Minolta Company, Ltd.

Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.

Konica Minolta, Inc.

Tetsuya Sakai

Atsushi Kawai

Masaki Tanaka

Takashi Harashima

Hironori Akashi

Katsuyuki Hirata

Masahiro Kouzaki

Munenori Nakano

Kazuomi Sakatani

Soh Hirota

Yoshinori Tsutsumi

Kenji Tsuru

Tatsuya Isono

Toshio Tsuboi

Yukihiko Okuno

Kazuyoshi Hara

Yasuo Tanaka

Toshifumi Watanabe

Takeru Kinoshita

Kazuo Okunishi

Naoyoshi Kinoshita

Kentaro Katori

Koji Uno

Yasuyuki Inada

Mitsuru Obara

Shinichi Takemoto

Hiroshi Nishikawa

Syuichi Katogi

Kohei Hayashi

Shigeki Naiki

Futoshi Hamada

Hiroshi Sakakibara

Tomoyuki Saito

Tomoki Wada

An image forming device comprises: a receiving part that receives image data containing first image data relating to a black and white image and second image data relating to a foil image; a carrying path along which a recording medium is carried in a predetermined direction; an inkjet printing part, arranged on the carrying path, injects an ink based on the first image data to the recording medium, and forms the black and white image or the color image on the recording medium; a toner image printing part, arranged on the carrying path, forms the toner image for adhesion based on the second image data, and transfers the toner image to the recording medium; and a foil image forming part, arranged on the carrying path, enables the toner image transferred to the recording medium to melt and attaches the foil to the melted toner image to form the foil image.

Image forming device and image forming method

An image forming apparatus fixes a toner image onto a sheet by a fixer, and includes: a re-feeding path that normally conveys the sheet having passed through the fixer and guides the sheet toward the fixer; and a hardware processor that switches between first control to discharge the sheet having passed through the fixer toward a discharge destination and second control to re-feed the sheet having passed through the fixer to the fixer through the re-feeding path, depending on a type of an image which is a source of formation of the toner image.

Image forming apparatus fixing toner image onto sheet and control method

An image forming device that prints a first image using first toner and prints a second image using foil on a sheet of paper, includes: a former that forms a first toner image by the first toner of the first image on the paper and forms a second toner image by second toner different from the first toner of the second image on the paper; a fixer that fixes the first toner image and the second toner image formed on the paper; a melter that melts the second toner out of the first toner and the second toner fixed to the paper; and a foil printer that prints the second image by bonding the foil to the melted second toner.

Image forming device, image printing method, and computer program of foil printing

A device that replenishes developer to a developer unit and includes a storage for storing developer, an agitation member, and a vibration plate. The agitation member has a blade shape and is rotationally driven to agitate the developer in the storage. The vibration plate extends from a top portion towards a bottom portion of the storage along a rotation direction of the agitation member, and includes a vibration portion that vibrates due to contact with the agitation member undergoing rotation. A top end of the vibration plate is fixed and a bottom end of the vibration plate is a free end, and there is a gap between the vibration portion and an inner wall of the storage. The vibration plate is provided with an engagement protrusion towards the free end that engages with the agitation member and causes the agitation member undergoing rotation to deform then spring back.

Developer replenishing device, developer device, and image forming device having a vibration plate that engages an agitation member

An image forming apparatus includes an image carrying member, a charging device that uniformly charges the image carrying member, an exposure device that forms an electrostatic latent image on the image carrying member, a development device that applies a development bias voltage to form a visible image in which toner is adhered to the electrostatic latent image, a control portion that controls an exposure amount in the exposure device and the development bias voltage and a storage portion that stores an exposure condition and a development condition. The resolution of image data can be switched to at least two types, a standard resolution and a high resolution higher than the standard resolution, and when the resolution of the image data is set at the high resolution, the control portion controls the exposure amount in the exposure device to perform thinning processing on the image.

Image forming apparatus

There are provided an image reader with high resolution capability for images in a high density range and an image forming apparatus. An image readercomprises a reflected light reading unit () for irradiating a surface to be read of an original sheet with a light and reading the amount of the reflected light and a transmitted light reading unit () for irradiating the original sheet with a light and reading the amount of the transmitted light, and calculates the density of an image of the original sheet based on the amount of the reflected light read by the reflected light reading unit and the amount of the transmitted light read by the transmitted light reading unit.

Image reader and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus of the invention includes an image carrier, an exposure device performing exposure for forming a toner image on a surface of the image carrier and having at least a first exposure light source and a second exposure light source, a sensor for detecting specified patterns, which are formed on the image carrier at a specified time with use of the first and second exposure light sources, a storing unit for storing a correlation, which is attained from a detection result by the sensor, between the first and second exposure light sources, and a controller for controlling the first and second exposure light sources based on the correlation.

