Abstract: A transmitter transmits ultrasonic wave of a predetermined volume. A reflected ultrasonic wave receiver receives reflected ultrasonic wave, transmitted from the transmitter and reflected by a sheet. A permeated ultrasonic wave receiver receives permeated ultrasonic wave, transmitted by the transmitter and permeated through the sheet. A volume detector detects reflected volume of the reflected ultrasonic wave, and permeated volume of the permeated ultrasonic wave. The decider identifies a thickness of the sheet being transported by a transport device, and decides whether multifeed of the sheets is occurring, on a basis of a comparison result between the detected reflected volume and a reference reflected volume, and a comparison result between the detected permeated volume and a reference permeated volume.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a sheet storage section, an image forming device, a transport route, a transport device, and a switching device. The switching device is turned on or off depending on a pressing force applied by an end portion of a sheet being transported along the transport route, at a position on the transport route upstream of the image forming device in a sheet transport direction. The switching device is turned on or off depending on whether the pressing force is equal to or larger than a predetermined pressing force to be applied by the sheet having predetermined rigidity, or smaller than the predetermined pressing force.

Abstract: A liquid discharge apparatus includes a conveying part configured to convey a medium in a conveying direction. A discharge head is configured to discharge a droplet onto a medium carried by the conveying part. A heating part is arranged at the downstream of the discharge head and configured to heat a medium while contacting with the medium attached with a droplet discharged by the discharge head. The heating part is arranged at a position contacting with at least part of the droplet present on the surface of the medium.

Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a conveyance unit configured to convey a sheet, a printing unit configured to print an image by discharging ink to the sheet conveyed by the conveyance unit, a heating unit configured to heat the sheet conveyed by the conveyance unit and to which the image has been printed by the printing unit, and a control unit configured to, in a case of double-side printing in which after printing an image on a first side of the sheet, an image is printed on a second side of the sheet, based on an amount of ink discharged for the first side and an amount of ink discharged for the second side, control heating by the heating unit with respect to the second side.

Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a conveyance unit, a printing unit, and a heating unit provided on a downstream side with respect to the printing unit in the conveyance direction, and a control unit. The conveyance unit conveys a printing medium along a conveyance direction. The printing unit ejects ink onto the printing medium conveyed by the conveyance unit. The heating unit heats the printing medium on which ink has been ejected by the printing unit while being in contact therewith. The control unit controls the printing apparatus such that a first surface of the printing medium passes through the same heating unit a plurality of times, wherein the first surface includes ink having been ejected by the printing unit onto the first surface.

Abstract: A check valve is made of a resilient body wound in a ring form and is located in an annular flow passage. A displacement limiter includes: a limiter main body that is located on an outer side of the check valve and is configured to limit displacement of the check valve in a diameter increasing direction of the check valve; and a limiter flow passage that communicates between one side and the other side of the limiter main body in an axial direction to enable hydraulic oil to flow between the one side and the other side of the limiter main body through the limiter flow passage.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable image bearer, a transfer rotator, a detector, and circuitry. The image bearer bears an image. The transfer rotator transfers the image from the image bearer onto a recording medium sandwiched and conveyed between the image bearer and the transfer rotator. The detector detects length information indicating a length, in a direction of conveyance of the recording medium, of the image on the recording medium. The circuitry corrects a correction value, based on the length information detected by the detector and a target value of the length information, to correct an image magnification, in the direction of conveyance of the recording medium, of the image to be formed on the recording medium. The circuitry controls an image forming operation of forming the image on the recording medium with the correction value.

Abstract: A propeller fan includes a shaft portion disposed on a rotation axis, and a blade disposed on an outer peripheral side of the shaft portion and including a leading edge and a trailing edge. The blade includes a negative pressure surface in which a plurality of recesses are formed, and the plurality of recesses include a first recess and a second recess disposed on the trailing edge side than the first recess in a circumferential direction about the rotation axis as a center. The first recess has a depth larger than a depth of the second recess.

Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a conveyance unit configured to convey a sheet, a printing unit configured to print an image by discharging ink to the sheet conveyed by the conveyance unit, a heating unit configured to heat the sheet conveyed by the conveyance unit and to which the image has been printed by the printing unit, and a control unit configured to, in a case of double-side printing in which after printing an image on a first side of the sheet, an image is printed on a second side of the sheet, based on an amount of ink discharged for the first side and an amount of ink discharged for the second side, control heating by the heating unit with respect to the second side.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a sheet feeder, an image former, an ultrasonic sensor, and a controller. The image former forms an image on a sheet conveyed. The ultrasonic sensor is used to detect the sheet conveyed. The ultrasonic sensor includes a transmitter circuit which sends ultrasonic waves and a receiver circuit which receives the ultrasonic waves. The ultrasonic sensor outputs an output voltage in accordance with a strength of the ultrasonic waves received by the receiver circuit. The controller recognizes a current air pressure based on a magnitude of the output voltage.

Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a conveyance unit configured to convey a print medium, a printhead configured to print an image by discharging ink to the print medium conveyed by the conveyance unit, a heating unit provided downstream of the printhead with respect to a conveyance direction of the print medium and configured to heat the print medium on which the image is printed by the printhead, and a correction unit provided downstream of the heating unit with respect to the conveyance direction and configured to correct curl occurring in the print medium. The apparatus controls to delay, between the heating unit and the correction unit, the conveyance of the print medium heated by the heating unit.

Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a conveyance unit configured to convey a sheet along a conveyance path, a printing unit configured to print an image by discharging ink to the sheet conveyed by the conveyance unit, a heating unit configured to, in a heating section on the conveyance path, heat the sheet on which the image has been printed by the printing unit, and a control unit configured to control the heating unit so that the heating section is changed in accordance with a print condition.

Abstract: A developing device includes a frame having an accommodation chamber where a developer is accommodated, and a replenishing port replenishing a developer to the accommodation chamber from outside; and a stirring member stirring the developer in the accommodation chamber, the stirring member including a rotating shaft portion rotatably supported by the frame and a sheet member having one end fixed to the rotating shaft portion and another end as a free end and being rotatable with the rotating shaft portion. When the stirring member is rotated, the free end of the sheet member is capable of contacting an inner wall surface of the accommodation chamber in which the replenishing port is formed, and a through hole penetrating in a thickness direction of the sheet member is provided in a region of the sheet member that comes into contact with the inner wall surface of the accommodation chamber.

Abstract: A propeller fan includes a shaft portion disposed on a rotation axis, and a blade disposed on an outer peripheral side of the shaft portion and including a leading edge and a trailing edge. The blade includes a negative pressure surface in which a plurality of recesses are formed, and the plurality of recesses include a first recess and a second recess disposed on the trailing edge side than the first recess in a circumferential direction about the rotation axis as a center. The first recess has a depth larger than a depth of the second recess.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a press-formed product suppresses occurrence of a forming defect such as a crack in a starting material during press forming, and also suppresses occurrence of problems when transferring a starting material during press forming. A manufacturing intermediate is formed by forming, in a flat-sheet shaped blank sheet, a planned outline portion including an undulating shape which is used for forming an outline of an outer circumferential portion of a press-formed product. The flat shape of the blank sheet is maintained in a region from the planned outline portion toward the center of the manufacturing intermediate, or an intermediate stretch-formed portion having a predetermined intermediate forming height is formed in the manufacturing intermediate in the region. A through-hole is formed by piercing a flat portion at which the flat shape is maintained or a stretch-formed-side top portion of the intermediate stretch-formed portion.

Abstract: A developing device includes a frame having an accommodation chamber where a developer is accommodated, and a replenishing port replenishing a developer to the accommodation chamber from outside, and a stirring member stirring the developer in the accommodation chamber. The stirring member includes a rotating shaft portion rotatably supported by the frame and a sheet member having one end fixed to the rotating shaft portion and another end as a free end and being rotatable with the rotating shaft portion. When the stirring member is rotated, the free end of the sheet member is capable of contacting an inner wall surface of the accommodation chamber in which the replenishing port is formed, and a through hole penetrating in a thickness direction of the sheet member is provided in a region of the sheet member that comes into contact with the inner wall surface of the accommodation chamber.

Abstract: A valve device includes a flow path formation member provided with at least one flow path hole through which a fluid passes, and a drive part that outputs a rotational force. The valve device includes a shaft, and a rotor having a sliding surface that slides while facing an opening surface of the flow path formation member where the flow path hole is opened, and the rotor is configured to increase or decrease an opening degree of the flow path hole with rotation of the shaft. The valve device includes an energization member that energizes the rotor toward the flow path formation member. The valve device includes a coupling structure configured to tiltably couple the shaft to the rotor such that a contact state between the sliding surface and the opening surface is held regardless of a posture or a position of the shaft.

Abstract: A valve device includes: a driving source making rotational motion; a rotated part provided rotatably around a predetermined axis; and a fluid passage portion having a flow hole for passing a fluid. The valve device further includes: a gear mechanism having gears to transmit rotational motion of the driving source to the rotated part by engagement between the gears to rotate the rotated part; and a biasing part biasing the rotated part toward one side in a circumferential direction with the predetermined axis at the center. The rotated part includes a rotor increasing or reducing an opening of the flow hole in conjunction with rotation of the rotated part and is rotated according to rotational motion of the driving source while being biased toward the one side in the circumferential direction by the biasing part.

Abstract: A transmitter transmits ultrasonic wave of a predetermined volume. A reflected ultrasonic wave receiver receives reflected ultrasonic wave, transmitted from the transmitter and reflected by a sheet. A permeated ultrasonic wave receiver receives permeated ultrasonic wave, transmitted by the transmitter and permeated through the sheet. A volume detector detects reflected volume of the reflected ultrasonic wave, and permeated volume of the permeated ultrasonic wave. The decider identifies a thickness of the sheet being transported by a transport device, and decides whether multifeed of the sheets is occurring, on a basis of a comparison result between the detected reflected volume and a reference reflected volume, and a comparison result between the detected permeated volume and a reference permeated volume.

Abstract: A fluid circulation circuit includes a flow passage switching valve. The flow passage switching valve includes a body and a switcher. The body includes a first inlet, a second inlet, and outlets including a first outlet. The switcher is capable of switching a passage configuration to a state in which a fluid that has flowed in from the first inlet flows out of either one of the outlets and a state in which the fluid that has flowed in from the second inlet flows out of either one of the outlets.