Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a transfer member, a voltage source, a sensor configured to detect a current value or a voltage value, an image detecting portion, and a controller capable of executing an operation in a mode for setting a transfer voltage to be applied to the transfer member, on the basis of a result of detection of a test chart formed on a test recording material. The controller sets the transfer voltage on the basis of a first detection result acquired by the sensor under application of a voltage to the transfer member when the recording material is absent in the transfer portion and a second detection result acquired by the sensor under application of the test voltages to the transfer member when the test recording material is present in said transfer portion during the operation in the mode.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming device and a control device. The image forming device forms an image on a recording medium. The control device controls an image forming process. The control device includes circuitry. The circuitry changes a plurality of partial images in a target image into a certain state. The target image is to be formed on the recording medium. The plurality of partial images are to be formed peripheral to a plurality of pattern images. Each of the plurality of pattern images is to be formed at a certain position on the recording medium. The circuitry further controls the image forming device to form the target image including the changed plurality of partial images and the plurality of pattern images on the recording medium, and corrects a position of the target image based on a detection result of the formed plurality of pattern images.

Abstract: A sheet separation device configured to separate a two-ply sheet, in which two sheets are bonded together at a portion, includes a rotator, a nipping member disposed opposite the rotator and configured to nip the two-ply sheet with the rotator, a conveyor configured to convey the two-ply sheet between the rotator and the nipping member, and a winding member disposed adjacent to the rotator. The conveyor conveys the two-ply sheet with a bonded portion of the two-ply sheet being an upstream end or a downstream end of the two-ply sheet in a conveyance direction of the two-ply sheet. The winding member winds the two-ply sheet around the rotator, to create a difference in winding circumferential length between the two sheets and separate the two sheets. The sheet separation device further includes control circuitry configured to adjust a winding amount of the two-ply sheet around the rotator.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is operable in a first small-sheet printing mode in which power is supplied to a first heat generating element and a second heat generating element and in a second small-sheet printing mode in which power is supplied to the first heat generating element and a third heat generating element. A first power ratio, which is a proportion of power supplied to the first heat generating element to power supplied to the second heat generating element in the first small-sheet printing mode, is higher than a second power ratio, which is a proportion of power supplied to the first heat generating element to power supplied to the third heat generating element in the second small-sheet printing mode.

Abstract: A heating device includes a rotating unit, a transport belt, a heater, and a heat pipe. The rotating unit rotates. The transport belt rotates together with the rotating unit while nipping a heated member together with the rotating unit so as to transport the heated member. The heater has a contact surface in contact with an inner peripheral surface of the transport belt and a flat non-contact surface not in contact with the inner peripheral surface, and generates heat so as to heat the heated member via the transport belt. The heat pipe has a flat outer surface in contact with the non-contact surface of the heater and an interior having a cross-sectionally-circular space filled with a working fluid, and transfers heat in a belt width direction of the transport belt in accordance with a function of the working fluid.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material includes a photosensitive member; an optical scanning unit including a light source, an optical box, and a cover; and a fan. The fan is provided so that air from the fan directly impinges on the cover of the optical scanning unit. As seen in a direction perpendicular to a rotational axis of the rotatable polygonal mirror, a rib extending from a top plate of the cover toward an optical box side is provided at a portion of the cover in the neighborhood of a light beam emitting port of the optical scanning unit. The cover is provided with an extended portion extended from the rib in a light beam emitting direction.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, an exposing apparatus, a developing device, a transfer device, a fixing device, a history acquisition unit, an estimation unit, and an output unit. The exposing device exposes the image carrier to form an electrostatic latent image on the image carrier. The developing device includes a layer forming member to form a toner layer on a developing roller and forms a toner image by developing the electrostatic latent image. The transfer device transfers the toner image to a sheet. The fixing device fixes the toner image to the sheet. The history acquisition unit acquires a history regarding a temperature around the developing device. The estimation unit estimates a possibility that an image defect caused by the layer formation may occur on the basis of the history. The output unit outputs estimation results of the estimation.

Abstract: A heater of an image heating device, the heater including: a substrate; a first heating resistor and a second heating resistor on the substrate; first to third electric contact portions for electric connection to a power supply; a first conductive portion that connects the first electric contact portion with the first heating resistor; a second conductive portion that connects the second electric contact portion the second heating resistor; and a third conductive portion that connects the third electric contact portion and the first heating resistor and also connects the third contact portion with the second heating resistor, wherein the first electric contact portion is provided close to one longitudinal end of the substrate, the second electric contact portion is provided close to the other longitudinal end of the substrate, and the third electric contact portion is provided close to the center of the substrate in the longitudinal direction.

Abstract: A printer including: a powder housing chamber that houses powder including a color material and carrier; a supplying conveying unit that conveys the powder while supplying the powder to a powder holder that holds the powder, by forward rotation; a detection unit that detects the amount of powder within the powder housing chamber, upstream in a conveyance direction from a discharge unit that discharges surplus powder, downstream in the conveyance direction from the supplying conveying unit, and above a rotary shaft of the supplying conveying unit; and a control unit that controls at least one of the rotation direction and the rotation speed of the supplying conveying unit on the basis of a detection result of the detection unit.

