A feed unit stackable with another feed unit in the up-down direction includes a unit body and a storage cassette. The storage cassette has a cassette body in which a recording medium is stored, and is removably inserted in the unit body. The unit body has a positioning member projecting from its top face to serve to position another feed unit loaded on the feed unit. The storage cassette has a side cover forming a part of the exterior face of the feed unit. The side cover has a fitting part extending toward the top face of the unit body, and in the fitting part, an engagement recess is formed with which the positioning member engages so as to position the storage cassette relative to the unit body.

An image forming apparatus includes: a main apparatus body having an image forming unit and a discharge tray; and a controller. The main apparatus body includes a conveyance path along which a sheet passed through the image forming unit is conveyed; a discharge path branched from the conveyance path and connected to the discharge tray; and a reconveyance path having a first path different from the discharge path and a second path for conveying the sheet to the image forming unit. In a double-sided printing, if a first sheet has passed through the first path when a forward end of a second sheet arrives at a predetermined position in the conveyance path, the controller conveys the second sheet to the first path and then conveys the second sheet to the second path.

A photoconductor unit for an electrophotographic image forming device according to one example embodiment includes a housing and a photoconductive drum rotatably mounted on the housing. A cam is mounted on the housing and has a cam surface that is positioned to contact a corresponding locating surface. The cam surface has a variable height in an axial direction of the photoconductive drum such that as a position of the cam changes relative to the housing, the photoconductive drum shifts in the axial direction relative to the locating surface.

An image forming apparatus includes a conveyance unit to convey a sheet toward an image forming position, a torque detection unit to detect a load torque applied to a motor driving the conveyance unit, and a control unit to perform a speed control for changing a rotational speed of the motor such that an interval at which a preceding sheet and a succeeding sheet pass through the image forming position approaches a target interval while the conveyance unit is conveying the succeeding sheet. The control unit executes an interval change processing for changing the target interval in the speed control based on a magnitude of a detected load torque when the conveyance unit is driven by the motor, the control unit controls power input to the motor by transmitting a command signal to a driving circuit of the motor, and the torque detection unit detects the command signal.

An apparatus according to the aspect of the embodiments includes a phase determiner configured to determine a rotational phase of a rotor, a speed determiner configured to determine a rotational speed of the rotor, a controller having a first control mode for controlling the motor by supplying constant currents to windings, and a discriminator configured to discriminate whether a rotation of the motor is abnormal based on the rotational speed when the rotational speed corresponding to a command speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined value in a state where the controller is controlling the motor in the first control mode. When a signal output from the discriminator indicates that the rotation of the motor is abnormal, the controller stops the motor. When the signal output from the discriminator indicates that the rotation is not abnormal, the controller continues a drive of the motor.

According to one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes a printer and a controller. The printer performs image formation on a sheet at a first speed relating to a speed of image formation or at a second speed slower than the first speed. The controller acquires information on deterioration of developer contained in an own apparatus, and controls the printer to perform image formation at the first speed when the information does not satisfy a predetermined condition indicating that the developer is deteriorated and to perform image formation at the second speed when the information satisfies the predetermined condition.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit configured to form an image on a recording material based on first image data; a controller configured to control an image forming operation by the image forming unit; an acquisition unit configured to acquire property information related to a property of the recording material; a setting unit configured to set a control value to be used in the image forming operation; a reader configured to read an image formed on the recording material by the image forming unit and to output second image data; and a comparison unit configured to compare the first image data to the second image data, wherein the setting unit is further configured to set the control value based on a comparison result from the comparison unit and the property information.

An image forming apparatus includes: a drum cartridge; a toner cartridge; a toner data electrical contact surface; a drum data electrical contact surface; and a controller. The drum cartridge includes: a drum memory storing data relating to the drum cartridge; and a first drum electrical contact for communication of data stored in the drum memory. The toner cartridge includes a board having: a first relay electrical contact for relaying the data stored in the drum memory; a toner memory storing data relating to the toner cartridge; and a first toner electrical contact for communication of data stored in the toner memory. The controller is configured to: read the data stored in the drum memory through the drum data electrical contact surface contacting the first relay electrical contact; and read the data stored in the toner memory through the toner data electrical contact surface contacting the first toner electrical contact.

A sheet conveying device, which is included in an image forming apparatus, includes first and second sheet conveying bodies to contact each other, a cover to move relative to an apparatus body of the image forming apparatus, and a connecting body to connect the cover and the second sheet conveying body. The second sheet conveying body separates from the first sheet conveying body along with an opening movement of the cover. The connecting body includes a first connecting portion connected to the cover and a second connecting portion connected to the second sheet conveying body. At least one of a connection with the cover and a connection with the second sheet conveying body is released when the cover is closed. The connecting body is brought into connection with the cover or the second sheet conveying body.

An image formation apparatus that includes: first to third image formation units provided in this order in a traveling direction of a transfer target medium; a detector configured to detect first to third correction pattern formed on the transfer target medium by the first to third image formation units, respectively; and a control unit programed to control image misregistration correction based on a result of detection by the detector. The control unit causes the first and third image formation units to form the first and third correction patterns on the transfer target medium, respectively. When an amount of image misregistration between the first correction pattern and the third correction pattern is less than a predetermined value, the control unit neither causes the second image formation unit to form the second correction pattern, nor executes the image misregistration correction.