Abstract: A drying device includes: a drying unit including: a heating space having a heating unit; a drying space that has a conveyance path of a recording medium and in which the recording medium is dried by radiation heat produced by the heating unit; and a partition member that separates the heating space and the drying space from each other in such a manner that gas can move between the heating space and the drying space; a first supply unit that supplies gas to the drying unit in a direction that is opposite to a conveying direction of the recording medium; and a second supply unit that supplies gas to the drying unit in a direction from the heating unit to the partition member.

Abstract: A drying device includes: a drying unit including: a heating space having a heating unit; a drying space that has a conveyance path of a recording medium and in which the recording medium is dried by radiation heat produced by the heating unit; and a partition member that separates the heating space and the drying space from each other in such a manner that gas can move between the heating space and the drying space; a first supply unit that supplies gas to the drying unit in a direction that is opposite to a conveying direction of the recording medium; and a second supply unit that supplies gas to the drying unit in a direction from the heating unit to the partition member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a plurality of image carriers, a common drive source which drives the plurality of image carriers and a drive shaft that is connected to and driven by the drive source. It also has a plurality of worm gears that are provided corresponding to the plurality of image carriers and are formed coaxially with the drive shaft, and a plurality of worm wheels that are respectively meshed with the respective worm gears and respectively transmit drive forces of the worm gears to the image carriers. The plurality of worm gears are made of a resin material, and the worm gears and the worm wheels drive the plurality of image carries by making use of the elastic deformation of the worm gears when the worm gears and the worm wheels are respectively meshed with each other.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a plurality of image carriers, a common drive source which drives the plurality of image carriers and a drive shaft that is connected to and driven by the drive source. It also has a plurality of worm gears that are provided corresponding to the plurality of image carriers and are formed coaxially with the drive shaft, and a plurality of worm wheels that are respectively meshed with the respective worm gears and respectively transmit drive forces of the worm gears to the image carriers. The plurality of worm gears are made of a resin material, and the worm gears and the worm wheels drive the plurality of image carries by making use of the elastic deformation of the worm gears when the worm gears and the worm wheels are respectively meshed with each other.

Abstract: A driving device for an image carrying member, e.g., a belt, is to be provided that causes no increase in size and cost of the device and sufficiently stabilizes the velocity of the image carrying member upon fluctuation in load, so as to suppress or prevent formation of an image defect referred to as so-called “banding”. A rotating member is made in contact with at least one of a driving force transmitting member and an image carrying member, which are arranged in a driving force transmission path for transmitting the driving force to the image carrying member, and the rotating member rotates in contact with the driving force transmitting member or the image carrying member, and providing, upon occurring fluctuation in velocity of the driving force transmitting member or the image carrying member, a viscous effect that suppresses the fluctuation in velocity.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a plurality of image carriers, a common drive source which drives the plurality of image carriers and a drive shaft that is connected to and driven by the drive source. It also has a plurality of worm gears that are provided corresponding to the plurality of image carriers and are formed coaxially with the drive shaft, and a plurality of worm wheels that are respectively meshed with the respective worm gears and respectively transmit drive forces of the worm gears to the image carriers. The plurality of worm gears are made of a resin material, and the worm gears and the worm wheels drive the plurality of image carries by making use of the elastic deformation of the worm gears when the worm gears and the worm wheels are respectively meshed with each other.

Abstract: A driving apparatus transmits a driving force from a drive source to a driven body via a multiple-stage gear train (including, for example, gears). In the multiple-stage gear train, the speed fluctuation phase of a mesh frequency occurring at each mesh point of the gear train including the gears to a target gear is set in a range in which the speed fluctuation amplitude of the target gear positioned downstream at the third stage or later is equal to or less than the speed fluctuation amplitude of the immediately preceding mesh gear positioned upstream. The invention also applies to an image formation apparatus using the drive as a drive of a driven body.

Abstract: A driving device for an image carrying member, e.g., a belt, is to be provided that causes no increase in size and cost of the device and sufficiently stabilizes the velocity of the image carrying member upon fluctuation in load, so as to suppress or prevent formation of an image defect referred to as so-called “banding”. A rotating member is made in contact with at least one of a driving force transmitting member and an image carrying member, which are arranged in a driving force transmission path for transmitting the driving force to the image carrying member, and the rotating member rotates in contact with the driving force transmitting member or the image carrying member, and providing, upon occurring fluctuation in velocity of the driving force transmitting member or the image carrying member, a viscous effect that suppresses the fluctuation in velocity.

Abstract: A driving apparatus transmits a driving force from a drive source to a driven body via a multiple-stage gear train (including, for example, gears). In the multiple-stage gear train, the speed fluctuation phase of a mesh frequency occurring at each mesh point of the gear train including the gears to a target gear is set in a range in which the speed fluctuation amplitude of the target gear positioned downstream at the third stage or later is equal to or less than the speed fluctuation amplitude of the immediately preceding mesh gear positioned upstream. The invention also applies to an image formation apparatus using the drive as a drive of a driven body.

