Patents by Inventor Ken Ikuma

Ken Ikuma 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).

  • Publication number: 20100226671
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a latent image bearing drum that rotates and on which a latent image is formed; an exposure head having a first light-emitting element that exposes a first region of the latent image bearing drum and a second light-emitting element that exposes a second region of the latent image bearing drum; a storage unit that stores first speed-related information relating to the rotational speed of the first region of the latent image bearing drum and second speed-related information relating to the rotational speed of the second region of the latent image bearing drum; and a light-emission timing adjustment unit that adjusts the timing of the light emission of the first light-emitting element based on the first speed-related information and adjusts the timing of the light emission of the second light-emitting element based on the second speed-related information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2010
    Publication date: September 9, 2010
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Nobuyuki MIZUSHIMA, Yujiro NOMURA, Ken IKUMA
  • Publication number: 20100226670
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first latent image carrier that forms a first latent image, a first charging unit that charges the first latent image carrier, and a first exposure unit that exposes the first latent image carrier to light, forming the first latent image. A first developing unit develops the first latent image with a first liquid developer. A second latent image carrier forms a second latent image. A second charging unit charges the second latent image carrier, which is exposed by a second exposure unit to light, forming the second latent image. A second developing unit develops the second latent image with a second liquid developer. Developed images of the first and second latent image carriers are transferred by a transfer member. A light amount controlling unit adjusts an exposed light amount of the first or the second exposure unit according to image information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2010
    Publication date: September 9, 2010
    Applicant: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi TOYAMA, Ken IKUMA
  • Publication number: 20100225932
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a latent image carrier on which a latent image is formed. The latent image is developed, and the developed image is transferred onto a recording target medium. A fixing section thermally fixes the recording target medium on which the image has been transferred. A storing section stores variation information regarding variation in size of the thermally fixed recording target medium. An image data processing section processes image data for transfer on a first side of the recording target medium based on the variation information. A data outputting section outputs the processed image data for transfer on the first side of the recording target medium and outputs image data for a second side of the recording target medium, which has not been processed by the image data processing section, to transfer the image data on the second side of the recording target medium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2010
    Publication date: September 9, 2010
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mitsukazu KUROSE, Ken IKUMA
  • Patent number: 7792440
    Abstract: There is provided a development system comprising a developer carrier member that carries a developer, a developer supply roller that supplies the developer carrier member with the developer, a developer container that stores the developer, a toner compression roller that contacts with the developer carrier member and presses toner against the developer carrier member, the toner included in the developer and a density sensing unit that senses a density of the toner in the developer in the developer container. A condition for the toner compression roller is changed depending on the density of the toner in the developer in the developer container or depending on a type of a recording medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hidehiro Takano, Fuminori Yano, Ken Ikuma
  • Patent number: 7791631
    Abstract: A line head, includes: an element substrate that includes luminous element groups as groups of a plurality of luminous elements; and a lens array that includes lenses which have an optical property of inverting or non-unity-magnification, focus light from the luminous element groups to form spot groups on an image plane, and are provided corresponding to the respective luminous element groups, wherein the plurality of luminous elements are two-dimensionally arranged in point symmetry in each luminous element group, a plurality of spots are formed as the spot group when the respective luminous elements of the luminous element group emit light, and an inter-point distance between an intersection of a line extending from a symmetry center of the luminous element group in an optical axis direction of the lens with the image plane and a center of gravity position of the spot group is shorter than a specified distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Nozomu Inoue, Kiyoshi Tsujino, Ken Ikuma, Yujiro Nomura
  • Patent number: 7787005
    Abstract: A print head includes a plurality of light emitting elements grouped into a plurality of light emitting element groups and disposed by the light emitting group, a lens array having optical systems corresponding respectively to the light emitting element groups, each of the optical systems imaging a light beam emitted from the light emitting element group on a scan target surface, and a light shielding member provided with light guide holes corresponding respectively to the light emitting element groups, each of the light guide holes guiding the light beam emitted from the light emitting element group, wherein each of the light emitting element groups is provided with an aperture section disposed at a front focal position of the optical system and a center axis one of substantially identical and identical to an optical axis of the optical system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yujiro Nomura, Ken Ikuma
  • Patent number: 7787004
