JP2011197244A - Image forming apparatus and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress image defects due to change of physical properties of a contact member contacting with an image carrier against environment, in an image forming apparatus including the rotatable image carrier to which lubricant agent is supplied.SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus predicts whether or not the image defect due to the change of the physical properties of the contact member contacting with the image carrier against environment occurs based on information on temperature and humidity. When the apparatus predicts occurrence of the image defect, the image carrier is rotated without image forming on a recording medium. This improves uniformity of the lubricant agent on the image carrier and suppresses occurrence of the image defects.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and a program.

  Patent Document 1 describes a developer for an electrostatic image in which a developer containing toner particles containing a resin and magnetic powder contains a fluororesin powder inside and / or on the surface of the toner particles. Patent Document 2 describes a configuration in which a toner composed of a polyester-based binder resin and a colorant is subjected to surface treatment with a fluororesin fine powder. Patent Document 3 describes a configuration in which a fine powder of a free external additive such as silica as a developer is previously adhered and accumulated on a charging member during the initial operation of the image forming apparatus. Patent Document 4 describes a configuration in which the absolute humidity in the vicinity of the charging unit is detected, and control is performed when the set absolute humidity classification is changed.

JP-A-60-166957 JP-A-6-332231 JP 2002-49231 A JP 2006-184837 A

  The present invention provides a technique for suppressing the occurrence of an image defect due to a change in physical properties of a member in contact with an image holding body in an image forming apparatus including a rotatable image holding body supplied with a lubricant. With the goal.

  The invention according to claim 1 includes a temperature / humidity detecting means for detecting temperature and humidity, a rotatable image holding body, and an image forming means for forming an image held on the image holding body on a storage medium, A removing member that contacts the rotatable image holding member and removes a residue remaining on the rotating image holding member, a lubricant supply unit that supplies a lubricant to the image holding member, and the temperature and humidity detection Determination means for determining whether to rotate the image holding member without forming an image on the recording medium in the image forming means based on the temperature and humidity detected by the means. An image forming apparatus.

  The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 1, there is provided storage means for storing past temperature and humidity, and the determination is made based on the past temperature and humidity. To do.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the storage unit stores information on a time when an image was last formed or a time when the image holding member was last rotated, and the determination is performed. Is the temperature, humidity and time elapsed since the last image was formed, or the temperature, humidity and image holder when the image holder was last rotated. It is performed based on the elapsed time since the last stop of rotation.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to third aspects, the removing member is upward, and an upper end portion of the removing member is in contact with the image holding member. The rotation of the image carrier is performed in such a direction that the surface of the image carrier moves from above toward the upper end of the removal member.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a member for removing a residue remaining on the rotating image holding member and a lubricant supplying means for supplying a lubricant to the image holding member. A program that is executed by a computer that controls the operation of the image forming apparatus including: a process for forming an image held on the image holding body on a recording medium, and a temperature for detecting temperature and humidity Based on the humidity detection process and the temperature and humidity detected by the temperature / humidity detection means, it is determined whether or not the image carrier is rotated without forming an image on the recording medium in the image forming means. This is a program characterized by causing the determination process to be performed.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, compared to the case where the invention of the first aspect is not adopted, the image holding body in the image forming apparatus including the rotatable image holding body to which the lubricant is supplied is provided. Provided is an image forming apparatus capable of suppressing the occurrence of an image defect due to a change in physical properties of a contacting member with respect to the environment.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, compared to the case where the invention of the second aspect is not adopted, the occurrence of image defects due to the change in physical properties of the member that contacts the image holding body with respect to the environment can be suppressed. .

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, compared to the case where the invention according to the third aspect is not adopted, the occurrence of image defects due to the change in physical properties of the member contacting the image holding body with respect to the environment can be suppressed. .

