Abstract: An imaging device has a drive gear assembly which operatively engages with a backup roll gear of a fuser assembly when the fuser assembly is inserted into the imaging device. Such engagement causes the drive gear assembly to rotate, and in turn rotates a drive motor coupled to the drive gear assembly. The drive motor includes Hall Effect sensors associated with a sensor arrangement that senses rotation of the motor. During rotation of the drive motor, sensor signals are transmitted to a controller of the imaging device, the controller counting rising and falling signal edges of the received sensor signals. Based on the number of rising and falling signal edges, a message is sent to a user of the imaging device whether or not the installation of the fuser assembly was successful.

Abstract: A suspended spring-mass system is suspended from a plurality of the anchoring points. A source voltage is provided from one of anchoring points to the suspended spring-mass system. The other anchoring points have measurement nodes which measure the voltage at those anchoring points. If a voltage other than the source voltage is received at one of the measurement nodes, an error is identified.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, including a process cartridge and a main body with an opening and a cover, is provided. The process cartridge includes a drum cartridge, a toner cartridge, and a switching member. The switching member switches states in the process cartridge between a first state, wherein the toner cartridge is restricted from being detached, and a second state, wherein the toner cartridge is released from the restriction. The process cartridge is movable between an attached position to be placed entirely inside the main body and a detached position to be entirely outside the main body. The main body includes a restrictor to restrict the process cartridge from moving from an intermediate position toward the detached position. While the process cartridge is restricted by the restrictor, a supportive part in the cover supports the process cartridge with the switching member being at least partly placed outside the main body.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a charging member, a charging voltage source, an electrostatic image forming portion, a developing device, a developing voltage source, a transfer portion, a transfer voltage source, and a controller. During image formation, the toner remaining on the image bearing member after transfer is collected into the developing device while forming an image. In a cleaning operation performed during non-image formation, while rotating the image bearing member, the controller transfers the toner from the charging member onto the image bearing member, passes the toner through the developing portion in an urged state, reverses a charge polarity of the toner to a normal polarity at a charging portion, and then transfers the toner reversed in charge polarity from the image bearing member onto the developing member at the developing portion to collect the toner in the developing device.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing rotator, a pressure rotator, a cooling assembly, and an air regulation plate. The cooling assembly blows air onto an outer circumferential face of the pressure rotator to cool the outer circumferential face of the pressure rotator. The air regulation plate is disposed opposing the outer circumferential face of the pressure rotator with a clearance between the air regulation plate and the outer circumferential face of the pressure rotator, to regulate a flow direction or amount of one of air to be blown onto the outer circumferential face of the pressure rotator and air having been blown onto the outer circumferential face of the pressure rotator. The air regulation plate has a leading end opposing the outer circumferential face of the pressure rotator. The leading end has a shape following the outer circumferential face of the pressure rotator.

Abstract: A pressure indicator device for a flat tire repair kit for motor vehicles, in which the flat tire repair kit includes a compressor and a pressure outlet and the pressure indicator device (1.1-1.3) is an indicator for a pressure that the compressor of the flat tire repair kit produces in a tire that is being filled and includes a base body, a conduit (4.1-4.3), an optical element, an acoustic element, and a throttle (5.1-5.3); and the throttle (5.1-5.3) includes an adjustable throttle valve, wherein the conduit (4.1-4.3) is operationally connected to the optical element and the acoustic element; an air flow (L) through the conduit that the air pressure produces in the base body is deflected into a horizontal and/or an inclined horizontal direction, and an indicator element of the optical element can be moved in the horizontal and/or inclined horizontal direction.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a rotating polygonal mirror having reflection surfaces, and to reflect a luminous flux at each reflection surface so as to scan a photosensitive member; a detection unit configured to detect the luminous flux; a measurement unit configured to measure an interval between time points at which the detection unit detects the luminous flux; a storage unit configured to store correction value data for correcting an image signal for each reflection surface relative to a reference reflection surface; and a specification unit configured to select a characteristic value from among a plurality of values that are obtained from results of measurements, and to specify the reference reflection surface based on the characteristic value. The plurality of values include results of predetermined operations performed on two or more intervals measured by the measurement unit.

Abstract: A developer container includes a stirring member that stirs a developer and a conductive resin sheet that comes into contact with the stirring member when the stirring member rotates. Wherein, the developer container detects developer quantity using capacitance from the conductive resin sheet.

