Image forming apparatus comprising a developer roller
AssigneeKyocera Mita Corporation
InventorsHiroyuki Hamakawa, Koji Suenami, Hirohisa Endou
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A control part 33 rotates a developer roller 21a at a second rotation speed, which is slower than a normal rotation speed during an image formation period (first rotation speed), during a non-image formation period while a heater 14 is in use. This prevents deformation of the developer roller 21a caused by radiant heat from a photoconductive drum 41, effectively prevents the appearance of image fogging, concentration unevenness, and the like, and also suppresses toner deterioration in a development unit 21.
Claims23
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- an image formation part comprising:
- a photoconductive drum, a heater for heating the photoconductive drum to a predetermined temperature, and a development unit for forming a toner image onto a surface of the photoconductive drum in accordance with an electrostatic latent image by rotating a developer roller so arranged as to oppose the photoconductive drum;
- a driver for driving the image formation part;
- and
- a controller for controlling driving of the driver,
- wherein the controller rotates the developer roller at a first rotation speed during an image formation period, rotates the developer roller at a second rotation speed, a speed lower that the first rotation speed, during a non-image formation period if the heater is in use, and stops the developer roller during the non-image formation period if the heater is not in use.
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- an image formation part comprising:
- a photoconductive drum, a heater for heating the photoconductive drum to a predetermined temperature, and a development unit for forming a toner image onto a surface of the photoconductive drum in accordance with an electrostatic latent image by rotating a developer roller so arranged as to oppose the photoconductive drum;
- driver means for driving the image formation part;
- and
- a controller for controlling driving,
- wherein the controller rotates the developer roller at a first rotation speed during an image formation period, rotates the developer roller at a second rotation speed, a speed lower that the first rotation speed, during a non-image formation period if the heater is in use, and stops the developer roller during the non-image formation period if the heater is not in use;
- and
- wherein the driver means includes a first driver for driving the image formation part excluding the development unit and a second driver for driving the development unit.
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- an image formation part comprising:
- a photoconductive drum, a heater for heating the photoconductive drum to a predetermined temperature, and a development unit for forming a toner image onto a surface of the photoconductive drum in accordance with an electrostatic latent image by rotating a developer roller so arranged as to oppose the photoconductive drum;
- a driver for driving the image formation part;
- and
- a controller for controlling driving of the driver,
- wherein the controller drives the developer roller to rotate during an image formation period, intermittently drives the developer roller during a non-image formation period if the heater is in use, and stops the developer roller during the non-image formation period if the heater is not in use.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.