A drum cartridge is mountable in and dismountable from an image forming apparatus without including a developing device. The drum cartridge includes an image bearing member, a charging member, and a cleaning member. The cleaning member includes an elastic layer contacting the charging member. The elastic layer includes a foam member and is made of a material having Asker-C hardness of 5-30 degrees.

A cleaning device cleans a surface of a toner carrier carrying a toner, and the cleaning device includes: a first blade in contact with the surface of the toner carrier; a second blade made of a material harder than a material of the first blade and in contact with the surface of the toner carrier; and a lubricant applicator that applies a lubricant to the surface of the toner carrier, wherein the first blade, the second blade and the lubricant applicator are arranged in this order from an upstream side in a moving direction of the toner carrier based on a transfer position of the toner.

An image forming apparatus includes: a drawer movable between an inner position and an outer position and supporting a first cartridge including a first photosensitive drum and a first discharge part and a second cartridge including a second photosensitive drum and a second discharge part; and a waste toner box including a first coupling part coupled with the first discharge part and a second coupling part coupled with the second discharge part, in a state where the first cartridge and the second cartridge are supported by the drawer at an inner position and the waste toner box is mounted to the apparatus main body, the waste toner box being movable between a first/second position where the first coupling part and the first discharge part are coupled/decoupled and the second coupling part and the second discharge part are coupled/decoupled.

An image-forming apparatus includes a control unit configured to perform a first collection operation in which toner that has passed a position at which the charging unit and the intermediate transfer member are in contact with each other is moved from the intermediate transfer member to the image bearing member. The control unit is also configured to perform a second collection operation in which toner having been moved from the charging unit to the intermediate transfer member is moved from the intermediate transfer member to the image bearing member. The control unit controls rotation speed of the image bearing member in such a manner that the rotation speed of the image bearing member in the second collection operation is slower than the rotation speed of the image bearing member in the first collection operation.

A cleaning member includes plural bristles including tips that come into contact with an object to be cleaned having a surface including recesses and projections; and a brush base to which the bristles are attached. The bristles each have a non-circular cross-section including a projecting portion that projects toward an outer periphery, at least the projecting portion having a size such that the projecting portion is capable of entering the recesses in the object to be cleaned.

An image forming apparatus includes: an image carrier that carries a toner image; a cleaning unit that collects a toner on the image carrier; and a hardware processor that controls the cleaning unit, wherein the cleaning unit includes a first cleaner brush and a second cleaner brush that remove the toner from the image carrier, and the hardware processor applies bias voltages having opposite polarities to the first cleaner brush and the second cleaner brush, and determines whether life is ended with respect to each of the first cleaner brush and the second cleaner brush.

A cleaning device cleans a surface of a toner carrier carrying a toner, and the cleaning device includes: a first blade in contact with the surface of the toner carrier; a second blade made of a material harder than a material of the first blade and in contact with the surface of the toner carrier; and a lubricant applicator that applies a lubricant to the surface of the toner carrier, wherein the first blade, the second blade and the lubricant applicator are arranged in this order from an upstream side in a moving direction of the toner carrier based on a transfer position of the toner.

The joint mechanism includes an engagement pin; a first coupling having a pair of projections with engagement recessed portions formed respectively, the engagement recessed portions with which both end portions of the engagement pin are freely engaged or disengaged; a second coupling including a circumferential wall having an opening portion and a pair of projecting pieces; and a biasing member. The pair of projecting pieces are arranged in the engagement recessed portions so as to be opposed, on an upstream side in a rotation direction, to opening defining surfaces of the pair of projections, with the second coupling attached to the first coupling. Both end portions of the engagement pins are engaged with the engagement recessed portions so as to be each sandwiched between each of the pair of projecting pieces being applied a biasing force of the biasing member and each opening defining surface of the pair of projections.

A motor control apparatus operates in a first control mode in which the values of a torque current component and an excitation current component are controlled so that the difference between an instruction phase and a rotation phase is decreased and a second control mode in which constant current is supplied to a winding of a motor. The second control mode is switched to the first control mode if the rotation speed is varied from a value lower than a first threshold value to a value not lower than the first threshold value in the second control mode and the first control mode is kept even if the rotation speed is varied from a value not lower than the first threshold value to a value that is not lower than a second threshold value and that is lower than the first threshold value in the first control mode.

The present invention provides a cleaning member including melamine resin foam in at least a portion that contacts an object to be cleaned. A charging device and a transfer device including the cleaning member are provided as well. An image forming apparatus including at least the cleaning member is also provided. In the image forming apparatus the cleaning member cleans at least one of a charge roll of the charging device, an image carrier, and a transfer roll of the transfer device.