Having Temperature Or Humidity Detection Patents (Class 399/44)
  • Patent number: 11845293
    Abstract: In a printing device, a controller is configured to perform: (a) writing; (b) printing; (c) determining; (d) conveying; (e) writing; (f) printing; and (g) writing. The (a) writing writes prescribed information to an information storage medium provided in a first print medium. The (b) printing prints a prescribed image on the first print medium. In response to determining in (c) that the printing quality of the prescribed image is not good for the first print medium, the (d) conveying conveys a continuous medium in a reverse direction, the (e) writing writes void information to the information storage medium provided in the first print medium, the (f) printing prints a VOID image on the first print medium after the (e) writing is performed, and the (g) writing writes the prescribed information to the information storage medium provided in a second print medium prior to performing the (f) printing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Jyunji Maeda
  • Patent number: 11740586
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a fixing unit, a plurality of exterior covers forming an exterior of the image forming apparatus, a fan configured to suck outside air into the image forming apparatus through an air intake port, a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the outside air sucked by the fan, and a partition member disposed upstream the temperature sensor and downstream the air intake port in an airflow generated by the fan, the partition member dividing an air intake path through which the outside air sucked through the air intake port passes into a first path passing through a fixing unit side and a second path passing through a temperature sensor side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tatsuhito Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11609526
    Abstract: A fixing device includes first and second rotatable members, a moving mechanism, a flag, a sensor, a movable guide, and a stationary guide. The moving mechanism is configured to move the first rotatable member away from the second rotatable member. The flag is provided downstream of the nip with respect to a recording material feeding direction and retractable by passing of the recording material. The sensor is configured to detect whether or not the flag is retracted by contact with the recording material. The movable guide is movable together with the first rotatable member away from the second rotatable member and from the flag by the moving mechanism. The stationary guide is fixed at a position opposing the flag, irrespective of a position of the movable guide member. The stationary guide does not move together with the movable guide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shutaro Saito
  • Patent number: 11500309
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a belt, a plurality of stretching rollers including an inner roller and an upstream roller, an outer member, an urging member, a first position changing mechanism, a storing portion, a controller, and an operating portion. The controller controls the first position changing mechanism on the basis of a kind of a recording material on which an image is formed, first set information stored in the storing portion, and first input information for changing setting of a position of the urging member inputted to the controller through the operating portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ryosuke Tsuruga, Yutaka Kakehi, Tatsuya Kohno, Manato Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 11493857
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a latent image forming portion configured to form a latent image on an image bearing member; a developing device including a container configured to store toner and a developing member configured to supply the toner to the latent image formed on the image bearing member to form a toner image; an environment sensor configured to detect environmental information related to an environment in which the developing device is placed; and a controller configured to control switching between a first mode and a second mode, in which a number of prints per unit time is less than that in the first mode. The controller is configured to perform switching from the first mode to the second mode based on an update value obtained by adding or subtracting over time an index value weighted in accordance with the environmental information detected by the environment sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satoshi Sunahara, Nobuo Oshima, Satoru Motohashi
  • Patent number: 11474464
    Abstract: A mechanism for shutting off drive so that drive of pressing release is not rotated even when a pressing roller is rotated as a driving source is provided, and a torque when drive of a shutting-off portion is connected is set at a torque value to which a one-way idling torque is added. Therefore, during jam clearance, connection of pressing release drive by pressing roller rotation can be carried out.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Makoto Tanaka, Shutaro Saito, Takuya Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 11385576
    Abstract: There is provided with a printing apparatus. A printing unit prints an image on a print medium. A heating unit heats the print medium with the image printed thereon. A detection unit detects a temperature of the heating unit. A housing accommodates the printing unit and the heating unit. An openable/closable cover member is provided on the housing and covers the heating unit. A restricting unit is capable of restricting an opening operation of the cover member. A control unit controls the restricting unit so as to execute the restriction if the temperature of the heating unit exceeds a first threshold value, and release the restriction if the temperature of the heating unit is not more than a second threshold value lower than the first threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tsuyoshi Saeki
  • Patent number: 11269264
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes: plural image forming units accommodating colorants of the same color; and a controller that forms an image of one color using the plural image forming units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp.
