JP2006030812A - Liquid developer coater, developing apparatus and image forming apparatus equipped with the coater - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid developer coater which provides stable image quality of uniform density even when the members and assembly thereof change due to errors of the components and assembly at manufacturing, or due to change over time caused by the continuous use, and to provide a developing apparatus and an image forming apparatus equipped with the coater. <P>SOLUTION: The contact state of an intermediate coating roller 47 as the intermediate coating part of the coater 43 with a coating roller 46 as a coating member is made adjustable, then, the coating surface of uniform thickness is stably formed on the member to be coated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, and a printer, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus that visualizes an electrostatic latent image formed on an image carrier using a liquid developer. is there.

  An image forming apparatus that visualizes an electrostatic latent image using a conventional high-viscosity, high-density liquid developer is disclosed in Patent Document 1 and the like. In this type of image forming apparatus, the surface of the photoconductor is uniformly charged by a charging unit, and the surface of the photoconductor is exposed by a writing unit according to image data to form an electrostatic latent image. The electrostatic latent image is visualized by a liquid developing device. The liquid developer in this image forming apparatus is adjusted to a high viscosity of 50 to 10,000 mPa · s by dispersing toner at a high concentration in a carrier liquid made of an insulating liquid such as dimethylpolysiloxane oil. This liquid developer is accommodated in a developer tank of the liquid developing device.

  The liquid developer accommodated in the developer tank is applied with a uniform thickness on the surface of a developing roller, a developing sleeve, etc. in the liquid developing device of the image forming apparatus. The liquid developer applied to the developing roller or the like develops the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive member as a liquid developer thin layer in the developing area to form a toner image. At this time, the development area is developed to form a toner image. At this time, the liquid developer remaining on the developing roller or the like when passing through the developing region is removed by the scraping blade and collected in the developer tank. The toner image formed on the photosensitive member is transferred to a transfer sheet and fixed by a fixing unit to form an image. Further, the toner remaining on the photosensitive member after the transfer process is removed by the cleaning means, and the image forming process ends.

The liquid developer used in this image formation is a product in which a solid component consisting of a resin and a pigment is dispersed in an insulating liquid (carrier liquid). When developing, the liquid developer contains charged toner in the insulating liquid. Is moved by electrostatic force to develop the electrostatic latent image. Therefore, the development efficiency is improved as the moving distance is shorter. For this purpose, it is desirable to form a thin layer of a micron unit of liquid developer on a developer support such as a developing roller, and to develop the thin liquid developer in contact with the photoreceptor. This is particularly remarkable when a high-viscosity liquid developer having a viscosity of 50 to 10,000 mPa · s is used.
When developing with a thin layer of liquid developer as described above, since the density is determined by the thickness of the layer, it is important to form a uniform thin layer of the liquid developer.

  In order to form such a thin layer of liquid developer, Patent Document 2 proposes a coating roller (anilox roller) whose surface is regularly engraved. Specifically, the amount of the liquid developer is measured by bringing a doctor blade into contact with the application roller, and is directly transferred and applied to the development roller to form a uniform liquid developer thin layer. Then, development is performed by bringing the thin layer formed on the surface of the developing roller into contact with the photoreceptor.

In the coating mechanism disclosed in Patent Document 2, the specifications for the developing roller are strict and the range of selection is narrow, making it difficult to produce highly durable parts. The following are the required characteristics for the developing roller.
(1) It should be of low hardness so that a predetermined development nip can be formed by contact with the photoreceptor.
(2) At least the surface is made of a conductive material to which a bias can be applied.
(3) At least the surface has a mechanical strength that is not easily worn by rubbing with the application roller.
(4) At least the surface has a mechanical strength that is not easily worn by rubbing with the cleaning blade.
(5) It has smoothness so that a liquid developer can be uniformly applied to the photoreceptor.
Of these, the problems (3) and (4) are particularly related to the durability of the material and determine the life of the roller. For example, in a conventional developing device, when a conductive PFA tube is used on the surface of the developing roller, the durable life is about 50,000 sheets.

Patent Document 3 proposes an intermediate application roller inserted between an application roller and a development roller. By providing the intermediate application roller, it is not necessary for the developing roller, which is the member to be applied, to have a high durability as the developing roller comes into contact with the application roller, and the required characteristics for the developing roller can be relaxed.
Further, by passing through the nip between the intermediate application roller and the application roller, the intermediate application roller functions as a doctor member by contacting the application roller at the nip portion. By applying the liquid developer that has passed through the nip portion, the contact of the doctor blade with the application roller can be eliminated. In the structure in which the blade is brought into contact with each other, the coating roller on which the blade comes into contact and the blade itself are easily worn, and the life of the member is shortened. On the other hand, the member life of the application roller can be extended because the intermediate application roller functions as a doctor without contacting the blade.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 07-152254 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-265122 JP 2003-156938 A

