Konica Minolta, Inc.

Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.

Konica-minolta Holdings, Inc.

Eiji Tabata

Keiko Momotani

Toshiya Natsuhara

Makiko Watanabe

Nofumi Mizumoto

Shigeo Uetake

Masahiko Matsuura

Takuya Okada

Naoki Yoshie

Atsuto Hirai

Yuji Kamoda

Masayasu Haga

Sayaka Morita

Yasuo Shirodai

Kazuko Fukumoto

Toshihito Kobayashi

Tomoo Izumi

An image forming device includes: an endless intermediate transfer belt; and a secondary transferrer, wherein the secondary transferrer includes a secondary transfer roller and a counter roller, a value calculated from w/Vis defined as a nip time N [sec], when the secondary transferrer is deemed as an equivalent circuit including a resistance R1 [&#x3a9;&#xb7;m] of the secondary transfer roller, a resistance R2 [&#x3a9;&#xb7;m] of the intermediate transfer belt, a resistance R3 [&#x3a9;&#xb7;m] of the counter roller, and capacitance C[F/m] of a recording medium, in a case where a combined resistance in the equivalent circuit is defined as R[&#x3a9;&#xb7;m], and combined capacitance in the equivalent circuit is defined as C[F/m], a value calculated from R&#xd7;Cis defined as a time constant &#x3c4; [sec], and the image forming device further includes: a sheet detector; and a hardware processor.

Image forming device

Prevention of an image defect due to discharging in a transfer portion and ensured transfer efficiency are both achieved. A control electrode is in contact with an outer circumferential surface of a secondary transfer roller on an upstream side of a position of contact between the secondary transfer roller and a recording medium in a direction of rotation of the secondary transfer roller. The control electrode has a potential set to a repel a toner image with respect to the secondary transfer roller. The control electrode is in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the secondary transfer roller under such a condition that discharging occurs in a gap between the secondary transfer roller and the intermediate transfer belt and a discharging current flows through the recording medium.

Control electrode for image formation apparatus

A transfer belt includes: an elastic layer, wherein the transfer belt is used to transfer a toner image onto a recording medium, the toner image being carried on a first main surface which is one of a pair of main exposed surfaces including the first main surface and a second main surface, when, using a lower block and an upper block, the transfer belt is placed on an upper surface of the lower block, a part of the transfer belt is interposed between a curved convex surface and a curved concave surface, and a pressed region reaches a pressing force of 200 [kPa] and is constantly pressed by the pressing force, if 'a' represents a maximum value of displacement of a measurement region, and 'b' represents displacement of the measurement region after convergence, E [&#x2212;] calculated by (a&#x2212;b)/b satisfies a condition of 0.2&#x2264;E&#x2264;3.

Transfer belt and image forming device

A transfer belt transfers a toner image carried on a first main surface to a recording medium. When the transfer belt is pressed by using a lower block provided with a hole and an upper block with pressurization force increased at a prescribed rate and thereafter kept constant, E [-] and t0 are curve-fitted to a function E=&#x3b1;&#xd7;exp(&#x2212;t0/&#x3c4;) defined by a time constant &#x3c4; [s] with respect to an amount of displacement of the transfer belt and a constant &#x3b1; [-], where E [-] is calculated as (a&#x2212;b)/b, a [&#x3bc;m] represents a maximum value of an amount of displacement of a measurement region, b [&#x3bc;m] represents an amount of displacement of the measurement region after converged, and t0 [s] represents a time period from start of pressurization until the maximum pressurization force, and time constant &#x3c4; satisfies a condition of 0.015&#x2264;&#x3c4;&#x2264;0.1.

