An image forming apparatus includes a charging unit that charges an image bearing member, a developing unit that forms a toner image on an latent image formed on the image bearing member, a transfer unit that transfers the toner image onto a transfer material, a charge neutralizer that neutralizes a charge of the image bearing member downstream of a transfer portion and upstream of a charging portion in a rotating direction of the image bearing member, a conductive collecting unit that collects a material adhering on the image bearing member downstream of the transfer portion and upstream of the charging portion, wherein the developing unit collects residual toner on the image bearing member, an voltage application unit sets a potential difference between the voltage applied to the collecting unit and the surface electric potential of the image bearing member not more than a discharge threshold.

Provided are an image bearing member; a charging member that charges the image bearing member; an exposure unit that exposes the image bearing member; a developing unit that develops an electrostatic latent image as a developer image by supplying a developer, charged to regular polarity, to the image bearing member; a transfer member that transfers the developer image to a transfer-receiving body; and a collecting member that collects a deposit on the image bearing member downstream of a transfer portion of the image bearing member at which the developer image is transferred to the transfer-receiving body by the transfer member, and upstream of a charging portion of the image bearing member charged by the charging member, in a rotation direction of the image bearing member. After transfer of the developer image to the transfer-receiving body, the developer remaining on the image bearing member is collected by the developing unit.

An image forming apparatus includes a charging unit that charges an image bearing member, a developing unit that forms a toner image on an latent image formed on the image bearing member, a transfer unit that transfers the toner image onto a transfer material, a charge neutralizer that neutralizes a charge of the image bearing member downstream of a transfer portion and upstream of a charging portion in a rotating direction of the image bearing member, a conductive collecting unit that collects a material adhering on the image bearing member downstream of the transfer portion and upstream of the charging portion, wherein the developing unit collects residual toner on the image bearing member, an voltage application unit sets a potential difference between the voltage applied to the collecting unit and the surface electric potential of the image bearing member not more than a discharge threshold.

A charging device includes a first charging unit that charges a target unit, which is to be charged, by coming into contact with the target unit and a second charging unit that charges the target unit by coming into contact with the target unit and in which distribution of a contact region in contact with the target unit is different from distribution of a contact region in the first charging unit.

An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable image bearing member, a developing member, a transfer member, and a brush contacting a surface of the image bearing member in a contact portion downstream of a transfer portion and upstream of a developing portion with respect to a rotational direction of the image bearing member. The toner which is not transferred onto a toner image receiving member is collected by the developing member. In a charging series, the toner is positioned on the same side as a normal charge polarity of the toner relative to the brush. In the contact portion, a maximum value of a contact pressure of 0.7 gf/mm.sup.2 or more and 3.5 gf/mm.sup.2 or less, a maximum contact area ratio is 18% or more and 74% or less, and a Clark-Evans index of the brush is 1 or more.

An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable image bearing member, a developing member, a transfer member, and a brush contacting a surface of the image bearing member in a contact portion downstream of a transfer portion and upstream of a developing portion with respect to a rotational direction of the image bearing member. The toner which is not transferred onto a toner image receiving member is collected by the developing member. In a charging series, the toner is positioned on the same side as a normal charge polarity of the toner relative to the brush. In the contact portion, a maximum value of a contact pressure of 0.7 gf/mm.sup.2 or more and 3.5 gf/mm.sup.2 or less, a maximum contact area ratio is 18% or more and 74% or less, and a Clark-Evans index of the brush is 1 or more.

An image forming apparatus includes a charging unit that charges an image bearing member, a developing unit that forms a toner image on an latent image formed on the image bearing member, a transfer unit that transfers the toner image onto a transfer material, a charge neutralizer that neutralizes a charge of the image bearing member downstream of a transfer portion and upstream of a charging portion in a rotating direction of the image bearing member, a conductive collecting unit that collects a material adhering on the image bearing member downstream of the transfer portion and upstream of the charging portion, wherein the developing unit collects residual toner on the image bearing member, an voltage application unit sets a potential difference between the voltage applied to the collecting unit and the surface electric potential of the image bearing member not more than a discharge threshold.

A charging device includes: a charging member that rotates in contact with a charged body and charges the charged body; and a cleaning member that comes into contact with the charging member and rotates in conjunction with the charging member, in which the cleaning member includes a foam elastic layer in which a band-shaped foam elastic member is spirally disposed with a pitch, and a diameter of a tip end portion of a cell skeleton protruding to a surface of the foam elastic layer is 50 ?m or less, and a peripheral speed ratio of the cleaning member to the charging member is 0.3 or more and 0.7 or less.

An image-forming apparatus to execute an image-forming operation includes an image bearing member, a charging member to charge at a charging portion a surface of, and a developing member to supply at a developing portion toner to, the image bearing member. When a rotating image bearing member stops rotating, a surface potential of the image bearing member formed on the developing portion is defined as V1, a developing voltage applied to the developing member is defined as V2, a charging voltage applied to the charging member is defined as V3, and a surface potential of the image bearing member formed on the charging portion is defined as V4. A first potential difference, which is a potential difference between V2 and V1, and a second potential difference, which is a potential difference between V3 and V4, are controlled based on information about a number of execution times of the image-forming operation.

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a brush, and a controller. The controller controls so that, in a case where, in a state where a recording material trailing edge in a conveyance direction is sandwiched at a transfer portion, an area of the image bearing member in the conveyance direction where the recording material is sandwiched in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction is a first area, and an area of the image bearing member in the conveyance direction where the recording material is not sandwiched is a second area, a first potential difference formed between a surface potential formed on the second area and a brush voltage, which is based on first information, when the second area reaches the brush and a second potential difference formed between the second area surface potential and the brush voltage, which is based on second information, are different.