In the metering mechanism of Patent Document 3 described above, since the intermediate application roller functions as a doctor member by contacting the application roller at the nip portion between the application roller and the intermediate application roller, the contact between the application roller and the intermediate application roller. The state greatly affects the coating amount. If the position of the application roller and the intermediate application roller deviates from the desired positional relationship due to manufacturing errors such as component accuracy and assembly accuracy, the contact state at the nip portion of the two rollers also deviates, and the application amount Cause unevenness of the image and uneven density of the image. Here, the deviation of the contact state means that the nip width is too wide when the two rollers are too close, or conversely the nip width is too narrow, or the nip width is uniform in the longitudinal direction when the two rollers are inclined. Say that it will be in a state that is not.
Further, the fact that the position of the application roller and the intermediate application roller as described above deviates from the desired positional relationship is not limited to manufacturing errors, and the shape or assembly of the member changes over time by continuing to use it. Even it happens.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and the object of the present invention is to obtain a stable image quality with a uniform density by preventing unevenness of the coating amount on the member to be coated. It is an object of the present invention to provide a liquid developer coating apparatus that does not require high durability that is difficult to produce on a member to be coated, and a developing apparatus and an image forming apparatus including the coating apparatus.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 is directed to a coating member that rotates while carrying a predetermined amount of a liquid developer on the surface, and a contact between the surface of the coating member and the surface of the coating member. The surface movement direction at the portion moves in the same direction and at the same speed as the coating member, and comes into contact with the surface of the member to be coated on which the liquid developer is coated and is in contact with the surface of the member to be coated. The surface moving direction of the intermediate coating member has an intermediate coating member that moves in the direction opposite to the coated member.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the liquid developing coating apparatus according to the first aspect, the position of the intermediate coating member is fixed and the position of the coating member is adjusted.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the liquid developer coating apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, an adjustment mechanism that can be independently adjusted is provided at a plurality of locations in the longitudinal direction of the coating member.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the liquid developer coating apparatus according to the second or third aspect, wherein the mounting members for mounting the coating member to the liquid developer coating device are both ends of the shaft of the coating member. And a fitting portion that is fitted into and fixed to a wall surface hole provided on a wall surface of the liquid developer coating apparatus, and the shape of the hole and the fitting portion is circular, The mounting member has an eccentric shape in which the center of the bearing portion and the center of the fitting portion do not coincide with each other.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the liquid developer coating apparatus according to the fourth aspect, a mark is provided so that the eccentric direction of the center of the bearing portion provided eccentrically with respect to the center of the mounting member can be confirmed. It is characterized by this.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the liquid developer coating apparatus according to the fourth or fifth aspect, a sealing member is provided on a mating surface where the mating portion, the wall surface hole portion, and the mating portion are mated. It is what.
Further, the invention of claim 7 is the liquid developer coating apparatus according to claim 4, 5 or 6, wherein at least one of the two attachment members for supporting the coating member at both ends is outside the fitting portion. The diameter is larger than the outer diameter of the application member.
The invention according to claim 8 is the liquid developer coating apparatus according to claim 4, 5, 6 or 7, wherein the mounting member and the coating member are detachable from the liquid developer coating apparatus as a unit, There is a handle for attaching to and detaching from the attachment member.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the liquid developer coating apparatus according to the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh or eighth aspect, the coating member is rotated by being driven by the intermediate coating member. is there.
The invention according to claim 11 is the liquid developer coating apparatus according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10, wherein the adjusted coating member and the intermediate member are adjusted. It has a fixing mechanism which maintains a contact state with an application member.
According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the image carrier is more visible than the liquid developer applied on the surface of the developer carrier that moves in contact with the surface of the image carrier. In the developing device for imaging, as a liquid developer coating device for coating the liquid developer on the surface of the developer carrying member, claim 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or Eleven liquid developer coating apparatuses are used.
According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image carrier, an image forming means for forming an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the image carrier, and an electrostatic image formed on the surface of the image carrier by the image forming means. In an image forming apparatus having a developing device that visualizes a latent image from a liquid developer, the developing device according to claim 12 is used as the developing device.

  In the liquid developer coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13, the position of the coating member and the intermediate coating member is deviated from a desired positional relationship due to manufacturing errors such as component accuracy and assembly accuracy. The contact state between the coating member and the intermediate coating member can be adjusted even when the nip width with the intermediate coating member is not the desired width or the contact state is not uniform in the longitudinal direction. The width can be uniform in the longitudinal direction.

  According to the first to thirteenth aspects of the present invention, the nip width between the coating member and the intermediate coating member is uniform in the longitudinal direction with a desired width, so that the liquid developer passes through the nip portion and is applied to the intermediate coating member. The coating amount becomes uniform in a desired amount, and a coating surface having a uniform thickness can be stably formed on the intermediate coating member. Thereby, there is an excellent effect that a stable image quality with a uniform density can be obtained.

[Embodiment]
Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an electrophotographic copying machine (hereinafter referred to as a copying machine) which is a liquid development image forming apparatus will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, the configuration and operation of the entire copying machine according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a developing unit of the copying machine according to the present embodiment. The copying machine of FIG. 1 has a charging charger 2 as a charging means, an exposure device 3 as a writing means, a liquid developing device 4 as a developing means, and an intermediate transfer roller 5 around a photoconductor 1 as a latent image carrier. A transfer device provided and a photoreceptor cleaning device 7 as a cleaning means are disposed. As the material of the photoreceptor 1, a-Si, OPC, or the like can be used. Further, the charging device is not limited to the charger, and a form such as a roller can be used. As the exposure device 3, an LED, a laser scanning optical system, or the like can be used.

  A case where an image is formed by reversal development with the copying machine having the above-described configuration will be described. The photosensitive member 1 is rotationally driven in the arrow direction at a constant speed during copying by a driving means such as a motor (not shown). Then, after being charged uniformly in the dark by the charging charger 2, an original light image is irradiated and formed by the exposure device 3, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the photoreceptor 1. Thereafter, the electrostatic latent image is visualized (developed) by the developing device 4 while passing through the portion where the photosensitive member 1 and the developing device 4 face each other. The toner image developed on the surface of the photoreceptor 1 is transferred to the intermediate transfer roller 5 by the primary transfer unit 15 and then transferred to the transfer paper by the secondary transfer unit 18, and the transfer paper is further connected to a fixing device (not shown). Passing through, fixing is performed on the recording paper P, and discharged outside the apparatus.

After the transfer, the residual potential of the photosensitive member 1 is removed by the charge eliminating lamp 6 and the residual toner is removed by the photosensitive member cleaning device 7 to prepare for the next image formation. The transfer means is not limited to a method using an electrostatic roller using an intermediate transfer roller 5 and a secondary transfer roller 8 as shown in FIG. 1, and for example, a method using corona discharge, an adhesive transfer method, a thermal transfer method, or the like. Etc. can also be used. Further, as a fixing device (not shown), a thermal transfer method, solvent fixing, UV fixing, pressure fixing, or the like can be used.
The developer used in the copying machine of the present embodiment is a liquid developer having a low viscosity (about 1 cSt) and a low concentration (about 1%) using Isopar (Exxon trademark) as a carrier that is generally commercially available. Rather, it is a highly viscous and high concentration liquid developer. As the viscosity and concentration range of the developer, for example, a viscosity of 50 to 10,000 mPa · s and a concentration of 5% to 40% are used. As the carrier liquid, a highly insulating material such as silicone oil, normal paraffin, Isopar M (Exxon trademark), vegetable oil, mineral oil or the like is used. Volatile and non-volatile can be selected according to the purpose. The particle size of the toner can be selected from submicron to about 6 μm according to the purpose.

