Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.

Konica Minolta, Inc.

Minolta Company, Ltd.

Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha

Tatsutoshi Yamada

Hideo Mae

Kazuo Okunishi

Atsushi Kawai

Tatsuya Eguchi

Hiroshi Eguchi

Yoshihiko Yoshizaki

Yoshiaki Takano

Masayuki Inoue

Toshikazu Higashi

Kiyohito Tsujihara

Kazuya Kitamura

Masaharu Hashizume

Takeshi Morikawa

Tomoyuki Atsumi

Kanji Nakayama

Hidenobu Nakamura

Hiroharu Tanaka

Takahiro Kuroda

Kohei Hayashi

Kou Yamada

Hideaki Komiyama

Yoshikazu Takesada

Provided is an image formation device including a photoreceptor configured to carry a toner image and a developer configured to form the toner image on a surface of the photoreceptor and configured such that the developer is a replaceable development unit, the image formation device including: a development bias application section configured to apply a development bias to between the photoreceptor and the developer; a stabilization control section configured to perform image stabilization control of determining a development bias value to be used in future by changing the development bias while measuring a density of the toner image formed by the developer, thereby obtaining the toner image with a target density; and a life determination section configured to determine expiration of use of the development unit when the development bias value determined by the stabilization control falls outside a preset acceptable range.

Image formation device

An image forming apparatus includes: a light source that emits a laser beam; a polygon mirror that reflects the laser beam; a photoreceptor that is to be exposed to the laser beam reflected by the polygon mirror; a motor that rotates the polygon mirror; and a hardware processor capable of detecting sheet type, that is, type of a sheet conveyed in the image forming apparatus, wherein the hardware processor controls to rotate the motor at a first rotation speed until the sheet type is detected, and rotate the motor at a second rotation speed determined on the basis of the sheet type after detection of the sheet type.

Image forming apparatus

An image formation apparatus includes: a light source configured to emit laser light; a polygon mirror configured to reflect the laser light; a photoreceptor configured to be exposed to the laser light reflected by the polygon mirror; a motor configured to rotate the polygon mirror; and a controller configured to sense a type of a sheet transported through the image formation apparatus. The image formation apparatus includes as operation modes a first mode in which no sheet type is sensed and a second mode in which a sheet type is sensed. The controller performs different processes for control regarding rotation of the motor in the first and second modes, respectively.

Image formation apparatus and non-transitory computer readable recording medium

Image formation device with life determination section for replaceable unit

An image forming apparatus includes: a photosensitive member; a charger that charges a surface of the photosensitive member; an exposure device that forms a latent image; and a developing device that applies toner to the latent image, wherein the photosensitive member is incorporated in a detachable photosensitive member unit, and the developing device is incorporated in a detachable developing unit, the image forming apparatus including: an optimization controller that performs optimization of a charging bias of the charger and a developing bias of the developing device; and a replacement determiner that determines which of the photosensitive member unit and the developing unit is to be replaced when an optimized developing bias is out of a predetermined allowable range, wherein the replacement determiner determines that the developing unit is to be replaced, and determines that the photosensitive member unit is to be replaced.

Image forming apparatus and program for image forming apparatus

An electrophotographic image forming apparatus which sequentially performs charging, exposure, development, transfer and cleaning on each surface portion of a photoreceptor during rotation includes a cleaning blade configured to scrape off toner from the surface of the photoreceptor, a detecting unit configured to detect a rotation angle of the photoreceptor, and a control unit configured to control each of a start process and an end process of rotation of the photoreceptor. The control unit is also configured to control charging, development and transfer of the photoreceptor. In the end process, the control unit estimates a position of a surface portion of the photoreceptor, at which a charged state caused by a peeling discharge remains even after the stop of the photoreceptor, from the rotation angle from the time of start of deceleration of the photoreceptor to the time of stop of the photoreceptor, and adjusts parameters necessary for the next start process or end process.

Image forming apparatus that controls a start process and an end process of rotation of a photoreceptor

An image forming apparatus includes: an image carrier configured to carry a toner image; a transfer member configured to transfer the toner image onto a transfer target member by applying a transfer voltage of the opposite polarity of the polarity of the toner image to the transfer target member, the transfer member being in contact with the image carrier; an accepting unit configured to accept a setting for changing a preset current range to a new current range, the preset current range being defined by one of a lower limit of a current flowing in the transfer target member and an upper limit of the current; a sensing unit configured to sense a magnitude of the current flowing in the transfer target member; and a control device configured to control the transfer voltage so that the magnitude of the sensed current falls within the new current range.

