Patents by Inventor Shuichi Tetsuno

Shuichi Tetsuno 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).

  • Publication number: 20240069482
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a charging unit that charges an image bearing member, a developing unit that forms a toner image on an latent image formed on the image bearing member, a transfer unit that transfers the toner image onto a transfer material, a charge neutralizer that neutralizes a charge of the image bearing member downstream of a transfer portion and upstream of a charging portion in a rotating direction of the image bearing member, a conductive collecting unit that collects a material adhering on the image bearing member downstream of the transfer portion and upstream of the charging portion, wherein the developing unit collects residual toner on the image bearing member, an voltage application unit sets a potential difference between the voltage applied to the collecting unit and the surface electric potential of the image bearing member not more than a discharge threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2023
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Funatani, Shinsuke Kobayashi, Shuichi Tetsuno, Toshihiko Takayama, Jun Hara
  • Publication number: 20240019796
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member, a charging member, an exposing device, a developing device, a transfer member, a brush, a voltage applying portion, and a control portion controlling a surface potential of the photosensitive member at the brush contacting position. When a value of subtracting a value of the surface potential of the photosensitive member in the brush contacting position from a value of the brush voltage is defined as a contacting position potential difference, the control portion controls the surface potential of the photosensitive member in the brush contacting position so that the contacting position potential difference is changed from a first potential difference to a second potential difference in a predetermined direction which is either one of an increasing direction or a decreasing direction, and then the contacting position potential difference is changed from the second potential difference to a third potential difference in the predetermined direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2023
    Publication date: January 18, 2024
    Inventors: Jun Hara, Mikihiko Hamada, Shuichi Tetsuno, Toshihiko Takayama, Shinsuke Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 11846899
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable image bearing member and a rotatable developing member to carry developer made up of toner particles and carrier particles adhered to surfaces of the toner particles. Where a pressing force pressing the developing member against the image bearing member is F1, a total number of the carrier particles interposed between the toner particles and the image bearing member is N1, and an adhesion Ft between a carrier particle and a toner particle, measured when the carrier particle is pressed against the toner particle with F1/N1 that is a pressing force per unit carrier particle, and an adhesion Fdr1 between the carrier particle and the image bearing member, measured when the carrier particle is pressed against the image bearing member with F1/N1, satisfy Ft?Fdr1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shuichi Tetsuno, Shinji Katagiri, Koji An, Hiroko Yokoyama, Wataru Takahashi, Shohei Ishio, Takayuki Tanaka, Tomonori Matsunaga
  • Patent number: 11841669
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a charging unit that charges an image bearing member, a developing unit that forms a toner image on an latent image formed on the image bearing member, a transfer unit that transfers the toner image onto a transfer material, a charge neutralizer that neutralizes a charge of the image bearing member downstream of a transfer portion and upstream of a charging portion in a rotating direction of the image bearing member, a conductive collecting unit that collects a material adhering on the image bearing member downstream of the transfer portion and upstream of the charging portion, wherein the developing unit collects residual toner on the image bearing member, an voltage application unit sets a potential difference between the voltage applied to the collecting unit and the surface electric potential of the image bearing member not more than a discharge threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Funatani, Shinsuke Kobayashi, Shuichi Tetsuno, Toshihiko Takayama, Jun Hara
  • Publication number: 20230375971
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable image bearing member, a developing unit to develop an electrostatic latent image at a developing portion, a transfer unit to transfer a developer image to a recording member at a transfer portion; and a brush provided with a plurality of fibers contacting the image bearing member at downstream of the transfer portion and upstream of the developing portion in a rotational direction of the image bearing member. An average contacting pressure of the brush per one fiber to the image bearing member is smaller than a depositing force of the developer not transferred to the recording member to the image bearing member. As the brush in a state of not in contact with the image bearing member is viewed from a free end side of the fibers, an average number of the fibers included in a circumference of a diameter of 100 ?m is more than one.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2023
