Abstract: A fixing device includes: an optical system that includes a lens serving as a light guiding path and concentrates laser light for image fixing at an interface between the lens and a recording material; a holding part that holds the lens of the optical system; an operating part that rotates together with the holding part; and a suppressing unit that suppresses propagation of energy of the laser light from the holding part to the operating part.

Abstract: A linear light-concentrating device includes: a light-emitting body having light-emitting surfaces; a first optical element group; a second optical element group having apertures; and a light-transmitting columnar member. The first optical element group is divided into first optical elements each having a deflecting characteristic that causes an incident beam to be converted to an exit beam deflected in a first direction. The second optical element group is divided into second optical elements. The first optical elements include constituent units each including at least two of the first optical elements, and the deflecting characteristics of the first optical elements are such that a group of exit beams from each of the constituent units is deflected toward a corresponding one of the apertures of the second optical element group. The optical axes of the second optical elements are decentered toward the optical axis of the columnar member.

Abstract: A fixing device includes: an optical system that includes a lens serving as a light guiding path and concentrates laser light for image fixing at an interface between the lens and a recording material; a holding part that holds the lens of the optical system; an operating part that rotates together with the holding part; and a suppressing unit that suppresses propagation of energy of the laser light from the holding part to the operating part.

Abstract: A linear light concentrator includes a light emitting body and first and second optical element groups, wherein the first optical element group is divided in first and second directions into first optical elements, each having characteristics to deflect a beam in the first direction, and the characteristics of the first optical elements adjacent in the second direction are different, the second optical element group is divided in at least the first direction into second optical elements having a power in the second direction, and center axes of refraction of adjacent second optical elements are shifted in the second direction, the characteristics deflect a beam from each unit of the first optical elements arranged in the first direction toward one of apertures of the second optical element group, and a length in the second direction of the second optical element is longer than that of the first optical element.

Abstract: Provided is an illuminating device including a cylindrical lens in which a light incidence surface and a light emission surface, which are opposite to each other, extend in a longitudinal direction, and a light source that is disposed in such a manner that a positional relationship between a paraxial virtual image of the light source due to the light incidence surface of the cylindrical lens and a center of curvature of the light emission surface is in a predetermined range.

Abstract: Provided is an image reader, including a reading unit that reads an image of a read body, an optical unit that forms the image of the read body on the reading unit, a filter unit that is disposed in the optical unit and eliminates infrared light by an interference film, a calculating unit that calculates a coefficient matrix during a color correction based on a reading position of the reading unit and spectral field angle characteristics of the filter unit in the reading position, and a correction unit that performs the color correction with respect to the image read by the reading unit using the coefficient matrix.

Abstract: Provided is an illuminating device including a cylindrical lens in which a light incidence surface and a light emission surface, which are opposite to each other, extend in a longitudinal direction, and a light source that is disposed in such a manner that a positional relationship between a paraxial virtual image of the light source due to the light incidence surface of the cylindrical lens and a center of curvature of the light emission surface is in a predetermined range.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording material; an endless belt member; a pressure member that applies pressure to the belt member; a pressing member that presses the belt member from an inner side of the belt member towards the pressure member; and an adjusting section that adjusts a position of an end portion of a nip part at a downstream side in a movement direction of the recording material and a position of a curved portion of the belt member by moving or deforming the pressing member, the nip part being formed by the belt member and the pressure member, the curved portion of the belt member being formed by an end portion of the pressing member at a downstream side in the movement direction of the recording material.

Abstract: Provided is an image reader, including a reading unit that reads an image of a read body, an optical unit that forms the image of the read body on the reading unit, a filter unit that is disposed in the optical unit and eliminates infrared light by an interference film, a calculating unit that calculates a coefficient matrix during a color correction based on a reading position of the reading unit and spectral field angle characteristics of the filter unit in the reading position, and a correction unit that performs the color correction with respect to the image read by the reading unit using the coefficient matrix.

Abstract: The reading apparatus is provided with: an optical image forming unit that forms an optical image on a recording medium by irradiating, with light, the recording medium on which an image is formed and which is transported in a slow scan direction; a reading unit that reads a position in a fast scan direction of the image formed on the recording medium transported in the slow scan direction and a position in a fast scan direction of the optical image, by using a minification optical system; and a registration correction unit that corrects a registration error in the fast scan direction of the image read by the reading unit, by using the position in the fast scan direction of the optical image read by the reading unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording material; an endless belt member; a pressure member that applies pressure to the belt member; a pressing member that presses the belt member from an inner side of the belt member towards the pressure member; and an adjusting section that adjusts a position of an end portion of a nip part at a downstream side in a movement direction of the recording material and a position of a curved portion of the belt member by moving or deforming the pressing member, the nip part being formed by the belt member and the pressure member, the curved portion of the belt member being formed by an end portion of the pressing member at a downstream side in the movement direction of the recording material.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus includes: a scanning optical system; a light concentrating section that concentrates lights by the scanning optical system on the photosensitive surface and adjusts a light concentrating position to a light traveling direction; a light receiving device to which lights having different light sources are guided and emitted from a part of a light movement range with scanning to receive separately the lights, including light receiving parts to detect a received light quantity, where an optical path length to the light receiving part is greater than that to the photosensitive surface for a part of the lights passing through on the light receiving parts and is smaller for another part of the lights; and a light concentrating position adjusting section that uses the function of the light concentrating section to adjust the light concentrating position by the light concentrating section based on the received light quantity.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a storage unit that stores a correction amount used to correct color unevenness of an image according to a plurality of halftone screening conditions; and a correction unit that corrects an input image according to the correction amount stored in the storage unit. The stored correction amount includes common information, which is common among the halftone screening conditions, and dependent information, which is dependent on the respective halftone screening conditions.

