Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Takahiro Miyakawa

Takashi Enami

Nobuyuki Kobayashi

Shigeyuki Ishii

Takahiro Kamekura

Jun Kosako

Natsuko Kawase

Miyo Taniguchi

Osamu Kizaki

Shingo Hayashi

Koichi Suse

Tetsuya Ogawa

An image forming apparatus includes a conveyor, a sensor, and control circuitry. The conveyor is configured to convey a sheet. The sensor is configured to detect the sheet conveyed by the conveyor. The control circuitry is configured to cause the conveyor to eject the sheet without stopping conveyance of the sheet and prohibit recovery printing when a size of the sheet determined based on detection of the sheet by the sensor is different from a setting size in a first operation mode. The control circuitry is configured to cause the conveyor to stop conveyance of the sheet and allow recovery printing when the size of the sheet is different from the setting size in a second operation mode in which a number of times of printing is larger than a number of times of printing in the first operation mode.

Image forming apparatus and image forming method for prohibiting or allowing recovery printing based on number of times of printing in case of discrepancy between sizes of sheet

A loading device includes a disposing unit to dispose the recording media, and a detector to detect the disposed recording media. The disposing unit includes a loading member on which the recording media are loaded, a pair of guide members movable in width directions of the recording media that are mounted on the loading member, and a guide driver to move the guide members. The end detector detects positions at which the guide members are in contact with the recording media as the ends of the recording media. The guide driver further moves the guide members in the width direction to cause the recording media to form flexures, subsequently moves the guide members to separate from the recording media, and then moves the guide members to be in contact with the recording media again.

Loading device for recording media, control method thereof, and recording medium

An image forming apparatus includes a direct-transfer control unit that causes a direct-transfer medium and a first image forming unit that forms a single-color image to transfer the single-color image onto either the direct-transfer medium or a transfer sheet; an indirect-transfer control unit that causes an intermediate transfer medium and a second image forming unit that forms a multi-color image to transfer the multi-color image onto the intermediate transfer medium; a secondary-transfer control unit that transfers the single-color image onto the intermediate transfer medium; a sensor that detects an image on the intermediate transfer medium; and a positional-alignment control unit that calculates, using the sensor, an amount of misalignment of the image and corrects, using a position of an image formed by the first image forming unit as a reference position, positions of images to be formed by the second image forming unit based on the calculated amount of misalignment.

Image forming apparatus, image forming method, and computer program product including a secondary-transfer control unit that transfers a single-color image onto the intermediate transfer medium

An image forming apparatus includes a first image forming unit that directly transfers an image onto a transfer sheet; an intermediate transfer member onto which an image is transferred; a secondary image forming unit that transfers an image onto the intermediate transfer member; a secondary transfer unit that transfers the image on the intermediate transfer member onto the transfer sheet; a fixing unit that fixes an image on the transfer sheet at a fixation position; and a guide member that guides the transfer sheet to the fixation position.

Image forming apparatus, image forming method for image forming apparatus, and computer program product

An image forming apparatus includes: a transfer-sheet conveying member that rotates to convey a transfer sheet; a first image forming unit that directly transfers a color image onto the transfer sheet; an intermediate transfer member that rotates while an image is transferred thereon; a second image forming unit that transfers images onto the intermediate transfer member; a secondary transfer unit that transfers the images on the intermediate transfer member onto the transfer sheet; a measuring unit that measures a surface velocity of the transfer-sheet conveying member and the intermediate transfer member; and a control unit that performs phase matching control by accelerating or decelerating the transfer-sheet conveying member or the intermediate transfer member so as to match a phase of fluctuation of the measured surface velocity of the transfer-sheet conveying member and a phase of fluctuation of the measured surface velocity of the intermediate transfer member.

Image forming apparatus, image forming method, and computer program product

There are provided an image forming apparatus, an image forming method for the image forming apparatus, and a program that can reduce misalignment among images in all colors. Rotation of at least one of a transfer-sheet conveying beltand an intermediate transfer beltis controlled so as to match the phases of fluctuation of the surface speed of the intermediate transfer beltand fluctuation of the surface speed of the transfer-sheet conveying belt, whereby it is possible to keep the periodical speed fluctuations of both the intermediate transfer beltand the transfer-sheet conveying beltto the minimum and reduce misalignment among images in all colors.

Image forming apparatus, image forming method for image forming apparatus, and program

An image forming apparatus includes an encoder that detects a first pulse signal relevant to a conveyance velocity of an intermediate transfer belt, an encoder that detects a second pulse signal relevant to a conveyance velocity of a transfer-paper conveying belt, a print control unit that performs feedback control by using a count value of the first pulse signal per unit time and a target conveyance velocity value common between the conveyance velocity of the intermediate transfer belt and that of the transfer-paper conveying belt so that the conveyance velocity of the intermediate transfer belt attains the target value and also performs feedback-control by using a count value of the second pulse signal per unit time and the target value so that the conveyance velocity of the transfer-paper conveying belt attains the target value.

Image forming apparatus, and method and computer program product for image forming

A first alignment control unit causes a secondary transfer control unit to bring a transfer-sheet conveying belt and an intermediate transfer belt into contact with each other so as to transfer an alignment control pattern formed on the transfer-sheet conveying belt onto the intermediate transfer belt, whereby alignment for colors C and K is performed on the intermediate transfer belt, and furthermore a second alignment control unit causes the secondary transfer control unit to separate the transfer-sheet conveying belt and the intermediate transfer belt from each other so as to perform alignment for colors Y, M, and C, whereby alignment is performed for all the colors.

Image forming apparatus, image forming method, and program

An image forming apparatus includes a direct transfer control unit that controls a direct transfer unit and a first image forming unit so as to directly transfer an image onto a transfer sheet, an indirect transfer control unit that controls an intermediate transfer unit and a second image forming unit so as to transfer images onto the intermediate transfer unit, a secondary transfer control unit that controls contact/separation between the direct transfer unit and the intermediate transfer unit, a first alignment control unit that corrects an amount of misalignment among the images formed on the intermediate transfer unit, thereby performing a first alignment control process, and a second alignment control unit that corrects an amount of misalignment of an image directly transferred onto the transfer sheet with respect to the image on which the first alignment control process has been performed, thereby performing a second alignment control process.

A print control unit causes a secondary-transfer control unit to move a secondary transfer unit apart from an intermediate transfer member, causes a direct-transfer control unit to cause a black image forming unit to form a black image and transfer the black image onto a transfer sheet being conveyed along a conveying path, and causes a positional-alignment control unit to perform positional alignment.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Takahiro Miyakawa