Abstract: A service center for offering various services through a communication network, a plurality of service stations for transmitting/receiving information to/from the service center through the communication network, and a user terminal for transmitting/receiving information to/from the service center or the service station through the communication network are provided. An optimum service station is selected based on a service request from the user and the user is led to that service station, the user can reach a specific service station in a short period of time without going astray. Further, when an optimum service station is distanced away, detailed map information is provided to the user at a relay point, and the user can be hence safely and assuredly led irrespective of a position of the service station.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus that has a photosensitive belt and developing rollers for developing images by bringing the photosensitive belt in contact with the developing rollers when developing images, supporting members are provided for supporting the photosensitive belt in the state it is oscillated according to the contacting force of the photosensitive belt with the developing rollers. Thus, a large pressure applied to the nip portion between the photosensitive belt and the developing rollers is prevented and further, the tensile force applied to the photosensitive belt is prevented from largely fluctuating when the developing rollers contact the photosensitive belt by intruding into it.

Abstract: A radio communication system is disclosed in which radio communications are performed between a base station and a number of terminal stations. In the base station, a weight value storage section stores amplitude and phase weight values used when a terminal station to communicate with the base station is specified and scanning weight values that allow the base station to scan its associated service area with directional beams when no terminal station is specified. A directivity controller controls the directivity of an array antenna using the scanning weight values stored in the storage section so that the base station scans its associated service area when no terminal is specified. When a communication request signal and a terminal identification signal are received from a terminal, it is specified as a requesting terminal.

Abstract: When data is transferred between a memory and a hard disk drive, a file transfer control section issues an instruction to a file system by designating an area in the memory, and the file system designates a page memory area in an IDE driver. The IDE driver comprises means for determining whether the memory area designated by the file system is a cache memory or a non-cache memory, and a relay buffer assigned to the non-cache memory. If the memory area designated by the file system is the cache memory, DMA transfer between the hard disk drive and the relay buffer and data transfer between the relay buffer and the designated memory area is performed. If the memory area designated by the file system is the non-cache memory, DMA transfer between the hard disk drive and the designated memory area is performed.

Abstract: A method for driving a stepping motor which performs a micro step driving of the present invention makes a rise through rate variable by matching a step difference related to a change in a value of current when a value of current caused to flow in the stepping motor is increased, and makes a fall through rate variable by matching a step difference related to a change in a value of current when the value of current caused to flow in the stepping motor is decreased. Particularly, at a point of the change of increase/decrease of the value of current caused to flow in the stepping motor, the rise through rate and the fall through rate matched with the step difference related to the change in the value of current are set, and when the value of current let flow in the stepping motor became a constant value, the rise through rate and the fall through rate are made small.

Abstract: The carrying apparatus comprises a carrying device for carrying an object to be carried, along a carrying route having a corner part, a control device for temporarily stopping and holding the object carried by the carrying device, and a detection device for detecting the object positioned at a corner part of the carrying route, wherein if the detection device detects the object when the control device stops carrying the object, the control device controls the carrying device such that the carrying device carries the object until the detection device does not detect the object any more and the carrying device then stops carrying the object.

Abstract: The carrying apparatus comprises a carrying device for carrying an object to be carried, along a carrying route having a straight part and an arc-like corner part, a straight escape part provided in the carrying device, and a control device for letting the object carried along the carrying route escape temporarily to the escape part and for keeping it therein, if necessary.

Abstract: According to the present invention, a filter size is increased, and the degree of freedom for a filtering process is increased, making it possible to design a filter such that a contrast is enhanced or damped for each finer bandwidth in a frequency region.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus and image forming method according to the present invention have an object of outputting a latent image formed on an intermediate recording medium as a stable image when it is developed with toner on a medium such as paper or the like, to improve more the concentration of pixel values, by adding all of N pixels in N-pixel modulation and rearranging them with a screen-line position as a reference situated at the center, thereby to reduce boundaries between image portions and non-image portions in the sub-scanning direction. Specifically, to concentrate image parts of image signals of N pixels, pixel values of all consecutive pixels in the main scanning direction are added, and the pixels are rearranged with a screen-line position as a reference situated at the center, based on the addition result. If the addition result exceeds the maximum value of one pixel, the exceeding pixel is rearranged and outputted.

Abstract: Image data provided from a scanner is simultaneously supplied to page memory and a reference value calculating section. The reference value calculating section creates a density histogram of the document image on the basis of image data corresponding to a predetermined number of image lines and calculates a set of correction reference values for pixel density correction using the density histogram. A range correcting section corrects pixel density indicated by the image data on all the image data read out from the page memory by using the set of correction reference values. The predetermined number of image lines is a fraction of all the image lines of the document image read by the scanner.

