JPH0343626B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a transfer device, and more particularly, to a transfer device that enables good transfer without staining the transfer material.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, transfer devices have been widely used that transfer a transfer material to developed images formed on an image carrier such as an electrophotographic photoreceptor by guiding the transfer material using a transfer guide member and applying a transfer voltage.

However, in such a transfer device that applies a transfer voltage, the transfer current leaks through the transfer material guide member at times of high humidity, resulting in a so-called transfer failure phenomenon in which good transfer is not achieved.

There are three types of techniques as countermeasures for this problem:

The first is to electrically float the transfer material guide member.

If this method is used, even if the transferred member absorbs moisture at high humidity, no transfer will occur, but the transfer current flows into the transfer guide member and the transfer guide member becomes electrically charged, which causes floating toner and toner on the latent image carrier. Attract and accumulate. This toner then comes into contact with the transfer material, causing stains on the image. In addition, when the humidity is low, friction between the transfer material and the transfer material guide member causes charging and staining.

The second method is to apply a bias voltage to the transfer material guide member to prevent leakage of transfer current. Although this method can also prevent transfer omissions like the above method, it requires a special power source. This makes the device complicated. Moreover, since a voltage is applied, safety measures for operator maintenance are required, which further complicates the apparatus.

The third method is to ground the transfer material guide member through a resistance.

If a sufficient resistance is selected to prevent transfer failure during high humidity, the transfer current is more likely to accumulate and toner staining is more likely to occur as the potential reaches a level that causes toner adsorption.

Furthermore, if the surface of the transfer material guide member is made of metal, the conveyance of the transfer material may deteriorate in high humidity.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and provides a transfer device that enables good transfer.

That is, the present invention includes a transfer means for transferring a developed image formed on a moving image carrier onto a transfer material, and a transfer means provided upstream of the transfer means with respect to the moving direction of the image carrier, and a transfer means for transferring a developed image formed on a moving image carrier to a transfer material. In the transfer device, the transfer material guide member is formed of a material having a volume resistivity of 10 ⁵ to ^{10 10} Ω·cm, and the transfer material guide member and the ground are connected to each other. It is characterized by a connection between the two.

Hereinafter, details of the present invention will be explained using specific examples with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side view of an exemplary transfer device according to the present invention.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a photosensitive drum which is rotated in the direction of the arrow by a driving means (not shown).

Reference numeral 2 denotes developed images formed on the photosensitive drum by a latent image forming means and a developing means (not shown).

3 is a transfer corona discharger, 4 is a transfer material lower guide member made of metal, and 5 is a transfer material upper guide member also made of metal. As shown in FIG. 1, the transfer material lower guide member 4 and the ground are connected.

Reference numeral 6 denotes a resistive material layer provided on the surface of the lower transfer material guide member, and in the illustrated example, carbon is dispersed in high-molecular polyethylene to have a volume resistance of 10 ⁸ Ω·cm.

Such a configuration allows good transfer to the transfer material 7 even in a high humidity environment (for example, 80% RH).

Incidentally, the resistive material layer 6 is made of high-molecular polyethylene (volume resistance: 10 ¹¹ Ω) without carbon dispersed therein.
cm or more), a low humidity environment (e.g. 25%
RH), the transfer material lower guide member 4 is charged due to friction between the transfer material lower guide member 4 and the transfer paper 7. According to experiments, when the distance between the photosensitive drum 1 and the transfer material lower guide member 4 is 1.2 mm, the potential of the transfer material lower guide member is -
It reaches over 1000V. However, it has been found that when the voltage exceeds -500V, toner adheres to the leading edge of the guide member, staining the back side of the leading edge of the image on the next transfer paper. It was also confirmed that the closer the potential is to 0, the harder it is to get dirty. In this case, toner of negative polarity was used, but it is thought that the toner was positively charged by exposure to the transfer corona and adhered to the guide. In addition, when the humidity is high, the corona current from the transfer corona discharger 3 flows into the transfer material lower guide member 4 through the transfer paper 7 having a low resistance, and charges the guide to more than +1000V. It was found that when the guide is positively charged, the guide gets dirty and the back of the image becomes dirty when the voltage exceeds +700V. On the other hand, when a predetermined resistive material layer such as carbon-dispersed high-molecular polyethylene is provided on the surface of the guide member 4 as in the device according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, the potential of the guide can be reduced to -300 V at low humidity and within +500 V at high humidity. It was possible to prevent the guide from becoming dirty at all.

In order to prevent the transfer material guide member from becoming dirty, even if electric charge accumulates, the potential must be set to between -500V and +
The resistive material layer may be configured so as to suppress the voltage to 700V, and in practical terms, it is sufficient if the volume resistance is 10 ¹⁰ Ω·cm or less. And preferably it is 10 ⁸ Ω·cm or less.
On the other hand, it is inconvenient to make the resistance smaller than 10 ⁵ Ω·cm in practice in order to prevent transfer failure. The resistance is preferably 10 ⁶ Ω·cm or more.

FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating another example device based on the present invention. Components common to those in FIG. 1 are designated by uniform numbers. In the apparatus shown in FIG. 2, a predetermined resistive material layer 6 is also provided on the transfer material contacting surface side of the transfer material upper guide member 5 connected to the ground, to promote ensuring that the transfer current does not leak. It is. Even if the transfer material is used for a long period of time, it is possible to prevent developer toner from adhering to the surface of the transfer material upper guide member 5. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the developer from spilling onto the surface of the transfer material.

Incidentally, an appropriate material can be selected as the above-mentioned resistive material in consideration of frictional properties with the transfer material, etc.

Further, even if the material is originally an insulating material, as described above, a conductive material or a surfactant may be mixed therein to give it an appropriate volume resistance.

Further, in the illustrated example, the surface of the metallic guide member is coated with a resistive material layer, but it goes without saying that the guide member may be formed of a resistive material having appropriate strength.

FIG. 3 shows an example in which the guide members themselves are molded from a resistive material, including a transfer material lower guide member 7 and a transfer material upper guide member 8.
Both are molded from high molecular weight polyethylene mixed with carbon. The transfer material lower guide member 7 and the ground are connected.

In this case as well, toner adhesion could be prevented even after long-term use, and toner contamination of the transfer material did not occur.

As the resin, any material suitable for the purpose of the present invention can be used, such as high molecular weight polyethylene, polycarbonate, and polypropylene.

As described above in detail using specific examples, the apparatus of the present invention is excellent in that it does not cause toner adhesion and does not stain the transfer material even when used for a long time.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a specific example transfer device based on the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of a modified example device based on the present invention. FIG. 3 is a side view of a further modified device according to the invention. In the figure, 1: photosensitive drum (image carrier), 2: developers, 3: transfer corona discharger, 4, 5: transfer material guide member, 6: resistive material layer.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A transfer means for transferring a developed image formed on a moving image carrier onto a transfer material; In a transfer device equipped with a transfer material guide member that guides the transfer material against the body, the transfer material guide member itself is formed of a material having a volume resistivity of 10 ⁵ to ^{10 10} Ω·cm and is grounded to the transfer material guide member. A transcription device characterized in that a connection is made between the two. 2. The transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the material has a volume resistivity of 10 ⁶ to 10 ⁸ Ω·cm.