Abstract: An apparatus and techniques for reducing the electrostatic sticking of a transfer member to the image carrying body of an image forming apparatus. The visible image on the image carrying body is formed by charged participles. A collective transfer unit collectively transfers the visible image from the image carrying body to a transfer member. A transfer member judging unit judges whether a transfer member exists downstream of and in the vicinity of a transfer position of the collective transfer unit. A pre-stop processing unit for preventing, if the transfer member presence judging unit judges that a transfer monitor exists when the stopping unit stops the device, the transfer member from electrostatically sticking to the image carrying body.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus adjusts the running state of a belt by displacing one of the rolls supporting an endless belt, wherein the roll is displaced to prevent the belt from being twisted by a change in the tension of the endless belt that stems from the operation for displacing the roll. When the image-forming apparatus is provided with a belt running adjusting mechanism 20 which adjusts the running state of the endless belt 21 by displacing one (drive roll 22) of plural rolls supporting the belt 21 in the adjusting directions J, K, there is provided a tension correction mechanism 60 which corrects a change in the tension of the endless belt 21 that is caused by the operation of the belt running adjusting mechanism 20 for displacing the roll 22, by displacing, in the correction directions L, M, a contact member (tension roll 25) which is in contact with the belt 21 along the direction of width thereof.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus is capable of preventing contamination of the rear surface of paper while minimizing the deterioration of the surface of the transfer roll. The image forming apparatus has an intermediate transfer belt for carrying a toner image visualized by a toner, a transfer roll pressed against the intermediate transfer belt, and a cleaning brush that is rotatable in contact with the transfer roll. This transfer roll acts to transfer the toner image carried on the belt to paper. The cleaning brush makes contact with the transfer roll to stir the toner adhering to the transfer roll.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus adapted to transfer a toner image formed on a photosensitive drum to an intermediate transfer belt, and thereafter to a sheet, the position of one end portion of a backup roll around which the intermediate transfer belt is passed is set regulatable, this end portion being fixed after the position thereof has been regulated. The position of one end portion of a driving roll, cleaning blades or photosensitive drum may be set regulatable. This arrangement enables the skew of an image formed on a sheet to be reduced.

Abstract: An endless belt type delivery device includes a drive roller, a plurality of driven rollers including a tension apply roller disposed in such a manner that the respective axial directions of the rollers are set parallel to each other, an endless belt wound around the respective rollers in such a manner that the endless can be driven by rotating the drive roller, and meandering adjusting means, provided in at least two of the above-mentioned rollers, for biasing contact pressures between the two or more rollers and the endless belt toward the axial-direction end portions of the rollers. The contact pressure between the rollers and the endless belt are biased in the opposite direction to the meandering direction of the endless belt by the meandering adjusting means, thereby being able to correct the meandering of the endless belt.

Abstract: In an optical detecting device, used for an image forming apparatus, for detecting an object to be detected, such as a paper, by an optical means including a light emitting means 20c, a photo sensing means 20d, a reflecting means 20b, and the like, there is provided at least one of a paper detecting devices in which conductive attracting means connected to a predetermined potential is disposed close to the optical means, the optical means is attached to a periodical replacing component of the image forming apparatus, a reflecting means 20b and a paper transporting path are oriented in different directions with respect to a photo sensing means 20d and a distance from the light emitting means 20c and the like to the reflecting means 20b is different from a distance from the light emitting means 20c and the like to the paper transporting path.

Abstract: A belt transporter roller for an image forming apparatus according to the present invention has a rotating shaft of an elastic roller; and an elastic fin wound around the rotating shaft and provided along an axial direction thereof, the fin including at least two spiral groups different in winding direction.

Abstract: The method reduces vibrations generated in a contactor due to movement of the moving body by which the contactor contacts with a moving body. When a stroke of vibration of the contactor is halved at an intermediate point of an amplitude thereof, the vibrations are made different from each other in frequency between the reciprocation stroke in the forward side which corresponds to one of the halved stroke portions and the reciprocation stroke in the backward side which corresponds to the other halved stroke portion.

Abstract: An image forming device detects a standard pattern transferred to a transfer belt by an image carrier. The standard pattern is transferred onto the transfer belt at an image transfer position and detected at a standard pattern detection position. The distance between the image transfer position and the standard pattern detection position is a non-integer-multiple of the distance which the transfer belt is moved by one rotation of the image belt drive roll.

Abstract: An image formation apparatus for forming an image includes an endless belt member and an inner face cleaning member which is provided on an inner face of the endless belt member. The cleaning member captures deposits deposited on the inner face of the endless belt member and holds the captured deposits. The inner face cleaning member includes fibers densely arranged and projecting radially outward from the inner face cleaning member. The inner face cleaning member is fixed in a contact state so that a contact face does not move while the endless belt is moving.

Abstract: A belt transporter roller for an image forming apparatus according to the present invention has a rotating shaft of an elastic roller; and an elastic fin wound around the rotating shaft and provided along an axial direction thereof, the fin including at least two spiral groups different in winding direction.