Image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11768457-B2
Application number	US-202217706084-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 28, 2022
Priority date	Mar 31, 2021
Publication date	Sep 26, 2023
Grant date	Sep 26, 2023

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes a conveying unit, an image forming unit, a fixing unit, a first driving unit, a second driving unit, a transmission unit to transmit an ultrasonic wave, and a reception unit. Where a determination is made that a timing at which excitation of the first driving unit is switched or a timing at which excitation of the second driving unit is switched overlaps with a timing to obtain a value of the ultrasonic wave received by the reception unit, the transmission unit does not transmit an ultrasonic wave. Where a determination is made that the timing at which the excitation of the first driving unit is switched or the timing at which the excitation of the second driving unit is switched does not overlap with the timing to obtain the value of the received ultrasonic wave, the transmission unit transmits an ultrasonic wave.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a conveying unit configured to convey a recording material;
an image forming unit configured to form an image on the recording material;
a fixing unit configured to fix the image on the recording material;
a first driving unit configured to drive the conveying unit;
a second driving unit configured to drive the fixing unit;
a transmission unit configured to transmit an ultrasonic wave;
a reception unit configured to receive the ultrasonic wave; and
a control unit configured to control a timing to transmit the ultrasonic wave from the transmission unit,
wherein, in a case where the control unit makes a determination that a timing at which excitation of the first driving unit is switched or a timing at which excitation of the second driving unit is switched overlaps with a timing to obtain a value of the ultrasonic wave received by the reception unit, the control unit does not cause the transmission unit to transmit an ultrasonic wave, and
wherein, in a case where the control unit makes a determination that the timing at which the excitation of the first driving unit is switched or the timing at which the excitation of the second driving unit is switched does not overlap with the timing to obtain the value of the ultrasonic wave received by the reception unit, the control unit causes the transmission unit to transmit an ultrasonic wave.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit controls a condition for image formation of the image forming unit based on the obtained value of the received ultrasonic wave.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit determines a base weight of the recording material or a type of the recording material based on the obtained value of the received ultrasonic wave.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a time from switching the excitation of the first driving unit to next switching of the excitation of the first driving unit or a time from switching the excitation of the second driving unit to next switching of the excitation of the second driving unit is longer than a time from transmitting the ultrasonic wave to obtaining the value of the received ultrasonic wave.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a time from switching the excitation of the first driving unit to next switching of the excitation of the first driving unit or a time from switching the excitation of the second driving unit to next switching of the excitation of the second driving unit is shorter than a time from transmitting the ultrasonic wave to obtaining the value of the received ultrasonic wave.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit makes a time from switching the excitation of the first driving unit to next switching of the excitation of the first driving unit coincide with a time from switching the excitation of the second driving unit to next switching of the excitation of the second driving unit.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit makes the determination at a timing at which switching of the excitation of the first driving unit is completed or a timing at which switching of the excitation of the second driving unit is completed.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein a time from switching the excitation of the first driving unit to next switching of the excitation of the first driving unit or a time from switching the excitation of the second driving unit to next switching of the excitation of the second driving unit is longer than a time from transmitting the ultrasonic wave to obtaining the value of the received ultrasonic wave.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein a time from switching the excitation of the first driving unit to next switching of the excitation of the first driving unit or a time from switching the excitation of the second driving unit to next switching of the excitation of the second driving unit is shorter than a time from transmitting the ultrasonic wave to obtaining the value of the received ultrasonic wave.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the control unit makes a time from switching the excitation of the first driving unit to next switching of the excitation of the first driving unit coincide with a time from switching the excitation of the second driving unit to next switching of the excitation of the second driving unit.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Ishida Satoshi

Classifications

• G03G15/5029 Primary

  by measuring the copy material characteristics, e.g. weight, thickness · CPC title

• G03G15/6573

  Feeding path after the fixing point and up to the discharge tray or the finisher, e.g. special treatment of copy material to compensate for effects from the fixing · CPC title

• G03G2215/00599

  Timing, synchronisation · CPC title

• G03G2215/00637

  Acoustic detector · CPC title

• G03G2215/00742

  of sheet weight · CPC title