Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Rin Ishikawa

Tadashi Iwakawa

Tsuyoshi Tajiri

Akira Hamano

Koichi Taniguchi

Kiyoshi Oyama

Atsushi Takada

Jun Nakamura

Yuichiro Imai

Takuma Nakamura

Hiroyuki Eda

Masaki Kakitani

Kazuyuki Iwamoto

Kentaro Yamana

Takuya Matsumura

Saimon Gokyu

Chiharu Kageyama

Takashi Tsujimura

Kazuyuki Narita

A first sound absorbing member is disposed outside a fan connecting duct connected to an image-formation exhaust fan. The first sound absorbing member includes a first-layer perforated plate having a plurality of sound absorbing holes and a second-layer sound absorbing sheet covering the plurality of sound absorbing holes. The first sound absorbing member provides the effect of reducing airflow noise generated by the operation of the image-formation exhaust fan. When part of the airflow noise passes through the sound absorbing holes of the first-layer perforated plate, part of the sound energy is converted to thermal energy, thereby reducing the airflow noise. Part of the sound energy of the sound that has passed through the sound absorbing holes is further converted to thermal energy by the second-layer sound absorbing sheet, thereby further reducing the airflow noise. The first sound absorbing member may be disposed in a small space.

Duct unit and image forming apparatus

An image forming system includes an image forming apparatus, a cutting apparatus, and a controller. The cutting apparatus includes a conveyance path, a first cutting unit configured to cut, at a cutting position with respect to a conveyance direction of the sheet on the conveyance path, the sheet in a width direction perpendicularly intersecting with the conveyance direction, and a second cutting unit configured to cut, at a cutting position with respect to the width direction, the sheet in the conveyance direction. The controller is configured to control the cutting apparatus such that, in a case where the sheet is cut neither with the first cutting unit nor with the second cutting unit, the sheet is conveyed through the conveyance path with the first cutting unit and the second cutting unit retreated not to contact with the sheet passing through the conveyance path.

Cutting apparatus and image forming system

Provided is an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording material, the apparatus including: a first helical gear and a second helical gear that are engaged with each other; and a driving portion that applies a driving force to the first helical gear, wherein at least one of the first helical gear and the second helical gear is a helical gear in which torsional rigidity in a tooth width direction of one side end in a width direction of the gear is larger than torsional rigidity in a tooth width direction of the other side end, and wherein a twist direction of helical teeth and a rotational direction of the first helical gear due to the driving portion are set such that the other side end is engaged earlier than the one side end.

Image forming apparatus

A frame of an image forming apparatus, includes:

Frame of image forming apparatus and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus forms a plurality of images of different colors on an intermediate transfer belt by a plurality of image forming portions. The image forming apparatus detects a color misregistration amount of the image formed on the intermediate transfer belt and performs image formation using a correction value based on the color misregistration amount. If an elapsed time from previous image formation is less than a predetermined time, the image forming apparatus predicts the correction value using the previous correction value and the temperature at that time and performs color misregistration correction. If the elapsed time from the previous image formation is a predetermined time or longer, the image forming apparatus predicts the correction value using the correction value and the temperature at the time when the elapsed time becomes a predetermined time or longer and performs the color misregistration correction.

When a mechanism enters a first state, an intermediate transfer member separates from a second photosensitive member. When the mechanism enters a second state, the intermediate transfer member contacts the second photosensitive member. When a first monochrome image is formed on a sheet of a first type by using toner of a first color, the mechanism enters the first state. When a second monochrome image is formed on a sheet of a second type by using toner of the first color, the mechanism enters the second state. A rotation speed of the second photosensitive member for forming the second monochrome image on the sheet of the second type is controlled to a predetermined rotation speed. The predetermined rotation speed is slower than a rotation speed of the second photosensitive member for forming the second image.

Method of controlling target speed of rotating member used in image forming apparatus

A bearing, for supporting a rotation shaft of a rotatable member, capable of being supported by a supporting portion provided with an engaging hole engageable with the bearing includes positioning projections having contact surfaces and bearing projections having sliding surfaces on which an outer peripheral surface of the rotation shaft slides. The positioning projections project from different positions so that between adjacent positioning projections, an outer peripheral surface of the bearing and the inner wall surface of the engaging hole form a gap therebetween. The bearing projections project from different positions so that between adjacent bearing projections, an inner peripheral surface of the bearing and an outer peripheral surface of the rotation shaft form a gap therebetween. With respect to a circumferential direction of the rotation shaft, the positioning projections and the bearing projections are provided at positions different from each other.

Bearing with projections projected in radial direction from outer surface and from an inner surface thereof and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus is designed to be capable of easily suppressing a variation of an inclination of a sensor relative to an endless belt and capable of high accuracy and stabilized sensing operation. The image forming apparatus includes a belt unit having an endless belt supported to be rotatable in a circumferential direction, an image forming unit for forming an image on the belt unit, and an optical sensor for detecting light projected onto the endless belt. The image forming apparatus further includes a sensor supporting member for supporting the sensor, and a positioning portion including, as a unit, a first positioning portion for positioning the belt unit by being contacted by the belt unit and a second positioning portion positioning the sensor supporting member by being contacted by the sensor supporting member.

Image forming apparatus with accurate positioning of sensor unit

An image forming apparatus includes a transfer portion transferring a toner image onto a sheet, a fixing portion fixing the toner image which has been transferred by the transfer portion onto the sheet by using heat, a discharge path guiding the sheet on which the toner image has been fixed by the fixing portion to a discharge port, a branch path branched from the discharge path, a rotator pair providing on the branch path and conveying the sheet, and a control portion configured to rotate the rotator pair while consecutively discharging the sheets to the discharge port through the discharge path without passing through the branch path.

An image forming apparatus includes a determiner for determining whether to execute a first image formation in an acquisition mode, in which an image forming operation is carried out using an acquired timing, or a second image formation in a non-acquisition mode, in which the image forming operation is carried out using exposure timing acquired in a previous acquisition mode. The determiner makes the determination on the basis of a current output of a temperature sensor and a previous output of the temperature sensor. When the determiner determines the execution of the first image formation, driving speeds of a first driver and a second driver are set, before the execution of the operation in the acquisition mode, on the basis of the current output of the temperature sensor, and the operation in the acquisition mode and the image formation are carried out using the driving speeds currently set.

A clutch mechanism used in a system in which first and second driven members are driven using one driving source. The mechanism includes a driving member, a driving side engaging member, an idler side engaging member, an urging unit, a releasing member provided with a cam surface configured to cause the driving side engaging member to move axially, and to perform engagement or release of the driving side engaging member with or from the idler side engaging member, and a cam member provided with a cam surface configured to engage with the cam surface of the releasing member. In at least one of the releasing member and the cam member, at least a portion where collision occurs when the releasing member has moved in an axial direction to approach the cam member, is formed of an elastic member.

Growing community of inventors

Ushiku, Japan

Rin Ishikawa