JP5609837B2 - Erasing device and erasing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a color erasing apparatus and a color erasing method thereof. More specifically, the present invention is provided in an image forming apparatus that forms an image by an electrophotographic method and efficiently erases an image formed with a color erasable toner. The present invention relates to an erasing apparatus and an erasing method thereof.

  Conventionally, saving of paper resources has been screamed as part of global environmental protection. In the saving and reuse of paper resources such as image forming apparatuses, effective use of the back side of paper that has been printed on one side is already common in society. In general, the used paper is collected and used as a raw material of the paper and reused as recycled paper.

  However, when reusing paper for single-sided printing, the number of reuse is usually limited to one. In addition, when the material is reused as a raw material, energy and cost are required for the recovery itself, and energy is also applied when processing the raw material.

  Therefore, various efforts have been made to make it possible to use the paper multiple times in the office. In order to reuse paper once formed with toner images as paper resources, the image on the paper formed with toner may be physically removed or decolored with light to make the paper reusable. It is considered.

  In order to physically remove the image and reuse the paper, a processing solution for removing the toner is applied to the image forming surface of the paper and heated to dissolve the toner to remove the image. There are methods such as polishing the image forming surface and scraping off the toner image. However, these methods are troublesome because they are troublesome and the paper to be reused is easily damaged.

  There is also a decoloring method using light. Regarding this, when an image is first formed on a sheet, the image is recorded on an OA sheet with a decolorable toner containing a near-infrared absorbing dye and a decoloring agent, and this image is irradiated with light by a special light source such as near infrared. The idea of erasing and reusing paper has already been published in papers. (For example, refer nonpatent literature 1.)

  In the method of Non-Patent Document 1, the near-infrared absorbing dye absorbs excited near-infrared light and excites, and reacts with a decoloring agent to make it colorless. However, since the coloring material is converted into a toner, the dye in the toner binder resin hardly shows a decoloring reaction at room temperature even when absorbing near infrared rays.

  For this reason, the general method effective for the decoloring effect | action of applying colorless heat and accelerating | stimulating reaction is performed. That is, in order to actually erase the decolorable toner image, it is necessary to irradiate the decoloring light after heating the toner image in advance.

  Therefore, such a decoloring apparatus must have two elements, an element for heating the toner image on the paper and an element for irradiating near infrared rays. When paying attention to these two elements, whether the erasing device is of the same type as the erasing light source and the heat source for heating the toner image on the paper, or whether the erasing light source and the heat source are of different types It can be roughly divided into two.

  When the decoloring light source and the heat source are the same type, for example, after a printed image of a toner using a sensitizing dye that can be decolored by infrared rays and a boron compound is heated with a halogen lamp, the same halogen lamp There has been proposed an apparatus for decoloring with infrared rays. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1.)

  Since the halogen lamp emits energy in a long wavelength region centering on far infrared rays, it is also used as a heat source. Only the heat source has been shown to be effective as a heat source for the purpose of assisting the decoloring reaction.

  However, the halogen lamp is light including not only the near infrared ray but also the ultraviolet ray region, the visible light region, and the near infrared ray region to the far infrared ray region. Therefore, not only the absorption wavelength of the sensitizing dye but also many other wavelengths of energy that do not contribute to other decoloring reactions are radiated, which can be said to be an uneconomic energy source.

  On the other hand, in a type in which the color erasing light source and the heat source are different, for example, the heat roller pair of the fixing device used at the time of image formation is also used as a heater at the time of color erasing and is erased downstream of the heat roller pair in the fixing device. A configuration in which a light source for color light irradiation is arranged has been proposed. (For example, see Patent Document 2.)

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 05-204278 JP 07-096434 A

Kiichi Hosoda, "Application of functional dyes to toner", Journal of Electrophotographic Society, No. 31

  In the technique in which the decoloring light source and the heat source described in Patent Document 2 are of different types, the heat source is also used as the heat source of the fixing unit. Further, the decoloring light source is merely a light source that irradiates light having a wavelength in the vicinity of 820 nm, and it is not clear what light source is specifically used. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to specifically realize the decoloring function in the image forming apparatus with the contents disclosed only in Patent Document 2.

