Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming apparatus including, at least, an image data storage unit that stores image data; an inclination amount detection unit that detects a first inclination amount of a portion of the image data spanning from one end to the other end relative to a main scanning direction; an inclination amount storage unit that stores, when a gradient of the image data changes at a point in the main scanning direction, a second inclination amount of a portion of the image data spanning from the one end to the point or from the other end to the point; a correction amount calculation unit that calculates correction amounts associated with the main scanning direction by switching, at the point, whether the first inclination amount is increased or decreased by the second inclination amount; and an image correction unit that corrects an image based on the correction amounts.

Abstract: There is provided a curable fluorine-containing polymer composition which is rapidly cured at relatively low temperature by hydrosilylation reaction to form a coating film having not only high hardness and flexibility but also water- and oil-repellency, thereby giving stain-proofing effect for a long period of time, especially maintaining property of removing and wiping-off stain.

Abstract: A light source control apparatus which controls, based on image data input, light emission of a light source which forms an electrostatic latent image on an image bearing body in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus is disclosed, including a pattern generating unit which generates an internal pattern for position aligning and concentration correcting according to the image data; and a mirroring processing unit which performs a process of mirroring the image data and the internal pattern at a later stage of the pattern generating unit.

Abstract: An optical writing device forming an electrical latent image on a photoreceptor includes an optical writing unit configured to apply light to the photoreceptor, a power supply unit configured to supply power to the optical writing unit, a power supply status detector configured to detect a power supply status of the power supplied from the power supply unit to the optical writing unit, and output power supply information or power cutoff information, a power cutoff information retaining unit configured to retain the power cutoff information when the power cutoff information is output from the power supply status detector, and a power sensor configured to sense a power supply status of the power supplied by the power supply unit based on the power cutoff information retained by the power cutoff information retaining unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus can transfer a plurality of color component images onto a surface of a recording medium to form an image on the recording medium. The image forming apparatus includes a pattern generation part to generate information about an alignment pattern to be used for a calibration of an image forming, a plurality of stations each including a photosensitive drum to form an alignment pattern corresponding to each of a plurality of color components onto a carry belt or the recording medium, and a read part to detect a plurality of alignment patterns formed by the plurality of stations.

Abstract: An optical writing control device includes: a light emission control unit which controls light emission of multiple light sources for respective different colors and exposes multiple image carriers; and a correction amount calculating unit which calculates a correction amount for each of the different colors on the basis of a difference between a central value of a distribution range of positional deviation amounts in a sub-scanning direction for the respective different colors and the positional deviation amount for a corresponding color. The light emission control unit delays light emitting timing of a light source, which is to be delayed, by delaying reading timing of pixel information stored in a storage medium, and delays timing at which the pixel information about colors other than a color, light emitting timing of a light source for which is to be advanced, starts to be obtained from an image forming apparatus main body.

Abstract: A photoelectric conversion element is provided and includes a photoelectric conversion portion which includes: a pair of electrodes including an electron-collecting electrode and a hole-collecting electrode; and a photoelectric conversion layer between the pair of electrodes. At least part of the photoelectric conversion layer includes a mixture layer of a p-type organic semiconductor and a fullerene, and a volume ratio of the fullerene to the p-type organic semiconductor in the photoelectric conversion layer is such that the volume ratio on a side of the electron-collecting electrode is smaller than the volume ratio on a side of the hole-collecting electrode.

Abstract: A photoelectric conversion element comprises a photoelectric conversion section that includes: a pair of electrodes; and a photoelectric conversion layer disposed between the pair of electrodes, wherein the photoelectric conversion section further comprises between one of the pair of electrodes and the photoelectric conversion layer a first charge-blocking layer that restrains injection of charges from the one of the electrodes into the photoelectric conversion layer when a voltage is applied to the pair of electrodes, and the first charge-blocking layer comprises a plurality of layers.

Abstract: A toner consumption calculator includes a plurality of line memories; a recorder that sequentially records image data including a plurality of pixels into the line memories; a skew correction unit that performs skew correction on the image data by sequentially reading the image data from the line memories while controlling read timing; and a counter that sequentially reads the image data from the line memories and counts toner consumption of a target pixel on the basis of light amounts of surrounding pixels of the target pixel.

Abstract: An optical-writing control device calculates correction values for use in correcting a transfer position at which developing-agent images are to be transferred onto a sheet, and overlaying positions at which the developing-agent images are to be overlaid, based on a detection signal output from a sensor upon detection of a correction pattern for use in correcting the transfer position and a correction pattern for use in correcting the overlaying positions. A timing of detecting the pattern for use in correcting the overlaying positions is determined based on a correction value calculated based on the detection signal output upon detection of the pattern for use in correcting the transfer position. The pattern for use in correcting the transfer position is caused to have a width, in the main-scanning direction, that is wider than the width in the main-scanning direction of the pattern for use in correcting the overlaying positions.

Abstract: An optical writing control device includes a light emission control unit that controls light emission of a light source to exposes a photosensitive element. The light emission control unit is configured to draw two patterns as patterns for correction used to correct a transfer position of a developer image obtained by developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive element, the two patterns including a narrow width pattern where a width of the pattern corresponds to a width of a detection area of a sensor that detects the patterns, in the main-scanning direction, and a wide width pattern having a wider width than the narrow width pattern, and control the light emission, after calculation of a correction value based on a detection signal of the wide width pattern is properly completed, in a manner where the narrow width pattern is drawn upon the calculation of the correction value.

