Abstract: A toner cartridge extrusion device that extrudes a toner cartridge with a driving force of a driver is provided. The toner cartridge extrusion device includes a single detector that performs drive detection to detect drive of the driver and extrusion detection to detect whether or not the toner cartridge has been extruded.

Abstract: A container mounting structure includes a container and a container mounting portion. The container extends in one direction and contains powder. The container is mounted to the container mounting portion by rotating the container disposed at a temporarily placed position in a circumferential direction of the container. In a state in which the container is mounted to the container mounting portion, the container mounting structure has contact sections where the container is in contact with the container mounting portion in a radial direction of the container. Each of the contact sections is disposed at corresponding one of at least three different positions in the circumferential direction. The container is in contact with the container mounting portion from inside in the radial direction at one subset of the contact sections and from outside in the radial direction at another subset of the contact sections.

Abstract: A powder container includes a bottle body that accommodates powder and has, at one end, an opening through which the powder flows out. The bottle body is positioned with the opening facing laterally and set rotatable about a rotation center line extending laterally through a center of the opening. The bottle body has an inner peripheral surface on which a spiral protrusion is formed to transport the accommodated powder toward the opening through the rotation. When the bottle body is sectioned vertically on a plane including the rotation center line, the spiral protrusion causes plural upwardly protruding projections to appear on a cross-section, the plural projections include a first projection and a second projection closer to the opening than the first projection, and an opening-facing face of the second projection has a bottom lower than a top of the first projection or the opening has a lower edge lower than the top of the first projection.

Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus including: an apparatus main body; a plurality of units arranged adjacent to each other in the apparatus main body, and configured to be attachable to and detachable from the apparatus main body in the same insertion and removal direction; and a switching member 36 configured to be capable of taking any one of a first position in which attachment and detachment of one unit 4 of adjacent units among the plurality of units to and from the apparatus main body is allowed and attachment and detachment of another unit 5 of the adjacent units is restricted, and a second position in which the attachment and detachment of the one unit 4 is restricted and the attachment and detachment of the other unit 5 is allowed.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first image forming unit that forms a first toner layer on a medium on which an image is to be formed, a first fixing unit that fixes the first toner layer onto the medium, a second image forming unit that forms a second toner layer on the first toner layer on the medium by using a toner having a melting point lower than a melting point of a toner that is included in the first toner layer, and a second fixing unit that performs, in a state in which a foil layer is superposed on the second toner layer, a fixing operation at a temperature lower than a temperature at which the first fixing unit performs a fixing operation.

Abstract: A belt unit includes a belt member, a cleaning member that scrapes off a developer being attached and carried on the belt member, a waste developer accommodation chamber that accommodates the developer as a waste developer, a waste developer carrying member that carries the waste developer accommodated in the waste developer accommodation chamber in correspondence with a rotation thereof; and a waste developer taking-up member that takes up the waste developer in correspondence with a rotation thereof and supplies the waste developer to a contact portion between the cleaning member and the belt member, wherein the waste developer taking-up member is composed with a shaft and a brush attached to the shaft.

Abstract: A toner cartridge includes a photoconductive drum and a boss that protrudes outward from a first longitudinal end of the toner cartridge at a rotational axis of the photoconductive drum. An outermost axial segment of the boss along the rotational axis includes a partial cylinder having a cross-sectional shape of a circular segment. An outer circumferential surface of the partial cylinder is convex to a bottom of the toner cartridge and forms a bottom contact surface of the boss that is unobstructed to contact and sit in a corresponding V-block in an image forming device when the toner cartridge is installed in the image forming device. The outermost axial segment of the boss includes clearance above a topmost portion of the partial cylinder and within the radius of the outer circumferential surface of the partial cylinder permitting the clearance to accommodate one or more features in the image forming device.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a laser scanner unit configured to scan a photosensitive drum through use of a laser beam deflected by a reflection face of a polygon mirror, an engine controller, and an image controller. The engine controller generates an image formation BD signal synchronized with a BD signal output from the laser scanner unit. The image controller stores in advance, into a ROM, difference information indicating a difference between pulse cycles of image formation BD signals corresponding to respective reflection faces, acquires a difference between pulse cycles of an image formation BD signal output at the time of image formation, and compares the acquired difference with the difference information stored in the ROM to identify a reflection face.

Abstract: An optical scanning device includes a first light source, a second light source, a first aperture, a second aperture, a third aperture, and a deflector. The first light source emits a first light flux. The second light source emits a second light flux. The second light flux is separated from the first light flux by an opening angle in a main scanning direction. The first aperture shapes a beam shape of the first light flux in a sub-scanning direction. The second aperture shapes a beam shape of the second light flux in the sub-scanning direction. The third aperture shapes the beam shape of the first light flux and the beam shape of the second light flux. The deflector deflects the first light flux and the second light flux at positions separated in the sub-scanning direction on a surface.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a heat receiving part that absorbs heat from an object to be cooled, a heat radiating part that radiates the heat absorbed in the heat receiving part, a circulation pipe through which coolant is circulated; a storage tank that stores the coolant, and a pump that circulates the coolant between the heat receiving part and the heat radiating part through the circulation pipe. The pump is placed on an upper surface of the storage tank.

