Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-kaisha

Kenichi Dan

Junji Hatamura

Isao Kubo

A sensing unit for detecting an amount of liquid stored in a storage chamber is configured so that: a direction of a first moment which is a moment about a shaft produced by self weights of a rotating member, a float, and a receiver is a direction in which the float is moved from a first position to a second position vertically below the first position; and a direction of a resultant moment obtained by combining a second moment, which is a maximum moment about the shaft produced when the receiver receives liquid supplied to the storage chamber, and the first moment is a direction in which the float is moved from the second position to the first position.

Liquid storage apparatus and control method thereof

A liquid storage device includes: a liquid storage having a storage chamber for storing liquid; first communication devices each for transmitting a radio wave for carrying out short distance wireless communication; a second communication device for receiving the radio wave transmitted from each first communication device; and a controller. The first communication devices are arranged in a configuration corresponding to a direction of movement of a boundary surface between a liquid stored area and a liquid non-stored area in the storage chamber. The movement is caused by increase or decrease of an amount of the liquid in the storage chamber. The storage chamber is partly interposed between the second communication device and the first communication devices. The controller detects a position of the boundary surface based on a reception status of the radio wave transmitted from each first communication device and received by the second communication device.

Liquid storage device

An image forming device to which a replacement is detachably attachable, where in the replacement includes: a non-contact type IC tag that stores data concerning the replacement and is able to transmit the data through a radio signal; a holding member that holds the IC tag; and a shielding member formed to alter a state of the IC tag between an exposed state and a shielded state by changing relatively a positional relationship with the holding member, and the image forming device includes: the detection unit to detect the IC tag; a driving unit to drive at least one of the holding member and the shielding member to change the state of the IC tag; and a controller that identifies the non-contact type IC tag as that in the replacement being attached to the image forming device in response to a fact that the IC tag is intermittently detected.

Image forming device and replacement

An image forming apparatus includes: a photoconductor; a charging unit that charges the photoconductor; an applying unit that produces a charging voltage; a current detecting unit that detects a charging current; an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium; a conveying unit that conveys the recording medium; and a control unit. The control unit receives a current detecting signal; determines whether an abnormal discharge occurs during an image forming operation based on the current detecting signal; controls the applying unit to reduce a value of the charging voltage if the abnormal discharge occurs; determines whether the abnormal discharge stops occurring as a result of reducing the value of the charging voltage; and controls the conveying unit to eject the recording medium during the image forming operation if the abnormal discharge stops occurring.

Image forming apparatus including controller for detecting and reducing abnormal discharges

A sheet feed device comprises: a retaining section retaining a sheet; a drive section raising the retaining section; a conveyance section conveying a sheet on the raised retaining section; a sheet detection section detecting an end of the conveyed sheet; and a control section. At the time that a sheet feed instruction is received, when a sheet is detected by the sheet detection section, the control section causes the conveyance section to feed the sheet further. When a sheet is not detected, the control section causes the drive section to raise the retaining section and then causes the conveyance section to start conveyance of a sheet.

Sheet feed device, image forming apparatus having the same, and sheet feed method

A laser printer forms images on a recording sheet fed from a paper cassette. A conveying gap between consecutively fed recording sheets is adjusted such that a conveying gap between consecutively fed thin sheets is larger than a conveying gap between consecutively fed thick sheets.

Image forming device adjusting conveying gap between consecutively fed sheets

The humidity detecting device includes a detection unit and a controller. The detection unit includes a humidity sensor for producing a humidity detection signal by detecting a humidity, a temperature sensor for producing a temperature detection signal by detecting a temperature surrounding the humidity sensor, and a common power supply line connected to the humidity sensor and the temperature sensor. The controller includes an application circuit for applying a power supply voltage to the humidity sensor and the temperature sensor through the common power supply line, a read circuit for producing a read-out humidity value corresponding to the humidity detection signal and a read-out temperature value corresponding to the temperature detection signal, and a correction circuit for correcting the read-out humidity value based on the read-out temperature value.

