Abstract: A fixing film having an endless shape, comprising at least a base material, an elastic layer, and a release layer in this order, the release layer comprising a tube containing a fluorine resin, and a value of Xe to Xm is 1.20 or more, where when, in a chart of an X-ray diffraction peaks obtained by measuring the release layer with a reflection X-ray diffraction method, a maximum X-ray diffraction strength at 2?=17 to 19° is defined as Ic, a maximum X-ray diffraction strength at 2?=39.5 to 40.5° is defined as Ia, and a value of Ic/Ia is defined as X, Xe represents an average value of X in an edge region, and Xm represents an average value of X in a central region.

Abstract: Selecting one conveyance mode from a plurality of conveyance modes includes a first selection process of selecting the one conveyance mode based on a detection temperature of a temperature sensor from a first time point at which rotation of a fixing rotator is started to a second time point at which a particular period elapses from the first time point. The first selection process includes: determining whether an initial temperature is higher than or equal to a first temperature, the initial temperature being a detection temperature of the temperature sensor when a print instruction is received; in response to determining that the initial temperature is lower than the first temperature, setting the particular period to a first period; and in response to determining that the initial temperature is higher than or equal to the first temperature, setting the particular period to a second period longer than the first period.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an intermediate transfer member, a cleaning member, and an image forming unit having a developer carrier. During an image forming job, when a ratio of an amount of toner consumed to a distance that the developer carrier is rotationally driven is greater than a threshold value, the image forming unit forms a first toner supply image for supplying toner to the cleaning member in a predetermined period that is from a time at which a first toner image is transferred to the intermediate transfer member to a time at which a second toner image is transferred to the intermediate transfer member. When the ratio is less than the threshold value, the image forming unit forms a second toner supply image for supplying toner to the cleaning member in the predetermined period and having a density that is higher than a first toner supply image density.

Abstract: Magnets are arranged at intervals along a stroke direction with an interposed space. Magnetic pole surfaces of adjacent ones of the magnets have opposite poles. A detector is arranged with a gap in a gap direction against a magnetic pole surface of each of the magnets and acquires a sine signal and a cosine signal as detection signals of phases corresponding to the positions of the magnets, based on a change in a magnetic field received from the magnets according to movement of the detector relative to the detection object in the stroke direction. A signal processor acquires the sine signal and the cosine signal from the detector, generates, based on the sine signal and the cosine signal, an arctangent signal corresponding to a stroke amount of the detection object relative to the detector, and acquires the arctangent signal as a position signal.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a fixing unit including a rotary member pair configured to form a first nip portion, a cooling unit configured to form a second nip portion, a drive unit, an obtaining unit configured to obtain information regarding torque of the drive unit, and a control unit. In a state where the recording material is nipped by the first nip portion and the second nip portion, if the information is equal to or less than a threshold value, the control unit is configured to set a conveyance speed of the cooling unit at a first speed larger than a conveyance speed of the fixing unit, and if the information is larger than the threshold value, the control unit is configured to set the conveyance speed of the cooling unit at a second speed smaller than the conveyance speed of the fixing unit.

Abstract: A toner cartridge according to one example embodiment includes a housing having a reservoir for holding toner. A first electrical contact and a second electrical contact are positioned on a first longitudinal end of the housing. The first electrical contact is electrically connected to processing circuitry positioned on the housing. The second electrical contact is electrically connected to an imaging component positioned on the housing. The first electrical contact is positioned higher than the second electrical contact. A first drive coupler and a second drive coupler are positioned on a second longitudinal end of the housing. The first electrical contact and the second electrical contact are positioned higher than a first rotational axis of the first drive coupler. The first electrical contact is positioned higher than a second rotational axis of the second drive coupler and the second electrical contact is positioned lower than the second rotational axis.

Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus including a blade moving mechanism that can inhibit a blade from moving from a retracted position to a contact position even when an external force is exerted. The image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member that bears a developer image, a transfer belt to which the developer image is transferred, the blade that comes into contact with the transfer belt to collect a developer, a rotating member that rotates to act on the blade and move the blade between the contact position, where the blade contacts the transfer belt, and the retracted position, where the blade is away from the transfer belt, and a regulating member that regulates movement of the blade, which has moved from the contact position to the retracted position, from the retracted position to the contact position.

Abstract: A heating device for heating a medium on which an image can be formed includes a cylindrical belt, a first heating unit, and a second heating unit. The first and second heating units are inside the cylindrical belt and face an inner circumferential surface of the belt. A controller is configured to control the heating units to generate heat. When the medium is to be heated to reach an image fixing temperature at which the image can be fixed to the medium, the controller controls the first and second heating units to both generate heat. After the medium is heated to the image fixing temperature, the controllers control the first heating unit to generate heat, but not the second heating unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit including a tubular film, a pressure roller, and a heater including a heating element. The apparatus further includes a control unit configured to calculate an accumulated electrical energy supplied to a portion of the heating element. The portion of the heating element is located in an area corresponding to a second area of the nip portion. The second area is an area of the nip portion through which the recording material conveyed to the nip portion is not passed. The control unit is configured to determine an operation of heat leveling, which is performed for leveling a heat distribution in the nip portion after the recording material had passed the nip portion, based on the calculated accumulated electrical energy.

Abstract: An energy storage apparatus 20 includes: energy storage devices B1 to B4; a cutoff switch 40 that cuts off current of the energy storage device; a parallel circuit 70 including a rectifier element 75 in which a discharge direction is set to a forward direction, the parallel circuit 70 being connected in parallel to the cutoff switch 40; a first current sensor 50 that measures the current of the energy storage devices B1 to B4; a discharge circuit 90 that discharges an inspection current to the first current sensor 50 through a discharge path including the parallel circuit 70 using the energy storage device as a power source; and a controller 80. The controller 80 determines whether the first current sensor 50 correctly measures the current based on a measurement value of the inspection current Ib.