Next, the configuration of the developing device 4 of the present embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the developing device includes a developer containing tank 41 for containing the liquid developer D, a developing roller 42, a sweep roller 45, and the like. The developer containing tank 41 has a stirring / conveying screw 48. Is provided. Furthermore, it also has a coating device 43 provided with a coating roller 46 and an intermediate coating roller 47 whose surface is engraved with a uniform pattern as a coating means. The intermediate application roller 47 and the sweep roller 45 are each provided with a cleaning member made of a metal blade or a rubber blade. Each cleaning member is not limited to a blade, and may be a roller type.
The developing roller 42 and the sweep roller 45 are each provided with an elastic layer having conductivity on the outer peripheral surface. Urethane rubber can be used as the material for these elastic layers. The surface hardness of the elastic layer is preferably 50 degrees or less in terms of JIS-A hardness so that a nip can be efficiently formed with the photoreceptor 1. The material of the elastic layer is not limited to urethane rubber, but may be any material that has conductivity and does not swell or dissolve with the carrier liquid / developer. Further, the surfaces of the developing roller 42 and the sweep roller 45 are electrically conductive and are not swelled or dissolved by the carrier liquid / developer, so that the carrier liquid / developer does not contact the inner layer. If it is a structure, the material of the elastic body layer as the inner layer should just have elasticity, without the restrictions of said electroconductivity and swelling dissolution. At this time, it is necessary to apply the developing bias voltage / sweep bias voltage not from the shafts of the developing roller 42 and the sweep roller 45 but from the surface.

Further, instead of providing the elastic layer on the developing roller 42 and the sweep roller 45, an elastic layer may be provided on the photosensitive member 1 side. Further, the photoreceptor may be composed of an endless belt-like member. Further, the developing roller 42 and the sweep roller 45 are configured by coating or tubes so that the surfaces thereof have a smoothness of Rz 3 μm or less.
When the developing roller 42 and the sweep roller 45 are brought into contact with the photoreceptor 1 with appropriate pressure, the elastic layer of each roller is elastically deformed to form a developing nip and a removal nip. In particular, by forming the developing nip, it is possible to ensure a certain developing time for the toner of the liquid developer D to move and adhere to the photoreceptor 1 by the developing electric field in the developing region. Moreover, the nip width which is the width | variety of the surface moving direction in each nip part can be adjusted by adjusting a contact pressure. Each nip width is set to the product of the linear speed of each roller and the development time constant, or more. Here, the development time constant is the time required until the development amount is saturated, and is obtained by dividing the necessary minimum nip width by the process speed. For example, if the required minimum nip width is 5 mm and the process speed is 500 mm / sec, the development time constant is 10 msec.

During the developing operation, a thin layer of the liquid developer D is formed on the surface of the developing roller 42 by the coating device 43. At this time, the thickness of the liquid developer D applied on the developing roller 42 was set so that the pigment content in the toner carried per 1 cm ^{2 of the} surface thereof was 3 μg or more and 60 μg or less. For this purpose, a thin layer of the liquid developer D was applied to a thickness of 3 to 12 μm. This is because when the coating thickness of the liquid developer D is such that the pigment content in the toner carried per 1 cm ^{2 of the} surface of the developing roller 42 is less than 3 μg, a sufficient amount of pigment is present on the photoreceptor 1. This is because there is a possibility that the image density of the image portion may be reduced without moving to the image portion of the latent image formed above. Further, if the pigment content in the toner carried per 1 cm ^{2 on the} surface of the developing roller is greater than 60 μg, the excess toner remaining on the background after development increases, and removal by the sweep roller 45 is not possible. This is because there is a risk of becoming perfect.

  The thin layer of the liquid developer D formed on the surface of the developing roller 42 is developed according to the latent image on the photosensitive member when passing through the developing nip formed by the photosensitive member 1 and the developing roller 42. . That is, the toner moves to the photoreceptor 1 in the image portion, and in the background portion (non-image portion), the toner is moved to the surface of the developing roller 42 by the electric field formed by the developing bias potential and the photoreceptor potential. To prevent toner from adhering to the surface. However, if a part of the toner on the background portion does not move to the surface of the developing roller 42 and remains on the photosensitive member 1, it causes fogging. Therefore, the developing device 4 of the copying machine according to the present embodiment is provided with the sweep roller 45 for sweeping (cleaning) toner that causes the fog (hereinafter referred to as “fogging toner”). The sweep roller 45 is disposed downstream of the developing roller 42 in the rotation direction of the photosensitive member 1 and pressed against the photosensitive member 1 so as to sandwich the developed toner layer. The surface of the sweep roller 45 removes fog toner from the background while moving at substantially the same speed as the surface of the photoreceptor 1.

  The toner after development by the developing roller 42 is removed to prevent ghosting. In the developing device 4, the surface movement direction at the contact portion between the intermediate application roller 47 and the development roller 42 is reversed, and the intermediate application roller 47 removes toner remaining on the surface of the development roller 42 after development. . Further, the liquid liquid developer D removed by the sweep roller is removed by the sweep cleaning blade 50 in order to maintain the sweep performance. These liquid developers D are collected in an adjustment tank (not shown), and are sent again into the developer storage tank 41 after the concentration is adjusted. In the adjustment tank, there are agitation means, concentration detection means (not shown), and liquid amount detection means (not shown), and the concentration and liquid amount are detected with the concentration of the liquid developer D in the tank uniform. The density is adjusted by replenishing new toner and replenishing the carrier. The supply amount of the liquid developer D into the developer storage tank 41 from here is set to be slightly larger than the usage amount of the liquid developer D, and the overflow amount returns to the adjustment tank. The liquid developer D is always circulated.

