Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Tetsuji Nishikawa

Yasuhiro Maehata

Noriaki Funamoto

Yasuhisa Ehara

Jun Yasuda

Hiroshi Ishii

Kohta Takenaka

Makoto Kikura

Joh Ebara

Yoshihide Ohta

Hiroaki Murakami

Toshihiro Shimada

Junichi Kawase

Yusuke Funayama

Masahiro Ishida

Kazuki Suzuki

Takayuki Niihara

Tsuyoshi Endo

Hidehiko Maeda

Kohta Hirakawa

Makoto Suzuki

Gaku Hosono

Kouta Hirakawa

Shogo Terakawa

Yusuke Masu

Yuki Sato

Kazuhiro Kobayashi

Kazunori Bannai

Ruki Midorikawa

Nobuhiro Shima

Takashi Kuwayama

Satoshi Araaki

Daijiro Kondo

Masato Ohara

Jo Ebara

An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body accommodating an image forming device, a foreign object detector that detects a foreign object beside the apparatus body, and a detector holding unit that holds the foreign object detector. The foreign object detector and the detector holding unit are movable together into the apparatus body.

Image forming apparatus, foreign object detecting system, and method for producing foreign object detecting system

A mount board tray is provided to hold multiple mount boards at different heights above and below the mount board tray. The mount board tray holds a topmost mount board placed at the topmost position among the multiple mount boards held by the mount board tray from below the topmost mount board. The mount board tray also holds a bottommost mount board placed at the bottommost position among the multiple mount boards from above the bottommost mount board at the same time.

Mount board tray and electronic device with mount board tray

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit configured to form an image; a drawer unit configured to be pulled out from a body of the image forming apparatus; a first lock unit configured to receive power from a power supply and perform at least one of lock and unlock of the drawer unit with respect to the body; and a second lock unit configured to perform lock and unlock of the drawer unit with respect to the body by a mechanical operation performed by an operator.

Image forming apparatus with locking drawer unit

The image forming apparatus includes an image forming section; a conveyance path to convey a recording medium to the image forming section; a drawer unit including the conveyance path and configured to be pulled out relative to the apparatus; an electrical cable to electrically connect the drawer unit and an interior of the apparatus even when the drawer unit is pulled out from the apparatus; and a cable holder (a first regulating member) to ensure that that the cable is securely prevented from protruding from the drawer unit. According to the present invention, the electric cable is prevented from running off from the drawer unit due to the folding of the cable caused by the regulating member, so that the electric cable is prevented from getting hung up on the parts disposed in the body.

Image forming apparatus including drawer with variable length cable holder

An image forming apparatus having a drawer unit that includes therein a paper-feeding conveying path for conveying a recording medium conveyed from a paper feeding unit on which the recording media are stacked to an image forming unit and/or a discharge conveying path for conveying the recording medium on which an image has been formed to a discharging unit, and be drawn out from an apparatus main body; a lock unit that locks the drawer unit to the apparatus main body; a straddle detecting unit that detects whether the recording medium straddles a conveying path in the apparatus main body and a conveying path in the drawer unit; and a controller that controls the lock unit to lock the drawer unit to the apparatus main body when the straddle detecting unit detects the straddle.

Image forming apparatus having a drawer unit with a paper-feeding conveying path therein

An image forming apparatus includes a drawer unit configured to be drawn out from a body of the image forming apparatus. The drawer unit includes a carriage path for carrying a recording medium, a lock unit configured to lock the drawer unit in the body, a driving unit configured to drive the lock unit, the driving unit including at least a driving source, and a drawer unit cover configured to cover at least the drawer unit. The drawer unit cover is a part of an outer cover of the body arranged on a side in a drawing direction of the drawer unit. The drawer unit cover is attached to the drawer unit so that the drawer unit cover is removed from the drawer unit in a state where the drawer unit is attached to the body.

Image forming apparatus having drawer unit

A state determining device includes a current detecting unit, a state determining unit, and a notifying unit. The current detecting unit detects a current value of a drive current which flows into a drive motor that rotary-drives a driven unit with a drive force according to the drive current. Based on the drive current value detected by the current detecting unit, the state determining unit determines a state of a driving system including the driven unit. The notifying unit notifies a user of a determination result of the state determining unit.

