Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.

Ayato Morikami

Masaru Watanabe

Yasuaki Sakamoto

Koji Uno

Takuji Watanabe

Keisuke Oba

Kenichi Hayashi

Hideyuki Ogasawara

Yuki Nakaiwa

Kanako Kikuchi

Yukiko Yoshimura

An image forming apparatus includes an adjustment processing portion, an acquisition processing portion, and a determination processing portion. Each time an adjustment condition is satisfied during execution of an image forming process, the adjustment processing portion uses toner to adjust one adjustment target selected in accordance with a specific order among a plurality of adjustment targets related to image quality of an output image output by the image forming process. The acquisition processing portion acquires variation amount information related to an amount of variation in a state value related to an image forming portion caused by a start of the image forming process. The determination processing portion determines an adjustment target to be adjusted first after the start of the image forming process by the adjustment processing portion, based on the variation amount information acquired by the acquisition processing portion.

Image forming apparatus and image quality adjustment method capable of suppressing variation in image quality of output image immediately after start of image forming process

A toner concentration sensing apparatus includes a first acquisition processing portion, a second acquisition processing portion, and a third acquisition processing portion. The first acquisition processing portion acquires a first sensing value corresponding to light reflected by a first region of an image-carrying member where a toner image is not formed. The second acquisition processing portion acquires a second sensing value corresponding to light reflected by a second region of the image-carrying member where a toner image has been formed. The third acquisition processing portion acquires a component ratio of a component in the second sensing value, that corresponds to light reflected by toner adhered onto a surface of the image-carrying member, using a specific calculation formula determined based on a first relational expression based on the first sensing value and a second relational expression not based on the first sensing value, and the second sensing value.

Toner concentration sensing apparatus capable of accurately sensing toner concentration of toner image, image forming apparatus, and toner concentration sensing method

An image forming apparatus includes first to third adjustment processing portions. The first adjustment processing portion adjusts an emission light amount of a light-emitting portion of a first sensor based on an electric signal output from a light-receiving portion of the first sensor and corresponding to regular reflection light reflected by a non-toner-adhering surface of an image-carrying member. The second adjustment processing portion adjusts an operation condition of an image forming portion based on a toner concentration of a first toner image in a specific color, that has a concentration smaller than a predetermined saturation concentration. The third adjustment processing portion adjusts an emission light amount of a light-emitting portion of a second sensor based on an electric signal output from a light-receiving portion of the second sensor and corresponding to diffuse reflection light reflected by a second toner image in the specific color, that has a predetermined reference concentration.

Image forming apparatus capable of adjusting emission light amount of light-emitting portion, and light amount adjustment method

A processor causes a printing portion to execute, when first conveying processing is executed, test print processing for executing processing of forming a plurality of test toner images on a sheet under a print condition that differs for each of the plurality of test toner images. The processor acquires a plurality of first sensing densities when the first conveying processing is executed. The processor causes the printing portion to execute the test print processing when second conveying processing is executed. The processor acquires a plurality of second sensing densities when the second conveying processing is executed. The processor compares the plurality of first sensing densities and the plurality of second sensing densities to adjust the print condition in the print processing when the second conveying processing is executed.

Adjustment method for image forming apparatus, and image forming apparatus

A processor derives a plurality of unit density values which are each an average value of sensed densities for each of a plurality of unit areas sectioned for each unit length in a test toner image. The processor derives a weighted average of the plurality of unit density values to derive a test image density used for adjusting a control parameter in a printing portion. The unit length is a greatest common factor of two target lengths corresponding to perimeters of two types of target rotating members out of the plurality of rotating members. When a number of the plurality of unit areas is represented by n, n is a value obtained by subtracting 1 from an added value of a first constant and a second constant. The first constant and the second constant are values obtained by respectively dividing the two target lengths by the unit length.

Image density measurement method and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a developing current detecting portion, a control portion, and a deviation detecting portion. The developing current detecting portion detects a developing current that flows between a developing device and a photoconductor drum during development of an electrostatic latent image. The control portion causes the exposure device to form electrostatic latent images of at least two patch images at different positions from each other and at different timings from each other in a main scanning direction. The deviation detecting portion detects deviation of one of the exposure device and the photoconductor drum with respect to the other based on a detection timing at which the developing current is detected during development of the electrostatic latent images of the at least two patch images.

Image forming apparatus capable of detecting deviation between exposure device and photoconductor drum

An image forming apparatus includes a transfer processing portion, a detection processing portion, a correction processing portion, and an adjustment processing portion. The transfer processing portion transfers a detection toner image to outside an output area of a transfer object to which a toner image as an output target is transferred from an image-carrying member. The detection processing portion detects a density of the detection toner image that has been transferred to the transfer object by the transfer processing portion. The correction processing portion corrects a detection result of the detection processing portion based on an amount of toner transferred from the image-carrying member to the output area at a transfer timing when the detection toner image is transferred. The adjustment processing portion adjusts an image forming condition based on the detection result after correction by the correction processing portion.

Image forming apparatus capable of adjusting image forming condition accurately, and image forming condition adjustment method

A sheet feeding device has cursors slidable to regulate a sheet, a sensor portion including a variable resistor to output a voltage commensurate with the position of the cursors, a storage portion storing width detection data in which ranges of a sensor value based on the output of the sensor portion are defined for different sheet widths respectively, and a control portion calculating the sensor value, determining a particular range as a correction target range, calculating a difference between the actual sensor value and the center value of the correction target range, and correcting a limit value of the correction target range at the border with another range.

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Osaka, Japan

Ayato Morikami