  According to the invention described in claim 4, compared with the case where the invention described in claim 4 is not adopted, occurrence of image defects due to a change in physical properties of the member contacting the image holding member with respect to the environment is suppressed. The effective use of the lubricant and the effect of spreading the lubricant over the surface of the photoreceptor can be obtained.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, compared to the case where the invention of the first aspect is not adopted, the image holding body in the image forming apparatus including the rotatable image holding body to which the lubricant is supplied is provided. There is provided a program capable of suppressing the occurrence of an image defect due to a change in physical properties of a contacting member with respect to the environment.

1 is a conceptual diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram of the photoreceptor unit of the embodiment. It is a block diagram of a control unit of an embodiment. It is an environmental condition determination table of an embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of operation | movement of embodiment.

(Constitution)
Hereinafter, an example using the invention will be described. FIG. 1 shows an image forming apparatus 100 according to the embodiment. The image forming apparatus 100 includes four photoconductor units 200, 300, 400, and 500. These four photoconductor units 200 to 500 transfer the YMCK toner images onto the transfer belt 101. These toner images are superimposed on the transfer belt 101, so that a color toner image is formed on the transfer belt 101.

  The four photoconductor units 200 to 500 have the same configuration except that different toners are used. Hereinafter, the photoreceptor unit 200 will be described as a representative. FIG. 2 shows the photoconductor unit 200. The photoconductor unit 200 includes a photoconductor 210 that is cylindrical and can be rotated counterclockwise in the drawing. The photoreceptor 210 is an example of a rotatable image carrier. Around the photoreceptor 210, a cleaning device 220, a charging device 230, and a developing device 240 are arranged.

  The cleaning device 220 includes a blade 221, an auger device 222, a toner spill prevention member 223, and a charge removal device 224. The blade 221 is a plate-like member made of a urethane material and is in contact with the photoreceptor 210. As the photoconductor 210 rotates counterclockwise in the figure, the residue on the photoconductor 210 is removed at the edge portion of the blade 221. That is, as shown in the figure, the photoconductor 210 rotates counterclockwise in the drawing, and the tip of the blade 221 contacts the surface portion of the photoconductor 210 moving from above from below. At this time, the residue (developer residue) on the surface of the photoreceptor 210 is scraped off by the blade 221. Further, the blade 221 has a function of uniformly adhering the lubricant supplied by being included in the developer to the photoreceptor 210 by rubbing the surface of the photoreceptor 210.

  The neutralization device 224 neutralizes the photoconductor after transfer. The auger device 222 has a function of conveying powder in the axial direction by a rotating spiral structure, and the blade 221 conveys the residue scraped off from the photoreceptor 210 toward a discharge container (not shown).

  The charging device 230 generates an electric charge by discharging, applies an electric charge to the surface portion of the photoreceptor 210 cleaned and discharged by the cleaning device 220, and charges the surface.

  Scanning light from an exposure device (not shown) is applied to the rotating photosensitive member 210 from a portion between the charging device 230 and the developing device 240. By irradiating light from the exposure device onto the surface of the photosensitive member 210 charged by the charging device 230, the photosensitive member 210 is partially exposed to form an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive member 210. .

  A developing device 240 is disposed on the downstream side of the portion where this exposure is performed. The developing device 240 includes auger devices 241 and 242, and a developing roll 243. The auger devices 241 and 242 convey the developer containing toner and lubricant from the storage container storing the developer to the developing roll 243. The developing roll 243 supplies toner to a portion of the photoreceptor 210 where the electrostatic latent image is formed, and develops the electrostatic latent image. By this development, a toner image is formed on the photoreceptor 210.

  The developer contains a lubricant to be supplied to the surface of the photoreceptor 210, and the developing device 240 also functions as a lubricant supply unit. Specifically, the lubricant is supplied to the surface of the photoconductor 210 together with the toner by using toner particles made by adhering the powder of the lubricant aid. As the lubricating aid, fluorine-based resin powder is preferable, and among them, polytetrafluoroethylene powder is particularly preferable because it is difficult for the toner to be released from the toner and the lubricant can be supplied to the photoreceptor 210 with good uniformity. The lubricating aid is preferably contained in a proportion of 0.05 to 1% by weight with respect to the toner.

