Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.

Lin Lu

Masayuki Yamada

Terumitsu Noso

Yoshiaki Ikebata

Naoki Yamane

Tomohiko Yamakawa

Yoshitaka Tokoro

Atsushi Ishizaki

Ayumi Nakano

Yoshihiro Andou

Kaori Katsumoto

An image evaluation system includes an image forming apparatus and an information processing apparatus. The image forming apparatus prints a reference document including pattern images. The image forming apparatus prints, on the reference document, a check region including check items with respect to the image quality of the printed result. The image forming apparatus reads the printed reference document to generate reference document data. The image forming apparatus transmits the generated reference document data to the information processing apparatus. Based on the received reference document data, the information processing apparatus recognizes a check item selected in the check region.

Image evaluation system

In an image forming apparatus, a controller allows a sound output device to output a starting sound and an ending sound at a start and end of diagnostic image formation processing, respectively, determines whether abnormal noise has occurred by identifying data ranging from the starting sound to the ending sound in an diagnostic spectrogram as a comparison target for data ranging from the starting sound to the ending sound in a normal spectrogram to match both the spectrograms in terms of width in a time-axis direction, and identifies a source of the abnormal noise by identifying the data ranging from the starting sound to the ending sound in the diagnostic spectrogram as a comparison target for data in ranging from a timing of start to a timing of end in a timing chart to match the diagnostic spectrogram with the timing chart in terms of width in the time-axis direction.

Electronic device capable of detecting occurrence of abnormal noise

An electronic apparatus includes a sound collecting device, a storage device, a display device, and a control device. The storage device contains a normal spectrogram representing the operation sound of each of functional units, acquired when low-speed operation is normally performed, and a timing chart indicating a timing that each functional unit operates when the electronic apparatus performs the low-speed operation. The control device analyzes frequency of the sound data collected by the sound collecting device when the electronic apparatus performs the low-speed operation, and outputs the spectrogram, decides whether abnormal noise has occurred, by comparison between the outputted spectrogram and the normal spectrogram, identifies, upon deciding that abnormal noise has occurred, the functional unit that is a source of the abnormal noise, by comparison between the timing chart and the outputted spectrogram, and causes the display device to display a first screen indicating the identified functional unit.

Diagnosing an image forming apparatus based on sound signal analysis

A development device includes a developer container, a developer bearing member, a mixing/transporting member, an opening/closing member, and a drive mechanism. The developer container contains a developer. The developer bearing member is rotatably supported by the developer container. The developer bearing member also has a surface facing an image bearing member on which an electrostatic latent image is to be formed. The developer is borne on the surface of the developer bearing member. The mixing/transporting member mixes and transports the developer in the developer container. The opening/closing member opens and closes a developer outlet for discharging an excess of the developer in the developer container. The drive mechanism drives the opening/closing member in association with driving of the developer bearing member or the mixing/transporting member to open the developer outlet.

Development device and image forming apparatus including the same

A fixing device includes a first rotary member, a second rotary member, a support member having a connection part, an urging member, and an engaging member. The engaging member is capable of changing a state of the fixing device between a pressure applied state and a pressure reduced state using the urging member and the support member. When the nip pressure is in the pressure applied state, the engaging member changes a position of the urging member to direct the urging member longitudinally in a tangential direction to an arc that has a center coinciding with a center of rotation of the support member and that passes through the connecting portion. When the nip pressure is in the pressure reduced state, the engaging member changes the position of the urging member to direct the urging member longitudinally in a direction different from the tangential direction.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus

A transfer unit includes: a transfer belt mounted over a plurality of rollers to run to transfer toner images on a plurality of image carriers to a front side of the transfer belt; transfer rollers provided for the respective image carriers to give a transfer potential to the transfer belt to transfer the toner images thereto; a drive mechanism configured to move only the transfer rollers for formation of a multicolor image into and out of contact with the transfer belt; a cleaning member contactable with a back side of the transfer belt to clean the back side; and a shifting mechanism configured to, upon contact of the transfer rollers with the transfer belt, shift the cleaning member into contact with the back side of the transfer belt and, upon departure of the transfer rollers from the transfer belt, shift the cleaning member out of contact with the back side.

Transfer unit and image forming apparatus

An image forming device includes: a secondary transfer roller configured to secondarily transfer a toner image transferred to an intermediate transfer belt, to a transfer paper; separating plates; and a power supply circuit configured to apply bias voltages to the separating plates. The separating plates are configured to separate the transfer paper from the intermediate transfer belt when the bias voltages are applied to the separating plates. The separating plates include two or more separating plates installed along a direction perpendicular to the transfer paper conveying direction. The bias voltages are applied to the separating plates independently of each other depending on a toner amount distribution of the toner image transferred to the transfer paper, in the direction perpendicular to the transfer paper conveying direction.

Image forming device

An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming unit having an image supporting body and a developing unit; a transfer roller; a transfer belt having a conveying surface onto which a recording material is placed; a cleaning unit; a density detection unit detecting toner density on the conveying surface; a calibration processing unit that executes a calibration process; and a control unit that: in a state in which the calibration process has been executed, instructs the image forming unit to adjust the toner density of the toner image formed on the image supporting body based on the toner density detected by the density detection unit; and in a state in which the calibration process has not been executed, switches the cleaning unit to the cleaning state or maintains the cleaning unit in the non-cleaning state based on the toner density detected by the density detection unit.

Image forming apparatus maintaining clean back surface of recording material

A cam driving mechanism has: a cam; a motor which drives the cam; a gear train which transmits, while reducing the speed of, the output of the motor to the cam; a pulse disk which is formed integrally with a gear coupled in the gear train and in which a plurality of slits are formed at equal intervals; a home position detecting member which is arranged coaxially with the pulse disk so as to be rotatable independently thereof and which, by meshing with another gear coupled in the gear train, rotates at a lower rotation speed than the pulse disk; and a cam position detecting sensor which has a detecting portion including a light-emitting portion and a light-receiving portion, the cam position detecting sensor detecting the amount of driving of the cam based on the number of slits of the pulse disk that have passed through the detecting portion, the cam position detecting sensor detecting the home position of the cam based on the timing with which the home position detecting member shields the detecting portion.

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Osaka, Japan

Lin Lu