Abstract: A fixing device is provided in the middle of a conveyance path for conveyance of a sheet on which a toner image is transferred. A fixing roller round which an endless fixing belt is put is provided on a top surface side of the sheet, i.e. on one side of the conveyance path. The fixing belt is longer than an outer periphery of the fixing belt. A pressurizing roller for pushing the sheet on the fixing belt is provided on a back surface side of the sheet, i.e. on the other side of the conveyance path. A halogen lamp is arranged on an outer side of a part of the fixing belt where the fixing belt is not put round the fixing roller. The toner image on the sheet is heated and fused, and pressurized on the sheet by the fixing belt, which is heated by the halogen lamp, and the toner image is fixed on the sheet.

Abstract: When a voltage abnormality error signal from a drive control section is at a low level, a control section determines a normal state. When the voltage abnormality error signal has arisen to a high level, the control section does not immediately determine an abnormal state and instead measures a time in which the voltage abnormality error signal is at the high level. If the measured time does not exceed a predetermined error timer value (limit value) T, the control section ignores this abnormal state as a temporary voltage abnormality. If the time in which the voltage abnormality error signal is at the high level exceeds the error timer value T, the control section determines a serviceman call error (SC) as the occurrence of voltage abnormality.

Abstract: A scanner unit as an image read-out apparatus has a document glass on which a document is placed, an exposure lamp for illuminating the document with light, a CCD line sensor for receiving reflected flight from the document and converting the light to electric signal, first to third mirrors for conducing the reflected light from the document to the CCD sensor and a light condensing lens for allowing the reflected light which is conducted through the first to the third mirrors to condense on the CCD line sensor. In a position away from a document effective area at which the document is set on a document glass a chart is printed or attached to allow diagnosis to be made for the “displacements” of scanner unit's respective constituent elements, that is, optical members such as the exposure lamp, first to third mirrors, lens and CCD line sensor.

Abstract: A job processing system using job designation sheets includes a printer unit to prepare job designation sheets including the description of specified job designation contents and print Sheet Version Number indicating the version of the job designation sheets when editing, a sheet management database to manage versions of job designation sheets based on Version Number printed on the job designation sheets, an image input unit to read job designation sheets with the job designation contents described and Sheet Version Number printed, a sheet recognition unit to recognize the contents of description and Version Number of the job designation sheets that are read by the image input unit and a judging unit to judge whether the Version Number of the sheet recognized by the sheet recognition unit is the latest one based on the version of the job designation sheet managed by the sheet processing management database.

Abstract: An image reader of the present invention comprises a fluctuation detector that can be connected to the external equipment by means of an image data input-output section, and can subject image data, continuous in a first direction and outputted as image information on a test chart is photoelectrically converted by means of a CCD sensor when a mirror set or the test chart is moved in the first direction, to Fourier conversion, thereby obtaining the frequency of a fluctuation of the obtained image data and a maximum value of the amplitude thereof. If the obtained maximum value of the fluctuation amplitude is greater than a given value, the fluctuation detector is used to compare the frequency of the fluctuation and the natural frequency of a drive motor for generating driving force for moving the mirror set or the image. If the fluctuation frequency and the natural frequency are not equal, the value of current supplied to the drive motor is increased.

Abstract: An electronic catalog system sends catalog address information to a mobile phone through a wireless communication, sends catalog data adaptable to address information selected by the mobile phone to a storage server, and prints and outputs catalog data stored in the storage server.

Abstract: A capacitive load driving unit includes a plurality of capacitive loads, a drive circuit for charging and discharging the capacitive loads, a pair of power lines for supplying a drive voltage from an external power source to the drive circuit, and a current reserve circuit for reserving a current required by the drive circuit for charging the capacitive loads. The current reserve circuit includes a capacitor that is charged by the drive voltage from the power lines, and a coupler section for coupling the capacitor between the power lines except for when a defect inspection is conducted.

Abstract: A fixing device comprising an endless heating member which is adapted to be contacted with a fixable member to thereby enable an image on the fixable member to be thermally fixed, an electromagnetic inductive coil member disposed close to the endless heating member and inductively heating the endless heating member, and an AC power supply circuit supplying an AC current to the electromagnetic inductive coil member. The coil member is constructed such that in a state where the coil member is positioned in the fixing device, a ratio between an inductance L of the coil member and a load resistance R of the coil member meets a condition of L/R<50×10−6 (H/&OHgr;).

Abstract: The present invention provides a fixing device and a digital photocopier which can shorten the time from an instruction of starting image formation to end of fixing. The fixing device is provided in a cylinder made of metal and having a small thickness, and includes a magnetic excitation coil. When the power source is turned on, all the electric power defined by subtracting an electric power amount consumed by components other than the fixing device is supplied to the magnetic excitation coil to perform heating. As the structural components of the photocopier and auxiliary devices added to the photocopier operate, the electric power defined by subtracting, from the maximum input electric power, the electric power consumed by the structural components of the photocopier and the auxiliary devices is supplied to perform heating. In this manner, the heat roller of the fixing device is heated, in a short time, to a temperature which enables fixing, so that the time required for first copying can be shortened.

