Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Fujifilm Corporation

Renesas Electronics Corporation

Makoto Satoh

Kazuhiro Shimoda

Hirokazu Nishimura

Masaya Numamoto

A charging device according to an embodiment includes a surface potential sensor configured to output a result of detecting a surface potential of a photoconductor, on which charge is deposited by the charging device, of an image forming apparatus and a main control unit. The main control unit is configured to perform a charging-current determining process which determines a charging-current setpoint value, which is an output setpoint value for constant current control of a charging bias to be fed from a corona power supply, based on a difference between the result of detection output from the surface potential sensor and a grid setpoint value, which is an output setpoint value for constant voltage control of a grid bias to be fed from a grid power supply, at predetermined timing.

Charging device, image forming apparatus and image forming method

A USB 3 host controller according to the present invention includes a transfer speed switching unit besides a transfer data converting unit that mutually converts transfer data from a USB device and transfer data from a PCI Express bus. The transfer speed switching unit receives transfer information regarding data transfer from the USB device via a USB 3 interface when the USB device is connected, and identifies a transfer speed used by a PC side according to the transfer information or a result of analyzing the transfer information. Then, when a current transfer speed of the PC side is different from the identified transfer speed, the transfer speed switching unit transmits a speed switching signal indicating switch to the identified transfer speed to a PCI master via a PCI express interface.

Controller and transfer speed control method

Anti-reflection film includes a transparent support, at least one optical functional layer overlaid on the support, and a low refractive index layer, overlaid on the optical functional layer, and having a lower refractive index than the optical functional layer. An anti-reflection film producing apparatus to produce this includes a coater for coating a surface of the optical functional layer with liquid for forming the low refractive index layer, to form a coating layer. A dryer promotes drying of the coating layer. A heater hardens the coating layer from the dryer at a first temperature level, and then hardens the coating layer at a second temperature level higher than the first temperature level, to form the low refractive index layer. Preferably, a difference between the first and second temperature levels is 1-50 deg. C. Also, ultraviolet rays are applied to the low refractive index layer after the hardening of the heater.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Makoto Satoh