Patents by Inventor Masahiro Onodera

Masahiro Onodera 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: 10782631
    Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus capable of preventing or suppressing occurrence of density unevenness even when a shearing force is applied between an image face on paper and a fixing belt. The image forming apparatus includes an image former, a fixer, and a controller. The image former forms a toner image constituted by a plurality of dots each containing a toner on paper. The fixer includes a fixing member moving at a first velocity and a pressure member forming a fixing nip portion with the fixing member and moving at a second velocity, and fixes the toner image on the paper at the fixing nip portion. When the first velocity and the second velocity at the fixing nip portion are different, the controller determines a toner amount to be attached to paper so as to make a toner amount distribution different in each of the dots before fixing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Masahiro Onodera
  • Patent number: 10747142
    Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus capable of preventing or suppressing occurrence of density unevenness even when a shearing force is applied between an image face on paper and a fixing belt. The image forming apparatus includes an image former, a fixer, and a controller. The image former forms a toner image constituted by a plurality of dots each containing a toner on paper. The fixer includes a fixing member moving at a first velocity and a pressure member forming a fixing nip portion with the fixing member and moving at a second velocity, and fixes the toner image on the paper at the fixing nip portion. When the first velocity and the second velocity at the fixing nip portion are different, the controller determines a toner amount to be attached to paper so as to make a toner amount distribution different in each of the dots before fixing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Masahiro Onodera
  • Publication number: 20200241442
    Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus capable of preventing or suppressing occurrence of density unevenness even when a shearing force is applied between an image face on paper and a fixing belt. The image forming apparatus includes an image former, a fixer, and a controller. The image former forms a toner image constituted by a plurality of dots each containing a toner on paper. The fixer includes a fixing member moving at a first velocity and a pressure member forming a fixing nip portion with the fixing member and moving at a second velocity, and fixes the toner image on the paper at the fixing nip portion. When the first velocity and the second velocity at the fixing nip portion are different, the controller determines a toner amount to be attached to paper so as to make a toner amount distribution different in each of the dots before fixing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2019
    Publication date: July 30, 2020
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Masahiro ONODERA
  • Patent number: 10663901
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a fixer including fixing rotation body and pressing rotation body with a fixing nip therebetween, and heats and presses a fed sheet through the fixing nip to fix a toner image on the sheet to the sheet; and a hardware processor making a velocity difference between respective surface velocities of the fixing rotation body and the sheet passing through the fixing nip during a high-gloss mode operation to adjust a gloss of the toner image on the sheet. The hardware processor performs a control so that an absolute value of a velocity difference between respective surface velocities of the fixing rotation body and the pressing rotation body in press-contact when the sheet does not pass through the fixing nip is less than one between respective surface velocities of the fixing rotation body and the sheet when the sheet passes through the fixing nip during the high-gloss mode operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Yasuo Shirodai, Makoto Fujii, Masahiro Onodera
  • Publication number: 20200050137
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a fixer including fixing rotation body and pressing rotation body with a fixing nip therebetween, and heats and presses a fed sheet through the fixing nip to fix a toner image on the sheet to the sheet; and a hardware processor making a velocity difference between respective surface velocities of the fixing rotation body and the sheet passing through the fixing nip during a high-gloss mode operation to adjust a gloss of the toner image on the sheet. The hardware processor performs a control so that an absolute value of a velocity difference between respective surface velocities of the fixing rotation body and the pressing rotation body in press-contact when the sheet does not pass through the fixing nip is less than one between respective surface velocities of the fixing rotation body and the sheet when the sheet passes through the fixing nip during the high-gloss mode operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2019
    Publication date: February 13, 2020
    Inventors: Yasuo SHIRODAI, Makoto FUJII, Masahiro ONODERA
  • Patent number: 10527979
    Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus and a control program. A fixer includes a first roller which includes an elastic layer having a predetermined thickness in a surface, a second roller which includes an elastic layer having a thickness smaller than that of the first roller in a surface, a fixing belt which is laid across the first roller and forms a fixing nip portion between the second roller and the fixing belt, and first and second drive motors that drive the first and second rollers, respectively. A hardware processor controls a drive current of the first drive motor so that an electromotive current generated in the second drive motor has a predetermined value in a case where the first roller is rotatively driven by the first drive motor and the second roller is caused to rotate as a follower of the first roller and the fixing belt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Masahiro Onodera
  • Publication number: 20190377292
    Abstract: A fixing device fixes a toner image formed on paper, wherein a fixing member of which surface hardness of a surface opposed to an image surface of the paper is not higher than a predetermined Value is used, and a gloss level of the loner image is controlled by adjusting a speed of the paper or the fixing member to change a speed difference between the image surface of the paper and a surface of the fixing member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2019
    Publication date: December 12, 2019
    Inventors: Makoto FUJII, Masahiro ONODERA, Yasuo SHIRODAI
  • Publication number: 20190354046
    Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus and a control program. A fixer includes a first roller which includes an elastic layer having a predetermined thickness in a surface, a second roller which includes an elastic layer having a thickness smaller than that of the first roller in a surface, a fixing belt which is laid across the first roller and forms a fixing nip portion between the second roller and the fixing belt, and first and second drive motors that drive the first and second rollers, respectively. A hardware processor controls a drive current of the first drive motor so that an electromotive current generated in the second drive motor has a predetermined value in a case where the first roller is rotatively driven by the first drive motor and the second roller is caused to rotate as a follower of the first roller and the fixing belt.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2019
    Publication date: November 21, 2019
    Inventor: Masahiro Onodera
  • Patent number: 10317831
    Abstract: An image forming system includes first and second image forming apparatuses including respective image forming sections and fixing sections. When the system forms an image on a sheet using the first image forming section, then forms an image on the sheet using the second image forming apparatus, and forms an image on a same side of a sheet which has a nonuniform sheet thickness and first and second regions respectively having small and large sheet thicknesses, the image in the first region is formed and fixed using the first image forming apparatus and the image in the second region is formed and fixed using the second image forming apparatus, and the respective fixing sections of the first and the second image forming apparatuses pass the nonuniform sheet while applying a second load lower than a first load applied to a sheet having a uniform sheet thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Masahiro Onodera
  • Patent number: 10161476
    Abstract: A machine having a reciprocating slider crank mechanism, wherein an axis of a crankshaft, an axis of a first balancer shaft and an axis of a second balancer shaft are not arranged on the same plane, wherein vibration is highly controlled. The machine includes the reciprocating slider crank mechanism configured so as to satisfy setting formulae below: UCr=UP×0.5 ?Cr=180° UB(Fr)={U1B(Fr)++U2B(Fr)2}1/2 U1B(Fr)=?UP×0.5×{Lx?B(Rr)/(Lx?B(Rr)?Lx?B(Fr))} U2B(Fr)=UP×0.5×{Ly?B/(Lx?B(Rr)?Lx?B(Fr))} ?B(Fr)=180°?arctan(U2B(Fr)/U1B(Fr)) UB(Rr)={U1B(Rr)2+U2B(Rr)2}1/2 U1B(Rr)=?UP×0.5×{Lx?B(Fr)/(Lx?B(Fr)?Lx?B(Rr))} U2B(Rr)=?U2B(Fr) ?B(Rr)=180°?arctan(U2B(Rr)/U1B(Rr)).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazuyuki Maeda, Masahiro Onodera
  • Publication number: 20180259890
    Abstract: An image forming system includes first and second image forming apparatuses including respective image forming sections and fixing sections. When the system forms an image on a sheet using the first image forming section, then forms an image on the sheet using the second image forming apparatus, and forms an image on a same side of a sheet which has a nonuniform sheet thickness and first and second regions respectively having small and large sheet thicknesses, the image in the first region is formed and fixed using the first image forming apparatus and the image in the second region is formed and fixed using the second image forming apparatus, and the respective fixing sections of the first and the second image forming apparatuses pass the nonuniform sheet while applying a second load lower than a first load applied to a sheet having a uniform sheet thickness.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2018
    Publication date: September 13, 2018
    Inventor: Masahiro ONODERA
  • Publication number: 20180223950
    Abstract: A machine having a reciprocating slider crank mechanism, wherein an axis of a crankshaft, an axis of a first balancer shaft and an axis of a second balancer shaft are not arranged on the same plane, wherein vibration is highly controlled. The machine includes the reciprocating slider crank mechanism configured so as to satisfy setting formulae below: UCr=UP×0.5 ?Cr=180° UB(Fr)={U1B(Fr)++U2B(Fr)2}1/2 U1B(Fr)=?UP×0. 5×{Lx?B(Rr)/(Lx?B(Rr)?Lx?B(Fr))} U2B(Fr)=UP×0.5×{Ly?B/(Lx?B(Rr)?Lx?B(Fr))} ?B(Fr)=180°?arctan(U2B(Fr)/U1B(Fr)) UB(Rr)={U1B(Rr)2+U2B(Rr)2}1/2 U1B(Rr)=?UP×0.5×{Lx?B(Fr)/(Lx?B(Fr)?Lx?B(Rr))} U2B(Rr)=?U2B(Fr) ?B(Rr)=180°?arctan(U2B(Rr)/U1B(Rr)).
