Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Yuki Sugiyama

Taro Ishifune

Ryo Takaba

Shingo Harada

Yuya Konno

Lisa Kitadai

Kazumasa Nohsho

Hayato Watanabe

Masafumi Monde

Seiji Yokoyama

Osamu Nagasaki

Takeshi Shimba

An information processing method performs steps for an information processing apparatus to communicate with an image forming apparatus having first and second sheet output sections. The second sheet output section can be switched between a close position to serve to guide a sheet to the first sheet output section, and an open position not to guide the sheet to the first sheet output section but to stack the sheet. The method inputs a type of sheet, acquires information indicating whether the second sheet output section is in an open or closed state, and transmits image information to the image forming apparatus. When the sheet type recommends the sheet be output to the second sheet output section and the second sheet output section is in the closed state, a message is output to prompt to switch the second sheet output section into the open position before the image information is transmitted.

Information processing method, information processing program, information processing apparatus, and image forming apparatus

An image-forming apparatus supplies power to a heater at the smaller duty ratio of: an upper-limit duty ratio which is set according to the current detected by an inlet current detecting unit in a warm-up period of a fixing unit; and a duty ratio which is continuously corrected according to a change in a heater resistance value and is required for supplying a predetermined target power to the heater. By this arrangement, the image-forming apparatus can output a first page of recording material in a short period time so that a current consumption of the entire apparatus does not exceed rated current consumption.

Image-forming apparatus and method which starts supply of recording material or allows recording material supply to image forming unit at timing dependent on duty ratio of heater

An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming unit configured to form developer images of a plurality of colors on an image carrier; and a control unit configured to execute a first correction control and a second correction control that has a higher correction precision than the first correction control in order to correct misregistration between the developer images formed by the image forming unit. The control unit is further configured to execute the second correction control when a cumulative correction error, which is a cumulative value of correction error occurring when performing misregistration correction using the first correction control, exceeds a first threshold.

Image forming apparatus executing a plurality of types of misregistration correction control

An image-forming apparatus includes: an image forming unit which forms an unfixed toner image on a recording material; a fixing unit having a heat generating member which generates heat by power supplied from a commercial AC power source via a choke coil, the fixing unit heating the unfixed toner image formed by the image forming unit and thereby fixing the image to the recording material; and a control unit which controls the supply of power from the commercial AC power source to the heat generating member. The control unit supplies power to the heat generating member by control including phase control, during printing for performing an image forming operation by the image forming unit, and supplies power to the heat generating member by wave number control during standby for awaiting a print instruction.

Image-forming apparatus supplying power to heat generating member using phase control and/or wave number control

An image forming apparatus that reduces a time period during which no image is formed due to a margin in leading end portion, by calculating the margin in leading end portion from position information of an image and moving forward output timing of a /TOP signal according to the margin in leading end portion.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of image carriers, a plurality of developing units configured to contact each of the plurality of image carriers to develop a latent image formed on each of the plurality of image carriers, a contact and separation unit configured to perform contact and separation of the plurality of image carriers and the plurality of developing units, a drive unit that drives the contact and separation unit, and a control unit that controls a drive speed of the drive unit so that the plurality of developing units are separated from the plurality of image carriers after the development performed by the plurality of developing units is completed, and the control unit controls the drive speed so that a last developing unit is separated after completion timing of development performed by the last developing unit and before separation timing of the last developing unit.

An image forming apparatus is provided that reduces the occurrence of downtime in the case in which the interval between sheets needs to be expanded, and also suppresses the degradation of a photosensitive drum and a developing roller, when continuously forming images. The image forming apparatus of the present invention predicts the start timing of image formation onto the next printing material, and performs control of the positional relationship between the photosensitive drum and the developing roller without decreasing productivity, based on a result of the prediction. Further, the image forming apparatus performs control of the rotating operation of the photosensitive drum, based on the above prediction result.

Growing community of inventors

Numazu, Japan

Yuki Sugiyama