Specific Optical Structure Patents (Class 347/241)
  • Patent number: 8823764
    Abstract: An optical writer includes a housing, a light source, a deflector, and a plurality of optical elements. The housing includes a plurality of surfaces, one of which includes a substantially flat portion having an opening formed therein and a curved portion curved in the shape of an arc of a circle in cross-section. The light source is enclosed within the housing and projects light through the opening and onto a target. The deflector is enclosed within the housing and deflects the light projected from the light source in a main scanning direction. The plurality of optical elements is enclosed within the housing and directs the light deflected by the deflector onto the target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomoya Fujii, Noboru Kusunose, Yoshinobu Sakaue
  • Patent number: 8791973
    Abstract: There is provided an image forming apparatus including plural photosensitive members on which developer images are formed by supplying developer to electrostatic latent images, respectively, an exposure device which illuminates light beams onto surfaces of the photosensitive members to form the electrostatic latent images, respectively. The developer images on the respective photosensitive numbers are transferred to a transferred medium which is moved in a moving direction while contacting the respective photosensitive members. The exposure device is configured such that a beam diameter of light beam exposing a most-upstream photosensitive member in the moving direction on a surface of the most-upstream photosensitive member is larger than a beam diameter of light beam exposing a most-downstream photosensitive member in the moving direction on a surface of the most-downstream photosensitive member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuichi Matsushita, Toshio Furukawa, Yosuke Sugiyama, Minoru Matsuura
  • Patent number: 8786656
    Abstract: A lens array, a linear light exposure device, and an optical apparatus including the linear light exposure device. The lens array includes: an image side lens array unit in which a plurality of lens cells are arranged in at least one line along an arrangement direction to have optical axes parallel with each other; and a light blocking unit provided on an incidence surface of the image side lens array unit, the light blocking unit having light transmission regions, through which light is transmitted toward each lens cell, and blocking regions in regions other than the light transmission regions, wherein each lens cell of the image side lens array unit has a square formed effective optical region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Wan-chin Kim
  • Patent number: 8785815
    Abstract: Device for processing a substrate are described herein. Devices can include a radiation source and an aperture positioned to receive radiant energy from the radiation source. The aperture can include one or more members, and one or more interfering areas, wherein the interfering areas surround a transmissive area. The one or more structures can affect transmission of radiant energy through a portion of the transmissive area of the aperture. Structures disposed on the aperture can reduce or redirect transmission to provide for more uniform overall transmission of radiant energy through the aperture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Amikam Sade, Stephen Moffatt, Bruce E. Adams
  • Patent number: 8773488
    Abstract: The invention provides an exposure head including: a light emitting unit; an imaging unit that allows light from the light emitting unit to enter through an incidence plane and exit from an exit surface so as to form an image at a predetermined position; and a transparent layer provided between the light emitting unit and the imaging unit, while contacting each of the light emitting unit and the imaging unit; the transparent layer having a thickness such that an optical distance between the light emitting unit and the incidence plane of the imaging unit becomes a working distance of the imaging unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yohei Nishino, Hirohito Yoneyama, Takashi Matsumura, Yoshinori Yamaguchi, Kiyokazu Mashimo, Katsuhiro Sato
  • Patent number: 8730290
    Abstract: A light source includes a plurality of light-emitting units arranged in a two-dimensional array. An optical element changes divergence angles of laser beams from the light-emitting units. A splitting element splits a part of each of the laser beams passing through the optical element. A compensating element compensates for a fluctuation in the divergence angle of each of the laser beams incident on the splitting element due to a change of temperature. A light-receiving element receives laser beams split by the splitting element. The light source, the optical element, the splitting element, the compensating element, and the light-receiving element are integrally supported.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Nobuaki Kubo
  • Patent number: 8723910
