JP2012042510A - Image forming apparatus and image forming method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus that has means for supplying recovery toner as a lubricant to a contact part of a rake-off member and an adhesion surface with toner adhered thereon, and suppresses aggregation of the recovered toner.SOLUTION: Toner is supplied as a lubricant from a recovery container 78 to a contact part of a photoreceptor 32 and a blade 62 by a supply roll 68. Therefore, turn-up of the blade 62 is suppressed. The supplied toner is recovered by air intake; accordingly, aggregation of the supplied toner is suppressed unlike the case of an image forming apparatus that is not configured to recover toner by air intake.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and an image forming method.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-133867 discloses a cleaning device using an in-cleaner developing system in which the collected toner collected from the surface of the photoreceptor A by the cleaning blade 1 is retransferred to the surface of the photoreceptor A to enhance the cleaning effect. In addition, there is disclosed a configuration in which an axial transfer means such as a wobble 9 is provided on the paddle 6 provided to carry the toner staying in the front lower portion C of the housing to the rear portion B.

JP-A-7-64458 (FIG. 2)

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to suppress aggregation of recovered toner in a means for supplying recovered toner as a lubricant to a contact portion between a scraping member and an adhesion surface on which toner has adhered.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the electrostatic latent image is developed by attaching the toner to the outer peripheral surface of the image holding member by an image holding member that holds the electrostatic latent image on the outer peripheral surface and a developer containing toner. A developing device, a scraping member that contacts the surface to which the toner has adhered and scrapes off the toner, a recovery unit that recovers the toner scraped off by the scraping member by intake air, and a toner that is recovered by the recovery unit And a supply unit configured to be able to supply a contact portion between the attachment surface and the scraping member, and the cleaning member contacts the outer peripheral surface of the image holding member to scrape the toner. And an image forming apparatus.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the collecting unit swirls the toner scraped off by the scraping member in a spiral shape by an air flow, whereby the toner has a second particle size larger than that of the first component and the first component. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the supply unit is configured to be able to supply the second component recovered by the recovery unit to a contact portion between the image holding member and the scraping member. The image forming apparatus described.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fixing device that fixes the image by irradiating light including infrared rays onto a recording medium onto which the image developed by the developing device is transferred, and the toner includes a binder resin and a coloring material. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the toner comprises an agent and at least one infrared absorber represented by the following general formula (1).

[In General Formula (1), R ¹ , R ² , R ³ , R ⁴ , R ⁵ , R ⁶ , R ⁷ and R ⁸ are each independently a hydrogen atom, an unsubstituted or substituted linear, branched or A cyclic alkyl group, an unsubstituted or substituted linear, branched or cyclic alkenyl group, or an unsubstituted or substituted aralkyl group is represented, and X ⁻ represents an anion. ]

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transfer step in which an image is formed by attaching the toner to an image carrier using a developer containing toner, and the image is held after the transfer step. A scraping step of scraping off toner remaining on the body from the image carrier, a recovery step of collecting the toner scraped off in the scraping step by air suction, and a toner recovered in the recovery step of the image carrier. And a supplying step of supplying a contact portion with the scraping member.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the collecting step, the toner scraped off by the scraping member is spirally swirled by an air flow to cause the toner to have a second particle size larger than that of the first component and the first component. The image formation according to claim 4, wherein the second component recovered in the recovery step is supplied to a contact portion between the image holding member and the scraping member in the supply step. Is the method.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the toner according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the toner includes a binder resin, a colorant, and at least one infrared absorber represented by the following general formula (1). An image forming method.

[In General Formula (1), R ¹ , R ² , R ³ , R ⁴ , R ⁵ , R ⁶ , R ⁷ and R ⁸ are each independently a hydrogen atom, an unsubstituted or substituted linear, branched or A cyclic alkyl group, an unsubstituted or substituted linear, branched or cyclic alkenyl group, or an unsubstituted or substituted aralkyl group is represented, and X ⁻ represents an anion. ]

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, compared with the case where the toner is not collected by suction, the toner collected for supplying the lubricant to the contact portion between the scraping member and the adhesion surface is used. Aggregation can be suppressed.

  According to the configuration of the second aspect of the present invention, compared to the configuration in which the toner is not centrifuged into the first component and the second component having a particle diameter larger than that of the first component, the component having good lubricity in the toner is scraped. The lubricant can be supplied to the contact portion between the take-up member and the attachment surface.

  According to the configuration of the third aspect of the present invention, the toner having good lubricity adheres to the scraping member as compared with the case where the toner containing at least one infrared absorber represented by the following general formula (1) is not used. It can be supplied as a lubricant to the contact portion with the surface.

  According to the method of claim 4 of the present invention, compared with the case where there is no step of collecting the toner by intake air, the toner collected for supplying as a lubricant to the contact portion between the scraping member and the adhesion surface is reduced. Aggregation can be suppressed.

  According to the method of claim 5 of the present invention, compared with the case where the toner is not centrifuged into the first component and the second component having a particle diameter larger than that of the first component, the component having good lubricity in the toner is scraped. The lubricant can be supplied to the contact portion between the take-up member and the attachment surface.

  According to the method of claim 6 of the present invention, the toner having good lubricity adheres to the scraping member as compared with the case where the toner containing at least one infrared absorber represented by the following general formula (1) is not used. It can be supplied as a lubricant to the contact portion with the surface.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the configuration of the cleaning device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a side view showing the configuration of the cleaning device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a front view illustrating a configuration of a cleaning device to which the recovery unit according to the first modification is applied. FIG. 5 is a side view illustrating a configuration of a cleaning device to which the collection unit according to the first modification is applied. FIG. 6 is a front view illustrating a configuration of a cleaning device to which the collection unit according to the second modification is applied. FIG. 7 is a result table showing the evaluation results of Examples and Comparative Examples.

Below, an example of an embodiment concerning the present invention is described based on a drawing.
(Configuration of image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment)
First, the configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. In addition, arrow UP shown in a figure shows the perpendicular direction upper direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 10 includes a recording medium accommodating unit 12 that accommodates the recording medium P, an image forming unit 14 that forms an image on the recording medium P, and an image forming unit from the recording medium accommodating unit 12. 14 includes a transport unit 16 that transports the recording medium P to the recording medium 14 and a recording medium discharge unit (not shown) from which the recording medium P on which an image has been formed by the image forming unit 14 is discharged. In the present embodiment, as the recording medium P, a strip-shaped sheet having a length in the direction of conveyance by the conveyance unit 16 and a sheet (continuous paper) wound in a roll shape is used.

