Patent ID: 8229307
Filing Date: 2012-07-24
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus having an image forming unit adapted to form a toner image, and control a contrast potential to be used for forming a toner image by the image forming unit according to input image data, the contrast potential being a difference voltage between (1) a surface potential of a photosensitive member charged by the image forming unit and exposed by a predetermined output of the image forming unit and (2) a developing bias to be applied for developing the photosensitive member with a toner by the image forming unit, the image forming apparatus comprising: a first density detection unit adapted to detect a density of a toner image formed by the image forming unit; a contrast potential determining unit adapted to determine a contrast potential so that the density of a toner image formed by the image forming unit detected by the first density detection unit becomes a predetermined density; a second density detection unit adapted to detect a density of a toner image formed by the image forming unit; a characteristic determining unit adapted to determine, based on densities, detected by the second density detecting unit, of a plurality of toner images formed using a plurality of different contrast potentials by the image forming unit, a characteristic representing a relationship of (a) the plurality of different contrast potentials and (b) the densities of the plurality of toner images; and a correction unit adapted to correct the contrast potential determined by the contrast potential determining unit, based on (i) the density of a toner image formed by the image forming unit detected by the second density detection unit and (ii) the characteristic determined by the characteristic determining unit.