Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Eisaku Hatanaka

Mitsuru Tokuyama

Toshiaki Ino

Jitsuo Masuda

Toshihisa Ishida

Hiroo Naoi

Motoyuki Itoyama

Masato Asanuma

Masayasu Narimatsu

Hideji Saiko

Katsuaki Sumida

Yasuo Kitabatake

Yuichiro Takesue

Kanshiro Okamoto

The image forming apparatus of the invention controls the toner density by any one of the following configurations: by correcting the toner density of the developer in association with the agitation total; by controlling a process parameter so that the density of a toner patch formed on the photoreceptor corresponds to a prescribed density value and determining that developing performance of the developer is improved and canceling the toner density correction when the process parameter reaches the prescribed value; by changing the toner density reference value when the variation as to the charger output is equal to or greater than a first predetermined value and maintaining the changed toner density reference value until the variation of the charger output again becomes equal to or greater than the first predetermined value; or by prohibiting toner supply for a constant duration to prevent excessive toner supply if time from the end of the last operation of the developing unit to the start of a next operation, inclusive of the power-activation is equal to or longer the a predetermined period when the developing unit is activated to commence agitation of the developer.

Toner density control for an image forming apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Yamatokoriyama, Japan

Eisaku Hatanaka