# US 12,111,597 B2 · Image forming apparatus and non-transitory recording medium storing a computer readable control program > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,111,597 B2 - Document ID: US12111597B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/366,961 - Filed: 2023-08-08 - Published: 2024-03-14 - Granted: 2024-10-08 - Earliest claimed: 2022-09-01 - Assignees: Konica Minolta, Inc. - Applicants: Konica Minolta, Inc. - Inventors: Wataru Watanabe; Ryoei Ikari - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12111597B2 ## CPC - G03G 15/556: {for toner consumption, e.g. pixel counting, toner coverage detection or toner density measurement} - G03G 15/0849: {Detection or control means for the developer concentration} - G03G 2215/0888: Arrangements for detecting toner level or concentration in the developing device - G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY ## Abstract The image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a developing section, and a controller that functions as a sign detector, a charge amount measurement section, and a charge amount adjuster. On the image bearing member, an electrostatic latent image is formed based on image data. The developing section contains a developer, and develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the image bearing member with the developer to form a toner image. The sign detector detects a sign that the charge amount of the developer contained in the developing section changes. The charge amount measurement section measures the charge amount of the developer in accordance with the detection result by the sign detector. The charge amount adjuster adjusts the charge amount of the developer according to the measurement result by the charge amount measurement section. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image forming apparatus comprising: an image bearing member on which an electrostatic latent image is formed based on image data; a developing section that contains a developer and develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the image bearing member with the developer to form a toner image; and a hardware processor that detects a sign that a charge amount of the developer contained in the developing section changes, measures the charge amount of the developer in accordance with a detection result; and adjusts a charge amount change of the developer according to a measurement result. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hardware processor performs an adjustment to make the charge amount decrease when an increase in the charge amount of the developer is detected, and performs an adjustment to make the charge amount increase when a decrease in the charge amount is detected. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hardware processor acquires image data, and the hardware processor detects the sign using a document coverage based on the image data. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the hardware processor sets a page section for the image data including a plurality of pages and calculates at least one of an average value and a standard deviation of the document coverage for a set page section, and the hardware processor detects the sign using a calculation result. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a relative humidity measurement section that measures relative humidity in the image forming apparatus, wherein the hardware processor detects the sign using a measurement result by the relative humidity measurement section. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hardware processor measures the charge amount of the developer after adjusting a charge amount change of the developer, and the hardware processor changes an adjustment according to a measurement result. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the hardware processor detects a sign that the charge amount of the developer returns to its original state after adjusting a charge amount change of the developer, and the hardware processor measures the charge amount of the developer in accordance with a detection result. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the hardware processor determines that the sign is detected in either case of (1) when a state in which an average coverage, which is an average value of the document coverage based on the image data per a prescribed number of pages, is less than a predetermined first threshold value and a variation width of the average coverage is equal to or less than a predetermined second threshold value continues for a predetermined number of pages, (2) when a state in which the average coverage, which is the average value of the document coverage based on the image data per the prescribed number of pages is less than the predetermined first threshold value and a standard deviation of the document coverage calculated for a plurality of pages is equal to or less than a predetermined third threshold value continues for the predetermined number of pages, (3) when a state in which (1) and (2) are combined continues for the predetermined number of pages, or (4) when a change in the relative humidity in the image forming apparatus is equal to or greater than a predetermined fourth threshold value, and the hardware processor measures the charge amount of the developer when the determining that the sign is detected. ### Claim 9 A non-transitory recording medium storing a computer readable control program for controlling an image forming apparatus including an image bearing member on which an electrostatic latent image is formed based on image data, and a developing section that contains a developer and develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the image bearing member with the developer to form a toner image, the computer readable control program for causing a computer to execute processing including: a step (a) of detecting a sign that a charge amount of the developer contained in the developing section changes; a step (b) of measuring the charge amount of the developer in accordance with a detection result in the step (a); and a step (c) of adjusting a charge amount change of the developer according to a measurement result in the step (b). ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The non-transitory recording medium storing the computer readable control program according to claim 9 for causing a computer to execute processing further including: a step (d) of measuring relative humidity in the image forming apparatus before the step (a), wherein in the step (a), the sign is detected using a measurement result in the step (d).