JPH03144463A - Image forming method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate the need of a photosensitive drum and a cleaner by changing a potential difference between upper and lower electrodes according to a gradation signal of a recorded image, controlling the irradiation quantity of ions of polarity opposite from a developer and forming a latent image pattern of different electrification polarity from that of the developer thereon. CONSTITUTION:The developer 2 electrified to a prescribed polarity is turned into a thin layer on a developer carrier 1, and the potential difference between the upper and lower electrodes 6b and 6c is varied with the gradation signal of the recorded image to control the irradiation quantity of ions of polarity opposite from the developer. Ultimately a latent image pattern of different electrification polarity from that of the developer 2 is formed thereon. Consequently, a photosensitive drum and a cleaner are not needed any more. Moreover, a device is reduced in size and thickness. Image gradation recording is attainable by a simple method that changes the size of a voltage applied to an electrode controlled by an ion control means.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to an image forming method using a copy number printer, etc.Background ArtAs a conventional image forming method using a copy number printer, etc.
For example, the electrophotographic method used in the apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 58-214175 is common, but Figure 4 (showing the configuration diagram of a conventional electrophotographic image forming apparatus) A photoreceptor drum 101, a corona charger 102 sequentially arranged around its outer periphery, an optical system 103 such as a laser or an LED array, a developer 104, a transfer device 105, and a cleaner 107.
, and a fixing device 108. When forming an image, first, the surface of the photoreceptor drum IOl, which is an electrostatic latent image carrier, is uniformly charged with a corona charger 102, and then the charged photoreceptor is charged. The optical system 103 irradiates light according to the image signal onto the drum 101 to form an electrostatic latent image.
The visible image is visualized by the above developer and further transferred onto the recording medium 106 by the transfer device 105.The finally transferred visible image is transferred to the recording medium 1 by the fixing device 108.
Even if the developer remains on the photoreceptor drum 101 after the transfer, it is removed by the cleaner 107.
The light drum 101 proceeds to the next image formation.

Even though the conventional image forming apparatus 1 configured as described above has features such as high speed and high resolution due to functional separation in addition to plain paper recording, the problems that the invention aims to solve still remain as described above. In this method, a photoreceptor drum, a charger, and an optical system are used to form an electrostatic latent image through exposure.
Although a developing device is required to visualize the electrostatic latent image, the image forming process is complicated and the equipment is large, as it is necessary to clean the developer remaining on the photoreceptor drum even after transfer. In addition, the developer and cleaner that handles the developer are located far apart, so we have to replace the developer to replenish the developer.There are many user-operated areas, such as waste toner disposal during cleaning, and they are dispersed, making maintenance and handling difficult. In view of this, the present invention is a simple process that does not require a photoreceptor drum or a cleaner, is easy to handle, allows for miniaturization of the device, and is capable of recording gradations. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a new image forming method and a means for solving the problems.The present invention 4- & A method for forming a uniformly thin layer of a developer charged to a predetermined polarity on a developer carrier. In this method, ions of opposite polarity are generated by an ion generating means, and a voltage is applied to the upper and lower electrodes of the ion control means, which has a through hole in a thin plate-like insulator and electrodes above and below the through hole, and the electric field formed in the through hole develops the image. ON/O of ion irradiation to the developer on the agent carrier
The first method is to control the FF, and to control the amount of ion irradiation by changing the potential difference between the upper and lower electrodes according to the gradation signal of the recorded image, forming a latent image pattern with different charge polarity on the developer. In the image forming method characterized by 1, the present invention (expressed as above) forms a uniformly thin layer of a developer charged to a predetermined polarity on a developer carrier, and generates ions having a polarity opposite to that of the developer by an ion generating means. A voltage is applied to the upper and lower electrodes of the ion control means, which has a through hole in a thin plate-like insulator and electrodes above and below the ion control means, and the electric field formed in the through hole causes the developer on the developer carrier to be Ion irradiation ON/
It controls OFF and the gradation of the recorded image. *It is an image forming method whose second feature is to control the amount of ion irradiation by changing the voltage application time to the upper and lower electrodes according to the number, and to form a latent image pattern with different charging polarity on the developer. According to the first feature of the present invention, a developer charged to a predetermined polarity is uniformly formed into a thin layer on a developer carrier, and an ion generating means and an ion control means are applied to the developer in response to an image signal. The ion control means 1 irradiates ions with a polarity opposite to that of the developer to form a latent image pattern on the developer carrier. A voltage is applied to electrodes provided on both the upper and lower sides of the through hole, and the electric field formed in the through hole controls ON/OFF of ion irradiation.At this time, the recorded image By changing the magnitude of the voltage applied to the upper and lower control electrodes of the ion control means according to the gradation signal of Although it forms a latent image pattern with a different distribution of charge polarity in the horizontal direction, it is possible to reduce the size and thickness of the ion control device, which has a simple configuration that does not require a photoreceptor drum or cleaner, and to control the ion control means. It is possible to record gradations of images simply by changing the magnitude of the voltage applied to the electrodes.