    Abstract: A line head includes: a first substrate that includes light-emitting elements formed thereon; and a second substrate that includes focusing lenses, which are inverted optical systems, focusing light emitted from the light-emitting elements, and has a linear expansion coefficient that is smaller than that of the first substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yujiro Nomura, Ken Ikuma
  • Publication number: 20100214390
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a latent image carrier on which a latent image is formed, a line head that exposes the latent image carrier, and a developing section that develops the latent image. The line head includes a substrate, a light emitting element disposed on the substrate in a first direction, and a wiring installed on the substrate so as to be withdrawn from one end of the substrate in a second direction perpendicular to or substantially perpendicular to the first direction. The one end is disposed to be the developing section side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2010
    Publication date: August 26, 2010
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kiyoshi TSUJINO, Ken IKUMA
  • Publication number: 20100214389
    Abstract: A line head includes first to third light-emitting elements arranged in a first direction; and an optical system that forms images by light emitted from the first to third light-emitting elements on an imaging surface to form images of the light-emitting elements, in which the first light-emitting element is arranged between the second light-emitting element and the third light-emitting element in the first direction; the optical system has a first lens surface that has refractive power and is arranged so as to satisfy a relation of H>0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2009
    Publication date: August 26, 2010
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Etsuko ITO, Takeshi SOWA, Ken IKUMA
  • Patent number: 7782351
    Abstract: Provided is an exposure head, including: an array substrate having a plurality of organic EL elements arranged in an array on one face; and a plurality of circuit chips having a circuit for driving the organic EL element, and in which the forming face of the circuit is serially arranged along the extending direction of the array substrate so as to face one face of the array substrate; wherein the plurality of circuit chips are mutually serially connected by providing a pair of wiring groups for each mutual boundary location of the circuit chips on one face of the array substrate and outside the arrangement area of the organic EL element, bump-bonding one of the adjacent circuit chips to one end of the pair of wiring groups, and bump-bonding the other adjacent circuit chip to the other end of the pair of wiring groups.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsukazu Kurose, Yujiro Nomura, Kiyoshi Tsujino, Ken Ikuma
  • Publication number: 20100208027
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a line head that performs exposure on a latent image carrier to form a latent image. The line head includes first and second light-emitting elements arranged in a first direction; and an optical system that images light emitted from the first and second light-emitting elements. When a difference between the maximum and minimum values of a longitudinal aberration of the optical system is G, a distance in the first direction between centers of geometry of the first and second light-emitting elements is Pel, and an optical magnification of the optical system is ?, a relation of G>|?|·Pel is satisfied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2010
    Publication date: August 19, 2010
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takeshi SOWA, Yujiro NOMURA, Ken IKUMA
  • Patent number: 7778562
    Abstract: Provided is an exposure head controller that controls, via pulse width modulation control, the emission quantity of each light emitting element in an exposure head having a light emitting element array formed by arranging a plurality of light emitting elements in a main scanning direction and a sub scanning direction orthogonal thereto, comprising: a data retention unit that retains dot gathering control data showing whether to emit each light emitting element at the starting point side, terminal point side or in the middle of an emission period corresponding to a 1 pixel pitch in the sub scanning direction, or to divide and emit each light emitting element at the starting point side and terminal point side, emission time data showing the emission time of each light emitting element, and skew data showing the skew quantity of each light emitting element; a dot gathering operation circuit provided to each light emitting element and which operates the time in which the light emitting element is to be retained i
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsukazu Kurose, Yujiro Nomura, Kiyoshi Tsujino, Ken Ikuma
  • Publication number: 20100201778
    Abstract: A line head, includes: a substrate which is provided with a plurality of luminous element groups which respectively include a plurality of luminous elements in a first direction which emit light beams; a lens array which includes a plurality of imaging lenses which are provided corresponding to the plurality of luminous element groups; and a light shielding member which is disposed between the substrate and the lens array and includes a plurality of light guiding holes which correspond to the plurality of luminous element groups, wherein the lens array is away from the light shielding member, an inner diameter of each of the plurality of light guiding holes in the first direction is a first light guiding hole diameter, and a bore diameter of each of the plurality of imaging lenses in the first direction is a first lens diameter, and the first light guiding hole diameter is smaller than the first lens diameter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2010
    Publication date: August 12, 2010
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yujiro Nomura, Nozomu Inoue, Ryuta Koizumi, Ken Ikuma
  • Publication number: 20100196061
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus and an image forming method are disclosed. The image forming apparatus includes a transfer belt that carries an image, a transfer roller that transfers the image carried on the transfer belt to a transfer material, a transfer material transporting unit that sucks a second surface, which is opposite to a first surface that is transferred the image, of the transfer material by air, and transports the transfer material along a transport surface, and a fixing unit that fixes the transfer material transported by the transfer material transporting unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2010
