Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Masahiko Hisada

Shotaro Takeuchi

Shingo Masaoka

Kyohei Matsumura

Kenta Takahashi

A fixing device includes a heating rotator, a pressure rotator, a temperature detector, and circuitry. The pressure rotator presses against the heating rotator. The temperature detector detects a temperature of the heating rotator. The circuitry energizes and deenergizes a heater of the heating rotator to control a fixing temperature of the heating rotator to be a reference value. The circuitry controls a direction of rotation of each of the heating rotator and the pressure rotator to drive each of the heating rotator and the pressure rotator in one of the fixing direction of rotation and a reverse direction of rotation. The circuitry changes the direction of rotation of each of the heating rotator and the pressure rotator to the reverse direction of rotation in a case in which the fixing temperature is less than the reference value upon an elapse of a period of time from a start of heating.

Fixing device, image forming apparatus, fixing method, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium

A liquid ejector includes a head having a plurality of nozzles arranged along a first direction of a nozzle surface of the head to eject a droplet from the nozzles, and an ejection detector to detect whether or not a droplet is ejected from the plurality of nozzles of the head by detecting an electrical change generated when the droplet lands onto the ejection detector. The ejection detector includes a droplet landing surface arranged opposed to the nozzle surface, a wiper to wipe the droplet off the droplet landing surface along the first direction, and a cleaner having a contact surface to remove the droplet adhered to the wiper after the wiper wipes the droplet landing surface. The contact surface has a curvature such that side ends of the wiper contacts with the contact surface at first, and then a center part of the wiper contacts the contact surface.

Liquid ejector and liquid ejecting detector

An image forming apparatus includes a power supply control unit that controls switching a power source to an auxiliary power supply that stores therein power from a main power supply when the main power supply is off, and to the main power supply when the main power supply is on; a detection unit that detects whether the power source is the main or the auxiliary power supply; a communication mode control unit that switches a data transfer rate from a first high-speed mode to a first low-speed mode allowing power consumption lower than the first high-speed mode when the power source is the auxiliary power supply; and a print mode control unit that switches a print speed from a second high-speed mode to a second low-speed mode allowing the power consumption lower than the second high-speed mode when the power source is the auxiliary power supply.

Image forming apparatus and power supply control method for switching between a main power supply and an auxiliary power supply

An image forming apparatus is provided, that includes a recording head including a plurality of nozzles to discharge droplets; and a droplet discharge sensor unit to detect whether a droplet has been discharged from the plurality of nozzles of the recording head or not. The droplet discharge sensor unit includes a resistor, on which the droplets discharged from the nozzles of the recording head lands, the resistor disposed opposite the recording head; and a sensor to detect a change in electrical resistance of the resistor when the droplets discharged from the plurality of nozzles of the recording head landed on the resistor.

Image forming apparatus and droplet discharge detector

An image forming apparatus includes a recording head, an ejection detector, a cleaner and cleaning ejection controller. The ejection detector has a droplet landing member disposed in an area in which the droplet landing member faces the head. The ejection detector detects ejection or non-ejection by detecting electric change caused by landing of the droplets on the droplet landing member. The cleaner cleans a droplet landing surface of the droplet landing member. The cleaning ejection controller controls the recording head to eject droplets on the droplet landing surface for cleaning the droplet landing surface before cleaning the droplet landing surface by the cleaner. A quantity of the droplets for cleaning the droplet landing surface is greater than a quantity of the droplets for detecting ejection or non-ejection.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a recording head, an ejection detection unit, a cleaner, and a holder member. The ejection detection unit has an electrode member disposed in an area in which the electrode member is opposable to the head. The cleaner includes a cleaning member to remove droplets adhering to the electrode member. The ejection detection unit detects ejection or non-ejection of droplets by detection of electric changes of the electrode member generated when droplets ejected from nozzles of the head land on the electrode member in a state in which a potential difference is created between a nozzle face of the head and the electrode member and the nozzle face is opposed to the electrode member. The holder member supports the electrode member, and holds the cleaning member movable in parallel to a nozzle array direction in which the nozzles is arrayed in the head.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Masahiko Hisada