Patents by Inventor Remi ISHIKAWA

Remi ISHIKAWA 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: 11215942
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus that has a transfer device that includes an intermediate transfer belt that is tensioned by a plurality of support rollers, a secondary transfer roller that faces one of the support rollers via the intermediate transfer belt, a cam that adjust a pressing force that presses the intermediate transfer belt by the secondary transfer roller, a motor that drives the cam, and a conveyor that conveys a recording medium to a transfer nip formed between the intermediate transfer belt and the secondary transfer roller is provided with a controller that controls an operation of the motor. The controller executes first control of operating the motor with a constant torque and stopping the motor when a rotation angular speed of the motor is less than or equal to a first threshold and second control of operating the motor at a predetermined timing to adjust a transfer nip amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Remi Ishikawa, Eiji Nishikawa, Satoshi Miyajima, Masayuki Fukunaga
  • Patent number: 10961068
    Abstract: A sheet conveying apparatus includes: a plurality of driving parts each connected to one end of corresponding one of a respective plurality of rotating shafts; a first torque adjuster connected to another end of each of the plurality of rotating shafts, the first torque adjuster applying first torque to the plurality of driving parts; a second torque adjuster that applies, to the driving parts, second torque for adjusting the first torque to be applied to the driving parts by the first torque adjuster; and a hardware processor that controls the second torque to be applied to the driving parts in the second torque adjuster in accordance with a number of revolutions of the driving part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Satoshi Miyajima, Takanobu Shiki, Tadayuki Ueda, Hiroshi Oyama, Remi Ishikawa
  • Publication number: 20200255248
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus that has a transfer device that includes an intermediate transfer belt that is tensioned by a plurality of support rollers, a secondary transfer roller that faces one of the support rollers via the intermediate transfer belt, a cam that adjust a pressing force that presses the intermediate transfer belt by the secondary transfer roller, a motor that drives the cam, and a conveyor that conveys a recording medium to a transfer nip formed between the intermediate transfer belt and the secondary transfer roller is provided with a controller that controls an operation of the motor. The controller executes first control of operating the motor with a constant torque and stopping the motor when a rotation angular speed of the motor is less than or equal to a first threshold and second control of operating the motor at a predetermined timing to adjust a transfer nip amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2020
    Publication date: August 13, 2020
    Inventors: Remi ISHIKAWA, Eiji NISHIKAWA, Satoshi MIYAJIMA, Masayuki FUKUNAGA
  • Patent number: 10640315
    Abstract: A drive apparatus according to the present invention includes a stepping motor that transmits power to a rotating shaft of a conveyance roller, a brushless motor that transmits power to the rotating shaft of the conveyance roller, a first controller that controls an operation of the stepping motor so that the stepping motor rotates at a constant speed, and a second controller that controls an operation of the brushless motor. The second controller switches control of the brushless motor between, in accordance with a conveyance state of the sheet, assist control in which power of the brushless motor assists a rotation of the stepping motor, brake control in which power of the brushless motor prevents the rotation of the stepping motor, and neutral control in which power of the brushless motor does not affect the rotation of the stepping motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Satoshi Miyajima, Hiroshi Oyama, Remi Ishikawa, Tadayuki Ueda
  • Patent number: 10526150
    Abstract: A drive apparatus according to the present invention includes a first motor that transmits power to a rotating shaft of a conveyance roller for conveying a sheet, a second motor that transmits power to the rotating shaft of the conveyance roller, a storage that stores information indicating the driving force of the second motor during a period in which the conveyance roller conveys the sheet; and a controller that drives the second motor with the driving force indicated by the information during a period when the conveyance roller conveys the sheet, wherein the controller changes the information stored in the storage according to a load applied to the conveyance roller during the period when the conveyance roller conveys the sheet, and drives the second motor with a driving force indicated by the information after the change during a period when the conveyance roller conveys a next sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Satoshi Miyajima, Hiroshi Oyama, Remi Ishikawa, Tadayuki Ueda
  • Patent number: 10488805
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes the following. An upstream second conveying roller and a downstream second conveying roller form a loop on the long sheet. A deviation amount detector detects a deviation amount of the long sheet. A loop amount detector detects a loop amount in two positions in a width direction. A speed controller controls a rotating speed of the upstream second conveying roller and the downstream second conveying roller based on a deviation amount and a difference of loop amounts in two positions. Each of the upstream second conveying roller and the downstream second conveying roller includes a near roller and a far roller. The speed controller controls the rotating speed of the near roller and the far roller based on the deviation amount and the difference of the loop amounts in the two positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Satoshi Miyajima, Takanobu Shiki, Hiroshi Oyama, Remi Ishikawa, Tadayuki Ueda
  • Patent number: 10435261
    Abstract: A sheet conveying apparatus includes: a plurality of conveyors provided along a sheet conveying direction; a plurality of main driving parts that is respectively provided to the plurality of conveyors and independently drives the conveyors; an auxiliary driving part that drives the plurality of conveyors; and a transmitter that transmits driving force between the plurality of conveyors and transmits driving force of the auxiliary driving part to the plurality of conveyors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Satoshi Miyajima, Takanobu Shiki, Tadayuki Ueda, Hiroshi Oyama, Remi Ishikawa
