Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a heater, a fixing device, and a controller. The heater includes a heat generator that generates heat when the heater is turned on. The fixing device may fix a developer image on a surface of an image forming medium using the heat from the heat generator. The controller detects a voltage of a power supply for supplying electric power to the heater, and determines an occurrence of an abnormality in the heater if a voltage drop amount at the time the heater is turned on as compared to a case in which the heater is turned off is smaller than a first threshold value.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a fixing unit including a heater and a fixing belt. The fixing belt is electrically connected between a first power source and a ground terminal. A controller is configured to control the heater to heat the fixing belt. The controller is further configured to determine whether a current is flowing through the fixing belt and, upon determining that a current is not flowing through the fixing belt, control the heater not to heat the fixing belt.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a fixing unit including a heater and a fixing belt. The fixing belt is electrically connected between a first power source and a ground terminal. A controller is configured to control the heater to heat the fixing belt. The controller is further configured to determine whether a current is flowing through the fixing belt and, upon determining that a current is not flowing through the fixing belt, control the heater not to heat the fixing belt.

Abstract: A fixing unit or device that can be used in an image forming apparatus includes a first heater element that is formed of a material that increases in electrical resistance with increases in temperature. A controller of the fixing unit is configured to vary a duty ratio of electric power applied to the first heater element during a start-up operation in which the temperature of the first heater element is raised to a target operating temperature. By varying the duty ratio during the start-up operation, changes in the resistance of the first heater element with the heating can be compensated. For example, the duty ratio can be increased during the course of the start-up to achieve the target operating temperature faster.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a heater, a fixing device, and a controller. The heater includes a heat generator that generates heat when the heater is turned on. The fixing device may fix a developer image on a surface of an image forming medium using the heat from the heat generator. The controller detects a voltage of a power supply for supplying electric power to the heater, and determines an occurrence of an abnormality in the heater if a voltage drop amount at the time the heater is turned on as compared to a case in which the heater is turned off is smaller than a first threshold value.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a fixing unit including a heater and a fixing belt. The fixing belt is electrically connected between a first power source and a ground terminal. A controller is configured to control the heater to heat the fixing belt. The controller is further configured to determine whether a current is flowing through the fixing belt and, upon determining that a current is not flowing through the fixing belt, control the heater not to heat the fixing belt.

Abstract: A heating device includes a cylindrical film configured to be rotated about an axis, a heater including a substrate that extends along a longitudinal direction parallel to the axis, and a heater element on the substrate and facing an inner surface of the cylindrical film. A heat conductor extends along the longitudinal direction and has first and second surfaces. A first portion of the heat conductor contacts the substrate and a second portion of the heat conductor has a groove in the first surface. A temperature sensing element is disposed at a position on the second surface at a position opposite the groove.

Abstract: A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a gas monitoring program causes a computer to acquire a continuous frame of an infrared image, to calculate a concentration-thickness product of leaking gas in the infrared image, to assume a gas leakage location of the leaking gas in the infrared image, to set a gas type which circulates in a pipe proximate to the gas leakage location as a gas type of the leaking gas by referring to circulating substance information of the piping equipment and matching the gas leakage location, to set a maintenance threshold value for the concentration-thickness product of the leaking gas, to estimate a leakage volume from the gas leakage location per unit of time of the gas type, and to predictively calculate a timing when the concentration-thickness product exceeds the maintenance threshold value on a basis of a time-changing leakage volume per unit of time.

