18517032. IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS THAT DECIDES MALFUNCTION, AND MALFUNCTION DECIDING METHOD simplified abstract (KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.)

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IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS THAT DECIDES MALFUNCTION, AND MALFUNCTION DECIDING METHOD

Organization Name

KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.

Inventor(s)

Jun Nakai of Osaka (JP)

Hideji Mizutani of Osaka (JP)

Takuto Kunimasa of Osaka (JP)

IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS THAT DECIDES MALFUNCTION, AND MALFUNCTION DECIDING METHOD - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18517032 titled 'IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS THAT DECIDES MALFUNCTION, AND MALFUNCTION DECIDING METHOD

Simplified Explanation

The patent application describes an image forming apparatus that includes components such as an image carrier, an optical member, a drive device, a motive device, and a control device. The apparatus is designed to adjust the skew of a scanning line on the image carrier by changing the posture of the optical member through control of the drive device by the motive device. The control device can detect malfunctions in the drive device or motive device if the skew amount remains higher than a predetermined permissible value after multiple adjustments of the optical member.

  • Image forming apparatus with components such as image carrier, optical member, drive device, motive device, and control device.
  • Adjusts skew of scanning line on image carrier by changing posture of optical member.
  • Control device detects malfunctions in drive or motive device if skew amount remains high after multiple adjustments.

Potential Applications

The technology described in this patent application could be applied in various industries where precise image formation is required, such as printing, scanning, and copying.

Problems Solved

This technology solves the problem of maintaining accurate skew of scanning lines on image carriers, ensuring high-quality image formation.

Benefits

The benefits of this technology include improved image quality, increased efficiency in image forming processes, and reduced downtime due to malfunction detection.

Potential Commercial Applications

  • Printing industry: for high-quality printing processes.
  • Scanning industry: for accurate scanning of documents.
  • Copying industry: for precise duplication of images.

Possible Prior Art

One possible prior art for this technology could be image forming apparatus with manual skew adjustment mechanisms, which may not be as efficient or accurate as the automated system described in this patent application.

Unanswered Questions

How does the control device differentiate between malfunctions in the drive device and the motive device?

The patent application does not provide specific details on how the control device determines which component is malfunctioning when the skew amount remains high. Further information on this process would be helpful for understanding the functionality of the apparatus.

Are there any limitations to the number of times the posture of the optical member can be changed to adjust the skew?

The patent application mentions adjusting the posture of the optical member a predetermined number of times, but it does not specify if there are any limitations or potential issues with making these adjustments repeatedly. Additional information on this aspect would be beneficial for evaluating the long-term reliability of the apparatus.


Original Abstract Submitted

An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, an optical member, a drive device, a motive device, and a control device. On a surface of the image carrier, a scanning line is formed, through a scanning operation with scanning light. The optical member emits the scanning light to the image carrier. The drive device changes a posture of the optical member, to adjust a skew of the scanning line on the image carrier. The motive device drives the drive device. The control device controls the motive device. Further, the control device decides that at least one of the drive device and the motive device are malfunctioning, when a skew amount remains higher than a predetermined permissible value, despite changing the posture of the optical member a predetermined number of times, through control of the drive device by the motive device.