  The image forming unit 14 includes image forming units 22Y, 22M, 22C, and 22K (hereinafter referred to as 22Y to 22K) that form toner images of colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). A transfer roll 26 as an example of a transfer member for transferring the toner images formed by the image forming units 22Y to 22K to the recording medium P, and a toner image transferred to the recording medium P by the transfer roll 26. And a fixing device 30 for fixing the recording medium P.

  The image forming units 22Y to 22K are arranged side by side along the horizontal direction. Each of the image forming units 22Y to 22K includes a photosensitive member 32 (an example of an image holding member) that rotates in one direction (counterclockwise direction in FIG. 1).

  Around each photoconductor 32, a charging roll 34 as an example of a charging device that charges the photoconductor 32 and a photoconductor 32 charged by the charge roll 34 are exposed in order from the upstream side in the rotation direction of the photoconductor 32. An exposure device 36 that forms an electrostatic latent image, a developing device 38 that develops the electrostatic latent image formed by the exposure device 36 to form a toner image, and a photoconductor after transfer of the toner image to the recording medium P 32, and a cleaning device 60 that cleans residual toner remaining on the surface. The cleaning device 60 is disposed on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the photoconductor 32 with respect to the transfer roll 26. A specific configuration of the toner contained in the developer of the developing device 38 will be described later. A specific configuration of the cleaning device 60 will be described later.

  The transfer roll 26 faces the photoconductor 32 with the recording medium P to be conveyed interposed therebetween. Between the transfer roll 26 and the photoconductor 32 is a transfer position where the toner image formed on the photoconductor 32 is transferred to the recording medium P.

  The transport unit 16 includes a plurality of transport rolls 50 that are arranged along a transport path through which the recording medium P is transported and transport the recording medium P from the recording medium storage unit 12 toward a recording medium discharge unit (not shown). It is configured.

  The fixing device 30 is disposed on the downstream side in the transport direction from the transfer position, and fixes the toner image transferred at the transfer position to the recording medium P. In the present embodiment, a fixing device is used that melts and fixes toner by irradiating the toner image transferred to the recording medium with light including infrared rays from the light emitting unit 30A.

  Next, an image forming operation for forming an image on the recording medium P in the image forming apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment will be described.

  In the image forming apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, the recording medium P sent out from the recording medium container 12 is sent to a transfer position by a plurality of transport rolls 50.

  On the other hand, in the image forming units 22 </ b> Y to 22 </ b> K, the photosensitive member 32 charged by the charging roll 34 is exposed by the exposure device 36 to form an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive member 32. The electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing device 38 to form a toner image on the photoreceptor 32. The toner images of the respective colors formed by the image forming units 22Y to 22K are transferred to the recording medium P. As a result, the toner images of the respective colors are superimposed on the recording medium P, and a color image is formed on the recording medium P.

  The recording medium P to which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed to the fixing device 30, and the transferred toner image is fixed by the fixing device 30. The recording medium P on which the toner image is fixed is discharged to a recording medium discharge unit (not shown). As described above, a series of image forming operations are performed.

(Configuration of the cleaning device 60 according to the present embodiment)
Next, the configuration of the cleaning device 60 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the cleaning device 60 according to the present embodiment.

  The cleaning device 60 includes a housing 66 having an opening 66A on the photoconductor 32 side, a blade 62 as an example of a scraping member that contacts the surface of the photoconductor 32 and scrapes residual toner on the surface of the photoconductor 32, A collecting unit 70 that collects the residual toner scraped off by 62 by suction (air suction), and a supply unit configured to be able to supply the toner collected by the collecting unit 70 to the contact portion between the surface of the photoreceptor 32 and the blade 62. As an example, a toner supply hopper 67 and a supply roll 68 are provided.

  The supply roll 68 is disposed inside the housing 66 and has a length in the direction of the rotation axis of the photoconductor 32, and the length direction is the rotation axis direction. Further, a part of the outer periphery of the supply roll 68 is exposed from the opening 66 </ b> A of the housing 66 and is in contact with the photoreceptor 32. As a result, the supply roll 68 is driven to rotate in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the photoconductor 32 (clockwise direction in FIG. 2) as the photoconductor 32 rotates. The supply roll 68 is provided with a porous body such as sponge on the outer periphery.

  The blade 62 is an opening 66 </ b> A of the housing 66 and is disposed on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the photoconductor 32 with respect to the supply roll 68. The blade 62 is formed in a plate shape having a length along the axial direction on the photoconductor 32, and a corner (edge) on the front end side is from one end in the axial direction with respect to the outer peripheral surface of the photoconductor 32. It is in contact with the other end.

  In the blade 62, as the photosensitive member 32 rotates, the blade 62 slides relative to the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive member 32, and scrapes off the developer remaining on the photosensitive member 32 at the corner 62A. ing. The blade 62 is configured by using an elastic member formed of a rubber material such as urethane rubber, for example.

  The casing 66 has a length along the rotation axis direction of the photoconductor 32 and is curved along the outer periphery of the supply roll 68. A support member 64 for supporting the blade 62 is provided on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the photoconductor 32 in the housing 66. The support member 64 has a length in the length direction of the blade 62, and supports the blade 62 from one end to the other end in the length direction of the blade 62.

  Inside the housing 66, an accommodation space S for accommodating the residual toner scraped off by the blade 62 is formed below the supply roll 68. The residual toner scraped off by the blade 62 is guided to the accommodation space S through the blade 62 and the support member 64 due to the weight of the toner and the intake air of the collection unit 70.

  The collection unit 70 includes a collection path 72 connected to the housing 66, and a separation unit (cyclone section) 74 connected to the collection path 72 and separating air and toner.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the recovery path 72 has one end (upstream end) connected at the center in the longitudinal direction of the casing 66 and the other end (downstream end) connected to the separation portion 74. As shown in FIG. 2, the upstream end portion of the recovery path 72 is configured as an inflow port that opens to the accommodation space S of the housing 66 and into which toner and air can flow from the accommodation space S. The downstream end of the recovery path 72 is configured as an outlet that opens to the internal space K of the separation unit 74 and allows toner and air to flow into the internal space K.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the recovery path 72 extends from the longitudinal center of the housing 66 toward one end in the longitudinal direction of the housing 66 as viewed from the upstream end, and as shown in FIG. 2, the housing 66 In contrast, it extends to the side away from the photoconductor 32 and further extends downward, and its downstream end extends in the circumferential direction of the separation portion 74 and is connected to the separation portion 74.

