Abstract: The image forming apparatus includes a first guide that defines a conveyance path and rotates about a fulcrum with the opening of the cover, the fulcrum being provided at a lower portion of the first guide, the conveyance path extending upward and downward and through which the sheet is conveyed; and a second guide that defines the conveyance path in combination with the first guide, the second guide being rotatable with the cover being open. The second guide moves in a direction away from the fulcrum with the opening of the cover.

Abstract: A developing device includes: a developer container section configured to contain therein a two-component developer composed of toner and magnetic carrier; a developer bearing member configured to supply the developer to an image bearing member on which an electrostatic latent image is formed; a toner supplying section configured to supply the toner to the developer container section via the toner supply port; a carrier supplying section provided separately from the toner supplying section, the carrier supplying section being configured to supply the carrier to the developer container section via the carrier supply port; and a carrier detection section disposed at a position near the carrier supply port and at a same level as a powder surface of the developer contained in the developer container section, the carrier detection section being configured to detect carrier supplied from the carrier supplying section.

Abstract: Techniques for determining a relative spacing between a read head and a surface of a magnetic data storage device may use at least two magnetic spacing measurement patterns. A first magnetic spacing measurement pattern may be offset from a center of a data track by a first offset value and a second magnetic spacing measurement pattern may be offset by a second, different, offset value. A processor may determine a first harmonic tone and a second harmonic tone from each of the first and second magnetic spacing measurement patterns. The processor also may determine respective ratios between amplitudes of the first and second harmonic tones for each of the first and second magnetic spacing measurement patterns. The processor may determine which ratio is greater, and may utilize the greater ratio when determining relative spacing between the read head and the surface of the magnetic data storage device.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a light emitting element unit disposed at an operating position closely opposed to a photoconductor in a printing operation and having a light emitting element that forms an image on the photoconductor, a support unit mounted in the image forming apparatus to support the light emitting element unit, and an elastic member disposed between the light emitting element unit and the support unit. In a state in which the light emitting element unit is disposed at the operating position, the support unit supports the light emitting element unit with the elastic member being disposed therebetween.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes a plurality of pixels arranged in rows and columns, a plurality of comparators, each of the comparators including a switch for controlling an operation, a signal line which is provided commonly to the switches of the plurality of comparators and through which a control signal for controlling the switches of the plurality of comparators is supplied, a control signal generation unit, and a signal line control unit configured to control an electric potential of the signal line to be set as a fixed electric potential.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming section including a rotational member and configured to form an image on the long sheet; a density unevenness cycle acquiring section configured to acquire a cycle of a density profile that represents density variation in a sub scanning direction; a cycle control section configured to operate such that, in a case where a same image is continuously formed on the long sheet, a length of the image in the sub scanning direction is an integer multiple of a cycle length that corresponds to one cycle of the density profile; and a density correction section configured to form a patch image for correction that has a size greater than the cycle length of the density profile on the image bearing member, and perform density correction using correction data created based on a detection result regarding the patch image for correction.

Abstract: In order to suppress a variation of a signal held by each signal holding unit, a solid-state imaging apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that, when a clamp operation of a pixel output signal is performed in the signal holding unit, a time changing rate of an amplitude of a drive pulse supplied to the selecting unit for turning from a non-conducting state to a conducting state is not larger than a time changing rate of the amplitude of the drive pulse supplied to the selecting unit for turning from the conducting state to the non-conducting state.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a rotatable image carrier; an image forming unit configured to form a plurality of divided patch images, which is obtained by dividing a patch image for detecting a concentration of an image in a rotation direction of the image carrier, on the image carrier at regular intervals and form an image to be formed on a paper sheet on the image carrier; a concentration detecting unit configured to detect the concentration of the plurality of divided patch images formed by the image forming unit; and a controller configured to combine the concentration of divided patch images detected by the concentration detecting unit in chronological order and detect concentration unevenness of the image in the vertical scanning direction which is a paper sheet conveying direction of the paper sheet.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier that is rotatably supported, a to-be-transferred member onto which an image that is held by the image carrier is transferred, a driving unit that is disposed on a first end portion of the image carrier in an axial direction of the image carrier and that causes the image carrier to rotate, and a retreat mechanism that causes a second end portion of the image carrier to be separated from the to-be-transferred member while a connection between the image carrier and the driving unit is maintained and thereafter causes the image carrier to retreat by disconnecting the image carrier and the driving unit from each other.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging apparatus includes a plurality of pixels arrayed in a matrix, and configured to generate signals by photoelectric conversion; a plurality of read-out circuits disposed on each column of the plurality of pixels arrayed in a matrix pattern, and configured to read out the signals from the plurality of pixels; a plurality of comparison units configured to compare the signals output from the plurality of read-out circuits with a reference signal whose level changes with time; a counter configured to count a clock signal after the level of the reference signal starts a change; a storage unit configured, when a magnitude relationship between the signals output from the plurality of the read-out circuits and the reference signal is reversed; and a reset unit configured to reset the count value stored in the storage unit.

