EP0138376B1 - Method and apparatus of electrophotography - Google Patents
Method and apparatus of electrophotography Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP0138376B1 EP0138376B1 EP19840306194 EP84306194A EP0138376B1 EP 0138376 B1 EP0138376 B1 EP 0138376B1 EP 19840306194 EP19840306194 EP 19840306194 EP 84306194 A EP84306194 A EP 84306194A EP 0138376 B1 EP0138376 B1 EP 0138376B1
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- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- toner
- photoconductive layer
- voltage
- applying
- photoreceptor
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- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
- G03G15/00—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern
- G03G15/22—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern involving the combination of more than one step according to groups G03G13/02 - G03G13/20
- G03G15/34—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern involving the combination of more than one step according to groups G03G13/02 - G03G13/20 in which the powder image is formed directly on the recording material, e.g. by using a liquid toner
- G03G15/344—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern involving the combination of more than one step according to groups G03G13/02 - G03G13/20 in which the powder image is formed directly on the recording material, e.g. by using a liquid toner by selectively transferring the powder to the recording medium, e.g. by using a LED array
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- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
- G03G15/00—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern
- G03G15/22—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern involving the combination of more than one step according to groups G03G13/02 - G03G13/20
- G03G15/34—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern involving the combination of more than one step according to groups G03G13/02 - G03G13/20 in which the powder image is formed directly on the recording material, e.g. by using a liquid toner
- G03G15/342—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern involving the combination of more than one step according to groups G03G13/02 - G03G13/20 in which the powder image is formed directly on the recording material, e.g. by using a liquid toner by forming a uniform powder layer and then removing the non-image areas
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- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
- G03G5/00—Recording members for original recording by exposure, e.g. to light, to heat, to electrons; Manufacture thereof; Selection of materials therefor
- G03G5/02—Charge-receiving layers
- G03G5/04—Photoconductive layers; Charge-generation layers or charge-transporting layers; Additives therefor; Binders therefor
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- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
- G03G2215/00—Apparatus for electrophotographic processes
- G03G2215/04—Arrangements for exposing and producing an image
- G03G2215/0497—Exposure from behind the image carrying surface
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- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
- G03G2217/00—Details of electrographic processes using patterns other than charge patterns
- G03G2217/0091—Process comprising image exposure at the developing area
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a method and apparatus of electrophotography utilized for a printer or a copying machine and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for forming a toner image utilizing a photoreceptor having a photoconductive layer and a toner having no photoconductivity.
- Electrophotography generally refers to an image-forming technique combining the photoconductive effect and the electrostatic attraction phenomenon.
- a development step is required in which an electrostatic latent image is formed on a photoreceptor and is converted into a toner image. This has prevented production of a more compact and inexpensive image-forming apparatus.
- the development step of an electrostatic latent image leads to a degradation in the picture quality due to the edge effect in which the field strength differs between the central and peripheral portions of the electrostatic latent image.
- the effective sensitivity of the photoconductive toner is considerably lower than that of a photoreceptor used in other electrophotography techniques. This may be attributed to the following. First, during exposure, the light does not reach in a sufficient amount the deep region of the toner layer (i.e., the region near the support of the toner layer). Second, since the contact resistance between the toner particles is great, the charge generated upon exposure has difficulty reaching the support. If the sensitivity of the photoconductive toner is low, the density of the toner image is lowered, and fog occurs around the toner image, thus degrading picture quality. A photoconductive toner having a high sensitivity has not been proposed.
- GB-A-876 577 discloses a method of electrophotography using a photoreceptor which comprises a transparent substrate on which a transparent electrically conductive layer is formed. A photoconductive insulating layer is formed on the transparent electrically conductive layer. The method employs the steps of applying toner to the surface of the photoconductive layer and then exposing photoconductive layer from the side of the transparent substrate. Toner particles on an unexposed region of the photoconductive layer are transferred to receiving paper without any prior toner removal and without the use of an opposed electrode.
- the photoreceptor 10 used in the present invention has the structure shown in Fig. 1 wherein a transparent electrically conductive layer 12 and a photoconductive layer 13 are sequentially formed on a transparent substrate 11.
- the transparent substrate 11 can be a glass plate or an organic material sheet.
- the transparent conductive layer 12 can comprise a NESA glass film, an indium oxide (ln 2 0 3 ) film, or the like.
- the photoconductive layer 13 can consist of amorphous-Se, ZnO, OPC, amorphous-Si, CdS or the like.
- transparent herein means optical transparency such that light of a specific wavelength used in exposure is transmitted, and does not therefore necessarily mean colorless transparency.
- the photoconductive layer 13 has a suitable spectral sensitivity for the wavelength of light used for exposure.
- the thickness of the photoconductive layer 13 is preferably smaller than that of a photoconductive layer which is used in a photoreceptor of a conventional electrophotography apparatus.
- the photoconductive layer 13 consists of amorphous-Se, for example, it preferably has a thickness of about 1 to 20 ⁇ m as compared to a thickness of 50 to 60 pm of the photoconductive layer of the conventional apparatus. This is attributed to the following.
- the photoconductive layer 13 is exposed with light received through the transparent substrate 11, the light must be able to reach near the surface of the photoconductive layer 13 on which the toner is attached.
- Figs.2A to 2D Image forming processes according to a first embodiment of a method of electrophotography of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs.2A to 2D.
- the photoconductive layer 13 of the photoreceptor 10 shown in Fig. 1 is uniformly charged to a given polarity (positive in the drawings) by a charger 21 in a dark-environment.
- toner 22 charged to the opposite polarity (negative) of the photoconductive layer 13 is applied on the entire surface of the photoconductive layer 13.
- the toner 22 is an insulating toner generally used in conventional electrophotography and does not have photoconductivity.
