Charge-eliminating apparatus, image forming system, and charge adjusting apparatus

1 . A charge-eliminating apparatus comprising:

a charge-eliminating member configured to be in contact with a sheet and eliminate static charges from the sheet while the charge-eliminating member, together with an opposing charge-eliminating member disposed at a position where the opposing charge-eliminating member faces the charge-eliminating member, nips and conveys the sheet;

a power supply configured to apply a voltage to the charge-eliminating member;

a current detection circuit configured to detect a current flowing through the charge-eliminating member; and

a control unit configured to control a value of the voltage applied to the charge-eliminating member by the power supply, based on a detection result obtained by the current detection circuit while the charge-eliminating member nips and conveys the sheet, such that the current flowing through the charge-eliminating member while the charge-eliminating member nips and conveys the sheet falls within a predetermined range with respect to a target value,

wherein the control unit acquires a detection result of an environment detection sensor that detects an environmental condition, and

wherein the control unit changes the target value based on the detection result of the environment detection sensor during execution of a job that eliminates static charges from a plurality of sheets while continuously conveying the plurality of sheets.

2 . The charge-eliminating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the target value is determined based on the detection result obtained by the current detection circuit while the charge-eliminating member nips and conveys the sheet in a state where the power supply applies a voltage of a predetermined voltage value to the charge-eliminating member.

3 . The charge-eliminating apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein, after the job is started, the target value is determined based on the detection result obtained by the current detection circuit while the charge-eliminating member nips and conveys the sheet in a state where the power supply applies a voltage of a predetermined voltage value to the charge-eliminating member.

4 . The charge-eliminating apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising an input unit configured to allow a user to enter a value of the voltage to be applied to the charge-eliminating member by the power supply,

wherein the predetermined voltage value is a value that has been entered via the input unit before the job is started.

5 . The charge-eliminating apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein, before the job is started, the target value is determined based on the detection result obtained by the current detection circuit while the charge-eliminating member nips and conveys the sheet in a state where the power supply applies the voltage of the predetermined voltage value to the charge-eliminating member.

6 . The charge-eliminating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, in the case where the control unit executes the job that eliminates static charges from the plurality of sheets while continuously conveying the plurality of sheets, the control unit corrects the value of the voltage applied to the charge-eliminating member by the power supply during the execution of the job based on a detection result obtained by the current detection circuit when a preceding sheet passes over the charge-eliminating member such that a current flowing through the charge-eliminating member when a subsequent sheet, which is conveyed after the preceding sheet, passes over the charge-eliminating member falls within the predetermined range.

7 . The charge-eliminating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined range is a range in which an absolute value of a difference between a current value detected by the current detection circuit and the target value is a predetermined threshold or less.

8 . The charge-eliminating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the target value is set in advance before a first sheet in the job passes over the charge-eliminating member.

9 . The charge-eliminating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the target value is changed based on at least one of a sheet conveyance velocity, a sheet length in a sheet width direction perpendicular to a sheet conveyance direction, and a sheet material.

10 . The charge-eliminating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the charge-eliminating member is a roller member including an elastic layer in which an ion conductive agent is dispersed.

11 . The charge-eliminating apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the opposing charge-eliminating member is an opposing roller configured to be in contact with the charge-eliminating member and to form a nip portion that nips the sheet together with the charge-eliminating member,

wherein the opposing roller is electrically grounded.

12 . The charge-eliminating apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the environment detection sensor is configured to detect an absolute humidity of an environment in which the charge-eliminating apparatus is installed, and

wherein the target value in a case where the absolute humidity detected by the environment detection sensor is a first value is larger than the target value in a case where the absolute humidity detected by the environment detection sensor is a second value that is larger than the first value.