Abstract: A drum unit includes a photosensitive drum, a side plate, a cleaning unit, a waste-toner conveyor unit. The photosensitive drum has a first drum body and a second drum body, each having a photosensitive layer and a supported portion extending from one end of the drum body in a first direction along a rotational axis of the photosensitive drum. The side plate supports the supported portions. The cleaning unit has cleaners and conveyors corresponding to the drum bodies so as to remove waste toner from the photosensitive drums and convey the waste toner removed by the cleaners in the first direction. The waste-toner conveyor unit has a collecting conveyor configured to convey the waste toner conveyed by the. The collecting conveyor is disposed between the side plate and the drum bodies. The collecting conveyor is disposed below the first conveyor.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a main assembly provided with an opening; a drawer movable while supporting an cartridge including a photosensitive drum between an inside position and an outside position; an optical unit in the main assembly to project light onto the drum a shutter member provided in the main assembly and movable between a closing position and an open position an operating portion to move the shutter member from the open position to the closing position in a process of movement of the drawer from the inside position to the outside position and to move the shutter member from the closing position to the open position in a process of movement of the drawer from the outside position to the inside position.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a controller, a transmitter, a receiver, and an input receiving device. Upon the controller detecting a replacement unit that needs to be replaced, the transmitter transmits, to an external device, unit information indicating the replacement unit. The receiver receives, from the external device via a network, replacement procedure information of the replacement unit detected by the controller and identification information of a worker who is to replace the replacement unit. Upon the input receiving device receiving input of identification information that matches the identification information of the worker received by the receiver, the controller shifts an operation state of the image forming apparatus from a normal power supply mode to a unit replacement mode in which power is supplied only to predetermined components of the image forming apparatus other than the replacement unit.

Abstract: A micromechanical sensor device, and a corresponding method, including an ASIC substrate having first front and rear sides, a first rewiring element on the first front side; a MEMS substrate having a second front side, and a second rear side having a base substrate and a second rewiring element formed thereon; a micromechanical functional layer having at least one movable sensor structure, and which is on the second front side of the second rewiring element; a capping element having third front and rear sides, the third rear side being applied to the second front side for capping the sensor structure; and a recess formed in the base substrate on the second rear side, or in the capping element on the third front side, and within which the ASIC substrate is suspended on a flexible layered first suspension element via the first rewiring element, forming a cavity surrounding the ASIC chip.

Abstract: A cartridge includes a first maintaining member and a second maintaining member, each disposed on respective end portions of a charging roller in an axial direction of the charging roller and configured to maintain a position of the charging roller at a first position, and a first moving portion and a second moving portion, each disposed on respective end portions of an image bearing member in an axial direction of the image bearing member and configured to respectively abut on and move the first and second maintaining members according to rotation of the image bearing member so as to move the charging roller from the first position to the second position. When the image bearing member is rotated in which the charging roller is in the first position, the first moving portion abuts on the first maintaining member, and then the second moving portion abuts on the second maintaining member.

Abstract: A method of detecting internal defects in composites or other multilayer materials includes generating a wavefield on a surface of the material. Wavefield data is collected from the wavefield on the surface, and the measured wavefield data is processed to provide measured energy data. The method may include generating simulated or predicted energy data for the multilayer material that is compared to the simulated energy data to determine if the multilayer material has internal defects or damage below the surface. The method can be utilized to detect and/or quantify damage or other defects that are “hidden” by damage that is closer to the surface of the material.

Abstract: A gyro element as a resonator element includes a drive resonating arm as a drive portion that is driven by application of a voltage, and a detection resonating arm as a detection portion in which charge is generated in response to a Coriolis force generated in the drive resonating arm. An amount of charge detected in the detection resonating arm in a state where the Coriolis force is not generated is greater than 0% and equal to or less than 0.1% of an amount of charge generated in the drive resonating arm when driving the drive resonating arm.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member configured to bear a toner image formed using a liquid developer containing toner particles and a carrier liquid, a transfer member, an input portion into which information on a kind of a recording material is inputted, an adjusting device configured to adjust an amount of the carrier liquid of the toner image, and an executing portion configured to execute an operation of the adjusting device depending on the information when the toner image is in the adjusting position. The executing position executes either of a plurality of operations including a first operation in which the amount of the carrier liquid of the toner image is increased, a second operation in which the amount of the carrier liquid is decreased, and a third operation in which the amount of the carrier liquid is not adjusted.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the invention allow for increased shock robustness in gyroscopes. In certain embodiments, immunity against undesired forces that corrupt signal output is provided by a chessboard-pattern architecture of proof masses that provides a second layer of differential signals not present in existing designs. Masses are aligned parallel to each other in a two-by-two configuration with two orthogonal symmetry axes. The masses are driven to oscillate in such a way that each mass moves anti-parallel to an adjacent proof mass. In some embodiments of the invention, a mechanical joint system interconnects proof masses to suppress displacements due to mechanical disturbances, while permitting displacements due to Coriolis forces to prevented erroneous sensor signals.

Abstract: The invention provides a method and a bi-directional force sensing device with reduced cross-talk between the sensitive elements. The device contains an L-shaped mounting base, which supports force sensitive elements positioned on mutually perpendicular mounting legs of the mounting base. These force sensitive elements are interconnected by a sensor cross-talk reducing member via respective adapters in such a way that one force is translated to the one force sensitive element without affecting or disturbing another force sensitive element, thus reducing the cross-talk between the first and the second force measurements.

Abstract: Provided is a powder container having a new structure capable of stable discharge and transport of a powder contained in a container by enabling the powder to be reliably discharged to the outside of the package while preventing the powder from spilling and flying out of the container.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus may include a photosensitive member, a developing device including a developing roller, pressing members configured to engage with the developing device and springs configured to urge the pressing members. In some examples, each of the pressing members may be configured to contact and move the developing device between various positions based on the urging of the springs. Additionally or alternatively, various ends of a contact surface of the developing roller configured to contact developer may be disposed relative to an axis line of the developing roller and pressing surfaces of the pressing members.