Abstract: A transfer device includes a direct-current (DC) power supply configured to output a DC voltage; an alternating-current (AC) power supply configured to selectively output a superimposed voltage in which an AC voltage is superimposed on the DC voltage output from the DC power supply or the DC voltage output from the DC power supply; and a transfer unit configured to transfer a developer to a sheet using the voltage output from the AC power supply.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a power source and a controller. A time-averaged value (Vave) of a voltage output from the power source has a polarity in a transfer direction, and an absolute value of Vave is greater than a midpoint value (Voff) of the voltage intermediate between a maximum value and a minimum value of the voltage. With an increase in a difference (Vpp) between the maximum value and the minimum value of the voltage, the controller controls the power source to increase a duty ratio (Duty) expressed by A/(A+B), where A is an application time in one cycle at a return direction side opposite a transfer direction side relative to Voff and B is an application time at the transfer direction side relative to Voff, and with a decrease in (Vpp), the controller controls the power source to reduce Duty.

Abstract: An integrated circuit includes a pixel identifying unit that extracts a target partial image formed of a pixel of interest and adjacent pixels from input image data, determines a character of the pixel of interest based on the pixel of interest and the adjacent pixels, and generates identification information indicating a result of determination on the character; and a density converting unit that converts a density of a pixel of the image data based on a contour extraction function or an edge density reducing function on the image data by using the identification information.

Abstract: A control apparatus specifies a response time required for a pre-change transmittance specified by image data of an image to be displayed on the liquid crystal display panel to become a post-change transmittance specified by image data of a subsequent image, subsequent to the image, to be displayed on the liquid crystal display panel, for each pixel of the liquid crystal display panel, based on the pre-change transmittance and on the post-change transmittance; derives a representative response time defined as a response time of an image in a frame, based on the response time specified for each of the pixels; and sets an unlit time period of the backlight, between display of the image and the subsequent image, according to the representative response time.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a transfer member disposed facing the image bearing member to form a transfer region therebetween, a transfer bias application device to apply to the transfer region a transfer bias including a direct current (DC) component and an alternating current (AC) component to transfer the toner image onto the recording medium as the recording medium passes through the transfer region, and a controller operatively connected to the transfer bias application device to allow, during a bias change period in a sheet absent period in which the image bearing member rotates and no recording medium passes through the transfer region, the transfer bias application device to selectively apply to the transfer region one of the transfer bias without the AC component and the transfer bias with a peak-to-peak voltage of the AC component less than that applied in image formation.

Abstract: According to an embodiment, provided is a transfer device including: a nip forming member that abuts against a surface of an image carrier carrying a toner image; and a transfer voltage application unit that applies a transfer voltage including a DC component and an AC component. The transfer voltage is an alternating voltage in which a supply voltage having polarity in a transfer direction and a return voltage having polarity opposite. A time average value Vave of the transfer voltage is set to be at polarity in the transfer direction and is set to be closer to a peak value Vt of the supply voltage relative to a center value Voff between a maximum and minimum value. An absolute value of the peak value Vr of the return voltage is set to be larger than an absolute value of the time average value Vave.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a power source to output a voltage having an alternating waveform to transfer a toner image from an image bearing member to a recording medium. A time-averaged value (Vave) of the voltage has a polarity in a transfer direction, in which the toner image is transferred from the image bearing member to the recording medium, and an absolute value of the time-averaged value is greater than a midpoint value (Voff) of the voltage intermediate between a maximum value and a minimum value of the voltage. As a roughness of the recording medium increases, a duty ratio (Duty) expressed by A/(A+B) is reduced, where A is an area of the waveform of the voltage in a return direction opposite the transfer direction relative to the midpoint value in one cycle and B is an area in the transfer direction relative to the midpoint value.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to suppress dullness of a scanning signal in a scanning signal line drive circuit. A bistable circuit is provided with an input terminal (43) for receiving a first clock signal (CK), an input terminal (48) for receiving a control signal (CT), an input terminal (49) for receiving a level down signal (LD), an output terminal (51), a thin film transistor (T2), and a thin film transistor (TA). The thin film transistor (T2) has a gate terminal connected to a first node (N1), a drain terminal connected to the input terminal (43), and a source terminal connected to the output terminal (51). The thin film transistor (TA) has a gate terminal connected to the input terminal (48), a drain terminal connected to the first node (N1), and a source terminal connected to the input terminal (49). The potential of the control signal (CT) becomes the high level in a control period as a period except for the first one horizontal scanning period in a vertical blanking period.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable image bearing member, a nip forming member, and a power source. The rotatable image bearing member bears a toner image on a surface thereof and rotates. The nip forming member contacts the surface of the image bearing member to form a transfer nip therebetween. The power source applies a transfer bias to the transfer nip to transfer the toner image from the image bearing member onto a recording medium interposed in the transfer nip. The transfer bias includes a superimposed transfer bias in which an alternating current (AC) component is superimposed on a direct current (DC) component and a polarity of the superimposed transfer bias changes with time. A phase difference between an AC voltage and an AC current output from the power source is equal to or less than 0.47 cycles.

Abstract: A transfer device includes a direct-current (DC) power supply configured to output a DC voltage; an alternating-current (AC) power supply configured to selectively output a superimposed voltage in which an AC voltage is superimposed on the DC voltage output from the DC power supply or the DC voltage output from the DC power supply; and a transfer unit configured to transfer a developer to a sheet using the voltage output from the AC power supply.

