JP2011191557A - Image removing device, and image forming and removing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image removing device capable of reliably recovering a thermoplastic image forming substance scraped off by a cleaning blade, and to provide an image forming and removing system having the image removing device. <P>SOLUTION: The image removing device includes: a peeling means peeling a thermoplastic image forming substance from a reusable recording material R onto a peeling roller 102 by a thermal transfer process; a first cleaning means transferring the thermoplastic image forming substance, which has been thermally transferred onto the peeling roller 102, onto a heated cleaning roller 105; a second cleaning means scraping off the thermoplastic image forming substance, by bringing a cleaning blade 106 into contact with the cleaning roller 105 and reciprocally moving the blade in a direction approximately perpendicular to the rotating direction of the cleaning roller 105; and a recovering means cooling and recovering the thermoplastic image forming substance scraped off by the cleaning blade 106 by bringing the cleaning blade into contact with an extended drum adhering to one end of the cleaning roller 105 in a direction approximately perpendicular to the rotation direction of the roller. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image removal apparatus and an image formation removal system.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, image forming apparatuses such as printers, analog copying machines, digital copying machines, and printing machines using electrophotographic methods, ink jet recording methods, and thermal transfer recording methods have become widespread. As a recording material on which an image is formed using such an image forming apparatus, generally used paper is made from recyclable wood pulp.

  However, in order to produce paper, much energy is consumed in the process of extracting pulp from wood and the process of drying paper. In some of the paper manufacturing processes, fuel derived from biomass such as black liquor, which is a residue extracted from wood, is used, but a large amount of fossil fuel is used in all processes. is the current situation.

  Carbon dioxide generated from the use of fossil fuels is considered to be a causative substance that causes global warming, and it is also desirable to reduce the amount of paper used to prevent depletion of fossil fuels. ing. It is also an important social issue to protect forests, maintain ecosystems and prevent deterioration of the global environment by reducing paper consumption. Further, since inorganic components that do not burn or decay are generally added to paper, when the paper is discarded, waste that needs to be landfilled is generated at a certain rate.

  For this reason, after forming an image on a reusable recording material using a thermoplastic image forming material, the image is removed by thermally transferring the thermoplastic image forming material to a peeling member and peeling it, thereby making the reusable recording material A method of repeatedly using is known.

  In Patent Document 1, an image forming substance is formed by pressing a thermoplastic image forming substance formed on a recording material while the image forming substance is heated by superimposing the recording material and a roller-shaped peeling member. An image removing apparatus is disclosed in which an image forming substance on a recording material is transferred to a roller-shaped peeling member and removed by separating the recording material from the roller-shaped peeling member after the substrate is bonded to the roller-shaped peeling member. Yes. This image forming apparatus presses, contacts and slides with a roller-shaped peeling member without rotating the transfer cleaning roller whose surface is made of a material exhibiting adhesiveness to the image-forming substance with the roller-shaped peeling member. Thus, the image forming substance transferred from the recording material to the roller-shaped peeling member is temporarily transferred to the transfer cleaning roller. The image forming material transferred to the transfer cleaning member is scraped off by the cleaning blade and falls due to its own weight.

  However, when the viscosity of the image forming material scraped off by the cleaning blade is high, there is a problem that it is difficult to drop due to its own weight. Further, since tension is generated by the rotation of the transfer cleaning roller, there is a problem that the image forming material scraped off by the cleaning blade is not easily dropped by its own weight.

  The present invention provides an image removal apparatus capable of reliably recovering a thermoplastic image forming material scraped off by a cleaning blade, and an image formation removal system having the image removal apparatus in view of the above-described problems of the prior art. The purpose is to do.

  The invention according to claim 1 is an apparatus for removing an image made of a thermoplastic image forming material formed on a recording material, wherein the thermoplastic image forming material is recorded on the recording material while rotating a peeling member. A thermoplastic image transferred to the peeling member by sliding the cleaning member and the peeling member while the cleaning member is heated and rotated while the cleaning member is heated and rotated. A first cleaning means for transferring the forming material to the cleaning member; and a thermoplastic image forming material transferred to the cleaning member with respect to a direction in which the cleaning member rotates while bringing a cleaning blade into contact with the cleaning member. Second cleaning means for scraping by reciprocating in a substantially vertical direction, and the cleaning A direction that is substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the cleaning member rotates in a region including a curved surface of the cleaning member that faces the cleaning blade by moving the ladle in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the cleaning member rotates. And a recovery means for recovering the thermoplastic image forming material scraped off by the cleaning blade by heating or cooling by bringing it into contact with an extended member extending from one end or both ends of the release member, The cleaning members are each independently a roller or an endless belt.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image removing apparatus according to the first aspect, the extending member has a temperature lower than that of the cleaning member, and is substantially in a direction in which the cleaning member of the cleaning member rotates. Adhered to one or both ends in the vertical direction, the recovery means recovers the cooled thermoplastic imaging material by scraping it off using a scraping member.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image removing device according to the first aspect, the extending member is in a direction in which the cleaning member rotates in a region including a curved surface facing the cleaning blade of the cleaning member. And is fixed to one end or both ends in a substantially vertical direction, and the recovery means recovers the heated or cooled thermoplastic imaging material by dropping it by its own weight. And

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image removing apparatus according to the third aspect, the extending member has a temperature higher than that of the cleaning member, and the collecting means removes the heated thermoplastic image forming substance. It collects by dropping by its own weight.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image removing apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the extending member includes a fluororesin on the surface.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image removing apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the cleaning member has a heat insulating layer at an end portion on the side where the extending member is extended. It is formed.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the image removing apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the cleaning blade has a plate-like shape on one side end or both sides of the front end portion in contact with the cleaning member. A member is provided.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the image removing apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, when the image removing apparatus is activated, when the image removing apparatus is warmed up, or when the image is removed. When the removal apparatus is finished, the recovery means further has a control means for controlling to recover the thermoplastic image forming material scraped by the cleaning blade by heating or cooling.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the image removing apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, the detection means for detecting the amount of the thermoplastic image forming material scraped off by the cleaning blade; When the detection means detects that the amount of the thermoplastic image forming material scraped by the cleaning blade has reached a predetermined amount, the recovery means heats or cools the thermoplastic image forming material scraped by the cleaning blade. And control means for controlling so as to collect.

  The invention according to claim 10 is an apparatus for removing an image made of a thermoplastic image-forming substance formed on a recording material, wherein the peeling member having a thermoplastic composition layer formed on the surface thereof is rotated. While, the thermoplastic image forming substance is peeled off by thermal transfer from the recording material to the peeling member, and the cleaning member and the peeling member are slid while the cleaning member is heated and rotated. The thermoplastic image forming material thermally transferred to the peeling member and the first cleaning means for transferring the thermoplastic composition layer to the cleaning member, and the thermoplastic image forming material and thermoplastic transferred to the cleaning member The cleaning blade that contacts the cleaning member is substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the cleaning member is conveyed. Second cleaning means scraped by reciprocating in the direction, and thermoplastic image scraped by the cleaning blade by bringing the cleaning blade into contact with the extending member extending from the cleaning member Recovery means for recovering the forming material by heating or cooling, the thermoplastic image forming material thermally transferred to the peeling member, and the thermoplastic composition layer on the peeling member in which the thermoplastic composition layer is transferred to the cleaning member The peeling member and the cleaning member are each independently a roller or an endless belt.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the image forming and removing system, the image removing apparatus according to any one of the first to tenth aspects and the image forming apparatus that forms the image on the recording material. Features.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming / removing system according to the eleventh aspect, the recording material is provided with identification information indicating that the image can be removed by the image removing device, and the image forming device. Includes first detection means for detecting the identification information, the image removal device further includes second detection means for detecting the identification information, and the first detection means detects the identification information. Only when it is detected, the image forming apparatus is controlled to form the image on the recording material, and the image is formed only when the second detecting means detects the identification information. The image processing apparatus further includes control means for controlling the image removing apparatus so as to remove the image from the recording material.

  The invention described in claim 13 is the image formation removal system according to claim 11, wherein the recording material is provided with first identification information indicating that the image can be removed by the image removal device, The image forming apparatus includes a first detection unit that detects the first identification information, forms the image on the recording material, and gives second identification information. A second detection unit configured to detect the second identification information; and forming the image on the recording material only when the first detection unit detects the first identification information. The image removal apparatus controls the image forming apparatus and removes the image from the recording material on which the image is formed only when the second detection unit detects the second identification information. Control means for controlling the device And having further.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the image formation removal system which has the image removal apparatus which can collect | recover the thermoplastic image forming substance scraped off with the cleaning blade reliably, and this image removal apparatus can be provided.

