Including Deflector Patents (Class 347/243)
  • Patent number: 11573417
    Abstract: An optical scanning device includes a light source, a beam detector that takes a main scanning start time of a light beam emitted from the light source and deflection-scanned in a predetermined main scanning direction by a deflection-scanning component, and a housing with a support portion that supports reflecting mirrors in different arrangement positions so arrangement angles are different from each other. The support portion includes a first support portion that supports a first side surface of the reflecting mirror in a plurality of arrangement positions. A second support portion supports the first side surface of the mirror with the first support portion, causing a first arrangement angle in the first arrangement position of the reflecting mirror. A third support portion supports the first side surface of the reflecting mirror with the first support portion, causing a second arrangement angle in a second arrangement position of the reflecting mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Manabu Matsuo, Takaharu Motoyama
  • Patent number: 11480659
    Abstract: A detection system for a vehicle in an environment includes at least one reflective member having a rotational axis and a plurality of reflective sides. Each of the reflective sides slopes towards the rotational axis at a slope angle different than the slope angle of at least one of the others of the reflective sides. The system includes a plurality of LiDAR systems with at least one light transmitter and at least one light receiver, each LiDAR system interacting with a different one of the reflective sides to scan the environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: Veoneer US, LLC
    Inventors: Peter Hansson, Emil Hallstig, Bernard DeMersseman, Mauritz Andersson
  • Patent number: 11385334
    Abstract: An optical scanning device includes a supporting body 2; an optical waveguide composed of a single crystal having electro-optic effect and integrated with the supporting body directly or through a clad layer; a plurality of periodic domain inversion parts formed in the optical waveguide, the periodic domain inversion parts having periods different from each other; and a plurality of electrodes capable of applying voltages on the periodic domain inversion parts, respectively, to generate diffraction gratings in the periodic domain inversion parts, respectively. The clad layer is composed of a material having a refractive index lower than a refractive index of the single crystal forming the optical waveguide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Jungo Kondo, Naotake Okada, Tetsuya Ejiri, Keiichiro Asai, Shoichiro Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 11067793
    Abstract: A scanning microelectromechanical reflector system comprising a mobile reflector mass and a mobile frame mass which surrounds the mobile reflector mass when the reflector plane coincides with the mobile frame plane. The mobile frame mass is suspended from a fixed frame which at least partly surrounds the mobile frame mass when the mobile frame plane coincides with the fixed frame plane. The reflector system further comprises a pair of first torsion beams aligned on a first axis in the mobile frame plane, and one or more first actuation units which can be configured to rotate the reflector mass and the mobile frame mass about the first axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2021
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Matti Liukku, Anssi Blomqvist, Ville-Pekka Rytkönen
  • Patent number: 10962767
    Abstract: An optical scanning device includes a plurality of light sources, a light deflector, a light receiver, and circuitry. The light deflector scans light emitted from the plurality of light sources on a surface to be scanned. The light receiver receives light emitted from at least one of the light sources, at a predetermined timing. The circuitry adjusts a scanning position of the light deflector based on a timing at which the light receiver receives the light. The circuitry turns on at least one of the plurality of light sources that emits light having a wavelength of 600 [nm] or and causes the light receiver to receive the light at the predetermined timing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Daisuke Ichii
  • Patent number: 10866410
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes first and second light sensors positioned in a laser scanning system of at least one color, such that scanned light is detected by the first light sensor and then by the second light sensor and light sensing surfaces of the first and second light sensors are not parallel, and a control unit connected to the first and second light sensors and configured to determine a time difference in the timing of light detection by the first and second light sensors and to execute a color position shift operation upon determining that the time difference is greater than a first threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshihisa Masuda
  • Patent number: 10436614
    Abstract: An example system includes a photo detector and a phase detector. The photo detector may detect a facet of a rotating mirror, the rotating mirror having at least two facets. The phase detector may detect a phase of a motor driving rotation of the rotating mirror. The example system may also include a processor to determine a phase relationship between the facet detected by the photo detector and the phase of the motor detected by the phase detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Dan Rothenbuhler
