Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Sharp Corporation

Junichi Kajiwara

Masakiyo Okuda

Masanobu Deguchi

Hideaki Hagihara

Akihiko Taniguchi

Toshihisa Matsuo

Shinji Kato

Kiyoshi Inoue

Michiaki Nishimura

Yukinari Sato

Takahiro Fukunaga

Akira Tamagaki

Hiroyuki Nagao

Yoshikado Yamada

Atsushi Narukawa

Takao Horiuchi

Shigeharu Maehara

Kiwamu Morita

Yoshiteru Mori

Koichi Sumida

Yoshifumi Maitani

Hideo Taniguchi

Masashi Toyoda

Souichi Takata

Yoshiyuki Noda

Katsutoshi Ishikawa

Masanori Mori

Jun Morimoto

Kazuhiko Yamakawa

Tadashi Okada

Masanori Nakazawa

Yoshiomi Hamano

Kentaro Tsuruta

Hiroki Kai

Kazuyuki Ougita

Sae Hiroki

An apparatus for image formation comprises a fixing unit, first to fourth switching units, a DC power supply unit, an accumulating unit, a charging unit, and a switching control unit. The first switching unit switches the state of connection between the fixing unit and a commercial power source. The DC power supply unit supplies another electric load of the apparatus than the fixing unit with DC power. The second switching unit switches the state of connection between the DC power supply unit and the commercial power source. The third switching unit switches the state of connection between the charging unit and the commercial power source. The fourth switching unit switches the state of connection between the accumulating unit and the electric load. Based on the state of conduction of the first switching unit, the switching control unit switches the states of conduction of the other three switching units.

Apparatus for image formation

An image forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention is an image forming apparatus that prints an image on a recording paper, and is provided with an ion generating means that is attached at an outer side of the image forming apparatus main unit, and generates and emits ions, and an emission direction varying means that varies an emission direction of ions from the ion generating means in response to whether the image forming apparatus is operating or in standby.

Image forming apparatus

An expansion image processing board(expansion information processing module) of the present invention, which is installable in a network printerhaving an image processing board(information processing module), includes: a second printer function control section(expansion information processing section) which controls the network printer; and a router(data relaying section) which relays data to the second printer function control sectionor the image processing board. Therefore, the expansion image processing boardis capable of simply and efficiently extending a functionality of the network printer

Expansion information processing module for image information processing apparatus, settings information inheriting method, and setting information inheriting program

A power supply deviceincluding: a current sourcefor supplying current to a load circuitwhich operates on the supplied current, and a power switch unitbetween the current sourceand the load circuitto control passage of current, wherein: the power switch unitincludes a switching elementconnected in parallel with the open-close element, a power supply controllerincluding an open-close element controllerwhich controls operation of the open-close elementand a switching element controllerwhich controls operation of the switching element, and a voltage detectorwhich detects terminal voltage of the load circuit; and the power switch unitturns on the switching element before supplying current to the load circuit and closes the open-close element when the terminal voltage of the load circuit becomes almost equal to supply voltage.

Power supply device preventing inrush current

The control circuit includes: a series circuit of a first triac and a reactor; and a second triac in parallel with this series circuit so as to perform control of activation of a fixing heater. Since the fixing heater has a low resistance when the power switch is first turned on, the first triac is operated to perform phase angle control of current flow, and when the phase angle has become approximately equal to 180.degree., the first triac is stopped, at the same time the second triac starts to be operated. The switching from the first triac to the second triac is made quickly so that it is possible to reduce the power consumption from the reactor.

Heater control device using phase angle control

A document feeder includes: a document detecting device arranged on the top of the copier body, for detecting a document inserted from the outside; a feed roller arranged adjacent to the document detecting device, on the top of the copier body, for feeding an inserted document into a space between the original table and the original cover, in response to the detection of a document by the document detecting device; and an original cover lifting device arranged on the top of the copier body, for lifting the original cover to create a gap between the original table and the original cover, in response to the detection of a document by the document detecting device. Alternatively, the feed roller further has a rotary cam on its shaft, so that the cam rotates to lift the original cover up as the feed roller rotates in the document feeding direction. Then, after the document is fed in place, the feed roller is reversely rotated in a constant time, whereby the document cover is sunk to press the document onto the original table.

