An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit configured to form an image on a sheet; a fixing unit configured to fix the image on the sheet; a reader configured to read a pattern image on the sheet downstream of the fixing unit in a conveying direction in which the sheet is conveyed; and a controller configured to control the image forming unit to form the image and the pattern image on a same sheet, control the fixing unit to fix the image and the pattern image on the same sheet, control the reader to read the pattern image on the same sheet, and control a density of an image to be formed on a sheet subsequent to the same sheet based on a result of reading the pattern image by the reader and reference data.

An image forming apparatus includes a controller configured to execute a discharging operation for discharging a toner from a developing device onto an image bearing member in a region corresponding to an interval between a recording material and a subsequent recording material in a continuous image forming job. The controller executes the discharging operation on the basis of integral information based on a relationship of a predetermined deterioration threshold with a value correlating with an amount of toner consumption. The controller changes the relationship based on a detected temperature upon toner consumption, and the controller changes the relationship so that when a temperature obtained on the basis of detected information is not less than a predetermined temperature, execution of the discharging operation is promoted more than when the obtained temperature is less than a predetermined temperature.

A medium conveying apparatus includes a housing including an accommodation portion provided with a guide portion at an end portion in a width direction, a tray accommodated in the accommodation portion so as to be pulled out, and including a placing surface for placing an ejected medium, and an engaging portion provided on a side surface of the tray, to engage the guide portion. The guide portion includes a pair of rails inclined upward and having a predetermined width. The engaging portion includes two protrusions provided so as to slide between the pair of rails and located apart from each other by a predetermined distance. By locating the two protrusions between the pair of rails, the tray is positioned at a predetermined position with respect to the housing with a front end portion of a downstream side in the medium ejecting direction located upward.

An image forming apparatus includes a support frame, a cover, an electric component unit, a duct unit, and a fan. The support frame includes a second support portion disposed more rearward than a first support portion in a front-back direction of the image forming apparatus. The cover is more rearward than the second support portion in the front-back direction, and forms part of an image forming apparatus exterior. The electric component unit has a circuit board, and is between the second support portion and the cover in the front-back direction. The duct unit has an intake port located more frontward than the second support portion in the front-back direction, and is connected to the electric component unit. The fan is more rearward than the second support portion in the front-back direction, and takes in air from the intake port and discharge the air from an electric component unit exhaust port.

An image forming apparatus includes a drum unit, a charging roller, a detector, a controller, a developing unit, and a notification unit. The drum unit includes an earth terminal connected to a housing of the image forming apparatus. The detector detects an amplitude of a first alternating-current voltage output to the charging roller. The controller controls so that an amplitude deviation between the first alternating-current voltage amplitude and an output target value of the first alternating-current voltage amplitude is made small. The developing unit develops an electrostatic latent image on the drum unit based on a second alternating-current voltage. The notification unit notifies an abnormality of the earth terminal based on the amplitude deviation in a first state where the first alternating-current voltage is output and the second alternating-current voltage is not output, and the amplitude deviation in a second state where the first and second alternating-current voltages are output.

A medium conveying apparatus includes a plurality of feed rollers spaced in a direction perpendicular to a medium conveying direction, each of the feed rollers rotating independently at a respective speed to feed a medium, a plurality of brake rollers, each of the plurality of brake rollers being located to face a corresponding one of the plurality of feed rollers, a plurality of torque limiters separately provided between one of rotation shafts of the plurality of brake rollers and a corresponding one of the plurality of brake rollers, and a processor to detect a skew of the medium, and correct the skew of the medium by changing the speed of one of the plurality of feed rollers when the skew of the medium is detected.

An image forming apparatus includes an electrophotographic process assembly, a processor, and a memory. The electrophotographic process assembly is configured to transfer a toner image formed on a photoconductive body rotating around an axis extending in a main scanning direction onto a sheet conveyed in a sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction. The processor and memory are configured to store a print amount in a plurality of divided sections corresponding to the main scanning direction, acquire the print amount from a monitoring section in one or more monitoring target groupings corresponding to a predetermined section included in the plurality of divided sections, calculate an integrated print amount in the monitoring section, and output information relating to the monitoring target grouping corresponding to the integrated print amount in the monitoring section.

An image heating apparatus heats a toner image formed on a recording material, and includes: a heater including a substrate and a heat generating resistor thereon for generating heat for heating the toner image, by electric power supply; an electric power shut-off member operable in response to an abnormal temperature rise of the heater to shut off the electric power supply; and a heat conduction member having a thermal conductivity, in a direction of a thickness of the substrate, higher than that of the substrate. The contact area between the heat conduction member and the substrate is larger than the contact area between the heat conduction member and the electric power shut-off member.

An image forming apparatus includes a feeder unit, a separating unit, a conveying unit disposed downstream of the separating unit in a sheet feeding direction, an image forming unit disposed downstream of the conveying unit in the sheet feeding direction, a drive unit, and a control unit. The feeder unit feeds a sheet. The separating unit separates sheets fed by the feeder unit one by one. The conveying unit conveys the sheet. The image forming unit forms, while the sheet is being conveyed, an image on the sheet. The drive unit drives the conveying unit. The control unit controls the drive unit. After the conveyed sheet reaches the image forming unit, the control unit reduces a conveyance speed of the sheet conveyed by the conveying unit.

An example operation method of an image forming apparatus includes determining a state of a toner refill operation of injecting toner from a toner reload kit (TRK) into a cartridge in the image forming apparatus, based on completion of injecting toner from the TRK into the cartridge, controlling the TRK to store information indicating a toner refill completion in a memory of the TRK and updating information of an amount of remaining toner of the cartridge based on an amount of the toner injected into the cartridge from the TRK.