  The separation part 74 is configured by a cylinder that is gradually reduced in diameter toward the lower side. A discharge port 74 </ b> A for discharging the toner downward from the internal space K is formed in the lower portion (bottom surface) of the separation portion 74. Below the discharge port 74A of the separation unit 74, an installation unit 80A in which the collection container 78 is installed is provided. The collection container 78 has an opening 78A through which toner can flow in and out. The collection container 78 is installed on the installation unit 80A with the opening 78A facing upward.

  An air intake portion 76 that intakes air from the internal space K of the separation portion 74 is connected to the center of the circle at the top of the separation portion 74. By the intake air of the intake portion 76, air spirally flows from the recovery path 72 to the separation portion 74 in the circumferential direction of the separation portion 74, and the air flows upward at the center of the circle below the separation portion 74. It is supposed to be discharged.

  At this time, the residual toner in the housing space S of the housing 66 flows into the separation unit 74 together with the air, and is spirally swirled by the airflow, so that it is centrifugally separated from the air in the separation unit 74. , And then falls due to its own weight and is discharged from the discharge port 74A of the separation unit 74. The toner discharged from the discharge port 74 </ b> A of the separation unit 74 is collected in the collection container 78 through the opening 78 </ b> A of the collection container 78.

  Above the housing 66, an installation portion 80B in which the collection container 78 is installed is provided. The collection container 78 is installed with respect to the installation unit 80B with the opening 78A facing downward. Thereby, the toner in the collection container 78 installed in the installation unit 80B flows downward through the opening 78A by its own weight.

  A supply path 82 for supplying the toner flowing out from the opening 78A of the collection container 78 to the toner supply hopper 67 is connected to the installation portion 80B. In order to make the toner uniform in the axial direction in the toner supply hopper 67, for example, vibration is applied or air suction / air injection is used together to supply the toner into the toner supply hopper 67. The toner in the toner supply hopper 67 is supplied to the photoreceptor 32 by a supply roll 68.

  Note that the two collection containers 78 can be installed with respect to the installation unit 80B and the installation unit 80A, respectively. That is, the collection container 78 installed in the installation unit 80B and the collection container 78 installed in the installation unit 80A can be replaced.

  Further, the scraping member is not limited to the blade 62, and may be another scraping member. Moreover, as a supply part, it is not restricted to the supply roll 68, You may be comprised by the other supply part.

(Operation according to this embodiment)
Next, the operation according to this embodiment will be described.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, toner is attached to the photoconductor 32 to form a toner image, and the image is transferred to the recording medium P (transfer process). Residual toner remaining on the surface of the photoreceptor 32 after the transfer of the toner image to the recording medium P is scraped off by the blade 62 (scraping step). The residual toner scraped off by the blade 62 is accommodated in the accommodating space S of the housing 66 through the blade 62 and the support member 64.

  The residual toner and air stored in the storage space S flows into the separation unit 74 through the recovery path 72 by the intake air of the intake unit 76. At this time, the residual toner and air flow into the separation portion 74 so as to draw a spiral shape from the circumferential direction with respect to the separation portion 74.

  The residual toner that has flowed into the separation unit 74 is spirally swirled by the airflow, and is separated from the air, collides with the wall surface of the separation unit 74, and then falls due to its own weight. As a result, the residual toner is discharged from the separation unit 74 through the discharge port 74A and is recovered in the recovery container 78 (recovery process).

  On the other hand, the air separated from the residual toner moves upward from the center of the circle at the lower part of the separation part 74 and is sucked into the intake part 76 from the upper part of the separation part 74.

  After the residual toner is collected in the collection container 78 installed in the installation unit 80A, the collection container 78 and the empty collection container 78 installed in the installation unit 80B are replaced. The recovered toner is supplied as a lubricant from the recovery container 78 installed in the installation unit 80B to the contact portion between the photoreceptor 32 and the blade 62 by the supply roll 68 (supply process). As a result, the blade 62 is prevented from curling.

  In the present embodiment, since the residual toner is collected by intake air, aggregation of the residual toner is suppressed as compared with a case where there is no configuration for collecting the residual toner by intake air. As a result, clogging of residual toner is unlikely to occur in the collection path 72. In addition, the collected toner supplied as a lubricant to the contact portion between the photoconductor 32 and the blade 62 is unlikely to slip through between the photoconductor 32 and the blade 62, and the function of preventing the blade 62 from curling is maintained. The

  Further, by using the toner described later, pulverization due to stress of the blade 62 and the like is suppressed due to its thermal and mechanical stability. As a result, the toner particle diameter is kept large, and the function as a lubricant is effectively exhibited. Further, since the toner particle diameter is kept large, damage to the blade 62 is suppressed.

(Recovery unit 170 according to the first modification)
Next, the collection | recovery part 170 which concerns on a 1st modification is demonstrated.

  The collecting unit 170 spirally swirls the residual toner scraped off by the blade 62 by an air flow, thereby collecting the toner into a first component and a second component having a particle size larger than the first component. It is supposed to be configured. That is, the collection unit 170 is configured to collect the residual toner scraped off by the blade 62 by classifying the first component and the second component into a cyclone.

  Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the collection unit 170 includes a first collection path 172 connected to the housing 66 and a first separation unit that is connected to the first collection path 172 and separates air and toner. (Cyclone part) 174, a second recovery path 173 connected to the first separation part 174, and a second separation part (cyclone part) 175 connected to the second recovery path 173 for separating air and toner. I have.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the first recovery path 172 has one end (upstream end) connected at the center in the longitudinal direction of the housing 66 and the other end (downstream end) connected to the first separation portion 174. Has been. As shown in FIG. 4, the upstream end of the first recovery path 172 is configured as an inflow port that opens to the accommodation space S of the housing 66 and allows toner and air to flow from the accommodation space S. The downstream end of the first recovery path 172 is configured as an outlet that opens to the internal space K of the first separation unit 174 and allows toner and air to flow into the internal space K.

  When viewed from the upstream end, the first recovery path 172 extends from the longitudinal center of the housing 66 to one longitudinal end of the housing 66 as shown in FIG. 5, and as shown in FIG. The body 66 extends laterally away from the photoreceptor 32, further extends downward, and has a downstream end extending in the circumferential direction of the first separation portion 174 and connected to the first separation portion 174.

  The first separation portion 174 is formed of a cylinder that is gradually reduced in diameter toward the lower side. A discharge port 174 </ b> A for discharging the toner downward from the internal space K is formed in the lower portion (bottom surface) of the first separation portion 174. Below the outlet 174A of the first separation unit 174, an installation unit 180A in which the collection container 78 is installed is provided. The collection container 78 has an opening 78A through which toner can flow in and out. The collection container 78 is installed on the installation unit 180A with the opening 78A facing upward.

