Patent ID: 8824909

Claim:
An image forming apparatus, comprising: a magnetic roller which conveys a two-component developer including toner and carrier; a developing roller which holds a thin layer of toner formed by the toner conveyed from the magnetic roller on a facing portion between the magnetic roller and the developing roller; an image carrier which carries an electrostatic latent image on a surface thereof for carrying a toner image, the toner image being formed by causing toner in the thin layer of toner to fly onto the electrostatic latent image at the facing portion between the image carrier roller and the developing roller; an exposure device which irradiates light onto the surface of the image carrier for forming the electrostatic latent image; a magnetic roller voltage applier which applies a voltage to the magnetic roller; a developing roller voltage applier which applies a voltage to the developing roller; and a controller which controls the magnetic roller voltage applier and the developing roller voltage applier to apply the respective voltages, and which controls the exposure device to form a forcible consumption electrostatic latent image for forcibly conveying toner on the developing roller onto the image carrier, wherein the controller controls the magnetic roller voltage applier to apply, to the magnetic roller, a first voltage for forcibly conveying the thin layer of toner held on the developing roller toward the magnetic roller for a first period required for one turn of the developing roller, the controller controls the developing roller voltage applier to apply, to the developing roller, a second voltage for causing the toner on the developing roller to fly therefrom onto the image carrier for a second period when at least the forcible consumption electrostatic latent image faces the developing roller at the facing portion, and the controller controls the magnetic roller voltage applier and the developing roller voltage applier in such a manner that at least a part of the first period and a part of the second period are overlapped with each other and controls the magnetic roller voltage applier to start applying the first voltage to the magnetic roller, after a thin layer of toner that is caused to fly onto the forcible electrostatic latent image, out of the thin layer of toner held on the developing roller, passes the facing portion between the developing roller and the magnetic roller.