Abstract: An image forming apparatus 100, which carries out constant-voltage control of a voltage applied to a transfer member 8 and is capable of executing limiter control for controlling the voltage applied to the transfer member 8 based on a detection result of a current detecting portion 21 so that the detection result falls within a predetermined range, is capable of executing a first mode in which a toner image is transferred onto a recording material P and a second mode in which a plurality of test toner images are transferred onto the recording material P by applying a plurality of different voltages to the transfer member 8, and a controller 50 is capable of carrying out the limiter control while the recording material P passes through the transfer portion 8 in executing the first mode and does not carry out the limiter control while an area onto which the plurality of test images are transferred passes through a transfer portion N2 in executing the second mode.

Abstract: Provided are an image forming system and a method for detecting glossiness capable of accurately detecting glossiness in various media having different conditions. The image forming system includes a sensor unit including a light source that irradiates a medium being conveyed with light and a gloss sensor that receives light emitted from the light source and specularly reflected on the medium and detects a diffusion distribution of light in the medium, and a detection condition setting unit that identifies a type of the medium being conveyed and sets a light amount of the light source and/or exposure time of the gloss sensor at the time of glossiness detection in accordance with the type of the medium. The image forming system further includes a glossiness detector that detects glossiness of the medium from a diffusion distribution of light detected by the gloss sensor under the detection condition set by the detection condition setting unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit configured to convey a recording medium and form an image on the recording medium based on an image forming condition; and a controller configured to control the image forming unit to form a test image and a scale image extending in a conveyance direction in which the recording medium is conveyed, obtain user instruction information related to a density fluctuation of the test image in the conveyance direction, and generate the image forming condition to suppress image density unevenness in the conveyance direction in an image to be formed by the image forming unit based on the user instruction information.

Abstract: To provide an image forming device that can be efficiently maintained. According to one embodiment, the image forming device includes a plurality of photoconductors, an exposure device, a developer, and a processor. The exposure device irradiates a corresponding surface of the plurality of photoconductors with light corresponding to an image formed on a corresponding photoconductor of the plurality of photoconductors. The developer supplies a toner to the corresponding surface of the plurality of photoconductors on which an electrostatic latent image is formed by the light emitted by the exposure device. The processor adjusts, for every photoconductor, a contrast potential for supplying the toner from the developer to the electrostatic latent image formed on the corresponding surface of the plurality of photoconductors, and notifies a warning when there is a contrast potential whose difference from another contrast potential exceeds a reference value.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a transfer unit for transferring a toner image onto a sheet, a fixing device for fixing the image, the fixing device including a heating member including a heat generating element and electrodes on both sides of the heat generating element in a sheet conveyance direction and connected to the heat generating element, and a pressure element for pressing against the heating member, and a controller for controlling an adjustment mechanism so that a distance between the heating member and the pressure element becomes a first distance during a fixing process and a second distance larger than the first distance during temperature raising of the heating member, which is conducted before the fixing process.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a main body casing having an opening; a cover movable between a closing position to close the opening and an opening position to open the opening; and a process cartridge detachably attachable to the main body casing through the opening while the cover is at the opening position. The process cartridge includes: a photosensitive drum; a developing device; a toner receiving part; and a toner conveying part. The toner receiving part has a first end portion and a second end portion. The first end portion has a receiving opening for receiving toner. When the cover is at the closing position and the process cartridge is in the attached state, the first end portion is outside the main body casing while the second end portion is inside the main body casing. The toner conveying part conveys toner in the toner receiving part to the developing device.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a developing container to store developer, an operation portion, an operation detection portion, a conveyance unit to convey a recording material, a detection unit, a door that is openable and closable, a door detection portion, an agitation member, a drive portion, and a control unit. The control unit controls the drive portion in such a manner that, in a case where the operation detection portion detects movement of the operation portion, a supply agitation operation in which the agitation member agitates the developer stored in the developing container is performed. The control unit controls the drive portion in such a manner that, in a case where, in a state in which the supply agitation operation is being performed, the door detection portion has detected an opened state of the door or the detection unit has detected the recording material, the supply agitation operation is stopped.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developer cartridge and a developing unit. The developer cartridge, in some instances, may include a shutter. This shutter may have a wall for closing a developer supply hole, and be movable, with respect to a developer cartridge casing, between an open position where the supply hole is opened by the wall and a closed position where the supply hole is closed by the wall. The shutter may further include a protrusion that is movable with respect to the wall of the shutter between a first position and a second position in an axial direction. The protrusion, in the first position, is engageable with a developing unit and, in the second position, would be disengaged from the developing unit.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus and a method of controlling the image processing apparatus are provided. The image processing apparatus holds a type of image data and a setting item of image processing corresponding to the type in association with each other, and obtains, by applying a learned learning model to image data which are input, a result of classifying the image data into the type. The image processing apparatus presents, based on the setting item input by a user and the held setting item that corresponds to the type of the obtained image, a recommended setting item corresponding to the image data to the user.

Abstract: A cartridge mountable in an apparatus main body of an image forming apparatus, the cartridge includes a development roller, a frame member including a development chamber, a developer containing chamber, and a first opening portion, the developer containing chamber including an inner wall and a second opening portion, a stirring member including a stirring shaft and a sheet, and a conveyance member driven in such a manner that the developer is replenished into the developer containing chamber through the second opening portion, wherein the sheet is rotated in contact with the inner wall in such a manner that, after the sheet is elastically deformed by contact with a portion of the inner wall, at least a part of the elastic deformation is restored, and wherein the conveyance member is being driven at a timing when the sheet passes through the front side.

