Abstract: A discharge member includes an electro conductive knit fabric and a support member. The electro conductive knit fabric is knitted in a cylindrical shape using twisted yarn made of twisted metal fibers. The support member is cylindrical and is inserted in the electro conductive knit fabric. The discharge member is disposed to face a member to be discharged in a noncontact manner, in a state where the electro conductive knit fabric is grounded or a voltage is applied to the electro conductive knit fabric.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a slidingly-rubbing roller abutting a surface of a photoconductive drum; a temperature detection section; a humidity detection section; and a heating control section. When the humidity detected by the humidity detection section is equal to or higher than a first threshold humidity and the temperature detected by the temperature detection section is equal to or higher than a threshold temperature, the heating control section heats and dries the surface of the photoconductive drum by a heat generator, while in a case when the humidity is equal to or higher than the first threshold humidity and the temperature is less than the threshold temperature, the heating control section polishes the surface of the photoconductive drum by the slindingly-rubbing roller with a polishing agent contained in a toner and heats and dries the drum surface by frictional heat generated from the polishing.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a charging bias application section, a static eliminating bias application section, and a control section. In the case where the image forming unit causes an image carrier to be rotated without forming an electrostatic latent image on the image carrier, the control section performs a bias control to allow the charging bias application section to apply to a charging section a smaller charging bias than used in forming a toner image and allow the static eliminating bias application section to apply to a static eliminating section a smaller static eliminating bias than used in forming the toner image. The control section performs the bias control to increase respective values of the charging bias and the static eliminating bias every one revolution of the image carrier until the charging bias and the static eliminating bias in forming the toner image are reached.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a slidingly-rubbing roller abutting a surface of a photoconductive drum; a temperature detection section; a humidity detection section; and a heating control section. In a case when the humidity detected by the humidity detection section is equal to or higher than first threshold humidity and also when the temperature detected by the temperature detection section is equal to or higher than a threshold temperature, the heating control section heats and dries the surface of the photoconductive drum by a heat generator, while in a case when the humidity is equal to or higher than first threshold humidity and also when the temperature is less than the threshold temperature, the heating control section polishes the surface of the photoconductive drum by the slindingly-rubbing roller with a polishing agent contained in a toner and heats and dries the drum surface by friction heat generated following the polishing.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image forming apparatus, including: an image carrier configured by a positively charged single-layer electrophotographic photosensitive body; a charging device which is based on a contact charging method for charging a circumferential surface of the image carrier while making contact with the circumferential surface of the image carrier; and a transfer unit which transfers a toner image on the circumferential surface of the image carrier to a transfer receiving body by gripping the transfer receiving body with the image carrier, wherein the transfer unit includes an application unit to which a transfer bias is applied, and a region having a volume resistivity of 107 to 109 ?·cm exists between the image carrier and the application unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a positively-charged single layer type electrophotographic photoreceptor, a charging device with a contact charging roller for charging a surface of the photoreceptor and an exposure device for exposing the charged surface of the photoreceptor to light to form an electrostatic latent image thereon. A developing device develops the electrostatic latent image into a toner image and a transfer device transfers the toner image to a transferred body. The charging roller is made of electrically conductive rubber having an Asker-C rubber hardness of 62 to 81°. A roller surface roughness of the charging roller has an average distance (Sm) between asperity peaks on a cross-sectional curve of 55 to 130 ?m and that a ten-point average roughness (Rz) is 9 to 19 ?m. The image forming apparatus is capable of preventing carrier trapping, film peeling and uneven charging in the photoreceptor.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a charging bias application section, a static eliminating bias application section, and a control section. In the case where the image forming unit causes an image carrier to be rotated without forming an electrostatic latent image on the image carrier, the control section performs a bias control to allow the charging bias application section to apply to a charging section a smaller charging bias than used in forming a toner image and allow the static eliminating bias application section to apply to a static eliminating section a smaller static eliminating bias than used in forming the toner image. The control section performs the bias control to increase respective values of the charging bias and the static eliminating bias every one revolution of the image carrier until the charging bias and the static eliminating bias in forming the toner image are reached.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has: a positively-charged single layer type electrophotographic photoreceptor; a charging device with a contact charging roller for charging a surface of the photoreceptor; an exposure device for exposing the charged surface to light to form an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoreceptor; a developing device for developing the electrostatic latent image into a toner image; and a transfer device for transferring the toner image to a transferred body. The photoreceptor has a conductive substrate and a photosensitive layer that contains a charge generating agent, a charge transport agent and a binder resin. The binder resin has a yield point strain of 9 to 29%, and the contact charging roller has a conductive layer with a thickness of 1 mm to 3 mm. The image forming apparatus is environmentally responsive and having a long-lasting positively-charged single layer type photoreceptor and charging roller.