Seiko Epson Corporation

Takano Co., Ltd.

Microvision, Inc.

Yoshiro Koga

Kaneo Yoda

Yujiro Nomura

Nobumasa Abe

Toru Fujita

Masahide Nakamura

Masanao Kunugi

Atsunori Kitazawa

Shinichi Kamoshida

Takehiko Okamura

Junichiro Shinozaki

Tomoe Aruga

Yasuhito Hirashima

Mamoru Egi

Ken Ikuma

Yasunaga Miyazawa

Nozomu Inoue

Takashi Suzuki

Hideki Okada

Akihiro Gomi

Toshiya Takahata

Kazuhiro Ichikawa

Hajime Kurihara

Yoshihiro Nakashima

Kiyoharu Momose

Kyu Takada

Hiroshi Niki

Kenichi Endo

Chiharu Kaburagi

Hitoshi Miyasaka

Toshiaki Ohno

Takashi Miyasaka

Takashi Ichikawa

Tatsuro Ohsawa

Junichi Okada

Hiroshi Tanaka

Randall Brian Sprague

Kazutoshi Fujisawa

Wyatt Owen Davis

Shinji Yasukawa

Fumio Takagi

Hidenori Kin

Dean R Brown

Nobuhiro Miyakawa

Naoyuki Okumura

Ken Yoshizuka

Kenjiro Yoshioka

Akihiko Ikegami

Mikio Furumizu

Takayuki Shiraki

Sinichi Kamoshida

Shizue Nakazawa

Takamichi Ito

A pressure-sensitive sensor includes a plurality of first-electrode cloths arranged at a first-interval on a first-surface of a conductive cloth and a plurality of second-electrode cloths arranged at a second-interval on a second-surface of the conductive cloth in a direction intersecting that of the first-electrode cloths. Areas of intersection between the first-electrode cloths and the second-electrode cloths are formed to have a matrix structure, first-conductive particles are applied to coat the conductive cloth, and second-conductive particles having greater electrical conductivity than the first-conductive particles are applied to coat the first-electrode cloths and the second-electrode cloths.

Pressure-sensitive sensor, mat system using pressure-sensitive sensor, and method for manufacturing pressure-sensitive sensor

A pressure-sensitive sensor is capable of measuring pressure distribution over a wide range, measuring pressure consistently in a state of surface contact, and enhancing pressure measurement accuracy in each area of intersection. A pressure-sensitive sensor includes a conductive cloth having a mixture of conductive carbon black and a binder resin applied thereto, a first-electrode cloth disposed on a first-surface of the conductive cloth, and a second-electrode cloth disposed on a second-surface of the conductive cloth, wherein areas of intersection between the first-electrode cloth and second-electrode cloth are formed so as to have a matrix structure, courses or wales of the first-electrode cloth are arranged so as to be parallel or orthogonal to courses or wales of the conductive cloth, and courses or wales of the second-electrode cloth are arranged so as to be parallel or orthogonal to the courses or wales of the conductive cloth.

Pressure-sensitive sensor

A rotary solenoid includes: a fixed body portion having a casing in which a pair of bearing portions and positioned on front and rear sides are provided; and a movable body portion having a rotation shaft rotatably supported by the pair of bearing portions. The fixed body portion includes: the casing formed of a magnetic material; and an air-cored coil of which the surface orthogonal to an axial direction of the rotation shaft is fixed to an inner surface of the casing. The movable body portion includes: a rotor yoke having one end fixed to the rotation shaft; and a magnet portion having a pair of magnets and fixed to an opposing surface positioned on the other end side of the rotor yoke serving as a surface opposing the air-cored coil and disposed along a rotation direction of the opposing surface.

Rotary solenoid

A movable body portion Sm is configured to reciprocate in a rotation angle range Zm between a first position Xa and a second position Xb according to energization control of a driving coiland to be stopped at the first position Xa and the second position Xb by a pair of self-holding mechanismsandby restriction of a pair of restricting stopper mechanismsandand attraction of magnetsand. when controlling switching from the second position Xb (or the first position Xa) to the first position Xa (or the second position Xb), after a driving voltage based on a driving pulse Ps is applied to the driving coil, if the movable body portion Sm has reached a predetermined intermediate position Xp in 10 to 50[%] of the rotation angle range Zm, control is performed so that application of the driving voltage is stopped.