  • Patent number: 10425551
    Abstract: An optical scanning device includes plural sets of optical paths, and in each set of optical paths, first and second light beams emitted from the two light sources having an opening angle in the main scanning direction are orthogonal to a deflection axis of a deflector and are deflected and scanned by the same surface of the deflector at different positions deviating from each other in a deflection axis direction. A first imaging optical element gives positive optical power to the deflected light beams to converge the light beams. A focal position exists between the first imaging optical element and a second imaging optical element arranged on the optical paths in front of first and second surfaces to be scanned on two photoconductive drums. A separation distance exists between the light beams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yasushi Kuribayashi
  • Patent number: 10310405
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image carrier on which an image is formed; a light source that generates a light beam; an optical scanner that executes scanning of the light beam; a reflection surface identifier that identifies each reflection surface of a rotary polygon mirror; a sub-scanning direction driver that relatively moves the image carrier and the light beam to each other; a storage that stores first jitter information; a photodetector that detects scanning of the light beam; a measurement device that generates second jitter information; and a hardware processor that uses the first and second jitter information to change a frequency of a write clock and adjust a phase of the write clock, wherein the hardware processor obtains a correction characteristic for a dot position shift, and changes the frequency of the write clock and adjusts the phase of the write clock.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventor: Yoshihiro Esumi
  • Patent number: 10289020
    Abstract: A laser scanning device includes a light source, a rotary polytope, a motor, a bearing, and a detection processing portion. The rotary polytope scans light emitted from the light source. The motor rotates the rotary polytope. The bearing rotatably supports a rotation shaft of the motor. The detection processing portion, in a case where the motor is driven at a first speed that is higher than a predetermined reference speed, performs detection of an abnormal state based on an atmospheric temperature detected at a position located within a predetermined first range from the bearing, and in a case where the motor is driven at a second speed that is lower than the reference speed, does not perform the detection of the abnormal state, wherein the abnormal state is a state where the temperature of the bearing has exceeded a predetermined allowable temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Hitoshi Asaka
  • Patent number: 10218871
    Abstract: A plurality of light sources, an optical deflector including a rotational member configured to be rotational about an axis of rotation thereof, and a plurality of reflective members, are provided in a light scanning unit for an image forming apparatus. The optical deflector is arranged to deflect light incident obliquely from the plurality of light sources and the plurality of reflective members are arranged to reflect the light deflected by the optical deflector to a plurality of surfaces, which are to be scanned and correspond to the plurality of light sources, and arranged such that scan lines on opposite surfaces with respect to the axis of rotation of the optical deflector among the plurality of surfaces to be scanned are bent in the same direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: HP PRINTING KOREA CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Jong-Wuk Ku
  • Patent number: 10215980
    Abstract: An oscillation device includes an oscillator, an oscillation detector that detects an oscillation of the oscillator and outputs an oscillation detection signal, a phase shift controller that generates a phase shift signal to provide the drive signal as positive feedback to the oscillator, and an amplitude detector that detects an amplitude of the oscillation detection signal and outputs an oscillation amplitude signal. The oscillator is controlled based on the oscillation amplitude signal and the phase shift signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: FUNAI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ryusuke Horibe, Naoki Inoue, Manabu Murayama
  • Patent number: 10126674
    Abstract: A laser holder includes a bridge portion connected to a holding portion via two projecting portions so as to bridge the two projecting portions, and the bridge portion includes a contacting portion configured to come into contact with the optical box by being pressed against an optical box by a screw head of a second fixing screw.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takehiro Ishidate, Yasuaki Otoguro, Yuichiro Imai
  • Patent number: 9894244
    Abstract: An image processing system performs correction of shifting bitmap data in a sub-scanning direction so as to cancel bending of an electro-photographic laser scanning line. A line command conversion unit converts a first line drawing command defining a line width as an even-number pixel width less than a predetermined even-number pixel width into a second line drawing command defining a line width as the predetermined even-number pixel width, and converts a third line drawing command defining a line width as an odd-number pixel width less than the predetermined even-number pixel width into the second line drawing command. A generation unit generates binary bitmap data with first resolution on a basis of drawing data including the second line drawing command. A correction unit performs the correction with respect to the generated binary bitmap data. A resolution conversion unit converts the binary bitmap data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Toshimitsu Nakano
