Abstract: A photosensitive drum is axially rotatable and has a surface on which an electrostatic latent image is formed. A developing device includes a development roller spaced from the photosensitive drum. The development roller includes a cylindrical sleeve and a coating layer, and the photosensitive drum includes a cylindrical tube and a functional layer. Each of the coating layer and functional layer is formed by dipping the sleeve or tube into a dipping bath with the sleeve or tube directed axially vertically. An axial end portion of the development roller that is lower during the dipping process is disposed opposite to an axial end portion of the photosensitive drum that is higher during the dipping process, and an axial end portion of the development roller that is higher during the dipping process is disposed opposite to an axial end portion of the photosensitive drum that is lower during the dipping process.

Abstract: A developing device includes a housing, a development roller, and a roller gear. The roller gear is disposed at one axial end of the development roller and transmits a rotational drive force to the development roller. The development roller includes a sleeve and a coating layer. The coating layer is formed by dipping the sleeve in a dipping bath with the sleeve directed axially vertically. The development roller is mounted to the housing such that a lower axial end of the development roller at the time of the dipping is an opposite axial end to the one axial end at which the roller gear is disposed.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, a developer carrier, a bias applying section, a leakage detecting section, and a bias controlling section. The developer carrier carries developer in the form of a layer of magnetized filaments to supply toner to the image carrier. The bias applying section applies to the developer carrier a development bias including a direct current voltage VmagDC and an alternating current voltage VmagAC superposed on each other. The leakage detecting section causes a discharge between the image carrier and the developer carrier and detects a leakage voltage when the discharge occurs. The leakage detecting section performs the leakage voltage detection in a blank region of the image carrier bearing no electrostatic latent image. The bias controlling section determines an alternating current voltage VmagAC according to a detected leakage voltage, and a frequency of the alternating current voltage VmagAC according to the voltage VmagAC.

Abstract: When image formation is not performed, an image forming apparatus performs a toner collection mode that includes a first positive rotation step of rotating a developer carrying member and a toner carrying member in the same direction as a direction at the time of image formation, in a state where a second bias applied to the toner carrying member is set at a higher voltage on the same polarity side as a toner than a first bias, and a reverse rotation step of rotating the developer carrying member and the toner carrying member in a direction reverse to the direction at the time of image formation after the first positive rotation step is performed, in a state where the first bias is set at a higher voltage on the same polarity side as the toner than the second bias.

Abstract: A developing roller includes a roller main body disposed to face, without contact, an outer circumferential surface of an image carrier. The roller main body includes a resin coat layer that is formed on an outer circumferential surface of a base body that is made of a metal including aluminum, the resin coat layer being made of a resin material and having electric conductivity. An AC impedance Z obtained from an application of an AC voltage at a frequency in a range from 0.05 Hz to 100 Hz is equal to or higher than 100?, and a phase angle ? satisfies a relationship of 0 rad<?<0.1 rad when a power factor is cos ?=Za/Z.

Abstract: A developing roller includes a roller main body disposed to face, without contact, an outer circumferential surface of an image carrier. A resin coat layer has been formed on an outer circumferential surface of the roller main body, the resin coat layer being made of a resin material having electric conductivity. A product of resistance component Rs [?] and electrostatic capacitance component Cs [F] in AC impedance Z of the roller main body is in a range from 2.79×10?7 to 6.77×10?5, the AC impedance Z being obtained when an AC voltage of a predetermined frequency f is applied.

Abstract: A developing roller includes a roller main body disposed to face, without contact, an outer circumferential surface of an image carrier. In the roller main body, a boehmite layer has been formed on an outer circumferential surface of a base body that is made of a metal including aluminum, by a surface treatment by a boehmite method, and a resin coat layer has been formed on a surface of the boehmite layer, the resin coat layer being made of a resin material having electric conductivity.

Abstract: A developing roller includes a roller main body disposed to face, without contact, an outer circumferential surface of an image carrier. The roller main body includes a resin coat layer that is formed on an outer circumferential surface of a base body that is made of a metal including aluminum, the resin coat layer being made of a resin material and having electric conductivity. An AC impedance Z obtained from an application of an AC voltage at a frequency in a range from 0.05 Hz to 100 Hz is equal to or higher than 100?, and a phase angle ? satisfies a relationship of 0 rad<?<0.1 rad when a power factor is cos ?=Za/Z.

Abstract: A developing roller includes a roller main body disposed to face, without contact, an outer circumferential surface of an image carrier. A resin coat layer has been formed on an outer circumferential surface of the roller main body, the resin coat layer being made of a resin material having electric conductivity. A product of resistance component Rs [?] and electrostatic capacitance component Cs [F] in AC impedance Z of the roller main body is in a range from 2.79×10?7 to 6.77×10?5, the AC impedance Z being obtained when an AC voltage of a predetermined frequency f is applied.

