JP2000113962A - Ion generating device and electrophotographic recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ion generating device capable of generating sufficient ions while increasing the durability of an electrode. SOLUTION: This ion generating device is provided with an electric insulating substrate 1, first electrodes 2 formed on the substrate 1, a dielectric layer 3 covering the substrate 1 and the first electrodes 2, second electrodes 4 formed on the dielectric layer 3 at positions at least not overlapped on the first electrodes 2 partially, and protective layers 5 covering the second electrodes 4 so that the thickness of the second electrodes 4 is made thicker at the upper portion than at the side portions.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ion generator and an electrophotographic recording apparatus used for, for example, image formation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, as an ion generator used for a charging device of an electrophotographic recording apparatus such as a copying machine or a laser printer, an electrode for inducing a corona discharge on a ceramic substrate in a film shape has been developed. Is being developed.

As this type of ion generator, for example, one disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-82980 is known. In this ion generator, two electrodes are formed by a thin film technique on a ceramic substrate with a dielectric layer interposed therebetween. Then, an AC voltage is applied between these electrodes to generate corona discharge between the two electrodes to ionize the air near the electrodes. Hereinafter, the ion generator will be described in detail.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing a conventional ion generator and electric wiring when the ion generator is used for a charging device. In the figure, a first electrode 102 is formed on a substrate 101 by a thin film technique. The first electrode 102 and the substrate 101 are covered with a dielectric layer 103. A second electrode 104 is formed on the dielectric layer 103 by a thin film technique, and a second electrode 10
4 is formed so as not to be located. And the dielectric layer 1
03 and the second electrode 104 are covered with a protective layer 108.

[0005] The ion generator thus formed is, as shown in FIG. 7, as a charging device for a photoreceptor, when it is incorporated in an electrophotographic recording apparatus.
Are arranged facing each other at a predetermined interval. Then, a high-frequency voltage is applied between the first electrode 102 and the second electrode 104 by the high-frequency power supply 106, and the polarity periodically changes between the first and second electrodes as indicated by the arrow in FIG. A positive and negative ion is generated in the air near the two electrodes, that is, on the surface of the ion generator. At this time, between the second electrode 104 and the photoconductor 105, the DC power supply 107 supplies the second electrode 1 with zero potential from the photoconductor 105.
When a negative bias voltage is applied to the 04 side, negative ions of the generated positive and negative ions are attracted to the photoconductor 105 and the photoconductor 105 is uniformly charged.

[0006]

However, the above-mentioned ion generator has the following problems.

When a positive or negative ion is generated by applying a high frequency voltage between the first electrode 102 and the second electrode 104,
The generated ions are attracted not only to the photoreceptor 105 but also to the first electrode and the second electrode and collide with the protective layer 108. The protective layer 108 on the surface of the ion generator is scraped by the sputtering action caused by the collision. Therefore, when the second electrode 104 is exposed by continuous use and the second electrode 104 is formed mainly of a silver-based or copper-based conductive material, corrosion such as oxidation and sulfide of the second electrode 104 is prevented. It will be easier to progress. Further, the sputtering action is performed by the second electrode 104.
, The electrode is shaved, and as a result, the second electrode 104
May be disconnected. The deterioration of the protective layer 108 due to such a sputtering action is particularly caused by the second electrode 1.
It has been confirmed by tests conducted by the present inventors that it is likely to occur at and near the edge of 04.

By the way, in the case of FIG.
Is covered with the dielectric layer 103 in addition to the protective layer 108, so that there is no problem of sputtering.

When the thickness of the protective layer 108 is increased in order to avoid the above-mentioned problem of the sputtering effect, the floating capacitance between the first electrode 102 and the second electrode 104 increases by that much, and the protective layer 108 The impedance to the penetrating leakage electric field increases and the ionic current decreases.
As a result, a sufficient amount of ions cannot be obtained, and the photoconductor 105 cannot be charged to a desired potential. When the applied voltage between the first electrode 102 and the second electrode 104 is set to a high voltage in order to obtain a sufficient amount of generated ions, a problem occurs in that the protective layer 108 is easily chipped by the sputtering action of the ions. .

[0010] In short, it has been very difficult to set the protective layer 108 to have a sufficient ion generation amount and to have a thickness excellent in durability. An object of the present invention is to provide an ion generating apparatus and an electrophotographic recording apparatus which can avoid the above problems.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ion generator, comprising: an electrically insulating substrate; a first electrode formed on the substrate; a dielectric layer covering the substrate and the first electrode; A second electrode formed on the dielectric layer and formed at a position where at least a part thereof does not overlap the first electrode; and a protective layer covering the second electrode so that a portion above the side of the second electrode is thicker. It is characterized by having.

Each component in the present claim and the following claims is defined as follows unless otherwise specified.

The substrate is suitably formed of a ceramic material such as alumina, aluminum nitride or silicon nitride for reasons such as ease of formation and moderate cost, but is not limited thereto. In addition, the forming method is not limited.

The first electrode and the second electrode can be formed by applying a conductive paste containing silver as a main component (silver / palladium alloy, silver / platinum alloy, etc.) by a screen printing method and firing it. It may be formed by a thin film technique, and the material and the forming method are not particularly limited. And the first
The electrode and the second electrode may be formed of different materials by different forming methods. In addition, the first electrode may be formed directly on the substrate, or may be formed indirectly via another member.

If the first electrode or the second electrode is formed of a conductive paste containing an organometallic compound as a main component,
These electrodes can be formed very thin, and the unevenness on the surface of the electrode is reduced.As a result, the unevenness on the surface of the protective layer is also reduced, and the locally thin portion is reduced, thereby improving the durability of the protective layer due to the sputtering action. I do. It has been confirmed that a thin film of about 1 μm can be formed by forming an electrode using a conductive paste containing an organic gold compound as a main component.

The protective layer may be, for example, a glass layer formed by a screen printing method using a lead borosilicate glass paste, a film such as a sili force, or a film such as a resin (polyimide, epoxy or silicone). The material and the forming method are not limited to these.

The portion of the protective layer that covers the upper part of the second electrode preferably has a thickness of about 2 to 10 μm in order to sufficiently secure the durability of the protective layer, but this is not essential. The portion of the protective layer that covers the side of the second electrode is not as thick as the portion above the second electrode because it is relatively insensitive to sputtering, but is preferably 1 to 2 μm.
m.

In the case where the protective layer is formed around the second electrode, the thickness of the protective layer is reduced to the necessary and sufficient level to reduce the stray capacitance between the first electrode and the second electrode. It is preferable that the thickness be equal to or less than half the thickness of the protective layer covering the upper part of the two electrodes. Note that it is best that the protective layer be formed so as to cover only the second electrode.

According to the ion generator of the present invention, when a high-frequency voltage is applied between the first electrode and the second electrode, a corona discharge between the first electrode and the second electrode causes a change in the vicinity of the two electrodes. Positive and negative ions are generated in the space. When the ion generator of the present invention is used, for example, as a charging device for charging a photoreceptor, the ion generator is opposed to the photoreceptor, and a photoreceptor is provided between the first electrode or the second electrode and the photoreceptor. A bias voltage is applied so that the body is at zero potential or negative on the electrode side. Accordingly, the negative ions of the positive and negative ions generated in the air near the electrodes are attracted to the photoconductor and the photoconductor is uniformly charged.

At this time, the protective layer formed on the side portion of the second electrode is relatively thin, so that the stray capacitance can be reduced and the leakage electric field can be increased. Thereby, the ionic current flowing between the first electrode and the second electrode can be increased, and a sufficient amount of generated ions can be secured.

Further, since the protective layer formed on the upper portion of the second electrode is relatively thick, the ions generated as described above are protected by a bias voltage applied between the ion generator and, for example, the photosensitive member. Even if it collides with the layer, the durability against the sputtering action can be sufficiently ensured.