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2016
    Publication date: August 9, 2018
    Applicant: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazuyuki MAEDA, Masahiro ONODERA
  • Patent number: 8588675
    Abstract: An image forming system including: a fixing device for fixing a toner image on the recording sheet; a curl flattening section for flattening a curl formed on the recording sheet, and conveying the recording sheet in a downstream direction against the fixing device; a first conveying route for conveying the recording sheet having been processed by the fixing device to the curl flattening section; a second conveying route, being longer than the first conveying route, for conveying the processed recording sheet to the curl flattening section; a switching section for switching the conveying route, to guide to the first conveying route or the second conveying route; and a control section for controlling the switching section to guide the recording sheet to the first conveying route or the second conveying route, based on a type of the recording sheet, having been processed by the fixing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Masahiro Onodera
  • Patent number: 8320807
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a first rotary body; a second rotary body provided to face the first rotary body, wherein the first rotary body and the second rotary body form a nip portion by coming in contact with each other to rotate, at which a sheet bearing a toner image is conveyed while being heated and pressed, thereby fixing the toner image onto the sheet; a first nozzle which blows air to a first air blowing position established on a circumferential surface of the first rotary body and on a side of an outlet of the nip portion; and a second nozzle which blows air to a second air blowing position established on a circumferential surface of the second rotary body and established downstream of the first air blowing position in a traveling direction of the sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Masahiro Onodera, Junichi Hamada, Hiroshi Funabiki, Hidetoshi Katayanagi
  • Publication number: 20110299897
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus, capable of cleaning a fixing member by conveying a blank sheet, including: an image forming section for forming a toner image on a sheet; a feeding section for feeding a sheet to the image forming section; a fixing section for fixing a toner image onto a sheet at a nip formed between a fixing member and a pressure member; and a control section for controlling the image forming section and the fixing section to feed a sheet from the feeding section, wherein, when a toner is adhered to a fixing section, the control section controls to feed a sheet from the feeding section, convey to the fixing section without forming a toner image thereon, and transfer a toner, having been adhered onto the fixing member, onto a downstream side of the sheet from a leading edge area of the sheet in a sheet conveying direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2011
    Publication date: December 8, 2011
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Masahiro ONODERA, Toshiki HAYAMI
  • Publication number: 20110229169
    Abstract: An image forming system including: a fixing device for fixing a toner image on the recording sheet; a curl flattening section for flattening a curl formed on the recording sheet, and conveying the recording sheet in a downstream direction against the fixing device; a first conveying route for conveying the recording sheet having been processed by the fixing device to the curl flattening section; a second conveying route, being longer than the first conveying route, for conveying the processed recording sheet to the curl flattening section; a switching section for switching the conveying route, to guide to the first conveying route or the second conveying route; and a control section for controlling the switching section to guide the recording sheet to the first conveying route or the second conveying route, based on a type of the recording sheet, having been processed by the fixing device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2011
    Publication date: September 22, 2011
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventor: Masahiro ONODERA
  • Publication number: 20100092218
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a first rotary body; a second rotary body provided to face the first rotary body, wherein the first rotary body and the second rotary body form a nip portion by coming in contact with each other to rotate, at which a sheet bearing a toner image is conveyed while being heated and pressed, thereby fixing the toner image onto the sheet; a first nozzle which blows air to a first air blowing position established on a circumferential surface of the first rotary body and on a side of an outlet of the nip portion; and a second nozzle which blows air to a second air blowing position established on a circumferential surface of the second rotary body and established downstream of the first air blowing position in a traveling direction of the sheet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2009
    Publication date: April 15, 2010
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Masahiro ONODERA, Junichi HAMADA, Hiroshi FUNABIKI, Hidetoshi KATAYANAGI
  • Patent number: 7359665
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including: an image forming section to form a toner image on a recording sheet; a fixing device which has a fixing roller, an endless fixing belt trained with a tension about at least two rollers including the fixing roller, a heating device to heat the endless fixing belt, and a pressure roller to press the fixing roller through the endless belt, wherein the fixing device fixes the toner image on the recording sheet at a nip portion formed between the heated endless fixing belt and the pressure roller; a tension changing section to change the tension of the endless fixing belt; a recording sheet discriminating section to discriminate a type of recording sheet to be used; and a controller controling to make the tension changing section to change the tension of the fixing belt corresponding to the type of recording sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2008
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Masahiro Onodera
  • Patent number: 7187900
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprising a fixing roller, an endless fixing belt engaged at least with the fixing roller, and a pressing roller opposite to the fixing roller with the endless fixing belt between them; wherein the image forming apparatus is equipped with a pressure changing member for changing the mean pressure on a second pressing area against which the pressing roller pressed the fixing roller via the fixing belt in the pressure area formed by the pressing roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2007
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Fuma, Yoshio Yamazaki, Junichi Hamada, Hisayoshi Nagase, Masahiro Onodera
  • Publication number: 20060165447
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including: an image forming section to form a toner image on a recording sheet; a fixing device which has a fixing roller, an endless fixing belt trained with a tension about at least two rollers including the fixing roller, a heating device to heat the endless fixing belt, and a pressure roller to press the fixing roller through the endless belt, wherein the fixing device fixes the toner image on the recording sheet at a nip portion formed between the heated endless fixing belt and the pressure roller; a tension changing section to change the tension of the endless fixing belt; a recording sheet discriminating section to discriminate a type of recording sheet to be used; and a controller controling to make the tension changing section to change the tension of the fixing belt corresponding to the type of recording sheet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2005
    Publication date: July 27, 2006
    Inventor: Masahiro Onodera