US 11,841,666 B2
Power supply apparatus for supplying various voltages and image forming apparatus operating on voltage supplied from power supply apparatus
Masayuki Sakai, Kanagawa (JP); Shuichiro Sugimoto, Kanagawa (JP); and Toshiaki Sugiyama, Kanagawa (JP)
Assigned to Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Jun. 14, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/840,468.
Claims priority of application No. 2021-101027 (JP), filed on Jun. 17, 2021; and application No. 2021-205468 (JP), filed on Dec. 17, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0404756 A1, Dec. 22, 2022
Int. Cl. G03G 15/00 (2006.01); H02M 3/158 (2006.01); G03G 15/06 (2006.01); G03G 15/08 (2006.01)
CPC G03G 15/80 (2013.01) [G03G 15/065 (2013.01); G03G 15/0808 (2013.01); G03G 15/5004 (2013.01); H02M 3/158 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a rotating image carrier;
a developing member disposed opposite the image carrier, configured to develop an electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier using toner and form a toner image;
a supplying member disposed opposite the developing member, configured to supply toner to the developing member;
a transfer member configured to transfer the toner image formed on the image carrier to a target transfer member;
a first power supply configured to generate a development voltage with a first polarity or a second polarity with an opposite polarity to the first polarity to be applied to the developing member;
a second power supply configured to generate an acceleration voltage for accelerating supply of toner to the developing member from the supplying member to be applied to the supplying member; and
a processor configured to control the first power supply and the second power supply, wherein
the processor
controls the first power supply so that the development voltage with the first polarity is applied to the developing member in a first period in which a toner image is not formed on the image carrier,
controls the first power supply so that the development voltage with the second polarity is applied to the developing member in a second period in which an electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier is developed using toner, and
controls the first power supply and the second power supply so that a potential difference between the developing member and the supplying member in a third period, different from the first period, in which a toner image is not formed on the image carrier is less than an absolute value of a potential difference between the developing member and the supplying member in the first period and is less than an absolute value of a potential difference between the developing member and the supplying member in the second period.