Abstract: A developing device comprises a latent image carrier that carries a latent image, a toner carrier opposing the latent image carrier while carrying toner to develop the latent image, and plural electrodes arranged in a prescribed direction insulated from each other on the surface of the toner carrier to create an electric field therebetween. An alternating voltage supplying device is provided to supply n number of phases (n?2) of an alternating voltage to the plural electrodes, respectively. The alternating voltage changes the electric field to cause the toner to hop and form toner cloud on the surface of the toner carrier. The toner hopping is halted at a prescribed time period during the toner cloud formation.

Abstract: The development device includes a toner carrier, a toner supplier, and a surface electrical potential controller. When the toner supplier supplies toner particles to the toner carrier, the toner carrier carries toner particles to adhere to a latent image formed on the latent image carrier and has a time constant ?1 of a surface electrical potential change of the toner carrier. The surface electrical potential controller has a time constant ?2 of a surface electrical potential change of the toner carrier smaller than the time constant ?1. The toner carrier includes a plurality of electrodes aligned in parallel and electrically insulated from each other on the surface thereof, and a voltage supplier for supplying each of the plurality of electrodes with a voltage to periodically switch electrical fields therebetween, so that the toner particles form a cloud on the surface of the toner carrier while hopping.

Abstract: A development apparatus using a hopping method and an image formation apparatus including the development apparatus are disclosed. The development apparatus includes a toner supporting object for supporting and conveying a toner by a movement of the toner supporting object, while the toner is hopping on a surface of the toner supporting object by an electric field; a regulating member made of a flexible material for constituting a toner thickness regulation position; a latent image supporting object for supporting a latent image; and a development position, which is a position of the toner supporting object, that counters the latent image supporting object; wherein the toner is conveyed through the regulation position to the development position where the toner is adhered to the latent image, and wherein one end of the regulating member is supported, and the other end contacts the toner supporting object.

Abstract: An image formation apparatus using a hopping method is disclosed. Toner provided on a moving surface of a toner supporting object is conveyed, while the toner is hopping on the surface due to an electric field, to a position that counters a latent image supporting object by movement of the surface, and is adhered to a latent image formed on the latent image supporting object. The image formation apparatus includes a supply member for scooping up the toner in a toner container by plural hollows formed on a surface of the supply member with endless movement of the surface of the supply member, for conveying the toner to a position where the supply member contacts the toner supporting object, and for providing the toner to the surface of the toner supporting object.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is capable of specifying the type of an occurring abnormality to a certain extent while avoiding the increasingly complicated control that is caused when a plurality of abnormalities is detected individually according to the presence of their respective causes. A normal group data set, which is a collection of normal value combinations relating to grouped information constituted by a plurality of information of differing types, is stored in RAM or ROM serving as information storage device of a control unit. At least two or more sets of grouped information, including first grouped information constituted by a plurality of different types of information, and second grouped information constituted by a plurality of information in a different combination to that of the first grouped information, are obtained from the RAM, the ROM, various sensors, and an operation display unit.

Abstract: A charging device includes a case that surrounds a charging unit and has plural ventilating sections, a gas separating unit that varies a component ratio of the air near an opposed portion of a photosensitive member and the charging unit, and a gas electrolyzing unit that electrolyzes moisture of the area near the opposed portion. The gas separating unit has a nitrogen enriching unit that includes a nitrogen enriching film set in a ventilating section and a pressurizing chamber for forming a pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the case and supplies a nitrogen enriched air to the inside of the case or an oxygen enriching unit that includes an oxygen enriching film set in another ventilating section and a depressurizing chamber for forming a pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the case and exhausts an oxygen enriched air to the outside of the case.

Abstract: A disclosed development device includes: a latent image carrier; a conveying member disposed so as to face the latent image carrier, the conveying member having plural electrodes insulated from one another and arranged at predetermined intervals so as to generate an electric field for moving toner on the conveying member; a voltage application unit applying a voltage of n phases (n is a positive integer not less than one) to the electrodes so as to form a cloud of the toner and the toner is adhered to the latent image carrier so as to form a visualized toner image; a toner supply unit supplying the toner to the conveying member; and a height adjusting member adjusting a uniform height for a toner layer of the toner immediately before a development area on the conveying member in which development is performed.

Abstract: A developing device, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus that use ETH development, and are capable of forming good multi-color images with a simple construction, and are capable of preventing the dispersal of powder. The developing device is for developing latent images on a latent image carrying member by applying powder to the latent image carrying member, and comprises: a transport member disposed in opposition to the latent image carrying member and having a plurality of transport electrodes that generate a progressive wave electric field to move the powder; a voltage supply device for applying a multi-phase voltage to the transport electrodes; and a transport member surface potential determination device for determining the surface potential of the transport member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is capable of specifying the type of an occurring abnormality to a certain extent while avoiding the increasingly complicated control that is caused when a plurality of abnormalities is detected individually according to the presence of their respective causes. A normal group data set, which is a collection of normal value combinations relating to grouped information constituted by a plurality of information of differing types, is stored in RAM or ROM serving as information storage device of a control unit. At least two or more sets of grouped information, including first grouped information constituted by a plurality of different types of information, and second grouped information constituted by a plurality of information in a different combination to that of the first grouped information, are obtained from the RAM, the ROM, various sensors, and an operation display unit.

