Abstract: A transfer device includes a belt unit having a transfer belt looped around tension rollers including a transfer roller, a unit support housing including a first support portion to support one end of the belt unit rotatably in an axial direction, and a second support portion to support another end of the belt unit rotatably in the axial direction, the unit support housing supporting the belt unit through the first support portion and the second support portion around a moving direction of the transfer belt, a pair of biasing members, and a driver disposed to rotate to generate rotary driving force to be conveyed to a driven portion provided for one of the tension rollers, the rotary driving force of the driver acting in a direction different from a direction in which the posture of the belt unit is not restricted.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a body having an opening, a door on the body, a unit detachably attached to the body from the opening, a cover inside the door, a spring, and a lock. The door covers the opening at a first closed position. The unit is disposed at a mounting position inside the body. The cover is rotatable between a second closed position and an opening position in an opening direction. At the second closed position, the cover covers the unit at the mounting position. At the opening position, the cover forms an angle of 90 degrees or more with the body. The spring applies a force to the cover in the opening direction. The lock locks the cover at the second closed position. The cover displaced from the second closed position in the opening direction restricts a movement of the door to the first closed position.

Abstract: A transfer device includes an intermediate transferor and primary transfer sections. The primary transfer sections each includes a primary transferor. The primary transfer sections include a most-upstream primary transfer section and a most-downstream primary transfer section. One of the primary transfer sections is a special-color primary transfer section switchable between the most-upstream primary transfer section and the most-downstream primary transfer section. The primary transferor of each of the most-upstream primary transfer section and the most-downstream primary transfer section is switchable between a contact position at which the primary transferor contacts the latent image bearer and a separation position at which the primary transferor is separated from the latent image bearer.

Abstract: A tension roller assembly includes a tension roller, a first presser, a second presser, and a pressure releaser. The tension roller contacts an outer circumferential surface of a belt to apply tension to the belt. The first presser presses one end of the tension roller in an axial direction of the tension roller against the belt. The second presser presses another end of the tension roller in the axial direction against the belt. The pressure releaser moves the first presser and the second presser together to release pressure applied to the tension roller by the first presser and the second presser.

Abstract: An intermediate transfer unit includes an intermediate transfer belt, a housing, a grip, and a cover. The housing supports a plurality of stretching rollers stretching the intermediate transfer belt and has a downstream plate in a pull-out direction of the intermediate transfer unit. The downstream plate is orthogonal to the pull-out direction. The grip is on the downstream plate. The cover covers the downstream plate and has a hole to access the grip.

Abstract: A transfer device includes a belt, a transferor, a holder, a biasing member, and a movement mechanism. The transferor is movable to contact the belt. The holder holds the transferor. The biasing member biases the transferor toward the belt. The movement mechanism contacts the holder and causes the transferor to move in a direction opposite to a direction in which the biasing member biases the transferor. The holder includes a contact portion to contact the movement mechanism and a holder portion. The contact portion includes a material having a higher rigidity than the holder portion.

Abstract: A transfer device includes a movable component, a moving assembly, a restrictor, and an operating member. The movable component moves toward and away from a latent image bearer unit. The moving assembly causes the movable component to move toward and away from the latent image bearer unit. The restrictor restricts the latent image bearer unit from detaching from an image forming apparatus. The operating member causes the moving assembly to move the movable component away from the latent image bearer unit and releases restriction of detachment of the latent image bearer unit from the image forming apparatus by the restrictor.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photoconductor that bears an image and an intermediate transfer device that forms a primary transfer nip between the photoconductor and the intermediate transfer device. The intermediate transfer device primarily transfers the image from the photoconductor onto the intermediate transfer device at the primary transfer nip. A secondary transfer device forms a secondary transfer nip between the intermediate transfer device and the secondary transfer device. The secondary transfer device secondarily transfers the image from the intermediate transfer device onto a recording medium at the secondary transfer nip. At least one support shaft supports the intermediate transfer device. The at least one support shaft supports, on an identical axis, one lateral end and another lateral end of the secondary transfer device in a width direction of the recording medium.

Abstract: A transfer device includes a pressed unit, a rotatable roller, and a pressing member. The pressed unit is movably supported and includes a first non-rotatable shaft portion and a second non-rotatable shaft portion. The rotatable roller is rotatably supported by the first non-rotatable shaft portion of the pressed unit. The pressing member contacts the second non-rotatable shaft portion of the pressed unit and presses the pressed unit. The second non-rotatable shaft portion has an axial center aligned with an axial center of the first non-rotatable shaft portion.

Abstract: A rotating device includes a shaft member, a counterpart member, a bearing, and a retaining member. The counterpart member includes a shaft insertion portion into which the shaft member is inserted. The bearing is disposed in the shaft insertion portion and interposed between the counterpart member and the shaft member. The bearing causes the counterpart member and the shaft member to be rotatable relative to each other. The retaining member is disposed on an end portion of the shaft member on one side in an axial direction of the shaft member. The counterpart member includes an opposing portion closer to the end portion of the shaft member on the one side in the axial direction than the bearing. The opposing portion faces the retaining member in the axial direction.

