Patent ID: 7194226
Filing Date: 2007-03-20
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus comprising: an image bearing member; charging means to which a variable voltage is applied, for charging said image bearing member; development means for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on said image bearing member with a developer; transfer means for transferring an image formed on said image bearing member onto a transfer material; developer charge providing means for charging residual developer remaining on said image bearing member with a normal charge polarity remaining on said image bearing member, the developer charge providing means being positioned upstream of said charging means and downstream of said transfer means in a rotating direction of the image bearing member; wherein said developer charge providing means charges an area of said image bearing member with a voltage applied to said developer charge providing means and said charging means charges the area of said image bearing member by a voltage applied to said charging means, wherein an absolute value of a charge potential of the area of said image bearing member charged by said developer charge providing means is lower than an absolute value of a charge potential of the area of the image bearing member charged by said charging means, wherein, as the voltage applied to said developer charge providing means decreases when said developer charge providing means charges the area of said image bearing member, the voltage applied to said charging means decreases when said charging means charges the area of said image bearing member; and wherein an image density of the developer in an image formation is detected by a density detector, and the voltage applied to said developer charge providing means is determined based on the detected image density of the developer.