Seiko Epson Corporation

Isao Inaba

Hidenori Kin

Masahiro Maeda

Hidetsugu Shimura

Takehiko Okamura

Masanori Nakata

Shinsuke Yokote

Takatoshi Sugita

Toshiki Shiroki

Ken Ikuma

Masahide Nakamura

Keiichi Taguchi

Yuki Oguchi

Kazuma Miyazawa

Isamu Arai

A web manufacturing apparatus includes a transport section configured to transport a web containing fiber, a web humidifier configured to humidify the web, and a control section configured to control operation of the transport section and the web humidifier. When transportation of the web by the transport section is stopped, the control section causes the transport section to recommence transportation of the web after the web is humidified by the web humidifier. The control section may also cause the web humidifier to stop humidification of the web after the web humidifier starts humidification of the web and a predetermined duration elapses.

Web manufacturing apparatus and sheet manufacturing apparatus

An image forming apparatus which forms an image using toner includes: a data processor which performs data processing of input image data corresponding to a toner color and accordingly generates output image data needed to obtain a predetermined tone reproduction characteristic; an image forming unit which forms an image corresponding to the output image data; and a toner consumption amount calculator which executes data selection for selecting one of the input image data and the output image data in accordance with a scheme of the data processing, sums up values of the selected image data, and calculates amount of toner consumed as an image is formed based on resulting integration value.

Image forming apparatus and toner consumption amount calculating method

An image forming apparatus and an image forming method, which are capable of forming images at stable image quality by executing adjustment of operating conditions at appropriate timings, are provided. When a Vsync count corresponding to an integrated value of a rotation count of an intermediate transfer belt reaches a predetermined value Vor V, a charging current Iw is increased by one level and an adjusting operation of a developing bias is executed (at a time tor t), to thereby stabilize an image density. Further, when remaining service life of a developer reaches a predetermined value (50%) (at a time t), if the Vsync count at that moment suggests that the time to change the charging current Iw is drawing near, the change thereof is executed ahead of the schedule, whereby the adjusting operation of the developing bias, which should otherwise be executed at the time t, is omitted.

Image forming apparatus that adjusts operating conditions based on a density detection result of a patch image

Based on a video signal, a toner dot counter and an off dot counter detect a size of a toner dot portion to carry an adherent toner thereto and a size of an off dot portion not to carry an adherent toner, respectively. Reference is made to a look-up table based on the detection results, so as to retrieve a coefficient Kv corresponding to a combination of the sizes of the toner dot portion and the off dot portion. A count value Cdot given by the toner dot counter is multiplied by the coefficient Kv, while the resultant product is integrated by an accumulator. An integration value for an image of one page is multiplied by a coefficient Kequivalent to a toner adhesion percentage of solid image. Thus is determined a toner consumption TC on the page image.

Image forming apparatus, a toner counter and a calculation method of toner consumption

An image forming apparatus of forming an image corresponding to image data is formed on a recording medium comprises a data processor which performs data processing of input image data so that a first correlation will be established between a target image density expressed by the input image data and the actual image density of an image formed on the recording medium, thereby generating output image data, an image forming unit which forms an image corresponding to the output image data on the recording medium, and a toner consumption amount calculator which calculates a toner consumption amount which is consumed for image formation based on the input image data and based on a second correlation between the input image data and an adhering toner amount on the recording medium.

Image forming apparatus, image forming method, toner counter and calculation method of toner consumption

Based on a video signal, a toner dot counter and an off dot counter detect a size of a toner dot portion to carry an adherent toner thereto and a size of an off dot portion not to carry an adherent toner, respectively. Reference is made to a look-up table based on the detection results, so as to retrieve a coefficient Kv corresponding to a combination of the sizes of the toner dot portion and the off dot portion. A count value Cdot given by the toner dot counter is multiplied by the coefficient Kv, while the resultant product is integrated by an accumulator. An integration value for an image of one page is multiplied by a coefficient K0 equivalent to a toner adhesion percentage of solid image. Thus is determined a toner consumption TC on the page image.

The content of processing of an input image signal varies depending upon the conditions of an apparatus. In view of the fact that this results in the variations of correlation between tone data and toner consumption, a coefficient by which an integration value of the tone data is defined according to the content of the signal processing. In an image forming apparatus which performs tone correction as the signal processing and which has a characteristic () of forming images of higher densities relative to tone levels, for example, a larger amount of toner is consumed. Therefore, the coefficient of the apparatus is defined to be a higher value than that of an apparatus having a substantially linear characteristic (). Conversely, in the case of an apparatus having a characteristic () of forming images of lower densities, thus consuming less toner, the coefficient is defined to be a lower value.

Photoconductor cartridge

An image forming apparatus having a charger of a non-contact type opposed to a photosensitive body coated with a photosensitive layer by dipping for charging a surface of the photosensitive body and an interval between the surface of the photosensitive body and the charger is narrowed on a dip upper portion side of the photosensitive body and widened on a dip lower portion side thereof. When the charger is a scorotron charger having a discharge electrode and a grid, an interval between the grid and the surface of the photosensitive body is narrowed on the dip upper portion side of the photosensitive body and widened on the dip lower portion side.

Image forming apparatus having device for charging a photosensitive body

The surface of a photosensitive body is charged by a scorotron charger including a discharge electrode, a back plate having an aperture on the bottom face, and a grid. Air is passed along the back plate for ventilation. The back plate also has a vent aperture on the side face. The aperture rate of the aperture on the bottom face of the part corresponding to the vent aperture is set lower than that on the bottom face of the other part, in the axial direction of the charger.

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Nagano-ken, Japan

Isao Inaba