    Abstract: An optical scanning device includes a light source, a deflector for deflecting and scanning the beams of light, an imaging optical system, a housing, a synchronization sensor, a circuit board on which the light source and the synchronization sensor are mounted, and an adjustment mechanism. The adjustment mechanism enables an adjustment of an interval between beams of light respectively emitted from the plurality of emission points on a surface to be scanned. The circuit board includes a first part on which the light source is mounted, a second part on which the synchronization sensor is mounted and an intermediate part between the first and second parts. The first part is arranged outside the housing, the second part is arranged inside the housing and the intermediate part passes through a wall surface of the housing. The adjustment mechanism fixes the light source using the housing with the interval adjusted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Chika Sawamoto
  • Patent number: 8723908
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an optical scanning device includes plural light sources, a polygon mirror, a first lens, a first reflection mirror, and a second lens. The polygon mirror deflects lights emitted from the plural light sources in a predetermined direction. The first lens allows the lights emitted from the plural light sources and deflected by the polygon mirror to pass. The first reflection mirror reflects the lights passed through the first lens in a direction different from the deflecting direction of the polygon mirror. The second lens receives incidence of the lights reflected by the first reflection mirror from a direction different from an incident direction of the first lens and allows, with one lens, the lights emitted from the plural light sources to pass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masahiro Kodo, Yoshihisa Masuda
  • Patent number: 8698865
    Abstract: A first lens array unit includes a first lens array plate and a second lens array plate in which a plurality of lenses are provided in the main scanning direction, and a first light shielding member piece and a second light shielding member piece provided with a plurality of through holes corresponding to the lenses. The first lens array plate, the second lens array plate, the first light shielding member piece, and the second light shielding member piece are formed as one piece. The lens array is built by bending joints joining the lens array plates and the light shielding member pieces such that the lens is located to directly face the corresponding through hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: Nippon Sheet Class Company, Limited
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Nemoto
  • Patent number: 8675034
    Abstract: An optical scanning apparatus and an image forming apparatus having the optical scanning apparatus includes a before-light-deflecting-unit optical system and a scanning optical system. The optical system includes a first optical device, a second optical device made of a resin material which has an anamorphic negative refracting power in a deflection scanning direction and a deflection scan perpendicular direction and has a larger refracting power in the deflection scan perpendicular direction than a refracting power in the deflection scanning direction, and a third optical device made of a glass material which has substantially no refracting power in the deflection scanning direction and a positive refracting power in the deflection scan perpendicular direction. An interval of the scanning lines formed on the scanned surface is adjusted by displacement of the second and third optical devices in an optical axis direction of the before-light-deflecting-unit optical system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventor: Seizo Suzuki
  • Patent number: 8654171
    Abstract: There is provided an exposure device including: a light-emitting element array at which a plurality of light-emitting elements, that emit light that passes through an optical path of diffused light, are arrayed one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally on a substrate; and a hologram element array at which a plurality of hologram elements are formed at positions, that respectively correspond to the plurality of light-emitting elements, of a hologram recording layer disposed on the substrate, so as to diffract and collect, at an outer side of illumination regions of all of the plurality of light-emitting elements, respective lights that are emitted from the plurality of light-emitting elements respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jiro Minabe, Akira Tateishi, Katsunori Kawano, Shin Yasuda, Yasuhiro Ogasawara, Kazuhiro Hayashi
  • Patent number: 8654168
    Abstract: An optical scanning device including a light source having multiple light emitters; an optical element to reflect and transmit the emitted light beams; a photodetector to receive the reflected light beams; an aperture having an opening to shape the transmitted light beams; a light deflector to deflect the transmitted light beams; and a scanning optics to guide the deflected light beams to a scanning surface. The quantity of each of the light beams received by the photodetector is not less than 0.01 mW, and the size of a light receiving surface of the photodetector is determined such that even when the full width at half maximum of the emitted light beams changes, the rate of change of the ratio of the quantity of the light beams detected by the photodetector to the quantity of the light beams passing through the opening of the aperture is not greater than 4%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Akatsu, Seizo Suzuki, Masaaki Ishida
  • Patent number: 8593497
