Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Hisashi Shoji

Tsukuru Kai

Nekka Matsuura

Yasushi Nakazato

Nobutaka Takeuchi

Osamu Satoh

Yoshinori Nakagawa

Satoshi Ouchi

Shuji Hirai

Katsuaki Miyawaki

Kei Yasutomi

Seiji Hoshino

Takashi Seto

Masaaki Yamada

Tomoko Takahashi

Hidetoshi Yano

Hirokatsu Suzuki

Nobuto Yokokawa

Osamu Ariizumi

Hajime Oyama

Hitoshi Shimizu

Katsuhiro Aoki

Takashi Hodoshima

Yasuo Miyoshi

Kazumi Suzuki

Kiyonori Tsuda

Satoshi Hatori

Yukiko Iwasaki

Ichiro Kadota

Takayuki Kimura

Takeyoshi Sekine

Osamu Endo

Yoshiko Ishii

Atsushi Shinozaki

Tomoko Ogawa

Kiyotaka Ohta

Masako Suzuki

Satoshi Muramatsu

Noriyoshi Tarumi

Naomi Sugimoto

Makoto Obu

Koji Sakamoto

Masahiko Shakuto

Takeshi Takemoto

Takashi Kimura

Junichi Terai

Eiichi Ohta

Chikara Imai

Tadashi Saito

Masaichi Sawada

Yukio Tabata

Takenori Oku

Masako Yoshii

Shinsuke Kikui

Motohiro Usami

Noboru Tsukude

Morio Onoe

An apparatus, method, system, computer program, and product, each capable of detecting a state of an apparatus. The apparatus includes a plurality of devices. When at least one of the plurality of devices is determined to be in a first state, a second state of at least one of the plurality of devices is determined. When a state of the apparatus is determined to be in the first state, the second state of another apparatus is determined.

Apparatus, method, and system for detecting a state of an apparatus

An abnormality determining apparatus includes an information storing device that stores information, an information obtaining device that obtains information of a detection subject, a receiving device that receives abnormality presence/absence information indicative of the presence or absence of an abnormality in the detection subject detected by a user, a normal group data set constructing device that constructs a normal group data set that is a collection of normal data indicating that the detection subject is in a normal state based on the abnormality presence/absence information received by the receiving device and based on the information obtained by the information obtaining device during a preset period, and a determining device that determines the presence or absence of an abnormality in the detection subject by performing calculations based on the normal group data set stored in the information storing device and based on the information obtained by the information obtaining device.

Abnormality determining apparatus, image forming apparatus including the abnormality determining apparatus, and abnormality determining method

A time point at which a predetermined period elapses since the start of use of a copying machine as a detection subject after factory shipment or repair is obtained. Pieces of set information, which are combinations of various types of information until the time point is reached are sequentially stored to construct a normal set information group. After the time point is reached, presence of abnormality in the copying machine is determined based on the normal set information group and the various types of information obtained.

Abnormality determining apparatus, image forming apparatus, copying machine, and information obtaining method

In a state deciding apparatus, an information acquiring unit acquires pieces of information of different types related to a state of an image forming apparatus. An index value calculating unit calculates an index value based on the pieces of information acquired. A state change deciding unit decides a change in a subsequent state of the image forming apparatus, based on a temporal change in the index value calculated.

Abnormal state occurrence predicting method, state deciding apparatus, and image forming system

An image forming apparatus is capable of specifying the type of an occurring abnormality to a certain extent while avoiding the increasingly complicated control that is caused when a plurality of abnormalities is detected individually according to the presence of their respective causes. A normal group data set, which is a collection of normal value combinations relating to grouped information constituted by a plurality of information of differing types, is stored in RAM or ROM serving as information storage device of a control unit. At least two or more sets of grouped information, including first grouped information constituted by a plurality of different types of information, and second grouped information constituted by a plurality of information in a different combination to that of the first grouped information, are obtained from the RAM, the ROM, various sensors, and an operation display unit.

Abnormality determining method, abnormality determining apparatus, and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of color toner development devices, a recycled toner development device, at least one cleaning device, a toner collecting and supplying device, and an image pattern generation device. The plurality of color toner development devices store separate color toners, and the recycled toner development device stores recycled toner. The at least one cleaning device removes toner remaining on at least one image carrying member after a transfer operation. The toner collecting and supplying device stores and supplies the removed toner to the recycled toner development device. The image pattern generation device generates image patterns developed by the plurality of color toner development devices and the recycled toner development device based on a characteristic of developer and a color of the recycled toner stored in the recycled toner development device.

