Konica Minolta, Inc.

Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.

Kazuya Kitamura

Tatsutoshi Yamada

Hidetoshi Noguchi

Kazutoshi Kobayashi

Masato Kimura

Kanji Nakayama

Tomohisa Yoshida

Yuusuke Mandai

Ryohei Matsuo

There is provided an image forming apparatus in which an image carrier and an elastic body may be in pressure contact with each other, and in which a toner remover may be in contact with the image carrier to remove toner remaining on the image carrier. The image forming apparatus may include: a first hardware processor that forms an image pattern in a region including at least a part of a pressure contact part of the image carrier that is in pressure contact with the elastic body when operation of the image carrier is stopped; a second hardware processor that acquires density of the image pattern formed on the image carrier; a third hardware processor that adjusts driving time of the image carrier based on the density of the image pattern; and a fourth hardware processor that drives the image carrier for the driving time.

Image forming apparatus, image forming method, and image forming program capable of preventing image quality from being lowered

Provided is an image formation device including a photoreceptor configured to carry a toner image and a developer configured to form the toner image on a surface of the photoreceptor and configured such that the developer is a replaceable development unit, the image formation device including: a development bias application section configured to apply a development bias to between the photoreceptor and the developer; a stabilization control section configured to perform image stabilization control of determining a development bias value to be used in future by changing the development bias while measuring a density of the toner image formed by the developer, thereby obtaining the toner image with a target density; and a life determination section configured to determine expiration of use of the development unit when the development bias value determined by the stabilization control falls outside a preset acceptable range.

Image formation device

An image forming device that forms an image on a sheet under an operating condition set according to a type of the sheet, includes a hardware processor that: accepts a manual input specifying any one of a plurality of types; stores manual mode setting information and automatic mode setting information; detects which of a plurality of types included in an automatic type group the type of the sheet is based on an output of a sensor; and sets an operating condition value corresponding to a type detected out of the operating condition values indicated by the automatic mode setting information as the operating condition in an automatic mode, and sets an operating condition value corresponding to the type specified by the manual input out of the operating condition values indicated by the manual mode setting information as the operating condition in a manual mode.

Image forming device

An image forming apparatus includes a photoconductor, a charging roller for charging the photoconductor, a current sensor for detecting a value of current flowing through the photoconductor or the charging roller as a result of application of voltage to the charging roller, an acquisition sensor for acquiring an environment value representing an environment state inside the image forming apparatus, and a processor configured to estimate a film thickness of the photoconductor, based on a value of current detected by the current sensor when a state in which the environment value falls within a predetermined range continues for a predetermined time or longer.

Image forming apparatus, photoconductor film thickness estimation method, and estimation program

Image formation device with life determination section for replaceable unit

A developing device is equipped with a developing roller rotationally driven for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on a surface of an image supporting body with toner, a screw rotationally driven of which a ratio of number of rotations to number of rotations of the developing roller being rotationally driven is constant, and a processor. The processor is configured to detect toner density in developer by using a sensor installed facing the screw, during rotationally drive of the screw, and detect information indicating a rotational position of the developing roller, based on ripples which occur in the toner density detected.

Developing device which can detect rotational position of developing roller

An image forming apparatus having: an image supporting member; an electrostatic latent image forming section; and a developing device. In the developing device, a supply member receives toner, polish and antifriction at a supply part. The supply member supplies the toner, the polish and the antifriction to a developing roller while conveying the toner, the polish and the antifriction in a predetermined direction along a rotation axis of the image supporting member. A developing roller develops an electrostatic latent image by supplying the toner, the polish and the antifriction to the image supporting member. A toner patch is formed on the image supporting member, in a facing area capable of facing the developing roller, such that the amount of toner adhering to the image supporting member decreases with increasing distance in the predetermined direction from the supply part. A cleaner removes the toner patch from the image supporting member.

Image forming apparatus with a controller for forming a toner patch

An image forming device including: an image carrier, being an endless belt, on which a toner image is to be formed; a resistance measuring unit operable to measure a distribution of electric resistances on a surface of the image carrier; a toner patch forming position determining unit operable to determine a position at which the toner patch is to be formed, according to a result of the measurement by the resistance measuring unit; a toner patch forming unit operable to form a toner patch on the image carrier surface at the position determined by the toner patch forming position determining unit; a toner patch detecting unit operable to detect the toner patch formed on the image carrier surface; and an image control unit operable to control a timing for forming the toner image on the image carrier surface, taking a position of the detected toner patch into account.

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Nagoya, Japan

Kazuya Kitamura