Rotary solenoid drive control method

A CPUexecutes a control program stored in a memorythereby forming a plurality of patch images with a developing bias increased for each of the patch images; detecting a density of each of the patch images by means of a patch sensorand comparing the image densities to determine whether the image density is saturated or not. Then, an image forming condition in which an image density is substantially saturated is determined and is stored in the memory. When a print command signal is inputted from an external device via a main controller, a printing operation is performed under the image forming condition stored in the memory

Image forming apparatus and method using liquid development in which toner density is determined based on patch image density

An electrophotographic printer includes an exposure unit having a MEMS scanner operable to scan a beam of light across a photoconductor. The MEMS scanner includes a mirror having an aspect ratio similar to the shape of the facets of a conventional rotating polygon scanner. In a preferred embodiment, the scan mirror has a length of about 750 microns in a dimension parallel to its axis of rotation and a length of about 8 millimeters in a dimension perpendicular to its axis of rotation. The MEMS scanner is operable to scan at a frequency of about 5 KHz and an angular displacement of about 20 degrees zero-to-peak mechanical scan angle.

MEMS scanner adapted to a laser printer

A CPUexecutes a control program stored in a memorythereby forming a plurality of patch images with a developing bias increased for each of the patch images; detecting a density of each of the patch images by means of a patch sensor; and comparing the image densities to determine whether the image density is saturated or not. Then, an image forming condition in which an image density is substantially saturated is determined and is stored in the memory. When a print command signal is inputted from an external device via a main controller, a printing operation is performed under the image forming condition stored in the memory

An electrostatic latent image is formed on an image carrier. In the image carrier, a photosensitive layer is provided so as to cover a conductive substrate. Conductive particles are dispersed in the photosensitive layer, such that some of the particles are exposed at a surface of the photosensitive layer.

Image carrier and developing device incorporated in image forming apparatus

A device and method of forming an image. The image forming apparatus transfers a toner image formed on an image carrier onto a recording medium and fixes, at a predetermined fixing temperature, a toner image transferred onto the recording medium. After a toner image has been transferred and fixed on one side surface of the recording medium, a toner image is transferred and fixed on the other side surface of the recording medium. A fixing temperature for fixing a toner image on one side surface of the recording medium is 100&#xb0; C. or lower and a transfer condition for transferring a toner image on one side surface of the recording medium is the same as a transfer condition for transferring a toner image on the other side surface of the recording medium.

Apparatus and method of transferring image on intermediate medium onto recording medium

The invention provides an imaging system wherein toners of two or more colors are used to form toner images and the toner images are successively used to form a color image on a recording material. The imaging system can form an image with high transfer efficiency. An electrostatic latent image is formed on an image carrier. Using developing units for two or more colors, images are formed. Then, the images are successively transferred onto an intermediate transfer medium at a transfer voltage fed from a constant-voltage power supply. The developing units are located such that development occurs in descending toner work function order.

Imaging system

A CPUexecutes a control program stored in a memory, whereby a patch image is formed on a photosensitive member of a photosensitive member unit, a light emitterirradiates light upon the patch image, a light receiverreceives light from the patch image, whether a received-light signal from the light receiveris within a tolerable range is determined, and an image forming condition is controlled and stored in the memorywhen the received-light signal is outside the tolerable range. Upon entry of a print instruction signal from an external apparatus via a main controller, a printing operation is executed under the image forming condition stored in the memory

Image forming apparatus and image forming method using liquid development

Image forming apparatus and method using liquid development under an image forming condition in which an adhesion amount of toner is substantially saturated

A liquid development apparatus utilizes wet development as a development method and an image forming technique. The apparatus uses squeegee rollers, disposed facing a developer roller, and moved to adjacent positions at which the squeegee rollers contact a liquid developer which is on the developer roller. Density adjustment bias generators are connected between the developer roller and the squeegee rollers. The density adjustment bias generators include, among other things, positive bias power source parts, negative bias power source parts, short-circuit line parts, and switches which switch connections of the respective parts through in accordance with a control signal received from a CPU. A method that the apparatus performs is also provided.

Liquid development apparatus, liquid development method, and image forming apparatus and image forming method using liquid development

As an urging memberurges a front surface side rolleragainst a back surface side roller, the front surface side rollerand the back surface side rollerbring an intermediate transfer beltand a recording mediuminto pressure contact with each other at a secondary transfer position. The thermal capacity per unit surface area of each one of the front surface side rollerand the back surface side rolleris larger than the thermal capacity per unit surface area of the intermediate transfer belt. Further, the thermal capacity per unit surface area of the back surface side rolleris larger than the thermal capacity per unit surface area of the front surface side roller

The technique of the present invention reads information, such as a use start date of a color laser printer, a cartridge detachment date, a total number of cartridges, used, a total consumption of toners, a total number of prints, and temperatures and humidities at an installation location, from a storage element of a toner cartridge, which has been attached to and detached from the color laser printer. When either the temperature or the humidity at the installation location is out of its normal service range, the technique modifies conditional values and determines whether immediate replacement of the main unit or each component of the color laser printer is required. When it is determined that immediate replacement is not required, the technique estimates a replacement timing of the main unit or the component, based on the above pieces of information.

Methods of verifying requirement for replacement of a main unit and of a component of image formation apparatus and judging advisability of recommendation for replacement

Growing community of inventors

Nagano-ken, Japan

Yoshiro Koga