Patents by Inventor Takashi Nara

Takashi Nara 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).

  • Patent number: 8103193
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus having a color mode and a monochromatic mode, which includes: a transmission member, which can be switched between a transmitted state where a motor transfers a drive force to a single photoreceptor drum and a non-transmitted state where the motor does not transfer the drive force to the single photoreceptor drum; and a controller which switches to the non-transmitted state while executing an image formation in the monochromatic mode, and when a command to execute a next image formation is not instructed, switches to the transmitted state after a phase adjustment of each photoreceptor drum after the image formation in the monochromatic mode, and controls the motor to execute a slight rotation operation at every prescribed period of time by synchronizing plural drums including the single photoreceptor drum with each other through the transmission member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Akifumi Isobe, Ryuji Okutomi, Hiroyuki Watanabe, Tadayuki Ueda, Yoshihito Sasamoto, Takashi Nara
  • Patent number: 8059145
    Abstract: A color image forming apparatus including: an image forming section which forms an image based on image information on an image carrier provided in the image forming section; a detection section which detects a print mark for color misalignment correction formed on the image carrier by the image forming section, and outputs print mark detection information; and a control section for executing color misalignment correction control based on the print mark detection information outputted from the detection section, wherein, the control section obtains a trend of a color misalignment amount of the print mark by statistically processing data of the result of the print mark detection, calculates an execution timing of color misalignment correction base on the obtained trend, and executes the color misalignment correction at the calculated execution timing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2011
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Tadayuki Ueda, Ryuji Okutomi, Hiroyuki Watanabe, Akifumi Isobe, Yoshihito Sasamoto, Takashi Nara
  • Publication number: 20110194860
    Abstract: When an input image is to be formed on a sheet conveyed to a transfer roller, the exposure section is controlled and deviation correction is performed to offset the image forming position across the width of the sheet in response to the result of detection by a deviation sensor. By contrast, when pattern images are to be formed on a sheet in response to the instruction of the main control section, the image forming control section does not perform deviation correction in the process of forming a pattern image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2011
    Publication date: August 11, 2011
    Inventors: Youbao PENG, Tadashi MATSUDAIRA, Akihiro HAYASHI, Satoshi OGATA, Eiji NISHIKAWA, Takashi NARA
  • Publication number: 20110188872
    Abstract: Disclosed is a fixing device including a fixing belt to fix a toner image formed on a paper onto the paper, a driving unit to make the fixing belt reciprocate in a direction perpendicular to a feeding direction of the paper when fixing the toner image onto the paper and a detecting unit to detect a position of the fixing belt in the perpendicular direction, and a control target value of the fixing belt is changed in accordance with the position of the fixing belt in the perpendicular direction detected by the detecting unit, and the fixing belt is made to reciprocate by the driving unit based on the changed control target value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2011
    Publication date: August 4, 2011
    Inventors: Takashi NARA, Satoshi Ogata, Tadashi Matsudaira, Youbao Peng, Akihiro Hayashi, Eiji Nishikawa
  • Patent number: 7978995
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus having a process correction mode wherein when a temperature of a fixing device in an image formation system in a power-on state is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the image forming apparatus increases the fixing temperature to the predetermined value. The apparatus sets the process correction mode based on power-on information output from a first detector which detects presence of the power-on state for the fixing device and fixing temperature information output from a second detector which detects a fixing temperature in the fixing device, and sets a priority level for performing a correction processing of the color misregistration to be lower than a correction processing comprising an image density adjustment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2011
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Akifumi Isobe, Shigeo Ogino, Hiroyuki Watanabe, Tadayuki Ueda, Yoshihito Sasamoto, Takashi Nara
  • Publication number: 20110135324