  The toner image developed by the developing device 240 reaches the portion of the transfer position 201 as the photoconductor 210 rotates in the counterclockwise direction in the drawing. At the transfer position portion, a transfer roll 202 is disposed to face the photoconductor 210, and the transfer belt 101 is sandwiched between the photoconductor 210 and the transfer roll 202. A bias voltage is applied between the photoconductor 210 and the transfer roll 202, and the toner image on the photoconductor 210 is primarily transferred onto the transfer belt 101 by the action of the pressure caused by the pinching and the bias voltage. Transcribed.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 100 includes a paper storage device 102 that stores paper as a sheet-like recording medium. The paper stored in the paper storage device 102 is transported along the transport path 103 toward the secondary transfer unit 104. The secondary transfer unit 104 includes a pressure roll 105 and a counter roll 106, and a transfer belt 101 is sandwiched between both rolls. A bias voltage is applied between the pressure roll 105 and the opposing roll 106. When the sheet conveyed through the conveying path 103 is sandwiched between the transfer belt 101 and the pressure roll 105, the toner image formed on the transfer belt 101 is secondarily applied to the sheet by the action of pressure and bias voltage. Transcribed.

  A fixing unit 107 is disposed on the downstream side of the secondary transfer unit 104 considered in the paper conveyance path 103. The fixing unit 107 includes a heating roll 108 and a pressure roll 109. A sheet on which a toner image is formed is sandwiched between the heating roll 108 and the pressure roll 109. At that time, heat and pressure are applied to the sheet, whereby the toner image is fixed on the sheet. The sheet on which the image is thus formed is discharged onto the sheet discharge surface 110.

  The image forming apparatus 100 includes a control unit 111. The control unit 111 controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 100. The configuration of the control unit 111 will be described later.

  The image forming apparatus 100 includes a temperature / humidity sensor 112. The temperature / humidity sensor 112 detects the temperature and humidity inside the image forming apparatus 100. The temperature / humidity sensor 112 is disposed at a position where the temperature environment and the humidity environment in the vicinity of the blade in each photoconductor unit can be detected. The temperature information and humidity information detected by the temperature / humidity sensor 112 are sent to the control unit 111.

(Controller unit)
FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of the control unit 111. The control unit 111 has a function as a computer and includes a CPU, a memory, various interface circuits, and other electronic circuits. The control unit 111 includes a temperature / humidity detection unit 301, an environmental condition determination unit 302, an environmental state acquisition unit 303, a time detection unit 304, a time determination unit 305, an apparatus operation control unit 306, an environmental state storage unit 307, and an image data reception unit. 308 is provided. These functional units are grasped as functional units configured in hardware or software.

  The temperature / humidity detection unit 301 is a functional unit that performs processing in step S502 of FIG. 5 described later, and receives temperature information and humidity information detected by the temperature / humidity sensor 112 of FIG. The environmental condition determination unit 302 is a functional unit that performs processing in steps S503 and S505 in FIG. 5 described later, and performs determination processing based on the environmental condition determination table in FIG. 4 prepared in advance. The environmental condition determination table in FIG. 4 is stored in an appropriate memory area in the control unit 111.

  Hereinafter, the environmental condition determination table of FIG. 4 will be described. The temperature in FIG. 4 is the temperature detected by the temperature / humidity sensor 112, and the humidity in FIG. 4 is the humidity detected by the temperature / humidity sensor 112. LMH indicates the low, medium and high divisions of temperature and humidity. As the temperature and humidity classification, those obtained by preliminary experiments are adopted.

  FIG. 4 has the following meanings. First, let us explain the underlying phenomenon. In the state where the blade 221 operates normally, the edge portion at the tip of the blade 221 is deformed and is wound in the traveling direction of the surface of the photoreceptor 210. When the photosensitive member 210 rotates in this state, a cleaning operation is performed, and at the same time, a lubricant contained in the developer is supplied to the surface of the photosensitive member 210, and an effect of suppressing wear on the surface of the photosensitive member 210 is obtained. .

