JPH04101859A - Method for manufacturing control grid for image formation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To enhance accuracy of matrix interval, uniformity of tension and insulation by employing a flat cable formed between a pair of electrodes extending integrally in parallel through one or a plurality of dummy wires for keeping the interval. CONSTITUTION: A flat cable 10 is formed between a pair of wire electrodes 101, 102 extending integrally in parallel through a dummy wire 100 for keeping the interval. The wire electrode 101, 102 has two layer structure of core wires 10a of aluminum or copper and an insulation layer 10b surrounding the core wires 10a and the dummy wire 100 is formed of a different insulating material having tensile strength higher than that of the wire electrode 101, 102. The dummy wire 100 is not limited to one but a plurality of dummy wires may be formed in parallel and the diameter thereof is preferably set equal to or smaller than that of the wire electrode 101, 102.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION "Field of Industrial Application" The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus configured to be able to deposit a toner image directly onto plain paper or other recording material without using a photoreceptor drum or other latent image carrier. The method for manufacturing the control grid used is particularly concerned with arranging a toner carrier and a back electrode across a control grid that forms toner holes corresponding to image information through energization control, and placing a recording material along the surface of the back electrode. The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a control grid used in an image forming apparatus configured to be able to transfer toner that has passed through the toner passage hole onto a recording material while being moved.

"Prior Art" Conventionally, an image is created in which toner carried on a toner carrier is directly transferred onto a recording material in a dot pattern corresponding to image information without using a photosensitive drum that functions as a latent image carrier. The forming device is known (Sweden Patent Application No. 8704883, etc.).The device configuration will be briefly explained based on the basic configuration diagram shown in FIG. sleeve-shaped toner carrier,
2 is a back electrode 2 disposed opposite to the toner carrier 1;
A matrix-like control grid 3 is arranged between the two, and by controlling the control grid 3 to be energized in the X-Y axis direction, the developing electric field acting on the holes 3a between the matrices is selected in accordance with the image information. The developing electric field acting on the toner passage hole 3a is configured to be selectively blocked or conductive in accordance with image information, thereby causing the control grid 3 to appear on the recording paper 4 disposed on the surface of the back electrode 2. Toner corresponding to the image information can be transferred from the toner carrier 1 through the toner passage hole 3a inside.

Further, the control grid 3 has a plurality of X-axis lines Xl extending in the longitudinal direction (X) as shown in FIG. 8(a).

X2... and each pair of Y axes Yal, Ya2 extending narrowly in parallel and inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the X@ line.
A matrix-like group of conducting wires consisting of... is sandwiched between front and back insulating thin films, and through-holes are punched in the portions sandwiched between the multiple pairs of Y-axis and X-axis. , is formed by an FPC with toner through holes 3a.

The control grid energizes the toner through holes 3a by sequentially energizing the xl, As a result, the passing dot-shaped toner pattern forms a line, and as a result, it is possible to form a dense dot pattern without making the Y-axis line width particularly dense.

"Technical Problems to be Solved by the Invention" Now, in order to improve the accuracy of the matrix-like axis spacing, the homogeneity of tension, and the insulation properties of the control grid in the device,
Generally, FPC is manufactured by FPC, but FPC is expensive and requires drilling the holes at precise density intervals for each axial interval of the matrix, making the process extremely complicated.

In order to eliminate this drawback, we are currently considering a method of manufacturing a control grid by arranging and fixing wire electrodes in a matrix, at least conductors covered with an insulating layer. However, when wire electrodes are used, the matrix spacing is As a result, the diameter of the toner through hole surrounded by the wire electrode fluctuates, making it impossible to form a precise dot pattern.

In particular, in the basic technology, both ends of the wire electrodes located on both sides of the toner passage hole are joined to form a closed loop, and the toner passage is controlled by controlling current flow in each of the closed loops in the x- and y-axis directions that intersect with each other. Although the structure is configured to control the opening and closing of the holes, if the distance between the wire electrodes facing each other is not accurately maintained, the electric field flowing through the closed loops will fluctuate, making it difficult to form a precise dot pattern. becomes impossible.