Abstract: A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a gas monitoring program causes a computer to acquire a continuous frame of an infrared image, to calculate a concentration-thickness product of leaking gas in the infrared image, to assume a gas leakage location of the leaking gas in the infrared image, to set a gas type which circulates in a pipe proximate to the gas leakage location as a gas type of the leaking gas by referring to circulating substance information of the piping equipment and matching the gas leakage location, to set a maintenance threshold value for the concentration-thickness product of the leaking gas, to estimate a leakage volume from the gas leakage location per unit of time of the gas type, and to predictively calculate a timing when the concentration-thickness product exceeds the maintenance threshold value on a basis of a time-changing leakage volume per unit of time.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a data-storing device, which is coupled to a personal computer through an interface and can enlarge a number of and a kind of devices connectable to the personal computer. The data-storing device includes an interfacing circuit that includes a data communication path through which the data can be bilaterally communicated between the device and an external device, which is coupled to the device with an interface cable, and a power-supplying path through which a power current can be bilaterally supplied between the device and the external device, wherein the interface cable also includes the data communication path and the power-supplying path; a data-storing unit to store the data sent from the interfacing circuit; and a plurality of interface connecting ports serving as input/output terminals of the interfacing circuit, wherein the interface cable can be connected to one of the interface connecting ports.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a data-storing device, which is coupled to a personal computer through an interface and can enlarge a number of and a kind of devices connectable to the personal computer. The data-storing device includes an interfacing circuit that includes a data communication path through which the data can be bilaterally communicated between the device and an external device, which is coupled to the device with an interface cable, and a power-supplying path through which a power current can be bilaterally supplied between the device and the external device, wherein the interface cable also includes the data communication path and the power-supplying path; a data-storing unit to store the data sent from the interfacing circuit; and a plurality of interface connecting ports serving as input/output terminals of the interfacing circuit, wherein the interface cable can be connected to one of the interface connecting ports.

Abstract: A moving type image recording apparatus wherein an image on an original document is recorded on a substance to be recorded by moving an apparatus body having a recording device, the recording device being driven based on an information from a detecting device for detecting a moving amount of the apparatus body. A device for reading the image on the original document, a memory device for storing an image information from the reading device, and an edit device for the information stored by the memory device are provided.

Abstract: An ink jet printing device including a printing head having a nozzle through which ink can be ejected. The head includes an internal chamber ink and ink ejection is caused by internal pressure pulses. The internal chamber is formed in part by a deformable diaphragm which prevents extreme ambient temperature variations from causing damaging liquid pressure fluctuations.

Abstract: A hand-held copying apparatus has a reading window of a read division disposed on a leading end outwardly of two parallel rollers which define a reference plane placed on the surface to be read. A storage division for storing information read by the read division is provided integrally with the read division, and information stored in the storage division is recorded through a recording head which is moved relatively along a recording paper at a speed corresponding to the moving speed of the apparatus detected by a movement encoder mechanism.

Abstract: A heater power controller for an ink jet printer wherein the output of a comparator making a comparison between a detection signal of the temperature of an ink in a print head of the ink jet printer and a reference signal is chopped by a clock having a predetermined period so as to be converted into a chopper signal, by which the supply of the power to a heating means provided in the head is controlled. A regulating device for regulating the duty ratio of the chopper signal is provided. Each of pulses constituting the chopper signal is made out of phase with a pulse supplied to other pulse-driven load.

Abstract: In an on-demand type ink-jet recording apparatus, which includes an ink chamber and a polarized piezoelectric element coupled to the ink chamber, the piezoelectric element being polarized as a result of application of a voltage of given polarity thereacross, ink droplets are ejected by applying droplet-ejecting pulses of opposite polarity to that used in polarization of the piezoelectric element for ejecting ink droplets from the nozzle for recording on a recording medium. In order to prevent loss of polarization of the piezoelectric element due to the application of the droplet-ejecting pulses, additional polarization-loss-preventing pulses of opposite polarity (same polarity as that used in polarization treatment of the piezoelectric element) are applied at predetermined points of time to the piezoelectric element to prevent loss of polarization thereof.

Abstract: An on-demand-type ink jet recording apparatus and process wherein the droplet size is controlled to effect halftone-gradiation recording. A preceding pulse is applied to the electromechanical transducer prior to the main pulse so as to control the position of the ink meniscus in the nozzle and thereby control droplet size.