US 7,366,438 B2 | ||
Image forming apparatus which can optimize cleaning time of transfer member contacting inter-image area of image bearing member | ||
Yasushi Takeuchi, Toride (Japan); Yuichi Ikeda, Abiko (Japan); and Jun Tomine, Abiko (Japan) | ||
Assigned to Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo (Japan) | ||
Filed on Apr. 16, 2007, as Appl. No. 11/735,759. | ||
Application 11/735759 is a division of application No. 11/149540, filed on Jun. 10, 2005, granted, now 7,242,887. | ||
Claims priority of application No. 2004-180228 (JP), filed on Jun. 17, 2004. | ||
Prior Publication US 2007/0183801 A1, Aug. 09, 2007 | ||
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer. | ||
Int. Cl. G03G 15/16 (2006.01) |
U.S. Cl. 399—101 [399/66] | 4 Claims |
1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
an image bearing member;
toner image forming means for repeatedly forming a plurality of toner images on said image bearing member, said toner image
forming means forming a detection patch in an inter-toner image area on said image bearing member;
a transfer member which contacts said image bearing member to form a transfer nip portion, said transfer member electrically
transferring the toner image formed on said image bearing member to the recording material in the transfer nip portion;
detecting means for detecting the detection patch on said image bearing member;
controlling means for variably controlling a toner image forming condition of said toner image forming means based on the
detection result of said detecting means; and
toner removing means for forming a cleaning electric field to remove toner adhering to said transfer member when the inter-toner
image area passes through the transfer nip portion, the cleaning electric field electrostatically moving the toner adhering
to said transfer member to said image bearing member,
wherein a length of time of the cleaning electric field formed in a time period when the inter-toner image area on which the
detection patch is formed passes through the transfer nip portion, is longer than a length of time of the cleaning electric
field formed in a time period when the inter-toner image area on which the detection patch is not formed passes through the
transfer nip portion.
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