JPH0476564A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To carry developer uniformly into a container by detecting uniformity of developer in the developing container and carrying the developer corresponding to detected operation. CONSTITUTION:When the device main body is inclined horizontally, deviation generates in the toner 2 contained in the developing container 7, and the toner 2 is made to exist in a position of a detection vehicle 15. In this state, if a transmission gear 18 is rotated, the load of a toner 2 is received by the detection vehicle 15, and speed difference is generated with the transmission gear 18. Thus, a tapered part 19b of a spring clutch 19 is gradually pressed and brought into contact with an outer periphery surface of a pulley shaft 17a. Therefore, the rotational force of the transmission gear 18 is transmitted to a pulley shaft 17a through a spring clutch 19, and rotation of a carrying screw 16 is started. When the screw 16 is rotated, the toner 2 is carried upstream in direction of the inclination. When the toner 2 is continued to be carried, the quantity of the toner 2 existing in the periphery of the detection vehicle 15 is reduced, the speed difference between the detection vehicle 15 and the transmission gear 18 is eliminated, and since the tapered part 19b is made slack again, the rotation of the carrying screw 16 is stopped.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that forms an image by electrostatically adhering a developer to a recording medium.

<Prior art> Various devices have been developed to form images according to image information, and some of these devices use conductive magnetic toner, which is a fine powder developer, to electrostatically transfer the toner to a recording medium. There is an imaging device that forms an image by depositing it.

For example, the method shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. 51-46707 has been proposed. As shown in FIG. 13, the non-magnetic cylinder 5
The conductive magnetic toner 51 on the outer periphery of the non-magnetic cylinder 50 is attached to the outer periphery of the cylinder 50 and conveyed by an alternating magnetic field of a rotating magnet 52 provided coaxially with the non-magnetic cylinder 50.

Then, the toner 51 is passed through recording electrodes 53 densely arranged along the axial direction on the outer peripheral surface of the non-magnetic cylinder 50, and the conductive layer 54b, When the power supply section 5 is in physical contact with the recording medium 54 formed by laminating an insulating layer (or dielectric layer) 54a,
5 to apply voltage. At this time, by applying a voltage depending on the image information between the recording electrode 53 and the conductive layer 54b of the recording medium 54, the insulating layer 54b of the recording medium 54 is
An image is formed by attaching toner 51 to 4a.

Further, as a display device to which the above-mentioned image forming method is applied, as shown in FIG.
On the other hand, the recording electrode 5 is rotated by the rotation of the rotating magnet 52 provided coaxially with the non-magnetic material 150 built in the developer container 57.
The toner 51 is conveyed onto the recording medium 3, and an image is formed by attaching or not attaching the toner 51 depending on the signal voltage from the recording control section 58.

For example, the signal voltage from the recording control section 58 is +40V.
When the voltage is applied, the toner 5 adheres to the recording medium 54, and when the voltage is OvO, the toner does not adhere. By repeating this operation, image formation is performed.

After the image is displayed in the image display area 59, the toner 51 adhering to the recording medium 54 is rubbed by a cleaning member 60 made of conductive carbon fiber, conductive resin, conductive rubber, etc., and the charged charge is removed. The static electricity is removed in the direction of grounding, and the developer falls into the developer container 57 and is conveyed again in preparation for the next recording. Incidentally, the electric charges on the toner 51 are removed by the electric charge removing power source 61 when the toner 51 is rubbed by the cleaning member 60 .

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> However, in the above configuration, the toner 51 is transported by moving the toner 51 on the circumferential surface of the non-magnetic cylinder 50 due to the rotation of the rotating magnet 52.

Therefore, when the apparatus itself is installed horizontally, the toner 51 in the developer container 57 is uniformly distributed over the circumferential surface of the non-magnetic cylinder 50, as shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the main body of the apparatus is installed inclined at an angle θ with respect to the horizontal plane as shown in FIG. 16, the toner 51 moving on the circumferential surface of the non-magnetic cylinder 50 has A resultant force F of the conveyance force M by the rotating magnet 52 and the gravity G acts on the object, and the object moves in the direction of the arrow a.

As a result, the toner 51 in the developer container 57 gathers on the downstream side in the inclined direction (left side in the drawing), and the toner 51 is not supplied onto the circumferential surface of the non-magnetic cylinder 50 on the upstream side in the inclined direction (right side in the drawing), thereby forming an image. could become difficult.