Abstract: Provided is a light emitting chip C including: a substrate 80; light emitting elements each having one terminal connected to a predetermined reference potential and the other terminal, the light emitting element having a rectifying characteristic; and thyristors each connected in series with the other terminal of the light emitting elements, respectively, the thyristors being configured to make the light emitting element connected thereto emit light or increase light emission amount of the light emitting element when the thyristors turn on in an ON state.

Abstract: A charging device includes: a charging member that is rotatable and has a peripheral surface to be in contact with a charging target and to which a voltage is to be applied for charging the charging target; a removing member that includes a core and a removing material spirally wound one to less than two times around the core and rotates and comes into contact with the charging member to remove an unnecessary material from the peripheral surface of the charging member; and a detecting unit that detects a current flowing between the charging member and the removing member.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes an endless belt, a heating member configured to heat the belt, a detection unit configured to detect temperature of the heating member, a signal line connected to the detection unit, a holding member configured to hold the temperature detecting member, and an urging member configured to urge the temperature detecting member toward the heating member. The holding member includes a through hole for leading out the signal line and a contact portion being in contact with the signal line at a position located, in a width direction of the belt, between the through hole and the temperature detecting member and located, in an urging direction of the urging member, at a same position with a connecting portion between the signal line and the temperature detecting member or at a position closer to the heating member than the connecting portion.

Abstract: In an image heating apparatus, a region of a recording material, on which an image can be formed, is divided into a boundary region and a non-boundary region so as to correspond to a plurality of heating elements. The boundary region includes a boundary between one heating element out of the plurality of heating elements and an adjacent heating element thereof, and overlap with the one heating element and the adjacent heating element overlap in a predetermined range in the orthogonal direction. The non-boundary region overlaps with the one heating element in a range other than the boundary region. A control target temperature of a heating region that is heated by the one heating element is set to a higher temperature of a first temperature based on information corresponding to the boundary region, and a second temperature based on information corresponding to the non-boundary region.

Abstract: A transfer belt according to one or more embodiments may include a surface to which a developer image is to be transferred and from which the transferred developer image is to be transferred from to a medium. The transfer belt may be configured having characteristics in which a dipole component of the surface of the transfer belt is not less than 0.3 dyn/cm and not larger than 1.9 dyn/cm.

Abstract: A monochrome image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms a black image, a motor that drives the image forming unit, a control circuit that controls the motor, a first connector to which the motor is connected via a control line, a second connector to which a control target is not connected, and a substrate on which the control circuit, the first connector, and the second connector are arranged. A predetermined mark is formed on the substrate through silk screen printing. A distance between the predetermined mark and the second connector is shorter than a distance between the predetermined mark and the first connector. If the substrate is disposed in a multi-color image forming apparatus configured to form a color image, a control target for the multi-color image forming apparatus is connected to the second connector.

Abstract: An imaging device includes a photoconductive drum charged by a charge roll and opposed by developer roll. The developer roll adds toner to the drum to develop a latent image on the drum for transfer to media. One or more high voltage power supplies communicate with a controller to set voltages on the rolls. The controller determines whether imaging of the media is to occur at a time when the drum is rotating. If not, a laser beam discharges the drum and the voltage on the charge roll is decreased to reduce the charge on the drum, but the controller maintains the voltage differential between the drum and the developer roll.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a secondary transfer roller configured to transfer a toner image onto a sheet of paper; a fixing device provided downstream in a direction in which the sheet of paper is conveyed, the fixing device including a fixing roller that is configured to fix the toner image transferred onto the sheet of paper; a paper suction fan unit configured to suction air such that air flows over the secondary transfer roller; and a guide member provided in the paper suction fan unit and configured to guide air discharged from the paper suction fan unit to be discharged toward the fixing roller. The guide member is configured to guide air in a direction crossing a rotation axis of the fixing roller at least toward each of ends of the fixing roller in a direction of the rotation axis.

Abstract: There is provided a developing device including, when viewed in a section perpendicular to a rotational axis of a rotatable developing member, a recessed portion to grip a resin-made regulating blade formed on an upstream side of the regulating blade with respect to a closest position where the regulating blade comes closest to the rotatable developing member in a rotation direction of the rotatable developing member, and a vertical length of the recessed portion in a direction vertical to a straight line passing through the closest position and a rotation center of the rotatable developing member is 0.5 mm or more.

Abstract: A liquid electro-photographic, LEP, printing system, comprising a photo imaging plate, PIP, an intermediate transfer member, ITM, and a control unit. The control unit causes the system to initiate a maintenance program, wherein the maintenance program comprises driving the PIP and the ITM while disabling particle transfer to the PIP and applying a voltage difference between the PIP and surface portions of the ITM.