Image forming apparatus, method and computer readable medium for executing predetermined error processes in response to a moveable member error
AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.
InventorTadashi Shinohara
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In an image forming apparatus, an image forming unit includes a movable member that is rotationally driven by a driving unit. A moving distance or a moving speed of the movable member is detected. The driving unit is controlled based on a quantity of control. An occurrence of a detection error or a control error is determined based on the moving distance, the moving speed, or the quantity of control. A predetermined error process is executed if an error occurs.
Claims20
An image forming apparatus, comprising:
- an image forming unit configured to form an image;
- a movable member that is a transfer conveyer belt or is an intermediate transfer belt;
- a driving unit configured to rotationally drive the movable member and to be subjected to feedback control;
- a moving information detecting unit configured to detect a moving distance or a moving speed of the movable member;
- a deviation information calculating unit configured to calculate a position deviation based on the moving distance detected or a speed deviation based on the moving speed detected;
- a drive controlling unit configured to provide control of the position deviation calculated or the speed deviation calculated, to control the driving unit based on a quantity of control;
- an error determining unit configured to determine an occurrence of a detection error or a control error, based on one of the moving distance detected, the moving speed detected, and the quantity of control;
- and
- an error process executing unit configured to execute, when the error determining unit determines the occurrence of the detection error or the control error, a first predetermined error process of switching the driving unit to rotate the driving unit at a predetermined speed and stopping feedback control of the driving unit only when a first mode has been selected by a user and a second predetermined error process only when a second mode has been selected by the user.
An image forming method for an image forming apparatus controlled by a feedback control, comprising:
- deciding whether a control error decision mask period has been set;
- determining whether an encoder pulse interval falls within a predetermined range, if it is decided in the deciding step that the control error decision mask period has not been set;
- evaluating whether an image formation prohibition process has been selected as a process after an error decision, if it is determined in the determining step that the encoder pulse interval does not fall within the predetermined range;
- carrying out the image formation prohibition process, if it is determined in the evaluating step that the image formation prohibition process has been selected;
- and
- stopping the feedback control and rotating a drive motor at a predetermined speed, if it is determined in the evaluating step that the image formation prohibition process has not been selected.
A computer-readable recording medium that records thereon a computer program including instructions, directed to an image forming apparatus controlled by feedback control, which instructions when executed, cause a computer to execute a method comprising:
- deciding whether a control error decision mask period has been set;
- determining whether an encoder pulse interval falls within a predetermined range, if it is decided that in the deciding step that the control error decision mask period has not been set;
- evaluating whether an image formation prohibition process has been selected as a process after an error decision, if it is determined in the determining step that the encoder pulse interval does not fall within the predetermined range;
- carrying out the image formation prohibition process, if it is determined in the evaluating step that the image formation prohibition process has been selected;
- and
- stopping the feedback control and rotating a drive motor at a predetermined speed, if it is determined in the evaluating step that the image formation prohibition process has not been selected.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.