  One end portion (upstream end portion) of the second recovery path 173 is connected to the center of the circle at the top of the first separation portion 174. The other end portion (downstream end portion) of the second recovery path 173 extends in the circumferential direction of the second separation portion 175 and is connected to the second separation portion 175.

  The second separation portion 175 is formed of a cylinder that is gradually reduced in diameter toward the lower side. The second separator 175 has a larger cylindrical diameter than the first separator 174. Thereby, the centrifugal force generated in the first separation unit 174 is made larger than the centrifugal force generated in the second separation unit 175, and the residual toner is separated into the first component and the second component as will be described later. The centrifugal force is generated.

  A discharge port 175 </ b> A for discharging the toner downward from the internal space K is formed in the lower part (bottom surface) of the second separation unit 175. Below the outlet 175A of the second separation unit 175, an installation unit 180C in which the collection container 78 is installed is provided. The collection container 78 has an opening 78A through which toner can flow in and out. The collection container 78 is installed on the installation unit 180C with the opening 78A facing upward.

  An air intake portion 76 that intakes air from the internal space K of the second separation portion 175 is connected to the center of the circle at the top of the second separation portion 175. Due to the intake air of the intake section 76, air spirally flows from the first recovery path 172 into the first separation section 174 in the circumferential direction of the first separation section 174, and the center of the circle is formed below the first separation section 174. The air is discharged upward at the part.

  At this time, the residual toner in the housing space S of the housing 66 flows into the separation unit 74 together with air.

  Here, the air and the residual toner that have flowed into the first separation unit 174 are spirally swirled by the airflow, so that the first component of the air and the residual toner, and the second component having a particle size larger than the first component, The second component collides with the wall surface of the first separation unit 174 and then falls by its own weight and is discharged from the discharge port 174A of the first separation unit 174. The second component discharged from the discharge port 174 </ b> A of the first separation unit 174 is recovered in the recovery container 78 through the opening 78 </ b> A of the recovery container 78.

  Specifically, a component having a relatively small particle diameter (for example, an external additive) in the toner and a paper powder having a small specific gravity mixed with the residual toner on the photoreceptor 32 are included in the first component than the second component. The second component includes a toner component having a particle diameter larger than that of the first component. That is, in the configuration of the first modification, the first component and the second component having a particle size larger than that of the first component are separated.

  In the recovery unit 170, the standard for separating the first component and the second component is, for example, a particle diameter (volume average particle diameter) of 3 μm to 5 μm. That is, a component having a particle size of 3 μm to 5 μm or less is recovered as the first component, and a component having a particle size exceeding 3 μm to 5 μm is recovered as the second component. The collected toner may be smaller than the particle diameter of the toner before use due to pulverization by the blade 62 or the like.

  The second component and the centrifuged first component are discharged from above the first separation unit 174 together with the air, and the circumferential direction of the second separation unit 175 with respect to the second separation unit 175 through the second recovery path 173. It flows into the spiral.

  The air and the first component that have flowed into the second separation unit 175 are spirally swirled by the airflow to be centrifuged into air and the first component, and the first component collides with the wall surface of the second separation unit 175. Then, it falls by its own weight and is discharged from the discharge port 175A of the second separation part 175. The first component discharged from the discharge port 175 </ b> A of the second separation unit 175 is recovered in the recovery container 78 through the opening 78 </ b> A of the recovery container 78.

  The collection container 78 installed in the installation unit 80B and the collection container 78 installed in the installation unit 180A can be replaced.

(Operation according to the first modification)
Next, the operation according to the first modification will be described.

  In the first modification, as described above, toner is attached to the photoreceptor 32 to form a toner image, and the image is transferred to the recording medium P (transfer process). Residual toner remaining on the surface of the photoreceptor 32 after the transfer of the toner image to the recording medium P is scraped off by the blade 62 (scraping step). The residual toner scraped off by the blade 62 is accommodated in the accommodating space S of the housing 66 through the blade 62 and the support member 64.

  Residual toner and air stored in the storage space S flows into the first separation unit 174 through the first recovery path 172 by the intake air of the intake unit 76. At this time, the residual toner and air flow into the first separation unit 174 so as to draw a spiral shape from the circumferential direction with respect to the first separation unit 174.

  The air and the residual toner that have flowed into the first separation unit 174 are spirally swirled by the airflow, so that the air, the first component (for example, external additive or paper powder), and the first component having a specific gravity greater than that of the first component. Centrifugation into two components, the second component collides with the wall surface of the first separation unit 174, and then falls due to its own weight. As a result, the second component is discharged from the first separation unit 174 through the discharge port 174A and is recovered in the recovery container 78 (recovery step).

  On the other hand, air and the first component flow upward from the center of the circle at the lower part of the first separation part 174, and flow into the second separation part 175 from the upper part of the first separation part 174 through the second recovery path 173. At this time, the air and the first component flow into the second separation portion 175 so as to draw a spiral shape from the circumferential direction with respect to the second separation portion 175.

  The air and the first component that have flowed into the second separation unit 175 are spirally swirled by the airflow to be centrifuged into the air and the first component, and the first component collides with the wall surface of the second separation unit 175. Then, it falls due to its own weight. As a result, the first component is discharged from the second separation unit 175 through the discharge port 175 </ b> A and is recovered in the recovery container 78.

  On the other hand, the air flows upward from the center of the circle at the lower part of the second separation part 175 and is sucked into the intake part 76 through the filter 77 from the upper part of the second separation part 175.

  After the second component is collected in the collection container 78 installed in the installation unit 180A, the collection container 78 and the empty collection container 78 installed in the installation unit 80B are replaced. The second component is supplied as a lubricant from the collection container 78 installed in the installation unit 80B to the contact portion between the photoreceptor 32 and the blade 62 by the supply roll 68 (supply process). As a result, the blade 62 is prevented from curling.

  In the first modification, since the residual toner is collected by intake air, the aggregation of the residual toner is suppressed as compared with the case where the configuration for collecting the residual toner by intake air is not provided. Accordingly, the remaining toner is less likely to be clogged in the first recovery path 172. In addition, the collected toner supplied as a lubricant to the contact portion between the photoconductor 32 and the blade 62 is unlikely to slip through between the photoconductor 32 and the blade 62, and the function of preventing the blade 62 from curling is maintained. The

  In the first modified example, the second component having better lubricity than the first component (for example, external additive or paper powder) of the residual toner is applied to the contact portion between the photoreceptor 32 and the blade 62. Since it is supplied, it effectively functions as a lubricant. Further, the first component that may damage the blade 62 is not supplied to the contact portion between the photoreceptor 32 and the blade 62.

