Image forming apparatus, image forming method and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9191535-B2
Application number	US-201414304202-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 13, 2014
Priority date	Jun 20, 2013
Publication date	Nov 17, 2015
Grant date	Nov 17, 2015

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes a detection unit that emits light on a recording medium or a platen and detects reflected light while the detection unit moves in a direction perpendicular to a transportation direction of the recording medium; a width calculation unit that compares a value indicative of light intensity responsive to the reflected light with a threshold, and calculates a width of the recording medium measured from a position of the detection unit where the value indicative of light intensity responsive to the reflected light becomes greater than or equal to the threshold; an image formation unit that performs an operation of forming an image based on the calculated width of the recording medium; and an image formation control unit that halts the operation of forming the image upon detecting that the calculated width is less than or equal to a predefined value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a detection unit that emits light on a recording medium or a platen and detects light reflected from the recording medium or the platen while the detection unit moves in a direction perpendicular to a transportation direction of the recording medium;
a width calculation unit that compares a value indicative of light intensity responsive to the light reflected from the recording medium or the platen detected by the detection unit with a threshold, and calculates a width of the recording medium measured from a position of the detection unit where the value indicative of light intensity responsive to the reflected light becomes greater than or equal to the threshold;
an image formation unit that performs an operation of forming an image on the recording medium based on the width of the recording medium calculated by the width calculation unit; and
an image formation control unit that halts the operation of forming the image on the recording medium by the image formation unit upon detecting that the width of the recording medium calculated by the width calculation unit is less than or equal to a predefined value.

2. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the width calculation unit calculates the width of the recording medium based on a positional distance of the detection unit from a position where the detection unit begins moving to a position where the value indicative of light intensity responsive to the reflected light first becomes greater than or equal to the threshold.

3. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the width calculation unit calculates the width of the recording medium based on a maximum positional distance from positional distances where the value indicative of light intensity responsive to the reflected light is greater than or equal to the threshold during movement of the detection unit while the operation of forming an image on the recording medium by the image formation unit is suspended.

4. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:
a display unit that indicates that a malfunction occurs upon the image formation control unit detecting that the width of the recording medium calculated by the width calculation unit is less than or equal to the predefined value.

5. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:
a cut unit that cuts a front edge portion of the recording medium in the transportation direction of the recording medium upon the image formation control unit detecting that the width of the recording medium calculated by the width calculation unit is less than or equal to the predefined value.

6. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the image formation unit includes a record head that discharges ink droplets on the recording medium and a maintenance unit that maintains a discharge port of the record head at a retract position of the record head, and the image formation control unit moves the record head to the maintenance unit upon the image formation control unit detecting that the width of the recording medium calculated by the width calculation unit is less than or equal to the predefined value.

7. An image forming method in an image forming apparatus including a detection unit that emits light on a recording medium or a platen and detects light reflected from the recording medium or the platen while the detection unit moves in a direction perpendicular to a transportation direction of the recording medium, the method comprising:
comparing a value indicative of light intensity responsive to the light reflected from the recording medium or the platen detected by the detection unit with a threshold, and calculating a width of the recording medium measured from a position of the detection unit where the value indicative of light intensity responsive to the reflected light becomes greater than or equal to the threshold;
performing an operation of forming an image on the recording medium based on the calculated width of the recording medium; and
halting the operation of forming the image on the recording medium upon detecting that the calculated width of the recording medium is less than or equal to a predefined value.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to perform a process of forming an image on a recording medium, the process comprising:
a detecting step of a detection unit emitting light on the recording medium or a platen and detecting light reflected from the recording medium or the platen while the detection unit moves in a direction perpendicular to a transportation direction of the recording medium;
a width calculation step of comparing a value indicative of light intensity responsive to the light reflected from the recording medium or the platen detected by the detection unit with a threshold, and calculating a width of the recording medium measured from a position of the detection unit where the value indicative of light intensity responsive to the reflected light becomes greater than or equal to the threshold;
an image formation step of performing an operation of forming an image on the recording medium based on the width of the recording medium calculated in the width calculation step; and
an image formation control step of halting the operation of forming the image on the recording medium upon detecting that the width of the recording medium calculated in the width calculation step is less than or equal to a predefined value.

Assignees

• Sasa Tomohiro
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sasa Tomohiro

Classifications

• H04N1/00734

  Optical detectors · CPC title

• H04N1/00755 Primary

  Detecting an interruption of light · CPC title

• H04N1/00753

  of a sheet relative to a particular backgroud · CPC title

• H04N1/0075

  Detecting a change in reflectivity · CPC title

• H04N1/02815

  Means for illuminating the original, not specific to a particular type of pick-up head · CPC title