Developing device, process cartridge and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

• a developing device, wherein the developing device includes
• a developer carrier that is rotatable and disposed facing an image carrier;
• a conductive developer supply and recovery member rotatably arranged so as to abut the developer carrier with a contact pressure P between the developer carrier and the conductive developer supply and recovery member satisfying the relationship 0 (kPa)<P<5.0 (kPa), the conductive developer supply and recovery member being charged with a DC bias to move regularly-charged developer on the developer carrier in a direction towards the conductive developer supply and recovery member;
• and
• a conductive charging member in contact with the developer carrier, at a position further downstream in the rotation direction of the developer carrier than a position at which the developer carrier and the image carrier oppose each other, and further upstream than the abutting position of the developer carrier and the conductive developer supply and recovery member, the conductive charging member being charged with a DC bias in a direction in which the regularly-charged developer on the developer carrier moves towards the developer carrier, to charge developer that remains on the developer carrier without having been supplied for developing after returning from the position at which the developer carrier and the image carrier oppose each other as the regularly-charged developer,
• a rotation direction of the conductive developer supply and recovery member being opposite to a rotation direction of the developer carrier at a position where the developer carrier and the conductive developer supply and recovery member abut each other.

A process cartridge, comprising:

• a developing device and at least an image carrier, and the process cartridge removably mounted on an image forming apparatus,
• wherein the developing device includes
• a developer carrier that is rotatable and disposed facing an image carrier;
• a conductive developer supply and recovery member rotatably arranged so as to abut the developer carrier with a contact pressure P between the developer carrier and the conductive developer supply and recovery member satisfying the relationship 0 (kPa)<P<5.0 (kPa), the conductive developer supply and recovery member being charged with a DC bias to move regularly-charged developer on the developer carrier in a direction towards the conductive developer supply and recovery member;
• and
• a conductive charging member in contact with the developer carrier, at a position further downstream in the rotation direction of the developer carrier than a position at which the developer carrier and the image carrier oppose each other, and further upstream than the abutting position of the developer carrier and the conductive developer supply and recovery member, the conductive charging member being charged with a DC bias in a direction in which the regularly-charged developer on the developer carrier moves towards the developer carrier, to charge developer that remains on the developer carrier without having been supplied for developing after returning from the position at which the developer carrier and the image carrier oppose each other as the regularly-charged developer,
• a rotation direction of the conductive developer supply and recovery member being opposite to a rotation direction of the developer carrier at a position where the developer carrier and the conductive developer supply and recovery member abut each other.