Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Yoshihiro Murasawa

Takashi Hasegawa

Hisashi Fukushima

Takeshi Menjo

Jun Asai

Masaharu Ohkubo

Yasumasa Ohtsuka

Takahiro Kubo

Satoshi Tamura

Hiroshi Sasame

Kimio Nakahata

Akio Suzuki

Yasushi Sato

Atsushi Takeda

Tatsuo Takeuchi

Masahiro Inoue

Masahiro Itoh

Hiroaki Tsuchiya

Takahiro Inoue

Yasuo Nami

Rie Saito

Tsukasa Kuge

Masashi Suda

Masanori Muramatsu

Yuji Hasegawa

Nobuyuki Kume

Seiya Nishiwaki

Rie Nakashimizu

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit for forming an image on a sheet, mode setting unit for setting a test mode for a detection of a cause for a defect in the formed image, a control unit for causing the image forming means to form a plurality of sample images by changing operating conditions of the image forming unit when the test mode is set by the mode setting unit, an input unit for manually inputting a result of comparison of the plurality of sample images and display unit, wherein the control unit determines the particulars of the detection for the cause of the defect in the formed image or contents of the test mode to be subsequently carried out in response to an input of the input unit and, at the same time, causes the display unit to perform a display of the cause for the defect in the formed image or a display of the contents of the test mode to be subsequently carried out.

Image forming apparatus having a test mode

An image forming apparatus includes image an bearing member or members; a movable recording material carrying member for carrying a recording material, with an image being transferred at a transfer position from the image bearing member or members onto a recording material carried on the recording material carrying member; and there are a plurality of recesses extending in a direction of movement of the recording material carrying member, provided on the surface of the recording material carrying member that carries the recording material.

Image forming apparatus with recording material carrying member having

The present invention provides an image forming apparatus comprising an image bearing member, and a recording material bearing member for bearing a recording material to convey the recording material to a transfer station where an image is transferred from the image bearing member onto the recording material borne on the recording material bearing member. The recording material bearing member is capable of bearing a plurality of recording materials simultaneously at different positions thereon. The images can be successively transferred onto first and second surfaces of each recording material, and, when images are formed on the second surfaces of the plurality of recording materials, during a time period in which an area of the recording material bearing member with which the first surface of the recording material was previously contacted is passing through at least the transfer position without bearing the recording material, a spacer particle layer is formed between the image bearing member and the area.

Image forming apparatus with space particle layer formed on transfer drum

An image forming apparatus includes a movable image carrier, and a plurality of developing devices for developing a latent image formed on the image carrier. The plurality of developing devices contain developing agents of different colors and are arranged in the direction of movement of the image carrier. The plurality of developing devices are arranged in an ascending order of the visual sensitivity of the colors of the developing agents from the upstream side in the direction of movement of the image carrier, for example, in one aspect cyan, magenta, yellow and black developing devices may be sequentially arranged from an upstream side to a downstream side and operated in an order of cyan, magenta, yellow and black.

Color image apparatus including a plurality of developing devices having

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member for bearing an image, a rotatable recording material bearing member for bearing a recording material and conveying the recording material to a transfer station, the image formed on the image bearing member being transferred onto the recording material born on the recording material bearing member at the transfer station, and a cleaning means capable of being contacted with a surface of the recording material bearing member to clean the surface of the recording material bearing member at a cleaning station. When a length (L1) of a recording material born on the recording material bearing member in a rotational direction of the recording material bearing member is greater than a distance (L2) from the transfer station to the cleaning station along the rotational direction of the recording material bearing member, after the image is transferred onto the recording material born on the recording material bearing member, the recording material is conveyed to the transfer station again.

Image forming apparatus having recording material bearing member

An apparatus for forming color toner images on an electrophotographic photosensitive drum and transferring the color toner images onto a transfer drum, is provided with plural color development devices positioned along the rotating direction of the photosensitive drum and opposed thereto, and the above-mentioned transfer drum of a peripheral length is capable, in the rotating direction of the photosensitive drum, of simultaneously supporting two images of a maximum length L to be formed, wherein a relation:

Color image forming apparatus for forming a color image by transferring

An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier for carrying an image, and a transfer medium bearing member for bearing and conveying a transfer medium to a transfer unit of said image carrier. The transfer medium bearing member is able to bear multiple transfer media concurrently. The apparatus includes transfer device for transferring the image of the image carrier onto the transfer medium borne on the transfer medium bearing member in the transfer unit, and a plurality of transfer media capable of being borne on the transfer medium bearing member concurrently, wherein in consecutively transferring the image onto the transfer media of the number not divisible by the maximum sheet bearing number by which said transfer medium bearing member is capable of bearing the transfer media concurrently. The number of transfer media that the transfer medium bearing member concurrently bears at the n-th time where n is a natural number equal to or greater than two, is not less than the number of transfer media that it bears concurrently at the n-1-th time. In transferring the image consecutively as above, the number of sheets that the transfer medium bearing member concurrently bears at the final time is greater than the number of transfer media that the transfer medium bearing member concurrently bears at the first time.

