Seiko Epson Corporation

Toshiya Takahata

Hiroshi Ito

Takehiko Okamura

Toshihiko Yamazaki

Nobumasa Abe

Tatsuro Osawa

Tahei Ishiwatari

Akira Kubota

Ken Yoshizuka

Yoichiro Irie

Hideki Okada

Kazuhiro Ichikawa

Yoshiro Koga

Keiichi Taguchi

Hiroshi Miyazawa

Nobuyuki Mizushima

Kuniaki Tanaka

Yasuhito Hirashima

Tatsuro Ohsawa

Toshiaki Kakutani

Hitoshi Fukushima

Kazuhiko Iida

Nobuyuki Yanase

An image forming apparatus, for example, that is capable of accurately writing information into a developing unit or the like having an element is achieved. An image forming apparatus comprises: an attach/detach section to and from which a developing unit having an element into which information can be written and a developer containing section can be attached and detached; a photoconductor on which a latent image can be formed; a writing member for writing information into the element; and an AC voltage supply section for supplying an AC voltage. During a period from a start to an end of an image forming process, the writing member writes information into the element of the developing unit attached to the attach/detach section when the AC voltage supply section is not supplying an AC voltage.

Image forming apparatus, developing unit, and computer system

Image forming apparatus developing unit and computer system

An image forming apparatus and a computer system having an efficient communication system are achieved. The image forming apparatus etc. is provided with an antenna that is capable of wirelessly communicating both with the developing-unit element of the developing unit attached to the developing unit attach/detach section and with the photoconductor-unit element of the photoconductor unit attached to the photoconductor unit attach/detach section. Further, when R is an outermost diameter of a path traced by the developing units and r is an outermost diameter of a path traced by the elements when the rotating member is rotated with the developing units attached to the attach/detach sections, then a relationship R&#x3e;r is satisfied.

An image forming apparatus is provided with: a moving body provided with a plurality of attach/detach sections, wherein a developing unit is attachable to and detachable from each of the attach/detach sections, and the developing unit has a developer containing section and an element with which communication is possible; a photoconductor on which a latent image can be formed; and an antenna for wirelessly communicating with the element of the developing unit attached to the attach/detach section; wherein a longitudinal direction of the antenna is in a direction of movement of the moving body. Further, during a period from when the developing unit arrives at the opposing position until when it arrives at the detaching position due to movement of the moving body, a writing member writes information into the element of the developing unit.

Image formation device, development unit, and computer system

An electrostatic latent image is formed on a rotary image carrier. A developer is provided with at least one developing roller which is separatably abutted on the image carrier at a developing position to supply toner onto the image carrier to make the latent image visible as a toner image. An intermediate transfer member is adapted to temporarily hold the toner image. A transferer applies a transfer bias to primarily transfer the toner image on the image carrier to the intermediate transfer member. A first cleaner is always abutted on the image carrier to remove toner remaining thereon. A second cleaner is separatably abutted on the intermediate transfer member to remove toner remaining thereon. The toner image includes a first toner image which is not to be transferred onto the recording medium and a second toner image which is to be secondarily transferred onto a recording medium. The second cleaner is separated from the intermediate transfer member so as to avoid the first toner image.

Image forming apparatus

A recording medium carrier system of an image forming apparatus is constituted by independent units as a paper supply cassette, a paper feed unit, a transfer unit, a fixing unit, and a paper ejecting unit. An intermediate transfer unit in the transfer unit is provided with an intermediate transfer belt to which a toner image formed on a photoconductive drum is primarily transferred at a primary transfer position and which secondarily transfers the toner image on a recording medium at a secondary transfer position, and a driving roller for circulating the intermediate transfer belt. The primary transfer position is arranged close to the driving roller.

Image transfer unit having an intermediate transfer belt to which a toner image is applied

An electrostatic latent image is formed on an image carrier. A developing roller is separatably abutted on the image carrier at a developing position to supply toner onto the image carrier to make the latent image visible as a toner image. The toner image is transferred onto a transfer member. A cleaner is abutted on the image carrier to remove toner remained thereon. A toner supplier supplies toner onto the image carrier while the developing roller is separated from the image carrier.

Intermediate transfer unit having a primary transfer member and a secondary transfer roller

Intermediate transfer unit having a primary and a secondary transfer member

A latent image is formed on a photoreceptor. Each of a plurality of toner carriers carries toner of a single color to be transferred onto the photoreceptor to make the latent image visible. Each of the toner carriers is fixed at a predetermined distance from a surface of the photoreceptor. A first bias supplier supplies a first bias required to transfer the toner to the photoreceptor to one of the toner carriers which is subjected to a developing operation. A second bias supplier supplies a second bias which is not enough to transfer the toner to the photoreceptor to the other toner carriers which are not subjected to the developing operation.

Intermediate transfer unit

A toner comprising: a plurality of mother particles; and a plurality of external additive particles to be attached to the mother particles, the external additive particles including external additive particles attached to the mother particle and external additive particles liberated from the mother particles, wherein an inclination (particle sizes of the external additives/particle sizes of the mother particles) of an approximation straight line obtained by approximating distribution of particle sizes of the external additives with respect to the particle sizes of the mother particles by a least-square method is not larger than 0.6. Also, disclosed is an image forming apparatus using the toner.

Toner and development unit and image forming apparatus using the same

An image forming apparatus for forming an image on both of a first side and a second side which are the right side and the back side of recording material, which comprises an image carrier on the surface of which a toner image is formed, a transfer member for forming a transfer part between the transfer member and the image carrier to transfer the toner image on the image carrier onto the recording material, a transfer voltage applying section for applying transfer voltage to the transfer member, a fixing member for heating the recording material, on which the toner image is transferred by the transfer member, passed therethrough to fix the toner image on the recording material, a reversing path for reversing the two sides of the recording material passed through the fixing member and returning the reversed recording material to the transfer part again, a timer section for measuring elapsed time since the recording material, on the first side of which a toner image is transferred, passes through the fixing member until the transfer of a toner image on the second side is started when an image is formed on the first and second sides of the recording material, a humidity detecting section for detecting humidity, and a control section for selecting transfer voltage for transferring a toner image on the second side of the recording material based upon elapsed time measured by the timer section and humidity detected by the humidity detecting section.

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Nagano, Japan

Toshiya Takahata