Patent ID: 8457541
Filing Date: 2013-06-04
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus, comprising: an image carrier to carry a toner image thereon; a charging device to charge a surface of the image carrier, disposed across a predetermined gap from the surface of the image carrier; a latent image forming device to form a latent image on the charged surface of the image carrier; a developing device to develop the latent image with toner into a toner image; a transfer unit to transfer the toner image from the image carrier onto a sheet of recording media; a first cleaning member to clean the surface of the image carrier after the toner image is transferred therefrom; a lubricant application member to apply lubricant onto the surface of the image carrier; and a polarity adjustor to adjust polarities of the toner and lubricant adhering to the image carrier to be identical to a polarity of a charging bias with which the charging device charges the image carrier, wherein the polarity adjustor is disposed facing the image carrier, upstream from the charging device and downstream from the transfer unit in a direction in which the image carrier rotates, wherein the polarity adjustor comprises an electroconductive blade disposed to contact the surface of the image carrier and a bias applicator to apply a polarity adjustment bias to the electroconductive blade, wherein the polarity adjustment bias has a polarity identical to the polarity of the charging bias to charge the image carrier and is greater than a discharge start voltage at which discharge is started between the electroconductive blade and the surface of the image carrier, and wherein the lubricant application member is disposed upstream from the electroconductive blade and downstream from the transfer unit in the direction in which the image carrier rotates.