  Further, by using the toner described later, pulverization due to stress of the blade 62 and the like is suppressed due to its thermal and mechanical stability. As a result, the toner particle diameter is kept large, and the function as a lubricant is effectively exhibited. Further, since the toner particle diameter is kept large, damage to the blade 62 is suppressed.

(Recovery unit 270 according to the second modification)
Next, the collection | recovery part 270 which concerns on a 2nd modification is demonstrated.

  The collection unit 270 is configured to collect the residual toner scraped off by the blade 62 in the collection container 78 installed in the installation unit 80B, not in the collection container 78 installed in the installation unit 80A. .

  Specifically, in the collection unit 270, as shown in FIG. 6, the separation unit 74 is disposed above the installation unit 80B. The recovery path 72 extends from the longitudinal center of the housing 66 toward one end in the longitudinal direction of the housing 66 when viewed from the upstream end (see FIG. 3), and as shown in FIG. In contrast, it extends to the side away from the photoconductor 32 and further extends upward, and its downstream end extends in the circumferential direction of the separation portion 74 and is connected to the separation portion 74. In addition to the opening 78A, the collection container 78 is formed with an opening 78B on the side opposite to the opening 78A (the upper side in FIG. 6) where toner can flow in and out.

  As a result, in the collection unit 270, the residual toner that has been centrifuged with air in the separation unit 74 is collected into the collection container 78 through the opening 78B of the collection container 78 that supplies the toner to the supply roll 68. Yes.

  Therefore, in the configuration of the second modified example, the collected toner from the collection container 78 installed in the installation unit 80B is lubricated to the contact portion between the photoreceptor 32 and the blade 62 by the supply roll 68 without changing the collection container 78. Supplied as an agent. As a result, the blade 62 is prevented from curling.

(Specific configuration of developer)
Next, a specific configuration of the developer containing toner, which is applied to the present embodiment, will be described.

  The developer includes toner and, if necessary, a carrier.

-Toner-
First, the toner will be described.
Examples of the toner include well-known toners including a binder resin, a colorant, and an infrared absorber, and in particular, a toner including an infrared absorber represented by the following general formula (1) as an infrared absorber. Is preferred.
By applying a toner containing an infrared absorbent represented by the following general formula (1), pulverization of the collected toner is suppressed. This is because the infrared absorber represented by the following general formula (1) has a decomposition point of around 190 ° C., and has thermal and mechanical stability, so that it can withstand stress such as scraping by the blade 62. It is thought that it is to resist.
Further, when the toner contains an infrared absorber represented by the following general formula (1), it may contain a reducing agent as necessary.

The infrared absorber will be described.
The infrared absorber is a diimonium compound represented by the following general formula (1).

In general formula (1), R ¹ , R ² , R ³ , R ⁴ , R ⁵ , R ⁶ , R ⁷ and R ⁸ are each independently a hydrogen atom, unsubstituted or substituted linear, branched or cyclic An alkyl group, an unsubstituted or substituted linear, branched or cyclic alkenyl group, or an unsubstituted or substituted aralkyl group is represented, and X ⁻ represents an anion.

The alkyl groups represented by R ¹ , R ² , R ³ , R ⁴ , R ⁵ , R ⁶ , R ⁷ and R ⁸ are each independently preferably an alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms. And an alkyl group having 2 to 7 carbon atoms is more preferable, and an alkyl group having 3 to 4 carbon atoms is more preferable.
The alkyl group represented by R ¹ , R ² , R ³ , R ⁴ , R ⁵ , R ⁶ , R ⁷ and R ⁸ is preferably an unsubstituted alkyl group, and is a linear or branched alkyl group. It is desirable that

The alkenyl groups represented by R ¹ , R ² , R ³ , R ⁴ , R ⁵ , R ⁶ , R ⁷ and R ⁸ are each independently preferably an alkenyl group having 2 to 10 carbon atoms. More preferably an alkenyl group having 2 to 7 carbon atoms, and still more preferably an alkenyl group having 3 to 4 carbon atoms.
The alkenyl group represented by R ¹ , R ² , R ³ , R ⁴ , R ⁵ , R ⁶ , R ⁷ and R ⁸ is preferably an unsubstituted alkenyl group, and a linear or branched alkenyl group. It is desirable that

The aralkyl groups represented by R ¹ , R ² , R ³ , R ⁴ , R ⁵ , R ⁶ , R ⁷ and R ⁸ are each independently preferably an aralkyl group having 7 to 10 carbon atoms. is there.
The aralkyl group represented by R ¹ , R ² , R ³ , R ⁴ , R ⁵ , R ⁶ , R ⁷ and R ⁸ is preferably an unsubstituted aralkyl group.

Among these, R ¹ , R ² , R ³ , R ⁴ , R ⁵ , R ⁶ , R ⁷ and R ⁸ are hydrogen atoms, or unsubstituted or substituted linear, branched or cyclic alkyl groups. Is more preferably a hydrogen atom, an unsubstituted linear or branched alkyl group, more preferably an unsubstituted linear young or branched alkyl group, particularly an n-butyl group, iso- A butyl group or an n-propyl group is desirable.

Examples of the anion represented by X ⁻ include perchlorate ion (ClO ₄ ⁻ ), boron fluoride ion (BF ₄ ⁻ ), trichloroacetate ion (CCl ₃ COO ⁻ ), and trifluoroacetate ion (CF _3). COO ⁻ ), picric acid ((NO ₂ ) ₃ C ₆ H ₂ O ⁻ ), benzenesulfonate ion (C ₆ H ₅ SO ₃ ⁻ ), ethanesulfonate ion (C ₂ H ₅ SO ₃ ⁻ ), phosphate ion (PO ₄ ²⁻ ), sulfate ion (SO ₄ ²⁻ ), trifluorosulfonic acid ion (CF ₃ SO ₃ ⁻ ), trifluorosulfonic acid bisimide ion ((CF ₃ SO ₂ ) ₂ N ⁻ ), hexafluoro Examples thereof include phosphate ion (PF ₆ ⁻ ), C (SO ₂ CF ₃ ) ₃ ⁻ , nitrate ion (NO ₃ ⁻ ), and the like.
Among these, trifluorosulfonic acid ions, trichloroacetic acid ions (CCl ₃ COO ⁻ ), picric acid ((NO ₂ ) ₃ C ₆ H ₂ O ⁻ ), phosphate ions due to decolorization stability due to the reducing agent described later. (PO ₄ ²⁻ ) and nitrate ions (NO ₃ ⁻ ) are preferable, and trifluorosulfonic acid ions are more preferable.