State determining device, image processing apparatus, state determining method, and computer program product

A sheet conveyance device for conveying a recording medium includes a fixed roller, a movable roller, an urging member, and a shock absorber, and an image forming apparatus including the sheet conveyance device. The position of the fixed roller is fixed. The movable roller is disposed opposite the fixed roller to contact the fixed roller, thereby defining a nip. The urging member urges the movable member to contact the fixed roller in the absence of the recording medium in the nip and allows the movable member to separate from the fixed roller by an amount corresponding to a thickness of a recording medium when the recording medium enters the nip. The shock absorber absorbs displacement energy generated when the urging member urges the movable roller to contact the fixed roller again after the recording medium passes through the nip.

Sheet conveyance device and image forming apparatus including same

An image forming apparatus includes an endless belt member; a drive unit moving the endless belt member; a first detecting unit detecting a rotating speed of the drive unit; a second detecting unit detecting an endless transport speed of the endless belt member; and a control unit controlling the rotating speed of the drive unit based on a first detection signal from the first detecting unit or a second detection signal from the second detecting unit selectively depending on a selection condition. Upon selection of the first detection signal in accordance with the selection condition, the control unit corrects the rotating speed of the drive unit using the second detection signal such that an average value of the endless transport speed of the endless belt member approaches a target average value.

Image forming apparatus

A main controlling part is configured to choose and execute either a constant belt speed control which controls a driving motor (a driving source for an intermediate transfer belt) to move the intermediate transfer belt at a predetermined target belt speed or a constant motor speed control which rotates the driving motor at a predetermined target rotational speed according to a print command, and then, prior to a first-time print job, after executing a writing position correcting process while moving the intermediate transfer belt under the constant belt speed control, forms a color shift detecting image by switching from the constant belt speed control to the constant motor speed control, measures a difference between amounts of color shift, and executes a speed correcting process for correcting the target rotational speed of the driving motor in the constant motor speed control based on the measurement result.

Image forming device

A printer according to the present invention is a so-called tandem-type printer, and has a configuration that a motor gear is directly connected to an M-photoconductor driving gear and an idler gear is directly connected to a Y-photoconductor driving gear and the M-photoconductor driving gear. A diameter of the Y and M photoconductors driving gear, a distance between transfer sections of the Y and M photoconductors, a motor gear input angle, and an idler input angle are set so that an absolute value of a value obtained by subtracting 1 from an ideal amplitude ratio, which indicates a ratio of an ideal amplitude of an eccentric component of the Y-photoconductor driving gear to an actual amplitude of an eccentric component of the M-photoconductor driving gear, is equal to or less than a maximum allowable amplitude ratio.

In an image forming apparatus, a rotation detector detects an angular velocity or an angular displacement of a shared drive motor, or an angular velocity or an angular displacement of a photosensitive element. A drive control unit executes a process for controlling a drive speed of a drive source of the photosensitive element based on a result of detection by the rotation detector.

A multicolor imaging system includes a controller which adjusts a phase difference in rotations of photoreceptors based on information detected by a rotary position detector, and drive elements for photoreceptors which generate a velocity fluctuation in the same cycle as that of a transfer unit. The controller is configured to concurrently adjust the phases of the photoreceptors and those of the drive elements so that a registration error in four color toner image on an intermediate transfer belt is reduced to a minimum.

Multicolor imaging system

A driving motor for a color black is shared between a photosensitive body for the color black and a driving roller that drives an intermediate transfer belt not shown. Furthermore, a driving motor for colors yellow, magenta, and cyan is shared between photosensitive bodies for the colors yellow, magenta, and cyan. Driving of the driving motor for the colors yellow, magenta, and cyan is controlled based on a first waveform as a speed fluctuation waveform of the photosensitive body for the color black obtained when the driving motor for the color black is driven at a predetermined speed and second waveforms as speed fluctuation waveforms of the photosensitive bodies for the colors yellow, magenta, and cyan obtained when the driving motor for the colors yellow, magenta, and cyan is driven at a predetermined speed.

Image forming apparatus and image forming method

An image forming apparatus that includes at least one process cartridge having a photosensitive element, a development unit, a toner storage unit, a driven shaft and a driven gear mounted thereon and which is detachably attachable to the apparatus from a top front side thereof, a drive shaft, a drive gear mounted on the drive shaft to couple with and drive the driven gear to transmit a driving force to the process cartridge, an upper cover opening and closing with respect to the apparatus, a front cover opening and closing with respect to the apparatus, and at least one block component to block coupling of the drive gear and the driven gear by contacting the driven shaft while interlocked with opening and closing of the upper cover. The process cartridge is detachably attachable to the apparatus from the front top side thereof by opening and closing the upper cover.

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Tokyo, Japan

Tetsuji Nishikawa