Document feeder and cover for an image forming apparatus

A feed roller for feeding a document is disposed between a control panel and an original table on the top of a copier body. A document stocker provided rotatably relative to an original cover on the original table is rotated so as to cover the control panel, whereby the original cover is raised from the original table to create some clearance. In this situation, a document is inserted through the document stocker from a document inserting port. The document thus inserted is detected by the operation of a detecting lever, which activates the feed roller to convey the inserted document to the original table. As the rear part of the document thus conveyed is detected by the operation of the detecting lever, the feed roller is deactivated. In this condition, copying operation is carried out so that an image of the document conveyed onto the original table is formed.

Image forming apparatus with a document feeder

A copying machine communication system is arranged so as to form a network by connecting a plurality of copying machines including ROMs which respectively store programs of various versions and a host computer in a service station through a public telephone line. This enables a serviceman in the service station to confirm the program version of the copying machine installed in a user's place, thereby permitting the serviceman to offer a prompt and efficient service.

Image forming apparatus communication system

A copying machine having a zooming function, the copying machine including a first driving motor for scanning an optical reading system, a first control circuit for controlling the first driving motor, a second driving motor for driving an image forming section including a photosensitive body and for feeding copy paper, a second control circuit for controlling the second driving motor, a side eraser control circuit for controlling the side eraser and switches on a light of a corresponding LED in response to the magnification, and control means for outputting a speed control signal in response to the selected magnification to the first control circuit so as to control the scanning speed of the optical reading system, and outputting a control signal in response to the selected magnification to the side eraser circuit, and outputting a driving signal generated from the control signal to the second control circuit so as to control the second driving motor.

Copying machine having a zooming function

An image forming apparatus comprising rotatable cassettes rotated by cassette rotating means between a longitudinal feeding station from which paper is fed in a longitudinal direction thereof and a lateral feeding station from which paper is fed in a lateral direction thereof, wherein memory means stores a cassette rotation signal, when the cassette rotation signal is entered therein and cassette rotating means is controlled in accordance with the cassette rotation signal stored in the memory means when a cassette rotation permission signal for permitting the rotation of the rotatable cassette is generated, so that the rotatable cassette is set in a predetermined feeding station. The invention also provides an image forming apparatus capable of storing the feeding station of the rotatable cassette in the memory means and rotating the rotatable cassette to the feeding station stored in the memory means when the rotatable cassette is out of both longitudinal feeding station and lateral feeding station. Further, the invention provides an imagae forming apparatus capable of selecting a desired cassette from a plurality of cassettes and instructing to rotate the rotatable cassette by depressing a minimum number of operation keys. The invention further provides an image forming apparatus wherein the rotatable cassette is taken out therefrom by setting the rotatable cassette in either of the longitudinal feeding station and the lateral feeding station, characterized in that the rotatable cassette is set in the feeding station specified as a rotatable cassette taking-out/insertion position each time an image formation is completed.

A position detector outputs an electrical signal of a level corresponding to a pressed position. The detector has at least three reference points, each reference region begin set therebetween. When the position detector is pressed, the region to which the pressed position belongs is discriminated, and the pressed position is operated relative to the two reference points defining the region, on the basis of the previously stored outputs from the reference points and the output from the pressed position. The position detector has a strip of upper and lower electrode both with wiring members and a grounded conductor provided under the lower electrode. The upper and lower electrodes and the wiring members for the electrodes are disposed so that they are positioned inwardly of the periphery of the conductor at least by the distance equal to that from the upper surface of the upper electrode to the upper surface of the conductor. The electromagnetic effects to the apparatus are absorbed in the grounded conductor, protecting the electrodes and wiring members from noise. On the upper surface of the upper electrode is attached are a plurality of touch protrusions.

Position input apparatus encluding a position detector input apparatus

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Nara, Japan

Junichi Kajiwara