JPH05107723A - Image formation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain the image formation device which provides excellent image formation. CONSTITUTION:Microcapsule toner 1 is applied on a base 44 and exposed corresponding to image information to form a chemical latent image, and the base 44 coated with the microcapsule toner 1 and image receiving paper 52 are put one over the other and pressed. At this time, the surface roughness of the base 44 is larger than that of the image receiving paper 52, so set microcapsule toner and capsule walls 32 of the microcapsule toner of which the core material flows out are all left on the base 44 because of anchoring effect and only the core material is copied to the image receiving paper 52. Consequently, an excellent image is formed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus,
More specifically, it relates to an image forming apparatus using photosensitive microcapsules.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a photosensitive medium coated with microcapsules containing a dye precursor and a photocurable substance is exposed on the basis of image information, and the microcapsules are cured to form a chemical latent image on the photosensitive medium. Is formed, and then the image receiving paper on which a color developing agent that reacts with the dye precursor to develop a color is pre-coated, and the photosensitive medium is superposed and pressed to develop a chemical latent image by pressure, thereby receiving an image. An image forming apparatus of the type that fixes an image on paper has been proposed. As another example of the image forming apparatus using the photosensitive medium, the present applicants superimpose the photosensitive medium on which the chemical latent image is formed and the image receiving paper, which is plain paper, with the developer layer in the middle. We have proposed a device that pressurizes and forms an image on plain paper. Further, an image forming apparatus using a photosensitive medium carrying microcapsules containing a colored dye instead of the dye precursor is disclosed in JP-A-62-232652.

In order to save the cost of the photosensitive medium substrate, the microcapsules are made into toner, the toner is charged and applied to a support, and after exposure, pressure-developed together with an image receiving paper to form an image. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-1
It is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 24919.

[0004]

However, in the above image forming apparatus, it is desired to transfer only the inclusions to the support at the time of pressure development, but the capsule wall may transfer, which causes image deterioration. Was there.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus which realizes good image formation.

[0006]

In order to achieve this object, in an image forming apparatus of the present invention, a support for carrying microcapsule toner and a coating means for coating the microcapsule toner on the support. And a latent image forming means for forming a chemical latent image by exposing the microcapsule toner coated on the support according to image information, and the support coated with the microcapsule toner and the image receiving paper are overlapped and pressed. It has a pressure developing means, and the surface roughness of the support is rougher than that of the image receiving paper.

[0007]

In the image forming apparatus of the present invention having the above structure, first, the microcapsules are coated on the entire surface of the support. Then, by exposure, a chemical latent image corresponding to full color is formed on the surface of the microcapsule. When pressure is applied to the latent image by the pressure developing means, the core substance of the microcapsules flows out from the uncured microcapsule toner, and thus the dye is transferred to the image receiving paper to form an image on the image receiving paper. To be done.

At this time, the hardened microcapsule toner and the capsule wall of the hardened microcapsule toner and the capsule wall are anchored because the support has a rougher surface than the image receiving paper. All remains on the support, only the core material is visible on the image receiving paper. A better image is formed than that.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a microcapsule toner used in the image forming apparatus of this embodiment. Figure 1
In, the microcapsule toner 1 is composed of a wall member 2 and a core substance 3. The core substance 3 is a photocurable composition in which an acrylic monomer, a photoinitiator, and a sensitizing dye are mixed. The wall member 2 is made of a highly charged material. The wall member 2 is made of a material that is easily charged positively, for example, polyamide (nylon) having an electron-donating amino group.

Next, the image forming apparatus of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2, which is a schematic configuration diagram thereof. An exposure unit 10, a microcapsule toner application unit 20, and a pressure development unit 40 are provided inside the image forming apparatus 5, and each unit is installed so that an endless belt-shaped support 44 can move. .. The exposure unit 10 includes an exposure lamp 11, a document table glass 15, a document cover 13, a scanner 14 for reading an image, a controller C for processing the read signal, and a microcapsule based on the signal from the controller C. It is composed of an exposure head 19 for exposing.

The microcapsule toner applying section 20 includes a toner case 21 for storing toner and a toner agitator 2.
3, a toner carrier 25 carrying toner, and a carrier 2
5, a supply body 24 for supplying the toner to the toner 5 and the stored microcapsule toner 1. The coating section is arranged along the support 44.