  The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems, and is provided in an image forming apparatus for forming an image by an electrophotographic method, and efficiently erases an image formed with an erasable toner. It is an object of the present invention to provide a decoloring method.

In order to solve the above problems, the decoloring apparatus of the present invention includes a heater disposed in a transfer path of a transfer medium, and the transfer medium heated in the transfer path of the transfer medium and heated by the heater. A decoloring light source for irradiating the decoloring light to the decoloring unit, and the decoloring unit when the decoloring unit decolors the decolorable toner image of the transfer medium being conveyed through the conveyance path. Is moved in the transport direction of the transfer medium from a position facing the leading end of the transfer medium fed into the transport path to a position facing the rear end of the transfer medium sent from the transport path . And a control unit that performs processing.

In order to solve the above-described problem, the decoloring method of the present invention includes a heater disposed in the transfer path of the transfer medium, and the transfer target disposed in the transfer path of the transfer medium and heated by the heater. color erasure unit having a decoloring light source for irradiating the decoloring light transfer medium, when decolorized the decolorizable toner image of the transfer medium being transported to the transport path, the color erasure unit by the control unit Is moved in the transport direction of the transfer medium from a position facing the leading end of the transfer medium fed into the transport path to a position facing the rear end of the transfer medium sent from the transport path . It is characterized by performing processing.

  The present invention provides an erasing apparatus and an erasing method for erasing an image formed with an erasable toner that is provided inside an image forming apparatus that forms an image by electrophotography. Become.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating an internal configuration of an image forming apparatus (printer) including the erasing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a both-side end conveyance device that sandwiches and conveys both side ends of a sheet in the decolorization conveyance path of the decolorization device according to the first embodiment. 3 is a plan view of a decoloring conveyance path of the decoloring apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a circuit block diagram including a control device of a printer including a decoloring device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the timing which a decoloring unit reciprocates between a reference position and a predetermined position in a decoloring apparatus.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description of the present invention, “print” and “print” are used interchangeably as synonyms.

<About decolorizable toner>
First, a method for producing a decolorable toner used in the decoloring apparatus of this embodiment will be described. First, 1.5 parts by mass of infrared photosensitive dye “IRT” (manufactured by Showa Denko) having sensitivity at 817 nm, 7.5 parts by mass of organoboron compound decolorizer “P3B” (manufactured by Showa Denko), polyester for toner 87 parts by weight of binder resin (made by Kao), 1.5 parts by weight of negative charge regulator “LR-147” (manufactured by Nippon Carlit), 2.5 parts by weight of Carnauba WAX1 powder (imported by Kato Yoko Co., Ltd.) Into a Henschel mixer (Mitsui Mine) and mix.

  Subsequently, the above mixture is melt-kneaded with a twin-screw kneader. The kneaded material thus obtained is roughly crushed with a Rotoplex (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron) to obtain a coarsely crushed material. The resulting coarsely crushed material is pulverized by an impact pulverizer so that the average particle size becomes 9 μm.

  One part by mass of silica “R972” (manufactured by Nippon Aerosil Co., Ltd.) as an external additive is added to 100 parts by mass of the pulverized product obtained by this pulverization, and mixed with a Henschel mixer to obtain a decolorizable toner.

  <Configuration and Operation of Image Forming Apparatus Equipped with Decoloring Device>

  The erasing apparatus of this example is used by being incorporated in the lower part of a normal electrophotographic printer. As will be described in detail later, the paper printed with the erasable toner and passed through the erasing device is warmed while passing under a heat source such as a ceramic heater, and in that state is erased by a light source such as an LED. Irradiated with colored light.

  Thereafter, printing on the decolored paper is performed by a development, transfer, and fixing process having the same configuration as that of a normal printer.

  Desirably, the erasing device and the printer are preferably integrated, but the erasing device may be installed independently from the printer. In the following description, a decoloring apparatus that can be integrated into a printer will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating an internal configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 including a decoloring apparatus according to the first embodiment. An image forming apparatus (hereinafter simply referred to as a printer) 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes an endless transfer belt 3 that extends in the horizontal direction at the center of the inside of a main body housing 2.

