Abstract: In an image forming apparatus having a recording head including a plurality of nozzle arrays for ejecting each ink droplet per color for plural colors respectively onto a transported recording medium, a positioning mechanism of the image forming apparatus having a detection mechanism for preventing a printing quality on a recording medium from degrading by comprising a transport mechanism for transporting in order to form an image on the recording medium, and a carriage placed on an opposite positions of the transport mechanism and a belt platen; placing a sensor for detecting a relative inclination between the transport direction and the recording head; detecting and calculating an inclination of the transport direction vis-à-vis the recording head, and controlling the relative inclination based on the calculation result.

Abstract: An optical element drive mechanism is provided which includes (i) a movable portion including at least an optical element having a reflecting surface; (ii) a support member for supporting the movable portion rotatably with respect to a fixing member; and (iii) a drive mechanism including at least a coil and a magnet for driving the movable portion. The pole surface of the magnet is substantially in parallel with the reflecting surface of the movable portion and/or the coil is provided between the magnet and the reflecting surface.

Abstract: End portions on one side of respective heads in a head unit are inserted and arranged in respective spaces between end portions on the other side of respective heads in an adjoining head unit.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an optical deflecting device capable of suppressing undesirable vibrations of an optical deflecting element such as a mirror and allowing a plurality of optical deflecting elements to be easily arranged. The optical deflecting device is characterized in that the device has: a moving body 21 having at least two optical deflecting elements 1,31 held to face each other; supporting means having a first supporting member 32 pivot-connected to the moving body 21 between the two optical deflecting elements 1,31, so as to support the moving body 21 to a stationary body 22 such that the moving body 21 is tiltable around at least a first axis; and first driving means 26, 27, 41, 43 for driving the moving body 21 around the first axis.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus having a recording head including a plurality of nozzle arrays for ejecting each ink droplet per color for plural colors respectively onto a transported recording medium, a positioning mechanism of the image forming apparatus having a detection mechanism for preventing a printing quality on a recording medium from degrading by comprising a transport mechanism for transporting in order to form an image on the recording medium, and a carriage placed on an opposite positions of the transport mechanism and a belt platen; placing a sensor for detecting a relative inclination between the transport direction and the recording head; detecting and calculating an inclination of the transport direction vis-à-vis the recording head, and controlling the relative inclination based on the calculation result.

Abstract: End portions on one side of respective heads in a head unit are inserted and arranged in respective spaces between end portions on the other side of respective heads in an adjoining head unit.

Abstract: In a support device for an optical element comprising a coil holder that holds an optical element and a fixing unit that supports the coil holder with a thin plate-type spring in displaceable fashion in at least one direction, one end member of the spring is plastic-insert molded in a condition with a projection of the end on the side of the moveable unit exposed and an extension thereof inserted in the coil holder, while the other end of the spring on the side of the fixing unit is plastic-insert molded in a condition with a projection of the end on the side of the fixing unit exposed and an extension thereof inserted in the fixing unit.

Abstract: In an optical switch according to the present invention, a galvo plate is caused to abut against a base plate on its mount portions at the both ends, and in addition, abutting sections formed at portions near galvano-mirrors are also caused to abut against the base plate. As a result, heat transfer from the galvo plate to the base plate is improved, and heat in the galvano-mirrors, particularly heat in its drive circuit and heat due to a laser, can be dissipated to the base plate. This allows the implementation of multi-channelization in which a plurality of optical path changing elements are arranged with ease and high-accuracy, and also facilitates the heating of the optical path changing elements.

Abstract: A mirror is fixed at the front of a mirror holder constituting a moving body. First and second coils are attached on the outer circumferential surface of the mirror holder at both sides of a plane passing through the center of gravity of the moving body and parallel to the surface of the mirror. The moving body is rotatably supported by springs so that a rotation axis and another rotation axis orthogonal thereto pass through the center of gravity. Magnets are fixed to a stationary magnet holder to lie at the right and the left sides of the first coil and the upper and lower sides of the second coil. The centers of torque acting on the first and second coils when driving current is applied to the first and second coils are set in the vicinity of the center of gravity and the supporting point of the springs.

Abstract: An optical element supporting device has one ends of two parallel plate springs, which are extended in a tangential direction, fixed to a holder, has the other ends thereof fixed to a fixture member, and has a collimator lens locked in an opening of the holder. A base fixed to the bottom of the fixture member has two yokes formed thereon. Magnets each polarized in two directions are fixed to the insides of the yokes. Coils are fixed to two surfaces of the holder opposed to the magnets. A target is fixed to the holder, and a sensor is fixed to the bottom of the base. When a current flows into the coils, electromagnetic force is produced along an optical axis due to the interaction between the coils and the magnets opposed to the coils. This causes the parallel plate springs to loosen. Consequently, the holder, target, collimator lens, and coils move as a whole along the optical axis.

Abstract: An optical deflection device is disclosed. The device comprises an optical deflection element having a prescribed deflecting plane of deflecting a direction of light, a drive portion for driving the optical deflection element rotatably at least, a fixing portion for supporting and fixing the optical deflection element, a movable portion including above optical deflection element, a support member connected with the fixing portion and for supporting this, and a damping member installed between the movable portion and the fixing portion.

