Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Yasuaki Fukada

Masaharu Kimura

Masahiko Fujita

Norichika Katsura

Masatsugu Ohishi

Masaya Asakawa

Takashi Kubo

Yoshiyuki Kobayashi

Tadasu Taniguchi

Susumu Hashimoto

Yasushi Matsutomo

Masaru Tsuji

Yoshiaki Hiramoto

Shigeru Yoshida

Yasuhiro Takai

Yoshinori Shiraishi

Kohji Aoki

Kenji Nakanishi

Norio Tomita

Masanobu Deguchi

Toshiki Ohgita

Yoshiteru Kikuchi

Hideo Yoshikawa

Kiwamu Morita

Takashi Makiura

Haruhisa Furumoto

Atsushi Ogo

Koji Wakamoto

Yoshiyuki Nagai

Tatsuya Ogawa

Hidetoshi Atsumi

Ryosuke Sakai

Showtaro Okamoto

Rei Nakamura

The image forming apparatus includes: a paper feed unit; a print unit; a registration roller; a sheet leading end sensor provided downstream, in a transport direction of the recording paper, of the registration roller; a time measuring unit for measuring a time from a start point of transportation of the recording paper by the registration roller to a point of detection of the leading end of the recording paper by the sheet leading end sensor; a memory unit for storing a reference image forming time and a reference time; a print control unit; and an arithmetic unit for obtaining a difference between the reference time and the time detected by the time measuring unit. The print control unit adjusts the length of the image forming period in accordance with the adjusted image forming time determined based on the difference obtained by the arithmetic unit and the reference image forming time.

Image forming apparatus capable of adjusting print position of image on recording paper

In a sheet feeding device, when a leading end of a recording sheet is guided to a nip region along a leading end portion of a sheet guide member in contact with a surface of a separation roller, the leading end of the recording sheet slides and moves on surfaces of projected end portions to be guided to the vicinity of the nip region, and the leading end of the recording sheet passes through the nip region quickly. Hence, a sheet feed error is much less likely to occur. Since a distance from recessed end portions to the nip region is longer and the leading end of the recording sheet is in contact with the separation roller for a longer time right after passing the recessed end portions until reaching the nip region, even though a plurality of recording sheets is stacked, the recording sheets are separated one by one by the separation roller, preventing a multi-sheet feed of the sheets.

Sheet feeding device and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus () includes a discharge section (), a paper receiving tray (), a first detecting section (), a lever (), a second detecting section () and a decision section (). The first detecting section () is disposed in the discharge section (), and detects a paper jam. The second detecting section () detects a swinging state of the lever () from a first position at which the lever () is not in the process of receiving an action of the paper sheet to a second position. The decision section () judges an occurrence factor in a paper jam to be a user-induced factor when the second detecting section () detects a state in which the lever is at the first position in a state where the first detecting section () detects the paper jam. Also, the decision section () judges the occurrence factor in the paper jam to be an image forming apparatus-induced factor when the second detecting section () detects a state in which the lever is swung over the first position in the state where the first detecting section detects the paper jam.

Image forming apparatus that determines user-induced paper jam

Disclosed is a paper feeding device () including: a paper stacking tray () that carries thereon stacked sheets of printing paper and moves up/down along a stacking direction of the sheets of printing paper; a paper transport member (e.g., paper transport belts ()) that sucks and transports a sheet of printing paper from the paper stacking tray (); a separation fan () that generates an air flow separating the printing paper stacked on the paper stacking tray (); an air sucking fan () that generates an air flow sucking a sheet of printing paper stacked on the paper stacking tray (); and a relay duct () that guides air coming out of the air sucking fan () to the separation fan (). The relay duct () extends along a straight line from an air outlet () of the air sucking fan () to an air inlet () of the separation fan ().

Paper feeding device and image forming device

A paper feed device includes a paper stacking shelf, a paper trailing edge guide that regulates a position of a paper bundle, a contact member that is disposed on the paper trailing edge guide, and a position switch portion that moves the contact member to either a withdrawn away position or a contact position with respect to an upper face of the paper bundle. The position switch portion is provided with a rod that is moved in conjunction with an operation for causing the paper feed device to be pulled out from and pushed into the accommodation space, and a rotatable member that is rotated in conjunction with the movement of the rod. The position switch portion supports the contact member, and causes the contact member to be rotationally moved to either the withdrawn away position or the contact position in conjunction with the rotation of the rotatable member.

Paper feed device and image forming apparatus provided with the same

Air is taken in through air holes of a paper transfer belt and through air inlets of an air intake duct, and a recording sheet of paper is sucked onto front surfaces of the paper transfer belts, forming the recording sheet of paper into a curved (waved) shape along the front surfaces of the paper transfer belts.

