JP2019219634A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To optimize the arrangement of the configuration in an apparatus body.SOLUTION: Drum cleaners 19Y, 19M, 19C, 19K collect a liquid developer that is not transferred to a sheet in an image forming operation. A separation and extraction device 34 is arranged below the drum cleaners 19Y, 19M, 19C, 19K in the gravity direction and separates the liquid developer collected by the drum cleaners 19Y, 19M, 19C, 19K into a toner and a carrier liquid. A waste liquid collection container 35 is arranged below the separation and extraction device 34 in the gravity direction and collects the toner separated by the separation and extraction device 34.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that forms an image using a liquid developer containing a toner and a carrier liquid.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known an image forming apparatus which forms a toner image using a liquid developer containing a toner and a carrier liquid and performs an image forming operation of transferring the toner image to a recording material. In such an image forming apparatus, the liquid developer not transferred to the recording material is collected and recycled. In such a liquid developer recycling process, toner particles as a dispersoid in a liquid developer (liquid material) and a carrier liquid as a dispersion medium are separated, and the carrier liquid is reused.

  For example, a configuration has been proposed in which a liquid developer collected from an image carrier or an intermediate transfer body is sent to a filter, and a carrier liquid separated from toner by the filter is stored in a carrier buffer tank (Patent Document 1).

JP 2007-171345A

  For example, a liquid developer collected without being transferred to a recording material or a waste liquid containing toner separated from a carrier liquid from the collected liquid developer tends to have a high toner concentration and a high viscosity. If such a high-viscosity liquid developer or the like is transported by a pump or the like, the pump becomes expensive and becomes large. For this reason, the cost of the image forming apparatus increases and the size of the image forming apparatus increases. Therefore, it is desired to optimize the arrangement of components such as devices in the device body.

  An object of the present invention is to optimize the arrangement of components in an apparatus main body.

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus which forms a toner image using a liquid developer containing a toner and a carrier liquid, and performs an image forming operation of transferring the toner image to a recording material. A collecting device that collects the liquid developer that has not been transferred, and a separating device that is disposed below the collecting device in the direction of gravity and separates the liquid developer collected by the collecting device into a toner and a carrier liquid; An image forming apparatus, comprising: a toner collection unit that is disposed below the separation device in the direction of gravity and that collects toner separated by the separation device.

Further, according to the present invention, in an image forming apparatus for forming an image using a liquid developer containing a toner and a carrier liquid, an image carrier, and an electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier are transferred to a toner and a carrier. A developing device that develops using a liquid developer containing a liquid to form a toner image;
A mixer for mixing the toner and the carrier liquid, supply means for supplying a liquid developer mixed by the mixer to the developing device, and a toner container containing replenishing toner for replenishing the mixer Section, a carrier liquid storage section in which a replenishing carrier liquid for replenishing the mixer is stored, an apparatus main body in which these are disposed, and a front side of the apparatus main body, wherein the image forming apparatus is disposed. An operation unit for operating the image forming apparatus, wherein the toner storage unit and the carrier liquid storage unit are disposed on the front side of the mixer in the front-rear direction of the apparatus main body. It is in.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, optimization of arrangement | positioning of the structure in an apparatus main body can be achieved.

1 is a schematic front view of a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing a configuration of a transport path of a liquid developer of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of the arrangement of a toner tank, a supply carrier tank, a mixer, and a carrier tank of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment, as viewed from above the apparatus. FIG. 4 is a control block diagram of a transport operation of the liquid developer of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. 5 is a flowchart illustrating control of a liquid developer transport operation of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. The perspective view of the separation extraction device concerning an embodiment. The perspective view which cuts and shows some separation-extraction devices which concern on embodiment. Sectional drawing which shows a part of separation-extraction apparatus concerning embodiment. The enlarged view of the A section of FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating control of the operation of separating and extracting the liquid developer according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a flow of toner by extracting a part of the separation and extraction device according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic front view showing a configuration of a transport path of a liquid developer in an image forming apparatus according to another first example of the embodiment. FIG. 9 is a schematic front view showing a configuration of a transport path of a liquid developer in an image forming apparatus according to another second example of the embodiment. FIG. 13 is a schematic front view showing a configuration of a transport path of a liquid developer in an image forming apparatus according to another third example of the embodiment.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. First, a schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[Image forming apparatus]
The image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is an electrophotographic digital printer that forms a toner image on a recording material (a sheet, a sheet material such as an OHP sheet, etc.) that is another image carrier. The image forming apparatus 100 operates based on the image signal, and transfers the toner images of each color formed by the image forming units 12Y, 12M, 12C, and 12K to a sheet S as a recording material sequentially conveyed from the cassette 11, Thereafter, the image is obtained by fixing. The image signal is sent to the image forming apparatus 100 from an external terminal such as a scanner or a personal computer (not shown).

  The image forming units 12Y, 12M, 12C, and 12K are arranged in the apparatus main body 101, and form yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) toner images, respectively. The configuration of each of the image forming units 12Y, 12M, 12C, and 12K is the same except that the developing colors are different. Therefore, the image forming unit 12Y will be representatively described below.

  The image forming section 12Y includes a cylindrical photosensitive member as an image carrier, that is, a photosensitive drum 13Y, a charger 14Y, a laser exposure device 15Y, a developing device 16Y, and a collecting device (photosensitive member cleaning device, cleaning device). Drum cleaner 19Y. The laser beam E is emitted from the laser exposure device 15Y according to the image signal onto the photosensitive drum 13Y whose surface is charged by the charger 14, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 13Y. This electrostatic latent image is developed as a toner image by the developing device 16Y. In the present embodiment, the developing device 16Y contains a liquid developer DY as a liquid material in which a powder toner as a dispersoid is dispersed in a carrier liquid as a dispersion medium. And development. The liquid developers DM, DC, and DK are stored in the developing units 16M, 16C, and 16K of the other image forming units 12M, 12C, and 12K, respectively.

  The liquid developer DY is generated by mixing and dispersing the toner TY with the carrier liquid C at a predetermined ratio in a mixer 31Y as a mixer, and is supplied to the developing device 16Y. The carrier liquid C is stored in a carrier tank 32 as a carrier liquid recovery unit, and the toner TY (supply toner) is stored in a toner tank 33Y (see FIG. 3) as a toner storage unit. Then, the carrier liquid C or the toner TY is supplied from each tank to the mixer 31Y according to the mixing state of the carrier liquid C and the toner TY in the mixer 31Y. The mixer 31Y contains stirring blades driven by a motor (not shown), and mixes the supplied carrier liquid C and the toner TY by stirring them, thereby dispersing the toner TY in the carrier liquid C. .

