IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, CONTROLLING UNIT, IMAGE FORMING METHOD AND COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM

• US 20080212826A1
• Filed: 12/18/2007
• Published: 09/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Yamasaki, Naoya, Shishikura, Shunichiro, Unagida, Yasunori, Aoki, Matsuyuki, TANAKA, Satoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,248,640 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0131 for transferring a pattern to a second base
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5054 by measuring the characteristics of an intermediate image carrying member or the characteristics of an image on an intermediate image carrying member, e.g. intermediate transfer belt or drum, conveyor belt
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5058 using a test patch
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00059 on intermediate image carrying member, e.g. transfer belt
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00063 Colour
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00949 Copy material feeding speed switched according to current mode of the apparatus, e.g. colour mode
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/0196 Recording medium carrying member with speed switching

Abstract

The image forming apparatus is provided with: an image forming unit that forms an image on a medium; a speed changing unit that changes an image forming speed of the image forming unit; a detecting unit that detects a state quantity indicating a state of the image on the medium formed by the image forming unit; and an adjusting unit that adjusts an image forming condition set by the image forming unit according to a detection result of the state quantity detected by the detecting unit and a target value for the state quantity. The adjusting unit changes the target value for the state quantity according to the state quantity detected by the detecting unit after the speed changing unit changes the image forming speed.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an image forming unit that forms an image on a medium;

a speed changing unit that changes an image forming speed of the image forming unit;

a detecting unit that detects a state quantity indicating a state of the image on the medium formed by the image forming unit; and

an adjusting unit that adjusts an image forming condition set by the image forming unit according to a detection result of the state quantity detected by the detecting unit and a target value for the state quantity, the adjusting unit changing the target value for the state quantity according to the state quantity detected by the detecting unit after the speed changing unit changes the image forming speed.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storing unit that stores, as the target value for the state quantity, a value depending on the state quantity detected by the detecting unit for the first time after the change of the image forming speed when the speed changing unit changes the image forming speed.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the image forming apparatus comprises a plurality of the storing units, and

each of the plurality of storing units corresponds to each of levels of the image forming speed changed by the speed changing unit.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting unit is configured to be capable of selecting one of a plurality of adjustment methods of different adjustment accuracies for setting the image forming conditions, and selects one of the adjustment methods according to a difference between the state quantity indicating the state of the image detected by the detecting unit and the target value for the state quantity.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storing unit that stores a first image forming speed and a target value for a state quantity at the first image forming speed, wherein

the adjusting unit adjusts the image forming condition set in the image forming unit, according to the detection result of the state quantity detected by the detecting unit and the target value for the state quantity at the first image forming speed stored in the storing unit when the speed changing unit changes the image forming speed to the first image forming speed, and

the adjusting unit changes the target value for the state quantity according to the state quantity detected by the detecting unit after the speed changing unit changes the image forming speed when the speed changing unit changes the image forming speed to a speed other than the first image forming speed.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a measuring unit that measures a period elapsed after the last detection by the detecting unit in the image forming unit at each level of the image forming speed, wherein

in a case where the speed changing unit changes the image forming speed to a speed other than the first image forming speed, and if a measurement result measured by the measuring unit does not exceed a threshold, the adjusting unit adjusts the image forming condition set in the image forming unit according to the detection result of the state quantity detected by the detecting unit and the target value for the state quantity, stored in the storing unit, at the first image forming speed, or if the measurement result measured by the measuring unit exceeds the threshold, the adjusting unit changes the target value for the state quantity according to the state quantity detected by the detecting unit after the speed changing unit changes the image forming speed.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the image forming apparatus further comprises:

a setting input unit that receives an input of a setting of the apparatus; and

a speed setting unit that determines the first image forming speed according to the input to the setting input unit.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the image forming apparatus further comprises:

a measuring unit that measures any one of a cumulative number of times and a cumulative time period of image formation performed by the image forming unit at each level of the image forming speed changed by the speed changing unit; and

a speed setting unit that determines the first image forming speed according to the measurement result measured by the measuring unit.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

