JPH04292957A - Image recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To perform high-quality recording by a method wherein in a recorder provided with a means for modulating/controlling the flow of an electrified toner passing through open parts, a masking member preventing a toner not relating to the modulation/control by an aperture electrode from being supplied to the aperture electrode is provided. CONSTITUTION:A recording means 1 of an electrostatic recorder comprises a rotatable brush roller 3 and an aperture electrode 21 serving as a toner flow modulation means. The aperture electrode 21 consists of a large number of open parts 22, an insulating layer 23, a reference electrode layer 24, and a large number of control electrode layers 25. A mask 8 is put in between the brush roller 3 and the aperture electrode 21. This mask 8 is provided with holes, for example, of a slit form positionally corresponding to the vicinity of the open parts 22 of the aperture electrodes 21 so as to prevent a toner T from being supplied to the aperture electrode 21 at parts other than the holes. In this manner, the toner is prevented from accumulating on a small- amplitude part, such as the vibration node of the aperture electrode 21, and high-quality image recording is realized.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus having an opening and means for modulating and controlling the flow of charged toner passing through the opening. It relates to a recording device.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this type of image recording apparatus is composed of a toner supply source, an aperture electrode having an opening, and a counter electrode. Charged toner is supplied from a toner supply near an aperture electrode that modulates the flow of toner through the opening. The modulated toner is then attracted toward the counter electrode and adheres to the support conveyed to the counter electrode, thereby forming an image. This recording device is disclosed, for example, in the specification and drawings of US Pat. No. 3,689,935.

However, this image recording apparatus has a fatal problem in that the opening of the aperture electrode becomes clogged with toner. Therefore, the applicant has filed a patent application for
- In the specification and drawings attached to the application of No. 196781, the aperture electrode is equipped with an excitation means to vibrate the aperture electrode and shake off the toner clogged in the opening, thereby dramatically improving recording stability. suggested something.

0004

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in such conventional devices, since toner that is not involved in modulation control by the aperture electrode is also supplied to the aperture electrode, the amplitude of the vibration nodes of the aperture electrode, etc. In small areas, some of the toner is deposited on the aperture electrode without being sieved off. This deposition shifts the natural frequency of the aperture electrode, absorbs the power of vibration, and reduces its amplitude as a whole. Then, the area to which the toner adheres becomes larger. Further, the toner deposition and the decrease in the amplitude of the aperture electrode were repeated until the toner was deposited all over the aperture electrode, and the opening of the aperture electrode was clogged with toner.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is possible to stably vibrate the aperture electrode, completely prevent toner from adhering to the aperture electrode, and thereby be inexpensive. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a high-quality image recording device that does not become unable to record.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] To achieve this object, the image recording device of the present invention includes an aperture electrode that modulates and controls the flow of toner passing through the aperture, and an aperture electrode that modulates and controls the flow of toner passing through the aperture. Excitation means provided;
a toner supply means for supplying charged toner to the opening of the aperture electrode;
and a counter electrode disposed on the opposite side of the toner supply means, and is characterized by providing a mask member that prevents toner not involved in modulation control by the aperture electrode from being supplied to the aperture electrode.

[0007]

[Operation] According to the image recording apparatus of the present invention having the above-mentioned structure, by providing the mask member, toner not involved in modulation control is not supplied to the aperture electrode. Therefore, toner is prevented from being deposited on portions where the amplitude is small, such as vibration nodes of the aperture electrode. As a result, the aperture electrode oscillates stably without any shift in the natural frequency of the oscillation of the aperture electrode or attenuation of the amplitude due to power attenuation.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention in an electrostatic recording apparatus will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the electrostatic recording apparatus of this embodiment.

[0010] An insertion opening 17 is provided on the side of the device exterior 19;
A take-out port 18 is provided. A recording means 1 and a fixing means 2 are provided inside the apparatus.

Inside the recording means 1, there are a rotatable brush roller 3 and an aperture electrode 2 which is a toner flow modulating means.
1 is provided. A scraping member 5 and a supply roller 4 are sequentially provided upstream of the brush roller 3 in the rotational direction. A layer thickness regulating member 6 is provided in contact with the supply roller 4 . The supply roller 4 is covered with a toner case 7,
Toner T is stored inside this toner case 7.

The aperture electrode 21 is arranged above the brush roller 3. As shown in FIG. 2, the aperture electrode 21 includes a large number of openings 22, an insulating layer 23, a reference electrode layer 24, and a large number of control electrode layers 25. The openings 22 are opened to the aperture electrode 21 and arranged in a line. In addition, the reference electrode layer 24
is provided on the entire surface of the insulating layer 23 on the brush roller 3 side. Further, each control electrode layer 25 is arranged around the opening 22 on the upper surface of the insulating layer 23 . The reference electrode layer 24 is connected to ground, and each control electrode layer 25 is connected to the image signal voltage applying means S. Further, the brush roller 3 is connected to ground.

A mask 8 is provided between the brush roller 3 and the aperture electrode 21. This mask 8 is configured such that, for example, a slit-shaped hole is provided at a position corresponding to the vicinity of the opening 22 of the aperture electrode 21, and the toner T is not supplied to the aperture electrode 21 in other parts. ing.