  The transfer belt 3 is stretched by a tension mechanism (not shown), is stretched around the drive roller 4 and the driven roller 5, is driven by the drive roller 4, and circulates in a counterclockwise direction indicated by an arrow a in the drawing. .

  An image forming unit 6 is provided above the upper circulation moving surface of the transfer belt 3. The image forming unit 6 is an image forming unit for forming a decolorable toner image in which a decolorable toner is accommodated in the developing device 7.

  That is, the printer 1 erases the image of the erasable toner, and then prints a new image of the erasable toner on the paper surface from which the image is erased. But it can be used.

  The image forming unit 6 is provided with a photosensitive drum 8 in contact with the upper circulation moving surface of the transfer belt 3. A developing roller held in the lower opening of the developing unit 7 is placed adjacent to the photosensitive drum 8 so as to surround the peripheral surface thereof, followed by a cleaner, an initialization charger, and an optical writing head (not shown). 9 etc. are arranged.

  The developing roller 9 carries a thin layer of decolorizable toner accommodated in the developing unit 7 on its surface, and an electrostatic latent image formed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 8 by an optical writing head. The image of the decolorizable toner is developed.

  A primary transfer roller (not shown) is pressed against the lower portion of the photoconductive drum 8 via the transfer belt 3 to form a primary transfer portion there. A bias voltage is supplied to the primary transfer roller from a bias power source (not shown).

  The primary transfer roller applies a bias voltage supplied from a bias power source to the transfer belt 3 at the primary transfer portion, and an image of the decolorable toner developed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 8 is applied to the transfer belt 3. Transcript.

  The secondary transfer roller 11 is pressed against the driven roller 5 on which the right end portion of the transfer belt 3 shown in the drawing is stretched via the transfer belt 3, thereby forming a secondary transfer portion. A bias voltage is supplied to the secondary transfer roller 11 from a bias power source (not shown).

  In the secondary transfer portion, the secondary transfer roller 11 applies a bias voltage supplied from a bias power source to the transfer belt 3, and displays an image of the decolorable toner that has been primarily transferred to the transfer belt 3 from below in the figure. Then, the image is transferred to the transfer medium 12 conveyed through the secondary transfer path 10. The transfer medium 12 includes paper such as paper and OHP paper.

  A decoloring device 13 is disposed below the transfer belt 3, and a paper feed cassette 14 is disposed below the decoloring device 13. A plurality of transfer mediums 12 on which a color erasable toner image is already formed on the paper surface are placed on the paper feed cassette 14 before the color erasable toner is erased.

  A paper feed roller 15 is disposed at a paper feed port (upper left end in the figure) of the paper feed cassette 14. The paper feed roller 15 takes out the transfer medium 12 from the paper feed cassette 14 one by one and sends it out to the paper feed conveyance path 16. An image reading device 17 is disposed in the vicinity of the sheet feeding port of the sheet feeding cassette 14 in the sheet feeding conveyance path 16.

  The image reading device 17 is a device for determining whether or not the image printed on the transfer medium 12 is an image of a decolorable toner. If the image is a decolorable toner image, the image is erased by the decoloring device 13, and if the image is not a decolorable toner image, the image is discharged as it is without doing anything.

  When the image on the transfer medium 12 is an erasable toner image and is erased by the erasing device 13, the transfer medium 12 is decolored and fed by the feed roller pair 18 at the end of the paper feed conveyance path 16. It is fed to the erasing device 13 via a path 19.

  A decoloring conveyance path 21 of the decoloring apparatus 13 is provided with a conveyance mechanism which will be described in detail later. Above the erasing conveyance path 21, a erasing unit 22 that reciprocates in the range indicated by the double arrow Lr in FIG.

  The decoloring unit 22 includes a heater 23 that heats the printing surface of the decolorable toner image, and a decoloring light source 24 that irradiates the decoloring toner image heated by the heater 23 with decoloring light. The heater 23 is a ceramic heater, and the decoloring light source 24 is an LED (light emitting diode) array.