  In the liquid developing device 4 that performs the operation as described above, the density of the image is greatly affected by the thickness of the liquid developer D applied on the developing roller 42 that is a developer bearing member. For this reason, an anilox roller whose surface is engraved is used as the application roller. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the application roller 46 which is an anilox roller. Engraving grooves having a pattern as shown in FIG. 2 (a) are formed on the surface of the roller. Conventionally, the engraving groove is formed by scraping off excess liquid developer D on the roller surface with a doctor blade as a measuring means. Was accurately measured and applied onto the developing roller to form a uniform thin layer of the liquid developer D. The engraving shape on the surface of the application roller 46 is not limited to the hatched type shown in FIG. 2A, and the turtle shell type shown in FIG. 2B and the lattice type shown in FIG. 2C are generally used.

Conventionally, the developing roller is brought into direct contact with this application roller and rotated in the reverse direction at a peripheral speed equal to or higher than the peripheral speed of the application roller, so that the engraved pattern on the application roller is uniformed and thinned at the time of transfer. Was forming.
For this reason, the surface of the developing roller is always in contact with the engraving pattern on the surface of the coating roller with a large linear velocity difference, and there is a problem that the surface is damaged by the rubbing here and the life is shortened.
In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-287513, an intermediate coating roller is provided between the coating roller and the developing roller. The intermediate application roller rotates at a constant speed with respect to the application roller, and rotates in the reverse direction with respect to the developing roller. Since the developing roller is not in direct contact with the application roller, it is not damaged by the engraving pattern of the application roller. Further, the developing roller contacts the intermediate coating roller in the reverse direction, but the surface of the intermediate coating roller does not have irregularities so that the surface of the developing roller is not damaged. For these reasons, mechanical stress applied to the developing roller is reduced, and the life of the developing roller can be extended.
On the other hand, although the intermediate application roller is in contact with the application roller but is at a constant speed, mechanical stress received from the application roller is reduced. The liquid developer layer formed from the application roller to the intermediate application roller is a transfer of the engraving pattern on the surface of the application roller as it is, but the movement directions of the surfaces are reversed when transferred to the development roller. Therefore, the intermediate coating roller was stretched by making the peripheral speed higher than the peripheral speed of the developing roller, and this pattern was leveled to form a uniform coating surface.

When a continuous test of image formation was performed using the liquid developer coating apparatus having such a configuration for the developing unit, even when 200,000 sheets were completed, the intermediate coating roller and the developing roller were damaged due to mechanical stress. No image degradation was seen. Further, it was found that if the continuous test is continued, the surface of the intermediate coating roller of the coating device is scratched earlier than the surface of the developing roller, and the image quality is deteriorated, so that the roller must be replaced.
In order to further improve the durability life of components while maintaining high image quality, the present applicants disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-037963, focusing on the surface roughness of the surface of the intermediate coating roller, for continuous durability evaluation. The test was conducted. It has been clarified that the surface roughness of the intermediate coating roller is increased to some extent and the scratch on the roller surface is sharply reduced by extending the roller life by setting the ten-point average surface roughness Rz to 3 μm or more.

  Also, if the blade is brought into contact with the application roller to measure the amount of application, when a foreign object is mixed between the application roller and the blade, the blade tip that contacts the application roller is clogged, causing streaks on the application surface. Will occur. As described above, in the mechanism that uses a roller having a fine pattern with a uniform pattern on the surface as a coating roller and measures the coating amount by bringing a regulating member into contact therewith, a doctor blade and a doctor roller are used as the regulating member. The case of using is generally performed. The doctor blade is worn and has the problem of causing coating unevenness due to contamination of foreign matter at the tip, etc., but is suitable for downsizing the apparatus because of its relatively simple configuration. On the other hand, the doctor roller is more advantageous than the blade in terms of wear and foreign matter clogging, but there is a problem that the apparatus becomes large.

Therefore, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-156938, the intermediate application roller is also used as a doctor roller. That is, it is measured by squeezing excess liquid developer D adhering to the application roller at the contact portion between the application roller and the intermediate application roller. Therefore, if the contact state between the intermediate application roller and the application roller is non-uniform, the application amount becomes non-uniform, and if the contact state changes, the application amount also changes.
The non-uniform contact state here means a state where the contact width between the intermediate application roller and the application roller is not uniform in the longitudinal direction, and the cause of the non-uniform contact width is the accuracy of parts and assembly during manufacturing. This is due to an error in the angle between the two rollers. In addition, the inclination between the two rollers is not limited to an error during manufacturing, but also occurs when the shape or assembly of the member changes over time due to continued use.
The contact state between the application roller and the intermediate application roller greatly affects the application amount. If the applicator roller and intermediate applicator roller are tilted due to manufacturing errors such as component accuracy and assembly accuracy, the nip width will be in a non-uniform contact state in the longitudinal direction. It causes density unevenness.
In addition, the inclination between the application roller and the intermediate application roller is not limited to an error at the time of manufacture, and may occur even if the shape or assembly of the member changes due to vibration or rubbing accompanying image formation over time.

  In the coating apparatus 43 of this embodiment, the intermediate coating roller 47 and the coating are applied so that the inclination between the coating roller and the intermediate coating roller is eliminated, and the nip width between the two rollers is uniform in the longitudinal direction and is in an appropriate contact state. The contact state between the rollers 46 can be adjusted. As a result, even if there is an error in parts accuracy or assembly accuracy at the time of initial assembly or roller replacement, it can be adjusted so that it is in an appropriate contact state, and a stable image with a uniform application amount can be obtained. Obtainable.

Next, a description will be given of the coating apparatus 43 according to this embodiment in which the contact state is adjusted by adjusting the distance between the axes of the intermediate coating roller 47 and the coating roller 46. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of adjustment of the contact state in the coating apparatus 43 of the present embodiment. The contact state between the intermediate application roller 47 and the application roller 46 may be adjusted by fixing the position of the intermediate application roller 47 and moving the application roller 46 with respect to this, as shown in FIG. The intermediate application roller 47 needs to maintain an appropriate contact state with the developing roller 42 as a member to be applied at the contact portion N2. Therefore, when the intermediate application roller 47 is moved to adjust the contact state with the application roller 46, the contact state with the developing roller 42 changes, and the contact state with the development roller 42 needs to be adjusted again. Further, the intermediate cleaning roller 49 is in contact with the intermediate application roller 47 at the contact portion N3, and the same applies to this contact state. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the position of the intermediate application roller 47 is fixed, and the application roller 46 is moved in the direction of the arrow A to adjust the contact state.
The application roller 46 and the intermediate application roller 47 need to be longer than the image area on the photosensitive member 1, and are inevitably long in the axial direction. If there are two long roller inclinations in the axial direction, the contact state is biased in the longitudinal direction, and there are many cases where the contact state becomes uneven. Therefore, as an adjusting mechanism at a plurality of locations, an adjusting mechanism that is in contact with both ends of the application roller 46 is provided.
As described above, since the distance between the axes of the application roller 46 and the intermediate application roller 47 can be adjusted, the nip width at the contact portion between the two rollers can be set to a nip width suitable for image formation. And the nonuniformity of the contact state by the bias | inclination in a longitudinal direction can be eliminated by adjusting two adjustment mechanisms provided in the both ends each independently in the arrow A direction.

