Abstract: An example information processing system includes a main unit, a first controller device and a second controller device. The main unit includes a display. The first controller device is configured to be removably attached to the main unit, and the first controller device transmits first operation data representing an operation performed on the first controller device to the main unit, irrespective of whether the first controller device is attached to the main unit. The second controller device is configured to be removably attached to the main unit, and the second controller device transmits second operation data representing an operation performed on the second controller device to the main unit, irrespective of whether the second controller device is attached to the main unit. The main unit displays, on the display, an execution result of an information process based on the first and the second operation data.

Abstract: A vehicle control system determines a travel priority of a vehicle based on a travel condition of the vehicle. In response to detection of an oncoming vehicle ahead of the vehicle along a single guide path, the system compares between the travel priority of the vehicle, and a travel priority of the oncoming vehicle, and selects one of the vehicle and the oncoming vehicle as a vehicle to change a traveling route, to allow the unselected vehicle to continue traveling along the single guide path.

Abstract: A vehicle control system determines a travel priority of a vehicle based on a travel condition of the vehicle. In response to detection of an oncoming vehicle ahead of the vehicle along a single guide path, the system compares between the travel priority of the vehicle, and a travel priority of the oncoming vehicle, and selects one of the vehicle and the oncoming vehicle as a vehicle to change a traveling route, to allow the unselected vehicle to continue traveling along the single guide path.

Abstract: An abnormal noise operation control device includes an abnormal noise storage device to store an abnormal noise at the time of a fault of an apparatus in advance, an operation noise acquisition device to acquire an operation noise of the apparatus, an audible sound determination device to determine whether or not the operation noise acquired is audible sound, discomfort noise determination device to determine whether or not the audible sound is a discomfort noise, a fault determination device to determine whether or not the operation noise is abnormal by comparing the operation noise with the abnormal noise, an abnormal noise cause determination device to identify a part causing the operation noise determined as at least one of the discomfort noise and the abnormal noise, and an abnormal noise countermeasures device to restrict operations that use the part and allow operations that do not use the part.

Abstract: The Present invention provides an arc melting furnace apparatus and a method of controlling arc discharge, in which a melt material having been melted can be stirred efficiently, avoiding labor intensive work. The furnace is provided with a mold 3 having a recess 3a and provided in a melting chamber 2, a non-consumable discharge electrode 5 for heating and melting a melt material accommodated in the recess 3a, a power source unit 10 for supplying electric power to the non-consumable discharge electrode 5, and a control device 11 which controls the power source unit to control output intensity of the arc discharge from the non-consumable discharge electrode. The control device 11 controls output current from the power source unit 10 and its current frequency to vary the output intensity of the arc discharge from the non-consumable discharge electrode 5 and stir a molten metal resulting from heating and melting the melt material.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a skew correcting unit that performs skew correction by dividing an input image that has undergone a halftone process into image data in a predetermined skew correction area in a main scanning direction and by shifting the image data in the skew correction area in a sub-scanning direction; an edge detecting unit that detects whether a pixel at a division position is an edge pixel based on concentrations of a set of pixels including the pixel at the division position; a correction area determining unit that, if detected that the pixel at the division position is the edge pixel, determines a correction area that is an area of pixels including the edge pixel to be subjected to concentration correction within the skew correction area; and an edge correcting unit that corrects concentrations of the pixels within the correction area.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus capable of minimizing degradation in density correction as a part of skew correction includes a noise-occurrence determining unit, a correction-target-pixel selecting unit, a density correcting unit, and a phase correcting unit. When the noise-occurrence determining unit determines that noise would appear, the density correcting unit performs density correction on a correction target pixel that is determined by the correction-target-pixel selecting unit. The phase correcting unit corrects an output point in time of image data of the density-corrected correction target pixel in a pixel period during which the image data can be output so as to output the image data at a position displaced away from a shift position or toward a shift position.

Abstract: A pattern generating unit generates correction patterns on a transfer belt. Detection sensors detect the correction patterns, and amounts of magnification correction, amounts of misregistration in the main- and the sub-scanning direction are calculated. The amount of skew between each of colors is then calculated, and a position where an image is divided and a direction for shifting a divided image are determined. Possible dividing-positions are also determined, and a calculated dividing position and each of the possible dividing positions are compared with one another. Then, a possible dividing position closest to the calculated dividing position is set as an actual dividing position.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a skew correcting unit that performs skew correction by dividing an input image that has undergone a halftone process into image data in a predetermined skew correction area in a main scanning direction and by shifting the image data in the skew correction area in a sub-scanning direction; an edge detecting unit that detects whether a pixel at a division position is an edge pixel based on concentrations of a set of pixels including the pixel at the division position; a correction area determining unit that, if detected that the pixel at the division position is the edge pixel, determines a correction area that is an area of pixels including the edge pixel to be subjected to concentration correction within the skew correction area; and an edge correcting unit that corrects concentrations of the pixels within the correction area.

