Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Masanori Takayasu

Makoto Nakura

Naoto Ueda

Yoshinari Onuma

Shinya Tomita

A sheet guide comprising a first straight portion in an upstream end of the sheet guide in a conveyance direction of a sheet, a curved portion having a curvature, the curved portion continued from the first straight portion in the conveyance direction, and a second straight portion continued from the curved portion in a downstream end of the sheet guide in the conveyance direction. The curved portion includes a pair of guide plates defining a conveyance path through which the sheet is guided, and a shape retention member retaining a part of the pair of guide plates in a curved shape, the shape retention member holding each end of the pair of guide plates in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction.

Sheet guide, sheet conveyor, liquid discharge apparatus, and printer

A sheet conveying device includes a conveying unit configured to convey a sheet by a first rotating body and a second rotating body that is provided so as to be movable in a contacting/separating direction with respect to the first rotating body; a rotation amount measuring unit configured to measure a rotation amount of the second rotating body, the rotation amount measuring unit being provided so as to be movable in the contacting/separating direction along with the second rotating body; and a conveying distance calculating unit configured to calculate a conveying distance of the sheet based on a measurement result obtained by the rotation amount measuring unit.

Sheet conveying device and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, a transfer unit to transfer the image onto a recording medium, a torque limit unit to transmit drive force to the transfer unit at a torque less than the torque for transmitting drive force, and drive the transfer unit to rotate at a circumferential velocity higher than that of the image carrier when the image carrier and the transfer unit are in contact with each other, and a drive unit to output drive force to drive the transfer unit such that the transfer unit rotates at a circumferential velocity lower than that of the image carrier when the image carrier and the transfer unit are separate from each other, and the transfer unit rotates at a circumferential velocity higher than that of the image carrier when the image carrier and the transfer unit are in contact with each other.

Growing community of inventors

Ibaraki, Japan

Masanori Takayasu