Abstract: A spectral-characteristic acquisition apparatus and a method of obtaining spectral characteristics. The spectral-characteristic acquisition apparatus includes a conveyor including a first conveyance roller pair disposed in a conveyance direction in which an object is conveyed and a second conveyance roller pair disposed downstream from the first conveyance roller pair in the conveyance direction, a sensor to detect that the object has reached the second conveyance roller pair, circuitry to control the second conveyance roller pair to drive by a predetermined amount with a driving force greater than a driving force of the first conveyance roller pair upon detecting that the object has reached the second conveyance roller pair by the sensor and to stop driving, and a color data obtainer to obtain color data from the object at a position where the object stops moving. In the spectral-characteristic acquisition apparatus, the circuitry estimates a spectral characteristic of the object.

Abstract: A spectral-characteristic acquisition apparatus and a method of obtaining spectral characteristics. The spectral-characteristic acquisition apparatus includes a conveyor including a first conveyance roller pair disposed in a conveyance direction in which an object is conveyed and a second conveyance roller pair disposed downstream from the first conveyance roller pair in the conveyance direction, a sensor to detect that the object has reached the second conveyance roller pair, circuitry to control the second conveyance roller pair to drive by a predetermined amount with a driving force greater than a driving force of the first conveyance roller pair upon detecting that the object has reached the second conveyance roller pair by the sensor and to stop driving, and a color data obtainer to obtain color data from the object at a position where the object stops moving. In the spectral-characteristic acquisition apparatus, the circuitry estimates a spectral characteristic of the object.

Abstract: A high-frequency dielectric heating device includes: a high-frequency generating unit to generate a high-frequency electric field; multiple power amplifiers configured to amplify the high-frequency electric field; multiple electrode sections to apply the amplified high-frequency electric field to each of divided areas on a heated material; multiple matching units to detect an incident wave and a reflected wave between the power amplifiers and the electrode sections, respectively, and conduct impedance matching; multiple voltage detecting units to detect a voltage of each of the electrode sections; and a controller to control at least any of the high-frequency generating unit and the power amplifiers in accordance with a voltage, detected by the voltage detecting units, and control a setting for the matching unit such that a reflected wave, detected by the matching unit, is zero in accordance with an incident wave and a reflected wave that are detected by the matching unit.

Abstract: A high-frequency dielectric heating device includes: a high-frequency generating unit to generate a high-frequency electric field; multiple power amplifiers configured to amplify the high-frequency electric field; multiple electrode sections to apply the amplified high-frequency electric field to each of divided areas on a heated material; multiple matching units to detect an incident wave and a reflected wave between the power amplifiers and the electrode sections, respectively, and conduct impedance matching; multiple voltage detecting units to detect a voltage of each of the electrode sections; and a controller to control at least any of the high-frequency generating unit and the power amplifiers in accordance with a voltage, detected by the voltage detecting units, and control a setting for the matching unit such that a reflected wave, detected by the matching unit, is zero in accordance with an incident wave and a reflected wave that are detected by the matching unit.

Abstract: A phase-detector circuit is disclosed. The phase-detector circuit comprises a plurality of phase comparators which detects a phase difference between receipt data and a clock signal of a plurality of clock signals having the same frequency and phase difference of a predetermined angle with each other, and generates and outputs signals for up/down signals for synchronizing a phase. The phase comparator generates and outputs a signal for the up/down signals having a pulse width including a detected phase-time difference and a predetermined delay time.

Abstract: A high-speed serial communication receiver circuit includes a receiver circuit which receives a high-speed differential signal generated by adding a clock signal to communication data, to convert the differential signal to a binarized input data signal, a clock data recovery circuit which synchronizes an internal clock signal with the input data signal from the receiver circuit in phase to reproduce a restored clock signal and restored communication data for output, and a controller which controls an oscillation frequency of the internal clock signal to synchronize with the input data signal in phase, and controls the oscillation frequency of the internal clock signal to be constant when the high-speed operation signal contains noise.

Abstract: A switching power supply device includes a switching power supply integrated circuit that includes a dead time generating unit that generates high-side and low-side drive signals having a dead time based on a PWM signal, a drive signal generating unit that generates first and second PWM signals based on the drive signals and a voltage of an output terminal, and a driver that includes high-side and low-side switch elements driven by the PWM signals; a filter that is connected to the output terminal; a first diode having a cathode connected to the source of the high-side switch element and an anode connected to the output terminal; and a second diode having a cathode connected to the source of the low-side switch element and an anode connected to the output terminal. The first and second diodes are arranged outside the switching power supply integrated circuit.

Abstract: A phase-detector circuit is disclosed. The phase-detector circuit comprises a plurality of phase comparators which detects a phase difference between receipt data and a clock signal of a plurality of clock signals having the same frequency and phase difference of a predetermined angle with each other, and generates and outputs signals for up/down signals for synchronizing a phase. The phase comparator generates and outputs a signal for the up/down signals having a pulse width including a detected phase-time difference and a predetermined delay time.

Abstract: A sending and receiving system include a sending apparatus that performs a serial communication and includes a sending unit that sends a signal having a predetermined pattern; and a receiving apparatus that performs the serial communication and includes a receiving unit that provides the signal sent from the sending unit with an equalizing process depending on a setup value of an equalizer amount, a sampling unit that samples data obtained in the equalizing process by the receiving unit at a data rate higher than a data rate of the data, and a control unit that controls the setup value of the equalizer amount based on a change of the data corresponding to the predetermined pattern.