It is a figure which shows an example of the image removal apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the method of isolate | separating a reusable recording material from a peeling roller. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of the image forming apparatus in FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows the cleaning blade of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the holder holding the cleaning blade of FIG. FIG. 2 is a bottom view showing a method of scraping a thermoplastic image forming substance using the cleaning blade of FIG. 1. It is a perspective view which shows the modification of the cleaning blade of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows arrangement | positioning with respect to the cleaning roller of the blade member of FIG. It is a side view which shows the cleaning roller and extended member of FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a method of scraping a cooled thermoplastic imaging material. It is a side view which shows the modification of the extending drum of FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a method of scraping a cooled thermoplastic imaging material. It is a figure which shows the modification of the image removal apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the peeling roller of FIG. It is a figure which shows the modification of the image removal apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the image formation removal system of this invention. It is a figure which shows the other example of the image formation removal system of this invention.

  Next, the form for implementing this invention is demonstrated with drawing.

  FIG. 1 shows an example of an image removing apparatus of the present invention. The image removing apparatus 100 is provided with a heat and pressure roller 101 and a peeling roller 102 and a guide plate 103 that face the heat and pressure roller 101. The heating and pressing roller 101 is biased by the peeling roller 102 by applying a pressure of 20 to 200 N per side to both ends by using a biasing means (not shown) such as a spring, thereby forming a nip. Has been. When the reusable recording material R on which an image made of a thermoplastic image forming material is formed is conveyed to the nip, the reusable recording material R is heated and pressurized and adheres to the peeling roller 102 via the softened thermoplastic image forming material. Next, the reusable recording material R bonded to the peeling roller 102 is separated by the separation plate 104 after the angle of both sides is changed at the position A where the peeling roller 102 and the guide plate 103 intersect (see FIG. 2). The guide plate 103 is provided so as to overlap both sides of the reusable recording material R, and the separation plate 104 is provided so that the angle at which the reusable recording material R is separated is 30 ° to 180 °. . As a result, the thermoplastic image forming material formed on the reusable recording material R can be peeled off by thermal transfer to the peeling roller 102. At this time, both ends of the peeling roller 102 are held by bearings (not shown), and the driving force from a driving motor (not shown) is transmitted to a gear provided on one of the bearings, thereby rotating. can do. Instead of the peeling roller 102, an endless belt may be used as the peeling member. Further, instead of installing the guide plate 103 and the separation plate 104, the separation plate or the separation claw may be brought into contact with the peeling roller 102 by using an urging means such as a spring.

  The image removing apparatus 100 also includes a cleaning roller 105 to which the thermoplastic image forming material is transferred by sliding with the peeling roller 102 on which the thermoplastic image forming material is thermally transferred, and the thermoplastic image transferred to the cleaning roller 105. A cleaning blade 106 that scrapes the forming material and a recovery container 107 that recovers the thermoplastic image forming material scraped by the cleaning blade 106 are provided. At this time, the cleaning roller 105 is biased by the peeling roller 102 by applying a pressure of 5 to 50 N per side to both ends using a biasing means (not shown) such as a spring, and the nip is Is formed. Further, both ends of the cleaning roller 105 are held by bearings (not shown), and rotate when a driving force from a driving motor (not shown) is transmitted to a gear provided on one of the bearings. be able to. Further, the rotation axis of the cleaning roller 105 is parallel to the rotation axis of the peeling roller 102. Instead of the cleaning roller 105, an endless belt may be used as a cleaning member.

  The length of the tip of the cleaning blade 106 on the side in contact with the cleaning roller 105 is smaller than the length of the cleaning roller 105 in the direction of the rotation axis of the cleaning roller 105 in the region where the thermoplastic image forming material is transferred. Therefore, as will be described later, the thermoplastic image formed on the cleaning roller 105 is formed by reciprocating in the direction parallel to the rotation axis of the cleaning roller 105 while the cleaning blade 106 is in contact with the cleaning roller 105. Scrape off material. Thereby, the viscous resistance when the thermoplastic image forming material transferred to the cleaning roller 105 is removed by the cleaning blade 106 can be reduced. Further, even if a defect such as a chip occurs due to wear deterioration or the like at the tip of the cleaning blade 106 on the side in contact with the cleaning roller 105, streaky unevenness due to the defect continues to exist in the same location. Can be suppressed.

  On the other hand, the image removal apparatus 100 includes a tray 108R in which the reusable recording material R is stored, a roller 109R for supplying the reusable recording material R stored in the tray 108R one by one, and a reusable recording material supplied by the roller 109R. A roller pair 110R for conveying the recording material R is provided.

  In addition, the image removing apparatus 100 is provided with a sensor 111 that detects identification information of a reusable recording material R, which will be described later.

  When the sensor 111 detects the identification information of the reusable recording material R, the sensor 111 transmits a signal to control means (not shown) having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like. Next, when the control unit receives the signal, the control unit conveys the reusable recording material R between the heat and pressure roller 101 and the peeling roller 102. On the other hand, if the sensor 111 does not detect the identification information of the reusable recording material R, the sensor 111 does not transmit a signal to the control means, and the control means controls to convey the recording material to the tray 112.

  Further, the image removing apparatus 100 is provided with a roller pair 113 for discharging the reusable recording material R from which the thermoplastic image forming substance has been peeled off and a tray 114 for discharging the reusable recording material R.

  The thermoplastic image forming material is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include image forming materials used in electrophotography, thermal transfer recording, so-inkjet recording, and the like. Such an image forming substance preferably contains 50 to 98% by mass of a thermoplastic resin, 1 to 15% by mass of a colorant, and 1 to 10% by mass of a release agent. Moreover, it is preferable that melting | fusing point is 60-110 degreeC of a mold release agent.

  The reusable recording material R is a recording material in which a material for reducing fixability with a thermoplastic image forming material is applied to the surface of a substrate.

  Examples of the substrate include paper, synthetic paper, resin film, and the like, but paper is preferable because of its high heat resistance.

  Examples of substances that lower the fixing property with thermoplastic image forming substances include silicone resins, silane coupling agents, fluororesins, olefin resins, surfactants, sizing agents, release agents, and the like. An acid copolymer is preferred. At this time, since the migration of the olefin-maleic anhydride copolymer peeling member and the recording material can be prevented and the recording material can be used repeatedly, the olefin is doubled in the α-position of 10 to 20 carbon atoms. Olefin having a bond is preferred.

  The reusable recording material R is not particularly limited, but is a recording material to which a silicone compound is applied on the surface (see JP-A-9-204060 and JP-A-9-24061), and a surfactant is applied to the surface. Recorded material (see JP-A-10-74025), linearly or branched alkyl group or compound having an alkenyl group (JP-A-2005-234162), olefin- Examples thereof include a recording material (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-78618) having a maleic anhydride copolymer applied to the surface.

  In addition, when using paper as a base material, it is preferable that the smoothness by a Beck smoothness meter shall be 90 seconds or more. In order to reduce the unevenness of the surface of the reusable recording material R, a sealing layer containing a white pigment and a resin may be formed on the surface of the substrate. Examples of white pigments include calcium carbonate, titanium oxide, zinc oxide, and barium sulfate. Examples of the resin include styrene-butadiene polymer, acrylic resin, polyvinyl alcohol, starch, polyvinyl acetate, carboxymethyl cellulose, alginic acid, and gum arabic. The sealing layer may further contain a substance that reduces the fixing property with the thermoplastic image forming substance.

  Note that the reusable recording material R is provided with an image such as a notch, a hole shape, a barcode, or the like as identification information indicating that the image can be removed by the image removal apparatus 100. It is not erased by 100.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the heat and pressure roller 101 is made of fluorine such as PTFE or PFA in order to prevent adhesion of a thermoplastic image forming substance or the like to the surface of a base material 101a made of a metal such as aluminum or stainless steel. A release layer 101b containing a resin is provided. The heating and pressure roller 101 has a built-in heater 101c. As the heater 101c, a halogen lamp, an infrared lamp, an IH heater, or the like can be used. Further, the heating and pressing roller 101 is provided with a contact type or non-contact type temperature sensor (not shown), and the surface temperature is controlled. Although depending on the thermal characteristics of the thermoplastic image forming substance, the temperature of the surface of the heating and pressing roller 101 is usually 80 to 180 ° C., preferably 90 to 150 ° C. This allows the thermoplastic imaging material to be heated to 65-130 ° C.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the peeling roller 102, an elastic body layer 102b and a resin layer 102c are sequentially laminated on a base material 102a.

  The base material 102a is made of a metal such as aluminum or stainless steel.

  The elastic body layer 102b is made of a heat-resistant rubber such as silicone rubber having a rubber hardness of 20 ° to 60 ° or a foam of silicone rubber. The elastic layer 102b preferably has a thickness of 0.1 to 10 mm. Thereby, a 2-20 mm nip can be formed.

  The resin layer 102c is made of a heat-resistant resin having adhesiveness to a thermoplastic image forming material such as polyimide or polyether ether ketone. Therefore, the resin layer 102c can adhere the thermoplastic image forming material when the thermoplastic image forming material formed on the reusable recording material R is thermally transferred. The resin layer 102c preferably has a thickness of 20 to 100 μm.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning roller 105 has a base material 105a made of a metal such as aluminum or stainless steel, and a heater 105b is built therein. As the heater 105b, a halogen lamp, an infrared lamp, an IH heater, or the like can be used. Further, the cleaning roller 105 is provided with a contact-type or non-contact-type temperature sensor (not shown), and the surface temperature is controlled. Note that the temperature of the surface of the cleaning roller 105 is preferably 10 to 40 ° C. higher than the surface of the peeling roller 102, depending on the thermal characteristics of the thermoplastic image forming substance. As a result, the thermoplastic image forming material thermally transferred to the peeling roller 102 is easily transferred to the cleaning roller 105. The aluminum used as the substrate 105a is preferably subjected to a surface treatment such as alumite treatment in order to improve durability.

  The peripheral speed of the cleaning roller 105 is larger than the peripheral speed of the peeling roller 102, but is preferably 2 to 10 times the peripheral speed of the peeling roller 102. As a result, the speed at which the thermoplastic image forming material is transferred from the peeling roller 102 can be increased, and the amount of the thermoplastic image forming material transferred to the cleaning roller 105 can be increased. In order to suppress the occurrence of the stringing phenomenon, the direction in which the cleaning roller 105 rotates is preferably opposite to the direction in which the peeling roller 102 rotates.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the cleaning blade 106 is provided with a substantially rectangular parallelepiped thin plate 106 b adjacent to the cleaning roller 105 on both sides of the front end portion of the main body 106 a that contacts the cleaning roller 105. For this reason, when the cleaning blade 106 moves in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the cleaning roller 105, it is possible to suppress leakage of the thermoplastic image forming material scraped off by the cleaning blade 106. At this time, the cleaning blade 106 is disposed so that the tip B of the main body 106 a on the side in contact with the cleaning roller 105 is parallel to the rotation axis of the cleaning roller 105. 4A and 4B are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view, respectively.

  The angle α of the tip B of the main body 106a is 30 ° to 90 °. If α is an obtuse angle, the thermoplastic image forming material transferred to the cleaning roller 105 may not be sufficiently dammed unless the pressure between the cleaning roller 105 and the cleaning blade 106 is increased. Therefore, α is preferably an acute angle, but if α is too small, the strength of the main body 106a may be insufficient.

  Further, the angle β formed by the plane including the rotation shaft of the cleaning roller 105 and the tip B of the main body 106a and the surface of the main body 106a on the side where the thermoplastic image forming material is scraped is assumed to be positive in the direction in which the cleaning roller 105 rotates. Usually, it is −45 ° to 45 °. If β is too small, that is, if the negative absolute value is too large, it may be difficult to scrape the thermoplastic imaging material, and if it is too large, that is, if the positive absolute value is too large, α will be small. Therefore, the strength of the main body 106a may be insufficient.

  The length of the tip B of the main body 106a can be selected as appropriate according to the cleaning time of the cleaning roller 105, but is usually relative to the rotational axis of the cleaning roller 105 in the region where the thermoplastic image forming material of the cleaning roller 105 is transferred. About 1/20 to 1/2 times the length in the parallel direction, and preferably 1/4 to 1/2 times. If the length of the tip B is too short, the cleaning time of the cleaning roller 105 may become long, and if it is too long, the viscous resistance when removing the thermoplastic image forming material will increase, and the thermoplastic image forming material will be removed. It may not be able to be scraped off sufficiently.

  The cleaning time of the cleaning roller 105 means a time required for the cleaning blade 106 to clean the entire area of the cleaning roller 105 where the thermoplastic image forming material is transferred.

  The material constituting the main body 106a is not particularly limited as long as it is a heat resistant material; however, metals such as aluminum and stainless steel; polyimide, polyamideimide, polyether ether ketone, polyphenylene sulfide, polybutylene terephthalate, fluororesin, phenol resin And heat-resistant resins such as urea resins. At this time, when glass fiber is added to the heat resistant resin, the thermal expansion coefficient can be reduced. Thereby, the thermal expansion of the tip B contacting the cleaning roller 105 can be suppressed.

  Further, the main body 106a may be made of a metal and a heat-resistant resin. For example, the tip portion on the side in contact with the cleaning roller 105 and a portion other than the tip portion are made of a heat-resistant resin and a metal, respectively. Also good.

  The thickness of the thin plate 106b is usually 0.3 to 2 mm. If the thin plate 106b is too thin, the strength of the thin plate 106b may be insufficient or processing may be difficult. If it is too thick, the effective width of the cleaning blade 106 may be insufficient.

  The height of the main body 106a of the thin plate 106b from the surface on the side where the thermoplastic image forming material is scraped is usually 3 to 10 mm. If the height is too low, the thermoplastic image forming material scraped by the cleaning blade 106 may leak when the cleaning blade 106 moves in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the cleaning roller 105.

  The length of the thin plate 106b connected to the main body 106a is not particularly limited as long as it can be prevented from leaking out until the thermoplastic imaging material scraped by the cleaning blade 106 is collected. Usually, it is 3-20 mm.

  Further, the thin plate 106 b is connected to the main body 106 a so that a gap is formed between the surface facing the cleaning roller 105 and the cleaning roller 105.

  At this time, the distance between the surface of the thin plate 106b facing the cleaning roller 105 and the tangent plane of the cleaning roller 105 at the tip B of the main body 106a is the thickness of the thermoplastic image forming material transferred to the cleaning roller 105, Considering the amount of eccentricity of the cleaning roller 105, it is usually about 0.2 to 0.5 mm. If this distance is too small, the thin plate 106 b may scrape off the thermoplastic image forming material transferred to the cleaning roller 105. On the other hand, if this distance is too large, the thermoplastic image forming material scraped off by the cleaning blade 106 may leak when the cleaning blade 106 moves in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the cleaning roller 105.

  The thin plate 106b is not limited to a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the surface facing the cleaning roller 105 may be a curved surface, and a concave curved surface is preferable in consideration of forming a gap between the thin plate 106b and the cleaning roller 105. .

  At this time, in consideration of forming a gap with the cleaning roller 105, it is preferable that the curvature of the concave curved surface of the thin plate 106 b facing the cleaning roller 105 is larger than the curvature of the cleaning roller 105. If the concave curved surface of the thin plate 106 b facing the cleaning roller 105 is equal to or less than the curvature of the cleaning roller 105, the thin plate 106 b may scrape off the thermoplastic image forming material transferred to the cleaning roller 105.

  The material constituting the thin plate 106b is not particularly limited as long as it is a heat-resistant material, but metals such as aluminum and stainless steel; polyimide, polyamideimide, polyetheretherketone, polyphenylene sulfide, polybutylene terephthalate, fluororesin, phenol resin And heat-resistant resins such as urea resins. At this time, when glass fiber is added to the heat resistant resin, the thermal expansion coefficient can be reduced. Thereby, the thermal expansion of the thin plate 106b can be suppressed.

  At this time, it is preferable that the materials constituting the main body 106a and the thin plate 106b are the same because they can be integrally molded.

  In the cleaning blade 106, it is preferable that a release layer containing a fluororesin such as PTFE or PFA is formed in a region including the tip B. Thereby, sticking of the thermoplastic image forming substance can be suppressed. The release layer can be formed by applying or impregnating a coating solution containing a fluororesin.

  The cleaning blade 106 may be provided with a heater such as a ceramic heater or a rubber heater, and the cleaning blade 106 may be heated to 120 to 170 ° C.

