Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-kaisha

Masanari Kobayashi

Kenji Sakakibara

Michitoshi Akao

Hiroshi Morisaki

Takeshi Izaki

Tokunori Katoh

Satoru Kuwabara

Shin Asai

Takemi Yamamoto

Jun Sakai

Kazumasa Makino

Takashi Fujiwara

Yukichi Sawaki

Masatoshi Yoshiyama

Yuji Asano

Mamoru Imaizumi

Hideo Yoshihara

Yasuo Kimura

Tsuyoshi Kushida

Takesi Izaki

Hisanori Okamoto

Shinken Ozeki

Kanae Imaeda

An image recording apparatus which records an image of an original document on an image receiving sheet with the use of a photosensitive recording medium, the image receiving sheet having front and rear faces differing in reflection ratio. To detect error in sheet face orientation, a sheet face sensor unit is provided upstream of a pressure developing unit which discriminates a face of the image receiving sheet. The sensor unit includes a light emitting element for emitting light toward the face of the image receiving sheet and a light receiving element for receiving light emitted from the light emitting element and reflected on the face of the image receiving sheet. A central processing unit is supplied with data representative of amounts of light emitted from the light emitting element and light received at the light receiving element, wherein the central processing unit computes a reflection ratio based on the data supplied thereto and produces a discrimination signal indicative of an error in sheet face orientation of the image receiving sheet based on the reflection ratio being computed.

Image recording apparatus having front/rear sheet face sensor

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

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 for forming a visible image by pressurizing and feeding an exposed recording sheet with a developing sheet detects that the recording sheet and the developing sheet are accurately overlapped with each other before the pressurizing operation is begun. The position of the sheets is monitored and the pressurizing rollers are controlled in accordance with the detected positions.

Imaging device having means to accurately superpose sheets in the

An overhead projector in which a light from a light source is transmitted through an original, and a resulting original image is projected on a screen by means of a projection optical system including a projection lens and a half-mirror. At the same time, the original image is transmitted through the half-mirror, and delivered to a record medium by means of an exposure optical system. The exposure optical system includes a shutter member which can be shifted between a shielding mode and a copying mode. In the shielding mode, the optical path of the exposure optical system is closed to permit projection on the screen. In the copying mode, the optical path is opened so that the original image, to which the record medium is exposed, is visualized on the record medium by a developing process. At the end of the copying mode, the record medium is discharged into a tray.

Overhead projector with a copying device

A plurality of pattern electrodes which are disposed in correspondence with the printing dots are provided on one surface of a substrate biased in one direction. An anisotropic electroconductive element is supported to enable its release on the substrate which has a first turn-on surface contacting the pattern electrodes on its substrate, and a second turn-on surface contacting the electroconductive transfer sheet and exhibiting excellent conductivity between only its first and second turn-on surfaces. In the printing action, electric conduction is achieved on a transfer sheet depending on the printing pattern from the pattern electrodes through the anisotropic element, so that the resistance layer of the sheet may emit heat, thereby the ink contained within the ink layer of the sheet is melted for printing.

Electric conduction printer

A printing device with an improved printing quality is proposed. A printed line never becomes rugged even when the cover of the printing mechanism is operated during the printing. The printing device includes a sheet feed means including a feed motor, a movable cover for covering a printing mechanism, a detector for detecting an opening a last position of the feed motor at a time when the opening of the cover is detected, and a feed control means for setting the feed motor at the last phase position when the closing of the cover is detected.

Printing device for a well-aligned printing line

A drive control system for controlling a drive motor in response to external command signals. The system comprises a first control arrangement for obtaining numerical values corresponding to amounts of successive intermittent operations of the drive motor responsive to respective external command signals, summing the obtained numerical values, and subtracting from a current sum of the numerical values a numerical value corresponding to a non-operation time period during which the drive motor is held at rest between the successive intermittent operations. The system further comprises a second control arrangement for inhibiting the operation of the drive motor responsive to the next command signal, for a length of time corresponding to the current sum after the drive motor has completed each of the intermittent operations, whereby the temperature of the drive motor is kept below an upper limit.

Growing community of inventors

Ichinomiya, Japan

Masanari Kobayashi