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: 7995084
    Abstract: A line head, includes: a plurality of luminous elements grouped into a plurality of luminous element groups; and a lens array which includes a plurality of lenses each of which faces the luminous element group, focuses light beams emitted from the luminous element group on an image plane, and accordingly forms a spot group, wherein the plurality of luminous element groups are arrayed in M×N in a first direction and in a second direction which are different from each other, where M and N are integers equal to or greater than two, and spot groups adjacent to each other in a direction corresponding to the first direction are so formed on the image plane as to partly overlap in a direction corresponding to the second direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yujiro Nomura, Ken Ikuma
  • Patent number: 7990408
    Abstract: An exposing device includes a light-emitting element array including plural light-emitting elements disposed in a first direction and a second direction orthogonal to or substantially orthogonal to the first direction, a lens array including plural lenses that focus lights from the light-emitting elements, a supporting member that supports the light-emitting element array and the lens array, and an exposure-position adjusting mechanism including a rotation adjusting unit that rotates the supporting member around or substantially around an axis in the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kenjiro Yoshioka, Yujiro Nomura, Ken Ikuma
  • Patent number: 7990572
    Abstract: An optical scanning device 65 is adapted to bring a deflector mirror plane 651 into independent pivotal motions about a first axis and a second axis perpendicular to each other. A mirror driver section including a first axis driver and a second axis driver is so controlled as to bring the deflector mirror plane 651 into pivotal motion about the first axis thereby deflecting a light beam L for scanning along a main scan direction. On the other hand, the deflector mirror plane 651 is pivotally moved about the second axis thereby to adjust the scanned beam L for its position on a photosensitive member 2 with respect to a subscan direction. Thus, even if the scanned beam is deviated from a reference scan position with respect to the subscan direction due to component tolerances or assembly errors, such a deviation can be corrected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Yujiro Nomura
  • Patent number: 7974552
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier which moves while carrying an image and a transfer roller including a roller base material which faces the image carrier and rotates. A concave portion is positioned on a peripheral surface of the roller base material. A grip unit on the concave portion grips a recording medium. An elastic layer is disposed on a peripheral surface of the roller base material. The transfer roller grips a recording medium by the grip unit when the concave portion faces the image carrier and passes the recording medium through a nip between the image carrier and the elastic layer when facing each other so that the image carried on the image carrier is transferred on the recording medium. A roller driving unit rotates the roller base material. A control unit controls the roller driving unit to adjust a timing for forming the nip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Imamura, Yujiro Nomura, Yoshihisa Saka
  • Publication number: 20110150511
    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: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2011
    Publication date: June 23, 2011
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yujiro NOMURA, Ken IKUMA, Hiroshi TOYAMA
  • Patent number: 7956885
    Abstract: A lens array includes: a light transmissive lens array substrate; a plurality of lenses disposed on the lens array substrate in a first direction; and a line-like mark formed on the lens array substrate in a second direction one of perpendicular and substantially perpendicular to the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yujiro Nomura, Ken Ikuma
  • Patent number: 7952600
    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: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kunihiro Kawada, Yujiro Nomura, Motomu Hayakawa, Teruyuki Inukai, Ken Ikuma
  • Patent number: 7952601
    Abstract: An exposure head includes: a lens array in which lenses are disposed in a first direction; and a light-emitting element substrate on which light-emitting elements that emit light to be focused by the lenses are disposed. Length L1 of the lenses in the first direction and length L2 of the lenses in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction have a relation represented by an expression 1<L2/L1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Ryuta Koizumi, Yujiro Nomura, Takeshi Sowa, Ken Ikuma
  • Publication number: 20110123210
    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: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2011
    Publication date: May 26, 2011
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yujiro NOMURA, Nozomu INOUE, Kiyoshi TSUJINO, Ryuta KOIZUMI
  • Patent number: 7948509
    Abstract: A line head, includes a light-emitting element row, having a plurality of light-emitting elements arranged in a first direction; a plurality of feeding portions; a first power supply line for power supply, connected to a first feeding portion for a power supply of the feeding portions; and a second power supply line for ground, connected to a second feeding portion for a ground of the feeding portions. The light-emitting elements are respectively connected between the first power supply line and the second power supply line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Katsunori Yamazaki, Takao Miyazawa, Akira Nakajima, Yujiro Nomura, Kiyoshi Tsujino
  • Patent number: 7944463
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus, includes: a latent image carrier whose surface includes an effective image region spanning across a predetermined width in a main scanning direction and is driven in a sub scanning direction approximately orthogonal to the main scanning direction; a latent image former which has a light source and a deflection mirror oscillating, and deflects a light beam from the light source using the deflection mirror so as to scan the effective image region with the deflected light beam; and a scanning mode controller which switches selectively between a single-side scanning mode and a double-side scanning mode, the single-side scanning mode being a mode in which the light beam is scanned only in a first direction included in the main scanning direction, the double-side scanning mode being a mode in which the light beam is scanned in both the first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction, wherein a condition to form latent images on the latent image carrier in the singl