  The cleaning blade 106 is held by a holder 121 as shown in FIG. The holder 121 has a base material 121a in which a concave portion is formed, and a plurality of urging means 121b for urging the cleaning blade 106 toward the cleaning roller 105 are provided in the concave portion of the base material 121a. At this time, since the end of the cleaning blade 106 that does not come into contact with the cleaning roller 105 is disposed in the recess of the base material 121a, the cleaning blade 106 moves in a direction other than the direction in which the biasing means 121b biases. Can be suppressed. 5A and 5B are cross-sectional views in a direction perpendicular to and a direction parallel to the rotation axis D of the cleaning roller 105, respectively.

  The material constituting the substrate 121a is not particularly limited as long as it is a highly rigid heat-resistant material, and examples thereof include metals such as aluminum and heat-resistant resins to which glass fibers are added.

  The urging means 121b is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include an elastic body such as a spring and rubber, an air cylinder, and the like. At this time, the cleaning blade 106 is biased by the cleaning roller 105 by applying a pressing force of about 0.1 to 1.0 N / mm using the biasing means 121b.

  Instead of the holder 121, a cylinder pin may be provided on the bottom surface of the cleaning blade 106 to hold the cleaning blade 106. As described above, it is important to maintain the posture of the cleaning blade 106 when being biased by the cleaning roller 105.

  The holder 121 is fixed to a slider 122 that reciprocates in a direction parallel to the rotation axis D of the cleaning roller 105 in the region where the thermoplastic image forming material of the cleaning roller 105 is transferred. At this time, the slider 122 can be moved by rotating the ball screw 123 arranged in parallel to the rotation axis D of the cleaning roller 105 using a stepping motor (not shown). The structure for fixing the holder 121 to the slider 122 is preferably a heat insulating structure.

  The substrate 121a may be omitted, and the slider 122 may be provided with a plurality of urging means 121b. Further, the slider 122 may be reciprocated using a linear motor.

  Next, a method for scraping the thermoplastic image forming material transferred to the cleaning roller 105 will be described with reference to FIG. First, the thermoplastic image forming material T transferred to the cleaning roller 105 is heated and fluidized. Next, the fluidized thermoplastic image forming material T is dammed and scraped off by a cleaning blade 106 that moves in a direction parallel to the rotation axis D of the cleaning roller 105. At this time, since the tension is generated by the rotation of the cleaning roller 105, the thermoplastic image forming material T stays. Further, the retained thermoplastic image forming substance T ′ is recovered by a method described later. At this time, the cleaning blade 106 draws a spiral locus on the cleaning roller 105.

  The cleaning blade 106 makes one reciprocation in a direction parallel to the rotation axis D of the cleaning roller 105 while the peeling roller 102 rotates 1 to 4 times. It is preferable to do. If the moving speed of the cleaning blade 106 is too high, a gap may be formed between the spiral trajectories, and the thermoplastic image forming material may not be sufficiently scraped off. On the other hand, if the moving speed of the cleaning blade 106 is too small, a large amount of thermoplastic image forming material is accumulated on the cleaning roller 105, and the cleaning performance may be deteriorated.

  Although not shown, when the cleaning roller 105 is not provided and the cleaning blade 105 is disposed so that the tip of the cleaning blade 106 directly contacts the cleaning roller 105 instead of the cleaning roller 105, the thermoplastic resin thermally transferred to the peeling roller 102 is provided. If the image forming substance needs to be reheated and cannot be heated, it becomes difficult to scrape the thermoplastic image forming substance at the tip B of the main body 106a of the cleaning blade 106.

  FIG. 7 shows a modification of the cleaning blade 106. In the blade member 131, the cleaning blade 106 and the blade 131a are fixed to the base member 131b. As shown in FIG. 8, the blade 131 a is disposed so as to contact the cleaning roller 105 on the downstream side of the cleaning blade 106 with respect to the rotation direction of the cleaning roller 105. For this reason, the blade member 131 can be brought into contact with the cleaning roller 105 stably.

  The tip of the blade 131a on the side in contact with the cleaning roller 105 has a curved surface shape with a radius of 0.5 to 3 mm when viewed in cross section.

  Further, the tip B ′ of the blade 131a on the side in contact with the cleaning roller 105 is parallel to the rotation axis of the cleaning roller 105, and is parallel to the tip B ′ of the cleaning blade 106 on the side in contact with the cleaning roller 105. .

  Note that the length of the tip B ′ of the blade 131a on the side in contact with the cleaning roller 105 may be equal to or longer than the length of the tip B on the side of the cleaning blade 106 in contact with the cleaning roller 105.

  The tip of the blade 131a may have an acute-angle shape when viewed in cross-section, similar to the main body 106a of the cleaning blade 106, but considering the strength of the blade 131a and the frictional resistance between the cleaning roller 105 and the blade 131a, A curved shape is preferred.

  The material constituting the blade 131a is not particularly limited as long as it is a heat resistant material; however, metals such as aluminum and stainless steel; polyimide, polyamideimide, polyetheretherketone, polyphenylene sulfide, polybutylene terephthalate, fluororesin, phenol resin And heat-resistant resins such as urea resins; heat-resistant rubbers such as fluorine rubber and silicone rubber. Of these, fluororesins, fluororubbers, and silicone rubbers are preferred because they are excellent in releasability from thermoplastic image forming substances. In addition, even when a defect such as a chip occurs due to wear deterioration or the like at the tip of the cleaning blade 106 on the side in contact with the cleaning roller 105, streaky unevenness caused by the defect can be smoothed. Rubber is particularly preferred.

  Note that a release layer containing fluororesin, fluororubber or silicone rubber may be formed on the surface of the blade 131a.

  The material constituting the substrate 131b is not particularly limited as long as it is a high-rigidity heat-resistant material, and examples thereof include metals such as aluminum, heat-resistant resins to which glass fibers are added, and ceramics.

  When the blade member 131 is held by the holder 121, the end of the blade member 131 on the side that does not come into contact with the cleaning roller 105 is disposed in the concave portion of the substrate 121a, as in the case of the cleaning blade 106.

  On the other hand, an extended drum 141 having a temperature lower than that of the cleaning roller 105 is bonded to one end of the cleaning roller 105 in a direction parallel to the rotation axis D, and an end portion on the side where the extended drum 141 is bonded. A heat insulating layer 105c is formed on the substrate (see FIG. 9). Therefore, as described above, when the cleaning blade 106 is moved in a direction parallel to the rotation axis D of the cleaning roller 105, it can be brought into contact with the extended drum 141 that rotates together with the cleaning roller 106. As a result, the thermoplastic image forming material scraped off by the cleaning blade 106 is cooled. At this time, the temperature of the extending drum 141 depends on the thermal characteristics of the thermoplastic image forming material, but is 20-40 ° C. below the melting point of the thermoplastic image forming material, that is, the temperature of the surface of the cleaning roller 105. Preferably it is low. Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the cooled thermoplastic image forming substance is scraped off by the scraping member 142 and is collected in the collection container 107.

  The control means abuts the scraping member 142 against the tip of the main body 106a of the cleaning blade 106 when scraping the cooled thermoplastic image forming material, and the scraping member 142 otherwise. Is controlled so as not to contact the thin plate 106b. At this time, a sensor for detecting the thin plate 106b may be provided.

  The material constituting the heat insulating layer 105c is not particularly limited as long as it is a heat resistant material; however, metals such as aluminum and stainless steel; polyimide, polyamideimide, polyetheretherketone, polyphenylene sulfide, polybutylene terephthalate, fluororesin, phenol Examples thereof include heat-resistant resins such as resins and urea resins. Of these, fluororesins are preferred because of their excellent release properties for thermoplastic image-forming substances.

  The outer diameter of the extended drum 141 is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the cleaning roller 105. At this time, it is preferable that the extending drum 141 has a release layer including a fluororesin such as PTFE or PFA formed on the surface thereof or a fluororesin such as PTFE or PFA. Thereby, sticking of the thermoplastic image forming substance can be suppressed. The release layer can be formed by applying or impregnating a coating solution containing a fluororesin.

  The scraping member 142 makes the blade-shaped tip end contact the tip of the main body 106a of the cleaning blade 106 by a spring, a cylinder, or the like. At this time, the force for bringing the blade-shaped tip portion into contact with the tip portion of the main body 106a of the cleaning blade 106 is usually about 0.1 to 5.0 N / mm.

