Patents by Inventor Hideharu Miki

Hideharu Miki has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9347881
    Abstract: A device for detecting a state of a liquid droplet discharged from each of nozzles placed in one or more rows, includes a light emitting element to emit a light beam to the liquid droplet from a nozzle in question, and a pair of light receiving elements disposed on both sides of a beam diameter of the light beam via an optical axis to receive scattered light occurring from the liquid droplet for detecting a state of the discharged liquid droplet on the basis of the scattered light. Either of the pair of the light receiving elements is selected for receiving the scattered light from the liquid droplet discharged from the nozzle according to a positional relation between the nozzle and the pair of light receiving elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Andoh, Hideharu Miki, Genichiro Kawamichi, Shigeru Morinaga, Kohji Tokuyama, Toshihide Inaba, Mitsuyuki Karasawa, Takeo Shirato
  • Patent number: 9193197
    Abstract: A liquid droplet detecting device includes nozzles arranged in a paper width direction orthogonal to a paper conveying direction to discharge liquid droplets, a light emitting element provided on one side of the paper width direction to emit a light beam for liquid droplet detection, a light receiving element provided on the other side of the paper width direction to receive the light beam, a storage in which correspondence information on each of the nozzles and a scan position of the light beam when discharge of a liquid droplet from each of the nozzles is detected is stored, a controller to allow the light beam to scan according to the correspondence information, and a detector to determine presence or absence a liquid droplet discharged from each nozzle from an output of the light receiving element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Genichiro Kawamichi, Shigeru Morinaga, Hideharu Miki, Hiroshi Ando, Kahei Nakamura, Kazuhiro Akatsu, Hirotaka Kobayashi, Keiichi Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20150224802
    Abstract: A liquid droplet detecting device includes nozzles arranged in a paper width direction orthogonal to a paper conveying direction to discharge liquid droplets, a light emitting element provided on one side of the paper width direction to emit a light beam for liquid droplet detection, a light receiving element provided on the other side of the paper width direction to receive the light beam, a storage in which correspondence information on each of the nozzles and a scan position of the light beam when discharge of a liquid droplet from each of the nozzles is detected is stored, a controller to allow the light beam to scan according to the correspondence information, and a detector to determine presence or absence a liquid droplet discharged from each nozzle from an output of the light receiving element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2015
    Publication date: August 13, 2015
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Genichiro Kawamichi, Shigeru Morinaga, Hideharu Miki, Hiroshi Ando, Kahei Nakamura, Kazuhiro Akatsu, Hirotaka Kobayashi, Keiichi Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20150177136
    Abstract: A device for detecting a state of a liquid droplet discharged from each of nozzles placed in one or more rows, includes a light emitting element to emit a light beam to the liquid droplet from a nozzle in question, and a pair of light receiving elements disposed on both sides of a beam diameter of the light beam via an optical axis to receive scattered light occurring from the liquid droplet for detecting a state of the discharged liquid droplet on the basis of the scattered light. Either of the pair of the light receiving elements is selected for receiving the scattered light from the liquid droplet discharged from the nozzle according to a positional relation between the nozzle and the pair of light receiving elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2014
    Publication date: June 25, 2015
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Andoh, Hideharu Miki, Genichiro Kawamichi, Shigeru Morinaga, Kohji Tokuyama, Toshihide Inaba, Mitsuyuki Karasawa, Takeo Shirato
  • Publication number: 20150009252
    Abstract: A liquid drop ejection state detection device includes a plurality of nozzle sequences configured to have a plurality of nozzles, a light-emitting element configured to emit a light beam incident on a liquid drop from each nozzle of each nozzle sequence, a light-receiving element provided at a position outside a beam diameter of the light beam and configured to receive scattered light from the liquid drop and detect an ejection state of the liquid drop based on an amount of the scattered light, a light-emitting element movement part configured to move the light-emitting element in a direction intersecting with a light axis of the light beam, and an adjustment part configured to adjust an amount of light of the light beam emitted from the light-emitting element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2014
    Publication date: January 8, 2015
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Andoh, Hideharu Miki, Genichiro Kawamichi, Kohji Tokuyama, Shigeru Morinaga
  • Patent number: 8045871
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus for performing an image forming operation is disclosed that includes an image carrier on which a toner image is formed, an intermediate transfer member configured to transfer the toner image to a recording medium, the intermediate transfer member having a toner image forming area including an output image forming area and a non-output image forming area located outside of the output image forming area, the toner image forming area being wider than the output image forming area, and a detecting part configured to measure a physical quantity regarding an image quality of a first reference image formed in the output image forming area and a second reference image formed in the non-output image forming area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Susumu Monma, Shinya Kobayashi, Shinichi Akatsu, Teruaki Mitsuya, Makoto Yagawara, Hideharu Miki, Isao Nakajima
