JPH04367873A - Image recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To remove the foreign matter of a fiber, etc., incorporated in toner and to prevent the degradation of an image by allowing nonimage toner recovered from a recording member to pass a vibrating sieve. CONSTITUTION:The nonimage toner 23b is attracted to an endless belt 3 by the magnetic force of a magnetic field generating means 11 and a nonimage toner removing means 21, carried, and then, scratched by a scraper 8 to be recovered into a hopper 6. At taxis time, the foreign matter of the fabric, etc., incorporated in the toner is caught and removed by a mesh member 25 having the application of a vibration by an eccentric shaft, etc.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention uses conductive toner to
The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus that forms a toner image on a recording member.

0002

[Prior Art] Conventionally, a cylindrical recording member and a recording electrode consisting of a plurality of recording electrode needles are arranged at a minute distance from each other on the member, and an area (recording area) constituted by the recording member and the tip of the recording electrode. By supplying conductive magnetic toner to the magnetic field generator, aligning the toner between the recording electrode needle and the recording member to form a conductive path, and applying a recording signal to the recording electrode needle according to the image signal, the toner is 2. Description of the Related Art In an image recording apparatus that forms a visible image, an apparatus is known that collects toner other than images on a recording member and uses it again for recording. Such an image recording apparatus is described in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-3462.

[0003] Furthermore, in an image forming apparatus in which a voltage is applied between a recording electrode of a developer carrier and a recording medium to cause magnetic developer to adhere to the recording medium, one end of a foreign matter removing member may be provided in contact with the developer carrier. JP-A-1-193886 discloses a device in which foreign matter can be removed by the developer passing through a foreign matter removing member when the developer moves on a developer carrier.

0004

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the above-mentioned prior art, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-3462, when collecting toner other than the image on the recording member, the conveyance path becomes long and fibers such as paper etc. are generated in the apparatus. Contamination with fibers is unavoidable, and when these fibers become caught between the recording electrode needle and the recording member, the image will come out in the form of white streaks, but there is no description of any countermeasures. Furthermore, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 1-193886, by providing one end of the foreign matter removing member in contact with the developer carrier, the developer passes through the foreign matter removing member when the developer moves on the developer carrier. However, there is no description of countermeasures against clogging caused by foreign matter accumulation in the foreign matter removing member.

An object of the present invention is to provide an image recording apparatus that can remove foreign substances such as fibers mixed into toner and prevent image deterioration.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has a recording electrode in which a plurality of electrode needles are arranged perpendicularly to the direction of movement of a recording member, and a minute gap between the recording electrode and the recording member. a hopper that deposits conductive magnetic toner on the upstream side of the recording electrode in the moving direction;
A magnetic field generating means for supplying a magnetic field to the minute gap, a means for removing and conveying toner other than an image formed on the recording member, and an opening larger than the toner removably provided in the conveyance path. A mesh member and a vibrating member that applies mechanical vibration to the mesh member are provided.

[0007]

[Operation] The toner transport force generated by the movement of the recording member and the magnetic attraction force generated by the magnetic field generating means stably supply toner to the gap between the recording electrode tip and the recording member. The toner supplied to the gap between the tip of the recording electrode and the recording member is selectively injected with charge by applying a recording voltage according to the image signal to the recording electrode needle, and adheres to the recording member due to electrostatic force. The resulting toner becomes an image forming toner. When the non-image toner to which no charge is injected passes through the gap due to the toner conveying force and magnetic attraction force, it is removed from the recording member by the toner removing means. The non-image toner removed from the recording member is transported by the toner transport means and sent to the mesh member. The toner sent onto the mesh member is re-supplied into the hopper after foreign substances such as fibers are removed by the mesh. Since the mesh member is vibrated by the vibrating member, toner clogging and clumps do not occur. Furthermore, since the mesh member is removably provided, it is easy to replace or remove foreign matter, and it is possible to prevent clogging due to accumulation of foreign matter such as fibers.

