JPH0922238A - Wet type image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent waste developer from staying on a blade scraping the waste developer from an electrode member for removing the developer out of cleaning liquid, by providing the developer holding part for temporarily holding the removed developer on the blade. SOLUTION: The blade 49 as a scraping member is composed so as to scraping the toner electrostatically deposited on the surface of a electrode roller 47 by a tip part 49, mounted in freely rotatably around a shaft 60, so as to make a tip part 49a pressed against the electrode roller 47 by an energizing member, for instance, a spring or the like. The blade 49 is provided with a shape where it is bent downward (concave shape), and this concave part 49b functions as the developer retaining part for temporarily keeping the toner scraped from the electrostatic depositing roller 47. Then, the waste toner tank 70 is placed, so as to be located in the lower part of the toner receptacle inlet in the bending part 49b as the developer holding part made face down by rotation of the blade 49.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wet image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile, a printer, etc., and more particularly, a cleaning device for removing a developer remaining on the surface of a latent image carrier and a cleaning device. The present invention relates to a wet image forming apparatus including a cleaning liquid tank for storing a cleaning liquid to be used and a removing device for removing a developer from the cleaning liquid.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a wet type image forming apparatus of this type, a removing device removes the developer in a cleaning liquid for removing the developer remaining on the surface of a latent image carrier after the transfer of a visible image, by a so-called electrodeposition. Is removed by the method described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No.
2-20979). As a result, it is possible to avoid the cleaning failure caused by the developer removed from the latent image carrier being mixed with the cleaning liquid and the developer concentration of the cleaning liquid becoming high.

As a concrete constitution of such a removing device, for example, an electrode roller as an electrode member whose surface contacts a part in the cleaning liquid is provided, and a windable web is pressed against the electrode roller. It is conceivable that the developer is removed from the cleaning liquid by removing the developer from the roller.

It is also possible to remove the developer from the roller by pressing a plate-shaped blade against the electrode roller instead of the web. In such a removing device, as shown in FIG. 5, an electrode roller 147 is provided so that the lower part of the surface thereof contacts the cleaning liquid.
A liquid receiving portion 159 that functions as a counter electrode is attached near the electrode roller 147. Further, a plate-shaped blade 161 for scraping off the developer adhering to the surface of the electrode roller 147 is provided so that its tip end is in pressure contact with the roller.

[0005]

However, in the removing device using the web that can be wound up, the web must be replenished periodically, and the work is complicated. In addition, since the web is a consumable item, running costs are required. Further, a drive source such as a motor for winding the web,
A winding roller or the like must be provided, which has a harmful effect of increasing the size of the image forming apparatus.

On the other hand, in the removing device using the plate-shaped blade, the developer removed from the electrode roller 147 is accumulated on the surface of the plate-shaped blade 161, as shown in FIG.
The developer adheres to the tip of the blade, resulting in insufficient removal of the developer from the electrode roller 147,
There is an adverse effect that the removal of the developer from the cleaning liquid 152 is not performed properly.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to satisfactorily remove the developer adhering to the electrode member for removing the developer from the cleaning liquid, and at the same time, to form an image forming apparatus. It is an object of the present invention to provide a wet image forming apparatus provided with a removing device that does not increase the size of the wet type.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, a wet image forming apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises a latent image carrier and a latent image forming means for forming a latent image on the surface of the latent image carrier. When,
A developing device that visualizes the latent image using a developing solution, a transfer device that transfers the visible image formed on the surface of the latent image carrier to a transfer material, and the latent image carrier after the visible image transfer. A cleaning device for removing the developer remaining on the surface, a cleaning liquid tank for storing the cleaning liquid used in the cleaning device, and a cleaning liquid circulating device for circulating the cleaning liquid between the cleaning liquid tank and the cleaning device. And a removing device for removing the developer from the cleaning liquid,
The removing device includes an electrode member arranged so that a part of the surface thereof comes into contact with the cleaning liquid, an electrode member driving means for moving the surface of the electrode member, and a developer attached to the electrode member. And a blade having a developer holding portion for holding the removed developer temporarily.