Abstract: A belt cleaning blade has a contact site that comes into contact with at least a surface of a belt which is a member to be cleaned, in which the contact site is configured with polyurethane rubber including hard segments and soft segments, and in a cross section of the contact site, a ratio X of domains of the hard segments to a total area of the cross section is 14.9% or more and 25.1% or less, and a ratio Y of an area of domains of the hard segments having an area of 200 nm2 or more and 1,000 nm2 or less to a total area of the domains of the hard segments in the cross section is 17.8% or more and 46.5% or less.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing unit, a temperature sensor, and a controller. The fixing unit includes a fixing member with which a medium on which a developer image is transferred comes into contact and a heat source that supplies heat to the fixing member. The temperature sensor measures temperature of a surface with which the medium comes into contact in the fixing member. The controller outputs information indicating an abnormality of temperature detection by the temperature sensor if an estimation value of temperature of the fixing member is larger than a predetermined reference value.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a chassis having an opening, a cover, photosensitive members, an intermediate transfer belt, a primary-transfer member, a secondary-transfer roller, a cleaner device, an external-sheet inlet, a waste toner container, a connector, and a conveying roller, which is arranged within the feeding path to feed the recording sheet inserted through the external-sheet inlet in the feeding path. The conveying roller is mounted on the waste toner container and removable from the chassis along with the waste toner container.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit having a plurality of members, a control unit, and a sound collecting unit. The control unit controls operations of the plurality of members in a first operation mode in which the image forming unit forms an image on a recording material. The sound collecting unit collects a sound that arises in the image forming apparatus during the first operation mode execution to generate a sound signal. When it is determined, based on the generated sound signal, that an abnormal sound has arisen, the control unit determines a source of the abnormal sound by transitioning to a second operation mode after the first operation mode has ended and causing, in the second operation mode, one or more members, from the plurality of members, that are possible sources of the abnormal sound to operate separately from the remaining plurality of members.

Abstract: An estimation device configured to estimate a charge rate of a battery includes a voltage sensor configured to detect a voltage of the battery, a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the battery, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is connected to the voltage sensor and the temperature sensor and is configured to execute, while a vehicle is parked, an estimation process of estimating the charge rate of the battery based on a detection voltage and a detection temperature. The detection voltage is detected by the voltage sensor. The detection temperature is detected by the temperature sensor.

Abstract: A first sensor signal and a second sensor signal are provided by a sensor unit to an evaluation unit. The first sensor signal is dependent on the angular position and is associated with a first detection position, and the second sensor signal is associated with a second detection position lying about the rotational axis perpendicular to the first detection position. An orthogonal error is converted by the evaluation unit into an amplitude difference between respective amplitudes of the first and second sensor signals based on a coordinate transformation of the first and second sensor signals. Each of the first and second sensor signals are adjusted by the evaluation unit based on the amplitude difference. An angular position of a rotational component is determined by the evaluation unit based on output from an a tan 2-function that takes the adjusted first and second sensor signals as input.

Abstract: In a cartridge, a housing has a developer accommodating portion and includes a first side wall and a second side wall. A coupling member is disposed at a position opposite to the developer accommodating portion with respect to the first side wall. A detection body is disposed at a position opposite to the developer accommodating portion with respect to the second side wall. A first driving force transmission member is positioned at the same side with the coupling member with respect to the first side wall, and transmits driving force from the coupling member to a rotating member. A second driving force transmission member is positioned at the same side with the detection body with respect to the second side wall, and transmits driving force from the rotating member to the detection body.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photoconductor, a charging section that charges a surface of the photoconductor, an electrostatic charge image forming section that forms an electrostatic charge image on the charged surface of the photoconductor, a developing section that accommodates a developer containing a toner and develops the electrostatic charge image formed on the surface of the photoconductor by using the developer to form a toner image, a transfer section that includes an endless belt and transfers the toner image to a recording medium; and a cleaning section that includes a cleaning blade that comes into contact with a surface of the endless belt and performs cleaning of the surface of the endless belt with the cleaning blade, in which a dynamic friction coefficient ? between the endless belt and the cleaning blade is 0.10 or more and 0.

Abstract: Magnetic field sensor for sensing a two-dimensional external magnetic field, including a magnetic tunnel junction including a reference layer having a fixed reference magnetization, a sense ferromagnetic layer having a sense magnetization, and a tunnel barrier layer between the sense and reference ferromagnetic layers; the sense ferromagnetic layer including a first sense ferromagnetic layer in contact with the tunnel barrier layer, a second sense ferromagnetic layer, and a first non-magnetic layer between the first and second sense ferromagnetic layers; the second sense ferromagnetic layer includes a plurality of multilayer element, each multilayer element including a second non-magnetic layer between two second ferromagnetic sense layers; and wherein the second sense ferromagnetic layer has a thickness equal or less than 12 nm.

Abstract: A conveyance device to convey a recording medium includes a heater, a first temperature detector, a second temperature detector, and a recording medium detector. The heater heats the recording medium. The first temperature detector and the second temperature detector detect a temperature of the heater. The recording medium detector detects the recording medium. The first temperature detector is disposed at a position farther from a center position of a heating region of the heater than the second temperature detector in a conveyance orthogonal direction. The conveyance orthogonal direction is along a surface of the recording medium and orthogonal to a direction in which the recording medium is conveyed. The recording medium detector is disposed on a side opposite to the first temperature detector with respect to the second temperature detector in the conveyance orthogonal direction.