Patent ID: 9507287
Filing Date: 2016-11-29
CPC Classification: G03G

Claim Text:
1. An image forming apparatus comprising: an image carrier on a surface of which a toner image is formed; a cleaning member arranged in contact with the surface of the image carrier, the cleaning member cleaning the surface of the image carrier; a charging member for electrostatically charging the image carrier; a bias applying device for applying a charging bias having a DC bias and an AC bias superimposed on each other to the charging member; and a control portion for controlling the charging bias applied to the charging member by the bias applying device, wherein in a first period of time from a start of use of the image carrier to a predetermined time thereafter, the control portion uses as the AC bias applied to the charging member a first AC bias, and in a second period of time subsequent to the first period of time, the control portion uses as the AC bias a second AC bias higher than the first AC bias, the control portion uses as a reference AC bias an AC bias having a voltage level over which a surface potential of the image carrier remains substantially constant against increase of the AC bias applied to the charging member by the bias applying device, the control portion takes as multiplication values for the first and second AC biases respectively a ratio of the first AC bias to the reference AC bias and a ratio of the second AC bias to the reference AC bias so as to set the first and second AC biases such that the multiplication values therefor are in predetermined ranges respectively, the control portion sets the multiplication value for the second AC bias higher than the multiplication value for the first AC bias, in a third period of time subsequent to the second period of time, the control portion sets a maximum value of the multiplication value for a third AC bias applied to the charging member higher than a maximum value of the multiplication value for the first AC bias but lower than a maximum value of the multiplication value for the second AC bias, and the control portion sets a minimum value of the multiplication value for the third AC bias equal to a minimum value of the multiplication value for the first AC bias and lower than a minimum value of the multiplication value for the second AC bias.