  In order to efficiently irradiate the transfer medium 12 heated by the heater 23 with the decoloring light, the decoloring light is applied to the transfer medium 12 from the most efficient vertical position with respect to the transport path of the transfer medium 12. To do.

  In this way, by disposing the decoloring light source 24, the decoloring unit 22 becomes L-shaped, and the length of the decoloring unit 22 (the length with respect to the transport direction of the transfer medium 12) is shortened. Therefore, the movable distance can be increased.

  Alternatively, the length of the erasing unit 22 (length with respect to the conveyance direction of the transfer medium 12) becomes long and the movable distance becomes short. In order to irradiate the decoloring light, the decoloring light may be irradiated to the transfer medium 12 from an oblique position at an angle of about 30 degrees with respect to the transport path of the transfer medium 12.

  The erasing unit 22 moves on the rail 30 via a roller 20a provided on the erasing light source 24 side and a roller 20b provided at the tip of a jig for fixing the heater 23.

  A paper carry-in roller pair 25 for carrying the transfer medium 12 into the erasing apparatus 13 is disposed at the start end of the erasing conveyance path 21 of the erasing apparatus 13. A pair of paper carry-out rollers 26 for sending the transfer medium 12 whose image has been erased to the secondary transfer path 10 is provided.

  The transfer medium 12 that has been decolored from the erasable toner image and sent to the secondary transfer path 10 is conveyed by the driven roller 5, the transfer belt 3, and the secondary transfer roller 11 while being transported through the secondary transfer path 10. An image of the decolorizable toner is transferred while passing through the formed secondary transfer portion.

  The transfer medium 12 that has passed the secondary transfer portion while the image of the decolorizable toner is transferred is transported to the fixing portion 28 along the fixing transport path 27. The heating roller 29 and the pressing roller 31 of the fixing unit 28 sandwich the transfer medium 12 and convey it while applying heat and pressure.

  As a result, the image of the erasable toner that has been secondarily transferred is fixed on the paper surface of the transfer medium 12, and is further conveyed by the heating roller 29 and the pressing roller 31, and then the main body device via the paper discharge path 32. The paper is discharged to a paper discharge tray (not shown) formed on the upper surface of the housing 2.

<Paper transport mechanism of erasing device>
In the erasing apparatus 13, since the heating of the transfer medium 12 is high temperature, the transfer medium 12 is likely to be rounded. If the transfer medium 12 is rounded, the decolorable toner melted by the decoloring heat may adhere to the heat radiation surface of the heater 23. Therefore, it is necessary to perform non-contact conveyance.

  In addition, there is a concern that the paper may come off without entering the downstream paper carry-out roller pair 26 due to the rounded paper. Therefore, a transport mechanism that takes these into consideration is required.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a both-side end conveying device that sandwiches and conveys both end portions of the paper in the decoloring conveyance path 21 described above. In the figure, the upstream side paper carry-in roller pair 25 and the downstream side paper carry-out roller pair 26 are not shown.

  As shown in FIG. 2, on both sides of the erasing conveyance path 21, an endless thin belt 36 having a pressing roller 35 at the center of the inside thereof is arranged in two upper and lower stages. Further, both side end conveying devices 37 are arranged.

  The both-side end conveying device 37 sandwiches both end portions of the transfer medium 12 and conveys it in the direction of arrow b in FIG. As a result, it is possible to prevent such a problem that both ends of the transfer medium 12 are rounded due to heat, or the tip ends of the medium 12 are dropped downward and come off from the decoloring conveyance path 21.

  FIG. 3 is a plan view of the erasing conveyance path 21 of the erasing apparatus 13. Six heater contact prevention wires 38 (38a, 38b) are respectively stretched above and below the transfer medium 12 conveyed in the direction of the arrow b by the paper carry-in roller pair 25 and the paper carry-out roller pair 26 (see FIGS. In the figure, the upper wire is indicated by a solid line and the lower wire is indicated by a broken line).

  These heater contact prevention wires 38 (38a, 38b) are respectively held by wire holding portions 39 (39a, 39b). The heater contact preventing wire 38 and the wire holding portion 39 are fixedly disposed in the decoloring device 13 as the heater contact preventing device 40.

