Patents by Inventor Shunichi Takaya

Shunichi Takaya 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: 20240118649
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image carrier; a solid lubricant; a lubricant application member that scrapes off the solid lubricant and applies the scraped solid lubricant to a surface of the image carrier; a colorimeter that performs colorimetry of a colorimetric surface of the solid lubricant; and a hardware processor that sets a lubricant application condition such that a predetermined amount of lubricant is applied on the basis of a colorimetric result obtained by the colorimeter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2023
    Publication date: April 11, 2024
    Applicant: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Hokuto HATANO, Shunichi TAKAYA, Kazuhiro SAITO
  • Publication number: 20220121136
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier; an exposure device which draws an electrostatic latent image on the image carrier; a developer which uses a developing roller facing the image carrier to supply a developing agent to the electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier and to develop a toner image; a developing current detector which detects a developing current flowing between the image carrier and the developing roller during developing by the developer; and a controller which controls the above. The controller performs forced toner discharge control in which a predetermined toner image is developed on the image carrier by the developer and the toner is forcibly discharged from the developer. The controller controls a toner discharge amount in the forced toner discharge control based on a current value detected by the developing current detector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2021
    Publication date: April 21, 2022
    Inventors: Wataru WATANABE, Shunichi TAKAYA, Hokuto HATANO
  • Publication number: 20200292967
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier that carries a toner image, a developer that develops a toner image on the image carrier, with a developing agent containing toner and carrier, a transferor that transfers the toner image being carried by the image carrier, a collection mechanism that collects the carrier on the image carrier by a magnetic force and an electrostatic force, and a hardware processor that controls removal of the toner adhering to the collection mechanism. The collection mechanism includes a collection roller that incorporates a magnet and that is rotatable while facing the image carrier, and a voltage applicator that applies a voltage to the collection roller. The hardware processor performs a toner removal mode to remove the toner, by setting a peripheral speed of at least one of the image carrier and the collection roller to less than a peripheral speed thereof for image formation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2020
    Publication date: September 17, 2020
    Inventors: Kazutoshi KOBAYASHI, Junji MURAUCHI, Ryoei IKARI, Shunichi TAKAYA, Kei YUASA
  • Patent number: 10635024
    Abstract: There is provided a developing device for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoreceptor with a developer to form an image, including: a developing container that contains the developer; and a developing roller that faces the photoreceptor, is arranged adjacent to the developing container, and conveys the developer contained in the developing container to the photoreceptor, wherein the developing roller includes a magnetic pole forming part to be formed with a plurality of magnetic poles along a circumferential direction of the developing roller, at least a catch pole is formed as one of the plurality of magnetic poles, and in the catch pole, an amount of a total magnetic charge in an axial direction of the developing roller is kept constant, and a part of magnetic flux density distribution is different from another part of magnetic flux density distribution along the axial direction of the developing roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Kazuteru Ishizuka, Hiroyuki Saito, Shunichi Takaya, Kei Okamura, Aiko Kubota
  • Patent number: 10558141
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a developer casing that accommodates a developer; a developer detector that is disposed in the developer casing, and that detects, based on magnetic force, the developer from a plurality of detection ranges that is close to each other and is disposed side by side in a vertical direction in the developer casing; and a hardware processor that performs control of detecting a liquid level position of the developer in the developer casing, based on a detection result detected by the developer detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Aiko Kubota, Hiroyuki Saito, Shunichi Takaya, Kazuteru Ishizuka, Kei Okamura
  • Publication number: 20190332034
    Abstract: A developing apparatus includes: a developer carrying body that carries a developer and is rotationally driven; a developer stirring member that is rotationally driven and thereby stirs the developer and conveys the developer to the developer carrying body; and a developer recovery member that is rotationally driven and thereby returns and recovers the developer stripped from the developer carrying body after development of the electrostatic latent image, to the developer stirring member, wherein a driving speed of the developer stirring member and a driving speed of the developer recovery member are independently controllable from each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2019
    Publication date: October 31, 2019