Abstract: A high-frequency clock generating circuit generates a plurality of high-frequency clock signals having different phases. A modulation-signal generating circuit generates a pulse modulation signal based on transition timing data including data pertaining to a turn-on timing at which a state of a light source is changed from a turn-off state to a turn-on state and a turn-off timing at which the state of the light source is changed from the turn-on state to the turn-off state by inputting any one of the high-frequency clock signals for a predetermined period including the turn-on timing and the turn-off timing.

Abstract: A deflector deflects a light beam emitted from a light source including a plurality of light-emitting units. A scanning optical system focuses the light beam deflected by the deflector on a scanning target surface. A monitoring photoreceiver receives a part of a light beam deflected by the deflector and directed toward an area within a scanning area outside an image area. A detecting unit individually detects emission powers of at least two light-emitting units based on an output signal of the monitoring photoreceiver in a single sweep of scanning.

Abstract: A high-frequency clock generating circuit generates a plurality of high-frequency clock signals having different phases. A modulation-signal generating circuit generates a pulse modulation signal based on transition timing data including data pertaining to a turn-on timing at which a state of a light source is changed from a turn-off state to a turn-on state and a turn-off timing at which the state of the light source is changed from the turn-on state to the turn-off state by inputting any one of the high-frequency clock signals for a predetermined period including the turn-on timing and the turn-off timing.

Abstract: A write control circuit includes a first data switching circuit that sets a correspondence relationship between signals from line buffers and input signals to a delay circuitry, based on a signal from a CPU; and a second data switching circuit that sets a correspondence relationship between output signals of the delay circuitry and drive signals, based on a signal from the CPU. This enables a plurality of light emitting sections to be driven properly, regardless of a main scanning direction and an arrangement of a plurality of light spots being in any of CASE-1 to CASE-4 in an optical scanning device.

Abstract: A switching power supply device includes a switching power supply integrated circuit that includes a dead time generating unit that generates high-side and low-side drive signals having a dead time based on a PWM signal, a drive signal generating unit that generates first and second PWM signals based on the drive signals and a voltage of an output terminal, and a driver that includes high-side and low-side switch elements driven by the PWM signals; a filter that is connected to the output terminal; a first diode having a cathode connected to the source of the high-side switch element and an anode connected to the output terminal; and a second diode having a cathode connected to the source of the low-side switch element and an anode connected to the output terminal. The first and second diodes are arranged outside the switching power supply integrated circuit.

Abstract: A light-source driving device includes a high-frequency clock generating circuit that generates high-frequency clock signals of which phases are different from each other; an image-data generating circuit that generates a plurality of pieces of image data corresponding to light emitting units in accordance with image information; a write control circuit that generates a plurality of pieces of modulation data corresponding to the light emitting units based on the image data and adjusts output timing of the modulation data individually in units of time corresponding to a phase difference of the high-frequency clock signals; and a light-source driving circuit that drives the light emitting units based on a plurality of pieces of PWM data output from the write control circuit.

Abstract: A high-frequency clock generating circuit generates a plurality of high-frequency clock signals having different phases. A modulation-signal generating circuit generates a pulse modulation signal based on transition timing data including data pertaining to a turn-on timing at which a state of a light source is changed from a turn-off state to a turn-on state and a turn-off timing at which the state of the light source is changed from the turn-on state to the turn-off state by inputting any one of the high-frequency clock signals for a predetermined period including the turn-on timing and the turn-off timing.

Abstract: A pixel clock generator that generates a pixel clock to regulate a drive timing of a scanning light source includes a data generating circuit that generates phase data based on a phase data pattern to correct an uneven scanning speed and fluctuation of scanning widths, and a pixel clock generating circuit generates a pixel clock having a long cycle based on a high-frequency clock and that performs a phase shift for the pixel clock based on the high-frequency clock. The phase pattern is set-such that difference in an amount of the phase shift between the pixel clocks adjacent to each other does not exceed a basic amount of the phase shift of the pixel clock generating circuit.

Abstract: A pixel clock and pulse-modulation-signal generating device includes a high-frequency-clock generating unit that generates a high-frequency clock; a modulation-data generating unit that generates, based on pixel control data that specifies a pixel length and image data, phase data that indicates a transition timing of a pixel clock and modulation data that indicates a desired bit pattern that corresponds to the image data; a pixel-clock generating unit that generates a pixel clock based on the high-frequency clock, the phase data, and a horizontal synchronization signal; and a serial-modulation-signal generating unit that inputs the modulation data, and outputs a pulse modulation signal in a serial pulse string based on the high-frequency clock.

Abstract: An optical scanning apparatus that includes a light source unit having plural main light sources that are two-dimensionally arranged in the main scanning direction and the sub scanning direction, and plural sub light sources that are arranged between rows of the main light sources aligned in the main scanning direction. The optical scanning apparatus also includes an optical system configured to scan light emitted from the light source unit on a scanning object to form an image on the scanning object, and a control apparatus configured to adjust a main scanning direction image position by controlling two of the main light sources that are juxtaposed to each other with respect to the main scanning direction and adjust a sub scanning direction image position by controlling a main light source and a sub light source that are adjacent to each other.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an optical scanning device that scans a scan area on an image carrier with light flux containing image information and writes the image information onto an image area in the scan area. In the optical scanning device, a first light receiving unit receives light flux emitted from a light source and reflected by a reflecting optical unit; a second light receiving unit receives light flux that passes through an aperture of the reflecting optical unit, is deflected by a deflecting unit, and heads for outside the image area within the scan area; and a control unit controls a drive signal of the light source based on signals output from the first and second light receiving units.