  Incidentally, the blade 221 shown in FIG. 2 is made of a flexible urethane material, but its physical properties are affected by the influence of the temperature and humidity environment. Specifically, the blade 221 shows a tendency to decrease in flexibility in a low temperature / low humidity environment, and shows a tendency to increase in flexibility in a high temperature / high humidity environment.

  Although it is sufficient that the state where the blade 221 operates normally is always maintained, the flexibility of the blade 221 is reduced in the low temperature / low humidity environment for the above-described reason. If the state where 210 is stopped is maintained, the blade 221 changes from the proper deformed state in which the blade 221 operates normally to the unsuitable state in which the degree of deformation is relatively small. In other words, when the low temperature and low humidity environment is maintained, the blade 221 becomes in a state where the flexibility is reduced and the degree of deformation is insufficient (a state that is not appropriate).

  When the image forming apparatus is operated and image formation is started in a state where the blade 221 is not appropriate, the photosensitive member 210 starts rotating, so that the blade 221 is again drawn in the rotational direction of the photosensitive member 210 and deformed ( That is, it changes to an appropriate deformation state. At this time, the blade 221 is pulled to a state where the blade 221 is deformed excessively more than the proper deformed state. Further, the excessively deformed state of the blade 221 does not continue, and the elasticity of the blade 221 returns to near an inappropriate state, and then an appropriate deformed state (or an excessively deformed state in which further deformation has occurred) occurs again. A transient change in the deformation state of the blade 221 repeatedly occurs.

  Here, since the lubricant is supplied to the portion of the blade 221 that is in contact with the photoreceptor 210, if the above-described transient change in the deformation state of the blade 221 occurs repeatedly, it adheres to the surface of the photoreceptor 210. The amount of lubricant to be changed varies as the photoconductor 210 rotates. That is, there is a state in which the amount of lubricant is large at an angular position on the surface of the photoconductor 210 and the amount of lubricant is small at other angular positions, and the surface of the photoconductor 210 has a strip-like lubricant extending in the axial direction. Large and small parts occur. The size of the belt-like lubricant on the photosensitive member 210 corresponds to the transient change in the deformation state of the blade 221 that occurs repeatedly.

  Further, the phenomenon that the blade 221 is repeatedly changed in its deformation state is that the blade 221 faces upward as shown in FIG. 2 and is in contact with the photosensitive member 210 at the upper edge thereof. This is noticeable when the direction is from the top toward the upper edge of the blade 221. This is because the lubricant tends to accumulate at the contact portion between the blade 221 and the photoreceptor 210. However, the phenomenon that this lubricant tends to accumulate at the contact portion between the blade 221 and the photoconductor 210 is effective in terms of effective use of the lubricant and the effect of spreading the lubricant to the surface of the photoconductor 210 effectively.

  If there is a strip-like unevenness of the lubricant on the photosensitive member 210, the frictional resistance on the surface of the photosensitive member 210 is uneven according to the unevenness of the belt-like shape. Therefore, the contact resistance between the photoconductor 210 and the blade 221 varies as the photoconductor 210 rotates. The fluctuation of the contact resistance becomes a load fluctuation of the photoconductor 210 and causes a fluctuation of the rotation speed of the photoconductor 210. The fluctuation in the rotation speed causes writing of a latent image by light irradiation to the photoconductor 210 and an image defect at the transfer position, and a streak pattern extending in the axial direction of the photoconductor 210 is generated in the obtained image.

  As can be seen from the above description, the cause of the streaky pattern is that the rotation of the photosensitive member 210 is stopped and maintained in an environment where the flexibility of the blade 221 is lost, so that the blade 221 is that an appropriate deformation state cannot be maintained.

