Abstract: A solid state imaging device includes: a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements which are arranged in a two-dimensional matrix on a semiconductor chip; vertical transfer registers including a vertical transfer channel and vertical transfer electrodes, respectively, for transferring signal charge read out of the photoelectric conversion elements in the vertical direction; a horizontal transfer register including a horizontal transfer channel and horizontal transfer electrodes for transferring the signal charge transferred from the vertical transfer registers in the horizontal direction; bus interconnects which are electrically connected to the vertical transfer electrodes and the horizontal transfer electrodes; and pads for external connection which are electrically connected to the bus interconnects. The pads are formed above the bus interconnects and the horizontal transfer electrodes.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus capable of suppressing deterioration of image qualities and output properties is provided having one or more output circuits in series and a buffer circuit 6, and processing luminance signals from photodetectors to output image information, the buffer circuit performing impedance conversion on signals outputted from a final output circuit of the one or more output circuits, the final output circuit being a source follower circuit that has an active element and a current source circuit 5 which is inserted between a source terminal of the active element and a reference voltage terminal, wherein the current source circuit and the buffer circuit 6 are external to a solid-state image sensor 1 having the photodetectors, and a main part of the current source circuit 5 and a main part of the buffer circuit 6 are in a single package.

Abstract: A heater device includes a heating unit which includes a heating element that generates heat using an induction-heating method. A power supply part supplies a driving current to the heating unit. A first high-frequency component cutoff unit is connected to the power supply part. A switching unit controls the supply of the driving current from the power supply part to the heating unit. A second high-frequency component cutoff unit is connected to the switching unit. And a connection unit connects the first high-frequency component cutoff unit and the second high-frequency component cutoff unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is disclosed. In at least one embodiment, the apparatus includes a plurality of image carriers to carry an image; a plurality of drivers to drive the image carriers; a plurality of drive-force transmitting members to transmit a driving-force from the drivers to image carriers; a developing unit, provided to the image carriers, to develop the image; a transfer member, facing the image carriers, to receive the image from the image carriers sequentially; an image detector to detect the image on the transfer member to check a detection timing of the image; a sensor, provided to each of the image carriers, to detect a rotational speed of image carriers; and a controller to conduct an image-to-image displacement control, a speed-deviation checking, and a phase adjustment control for each of the plurality of image carriers with the image detector and sensor.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of image carriers, an optical writing unit, a plurality of developing units, a transfer member, a transfer unit, an image sensor, and a control unit. In at least one embodiment, the image sensor is configured to sense a positional displacement detection pattern including visible images on the transfer member to detect a positional displacement between the visible images on each of the plurality of image carriers. The control unit is configured to execute a positional displacement correction control to calculate an amount of the positional displacement and determine respective target drive speeds of the plurality of drive sources. The control unit is also configured to control so that the positional displacement detection pattern is formed when the plurality of drive sources are driven at substantially identical speeds and the positional displacement detection pattern thus formed is sensed by the image sensor.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus is disclosed that includes plural image carriers on which different-colored toner images are formed, the image carriers being driven and rotated to transfer the different-colored toner images onto one of an endless transfer member that is driven to rotate in contact with the image carriers or a transfer material that is carried by the endless transfer member. The imaging apparatus includes a phase calculating unit that extracts a periodic rotational variation component of each of the image carriers from a combination of periodic rotational variation components generated within said imaging apparatus and calculates a rotational phase of each of the image carriers based on the extracted periodic rotational variation component, and a rotational phase adjusting unit that adjusts a rotation stop phase of each of the image carriers based on the calculated rotational phase.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus capable of suppressing deterioration of image qualities and output properties is provided having one or more output circuits in series and a buffer circuit 6, and processing luminance signals from photodetectors to output image information, the buffer circuit performing impedance conversion on signals outputted from a final output circuit of the one or more output circuits, the final output circuit being a source follower circuit that has an active element and a current source circuit 5 which is inserted between a source terminal of the active element and a reference voltage terminal, wherein the current source circuit and the buffer circuit 6 are external to a solid-state image sensor 1 having the photodetectors, and a main part of the current source circuit 5 and a main part of the buffer circuit 6 are in a single package.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of image bearing members, each of which is configured to bear a portion of a pattern image including a plurality of reference images in a given form, an endless moving member facing the plurality of image bearing members and configured to receive the pattern image, an image detecting unit configured to detect the plurality of reference images, a rotational angle detecting unit configured to separately detect each image bearing member at a given rotational angle, and a controller configured to detect a speed deviation pattern for each revolution of each image bearing member. The controller is configured to detect the speed deviation pattern based on a result obtained from a phase component and a quadrature component of a frequency signal generated from the detection result obtained by the rotational angle detecting unit and a result of detecting the plurality of reference images in the pattern image transferred onto the endless moving member.

