Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Hajime Kaji

Takayuki Kawakami

Yushi Oka

Takashi Fujimori

Yoshitaka Yamazaki

Akihito Mori

Naoto Yamada

Hajime Motoyama

Junichi Noguchi

Satoshi Ogawara

Hiroyuki Eda

Hidenori Matsumoto

Hiroaki Tomiyasu

Kenji Kuroki

Junichi Endo

Toshifumi Kakutani

Kazunori Miyake

Kazuhiko Hirooka

Yoshihiro Funamizu

Satoru Kanno

Michiharu Masuda

Satoru Ishikawa

Yuichi Yamamoto

Yoshiyuki Suzuki

Mitsuhiko Sato

Yoshihito Osari

Takashi Nagaya

Jun Yamaguchi

Tetsuya Nozaki

Masashi Oyumi

Shigeo Fukuoka

Akihiko Satoh

Tomobumi Nakayama, Deceased

An image forming apparatus capable of preventing degradation of image quality and reducing time required for rotational phase control. Toner images different in color are formed on a plurality of photosensitive drums, respectively. The toner images are transferred onto an intermediate transfer belt in superimposed relation. A motor controller performs phase control for bringing phases of the respective photosensitive drums into predetermined relation based on a rotational phase difference detected using phase detection sensors. When the rotational phase difference is out of a predetermined range, the motor controller performs the phase control with the photosensitive drums and the intermediate transfer belt separated from each other, whereas when the rotational phase difference is within the predetermined range, the motor controller performs the phase control with the photosensitive drums and the intermediate transfer belt in contact with each other.

Image forming apparatus capable of performing rotational phase control of image bearing member

An image forming apparatus which is capable of reducing a time before an image formation operation is started after toner bottle replacement. When a toner sensor detects that toner is out, and further a door sensor detects that there is a possibility that a toner bottle has been replaced, a toner replenishment rate is calculated from the rotational speed of a motor for rotating the toner bottle, and timing in which image formation is to be resumed is determined based on the toner replenishment rate.

Image forming apparatus

A belt feeding apparatus includes an endless belt and a supporting member for rotatably supporting the belt. The belt feeding apparatus further includes a setting member for setting, when the belt is deviated from a widthwisely normal zone, an inclination angle of the supporting member to a return angle to return the belt toward the normal zone. The setting member also sets, when a predetermined time elapses from the belt returning to the normal zone, the inclination angle of the supporting member to a balance angle to keep the belt in the zone.

Belt feeding device and image heating device with setting means for switching inclination angle of supporting member

An image area of a main scanning line is segmented into a plurality of regions, with a first image being formed that has a first number of pixels in each of the plurality of regions, and a second image being formed that has a second number of pixels in each of the plurality of regions that differs from the first number of pixels. A scaling factor of an image in each of the plurality of regions is derived thereafter, in accordance with a difference in size between the first image and the second image in each region, and a differential between the first number of pixels and the second number of pixels. A determination is made with respect to a number of pixels to be either added to, or subtracted from, each of the plurality of regions, in accordance with a total number of correction pixels in order to adjust the size of the image of the main scanning line, and the scaling factor. The image data of each of the plurality of regions is corrected in accordance with the determined number of pixels in each region.

Image processing apparatus and control method thereof

An image forming apparatus which enables easy management of proofs in a printing process. An image forming apparatusis provided with a reader unit, a transfer charger, color sensors-to-, a printer controlling unit. The reader unitinputs image data for forming an image on a sheet having an RFID tag. The transfer chargergenerates a transfer image for forming the image on the sheet based on the inputted image data. The color sensors-to-measure image formation conditions of the transfer image. The printer controlling unitwrites the measured image formation conditions into the RFID tag

Image forming apparatus, control method therefor, control program and image forming system

A fixing apparatus has first and second heating members and a current control unit which controls a number of waves and each of a first AC current to the first heating member and a second AC current to the second heating member in a positive-negative symmetrical pattern by a unit of predetermined number of half-waves. Regardless of a duty ratio of the first heating member and the second heating member, when the current control unit controls a number of waves so that the second AC current is larger than the first AC current in the first duty ratio, the current control unit controls the number of waves so that the first AC current is larger than the second AC current in a second duty ratio adjacent to the first duty ratio.

Fixing apparatus with current control to heater

A belt feeding apparatus includes an endless belt and a supporting member for rotatably supporting the belt. The belt feeding apparatus further includes a setting member for setting, when the belt is deviated from a widthwisely normal zone, an inclination angle of the supporting member to a return angle to return the belt toward the normal zone, The setting member also sets, when a predetermined time elapses from the belt returning to the normal zone, the inclination angle of the supporting member to a balance angle to keep the belt in the zone.

