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).
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Patent number: 7995084Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: January 7, 2008Date of Patent: August 9, 2011Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Yujiro Nomura, Ken Ikuma
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Patent number: 7990408Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: August 26, 2008Date of Patent: August 2, 2011Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Kenjiro Yoshioka, Yujiro Nomura, Ken Ikuma
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Patent number: 7990572Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: February 25, 2009Date of Patent: August 2, 2011Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventor: Yujiro Nomura
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Patent number: 7974552Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: April 14, 2010Date of Patent: July 5, 2011Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Atsushi Imamura, Yujiro Nomura, Yoshihisa Saka
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Publication number: 20110150511Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: February 18, 2011Publication date: June 23, 2011Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATIONInventors: Yujiro NOMURA, Ken IKUMA, Hiroshi TOYAMA
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Patent number: 7956885Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: August 6, 2009Date of Patent: June 7, 2011Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Yujiro Nomura, Ken Ikuma
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Patent number: 7952600Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: August 7, 2007Date of Patent: May 31, 2011Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Kunihiro Kawada, Yujiro Nomura, Motomu Hayakawa, Teruyuki Inukai, Ken Ikuma
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Patent number: 7952601Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: January 22, 2009Date of Patent: May 31, 2011Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Ryuta Koizumi, Yujiro Nomura, Takeshi Sowa, Ken Ikuma
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Publication number: 20110123210Abstract: 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 syType: ApplicationFiled: January 26, 2011Publication date: May 26, 2011Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATIONInventors: Yujiro NOMURA, Nozomu INOUE, Kiyoshi TSUJINO, Ryuta KOIZUMI
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Patent number: 7948509Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: December 11, 2008Date of Patent: May 24, 2011Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Katsunori Yamazaki, Takao Miyazawa, Akira Nakajima, Yujiro Nomura, Kiyoshi Tsujino
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Patent number: 7944463Abstract: 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 singlType: GrantFiled: February 11, 2009Date of Patent: May 17, 2011Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Hiroshi Toyama, Yujiro Nomura, Ken Ikuma
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Publication number: 20110097120Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: September 24, 2010Publication date: April 28, 2011Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATIONInventor: Yujiro NOMURA
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Patent number: 7929008Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: January 14, 2009Date of Patent: April 19, 2011Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Takeshi Sowa, Nozomu Inoue, Yujiro Nomura
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Publication number: 20110081172Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: September 22, 2010Publication date: April 7, 2011Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATIONInventors: Atsushi IMAMURA, Yujiro NOMURA
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Patent number: 7920156Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: October 3, 2008Date of Patent: April 5, 2011Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Yujiro Nomura, Ken Ikuma, Hiroshi Toyama
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Patent number: 7916163Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: December 12, 2008Date of Patent: March 29, 2011Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Ryuta Koizumi, Nozomu Inoue, Yujiro Nomura
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Patent number: 7911492Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: January 9, 2009Date of Patent: March 22, 2011Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Kiyoshi Tsujino, Yujiro Nomura, Ken Ikuma
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Patent number: 7907162Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: November 17, 2008Date of Patent: March 15, 2011Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Nozomu Inoue, Yujiro Nomura
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Publication number: 20110058830Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: August 2, 2010Publication date: March 10, 2011Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATIONInventors: Yoshihisa SAKA, Yujiro NOMURA
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Publication number: 20110043593Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: October 28, 2010Publication date: February 24, 2011Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATIONInventors: Ryuta KOIZUMI, Yujiro NOMURA, Takeshi SOWA