Patents by Inventor Kenichi Isomi
Kenichi Isomi has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
-
Patent number: 8706001Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a resin frame composed of a resin and an image forming unit that is removably inserted in the resin frame. The resin frame includes a base having a supporting surface that supports the image forming unit, a guide portion that extends in the base in an insertion direction in which the image forming unit is inserted along the supporting surface and that guides the image forming unit in the insertion direction while limiting movement of the image forming unit in an orthogonal direction that is orthogonal to the insertion direction, and a side plate portion that is provided at a peripheral edge of the base so as to extend in a direction perpendicular to the supporting surface, the base, the guide portion, and the side plate portion being integrally molded from a resin.Type: GrantFiled: April 11, 2011Date of Patent: April 22, 2014Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Kohichi Yamauchi, Shinichi Takeda, Norio Tomita, Shinji Nakazawa, Noriaki Taguchi, Kenichi Isomi, Shuichi Mochizuki
-
Patent number: 8095040Abstract: In an embodiment of the present invention, an image forming apparatus includes a transfer belt that primarily transfers a toner image formed on a photosensitive drum; a secondary transfer unit including a transfer mechanism portion that secondarily transfers the primarily transferred toner image to a paper; an optical sensor that detects a reference toner image on the transfer belt; and a shutter that protects a detection face of the optical sensor, wherein a separation/contact mechanism portion disposed so as to be brought into contact with both of the shutter and the secondary transfer unit is provided, and the separation/contact mechanism portion allows the shutter to move so as to open and allows the secondary transfer unit to move so as to separate from the transfer belt when the reference toner image is detected by the optical sensor, and allows the shutter to move so as to separate from the transfer belt when the secondary transfer unit is drawn out from an apparatus main body.Type: GrantFiled: December 15, 2008Date of Patent: January 10, 2012Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Norio Tomita, Hiroshi Tachiki, Takahiko Yoshida, Yoshikazu Harada, Yoshiteru Kikuchi, Kenichi Isomi
-
Publication number: 20110280614Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a resin frame composed of a resin and an image forming unit that is removably inserted in the resin frame. The resin frame includes a base having a supporting surface that supports the image forming unit, a guide portion that extends in the base in an insertion direction in which the image forming unit is inserted along the supporting surface and that guides the image forming unit in the insertion direction while limiting movement of the image forming unit in an orthogonal direction that is orthogonal to the insertion direction, and a side plate portion that is provided at a peripheral edge of the base so as to extend in a direction perpendicular to the supporting surface, the base, the guide portion, and the side plate portion being integrally molded from a resin.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 11, 2011Publication date: November 17, 2011Inventors: Kohichi Yamauchi, Shinichi Takeda, Norio Tomita, Shinji Nakazawa, Noriaki Taguchi, Kenichi Isomi, Shuichi Mochizuki
-
Patent number: 8055145Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a controller for detecting the opening and closing of a shutter from the output from an optical sensor and controlling the opening and closing operation of the shutter based on the detected result. The controller determines that if the optical sensor is turned “ON” within a predetermined period of time from when the shutter begins opening, the operation of the shutter from the closed state to the open state is correctly detected. When no reflected light is detected by the optical sensor even after a predetermined time has elapsed, the controller determines that an anomaly has occurred and closes the shutter and repeat another detecting process.Type: GrantFiled: December 16, 2008Date of Patent: November 8, 2011Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Norio Tomita, Yoshikazu Harada, Tetsushi Ito, Noriaki Taguchi, Yoshiteru Kikuchi, Kenichi Isomi
-