    Inventors: Shoji Yamauchi, Yoshihisa Nakao
  • Patent number: 11204586
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a first temperature sensor, a second temperature sensor, a cooling mechanism, and a controller. The first temperature sensor detects the internal temperature of a machine body where the image forming unit is arranged. The second temperature sensor detects the environmental temperature of the environment where the machine body is placed. The cooling mechanism cools the image forming unit. The controller adjusts the cooling capacity of the cooling mechanism based on the result of comparing the internal temperature detected by the first temperature sensor with a first threshold, and the result of comparing the environmental temperature detected by the second temperature sensor with a second threshold lower than the first threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takashi Ogiwara, Masafumi Yoshida, Kazuyoshi Takeshita
  • Patent number: 11016424
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the embodiment has a fixing unit and a temperature controller. The fixing unit performs the fixing process of developer transferred to a sheet by applying heat to the sheet at a predetermined fixing temperature. The temperature controller corrects the fixing temperature in the fixing process based on information indicating the manufacturing time of the developer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Takahiro Nakajima
  • Patent number: 10983455
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus main body and a replacement unit that is detachable to the apparatus main body. The replacement unit includes a first sensor that detects first environmental information that is an ambient environment of the replacement unit, and a recording part that records the first environmental information as environmental history information, the apparatus main body includes a second sensor that detects second environmental information that is another ambient environment of the apparatus main body, and a control part that controls the replacement unit based on the environmental history information and the second environmental information, when the replacement unit is attached to the apparatus main body, the control part performs a return control based on the environmental history information, which is obtained before the replacement unit is attached, and the second environmental information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: Oki Data Corporation
    Inventor: Hidetaka Mitsunobu
  • Patent number: 10969715
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a control unit that changes a ratio between an execution time for executing printing and a stop time for stopping the printing according to any one of a stop control number that is the number of times that an operation of the printing is stopped, a stop control time that is the time during which the operation of the printing is stopped, a printing execution time that is the time during which the printing is executed, and a printing execution control number that is the number of times that the printing is executed, in an intermittent mode that operates by switching between executing the printing and stopping the printing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masafumi Yoshida, Takashi Ogiwara, Kazumasa Yasui
  • Patent number: 10946645
    Abstract: Examples disclosed herein relate to an imaging device. Examples include a method for increasing the temperature of the imaging device by determining an internal temperature of the imaging device; determining if a start-up routine is to be initiated; pausing the start-up routine if the internal temperature is below a threshold temperature; and energizing at least one of a fan or heating element of the imaging device when the internal temperature is below the threshold temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Duane A Koehler, Robert Yraceburu, James M Brenner
  • Patent number: 10895840
    Abstract: Provided is a cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member, including a concave/convex portion forming region in which at least one of concave portions and convex portions are formed on a surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member from a central portion to both end portions in an axial direction of the electrophotographic photosensitive member, wherein a maximum value Lmax and a minimum value Lmin of a distance L from the central portion to one end portion of the concave/convex portion forming region in the axial direction of the surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member satisfy a specific relation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Naoaki Ichihashi, Yasuhiro Kawai, Hironori Owaki
  • Patent number: 10877396
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a latent image forming portion configured to form a latent image on an image bearing member; a developing device including a container configured to store toner and a developing member configured to supply the toner to the latent image formed on the image bearing member to form a toner image; an environment sensor configured to detect environmental information related to an environment in which the developing device is placed; and a controller configured to control switching between a first mode and a second mode, in which a number of prints per unit time is less than that in the first mode. The controller is configured to perform switching from the first mode to the second mode based on an update value obtained by adding or subtracting over time an index value weighted in accordance with the environmental information detected by the environment sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satoshi Sunahara, Nobuo Oshima, Satoru Motohashi
  • Patent number: 10859941
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a toner cartridge; a drum cartridge to which the toner cartridge is attachable; and a controller. The toner cartridge is configured to accommodate toner therein. The toner cartridge includes a toner memory. The drum cartridge includes: a photosensitive drum; and a drum memory. The controller is configured to perform: a first determination process to determine whether communication with the drum memory is established; and after determining in the first determination process that the communication with the drum memory is established, a second determination process to determine whether communication with the toner memory is established.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tadao Kyotani