  The control means preferably performs control so as to collect the thermoplastic image forming material scraped off by the cleaning blade 106 when the image removing apparatus 100 is started, warmed up, or terminated. Thereby, the cleaning blade 106 can scrape the thermoplastic image forming material transferred to the cleaning roller 105 while the image removing apparatus 100 is removing the image. At this time, the thermoplastic image forming material scraped off by the cleaning blade 106 at the start-up, warm-up or end of the image removing apparatus 100 is sufficiently cooled, and thus is easily scraped off by the scraping member 142. .

  Further, the image forming apparatus 100 may be provided with a sensor for detecting the amount of the thermoplastic image forming material scraped off by the cleaning blade. In this case, when the sensor detects that the amount of the thermoplastic image forming material scraped by the cleaning blade has reached a predetermined amount, the sensor transmits a signal to the control means. Next, when receiving the signal, the control means controls to collect the thermoplastic image forming material scraped by the cleaning blade 106. On the other hand, when no signal is received, the control means controls so as not to collect the thermoplastic image forming material scraped by the cleaning blade 106. Thereby, when the cleaning blade 106 moves in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the cleaning roller 105 due to continuous operation for a long time, the thermoplastic image forming material scraped by the cleaning blade 106 leaks out. Can be suppressed.

  The sensor is not particularly limited as long as it can detect the amount of the thermoplastic image forming material scraped off by the cleaning blade, but a photo sensor, a line sensor, or the like is preferable. Thereby, it is detected whether the height of the thermoplastic image forming material scraped off by the cleaning blade 106 is larger than the height from the surface of the main body 106a of the thin plate 106b on the side where the thermoplastic image forming material is scraped off. it can.

  Note that an extended drum 141 having a temperature lower than that of the cleaning roller 105 may be bonded to both ends of the cleaning roller 105 in a direction parallel to the rotation axis D.

  Further, when the extending drum 141 has the function of the heat insulating layer 105c, the heat insulating layer 105c may be omitted.

  FIG. 11 shows a modification of the extending drum 141. The extending member 141 ′ is in contact with one end of the cleaning roller 105 in a direction parallel to the curved rotation axis D facing the cleaning blade 106, and is extended except that it is fixed by a fixing member 142 ′. The configuration is the same as that of the installation drum 141. For this reason, when the cleaning blade 106 is moved in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the cleaning roller 105, the cleaning blade 106 does not rotate with the cleaning roller 105 but is brought into contact with the stationary extending member 141 ′. be able to. As a result, the thermoplastic image forming material scraped off by the cleaning blade 106 is released from the tension caused by the rotation of the cleaning roller 105, falls due to its own weight, and is collected in the collection container 107.

  At this time, if the thermoplastic image forming material scraped off by the cleaning blade 106 is difficult to fall due to its own weight, a heater such as a ceramic heater or a rubber heater is provided to heat the extending member 141 ′ to extend the extending member 141. It is preferable to set 'to a temperature higher than that of the cleaning roller 105. At this time, the temperature of the extending member 141 ′ is preferably 5 to 40 ° C. higher than the temperature of the surface of the cleaning roller 105, although it depends on the thermal characteristics of the thermoplastic image forming material.

  The outer diameter of the extending member 141 ′ is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the cleaning roller 105. At this time, it is preferable that the extending drum 141 has a release layer including a fluororesin such as PTFE or PFA formed on the surface thereof or a fluororesin such as PTFE or PFA. Thereby, sticking of the thermoplastic image forming substance can be suppressed. The release layer can be formed by applying or impregnating a coating solution containing a fluororesin.

  The fixing member 142 ′ is integrated with a bearing that holds the cleaning roller 105.

  Instead of heating the extending member 141 ′, the cleaning blade 106 may be heated.

  Further, the extending member 141 ′ may be in contact with both ends in a direction parallel to the curved rotation axis D facing the cleaning blade 106 of the cleaning roller 105, or may be in contact with the rotation axis D of the cleaning roller 105. The drum shape may be in contact with one end or both ends in a direction parallel to the direction.

  Further, when the extending member 141 ′ has the function of the heat insulating layer 105c, the heat insulating layer 105c may be omitted.

  FIG. 13 shows a modification of the image removing apparatus of the present invention. The image removing apparatus 100 ′ uses a peeling roller 102 ′ (see FIG. 14) provided with a thermoplastic composition layer 102d in place of the peeling roller 102 to form a solid image made of a thermoplastic image forming substance. A tray 108M for storing the medium M stored therein, a roller 109M for supplying the medium M stored in the tray 108M one by one, and a roller pair 110M for conveying the medium M supplied by the roller 109M are further provided. Except for regenerating the thermoplastic composition layer 102d at a predetermined timing and removing the image, it is the same as the image removing apparatus 100. In FIG. 13, the same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  The medium M can be manufactured by forming a solid image made of a thermoplastic image forming substance on the reusable recording material R using a known image forming apparatus. At this time, by setting the length of the solid image formed on the medium to be an integral multiple of the circumferential length of the peeling roller 102, the thermoplastic composition layer 102d having a uniform thickness can be formed.

  At this time, the control means controls so that the cleaning roller 105 does not rotate when the image removing apparatus 100 ′ removes the image.

  On the other hand, the control means stops the roller 109R and the roller pair 110R and controls the cleaning roller 105 to rotate when regenerating the thermoplastic composition layer 102d. As a result, the thermoplastic image forming material and the thermoplastic composition layer 102d thermally transferred to the peeling roller 102 ′ are transferred to the cleaning roller 105, scraped off by the cleaning blade 106, and collected by the method described above. As a result, the thermoplastic composition layer 102d is removed from the peeling roller 102 ′.

  Next, the control means controls so that the cleaning roller 105 does not rotate, and heat-transfers the solid image formed on the medium M to the peeling roller 102 ′ from which the thermoplastic composition layer 102d has been removed. After forming the plastic composition layer 102d, the image removing device 100 ′ controls to remove the image.

  The control means may control not to heat the cleaning roller 105 instead of controlling the cleaning roller 105 not to rotate when the image removing apparatus 100 ′ removes an image, or may control the cleaning roller 105. May be controlled so as not to be biased to the peeling roller 102 '.

  Further, when the image removing device 100 ′ removes the image, the control means makes the peripheral speed of the peeling roller 102 ′ larger than the peripheral speed of the cleaning roller 105, and regenerates the thermoplastic composition layer 102d. The peripheral speed of the peeling roller 102 ′ may be controlled to be smaller than the peripheral speed of the cleaning roller 105. For example, the peripheral speed of the cleaning roller 105 is set to 30 mm / second, and the peripheral speed of the peeling roller 102 ′ when the image removing apparatus 100 ′ removes an image and the reproduction of the thermoplastic composition layer 102 d is set to 60 mm / second, respectively. And 10 mm / sec.

  The thermoplastic composition layer 102d is softened when heated and pressed using the heating and pressure roller 101. Therefore, when the surface of the reusable recording material R has unevenness or the height of the reusable recording material R is different. Even if a certain image is formed, it can be contacted with the thermoplastic image forming material, and the thermoplastic image forming material can be thermally transferred well.

  The thickness of the thermoplastic composition layer 102d is usually 5 to 200 μm, and preferably 20 to 100 μm from the viewpoint of the adhesiveness of the thermoplastic image forming substance and the separability of the reusable recording material R. If the thickness is less than 5 μm, the effect of forming the thermoplastic composition layer 102d may be insufficient, and if it exceeds 200 μm, it may be difficult to separate the reusable recording material R and the peeling roller 102 ′. is there.

  The thermoplastic composition layer 102d preferably contains a thermoplastic resin having an SP value close to that of the thermoplastic resin contained in the thermoplastic image forming material, from the viewpoint of adhesiveness of the thermoplastic image forming material. Such a thermoplastic resin is not particularly limited, however, polyester; polystyrene, poly (p-chlorostyrene), styrene such as polyvinyltoluene, and substituted polymers thereof; styrene-p-chlorostyrene copolymer, styrene -Propylene copolymer, styrene-vinyltoluene copolymer, styrene-vinylnaphthalene copolymer, styrene-methyl acrylate copolymer, styrene-ethyl acrylate copolymer, styrene-butyl acrylate copolymer, styrene -Octyl acrylate copolymer, styrene-methyl methacrylate copolymer, styrene-ethyl methacrylate copolymer, styrene-butyl methacrylate copolymer, styrene-glycidyl methacrylate copolymer, styrene-dimethylamino methacrylate Ethyl copolymer, styrene-me Diethylaminoethyl crylate copolymer, styrene-diethylaminopropyl acrylate copolymer, styrene-ethylene glycol methacrylate copolymer, styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer, styrene-vinyl methyl ketone copolymer, styrene-butadiene copolymer, Styrene copolymers such as styrene-isoprene copolymer, styrene-acrylonitrile-indene copolymer, styrene-maleic acid copolymer, styrene-maleic acid ester copolymer; polymethyl methacrylate, polybutyl methacrylate, Polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl acetate, polyethylene, polypropylene, epoxy resin, epoxy polyol resin, polyurethane, polyamide, polyvinyl butyral, polyacrylic acid, rosin, modified rosin, terpene resin, aliphatic Alicyclic hydrocarbon resins, aromatic petroleum resins.