  The heater contact prevention wires 38 (38a, 38b) prevent the transfer medium 12 from coming into contact with the bottom surface of the heater unit 7, and suppress the roundness of the transfer medium 12 from above and below, so that the transfer medium 12 It is prevented from falling off from the end conveyance device 37.

  As described above, the decoloring device 13 shown in FIG. 1 is configured to prevent the transfer medium 12 from being rounded or drooped, and the heater contact preventing wire stretched obliquely from the paper carry-in roller pair 25 to the paper carry-out roller pair 26. The medium to be transferred 12 is guided by 38.

  Since the heater contact preventing wire 38 is stretched obliquely with respect to the conveyance direction of the transfer medium 12 and is disposed at a wide interval, the erasing radiation heating from the heater 23 of the erasing unit 22; It can be said that there is no blocking of the erasing light from the erasing light source.

  FIG. 4 is a circuit block diagram including a control device of the printer 1 including the erasing device having the above-described configuration. As shown in FIG. 4, the circuit block has a central processing unit (CPU) 41 in the central circuit.

  The CPU 41 is connected to an image forming unit 42, a decoloring unit 43, and a transfer medium transport unit 44 via a data bus. The image forming unit 42 includes a developing unit 45, a transfer unit 46, a fixing unit 47, and the like.

  The developing unit 45 controls the driving of each unit of the image forming unit 6, the transfer unit 46 controls the voltage applied to the primary transfer roller and the secondary transfer roller 11, and the fixing unit 47 heats the fixing unit 28 shown in FIG. The heat generation drive of the roller 29 is controlled.

  The decoloring unit 43 includes an LED light source heating device moving motor driving unit 48, an LED light decoloring light source driving unit 49, a decoloring heating unit driving unit 51, an image reading device unit 52, and the like. An LED light decoloring light source moving motor 53, a transfer medium end detection sensor 54, a transfer medium front end detection sensor 55, and the like are connected to the LED light source heating device movement motor drive unit 48.

  The LED light decoloring light source moving motor 53 reciprocates the decoloring light source 24 in the range indicated by the double-headed arrow Ln in FIG. 1 via the drive system. Since the erasing light source 24 and the heater 23 are integrated to form the erasing unit 22, the erasing unit 22 is in the range from the reference position indicated by the bi-directional arrow Lr in FIG. Move back and forth.

  The transfer medium end detection sensor 54 detects the rear end of the transfer medium 12 sent from the decoloring device 13 by the paper carry-out roller pair 26, and the transfer medium front end detection sensor 55 is decolored by the paper carry-in roller pair 25. The leading end of the transfer medium 12 carried into the apparatus 13 is detected.

  A decoloring light source LED 56 of the decoloring light source 24 in the decoloring unit 22 is connected to the LED light decoloring light source driving unit 49. The LED light decoloring light source driving unit 49 controls turning on and off of the decoloring light source LED 56.

  A decoloring heating unit 57 and a temperature sensor 58 are connected to the decoloring heating unit driving unit 51. The decoloring heating unit 57 includes a heater 23 in the decoloring unit 22, and a heat insulating reflector that surrounds the surface of the heater 23 excluding the heat radiation surface.

  Based on the temperature of the heat radiating surface of the heater 23 detected by the temperature sensor 58, the decoloring heating unit driving unit 51 controls the power applied to the heater 23 so that the temperature of the heat radiating surface is maintained at an appropriate temperature.

  The image reading device unit 52 includes the image reading device 17. The function of the image reading device 17 is as already described.

  The transfer medium transport unit 44 includes a drive system including a plurality of motors and a plurality of gears. The transfer medium conveyance unit 44 rotationally drives the paper feed roller 15, the feed roller pair 18, the paper carry-in roller pair 25, the paper carry-out roller pair 26, and the like.

  As a result, the transfer medium 12 is taken out from the sheet cassette 14 one by one, and is carried into the erasing device 13 via the sheet feeding conveyance path 16 and the erasing feeding path 19, and conveyed through the erasing conveyance path 21. However, the color is erased by the function of the color erasing unit 43.

