Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-kaisha

Yoshihiro Oyama

Yoshihiro Okamoto

Junichi Yokoi

Takashi Suzuki

Koji Abe

Tomohiro Kondo

Tomoya Yamamoto

Toshiki Motoyama

Kentaro Aoyama

Kazushi Shumiya

Tatsuaki Mori

A scanning optical device includes a semiconductor laser, a coupling lens, a condenser lens, a deflector, a scanning optical system, a frame, and a first cover. The coupling lens converts light emitted by the first semiconductor laser to a light beam. The light beam received from the coupling lens is concentrated through the condenser lens. The deflector includes a polygon mirror configured to deflect the light beam received from the condenser lens. The scanning optical system directs the light beam deflected by the deflector toward an image plane. The deflector and the scanning optical system are fixed to the frame. The first cover covers at least a portion of the frame on which the deflector is located. The frame includes a wall having an opening through which a light beam traveling toward the polygon mirror passes. The condenser lens closes the opening.

Scanning optical device

In a reading device, a light transmissive member has a front surface on which an original is placed. A peripheral member is adjacent to the light transmissive member, and includes a back surface in which a reference hole is formed. The reference hole includes a first edge and a second edge intersecting with each other. A reading sensor faces the back surface of the light transmissive member and the back surface of the peripheral member. The controller controls the reading sensor to read a reading range including the reference hole to obtain a read image, and determines a reference position in the reading range based on the read image. The reference position is determined to an intersection between the first edge and the second edge. The controller sets a reading start position based on the reference position.

Reading device setting reading start position by reading reference hole having L-shape

An image reading apparatus includes a main body part and an openable part. On an upper surface of the main body part, a first reading surface, a second reading surface and a first guide part arranged between the two reading surfaces are provided. When a direction parallel to a direction in which an original passes over the second reading surface is defined as a first direction, and a direction parallel to the second reading surface and orthogonal to the first direction is defined as a second direction, on the upper surface, a positioning convex part having a curved surface curved downward when viewed in the second direction is provided on an extended line of the first guide part. On a lower surface of the openable part, a positioning concave part having two inclined surfaces respectively contacting the curved surface when viewed in the second direction is provided.

Image reading apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a printer having a sheet discharge tray, a scanning device disposed above the printer, a resin-made support member supporting the scanning device on the printer and defining a sheet discharge space above the sheet discharge tray between the printer and the scanning device, a metal-made first reinforcement plate fixed to the printer and the support member, and a metal-made second reinforcement plate fixed to the scanning device and the support member. The support member has a notched part formed to communicate the sheet discharge space with an outside in a direction intersecting a sheet discharge direction on the sheet discharge tray. The first reinforcement plate extends at least in a vertical direction along the notched part. The second reinforcement plate, which is not coupled with the first reinforcement plate, extends at least in the vertical direction along the notched part.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming device includes a casing, an image forming unit, a first board, and an operational button. The image forming unit and the first board are disposed in the casing. The first board has a first opening extending through the first board, and a loop antenna disposed around the first opening. The operational button is located in the casing through the first opening. The operational button has a top surface exposed to an exterior of the casing.

Image forming device having a panel board with a tactile switch

An image reading apparatus includes: a supply tray; a discharge tray, which is positioned below the supply tray to support the sheet; a conveyance guide, which conveys the sheet from the supply tray to the discharge tray; a reading sensor, which reads an image on the sheet conveyed on the conveyance guide; a discharge unit, which includes a discharge port to discharge the sheet conveyed by the conveyance guide to the discharge tray and is configured to move from a third position to a fourth position, the fourth position being higher than the third position; a first drive source, which generates a drive force; and a second drive source, which generates a drive force, wherein the movable plate is moved by the drive force from the first drive source, and the discharge unit is moved by the drive force from the second drive source.

Image reading apparatus including movable plate and discharge unit

An image forming apparatus includes a first casing, a pivotable second casing, a pivotable document cover, and a lock mechanism including a movable hook and a fixed hook. The second casing has a document support surface. When the second casing is at a first position in which the second casing covers an upper surface of the first casing, and the document cover is at a fourth position in which the document cover reveals the document support surface, the movable hook is engaged with the fixed hook. When the second casing is at the first position, and the document cover is at a third position in which the document cover covers the document support surface, the movable hook is disengaged from the fixed hook.

A sheet conveyer, comprising: a 1st conveying roller; a 1st support part to support the 1st conveying roller; a 1st helical gear to rotate together with the 1st conveying roller and to generate thrust in a particular direction; a 2nd conveying roller; a 2nd support part to support the 2nd conveying roller; a 2nd helical gear to generate thrust in the particular direction; a 3rd helical gear to engage with the 1st helical gear; a 4th helical gear to engage with the 2nd helical gear; and a clutch to connect or disconnect transmission of a driving force between the 3rd helical gear and the 4th helical gear, wherein: when the clutch is disconnected, the 1st and 2nd conveying rollers are disposed at an initial position, and when the clutch is connected, the 1st and 2nd conveying rollers move from the initial position in the particular direction.

Sheet conveyor and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus, including a process unit to form a developer image on a sheet, a fuser to convey the sheet and fix the developer image on the sheet by the process unit, a first roller to convey the sheet exiting the fuser to be ejected outside a body of the image forming apparatus, and a driving unit to drive the first roller, is provided. The driving unit drives the first roller at a circumferential velocity higher than a sheet-conveying velocity to convey the sheet by the fuser. The driving unit increases the circumferential velocity of the first roller to be higher as the sheet-conveying velocity to convey the sheet by the fuser is higher.

Image forming apparatus with fuser and ejection roller to eject sheet

An image forming apparatus includes a process unit to form an image onto a sheet. A fixer fixes the image to the sheet. A reverse roller makes a positive rotation to convey the sheet in a forward direction from the fixer, and makes an opposite rotation to convey the sheet in an opposite direction. A returner returns the sheet to the process unit. A branching member guides the sheet from the reverse roller to the returner. A first sensor detects the sheet. The controller controls the reverse roller to make the positive rotation at a circumferential speed higher than a speed of the sheet conveyed by the fixer, controls the reverse roller to wait for predetermined waiting time after the first sensor has detected a rear end of the sheet, and makes the waiting time shorter as a length of the sheet is greater.

An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive drum, a fixing unit including a fixing roller, a sheet ejection tray, a switchback roller, a re-feeding roller, a first frame, a second frame, a first motor, a first transmission mechanism, a second motor, and a second transmission mechanism. The switchback roller is configured to rotate in a forward direction to convey a sheet to the tray and in a reverse direction to convey the sheet back toward the photosensitive drum. The first motor and the first transmission mechanism are disposed to the first frame. The first transmission mechanism is configured to transmit the drive force from the first motor to the fixing roller. The second motor and the second transmission mechanism are disposed to the second frame. The second transmission mechanism is includes a clutch mechanism configured to intermittently transmit the drive force from the second motor to the re-feeding roller.

An image forming apparatus includes a process unit configured to form a toner image on a sheet, a fuser configured to heat the sheet passed through the process unit thereby fixing the toner image onto the sheet, a re-conveyor configured to convey the sheet passed through the fuser to the process unit, and a controller configured to perform particular duplex printing including controlling, when a temperature of the fuser is a first temperature, the re-conveyor to convey the sheet passed through the fuser to the process unit in a first period of time, and controlling, when the temperature of the fuser is a second temperature higher than the first temperature, the re-conveyor to convey the sheet passed through the fuser to the process unit in a second period of time longer than the first period of time.

Growing community of inventors

Tokai, Japan

Yoshihiro Oyama