Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Shigeru Oouchida

Shin Aoki

Yuji Yamanaka

Jun Watanabe

Masanori Kobayashi

Hideaki Hirai

Hiroshi Akiyama

Manabu Seo

Goichi Akanuma

Tatsutoshi Kitajima

Shigeyoshi Misawa

Nobuhiro Morita

Tetsuya Sasaki

Yukiko Hamano

A range-finding device includes a plurality of image pickup units disposed at a predetermined interval with each other, a lens unit to form subject images of a subject on the plurality of image pickup units, the image pickup units on which the subject image is formed outputting signals of the subject image, and a distance calculation unit to calculate a distance to the subject based on the signals output from the image pickup units. The plurality of image pickup units are formed on a single substrate. The subject image is formed through the lens unit on at least two image pickup units of the plurality of image pickup units. The distance calculation unit calculates a distance to the subject based on the signals output from the at least two image pickup units on each of which the subject image is formed.

Range-finding device and imaging apparatus

An imaging apparatus includes: an imaging optical system that obtains an optical image of a photographic subject; a plurality of image sensor elements that output image data based on the optical image of the photographic subject obtained by the imaging optical system; an electric power supply controller that controls electric power supply to the plurality of image sensor elements; and a distance metering device that includes the plurality of image sensor elements and the electric power supply controller, and measures a distance to the photographic subject based on an output of the image sensor elements, wherein the plurality of image sensor elements are aligned in line and formed on one semiconductor wafer, and the electric power supply controller performs electric power supply to the plurality of image sensor elements in accordance with operating conditions set to the imaging apparatus.

Imaging apparatus

An image taking unit including a lens array, a light shielding member, and an image taking unit that acquires a compound eye image of a vein pattern of a living body held at a lens array. A shift estimation unit estimates an image shift amount between ommatidium images of the compound eye image. An image restructuring unit restructures a single image from the compound eye image by using the image shift amount. In at least one embodiment, a size correction unit corrects the size of the restructured single image with a magnification ratio determined by the estimated image shift amount and an image shift amount stored in a registration pattern storage unit so as to correspond to a registration pattern. As a result, it is possible to perform personal authentication while compensating influences due to fluctuations in a subject distance.

Personal authentication device and electronic device

Disclosed is a liquid droplet recognition apparatus for detecting liquid droplets attached to a front surface of a transparent member. The apparatus includes an image pickup apparatus that picks up a vertically polarized light image and a horizontally polarized light image at the front surface of the transparent member from a side of a rear surface of the transparent member; and a signal processing unit that determines whether the liquid droplets are attached to the front surface of the transparent member based on a polarized-light image ratio composed of the vertically polarized light image and the horizontally polarized light image picked up by the image pickup apparatus.

Liquid droplet recognition apparatus, raindrop recognition apparatus, and on-vehicle monitoring apparatus

A ranging device including: a lens array member which has first and second ranging lenses, optical axes of the pair of ranging lenses being parallel to each other, and first and second optical images of a subject being formed by the first and the second ranging lenses respectively; a mirror array member which has first and second reflecting members, each of the pair of reflecting members being provided with a reflecting plane; a medium mirror member which has first and second reflecting planes, the medium mirror member being arranged between the pair of reflecting members; an imaging element which is configured to convert the first and the second optical images to electronic signals; and an electronic circuit which is configured to calculate a distance to the subject based on the electronic signals output from the imaging element.

Ranging device and ranging module and image-capturing device using the ranging device or the ranging module

The distance measurement and photometry device includes: a case having an opening in its front surface; a rectangular lens array which is located on a front surface side of the case, which is made of a transparent resin material, and in which first and second distance measurement lenses and a photometry lens located between the distance measurement lenses are integrally formed in line; an image sensor board which is shaped like a thin plate, which is arranged on a back surface side of the case, and which is located opposed to the lens array; and two-dimensional distance measurement image sensors and photometry image sensor which are arranged on the image sensor board.

Distance measurement and photometry device, and imaging apparatus

A lighting device, including a first light source emitting light of a first wavelength; a second light source close to the first source, emitting light of a second wavelength in almost a same direction as that of the first source; a third light source located emitting light of a third wavelength in a direction different from that of the first and second sources; a coupling optical system coupling light from the first and second sources; another coupling optical system coupling light from the third source; and a light path synthesizer synthesizing a light path of light from the first, second and third sources, wherein the light path synthesizer includes a first surface reflecting light from the first source and transmitting light from the second and third sources and a second surface unparallel with the first surface, reflecting light from the second source and transmitting light from the third source.

Lighting device and projection image display unit

A disclosed optical recording medium includes multiple recording layer units in each of which one or more recording layers and one or more middle layers are stacked alternately; and one or more spacer layers. In the disclosed optical recording medium, the recording layer units and the spacer layers are stacked alternately in a depth direction of the optical recording medium.

Multilayer optical information recording medium, optical head, and optical drive

A disclosed optical information recording medium includes a guide track layer having grooves and ridges; and recording layers composed of an optical recording material and disposed above and below the guide track layer. The guide track layer is used to determine track positions on the recording layers.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Shigeru Oouchida