Konica Minolta, Inc.

Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.

Kouei Cho

Toru Kasamatsu

Mikiyuki Aoki

Yohei Yamada

Teruhiko Toyoizumi

Yuta Tachibana

Taku Kimura

Akimasa Ishikawa

Munehiro Natsume

Nobuhiro Matsuo

Kenichi Hayashi

Hiroyuki Yoshikawa

Junichi Masuda

Masahiro Kamiya

Akinori Kimata

Kazutoshi Yoshimura

Yuhei Tatsumoto

Masahiro Nonoyama

Shiro Umeda

Satoshi Miyajima

Kiyohito Tsujihara

Makoto Shimazoe

Takashi Watanabe

Kazumichi Yoshida

Yoshihiko Hikari

Morio Kinoshita

Provided is an image forming system capable of accurately detecting the resistance of a recording material. The image forming system includes an application roller that applies a voltage to a recording material on a conveyance path, and a controller that calculates the electric resistance of the recording material from a relationship between the voltage applied to the application roller and a current. The controller calculates the resistance of the recording material based on first profile information that is acquired by changing the applied voltage and corresponds to a change in the resistance of the application roller, and second profile information that is acquired by changing the applied voltage in a state where the recording material is sandwiched and corresponds to the change in the resistance of the application roller.

Image forming system, resistance detection device, resistance detection method, and program

A rotation detector includes a motor, a current detector and a hardware processor. The motor includes coils of two or more phases and a rotor. The current detector detects currents flowing in coils of at least two phases among the coils of two or more phases. The hardware processor estimates an initial position of the rotor based on current values of the currents detected by the current detector to start the motor, controls an energization pattern on the phases to rotate and start the motor based on the estimated initial position, and determines whether the rotor stops or is rotating before completing the estimation of the initial position.

Rotation detector and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes: a conveyance path that conveys a sheet; registration rollers that are arranged across the conveyance path and each comprise a nip part; a sheet locking member that locks a front end of a sheet conveyed in the conveyance path, where the sheet locking member swings between a first attitude and a second attitude, in the first attitude the sheet locking member locks the sheet on an upstream side of the nip part, and in the second attitude the sheet locking member is retracted to a downstream side of the nip part and allows the sheet to pass through the nip part; an energizer that energizes the sheet locking member to maintain the first attitude; and a hardware processor that detects deterioration of the energizer.

Image forming apparatus that detects deterioration of a spring used to bias a sheet locking member

An image reading apparatus for separating and conveying documents from a bundle of documents, causing the document to pass through a reading position, and reading an image from the document, includes: a reading translucent plate; a rotation member capable of rotating around a shaft; and a rotation driver that rotates the rotation member, wherein in the rotation member, each of: a cleaning member; a white reference area; and an end portion detection area is formed partially with regard to a circumferential direction, the cleaning member and the end portion detection area are arranged adjacent to each other, the rotation driver is arranged so that the end portion detection area faces an opposing surface, and the rotation member is rotated in a paper interval period from when a trailing edge of the document passes the reading position to when a leading edge of a subsequent document reaches the reading position.

Image reading apparatus and image forming apparatus

A power supply device includes: a first transformer including a primary winding and a secondary winding; a first control circuit controlling a switching operation of a switch element, and cause the primary winding to generate a first AC voltage; an application circuit receiving a second AC voltage generated in the secondary winding by mutual induction with the primary winding, and apply an output voltage according to the second AC voltage to a load; a voltage detection circuit detecting a magnitude of a DC voltage obtained by rectifying the first AC voltage or the second AC voltage; and an output circuit outputting a stop signal indicating stop of the power supply device, when a result of comparison between the magnitude of the DC voltage and a threshold value set according to a magnitude of the load satisfies a predetermined condition, after reception of an instruction to stop voltage supply.

Power supply device and control method

A power supply device having a transformer and a control circuit for controlling a power input to the transformer in accordance with a set value of an output voltage is provided. The power supply device includes an auxiliary winding provided in the transformer and a control power supply circuit configured to rectify AC power produced in the auxiliary winding to output a control voltage for operating the control circuit. The control power supply circuit includes a smoothing capacitor which is connected between output terminals for the control voltage and is to be charged with power obtained by rectifying the AC power, and a charge thinning circuit configured to intermittently charge the smoothing capacitor so that a voltage value between both ends of the smoothing capacitor reaches a set value of the control voltage.

