Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Yukinari Sato

Michiaki Nishimura

Junichi Kajiwara

Masanobu Deguchi

Takahiro Fukunaga

Hideaki Hagihara

Masakiyo Okuda

Shinji Kato

Kiwamu Morita

Yoshifumi Maitani

Souichi Takata

The present invention is intended to improve the processing efficiency by shortening a time taken until completion of return processing when image processing is carried out via an external storage device such as a USB memory. There is provided an image processing apparatus including: a communication section capable of data communication with the external storage device; a detection section detecting that data communication with the external storage device is possible; an image forming section; a document reading section; and a control section performing return processing for returning the image processing section and/or the document reading section from a processing-disabled state in which image processing is impossible to a processing-enabled state in which image processing is possible, wherein if the detection section detects that data communication with the external storage device is possible, the control section determines whether the external device is an external storage device or not, and performs the return processing if it is determined that the external device is an external storage device. The time taken until completion of return processing is thus shortened to improve the processing efficiency.

Image processing apparatus, image forming apparatus and document reading apparatus

The control circuit includes: a series circuit of a first triac and a reactor; and a second triac in parallel with this series circuit so as to perform control of activation of a fixing heater. Since the fixing heater has a low resistance when the power switch is first turned on, the first triac is operated to perform phase angle control of current flow, and when the phase angle has become approximately equal to 180.degree., the first triac is stopped, at the same time the second triac starts to be operated. The switching from the first triac to the second triac is made quickly so that it is possible to reduce the power consumption from the reactor.

Heater control device using phase angle control

A document feeder includes: a document detecting device arranged on the top of the copier body, for detecting a document inserted from the outside; a feed roller arranged adjacent to the document detecting device, on the top of the copier body, for feeding an inserted document into a space between the original table and the original cover, in response to the detection of a document by the document detecting device; and an original cover lifting device arranged on the top of the copier body, for lifting the original cover to create a gap between the original table and the original cover, in response to the detection of a document by the document detecting device. Alternatively, the feed roller further has a rotary cam on its shaft, so that the cam rotates to lift the original cover up as the feed roller rotates in the document feeding direction. Then, after the document is fed in place, the feed roller is reversely rotated in a constant time, whereby the document cover is sunk to press the document onto the original table.

Document feeder and cover for an image forming apparatus

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Soraku-gun, Japan

Yukinari Sato