Patents by Inventor Masahiro Soeda

Masahiro Soeda 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: 8593701
    Abstract: An oscillating mirror module as a deflecting unit is disposed so that a movable mirror faces a plane where image carriers are arranged. A plurality of light source units are disposed within a plane parallel to the plane where the image carriers are arranged so that main light fluxes of light beams emitted from the light sources form predetermined angles with each other. The oscillating mirror module includes an incidence mirror that bends a plurality of light beams emitted from the light source units to direct the light beams to the movable mirror, and a separation mirror that separates the light beams scanned by the movable mirror into two opposite directions with respect to a cross-section including a surface normal of the movable mirror and perpendicular to the rotation axis of the movable mirror. A light collecting unit collects light beams so that output optical axes of the light beams corresponding to the light source units intersect on a surface of the movable mirror of the deflecting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Soeda, Tadashi Nakamura, Akira Kojima, Tomohiro Nakajima
  • Patent number: 8363297
    Abstract: An optical scanning device is disclosed that includes a light source unit, a light source drive unit, a deflection unit, a scanning image optical system, and a light beam detection unit. In the optical scanning device, the light source drive unit controls an amount of light emission of the light source unit, and a light emission amount control period in which the light source unit is forcibly turned OFF is set to the light source drive unit during a period from when the deflection unit deflects to an edge of a scanning angle for scanning the main scanning area to when the deflection unit deflects to a maximum deflection angle of the deflection unit within a non-image forming period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company
    Inventors: Masahiro Soeda, Tomohiro Nakajima
  • Patent number: 8081203
    Abstract: A light-amount detecting device includes: a light source which emits a light beam; a branching optical element which divides the light beam emitted from the light source into a first light beam traveling in a predetermined direction and a second light beam traveling in a direction different to the predetermined direction; a light-condensing element which condenses the second light beam; a light-receiving element having a light-receiving surface which receives the second light beam condensed by the light-condensing element; and a detector which detects a light-amount of the second light beam received by the light-receiving element, and at least one of a direction of reflected light of the second light beam reflected from the light-receiving surface of the light-receiving element and spread of the reflected light of the second light beam reflected from the light-receiving surface of the light-receiving element is adjusted to control a light-amount of the reflected light of the second light beam returning to the
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2011
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kensuke Masuda, Tomohiro Nakajima, Satoru Itoh, Daisuke Ichii, Masahiro Soeda, Yoshinori Hayashi
  • Publication number: 20110058230
    Abstract: An oscillating mirror module as a deflecting unit is disposed so that a movable mirror faces a plane where image carriers are arranged. A plurality of light source units are disposed within a plane parallel to the plane where the image carriers are arranged so that main light fluxes of light beams emitted from the light sources form predetermined angles with each other. The oscillating mirror module includes an incidence mirror that bends a plurality of light beams emitted from the light source units to direct the light beams to the movable mirror, and a separation mirror that separates the light beams scanned by the movable mirror into two opposite directions with respect to a cross-section including a surface normal of the movable mirror and perpendicular to the rotation axis of the movable mirror. A light collecting unit collects light beams so that output optical axes of the light beams corresponding to the light source units intersect on a surface of the movable mirror of the deflecting unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2010
    Publication date: March 10, 2011
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Masahiro SOEDA, Tadashi Nakamura, Akira Kojima, Tomohiro Nakajima
  • Publication number: 20090225383
    Abstract: An optical scanning device is disclosed that includes a light source unit, a light source drive unit, a deflection unit, a scanning image optical system, and a light beam detection unit. In the optical scanning device, the light source drive unit controls an amount of light emission of the light source unit, and a light emission amount control period in which the light source unit is forcibly turned OFF is set to the light source drive unit during a period from when the deflection unit deflects to an edge of a scanning angle for scanning the main scanning area to when the deflection unit deflects to a maximum deflection angle of the deflection unit within a non-image forming period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2009
