Image forming apparatus controlling image forming and sheet interval operations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12298700-B2
Application number	US-202418606986-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2024
Priority date	Jan 11, 2022
Publication date	May 13, 2025
Grant date	May 13, 2025

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable photosensitive member, a charging member, a developing device, a transfer member, a brush, a driving source and a control portion. The control portion controls the driving source to execute an image forming process, in which image formation on the recording material is executed, and a non-image-forming process, in which the photosensitive member is driven to rotate other than in the image forming process. The non-image-forming process between a first recording material and a second recording material, to which the image formation is executed following the first recording material, is defined as a first non-image-forming process, and the non-image-forming process between the second recording material and a third recording material is defined as a second non-image-forming process. The control portion determines a time of the second non-image-forming process based on history information correlating with a usage amount of the photosensitive member and a time of the first non-image-forming process.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus configured to perform an image forming operation for forming an image on a recording material, the image forming apparatus comprising:
a rotatable photosensitive member;
a charging member configured to electrically charge a surface of the photosensitive member at a charging portion;
a developing member configured to supply toner to the surface of the electrically charged photosensitive member to form a toner image;
a transfer member configured to transfer the toner image from the photosensitive member to the recording material at a transfer portion;
a brush contacting the surface of the photosensitive member downstream of the transfer portion and upstream of the charging portion with respect to a rotational direction of the photosensitive member and configured to form a contacting portion;
a driving source configured to rotatably drive the photosensitive member; and
a control portion configured to control the driving source,
wherein when a rotating operation in which the photosensitive member is rotated in a period from when the image forming operation on the recording material is finished until the image forming operation on a subsequent recording material is performed is defined as a sheet interval operation, the control portion, in a case of controlling so as to continuously perform the image forming operation on the recording materials, controls so as to:
i) perform a first sheet interval operation for a first period of time after continuously performing a first image forming operation on a first number of the recording materials,
ii) continuously perform a second image forming operation on a second number of the recording materials after performing the first sheet interval operation, the second number being less than the first number, and
iii) perform a second sheet interval operation for a second period of time shorter than the first period of time after performing the second image forming operation.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control portion controls so as to continuously perform a third image forming operation on a third number of the recording materials after performing the second sheet interval operation, the third number being less than the second number.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the control portion controls so as to perform a third sheet interval operation for a third period of time shorter than the second period of time after performing the third image forming operation.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the control portion controls so as to perform a fourth sheet interval operation for a fourth period of time equal to or shorter than the second period of time after performing the third image forming operation.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control portion controls so as to continuously perform a third image forming operation to a third number of the recording materials after performing the second sheet interval operation, the third number being greater than the second number.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the charging member contacts the image bearing member at the charging portion.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a density of base materials of the brush is 280kF/inch 2 .

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control portion controls the developing member to collect the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive member after transferring the toner image from the photosensitive member to the recording material.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Suzuki Ai
• Umeda Kensuke
• Funatani Kazuhiro
• Kobayashi Shinsuke

Classifications

• G03G15/5008

  Driving control for rotary photosensitive medium, e.g. speed control, stop position control · CPC title

• G03G15/50

  Machine control of apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern, e.g. regulating differents parts of the machine, multimode copiers, microprocessor control (sequencing control G03G21/14) · CPC title

• G03G15/553

  Monitoring or warning means for exhaustion or lifetime end of consumables, e.g. indication of insufficient copy sheet quantity for a job · CPC title

• G03G21/0035 Primary

  using a brush; Details of cleaning brushes, e.g. fibre density (G03G21/0064 takes precedence; magnetic brushes G03G21/0047) · CPC title