Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Seiko Precision Inc.

Nippon Steel Sumitomo Metal Corporation

Shinshu University

Takeshi Kinoshita

Toshihiro Hirai

Akira Yasuda

Takuya Hara

Junji Ishikawa

Koji Yoneda

Kazuaki Tanaka

Takahumi Ogiwara

Katsuya Fujii

An image forming apparatus includes a fixing member that fixes, onto a recording material, a toner image that has been transferred onto the recording material, a recovery roller that recovers toner adhering onto the fixing member, a cleaning unit, and a controller. The cleaning unit includes a cleaning web that cleans the recovery roller, a first roller around which the cleaning web is wound in advance, a second roller that winds the cleaning web supplied from the first roller, and a third roller that presses the cleaning web against the recovery roller to clean the recovery roller. The controller stops a rotation of a rotor of a motor that drives the second roller, in a case where a value corresponding to a torque applied to the rotor exceeds a threshold while the rotor is rotating.

Image forming apparatus with control of rotation of rotor of motor that drives roller that winds cleaning web

A heating efficiencyincludes a substrateand a plurality of heat generating elementstowhich are provided on both surfaces of the substrateand which generate heat, and heats a fixing belt in contact with an inner peripheral surface of the fixing belt. The plurality of heat generating elementstoare different from each other in length with respect to a widthwise direction, and at least three of the heat generating elements are provided on a front surface of the substratewhich is a side where the heatercontacts the inner peripheral surface of the fixing belt, and at least one of the heat generating elements is provided on a back surface. A longest heat generating element, in length with respect to the widthwise direction, of the plurality of heat generating elements-is provided on the front surface. Further, as regards the heat generating elements-provided on the front surface, with respect to a rotational direction of the fixing belt, the longest heat generating elementin length with respect to the widthwise direction is disposed between the heat generating elementand the heat generating element

Fixing belt unit and fixing device

A sheet feeding apparatus includes a first tray on which sheets are stacked, a sheet feeder, a second tray on which sheets to be supplied to the first tray are stacked, wherein the second tray is disposed adjacently to the first tray, a sheet mover, an abnormality detector, and a controller. The sheet feeder feeds the sheets stacked on the first tray. The sheet mover moves the sheets stacked on the second tray. The sheet mover is movable between a first position for stacking sheets on the second tray and a second position for supplying the sheets stacked on the second tray to the first tray. The abnormality detector may detect an abnormality in the sheet mover. When the abnormality detector detects an abnormality in the sheet mover, the controller inhibits the sheet mover from operating and permits the sheet feeder to feed a sheet.

Sheet feeding apparatus and image forming apparatus

In an image forming apparatus, a DC heater is provided in an image forming unit and AC heaters are provided in a sheet feed unit and an image reading unit. An environmental switch is provided at a power supply line connected to the AC heaters. A switch state detection circuit detects whether the environmental switch has been turned on. In accordance with a detection signal output by the switch state detection circuit, the supply of power to the DC heater is started.

Control of an environment heater in an imaging forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus for heating and fixing a toner image formed on a recording medium, includes: a feeding unit configured to respectively set recording media of different sizes; a plurality of heating units with heat generation parts, which generate heat by receiving a supply of power, each heat generation part being at a different position on the respective heating unit; a control unit configured to individually control the supply of power or a power interruption to the plurality of heating units in accordance with the size of the recording medium set in the feeding unit; and a detection unit configured to detect the current value of the heating unit to which power is supplied.

Image forming apparatus and method for controlling power supply to heater of fixing unit based on resistance value of heater

The present invention provides a hot coil for line pipe use which can reduce deviation in ordinary temperature strength and improve low temperature toughness despite the numerous restrictions in production conditions due to the coiling step and provides a method of production of the same, specifically makes the steel plate stop for a predetermined time between rolling passes in the recrystallization temperature range and performs cooling by two stages after hot rolling so as to thereby make the steel structure at the center part of plate thickness and effective crystal grain size of 3 to 10 &#x3bc;m, make the total of the area ratios of bainite and acicular ferrite 60 to 99%, and make the absolute value of A-B 0 to 30% when the totals of the area ratios of bainite and acicular ferrite at any two portions are designated as respectively A and B.

Method of production of hot coil for line pipe

A pattern detection sensor includes a light emitting element for specular reflection, a light emitting element for diffuse reflection light, and a light receiving element. When turning on the light emitting element for specular reflection to emit light, a light source switching unit keeps off the light emitting element for diffuse reflection light. When turning on the light emitting element for diffuse reflection light to emit light, the light source switching unit keeps off the light emitting element for specular reflection. An offset detection unit detects a difference between a detection timing by specular reflection light and another detection timing by diffuse reflection light as an offset value (mutual detection error).

Color misalignment correction pattern detection method in image forming apparatus

A variable focal length lens, as well as a focal length adjusting device and an imaging device using the same. A variable focal length lens has a lens, a positive electrode, and a negative electrode. A second layer and a first layer constituting the lens are formed from polyvinyl chloride with which a plasticizer has been mixed. The hardness of these layers is adjusted by adjusting the mixing quantity, plasticizer type, etc. The second layer is formed so as so cover at least a light transmission region of the first layer. When a voltage is applied between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, the second layer and first layer are deformed to be pulled to the positive electrode, and thereby the curvature of the variable focal length lens is varied to vary the focal length.

Variable focal length lens, and focal length adjusting device, and imaging apparatus that use the same

A focusing device of simple construction that is miniaturizable, and an imaging device utilizing the same, are provided. A focusing device () comprises an actuator (), a lens holder () that holds lenses () and (), and a holder support base () upon which the lens holder () is installed. The actuator () comprises a polymer layer (), a positive electrode () that is formed upon the holder support base (), and a negative electrode () that is formed upon the lens holder (). When the applied voltage between the positive electrode () and the negative electrode () rises, the polymer layer () deforms radially outward along the positive electrode (). Along with this deformation of the polymer layer (), the actuator () moves the lens holder () along the optical axis.

Growing community of inventors

Kashiwa, Japan

Takeshi Kinoshita