Patent ID: 6219498
Filing Date: 2001-04-17
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
An image forming apparatus, comprising:latent image holding means for holding color-separated image information as an electrostatic latent image;a plurality of developing means for making the electrostatic latent image held by said latent image holding means visible color by color;an intermediate transfer medium to which a visualized image of each color visualized on a surface of said latent image holding means is successively transferred upon contact with said latent image holding means;transfer means for transferring the visualized image successively transferred onto said intermediate transfer medium to the recording medium; andvoltage applying means for applying a predetermined voltage to said transfer means,said image forming apparatus further comprising:sheet type detecting means for detecting a type of the recording medium; andcontrol means for controlling a parameter associated with an image forming operation in accordance with a detection signal from said sheet type detecting means,said sheet type detecting means including transmission detecting means for detecting light transmitted through the recording medium and reflection detecting means for detecting light reflected off a surface of the recording medium;a wavelength of light projected on the recording medium for detection by the transmission detecting means being set such that a characteristic of transmittance against wavelength is sorted out in accordance with a mass per unit area of the recording medium.