Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Tomofumi Kitazawa

Goichi Akanuma

Takashi Kitaguchi

Yasuhiro Sato

Mitsumi Fujii

Saburo Sasaki

Tsuyoshi Hashiguchi

Fumiko Sakoh

Saburoh Sasaki

Shin Aoki

Jun Nakagawa

Takefumi Hasegawa

Takashi Shimamura

Eri Watanabe

Masayoshi Katoh

Kazuhiko Tsukamoto

Hiromasa Shimizu

Akihiro Etoh

An actuator device includes a frame, a movable member to rotate about a rotation axis, a reflection member formed on the movable member to reflect a light flux that enters the reflection member, a first deformable member disposed on the frame to support and move the movable member, at least one first driver to deform the first deformable member, a detection-use line formed on the first deformable member and on the movable member to allow an electric current, and a light shield unit disposed at least one of a light incident side and a light exit side of the reflection member. The light shield unit blocks at least one of an entry of the light flux to the reflection member and an exit of the light flux from the reflection member when the detection-use line is damaged.

Actuator device, optical deflector, an image projection apparatus, and image forming apparatus

A light deflector is provided including a mirror unit having a light reflection plane, a movable frame to support the mirror unit, a support frame disposed to surround the movable frame, a pair of serpentine beams each disposed between the movable frame and the support frame on both sides of the movable frame to form a turning shape, each of the serpentine beams having one end attached to the support frame, and another end attached to the movable frame, and a vibration damper provided on a portion that moves due to deformation of the serpentine beams caused by application of voltage being transferred.

Light deflector, two-dimensional image display apparatus, optical scanner, and image forming apparatus

An optical deflection device includes a mirror having a reflection face for deflecting light that enters the reflection face; and a support member to support the mirror including a torsion bar having one end being continuously connected to the mirror; a beam being continuously connected to another end of the torsion bar; and a plurality of piezoelectric elements disposed on the beam including a first piezoelectric element and a second piezoelectric element.

Optical deflection device and image forming apparatus

An optical deflecting device includes a mirror having a reflecting surface and a support unit to support the mirror. The support unit includes a first drive unit. The first drive unit includes a plurality of continuously meandering first beams and a plurality of first piezoelectric members respectively provided to the plurality of first beams to swing the mirror around a first axis to deflect light incident on the reflecting surface of the mirror. Two voltages having non-similar waveforms are respectively applied in parallel to each two of the first piezoelectric members respectively provided to adjacent two of the first beams.

Optical deflection device, apparatus including the same, and method of controlling optical deflecting device

An actuator is configured of a frame element, a pair of beam elements, a movable element rotatably supported by the frame element via the beam elements, a driver configured to rotate the movable element relative to the frame element around the beam elements as a rotary shaft; and damper elements provided on the rotary axis of the beam elements.

Actuator, protective cover for actuator, actuator manufacturing method, and optical deflector incorporating actuator, and two dimensional optical scanner and image projector incorporating optical scanner

The deflecting mirror includes a fixed base member; a mirror having a reflection surface; a support member swingablly supporting the mirror; a pair of driving beam members, each having a first end connected with the fixed base member and a second end connected with the support member to support the support member from both sides; and a piezoelectric member fixed to each driving beam member and extending from the first or second end of each driving beam member while having length not longer than about half the length of the driving beam member. The piezoelectric member and the driving beam members constitute piezoelectric unimorph or bimorph structure. By applying voltage to the piezoelectric member, the driving beam members are driven at the same time in the same direction, thereby vibrating the support member in a direction perpendicular to the reflection surface of the mirror, resulting in swinging of the mirror.

Deflecting mirror for deflecting and scanning light beam

An optical deflector, including a fixed base; a mirror having a light reflection surface; a pair of elastic support members oscillatably supporting the mirror; and a pair of drive beams formed of a beam-shaped member on which a piezoelectric is fixed, wherein the elastic support members and the drive beams in longitudinal directions are almost orthogonally located and connected with each other, other ends of the drive beams are fixed on the fixed base, the mirror and the pair of elastic support members are cantilevered by the pair of drive beams relative to the fixed base, and bending oscillation of the drive beams causes torsional deformation of the elastic members to rotationally oscillate the mirror.

Optical deflector, optical scanner, image forming apparatus, and image projector

A projection surface on which a predetermined projection image is projected is provided; a writing surface on which an image can be drawn directly in a superimposing manner with a projection image displayed on the projection surface is provided; and a photography part photographing an image drawn on the writing surface by means of an image-pickup part comprising two-dimensionally-disposed pixels is provided.

Projection-type display device and software program

The present invention provides an image input apparatus into which a three-dimensional image as well as a two-dimensional image can be easily input. This image input apparatus includes an image pick-up unit, a projector unit, and a mover unit. The projector unit projects a predetermined projection light pattern onto an image object, and the image pick-up unit picks up the projection image containing distortions of the projection light pattern. The relative position between the projector unit and the image pick-up unit is fixed. The mover unit moves the image pick-up unit relatively with the projector unit, so that the image pick-up unit can pick up a plurality of projection images at different image pick-up locations.

Image input apparatus using projected light

Detection information for shake is detected by a shake detection unit, predictive shake information is calculated based on the shake detection information, a start position (center) of a correcting operation on an imaging surface of a shake correction unit is determined, and driving of the shake correction unit at the correcting-operation start position is controlled. Accordingly, it is possible to make effective use of a movable range of the shake correction unit for actual hand shake or the like. Thus, a high degree of correction effect can be obtained, so that imaging failures due to hand shake or the like can be remarkably reduced.

Imaging apparatus, and method and device for shake correction in imaging apparatus

A focus adjusting device which includes an imaging unit, such as a lens group, a film, a charge coupled device, a CMOS sensor, etc., and at least one electrostriction unit deforming based on an applied voltage and configured to move the imaging unit from the deforming. Further, positioned between the imaging unit and the at least one electrostriction unit is a mechanism for increasing or accumulating the deforming of the at least one electrostriction unit. The electrostriction unit can take the form of a laminate piezoelectric device. In one specific embodiment, the mechanism provided between the imaging unit and the at least one electrostriction unit is a lever which increases the deforming of the at least one electrostriction unit. In another embodiment, at least two electrostriction units are utilized and the mechanism provided between the at least two electrostriction units and the imaging unit is a coupling between the at least two electrostriction units which accumulates the deforming of each of the at least two electrostriction units. According to a further embodiment, the mechanism provided between the imaging unit and the at least one electrostriction unit is an elastic member with curved portions which increase the deforming of the at least one electrostriction unit in a direction perpendicular to a direction of the deforming of the at least one electrostriction unit.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Tomofumi Kitazawa