Abstract: The carrying apparatus comprises a carrying device for carrying an object to be carried, along a carrying route, a control device for temporarily stopping and holding the object carried by the carrying device, on the carrying route, if necessary, an open/close door provided in the carrying device, for opening/closing the carrying route, and a limiter device for limiting opening of the open/close door, based on detection of the object by the detection device.

Abstract: In the image forming apparatus and method of the present invention, the reference clock is rendered common and a reference multiplication/division circuit is provided before a motor control part, if two motors which output different numbers of FG pulses per rotation are used or if motors which output equal numbers of frequency generator (FG) pulses per rotation are used at different deceleration ratios. As a result, synchronization with FG cycles can be achieved.

Abstract: A fixing device using induction heating includes an endless member having a metal layer of a conductive material; and an electromagnetic induction coil arranged close to said endless member, alternating current being supplied to said coil, thereby generating heat to heat up said endless member, said coil being wound onto a core member arranged in a width direction of said endless member, and an expansion of a folded portion of said coil being absorbed by a narrower portion of said core member, thereby maintaining to be constant the width of a gap between said coil and said endless member.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus that is capable of forming a color image by bringing plural one-component developing devices in contact with a photosensitive belt, a two-component developing device for black image forming is arranged to face the photosensitive belt in an area wherein the belt is not displaced. By controlling this two component developing device in either the ready to developing state or the non-developing state, when forming a color image, the one-component developing devices are brought in contact with or separated from the photosensitive belt and when forming a monochrome image, using the two-component developing device, a developing nip is formed for the developing gap between the developing device and the photosensitive belt by the developer layer, and a black toner image is formed on the photosensitive belt.

Abstract: A developing apparatus with a developing roller is brought in contact with an image bearer, and rotates upwards from below in a contact portion to supply a developer to the image bearer, a supply roller which is brought in contact with the developing roller, and rotates in the same direction as the direction of the developing roller to supply toner to the developing roller, a carrying blade for carrying the toner to the supply roller, a retaining member which is positioned below the supply roller and disposed apart from the developing roller, and which retains the developer carried by the carrying blade and allows the retained developer to be supplied to the developing roller by the supply roller, and a layer thickness regulating blade for regulating a layer thickness of the developer supplied onto the developing roller.

Abstract: There is disclosed an image processing apparatus in which a pattern table stores a plurality of screen patterns which include a predetermined number of pattern data and have different data patterns. An in-pattern position calculator generates an in-pattern position signal indicating a position of an input image signal in the screen pattern from main and sub scanning synchronizing signals. A pattern selecting signal combining section generates a pattern selecting signal for selecting a specified pattern in the pattern table from the input image signal, combines the pattern selecting signal and the in-pattern position signal supplied from the in-pattern position calculator, and supplies an address in the pattern table. A controller reads pattern data corresponding to the address in the pattern table from the pattern table and supplies image data.

Abstract: A punching apparatus includes a setting input section setting the number and positions of holes to be punched out in a paper sheet, a transfer mechanism to send the paper sheet to a process stage, and a plurality of line sensors to detect posture of the paper sheet sent to the process stage. The punching apparatus also includes a holding portion holding a plurality of pins to punch a hole in the paper sheet, a slide mechanism to slide the holding portion along the rail, and a rotating mechanism to rotate the holding portion, a pin interval adjusting mechanism to adjust intervals between the pins, a pin projecting and retracting mechanism to independently project and retract the pins relative to the holding portion, and an elevator mechanism to move down the holding portion toward the paper sheet to cause the pins to act on the paper sheet. The posture of the paper sheet sent to the process stage is detected by the line sensors.

Abstract: The present invention is a wire dot printer head wherein a spacer is inserted between a yoke block and a head holder. The yoke block has yokes opposed to plural armatures, coils wound respectively round plural cores whose one ends are opposed to the armatures, and fulcrum portions which hold the armatures so that the armatures can rise and fall with respect to end faces of the cores. The spacer is adapted to move under the action of an external force, thereby changing the spacing between the yoke block and the head holder.

Abstract: A radio communication module accommodated in an image information input/output device capable of carrying out communication by varying a send output power to a plurality of mobile radio terminals located away from the image information input/output device through arbitrary distances respectively. A distance calculation module calculates a distance of each of the mobile radio terminals from a send-output power value of the radio communication module which is making communication with each of the mobile radio terminal. A mobile radio terminal control module manages identification information and user information specifying each the mobile radio terminal, and the distances and time calculated by the distance calculation module. An interval timer periodically makes communication with each the mobile radio terminal and calculates the distance.

Abstract: In an image processing apparatus, first image data and first discrimination data is generated on the basis of page information described in a page description language. Second discrimination data is generated on the basis of the generated first image data and first discrimination data. Second image data is generated on the basis of the generated second discrimination data and the first image data. An image processing is performed based on the generated second image data and second discrimination data, and the processed data is transferred on a printing medium.