Furthermore, since the toner 51 that has been rubbed and scraped off from the recording medium 54 by the cleaning member 60 is collected into the developer container 57 by free fall due to gravity G, if the main body of the apparatus is tilted, the toner 51 is There is a possibility that the toner 51 falls to the downstream side and is biased, and similarly, the toner 51 is not supplied onto the circumferential surface of the non-magnetic cylinder 50 on the upstream side in the inclined direction, making it difficult to form an image.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that detects the uniformity of the developer in the developer container and uniformly conveys the developer into the developer container even if the main body of the apparatus is installed at an angle. .

<Means for Solving the Problems> A typical means for solving the problems of the prior art described above and applied to the embodiments described below includes recording electrodes and a recording electrode for applying voltage to the developer according to image information. , a recording medium to which the developer is attached to form an image; a developer supply means for supplying the developer in the developer container between the recording electrode and the recording medium; The apparatus sequentially includes a detecting means for detecting the uniformity of the developer, and a conveying means for uniformly conveying the developer into the developer container in accordance with the detection operation of the detecting means.

<Function> According to the above configuration, the detection means can detect the uniformity of the developer in the developer container, and the conveyor can uniformly transport the developer into the developer container in accordance with the detection operation.

<Embodiment> An embodiment of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the developer supply means, FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view thereof, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the developer conveyance means, and FIGS. A-A of the detection means shown in the figure
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of its parts, FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the detection means and conveyance means, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional explanatory diagram showing the schematic structure of the image forming apparatus, and FIG. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the recording electrode, and FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the recording medium.

First, the schematic structure of the image forming apparatus will be explained with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9.

In FIG. 7, reference numeral 1 denotes a recording electrode for applying a voltage to the developer according to image information. This recording electrode 1 is arranged axially on the outer peripheral surface of a non-magnetic cylinder (hereinafter referred to as "sleeve 1") 3 which is a developer supplying means for supplying a conductive magnetic developing side (hereinafter referred to as "toner J") 2. are closely attached along the

A rotating magnet 4 is coaxially attached to the sleeve 3, and the toner 2 is attached to the outer circumferential surface of the sleeve 3 by an alternating magnetic field generated by the rotating magnet 4 rotating in the direction of the arrow. It is conveyed in the direction of arrow C.

The sleeve 3 and rotating magnet 4 are housed in a developer container 7.

In the vicinity of the recording electrode 1, an endless heddle-shaped recording sheet 5, which is a recording medium on which toner 2 is attached to form an image, is arranged with a portion of the recording sheet 5 close to it. The recording sheet 5 is passed between a driving roller 6a and a driven roller 6b, which are arranged in a pair above and below, and serve as a conveying means.

The drive roller 6a is rotationally driven by a drive motor (not shown), and conveys the recording sheet 5 in the direction of arrow d in the figure.

Reference numeral 8 denotes a recording control unit that applies a voltage corresponding to image information between the recording electrode 1 and the conductive layer 5C of the recording sheet 5. By applying a voltage from the recording control unit 8, the recording sheet 5 The toner 2 is attached to the surface layer 5a of the toner 2. Further, reference numeral 9 is an image display section for displaying the image formed on the recording sheet 5 to the outside.

Reference numeral 10 denotes a cleaning member for rubbing and scraping off the toner 2 after the image is displayed, and is attached to a mounting member 11a provided on the frame 11 of the main body of the apparatus. This cleaning member IO is composed of a cleaning member main body 10a and a soft and conductive brush 10b.
The toner 2 adhering to the recording sheet 5 is scraped off onto the sleeve 3 by rubbing the recording sheet 5 with the roller 0b at an appropriate angle and distance. Further, as the cleaning member 10, materials such as carbon fiber, flexible plastics (polyethylene, polypropylene) which have conductivity due to composites, urethane rubber, or silicone are used. A charge eliminating charge 1f112 is connected to the cleaning member 10, and is configured to eliminate charge from the toner band 2 in the direction toward the ground.

13 is a non-magnetic member for supporting the recording sheet 5 disposed opposite to the cleaning member 10;
is a magnet for collecting the toner 2 on the rubbing portion of the cleaning member 10.