Abstract: An apparatus for developing a latent image on a latent image carrier includes a toner carrier and multiple electrodes arranged at intervals on a surface of the toner carrier. A potential difference is formed between even-numbered electrodes and odd-numbered electrodes of the electrodes by applying a first pulse voltage to the even-numbered electrodes and a second pulse voltage to the odd-numbered electrodes so that toner on the surface of the toner carrier moves back and forth between the electrodes, where the first and second pulse voltages are in different phases, and the toner moving back and forth between the electrodes is conveyed to a position facing the latent image carrier by movement of the surface of the toner carrier and thereby caused to adhere to the latent image on the latent image carrier.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is capable of specifying the type of an occurring abnormality to a certain extent while avoiding the increasingly complicated control that is cause when a plurality of abnormalities is detected individually according to the presence of their respective causes. A normal group data set, which is a collection of normal value combination relating to grouped information constituted by a plurality of information of differing types, is stored in RAM or ROM serving as information storage device of a control unit. At least two or more sets of grouped information, including first grouped information constituted by a plurality of different types of information, and second grouped information constituted by a plurality of information in a different combination to that of the first grouped information, are obtained from the RAM, the ROM, various sensors, and an operation display unit.

Abstract: A powder transferring apparatus provided with a powder electrostatic transferring device includes a plurality of transferring electrodes configured to generate an electric field for transferring the powder by an electrostatic force including a powder transferring amount detecting device to detect an amount of powder on a surface of the powder electrostatic transferring device.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus for forming a color image, including a charging device configured to charge a moving image bearing member; a writing device configured to form a latent image the image bearing member by exposing a plurality of colors according to image information; and a developing device configured to develop the latent image with toner, wherein the writing device and the developing device are configured to perform exposure and development more than once to the image bearing member, which is charged once by the charging device so that the color image is formed from superimposed toner of each of the plurality of colors on the image bearing member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus configured (a) to charge uniformly an image bearing member once, (b) to form a latent image including n levels of electric potential on the image bearing member with a single exposure, (c) to adhere a first toner on a portion of the image bearing member which has the lowest electric potential, (d) to decrease the electric potential of a portion of the image bearing member not developed with the first toner by uniformly exposing light at a first wavelength whose transmission factor is lowest for the first toner, (e) to develop using a second toner a portion of the image bearing member which has the second lowest electric potential, (f) to perform a second uniform exposure at a wavelength whose transmission factor is lowest for both the first toner and the second toner, (g) to develop using a third toner a portion of the image bearing member which has the third lowest electric potential, (h) to perform a third uniform exposure at a wavelength whose transmission factor is lowest for ea

Abstract: A charge removing unit is provided in order to control the surface potential of an image bearing element by removing charge from a surface of the image bearing element before a toner image is transferred from the image bearing element to a transfer medium. Surface potential controlling units are provided upstream of a contact area between the image bearing element and the transfer medium in order to control the surface potential of the transfer medium so that a toner on the image bearing element does not shift to the transfer medium.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus having a developing apparatus using a development system in which toner is moved by means of a traveling wave electric field. The image forming apparatus comprises a plurality of developing apparatuses having toner conveyance members which convey toner by means of a phase-shift electric field created by voltages of n phases applied to a plurality of electrodes, to a region opposing an image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed; and a voltage application device which applies a voltage having an average potential value between the potential of the image portions of the latent image on the image carrier and the non-image portions of same, to the electrodes of the toner conveyance members of the respective developing apparatuses.

Abstract: An abnormality determining apparatus includes an information storage unit for storing normal index information serving as an index of a normal state of the detection subject, an information obtaining unit for obtaining a plurality of types of information, and an abnormality determining unit for determining the presence of an abnormality in the detection subject on the basis of the normal index information stored in the information storage unit, and the information obtained by the information obtaining unit. The information storage unit stores a plurality of normal index information having different values. The abnormality determining unit selects, at a predetermined timing, normal index information to be used to determine the presence of an abnormality in the detection subject from the plurality of normal index information.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for recording an image using a transfer-type recording mechanism are such that a layer of an intermediate transfer element is removably formed on a surface of an intermediate transfer medium. The intermediate transfer element includes an ultraviolet stabilizer and a powder mixture. The intermediate transfer layer is capable of being dissolved and swelled by applying an ink liquid on the intermediate transfer medium and enables a viscosity of the ink liquid residing thereon to be increased. An image is produced on the intermediate transfer medium by supplying the ink liquid thereon. The image is then transferred to the recording medium, so that a high quality image is produced without any blurring, mixing or penetration of the ink liquid.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes an image carrier on which a toner image is to be formed, and a sheet support member for conveying a sheet, carrying the toner image thereon, in cooperation with the image carrier. The image carrier and sheet support member are driven such that their surfaces move in the same direction, as seen at a contact position where the two surfaces face each other via the sheet. An electric field, forcing the toner image toward the image carrier, and an electric field, forcing it toward the sheet, are formed between the surface of the image carrier and that of the sheet at positions upstream and downstream, respectively, of the contact position in the direction of movement of the sheet.

Abstract: A charging device includes a case that surrounds a charging unit and has plural ventilating sections, a gas separating unit that varies a component ratio of the air near an opposed portion of a photosensitive member and the charging unit, and a gas electrolyzing unit that electrolyzes moisture of the area near the opposed portion. The gas separating unit has a nitrogen enriching unit that includes a nitrogen enriching film set in a ventilating section and a pressurizing chamber for forming a pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the case and supplies a nitrogen enriched air to the inside of the case or an oxygen enriching unit that includes an oxygen enriching film set in another ventilating section and a depressurizing chamber for forming a pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the case and exhausts an oxygen enriched air to the outside of the case.