Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Suguru Masunaga

Takeyuki Kobayashi

Takuya Okamoto

Suguru Yokozawa

Masayuki Fujii

Satoru Yoshida

Nobuyuki Satoh

Kazuyoshi Kondo

Makoto Kikura

Kazuyoshi Matsumoto

Osamu Kizaki

Tetsu Morino

Norikazu Yanase

Gaku Hosono

Satoshi Iwanami

Yuuzoh Obata

Masanori Igarashi

Masashi Ohnishi

Kikuya Nakada

A distance detector includes a distance-measuring sensor, a first detection surface, a second detection surface, and processing circuitry. The first detection surface is perpendicular to an optical axis of the distance-measuring sensor. The second detection surface is behind or in front of the first detection surface with respect to the distance-measuring sensor. The second detection surface has two faces inclined with respect to the optical axis of the distance-measuring sensor. The first detection surface or the second detection surface is retractable from the distance-measuring sensor. The processing circuitry determines whether the first detection surface or the second detection surface is detected by the distance-measuring sensor and causes the distance detector to detect a distance from the distance-measuring sensor to the first detection surface based on detection of the first detection surface by the distance-measuring sensor.

Distance detector, sheet feeder, and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a sheet conveyance device; an image forming device including a sheet conveyance roller and a pressure roller; a memory; and a controller. The memory stores profile data indicating variation in conveyance amount in a circumferential direction due to eccentricity of the conveyance roller. The controller calculates, in intermittent conveyance processing, a correction value based on corresponding profile data for each of positions included in a width of an image to be formed in next image forming processing, the correction value being a difference between a predetermined conveyance amount and an actual conveyance amount; corrects a reference amount of rotation by a representative value of calculated correction values to calculate a corrected amount of rotation, the reference amount being an ideal amount of rotation of the conveyance roller that conveys a sheet by the predetermined conveyance amount; and rotates the conveyance roller by the corrected amount.

Image forming apparatus and image forming method

A conveying device includes a sheet feeder that feeds a recording medium unreeled from a roll, a conveying roller that conveys the recording medium, and circuitry. The circuitry is to obtain a plurality of actual conveyance amounts each of which is a conveyance amount of the recording medium actually conveyed by the conveying roller at a time, calculate an adjustment value based on a difference between a target conveyance amount and each of the plurality of actual conveyance amounts to obtain a plurality of adjustment values, calculate an approximate line based on a plurality of adjustment points in a two-dimensional coordinate plane determined by the adjustment value and a diameter of the roll, specify an adjustment value corresponding to a current diameter of the roll based on the approximate line, and correct, based on the specified adjustment value, a conveyance amount by which the conveying roller conveys the recording medium.

Conveying device, image forming apparatus, conveying method, and non-transitory recording medium

A liquid ejection apparatus includes a conveying unit, a winding unit, a printing unit, and a rotation control unit. The conveying unit is configured to intermittently convey a printing medium by a predetermined feed amount. The winding unit is configured to wind the printing medium conveyed by the conveying unit. The printing unit is configured to perform printing on the conveyed printing medium. The rotation control unit is configured to control the winding unit to rotate in a winding direction at a predetermined timing after the conveying unit has started to convey the printing medium intermittently, and then cause the winding unit to rotate in a reverse direction opposite to the winding direction.

Liquid ejection apparatus, winding control method, and computer readable recording medium

A conveying device includes a sheet conveyor configured to convey a medium in a conveyance direction of the medium, a sheet winder including a winding roller and a winding motor, and circuitry to control the sheet conveyor and the sheet winder. The circuitry is configured to convey the medium intermittently while repeating: causing the sheet conveyor and the sheet winder to convey the loosened medium by a predetermined conveyance amount; rotating the winding motor in a normal direction by a predetermined torque according to an outer winding diameter of the medium to apply a predetermined tension force to the medium; and rotating the winding motor in a reverse direction to loosen the medium by a predetermined slack amount. The circuitry is configured to determine the predetermined tension force according to the width of the medium intersecting with the conveyance direction of the medium.

Conveying device, image forming apparatus incorporating the conveying device, and method of conveying a medium

An image forming apparatus includes a printing device to print, on a recording medium, a colorimetric pattern including a plurality of colorimetric patches; an imaging device; a conveyor to convey the recording medium in a conveyance direction; and circuitry. The circuitry causes the printing device to form a plurality of marker patterns on a side of the colorimetric pattern and at predetermined intervals in the conveyance direction so that one of the marker patterns is downstream from a first row of the colorimetric patches in the conveyance direction; causes the conveyor to convey the recording medium to position the colorimetric pattern at a reading position by the imaging device based on a distance between the plurality of marker patterns and the colorimetric pattern in the conveyance direction; and causes the imaging device to read the colorimetric pattern on the recording medium.

