Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Norikazu Yanase

Makoto Kikura

Kazuyoshi Matsumoto

Gaku Hosono

Yuuzoh Obata

Kazuyoshi Kondo

Yoshinori Uchino

Tsuguyori Kemma

Masashi Ohnishi

Shingo Masaoka

Satoru Yoshida

Daisuke Nakamura

Tohru Watanabe

Tadashi Okano

Suguru Masunaga

Tomoaki Nakano

Masateru Ujiie

Yoshimitsu Ogura

Naoki Saitoh

Masaaki Tsuda

Yuuichiroh Tsujiguchi

Tadayasu Enomoto

Kohei Chubachi

Toshihisa Nakamura

Seiya Ogawa

Namio Ogihara

Yasukazu Kitamura

Kazuyoshi Kondoh

Takao Otsuka

Shu Kanno

Tada Yasu Enomoto

A liquid discharge apparatus includes a first liquid discharge unit including a first liquid discharge head that moves in a main scanning direction to discharge a liquid onto a recording medium conveyed in a conveyance direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction, a second liquid discharge unit at a different position with the first liquid discharge unit in the conveyance direction and including a second liquid discharge head that moves in the main scanning direction parallel to the first liquid discharge head to discharge a liquid onto the recording medium, a first airflow generator between the first liquid discharge unit and the second liquid discharge unit in the conveyance direction to generate an airflow flowing in the main scanning direction, and a partition plate between the first airflow generator and the second liquid discharge unit in the conveyance direction.

Liquid discharge apparatus

A liquid discharge apparatus includes: a liquid discharge head configured to discharge a liquid in a discharge direction onto a liquid application target; a stage configured to hold and move the liquid application target in a conveyance direction orthogonal to the discharge direction, a carriage on which the liquid discharge head is mounted; a guide holding the carriage movable in a main scanning direction orthogonal to each of the discharge direction and the conveyance direction; a pair of holders respectively holding sides of the guide in the main scanning direction; and multiple eccentric cams contacting the pair of holders, the multiple eccentric cams rotatable to move at least one of the pair of holders in at least one of the conveyance direction or the discharge direction to adjust a position of the carriage or the guide.

A liquid discharge apparatus includes: a liquid discharge head configured to discharge a liquid onto a printing medium to form an image on the printing medium; a conveyor configured to convey the printing medium to the liquid discharge head in a conveyance direction; a carriage mounting the liquid discharge head, the carriage configured to move the liquid discharge head in a first direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction; and a controller configured to calculate a control parameter to shift a printing position of the liquid discharge head in at least one of the first direction or the conveyance direction for each time the conveyor conveying the printing medium.

In an image forming apparatus, a carriage mounts a recording head for discharging droplets, and moves in a main scan direction. A guide member slidably guides the carriage. An encoder scale is arranged along the main scan direction. An encoder sensor reads the encoder scale. The carriage includes a head mounting part for mounting the recording head, and a sensor attaching part for attaching the encoder sensor. The sensor attaching part is provided so as to be extended from the head mounting part. The encoder scale is arranged at a location which the encoder sensor can read. A partition member is provided to separate the head mounting part from the sensor attaching part in the carriage. The head mounting part is arranged in a first space, and the sensor attaching part and the encoder scale are arranged in a second space separated from the first space by the partition member.

Image forming apparatus

A liquid discharge apparatus includes a head configured to discharge a liquid onto a print target, a carriage configured to hold the head and reciprocally movable in a main-scanning direction, a sealing configured to seal a nozzle surface of the head, and a support configured to hold the print target and movable in a sub-scanning direction perpendicular to the main-scanning direction, the support including a space configured to accommodate the sealing in the support.

In an image forming apparatus, a carriage mounts a recording head for discharging droplets, and moves in a main scan direction. A guide member slidably guides the carriage. An encoder scale is arranged along the main scan direction. An encoder sensor reads the encoder scale. The carriage includes a head mounting part for mounting the recording head, and a sensor attaching part for attaching the encoder sensor. The sensor attaching part is provided so as to be extended from the head mounting part. The encoder scale is arranged at a location which the encoder sensor can read. A partition member is provided to separate the head mounting part from the sensor attaching part in the carriage. The head mounting part is arranged in a first space, and the sensor attaching part and the encoder scale are arranged in a second space separated from the first apace by the partition member.

