Image forming apparatus

• US 6,553,196 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2001
• Issued: 04/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Inoue, Ryo
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Sophia S.
• Application Number:
  US09/947,356
• Publication Number:
  US 20020031371A1
• Time in Patent Office: 592 Days
• Field of Search: 399/128, 399/127, 399/43, 430/902
• US Class Current: 399/128
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/0094 fatigue treatment of the photoconductor
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/08 using optical radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/022 using a magnetic brush

Abstract

An image forming apparatus capable of making potential control executable immediately after starting copying and shortening a first copying time includes a photosensitive drum (1), a charging magnetic brush charger (2) for charging the photosensitive drum (1) and a main electricity eliminating light irradiating apparatus (8) for irradiating light to eliminate a light memory in the photosensitive drum 1. The main electricity eliminating light irradiating apparatus (8) irradiates the photosensitive drum (1) with an exposure amount larger than a minimum exposure amount for eliminating a light memory in at least a part of an irradiation process.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

a photosensitive member;

charging means for charging said photosensitive member;

exposing means for exposing said photosensitive member charged by said charging means so as to form a latent image on said photosensitive member; and

light irradiating means for irradiating light on said photosensitive member to eliminate a light memory of said photosensitive member,

wherein said light irradiating means irradiates said photosensitive member with an amount of light larger than a minimum amount of light for eliminating a light memory in a period between an image forming operation for developing a latent image formed on said photosensitive member with toner and transferring the toner image to a recording material and an image forming operation with respect to the next recording material.

2. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said irradiating means irradiates said photosensitive member with an amount of light larger than an amount of light in a image forming operation for at least one cycle of said photosensitive member.

3. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said photosensitive member is an a-Si photosensitive member.

4. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said charging means performs a charge injecting method using a magnetic brush.

5. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said photosensitive member is a conductive fur brush.

6. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said photosensitive member is a corona charger.

7. An image forming apparatus comprising:

a photosensitive member;

charging means for charging said photosensitive member;

exposing means for exposing said photosensitive member charged by said charging means so as to form a latent image on said photosensitive member;

developing means for developing a latent image formed on said photosensitive member with toner;

transferring means for transferring the toner image from the photosensitive member to a recording material; and

light irradiating means for irradiating light on said photosensitive member to eliminate a light memory of said photosensitive member,

wherein said charging means, said exposing means, said developing means, and said transferring means operate for an image forming operation, and

wherein, before an image forming operation, said light irradiating means irradiates said photosensitive member with an amount of light larger than an amount of light in the image forming operation, in response to a turning-on of a power source of the image forming apparatus.

8. An image forming apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein said light irradiating means irradiates said photosensitive member with an amount of light larger than an amount of light in image forming operation for at least one cycle of said photosensitive member.

9. An image forming apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein said light irradiating means irradiates said photosensitive member with an amount of light larger than an amount of light in image forming operation in a period between an image forming operation with respect to the recording material and an image forming operation with respect to the next recording material.

10. An image forming apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein said photosensitive member is an a-Si photosensitive member.

11. An image forming apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein said charging means performs a charge injecting method using a magnetic brush.

12. An image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said charging means is a conductive fur brush.

13. An image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said charging means is a corona charger.

14. An image forming apparatus comprising:

a photosensitive member;

charging means for charging said photosensitive member;

exposing means for exposing said photosensitive member charged by said charging means so as to form a latent image on said photosensitive member;

developing means for developing a latent image formed on said photosensitive member with toner;

transferring means for transferring the toner image from the photosensitive member to a recording material; and

light irradiating means for irradiating light on said photosensitive member to eliminate a light memory of said photosensitive member;

wherein said charging means, said exposing means, said developing means, and said transferring means operate for an image forming operation, and

wherein, before an image forming operation, said light irradiating means irradiates said photosensitive member with an amount of light larger than an amount of light in the image forming operation, in response to receipt by the image forming apparatus of an instruction to start image forming.

15. An image forming apparatus according to claim 14,

wherein said light irradiating means irradiates said photosensitive member with an amount of light larger than an amount of light in image forming operation for at least one cycle of said photosensitive member.

16. An image forming apparatus according to claim 14,

wherein said light irradiating means irradiates said photosensitive member with an amount of light larger than an amount of light in image forming operation in a period between an image forming operation with respect to the recording material and an image forming operation with respect to the next recording material.

17. An image forming apparatus according to claim 14,

wherein said photosensitive member is an a-Si photosensitive member.

18. An image forming apparatus according to claim 14,

wherein said charging means performs a charge injecting method using a magnetic brush.

19. An image forming apparatus according to claim 14,

wherein said charging means is a conductive fur brush.

20. An image forming apparatus according to claim 14,

wherein said charging means is a corona charger.