IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, SENSING METHOD, AND RECORDING MEDIUM

• US 20140219670A1
• Filed: 01/27/2014
• Published: 08/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Masuda, Koji, Momma, Susumu, Suzuki, Hidemasa
• Granted Patent: US 9,052,668 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 399/33
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/2014 using contact heat
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/55 Self-diagnostics; Malfunction or lifetime display
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/2032 the belt further entrained around additional rotating belt support members

Abstract

An image forming apparatus comprises: a sensor that includes a light-emitting part for emitting light to a moving body and a light-receiving part; a light-incidence adjusting mechanism that is able to alternatively select from a first state where the light-incidence adjusting mechanism causes light which have been emitted from the sensor and then reflected by the moving body to enter the sensor and a second state where the light-incidence adjusting mechanism causes a reflected light of light emitted from the sensor not to enter the sensor; and a processing unit that causes the sensor to emit light, and corrects output of the sensor when the light-incidence adjusting mechanism is in the first state on the basis of output of the sensor when the light-incidence adjusting mechanism is in the second state.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

a sensor configured to include a light-emitting part for emitting light to a moving body and a light-receiving part;

a light-incidence adjusting mechanism configured to be able to alternatively select from a first state where the light-incidence adjusting mechanism causes light which have been emitted from the sensor and then reflected by the moving body to enter the sensor and a second state where the light-incidence adjusting mechanism causes a reflected light of light emitted from the sensor not to enter the sensor; and

a processing unit configured to cause the sensor to emit light, and correct output of the sensor when the light-incidence adjusting mechanism is in the first state on the basis of output of the sensor when the light-incidence adjusting mechanism is in the second state.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a portion of light emitted when the light-emitting part is turned on is scattered within the sensor and received by the light-receiving part.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the processing unit subtracts output of the sensor when the light-incidence adjusting mechanism is in the second state from output of the sensor when the light-incidence adjusting mechanism is in the first state.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the processing unit finds surface information of the moving body on the basis of the corrected output of the sensor.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the surface information of the moving body is abrasion information of a streak-like abrasion extending in a moving direction of the moving body.

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

the abrasion information is information on at least either one of the position of the abrasion and the depth of the abrasion.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the moving body is a fixing belt.

8. A sensing method using a sensor that includes a light-emitting part for emitting light to an object and a light-receiving part, a portion of the light emitted when the light-emitting part is turned on being scattered within the sensor and received by the light-receiving part, the sensing method comprising:

causing light which have been emitted from the sensor and then reflected by the object to enter the sensor and finding output of the sensor as a first output value;

causing the sensor to emit light and finding output of the sensor as a second output value, in a state where a reflected light of light emitted from the sensor does not enter the sensor;

correcting the first output value on the basis of the second output value; and

finding surface information of the object on the basis of the corrected first output value.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium that contains a computer program used in an apparatus equipped with a sensor that includes a light-emitting part for emitting light to an object and a light-receiving part, a portion of the light emitted when the light-emitting part is turned on being scattered within the sensor and received by the light-receiving part, the program causing a computer for controlling the apparatus to execute:

causing light which have been emitted from the sensor and then reflected by the object to enter the sensor and finding output of the sensor as a first output value;

causing the sensor to emit light and finding output of the sensor as a second output value, in a state where a reflected light of light emitted from the sensor does not enter the sensor;

correcting the first output value on the basis of the second output value; and

finding surface information of the object on the basis of the corrected first output value.