Image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10768562-B2
Application number	US-201916534426-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 7, 2019
Priority date	Sep 5, 2018
Publication date	Sep 8, 2020
Grant date	Sep 8, 2020

Abstract

An image forming apparatus forms an image on a sheet, and includes: a rotator used to form the image; a motor that drives the rotator rotationally; a current measurer that measures motor current flowing through a current-carrying path including a winding of the motor, at measurement timing that is timing after the motor starts up; a torque acquirer that acquires a torque value of the motor based on a measured value of the motor current; and a corrector that performs correction for cancellation of an amount of error based on one or both of a variation in characteristic corresponding to motor speed of the motor and a variation in characteristic corresponding to the motor current at the measurement timing, at the acquisition of the torque value by the torque acquirer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet, the image forming apparatus comprising:
a rotator used to form the image;
a motor that drives the rotator rotationally;
a current measurer that measures motor current flowing through a current-carrying path including a winding of the motor, at measurement timing that is timing after the motor starts up;
a torque acquirer that acquires a torque value of the motor based on a measured value of the motor current; and
a corrector that performs correction for cancellation of an amount of error based on one or both of a variation in characteristic corresponding to motor speed of the motor and a variation in characteristic corresponding to the motor current at the measurement timing, at the acquisition of the torque value by the torque acquirer.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
based on information indicating, as the amount of error, an amount of loss current corresponding to the motor current for each of a plurality of values of the motor speed, the corrector performs, as the correction, processing of correcting the measured value of the motor current such that the amount of error corresponding to the motor speed and the motor current at the measurement timing is canceled.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the corrector stores a first correction value corresponding to a difference between the motor speed and reference motor speed and a second correction value corresponding to a difference between the measured value of the motor current and a reference current value, and performs the correction with the first correction value corresponding to the motor speed and the second correction value corresponding to the measured value of the motor current at the measurement timing.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
the first correction value is a value proportional to m power of the difference between the motor speed and the reference motor speed, the m being an integer of one or more, and
the second correction value is a value proportional to n power of the difference between the measured value of the motor current and the reference current value, the n being an integer of one or more.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a motor controller that performs vector control of controlling rotation of the motor,
wherein the current measurer measures, as the motor current, coil current flowing through the winding.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a motor controller that performs vector control of controlling rotation of the motor,
wherein the current measurer measures, as the motor current, q-axis current that is a current component causing the motor to generate rotary torque in the vector control.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a life predictor that predicts a life of the rotator, based on the torque value acquired.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
in a case where the rotator is a roller that conveys the sheet,
the current measurer defines, when the motor speed during the conveyance is a first speed, timing at which first waiting time elapses after passage-through-roller timing at which the sheet has completely passed through the roller, as the measurement timing, and
defines, when the motor speed during the conveyance is a second speed slower than the first speed, timing at which second waiting time longer than the first waiting time elapses after the passage-through-roller timing, as the measurement timing.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the corrector is switchable, in accordance with a load torque characteristic of the rotator, between first mode in which the correction for cancellation of the amount of error based on the variation in characteristic corresponding to the motor speed of the motor and the variation in characteristic corresponding to the motor current at the measurement timing is performed and second mode in which the correction for cancellation of the amount of error based on the variation in characteristic corresponding to the motor speed of the motor at the measurement timing is performed.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a pad-type fixer including a pad disposed securely, a barrel-shaped fixing belt that rotates around the pad, and a pressing roller as the rotator that rotates the fixing belt,
wherein lubricant is interposed between the pad and the fixing belt, and
the motor is a drive source that drives the pressing roller rotationally.

Assignees

• Konica Minolta Inc

Inventors

• Sakai Katsuhide
• Koide Yasuhiro
• Tanaka Toshiaki
• Hayashi Akihiro

Classifications

• G03G15/2053

  Structural details of heat elements, e.g. structure of roller or belt, eddy current, induction heating · 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

• G03G15/80 Primary

  Details relating to power supplies, circuits boards, electrical connections · CPC title

• G03G15/1615

  relating to the driving mechanism for the intermediate support, e.g. gears, couplings, belt tensioning · CPC title

• G03G15/55

  Self-diagnostics; Malfunction or lifetime display · CPC title