Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.

Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp.

Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.

Subaru Corporation

Yusuke Fukuda

Katsuyuki Kitajima

Takafumi Koide

Masataka Kuribayashi

Yasuhisa Morooka

Naoki Ota

Shota Oshima

Teppei Yawada

Masahiro Uchida

Tatsuhiro Igarashi

Makoto Kamisaki

Kana Yoshida

Satomi Hara

Koji Funaba

Kohtaro Shiino

Yuma Kubo

Jun Sekiya

Naoki Shimada

Atsushi Yoshitake

Tadashi Numanoi

Tatsuro Suzuki

Mitsuharu Minami

Hirokazu Okamoto

Hiroyuki Oiwa

Tomohiro Kominami

An image forming apparatus includes: an electrophotographic photoreceptor; a charging device that charges a surface of the electrophotographic photoreceptor; an electrostatic charge image-forming device that forms an electrostatic charge image on the charged surface of the electrophotographic photoreceptor; a developing device that stores a developer containing a toner, and supplies the developer to develop the electrostatic charge image on the surface of the electrophotographic photoreceptor into a toner image, wherein the developing device has: a first developing member that is disposed to face the electrophotographic photoreceptor, holds the developer, and transports the developer to a development region; a second developing member that is disposed downstream of the first developing member in a rotation direction of the electrophotographic photoreceptor so as to face the electrophotographic photoreceptor, holds the developer, and transports the developer to a development region; a first power source that applies, to the first developing member, a developing voltage obtained by superimposing an AC voltage on a DC voltage; and a second power source that applies, to the second developing member, a developing voltage obtained by superimposing an AC voltage on a DC voltage; a transfer device that transfers the toner image on the surface of the electrophotographic photoreceptor to a surface of a recording medium; a fixing device that fixes the toner image to the surface of the recording medium; and a control device that acquires image information regarding the toner image, and controls at least one of the first power source and the second power source according to the image information such that the AC voltage of the developing voltage applied to the second developing member has a lower frequency than the AC voltage of the developing voltage applied to the first developing member.

Image forming apparatus

A conveying device includes a conveying member that conveys a spray-receiving medium to be sprayed with pressure sensitive adhesive particles having a pressure-induced phase transition property, containing at least a binder resin, and having a sulfur content of 0.1 mass % or more and 0.5 mass % or less relative to an entirety of the pressure sensitive adhesive particles as measured by X-ray fluorescence; and a removing member that contacts the conveying member and removes the pressure sensitive adhesive particles remaining on the conveying member.

Conveying device and image forming apparatus

A particle conveying device includes a storage portion that stores pressure sensitive adhesive particles that contain at least a binder resin, have a pressure-induced phase transition property, and have a sulfur content in a range of 0.1 mass % or more and 0.5 mass % or less relative to the entire pressure sensitive adhesive particles as measured by X-ray fluorescence; and a conveying member that is disposed in the storage portion and rotates about a shaft that extends in one direction inside the storage portion to thereby convey the pressure sensitive adhesive particles in a direction along the shaft inside the storage portion.

Particle conveying device and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes an image holding member, a charging unit, an electrostatic image forming unit, a developing unit that includes an electrostatic image developer and develops the electrostatic image with the electrostatic image developer, a transfer unit, a fixing unit, a replenishment toner container that includes a replenishment toner that is to be supplied into the developing unit and discharges the replenishment toner by rotation of the replenishment toner container, a replenishment toner container mounting unit that holds the replenishment toner container and rotates the replenishment toner container, and a toner supply pass that connects the replenishment toner container mounting unit to the developing unit. The replenishment toner includes toner particles and silica particles having a number average particle size of 110 nm to 130 nm, a large-diameter-side number particle size distribution index (upper GSDp) of less than 1.080, and an average circularity of 0.94 to 0.98, wherein 80 number % or more of the silica particles have a circularity of 0.92 or more.

Image forming apparatus and toner cartridge

An image forming apparatus includes an image holding member, a charging unit that charges the surface of the image holding member, an electrostatic charge image forming unit that forms an electrostatic charge image on the charged surface of the image holding member, a developing unit that includes a developer containing toner particles containing a release agent having a melting temperature ranging from 60&#xb0; C. to 100&#xb0; C. and that develops the electrostatic charge image on the surface of the image holding member with the developer to form a toner image, a transferring unit that transfers the toner image formed on the surface of the image holding member to the surface of a recording medium, and a fixing unit that fixes the toner image transferred to the surface of the recording medium, wherein the fixing unit includes an endless member to be heated, the endless member contacts with the toner image transferred to the surface of the recording medium; a pressure member that presses the endless member to form a nipping region between the pressure member and the endless member; a first heater that is in contact with the inner surface of the endless member in the nipping region to heat the endless member; a second heater that is disposed in contact with the endless member and downstream of the first heater in the operational direction of the endless member to heat the endless member; and a collection member that is disposed in the vicinity of the second heater so as to face the outer surface of the endless member and that collects particles.

