Image forming apparatus having capacitance detection

摘要

An image forming apparatus includes a conductive member paired with one of a developer carrying member and an image bearing member to form a capacitor. A contact-separation member assumes a first position for bringing the developer carrying member into contact with the image bearing member and a second position for separating the developer carrying member from the image bearing member. A detecting unit detects a value relating to a capacitance of the capacitor when a voltage is applied to the capacitor, and a control unit detects whether or not the image forming apparatus is ready for image formation by comparing a first detected result and a second detected result to each other. The first detected result is detected when the contact-separation member assumes the first position, and the second detected result is detected when the contact-separation member assumes the second position.

主权项

1. An image forming apparatus configured to form an image on a recording medium, the image forming apparatus comprising:
an image bearing member on which a latent image is to be formed; a developer carrying member configured to carry a developer; a conductive member having a conductive property, the conductive member being paired with one of the developer carrying member and the image bearing member to form a capacitor; a contact-separation member configured to assume a first position for bringing the developer carrying member into contact with the image bearing member and a second position for separating the developer carrying member from the image bearing member; a detecting unit configured to detect a value relating to a capacitance of the capacitor when a voltage is applied to the capacitor; and a control unit configured to detect whether or not the image forming apparatus is ready for image formation by comparing a first detected result and a second detected result to each other, the first detected result being detected by the detecting unit when the contact-separation member assumes the first position, the second detected result being detected by the detecting unit when the contact-separation member assumes the second position.