  • Publication number: 20190177103
    Abstract: A conveying driving device of the invention includes a first motor which transmits power to a drive shaft of a roller; a second motor which transmits power to the drive shaft along with the first motor at a torque smaller than that of the first motor; and a controller which sets each of drive current setting values of the first motor and the second motor so that a total value of a consumption current of the first motor and the second motor becomes minimal in a steady state in which the roller rotates at a constant setting speed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2018
    Publication date: June 13, 2019
    Inventors: Remi ISHIKAWA, Satoshi Miyajima, Hiroshi Oyama, Tadayuki Ueda
  • Publication number: 20190152733
    Abstract: A drive apparatus according to the present invention includes a first motor that transmits power to a rotating shaft of a conveyance roller for conveying a sheet, a second motor that transmits power to the rotating shaft of the conveyance roller, a storage that stores information indicating the driving force of the second motor during a period in which the conveyance roller conveys the sheet; and a controller that drives the second motor with the driving force indicated by the information during a period when the conveyance roller conveys the sheet, wherein the controller changes the information stored in the storage according to a load applied to the conveyance roller during the period when the conveyance roller conveys the sheet, and drives the second motor with a driving force indicated by the information after the change during a period when the conveyance roller conveys a next sheet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2018
    Publication date: May 23, 2019
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Satoshi MIYAJIMA, Hiroshi OYAMA, Remi ISHIKAWA, Tadayuki UEDA
  • Publication number: 20190127168
    Abstract: A drive apparatus according to the present invention includes a stepping motor that transmits power to a rotating shaft of a conveyance roller, a brushless motor that transmits power to the rotating shaft of the conveyance roller, a first controller that controls an operation of the stepping motor so that the stepping motor rotates at a constant speed, and a second controller that controls an operation of the brushless motor. The second controller switches control of the brushless motor between, in accordance with a conveyance state of the sheet, assist control in which power of the brushless motor assists a rotation of the stepping motor, brake control in which power of the brushless motor prevents the rotation of the stepping motor, and neutral control in which power of the brushless motor does not affect the rotation of the stepping motor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2018
    Publication date: May 2, 2019
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Satoshi MIYAJIMA, Hiroshi OYAMA, Remi ISHIKAWA, Tadayuki UEDA
  • Publication number: 20180334342
    Abstract: A sheet conveying apparatus includes: a plurality of conveyors provided along a sheet conveying direction; a plurality of main driving parts that is respectively provided to the plurality of conveyors and independently drives the conveyors; an auxiliary driving part that drives the plurality of conveyors; and a transmitter that transmits driving force between the plurality of conveyors and transmits driving force of the auxiliary driving part to the plurality of conveyors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2018
    Publication date: November 22, 2018
    Applicant: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Satoshi MIYAJIMA, Takanobu SHIKI, Tadayuki UEDA, Hiroshi OYAMA, Remi ISHIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20180334341
    Abstract: A sheet conveying apparatus includes: a plurality of driving parts each connected to one end of corresponding one of a respective plurality of rotating shafts; a first torque adjuster connected to another end of each of the plurality of rotating shafts, the first torque adjuster applying first torque to the plurality of driving parts; a second torque adjuster that applies, to the driving parts, second torque for adjusting the first torque to be applied to the driving parts by the first torque adjuster; and a hardware processor that controls the second torque to be applied to the driving parts in the second torque adjuster in accordance with a number of revolutions of the driving part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2018
    Publication date: November 22, 2018
    Inventors: Satoshi MIYAJIMA, Takanobu SHIKI, Tadayuki UEDA, Hiroshi OYAMA, Remi ISHIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20180164726
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a conveyor that conveys a sheet; a detector that detects an end position of the sheet conveyed by the conveyor in a second direction orthogonal to a first direction being a conveyance direction; a corrector that corrects deviation of the sheet by moving the sheet in the second direction on the basis of a detection result of the end position of the sheet in the second direction detected by the detector, and a hardware processor that obtains variation information based on the end position of the sheet detected by the detector, and adjusts an interval of the conveyed sheet while controlling operation of the corrector on the basis of the obtained variation information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2017
    Publication date: June 14, 2018
    Applicant: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Takanobu SHIKI, Tadayuki UEDA, Hiroshi OYAMA, Satoshi MIYAJIMA, Remi ISHIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20180150014
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes the following. An upstream second conveying roller and a downstream second conveying roller form a loop on the long sheet. A deviation amount detector detects a deviation amount of the long sheet. A loop amount detector detects a loop amount in two positions in a width direction. A speed controller controls a rotating speed of the upstream second conveying roller and the downstream second conveying roller based on a deviation amount and a difference of loop amounts in two positions. Each of the upstream second conveying roller and the downstream second conveying roller includes a near roller and a far roller. The speed controller controls the rotating speed of the near roller and the far roller based on the deviation amount and the difference of the loop amounts in the two positions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2017
    Publication date: May 31, 2018
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Satoshi MIYAJIMA, Takanobu SHIKI, Hiroshi OYAMA, Remi ISHIKAWA, Tadayuki UEDA