Abstract: A head cleaning device includes: a cleaning member that comes into contact with a nozzle surface of an inkjet head from which ink is ejected, and performs a cleaning operation of cleaning the nozzle surface; and a hardware processor that controls the cleaning operation, wherein the hardware processor brings the nozzle surface of the inkjet head heated and the cleaning member into contact with each other, the hardware processor maintains the contact until a temperature of the nozzle surface that has decreased to a temperature below a threshold due to the cleaning member being brought into contact therewith reaches a temperature equal to or higher than the threshold, and the hardware processor controls the cleaning operation after the temperature of the nozzle surface has reached a temperature equal to or higher than the threshold.

Abstract: A valve device includes a flow channel section where fluid flows, a reserving section that reserves fluid from the flow channel section, a valve that switches between opening and blocking of the fluid flow in the flow channel section based on an operation signal, and a hardware processor that determines a deterioration degree of the valve on a basis of an operation of the valve based on the operation signal and of pressure in the reserving section.

Abstract: A head cleaning device includes: a cleaning member that comes into contact with a nozzle surface of an inkjet head from which ink is ejected, and performs a cleaning operation of cleaning the nozzle surface; and a hardware processor that controls the cleaning operation, wherein the hardware processor brings the nozzle surface of the inkjet head heated and the cleaning member into contact with each other, the hardware processor maintains the contact until a temperature of the nozzle surface that has decreased to a temperature below a threshold due to the cleaning member being brought into contact therewith reaches a temperature equal to or higher than the threshold, and the hardware processor controls the cleaning operation after the temperature of the nozzle surface has reached a temperature equal to or higher than the threshold.

Abstract: A restriction member is disposed above a central axis of a developing roller. An upstream restriction portion is disposed on an upstream side of the restriction member in a conveyance direction of a developer and configured to restrict an amount of the developer that is to be supplied to the restriction member. The central axis of the developing roller and a rotation axis of a feed screw extend in parallel with each other. In a view of a developing device seen in a direction in which the central axis and the rotation axis extend, the restriction member and the upstream restriction portion are disposed within a range of 90°, to the upstream side in the conveyance direction, from an intersection point at which a straight line connecting the central axis and the rotation axis intersects with an outer circumferential surface of the developing roller.

