Abstract: An optical scanner which performs optical scanning of a surface to be scanned by deflecting a luminous flux having a wavelength ? from a light source by means of an optical deflector, and condensing the deflected flux toward the surface to be scanned through a scanning image forming optical system, thereby forming an optical spot on the surface to be scanned. The scanning image forming optical system has at least one lens, and when the focal length f? in the main scanning direction at a surface accuracy ?i is defined as follows: f?={2.

Abstract: An offset rotary joint unit equipped with a rotation correction mechanism, in which a bending motion can be executed in a two-dimensional plane only by virtue of a rotary mechanism and which can support a high-load weight and is applicable for two-arm mechanisms such as nursing assistant robots. One offset rotary joint unit 4 is composed of a first arm 1, a rotation correction arm 2 rotationally driven around the axial line of the first arm, and a second arm 3 rotationally driven around an axial line obliquely intersecting with the rotation correction arm.

Abstract: An optical system includes three optical systems. The first has a coupling lens. The second includes a lens having a positive power in a vertical scanning direction and forms the light flux into a line image extending in the horizontal scanning direction on a deflector. The third includes a first lens having a positive power in the horizontal scanning direction, and a second lens having a positive power in the vertical scanning direction. Lateral magnification in the horizontal scanning direction is set larger than that in the vertical scanning direction. Temperature near the first lens is maintained higher than that near the second lens.

Abstract: An optical scanning device includes: a light source; a deflector deflecting light beam from the light source; a coupling lens carrying out coupling of the light beam from the light source; a first optical system leading the light beam from the coupling lens to the deflector; a scanning optical system leading the light beam deflected by the deflector to a to-be-scanned surface; and a phase-modulatable liquid crystal device disposed on a light path lying from the light source through the to-be-scanned surface and driven by an electric signal, wherein: the first optical system at least comprises an optical device having: a surface having power positive in a sub-scanning direction; and a surface having power positive in a main scanning direction.

Abstract: A robot is obtained having various functions that are demanded for planetary landing vehicles, extreme operations robots or the like, in particular to provide a leg structure for a robot that is capable of getting up itself when overturned, facilitating take-off and landing on uneven ground, and that has a walking function and that has a hand function capable of three-dimensional operation. A robot comprises a main robot body and at least three legs mounted on this main body for enabling three-dimensional movement of the main robot body such as a self-erecting action or walking action; each leg is constituted by a multi-joint arm having a plurality of said offset rotary joints linked together and has a ground-engaging member mounted at the leading end of the arm, so that each leg is capable of independently controlled three-dimensional movement and drive.

Abstract: An optical scanner includes a light source modulated based on image data, an optical deflection and scanning part deflecting a light beam emitted from the light source, and a scanning and imaging optical system condensing the deflected light beam toward a scanning surface so as to form a light spot optically scanning the scanning surface. The effective scanning region of the scanning surface is divided into a plurality of regions according to a scanning line curving characteristic. Suitable image data for optically scanning the divided regions are selected from image data of a plurality of image lines every time the light spot optically scans the effective scanning region, so that the image data of each of the image lines is written with scanning line curving being corrected.

Abstract: An optical scanning lens is used in a scanning and image forming optical system which gathers a light flux deflected by a light deflector in the vicinity of a surface to be scanned. The lens is formed by plastic molding of polyolefin resin, and the following condition is satisfied: 0<|?n(x)?min[?n(x)]|<34×10?5, where ?n(x) denotes a refractive-index distribution existing inside the lens, in a range which the light flux passes through, in the lens, and min[?n(x)] denotes the minimum value of the ?n(x).

Abstract: An optical scanner includes a light source modulated based on image data, an optical deflection and scanning part deflecting a light beam emitted from the light source, and a scanning and imaging optical system condensing the deflected light beam toward a scanning surface so as to form a light spot optically scanning the scanning surface. The effective scanning region of the scanning surface is divided into a plurality of regions according to a scanning line curving characteristic. Suitable image data for optically scanning the divided regions are selected from image data of a plurality of image lines every time the light spot optically scans the effective scanning region, so that the image data of each of the image lines is written with scanning line curving being corrected.

Abstract: An optical scanning device condenses a beam deflected by a light deflector, by a scanning and imaging lens toward a surface to be scanned to form a beam spot thereon, and scans the surface to be scanned by the beam spot. At least one lens of the scanning and imaging lens is configured so that a lens body thereof is held by a holding frame, wherein a rib surface at an end in a longitudinal direction of the holding frame is inclined so that a ghost light generated as a result of the deflected beam being reflected by the end in the longitudinal direction of the holding frame is changed in light path in a sub-scan direction.

Abstract: An optical scanning unit includes an optical deflector, a plurality of scanning optical systems, and a pixel-clock generating unit. A photodetector is arranged in at least two locations on a writing-start side and a writing-end side outside the writing area. The optical scanning unit measures a scanning time, and corrects respective dot positions of image data in the writing area to arbitrary positions based on an amount of fluctuation of the scanning time measured.