    Abstract: An optical scanning device that optically scans a surface to be scanned in a main-scanning direction includes a light source; an optical deflector that has a reflective surface rotating on an axis of rotation of the reflective surface and deflects a light beam emitted from the light source; a scanning optical system that guides the light beam deflected by the optical deflector to the surface to be scanned; and a flow guide member that is provided near the optical deflector and turns back a flow of air generated by rotation of the reflective surface toward the reflective surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Taku Amada, Tomohiro Nakajima
  • Patent number: 8564635
    Abstract: An optical scanner includes a light source including light emitters, an aperture member collimating light beams from the light source, a deflector deflecting the light beams passing through the aperture member, and a scanning optical system condensing the deflected light beams onto a scanned surface to optically scan the surface in a main-scanning direction. The scanning optical system includes a resin scanning system having at least one resin scanning lens. At least one folding mirror/sheet glass is disposed between a scanning lens nearest to the deflector in the resin scanning system and the scanned surface. At least one scanning lens in the resin scanning system has an uneven birefringence distribution with respect to a sub-scanning direction. An optical conjugate image of the aperture member is formed between a lens surface nearest to the deflector in the resin scanning system and a lens surface nearest to the scanned surface with respect to the sub-scanning direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hibiki Tatsuno, Nobuyuki Arai
  • Patent number: 8558859
    Abstract: A laser printer arranged to print a pixellated image on laser sensitive tape includes a carriage on which are arranged two laser-beam sources delivering separately modulated laser-beams and optics for focusing the beams on the tape. The tape is mounted on a tape drive which drives the tape incrementally in one direction. The carriage is translated over the tape in a direction perpendicular to the tape-drive direction, while the modulated beams are focused. Two rows of the pixellated image are drawn across the tape in this manner. The tape is then incremented and a further two rows are drawn.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Coherent, Inc.
    Inventors: John H. Jerman, Sergei Govorkov
  • Patent number: 8558861
    Abstract: A method and a device for recording information within an information surface region in a data carrier, consisting of a carrier layer and a transparent plastic layer, by means of at least one laser beam of a point-like laser source wherein the laser beam is deflected via at least one deflection surface, in particular a mirrored surface before it impinges on the data carrier, wherein the at least one deflection surface is arranged in a region between the laser source and the data carrier and outside an intermediate region bounded by notional straight connection lines between the laser source and edge regions of the information surface region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Muehlbauer AG
    Inventors: Michael Wanjek, Axel Schwarzmeier
  • Patent number: 8547412
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a light source; a photosensitive member; a brushless motor including a stator and a rotor; a rotary polygon mirror rotated by the brushless motor; an energization switching unit that turns on/off energizations of the coils; a voltage detecting unit that outputs a detection signal based on induced voltages generated in coils of the stator by rotation of the rotor; and a motor controlling unit that controls the turning on/off of the energizations by the energization switching unit based on the detection signal. In a non-image forming period after one image forming operation, the motor controlling unit performs a low-speed process where the motor controlling unit maintains a rotation speed of the brushless motor at a speed, which is lower than a speed in the image forming operation, and at which the induced voltages are detectable by the voltage detecting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tomoya Ito
  • Patent number: 8547410
    Abstract: An exposure device includes a plurality of light emitting elements provided on a substrate, a plurality of hologram elements multiplexing-recorded in correspondence with the plurality of light emitting elements, respectively, such that, when the plurality of light emitting elements are made to emit light in the recording layer arranged on the substrate, a plurality of condensing points having light components emitted from two or more light emitting elements and condensed on one point, is formed, and a condensing point row extending in a predetermined direction is formed on the face to be exposed, and a driving unit that drives the plurality of light emitting elements, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jiro Minabe
  • Patent number: 8525863
    Abstract: An optical scanning device includes an enclosure having a plurality of windows covered with transparent members. The enclosure houses a plurality of light sources, a scanning portion, optical elements and a light amount attenuation portion. The scanning portion deflects each of a plurality of light beams emitted from a plurality of light sources at a constant angular speed in a main scanning direction. The optical elements constitute respective light paths from the scanning portion to the windows for the plurality of light beams, respectively. The light amount attenuation portion attenuates light amount in a light path of a first light source among the plurality of light sources in a downstream side of the position where a light beam emitted from a second light source enters as stray light. The drive portion drives the first light source so as to compensate for light amount attenuated by the light amount attenuation portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kenzo Ohkubo, Nobuhiro Shirai, Takasumi Wada