In the wet image forming apparatus according to the first to eighth aspects, the developer removed from the electrode member by the blade is temporarily held in the holding portion. Therefore,
The developer is prevented from accumulating on the surface of the blade.

A wet image forming apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is the wet image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, characterized in that a portion of the blade that abuts the electrode member is non-conductive. is there.

In the wet image forming apparatus according to the second aspect of the invention, since the abutting portion that abuts the electrode member of the blade is non-conductive, the abutting portion does not contact the abutting portion as in the case where the abutting portion is conductive. The developer is electrodeposited and does not stick.

A wet image forming apparatus according to a third aspect is the wet image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the blade is
It is characterized in that it is movable between a position in contact with the counter electrode and a position in which the developer receiving port of the developer holding portion faces downward.

In the wet image forming apparatus according to the third aspect of the invention, the blade is moved so that the developer receiving port of the developer holding portion faces downward to remove the developer accumulated in the developer holding portion. can do.

A wet image forming apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the wet image forming apparatus according to the third aspect, characterized in that a waste developer tank is provided below the downward facing inlet. Is.

In the wet image forming apparatus according to the fourth aspect, the blade is moved so that the developer receiving port of the developer holding portion is located downward, so that the developer is developed from the developer holding portion to the waste developer tank. Agent drops.

A wet image forming apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the wet image forming apparatus according to the third aspect, wherein the blade moving means for moving the blade and the blade moving means are controlled to set the blade to a predetermined position. And a control means for moving the developer receiving portion of the developer holding portion downwardly from the position where the developer contacts the counter electrode at the timing.

In the wet type image forming apparatus according to the fifth aspect, the control means moves the blade by the blade moving means so that the developer receiving port of the developer holding portion is located downward at a predetermined timing. The developer accumulated in the developer holding portion is removed without any special operation by a person.

A wet image forming apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the wet image forming apparatus according to the third aspect, wherein the tip of the blade is located at a position where the developer receiving port of the developer holding section faces downward. It is characterized in that a developer removing member for removing the developer from the tip portion is provided so as to be in contact with each other.

In the wet image forming apparatus according to the sixth aspect, when the blade moves so that the receiving port of the developer holding portion faces downward, the tip of the blade contacts the developer removing member. Contact. Therefore, the developer attached to the tip portion is removed by the developer removing member.

A wet image forming apparatus according to a seventh aspect is the image forming apparatus according to the third aspect, wherein vibration is applied to the blade at a position where a developer receiving port of the developer holding portion faces downward. It is characterized by having a vibration imparting means.

In the wet image forming apparatus according to the seventh aspect, since the blade is vibrated by the vibrating means, the developer drops due to the vibration, and the developer can be better removed from the developer holding portion. Will be done in.

A wet image forming apparatus according to an eighth aspect is the wet image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, further comprising drying means for drying the developer temporarily held in the developer holding portion. It is what

In the wet image forming apparatus according to the eighth aspect, the developer in the developer holding portion is dried by the drying means so that the developer contains the cleaning liquid and is easily adhered to the developer holding portion. Prevent becoming.

[0024]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an electrophotographic wet color image forming apparatus which is a wet image forming apparatus will be described below. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram thereof. First, an outline of the entire apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. This apparatus includes photoconductors 1 and 2 as a plurality of latent image carriers that form images with different print colors.
3 and 4 are provided. Photoreceptor 1 is black (Bk)
, The photoconductor 2 is for cyan (C), the photoconductor 3 is for magenta (M), and the photoconductor 4 is for yellow (Y). Also,
The axes of these photoconductors are arranged in the same plane in the vertical direction. Further, a transfer belt 7 in contact with the outer periphery of the photoreceptor is wound around the drive roller 5 and the driven roller 6 rotatably held at a predetermined interval in the same plane in the vertical direction. Have been. The transfer belt 7 is an endless belt that is formed of a dielectric material such as polyethylene terephthalate, is polarized by a transfer charger 8 as a transfer device, and attracts the transfer paper electrostatically. A plurality of transfer chargers 8 are provided, and are arranged to face the photoconductor with the transfer belt 7 in between.

On the right side of the photoconductors 1 to 4, there is provided a vertically long exposure device as a latent image forming means (not shown). This exposure device emits an optical signal corresponding to image information color-separated by a scanner or the like from a semiconductor laser, and scans the laser beam on a photosensitive member by a polygon mirror that is rotationally driven. For example, a lens provided with a lens for converging and correcting a tilt of a polygon mirror, a mirror for deflecting laser light, and the like can be used.

Further, on the outer circumference of each of the photoconductors,
A charging charger 15, a wet type developing device 16, a cleaning device 17, and a charge eliminating lamp 18 are provided. As shown in FIG. 2, each of the developing devices 16 has a casing 19 having an upper surface opening to which a developing solution in which toner as a developing agent is dispersed in a solvent as a carrying solution is supplied, and the casing 1
Developing roller 20 and reverse roller 2 provided in
0a and a developer tank 54 for storing the developer used in the casing 19. This developer tank 54
A pump for pumping up the developing solution into the casing 19 via a developing solution supply pipe is provided therein, and a lower end of the casing 19 is for collecting the developing solution from the casing 19 into the developing solution tank 54. A developer recovery pipe is provided. The pump, the developer supply pipe, and the developer recovery pipe constitute a developer circulation device. A description will be given later of the cleaning device including the cleaning device 17 and the cleaning liquid tank 31 that stores the cleaning liquid used in the cleaning device 17 in the apparatus of this embodiment.

Further, below the photoconductor 1 located at the lowest position, a paper feed roller 23 for intermittently drawing out the transfer papers 22 stored in the paper feed cassette 21 one by one, and a paper feed path 24.
A registration roller 25 that sends the transfer paper 22 guided to the transfer belt 7 to the transfer belt 7 is provided. A container 26 to which the cleaning liquid is supplied is provided near the driven roller 6, and the container 26 is provided with a foam roller 27 and a cleaning blade 28 that come into contact with the transfer belt 7. Further, a fixing roller 29 and a press roller 30 are rotatably provided in contact with each other above the driving roller 5, and the transfer paper 22 passing through the fixing roller 29 is transferred.
A paper discharge roller 32 that discharges the paper to the paper discharge tray 31 is provided.

In the wet image forming apparatus constructed as described above, images having different printing colors are formed on the photoconductors 1 to 4, respectively. Here, the image forming process for the photoconductor 1 located at the lowest position will be described. However, since the image forming process for the other photoconductors 2, 3 and 4 is the same as the image forming process for the photoconductor 1,
Description is omitted. First, the photosensitive member 1 is uniformly charged by the electric charge from the charging charger 15 during rotation. The exposure device is driven based on the image information color-separated into the black print color, whereby an electrostatic latent image is formed on the charged portion of the photoconductor 1. This electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing device 16.

On the other hand, the transfer paper 22 pulled out by the paper feed roller 23 is kept in a standby state with its leading end in contact with the nip portion of the registration roller 25, and rotates in synchronization with the rotational movement of the photoconductor 1. The registration roller 25 and the driving roller 5 convey the recording material to a transfer position facing the photoconductor 1.
Then, the developed image on the photoconductor 1 is transferred to the transfer paper 22. According to the same principle, an image separated into the cyan print color is formed on the photoconductor 2 and transferred to the transfer paper 22, and then an image separated into the magenta print color is formed on the photoconductor 3. The transferred image is transferred onto the transfer paper 22, and then transferred onto the transfer paper 22. Then, the image separated into the print color of yellow is formed on the photoconductor and transferred onto the transfer paper 22. Thus, a color image is obtained. The transfer paper 22 onto which the images have been transferred is fixed while the transfer image is fixed in the process of being separated from the transfer belt 7 and conveyed by the fixing roller 29 and the press roller 30, and is ejected to the paper ejection tray 31 by the paper ejection roller 32. To be paper. Further, the developer adhered to the transfer belt 7 is removed by the foam roller 27 and the cleaning blade 28 each time the transfer is performed.