In addition, in order to obtain high-resolution printing, the diameter of the wire electrode has to be reduced because the toner holes must be spaced closely, and for this reason, the wire electrode with such a small diameter has a reduced tension. 7 with uniform tension using the wire electrode.
1. It is difficult to form a grid-like control grid.

However, since the wire electrodes have a circular cross section, even if an intersecting matrix-like control grid is formed as shown in FIG. 2, the intersections will be point contacts, and even if adhesive is applied to those areas Since it is a point joint, the adhesive force is extremely weak.

Therefore, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a control grid that can achieve high accuracy in matrix spacing, uniformity of tension, and improvement in insulation properties even though the control grid is manufactured using wire electrodes. aim at something.

Another object of the present invention is to use the wire electrodes to facilitate the formation of closed loops, maintain the distance between adjacent closed loops and back-to-back wire electrodes, and improve bonding strength.

"Technical Means for Solving the Problem" In order to achieve the technical problem, the present invention aims to solve the above technical problem by providing a gap between a pair of wire electrodes that are integrally extended in parallel, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. The first feature is that a flat cable formed with one or more dummy wires interposed therebetween is used.

In this case, if the diameter of the dummy wire is made larger than the diameter of the wire electrode, the planar bonding shown in FIG. Good.

The dummy wires may be formed of the same material as the wire electrodes, but as described later, after joining the flat cables in a matrix, only the dummy wires may be removed. It is preferable to use a different material having a tensile strength greater than that of the wire electrode so as to be able to tear the electrode against the strength.

Further, as described later, the dummy wire is preferably formed of an insulated wire in order to facilitate the formation of a closed loop.

"Function" According to this technical means, if one wire electrode 10'' is formed in a matrix shape as shown in FIG. 2, the bonding force is weak due to point bonding! When a cable is used, a V (W)-shaped groove can be formed between adjacent wires as shown in FIG. 1(a).
Adhesive liquid can be stored in the (W)-shaped groove, and surface bonding is possible, improving bonding strength.

In this case, by using a flat cable on which a heat-melting adhesive or solvent-melting adhesive layer is further formed on the surface of the insulating layer, the flat cable is stretched in a matrix shape, and then heat or a solvent is applied. This is preferable because surface bonding as shown in FIG. 1(b) can be easily performed.

Furthermore, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3, both ends of the first wire electrode of a flat cable and the second wire electrode of another adjacent flat cable are joined to form a closed loop. Since the closed loop and the wire electrodes facing back to back are integrally formed into a flat cable via a dummy wire, it is possible to maintain the spacing between the wire electrodes with high precision because of the use of the dummy wire. In this case, the dummy wire may be removed after soldering, if necessary.

Furthermore, the wire electrodes that form the same closed loop are not made into a flat cable, but the first and second wire electrodes that form other closed loops are made into a flat cable via a dummy wire. Since the electrodes forming one closed loop directly face each other, and the first and second wire electrodes forming another closed loop are shielded via a dummy wire, the electrodes forming another closed loop may accidentally face each other. However, even if the wires are sometimes bonded during soldering, insulation between the two electrodes can be ensured simply by removing the dummy wire, which makes it extremely easy to form a closed loop.

Therefore, by using such a flat cable, the present control grid can be easily manufactured by the following method.

That is, the control grid includes at least the first step of stretching the cables in a matrix and then joining them using surface bonding as shown in FIG. 1(b), and the opposing wires of adjacent flat cables. The second step is to join the ends of the electrodes so that they are electrically conductive and form a loop-shaped wire electrode.In this case, the interval setting for removing the dummy wire after the first step is also accurate. A successful and desirable control grid can be formed.

Note that the bonding step may be performed only in the first step, or the main bonding step may be added thereafter as shown in Examples described later.

"Embodiments" Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail by way of example based on the drawings. However, unless otherwise specified, the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative positions of the components described in this example are not intended to limit the scope of this invention, but are merely illustrative examples. Not too much.

