Citizen Watch Company, Ltd.

Citizen Holdings Company, Ltd.

Shuji Naka

Akira Kato

Ken Kitamura

Naoki Fujii

Shinya Sato

Yoshiharu Takane

Yohsuke Noma

Yoshiyasu Watanabe

A radio wave watch includes: an exterior case; a dial plate disposed within the exterior case; a substrate disposed on a rear side of the dial plate within the exterior case; a first ground layer disposed on the substrate; an antenna that has a planar emitting electrode disposed between a center of the exterior case and an inner wall surface of the exterior case and opposed to the first ground layer, a planar short-circuit part electrically connecting an end part of the emitting electrode to the first ground layer, and a connecting part connecting the emitting electrode to a receiving circuit of the substrate; and a second ground layer disposed on an opposite side to the emission electrode side across the short-circuit part on the substrate and having a width equal to or greater than a width of the short-circuit part.

Radio wave watch

A portable radio-controlled watch includes a watch glass, an antenna that is formed on a backside of a circumference of the watch glass so as to be along the circumference, a feeder electrode adjacent to the antenna, a receiving circuit, an antenna connecting line that is at least a part of a connection circuit connecting the feeder electrode with the receiving circuit, where the antenna connecting line is directly connected to a back surface of the feeder electrode and extends in a direction away from the watch glass, and a dielectric that is disposed below the antenna and covers at least a part of the antenna in a plan view.

Portable radio-controlled watch

The present invention is directed to the provision of an optical pickup apparatus in which a liquid crystal optical element constructed by combining an aberration correcting liquid crystal panel and an n&#x3bb;/4 liquid crystal panel in an integral fashion is mounted in a tilted position. More specifically, the invention provides a liquid crystal optical element includes a first liquid crystal layer having a first rubbing direction and for correcting aberration, a second liquid crystal layer having a second rubbing direction and combined with the first liquid crystal layer in an integral fashion, and a transparent electrode for generating a potential difference across the second liquid crystal layer in order to control an amount of phase difference for the light beam passing through the second liquid crystal layer, and wherein the angle (&#x3c8;) that the second rubbing direction makes with the first rubbing direction is determined in accordance with the tilt angle (&#x3b1;) so that the second liquid crystal layer functions as an n&#x3bb;/4 plate. The invention also provides an optical pickup apparatus incorporating such a liquid crystal optical element.

Liquid crystal optical element and optical pickup apparatus

The present invention is directed to the provision of an optical pickup apparatus in which a liquid crystal optical element constructed by combining an aberration correcting liquid crystal panel and a &#x3bb;/4 liquid crystal panel in an integral fashion is mounted in a tilted position. More particularly, the invention provides a liquid crystal optical element comprising a first liquid crystal layer for correcting aberration, a second liquid crystal layer functioning as an n&#x3bb;/4 plate and combined in an integral fashion with the first liquid crystal layer, a transparent electrode for generating a potential difference on the second liquid crystal layer in order to control an amount of phase difference for the light beam passing through the second liquid crystal layer, and a driver for driving the transparent electrode so as to generate a potential difference that is the lowest among a plurality of potential differences that cause the second liquid crystal layer to function as an n&#x3bb;/4 plate. The invention also provides an optical pickup apparatus incorporating such a liquid crystal optical element.

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Fuchu, Japan

Shuji Naka