摘要:
An image forming apparatus having various process units at least one of which is removable for replacement. The apparatus has a mode selecting a device accessible for selecting desired one of a plurality of image modes. A photoconductive element, developing unit, image transferring unit and other replaceable process units each is provided with a storage for storing image forming conditions which match an image mode selected on the mode selecting device. A copy process and other conditions are set up on the basis of the conditions stored in the storage. Another storage is loaded with data associated with the service life of a replaceable process unit.
摘要:
A developing unit incorporated in an image forming apparatus and capable of transporting a developer or a toner deposited on a developing roller in a predetermined direction without rotating the developing roller, or developer carrier. The developing roller has an unrotatable base roller, a stationary body provided on the base roller and made of an insulating material, and a plurality of drive electrodes buried in the stationary body. The drive electrodes are divided into three electrode groups. Voltages whose polarities change at predetermined intervals are applied to the three electrode groups, causing the toner to be transported by the coaction of the charge of the toner and the charges of the drive electrodes. The drive electrodes are arranged at a pitch which is substantially one-third of the particle size of the toner, so that the toner may be deposited on the developing roller substantially without any clearance. To enhance repulsion acting on the toner and, therefore, efficient development, higher voltages are applied to part of the drive electrodes located in a developing region than part of the drive electrodes located in a transporting region. Such voltages may be replaced with voltages on which alternating voltages are superposed.
摘要:
A developing apparatus has a developer cartridge having a first developer storage room for storing an unused new developer, a second developer storage room for storing a used old developer, and shutter members for opening and closing openings of the first and second developer storage rooms; and a device for detachably attaching the developer cartridge to a section for exchanging the old developer for the new developer on a body side of the developing apparatus. The developer cartridge may be attached and detached from the developer exchanging section after deterioration of the developer in use is displayed, and the used developer is collected within the second developer storage room and the new developer is supplied into the developer cartridge after the collection of the used developer. The developer cartridge may be attached to the body of the developing apparatus at any time, and the used developer may be collected within the second developer storage room by operating the developer cartridge by a control signal from the body side of the developing apparatus when life of the developer in use is completed.
摘要:
An image forming apparatus having a developing device which includes a developing roller. A developer or a toner is transported on and along the developing roller without the roller being rotated. The developing roller has a shaft and ultrasonic transport members provided on the shaft. The ultrasonic transport members are made up of a plurality of electrodes, a piezoelectric member surrounding the electrodes and made of, for example, piezoelectric ceramic, and an elastic member surrounding the piezoelectric member and made of, for example, copper alloy or similar alloy. A plurality of standing waves are caused to flow through the electrodes with the result that the piezoelectric member waves. The toner is transported on the waving surface of the elastic member.
摘要:
An image forming apparatus has two units which are engageable with a photoconductive element and provided with a substantially identical configuration. Various electrophotographic process devices including a developing device and a cleaning device and to be arranged around the photoconductive element are selectively arranged in the two units. The photoconductive element is passed over two rollers such that part of the element forms parallel flat portions. The two units and the photoconductive element are rotatable integrally with each other.
摘要:
An image forming apparatus has two units which are engageable with a photoconductive element and provided with a substantially identical configuration. Various electrophotographic process devices including a developing device and a cleaning device and to be arranged around the photoconductive element are selectively arranged in the two units. The photoconductive element is passed over two rollers such that part of the element forms parallel flat portions. The two units and the photoconductive element are rotatable integrally with each other.
摘要:
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus of the present invention deposits charged toner on a latent image formed on a photoconductive drum or similar image carrier to thereby produce a corresponding toner image. The apparatus includes a toner flying device for electrostatically conveying the toner along the conveying surface of a conveyance board to one end of the conveyance board. The toner is caused to fly toward the image carrier from the end of the conveyance board.
摘要:
In an image forming apparatus, a toner collection mode is executed when a series of image formation modes ends and when the image formation mode is continuously repeated a preselected number of times. A toner image sensing mode for sensing a reflection density from a reference toner image is executed every time the image formation mode is repeated a preselected number of times. The apparatus is capable of surely and efficiently removing toner left on an image carrier after image transfer, and collecting the reference toner image with a developing unit. The reference toner image is prevented from contaminating an image transferring unit and a cleaning unit.
摘要:
In an image forming apparatus, during the course of recording, a cleaning roller is rotated together with an image carrier. The roller frictionally charges toner left on the image carrier after image transfer to the same polarity. A cleaning member electrostatically collects the charged toner. At the same time, a voltage is applied to the cleaning member by a voltage applying device in order to cause it to attract the charged toner, thereby cleaning the image carrier. Hence, even when the toner remaining on image carrier is charged partly to the positive polarity and partly to the negative polarity, the toner can be entirely transferred to the cleaning member by a simple construction.
摘要:
An image forming apparatus includes a photoconductive element including a conductive support rotatably supported and a charge injection layer and a surface protection layer sequentially laminated on the conductive support. A charger includes a conductive body for injecting, when a preselected voltage is applied thereto, a charge in the charge injection layer in contact with the surface protection layer. A writing unit exposes the charged surface of the photoconductive element imagewise to thereby locally vary the potential deposited on the photoconductive element and electrostatically form a latent image. A developing unit develops the latent image to thereby produce a corresponding toner image. The toner image is transferred from the photoconductive element to a recording medium. Assuming that the charge injection layer has a thickness of D micrometers, and that the potential deposited on the surface of the photoconductive element by the conductive member is V volts in absolute value, then a ratio V/D is confined in a preselected range that does not contaminate the background of the photoconductive element.