Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Clarion Co

Calsonic Kansei Corporation

Takeshi Baba

Masayuki Usui

Kazuhiko Matsuoka

Kazuo Minoura

Hiroyasu Nose

Noriyuki Nose

Hiroyuki Imataki

Takashi Serizawa

Shigeyuki Suda

Yukichi Niwa

Nobuo Kushibiki

Toshiyuki Nakajima

Atsushi Someya

Yukuo Nishimura

Masakazu Matsugu

Eigo Kawakami

Akiya Nakai

Masakazu Hasegawa

Tomoji Yoshida

Masahiko Shirai

Shuji Yamoto

Tokuko Kanda

Minoru Yoshii

Setsuo Minami

Yuko Suga

Mitsuhiro Tokuhara

Jun Hattori

Tetsuo Sueda

Masayuki Suzuki

Masahiro Okuda

Hideo Yoshikawa

Akinori Hasu

Yuko Miyajima

Kazuyo Matsumoto

An indicating instrument includes an indicating needle provided in an instrument board, a stopper device to define a turning start position and a returning position of the indicating needle, a stepping motor for driving the indicating needle, and a control device to control the stepping motor; the control device outputs a zero reset signal for returning the indicating needle to the stopper device and a signal for moving the indicating needle away from the stopper device to the stepping motor when the stepping motor is turned on or turned off to carry out a missed step reset processing.

Indicating instrument

In a mail sending apparatus, an attached file generation unit generates an attached file in which an access method for a designated file is described. A mail tool attaches the attached file to a mail message to form mail data, and transmits it to a designated destination through a mail server. In a mail receiving apparatus, a mail reader extracts the attached file from the mail data received through a mail server. An attached file analysis unit analyzes the access method described in the attached file. A file reception unit accesses a file management/transmission tool in accordance with the access method to receive and display the designated file.

Information processing system capable of file transmission and information processing apparatus in the system

A proxy server is present in the path between the client and server, and intervenes in communication therebetween. Upon receiving a request from the client according to the HTTP protocol, the proxy server specifies a server based on the request, and determines the communication protocol to be used in the communication with the specified server. If the CM protocol is determined, the proxy server generates request data suitable for the CM protocol by adding necessary information, so as to implement the request contents included in the request, and communicates with the server. The proxy server sends back the processing result based on the request to the client according to the HTTP protocol.

Information processing apparatus and method

An anti-theft apparatus for use in a vehicle-mounted electronic component includes a removable control panel. Protrusions on a first side of the control panel engage holes in a first side of an equipment body of the electronic component and function as hinges as the control panel is rotated to a mounted position. A first electrical connector on the equipment body engages a second electrical connector on a rear surface of the control panel and a biasing member exerts a force against the rear surface of the control panel. The control panel includes a recess in a second side into which a locking protrusion of a locking mechanism in the equipment body extends. A button actuates the locking mechanism retracting the locking protrusion and allowing the biasing member to eject the control panel from the equipment body. The locking protrusion is retracted by a sliding cam or directly by depression of the button. Another embodiment includes a concavity in the control panel which engages a deflectable protrusion on the equipment body after the release button is depressed so as to retain the control panel in an ejected position for removal by the user. Elastic members engage the protrusions of the control panel providing a click feel during removal and retain the control panel in the ejected position. Another embodiment includes an elastic protrusion in the equipment body which engages a corresponding concavity in the front panel to retain the front panel in an ejection position.

Vehicle-mounted equipment anti-theft mechanism

When an operating unit (10) of a vehicle-mounted electronic equipment is attached to its equipment body (20), a first engaging portion (18) and a second engaging portion (24) of engaging means are engaged and the operating unit is turned around the engaging means in a direction in which the operating unit contacts the equipment body substantially completely. In this case, a releasing member (11) moves a locking member (4) to a releasing position. Under such situation, a locking portion (7) of the operating unit and a locking portion (6) of the equipment body are aligned in position. The locking member (4) is then turned to a locking position where the locking means is locked to thereby complete the attachment of the operating unit to the equipment body. When the operating unit is to be removed from the equipment body, the releasing member (11) is operated to release the restriction of the locking member (4) by a restricting member (3), and the locking member is turned in a releasing direction to thereby release the locking means and hence remove the operating unit from the equipment body.

