Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrying member to carry a toner image, a nip forming member to form a transfer nip with the image carrying member, and a transfer bias outputting unit to output a transfer bias to transfer the toner image from the image carrying member to a recording medium. The transfer bias is composed of a direct current (DC) component and an alternating current (AC) component, and a least one of the DC component and the AC component is subjected to constant voltage control. When constant current control is conducted at a timing other than when the toner image is being transferred from the image carrying member to the recording medium, a detection bias voltage at the transfer nip is detected, and the voltage of at least one of the DC component and the AC component is controlled based on the detected detection bias voltage.

Abstract: A disclosed method of manufacturing an image display element structure includes a coating step of coating a substrate surface including a plurality of recessed portions arranged at predetermined intervals, with a coating material that is plastic-deformable, in such a manner as to maintain spaces in the recessed portions; and an expanding step of forming gaps in the coating material coating the substrate surface by expanding gas in the spaces, wherein the gaps correspond to the recessed portions; and a peeling step of peeling off the coating material in which the gaps have been formed, from the substrate surface.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a latent image carrier, a charger to evenly charge a surface of the latent image carrier, a writing device to irradiate a charged surface of the latent image carrier to form an electrostatic latent image, a writing device control unit to control the writing device, a developing device to develop the electrostatic latent image to form a toner image, a transfer device to transfer the toner image onto a transferred member, and a pre-transfer irradiating device to irradiate the charged surface of the latent image carrier during a period after development and before transfer. The writing device control unit controls the writing device based on a target image signal A and an image signal B output a single rotation of the latent image carrier after output of the target image signal A in a sub-scanning direction.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier to carry a toner image, a transfer member to form a transfer nip by contacting the image carrier surface, and a power supply to output a voltage to the recording material captured in the transfer nip so as to transfer the toner image formed on the image carrier surface. The voltage is switching alternately between a voltage in the transfer direction and a voltage opposite to the voltage in the transfer direction, and a time average value (Vave) of the voltage is set to have a polarity of the transfer direction, and is set to a value in the transfer voltage side, and a change mode to change a cycle of the voltage output from the power supply can be changed based on the toner deterioration information which determines the deterioration status of the toner.

Abstract: According to an embodiment, a transfer device includes: an image carrier from which an image is transferred onto a transfer medium using electrostatic toner, the image carrier being applied with a direct current voltage superimposed with an alternating current (AC) voltage as a transfer bias. An output voltage of a power source for applying the voltage is controlled so that a current level of a direct current component output from the power source is kept at a specified current level.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus transferring a toner image on an intermediate transfer member onto a sheet in a transfer nip between a nip forming member and the transfer member, a resistance or environment detection device detects electrical resistance of the sheet or an environmental parameter correlated with the resistance, an output device outputs a transfer current, a storage device stores, as an algorithm for calculating a transfer current target value according to an image area ratio in the nip, algorithms corresponding to different resistances or environmental parameters, and a control device selects and uses, from the algorithms, an algorithm according to the detection result of the resistance or environment detection device as the algorithm for calculating the target value, and controls an output current value to equalize a current value based on the image area ratio in the nip with the target value based on the algorithm.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of manufacturing a toner, wherein a liquid drop forming part including a storage part configured to store a toner composition liquid in which a toner composition including at least a resin and a coloring agent is dispersed or dissolved, a thin film on which a nozzle facing the storage part is formed, and a vibration generating part configured to vibrate the thin film via the toner composition liquid in the storage part are used, wherein plural storage chambers partitioned by a partition wall(s) are formed in the storage part and a width of each storage chamber in a direction of arrangement of the plural storage chambers and a width of each storage chamber in a direction orthogonal to the direction of arrangement of the storage chambers are formed to be one-half or less of a wavelength ? of a sonic wave generated in the storage part.

Abstract: A display panel includes a sheet having first and second spaced apart surfaces defining a space therebetween and a plurality of partitions extending from the first surface to the second surface and dividing the space into a plurality of cells, wherein the thickness of each partition is in a range of 0.01 to 10 ?m.

Abstract: An electronic apparatus includes a casing that includes a vent, with the vent venting dust inside the casing, a heat radiating fin that is housed in the casing and includes an edge portion, a cooling fan that is housed in the casing and cools the heat radiating fin, with the cooling fan including an edge portion that faces the edge portion of the heat radiating fin. The electronic apparatus has a clearance between the edge portion of the heat radiating fin and the edge portion of the cooling fan becomes narrower the further it is from the vent.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, an intermediate transfer member, a primary transfer member, and a power supply unit to form a primary-transfer electric-field between the image carrier and the primary transfer member by performing constant-current control. The primary transfer member also detects a change in a primary transfer voltage in a sub-scanning direction that is applied to the primary transfer member from the power supply unit in the sub-scanning direction. There is a conductive member, a secondary transfer member, and a secondary-transfer electric-field forming member to apply a secondary transfer current to the secondary transfer member or the conductive member. A control device controls the secondary transfer current applied to the secondary transfer member or the conductive member in accordance with the change in the primary transfer voltage in the sub-scanning direction detected by the power supply unit.