Image forming apparatus, conveyance control method, and recording medium

A medium-cutting device includes a medium-conveyance section to convey a medium in a medium-conveyance direction, a cutter to cut the medium conveyed by the medium-conveyance section, and a pushing part to push up a piece of the medium that is cut from the medium with the cutter.

Medium-cutting device, image forming apparatus, and method for conveying medium

An image forming apparatus includes a conveyance device to convey a recording medium in a first direction and a second direction opposite the first direction; an image forming device; an imaging device; and circuitry to control the image forming apparatus. Controlled by the circuitry, the image forming device forms the colorimetric pattern on the recording medium that has been conveyed in the first direction by a predetermined distance after the marker pattern is formed. Controlled by the circuitry, after the colorimetric pattern is fixed, the circuitry causes the conveyance device to convey the recording medium in the second direction by an amount equivalent to a distance from the marker pattern to an imaging position by the imaging device plus a margin, conveys the recording medium in the first direction until the imaging device detects the marker pattern, and conveys the recording medium in the first direction to a colorimetry position.

Image forming apparatus, recording medium conveying method, and recording medium

An image forming apparatus is provided including a drive source, a switching member, a drive force transmitter, a clutch, a controller, etc. The drive source drives a conveyer to rotate either normally or reversely. The switching member is swingable between an evacuation position and a striking position as a shaft rotates. The drive force transmitter transmits a drive force from the drive source to both the conveyer and the shaft. The clutch transmits the drive force to the shaft when being connected, and holds the switching member at the striking or evacuation position when being disconnected. The controller controls the drive source and the clutch such that the conveyer normally rotates to convey a manually-inserted recording medium from a manual conveyance path to an ejector and that the switching member swings from the evacuation position to the striking position, based on a signal indicating that the set position is wrong.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a paper feeding unit; an image formation unit; a conveyance unit configured to clamp and convey a recording medium; a paper ejection unit; a manual paper feeding unit configured to receive another recording medium inserted manually and feed the other recording medium from the paper ejection unit; and a switching member fixed on an axle and configured to move between a retracted position, which is retracted from a conveyance path in a case where the image formation unit forms an image, and an abutting position entering the conveyance path by rotating with a rotation of the axle. In a case of feeding the other recording medium manually inserted, the switching member is arranged at the abutting position, clamping by the conveyance unit is released, the other recording medium arrives at an abutment position, and the conveyance unit clamps the other recording medium.

Image forming apparatus including switching 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 recording head, head tanks, a carriage, main tanks, a liquid feeder, a liquid feed controller, a displacement member, a carriage-side sensor, and a body-side sensor. The liquid feed controller controls the carriage-side sensor to detect the displacement member of each head tank during a single scan of the carriage; obtains a current position of the displacement member; determines a liquid amount in each head tank or adjustment operation of the liquid amount based on both a comparison result of the current position and a determination position and a detection result of the carriage-side sensor, the determination position calculated from a detection position of the displacement member detected with the carriage-side sensor and set within a range in which the carriage-side sensor detects the displacement member; controls the feeder in accordance with a determination result; and adjusts the liquid amount.

In an image forming apparatus, a first detection part and a second detection part, each for detecting a position of a displacement member that changes its position according to a remaining amount of liquid in a sub-tank, are provided to a carriage carrying the sub-tank and a recording head, and a body of the image forming apparatus, respectively. A first position is a position of the displacement member detected by the first detection part such that the remaining amount of liquid in the sub-tank is smaller than that at a second position detected by the second detection part. The liquid is supplied to the sub-tank of a differential supply amount, corresponding to a displacement amount of the displacement member between a position detected by the first detection part and a position detected by the second detection part, after the first detection part detects the displacement member.

An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, a recording head, a sub tank, a carriage, a main tank, a liquid feed device, a displacement member, a first detector, a second detector, a detection retainer, a liquid consumption amount measuring device, and a supply controller. The measuring device measures a consumption amount of liquid in the sub tank when the displacement member displaces from a first position in a direction in which the consumption amount of liquid in the sub tank decreases. When a detection output of the first detector continues to be, for a predetermined time or number of times, in a detection state in which the first detector detects the displacement member and shifts from the detection state to a non detection state in which the first detector does not detect the displacement member, the measuring device starts measuring the consumption amount of liquid in the sub tank.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Suguru Masunaga