Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Hiroshi Ishii

Hisashi Yoshimura

Hirokazu Nakamura

Masaki Matsushita

Naozumi Ueno

Hiroshi Onda

Atsuyuki Katoh

Hiroyuki Sawai

Masaaki Ozaki

Syohji Tomita

Eiichi Kido

Takashi Goto

Atsushi Inoue

Tetsuro Toyoshima

Hiroshi Tatsumi

Takashi Sakai

Tetuyuki Ueda

Toshiaki Kagawa

Tadashi Iwamatsu

Toshiki Takiguchi

Takashi Mukai

Takeshi Wakabayashi

Toshihide Ohgoshi

Hiroyuki Hanato

Toshio Nishino

Kaoru Higuchi

Shigeyuki Wakada

Syunzi Nakai

Masayoshi Tsunezawa

Yoichi Takesawa

Takashi Gotoh

Yukihiro Mizumoto

Kenji Tanaka

Yoshie Iwakura

Hirokazu Yamauchi

Hitoshi Nagahama

Toshihiro Tamura

Masahiro Sakai

Kazuya Koyama

Takayuki Yamanaka

Masaya Nagata

Tatsuya Inoue

Jitsuo Masuda

Yuhi Yui

Motoyuki Itoyama

Yoshiaki Masuda

Kazuhiro Mizude

Hideyuki Hiro

Kohji Shinkawa

Yoshinori Otsuka

Kouji Wakamoto

Satoshi Kimura

Shinji Imagawa

Kouji Miyake

Kazuhiko Furukawa

Yoshinobu Umetani

Hiroshige Araki

Toshihiko Takaya

Yoshinobu Okumura

Yasuo Imai

Yoshinori Ohtsuka

Takeshi Kameda

Shunji Nakai

Tetsuyuki Ueda

Kazutaka Abe

Akio Matsumoto

Yoko Sawa

Yoshiaki Kojoh

Fumihiko Takemoto

Syogo Yokota

Shoichi Itoh

An image forming apparatus includes a photoreceptor drum, a charging part, an exposure unit, a developing part which feeds a photoreactive toner, a color formation exposure part, a transfer part, a recording medium feeding part, a fixing part, and a control unit part which controls operations of the above elements. The control unit part controls such that a photoreactive toner processed so as not to develop a color is transferred to a recording medium having transferred or fixed thereto a toner image processed so as to develop a color, and a photoreactive toner processed so as not to develop a color is fixed to an image formed on the recording medium, thereby forming a transparent toner coat layer which is a colorless and transparent toner layer.

Image forming apparatus forming transparent toner coat layer on recording medium

A method for transfer voltage adjustment for use in an image forming apparatus includes forming first and second halftone reference patterns, transferring the halftone reference patterns to a transfer element at respective first and second saturated transfer voltages, calculating first and second amounts of adhering toner on the transfer element, and setting up a saturated transfer voltage based on the first and second transfer voltages, the amounts of adhering toner, and a saturated amount of adhering toner obtained from stored data.

Method for transfer voltage adjustment and image forming apparatus using the same

A developing device comprises a stirring rollerhaving stirring bladesfor stirring a developer, a developing rollerfor transferring the developer to an electrostatic latent image, a control memberfor controlling the amount of developer transferred from the developing rollerto the electrostatic latent image, a reflux plateby which the excess developer resulting from control by the control memberis flowed back to the stirring roller, one end portion of the reflux platebeing disposed in the vicinity of the outer periphery of the stirring roller, part of the developer stirred by the stirring rollerflying toward the reflux plate, wherein said one end portion of the reflux plateis disposed at a position remote from the stirring rollerover a distance greater then the maximum fly distance of the developer provided by rotation of the stirring roller

Developing device and image forming device

A partition is provided to isolate a space from outside thereof, the space encompassing a space where an image holding member, a developing device, a charging device, a transfer device, and a fixing device. The isolated space is under reduced pressure. This allows the image forming apparatus to avoid negative effect caused by humidity change.

Image forming apparatus with partitioning member

An image forming apparatus of the present invention carries out an image processing with respect to image information which is to be printed. The image forming apparatus predicts the occurrence of an image elongation which may occur due to slippage of a recording material with respect to the electrostatic image drum, and specifies an image elongation occurring area on the basis of a printing ratio of the image information. If the occurrence of slippage, and thus image elongation is predicted, the amount of the image elongation occurring area to be shortened is calculated. The image information is then modified to obtain write image information that is shortened based on the calculated shortening amount. This write image information is then used to form the electrostatic latent image that is developed and transferred to a recording material. Thus, even slippage does occur, it is possible to accurately form the desired image on the recording material.

Image forming apparatus

An isolating wall is provided for isolating, from a space outside the isolation wall, a space including: a photosensitive drum; a developing unit; a charging device; a transfer device; and a fixing device. With this configuration, the space in which powder toner (toner which is not fixed on a recording material by the fixing device) is present is isolated from the space outside the isolation wall. Thus, in an image forming apparatus using powder developer, this configuration makes it possible to (i) prevent the floating toner from going out of the image forming apparatus, or (ii) prevent the floating toner from deteriorating a function of the image forming apparatus.

