Abstract: An intermediate transfer unit includes an intermediate transfer belt, a plurality of transfer rollers, a housing, and a filter unit. The intermediate transfer belt is mounted around a drive roller and a driven roller and capable of traveling in an endless path around the rollers. The housing holds the intermediate transfer belt and the transfer rollers. The filter unit includes: a suction portion; an exhaust portion; and a rectangular chassis provided internally with an upstream filter and a downstream filter both capable of collecting powder particles. The filter unit is disposed inside of the intermediate transfer belt so that a direction of length of the chassis is oriented parallel to a direction of width of the intermediate transfer belt perpendicular to a direction of travel of the intermediate transfer belt, and the filter unit is fixed to the housing.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a cartridge and an apparatus main body to which the cartridge is detachably attachable is disclosed. The apparatus main body includes a driving force transmitting member, an output member, and a biasing member disposed between the output member and the driving force transmitting member. The driving force transmitting member is caused to rotate relative to the output member in the predetermined rotation by the biasing member, when an engagement between the driving force transmitting member and the driving force receiving member is released by a detachment of the cartridge from the apparatus main body.

Abstract: A method for predicting a lifespan of a secondary battery within a short time in a more accurate and effective way is provided. The method for assessing a lifespan of a secondary battery includes primarily aging a prepared secondary battery for a predetermined time, initially charging the primarily aged secondary battery to a predetermined SOC and secondarily aging the initially charged secondary battery for a duration greater than the primary aging. Additionally, degassing removes gas in the secondarily aged secondary battery. Further, the method includes charging the secondary battery with a primary low-current at C-rate of 1/15 C or less, after the degassing step, discharging the secondary battery with a primary low-current at C-rate of 1/15 C or less, after the primary low-current charging step and determining a lifespan of the secondary battery by using a difference of voltages measured at different time points.

Abstract: Described herein is a method for priming a print substrate for subsequently receiving a liquid electrophotographic (LEP) inkin which a surface of a print substrate is coated with a first primer using an analogue printing technique and a second primer is digitally printed to the surface of the print substrate coated with the first primer.

Abstract: A printing device, including: a cartridge storing developer; a memory provided in the cartridge; and a controller configured to execute a printing process of operating the cartridge form a developer image on a sheet by use of the developer in the cartridge, a first access process of performing access to the memory when the printing process is not being executed, and a second access process of performing access to the memory in a period in which the printing process is being executed, in response to a predetermined operation of the printing device, wherein, when an access failure occurs in the first access process, the controller notifies an error, and wherein, when an access failure occurs in the second access process, the controller continues the printing process and executes the second access process again in response to a next timing of the predetermined operation of the printing device.

Abstract: In described examples, a time-domain analyzer is arranged to generate an indication of a number of high-frequency events of an electrical monitor signal that includes a fundamental periodic frequency. The high-frequency events include frequencies higher than the fundamental periodic frequency. A frequency-domain analyzer is arranged to generate frequency band information in response to frequencies of the electrical monitor signal that are higher than the fundamental periodic frequency. A fault detector is arranged to monitor the indication of the number of high-frequency events and the generated frequency band information, and to generate a fault flag in response to the monitored indication of the number of high-frequency events and the generated frequency band information.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a cartridge having an image carrying member, and an apparatus main body from which the cartridge is capable of being detached in a longitudinal direction of the cartridge. While being positioned such that a first end side of the cartridge is in contact with a positioning portion of a frame, the cartridge that has been inserted when a door is in an open position is disposed under an intermediate transfer body such that a distance to a surface of the intermediate transfer body opposing the cartridge is greater on a second end side than on the first end side, and by moving the door to a closed position, the cartridge is pivoted with urging force of an urging member and the image carrying member is made to come into contact with the intermediate transfer body.

Abstract: A smart-home device may include a solid state relay (SSR) switching integrated circuit (IC). SSR switching IC may include switching elements configured to open and close a connection between a power wire and a return wire of an environmental system; a voltage sensor that measures a voltage across the one or more switching elements; a current sensor that measures a current through the one or more switching elements; and a temperature sensor that measures a temperature near the one or more switching elements. The smart-home device may also include a wireless communication device that periodically receives voltage, current, and temperature data originating from the SSR switching IC and transmits the voltage, current, and temperature data to a device management server. The device management server may receive batches of voltage, current, and temperature data from a plurality of smart-home devices.

Abstract: Disclosed is a separation column for micro gas chromatography, having superior separation performance and including a microchannel formed on a substrate and having a serpentine shape, and bumps formed on the surface of the microchannel, wherein the bumps are alternately disposed to face each other on the surface of the microchannel. In the separation column for micro gas chromatography, a sufficient pressure drop occurs, and thus an interaction between a gas mixture to be analyzed and a stationary phase in the column sufficiently takes place, whereby individual gas components are efficiently separated from the gas mixture, discharged from the column, and detected.

Abstract: A fuel ball detecting method and system with a self-diagnosis function are provided. The method includes: exciting a first detecting coil and a second detecting coil of a fuel ball sensor disposed outside a pipeline; obtaining a first voltage signal U1 from the first detecting coil and a second voltage signal U2 from the second detecting coil; processing U1 and U2 by differential amplification, band pass filtering, phase sensitive detection and low pass filtering by a signal processor to obtain a fuel ball waveform signal U0; determining whether the fuel ball passes the pipeline according to U0 by a single chip microcomputer; determining whether the first and the second detecting coils, the signal processor and the single chip microcomputer work normally; outputting a result showing whether the fuel ball passes the pipeline, when the first and the second detecting coils, the signal processor and the single chip microcomputer work normally.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a fixing portion for fixing an image formed on a recording material; and a guide member for guiding the recording material. The guide member is provided at an entrance to the fixing portion and at an end portion with respect to a direction perpendicular to a feeding direction of the recording material. The guide member is moved when the guide member is pushed by the recording material.

