Abstract: A discharge wire usable in an electrification device includes a tungsten wire subjected to mirror finish processing and an oxidized layer formed by heating the surface of the tungsten wire at a temperature in the range 400 to 600° C., wherein the film has a thickness in the range of 0.01 to 0.3 ?m.

Abstract: A discharge wire usable in an electrification device includes a tungsten wire subjected to mirror finish processing and an oxidized layer formed by heating the surface of the tungsten wire at a temperature in the range 400 to 600° C., wherein the film has a thickness in the range of 0.01 to 0.3 &mgr;m.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member; a driver for driving the image bearing member; a latent image forming device for forming an electrostatic latent image on the image bearing member; a developing device for developing the electrostatic latent image on the image bearing member with a developer; a cleaning member, contacted to the image bearing member, for cleaning a surface of the image bearing member; a vibration imparting device for vibrating the cleaning member; and a controller for causing the latent image forming means to form an electrostatic pattern for attracting the developer deposited on the cleaning member and for causing the device to move the electrostatic pattern to a contact portion where the cleaning member is contacted to the image bearing member.

Abstract: A discharge wire usable in an electrification device includes a tungsten wire subjected to mirror finish processing and an oxidized layer formed by heating the surface of the tungsten wire at a temperature in the range 400 to 600° C., wherein the film has a thickness in the range of 0.01 to 0.3 &mgr;m.

Abstract: A discharge wire usable in an electrification device includes a tungsten wire subjected to mirror finish processing and an oxidized layer formed by heating the surface of the tungsten wire at a temperature in the range 400 to 600° C., wherein the film has a thickness in the range of 0.01 to 0.3 &mgr;m.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member; driving means for driving the image bearing member; latent image forming means for forming an electrostatic latent image on the image bearing member; developing means for developing the electrostatic latent image on the image bearing member with a developer; a cleaning member, contacted to the image bearing member, for cleaning a surface of the image bearing member; vibration imparting means for vibrating the cleaning member; control means for causing the latent image forming means to form an electrostatic latent image pattern for electrostatically attracting the developer deposited on the cleaning member and for causing the driving means to move the electrostatic latent image pattern to a contact portion where the cleaning member is contacted to the image bearing member.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus for outputting an image through an electrophotographic process in accordance with a digital image signal includes an electrophotographic photosensitive member; an optical system for applying light information to the photosensitive member; a developing device for forming a toner image on the photosensitive member; an input path for a plurality of digital image signals containing a bi-level digital image signal and a multi-level digital image signal; a controller for changing developing condition of the developing device when the image is outputted in accordance with the bi-level digital image signal, and changing an image forming condition which is different from the developing condition when an image is outputted in accordance with a multi-level digital image signal.

Abstract: When an image is adjusted to compensate for individual differences among image forming units, there are cases where a phenomenon occurs in which a contour that is originally non-existent appears in a low-density portion, namely an area other than that where the output density characteristic is linear. In such instances image quality deteriorates markedly when importance is placed upon tonality. To solve this problem, a printer is caused to print an image diagnostic pattern, the image diagnostic pattern that has been printed is read by a reader and the linear portion of the output density characteristic of a design center value and the linear portion of the read output density characteristic are approximated by straight lines. Both of the output density characteristics are compared and image adjustment coefficients A, B are compared. The coefficients A, B thus obtained are set in a primary converter and gamma tables in a gamma converter are changed over in conformity with the values of the coefficients A, B.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive body, a charging member for charging the photosensitive body, voltage applicator for applying a voltage including an AC component to the charging member, exposing device for image exposing on the photosensitive body charged by the charging member to form an electrostatic image, and developer for developing the electrostatic image, wherein the image forming apparatus can select from a first mode having low tone reproductivity and a second mode having tone reproductivity higher than that of the first mode, and wherein, when the second mode is selected, the voltage applicator applies a voltage having a frequency of the AC component higher than that when the first mode is selected.

Abstract: The present invention provides a fixing apparatus comprising a heater generating heat by communication, a heat body to be heated by the heater, a temperature detection element for detecting an temperature of the heat body, and control means for switching warm-up control after the communication to the heater is started in accordance with a temperature change ratio of the heat body.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has an image bearing member, a charging member which contacts with the image bearing member to charge it, detecting device for detecting an electric current flowing through the charging member when a predetermined voltage is applied thereto, and a display device for displaying an information about a life of the image bearing member in conformity with the result of detection by the detecting device. The display device can display at least two different kinds of information corresponding to at least two different electric currents detected by the detecting device.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, and related method of forming an image, having a copy function, a printer function, and a facsimile function, when the absence of the toner is detected, a copy or a data print from a computer is inhibited but a recording of an image which was facsimile received is permitted. Thus, a situation such that the facsimile reception cannot be performed due to the absence of the toner at night or the like is prevented.

