Patent application number | Description | Published |
20120288293 | COLOR IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A color image forming apparatus includes a supporting member, supporting developing devices, for moving the supporting member sequentially to a developing position; a detector for detecting at a position different from the developing position information relating to a developer remainder in the developing device; deducing means for deducing a developer consumption from image information. As to the developing device for which the detection is effected after the developing operation therefor, determining device determines the remainder from the information detected by the detector. As to the developing device for which the detection is effected before the developing operation therefor, the determining means determines the remainder from the information detected by the detector and the consumption amount deduced by the deducing means. | 11-15-2012 |
20120308247 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member; developing devices, each of which includes a developer carrying member, having an electrode member, for carrying a developer, and a developer feeding member, having a core metal and a surface foam layer, for supplying the developer to the developer carrying member; a supporting member, supporting the developing devices, for sequentially rotating the developing devices to a developing position; and a controller for executing an operation for reducing non-uniform distributions of the developers in the developing devices on the basis of electrostatic capacities between the electrode members and the core metals, respectively. | 12-06-2012 |
20130163999 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes a holding unit configured to change a developing device to first and second orientations. Whether a developer in the developing device is unevenly distributed in a longitudinal direction of the developing device is detected based on a capacitance C1 between first and second electrode members in the first orientation and a capacitance C2 between the first and second electrode members in the second orientation. | 06-27-2013 |
20130164001 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a developing device, a holding unit, and a detection device. The image bearing member supports an electrostatic latent image. The developing device includes a developer bearing member having a first electrode member and supporting a developer to develop the electrostatic latent image. The developing device includes a supply member having a second electrode member and supplying the developer to the developer bearing member at a nip portion. The holding unit holds and change the developing device to a first posture and to a second posture where the deposited developer falls off the first posture. The detection device detects a remaining developer amount in the developing device based on a capacitance C | 06-27-2013 |
20140044445 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member on which a developer image is formed, a developer bearing member configured to develop a surface of the image bearing member, and a cleaning member configured to clean a residual developer remaining on the surface of the image bearing member, wherein, when an image forming operation is interrupted, the image forming apparatus is capable of performing a recovery operation before resuming the image forming operation, and wherein the image forming apparatus is capable of, during the recovery operation, a potential difference between a potential applied to the developer bearing member and a surface potential of a non-image area within the surface of the image bearing member greater than that during the image forming operation according to a predetermined value such that the developer on the image bearing member is moved to the developer bearing member. | 02-13-2014 |
20140147139 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus including: photosensitive members; charging devices to which a common charging power source applies a charging voltage to charge the photosensitive members; an exposure device configured to expose the photosensitive members; developing devices to form developer images on the photosensitive members; a transfer device to transfer the developer images onto a transfer medium; and a control portion configured to set a lower limit value of the charging voltage for each photosensitive member, apply the charging voltage having a magnitude not less than any lower limit value from the charging power source to the charging devices, control the output of the laser power for each photosensitive member individually, and set, based on the image density of the developer image transferred onto the transfer medium earlier, the lower limit value for a photosensitive member on which a developer image to be transferred onto the transfer medium later is formed. | 05-29-2014 |
20140169815 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus including: a plurality of image forming stations; and a control portion configured to control an image forming operation, each of the image forming stations includes: an image bearing member configured to form a toner image on a surface thereof; and a charging device configured to charge the image bearing member, wherein the toner images formed on the image bearing members of the image forming stations are sequentially transferred to a transfer incurring member to be superimposed, wherein the control portion sets a voltage applied to the charging device in forming an image in an image forming station which performs the transfer later based on image density information of the toner image transferred to the transfer incurring member by an image forming station which performs the transfer earlier in a sequence of the image forming operations. | 06-19-2014 |
20140178086 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - An image forming apparatus including: a photosensitive member; a charging device; an exposure device; and a developer carrying member, wherein, when it is assumed that an image forming area, a printing portion and a non-printing portion are an area on the photosensitive member on which an image to be transferred onto a recording material is formed, an area in the image forming area to which the developer adhere and an area in the image forming area to which the developer does not adhere, respectively, the exposure device exposes the printing portion at a first laser power, exposes the non-printing portion at a second laser power smaller than the first laser power, and exposes a non-image forming area on the photosensitive member between two adjacent image forming areas at no laser power or a third laser power smaller than the second laser power. | 06-26-2014 |
20140334853 | DEVELOPING DEVICE, PROCESS CARTRIDGE, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing device usable with an image forming apparatus includes a developer carrying member for carrying a developer; a developer accommodating portion for accommodating a developer; a guiding member having an inclined surface contacting the developer carrying member, the inclined surface being effective to guide a developer to a contact portion where the inclined surface contacts the developer carrying member to cause the developer to be carried on the developer carrying member; and a regulating member for regulating an amount of the developer carried on the developer carrying member, wherein an inclination angle of the inclined surface is in a range not less than an angle of rest and less than 90 degrees. | 11-13-2014 |
20140334854 | DEVELOPING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A developing apparatus for developing operation on an image bearing member, includes a rotatable developer carrying member for carrying a developer; a rubbing member for rubbing the developer carrying member with the developer therebetween to cause the developer to be carried on the developer carrying member; wherein the rubbing member includes a free end portion extending toward a downstream with respect to a rotational moving direction of the developer carrying member, the free end portion rubs the developer carrying member, and wherein the rubbing member is provided with a reinforcing portion for reinforcing the free end portion. | 11-13-2014 |