The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 14, 2006
Filed:
Aug. 06, 2004
Hiromichi Atsuumi, Kanagawa, JP;
Seizo Suzuki, Kanagawa, JP;
Satoru Itoh, Kanagawa, JP;
Ricoh Company, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
In an optical scanning device and image forming apparatus according to the present invention, a light source emits a light beam, and a scanning optical unit deflects the light beam from the light source and focuses the deflected light beam to form a light spot on a scanned surface, the scanned surface being scanned by the light beam from the scanning optical unit. A temperature detection unit detects a temperature of the scanning optical unit and its neighboring locations. A temperature compensation unit adjusts a focal-point position of the light beam on the scanned surface in accordance with a change in the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit, the temperature compensation unit adjusting the focal-point position of the light beam by directly varying a focusing effect of a corrector lens on the light beam from the light source by a controlled amount of movement of the corrector lens along its optical axis that corresponds to the temperature change.