  In addition to the infrared absorber represented by the general formula (1), a known infrared absorber may be used in combination. Here, the infrared absorber refers to a material having at least one strong light absorption peak in the near infrared region of 800 nm or more and 1200 nm or less when measured with a spectrophotometer or the like, and may be organic or inorganic.

Specific examples of other infrared absorbers include cyanine compounds, merocyanine compounds, benzenethiol metal complexes, mercaptophenol metal complexes, aromatic diamine metal complexes, nickel complex compounds, phthalocyanine compounds, anthraquinone compounds. Naphthalocyanine compounds, croconium compounds and the like are used.
Of the other infrared absorbers, naphthalocyanine compounds or croconium compounds are preferred.

  The addition amount of the infrared absorber is desirably 0.05% by mass or more and 10% by mass or less in the toner, more desirably 0.1% by mass or more and 5% by mass or less, and 0.2% by mass or more. More preferably, it is 3% by mass or less.

The binder resin will be described.
A known binder resin may be used as the binder resin. The main component of the binder resin is a copolymer of styrene and acrylic acid or methacrylic acid, polyvinyl chloride, phenol resin, acrylic resin, methacrylic resin, polyvinyl acetate, silicone resin, polyester resin, polyolefin resin, polyurethane resin. Polyamide resin, furan resin, epoxy resin, xylene resin, polyvinyl butyral, terpene resin, coumarone indene resin, petroleum resin, polyether polyol resin, etc. are used alone or in combination.
From the viewpoint of durability and translucency, a polyester resin or a polyolefin resin is preferable, and a polyester resin or a norbornene polyolefin resin is more preferable.

  The Tg (glass transition temperature) of the binder resin is preferably in the range of 50 ° C. or higher and 70 ° C. or lower.

The colorant will be described.
As the colorant, the following are selected according to the color of the toner.
For example, in cyan toner, as the colorant, for example, C.I. I. Pigment Blue 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 13, 15, 15: 1, 15: 2, 15: 3, 15: 4, 15: 6, 16, 17, 17, 23, 60, 65, 73, 83, 180, C.I. I. Vat cyan 1, 3 and 20, etc., bitumen, cobalt blue, alkali blue lake, phthalocyanine blue, metal-free phthalocyanine blue, partially chlorinated phthalocyanine blue, first sky blue, indanthrene blue BC cyan pigment, C.I. I. And cyan dyes such as solvent cyan 79 and 162. Among these, C.I. I. Pigment Blue 15: 3 is more desirable.

  In the magenta toner, as the colorant, for example, C.I. I. Pigment Red 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 21, 22, 23, 30, 31, 32, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 48, 49, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 57, 58, 60, 63, 64, 68, 81, 83, 87, 88, 89, 90, 112 114, 122, 123, 163, 184, 202, 206, 207, 209, etc., magenta pigments of Pigment Violet 19, C.I. I. Solvent Red 1, 3, 8, 23, 24, 25, 27, 30, 30, 49, 81, 82, 83, 84, 100, 109, 121, C . I. Disper thread 9, C.I. I. Basic Red 1, 2, 9, 9, 13, 14, 15, 17, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 27, 29, 32, 34, the same 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, etc. Magenta dyes, etc., Bengala, Cadmium Red, Lead Tan, Mercury Sulfide, Cadmium, Permanent Red 4R, Resol Red, Pyrazolone Red, Watching Red, Calcium Salt, lake red D, brilliant carmine 6B, eosin lake, rotamin lake B, alizarin lake, brilliant carmine 3B and the like.

  In the case of yellow toner, examples of the colorant include C.I. I. And CI pigment yellow 2, 3, 15, 16, 17, 74, 97, 180, 185, 139, and the like.

  The addition amount of the colorant is desirably in the range of 2 parts by mass to 15 parts by mass in 100 parts by mass of the final toner particles prepared by mixing with the binder resin or the like, and is preferably 3 parts by mass or more and 7 parts by mass. It is more desirable that the amount be in the range of parts or less.

The reducing agent will be described.
A reducing agent is a compound which has the capability to reduce | restore the infrared absorber represented by General formula (1).

  Here, since the infrared absorber (diimonium compound) represented by the general formula (1) is in the near infrared region where the maximum absorption wavelength is near 1000 nm, the toner containing the same absorbs the light energy in the near infrared region. Absorb effectively. Therefore, the toner containing the infrared absorbent (diimonium compound) represented by the general formula (1) is well fixed by light irradiation.

  On the other hand, since the infrared absorber (diimonium compound) represented by the general formula (1) showing excellent infrared absorption ability is colored dark blue, it has a property of easily affecting the color tone of the toner. Have.

  Therefore, before the light fixing, the infrared absorber (diimonium compound) represented by the general formula (1) functions as an infrared absorber, and in the toner, the color is erased after the light fixing. A reducing agent may be included. When light is irradiated at the time of photofixing, the reducing agent in the toner advances the above reduction reaction by the heat energy converted from the light energy, and finally the infrared absorber (diimonium compound represented by the general formula (1)) ) To a two-electron reductant. Since the two-electron reduced form is colorless or light yellow, it hardly affects the color tone of the toner.

  As described above, when the reducing agent is included in the toner, the color tone of the infrared absorbent represented by the general formula (1) is erased by irradiating the contained reducing agent with light, and the toner having the target color tone is obtained. An image is obtained. As a secondary effect, the infrared absorber is reduced and converted into a stable two-electron reductant at the time of photofixing, so that the color tone fluctuation of the image after fixing can be suppressed.

  Specific examples of the reducing agent include L-ascorbic acid, sodium isoascorbate, erythorbic acid, dibutylhydroxytoluene, ascovir tetraisopalmitate, ascovir stellarate, ascovir tetrahexyldecanoate, or ascorbyl 2-phosphate-6 palmitate. An acid is preferred, and sodium isoascorbate is more preferred.

  The reducing agent may be internally added to the toner together with the infrared absorber and the binder resin described later, or may be externally added after the toner particles are produced without being internally added. It is desirable to externally add a reducing agent in a usage form in which a higher color fixability is required while obtaining a toner image having a target color tone.

  The addition amount of the reducing agent is preferably 0.05% by mass or more and 5% by mass or less in the toner from the viewpoint of decoloring the infrared absorber after photofixing without inhibiting the function of the infrared absorber. It is more preferably 0.1% by mass or more and 5% by mass or less, and further preferably 0.5% by mass or more and 2% by mass or less. The use of a reducing agent is not essential.