Feeder and image forming apparatus provided with the feeder

An image forming apparatus () at least includes a paper output tray (), an actuator () and a photo sensor (). The actuator () is supported in such a manner as to be swingable above a paper loading surface of the paper output tray (). The actuator () includes a fullness detection section () and a rear edge curling detection section (). The fullness detection section () is disposed at a tip portion of the actuator (), being configured so as to contact the uppermost paper on the paper output tray (). The rear edge curling detection section () is formed so as to extend from the fullness detection section () toward a direction that gets further away from the paper loading surface of the paper output tray () toward a direction generally parallel to the paper loading surface of the paper output tray () and opposite to a paper conveying direction.

Paper output device and image forming apparatus

In a paper feeder, an air hole that allows air to pass through is formed on a paper transport belt, a fan for breathing and exhausting air and an exhaust duct having an opening for exhausting air. Air is exhausted from the fan through the exhaust duct, the fan and an air intake duct for breathing air are connected to each other, and air is breathed from the air hole through the air intake duct towards the fan. This paper feeder includes: an air state detection unit for detecting at least one of an air pressure and an air flow rate in the air intake duct; an opening and closing unit provided to the air intake duct for opening and closing the opening; and a control unit for opening and closing the opening based on a result of detection by the air state detection unit.

Paper feeder and image forming apparatus including the same

A sheet sorter includes a sheet discharge tray, a sheet conveyance unit, and a sheet pressing guide. The sheet conveyance unit is configured to convey sheets in a conveyance direction and configured to be shifted in a shift direction along a sheet plane and in a shift direction that intersects the conveyance direction, so as to sort the sheets loaded onto the sheet discharge tray from the sheet conveyance unit. The sheet pressing guide is configured to contact and press the sheets, configured to move together with the sheet conveyance unit in conjunction with the sheet conveyance unit moving in the shift direction, and configured to contact a topmost sheet among the sheets loaded on the sheet discharge tray only at a downstream edge of the topmost sheet in the conveyance direction.

Sheet sorter and image forming apparatus

A conveying device includes a switching gate, a handle, and a link mechanism. The switching gate switches the direction in which a sheet of paper is conveyed along a conveying path. Normally, the weight of the switching gate keeps a front end portion of the gate engaging with a recess. A user grips the handle when he/she opens the conveying device from an apparatus. The user's grip on the handle makes the link mechanism disengage the gate portion from the recess. The link mechanism includes a protrusion protruding toward the apparatus and having a slope, which tapers off. When the conveying device closes into the apparatus, compressive contact of the protrusion slope with a wall of the apparatus disengages the gate portion from the recess.

Conveying device

In the present glossy paper, an opposite surface of a glossed and smooth image formation surface is rough-surfaced. Therefore, the glossy paper do not adhere together even under the high-temperature and high-humidity environment. In fact, the present invention provides glossy paper which can advantageously achieve a continuous paper feeding in the image forming apparatus regardless of the use environment conditions.

Glossy paper

A transport path switching unit is provided between transport rollers and pre-registration rollers, and control is performed to switch between a main transport path and an extended transport path of the transport path switching unit such that either the main transport path or the extended transport path is interposed as the part of the paper transport path between the transport rollers and the pre-registration rollers to vary a total length of the paper transport path.

Paper transport path of image forming apparatus

A paper feeding deviceprovided in an image forming apparatusA according to one embodiment of the present invention is provided with a loading memberin which sheets P can be stacked and a central bending sectionconfigured to upwardly raise a sheet transport direction X central area Pof the sheet P for sheets P stacked in the loading member

Paper feeding device and image forming apparatus with curl correction

To provide a fusing unit including a fusing roller for fixing an unfixed toner image to a sheet and a fusing roller cleaning unit including a web sheet delivering roller for supplying a web sheet and a winding roller for taking up the web sheet for cleaning the fusing roller, the fusing roller cleaning unit includes a web detecting terminal for detecting the presence of the web sheet and a tension roller for guiding the web sheet, on the upstream side of a pressure roller with respect to the web sheet's direction of conveyance and first and second guide rollers, the second guide roller being disposed upstream of the web detecting terminal.

Fusing device with a web end detector and image forming apparatus incorporating same

In a fixing device, a heat roller and a fixing gear for rotating the heat roller are arranged concentrically, and coupled to each other by inserting a key formed in the fixing gear into a keyway formed in the heat roller. The keyway is designed such that the key is allowed to move along a direction in which the heat roller is rotated. For example, the keyway is formed by notching a free end of a one-side rotary shaft of the heat roller so as to extend along the direction in which the heat roller is rotated.

Growing community of inventors

Nara, Japan

Yasuaki Fukada