Abstract: An optical distance measuring device includes a light emitting part, a mirror, a scanner that scans a predetermined scanning range with an irradiation light by operating the mirror in a forward movement motion and a backward movement motion, a light receiving part that detects a reflected light returned by reflecting the irradiation light from a target existing in the scanning range, a distance calculating part that calculates a distance to the target, a timing signal generating part that generates the timing signal according to a signal from an outside of the optical distance measuring device, and a control unit that controls a light emission of the light emitting part and an operation of the scanner. The control unit synchronizes the operation of the scanner with a predetermined timing signal by adjusting a time of one cycle of the scanner while maintaining the distance measuring period of the forward movement motion.

Abstract: A ranging device includes a plurality of ranging units and a control unit configured to control the plurality of ranging units. Each of the ranging units includes a deflection member configured to deflect laser light and performs ranging processing that scans a predetermined ranging area with emitted laser light by rotating or oscillating the deflection member to change the emission azimuth of the laser light, and measures a distance to an object located in the emission azimuth based on reflected light received from the same azimuth as the emission azimuth. The plurality of ranging units include a first ranging unit and a second ranging unit with the ranging areas overlapping with each other.

Abstract: An optical distance measuring apparatus is provided with: a light emitting portion configured to emit irradiation light; a light receiving portion configured to output a signal according to an intensity of incident light including a reflected light resulting from the emitted irradiation light; a case that accommodates the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion; a distance measuring portion configured to perform a distance measurement process of measuring a distance to an object according to the intensity of the incident light; an error detecting portion configured to perform an error detection process of detecting an error in the light emitting portion using a reflected light resulting from the irradiation light emitted in a period when the distance measurement process is not performed.

Abstract: An object detection device includes: a light emitter that emits laser light as irradiation light; a light receiver that receives light including reflected light of the irradiation light; a plurality of constituents that perform operations to detect information on an object through operations of the light emitter and the light receiver and that have an increased current period in which a consumed current is a current larger than an average current; a common power supply that supplies power to the plurality of constituents; and a controller that controls the operations of the plurality of constituents so as to make a current output from the common power supply less than a predetermined upper-limit current.

Abstract: In a laser light emitting device including a plurality of laser light emitter each including a laser diode, a drive circuit configured to drive the laser diode by controlling the supply of a drive current to the laser diode, and a drive line through which the drive current flows from the drive circuit to the laser diode, a light emission detector includes a detection pattern placed so as to cause an electromagnetically induced current to flow in response to a drive current flowing through each drive line when the corresponding laser light emitter emits light. The light emission detector detects light emission from a driven laser diode by detecting the current flowing in the detection pattern.

Abstract: An optical distance measurement apparatus includes a casing, a light emitting unit, a mirror, a rotating unit, a light receiving unit, a window portion, and a reference angle marker. The light emitting unit emits laser light. The mirror is arranged inside the casing and reflects the laser light that is emitted from the light emitting unit. The rotating unit rotates the mirror. The light receiving unit includes a light receiving element for receiving incident light. The window portion is provided in the casing and is for emitting the laser light that is reflected by the mirror outside the casing. The reference angle marker is provided in at least either of the casing and the window portion, and is detected by the light receiving unit based on a rotation angle of the mirror being a reference rotation angle that is prescribed in advance.

Abstract: A distance measuring device includes a deflecting mirror configured to reflect transmission waves, and a swing motor configured to swing the deflecting mirror round a swing shaft so that scanning with the transmission waves is performed within a predetermined scanning region. The swing motor is configured to swing the deflecting mirror within a range of a predetermined rotation angle from a reference position, which is a rotational position of the deflecting mirror that reflects the transmission waves in a direction to a substantial center of the scanning region. The deflecting mirror is configured to return to the reference position when a distance measuring process, in which scanning with the transmission waves is repeated, ends.

Abstract: A rotation angle detection apparatus includes an incremental rotary scale and a detector. The rotary scale includes both a detection region having a scale formed therein for detecting a rotation angle of an object and a non-detection region having no scale formed therein. The detector generates, based on an input signal indicating change in the position of the scale of the detection region which changes according to change in the rotation angle of the object, an electrical signal that periodically changes according to the change in the position of the scale of the detection region. Further, the detector detects the rotation angle of the object based on the electrical signal. Furthermore, the detector detects a reference angle for the rotation angle of the object by counting the number of positional changes from an end of the scale of the detection region; the positional changes are indicated by the input signal.

Abstract: An optical ranging device installed in a vehicle includes: a light emitter that emits irradiation light; a scanner that scans a predefined scan region with the irradiation light; a light receiver that, in response to the scan with the irradiation light, receives light including reflected light of the irradiation light from the scan region and outputs an electrical signal corresponding to the reception state of the reflected light; and a measurer that measures the distance to an object within at least the scan region based on the signal output from the light receiver. The optical ranging device changes the state of scanning by the scanner with the irradiation light in accordance with the traveling situation of the vehicle.

