Image forming apparatus

• US 5,036,369 A
• Filed: 06/29/1989
• Issued: 07/30/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Toda, Kunio, Nagao, Taisuke, Yokoyama, Tomoaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Grimley, A. T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith, Matthew S.
• Application Number:
  US07/372,817
• Time in Patent Office: 761 Days
• Field of Search: 355/297, 355/298, 355/269, 355/270, 355/245, 355/251, 355/253, 355/326, 355/246, 355/328, 118/652, 118/657, 118/658, 118/661
• US Class Current: 399/359
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/09 using magnetic brush
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/105 Arrangements for conveying toner waste

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member rotatably supported; an upstream developing device, in a rotary direction of the member, for developing an electrostatic latent image corresponding to a solid image and/or a literal image with an accommodated developer therein; a downstream developing device, in the direction thereof, for developing an electrostatic latent image corresponding to a line image with an accommodated developer in the same color as that in the upstream developing device; a cleaning device for collecting the developer remained on the surface of the member; and a developer transporting device for transporting the developer collected by the cleaning device to the upstream developing device. The apparatus further includes a charging device for charging a specified zone of the surface of the member; an image forming device for forming the latent image on the charged specified zone thereof; a voltage changing device for selecting one of a first developing bias voltage and a second developing bias voltage which is higher than the first developing bias voltage; and a control device for controlling the voltage changing device. By the control device, the first developing bias voltage is applied to the upstream developing device while the latent image on the specified zone of the member passes through a developing region of the upstream developing device and the second developing bias voltage is applied thereto while the specified zone passes therethrough again after the latent image passes therethrough.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

a photosensitive member supported to rotate in one direction;

a first developing means accommodating a developer in a specified color and set to develop an electrostatic latent image reproduced as a solid;

a second developing means arranged at a downstream side of said first developing means in the one direction of said member, said second developing means accommodating a developer in the same color as that in said first developing means and being set to develop an electrostatic latent image reproduced as a line;

a cleaning means for collecting the developer remaining on a surface of said member; and

a developer transporting means for transporting the developer collected by said cleaning means to said first developing means.

2. An image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said first and second developing means has a developing sleeve rotatably arranged at a specified distance to confront with said member and the distance between said member and the sleeve in said second developing means is set to be larger than that between said member and the sleeve in said first developing means.

3. An image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said first and second developing means has a developing sleeve rotatably arranged at a specified distance to confront with said member and a peripheral speed of the sleeve in said first developing means is set to be faster than that of the sleeve in said second developing means.

4. An image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said first and second developing means has a developing sleeve rotatably arranged at a specified distance to confront with said member and a height regulating member arranged at a specified distance to confront with the sleeve, and the distance between the height regulating member and the sleeve in said first developing means is set to be larger than that between the height regulating member and the sleeve in said second developing means.

5. An image forming apparatus comprising:

a photosensitive member supported to rotate in one direction;

a charging means for uniformly charging a specified zone of a surface of said member;

an image forming means for forming an electrostatic latent image on the uniformly charged specified zone of the surface of said member;

a first developing means accommodating a developer in a specified color and set to develop at a developing region thereof an electrostatic latent image reproduced as a solid under applying a first developing bias voltage thereto;

a voltage changing means for selecting a first developing bias voltage and a second developing bias voltage which is higher than the first developing bias voltage and applying the selected voltage to said first developing means;

a second developing means arranged at a downstream side of said first developing means in the one direction of said member, said second developing means accommodating a developer in the same color as that in said first developing means and being set to develop an electrostatic latent image reproduced as a line; and

a control means for controlling such an operation of said voltage changing means that the first developing bias voltage is applied to said first developing means thereby while the latent image formed on the specified zone of the surface of said member passes through the developing region of said first developing means and that the second developing bias voltage is applied to said first developing means thereby while the specified zone passes through the developing region of the first developing means after the latent image passes through the developing region of the first developing means.

6. An image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 5, further comprising:

a transfer means for transferring an image developed by said first and second developing means to a copy paper, said transfer means being arranged around said member and between said second developing means and said charging means in the rotary direction of said member; and

an eraser means for erasing residual charge remained on the specified zone of the surface of said member.

7. An image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein each of said first and second developing means has a developing sleeve rotatably arranged at a specified distance to confront with said member and the distance between said member and the sleeve in said second developing means is set to be larger than that between said member and the sleeve in said first developing means.

8. An image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein each of said first and second developing means has a developing sleeve rotatably arranged at a specified distance to confront with said member and a peripheral speed of the sleeve in said first developing means is set to be faster than that of the sleeve in said second developing means.

9. An image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein each of said first and second developing means has a developing sleeve rotatably arranged at a specified distance to confront with said member and a height regulating member arranged at a specified distance to confront with the sleeve, and the distance between the height regulating member and the sleeve in said first developing means is set to be larger than that between the height regulating member and the sleeve in said second developing means.

10. An image forming apparatus comprising:

a photosensitive member supported to rotate in one direction;

a first developing means for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on said member by a developer accommodated therein;

a second developing means for developing the electrostatic latent image by a developer accommodated therein, which is so provided as to be located at a downstream side of said first developing means in the one direction of rotation of said member; and

a developer collecting mechanism for removing the developer remaining on a surface of said member therefrom to collect it and to return to said first developing means.

11. An image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein said mechanism comprising:

a cleaning means for collecting the developer remained on the surface of said member; and

a developer transporting means for transporting the developer collected by said cleaning means to said developing means arranged at the upstream side of said member.

12. An image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein each of said first and second developing means accommodates the same developer in color and is set so as to develop at each developing region said electrostatic latent image depending on different developing conditions.

13. An image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein each of said first and second developing means has a developing sleeve rotatably arranged at a distance to confront with said member and the conditions is defined that developer packaged density (P.D.) in said upstream developing means of the rotary direction of said member is larger than that (P.D.) in said downstream developing means thereof, the density being defined by an equation which is

14. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an image bearing member supported to rotate in one direction;

an image forming means for forming an electrostatic latent image on the surface of said image bearing member;

plural developing means arranged around said image bearing member, each developing means accommodating a developer of the same color and being set to develop at each developing region an electrostatic latent image depending on different developing conditions, and both of said developing means simultaneously driven to develop the same electrostatic latent image;

a cleaning means for collecting the developer remaining on the surface of said image bearing member; and

a developer transporting means for transporting the developer collected by said cleaning means to one of said developing means arranged at an upstream side thereof in a rotary direction of said image bearing member.