- the toner 22 can be applied by various methods such as the method of applying a charged toner with a blade, the magnetic brush method combining a powder consisting of a magnetic carrier and toner with a magnetic roller, the cascade method using a powder consisting of a toner and a relatively coarse bead-like substance, the fur brush method using a toner and a fur brush, and the powder cloud method of spraying a toner through a metal pipe and atomizing it.
- the toner on the exposed region of the photoconductive layer 13 is removed from the surface of the photoconductive layer 13 by an electric field which is generated between the transparent conductive layer 12 and the opposite electrode 24 upon application of a voltage from the power source 25.
- the toner is moved toward the opposite electrode 24 and is transferred onto the surface of toner-receiving paper 26 held between the photoconductive layer 13 and the opposite electrode 24.
- the toner-receiving paper 26 can be plain paper.
- the voltage from the power source 25 is preferably a pulsating voltage obtained by superposing an AC voltage on a DC voltage.
- the timing of the voltage applied between the transparent conductive layer 12 and the opposite electrode 24 from the power source 25 need not be synchronous with the timing of the exposure but may be applied after exposure.
- the residual toner on the nonexposed region of the photoconductive layer 13 is removed by a cleaning blade 27 and is reused.
- the cleaning method may alternatively be a fur brush cleaning method or the like.
- FIG. 3 shows an LED printer according to an embodiment of an apparatus of electrophotography utilizing the image-forming processes described above.
- a photosensitive drum (photoreceptor) 30 is formed in a cylindrical shape such that its photoconductive layer faces outward.
- a transparent conductive layer of this photosensitive drum 30 comprises, for example, a deposition film of In 2 0 3 , and the photoconductive layer thereof comprises, for example, a selenium film having a thickness of 15 um.
- the photosensitive drum 30 is driven to rotate in the direction indicated by arrow 31.
- a charger 32, a toner applying means 33, an exposing means 36, an opposite electrode 37, and a cleaning station 41 are arranged along the rotating direction of the photosensitive drum 30 as a means which is used in the processes shown in Figs. 2A to 2D.
- the charger 32 charges the photoconductive layer of the photosensitive drum 30 to have a surface potential of about +200 V.
- the toner applying means 33 applies on the surface of the charged photoconductive layer by means of a blade 35 a toner negatively charged by being stirred by a charging roller 34.
- the exposing means 36 arranged inside the photosensitive drum 30 comprises an LED (light- emitting diode) array arranged linearly along the direction of the rotating axis of the drum 30, and a rod lens array for guiding light from the LED array.
- the exposing means 36 exposes the photoconductive layer from the transparent substrate side of the drum 30.
- the LED array is driven in accordance with an electrical image signal supplied from an external drive circuit.
- the exposing means 36 is adjusted such that the photoconductive layer is located within the focal depth of the rod lens array.
- the opposite electrode 37 is located opposite the exposing means 36 with the photosensitive drum 30 interposed therebetween.
- the opposite electrode 37 comprises an aluminum roller having a diameter of 5 mm and a conductive rubber sheet wound therearound and having a resistivity (or specific resistance) of 1,000 ⁇ cm.
- the opposite electrode 37 is pressed by a spring 38 toward the photosensitive drum 30 through toner-receiving paper 39 at a force of 0.7 kg/cm 2 .
- a positive voltage for example, about +180 V is applied to the opposite electrode 37.
- This voltage is preferably a voltage obtained by superposing an AC voltage on a DC voltage.
- the toner on the exposed region of the photoconductive layer whose attractive force is weakened upon exposure to the exposing means 36 is transferred to the toner-receiving paper 39.
- a toner image corresponding to the electrical image signal supplied to the exposing means 36 is formed on the toner-receiving paper 39.
- the toner image is fixed on the toner-receiving paper by a fixing station 40 to be an output image.
- the toner image thus obtained has a uniform density at a solid portion and clear printing elements in a line drawing portion. Thus, an excellent image can be obtained for various types of image patterns.
- the residual toner on the photosensitive drum 30 which was not used in image formation is removed by a rotating fur brush at the cleaning station 41.
- a charge removal lamp 43 for radiating light onto the lower surface of the drum 30 is arranged in the cleaning station 41.
- the toner removed by the cleaning station 41 is guided to a conveying means 44 to be conveyed to the toner applying means 33 through a chain 45 for reuse.
- FIG. 4 shows an embodiment wherein the image-forming processes shown in Figs. 2A to 2D are applied to a laser printer.
- a web shape photoreceptor is used.
- the use of such a photoreceptor provides less limitations on the size of the exposure means or on the length of the optical path from the exposure means to the photoreceptor.
- a photosensitive web 50 comprises a polyethylene terephthalate film having a thickness of about 50 pm as a transparent substrate, a palladium film deposited thereon as a transparent conductive layer, and an Se-As-Te photosensitive material layer having a thickness of about 15 pm as a photoconductive layer.
- the web 50 is moved from a supply roller 51 to a take- up roller 55 at a suitable speed.
- a charger 32, a toner-applying means 56, an exposing means 58, an opposite electrode 59, and a cleaning station 41 are arranged along the moving direction of the photosensitive web 50.
- the photoconductive layer of the photosensitive web 50 is charged by the charger 32 to have a surface potential of about +200 V. Then, toner is uniformly applied on the photoconductive layer with the toner-applying means 56.
- the toner-applying means 56 adopts in this embodiment the magnetic brush method which combines a mixture of a magnetic carrier and toner, and a magnetic roller 57.
- the means 56 applies the negatively charged toner by friction with the carrier on the photoconductive layer.
- the amount of toner applied can be controlled by changing the voltage applied from a control power source (not shown) to the magnetic roller 57 within a range of, for example, +50 V to +100 V. Thus, the density of the output image can be changed as needed.
- the exposing means 58 exposes the photoconductive layer applied with the toner from the side of the transparent substrate.
