Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Nobuyoshi Yoshida

Satoru Inami

Yoshihiro Mitsui

Kodai Hayashi

Hisashi Taniguchi

Naoki Fukushima

Koichiro Masui

Akihiro Fujiwara

Masaki Ojima

Masao Uyama

Shinya Yamamoto

Hideki Kakuta

Yuichiro Hirata

Shuhei Kawasaki

Masahito Kato

Shunsuke Matsushita

Akihisa Matsukawa

Tadashi Dojo

Ryosuke Kanai

Issei Imamura

Yosuke Kishi

Kenji Shindo

Hirokazu Fujino

Hideto Oka

An image forming apparatus that is capable of executing image forming operation includes an image bearing member, a developer carrying member that faces the image bearing member in a state of keeping a predetermined gap therefrom and develops a latent image on the image bearing member using developer, a frame that supports the developer carrying member, and applying unit that apply developing voltage, in which DC voltage and AC voltage are superimposed, to the developer carrying member. A conductive member is disposed in the frame, a detecting unit detects AC current induced in the conductive member by applying the developing voltage to the developer carrying member, and a control portion controls the applying unit. The control portion controls the developing voltage in the image forming operation, based on the AC current which the detecting unit detects in a case where the voltage is applied by the applying unit.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus detects a first current value and a second current value of currents flowing between an image bearing member and a developer carrying member. When a difference between the detected first current value and the detected second current value exceeds a threshold in a state in which the image bearing member and the developer carrying member are rotated and a first developing voltage is applied to the developer carrying member, a controller controls AC voltage applied to the developer carrying member.

Non-contact developer bias voltage control for image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a charging member, a light source, and a light quantity lowering member. The light quantity lowering member is provided so that a lowering amount of a quantity of a part of light reflected by a surface of a member at each of end portions of a charging region where the surface of the image bearing member is charged by the charging member is larger than that at a portion inside an associated end portion with respect to a rotational axis direction of the image bearing member.

Image forming apparatus and cartridge

There is provided a developing apparatus including a conveyance member configured to bend in contact with an inner wall of a conveyance chamber and convey developer, a portion configured to bend the conveyance member, and a first releasing portion configured to release the bending of the conveyance member, a deforming portion configured to bend the conveyance member moved and released from the first releasing portion, and a second releasing portion configured to release the bending of the conveyance member on the downstream side of the deforming portion in the rotational direction of the conveyance member.

Developing apparatus and process cartridge

A developing device including a containing unit configured to be arranged below a supply member and contain a developer and a developer bearing member configured to bear the developer and develop an electrostatic latent image, further includes a supply member which is configured to supply the developer to the developer bearing member, to be arranged to form a nip portion between the supply member and the developer bearing member, and to rotate in a direction in which its surface moves from an upper end to a lower end of the nip portion, and a conveyance member which is configured to convey the developer contained in the containing unit onto the supply member.

Developing device, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium using an electrophotographic method

In a development device in which a developer containing unit underlies a development chamber, a supplying member in the development chamber forms a nip portion with a developer carrier and the developer carrier and the supplying member rotate in the direction in which their respective surfaces move from an upper end to a lower end of the nip portion.

Development device, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus

A developing device causes toner to be discharged from a foam layer by an intrusion member configured to intrude into the foam layer of a supply roller, and to be supplied to above a contact region between a developing roller and the supply roller.

Developing device, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a control unit controlling first and second voltage application mechanisms and shifting a difference Vdif (=Vrs&#x2212;Vdr) between Vrs and Vdr toward polarity opposite to normal charge polarity of a developer as S decreases, where S is an absolute value of a speed difference between a circumferential speed of an image bearing member, which rotates while bearing an electrostatic latent image and a circumferential speed of a developer bearing member, which rotates at a constant circumferential speed ratio with respect to the image bearing member to develop the electrostatic latent image while bearing the developer, Vdr is a voltage that the first voltage application mechanism applies to the developer bearing member, and Vrs is a voltage that the second voltage application mechanism applies to the developer supply member.

A cleaning device includes a fixing portion provided on a frame, a cleaning member, and an accommodating portion. The cleaning member includes a blade portion contacted to an image bearing member (drum) and a supporting member. The supporting member includes one end portion where the blade portion is provided, another end portion including a portion-to-be-fixed for being fixed at the fixing portion, and a bent portion between the one end portion and the other end portion in a side remote from a surface of the drum toward an outside with respect to a line connecting the portion-to-be-fixed and a contact portion where the blade portion is contacted to the drum. The portion-to-be-fixed is provided downstream of the contact portion with respect to movement direction of the drum. Between the frame and the other end portion, a gap for permitting elastic deformation of the other end portion is provided.

Cleaning device, process cartridge and image forming apparatus

A developing device for use with an image forming apparatus, includes a developing roller for carrying a developer and for forming a developer image on an image bearing member; a supplying roller for supplying the developer to the developing roller, wherein the supplying roller has a foam layer at its surface and forms a nip between itself and the developing roller; an accommodating portion, provided below the supplying roller, for accommodating the developer; and a feeding member for feeding the developer from the accommodating portion to a location above the nip by being rotated in a direction opposite to a rotational direction of the supplying roller. The supplying roller is rotated in a direction which is from a lower end of the nip to an upper end of the nip. The supplying roller is provided so that its top is higher than a top of the developing roller.

Developing device, process cartridge and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus detects the presence or absence of a toner seal and whether a cartridge is loaded on a main body of the image forming apparatus without use of an additional redundant detection means, due to the provision of an electrically-conductive layer at the toner seal for sealing and closing an opening in a process cartridge including a developer container.

Image forming apparatus and process cartridge

An image forming apparatus includes a process cartridge. In the case where the process cartridge is a fresh cartridge, after toner (developer) is sufficiently fed to a developer carrying member in the entire longitudinal area of the developer carrying member, an initializing operation for depositing the toner on a contact portion between an image bearing member and a cleaning blade.

An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable image bearer for carrying a toner image, a charger for contacting a surface of the image bearer, a cleaning blade for contacting the image bearer surface to remove toner thereon after toner image transfer onto a transfer material, and a controller for controlling a voltage applied to the charger. The controller applies to the charger a first potential which includes a peak-to-peak voltage larger than a discharge starting voltage in an image forming operation, and applies to the charger a second voltage which includes a peak-to-peak voltage smaller than the discharge starting voltage, for at least one full rotation of the image bearer, after completion of image formation and before an AC voltage component applied to the charger is shut off.

A image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive drum having a high-lubricity state layer. In an initial rotation operation performed after mounting a process cartridge, in a main assembly of the image forming apparatus, a process cartridge in which lubricating particles are not applied in a contact area between a fresh cleaning blade and the photosensitive drum, toner is supplied only by application of a developing bias after the photosensitive drum and a developing sleeve are driven to supply and stagnate the toner in the contact area between the cleaning blade and the photosensitive drum.

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Suntou-gun, Japan

Nobuyoshi Yoshida