Method and systems of automated document processing described herein include activating in sequence a plurality of illumination modules of an illumination source to illuminate a document, where the plurality of illumination modules are located at different positions relative to the document. The document can be imaged each time the document is illuminated by an illumination module to provide a plurality of images. A shadow profile of the document can be obtained based on the plurality of images. One or more of a boundary of the document and presence of a fastener attached to the document can be identified using the shadow profile. Any fasteners present may be removed using a robot arm.

An image forming apparatus has a main body housing, a network interface for connecting to a network, a cartridge mountable to the main body housing and having a material or a component to be used for image formation in the image forming apparatus and a memory that stores contract information for permitting use of the cartridge in the image forming apparatus set to a contract mode, a communication unit for performing communication with using a mobile network different from the network, and a controller. The controller acquires the contract information from the memory, in a state where the cartridge is mounted to the main body housing, permits printing in the image forming apparatus using the cartridge based on the contract information, and transmits information about the image forming apparatus or the cartridge regarding the contract mode to a communication apparatus via the communication unit.

A cartridge includes a photosensitive drum, the movable member movable relative to the photosensitive drum to control an inclination angle of a drive transmission member. The movable member is movable between a first position for reducing an inclination angle of the drive transmission member relative to the photosensitive drum and a second position retracted from the first position. By this, driving connection can be smoothly carried out.

A conductive roller includes a support member, an elastic layer disposed on an outer peripheral surface of the support member, and a surface layer disposed on an outer peripheral surface of the elastic layer. The elastic layer includes a cylindrical elastic foam and a conductive covering layer covering an exposed surface of the elastic foam and has a volume resistance value of 10.sup.5Ω or less at an applied voltage of 10 V. The elastic foam has a conductive particle content of 1% by mass or less based on the total mass of the elastic foam.

An image forming apparatus includes a first casing including a transfer unit, a second casing including a fixing unit, and a third casing provided between the first casing and the second casing and including an intermediary feeding member. The first casing includes a first discharging port discharging a recording material with a toner image. The second casing includes a first receiving port receiving the recording material with the toner image. A height from an installing surface of the image forming apparatus to the first receiving port in a vertical direction is different from a height from the installing surface to the first discharging port. The intermediary feeding member of the third casing is provided obliquely in the vertical direction from a second receiving port receiving the recording material from the first discharging port to a second discharging port delivering the recording material to the first receiving port.

An image forming apparatus includes image forming units. A controller includes an execution section, a measurement section, and a prediction section. The execution section controls execution of a developer refresh operation in which toner is ejected from a developer bearing member to an image bearing member so that a specific image forming unit replenishes a development device with the toner from the developer bearing member. The measurement section measures respective surface potentials of the image bearing members included in other image forming units while the specific image forming unit is executing the developer refresh operation. The prediction section uses measurement results of the respective surface potentials of the image bearing members included in the other image forming units for a prediction on the surface potential of the image bearing member included in the specific image forming unit.

A motor control apparatus includes: a current supply unit configured to supply a coil current to a plurality of coils of a motor by controlling a voltage to be applied to the plurality of coils, based on a first command value of an excitation current and a second command value of a torque current; and a control unit configured to control the first command value based on a rotation speed of a rotor of the motor, wherein the control unit is further configured to control, when the rotation speed of the rotor is lower than a first threshold value, the first command value to cause the excitation current to be larger than zero, and control the second command value to supply the torque current in accordance with a load of the rotor.

In an image forming apparatus according to the present disclosure, when a conveyance unit is closed, a second end is disconnected from a ground contact, and a third end makes an electrical connection with a contact spring. When the conveyance unit is opened, the second end makes an electrical connection with the ground contact, and the third end is disconnected from the contact spring.

An image forming apparatus is provided. The apparatus comprises an image forming unit to form an image based on an image forming condition; a sensor to measure a measurement image formed by the image forming unit; and a controller to obtain information correlated with a change in density of an image to be formed by the image forming unit, control the sensor to measure the measurement image, determine first data related to density of the image to be formed by the image forming unit, determine, based on a result of measuring the measurement image, second data related to density of the image to be formed by the image forming unit, and generate the image forming condition based on a weighted average of the first data and the second data.

An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of photosensitive members, a support frame configured to support the plurality of photosensitive members, and an electric unit including a first electric board and a second electric board, and fixed to the support frame. The electric unit includes a first supporting portion extending in an arrangement direction of the plurality of photosensitive members, a second supporting portion extending in the arrangement direction, and a board holding portion configured to hold the first electric board and the second electric board and bridged between the first supporting portion and the second supporting portion. The first electric board is positioned in the image forming apparatus more inward than at least one of the first supporting portion or the second supporting portion in a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction and a vertical direction.