G03G15/00

Apparatus and method for adjusting output value of optical sensor having light-receiving element that receives regularly-reflected light and diffusely-reflected light
11630408 · 2023-04-18 · ·

An optical sensor comprises a first light-emitting element, a second light-emitting element, a light-receiving element, a first amplifier circuit and a second amplifier circuit. The light-receiving element receives reflected light from an object to be measured, and outputs an output value on the basis of a light receiving result of the light-receiving element. The amplifier circuits amplifies the output value output from the light-receiving element.

IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, PRINTING CONTROL METHOD, AND CONTROL PROGRAM
20230068429 · 2023-03-02 · ·

An image forming apparatus includes: sheet feeding trays; an image forming part that includes a fixing part and forms an image on a sheet fed from each of the sheet feeding trays based on a print job; and an acquisition part that acquires information indicating “presence” or “absence” of a possible carrier having a possibility of virus infection in a region where an apparatus main body is installed; and a hardware processor that is able to select an operation mode of the print job from a normal mode and a virus removal mode, and sets an operation mode of the print job to the virus removal mode, wherein in the virus removal mode, a fixing temperature of the fixing part is set to a predetermined temperature, and a heating time for the sheet in the fixing part is made longer than a heating time in the normal mode.

IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD
20230068473 · 2023-03-02 · ·

According to at least one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes a first sensor, a second sensor, and a controller. The first sensor is configured to detect a user. The second sensor is configured to detect a sheet in a sheet holder. The controller is configured to change a transition mode of an operation mode based on a first detection result of the sheet in the sheet holder by the second sensor in response to the detection of the user by the first sensor when the operation mode of the image forming apparatus is a second power-saving mode, which consumes less power than a first power-saving mode.

IMAGE FORMING SYSTEM
20230068570 · 2023-03-02 ·

An image forming system includes an image forming unit for forming a first toner image and a second toner image on a first surface and a second surface of a recording medium by using toner containing wax; a pressure-bonding unit for pressure-bonding the recording medium folded in two by applying heat and pressure to the recording medium, an inner surface of the recording medium folded in two being pressure-bonded via an adhesive medium, one of the first surface and the second surface being the inner surface of the recording medium folded in two, the pressure-bonding unit pressure-bonding the recording medium folded in two via an adhesive member; and a control unit for determining an image forming order so that an image is formed on an outer surface of the recording medium folded in two, and then on the inner surface of the recording medium folded in two.

IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS
20230069503 · 2023-03-02 ·

The present invention provides an image forming apparatus including: a first moving member pressed and moved by an openable/closable member when the openable/closable member is opened, and switching a cartridge from a state where the cartridge is positioned in an image forming position to a state where the positioning is released; and a second moving member pressed and moved by the openable/closable member when the openable/closable member is opened, and moving the exposure member from an exposure position to a retracted position, wherein when the positioning of the cartridge is released, a reaction force applied from the first moving member to the openable/closable member reaches a first peak, when the exposure member is moved to the retracted position, a reaction force applied from the second moving member to the openable/closable member reaches a second peak, and timing of the first peak is different from timing of the second peak.

Image processing method, image processing apparatus

A processor selects a target sheet from a plurality of predetermined sheet candidates in accordance with selection information that is input via an input device. Furthermore, the processor derives feature information regarding a noise point from a target image that is obtained through an image reading process performed on an output sheet output from an image forming device, the noise point being a dot-like noise image included in the target image. Furthermore, the processor determines whether or not the noise point is a dot-like sheet noise by applying the feature information to a determination algorithm that corresponds to the target sheet, the sheet noise being included in a sheet of the output sheet itself, the determination algorithm being one of a plurality of determination algorithms that respectively correspond to the plurality of sheet candidates.

Image forming apparatus with detachable toner conveying passage
11630413 · 2023-04-18 · ·

An image forming apparatus includes a first body, an image forming portion, a first conveying passage provided inside of the first body and to convey toner discharged from the image forming portion, a second body detachably connected to the first body, and a second conveying passage to convey the toner received from the first conveying passage. The second conveying passage receives the toner from the first conveying passage in the first body. The second conveying passage is projected from the first body into the second body when the second body is connected to the first body, and is detachable from the first body while leaving the first conveying passage in the first body.

IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND MOVEMENT AMOUNT DETECTION DEVICE

An image forming apparatus includes: a belt to be transported; an image forming body that forms an image on the belt or a recording medium that is transported by the belt; a moving mechanism that moves the belt in a movement direction extending in a thickness direction of the belt; a rotational member including a rotation shaft extending in the movement direction and a contact portion that is rotatable around the rotation shaft and that is in contact with a side surface of the belt regardless of a position of the belt in the movement direction; an acquirer that acquires a physical amount that changes due to rotation of the contact portion around the rotation shaft when the belt moves in a width direction; and a detector that detects a movement amount of the belt in the width direction based on the physical amount acquired by the acquirer.

Conductive roller, transfer device, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus

A conductive roller includes a support member, an elastic layer disposed on an outer peripheral surface of the support member, and a surface layer disposed on an outer peripheral surface of the elastic layer. The elastic layer includes a cylindrical elastic foam and a conductive covering layer covering an exposed surface of the elastic foam and has a volume resistance value of 10.sup.5Ω or less at an applied voltage of 10 V. The elastic foam has a conductive particle content of 1% by mass or less based on the total mass of the elastic foam.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes image forming units. A controller includes an execution section, a measurement section, and a prediction section. The execution section controls execution of a developer refresh operation in which toner is ejected from a developer bearing member to an image bearing member so that a specific image forming unit replenishes a development device with the toner from the developer bearing member. The measurement section measures respective surface potentials of the image bearing members included in other image forming units while the specific image forming unit is executing the developer refresh operation. The prediction section uses measurement results of the respective surface potentials of the image bearing members included in the other image forming units for a prediction on the surface potential of the image bearing member included in the specific image forming unit.