Apparatus for locking an operating unit to a vehicle-mounted electronic

An in-focus detecting device comprising a photo-electric converter element for converting an object image formed on the image receiving surface thereof through an image forming lens, a drive mechanism for controlling the focusing position of the lens, a focus degree detecting circuit for detecting the degree of focus in a prescribed distance measuring frame of the image receiving surface and the degree of focus outside the frame on the basis of the output signal of the photo-electric converter element, and a control circuit, responsive to the output of the focus degree detecting circuit representing that the degree of focus in the distance measuring frame is below a prescribed level, for comparing the degree of focus in the distance measuring frame with the degree of focus outside the frame to determine the direction of the image forming lens to be driven.

In-focus detecting device

A process for producing an optical element wherein an optical molding is formed by using a mold and thereafter released from the mold by supplying a gas to the boundary between the mold surface and the optical molding. In the process, no localized external force is applied to the optical molding during the release thereof, and therefore undesirable deformation or flaws of the optical molding are not caused.

Process for producing optical element

An optical element whose focal length is variable comprises a medium whose refractive index is variable by temperature, a heating device for imparting heat to the medium to cause an index gradient resulting from a temperature distribution to be created in the medium, and a device for controlling the amount of heat imparted to the medium by the heating device to vary the shape of the index gradient formed in the medium.

Varifocal optical element

An automatic focusing device which is arranged to perform a focusing action by detecting the peak value of a high frequency component of a video signal obtained from within a focus detecting area set on the image sensing plane of an image sensor and by driving a photo taking optical system in such a way as to increase the detected peak value comprises: a peak position detecting circuit which locates a position on the image sensing plane at which the peak value of the high frequency component of the video signal is detected; and a gate control circuit which changes the position of the focus detecting area in accordance with the detected peak position which is located by the peak position detecting circuit.

Automatic focusing device

A variable aberration imaging optical system comprises an imaging optical system and an optical device disposed in the optical system and capable of controlling the imaging characteristic of the imaging optical system. The optical device has a medium for forming an index gradient therein by heat, and a device for imparting heat to a desired position on the medium.

Variable aberration imaging optical system

This specification discloses a light modulating device comprising a liquid medium whose physical properties are variable by heat, and a heat-generating element for heating the liquid medium to such a degree that boiling does not occur to the liquid medium. The specification also discloses a light modulation apparatus comprising a liquid medium whose physical properties are variable by heat, a heat-generating element for heating the liquid medium to such a degree that boiling does not occur to the liquid medium, and a optical system for taking out one of a light flux modulated by the variation in physical properties of the liquid medium and a light flux not modulated by said variation from a state in which the light fluxes are mixedly present.

Light modulating device

An optical device is composed by sandwiching a deformable member between sandwiching members. The deformable member has a shear modulus decreasing toward the inside. The deformable member may be a combination of a core and a coating with different shear moduli or a single body having a continuoudly decreasing shear modulus. The sandwiching members may be a flat plate either transparent or opaque or a lens with or without reflecting film. Because of inner soft and outer hard elastic nature of the deformable member, the sandwiching members can easily change their relative position to change an optical path and an imaging position of the optical device with good durability.

Optical device

A zoom lens having a plurality of lens units at least one of which includes a variable refractive index element for zooming and focusing purpose. The refractive index of the variable refractive index element of the zoom lens is varied by an output from an auto-focus detection device.

Zoom lens with a variable refractive index element

A variable focus optical element comprises plural elastic members superposed in the axial direction and a deforming member having an aperture to cause the elastic member to protrude therefrom or descend therein thereby deforming the surface of the elastic members, and the modulus of elasticity of an elastic member at the protruding side is selected larger than that of another elastic member adjacent to first-mentioned elastic member at the protruding side. A focus detecting device comprises an imaging optical system having a variable-focus optical element, an image sensor provided at a determined image plane of the imaging optical system or an optically equivalent position, a sharpness detecting device for detecting the sharpness of the image from image signals obtained from the image sensor, and a device for varying the refractive power of the variable-focus optical element, and the focus state of the image on the image sensor is detected by comparing the sharpnesses detected by the sharpness detecting device at plural refractive powers of the variable-focus optical element.

Variable-focus optical element and focus detecting device utilizing the

An array lens comprises a member having a plurality of arranged openings, an elastic member provided in intimate contact with the member and having its surface shape deformable by an extraneous pressure, and means for imparting a force to the elastic member to deform the surface shape of the elastic member in the openings of the member.

Growing community of inventors

Yokohama, Japan

Takeshi Baba