    Abstract: A belt drive apparatus, including, an endless belt to be laid across in a tensioned condition between supporting rollers and to travel being in pressure contact with or being separated from a body to receive the pressure contact, a pressure contact/separating state detection section to detect whether the endless belt is in the pressure contact with the body or separated therefrom, a belt position detection section to detect a position of the endless belt in a width direction thereof, a belt abnormality judging section to judge whether the endless belt is in an abnormal position based on a detection result obtained by the belt position detection section and one of judgment values which are set correspondingly to the pressure contact/separating state of the endless belt, and a belt drive control section to control a drive of the endless belt.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2010
    Publication date: June 9, 2011
    Inventors: Youbao PENG, Satoshi Ogata, Takashi Nara, Tadashi Matsudaira, Akihiro Hayashi, Eiji Nishikawa
  • Patent number: 7880756
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photoreceptor member; a LED head that includes a plurality of light emitting diodes arrayed in a line along a rotating axial direction of said photoreceptor member and that is modulated in response to image signals, so as to expose said photoreceptor member while said photoreceptor member is rotating; a deviation detecting sensor to detect deviations on a circumferential surface of said photoreceptor member; a filter to extract low frequency components including a rotational frequency component of said photoreceptor member from deviation signals detected by said deviation detecting sensor, so as to acquire deviation information with respect to said circumferential surface of said photoreceptor member; a driving section to move said LED head back and forth against said circumferential surface of said photoreceptor member; and a position controlling section to control said driving section, based on said deviation information acquired by said filter, so as to keep a distance
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Norio Joichi, Atsushi Takahashi, Youbao Peng, Yoshihito Sasamoto, Yoshiki Katayama, Takashi Nara
  • Publication number: 20110008086
    Abstract: While having an image forming section which transfers a toner image according to image data onto a recording sheet, a first fixing section which fixes the toner image on the recording sheet with heat of the first fixing roller which rotates on the recording sheet, a clear layer forming section which forms a clear layer on the toner image which the first fixing section has fixed, a second fixing section which fixes the clear layer on the recording sheet with heat of the second fixing roller which rotates on the recording sheet and a control section which controls each part, the control section controls the clear layer forming section to increase the thickness of the clear layer in the recording sheet area corresponding to the fixed area during the second revolution of the first fixing roller on the recording sheet, compared with the first revolution thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2010
    Publication date: January 13, 2011
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Tadashi Matsudaira, Akihiro Hayashi, Youbao Peng, Satoshi Ogata, Takashi Nara, Toshiaki Tanaka
  • Patent number: 7777896
    Abstract: A signal processing apparatus comprising: an optical sensor for outputting a detection signal by detecting a surface of a recording medium on which a correction image is to be formed; and a control section configured to obtain a detection signal of the surface of the recording medium with the correction image from which a dominant frequency component has been deleted by making reverse frequency analysis of an analysis signal that has been obtained by making a frequency analysis of a detection signal outputted by the optical sensor detecting the surface of the recording medium on which the correction image it formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Tadayuki Ueda, Hiroyuki Watanabe, Akifumi Isobe, Yoshihito Sasamoto, Takashi Nara
  • Patent number: 7778579
    Abstract: A tandem type color image forming apparatus which executes color misregistration correction, including: a detecting section which detects a width of a transfer sheet; an image forming section having an image carrier, on which arranged side by side are an image area where formed is an image for transfer and a non-image area where formed is an imprint image; and a control section which selects a complex or a single correction mode based on the transfer sheet width, to execute correction processing; where the complex correction mode is an operation mode of forming in parallel the image for transfer in the image area and the imprint image in the non-image area, and the single correction mode is an operation mode of suspending to form the image for transfer in the image area, and executing only to form the imprint image in the non-image area or in the image area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Tadayuki Ueda, Shigeo Ogino, Masaaki Goto, Hiroyuki Watanabe, Akifumi Isobe, Yoshihito Sasamoto, Takashi Nara
  • Patent number: 7646516
    Abstract: An image reading apparatus for reading a document image includes: a document feeding tray for placing the document thereon; a first document reading position for reading the first face of the document ejected and conveyed each from the document feeding tray; a document reverse tray for storing the document so that the document having passed through the first document reading position is reversed and conveyed; a stationary document reading position wherein the document having passed through the document reverse tray and having been reversed and conveyed is conveyed to a platen and the stationary document is read; and an image reading unit for reading the document image. The image reading unit stops at the first document reading position to read the first face of the document, and performs scanning movement at the stationary document reading position to read the second face of the document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2010