Next, the cleaning device in the apparatus of this embodiment will be described. The cleaning device includes a cleaning device 17 arranged to face the photoconductors 1 to 4, a cleaning liquid tank 41 for storing a cleaning liquid 52 used in the cleaning device 17, and the cleaning liquid tank 41 and the cleaning device 17. And a circulation device for circulating the cleaning liquid 52 between them. In FIG. 1, among the cleaning liquid tank 41 and the circulation device, only the cleaning device for the magenta photoconductor 3 is shown, but the same configuration is adopted for the photoconductors 1, 2, and 4. .

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing the entire cleaning device for the magenta photosensitive member 3. The cleaning device 17 includes a casing, a cleaning roller 44 attached to the apparatus main body via a bracket, a cleaning blade 58, a diaphragm roller 56 for the cleaning roller, a cleaning liquid diffusion plate 57, and a cleaning liquid supply nozzle 55. Consists of. The cleaning roller 44 is a roller made of an elastic material having a liquid supply property, for example, sponge rubber, and is rotationally driven by a drive mechanism (not shown). The cleaning blade 58 is made of rubber or the like.

During the cleaning operation, the blade has its free end pressed against the surface of the photosensitive member, and the cleaning roller 44 is elastically deformed with its peripheral surface pressed against the surface of the photosensitive member. The squeezing roller 56 is
The cleaning liquid 52, which is disposed so as to come into pressure contact with the cleaning roller 44 and is sucked by the cleaning roller 44,
Is squeezed out. A cleaning liquid supply pipe 43 is connected to the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 55, and below the nozzle 55, a diffusion plate for diffusing the cleaning liquid 52 supplied from the nozzle in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning roller 44. 57 are arranged.
A recovery port for recovering the cleaning liquid 52 supplied to the casing is provided at the lower end of the casing. The other end of this recovery port is the cleaning liquid tank 41.
One end of the cleaning liquid recovery pipe 45 located above the above is connected.

The cleaning liquid tank 41 stores a cleaning liquid 52 having the same composition as the solvent as the carrier liquid. The tank 41 is provided with a pumping pump 42, and the lower end of the cleaning liquid supply pipe 43 is connected to the pump 42. The pumping pump 42, the cleaning liquid supply pipe 43, and the cleaning liquid recovery pipe 45 constitute a cleaning liquid circulation device. (Hereinafter, margin)

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a main part of the cleaning device. This cleaning device is provided with a trough-shaped liquid receiver 59 for temporarily retaining the cleaning liquid 52 from one end of the cleaning liquid recovery pipe 45 in the cleaning liquid tank 41. The liquid receiver 59 is located above the cleaning liquid surface, and the cleaning liquid 52 falling from one end of the recovery pipe 45 is received by one edge of the gutter-shaped liquid receiver 59. The liquid is retained in the liquid receiver 59. Further, in the liquid receiver 59, the electrode roller 47 as an electrode member is arranged so that the top (upper half in the present embodiment) is exposed from the liquid surface of the cleaning liquid 52 temporarily accumulated in the liquid receiver 59. It is provided and is driven to rotate clockwise by an electrode member driving means (not shown) including, for example, a motor.

Here, as the electrode roller 47, for example, a metal roller can be used. Further, to the electrode roller 47, a power source (not shown) for voltage application for electrostatically adsorbing the toner collected from the photoconductor by the cleaning device 17 and taken into the cleaning liquid is connected. The liquid receiver 59 serves as the counter electrode. Further, the cleaning liquid 52 after the toner is separated by the electrode roller 47 overflows from the other edge of the liquid receiver 59, and the cleaning liquid tank 41.
It is supposed to be housed inside.