in the adjusting unit, a frequency of adjusting the image forming condition in a state where an image forming speed other than the first image forming speed is set is set to be less than the frequency of adjusting the image forming condition in a state where the first image forming speed is set.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the adjusting unit is configured to be capable of selecting one of a plurality of adjustments with different setting accuracies for setting the image forming condition, and

the setting accuracy for an adjustment selected in a state where an image forming speed other than the first image forming speed is set is set lower than the setting accuracy for an adjustment selected in a state where the first image forming speed is set.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein in the adjustment unit, an adjustment amount of the image forming condition in a state where an image forming speed other than the first image forming speed is set is set smaller than an adjustment amount of the image forming condition in a state where the first image forming speed is set.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting unit corrects a second state quantity detected after a first state quantity according to the first state quantity detected by the detecting unit after the speed changing unit changes the image forming speed, and adjusts an image forming condition set by the image forming unit according to the second state quantity and a target value of the second state quantity.

13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting unit calculates an adjusting amount of the image forming condition according to a second state quantity detected after a first state quantity detected by the detecting unit after the speed changing unit changes the image forming speed and the target value of the second state quantity, and corrects the adjusting amount of the image forming condition according to the first state quantity.

14. An image forming apparatus comprising:

a toner image forming unit that forms a toner image on a medium;

a speed changing unit that changes a toner image forming speed of the toner image forming unit;

a detecting unit that detects a density of the toner image on the medium formed by the toner image forming unit;

an adjusting unit that adjusts a toner image forming condition set by the toner image forming unit according to the toner image density detected by the detecting unit and a target value for the toner image density, the adjusting unit changing the target value for the toner image density according to the toner image density detected by the detecting unit after the speed changing unit changes the toner image forming speed.

15. A controlling unit comprising:

a speed information obtaining unit that obtains change information of an image forming speed of an image forming unit forming an image on a medium;

a state quantity obtaining unit that obtains a state quantity indicating a state of the image on the medium formed by the image forming unit; and

an adjusting unit that adjusts an image forming condition set in the image forming unit according to the obtained state quantity and a target value for the state quantity, the adjusting unit changing the target value of the state quantity according to the state quantity obtained by the state quantity obtaining unit after the speed information obtaining unit obtains the change information.

16. The controlling unit according to claim 15, further comprising a storing unit that stores, as the target value for the state quantity, a value according to the state quantity obtained by the state quantity obtaining unit for the first time after the speed information obtaining unit obtains the change information.

17. The controlling unit according to claim 15, further comprising a storing unit that stores a first image forming speed and a target value for a state quantity at a first image forming speed, wherein

in a case where the speed information obtaining unit obtains the change information indicating that the image forming speed is changed to the first image forming speed, the adjusting unit adjusts an image forming condition set in the image forming unit according to a state quantity obtained by the state quantity obtaining unit and the target value for the state quantity at the first image forming speed stored in the storing unit, and

in a case where the speed information obtaining unit obtains the change information indicating that the image forming speed is changed to an image forming speed other than the first image forming speed, the adjusting unit changes the target value for the state quantity according to the state quantity obtained by the state quantity obtaining unit after the image forming speed is changed.

18. The controlling unit according to claim 15, further comprising a speed setting unit that determines the first image forming speed.

19. An image forming method for adjusting an image forming condition, the image forming method comprising:

obtaining change information of an image forming speed for forming an image on a medium;

obtaining a state quantity indicating a state of the image formed on the medium;

adjusting an image forming condition set for forming the image according to the obtained state quantity and a target value for the state quantity; and

changing the target value for the state quantity according to the state quantity obtained after the image forming speed is changed.

20. A computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to execute a process for adjusting an image forming condition, the process comprising:

obtaining change information of an image forming speed for forming an image on a medium;

obtaining a state quantity indicating a state of the image formed on the medium;

adjusting an image forming condition set for forming the image according to the obtained state quantity and a target value for the state quantity; and

changing the target value for the state quantity according to the state quantity obtained after the image forming speed is changed.