    Publication date: November 23, 2023
    Inventors: SHUICHI TETSUNO, TOSHIHIKO TAKAYAMA
  • Patent number: 11815827
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member, a charging member, an exposing device, a developing device, a transfer member, a brush, a voltage applying portion, and a control portion controlling a surface potential of the photosensitive member at the brush contacting position. When a value of subtracting a value of the surface potential of the photosensitive member in the brush contacting position from a value of the brush voltage is defined as a contacting position potential difference, the control portion controls the surface potential of the photosensitive member in the brush contacting position so that the contacting position potential difference is changed from a first potential difference to a second potential difference in a predetermined direction which is either one of an increasing direction or a decreasing direction, and then the contacting position potential difference is changed from the second potential difference to a third potential difference in the predetermined direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Jun Hara, Mikihiko Hamada, Shuichi Tetsuno, Toshihiko Takayama, Shinsuke Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20230324825
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member, a charging member, an electrostatic image forming portion, a developing member, a transfer member, a transfer voltage source, a brush member, a brush voltage source, and a controller capable of executing a cleaning operation. The controller carries out control so that the cleaning operation includes a first operation in which a potential difference is formed between the transfer member and the photosensitive member so that toner charged to a normal charge polarity is moved from the transfer member toward the photosensitive member, and a second operation in which a potential difference is formed between the brush member and the photosensitive member so that the toner charged to the normal charge polarity is moved from the photosensitive member toward the brush member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2023
    Publication date: October 12, 2023
    Inventors: Shinsuke Kobayashi, Kensuke Umeda, Ai Suzuki, Kazuhiro Funatani, Shuichi Tetsuno, Toshihiko Takayama, Jun Hara
  • Patent number: 11782377
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable image bearing member, a developing unit to develop an electrostatic latent image at a developing portion, a transfer unit to transfer a developer image to a recording member at a transfer portion; and a brush provided with a plurality of fibers contacting the image bearing member at downstream of the transfer portion and upstream of the developing portion in a rotational direction of the image bearing member. An average contacting pressure of the brush per one fiber to the image bearing member is smaller than a depositing force of the developer not transferred to the recording member to the image bearing member. As the brush in a state of not in contact with the image bearing member is viewed from a free end side of the fibers, an average number of the fibers included in a circumference of a diameter of 100 ?m is more than one.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shuichi Tetsuno, Toshihiko Takayama
  • Publication number: 20230305422
    Abstract: An image-forming apparatus to execute an image-forming operation includes an image bearing member, a charging member to charge at a charging portion a surface of, and a developing member to supply at a developing portion toner to, the image bearing member. When a rotating image bearing member stops rotating, a surface potential of the image bearing member formed on the developing portion is defined as V1, a developing voltage applied to the developing member is defined as V2, a charging voltage applied to the charging member is defined as V3, and a surface potential of the image bearing member formed on the charging portion is defined as V4. A first potential difference, which is a potential difference between V2 and V1, and a second potential difference, which is a potential difference between V3 and V4, are controlled based on information about a number of execution times of the image-forming operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2023
    Publication date: September 28, 2023
    Inventors: SHUICHI TETSUNO, TOSHIHIKO TAKAYAMA, SHUHEI TOKIWA, SHIMPEI ISHIKAWA, SHUNSUKE MATSUSHITA, MIKIHIKO HAMADA
  • Publication number: 20230305421
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a brush, and a controller. The controller controls so that, in a case where, in a state where a recording material trailing edge in a conveyance direction is sandwiched at a transfer portion, an area of the image bearing member in the conveyance direction where the recording material is sandwiched in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction is a first area, and an area of the image bearing member in the conveyance direction where the recording material is not sandwiched is a second area, a first potential difference formed between a surface potential formed on the second area and a brush voltage, which is based on first information, when the second area reaches the brush and a second potential difference formed between the second area surface potential and the brush voltage, which is based on second information, are different.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2023
