# US 11,305,560 B2 · Image forming apparatus

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- Number: US 11,305,560 B2
- Document ID: US11305560B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/173,424
- Filed: 2021-02-11
- Published: 2021-08-19
- Granted: 2022-04-19
- Earliest claimed: 2020-02-13
- Assignees: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
- Applicants: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
- Inventors: Satoshi Ishii; Motoki Suzuki; Hiroaki Watanabe; Ryota Okui
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11305560B2

## CPC

- B41J 11/0095: {Detecting means for copy material, e.g. for detecting or sensing presence of copy material or its leading or trailing end}
- B41J 11/0005: {Curl smoothing, i.e. smoothing down corrugated printing material, e.g. by pressing means acting on wrinkled printing material}
- G01N 21/3559: in sheets, e.g. in paper
- B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q)

## Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes a feeder, a conveyance section, an image forming section, a light emitter, a light receiver, a measuring section, and a permeation depth calculator. The feeder feeds a sheet. The conveyance section conveys the sheet. The image forming section forms an image on the sheet conveyed by the conveyance section using an ink. The light emitter emits near-infrared light to the sheet with the image thereon. The light receiver receives reflected light of the near-infrared light. The reflected light has been reflected by the sheet with the image thereon. The measuring section measures a received light quantity of the reflected light. The permeation depth calculator calculates a permeation depth of the ink permeating the sheet based on the received light quantity.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An image forming apparatus comprising:
a feeder configured to feed a sheet;
a conveyance section configured to convey the sheet;
an image forming section configured to form an image on the sheet conveyed by the conveyance section using an ink;
a light emitter configured to emit near-infrared light to the sheet with the image thereon;
a light receiver configured to receive reflected light of the near-infrared light, the reflected light having been reflected by the sheet with the image thereon;
a measuring section configured to measure a received light quantity of the reflected light; and
a permeation depth calculator configured to calculate a permeation depth of the ink permeating the sheet based on the received light quantity.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the near-infrared light is in any of the following wavelength bands: 1.9 to 2.0 μm, 1.4 to 1.5 μm, or 1.15 to 1.25 μm, and the light emitter includes a light emitting element which emits the near-infrared light.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein
the near-infrared light emitted by the light emitting element has a wavelength of 1.94 μm.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the reflected light is in any of the following wavelength bands: 1.9 to 2.0 μm, 1.4 to 1.5 μm, or 1.15 to 1.25 μm, and the light receiver includes a photo detector which receives the reflected light.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein
the reflected light received by the photo detector has a wavelength band of 1.94 μm.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the light emitter and the light receiver are arranged on a side of the sheet, which is being conveyed by the conveyance section, opposite to a side thereof on which the ink has been applied.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
storage that stores a curvature calculation formula and a curling amount calculation formula therein; and
a curling amount calculator configured to substitute the permeation depth into the curvature calculation formula to calculate a curvature of curling of the sheet and substitute the curvature into the curling amount calculation formula to calculate a curling amount of the curling of the sheet.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising
a correcting section with a roller, configured to decurl the sheet.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising
an urging amount controller configured to adjust an urging amount of the roller of the correcting section on the sheet based on the curling amount.