1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a light source that emits a light beam;
a photosensitive member that carries a toner image;
a brushless motor comprising:
a stator in which a plurality of coils are placed; and
a rotor in which a plurality of magnets are placed;
a rotary polygon minor, which is rotated by the brushless motor, and which periodically deflects the light beam emitted from the light source to sequentially form scanning lines on the photosensitive member;
an energization switching unit that turns on and off energizations of the coils;
a voltage detecting unit that outputs a detection signal based on induced voltages that are generated in the coils by rotation of the rotor; and
a motor controlling unit that controls the turning onoff of the energizations by the energization switching unit based on the detection signal,
wherein in a non-image forming period after one image forming operation is ended, the motor controlling unit performs a low-speed process, and
wherein in the low-speed process, the motor controlling unit maintains a rotation speed of the brushless motor at a speed, which is lower than a speed in the image forming operation, and at which the induced voltages are detectable by the voltage detecting unit.
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the motor controlling unit stops the low-speed process when a reference time has elapsed after the end of the one image forming operation even in the non-image forming period.
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2,
wherein the motor controlling unit forcibly stops the brushless motor to stop the low-speed process.
4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:
a fixing unit that thermally fixes the toner image transferred to a recording medium from the photosensitive member; and
a heat controlling unit that is configured to:
during the image forming operation, perform a fixing temperature control where a temperature of the fixing unit is maintained at a fixable temperature, and
in the non-image forming period, stop the fixing temperature control,
wherein the reference time is a time when the temperature of the fixing unit is lowered to a threshold temperature, which is lower than the fixable temperature, in the non-image forming period.
5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4,
wherein a time elapsing before the temperature of the fixing unit is raised from the threshold temperature to the fixable temperature by the fixing temperature control is equal to or longer than a time elapsing before the brushless motor is brought from a stop state to a rotation state in which the brushless motor rotates at the rotation speed in the image forming operation by the motor control.
6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4,
wherein in the non-image forming period, the motor controlling unit controls rotation driving of the brushless motor at a rotation speed such that:
the rotation speed is lowered in accordance with temperature reduction of the fixing unit; and
when an instruction for starting the image forming operation is received, the rotation speed can be returned to the rotation speed in the image forming operation by the motor control before, at a latest, the temperature of the fixing unit reaches the fixable temperature by the fixing temperature control.
7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
a transferring unit which, in a case where instructions for starting a next image forming operation is not issued within a predetermined time after the image forming operation is ended, transfers the image forming apparatus to a power saving mode where a power consumption is further reduced than the image forming operation,
wherein during execution of the power saving mode, the motor controlling unit does not execute the low-speed process.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An engineered waterproof plank comprising:
(a) a wear layer adhered to a top surface of a waterproof core;
(b) a first waterproof adhesive layer bonding the wear layer to the top surface of the waterproof core;
(c) the waterproof core comprising an extruded dust and plastic composite;
(d) the plank having a first edge with a groove extending laterally into the waterproof core and a second opposite edge with a lateral protrusion from the waterproof core, wherein the groove and protrusion have profiles shaped to form a click-lock edge fastening system.
2. The plank of claim 1 wherein the wear layer is selected from the group consisting of tile veneer, stone veneer, rubber, decorative plastic, linoleum and decorative vinyl.
3. The plank of claim 1 further comprising an underlayer selected from the group consisting of cork, rubber, foam and waterproof balance paper.
4. The plank of claim 1 further comprising a cover layer over the wear layer.
5. (canceled)
6. (canceled)
7. The plank of claim 1 wherein the wear layer is selected from the group consisting of cork, bamboo and wood veneer, said wear layer encapsulated in resin to render the wear layer waterproof and wear resistant.
8. The plank of claim 1 further comprising a cover layer over the wear layer, said cover layer selected from the group consisting of melamine resin with aluminum oxide and polyurethane.
9. The plank of claim 1 wherein exposure to moisture results in swelling of plank dimensions by less than 0.01%.
10. The plank of claim 1 wherein the first waterproof adhesive layer further comprises a hot melt adhesive.
11. The plank of claim 3 further comprising a second waterproof adhesive layer bonding the underlayer to a bottom surface of the waterproof core.
12. The plank of claim 21 wherein the waterproof core further comprises less than 10% of additives selected from the group consisting of anti-oxidation agents, stabilizers, colorants, anti-fungus agents, coupling agents, reinforcing agents and lubricants.
13. The plank of claim 1 wherein the waterproof core further comprises calcium carbonate filler.
14. An engineered rectangular waterproof plank comprising:
(a) a wear layer of decorative vinyl adhered to a top surface of a waterproof core by a hot melt adhesive;
(b) a cover layer over the wear layer, said cover layer selected from the group consisting of melamine resin with aluminum oxide and polyurethane;
(c) an underlayer selected from the group consisting of cork, rubber and foam, adhered to a bottom surface of the waterproof core by a hot melt adhesive;
(d) the waterproof core comprising an extruded dust and plastic composite, said waterproof core having substantially planar top and bottom surfaces separated by a thickness defining a first edge along a first side and a second edge along an opposite second side, and third and fourth edges along opposite third and fourth sides, wherein the first edge has a groove extending laterally into the waterproof core and the second opposite edge has a lateral protrusion from the waterproof core, the groove and protrusion having profiles shaped to form a click-lock edge fastening system.
15. (canceled)
16. The plank of claim 14 wherein the static coefficient of friction of the plank is at least 0.60 as measured according to ASTM C 1028-96.
17. The plank of claim 22 wherein the waterproof core further comprises less than 10% of additives selected from the group consisting of anti-oxidation agents, stabilizers, colorants, anti-fungus agents, coupling agents, reinforcing agents and lubricants.
18. The plank of claim 22 wherein the waterproof core further comprises calcium carbonate filler.
19. The plank of claim 14 wherein exposure to moisture results in swelling of plank dimensions by less than 0.01%.
20. An engineered rectangular waterproof plank comprising:
(a) a wear layer selected from the group consisting of cork, bamboo and wood veneer, said wear layer encapsulated in resin, and said wear layer adhered to a top surface of a waterproof core by a hot melt adhesive;
(b) an underlayer selected from the group consisting of cork, rubber and foam, said underlayer adhered to a bottom surface of the waterproof core by a hot melt adhesive;
(c) the waterproof core comprising:
(i) at least about 55% of dust selected from the group consisting of wood, bamboo, cork and a combination of two or more of wood, bamboo and cork;
(ii) at least about 20% of high-density polyethylene; and
(iii) calcium carbonate filler;
(d) said waterproof core having substantially planar top and bottom surfaces separated by a thickness defining an edge along opposite first and second sides, and along opposite third and fourth sides, wherein a groove extends laterally into the waterproof core along the first edge and a lateral protrusion extends from the opposite second edge of the waterproof core, the groove and protrusion comprising a click-lock edge fastening system.
21. The plank of claim 1 wherein the waterproof core comprises:
(i) at least about 55% of dust selected from the group consisting of wood, bamboo, cork and a combination of two or more of wood, bamboo and cork; and
(ii) at least about 20% of plastic selected from the group consisting of high-density polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride.
22. The plank of claim 14 wherein the waterproof core comprises:
(i) at least about 55% of dust selected from the group consisting of wood, bamboo, cork and a combination of two or more of wood, bamboo and cork; and
(ii) at least about 20% of plastic selected from the group of high-density polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride.