Patents by Inventor Kenta Shibukawa
Kenta Shibukawa 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: 10444671Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an agitating member, a first electrode, a second electrode disposed with a gap from the first electrode such that the gap has a smallest portion located below a rotation center of the agitating member and a remote portion wider than the smallest portion and located above the smallest portion, and a frame body having a first wall surface having the first electrode disposed thereon and a second wall surface having the second electrode disposed thereon, and a developer detecting unit configured to detect an amount of developer from an output value output in accordance with a capacitance formed between the first electrode and the second electrode. The image forming apparatus performs correction and detects the amount of developer.Type: GrantFiled: June 29, 2017Date of Patent: October 15, 2019Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Kenta Shibukawa, Masahito Kato, Atsushi Toda, Taku Watanabe
-
Patent number: 10228635Abstract: A developer container includes: a housing chamber 147 which includes an opening 145 and which houses developer; a stirring member 160 which includes a sheet-like stirring portion 160b and a rotary shaft 160a to which the stirring portion 160b is attached; and a first electrode 143 and a second electrode 144 which are used to detect an amount of the developer and which are arranged with an interval therebetween, wherein an area X1 between the first electrode 143 and the second electrode 144 in the housing chamber 147 is positioned below the rotary shaft 160a of the stirring member 160, and the sheet-like stirring portion 160b comes into contact with the area X1 due to rotation of the stirring member 160.Type: GrantFiled: November 28, 2017Date of Patent: March 12, 2019Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Masahito Kato, Kenta Shibukawa, Kazumi Yamauchi, Katsuichi Abe, Naoya Asanuma, Atsushi Toda, Yosuke Kishi, Naoki Fukushima
-
Publication number: 20180081300Abstract: A developer container includes: a housing chamber 147 which includes an opening 145 and which houses developer; a stirring member 160 which includes a sheet-like stirring portion 160b and a rotary shaft 160a to which the stirring portion 160b is attached; and a first electrode 143 and a second electrode 144 which are used to detect an amount of the developer and which are arranged with an interval therebetween, wherein an area X1 between the first electrode 143 and the second electrode 144 in the housing chamber 147 is positioned below the rotary shaft 160a of the stirring member 160, and the sheet-like stirring portion 160b comes into contact with the area X1 due to rotation of the stirring member 160.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 28, 2017Publication date: March 22, 2018Inventors: Masahito Kato, Kenta Shibukawa, Kazumi Yamauchi, Katsuichi Abe, Naoya Asanuma, Atsushi Toda, Yosuke Kishi, Naoki Fukushima
-
Publication number: 20180004124Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an agitating member, a first electrode, a second electrode disposed with a gap from the first electrode such that the gap has a smallest portion located below a rotation center of the agitating member and a remote portion wider than the smallest portion and located above the smallest portion, and a frame body having a first wall surface having the first electrode disposed thereon and a second wall surface having the second electrode disposed thereon, and a developer detecting unit configured to detect an amount of developer from an output value output in accordance with a capacitance formed between the first electrode and the second electrode. The image forming apparatus performs correction and detects the amount of developer.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 29, 2017Publication date: January 4, 2018Inventors: Kenta Shibukawa, Masahito Kato, Atsushi Toda, Taku Watanabe
-
Patent number: 9857730Abstract: A developer container includes: a housing chamber 147 which includes an opening 145 and which houses developer; a stirring member 160 which includes a sheet-like stirring portion 160b and a rotary shaft 160a to which the stirring portion 160b is attached; and a first electrode 143 and a second electrode 144 which are used to detect an amount of the developer and which are arranged with an interval therebetween, where in an area X1 between the first electrode 143 and the second electrode 144 in the housing chamber 147 is positioned below the rotary shaft 160a of the stirring member 160, and the sheet-like stirring portion 160b comes into contact with the area X1 due to rotation of the stirring member 160.Type: GrantFiled: January 27, 2016Date of Patent: January 2, 2018Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Masahito Kato, Kenta Shibukawa, Kazumi Yamauchi, Katsuichi Abe, Naoya Asanuma, Atsushi Toda, Yosuke Kishi, Naoki Fukushima
-
Patent number: 9727000Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a potential detection portion that determines a surface potential of an image bearing member on the basis of an applied voltage value of a detection voltage applied to a voltage application member by a voltage application portion and a detected current value detected by a current detection portion in response to the applied voltage, and a control unit that sets an image formation condition for performing image formation in order to form a toner image on the image bearing member on the basis of the surface potential determined by the potential detection portion. When the surface potential is determined by the potential detection portion, the voltage application portion applies the detection voltage after applying, to the voltage application member, a voltage having an opposite polarity to an image formation voltage that is applied to the voltage application member during image formation.Type: GrantFiled: March 3, 2016Date of Patent: August 8, 2017Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Masahito Kato, Kenta Shibukawa, Yusuke Jota, Atsushi Toda
-
Patent number: 9535355Abstract: Voltages are applied to an image bearing member using at least three application voltage values which are larger than a discharge start voltage value and which have different magnitudes, at least one of the application voltage values having a value at which a direction of a current corresponding to the one of the application voltage values is reverse to those of currents corresponding to the other application voltage values. A relation between the application voltage value and the detection current value in a discharge area is calculated based on at least three application voltage values Vd1, Vd2, Vd3 and at least three detection current values Id1, Id2, Id3 detected by a current detection portion in relation to at least three application voltage values Vd1, Vd2, Vd3 and a voltage value V0 at which the detection current value is zero is calculated based on the relation in the discharge area.Type: GrantFiled: March 2, 2016Date of Patent: January 3, 2017Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Yusuke Jota, Atsushi Toda, Masahito Kato, Kenta Shibukawa
-
Publication number: 20160259261Abstract: Voltages are applied to an image bearing member using at least three application voltage values which are larger than a discharge start voltage value and which have different magnitudes, at least one of the application voltage values having a value at which a direction of a current corresponding to the one of the application voltage values is reverse to those of currents corresponding to the other application voltage values. A relation between the application voltage value and the detection current value in a discharge area is calculated based on at least three application voltage values Vd1, Vd2, Vd3 and at least three detection current values Id1, Id2, Id3 detected by a current detection portion in relation to at least three application voltage values Vd1, Vd2, Vd3 and a voltage value V0 at which the detection current value is zero is calculated based on the relation in the discharge area.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 2, 2016Publication date: September 8, 2016Inventors: Yusuke Jota, Atsushi Toda, Masahito Kato, Kenta Shibukawa
-
Publication number: 20160259263Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a potential detection portion that determines a surface potential of an image bearing member on the basis of an applied voltage value of a detection voltage applied to a voltage application member by a voltage application portion and a detected current value detected by a current detection portion in response to the applied voltage, and a control unit that sets an image formation condition for performing image formation in order to form a toner image on the image bearing member on the basis of the surface potential determined by the potential detection portion. When the surface potential is determined by the potential detection portion, the voltage application portion applies the detection voltage after applying, to the voltage application member, a voltage having an opposite polarity to an image formation voltage that is applied to the voltage application member during image formation.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 3, 2016Publication date: September 8, 2016Inventors: Masahito Kato, Kenta Shibukawa, Yusuke Jota, Atsushi Toda
-
Publication number: 20160223950Abstract: A developer container includes: a housing chamber 147 which includes an opening 145 and which houses developer; a stirring member 160 which includes a sheet-like stirring portion 160b and a rotary shaft 160a to which the stirring portion 160b is attached; and a first electrode 143 and a second electrode 144 which are used to detect an amount of the developer and which are arranged with an interval therebetween, where in an area X1 between the first electrode 143 and the second electrode 144 in the housing chamber 147 is positioned below the rotary shaft 160a of the stirring member 160, and the sheet-like stirring portion 160b comes into contact with the area X1 due to rotation of the stirring member 160.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 27, 2016Publication date: August 4, 2016Inventors: Masahito Kato, Kenta Shibukawa, Kazumi Yamauchi, Katsuichi Abe, Naoya Asanuma, Atsushi Toda, Yosuke Kishi, Naoki Fukushima
-
Patent number: 9091962Abstract: A cartridge includes: a developer accommodating chamber, provided with an opening, for accommodating a developer; a sealing member, provided with an electroconductive portion, for sealing the opening; and a storing element, provided with an electrical contact at a surface thereof, for storing information on the cartridge. The electroconductive portion covers the electrical contact.Type: GrantFiled: May 21, 2014Date of Patent: July 28, 2015Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Koichiro Masui, Masataka Mochizuki, Kenta Shibukawa
-
Publication number: 20140348518Abstract: A cartridge includes: a developer accommodating chamber, provided with an opening, for accommodating a developer; a sealing member, provided with an electroconductive portion, for sealing the opening; and a storing element, provided with an electrical contact at a surface thereof, for storing information on the cartridge. The electroconductive portion covers the electrical contact.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 21, 2014Publication date: November 27, 2014Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Koichiro Masui, Masataka Mochizuki, Kenta Shibukawa