  • Patent number: 9689551
    Abstract: A display device (A) for the display of image information, which consists of at least one or a plurality of picture elements and may be modified by means of a frame rate (R), having at least one light source (L) for the generation of a picture element of the image information, characterized in that there are provided picture element modification means (VM) having movement elements (BR, BV, LI, L), which are movably arranged with at least the frame rate (R) in the display device (A) and which are adapted to selectively deflect and/or cover the light emitted by the at least one light source (L) for the viewer (LA, RA) of the display device (A) in order to generate per light source (L) of the display device (A) at least twice the number of picture elements as extension picture elements (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) for the display of the image information, wherein the light emitted by the at least one light source (L) is modified with at least twice the frame rate (R) as light source frequency (fL).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: TriLite Technologies GmbH
    Inventors: Franz Fidler, Joerg Reitterer, Alexander Swatek
  • Patent number: 9676206
    Abstract: A 2-D scanning system uses a fast-rotating raster-polygon as a single scanning component to produce straight scan lines over a 2-D image surface. An approach angle of incident light beams to the raster-polygon is selected to minimize pin-cushion distortion of scan lines introduced by polygon scanning on the image surface, and a tilt angle of the rotational axis of the raster-polygon is selected to position said polygon-scanning distortion symmetrically on the image surface. In addition, scan optics are configured to generate a predetermined amount of barrel distortion of scan lines on the image surface to compensate for pin-cushion distortion introduced by polygon scanning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: PRYSM, INC.
    Inventors: Hanxiang Bai, Roger A. Hajjar
  • Patent number: 9651777
    Abstract: An oscillation device includes an oscillator, an oscillation detection unit that detects oscillation of the oscillator and outputs an oscillation detection signal, and a drive unit that generates a drive signal in keeping with the oscillation detection signal and outputs the drive signal to the oscillator. The drive unit includes a phase shift unit that shifts the phase to provide the drive signal as positive feedback to the oscillator. The phase shift unit includes a disturbance generating unit that outputs the periodic signal, a fluctuation unit that causes the amount of phase shift to fluctuate based on the periodic signal, a drive amplitude detection unit that detects the amplitude of the drive signal and outputs a drive amplitude signal, a product detection unit that outputs a detection signal after performing product detection on the drive amplitude signal based on the periodic signal, and an adjustment unit that adjusts the phase-shift amount based on the detection signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: FUNAI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ryusuke Horibe, Naoki Inoue, Manabu Murayama
  • Patent number: 9599933
    Abstract: In the structure of a shutter moving mechanism, if the inclination angle of an elongated hole with respect to a sliding direction of a shutter is increased, it is necessary to increase the size of a movement plate for moving the shutter. On the other hand, if the inclination angle of the elongated hole with respect to the sliding direction of the shutter is decreased, an urging force with which a user urges the door against an image forming apparatus when shutting the door is increased. A shutter moving mechanism includes a rotation mechanism and moves the shutter by rotation of the rotation mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Daisuke Aruga
  • Patent number: 9551866
    Abstract: In an optical scanning system, each of plural light beams is reflected at a point on a deflector in a sub-scanning cross section, a point of reflection on the deflector of the principal ray of each beam in the case that the principal ray is incident normally to a scanning surface in a main scanning cross section is designated as a fiducial point, distance from the fiducial point to the scanning surface is designated as L, distance from the center of curvature of the exit surface of one of the second scanning lenses for a light beam i to the scanning surface is designated as BFi, refractive powers of the first scanning lens and one of the second scanning lenses are designated as ?1si and ?2si, and then the following expressions are satisfied. 0.15?BFi/L?0.2??(1) 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: NALUX CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Tomohito Kuwagaito
  • Patent number: 9423610