    Inventors: Kei OKAMURA, Hiroyuki SAITO, Shunichi TAKAYA, Kazuteru ISHIZUKA, Aiko KUBOTA
  • Patent number: 10437173
    Abstract: A developing device includes a developing agent carrier body that carries a developing agent; a supplier that has a plurality of movement areas for moving the developing agent and that supplies the developing agent to the developing agent carrier body; a confluence path that combines the developing agent moving in each of the plurality of movement areas and thereafter returns the developing agent to the plurality of movement areas; and a mixing member that mixes the developing agent entered in the confluence path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Kazuteru Ishizuka, Hideaki Tanaka, Shunichi Takaya, Shota Sakurai, Kei Okamura, Kei Yuasa
  • Publication number: 20190212671
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a developer casing that accommodates a developer; an developer detector that is disposed in the developer casing, and that detects, based on magnetic force, the developer from a plurality of detection ranges that is close to each other and is disposed side by side in a vertical direction in the developer casing; and a hardware processor that performs control of detecting a liquid level position of the developer in the developer casing, based on a detection result detected by the developer detector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2018
    Publication date: July 11, 2019
    Inventors: Aiko KUBOTA, Hiroyuki SAITO, Shunichi TAKAYA, Kazuteru ISHIZUKA, Kei OKAMURA
  • Patent number: 10338494
    Abstract: A developing apparatus includes a developer carrier that carries a developer, and a developer casing that contains the developer to be supplied to the developer carrier. An opening/closing part is capable of controlling a moving amount of the developer between a first region on one side in an axial direction of the developer carrier and a second region on the other side in the axial direction of the developer carrier by opening or closing the first region and the second region. A hardware processor controls an open/closed state of the opening/closing part in accordance with the state of the developer in the first region and the second region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Shunichi Takaya, Hideaki Tanaka, Kazuteru Ishizuka, Shota Sakurai, Kei Okamura, Kei Yuasa
  • Publication number: 20190163094
    Abstract: There is provided a developing device for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoreceptor with a developer to form an image, including: a developing container that contains the developer; and a developing roller that faces the photoreceptor, is arranged adjacent to the developing container, and conveys the developer contained in the developing container to the photoreceptor, wherein the developing roller includes a magnetic pole forming part to be formed with a plurality of magnetic poles along a circumferential direction of the developing roller, at least a catch pole is formed as one of the plurality of magnetic poles, and in the catch pole, an amount of a total magnetic charge in an axial direction of the developing roller is kept constant, and a part of magnetic flux density distribution is different from another part of magnetic flux density distribution along the axial direction of the developing roller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2018
    Publication date: May 30, 2019
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Kazuteru ISHIZUKA, Hiroyuki SAITO, Shunichi TAKAYA, Kei OKAMURA, Aiko KUBOTA
  • Patent number: 10289046
    Abstract: With reference to a correction value revision parameter table, a periodic non-uniformity correction value corresponding to changed rotational speed is obtained from the correction value revision parameter table, and set as a new periodic non-uniformity correction value corresponding to the rotational speed of a rotary component, and thereby a gradation which is an image formation parameter of image data is corrected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Makoto Ikeda, Shunichi Takaya
  • Patent number: 10241444
    Abstract: A developing device includes a hardware processor that performs control in which a developer circulation state is switched between a first state and a second state depending on states of the developer in the first and the second regions. The first state is a state in which a developer circulation path is formed in each of the first and the second regions, and the second state is a state in which a single developer circulation path is formed all through the first and the second regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Kei Okamura, Shunichi Takaya, Hideaki Tanaka, Kazuteru Ishizuka, Shota Sakurai, Kei Yuasa
  • Patent number: 10203630
    Abstract: A developing apparatus includes: a developer carrying member carrying a developer; a plurality of developer feeders accommodating the developer carried by the developer carrying member and being arranged in an axial direction of the developer carrying member; and a collecting part that collects the developer from the developer carrying member and feeds the developer to a second developer feeder different from a first developer feeder located at a position where the developer is collected from the developer carrying member in the axial direction, among the plurality of developer feeders.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Kei Yuasa, Shunichi Takaya, Hideaki Tanaka, Kazuteru Ishizuka, Shota Sakurai, Kei Okamura
  • Patent number: 10139755
