Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Yuichiro Maeyama

Masato Ogawa

Masahiko Yamada

Toshihiro Yoshinuma

Kazuhiro Wakamatsu

Takayuki Niihara

Motoharu Takahashi

Tomohiro Egawa

Mamoru Yorimoto

Kiyoshi Hata

Takeshi Watanabe

Kyosuke Nakada

Kahei Nakamura

Isao Matsushima

Shingo Takai

Hiroaki Miyagawa

Shigeru Morinaga

Akito Yoshimaru

Yusuke Tokunaga

Noboru Hirano

Eri Uchida

Dai Kurabayashi

Yoshio Miyamoto

Yasuyuki Horie

Takaaki Kaneko

Yohei Sakon

Taiki Yamamoto

A reading device and an image forming apparatus. The reading device includes a reader disposed at a scanning position, the reader being configured to read an image formed on a surface of a sheet, a movement mechanism to move the reader between the scanning position and a separated position away from the scanning position, and a reference plate disposed at a first position facing a reading face of the reader, the reference plate being configured to obtain a reference value to be used when the reader reads the image. In the reading device, the reference plate rotates around an axis from a second position facing a side of the reader to the first position or from the first position to the second position in conjunction with movement of the reader from the scanning position to the separated position by the movement mechanism The image forming apparatus includes the reading device.

Reading device and image forming apparatus

A sheet conveying device, which is included in an image forming apparatus, includes a plurality of position detectors, a leading end detector, and a position adjuster. The plurality of position detectors is configured to detect a position of a sheet. The leading end detector is configured to detect a leading end of the sheet. The position adjuster is configured to, based on a detection result obtained by the plurality of position detectors, rotate in a rotation direction of the sheet within a plane of conveyance of the sheet to change the position of the sheet the position adjuster grips the sheet under conveyance to cause the leading end detector to rotate with the position adjuster in the rotation direction of the sheet within the plane of conveyance of the sheet.

Sheet conveying device and image forming apparatus incorporating the sheet conveying device

A printing apparatus includes a printing device to print, on a sheet, a detection mark for acquiring an amount of deviation of an image, a detection device to read a position of the detection mark and acquire the amount of deviation of the position of the detection mark, and control circuitry to perform correction according to the amount of deviation. The circuitry prints the detection marks on both faces of the sheet in duplex printing, reads the detection marks on both faces with the detection device, calculates a first correction value from the position of the detection mark on a first face on which printing is performed first, calculates a second correction value from the position of the detection mark on a second face on which printing is performed later, and calculates a third correction value from the positions of the detection marks on the first and second faces.

Printing apparatus

A sheet conveying device includable in an image forming apparatus that uses a method of conveying a conveyance target medium and a method of forming an image, includes a position detector, a position adjuster, and circuitry. The position detector is configured to detect a position of a conveyance target medium. Based on a detection of the position of the conveyance target medium by the position detector, the position adjuster moves in at least one of a width direction of the conveyance target medium and a rotation direction of the conveyance target medium within a plane of conveyance of the conveyance target medium and repeatedly adjusts the position of the conveyance target medium while conveying the conveyance target medium. The circuitry changes a conveying speed of the conveyance target medium, according to a change of the position of the conveyance target medium after adjusted by the position adjuster.

Sheet conveying device, image forming apparatus incorporating the sheet conveying device, method of conveying conveyance target medium, and method of forming image on conveyance target medium using the method of forming image

An image forming apparatus, in which a method of correcting a positional deviation of a sheet is performed, includes a detecting device to detect a position of the sheet, a pair of sheet conveying bodies to convey the sheet and correct the positional deviation of the sheet, an image forming device to form an image on the sheet, and circuitry to calculate a first positional deviation amount of the sheet based on a first detection result of the detecting device, cause the pair of sheet conveying bodies to correct the positional deviation of the sheet based on the first positional deviation amount, calculate a second positional deviation amount of the sheet based on a second detection result of the detecting device, and cause the image forming device to correct the positional deviation of an image forming position on the sheet based on the second positional deviation amount.

Image forming apparatus and method of correcting positional deviation of sheet

A sheet conveying device includes a position detector configured to detect a position of a side end portion of a conveyance target medium, a position adjuster configured to move in at least one of a width direction of the conveyance target medium and a rotation direction of the conveyance target medium within a plane of sheet conveyance, while conveying the conveyance target medium, and adjust a position of the conveyance target medium, according to the position of the side end portion of the conveyance target medium detected by the position detector, a transfer rotary body disposed downstream from the position adjuster in a sheet conveying direction and having a receiver mounted on the rotary body to receive the conveyance target medium, and circuitry configured to change a rotation speed of the transfer rotary body according to the position of the conveyance target medium after adjusted by the position adjuster.

Sheet conveying device, image forming apparatus incorporating the sheet conveying device, sheet conveying method using the image forming apparatus incorporating the sheet conveying device, and image forming method using the image forming apparatus incorporating the sheet conveying device

A sheet conveying device includes a conveying body, a pressing body, and an attracting device. The conveying body conveys a sheet. The pressing body presses the sheet to a circumferential surface of the conveying body at an upstream side from an operation start position at which an operation with respect to the sheet starts, in a sheet conveying direction. The attracting device sucks and attracts the sheet onto the conveying body. The attracting device includes an attracting unit having an attracting region extending shorter than a distance between the pressing body and the operation start position. The attracting unit rotate together with the conveying body.