Abstract: A toner container includes a cylindrical container body having a head with an opening in the head, a cap into which the head of the container body is inserted, and a sheet member attached inside the cap. The cylindrical container body rotates around a rotation axis extending in a longitudinal direction of the container body to transport toner contained in the container body toward the opening. The cap has a toner outlet through which the toner discharged from the opening is discharged outside the toner container. The sheet member includes a first elastic-deformation portion that is elastically deformable and located near the toner outlet, and a second elastic-deformation portion that is elastically deformable and located in the container body and near the opening.

Abstract: An optical scanning device of an electrophotographic printer is provided. The optical scanning device includes an optical source portion to emit an optical beam inclined in a sub-scanning direction with respect to a reference plane, an optical deflector to deflect and scan the optical beam in a main scanning direction, and an imaging lens to image the deflected optical beam onto a light-exposed object and having an optical axis which is parallel to the reference plane. In order to correct a scanning line curvature, a location of a vertex of a curved surface of the imaging lens in the sub-scanning direction is varied based on a location in the main scanning direction.

Abstract: A powder amount detector detects an amount of powder in a powder container of a cylindrical shape arranged horizontally. The powder amount detector includes a pair of measuring electrodes configured to detect capacitance between the pair of measuring electrodes to detect the amount of powder. The pair of measuring electrodes is disposed around the powder container. One of the pair of measuring electrodes has a flat shape, and the other of the pair of measuring electrodes has an arc shape following a shape of the powder container.

Abstract: A heating device includes at least one heat-generating member that generates heat by being supplied with power supplied by a shared power source and a controller that performs control in such a manner that, when the shared power source starts supplying power to the heat-generating member, a rated power is supplied to the heat-generating member after power that is 33% output or 67% output of the rated power has been supplied to the heat-generating member.

Abstract: The image forming apparatus includes a cartridge replaceable by detachably mounting to the image forming apparatus, a door that takes a closed state or an open state, a locking pin that switches a state of the regulation unit between a regulating state in which the replacement unit is prevented to be detached from the image forming apparatus and a release state in which the replacement unit is to be detachable from the image forming apparatus, and a lock control unit (a control unit) that makes a determination as to whether or not the state of the regulation unit is to be switched from the release state to the regulating state, at a predetermined timing when initial processing is completed after a power source is turned on or a state of the door becomes the closed state from the open state.

Abstract: In a case where an analysis result of image data of an (N+1)th page has not been acquired among image data, a fixing temperature for printing image data of an N-th page is determined at least based on a result of determination as to whether the image data of the N-th page and the image data of the (N+1)th page are similar and an analysis result of the image data of the N-th page.

Abstract: A charging device includes a charging roller, a cleaning roller, a pair of first supporting members, a pair of second supporting members and a pair of elastic members. The pair of first supporting members supports the charging roller in a rotatable manner. The pair of second supporting members supports the cleaning roller in a rotatable manner. The pair of elastic members is disposed between the first supporting members and the second supporting members, and pushes back the cleaning roller in a direction separate away from the charging roller. The second supporting member provided on one side in an axial direction of the cleaning roller has a roller-shift preventing part which blocks the cleaning roller. The elastic member provided on the one side in the axial direction pushes back the cleaning roller with force smaller than force of the elastic member provided on the other side in the axial direction.

Abstract: Example implementations relate to print zone coordination. For example, a system for print zone coordination may include a plurality of printing zones, and a plurality of fibers, each fiber among the plurality of fibers assigned to a different printing zone among the plurality of printing zones. The system may further include a threading coordination system to coordinate a print job through the plurality of printing zones using the plurality of fibers.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, a transfer member, a registration roller pair, and a conveyance guide which includes a first conveyance guide and a second conveyance guide. The second conveyance guide has a main body portion and a shaft member. The shaft member is held by a shaft holding portion of the main body portion so as to be reciprocatable between a first position which is a most downstream-side position and a second position on an upstream side of the first position. When a first recording medium is conveyed, the shaft member is arranged at the first position such that a distance between the shaft member and the first conveyance guide is a predetermined distance. When a second recording medium is conveyed, the shaft member is arranged at the second position such that the distance between the shaft member and the first conveyance guide is increased.

Abstract: To provide a shading correction signal generation device including a correction amount setting signal generator that generates a correction amount setting signal, a modulator that modulates the correction amount setting signal by a predetermined modulation scheme and outputs the modulation signal, and a filter circuit that filters the modulation signal to generate a shading correction signal. During a transition period, the correction amount setting signal generator generates the correction amount setting signal in which a difference between a level at an end of a predetermined period and an average level during the transition period is larger than a difference between the level at the end of the predetermined period and a level at a start of a shading correction period.

Abstract: Conventionally, when a developer is supplied into a developer receiving apparatus from a developer supply container using the air, a filter is provided in the developer receiving apparatus side, but the pressure feeding type wherein a mixture of the air and the developer is continuously fed from the developer supply container into the developer receiving apparatus side involves a problem of filter clogging. The developer supply container side is provided with a pump portion which effects a suction operation for moving the air from inside of the developer receiving portion to the developer accommodating portion side and a discharging operation for moving the air from the inside of the developer accommodating portion to the developer receiving portion side. By this, a back washing effect of dusting the developer from the filter is applied to the filter portion during the suction operation, so that the clogging of the filter is suppressed.