Patents by Inventor Motoyuki Itoyama
Motoyuki Itoyama 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).
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Patent number: 11009822Abstract: A toner detection device includes sensor cases, optical sensors, a cleaning member, a motor, and a control unit. The sensor cases include detection surfaces and are placed on wall surfaces of a hopper container. The optical sensors are housed in the sensor cases and detect presence or absence of toner at a specified elevation through the detection surfaces. The cleaning member slides and rubs on the detection surfaces. The motor moves the cleaning member. In case where the cleaning member is to be stopped, the control unit controls the motor so as to stop the cleaning member in a region in which the cleaning member does not come into contact with the detection surfaces.Type: GrantFiled: April 20, 2017Date of Patent: May 18, 2021Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Motoyuki Itoyama
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Patent number: 10488786Abstract: A development device includes a developer housing, a toner concentration detection sensor, and a cover member. The developer housing stores a developer containing toner and a carrier. The toner concentration detection sensor is attached to a lower surface of the developer housing and is configured to detect a toner concentration of the developer stored in the developer housing. The cover member is attached to the lower surface of the developer housing to cover the toner concentration detection sensor. The cover member includes a pressing section for pressing a part of the toner concentration detection sensor against the lower surface of the developer housing.Type: GrantFiled: December 6, 2018Date of Patent: November 26, 2019Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Shohei Fukumoto, Motoyuki Itoyama, Hiroo Naoi
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Publication number: 20190179236Abstract: A development device includes a developer housing, a toner concentration detection sensor, and a cover member. The developer housing stores a developer containing toner and a carrier. The toner concentration detection sensor is attached to a lower surface of the developer housing and is configured to detect a toner concentration of the developer stored in the developer housing. The cover member is attached to the lower surface of the developer housing to cover the toner concentration detection sensor. The cover member includes a pressing section for pressing a part of the toner concentration detection sensor against the lower surface of the developer housing.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 6, 2018Publication date: June 13, 2019Inventors: SHOHEI FUKUMOTO, MOTOYUKI ITOYAMA, HIROO NAOI
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Publication number: 20170308020Abstract: A toner detection device includes sensor cases, optical sensors, a cleaning member, a motor, and a control unit. The sensor cases include detection surfaces and are placed on wall surfaces of a hopper container. The optical sensors are housed in the sensor cases and detect presence or absence of toner at a specified elevation through the detection surfaces. The cleaning member slides and rubs on the detection surfaces. The motor moves the cleaning member. In case where the cleaning member is to be stopped, the control unit controls the motor so as to stop the cleaning member in a region in which the cleaning member does not come into contact with the detection surfaces.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 20, 2017Publication date: October 26, 2017Inventor: Motoyuki ITOYAMA
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Patent number: 8923715Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a developing device having a developing vessel, a developing roller and a toner supply port; a toner supply device; a toner supply detecting sensor for detecting the toner concentration inside the developing vessel; a toner concentration controller for directing toner supply; a toner empty detector; and a sheet conveyance detecting sensor. The toner concentration controller has a toner supply device control function; and a toner supply stopping function of stopping toner supply when the last sheet of image printout being executed has passed by the predetermined position in the sheet conveyance path.Type: GrantFiled: April 4, 2011Date of Patent: December 30, 2014Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Motoyuki Itoyama, Kiyofumi Morimoto, Takeshi Ohkawa, Tomoki Minamikawa
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Patent number: 8867934Abstract: The image forming apparatus carries out a monitoring operation in which (i) sensor outputs of the magnetic permeability sensor are periodically sampled, (ii) a time period, corresponding to one (1) circulation period which is required for the developer to be circulated once in the circulation carrying path, is evenly divided into a plurality of blocks, and (iii) an average of the sensor outputs in one (1) block time period corresponding to one (1) block is calculated for each of the plurality of blocks; and determines that toner has run short, in a case where the number of times that the averages of the sensor outputs consecutively exceed a threshold, set to be higher than a reference value of the sensor outputs, becomes not less than the number of the plurality of blocks which correspond to the time period corresponding to one (1) circulation period.Type: GrantFiled: February 14, 2012Date of Patent: October 21, 2014Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Motoyuki Itoyama, Kazuma Hinoue, Hideji Saikoh
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Patent number: 8660448Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photoreceptor, a developing apparatus, a developing bias supply power source, a control section for controlling a developing bias, a density sensor, and an arithmetic section. When an image density adjustment operation is performed, the arithmetic section determines a print-time developing bias in accordance with a detection result obtained by detecting, by the density sensor, a plurality of image density adjustment toner images formed by changing a developing bias. The print-time developing bias is set by the control section when printing is performed. also, In a case where a previous print-time developing bias falls within at least a low range of a predetermined range of the developing bias, the arithmetic section determines the print-time developing bias to a value between a reference developing bias for a target image density and the previous print-time developing bias.Type: GrantFiled: February 1, 2012Date of Patent: February 25, 2014Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Masayuki Otsuka, Takashi Kitagawa, Motoyuki Itoyama
