Patent ID: 8565634
Filing Date: 2013-10-22
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit configured to form a toner pattern having a first density on an image carrier; a detection unit configured to irradiate light onto the image carrier and the toner pattern, receive light reflected from the image carrier and the toner pattern, and detect a position of the toner pattern on the image carrier based on the received reflected light, the reflected light including regular reflected light from the image carrier and the toner pattern; and a density control unit configured to, in a case where an amount of the reflected light from the toner pattern received by the detection unit is less than a predetermined amount, which corresponds to an amount of reflected light from a toner pattern having a second density, which is different from the first density, on the image carrier, control the image forming unit to also form a next toner pattern having the first density on the image carrier, wherein the image forming unit comprises a plurality of image forming sections configured to form a plurality of toner images of different colors on the image carrier, respectively, and each of the plurality of image forming sections forms the toner pattern to detect relative positions of the plurality of toner images formed on the image carrier, and wherein the density control unit controls the density of the toner pattern for each color, individually.