    Abstract: An optical scanning apparatus has a first scanning optical element having a negative power in a sub-scanning direction. A first light beam and a second light beam enter the first scanning optical element through points of an input surface on a same side of a reference surface, which includes an optical axis of the first scanning optical element and being parallel to a main-scanning direction. The second light beam makes a greater angle with the reference surface than the first light beam. A first angle between the reference surface and a principal ray of a first ghost light beam is greater than a second angle between the reference surface and a principal ray of a first normal light beam and is smaller than a third angle between the reference surface and a principal ray of a second normal light beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Makoto Ooki, Masahiko Takahashi, Wataru Senoo
  • Patent number: 9306494
    Abstract: An oscillation device includes an oscillator, an oscillation detection unit that detects oscillation of the oscillator and outputs an oscillation detection signal, and a drive unit that generates a drive signal in keeping with the oscillation detection signal and outputs the drive signal to the oscillator. The drive unit includes a phase shift unit that shifts the phase to provide the drive signal as positive feedback to the oscillator. The phase shift unit includes a disturbance generating unit that outputs the periodic signal, a fluctuation unit that causes the amount of phase shift to fluctuate based on the periodic signal, a drive amplitude detection unit that detects the amplitude of the drive signal and outputs a drive amplitude signal, a product detection unit that outputs a detection signal after performing product detection on the drive amplitude signal based on the periodic signal, and an adjustment unit that adjusts the phase-shift amount based on the detection signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryusuke Horibe, Naoki Inoue, Manabu Murayama
  • Patent number: 9207446
    Abstract: An optical system has a rotary scanning mirror, an optical instrument and an optical image rotation device. The rotary scanning mirror receives an incident beam of rays and returns an input beam along a first axis. The optical instrument receives the input beam from the scanning mirror and returns an output beam parallel to the input beam along a second axis in a direction opposite to the input beam towards the optical rotation device. The optical image rotation device is positioned on the second axis and receives the output beam. The scanning mirror has an axis of rotation aligned on the first axis. The optical image rotation device has an axis of rotation aligned on the second axis. The optical system comprises a common driving device for rotationally driving the optical image rotation device and the scanning mirror about their respective rotation axes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: AIRBUS DEFENCE AND SPACE SAS
    Inventor: Frederick Pasternak
  • Patent number: 9195159
    Abstract: The exposing unit emits a pair of light beams deflected to reverse scanning directions each other by a rotary polyhedron. The pattern creation unit creates color misregistration detection patterns on the transfer unit by the toner image in a reference color formed by a light beam emitted from an exposing unit and the toner image in an adjustment color formed by the other light beam having a different scanning direction. The color misregistration correction unit, on the basis of the image forming position of the toner image in the reference color, moves an image forming position of the toner image in each color formed by the light beam having the scanning direction opposite to the light beam corresponding to the reference color according to the color misregistration adjustment amount detected by the adjustment amount detection unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Yuji Kamiyama
  • Patent number: 9096092
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a method of and apparatus for graphically marking a series of portable objects, such as a card, each portable object being graphically marked on a respective zone by a respective marking device, wherein the marking devices are configured to perform the same marking operation simultaneously on a plurality of portable objects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Assignee: ENTRUST DATACARD CORPORATION
    Inventors: Sébastien Michenet, Benoit Berthe, Uwe Jaspers
  • Patent number: 9057974
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus capable of suppressing density unevenness of a toner image formed on a photosensitive member. A light amount of a light beam that exposes an end portion of the photosensitive member is made different from a light amount of a light beam that exposes a central portion thereof in order to suppress a density difference between a toner image density at the central portion of the photosensitive member and that at the end portion thereof in a scanning direction of the light beams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2015
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takahiro Ishihara, Tomohisa Itagaki, Nobuhiko Zaima, Yasuhito Shirafuji
  • Patent number: 9041762
    Abstract: A 2-D scanning system uses a fast-rotating raster-polygon as a single scanning component to produce straight scan lines over a 2-D image surface. An approach angle of incident light beams to the raster-polygon is selected to minimize pin-cushion distortion of scan lines introduced by polygon scanning on the image surface, and a tilt angle of the rotational axis of the raster-polygon is selected to position said polygon-scanning distortion symmetrically on the image surface. In addition, scan optics are configured to generate a predetermined amount of barrel distortion of scan lines on the image surface to compensate for pin-cushion distortion introduced by polygon scanning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: PRYSM, INC.