    Publication date: September 10, 2009
    Inventors: Masahiro Soeda, Tomohiro Nakajima
  • Publication number: 20080212999
    Abstract: A light-amount detecting device includes: a light source which emits a light beam; a branching optical element which divides the light beam emitted from the light source into a first light beam traveling in a predetermined direction and a second light beam traveling in a direction different to the predetermined direction; a light-condensing element which condenses the second light beam; a light-receiving element having a light-receiving surface which receives the second light beam condensed by the light-condensing element; and a detector which detects a light-amount of the second light beam received by the light-receiving element, and at least one of a direction of reflected light of the second light beam reflected from the light-receiving surface of the light-receiving element and spread of the reflected light of the second light beam reflected from the light-receiving surface of the light-receiving element is adjusted to control a light-amount of the reflected light of the second light beam returning to the
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2008
    Publication date: September 4, 2008
    Inventors: Kensuke Masuda, Tomohiro Nakajima, Satoru Itoh, Daisuke Ichii, Masahiro Soeda, Yoshinori Hayashi
  • Patent number: 6867890
    Abstract: An optical scanning apparatus including a pulse modulation mechanism, a laser light source, a light deflecting mechanism, and a scan-imaging device. The pulse modulation mechanism performs a pulse modulation to input image data to output pulse-modulated image data. The laser light source generates a laser light beam according to the pulse-modulated image data. The laser light beam has a wavelength variation smaller than 2.0 nm per one pulse of the laser light beam. The light deflecting mechanism converts the laser light beam into a scanning laser light beam. The scan-imaging device condenses the scanning laser light beam into a scanning light spot on a surface to be scanned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2005
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Seizo Suzuki, Junichi Yazawa, Yoshinori Hayashi, Masahiro Soeda
  • Publication number: 20040174580
    Abstract: An optical scanning apparatus including a pulse modulation mechanism, a laser light source, a light deflecting mechanism, and a scan-imaging device. The pulse modulation mechanism performs a pulse modulation to input image data to output pulse-modulated image data. The laser light source generates a laser light beam according to the pulse-modulated image data. The laser light beam has a wavelength variation smaller than 2.0 nm per one pulse of the laser light beam. The light deflecting mechanism converts the laser light beam into a scanning laser light beam. The scan-imaging device condenses the scanning laser light beam into a scanning light spot on a surface to be scanned.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2004
    Publication date: September 9, 2004
    Inventors: Seizo Suzuki, Junichi Yazawa, Yoshinori Hayashi, Masahiro Soeda
  • Patent number: 6788444
    Abstract: An optical scanning apparatus including a pulse modulation mechanism, a laser light source, a light deflecting mechanism, and a scan-imaging device. The pulse modulation mechanism performs a pulse modulation to input image data to output pulse-modulated image data. The laser light source generates a laser light beam according to the pulse-modulated image data. The laser light beam has a wavelength variation smaller than 2.0 nm per one pulse of the laser light beam. The light deflecting mechanism converts the laser light beam into a scanning laser light beam. The scan-imaging device condenses the scanning laser light beam into a scanning light spot on a surface to be scanned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Seizo Suzuki, Junichi Yazawa, Yoshinori Hayashi, Masahiro Soeda
  • Publication number: 20030081299
    Abstract: An optical scanning apparatus including a pulse modulation mechanism, a laser light source, a light deflecting mechanism, and a scan-imaging device. The pulse modulation mechanism performs a pulse modulation to input image data to output pulse-modulated image data. The laser light source generates a laser light beam according to the pulse-modulated image data. The laser light beam has a wavelength variation smaller than 2.0 nm per one pulse of the laser light beam. The light deflecting mechanism converts the laser light beam into a scanning laser light beam. The scan-imaging device condenses the scanning laser light beam into a scanning light spot on a surface to be scanned.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2002
    Publication date: May 1, 2003
    Inventors: Seizo Suzuki, Junichi Yazawa, Yoshinori Hayashi, Masahiro Soeda