Patent number: 7962067Abstract: An image forming apparatus including: a first and a second photoconductor groups constituted of one or more photoconductors respectively; a first and a second drive control sections for controlling the drive of the first and the second photoconductor groups respectively to rotate the photoconductors thereof, wherein the rotational phases of the first photoconductor group and the second photoconductor group are adjusted to be matched therebetween; and the first and the second drive control sections control so that the first and the second photoconductor groups are driven simultaneously with an equal target speed during a formation of a image, wherein an initial drive speed is lower than a predetermined speed for image-formation, and after the first and the second photoconductor groups reaches the initial drive speed, the target speed is changed from the initial drive speed to the speed for image-formation.Type: GrantFiled: April 8, 2009Date of Patent: June 14, 2011Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Kenichi Isomi, Tetsushi Ito, Hirotsugu Akamatsu, Tetsuya Yamaguchi, Shuichi Mochizuki
-
Patent number: 7929891Abstract: An image forming apparatus include: a plurality of photosensitive drums; a latent image forming unit for forming an electrostatic latent image on each photosensitive drum; a developing unit for developing each electrostatic latent image; a transferring unit for superimposing and transferring the developed images onto a moving record medium; a measurement unit for measuring positions of the transferred images on the record medium; and a control unit for controlling the photosensitive drums, the latent image forming unit, the developing unit, and the transferring unit. The control unit includes: a calculating unit for calculating a value related to alignment errors in the positions measured by said measurement unit in accordance with a sine-curve fitting method; and a correcting unit for correcting the alignment errors by the calculated value.Type: GrantFiled: April 1, 2009Date of Patent: April 19, 2011Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Norio Tomita, Yoshiteru Kikuchi, Kenichi Isomi, Yoshikazu Harada, Tetsushi Ito
-
Patent number: 7809309Abstract: It is an object to prevent distortions and deviations of images caused by the eccentricity of a driven gear mounted to a rotational shaft of a photosensitive drum. There are provided a driving gear which is secured to a rotational shaft of a rotational driving power source and is rotated at a constant peripheral speed, a driven gear secured coaxially to a rotational shaft of a cylindrical-shaped photosensitive member, a phase control gear having the same diameter as that of the driven gear and having the same rotational speed variation characteristic as that of the driven gear, and a transmission gear, and a driving force from the driving gear is transmitted to the driven gear through the phase control gear and the transmission gear.Type: GrantFiled: May 27, 2008Date of Patent: October 5, 2010Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Norio Tomita, Yoshikazu Harada, Tetsushi Ito, Tetsuya Yamaguchi, Yoshiteru Kikuchi, Kenichi Isomi, Showtaro Okamoto
-
Patent number: 7742731Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention involves a roller drive control method for a fixing apparatus in which a separation claw for separating a recording paper and a cleaning unit for removing toner that has become residual on a surface of a heat roller are arranged near a surface of the heat roller that fixes toner onto the recording paper, wherein a predetermined period different from a fixing process period in which fixing of toner onto the recording paper is carried out is set as a toner removal period for removing toner that has adhered to the separation claw, and the heat roller is rotationally driven so that the rotation velocity of the heat roller is different in the fixing process period and the toner removal period.Type: GrantFiled: November 21, 2007Date of Patent: June 22, 2010Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Tatsuya Shinkawa, Kimihide Tsukamoto, Kan Mukai, Takashi Yamanaka, Kenichi Isomi, Yasuhiro Takai
-
Publication number: 20090263159Abstract: An image forming apparatus including: a first and a second photoconductor groups constituted of one or more photoconductors respectively; a first and a second drive control sections for controlling the drive of the first and the second photoconductor groups respectively to rotate the photoconductors thereof, wherein the rotational phases of the first photoconductor group and the second photoconductor group are adjusted to be matched therebetween; and the first and the second drive control sections control so that the first and the second photoconductor groups are driven simultaneously with an equal target speed during a formation of a image, wherein an initial drive speed is lower than a predetermined speed for image-formation, and after the first and the second photoconductor groups reaches the initial drive speed, the target speed is changed from the initial drive speed to the speed for image-formation.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 8, 2009Publication date: October 22, 2009Inventors: Kenichi Isomi, Tetsushi Ito, Hirotsugu Akamatsu, Tetsuya Yamaguchi, Shuichi Mochizuki
-
