JP4586535B2 - Image forming apparatus and toner transfer method in image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a fax machine.

  As an electrophotographic monochrome image forming apparatus, a toner image is formed by supplying toner to an image carrier on which a latent image is formed, and then an electric force is applied to the toner to apply the toner image to a sheet. What is transcribed is widely used. In addition, as a color image forming apparatus, one that primarily transfers a toner image on an image carrier onto an outer peripheral surface of an intermediate transfer belt and then secondarily transfers it onto a sheet is widely used.

  In the case where the toner image is transferred from the image carrier to the paper, the toner remains on the post-transfer image carrier. In the case of a configuration in which primary transfer is performed from an image carrier to an intermediate transfer belt, and then a toner image is secondarily transferred to a sheet, toner remains on the intermediate transfer belt after secondary transfer. The remaining toner is removed from the image carrier and the intermediate transfer belt by a cleaning blade, and the removed toner is collected in a waste toner box. Therefore, the image forming apparatus needs a space for the waste toner box, but a waste toner box having a certain size is required in consideration of the fact that the frequency of replacement of the box increases when the size of the box is reduced. Therefore, the size of the image forming apparatus is increased.

Therefore, in Patent Document 1, the plurality of horn tips of the ultrasonic generator are brought into contact with the inner surface of the intermediate transfer belt in the vicinity of the secondary transfer region to apply ultrasonic vibration to the belt, thereby There has been proposed a method for reducing the adhesion force with the toner and promoting the movement of the toner to the paper by an electric force.
JP-A-4-234077

  However, in reality, a plurality of horn tips are in contact with the inner surface of the belt obliquely (the horn vibration direction forms an acute angle with the normal direction of the belt surface), so that ultrasonic vibration is generated from the horn to the belt. It is difficult to transmit and the degree of increase in transfer efficiency is small.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus that increases transfer efficiency in a configuration in which a plurality of vibrators such as ultrasonic vibrators are brought into contact with the surface of a toner carrier (for example, an intermediate transfer belt or an image carrier). For the purpose.

In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention is:
A transfer unit disposed opposite to the surface of the toner carrying member, wherein the transfer region is a transfer region where the transfer unit and the surface are opposed to each other. In an image forming apparatus for transferring the toner carried on the surface of the toner carrier to a sheet that moves together with the toner carrier,
A first vibrator that contacts the back surface of the toner carrying member and applies a first vibration having a vibration component in a normal direction of the surface and a vibration component in a first direction parallel to the surface to the toner carrying member. When,
A second vibration having a vibration component in a normal direction of the surface and a vibration component in a second direction that is parallel to the surface and different from the first direction is in contact with the back surface of the toner carrier. It has the 2nd vibrator given to a carrier .

According to one aspect of the present invention, for a toner (toner particle) carried on the surface of a toner carrying member, the method is applied to the surface of the toner carrying member and the toner carried thereon by the first vibrator. A first vibration having a vibration component in the linear direction and a vibration component (shear force) in a first direction parallel to the surface is applied. At the same time, the second vibrator causes the vibration component in the normal direction to the surface of the toner carrier and the toner carried on the toner carrier, and the second direction parallel to the surface and different from the first direction. A second vibration having a vibration component is provided. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to increase the transfer efficiency as compared with the case where vibration (shearing force) in the same direction is applied to the toner particles as in the conventional configuration.

  Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First Embodiment FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. In this image forming apparatus 2, the photosensitive drum and the intermediate transfer belt are opposed to each other, and a yellow, magenta, cyan, or black toner image formed on the photosensitive drum is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt every rotation of the intermediate transfer belt. And a so-called four-cycle color printer (hereinafter referred to as a printer) that forms a full-color image by rotating the intermediate transfer belt four times.

  The printer 2 includes a photosensitive drum 6 that is driven to rotate in the direction of arrow A by a motor (not shown) as an image carrier. Around the photosensitive drum 6, a charging device (corona charger in the illustrated example) 8 that uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 6 along the rotation direction A, and electrostatic of each color on the photosensitive drum 6. An exposure unit 10 for sequentially forming latent images, a developing unit 12 for sequentially supplying toners of respective colors to the photosensitive drum 6, thereby developing an electrostatic latent image, a primary transfer roller 14, and a cleaner 16. Are sequentially arranged.

