A mode control section forms a plurality of reference toner images having different densities on a photosensitive drum, where the frequency of an alternating-current voltage of a development bias is varied with a potential difference between direct-current voltages of a development roller and the photosensitive drum maintained constant, generates a reference straight line indicating a relationship between a toner amount of each reference toner image obtained by converting the density of the measured reference toner image into weight, and a representative value of current values of a development current measured during formation of the reference toner image, and acquires the amount of electrostatic charge of toner using the reference straight line.

An image forming apparatus includes: an image carrier to which a lubricant is applied; a developing device that develops an electrostatic latent image carried on the image carrier with toner, and includes a casing accommodating a toner-containing developer and a developing sleeve supplying the image carrier with the toner contained in the developer accommodated in the casing; and a hardware processor that detects information indicating a state of lubricant adhesion to the developing sleeve, and performs, based on a result of the detection by the hardware processor, a lubricant removing operation as an operation for removing the lubricant adhering to the developing sleeve.

A mode control section forms a plurality of reference toner images having different densities on a photosensitive drum, where the frequency of an alternating-current voltage of a development bias is varied with a potential difference between direct-current voltages of a development roller and the photosensitive drum maintained constant, generates a reference straight line indicating a relationship between a toner amount of each reference toner image obtained by converting the density of the measured reference toner image into weight, and a representative value of current values of a development current measured during formation of the reference toner image, and acquires the amount of electrostatic charge of toner using the reference straight line.

In an image forming apparatus, a transfer material transport guide is disposed in an optical sensor unit to support a color deviation sensor, which is disposed near an intermediate transfer belt. By changing the position of the optical sensor unit, the grounding path of the transfer material transport guide can be changed, and both transfer bias leak prevention for the transfer material transport guide and electrostatic breakdown prevention for the color deviation sensor can be implemented. As a result, the apparatus can be downsized, and when the intermediate transfer belt is replaced, the optical sensor unit can be moved to create a space necessary for the replacement.

Provided is a consumables discharge device that discharges toner via an image carrier and an intermediate transfer body including a patch forming unit that forms a patch in a patch printing region to be formed on the intermediate transfer body via the image carrier by using the toner discharged from a developer tank after adjusting a range of the patch printing region in one or both of a gap region existing between image forming regions adjacent to each other of the intermediate transfer body and both end regions adjacent to both ends of an image forming region in a width direction of the intermediate transfer body, based on one or both of a size and a direction of a recording medium to be printed as input information.

An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a sensor configured to sense a toner concentration, a processor configured to determine at least one of a coring level and a total area coverage (TAC) level according to the detected toner concentration, and an image former configured to print the rendered print data.

A downtime relating to formation and detection of a detection image is reduced. An image forming apparatus includes a controller configured to calculate a first conversion unit to convert a gradation of input image data so that density output for the input image data becomes a first density output characteristic based on a first detection result of the detection image detected by a density sensor in a first mode. The controller generates a second conversion unit to convert the gradation of the input image data so that the density output for the input image data becomes a second density output characteristic in a second mode based on the detection result in the first mode and correction information, and further updates the correction information based on a second detection result of the detection image detected by the density sensor in the second mode and the first detection result.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit configured to form an image on an image carrier using a developer, an image sensor configured to detect the image formed on the image carrier, and a correction controller configured to control the image forming unit to form an imaging correction pattern, and perform an imaging correction using a detection result of the image sensor detecting the image correction pattern. The correction controller is configured to control the image forming unit to form a first imaging correction pattern including a first number of one or more sub-patterns for an imaging correction until a predetermined condition is satisfied, and upon the predetermined condition being satisfied, form a second imaging correction pattern including a second number of sub-patterns more than the first number for a subsequent imaging correction.

An image forming apparatus comprises a first temperature detector to detect a temperature of a first portion of an optical scanning device in a printer. The first portion is proximate to a heat generating element in the optical scanning device. A second temperature detector is provided to detect a temperature of a second portion of the optical scanning device, which is farther from the heat generating element than the first portion. A controller is configured to perform alignment control for correcting a color positional shift of the printer when either a detected temperature change of the first portion is greater than or equal to a first threshold value or a detected temperature change of the second portion is greater than or equal to a second threshold value.

The image forming apparatus determines, based on a determination value calculated by a calculating unit, a light amount of reflection light from a first position on an image bearing member from light amounts of reflection light beams from a second position and a third position on the image bearing member where a patch image is not formed in a state where the patch image is formed at the first position on the image bearing member, or determines the light amount of reflection light from the first position on the image bearing member by detecting the light amount of reflection light from the first position on the image bearing member with a detecting unit in a state where the patch image is not formed at the first position on the image bearing member.