[0008]

[Embodiment] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view of an image recording apparatus according to the present invention.

The configuration of the embodiment will be explained below. A toner cartridge 27 is loaded in the image forming unit cover 28, and conductive magnetic toner (hereinafter referred to as toner) 23 supplied from inside the toner cartridge 27 is deposited and stored in the hopper 6. is in contact with the recording member 1.

A groove portion into which one end of the mesh member 25 is inserted is provided at one end of the toner cartridge 27 holder portion of the image forming unit cover 28 .

The sleeve 13 is made of a hollow non-magnetic material and is rotatably supported within the hopper 6, and is rotated in the direction of arrow c in the figure by a drive mechanism (not shown).

The magnetic field generating means 12 is a permanent magnet fixed to the main body of the recording apparatus within the sleeve 13, and is, for example, a ferrite magnet YBM- manufactured by Hitachi Metals, Ltd. with a saturation magnetic flux density of approximately 0.4 T (4,000 Gauss). It is 2BD.

The recording electrode 5 includes an electrode substrate 5a made of a non-magnetic insulator, recording electrode needles 5e made of a conductor arranged in a row in a direction out of the plane of the figure on the electrode substrate 5a, and an electrode substrate 5a. An integrated circuit 5d disposed above that applies a recording voltage to the recording electrode needle 5e according to the image signal, a protective member 5c made of an insulating non-magnetic material that protects the integrated circuit 5d, and a thermoelectric component fixed to the electrode substrate 5a. The heat sink 5b is made of a non-magnetic material with good properties.

The drum-shaped recording member 1 has a base, for example,
A non-magnetic conductor 1a made of an aluminum alloy or the like, the surface of which is formed of an insulator 1b made of, for example, an anodic film of aluminum or a coating film of a thermosetting resin, and a recording electrode needle 5c.
It is installed with a gap of approximately 20 to 300 μm.

The recording member 1 is rotated by a drive mechanism (not shown) in the direction of arrow b shown in the figure, which is perpendicular to the column direction of the recording electrode needles 5e.

The toner removing and conveying means includes an endless belt 3, a rotating blade 7, a second magnetic field generating means 11, and a driving roller 1.
8, a tensioner 19, a belt guide 20, a non-image toner removing magnet 21, and a toner conveying magnet 24.

The endless belt 3 is located downstream of the recording electrode 5 in the recording direction and close to the recording electrode 5, and is run by a belt guide 20 made of a non-magnetic material and fixed to the drive roller 18 and the main body of the apparatus. It is supported by a tensioner 19 so that it does not sag, and is tensioned by a tensioner 19 so that it travels in the direction of the arrow a shown in the figure by a drive roller 18 that is rotated by a drive mechanism (not shown).

The second magnetic field generating means 11 includes an endless belt 3
For example, the above-mentioned ferrite magnet YB manufactured by Hitachi Metals, Ltd.
This is an M-2BD, which supplies magnetic flux to the recording electrode needle 5e and the hopper 6, and is arranged with the same magnetic pole facing the magnetic field generating means 12. A magnetic body 22 provided on the opposite side of the recording electrode of the second magnetic field generating means 11 extends from the tip of the recording electrode 5 to the recording member 1.
The magnetic field generating means 11 protrudes in the direction toward. The second magnetic field generating means 11 applies a magnetic field to the tip of the recording electrode 5, and also has the function of removing non-image toner.

[0020] The second magnetic field generating means 11 is located on the downstream side in the recording direction, is close to the recording member 1, is fixed to the recording apparatus main body within the endless belt 3, and has a plurality of magnetic poles in the rotating direction of the recording member 1. A non-image detoning magnet 21 is arranged. The non-image toner removal magnet 21 is a permanent magnet, for example, the ferrite magnet YBM-2BD manufactured by Hitachi Metals, Ltd., which has a plurality of magnetic poles on the side facing the recording member 1 and is capable of applying a magnetic field onto the recording member 1. supply

The toner conveying magnet 24 is fixed on the belt guide 20 along the inner circumference of the endless belt 3 from the downstream side in the recording direction of the non-image toner removing magnet 21 to the vicinity of the drive roller 18. The toner conveying magnet 24 has a plurality of magnetic poles perpendicular to the running direction of the endless belt 3, and supplies magnetic flux onto the endless belt 3.