- the exposing means 58 comprises an optical system mainly having a laser diode, a polygon mirror, a scanning lens, and a peripheral circuit including a drive circuit.
- the exposing means 58 is adjusted such that the photoconductive layer is located within the focal depth of the optical system.
- the laser beam is modulated in accordance with an electrical modulation signal supplied from an external circuit and linearly scans the photoconductive layer of the web 50 using the polygon mirror and the scanning lens from the side of the transparent substrate along the perpendicular direction toward the sheet of the drawing.
- the toner with the weakened attractive force toward the photoconductive layer upon exposure is transferred onto toner-receiving paper 39 by the electric field generated by the voltage applied to the opposite electrode 59 during exposure.
- a toner image is thus formed.
- the opposite electrode 59 comprises a corona charger in this embodiment.
- the distance from the web 50 to a corona wire of the corona charger is set to be 15 mm, and a voltage applied to the corona wire is set to be +5.5 kV.
- the toner image is fixed by a fixing station 40, as in the case of the embodiment shown in Fig. 3.
- the toner remaining on the web 50 is removed by a cleaning station 41, and the removed toner is conveyed to a toner-applying means 56 by a toner conveying means 44.
- Figs. 5A to 5D show image-forming processes according to a second embodiment of a method of electrophotography of the present invention.
- the processes shown in Figs. 5A and 5B are the same as those shown in Figs. 2A and 2B.
- Fig. 5C After the process of Fig. 5B, as shown in Fig. 5C, light 23 corresponding to an input image is irradiated onto a photoconductive layer 13 through a transparent conductive layer 12 from the side of a transparent substrate 11, thereby performing exposure.
- toner in an exposed region of the photoconductive layer 13 looses some of its attractive force. Utilizing this phenomenon, simultaneously or after the exposure, the toner on this exposed region is removed by a blower 29.
- toner remains on the non-exposed region of the photoconductive layer 13.
- the toner may be removed by other methods such as by using a conductive roller, by combining a conductive roller and a dielectric roller, by using a dielectric film and a corona charger for charging this film, or by other methods.
- a voltage having the opposite polarity as that of the toner is applied from a power source 25 to an opposite electrode 24 arranged opposite the photoconductive layer 13. Then, the toner remaining on the non-exposed region of the photoconductive layer 13 is removed from the layer 13 and is transferred to toner-receiving paper 26 held between the photoconductive layer 13 and the opposite electrode 24.
- the photoconductive layer 13 is preferably irradiated with light from a lamp 28 from the side of the transparent substrate 11 through the transparent conductive layer 12. Upon this irradiation with light, the attractive force of toner toward the photoconductive layer 13 is effectively weakened, and the transfer efficiency of the toner image is improved by about 100%. Therefore, the cleaning process after the transfer process can be omitted.
- FIG. 6 shows an LED printer as an embodiment of an apparatus of electrophotography utilizing the image-forming processes shown in Figs. 5A to 5D.
- a toner-removing means 60 is arranged at a position to be opposite to an exposing means 36 with a photosensitive drum 30 interposed therebetween.
- the toner-removing means 60 comprises a conductive roller 61 similar to that used in the opposite electrode 37 shown in Fig. 3, a spring 62 for pressing the roller 61 toward the drum 30 through the toner-receiving paper 39, and a blade 63.
- a voltage having a polarity opposite that of the toner, for example, +120 V, is applied to the roller 61.
- a transferring means 64 comprises an opposite electrode 65 and a lamp 66.
- the opposite electrode 65 is a corona charger.
- the distance from the drum 30 to the corona wire of the corona charger is set to be 15 mm, and the application voltage on the corona wire is set to be +5.5 kV.
- Fig. 7 shows an embodiment wherein the image-forming processes shown in Figs. 5A to 5D are applied to a copying machine.
- a photosensitive web 50 and a moving means therefor are of the same construction as that shown in Fig. 4, and the remaining structure is the same as that shown in Fig. 6 except an exposing means.
- An exposing means 70 is an optical system comprising a document table 71 for placing a document (original object) 72 thereon, a light source 73 for illuminating the surface of the document 72 through the document table 71, and a lens 74 for forming an image of the document 72 onto the photoconductive layer of the photosensitive web 50.
- the document table 71 is moved together with the web 50, so that the image on the entire surface of the document 72 is scanned and formed on the photoconductive layer of the web 50.
- Figs. 8A to 8C show image-forming processes according to a third embodiment of a method of electrophotography of the present invention.
- toner 81 is applied on the entire surface of a photoconductive layer 13 of a photoreceptor 10.
- the toner 81 has an electrical conductivity and preferably has a resistivity of 10 6 to 10 8 ⁇ cm.
- the method of applying the toner can be the same as in the earlier embodiments.
- the photoconductive layer 13 need not be charged.
- a voltage of a single polarity is applied from a power source 84 to an opposite electrode 83 opposite the photoconductive layer 13.
- the voltage is negative in this embodiment but can be positive.
- the power source 84 also preferably generates a pulsating voltage.
- An exposed region of the photoconductive layer 13 is rendered conductive and is injected with positive charges.
- the toner on the exposed region of the photoconductive layer 13 is removed from the surface of the photoconductive layer 13 by an electric field generated between the transparent conductive layer 12 and the opposite electrode 83 from the power source 84.
- the toner is transferred onto the surface of toner-receiving paper 85 held between the photoconductive layer 13 and the opposite electrode 83. A toner image is thus formed.
- the toner which was not used in forming the image remaining on the photoconductive layer 13 is removed by a cleaning blade 86 and reused.
- the removing method may be one of the methods described above.
- the removed toner is conveyed to be used for another toner application process, as shown in Fig. 8A.
- the image can be formed with less processes than is shown in Figs. 2A to 2D or in Figs. 5A to 5D.
- Fig. 9 shows an embodiment wherein the image-forming processes shown in Figs.8A to 8C are applied to an LED printer.