[Example 1]
Next, a description will be given of a first embodiment (hereinafter referred to as a first embodiment) of an adjustment mechanism that adjusts the contact state between the application roller 46 and the intermediate application roller 47. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the application roller 46 and the intermediate application roller 47 of the application apparatus 43 according to the first embodiment, and the contact state adjusting mechanism.
In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the first adjusting portion 400a including the first pressure spring 402a and the first adjusting screw 401a, the second pressure spring 402b and the second adjusting screw are provided at both ends of the shaft of the application roller 46. A second adjustment unit 400b including 401b is provided, and the pressure of the spring is adjusted by each adjustment screw.
When the nip width of the nip portion N1 on the first adjustment portion 400a side is narrow and the nip width on the second adjustment portion 400b side is an appropriate width, the first adjustment portion 400a side of the nip portion N1 is more than the desired amount. Since a large amount of the liquid developer D passes through, the image on the first adjustment unit 400a side becomes dark and the image density becomes uneven. In such a case, the first adjustment screw 401a is turned to increase the pressure applied to the first pressure spring 402a, so that the nip width is uniform and appropriate from the first adjustment unit 400a side to the second adjustment unit 400b side. And stable image quality with uniform density can be obtained.
The adjustment as described above is performed manually while checking the formed image density at the time of inspection before shipment after manufacture and at the time of maintenance by a serviceman when the product is continuously used. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be adjusted by the user as necessary, or non-uniformity of the contact state may be detected and controlled with respect to deformation of the member over time due to use.
In the first embodiment, the pressing force of the spring is adjusted by the adjusting screw. However, it is also possible to adjust the distance between the two rollers by directly pressing the shaft end portion with the adjusting screw without using the spring. It is.

[Example 2]
In the adjusting mechanism configured as in the first embodiment, in order for the shaft portion 46a of the coating roller 46 to move, the shaft portion 46a can move in a portion through which the shaft portion 46a of the wall portion 430 of the coating apparatus passes. Clearance is required to Here, since at least a part of the coating roller is immersed in the 46 liquid developer D, it is necessary to seal the shaft portion 46a so that the liquid developer D does not leak. However, if the shaft portion 46a can be moved even a little to adjust the contact state, the performance of the seal will be significantly reduced.
Therefore, a second embodiment (hereinafter referred to as a second embodiment) in which the position of the shaft of the coating roller 46 can be adjusted and the performance of the seal at the wall portion 430 of the coating apparatus is not deteriorated will be described.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of an attachment portion in which one end portion of the application roller 46 according to the second embodiment is attached to the wall portion 430 of the application device via the attachment member 460. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the attachment member 460.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the mounting member 460 that supports the application roller 46 and is attached to the fitting hole 431 on the wall portion 430 side is fitted into the fitting portion 431 of the bearing portion (the bearing 463 and the shaft seal member 462) and the wall portion 430. The mounting fitting portion 461 is configured. The fitting hole 431 of the wall portion 430 and the attachment fitting portion 461 of the attachment member 460 are circular, and the center of the bearing 463 is eccentric by d1 with respect to the center of the attachment fitting portion 461.
With such a configuration, the position of the bearing portion relative to the wall portion 430 is moved by rotating the attachment member 460 relative to the wall portion 430. By moving the position with respect to the central wall portion 430 of the bearing portion, the inter-axis distance between the intermediate application roller 47 and the application roller 46 fixed to the application device 43 changes. Thereby, the contact state of the application roller 46 and the intermediate application roller 47 can be arbitrarily adjusted by rotating the attachment member 460 in the direction of arrow B. At this time, the bearing portion is composed of a bearing 463 for positioning the shaft portion 46a between the mounting member 460 and the application roller 46, and a shaft seal member 462 for preventing leakage from the gap between the shaft portion 46a. Thereby, even if the contact state between the application roller 46 and the intermediate application roller 47 is adjusted, the seal member is not deformed, so that the sealing performance can be maintained.

In the second embodiment, the bearing portion is decentered by d1 = 0.3 mm with respect to the mounting fitting portion 461 which is circular, and when there is no error between the component accuracy and the assembly accuracy, non-contact (0.1 mm gap) is achieved. It is possible to adjust from the state to the state where the biting amount is 0.5 mm.
Further, if the attachment member 460 is made of an insulating material such as polyacetal, the coating device 43 and the coating roller 46 can be insulated. At least the surface of the intermediate application roller 47 is covered with a non-insulating material so that frictional charging or the like is not performed between the intermediate application roller 47 and the developing roller 42 that is a member to be applied. The coating roller 46 is preferably made of metal in order to form and maintain a fine groove shape on the surface. When a bias for forming a developing electric field is applied on the developing roller 42 which is a member to be coated, if the coating roller 46 is in electrical contact with the coating device 43, leakage occurs. It is necessary to be insulated from the wall 430 of the coating device.

  As described above, since the amount of eccentricity is small, it is difficult to visually determine the direction of eccentricity. Therefore, it is convenient to attach the protrusion 464 as a mark in the eccentric direction. In FIGS. 5 and 6, the protrusion is used as a mark. However, the mark is not limited to this, and may be a notch or a mark. Any shape or method may be used.