  As shown in FIG. 3, the carrier tank 32 is replenished with a replenishing carrier liquid from a replenishing carrier tank 38 serving as a carrier liquid accommodating portion in which the replenishing carrier liquid is stored. That is, the replenishment carrier liquid for replenishing the mixer 31Y is stored in the replenishment carrier tank 38, and the replenishment carrier liquid stored in the replenishment carrier tank 38 is sent to the carrier tank 32, From the mixer 31Y. However, the supply carrier liquid may be supplied directly from the supply carrier tank 38 to the mixer 31Y.

  The liquid developer DY supplied from the mixer 31Y to the developing device 16Y is coated (supplied) on the developing roller 18Y as a developer carrier by a coating roller 17Y in a supply section 16Ya of the developing device 16Y, and is used for development. You. The developing roller 18Y carries and transports the liquid developer on the surface, and develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 13Y (on the image bearing member, on the photosensitive member) with toner. The carrier liquid C and the toner TY remaining on the developing roller 18Y after the development are collected in a collection section 16Yb of the developing device 16. Here, the coating of the liquid developer DY from the coat roller 17Y to the developing roller 18Y and the development from the developing roller 18Y to the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 13Y are performed using an electric field.

  The toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 13Y is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 20c as an intermediate transfer member (image carrier, another image carrier) by the photosensitive drum 13Y and the primary transfer roller 20Ya as a transfer member. Is transported to the primary transfer nip. Then, the toner image is primarily transferred from the photosensitive drum 13Y to the intermediate transfer belt 20c at the primary transfer nip. The toner TY and the carrier liquid C (liquid developer) remaining on the photosensitive drum 13Y after the transfer of the toner image to the intermediate transfer belt 20c are removed and collected by the drum cleaner 19.

  In the image forming units 12M, 12C, and 12K, image formation is performed similarly to the above-described image forming unit 12Y. Then, the toner images formed on the photosensitive drums 13M, 13C, and 13K are transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 20c, and the intermediate transfer belt 20c stretched around the roller 20b and the secondary transfer member (transfer member). The sheet is conveyed to a nip formed by the next transfer roller 21. Note that the intermediate transfer belt 20c may be a roller. Further, the secondary transfer roller 21 may be an endless belt.

  The sheet S accommodated in the cassette 11 is conveyed to a registration conveyance unit 23 by a feeding unit 22 including conveyance rollers. The resist conveyance unit 23 conveys the sheet S to a nip between the intermediate transfer belt 20c and the secondary transfer roller 21 at the timing of the toner image transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 20c.

  In the nip portion between the intermediate transfer belt 20c and the secondary transfer roller 21, the sheet S is nipped and conveyed, and the toner image is secondarily transferred from the intermediate transfer belt 20c to the sheet S passing through the nip portion. The sheet S to which the toner image has been transferred is transported to the fixing device 25 by the transport belt 24, and fixes the toner image transferred to the sheet S. The sheet S on which the toner image has been fixed is discharged out of the apparatus, and the image forming operation is completed.

  The intermediate transfer belt 20c and the secondary transfer roller 21 are provided with an intermediate transfer belt cleaner 26 and a transfer roller cleaner 27 for collecting the remaining toner and carrier liquid (liquid developer), respectively. The intermediate transfer belt cleaner 26 corresponds to an intermediate transfer body cleaning device and a cleaning device, and removes liquid developer remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 20c (on the intermediate transfer body) without being secondarily transferred to the sheet S. The transfer roller cleaner 27 corresponds to a secondary transfer member cleaning device, and removes liquid developer that has not been secondarily transferred to the sheet S and has adhered to the secondary transfer roller 21. In the case of the present embodiment, the collecting device includes drum cleaners 19Y, 19M, 19C, and 19K that clean the photosensitive drums 13Y, 13M, 13C, and 13K of the image forming units 12Y, 12M, 12C, and 12K. However, the collection device may include at least one of the intermediate transfer belt cleaner 26 and the transfer roller cleaner 27.

[Transport of liquid developer]
Next, conveyance of the liquid developers DY, DM, DC, and DK in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. First, as described above, the liquid developers DY, DM, DC, and DK that have not been transferred to the sheet S in the image forming operation are collected by the drum cleaners 19Y, 19M, 19C, and 19K serving as a collecting device. Then, the collected liquid developer is separated into a toner and a carrier liquid by a separation / extraction device 34 as a separation device, and the carrier liquid is reused. The developer remaining on the developing roller 18Y after the development and collected in the collection section 16Yb of the developing device 16Y is returned to the mixer 31Y, but may be conveyed to the separation and extraction device 34. The same applies to the developing units 16M, 16C, 16K of the other image forming units 12M, 12C, 12K.

  As will be described in detail later, the separation / extraction device 34 separates the reusable carrier liquid and the waste liquid W containing impurities such as toner and paper powder when separating the carrier liquid and the toner, and separates them. The waste liquid W containing the toner is collected in a waste liquid collecting container 35 as a toner collecting part.

  This will be described more specifically. As shown in FIG. 3, a pump 41 is provided in a transport pipe 61 from the carrier tank 32 to the mixer 31Y, and a pump 42 is provided in a transport pipe 62 from the toner tank 33Y to the mixer 31Y. The supply amounts of C and toner TY are adjusted. A pump 46 is provided in a transport pipe 66 from the replenishment carrier tank 38 to the carrier tank 32 to adjust the supply amount of the replenishment carrier liquid to the carrier tank 32. As shown in FIG. 2, a pump 44 as a supply unit is provided in a transport pipe 64 from the mixer 31Y to the developing device 16Y, and the liquid developer DY necessary for development is supplied to the developing device 16Y using the pump 44. You.

  The developer collected in the collecting section 16Yb of the developing device 16Y is returned by gravity to the mixer 31Y disposed below the developing device 16Y in the direction of gravity. This is because the developer collected in the collection section 16Yb is not used for development or the like and is hardly deteriorated. An electromagnetic valve 43 is provided in the transport pipe 63 from the recovery section 16Yb to the mixer 31Y to switch the supply of the liquid developer. The transport of the liquid developer between the carrier tank 32, the mixers 31M, 31C, 31K, the toner tanks 33M, 33C, 33K, and the developing units 16M, 16C, 16K is performed in the same manner as described above.

  The residual carrier liquid and the toner (liquid developer) collected by the drum cleaners 19Y, 19M, 19C, and 19K are dropped by the separation and extraction device 34 disposed below the drum cleaners 19Y, 19M, 19C, and 19K in the gravity direction. Conveyed by. An electromagnetic valve 48 is provided in each transport pipe 68 from the drum cleaners 19Y, 19M, 19C and 19K to the separation and extraction device 34, and switches the supply of the liquid developer.