According to the second feature of the present invention, a developer charged to a predetermined polarity is uniformly formed into a thin layer on a developer carrier, and an ion generating means and an ion control means are applied to the developer in response to an image signal. The ion control means irradiates ions with a polarity opposite to that of the developer to form a latent image pattern on the developer carrier. A through-hole is provided, a voltage is applied to electrodes provided on both the upper and lower sides of the through-hole, and the ON/OFF of ion irradiation is controlled by the electric field formed in the through-hole.At this time, recording is performed. By changing the voltage application time to the upper and lower control electrodes of the ion control means according to the image gradation signal, the amount of ion irradiation onto the developer is changed, and the amount of ion irradiation on the developer is changed in the thickness direction of the developer on the developer carrier. Although it forms a latent image pattern with a different distribution of charge polarity, it has a simple configuration that does not require a photoreceptor drum or a cleaner.Although it is possible to make the device smaller and thinner, it also has a control electrode for the ion control means. It is possible to record the gradation of an image by simply changing the voltage application time. In Figure 1, which shows the configuration diagram,
1 is a developer carrier, 2 is a developing device, and 3 is a layer forming means consisting of developer supply members 3a, 3b and a layer forming member 3c.4
5 is a developer unit, which is an integrated structure consisting of at least a developer carrier 1, a developer 2, and a layer forming means 3, and is removable from the side or front side of the device frame (not shown); 5 and 6 are ion generating means; and ion control means.

Reference numeral 7 indicates a transfer recorder, 8 indicates a recording medium, 9 indicates a paper feeder, and 10 indicates a fixing means.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the ion generating means 5 and the ion controlling means 6. Ion generating means 5 (a so-called corona discharger in which a wire 5b made of tungsten or the like is stretched in a U-shaped shield case 5a). Through-holes 6d for ions to pass through are arranged in a straight line or in a staggered manner, and there are holes above and below the through-holes 6d (
A control electrode 6b for each through hole 6d and a control electrode 6c common to all through holes 6d are configured.

11 in Fig. 1 (upper control electrodes 6b and 6)
This is applied voltage control means for controlling the magnitude of the voltage applied to c.

Next, the operation will be explained. In the developer unit 4, the developer 2 is formed into a thin layer on the developer carrier 1 by the layer forming means 3. Stir 2.
The developer supplying member 3a charges the developer 2 to a predetermined polarity and supplies it in a fixed amount to the developer carrier 1.
Thin layers are sequentially and uniformly formed on top using the layer forming member 3c.
Further, due to friction with the layer forming member 3c, it is uniformly charged to a predetermined polarity.

Next, the ion generating means 5 generates ions having a polarity opposite to that of the developer 2, and the ion control means 6 irradiates the developer 2 with 0N10 ions in accordance with the image signal.
Although the latent image pattern is created by controlling the FF and charging only the image area to the opposite polarity, there is no time to irradiate the developer 2 with 1 ion.
The magnitude of the voltage applied to the control electrodes 6a and 6b of the ion control means 6 is changed by the applied voltage control means 11 to control the electric field strength in the d section, thereby changing the amount of ion irradiation onto the developer 2. Therefore, a latent image pattern having a charge polarity distribution in the thickness direction of the developer 2, which is uniformly thinned, is formed. As the ion generating means 5, it is preferable to use an air discharge such as a corona discharge or a creeping discharge.1. X.