    Inventors: Hanxiang Bai, Roger A. Hajjar
  • Patent number: 9030519
    Abstract: An optical writing device includes a light source, an optical deflector that deflects and scans light from the light source, a pre-deflector optical system that guides the light from the light source to the deflector, a post-deflector optical system that guides the scanned light to a target surface, a cover covering the deflector and including a first opening and a second opening provided at different positions, and a housing housing these optical elements. Light traveling from the light source to the deflector and the light scanned by the deflector are transmitted through the first opening but not through the second opening. During the rotation of the deflector, a forced inflow of air flowing from outside to inside the cover is generated in the first opening, and a discharged airflow flowing from inside to outside the cover is generated in the second opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Susumu Narita, Kazunori Bannai, Takeshi Yamakawa, Kazunori Watanabe
  • Patent number: 9025197
    Abstract: An optical scanning device which forms a plurality of scanning lines in parallel in a main scanning direction on a photosensitive member by a plurality of laser beams detects the curvature values in the sub-scanning direction of the scanning lines, and corrects a curvature value in the sub-scanning direction corresponding to each of the scanning lines. When detecting the curvature value, the optical scanning device detects the curvature values in the sub-scanning direction of two scanning lines, and calculates the curvature value in the sub-scanning direction of a scanning line between the two scanning lines based on the detected curvature values in the sub-scanning direction of the two scanning lines. With this arrangement, the curvatures in the sub-scanning direction of scanning lines are corrected effectively with high accuracy for all laser beams in a multi-beam optical scanning device using a VCSEL or the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hitoshi Iwai
  • Patent number: 8957935
    Abstract: A light scanning unit and an electro-photographic image forming apparatus employing the same are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Gi-sung Park
  • Patent number: 8928722
    Abstract: An optical scanning device includes a housing, a laser light source outputting a laser light, a polygon mirror arranged in an arrangement space and deflecting the laser light to scan a predetermined object with the laser light while rotating, a polygon motor rotating the polygon mirror, a control board arranged in the arrangement space and controlling the polygon motor, and a flow-control member arranged in the arrangement space and guiding an airflow generated by a rotation of the polygon mirror to an outside of the arrangement space to circulate the airflow within the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Kyocera Mita Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Hirakawa
  • Patent number: 8922863
    Abstract: An optical scanning device separately scanning plural scan target surfaces in a first direction with light includes: a light source unit configured to emit first and second light beams mutually different in polarization state; an optical deflector configured to rotate around an axis parallel to a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and deflect the emitted light beams; an imaging optical element provided on respective optical paths of the deflected light beams; a polarization adjustment element provided on the optical paths of the light beams transmitted through the imaging optical element, and configured to correct respective changes in polarization state of the light beams occurring during the transmission of the light beams through the imaging optical element; and a polarization separation element provided on the optical paths of the light beams emitted from the polarization adjustment element, and configured to separate the light beams from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshiaki Tokita, Nobuaki Kubo, Naoto Watanabe, Kohji Sakai
  • Patent number: 8913098
    Abstract: An optical scanning device includes a pre-deflection optical system including a first optical element that adjusts the shape of beams emitted from the light source; and a second and third optical elements arranged such that the second optical element is arranged closer to the light source than the third optical element is. Both of the second and third optical elements have no refracting power in the deflection scanning direction and have positive refracting power only in a direction perpendicular to the deflection scanning direction. An interval between scanning lines formed on the scanned area and a deviation of the scanning-line interval between scanning positions are adjusted by displacement of the second and third optical elements in a direction of an optical axis of the pre-deflection optical system and displacement of at least one of the second and third optical elements in the direction perpendicular to the deflection scanning direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Shibayama, Daisuke Ichii
  • Patent number: 8902270
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit which transfers an image obtained through exposure and development to paper, and a control unit which changes a rotation speed of a polygon mirror at an intermediate area on a carrier to change a reduction/magnification ratio of an image. The control unit changes the rotation speed in a stepwise manner in such a way as to allow a stable rotation of the polygon mirror in each step, and controls the image forming unit to form a corrected patch image in parallel with the stepwise change of the rotation speed. The corrected patch image is obtained through correction in accordance with the stepwise change of the rotation speed to be the same as the patch image formed when the rotation speed is not changed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventor: Mutsumi Takagi
  • Patent number: 8872874
    Abstract: A light scanning unit and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus employing the same. The light scanning unit includes an imaging optical system including, when a path of one of the light beams directed to one of the surfaces disposed relatively far from the deflector is referred to as a first light path and when a path of one of the light beams directed to one of the surfaces disposed relatively close to the deflector is referred to as a second light path, light paths in which both of a section of the second light path before a first change of the second light path and a section of the second light path after the first change of the second light path intersect a section of the first light path after a second change of the first light path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd
    Inventor: Hyung-soo Kim
  • Patent number: 8854409
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a plurality of developers and optical scanners, each of the optical scanners having a light source and a light reflecting unit and forming an electrostatic latent image on a photo conductor of each of the developers. The optical scanners have the same focusing distance from the light source to the photo conductor. The light reflecting unit of one of the optical scanners is arranged at a position different from the light reflecting unit of another optical scanner, such that intervals between the developers vary. The plurality of developers include a yellow (Y) developer, a magenta (M) developer, a cyan (C) developer, and a black (K) developer. The optical scanners include a first optical scanner, which forms electrostatic latent images on two of the developers including the black (K) developer, and a second optical scanner, which forms electrostatic latent images on the other two developers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jin-kwon Chun, Ho-hyun Hwang
  • Patent number: 8848009
    Abstract: An optical scanning device scanning scan target surfaces in a first direction with light includes: a light source emitting first and second light beams corresponding to two of the scan target surfaces; an optical deflector including a reflection surface on which the emitted first and second light beams are obliquely incident while being separated from each other in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and deflecting the first and second light beams; a scanning lens disposed on respective optical paths of the deflected first and second light beams; and a branching optical element transmitting therethrough most of the first light beam transmitted through the scanning lens, and reflecting most of the second light beam transmitted through the scanning lens. The deflected first and second light beams intersect between the optical deflector and the branching optical element, when projected on a plane perpendicular to the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoto Watanabe, Toshiaki Tokita, Kohji Sakai, Nobuaki Kubo
  • Patent number: 8842148
    Abstract: An image forming device includes an exposure device configured to emit exposure light and an air flow generator configured to generate an air flow. The exposure device includes a heat source that generates heat and a heat sink configured to dissipate the heat. The heat sink includes a plurality of fins located inside the air flow. The plurality of fins extend in a direction parallel to a direction where the air flow flows and are arrayed in a direction orthogonal to the direction where the air flow flows. The plurality of fins are formed so as to increase in height from an upstream side toward a downstream side in the direction where the air flow flows.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Nobuhiro Fukuma
  • Patent number: 8836748
    Abstract: A light scanning device includes an optical unit. The optical unit includes a polygon mirror and a polygon motor. The polygon mirror includes n (n is an integer equal to or larger than 1) mirror surfaces and guides light in a main scanning direction of an image bearing member. The polygon motor includes m (m is an integer equal to or larger than 1 and is coprime with n) poles and rotates the polygon mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Okito Ogasahara
  • Patent number: 8836747
