Abstract: A projection exposure apparatus and method forms a first intensity distribution on a predetermined plane substantially conjugate with a pupil plane of a projection optical system. A shaping optical system is located between a light source and an optical integrator of an illumination optical system. The shaping optical system includes a diffraction optical member to generate diffracted light in a direction different from an optical axis of the illumination optical system. In addition, a movable optical element is provided to adjust the first intensity distribution. The first intensity distribution has an increased intensity portion apart from the optical axis relative to a portion of the first intensity distribution on the optical axis.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided which is capable of forming images on recording materials of various types and sizes. The image forming apparatus includes a storing member for storing recording materials having an arbitrary size, a size-information input device for inputting size information corresponding to the arbitrary size of the recording materials, and a controller for controlling an image forming operation according to the size information inputted by the size-information input device. The size information input by the size-information input device includes each of arbitrary values corresponding to longitudinal and lateral lengths of the recording materials.

Abstract: In a method and apparatus for controlling the temperature of a fixing device of the film heating type and the pressure rotary member driving type and an image forming apparatus provided with this fixing device, at the start of printing, the output of a thermistor near a heater is detected, and when the temperature difference &Dgr;T=T2−T1 between the detected temperature T1 and the fixing temperature T2 is smaller than a desired temperature T0, the raising timing of the heater is delayed. Thereby, a pressure roller is not-excessively warmed at hot start and slip can be prevented. Also, in the image forming apparatus having the film heating type fixing device, in the next printing after the lapse of a predetermined time after the termination of a printing operation, the target temperature and heater electrical energization starting timing of the fixing device are changed in conformity with the temperature of the fixing device.

Abstract: A compact substrate processing apparatus which is designed so that the number of transfer shafts is reduced, and the time required to exchange wafers is reduced, and further a pre-alignment device provided in an aligner (exposure system) is simplified, or the need for such a pre-alignment device is eliminated, thereby enabling an improvement of the throughput in production of semiconductor or other micro devices. A wafer is taken out from a cassette by a transfer arm. The transfer arm is moved along a slider body to transfer the wafer to a photoresist coating unit. After coating of a photoresist, the wafer is subjected to positioning with regard to the center and the rotation angle in a positioning unit. With the pre-aligned conditions thereof maintained, the wafer is loaded onto a wafer holder of a projection aligner through the transfer arm. After exposure, the wafer holder is moved in the direction +X, and the wafer is unloaded by a transfer arm which belongs to a developer.

Abstract: A developing device for developing a latent image formed on an image carrier with a developing liquid includes a liquid storing section for storing the liquid including a developing substance and a carrier liquid. A developer carrier deposits the liquid fed from the liquid storing section thereon. A float type liquid level sensor senses a liquid level in the liquid storing section. The liquid level sensor includes a magnetic force generating member, a magnetic force sensing device, and floats movable up and down in accordance with the liquid level in the liquid storing section. A distance between the magnetic force generating member and the magnetic force sensing device varies in accordance with the movement of the floats, allowing the liquid level to be determined based on the output of the magnetic force sensing device. An image forming apparatus may include the developing device.

Abstract: A charging device includes a rotatable elastic charging roller, contactable to a member to be charged, for electrically charging the member to be charged. The charging device also includes a DC voltage source for applying a DC voltage to the charging roller. The voltage source is capable of controlling the width of a variation of the DC voltage, the variation being caused by passage of a deformed portion of the charging roller, resulting from contact between the member to be charged and the charging roller, by a charging region of the charging roller for the member to be charged, to be not more than 1%.

Abstract: An apparatus for controlling the supply of a developing agent, installed in a developer, is equipped with a developing-agent amount detector to detect an amount of the developing agent consumed by the developer; a driving-time detector to detect a driving time for actually shaking the developing agent provided in the developer; a developing-agent density calculator to calculate an actual density of the developing agent in the developer based on the consumed amount of the developing agent detected by the developing-agent amount detector and the actual driving time detected by the driving-time detector; a developing-agent amount controller to compare the actual density detected by the developing-agent density calculator and a reference developing-agent density to perform forcible supply of the developing agent when the actual density is lower than the reference density whereas forcible consumption of the developing agent when the actual density is equal to or higher than the reference density; and a consumed-am

Abstract: An image formation apparatus has a branching claw with a first guide surface along a side of a sheet to be fed into a reversing path and a second guide surface along a side of a sheet to be fed out of the reversing path. This branching claw is disposed so as to enable switching between a first switching position where the sheet is allowed to be fed into the reversing path through its conveyance along the first guide surface, and a second switching position where the sheet is allowed to be forwarded from the reversing path toward the downstream side of a sheet conveying path through its conveyance along the second guide surface.