Abstract: A roadside object detection apparatus to detect a roadside object using a plurality of captured images includes a height information detection unit configured to analyze the captured images, and to detect height information of an object in the captured images in a neighboring region having a distance less than or equal to a threshold from a vehicle having the roadside object detection apparatus installed; a height change detection unit configured to detect a change of a height of a road surface due to the roadside object from the height information in the neighboring region; a characteristic point extrapolation unit configured to determine positions having the change of the height detected as characteristic points of the roadside object, and to extrapolate the characteristic points into a far-off region having a distance greater than or equal to the threshold from the vehicle, based on a road model; and a roadside object detection unit configured to set a search range for the roadside object in the far-off re

Abstract: An apparatus and method provide logic for processing information. In one implementation, an apparatus includes a receiving unit configured to receive a selection of displayed content from a user. An obtaining unit is configured to obtain data corresponding to the selection. The data includes text data. An identification unit is configured to identify a keyword within the text data, and a storage unit is configured to generate a command to transmit the keyword to a device.

Abstract: A characteristic point extraction section acquires an image captured by an image capture device and extracts characteristic points from the captured image, a vehicle lane boundary point selection section selects vehicle lane boundary points that indicate vehicle lanes from the extracted characteristic points, a distribution determination section determines the distribution of the vehicle lane boundary points, a system noise setting section sets each system noise based on the distribution of vehicle lane boundary points, and a travel path parameter estimation section stably predicts travel path parameters based on the vehicle lane boundary points, past estimation results, and the system noise that has been set.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has a first voltage application section for applying a first bias to a magnetic roller, a second voltage application section for applying a second bias to a developing roller, and a controller for controlling the voltages of the first and second voltage application sections and the driving/rotating of the magnetic roller and the developing roller. When no image formation is taking place, the controller can execute a toner collection mode in which, with the first and second biases set at the same potential and the second bias set lower than the voltage applied to an image carrying member, the magnetic roller is rotated in the direction reverse to that in which it is rotated during image formation.

Abstract: When there is a curve in a forward driving path of a vehicle, a wheel clutch for a turning outer wheel of a rear shaft is engaged and a wheel clutch for a turning inner wheel of the rear shaft is disengaged during driving of the curve. When there is no curve, both of the right and left wheel clutches are engaged when it is estimated the vehicle receive a predetermined disturbance input during forward driving. Then, a target yaw moment of a vehicle is calculated. If an average speed of the right and left wheels of a front shaft is more than the speed of the turning outer wheel, the wheel clutch for the turning outer wheel is engaged when the target yaw moment is applied to the vehicle, so that the engaging force of a transfer clutch is controlled based on the target yaw moment.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus can perform a toner collection mode that includes a first positive rotation step in which at the time of no image formation, in a state where the second bias applied to a toner carrying member is set at a higher voltage on the same polarity side as a toner than a first bias, a developer carrying member and the toner carrying member are rotated in the same direction as a direction at the time of image formation and a reverse rotation step in which after the first positive rotation step is performed, in a state where the first bias is set at a higher voltage on the same polarity side as the toner than the second bias, the developer carrying member and the toner carrying member are rotated in a reverse direction to the direction at the time of image formation.

Abstract: A developing device includes a development roller, a magnetic roller, a transformer, a switching portion, output control portion and a capacitor. The development roller is opposite a photoconductor drum. The magnetic roller performs, with a magnetic brush, the supply of a toner to the development roller and the removal of the toner. The transformer generates an alternating-current voltage applied to the development roller. The switching portion passes and interrupts a current to the transformer. The output control portion stepwise changes, when a duty ratio in switching is changed, the duty ratio a plurality of times from a first duty ratio to a second duty ratio. The capacitor has one end connected to the transformer and the other end connected to the switching portion.

Abstract: A stir-transport member is formed on a circumferential surface of a rotation shaft with a first spiral blade, and a second spiral blade formed to overlap the region of the first spiral blade and is opposite the first spiral blade in phase and having a smaller radial-direction height than the first spiral blade. Sections of the spiral blades along the cross longitudinal direction thereof have trapezoidal shapes. The first spiral blade have a plurality of first swell portions, a part of each corresponding to a bottom of the trapezoidal shape and is more swollen than the other portions. The second spiral blade have a plurality of second swell portions, a part of each corresponding to the bottom of the trapezoidal shape and is more swollen than the other portions. The first spiral blade cross the second spiral blade at least at one of the first swell portions per turn.

Abstract: Provided is a developing device including: a developing container including a developer replenishing port from which the developer is replenished, and a developer discharge port which is provided on a downstream side of one of the conveyance paths and from which surplus developer is discharged; and a discharge regulating portion provided to one of the plurality of stirring members which is arranged in the one of the conveyance paths, in which the discharge regulating portion includes a regulating member arranged so as to face the developer discharge port, for regulating movement of the developer to the developer discharge port side, and a decelerating conveyance member arranged between the helical blade and the regulating member, for partially reducing a conveying speed of the developer in the one of the conveyance paths.

Abstract: An encoder emits modulated light from a light source section and lets a first light and a second light separated from the modulated light interfere with each other in a moving grating. In the encoder, the light emitted from the light source section is electrically modulated, and the first light and the second light have different light path lengths.

Abstract: An encoder includes: a light modulation section which modulates at least a portion of light that is emitted from a light source; a moving member which has an incidence plane, on which a plurality of light beams of the light incident, and is relatively movable in at least one direction; and at least two light receiving sections which respectively receive interference fringes that are generated in at least two regions on the moving member, wherein the light enters into the moving member such that at least two interference fringes move in opposite directions on the moving member in accordance with a modulation by the light modulation section.