Abstract: An imaging system includes a toner image forming device and a gloss treatment device. The toner image forming device accommodates a color toner that forms a color toner image on a printing medium, and which accommodates a clear toner that forms a clear toner image on the printing medium. The clear toner has a wax content that is lower than a wax content of the color toner. The gloss treatment device melts the clear toner on the printing medium to apply gloss treatment to the printing medium including the color toner image and the clear toner image.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image processor configured to perform image processing on image data based on a conversion condition to output converted image data; an image forming unit configured to form an image based on the converted image data output from the image processor, the image forming unit being controlled based on an image forming condition; and a controller configured to perform tone correction control, density evenness control, and total density control, which is a combination of the tone correction control and the density evenness control. In the tone correction control, the controller controls the image forming unit to form a test image on a sheet and obtains reading data related to the test image on the sheet.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit configured to form an image on a sheet; a fixing unit configured to fix the image on the sheet; a reader configured to read a pattern image on the sheet downstream of the fixing unit in a conveying direction in which the sheet is conveyed; and a controller configured to control the image forming unit to form the image and the pattern image on a same sheet, control the fixing unit to fix the image and the pattern image on the same sheet, control the reader to read the pattern image on the same sheet, and control a density of an image to be formed on a sheet subsequent to the same sheet based on a result of reading the pattern image by the reader and reference data.

Abstract: A light emitting device includes: a member having a first surface facing in one direction and a second surface facing an opposite side to the first surface; a light emitter that is disposed at the first surface, generates heat due to light emission, and has a lower stiffness than the member; and a heater that is disposed at the second surface of the member, and heats the member from the second surface.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a housing; a process cartridge including a photoconductive drum and a developing roller; a toner cartridge containing toner; and a drawer movable between an inner position and an outer position. The process cartridge includes a lock member movable between a lock position at which the lock member locks the process cartridge to the drawer, and a release position at which a lock between the process cartridge and the drawer is released. The lock member is located at the lock position in a state in which the process cartridge is mounted to the drawer, and the toner cartridge is mounted to the process cartridge. The lock member is located at the release position in a state in which the process cartridge is mounted to the drawer, and the toner cartridge is removed from the process cartridge.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developing container, a first stirring conveyance member, a second stirring conveyance member, a developer carrying member, a toner concentration sensor, and a scraper. The first stirring conveyance member includes a rotary shaft, a first conveyance blade that is formed on an outer circumferential surface of the rotary shaft and conveys a developer in a first direction, and a second conveyance blade that has the opposite phase to the first conveyance blade and has a lower radial height than the first conveyance blade. The scraper is arranged substantially parallel to the rotary shaft at a position shifted in an axial direction from intersections between the first conveyance blade and the second conveyance blade and has a phase of 45° to 135° with respect to the closest one of the intersections on an upstream side in the first direction.

Abstract: A cartridge includes a first unit including a photosensitive member, and a second unit including a developer bearing member and a force receiving portion, the second unit being configured to be rotatable about a first axis to move with respect to the first unit between a first position and a second position. In a state where the first unit is in a same posture as when an image forming operation is performed, the second unit is disposed at the second position by its own weight. The developer bearing member is configured to be rotatable about a second axis. When seen in the direction of the first axis, a first distance between the force receiving portion and the second axis is smaller than a second distance between the first axis and the second axis and a third distance between the first axis and the force receiving portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an electrophotographic photoreceptor having a friction coefficient of a surface of 0.8 or less; a charging device including a charging member that is in contact with and charges the surface of the electrophotographic photoreceptor and includes a conductive base material, an elastic layer provided on the conductive base material and having a storage elastic modulus G of 5.0 MPa or less at 100 Hz, and a surface layer provided on the elastic layer; an electrostatic latent image forming device that forms an electrostatic latent image on the charged surface of the electrophotographic photoreceptor; a developing device that develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the electrophotographic photoreceptor to form a toner image by a developer containing a toner; and a transfer device that transfers the toner image to a surface of a recording medium.

Abstract: An example photodetector for detecting fluorescent toner includes a light emitting unit to emit light to a toner image, and a light receiving unit. The light receiving unit is to detect visible light reflected by the toner image, detect that the toner image includes the fluorescent toner based on the detection of the visible light, the visible light generated by the fluorescent toner and having a predetermined wavelength band different from a wavelength band of the emitted light, and output a signal corresponding to the detection of the fluorescent toner.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, which carries out constant-voltage control of a voltage applied to a transfer member and is capable of executing limiter control for controlling the voltage applied to the transfer member based on a detection result of a current detecting portion so that the detection result falls within a predetermined range, is capable of executing a first mode in which a toner image is transferred onto a recording material and a second mode in which a plurality of test toner images are transferred onto the recording material by applying a plurality of different voltages to the transfer member. A controller is capable of carrying out the limiter control while the recording material passes through the transfer portion in executing the first mode and does not carry out the limiter control while an area onto which the plurality of test images are transferred passes through a transfer portion in executing the second mode.