  The environmental condition determination table of FIG. 4 has a function as a determination table for determining the degree of environmental conditions at which the above-described blade 221 cannot maintain an appropriate deformation state. FIG. 4 shows environmental situations 1 to 9. Here, the environmental condition 1 indicates that the environment is the coldest and low-humidity environment, and indicates that the blade 221 described above is the environmental condition that is most likely to be unable to maintain an appropriate deformed state. The environmental situations 2 and 3 indicate that the possibility that the blade 221 described above cannot maintain an appropriate deformation state is relatively low as compared with the environmental situation 1. Hereinafter, it is indicated that the possibility that the blade 221 described above cannot maintain an appropriate deformed state becomes relatively lower in the order of the environmental conditions 4, 5, 6 → the environmental conditions 7, 8 → the environmental condition 9.

  From a different perspective, an environment in which the above-mentioned streak pattern is more likely to occur in the order of environmental status 9 → environmental status 7, 8 → environmental status 4, 5, 6 → environmental status 2, 3 → environmental status 1. This is shown in the environmental condition determination table of FIG.

  Returning to FIG. 3, the environmental state acquisition unit 303 is a functional unit that performs processing of step S <b> 504 in FIG. 5 described later, and reads and acquires past temperature / humidity states from the environmental state storage unit 307 described later. The time detection unit 304 has a clock function and detects the time when the image forming operation is performed. The time determination unit 305 executes processing of steps S506 and S507 in FIG.

  The apparatus operation control unit 306 performs operation control in the image forming apparatus 100, specifically, operation control of the photoconductor units 200 to 500, operation control of the transfer belt 101, paper conveyance control, and the like. The environmental state storage unit 307 stores past operation history, past temperature information and humidity information detected by the temperature / humidity sensor, and time information detected by the time detection unit 305 in association with each other. For example, the time when the previous image forming operation was performed and the temperature information and humidity information at that time are associated and stored in the environmental state storage unit 307. The content stored in the environmental state storage unit 307 is acquired by the environmental state acquisition unit 303.

  The image data receiving unit 308 receives image data from, for example, a personal computer or printer server connected to the image forming apparatus 100 via a communication line such as a LAN. Based on this image data, the image forming apparatus 100 forms an image.

(Example of operation)
FIG. 5 shows an example of an operation procedure executed by the control unit 111. The program for executing the processing of FIG. 5 is stored in the memory area of the control unit 111 and is read and executed in an appropriate memory area. Note that the program for executing the processing of FIG. 5 may be stored in an appropriate storage medium and provided from there.

  When the image forming apparatus 100 receives image data from the outside and is instructed to form an image on a sheet based on the image data, the processing in FIG. 5 is started (step S501). When the process is started, first, the temperature information and humidity information detected by the temperature / humidity sensor 112 are acquired (step S502), and the acquired information is the environmental conditions 1, 2, and 3 in the environmental condition determination table of FIG. It is determined whether or not it corresponds (step S503). Here, if the environmental conditions are not 1, 2, and 3, an image forming operation based on the received image data is performed (step S509), and the process is terminated (step S510). If the environmental conditions are not 1, 2, and 3, the process proceeds to step S504.

  In step S504, temperature information and humidity information detected by the temperature / humidity sensor 112 during the previous operation are acquired. For example, when the image forming operation immediately before the current image forming operation is performed one hour ago, temperature information and humidity information at that time are acquired.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the temperature information and humidity information obtained in step S504 correspond to the environmental conditions 1, 2, and 3 in the environmental condition determination table of FIG. 4 (step S505). If the environmental conditions correspond to environmental conditions 1, 2, and 3, the process proceeds to step S506. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S507.

  In step S506, it is determined whether or not the previous operation was performed two hours or more before that time. If the previous operation is not two hours or more before, an image forming operation is performed (step S509), and the process is performed. The process ends (step S510). If the previous operation is two hours or more before that time, the idling operation is performed before the image forming operation (step S508), and the image forming operation is performed after the idling operation is completed (step S508). In step S509, the process ends (step S510).