An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier; a charging section that charges the surface of the image carrier; an electrostatic-charge-image-forming section that forms an electrostatic charge image on the charged surface of the image carrier; a developing section that contains toner for electrostatic charge image development and develops the electrostatic charge image on the surface of the image carrier into a toner image using the toner; a replenishment toner supplying section that supplies the toner to the developing section, the replenishment toner supplying section including a replenishment toner cartridge, the replenishment toner cartridge containing the toner, having a cap and a body, and detachably attached to the image forming apparatus, the cap being at a first axial end of the replenishment toner cartridge and having an outlet for the replenishment toner to be ejected therethrough, whereas the body having a ridged portion by which the toner inside is moved in the direction from a second axial end of the replenishment toner cartridge to the outlet as the body rotates; a transfer section that transfers the toner image formed on the surface of the image carrier to the surface of a recording medium; and a fixing section that fixes the toner image transferred to the surface of the recording medium. The toner satisfying the following relations: (ln &#x3b7;(T)&#x2212;ln &#x3b7;(T))/(T&#x2212;T)&#x2264;&#x2212;0.14; (ln &#x3b7;(T)&#x2212;ln &#x3b7;(T))/(T&#x2212;T)&#x2265;&#x2212;0.15; and (ln &#x3b7;(T)&#x2212;ln &#x3b7;(T))/(T&#x2212;T)&#x3c;(ln &#x3b7;(T)&#x2212;ln &#x3b7;(T))/(T&#x2212;T), where &#x3b7;(T) represents a viscosity of the toner at 60&#xb0; C., &#x3b7;(T) represents a viscosity of the toner at 90&#xb0; C., and &#x3b7;(T) represents a viscosity of the toner at 130&#xb0; C.

An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier; a charging unit that charges a surface of the image carrier; an electrostatic image forming unit that forms an electrostatic image on the charged surface of the image carrier; a developing unit that contains an electrostatic image developing toner and develops the electrostatic image formed on the surface of the image carrier with the electrostatic image developing toner to form a toner image; a transfer unit that transfers the toner image formed on the surface of the image carrier to a recording medium; a cleaning unit that removes the electrostatic image developing toner remaining on the surface of the image carrier; a first supply unit that has a replenishment toner transport path for transporting a replenishment toner for the electrostatic image developing toner and supplies the replenishment toner to the developing unit; a second supply unit that collects the electrostatic image developing toner removed by the cleaning unit, that has a collected toner transport path for transporting the collected toner to the developing unit, and that supplies the collected toner to the developing unit; and a fixing unit that fixes the toner image transferred to the recording medium. The electrostatic image developing toner contains toner particles and an external additive and satisfies the following inequalities: (ln &#x3b7;(T1)&#x2212;ln &#x3b7;(T2))/(T1-T2)&#x2264;&#x2212;0.14, (ln &#x3b7;(T2)&#x2212;ln &#x3b7;(T3))/(T2-T3)&#x2265;&#x2212;0.15, (ln &#x3b7;(T1)&#x2212;ln &#x3b7;(T2))/(T1-T2)&#x3c;(ln &#x3b7;(T2)&#x2212;ln &#x3b7;(T3))/(T2-T3), wherein &#x3b7;(T1) represents a viscosity of the electrostatic image developing toner at 60&#xb0; C., &#x3b7;(T2) represents a viscosity of the electrostatic image developing toner at 90&#xb0; C., and &#x3b7;(T3) represents a viscosity of the electrostatic image developing toner at 130&#xb0; C.

An image forming apparatus includes an image holding member, a developing device, and a supplying device including a storage unit and a transport unit, wherein the storage unit stores toner and includes a bag having a flexible material, the transport unit uses suction pressure to transport the toner from the storage unit and supplies to the developing device, the toner contains an amorphous polyester resin, toner particles of the toner have a weight average molecular weight Mw and a number average molecular weight Mn, the weight average molecular weight Mw is in a range of 25,000 to 60,000, a ratio Mw/Mn is in a range the range of 5 to 10, a ratio (P2/P1) of a peak height of an absorption peak of the toner particles at a wavenumber of 820 cm(P2) to a peak height of the absorption peak at a wavenumber of 720 cm(P1) is 0.4 or less, and a ratio (P3/P1) of a peak height of the absorption peak of the toner particles at a wavenumber of 1500 cm(P3) to the peak height of the absorption peak at the wavenumber of 720 cm(P1) is 0.6 or less.