Other additives will be described.
A charge control agent, wax, or external additive may be used for the toner as necessary.
As the charge control agent, known calixarene, nigrosine dyes, quaternary ammonium salts, amino group-containing polymers, metal-containing azo dyes, salicylic acid complex compounds, phenol compounds, azochromes, azozincs, etc. are used. .
Preferable examples of the wax include ester wax, polyethylene, polypropylene, or a copolymer of polyethylene and polypropylene.
In addition, the toner may be a magnetic toner in which a magnetic material such as iron powder, magnetite, or ferrite is mixed. In particular, in the case of a color toner, a known white magnetic powder (for example, manufactured by Nippon Steel Mining Co., Ltd.) may be used.
For example, inorganic particles are used as the external additive. Examples of the inorganic particles include silica particles, alumina, titanium oxide, barium titanate, magnesium titanate, calcium titanate, strontium titanate, zinc oxide, silica sand, clay, mica, wollastonite, diatomaceous earth, and oxidation. Examples thereof include chromium, cerium oxide, bengara, antimony trioxide, magnesium oxide, zirconium oxide, barium sulfate, barium carbonate, calcium carbonate, silicon carbide, and silicon nitride.

A method for producing toner will be described.
In manufacturing the toner, a commonly used kneading and pulverizing method, wet granulation method, or the like may be used. Here, as the wet granulation method, suspension polymerization method, emulsion polymerization method, emulsion polymerization aggregation method, soap-free emulsion polymerization method, non-aqueous dispersion polymerization method, in-situ polymerization method, interfacial polymerization method, emulsion dispersion granulation Laws are used.

  To prepare a toner by the kneading and pulverizing method, basically, a step of preparing a toner composition by mixing an infrared absorber and a reducing agent component, etc., and melt-kneading (heating step), cooling the toner composition Thereafter, a process including a kneading and pulverizing process for pulverizing the toner particles is performed.

  In the case of externally adding a reducing agent, a toner composition other than the reducing agent can be melt-kneaded to produce toner particles, and the reducing agent can be externally added to the toner particles.

  Usually, in the kneading and pulverization method, a binder resin, an infrared absorber represented by the general formula (1), a reducing agent, a pigment or dye as a coloring agent, and other additives such as a wax and a charge control agent, While mixing thoroughly with a mixer such as a Henschel mixer, ball mill, etc., and melting and kneading using a heat kneader such as a heating roll, kneader, extruder, etc., the resins are compatible with each other, an infrared absorber, a reducing agent, A toner composition in which pigments, dyes, magnetic materials, etc. are dispersed or dissolved is prepared, and this is cooled and solidified, and then pulverized and classified to obtain a toner.

Here, the toner particles obtained by the above method preferably have a volume average particle diameter D _50v of 3 μm or more and 15 μm or less, and more preferably 3 μm or more and 10 μm or less.

In addition, inorganic particles may be mixed with the toner particles for a fluidity improver or the like. The mixing ratio with the toner particles is in the range of 0.01 to 5 parts by mass, preferably in the range of 0.01 to 2.0 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the toner particles.
Examples of such inorganic particles include silica, alumina, titanium oxide, barium titanate, magnesium titanate, calcium titanate, strontium titanate, zinc oxide, silica sand, clay, mica, wollastonite, diatomaceous earth, and oxidation. Examples thereof include chromium, cerium oxide, bengara, antimony trioxide, magnesium oxide, zirconium oxide, barium sulfate, barium carbonate, calcium carbonate, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, and the like, and silica particles are more preferable. Moreover, you may use together the particle | grains of well-known materials, such as a silica, titanium, resin, an alumina. Further, as a cleaning activator, a metal salt of a higher fatty acid represented by zinc stearate and particles of a fluorine-based high molecular weight substance may be added.
The inorganic particles and, if necessary, desired additives are sufficiently mixed by a mixer such as a Henschel mixer to obtain a toner.

-Developer-
The developer may be either a one-component developer composed of toner alone or a two-component developer containing toner and carrier.

  Examples of the two-component developer carrier include a resin-coated carrier having a resin coating layer on the surface of the core material. As the core material, known magnetite, ferrite, and iron powder are used. The carrier coating agent is not particularly limited, but a silicone resin system is particularly desirable.

The average particle diameter of the carrier core material is generally preferably 10 μm or more and 100 μm or less, and more preferably 20 μm or more and 80 μm or less.
The mixing ratio (mass ratio) of the toner and the carrier in the two-component developer is in the range of toner: carrier = 1: 100 to 30: 100, and in the range of 3: 100 to 20: 100. Is more desirable.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the image forming apparatus (method) adopting photofixing using a developer containing a toner for photofixing has been described. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the image forming apparatus (method) adopting thermal fixing is described. It may be. In this case, a developer having a known configuration is applied as the developer containing toner.
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications, changes, and improvements can be made.

Next, examples and comparative examples will be described.
The evaluation of Examples and Comparative Examples was carried out using an amorphous silicon drum having a smoothed surface that was used for 1 million sheets with 4% printing as the evaluation drum (photosensitive member 32). Smoothing on the drum surface was confirmed as a coefficient of friction and measured with Heidn to confirm μ = 0.7. As the apparatus evaluation method, an experiment was performed by repeating the process of performing 2000 sheets of 0% printing rate after 2000 printings of 5% printing rate were repeated 20 times.

  The specific judgment is as follows. Blade breakage / other equipment failure / consumption or productivity decreased by 20% or more is evaluated as x. Blade breakage has not occurred but blade damage has occurred. Those which did not occur and had no blade scratches were marked with ◎.

Example 1
In the configuration having the collection unit 70 according to the present embodiment (see FIGS. 2 and 3), the developer 1 containing the following toner 1 was used as the developer.

-Production of Toner 1-
・ Binder resin: 85.5 parts by mass (polyester resin, trade name: FP131, manufactured by Kao)
-Colorant 5 parts by mass (Cyan Pigment Pigment Blue 15: 3 (trade name: Blue No. 4, Dainichi Seika))
Infrared absorber: 2.0 parts by mass (cationic dye: blue, trade name: IRT, Showa Denko KK)
-Polypropylene wax: 2.0 parts by mass (trade name 550P (manufactured by Sanyo Chemical Co., Ltd.))
・ Ester wax: 0.5 parts by mass (trade name WEP-9 (Japanese fats and oils))
Charge control agent: 0.1 parts by mass (quaternary ammonium salt: trade name PSY (Clariant))

First, the above components were mixed. This mixture was melt-kneaded (mixed) at 120 ° C. and 200 rpm with an extruder (manufactured by Ikekai, PCM-30) to prepare a kneaded product.
Next, coarsely pulverized with a hammer mill, finely pulverized with a jet mill, and then classified with an airflow classifier to obtain toner particles having a volume average particle diameter of 4.6 μm.
With respect to 98 parts by mass of these toner particles, 1.0 part by mass of hydrophobic silica particles (TG820F, manufactured by Cabot) was externally added by a Henschel mixer to obtain toner 2.