    Abstract: A scanning system for use in an imaging apparatus includes a mirror assembly having a rotating mirror with a plurality of facets, a motor operatively coupled to the rotating mirror and closed loop control circuitry coupled to the motor. The mirror assembly generates a lock signal indicative of whether or not the motor is substantially at a target speed. A controller is communicatively coupled to the mirror assembly for controlling rotation of the rotating mirror, the controller generating a reference signal received by the motor assembly indicating the target speed for the rotating mirror. The reference signal is varied based at least in part upon an acceleration profile that accelerates the motor so that overshoot of the target speed is substantially reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Lexmark International, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven Jeffrey Harris, Simarpreet Singh Rattan, Kevin Dean Schoedinger, Ryan Matthew Smith
  • Patent number: 8837027
    Abstract: An optical scanning device includes: a light source including a plurality of light-emitting elements; a deflector that defects light beams output from the light source; a scanning optical system that condenses the light beams deflected on the deflector onto a surface to be scanned, and includes at least one resin scanning lens and at least one folding mirror disposed behind the at least one resin scanning lens; a light-receiving element to which part of the light beams, which is deflected on the deflector but not used for scanning the surface, enters not via the at least one folding mirror as light-amount monitoring light beams; and a controller that controls a driving signal for the light-emitting elements based on an output signal from the light-receiving element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventor: Hibiki Tatsuno
  • Patent number: 8823761
    Abstract: An optical scanning device includes a light source that emits a laser beam, a deflector that deflects the emitted laser beam, a scanning lens that causes the deflected laser beam to scan a surface of a photosensitive body at a uniform velocity, a reflector having a reflective surface that reflects the deflected laser beam toward the photosensitive body among the laser beams that have passed through the scanning lens, and a synchronization sensor that receives the laser beam from the reflector and outputs a detection signal. The reflector is set so that a scanning speed in a main scanning direction of the laser beam on a light-receiving surface of the synchronization sensor becomes greater than a value obtained by dividing a scanning distance of the laser beam in the main scanning direction on the light-receiving surface of the synchronization sensor by a response delay time of the synchronization sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Kyocera Mita Corporation
    Inventor: Shingo Yoshida
  • Patent number: 8803937
    Abstract: An optical scanning apparatus, including: a light source; an incident optical system; and an imaging optical system, in which: the imaging optical system includes at least one plastic lens; in a sub-scanning section, principal rays of the beams intersect each other on an optical axis of the imaging optical system; the principal rays intersect each other at different positions between a case of entering a central region of the at least one plastic lens and a case of entering an end region of the at least one plastic lens; and the principal rays entering one of the central region and the end region of the at least one plastic lens intersect each other, and the principal rays entering another of the central region and the end region of the at least one plastic lens intersect each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Genichiro Kudo
  • Patent number: 8780158
    Abstract: A housing for the scan unit printhead of an imaging device. The housing is substantially bowl shaped having a plurality of mounting surfaces extending inwardly toward a central region of the housing. The housing is constructed from a metal composition. The scan unit includes a plurality of light sources and an optical assembly operatively coupled thereto. The housing mounting surfaces support components of the optical assembly using an adhesive, without additional mounting hardware.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: Lexmark International, Inc.
    Inventors: Randall Lee Hudson, Jason Lee Rowe
  • Patent number: 8780406
    Abstract: A visible laser beam scanned by a galvano-scanner system is aligned at each of positioning points on the top surface of a master work by manual operation to record sensor position signals of position sensors on galvano-scanners. The sensor position signals on each positioning point are recorded to create a drive pattern in accordance with recorded sensor position signals. The drive pattern no longer has optics system error sources including focus error and attachment error as well as errors caused by scale, offset and the like, also eliminating the need for entering a distance as far as the top surface of the work. Therefore, the drive pattern with error components removed can be created with ease.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: Harmonic Drive Systems Inc.