Abstract: The reading apparatus is provided with: an optical image forming unit that forms an optical image on a recording medium by irradiating, with light, the recording medium on which an image is formed and which is transported in a slow scan direction; a reading unit that reads a position in a fast scan direction of the image formed on the recording medium transported in the slow scan direction and a position in a fast scan direction of the optical image, by using a minification optical system; and a registration correction unit that corrects a registration error in the fast scan direction of the image read by the reading unit, by using the position in the fast scan direction of the optical image read by the reading unit.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a storage unit that stores a correction amount used to correct color unevenness of an image according to a plurality of halftone screening conditions; and a correction unit that corrects an input image according to the correction amount stored in the storage unit. The stored correction amount includes common information, which is common among the halftone screening conditions, and dependent information, which is dependent on the respective halftone screening conditions.

Abstract: The image reading device of the present invention reads images by using a visible light and an invisible light that are generated by a single light source. The fluorescent lamp is provided with a pair of internal electrodes and a pair of external electrodes. It generates a visible light with a higher intensity than an infrared light when switching a feeder circuit on to generate a discharge between the external electrodes. On the other hand, it generates an infrared light with a higher intensity than a visible light when switching another feeder circuit on to generate a discharge between the internal electrodes. Therefore, the fluorescent lamp has a reading mode using the visible light, and a reading mode using the infrared light. And, a lamp controller selectively switches the emission mode of the fluorescent lamp.

Abstract: A light source of the invention includes: a cylinder having disposed therein a phosphor material that emits light by ultraviolet rays which are radiated due to discharge; a pair of internal electrodes disposed inside the cylinder; a pair of external electrodes a and b disposed outside the cylinder; and a lamp controller that switches between an external electrode lighting mode resulting from the application of a voltage to the pair of external electrodes and an internal electrode lighting mode resulting from the application of a voltage to the pair of internal electrodes, wherein the lamp controller controls, in the external electrode lighting mode, an electric potential VIN with respect to the pair of internal electrodes and an electric potential VH of the electrode of the higher electric potential of the pair of external electrodes to a condition where VIN>VH or VIN?VH.

Abstract: A light source of the invention includes: a cylinder having disposed therein a phosphor material that emits light by ultraviolet rays which are radiated due to discharge; a pair of internal electrodes disposed inside the cylinder; a pair of external electrodes a and b disposed outside the cylinder; and a lamp controller that switches between an external electrode lighting mode resulting from the application of a voltage to the pair of external electrodes and an internal electrode lighting mode resulting from the application of a voltage to the pair of internal electrodes, wherein the lamp controller controls, in the external electrode lighting mode, an electric potential VIN with respect to the pair of internal electrodes and an electric potential VH of the electrode of the higher electric potential of the pair of external electrodes to a condition where VIN>VH or VIN?VH.

Abstract: A reading scan controlling unit drives a scanning motor in accordance with a signal from a reading instructing unit and a line synchronous generating unit for scanning a document plural times in a slow-scanning direction, as well as controls a sensor driver to read a document image. At this time, an optical flat plate driving unit is controlled in the second and following scans to incline an optical flat plate provided in an imaging optical path at a predetermined angle in a fast-scanning direction, so that the imaging position on a CCD sensor in a fast-scanning direction is slightly changed. Further, the scanning speed is determined in accordance with the scanning times. An image reading device having such a construction can perform high-speed reading with high precision by using an image shift method.

Abstract: After light transmitted through platen glass is incident on a lens and focused, the light is transmitted through a parallel flat plate and imaged in a CCD image sensor. The resolving power of the CCD image sensor is 600 dpi in this case and one pixel is 8 &mgr;m. A parallel flat plate is provided with a function for displacing all rays incident on the plate in parallel. The quantity of parallel displacement differs depending upon each wavelength. Therefore, lateral chromatic aberration can be reduced to the extent that it is ignorable (approximately {fraction (1/10)} of pixel size) by making reflected light outgoing from the lens and having lateral chromatic aberration incident on the parallel flat plate.