Abstract: An optical ranging device comprises: a light emitting portion emitting laser light; a scanning portion performing a scan using the laser light emitted from the light emitting portion; a light receiving portion receiving incident light; a rotation angle sensor detecting a rotation angle of the scanning portion; and a control device configured to: acquire the rotation angle and output a drive signal to the light emitting portion, and use a correction value determined using at least an emission delay period from when the rotation angle is acquired to when the laser light is emitted, to perform at least one of a first correction control of an emission timing of the laser light and a second correction control of a detection angle of distance data generated using a received light signal output from the light receiving portion that received the laser light.

Abstract: In a system for monitoring surroundings of a vehicle, an optical ranging device including a light emitting unit, a light receiving unit configured to receive reflected light from a measurement region, toward which the illumination light from the light emitting unit is projected, and a measurement unit configured to measure a distance to an object within the measurement region using a signal corresponding to a state of the reflected light, output from the light receiving unit. A shape of the measurement region as the illumination light is projected along a horizontal direction onto a cylindrical plane along a vertical direction, surrounding the optical ranging device, is a narrow-at-end shape. The optical ranging device and another optical ranging device are arranged on the vehicle such that the illumination light from the optical ranging device has a larger depression angle than illumination light from the other optical ranging device.

Abstract: A laser emitting device has a constant current source, a single charging capacitor, and one or more laser emitters. The constant current source supplies a charging current to the single charging capacitor to charge the single charging capacitor. Each of the laser emitter has a laser diode and a drive circuit. Each laser diode emits laser light in response to a power supplied from the single charging capacitor. A charging current to be supplied to the single charging capacitor is less than a threshold current of the laser diode in each of the laser emitters.

Abstract: An optical detector includes a light emitter having a light emitting window extended in an extension direction to emit a projection beam from the light emitting window toward a measurement area and to detect a return beam from the measurement area. The optical detector includes a scanning mirror that scans by reflecting the projection beam. The scanning mirror swings within a finite angular range around a rotation axis that is along a direction corresponding to the extension direction.

Abstract: An optical detector is configured to project a projection beam toward a measurement area and detect a return beam from the measurement area. The optical detector includes: a projecting optical system that forms a projection optical axis to project the projection beam; a receiving optical system that forms a receiving optical axis to receive the return beam, and a housing having a housing chamber to house the projecting optical system and the receiving optical system, and an optical window for the projection beam and the return beam to travel between the housing chamber and the measurement area. The projection optical axis and the receiving optical axis are offset from each other to define an overlap region inside the housing chamber where footprints of the projection beam and the return beam overlap with each other.

Abstract: An optical distance measuring device includes a light emitting element in which a plurality of light emitting units 16 that emit light are arranged so that a gap is present between adjacent ones of the light emitting units, a transmission unit through which the light is transmitted, a drive unit that changes a positional relationship between the light emitting element and the transmission unit, and a light receiving unit that receives reflected light of the light. The drive unit changes the positional relationship between the light emitting element and the transmission unit, thereby changing an irradiation path of the light along an arrangement direction.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image carrier; a light source configured to emit light for exposing the image carrier; a controller configured to control a light intensity of the light source; a reference current generator configured to generate a reference current based on a target light intensity of the light source, the target light intensity being set by the controller; a correction current generator configured to generate a correction current for correcting the reference current based on an amount of correction that is set by the controller, and on the target light intensity; and a driver configured to drive the light source using a drive current that corresponds to a difference between the reference current and the correction current.

Abstract: The feeding apparatus includes a pick-up roller, a feed roller, a separation roller which forms a separation nip portion with the feed roller, an encoder, and an engine control unit. The engine control unit obtains variation in rotation speed of the separation roller based on a detection result of the encoder, and determines a life condition of the separation roller based on the obtained variation in rotation speed of the separation roller.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device includes a stacking portion, a first roller, a second roller, a third roller rotatable to provide peripheral movement in a predetermined direction and to provide peripheral movement in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction, a detecting unit, a driving unit for executing a feeding operation by the first roller, and a control unit for providing an instruction to the driving unit so as to continue or stop the feeding operation. The predetermined rotational frequency is larger than 0 and is smaller than a rotational frequency of the third roller in a period in which the third roller is rotated in the predetermined direction in a state in which a single recording material is fed to the nip.

Abstract: An apparatus has a detection unit, a rotating polygonal mirror and a generation unit. The rotating polygonal mirror has reflecting surfaces and configured to deflect light. The detection unit outputs a first signal in accordance with detecting the light. The generation unit, based on the first signal, generates a second signal which is a main scanning synchronization signal for controlling a write start in a main scanning direction. The second signal has a first waveform and a second waveform. The first waveform does not correspond to a reference reflection surface. The second waveform corresponds to the reference reflection surface and is different to the first waveform.

Abstract: The feeding apparatus includes a pick-up roller, a feed roller, a separation roller which forms a separation nip portion with the feed roller, an encoder, and an engine control unit. The engine control unit obtains variation in rotation speed of the separation roller based on a detection result of the encoder, and determines a life condition of the separation roller based on the obtained variation in rotation speed of the separation roller.