  • Patent number: 7917045
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus forms high precision full color image by correcting the adhesion quantity of an image visualizing agent and a position shift of a visible image while performing printing process. The image forming apparatus includes an intermediate transfer unit; plural photoconductors; plural charging units; plural exposure units; plural developing units; plural first transferring units; and plural second transferring units. The intermediate transfer unit has a correction pattern image formed in a region outside a predetermined maximum document region in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction. A detector in the intermediate transfer unit detects the correction pattern image. A correction controller performs correcting, based on detection results of the detector, setting values of one or more of the charging units, the exposure units, and the developing units when a region corresponding to an interval between the visible images passes a position beneath one of the units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Yagawara, Hideharu Miki, Souichi Nakazawa, Shinichi Akatsu, Akira Asaoka, Akihiko Yamazaki, Isao Nakajima
  • Patent number: 7773896
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, a image forming unit, a measurement unit and a controller. The image carrier includes a central region on which a target image as an object of an image forming is formed and a peripheral region placed outward of the central region. The image forming unit forms a reference image on the peripheral region and the central region, before the image forming is started. Also, the image forming unit forms the target image on the central region based on a preset condition and a third reference image on the peripheral region, during the image forming. The measurement unit measures a physical quantity for the reference images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2010
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Yagawara, Hideharu Miki, Isao Nakajima, Akihiko Yamazaki, Akira Asaoka, Yukio Otome, Souichi Nakazawa
  • Publication number: 20080317486
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus for performing an image forming operation is disclosed that includes an image carrier on which a toner image is formed, an intermediate transfer member configured to transfer the toner image to a recording medium, the intermediate transfer member having a toner image forming area including an output image forming area and a non-output image forming area located outside of the output image forming area, the toner image forming area being wider than the output image forming area, and a detecting part configured to measure a physical quantity regarding an image quality of a first reference image formed in the output image forming area and a second reference image formed in the non-output image forming area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2008
    Publication date: December 25, 2008
    Inventors: Susumu MONMA, Shinya KOBAYASHI, Shinichi AKATSU, Teruaki MITSUYA, Makoto YAGAWARA, Hideharu MIKI, Isao NAKAJIMA
  • Publication number: 20080044192
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, a image forming unit, a measurement unit and a controller. The image carrier includes a central region on which a target image as an object of an image forming is formed and a peripheral region placed outward of the central region. The image forming unit forms a reference image on the peripheral region and the central region, before the image forming is started. Also, the image forming unit forms the target image on the central region based on a preset condition and a third reference image on the peripheral region, during the image forming. The measurement unit measures a physical quantity for the reference images.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2007
    Publication date: February 21, 2008
    Applicant: RICOH PRINTING SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Makoto Yagawara, Hideharu Miki, Isao Nakajima, Akihiko Yamazaki, Akira Asaoka, Yukio Otome, Souichi Nakazawa
  • Publication number: 20070212086
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is disclosed that is able to form a full color image with high precision by correcting the adhesion quantity of an image visualizing agent and a position shift of a visible image while continuing to perform a printing process. The image forming apparatus includes an intermediate transfer unit; plural photoconductors; plural charging units; plural exposure units; plural developing units; plural first transferring units; and plural second transferring units. The intermediate transfer unit has a correction pattern image formed in a region outside of a predetermined maximum document region of the intermediate transfer unit in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction. A detector is provided in the intermediate transfer unit for detecting the correction pattern image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2007
    Publication date: September 13, 2007
    Inventors: Makoto YAGAWARA, Hideharu MIKI, Souichi NAKAZAWA, Shinichi AKATSU, Akira ASAOKA, Akihiko YAMAZAKI, Isao NAKAJIMA
  • Publication number: 20050185213
    Abstract: A transmission demanding command of demanding the transmission of a response signal for confirming a connection of video interface cables is transmitted to a printer engine section from a printer controller section via a command interface. According to the received transmission demanding command of demanding the transmission of the response signal for confirming the connection of video interface cables, the printer engine section transmits a response signal to the printer controller section via the video interface. The printer controller section compares the response signal with a previously expected signal and detects an erroneous video interface cable connection between the printer controller section and the printer engine section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2005
    Publication date: August 25, 2005
    Applicant: Ricoh Printing Systems, Ltd.
    Inventor: Hideharu Miki