Image forming apparatus with a developing device utilizing an alternating bias voltage

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• an electrostatic latent image bearing member on which an electrostatic latent image is to be formed;
• and
• a developing device that has a developer bearing member and develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the electrostatic latent image bearing member with toner by applying an alternating voltage superimposed on a DC voltage to the developer bearing member,
• the alternating voltage to be applied having an alternating voltage waveform in which a development-side potential to move toner from the developer bearing member to the electrostatic latent image bearing member and an opposite development-side potential to move toner from the electrostatic latent image bearing member to the developer bearing member alternate with each other, and
• in the alternating voltage, a first period during which a first peak-to-peak voltage is applied and a second period during which a second peak-to-peak voltage lower than the first peak-to-peak voltage is applied are alternately repeated, and a frequency of the alternating voltage in the second period is lower than a frequency of the alternating voltage in the first period, wherein the following expression is satisfied in the alternating voltage:
• 0.7≦T2/T1≦2.5,
• where T1 denotes a length of the first period and T2 denotes a length of the second period.

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• an electrostatic latent image bearing member on which an electrostatic latent image is to be formed;
• and
• a developing device that has a developer bearing member and develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the electrostatic latent image bearing member with toner by applying an alternating voltage superimposed on a DC voltage to the developer bearing member,
• the alternating voltage to be applied having an alternating voltage waveform in which a development-side potential to move toner from the developer bearing member to the electrostatic latent image bearing member and an opposite development-side potential to move toner from the electrostatic latent image bearing member to the developer bearing member alternate with each other, and
• in the alternating voltage, a first period during which a first peak-to-peak voltage is applied and a second period during which a second peak-to-peak voltage lower than the first peak-to-peak voltage is applied are alternately repeated, and a frequency of the alternating voltage in the second period is lower than a frequency of the alternating voltage in the first period, and wherein a periodic number included in the first period, representing the number of cycles of alternating voltage which is applied to the developer bearing member during the first period, is 2 or 3.

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• an electrostatic latent image bearing member on which an electrostatic latent image is to be formed;
• and
• a developing device that has a developer bearing member and develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the electrostatic latent image bearing member with toner by applying an alternating voltage superimposed on a DC voltage to the developer bearing member,
• the alternating voltage to be applied having an alternating voltage waveform in which a development-side potential to move toner from the developer bearing member to the electrostatic latent image bearing member and an opposite development-side potential to move toner from the electrostatic latent image bearing member to the developer bearing member alternate with each other, and
• in the alternating voltage, a first period during which a first peak-to-peak voltage is applied and a second period during which a second peak-to-peak voltage lower than the first peak-to-peak voltage is applied are alternately repeated, and a frequency of the alternating voltage in the second period is lower than a frequency of the alternating voltage in the first period, and wherein a periodic number included in the second period, representing the number of cycles of alternating voltage which is applied to the developer bearing member during the second period, is 1.

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• an electrostatic latent image bearing member on which an electrostatic latent image is to be formed;
• and
• a developing device that has a developer bearing member and develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the electrostatic latent image bearing member with toner by applying an alternating voltage superimposed on a DC voltage to the developer bearing member,
• the alternating voltage to be applied having an alternating voltage waveform in which a development-side potential to move toner from the developer bearing member to the electrostatic latent image bearing member and an opposite development-side potential to move toner from the electrostatic latent image bearing member to the developer bearing member alternate with each other, and
• in the alternating voltage, a first period during which a first peak-to-peak voltage is applied and a second period during which a second peak-to-peak voltage lower than the first peak-to-peak voltage is applied are alternately repeated, and a frequency of the alternating voltage in the second period is lower than a frequency of the alternating voltage in the first period, and wherein t1 and t2 are different at least in the first period of the alternating voltage, where t1 denotes a time during which the development-side potential is applied and t2 denotes a time during which the opposite development-side potential is applied.