Abstract: A development device includes a developer reservoir that stores liquid developer containing toner and carrier liquid, a supply port that is arranged at the developer reservoir to supply the liquid developer to the developer reservoir, a supply roller that has helical grooves and supplies the liquid developer stored in the developer reservoir and a developer carrier that is supplied with the liquid developer by the supply roller and carries the supplied liquid developer, and the supply port being arranged in the direction opposite to the direction of conveyance by the helical grooves of liquid developer stored in the developer reservoir relative to the axial center of the supply roller.

Abstract: An exposure head, includes: a substrate that is provided with a first light emitting element, a second light emitting element that is arranged at one side of the first light emitting element in a first direction and a third light emitting element that is arranged at the one side of the second light emitting element in the first direction, the first light emitting element and the second light emitting element being arranged at a first distance from each other in the first direction, the second light emitting element and the third light emitting element being arranged at a second distance, which is different from the first distance, from each other in the first direction; and an imaging optical system that images light from the first, the second and the third light emitting elements.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a latent image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed; a developing section which develops the electrostatic latent image using a liquid developer, forming an image on the latent image carrier; a transfer medium to which the image on the latent image carrier is transferred; a first transfer member which transfers the image on the latent image carrier to the transfer medium; a second transfer member which transfers the image on the transfer medium to a recording material; a latent image carrier cleaning roller which, as well as making contact with the latent image carrier, forming a nip having a first nip width in a moving direction of the latent image carrier, has a latent image carrier cleaning bias applied thereto, cleaning the latent image carrier, the image of the latent image carrier on which has been transferred to the transfer medium; and a transfer medium cleaning roller which, as well as having a transfer medium cleaning bias applied thereto, cle

Abstract: An image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes an image carrier, a charging section that electrically charges the image carrier, an exposure section that exposes the image carrier to light to form a latent image, a development section that develops the latent image by means of a liquid developer containing carrier and toner particles, a first squeezing roller that is held in contact with the image carrier carrying an image developed by the development section and adapted to bear a bias voltage Vs1 applied thereto, a second squeezing roller that is held in contact with the image carrier squeezed by the first squeezing roller and adapted to bear a bias voltage Vs2 applied thereto, and a transfer member that is held in contact with the image carrier squeezed by the second squeezing roller and adapted to receive the image transferred thereto, the absolute value of the bias voltage Vs1 and the absolute value of the bias voltage Vs2 showing a relationship of |Vs1|>|Vs2|.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an intermediate transfer belt that has an elastic layer to which a toner image on an image carrier developed using a liquid developer is primarily transferred, a cleaning roller that cleans an extraneous material remaining on the intermediate transfer belt after secondary transfer, and a coating member that coats the intermediate transfer belt with a cleaning liquid.

Abstract: When image processing is performed, the present invention increases the speed of processing for an individual scanning line constituting an image, and improves the throughput while suppressing the required memory area. The present invention is an image processor for performing image processing in parallel using a plurality of processors, wherein when an individual scanning line is divided into a plurality of partial areas, at least one of the plurality of processors is allocated to each of the partial areas for at lest one scanning line constituting an image, and image processing is performed in parallel. As a memory area for storing the image processing result, the image processor comprises memory areas for the number of scanning lines, which is less than the number of the plurality of processors.

Abstract: A charging roller, adapted to face an image carrier at a predetermined charging gap and charge the image carrier in a non-contact state, including: a conductive shaft, provided with a pair of annular concave portions formed on an outer circumferential surface at both ends thereof; a conductive layer, formed on the outer circumference surface at a center portion of the conductive shaft defined between the pair of concave portions; and an insulating layer, formed on the outer circumferential surface at outer portions of the conductive shaft from the pair of annular concave portions.

Abstract: A developing device includes: a developer carrier which carries liquid developer containing toner and carrier liquid; a developer carrier contact member which contacts the developer carrier; and a developer carrier contact control unit which controls the condition where the developer carrier and the developer carrier contact member contact each other with first contact pressure and the condition where the developer carrier and the developer carrier contact member contact each other with second contact pressure lower than the first contact pressure.

Abstract: A mirror driver drives deflection mirror surfaces into a pivoting action at a frequency belonging to a first drive frequency band in which the high-frequency side of a first resonance frequency band partially overlaps the low-frequency side of a second resonance frequency band, so that the deflection mirror surfaces deflect a light beam. Hence, the deflection angles of light beams change, while canceling out each other the changes of the deflection angles of the light beams deflected by the deflection mirror surfaces owing to changes of resonance characteristics. Because of this, even when the resonance characteristics change, it is possible to stabilize the deflection angle of the light beam deflected by the first deflection mirror surface and further deflected by the second deflection mirror surface.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus adapted for a smooth mounting/dismounting of a process unit and for the reduction of wasteful power consumption is provided. Unless a new image signal is applied after completion of an image forming operation, the apparatus starts a clocking operation by an internal timer (Step S101). If the apparatus is left standstill for a predetermined length of time (Step S102), a sleep process (Step S103) is executed to shift the apparatus to a power save mode to consume less power. When an outside cover is opened (Step S105), on the other hand, the apparatus is shifted to a replacement operation mode (Step S106) in which only the rotation of a development rotary is permitted. However, if the apparatus is left with the outside cover opened (Step S108), the sleep process is executed.