When a protective layer is also formed around the second electrode, the first electrode and the second electrode are formed by the protective layer around the second electrode.
The stray capacitance between the first electrode and the second electrode is increased by reducing the thickness of the protective layer formed on the side of the second electrode.
It is possible to reduce the overall stray capacitance between the electrodes.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ion generator, comprising: an electrically insulating substrate; a first electrode formed on the substrate; a second electrode formed on the substrate in close proximity to the first electrode; A protection layer that covers the first electrode and the second electrode such that a portion above the side of the first electrode and the second electrode is thicker.

In the present invention, the first electrode and the second electrode are
It may be formed directly on the substrate or indirectly via another member.

The portion of the protective layer that covers the first electrode or the second electrode is provided in order to ensure sufficient durability of the protective layer.
It is preferred that the thickness be about 2 to 10 μm, but this is not essential. Further, the portion of the protective layer covering the side of the first electrode or the second electrode is not so thick as the portion above the second electrode because it is relatively hard to receive the sputtering action, but is preferably about 1 to 2 μm. Is good.

When a protective layer is formed around the first electrode or the second electrode, in order to reduce the stray capacitance between the first electrode and the second electrode to a necessary and sufficient extent, It is preferable that the thickness be equal to or less than half the thickness of the protective layer covering the upper part of the second electrode. Note that it is best that the protective layer be formed so as to cover only the first electrode and the second electrode.

According to the ion generator of the present invention, a high-frequency voltage is applied between the first electrode and the second electrode, so that, for example, the photosensitive member is made uniform as in the ion generator according to the first aspect. Can be charged.

At this time, the protective layer formed on the side portion of the first electrode or the second electrode is relatively thin, so that the stray capacitance between the two electrodes can be reduced and the leakage electric field can be increased. Thereby, the ionic current flowing between the first electrode and the second electrode can be increased, and a sufficient amount of generated ions can be secured.

Since the protective layer formed on the portion above the first electrode or the second electrode is relatively thick, the ions generated as described above are applied between the ion generator and, for example, the photosensitive member. Even if the protective layer collides with the bias voltage, the durability against the sputtering action can be sufficiently ensured.

When a protective layer is also formed around each electrode, the floating capacitance between the first electrode and the second electrode is increased by the amount of the protective layer around the protective layer. By reducing the thickness of the protective layer formed in the other part, it is possible to reduce the overall stray capacitance between the first electrode and the second electrode.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrophotographic recording apparatus, comprising: a photoreceptor; a charging device including the ion generator according to the first or second aspect for uniformly charging the photoreceptor; An image exposure device that exposes the photoconductor to form an electrostatic latent image, a developing device that attaches toner to the electrostatic image formed on the photoconductor and develops the image, and a developed image formed on the photoconductor. The image forming apparatus includes a transfer device that transfers the image to the transfer medium, and a fixing device that fixes the transferred image on the transfer medium.

According to the electrophotographic recording apparatus of the present invention, image recording is performed through basic processes of electrophotography such as charging, exposing, developing, and transferring a photosensitive member. And
An ion generator is provided so as to face the photoconductor, and a high frequency voltage is applied between the first electrode and the second electrode to generate ions. Then, by applying a bias voltage between the second electrode and the photoreceptor, for example, the photoreceptor is at zero potential and the second electrode is negative, negative ions of the positive and negative ions generated near the two electrodes or the photoreceptor And the photoreceptor is charged. At this time, the charging device has the function of the ion generator according to claim 1 or 2. Therefore, the photosensitive member can be charged sufficiently and at the same time, and at the same time, trouble of the charging device due to damage of the electrode due to deterioration of the protective layer can be reduced.