  The reusable carrier liquid separated by the separation and extraction device 34 is conveyed by its own weight to a carrier tank 32 disposed below the separation and extraction device 34 in the direction of gravity. An electromagnetic valve 45 is provided in the transport pipe 65 from the separation and extraction device 34 to the carrier tank 32, and switches the transport of the carrier liquid. On the other hand, the waste liquid W containing the toner separated by the separation / extraction device 34 is conveyed by a transport pipe 67 to the waste liquid collection container 35 disposed below the separation / extraction device 34 as a toner collection unit by its own weight. Is done. The transport pipe 67 is provided with an electromagnetic valve 47, and the waste liquid W is appropriately conveyed to the waste liquid collecting container 35 by the electromagnetic valve 47.

  The residual carrier liquid and toner collected by the intermediate transfer belt cleaner 26 and the transfer roller cleaner 27 are conveyed by their own weight to a waste liquid collection container 35 disposed below the intermediate transfer belt cleaner 26 and the transfer roller cleaner 27 in the direction of gravity. Is done. Electromagnetic valves 49 and 50 are provided in the transport pipes 69 and 70 from the intermediate transfer belt cleaner 26 and the transfer roller cleaner 27 to the waste liquid collecting container 35, respectively, to switch the supply of the liquid developer.

  The transport of the liquid developer and the like may be carried out by using a self-weight without using a pump, for example, in a case where the developer can be transported by its own weight, instead of using a pump.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the above-described pumps 41, 42, 44 and the solenoid valves 43, 45, 47, 48, 49, 50 are controlled by a CPU 200 as a control unit via a pump driver 201 and a solenoid valve driver 202, respectively. Is controlled. The CPU 200 controls each pump and the like based on the detection values of the agent amount detection device 160, the solid component concentration detection device 310, and the carrier liquid concentration detection device 34a described below.

  Such a transport operation of the liquid developer will be described with reference to FIGS. First, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a developer amount detecting device 160 is provided in the developing device 16Y, and the amount of the liquid developer in the developing device 16Y is detected by the developer amount detecting device 160. The mixer 31Y is provided with a solid component concentration detecting device 310, which detects the concentration of solid components such as toner in the mixer 31Y. The solid component concentration detection device 310 includes, for example, a light-emitting unit and a light-receiving unit, irradiates light from the light-emitting unit to a portion of the mixer 31Y through which liquid passes, and receives light transmitted through this portion by the light-receiving unit. . Since the amount of light received by the light receiving portion changes according to the amount of the solid component in this portion, the concentration of the solid component in the mixer 31Y can be detected from the change in the amount of light.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the developer amount in the developing device 16Y is detected by the developer amount detecting device 160 (S1). If the amount of the developer in the developing device 16Y is equal to or less than a predetermined amount (for example, 200 ± 10 cc), the CPU 200 drives the pump 44 (S2) to adjust the amount of the liquid developer in the developing device 16Y. . After the adjustment, the driving of the pump 44 is stopped (S3).

  Next, the concentration of the solid component in the mixer 31Y is detected by the solid component concentration detection device 310 (S4). When the concentration of the solid component in the mixer 31Y is out of a predetermined range (for example, 10 ± 0.5%), it is determined whether or not the concentration of the solid component is 10.5% or more (S5). Then, when the concentration of the solid component is 10.5% or more, the pump 41 is driven to supply the carrier liquid from the carrier tank 32 into the mixer 31Y (S6). On the other hand, when the concentration of the solid component is not 10.5% or more, that is, 9.5% or less, the pump 42 is driven to supply the toner from the toner tank 33Y into the mixer 31Y (S7). Thereby, the concentration of the liquid developer in the mixer 31Y is adjusted.

  That is, when the toner concentration (solid component concentration) is high, the carrier liquid is supplied from the carrier tank 32 to the mixer 31Y by the pump 41. When the toner concentration is low, a liquid developer having a higher toner concentration than the liquid developer used in the mixer 31Y is supplied from the toner tank 33Y to the mixer 31Y by the pump.

  When the concentration of the solid component in the mixer 31Y falls within a predetermined range, the pump 44 is driven if necessary, and the liquid developer whose concentration has been adjusted is supplied from the mixer 31Y to the developing device 16Y (S8). Then, while the image formation is started (S9), the driving of the electromagnetic valve 48 is also started (S10), and the driving of the separation / extraction device 34 is also started (S11). The developing devices 16M, 16C, 16K and the mixers 31M, 31C, 31K are also provided with the above-described agent amount detecting device 160 and solid component concentration detecting device 310, and are controlled in the same manner as described above.

[Separation and extraction device]
Next, a separation and extraction device 34 as a separation device will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. The separation and extraction device 34 is a device that separates the liquid developer into a toner and a carrier liquid by using an electric field, and separately extracts the carrier liquid and the toner.

  As described above, the liquid developer collected by the drum cleaners 19Y, 19M, 19C, and 19K, that is, the liquid developer that has not been transferred to the sheet S in the image forming operation, as shown by arrows in FIGS. , From the inlet 34b of the separation and extraction device 34 into the liquid container 346. Then, the liquid is supplied to the buffer container 348 in the liquid container 346. In the present embodiment, the buffer container 348 is provided in the separation and extraction device 34, but may be provided as a single container. The liquid developer supplied to the buffer container 348 is transported by the pump 34c and passes through the filter 34d.

  The liquid developer that has passed through the filter 34d is supplied to a supply tray 346a as a supply unit, as shown in FIGS. As described later in detail, the liquid developer supplied to the supply tray 346a is separated into a toner and a carrier liquid in the separation and extraction device 34. Then, the extracted toner is sent to the waste liquid collecting container 35, and the extracted carrier liquid is transferred to the carrier tank 32.

  Next, the structure of the separation and extraction of the toner and the carrier liquid in the separation and extraction device 34 will be described in detail. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a coating electrode member 341 as an electrode member, an electrode roller 342 as a conductive roller, a toner collecting device 350, and the like are arranged in the liquid container 346. The liquid storage container 346 is a container capable of storing the liquid developer, and includes the above-described supply tray 346a, a discharge unit 346b from which the reusable carrier liquid is discharged as described later, and a waste liquid. A collection unit 354 for collecting the developer.

