Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Yuichiro Shukuya

Tatsuya Miyadera

Tatsuo Ohyama

Yasuhiro Abe

Makoto Higashiyama

Satoshi Ohmiya

Masahiko Oikawa

Shinji Kobayashi

Tadashi Shinohara

Masashi Suzuki

Kazuyuki Sato

Takao Watanabe

Nobuyoshi Kaima

Yoshiaki Kawai

Koichi Murota

Masamoto Nakazawa

Katsuhiko Maeda

Tadaaki Oyama

An image forming apparatus includes a first medium scanned with a first signal, a second medium scanned with a second signal, a rotary polygon mirror that deflects the first and second signals, a synchronization signal generation circuit that generates a synchronization signal representing a time to start scanning the first medium, and at least one pseudo synchronization signal generation circuit that generates a pseudo synchronization signal with the synchronization signal. The pseudo synchronization signal represents a time to start scanning the second medium. Based on a previously calculated period of the synchronization signal and a period of the synchronization signal counted on a particular surface of the polygon mirror, the pseudo synchronization signal generation circuit generates a particular value for generating the pseudo synchronization signal. Based on the particular value, the pseudo synchronization signal generation circuit starts generating the pseudo synchronization signal when the synchronization signal is enabled.

Image forming apparatus

An image processing apparatus includes an invisible light source configured to emit invisible light to a subject, a visible light source configured to emit visible light to the subject, an invisible image reading sensor configured to read invisible reflection light reflected from the subject and acquire an invisible image, and a visible image reading sensor configured to read visible reflection light reflected from the subject and acquire a visible image. The invisible reflection light is a part of the invisible light emitted from the invisible light source. The visible reflection light is a part of the visible light emitted from the visible light source. The image processing apparatus further includes circuitry configured to restore information lost in the invisible image acquired by the invisible image reading sensor.

Image processing apparatus and image reading method

A communication apparatus includes a serializer configured to convert parallel data into serial data and output the serial data; and a deserializer configured to convert the serial data output from the serializer into parallel data and output the parallel data. The serializer is configured to add first data used for detecting unique data in the parallel data before the unique data, add second data used for detecting the unique data after the unique data, and add third data whose length is variable to each of the first data and the second data.

Communication apparatus, image forming apparatus, communication method, and computer-readable storage medium

An image formation apparatus for forming an image and test patterns. The image formation apparatus includes a storage unit that stores dither matrix data used to form the image and the test patterns; and an image formation unit that forms the test patterns based on the dither matrix data. A number of tones of the test patterns to be formed by the image formation unit is changed and the number of tones is determined based on a size of the dither matrix data and a number of bits per pixel within the dither matrix data.

Image formation apparatus and image formation method

An image writing device includes an exposure device to repeatedly expose a surface of an image bearer along a main-scanning direction during an image forming period to write an image on the image bearer, a speed change detector to detect a change in moving speed in a sub-scanning direction of the surface of the image bearer, a first signal generation circuit to generate a first signal, an image forming period signal generation circuit to generate an image forming period signal synchronously with the first signal, a second signal generation circuit to generate a second signal, the second signal initially appearing in the image forming period being in synchronization with the first signal, and a line synchronization signal generation circuit to generate a line synchronization signal synchronously with the second signal and transmit the line synchronization signal to the exposure device during the image forming period.

Image writing device, image forming apparatus, and image writing method

An image writing device includes an exposure unit including an exposure head, writing an image onto an image bearing surface of a photoconductor by causing the exposure head to repeatedly expose; and a write control unit transmitting image data to be written by the exposure unit to the exposure unit on a one-line basis. Further the write control unit generates a write cycle reference signal having a cycle corresponding to writing resolution, counts a clock by a predetermined count value, generates a write cycle signal by delaying the write cycle reference signal by a time period, generates a data request signal to request transmission of one line of the image data to a controller unit based on the write cycle signal, and stores the one line of the image data transmitted from the controller unit.

