Abstract: An apparatus is provided that can perform distributed control for a plurality of operation units, without concentrating control in a single device. The apparatus includes a plurality of modules that respectively correspond to a plurality of operation units, each module including a communication device, a functional block setting device and a functional block connected with a corresponding operation unit. The functional block has a register that holds, in an updateable condition, control values relating to various controls of the corresponding operation unit. Each module is triggered by an operation start signal input to a start terminal of the communication device to start an operation for controlling a corresponding operation unit in accordance with each control value held in the register device.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus heats an image on a recording material and includes: a rotatable belt; a pressor contacting the belt to nip and feed the recording material; a stretcher stretching the belt; a detector detecting a position of the belt perpendicular to a rotational direction of the belt; an executor executing a first control mode for controlling a position of the belt by inclination of the stretcher on the basis of an output of the detector, and a second control mode for controlling the position of the belt member by inclination of the stretcher on the basis of the output of the detector and for stabilizing the position of the belt; an inputter inputting information relating to the recording material; and a selector for selecting the first control mode or the second control mode in accordance with the information inputted to the inputter.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus includes, even when an abnormality of operation occurs in any of a plurality of modules to which an assigned operation in a plurality of operations for an image formation is assigned and which autonomously executes the assigned operation, each of the modules can autonomously perform a particular operation for eliminating an abnormality of operation at a module in which an abnormality occurs. When detecting the module in which the abnormality of operation occurs based on operation abnormality generation condition information in each of the modules stored in the shared data module, the plurality of modules provided in the image forming apparatus each perform an operation (a particular operation) for eliminating the abnormality of operation in accordance with the module in which the abnormality of operation occurs and the contents of the abnormality of operation.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus executes controls relating to image formation in a dispersed manner without centralization. A printer part of the image forming apparatus includes a laser module, an image process module, a paper-feed cassette module, a conveyance module, a both-side module, a fixing module, a paper discharge module and a shared data module. Each module stores operation condition information, indicating its operation condition in the shared data module, and executes autonomously a specific operation by referring to operation parameters and the operation condition information indicating the operation conditions of the modules, stored in the shared data module.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member; toner image formation means for forming a toner image on the image bearing member; removing means for removing deposited matter deposited on the image bearing member; detecting means for detecting a toner image to be detected, formed on the toner image formation means; control means for controlling a toner image forming condition of the toner image forming means in accordance with a result of detection of the toner image to be detected by the detecting means; the apparatus being operable in a mode in which the removing means operates to remove the deposition, and the detecting means operates to detect the toner image to be detected, executing means for executing an operation in the mode; and an operating portion for manually starting execution of the operation in the mode by the executing means.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit configured to form an image onto each sheet, an ejection unit on which the sheet is ejected, a sorting unit configured to sort the sheets ejected on the ejection unit into subsets, and a control unit configured to, when executing a mode for forming images on first sides of the sheets, ejecting the sheets with the images on the first sides, and forming images on second sides of the ejected sheets manually placed on a feeding unit for second-side image formation, control the sorting unit to sort the ejected sheets after first-side image formation into subsets so that the number of sheets in each subset does not exceed a maximum number of sheets stackable on the feeding unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus capable of reducing a part of a sheet exposed outside the apparatus on standby after finishing printing a first side in both-sided printing. A transfer material P having an image formed on its first side is fed until a part thereof gets exposed outside a full-color printer 1 and is fed to a refeeding path in the full-color printer 1. The transfer material P inverted by a flapper 44 is fed to a standby position to form an image on a second side thereof and is stopped there. In the case where a preparation for forming the image on the second side is not completed, the standby position for having the transfer material P stopped is changed corresponding to length of the inverted transfer material P in a feeding direction.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image forming apparatus which, when switching operation from color image forming operation to monochromatic image forming operation, forms a monochromatic image on each of a prescribed number of sheets by stopping a part of the functions of yellow, magenta and cyan image forming sections of the color image forming operation, and thereafter, forms a monochromatic image only with a black-only image forming section, thereby permitting extension of service life of the image forming sections, while improving the productivity.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus which is capable of performing a failsafe image forming operation even when a memory device of a replaceable unit mounted thereon is faulty. A controller of the image forming apparatus determines whether or not a memory tag of a toner cartridge is faulty. If the memory tag is determined to be faulty, the controller causes image adjustment to be executed.