The scraper 8 has one side in contact with the endless belt 3, and the other side fixed near the top of the recording electrode 5 by means not shown, and has a groove into which the mesh member 25 is inserted. A vibrating member 26 made of an eccentric shaft is provided at the center of the scraper 8 on the side opposite to the toner conveyance side.

The rotating blade 7 is rotated in the direction of arrow e by a drive mechanism (not shown).

The mesh member 25 is shown in FIG. A mesh 25a having a mesh size larger than that of the toner is stretched and attached to a base material having a rail-like member that slides into a groove provided in the image forming section cover 28 and the scraper 8.

On the outer periphery of the recording member 1, there are a transfer roller 4 that presses the recording paper 2 against the recording member 1, and a cleaning blade 15 made of a flexible member that contacts the recording member 1 on one side.
A support body 14 that supports the cleaning blade 15 is provided.

The transfer roller 4 is a metal roller 4a whose surface is coated with a plastic coating 4b.

A blade 16 is installed inside the discharge toner receiver 17 and is rotated by a drive mechanism (not shown).

A charge eliminating blade 9 is disposed on the downstream side of the cleaning blade 15 in the recording direction, with one side in contact with the recording member 1. The static eliminating blade support 10 is arranged such that the static eliminating blade 9 always contacts the recording member 1 on one side with a constant pressure in the direction in which the recording electrode needles 5e are arranged.

Toner 23 deposited in toner hopper 6
is attracted onto the sleeve 13 by the magnetic field generating means 12. The sucked toner 23 is conveyed to the tip of the recording electrode by the sleeve 13 rotating in the direction of arrow c in the figure, and is deposited on the recording member 1. Therefore, the toner 23 in the hopper 6
Regardless of the amount of toner 23, there is always a sufficient amount of toner 23 on the recording electrode 5.
Since the toner 233 can be supplied to the tip of the toner 233 in the hopper 6 due to toner consumption, there is no effect of changes in the amount of toner 233 deposited in the hopper 6 due to toner consumption or variations in the amount of toner deposited in the hopper 6 in the arrangement direction of the recording electrode needles 5b. The amount of toner 23 supplied to the tip of the electrode 5 is stable and high image quality can be obtained. and,
The toner conveying force generated by the rotation of the recording member 1 and the magnetic attraction force generated by the second magnetic field generating means 11 are applied to the toner 23 from the gap between the recording electrode 5 and the recording member 1.
to stably flow out in the recording direction.

At this time, the driving integrated circuit 5d applies a recording voltage according to the image signal to the plurality of recording electrode needles 5e, selectively charges the toner 23 existing in the gap, and charges are injected. Electrostatic attraction is generated in the charged toner, which adheres to the recording member 1 and becomes image forming toner 23a.

When the non-image toner to which no charge is injected passes through the gap by two forces, the toner transport force and the magnetic attraction force, the magnetic attraction force that overcomes the gravitational field from the second magnetic field generating means 11 causes the non-image toner to move in the direction of the arrow g. It flies toward the second magnetic field generating means 11 as shown in FIG. Second magnetic field generating means 11
The non-image toner remaining on the recording member 1 after overcoming the magnetic attraction from The non-image toner is completely removed from the recording member 1 by minute vibrations caused by the magnetic field, and the non-image toner is removed by the non-image toner removing magnet 2.
Fly towards 1.

