Mark detecting device, belt control device, image forming apparatus, mark detecting method, and computer-readable recording medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9832324-B2
Application number	US-201615299111-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 20, 2016
Priority date	Oct 28, 2015
Publication date	Nov 28, 2017
Grant date	Nov 28, 2017

Abstract

A mark detecting device includes: a belt on which a plurality of marks are provided along a moving direction of the belt; a light-emitting element configured to irradiate at least one of the marks with light; a light-receiving element configured to receive a reflected light reflected from at least one of the belt and the mark of the light irradiated from the light-emitting element and output a signal; and a light amount adjuster configured to compare a first value obtained from the signal output by the light-receiving element and a second value obtained from a signal output by the light-receiving element after the first value is obtained, and to perform light amount adjustment of the light-emitting element when a difference between the first value and the second value is a first threshold or more.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mark detecting device comprising:
a belt on which a plurality of marks are provided along a moving direction of the belt;
a light-emitting element configured to irradiate at least one of the marks with light;
a light-receiving element configured to receive a reflected light reflected from at least one of the belt and the mark of the light irradiated from the light-emitting element and output a signal;
a memory configured to store therein a first value obtained from the signal output from the light-receiving element; and
circuitry configured to
perform light amount adjustment of the light-emitting element when a second value that is obtained from the signal output from the light-receiving element after the first value has been obtained is a first threshold or more, and
perform the light amount adjustment of the light-emitting element when, even if the second value is less than the first threshold, a difference between the first value and the second value is a second threshold or more and a value of a voltage that emits the light-emitting element and corresponds to the first value is less than a third threshold.

2. The mark detecting device according to claim 1 , wherein the first value and the second value are values obtained by averaging signals output by the light-receiving element in a predetermined period of time.

3. The mark detecting device according to claim 1 , wherein
a value of the signal output by the light-receiving element and a value of a voltage to emit the light-emitting element have a proportional relationship.

4. The mark detecting device according to claim 1 , wherein
the belt is an endless belt, and
the marks are provided so as to be continuous at equal intervals along the moving direction of the endless belt.

5. A belt control device comprising:
the mark detecting device according to claim 1 ;
a drive unit configured to transmit a drive force to move the belt; and
a control unit configured to control a speed at which the belt is moved or a position thereof by controlling the drive unit using a control signal based on the signal output from the light-receiving element of the mark detecting device.

6. An image forming apparatus comprising the belt control device according to claim 5 .

7. A mark detecting method of a mark detecting device including a belt on which a plurality of marks are provided along a moving direction of the belt, a light-emitting element configured to irradiate at least one of the marks with light, and a light-receiving element configured to receive a reflected light reflected from at least one of the belt and the mark of the light irradiated from the light-emitting element and output a signal, the mark detecting method comprising:
storing a first value obtained from the signal output from the light-receiving element; and
performing light amount adjustment of the light-emitting element when a second value that is obtained from the signal output from the light-receiving element after the first value has been obtained is a first threshold or more, and performing the light amount adjustment of the light-emitting element when, even if the second value is less than the first threshold, a difference between the first value and the second value is a second threshold or more and a value of a voltage that emits the light-emitting element and corresponds to the first value is less than a third threshold.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium that contains a computer program for causing a mark detecting device including a belt on which a plurality of marks are provided along a moving direction of the belt, a light-emitting element configured to irradiate at least one of the marks with light, and a light-receiving element configured to receive a reflected light reflected from at least one of the belt and the mark of the light irradiated from the light-emitting element and output a signal, to execute:
storing a first value obtained from the signal output from the light-receiving element; and
performing light amount adjustment of the light-emitting element when a second value that is obtained from the signal output from the light-receiving element after the first value has been obtained is a first threshold or more, and performing the light amount adjustment of the light-emitting element when, even if the second value is less than the first threshold, a difference between the first value and the second value is a second threshold or more and a value of a voltage that emits the light-emitting element and corresponds to the first value is less than a third threshold.

Assignees

• Ishizaki Yusuke
• Chiba Takehiro
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ishizaki Yusuke
• Chiba Takehiro

Classifications

• H04N1/0061

  Feed belts · CPC title

• H04N1/00082 Primary

  Adjusting or controlling (interrupting an operation H04N1/00915; inhibiting an operation H04N1/00925) · CPC title

• H04N1/00015

  Reproducing apparatus · CPC title

• H04N1/00037

  Detecting, i.e. determining the occurrence of a predetermined state (H04N1/00031 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04N1/00058

  using a separate apparatus · CPC title