Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-kaisha

Brother Industries, Ltd.

Kenji Sakakibara

Michitoshi Akao

Jun Sakai

Tokunori Katoh

Shigeyuki Hayashi

Takemi Yamamoto

Hiroshi Morisaki

Yukichi Sawaki

Yumio Matsumoto

Naoyuki Hatta

Masanari Kobayashi

Yuji Asano

Kazuo Sangyoji

Takeshi Izaki

Masashi Ueda

Yoichi Horaguchi

Osamu Nagata

Takesi Izaki

Tsugio Okamoto

Takashi Nakata

Hitoshi Nakai

Hideo Yoshihara

Eiichi Ohta

Toshio Takahashi

Tetsuo Harano

Toshio Nakai

Shin Asai

Yoshiya Tomatsu

Makoto Suzuki

Tatsuya Shindo

Kazumasa Makino

Toshio Sugiura

Makoto Yamada

Tsuyoshi Suzuki

Kiyoharu Hayakawa

Ryohei Komiya

Ichiro Sasaki

Yoshinori Endo

Takayuki Hayashi

Hiroshi Onoda

Hiroshi Kawahara

Satoshi Furukawa

Yasuhito Bandai

Satoru Kuwabara

Eiji Shibata

Yoshimasa Hara

Hiroaki Kimura

Takakuni Sonoda

Katsuyoshi Sonobe

Hideo Nishigaki

Yousuke Ito

Shigeki Ishikawa

Eiji Fujii

Atsunori Katoh

Ken Izaki

Hidetoshi Asada

An image forming apparatus having an image formation processing unit for forming an image of an original according to information carried by light reflected from the original. A plurality of paper feed cassettes are provided to accommodate plural kinds of output papers having different sizes or having longitudinal and transverse feed directions for papers of the same size. A selected one of the output papers is supplied from the selected paper feed cassette to the image formation processing unit, and the image of the original is thereafter formed on the selected output paper. At least two kinds of the output papers can be preliminarily selected, and simultaneously an enlarging or reducing magnification can be selected. When the original is set in position, a size and a direction of the original are detected, and an optimum one of the plural kinds of the output papers preliminarily selected is determined according to information of the detected size and direction of the original and information of the selected magnification. Thus, the optimum output paper is supplied to the image formation processing unit. Accordingly, an output image can be obtained on the optimum output paper of a desired size and direction with a desired magnification irrespective of the size and direction of the original.

Image forming apparatus having a function of automatically detecting an

Sheet loading in an image recording apparatus is automatically performed by drawing the leading edge of an elongated, web-like image photosensitive recording medium out of a sheet cartridge, passing it through a predetermined sheet feed path provided between the sheet cartridge and a take-up shaft, and attaching the leader portion of the recording medium to the take-up shaft. A plurality of sensors are disposed alongside the sheet feed path for sensing that the sheet loading is being appropriately performed. The recording medium is successively moved to each of the sensors, and if the recording medium is not sensed thereby, it is rewound around the cartridge shaft.

Image recording apparatus capable of detecting medium loading failure

An image forming apparatus has a thermal fixing unit which includes a heater to thermally fix an image on a recording medium. The temperature in the apparatus goes down when a replaceable unit is exchanged. A temperature sensor detects the reduction in temperature. A status sensor detects an exchanging state in which the replaceable unit is exchanged and outputs a detection signal indicating the exchanging state. A CPU judges that the heater is properly operating even if the temperature signal indicates the reduction in temperature when the detection signal is outputted.

Apparatus for detecting the proper functioning of a thermal fixing unit

A light-and pressure-sensitive recording sheet and an original, overlapping each other, are introduced into an image forming apparatus, and are exposed to radiation on a transparent drum by means of a light source in the drum, whereupon a latent image, based on the contents of the original, is formed on the recording sheet. Then, the recording sheet is separated from the original by means of a separator, and is passed between a pair of pressure rolls. When the recording sheet is exposed, microcapsules thereon change their hardness. These microcapsules are ruptured selectively by pressure applied to the sheet. As a result, a chromogenic material, contained in the microcapsules, and a developer material, on the surface of a substrate of the recording sheet, react with each other, so that the sheet surface changes its color. Thus, the latent image is developed to accomplish copying in accordance with the original.