The flying non-image toner 23b is attracted onto the endless belt 3 by the magnetic force of the second magnetic field generating means 11 and the magnetic force of the non-image toner removing magnet 21, and as the endless belt 3 runs, it moves in the direction of arrow a. It is conveyed in the direction of , moved onto the scraper 8 by the scraper 8 , and collected into the hopper 6 . The toner transport magnet 24 carries the non-image toner 23
b is held on the endless belt 3 by magnetic force, and the non-image toner 23 is
prevent from falling. The rotary blade 7 rotates in the direction of arrow e, and urges the non-image toner 23b to be conveyed onto the vibrating scraper 8 by the rotation of the vibrating member 26 in the h direction. The toner on the scraper 8 is sent to the mesh member 25 by gravity and vibration of the scraper 8. Since the mesh member 25 is vibrated, the toner passes through the mesh without stagnation, but foreign matter such as fibers larger than the mesh that are mixed in during toner transport are caught on the mesh. As shown in FIG. 3, the mesh member 25 is removable from the outside through the opening 28a of the image forming unit cover 28, so that it can be easily replaced or foreign matter on the mesh member 25 can be removed. A large amount of foreign matter will not be trapped on the member 25 and the mesh will not become clogged.

The charged toner 23a forming the image is transferred onto the recording paper 2 by the pressing force of the transfer roller 4 to form an image.

The non-transferred toner 23c remaining on the recording member 1 without being transferred is removed from the recording member 1 by the cleaning blade 15, falls to the end of the discharged toner receiver 17 due to gravity, and is further removed by the screw 16. Due to the rotation of the toner, the toner is deposited inside the discharged toner receiver 17.

The charge eliminating blade 9, which is disposed on the downstream side of the cleaning blade 15 in the recording direction with one side in contact with the recording member 1, receives charges from the charged toner 23a forming the image, and the charged toner 23a forming the image is transferred. After that, the residual potential is removed from the dielectric layer 1a of the recording member 1, which still has a residual potential, and the image toner 23a is removed from the static elimination blade support 10. It is placed so that it is in contact with the

[0036]

According to the present invention, foreign matter such as fibers can be removed by sending the non-image toner removed and collected from the recording member onto the mesh member which is being vibrated. Image omission can be prevented. Further, since the mesh member can be easily attached and removed, it is easy to replace the mesh member or remove foreign matter, and it is possible to prevent clogging of the mesh member due to accumulation of foreign matter.

[0037] The above-mentioned vibration excitation member is not limited to one using an eccentric shaft, and an excitation source such as a piezoelectric element may also be used.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the mesh member shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of the side surface of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Recording member, 2... Recording paper, 3... Endless belt, 4... Transfer roller, 5... Recording electrode, hopper, 9... Static elimination blade, 1
1... Magnetic field generating means, 12... Second magnetic field generating means, 22...
magnetic material, 23... conductive magnetic toner, 25... mesh member,
26... Vibration member.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A recording electrode in which a plurality of recording electrode needles are arranged in a row, a recording member that moves with a minute gap between the recording electrode and the recording electrode, and an upstream side of the recording electrode in a direction in which the recording member moves. a hopper for depositing conductive magnetic toner on one side; a magnetic field generating means for generating a static magnetic field provided in the arrangement direction of the recording electrodes; and a means for removing and transporting non-image toner on the recording member; An image recording apparatus comprising: a mesh member having an opening larger than the toner, which is provided in a path for conveying non-image toner; and a vibrating member that applies vibration to the mesh member. 2. A recording electrode in which a plurality of recording electrode needles are arranged in a row, a recording member that moves with a minute gap between the recording electrode and the recording electrode, and an upstream side of the recording electrode in a moving direction of the recording member. a hopper for depositing conductive magnetic toner on one side; a magnetic field generating means for generating a static magnetic field provided in the arrangement direction of the recording electrodes; and a means for removing and transporting non-image toner on the recording member; An image characterized in that a removably provided mesh member having an opening larger than the toner and provided in a path for conveying non-image toner, and an excitation member that applies vibration to the mesh member are provided. Recording device.