Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Yoichi Kimura

Takashi Hasegawa

Satoshi Tamura

Masahiro Inoue

Isao Kumada

Haruhiko Omata

Nobuhiko Takekoshi

Yoshikuni Ito

Yoshikuni Itou

Kazuo Suzuki

Shinya Suzuki

Takahiro Kubo

Takeshi Menjo

Yoshiyuki Komiya

Fumiteru Gomi

Kiyoshi Oyama

Yuji Bessho

Kouichi Hashimoto

Satoru Fukushima

Makoto Ohki

Shigeru Matsuzaki

Hisakazu Ohkubo

Yukio Shimada

An image forming apparatus includes an electrostatic latent image forming unit for forming an electrostatic latent image on the surface of an image carrier, a developing unit for developing the electrostatic latent image with toner, a transferring unit for transferring a toner image on the image carrier onto a transfer medium in a transfer area, a test pattern forming unit for forming a test pattern, which is made of toner and used for image control, on the transfer medium, and a control unit for detecting the test pattern and executing image control. The transferring unit transfers the test pattern on the transfer medium, which has been subjected to detection, onto the image carrier, and the developing unit recovers the test pattern having been transferred onto the image carrier.

Image forming apparatus with test pattern for image control

Transfer medium bearing member and image forming apparatus employing transfer medium bearing member

An image forming apparatus of the type in which it is possible to select an image forming station for image formation from a plurality of image forming stations, includes: a plurality of image forming stations each having an image bearing member for bearing a latent image and a developing device for developing the latent image on the image bearing member by a developer; transfer members adapted to come into contact with a medium member to induce a charge and to electrostatically transfer developed images formed in the plurality of image forming stations to the medium member; and a current control portion for controlling an electric current flowing through the transfer members, wherein the current control portion effects control such that no electric current flows through the transfer member corresponding to an image forming station not being used for image formation.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member for bearing an image, a recording material bearing member for bearing a recording material electrostatically, and a transfer member for transferring the image on the image bearing member electrostatically to the recording material borne by the recording material bearing member by being put into contact with the recording material bearing member, wherein a length of a contact area between the recording material bearing member and the transfer member is less than that of a contact area between the image bearing member and the recording material borne by the recording material bearing member in a conveyance direction of the recording material bearing member, wherein the recording material bearing member has a first layer for bearing the recording material and a second layer in contact with the transfer member in an image transfer, and wherein a surface resistivity of the first layer is lower than a surface resistivity of the second layer.

Image forming apparatus having contact area between recording material bearing member and transfer means that is less than contact area between image bearing member and recording material

An image forming apparatus in which each of first and second image forming device is in contact with surfaces of first and second image bearing members from which no after-transfer residual toner is removed includes a rotating charging member contacting first and second image bearing members, and a developing unit for developing an electrostatic image on the image bearing member and rotation controlling device rotates the second image bearing member and the charging member of the second image forming device during image formation only with the first image forming device.

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member for carrying a toner image; a recording material conveyer belt for electrostatically carrying and feeding a recording material; a roller, provided on a side of the recording material conveyer belt not carrying the recording material in a separation position where the recording material is separated from the recording material conveyer belt, for supporting the recording material conveyer belt; a transfer charger for electrostatically transferring the toner image from the image bearing member onto the recording material at a transfer position; a discharge, provided across the recording material conveyer belt from the roller at the separation position, for discharging the recording material upon separation thereof from the recording material conveyer belt; wherein the roller is electrically grounded through an element in which a voltage is generated when the current is supplied thereto.

Image forming apparatus with electrically grounded roller

An image forming apparatus can form a high-quality image by preventing a failure in image transfer by preventing separation of a part of a recording material electrostatically attracted on a recording-material carrying member from the recording-material carrying member. An attracting charger is made of a rigid conductive rubber in a region at a central portion. A nonrigid conductive fur brush is planted on each of regions at both end portions of the attracting charger. Thus, a pressing force applied to the recording material differs in a direction substantially orthogonal to a direction of conveying the recording material.

