Patent ID: 8311423
Filing Date: 2012-11-13
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus configured to form an image on a recording medium, comprising: a latent image carrier; an image information acquisition unit configured to acquire image information; a latent image forming unit configured to form an electrostatic latent image on the latent image carrier according to the image information; a memory unit to store at least one of a unit toner consumption information in each of multiple divided areas of the image and a reference toner supply pattern corresponding to the unit toner consumption information; a developing unit configured to develop the latent image with a two-component developer, the developing unit including: a toner supplier including a driving source and a toner supply member, connected to the developer circulation path and configured to supply toner at a predetermined supply position to the two-component developer circulating through the developer circulation path by driving the toner supply member with the driving source; a prediction calculator configured to divide the image information acquired by the image information acquisition unit in accordance with the multiple divided areas and to predict a supply pattern to reduce changes in toner concentration over time in the developer at a given prediction position based on the divided image information and at least one of the unit toner consumption information for each of the multiple divided areas and the reference toner supply pattern stored in the memory unit; and a toner supply controller configured to control the driving source according to the predicted supply pattern to adjust an amount of the toner supplied to the two-component developer at the predetermined supply position.