  • Patent number: 8525865
    Abstract: An optical scanning apparatus includes a housing, light source, deflector, imaging lens, reflective mirrors, a synchronization detector and synchronization detection mirror. The housing has a plate to partition the housing. The deflector deflects a light beam emitted from the light source. The imaging lens converts the deflected light beam into a constant speed scanning light beam. The reflective mirrors reflect the constant speed scanning light beam to a photoreceptor. The synchronization detector detects timing for starting scanning of the photoreceptor. The synchronization detection mirror reflects the light beam to the synchronization detector. At least one of the reflective mirrors is disposed midway in a synchronization detection light path extending from the deflector to the synchronization detection mirror. The light beam reflected by the synchronization detection mirror is reflected again by at least one of the reflective mirrors, such that the light beam is guided to the synchronization detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Hironobu Ooi
  • Patent number: 8525862
    Abstract: A lens integrated light emitting diode array, a line printer head using the light emitting diode array, and a method of manufacturing the light emitting diode array. The light emitting diode array includes a plurality of light emitting diodes formed on a surface of a transparent substrate and a plurality of lenses formed on another surface opposite to the surface of the transparent substrate, wherein the plurality of light emitting diodes are divided into a plurality of groups to be arranged to respectively correspond to the plurality of lenses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Seok-jin Kang, Hyung Choi, Eung-yeoul Yoon
  • Patent number: 8520047
    Abstract: Provided are a print head and an image forming apparatus. The print head, which selectively irradiates light to each pixel of an image on a photoconductor, the print head includes an illumination unit, which emits light, a liquid crystal layer, which transmits or intercepts the light incident from the illumination unit on a unit pixel basis according to an applied voltage, and a microlens array formed of liquid crystal polymer, which either focuses or does not focus the light passed through the liquid crystal layer onto the photoconductor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Woon-Ho Seo
  • Patent number: 8497894
    Abstract: An optical scanning system for a K station includes a resin scanning lens and three reflecting mirrors. Two reflectance ratios are calculated: one being the reflectance ratio of a luminous flux traveling toward the scanning start position of a drum-shaped photosensitive drum and the other being the reflectance ratio of a luminous flux traveling toward the scanning end position of the photosensitive drum. The magnitude relation between the two reflectance ratios is such that the reflecting mirror has an inverse magnitude relation to that of the other reflecting mirrors. Moreover, the difference is calculated between the largest value and the smallest value of the reflectance ratio, where the reflectance ratio depends on the angle of deviation of the polygon mirror. The reflecting mirror has the largest difference among the three reflecting mirrors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Arai, Hibiki Tatsuno
  • Patent number: 8477172
    Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for writing a flip image structure on a base. Said apparatus comprises a laser light source that has a control device for specifically modifying an angle at which the laser light emerges from the laser light source, and a holder for the base. According to the invention, two deflection elements for the laser light are provided in the beam range of the laser light source. Said deflection elements are arranged such that laser light of the laser light source that is deflected, especially reflected by the deflection elements is incident on the flip image structure of the base accommodated on the holder at a different angle of incidence. The invention further relates to a method that can be carried out especially by means of a disclosed apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: Alltec Angewandte Laserlicht Technologie Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung
    Inventors: Michael Hoerl, Karl Hoelterhoff
  • Patent number: 8466949
    Abstract: There is provided an exposure device including: a light-emitting element array having an elongated support and plural light-emitting elements, the light-emitting elements being arranged in at least one row along a length direction of the support such that a spacing between two adjacent light-emitting elements is a pre-specified first spacing; and a hologram element array having a hologram recording layer disposed on the support and plural hologram elements formed, the plural hologram elements corresponding with each of the light-emitting elements and being formed such that a spacing along the support length direction between two adjacent hologram elements is the first spacing, and a diameter in the support length direction of each of the plural hologram elements being larger than the first spacing, such that a respective light emitted from each of the light-emitting elements is diffracted and focused toward a pre-specified image-forming plane by the corresponding hologram element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2013