  The primary transfer roller 14 is for transferring the toner adhering to the photosensitive drum 6 to the endless intermediate transfer belt 18, and a predetermined bias voltage is appropriately applied from a bias power source (not shown).

  The cleaner 16 includes a blade 20 that comes into contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 6, and scrapes and removes toner remaining on the photosensitive drum after transfer.

  The exposure unit 10 is for selectively irradiating the photosensitive drum 6 with laser light. Specifically, when an image signal is input from an external device (for example, a personal computer) to the image signal processing unit (not shown) of the printer 2, the image signal is color-converted into yellow, cyan, magenta, and black by the image signal processing unit. A digital image signal is generated and this signal is transmitted to a drive circuit (not shown). The drive circuit controls the exposure unit 10 based on the input digital signal to expose the photosensitive drum 6.

  The developing unit 12 includes four developing units 21 (21Y, 21M, 21C, and 21K) containing yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) toners in the clockwise direction in the drawing. They are sequentially attached to the developing rack 22 while being shifted by 90 °, and can be rotated clockwise around the shaft 24. Each time an electrostatic latent image of each color is formed on the photosensitive drum 6, the developing unit 12 moves the developing roller 26 of the corresponding developing device 21 to a developing position that is close to or in contact with the photosensitive drum 6. Rotate. A predetermined bias voltage is appropriately applied to the developing roller 26 from a bias power source (not shown).

  The intermediate transfer belt 18 is supported by the outer peripheral portions of the primary transfer roller 14 and the other three rollers 28, 30, and 32 and is driven to rotate in the direction of arrow B. The roller 28 is a tension roller that applies tension to the intermediate transfer belt 18. The roller 32 is connected to a drive motor (not shown), and the rollers 14, 28, and 30 are driven to rotate as the roller 32 rotates.

  A secondary transfer roller 44 is pressed against the portion of the intermediate transfer belt 18 supported by the roller 32. A predetermined bias voltage is applied to the secondary transfer roller 44 from a bias power source (not shown), and an area including a nip portion between the secondary transfer roller 44 and the intermediate transfer belt 18 becomes a secondary transfer area 46. ing. As will be described later, when the sheet S is conveyed to the secondary transfer region 46, the toner on the intermediate transfer belt 18 is transferred to the sheet.

  A blade 48 for scraping and removing the residual toner on the intermediate transfer belt is pressed between the portion of the intermediate transfer belt 18 supported by the roller 30 and the portion supported by the roller 28. The toner removed by the blade 48 is collected in a waste toner box 50.

  The blade 48 and the secondary transfer roller 44 are configured to be able to contact and separate from the intermediate transfer belt 18.

  In the present embodiment, the secondary transfer in the secondary transfer region 46 is performed in addition to an electrostatic force due to an electric field generated between the intermediate transfer belt 18 and the secondary transfer roller by applying a voltage to the secondary transfer roller 44. This is done by applying a mechanical force to the toner. In the present invention, the mechanical force includes a longitudinal vibration (belt surface) as well as a force (a force in a direction perpendicular to the belt surface, which is referred to as a normal force in this application) caused by lateral vibration (vibration in a direction perpendicular to the belt surface). Force (vibration in a direction parallel to the belt surface) is applied (force in a direction parallel to the belt surface, which is referred to as shearing force in the present application).

2A to 2C, the mechanical force generator 52 that applies a mechanical force (normal force and shear force) to the toner particles in the secondary transfer region 46 is the width direction of the intermediate transfer belt 18. And a drive circuit (not shown) for applying a drive voltage to each ultrasonic transducer 54. The plurality of ultrasonic transducers 54 have a vibration direction V ₁ (first vibration direction) on the outer peripheral surface (first surface) in the vicinity of the downstream side of the secondary transfer region 46 in the rotation direction B of the intermediate transfer belt 18. The front end of the belt has an acute angle with respect to the normal direction (the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface are substantially parallel, so the normal direction of the inner peripheral surface and the normal direction of the outer peripheral surface are substantially And a vibration direction V ₂ (second vibration direction) that forms an acute angle with respect to the normal direction of the outer peripheral surface in a plane different from the vibration direction V _1. The tip of the ultrasonic transducer 54B is in contact with the inner peripheral surface (second surface) of the belt. As a result, the direction of the longitudinal vibration generated by the ultrasonic vibrator 54A is different from the direction of the longitudinal vibration generated by the ultrasonic vibrator 54B, and shear forces in different directions act on the toner particles.