  The idling operation in step S508 is an operation of moving the photoconductor units 200 to 500 without forming an image on a sheet. In this operation, the photoconductor (for example, the photoconductor 210 in FIG. 2) of each photoconductor unit. ) Rotate. At this time, a planar toner image (toner band) is formed on the surface of the photoconductor 210 so that the lubricant in the developer spreads uniformly on the surface of the photoconductor.

  When the process proceeds from step S505 to step S507, it is determined whether or not the previous operation is 4 hours or more before that point. If it is not 4 hours or more, the image forming operation is performed (step S509), and the process is terminated. (Step S510). At this time, if the previous operation is more than 4 hours ago, the idling operation is performed (step S508), and then the image forming operation is performed (step S509).

(Superiority)
Hereinafter, the superiority of this embodiment will be described by taking the photoconductor unit 200 of FIG. 2 as an example. In the process of FIG. 5, based on the temperature and humidity information, the possibility of occurrence of image defects due to changes in physical properties of the blade 221 that contacts the photoreceptor 210 with respect to the temperature and humidity environment is predicted according to the flow shown in FIG. 5. When the occurrence of an image defect is predicted, control is performed to rotate the photosensitive member 210 without forming an image on the sheet. Thereby, the uniformity of the lubricant in the photoconductor 210 is improved, and the occurrence of image defects is suppressed.

  That is, according to the process of FIG. 5, there is a possibility that the blade 221 is in a state that causes the occurrence of a striped pattern (a state in which a decrease in flexibility becomes obvious and the degree of deformation is insufficient). It is checked based on the elapsed time from the previous operation.

  Then, when there is a high possibility that the blade 221 is in a state of causing the stripe pattern, the idling operation is performed to correct the unevenness of the lubricant on the surface of the photoreceptor. When the idling operation is performed, the photosensitive member rotates, so that even if there is a fluctuation in the rotational speed of the photosensitive member due to a state where the degree of deformation of the blade 221 is insufficient in the initial stage, the lubricant is rotated as the rotation is performed. And the fluctuation of the rotational speed of the photosensitive member due to the state of insufficient deformation is reduced. For this reason, the formation of an image on the paper based on the image data after performing the idling operation in step S508 can suppress the occurrence of a striped pattern in the formed image due to the state of the blade 221.

  In the process of FIG. 5, the idling operation is not always performed before the image forming operation. Therefore, the idle rotation operation is performed when the idle rotation operation is not necessary, and the problem that the start of the image forming process is delayed does not occur. Further, power consumption and toner consumption due to unnecessary movement of the apparatus can be suppressed.

(Illustration)
For example, if the temperature / humidity environment at the time of image formation is not severe (environmental conditions 1, 2, and 3), it is determined that there is a low possibility that the blade is in a state of causing a stripe pattern, and step S503 → In step S509, image formation is started without performing the idling operation.

  Further, for example, the current temperature / humidity environment is severe (environmental conditions 1, 2, 3), and the temperature / humidity environment at the previous image forming operation is also severe, but the elapsed time from the previous operation is 2 If it is less than the time, since the elapsed time from the end of the operation is short, it is determined that there is a low possibility that the blade has shifted to a state causing a stripe pattern, and step S506 → step S509. Then, image formation is started.

  Also, for example, if the current temperature / humidity environment is severe, but the previous image forming operation is not severe and the previous operation is not so long (in this case, less than 4 hours), Since the elapsed time from the end of the operation in the less severe environment is short, it is determined that there is a low possibility that the blade has shifted to a state causing the stripe pattern, and step S505 → step S507 → In step S509, image formation is started without performing the idling operation.

  Note that the current temperature / humidity environment is harsh, and during the previous image forming operation, even if the temperature / humidity environment is not harsh, the elapsed time from the previous operation is long (in this case, 4 hours) As described above, since a long time has elapsed, it is determined that there is a high possibility that the blade has shifted to a state that causes the occurrence of a striped pattern, and the idling operation is performed.