Image forming apparatus

The invention provides a color copying machine or apparatus for forming chromatic images which irradiates an original with rays from a light source, focuses the reflection from the original as latent images on a photosensitive recording medium, and forms chromatic images corresponding to the latent images on a copy sheet. The apparatus includes supplementary exposing means for irradiating a specified region on the photosensitive recording medium with desirable chromatic light. Thus the color of images on the region is desirably changed to make the region conspicuous or inconspicuous.

Apparatus for forming images

An image recording apparatus using an elongated photosensitive recording medium stored in a sheet cartridge in a rolled fashion. The apparatus provides an exposure stand and a reversal sheet feeding arrangement for reversely feeding completely unexposed microcapsule sheet to a position upstream of the exposure stand for the purpose of a subsequent exposure operation. A control means is further provided for automatically starting the subsequent copying operation. In one embodiment, the control means stores therein a copy start signal and automatically starts the next copying operation upon completion of the reversal sheet feeding operation. The copy start signal is generated by the manipulation of the copy start key manipulated at the reversal sheet feeding phase. In another embodiment of this invention, the control means forcibly stops the reversal sheet feeding operation in response to the copy start signal so as to automatically start the copying operation. The copy start signal is generated by the manipulation of the copy start key manipulated at the reversal sheet feeding phase.

Image recording apparatus having reversal sheet feeding device and

An image recording apparatus having a sheet cartridge in which a rolled photosensitive recording medium is accommodated. The sheet cartridge has a sheet retaining device for preventing the recording medium from being retracted into a cartridge casing. The retaining device also provides a light shielding member. The image recording apparatus also includes structure for preventing the cartridge from being removed in a case where a residual recording medium is still rolled in the cartridge casing. The image recording apparatus is provided with a wiper member for removing dusts deposited on a surface of a feed roller. Further, a sensor element is provided for detecting non-rotation of a takeup shaft or a slack of the recording medium.

Sheet cartridge and image recording apparatus using the sheet cartridge

An image recording apparatus for recording an image of an original on a photosensitive recording medium. Light emitted from a light source is irradiated onto the original to optically scan the original, and light reflected from or transmitted through the original is applied to the recording medium to thereby record the image on the recording medium. The density of an image to be recorded on the photosensitive recording medium is adjusted by changing the scanning speed while maintaining an amount of light emitted from a light source at constant, whereby a load imposed to the light source is reduced which may otherwise be increased if an amount of light emitted therefrom is changed to adjust the image density.

Image recording apparatus capable of adjusting a density of an image

Motor-control device for an image forming apparatus includes a motor, an encoder, a microcomputer, and a driving circuit. The encoder generates a pulse signal in response to rotation of the motor. The microcomputer includes a CPU, a RAM and a ROM. The CPU detects actual rotational speed of the motor based upon the pulse signal generated by the encoder. The CPU cyclically provides a driving signal by comparing the actual rotational speed with a predetermined target rotational speed of the motor. An operating cycle is proportional to a cycle of the pulse signal generated by the encoder. The driving circuit drives the motor based upon the driving signal provided by the CPU. The CPU determines the operating cycle based upon the predetermined target rotational speed. The CPU also determines whether the motor condition is normal or abnormal by comparing the driving signal with a predetermined reference driving signal.

