Back to results
US 6,151,057 AGranted
Optically controlled image forming apparatus and method
AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.
InventorsKouzou Yamazaki, Hideaki Mochimaru
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An image forming apparatus and method that provides a laser beam oscillator that provides a laser beam corresponding to an original image, reflects/scans the laser beam, transmits a first part of said laser beam to a photoconductive element to write thereupon an image indicative of the original image, accepts a second part of the laser beam as to control and synchronize a write timing sequence of the laser beam on the image carrying element.
Claims11
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a laser oscillator that generates a laser beam according to an original image signal corresponding to an original image;
- means for reflecting/scanning the laser beam from said laser oscillator;
- means for transmitting, including at least one lens, a first part of said laser beam after being reflected/scanned by said reflecting/scanning means towards an image carrying element to write thereupon an image indicative of the original image;
- light accepting means for accepting a second part of the laser beam, after the second part of the laser beam is deflected off a portion of said at least one lens of said means for transmitting, and for generating a synchronization signal so as to synchronize a write timing sequence of the laser beam on the image carrying element;
- and
- a control structure on which said laser light accepting means is directly mounted in a predetermined posture, said control structure including an engine driver control and being configured to control an optical writing operation of said image forming apparatus based on said synchronization signal, and said at least one lens of said means for transmitting formed separated from said control structure.
3 more elements
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a laser oscillator that generates a laser beam corresponding to an original image;
- a reflector/scanner that reflects/scans the laser beam generated by said laser oscillator;
- a transmitter, including at least one lens, which transfers a first part of the reflected/scanned laser beam by said reflector/scanner towards an image carrying element to write thereupon an image corresponding to the original image;
- a light acceptor configured to generate a synchronization signal in response to accepting a second part of the laser beam after the second part of the laser beam is deflected off a portion of said at least one lens of said transmitter;
- and
- a control structure including an engine driver control and which controls an optical writing operation of said image forming apparatus based on said synchronization signal so as to synchronize a write timing sequence of the reflected/scanned layer beam on the image carrying element, said light acceptor directly mounted in a predetermined posture on said control structure, said at least one lens of said transmitter formed separated from said control structure.
3 more elements
A method for optically controlling an image forming apparatus, comprising the steps of:
- generating a laser beam;
- oscillating the laser beam according to an original image signal corresponding to an original image;
- reflecting the laser beam;
- transmitting the reflected laser beam towards an image carrying element through at least one lens;
- writing an image on said image carrying element with a first portion of said reflected laser beam;
- transducing a second portion of said reflected laser beam, after the second portion of said reflected laser beam is deflected off a portion of the at least one lens, to provide a control signal with a light sensor directly mounted to a control structure including an engine driver control structure, the at least one lens formed separated from the control structure;
- and
- controlling with the control structure an optical write operation based on said control signal.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.