Abstract: In a recording medium conveying mechanism for an image forming apparatus of the present invention, a first and a second rotary body rotate in contact with each other for conveying a paper sheet to which a toner image is to be transferred. The first and second rotary bodies are respectively mounted on the apparatus body and an openable cover mounted on the apparatus body. The second rotary body moves into or out of contact with the first rotary body in interlocked relation to the closing or the opening, respectively, of the cover. The conveying mechanism includes a first support member rotatably supporting the first rotary body on the apparatus body and including a first engaging portion. A second support member rotatably supports the second rotary body on the cover and includes a second engaging portion. The first and second engaging portions mate with each other when the cover is closed.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus has an operation section for performing a predetermined display and a predetermined input. The image processing apparatus includes a first display device provided in the operation section and including a plurality of display sections to which a plurality of functions for performing image processing are respectively allocated, a second display device provided in the operation section and configured to display different indications with respect to a plurality of setting items set for each of the plurality of functions, a key which selects the functions, a key which selects the setting items, and a print section, in which indications of the functions respectively allocated to the display sections, indications of setting items that can be set by the functions and different indications for the respective setting items are printed near the plurality of display sections of the first display device.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an openable and closable member openable and closable relative to the main body of the apparatus. A switch, which is held by a holding member, detects, the opened and closed states of the openable and closable member. The holding member is movable relative to the main body of the apparatus. The openable-and-closable member has an engagement portion to be engaged with the switch, and the engagement portion positions the holding member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus and method using a toner containing toner particles having a coefficient of shape falling within a range of 1.0 to 1.6 of an amount of at least 65% by number, and having no protrusion of an amount of at least 50% by number, the image forming apparatus including a charging device for uniformly charging a photoreceptor, a developing device for developing an image obtained by imagewise exposure with the toner, a transfer device for transferring a toner image onto a transfer material, a fixing device for fixing, and a cleaning device for cleaning the photoreceptor after the transfer of a toner image, wherein when a toner image which is not to be transferred is formed on the photoreceptor, image formation is performed after cleaning is done a plurality of times for an area on which the toner image has been formed in the previous process.

Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, in an image forming apparatus of the type developing a latent image formed on an image carrier, which moves at a linear velocity of 400 mm/sec or above, with a developer containing toner grains having a volume mean grain size of 5 &mgr;m to 10 &mgr;m and 60 number percent to 80 number percent of which has a grain size of 5 &mgr;m or below, the developer contains carrier grains having a weight mean grain size of 65 &mgr;m or below. When use is made of toner with a small grain size, the apparatus successfully obviates background contamination, toner scattering and sleeve contamination without regard to operation speed or environmental conditions.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus and sheet feeder in which a recording-material transporting system is provided for transporting to an image forming section recording material supplied from a recording-material supplying section and for subsequently guiding the recording material to a recording-material discharging section. A portion of the transporting path is arranged on a rear side of the apparatus body located on an opposite side to the user operation side. At least either one of the recording-material supplying section and the recording-material transporting system is provided with a jam clearing section for allowing recording material jammed in the recording-material transporting system to be both accessed from and cleared on the user operation side without need to open any access panels on the side portions or rear portion of the apparatus body. As a result the apparatus may be located without reserving space for opening a side or rear access portion.

Abstract: An improved zero draft cylindrical noise attenuator for electrostatographic printers made of structural foam and having a cylindrical sidewall thicker than 4 mm throughout at least most of its circumference and a gap along the length of its long dimension. The improved attenuator more effectively dampens vibration and is less costly to make.

Abstract: In a heating-type toner-fixing unit using a ceramic heater and a cylindrical fixing film, the shape of the fixing face-side surface of a ceramic heater 10 which comes into contact with a fixing film 3 and the shape of the portions of a heater support 12 at least adjacent to the fixing face-side surface are formed into a shape that is almost identical to a naturally deformed shape of the fixing film 3 in a static state or a traveling state where the fixing film is pressed by a pressure roller 4 at a designated nip width. It is also possible that the nip portion and portions adjacent thereto at the entrance side and exit side are formed into a flat shape and portions other than the flat portions are formed into a curved surface shape along the cylindrical shape of the fixing film 3.

Abstract: An oil application roller capable of preventing an oil leak when the roller is left in the state where the rotation axis thereof runs vertically and also capable of preventing an oil escape from the roller in a fixing device. The oil application roller (15) includes a seal ring (25) at respective end portions of the roller (15). The seal ring (25) includes a vent hole (26) extending from an end face of the roller (15) to the outside of the seal ring (25), and the cross-sectional area of the vent hole is not less than 0.01 mm2 and not more than 1 mm2.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus that detects a type of recording sheet and sets an image forming condition in accordance with the detected type of sheet includes a feeding unit that feeds a sheet, an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet, and a reading unit that reads a picture of a surface of a sheet. A discriminating unit discriminates whether re-reading is necessary, on the basis of the picture. If so, another unit changes a reading condition of the reading unit and causes the reading unit to re-read the picture of the surface of the sheet. A detecting unit detects a type of sheet on the basis of the picture read by the reading unit, and a controlling unit controls an image forming condition on the basis of the result of the detection.

Abstract: An exposure method of exposing a mask pattern having linear features in orthogonal first and second directions onto an object including the steps of disposing a diffraction optical element that diffracts light in different directions from an optical axis of the illumination optical system between the light source and an optical integrator in the illumination optical system; distributing the diffracted light at regions apart from the optical axis on a predetermined plane substantially conjugate with a pupil plane of the projection optical system to form on the predetermined plane an intensity distribution having increased intensity portions relative to a portion on first and second axes defined to intersect each other at the optical axis along the first and second directions; and projecting the illuminated pattern having the intensity distribution onto the object.

Abstract: The present invention concerns controlling a potential used to form an electrostatic image for image formation. According to the invention, an electrostatic latent image is formed on an image bearing member using, for example, a potential stored in a memory. The potential of the latent image is detected, and if the potential is not within a specified range, the potential is controlled (i.e., changed) to form another latent image with the changed potential. The latent image is then developed and the density of the developed image detected. In one embodiment, the amount of developer to be replenished is then controlled based upon the detected density and a target potential value, where the target potential value is determined and set based on the detected density and the potential used in the potential controlling step.