Attraction member and image forming apparatus using the same

An image forming apparatus for conveying recording material. The image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member for bearing a toner image, a recording material convey belt for bearing and conveying a recording material, a roller for supporting the recording material convey belt and having an insulation layer, and an electricity removal device for removing electricity from the insulation layer. The toner image on the image bearing member is electrostatically transferred onto the recording material borne by the recording material convey belt, and the roller supports the recording material convey belt at a separation position where the recording material is separated from the recording material convey belt.

Image forming system for conveying recording material

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, latent image forming device for forming an electrostatic image on the image bearing member, the latent image forming device having a charging member contactable to the image bearing member to electrically charge the image bearing member, and the charging member being supplied with a voltage which includes an oscillation component, a developing device for developing the electrostatic latent image with toner into a toner image, the developing device being capable of removing residual toner from the image bearing member, a transfer device for transferring the toner image from the image bearing member onto a transfer material, and a frequency control device for controlling a frequency of the oscillation component so that the frequency is higher when at least a part of such an area of the image bearing member as is going to be a non-image area is charged than when such an area of the image bearing member as is going to be an image area is charged.

Image forming apparatus having an improved system for removing residual

An image forming apparatus includes a movable member carrying a recording sheet bearing a non-fixed image and a separation device for separating the recording sheet from the movable member. The separation device includes a peel member made from resin and having a resistance between 10.sup.3 and 10.sup.11 .OMEGA.) and an electricity removing charger. The peel member is supported by a support member and is positioned such that a part of the resin peel member is within the discharge area of the electricity removing charger and the support member is disposed outside the discharge area and is electrically grounded.

Image forming apparatus having transfer drum with peeling member

An image forming apparatus includes a recording material supporting member for supporting and transporting a recording material, an image forming device for forming an image on the recording material supported by the recording material supporting member, and a polishing device, having polishing particles provided on the surface thereof and a holding portion for holding the polishing particles, for polishing the recording material supporting member.

Image forming apparatus and oil cleaning member

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member for bearing an image, a movable recording material carrying member for carrying a recording material on a first side thereof, the recording material carrying member cooperating with the image bearing member to form a nip therebetween, a transfer charging member, to which a voltage is applicable, the transfer charging member being contactable to a second side of the recording material carrying member to transfer in the nip an image from the image bearing member onto a recording material carried on the recording material carrying member, a pushing member for pushing the second surface of the recording material carrying member at a first position of the recording material carrying member to increase a width, measured along a movement direction of the recording material carrying member, of the nip, wherein the first position is remote from a second position where the transfer charging member is contactable to the recording material carrying member.

Transfer drum having a pushing member for increasing the contact width

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member; recording material carrying member for carrying a recording material; a transfer charging member for transferring a toner image formed on the image bearing member onto the recording material carried on the recording material carrying member; a controller for controlling an electric current supplied from the transfer charger to the recording material carrying member to be a predetermined level; and potential applying device for applying a potential of the same polarity as that of the toner image to a backside of the recording material carrying member prior to transfer operation of the transfer charger.

The present invention provides an image forming apparatus comprising an image bearing member for bearing an image thereon, and a transfer device for transferring the image from the image bearing member to a recording material at a transfer station. Wherein a limit value of electric power supplied to the transfer device is changed between a case where an imaged portion of the image bearing member is positioned at the transfer station and a case where a non-imaged portion of the image bearing member is positioned at the transfer station.

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member for bearing an image, a transfer charging device for transferring the image from the image bearing member onto a recording material at a transfer position, a power source for supplying a voltage to the transfer charging device during an image transfer operation, and a control device for changing an output of the transfer charging device from a first level to a second level prior to arrival of an image area of the image bearing member at the transfer position, wherein the second level is higher than a third level of the output which is a level when the image area is at the transfer position.

Growing community of inventors

Numazu, Japan

Yoichi Kimura