[0033]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the ion generator of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG.
FIG. 1 is a front view showing a first embodiment of the ion generator of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a rear view. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A in FIG.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a substrate. On this substrate 1, a first electrode 2, a dielectric layer 3, a second electrode 4, and a protective layer 5 are sequentially laminated by a thick film technique, that is, a screen printing method. And the dielectric layer 3 is the first electrode 2
And almost the entire surface of the substrate 1. At this time, the second electrode 4 is formed without covering the upper part of the first electrode 2,
An electrode gap G is formed between the electrode 2 and the second electrode 4.
The protective layer 5 covers only the second electrode 4 with a thickness necessary to protect the second electrode 4. The first electrode 2 is formed integrally with the first terminal 2a.
The book and the second electrode are formed in a comb shape having seven teeth. The second electrode 4 is formed integrally with the second terminal 4a, and power is supplied to each electrode by the first terminal 2a and the second terminal 4a.

Further, a heater 7 for heating the ion generator itself is formed on the surface of the substrate 1 opposite to the surface on which the first electrode 2 and the like are formed. The heater 7 has an action of removing moisture adhering to the surface of the ion generator on which the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 4 are formed by the heat generated. This prevents a current from flowing through the moisture due to the leakage electric field between the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 4, and reduces the leakage electric field generated in the atmosphere which affects the amount of generated ions. Reduction can be prevented.

The substrate 1 is a flat rectangular member made of alumina ceramic and has a length of about 360 m.
m, is about 8 mm thick and about 0.65 mm thick. The first electrode 2 and the second electrode 4 are, for example, silver /
It is formed by applying a conductive paste containing a platinum alloy as a main component by a screen printing method and then firing the paste. And
Each of the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 4 has a thickness of about 5 μm, a width of the first electrode of about 100 μm, and a width of the second electrode 4 of about 2 μm.
00 μm. Further, the center distance between the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 4 in the width direction is about 600 μm. The dielectric layer 3 is formed, for example, by applying and firing glass paste mainly composed of lead borosilicate glass in the same manner as the first electrode 2, and has a thickness of about 30 μm.

The protective layer 5 is formed by printing using a glass paste mainly composed of lead borosilicate glass and has a thickness of 1 mm.
It is formed to a thickness of 0 μm or less. Such a protective layer 5
It covers only the second electrode 4 and is not provided at an intermediate portion between the adjacent second electrodes 4. This protective layer 5 is formed on the second electrode 4
Is formed at about 2 μm at the side part and about 8 μm at the upper part.

The formation of such a protective layer 5 is performed, for example, as follows. First, the glass paste is printed so as to cover the side and the upper side of the protective layer 5. Next, the printing of the glass paste is similarly performed only on the upper portion of the glass paste. Then, by firing these, a protective layer having a smaller thickness in the side portion than in the upper portion of the second electrode 4 can be formed. The order in which the glass pastes are printed may be reversed, and after printing the first layer, only this layer may be fired first.

As another method, first, a relatively low-viscosity glass paste is printed only on the upper portion of the second electrode 4. Then, the glass paste is fired at a temperature at which the glass paste can be sufficiently melted, and the glass paste is applied to the side portions of the second electrode 4 by using the molten glass paste. In addition, the protective layer 5 thinner than the upper part of the second electrode 4 can be formed. At this time,
It is preferable that the glass paste does not contain a filler material such as ceramics. This is because a glass paste containing a filler material is relatively likely to generate pinholes, and it is particularly difficult to obtain an electric withstand voltage of the thinly formed protective layer. This can be similarly applied to the method of forming the protective layer 5 described above.

If at least a part of the side portion of the second electrode has the protective layer formed thinner than the portion above the second electrode, the protective layer is formed on the entire surface between the second electrodes 4. You may do so. However, in this case, the first electrode and the second electrode
The stray capacitance between the second electrode 4 and the electrode increases due to the provision of the protective layer between the second electrodes 4, and only an ion current corresponding to the increase can be passed. Also in this embodiment,
The method for forming the protective layer 5 described above can be applied.

The heater 7 is formed by applying a conductive paste containing, for example, a silver / palladium alloy as a main component by a screen printing method and then firing it. The heater 7 has a U-shape. Heater terminals 7a, 7b for power supply are provided at both ends thereof, that is, at one end of the tomb plate 1.
Are integrally formed. The length of the heater 7 in the U-shape is about 320 mm, and the heater 7 is formed so that its longitudinal dimension is larger than that of the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 4. Can uniformly heat the ion generation region.