An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming unit that forms a pattern image for image quality adjustment on an image carrier; a detection unit that detects the pattern image for the image quality adjustment; an image quality adjustment control unit that controls an image quality adjustment process in accordance with a result of detection of the detection unit; a reception unit that receives a color mode selected from among a plurality of kinds of color modes; and a calculation unit that calculates a total pattern length so that a total length of the pattern image for the image quality adjustment in a sub-scanning direction is equal in any of the color modes, wherein the image forming unit forms the pattern image for the image quality adjustment so that the total length of the pattern image for the image quality adjustment is equal to the calculated total pattern length.

Image forming apparatus and image forming method

An image forming apparatus includes: Photoreceptors; an image carrier; a plurality of light emitting element arrays each configured to emit a light beam to a corresponding one of the photoreceptors independently; an angle adjustment unit to adjust a mounting angle of the light emitting element arrays to a frame of the image forming apparatus; a pattern forming unit to form a positional error correction pattern of each color on the image carrier; a optical detector to detect the correction pattern formed on the image carrier; a positional error calculation unit to calculate a printing skew error and a main scanning scaling error of the light emitting element arrays based on the correction pattern detected by the optical detector; a skew correction unit to correct the printing skew error detected by the positional error calculation unit; and further a main scanning scaling error correction unit.

Image forming apparatus which calculates and corrects skew error

An image forming apparatus and image forming method capable of achieving both high-speed printing of less-than-full-color images and high quality printing of multicolor images. The apparatus includes a color shift pattern output unit, a correction amount acquisition unit, and a correction unit to correct at least one or more positions of an image in a sub-scanning direction on a recording medium when a first transfer member transfers an unfixed image and a second transfer member transfers an unfixed image.

An image forming apparatus forms a latent image on a photoconductor by irradiating light beams from a plurality of light sources onto the photoconductor. A detection unit detects a time difference between timings of start writing on the photoconductor by the light beams in a main scanning direction. A calculation unit calculates a shift of each of the light beams in a sub-scanning direction based on the time difference detected by the detection unit and a rotation speed of the photoconductor. A correction unit corrects irradiated positions on the photoconductor by the light beams in the sub-scanning direction based on the shift calculated by the calculation unit.

Image forming apparatus for correcting sub-scanning misalignment of beams on a photoconductor

A maintenance pattern forming method includes conveying, generating, and forming. The conveying conveys a transfer member on a surface of a conveying member such that there is a spacing area between two adjacent transfer members on the surface of the conveying member. The generating generates a timing signal for at least one of a plurality of colors formed by a color image forming apparatus. The forming forms at least one of a process control pattern, a position adjustment pattern, and a blade curl suppression pattern onto the spacing area based on the timing signal.

Method and apparatus for color image forming capable of effectively forming a quality color image

An image forming apparatus includes a light source, a deflector, beam detectors, a clock generator, a measurement mechanism, a frequency corrector, and a phase corrector. The light source illuminates in response to image data. The deflector deflects an optical beam into a scanning beam. The beam detectors including first and second beam detectors detect the scanning beam. The clock generator generates writing clock signals. The measurement mechanism measures a count number of the writing clock signals generated during a period between the scanning beam is detected by the first and second beam detectors. The frequency corrector corrects a frequency of the writing clock signals such that the count number measured becomes substantially equivalent to a predetermined number. The phase corrector varies a phase of the writing clock signals such that the count number is substantially constant before and after the phase of the writing clock signals is varied.

Image forming apparatus capable of effectively correcting main scanning misregistration

In an image forming device, a correction unit corrects image formation operation based on a plurality of correction patterns. A pattern creation unit forms an electrostatic latent image of the correction patterns on a photoconductor and transferring the image to an intermediate transfer body to form the correction patterns thereon. A pattern detecting unit detects the correction patterns formed on the intermediate transfer body. A speed detecting unit detects a movement speed of the correction patterns on the intermediate transfer body are moved. A timing holding unit computes a set value of detection start timing for starting detection of each correction pattern to hold the set value. The correction unit is provided to determine, in advance of correcting image formation operation, a detection start timing based on the movement speed and the set value.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Yuichiro Shukuya