  • Patent number: 10838340
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, an image heating device, a filter, a display unit, and a controller. When an image forming operation of the image forming unit starts and an ambient temperature outside the image forming apparatus is a first temperature, the controller sets, after the image forming operation starts, a first period that begins after detected ambient temperature inside the image forming apparatus reaches a predetermined temperature and ends when filter replacement information is displayed on the display unit. When the image forming operation starts and the outside ambient temperature is a second temperature higher than the first temperature, the controller sets, after the image forming operation starts, a second period that is shorter than the first period and begins after the detected inside ambient temperature reaches the predetermined temperature and ends when the filter replacement information is displayed on the display unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Akihiro Noguchi
  • Patent number: 10788783
    Abstract: A method for demanding a more flexible printing processing by an image forming apparatus which comprises a first storage section and a second storage section involves deciding whether to print the image information contained in the file; determining whether or not an image indicated by the emphasis information stored in the second storage section is contained in the image information contained in the file if the decision is carried out; creating a print command to print the image indicated by the emphasis information with a decolorable recording material in a case in which it is determined that the image indicated by the emphasis information is contained in the image information contained in the file; and sending the created print command through the communication section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Nobuyuki Miyoshi
  • Patent number: 10782648
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming device configured to form an image on a sheet; a fan configured to be driven to perform ventilation; and at least one controller configured to function as: a unit configured to store flag information indicating a state where a dew condensation countermeasure is required in a non-volatile memory; a unit configured to restrict image formation by the image forming device and execute dew condensation countermeasure processing to cause the fan to perform predetermined driving; and a unit configured to delete, from the non-volatile memory, the flag information upon completion of the dew condensation countermeasure processing, wherein the controller executes the dew condensation countermeasure processing upon activation of the image forming apparatus based on at least storage of the flag information in the non-volatile memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Ryosuke Kasahara
  • Patent number: 10768564
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image former and a hardware processor. The image former includes, an image carrier; a developer; a conductive rotating member; and a voltage applier which applies voltage to the rotating member. The hardware processor executes an attached material detection mode which detects material attached to a surface of the rotating member. In such mode, the hardware processor controls the voltage so that the developing bias is a value between a surface potential in a region of the image carrier in contact with a portion in which attached material exists on a surface of the rotating member if a reference voltage is applied by the voltage applier, and a surface potential in a region of the image carrier in contact with a portion in which the attached material does not exist on the surface of the rotating member if the reference voltage is applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Keiki Katsumata
  • Patent number: 10754278
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including: a fixer that fixes a toner image formed on a recording medium by pressing and heating the recording medium nipped in a nip portion formed by causing two rotating bodies to pressedly abut on each other, and conveying the recording medium by rotating the rotating bodies; a motor that drives the rotating bodies by transmitting a torque to at least one of the rotating bodies; a torque detector that detects the torque transmitted to the rotating body by the motor; a temperature detector that detects temperature of the rotating body; a speed detector that detects a conveyance speed for conveying the recording medium by the fixer; and a controller that corrects the detected torque based on at least any one of the detected temperature and the detected conveyance speed and predicts a life of the fixer based on the corrected torque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Masayuki Fukunaga, Toshiaki Tanaka, Masayuki Watanabe, Mineo Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 10732558
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is configured to calculate an estimated value of a color misregistration amount based on a first estimation expression when a temperature of an exposure device is under a temperature increasing state. The image forming apparatus is configured to calculate the estimated value of the color misregistration amount based on the first estimation expression when the temperature of the exposure device is under the temperature decreasing state and the exposure device is not in a thermally-deformed state. The image forming apparatus is configured to calculate the estimated value of the color misregistration amount based on a second estimation expression when the temperature of the exposure device is in the temperature decreasing state and the exposure device is in the thermally-deformed state. The image forming apparatus is configured to correct color misregistration based on the calculated estimated value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Koichi Taniguchi