Image forming apparatus in which plural transfer media are carried

An image forming apparatus includes a movable image bearing member; a device for forming an image on the image bearing member, the image forming device including a developing device for forming a toner image on the image bearing member; a transfer device for transferring a toner image onto a transfer material, the transfer device including transfer material carrying member for carrying the transfer material to an image transfer station; a toner content detector for detecting toner content, the detector detecting toner content using the toner deposited on the image bearing member by the developing device; and a controller for controlling the toner content in the developing device in accordance with an output of the detector; wherein the toner for the detection is deposited on such a portion of the image bearing member as to be out of contact from the transfer material carrying member.

Transfer type image forming apparatus with toner content detection

An image forming apparatus is provided with an electrostatic latent image forming member disposed on an image bearing member and developing member for developing the latent image. A developer carring member is rotatable in a first direction to carry a developer to a developing zone to develop the electrostatic latent image and is rotatable in an opposite direction for a predetermined period when it does not develop the latent image. A stationary magnet is disposed in the developer carrying member. The magnet has a first magnetic pole and a second magnetic pole having the same magnetic polarity at positions downstream of the developing zone with respect to the first direction. The first and second magnetic poles are disposed adjacent to each other, with the second magnetic pole disposed downstream of the first magnetic pole with respect to the first direction. A container is provided for containing the developer to be carried out of the container by the rotation of the developer carrying member in the first direction. The developer is supplied to the developer carrying member in the container at a position downstream of a position where a magnetic force is minimum between the first and second magnetic poles, with respect to the first direction. During the rotation of the developer carrying member in either direction, the developer is removed from the developer carrying member by a repelling magnetic force.

Image forming apparatus including developer carrying member having

An image forming apparatus having a moving image bearing member on which a latent image is formed and developed into a visible image and a reciprocating cleaning device, such as a blade or roller, arranged to press against the surface of the image bearing member and reciprocate in a direction transverse to its movement. A suitable expendient is provided to change the reciprocating motion, e.g. by stopping it, slowing it or increasing its stroke, during latent image formation to minimize vibrations and resultant image blurs while providing good cleaning.

Image forming apparatus having reciprocating cleaning means

An image forming apparatus includes movable image bearing member, a first charger means for charging the image bearing member, first electrostatic latent image forming device for forming a first electrostatic latent image in accordance with image information on the image bearing means charged by the first charger, first developing device for developing the first electrostatic latent image, a second charger for re-charging the image bearing member, second electrostatic latent image forming device for forming a second electrostatic latent image in accordance with image information on the image bearing member recharged by the second charger, second developing device for developing the second electrostatic latent image, a dector for detecting a surface potential of the image bearing member, the detector detecting at least the surface potential at that portion of the latent image formed on the image bearing member by the first latent image forming device which is developed, after the portion is charged by the second charger, and a controller for controlling the second charger to provide a target potential of the portion and for controlling a developing bias voltage of the second developing device in accordance with the potential of the portion.

Image forming apparatus

An image processing process forms a plural microdots for each pixel, and the number of microdots increases only in one direction for representing a higher density, thereby achieving an improved linearity in the density levels without sacrificing the resolving power.

Image processing process and apparatus therefor

A recording apparatus includes a fixing device for fixing an image to be recorded, on a recording material selectively under a first fixing condition or a second fixing condition; a feeder for feeding the recording material to said fixing means selectively in a first recording material feed mode or a second recording material feed mode which is different from said first recording material feed mode; and a controller, responsive to the change of the recording material feed modes, for bringing said fixing means under the first fixing condition upon the first recording material feeding mode and to a second fixing condition, which is different from the first fixing condition, upon the second recording material feed mode.

Recording apparatus having material feed mode dependent fixing control

An image forming apparatus is used in conjunction with a signal generator for producing an image signal representing an image to be recorded. The apparatus includes a device for forming a visible image with visible material on an image bearing member. The image is represented by the image signal produced by the signal generator. A time signal is also generated by a time signal generator and a measuring circuit measures the time signal so generated as a function of the production off the image signal by the image signal generator. Finally, a warning signal that indicates insufficiency of supply of the visible material for forming an image properly by the image forming device is produced on the basis of measurement of the time signal by the measuring circuit.

Image forming apparatus for forming a visual image in accordance with

A developing apparatus wherein a thin layer of a non-magnetic developer is formed on a developer carrying member includes a developer container for containing a mixture of non-magnetic developer and magnetic particles; a device disposed adjacent to a non-magnetic developer outlet of developer container with a clearance with respect to a surface of developer carrying member, for regulating supply of the non-magnetic developer to developer carrying member surface; magnetic field generating device, disposed across developer carrying member with respect to regulating device, for forming a magnetic brush of the magnetic particles at the upstream side of regulating device with respect to movement of developer carrying member to confine the magnetic particles within developer container.

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Yokohama, Japan

Yoshihiro Murasawa