The developer 2ζ on which the latent image pattern has been formed is passed through the recording medium 8, which is conveyed in the direction of the arrow in the figure from the paper feeding means 9 consisting of a paper feeding roller and a cassette, to a charging polarity opposite to that of the latent image at the transfer position. Polar method In other words, a transfer device 7 such as a corona transfer device having the same polarity as the charging by the layer forming device 3 is used to transfer the electrification onto the recording medium 8.
Only the developer 2 patterned into a latent image, that is, charged to the opposite polarity, is transferred.

The recording medium 8 is used to fix the visible image of the transferred developer 2. It passes through the fixing means 10 and becomes a recorded image. On the other hand, the developer carrier 1 after the transfer enters the developer unit 4 and is removed by transfer. The layer forming means 3 uniformly charges and thins the developer 2 on the developer carrier 1 again, including the charged portion.
In this embodiment, non-magnetic toner is used as developer 2. At this time, the developer 2 is supplied to the developer carrier I. Supply (expressed by overlapping the brush roller 3a of the developer supplying member with the developer carrier 1) (Also, the soft elastic blade 3c of the layer forming member is used to form a thin layer of the developer 2 on the developer carrier 1). This is done by pressing it against the developer carrier 1. At the same time, during this process, a band of electric charge is applied to the developer 2 due to friction, and the polarity of this electric charge is determined by the material of the brush roller, blade, etc. before development.

For example, the developer carrier 1 is made of a conductive metal roller made of stainless steel or aluminum, the developer 2 is made of a styrene-acrylic resin binder, a charge control agent such as Kensho silica, etc., and has a non-magnetic insulating l component with a particle size of about 10 μm. The toner and developer supply member 6b is a conductive brush roller made of rayon containing carbon and has a specific resistance of 10' to 10 IΩ·cm, and the layer forming member 6c is a developer carrier 1 with a linear pressure of about 40 g/cm.
When using a urethane rubber blade that presses the developer 2, the developer 2 is charged in a -like manner (surface potential on the developer carrier 1 is about +20 V), and is uniformly formed into a thin layer (approximately +20V on the developer carrier 1). The layer thickness is approximately 30 μm).

On this developer 2, the tungsten wire 5b (diameter 60 μm) of the corona discharger 5 +, : (-) 6 K
When (-) ions generated by applying V are irradiated through the through-hole 6d of the ion control platen 6, the two developers with (+) polarity in the ion-irradiated area become less than (-) polar. It is charged and a latent image pattern is formed. At this time, the developer carrier 1 is grounded and set to o■, and the control electrode 6c is connected to the
0v is always applied. (-) When ions are not irradiated onto the developer 2, the control electrode 6b on C is set to Ov, and an electric field is formed between the upper and lower control electrodes in the opposite direction to the electric field between the wire and the developer carrier, blocking the passage of ions. I'll keep it. When (-) ions are irradiated onto the developer 2 to form a latent image pattern, the voltage applied to the control electrode 6b is -300V, and the electric field between the wire and the developer carrier and the electric field in the forward direction are formed. At this time, the applied voltage control means 11 is used to adjust the voltage applied to the control electrode 6b to, for example, -400 in accordance with the gradation signal of the image.
If v, the electric field formed in the through-hole becomes stronger and the amount of ion irradiation increases. Therefore, the distribution of charge polarity in the thickness direction of the developer 2 changes. When a voltage of (+) 6 KV with a polarity opposite to that of the latent image is applied to the latent image pattern via the recording medium 8, for example, to the corona transfer device 7, only the portion of the latent image pattern charged with the opposite polarity is recorded. A latent image pattern (an image corresponding to the thickness of the developer 2 having negative polarity with a charge polarity distribution in the thickness direction of the upper developer 2) is transferred to the recording medium 8. An image with gradation can be obtained.

The transferred image is fixed to the recording medium 8 by a fixing device 10 consisting of a heat roller or the like to become a recorded image.

Further, the developer 2 on the developer carrier 1 is transferred in the developer unit 4, and the developer 2 is replenished by the multi-layer forming means 3, and the developer carrier 1 is uniformly charged to (+) polarity again. The layer is uniformly thinned.