Image forming apparatus with isolating member for powder developer

Provided is an image forming apparatus which displays display information regarding product liability, which is read out from a storage medium of a processing unit, the image forming apparatus carrying out judgment as to whether or not the processing unit is a genuine/recommended product based on the information read out from the storage medium. The image forming apparatus carries out a series of image forming process when the processing unit is a genuine or a recommended product. On the other hand, when the processing unit is an unauthorized product, the image forming apparatus displays the display information and/or the comparison result. On this account, the user can easily and securely confirm display information regarding product liability of the processing unit, and/or information regarding compatibility of the processing unit with the image forming apparatus, while ensuring superior security and reliability.

Image forming apparatus and processing unit used for the same

An amount of toner consumption accompanying development of an image corresponding to the image data is calculated based on image data, and a corrected consumption amount is calculated by multiplying the calculated amount of toner consumption by a predetermined correction ratio that is less than 1. Further, toner is supplied based on the calculated corrected consumption amount. As a result, it is possible to prevent excessive supply of toner, and to supply toner without time delay.

Image forming apparatus, toner density control method, toner density control program and storage medium for storing the program

A target specified range of a toner density is correctly set so that a toner density is consistently appropriately controlled. If a specified range within which a measured toner density TD (%) should fall is set based on an expression (2) below using a volume average diameter Dcav_vol (&#x3bc;m) of a magnetic carrier and a volume average diameter Dtav_vol (&#x3bc;m) of a toner, the target specified range can be correctly set, thereby making it possible to consistently appropriately control the toner density.()}&#xd7;100 &#x2003;&#x2003;(2)

Development method with controlled toner density

A device including a developing roller having a magnet roller for transporting developer, and developing an electrostatic latent image, a regulating member regulating transportation amount of the developer transported to the electrostatic latent image with the development roller, and a reflux plate refluxing excess developer regulated by the regulating member away from the regulating member is constructed to comprise a rubbing member arranged to face the developing roller, at a second gap larger than a first gap defined by the developing roller and the regulating member, and rubbing developer transported to the first gap. The rubbing member carries out preliminary electrification on developer and then the regulating member carries out main electrification on the preliminarily electrified developer.

Magnet roller developing device and image forming apparatus for reducing obstructions in developer circulation path

A connection checking system of the present invention is arranged so as to apply a power supply voltage which is dropped by the resistance to a terminal when the control substrate and the unit are connected. Then, the control section determines that the unit is connected to the control substrate when the dropped voltage is applied to the terminal. On the other hand, when a dropped voltage is not applied to the terminal, the control section determines that the unit is not connected to the control substrate. The connection checking system of the present invention can be realized by using a conventional power supply cable, a signal cable and a terminal, and thus the connection checking system of the present invention can be manufactured at low costs.

Connection checking system, printer device, method of checking connected state, connection checking program, and recording medium storing connection checking program

A combined resistance R=Vt/I(MO) of a transfer belt () and a recording sheet obtained when a transfer current I(&#x3bc;A) passes through the transfer belt () and the recording sheet upon application of a first transfer bias voltage Vt(V) to a transfer roller () from a high-voltage power source () and a combined resistance R=Vt/I(MO) of the transfer belt () and the recording sheet obtained when a transfer current I(&#x3bc;A) passes through the transfer belt () and the recording sheet upon application of a second transfer bias voltage Vt(V) to the transfer roller () from the high-voltage power source (), are established to have the relationship: R/R=7 ?(I)therebetween.

Belt transfer apparatus and image forming device

Flanges are pressed into opposite ends of a photoreceptor drum. A noncontact charging roller is arranged so as to face, but have no direct contact with, the photoreceptor drum. On both end portions of the noncontact charging roller, spacers are provided for maintaing a gap between the photoreceptor drum and the noncontact charging roller. The spacers are of tape form and wound around the noncontact charging roller. Winding positions of the spacers are distant by more than an effective projection length of each of the flanges from respective opposite ends of the charging roller.

Image forming apparatus having non-contact charging roller

The cell wall removal ratio of an elastic foam body is set such that developer or other fouling material adhering to a rotatable member can be continuously absorbed through the cells of the elastic foam body during a single maintenance cycle of an image forming apparatus. For example, the cell wall removal ratio of the elastic foam body is set to at least 60% or at least 80%. When the cell wall removal ratio of the elastic foam body is set to at least 60%, good image quality can be maintained reliably until the number of sheets recorded by the image forming apparatus reaches 20000. Furthermore, when the cell wall removal ratio of the elastic foam body is set to at least 80%, good image quality can be maintained reliably until the number of sheets recorded by the image forming apparatus reaches 30000.

Cleaning apparatus for a rotatable member

An image forming apparatus includes a communication section that wirelessly communicates with an RFID tag on a toner supply container. Based on a state of communication between the RFID tag and the communication section, an amount of toner in the toner supply container is measured, or a rotational angle of the toner supply container is detected. Since it is unnecessary to additionally provide a member for measuring the amount of the toner or detecting the rotational angle, the number of components can be reduced.

Image forming apparatus, content measurement method, and method of controlling rotation of rotating member in image forming apparatus

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Osaka, Japan

Hiroshi Ishii