When the ion generator of the present embodiment is used as a charging device for charging a photoreceptor (not shown), for example,
A bias voltage is applied between the electrode 4 and the photoconductor so that the photoconductor has zero potential and the second electrode side is negative. As a result, the negative ions of the generated positive and negative ions are attracted to the photoconductor and the photoconductor can be uniformly charged.

A second embodiment of the ion generator according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a second embodiment of the ion generator of the present invention, similarly to FIG. The same parts as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a substrate. An electric insulating layer 8 is formed on the substrate 1. Further, the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 4 are directly formed on the electric insulating layer 8, and the protective layer 5 is formed so as to cover the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 4. These layers are sequentially laminated by a thick film technique, that is, a screen printing method. The electrical insulating layer 8 is formed so as to cover almost the entire surface of the substrate 1. The first electrode 2 and the second electrode 4 are provided at equal intervals, and an electrode gap G is formed. The protective layer 5 has a thickness necessary to protect the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 4.
And only the second electrode 4 is covered here,
It is a flat rectangular member made of alumina ceramics, having a length of about 360 mm, a width of about 8 mm, and a thickness of about 0.65 mm. The electric insulating layer 8 is formed by applying a glass paste containing, for example, lead borosilicate glass as a main component by a screen printing method and then firing the glass paste, and has a thickness of about 20 μm. The first electrode 2 and the second electrode 4 are formed by applying a conductive paste containing, for example, a silver / platinum alloy as a main component by a screen printing method and then forming the paste. Each of the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 4 has a thickness of about 5 μm, and the width of the first electrode 2 is 7 μm.
The thickness of the second electrode 4 is 0 μm and 100 μm. The first electrode 2 and the second electrode 4 have a center-to-center distance of about 70 in the width direction.
0〃m. The protective layer 5 is formed by printing using a glass paste mainly composed of lead borosilicate glass and has a thickness of 10 mm.
It is formed to a size of μm or less. Note that the electrical insulation layer is not necessarily required.

The protective layer in this embodiment can be formed basically in the same manner as the method for forming the protective layer 5 in the first embodiment. The difference is that not only the second electrode 4 but also the first electrode 2 is similarly covered with a protective layer.

Note that the protective layer 5 comprises the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 2.
Instead of covering only the electrode 4, the electrode 4 may cover the portion between the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 4 as shown in FIG. 5.

In such a configuration, when a high-frequency voltage is applied between the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 4, the first electrode 2
Positive and negative ions are generated in the air near the electrode gap G by corona discharge between the first electrode 4 and the second electrode 4. Then, for example, the photoconductor 16 can be charged similarly to the ion generating base slope in the above embodiment.

One embodiment of the electrophotographic recording apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic side view showing the inside of the embodiment of the electrophotographic recording apparatus of the present invention. The same parts as those described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

First, a paper feed path 13 for connecting a paper feed device 12 for storing transfer paper 11 as a transfer medium and a discharge unit (not shown) is provided, and the paper feed path 13 includes a fixing device 14. An image processing unit 15 is provided.

The image processing section 15 is mainly composed of a photosensitive drum 16 having a photosensitive drum configuration. Around the photoconductor 16, a charging device 17, a developing device 18, a transfer device 1
9, a peeling device 20, and a cleaning device 21 are arranged in this order. An exposure position EX is defined between the charging device 17 and the developing device 18, and the image processing unit 15 supplies a laser beam (hereinafter, referred to as a laser beam) to the exposure position EX.
An image exposure device (not shown) for irradiating the light is provided.

