Konica Corporation

Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.

Konica Minolta, Inc.

Masashi Sugano

Katsunori Takahashi

Kenji Tamaki

Akinori Kimata

Akifumi Isobe

Satoshi Shimao

Masayuki Watanabe

Hiroshi Oyama

Yoshio Yamazaki

Tadashi Matsudaira

Takashi Murahashi

Satoshi Ogata

Masaaki Ikeda

Jun Yokobori

Hiroyuki Maruyama

Tadashi Izawa

Takayuki Suzuki

Kazutoshi Yoshimura

Takashi Nara

Hiroshi Fuma

Yozo Fujii

Jun Onishi

Yumiko Izumiya

Tsuyoshi Yoneyama

Kosuke Sasaki

Kazuo Yasuda

Masahito Takano

Takanobu Shiki

Kouichi Sawada

Mitsuo Motohashi

Akihiko Kakita

Kenichi Matsuo

A recording material conveyance device that can suppress a decrease in productivity when detecting characteristics of the recording material is provided. A recording material conveyance device includes: a first conveyor that constitutes a conveyance route for a recording material; a second conveyor and a third conveyor that branch off from the first conveyor and constitute the conveyance route for the recording material on a downstream side of a recording material conveyance direction of the first conveyor; a first detector that detects recording material characteristics of the recording material disposed in the first conveyor; a second detector that detects the recording material characteristics disposed in the second conveyor; and a controller that stops detection by the second detector and discharges the recording material that is being detected by the second detector when the first detector detects an abnormality in a detection result of the recording material characteristics.

Recording material conveyance device and image forming system

An image forming apparatus includes a sensor that acquires first and second data groups of paper characteristics by measuring a recording medium; a processor that determines a parameter for controlling at least one of image formation and conveyance of a recording medium on a conveyance path based on the first and second data groups acquired by the sensor; an image former that forms an image on a recording medium conveyed on the conveyance path based on the parameter. The processor compares the first and second paper characteristic data groups, the first paper characteristic data group has been measured at a first time period and the second paper characteristic data group has been measured at a second time period nearer to a present time than the first time period, and the processor controls the image formation based on a the comparison result.

Image forming apparatus, printing method, and computer-readable recording medium that has stored control program

A heating device includes rollers, a heating belt, a heater and a hardware processor. The heating belt is in partial contact with an image generation face of a recording medium and extends over the rollers and circulating in cooperation with the rollers. The heater heats the heating belt. The hardware processor modifies an area of contact between the recording medium and the heating belt. At least two rollers are disposed along a traveling direction of the heating belt and are urged to the recording medium with intermediation of the heating belt. The hardware processor modifies the area of the contact by modifying a distance between a first roller and a second roller among the at least two rollers, the first and second rollers being respectively disposed most upstream and most downstream in the travelling direction of the heating belt.

Heating device and inkjet recording device

A fixing apparatus configured to fix a coloring material attached to a recording medium by heating the recording medium by using a fixing member includes: a heater configured to heat the fixing member; an AC power source configured to apply AC voltage to the heater; a temperature detection unit configure to detect a temperature of the heater; and a power control unit configured to control drive power supplied to the heater from the AC power source by calculating an application pattern of AC voltage to be applied to the heater based on an output of the temperature detection unit, and by appropriately selecting a half wave of AC waveform from the AC power source based on the application pattern, wherein the power control unit supplies power equivalent to a waveform with a predetermined phase angle on a non-selected half wave from the AC power source to the heater.

Fixing apparatus and image forming apparatus for controling power supplied to heater based on temperature detection

An image forming apparatus including, a photosensitive body for carrying toner images, a transfer section for nipping the recording sheet at a position facing the photosensitive body and transferring the toner images carried on the photosensitive body onto a recording sheet, a driving section for driving the photosensitive body, and a control section for giving instructions to the driving section to conduct a velocity control to rotate the photosensitive body at a predetermined velocity, wherein the control section sets a gain of velocity control to be greater than normal condition, at a time which is at least one of a time when the recording sheet enters the transfer section, or a time when the recording sheet separates from the transfer section.

Image forming apparatus with countermeasures against instantaneous fluctuation due to vibration

In order that the air surrounding a fixing member is prevented from entering a blowing section for blowing separation air, a wind speed setting section is provided with switchable control modes, namely, a first control mode (control mode for operating the blower fan at a wind speed for separation) and a second control mode (control mode for operating the blower fan at a low speed). This structure allows the blower fan to be controlled in conformity to any one of these first and second control modes.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus including: a photoreceptor for bearing a toner image; a transfer body onto which the toner image borne by the photoreceptor is transferred; a drive section for driving the photoreceptor and transfer body respectively, and a control section for controlling the drive section so as to drive the photoreceptor and transfer body at a predetermined driving speed, wherein the control section, under a state in which the control section controls to drive the transfer body at the predetermined driving speed, controls to: a) drive the photoreceptor while changing the driving speed of the photoreceptor within a range of driving speeds between low speed and high speed, including the predetermined driving speed, b) extract torque characteristics under the control which includes the change of driving speed of the photoreceptor, and c) determine the driving speed of the photoreceptor based on the extracted torque characteristics.

