Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus including an image carrier that forms a charged image and an electrostatic latent image and that holds a developer when the latent image is developed by the toner while rotating, and executing an image forming operation for fixing a toner image formed on the image carrier onto a recording target medium, comprising:

• a lubricant supply brush that rotates when in contact with the image carrier;
• a lubricant that is in contact with the lubricant supply brush and that is scraped off by the lubricant supply brush;
• a first voltage supply unit that supplies an AC voltage on which a DC voltage is superimposed to the lubricant supply brush;
• a determination unit that determines whether or not a usage state of the image carrier is a state at an initial stage;
• and
• a controller that controls the image forming apparatus to execute a lubricant supply operation for supplying the lubricant to the image carrier while controlling the first voltage supply unit to supply the AC voltage to the lubricant supply brush, prior to start of execution of the image forming operation if the determination unit determines that the usage state of the image carrier is the state at the initial stage, and
• wherein, if the determination unit determines that the usage state of the image carrier at the initial stare passes, the controller controls the first voltage supply unit to repeat supply of the AC voltage on which the DC voltage is superimposed to the lubricant supply brush and stop of the supply of the AC voltage to the lubricant supply brush synchronously with repetition of an image forming state and a non-image forming state, the image forming state being a state in which the image carrier is holding the developer, the non-image forming state being a state in which the image carrier is operating and not holding the developer.

An image forming apparatus including an image carrier that forms a charged image and an electrostatic latent image and that holds a developer when the electrostatic latent image is developed by the toner while rotating, and executing an image forming operation for fixing a toner image formed on the image carrier onto a recording target medium, comprising:

• a lubricant supply brush that rotates when in contact with the image carrier;
• a lubricant that is in contact with the lubricant supply brush and that is scraped off by the lubricant supply brush;
• a first voltage supply unit that supplies an AC voltage on which a DC voltage is superimposed to the lubricant supply brush;
• a determination unit that determines whether or not a usage state of the image carrier is a state at an initial stage;
• and
• a controller that raises number of rotations of the lubricant supply brush as compared with ordinary image formation during execution of a lubricant supply operation for supplying the lubricant to the image carrier while controlling the first voltage supply unit to supply the AC voltage on which the DC voltage is superimposed to the lubricant supply brush, prior to start of execution of the image forming operation if the determination unit determines that the usage state of the image carrier is the state at the initial stage, and
• wherein, if the determination unit determines that the usage state of the image carrier at the initial stare passes, the controller controls the first voltage supply unit to repeat supply of the AC voltage on which the DC voltage is superimposed to the lubricant supply brush and stop of the supply of the AC voltage to the lubricant supply brush synchronously with repetition of an image forming state and a non-image forming state, the image forming state being a state in which the image carrier is holding the developer, the non-image forming state being a state in which the image carrier is operating and not holding the developer.