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Patent number: 8634730Abstract: An image forming apparatus prevents printed images from being degraded in image quality due to failure of the toner concentration to fall within a proper range, by correcting the deviations of the amount of toner consumption and the amount of toner supply depending on the individuality of each image forming apparatus and that enables exact identification of the cause of a fault associated with toner concentration, and providing an image forming method using the apparatus. A toner supply device supplies toner to a developing vessel through an opening in accordance with an instruction from a controller. The presence or absence of toner falling is detected based on the variation of the output from a magnetic permeability sensor when toner is supplied. The controller monitors the output voltage level of the magnetic permeability sensor and adjusts the input gain in accordance with the output voltage level to thereby control toner concentration.Type: GrantFiled: April 4, 2011Date of Patent: January 21, 2014Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Kazuma Hinoue, Motoyuki Itoyama, Hideji Saikoh, Takeshi Ohkawa
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Patent number: 8406641Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a developing device having a toner supply sensor, a toner supply device supplying toner to the developing device, a toner supply controller controlling toner supply from the toner supply device to the developing device based on predetermined conditions, a toner empty determiner determining whether toner is present inside the toner supply device. In the image forming apparatus, the toner supply device includes a storage for recording multiple measured values of toner supply detected by the toner supply sensor, and the toner supply controller corrects the amount of toner supply, based on the moving average of multiple measured values of the amount of toner supply.Type: GrantFiled: October 27, 2010Date of Patent: March 26, 2013Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Kazuma Hinoue, Motoyuki Itoyama, Masayasu Narimatsu, Kohichi Takenouchi, Hideji Saikoh, Takeshi Ohkawa, Kiyofumi Morimoto, Tomoki Minamikawa, Mitsuru Tokuyama
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Patent number: 8295740Abstract: A developing device includes a developer tank for housing a two-component developer containing toner and magnetic carrier; a first conveying portion having a first rotary shaft rotatable about its axis and a first screw blade which surrounds the first rotary shaft and rotates together with the first rotary shaft and contains a ferromagnetic substance; a second conveying portion having a second rotary shaft rotatable about its axis and a second screw blade which surrounds the second rotary shaft and rotates together with the second rotary shaft and contains a ferromagnetic substance; a first electromagnet for magnetizing the first screw blade; and a second electromagnet for magnetizing the second screw blade.Type: GrantFiled: January 28, 2010Date of Patent: October 23, 2012Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Takeshi Ohkawa, Mitsuru Tokuyama, Motoyuki Itoyama
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Publication number: 20120207490Abstract: The image forming apparatus carries out a monitoring operation in which (i) sensor outputs of the magnetic permeability sensor are periodically sampled, (ii) a time period, corresponding to one (1) circulation period which is required for the developer to be circulated once in the circulation carrying path, is evenly divided into a plurality of blocks, and (iii) an average of the sensor outputs in one (1) block time period corresponding to one (1) block is calculated for each of the plurality of blocks; and determines that toner has run short, in a case where the number of times that the averages of the sensor outputs consecutively exceed a threshold, set to be higher than a reference value of the sensor outputs, becomes not less than the number of the plurality of blocks which correspond to the time period corresponding to one (1) circulation period.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 14, 2012Publication date: August 16, 2012Inventors: Motoyuki Itoyama, Kazuma Hinoue, Hideji Saikoh
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Publication number: 20120201556Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photoreceptor, a developing apparatus, a developing bias supply power source, a control section for controlling a developing bias, a density sensor, and an arithmetic section. When an image density adjustment operation is performed, the arithmetic section determines a print-time developing bias in accordance with a detection result obtained by detecting, by the density sensor, a plurality of image density adjustment toner images formed by changing a developing bias. The print-time developing bias is set by the control section when printing is performed. also, In a case where a previous print-time developing bias falls within at least a low range of a predetermined range of the developing bias, the arithmetic section determines the print-time developing bias to a value between a reference developing bias for a target image density and the previous print-time developing bias.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 1, 2012Publication date: August 9, 2012Inventors: Masayuki OTSUKA, Takashi Kitagawa, Motoyuki Itoyama
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Patent number: 8233811Abstract: There is provided an image stabilizing apparatus which is capable of keeping a toner concentration and a printing density constant when toner consumption is small, and further which is systematically simple. The image stabilizing apparatus comprises a control portion for controlling a toner replenishment amount in a toner replenishing apparatus depending on a toner concentration detected by a toner concentration sensor and a print coverage of a document detected by a print coverage detecting portion, and controlling, when the print coverage of the document detected by the print coverage detecting portion is less than a predetermined value and such documents continue, so as to discharge a predetermined amount of toner to the image bearing member by developing forcibly, and then replenish the same amount of toner as the predetermined amount by the toner replenishing apparatus.Type: GrantFiled: October 20, 2008Date of Patent: July 31, 2012Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Motoyuki Itoyama, Syouichi Fujita, Mitsuhiro Murata, Toshiaki Fujisawa, Masaya Fujitani
