Image forming apparatus with a magnetic brush charger

Abstract

An image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copier and an electrophotographic printer. The image forming apparatus includes: a photoreceptor for forming a toner image on its surface; a charger for charging the surface with a bias voltage, including a DC component and a AC component, through a magnetic brush member which is in contact with the surface; a driving unit for moving both of the surface of the photoreceptor and the magnetic brush member in synchronism; a laser unit for imagewisely exposing a predetermined image area of the surface, which is charged by the charger, so that a latent image is formed on the surface; and a discharge lamp for exposing the surface with light so that the surface is discharged. In such the image forming apparatus, the discharge lamp starts exposing the surface with the light and the bias voltage, with which the surface is charged, is set at substantially 0 volt before the driving starts moving the surface and the magnetic brush member; and the predetermined image area of the surface is charged with the bias voltage, including the DC component and the AC component, after the driving starts moving the surface and the magnetic brush member.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.