IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

Abstract

An image forming apparatus in which multiple image forming units for forming a developer image arranged along a prescribed medium feeding path are disposed in a manner to contact and face a belt component, the image forming apparatus includes an image formation driving unit for driving said multiple image forming units; a belt component driving unit for driving said belt component; and a drive control unit for supplying a drive command to said belt component driving unit and said image formation driving unit, said drive control unit sequentially initiating the driving of said image forming units from said image forming unit located downstream in the medium feeding path, after initiating the driving of said belt component drive unit.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

This invention may take physical form in certain parts and arrangements of parts, a preferred embodiment and method of which will be described in detail in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a cross sectional diagram of the image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment, describing the structure of the same image forming apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment, describing the structure of a control system of the same image forming apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a graph showing a relationship between acceleration of the feeding belt and the photosensitive drums in the conventional image forming apparatus;

FIG. 4 is a graph showing a relationship between acceleration of the feeding belt and the photosensitive drums in the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing a performance of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment and describing the performance at a time of a printing process of the same image forming apparatus;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment, describing the structure of a control system of the same image forming apparatus;

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing a performance of the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment and describing the performance during a color shift correction process executed by the same image forming apparatus;

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing a performance of the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment and describing the performance at the time of the printing process of the same image forming apparatus; and

FIG. 9 is a cross sectional diagram of the image forming apparatus showing a different version of the present invention.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus in which multiple image forming units for forming a developer image arranged along a prescribed medium feeding path are disposed in a manner to contact and face a belt component, the image forming apparatus comprising: an image formation driving unit for driving said multiple image forming units;a belt component driving unit for driving said belt component; anda drive control unit for supplying a drive command to said belt component driving unit and said image formation driving unit, said drive control unit sequentially initiating the driving of said image forming units from said image forming unit located downstream in the medium feeding path, after initiating the driving of said belt component drive unit.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said drive control unit initiates driving of said image forming units in a prescribed interval.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a detection unit for detecting that a driving speed of said image forming unit has reached a prescribed speed; anda correction unit for generating a correction value for correcting a drive initiation time of said image forming unit based on a detection result by the detection unit,wherein said drive control unit initiates driving of said image forming unit based on the correction value generated by said correction unit.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said correction unit generates the correction value based on a difference between the time necessary for the driving speed of an arbitrary image forming unit detected by said detection unit to reach the prescribed speed and the time necessary for the driving speed of said image forming unit adjacent to said arbitrary image forming unit to reach the prescribed speed.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said belt component is a feeding belt for feeding a recording medium onto which the developer formed by the image apparatus is transferred.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said belt component is a transfer belt for transferring the developer image formed by the image apparatus is transferred.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a brushless DC motor for generating movement transmitted to said image forming units under the control of said drive control unit.