- a blade 35 is formed of a conductive rubber, and a voltage is applied to the blade 35 from a power source 91.
- the toner applied on the photoconductive layer of a photosensitive drum 30 is injected with charges and is thus rendered with an electrostatic attractive force acting in addition to the mechanical attractive force toward the photoconductive layer. Therefore, in the printer as shown in Fig. 9 wherein the toner is subject to the influence of gravity between the toner application process, and the exposure and transfer processes, the inadvertent removal of the toner from the photosensitive drum 30 is prevented. Stable toner application and conveying can therefore be performed.
- the polarity of the charge injected in the toner in this toner application process is preferably opposite to that of the charges injected in the exposure and transfer processes.
- a transferring means 92 comprises a power source 94 and an opposite electrode 93 which is opposite the exposure means 36 comprising LEDs with the drum 30 interposed therebetween.
- the opposite electrode 93 is an electrically conductive roller as described above and is applied with a voltage of a single polarity, for example, about -600 V from the power source 94, preferably a pulsating voltage.
- the exposure by the exposing means 36 is performed simultaneously with the transfer of the toner image onto the toner-receiving paper 39.
- the toner remaining on the drum 30 is removed by a cleaning station 95, and is conveyed to the toner-applying means 33 by a toner-conveying means 44.
- the cleaning station 95 is omitted.
- the cleaning station 95 can be omitted for the following reason. Since the toner has an electrical conductivity, the attractive force of the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 30 is extremely weak, and the toner can be formed into a uniform thin film by the toner applying means 33.
- Fig. 11 shows an embodiment wherein the image-forming processes shown in Figs. 8A to 8C are applied to a laser printer. This embodiment is the same as that shown in Fig. 9 except that the exposing means 58 is an optical scanning system using a laser beam.
- Figs. 12A to 12C show image-forming processes according to a fourth embodiment of a method of electrophotography of the present invention.
- the toner on an exposed region of the photoconductive layer 13 in the process shown in Fig. 12B is removed by an opposite electrode 83.
- a negative voltage is applied from a power source 88 on another opposite electrode 87 also opposite the photoconductive layer 13.
- the power source 88 also produces a pulsating voltage.
- the toner on a non-exposed region of the photoconductive layer 13 is removed from the surface of the photoconductive layer 13 by an electric field generated between the transparent conductive layer 12 and by the opposite electrode 87 upon application of the voltage from the power source 88 and is transferred to the surface of the toner-receiving paper 85.
- a toner image is formed.
- Fig. 13 shows an embodiment wherein the image forming processes in Figs. 12A to 12C are applied to an LED printer.
- the embodiment shown in Fig. 13 is different from that shown in Fig. 9 in that a toner-removing means 100 comprises an electrically conductive roller 101, a power source 102 for applying a voltage of a single polarity to the roller 101, and a toner-removing blade 103.
- a transfer means 104 comprises a flat opposite electrode 105 and a transfer lamp 106.
- Fig. 14 shows an embodiment wherein the image-forming processes shown in Figs. 12A to 12D are applied to a copying machine. This embodiment comprises a combination of the arrangement shown in Fig. 7 with that shown in Fig. 13.
Description
- The present invention relates to a method and apparatus of electrophotography utilized for a printer or a copying machine and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for forming a toner image utilizing a photoreceptor having a photoconductive layer and a toner having no photoconductivity.
- Electrophotography generally refers to an image-forming technique combining the photoconductive effect and the electrostatic attraction phenomenon. In each method applied to a copying machine or the like among the image forming techniques utilizing electrophotography, a development step is required in which an electrostatic latent image is formed on a photoreceptor and is converted into a toner image. This has prevented production of a more compact and inexpensive image-forming apparatus. Furthermore, the development step of an electrostatic latent image leads to a degradation in the picture quality due to the edge effect in which the field strength differs between the central and peripheral portions of the electrostatic latent image.
- In order to solve this problem, various attempts have been made as in United States Patent No. 2,924,519, Japanese Patent Disclosure (Koukoku) No. 38-22645,- and Japanese Patent Disclosure (Koukai) No. 49-76531 (DE-A-2 357 099). These methods form a toner image in accordance with the following processes. First, a charged photoconductive toner is uniformly applied on a grounded electrically conductive support. The toner layer is exposed in accordance with the image density of the original object (copy) to selectively weaken the electrostatic attractive force acting between the support and toner. The toner in the exposed region with the weakened electrostatic attractive force is transferred to toner-receiving paper. Alternatively, after the toner in such a region is removed, the residual toner is transferred onto the same paper. In this manner, the toner image is formed on the toner-receiving paper.
- However, with such a method, the effective sensitivity of the photoconductive toner is considerably lower than that of a photoreceptor used in other electrophotography techniques. This may be attributed to the following. First, during exposure, the light does not reach in a sufficient amount the deep region of the toner layer (i.e., the region near the support of the toner layer). Second, since the contact resistance between the toner particles is great, the charge generated upon exposure has difficulty reaching the support. If the sensitivity of the photoconductive toner is low, the density of the toner image is lowered, and fog occurs around the toner image, thus degrading picture quality. A photoconductive toner having a high sensitivity has not been proposed.
- GB-A-876 577 discloses a method of electrophotography using a photoreceptor which comprises a transparent substrate on which a transparent electrically conductive layer is formed. A photoconductive insulating layer is formed on the transparent electrically conductive layer. The method employs the steps of applying toner to the surface of the photoconductive layer and then exposing photoconductive layer from the side of the transparent substrate. Toner particles on an unexposed region of the photoconductive layer are transferred to receiving paper without any prior toner removal and without the use of an opposed electrode.
- It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of electrophotography to form an image without forming a latent image and developing the latent image.
- It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus of electrophotography to form an image by using a general non- photoconductive toner.