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a positively-charged single layer type electrophotographic photoreceptor, a charging device with a contact charging roller for charging a surface of the photoreceptor and an exposure device for exposing the charged surface of the photoreceptor to light to form an electrostatic latent image thereon. A developing device develops the electrostatic latent image into a toner image and a transfer device transfers the toner image to a transferred body. The charging roller is made of electrically conductive rubber having an Asker-C rubber hardness of 62 to 81°. A roller surface roughness of the charging roller has an average distance (Sm) between asperity peaks on a cross-sectional curve of 55 to 130 ?m and that a ten-point average roughness (Rz) is 9 to 19 ?m. The image forming apparatus is capable of preventing carrier trapping, film peeling and uneven charging in the photoreceptor.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a positively-charged single layer type electrophotographic photoreceptor, a charging device with a contact charging roller for charging a surface of the photoreceptor and an exposure device for exposing the charged surface of the photoreceptor to light to form an electrostatic latent image thereon. A developing device develops the electrostatic latent image into a toner image and a transfer device transfers the toner image to a transferred body. The charging roller is made of electrically conductive rubber having an Asker-C rubber hardness of 62 to 81°. A roller surface roughness of the charging roller has an average distance (Sm) between asperity peaks on a cross-sectional curve of 55 to 130 ?m and that a ten-point average roughness (Rz) is 9 to 19 ?m. The image forming apparatus is capable of preventing carrier trapping, film peeling and uneven charging in the photoreceptor.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has first and second image carriers that are configured by positively-charged single layer type electrophotographic photoreceptors, and a controller that controls an operation for charging or destaticizing circumferential surfaces of these image carriers. The controller switches between a first mode for causing the first and second image carriers to perform image formation while rotating these image carriers, and a second mode for causing only the first image carrier to perform image formation while rotating the first and second image carriers. In the second mode, the second image carrier is applied with a charging bias and subjected to a destaticizing operation without undergoing a developing operation. The first image carrier is applied with the charging bias and subjected to the developing operation and the destaticizing operation.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, having: an image carrier configured by a positively charged single-layer electrophotographic photosensitive body; a charging device which is based on a contact charging method for charging a circumferential surface of the image carrier while making contact with the circumferential surface of the image carrier; a developing roller which is disposed so as to oppose the image carrier and carry and convey toner on the circumferential surface; and a voltage application unit which applies a developing bias to the developing roller, wherein the frequency of an AC component of the developing bias applied by the voltage application unit is 2.6 to 4.2 kHz.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a positively-charged single layer type electrophotographic photoreceptor, a charging device with a contact charging roller for charging a surface of the photoreceptor and an exposure device for exposing the charged surface of the photoreceptor to light to form an electrostatic latent image thereon. A developing device develops the electrostatic latent image into a toner image and a transfer device transfers the toner image to a transferred body. The charging roller is made of electrically conductive rubber having an Asker-C rubber hardness of 62 to 81°. A roller surface roughness of the charging roller has an average distance (Sm) between asperity peaks on a cross-sectional curve of 55 to 130 ?m and that a ten-point average roughness (Rz) is 9 to 19 ?m. The image forming apparatus is capable of preventing carrier trapping, film peeling and uneven charging in the photoreceptor.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has: a positively-charged single layer type electrophotographic photoreceptor; a charging device with a contact charging roller for charging a surface of the photoreceptor; an exposure device for exposing the charged surface to light to form an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoreceptor; a developing device for developing the electrostatic latent image into a toner image; and a transfer device for transferring the toner image to a transferred body. The photoreceptor has a conductive substrate and a photosensitive layer that contains a charge generating agent, a charge transport agent and a binder resin. The binder resin has a yield point strain of 9 to 29%, and the contact charging roller has a conductive layer with a thickness of 1 mm to 3 mm. The image forming apparatus is environmentally responsive and having a long-lasting positively-charged single layer type photoreceptor and charging roller.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention has first and second image carriers that are configured by positively-charged single layer type electrophotographic photoreceptors, and a controller that controls an operation for charging or destaticizing the circumferential surfaces of these image carriers. The controller switches between a first mode for causing the first and second image carriers to perform image formation while rotating these image carriers, and a second mode for causing only the first image carrier to perform image formation while rotating the first and second image carriers. In the second mode, the second image carrier is applied with a charging bias and subjected to a destaticizing operation without undergoing a developing operation. The first image carrier is applied with the charging bias and subjected to the developing operation and the destaticizing operation.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, having: an image carrier configured by a positively charged single-layer electrophotographic photosensitive body; a charging device which is based on a contact charging method for charging a circumferential surface of the image carrier while making contact with the circumferential surface of the image carrier; a developing roller which is disposed so as to oppose the image carrier and carry and convey toner on the circumferential surface; and a voltage application unit which applies a developing bias to the developing roller, wherein the frequency of an AC component of the developing bias applied by the voltage application unit is 2.6 to 4.2 kHz.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image forming apparatus, including: an image carrier configured by a positively charged single-layer electrophotographic photosensitive body; a charging device which is based on a contact charging method for charging a circumferential surface of the image carrier while making contact with the circumferential surface of the image carrier; and a transfer unit which transfers a toner image on the circumferential surface of the image carrier to a transfer receiving body by gripping the transfer receiving body with the image carrier, wherein the transfer unit includes an application unit to which a transfer bias is applied, and a region having a volume resistivity of 107 to 109 ?·cm exists between the image carrier and the application unit.