Abstract: The invention relates to a portable device with improved sensor position change detection. It aims at detecting a change of position of a mobile device relative to a user and, based on this change of position, a change of orientation of the mobile device relative to the user. This allows, when the orientation of the mobile device suddenly changes relative to a user, to keep track of this change. This is particularly useful for position tracking techniques such as Pedestrian Dead Recognition (PDR), which rely on an iterative determination of the orientation of a mobile device relative to the user, and may be affected by a sudden and important change of this relative orientation.

Abstract: A wireless monitoring unit performs condition monitoring associated with a test point location of a host machine. The unit includes a high performance vibration sensor useful for monitoring the host machine for fault conditions and the like. The unit includes a second vibration sensor that has poorer metrological performance, but draws a comparatively insignificant amount of power from the battery. The second sensor takes a vibration measure periodically, which measure is processed to evaluate whether the machine is in a state eligible to undergo a health assessment. Diagnostic monitoring using the high performance vibration sensor is enabled only when the host machine it is in the eligible state. A low power temperature sensor provides additional data for guarding against a false trigger, in effect allowing the processor to distinguish against vibration from another machine propagating to the host machine causing the host machine to vibrate while the host machine is not running.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a feed tray, a transferring unit, a fixing unit, a output tray, a conveying unit for conveying a sheet along a sheet conveyance path including a first sheet conveyance path and a second sheet conveyance path which branches from the first sheet conveyance path on a downstream side and joins to the first sheet conveyance path on a upstream side, and a controller. The controller causes the conveying unit to convey sheets, calculates a specific amount related to the amount of toner per unit area of a page in image data, performs double-sided printing with the large number of sheets conveyed in a case where the specific amount is smaller than a predetermined amount, and performs double-sided printing with the small number of sheets conveyed in a case where the specific amount is equal to or larger than the predetermined amount.

Abstract: A feeding screw for feeding a developer includes a rotation shaft, and first, second, and third blade portions helically formed on the outer peripheral surface of the rotation shaft to feed the developer in one direction. The first blade portion and the second blade portion overlap with each other, the second blade portion and the third blade portion do not overlap with each other, and the third blade portion and the first blade portion overlap with each other, all with respect to the rotational axis direction of the feeding screw. A gap is provided between a downstream end of the second blade and an upstream end of the third blade portion in the one direction, and the gap is disposed within a region where the first blade portion is formed with respect to the rotational axis direction of the feeding screw.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member, a charging roller, an exposure device, a developing device, a transfer member, a fixing device, a voltage source for output the charging voltage, an executing portion for forming a test chart including a plurality of adjusting images in setting of peak-to-peak voltage values of AC voltages at a plurality of different values, a first inputting portion through which an instruction of execution of forming the test chart is inputted, and a second inputting portion through which an instruction of setting a value of peak-to-peak voltage values of the AC voltage during image formation is inputted.

Abstract: An apparatus main body includes a main casing and a cover configured to rotatably move about a rotational axis located below an opening between an open position and a closed position. A drum cartridge includes a photosensitive drum and is configured to be installed into the apparatus main body through the opening. A developing cartridge includes a developing roller and is configured to be installed into the apparatus main body through the opening. A swing plate is attached swingably to the apparatus main body. The swing plate supports the developing cartridge. The swing plate includes a guide configured to guide installation of the developing cartridge into the apparatus main body. The swing plate is configured to swingably move in a state where the drum cartridge and the developing cartridge are installed in the apparatus main body, thereby causing the developing roller to move relative to the photosensitive drum.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a calculation portion that calculates an image ratio of the electrostatic image to be formed. A controller controls developer supply from a developer supplier to a developing unit based on the toner density output of an inductance sensor. An adjustment portion adjusts the density of the toner output from the toner density detection portion to a higher value in a case where the image ratio calculated by the calculation portion is higher than a predetermined image ratio.

Abstract: An image forming system comprises a sheet supply section configured to supply a sheet for printing. The system includes a registration roller configured to guide the sheet supplied from the sheet supply section along a conveyance path. A first image forming section is configured to form a first image on the sheet based on reference image information using a first colorant type that is capable of being fixed to the sheet by heat. A fixing section is configured to heat the sheet on which the first image has been formed. A second image forming section is configured to receive the sheet from the fixing section and form a second image using a second colorant type on the sheet after the sheet has been passed through the fixing section. A controller is configured to control a heating temperature of the fixing section in two or more stages.

Abstract: The present application provides a method of evaluating fatigue damage in a turbine by a data acquisition system. The method may include the steps of receiving a number of operating parameters from a number of sensors and based upon the operating parameters, determining: a run time from start-up until the turbine reaches X percent load and a start-up temperature transient from start-up until the turbine reaches X percent load, and calculating: a run time ratio of the determined run time until the turbine reaches X percent load to a predetermined run time, a start-up temperature ratio of the determined start-up temperature transient to a predetermined start-up temperature transient, and a fatigue severity factor by averaging the run time ratio and the start-up temperature ratio. Based upon the determined fatigue severity factor, altering one or more of the operating parameters and/or initiating repair procedures.