Patent ID: 8260175

Claim:
A developing apparatus comprising: a developing unit including a developer carrier that rotates while carrying, on a surface thereof, a two-component developer constituted by a magnetic carrier and a toner, the developer carrier performing development in a location opposing a latent image carrier by supplying the toner to a latent image on a surface of the latent image carrier, and a developer supply unit that supplies the two-component developer to the developer carrier; and a partitioning member that partitions a space into a supply conveyance passage and a collection conveyance passage, the space storing the developer; a restricting member opposing the developer carrier at a restricting member opposing position that restricts an amount of developer on the surface of the developer carrier; a stirring unit including stirring device which stirs the two-component developer, the stirring unit sending and receiving the two-component developer to and from the developing unit, respectively, wherein, when a development operation, in which the toner is supplied to the latent image on the surface of the latent image carrier from the developer carrier, is complete, the two-component developer in the developing unit is transferred to a developer storage unit outside the developing unit, and wherein an area of the developer carrier defined by a restricting member upstream side central angle is a low magnetic flux density area, the restricting member upstream side central angle being no more than 60°, having a vertex at a rotary center of the developer carrier, and extending between the restricting member opposing position and a position of an end portion of the partitioning member located on an upstream side of the restricting member.