Abstract: An optical scanning unit includes a light source that emits a light beam, a light deflector that deflects the light beam from the light source, and a scanning optical system that focuses the light beam deflected by the light deflector on a scanning surface. The light beam from the light source is at an angle in a secondary scanning direction with respect to a normal to a reflecting surface of the light deflector. At least one surface of the scanning optical system does not have a curvature in the secondary scanning direction, being tilted and decentered in the secondary scanning direction.

Abstract: An optical scanning lens which is used in a scanning and age forming optical system which gathers a light flux deflected by a light deflector in the vicinity of a surface to be scanned. The lens is formed by plastic molding of polyolefin resin, and the following condition is satisfied: 0<|?n(x)?min[?n(x)]|<34×10?5, where ?n(x) denotes a refractive-index distribution existing inside the lens, in a range which the light flux passes through, in the lens, and min[?n(x)] denotes the minimum value of the ?n(x).

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.

Abstract: An optical scanning apparatus is provided, in which the optical scanning apparatus includes: a light source emitting an optical beam; an optical deflection unit deflecting the optical beam emitted from the light source; a scanning optical arrangement scanning a scanned surface by the optical beam in a main scanning direction; and an optical beam detection unit detecting the optical beam moving in the main scanning direction. The optical beam detection unit includes a first photodetector and a second photodetector, and the first photodetector including a first part and a second part that are electrically connected, wherein a first gap is formed between an edge of the first part and a first edge of the second photodetector, a second gap is formed between an edge of the second part and a second edge of the second photodetector, and the first gap and the second gap are not parallel to each other.

Abstract: An optical scanning device condenses a beam deflected by a light deflector, by a scanning and imaging lens toward a surface to be scanned to form a beam spot thereon, and scans the surface to be scanned by the beam spot. At least one lens of the scanning and imaging lens is configured so that a lens body thereof is held by a holding frame, wherein a rib surface at an end in a longitudinal direction of the holding frame is inclined so that a ghost light generated as a result of the deflected beam being reflected by the end in the longitudinal direction of the holding frame is changed in light path in a sub-scan direction.

Abstract: An optical scanning apparatus includes M number of light sources that includes M number of semiconductor lasers and M number of coupling lenses, where M is a positive integer, a deflecting scanning unit that deflects laser beams from the light sources to a surface to be scanned, and a transmission-type prism that deflects optical path of the laser beam from at least one of the light sources by an infinitesimal amount of angle. The prism is disposed between the light sources and the deflecting scanning unit, has an incident surface and an output surface nonparallel to each other, and can rotate around an axis of rotation substantially parallel to the optical path of the laser beam.

Abstract: In an optical scanning device and image forming apparatus according to the present invention, a light source emits a light beam, and a scanning optical unit deflects the light beam from the light source and focuses the deflected light beam to form a light spot on a scanned surface, the scanned surface being scanned by the light beam from the scanning optical unit. A temperature detection unit detects a temperature of the scanning optical unit and its neighboring locations. A temperature compensation unit adjusts a focal-point position of the light beam on the scanned surface in accordance with a change in the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit, the temperature compensation unit adjusting the focal-point position of the light beam by directly varying a focusing effect of a corrector lens on the light beam from the light source by a controlled amount of movement of the corrector lens along its optical axis that corresponds to the temperature change.

Abstract: An optical scanning apparatus using an underfilled or overfilled optical system includes a number M of light sources, first, second, and third optical scanning lens systems, and a rotary polygon mirror. The number M of light sources emit a laser light beam. The first optical scanning lens system performs a coupling process to the laser light beam. The second optical scanning lens system collects light of the laser light beam in an approximately linear state extended in a main scanning direction. The rotary polygon mirror has a number N of deflective reflection surfaces for deflecting the laser light beam. The third optical scanning lens system gathers the laser light beam from the rotary polygon mirror to form a beam spot on an imaging surface. In this optical scanning apparatus, the predetermined number M satisfies a condition: 3×Rp/Rmax≧M≧Rp/Rmax, wherein Rp and Rmax are defined as: Rp≡(Dpi/25.4)×(260×Ppm)/N, and Rmax≡(5.

Abstract: A resin-made non-spherical optical element is a resin-made optical element made by plastic molding, in which at least one optical surface is formed in a non-spherical shape. The optical surface having the non-spherical shape includes an effective area and an area outside of the effective area located outside of the effective area. A shape of the optical surface in the area outside of the effective area smoothly continues to the shape in the effective area and is different from the non-spherical shape in the effective area.

Abstract: An optical system includes three optical systems. The first has a coupling lens. The second includes a lens having a positive power in a vertical scanning direction and forms the light flux into a line image extending in the horizontal scanning direction on a deflector. The third includes a first lens having a positive power in the horizontal scanning direction, and a second lens having a positive power in the vertical scanning direction. Lateral magnification in the horizontal scanning direction is set larger than that in the vertical scanning direction. Temperature near the first lens is maintained higher than that near the second lens.