Switching power supply device for reducing energy loss

A first rectification circuit includes a bypass element connected to both ends of a rectification element. The bypass element is smaller in voltage drop amount than the rectification element. A power supply device is configured to perform switching between a first mode and a second mode based on at least one of information showing a magnitude of electric power that is being supplied to a load and information showing a magnitude of electric power that is to be supplied to the load. In the first mode, an AC voltage is rectified in a path including the rectification element. In the second mode, the AC voltage is rectified in a path including the bypass element.

Power supply device for suppressing cross regulation and image forming apparatus including power supply device

Image forming apparatus comprises an electric power supply circuit board, an electric power control unit, functional circuits, and an electrical power saving circuit. The electric power control unit executes constant voltage control, to make electrical potential of a remote sensing location constant. The functional circuits are connected with the electric power supply circuit board. The electrical power saving circuit switches the state of functional circuits between the state in which they are provided with electric power and the state in which they are not provided with electric power. The electrical power saving circuit sets the contact point of the input side of the circuit, in which the consumption electrical current or the behavior guarantee minimum electrical voltage is the largest, out of the electrical power saving circuit and functional circuits provided with electric power, as the remote sensing location.

Electric power supply device which can reduce the amount of power consumption

The apparatus includes first and second terminals, an electrical conductor placed around at least the second terminal, a first current applying unit, an abnormal circumstances determining unit, a second current applying unit, and an informing unit. The first current applying unit applies current between the first terminal and the second terminal. The abnormal circumstances determining unit determines whether there is an abnormal circumstance at the connection between the apparatus and the unit side circuit, under the condition that the current is applied by the first current applying unit. The second current applying unit applies current between the first terminal and the second terminal, in case that the abnormal circumstances determining unit determined that there is not an abnormal circumstance of the connection. The informing unit informs the abnormal circumstance of the connection, in case that the abnormal circumstances determining unit determined that there is the abnormal circumstance of the connection.

Apparatus for detecting an abnormal circumstance at a connection between the apparatus and an attached detachable unit

An electric power supply control device comprises a first converter, at least one second converter, and an electrical voltage control unit. The second converter can work in intermittent oscillation, and converts outputting electrical voltage from the first converter. The electrical voltage control unit controls the outputting electrical voltage of the first converter, so that the outputting electrical voltage is equal to or less than a minimum value of upper limits of operating electrical voltage of the second converter, and is more than or equal to a maximum value of lower limits of operating electrical voltage of the second converter, and at least one of the second converter performs low electric power behavior.

Electric power supply control device which can increase power converting efficiency

An image forming apparatus having image supporting members and developing devices provided for a plurality of colors respectively, and a developing bias source. The developing bias source includes DC power circuits provided for the colors respectively, an AC power circuit provided for use in common for all of the colors, and an element provided for at least one of the colors other than black. The developing bias source generates developing biases by superimposing an AC voltage output from the AC power circuit on DC voltages output from the DC power circuits and applies the developing biases to the respectively corresponding developing devices. The element maintains a constant voltage having a potential of an opposite polarity to a potential of charged toner used for the development. The developing bias source further superimposes the constant voltage on the developing bias for the at least one of the colors other than black.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus having; an electrostatic latent image support; a charger for charging the electrostatic latent image support; an exposure unit for exposing the electrostatic latent image support with a light beam to form an electrostatic latent image; a development unit for developing the electrostatic latent image into a toner image; a sheet feeding unit for feeding a recording sheet in an image forming operation; a transfer member for transferring the toner image to the recording sheet; a fuser for fusing the toner image onto the recording sheet; and a high-voltage power supply circuit for, in an image forming operation, applying a plurality of bias voltages at least to the charger and to the development unit, wherein the high-voltage power supply circuit supplies a high voltage only to the charger in an operation in an ion generation mode so as to cause the charger to generate ions.

Image forming apparatus with ion generation mode

A power control method for supplying AC power to a first load and a second load is provided. The method includes supplying, to the first load, AC power corresponding to a range of a phase angle 0 to a phase angle &#x3c6;1 in each half cycle; and supplying, to the second load, AC power corresponding to a range of a phase angle &#x3c6;2 to a phase angle &#x3c0; in each half cycle, wherein &#x3c6;1 is larger than 0 and not more than &#x3c0;, &#x3c6;2 is not less than 0 and smaller than &#x3c0;, and &#x3c6;1 is larger than &#x3c6;2.

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Toyohashi, Japan

Kouei Cho