-Production of Developer 1-
A two-component developer containing the obtained toner 1 was prepared. As a carrier to be mixed with the toner, a general-purpose ferrite carrier coated with a silicone resin and having a volume average particle diameter of 40 μm was used. The developer 1 was prepared by mixing 95 parts by mass of the carrier with 5 parts by mass of the toner and mixing for 2 hours in a 10 L ball mill.

(Example 2)
In the configuration having the collection unit 170 according to the first modification (see FIGS. 4 and 5), the developer 1 containing the same toner 1 as in the first embodiment was used.

(Example 3)
In the configuration having the collection unit 70 according to the present embodiment (see FIGS. 2 and 3), the developer 2 containing the following toner 2 was used.

-Production of Toner 2-
・ Binder resin: 88.0 parts by mass (polyester resin, trade name: FP131, manufactured by Kao)
-5.0 parts by weight of colorant (cyan pigment Pigment Blue 15: 3 (trade name: Blue No. 4, Dainichi Seika))
Infrared absorbing agent: 2.0 parts by weight (in the general formula ^{(1), R 1 ~R 8} = n- butyl ^group, X ^- = ClO ₄ - in which the diimmonium compound trade name: IRG-023, manufactured by Nippon Kayaku)
-Polypropylene wax: 2.0 parts by mass (trade name 550P (manufactured by Sanyo Chemical Co., Ltd.))
・ Ester wax: 0.5 parts by mass (trade name WEP-9 (Japanese fats and oils))
Charge control agent: 0.1 parts by mass (quaternary ammonium salt: trade name PSY (Clariant))

  A toner 2 was obtained in the same manner as the toner 1 except that the mixture in which the above components were mixed was used.

-Production of Developer 2-
A developer 2 was obtained in the same manner as the developer 1 except that the obtained toner 2 was used.

(Comparative Example 1)
The developer 1 containing the same toner 1 as in the first embodiment is used in a configuration that does not have the collection unit 70 and the supply roll 68 and does not reuse the residual toner.

(Comparative Example 2)
Residual toner is not collected by intake air, but is collected by mechanical conveyance such as paddles, and is supplied to the contact portion between the photosensitive member 32 and the blade 62 by the supply roll 68, which is the same as in the first embodiment. Developer 1 containing toner 1 was used.

(Evaluation results)
As a result of the evaluation, in Comparative Example 1, blade deflection occurred on the first 0% printed 1000 sheets. In Comparative Example 2, blade curling occurred at the 15th time. Further, toner aggregation was observed in the blade 62, and slipping of the aggregated toner between the blade 62 and the photoreceptor 32 occurred.

In Example 1, blade sag did not occur even at the 20th time. However, scratches occurred at the tip of the blade 62. In Example 2 and Example 3, no blade curling occurred even at the 20th time.
In particular, Example 3 was good as compared with Examples 1 and 2, since no faint noise was generated due to contact with the blade.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image forming apparatus 30 Fixing apparatus 38 Developing apparatus 60 Cleaning apparatus 62 Blade (an example of a scraping member)
68 Supply roll (an example of a supply unit)
70 Collection unit 170 Collection unit 270 Collection unit

Claims (6)

An image carrier for holding the electrostatic latent image on the outer peripheral surface;
A developing device that develops an electrostatic latent image by attaching the toner to an outer peripheral surface of the image holding member with a developer containing toner;
A scraping member that scrapes off the toner by coming into contact with the sticking surface to which the toner has adhered, a collecting unit that collects the toner scraped off by the scraping member by suction, and a toner collected by the collecting unit And a supply unit configured to be able to supply to a contact portion with the scraping member, and a cleaning device that scrapes the toner by the scraping member contacting an outer peripheral surface of the image holding member,
An image forming apparatus. The collection unit centrifuges the toner scraped off by the scraping member into a spiral shape by an air flow, thereby centrifuging the toner into a first component and a second component having a particle diameter larger than that of the first component. Recovered,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the supply unit is configured to be able to supply the second component recovered by the recovery unit to a contact portion between the image holding member and the scraping member. A fixing device that fixes the image by irradiating the recording medium onto which the image developed by the developing device is transferred with light including infrared rays;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the toner is a toner including a binder resin, a colorant, and at least one infrared absorber represented by the following general formula (1).

[In General Formula (1), R ¹ , R ² , R ³ , R ⁴ , R ⁵ , R ⁶ , R ⁷ and R ⁸ are each independently a hydrogen atom, an unsubstituted or substituted linear, branched or A cyclic alkyl group, an unsubstituted or substituted linear, branched or cyclic alkenyl group, or an unsubstituted or substituted aralkyl group is represented, and X ⁻ represents an anion. ] A transfer step of forming an image by attaching the toner to an image carrier using a developer containing toner, and transferring the image to a medium;
A scraping step of scraping off toner remaining on the image carrier after the transfer step from the image carrier;
A recovery step of recovering the toner scraped in the scraping step by air suction;
A supply step of supplying the toner recovered in the recovery step to a contact portion between the image holding member and the scraping member;
An image forming method comprising: In the collecting step, the toner scraped off by the scraping member is spirally swirled by an air flow to centrifuge the toner into a first component and a second component having a particle diameter larger than that of the first component. Recovered,
The image forming method according to claim 4, wherein in the supplying step, the second component recovered in the recovery step is supplied to a contact portion between the image holding member and the scraping member. The image forming method according to claim 4, wherein the toner is a toner containing a binder resin, a colorant, and at least one infrared absorber represented by the following general formula (1).

[In General Formula (1), R ¹ , R ² , R ³ , R ⁴ , R ⁵ , R ⁶ , R ⁷ and R ⁸ are each independently a hydrogen atom, an unsubstituted or substituted linear, branched or A cyclic alkyl group, an unsubstituted or substituted linear, branched or cyclic alkenyl group, or an unsubstituted or substituted aralkyl group is represented, and X ⁻ represents an anion. ]