Patent ID: 8155543
Filing Date: 2012-04-10
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. An image forming apparatus, comprising: a plurality of photoconductors; an image carrying member; an image forming mechanism configured to perform a reference image forming operation that transfers, from the photoconductors, a reference toner image to the image carrying member under a specific setting associated with the image forming mechanism; an optical sensor arranged in a vicinity of the image carrying member that includes a light emitter that emits light to impinge on the image carrying member and a light receiver that receives the light reflected from the image carrying member; and a controller configured to perform an optical toner test that checks, via the optical sensor, optical characteristics of the reference toner image formed on the image carrying member by controlling the light emitter to emit the light and that adjusts the specific setting based on a result of the optical toner test, wherein the controller causes the light emitter of the optical sensor to start emitting the light at a time the image carrying member is started to be driven when the image carrying member is at rest, wherein the controller performs a self-check in which the optical toner test is performed immediately after a power supply, that supplies power to the image forming apparatus, is activated, wherein the self-check includes adjusting an emission amount of the light emitter, adjusting a potential based on the reference toner image, calculating a development gradient, and correcting the development gradient, and wherein the optical sensor continuously emits the light during the self-check and ceases emitting the light when the self-check is completed.