In the pressure developing section 40, a pair of pressure rollers 41a and 41b are arranged so as to sandwich the support 44 on which the microcapsule toner is placed and the image receiving paper 52 between them. The support body 44 includes a drive roller 28, a facing roller 27, a driven roller 29, and a pressure roller 41.
It is installed between a. Here, since the opposing roller 27 is connected to the power source 26 via the controller C, an electric field is formed in the area between the opposing roller 27 and the carrying roller 25 when necessary. Further, below the toner application section 20, a cleaning unit 30 is installed near the support body 44.

The surface roughness of the support 44 is the same as that of the image receiving paper 5.
It is coarser than 2. Generally, the image receiving paper 52 is Rz15.
Since the thickness of the support 44 is Rm, Rz of 20 μm or more is suitable for the roughness of the support 44.

If the image receiving paper 52 is a smoother paper, the support 44 can be made smoother. In this case, the surface of the output image is also smooth.

Next, the operation of this device will be described.
When a start-up switch (not shown) is turned on, the drive roller 28 of the support body 44 rotates and the support body 44 is conveyed.
In the microcapsule toner application section 20, a stirrer 23
By the rotation of the supply member 24, the toner 1 is charged and carried on the carrier 25. The carried toner 1 is subjected to electrostatic attraction in the direction of the facing roller 27 due to the electric field formed between the facing roller 27 and the carrier 25. As a result, the toner 1 is uniformly applied to the entire surface of the support 44.

Then, it is conveyed to the lower part of the exposure unit 10.
At this point, the halogen lamp 11 of the exposure unit 10 is turned on, and the document table glass 15 holding the document 12 moves. As a result, the exposure operation is performed according to the original 12. The light reflected from the original 12 is read by the scanner 14,
The controller C causes the exposure head 19 to expose the surface of the microcapsule toner applied to the support 44. As a result, a chemical latent image is formed on the toner. Support 44
Is further conveyed toward the pressure developing section 40. The image receiving paper 52, which is plain paper, is taken out from the paper feeding cassette and sent to the pressure developing unit 40. In the pressure developing unit 40, the support 44 carrying the toner and having the chemical latent image formed thereon and the image receiving paper 52 are superposed and passed between the pressure rollers 41a and 41b. As a result, the core material of the microcapsules flows out from the uncured toner of the pressurized toner. Therefore, the dye is transferred to the image receiving paper 52. Therefore, an image is formed on the image receiving paper 52, and the image receiving paper 5
2 is output to the tray. At this time, since the support 44 has a rougher surface than the image receiving paper 52, the capsule wall 32 of the hardened capsule toner and the capsule toner from which the core substance has flowed out remains on the support 44 due to the anchoring effect.

The microcapsule toner remaining on the support 44 and the capsule wall 32 are contacted with the blade 31 by the cleaning unit 30 so that the support 44 is supported.
Removed from. The microcapsule toner 1 is applied to the support 44 that has passed through the cleaning unit 30 again.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described in detail above, but can be modified.

For example, after pressure development, the support 44 is exposed to light.
By applying to the cleaning unit 30, the microcapsule toner remaining in the cleaning unit 30 and the capsule wall 32 can be easily cleaned.

Further, in this embodiment, the photocurable capsule is used, but a photosoftening capsule may be used.

[0022]

As is clear from the above description, in the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the capsule wall of the hardened capsule toner and the capsule toner from which the core substance has flowed out is the support more than the image receiving paper. Due to the rough surface,
The hardened microcapsule toner and the capsule wall all remain on the support due to the anchoring effect, and only the core substance is imaged on the image receiving paper. A better image is formed than that.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a microcapsule toner used in an image forming apparatus of this embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus of this embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Microcapsule toner 10 Exposure part (latent image forming means) 20 Application part 40 Pressure development part 44 Support 52 Image receiving paper

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A support for carrying a microcapsule toner, a coating means for coating the microcapsule toner on the support, and a microcapsule toner coated on the support for exposure in accordance with image information. An image forming apparatus comprising: a latent image forming means for forming a chemical latent image; and a pressure developing means for superposing and pressing a support coated with a microcapsule toner and an image receiving paper. An image forming apparatus characterized in that the surface is rougher than the surface of the image receiving paper.