| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20090022520 | Optical writing device and image forming apparatus - An optical writing device that writes electrostatic latent images on an image carrier by irradiating and scanning the image carrier with an optical beam includes an optical element, a support housing configured to support members constituting the optical writing device, a pair of optical-element holding members opposing each other in a principal scanning direction and arranged in the support housing, and a displacing member configured to displace at least one of the pair of optical-element holding members relatively to the support housing on a plane perpendicular to the principal scanning direction. The optical-element holding member is made of a material having a coefficient of linear expansion smaller than that of the support housing. | 01-22-2009 |
| 20090066780 | Image forming apparatus, optical writing device, and optical writing method - An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of image carriers and an optical writing device including light sources that emit light beams of different wavelengths, a deflector that deflects the light beams emitted from the light sources and synthesized on an identical axis in a sub-scanning direction, a first beam separator, a second beam separator, a first imaging device, and a second imaging device. The first beam separator and the second beam separator are located between the first imaging device and the second imaging device and transmit or reflect the light beams according to travel directions or wavelengths thereof. One of the targets is scanned with the light beam transmitted through the second beam separator. Another target is scanned with the light beam reflected by the second and first beam separators. The first and second imaging devices narrow the beams in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction, respectively. | 03-12-2009 |
| 20100032891 | Sheet feeding device and image forming apparatus - A sheet feeding device including a belt including a dielectric material seamlessly wound about rollers and disposed opposite a top surface of a stack of multiple sheets placed on a sheet storage stand to attract a sheet from the stack of multiple sheets and convey the sheet, and a charger to form a predetermined charge pattern on a surface of the belt. A shaft of one of the rollers provided downstream from the other roller in a direction of sheet feed serves as a pivot of the belt about which the belt swings, and the belt swings around the pivot such that the surface of the belt facing the top surface of the stack of multiple sheets and a surface of the sheet storage stand facing the surface of the belt are substantially parallel to each other. | 02-11-2010 |
| 20100296851 | Sheet feeding device and electrophotographic image forming apparatus - A sheet feeding device incorporable in an image forming apparatus includes a sheet holder to hold a stack of sheets including an uppermost sheet, an endless belt, a charging member, a belt supporting unit including a drive roller and a driven roller, a moving mechanism to move the sheet holder, and a controller. The controller alternately controls the moving mechanism to move the sheet holder to a proximal position, the endless belt to contact the uppermost sheet held on the sheet holder, and the driven roller to rotate about the drive roller, to attract the uppermost sheet, and controls the moving mechanism to move the sheet holder to a distal position, the driven roller to rotate about the drive roller, and the endless belt to incline at a predetermined angle of separation, to separate the uppermost sheet from the multiple sheets. | 11-25-2010 |
| 20100296852 | Sheet feeding unit and electrophotographic image forming apparatus - A sheet feeding unit that can be incorporated in an image forming apparatus includes an endless belt and a charging member. The charging member charges the endless belt with an alternating voltage to attract a sheet to separate from multiple sheets and feed the sheet, and has an electrode contacting the endless belt at an angle thereto and between which a nip is formed. The endless belt and an interior surface of the charging member define a space across which electric discharge is performed to charge an outer layer of the endless belt. A distance of the gap and a length of the nip in the sheet conveyance direction define a basic charging region. The distance of the basic charging region is smaller than a distance of a unit charging region where the electric charge of identical polarity is held on the endless belt. | 11-25-2010 |
| 20110062651 | Image forming apparatus - An image forming apparatus includes an image forming device, a sheet feeding unit, a belt pressing member, and a moving unit. The sheet feeding unit includes an endless, dielectric belt to contact and attract the uppermost sheet to a surface thereof and feed in a sheet feeding direction, and an electric potential pattern forming unit to form an electric potential pattern on a surface of the dielectric belt. The moving unit moves the belt pressing member between a sheet attracting position and a sheet feeding position. The dielectric belt attracts the uppermost sheet at the sheet attracting position, the moving unit moves the belt pressing member to the sheet feeding position, and an entire flat portion of the dielectric belt feeds the uppermost sheet in the sheet feeding direction while carrying the uppermost sheet thereon as the dielectric belt rotates. | 03-17-2011 |
| 20110062655 | Image forming apparatus - A sheet separating and feeding unit incorporable in an image forming apparatus includes an image forming device, a sheet container, a sheet feeding unit including an endless, dielectric belt and an electric potential pattern forming unit, a belt supporting mechanism including a first supporting roller and a second supporting roller, and a moving unit. The first supporting roller rotates to rotatably move the second supporting roller between a sheet attracting position and a sheet feeding position so that the flat portion of the dielectric belt moves between the sheet contact position and the sheet pick-up position. | 03-17-2011 |