Image forming apparatus comprising a supplying device including a storage and a transport unit

An image forming apparatus includes an image holding member, a charging device that charges a surface of the image holding member, an electrostatic charge image forming device that forms an electrostatic charge image on the charged surface of the image holding member, a developing device that has an electrostatic charge image developer containing an electrostatic charge image developing toner and that develops the electrostatic charge image to form a toner image on the surface of the image holding member, and a transfer device that transfers the toner image onto a recording medium, wherein the transfer device includes a belt member and a transfer member, the belt member has an outer surface that contacts the image holding member, and the belt member is winding around the image holding member and the transfer member; and the toner has a binder resin containing an amorphous polyester resin.

An image forming apparatus includes an image holding member, a charging unit, an electrostatic charge image forming unit, a developing unit, a transfer unit, and a cleaning unit having a cleaning blade that is in contact with the surface of the image holding member to clean the surface of the image holding member, wherein in the cleaning device, a variation in a load applied by the cleaning blade to the image holding member in a slide test is 1.5 gf/mm or less, wherein in the slide test, an image holding member which has a diameter of 30 mm and with which the cleaning blade is in contact at a contact angle of 23&#xb0; and a pressing pressure of 4.0 gf/mm is rotated 100,000 times at a rotational speed of 175 mm/sec to slide the cleaning blade.

Image forming apparatus with cleaning unit

An image forming apparatus includes an image holding member, a charging unit; an electrostatic image forming unit, a development unit, a transfer unit; a fixing unit, and a cleaning unit. A toner for electrostatic image development contains a binder resin containing an amorphous resin and a crystalline resin, and paraffin wax. The toner has a volume-average particle diameter of 6 &#x3bc;m to 9 &#x3bc;m, a shape factor SF1 of 140 or more, and a toluene insoluble content within a range of 25% to 40%. The melting temperature of the paraffin wax is 60&#xb0; C. or more and 80&#xb0; C. or less. The absolute value of difference between the melting temperature of the crystalline resin and the melting temperature of the paraffin is 10&#xb0; C. or less.

An image forming apparatus includes a transfer unit which includes a belt member having an outer peripheral surface which contacts an image holding member, and a transfer member, and the belt member is wound around both of the image holding member and the transfer member, wherein a toner to be used includes a binder resin containing an amorphous resin and a crystalline resin and has specific physical properties described in the specification, and paraffin wax having a melting temperature of 60&#xb0; C. to 80&#xb0; C., and an absolute value of a difference between the melting temperature of the crystalline resin and the melting temperature of the paraffin wax is 10&#xb0; C. or less.

An image forming apparatus includes an image holding member, a charging unit, an electrostatic charge image forming unit, a developing unit, a transfer unit, a fixing unit including a fixing belt, a pressurizing rotator that forms a nip by pressurizing an outer peripheral surface of the fixing belt, a sliding member that slides on an inner peripheral surface of the fixing belt in the nip, and a pressing member that presses the fixing belt in the direction of the pressurizing rotator, wherein a toner to be used includes a binder resin containing an amorphous resin and a crystalline resin and has specific physical properties described in the specification, and paraffin wax having a melting temperature of 60&#xb0; C. to 80&#xb0; C., and an absolute value of a difference between the melting temperature of the crystalline resin and the melting temperature of the paraffin wax is 10&#xb0; C. or less.

An image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit including a fixing belt, a pressurizing rotator that forms a nip portion between the fixing belt and the pressurizing rotator by pressurizing an outer peripheral surface of the fixing belt, a first heating rotator that is provided so as to contact an inner peripheral surface of the fixing belt in the nip portion and heats the fixing belt, and a second heating unit that heats the fixing belt separately from the first heating rotator, wherein a toner to be used has physical properties described in the specification and includes an amorphous resin, a crystalline resin, and paraffin wax having a melting temperature of 60&#xb0; C. to 80&#xb0; C., and an absolute value of a difference in a melting temperature between the crystalline resin and the paraffin wax is 10&#xb0; C. or less.

An image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit that includes a heating and pressurizing member, and fixes the toner image by performing the operation of heating and pressurizing on the toner image on a recording medium twice or more times with the heating and pressurizing member, wherein the toner contains a toner particle which contains a binder resin containing a crystalline polyester resin, a colorant, and a release agent, and an external additive, and satisfies Expression: 2&#x2264;tan &#x3b4;&#x2264;2.5, wherein tan &#x3b4;represents a maximum value of a mechanical loss tangent existing in a range where a complex elastic modulus is from 1&#xd7;10Pa to 1&#xd7;10Pa, which is measured at an angular frequency of 6.28 rad/sec and a distortion amount of 0.3%.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Yusuke Fukuda