Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Hiroshi Nakatani

Hachizou Yamamoto

Masahide Ishida

Norio Tomita

Takashi Yamanaka

Atsushi Ide

Kimihide Tsukamoto

Ryosuke Sakai

Kyosuke Taka

Yoshinobu Tateishi

Hirokazu Yoshida

Hisao Kawaguchi

Masato Tamehira

Kohichi Yamauchi

Keiji Yamamura

Takumi Mori

Kenji Nakanishi

Shohichi Fukutome

Yasuhiro Suto

Hisashi Yamanaka

Yasumasa Morimoto

Toyoaki Nanba

Masahiro Imoto

Toshiaki Takamatsu

Kunihiko Yamamoto

Toshiya Mikita

Sohichi Takata

Yasunori Minakuchi

Hiroshi Kuwagaki

Shigehiro Minezaki

Shigeo Nakabu

Yoshihisa Yamada

Yoshiyuki Nagai

A transfer device includes a transfer roller, a stripping electrode, and a protective member. The transfer roller transfers a toner image formed on an image bearing member to a sheet in a transfer position. The stripping electrode is arranged downstream from the transfer position to which the sheet is to be carried. The stripping electrode includes a plurality of needle electrodes. The protective member is arranged on the transfer roller side with respect to the stripping electrode and overlaid on the stripping electrode. The protective member includes a cutout provided in a position facing at least one of the needle electrodes.

Transfer device and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a coating portion configured to perform a coating process that forms a coating film on a recording sheet with an image formed thereon, a main transport path configured to transport the recording sheet with the image formed thereon and to have a branching portion formed thereon, and a sub transport path configured to be once branched from the main transport path at the branching portion and to be returned to the main transport path again. The coating portion is disposed on the sub transport path.

Image forming apparatus, processing unit, and image forming method

An image forming apparatus includes a registration roller configured to adjust a starting time point of conveying a paper sheet; a printing unit configured to form a color image or a monochrome image on a photosensitive drum, and transfer the image to the paper sheet at a downstream side with respect to the registration roller in a conveyance direction to print; a line sensor configured to detect a conveyance position at an upstream side with respect to the printing unit in the conveyance direction; and a control unit configured to obtain a displacement amount with respect to a preset reference position based on the conveyance position, correct an image formation position according to the displacement amount to correct a printing position on the paper sheet, and change a correction method for the printing position according to whether any of the color image and the monochrome image is formed.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion that forms an image on a recording sheet, a transport path that transports the recording sheet with the image formed thereon by the image forming portion, a coating portion that performs a coating process that forms a coating film on the recording sheet that is being transported on the transport path, and a reading portion that reads a calibration chart on the recording sheet that is being transported on the transport path. The coating portion is disposed on the upstream side in a recording sheet transport direction of the reading portion on the transport path, a calibration process is performed for an image formed by the image forming portion, and the calibration chart is formed on the recording sheet by the image forming portion in order to perform the calibration process.

Image forming apparatus and processing unit

A transparent sheet is attached onto an inclined surface of an original guide plate of an image reading apparatus, and similarly, a transparent sheet is attached onto an inclined surface at an edge portion of a reading guide plate, thereby preventing an original from being chipped by the ground glass-like inclined surfaces and illumination light from being diffused by the ground glass-like inclined surfaces.

Image reading apparatus and image forming apparatus including the same

A first reading guide includes a first guide member, which can turn around a first shaft and is so positioned as to face a first side of a document. The second reading guide includes a second guide member, which can turn around a second shaft and is so positioned as to face a second side of a document. The distance between a first reading position and a reference position is equal to that between a second reading position and the reference position. The first shaft is positioned on the side of the reference position where the first reading position is set. The second shaft is positioned on the side of the reference position where the second reading position is set.

Image reader and image forming apparatus

A document feeder includes a document placing portion, a pick-up roller, a pair of feed rollers, a pair of registration rollers, a document sensor, a moving mechanism, and a control portion. The pick-up roller can move between a sheet feeding position where the pick-up roller contacts with the upper surface of the document placed on a placement surface and a standby position where the pick-up roller does not contact with the upper surface of the document placed on the placement surface. The document sensor detects a document between the feed rollers and the registration rollers in a document feed direction. The moving mechanism moves the pick-up roller up and down. The control portion moves the pick-up roller up to the standby position at a timing when the leading edge of the card document reaches the document sensor in a card document mode in which card documents are successively fed.

