comprises a carriage for moving an original in a predetermined direction, an illuminating system for illuminating a narrow line on the original perpendicular to the direction of movement of the original, a photoelectric sensor including a plurality of photoelectric elements arrayed in the direction of the illuminated line and over the width of the original, and means for reading the signals provided on each photoelectric conversion surface in the fashion of time series. In the apparatus, the illuminating system and the photoelectric sensor are made integral to form a compact head, and the head can scan the original while being in intimate contact with the original to thereby produce information signals of high resolution.

Information detecting apparatus

Beam deflecting device constructed with an optical waveguide, a pair of transducers for generating acoustic waves in the waveguide, a device for intersecting a first and a second light beam with acoustic waves from mutually different directions and for diffracting the light beams, a driving device for driving the transducers, and a device for effecting change-over between the first light beam and the second light beam.

Beam deflecting device

This specification discloses an original reading apparatus for converting information such as pictures and writings on an original surface into electrical signals for reading. The apparatus comprises a carriage for moving an original in a predetermined direction, an illuminating system for illuminating a narrow line on the original perpendicular to the direction of movement of the original, a photoelectric sensor including a plurality of photoelectric elements arrayed in the direction of the illuminated line and over the width of the original, and means for reading the signals provided on each photoelectric conversion surface in the fashion of time series. In the apparatus, the illuminating system and the photoelectric sensor are made integral to form a compact head, and the head can scan the original while being in intimate contact with the original to thereby produce information signals of high resolution.

Growing community of inventors

Yokohama, Japan

Kazuya Matsumoto