  • Patent number: 10663895
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes a fixing roller, a heater, a heater controller, and a roller controller. The fixing roller conveys a sheet by rotation and fixes a recording material formed on the sheet to the sheet. The heater heats the fixing roller. The heater controller controls a temperature of the heater. The roller controller controls a rotation speed of the fixing roller. When the roller controller satisfies a predetermined condition indicating that a fixing part temperature indicating a temperature of the fixing roller is not suitable for operation, the roller controller increases a rotation speed to be higher than a rotation speed of a case in which the predetermined condition is not satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Koji Takahashi
  • Patent number: 10635048
    Abstract: A transfer device includes a transfer unit that transfers an image on an image carrier carrying the image onto a first surface of a recording material by applying a voltage containing an alternating-current component to the recording material; and a humidifying unit that humidifies the recording material transported toward the transfer unit from a second surface of the recording material that is opposite to the first surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Noboru Hirakawa, Yoko Miyamoto, Masaaki Takahashi, Koichiro Yuasa, Yoshiyuki Tominaga
  • Patent number: 10591850
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing device, a temperature sensor that detects a temperature of an end of the fixing device, and a blower unit that supplies air to the end of the fixing device to cool the end of the fixing device. In addition, a processor circuit is configured to control a cooling level by the blower unit in accordance with the temperature of the end of the fixing device detected by the temperature sensor, to predict, based on a parameter depending on the cooling level, a discharge amount of ultra fine particles that are discharged from the image forming apparatus, and to control an image forming operation by the image forming apparatus such that the discharge amount of ultra fine particles is reduced in accordance with the discharge amount predicted by the processor circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Hagiwara, Takashi Yano, Tetsuya Sano, Noriaki Sato
  • Patent number: 10585377
    Abstract: In one embodiment, the image forming apparatus has a transfer member, a detector, a display, a transfer bias power source circuit, a memory, a processor, and so on. The processor calculates a value indicating a resistance value of a sheet, based on a measurement value of a voltage value or a current value of the transfer member by the detector. Further, when the calculated value indicating the resistance value of the sheet is a value outside a range of an allowable range stored in the memory, the processor makes the display display a message to recommend adjustment of a transfer bias to be applied to the transfer member by the transfer bias power source circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshinori Sanmonji
  • Patent number: 10571860
    Abstract: Consumption of toner can be minimized in a method of performing dew condensation elimination through toner application to a photosensitive drum. To this end, an image forming apparatus includes a plurality of photosensitive drums; an intermediate transfer belt to which toner images are transferred from the plurality of photosensitive drums; a controller configured to determine whether or not a dew condensation occurrence condition is met; and a dew condensation elimination unit configured to perform a dew condensation elimination operation by applying toner to at least one of the plurality of photosensitive drums in a case in which the controller determines that the dew condensation occurrence condition is met and when a start instruction for image formation is received. When the image formation is started in a color image formation mode, the dew condensation elimination unit executes a first dew condensation elimination mode of applying toner to all of the plurality of photosensitive drums.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Naoto Watanabe, Hiroyuki Eda, Hidenori Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 10564564
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a photoreceptor including a surface layer; a storage that stores a target value of a variation of a film thickness of the surface layer; and a hardware processor that acquires a variation of the film thickness in a first period within which the photoreceptor rotates a predetermined number of times, and sets a margin that is an amount of a portion for allowance with respect to a proper value of a parameter related to control of the photoreceptor, the margin being to be employed after the first period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Yuusuke Mandai
  • Patent number: 10558143
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of cartridges containing toners, each cartridge including a storage element that stores a type of thermal characteristic information of the toner contained therein, and a reading portion configured to read the type of thermal characteristic information. A fixing portion thermally fixes a toner image, formed by a plurality of toners of different colors contained in the cartridges, respectively, onto a recording material, and a control portion controls the fixing portion by switching a thermal fixing condition in accordance with a combination of the types of the thermal characteristic information read by the reading portion, the thermal fixing condition being a condition that prioritizes the performance of fixing, to a recording material, a toner, of the toners that form the toner image, that is transferred first to the recording material, from among the plurality of toners of different colors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masahito Omata, Yasuhito Minamishima, Takao Kume
  • Patent number: 10527995
    Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, a humidity sensor measures a humidity. A fuser fixes a toner image on a paper sheet. A first sheet detecting sensor is arranged in an upstream side of the fuser in a sheet transportation path, and detects passing timings of front and rear ends of the paper sheet. A second sheet detecting sensor is arranged in a downstream side of the fuser in a sheet transportation path, and detects passing timings of front and rear ends of the paper sheet. An anomaly detecting unit detects anomaly of the humidity sensor on the basis of (a) a ratio or difference between a first sheet length based on the passing timings detected by the first sheet detecting sensor and a second sheet length based on the passing timings detected by the second sheet detecting sensor and (b) a measurement value of the humidity sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: Kyocera Document Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Mitsuyuki Kishimoto
  • Patent number: 10514645
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a container that contains a developer, a temperature information acquisition unit that acquires temperature information of the container, and a control unit that controls an image formation operation for forming an image. During the image formation operation, the control unit executes a suspension operation for suspending the image formation operation in the case that t?toth(toth?0) is satisfied, where t is defined to be an elapsed time from when a temperature corresponding to the temperature information of the container exceeds a predetermined threshold temperature Tth, and where toth is defined to be an exceeding time threshold value related to a period during which the temperature corresponding to the temperature information of the container remains higher than the threshold temperature Tth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Jun Hara, Kenichi Iida, Ryuji Hamasaki, Keisuke Yoshida
  • Patent number: 10514649
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a memory and a controller. The memory is configured to store information related to a recording medium type detected by a detector in the past. The controller is configured to control a feeder so as to prevent feeding of a recording medium from starting, when a printing operation is started in a first mode, in a case that a recording medium type set through a setting unit and a recording medium type discriminated based on the information stored in the memory do not match with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takahiko Yamaoka
  • Patent number: 10488802
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including: a photoreceptor drum; an intermediate transfer belt; a primary transferer; a secondary transferer, and a hardware processor which suppresses speed change of the intermediate transfer belt at a timing of the sheet entering the secondary transferer and at a timing of the sheet being ejected from the secondary transferer, wherein the hardware processor calculates speed changes of the intermediate transfer belt and the photoreceptor drum at the timing of the sheet entering the secondary transferer and at the timing of the sheet being ejected from the secondary transferer, and calculates a transmission rate between the intermediate transfer belt and the photoreceptor drum based on the calculated speed changes, and the hardware processor adjusts an operation amount of the driving roller based on the calculated transmission rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Masahito Takano, Jun Onishi, Takashi Fujiwara
  • Patent number: 10444680
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a process unit, a heating member that heats a sheet, a first heat source, a second heat source, a first temperature detector that detects a temperature of a first region including a central portion of the heating member in a width direction, a second temperature detector that detects a temperature of a second region including an end portion of the heating member, and a controller. The controller controls a supply of a current to the first heat source such that a temperature of the first region reaches a first target temperature, increases the first target temperature with a first gradient toward a first fixing temperature, controls a supply of a current to the second heat source such that a temperature of the second region reaches a second target temperature, and increases the second target temperature with a second gradient toward a second fixing temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Sadaharu Kato
  • Patent number: 10444656
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a charging member, a charging voltage source, an electrostatic image forming portion, a developing member, a developing voltage source, a transfer portion, a cleaning member, and a controller. The controller effects control so that a peak-to-peak voltage of an AC component of a charging voltage satisfying the following relationship is applied to the charging member to execute a toner supplying operation: 2Vth (V)?Vpp1 (V)?(2Vth+200) (V), where a discharge start voltage of a DC component of a charging voltage between the image bearing member and the charging member is Vth (V), and the peak-to-peak voltage of the AC component applied during execution of the toner supplying operation is Vpp1 (V). A peak-to-peak voltage of the AC component applied during image formation is larger than the peak-to-peak voltage Vpp1 (V).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takayuki Kanazawa
  • Patent number: 10409209
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photoconductor, a charging roller for charging the photoconductor, a current sensor for detecting a value of current flowing through the photoconductor or the charging roller as a result of application of voltage to the charging roller, an acquisition sensor for acquiring an environment value representing an environment state inside the image forming apparatus, and a processor configured to estimate a film thickness of the photoconductor, based on a value of current detected by the current sensor when a state in which the environment value falls within a predetermined range continues for a predetermined time or longer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Kazuya Kitamura
  • Patent number: 10386755
