Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.

Konica Minolta, Inc.

Hitoshi Wakide

Hideo Mae

Yoshihiko Yoshizaki

Atsushi Yamaguchi

Yasufumi Naitou

A post-handling apparatus having an aligning tray configured to receive a sheet from an image forming apparatus; an ejected sheet tray located adjacent to the aligning tray; a conveyer configured to convey the sheet on the aligning tray to the ejected sheet tray; and a sheet presser configured to press a sheet previously ejected onto the ejected sheet tray against the ejected sheet tray. The sheet presser presses the sheet previously ejected to the ejected sheet tray when a leading edge of a sheet currently conveyed to the ejected sheet tray falls down on the ejected sheet tray, and is in a receding position receding from the ejected sheet tray when a trailing edge of the sheet currently conveyed to the ejected sheet tray falls down on the ejected sheet tray.

Post-handling apparatus and image forming system

A post-processing device for applying a post-process to one or more sheets outputted by a device of a preceding stage, a printer for example, is provided. The post-processing device includes: an alignment mechanism for applying an alignment process for arranging a current sheet bundle; an output mechanism for outputting the current sheet bundle; a prestacking mechanism; and a control unit. The control unit performs a control in such a manner that at least a part of operation of the alignment mechanism or of operation of the output mechanism is switched from a normal operation mode for operation at a normal operation speed to a high-speed operation mode for operation at an operation speed greater than the normal operation speed when a time to completely output the current sheet bundle is later than a time to completely perform prestacking the next sheet bundle.

Post-processing device and image forming apparatus with normal mode post process and high-speed mode post process

A power control method for performing phase control is provided. The method includes generating a zero-crossing signal that indicates a first level if an absolute value of AC voltage is smaller than a predetermined value, and indicates a second level if the absolute value of the AC voltage is larger than the predetermined value; detecting a zero-crossing width and a non-zero-crossing width, the zero-crossing width being a time width for a case where the absolute value of the AC voltage is smaller than the predetermined value, the non-zero-crossing width being a time width for a case where the absolute value is larger than the predetermined value; detecting a frequency and a voltage value of the AC voltage based on the zero-crossing width and the non-zero-crossing width; and performing phase control depending on the frequency and the voltage value.

Power control method, power control device, and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus uses a switching element to switch current flowing to an excitation coil, so that a heating layer in a fixing member produces heat that fixes an image to a transported sheet. Based on a change in temperature of the switching element over time, a prediction unit determines, at a predetermined first time point, a predicted temperature of the switching element at a second time point at which a tip of the sheet is scheduled to arrive at the fixing member. When the predicted temperature is at least a predetermined value, a control unit controls power supplied to the excitation coil by restricting switching of the switching element and lifting the restriction, so that by the second time point the detected temperature of the fixing member reaches a temperature necessary for fixing.

Image forming method and apparatus having induction heat fixing device with temperature sensing of switching element

The count data recording device includes: a storage unit including N memory areas; and a data restoring unit that detects a corruption in the count data pieces and restores the corruption, wherein the data writing unit records the count data piece using the memory area included in the range of the minor loop according to the predetermined order and shifts the range of the minor loop backward after recording the count data piece using a last memory area within the minor loop.

Count data recording device, and method and program for recording count data

An image forming apparatus of the invention permits a toner cartridge equipped with a non-volatile memory storing various information items to be mounted in a mounting portion of an apparatus main body through a toner-cartridge mounting panel capable of being opened and closed without suspending an image forming operation. In a case where an opened/closed status of the toner-cartridge mounting panel is detected, the apparatus retrieves cartridge-specific information from the non-volatile memory of the toner cartridge. The other data than the cartridge-specific information is read out only from a non-volatile memory of a toner cartridge, the cartridge-specific information of which differs from cartridge-specific information stored in a memory of the apparatus main body.

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Toyokawa, Japan

Hitoshi Wakide