Abstract: When the sub-scanning beam position does not fall within a target range by the last directive value, the drift direction of a galvanomirror is estimated on the basis of the last directive value. A directive value is provided to the galvanomirror and then changed so that the sub-scanning beam position is shifted in the estimated direction in steps from the position corresponding to the last directive value. A decision is then made as to whether the directive value in the galvanomirror has reached a predetermined value. When the predetermined value is reached, the galvanomirror is directed to shift the beam position in the direction opposite to the estimated direction in steps from the position corresponding to the last directive value. As a result, a great load is prevented from being imposed on the galvanomirror during the laser beam sub-scanning direction position control.

Abstract: A light beam position detecting device detects the passage positions of a plurality of light beams for scanning the surface of a photosensitive drum. The light beam position detecting device has a sensor pattern for generating an output which is continuously changed in a wide range with a variation in the passage position of the light beam in a sub-scanning direction perpendicular to a main scanning direction of the light beam. The sensor pattern precisely detects the relative scanning position of the light beam in a wide range. The passage positions of the plurality of light beams for scanning the surface of the photosensitive drum are controlled to a preset position based on the output of the sensor pattern.

Abstract: When performing rotation and compression processing of image data, judgment is made upon whether image data for n lines is white, compression processing is carried out without performing rotation processing if the image data is white, and rotation processing is effected in units of n×n and then compression processing is carried out if the image data is not white.

Abstract: The present invention aims to first start the rotation of a rotor according to a first sequence for causing currents to flow in armature windings of three phases U, V and W upon startup of a three-phase brushless motor to thereby reduce an inrush current at the startup thereof, thus making it possible to lighten an electrical load on each electronic part used for control. Also the present invention aims to perform switching to an original second sequence for causing currents to flow in the armature windings of the two phases U and V, V and W or W and U of the three-phase brushless motor after the startup of the three-phase brushless motor to thereby provide a period for an open state of each terminal and make dead band control or the like unnecessary, thus making control of the three-phase brushless motor easier.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a composite apparatus and a method of controlling the composite apparatus. When a system controller places one processing section of a scanner section, a printer engine, a facsimile device, and a printer controller in a sleep state, the system controller checks whether or not another processing is ready. When it is checked that such another processing section is ready, all times of the other processing sections are synchronized with a timer of such one processing section. Then, the power circuit is controlled to be driven, and is controlled so as to be placed in a sleep state.

Abstract: A print head driving apparatus is provided with an input terminal for inputting serial data which includes printing data and timing data put in the printing data, a printing data number control circuit for detecting the timing data, a shift register and a latch circuit for extracting the printing data from the serial data with the timing data used as a starting point, and a driving waveform selecting circuit for outputting a driving signal based on the printing data extracted from the shift register and latch circuit. With this constitution, no control signal for latching is needed.

Abstract: An electric vacuum cleaner including a motor-driven blower driven by an inverter circuit. The inverter circuit has a plurality of switching elements. The inverter circuit AC-drives a motor-driven blower according to periodic switching between the switching elements. The periodic switching is based on the detected value of physical quantities related to the electric vacuum cleaner. The electric vacuum cleaner can, in the highest operation mode, undergo a sudden fluid load variation. The electric vacuum cleaner is able to limit, by way of the inverter circuit, the unpleasant sound produced by the vacuum cleaner due to the change in rotation velocity of a rotor of a motor of the vacuum cleaner.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus of the present invention comprises a fixing roller arranged opposite to a heating roller in a spaced-apart relation, a fixing belt spanned between the fixing roller and the heating roller and adapted to be run in a continuous manner to transmit heat from the heating roller to the fixing roller, a pressure applying roller set in pressure contact with the fixing roller through the fixing belt to heat the to-be-fixed material, by the fixing roller under pressure, and blocking members for blocking openings at those opposite sides of a space defined by the fixing roller, heating roller and fixing belt.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention comprises an apparatus body having a document table portion on which a document is placed, a scanning unit provided inside the apparatus body to optically scan an image of the document placed on the document table portion, an image forming unit for forming a developer image on a photosensitive drum in accordance with the image information scanned by the scanning unit, a transfer charger for transferring the developer image formed by the image forming unit on a sheet, a fixing unit for fixing the developer image transferred by the transfer charger on the sheet, an ejecting roller for ejecting the sheet on which the developer image is fixed by the fixing unit to the outside, a sheet receiving unit provided below the scanning unit inside the apparatus body to receive the sheet ejected from the ejecting roller, and a blowing unit for blowing cool air to the sheet receiving unit along a lower surface part of the scanning unit.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to methods and apparatus for printing a document from a computer workstation to a multifunction peripheral. Upon receiving a print command, the computer workstation determines whether the multifunction peripheral prints pages in a face-up or a face-down configuration. If the multifunction peripheral prints pages in a face-down configuration, the workstation invokes a printer driver to send the pages of the document to a print controller in reverse order. The print controller processes an initial portion of the document and sends the initial portion to the multifunction peripheral for printing. The multifunction peripheral prints the initial processing portion of the document while the controller processes the remainder of the document.

Abstract: Toner which is made adjacent to a surface of a photosensitive body by a toner carrier is charged, by charge injection from the toner carrier, to have the same polarity as that of a third potential a potential of the toner carrier. A first potential which is a potential of a base material of the photosensitive body, a second potential which is an apparent potential of the photosensitive body, and the third potential of the toner carrier are set such that in the absolute values, first potential>third potential>second potential. As a result, the relation exposed part potential>toner carrier potential>non-exposed part potential, is established. Therefore, the toner is selectively adsorbed only to non-exposed parts.