- It is still another object of the present invention to provide a compact electrophotography apparatus having a simple structure.
- It is still another object of the present invention to provide an electrophotography apparatus which efficiently uses a toner.
- The objects of the present invention are achieved by the methods and apparatus set out in the independent claims.
- This invention can be more fully understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:-
- Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a photoreceptor to be used according to the present invention;
- Figs. 2A to 2D show image-forming processes according to a first embodiment of a method of electrophotography of the present invention;
- Fig. 3 shows the construction of an LED printer utilizing the image-forming processes shown in Figs. 2A to 2D;
- Fig. 4 shows the construction of a laser printer utilising the image-forming processes shown in Figs. 2A to 2D;
- Figs. 5A to 5D show image-forming processes according to a second embodiment of a method of electrophotography of the present invention;
- Fig. 6 shows the construction of an LED printer utilising the image-forming processes shown in Figs. 5A to 5D;
- Fig. 7 shows the construction of a copying machine utilising the image-forming processes shown in Figs. 5A to 5D;
- Figs. 8A to 8C show image-forming processes according to a third embodiment of a method of electrophotography of the present invention;
- Fig. 9 shows the construction of an LED printer utilizing the image-forming processes shown in Figs. 8A to 8C;
- Fig. 10 shows the construction of another LED printer utilizing the image-forming processes shown in Figs. 8A to 8C;
- Fig. 11 shows the construction of a laser printer utilizing the image-forming processes shown in Figs. 8A to 8C;
- Figs. 12A to 12C show image-forming processes according to a fourth embodiment of a method of electrophotography of the present invention;
- Fig. 13 shows the construction of an LED printer utilizing the image-forming processes shown in Figs. 12A to 12C; and
- Fig. 14 shows the construction of a copying machine utilizing the image-forming processes shown in Figs. 12A to 12C.
- The
photoreceptor 10 used in the present invention has the structure shown in Fig. 1 wherein a transparent electricallyconductive layer 12 and aphotoconductive layer 13 are sequentially formed on atransparent substrate 11. Thetransparent substrate 11 can be a glass plate or an organic material sheet. The transparentconductive layer 12 can comprise a NESA glass film, an indium oxide (ln203) film, or the like. Thephotoconductive layer 13 can consist of amorphous-Se, ZnO, OPC, amorphous-Si, CdS or the like. The term "transparent" herein means optical transparency such that light of a specific wavelength used in exposure is transmitted, and does not therefore necessarily mean colorless transparency. Thephotoconductive layer 13 has a suitable spectral sensitivity for the wavelength of light used for exposure. The thickness of thephotoconductive layer 13 is preferably smaller than that of a photoconductive layer which is used in a photoreceptor of a conventional electrophotography apparatus. When thephotoconductive layer 13 consists of amorphous-Se, for example, it preferably has a thickness of about 1 to 20 µm as compared to a thickness of 50 to 60 pm of the photoconductive layer of the conventional apparatus. This is attributed to the following. When thephotoconductive layer 13 is exposed with light received through thetransparent substrate 11, the light must be able to reach near the surface of thephotoconductive layer 13 on which the toner is attached. - Image forming processes according to a first embodiment of a method of electrophotography of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs.2A to 2D. First as shown in Fig.2A, the
photoconductive layer 13 of thephotoreceptor 10 shown in Fig. 1 is uniformly charged to a given polarity (positive in the drawings) by acharger 21 in a dark-environment. - Then, as shown in Fig. 2B,
toner 22 charged to the opposite polarity (negative) of thephotoconductive layer 13 is applied on the entire surface of thephotoconductive layer 13. Thetoner 22 is an insulating toner generally used in conventional electrophotography and does not have photoconductivity. Thetoner 22 can be applied by various methods such as the method of applying a charged toner with a blade, the magnetic brush method combining a powder consisting of a magnetic carrier and toner with a magnetic roller, the cascade method using a powder consisting of a toner and a relatively coarse bead-like substance, the fur brush method using a toner and a fur brush, and the powder cloud method of spraying a toner through a metal pipe and atomizing it. - Next, as shown in Fig. 2C, light 23 corresponding to an input image is irradiated onto the
photoconductive layer 13 through the transparentconductive layer 12 from the side of thetransparent substrate 11, thereby making an exposure. At the same time, a voltage having an opposite polarity (positive) to that of thetoner 22 is applied from apower source 25 to anopposite electrode 24 opposite thephotoconductive layer 13. Then, the exposed region of thephotoconductive layer 13 is rendered electrically conductive. Therefore, the charge contributing to the attractive force of thetoner 22 on the exposed region of thephotoconductive layer 13 is moved through the transparentconductive layer 12 and disappears. Since the attractive force on thephotoconductive layer 13 is weakened, the toner on the exposed region of thephotoconductive layer 13 is removed from the surface of thephotoconductive layer 13 by an electric field which is generated between the transparentconductive layer 12 and theopposite electrode 24 upon application of a voltage from thepower source 25. The toner is moved toward theopposite electrode 24 and is transferred onto the surface of toner-receivingpaper 26 held between thephotoconductive layer 13 and theopposite electrode 24. The toner-receivingpaper 26 can be plain paper. - In order to allow easy removal of the toner from the exposed region of the
photoconductive layer 13, the voltage from thepower source 25 is preferably a pulsating voltage obtained by superposing an AC voltage on a DC voltage. The timing of the voltage applied between the transparentconductive layer 12 and theopposite electrode 24 from thepower source 25 need not be synchronous with the timing of the exposure but may be applied after exposure. - As shown in Fig. 2D, the residual toner on the nonexposed region of the
