Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Natsuko Ishizuka

Takuya Murata

Takeo Seki

Hiroyuki Kiguchi

Tatsuya Watahiki

Hayato Fujita

Yuji Ikeda

Hiroshi Okamura

Keita Maejima

Kazushi Takei

Naohiro Funada

Yohei Kushida

Masaki Tsugawa

Junichi Shimoda

Takuya Kemmochi

Mitsufumi Yamamoto

A water content measuring device measures water content of an object to be measured. The water content measuring device includes two plate members that are disposed facing each other, a current generating unit, a measuring unit, and an arithmetic processing unit. The current generating unit generates current supplied between the two plate members. The measuring unit measures electrostatic capacitance generated by the current supplied between the two plate members. The arithmetic processing unit is configured to convert the electrostatic capacitance measured by the measuring unit to water content. Two plate members each have a shape or are disposed such that at least two points on a leading edge of the object enter between the two plate members at different timings in a direction perpendicular to a passing direction in which the object passes through the two plate members.

Water content measuring device, measuring method, and image forming device

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearer, a driver, an image forming device, a sensor, and circuitry. The driver drives and rotates the image bearer. The image forming device forms a toner image on the image bearer driven and rotated by the driver. The sensor emits light to the image bearer and receives reflected light. The circuitry controls the driver and the image forming device to form a first toner image with a first color and a second toner image with a second color different from the first color. The circuitry controls the sensor to detect specularly reflected light and diffusely reflected light from the first toner image and the second toner image. The circuitry calculates an amount of misalignment of the first toner image and the second toner image based on a value of the specularly reflected light and a value of the diffusely reflected light.

Image forming apparatus, image forming method, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearer, an image forming unit, a toner image detecting unit, and a detection processing unit. The image bearer is configured to bear a toner image. The image forming unit is configured to sequentially form groups of pattern images for a plurality of colors in a sub-scanning direction of the image bearer, each of the groups including pattern images of the same color at a predetermined interval. The toner image detecting unit is configured to detect the pattern images formed on the image bearer. The detection processing unit is configured to recognize whether an interval between adjacent pattern images of the same color corresponds to a set interval, to exclude an image for which the interval does not correspond to the set interval among the detected pattern images.

Image forming apparatus and pattern detection method by image forming apparatus

A remaining powder amount detection device includes: a powder moving portion configured to change a distribution of powder in an inner space of a powder container containing the powder; a drive unit configured to drive the powder moving portion; a change value detector configured to detect a change value indicating a positional change of the powder container; and a remaining powder amount detector configured to detect a remaining amount of the powder contained in the powder container, based on the change value. The drive unit is configured to drive the powder moving portion so as to move the powder to near the change value detector. The remaining powder amount detector is configured to detect the remaining amount based on the change value in a state where the powder is moved to near the change value detector.

Remaining powder amount detection device, image forming device, and remaining powder amount detection method

A motor control device includes a detecting unit configured to detect rotation of a motor to be controlled and output a rotation detection value related to the rotation; a drive control unit configured to perform drive control to rotate the motor at a control target value increasing with time based on the rotation detection value; and an abnormality detection unit configured to perform an abnormality detection process for detecting an abnormality in the drive control based on the rotation detection value and a predetermined threshold. The drive control unit performs control to stop rotation of the motor when the abnormality is detected.

Motor control device and motor control method

A motor control device includes a first control unit and a second control unit. The first control unit includes an issuing unit that issues a command that schedules a next operation of a motor according to an instruction from a controller. The second control unit includes a receiving unit that receives the command, a detecting unit that detects a state of the motor, a determining unit that makes a determination as to whether to drive the motor to perform the operation according to the state detected by the detecting unit, and an executing unit that drives the motor to perform the operation scheduled by the command as determined by the determination.

Motor control device, image forming apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable medium

A motor control device includes a controller configured to output a control signal to a motor driver, the control signal instructing the motor driver to cut off energization of a motor when the control signal and a signal changing depending on driving the motor do not change for a first time period, determine whether the motor is in a position hold state in which control for holding the motor at a position is executed, and change the control signal in a second time period shorter than the first time period when the motor is in the position hold state.

Motor control device, image forming apparatus, motor control method, and computer-readable storage medium

Motor control device, motor control method, and computer-readable storage medium

An image forming apparatus includes a first detection unit configured to output a first detection signal upon detecting a recording medium; a second detection unit configured to output a second detection signal upon detecting the recording medium, which is conveyed from the first detection unit; a signal generation unit configured to generate a substitute signal for the first detection signal in a case where the first detection unit does not output the first detection signal; and a state determination unit configured to determine a state of the image forming apparatus based on the first and second detection signals. The state determination unit determines that the first detection unit is in a failure state upon receiving the second detection signal and the substitute signal, which is input instead of the first detection signal.

Image forming apparatus and program thereof

A motor controller, operatively connected to a motor having an output shaft, includes a rotary detector to detect a rotation direction and a rotation amount of the output shaft of the motor to generate an actual rotary signal, a drive controller to generate a control signal based on the actual rotary signal and a target rotary signal indicating a target rotary direction and a target rotary amount, and a driver to supply a driving power to the motor based on the control signal. When the motor is in a hold state, the control signal is reversed periodically for a predetermined reverse time period Tper a predetermined one reverse cycle T. When the control signal is not reversed for a certain lock detection time period Tr that is longer than the revere cycle Tof the control signal, supply of the driving power to the motor is blocked.

Motor controller, image processing apparatus including the motor controller, and motor control method

A motor control device performs drive control of a motor connected to an object. The motor control device includes a rotation detection unit that detects rotation of the motor and outputs a detection signal, a counter unit that receives the detection signal from the rotation detection unit and outputs a count based on the received detection signal, and an error detection unit that receives counts from the counter unit at intervals of a reference period, computes a difference between a present count received from the counter unit and a previously received count, and detects that an error arises in the rotation detection unit when the difference is continuously less than a reference value.

Motor control device, image forming apparatus, and motor control method

Provided is a conveyance device that includes: a conveyance unit configured to convey a conveyance object; a motor configured to drive the conveyance unit; a sensor configured to detect a position of the conveyance object; an instruction unit configured to generate an instruction signal for conveying the conveyance object to a target position; and a control unit configured to control the motor by performing a speed feedback control and control the motor so as to cancel a delay between a time when the position of the conveyance object is detected and a time when the speed feedback control is reflected on the motor.

Conveyance device, conveyance device control method, and computer program product

A motor control device to execute speed control and position control of motor simultaneously, includes a target position information provider, a target speed information provider, a detected position information detector, a processor to add position feedback information, position feed-forward information, speed feedback information, and speed feed-forward information for output as motor control information, based on the target position information, the setting target speed information, and the detected position speed information, a control voltage generator operatively connected to the processor to generate a control voltage to drive the motor in accordance with the motor control information, and a motor driver operatively connected to the control voltage generator and the motor to control rotation of the motor based on the control voltage.

Motor control device, image forming apparatus including the motor control device, and motor control method

A motor control device supplies a drive control signal to a drive circuit that drives a motor at a constant period using a motor drive signal based on the drive control signal, and shuts off the motor drive signal when a count value counted by a counter that reset the count value if a state of the motor changes exceeds a threshold corresponding to a plurality of driving periods of the motor. The motor control device includes: a control unit that controls a setting unit to set a rotational direction of the motor to a first rotational direction and a second rotational direction reverse to the first rotational direction at the constant period alternately, when a drive mode of the motor is a position holding mode to drive the motor so as to hold a rotational position of the motor.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Natsuko Ishizuka