Image forming apparatus including anomaly detection for charging members

摘要

An image forming apparatus comprises a plurality of photoconductors, a plurality of chargers including charging members, a voltage application unit to which charging members are connected in parallel and which is configured to apply a voltage to the charging members, a controller, and a messaging unit. The controller is configured to change, upon startup, the voltage to be applied by the voltage application unit to the charging members from a previously applied first voltage to a second voltage of which an absolute value is smaller than that of the first voltage, to obtain amounts of electric currents caused to flow through the respective charging members by application of the second voltage. A determination as to whether any anomaly is present is made based upon the obtained amounts of electric currents for the charging members. The messaging unit is configured to produce a notification about presence or absence of anomaly.

主权项

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a plurality of photoconductors; a plurality of chargers each disposed opposite to a corresponding photoconductor, the plurality of chargers comprising a plurality of charging members each of which is provided in a corresponding charger and configured to charge the corresponding photoconductor by a corona discharge; a voltage application unit to which the charging members are connected in parallel and which is configured to apply a voltage to the charging members; a memory unit; a controller configured to exercise control over the voltage application unit; and a messaging unit configured to produce a notification to advise a user of presence or absence of an anomaly, wherein the controller is further configured:
to change, upon startup of the image forming apparatus, the voltage to be applied by the voltage application unit to the charging members from a first voltage to a second voltage of which an absolute value is smaller than that of the first voltage, to obtain amounts of electric currents caused to flow through the respective charging members by application of the second voltage, the first voltage being a previously applied voltage stored in the memory unit;to make a determination as to whether or not any anomaly is present, based upon the obtained amounts of the electric currents for the charging members; andto cause the messaging unit to produce a notification of the anomaly being present, if any anomaly is present, and wherein the notification produced by the messaging unit includes information that there are one or more charging members in need of cleaning.