Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Kaoru Noguchi

Takashi Ushijima

Yoshitaka Zaitsu

Atsushi Kandori

Toshiyuki Ogawa

Kazuhiko Kato

Futoshi Hirose

Takahisa Kato

Yoshikatsu Ichimura

Tomoyuki Kawano

An oscillating device includes an oscillator, an elastic supporting member for movably supporting the oscillator, a first supporting frame for supporting the elastic supporting member, and a second supporting frame extending along the elastic supporting member with a spacing maintained therebetween, the second supporting member extending from the first supporting frame, wherein the second supporting frame is provided in a cantilever shape relative to the first supporting frame.

Oscillator and optical deflector having oscillator

There is provided an image forming apparatus and method capable of reducing a measurement error in a measurement result of the surface potential of an electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of an image bearing member. The measurement error occurs under the influence of an electric field generated from a pre-exposed area. Consequently, miniaturization of an image forming apparatus and consistent print quality can be achieved. The image forming apparatus includes an image forming control section for determining an error correction value corresponding to the charge state of a latent image on the basis of relationships between charge states of the latent image and error correction values which have been prepared in advance, computing an error corrected potential measurement value using the error correction value and a potential measurement value, and controlling the image forming apparatus on the basis of the error corrected potential measurement value.

Image forming apparatus and image forming method with error corrected potential measurements

A potential measurement apparatus for measuring a surface potential of an object of measurement detects a change in electric charge induced at a detection electrode due to electrostatic induction by changing a distance between the detection electrode and the object of measurement in accordance with a predetermined period, using a neutral distance as reference, as a signal representing a change in electric current. The potential measurement apparatus includes a first detection unit for detecting a signal representing a fundamental period of the change in electric current and a signal representing a second harmonic period, a second detection unit for detecting information representing a capacitance between the detection electrode at the neutral distance and the object of measurement and an arithmetic unit for computationally obtaining information on the surface potential of the object of measurement, with eliminating an influence of the neutral distance and the capacitance, according to an outcome of detection of the first detection unit and an outcome of detection of the second detection unit.

Potential measurement apparatus and image forming apparatus

A potential measurement apparatus is provided which can suitably maintain the oscillation state of an oscillator including a detection electrode and stably measure the potential of a measurement object. The potential measurement apparatus includes a bearing part, an elastic supporting part supported by the bearing part, an oscillator movably supported by the elastic supporting part, detection electrodes installed in the oscillator, a drive mechanism driving the oscillator and a signal detection unit. The signal detection unit is connected to the detection electrodes to detect electrical signals appearing in the detected electrodes. A stress detecting element for generating an electric signal according to the stress of the elastic suspension partis provided.

A potential sensor is provided in which the adhesion of toner particles to the potential sensor is reduced or prevented from occurring, reducing or preventing the occurrence of a situation that accurate detection cannot be performed. The potential sensor has a movable member, detecting electrodes formed on the movable member, a support which movably supports the movable member, a driving mechanism which drives the movable member, and a stationary member which supports the support. Between the movable member and the stationary member, a first gap is so formed as to make the movable membermovable. The first gap has a part that is not larger in width than the maximum size of toner particles when the movable member is not elastically deformed and is at a neutral position.

Potential sensor and image forming apparatus having potential sensor

An electric potential measuring apparatus includes a detecting electrode, a modulator for changing an electrostatic capacitance between a measurement object and the detecting electrode by mechanical vibration, a charge detector for detecting the amount of charges electrostatically induced in the detecting electrode by the modulator, and a vibration generating-detecting unit for selectively performing either a vibration generating function of exciting the mechanical vibration, or a detecting function of detecting the condition of the mechanical vibration.

Electric potential measuring apparatus electrostatic capacitance measuring apparatus, electric potential measuring method, electrostatic capacitance measuring method, and image forming apparatus

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Tokyo, Japan

Kaoru Noguchi