Abstract: During non-image formation, an exposure unit exposes an image formable region on the image bearing member surface charged by a charging member to light, and, in a state where toner is able to be supplied from a developing member to the image bearing member, during a period from when a developing voltage starts to be changed from a first developing voltage to a second developing voltage smaller than the first developing voltage until the developing voltage is completed to be changed to the second developing voltage. A controller controls the exposure unit so that, after the image bearing member surface exposed to light with a first exposure amount by the exposure unit passes through a development portion, the image bearing member surface exposed to light with a second exposure amount smaller than the first exposure amount by the exposure unit passes through the development portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a development device which develops an electrostatic latent image formed on a photosensitive drum into a toner image; a charger which charges the photosensitive drum; a development power supply which applies a bias voltage to the development device; a calculating section which calculates a surface potential of the photosensitive drum based on a development current flowing in the development device; and an estimating section which estimates a fogging toner amount. The fogging toner amount is an amount of toner moved due to fogging. When the fogging toner amount estimated by the estimating section is less than a prescribed threshold, the calculating section calculates a value of the bias voltage at which the development current stops flowing as the surface potential.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, having a photosensitive drum, a developing roller movable between a contacting position, in which the developing roller contacts the photosensitive drum, and a separated position, in which the developing roller is separated from the photosensitive drum, a moving mechanism to move the developing roller between the contacting position and the separated position, a fuser including a heating member and a pressing member to nip a sheet at a position between the heating member and the pressing member, a nipping-force adjuster to switch a nipping force in the fuser between a first nipping force and a second nipping force being greater than the first nipping force, a motor, and a driving-force transmitter to transmit a driving force from the motor to the developing roller, is provided. The driving-force transmitter transmits the driving force further to the moving mechanism and the nipping-force adjuster.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a heating device including a rotator member, a heating member configured to heat the rotator member. The heating member is switchable between a first heat generation state in which an amount of heat generated on a first side is larger than an amount of heat generated on a second side in the intersection direction and a second heat generation state in which the amount of heat generated on the second side is larger than the amount of heat generated on the first side, The image forming apparatus is configured to switch between the first heat generation state and the second heat generation state while executing a job of continuously forming an image on a plurality of recording media having a same length in the intersecting direction.

Abstract: Disclosed is a sheet conveying apparatus which includes a rotating member rotatably supported with respect to a frame by a first hinge and a second hinge such that the rotating member is rotatable between a first position where a conveying member for conveying a sheet is covered and a second position where the conveying member is exposed. In the horizontal direction, a position where a first portion of the first hinge is arranged is substantially the same as that of a third portion of the second hinge, and a fourth portion of the second hinge is arranged with respect to the second portion of the first hinge such that a center position of a second scale is located at a position farther from a gravity center of the rotating member than a center position of a first scale.

Abstract: A high-voltage electrical circuit board is located in a first region that is a region at one side of photosensitive drums in a first direction and outside of the photosensitive drums in the first direction. A first motor drives a conveyance mechanism. A second motor is located in a second region and drives each photosensitive drum. A third motor is located in the second region and drives each developing roller to rotate and to drive a separation mechanism configured to individually move the developing rollers between a contact position and a separation position. A control board is located in the second region. The control board includes a controller configured to control a first applying circuit, the first motor, the second motor, and the third motor. The first motor, the second motor, the third motor, and the control board are located at different positions from one another in the second region.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a plurality of heating elements, a plurality of first terminals, a second terminal, a movable member, a first conductive circuit and a second conductive circuit. The heating elements are arranged in a main scanning direction and generate heat. The first terminals are electrically connected to the heating elements. The second terminal is electrically connected to a power supply that supplies electric power to the heating elements. The first conductive circuit and the second conductive circuit are provided on a surface of the movable member. The first conductive circuit is configured to electrically connect a first combination of one or more of the first terminals with the second terminal. The second conductive circuit is configured to electrically connect a different, second combination of one or more of the first terminals with the second terminal.

Abstract: A developing apparatus includes a first conveyance screw in a first chamber and a second conveyance screw in a second chamber, a developer accommodating portion disposed above the second conveyance screw, and an opening portion in the accommodating portion and through which the developer is supplied to the second chamber. In addition, a sealing sheet is attached to a sheet attaching portion and seals the opening portion, and a sheet discharge portion is disposed above the sheet attaching portion and discharges the sealing sheet to out of the developing apparatus. The sheet discharge portion is formed along a radial direction of the second conveyance screw in a cross section perpendicular to a rotation axis direction of the second conveyance screw.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a controller, a main body frame, a cartridge and a display. The cartridge includes a memory, a cartridge data terminal and a cartridge detection terminal. The controller includes a main body data terminal and a main body detection terminal. The main body data terminal is electrically connected to the cartridge data terminal. The main body detection terminal is electrically connected to the cartridge detection terminal in the case where the cartridge is attached to the main body frame. The controller is configured to perform determining whether the main body detection terminal and the cartridge detection terminal are electrically connected with each other. The controller is configured to perform displaying a determination result of the determining whether the main body detection terminal and the cartridge detection terminal are electrically connected with each other on the display.

Abstract: A device includes a rotator, a belt facing the rotator and having an outer peripheral surface which contacts the rotator to form a nip therebetween, a first pad configured to press the belt toward the rotator to form one part of the nip, a second pad configured to press the belt toward the rotator, to form another part of the nip, a holder holding the first pad and the second pad, a stay supporting the holder, and an urging member urging the stay toward the rotator in an urging direction. The second pad is located upstream of the first pad in a conveyance direction in the nip orthogonal to the urging direction. At least a portion of a contact area between the stay and the holder is located downstream of a center of the nip and upstream of a front edge of the first pad in the conveyance direction.

