Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Yoshitaka Yamazaki

Tetsuro Fukusaka

Yuzo Matsumoto

Taishi Tomii

Shinya Suzuki

Yushi Oka

Takayuki Kawakami

Toshifumi Kakutani

Akihito Mori

Kazumi Sato

Yousuke Hata

Takeyuki Suda

Naoto Yamada

Hajime Motoyama

Hajime Kaji

Junichi Noguchi

Hirohisa Kato

Satoshi Ogawara

Hiroshi Saito

Nobuo Sekiguchi

Katsuhide Koga

Kenji Kuroki

Jun Nakazato

Tomoharu Sato

Tomoichiro Ohta

Shigemi Kumagai

Yusuke Obuchi

Hideto Abe

Takashi Umemoto

Provided is a structure configured to stably supply electric power to functional units forming an image forming apparatus. To achieve this, the image forming apparatus includes: an image creating portion (Y) serving as a functional unit for forming images; and an apparatus main body including a DC power distribution portion () configured to supply electric power to the image creating portion (Y) and a main controller () configured to control operation of the image creating portion (Y). The image creating portion (Y) includes a protection circuit () and a load to be driven by electric power that is supplied from the DC power distribution portion (). The protection circuit () gradually supplies power source electric power to the load when mounted on the apparatus main body, and immediately shuts off the supply of the electric power to the load when pulled out of the apparatus main body.

Image forming apparatus and unit control device

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms a toner image, a transfer portion that transfers the toner image onto a sheet, and a fixing unit that fixes the toner image to the sheet. A compressor outputs air based on a drive current supplied from a power source, and a detection portion detects the drive current. An ejection portion ejects the air output from the compressor, and a pipe supplies the air output from the compressor to the ejection portion. In addition, a determination unit determines a characteristic expression indicating a relationship between the drive current and an air pressure of the air based on a first detection result obtained by the detection portion when the air pressure is adjusted to a first predetermined value and a second detection result obtained by the detection portion when the air pressure is adjusted to a second predetermined value.

Image forming apparatus having a compressor that outputs air to separate a sheet from a fixing roller

A sheet processing apparatus includes a binding unit configured to perform binding processing by pressing a sheet bundle, a motor configured to drive the binding unit to press the sheet bundle, and a motor control unit configured to set a driving current of the motor and an upper limit value of the driving current, the motor control unit being configured to set the driving current when starting activating the motor in a state where the binding unit is not pressing the sheet bundle to a first value, and set the upper limit value of the driving current in a period in which the binding unit is pressing the sheet bundle to a second value less than or equal to the first value.

Sheet processing apparatus and image forming apparatus having binding processing function

Provided is a sheet material binding apparatus capable of shortening a user's waiting time required to bind sheets through a manual operation with a movable stapler. A CPU () of a sheet material binding apparatus () monitors whether or not an image forming apparatus () can execute image formation processing. When the image forming apparatus () can execute the image formation processing, the movable stapler is arranged at a standby position close to the image forming apparatus (). When the image forming apparatus () cannot execute the image formation processing, on the other hand, the movable stapler is arranged at a position for performing the manual operation, to thereby bind the sheets through the manual operation immediately.

Sheet material binding apparatus and image forming system with manual binding stand-by position

A sheet processing apparatus includes a binding unit configured to perform binding processing by pressing a sheet bundle, a motor configured to drive the binding unit to press the sheet bundle, a speed detection unit configured to detect a speed of the motor, a voltage detection unit configured to detect a driving voltage of the motor, and a motor control unit configured to determine an upper limit value of a driving current of the motor based on the speed detected by the speed detection unit and the driving voltage detected by the voltage detection unit in a period when the motor is being driven and the binding unit is not pressing the sheet bundle.

A sheet processing apparatus includes: a binding unit that sandwiches and binds a plurality of sheets by using a convex portion and a concave portion; a moving unit that moves at least one of the convex portion and the concave portion; a drive unit that drives the moving unit; and a control unit that controls the drive unit so that a state in which the binding unit sandwiches the plurality of sheets at a predetermined pressing force by using a driving force from the drive unit is retained for a predetermined time period, and so that the one of the convex portion and the concave portion is moved in a direction away from the another of the convex portion and the concave portion after the predetermined time period has elapsed.

Sheet processing apparatus and image forming apparatus

An image forming system which is capable of, when a manual stapling process is to be carried out on sheets, reducing waiting time for a user and decreasing power consumption. The image forming system has an image forming apparatus, which forms images on sheets, and a sheet post-processing apparatus. When the sheet post-processing apparatus is to shift into a power-saving state, a movable stapler is moved to a manual stapling position. When it is detected that sheets have been set into a sheet setting unit in a state in which the image forming apparatus and the sheet post-processing apparatus have shifted into the power-saving state, the image forming apparatus is held in the power-saving state, and the sheet post-processing apparatus is returned from the power-saving state.

