Patents by Inventor Yujiro Nomura

Yujiro Nomura has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8274741
    Abstract: An exposure head, includes: a lens array that includes lenses that are arranged in a first direction and in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction; and a light emitting element substrate that is provided with light emitting elements that emit lights to be imaged by the lenses, wherein a relationship defined by a following formula: 1<L1/L2 is satisfied, where the symbol L1 denotes a length of the lens in the first direction and the symbol L2 denotes a length of the lens in the second direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Ryuta Koizumi, Yujiro Nomura, Takeshi Sowa
  • Patent number: 8194112
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a latent image carrier on which a latent image is formed; and a line head. The line head includes light-emitting elements arranged in a first direction; an aperture diaphragm; and an optical system that images light emitted from the light-emitting elements on a latent image carrier. The aperture diaphragm and the optical system are arranged in a second direction that is orthogonal to or substantially orthogonal to the first direction; and among the lenses included in the optical system, a lens located at the position closest to the aperture diaphragm is a multifocal lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Sowa, Yujiro Nomura, Ryuta Koizumi
  • Patent number: 8194106
    Abstract: A line head includes multiple light emitting element groups each including multiple light emitting elements. In each light emitting element group, the multiple light emitting elements are disposed in a two-dimensional arrangement so that a distance Gx is greater than a distance Gy. The light emitting element groups are arranged so that pitches Px are greater than pitches Py.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yujiro Nomura, Nozomu Inoue, Ryuta Koizumi, Ken Ikuma
  • Patent number: 8184140
    Abstract: An optical system of a line head images light emitted from first and second light emitting elements and includes a rotationally symmetric lens having a lens face. A first region of the lens face includes an intersection point of the lens face with the symmetry axis of the lens, and a second region surrounding a periphery of the first region. The shape of a boundary portion between the first and second regions has the relationship 0.5?<??, wherein ? is a first direction angle that a first chief ray emitted by the first light emitting element makes with a second chief ray emitted by the second light emitting element, and ?? is an angle that a tangent line to the first region at the boundary portion makes with a tangent line to the second region at the boundary portion in a first direction cross-section including the symmetry axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Sowa, Yujiro Nomura, Ryuta Koizumi
  • Patent number: 8179413
    Abstract: An image forming device includes: an exposure head having a plurality of light emitting elements arranged in a first direction, a first imaging optical system adapted to image light emitted from the light emitting elements, and a second imaging optical system disposed in a second direction with respect to the first imaging optical system; a latent image carrier movable in the second direction; a detection section adapted to detect a moving time the latent image carrier takes to move from a first position to a second position in the second direction; and a control section adapted to control the time from emission of a first part of the light emitting elements adapted to emit light to be imaged by the first imaging optical system to emission of a second part of the light emitting elements adapted to emit light to be imaged by the second imaging optical system based on the detection result of the detection section, thereby aligning a latent image formed on the latent image carrier by the first imaging optical sy
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yujiro Nomura, Nozomu Inoue, Kiyoshi Tsujino, Ryuta Koizumi
  • Patent number: 8179416
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a line head that performs exposure on a latent image carrier to form a latent image. The line head includes first and second light-emitting elements arranged in a first direction; and an optical system that images light emitted from the first and second light-emitting elements. When a difference between the maximum and minimum values of a longitudinal aberration of the optical system is G, a distance in the first direction between centers of geometry of the first and second light-emitting elements is Pel, and an optical magnification of the optical system is ?, a relation of G>|?|·Pel is satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Sowa, Yujiro Nomura, Ken Ikuma
  • Patent number: 8174548
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus, includes: a latent image carrier that moves in a first direction; an exposure head that includes a first imaging optical system, a second imaging optical system that is distanced from the first imaging optical system in the first direction, a light emitting element that emits a light to be imaged on the latent image carrier by the first imaging optical system and a light emitting element that emits a light to be imaged on the latent image carrier by the second imaging optical system; and a controller that is adapted to control a light quantity of the light emitting element that emits a light to be imaged on the latent image carrier by the first imaging optical system in accordance with an imaging characteristic of the first imaging optical system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Tsujino, Nozomu Inoue, Yujiro Nomura, Ken Ikuma