  The electrode roller 342 is a conductive roller in which a urethane rubber elastic layer is integrally formed on a surface of a core metal having an outer diameter of φ40 mm made of, for example, solid stainless steel. As shown in FIG. 4, the electrode roller 342 receives a drive from the outside by a drive motor 205 and rotates in a predetermined direction (the direction of the arrow in FIGS. 7 and 8). In the present embodiment, the rotation speed of the drive motor 205 is set to 2000 rpm. Then, the electrode roller 342 rotates at a rotation speed of, for example, 400 rpm by reducing the rotation of the drive motor 205 by a speed reducer. Note that the voltage application device 345 is controlled by the CPU 200 via the high voltage driver 204, and the drive motor 205 is controlled by the CPU 200 via the motor driver 203.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the coat electrode member 341 is disposed with a part of the outer surface of the electrode roller 342 via a gap 347. A supply tray 346a is connected to the upstream end 347a of the gap 347 in the rotation direction of the electrode roller 342. Then, the liquid developer put into the supply tray 346a as described above is supplied from the upstream end 347a into the gap 347. Both ends of the gap 347 in the rotation axis direction of the electrode roller 342 are sealed, and the liquid developer supplied to the gap 347 is transported in the gap 347 to the downstream side in the rotation direction with the rotation of the electrode roller 342. .

  A discharge portion 346b is connected to a downstream end 347b of the gap 347 in the rotation direction of the electrode roller 342 (see FIG. 7). The upstream end 347a is disposed above the downstream end 347b in the direction of gravity. In addition, the discharge portion 346b is provided below the gap 347 in the direction of gravity below the upstream end 347a in the rotation direction of the electrode roller 342 and adjacent to the downstream side of the coat electrode member 341 in the rotation direction of the electrode roller 342. The carrier liquid is collected from the roller 342. Then, the liquid developer that has passed through the gap 347 is sent from the discharge portion 346b to the carrier tank 32 via the transport pipe 65 (see FIGS. 2 and 7).

  The transport pipe 65 is also connected to a path for returning the discharged liquid developer to the separation / extraction device 34 again. The discharge unit 346b is provided with a carrier liquid concentration detecting device 34a, which detects the toner concentration in the carrier liquid of the liquid developer sent into the discharge unit 346b. The configuration of the carrier liquid concentration detecting device 34a is the same as that of the above-described solid component concentration detecting device 310. When the toner concentration of the liquid developer sent to the discharge unit 346b is higher than a predetermined value (for example, 0.02%), the liquid developer is returned to the separation / extraction device 34 again to separate the toner and the carrier liquid. To do.

  This is because, for example, it is assumed that an abnormal situation such as a power-off during the operation of the separation / extraction device 34 occurs and the separation / extraction device 34 cannot sufficiently separate the carrier liquid and the toner. In such a case, the toner concentration of the liquid developer sent to the discharge unit 346b becomes higher than a predetermined value. Normally, as described later, the toner and the carrier liquid are separated by the passage of the liquid developer through the gap 347, and the extracted carrier liquid is sent to the discharge unit 346b. Therefore, the toner concentration of the liquid developer sent to the discharge unit 346b is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, and is sent to the carrier tank 32 without being returned to the separation / extraction device 34. The path returning to the separation and extraction device 34 may be omitted.

  As described above, in the coated electrode member 341 arranged with the electrode roller 342 and the gap 347, at least the surface of the portion 341x through which the liquid passes is formed of a conductive material. The coated electrode member 341 is formed of, for example, solid stainless steel and has a width of 400 mm. The portion 341x through which the liquid passes has a shape that accommodates a part of the electrode roller 342, and the surface of the portion 341x facing the electrode roller 342 has a predetermined distance (ie, the gap 347) from the surface of the electrode roller 342. ). The predetermined distance is, for example, 0.2 mm.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a voltage applying device 345 as voltage applying means is connected to the coat electrode member 341 and the electrode roller 342. Then, a voltage can be applied between the coat electrode member 341 and the electrode roller 342 by the voltage application device 345 so that an electric field for moving the toner toward the electrode roller 342 (electrode roller side) is generated. That is, a voltage is applied to the gap 347 so that an electric field is generated such that the toner is attracted to the electrode roller 342.

  In this embodiment, since the toner is negatively charged by the charge control agent, for example, −300 V is applied to the electrode roller 342 and −1000 V is applied to the coat electrode member 341. Then, the toner in the liquid developer passing through the gap 347 moves from the coat electrode member 341 to the electrode roller 342. As a result, while the liquid developer passes through the gap 347, the toner is carried on the electrode roller 342, and the toner and the carrier liquid are separated. The separated carrier liquid is discharged to the discharge section 346b connected to the downstream end 347b of the gap 347, and is sent to the carrier tank 32 as the carrier liquid recovery section as described above.

  The toner collecting device 350 is located downstream of the coat electrode member 341 with respect to the rotation direction of the electrode roller 342, and collects the toner carried on the electrode roller 342. The toner collecting device 350 includes a collecting roller 351, a voltage applying device 345 as a collecting voltage applying unit, and a blade member 352 as a scraping member.

  The collection roller 351 is a conductive roller formed of, for example, solid stainless steel and having an outer diameter of φ20 mm, and is disposed so as to contact the electrode roller 342. Then, the collection roller 351 comes into contact with the electrode roller 342 and is driven to rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIGS. The rotation speed of the collection roller 351 is, for example, 800 rpm. That is, the collection roller 351 is located downstream of the discharge portion 346b and upstream of the coat electrode member 341 with respect to the rotation direction of the electrode roller 342, and contacts the electrode roller 342 and faces the electrode roller 342. Rotate forward in position with each other. In the present embodiment, the collection roller 351 rotates following the electrode roller 342. However, the collection roller 351 may be configured to rotate when a driving motor inputs driving from outside.

  The electrode roller 342 and the collection roller 351 are arranged substantially in parallel with each other, and both ends in the rotation axis direction are rotatably supported by a frame constituting the liquid container 346. Further, biasing mechanisms such as springs are provided at both ends of the collection roller 351. The collection roller 351 is urged toward the electrode roller 342 by an urging mechanism, and elastically deforms the electrode roller 342. The pressing force of the urging mechanism on the collection roller 351 against the electrode roller 342 is, for example, 3 kgf (29.4 N).

  Note that the coat electrode member 341 and the collection roller 351 are positioned with reference to the electrode roller 342, and the electrode roller 342 is used as a position reference for these members.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the voltage application device 345 is connected to the electrode roller 342 and the collection roller 351, and an electric field for moving the toner to the collection roller side is generated between the collection roller 351 and the electrode roller 342. Voltage as described above. In the present embodiment, the voltage application device connected to the electrode roller 342 and the collection roller 351 and the voltage application device connected to the electrode roller 342 and the coat electrode member 341 are common, but may be different. In the present embodiment, for example, −300 V is applied to the electrode roller 342, and −200 V is applied to the collection roller 351. Then, the toner carried on the electrode roller 342 and conveyed to the collection roller 351 moves from the electrode roller 342 to the collection roller 351.