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Toyama, Yujiro Nomura, Ken Ikuma
  • Publication number: 20110097120
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including: a belt-shaped image carrier configured to carry an image; a first imaging unit configured to transfer a first image to the image carrier; a second imaging unit configured to transfer a second image to the image carrier on which the image is transferred by the first imaging unit; a drive roller configured to circulate the image carrier by winding the image carrier thereon; a roller on which the image carrier is wound; a transfer roller having a concaved portion on part of a circumferential surface thereof which comes into abutment with the image carrier wound around the roller via a recording material; a drive unit configured to drive the transfer roller; and a gripping portion disposed in the concaved portion and configured to grip the recording material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2010
    Publication date: April 28, 2011
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yujiro NOMURA
  • Patent number: 7929008
    Abstract: A line head includes: a first lens formed from a resin and on a glass substrate; and a light emitting element substrate that has light emitting elements arranged in a first direction, wherein a cross section of the first lens taken in the first direction and including an optical axis of the first lens has a configuration wherein a curvature of the first lens at the optical axis has a larger absolute value than a curvature of an outer peripheral portion of the first lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Sowa, Nozomu Inoue, Yujiro Nomura
  • Publication number: 20110081172
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image bearing member that bears an image; and a transfer roller, having a concave portion in its circumferential surface and rotating central to a rotational axis, whose circumferential surface aside from the concave portion makes contact with the image bearing member and transfers the image onto a recording material. The circumferential surface of the transfer roller aside from the concave portion makes contact with the image bearing member due to rotation of the transfer roller while the rotational axis of the transfer roller moves away from the image bearing member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2010
    Publication date: April 7, 2011
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Atsushi IMAMURA, Yujiro NOMURA
  • Patent number: 7920156
    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: October 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yujiro Nomura, Ken Ikuma, Hiroshi Toyama
  • Patent number: 7916163
    Abstract: An exposure head, includes: an imaging optical system; a first light emitting element that emits a light which is to be focused by the imaging optical system; a second light emitting element that emits a light which is to be focused by the imaging optical system; a first TFT circuit that is connected with the first light emitting element via an interconnection wire; and a second TFT circuit that is connected with the second light emitting element via an interconnection wire, wherein the first light emitting element and the second light emitting element are provided between the first TFT circuit and the second TFT circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Ryuta Koizumi, Nozomu Inoue, Yujiro Nomura
  • Patent number: 7911492
    Abstract: At least one light emission array includes a plurality of light emitting elements arrayed in a first direction. Each of the light emitting elements is an organic electroluminescence element. A monitor quantitatively monitors a light emitting state of at least one of the light emitting elements to obtain a monitored amount. A comparator compares the monitored amount and a reference amount. A controller performs a constant current control with respect to at least one of the light emitting elements in accordance with a result of the comparison performed by the comparator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Tsujino, Yujiro Nomura, Ken Ikuma
  • Patent number: 7907162
    Abstract: An exposure head includes a substrate having a plurality of light emitting element rows each having a plurality of light emitting elements arranged in a first direction, the light emitting element rows being arranged in a second direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the first direction, and an imaging optical system adapted to image light beams from the light emitting elements on an exposed surface to form respective light-collected sections, and two of the light emitting elements forming the light-collected sections adjacent to each other in the first direction are respectively disposed in the light emitting element rows different from each other, and one of the light emitting element rows is disposed so as to match or substantially match with the meridian plane of the imaging optical system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Nozomu Inoue, Yujiro Nomura
  • Publication number: 20110058830
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including: an image bearing belt that bears an image; an image creation unit that transfers the image on the image bearing belt; a first driving source; a driving roller that is rotationally driven by the first driving source and causes the image bearing belt to move; a transfer roller that has a concaved portion in a circumferential surface, forms a transfer nip by the transfer roller making contact with the image bearing belt, and transfers the image on the image bearing belt to a recording material; a second driving source that rotationally drives the transfer roller; a material type determination unit that determines a type of the recording material; and a control unit that controls a number of rotation of the transfer roller when the recording material is nipped by the transfer nip based on information of the type determined by the material type determination unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2010
    Publication date: March 10, 2011
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshihisa SAKA, Yujiro NOMURA
  • Publication number: 20110043593
    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: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2010
    Publication date: February 24, 2011
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ryuta KOIZUMI, Yujiro NOMURA, Takeshi SOWA