According to this embodiment, in the developer unit 4, the developer 2 is applied onto the developer carrier l by the layer forming means 3.
By forming a charged latent image on the developer 2 itself in accordance with an image signal using the ion generation means 5 and the ion control means 6, the latent image form is faithfully developed on the developer carrier 1. The ability to transfer images eliminates the need for latent image carriers such as photosensitive drums used in conventional electrophotographic methods. Furthermore, since the latent image pattern is directly transferred to the developer 2, there is no need for a cleaner or waste toner treatment. Therefore, the process of the developer unit 4, ion generation means 5, ion control means 6, and transfer means 7 is extremely simple, and the device can be made smaller and thinner.
No maintenance is required by the user, including the replenishment of the developer 2. Only the developer unit 4 needs to be replaced, and the developer unit 4 is removable from the device, making maintenance and handling extremely easy. In addition, since the only movable part of the device is the developer carrier 1, reliability can be improved.Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the magnitude of the voltage applied to the control electrode 6b is simply changed according to the gradation signal of the image. This simple method allows you to record images with gradation.
It is possible to provide an image forming apparatus with high image quality. FIG.

In FIG. 3, 12 is a voltage application time for applying voltage to the upper and lower control electrodes 6b and 6c of the ion control means 6, and 13 is a pulse for controlling the voltage application time (voltage application pulse width). width control means
The explanation of the parts common to the device configuration in FIG. 1 is omitted, but the operation will be explained next.
The developer supplying members 3a, 3b and the layer forming member 3d, which are the upper layer forming means 3, uniformly charge the developer to a predetermined polarity and form a uniform thin layer on the developer carrier l.Next, the ion generating means 5 The ions with the opposite polarity to the developer 2 are generated, and the electric field in the through hole 6d of the ion control means 6 is controlled to control the amount of ion irradiation to the developer 2. Accordingly, the voltage application time to the control electrodes 6a and 6b of the ion control means 6 is changed by the pulse width control means 13, and the amount of ion irradiation onto the developer 2 is changed, so that the developer is uniformly thinned. A latent image pattern having a charge polarity distribution in the thickness direction of 2 is formed.

The developer 2 G& on which the latent image pattern is formed is supplied with a corona with a polarity opposite to that of the latent image via the recording medium 8 which is conveyed in the direction of the arrow in the figure from the paper feed means 9 consisting of a paper feed roller and a cassette. A transfer means 7 such as a transfer device transfers only the developer 2 of opposite polarity, which is formed into a latent image pattern, onto the recording medium 8 .

Thereafter, the transferred visible image of the developer 2 is fixed onto the recording medium 8 via the fixing means 10, thereby completing a recorded image. -Large Developer carrier l after transfer (representation) The developer 2, including the part that entered the developer unit 4 and was removed during transfer,
The layer forming means 3 uniformly charges and thins the layer on the developer carrier 1 again, and proceeds to the next recording.

In this embodiment, the developer carrier 1 is grounded and set to OV, and -200V is constantly applied to the control electrode 6c.
(-) When ions are not irradiated onto the developer 2 (Yo), the control electrode 6b is set to Ov, and an electric field is formed between the upper and lower control electrodes in the opposite direction to the electric field between the wire and the developer carrier, blocking the passage of ions. (-) When irradiating ions onto the developer 2 to form a latent image pattern, the voltage applied to the control electrode 6b is -300V, and the electric field between the wire and the developer carrier and the forward direction are At this time, when the pulse width control means 13 is used to change the voltage application time to the control electrode 6b according to the gray scale signal of the image, the through hole 6d is caused to pass through the ion flow. Therefore, even if the amount of ion irradiation to the developer 2 changes and the distribution of charge polarity in the thickness direction of the developer 2 changes, the (-) charged latent image pattern changes. On the other hand, if a voltage of (+) 6 KV with a polarity opposite to that of the latent image is applied to the corona transfer device 7 via the recording medium 8, for example, only the latent image pattern portion charged with the opposite polarity will be transferred to the recording medium 8. A latent image pattern (an image corresponding to the thickness of the developer 2 with negative polarity, which has a charge polarity distribution in the thickness direction of the developer 2) is transferred to the recording medium 8, and the gradation is transferred to the recording medium 8. You can obtain a realistic image.