photoconductive layer 13 is removed by acleaning blade 27 and is reused. In this cleaning process, when the entire lower surface of thetransparent substrate 11 is irradiated with light from acharge removal lamp 28, the charge on thephotoconductive layer 13 is removed to allow removal of the residual toner on thephotoconductive layer 13. The cleaning method may alternatively be a fur brush cleaning method or the like. When the removed toner is recovered in this manner, it is conveyed for reuse in another toner applying process as shown in Fig.2B. Thus, a series of image-forming processes is completed. - Fig. 3 shows an LED printer according to an embodiment of an apparatus of electrophotography utilizing the image-forming processes described above. A photosensitive drum (photoreceptor) 30 is formed in a cylindrical shape such that its photoconductive layer faces outward. A transparent conductive layer of this
photosensitive drum 30 comprises, for example, a deposition film of In203, and the photoconductive layer thereof comprises, for example, a selenium film having a thickness of 15 um. Thephotosensitive drum 30 is driven to rotate in the direction indicated byarrow 31. Acharger 32, atoner applying means 33, an exposingmeans 36, anopposite electrode 37, and a cleaningstation 41 are arranged along the rotating direction of thephotosensitive drum 30 as a means which is used in the processes shown in Figs. 2A to 2D. - The
charger 32 charges the photoconductive layer of thephotosensitive drum 30 to have a surface potential of about +200 V. Thetoner applying means 33 applies on the surface of the charged photoconductive layer by means of a blade 35 a toner negatively charged by being stirred by a chargingroller 34. - The exposing means 36 arranged inside the
photosensitive drum 30 comprises an LED (light- emitting diode) array arranged linearly along the direction of the rotating axis of thedrum 30, and a rod lens array for guiding light from the LED array. The exposing means 36 exposes the photoconductive layer from the transparent substrate side of thedrum 30. In this case, the LED array is driven in accordance with an electrical image signal supplied from an external drive circuit. The exposing means 36 is adjusted such that the photoconductive layer is located within the focal depth of the rod lens array. - The
opposite electrode 37 is located opposite the exposing means 36 with thephotosensitive drum 30 interposed therebetween. In this embodiment, theopposite electrode 37 comprises an aluminum roller having a diameter of 5 mm and a conductive rubber sheet wound therearound and having a resistivity (or specific resistance) of 1,000 Ω·cm. Theopposite electrode 37 is pressed by aspring 38 toward thephotosensitive drum 30 through toner-receivingpaper 39 at a force of 0.7 kg/cm2. In this embodiment, a positive voltage, for example, about +180 V is applied to theopposite electrode 37. This voltage is preferably a voltage obtained by superposing an AC voltage on a DC voltage. Therefore, due to the electric field generated upon application of a voltage on theopposite electrode 37, the toner on the exposed region of the photoconductive layer whose attractive force is weakened upon exposure to the exposingmeans 36 is transferred to the toner-receivingpaper 39. Thus, a toner image corresponding to the electrical image signal supplied to the exposingmeans 36 is formed on the toner-receivingpaper 39. The toner image is fixed on the toner-receiving paper by a fixingstation 40 to be an output image. The toner image thus obtained has a uniform density at a solid portion and clear printing elements in a line drawing portion. Thus, an excellent image can be obtained for various types of image patterns. - The residual toner on the
photosensitive drum 30 which was not used in image formation is removed by a rotating fur brush at the cleaningstation 41. Acharge removal lamp 43 for radiating light onto the lower surface of thedrum 30 is arranged in the cleaningstation 41. The toner removed by the cleaningstation 41 is guided to a conveyingmeans 44 to be conveyed to the toner applying means 33 through achain 45 for reuse. - Fig. 4 shows an embodiment wherein the image-forming processes shown in Figs. 2A to 2D are applied to a laser printer. In this embodiment, a web shape photoreceptor is used. The use of such a photoreceptor provides less limitations on the size of the exposure means or on the length of the optical path from the exposure means to the photoreceptor. A
photosensitive web 50 comprises a polyethylene terephthalate film having a thickness of about 50 pm as a transparent substrate, a palladium film deposited thereon as a transparent conductive layer, and an Se-As-Te photosensitive material layer having a thickness of about 15 pm as a photoconductive layer. Theweb 50 is moved from asupply roller 51 to a take- uproller 55 at a suitable speed. At this time, a suitable tension is applied to theweb 50 and is kept flat in each process byrollers charger 32, a toner-applyingmeans 56, an exposingmeans 58, anopposite electrode 59, and a cleaningstation 41 are arranged along the moving direction of thephotosensitive web 50. - The photoconductive layer of the
photosensitive web 50 is charged by thecharger 32 to have a surface potential of about +200 V. Then, toner is uniformly applied on the photoconductive layer with the toner-applyingmeans 56. The toner-applyingmeans 56 adopts in this embodiment the magnetic brush method which combines a mixture of a magnetic carrier and toner, and amagnetic roller 57. The means 56 applies the negatively charged toner by friction with the carrier on the photoconductive layer. The amount of toner applied can be controlled by changing the voltage applied from a control power source (not shown) to themagnetic roller 57 within a range of, for example, +50 V to +100 V. Thus, the density of the output image can be changed as needed. - The exposing means 58 exposes the photoconductive layer applied with the toner from the side of the transparent substrate. The exposing means 58 comprises an optical system mainly having a laser diode, a polygon mirror, a scanning lens, and a peripheral circuit including a drive circuit. The exposing means 58 is adjusted such that the photoconductive layer is located within the focal depth of the optical system. The laser beam is modulated in accordance with an electrical modulation signal supplied from an external circuit and linearly scans the photoconductive layer of the
