Seiko Epson Corporation

Yoshiaki Shibasaki

Kosaku Nobuta

Osamu Hanamura

Tomoyuki Nakano

Tomoyuki Kurata

Takayuki Tanaka

Kazunobu Nimura

An image forming apparatus that forms an output image including an authentication image for authenticity determination on a medium. The image forming apparatus includes: a recording head configured to discharge a droplet onto the medium; a drive unit configured to perform main scanning in which the recording head moves in a main scanning direction and sub scanning in which the medium is fed in a feeding direction; and a control unit configured to control, based on image formation data representing the output image, the main scanning and the sub scanning performed by the drive unit, and the discharge of the droplet performed by the recording head. The control unit performs a control to form the authentication image by a plurality of times of the main scanning in which feeding positions of the medium in the feeding direction are different, and performs a control so that at least one feeding amount of the medium in one sub scanning is different between a feeding amount at time of forming the authentication image and a feeding amount at time of forming a portion of the output image that does not include the authentication image.

Image forming apparatus and image forming method

A server includes: a storage control section storing, in a storage section, relationship information that indicates a relationship between attribute information indicating an attribute of a user of a device and consumption information indicating consumption of a consumable product of the device; an acquisition section acquiring the attribute information of a first user; and a predicted consumption calculation section calculating, based on the attribute information of the first user and the relationship information, predicted consumption of the consumable product of the device used by the first user.

Device management system, server, and method of controlling device management system

An apparatus includes: an opening and closing mechanism that opens or closes an opening section of the apparatus; a first movable body that is moved in accordance with the operation of opening and closing the opening section by the opening and closing mechanism; a movement detector that detects the movement amount of the first movable body; a controller that determines whether or not the opening section is closed, on the basis of the detected movement amount; a second movable body disposed in the apparatus and movable; and a movement transmitting mechanism which moves the first movable body in accordance with the movement of the second movable body in a state in which the opening section is closed, and does not move the first movable body in accordance with the movement of the second movable body in a state in which the opening section is opened.

Decision of opening and closing of opening section of apparatus

A printer is disclosed which determines whether or not an opening of the printer is open or closed. The printer includes an opening/closing mechanism for opening and closing the opening of the printer housing. The printer includes a controller configured to determine whether the opening is open or closed based on a light receiving state of a light receiving portion. The light receiving portion receives light from a light sending portion. A first movable body with a plurality of openings is moveable between the light sending and receiving portions. A movement transmission mechanism moves the first moveable body according to movement of a second moveable body.

Open/close judgment of opening of device

A method of controlling a stepping motor including a stator having a driving coil wound therearound, and a rotor, the method comprising: performing a driving control of driving the rotor at a predetermined step angle and a stop control of stopping the rotor at a predetermined stop position; and if a predetermined rotation range of the rotor including a range having a maximum position holding torque that is a maximum holding torque of the rotor when the rotor stops with the driving coil thereof being supplied with a current, is referred to as a first rotation range, and a predetermined rotation range of the rotor other than the first rotation range is referred to as a second rotation range, in the stop control, setting the sum of currents supplied to the driving coils to stop the rotor at a target stop position within the second rotation range to be larger than the sum of currents supplied to the driving coils to stop the rotor at a target stop position within the first rotation range.

Method of controlling stepping motor, apparatus for controlling stepping motor, and printer

A method of controlling a stepping motor, comprising: performing a driving control of driving a rotor at a predetermined step angle; and performing a stop control of giving a driving circuit of the stepping motor a stop instruction for stopping the rotor at a position that is before or beyond a target stop position by a minuter step angle than the step angle in the driving control in a direction in which the rotor is rotated when to stop the rotor at the target stop position.

An ink supply control apparatus includes: a driver, operable to drive a selector provided between a recording head and an ink tank to control an ink supply from the ink tank to the recording head; a detector, operable to detect that the selector is disposed in a predetermined position between two positions of at least two control positions; and a controller, operable to control the driver so as to stop the selector in one of the two positions in a predetermined time after the detector detects that the selector is disposed in the predetermined position.

Growing community of inventors

Azumino, Japan

Yoshiaki Shibasaki