Image forming apparatus, and exposure control method therefor

The present invention aims to provide an image forming apparatus and the like that perform a highly-accurate tone correction in a relatively short time and includes the following: a pattern former, with use of each image forming unit, on a sheet, forming tone patches in the main or sub scanning direction () and aligning markers, which indicate positions of the tone patches, in the same direction as the tone patches (); a pattern reader reading the sheet with the tone patches and markers formed thereon; a coordinate determiner determining coordinates of the tone patches in the direction of the aligned tone patches based on the read markers (); a density determiner determining densities of the tone patches () read based on the determined coordinates; and an updating part updating the tone correction table based on relationships between the determined densities and tone levels.

Image forming apparatus, tone correction method using tone patches and alignment markers, and computer-readable recording medium recorded with a tone correction program using tone patches and alignment markers

A tandem-type color image forming apparatus forms a toner pattern and toner markers on an intermediate transfer member. Tone levels in the toner pattern vary in a sub scanning direction, and the toner markers which are a same color with the tone pattern each oppose, in a main scanning direction, a different one of the tone level portions in the toner pattern, each tone level portion representing a different one of the tone levels. Positions of the toner markers in the sub scanning direction are determined to detect densities in the toner pattern corresponding to the determined positions. Tone of image data is corrected in an image formation based on a relationship between the densities and the tone levels corresponding to the determined positions.

Image forming apparatus and tone correction method

An image forming apparatus performs image stabilization after a printed page count exceeds a first threshold, if either an end of a job or a mode switch from monochrome mode to color mode has been detected. Even if neither the end of the job nor the mode switch from monochrome mode to color mode has been detected, the image forming apparatus performs image stabilization if the printed page count exceeds a second threshold that is larger than the first threshold.

Color imaging forming apparatus with image stabilization control and method therefore

An image forming device for forming an image on an image carrier using a different grayscale reproduction method for each of two or more different attributes contained in portions of the image. The image forming device forms a different standard pattern in one-to-one correspondence with each different attribute contained in the image portions, using a grayscale reproduction method used for reproducing image portions containing the attribute, detects density of each standard pattern formed by the standard pattern forming unit, sets, for each different attribute, a condition for correcting grayscale of the image portions containing the attribute, in accordance with the detected density, and corrects grayscale of the image portions in accordance with each condition set by the correction condition setting unit.

Image fo ming device and image forming method

Differing ratios of the amount of light from light source LDto the amount of light from light source LDare provided. An image pattern for adjustment that includes, for each color, an area made up of isolated dots by light source LDand an area made up of isolated dots by light source LD, is printed for each ratio. In a copier, a density of each area is detected, a ratio at which a difference between the density of an area of isolated dots by light source LDand the density of an area of isolated dots by light source LDis smallest is decided as an adjustment ratio, and control is performed such that light sources LDand LDemit light at the adjusted ratio.

Image forming apparatus capable of forming excellent image

A printer detects density of a toner pattern on an intermediate transfer belt, operates a differential value for the detection value, and compares the differential value with a threshold value. If fluctuation of detection values is great and there are detection values of which differential values exceed the threshold value, those detection values are assumed to contain noise due to abnormality of the shape on the belt, and the detection values in such a range are corrected using curve approximation. A tone correction table is updated using the corrected detection values.

Image forming apparatus capable of forming high-quality image

A detection device used in an image forming apparatus, comprises a light-emitting element which emits light towards a toner pattern formed on an image carrier, a first light-receiving element which detects the light reflected from the toner pattern and a second light-receiving element which detects the light reflected from the toner pattern in a fashion different from the first light-receiving element. The detection device calculates the amount of toner of the toner pattern based on the output values from the first and second light-receiving elements as well as the position of the toner pattern based on the output value from the first light-receiving element.

Image forming apparatus and device for determining the density and position of a toner pattern

A method and device for estimating toner concentration in a two-component developer consisting of toner and carrier for an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, and an image forming apparatus equipped with such device. The above method and device calculate an amount of toner charge from data detected by a transferred toner amount sensor, compensate the toner charge based on environmental humidity data and cumulative use period data of the image forming apparatus, and estimate toner concentration. The image forming apparatus equipped with the above device exerts control to predict toner consumption from the estimated toner concentration, supply toner to a developing unit according to the predicted toner consumption, and maintain the toner concentration in the developer at predetermined concentration.

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Toyokawa, Japan

Tetsuya Sakai