  In one example, the same cylindrical Langevin type transducer having a resonance frequency of 60 kHz, an amplitude of 3 μm, a diameter of 3 cm, and a length of 5 cm is used as the ultrasonic transducers 54A and 54B. The contact position center (virtual line on which the ultrasonic transducers are arranged) is set to about 1 cm along the circumferential direction of the intermediate transfer belt from the center position of the nip portion (secondary transfer region).

  The ultrasonic transducers 54A and 54B are alternately arranged in the intermediate transfer belt width direction. In order to cause shearing forces in different directions to act on the toner particles, it is preferable that the distance between the adjacent ultrasonic transducers 54A or the ultrasonic transducers 54B is as small as possible, and the ultrasonic transducers 54A and 54B in the above example. Then, it is preferably 10 cm or less. For example, the interval between the adjacent ultrasonic transducers 54A or between the ultrasonic transducers 54B is set to 8 cm, and the interval between the ultrasonic transducers 54A and 54B is set to 4 cm.

  In the present embodiment, the ultrasonic transducers 54A and 54B are disposed so as to be symmetric when viewed from the circumferential direction and the width direction of the intermediate transfer belt 18. In one example, regarding the ultrasonic transducer 54A, when an acute angle α1 formed by the vibration direction V1 and the width direction and an acute angle β1 formed by the vibration direction V1 and the circumferential direction, α1 = 60 degrees and β1 = 40 degrees. Regarding the vibrator 54B, when an acute angle α2 formed by the vibration direction V2 and the width direction and an acute angle β2 formed by the vibration direction V2 and the circumferential direction, α2 = 60 degrees and β2 = 40 degrees. In addition, in the ultrasonic transducers 54A and 54B of the above example, β1 + β2 (<180 degrees) is required to be 45 degrees or more, preferably 60 degrees or more in order to give a sufficiently large shear force in different directions. I found out that

  If the position where the tip of the ultrasonic vibrator 54 is brought into contact with the intermediate transfer belt 18 is set on the upstream side of the secondary transfer region 46, the toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 18 may be disturbed. It is preferable to set it on the downstream side of the transfer region.

  In the present embodiment, the toner carrying member that carries the toner and makes the vibrator contact the surface is the flexible intermediate transfer belt 18.

  Next, the printing operation (image forming operation) of the printer 2 will be described.

  At the start of the printing operation, the secondary transfer roller 44 and the cleaning blade 48 are separated from the intermediate transfer belt 18. When the printing operation is started, the photosensitive drum 6 is rotationally driven in the arrow A direction and the intermediate transfer belt 18 in the arrow B direction at the same peripheral speed, and the surface of the photosensitive drum 6 is uniformly charged by the charging device 8. .

  Subsequently, after the developing unit 12 is rotated and the developing unit 21Y is moved to the developing position, exposure is performed by the exposure device 10, and an electrostatic latent image of a yellow toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum 6. The electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing device 21Y, and the developed yellow toner image is primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 18 by the action of the primary transfer roller 14. Next, the developing device 21M moves to the developing position, and exposure, development, and primary transfer relating to the magenta toner image are performed. Subsequently, the developing unit 21C moves to the development position, and exposure, development, and primary transfer for the cyan toner image are performed. Thereafter, the developing device 21K moves to the developing position, and exposure, development, and primary transfer relating to the black toner image are performed. In this way, the toner images of the respective colors are primarily transferred in a superimposed manner on the intermediate transfer belt 18 moving in the arrow B direction.

  At the same time as the primary transfer of black is completed, the secondary transfer roller 44 and the cleaning blade 48 are pressed against the intermediate transfer belt 18. Further, at an appropriate timing, the mechanical force generator 52 applies vibration energy to the intermediate transfer belt 18 by vibrating the ultrasonic vibrator 54 (54A, 54B). As a result, the intermediate transfer belt 18 generates lateral vibration in a direction perpendicular to the belt surface and longitudinal vibration in a direction parallel to the belt surface, and these vibrations propagate to the secondary transfer region 46.