Abstract: A developing device is constructed by a developing unit for developing an electrostatic latent image on an image holding member, a developing agent containing unit for containing a developing agent which is supplied to the developing unit, an agitator, provided in the developing agent containing unit, for agitating the developing agent, a detecting sensor for detecting a residual amount of developing agent in the developing agent containing unit, and a determining device for determining the residual amount of developing agent at a plurality of levels on the basis of an output state of the detecting sensor in a predetermined time range. The determining device determines the residual amount of developing agent on the basis of a ratio of an output time of a developing agent presence state of the detecting sensor and an output time of a developing agent absence state in the predetermined time range.

Abstract: When a binary image signal or multivalued image signal is input to form an image, if the binary image signal is input, one of the line width output characteristic previously stored in memory is set and displayed. If the multivalued image signal is input, one of the density output characteristic previously stored in the memory is set and displayed. Each of the line width output characteristic and the density output characteristic can be changed by the operator. The line width output characteristic is changed by changing the development bias voltage, and the density output characteristic is changed by changing the .gamma.-table.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus which varies the blending ratio by which color-seperated image signals are blended together to form a monochromatic image. The apparatus inputs a plurality of image signals which have been color-separated, and synthesizes the plurality of image signals by blending to form a monochromatic image. A density regulating mechanism regulates the density of the monochromatic image to a predetermined density level, and the apparatus varies the blending ratio of the synthesized plurality of image signals based on the predetermined density level.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to perform a well tonality reproduction according to a state of an image support body. In order to achieve the object, the present invention is featured by comprising the image support body for supporting an image which is to be formed on a medium, a signal generation means for generating an image signal representing the image, a detection means for detecting a value according to a membrane thickness of the image support body, and a conversion means for converting the image signal on the basis of the detected value according to the membrane thickness.

Abstract: When a binary image signal or multivalued image signal is input to form an image, if the binary image signal is input, one of the line width output characteristic previously stored in memory is set and displayed. If the multivalued image signal is input, one of the density output characteristic previously stored in the memory is set and displayed. Each of the line width output characteristic and the density output characteristic can be changed by the operator. The line width output characteristic is changed by changing the development bias voltage, and the density output characteristic is changed by changing the .gamma.-table.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a first heater, a second heater having a heat distribution different from that of the first heater, a heating member heated by the first and second heaters, and a temperature detecting element for detecting the temperature of the heating member. A power supply control element controls the power supply to the first heater and second heater in such a manner that the temperature detected by the temperature detecting element is maintained at a target temperature. After a fixing operation and until the temperature detected by the temperature detecting element rises from the fixing temperature to a stand-by temperature higher than the fixing temperature, the power supply element is adapted to effect power supply control different from that in the stand-by state.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an electrophotographic technique for enhancing the quality of a reproduced image of character information and image information having an intermediate gradient.A latent image forming means provides a plurality of preset .gamma.-features and a plurality of sharpness features forsetting a resolving power of an image to be formed which can be selected optionally, and, in the latent image forming means, when a particular sharpness feature is set in response to a .gamma.-feature selected from the aforementioned .gamma.-features. In the reproduction of character image information, a .gamma.-feature for enabling the image reproduction to enhance the edge effect is selected, thereby emphasizing the sharpness feature. Whereas, in the reproduction of the image information to reproduce an intermediate gradient, a .gamma.-feature for enabling the reproduction of the intermediate gradient is selected, thereby weakening the sharpness feature.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus having two developers, toner deposition parameters in the second developing device are larger than the first developing device. Here, the toner deposition parameter is represented by an amount of electric charge of the toner particles, an amount of developer particles constituting a foggy background, an amount of carrier particles deposited on the image bearing member, or any combination of these parameters. The amount of the fog developer particles is determined first by a ratio of the total area occupied by the fog developer particles to the entire background area, second by a ratio of the fog developer particles having large particle sizes to the entire fog developer particles, third by a particle size at which a number of the fog developer particles accumulated in the large size side of a number/particle size distribution graph reaches a predetermined percentage to the entie number of fog developer particles, and fourth by a number of fog developer particles per unit area.