  The blade member 352 comes into contact with the collection roller 351 and scrapes the toner on the collection roller. The blade member 352 is arranged downstream of the position where the electrode roller 342 and the collection roller 351 are in contact with each other in the rotation direction of the collection roller 351 so as to contact the collection roller 351 in the counter direction. The blade member 352 is urged so that the front end 352 a contacts the surface of the collection roller 351. Note that the counter direction is a direction in which the direction of the tip of the blade member 352 that contacts the collection roller 351 is opposite to the tangential direction along the rotation direction of the collection roller 351. Further, the blade member 352 is a plate-like member extending along the longitudinal direction (the rotation axis direction) of the collection roller 351 and is made of, for example, stainless steel.

  As described above, the toner that has moved from the electrode roller 342 to the collection roller 351 is scraped off by the blade member 352 and sent to the collection unit 354. The toner collected by the collecting unit 354 is sent to the waste liquid collecting container 35 as described above. The scraping member that scrapes the toner from the collection roller 351 is not limited to the blade member. For example, a configuration other than a blade shape or a brush may be used.

[Control flow of liquid developer separation / extraction operation]
Next, a control flow of the operation of separating and extracting the liquid developer according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. First, the developer collected by the drum cleaners 19 </ b> Y, 19 </ b> M, 19 </ b> C, and 19 </ b> K is conveyed to the separation and extraction device 34 by driving the respective electromagnetic valves 48. Then, after a predetermined amount of the developer is sent to the separation and extraction device 34, each solenoid valve 48 is stopped (S21).

  Next, the drive of the drive motor 205 is started to rotate the electrode roller 342 (S22). As a result, the liquid developer is transported as the electrode roller 342 rotates. At this time, the collection roller 351 rotates following the electrode roller 342. Further, the voltage application device 345 is turned on (S23). Thus, an electric field that causes the toner to move to the electrode roller 342 between the coat electrode member 341 and the electrode roller 342 and an electric field that causes the toner to move to the collection roller side between the collection roller 351 and the electrode roller 342 are generated. Is applied with a voltage. For this reason, the toner in the liquid developer first moves to the electrode roller 342 side, and then moves to the collection roller 351 side. The carrier liquid having no charge remains on the coat electrode member 341 side.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 11, the toner T (solid line in FIG. 11) in the liquid developer passing through the gap 347 is electrically attracted to the electrode roller 342 and generates an electric repulsive force from the coat electrode member 341. receive. As a result, the toner T is electrically urged toward the electrode roller 342 side. At this time, there is a toner T layer on the electrode roller 342 side, and there is a layer of the carrier liquid C on the toner T layer. The liquid having the toner T layer and the carrier liquid C layer is conveyed to the collection roller 351 by the rotation of the electrode roller 342, and the toner T layer is moved to the collection roller 351 by the electric field.

  As described above, the toner T in the liquid developer conveyed to the collecting roller 351 by the electrode roller 342 through the gap 347 is electrically attracted to the collecting roller 351 and receives an electric repulsive force from the electrode roller 342. . As a result, the toner is electrically urged in a direction away from the electrode roller 342, that is, toward the collection roller 351. At this time, the carrier liquid C is divided at a predetermined ratio into the electrode roller 342 side and the collection roller 351 side, and the carrier liquid C layer (the chain line in FIG. 11) divided into the electrode roller 342 side is formed by the electrode roller 342. Due to the rotation, it is transported to the upstream end 347a of the gap 347. That is, the carrier liquid C divided on the side of the electrode roller 342 with respect to the collection roller 351 is returned to the entrance of the gap 347. Then, it merges with the liquid developer supplied from the supply tray 346a, and is again conveyed to the gap 347.

  The toner electrically attached to the collection roller 351 is scraped off by the blade member 352. Here, the solenoid valve 47 is opened (S24). As a result, the toner scraped off by the blade member 352 falls under its own weight and is collected by the collection unit 354 into the waste liquid collection container 35. The toner may be discarded or reused.

  The carrier liquid discharged from the downstream end 347b of the gap 347 to the discharge section 346b has a toner concentration detected by the carrier liquid concentration detecting device 34a, and the detected toner concentration is a predetermined value (for example, 0.02%). It is determined whether or not the following is true (S25). If the toner concentration is equal to or lower than the predetermined value, the electromagnetic valve 45 is opened, and the carrier liquid is sent to the carrier tank 32 (S26).

  When the separation and extraction of the carrier liquid from the separation and extraction device 34 is completed (S27), the solenoid valves 45 and 47 are closed (S28), and the voltage application device 345 and the drive motor 205 are sequentially stopped (S29 and S30). ).

  Next, a predetermined amount of the residual developer is again conveyed to the separation / extraction device 34 by each solenoid valve 48, and the next separation process is performed. Then, such an operation is repeatedly performed.

  In the separation and extraction device 34 of the present embodiment, 88.0 cc of the carrier liquid can be extracted from 100.0 cc of the liquid developer (containing 90.0 cc of the carrier liquid and 10.0 cc of the toner). The time required for one separation process is, for example, 30 seconds. In this case, it is possible to cope with a process speed of up to 800 mm / s.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example is described in which the toner is used as the dispersoid and the carrier liquid is used as the dispersion medium. However, any dispersoid and dispersion medium that can be separated by an electric field can be separated by the separation / extraction device 34. is there. For example, the dispersoid may be a charge control agent, and the dispersion medium may be a carrier liquid.

[About the arrangement of components in the device body]
Next, with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the layout of the configuration inside the apparatus main body 101 (see FIG. 1) in the present embodiment, particularly, the layout of the apparatus related to the transport of the liquid developers DY, DM, DC, and DK will be described with reference to FIGS. explain. The apparatus main body 101 of the image forming apparatus 100 includes therein developing units 16Y, 16M, 16C, 16K, drum cleaners 19Y, 19M, 19C, 19K, an intermediate transfer belt cleaner 26, a transfer roller cleaner 27, and the like. In the apparatus main body 101, the mixers 31Y, 31M, 31C, and 31K, the carrier tank 32, the toner tanks 33Y, 33M, 33C, and 33K, the replenishment carrier tank 38, the separation and extraction device 34, the waste liquid collection container 35, and the like are arranged. ing. Further, in the apparatus main body 101, transport pipes 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70 for connecting them, and pumps 41, 42, 44 provided in each transport pipe. , Solenoid valves 43, 45, 47, 48, 49, 50, and the like. First, the arrangement of each component in the apparatus main body 101 in the direction of gravity will be described with reference to FIG.