There is a concern that the contact state may change due to a slight rotation of the mounting member 460 during use after the contact state is appropriately adjusted. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the attachment member 460 is provided with a lock mechanism.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a lock mechanism that prevents the mounting member 460 from rotating during use.
A flat spring 465 having a convex shape that fits into a concave groove (hereinafter referred to as a flange concave portion 466) disposed on the outer periphery of the flange portion of the attachment member 460 is attached to the coating device 43. When the attachment member 460 is rotated and the adjustment is determined, the convexity of the leaf spring 465 is engaged with a flange recess 466 somewhere to prevent rotation, and the attachment member 460 is prevented from rotating during use. Here, the configuration in which the leaf spring 465 having the convex shape at the tip is described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a screw hole is formed in the corresponding portion and adjusted so as to be fitted into the concave shape of the outer peripheral portion. It is also possible. In any case, any mechanism can be used as long as it can hold the adjusted position.

At least a part of the coating roller 46 is immersed in the liquid developer D, from which the liquid developer D is supplied onto the surface of the coating roller 46. For this reason, in order to position the shaft portion 46a, it is necessary to seal even a portion where the mounting member 460 that can rotate with respect to the wall portion 430 of the coating apparatus engages with the wall portion 430. As a method of sealing at the fitting portion, a method of sandwiching a thin elastic gasket and fastening with a screw is generally used. However, since it is necessary to adjust the position of the shaft portion 46a by rotating the portion to be sealed in the coating device 43, it is difficult to maintain the sealing performance during the adjustment work by the method of fastening with screws as described above. .
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a fitting portion between the attachment member 460 and the wall portion 430 of the coating apparatus.
In the coating device 43, a sealing groove 467 is provided in a part of the fitting surface 461f of the mounting member 460 with the wall portion 430, as shown in FIG. 8, so that the sealing performance can be maintained even when the mounting member 460 is rotated. Sealing is performed by fitting an O-ring in the groove. In such a sealing means, the sealing performance can always be maintained even if it rotates during adjustment. Thereby, the working efficiency is improved without the liquid developer D leaking even during adjustment.

By using the mounting member 460 as shown in FIG. 8 and rotating the mounting member 460 in a state of fitting with the wall portion 430 of the coating device, the amount of biting of the coating roller 46 with respect to the intermediate coating roller 47 is changed to be in a contact state. Adjustments are being made. By independently adjusting the two axial ends, the contact state between the two rollers can be made appropriate and uniform even when the application roller 46 and the intermediate application roller 47 are inclined in the axial direction.
Since the liquid developer D can be adjusted with the liquid developer D put in, the intermediate application roller 47 is rotated from a state where the liquid developer D has been stopped for a while, and the contact state is easily confirmed by observing the portion that has hit the nip portion N1. be able to. Further, since the seal of the bearing portion of the shaft portion 46a and the seal of the fitting portion between the mounting member 460 and the wall portion 430 can always maintain the sealing performance at the time of adjustment and use after the adjustment, the liquid developer There is no Dno leakage and the workability is good.

In the coating device 43, the basic coating amount is determined by the volume of the groove engraved on the surface of the coating roller 46. Although it is possible to control the amount of application by changing the relative speed of the intermediate application roller 47 with respect to the member to be applied, there are limitations on the drive system and the like, and the adjustment of the width of about 20 to 30% is the limit. If it is desired to change beyond this, it is necessary to replace the application roller 46 with one having a different groove volume. As shown in FIG. 3, the application roller 46 is present below the intermediate application roller 47. When the conventional application device is replaced, the development roller 42 and the intermediate application roller 47 are removed and then replaced. Workability is very bad.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a method for attaching and detaching the application roller 46 in the application device 43. As shown in FIG. 9, the coating device 43 is fitted with the mounting member 460 for mounting the coating member on the wall 430 with respect to the outer diameter D _roll of the coating roller 46 so that the coating roller 46 can be efficiently replaced. The diameter D _hole of the fitting hole 431 to be increased is made larger.
Since D _hole > D _roll , the application roller 46 can be taken out from the fitting hole 431 opened by removing the mounting member 460, and can be attached and detached in the direction of the arrow C. It can be replaced without removing.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the handle member 469 is attached to the attachment member 460. The handle member 469 is removable with respect to the attachment member 460, and is attached only when the attachment member 460 is inserted into and removed from the wall portion 430 of the coating apparatus. As described above, when the application roller 46 is replaced, the attachment member 460 is improved in workability if the attachment member has a handle for removing the seal as shown in FIG. In the coating device 43, as shown in FIG. 9, the inner diameter D _hole of the fitting hole 431 in the wall portion 430 of the coating device for attaching the coating roller 46 is larger than the outer diameter D _{roll of the} coating roller 46. When replacing the roller 46, the handle member 469 can be held and removed from the fitting hole 431 without removing the upper intermediate application roller 47 and the like.
When removing at the time of replacement, the attachment member 460 is rotated so that the contact state between the application roller 46 and the intermediate application roller 47 becomes non-contact (or the lowest pressure state), and then the removal is performed more smoothly. Can do. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the surface of the intermediate application roller 47 from being damaged during insertion and removal. In the coating device 43, by rotating the mounting member 460, the amount of biting can be adjusted from the non-contact state (0.1 mm gap) to 0.5 mm. Therefore, the replacement operation is performed after the non-contact state.

  By using the coating device 43 of the liquid developer D having the above-described configuration for the developing unit of the image forming apparatus, a stable and uniform thin layer of the liquid developer D can be formed on the developing roller 42, and high quality. An image can be obtained stably. That is, the contact state between the application roller 46 and the intermediate application roller 47 for measuring the application amount of the liquid developer D can be easily adjusted. Further, by using the eccentric mounting member 460 that rotates to move the position of the shaft portion 46a of the application roller 46, there is no problem such as leakage of the liquid developer D that is a concern during adjustment. Further, when it is desired to change the application amount significantly, the application roller 46 can be easily replaced from the fitting hole 431, and the efficiency of the replacement work can be greatly improved.

