Image forming apparatus having surface potential measuring unit and method of controlling development voltage utilizing the same

Abstract

An image forming apparatus and a method of controlling a development voltage include a photosensitive body, a charger which charges the photosensitive body, a laser scanning unit (LSU) which forms an electrostatic latent image by radiating light onto the photosensitive body, a developing unit which develops the electrostatic latent image by supplying a developing agent to the photosensitive body to form an image, a transfer unit which transfers the developed image onto a sheet of paper, a surface potential measuring unit disposed on the surface of the photosensitive body between the developing unit and the transfer unit to measure a surface potential of the photosensitive body, a comparator which compares the surface potential of the photosensitive body before a development voltage is supplied to the developing unit, with the surface potential of the photosensitive body after the development voltage is supplied to the developing unit, to calculate a deviation, and a controller which sets a new development voltage of the developing unit and controls the developing unit if the deviation is larger than a reference value.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.