Patent ID: 7796928
Filing Date: 2010-09-14
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus comprising: an intermediate transfer belt onto which images formed on an image bearing member are transferred; a reading unit adapted to read surface patterns of said intermediate transfer belt; a controller adapted to control movement of said intermediate transfer belt in a transverse direction perpendicular to a moving direction thereof based on the surface patterns of said intermediate transfer belt read by said reading unit; a computing unit adapted to compute an amount of movement of said intermediate transfer belt in the transverse direction perpendicular to the moving direction based on the surface patterns of said intermediate transfer belt read by said reading unit, wherein said computing unit is adapted to compute the amount of movement of said intermediate transfer belt in the transverse direction and also compute a speed of said intermediate transfer belt in the moving direction based on the surface patterns of said intermediate transfer belt read by said reading unit; a sampling unit adapted to, at intervals of predetermined sampling periods, sample images of the surface patterns of said intermediate transfer belt read by said reading unit; and an image storage unit adapted to store at least one of the images sampled by said sampling unit, wherein said computing unit is adapted to compute the speed of said intermediate transfer belt in the moving direction and the amount of movement of said intermediate transfer belt in the transverse direction perpendicular to the moving direction based on the sampled images and the images stored in said image storage unit.