[Modification 1]
In the second embodiment, the shaft portion 46a of the application roller 46 is configured to pass through the mounting member 460. Here, Modification 1 in which the shaft portion 46a does not pass through the mounting member 460 will be described.
FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of the intermediate application roller 47 and the application roller 46 of the application device 43 according to the first modification. FIG. 12 is a diagram for attaching the end of the application roller 46 of the first modification to the wall portion 430 of the application device. It is explanatory drawing of the attachment member 460. FIG.
In the first modification, the application roller 46 is not forcibly driven by transmitting drive from the shaft portion 46a, but is driven by an intermediate application roller 47 that is driven by transmitting drive from the shaft 47a.
In the coating device 43 according to the first embodiment, the coating roller 46 and the intermediate coating roller 47 are rotated so as to be substantially constant speed. If there is a speed difference, there is a problem that the surface of the intermediate application roller 47 is damaged by the application roller 46 and the life of the intermediate application roller 47 is reduced. If the contact state of the application roller 46 with respect to the intermediate application roller 47 is appropriately adjusted, the application roller 46 is rotated along with the rotation of the intermediate application roller 47 in the direction of arrow α, and the direction of arrow β Can rotate at a constant speed.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11, the application roller 46 is driven at the same speed as the intermediate application roller 47 by the frictional force from the intermediate application roller 47 received from the roller surface even if the application roller 46 is not forcibly driven by transmitting the drive. Can rotate. In such a rotating state, the load between the two rollers is the minimum, and the mechanical load applied to the roller surface, particularly the surface of the intermediate application roller 47, can be minimized. It is.

  Furthermore, by adopting a drive system in which the application roller 46 is driven by the intermediate application roller 47, it is not necessary to expose the shaft portion 46a of the application roller 46 to the outside of the wall portion 430 of the application device. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 12, it is not necessary to provide a through hole for passing the shaft portion 46a through the mounting member 460, and it is not necessary to seal the rotating shaft portion 46a. Therefore, a counterbore hole for holding the bearing is provided, and the bearing 463 is provided in the counterbore hole, so that not only a simple structure but also a more robust structure against the leakage of the liquid developer D is obtained.

In the developing device 4 of the present embodiment, by using the photoreceptor 1 whose surface is formed of amorphous silicon (a-Si), the mechanical strength superior to that of the organic photoreceptor (OPC) is exhibited, and the lifetime thereof Since the image quality can be increased, a high-quality image can be obtained stably.
In this embodiment, the configuration in which the roller shape is applied as the coating member, the intermediate coating member, and the image carrier has been described. However, the configuration is not limited thereto, and a belt-shaped member may be used.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the contact state between the intermediate application roller 47 as the intermediate application unit of the application device 43 and the application roller 46 as the application member can be adjusted. A coating surface having a uniform thickness can be formed stably. If this is used in an image forming apparatus, a high-quality image can be stably obtained.
Further, in adjusting the contact state between the intermediate application roller 47 and the application roller 46 of the application device 43, the intermediate application roller 47 is fixed, and the position of the application roller 46 is adjusted to adjust the contact state. Adjustment can be performed without affecting the contact state between the developing roller 42 in contact with the application roller 47 and the intermediate cleaning blade 49 as a removal member.
In addition, by providing means for adjusting the distance between the shafts of the intermediate application roller 47 and the application roller 46 of the application device 43 at both ends in the longitudinal direction and adjusting them independently, the nip is caused by the inclination of both rollers, particularly in the longitudinal direction. Even if the part N1 is in an inappropriate contact state, it can be easily adjusted to an appropriate state.
Further, the shape of the fitting portion of the mounting member 460 that supports the shaft portion 46a of the coating roller 46 and is fitted to the wall portion 430 of the coating device for mounting on the main body is circular, and the center of the bearing 463 is decentered from the center. It is a member. Accordingly, by rotating the mounting member 460, the position of the shaft portion 46a of the application roller 46 can be moved, and the distance between the axes of the application roller 46 and the intermediate application roller 47 can be adjusted. Thereby, the adjustment of the contact state at the nip portion N1 can be simplified. Further, since the shaft seal member 462 of the shaft portion 46a is not subjected to a load by adjustment, the sealing performance is not impaired, and problems such as leakage of the liquid developer D from the seal portion do not occur.
Further, by attaching the protrusion 464 as a mark in the eccentric direction of the mounting member 460, a rough index when adjusting the inter-axis distance between the application roller 46 and the intermediate application roller 47 can be obtained, and workability is improved. Can be made.
In addition, by providing a locking function to the mounting member 460 in the adjusting mechanism that adjusts the contact state between the application roller 46 and the intermediate application roller 47, it is possible to prevent fluctuations in the contact state due to loosening during use, and the like. The coated surface can be formed.
Further, a seal groove 467 is provided on the fitting surface 461f of the attachment member 460 for attaching the application roller 46 and adjusting the contact state, and a seal member such as an O-ring 468 is provided here to seal the attachment fitting portion 461. By doing so, it is possible to work without damaging the seal even during adjustment, and work efficiency can be improved. Further, since a seal with a simple configuration is possible, the apparatus can be reduced in size and cost.
Further, by adjusting the contact state to the intermediate application roller 47 by rotating the application member 46 of the application roller 46 with the bearing 463 eccentric, the contact state can be easily adjusted. . In addition, since the seal performance of the shaft portion 46a and the seal of the mounting member 460 can be maintained at all times during adjustment and during use after adjustment, there is no leakage and workability is good.
Further, by making the _hole diameter D _hole of the fitting hole 431 for fitting the attachment member 460 for attaching the application roller 46 to the apparatus main body larger than the outer diameter D _{roll of the} application roller 46, the application roller 46 is passed through the hole. It becomes possible to put in and out. For this reason, the application roller 46 can be easily replaced.
Further, by attaching the handle member 469 to the attachment member 460 for attaching the application roller 46 to the apparatus main body, it is possible to improve workability when fitting and detaching from the main body.
Further, by replacing the application roller 46 from the fitting hole 431 for attaching the main body, the application roller 46 can be replaced without removing the intermediate application roller 47 and the like, so that an efficient replacement operation is possible.
Further, by setting the contact state between the application roller 46 and the intermediate application roller 47 to an appropriate state, the intermediate application roller 46 is driven by the frictional force from the nip portion N1 that is a contact portion with the intermediate application roller 47. 47 can be rotated. By rotating it, the configuration of the drive system can be simplified and the apparatus can be miniaturized. Further, since the mechanical load due to sliding between the rollers can be reduced as compared with the case where both rollers are driven separately, the life of the intermediate application roller 47 can be particularly improved.
Further, by rotating the application roller 46 along with the intermediate application roller 47, it is not necessary to transmit drive from the shaft portion 46a, and it is not necessary to pass the shaft portion 46a through the attachment member 460. For this reason, the seal of the shaft portion 46a is not required by the mounting member 460, the configuration can be simplified, and leakage does not occur.
Further, by using the coating device 43 in the developing device 4 of the image forming apparatus, a stable and uniform thin layer of liquid developer can be formed on the developing roller 42, and a high-quality image can be stably obtained. It becomes. That is, the contact state between the application roller 46 and the intermediate application roller 47 for measuring the application amount of the liquid developer can be easily adjusted, and there is no problem such as leakage of the liquid developer at the time of adjustment. Further, when it is desired to change the coating amount significantly, the coating roller 46 can be easily replaced, and the efficiency of the replacement work can be greatly improved.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a main part of the copier according to the first embodiment. It is a front view of the anilox roller as a coating roller in which the concave part of the uniform pattern was formed in the surface, (a), (b), (c) shows the example of the shape of the concave part formed in the surface of the coating roller. FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of contact state adjustment in the developing device according to the first embodiment. Explanatory drawing of the adjustment mechanism which adjusts the contact state of the coating device which concerns on Example 1. FIG. Explanatory drawing of the part which attaches the coating roller which concerns on Example 2 to a coating device. Explanatory drawing of an attachment member. Explanatory drawing of the locking mechanism of an attachment member. Explanatory drawing of the fitting part of an attachment member and the wall part of a coating device. Explanatory drawing of the attachment-detachment method of the application roller with respect to an application | coating apparatus. It is explanatory drawing of the state which attached the member with respect to the attachment member, (a) is a front view, (b) It is a side view. Explanatory drawing of the intermediate | middle application roller and application roller in the coating device which concerns on the modification 1. FIG. Explanatory drawing of the attaching part of the coating roller in the coating device which concerns on the modification 1. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Photoconductor 2 Charger charger 3 Exposure apparatus 4 Developing apparatus 5 Intermediate transfer roller 6 Static elimination lamp 7 Photoconductor cleaning apparatus 8 Secondary transfer roller 15 Primary transfer part 18 Secondary transfer part 41 Developer accommodation tank 42 Developing roller 43 Coating apparatus 45 Sweep roller 46 Application roller 47 Intermediate application roller 49 Intermediate cleaning blade 50 Sweep cleaning blade 400 Adjustment part 401 Adjustment screw 402 Pressure spring 430 Wall part 431 Fitting hole 460 Mounting member 461 Mounting fitting part 461f Fitting surface 462 Shaft seal member 463 Bearing 464 Projection portion 465 Leaf spring 466 Flange recess 467 Seal groove 468 O-ring 469 Handle member