  Carboxylic acids used in the synthesis of polyesters include terephthalic acid, fumaric acid, maleic acid, succinic acid, glutaric acid, adipic acid, pimelic acid, suberic acid, azelaic acid, sebacic acid, brassic acid, pyromellitic acid, citracone Acid, glutaconic acid, mesaconic acid, itaconic acid, teraconic acid, phthalic acid, isophthalic acid, hemimellitic acid, merophanic acid, trimesic acid, planitic acid, trimellitic acid and the like may be used, and two or more may be used in combination.

  Examples of alcohols used in the synthesis of polyester include bisphenol A, hydrogenated bisphenol A, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, butanediol, neopentyldiol, hexamethylenediol, heptanediol, octanediol, pentaglycerol, pentaerythritol, and cyclohexanediol. , Cyclopentanediol, pinacol, glycerin, etherified diphenol, catechol, resorcinol, pyrogallol, benzenetriol, phloroglucinol, benzenetetraol and the like, and two or more of them may be used in combination.

  The thermoplastic composition layer 102d preferably contains a release agent from the viewpoint of separability of the reusable recording material R. The mold release agent preferably has a melting point of 60 to 110 ° C. Such release agents are not particularly limited, but include fluororesins, silicone resins, resins having a long-chain alkyl group in the side chain, carnauba wax, montan wax, beeswax, paraffin wax, microcrystalline wax, higher alkyl alcohol. Higher fatty acids, higher fatty acid esters, higher alkylamides and the like.

  The composition of the thermoplastic composition layer 102d is preferably substantially the same as the composition of the thermoplastic image forming substance. Thereby, the adhesiveness of the thermoplastic image forming substance can be improved. When the thermoplastic image forming material formed on the reusable recording material R is repeatedly peeled off, the thermoplastic composition layer 102d is mixed with the thermoplastic image forming material thermally transferred from the reusable recording material R. The composition of the thermoplastic composition layer 102d does not change greatly. As a result, stable adhesiveness of the thermoplastic image forming substance and separation of the reusable recording material R can be obtained.

  FIG. 15 shows a modification of the image removing apparatus of the present invention. The image removing device 100 ″ is the same as the image removing devices 100 and 100 ′ except that the thermoplastic image forming material formed on the reusable recording material R is sequentially thermally transferred to the peeling roller 102 and the peeling roller 102 ′. It is. In FIG. 15, the same components as those in FIGS. 1 and 13 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. As a result, the image removal characteristics are improved, and most of the thermoplastic image forming material formed on the reusable recording material R can be removed by the peeling roller 102, so that the thermoplastic composition layer 102d is regenerated. The frequency can be reduced.

  The method for transferring the thermoplastic image forming material thermally transferred to the peeling member to the cleaning member has been described above. However, the thermoplastic image forming material thermally transferred to the peeling member may be transferred to the cleaning member (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-1993). 311520).

  FIG. 16 shows an example of the image formation removal system of the present invention. In FIG. 16, the same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. In the image formation removal system shown in FIG. 16, an image removal apparatus 100 and an image formation apparatus 200 are provided in a housing.

  First, the image forming apparatus 200 will be described. The image forming apparatus 200 is a tandem digital color electrophotographic apparatus. In the image forming apparatus 200, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (Bk) toner images are formed on the photosensitive drums 201Y, 201M, 201C, and 201Bk, respectively. Next, the toner images of the respective colors are transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 203 by the transfer rollers 202Y, 202M, 202C, and 202Bk to which the bias voltage is applied, and are superimposed. The toner image superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 203 is transferred to the general paper P or the reusable recording material R by the transfer roller 204 to which a bias voltage is applied, and then the heated fixing roller 205 a of the fixing device 205. The toner is transported between the pressure rollers 205b to soften the toner and is fixed to the general paper P or the reusable recording material R. As described above, the general paper P or the reusable recording material R on which the image is formed is discharged onto the tray 207 via the roller pair 206.

  The photosensitive drum 201 is provided with a photoconductor layer and a protective layer on a conductive substrate such as metal, and is uniformly charged by charging means (not shown) such as a charging roller and a wire charger. Next, the uniformly charged photosensitive drum 201 is exposed by exposure means (not shown) such as a laser, LED, light emitter-liquid crystal light valve, and an electrostatic latent image is formed. Further, the photosensitive drum 201 on which the electrostatic latent image is formed is developed with toner containing a release agent by a developing unit (not shown) having a magnetic roller and a toner conveying roller inside, and a toner image is formed. . The toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 201 after the toner image is transferred is removed by a cleaning unit (not shown). Further, if necessary, the charge remaining on the photosensitive drum 201 after the toner image is transferred may be removed by a discharging means such as an AC charger or a light irradiator. Further, the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 201 may be uniformly charged by a charging means such as a corona discharger before being transferred. In addition, the surface potential of the photosensitive drum 201 is kept constant even when there is environmental change or deterioration due to repeated use by means for detecting the surface potential of the photosensitive drum 201 and means for controlling the voltage applied to the charging means. May be. Conversely, when it is not necessary to remove the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 201 after the toner image is transferred, the cleaning means may be omitted.

  The intermediate transfer belt 203 is provided so as to contact the rollers 203a and 203b, and tension is applied by a tension application mechanism (not shown). If necessary, the toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 203 after the toner image is transferred to the general paper P or the reusable recording material R may be removed by a cleaning means such as a brush or a roller. Further, after the toner image is transferred to the general paper P or the reusable recording material R, the charge remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 203 may be removed by the charge eliminating unit or may be uniformly charged by the charging unit. .

  The image forming apparatus 200 includes a general paper cassette 208P and a reusable recording material cassette 208R. The general paper cassette 208P stores general paper P such as high-quality paper, and the reusable recording material cassette 208R. Stores the reusable recording material R. At this time, the general paper P and the reusable recording material R are supplied one by one by rollers 209P and 209R, respectively, and are conveyed between the roller 203a and the transfer roller 204 by roller pairs 210P and 210R. If necessary, general paper or reusable recording materials of different sizes, usable paper types, or general paper or reusable recording materials of different feeding directions (vertical feed, horizontal feed) are accommodated. The number of cassettes may be increased.

  Next, a method for forming an image using the image formation removal system of FIG. 16 will be described. The image formation removal system forms an image in the first control mode or the second control mode on a user interface displayed on an operation panel (not shown) or a display of a computer connected to the image formation removal system. Control means (not shown) having CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., display means (not shown), control software (not shown), input means (not shown) such as buttons, etc. are provided so that the user can select It has been.

  The first control mode is a control mode in which an image is formed on the reusable recording material R. When the user selects the first control mode, the control unit selects the reusable recording material from the reusable recording material cassette 208R. After supplying R and forming an image, control is performed so that the reusable recording material R on which the image is formed is transported to the tray 207. At this time, when the sensor 211 detects identification information indicating that the image can be removed by the image removing apparatus 100, a signal is transmitted to the control means. Next, when the control means receives the signal, it forms an image on the reusable recording material R and, for example, uses the toner used when forming the image to form a second image on the corner of the reusable recording material R. After identifying an image such as a barcode as identification information indicating that an image has been formed in one control mode, control is performed so that the reusable recording material R is conveyed to the tray 207. Note that the identification information indicating that an image has been formed in the first control mode is erased when the image is removed, and thus is rewritten every time an image is formed on the reusable recording material R. However, the identification information indicating that the image has been formed in the first control mode may not be an image. For example, an IC chip is embedded in the reusable recording material R, and the image forming apparatus 200 or the image removing apparatus 100 has an IC. Means for rewriting information recorded on the chip may be provided.

  On the other hand, when no signal is received, the control unit performs control so that the image is not formed on the recording material to which the identification information indicating that the image can be removed by the image removal apparatus 100 is not formed, and is conveyed to the tray 207. . Further, the control means performs a process of displaying information for notifying the user that a recording material not provided with identification information indicating that the image can be removed by the image removing apparatus 100 is supplied on the operation panel or the display. Control to run. As a result, an image is formed in the first control mode on the recording material that is mixed in the reusable recording material storage container 208R and has not been given identification information indicating that the image can be removed by the image removing apparatus 100; It is possible to prevent identification information indicating that an image has been formed in one control mode.