Abstract: An optical element drive mechanism is provided which includes (i) a movable portion including at least an optical element having a reflecting surface; (ii) a support member for supporting the movable portion rotatably with respect to a fixing member; and (iii) a drive mechanism including at least a coil and a magnet for driving the movable portion. The pole surface of the magnet is substantially in parallel with the reflecting surface of the movable portion and/or the coil is provided between the magnet and the reflecting surface.

Abstract: The present invention discloses an optical switch to which one or a plurality of input optical fibers and a plurality of output optical fibers are connected and in which an optical path of light for optical communication emitted from the input optical fiber is switched to a plurality of optical paths through a second galvo unit and a first galvo unit so that the light can be incident on the output optical fibers from which the light should be output. The optical switch includes a light guiding unit for guiding the light to be incident on the output optical fiber to a photo-sensor and a control unit for controlling the angle of the second galvo unit and the angle of the first galvo unit on the basis of detection signal obtained through the light guiding unit.

Abstract: Four galvano mirrors 2(1) to 2(4) are constituted in an array in a galvo unit 1. Four galvano mirrors 32A(1) to 32A(4), and 32B(1) to 32B(4) are constituted in an array in galvo units 30A and 30B, respectively. When constituting an optical switch device for switching the optical signal of an input 2 and an output 2, and four galvano mirrors are provided, respectively while two galvano mirrors are sufficient for each galvo unit because two optical paths are provided. Therefore, the number of the galvano mirrors constituted in one galvo unit is doubly affordable. The yield of the optical switch device in which a plurality of galvano mirrors are simultaneously manufactured in an array is improved, the service life of the optical switch after the operation is prolonged, or the repair cost in a failure can be reduced.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an optical deflecting device capable of suppressing undesirable vibrations of an optical deflecting element such as a mirror and allowing a plurality of optical deflecting elements to be easily arranged. The optical deflecting device is characterized in that the device has: a moving body 21 having at least two optical deflecting elements 1, 31 held to face each other; supporting means having a first supporting member 32 pivot-connected to the moving body 21 between the two optical deflecting elements 1, 31, so as to support the moving body 21 to a stationary body 22 such that the moving body 21 is tiltable around at least a first axis; and first driving means 26, 27, 41, 43 for driving the moving body 21 around the first axis.

Abstract: The optical element drive device is provided which includes: (i) a plurality of movable members to which a plurality of optical elements having functions for changing a path of light are attached, respectively; (ii) a plurality of support mechanisms for independently supporting the plurality of movable members in a displacable condition, (iii) a plurality of drive mechanisms for driving the plurality of movable members, and (iv) a fixed member to which the plurality of movable members are mounted. The plurality of drive mechanisms have coils and magnets, and at least one component of the plurality of drive mechanisms is used to drive at least two of the plurality of movable members.

Abstract: An optical element supporting device has one ends of two parallel plate springs, which are extended in a tangential direction, fixed to a holder, has the other ends thereof fixed to a fixture member, and has a collimator lens locked in an opening of the holder. A base fixed to the bottom of the fixture member has two yokes formed thereon. Magnets each polarized in two directions are fixed to the insides of the yokes. Coils are fixed to two surfaces of the holder opposed to the magnets. A target is fixed to the holder, and a sensor is fixed to the bottom of the base. When a current flows into the coils, electromagnetic force is produced along an optical axis due to the interaction between the coils and the magnets opposed to the coils. This causes the parallel plate springs to loosen. Consequently, the holder, target, collimator lens, and coils move as a whole along the optical axis.

Abstract: An optical element supporting device has one ends of two parallel plate springs, which are extended in a tangential direction, fixed to a holder, has the other ends thereof fixed to a fixture member, and has a collimator lens locked in an opening of the holder. A base fixed to the bottom of the fixture member has two yokes formed thereon. Magnets each polarized in two directions are fixed to the insides of the yokes. Coils are fixed to two surfaces of the holder opposed to the magnets. A target is fixed to the holder, and a sensor is fixed to the bottom of the base. When a current flows into the coils, electromagnetic force is produced along an optical axis due to the interaction between the coils and the magnets opposed to the coils. This causes the parallel plate springs to loosen. Consequently, the holder, target, collimator lens, and coils move as a whole along the optical axis.

Abstract: A galvanometer mirror is capable of inclining a reflective mirror around an axis, and has springs. An end of the spring in the vicinity of a movable part is inserted into a second holder, and is then electrically connected to each of terminals. Flexible cables are soldered to these terminals, respectively. Thus, coils are able to receive currents passing through the flexible cables and the terminals, respectively.

Abstract: An information recording reproducing apparatus for recording and/or reproducing informations on and/or from an optical recording medium. The apparatus comprises a light source, at least two objective lenses corresponding to at least two kinds of optical recording media having different thicknesses of a protective layer, respectively, a rotatable holder for supporting these objective lenses, magnetically activable selection elements for selecting these objective lenses in accordance with the optical recording medium, the light of the light source being illuminated on the optical recording medium through the objective lens selected by the magnetically activable delection elements, thereby performing recording and/or reproducing of the information.