13 . The charge-eliminating apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein, at a first time point during the execution of the job, the target value is determined based on the detection result obtained by the current detection circuit while the charge-eliminating member nips and conveys the sheet in a state where the power supply applies a voltage of a predetermined voltage value to the charge-eliminating member, and

wherein, at a second time point subsequent to the first time point during the execution of the job, the target value is changed based on the target value at the first time point, a detection result of the environment detection sensor at the first time point, and a detection result of the environment detection sensor at the second time point.

14 . The charge-eliminating apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein, at a first time point during the execution of the job, the target value is determined based on the detection result obtained by the current detection circuit when the sheet passes over the charge-eliminating member in a state where the power supply applies a voltage of a predetermined voltage value to the charge-eliminating member, and

wherein, at a second time point subsequent to the first time point during the execution of the job, in a case where an absolute value of a difference between a detection result of the environment detection sensor at the first time point and a detection result of the environment detection sensor at the second time point is a threshold or greater, the target value is changed to a target value corresponding to the detection result of the environment detection sensor at the second time point.

15 . The charge-eliminating apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein, at a first time point, the target value is determined based on the detection result obtained by the current detection circuit while the charge-eliminating member nips and conveys the sheet in a state where the power supply applies a voltage of a predetermined voltage value to the charge-eliminating member, and

wherein, at a second time point subsequent to the first time point, the target value is changed based on the target value at the first time point, a detection result of the environment detection sensor at the first time point, and a detection result of the environment detection sensor at the second time point.

16 . The charge-eliminating apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein, at a first time point during the execution of the job, the target value is a first target value, and

wherein, at a second time point subsequent to the first time point during the execution of the job, based on the detection result of the environment detection sensor during execution of the job that eliminates static charges from a plurality of sheets while continuously conveying the plurality of sheets, the target value is changed to a second target value from the first target value.

17 . An image forming system comprising:

an image forming apparatus configured to form an image on a sheet; and

the charge-eliminating apparatus according to claim 1 , the charge-eliminating apparatus eliminating static charges from the sheet on which the image has been formed by the image forming apparatus.

18 . A charge adjusting apparatus comprising:

a charge applying member configured to be in contact with a sheet and apply charges to the sheet while the charge applying member, together with an opposing charge applying member disposed at a position where the opposing charge applying member faces the charge applying member, nips and conveys the sheet;

a power supply configured to apply a voltage to the charge applying member;

a current detection circuit configured to detect a current flowing through the charge applying member; and

a control unit configured to control a value of the voltage applied to the charge applying member by the power supply, based on a detection result obtained by the current detection circuit while the charge applying member nips and conveys the sheet, such that the current flowing through the charge applying member while the charge applying member nips and conveys the sheet represents a value within a predetermined range with respect to a target value,

wherein the control unit acquires a detection result of an environment detection sensor that detects an environmental condition, and

wherein the control unit changes the target value based on the detection result of the environment detection sensor during execution of a job that adjusts charges on a plurality of sheets while continuously conveying the plurality of sheets.

19 . An image forming system comprising:

an image forming section configured to form an image on a sheet;

a charge-eliminating member configured to be in contact with a sheet and eliminate static charges from the sheet while the charge-eliminating member, together with an opposing charge-eliminating member disposed at a position where the opposing charge-eliminating member faces the charge-eliminating member, nips and conveys the sheet;

a power supply configured to apply a voltage to the charge-eliminating member;

a current detection circuit configured to detect a current flowing through the charge-eliminating member;

a control unit configured to control a value of the voltage applied to the charge-eliminating member by the power supply, based on a detection result obtained by the current detection circuit while the charge-eliminating member nips and conveys the sheet, such that the current flowing through the charge-eliminating member while the charge-eliminating member nips and conveys the sheet falls within a predetermined range with respect to a target value; and

an environment detection sensor configured to detect an environmental condition,

wherein the control unit acquires a detection result of the environment detection sensor that detects an environmental condition, and

wherein the control unit changes the target value based on the detection result of the environment detection sensor during execution of a job that eliminates static charges from a plurality of sheets while continuously conveying the plurality of sheets.