    Publication date: September 28, 2023
    Inventors: TOSHIHIKO TAKAYAMA, SHUICHI TETSUNO, MIKIHIKO HAMADA
  • Publication number: 20230273562
    Abstract: A control unit performs control to make a direction of an electric field generated in a first area of an image carrier forming a transfer portion during image forming operation, relative to a voltage applied to a brush member in a state where the first area passes through a contact portion, different from a direction of an electric field generated in a second area of the image carrier forming the contact portion, relative to the voltage applied to the brush member during a period when operation is shifted from first operation in which the image carrier is rotated at a first speed to second operation in which the image carrier is rotated at a second speed different from the first speed, during non-image forming operation different from the image forming operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 5, 2023
    Publication date: August 31, 2023
    Inventors: Jun Hara, Shuichi Tetsuno, Toshihiko Takayama, Shinsuke Kobayashi, Kazuhiro Funatani
  • Publication number: 20230236530
    Abstract: An image-forming apparatus includes a rotatable developer-bearing member to bear a developer composed of a toner particle and a transfer promoting particle attached to the toner particle. When F denotes pressing force for pressing the developer-bearing member against an image-bearing member, and N denotes a total number of the transfer promoting particles interposed between the toner particle and the image-bearing member, adhesion strength Ft between the transfer promoting particle and the toner particle measured by pressing the transfer promoting particle against the toner particle at a pressing force per unit transfer promoting particle F/N and adhesion strength Fdr between the transfer promoting particle and the image-bearing member measured by pressing the transfer promoting particle against the image-bearing member at the pressing force per unit transfer promoting particle F/N, satisfy Ft<Fdr.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2023
    Publication date: July 27, 2023
    Inventors: TSUGUHIRO YOSHIDA, SHUICHI TETSUNO, KOJI AN
  • Patent number: 11703775
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member, a charging member, an electrostatic image forming portion, a developing member, a transfer member, a transfer voltage source, a brush member, a brush voltage source, and a controller capable of executing a cleaning operation. The controller carries out control so that the cleaning operation includes a first operation in which a potential difference is formed between the transfer member and the photosensitive member so that toner charged to a normal charge polarity is moved from the transfer member toward the photosensitive member, and a second operation in which a potential difference is formed between the brush member and the photosensitive member so that the toner charged to the normal charge polarity is moved from the photosensitive member toward the brush member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shinsuke Kobayashi, Kensuke Umeda, Ai Suzuki, Kazuhiro Funatani, Shuichi Tetsuno, Toshihiko Takayama, Jun Hara
  • Publication number: 20230221673
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable image bearing member, a developing member to develop an electrostatic latent image at a developing portion, a transfer member to transfer a developer image to a recording member at a transfer portion; and a brush provided with a plurality of base materials contacting the image bearing member at downstream of the transfer portion and upstream of the developing portion in a rotational direction of the image bearing member. The developer remaining on the surface of the image bearing member is collected in the developing portion. An average distance between base materials of the brush with respect to a rotational axis direction of the image bearing member is larger than an average particle diameter of the developer, and is equal to or less than a length corresponding to a special frequency visually recognizable by a user when the image formed by the image forming apparatus is observed by the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2023
    Publication date: July 13, 2023
    Inventors: SHINGO ITO, TOSHIHIKO TAKAYAMA, SHUICHI TETSUNO, HIROKO KATAGIRI
  • Publication number: 20230221675
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable image bearing member, a developing unit to develop an electrostatic latent image at a developing portion, a transfer unit to transfer a developer image to a recording member at a transfer portion; and a brush provided with a plurality of fibers contacting the image bearing member at downstream of the transfer portion and upstream of the developing portion in a rotational direction of the image bearing member. An average contacting pressure of the brush per one fiber to the image bearing member is smaller than a depositing force of the developer not transferred to the recording member to the image bearing member. As the brush in a state of not in contact with the image bearing member is viewed from a free end side of the fibers, an average number of the fibers included in a circumference of a diameter of 100 ?m is more than one.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2023
