Spectral characteristic acquisition device, image evaluation device, and image formation apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9677938-B2
Application number	US-201414272705-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 8, 2014
Priority date	May 10, 2013
Publication date	Jun 13, 2017
Grant date	Jun 13, 2017

Abstract

A spectral characteristic acquisition device includes a member configured to have a plurality of openings arrayed in a predetermined direction, each of the plurality of openings inclined with respect to the predetermined direction, the plurality of openings being configured to pass light beams from a plurality of positions on an object therethrough, a spectrally dispersing part configured to spectrally disperse the light beams having passed through the plurality of openings in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction, and a plurality of one-dimensional image capturing parts provided at a predetermined interval in a plurality of lines and configured to be irradiated with the light beams having been spectrally dispersed by the spectrally dispersing part, a plurality of pixels of the plurality of one-dimensional image capturing parts being arrayed in a direction parallel to the predetermined direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A spectral characteristic acquisition device, comprising:
an oblique slit array that has a plurality of openings arrayed in a predetermined direction, each of the plurality of openings inclined with respect to the predetermined direction, the plurality of openings being configured to pass light beams from a plurality of positions on an object therethrough;
a diffractor that spectrally disperses the light beams having passed through the plurality of openings in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction; and
a plurality of one-dimensional light receiving devices provided at a predetermined interval in a plurality of lines and configured to be irradiated with the light beams having been spectrally dispersed by the diffracting device, a plurality of pixels of the plurality of one-dimensional light receiving devices being arrayed in a direction parallel to the predetermined direction; and
a light diffuser plate that diffuses the light beams within a predetermined light distribution angle and provided in front of the oblique slit array.

2. The spectral characteristic acquisition device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
an imaging device that includes a lens to image the light beams from the plurality of positions on the object onto the plurality of openings and has an image side telecentric characteristic.

3. The spectral characteristic acquisition device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
an imaging device that images the light beams having passed through the plurality of openings onto the plurality of one-dimensional light receiving devices and includes an array of a plurality of gradient index lenses.

4. The spectral characteristic acquisition device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the diffractor is a stepwise diffraction element.

5. The spectral characteristic acquisition device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
a cylindrical lens that generates a predetermined astigmatism and provided in front of the oblique slit array.

6. The spectral characteristic acquisition device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the light distribution angle in a first direction is different from the light distribution angle in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction.

7. The spectral characteristic acquisition device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the light diffuser plate that diffuses is integrated with the oblique slit array.

8. The spectral characteristic acquisition device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
a color filter array configured to limit wavelength bands of the light beams transmitting therethrough and provided in front of each of the plurality of one-dimensional light receiving devices.

9. The spectral characteristic acquisition device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the diffractor spectrally disperses the light beams in a direction orthogonal to a direction in which the plurality of pixels are aligned at each of the plurality of one-dimensional light receiving devices.

10. An image evaluation device, comprising:
the spectral characteristic acquisition device as claimed in claim 1 ;
a conveyor that moves at least one of the spectral characteristic acquisition device and the object;
a memory that stores a program; and
a processor that executes the program to cooperate the spectral characteristic acquisition device with the conveyor to acquire a spectral characteristic of an entire surface of the object.

11. An image formation apparatus, comprising:
a photoconductor body;
a scanning optical system configured to expose the photoconductor body to light to form an image on the photoconductor body;
a transfer body configured to transfer the image from the photoconductor body to an object;
a fixation roller that fixes the image on the object; and
the image evaluation device as claimed in claim 10 being provided in back of the fixation roller.

Assignees

• Shimbo Kohei
• Kamijo Naohiro
• Kubota Yoichi
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Shimbo Kohei
• Kamijo Naohiro
• Kubota Yoichi

Classifications

• G01J3/2823 Primary

  Imaging spectrometer · CPC title

• G03G15/55

  Self-diagnostics; Malfunction or lifetime display · CPC title

• G01J2003/045

  Sequential slits; Multiple slits · CPC title

• G01J3/18

  using diffraction elements, e.g. grating (gratings per se G02B) · CPC title

• G01J2003/2826

  Multispectral imaging, e.g. filter imaging · CPC title