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a discharging device for discharging the drum at a discharging portion opposing the surface of the drum; and a control unit for executing, during non-image formation, a cleaning operation for transferring the toner deposited on the transfer member onto the drum by applying a voltage from transfer voltage source to the transfer member. The control unit does not effect discharge by the discharging device for at least a region of the drum where a transfer voltage for transferring a normal-polarity toner of the toner deposited on the transfer member onto the drum is applied to the transfer member in the cleaning operation, and then passes the region of the drum through the charging portion in a state in which a voltage larger than a surface potential of the drum in a normal polarity side is applied to the charging member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shinsuke Kobayashi, Takaaki Akamatsu, Kenji Shindo, Kohei Okayasu, Hiroki Sasame
  • Patent number: 10310449
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a housing of an apparatus body, an electrical equipment portion provided to project in a horizontal direction with respect to the housing, wherein a space is provided under the electrical equipment portion, a cover configured to cover the electrical equipment portion, and a louver which comprises plural slats arranged with intervals therebetween and through which an inside of the cover communicates with an outside of the cover, and is provided in a lower surface portion of the cover. The louver comprises a first louver member and a second louver member. The first louver member comprises a first slat portion constituting a part of the slats. The second louver member comprises a second slat portion disposed below the first slat portion to overlap with the first slat portion at least partially in a front view of the louver and constituting another part of the slats.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Koichi Watanabe
  • Patent number: 10295948
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including an image bearer, a transfer-bias power source, an environment sensor, and a controller. The controller controls the transfer-bias power source to change the DC component and the AC component, according to the at least one of temperature and humidity detected by the environment sensor and a duty of the transfer bias. The duty is A/(A+B)×100[%] where A denotes an area on a return-directional side to move toner from the recording sheet back to the image bearer, relative to a center value (Voff) of a maximum value and a minimum value of the transfer bias in one cycle of a waveform of the transfer bias, and B denotes an area on a transfer-directional side to move the toner from the image bearer to the recording sheet, relative to the center value (Voff) in the one cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Keigo Nakamura, Hirokazu Ishii, Kenji Sugiura, Takehide Mizutani, Atsushi Nagata, Naoto Kochi, Yuuji Wada, Shinya Tanaka
  • Patent number: 10289044
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprises an image forming section configured to form an image on a sheet, a fixing section configured to heat the sheet having the image formed thereon to a fixing temperature, and a control section. The control section is configured to adjust parameters of the image forming section to reduce deterioration in image quality of the image formed by the image forming section and to carry out the adjustment while a temperature of the fixing section is being changed by greater than a predetermined amount and to not carry out the adjustment while the temperature of the fixing section is changed by less than a predetermined amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Shigeru Morino
  • Patent number: 10281848
    Abstract: An improved image forming apparatus includes an image bearer, a nip forming member, a transfer power source, and a controller. The controller switches a transfer mode between a first mode to transfer the toner image onto a first type sheet having a surface smoothness higher than a surface smoothness of a second type sheet and a second mode to transfer the toner image onto the second type sheet. The controller controls the transfer power source to output the transfer bias having an opposite-peak duty of greater than or equal to 50% that is a duty on the side of the opposite-peak value in the first mode. The controller controls the transfer power source to output the transfer bias having an opposite-peak duty of less than 50%, which is different from the opposite-peak duty of the first mode, in the second mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuuji Wada, Naoto Kochi, Hiroki Nakamatsu, Kazuki Yogosawa, Takahiro Suzuki, Shinya Tanaka, Kenji Sugiura, Naohiro Kumagai, Seiichi Kogure, Junpei Fujita, Hirokazu Ishii, Takehide Mizutani, Atsushi Nagata, Keigo Nakamura
  • Patent number: 10248052
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a transfer unit, a resistance detection unit, and a changing unit. The transfer unit transfers an image to a continuous recording medium. The resistance detection unit detects a resistance of the recording medium at a position upstream of the transfer unit in a transport direction of the recording medium. The changing unit changes a transfer condition of the transfer unit in accordance with a detection result of the resistance detection unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Mabumi Kashihara, Daisuke Tanaka
  • Patent number: 10197939
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a control portion configured to control a charging bias to be applied to a charging member and a first exposure amount with respect to humidity inside an image forming apparatus and a thickness of a photosensitive layer of a photoreceptor, and the control portion controls the charging bias and the first exposure amount so that a potential difference between a non-image forming portion and the charging member increases as the humidity decreases, and decreases as the humidity increases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yuji Kawaguchi
  • Patent number: 10191427
