Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Victor Company of Japan, Limited

Tsuyoshi Yoshimura

Masayuki Hayashi

Norifumi Ito

Nobuyuki Koinuma

Seiji Sakata

Tamotsu Harada

Shintaro Nakagaki

Itsuo Takanashi

Tetsuji Suzuki

Shigeru Suzuki

Yoshihiro Sakai

Ryusaku Takahashi

Takeshi Yamakawa

Ichiro Negishi

Fujiko Tatsumi

Misao Tanzawa

Keiichi Maeno

Harumitsu Mashiko

Yoshihiro Ogata

Takeshi Iijima

Hisashi Kuroda

Syoji Hayashi

Masanori Katsuki

A drive apparatus for an optical element array includes a counter counting clock pulses and being periodically reset at a horizontal scanning period. The counter outputs first and second counter signals out of phase with each other. A latch holds a pixel-corresponding segment of an input image signal. One of clock signals out of phase with each other is selected in response to the pixel-corresponding input-signal segment held by the latch. A first comparator compares the first counter signal and the pixel-corresponding input-signal segment held by the latch, and outputs a first identity signal when the first counter signal and the pixel-corresponding input-signal segment are equal to each other. A second comparator compares the second counter signal and the pixel-corresponding input-signal segment held by the latch, and outputs a second identity signal when the second counter signal and the pixel-corresponding input-signal segment are equal to each other. A drive pulse is generated which starts in synchronism with a start of a horizontal scanning period and which ends in response to the selected clock signal and in response to the first and second identity signals. An optical element in the array is driven in response to the drive pulse.

Drive apparatus for optical element array

A sheet discharging device incorporated in digital image forming equipment which is selectively operable in a copier mode, facsimile mode, and printer mode. The sheet discharging device has a plurality of sheet outlets each being positioned at a particular level matching respective one of the modes.

Sheet discharging device for image forming equipment

A digital copier using a laser card or like external storing medium for storing image data. A remaining amount of memory capacity of a laser card is displayed in terms of the number of papers of a particular size or by percent. Based on the remaining amount of capacity, image data are compressed and reduced, the reduction ratio being also recorded in the card. When the contents of a series of documents cannot be accommodated in a single card, the first card is provided with a mark which shows that the second card is to follow.

Digital copier operable with external storing medium

Digital copier apparatus with external laser card storage medium and

An image forming apparatus operable with an editor which can be mounted on a body of the apparatus together with a document handler and has space for accommodating an editor is defined within the apparatus between optics including a scanner and a photoconductive element located below the optics. The editor is movable into and out of the space through an opening which is formed through the apparatus, as desired.

Image forming apparatus with a document image edition function

An image editing method for a digital copier implements image editing in any of various erase modes which include an inside erase mode and a paint-out erase mode. The inside erase mode is to erase an image or images lying in a marked area which has been marked by a marker, while the paint-out erase mode is to erase only an image which has been painted out by a marker. When a mark provided by a marker is detected, any of the two different erase modes is selected automatically.

Image editing method for a digital copier

A digital copier capable of switching the pixel density of an image to be printed out. A laser printer installed in a writing section of the copier is also usable for printing out image data fed from another machine which may be operatively connected to the copier. A switching device is provided for switching the pixel density of an image to be printed out over to one of a plurality of pixel densities which matches with the particular machine connected to the copier. The switching device selects either one of at least two lenses included in illuminating optics of the laser printer and each having a different focal length, or selectively moves a single lens of the illuminating optics to any of a plurality of stop positions which are defined on an optical axis of the optics, or selectively changes the illumination time of a laser beam of the laser printer, or selectively changes the rotation speed of a mirror motor adapted to drive a polygonal mirror of the laser printer.

Digital copier having switchable pixel densities

A scanning apparatus using a rotary polygon mirror comprises a rotary polygon mirror, a motor for driving the rotary polygon mirror, an optical lens system positioned in front of the rotary polygon mirror for projecting a laser beam onto the rotary polygon mirror and outputting the laser beam reflected thereby toward a photosensitive drum, and a housing for enclosing the rotary polygon mirror in a closed space formed therein and accommodating the optical lens system.

Scanning apparatus using a rotary polygon mirror

A method of applying magnification changing processing to an image in a digital copier or the like. The processing consists of subprocessing which is effected by operating optics of a scanner, and subprocessing which is effected by space filter processing of the kind using a threshold matrix. When digital video data read by the scanner on a pixel basis and quantized with respect to multiple levels are to be binarized by the space filter processing, the size of the threshold matrix is changed to roughly change the magnification. A delicate change of magnification is performed by the operation of the optics while the scanner reads the image.

Method of changing magnification of image

A portable image forming device which is moved on an original in a direction perpendicular to a primary scan direction for subscan, and divides original reflection light beams into picture pickup elements in the primary scan direction through an image forming optical system to imageform the pickup elements on a pickup device for reading. The pickup range of the pickup device in the primary scan direction is designed to be variable, and means for setting the pickup range is provided. With a portable copying machine which houses the pickup device and a printing section including a writing head in a single casing, paper is fed to the printer section as required by making use of the movement of the machine for original scan.

Portable image forming device

A document scanning apparatus including a light source, first and second optical scanner systems optically coupled in series, an image forming lens supported on a lens support member including a lens base and a driving system including pulleys and driving wires, for moving the first and second optical scanner systems relative to each other and the lens. For the purpose of re-establishing a predetermined alignment of the first and second optical scanner systems in relation to the lens, such as might become necessary upon a breakage or stretching of a driving wire, for example, the first and second optical scanner systems are each provided with at least one reference point defining hole, and the lens base is provided with corresponding reference point holes. Then in the event that adjustment of the positions of the first and second optical scanner systems becomes necessary, the requisite positional alignment can be obtained by aligning the reference point holes of the first and second optical scanner systems with the corresponding reference point holes provided on the lens base. In this way, factory alignment settings can be quickly re-established in the field.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Tsuyoshi Yoshimura