    Abstract: A developing device includes: a plurality of development sections arranged in an axis direction of a developer bearing member; a communication section disposed at a boundary of adjacent two development sections of the development sections, and configured to communicate between the two development sections; and a control section configured to perform an operation of moving the developer between the two development sections through the communication section to equalize degradation states of the developer in the two development sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Shota Sakurai, Shunichi Takaya, Kei Okamura, Hideaki Tanaka, Kazuteru Ishizuka, Kei Yuasa
  • Publication number: 20180335727
    Abstract: A developing device includes a developing agent carrier body that carries a developing agent; a supplier that has a plurality of movement areas for moving the developing agent and that supplies the developing agent to the developing agent carrier body; a confluence path that combines the developing agent moving in each of the plurality of movement areas and thereafter returns the developing agent to the plurality of movement areas; and a mixing member that mixes the developing agent entered in the confluence path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2018
    Publication date: November 22, 2018
    Applicant: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Kazuteru Ishizuka, Hideaki Tanaka, Shunichi Takaya, Shota Sakurai, Kei Okamura, Kei Yuasa
  • Publication number: 20180284644
    Abstract: A developing apparatus includes: a developer carrying member carrying a developer; a plurality of developer feeders accommodating the developer carried by the developer carrying member and being arranged in an axial direction of the developer carrying member; and a collecting part that collects the developer from the developer carrying member and feeds the developer to a second developer feeder different from a first developer feeder located at a position where the developer is collected from the developer carrying member in the axial direction, among the plurality of developer feeders.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2018
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Kei YUASA, Shunichi TAKAYA, Hideaki TANAKA, Kazuteru ISHIZUKA, Shota SAKURAI, Kei OKAMURA
  • Publication number: 20180107137
    Abstract: A developing device includes a hardware processor that performs control in which a developer circulation state is switched between a first state and a second state depending on states of the developer in the first and the second regions. The first state is a state in which a developer circulation path is formed in each of the first and the second regions, and the second state is a state in which a single developer circulation path is formed all through the first and the second regions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2017
    Publication date: April 19, 2018
    Applicant: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Kei OKAMURA, Shunichi TAKAYA, Hideaki TANAKA, Kazuteru ISHIZUKA, Shota SAKURAI, Kei YUASA
  • Patent number: 9927756
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming section; a density detection section configured to detect the density of toner image formed on an image bearing member in a sub scanning direction; and a density-unevenness correction section configured to calculate a first correction amount based on the detection result of the density detection section and calculate a second correction amount different from the first correction amount in phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Shunichi Takaya, Makoto Ikeda
  • Patent number: 9915905
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming unit including a rotating member; a rotation position detecting unit that detects a rotation position of the rotating member; an image density detecting unit that detects density of an image; an image information analysis unit that analyzes image information; a density profile management unit that manages a density profile; a correction data generation unit that generates correction data; a density correction unit that performs density correction; and a density correction control unit that sets a density correction level, wherein when the density correction level is set at reference accuracy, the density correction unit corrects density, and when the density correction level is set at accuracy higher than the reference accuracy, the density profile management unit forms a corrective patch image and generates a new density profile, the correction data generation unit updates the correction data, and the density correction unit corrects density.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Morimoto, Wataru Watanabe, Shunichi Takaya, Kei Okamura
  • Publication number: 20180067418
    Abstract: A developing apparatus includes: a developer carrier that carries a developer; a developer casing that contains the developer to be supplied to the developer carrier; an opening/closing part capable of controlling a moving amount of the developer between a first region on one side in an axial direction of the developer carrier and a second region on the other side in the axial direction of the developer carrier by opening or closing the first region and the second region; and a hardware processor that controls an open/closed state of the opening/closing part in accordance with the state of the developer in the first region and the second region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2017
    Publication date: March 8, 2018
    Inventors: Shunichi TAKAYA, Hideaki TANAKA, Kazuteru ISHIZUKA, Shota SAKURAI, Kei OKAMURA, Kei YUASA