Furthermore, a piezoelectric element 9 as an excitation means is provided at the end of the aperture electrode 21. This piezoelectric element 9 is excited by an oscillating voltage applied from an oscillator 10, and is configured so that the aperture electrode 21 vibrates.

A counter electrode 12 is provided above the aperture electrode 21 . The counter electrode 12 is connected to a power source E, and a voltage having a polarity opposite to that of the toner that has passed through the aperture electrode 21 is applied (in this embodiment, it is negative (-)).

On the other hand, the support P is inserted through the insertion port 17 and guided by a guide 15 and a pair of guide rollers 16.
It is configured to be attracted and held by the counter electrode 12. Then, the toner T is adsorbed onto the support P at this location. Further, after the support P passes through the recording section 1, the support P passes through the counter electrode 2.
It is peeled off from the holder, sent to the fixing means 3, and sent to the take-out port 18.
configured to be retrieved from.

The fixing means 3 is composed of a heat roller 13 and a press roller 14. These rollers are arranged to face each other and configured so that the support P can pass between them.

Next, the operation of the image recording apparatus of this embodiment will be explained.

In the recording means 1, the toner T is carried on the supply roller 4, and a uniform toner layer is formed by the layer thickness regulating member 14. Then, a uniform amount of toner T is
It is supplied to the brush roller 3. At this time, the toner T contacts and rubs against the supply roller 4 and the brush roller 3, and is charged, for example, positively (+). The positively (+) charged toner T is carried by the brush roller 3.

[0020] Then, near the aperture electrode 21,
The brush roller 3 is scratched by the scraping member 5. When the brush returns to its original position due to its elasticity, an appropriate amount of toner T carried by the brush jumps up. As a result,
The toner T becomes cloud-like and reaches the aperture electrode 21.
supplied to

At this time, the toner T is supplied to the aperture electrode 21 only near the opening 22 by the mask 8, and the toner T is not supplied to other parts of the aperture electrode 21.

The supplied cloud of toner T is then modulated by the aperture electrode 21. That is,
When a negative (-) voltage is applied from the image signal voltage applying means S to the control electrode layer 25, an electric field is generated inside the opening 22 from the reference electrode layer 24 toward the control electrode layer 25. Then, the positively (+) charged toner T
passes through the opening 22.

Furthermore, when no voltage is applied from the image signal voltage applying means S, inside the opening 22,
No electric field is generated. Therefore, the toner T does not pass through the opening 22. The toner T that does not pass through the opening 22 tries to adhere to the aperture electrode 21 due to image force;
Since the aperture electrode 21 is vibrating due to the excitation by the piezoelectric element 9, even if the toner T adheres to the aperture electrode 21, it is sieved off.

On the other hand, the support P inserted from the insertion port 17
is attracted to the opposing electrode 12 via a guide 15 and a pair of guide rollers 16 . The support P is then conveyed to the upper part of the recording section 1. At this location, the positively (+) charged toner modulated by the aperture electrode 21 flies and is adsorbed onto the support by an electric field formed between the aperture electrode 21 and the counter electrode 12 by the power source E.

The support P with the toner T attached thereto is separated from the counter electrode 12 and conveyed to the fixing means 2. The toner T on the support P is then thermally fixed. Since this heat fixing method is already a known technique, detailed explanation will be omitted.

The support P that has passed through the fixing means 2 is conveyed to the take-out port 18 via the guide 15, and then taken out.

As explained above, the aperture electrode 21
Since the mask 8 is provided between the aperture electrode 21 and the brush roller 3 to cover areas other than the vicinity of the opening 22 of the aperture electrode 21, toner not involved in modulation control is not supplied to the aperture electrode 21. Therefore, toner is not deposited on portions of the aperture electrode 21 where the amplitude is small, such as nodes of vibration. As a result, the aperture electrode 21
The aperture electrode 2 has no amplitude attenuation caused by a shift in the natural frequency of the vibration or attenuation of the power.
1 is stably excited, and adhesion of toner to the aperture electrode 21 is completely prevented. In addition, an inexpensive and high-quality image recording apparatus that does not become unable to record only with the excitation means is provided.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit thereof.

[0029]

Effect of the Invention As is clear from the above explanation, according to the present invention, by stably vibrating the aperture electrode, toner adhesion to the aperture electrode is completely prevented, and it is inexpensive and impossible to record. To provide a high-quality image recording device that does not suffer from the following problems.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an image recording apparatus embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an aperture electrode mounted on the image recording device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Recording means 2 Fixing means 3 Brush roller 8 Mask 9 Piezoelectric element 10 Oscillator 12 Counter electrode 21 Aperture electrode

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An aperture electrode having an opening and modulating and controlling the flow of toner passing through the opening; excitation means provided on the aperture electrode; and supplying charged toner to the opening of the aperture electrode. In an image recording apparatus comprising a toner supplying means for controlling the toner, and a counter electrode disposed on the opposite side of the toner supplying means, facing the aperture electrode, the toner is not involved in the modulation control by the aperture electrode. An image recording device characterized by being provided with a mask member that blocks supply to an aperture electrode.