Abnormality detecting device, abnormality detecting method, computer program product, and image forming device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11235607-B2
Application number	US-202016934238-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 21, 2020
Priority date	Jul 31, 2019
Publication date	Feb 1, 2022
Grant date	Feb 1, 2022

Abstract

An abnormality detecting device includes: a light emitter including a light-emitting element disposed at one side of a conveyed medium, and configured to emit a laser beam having a width in a thickness direction of the medium by the light-emitting element; a light receiver disposed at the other side of the medium to be opposed to the light emitter across the medium, including a plurality of light-receiving elements arranged in the thickness direction of the medium, and configured to receive, by the plurality of light-receiving elements, the laser beam emitted by the light emitter; and a detecting unit configured to detect a lift of the medium in a case where a number of light-receiving elements indicating received light amounts not exceeding a first threshold and being arranged successively in the thickness direction among the plurality of light-receiving elements exceeds a second threshold.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An abnormality detecting device comprising:
a light emitter including a light-emitting element disposed at one side of a conveyed medium, and configured to emit a laser beam having a width in a thickness direction of the medium by the light-emitting element;
a light receiver disposed at the other side of the medium to be opposed to the light emitter across the medium, including a plurality of light-receiving elements arranged in the thickness direction of the medium, and configured to receive, by the plurality of light-receiving elements, the laser beam emitted by the light emitter; and
a detecting unit configured to detect a lift of the medium in a case where a number of light-receiving elements indicating received light amounts not exceeding a first threshold and being arranged successively in the thickness direction among the plurality of light-receiving elements exceeds a second threshold.

2. The abnormality detecting device according to claim 1 , wherein the detecting unit is configured to detect, as the lift of the medium, a height of a light-receiving element indicating a received light amount not exceeding the first threshold and being at the highest position among the plurality of light-receiving elements.

3. The abnormality detecting device according to claim 1 , further comprising an erroneous-detection removal unit configured to, in a case where a number of light-receiving elements indicating received light amounts not exceeding the first threshold and being arranged successively in the thickness direction among the plurality of light-receiving elements does not exceed the second threshold, consider the case as erroneous detection and do not detect a lift of the medium.

4. The abnormality detecting device according to claim 1 , wherein the detecting unit is configured to detect, as the lift of the medium, a height of a light-receiving element indicating a received light amount exceeding the first threshold and being at the lowest position among the plurality of light-receiving elements.

5. The abnormality detecting device according to claim 1 , further comprising a conveyance control unit configured to stop conveyance of the medium when the lift of the medium detected by the detecting unit exceeds a third threshold.

6. An image forming device comprising:
an image forming unit configured to form an image on medium;
a conveying unit configured to convey the medium in a sub-scanning direction in which the medium is conveyed and deliver the medium to the image forming unit; and
the abnormality detecting device according to claim 1 .

7. An abnormality detecting method comprising:
acquiring a received light amount of a laser ray of each of a plurality of light-receiving elements arranged in a thickness direction of a conveyed medium and being opposed to a light-emitting element across the medium, the light-emitting element being configured to emit the laser ray parallel to a conveying surface of the medium; and
detecting a lift of the medium when a number of light-receiving elements indicating received light amounts not exceeding a first threshold and being arranged successively in the thickness direction among the plurality of light-receiving elements exceeds a second threshold.

8. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium including programmed instructions that cause a computer configured to control an abnormality detecting device, to execute:
acquiring a received light amount of a laser ray of each of a plurality of light-receiving elements arranged in a thickness direction of a conveyed medium and being opposed to a light-emitting element across the medium, the light-emitting element being configured to emit the laser ray parallel to a conveying surface of the medium; and
detecting a lift of the medium when a number of light-receiving elements indicating received light amounts not exceeding a first threshold and being arranged successively in the thickness direction among the plurality of light receiving elements exceeds a second threshold.

Assignees

• Ishizaki Yusuke
• Kaneko Takaaki
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ishizaki Yusuke
• Kaneko Takaaki

Classifications

• B41J29/393 Primary

  Devices for controlling or analysing the entire machine {; Controlling or analysing mechanical parameters involving printing of test patterns} · CPC title

• B41J2203/011

  Inspecting the shape or condition, e.g. wrinkled or warped, of a medium to be printed before printing on it · CPC title

• G01B11/0608

  Height gauges · CPC title

• B41J11/0095 Primary

  Detecting means for copy material, e.g. for detecting or sensing presence of copy material or its leading or trailing end · CPC title