Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation

Fujikura Limited

Cannon Kabushiki Kaisha

Kyoei High Opt Co., Ltd.

Atsuya Takahashi

Kaoru Sato

Ryuichi Yoshizawa

Akihiro Nakamura

Kazuhisa Maruyama

Masataka Mochizuki

Tatsuto Tachibana

Yoji Serizawa

Takao Kawazu

Tadashi Okanishi

Masato Suzuki

Kazushi Nishikata

Hiroshi Chihara

Hisayuki Tomura

Shotaro Yoshimura

Kei Sawanaka

Akio Nemoto

Mitsunari Ito

Masahiro Shibata

Hideki Matsumoto

Takeo Shoji

Tomomi Kakeshita

Eiichiro Teshima

Hitoshi Machino

Masako Takahashi

Kazuya Ogata

Nobuyuki Kinoshita

Hidenori Fukumoto

Koichi Ohtaka

Detachable sheet feeding units are connected to an image forming apparatus. A transmitting unit transmits a feeding instruction via a signal line to a sheet feeding unit that is to perform sheet feeding. A first sheet detector, which is placed in the sheet feeding unit, detects a sheet that has been fed from the sheet feeding unit. A second sheet detector is provided downstream of the first sheet detector in terms of the sheet conveyance direction. If the feeding instruction is transmitted and a plurality of sheets are fed from the sheet feeding unit, an image formation controller determines whether to cause the image forming operation to continue or stop based upon whether a sheet-to-sheet interval of a plurality of sheets has been detected by the second sheet detector in a state in which the result of detection by the first sheet detector indicates presence of a sheet.

Image forming apparatus and control method for controlling sheets fed from a detachable sheet feeding unit using detected sheet intervals

An image forming system including an image forming apparatus and a sheet feeding apparatus. The system includes: a first conveying unit conveying to the image forming apparatus a recording material; a second conveying unit conveying to an image forming unit of the image forming apparatus the recording material; a detector detecting a recording material type while the second conveying unit halts conveying the recording material; a first controller, based on detection by the detector, determining a speed for conveying the recording material to the image forming unit, and conveying the recording material at the conveying speed; and a second controller controlling recording material conveying speeds of the first conveying unit. Before the recording material reaches the second conveying unit, the second controller maintains a first conveying speed, and after the recording material reaches the second convey unit, maintains a second conveying speed determined by the first control unit.

Image forming system and control method therefor, and control unit for image forming apparatus

There is provided an image forming system that automatically discharges paper sheets other than poorly fed ones without making an emergency stop, even when poor paper feeding is caused due to a paper jam or the like. At paper feeding, information showing poor paper feeding is transmitted when the poor paper feeding is detected in supplying the paper sheets. At image forming, a determination is made whether the paper conveyance in forming the image is continued or stopped when an instruction, based on the information showing the poor paper feeding. At paper discharging, a determination is made whether the paper conveyance in discharging the paper sheets is continued or stopped when an instruction, based on the information showing the defective conveyance.

Image forming system and image forming method with operation continuation determination

Occurrence of improper sheet-feeding of sheets is reduced. A sheet stacking section is lifted by an amount that is larger when a sheet-feed retry is performed than when an ordinary lifting operation is performed.

Sheet feeding device

Sheets fed out from a sheet feeding portion, which is brought into pressure contact with the sheets by the upward movement of a sheet stacking portion to feed out the sheets, are separated and conveyed one by one while being upwardly curved. During the sheet feeding operation, the sheet stacking portion is sequentially moved up, and when the sheet feeding operation is completed, the sheet stacking portion is moved down. Further, a remaining amount indicating member moved with the upward movement of the sheet stacking portion to indicate the remaining amount of sheets is held at a position before the sheet stacking portion is moved down, by a holding mechanism, when the sheet feeding operation is completed and the sheet stacking portion is moved down.

Sheet feeding apparatus and image forming apparatus

Provided is an image forming system that suppresses an increase in number of signal lines between an image forming apparatus and optional units, curtails communication time period and alleviates communication load. To accomplish this, an image forming system includes an image forming apparatus and one or more optional units removably attached to the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus transmits a specifying command and an instruction command to all of the optional units by outputting the commands on a single common signal line. Each optional unit outputs acknowledgement status on a single common signal line in a case where an identifier appended to the instruction command is the same as an acquired identifier. If the identifiers are different, on the other hand, each optional unit outputs a value indicating whether it itself is currently performing an operation in response to acknowledgement status transmitted by another optional unit.

Image forming system and printing-medium feeding device

An image forming apparatus to which a paper handling unit is connected thereto is provided. The image forming apparatus detects the size of a sheet in a direction in which the sheet is conveyed for image formation. The image forming apparatus outputs sheet size mismatch information indicating that the size of the sheet does not match a predetermined size to the paper handling unit before a size detecting operation thereof has been completed detecting the trailing edge of the sheet is greater than the predetermined size.

Image forming apparatus

Image forming system and image forming method

An engine control section detects that a sheet in a cassette is exhausted during duplex image formation. If a sheet with its first surface being printed is on standby in a duplexer, an image formation timing signal is output for a first surface of a sheet not fed because of a paper-out. Subsequently, an image formation timing signal is output for a second surface of the sheet that is in the duplexer and has its first surface printed. After completing the image formation of the second surface of the sheet, the operation is halted.

Image forming apparatus and its control method

A method and apparatus including an easily installed spiral support useful laying a cable. The spiral support is composed of a counterclockwise spiral portion and a clockwise spiral portion, both of which are connected to each other with a reverse portion therebetween. The spiral support is installed on a messenger wire in such a way that the reverse portion is fitted on the messenger wire; the spiral support is rotated counterclockwise or clockwise; and these steps are repeated.

Spiral support, installation method of the same, and cable laying method using the spiral support

At step S, since none of conveyance sensorsanddetect residual paper, a CPUnotifies a CPUthat it is in a residual paper check start instruction waiting mode. At step S, since a conveying path sensorin an optional paper feed unitdoes not detect residual paper, the CPUnotifies the CPUthat it is in a residual paper check start instruction waiting mode. At step S, since an inlet sensorof an optional paper output unitdoes not detect residual paper, the CPUnotifies the CPUthat it is in a residual paper check start instruction waiting mode. After confirming that all the units are in the waiting mode, the CPUissues a residual paper check start instruction to all the units simultaneously to improve usability by reducing initializing time.

Image forming system and method

In an image forming apparatus constructing a color table corresponding to a kind of recording material, provided is an image forming apparatus which includes an engine controlling unit for outputting a vertical synchronizing signal in consideration of a time required for a controller to construct the color table. The engine controlling unit and the controller are included. The engine controlling unit notifies the controller of an assumed kind of recording material and the kind of recording material actually detected. When the two are not identical, the controller reconstructs the color table corresponding to the detected kind of recording material. The engine controlling unit does not output, to the controller, the vertical synchronizing signal for outputting image data during the time when the controller constructs the color table.

Image forming apparatus and method for controlling the image forming apparatus

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Mishima, Japan

Atsuya Takahashi