A light receiving and emitting element module includes a wiring substrate; a light emitting element and a light receiving element which are disposed on the wiring substrate; and a lens member having a lens portion, a support portion configured to support the lens portion disposed above the light emitting element and the light receiving element and a column disposed on a lower surface of the support portion, wherein a tip end of the column is in contact with an upper surface of the wiring substrate.

Disclosed is a touchpad system forming a human-machine interface, intended for a vehicle steering wheel. The touchpad system includes a light source illuminating the touchpad and a camera capturing light coming from the touchpad. The touchpad includes a first marker able to reflect the light coming from the light source, and the touchpad, with the exception of the first marker, being transparent to the light emitted by the light source. The system is notable in particular in that pressure on the touchpad causes the touchpad to move and in that, when the touchpad is in a first position, the first marker is not visible to the camera and, when the touchpad is in a second position, the first marker is visible to the camera.

An optical sensor arrangement comprises an emitting device (E) and a detection device (D) configured to emit and detect, respectively, electromagnetic radiation and a cover (C) arranged to cover the emitting and the detection device (E, D). The sensor arrangement comprises a first cover layer (C1) partially covering an inner surface of the cover (C) and having a first and a second opening located above the emitting and the detection device (E, D), respectively. The sensor arrangement comprises a second and a third cover layer (C2, C3) covering the inner surface at areas of the first and the second opening. A reflection and/or an absorption characteristics of at least one of the second and third cover layer (C2, C3) is adapted to a reflection and/or an absorption characteristics of the first cover layer (C1) for incident light within the specified spectrum.

An apparatus includes a display screen, and an optical proximity sensor module disposed behind the display screen. The optical proximity sensor module includes a light emitter operable to produce light having a wavelength for transmission through the display screen toward a target object, and a light sensor operable to sense light reflected by the target object and having the wavelength. The optical proximity sensor module can includes means for reducing a maximum energy density of a light beam produced by the light emitter. The means for reducing the maximum energy density of the light beam is disposed between the light emitter and the display screen so as to intersect the light beam produced by the light emitter. In some cases, there are multiple light emitters collectively operable to provide sufficient optical energy for proximity sensing without producing a visible spot on the display screen. These and other techniques can help reduce or eliminate display screen distortion caused by energy from the light emitters.

A weighing apparatus includes a sample holder (20), a protective housing (14, 16, 18) with an access port (181) and a closure element (26), a reflection sensor (34) with a radiation emitter (37) emitting sensor radiation (38) reflected by a reflecting object (39) and with a radiation receiver (42) receiving a sensor radiation component (40), reflected by the object and a control unit (32), connected to a motorized drive (30) of the closure element and to the reflection sensor, and which controls the motorized drive with a reflection sensor signal, for transferring the closure element between closed and open positions. A differentiating element subjects a sensor primary signal (52) of the reflection sensor to a differentiation. The primary signal depends on a reflection intensity of the reflected radiation component and generates a sensor secondary signal (60). The control unit controls the motorized drive based on the sign of the secondary signal.

A sensor assembly including a sensor, a sensor housing that carries the sensor, a mounting member that pivotally engages with the sensor housing, an adjustment member for selecting an angular position of the sensor housing relative to the mounting member, and a locking mechanism for locking the sensor housing at the selected angular position relative to the mounting member. The adjustment member is moveable relative to the mounting member between a first location and a second location, and engages with the sensor housing to pivot the sensor housing about a pivot axis relative to the mounting member between a first angular position and a second angular position.

An optical sensor, optical system, and proximity sensor are disclosed. An illustrative proximity sensor is disclosed to include a light source, a photodetector including a photo-sensitive area that receives incident light and converts the received incident light into an electrical signal, and a plurality of polarization layers stacked on the photodetector that limit light from becoming received incident light for the photo-sensitive area to light traveling toward the photodetector along a predetermined path.

A method and apparatus for ranging finding of signal transmitting devices is provided. The method of signal reception is digitally based only and does not require receivers that are analog measurement devices. Ranging can be achieved using a single pulse emitting device operating in range spaced relation with a minimum of a single signal transmitter and a single digital receiver and processing circuitry. In general a plurality of transmitting pulsed emitters may be ranged and positioned virtually simultaneously in 3-dimensions (XYZ coordinates) using a configuration of a plurality of digital receivers arranged in any fixed 3-dimensional configuration. Applications may involve at least one single transmitter to receiver design to determine range, or at least one transmitted reflecting signal off from an object to determine range.

A light receiving and emitting element module includes a substrate; a light emitting element and a light receiving element on an upper surface of the substrate; a frame-shaped outer wall that on the upper surface of the substrate; and a light shielding wall that is positioned inside the outer wall and partitions an internal space of the outer wall into spaces respectively corresponding to the light emitting element and the light receiving element. The light shielding wall includes a light emitting element-side shading surface on the light emitting element side, a light receiving element-side shading surface on the light receiving element side, and a lower surface that is connected to each of the light emitting element-side shading surface and the light receiving element-side shading surface, and that faces the substrate. The lower surface has an inclined surface inclined with respect to the upper surface of the substrate.

An optical sensor, optical system, and proximity sensor are disclosed. An illustrative proximity sensor is disclosed to include a light source, a photodetector including a photo-sensitive area that receives incident light and converts the received incident light into an electrical signal, and a plurality of polarization layers stacked on the photodetector that limit light from becoming received incident light for the photo-sensitive area to light traveling toward the photodetector along a predetermined path.