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jiro Minabe, Katsunori Kawano, Kazuhiro Hayashi, Yasuhiro Ogasawara, Shin Yasuda
  • Patent number: 8462188
    Abstract: Light sources emit light beams onto deflecting surfaces of a deflecting unit through incident optical systems. The deflecting unit deflects the light beams in a uniform direction to form images onto different surfaces to be scanned through imaging optical systems. An optical path length, or a distance from a deflection point of the deflecting unit to a surface to be scanned, of an imaging optical system to form an image onto a surface to be scanned closest to the deflecting unit is different from that of an imaging optical system to form an image onto a surface to be scanned farthest from the deflecting unit. Also, the following condition is satisfied: 0.85<K1/K2<0.98 where K1 is a K? coefficient of an imaging optical system with a short optical path length, and K2 is that of an imaging optical system with a long optical path length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hidekazu Shimomura
  • Patent number: 8456502
    Abstract: An optical scanner, which scans at least one scanned face by a light beam, includes a light source having a plurality of light emitting points, an optical system before a light deflector configured to form a plurality of light beams from the light source, a light deflector configured to deflect the light beams via the optical system before a light deflector and scan the deflected light beams, and a scanning optical system configured to focus on the scanned face the light beams deflected and scanned by a deflection face of the light deflector, the optical system before a light deflector including a first optical element having a negative power at least in a deflecting and scanning vertical direction, a second optical element having a power only in a deflecting and scanning direction and a third optical element having a power only in the deflecting and scanning vertical direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Yasuyuki Shibayama
  • Patent number: 8451308
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an optical scanning unit, a measurement unit, a first adjustment unit and a second adjustment unit. The optical scanning unit includes a plurality of light sources to emit laser beams, a single oscillating mirror deflector to deflect the laser beams used for scan processing in a main scanning direction, and a scan-focusing member to focus the deflected laser beams onto a plurality of photoconductors. The measurement unit measures a resonance frequency of the oscillating mirror deflector. The first adjustment unit adjusts a speed of the photoconductors in a sub-scanning direction. The second adjustment unit adjusts a magnification ratio of image data in the sub-scanning direction. The first adjustment unit and the second adjustment unit adjust the image magnification ratio of image data in the sub-scanning direction depending on the resonance frequency as measured by the measurement unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mitsuo Suzuki, Haruyuki Suzuki
  • Patent number: 8446447
    Abstract: An optical scanner includes a frame, a light source, an optical member, and a spacer. The light source emits a light beam. The optical member is mounted on the frame to guide the light beam to a scanning target. The spacer maintains the optical member at a predetermined position with respect to the frame. The spacer is formed of a photocurable resin that is cured in response to a predetermined light having a wavelength within a prescribed range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ryota Kato, Yasuo Tamaru, Jun Mihara
  • Patent number: 8441512
    Abstract: An optical scanner includes a light source, a deflector and a scanning optical system. The scanning optical system includes a first optical system including at least one resin scanning lens, and a second optical system between the target surface and one resin scanning lens. The second optical system includes at least one of a folding mirror(s) and a glass sheet(s), wherein m1+g2=m2+g1 is satisfied wherein m1 and g1 are respectively number of the folding mirror(s) and number of the glass sheet(s) to which the first ray has a shorter optical path than the second ray does, m2 and g2 are respectively number of the folding mirror(s) and number of the glass sheet(s) to which the first ray has a longer optical path than the second ray does.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Hibiki Tatsuno, Daisuke Ichii, Nobuyuki Arai
  • Patent number: 8441513
