Patent ID: 9037014
Filing Date: 2015-05-19
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus comprising: an image carrier that forms a color component image using a color component toner and carries the color component image; an intermediate transfer body that faces the image carrier, that is looped over a plurality of span members, that is rotated, and that temporarily carries the color component image formed by the image carrier before transferring the color component image to a recording medium; a first-transfer member that is disposed on a back surface of the intermediate transfer body facing the image carrier, that transfers the color component image carried by the image carrier to the intermediate transfer body by forming a transfer electric field in a first-transfer region between the first-transfer member and the image carrier; a second-transfer member that is disposed so as to be in contact with a front surface of the intermediate transfer body and so as to face one of the span members disposed on the back surface of the intermediate transfer body, that transfers the color component image transferred by the first-transfer member to the intermediate transfer body to the recording medium by forming a transfer electric field in a second-transfer region between the second-transfer member and the span member; a support mechanism that supports the second-transfer member in the second-transfer region so that the second-transfer member is movable toward upstream in a transport direction of the intermediate transfer body; a surface-positioning member that is disposed at upstream of the second-transfer member in the transport direction of the intermediate transfer body, that is in contact with the back surface of the intermediate transfer body, that is movable in a direction that intersects an in-plane direction of the intermediate transfer body; a determination device that determines whether or not the recording medium is of a type having a basis weight or a thickness that is less than or equal to a predetermined value; and a controller that, in a case where the determination device determines that the recording medium is of a type having a basis weight or a thickness that is less than or equal to the predetermined value, controls the support mechanism so as to move the second-transfer member more upstream in the transport direction of the intermediate transfer body than in other cases and controls the position of the surface-positioning member so as to move the surface-positioning member in a direction such that an angle between the intermediate transfer body and the second-transfer member on upstream of the second-transfer member in the transport direction of the intermediate transfer body becomes larger than in other cases.