A fabric holder includes a platen to hold a portion of a fabric to be printed, and a peripheral cover including a frame to sandwich the fabric between the platen and the frame. The fabric holder is detachably attachable to a heating device that heats the fabric, and the peripheral cover includes a heat insulator having a thermal conductivity lower than a thermal conductivity of the peripheral cover.

Fabric holder, heater, and image applier

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit and a conveyance unit. The image forming unit forms an image on a print medium. The conveyance unit has a belt member to convey the print medium in a state in which an end of the print medium in a width direction perpendicular to a conveyance direction of the print medium is placed outside an end of the belt member in the width direction.

Image forming apparatus including reading unit to read back surface of print medium opposing belt member

An image forming apparatus includes a media roll, art image forming device, and a feeder. In the media roll, a printing medium having an adhesive face is wound in a roll shape. The image forming device forms an image on the printing medium. The feeder feeds the printing medium. The feeder includes a protection belt and a pair of rotary bodies. The protection belt presses against and protects the adhesive face of the printing medium. The pair of rotary bodies sandwich and press the printing medium and the protection belt between the pair of rotary bodies. An approach angle of the printing medium is within a range from 0&#xb0; to 30&#xb0; and is formed by the printing medium drawn from the media roll and approaching to between the pair of rotary bodies and an opposing face of the protection belt opposing the image forming device.

Image forming apparatus configured for rolled printing media having adhesive face

An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, a sheet feeder to load a roll body including a recording medium wound around, an image forming unit to form an image on the recording medium, and a conveyance unit including a conveyance belt to convey the recording medium drawn out from the roll body so as to oppose the recording medium to the image forming unit. The sheet feeder and the conveyance unit are integrated as a sheet feed conveyance unit. The sheet feed conveyance unit is configured to load the roll body in at least the sheet feeder and be drawable from the apparatus body to a position at which the conveyance belt is visible.

Image forming apparatus and method of setting print media

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming device to form an image on a print medium by a reciprocation operation of a print head. There is a conveying device including a belt that holds the print medium, a fan that adsorbs air through suction holes in the belt, and a fan drive controller that drives the suction fan and adjusts power of adsorption of the suction fan. The fan drive controller performs control which makes the power of adsorption for the first reciprocation movement of the image forming device stronger than the power of adsorption for the second reciprocation movement of the image forming device.

Image forming apparatus and method which controls a power of adsorption which holds a printing medium

An image forming apparatus includes, an image forming device, a transporting device, a first medium holding device, and a second medium holding device. The image forming device forms an image on a print medium unwound from a roll. The transporting device is configured to transport the unwound print medium on a transport path facing the image forming device. The first medium holding device is disposed upstream of the image forming device in a medium transporting direction, and configured to hold the print medium on the transport path and retract to an open position for opening the transport path. The second medium holding device is disposed downstream of the image forming device in the medium transporting direction, and configured to hold the print medium on the transport path and retract to an open position for opening the transport path.

Image forming apparatus with medium holding devices retractable to access transport path

An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body; a recording head to discharge droplets onto a recording medium, wherein a mist is generated when droplets are discharged to form an image; a battery, detachably disposed inside the apparatus body, to supply power necessary for operation of the apparatus body; and a connection terminal to connect the battery to the apparatus body and disposed outside a movement of the mist generated when the recording head discharges the droplets.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a conveyance unit, and an adhesive-surface guide unit. The adhesive-surface guide unit includes a second rotary body and an adhesive-surface guide member. The second rotary body is disposed at a position downstream from a first rotary body of a pair of rotary bodies of the conveyance unit in a conveyance direction. The adhesive-surface guide member is wound around the first and second rotary bodies to guide an adhesive surface of a print medium. The adhesive-surface guide unit is configured to press the adhesive-surface guide member against the adhesive surface, sandwich the print medium and the second rotary body between the pair of rotary bodies, move the print medium and the second rotary body together, and separate the adhesive-surface guide member from the adhesive surface at a side of the adhesive-surface guide unit at which the second rotary body is disposed.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Norikazu Yanase