Humidity detecting device, and image forming apparatus provided therewith

An image forming apparatus is provided, which includes: an image forming unit; a fixing unit having a heating part; a rotary drive unit; a driving force transmission unit including a displacement part displaceable to a transmitting position where rotation of the rotary drive unit is transmitted to the fixing unit and a non-transmitting position where the rotation of the rotary drive unit is not transmitted to the fixing unit; a cover configured to cover the heating part; a lock unit configured to selectively lock the cover; and a link unit configured to link the lock unit with the displacement part so that the lock unit locks the cover when the displacement part is displaced to the transmitting position and unlocks the cover when the displacement part is displaced to the non-transmitting position.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming device includes a device body, an image forming unit provided in the device body to form an image on a recording medium, a carrying unit detachably attached to the device body so as to carry a recording medium on a carrying route, a first detecting unit provided on the carrying route to output a detection signal that varies depending on whether there is a recording medium being carried, the first detecting unit including a movable portion that influences the detection signal depending on a location thereof, a displacing unit that changes the location of the movable portion depending on whether the carrying unit is attached to the device body, and a determining unit that determines based upon the detection signal of the first detecting unit whether there is a recording medium being carried and whether the carrying unit is attached to the device body.

Image forming device

A sheet transporting device includes: a sheet feeding cassette; a transporting unit that transports the sheet from the sheet feeding cassette; a swing member including a swing position, which changes among a first state in which the sheet feeding cassette is separated, a second state in which the sheet feeding cassette is mounted and the sheet is not transported, and a third state in which the sheet is transported; a detecting unit that detects whether the swing position of the swing member is in the second state; and a control unit, wherein when the detecting unit detects that the swing position of the swing member is in a state other than the second state within a predetermined time interval from the time that the transporting unit extracts the sheet from the sheet feeding cassette, the control unit determines that the swing position is in the third state.

Sheet transporting device and image forming apparatus using the same

An image forming apparatus includes a photoreceptor, a photoreceptor cleaner configured to clean the photoreceptor, a belt configured to be arranged opposite to the photoreceptor, a belt cleaner configured to clean the belt, a medium supplying device configured to perform supply operation of an image forming medium at a predetermined supply interval time, and a control device configured to perform cleaning processing when a cleaning processing time is less than the predetermined supply interval time.

An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming unit that forms an image on both surfaces of a recording medium; and a control unit that controls the image forming unit to form an image so that the image expresses information of a user who uses the image forming apparatus or a job, on a rear surface of a recording medium that includes an image of a first page or a last page of the user's job.

Image forming apparatus with job identification feature

An image forming apparatus that includes a fixing roller to fix a developer onto a recording medium, a heating unit to heat the fixing roller, a manual feed roller disposed at a position contact with a top end of the recording medium inserted into a manual feed port and capable of holding and feeding the recording medium, a common driving unit that drives the fixing and manual feed rollers together, a judgment unit to judge whether a temperature of the fixing roller is lower than a first temperature capable of starting image formation and reaches a second temperature higher than a melting point of the developer, a detection unit to detect whether the recording medium is inserted, and a control unit to control the driving unit to drive the manual feed roller to hold the recording medium if the recording medium is detected and the temperature reaches the second temperature.

Image forming apparatus including a fixing roller

When a laser printer is turned on or awakened from a sleep state and detects a sheet of paper on the paper conveying path, the laser printer performs a process to display a paper jam error upon determining that the sheet of paper should be removed. However, if the laser printer determines based on the detection results from a trailing edge sensor that the sheet of paper was inserted through a manual feed opening, the laser printer determines that the paper need not be removed and, hence, does not perform the process to display a paper jam error.

Image-forming device

An apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium is disclosed which includes: a first drive source; a photoreceptor driven for movement by a driving force applied thereto from the first drive source; a support member supporting the recording medium to be fed toward the photoreceptor, displaceable between a receiving position allowing reception of the recording medium on the support member, and a feeding position allowing feeding of the recording medium from the support member toward the photoreceptor; and a drive mechanism operable by a driving force applied thereto from the first drive source to displace the support member from the receiving position to the feeding position.

Image forming apparatus with recording medium support member adjustable in position for desired position of uppermost recording medium on support member

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Nagoya, Japan

Kenichi Dan