Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Mitsuhiro Ito

Hiroaki Sakai

Tomoyuki Makihira

Toshiaki Miyashiro

Jun Agata

Koji Nihonyanagi

Wataru Uchida

Jun Asami

Tomoyuki Araki

Tatsuto Tachibana

Yasunari Kobaru

Taro Ishifune

Hajime Sugaya

Ryo Iwasawa

Keigo Akiya

In an image forming apparatus including an apparatus body, an image forming portion, a conveyance unit, a storage portion, a sheet movement unit, a memory portion, and a control portion, in a case where an image forming instruction to perform image formation on a sheet has been received, the control portion provides notification of a plurality of discharging methods of storing the sheet which is an object of the image forming instruction, into the storage portion and then exposing the sheet outside of the apparatus body via an opening of the storage portion, based on first information stored in the memory portion and second information about the sheet which is an object of the image forming instruction, and controls the conveyance unit and the sheet movement unit based on a discharging method selected from among the plurality of discharging methods.

Image forming apparatus and sheet storage device

A sheet interval, serving as the distance between conveyed recording materials, is properly controlled based on a kind of a recording material and any one of a printing ratio, an adhesion amount of toner, and the presence or absence of graphic data, thus allowing printing at throughput suitable for, for example, the kind of the recording material and the printing ratio without changing an image forming condition such that image quality does not vary.

Image forming apparatus

The main body of the image forming system includes an image forming apparatus; an optional apparatus; and a communication unit configured to perform communication between the main body of the image forming apparatus and the optional apparatus. The optional apparatus includes one optional control unit for controlling multiple optional functions, and the main body of the image forming apparatus includes a registration designation unit configured to designate registration of an ID number to the one optional control unit of the optional apparatus by the communication unit to designate registration of an ID number to the one optional control unit of the optional apparatus. The one optional control unit assigns an ID number to each of the multiple optional functions according to the designation from the main body of the image forming apparatus.

Image forming apparatus having registration designation for optional apparatus

This invention provides an image forming apparatus capable of smoothly controlling option apparatuses while suppressing power consumed by conveyance, compared to a conventional technique. To achieve this, the control unit of the image forming apparatus issues a control instruction by serial communication via a common communication line to drive not all but two or more option apparatuses at once.

Preventing a paper jam as much as possible when actual paper size differs from designated paper size with increasing throughput by starting conveyance of a second sheet before detecting the length of a first sheet. Unless a register sensor has detected the rear edge (step S), start of feeding the next sheet is checked (step S). If started, a prescribed valueis applied (step S). If not started, a prescribed valueis applied (step S). Unless the rear edge is detected before a timer measures 'estimated time+prescribed value' (step S), a paper jam decision is made (step S). If the rear edge is detected before the timer measures the 'estimated time+prescribed value' (step S), the processing is completed without making a paper jam decision. Making the prescribed valueless than the prescribed valueenables reducing the paper jam caused by incorrect setting.

Image forming apparatus and conveyance malfunction decision method

An image-forming device capable of image-forming on both sides of at least one sheet member, the device including an image-forming unit configured to form an image on the at least one sheet member, a sheet member supplying unit configured to supply the at least one sheet member, an image processing unit configured to process print job information, and an image-forming control unit configured to control, according to the print job information transmitted from the image data processing unit, image-forming operations on the at least one sheet member, wherein, in the event that a defect occurs in the at least one sheet member being supplied from the sheet member supplying unit during image formation on both sides of the at least one sheet member, the image-forming control unit transmits to the image data processing unit the print job information corresponding to the at least one sheet member at which a defect occurred.

Image-forming device and image-forming method

An image forming apparatus operating in a double-sided print mode, includes a charger for charging an image carrier, a charge voltage loader for applying a charge voltage to the charger, an image forming device for forming an image on a recording material, and a controller for controlling the charge voltage applied by the charge voltage loader to the charger. When an image is formed on both sides of a plurality of recording materials, the controller changes the charge voltage applied by the charge voltage loader from a first to a second voltage when an image is formed on first and second sides of the recording material in a period in which an image is formed on the recording sheet, and does not change the charge voltage during an interval between a first recording material and a second recording material to the second charge voltage.

Image forming apparatus and printer having a double-sided printing mode

The image forming apparatus includes an image formation unit for forming a toner image on a recording material to be carried by the recording material; a fixing apparatus having a heat-fixing rotation member and a pressure member with an elastic layer which rotate while pressed against each other, the heat-fixing rotor providing heat for heat-fixing treatment of the toner image formed on the recording material as the recording material is introduced into a press-fit nip portion of the rotors and held and transported between the rotors; and temperature adjusting means for adjusting a temperature of the pressure rotor by heating the pressure rotor at least during non-printing time. Thus, the image forming apparatus can achieve, even when the pressure rotor is heated, the best balance between the fixing performance and service life of the pressure rotor under actual use conditions.

Image forming apparatus with a plurality of selectable modes to maintain temperature

This invention provides an image forming apparatus where the useful life of the image carrier does not become significantly short. This system has a charging unit, a charge voltage loading unit, an exposure unit, a development unit, an image transfer unit and a control unit, wherein, when the transport interval of the plural recording materials is shorter than a predetermined time the AC charge voltage applied to the image carrier during the transport interval being a first AC charge voltage, and when the transport interval is longer than the predetermined time the ac charge voltage applied to the image carrier during the transport interval being a second AC charge voltage, the control unit makes the current running in the charging unit to which the second charge voltage is applied lower than the current running in the charging unit to which the first AC charge voltage is applied.

This invention provides an image forming apparatus where the useful life of the image carrier does not become significantly short. This system has a charging unit, a charge voltage loading unit, an exposure unit, a development unit, an image transfer unit and a control unit, wherein, when the transport interval of plural recording materials is shorter than a predetermined time the AC charge voltage applied to the image carrier during the transport interval is a first AC charge voltage, and when the transport interval is longer than the predetermined time the AC charge voltage applied to the image carrier during the transport interval being a second AC charge voltage, the control unit makes the current running in the charging unit when the second AC charge voltage is applied lower than the current running in the charging unit when the first AC charge voltage is applied.

Image forming apparatus with varied charge voltages

A printing apparatus can reduce wasted power consumption, and prolong the life of an image forming section and fixing pressurizing rollers. It includes a printer control unit including a video controller and engine controller. According to a print reservation from the video controller, the engine controller controls a paper transport mechanism such as feed rollers, transport rollers and lifters, thereby feeding paper from a paper inlet designated by a printing condition. The engine controller controls a laser scanner unit to transfer a formed image to a sheet with a high voltage unit, and fixes it by a fixing assembly. It controls the paper transport mechanism to output the paper to the paper outlet designated by the printing condition. The image forming section and fixing pressurizing rollers are individually rotatable. Their rotation is stoppable individually without interference in a time from printing the first side to reversing and refeeding the paper.

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Numazu, Japan

Mitsuhiro Ito