Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Yuji Mitsui

Koji Miwa

Keita Nakajima

Ryuji Tanaami

Hidehiro Ushiozu

Takashi Yano

Mahito Yoshioka

Yuya Yanagi

The present invention provides an image forming apparatus including: a first moving member pressed and moved by an openable/closable member when the openable/closable member is opened, and switching a cartridge from a state where the cartridge is positioned in an image forming position to a state where the positioning is released; and a second moving member pressed and moved by the openable/closable member when the openable/closable member is opened, and moving the exposure member from an exposure position to a retracted position, wherein when the positioning of the cartridge is released, a reaction force applied from the first moving member to the openable/closable member reaches a first peak, when the exposure member is moved to the retracted position, a reaction force applied from the second moving member to the openable/closable member reaches a second peak, and timing of the first peak is different from timing of the second peak.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet includes a rotatable image bearing member, a transfer roller, a fan, and a duct. The duct extends in a parallel direction to a shaft direction of the transfer roller and includes an inflow port to guide air. The duct further includes, in an area opposing the transfer roller, a first opening portion that is provided at a position closer to a first end side of the duct than to a second end side of the duct, and a second opening portion that is provided at a position closer to the second end side than to the first end side, in the parallel direction. The air supplied to the duct by the fan through the inflow port passes through the first opening portion and the second opening portion, and is supplied to the transfer roller.

When a process cartridge is mounted, air introduced to inside an image forming apparatus via an intake unit flows in a space surrounded by a housing of the process cartridge, a contact unit, and an arm unit, and is exhausted via an exhaust unit. When another process cartridge having a housing larger in size than a housing of the process cartridge is mounted, the air introduced to inside the image forming apparatus via the intake unit flows in a space surrounded by the housing of the another process cartridge having the larger housing, a contact unit, and the arm unit, and is exhausted via the exhaust unit.

Image forming apparatus including an intake to introduce air from outside to inside the image forming apparatus when a process cartridge is mounted

A sheet feeding apparatus includes a supporting portion, a regulating unit supported to be movable in a first direction, a feed unit, a variable resistor including a rotary member configured to be rotated by a movement of the regulating unit in the first direction, and having a resistance value changing according to a rotational phase of the rotary member, an interlocking portion configured to rotate the rotary member in conjunction with the regulating unit, and a substrate including a pattern surface to which the variable resistor is connected. An axial center line of the rotary member extends in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and a direction of gravitational force. The substrate is disposed such that the pattern surface extends in parallel with the first direction and the direction of gravitational force.

Sheet feeding apparatus and image forming apparatus

The detection unit includes a first contact member, which comes into contact with a first surface of a recording material and a second contact member, which comes into contact with a second surface of the recording material, the first contact member and the second contact member being disposed so as to oppose each other thus being capable of nipping the recording material, and the first contact member and the second contact member are movable in a direction in which the first contact member and the second contact member nip the recording material, and is rotatable about an axis line extending in a predetermined direction, the predetermined direction being orthogonal to the direction in which the first contact member and the second contact member are movable and being orthogonal to a conveyance direction of the recording material.

A detection unit includes a first contact member that comes into contact with a surface of a recording material and a second contact member that comes into contact with the other surface of the recording material, and the first contact member and the second contact member face each other and are capable of nipping the recording material. The first contact member and the second contact member are movable in a direction in which the first contact member and the second contact member nip the recording material. The first contact member and the second contact member are rotatable about an axial line that extends in a direction in which the recording material is conveyed.

Image-forming apparatus and recording material identification unit

An image forming apparatus including a facing portion provided at a position facing a surface of an image bearing member that corresponds to a portion between a transfer unit and a cleaning unit, wherein a first space for conveying the recording material from the transfer unit to the fixing unit, and a second space between the surface of the image bearing member and the facing portion are formed in the image forming apparatus, and wherein the image forming apparatus includes a block member positioned in the second space and having one end side fixed to the facing portion on a side closer to the first space, the block member being configured to block a flow of an air current, the block member having the other end side in contact with the image bearing member.

Image forming apparatus with block member in contact with image bearing member for blocking airflow

An image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit having a first shielding member configured to change an opening width of a first opening with respect to a longitudinal direction, a second shielding member configured to change an opening width of a second opening with respect to the longitudinal direction, and a controller that controls, on the basis of an output of a detector and size information of the recording material, the opening widths of the first opening and the second opening, so as to correspond to widths of non-passing portions of the recording material in the nip, by moving the first shielding member and the second shielding member in the longitudinal direction, respectively, when the recording material, having a size other than the maximum size, is inserted into the fixing unit.

Image forming apparatus and fixing device that change opening widths of air blowing openings by moving shielding members with respect to a longitudinal direction of the fixing device

An image forming apparatus includes an LED unit capable of being in an exposing position or a retracted position, and a cartridge capable of being inserted into or pulled out with the LED unit in the retracted position.

A biasing member is configured to provide a pressing member with a biasing force acting to bias the pressing member against a detecting portion before the pressing member receives a reaction force from the detecting portion when an opening/closing member is closed. A support portion receives the reaction force acting on the pressing member from the detecting portion while the opening/closing member is closed, and the pressing member maintains an operation state independently with respect to the detecting portion while the opening/closing member is closed.

Growing community of inventors

Susono, Japan

Yuji Mitsui