  The liquid developer collected without being transferred to the recording material and the waste liquid containing the toner separated from the carrier liquid from the collected liquid developer have a high toner concentration and a high viscosity. Specifically, the liquid developer collected by the drum cleaners 19Y, 19M, 19C, and 19K has a high toner concentration (solid component concentration) and a viscosity of, for example, about 30 cP.

  The developer collected by the intermediate transfer belt cleaner 26 has a high toner concentration (solid component concentration) and a viscosity of, for example, about 50 cP. Further, the waste liquid separated by the separation and extraction device 34 has a high toner concentration (concentration of a solid component) and a viscosity of, for example, about 100 cP.

  That is, the liquid developer collected by the drum cleaners 19Y, 19M, 19C, and 19K, the liquid developer collected by the intermediate transfer belt cleaner 26, and the waste liquid separated by the separation / extraction device 34 have respective toner concentrations (solid component concentrations). And a high viscosity liquid. If such a high-viscosity liquid developer or the like is transported by a pump or the like, the pump becomes expensive and becomes large.

  For this reason, in the present embodiment, in order to transport such a high-viscosity liquid developer to the next step, such a liquid developer is transported by gravity. That is, the separation and extraction device 34 is disposed below the drum cleaners 19Y, 19M, 19C and 19K in the direction of gravity, and separates and separates the liquid developer collected by the drum cleaners 19Y, 19M, 19C and 19K by their own weights. 34.

  Further, a waste liquid collecting container 35 is disposed below the separation and extraction device 34 in the direction of gravity, and the waste liquid containing the toner separated by the separation and extraction device 34 is conveyed to the waste liquid collection container 35 by its own weight. Further, a waste liquid collecting container 35 is disposed below the intermediate transfer belt cleaner 26 in the direction of gravity, and the liquid developer collected by the intermediate transfer belt cleaner 26 is conveyed to the waste liquid collecting container 35 by its own weight.

  The liquid developer collected by the intermediate transfer belt cleaner 26 and the waste liquid separated by the separation / extraction device 34 are liquids having a particularly high viscosity as described above. For this reason, in the present embodiment, the waste liquid collecting container 35 is disposed almost directly below the intermediate transfer belt cleaner 26 and the separation and extraction device 34 in the direction of gravity. That is, the transport pipes 67 and 69 are connected almost straight, so that the liquid developer and the waste liquid are easily dropped. When the liquid developer is sent from the intermediate transfer belt cleaner 26 to the separation / extraction device 34, it is preferable that the separation / extraction device 34 be disposed almost directly below the intermediate transfer belt cleaner 26 in the direction of gravity.

  The liquid developer collected by the transfer roller cleaner 27 has a lower toner concentration (solid component concentration) than the liquid developer collected by the intermediate transfer belt cleaner 26, and has a viscosity of, for example, about 5 cP. However, paper powder, foreign matter, and the like are easily mixed into the collected liquid developer, and the collected liquid developer may be agglomerated. For this reason, in the present embodiment, the waste liquid collecting container 35 is disposed below the transfer roller cleaner 27 in the direction of gravity, and the liquid developer collected by the transfer roller cleaner 27 is conveyed to the waste liquid collecting container 35 by its own weight. I have to.

  Further, the reusable carrier liquid separated by the separation and extraction device 34 does not have a toner concentration (concentration of a solid component) with respect to the waste liquid separated by the separation and extraction device 34, and thus has a viscosity of, for example, about 4 cP. It is. However, in the present embodiment, the carrier tank 32 is disposed below the separation and extraction device 34 in the direction of gravity, and the carrier liquid separated by the separation and extraction device 34 is transferred to the carrier tank 32 by its own weight. Even if the liquid developer has such a low viscosity, the number of pumps for conveying the liquid developer can be reduced by transporting the liquid developer by its own weight as much as possible, and the cost and size of the apparatus can be reduced. .

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the separation and extraction device 34 is disposed below the device for collecting the liquid developer that has not been transferred to the sheet S in the image forming operation, such as the drum cleaners 19Y to 19K. A waste liquid collecting container 35 is disposed below the container. Thus, the high-viscosity liquid developer can be conveyed by gravity drop, and a costly and space-consuming configuration using a pump or the like can be reduced. As a result, an image forming apparatus using a liquid developer containing a toner and a carrier liquid can be provided in a compact size and at low cost.

  Next, the arrangement of the mixers 31Y to 31K, the carrier tank 32, the toner tanks 33Y to 33K, and the supply carrier tank 38 before and after in the apparatus main body 101 will be described with reference to FIG. 3, the lower side is the front side (front side) of the apparatus main body 101, and the upper side is the rear side (rear side) inside the apparatus main body 101.

  Here, the side on which the operation unit 210 (see FIGS. 1 and 4) for operating the image forming apparatus 100 is disposed is referred to as the front side of the apparatus main body 101. The operation unit 210 is used by an operator to perform various settings of the image forming apparatus 100, and includes, for example, a monitor such as a liquid crystal panel that displays a screen for performing various settings. The monitor can also display, for example, device information.

  On the front side of the apparatus main body 101, an accessible door in the apparatus main body 101 is arranged in order to replace a device, a tank, and the like arranged in the apparatus main body 101. The operator replaces the tank in the apparatus main body 101 by opening the door. For this reason, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the toner tanks 33 </ b> Y to 33 </ b> K as the toner storage section and the replenishment carrier tank 38 as the carrier liquid storage section are connected to the mixer 31 </ b> Y in the front-rear direction of the apparatus main body 101. It is arranged on the front side of ~ 31K. Preferably, the toner tanks 33 </ b> Y to 33 </ b> K and the replenishment carrier tank 38 are arranged at the forefront in the apparatus main body 101. In addition, the carrier tank 32 as a carrier liquid recovery unit is disposed behind the toner tanks 33Y to 33K and the supply carrier tank 38.

  As described above, the carrier liquid C is supplied from the carrier tank 32, and the toners TY to TK are supplied from the toner tanks 33Y to 33K to the mixers 31Y to 31K, respectively. Thereafter, the liquid developer is supplied from the mixers 31Y to 31K to the developing devices 16Y to 16K. Further, a new (supply) carrier liquid C is supplied from the supply carrier tank 38 to the carrier tank 32.