Abstract: A control device (master device 10) is provided with: a communication instruction unit (112) that instructs a slave device (20c) to execute/stop communication with another device; a diagnosis instruction unit (113) that provides instruction to implement a breakdown diagnosis including detection of a breakdown location; a diagnostic results reading unit (114) that reads out the results of the breakdown diagnosis from the slave device; and a calculation unit (115) that calculates, from the results of the breakdown diagnosis, the length of a communication cable from the slave device to the breakdown location.

Abstract: A transfer device includes a belt unit having a transfer belt looped around tension rollers including a transfer roller, a unit support housing including a first support portion to support one end of the belt unit rotatably in an axial direction, and a second support portion to support another end of the belt unit rotatably in the axial direction, the unit support housing supporting the belt unit through the first support portion and the second support portion around a moving direction of the transfer belt, a pair of biasing members, and a driver disposed to rotate to generate rotary driving force to be conveyed to a driven portion provided for one of the tension rollers, the rotary driving force of the driver acting in a direction different from a direction in which the posture of the belt unit is not restricted.

Abstract: An ultrasonic probe includes a wireless transmitter-receiver configured to perform communication through a wireless network having a plurality of channels and obtain identification information of apparatuses connected to the wireless network from the apparatuses; a memory configured to store identification information for identifying other ultrasonic probes from among the apparatuses; and a processor configured to count other ultrasonic probes connected with the wireless network on a per channel basis with respect to the plurality of channels based on the identification information obtained by the wireless transmitter-receiver and the identification information stored in the memory, and determine to connect to a channel at which the number of the other ultrasonic probes counted by the processor is smallest.

Abstract: A pressing device includes an intermediate transfer unit, a secondary transfer unit, a presser, and a drive transmitter. The intermediate transfer unit transfers and conveys a toner image. The secondary transfer unit faces the intermediate transfer unit to form a nip portion between the secondary transfer unit and the intermediate transfer unit and transfers the toner image onto a conveyed material at the nip portion. The presser applies a pressing force for pressing the secondary transfer unit to the intermediate transfer unit at the nip portion. The drive transmitter transmits the pressing force and a conveyance driving force to a driven transmitter of the secondary transfer unit, is restricted in position by the presser, and is movable together with the presser.

Abstract: A transfer device includes a pressed unit, a rotatable roller, and a pressing member. The pressed unit is movably supported and includes a first non-rotatable shaft portion and a second non-rotatable shaft portion. The rotatable roller is rotatably supported by the first non-rotatable shaft portion of the pressed unit. The pressing member contacts the second non-rotatable shaft portion of the pressed unit and presses the pressed unit. The second non-rotatable shaft portion has an axial center aligned with an axial center of the first non-rotatable shaft portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a body having an opening, a door on the body, a unit detachably attached to the body from the opening, a cover inside the door, a spring, and a lock. The door covers the opening at a first closed position. The unit is disposed at a mounting position inside the body. The cover is rotatable between a second closed position and an opening position in an opening direction. At the second closed position, the cover covers the unit at the mounting position. At the opening position, the cover forms an angle of 90 degrees or more with the body. The spring applies a force to the cover in the opening direction. The lock locks the cover at the second closed position. The cover displaced from the second closed position in the opening direction restricts a movement of the door to the first closed position.

Abstract: An ultrasonic probe includes a transducer; a pulser; an amplifier; a wireless transmitter; temperature detectors at two or more locations from among a location of the pulser, a location of the amplifier, and a location of the wireless transmitter; and a processor comparing temperatures detected by the temperature detectors with first temperature thresholds set for the temperature detectors, and, when one or more temperature detectors detect temperatures that exceed corresponding first temperature thresholds, selecting any one of low power consumption operating modes based on which temperature detectors are the one or more temperature detectors detecting the temperatures that exceed corresponding first temperature thresholds, and switching an operating mode of each of one or more from among the pulser, the amplifier, and the wireless transmitter from a normal operating mode to the selected low power consumption operating mode.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photoconductor that bears an image and an intermediate transfer device that forms a primary transfer nip between the photoconductor and the intermediate transfer device. The intermediate transfer device primarily transfers the image from the photoconductor onto the intermediate transfer device at the primary transfer nip. A secondary transfer device forms a secondary transfer nip between the intermediate transfer device and the secondary transfer device. The secondary transfer device secondarily transfers the image from the intermediate transfer device onto a recording medium at the secondary transfer nip. At least one support shaft supports the intermediate transfer device. The at least one support shaft supports, on an identical axis, one lateral end and another lateral end of the secondary transfer device in a width direction of the recording medium.

Abstract: A transfer device includes a belt, a transferor, a holder, a biasing member, and a movement mechanism. The transferor is movable to contact the belt, The holder holds the transferor. The biasing member biases the transferor toward the belt. The movement mechanism contacts the holder and causes the transferor to move in a direction opposite to a direction in which the biasing member biases the transferor. The holder includes a contact portion to contact the movement mechanism and a holder portion. The contact portion includes a material having a higher rigidity than the holder portion.

Abstract: A transfer device includes a movable component, a moving assembly, a restrictor, and an operating member. The movable component moves toward and away from a latent image bearer unit. The moving assembly causes the movable component to move toward and away from the latent image bearer unit. The restrictor restricts the latent image bearer unit from detaching from an image forming apparatus. The operating member causes the moving assembly to move the movable component away from the latent image bearer unit and releases restriction of detachment of the latent image bearer unit from the image forming apparatus by the restrictor.