    Publication date: August 5, 2010
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Satoshi CHIBA, Ken IKUMA
  • Publication number: 20100196053
    Abstract: An exposure head includes first and second light-emitting element rows formed by disposing light-emitting elements in a first direction on a light-transmitting substrate. A first photosensor is disposed at a first side in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction on the light-transmitting substrate to receive light emitted from the light-emitting elements of the first and second light-emitting element rows. A second photosensor is disposed in the second direction at a second side opposite to the first side on the light-transmitting substrate to receive light emitted from the light-emitting elements of the first and second light-emitting element rows. An image-forming optical system forms an image with light emitted from the light-emitting elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2009
    Publication date: August 5, 2010
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi TANAKA, Ken IKUMA
  • Publication number: 20100194841
    Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus including: a latent image carrier, on which a latent image is formed; an exposure head that includes a first light-emitting element and a second light-emitting element that is disposed in a direction in which the latent image container corresponding to the first light-emitting element is moved; and a control unit that changes over and performs a first latent image forming operation, in which the latent image is formed on the latent image container by using the first light-emitting element, and a second latent image forming operation, in which the latent image is formed on the latent image container by using the second light-emitting element, wherein the control unit controls a first light emission timing of the first light-emitting element in the first latent image forming operation and a second light emission timing of the second light-emitting element in the second latent image forming operation to be different from each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2009
    Publication date: August 5, 2010
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kiyoshi TSUJINO, Ken IKUMA
  • Publication number: 20100195164
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus that includes a latent image carrier on which a latent image is formed, an exposure head that has a first imaging optical system, first light emitting elements that emit light to be imaged by the first imaging optical system, a second imaging optical system, and second light emitting elements that emit light to be imaged by the second imaging optical system and which form the latent image on the latent image carrier at a position adjacent to the first light emitting elements in a first direction, an image processor that has an input unit to which image data are input, and a data giving unit that gives correction data to correct positional slippage of the latent image formed on the latent image carrier to the input image data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2010
    Publication date: August 5, 2010
    Applicant: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Toru FUJITA, Takeshi SOWA, Ken IKUMA
  • Patent number: 7769325
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a reservoir base section with a recess that receives liquid developer scraped off of a developing roller by a cleaning blade. The recess is substantially U-shaped with an opened top side and an arc angle of not less than 180°. A conveying base station is continuous with the reservoir base section and has a conveying port formed thereon. A conveying member arranged in the reservoir and conveying base sections conveys liquid developer through a hollow path from the recess to the conveying port by rotating about its axis. The radius r1 of the outer periphery of the conveying member, the radius r2 of the conveying port and the radius r3 of curvature of the recess have the relationship r1<r2<r3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Tomoe Aruga, Ken Ikuma
  • Patent number: 7769329
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus has plural image forming stations along a travel direction of a transfer medium. Each image forming station has a latent image carrier that rotates in a sub scanning direction, an image writer that forms a latent image on the latent image carrier and a developer that has a toner carrier extending along a main scanning direction approximately perpendicular to the sub scanning direction. Each image writer has a line head near the latent image carrier with light emitting elements arranged in a row along the main scanning direction. Rotation drive force developing at one common motor is transmitted to plural places in sections of the apparatus to superimpose toner images one atop the other. A motor main section of the common motor overlaps the transfer medium in the in-plane arrangement viewed from a vertical direction perpendicular to both the main and sub scanning directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Noriaki Shimura, Nobutaka Suzuki, Ken Ikuma
  • Publication number: 20100189476
    Abstract: An image forming device including a first image carrier; a first development unit that develops the first image carrier with a first liquid developer; a second image carrier; a second development unit that develops the second image carrier with a second liquid developer; a transfer belt to which the images developed on the first image carrier and the second image carrier are transferred; and a transfer roller which has a transfer material gripping member for gripping a transfer material, is brought into pressure contact with the transfer belt and is applied with a transfer bias so as to transfer the images which has been transferred to the transfer belt to the transfer material, wherein the transfer material gripping member is positioned inside of the outer periphery surface of the transfer roller so as to grip the transfer material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2010
    Publication date: July 29, 2010
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinichi TANAKA, Ken IKUMA