According to this embodiment, in the developer unit 4, the developer 2 is applied onto the developer carrier 1 by the layer forming means 3.
By forming a charged latent image on the developer 2 itself according to an image signal using the ion generation means 5 and the ion control means 6, a latent image is developed on the developer carrier l. Temporary transcription becomes possible. Therefore, there is no need for a latent image carrier such as a photoreceptor drum used in conventional electrophotography, and there is no need for a cleaner or waste toner treatment, as the latent image pattern is directly formed and transferred onto the developer 2. Therefore, the process of the developer unit 4, ion generation means 5, ion control means 6, and transfer means 7 is extremely simple, and the device can be made smaller and thinner.
The only maintenance required by the user is to replace the developer unit 4, and since the developer unit 4 is removable from the apparatus, maintenance and handling are extremely easy. In addition, since the only movable part of the device is the developer carrier 1, the reliability can be improved. In the embodiments according to the first and second characteristics of the present invention, as the developer 2, it is possible to record an image with gradation using a simple method. Force exchange using non-magnetic component toner At least layer forming member 3C passes through Developer carrier 1
As long as the developer 2 is made into a uniformly thin layer and uniformly charged, the developer 2 may be a one-component or two-component toner. A rigid blade 3C that does not make contact with the body 1 may also be used (
X.

In addition, this process ζ allows both so-called reversal development and normal development, and is not limited by the charging polarity of the layer forming means 3.As described in detail, the first and second features of the present invention are as follows. According to , it is possible to form, develop, and transfer a latent image on the developer carrier, and the process is extremely simple, with only a developer unit that does not require a photoreceptor drum or cleaner.
Although it can be made smaller and thinner, it is also extremely easy to maintain and handle as it only requires replacing the developer unit. In addition, reliability is improved as the only moving part is the developer carrier.
This is a simple method of simply changing the magnitude of the voltage applied to the control electrode, which is the ion control means, or the voltage application time.
It is possible to provide a high-quality image forming device that can record images with gradation.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an embodiment of an image forming apparatus for carrying out the first method of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the ion generation/control means of the embodiment. Configuration of an image forming apparatus for carrying out method 2 Figure 4 is a configuration diagram of a conventional electrophotographic image forming apparatus. - Layer formation statement 4... Developer unit, 5... Ion generation statement 6... Ion control means, 6a... Insulator 6b
, 6c...Control type K 6d...Through hole 7...
- Transfer means, 11... Applied voltage control means, 12.
...Voltage application method 13...Pulse width control description

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] (1) A developer charged to a predetermined polarity is uniformly formed into a thin layer on a developer carrier, and ions having a polarity opposite to that of the developer are generated by an ion generating means to form a thin plate-like layer. A voltage is applied to the upper and lower electrodes of the ion control means, which is formed by providing a through hole in an insulator and electrodes above and below the through hole, and the ion irradiation to the developer on the developer carrier is turned ON/OFF by the electric field formed in the through hole. It is characterized by controlling the amount of ion irradiation by changing the potential difference between the upper and lower electrodes according to the gradation signal of the recorded image, and forming a latent image pattern with different charging polarity on the developer. An image forming method. (2) A developer charged to a predetermined polarity is uniformly formed into a thin layer on a developer carrier, and ions having a polarity opposite to that of the developer are generated by an ion generating means, and through holes are formed in a thin plate-like insulator. A voltage is applied to the upper and lower electrodes of the ion control means, which has electrodes provided above and below the ion control means, and an electric field formed in the through hole controls ON/OFF of ion irradiation to the developer on the developer carrier. The image forming method is characterized in that the amount of ion irradiation is controlled by changing the voltage application time to the upper and lower electrodes according to the gradation signal of the recorded image, and a latent image pattern with different charge polarity is formed on the developer. Method. (3) Holding a developer therein, charging the developer to a predetermined polarity using the layer forming means in a developer unit comprising a developer carrier and a layer forming means, and charging the developer to a predetermined polarity using the layer forming means. 3. The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein a uniform thin layer is formed on the carrier. (4) Image formation according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that only the developer patterned with a latent image of opposite polarity on the developer carrier is transferred to the recording medium using a transfer charger. Method.