Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Tyco Electronics Amp K.k.

Hst Co., Ltd.

Yukio Noguchi

Nobuo Kasahara

Nobuyuki Sato

Hiroshi Yamada

Setsuo Soga

Masumi Ikesue

Tomio Sasaki

Junji Kurokawa

Hideo Yamazaki

Kazuhiro Ando

Tetsuo Sakurai

Nachio Seko

Shigefumi Soga

Tadahide Sawamura

Masayoshi Watanuki

Hiroshi Hirose

Fumihiro Kitahara

Shozo Shimomura

Masanori Nagayama

Hiroshi Mano

Minolu Fukuda

Kazuhiko Nakaya

Tsutomu Shoji

Akihiro Gotoh

Koichi Ichihara

Youji Mouri

Hiroki Takeda

Hisatsugu Niki

A switching device is provided that includes a switching mechanism unit and a switch drive control circuit. In the switching device, an operating member is maintained in an ON position by the sucking force of a permanent magnet and a yoke, despite the pushing force of a biasing unit, when the permanent magnet is in an ON position. The yoke is magnetized in such a manner as to reduce the magnetic force of the permanent magnet, when a coil wound around the yoke is energized by the switch drive control unit. The operating member and a switching member are moved from the ON position to the OFF position by virtue of the pushing force of the biasing unit, thereby shutting a feed line.

Switching device and electric apparatus

An electrical component comprises a housing having a plurality of compliant pins. A circuit board is provided with though-holes. Each of the through-holes has an inner surface with a plating layer. Each of the compliant pins has an elastic press-fit portion with an outer surface provided with a step. The step has an engaging surface that engages the plating layer of the though-hole to secure the compliant pin therein. The engaging surface has a width in a direction substantially perpendicular to the inner surface of the through-hole smaller than a thickness of the plating layer.

Compliant pin and electrical component that utilizes the compliant pin

An image reading apparatus includes a line sensor for reading an image of an original, a scanning optical system that has a light source and scans the original, a reference reflection member provided in such a position as to reflect a light emitted from the light source, a buffer memory for storing data of the image, an intermittent reading part interrupting and restarting scanning performed by the scanning optical system based on a residual storage capacity of the buffer memory, and a light amount variation correction part correcting a variation in an amount of light of the light source during an interruption of the scanning based on an amount of reflected light from the reference reflection member.

Image reading apparatus and copier

An image forming apparatus. In a copy control mode, a main motor, an eraser, a cleaning bias power source, a cleaning motor, a developing bias power source, a discharge lamp, and a pretransfer discharger are turned on. Then, a precleaning discharger and a main charger are turned on. After such units have been stabilized, a developing motor is energized. Even when a developing unit is operated while an image forming operation is not under way, a toner and a carrier forming a magnet brush on a developing roller included in the developing unit are prevented from depositing on a photoconductive element and, therefore, from being scattered around, damaging the photoconductive element or contaminating the background. Further, the carrier is prevented from causing a spark to occur in a corona discharger and burning the discharger by entering it.

Image forming apparatus

An illuminating system for a photocopier utilizing plural lamps. The photocopier utilizes a single slit system with a single photoconductive element. A reflector carries a plurality of pairs of lamps along the longitudinal direction of the reflector. The corresponding lamps of each pair are connected in two lamp circuits which are separately controlled. the controller controls each circuit to be either off or have a controlled voltage applied to the circuit, where the voltage is variable in a number of steps.

Illuminating device for copier

A slit exposure type illuminating device mainly applicable to a color electrophotographic copier and using a plurality of lamps includes a single reflector which is provided with a plurality of openings for inserting the lamps. The lamps are arranged in an array along the length of the reflector. One of the lamps is positioned on an optical axis which extends through the center of the reflector with respect to the lengthwise direction of the reflector. The lamps are divided into a first and a second lamp groups in each of which they are arranged symmetrically with respect to the optical axis and individually spaced by predetermined distances from the optical axis. Current is fed either independently or simultaneously to the two different lamp groups. The openings of the reflector are each so adjustable in position and dimension as to prevent the bulb of each lamp from intercepting light.

Illuminating device for a color copier

An image forming apparatus has a latent image carrier for carrying an electrostatic latent image formed thereon. The electrostatic latent image is developed into a visible image which is transferred from the latent image carrier onto a transfer sheet in an image transfer region. The transfer sheet is held on a drum-shaped or a belt-shaped holder with the leading end clamped by a clamp. For efficient image formation, the holder is accelerated and decelerated while the transfer sheet is out of the image transfer region. When the transfer sheet with the transferred image thereon is sent to an image fixing device, the holder is accelerated and decelerated during an interval after the trailing end of the transfer sheet has left the image transfer region and before the leading end of the transfer sheet reaches the image fixing device. After the holder has been accelerated and decelerated, it is positionally adjusted when required.

In an electrophotographic copier, while a document is transported toward a predetermined position on a glass platen, its lateral dislocation and skew with respect to a document transport path as well as an amount of the dislocation and a direction of the skew are commonly sensed by a single sensor. The single sensor is positioned adjacent to one of laterally opposite ends of the transport path and has sensing surface of a predetermined area. While the document moves past the sensing surface of the sensor, the sensor generates a signal which corresponds to an area of the sensing surface which is occupied by the sheet.

Device for sensing sheet transport condition

The apparatus comprises a projection optical system and a copying system. The projection optical system can project an image of an original either onto a screen or to an exposing position of the copying system by switching between two positions. The copying system comprises a plurality of chargers providing different charging conditions in accordance with the types and sizes of copy sheets, by utilizing a change-over switch. A plurality of switches adapted for use with copy sheets of different lengths are arranged along the path of movement of a sheet of paper and, when the switch corresponding to the particular length of copy sheet desired is actuated, the movement of the sheet of paper is stopped, so that the central portion of the copy sheet can be brought into alignment with the optical axis for exposing at all times regardless of the difference in the length of copy sheets. Apparatus can interchangeably mount either a pressing plate assembly for manually feeding one original after another or an automatic feed device which can automatically feed one by one a plurality of originals to the exposing position of the copying system and to eject the same therefrom. By switching between the charging conditions of the chargers, it is possible to produce a positive duplicate of an original irrespective of whether the original is negative or positive. The pressing plate assembly and automatic feed device comprise carriers for effecting moving in X-and Y-directions which are interchangeable, so that it is possible to select a carrier which best suits the size of an original and the amount of movement of the original. The projection optical system comprises a blind coupled to a reflector so as to prevent light from the screen from reaching the exposing position of the copying system, the reflecting surface automatically facing downwardly when the power source is turned off.

Reader-printer apparatus with multiple supply rolls and charging devices

Growing community of inventors

Yokohama, Japan

Yukio Noguchi