  The superimposed toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 18 reaches the secondary transfer area 46 as the intermediate transfer belt moves. At this time, the toner particles forming the toner image receive an electrostatic force due to the action of the secondary transfer roller 44, and also receive a normal force due to lateral vibration propagated to the secondary transfer region 46 and a shearing force due to longitudinal vibration. The toner particles are subjected to shear forces in different directions. As a result, the superimposed toner images are secondarily transferred collectively onto the sheet S passing through the secondary transfer region 46. Thereafter, the sheet S is conveyed to a fixing device (not shown), where the toner image is fixed on the sheet. When the secondary transfer is completed, the secondary transfer roller 44 is separated from the intermediate transfer belt 18. Further, the toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 18 after the secondary transfer is removed by the blade 48.

  By the way, it is assumed that only the electrostatic force due to the electric field generated between the intermediate transfer belt 18 and the secondary transfer roller by applying a voltage to the secondary transfer roller 44 is applied to the toner in the transfer in the secondary transfer region 46. In this case, the toner particles that are not in direct contact with the belt move to the paper S, but the toner particles that are in direct contact with the belt remain on the belt without moving to the paper due to the adhesive force with the belt. In this embodiment, as in the configuration of Patent Document 1, transfer efficiency is further improved by applying normal force and shear force to toner particles in addition to electrostatic force. This is because toner particles that have passed through the nip portion (contact region) between the intermediate transfer belt 18 and the secondary transfer roller 44 without moving to the sheet S side (toner particles that are in direct contact with the intermediate transfer belt) are normal. By receiving the force and the shearing force, the belt separates from the adhesion force with the intermediate transfer belt, and at that time, the secondary transfer region 46 is caused by the electric field formed between the intermediate transfer belt and the secondary transfer roller. This is considered to be due to the movement to the side of the sheet S passing through (a region where an electric field is generated between the intermediate transfer belt and the secondary transfer roller, which is wider than the nip portion between both).

  Although the image distortion may occur when the shear force is large, the present inventor has confirmed by experiments that the image distortion can be prevented by reducing the magnitude of the shear force by an order of magnitude or more than the electrostatic force. I have confirmed.

  In the configuration of Patent Document 1, since the tips of the horns have the same vibration direction, only one direction of shearing force acts on the toner particles. In the present embodiment, the ultrasonic vibrators 54A and 54B are Since the vibration directions are in different planes, shear forces in different directions act on the toner particles, and the toner particles easily peel off from the intermediate transfer belt 18. As a result, transfer efficiency can be improved.

  According to the present embodiment, the amount of toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 18 after the secondary transfer, in other words, the amount of toner to be collected in the waste toner box 50 can be reduced, and thus the box can be reduced in size. As a result, the printer 2 can be reduced in size.

Second Embodiment FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. The image forming apparatus 60 is a printer for forming a monochrome image. Hereinafter, constituent elements that are the same as or similar to those in the first embodiment are represented by the same reference numerals or the same reference numerals with appropriate subscripts added, and description thereof is omitted unless necessary.

  The printer 60 includes a photosensitive belt 68 that is supported on the outer peripheral portions of three rollers 62, 64, and 66 and is driven to rotate in the direction of arrow C as an image carrier. The photosensitive belt 68 has a developing roller facing the belt portion supported by the charging device 8, the exposure unit 10, and the roller 62 along the rotation direction C around the photosensitive belt 68. The developing unit 12a supplied to the roller, the transfer roller 14a opposed to the belt portion supported by the roller 64, the brush roller 70 that contacts the belt portion supported by the roller 66 and removes the residual toner after transfer, and the removed toner. And a cleaner 74 having a waste toner box 72 for collecting the toner.

  In this embodiment, a region including the nip portion between the transfer roller 14a and the photosensitive belt 68 forms a transfer region 76 (a region where an electric field is generated between the photosensitive belt 68 and the transfer roller 14a). By transporting the sheet S to the transfer region 76, the toner on the photosensitive belt 68 is transferred to the sheet.

  In the present embodiment, the mechanical force generation device 52 applies a mechanical force (normal force and shear force) to the toner in the transfer region 76, and a plurality of ultrasonic transducers along the width direction of the photosensitive belt 68. 54. The plurality of ultrasonic transducers 54 are arranged in the vicinity of the downstream side of the transfer region 76 in the rotation direction B of the photosensitive belt 68 so that the vibration direction forms an acute angle with respect to the normal direction of the outer peripheral surface (first surface). The ultrasonic wave whose tip is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the belt (the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface are substantially parallel, so the normal direction of the inner peripheral surface and the normal direction of the outer peripheral surface are substantially parallel) The tip of the vibrator 54A abuts against the inner peripheral surface (second surface) of the belt so as to have a vibration direction that forms an acute angle with the normal direction of the outer peripheral surface in a plane different from the vibration direction of the vibrator. And the ultrasonic transducer 54B. As a result, the direction of the longitudinal vibration generated by the ultrasonic vibrator 54A is different from the direction of the longitudinal vibration generated by the ultrasonic vibrator 54B, and shear forces in different directions act on the toner particles.

  In the present embodiment, the toner carrying member that carries the toner and makes the vibrator contact the surface is the photosensitive belt 68 having flexibility.

  Next, the printing operation (image forming operation) of the printer 60 will be described.

  When the printing operation is started, the photosensitive belt 68 is rotationally driven in the arrow C direction. Further, at an appropriate timing, the mechanical force generator 52 applies vibration energy to the photosensitive belt 68 by vibrating the ultrasonic vibrator 54 (54A, 54B). As a result, a lateral vibration that vibrates in a direction perpendicular to the belt surface and a longitudinal vibration in a direction parallel to the belt surface are generated on the photosensitive belt 68, and these vibrations propagate to the transfer region 76.

  The surface of the photoreceptor belt 68 is uniformly charged by the charging device 8, and subsequently exposed by the exposure device 10 to form an electrostatic latent image. The toner image formed on the photoreceptor belt 68 reaches the transfer area 76 as the belt moves. At this time, the toner particles forming the toner image receive an electrostatic force due to the action of the transfer roller 14a, and also receive a normal force due to lateral vibration propagated to the transfer region 76 and a shearing force due to longitudinal vibration, but the toner particles are different. You will receive a shear force in the direction. As a result, the toner image is transferred to the paper S that passes through the transfer region 76. The toner remaining on the photoreceptor 68 after the transfer is removed by the brush roller 70.

  In this embodiment, as in Patent Document 1, during transfer, normal force and shear force are applied to toner particles in addition to electrostatic force to improve transfer efficiency. This is because toner particles that have passed through the nip portion between the photosensitive belt 68 and the transfer roller 14a without moving to the sheet S side (toner particles that are in direct contact with the photosensitive belt) receive normal force and shear force. The transfer area 76 (between the photosensitive belt and the transfer roller) is separated from the belt by the electric field formed between the photosensitive belt and the transfer roller. This is considered to be due to the movement to the side of the sheet S passing through the region where the electric field is generated and wider than the nip portion between the two.

  Further, in this embodiment, since shear forces in different directions are applied to the toner particles, the toner particles are easily peeled off from the surface of the photoreceptor belt 68, and as a result, transfer efficiency can be improved. As a result, the amount of toner remaining on the photoreceptor belt 68 after transfer, in other words, the amount of toner to be collected in the waste toner box 72 can be reduced, and thus the box can be reduced in size. As a result, the printer 60 can be downsized.

  While specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these and can be variously modified. For example, in the above embodiment, the contact position of the ultrasonic transducer 54A with the belt and the contact position of the ultrasonic transducer 5B with the belt are the same in the circumferential direction of the belt. Thus, these contact positions may be varied (in other words, a plurality of ultrasonic transducers are arranged in a staggered manner). In the ultrasonic vibrators 54A and 54B in the above example, in order to apply shear forces in different directions to the toner particles, the contact position between the ultrasonic vibrator 54A and the belt of the ultrasonic vibrator 5B is different. Experiments have shown that the contact position is preferably set to 5 cm or less in the circumferential direction.

  Further, although the Langevin type vibrator is used as the ultrasonic vibrator, the ultrasonic vibrator may have other configurations. For example, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the intermediate transfer belt 18 is used. Further, a piezoelectric element 80 having a length equal to or longer than the width of the photosensitive belt 68 is attached to a metal base 82 such as aluminum or SUS, and vibration is further efficiently transmitted to the belt on the piezoelectric element. Therefore, the ultrasonic transducer 86 may be manufactured by attaching a jig 84 that is in surface contact with the inner surface of the belt. Then, as shown in FIG. 5C, the tips of the two ultrasonic vibration elements 86 are brought into contact with the belt 18 or 68 so as to be in the planes having different vibration directions, whereby shear forces in different directions are applied to the toner. Act on particles.

  In the above embodiment, the tip of the ultrasonic transducer is brought into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 18 or the photosensitive belt 68 on the downstream side of the secondary transfer region 46 or the transfer region 76. The tip of the ultrasonic transducer may be brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the belt on the downstream side (including the region).

  At the downstream side of the secondary transfer region 46 and the transfer region 76, the tip of one ultrasonic transducer is brought into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the belt and the tip of another ultrasonic transducer is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the belt. Also good.

  Further, the toner carrier that can move in a predetermined direction and carries the toner on the surface thereof is not limited to the belt configuration.

  In addition, the transfer unit that moves the toner carried on the toner carrying member to the paper by applying an electric force in the transfer region is not limited to the roller configuration.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the mechanical force generator that applies shear force and normal force to the toner generates ultrasonic vibration, but the present invention includes a configuration in which the frequency is not in the ultrasonic region.

  In the first embodiment, the present invention is applied to a four-cycle color laser printer. However, the present invention can be applied to a tandem type color printer. The present invention can also be applied to an image forming apparatus other than a printer.

1 is a configuration diagram showing a first embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. (A) The partial perspective view of the mechanical power generator of FIG. (B) The figure seen from the IIb direction of Fig.2 (a). (C) The figure seen from the IIc direction of Fig.2 (a). FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram illustrating a second embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. The figure which shows another arrangement configuration of a some ultrasonic transducer | vibrator. (A) The top view which shows the modification of an ultrasonic transducer | vibrator. (B) The figure which shows the state of contact with the ultrasonic transducer | vibrator of FIG. 5 (a), and a belt. (C) The figure which shows the example arrange | positioned on the belt so that the direction of shear force may differ in two ultrasonic transducer | vibrators of Fig.5 (a).

Explanation of symbols

2 Printer (image forming device)
14a Transfer roller (transfer means)
18 Intermediate transfer belt (toner carrier)
44 Secondary transfer roller (transfer means)
46 Secondary transfer area (transfer area)
52 Mechanical force generator 54A, 54B Ultrasonic vibrator (vibrator)
60 Printer (image forming device)
68 Photosensitive belt (toner carrier)
76 Transfer area S Paper V ₁ Vibration direction (first vibration direction)
V ₂ vibration direction (second vibration direction)

Claims (3)

A transfer unit disposed opposite to the surface of the toner carrying member, wherein the transfer region is a transfer region where the transfer unit and the surface are opposed to each other. In an image forming apparatus for transferring the toner carried on the surface of the toner carrier to a sheet that moves together with the toner carrier,
A first vibrator that contacts the back surface of the toner carrying member and applies a first vibration having a vibration component in a normal direction of the surface and a vibration component in a first direction parallel to the surface to the toner carrying member. When,
A second vibration having a vibration component in a normal direction of the surface and a vibration component in a second direction that is parallel to the surface and different from the first direction is in contact with the back surface of the toner carrier. An image forming apparatus having a second vibrator to be applied to a carrier . The first vibrator and the second vibrator are in contact with the back surface of the toner carrier on the downstream side of the transfer region, and the first vibrator and the second vibrator contact the toner carrier. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first vibration and the second vibration applied are propagated to the toner moving in the transfer region . A toner transfer method of an image forming apparatus for transferring toner held on a surface of a toner carrier onto a sheet in a transfer region,
A first vibration having a vibration component in a normal direction of the surface and a vibration component in a first direction parallel to the surface; a vibration component in a normal direction of the surface; and parallel to the surface and the first A toner transfer method, wherein a second vibration having a vibration component in a second direction different from the direction is simultaneously applied to the toner carrier to increase the efficiency with which the toner is transferred to the paper .

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