web 50 using the polygon mirror and the scanning lens from the side of the transparent substrate along the perpendicular direction toward the sheet of the drawing. - The toner with the weakened attractive force toward the photoconductive layer upon exposure is transferred onto toner-receiving
paper 39 by the electric field generated by the voltage applied to theopposite electrode 59 during exposure. A toner image is thus formed. Theopposite electrode 59 comprises a corona charger in this embodiment. The distance from theweb 50 to a corona wire of the corona charger is set to be 15 mm, and a voltage applied to the corona wire is set to be +5.5 kV. The toner image is fixed by a fixingstation 40, as in the case of the embodiment shown in Fig. 3. The toner remaining on theweb 50 is removed by a cleaningstation 41, and the removed toner is conveyed to a toner-applyingmeans 56 by atoner conveying means 44. - Figs. 5A to 5D show image-forming processes according to a second embodiment of a method of electrophotography of the present invention. The processes shown in Figs. 5A and 5B are the same as those shown in Figs. 2A and 2B. After the process of Fig. 5B, as shown in Fig. 5C, light 23 corresponding to an input image is irradiated onto a
photoconductive layer 13 through a transparentconductive layer 12 from the side of atransparent substrate 11, thereby performing exposure. Upon exposure, toner in an exposed region of thephotoconductive layer 13 looses some of its attractive force. Utilizing this phenomenon, simultaneously or after the exposure, the toner on this exposed region is removed by ablower 29. In this way, toner remains on the non-exposed region of thephotoconductive layer 13. The toner may be removed by other methods such as by using a conductive roller, by combining a conductive roller and a dielectric roller, by using a dielectric film and a corona charger for charging this film, or by other methods. - As shown in Fig. 5D, as in the process shown in Fig. 2C, a voltage having the opposite polarity as that of the toner is applied from a
power source 25 to anopposite electrode 24 arranged opposite thephotoconductive layer 13. Then, the toner remaining on the non-exposed region of thephotoconductive layer 13 is removed from thelayer 13 and is transferred to toner-receivingpaper 26 held between thephotoconductive layer 13 and theopposite electrode 24. When the voltage is applied from thepower source 25 to theopposite electrode 24, thephotoconductive layer 13 is preferably irradiated with light from alamp 28 from the side of thetransparent substrate 11 through the transparentconductive layer 12. Upon this irradiation with light, the attractive force of toner toward thephotoconductive layer 13 is effectively weakened, and the transfer efficiency of the toner image is improved by about 100%. Therefore, the cleaning process after the transfer process can be omitted. - Fig. 6 shows an LED printer as an embodiment of an apparatus of electrophotography utilizing the image-forming processes shown in Figs. 5A to 5D. The primary differences between this printer and the printer shown in Fig. 3 will be described. A toner-removing
means 60 is arranged at a position to be opposite to an exposingmeans 36 with aphotosensitive drum 30 interposed therebetween. The toner-removingmeans 60 comprises aconductive roller 61 similar to that used in theopposite electrode 37 shown in Fig. 3, aspring 62 for pressing theroller 61 toward thedrum 30 through the toner-receivingpaper 39, and ablade 63. A voltage having a polarity opposite that of the toner, for example, +120 V, is applied to theroller 61. The toner on the exposed region of the photoconductive layer of thephotosensitive drum 30 is attracted toward the surface of theroller 61 by the electrostatic attractive force and is removed from the surface of theroller 61 by means of theblade 63. The removed toner is conveyed to a toner-applyingmeans 33 by a toner-conveyingmeans 44. A transferring means 64 comprises anopposite electrode 65 and alamp 66. In this embodiment, theopposite electrode 65 is a corona charger. The distance from thedrum 30 to the corona wire of the corona charger is set to be 15 mm, and the application voltage on the corona wire is set to be +5.5 kV. - Fig. 7 shows an embodiment wherein the image-forming processes shown in Figs. 5A to 5D are applied to a copying machine. In this embodiment, a
photosensitive web 50 and a moving means therefor are of the same construction as that shown in Fig. 4, and the remaining structure is the same as that shown in Fig. 6 except an exposing means. An exposing means 70 is an optical system comprising a document table 71 for placing a document (original object) 72 thereon, alight source 73 for illuminating the surface of thedocument 72 through the document table 71, and alens 74 for forming an image of thedocument 72 onto the photoconductive layer of thephotosensitive web 50. The document table 71 is moved together with theweb 50, so that the image on the entire surface of thedocument 72 is scanned and formed on the photoconductive layer of theweb 50. - Figs. 8A to 8C show image-forming processes according to a third embodiment of a method of electrophotography of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 8A,
toner 81 is applied on the entire surface of aphotoconductive layer 13 of aphotoreceptor 10. Thetoner 81 has an electrical conductivity and preferably has a resistivity of 106 to 108 Ω·cm. The method of applying the toner can be the same as in the earlier embodiments. Unlike in the processes shown in Figs. 2A to 2D or in Figs. 5A to 5D, thephotoconductive layer 13 need not be charged. - Then, as shown in Fig. 8B, light 82 corresponding to an input image is irradiated onto the
photoconductive layer 13 through a transparentconductive layer 12 from the side of atransparent substrate 11. At the same time, a voltage of a single polarity is applied from apower source 84 to anopposite electrode 83 opposite thephotoconductive layer 13. The voltage is negative in this embodiment but can be positive. In this embodiment, thepower source 84 also preferably generates a pulsating voltage. An exposed region of thephotoconductive layer 13 is rendered conductive and is injected with positive charges. As a result, the toner on the exposed region of thephotoconductive layer 13 is removed from the surface of thephotoconductive layer 13 by an electric field generated between the transparentconductive layer 12 and theopposite electrode 83 from thepower source 84. The toner is transferred onto the surface of toner-receivingpaper 85 held between thephotoconductive layer 13 and theopposite electrode 83. A toner image is thus formed. - Subsequently, as shown in Fig. 8C, the toner which was not used in forming the image remaining on the
