Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.

Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp.

Sakae Yoshioka

Masanori Kato

Jun Abe

Nobumasa Furuya

Shinichiro Fujimori

Takashi Sakamoto

Shota Oba

Ryuji Hattori

Shota Makita

Tomio Onuki

A powder supply device includes: a storage unit that stores a mixed agent including a functional material-containing powder and magnetic powder, the storage unit being provided with a discharge port through which a part of the stored mixed agent is discharged; a supply unit that holds the mixed agent and supplies the functional material-containing powder from the storage unit; and a magnetic body that covers at least a part of the discharge port and forms a nap of the mixed agent to prevent the mixed agent that is dispersed in air from flowing out through the discharge port.

Powder supply device with magnetic body that forms a nap of mixed agent

A replenishment system includes a rotator, a path, and an accumulator. The rotator is disposed above a transport path along which a developer is transported and below a replenishment path for toner. The rotator rotates about an axis extending in a transport direction of the transport path while holding the developer. The path is provided downstream of the replenishment path in a rotation direction of the rotator, along a part of an outer circumference of the rotator. The path allows the toner from the replenishment path to move therealong in the rotation direction to the transport path. The accumulator is provided in an area including the path and extending from the path outward in a radial direction of the rotator. The accumulator accumulates the developer shifted upward from the transport path.

Replenishment system, developing device, and image forming apparatus

A developing device includes a container containing developer, into which toner is supplied from a supply port provided in the upper part of the container; and a rotary member disposed so as to oppose the supply port and having a projection on the circumference thereof, the rotary member transporting the developer and accumulating the developer in the supply port when the level of the surface of the developer inside the container is higher than or equal to a threshold height, and the rotary member transporting the toner from the supply port to the container through a path formed between the rotary member and the container by pushing the toner with the projection when the level of the surface is lower than the threshold height.

Developing device and image forming apparatus

An accumulation device includes a container, an expansion mechanism, and a detector. The container has an opening through which the container receives powder. The expansion mechanism includes a separator which separates an interior of the container into a first space where the powder dropped through the opening is accumulated and a second space where the powder dropped through the opening is not accumulated. The expansion mechanism allows the first space to be enlarged by changing a state of the separator. The detector detects the powder accumulated in the first space.

Accumulation device and image forming apparatus

An image forming assembly including a first assembly that includes an image holding member which rotates by receiving a rotational driving force and holds a toner image after an electrostatic latent image is formed thereon by exposure and the toner image is formed by development and a supporting member which supports the image holding member, a second assembly that includes a developing member which is disposed adjacent to the image holding member, rotates by receiving a rotational driving force, and transports a toner to a developing region facing the image holding member and a toner holding member which holds the toner and supplies the toner to the developing member, and a connection member that includes a pressing member in which a first through hole and a second through hole are formed and that is fixed to the supporting member.

Image forming assembly and image forming apparatus

A developing device that develops an electrostatic latent image formed on an image holding member with a developer, the device including a developer transporting chamber, a developer transporting member that transports a developer in the developer transporting chamber in a transport direction with stirring, an initial developer collection chamber that, before using of the developer, collects the developer to cause a developer damming member to prevent the developer from dropping into the developer transporting chamber, and removes the developer damming member and forms an integrated space with the developer transporting chamber when the developer is used, to allow the developer to drop into the developer transporting chamber, and a ceiling member that partially narrows a passage for the developer transported by the developer transporting member, up to a height at which interference with the developer is performed, in the transport direction.

There is provided a developing device including a first developing roller that is disposed to be rotatable with a desired distance set between the first developing roller and an outer circumferential surface of a rotatable latent image holding member, transports a developer onto an outer circumferential surface thereof while holding the developer by magnetic force, and has a substantially cylindrical shape, and a second developing roller that is disposed to be rotatable with desired distances set between the second developing roller and the respective outer circumferential surfaces of the corresponding latent image holding member and the corresponding first developing roller at a position on the downstream side of the first developing roller in a rotation direction of the latent image holding member, transports the developer onto an outer circumferential surface thereof while holding the developer by magnetic force, and has a substantially cylindrical shape.

A developing device includes a first developer carrier that carries developer on a peripheral surface thereof; a second developer carrier that carries the developer on a peripheral surface thereof; a supplying section that supplies the developer to the peripheral surface of the first developer carrier; a layer thickness regulating member that regulates a layer thickness of the developer supplied to the peripheral surface of the first developer carrier by the supplying section; a first transfer magnetic pole disposed in an interior of the first developer carrier; a second transfer magnetic pole disposed in an interior of the second developer carrier; a first downstream magnetic pole disposed in the interior of the first developer carrier; and a second downstream magnetic pole disposed in the interior of the second developer carrier.

A developing device includes first and second magnet members respectively including first and second transfer magnetic poles that have different polarities, that generate a magnetic force for transferring a developer from a first developer-transporting member to a second developer-transporting member, and that are located at positions where the developer-transporting members come close to each other, wherein (B&#xd7;B)/Lis less than about 400 where L represents a distance (mm) between an outer peripheral surface portion of the first developer-transporting member, the portion facing the first transfer magnetic pole, and an outer peripheral surface portion of the second developer-transporting member, the portion facing the second transfer magnetic pole, and Band B(mT) respectively represent maximum magnetic flux densities of the first and second transfer magnetic poles in a normal line direction on outer peripheral surfaces of the first and second developer-transporting members.

Provided is a developing device including a pair of developer holding members that include a pair of cylinder members, which are disposed close to each other and rotate in the same direction at an adjacent gap at which both cylinder members are in close proximity, and a pair of magnetic force generation sections which are provided inside the pair of cylinder members respectively and generate magnetic forces for holding a developer on the cylinder members, and a pair of developing magnetic poles that are provided in the pair of magnetic force generation sections respectively, are disposed to be opposed to a latent image holding member, and are set to have the same polarity.

Developing device, image forming apparatus and image forming method

An image forming apparatus includes a latent image carrier, a container that contains a developer including a toner, developer transport members disposed so that peripheral surfaces thereof face the latent image carrier, a power supply that supplies voltages to the developer transport members, a detector that detects a toner concentration of the developer, and a controller. The controller performs control so that the power supply supplies to the developer transport members, when the toner concentration detected by the detector is higher than a predetermined upper limit, voltages having waveforms that generating a potential difference therebetween that causes the toner concentration of the developer distributed to a most downstream developer transport member to decrease and the toner concentration of the developer distributed to at least one of the developer transport members that is disposed upstream of the most downstream developer transport member to increase.

Image forming apparatus

A developing device includes a developing roller; a housing that retains the developing roller such that the developing roller has exposed and unexposed portions, end portions of the housing having first faces curved along the unexposed portion and second faces facing inward; a layer-thickness regulating member having an edge near the developing roller; a first magnet including a first magnetic pole that attracts the developer and a second magnetic pole located downstream of the first magnetic pole and upstream of the exposed portion in a rotational direction of the developing roller, the second magnetic pole having a magnetic force of about 60 mT or less; second magnets retained on the first faces; and magnetic plates retained on the second faces and arranged such that developer chains formed thereon at the downstream ends in the rotational direction extend to positions upstream of the edge of the layer-thickness regulating member.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Sakae Yoshioka