Abstract: A restriction member is disposed above a central axis of a developing roller. An upstream restriction portion is disposed on an upstream side of the restriction member in a conveyance direction of a developer and configured to restrict an amount of the developer that is to be supplied to the restriction member. The central axis of the developing roller and a rotation axis of a feed screw extend in parallel with each other. In a view of a developing device seen in a direction in which the central axis and the rotation axis extend, the restriction member and the upstream restriction portion are disposed within a range of 90°, to the upstream side in the conveyance direction, from an intersection point at which a straight line connecting the central axis and the rotation axis intersects with an outer circumferential surface of the developing roller.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image former having parts provided in a replaceable manner to be used for image formation; a sensing part that detects a characteristic value of the parts; and a controller that determines whether the characteristic value of the parts, which fluctuates immediately after manufacture, is in a stable state based on a comparison between information regarding the characteristic value of the parts based on a detection result of the sensing part and a threshold value and sets a process condition for the image former based on the detected characteristic value when determining that the characteristic value of the parts is not in the stable state.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image former having parts provided in a replaceable manner to be used for image formation; a sensing part that detects a characteristic value of the parts; and a controller that determines whether the characteristic value of the parts, which fluctuates immediately after manufacture, is in a stable state based on a comparison between information regarding the characteristic value of the parts based on a detection result of the sensing part and a threshold value and sets a process condition for the image former based on the detected characteristic value when determining that the characteristic value of the parts is not in the stable state.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus that transfers a toner image to a medium being conveyed includes: an image carrier configured to carry the toner image; a transfer member configured to apply, to the medium being conveyed, a first AC voltage which is opposite in polarity to the toner image and on which a DC component and an AC component are superimposed, and transfer the toner image to the medium; a charge removing member configured to apply, to the medium being conveyed, a second AC voltage which is opposite in polarity to the first AC voltage and on which a DC component and an AC component are superimposed after the first AC voltage is applied to the medium; and a control unit configured to change a frequency of the second AC voltage when a distance between the medium being conveyed and the charge removing member becomes shorter than a predetermined distance.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus that transfers a toner image to a medium being conveyed includes: an image carrier configured to carry the toner image; a transfer member configured to apply, to the medium being conveyed, a first AC voltage which is opposite in polarity to the toner image and on which a DC component and an AC component are superimposed, and transfer the toner image to the medium; a charge removing member configured to apply, to the medium being conveyed, a second AC voltage which is opposite in polarity to the first AC voltage and on which a DC component and an AC component are superimposed after the first AC voltage is applied to the medium; and a control unit configured to change a frequency of the second AC voltage when a distance between the medium being conveyed and the charge removing member becomes shorter than a predetermined distance.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, a transfer member provided at a position at which the transfer member can be pressed against the image carrier, a detection device for detecting a toner attachment amount of the toner image formed on the image carrier, an avoidance judging section for judging whether or not avoidance of a pressed region should be performed when a toner image for image formation is formed on the image carrier, the pressed region serving as a region located on the image carrier and being pressed against the transfer member from the end of a previous image forming operation to the start of a present image forming operation, and an avoidance continuation judging section for judging the necessity for continuation of the avoidance by being operated when it is judged as avoidance by the avoidance judging section.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus comprises an intermediate transfer member having a hard release layer on the surface that receives a primarily transferred toner image from a latent image-supporting member on the hard release layer and secondarily transfers the toner image to an image-receiving medium, wherein, when the difference ??sd between the dispersion-force component of surface free energy of the intermediate transfer member surface ?sd(itm) and the dispersion-force component of surface free energy of the latent image-supporting member surface ?sd(pc) is defined by the following Formula: ??sd=?sd(pc)??sd(itm), ??sd is 5 mN/m or less.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus which is free from occurrence of image noise due to the bleed phenomenon even without providing any contact-and-separation mechanism for the transfer member includes a control device which counts stop time elapsing from a stop to a restart of the image carrier, calculates an avoidance sheet count corresponding to the stop time at a restart of the image carrier, and makes a toner image carried on only part of the image carrier that has been out of the nip against the transfer member during the stop of the image carrier until the avoidance sheet count is reached after the restart of the image carrier.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus, including: a latent-image supporting member, and an intermediate transfer member that supports a toner image primarily-transferred thereon from the latent-image supporting member, secondarily-transfers the supported toner image onto an image receiving medium, and has a hard releasing layer on the surface thereof, and a ratio Rv (Vbt/Vpc) between a surface moving speed Vbt of the intermediate transfer member and a peripheral speed Vpc of the latent-image supporting member satisfies the following relational expression: ?5×10?6×Hu+1.0087?Rv??5×10?6×Hu+1.0167 wherein Hu is a universal hardness (N/mm2) of the surface of the intermediate transfer member, and is set to 220 N/mm2 or more.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus that is provided with an intermediate transfer member that has a hard releasing layer formed on the surface thereof, supports a toner image primary-transferred onto the hard releasing layer from a latent-image supporting member, and secondary-transfers the supported toner image onto an image-receiving medium, and a cleaning blade that is arranged in contact with the intermediate transfer member, and removes residual toner from the hard releasing layer of the intermediate transfer member, wherein the cleaning blade has an impact resilience in the range from 20 to 50% at 20° C.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, a transfer member provided at a position at which the transfer member can be pressed against the image carrier, a detection device for detecting a toner attachment amount of the toner image formed on the image carrier, an avoidance judging section for judging whether or not avoidance of a pressed region should be performed when a toner image for image formation is formed on the image carrier, the pressed region serving as a region located on the image carrier and being pressed against the transfer member from the end of a previous image forming operation to the start of a present image forming operation, and an avoidance continuation judging section for judging the necessity for continuation of the avoidance by being operated when it is judged as avoidance by the avoidance judging section.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus, equipped with an intermediate transfer member 3 having a surface layer that holds a toner image primary-transferred from a latent image-supporting member temporarily on the surface layer and allows secondary transfer of the toner image held thereon to an image receiving medium, wherein, when the moving distance of the intermediate transfer member surface from the secondary transfer region 15 to the first primary-transfer region 16 is designated as L (mm) and the moving speed of the intermediate transfer member as S (mm/second), the residual surface potential of the intermediate transfer member L/S seconds after application of the secondary transfer voltage is 1/20 or less of the first primary transfer voltage V1.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus which is free from occurrence of image noise due to the bleed phenomenon even without providing any contact-and-separation mechanism for the transfer member includes a control device which counts stop time elapsing from a stop to a restart of the image carrier, calculates an avoidance sheet count corresponding to the stop time at a restart of the image carrier, and makes a toner image carried on only part of the image carrier that has been out of the nip against the transfer member during the stop of the image carrier until the avoidance sheet count is reached after the restart of the image carrier.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus, equipped with an intermediate transfer member 3 having a surface layer that holds a toner image primary-transferred from a latent image-supporting member temporarily on the surface layer and allows secondary transfer of the toner image held thereon to an image receiving medium, wherein, when the moving distance of the intermediate transfer member surface from the secondary transfer region 15 to the first primary-transfer region 16 is designated as L (mm) and the moving speed of the intermediate transfer member as S (mm/second), the residual surface potential of the intermediate transfer member L/S seconds after application of the secondary transfer voltage is 1/20 or less of the first primary transfer voltage V1.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus that is provided with an intermediate transfer member that has a hard releasing layer formed on the surface thereof, supports a toner image primary-transferred onto the hard releasing layer from a latent-image supporting member, and secondary-transfers the supported toner image onto an image-receiving medium, and a cleaning blade that is arranged in contact with the intermediate transfer member, and removes residual toner from the hard releasing layer of the intermediate transfer member, wherein the cleaning blade has an impact resilience in the range from 20 to 50% at 20° C.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus comprises, a latent-image supporting member, and an intermediate transfer member having a hard releasing layer formed on the surface of the intermediate transfer member that supports a toner image primarily transferred thereon from the latent-image supporting member, and secondarily transfers the supported toner image onto an image receiving medium, wherein a pressing force F, exerted at a contact portion between the intermediate transfer member and the latent-image supporting member, is set to 4.4 N/m or less.