Publication number: 20090252540Abstract: An image forming apparatus include: a plurality of photosensitive drums; a latent image forming unit for forming an electrostatic latent image on each photosensitive drum; a developing unit for developing each electrostatic latent image; a transferring unit for superimposing and transferring the developed images onto a moving record medium; a measurement unit for measuring positions of the transferred images on the record medium; and a control unit for controlling the photosensitive drums, the latent image forming unit, the developing unit, and the transferring unit. The control unit includes: a calculating unit for calculating a value related to alignment errors in the positions measured by said measurement unit in accordance with a sine-curve fitting method; and a correcting unit for correcting the alignment errors by the calculated value.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 1, 2009Publication date: October 8, 2009Inventors: Norio Tomita, Yoshiteru Kikuchi, Kenichi Isomi, Yoshikazu Harada, Tetsushi Ito
-
Publication number: 20090180803Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a controller for detecting the opening and closing of a shutter from the output from an optical sensor and controlling the opening and closing operation of the shutter based on the detected result. The controller determines that if the optical sensor is turned “ON” within a predetermined period of time from when the shutter begins opening, the operation of the shutter from the closed state to the open state is correctly detected. When no reflected light is detected by the optical sensor even after a predetermined time has elapsed, the controller determines that an anomaly has occurred and closes the shutter and repeat another detecting process.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 16, 2008Publication date: July 16, 2009Inventors: Norio TOMITA, Yoshikazu Harada, Tetsushi Ito, Noriaki Taguchi, Yoshiteru Kikuchi, Kenichi Isomi
-
Publication number: 20090154945Abstract: In an embodiment of the present invention, an image forming apparatus includes a transfer belt that primarily transfers a toner image formed on a photosensitive drum; a secondary transfer unit including a transfer mechanism portion that secondarily transfers the primarily transferred toner image to a paper; an optical sensor that detects a reference toner image on the transfer belt; and a shutter that protects a detection face of the optical sensor, wherein a separation/contact mechanism portion disposed so as to be brought into contact with both of the shutter and the secondary transfer unit is provided, and the separation/contact mechanism portion allows the shutter to move so as to open and allows the secondary transfer unit to move so as to separate from the transfer belt when the reference toner image is detected by the optical sensor, and allows the shutter to move so as to separate from the transfer belt when the secondary transfer unit is drawn out from an apparatus main body.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 15, 2008Publication date: June 18, 2009Inventors: Norio TOMITA, Hiroshi TACHIKI, Takahiko YOSHIDA, Yoshikazu HARADA, Yoshiteru KIKUCHI, Kenichi ISOMI
-
Publication number: 20080298841Abstract: It is an object to prevent distortions and deviations of images caused by the eccentricity of a driven gear mounted to a rotational shaft of a photosensitive drum. There are provided a driving gear which is secured to a rotational shaft of a rotational driving power source and is rotated at a constant peripheral speed, a driven gear secured coaxially to a rotational shaft of a cylindrical-shaped photosensitive member, a phase control gear having the same diameter as that of the driven gear and having the same rotational speed variation characteristic as that of the driven gear, and a transmission gear, and a driving force from the driving gear is transmitted to the driven gear through the phase control gear and the transmission gear.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 27, 2008Publication date: December 4, 2008Inventors: Norio TOMITA, Yoshikazu Harada, Tetsushi Ito, Tetsuya Yamaguchi, Yoshiteru Kikuchi, Kenichi Isomi, Showtaro Okamoto
-
Publication number: 20080124143Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention involves a roller drive control method for a fixing apparatus in which a separation claw for separating a recording paper and a cleaning unit for removing toner that has become residual on a surface of a heat roller are arranged near a surface of the heat roller that fixes toner onto the recording paper, wherein a predetermined period different from a fixing process period in which fixing of toner onto the recording paper is carried out is set as a toner removal period for removing toner that has adhered to the separation claw, and the heat roller is rotationally driven so that the rotation velocity of the heat roller is different in the fixing process period and the toner removal period.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 21, 2007Publication date: May 29, 2008Inventors: Tatsuya SHINKAWA, Kimihide Tsukamoto, Kan Mukai, Takashi Yamanaka, Kenichi Isomi, Yasuhiro Takai