Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha

Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Nippon Thermostat Co., Ltd.

Yoji Sato

Nobuaki Takahashi

Kazuhito Shimomura

A thermal printer that forms an image on a medium by a thermal head having a heat generating element includes a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of the thermal head; a head lifting motor configured to switch the thermal head between a head down state in which the thermal head can form an image on the medium and a head up state in which the thermal head is separated from the medium; and an MPU configured to determine whether a measurement temperature measured by the temperature sensor is less than a predetermined temperature threshold and cause the heat generating element to generate heat by switching the thermal head to a head up state by the head lifting motor, if the measurement temperature is less than the temperature threshold.

Thermal printer

An image forming apparatus includes a first printer configured to print on a medium using a first material, a second printer configured to print on the medium using a second material that turns invisible when a first condition is satisfied, and a controller configured to: control the first printer to print on the medium a first symbol that is machine-readable and associated with first information, and control the second printer to print a second symbol on the medium on which the first symbol has been printed. A composite symbol of the first and second symbols is machine-readable and associated with second information different from the first information.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming device according to an embodiment includes an image display device, a sensor, a first unit, a second unit, a control unit, and a storage unit. The sensor acquires information on a phenomenon that occurs in association with occurrence of an abnormality in the own device. The first unit includes a plurality of components and performs a part of image forming processing. The second unit includes a plurality of components and performs processing that is a part of the image forming processing and is different from the processing performed by the first unit. The control unit causes the first and second units to operate at different timings and performs display for causing a user to instruct a timing at which the abnormality occurs on the image display device. The storage unit records, as abnormality information, the information acquired by the sensor and an instruction of the user.

Determination of an occurance of an abnormality in an image forming device and control method thereof

An image forming apparatus and a control method of an image forming apparatus having high convenience are provided. The image forming apparatus includes an image transfer system and a processor. The image transfer system is configured to be switchable between a first position, where printing is performed in a first mode, and a second position, where printing is performed in a second mode. The processor, when executing a print job by switching a position of the image transfer system to a position set in advance as a home position at a waiting time for printing, switches the position of the image transfer system to a position corresponding to the print job and sets the home position based on a result of comparison between a print history in a first mode and a print history in a second mode.

Image forming apparatus and control method of image forming apparatus

A device housing having a hollow portion including a gas intake pipe projectingly provided to an outer periphery of an instrument body, having a heater built therein and attached to the instrument body. In the hollow portion, a heating wall formed by a bulge extending from the outer end side to the inner end side in the axial direction of the intake pipe and the heater for heating are internally provided. Between the heating wall and a gas intake pipe, and between the heating wall and an inner wall of the housing, inner and outer gas flow paths are formed a liquefied gas introduction side opening is provided at an outer end side of the outer gas flow path, and the outer end side of the inner gas flow path is communicated with a gas intake opening of the tip of the gas intake pipe.

Heater device for heating liquefied gas

In accordance with an embodiment, an image forming apparatus comprises a main body, an attaching/detaching section, an uneven part, and a cleaning member. A conveyance path is formed inside the main body. The attaching/detaching section housed in the main body is detachably drawn out with respect to the main body along the conveyance path. The uneven part has a convex part and a concave part and is arranged in the attaching/detaching section. The cleaning member arranged in the main body is slidable with the convex part in a direction in which the attaching/detaching section moves along the conveyance path.

Image forming apparatus having a main body, attaching/detaching section, uneven part, and cleaning member

A cleaning apparatus for an image carrier with toner on the image carrier, includes a cleaning member that is in contact with the image carrier and configured to remove toner on the image carrier as the image carrier moves in a conveying direction, and an air blower configured to generate an air flow in a region of the image carrier that is moving towards the cleaning member.

Cleaning apparatus for image carrier, image forming apparatus having the same, and method for cleaning image carrier

An image forming apparatus includes a light scan head having a plurality of LED elements disposed along a main-scanning direction of a photoreceptor drum and configured to expose the photoreceptor drum with light, a developing device disposed to face the photoreceptor drum in the main-scanning direction and including a development roller configured to supply a developer to the photoreceptor drum, and a non-uniform density correction unit configured to control an intensity of light emitted from the plurality of LED elements of the light scan head based on correction data that corresponds to a tendency pattern of an expected non-uniform image density so as to correct the non-uniform density of an image that is to be formed on a recording medium.

Image forming apparatus and exposing apparatus

In a tandem type image formation apparatus, a drum drive unit which always simultaneously drives respective photoreceptor drums, is assembled such that it is possible to synchronize cycles of rotational speed fluctuations of the respective photoreceptor drums in assembling. In this manner, the photoreceptor drums rotate so as to synchronize the cycles of rotational speed fluctuations of the photoreceptor drums even after assembling. Therefore, a phase difference in the cycles of rotational speed fluctuations of the photoreceptor drums is determined, and the photoreceptor drums are assembled so as to be shifted by the phase difference.

Method for assembling drum drive unit capable of reducing drum rotational speed fluctuations and image formation apparatus containing a drum drive unit

A drive transmitting mechanism configured to rotate the photosensitive drum of a color copier has a driving shaft, a driven shaft, and first and second coupling members. The first coupling member has a projection extending in a diametrical direction. The first coupling member is attached to the driving shaft, with amount of freedom to oscillate in a direction intersecting at right angles to the lengthwise direction of the projection. The second coupling member has a recess in which the projection is fitted. The second coupling member is attached to the driven shaft, with amount of freedom to oscillate in the lengthwise direction of the recess. The first and second coupling members oscillate in the diametrical direction and slide on the contacting surface in a diametrical direction intersecting at right angles to the diametrical direction, thus suppressing the rotational speed change of the driven shaft, which results from the de-centering and declination between the driving shaft and the driven shaft.

Drive transmitting mechanism for an image forming apparatus

Drive transmitting mechanism and image forming apparatus

On a relay guide neighboring with a paper supply tray, a guide rib rotated and projected from a guide face is installed, and the width of sheets is controlled, thus an occurrence of skewing of various sheets supplied from a paper supply tray is prevented, and the conveyability of sheets is improved, and the image quality formed on the sheets is improved.

Sheet conveying device and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a roller having a central portion and an outer edge portion, a fusing belt positioned over at least a portion of the central portion of the roller, and a belt regulating part, positioned on the outer edge portion of the roller, that impedes the fusing belt from moving onto the outer edge portion of the roller. The belt regulating part includes a first portion having a surface adjacent to the central portion of the roller and an edge of the fusing belt. The first portion is configured to contact the fusing belt if the fusing belt moves toward the outer edge portion of the roller. The belt regulating part also includes a second portion coupled to the first portion, the second portion having an interior surface that contacts with the outer edge portion of the roller during operation of the image forming apparatus to cause the regulating part to rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the roller and the fusing belt.

Growing community of inventors

Izunokuni Shizuoka, Japan

Yoji Sato