Patents by Inventor Shinri Watanabe

Shinri Watanabe has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20230297002
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first image forming portion, a second image forming portion, a power source portion, and a controller. The power source portion is constituted so that when the power source portion applies a charging voltage to a first charging member of the first image forming portion, the charging voltage is also applied to a second charging member of the second image forming portion. The controller carries out control so that an emitted light quantity of a light emitting element is changed from a first light quantity to a second light quantity larger than the first light quantity and is changed from the second light quantity to a third light quantity larger than the second light quantity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2023
    Publication date: September 21, 2023
    Inventor: SHINRI WATANABE
  • Patent number: 9594337
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a control unit configured to detect a misregistration amount and densities of the toner images by detecting first and second detection patterns. The first detection pattern includes black and color portions, and the control unit is further configured to set a light-emitting amount of a detection unit, a threshold, or a sensitivity of a detection unit so that a received light amount of diffuse reflection light from the black portion is less than the threshold and a received light amount of diffuse reflection light from the color portion exceeds the threshold, and to set the light-emitting amount or the sensitivity so that the received light amount of the diffuse reflection light from the color portion is less than an upper limit of the detection unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takeshi Shimba, Ken Nakagawa, Shinri Watanabe
  • Patent number: 9389564
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming unit configured to form, on an image carrier, a first correction pattern including developer images of a plurality of colors, and a second correction pattern including developer images of the plurality of colors; a registration correction unit configured to perform registration correction control based on a detection result of the developer images of the first correction pattern; and a density correction unit configured to perform density correction control based on a detection result of the second correction pattern. The density correction unit is further configured to decide a detection result of the developer image of at least one color of the second correction pattern used for the density correction control based on a detection result of the developer image of the first correction pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takashi Sekiguchi, Shinri Watanabe, Takeshi Shimba, Ken Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 9387690
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a signal generation unit configured to generate a light-emission signal. The signal generation unit stores information relating to a toner non-adherent area oriented light-emission pattern having been set beforehand. The toner non-adherent area oriented light-emission pattern is a light-emission pattern that causes a light irradiation unit to emit light in such a way as to prevent toner particles from adhering to a photosensitive member. When the light irradiation unit scans respective portions corresponding to two pixels adjacently disposed in a scanning direction a based on a part of the light-emission signal generated based on the toner non-adherent area oriented light-emission pattern, at least one of (a) light-emission start timing of light irradiation unit and (b) light-emission termination timing of the light irradiation unit is differentiated between the two pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shinri Watanabe, Yusuke Shimizu
  • Patent number: 9235179
    Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, a control unit causes an image forming unit to form a positional deviation correction pattern, to sandwich a black developer image between two color developer images of a same color, and to superpose the black developer image on one of the two color developer images of the same color in a state where color deviation occurs between developer images of a plurality of different colors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shinri Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20150355588
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a forming unit configured to continuously form, on an image carrier, first and second detection patterns for detecting relative registration amounts and a density of each of a plurality of colors; and a control unit configured to control registration and the density. The forming unit forms the detection patterns such that a leading edge developer color of a detection pattern formed on a front side among the two detection patterns, in a direction in which the detection patterns are moved by rotation of the image carrier, is the same as a trailing edge developer color of the detection pattern formed on the front side, or a leading or trailing edge developer color of a detection pattern formed on a rear side among the two detection patterns.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2015
    Publication date: December 10, 2015
    Inventors: Takeshi SHIMBA, Ken Nakagawa, Shinri Watanabe
  • Patent number: 9164454
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a forming unit configured to continuously form, on an image carrier, first and second detection patterns for detecting relative registration amounts and a density of each of a plurality of colors; and a control unit configured to control registration and the density. The forming unit forms the detection patterns such that a leading edge developer color of a detection pattern formed on a front side among the two detection patterns, in a direction in which the detection patterns are moved by rotation of the image carrier, is the same as a trailing edge developer color of the detection pattern formed on the front side, or a leading or trailing edge developer color of a detection pattern formed on a rear side among the two detection patterns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takeshi Shimba, Ken Nakagawa, Shinri Watanabe
  • Patent number: 9141016
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus can form a correction image for correcting a positional deviation and includes an image forming unit, an image carrying member, a light detection unit, an ambient condition detection unit, and a control unit. The image carrying member receives the correction image, which is formed by the image forming unit. The light detection unit illuminates the correction image on the image carrying member and detects light reflected thereby. The ambient condition detection unit detects, as an ambient condition, at least one of temperature and humidity in an operating condition of the image forming apparatus. The control unit effects position correction control at a time of image formation of the image forming unit on the basis of a detection result of the light detection unit and an ambient condition detected by the ambient condition detection unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kiasha
    Inventor: Shinri Watanabe
  • Patent number: 9116489
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit configured to form a density detection pattern and a reference pattern on an image carrier by a developer; a light-receiving unit configured to receive reflection light of light emitted toward the image carrier, and output a signal corresponding to an amount of received light; a sampling unit configured to sample the signal output from the light-receiving unit, and store sampling values in the storage unit; a detection unit configured to detect the reference pattern; and a determination unit configured to determine a sampling value corresponding to reflection light from the density detection pattern of the color among the sampling values stored in the storage unit, based on a detection time of the reference pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ken Nakagawa, Shinri Watanabe, Takeshi Shimba