    Abstract: A light source device includes a surface emitting laser, a surface emitting laser holding unit on which the surface emitting laser is mounted, a parallel plate that is arranged on a light path of a light flux from the surface emitting laser so that the light flux enters into one surface thereof, and that is made of a transparent material, and a holder having a through hole that functions as a light path of the light flux from the surface emitting laser, wherein the surface emitting laser holding unit is brought into contact with the holder, the parallel plate is fixedly bonded to the holder, and a part of the through hole of the holder is sealed with the surface emitting laser holding unit and the parallel plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Kohji Sakai
  • Patent number: 8432426
    Abstract: An optical device includes an optical component that reflects or shapes a light beam. In a particular embodiment, the optical device can include a bending moment generating structure that generates a bending moment in a supported portion of the optical component. The optical device can also include an adjusting mechanism that adjusts the bowing amount of the optical component by adjusting the bending moment of the bending moment generating structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tetsuya Sakamoto, Katsuyuki Yanagisawa, Katsuhiko Nakaie
  • Patent number: 8427518
    Abstract: An image forming device includes a first device body, a second device body attached to the first device body, a photoconductive body provided in the first device body, an exposure unit provided to the second device body, the exposure unit having an exposure surface that exposes the photoconductive body and forms a latent image on the photoconductive body, the exposure unit being movable between an exposure position and an evacuation position, and a cleaning unit cleaning the exposure surface of the exposure unit. The cleaning unit includes a cleaning member cleaning the exposure surface, a supporting member supporting the cleaning member, and a guide member movably guiding the supporting member. The exposure unit is disposed such that the exposure surface is cleaned by the cleaning unit when the exposure unit is moved to the evacuation position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akira Terao, Yasunori Akatsuka
  • Patent number: 8421834
    Abstract: An exposure device engraves an image on the surface of a recording medium by scanning and exposing the recording medium with a light beam emitted from an exposure head. The exposure head comprises a light source for emitting a light beam, an exposure lens for causing the light beam to form an image on or close to the surface of the recording medium, a direction changer disposed upstream or downstream of the exposure lens in the direction in which the light beam travels, and/or inside of the exposure lens on the optical path of a light beam having a numerical aperture higher than a given numerical aperture to change the direction of the light beam having a numerical aperture higher than a given numerical aperture in such a manner as not to affect the process of engraving an image on a surface of the recording medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation
    Inventor: Ichirou Miyagawa
  • Patent number: 8416271
    Abstract: An optical scanning device configured to remove or sufficiently reduce ghost light includes an input optical system for directing a light beam from a light source to a deflecting surface of a deflector, and an imaging optical system for imaging a light beam scanningly deflected by the deflecting surface upon a surface to be scanned, wherein, in a sub-scan section, the light beam is incident on the deflecting surface of the deflector from an oblique direction with respect to an optical axis of the imaging optical system, wherein a light blocking member for blocking ghost light is disposed on a light path between the deflecting surface and the scanned surface, wherein an end portion of the light blocking member in the sub-scan direction is formed with a curved shape having a height in the sub-scan direction which height changes in accordance with the position in the main-scan direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yuichi Tomioka
  • Patent number: 8368736
    Abstract: An optical scanning device includes four light sources, a pre-deflector optical system, a polygon mirror, an optical scanning system, etc. The optical scanning system includes deflector-side scanning lenses made of glass, imaging-surface-side scanning lenses made of resin, polarized light splitters, and reflecting mirrors. The deflector-side scanning lenses, the imaging-surface-side scanning lenses, the polarized light splitters, and the reflecting mirrors are arranged in this order on an optical path of light going from the polygon mirror toward drum-shaped photosensitive elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Kenichiro Saisho, Toshiaki Tokita, Nobuaki Kubo
  • Patent number: 8350883
    Abstract: An scanning optical apparatus of present invention converts plural light beams emitted from corresponding light source units by a light beam conversion unit, deflectively scans by a deflection unit, focuses by an imaging optical unit onto corresponding scanned surfaces. At least two of light source units are arranged along a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the light beams are emitted. The light beam conversion unit includes plural light beam conversion elements that reflect the light beams emitted in the same direction from the light source units to deflect the light beams in the same direction. Each of the light beam conversion elements has at least one reflecting surface having a power and at least one diffracting surface having a power, and has different powers with respect to the main scanning direction and with respect to the sub scanning direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Manabu Kato