Transfer belt and image formation apparatus

A transfer belt is configured to transfer a toner image carried on a first main surface of the transfer belt to a recording medium. When the transfer belt is pressed with pressure application three increased at a predetermined pressure application rate and is then pressed with certain pressure application force by using a lower block provided with a hole and an upper block, k[&#x3bc;m/s] satisfies 6&#x2264;k&#x2264;30, k[&#x3bc;m/s] being determined by (a&#x2212;b)/{2&#xd7;(t&#x2212;t)}, where a [&#x3bc;m/s] represents a maximum value of a displacement amount of a measurement region that is a portion of the first main surface corresponding to the hole, b [&#x3bc;m] represents a convergence value thereof, t[s] represents a time when the maximum value is observed, and t[s] represents a time when the displacement amount reaches (a+b)/2 again after the maximum value is observed.

Transfer belt and image forming apparatus

A cleaning device for cleaning a cleaning subject moving in a predetermined direction, having; a cleaning member that rotates in an opposite direction from the predetermined direction at a contact with the cleaning subject, thereby gathering toner from the cleaning subject; and a shielding member that is disposed between the cleaning member and the cleaning subject in the predetermined direction relative to the contact and prevents the toner on the cleaning member from moving to the cleaning subject.

Cleaning device

Having specified written information on a first card newly placed at a base A which is a first workspace and the position where the first card is placed, a PC (A) which is a control device at base A stores, in a memory, the written information and the position where the first card is placed as card information. A PC (B) connected to this PC instructs a printing device (B) to print a second card based on the specified written information. The PC (B) presents the position where the second card is to be placed at a base B which is a second workspace based on the specified position where the first card is placed.

Support system, control device, image forming apparatus, and support method utilizing cards on which written information is printed

An image forming apparatus includes a secondary transfer belt that rotates, an imaging unit for forming a patch image of toner on the secondary transfer belt, and an upstream brush and a downstream brush coming into contact with the secondary transfer belt in a rotating state to remove the patch image from on the secondary transfer belt. A length p of the patch image formed by the imaging unit along a rotational direction of the secondary transfer belt, a distance bover which the secondary transfer belt rotates while the upstream brush makes one turn, and a distance bover which the secondary transfer belt rotates while the downstream brush makes one turn satisfy an expression: p&#x2266;|b&#x2212;b

Image forming apparatus forming toner patch image on image carrier

Provided is a liquid development apparatus having a constitution in which liquid developer containing carrier liquid with toner dispersed therein is supplied from a liquid developer/cleaning liquid supply member on a pool forming member arranged facing to a supply roller so as to form a pool of the liquid developer, from which pool the liquid developer is supplied to the supply roller, wherein a liquid developer/cleaning liquid supply member supplies cleaning liquid on a pool forming member to form a suitable pooling portion of the cleaning liquid and the liquid developer remaining on the surface of the supply roller is removed and cleaned.

Liquid development apparatus and cleaning method that control either a gap between a pool forming member and a supply roller or a supply rate of a cleaning liquid

A developing device using a liquid developer removes developer using the contact-rotation between rollers such as a developing roller and thin layer forming roller when an image is not formed, and includes a contact pressure modification section that modifies the contact pressure in the contact region between rollers rotating in contact with one another. When operation is performed to remove the developer using the contact-rotation between rollers with the supply of liquid developer being suspended, modifications are made to ensure that the contact pressure in the contact region is smaller than that during image formation.

Apparatus and method for imaging forming using modified contact pressure

An image forming apparatus includes a section for obtaining a property of a recording material; an adjusting section for adjusting a toner amount of a toner image formed by development depending on the property of the recording material; a charging section for charging the toner image before transfer; and a controlling section for adjusting a charging quantity by the charging section depending on the toner amount, where an appropriate quantity of charge depending on the toner amount is provided to the toner image before transfer to the recording material. Depending on the property of the recording material, an appropriate toner amount is transferred at a high transfer efficiency, and uniformity of a solid concentration is ensured.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus including a toner charge amount control portion for controlling the toner charge amount based on the property of a recording material; a recording material charging section for charging the surface of the recording material based on the toner charge amount controlled by the aforementioned toner charge amount control portion; and a recording media charge amount control portion for controlling the amount of charge on the surface of a recording material applied by the recording material charging section.

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Ibaraki, Japan

Eiji Tabata