Patent ID: 8862005
Filing Date: 2014-10-14
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus comprising: a latent image carrier that rotates and that has a surface on which an electrostatic latent image to be developed by a charged toner is formed; a container that contains a developer including the toner; a plurality of developer transport members disposed side by side so that peripheral surfaces thereof face the latent image carrier and so that the peripheral surfaces of adjacent ones thereof face each other, the developer transport members distributing the developer supplied from the container among one another and transporting the developer to the surface of the latent image carrier by carrying the developer on the peripheral surfaces and rotating in circumferential directions of the peripheral surfaces; a power supply that supplies voltages having a plurality of waveforms having an identical period to the plurality of developer transport members; a detector that detects a toner concentration of the developer contained in the container; and a controller that performs control so that the power supply supplies to the plurality of developer transport members, when the toner concentration detected by the detector is higher than a predetermined upper limit, voltages having the waveforms that generate a potential difference therebetween, the potential difference causing the toner concentration of the developer distributed to a most downstream developer transport member to decrease and the toner concentration of the developer distributed to at least one of the developer transport members that is disposed upstream of the most downstream developer transport member to increase, the most downstream developer transport member being one of the developer transport members that is disposed at a most downstream position in a movement direction in which a region on the surface of the latent image carrier facing the plurality of developer transport members moves.