Motor-control device for image forming apparatus

An image recording apparatus for recording an image on a photosensitive recording medium employs an elongated continuous form photosensitive recording medium capable of receiving a latent image of an output image to be formed, and a cut sheet type of a developer recording medium which produces an output image upon reaction with the latent image on the photosensitive recording medium. The apparatus comprises an exposing unit having an exposure position at which the elongated continuous form photosensitive recording medium fed along a photosensitive recording medium feeding path is exposed to a light image to form a latent image thereon, a developing unit disposed downstream of the exposing unit with respect to the photosensitive recording medium path which develops the exposed photosensitive recording medium superposed with the developer medium, and a separating unit disposed downstream of the developing unit with respect to the photosensitive recording medium feeding path which separates the exposed photosensitive recording medium from the developer recording medium. The image recording apparatus further comprises a starting unit for starting a recording operation upon user operation thereof, a photosensitive recording medium feeding unit that feeds the photosensitive recording medium from a position downstream of the separation unit to the exposure position through the developing unit, and a prohibiting unit which prohibits the starting of a recording operation when the starting unit is actuated during a time at which the photosensitive recording medium is being fed from the position downstream of the separation unit to the exposure position. The present invention is also applicable to image recording machines which employ a single sheet type of recording medium.

Image recording apparatus which prohibits starting of a recording

A sheet supplying device for supplying an uppermost sheet of a stack of sheets in a sheet cassette used in an image forming apparatus includes suction cups movable into and out of contact with the uppermost sheet in the sheet cassette, an evacuator for developing a vacuum in the suction cups to enable the suction cups to attract the uppermost sheet, a moving member for upwardly and downwardly moving the suction cups to pick up the sheet from the sheet cassette, a sheet feeding member for feeding the sheet from the moving member along a sheet feed path, and a control system for judging on the basis of a detection signal from each sensor for detecting an image forming error provided in the image forming apparatus whether the error occurs during the sheet supplying operation, and when judging that the image forming error occurs during a sheet supplying operation, the control unit ceasing the sheet supplying operation and controlling the driving of at least one of the suction cups, the evacuator, moving member and the sheet feeding member so that at least one of those members carries out a predetermined operation selected from the series of operations to be performed by at least one of the members.

Sheet supplying device having control unit for sheet supplying operation

An image forming apparatus for performing an exposure process of exposing a microcapsule sheet to light and performing a pressure-developing process of contacting the microcapsule sheet having the latent image thereon with a developer sheet under pressure, thereby to form a visible image on the developer sheet, comprises plural sheet feed rollers for feeding the microcapsule sheet from the sheet feed-out side of the microcapsule sheet to and along a sheet feed path and winding up the microcapsule sheet to thereby perform a sheet feeding operation, an optical sensor or lever sensor provided in the neighboring of the sheet feed-out side of the microcapsule sheet for detecting a sheet feeding condition, such as a residue of the microcapsule sheet, a sheet feed error, a sheet feed speed and so on in the sheet feeding operation and outputting a detection signal indicative of a detection result and a control unit for beforehand storing distance data on the sheet feed path of the latent image forming medium between the sensor and a pressure-developing unit and/or storing data on a sheet feeding condition of the microcapsule sheet based on the detection signal.

Image forming apparatus having sheet feeding condition detecting means

An image recording apparatus for recording an image of an original on a photosensitive recording medium. At an exposure zone, a latent image corresponding to the original image is formed on the photosensitive recording medium through filters. The filters provide insufficient spectral transmission characteristics, yet resultant output image has sufficient quality by controlling light irradiation amount from a light source or by controlling an exposure speed in response to insertion amounts of the filters with respect to an optical path.

Image recording apparatus

An image forming apparatus including elements such as a light source, an exposure stand heater, a heat-fixing heater, a sheet feed motor and so on for performing a series of copying processes to form an image on a sheet and at least one power source for commonly supplying a power to the elements, further comprising plural sensors for detecting an operational condition of each of the elements such as a temperature of the heater, a rotation angle of the motor and so on and outputting a detection signal representative of the operational condition, and a control unit for controlling the power supply from the power source to the elements so that when the power supply to one of the elements is carried out to drive said one of the elements, the power supply to at least one of the other elements is ceased to stop the driving of at least one of the elements, and controlling the one of the elements on the basis of the detection signal from the sensors so that the operational condition of the one of the elements is substantially equal to a predetermined operational condition.

Image forming apparatus having drive control unit

An imaging device includes a first motor for feeding one of two sheets and a second motor for feeding the other sheet. The amounts of feeding of the sheets is detected and used to control the motors to maintain a predetermined relationship between the sheets.

Imaging device

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Ichinomiya, Japan

Kenji Sakakibara