Method and apparatus for image forming capable of effectively recycling toner

An image forming apparatus is capable of specifying the type of an occurring abnormality to a certain extent while avoiding the increasingly complicated control that is cause when a plurality of abnormalities is detected individually according to the presence of their respective causes. A normal group data set, which is a collection of normal value combination relating to grouped information constituted by a plurality of information of differing types, is stored in RAM or ROM serving as information storage device of a control unit. At least two or more sets of grouped information, including first grouped information constituted by a plurality of different types of information, and second grouped information constituted by a plurality of information in a different combination to that of the first grouped information, are obtained from the RAM, the ROM, various sensors, and an operation display unit.

An abnormality determining apparatus includes an information storage unit for storing normal index information serving as an index of a normal state of the detection subject, an information obtaining unit for obtaining a plurality of types of information, and an abnormality determining unit for determining the presence of an abnormality in the detection subject on the basis of the normal index information stored in the information storage unit, and the information obtained by the information obtaining unit. The information storage unit stores a plurality of normal index information having different values. The abnormality determining unit selects, at a predetermined timing, normal index information to be used to determine the presence of an abnormality in the detection subject from the plurality of normal index information.

Abnormality determining method, and abnormality determining apparatus and image forming apparatus using same

A multi color image forming apparatus includes a plurality of stations arranged side by side for forming unique mono-color toner images using mono-color developers each having a different mono-color toner. Each of the plurality of stations includes an image bearing member for bearing a latent image, and a developing device for visualizing the latent image into the mono-color toner image. A conveying device is provided to convey a transfer medium. A transfer device is provided to transfer the mono-color toner images from the image bearing members to the transfer medium. Charge ability of prescribed mono-color toner included in the mono-color developer used in the upstream station is smaller than that used in the downstream station.

Toner transfer back suppressing color image forming apparatus

An electrophotographic image forming apparatus of the present invention frees images from various defects including the thinning of horizontal lines, the omission of the trailing edge of an image, background contamination, granularity particular to a halftone image, carrier scattering, and image noise. Further, the apparatus of the present invention solves problems ascribable to patches used to sense image density. Moreover, the apparatus of the present invention faithfully reproduces tonality and has a high developing ability.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a bias power supply for applying a bias Vto a developer carrier on which a developer is deposited. A charge potential deposited on an image carrier, which faces the developer carrier for forming a latent image thereon, is 400 V or below in absolute value. Assume that the potential of the image carrier is lowered to Vafter exposure, that a development potential is |V&#x2212;V|, that the maximum set value of the development potential for development is |V&#x2212;V|max, and that the development potential varies in a range satisfying relations:||max+||max&#xd7;0.2||max&#x2212;||max&#xd7;0.2||max&#x2266;300 VThen image density varies by a width of 10% of image density corresponding to the maximum set value of the development potential or less.

An image forming apparatus develops a latent image formed on an image carrier with a developer that forms a magnet brush on a developer carrier. The developer carrier is made up of a sleeve and a stationary magnet roller accommodated in the sleeve. The magnet roller includes a main pole for causing the developer to form the magnet brush and auxiliary poles for helping the main pole exert a magnetic force. An electric field including an oscillation component is formed between the image carrier and the developer carrier. A particular ratio is set up between a distance between the image carrier and the developer carrier, as measured at the boundary of a nip, and the shortest distance between them, between the above shortest distance and the shortest distance between the developer carrier and a metering member, or between the shortest distance between the image carrier and the developer carrier and the amount of developer scooped up to the image carrier.

Image forming apparatus including an electric field having an oscillation component between an image carrier and a developer carrier

An image forming method including providing a developer including a toner and a magnetic carrier, a developer carrier configured to convey the developer deposited thereon, and magnetic field generating means fixed within the developer carrier, and forming a magnetic field which forms a magnet brush between the image carrier and the developer carrier such that the magnet brush rises, contacts the image carrier and collapses within a range in which the magnetic field is more intense than an electric field capable of separating the toner and the magnetic carrier from each other by using the magnetic field generating means. The magnetic brush rubs the image carrier to thereby develop a latent image formed on the image carrier.

Developing method and a developing device for image forming apparatus

In a developing device including a plurality of developing sections each including a developer carrier that causes a developer deposited thereon to form a magnet brush and contact an image carrier, the developer carrier including: a rotatable nonmagnetic sleeve; and a stationary magnet roller accommodated in the sleeve and including a magnetic pole for scooping up the developer to the sleeve, a magnetic pole for conveying the developer deposited on the sleeve, and a main magnetic pole for causing the developer to rise on the sleeve in a form of the magnet brush. The plurality of developing sections include at least one developing section in which a flux density of the main magnetic pole in a normal direction has an attenuation ratio of 40% or above and at least one developing section in which said flux density has an attenuation ratio of 30% or below.

Image forming apparatus having plurality of developing sections with particular magnetic flux density

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Kanagawa, Japan

Hisashi Shoji