Abstract: A maintenance pattern forming method includes conveying, generating, and forming. The conveying conveys a transfer member on a surface of a conveying member such that there is a spacing area between two adjacent transfer members on the surface of the conveying member. The generating generates a timing signal for at least one of a plurality of colors formed by a color image forming apparatus. The forming forms at least one of a process control pattern, a position adjustment pattern, and a blade curl suppression pattern onto the spacing area based on the timing signal.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus capable of minimizing degradation in density correction as a part of skew correction includes a noise-occurrence determining unit, a correction-target-pixel selecting unit, a density correcting unit, and a phase correcting unit. When the noise-occurrence determining unit determines that noise would appear, the density correcting unit performs density correction on a correction target pixel that is determined by the correction-target-pixel selecting unit. The phase correcting unit corrects an output point in time of image data of the density-corrected correction target pixel in a pixel period during which the image data can be output so as to output the image data at a position displaced away from a shift position or toward a shift position.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus using a synchronization signal generator can easily generate a pixel clock that enables both a magnification correction in a main scanning direction and a correction of expansion and contraction of pixel width in the main scanning direction. Each of pixel clock generation units generates a clock signal by dividing a frequency of a high-frequency clock so as to generate pulses of a reference period, a long period longer than the reference period and a short period shorter than the reference period, and outputs, as the pixel clock, one of the pulses that is designated by an output selection signal. A pixel clock correction data synthesizing unit synthesizes a first selection signal, which is generated base on a time-series distribution of the pulses of each period defined by a first set of data, and a second selection signal, which is based on a time-series distribution of the pulses of each period defined by a second set of data, so as to generate the output selection signal.

Abstract: In an image forming device, a correction unit corrects image formation operation based on a plurality of correction patterns. A pattern creation unit forms an electrostatic latent image of the correction patterns on a photoconductor and transferring the image to an intermediate transfer body to form the correction patterns thereon. A pattern detecting unit detects the correction patterns formed on the intermediate transfer body. A speed detecting unit detects a movement speed of the correction patterns on the intermediate transfer body are moved. A timing holding unit computes a set value of detection start timing for starting detection of each correction pattern to hold the set value. The correction unit is provided to determine, in advance of correcting image formation operation, a detection start timing based on the movement speed and the set value.

Abstract: Upon predetermined mark image measurement, the timing signal is adjusted to obtain a required correction amount for a scan magnification of the modulated light in a measurement range of the predetermined mark image measurement, while, upon regular image forming operation, the timing signal is adjusted to obtain the required correction amount for the scan magnification of the modulated light in the entire scanning range of the modulated light for regular image forming operation.

Abstract: A pattern generating unit generates correction patterns on a transfer belt. Detection sensors detect the correction patterns, and amounts of magnification correction, amounts of misregistration in the main- and the sub-scanning direction are calculated. The amount of skew between each of colors is then calculated, and a position where an image is divided and a direction for shifting a divided image are determined. Possible dividing-positions are also determined, and a calculated dividing position and each of the possible dividing positions are compared with one another. Then, a possible dividing position closest to the calculated dividing position is set as an actual dividing position.

Abstract: A maintenance pattern forming method includes conveying, generating, and forming. The conveying conveys a transfer member on a surface of a conveying member such that there is a spacing area between two adjacent transfer members on the surface of the conveying member. The generating generates a timing signal for at least one of a plurality of colors formed by a color image forming apparatus. The forming forms at least one of a process control pattern, a position adjustment pattern, and a blade curl suppression pattern onto the spacing area based on the timing signal.

Abstract: In an image forming device, a correction unit corrects image formation operation based on a plurality of correction patterns. A pattern creation unit forms an electrostatic latent image of the correction patterns on a photoconductor and transferring the image to an intermediate transfer body to form the correction patterns thereon. A pattern detecting unit detects the correction patterns formed on the intermediate transfer body. A speed detecting unit detects a movement speed of the correction patterns on the intermediate transfer body are moved. A timing holding unit computes a set value of detection start timing for starting detection of each correction pattern to hold the set value. The correction unit is provided to determine, in advance of correcting image formation operation, a detection start timing based on the movement speed and the set value.

Abstract: Upon predetermined mark image measurement, the timing signal is adjusted to obtain a required correction amount for a scan magnification of the modulated light in a measurement range of the predetermined mark image measurement, while, upon regular image forming operation, the timing signal is adjusted to obtain the required correction amount for the scan magnification of the modulated light in the entire scanning range of the modulated light for regular image forming operation.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus using a synchronization signal generator can easily generate a pixel clock that enables both a magnification correction in a main scanning direction and a correction of expansion and contraction of pixel width in the main scanning direction. Each of pixel clock generation units generates a clock signal by dividing a frequency of a high-frequency clock so as to generate pulses of a reference period, a long period longer than the reference period and a short period shorter than the reference period, and outputs, as the pixel clock, one of the pulses that is designated by an output selection signal. A pixel clock correction data synthesizing unit synthesizes a first selection signal, which is generated base on a time-series distribution of the pulses of each period defined by a first set of data, and a second selection signal, which is based on a time-series distribution of the pulses of each period defined by a second set of data, so as to generate the output selection signal.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus which is capable of detecting a foreign particle interfering with an image reading operation includes a reference image plate, an image reading device, a peak value detector, a first memory, a comparator, and an error output controller. The reference image plate has a reference white image on the surface of the plate, and the first memory stores a first reference value. The image reading device reads such a reference white image for one line in a main scanning direction. The peak value detector detects a smallest data among the data which are included in the reference white image read by the image reading device. Then, the comparator compares the smallest data detected by the peak value detector with the first reference value. Finally, the error output controller outputs a white image error when the smallest data is smaller than the first reference value.