FIG. 4 shows a flat cable 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
A pair of wire electrodes 101 integrally extending in parallel,
A dummy wire 100 for maintaining a distance is interposed between the dummy wires 102.

In this case, the wire electrodes 101.102 have a two-layer structure in which a core wire 10a made of aluminum or copper wire is covered with an insulating layer 10b, while the dummy wire 100 has a wire electrode 101.102 as shown in (A). Although the same material wire as the wire electrode 102 may be used, it is preferable to use a different insulating material having a higher tensile strength than the wire electrodes 101 and 102, as shown in (B).

Further, the number of the dummy wires 100 is not limited to one, and a plurality of wires may be formed in parallel as shown in (D).
If the diameter is larger than 1.102, the planar bonding shown in FIG. 1 becomes impossible, so the diameter of the dummy wire 100 is preferably formed to be equal to or smaller than the diameter of the wire electrodes 101 and 102.

As shown in (C), the flat cable IO has a three-layer structure in which the wire electrodes 101, 102 and the dummy wire 100 are covered with an adhesive layer 10c so as to surround them.

Note that the adhesive layer 10c is made of a heat-melting adhesive or a solvent-melting adhesive, but is not particularly limited as long as it can be joined by physical addition from the outside.In this case, the wire electrodes 101, 102 insulating layer 10b and dummy wire 1
00 uses a material that is not melted by the heat or solvent.

Next, a method of manufacturing a control grid using the flat cable 10 will be explained based on FIG. 5.

First, as shown in FIG. 5(a), tension generating rods 11 and 12 are arranged on each side of the left, right, top and bottom so as to surround the rectangular surrounding space forming the control grid 3, and first, tension generating rods 11 and 12 are placed facing each other in the χ axis direction. The plurality of flat cables IOA are stretched in parallel between a pair of generating rods 11.

In this case, the cable IOA is arranged in the fifth
By forming a guide groove 111 in the tension generating rod 11 itself as shown in FIG. 12(e), it is also possible to precisely regulate the arrangement of the tension generating rods 11 with respect to the pitch interval.

Next, a large number of flat cables 10B are stretched in parallel between the other generation rods 12 facing each other in the Y-axis direction at the same spacing as above. Other flat cables I that intersect at this time
108 rows of flat cables in the Y-axis direction are connected to the tension generating rod 12 so that a large number of tensions are generated between the OAs.
It is best to extend it so that it passes under the
) After that, heat is applied from above to the flat cables IOA/IOB arranged in a matrix, and by spraying a solvent, the adhesive 10C on the outer layer of the flat cable 10 is melted, and the flat cables IOA/IOB are connected to each other as shown in FIG. 1(b). V between lines
(W) The molten adhesive 10G' collects in the shaped groove lOD (because this adhesive has a high viscosity, it is held in the groove without dripping due to surface tension), and then cools in that state. By solidifying, the intersection portions 15 of the two are joined in a surface-to-surface state. (FIG. 1(b)) Of course, in this state, as shown in FIG. 3, a closed loop is formed by joining the facing electrodes 101a and 102b of the adjacent flat cables 10, and even in this state, it can be used as a control grid. Functions, but the electrode 1
If 01a and 102b are joined to each other, the connection work becomes complicated.

Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, after adhering a tape-shaped conductive piece 110 with a lead wire Ill arranged between the facing electrodes 101a and ]02b, the dummy wire +
By tearing and removing 00, the conductive pieces 110 between adjacent closed loops are cut together with the dummy wire 100, and as a result, electrically disconnected closed loops are formed.

However, in the above structure, the portion where the dummy wire 100 is removed becomes a void 100a, and it appears as if there are multiple toner holes 3.
a, 100a will be formed, and even if it is electrically shut off by energization control, toner may leak from the removed portion and the image may be disturbed. Further, the true toner passage hole 3a is also rectangular, and a circular toner passage hole 3a is preferable. Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks,
Perform the following processing.