Abstract: To compensate for the variation in the output signal from an encoder due to the variation in the thickness of an endless belt, an apparatus includes: a detector that detects a reference position on the endless belt; a correction-value calculating unit that calculates a correction value for each position on the endless belt based on the thickness; and a target-value calculating unit that adjusts a target value for controlling a driving motor based on the correction value corresponding to a distance from the reference position to the current position.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a latent image carrier having a moving surface on which a latent image is formed, a drive control mechanism to control a drive of the latent image carrier so as to match a rotation angular speed of the latent image carrier with a target rotation angular speed thereof, a surface moving member having a moving surface on which an adjustment pattern for use in controlling the drive of the latent image carrier is formed, an image forming mechanism to develop the latent image with toner and transfer a resultant toner image on the surface moving member so as to form the adjustment pattern along a surface moving direction thereof, a pattern sensor to detect the adjustment pattern, a correction mechanism to correct the target rotation angular speed of the latent image carrier based on an amplitude and a phase of a variable component in a pattern interval of the adjustment pattern detected with the pattern sensor.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is disclosed. In at least one embodiment, the apparatus includes a plurality of image carriers to carry an image; a plurality of drivers to drive the image carriers; a plurality of drive-force transmitting members to transmit a driving-force from the drivers to image carriers; a developing unit, provided to the image carriers, to develop the image; a transfer member, facing the image carriers, to receive the image from the image carriers sequentially; an image detector to detect the image on the transfer member to check a detection timing of the image; a sensor, provided to each of the image carriers, to detect a rotational speed of image carriers; and a controller to conduct an image-to-image displacement control, a speed-deviation checking, and a phase adjustment control for each of the plurality of image carriers with the image detector and sensor.

Abstract: An image forming method in which an electrostatic latent image is formed by exposure with an exposure light of light scanning means onto an image carrier charged by charging means, visualization of the electrostatic latent image as a toner image, transfer of the toner image onto a transfer member by application of a bias voltage, and removal of the toner remaining on the image carrier following transfer with a cleaning blade, the exposure being initiated by the light scanning means after a position“a” on the image carrier where said bias voltage has been initiated passes the cleaning blade.

Abstract: A color-drift correcting method in an image forming apparatus includes a first and a second color-drift correcting. The first color-drift correcting includes correcting the color-drift amount in a sub scanning direction and a skew relative to the reference color image being based on each color-drift amount of at least three mark-patterns, each of which mark-pattern is formed each color image, so as to decide a corrected-image line as a virtual image line for each color, assumed when the color images are superposed onto a transfer media. A second color-drift correcting includes correcting the color-drift amount in the sub scanning direction so that the virtual image lines corresponding to each of the colors other than the reference color intersect with the virtual image line of the reference color at at least two points.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprising a fixation device having a heating part for heating and fixing a toner image formed on a recording medium is provided, which comprises a rotational velocity detecting part for detecting a rotational velocity of a conveyance roller for conveying the recording medium and a control part for estimating a surface temperature of the recording medium based on the rotational velocity of the conveyance roller detected by the rotational velocity detecting part, for estimating a temperature change of the heating part at a time of fixation based on the estimated surface temperature, and for determining a heating control variable of the heating part based on the temperature change.

Abstract: An endless belt drive controlling apparatus includes an endless belt and its drive unit, a first detector that detects a belt mark, a second detector that detects a detected angular displacement error of an encoder generated due to a variation in a thickness of the endless belt, a first calculating unit that calculates a phase and a maximum amplitude of the endless belt at the belt mark based on the detected angular displacement error of the encoder thus obtained, and a second calculating unit that calculates a position of the endless belt at which the detected angular displacement error is a minimum from the phase stored in a nonvolatile memory. The drive unit controls the endless belt so that the portion thereof at which the detected angular displacement error is the minimum is stopped at one of the rollers at which a highest tension is applied to the endless belt when the driver issues a belt stop command.

Abstract: A solid state imaging device includes: a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements which are arranged in a two-dimensional matrix on a semiconductor chip; vertical transfer registers including a vertical transfer channel and vertical transfer electrodes, respectively, for transferring signal charge read out of the photoelectric conversion elements in the vertical direction; a horizontal transfer register including a horizontal transfer channel and horizontal transfer electrodes for transferring the signal charge transferred from the vertical transfer registers in the horizontal direction; bus interconnects which are electrically connected to the vertical transfer electrodes and the horizontal transfer electrodes; and pads for external connection which are electrically connected to the bus interconnects. The pads are formed above the bus interconnects and the horizontal transfer electrodes.

Abstract: A contents distribution system for a simulation ride system has a seat rocking unit, a video unit, an acoustic unit, and a simulation ride control apparatus. The simulation ride control apparatus has the simulation ride system controlling operations of the seat rocking unit, the video unit, and the acoustic unit by using content data, and a distribution apparatus for a ride contents administration center. The distribution apparatus for the ride contents administration center distributes the content data and the simulation ride control apparatus receives the distributed content data.

Abstract: A belt driving control apparatus, the belt driving control apparatus having an endless belt, a driving roller driving the endless belt, a driving motor driving the driving roller, at least one idler roller being dependent on the endless belt, and an encoder attached to one of the idler roller, the belt driving control apparatus includes a structure where a control target value of the driving motor is set so that an effective speed of the endless belt is constant and the driving motor is drive-controlled so that the control target value is satisfied.

Abstract: A mark detecting unit detects a mark that is a reference position of an endless belt. An angular-displacement-error detecting unit detects an angular displacement error of an encoder caused by thickness fluctuation of the endless belt. A first calculating unit calculates a phase and a maximum amplitude to the mark. A second calculating unit calculates correction data according to a distance from the mark on the endless belt. A belt-drive control device controls a belt driving unit by adding the correction data to a preset control target value to stabilize speed fluctuation of the endless belt due to the thickness fluctuation.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a belt stretched across rollers and a resist rotary member that feeds out a recording medium on the belt. A correlation between a velocity of the belt and the resist rotary member is obtained. A target velocity of the belt or the resist rotary member, at which a difference between the velocity when the recording medium is in contact with both the belt and the resist rotary member and the velocity when the recording medium is not in contact with at least either the belt or the resist rotary member is minimum, is determined based on the correlation.