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a high-voltage power supply that supplies high-voltage electric power, a charging device that is charged by the electric power supplied from the high-voltage power supply, a photoconductor that carries an image to be formed on a recording medium, with the electric power supplied from the charging device, a temperature sensor disposed at a distant from the photoconductor that detects temperature inside the image forming apparatus, a humidity sensor disposed at a distant from the photoconductor that detects inside the image forming apparatus, and circuitry that outputs a signal for commanding an electric power value to the high-voltage power supply to cause the high-voltage power supply to supply the electric power with the electric power value, and controls supply of the electric power based on an electric power value feedback signal from the high-voltage power supply.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Yuuji Nagamatsu
  • Patent number: 10191435
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image formation part that forms an image on a paper sheet; a conveyor that includes a plurality of conveying members and conveys the paper sheet; a hardware processor that acquires information on a smudge on a paper sheet on which an image has been formed by the image formation part, and identifies, from the plurality of conveying members, one or more dirty conveying member(s) that may have caused the smudge based on at least one of the information on the smudge, information on the conveying members, and information on a job for image formation executed by the image formation part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventor: Kenji Terada
  • Patent number: 10180637
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus provided with a charging member to charge a surface of a photoreceptor, includes: a power supply that applies to the charging member a first bias in which an AC voltage is superimposed on a DC voltage or a second bias which is a simple DC voltage; and a hardware processor that causes the power supply to apply the first bias until an amount used of the photoreceptor reaches a predetermined value, and causes the power supply to apply the second bias when the amount used of the photoreceptor reaches the predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventor: Kunio Furukawa
  • Patent number: 10180658
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photoconductor, a developing unit, a transfer unit, a detecting unit, a fan, cleaning unit, and a controller. The developing unit develops a latent image with a developer. The transfer unit transfers a developer image onto a sheet. The detecting unit detects a temperature outside the apparatus. The fan takes outside air into the apparatus. The cleaning unit collects toner supplied onto the photoconductor. The controller determines whether dew condensation has occurred. If the controller determines that dew condensation has occurred, the controller executes a first dew condensation recovery operation for rotating the fan, and when an image forming job is input, the controller executes a second dew condensation recovery operation, in addition to the first dew condensation recovery operation, the second dew condensation recovery operation comprising supplying toner to the photoconductor and collecting the toner, before executing the image forming job.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiroaki Tomiyasu
  • Patent number: 10120324
    Abstract: An imaging device has a photoconductive drum with a surface that is selectively discharged to create a latent electrostatic image for attracting toner for transfer to a media moving in a process direction. The image is divided into multiple segments along the process direction and discharged pixels per segment are counted. An accumulator keeps track of the numbers of pixels per revolutions of a roller that applies the toner to the drum. Upon meeting a predetermined deficiency in the counts of pixels in any given segment, an artificial image gets generated on the surface of the photoconductive drum that supplies the missing pixels, per segment. The image gets developed with toner, but does not transfer to the media. Lubrication occurs on the surface of the drum and each segment retains a relatively common number of imaging pixels that get developed over time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: LEXMARK INTERNATIONAL, INC.
    Inventors: Michael Brian Bacelieri, Marc Cousoulis
  • Patent number: 10073389
    Abstract: A method for forming a fixed toner image includes maintaining a fixing device temperature at a standby temperature, and after wake-up from the standby state, forming an unfixed toner image on a sheet using a low melting point toner. The difference between temperatures that cause a viscosity of the toner in first and second conditions to be 1.0 (105 Pa·s) is within a range of 30° C. to 60° C., the toner in the first condition not having been maintained in a 160° C. environment for 24 hours and the toner in the second condition having been maintained in a 160° C. environment for 24 hours. The method further comprises increasing the fixing device temperature to a fixing temperature of the toner, which is higher than the standby temperature, and after the fixing device temperature has reached the fixing temperature, passing the sheet with the unfixed toner image through the fixing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba TEC Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hisanobu Ajima
  • Patent number: 10067469
    Abstract: The image forming apparatus of the present embodiment has two limiters composed of a conventional high order limiter and a low order limiter, and carries out control to switch the limiter according to a temperature and a humidity so as not to reach a image contrast potential equal to or greater than those limiters. Carrier development can occur if image formation is performed in a state where the image contrast potential is high. Therefore, by providing a low order limiter as in the present embodiment and carrying out control so as not to exceed the low order limiter at the time of the image formation, an occurrence of the carrier development can be suppressed, and an image density can also be within a prescribed range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Koji Imamiya