Abstract: There is provided a method for controlling a line head including a focusing optical system, first light emitters, light from which being focused by the focusing optical system, second light emitters disposed next to the first light emitters in a first direction, light from the second light emitters being focused by the focusing optical system, and third light emitters disposed next to the second light emitters in the first direction, light from the third light emitters being focused by the focusing optical system. The method includes turning on the first light emitters at time t0, turning on the second light emitters after a period t1 has passed since the time t0, and turning on the third light emitters after a period t2 has passed since the time t0. The periods t1 and t2 are controlled under the following condition: t2?n×t1 (n is an integer two or greater).

Abstract: An exposure head includes: a lens array in which lenses are disposed in a first direction; and a light-emitting element substrate on which light-emitting elements that emit light to be focused by the lenses are disposed. Length L1 of the lenses in the first direction and length L2 of the lenses in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction have a relation represented by an expression 1<L2/L1.

Abstract: A transfer material separating device comprises a transfer material separating gas current section for separating a transfer material being moved with a transfer material moving member from the transfer material moving member by blowing gas to the transfer material and a control section for controlling the current of gas being blown from the transfer material separating gas current section to the transfer material, the transfer material separating gas current section including a gas current generating section for generating a gas current, a first gas current duct arranged at a position corresponding to a central part of the transfer material in the direction orthogonal or substantially orthogonal relative to the transfer material conveying direction and having a first gas blowing port connected to the gas current generating section, a second gas current duct arranged adjacent to the first gas current duct in the direction orthogonal or substantially orthogonal relative to the transfer material conveying direc

Abstract: An apparatus includes: a latent image carrier which is freely rotatable in a predetermined sub scanning direction; a latent image carrier gear which is attached to an end portion of the latent image carrier; a drive motor which applies drive rotation force upon the latent image carrier via the latent image carrier gear and which rotates the latent image carrier; a line head which forms on the latent image carrier a line latent image which extends in a main scanning direction which is approximately orthogonal to the sub scanning direction; an exposure controller which provides an image signal to the line head and controls writing of the line latent image; a phase detector which detects the phase data regarding the latent image carrier gear; and a timing controller which adjusts the write location of the line latent image on the latent image carrier based on the phase data detected by the phase detector.

Abstract: A lens array includes a light-transmissive substrate that satisfies the condition W1>W2, where W1 is the length of the light-transmissive substrate in a first direction and W2 is the length of the light-transmissive substrate in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, a first lens that is provided on the light-transmissive substrate, and a second lens that is provided on the light-transmissive substrate on the second direction side of the first lens. The first lens and the second lens are connected to each other.

Abstract: An image forming device includes a development section provided with a developer carrier adapted to perform development using a liquid developer including a carrier liquid and toner particles, an image carrier adapted to carry an image developed by the development section, an cleaning roller of the image carrier having contact with the image carrier, an cleaning blade of the cleaning roller of the image carrier having contact with the cleaning roller of the image carrier at one of a position on an imaginary line of an intersection between an imaginary plane passing through a center of a rotational axis of the cleaning roller of the image carrier and perpendicular to an imaginary vertical plane and a surface of the cleaning roller of the image carrier and a position lower than the imaginary line in a vertical direction, and an image carrier recovery reservoir adapted to store the liquid developer recovered by the cleaning blade of the cleaning roller of the image carrier.

Abstract: A line head includes: a first substrate that includes light-emitting elements formed thereon; and a second substrate that includes focusing lenses, which are inverted optical systems, focusing light emitted from the light-emitting elements, and has a linear expansion coefficient that is smaller than that of the first substrate.

Abstract: An apparatus includes: a latent image carrier which is freely rotatable in a predetermined sub scanning direction; a latent image carrier gear which is attached to an end portion of the latent image carrier; a drive motor which applies drive rotation force upon the latent image carrier via the latent image carrier gear and which rotates the latent image carrier; a line head which forms on the latent image carrier a line latent image which extends in a main scanning direction which is approximately orthogonal to the sub scanning direction; an exposure controller which provides an image signal to the line head and controls writing of the line latent image; a phase detector which detects the phase data regarding the latent image carrier gear; and a timing controller which adjusts the write location of the line latent image on the latent image carrier based on the phase data detected by the phase detector.

Abstract: A development system includes a development roller that carries developer, a developer supplying roller that supplies developer to the development roller, a developer container that supplies developer to the developer supplying roller, and a photoconductor on which a developed image is formed with the developer carried by the development roller. The developed image is transferred on the photoconductor. A toner tank reserves developer having a higher concentration than that of the developer in the developer container. A liquid carrier tank reserves liquid carrier. High-concentration developer is fed from the toner tank and liquid carrier is fed from the liquid carrier tank into a developer concentration adjusting tank. A developer concentration adjustment controlling section controls development conditions depending on an input paper type.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first image carrier that carries a first latent image. A first charging section charges the first image carrier. A first exposure section exposes the first image carrier charged by the first charging section. A first developing section develops the first latent image formed on the first image carrier in the first exposure section using a first liquid developer containing a carrier and first toner particles. A first primary transfer section transfers a first image developed in the first developing section onto a transfer medium. A second image carrier carries a second latent image. A second charging section charges the second image carrier. A second exposure section exposes the second image carrier charged by the second charging section.