    Publication date: July 13, 2023
    Inventors: SHUICHI TETSUNO, TOSHIHIKO TAKAYAMA
  • Patent number: 11693351
    Abstract: A driving unit is controlled so that a driving state where an image bearing member is driven with a first potential difference formed between a brush member and the image bearing member at a contact portion where the image bearing member is in contact with the brush member transitions to a stopped state where the image bearing member stops being driven with a second potential difference formed, the second potential difference having an absolute value less than that of the first potential difference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshihiko Takayama, Shinsuke Kobayashi, Shuichi Tetsuno, Kazuhiro Funatani, Jun Hara
  • Publication number: 20230195007
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member, a charging member, an exposing device, a developing device, a transfer member, a brush, a voltage applying portion, and a control portion controlling a surface potential of the photosensitive member at the brush contacting position. When a value of subtracting a value of the surface potential of the photosensitive member in the brush contacting position from a value of the brush voltage is defined as a contacting position potential difference, the control portion controls the surface potential of the photosensitive member in the brush contacting position so that the contacting position potential difference is changed from a first potential difference to a second potential difference in a predetermined direction which is either one of an increasing direction or a decreasing direction, and then the contacting position potential difference is changed from the second potential difference to a third potential difference in the predetermined direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2022
    Publication date: June 22, 2023
    Inventors: Jun Hara, Mikihiko Hamada, Shuichi Tetsuno, Toshihiko Takayama, Shinsuke Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20230195025
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including an image bearing member, a charging member, a developing roller, a transfer roller, and a brush configured to be brought into contact with a surface of the image bearing member on a side downstream of a transfer portion and upstream of a charging portion in a rotation direction of the image bearing member and in which, wherein, after the transfer of a developer image onto a transferred member, a developer remaining on the surface of the image bearing member is collected by the developing roller, the brush is disposed such that, in a cross section perpendicular to a rotation axis of the image bearing member, a contact region of the surface of the image bearing member in contact with the brush overlaps a virtual line containing the rotation axis of the image bearing member and extending upward from the rotation axis in a vertical direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2022
    Publication date: June 22, 2023
    Inventors: TOSHIHIKO TAKAYAMA, SHUICHI TETSUNO, JUN HARA, MIKIHIKO HAMADA, KAZUHIRO FUNATANI, SHINSUKE KOBAYASHI
  • Patent number: 11669034
    Abstract: A control unit performs control to make a direction of an electric field generated in a first area of an image carrier forming a transfer portion during image forming operation, relative to a voltage applied to a brush member in a state where the first area passes through a contact portion, different from a direction of an electric field generated in a second area of the image carrier forming the contact portion, relative to the voltage applied to the brush member during a period when operation is shifted from first operation in which the image carrier is rotated at a first speed to second operation in which the image carrier is rotated at a second speed different from the first speed, during non-image forming operation different from the image forming operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Jun Hara, Shuichi Tetsuno, Toshihiko Takayama, Shinsuke Kobayashi, Kazuhiro Funatani
  • Publication number: 20230080995
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a charging unit that charges an image bearing member, a developing unit that forms a toner image on an latent image formed on the image bearing member, a transfer unit that transfers the toner image onto a transfer material, a charge neutralizer that neutralizes a charge of the image bearing member downstream of a transfer portion and upstream of a charging portion in a rotating direction of the image bearing member, a conductive collecting unit that collects a material adhering on the image bearing member downstream of the transfer portion and upstream of the charging portion, wherein the developing unit collects residual toner on the image bearing member, an voltage application unit sets a potential difference between the voltage applied to the collecting unit and the surface electric potential of the image bearing member not more than a discharge threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2022
    Publication date: March 16, 2023
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Funatani, Shinsuke Kobayashi, Shuichi Tetsuno, Toshihiko Takayama, Jun Hara