First, the control grid IOA/IO is connected in a matrix shape to form a closed loop in the joining tank 16, which is made up of four flat wide-area tanks made of an inert material such as polyethylene or fluororesin.
B is stretched horizontally and then the adhesive 30 is poured from above (Fig. 5(b)). In this case, the adhesive 30 is a two-component epoxy resin, thermosetting or ultraviolet curing. A flexible adhesive is effective, and it is preferable that the adhesive remains flexible even after the reaction. Note that in the figure, the depth of the bonding tank 16 is considerably larger than the thickness of the control grids 10A/10B. In reality, the thickness may be set slightly larger than the thickness of the control grid.

Note that a portion 16A at the bottom of the bonding tank 16 corresponding to the control grid formation area is open, and the opening 16A is normally closed by the movable plate 17.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5(C), a cover 18 is attached to the upper part of the bonding tank 16, and a suction pump 2 is inserted into the bottom opening 16A from which the movable plate 17 is removed, via the adhesive reservoir 21.
2, and when the viscosity of the liquid adhesive 30 layer reaches a predetermined value or higher during curing, the pump 22 sucks the area corresponding to the control grid forming area.

As a result, out of the adhesive 30 that is in the middle of curing due to the suction,
The adhesive in the portion corresponding to the toner passage hole 3a is removed, but at this time, since the adhesive 30 has a high viscosity, the dummy line 100 around the wire and in the narrow area is removed due to surface tension. The adhesive 30 remains in the removed portion, and the adhesive 30 is removed in a circular shape only in the toner passage hole 3a portion, but the other portions are held by surface tension. (FIG. 5(-)) By curing the adhesive after the treatment, the control grid shown in FIG. 5(d) is completed.C7 "Effect" As described above, according to the present invention, tear removal Because we use a flat cable in which a pair of wire electrodes are connected via a possible dummy wire, it is possible to maintain the distance between the wire electrodes that are placed back to back with the adjacent closed loop, improve the bonding strength, and make the tension more uniform. Facilitation of forming a closed loop, etc. can be achieved.

It has various effects such as

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b) are perspective views of main parts showing the bonding state of the flat cable used in the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of main parts showing the bonding state of wire electrodes according to a comparative example, and FIG. The figure shows a control grid completed by the manufacturing process of a control grid formed using the wire electrodes. 4(A), 4(B), 4(C), and 4(D) are cross-sectional views of a flat cable used in the present invention, and FIG. 4(E) is a sectional view of a flat cable showing a comparative example. Figure 5 (a) (b) (c
)(d) and (e) are manufacturing process diagrams for forming a closed loop. FIG. 6 is an operational view showing the terminal processing method of the flat cable. FIGS. 7 and 8 are a schematic configuration diagram showing the basic invention to which the present invention is applied, and an action diagram showing the energization control state thereof.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1) A method for manufacturing a control grid for an image forming apparatus in which wire electrodes are formed by intersecting each other in a matrix, comprising: in the manufacturing process of the control grid, a pair of wires integrally extending in parallel; A method for manufacturing a control grid characterized by using a flat cable formed with one or more dummy wires interposed between electrodes for maintaining distance 2) The diameter of the dummy wires is equal to or smaller than the diameter of the wire electrodes. 3) The method for manufacturing a control grid according to claim 1, wherein the dummy wire is set to have a higher tensile strength than the wire electrode. 4) The dummy wire is formed of an insulated wire. 5) A method for manufacturing a control grid according to claim 1), in which a flat cable having an adhesive layer formed on the surface thereof is used. In a method of manufacturing a control grid for an image forming apparatus, a flat cable is formed in a matrix shape by interposing one or more dummy wires for maintaining a distance between a pair of wire electrodes extending integrally in parallel. A first step of joining, and a second step of joining end sides of opposing wire electrodes of adjacent flat cables in a conductive manner to form a loop-shaped wire electrode. Control grid manufacturing method 7) The method of manufacturing a control grid according to claim 6, comprising the steps of: 7) removing the dummy line at least after the first step.