Abstract: A data transmitting device is provided. The data transmitting device includes plural bundles of signal lines, each of which includes flatly arranged plural signal lines and which are overlaid in such a manner that surfaces of the bundles of signal lines are contacted with each other while the signal lines extend in a same direction, wherein signal transmission and reception are performed through the signal lines; a transmission timing adjuster to adjust signal transmission timing for each of the plural bundles of signal lines; and a transmission timing controller to perform time division control such that the transmission timing adjuster adjusts the signal transmission timing under the time division control for each of the plural bundles of signal lines.

Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming apparatus including, at least, an image data storage unit that stores image data; an inclination amount detection unit that detects a first inclination amount of a portion of the image data spanning from one end to the other end relative to a main scanning direction; an inclination amount storage unit that stores, when a gradient of the image data changes at a point in the main scanning direction, a second inclination amount of a portion of the image data spanning from the one end to the point or from the other end to the point; a correction amount calculation unit that calculates correction amounts associated with the main scanning direction by switching, at the point, whether the first inclination amount is increased or decreased by the second inclination amount; and an image correction unit that corrects an image based on the correction amounts.

Abstract: An optical writing device is configured to form electrostatic latent images on a plurality of photosensitive elements by a plurality of light sources. The optical writing device includes: an image-data acquiring section that acquires image data; and a light-source control section that performs light-emission control on the light source based on pixel data generated from acquired image data, and also performs a neutralization process on the photosensitive element by controlling the light source to expose the photosensitive element to light. In the neutralization process, the light-source control section divides a period during which light-on/off control can be performed on the light source, into sub-periods based on pixel data input to the light-source control section, and causes the light sources to be lit in any one of the sub-periods so as to always place at least one of the plurality of light sources in a light-off state.

Abstract: In an optical scanner, when an emission control unit varies a period at which image data is output from an output buffer of the emission control unit in order to correct a sub scan magnification of a LED array and a vacant region of an input buffer of the emission control unit ceases to exist, a buffer control unit temporarily stores the image data in a vacant region of a memory of an image correcting unit, and transfers the image data temporarily stored in the memory to the input buffer when the vacant region is generated in the input buffer.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprising: a resolution conversion unit configured to convert the resolution of a pixel provided by input image data; a gradation conversion unit configured to perform matrix conversion onto the pixel; and a writing unit configured to perform a write operation, wherein, in the normal mode, the gradation conversion unit performs matrix conversion onto the pixel with reference to the gradation conversion table for the normal mode, and the writing unit performs the write operation of the pixel in a normal order that is the order image data being input into the image forming apparatus, and in the reverse mode, the gradation conversion unit performs matrix conversion onto the pixel with reference to the gradation conversion table for the reverse mode, and the writing unit performs the write operation of the pixel in a reverse order opposite to the normal order.

Abstract: An exposure control apparatus includes: a plurality of line memories; a processing unit that processes image data by successively recording the image data to the plurality of line memories, and successively reading the image data from the plurality of line memories; and an exposing unit that performs, with an exposure cycle, an exposure process according to the processed image data, and that forms a latent image based on the image data onto an image carrier, wherein the image data is transferred with a cycle which is N times as high as the exposure cycle (N is a natural number), and the processing unit reads the image data N times with the exposure cycle.

Abstract: An optical writing device forming an electrical latent image on a photoreceptor includes an optical writing unit configured to apply light to the photoreceptor, a power supply unit configured to supply power to the optical writing unit, a power supply status detector configured to detect a power supply status of the power supplied from the power supply unit to the optical writing unit, and output power supply information or power cutoff information, a power cutoff information retaining unit configured to retain the power cutoff information when the power cutoff information is output from the power supply status detector, and a power sensor configured to sense a power supply status of the power supplied by the power supply unit based on the power cutoff information retained by the power cutoff information retaining unit.

Abstract: An optical writing control device includes: a light emission control unit which controls light emission of multiple light sources for respective different colors and exposes multiple image carriers; and a correction amount calculating unit which calculates a correction amount for each of the different colors on the basis of a difference between a central value of a distribution range of positional deviation amounts in a sub-scanning direction for the respective different colors and the positional deviation amount for a corresponding color. The light emission control unit delays light emitting timing of a light source, which is to be delayed, by delaying reading timing of pixel information stored in a storage medium, and delays timing at which the pixel information about colors other than a color, light emitting timing of a light source for which is to be advanced, starts to be obtained from an image forming apparatus main body.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprises: an image forming unit configured to form an image quality adjustment pattern image on an image carrier to be driven at a predetermined speed; a detector configured to detect the image quality adjustment pattern image; an image quality adjustment controller configured to control image quality adjustment processing in accordance with a detection result by the detector; a speed change unit configured to change an image formation speed indicating a speed at which an image is formed, and an interval change unit configured to change an interval at which the detector acquires a detection result in accordance with a change amount between the image formation speed before changed by the speed change unit and the image formation speed after changed.