Image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10520852-B2
Application number	US-201816129990-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 13, 2018
Priority date	Sep 29, 2017
Publication date	Dec 31, 2019
Grant date	Dec 31, 2019

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member on which an electrostatic latent image is formable, and a developing device including a developer carrying member, a container, and a supply roller. When the developing device including the developer carrying member, to which a lubricant different from the developer is applied, is used for the first time, a first initial operation of transferring the lubricant from the developer carrying member to the image bearing member together with the developer is performed. The image forming apparatus further includes a storage unit configured to store a suspension state when suspension is detected before the initial operation completes, and a controller configured to execute a second initial operation as an operation of resuming the suspended first initial operation on the basis of the stored suspension state.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
an image bearing member on which an electrostatic latent image is formable; and
a developing device including (1) a developer carrying member for carrying a developer and developing the electrostatic latent image, (2) a container storing the developer, and (3) a supply roller supplying the developer to the developer carrying member,
wherein when the developing device including the developer carrying member, to which a lubricant different from the developer is applied, is used for the first time, a first initial operation of transferring the lubricant from the developer carrying member to the image bearing member together with the developer is performed, and
wherein the image forming apparatus further comprises:
a storage unit configured to store a suspension state when suspension is detected before the first initial operation is completed; and
a controller configured to execute a second initial operation as an operation of resuming the suspended first initial operation on the basis of the stored suspension state.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a second total amount, which is a total amount of the developer transferred to the image bearing member during the suspended first initial operation and the second initial operation, is larger than a first total amount which is a total amount of the developer transferred to the image bearing member during the completed first initial operation.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the developing device further includes a sealing member configured to seal an opening of the container, and
wherein the controller is configured to perform (1) starting transferring of the lubricant and the developer after the sealing member is open in the first initial operation and (2) executing the second initial operation when the first initial operation is suspended after the transferring starts.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to increase an amount of the developer transferred to the image bearing member per revolution of the developer carrying member in the second initial operation to be larger than that during the first initial operation.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the controller is configured to (1) alternately perform (1a) transferring of the developer to the image bearing member and (1b) suspension of the transferring in the first and second initial operations and to (2) increase a proportion of the transferring within one revolution of the developer carrying member in the second initial operation to be larger than that during the first initial operation.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to increase an amount of the developer transferred to the image bearing member per unit time in a period from the start to the completion of the second initial operation to be larger than that during the first initial operation.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to increase a rotation speed of the developer carrying member in the second initial operation to be faster than that during the first initial operation.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to perform (1) identifying a parameter indicating a progress state of the first initial operation and (2) determining an execution amount of the second initial operation on the basis of a difference between a predetermined parameter value and a parameter value during suspension of the first initial operation.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the execution amount of the second initial operation as an amount larger than a difference between a predetermined total execution amount of the first initial operation and an execution amount at suspension of the first initial operation.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a cleaning member configured to abut on the image bearing member and to remove the developer transferred to the image bearing member,
wherein a circumferential speed of the image bearing member during the first and second initial operations is lower than a circumferential speed during printing.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a cleaning member configured to abut on the image bearing member and to remove the developer transferred to the image bearing member,
wherein a third initial operation performed before printing starts when a lubricant different from the developer is applied to the developer carrying member and the developing device is used for the first time,
wherein the image bearing member and the developer carrying member are rotated before the developer is carried on the developer carrying member to transfer the lubricant from the developer carrying member to the image bearing member, and
wherein the image bearing member is rotated at a circumferential speed slower than that during printing so that the lubricant transferred to the image bearing member is removed from the image bearing member by the cleaning member.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in the second initial operation, the controller determines whether (1) an amount of the lubricant and the developer transferred to the image bearing member per unit time or per revolution of the developer carrying member is to be increased larger than that during the first initial operation or (2) a period in which the lubricant and the developer are transferred to the image bearing member is to be increased longer than that during the first initial operation on the basis of an environment temperature.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Mochizuki Masataka
• Yamauchi Hisashi
• Naito Norihito

Classifications

• G03G21/0094

  fatigue treatment of the photoconductor · CPC title

• G03G15/0812

  characterised by the developer regulating means, e.g. structure of doctor blade · CPC title

• B05D1/28

  performed by transfer from the surfaces of elements carrying the liquid or other fluent material, e.g. brushes, pads, rollers · CPC title

• G03G15/081 Primary

  characterised by the developer handling means after the supply and before the regulating, e.g. means for preventing developer blocking · CPC title

• G03G15/0881 Primary

  Sealing of developer cartridges · CPC title