Image forming apparatus, control method, and control program in which a magnitude of a current to flow in a paper sheet at the time of toner image transfer can be set

When a key input unit or a touch panel is pressed, a control unit identifies the commanded function. Then, the control unit causes a human-body communication unit to start processing for establishing human-body communication with a portable device worn by a user. On receiving user information from the portable device, the control unit makes reference to an authentication table and determines whether or not there is an entry for the received user information therein. Further, the control unit determines whether or not use of the identified function, out of the functions corresponding to the received user information, is allowed. The control unit performs display on the touch panel, according to the result of the determination.

Image forming apparatus having human-body communication function and method for authentication in image forming apparatus

When a user selects not to insert advertisement data into scan data when transferring the scan data from an MFP to a Web server, the MFP converts the advertisement data into an HTML format to transfer to the Web server in association with the scan data. Accordingly, a PC accessing the Web server displays a Web page showing contents of the advertisement and information including an icon functioning as means for requesting download of the scan data. The scan data inserted with no advertisement data is downloaded to the PC by operating the icon.

Image forming apparatus providing scan data along with advertisement data

A Multi-Functional Peripheral (MFP) comprising: a registration adjuster for making a registration adjustment by adjusting an image forming position of each color; a detector for detecting an intensity of a vibration; a transmitter for transmitting the image data to another apparatus via a network; and a controller for (i) interrupting an image formation if the intensity of the vibration is judged to be larger than a first threshold, (ii) instructing the transmitter to transmit the image data of the interrupted image formation to the another apparatus if the intensity of the vibration is judged to be larger than a second threshold that is larger than the first threshold, and (iii) after the vibration has ceased, instructing the registration adjuster to make the registration adjustment and then restarting the interrupted image formation.

Image forming apparatus with vibration detection and control

Time required for setting a print mode in a print standby state is shortened, in performing recovering operation. In an attachment state of consumable units on an image forming apparatus, information of the consumable unit memorized in nonvolatile memories of consumable units is memorized in a second nonvolatile memory, and after the print mode is set in an unprintable state, recovering operation having possibility of replacing the consumable units is performed. Thereafter, whether the same consumable units as those before the unprintable state are attached to the image forming apparatus is determined. At this time, a signal based on the information of the consumable units memorized in the nonvolatile memory is transmitted to a bus connected to a plurality of nonvolatile memories, and when there is a reply of a part of the information in the nonvolatile memories to this transmission, it is determined that the same consumable units as those before the unprintable state are attached to the image forming apparatus.

Image forming apparatus and method

When an image forming apparatus is disabled due to a cause rather than the detection of the toner empty condition, it is determined whether a recovery operation is a first recovery operation or a second recovery operation. The first recovery operation is associated with a mounting/dismounting of the toner cartridge performed from when the image forming apparatus is disabled until when the recovery operation begins. The second recovery operation is not associated with the mounting/dismounting. A toner supply control controls the toner supply operation when the recovery operation is performed on condition that the empty memory memorizes that the toner empty detector detects the empty condition. When the recovery operation is the first recovery operation, the toner supply control allows the toner to be supplied into the developer housing. While, when the recovery operation is the second recovery operation, the toner supply control prohibits the toner from being supplied into developer housing.

An image forming apparatus in which the consumption article can be attached to and detached from a main body has a controller, which reads first new/old information that is stored in a repetitively rewritable area of a memory provided on the consumption article and represents whether or not the consumption article is unused after manufacturing or after recycling and second new/old information that is stored in a once rewritable area of the memory and represents the number of times of recycling of the consumption article and controls the operation of the image forming apparatus on the basis of the first new/old information and the second new/old information.

An image formation apparatus detects personal information, (a name, a contact address or the like) from image data obtained by scanning a document. Personal information stored in a database, or DB personal information, associated with an and retrieved personal information have a difference and the DB personal information is information later than the personal information detected from the image data then the personal information in the image data is modified with the retrieved DB personal information.

Image reading apparatus capable of management of personal information

An image forming apparatus, in which a consumption article can be attached to and detached from a main body, has a device that makes an access to a memory provided on the consumption article, a device that determines whether or not an access failure has occurred during the access to the memory, and a device that switches over between warning levels according to the address of the memory where the access failure has occurred or an attribute concerning write and read where the access failure has occurred.

Growing community of inventors

Toyokawa, Japan

Tatsutoshi Yamada