Abstract: In a high-speed mode, a software processing unit notifies a hardware processing unit of settings information about output pictures before the hardware processing unit starts to encode an input picture, and the hardware processing unit performs continuous encoding for the output pictures, based on the settings information notified of by the software processing unit, without a notification signifying a completion for every picture, and upon completion of encoding for all of a specified number of the output pictures, sends an interrupt notification signifying a completion of encoding to the software processing unit.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging apparatus includes: a ramp signal generator for generating first and second time-changing ramp signals during first and second analog-to-digital conversion periods, respectively; comparators for comparing a reset signal of a pixel with the first ramp signal during the first analog-to-digital conversion period, and comparing a pixel signal with the second ramp signal during the second analog-to-digital conversion period; and memories for storing, as first and second digital data, count values of counting from a start of changing the first and second ramp signals until an inversion of outputs of the comparators, during the first and second analog-to-digital conversion periods, wherein the ramp signal generator supplies a current from a current generator to a first capacitor element by a sampling and holding operation of a switch, and generates the first and second ramp signals based on the same bias voltage held by the first capacitor element.

Abstract: A method for driving an imaging apparatus, a method for driving an imaging system, an imaging apparatus, and an imaging system are disclosed in which the number of times of operation which generates digital signals based on an offset component of a comparing circuit is fewer than the number of times of operations which generate digital signals based on photoelectric conversion signals output by a plurality of rows of pixels.

Abstract: A photoelectric conversion device includes a pixel array including a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix, a plurality of blocks including a plurality of pairs, each of the pairs including a comparator provided correspondingly with a column in the pixel array and a memory provided correspondingly with the comparator, and a block information supply unit configured to supply block information which indicates a location of a block, to the plurality of memories included in the blocks.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a developing device including: a developer housing section configured to house a developer including toner and carrier; a carrier replenishing section configured to supply the carrier to the developer housing section; a carrier concentration detecting section provided at a position near a carrier replenishment position at which the carrier is received from the carrier replenishing section in the developer housing section, the carrier concentration detecting section being configured to detect a carrier concentration in the developer housing section; and a carrier replenishment determination section configured to determine whether the carrier is properly supplied to the developer housing section on the basis of a result of detecting by the carrier concentration detecting section.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging apparatus includes: a plurality of first unit pixels configured to generate a signal by a photoelectric conversion; a first output line connected to the plurality of first unit pixels; and a first amplifier configured to amplify a signal from the first output line, wherein the first amplifier includes an operational amplifier (401), an initializing switch (404) having one terminal connected to an output terminal of the operational amplifier, and an offset adjusting unit (402) connected between the other terminal of the initializing switch and an input terminal of the operational amplifier, and the offset adjusting unit has a transistor having a source and a drain connected to each other.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging apparatus includes: a comparator comparing a signal output from pixels with a reference signal of which level changes dependent on time; a plurality of first bit storage units and a plurality of second bit storage units holding, bit by bit, a count signal of the plurality of bits from a counter, according to a write control signal based on a result of the comparing by the comparator; and a control unit arranged between the comparator and the first and second bit storage units, and adjusting a delay time of the write control signal. An order of lengths of the delay time of the count signal held by the first and second bit storage units is the same as an order of lengths of the delay time of the write control signal of the first and second bit storage units.

Abstract: Provided is an A/D converter including an input terminal, a reference signal line for supplying a reference signal which changes temporally, a comparator, a correction capacitor connected to an inverting input terminal of the comparator; and an output circuit which outputs digital data corresponding to an analog signal input to the input terminal. In a first state in which a total voltage of a first analog signal and an offset voltage of the comparator is held in the correction capacitor, a second analog signal input to the input terminal is supplied to a non-inverting input terminal of the comparator, and the second analog signal or the total voltage is changed using the reference signal, thereby outputting, from the output circuit, digital data.

Abstract: A photoelectric conversion apparatus includes, on one substrate, a pixel driving unit and a signal processing unit that includes a digital circuit configured to execute signal processing. A first voltage and a second voltage different in value from the first voltage are supplied to the digital circuit of the pixel driving unit. A third voltage and a fourth voltage different in value from the third voltage are supplied to the digital circuit of the signal processing unit. A main portion of a first conductor that supplies the first voltage to the digital circuit of the pixel driving unit and a main portion of a second conductor that supplies the third voltage to the digital circuit of the signal processing unit are isolated from each other.

Abstract: A steam turbine 10 of an embodiment has seal rings 60 between an inlet sleeve 40 for introducing steam and an inner casing 20 and an outer casing 21 into which the inlet sleeve 40 is inserted. The seal rings 60 have high-temperature side seal rings 70 which are disposed their inner circumferences contacted to the outer circumference of the inlet sleeve 40, and low-temperature side seal rings 80 which are formed to have inner and outer diameters larger than those of the high-temperature side seal rings 70 and disposed with their outer circumferences contacted to the inner casing 20 or the outer casing 21. A thermal barrier layer 90 is disposed between the inner circumferences of the high-temperature side seal rings 70 and the outer circumference of the inlet sleeve 40 and between the high-temperature side seal rings 70 and the low-temperature side seal rings 80.