Image forming device, control method for image forming device, and control program for image forming device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9753394-B2
Application number	US-201615159195-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 19, 2016
Priority date	Jun 9, 2015
Publication date	Sep 5, 2017
Grant date	Sep 5, 2017

Abstract

An image forming device includes: a charging unit configured to apply charging bias voltage to a charging member and charge a surface of an image carrying body; an exposure unit configured to expose the surface of the image carrying body, and form an electrostatic latent image; a developing unit configured to apply developing bias voltage to a developer carrying body, and develop the electrostatic latent image; and a control unit configured to control timing to start applying the developing bias voltage relative to timing to start applying the charging bias voltage, wherein the control unit performs control such that the larger an absolute value of the charging bias voltage is, the shorter an interval from timing to start applying the charging bias voltage to timing to start applying the developing bias voltage becomes, and such that the smaller the absolute value is, the longer the interval becomes.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming device comprising:
a charging unit configured to apply charging bias voltage to a charging member and charge a surface of an image carrying body;
an exposure unit configured to expose the surface of the image carrying body charged by the charging unit to attenuate potential, and form an electrostatic latent image on the image carrying body;
a developing unit of a two-component development system configured to apply, to a developer carrying body, developing bias voltage having homopolarity with polarity of the charging bias voltage, and develop the electrostatic latent image; and
a control unit configured to control timing to start applying the developing bias voltage relative to timing to start applying the charging bias voltage in accordance with a value of the charging bias voltage applied during image forming,
wherein the control unit performs control such that the larger an absolute value of the charging bias voltage is, the shorter an interval from timing to start applying the charging bias voltage to timing to start applying the developing bias voltage becomes, and performs control such that the smaller the absolute value of the charging bias voltage is, the longer the interval becomes.

2. The image forming device according to claim 1 , wherein an upper limit value of the interval is preliminarily set, and
the control unit performs control such that the interval becomes the upper limit value when the absolute value of the charging bias voltage is smaller than a value corresponding to the upper limit value.

3. The image forming device according to claim 1 , further comprising a target value determining unit configured to determine a target value of surface potential of the image carrying body during image forming based on a target value of the developing bias voltage applied during image forming,
wherein the charging unit determines the charging bias voltage based on the target value of surface potential determined by the target value determining unit.

4. The image forming device according to claim 1 , wherein the charging unit charges the surface of the image carrying body by a roller charging system.

5. The image forming device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit performs control such that the larger a maximum absolute value of the charging bias voltage during image forming is, the shorter the interval becomes, and the control unit performs control such that the smaller the maximum absolute value of the charging bias voltage during image forming is, the longer the interval becomes.

6. The image forming device according to claim 1 , wherein the charging bias voltage is direct current bias voltage.

7. The image forming device according to claim 1 , wherein the developing unit applies the developing bias voltage in a manner increasing the absolute value of the developing bias voltage stepwisely, and
a value of the developing bias voltage to be applied in a first step after starting applying the developing bias voltage is a value offset by a predetermined amount relative to a target value of surface potential of the image carrying body during image forming.

8. A control method for an image forming device comprising:
a charging unit configured to apply charging bias voltage to a charging member and charge a surface of an image carrying body;
an exposure unit configured to expose the surface of the image carrying body charged by the charging unit to attenuate potential, and form an electrostatic latent image on the image carrying body; and
a developing unit of a two-component development system configured to apply, to a developer carrying body, developing bias voltage having homopolarity with polarity of the charging bias voltage, and develop the electrostatic latent image,
the control method comprising:
a determining step of determining a value of the charging bias voltage to be applied during image forming; and
a controlling step of controlling timing to start applying the developing bias voltage relative to timing to start applying the charging bias voltage in accordance with the value of the charging bias voltage determined in the determining step,
wherein, in the controlling step, control is performed such that the larger an absolute value of the charging bias voltage is, the shorter an interval from timing to start applying the charging bias voltage to timing to start applying the developing bias voltage becomes, and control is performed such that the smaller the absolute value of the charging bias voltage is, the longer the interval becomes.

9. The control method according to claim 8 , wherein
an upper limit value of the interval is preliminarily set, and
in the controlling step, control is performed such that the interval becomes the upper limit value when the absolute value of the charging bias voltage is smaller than a value corresponding to the upper limit value.

10. A non-transitory recording medium storing a computer readable control program for an image forming device comprising:
a charging unit configured to apply charging bias voltage to a charging member and charge a surface of an image carrying body;
an exposure unit configured to expose the surface of the image carrying body charged by the charging unit to attenuate potential, and form an electrostatic latent image on the image carrying body; and
a developing unit of a two-component development system configured to apply, to a developer carrying body, developing bias voltage having homopolarity with polarity of the charging bias voltage, and develop the electrostatic latent image,
the control program causing a computer to execute:
a determining step of determining a value of the charging bias voltage applied during image forming; and
a controlling step of controlling timing to start applying the developing bias voltage relative to timing to start applying the charging bias voltage in accordance with the value of the charging bias voltage determined in the determining step,
wherein, in the controlling step, control is performed such that the larger an absolute value of the charging bias voltage is, the shorter an interval from timing to start applying the charging bias voltage to timing to start applying the developing bias voltage becomes, and control is performed such that the smaller the absolute value of the charging bias voltage is, the longer the interval becomes.

11. The non-transitory recording medium according to claim 10 , wherein
an upper limit value of the interval is preliminarily set, and
in the controlling step, control is performed such that the interval becomes the upper limit value when the absolute value of the charging bias voltage is smaller than a value corresponding to the upper limit value.

Assignees

• Konica Minolta Inc

Inventors

• Nakayama Kanji
• Yoshimoto Shinichi
• Kanda Junji
• Inada Yasuyuki
• Mandai Yuusuke
• Mukobayashi Yu

Classifications

• G03G15/065 Primary

  Arrangements for controlling the potential of the developing electrode · CPC title

• G03G15/0283

  Arrangements for supplying power to the sensitising device · CPC title

• G03G21/14

  Electronic sequencing control · CPC title

• G03G15/0266 Primary

  Arrangements for controlling the amount of charge · CPC title