Image forming system having movable stapler, sheet post-processing apparatus, and control method

A sheet binding processing apparatus for avoiding the residual of binding member is provided. The sheet binding processing apparatus comprises a sheet insertion port through which a sheet bundle formed of a plurality of sheets S is inserted, a movable stapler for binding the sheet bundle inserted through the sheet insertion port, and a manual stapling sheet sensor for detecting, at a predetermined detection time interval, existence or non-existence of the sheet bundle in the sheet insertion port. When the manual stapling sheet sensor detects the existence of the sheet bundle, the sheet binding processing apparatus gives permission to bind the sheet bundle by the movable stapler.

Sheet binding processing apparatus and image forming system

An image forming apparatus that reduces density irregularity caused by SD gap variation. A developing bias voltage for forming a developing electric field between a photosensitive drum and a developing sleeve is applied to the developing sleeve. A rotational period of the photosensitive drum is divided into a plurality of blocks, and current values are acquired for each block. An average value of the acquired current values for each block is stored until the photosensitive drum is rotated a predetermined number of times, for each of the predetermined number of times of rotation. A moving average value of the average values in each block is calculated, and a correction table for correcting the developing bias voltage to be applied in each block is created using the calculated moving average values, and the developing bias voltage is controlled based on the created correction table.

Image forming apparatus that corrects developing bias voltage

Provided are a sheet feeding device and an image forming apparatus that are capable of accurately detecting an abnormality of a feeding state without erroneously detecting when a trailing edge of a preceding sheet and a leading edge of a subsequent sheet are fed in an overlaid state. The sheet feeding device includes ultrasonic wave sensorsandthat detect an overlaid state of a preceding sheet Sa and a subsequent sheet Sb fed from feeding portionstoand a controllerthat continuously performs a detection of the overlaid state of a sheet fed from the feeding portion at a predetermined number of detecting points along a sheet conveying direction at every predetermined time and determines a number of detecting points where detects. Based on the determined number of detecting points, the controller determines that the overlaid state is normal or abnormal.

Sheet feeding device and image forming apparatus

A sheet feeder which is capable of accurately detecting multi-feed of sheets even when the distance between sensors is changed. The sheet feeder includes a sheet container for holding a stack of sheets. Ultrasonic sensors for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, respectively, are provided on a conveying path. The ultrasonic sensor as a transmitter transmits ultrasonic waves to a sheet being fed and conveyed. A reception circuit detects a level of ultrasonic waves received by the ultrasonic sensor as a receiver. The level of ultrasonic waves detected after lapse of a predetermined time from transmission of ultrasonic waves is compared with a predetermined threshold value to determine multi-feed of sheets. A distance between the ultrasonic sensors is detected, and at least one of the predetermined time period and the predetermined threshold value is corrected based on the detected distance between the sensors.

Sheet feeder that detects multi-feed of sheets and image forming apparatus

Provided is a sheet feeding apparatus capable of reliably feeding thin sheets in a separated state and an image forming apparatus including the same. A floating preventing member which regulates an upward movement of an uppermost sheet floated by air is provided so as to be lifted and lowered between a tail end regulating plate regulating the position of the sheet above a tray and an adsorbing and conveying portion which conveys the uppermost sheet floated by the air blowing from a downstream air blowing portion. The adsorbing and conveying portion is moved to a predetermined regulating position higher than the height position of the uppermost sheet and lower than the feeding surface of the adsorbing and conveying portion before the sheet is floated, which suppresses the movement of the sheet toward the tail end side caused by the curling of the sheet due to the air.

Sheet feeding apparatus and image forming apparatus

Provided are a high-quality sheet feeding apparatus which can detect multifeeding of sheets in a wide range of the sheet conveying direction and realize a stable conveying state, and an image forming apparatus therewith. A CPU controls a multifeeding detection sensor to detect multifeeding of sheets at a plurality of transmission points Pto Pof the multifeeding detection sensor. This CPU sets a plurality of transmission points across the front end and rear end of a sheet moving in the sheet conveying direction, based on size information of the sheet read from a storage portion and the timing of detection passing of the sheet in a horizontal path first sensor. This enables detection of multifeeding across the front end and rear end of a preceding sheet in the sheet conveying direction, and also enables detection of unseparated multifeeding that a subsequent sheet follows overlapping the preceding sheet.

A sheet feeding device includes drawing and conveying a sheet, applying negative pressure for sheet suction via a suction opening, moving a shutter member between a closing position where the suction opening in an upstream side in a sheet feeding direction is partially closed and an open position where the suction opening is opened, and controlling the shutter member to follow a preceding sheet that is drawn onto the suction conveyance member to move to the downstream side in the feeding direction to close the suction opening, and return to an open position at a predetermined timing to draw the sheets onto the suction conveyance member in a state where an upstream edge of the preceding sheet in the feeding direction and a downstream edge of the subsequent sheet in the feeding direction are overlaid by a predetermined amount.

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Abiko, Japan

Yoshitaka Yamazaki