Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, a guide portion provided to a supporting member, engages a cartridge and guides the cartridge, to move the cartridge toward a mounting portion. A regulated portion provided to a frame, and a regulating portion provided to the supporting member, regulates the position of the regulated portion when the cartridge is at a position not engaged with the guide portion. The supporting member is configured with an upstream side of a light emitting surface being opened with regard to mounting the cartridge to the mounting portion in the mounting direction. A gap is formed between the frame and the light emitting surface when the regulated portion is in contact with the regulating portion and the position of the regulated portion is being regulated.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing member, a temperature measurement sensor, a movement mechanism, a movement time calculation section, a movement position calculation section, and a temperature control section. The movement mechanism moves the temperature measurement sensor to scan non-heated regions and a heated region along a width direction of the fixing member. The movement time calculation section obtains an arrival time on the basis of a temperature change measured by the temperature measurement sensor due to movement of the temperature measurement sensor. The movement position calculation section calculates the movement position on the basis of a ratio of a second movement time to a first movement time. The temperature control section performs temperature control on the fixing member on the basis of the movement position calculated by the movement position calculation section, and the temperature measured by the temperature measurement sensor.

Abstract: A sensor includes a light emitter and a photodetector. The light emitter outputs light with which a toner pattern or a surface material of an image carrier is irradiated. The photodetector receives reflection light from the toner pattern or the surface material. The sensor light intensity control unit provides a control voltage to the light emitter and thereby controls light intensity of the light emitter. The density determining unit determines a toner density on the basis of output of the photodetector. Further, the density determining unit (a) determines as a correction parameter a first-order coefficient of the control voltage of the light emitter for an output voltage of the photodetector corresponding to reflection light from the surface material, (b) determines a correction amount corresponding to the correction parameter and the toner density, and (c) corrects the toner density on the basis of the correction amount.

Abstract: There is provided an image forming apparatus including a main body and a cartridge having an image carrier and a first coupling configured to rotate the image carrier. The main body includes a second coupling, a rotator and a receiving member. The second coupling is configured to rotate together with the first coupling about a rotation axis coaxially with the first coupling. The rotator includes gear teeth. The rotator is configured to rotate the second coupling in response to receiving the drive force from the drive source, and to rotate together with the second coupling about the rotation axis coaxially with the second coupling. The rotator, which is configured to rotate about the rotation axis coaxially with the first coupling configured to rotate the image carrier, overlaps with the receiving member when viewed from an axial direction parallel to the rotation axis.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developer carrying member for developing an electrostatic image with a developer, a developer container including a developing opening, and a developer supplying member for supplying the developer to a developing chamber through the developing opening. The developer supplying member includes a shaft member rotatably supported by the developer accommodating portion and a feeding member, wherein the feeding member includes a first feeding portion and a second feeding portion. The first feeding portion is provided in a downstream side, and the second feeding portion is provided in an upstream side with respect to a rotational direction of the shaft member.

Abstract: According to an embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes a developing device including a toner receiving portion configured to contain toner and a movable part moveable at a first speed and a second speed, the moveable part at least partially disposed within the toner receiving portion, a temperature sensor disposed adjacent to the developing device, and a control unit operatively coupled to the temperature sensor and the developing device, wherein the control unit controls the movable part to move at a first speed when the temperature sensor detects a temperature less than a first temperature and controls the movable part to move at a second speed lower than the first speed when the detected temperature is less than a second temperature that is greater than the first temperature.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus that transfers an image from an image carrier onto a sheet passing between the image carrier rotating and a transfer member includes a fixing unit configured to thermally fix the image on the sheet while nipping and conveying the sheet with a pair of fixing members after the transfer, at least one of the fixing members rotating; a measuring unit configured to measure surface movement speed of the sheet in a non-contact manner while the sheet is being conveyed by the fixing members; and a control unit configured to control rotation speed of the fixing members in accordance with a result of the measurement, to adjust speed of conveyance of the sheet to a target speed determined beforehand for peripheral speed of the image carrier, the control being performed while the sheet being conveyed is in contact with the transfer member and the fixing members.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus includes a coupling recess to be engaged with a coupling protrusion to rotate the coupling protrusion, a second gear portion to be engaged with a gear to rotate the gear, and a driving force transmitter that is rotatable about a predetermined rotational axis. A torque required to rotate the gear is larger than a torque required to rotate the second gear portion in a state where the coupling recess does not engage the coupling protrusion.

Abstract: A gear unit includes a bearing configured to rotatably support a developer bearing member for developing an electrostatic image, a developing gear configured to include an engaging portion that engages with a shaft of the developer bearing member, at least one drive transmission gear configured to be engaged with the developing gear in such a manner that drive force is transmitted between the gears, and a cover member configured to be attached to the bearing so as to sandwich the developing gear between the bearing and the cover member, wherein the cover member supports the developing gear until the developing gear is engaged with the developer bearing member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a charging member, an image forming portion, a notifying member, a cleaning member, a detecting member, an acquiring portion, and a controller. The charging member is disposed to be in contact with the image bearing member, and charges the image bearing member. The image forming portion forms a developer image. The notifying member notifies of information relevant to a lifetime of the charging member. The cleaning member is in contact with the image bearing member, and removes the developer on the image bearing member. The detecting member detects driving torque of the image bearing member. The acquiring portion acquires specification information relevant to a specification of the cleaning member.