  • Patent number: 8345078
    Abstract: An optical component bowing device includes a bending moment generating structure. In a particular embodiment, the bending moment generating structure can have extension members that extend in a direction substantially orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of an optical component. The extension members can be positioned adjacent longitudinal end portions of the optical component. The bending moment generating structure can also have loading members that load the extension members in a direction that is parallel to a longitudinal direction of the optical component, whereby displacement of the extension members can generate a bending moment in a supported portion of the optical component that reflects or shapes a light beam. The bending moment generating structure can also include a reflective surface. Extension members on at least one end of the optical component can be T-shaped when seen in plan view in a direction orthogonal to the reflective surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tetsuya Sakamoto, Katsuyuki Yanagisawa, Katsuhiko Nakaie
  • Patent number: 8345077
    Abstract: A write device includes an opening arranged on a casing of a write unit that emits irradiation light to expose a photoreceptor; a shutter unit movably mounted on the casing to open and close the opening; plural wall-like sections having respective different widths and being arranged in a standing manner on a side intersecting with a rotary shaft of a rotator that moves the shutter unit; a detecting unit that detects the plural wall-like sections moving in accordance with the rotation of the rotator; a measuring unit that measures a time period from when a wall-like section is detected until when the wall-like section is no longer detected; and a position detecting unit that determines the detected wall-like section by using the measured time period and the width thereof and detects the position of the shutter unit by using the determined wall-like section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventor: Shingo Hayashi
  • Patent number: 8339435
    Abstract: An optical scanning unit may include a light source unit configured to emit a light beam, an optical housing configured to receive and support the light source unit, an optical device configured to deflect the light beam and to focus the light beam on a light receiving member, and a fixing member configured to fix the light source unit to the optical housing by applying pressure to the light source unit, wherein the pressure is applied in a direction, which is substantially perpendicular to an optical axis direction of the light source unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Yamakawa, Hiroshi Yoshizawa, Katsunori Shoji
  • Patent number: 8314824
    Abstract: An optical scanning apparatus, including an incident system that allows a beam from the light source to enter to deflector; and an imaging system that images the beam deflected by the deflector on a scanning surface, in which the incident system includes a first and second systems, the first system includes first and second elements each having a positive power with rotational symmetry, the light source is positioned at a shorter distance from the front focus position of the first element, the first element is formed integrally as a unit, powers of the second element and the first system, magnifications within main and sub-scanning sections of entire system, and focus movement within the main and sub-scanning sections on the scanning surface when the second element is moved in the optical axis direction are appropriately set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takeshi Yamawaki
  • Patent number: 8310517
    Abstract: An optical scanning device includes a first optical a light source that has a plurality of luminous points; a first optical system that shapes a plurality of beams of light; a rotary polygon mirror an optical scanning system that causes the beams of light deflected to form images on a surface to be scanned, wherein ? is assumed to be half of an angle formed between the optical axis of the first optical system and the optical axis of the optical scanning system within the deflecting/scanning surface, ? is assumed to be a distance between an intersection dc and an intersection hh, wherein ? is set to be zero or a negative value, given that ? is defined positive when the intersection dc is present on the optical-scanning side of the intersection hh.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Yasuyuki Shibayama
  • Patent number: 8310738
    Abstract: A scanning optical device includes a rotating polygonal mirror having a plurality of reflecting faces. A first light source emits a first light beam from one section obtained by sectioning the scanning optical device with a plane passing through the rotation axis of the rotating polygonal mirror. A second light source emits a second light beam from the other section. The first calculation unit calculates scan time of the first light source. The second calculation unit calculates scan time of the second light source. The jitter correction unit corrects jitter by controlling a pixel clock supplied to the first light source according to the scan time of the second light source. The jitter correction unit also corrects jitter by controlling a pixel clock supplied to the second light source according to the scan time of the first light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kazuyuki Iwamoto