    Inventor: Nozomu Tanioka
  • Patent number: 8773487
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus main body, a plurality of optical scanning devices, first temperature detectors for detecting the temperatures of the optical scanning devices, a second temperature detector for detecting the temperature of the apparatus main body, a first condition judger, a second condition judger and a temperature adjuster. The temperature adjuster performs a total motor drive process for driving the motors of all the optical scanning devices if a predetermined first condition is satisfied and a predetermined second condition is satisfied. On the other hand, the temperature adjuster drives the motor of the one optical scanning device and does not drive the motors of all the optical scanning devices excluding the one optical scanning device if the first condition is satisfied, but the second condition is not satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Ryota Maeda, Naoki Iwami, Hiroshi Yamashita
  • Patent number: 8773489
    Abstract: An optical scanning apparatus for scanning a target surface using a plurality of light beams simultaneously along a first direction of the target surface. The apparatus has a light source having a plurality of light emitting elements; an optical deflector to deflect the plurality of light beams coming from the light source; and a scanning optical system to guide the plurality of light beams deflected by the optical deflector to the target surface. The scanning optical system includes a lens, disposed after the optical deflector, having the strongest power in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. A plurality of scan lines, corresponding to the plurality of light beams deflected by the optical deflector, intersect or contact each other at an optical face of the lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Daisuke Ichii
  • Publication number: 20140184719
    Abstract: A structure in which a shutter is moved in a first direction by a motor, an opening is provided in the shutter, and the shutter is moved in a second direction using an elastic force of a spring connected to an upper cover of a light scanning device and an inside wall at the opening of the shutter increases the size of the structure of the shutter and the structure of the light scanning device due to the position of the spring. Therefore, a recess 218b is provided in an opposing surface 218g of a cover 218 opposing a shutter 300, and a spring 310 for sliding the shutter 300 is connected to a connection portion 218e provided at the recess 218b. The recess 218b is provided at a side opposite to the light source units with a polygon mirror 203 being interposed therebetween.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2013
    Publication date: July 3, 2014
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Daisuke Aruga
  • Patent number: 8767029
    Abstract: In a light source device including an aperture member that regulates a light beam, |(Pap1?Pap2)/Pap2|<|(P1?P2)/P2| is satisfied where P2 is a light intensity of the light beam entering the aperture member at a time t2 when 2 microseconds have passed since current was applied to the laser, P1 is a light intensity of the light beam entering the aperture member at a time t1 when 40 nanoseconds have passed since a light intensity of the light beam entering the aperture member reached 0.1 time the light intensity P2, Pap2 is a light intensity of the light beam output from the aperture member at the time t2, and Pap1 is a light intensity of the light beam output from the aperture member at a time t1? when 40 nanoseconds have passed since a light intensity of the light beam output from the aperture member reached 0.1 time the light intensity Pap2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventor: Daisuke Ichii
  • Patent number: 8754920
    Abstract: A scanning optical apparatus includes: two light source units; a deflecting unit for deflecting two light beams for scanning; and two imaging optical systems disposed corresponding to the two light beams, in which: the two imaging optical systems form images of the two light beams on photosensitive members of different hues; the two imaging optical systems are disposed to be opposed with respect to the deflecting unit in a sub-scanning cross section; and a reflectance of a first reflecting optical element disposed in an optical path between the photosensitive member and the deflection surface passed by a light beam corresponding to an image of a hue having low brightness is lower than a reflectance of a second reflecting optical element disposed in an optical path between the photosensitive member and the deflection surface passed by a light beam corresponding to an image of a hue having high brightness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Manabu Kato
  • Patent number: 8730292
    Abstract: A scanning optical device that scans a photoreceptor with laser light includes a light source, a light outputting section, and a projection. The laser light from the light source is output through the light outputting section so that the photoreceptor is irradiated with the laser light. The projection projects through a partition wall toward the photoreceptor. The light outputting section is disposed in a position separated from the photoreceptor by the partition wall. The projection contains a polygon motor that rotates a polygon mirror to reflect the laser light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Ryo Hasegawa, Shinji Morita, Yuji Okugawa, Shinichi Nagao