Patent ID: 8693904

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image carrier configured to carry a toner image; a first charging member configured to charge the image carrier; a first voltage-application unit configured to apply a negative polarity voltage with a same polarity as that of a normal charging polarity of a toner to the first charging member; an exposure unit configured to expose the image carrier to light; a movable intermediate transfer member; a primary transfer member configured to primarily transfer the toner image from the image carrier to the intermediate transfer member in a primary transfer portion; a secondary transfer member configured to secondarily transfer the toner image from the intermediate transfer member to a transfer material in a secondary transfer portion; and a second charging member configured to charge a remaining toner that remains on the intermediate transfer member upstream of the primary transfer portion and downstream of the secondary transfer portion in a movement direction of the intermediate transfer member, wherein the image forming apparatus can execute a first mode for charging the remaining toner by the second charging member and transferring the charged remaining toner from the intermediate transfer member to the image carrier in the primary transfer portion, and execute a second mode for transferring the remaining toner adhered to the second charging member in the first mode from the second charging member to the intermediate transfer member, and in response to the image forming apparatus executing the second mode, the image forming apparatus controls the first voltage-application unit or the exposure unit so that a surface potential of the image carrier that reaches the primary transfer portion at a timing at which the remaining toner transferred from the second charging member to the intermediate transfer member passes through the primary transfer portion has a same polarity as that of a surface potential of the image carrier in the first mode and also has an absolute value smaller than that thereof.