Document feeder, image reader, and image forming apparatus

In a fixing apparatus provided with a plurality of fixing heaters having heat distribution characteristics that are different from each other inside a fixing roller, and an image forming apparatus provided with the fixing apparatus, an auxiliary heater is provided, the auxiliary heater being provided inside the fixing roller and to which power is distributed only during the warm-up period until the fixing roller in a lower temperature state reaches a predetermined fixing temperature. The plurality of fixing heaters includes a first fixing heater having first heat distribution characteristics that mainly heats a center portion of the fixing roller, and a second fixing heater having second heat distribution characteristics that mainly heats both end portion regions of the fixing roller.

Fixing apparatus and image forming apparatus

In one embodiment of the present invention, a fixing apparatus that causes a recording material to pass through a nip portion formed by a rotating heat roller and a rotating pressure roller being in contact so as to perform a fixing operation is configured including a pressing mechanism that can switch between a pressure applied state in which the pressure roller presses against the heat roller using a bias and a pressure cancelled state in which the pressure is cancelled, a pressure state detection unit, and a control unit that performs a pressure cancelation operation and a pressure application operation. If the pressure state detection unit does not detect the pressure cancelled state even when the control unit has performed pressure cancellation control for a certain time period with respect to the pressing mechanism in the pressure applied state, the control unit permits a fixing operation in only the pressure applied state after performing pressure application control for a certain time period with respect to the pressing mechanism.

Fixing device having control unit for detecting pressure cancellation failure of pressure roller against heating roller

In one embodiment, a fixing apparatus is configured of a pressing portion for causing the pressure roller to enter a pressure applied state by applying bias, a switching portion for causing the pressing portion in the pressure applied state to enter a pressure released state by causing a cam to rotate forward, a pressure state detection portion for detecting the pressure released state, and a control portion for, when shifting from the pressure applied state to the pressure released state, turning forward the cam of the switching portion in the pressure applied state and stopping the cam after the pressure state detection portion detects the pressure released state. If the cam is turned forward with respect to the switching portion for a certain time period, but the pressure state detection portion does not detect the pressure released state, the control portion performs forward rotational direction retry control.

Fixing apparatus with pressure state detection and control

A fuser unit with a cleaning mechanism, including: a set of a heat roller and a pressure roller for sandwiching a recording sheet while heating the recording sheet by the heat roller; a feed roller for feeding a band-shaped cleaning member which is windable; a press roller for pressing the fed cleaning member against a surface of the heat roller or the pressure roller; a wind roller for winding the cleaning member which is pressed by the press roller; and a first reverse rotation preventing mechanism for preventing rotation of the press roller from rotating in the opposite direction to the winding direction of the cleaning member.

Fuser unit with cleaning mechanism and image forming apparatus having the same

A display device includes a display panel having electrodes with a plurality of terminals, a driver circuit having electrodes corresponding to the display panel electrodes, and an anisotropic conductive film for electrically connecting the display panel electrodes with the driver circuit electrodes. The connecting part of each of the driver circuit electrodes to be connected with each of the display panel electrodes includes a first connecting portion and a second connecting portion, where the first connecting portion is more narrow than the second connecting portion.

Display device

A flat matrix display panel having every side connected to an end of a flexible wiring substrate with an LSI chip loaded thereon. The flexible wiring substrate is formed into an S shape cross section by folding the substrate along an upper and a lower frames. The LSI chip is located near the center of the S-shaped substrate. The other end of the flexible wiring substrate is connected to a PC board which has other circuit components mounted thereon.

Flat display panel with framing for flexible substrate folding

A method for the replacement of semiconductor devices in a multi-chip module that is constructed by mounting semiconductor devices on a tape carrier used as an electrical wiring substrate, wherein when at least one of said semiconductor devices develops a flaw, it is cut away at the finger sections that connect said defective semiconductor device to the tape, and then a different and non-defective semiconductor device having finger sections longer than those of said defective semiconductor device that has been removed is connected to said tape in such a manner that the finger sections of said different and non-defective semiconductor device are joined and connected to the corresponding finger sections retained on said tape.

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Hiroshi Nakatani