  The second control mode is a control mode for forming an image on the general paper P. When the user selects the second control mode, the control unit supplies the general paper P from the general paper cassette 208P. Then, after the image is formed, control is performed so that the general paper P on which the image is formed is conveyed to the tray 207.

  Next, a method for removing an image using the image formation removal system will be described. The control unit controls the reusable recording material R to be supplied from the cassette 108R. At this time, when the sensor 111 detects identification information indicating that the image can be removed by the image removing apparatus 100 and identification information indicating that the image is formed in the first control mode, the sensor 111 transmits a signal to the control means. Next, when receiving the signal, the control unit controls the reusable recording material R from which the image has been removed to be transported to the tray 114 after the image removing apparatus 100 removes the image.

  On the other hand, when the signal is not received, the control unit controls the image removing apparatus 100 to convey the recording material to the tray 112 without removing the image. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the image formed on the recording material from which the image cannot be removed by the image removing apparatus 100 and the removal of the image that is not formed in the first control mode. As a result, it is difficult to separate the reusable recording material R from the peeling roller 102 because the image is not easily removed, and it is possible to prevent troubles such as a jam that occurs.

  Note that the sensor 111 may detect only the identification information indicating that the image is formed in the first control mode without detecting the identification information indicating that the image can be removed by the image removing apparatus 100.

  In order to prevent troubles such as jamming due to mixing of a recording material whose image cannot be removed by the image removing apparatus 100, the first process is performed when an image is formed on the reusable recording material R. The identification information indicating that the image is formed in the control mode may not be given. In this case, the sensor 111 detects only identification information indicating that the image can be removed by the image removing apparatus 100.

  On the other hand, the reusable recording material R from which the image has been removed can be conveyed from the tray 114 to the reusable recording material cassette 208R by the user to form an image again. At this time, if the tray 114 and the reusable recording material cassette 208R have the same configuration, they can be used interchangeably.

  Further, instead of providing the tray 114, a transport path for transporting the reusable recording material R from which the image has been removed directly to the reusable recording material cassette 208R may be provided.

  Further, the general paper cassette 208P may not be provided and an image may not be formed in the second control mode.

  FIG. 17 shows another example of the image formation removal system of the present invention. In FIG. 17, the same components as those in FIG. 16 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. The image formation / removal system shown in FIG. 17A includes a plurality of image forming apparatuses 200 provided in separate housings and an image removal apparatus 100 provided in separate housings. In addition, the image forming and removing system shown in FIG. 17B includes an image forming apparatus 200 and an image removing apparatus 100 that are provided in the same casing, and a plurality of image forming apparatuses that are provided in different casings. 200. In such an image formation removal system, the reusable recording material R on which an image is formed using a plurality of image forming apparatuses 200 is collected after the image information is used. The collected reusable recording material R is used again after the image is removed using the image removing device 100.

  As described above, the case of using an image forming apparatus that forms an image using electrophotography has been described. However, an image forming apparatus that forms an image using a thermal transfer recording method, an ink jet recording method using solid ink, or the like may be used. .

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to specific examples, but the present invention is not limited to the conditions mentioned in the examples.

[Production of Reusable Recording Material R]
A coating liquid was obtained by mixing 1 part by mass of a 25% by mass aqueous solution of an olefin-maleic anhydride copolymer hydrolyzate and 10 parts by mass of a 10% by mass aqueous polyvinyl alcohol solution.

The obtained coating solution was applied to both sides of copy paper Type 6200 (manufactured by Ricoh) using a wire bar so that the dry coating amount on one side was 2.3 g / m ² and dried at 120 ° C. for 5 minutes. After that, smoothing was performed using a super calender to obtain a reusable recording material R.

[Example 1]
On the reusable recording material R, a color pattern composed of a single solid color image was formed using imagio Neo C285 (manufactured by Ricoh). As the toner, an oilless polymerized toner containing 5 to 10% by mass of a wax component and containing polyester as a main component was used.

  In the image removing apparatus 100 of FIG. 1, the blade member 131 is used instead of the cleaning blade 106, and the image is removed under the following conditions.

Temperature of the surface of the heat and pressure roller 101: 120 ° C.
Pressure applied between the heat and pressure roller 101 and the peeling roller 102: 80 N (per one side)
Peripheral speed of peeling roller 102: 50 mm / sec Temperature of surface of cleaning roller 105: 130 ° C.
Pressure applied between the cleaning roller 105 and the peeling roller 102: 10 N (per one side)
The circumferential speed of the cleaning roller 105: 200 mm / second The rotation direction of the cleaning roller 105: the counter direction with respect to the peeling roller 102 The heating and pressing roller 101 is made of aluminum having an outer diameter of 30 mm and a length in the rotation axis direction of 310 mm. A release layer 101b made of PFA is formed on the substrate 101a, and a halogen heater is incorporated as the heater 101c. The peeling roller 102 has an elastic body layer 102b made of a silicone rubber foam having a thickness of 2 mm and a rubber hardness of 40 ° on a base material 102a having an outer diameter of 26 mm and a length in the rotation axis direction of 310 mm. Resin layers 102c made of 50 μm polyimide film tubes are sequentially laminated. The cleaning roller 105 has an aluminum base material 105a having an outer diameter of 30 mm and a length in the rotation axis direction of 310 mm, and a halogen heater is incorporated as the heater 105b. The substrate 105a has a flat surface and is anodized.

  In the blade member 131, a polyimide cleaning blade 106 and a PTFE blade 131a are fixed to an aluminum base 131b with an adhesive. At this time, the base material 131b is held in the concave portion of the base material 121a by the holder 121 provided with a spring as the biasing means 121a, and is adjusted so that the pressure on the cleaning roller 105 is 20N. . The holder 121 is fixed to the slider 122, and the slider 122 can be moved by rotating the ball screw 123 using a stepping motor (not shown).

  The cleaning blade 106 has a length of the tip B on the side of the main body 106a in contact with the cleaning roller 105 of 60 mm, an angle α of the tip B of 45 °, a plane including the rotation shaft of the cleaning roller 105 and the tip B of the main body 106a. The angle β formed by the surface of the main body 106a on the side where the thermoplastic image forming material is scraped is 30 °, the length of the thin plate 106b is 10 mm, the height is 5 mm, and the thickness is 0.8 mm. The thin plate 106b is connected to the main body 106a so that the distance between the surface facing the cleaning roller 105 and the tangent plane of the cleaning roller 105 at the tip B of the main body 106a is 0.5 mm. Further, the cleaning blade 106 is disposed obliquely below the cleaning roller 105 so that the angle formed by the vertical direction and the surface of the main body 106a on the side where the thermoplastic image forming material is scraped is about 45 °.

  The length of the tip B ′ on the side contacting the cleaning roller 105 is 60 mm, and the blade 131a has a curved shape with a radius of 1 mm when the tip is viewed in cross section.

  The blade member 131 has a length of the tip B on the side in contact with the cleaning roller 105 in a direction parallel to the rotation axis D of the cleaning roller 105 in about 0.5 seconds when the cleaning roller 105 makes one rotation, that is, It was moved 60 mm. At this time, for about 4 seconds when the cleaning roller 105 rotates 8 times (the peeling roller 102 rotates about 2 times), the cleaning blade 106 moves the region of the cleaning roller 105 to which the thermoplastic image forming material is transferred with respect to the rotation axis D. 1 round trip in a parallel direction.

  The extending drum 141 is made of PTFE, has an outer diameter of 30 mm, a thickness of 10 mm, and a length in the rotation axis direction of 65 mm, and is bonded to one end of the cleaning roller 105 in a direction parallel to the rotation axis D. ing. In this case, the extending drum 141 also serves as the heat insulating layer 105c, and the surface temperature was set to 65 ° C.

  The scraping member 142 is made of aluminum in which a release layer made of PFA having a length of 60 mm is formed at a tip portion that comes into contact with a surface of the main body 106a of the cleaning blade 106 on which the thermoplastic image forming material is scraped off. It is a blade and expands and contracts in a direction in which a shearing force is generated with respect to the thermoplastic image forming material scraped off by the cleaning blade 106.