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Yoshiki Katayama, Atsushi Takahashi, Norio Joichi, Youbao Peng, Yoshihito Sasamoto, Takashi Nara
  • Publication number: 20090317147
    Abstract: A color image forming apparatus for forming toner images by carrying out charging, exposure, and development on at least one photoreceptor drum, and forming color images by transferring the toner images onto sheets, the color image forming apparatus including: a photoreceptor drum which rotates around an axis; an exposure section which intermittently emits a light beam onto the cylindrical surface of the rotating photoreceptor drum along scanning lines parallel to the axis of the photoreceptor drum; a calculation section which calculates a printing ratio of a color image to be formed on one sheet, wherein the printing ratio is the ratio of the area covered by toner in the color image; and a timing control section which controls a timing when the exposure section emits the light beam in a direction of rotation of the photoreceptor drum based on the printing ratio calculated by the calculation section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2009
    Publication date: December 24, 2009
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Tadayuki UEDA, Akifumi Isobe, Yoshihito Sasamoto, Takashi Nara
  • Publication number: 20090257778
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus having a color mode and a monochromatic mode, which includes: a transmission member, which can be switched between a transmitted state where a motor transfers a drive force to a single photoreceptor drum and a non-transmitted state where the motor does not transfer the drive force to the single photoreceptor drum; and a controller which switches to the non-transmitted state while executing an image formation in the monochromatic mode, and when a command to execute a next image formation is not instructed, switches to the transmitted state after a phase adjustment of each photoreceptor drum after the image formation in the monochromatic mode, and controls the motor to execute a slight rotation operation at every prescribed period of time by synchronizing plural drums including the single photoreceptor drum with each other through the transmission member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Publication date: October 15, 2009
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Akifumi ISOBE, Ryuji Okutomi, Hiroyuki Watanabe, Tadayuki Ueda, Yoshihito Sasamoto, Takashi Nara
  • Publication number: 20090123182
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including photoconductor drums corresponding to colors, motors, gears to transmit each rotation of the motors to each of the photoconductor drums, each of two gears comprising a portion to be detected intermittently continuing in a circumferential direction at a position having same radius centering around a rotary shaft of the gears, a pair of phase sensors to output detection signals of signal logics according to an existence or a non-existence of the portion to be detected at a point symmetric position centering around the rotary shaft of each of two gears and a control unit to calculate a rotation phase difference between each of the gears based on a logical combination of the detection signals which are output from the pair of phase sensors and to control the motors so as to synchronize rotation of each of the gears based on the calculated rotation phase difference.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2008
    Publication date: May 14, 2009
    Applicant: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Yoshihito SASAMOTO, Hiroyuki WATANABE, Tadayuki UEDA, Ryuji OKUTOMI, Akifumi ISOBE, Takashi NARA, Jun ONISHI
  • Patent number: 7502045
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photoreceptor member; a LED head that includes a plurality of light emitting diodes arrayed in a line along a rotating axial direction of said photoreceptor member and that is modulated in response to image signals, so as to expose said photoreceptor member while said photoreceptor member is rotating; a deviation detecting sensor to detect deviations on a circumferential surface of said photoreceptor member; a filter to extract low frequency components including a rotational frequency component of said photoreceptor member from deviation signals detected by said deviation detecting sensor, so as to acquire deviation information with respect to said circumferential surface of said photoreceptor member; a driving section to move said LED head back and forth against said circumferential surface of said photoreceptor member; and a position controlling section to control said driving section, based on said deviation information acquired by said filter, so as to keep a distance
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2009
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Norio Joichi, Atsushi Takahashi, Youbao Peng, Yoshihito Sasamoto, Yoshiki Katayama, Takashi Nara
  • Publication number: 20080285992