Abstract: Thin film transistors having a high current drive capability and a suitable threshold voltage are provided. The thin film transistor includes a gate electrode, an insulating layer formed on the gate electrode, a semiconductor layer formed on the insulating layer, and source/drain electrodes formed on the semiconductor layer. The semiconductor layer includes a plurality of regions separated from each other in a longitudinal direction of the source/drain electrodes.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a nip forming member and a transfer bias output device that outputs a transfer bias to form a transfer electric field in a transfer nip between the nip forming member and an intermediate transfer member. Upon transfer of a composite toner image including a particular toner image onto a recording medium in the transfer nip, the transfer bias output device outputs the transfer bias including a first superimposed bias in which a direct current (DC) component is superimposed on an alternating current (AC) component. Upon transfer of the composite toner image without the particular toner image onto the recording medium in the transfer nip, the transfer bias output device outputs one of the transfer bias including a second superimposed bias having a peak-to-peak value of the AC component smaller than that of the first superimposed bias and the transfer bias including only the DC component.

Abstract: A fundus camera includes a focus target projection unit including a focus target located at a position conjugate with a fundus of a subject's eye, a split optical element configured to split a light flux passing through the focus target, and a focus target illumination light source configured to illuminate the focus target, a fundus photographing optical system including a focusing lens, a focus link mechanism configured to interlockingly move the focus target projection unit and the focusing lens in a direction of an optical axis, at least two lenses located behind a plane optically conjugate with the imaging plane of the fundus photographing optical system and outside an optical axis of the fundus photographing optical system, image sensors respectively located behind the two lenses, and a phase difference detection unit configured to detect a phase difference between the focus target images based on signals output from the image sensors.

Abstract: A protecting agent-supplying device including: a rotation member configured to rotate in a certain direction; an image bearing member-protecting agent containing a fatty acid metal salt and an inorganic lubricant, and being in the form of a solid, wherein the agent is scraped off by the rotation of the rotation member, supplied to an image bearing member for protection thereof, and disposed to have a surface facing the rotation member, which surface has a width G in a direction along the certain direction, and wherein the position X (a center of the width G) is located upstream in the direction along the certain direction from the position Y (a line of intersection between the surface facing and a line extended from the rotational center of the rotation member perpendicular to the surface facing), and a distance d between these positions satisfies a formula 0<d?G/2.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including an image forming device, a transfer device, a fixing device, an inverting device, and a processor. The transfer device includes an intermediate transfer member, a nip forming member, and an electric potential difference generator to generate an electric potential difference between the intermediate transfer member and the nip forming member. The processor causes the electric potential difference generator to generate a first electric potential difference containing only a DC component when a toner image is transferred onto a first side of a recording sheet, and to generate a second electric potential difference containing a DC component and a superimposed AC component when the toner image is transferred onto a second side of the recording sheet. The second electric potential difference has an averaged absolute value per unit of time smaller than an absolute value of the first electric potential difference.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a controller and a transfer device including a power source to output a superimposed bias in which an AC voltage is superimposed on a DC voltage, a first electrode, a second electrode disposed opposite the first electrode with an image bearing member interposed therebetween to form a transfer electric field to transfer a toner image on the image bearing member to a recording medium. The controller including a CPU adjusts the transfer electric field and a transfer speed. One of the first electrode and the second electrode is connected to the power source, and the other is grounded. The controller adjusts the transfer speed such that in a case in which an oscillating electric field of the transfer electric field is strong, a maximum transfer speed is slower than the maximum transfer speed in a case in which the oscillating electric field is weak.

Abstract: A distance (d1) from an edge of a first region (R) at places (D) where branch electrodes (4b) extending, which branch off from an electrode line (4a) of a second source/drain electrode (4), start to overlap with a first region (R) to the electrode line (4a) is 5 ?m or more. This realizes a TFT including a comb-shaped source/drain structure that enables easy repair of a source-drain leakage.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a toner forced consumption control unit that performs toner forced consumption control in which toner in a developing unit is forcibly consumed when a certain condition to perform the toner forced consumption control is met. The certain condition to perform the toner forced consumption control includes a specific performance condition that a transfer bias switching condition to switch a transfer bias to a superimposed transfer bias in which an alternating current component is superimposed on a direct current component, from a direct current transfer bias is met. When the specific performance condition is met, the toner forced consumption control unit performs preliminary toner forced consumption control in which the toner forced consumption control is performed before an image forming operation using the superimposed transfer bias is started.

Abstract: In at least one embodiment, a TFT includes: a first capacitor formed of a first capacitor electrode connected to a source electrode and a second capacitor electrode; a second capacitor formed of a third capacitor electrode and a fourth capacitor electrode; a first lead-out line; a second lead-out line connected to a gate electrode; a third lead-out line; a fourth lead-out line; a first interconnection; and a second interconnection. This realizes a TFT which can be easily saved from being a defective product even if leakage occurs in a capacitor connected to a TFT body section.

Abstract: A display device includes a display panel on which images are displayed and which includes a plurality of display regions; a plurality of driving units that display the images in the plurality of display regions; a displayable region detecting unit that detects a displayable region at a time of abnormality of the display panel; an abnormality-time display image generating unit that generates an abnormality-time display image according to the displayable region detected by the displayable region detecting unit; and an abnormality-time display control unit that displays the abnormality-time display image generated by the abnormality-time display image generating unit in a displayable region while causing a driving unit of the plurality of driving units of which a corresponding display region is the displayable region to display an image in the corresponding display region.