  • Patent number: 8120635
    Abstract: An exposure head, includes: a lens array that includes a light transmissive substrate whose length in a first direction is greater than a length thereof in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, a first lens that is arranged on the light transmissive substrate, and a second lens that is arranged on the light transmissive substrate at the first direction of the first lens, the first lens and the second lens being connected in the first direction; and a head substrate that is provided with a first light emitting element that emits a light toward the first lens and a second light emitting element that emits a light toward the second lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Ryuta Koizumi, Yujiro Nomura, Takeshi Sowa
  • Patent number: 8120634
    Abstract: The apparatus is adapted to deflect a light beam from a laser light source for each of the color components by means of a deflection mirror surface which oscillates, thereby making the light beam reciprocally scan in a main scanning direction. In this apparatus, however, only a light beam SL which scans in a first direction (+X) of the main scanning direction is irradiated in an effective image region on a photosensitive member, so as to form a latent image thereon. The resultant latent image is developed to form a toner image. Since image formation is performed using only the light beam SL which scans in the first direction (+X), the images may be formed at the consistent density irrespective of the image types. Furthermore, the scanning directions of the light beams SL for all the color components are uniformly defined to be the first direction (+X), so that the toner images of the respective colors may maintain the consistent density.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yujiro Nomura, Ken Ikuma, Hiroshi Toyama
  • Patent number: 8089499
    Abstract: An exposure head, includes: a substrate that is provided with a first light emitting element, a second light emitting element that is arranged at one side of the first light emitting element in a first direction and a third light emitting element that is arranged at the one side of the second light emitting element in the first direction, the first light emitting element and the second light emitting element being arranged at a first distance from each other in the first direction, the second light emitting element and the third light emitting element being arranged at a second distance, which is different from the first distance, from each other in the first direction; and an imaging optical system that images light from the first, the second and the third light emitting elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Sowa, Yujiro Nomura, Ken Ikuma
  • Patent number: 8089695
    Abstract: A line head includes: a positive lens system having two lenses with positive refractive power; an image-side lens array in which the image-side lens of the two lenses is arrayed in a plural number in first and second directions; an object-side lens array in which the object-side lens of the two lenses is arrayed in a plural number in the first and second directions; a light emitter array in which a plurality of light-emitting elements are arrayed on an object side of the positive lens system for the one positive lens system; and an aperture plate that forms an aperture diaphragm disposed on the object side of the positive lens system so that an image side is telecentric or approximately telecentric.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Sowa, Yujiro Nomura, Ryuta Koizumi
  • Patent number: 8085470
    Abstract: A line head, includes: a lens array that includes a first lens, a second lens and a light transmissive substrate on which the first lens and the second lens are arranged in a first direction; and a light emitting element substrate on which light emitting elements are arranged in the first direction, wherein the first lens is formed such that, in a cross section in the first direction including an optical axis of an imaging optical system comprised of the first lens, a curvature of the first lens at an outer peripheral portion has a sign opposite to that of a curvature of the first lens on the optical axis or has a smaller absolute value than the curvature of the first lens on the optical axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Sowa, Nozomu Inoue, Yujiro Nomura
  • Patent number: 8077190
    Abstract: An exposure head, includes: imaging optical systems which are arranged in a first direction; light emitting elements which are arranged in a second direction orthogonal to or substantially orthogonal to the first direction and emit lights to be imaged by the imaging optical systems; a first wiring which is connected with the light emitting element located at a first side in the second direction; and a second wiring which is connected with the light emitting element located at a second side in the second direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Nozomu Inoue, Yujiro Nomura
  • Patent number: 8031214