Claims (13)

A coating member that rotates while carrying a predetermined amount of liquid developer on the surface;
The surface of the coating member that contacts the surface of the coating member moves in the same direction as the coating member and moves at a constant speed, and the liquid developer is coated. In a liquid developer coating apparatus having an intermediate coating member that contacts a surface of a member and a surface moving direction at a contact portion with the surface of the coated member moves in a direction opposite to the coated member,
An apparatus for applying a liquid developer, wherein the contact state between the application member and the intermediate application member can be adjusted. The liquid development coating apparatus according to claim 1,
A liquid developer coating apparatus, wherein the position of the intermediate coating member is fixed and the position of the coating member is adjusted. The liquid developer coating apparatus according to claim 2,
An apparatus for applying a liquid developer, comprising an adjusting mechanism capable of independently adjusting at a plurality of locations in the longitudinal direction of the application member. The liquid developer coating apparatus according to claim 2 or 3,
An attachment member for attaching the application member to the liquid developer application device,
A bearing that supports both ends of the shaft of the application member;
It comprises a fitting portion that is fitted and fixed to a wall surface hole provided in the wall surface of the liquid developer coating device,
The shape of the hole and the fitting portion is circular,
The liquid developer coating apparatus, wherein the mounting member has an eccentric shape in which a center of the bearing portion and a center of the fitting portion do not coincide with each other. The liquid developer coating apparatus according to claim 4, wherein
An apparatus for applying a liquid developer, wherein a mark is provided so that an eccentric direction of the center of the bearing portion provided eccentrically with respect to the center of the mounting member can be confirmed. The liquid developer coating apparatus according to claim 4 or 5,
An application device for a liquid developer, wherein a sealing member is provided on a fitting surface where the fitting portion, the wall surface hole portion, and the fitting portion are fitted. The liquid developer coating apparatus according to claim 4, 5 or 6,
An apparatus for applying a liquid developer, wherein an outer diameter of at least one of the fitting portions of two attachment members supporting the application member at both ends is larger than an outer diameter of the application member. In the application device of the liquid developer of Claim 4, 5, 6 or 7,
The attachment member and the application member are integrally removable from the liquid developer application device,
An apparatus for applying a liquid developer, comprising a handle for attaching to and detaching from the attachment member. The liquid developer coating apparatus according to claim 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8.
The liquid developer coating apparatus, wherein the coating member rotates following the intermediate coating member The liquid developer coating apparatus according to claim 9, wherein
A liquid developer coating apparatus, wherein a rotating shaft of the coating member does not penetrate the mounting member. The liquid developer coating apparatus according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10.
A liquid developer coating apparatus comprising: a fixing mechanism that maintains a contact state between the coating member and the intermediate coating member that have been adjusted. In a developing device that visualizes an electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of an image carrier from a liquid developer applied to the surface of the developer carrier that moves in contact with the surface of the image carrier.
Application of the liquid developer according to claim 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or 11 as a liquid developer application device for applying the liquid developer to the surface of the developer carrying member. A developing apparatus using the apparatus. An image carrier, an image forming unit for forming an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the image carrier, and the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the image carrier by the image forming unit is visible from a liquid developer. In an image forming apparatus having a developing device that forms an image,
An image forming apparatus using the developing device according to claim 12 as the developing device.

Images