  Therefore, since the toner tanks 33Y to 33K and the supply carrier tank 38 are replaced more frequently than the mixers 31Y to 31K, they are arranged on the front side of the mixers 31Y to 31K to facilitate replacement. On the other hand, the carrier tank 32 is supplied with the carrier liquid C from the supply carrier tank 38 or the carrier liquid separated by the separation / extraction device 34 is conveyed. Less than. For this reason, the carrier tank 32 is disposed behind the toner tanks 33Y to 33K and the supply carrier tank 38. That is, in the present embodiment, the toner tanks 33Y to 33K and the supply carrier tank 38 are arranged on the front side of the image forming apparatus 100, and the mixers 31Y to 31K and the carrier tank 32 are arranged on the back side of the image forming apparatus 100.

  Further, the toner tanks 33Y to 33K and the mixers 31Y to 31K, and the replenishment carrier tank 38 and the carrier tank 32 are disposed at the lowest position in the apparatus main body 101, like the separation / extraction device 34 and the waste liquid recovery container 35. Further, the toner tanks 33Y to 33K and the mixers 31Y to 31K, and the replenishment carrier tank 38 and the carrier tank 32 are horizontally arranged in parallel with the separation / extraction device 34 and the waste liquid recovery container 35. The arrangement order of the toner tanks 33Y to 33K and the mixers 31Y to 31K in the horizontal direction is the same as the color of the liquid developer contained in the developing units 16Y to 16K.

  Further, in the case of the present embodiment, when the supply of the toner tanks 33Y to 33K and the supply carrier tank 38 is completed and the toner tanks become empty, a replacement instruction is issued to the operator by the monitor of the operation unit 210, and a new product is provided by the operator. Exchanged with Here, the weight of the new toner tanks 33Y to 33K and the supply carrier tank 38 is, for example, 5 kg.

  Therefore, by arranging the toner tanks 33Y to 33K and the supply carrier tank 38 on the front side of the apparatus main body 101, the operator can easily replace the toner tanks. Further, by arranging the toner tanks 33Y to 33K and the replenishment carrier tank 38 below the inside of the apparatus main body 101, it becomes easier for the operator to replace the toner tanks than when arranging them above the inside of the apparatus main body 101. Further, if the replacement is facilitated, the weight of the toner tanks 33Y to 33K and the supply carrier tank 38 that can be replaced by the operator can be increased, that is, the capacity can be increased and the replacement frequency can be reduced. .

  Further, by disposing the toner tanks 33Y to 33K and the mixers 31Y to 31K below the developing units 16Y to 16K in the direction of gravity, the toner tanks 33Y to 33K and the mixers 31Y to 31K can be arranged at close positions, and a transport pipe connecting these components. Can be shortened. For example, as compared with the case where the toner tanks 33Y to 33K are arranged above the developing devices 16Y to 16K and the mixers 31Y to 31K are arranged below the developing devices 16Y to 16K in the direction of gravity, respectively, the transport path of the liquid developer (the length of the transport pipe). ) Can be shortened. As a result, the cost and size of the device can be reduced.

[Another First Example of Embodiment]
FIG. 12 illustrates a configuration of an image forming apparatus 100A according to another first example of the embodiment. In this embodiment, the liquid developer collected by the intermediate transfer belt cleaner 26 and the transfer roller cleaner 27 is transported to the separation and extraction device 34. That is, in the present embodiment, the collection device includes the intermediate transfer belt cleaner 26 and the transfer roller cleaner 27. For this reason, in the present embodiment, the intermediate transfer belt cleaner 26 and the transfer roller cleaner 27 and the separation and extraction device 34 are connected by transport pipes 69 and 70, respectively, and the transport pipes 69 and 70 are provided with electromagnetic valves 49 and 50, respectively. Is provided.

  The separation / extraction device 34 is disposed below the intermediate transfer belt cleaner 26 and the transfer roller cleaner 27 in the direction of gravity, and the liquid developer collected by the intermediate transfer belt cleaner 26 and the transfer roller cleaner 27 is dropped by its own weight. It is transported to the separation and extraction device 34. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the embodiment shown in FIG.

[Another Second Example of Embodiment]
FIG. 13 shows the configuration of another image forming apparatus 100B according to the second example of the embodiment. In the present example, the toner tanks 33Y to 33K (see FIG. 3) and the mixers 31Y to 31K are connected to the lowermost part in the apparatus main body 101 (see FIG. 1), below the developing units 16Y to 16K in the direction of gravity, and substantially. It is located directly below. The toner tanks 33Y to 33K and the mixers 31Y to 31K are arranged side by side as shown in FIG. 3, and the illustration of the toner tanks 33Y to 33K is omitted in FIG. In the present embodiment, the mixers 31Y to 31K are disposed below the carrier tank 32 in the direction of gravity.

  In this way, by disposing the mixers 31Y to 31K substantially directly below the developing devices 16Y to 16K, the transport path (the length of the transport pipe) of the liquid developer can be shortened. In addition, since the mixers 31Y to 31K are arranged below the carrier tank 32 in the direction of gravity, an electromagnetic valve may be used instead of the pump 41. By doing so, the carrier liquid can be conveyed from the carrier tank 32 to the mixers 31Y to 31K by its own weight, and the number of pumps can be reduced. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the embodiment shown in FIG. In addition, this embodiment may be combined with the configuration shown in FIG. 12, that is, a configuration in which the liquid developer collected by the intermediate transfer belt cleaner 26 and the transfer roller cleaner 27 is transported to the separation and extraction device 34.

[Another Third Example of Embodiment]
FIG. 14 illustrates a configuration of an image forming apparatus 100C according to another third example of the embodiment. In this example, the toner tanks 33Y to 33K (see FIG. 3) and the mixers 31Y to 31K are arranged above the separation / extraction device 34 and the waste liquid recovery container 35. Further, the toner tanks 33Y to 33K and the mixers 31Y to 31K are arranged below and substantially directly below the developing units 16Y to 16K in the direction of gravity. The toner tanks 33Y to 33K and the mixers 31Y to 31K are arranged side by side as shown in FIG. 3, and the illustration of the toner tanks 33Y to 33K is omitted in FIG. In the present embodiment, the mixers 31Y to 31K are disposed above the carrier tank 32 in the direction of gravity.

  In this way, by disposing the mixers 31Y to 31K substantially directly below the developing devices 16Y to 16K, the transport path (the length of the transport pipe) of the liquid developer can be shortened. In the case of this example, it is effective when there is a space above the carrier tank 32, and by using this space to arrange the toner tank 33Y and the like above the carrier tank 32, the size of the apparatus in the horizontal direction can be improved. Can be reduced in size. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the embodiment shown in FIG. In addition, this embodiment may be combined with the configuration shown in FIG. 12, that is, a configuration in which the liquid developer collected by the intermediate transfer belt cleaner 26 and the transfer roller cleaner 27 is transported to the separation and extraction device 34.