photoconductive layer 13 is removed by acleaning blade 86 and reused. The removing method may be one of the methods described above. The removed toner is conveyed to be used for another toner application process, as shown in Fig. 8A. In this embodiment, the image can be formed with less processes than is shown in Figs. 2A to 2D or in Figs. 5A to 5D. - Fig. 9 shows an embodiment wherein the image-forming processes shown in Figs.8A to 8C are applied to an LED printer. In a toner-applying
means 33, ablade 35 is formed of a conductive rubber, and a voltage is applied to theblade 35 from apower source 91. Then, the toner applied on the photoconductive layer of aphotosensitive drum 30 is injected with charges and is thus rendered with an electrostatic attractive force acting in addition to the mechanical attractive force toward the photoconductive layer. Therefore, in the printer as shown in Fig. 9 wherein the toner is subject to the influence of gravity between the toner application process, and the exposure and transfer processes, the inadvertent removal of the toner from thephotosensitive drum 30 is prevented. Stable toner application and conveying can therefore be performed. The polarity of the charge injected in the toner in this toner application process is preferably opposite to that of the charges injected in the exposure and transfer processes. - A transferring means 92 comprises a
power source 94 and anopposite electrode 93 which is opposite the exposure means 36 comprising LEDs with thedrum 30 interposed therebetween. Theopposite electrode 93 is an electrically conductive roller as described above and is applied with a voltage of a single polarity, for example, about -600 V from thepower source 94, preferably a pulsating voltage. The exposure by the exposingmeans 36 is performed simultaneously with the transfer of the toner image onto the toner-receivingpaper 39. The toner remaining on thedrum 30 is removed by a cleaningstation 95, and is conveyed to the toner-applyingmeans 33 by a toner-conveyingmeans 44. - In the embodiment shown in Fig. 10, the cleaning
station 95 is omitted. In this embodiment, the cleaningstation 95 can be omitted for the following reason. Since the toner has an electrical conductivity, the attractive force of the toner remaining on thephotosensitive drum 30 is extremely weak, and the toner can be formed into a uniform thin film by thetoner applying means 33. - Fig. 11 shows an embodiment wherein the image-forming processes shown in Figs. 8A to 8C are applied to a laser printer. This embodiment is the same as that shown in Fig. 9 except that the exposing
means 58 is an optical scanning system using a laser beam. - Figs. 12A to 12C show image-forming processes according to a fourth embodiment of a method of electrophotography of the present invention. In this embodiment, the toner on an exposed region of the
photoconductive layer 13 in the process shown in Fig. 12B is removed by anopposite electrode 83. As shown in Fig. 12C, a negative voltage is applied from apower source 88 on anotheropposite electrode 87 also opposite thephotoconductive layer 13. Thepower source 88 also produces a pulsating voltage. As a result, the toner on a non-exposed region of thephotoconductive layer 13 is removed from the surface of thephotoconductive layer 13 by an electric field generated between the transparentconductive layer 12 and by theopposite electrode 87 upon application of the voltage from thepower source 88 and is transferred to the surface of the toner-receivingpaper 85. Thus, a toner image is formed. - Fig. 13 shows an embodiment wherein the image forming processes in Figs. 12A to 12C are applied to an LED printer. The embodiment shown in Fig. 13 is different from that shown in Fig. 9 in that a toner-removing
means 100 comprises an electricallyconductive roller 101, apower source 102 for applying a voltage of a single polarity to theroller 101, and a toner-removingblade 103. A transfer means 104 comprises a flatopposite electrode 105 and atransfer lamp 106. - Fig. 14 shows an embodiment wherein the image-forming processes shown in Figs. 12A to 12D are applied to a copying machine. This embodiment comprises a combination of the arrangement shown in Fig. 7 with that shown in Fig. 13.
Claims (26)
Applications Claiming Priority (8)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP172572/83 | 1983-09-19 | ||
JP172571/83 | 1983-09-19 | ||
JP172570/83 | 1983-09-19 | ||
JP172569/83 | 1983-09-19 | ||
JP58172572A JPS6064359A (en) | 1983-09-19 | 1983-09-19 | Method and device for image forming |
JP17257183A JPS6064365A (en) | 1983-09-19 | 1983-09-19 | Method and device for image formation |
JP58172570A JPS6064364A (en) | 1983-09-19 | 1983-09-19 | Method and device for image formation |
JP17256983A JPS6063564A (en) | 1983-09-19 | 1983-09-19 | Image forming method and its device |
Publications (3)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0138376A2 EP0138376A2 (en) | 1985-04-24 |
EP0138376A3 EP0138376A3 (en) | 1985-07-17 |
EP0138376B1 true EP0138376B1 (en) | 1987-03-04 |
Family
ID=27474443
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP19840306194 Expired EP0138376B1 (en) | 1983-09-19 | 1984-09-11 | Method and apparatus of electrophotography |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0138376B1 (en) |
DE (1) | DE3462558D1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JPS61256358A (en) * | 1985-05-10 | 1986-11-13 | Seikosha Co Ltd | Electrophotographic recording method |
DE10235591B4 (en) * | 2002-08-03 | 2005-03-03 | Koenig & Bauer Ag | Apparatus for imaging the surface of a printing form cylinder or a printing form mounted on the printing form cylinder |
Family Cites Families (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB876577A (en) * | 1957-12-10 | 1961-09-06 | Otto Kurt Kolb | Method and apparatus for producing a developed xerographic print simultaneously with exposure |
US2924519A (en) * | 1957-12-27 | 1960-02-09 | Ibm | Machine and method for reproducing images with photoconductive ink |
GB1463890A (en) * | 1973-12-20 | 1977-02-09 | Ibm | Xerographic printing machine |
-
1984
- 1984-09-11 DE DE8484306194T patent/DE3462558D1/en not_active Expired
- 1984-09-11 EP EP19840306194 patent/EP0138376B1/en not_active Expired
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
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EP0138376A3 (en) | 1985-07-17 |
DE3462558D1 (en) | 1987-04-09 |
EP0138376A2 (en) | 1985-04-24 |
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