As shown in FIG. 8, the recording electrode 1 is connected to a drive element 1b provided on the substrate 1a, and the convex portion 3a
A recording portion 1c of the recording electrode 1 that contributes to recording is arranged. Further, a plurality of holes 1d are bored in the substrate 1a along the axial direction of the non-magnetic cylinder 3. These holes 1d are configured so that the toner 2 conveyed on the outer periphery of the non-magnetic cylinder 3 passes in the direction of arrow C and reaches the recording section IC. Further, the substrate 1a is a flexible printed circuit board, and the drive element 1b
For example, a VFD driver (Oki Electric MS
G1163) is used.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the recording sheet 5 includes a surface layer 5a made of a transparent material mainly composed of butyral resin or urethane resin, a colored inorganic substance, and a binder (acrylic resin, plastic resin). A conductive layer 5c made of vapor-deposited aluminum or ITO (indium and tin oxide) to provide conductivity, and a base material 5d made of a plastic resin such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, or polypropylene are polymerized. It is made up of:

The surface layer 5a and the colored layer 5b are electrically insulated, and the colored layer 5b is made of titanium oxide (T i Ox ) to produce white as the base color of the screen.

An inorganic material such as aluminum oxide (A40s) is used.

Further, in the developer container 7, there is a detection wheel 15 which is a detection means for detecting the uniformity of the toner 2 in the container, and the toner 2 is uniformly distributed in the developer container 7 according to the operation of the detection wheel 15. Conveying screw 1 which is a conveying means for conveying to
6 is built-in.

Next, the configuration of the detection wheel 15 and the conveyance screw 16 built into the developer container 7 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

The detection wheel 15 is a separate wheel having blades 15a protruding from its circumferential surface as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, and is a belt pulley rotatably attached to both longitudinal ends of the outside of the developer container 7. It is coaxially attached to the pulley shaft 17a of No. 17. This pulley shaft 17a has a transmission gear 1.
8 are coaxially attached to each other. Above transmission gear 1
A part 19a of the spring clutch 19 is press-fitted into the end of the spring clutch 8. A tapered portion 19b is formed in the other portion of the spring clutch 19, and a portion of the tapered portion 19b is wound around the pulley shaft 17a. As shown in FIG.
It is attached movably in the vertical direction with respect to 7a.

The transmission gears 18 are each meshed with a transmission gear 20 that rotates by being transmitted with a driving force by the same driving source as the rotating magnet 4.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, there are belt pulleys 2 at both ends of the rotating shaft 16a of the conveying screw 16.
1 are installed coaxially, and the above-mentioned helt pulley
A heald 22 is provided between the belt pulley 21 and the belt pulley 21, respectively. Furthermore, spring clutches 23 for preventing reverse rotation are provided near both ends of the rotating shaft 16a of the conveying screw 16, respectively.

To explain the image forming operation of the image forming apparatus configured as described above, the toner 2 attached to the outer periphery of the sleeve 3 and conveyed by the rotating magnet 4 is conveyed onto the recording electrode l. At this time, by applying a voltage to the recording electrode 1 according to the image information, the toner 2 can be attached to the recording sheet 5 to form an image. Furthermore, recording electrode 1
The toner 2 that did not contribute to image formation is transferred to the sleeve 3.
It will not fall from the recording electrode 1 and affect the image formed on the recording sheet 5.

The image formed on the recording sheet 5 is transferred to the drive roller 6
By the rotation b, the recording sheet 5 is conveyed in the direction of the arrow d in FIG. 6, and when it passes through the image display section 9, it is displayed on the outside. The recording sheet 5 that has passed through the image display section 9 is stripped of the adhering toner 2 by the cleaning member 10, and the toner 2 falls onto the sleeve 3 and is conveyed again for the next recording. Prepare for.

Next, the operation of the detection wheel 15 and the conveyance screw 16 will be explained. When the main body of the apparatus is installed horizontally, the toner 2 is distributed uniformly within the developer container 7, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The toner 2 is distributed at the position of the detection wheel 15.
does not exist.

At this time, driving force is transmitted to the transmission gear 18 via the transmission gear 20 from the same driving source as the rotating magnet 4 .

However, since the spring clutch 19 connected to a part of the transmission gear 18 rotates in the loosening direction as shown in FIG. 4(a), the tapered part 19b almost comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the pulley shaft 17a Therefore, the driving force is not transmitted to the pulley shaft 17a, and the conveying screw 16 does not rotate.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6, when the main body of the apparatus is tilted at an angle θ with respect to the horizontal plane, the toner 2 stored in the developer container 7 is biased so that the toner 2 is present at the position of the detection wheel 15. Become.