A sheet conveying device includes a detector configured to detect an attitude of a conveyance target medium, a corrector configured to perform a correcting operation based on a detection result of the detector, and circuitry configured to calculate an angular displacement correction amount and a lateral displacement correction amount of the conveyance target medium, cause the corrector to perform the correcting operation in a direction perpendicular to a sheet conveying direction, based on the lateral displacement correction amount, after the corrector grips the conveyance target medium, and cause the corrector to rotate by the angular displacement correction amount of the conveyance target medium before the corrector grips the conveyance target medium and to perform the correcting operation in a direction of rotation of the conveyance target medium, based on the angular displacement correction amount, after the corrector grips the conveyance target medium.

Sheet conveying device, image forming apparatus incorporating the sheet conveying device, and sheet conveying method using the sheet conveying device

A liquid discharge device includes a head array, a support body, a moving assembly, and a head array fixing device. The head array fixing device fixes the head array at an approach position. The head array fixing device includes a gripping target member and a gripping member. The gripping target member is disposed on one of the head array and the support body and extending in a direction in which the head array approaches or retracts from a recording region of a recording medium. The gripping member is disposed on another of the head array and the support body, to grip the gripping target member to position the gripping target member in a conveyance direction and a width direction of the recording member. A gripping position at which the gripping member grips the gripping target member is adjustable in at least one of the conveyance direction and the width direction.

Liquid discharge device and liquid discharge apparatus including liquid discharge device

A liquid discharge apparatus includes a rotator, a liquid discharger, a sheet-material position detector, a first signal output device, a second signal output device, and circuitry. The rotator carries a sheet material on a circumferential surface and conveys the sheet material. The liquid discharger discharges liquid onto the sheet material. The sheet-material position detector detects a position of the sheet material. The first signal output device outputs a first signal corresponding to a rotation amount of the rotator. The second signal output device outputs a second signal correlated with a movement amount of the sheet material on the circumferential surface of the rotator. The circuitry determines a discharge start timing of the liquid discharger from a detection result of the sheet-material position detector and the first signal, and generates a discharge timing of the liquid discharger from the second signal.

Liquid discharge apparatus

A feeding device includes a plurality of suction units, disposed above a conveyed medium stacked on a stacker, to attract the conveyed medium. At least one of the plurality of suction units includes a rotary fan including a board and a plurality of walls extending from the board; and a driver to rotate the rotary fan. The at least one of the plurality of suction units generates a vortex air with a side of the board with the plurality of walls directed to the conveyed medium. The at least one of the plurality of suction units being a suction unit generates a vortex air.

Feeding device, image forming system, and conveyed medium inspection system

A feeding device to feed a conveyed medium stacked on a stacker, includes a first suction unit, a second suction unit, and third suction units. The first suction unit includes a suction chamber; a suction fan to exhaust air from the suction chamber; and a first driver to rotate the suction fan. The suction units are disposed above the conveyed medium stacked on the stacker. The second suction unit includes a rotary fan including a board and a plurality of walls extending from the board; and a second driver to rotate the rotary fan. The second suction unit generates a vortex flow directed to the conveyed medium. The plurality of third suction units is disposed in a direction perpendicular to a conveyance direction of the conveyed medium and attracts ends of the conveyed medium in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction.

A moving unit of a sheet cutting device is movable in a sheet width direction perpendicular to a sheet feed direction in which a sheet of recording media is fed along a sheet feed path. A cutter holder accommodates a cutter, is connected to the moving unit and is rotatable in a thickness direction of the sheet relative to the moving unit. A guide member is disposed along the sheet width direction to guide the moving unit in the sheet width direction. A drawing member is mounted on the moving unit to draw the moving unit toward a downstream side in a cutting direction in which the cutter holder moves to cut the sheet. The moving unit is connected to the cutter holder at a position downstream in the cutting direction from an accommodated position of the cutter in the cutter holder.

Sheet cutting device and image forming apparatus including the sheet cutting device

An image forming apparatus includes a recording head, a carnage, a sheet cutting device, a cutter position detecting device, and a controller. The cutting device includes a cutter and a cutter unit holding the cutter. A movement area of the carriage overlaps a movement area of the cutter unit in a thickness direction of a sheet. The detecting device detects a position of the cutter unit. The controller performs initial operation upon power on of the apparatus to move the cutter unit to a cutter home position located at one end of the movement area of the cutter unit. The cutter unit, after cutting the sheet, is movable in a width direction of the sheet with the cutter unit retracted from a sheet feed path in the thickness direction. The controller determines whether or not to perform the initial operation based on detection results of the detecting device.

Image forming apparatus including sheet cutting device

A sheet cutting device includes a cutter holder, a moving unit, and a guide member. The cutter holder accommodates a cutter. The cutter has opposed blades opposing each other to cut a sheet of recording media fed along a sheet feed path of a feed guide plate unit. The moving unit holds the cutter holder and is movable in a sheet width direction perpendicular to a sheet feed direction in which the sheet is fed along the sheet feed path. The guide member is disposed along the sheet width direction to guide the moving unit in the sheet width direction. The cutter holder partially overlaps with the feed guide plate unit in a thickness direction of the sheet perpendicular to both the sheet width direction and the sheet feed direction.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Yuichiro Maeyama