Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Sohichi Takata

Hisashi Yamanaka

Yasumasa Morimoto

Kazuo Nakamura

Hiroyuki Nagao

Masato Tamehira

Yasuhiro Ono

Makoto Masuda

Kohsuke Harada

Kenji Tanaka

Kenji Nakanishi

Shohichi Fukutome

Yasuhiro Suto

Mitsuharu Yoshimoto

Junya Masuda

Toshiki Ohgita

Hiroshi Nakatani

Hironori Ogasawara

Yoshiharu Yoneda

Takao Horiuchi

Yoshitaka Okahashi

Tokiyuki Okano

Yoshitaka Matsumoto

Hirotoshi Iemura

Kouji Yamaji

Takenori Ohtoshi

Takashi Nishida

Shinichiro Hiraoka

Makoto Higuchi

Takasi Nisida

A curl correcting apparatus includes rollers, a motor, and a clutch portion. The rollers are curl correction-use rollers which are arranged in parallel to each other in a pressure-contact state and which are different in hardness. The motor is a motor capable of rotating in forward and reverse directions relative to a correction-amount adjusting portion that changes and adjusts a distance to the rollers as a result of an eccentric cam that integrally rotates in accordance with a rotation amount of a rotation shaft, pressing against the rollers. The clutch portion transmits a rotary driving force of the motor to the rollers during the forward rotation and to a rotation shaft during the reverse rotation.

Curl correcting apparatus and image forming apparatus

An original reading device is provided with an original cover, an original reading device main body, and a cover attachment portion that attaches the original cover to the original reading device main body in an openable and closeable manner, and the cover attachment portion is constituted by a rod-shaped hinge portion that is attached to the original cover through an open-close mechanism portion, and a hinge guide portion that is provided in the original reading device main body and through which the rod-shaped hinge portion is inserted and supported, and a latch indentation is provided in the hinge guide portion such that a latch protrusion provided at a lower portion of the rod-shaped hinge portion is latched into the latch indentation to maintain a state in which the rod-shaped hinge portion is pulled out a predetermined distance from the hinge guide portion.

Original reading device and image forming apparatus including the same

A relay transport apparatus () includes a first transport path, a plurality of first transport sections (), a plurality of driving sections (), and a drive transmission section (). The first transport path is formed so as to couple a carry-in port and a carry-out port. The first transport path includes a plurality of segments (Sand S). The plurality of first transport sections () are disposed along the first transport path. The first transport sections are configured to transport the paper sheet carried in from the carry-in port to the carry-out port along the first transport path. The plurality of driving sections () correspond to the respective segments. The plurality of driving sections () are configured to drive the first transport section in the corresponding segment. The drive transmission section () drives the plurality of first transport sections based on an output from a predetermined one driving section () when only the predetermined one driving section operates among the plurality of driving sections. The drive transmission section () drives the plurality of first transport sections based on outputs from the corresponding driving sections when the plurality of driving sections operate.

Recording sheet transport apparatus and printing system incorporating same

An ADF defines a document feed path inclined downwardly from above a document platen. Feeding means is disposed downstream of a first reading glass plate and accommodated in a downwardly protruding portion. The protruding portion is accommodated in a dent portion of an image reading unit. The feeding means includes a feeding guide having a downstream side serving as a supporting point and an upstream side supported at the supporting point for pivotal movement about an axis parallel with the widthwise direction of the document feed path. The feeding guide is exposed out of the feeding means on the document platen side. When the ADS is closed while a document is in a state of extending off the document platen onto the dent portion, the upstream side of the feeding guide is pressed up by the document to move into an upper position.

Image reading device including a feeding guide, and an image forming apparatus including the same

A document reading section includes a document load table, a document load tray, a first document receiving tray, a linear conveyance path, a first guide member and a first reading section. The linear conveyance path, inclining downward from the document load tray, reaches the first document receiving tray. The first guide member is disposed in the linear conveyance path, and its top surface inclines downward along the linear conveyance path toward a downstream side in a document conveying direction in relation to the document load table. The first guide member is disposed in such a manner that part of its top surface intersects with a plane containing a top surface of the document load table.

Image reading device and image forming apparatus

A document feeding device of the present invention includes: a discharge roller pair that includes a first drive roller and a first idler roller; and a transport roller pair that includes a second drive roller and a second idler roller. Either one of the second drive roller and the second idler roller moves between a contact position where said roller is in contact with the other roller and a separation position where said roller is separated from the other roller. The transport roller pair is disposed on the other side of the discharge roller pair from a discharge tray. The transport roller pair transports a document that has passed through the reading position to the discharge roller pair by positioning said roller at the contact position in a case where the first drive roller rotates forward.