Abstract: An accommodating container includes: an accommodating chamber, provided with an opening, for accommodating a developer; a seal member for unsealably sealing the opening; and a rotatable member rotatably supported inside the accommodating chamber. The seal member includes a sealing portion for sealing the opening, a connecting portion connected with the rotatable member, and at least one hole provided between the sealing portion and the connecting portion. The rotatable member includes a shaft portion and at least one projection extending in a direction of being spaced from the shaft portion. The hole and the projection are provided to establish a non-overlapping positional relationship with respect to a direction along the shaft portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, including a casing, a toner cartridge, and a process cartridge, is provided. The toner cartridge detachably attached to the casing stores toner therein. The process cartridge detachably attached to the casing includes a developing unit and a drum unit. The developing unit includes a developer roller and a toner conveyer tube. The toner conveyer tube has a first opening, through which the toner from the toner cartridge is acceptable into the toner conveyer tube while the toner cartridge and the process cartridge are attached to the casing. The drum unit includes a photosensitive drum supporting the toner conveyer tube by contacting a circumferential surface of the toner conveyer tube. The developing unit is pivotable with respect to the drum unit with the toner conveyer tube and the drum unit being slidable on each other.

Abstract: This conductive endless belt can suppress a reduction in toner releasability. The conductive endless belt is used in an image forming apparatus and includes at least an endless base layer and a surface layer formed on an outermost surface of an outer periphery of the base layer. The surface layer is formed from a resin composition including ultraviolet curable resin and silicone resin. The silicone resin includes polysiloxane containing, per molecule, 4 or more of at least one of an acryloyl group and a methacryloyl group.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a forming part that forms an image on a ribbon-like medium that is being transported; and a fixing part disposed downstream of the forming part in a medium transport direction, the fixing part including multiple fixing members, which are arranged in the transport direction and fix the image to the medium by applying heat and pressure to the medium. An upstream-downstream tension difference, in the medium transport direction, of the fixing member located on the most upstream side in the transport direction is greater than those of the other fixing members in the medium transport direction.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes the following. A heating unit includes an outer surface driven to rotate and heats a sheet on which color material is transferred. A reflecting unit reflects heat emitted from the heating unit. The reflecting unit further includes, a covering unit which covers at least a portion of the outer surface of the heating unit so that there is a predetermined space; and a movable unit which is provided in the covering unit and which can be switched between a first position and a second position in which air in the space can flow more easily than the first position. The fixing apparatus also includes, a switching unit which switches the movable unit between the first position and the second position; and a controller which controls the switching unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a movable endless belt, a toner image forming unit, a movable transfer member, a voltage source, a setting portion. When a maximum cumulative value in a case where a length in which an adjusting toner image is formed with respect to a movement direction of the belt at a plurality position with respect to a widthwise direction of the belt perpendicular to the movement direction is accumulated is defined as a representative cumulative value, the setting portion sets the second voltage when the adjusting toner image passing through the transfer portion is a first adjusting toner image so as to be lower than the second voltage when the adjusting toner image passing through the transfer portion is a second adjusting toner image smaller in representative cumulative value than the first adjusting toner image.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a first power source that supplies a charging voltage to a charger; a second power source that supplies a developing voltage to a developer; a first current detector that detects a current in the charger; a second current detector that detects a current in the developer; an OR circuit to which a first detection signal of the first current detector and a second detection signal of the second current detector are input; and a controller that determines an error related to the first power source or the photoreceptor or an error related to the second power source or the developer on the basis of an output signal of the OR circuit, which is output correspondingly to a level of the first detection signal or a level of the second detection signal.

Abstract: A drive device, which is incorporated in an image forming apparatus, includes a drive motor and a plurality of gears driven by the drive motor. The plurality of gears include at least two gears disposed coaxially with each other and have a plurality of meshing portions. Each meshing portion is formed between a pair of gears of the plurality of gears. A difference between respective gear mesh frequencies of the plurality of meshing portions is set equal to or smaller than 100 Hz.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes first and second heaters and a controller. The first and second heaters have a same light distribution and heat a roller of an image fixing unit. The second heater generates a less heat amount than the first heater. The controller applies a drive voltage to a heater of the heaters. When a heat amount generated by the second heater has increased to a first threshold value by the controller controlling the drive voltage, the controller switches the drive-voltage-applied heater from the second heater to the first heater. When a heat amount generated by the first heater has decreased to a second threshold value smaller than the first threshold value by the controller controlling the drive voltage, the controller switches the drive-voltage-applied heater from the first heater to the second heater.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearer on which an image is formed; a transfer device to form a transfer portion between the image bearer and the transfer device; a voltage application device to apply a transfer voltage to the transfer device to transfer the image from the image bearer to a transfer target at the transfer portion; an abnormality sensor to detect an abnormal level of the transfer voltage; a temperature sensor to detect an ambient temperature; and a control circuit. The control circuit controls the voltage application device to continue applying the transfer voltage irrespective of whether the abnormality sensor has detected the abnormal level of the transfer voltage when a detection temperature of the temperature sensor is below a predetermined temperature.