Image forming apparatus, image forming system, method of controlling image forming apparatus, and recording medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10120312-B2
Application number	US-201715493656-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 21, 2017
Priority date	Oct 5, 2016
Publication date	Nov 6, 2018
Grant date	Nov 6, 2018

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming device to form a toner image onto a recording medium by transferring the toner image directly or indirectly onto the recording medium, the image forming device including a developer to develop a latent image formed on an image carrier into the toner image; and a controller to control the image forming device. The controller determines whether a first estimated time period is greater than a first predetermined time period, the first estimated time period being a time period from a time when image formation of one page of the image completes to an estimated time when image formation of a subsequent page of the image will start; and stops operating the developer based on a determination indicating that the first estimated time period is greater than the first predetermined time period.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
an image forming device to form a toner image onto a recording medium by transferring the toner image directly or indirectly onto the recording medium, the image forming device including a developing unit to develop a latent image formed on an image carrier into the toner image; and
a controller to control the image forming device, the controller being configured to:
determine whether a first estimated time period is greater than a first predetermined time period, the first estimated time period being a time period from a time when image formation of one page of the image completes to an estimated time when image formation of a subsequent page of the image will start;
stop operating the developing unit based on a determination indicating that the first estimated time period is greater than the first predetermined time period;
determine, after determination of a time when image formation of the subsequent page of the image starts, whether an updated first estimated time period reflecting the determined time when image formation of the subsequent page of the image starts, is equal to or less than the first predetermined time period; and
start operating the developing unit based on a determination indicating that the updated first estimated time period is equal to or less than the first predetermined time period,

wherein, when image formation of the subsequent page of the image is not determined after an elapsed time period from the time when image formation of one age of the image completes reaches a third predetermined time period, the controller continues to stop operating the developing unit, and
the controller is further configured to measure a time period during when the developing unit stops operating, and set a value of the third predetermined time period according to the measured time period during when the developing unit stops operating.

2. The image forming apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to
determine whether an elapsed time period from a time when the controller stops operating the developing unit reaches a second predetermined time period, and resume operation of the developing unit based on a determination indicating that the elapsed time period reaches the second predetermined time period.

3. The image forming apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein, when the measured time period is greater than a fourth predetermined time period, the controller sets the value of the third predetermined time period to zero, and
wherein, when the measured time period is equal to or less than the fourth predetermined time period, the controller sets a value greater than zero.

4. The image forming apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the image forming device includes a plurality of image forming devices for respective colors to form a color image on the recording medium, and
the controller independently controls a time to stop operating the developing unit for each one of the image forming devices.

5. The image forming apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
stop the entire image forming device when an elapsed time period from the time when image formation of the one page of the image data reaches a fifth predetermined time period;
determine, after determination of a time when image formation of the subsequent page of the image starts, whether the updated first estimated time period reflecting the determined time when image formation of the subsequent page of the image starts, is equal to or less than a sixth predetermined time period; and
start operating an other device of the image forming device other than the developing unit based on a determination indicating that the updated first estimated time period is equal to or less than the sixth predetermined time period.

6. The image forming apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the controller is further configured to
invalidate operation of stopping the developing device when operation of stopping the image forming device starts, and
resume operation of the developing unit based on a detection of an event after the image forming device resumes operation.

7. The image forming apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a fixing device to fix the toner image formed by the image forming device on the recording medium.

8. A method of controlling an image forming apparatus, comprising:
controlling an image forming device to form a toner image onto a recording medium by transferring the toner image directly or indirectly onto the recording medium, the image forming device including a developing unit to develop a latent image formed on an image carrier into the toner image;
determining whether a first estimated time period is greater than a first predetermined time period, the first estimated time period being a time period from a time when image formation of one page of the image completes to an estimated time when image formation of a subsequent page of the image will start;
controlling a developing unit to stop operating based on a determination indicating that the first estimated time period is greater than the first predetermined time period;
determining, after determination of a time when image formation of the subsequent page of the image starts, whether an updated first estimated time period reflecting the determined time when image formation of the subsequent page of the image starts, is equal to or less than the first predetermined time period;
controlling the developing unit to start operating based on a determination indicating that the updated first estimated time period is equal to or less than the first predetermined time period;
wherein, when image formation of the subsequent page of the image is not determined after an elapsed time period from the time when image formation of one page of the image completes reaches a third predetermined time period, controlling the developing unit to continue to be stopped;
measuring a time period during when the developing unit stops operating; and
setting a value of the third predetermined time period according to the measured time period during when the developing unit stops operating.

9. A non-transitory recording medium which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the processors to perform a method of controlling an image forming apparatus comprising:
controlling an image forming device to form a toner image onto a recording medium by transferring the toner image directly or indirectly onto the recording medium, the image forming device including a developing unit to develop a latent image formed on an image carrier into the toner image;
determining whether a first estimated time period is greater than a first predetermined time period, the first estimated time period being a time period from a time when image formation of one page of the image completes to an estimated time when image formation of a subsequent page of the image will start;
controlling a developing unit to stop operating based on a determination indicating that the first estimated time period is greater than the first predetermined time period;
determining, after determination of a time when image formation of the subsequent page of the image starts, whether an updated first estimated time period reflecting the determined time when image formation of the subsequent page of the image starts, is equal to or less than the first predetermined time period;
controlling the developing unit to start operating based on a determination indicating that the updated first estimated time period is equal to or less than the first predetermined time period;
wherein, when image formation of the subsequent page of the image is not determin

Assignees

• Uchida Takeshi
• Higa Takuma
• Kamijo Shinya
• Takahashi Takeshi
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Uchida Takeshi
• Higa Takuma
• Kamijo Shinya
• Takahashi Takeshi

Classifications

• G03G2215/0129

  horizontal medium transport path at the secondary transfer · CPC title

• G03G15/5004

  Power supply control, e.g. power-saving mode, automatic power turn-off · CPC title

• G03G15/50 Primary

  Machine control of apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern, e.g. regulating differents parts of the machine, multimode copiers, microprocessor control (sequencing control G03G21/14) · CPC title

• G03G15/08

  using a solid developer, e.g. powder developer · CPC title

• G03G15/065

  Arrangements for controlling the potential of the developing electrode · CPC title