  As a result, the toner thermally transferred to the peeling roller 102 was transferred to the cleaning roller 105 while the peeling roller 102 rotated once or twice. For this reason, it was determined that the cleaning property was high. Although the toner that passes without being scraped off by the cleaning blade 106 adhered to the surface of the cleaning roller 105 in a spiral shape, there was no problem in the cleaning performance. At this time, the thickness of the toner adhering to the surface of the cleaning roller 105 was 2 μm or less immediately after the cleaning blade 105 passed, and was 10 μm or less just before the cleaning blade 105 passed.

  When the length and moving speed of the tip B of the main body 106a of the cleaning blade 106 in contact with the cleaning roller 105 were changed and evaluated in the same manner, in practice, if the toner thickness is 10 μm or less, It was confirmed that there was no problem with the cleaning performance.

  Further, after the amount of toner scraped off by the cleaning blade 106 reached a predetermined amount, the cleaning blade 106 was brought into contact with the extended drum 141 to cool the toner. At this time, the toner adhered to the cleaning blade 106 due to the releasability of the surface of the extension drum 141, and then scraped off by the scraping member 142 and collected in the collection container 107.

  It has been confirmed that the toner is easily separated from the cleaning blade 106 when the toner is collected when the image removing apparatus 100 is started or warmed up.

  In addition, even when the toner is collected once for 100 sheets of paper, the cleaning roller 105 and the cleaning blade 106 were not damaged or worn so as to impair the cleaning performance. did.

[Example 2]
Instead of the extending drum 141, an extending member 141 ′ having a curved surface with an outer diameter of 30 mm is arranged with respect to the curved rotation axis D facing the cleaning blade 6 of the cleaning roller 105 through a heat insulating layer 105 c made of PTFE. The image was removed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the scraping member 142 was not used. At this time, the extending member 141 ′ has a release layer made of PFA formed on the surface of an aluminum substrate having a thickness of 2 mm and a length in the rotation axis direction of 65 mm. The extending member 141 ′ has a built-in rubber heater, and the surface temperature was 140 ° C.

  As a result, the toner thermally transferred to the peeling roller 102 was transferred to the cleaning roller 105 while the peeling roller 102 rotated once or twice. For this reason, it was determined that the cleaning property was high. Although the toner passing through the surface of the cleaning roller 105 without being scraped off by the cleaning blade 106 was slightly adhered in a spiral shape, there was no problem in the cleaning performance. At this time, the thickness of the toner adhering to the surface of the cleaning roller 105 was 2 μm or less immediately after the cleaning blade 105 passed, and was 10 μm or less just before the cleaning blade 105 passed.

  Further, after the amount of toner scraped off by the cleaning blade 106 reached a predetermined amount, the cleaning blade 106 was brought into contact with the extending member 141 ′ to heat the toner. At this time, the toner was released from the tension generated by the rotation of the cleaning roller 105, dropped due to its own weight, and was collected in the collection container 107.

  It has been confirmed that when the surface temperature of the extending member 141 ′ is the same as the surface temperature of the cleaning roller 105, it takes time for the toner to fall due to its own weight.

  In addition, even when the toner is collected once for 100 sheets of paper, the cleaning roller 105 and the cleaning blade 106 were not damaged or worn so as to impair the cleaning performance. did.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100, 100 ', 100''Image removal apparatus 101 Heating pressure roller 102, 102' Peeling roller 103 Guide plate 104 Separation plate 105 Cleaning roller 106 Cleaning blade 106a Main body 106b Thin plate 121 Holder 121a Base material 121b Energizing means 122 Slider 123 Ball screw 131 Blade member 131a Blade 131b Base material 141 Extension drum 141 'Extension member 142 Scraping member 142' Fixing member 200 Image forming apparatus M Media R Reusable recording material P General paper

JP 2009-92996 A

Claims (13)

An apparatus for removing an image made of a thermoplastic image forming material formed on a recording material,
A peeling means for peeling the thermoplastic image forming substance by thermal transfer from the recording material to the peeling member while rotating the peeling member;
A first cleaning means for transferring the thermoplastic image forming material thermally transferred to the peeling member to the cleaning member by sliding the cleaning member and the peeling member while heating and rotating the cleaning member;
Secondly, the thermoplastic image forming material transferred to the cleaning member is scraped by reciprocating in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of rotation of the cleaning member while bringing a cleaning blade into contact with the cleaning member. Cleaning means;
The cleaning blade is moved in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of rotation of the cleaning member, and is substantially perpendicular to the direction of rotation of the cleaning member in a region including a curved surface of the cleaning member facing the cleaning blade. A recovery means for recovering by heating or cooling the thermoplastic image forming material scraped by the cleaning blade by abutting against an extending member extending from one end or both ends in any direction;
The image removing apparatus, wherein the peeling member and the cleaning member are each independently a roller or an endless belt. The extending member has a temperature lower than that of the cleaning member, and is bonded to one end or both ends of the cleaning member in a direction substantially perpendicular to a direction in which the cleaning member rotates.
The image removing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the collecting unit collects the cooled thermoplastic image forming substance by scraping it off using a scraping member. The extending member is in contact with one end or both ends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the cleaning member rotates in a region including a curved surface facing the cleaning blade of the cleaning member, and is fixed. And
2. The image removing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the collecting unit collects the heated or cooled thermoplastic image forming material by dropping it by its own weight. The extending member has a temperature higher than that of the cleaning member,
The image removing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the collecting unit collects the heated thermoplastic image forming material by dropping it by its own weight.   5. The image removing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the extending member includes a fluororesin on a surface thereof.   6. The image removing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning member is formed with a heat insulating layer at an end portion on a side where the extending member is extended. 7.   The image removing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning blade is provided with a plate-like member at one end or both sides of a tip portion on a side in contact with the cleaning member. .   When the image removing device is activated, when the image removing device is warmed up, or when the image removing device is terminated, the collecting means heats the thermoplastic image forming material scraped by the cleaning blade. The image removing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that controls the cooling and collecting.   Detection means for detecting the amount of thermoplastic image forming material scraped by the cleaning blade, and detection means for detecting that the amount of thermoplastic image forming material scraped by the cleaning blade has reached a predetermined amount 9. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising control means for controlling the recovery means to recover the thermoplastic image forming material scraped off by the cleaning blade by heating or cooling. The image removing apparatus according to item. An apparatus for removing an image made of a thermoplastic image forming material formed on a recording material,
A peeling means for peeling off the thermoplastic image-forming substance by thermal transfer from the recording material to the peeling member while rotating the peeling member having a thermoplastic composition layer formed on the surface;
While the cleaning member is heated and rotated, the cleaning member and the peeling member are slid to transfer the thermoplastic image-forming substance thermally transferred to the peeling member and the thermoplastic composition layer to the cleaning member. A first cleaning means;
The thermoplastic image forming material and the thermoplastic composition layer transferred to the cleaning member are reciprocated in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the cleaning member is conveyed by a cleaning blade that contacts the cleaning member. A second cleaning means for scraping;
A recovery means for recovering the thermoplastic image forming material scraped off by the cleaning blade by heating or cooling by bringing the cleaning blade into contact with an extending member extending from the cleaning member;
A thermoplastic image forming material thermally transferred to the peeling member and a thermoplastic composition layer forming means for forming the thermoplastic composition layer on the peeling member having the thermoplastic composition layer transferred to the cleaning member;
The image removing apparatus, wherein the peeling member and the cleaning member are each independently a roller or an endless belt.   11. An image forming / removing system comprising: the image removing apparatus according to claim 1; and an image forming apparatus that forms the image on the recording material. The recording material is provided with identification information indicating that the image can be removed by the image removing device,
The image forming apparatus includes a first detection unit that detects the identification information,
The image removal apparatus further includes a second detection unit that detects the identification information,
Only when the first detection means detects the identification information, the image forming apparatus is controlled to form the image on the recording material, and the second detection means detects the identification information. The image forming and removing system according to claim 11, further comprising a control unit that controls the image removing device so as to remove the image from the recording material on which the image is formed only when the image is formed. The recording material is provided with first identification information indicating that the image can be removed by the image removing device,
The image forming apparatus includes a first detection unit that detects the first identification information, forms the image on the recording material, and provides second identification information;
The image removal apparatus further includes a second detection unit that detects the second identification information,
Only when the first detection means detects the first identification information, the image forming apparatus is controlled to form the image on the recording material, and the second detection means is the first detection means. 12. The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising control means for controlling the image removing device so as to remove the image from the recording material on which the image is formed only when second identification information is detected. Image formation removal system.