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member; toner image formation means for forming a toner image on the image bearing member; removing means for removing deposited matter deposited on the image bearing member; detecting means for detecting a toner image to be detected, formed on the toner image formation means; control means for controlling a toner image forming condition of the toner image forming means in accordance with a result of detection of the toner image to be detected by the detecting means; the apparatus being operable in a mode in which the removing means operates to remove the deposition, and the detecting means operates to detect the toner image to be detected, executing means for executing an operation in the mode; and an operating portion for manually starting execution of the operation in the mode by the executing means.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member; toner image formation means for forming a toner image on the image bearing member; removing means for removing deposited matter deposited on the image bearing member; detecting means for detecting a toner image to be detected, formed on the toner image formation means; control means for controlling a toner image forming condition of the toner image forming means in accordance with a result of detection of the toner image to be detected by the detecting means; the apparatus being operable in a mode in which the removing means operates to remove the deposition, and the detecting means operates to detect the toner image to be detected, executing means for executing an operation in the mode; and an operating portion for manually starting execution of the operation in the mode by the executing means.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus heating an image on a recording material and the image heating apparatus includes a rotatable belt member; a pressing member contacting to the belt member to nip and feed the recording material; a stretching member stretching the belt member; belt position detecting means detecting a position of the belt member with respect to a perpendicular to a rotational direction of the belt member; an executing portion capable of executing a first control mode for controlling a position of the belt member with respect to the direction by inclination of the stretching member on the basis of an output of the belt position detecting means, and a second control mode for controlling the position of the belt member with respect to the direction by inclination of the stretching member on the basis of the output of the belt position detecting means and for stabilizing the position of the belt member; an input portion inputting information relating to the recording material; and a selector for selectin

Abstract: An image forming apparatus that is capable of normally performing second side printing on a transfer material, even if the transfer material put on standby after completion of first side printing is pulled out by a user. A transfer material having image formed on its first side is fed until it is partly exposed to the outside of a printer, and is then fed to a refeeding path in the printer and further fed to a standby position prior to image formation on the second side of the transfer material. When it is detected that the transfer material caused to stop at the standby position is pulled out by a user, a warning to stop pulling out the transfer material is given to the user.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming apparatus body and a peripheral unit operable to transport a recording medium. The image forming apparatus includes a communication device for communicating with the peripheral unit and a controller for controlling transporting the recording medium by the peripheral unit using a communication by the communication device. The controller sets a plurality of transport speeds, each of which corresponds to a predetermined identification code, to the peripheral unit and specifies the transport speed by using the predetermined identification code to the peripheral unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus changes over an electric potential on an image bearing member in response to an attenuation region in which a remaining potential on a developing member is attenuating after a developing bias applied to the developing member has been turned off after completion of an image forming operations. Accordingly, it is possible to mitigate adherence of developer due to a large potential difference between the developing member and the image bearing member.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus includes a containing device for containing waste toner which is recovered, and a near-end position detecting device that detects that the waste toner is at a near-end position in the containing device, and a judgment feature that the waste toner is full based on image judgement means for judging whether the container after detecting means detects that an amount of toner in the container is full of toner, based on image information of an image formed on a recording material and the adjustment by the adjusting means.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus for carrying out an image forming process with a detachably mountable image forming unit mounted thereon, when the mounting of the image forming unit has been detected, whether the mounted image forming unit is a new one is discriminated. Then, unit control information held by an information holding portion for holding unit control information corresponding to the image forming unit is updated on the basis of the results of discrimination at the last time and this time. By such a construction, image formation becomes executable on the mounted image forming unit always in an optimized state.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus that is capable of normally performing second side printing on a transfer material, even if the transfer material put on standby after completion of first side printing is pulled out by a user. A transfer material having image formed on its first side is fed until it is partly exposed to the outside of a printer, and is then fed to a refeeding path in the printer and further fed to a standby position prior to image formation on the second side of the transfer material. When it is detected that the transfer material caused to stop at the standby position is pulled out by a user, a warning to stop pulling out the transfer material is given to the user.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus changes over an electric potential on an image bearing member in response to an attenuation region in which a remaining potential on a developing member is attenuating after a developing bias applied to the developing member has been turned off after completion of an image forming operations. Accordingly, it is possible to mitigate adherence of developer due to a large potential difference between the developing member and the image bearing member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus which is capable of performing a failsafe image forming operation even when a memory device of a replaceable unit mounted thereon is faulty. A controller of the image forming apparatus determines whether or not a memory tag of a toner cartridge is faulty. If the memory tag is determined to be faulty, the controller causes image adjustment to be executed.