Patent ID: 9423747
Filing Date: 2016-08-23
CPC Classification: G03G

Claim Text:
1. An image forming apparatus comprising: a plurality of image forming sections arranged in a transport direction of a transfer body, the transport body transported at a predetermined speed, and each of the plurality of image forming sections including a developing section having a developer bearing member that develops an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoconductor and a developer supply unit that supplies developer to the developer bearing member, and a transfer unit that transfers the image on the photoconductor developed by the developing section onto the transfer body; a controller that controls a driving time of the developer bearing member included in each of the plurality of image forming sections so that the developer is provided on the developer bearing member included in each of the plurality of image forming sections without forming the electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor during a period in which image formation is not performed in each of the plurality of image forming sections and so that the developer attached to the transfer body by the plurality of image forming sections does not overlap the developer of the others of the plurality of image forming sections; a detector that detects the developer attached to the transfer body by each of the plurality of image forming sections; and a specification unit that specifies which image forming section attaches the developer to the transfer body, from the plurality of image forming sections, on the basis of a time from when the controller starts driving the developer bearing member to when the detector detects the developer attached to the transfer body.