Other

Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Tetsuro Saito

Junichi Azumi

Fumio Inaba

Shiro Sato

Yasuhiro Osawa

Tomoaki Yoshida

Hiromasa Ito

Shoichi Akiyama

The present invention relates to a LED array head which includes a base plate, and an array of protruding LED light-emitting portions formed on the base plate. Further, a mirror array including reflection mirror structures is formed on an upper circumferential surface of corresponding LED light-emitting portions, thereby narrowing a radiation angle of light emitted by the corresponding light-emitting portions. In addition, the reflection mirror structures have a circular cone frustum shape with a diameter at an upper emission side larger than a diameter at a lower emission side. The present invention also relates to a minute reflection optical elements array of an optical writing apparatus having an array of light-emitting elements formed on a base plate of an LED array head. The optical elements array includes opening portions having a tapering cross-section shape which becomes narrower in a direction toward the base plate at sides opposing corresponding light-emitting elements. In addition, the corresponding opening portions are disposed over the corresponding light emitting elements. The minute reflection optical elements array also includes marginal escape recess portions formed at a surface of the optical elements array to be joined with a surface of the base plate of the array of light-emitting elements. The marginal escape recess portions have a shape corresponding to a shape of a wiring portion on the surface of the array of light-emitting elements at sides of the corresponding light-emitting elements. The present invention further described a method of making the devices described above.

LED array head and minute reflection optical elements array for use in the LED array head

Provided are a fasterner enabling a plurality of members to be joined strongly and simply in a manner permitting ready disassembly and a fastening structure enabling a plurality of members to be so joined by optional use of the fastener. In one aspect of the invention, the fastener includes an operating piece formed on opposite sides of a base portion thereof with catches and a pair of elastic members extending integrally from the operating piece, curving toward the opposite sides of the base portion and being formed at their tips with claws engageable with the catches of the operating pieces, outer surfaces of the elastic members constituting locking surfaces that taper toward the base of the operating piece when the claws of the elastic members engage with the catches of the operating piece. In another aspect of the invention, the fastener includes a cylindrical body and spiral projections formed integrally with the peripheral surface of the cylindrical body. The members to be joined are formed with mortises, a multilegged connector is inserted into the mortises, and the legs of the connector are immobilized in the mortises by use of invention fasteners or conventional fasteners.

Fastener and fastening structure

A surface emission type semiconductor light-emitting device includes a base having a main surface, a current blocking layer formed on the base, and a semiconductor layer formed on the current blocking layer. A circular recess or hole having a side wall which is substantially perpendicular to the main surface is formed in the semiconductor layer as extending therethrough and partly into the base. An impurity is introduced into the semiconductor layer through the side wall and thus there is defined a cylindrical diffusion region around the recess. A p-n junction is defined at an outer boundary of the diffusion region and the p-n junction effectively defines a light-emitting activation region. An additional diffusion region may be formed in the semiconductor layer for narrowing a current path in the semiconductor layer. A second current blocking layer may be formed on top of the semiconductor layer. The semiconductor layer may have a multi-layer structure which may be constructed to provide a current confinement effect.

Surface emission type semiconductor light-emitting device

Growing community of inventors

Sendai, Japan

Tetsuro Saito