Next, the operation of the image processing section 15 will be described. In the image processing unit 15, first, the charging device 1
7, the photosensitive member 16 is uniformly charged with negative charge. Since the photoreceptor 16 is uniformly charged at the exposure position EX, the light exposure is performed by irradiating the exposure position EX with a light beam from an image exposure apparatus in accordance with image information.
An electrostatic latent image is formed on the photoconductor 16. Here, photoconductor 1
In No. 6, since the electrical resistance is reduced only in the portion irradiated with the light beam, the charged electric charge is erased to form an electrostatic latent image. The developing device 18 visualizes the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoreceptor 16 by attaching toner having a potential difference to the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive member 16 at the exposure position EX. The transfer device 19 sucks the developed image on the photoconductor 16 by a potential difference,
Peeling device 20 for transferring the developed image to transfer paper 11
Removes the transfer paper 11 after the transfer of the developed image from the photoconductor 16. The cleaning device 21 performs cleaning by, for example, scraping off toner remaining on the photoconductor 16 after the transfer process. Then, the fixing device 14 is connected to the paper passage path 13.
It is arranged on the downstream side of the transfer device 19 and fixes unfixed toner adhering to the transfer paper 11 after passing through the transfer device 19 by a heating and pressing action.

[0052]

According to the ion generator of the first aspect, since the protective layer formed on the side of the second electrode is relatively thin, the floating capacitance can be reduced and the leakage electric field can be increased. Thereby, the ionic current flowing between the first electrode and the second electrode can be increased, and a sufficient amount of generated ions can be secured. In addition, since the protective layer formed on the upper portion of the second electrode is relatively thick, the ions generated as described above collide with the protective layer due to a bias voltage applied between the ion generator and the photoconductor, for example. Even so, the durability against the sputtering action can be sufficiently ensured.

According to the ion generator of the second aspect, the protective layer formed on the side of the first electrode or the second electrode is relatively thin, so that the stray capacitance between the two electrodes can be reduced and the leakage can be reduced. The electric field can be increased. Thereby, the ionic current flowing between the first electrode and the second electrode can be increased, and a sufficient amount of generated ions can be secured. In addition, since the protective layer formed on the portion above the first electrode or the second electrode is relatively thick, the ions generated as described above are generated by the bias voltage applied between the ion generator and the photosensitive member, for example. Even if it collides with the protective layer, the durability against the sputtering action can be sufficiently ensured.

According to the electrophotographic recording apparatus of the third aspect, the charging device for charging the photoconductor has the function of the ion generator of the first or second aspect, so that the photoconductor is required and sufficient At the same time, the trouble of the charging device due to the damage of the electrode due to the deterioration of the protective layer can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a first embodiment of an ion generator of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a second embodiment of the ion generator of the present invention, similarly to FIG.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a third embodiment of the ion generator of the present invention, similarly to FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a schematic side view showing the inside of an embodiment of the electrophotographic recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing a conventional ion generator and electric wiring when the ion generator is used for a charging device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: Insulating substrate 2: First electrode 3: Dielectric layer 4: Second electrode 5: Protective layer 14: Fixing diamond road 16: Photoconductor 17: Charging device 18: Developing device 19: Transfer device G: Gap

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Shiro Ezaki 4-3-1 Higashishinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Toshiba Litec Corporation F-term (reference) 2H003 AA15 BB11 CC01 DD03 EE11

Claims (3)

[Claims] A first electrode formed on the substrate; a dielectric layer covering the substrate and the first electrode; a first electrode formed on the dielectric layer and at least partially formed on the dielectric layer. A second electrode formed at a position not overlapping with the first electrode; and a protective layer covering the second electrode so that a portion above the side of the second electrode is thicker. apparatus. An electrically insulating substrate; a first electrode formed on the substrate; a second electrode formed on the substrate in close proximity to the first electrode; and sides of the first electrode and the second electrode. A protective layer covering the first electrode and the second electrode so that a portion above the first electrode is thicker. 3. A photoreceptor, comprising: a charging device provided with the ion generator according to claim 1 for uniformly charging the photoreceptor; and an electrostatic latent image formed by exposing the photoreceptor charged by the charging device. An image exposure device for forming an image; a developing device for applying toner to an electrostatic image formed on the photoconductor to develop the image; a transfer device for transferring a developed image formed on the photoconductor to a transfer medium; An electrophotographic recording apparatus, comprising: a fixing device for fixing a transferred image on a medium.