[Other embodiments]
In the above-described embodiment, the configuration using the pump as the device for transporting the liquid developer has been described. However, the liquid developer may be transported by a rotating body such as a belt. For example, an endless belt is stretched by a plurality of (for example, two) stretching rollers, a liquid developer is carried on the stretched belt, and the liquid developer is conveyed by rotating the belt. You may do it. Even in the case of using such a configuration, as in the case described above, if the liquid developer is conveyed by its own weight as much as possible, the number of conveyors using a belt can be reduced, and the cost and size of the apparatus can be reduced.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the photosensitive drum is used as the photosensitive member and the intermediate transfer belt is used as the intermediate transfer member has been described. However, the photosensitive member may be a photosensitive belt, and the intermediate transfer member may be an intermediate transfer drum.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the intermediate transfer method in which the toner image is transferred from the photosensitive drum to the intermediate transfer belt and then the toner image is transferred to the sheet S has been described. However, the present invention is also applicable to a configuration in which a toner image is directly transferred from a photosensitive member (image carrier) such as a photosensitive drum to a sheet (another image carrier).

  12Y, 12M, 12C, 12K: image forming unit / 13Y, 13M, 13C, 13K: photosensitive drum (photoconductor, image carrier) / 16Y, 16M, 16C, 16K: developing device / 19Y 19M, 19C, 19K: drum cleaner (recovery device, photoconductor cleaning device, cleaning device) / 20c: intermediate transfer belt (intermediate transfer member, image carrier, another image carrier) / 20Ya, 20Ma, 20Ca, 20Ka: primary transfer roller (transfer member) / 21: secondary transfer roller (secondary transfer member, transfer member) / 26: intermediate transfer belt cleaner (collection device, intermediate transfer body cleaning device, Cleaning device) / 27 ... Transfer roller cleaner (recovery device, secondary transfer member cleaning device) / 31Y, 31M, 31C, 31K ... Mixer ( Combiner) / 32 ... Carrier tank (carrier liquid recovery unit) / 33Y, 33M, 33C, 33K ... Toner tank (toner storage unit) / 34 ... Separation and extraction device (separation device) / 35 ... Waste liquid collecting container (toner collecting part) / 38 supply carrier tank (carrier liquid storage part) / 44 pump (supply means) / 100, 100A, 100B, 100c image forming apparatus / 101 ..Device main body / 210 ... operation unit

Claims (10)

In an image forming apparatus that performs an image forming operation of forming a toner image using a liquid developer including a toner and a carrier liquid and transferring the toner image to a recording material,
A collecting device for collecting the liquid developer that has not been transferred to the recording material in the image forming operation,
A separating device that is disposed below the collecting device in the direction of gravity and separates the liquid developer collected by the collecting device into a toner and a carrier liquid.
A toner collection unit that is disposed below the separation device in the direction of gravity and collects the toner separated by the separation device.
An image forming apparatus comprising: A carrier liquid recovery unit that is disposed below the separation device in the direction of gravity and recovers the carrier liquid separated by the separation device,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: A photoconductor on which a toner image is formed using a liquid developer;
An intermediate transfer body on which a toner image is primarily transferred from the photoconductor,
A nip portion for nipping and conveying the recording material between the intermediate transfer member, and a secondary transfer member for secondary-transferring a toner image from the intermediate transfer member to a recording material passing through the nip portion,
The recovery device includes a photoconductor cleaning device that removes the liquid developer remaining on the photoconductor without being primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer member,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: An intermediate transfer body cleaning device that removes a liquid developer remaining on the intermediate transfer body without being secondarily transferred to a recording material,
The toner recovery unit is disposed below the intermediate transfer body cleaning device in the direction of gravity, and also recovers the liquid developer recovered by the intermediate transfer body cleaning device.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: A secondary transfer member cleaning device that removes a liquid developer attached to the secondary transfer member without being secondary-transferred to a recording material,
The toner recovery unit is disposed below the secondary transfer member cleaning device in the direction of gravity, and also recovers the liquid developer recovered by the secondary transfer member cleaning device.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: A photoconductor on which a toner image is formed using a liquid developer;
An intermediate transfer body on which a toner image is primarily transferred from the photoconductor,
A nip portion for nipping and conveying the recording material between the intermediate transfer member, and a secondary transfer member for secondary-transferring a toner image from the intermediate transfer member to a recording material passing through the nip portion,
The recovery device includes an intermediate transfer member cleaning device that removes a liquid developer remaining on the intermediate transfer member without being secondarily transferred to a recording material,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: A photoconductor on which a toner image is formed using a liquid developer;
An intermediate transfer body on which a toner image is primarily transferred from the photoconductor,
A nip portion for nipping and conveying the recording material between the intermediate transfer member, and a secondary transfer member for secondary-transferring a toner image from the intermediate transfer member to a recording material passing through the nip portion,
The recovery device includes a secondary transfer member cleaning device that removes the liquid developer attached to the secondary transfer member without being secondary-transferred to a recording material,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: An image carrier that carries a toner image formed using a liquid developer,
A transfer member for transferring a toner image from the image carrier to another image carrier,
The recovery device is a cleaning device that removes the liquid developer remaining on the image carrier without being transferred to the another image carrier,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: In an image forming apparatus that performs image formation using a liquid developer including a toner and a carrier liquid,
An image carrier;
A developing device that develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier using a liquid developer including a toner and a carrier liquid to form a toner image,
A mixer for mixing the toner and the carrier liquid,
Supply means for supplying the liquid developer mixed in the mixer to the developing device,
A toner container in which a replenishing toner for replenishing the mixer is stored,
A carrier liquid storage section in which a supply carrier liquid for replenishing the mixer is stored,
An apparatus body in which these are arranged,
An operation unit arranged on the front side of the apparatus main body, for operating the image forming apparatus,
The toner storage section and the carrier liquid storage section are disposed on the front side of the mixer in the front-rear direction of the apparatus main body,
An image forming apparatus comprising: A transfer member for transferring a toner image from the image carrier to another image carrier,
A cleaning device for removing the liquid developer not transferred from the image carrier to the another image carrier,
A separating device that separates the liquid developer collected by the cleaning device into a toner and a carrier liquid,
A carrier liquid recovery unit that recovers the carrier liquid separated by the separation device,
The replenishment carrier liquid stored in the carrier liquid storage unit is sent to the carrier liquid recovery unit, and is supplied to the mixer from the carrier liquid recovery unit,
The carrier liquid recovery unit is disposed behind the toner storage unit and the carrier liquid storage unit with respect to the front-rear direction of the apparatus body.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein:

Images