Document feeding device and image forming apparatus in which even small-sized documents can be properly transported

ADF includes a pickup roller, an arm, a regulatory member, a drive motor and a control section. The pickup roller is supported at shaft thereof by the arm swung between a lowered position and a raised position. The drive motor supplies a driving force for the swing to the arm. The regulatory member constrains the arm from moving upward across the raised position. The control section sets a setting-speed of the drive motor to a first speed by which much importance is attached to the reduction of driving noise of the drive motor when a first driving factor causing the arm to move from the neighborhood of the raised position occurs, and sets the setting-speed to a second speed by which much importance is attached to the reduction of contact noise with the regulatory member when a second driving factor causing the arm to move from the lowered position occurs.

Paper feeding device and image forming apparatus

An image reader includes: a read frame; a read guide; and a seal mechanism. The seal mechanism covers a gap between the read frame and the read guide. The seal mechanism includes a rib standing in parallel with a sliding direction of the read guide and a flexible dustproof sheet having an end that is in contact with the rib.

Image reader and image forming apparatus

A document feeder includes a document placing portion, a pick-up roller, a pair of feed rollers, a pair of registration rollers, a document sensor, a moving mechanism, and a control portion. The pick-up roller can move between a sheet feeding position where the pick-up roller contacts with the upper surface of the document placed on a placement surface and a standby position where the pick-up roller does not contact with the upper surface of the document placed on the placement surface. The document sensor detects a document between the feed rollers and the registration rollers in a document feed direction. The moving mechanism moves the pick-up roller up and down. The control portion moves the pick-up roller up to the standby position at a timing when the leading edge of the card document reaches the document sensor in a card document mode in which card documents are successively fed.

Document feeder, image reader, and image forming apparatus

A storage area where compressed data is stored is divided into a plurality of divided areas having a data length of Ls. Each divided area is divided into two areas, a first area having a data length of Ld and a second area having a data length of La. A plurality of first areas are gathered starting from the upper address to the lower address, whereby a memory area for compressed image data is composed. A plurality of second areas are gathered starting from the upper address to the lower address, whereby a memory area for compressed attribute data is composed. Compressed image data is sequentially written starting from the upper address to the lower address of the memory area for compressed image data. Compressed attribute data is sequentially written starting from the upper address to the lower address of the memory area for compressed attribute data.

Image processing apparatus, image forming apparatus, and image processing method

A drive transmission mechanism of a sheet transportation apparatus of the present invention comprises an upstream transportation roller gear and a planet gear for transmitting a first driving force from a driving source to the upstream transportation roller gear, and a release mechanism for preventing the upstream transportation roller gear and the planet gear from engaging with each other. The release mechanism prevents the engagement of the planet gear and the upstream transportation roller gear when the driven gear is driven to reversely rotate by a second driving force. The release mechanism prevents the engagement by moving a release member before the planet gear and the driven gear engage with each other. The release mechanism moves the release member by the driven gear being reversely rotated by the second driving force which is a driving force other than the driving source. This makes it possible to realize a drive transmission mechanism of a sheet transportation apparatus comprising a release mechanism capable of releasing the engagement of the driven gear and the drive gear for transmitting the driving force from the driving source to the driven gear, without the need of reversely rotating the driving source or the fear of impairing the driving force from the driving source.

Drive transmission mechanism of sheet transportation apparatus and document transportation apparatus

Reference images on the respective surfaces of a reference document transported on a transportation path are read out by a first image reading section and a second image reading section, respectively. As a result a first reference readout image and a second reference readout image are acquired. in accordance with the difference between the changes in the sub-scanning direction in the first reference readout image and the changes in the sub-scanning direction in the second reference readout image, the reading cycle of the first image reading section Xand the reading cycle of the second image reading section Xare set. This makes it possible to equalize the magnifications of the respective images on the front and back sides of the document, even if the speeds of the document at the times of passing through readout positions for the front and back sides change over time, on account of the wear of a transportation roller.

Image reading apparatus and image reading method

A document transporting device () serves as a platen cover to expose and cover platens (A,B). A document holder () is mounted on a predetermined mounting portion of the device (). A lateral end of the document holder () is withdrawn from a predetermined position where the end is located, so that a document transport path (R) is exposed through an area in which the document holder () has been withdrawn. The document transport path (R) is exposed to the left or the right with respect to the front of the device ().

Document carrying device, document reading device, and image forming device

In a standby state wherein a document is set in a document tray and can be supplied when needed, when a start signal is not inputted (S: NO), a controller determines whether a document regulating plate has been operated or not based on a detection output of a document size detector for detecting a position of the document regulating plate (S), and when the document regulating plate was operated (S: YES), the controller lowers the document tray by a predetermined amount and stops it (S). A lowered amount of the document tray can be arbitrarily set by a user through an operator control panel. With a sheet feeding apparatus, an image reading apparatus and an image forming apparatus constituted as described above, even in a state in which the document is set in the document tray, the set state can be easily canceled by operating the document regulating plate.

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Sohichi Takata