(Other)
The threshold value of the determination condition of the process in FIG. 5 is an example, and an optimum value obtained by experiment can be adopted. 5 is started when a certain time has elapsed, when a fixed time has elapsed, or when the image forming apparatus 100 is turned on, the image forming apparatus 100 performs any operation or some signal. It is possible to employ when receiving

  The temperature / humidity information acquired in step S504 is not limited to the value at the time of the previous image forming operation, and may be a value when a certain time has elapsed after the image forming operation is completed. In addition, information regarding temperature / humidity changes over time may be acquired, and environmental conditions may be determined based on the information. For example, the temperature and humidity are continuously detected, and based on the detection result, it is possible to perform the idling operation when a low temperature and low humidity state satisfying a specific condition continues for a specified time or longer.

  The previous operation in FIG. 5 is not limited to the image forming operation, and the previous operation may include a case where image formation was not performed but the photosensitive member was rotated. In this case, in step S504, the temperature / humidity when the photoconductor last rotated is acquired. In step S506, it is determined whether or not the elapsed time from the last rotation of the photoconductor is 2 hours or more. In step S507, the elapsed time from the last rotation of the photoconductor is 4 hours or more. It is determined whether or not there is.

  The present invention can be used in a technique for forming an image on a recording medium.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Image forming apparatus, 101 ... Transfer belt, 102 ... Paper storage apparatus, 103 ... Conveyance path, 104 ... Secondary transfer part, 105 ... Pressure roll, 106 ... Opposite roll, 107 ... Fixing part, 108 ... Heating roll, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 109 ... Pressure roll, 110 ... Paper discharge surface, 111 ... Control unit, 112 ... Temperature / humidity sensor, 200 ... Photoconductor unit, 201 ... Transfer position, 202 ... Transfer roll, 210 ... Photoconductor, 220 ... Cleaning device, 221 ... Blade, 222 ... Auger device, 223 ... Toner spill prevention member, 224 ... Charging device, 230 ... Charging device, 240 ... Developing device, 241 ... Auger device, 242 ... Auger device, 243 ... Developing roll, 300 ... Photoconductor Unit: 400 ... photosensitive unit, 500 ... photosensitive unit.

Claims (5)

Temperature and humidity detecting means for detecting temperature and humidity;
An image forming means comprising a rotatable image holding body, and forming an image held by the image holding body on a storage medium;
A removal member that contacts the rotatable image carrier and removes the residue remaining on the rotating image carrier;
Lubricant supply means for supplying a lubricant to the image carrier;
Determination means for determining whether to rotate the image carrier without forming an image on the recording medium in the image forming means based on the temperature and humidity detected by the temperature and humidity detecting means; An image forming apparatus comprising the image forming apparatus. A storage means for storing past temperature and humidity;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination is performed based on the past temperature and humidity. The storage means stores information on the time when the image was last formed or the time when the image holding member was last rotated,
The determination is based on the temperature, humidity and the elapsed time since the last image was formed, or the temperature, humidity and the image held when the image holder was last rotated. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus is performed based on an elapsed time since the body last stopped rotating. The removal member is upward,
The upper end of the removal member is in contact with the image carrier,
The rotation of the image holding body is performed in a direction in which the surface of the image holding body moves from above toward the upper end portion of the removal member. The image forming apparatus described in 1. An operation of an image forming apparatus provided with a member that contacts a rotatable image holding member and removes a residue remaining on the rotating image holding member, and a lubricant supply unit that supplies a lubricant to the image holding member. A program to be executed by a controlling computer,
On that computer,
Forming an image held on the image holding body on a recording medium;
Temperature and humidity detection processing to detect temperature and humidity;
A determination process for determining whether to rotate the image holding member without forming an image on the recording medium in the image forming unit based on the temperature and humidity detected by the temperature and humidity detecting unit. A program characterized by being performed.

Images