  • Publication number: 20150116437
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a signal generation unit configured to generate a light-emission signal. The signal generation unit stores information relating to a toner non-adherent area oriented light-emission pattern having been set beforehand. The toner non-adherent area oriented light-emission pattern is a light-emission pattern that causes a light irradiation unit to emit light in such a way as to prevent toner particles from adhering to a photosensitive member. When the light irradiation unit scans respective portions corresponding to two pixels adjacently disposed in a scanning direction a based on a part of the light-emission signal generated based on the toner non-adherent area oriented light-emission pattern, at least one of (a) light-emission start timing of light irradiation unit and (b) light-emission termination timing of the light irradiation unit is differentiated between the two pixels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2014
    Publication date: April 30, 2015
    Inventors: Shinri Watanabe, Yusuke Shimizu
  • Patent number: 8687986
    Abstract: The image forming apparatus includes a loop amount detection sensor, disposed between a secondary transfer part and a fixing part, for detecting a loop amount of a transfer material by detecting a reflection of light radiated on the transfer material, a density detection sensor for detecting a density of a toner image that is primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt with the primary transfer roller, and a loop control part for controlling the loop amount of the transfer material based on the density of the toner image that is detected by the density detection sensor and the loop amount that is detected by the loop amount detection sensor. Accordingly, the image forming apparatus attains higher accuracy in the deflection amount detection by performing the deflection amount detection at least with the dependency of the image formed on the transfer material mitigated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tadashi Okanishi, Shinri Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20130330108
    Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, a control unit causes an image forming unit to form a positional deviation correction pattern, to sandwich a black developer image between two color developer images of a same color, and to superpose the black developer image on one of the two color developer images of the same color in a state where color deviation occurs between developer images of a plurality of different colors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2013
    Publication date: December 12, 2013
    Inventor: Shinri Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20130302051
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a forming unit configured to continuously form, on an image carrier, a first and second detection patterns for detecting relative registration amounts and a density of each of a plurality of colors; and a control unit configured to control registration and the density. The forming unit forms the detection patterns such that a leading edge developer color of a detection pattern formed on a front side among the two detection patterns, in a direction in which the detection patterns are moved by rotation of the image carrier, is the same as a trailing edge developer color of the detection pattern formed on the front side, or a leading or trailing edge developer color of a detection pattern formed on a rear side among the two detection patterns.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2013
    Publication date: November 14, 2013
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takeshi Shimba, Ken Nakagawa, Shinri Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20130302049
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: image forming unit configured to form a density detection pattern and a reference pattern on an image carrier by a developer; a light-receiving unit configured to receive reflection light of light emitted toward the image carrier, and output a signal corresponding to an amount of received light; a sampling unit configured to sample the signal output from the light-receiving unit, and store sampling values in the storage unit; a detection unit configured to detect the reference pattern; and a determination unit configured to determine a sampling value corresponding to reflection light from the density detection pattern of the color among the sampling values stored in the storage unit, based on a detection time of the reference pattern.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2013
    Publication date: November 14, 2013
    Applicant: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ken Nakagawa, Shinri Watanabe, Takeshi Shimba
  • Publication number: 20130302048
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming unit configured to form, on an image carrier, a first correction pattern including developer images of a plurality of colors, and a second correction pattern including developer images of the plurality of colors; a registration correction unit configured to perform registration correction control based on a detection result of the developer images of the first correction pattern; and a density correction unit configured to perform density correction control based on a detection result of the second correction pattern. The density correction unit is further configured to decide a detection result of the developer image of at least one color of the second correction pattern used for the density correction control based on a detection result of the developer image of the first correction pattern.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2013
    Publication date: November 14, 2013
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takashi Sekiguchi, Shinri Watanabe, Takeshi Shimba, Ken Nakagawa
  • Publication number: 20130302050
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a control unit configured to detect a misregistration amount and densities of the toner images by detecting first and second detection patterns. The first detection pattern includes black and color portions, and the control unit is further configured to set a light-emitting amount of a detection unit, a threshold, or a sensitivity of a detection unit so that a received light amount of diffuse reflection light from the black portion is less than the threshold and a received light amount of diffuse reflection light from the color portion exceeds the threshold, and to set the light-emitting amount or the sensitivity so that the received light amount of the diffuse reflection light from the color portion is less than an upper limit of the detection unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2013
    Publication date: November 14, 2013
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takeshi Shimba, Ken Nakagawa, Shinri Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20110182606
    Abstract: The image forming apparatus includes a loop amount detection sensor, disposed between a secondary transfer part and a fixing part, for detecting a loop amount of a transfer material by detecting a reflection of light radiated on the transfer material, a density detection sensor for detecting a density of a toner image that is primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt with the primary transfer roller, and a loop control part for controlling the loop amount of the transfer material based on the density of the toner image that is detected by the density detection sensor and the loop amount that is detected by the loop amount detection sensor. Accordingly, the image forming apparatus attains higher accuracy in the deflection amount detection by performing the deflection amount detection at least with the dependency of the image formed on the transfer material mitigated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2011
    Publication date: July 28, 2011
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tadashi Okanishi, Shinri Watanabe