Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Tomohiko Saito

Hiroyuki Uenishi

Norio Kudoh

Fumihito Itoh

Toshiya Satoh

Daisuke Tomita

Toshiya Sato

Atsushi Satoh

Takamichi Orikasa

Hiroaki Ishikawa

Yukio Otome

Sho Sawahata

Shingo Takai

Tsukasa Onose

Takashi Moriyama

Youichi Takeuchi

Tatsuya Kusashima

Jyun Ogino

A cooling apparatus () cools a heat-generating instrument, such as an electronic instrument (), installed in an installation apparatus. The cooling apparatus () includes a refrigerant flow path configured circularly by sequentially connecting a pump () that circulates a refrigerant in a liquid state, a cooler () that cools the heat-generating instrument with the refrigerant, and a radiator () that cools the refrigerant. The cooling apparatus () includes a discharge-side heat exchanger () provided in a flow path from the pump () to the cooler () in the refrigerant flow path, a suction-side heat exchanger () provided in a flow path from the radiator () to the pump () in the refrigerant flow path, and a Peltier device () that is provided between the discharge-side heat exchanger () and the suction-side heat exchanger (), and transfers heat from the refrigerant flowing through the suction-side heat exchanger () to the refrigerant flowing through the discharge-side heat exchanger ().

Cooling apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearer; a charger to charge a surface of the image bearer; an exposure device to expose the surface of the image bearer and form an electrostatic latent image on the image bearer; a developing device to adhere electrically charged toner to the electrostatic latent image on the image bearer, to thereby form a toner image; a microprocessor to control rotation of the image bearer; and a sensor to detect temperature and humidity. In a state of suspended rotation of the image bearer, the microprocessor controls the image bearer to rotate a predetermined amount at a predetermined interval and determines whether a rotation operation of the image bearer is to be performed, based on a detection result of the sensor.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearer; a charger to charge a surface of the image bear; a developing device to develop a toner image on the surface of the image bearer; an image bearer cleaner to remove residual toner remaining on the surface of the image bearer after a transfer process; and a controller to cause the image forming apparatus to perform, before a start of printing operation, a corona products removal mode. In the image forming apparatus further including a temperature and humidity sensor to measure temperature and humidity of an ambient environment of the image bearer, the controller to cause the image forming apparatus to perform, before a start of an image forming operation, a corona products removal mode based on an absolute humidity obtained by the temperature and humidity detected by the temperature and humidity sensor.

Image forming apparatus performing a corona products removal mode

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearer; a toner image forming unit to form a toner image on the image bearer; a transfer device to transfer the toner image from the image bearer onto a transfer medium; a cleaning device to remove untransferred toner from the image bearer; and a lubrication device including a solid lubricant, an applicator to apply lubricant scraped off from the solid lubricant to the image bearer while rotating, and an applicator driving device to rotate the applicator; and a controller to control the applicator driving device according to a predetermined variable to change a rotational frequency of the applicator during idle running of the image bearer.

Lubrication device and image forming apparatus incorporating same

A charger is provided. The charger includes a discharge electrode, a cleaner, and a holder. The discharge electrode is composed of a wire, and the wire has a surface plated with palladium. The cleaner removes foreign substances adhered to the discharge electrode. The cleaner includes a first cleaner composed of a glass-containing resin and a second cleaner. The first cleaner scrapes off the foreign substances by press-contacting the wire while moving, and the second cleaner wipes off the foreign substances by press-contacting the wire while moving. The holder movably holds the cleaner in a direction parallel to the discharge electrode.

Charger and image forming apparatus

A waste toner conveying device for conveying waste toner removed from an image carrier to a waste toner container includes a waste toner conveying path including at least a falling and conveying path for letting the waste toner fall under its own weight; a toner bridging prevention member configured to move in the falling and conveying path to prevent bridging of the waste toner; a drive source configured to drive the toner bridging prevention member; a drive transfer member configured to transfer a driving force from the drive source to the toner bridging prevention member; and a toner adhesion prevention member configured to prevent the waste toner from adhering to the drive transfer member.

Waste toner conveying device and image forming apparatus using the same

A charging device includes a discharge electrode configured to charge a surface of an image carrier; a charging device body including an opening portion that is provided so as to surround the discharge electrode and be opposed to a surface of the image carrier across a longitudinal direction of the discharge electrode; a charging duct member that is provided so as to surround at least the entire opening portion and configured to introduce and exhaust an airflow within the surrounded area; an intake unit configured to generate an airflow to be guided into the charging duct member; and an exhaust unit configured to exhaust the airflow guided. The charging duct member includes an airflow wall forming unit for covering, with an airflow wall, the entire opening portion from an upstream end to a downstream end in a rotation direction of the image carrier at the opening portion.

Charging device, image forming apparatus, and charging unit

A disclosed photoconductive drum includes a mechanism where, when the sleeve inner circumferential surface pressing member is in contact with the inner circumferential surface of the photoconductive sleeve member, a displacement of the first end surface member with respect to the photoconductive sleeve member in the center line direction leads to increasing a pressing force applied from the sleeve inner circumferential surface pressing member to the inner circumferential surface of the photoconductive sleeve member.

Photoconductive drum and image forming apparatus having the same

An electrophotographic printer capable of easily attaching and detaching a retaining means to retain the inside of a photoconductive drum to and from the photoconductive drum. A flange located on the extraction side of a photoconductive drum is provided with: a retaining means to support the photoconductive drum from the side of the inner circumferential face of the photoconductive drum. And an advance and retreat mechanism to advance and retreat the retaining means to and from the inner face of the photoconductive drum. The retaining means can be easily dismantled from the photoconductive drum by operating the advance and retreat mechanism, and thereafter extracting the flange from the photoconductive drum.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Tomohiko Saito