Abstract: There is provided a photoreceptor cleanerless image forming apparatus capable of decreasing color mixture or an exposure error due to reverse transfer toner an untransferred toner. An image forming apparatus 100 according to the present invention comprises four image forming units 100a, 100b, 100c, and 100d configured to be photoreceptor cleanerless in a 4-drum tandem manner. Each image forming unit includes a photoreceptor 103a, 103b, 103c, or 103d, a charger 105a, 105b, 105c, or 105d, an exposure apparatus 106a, 106b, 106c, or 106d, and a developing apparatus 109a, 109b, 109c, or 109d. When exposure intensities Iy, Ic, Im, and Ik are assumed for exposure sources of the exposure apparatuses in the image forming units which form yellow, magenta, cyan, and black images, respectively, the exposure intensities are configured to satisfy conditions of Ik?Ic?Im?Iy and Ik>Iy. This decreases an exposure error (image hysteresis) in an image formed on paper.

Abstract: A methanol oxidation catalyst comprises a material of composition: PtxMzTau in which Pt is platinum, Ta is tantalum, M is an element includes at least one selected from the group consisting of V (vanadium), W (tungsten), Ni (nickel) and Mo (molybdenum), x is 40 to 98 at. %, z is 1.5 to 55 at. %, and u is 0.5 to 40 at. %. To maximize catalytic activity the material is preferably in the form of nanoparticles. The values of x, z and u are selected such that the element exhibits X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy peaks derived from an oxygen bond and a metal bond in which a peak area derived from the oxygen bond is twice or less of a peak area derived from the metal bond.

Abstract: The cooling apparatus includes a heat receiving portion to receive heat from the heating element, a radiator, a first heat pipe having one end portion to receive heat from the heat receiving portion and anther end portion inserted in the radiator, and a second heat pipe to receive the heat from the heat receiving portion via the first heat pipe, the second heat pipe including one end portion arranged on the first pipe and another end portion arranged around the radiator, wherein the second heat pipe overlaps with a region of the first heat pipe extending from the heat receiving portion to the radiator in a plan view of the cooling apparatus.

Abstract: A disclosed method for producing a hollow cell array structure includes a first step of layering a deformable material capable of being plastically deformed under a predetermined condition on a first substrate, the first substrate having plural, mutually separated depressions in a surface thereof, such that the deformable material forms mutually isolated spaces in the corresponding depressions; a second step of expanding the spaces in the plural depressions by inducing a gas pressure of the spaces while extending the deformable material on the first substrate, such that plural hollow cells are simultaneously formed in correspondence to the plural depressions in predetermined directions; and a third step of selectively solidifying portions of the plural hollow cells by selectively applying ultraviolet rays thereto.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a transfer bias generator including a transfer bias supply that supplies a transfer bias to a transfer nip formed between an image carrier and a first rotary body, and a controller that detects a toner adhesion amount at a predetermined region of the image carrier located immediately upstream from the transfer nip and having a predetermined length in a moving direction of the image carrier. The transfer bias generator outputs at least an alternating current component under one of constant voltage control and constant current control and changes a target output value of the alternating current component according to the toner adhesion amount detected by the controller.

Abstract: A transfer device includes a controller that controls a transfer bias supply to cause a transfer bias to increase, between an image carrier and a first rotary body disposed opposite the image carrier, a potential of the first rotary body toward an opposite polarity to a charge polarity of toner of a toner image on the image carrier to be higher than a potential of the image carrier, and to change, on the basis of identified recording medium type, a returning peak value which is one of a peak value of positive polarity and a peak value of negative polarity of the transfer bias and which generates an electric field that causes the toner having moved to the recording medium from the image carrier to return to the image carrier from the recording medium in a transfer nip.

Abstract: A transfer device includes an image carrier that carries a toner image; a nip forming member that forms a transfer nip between the nip forming member and the image carrier by contacting with a front surface of the image carrier; and a transfer bias applying unit that applies a transfer bias, thereby transferring the toner image carried on the image carrier to a recording material at a position of the transfer nip. The transfer bias applying unit applies the transfer bias in which an AC component and a DC component are superimposed and in which a peak-to-peak voltage of the AC component is larger than 6 times an absolute value of a voltage of the DC component.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier for carrying a toner image and a transfer device. In the transfer device, a voltage applier applies a predetermined voltage to a transfer electric field generator. A potential measurement device measures a surface potential of the transfer electric field generator when a predetermined time period elapses after the voltage applier applies the predetermined voltage to the transfer electric field generator. A controller determines a transfer bias to be applied by at least one transfer member to the transfer electric field generator based on the measured surface potential of the transfer electric field generator. The at least one transfer member applies the transfer bias to the transfer electric field generator to generate a transfer electric field. The toner image is transferred from the image carrier onto a toner image receiver by the transfer electric field generated by the transfer electric field generator.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, a determiner determines a target amount of transfer current based on first and second algorithms each representing a relation between an image area rate of a latent image bearer in the vicinity of an exit of a transfer nip and a target amount of transfer current to be provided to a nip creating member. The first algorithm is utilized in a second transfer step when the image area rate falls within a typical range from the lower limit (a %) to the upper limit (b %). The first algorithm decreases the target amount as the image area rate increases within that range.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a toner includes preparing a droplet forming device, comprising a storage portion to store a toner composition solution, a thin film formed from a rigid material, bonded to the storage portion by a bonding material, and provided with a nozzle and an oscillation device including an oscillation generation device configured to generate an oscillation upon the thin film and an oscillation amplification device which has an oscillation surface including a position that is parallel and opposite to the thin film and is configured to amplify the oscillation, periodically forming a droplet of the toner composition solution including at least a resin and a coloring agent to be supplied between the thin film and the oscillation surface and discharging the droplet via the nozzle, and solidifying the droplet of the toner composition solution discharged via the nozzle, and forming a toner particle.