Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.

Konica Minolta, Inc.

Takayuki Takai

Takuya Okada

Chikara Tsutsui

Kazuhiro Saito

Takashi Kawanago

Tomoyuki Imura

Takuya Sasaki

Hiroshi Goto

An image forming device includes: an image carrier on which a toner image is formed; and a cleaning blade which removes a residual material on the image carrier after the toner image is transferred to a transferred body, wherein the image carrier includes an elastic layer, the cleaning blade is a metallic plate spring, and a tip end of the cleaning blade is pressed against the image carrier by restoring force of the plate spring.

Image forming device

An image forming apparatus transfers a toner image formed on an image carrier having a moving surface onto a transfer object, and includes: a cleaning member that performs a removal operation on residues remaining on the image carrier after transfer of the toner image; and a brush member that has bristles including original yarns with uneven surfaces formed by microparticles adhering to and coating the original yarns, and comes into contact with the image carrier, on a downstream side relative to the cleaning member in a movement direction of the surface of the image carrier, to remove part of the residues that remains unremoved on the image carrier even after the removal operation performed by the cleaning member.

Image forming apparatus

A cleaning device for cleaning a cleaning subject, having: a first cleaning member that rotates in a predetermined direction, thereby removing toner from the cleaning subject; a first collecting member that collects the toner removed by the first cleaning member; and a second collecting member that is positioned downstream from the first collecting member in the predetermined direction and collects the toner removed by the first cleaning member, in which, a potential difference of the first collecting member relative to the first cleaning member is opposite in polarity to a potential difference of the second collecting member relative to the first cleaning member, the first collecting member has a potential equal in polarity to that of the first cleaning member, and the potential of the first collecting member is greater in magnitude than the potential of the first cleaning member.

Cleaning device

A developing device is provided with a developer transporting member for transporting a developer containing a toner and a carrier; a toner transporting member opposite to the developer transporting member and opposite to an electrostatic latent image carrying member; a first electric field forming device, which is composed of a power source for the developer transporting member and a power source for the toner transporting member, for shifting the toner in the developer held onto the developer transporting member to the toner transporting member; and a second electric field forming device for shifting the toner held onto the toner transporting member to an electrostatic latent image on the carrying member. Operation of the first electric field forming device is controlled based on an electric current flowing in the developer transporting member power source, which is detected by a detecting block.

Developing device, and controlling method thereof

A developing device is provided with a first transporting member for transporting a developer containing a toner and a carrier; a second transporting member opposite to the first transporting member to interpose a first spatial region therebetween and opposite to an electrostatic latent image carrying member to interpose a second spatial region therebetween; a first electric field forming device, composed of first and second power sources, for shifting the toner in the developer held onto the first transporting member to the second transporting member; and a second electric field forming device, composed of the second power source, for shifting the toner held onto the second transporting member to an electrostatic latent image on the carrying member. The operation of the second electric field forming device is controlled based on electric currents flowing in the first and second power sources, which are detected by first and second detecting blocks, respectively.

A developing device includes: a developer containing a toner and a carrier; a first transporting member placed at an opening portion of a developer vessel used for housing the developer; a second transporting member that faces the first transporting member with a first area interposed therebetween, and also faces an electrostatic latent image-supporting member with a second area interposed therebetween; a first electric-field-forming unit that forms a first electric field between the first transporting member and the second transporting member; and a second electric-field-forming unit that forms a second electric field between the second transporting member and the electrostatic latent image-supporting member. An image-forming apparatus includes the above-mentioned developing device.

Developing device and image forming apparatus equipped with the same

A developing apparatus for visualizing an electrostatic latent image on an electrostatic latent image bearing member by using a developer including toner and carrier particles, has a developer including toner and carrier particles, a first transport member, a second transport member positioned to oppose to the first transport member across a first region and to the electrostatic latent image bearing member across a second region. A first electric field forming unit forms a first electric field between the first and second transport members to move the toner particles from the first transport member to the second transport member. A second electric field forming unit forms a second electric field between the second transport member and the electrostatic latent image bearing member to move the toner particles from the second transport member to the electrostatic latent image bearing member and thereby to visualize an electrostatic latent image on the image into a visible image. The developer further includes charging particles releasably retained on surfaces of the toner particles. Once released from the toner particles and then held on surfaces of the carrier particles, the third particles function to provide an electric charge of the first polarity to the toner particles by the contact therewith.

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Anjo, Japan

Takayuki Takai