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photoreceptor member; a LED head that includes a plurality of light emitting diodes arrayed in a line along a rotating axial direction of said photoreceptor member and that is modulated in response to image signals, so as to expose said photoreceptor member while said photoreceptor member is rotating; a deviation detecting sensor to detect deviations on a circumferential surface of said photoreceptor member; a filter to extract low frequency components including a rotational frequency component of said photoreceptor member from deviation signals detected by said deviation detecting sensor, so as to acquire deviation information with respect to said circumferential surface of said photoreceptor member; a driving section to move said LED head back and forth against said circumferential surface of said photoreceptor member; and a position controlling section to control said driving section, based on said deviation information acquired by said filter, so as to keep a distance
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2008
    Publication date: November 20, 2008
    Inventors: Norio Joichi, Atsushi Takahashi, Youbao Peng, Yoshihito Sasamoto, Yoshiki Katayama, Takashi Nara
  • Publication number: 20080253786
    Abstract: In an image forming apparatus having a process correction mode wherein when a temperature of a fixing device in an image formation system in a power-on state is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the image forming apparatus makes the fixing temperature to increase to the predetermined value. The apparatus sets the process correction mode based on power-on information output from a first detector which detects presence of the power-on state for the fixing device and fixing temperature information output from a second detector which detects a fixing temperature in the fixing device, and sets a priority level for performing the correction processing of the color misregistration to be lower than the correction processing of the process other than the correction processing of color the misregistration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2007
    Publication date: October 16, 2008
    Inventors: Akifumi Isobe, Shigeo Ogino, Hiroyuki Watanabe, Tadayuki Ueda, Yoshihito Sasamoto, Takashi Nara
  • Patent number: 7430085
    Abstract: A signal processing device having a feature of analog-to-digital converting a burst signal has a feature of selecting data bus to notify a disk control device 2 of a conversion result via an NRZ data bus. The disk control device 2 includes means for storing the result of the analog-to-digital conversion of said servo positional signal. The positional signal of a head of the disk device is digitalized in an R/W channel. Sampling for digital conversion is performed in only a window which is defined only in the vicinity of peaks of the positional signal. The values of peaks which are obtained by sampling are averaged by an averaging circuit. This enables the influence of noise occurred outside of the window to be eliminated. Although the noise in the window is sampled, its adverse influence is suppressed by the averaging processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2008
    Assignee: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Japan, Ltd.
    Inventors: Motoyasu Tsunoda, Yukie Miyazawa, legal representative, Hitoshi Ogawa, Ryutaro Horita, Takashi Nara, Masatoshi Nishina, Katsumi Yamamoto, Shoichi Miyazawa
  • Publication number: 20080174834
    Abstract: A color image forming apparatus including: an image forming section which forms an image based on image information on an image carrier provided in the image forming section; a detection section which detects a print mark for color misalignment correction formed on the image carrier by the image forming section, and outputs print mark detection information; and a control section for executing color misalignment correction control based on the print mark detection information outputted from the detection section, wherein, the control section obtains a trend of a color misalignment amount of the print mark by statistically processing data of the result of the print mark detection, calculates an execution timing of color misalignment correction base on the obtained trend, and executes the color misalignment correction at the calculated execution timing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2008
    Publication date: July 24, 2008
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Tadayuki Ueda, Ryuji Okutomi, Hiroyuki Watanabe, Akifumi Isobe, Yoshihito Sasamoto, Takashi Nara
  • Patent number: 7310485
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus for performing thermal fixing of toner images, including a fixing section, a heating section, a power supply section and a control section. The control section controls the power supplying section to start supplying electric power to the heating section, and the control section controls the power supplying section to stop supplying electric power to the heating section after a lapse of a predetermined time interval, based on a thermal response characteristic of a temperature detecting section, even when the temperature of the heating section has not yet reached a target fixing temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2007
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Youbao Peng, Norio Joichi, Yoshiki Katayama, Takashi Nara