Nippon Sheet Glass Company, Limited

Niles Co., Ltd.

Nichia Corporation

Masahide Wakisaka

Harunobu Yoshida

Keiji Tsunetomo

Takashi Fukuzawa

Shuya Ogi

Hideki Imanishi

Fumitoshi Kobayashi

Koichiro Iki

Kiyotaka Sasaki

Tatsumi Tokuda

Hiroyuki Nemoto

Takashi Kishimoto

Naofumi Sumitani

Yukihisa Kusuda

Kunihito Sugimoto

Yasunao Kuroda

Takahisa Arima

Masaki Kitaoka

Tomihisa Saitou

Seiji Oono

There is provided an image sensor in which an enlargement of a substrate width is not caused even in a case that a rod-shaped light source is provided on both sides of a resin lens plate, respectively, and in which a positional accuracy of component is superior. The image sensor comprises a rod-shaped light source for irradiating light to an original placed on an original glass plate, an imaging optics for focusing light reflected on the original, and a light-receiving element for receiving light passing through the imaging optics, the light-receiving element being positioned at a predetermined location on a substrate which is provided with through holes for terminals of lead frames of the rod-shaped light source. The terminals of lead frames of the rod-shaped light source are bent toward the center of the substrate to be connected with the through holes.

Image sensor and image reading device

A light-emitting device includes a light-emitting element and a light-guiding member for causing light from the light-emitting element entering into it through one surface thereof. The light-emitting element includes a lead member with a light-emitting element chip mounted thereon and a molded member to which the lead member is secured. The lead member has a metallic part extending from the molded member, and the metallic part is bent. The thus arranged light-emitting device has an excellent heat release capability. An image reading apparatus using the light-emitting device is also provided.

Light-emitting device and image reading apparatus

A contact image sensor is provided including a housing, a slit plate a lens, one or two light sources and a light-receiving element array mounted on a light-receiving element array substrate. The housing contains the slit plate, the lens, the one or two light sources and the light-receiving element array substrate. The optical system of the contact image sensor is aligned and one or more depressions are formed on an end of the substrate for the alignment. Power to the one or two light sources is applied through one or more leads. Each of the one or more depressions is large enough so that each of the leads can be passed through the respective depressions.

Contact image sensor and methods for aligning a light element array substrate thereof

Cone-shaped projections are provided outside a lens forming area in the middle on one surface of a resin lens plate and depressions to be fitted to these projections are formed on the other surface. A resin lens array is formed by stacking the resin lens plates one over another through fitting these projections and depressions to each other. A fitting depression having a flat supporting seat face at a position on an optical path of light emitted by light-emitting elements of a light-emitting element array chip is formed in the lens holder, and the resin lens array is placed in the fitting depression. A transparent cover composed of a flat and smooth plate is arranged over the output surface of the resin lens array and a metal retainer is attached to the transparent cover so that a pressing pressure is always applied to the resin lens array.

Resin lens array and optical writing head

A lens arrayis formed as an erect 1:1 imaging lens by superimposing two lens platesandtogether. Each lens plateconsists of a number of micro lenseswhich are regularly provided at a predetermined pitch and in a two-dimensional manner. This lens plateis for example made by press molding the ultraviolet curing resin in a soft condition using a transparent mold and by irradiating the ultraviolet light on the ultraviolet curing resin from outside for hardening. Since the lens arrayis provided with micro lensesin rows in a sub-scanning direction, deterioration of an amount of light level resulting from the displacement between a light axis of the lens and an image sensoris not generated.

Lens array for image sensor and image-scanning device incorporating the lens array

The present invention provides an object-sensing device capable of estimating the presence of an object attached on a sensing surface, the kind of the object and the state of the object. An image is formed by a lens with light via the sensing surface, and the light is received by a light-receiving element portion in which a plurality of micro-light-receiving elements are arranged. In the object detection mode, totally reflected light from the sensing surface is received by the light-receiving element portion. The components are arranged at an angle that allows total reflection when there is no object, and does not allow the total reflection condition to be satisfied when there is an object. In the light scattering object detection mode, scattered light from the sensing surface is received by the light-receiving element portion. A signal pattern is obtained by joining detection signal levels of the micro-light-receiving elements in accordance with the arrangement of the micro-light-receiving elements. An increase portion or a drop portion of the signal pattern that appears in accordance with the presence of the object or a difference in the state thereof is analyzed, so that the kind and the state of the object such as a rain drop, muddy water, fogging, ice or the like are estimated.

Deposit detector and controller using the detector

An aligning tool having a plurality of grooves formed side by side is provided; gradient index rod lenses are placed in alignment within the grooves at an average spacing of 1 &#x3bc;m-5 &#x3bc;m; the gradient index rod lenses are fixed to form an integral unit as they maintain the aligned state; thereafter the end faces of each rod lens are polished.

Rod lens array and a process for producing the same

An object sensor is provided, which has a high object detection rate with respect to an object such as a raindrop adhering to a detection surface, and which is capable of detecting the presence/absence of an object with a high sensitivity. A light source, a detection surface, a focusing lens, and a plurality of photodetecting elements of a photodetecting unitform a focusing system of equal magnification that is capable of catching an image in a size smaller than an object to be detected. Light emitted from the light sourceis incident on the detection surfacevia a prismat a predetermined incident angle. Without a raindrop, the total internal reflection condition is satisfied as shown by a pathof a beam, so that the beam is subjected to the total internal reflection. Then, the beam passes through a prism, and is focused on a photodetecting surface of the photodetecting unitby the focusing lens. On the other hand, with a raindrop, the total internal reflection condition is not satisfied as shown by a trailof a beam, so that the beam passes therethrough and is not focused on the photodetecting unit. A difference in signal level is determined on the photodetecting element basis, so that an object covering the detection surfaceis detected.

Adhering substance detector and controller using the same

In an optical write head, a rod lens array, a substrate support member for supporting a substrate, and a driver circuit board are fixedly held by a support member. The support member and the substrate support member are formed from metallic material, and a frame of the rod lens array is formed from a glass plate. Further, distance between a light-emitting section of a light-emitting device array and a light-incident end face of the rod lens array is adjusted, by means of rotating eccentric pins. Further, light-emitting device array chips are die-bonded on the substrate bonded at predetermined positions on the substrate support member while the position of the substrate support member is taken as a reference plane.

Optical write head, and method of assembling the same

An aligning tool having a plurality of grooves formed side by side is provided; gradient index rod lenses are placed in alignment within the grooves at an average spacing of 1 &mgr;m-5 &mgr;m; the gradient index rod lenses are fixed to form an integral unit as they maintain the aligned state; thereafter the end faces of each rod lens are polished.

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Masahide Wakisaka