Belt feeding device and image heating device

A belt feeding apparatus includes an endless belt and a supporting member for rotatably supporting the belt. A setting member is provided for setting, when the belt is deviated from a widthwisely normal zone, an inclination angle of the supporting member to a returning angle to return the belt toward the normal zone. The setting member also sets, when the belt is in the normal zone, the inclination angle of the supporting member to a balance angle.

An image forming apparatus generates a PWM signal corresponding to input image data and controls a timing of a light source to emit a light beam based on the PWM signal in order to perform tone reproduction. The image forming apparatus includes a data processing unit configured to generate the PWM signal for one pixel based on image data for continuous two pixels in the image data. The data processing unit selects an origin of pulse growth in generation of the PWM signal for one pixel in accordance with the image data for the two pixels to generate the PWM signal.

Image forming apparatus and image forming method

A fixing apparatus has a first heating member and a second heating member provided in a heating portion, and a current control unit which controls an AC current to be supplied to the heating portion, The current control unit executes a wave number control, on the AC current supplied to the heating portion, in a unit of predetermined number of half-waves so that an AC current to the first heating member is supplied in a positive-negative symmetrical pattern in the unit of predetermined number of half-waves; an AC current to the second heating member is supplied in a positive-negative symmetrical pattern in the unit of predetermined number of half waves; AC currents to the first and second heating members are supplied in a positive-negative symmetrical pattern in total in the unit of predetermined number of half-waves and the current control unit increases the duty ratio alternately for the first heating member and the second heating member.

An image formation device changes the rotational rate of a polygon motor, i.e. the main-scanning rate, and selects one of pulse width conversion tables when an image formation is performed multiple times on a single sheet of transfer paper. The changing of the main-scanning rate is for preventing inconsistent sizes between a first recorded image and a second recorded image caused by shrinkage of transfer paper. The pulse width conversion tables allow the pulse widths to be modulated.

Image formation device

An image forming apparatus which is capable of eliminating density irregularities of an image formed caused by potential irregularities of the photosensitive member when the drum is irradiated by a beam of constant luminous intensity. A laser driver irradiates a beam modulated based on an image signal onto a photosensitive member. A current controller variably controls a driving current for driving the laser driver. A PWM pulse width converter modulates a pulse width of the beam based on the image signal. A potential sensor measures the potential of the photosensitive member after the photosensitive member is irradiated by a beam having a predetermined luminous intensity. A selector causes the current controller to correct the driving current based on low frequency components of irregularities of the potential and changes a modulation coefficient used for modulating the pulse width based on high frequency components of the irregularities of the potential.

Image forming apparatus, control method therefor, and program for implementing the control method

A method for controlling an image forming apparatus for forming a color image by superposing images formed at image forming units, each provided for a corresponding one of a plurality of color components, includes a first skipping step of skipping part of a main-scanning synchronizing signal in a first image forming unit for forming an image of a first color component, a first generation step of generating a sub-scanning reference signal based on the main-scanning synchronizing signal skipped in the first skipping step, a first exposure-scanning control step of controlling exposure scanning in a second image forming unit based on the main-scanning synchronizing signal skipped in the first skipping step and the sub-scanning reference signal generated in the first generation step, a second generation step of generating a sub-scanning reference signal in the second image forming unit for forming an image of a second color component, based on the sub-scanning reference signal generated in the first generation step, a second skipping step of performing skipping by determining a timing of skipping of the main-scanning synchronizing signal in the second image forming unit based on the sub-scanning reference signal generated in the second generation step, and an exposure-scanning control step of controlling exposure scanning in the second image forming unit based on the main-scanning synchronizing signal skipped in the second skipping step and the sub-scanning reference signal generated in the second generation step.

Image forming apparatus having a rotating polygonal mirror

An image forming apparatus including at least two image forming portions, a transferring portion for successively superimposing and transferring images formed by the image forming portions onto a transfer medium, a pattern forming portion for forming an image misregister detection pattern for detecting the positional deviation between the images formed by the image forming portions, a pattern detecting portion for detecting the image misregister detection pattern formed on the transfer medium by the pattern forming portion, a pattern position detecting portion for detecting the position of the image misregister detection pattern, and a positional deviation correcting portion for correcting the positional deviation of at least one of the image forming portions on the basis of the result of the detection of the pattern position detecting portion, wherein the pattern position detecting portion detects a time when the detection signal of the pattern detecting portion has been continuously outputted for a predetermined time and thereafter detects a time when the outputting of the detection signal has been stopped, to thereby detect the position of the image misregister detection pattern.

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Abiko, Japan

Hajime Kaji