  Thereafter, the transfer medium transport unit 44 transports the decolored transfer medium 12 through the secondary transfer path 10, forms an image in the developing unit 45, and transfers it to the transfer belt 3 by primary transfer by the transfer unit 46. The drive roller 4 is rotationally driven so that the toner image is conveyed to the secondary transfer unit by the transfer belt 3 when the transfer medium 12 enters the secondary transfer unit.

  Then, the transfer medium transport unit 44 transports the paper on which the toner image is fixed by the fixing unit 47 by rotating the heating roller 29, and sends it out of the apparatus.

  FIG. 5 shows the decoloring device 13 in which the decoloring unit 22 is reciprocated between the upstream end (reference position) and the downstream end (predetermined position) in the range indicated by the double arrow Lr in FIG. It is a figure which shows a timing.

  In FIG. 5, Lp indicates the length of the transfer medium 12 in the transport direction, Lk indicates the distance between the preceding sheet 12 f and the subsequent transfer medium 12 b to be transported, and Vh indicates the movement of the decoloring unit 22. Vp indicates the transport speed of the transfer medium 12 (12f, 12b), and Vhb indicates the return speed of the decoloring unit 22.

  In FIG. 5, the decoloring unit 22 is shown in a form different from that in FIG. At time T1, the erasing unit 22 is at the erasing start position (reference position) at the tip of the preceding transfer medium 12f and is transported together with the transfer medium 12f at a moving speed Vh that is slower than the transfer speed Vp of the transfer medium 12f. Start moving in the direction.

  The erasing unit 22 sequentially moves while being delayed from the transfer medium 12f at times T2 and T3. When the erasing unit 22 reaches the decoloring end position (predetermined position) at the rear end of the transfer medium 12f at time T4, the erasing unit 22 turns back. Return to the reference position at speed Vhb. At this time, the erasing start position of the leading end of the subsequent transfer medium 12b has reached the reference position of the erasing unit 22 (time T5).

  Thereafter, the succeeding transfer medium 12b becomes the preceding transfer medium 12f, and the erasing unit 22 repeats the operations of the above times T1 to T5 with the time T5 as the time T1. In this way, the control unit performs a process of returning the decoloring unit 22 from the reference position to a predetermined position in the transport direction of the transfer medium 12 and then returning to the reference position. FIG. 5 shows the basic operation of the erasing unit 22. Details will be described with reference to FIG. 1 again.

  In FIG. 1, the position of the decoloring unit 22 indicated by a solid line is a reference position, and the position of the decoloring unit 22 indicated by a broken line is a predetermined position. The reciprocating range Lr of the erasing unit 22 indicates the erasing end position from the erasing start position at the leading end of the transfer medium 12 to the trailing end.

  Here, the reciprocating distance in the reciprocating movement range Lr from the reference position of the decoloring unit 22 to the predetermined position is the moving distance Lm of the upstream end (left end in the figure) in the heater 23, and the decoloring light source Reference numeral 24 denotes a moving distance Ln (Lm = Ln) of the downstream end (right end in the figure).

  Although not shown in FIG. 1, the transfer medium front end detection sensor 55 shown in FIG. 4 is disposed at the upstream end portion (differential end portion of the heater 23) of the erasing unit 22. Further, the transfer medium end detection sensor 54 shown in FIG. 4 is arranged at the downstream end of the erasing unit 22 (the right end of the erasing light source).

  The reciprocating range (distance from the reference position to a predetermined position) Lr of the erasing unit 22 is the distance between the sheets of paper 12 to which the transfer medium 12 is fed into the erasing conveyance path 21 (the previous transfer target to be transferred). Lr = Lk−α, where the distance between the transfer mediums of the medium 12f and the subsequent transfer medium 12b) is Lk between the sheets shown in FIG. The distance α is the time tb when the decoloring unit 22 returns from the predetermined position to the reference position = the moving distance Lm of the upstream end of the heater 23 (or the moving distance Ln of the downstream end of the decoloring light source 24) / decoloring. The distance Lb (= α) at which the transfer medium 12 is conveyed during the return speed Vhb of the unit 22 = the transfer speed Vp of the transfer medium 12 (12f, 12b) × the decoloring unit 22 from a predetermined position to a reference position Return time tb.