When the transmission gear 18 rotates in this state, the detection wheel 15 receives the load of the toner 2, and a speed difference occurs between the detection wheel 15 and the transmission gear 18. As a result, the tapered portion 19b of the spring clutch 19 is gradually narrowed down and comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the pulley shirt H7a, as shown in FIG. 4 Φ). Therefore, the rotational force of the transmission gear 18 is transmitted to the booley shaft 7a via the spring clutch 19, and the rotational force of the transmission gear 18 is transmitted to the booley shaft 7a.
starts rotating.

When the conveyance screw 16 rotates, the toner 2 is conveyed to the upstream side in the inclined direction, as shown in FIG. As a result, the toner 2 can be supplied to the portions of the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve 3 that the toner 2 does not come into contact with, thereby making it possible to perform an image forming operation.

Further, as the toner 2 continues to be conveyed, the amount of toner 2 existing around the detection wheel 15 decreases, the speed difference between the detection wheel 15 and the transmission gear 1B disappears, and the taper part 19 of the spring clutch 19. Since b becomes loose again, the rotation of the conveying screw 16 stops.

In addition, since the above configuration is provided on both the left and right sides of the device,
The conveyance screw 16 operates effectively even when the main body of the apparatus is tilted in any direction.

<Other Embodiments> Next, other embodiments of the detection means for detecting the uniformity of the toner 2 in the developer container 7 in the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 13.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
4a, 24b and 24c, 24d, respectively.

Further, the conveying screw 16 is driven by a drive motor 25 to drive the electrodes 24a, 24b or the electrodes 24c, 24d.
The drive motor 25 is rotated by operating the drive motor 25 in response to a detection signal from the drive motor 25.

For example, as shown in FIG. 11, when the main body of the apparatus is tilted and toner 2 is present on the electrodes 24a and 24b, these become electrically conductive and a voltage is generated at the terminal S. Using this voltage as an input signal, the drive circuit shown in FIG. 12 operates the drive motor 25, rotates the conveyance screw 16, and conveys the toner 2 to the upstream side in the inclined direction. The drive circuit is a circuit for rotating the drive motor 25 in forward and reverse directions, and by applying an input signal to the input terminal P or input terminal P2, the direction of the current flowing through the drive motor 25 is changed to change the direction of rotation. It is something that can be switched.

According to the above configuration, the number of parts is reduced compared to the above embodiment, so that assembly can be simplified.

<Effects of the Invention> As described above, the present invention detects the uniformity of the developer in the developer container by the detection means, and uniformly transports the developer into the developer container by the transport means in accordance with the detection operation. I can do it.

Therefore, even if the apparatus main body is installed in an inclined state, stable image forming operation can be maintained.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the developer supply means, FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view thereof, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the developer conveyance means, and FIGS. A-A of the detection means shown in the figure
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of its parts, FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the detection means and conveyance means, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional explanatory diagram showing the schematic structure of the image forming apparatus, and FIG. FIG. 9 is a perspective explanatory view of the recording electrode; FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional explanatory view of the recording medium; FIG.
12 are explanatory diagrams of the other side, and FIGS. 13 to 17 are explanatory diagrams of the conventional example. 1 is a recording electrode, 2 is a toner, 3 is a nonmagnetic cylinder, 4 is a rotating magnet, 5 is a recording sheet, 5a is a surface layer, 5b is a colored layer,
5c is a conductive layer, 5d is a base material, 6a is a driving roller, 6b
1 is a driven roller, 7 is a developer container, 8 is a recording control unit, 9 is an image display unit, 10 is a cleaning member, 11 is a main frame, lla is a mounting member, 12 is a power source for static elimination, 13 is a non-magnetic member, 14 is a Magnet, 15 is a detection wheel, 15a is a blade, 1
6 is a conveyor screw 16a is a rotating shaft, 17 and 21 are helt pulleys, 17a is a pulley shaft, 18.20 is a transmission gear, 19.23 is a spring clutch, 22 is a belt,
24a, 24b, 24c24d are electrodes,
25 is a drive motor.

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A recording electrode for applying a voltage to a developer according to image information, a recording medium to which the developer is attached to form an image, and a developer container between the recording electrode and the recording medium. a developer supply means for supplying the developer in the developer container; a detection means for detecting the uniformity of the developer in the developer container; An image forming apparatus comprising: a conveying means for uniformly conveying the image. (2) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording medium has a surface transparent resin layer, a colored inorganic substance, and a conductive layer in this order. (3) The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image formed on the recording medium is a display device that is used by displaying the image on a display section.