    Abstract: In a line head, a plurality of element arrays arranged in a first direction. Each array includes a plurality of light emission elements arrayed in a second direction which is perpendicularly to the first direction. The light emission elements emit light for forming an electrostatic latent image on a photosensitive surface of an image carrier. A switcher activates the light emission elements in at least one of the element arrays while deactivating the others. A developer develops the latent image as a visible image with toner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Katsunori Yamazaki, Yujiro Nomura, Kiyoshi Tsujino
  • Patent number: 8022975
    Abstract: A line head includes a positive lens system having two lenses, image-side and object-side lens arrays, a light emitter array on an object side of the positive lens system, and an aperture plate that forms an aperture diaphragm. Where the row number of lenses arrayed in a second direction is ‘m’, a gap between effective regions of two image-side lenses adjacent to each other in a first direction is ‘?’, an image-side angle of aperture is ‘?i’, a width of light-emitting elements images in the first direction is ‘Wi’, a focal length of the image-side lens is ‘f2’ and a distance from an image-side principal plane of the image-side lens to an image surface is ‘Si’, the following conditions are satisfied: f2?(mWi??)/(2?i), Wi?2Si?i/(m?1)+?/(m?1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Sowa, Yujiro Nomura, Ryuta Koizumi
  • Patent number: 8023844
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus, includes: an exposure head that includes an imaging optical system which is arranged in a first direction and a light emitting element which emits light to be focused by the imaging optical system; a latent image carrier that moves in a second direction orthogonal to or substantially orthogonal to the first direction and carries a latent image which is formed by the exposure head; a developing unit that develops the latent image formed on the latent image carrier by the exposure head; and a detector that detects an image which is developed by the developing unit and is formed using one imaging optical system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kunihiro Kawada, Yujiro Nomura
  • Patent number: 8009361
    Abstract: A lens array includes: a lens array substrate having a light transmissive property; a first lens disposed on the lens array substrate; and a second lens disposed on the lens array substrate in a first direction from the first lens and different from the first lens in peripheral shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yujiro Nomura, Ken Ikuma
  • Patent number: 8004549
    Abstract: A line head, includes: a microlens array in which a plurality of microlenses having a magnification whose absolute value is below 1 are arranged in a main scanning direction of a surface-to-be-scanned, and a plurality of luminous element groups which are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the respective plurality of microlenses, wherein in each of the plurality of luminous element groups, a plurality of luminous elements are arranged at mutually different main-scanning-direction positions in the main scanning direction, the plurality of luminous elements are respectively caused to emit lights at timings in conformity with a movement of the surface-to-be-scanned in a sub scanning direction, and light beams emitted from the plurality of luminous elements are imaged on the surface-to-be-scanned at mutually different main-scanning-direction positions in the main scanning direction to form a plurality of spots side by side on the surface-to-be-scanned in the main scanning direction, and in each of the pl
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yujiro Nomura, Nozomu Inoue, Ryuta Koizumi, Ken Ikuma
  • Publication number: 20110193931
    Abstract: The invention provides an image forming apparatus and an image forming method capable of smoothly and reasonably conducting image formation in case of using a lens (lenses) of which optical magnification is minus. An image forming apparatus of the invention comprises: a line head having lenses of which optical magnification is minus and a light emitter array in which a plurality of light emitting elements are aligned. The lenses are plural in an axial direction (main scanning direction) of an image carrier and a direction (sub scanning direction) perpendicular to the axial direction. A light emitter block composed of “m×n” (in number) light emitting elements is disposed relative to each lens. The “m×n” light emitting elements comprises “n” (in number) light emitting element lines arranged in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction and each light emitting element line includes “m” (in number) light emitting elements aligned in the axial direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2011
    Publication date: August 11, 2011
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kunihiro KAWADA, Yujiro NOMURA, Motomu HAYAKAWA, Teruyuki INUKAI, Ken IKUMA
  • Patent number: 7995085
    Abstract: A line head, includes: a plurality of first substrates each of which includes a plurality of light emitting elements which emit light beams, a second substrate to which the plurality of first substrates are bonded, and an optical system which includes a plurality of lenses which focus light beams emitted from the plurality of light emitting elements toward an image plane, and in which a plurality of lenses face each of the plurality of first substrates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Yujiro Nomura