  Here, if the speed at which the erasing unit 22 returns from the predetermined position to the reference position (returning speed of the erasing unit 22) Vhb is so high that tb≈0, the erasing unit 22 has a predetermined speed. The distance Lb that the transfer medium 12 is conveyed while returning from the position to the reference position is Lb = Vp × tb≈0. That is, since α≈0, Lr = Lk.

  Actually, since the decoloring unit 22 cannot be moved at such a high speed, α takes a certain value. Nevertheless, while the transfer medium 12 is transported in the section indicated by the distance Lr = Lk−α, the transfer medium 12 is exposed to the heat and decoloring light of the decoloring unit 22.

  That is, the time during which the heat and the decoloring light of the decoloring unit 22 strikes the transfer medium 12 can be increased without slowing the conveyance speed of the transfer medium 12. As a result, the image formed with the erasable toner can be erased efficiently, and the power consumption for erasing can be reduced.

  In addition, according to the experiment, in order to obtain the same decoloring result, conventionally, 200 W × 3 heaters are used, but in this embodiment, sufficient results are obtained using 100 w × 3 heaters. I was able to.

  In the embodiment described in the present invention, when the color erasing unit 22 including the heater 23 and the color erasing light source 24 erases the color erasable toner image of the transfer medium 12 being conveyed through the color erasing conveyance path 21, The control unit performs the process of moving the erasing unit 22 from the reference position to a predetermined position in the conveyance direction of the transfer medium 12 and then returning the erasing unit 22 to the reference position. However, the control unit is not limited to the movement of the erasing unit 22. .

  For example, in the fixing unit 28 illustrated in FIG. 1, the fixing is performed using the heating roller 29, but a non-contact heater may be used instead of the heating roller 29. When a non-contact heater is used, the control unit transfers the non-contact heater used for fixing the toner image to the transfer medium 12 from the reference position so as to move like the decoloring unit 22. After moving to a predetermined position in the conveyance direction of the medium 12, a process of returning to the reference position may be performed.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, the present invention is included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof. Hereinafter, the invention described in the scope of claims of the present application will be appended.
[Appendix 1]

A decoloring unit comprising: a heater disposed in a transfer path of the transfer medium; and a decoloring light source disposed in the transfer path of the transfer medium and irradiating the transfer medium heated by the heater with decoloring light. When,
A control unit that performs a process of moving the decoloring unit in the conveyance direction of the transfer medium when the decoloring unit decolors the decolorizable toner image of the transfer medium that is being conveyed along the conveyance path; ,
A decoloring apparatus comprising:
[Appendix 2]

The heater heats a printing surface of the decolorizable toner image of the transfer medium,
The decoloring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the process of moving the decoloring unit in the transport direction of the transfer medium is moved at a speed slower than the transfer speed of the transfer medium.
[Appendix 3]

The controller performs a process of moving the decoloring unit in the transport direction of the first transfer medium and then moving the erasing unit to a position facing the second transfer medium in the direction opposite to the transfer direction. The color erasing apparatus according to Supplementary Note 1 or 2, which is characterized.
[Appendix 4]

The process of moving the decoloring unit in the transport direction of the transfer medium is performed by transferring the transfer medium sent from the transport path from a position facing the front end of the transfer medium sent into the transport path. The erasing device according to any one of appendices 1 to 3, wherein the erasing device is located up to a position facing the rear end.
[Appendix 5]

A decoloring unit comprising: a heater disposed in a transfer path of the transfer medium; and a decoloring light source disposed in the transfer path of the transfer medium and irradiating the transfer medium heated by the heater with decoloring light. However, when erasing the erasable toner image on the transfer medium that is being conveyed on the conveyance path, the controller performs a process of moving the erasing unit in the conveyance direction of the transfer medium. And decoloring method.
[Appendix 6]

The heater heats a printing surface of the decolorizable toner image of the transfer medium,
6. The decoloring method according to claim 5, wherein the process of moving the decoloring unit in the transfer direction of the transfer medium is moved at a speed slower than the transfer speed of the transfer medium.
[Appendix 7]

The controller performs a process of moving the decoloring unit in the transport direction of the first transfer medium and then moving the erasing unit to a position facing the second transfer medium in the direction opposite to the transfer direction. The color erasing method according to appendix 5 or 6, which is characterized.
[Appendix 8]

  The process of moving the decoloring unit in the transport direction of the transfer medium is performed by transferring the transfer medium sent from the transport path from a position facing the front end of the transfer medium sent into the transport path. The erasing method according to any one of appendices 5 to 7, wherein the erasing method is up to a position facing the rear end of the head.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for a color erasing apparatus and a color erasing method for efficiently erasing an image formed with a color erasable toner.

