Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image fixing unit to pass a sheet carrying an unfixed toner image on a first side. The image fixing unit includes: a first fixing section adjacent to the first side of the sheet; a first heating section to heat the first fixing section; a second fixing section adjacent to a second side opposite to the first side of the sheet; and a second heating section to heat the second fixing section. The image forming apparatus further includes: sheet feeding trays holding sheets; a storage unit storing fixing temperatures of the fixing sections preset for each type of the sheets in the sheet feeding trays; and a controller to select standby temperatures from the fixing temperatures, based on temperature profiles of the fixing sections, and to instruct the heating sections to respectively maintain the fixing sections at the selected standby temperatures during a standby mode.

Abstract: An exposure device according to an embodiment includes: a substrate in which light-emitting elements are mounted; an optical system which converges light emitted from the light-emitting elements; a holding member includes a holding member body which holds the substrate and the optical system, and a cut fringe projected from the holding member body; and a support member provided at a predetermined position in the holding member between the substrate and the optical system. The support member is formed of a cured agent attached to a shear surface of the cut fringe of the holding member, and the support member includes a contact surface with which the substrate is in contact.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a developing device, a toner reservoir, a toner replenishing device, a development driving device, a developer amount detecting sensor, and a controller. The developing device includes a developing container, a first stirring-conveyance member, a second stirring-conveyance member, and a developer carrier. The developing container includes a first conveyance chamber and a second conveyance chamber disposed above the first conveyance chamber. The developer amount detecting sensor detects an amount of developer that falls from the second conveyance chamber to the vicinity of a toner replenishing port in the first conveyance chamber. The controller controls the driving of the toner replenishing device or the driving of the development driving device based on a result of detection performed by the developer amount detecting sensor, and thereby keeps a replenished-toner concentration in the developer substantially constant in the vicinity of the toner replenishing port.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, the image bearing member has a surface and configured to rotate about an axis. The collection device is in contact with the surface, and configured to collect materials adhered to the surface. The developing roller is configured to provide a charged toner having a first polarity. The processor is configured to perform: executing a print job in a printing period; executing, in a non-printing period, a first process in which the image bearing member is rotated at least one rotation while a holding bias is applied to the collection device, the holding bias having a second polarity opposite to the first polarity; and executing, in a non-printing period after the first process, a second process in which the image bearing member is rotated while an ejection bias is applied to the collection device, the ejection bias having the first polarity.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a transport unit, a printing unit, a fixing unit, and a control unit. The transport unit transports a first printing medium having an adhering matter and a second printing medium other than the first printing medium. The printing unit forms an image on the first printing medium. The fixing unit heats and presses the first printing medium at a fixing temperature. The control unit executes a printing operation on the first printing medium and executes a cleaning operation based on a usage amount of the first printing medium. In the printing operation, the first printing medium is transported by the transport unit, an image is formed on the first printing medium, and the first printing medium is heated and pressed by the fixing unit. In the cleaning operation, the second printing medium is transported and is passed through the fixing unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a developer container having a movable wall therein, a determination unit, a movable wall driving unit, and a movable wall driving controller. The determination unit outputs first determination information when a number of outputs of a signal indicating that a detection sensor has detected a developer is less than a threshold value, and outputs second determination information when the number of outputs thereof is equal to or greater than the threshold value. The movable wall driving unit includes a first driving motor for moving the movable wall and a first driving circuit for controlling driving thereof. The movable wall driving controller includes a signal controller. The signal controller transmits a drive permission signal for the first driving motor when the first determination information is output, and transmits a drive non-permission signal for the first driving motor when the second determination information is output.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a belt-shaped image bearer, a transferer, a guide, two rotators, and a support. The image bearer has an image bearing surface to bear an image thereon. The transferer forms a transfer section between the transferer and the image bearer, to transfer the image onto a recording medium. The guide is disposed upstream from the transfer section in a delivery direction of the recording medium, to guide the recording medium toward the transfer section. The two rotators are disposed upstream from the transfer section in a moving direction of the image bearer and in contact with a non-image bearing surface of the image bearer opposite to the image bearing surface, a first rotator being closer to the transfer section than a second rotator. The support supports the first rotator and the guide and adjusts a position of the first rotator and a position of the guide.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a heating body, a pressuring body, a lateral plate supporting the heating or pressuring body, a first supporting body supporting the heating or pressuring body, a second supporting body including a roller, a tensile spring between the first and second supporting bodies, an eccentric cam, a rotating shaft, a protrusion, a driving part, and a pressing member. The cam is supported between the first and second supporting bodies swingable in the lateral plate and has a depression gradually inclined from an upstream side to a downstream side in a rotation direction. The protrusion is protruded from the rotating shaft and meets the depression. The pressing member presses the cam opposite the protrusion. The cam rotates and meets the roller to shift the second supporting body and to extend and contract the spring, and changes a nip pressure from a first pressure to a lower second pressure.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing rotator, an opposed rotator disposed opposite the fixing rotator, a pressure pad, a lateral end heater, and a thermal conduction aid. The pressure pad presses against the opposed rotator via the fixing rotator to form a fixing nip between the fixing rotator and the opposed rotator. The lateral end heater is disposed on the pressure pad to heat a lateral end of the fixing rotator in the axial direction of the fixing rotator. The thermal conduction aid is interposed between the pressure pad and the fixing rotator to decrease a temperature gradient of the fixing rotator in an axial direction of the fixing rotator. The pressure pad includes a nip-side face disposed opposite the thermal conduction aid. The lateral end heater includes a nip-side face being disposed opposite the thermal conduction aid and projecting beyond the nip-side face of the pressure pad.

Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus including an image carrier on which a latent image is developed, a developing roller that is provided to face the image carrier to perform development for the latent image of the image carrier, an urging unit that urges the image carrier and the developing roller so that the image carrier and the developing roller approach each other, and a distance regulating unit that includes a viscoelastic body that is deformed according to a change of a distance between the image carrier and the developing roller, and regulates at least one of a maximum value of the distance between the image carrier and the developing roller and a minimum value of the distance between the image carrier and the developing roller so that the distance between the image carrier and the developing roller falls within a predetermined range.

Abstract: A drive transmission unit is described that includes a drive source, and a rotatable drive transmitting member to transmit a driving force from the drive source. The drive transmitting member includes a bottom part intersecting an axis of the drive transmitting member, a circular transmitting part extending from the bottom part in an axial direction of the drive transmitting member and including an internal toothed surface on an inner circumferential surface of the transmitting part to mesh with a first member, and a first projecting part and a second projecting part projecting in opposite directions from the bottom part along the axial direction of the drive transmitting member and having different diameters.

Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, an image forming apparatus comprises a fixing section, a sheet housing section, and a sheet passing controller. The fixing section fixes a developer by heating a label paper onto which the developer is transferred. The sheet housing section houses a cleaning sheet from which adhesive leaking out from the label paper and adhering to the fixing section is removed. The sheet passing controller conveys the cleaning sheet from the sheet housing section to the fixing section.

Abstract: There is provided an image forming apparatus including: an intermediate transfer belt; a photosensitive drum; a primary transfer member; a secondary transfer member; a first backup member; a first power supply electrically connected to the primary transfer member and to the secondary transfer member; and a first resistor electrically connected to the first power supply and to the primary transfer member. A first current route, in which the first resistor, the primary transfer member, and the photosensitive drum are connected in series in that order, is connected to the first power supply and to a basis potential. A second current route, in which the secondary transfer member and the first backup member are connected in series, is connected to the first power supply and to the basis potential. The first current route is connected in parallel to the second current route.

Abstract: There is provided a cartridge, including: a casing including an inlet portion configured to be filled with a developer; and a lid member configured to close the inlet portion by being installed to the inlet portion from an installation direction, wherein the casing includes a first protruding portion which projects inward beyond an inner surface of the inlet portion in a direction perpendicular to the installation direction; and the lid member includes a recessed portion which is recessed from an outer surface of the lid member in the direction perpendicular to the installation direction and is configured to be engaged with the first protruding portion in a case that the lid member is installed to the inlet portion.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus that fixes an image onto a recording material includes: a belt; a nip plate contacting an inner surface of the belt; a roller configured to form a nip portion with the nip plate; a supporting member supporting the nip plate, the supporting member having a cross section in a shape of U, and supporting, with two legs, a surface of the nip plate opposite to a surface contacting the belt; and a guide member disposed on an upstream side of the nip plate and including a guide portion, wherein the recording material on which the image is formed is heated while being conveyed through the nip portion, and the image is fixed onto the recording material, and the guide member is supported by a first surface and a second surface of an upstream side leg among the two legs of the supporting member.

Abstract: A conductive member includes a conductive substrate; and a conductive elastic layer disposed on the conductive substrate and exhibiting ionic conduction. The conductive elastic layer contains an elastic material, which contains epichlorohydrin rubber, and a layered inorganic compound, and the amount of free chlorine ions in the conductive elastic layer is 1 ?g/g or more and 80 ?g/g or less.

Abstract: A cleaning apparatus includes a cleaning member having an abutment member being attached to a tip end portion of a support member. The support member includes a bent portion, an abutment-side support portion, and a fixed-side support portion. The abutment member abuts on a surface of an image carrying member. A point of fixation of the support member fixed to a fixing member is located downstream in a direction of movement relative to a normal at a point of abutment of the abutment member. With an angle of bending ? at the bent portion being set to 90°<?<180°, the abutment-side support portion is curved in a form of a crest toward downstream in the direction of movement whereas the fixed-side support portion is curved in a form of a crest toward upstream in the direction of movement.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, a correction control unit of an image clock control unit controls the frequency of an image clock, so that the partial magnification of each position in an image region in which an image is formed is corrected in a main scanning direction that is a direction in which a laser beam scans a scanning region of one line. When controlling the frequency of the image clock, the correction control unit makes the change rate (the slope) that is a change amount of the image clock per unit time, be smaller in a non-image region being a region other than the image region, than the change rate in the image region.

Abstract: A method of controlling transfer power of an image forming apparatus includes: determining a sensing feedback voltage by applying a set sensing current and measuring a first output voltage during a time period before an image is transferred to a transfer medium; measuring humidity and comparing the measured humidity with a set value; setting a target voltage based on the determined sensing feedback voltage when the measured humidity is equal to or higher than the set value; and adjusting the transfer current to apply the target voltage during a time period in which the image is transferred to the transfer medium.

Abstract: A toner supply unit for use in an image forming apparatus includes a bottle gear provided on a toner bottle to receive a driving force when the toner bottle is mounted to a mounting portion, and a discharging mechanism provided on the toner bottle to discharge a predetermined amount of toner from a discharging portion with the rotation of the bottle gear. A controller controls the driving force inputted to the bottle gear in a period from input of the driving force to the bottle gear to a predetermined number of rotations of the toner bottle to be smaller than the driving force inputted to the bottle gear at a time when the discharging mechanism first discharges the predetermined amount of toner from the discharging portion after the predetermined number of rotations.