Image forming apparatus

• US 9,400,442 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2015
• Issued: 07/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Kaneko, Satoshi, Kato, Shinji, Hirai, Shuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Yi, Roy Y
• Application Number:
  US14/802,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20160062260A1
• Time in Patent Office: 375 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0266 Arrangements for controlling the amount of charge
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5037 the characteristics being an electrical parameter, e.g. voltage

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes a latent image carrier; a charger; a charging power supply; a latent image writer to write; a developing device; a rotary attitude sensor; a controller to perform a data formulating process to formulate a change pattern data and a bias changing process to cause the charging power supply to change the charging bias output based on readings from the rotary attitude sensor and the change pattern data, during a print job; and a surface potential sensor to detect a surface potential of the latent image carrier. In the data formulating process, the controller formulates the change pattern data based on the surface potential of the latent image carrier detected by the surface potential sensor, while the charging power supply outputting a constant charging bias, and based on readings from the rotary attitude sensor while the surface potential is being detected.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

a latent image carrier;

a charging roller to charge, while rotating, a surface of the latent image carrier;

a charging power supply to output bias voltage to be applied to the charging roller;

a latent image writer to write a latent image on the surface of the latent image carrier charged by the charging roller;

a developing device to develop the latent image to obtain a toner image;

a rotary attitude sensor to detect whether or not the charging roller assumes a predetermined rotary attitude;

a controller to perform, at a predetermined timing, a data formulating process to formulate a change pattern data as a bias change data table to cause the charging power supply to change a charging bias output by a predetermined pattern, and to perform a bias changing process to cause the charging power supply to change the charging bias output based on readings from the rotary attitude sensor and the change pattern data, during a print job; and

a surface potential sensor to detect a surface potential of the latent image carrier,

wherein, in the data formulating process, the controller formulates the change pattern data based on the surface potential at a plurality of positions of the latent image carrier in a rotary direction detected by the surface potential sensor, while the charging power supply outputting a constant charging bias, and based on readings from the rotary attitude sensor while the surface potential is being detected, and

wherein the controller formulates the change pattern data of one cycle of the charging roller based on the surface potential of an area extending at least a circumferential length of the charging roller as detected by the surface potential sensor.

2. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the charging power supply outputs a superimposed voltage in which an alternating current voltage and a direct current voltage are superimposed, and the controller formulates the change pattern data to change the direct current voltage included in the superimposed voltage.

3. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller performs a process to return a data read target from the bias change data table to leading data if the rotary attitude sensor detects that the charging roller assumes a predetermined rotary attitude after tail end data of the bias change data table has been read and before the next data read timing in the bias changing process.

4. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein, in the bias changing process, the controller returns the data read target from the change pattern data to the leading data each time the rotary attitude sensor detects that the charging roller assumes a predetermined rotary attitude.

5. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller performs the data formulating process each time a predetermined number of print jobs has been performed.

6. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller performs the data formulating process before starting a print job after receiving a print command.

8. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an environment sensor to detect environmental change,

wherein the controller performs the data formulating process when an environmental change exceeding a threshold is detected by the environment sensor within a predetermined time period.

7. An image forming apparatus comprising:

a latent image carrier;

a charging roller to charge, while rotating, a surface of the latent image carrier;

a charging power supply to output bias voltage to be applied to the charging roller;

a latent image writer to write a latent image on the surface of the latent image carrier charged by the charging roller;

a developing device to develop the latent image to obtain a toner image;

a rotary attitude sensor to detect whether or not the charging roller assumes a predetermined rotary attitude;

a controller to perform, at a predetermined timing, a data formulating process to formulate a change pattern data as a bias change data table to cause the charging power supply to change a charging bias output by a predetermined pattern, and to perform a bias changing process to cause the charging power supply to change the charging bias output based on readings from the rotary attitude sensor and the change pattern data, during a print job; and

a surface potential sensor to detect a surface potential of the latent image carrier,

wherein, in the data formulating process, the controller formulates the change pattern data based on the surface potential at a plurality of positions of the latent image carrier in a rotary direction detected by the surface potential sensor, while the charging power supply outputting a constant charging bias, and based on readings from the rotary attitude sensor while the surface potential is being detected,

wherein the controller is configured to;

form a gray scale pattern image including a plurality of toner images for density detection with different image densities from each other;

recognize a development characteristic showing a relation between an image density and an image forming condition based on a detection result of an image density of the plurality of toner images for density detection in the gray scale pattern image;

perform an image forming condition adjusting process to adjust image conditions based on the recognized development characteristic; and

perform the data formulating process immediately after the image forming condition adjusting process has been completed.

9. An image forming apparatus comprising:

a latent image carrier;

a charging roller to charge, while rotating, a surface of the latent image carrier;

a charging power supply to output bias voltage to be applied to the charging roller;

a latent image writer to write a latent image on the surface of the latent image carrier charged by the charging roller;

a developing device to develop the latent image to obtain a toner image,

a rotary attitude sensor to detect whether or not the charging roller assumes a predetermined rotary attitude;

a controller to perform, at a predetermined timing, a data formulating process to formulate a change pattern data as a bias change data table to cause the charging power supply to change a charging bias output by a predetermined pattern, and to perform a bias changing process to cause the charging power supply to change the charging bias output based on readings from the rotary attitude sensor and the change pattern data, during a print job; and

a surface potential sensor to detect a surface potential of the latent image carrier,

wherein, in the data formulating process, the controller formulates the change pattern data based on the surface potential at a plurality of positions of the latent image carrier in a rotary direction detected by the surface potential sensor, while the charging power supply outputting a constant charging bias, and based on readings from the rotary attitude sensor while the surface potential is being detected,

wherein the image forming apparatus further comprises a unit attachment and detachment sensor to detect whether or not an image forming unit is attached to or detached from the apparatus, and

wherein the controller performs the data formulating process when the unit attachment and detachment sensor detects that the image forming unit has been attached or detached.