1 Image forming device (printer)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 Main body apparatus housing | casing 3 Transfer belt 4 Drive roller 5 Driven roller 6 Image forming unit 7 Developing device 8 Photosensitive drum 9 Developing roller 10 Secondary transfer path 11 Secondary transfer roller 12 Transfer medium 12f Previous transfer medium 12b Subsequent 13 Decoloring device 14 Paper cassette 15 Paper feed roller 16 Paper feed transport path 17 Image reading device 18 Feed roller pair 19 Color erase feed path 20a, 20b Roller 21 Color erase transport path 22 Color erase unit 23 Heater 24 Decoloring light source 25 Paper carry-in roller pair 26 Paper carry-out roller pair 27 Fixing conveyance path 28 Fixing part 29 Heating roller 30 Rail 31 Pressing roller 32 Paper discharge path 33 Drive roller 34 Followed roller 35 Pressing roller 36 Thin belt 37 Both end conveyance Device 38 (38a, 38b) Heater contact prevention wire 39 (39 , 39 b) wire holding portion 40 heater contact preventing device 41 CPU (central processing unit)
42 Image forming unit 43 Decoloring unit 44 Transferred medium conveying unit 45 Developing unit 46 Transfer unit 47 Fixing unit 48 LED light source heating device moving motor driving unit 49 LED light decoloring light source driving unit 51 Decoloring heating unit driving unit 52 Image reading Device part 53 LED light decoloring light source moving motor 54 Transfer medium end detection sensor 55 Transfer medium end detection sensor 56 Decoloring light source LED
57 Decoloring heating part 58 Temperature sensor

Claims (6)

A decoloring unit comprising: a heater disposed in a transfer path of the transfer medium; and a decoloring light source disposed in the transfer path of the transfer medium and irradiating the transfer medium heated by the heater with decoloring light. When,
When the erasing unit erases the erasable toner image of the transfer medium being conveyed along the conveyance path, the erasing unit is opposed to the front end of the transfer medium fed into the conveyance path. A control unit that performs a process of moving the transfer medium in the transfer direction from a position where the transfer medium is sent from the transfer path to a position facing a rear end of the transfer medium;
An erasing apparatus comprising: The heater heats a printing surface of the decolorizable toner image of the transfer medium,
The erasing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the process of moving the erasing unit in the transport direction of the transfer medium is moved at a speed slower than the transfer speed of the transfer medium.   The controller performs a process of moving the decoloring unit in the transport direction of the first transfer medium and then moving the erasing unit to a position facing the second transfer medium in the direction opposite to the transfer direction. The erasing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: A decoloring unit comprising: a heater disposed in a transfer path of the transfer medium; and a decoloring light source disposed in the transfer path of the transfer medium and irradiating the transfer medium heated by the heater with decoloring light. However, when erasing the erasable toner image of the transfer medium that is being transported through the transport path, the control unit opposes the decoloring unit to the front end of the transfer medium that is fed into the transport path. A decoloring method comprising: performing a process of moving the transfer medium in a transfer direction from a position where the transfer medium is sent to a position facing a rear end of the transfer medium sent from the transfer path . The heater heats a printing surface of the decolorizable toner image of the transfer medium,
5. The decoloring method according to claim 4 , wherein the process of moving the decoloring unit in the transport direction of the transfer medium is moved at a speed slower than the transfer speed of the transfer medium. The controller performs a process of moving the decoloring unit in the transport direction of the first transfer medium and then moving the erasing unit to a position facing the second transfer medium in the direction opposite to the transfer direction. 6. The decoloring method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that: