Sony Corporation

Stanley Electric Co., Ltd

Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Tokyo Shibaura Denki Kabushiki Kaisha

Kenji Nagashima

Eiji Kumagai

Toshio Morizumi

Takao Takahashi

Hiroshi Amano

Hideyuki Uemura

Satoshi Kumai

Yoshio Okamoto

Hiroyoshi Sekiguchi

Eiji Yamamoto

Takumi Arie

Tetsuji Kawashima

Keisuke Ishii

Hiroshi Matsumoto

Nobuo Iwase

Hidekazu Seto

Hidehiro Kume

Hirosi Oodaira

Etsufumi Yamamoto

Takashi Nakai

Futoshi Tsukada

Yuichi Ando

Yoshitsugu Fujimaki

Eita Watanabe

Kunio Tsuboi

Naoya Matsumaru

Atsushi Ogasawara

Shigeru Ouchida

Rui Nishiyama

Daisuke Nagatomo

Toshihiro Imai

Morito Yokoyama

Masataka Tanaka

A light source deviceincludes a laser diodeconfigured to emit laser light LDb, a fluorescent bodyconfigured to generate primary fluorescence FLfrom the laser light LDb, a notch filterconfigured to generate secondary fluorescence FLfrom the primary fluorescence FL, an LEDconfigured to emit LED light LEb, and a dichroic mirrorconfigured to combine the secondary fluorescence FLand the LED light LEb.

Light source device

Provided is an optical scanner including: a mirror driving unit which drives a scanning mirror which reflects light from a light source based on a drive signal; an optical sensor which detects scanning light entering first and second detection positions set on both sides of a range of the maximum scan angle within the range; and a calibrating unit which calibrates the intensity of the drive signal based on the time point at which the detection is performed and the frequency and intensity of the drive signal.

Optical scanner comprising a calibrating unit to calibrate intensity of the drive signal applied to a mirror driving unit

A laser module has a base portion having a metal holding portion; a laser light source fixed to the base portion; an optical outputting portion deriving the laser light from a collimating optical system out of the base portion. The collimating optical system includes an input lens receiving the laser light from the laser light source; and an output lens receiving the laser light from the input lens and outputting the laser light to the optical outputting portion, each located in order from the laser light source. The input lens is a convex lens fixed in a first cylinder body made of metal and welded to the holding portion. The output lens is a convex lens having a focal point length longer than that of the input lens and held by the holding member glued to the base portion.

Laser module

An imaging apparatus includes a plurality of imaging sections that images an imaging region, a parallax information generator that generates parallax information based on images by the imaging sections, and an exposure amount controller that determines an exposure amount for use in the imaging sections in a subsequent imaging operation to increase a number of parallax values contained in a parallax value group of an image portion showing a target in the imaging region, wherein the exposure amount controller executes parallax information obtaining control that obtains the parallax information corresponding to a plurality of exposure amounts generated based on the images with the exposure amounts, and executes exposure amount identifying control that identifies the exposure amount corresponding to the parallax information having a maximum number of parallax values in the obtained parallax information to determine the exposure amount for use in the imaging sections based on the identified exposure amount.

Imaging apparatus, imaging method, and imaging operation control program

Front-mounted in-vehicle equipment arranged to a front part of a vehicle internal space, rear-mounted in-vehicle equipment arranged to a rear part of the vehicle internal space, and a connection adapted to connect the front-mounted in-vehicle equipment and the rear-mounted in-vehicle equipment is described. Rear-mounted in-vehicle equipment controls the front-mounted in-vehicle equipment via a keyboard or game controller, thereby allowing a passenger to control the front-mounted in-vehicle equipment in a straightforward manner from the rear-mounted in-vehicle equipment instead of the driver operating the front-mounted in-vehicle equipment. The rear-mounted in-vehicle equipment can be denied access to overwriting information related to music data in the front-mounted in-vehicle equipment.

In-vehicle equipment system

A map display apparatus is provided to allow a user to easily find out destinations on maps without forcing him/her to perform troublesome operations. An apparatus displays a main map image showing a current position at substantially a center of a screen. The apparatus also disposes a plurality of map images around the main map image in thumbnail format such that each map image corresponds to each direction on the main map image. In this manner, the apparatus provides the user with information about wider area than the main map image by showing him/her the thumbnails , which are disposed around the main map image such that each thumbnail corresponds to each direction on the main map image That allows the user to easily find out destinations on maps without forcing him/her to perform troublesome operations.

Map display apparatus and map display method

After the initiation of writing, an output signal from an LPF is sampled in correspondence with a portion with a predetermined pulse width of recording data, so as to obtain a pit level. In the resultant signal, its varying portions which correspond to the multi-pulse trains of the write signal are smoothed. A controller modifies a level of a target level signal to be supplied to an APC circuit in such a manner that the pit level becomes an optimum pit level which has been obtained prior to the initiation of writing.

Optical recording apparatus, and method for controlling laser power therein by filtering and then sampling a returned light signal

In a CIRC encoder for carrying out error correction coding processing with a CIRC, a first interleaver and a second interleaver are provided which have different delay parameters, and these interleavers are switched in accordance with the recording density of an optical disc for recording data. Also, in a CIRC decoder, a first deinterleaver corresponding to the first interleaver and a second deinterleaver corresponding to the second interleaver are provided, and these deinterleavers are switched in accordance with the recording density of an optical disc for reproducing data. A recording/reproducing system is realized which is capable of carrying out appropriate recording and reproduction of data to and from an optical disc having a higher recording density can be carried out and is also capable of handling an optical disc of an existing format.

Data recording device, data reproducing device, and optical disc

An optical recording/reproducing apparatus having drive means for rotating a recording medium, an optical head for applying light to the recording medium being rotated by the drive means, thereby to record data signals on the recording medium or reproducing data from the recording medium, and a signal-processing circuit for processing a signal detected by the optical head. The optical head comprises a light source for emitting light, an objective lens, and signal detecting means. The objective lens has a numerical aperture NA, where 0.5<NA&lE;0.6. The apparatus can reliably record data on and reproduce data from high-density optical recording media that have different track pitches.

Optical drive apparatus for use with different recording media, tracking control method for use therein, and optical disc

A laser light beam is illuminated via an objective lens on the signal surface of an optical disc and the objective lens is displaced by a servo processor along the optical axis for focussing search to generate focussing error signals by a RF block from a detected output of the laser light by the signal surface of the optical disc. Based on these focussing error signals, a system controller discriminates the types of the optical disc having different numbers of signal recording layers for setting an operating mode in keeping with the types of the optical disc.

Optical disc device and optical disc discriminating method

The present invention provides a disc drive apparatus which identifies a type of a disc mounted on the apparatus by using reflected beam data obtained from a laser beam focused on the disc surface and other reflected beam data obtained from the laser beam being focused on the disc signal plane. For example, while forcibly changing the laser beam focusing point within a variable range at a predetermined velocity, a luminous energy signal or a focus error signal is used to count a time difference between a timing of focusing on the disc surface and a timing of focusing on the disc signal plane. According to the time difference obtained, the disc mounted is identified as a first type of disc or a second type of disc.

Disc drive apparatus for more than one type of disc

A semiconductor laser device is comprised of a first lead member having a mounting portion for mounting a semiconductor laser, at least one second lead member to be connected to the semiconductor laser, and a resin mold member for unitarily molding the first and second lead members, wherein the resin mold member has a recess portion for receiving the semiconductor laser therein and for exposing therein the mounting portion of the first lead member and a part of the second lead member, and wherein the semiconductor laser is electrically connected to the first and second lead members within the recess portion.

Semiconductor laser with encapsulated lead members

An optical pickup device is disclosed in which a light beam from a laser light source is converged by an object lens on a signal recording surface of an optical disk to follow recording tracks formed on the signal recording surface to read out or write data on or from the signal recording surface. A semiconductor laser unit is used as a laser light source and is so arranged that the meridional plane of the light beam emanating from the semiconductor laser unit is inclined 30.degree. to 60.degree. with respect to the tangential direction of the recording track.

Optical pickup device

A method for manufacturing a hybrid integrated circuit device comprising a step of forming an Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 layer on a metal substrate, a step of forming on the Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 layer a resist layer having a pattern opposite to that of a copper layer which will be formed on the Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 layer by a later step, a step of forming the copper layer on the Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 layer using the resist layer as a mask, a step of impregnating thermosetting material into both the Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 layer and the copper layer, and a step of providing at least one semiconductor element on the copper layer.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Kenji Nagashima