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Publication number: 20110262155Abstract: An image forming apparatus can prevent printed images from being degraded in image quality due to failure of the toner concentration to fall within a proper range, by correcting the deviations of the amount of toner consumption and the amount of toner supply depending on the individuality of each image forming apparatus and that enables exact identification of the cause of a fault associated with toner concentration, as well as providing an image forming method using the apparatus. A toner supply device supplies toner to a developing vessel through an opening in accordance with an instruction from a controller. The presence or absence of toner falling is detected based on the variation of the output from a magnetic permeability sensor when toner is supplied. The controller monitors the output voltage level of the magnetic permeability sensor and adjusts the input gain in accordance with the output voltage level to thereby control toner concentration.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 4, 2011Publication date: October 27, 2011Inventors: Kazuma Hinoue, Motoyuki Itoyama, Hideji Saikoh, Takeshi Ohkawa
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Publication number: 20110255888Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a developing device having a developing vessel, a developing roller and a toner supply port; a toner supply device; a toner supply detecting sensor for detecting the toner concentration inside the developing vessel; a toner concentration controller for directing toner supply; a toner empty detector; and a sheet conveyance detecting sensor. The toner concentration controller has a toner supply device control function; and a toner supply stopping function of stopping toner supply when the last sheet of image printout being executed has passed by the predetermined position in the sheet conveyance path.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 4, 2011Publication date: October 20, 2011Inventors: Motoyuki ITOYAMA, Kiyofumi Morimoto, Takeshi Ohkawa, Tomoki Minamikawa
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Publication number: 20110222872Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a developing device; a toner supply device that supplies toner to the developing device; and a toner supply detecting sensor that detects whether toner is supplied into the developing device; and a toner empty determination controller for determining that the toner inside the toner supply device is used up. Toner empty determination controller, based on the output result from the toner supply detecting sensor, modifies the toner empty determining threshold, based on which toner empty is determined.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 3, 2011Publication date: September 15, 2011Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Tomoki Minamikawa, Motoyuki Itoyama, Hideji Saikoh, Kazuma Hinoue
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Publication number: 20110123204Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a developing device having a toner supply sensor, a toner supply device supplying toner to the developing device, a toner supply controller controlling toner supply from the toner supply device to the developing device based on predetermined conditions, a toner empty determiner determining whether toner is present inside the toner supply device. In the image forming apparatus, the toner supply device includes a storage for recoding multiple measured values of toner supply detected by the toner supply sensor, and the toner supply controller corrects the amount of toner supply, based on the moving average of multiple measured values of the amount of toner supply.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 27, 2010Publication date: May 26, 2011Inventors: Kazuma HINOUE, Motoyuki Itoyama, Masayasu Narimatsu, Kohichi Takenouchi, Hideji Saikoh, Takeshi Ohkawa, Kiyofumi Morimoto, Tomoki Minamikawa, Mitsuru Tokuyama
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Publication number: 20110058824Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a developing device; a toner supply device that supplies toner to the developing device; a toner concentration controller that directs the toner supply device to perform toner supply to the developing device; and a toner empty determiner for determining that no toner is left in the toner supply device. The developing device includes a toner supply detecting sensor that detects whether toner is supplied from the toner supply device into the developer container, in the developer container. The toner concentration controller gives directions to perform the toner supply when the toner concentration of the developer in the developing device has become lower than a predetermined level. The toner empty determiner determines that the toner supply device has no toner left therein when no effect of the toner supply is detected by the toner supply detecting sensor after the toner supply is directed by the toner concentration controller.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 12, 2010Publication date: March 10, 2011Inventors: Kiyofumi Morimoto, Takeshi Ohkawa, Motoyuki Itoyama, Hideji Saikoh
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Publication number: 20100196056Abstract: A developing device includes a developer tank for housing a two-component developer containing toner and magnetic carrier; a first conveying portion having a first rotary shaft rotatable about its axis and a first screw blade which surrounds the first rotary shaft and rotates together with the first rotary shaft and contains a ferromagnetic substance; a second conveying portion having a second rotary shaft rotatable about its axis and a second screw blade which surrounds the second rotary shaft and rotates together with the second rotary shaft and contains a ferromagnetic substance; a first electromagnet for magnetizing the first screw blade; and a second electromagnet for magnetizing the second screw blade.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 28, 2010Publication date: August 5, 2010Inventors: Takeshi OHKAWA, Mitsuru Tokuyama, Motoyuki Itoyama
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Patent number: 7697854Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided which is capable of forming higher-quality images by detecting a toner concentration with higher accuracy to attain appropriate toner supply and image density. A value obtained by adding a correction value based on a temperature, humidity, a print coverage, or the like to a developer concentration adjustment value is set as a control voltage value Vc which is to be inputted to a toner concentration sensor, and an output value of the toner concentration sensor is detected for each of process speeds. A difference between the output value detected and a value at reference process speed is calculated and based on the difference, a correction value is further calculated. Such another calculation of the correction value with use of the output value detected allows for highly accurate correction.Type: GrantFiled: March 4, 2008Date of Patent: April 13, 2010Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Motoyuki Itoyama, Syouichi Fujita, Mitsuhiro Murata