  • Patent number: 8305419
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus, including: an image carrier; an exposure section, having a light emitting surface which is positioned above the image carrier, to focus the light rays on the surface of the image carrier; a cleaning section, having a cleaning member, to make the cleaning member to come into contact with the light emitting surface and to move the cleaning member on the light emitting surface, so that the cleaning member removes dust particles accumulated on the light emitting surface, wherein the cleaning section makes the cleaning member to move to an outside of an end portion of the light emitting surface; and a dust receiving section, mounted under the outside of the end portion of the light emitting surface, to receive the dust particles removed from the light emitting surface by the cleaning section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Shinji Morita
  • Patent number: 8300076
    Abstract: A line head, includes: a substrate which is provided with a plurality of luminous element groups which respectively include a plurality of luminous elements in a first direction which emit light beams; a lens array which includes a plurality of imaging lenses which are provided corresponding to the plurality of luminous element groups; and a light shielding member which is disposed between the substrate and the lens array and includes a plurality of light guiding holes which correspond to the plurality of luminous element groups, wherein the lens array is away from the light shielding member, an inner diameter of each of the plurality of light guiding holes in the first direction is a first light guiding hole diameter, and a bore diameter of each of the plurality of imaging lenses in the first direction is a first lens diameter, and the first light guiding hole diameter is smaller than the first lens diameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yujiro Nomura, Nozomu Inoue, Ryuta Koizumi, Ken Ikuma
  • Patent number: 8279250
    Abstract: A scanning optical device, comprises a light source to emit a light beam; a deflecting section to deflect the emitted light beam so as to scan; an optical element to make the scanning light beam to converge; and a correcting mechanism to correct an attitude of the optical element so as to adjust a convergence position of the scanning light beam; wherein at least a part of the correcting mechanism is arranged between the deflecting section and the optical element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Yuji Okugawa
  • 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: 8269996
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus switches a line of image data, to be read out from a storage unit, to another, depending on a position in the line in a scanning direction such that the curving of a scanning line is offset, and reducing trouble in reading out image data in units of rectangular image data blocks A data processing section performs image processing based on a plurality of rectangular image areas generated by dividing image data stored in a memory section. An image reading unit reads out the image data as the rectangular image areas, and transfers the rectangular image areas to the data processing section. A printer section forms an image by scanning a photosensitive member with irradiation light based on the rectangular image data areas. A DMA controller stores positional information indicative of line-switching positions. The rectangular image data areas are read out according to the positional information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Naohiro Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8262201
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a printing device includes: a print engine configured to apply marking material to print media; a laser writer configured to expose the print media to a laser beam of sufficient energy to change the reflectivity of exposed portions of the print media; a media path along which the print engine may apply marking material to print media in a macro printing zone and along which the print media may be exposed to a beam of light emitted by the laser writer in a micro printing zone; and an electronic controller operatively connected to the print engine for selectively applying marking material to the print media and to the laser writer for selectively exposing the print media to a laser beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Andrew L. Van Brocklin, Kuohua (Angus) Wu, Alok Sharan, Vladek Kasperchik
  • Patent number: 8264510
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier having a curvature in a first direction; and an exposure head including a first light emitting element that emits a light having a wavelength ?11 and a light having a wavelength ?12, a first optical system that converges each of the light emitted from the first light emitting element onto the image carrier, a second light emitting element, and a second optical system that converges a light emitted from the second light emitting element onto the image carrier, wherein a position at which the first optical system converges each of the light and a position at which the second optical system converges the light are different from each other with respect to the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Sowa, Ken Ikuma