Image forming apparatus

Disclosed is a fixing device, which makes it possible to prevent the air blasting section from deterioration, caused by heat transferred from the duct to the air blasting section. The fixing device includes a fixing section to fix the toner image onto the paper sheet; a heat source; and a separating section to separate the paper sheet from the pair of fixing members. On the other hand, the separating section includes: a gas blasting section to blast a gas; and a duct to guide the gas towards the pair of fixing members, and that is provided with a duct wall serving as a heat receiving surface to receive radiation heat irradiated from the fixing section, and at least one of the gas blasting section and the duct is provided with such a connection structure that suppresses heat transferring action from the duct to the gas blasting section.

Fixing device with a separation section configured to blast gas from a heat receiving duct, and image forming apparatus incorporating the same

Provided is an image forming apparatus which enables quick removal of remaining sheets in the image forming apparatus via an orthogonal reverse section in case a jam occurs inside the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus includes a main conveyance section to convey a sheet in the image forming apparatus and to convey the sheet to an ejected sheet section; an orthogonal reverse section to receive the sheet from the main conveyance section and turn over the sheet without swapping a front edge for a rear edge of the sheet by conveying the sheet in a direction perpendicular to a sheet conveyance direction of the main conveyance section and a sheet ejection section to eject the sheet in the orthogonal reverse section outside the orthogonal reverse section along a direction to turn over the sheet by the orthogonal reverse section.

A sheet reversing apparatus including: a right angle reversing conveyance section which reverses front/back sides of a sheet while changing a conveyance direction of the sheet, being conveyed in a first conveyance direction, to a second conveyance direction perpendicular to the first conveyance direction; a sheet skew sensor which detects a sheet skew of the sheet being conveyed by the right angle reversing conveyance section; and a sheet skew correction mechanism which corrects the sheet skew of the sheet while the sheet is being conveyed by the right angle reversing conveyance section.

Sheet reversing apparatus, image forming apparatus and sheet reversing method

An image forming apparatus including; an exposure section provided with, a light emitting element, a polygon mirror to receive light beams from the light emitting element, and to expose an image carrier using light beam via the polygon mirror based on image data; an image processing section to adjust image magnification by image processing of the image data; and, a control section configured to select at least either of a first magnification adjustment to change a rotation speed of the polygon mirror and a second magnification adjustment to carry out image processing of the image data by the image processing section, based on comparison results between a paper interval time during recording paper conveyance in image formation and the first magnification adjustment time required to stabilize polygon mirror rotation in the first magnification adjustment, when adjusting image magnification with respect to recording paper.

An image-reading apparatus for reading an image formed on a document is provided which includes an automatic document feeder, a dynamic-document reading section, a static-document reading section, and a document-covering member. A light source mechanism irradiates an exposing light onto the document at either the dynamic-document reading section or the static-document reading section. A shutter member is provided which is movable between a shading position at which the shutter member blocks a portion of the emitted exposing light, and a non-shading position at which the shutter member does not block the exposing light. When the document is moved by the automatic document feeder at the dynamic-document reading section to read the image on the document, the shutter member is positioned at the non-shading position. When the document is stationarily placed on the static-document reading section to read the image, the shutter member is positioned at the shading position.

Image reading apparatus and image-forming apparatus incorporating the image-reading apparatus

An image forming apparatus, is provided with a fixing device including a heat source to receive power supply and to generate heat, and a temperature sensor to detect a temperature of the heat source; a control section to conduct a heat source temperature control and an abnormal temperature detecting control in response to a detection result of the temperature sensor; and an electric power cutout section to cut out the power supply to the heat source on a basis of the abnormal temperature detecting control by the control section. The control section conducts the heat source temperature control for the fixing device and/or the abnormal temperature detecting control for the electric power cutout section with at least two CPUs.

Image forming apparatus including two CPUs to control a fixing device

An image forming apparatus which forms an image on a recording material, which has: a writing section to write according to the image data; an oscillator to generate a synchronized synchronizing clock signal; a spreading clock generator to spread the band of a synchronized reference clock and generate spreading clock signals; and a plurality of control circuits to control the image forming apparatus and each section of the image forming apparatus including a writing control circuit to control the writing section. More than one control circuits in the control circuits other than the writing control circuit are driven by the spreading clock signals, and the writing control circuit is driven by the synchronizing clock signal.

Image forming apparatus and image reading device for use in the apparatus

An image-reading apparatus for reading an image formed on a document is provided which includes an automatic document feeder, a dynamic-document reading section, a static-document reading section, and a document-covering member. A light source mechanism irradiates an exposing light onto the document at either the dynamic-document reading section or the static-document reading section. When the automatic document feeder is opened with regard to the dynamic-document reading section and a stationary document is placed on the static-document reading section to read the image formed on the document, a controller controls the light source mechanism so that substantially none of the exposing light emitted from the light source mechanism leaks outside through the dynamic-document reading section.

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Hachioji, Japan

Masashi Sugano