Abstract: A linking mechanism for a toner cartridge includes a cover, a horizontal sliding portion and a tilt sliding portion. The cover has an accommodating space for disposing a toner cylinder. The horizontal sliding portion is horizontally slidden when the toner cartridge is installed or disassembled, and is slidably connected to the cover. When the horizontal sliding portion is slidden, the tilt sliding portion is linked to rise or decline.

Abstract: A heating apparatus including: a first load; a first switch element configured to switch between supply of power from an AC power source to the first load and shut-off of power supply; a second load; a second switch element configured to switch between supply of power from the AC power source to the second load and shut-off of power supply; and a control unit configured to control the first and the second switch elements to prevent power from being supplied to both of the first load and the second load. The first switch element has the T1 terminal connected to one end of the first load, and the T2 terminal connected to the AC power source. The second switch element has the T2 terminal connected to one end of the second load, and the T1 terminal connected to the AC power source.

Abstract: A heating device includes a rotator, an opposed rotator configured to contact the rotator to form a nip, a heater configured to heat the rotator, and a plurality of pressing devices. The heater includes a first portion and a second portion. The second portion of the heater generates a smaller amount of heat than the first portion of the heater. The pressing devices are arranged in a longitudinal direction of the heater and each configured to press at least one of the rotator and the opposed rotator and cause the rotator and the opposed rotator to press each other. The pressing devices include a first pressing device corresponding to the first portion of the heater and a second pressing device corresponding to the second portion of the heater, and the first pressing device generates a smaller pressing force than the second pressing device.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a film-shaped cylindrical body, a heating body unit, a first member, and a control unit. The image forming unit forms an image on a sheet. The cylindrical body has a sheet-passing region coming into contact with the sheet to fix the image to the sheet moving in a first direction. The cylindrical body is broader than the sheet-passing region in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. The heating body unit includes a heating body and comes into contact with a first surface inside the cylindrical body. The first member is disposed on a second surface opposite to the first surface of the heating body. The first member has an outer end disposed outside an outer end of the sheet-passing region in the second direction. The control unit allows the heating body to generate heat inside the outer end of the sheet-passing region in the second region.

Abstract: A container attachment device includes a toner container, an attached part for the toner container and a displacement sensor. The displacement sensor faces to the toner container to detect electrostatic capacity according to the toner. The attached part includes a cover opening/closing an opening of the toner container. The cover closing or opening the opening faces to the displacement sensor, and the cover opening or closing the opening is away from the displacement sensor. The displacement sensor detects the electrostatic capacity varying among a first condition opening the cover and detaching the toner container, a second condition closing the cover and detaching the toner container, a third condition opening the cover and attaching the toner container, and a fourth condition closing the cover and attaching the toner container. In the third or fourth condition, the displacement sensor detects the electrostatic capacity according to a toner quantity in the toner container.

Abstract: A volt meter and a current meter may measure a voltage and a current for the calculation of power consumption. A controller may calculate the power consumption when a heating element is activated and when the heating element is deactivated. Based on the power consumptions when the heating element is activated or deactivated, a failure condition may be determined.

Abstract: A cleaning device includes a cleaning unit and a unit moving mechanism. The cleaning unit brings a web into contact with a conveyance member rotating around an axis and removes foreign matter adhered to the conveyance member. The unit moving mechanism displaces the cleaning unit to a cleaning position where the web is brought into contact with the conveyance member and to a separation position where the web is separated away from the conveyance member. When the unit moving mechanism displaces the cleaning unit from the cleaning position to the separation position, the cleaning unit is displaced in a counter direction opposite to a rotational direction of the conveyance member on a contact face between the conveyance member and the web.

Abstract: A discharger includes a first electrode, a second electrode, a tensioning member, a protrusion, and a pressing member. The first electrode extends in a longitudinal direction. The second electrode is disposed between the first electrode and an image carrier member, and includes a netlike portion including multiple openings through which electric charges discharged from the first electrode pass. The tensioning member supports the second electrode while exerting a tension on the second electrode in the longitudinal direction. The protrusion is disposed on the second electrode on an outer side of the netlike portion in the longitudinal direction. The protrusion protrudes beyond the netlike portion in a thickness direction of the second electrode. The pressing member presses the second electrode in the thickness direction. The pressing member is noncontact with the protrusion.

Abstract: In an image forming device, a first fixing member has a roller. A second fixing member has a belt to form a nip together with the first fixing member. A pressure modifying mechanism modifies a nip pressure at the nip to selected one of a first nip pressure and a second nip pressure smaller than the first nip pressure. A controller drives the first motor to drive the roller and fixes the developer image on a sheet in a state that the nip pressure is the first nip pressure. The controller modifies the nip pressure from the first nip pressure to the second nip pressure while driving the first motor in a case where a final sheet among one or more sheets fixed according to a print job has passed the nip, and halts the first motor after the nip pressure is modified to the second nip pressure.

Abstract: An image forming device includes a sheet feeding device, an image forming part, a fixing device, a conveyance path, a first sensor and a second sensor. The first sensor is disposed on the conveyance path on a downstream side of the fixing device in the conveyance direction and detects the sheet passed along the conveyance path. The second sensor is disposed on the conveyance path on an upstream side of the fixing device in a conveyance direction and detects the sheet passed along the conveyance path. The fixing device stops a driving of a heating source and stops a rotation of a fixing belt when the first sensor does not detect the sheet passing properly. The fixing device stops the driving of the heating source and stops the rotation of the fixing belt after a predetermined period when the second sensor do not detect the sheet passing properly.