Further, a blade 49 as a scraping member is attached so that a tip end portion 49a as an abutting portion thereof contacts the upper right portion of the electrode roller 47 in FIG. The blade 49 has a tip portion 49a formed of a biasing member (not shown) such as a spring, which is used for the electrode roller 4.
It is attached rotatably around a shaft 60 so that it can be pressed against 7, and the toner electrodeposited on the surface of the electrode roller 47 is stripped off at the tip end 49a. The blade 49 has a downwardly curved shape (concave shape), and the curved portion 49 b functions as a developer holding portion that temporarily holds the toner peeled off from the electrodeposition roller 47.

Further, since the blade 49 has such a shape, the inclination of the portion of the blade 49 in contact with the electrode roller 47 can be made a steeper angle more easily than in the case of using a conventional plate blade (see FIG. 5). Therefore, the removed toner is less likely to accumulate on the surface of the blade 49. Further, since the distance that the stripped toner is conveyed by this blade 49 becomes shorter than that of the conventional plate-shaped blade, this also makes it difficult for the removed toner to accumulate on the surface of the blade 49. That is, when using a conventional plate-shaped blade, while the toner must be conveyed from the end of the blade on the side for stripping toner to the other end,
With this blade 49, it is sufficient to convey the toner from the tip end portion 49a to the curved portion 49b where the toner is held, and the toner conveyance distance is shortened.
Toner is less likely to accumulate on the surface of the.

Further, this cleaning device is provided with a waste toner tank 70 as a waste developer tank at a position adjacent to the cleaning liquid tank 41. In this toner tank, as shown in FIG.
The rotation of 9 causes the toner held on the curved portion 49b to drop. That is, the blade 49 is located below the toner receiving port in the curved portion 49b as the developer holding portion that is turned downward by the rotation of the blade 49.
A waste toner tank 70 is provided.

Further, this apparatus is composed of a blade moving means (not shown) such as a rotary solenoid for rotating and moving the blade 49 and a microprocessor for moving the blade moving means at a predetermined timing. Control means (not shown). Therefore, for example, by rotating the blade 49 with respect to 100 sheets of transfer paper 22, the waste toner can be collected in the waste toner tank 70 without performing a special operation.

At least the tip portion 49a of the blade 49 shown above, which is in contact with the electrode roller 47, is made of a non-conductive material. As a result, the tip end portion 49a is formed when the tip end portion 49a is made of a conductive material such as metal.
It is possible to prevent the toner from being electrodeposited on and fixed to a. Also,
The blade 49 is preferably formed of a material having a good releasability so that the toner removed from the electrode roller 47 does not stay. Therefore, in this apparatus, polyacetal or fluorine resin is used as the material of the blade 49.

The electrode roller 47, which has been described above,
The liquid receiving portion 59, the blade 49, and the electrode member driving means (not shown) form a removing device that removes toner from the cleaning liquid 52.

Further, in this cleaning device, the cleaning liquid 52 contained in the cleaning liquid tank 41 is used.
However, since the solvent is also collected together with the toner, there is a risk that the amount of the liquid will increase beyond the amount of the liquid that was initially present and cause overflow. Therefore, the cleaning liquid tank 41
In order to prevent the cleaning liquid from overflowing from the supply pump 62, the supply pump 62 and the supply pipe 63 that supply the increased amount of the liquid to the developer tank 54 side are pumped up by the pump 42.
And the cleaning liquid supply pipe 43. The pumping pump 62 is operated by turning on / off a float switch 64, which is provided in the tank 41 and detects whether or not the liquid level in the tank has risen. The liquid feeding capacity of the supply pump 62 is larger than the liquid increasing speed.

The cleaning device 1 configured as described above
In FIG. 7, the toner remaining on the surface of the photoconductor after transfer is scraped off the surface of the photoconductor by the cleaning blade 58 after the adhering position of the toner is disturbed by the cleaning roller 44. Then, the developer containing the scraped toner is absorbed by the cleaning roller 44 together with the cleaning liquid 52 and is carried away from the surface of the photoconductor. Then, the cleaning liquid 52 containing this toner is once absorbed by the cleaning roller 44, and the diaphragm roller 5
After being squeezed by 6, the liquid is collected in the cleaning liquid tank 41 through the recovery port of the casing and the cleaning liquid recovery pipe 45.

Then, the collected cleaning liquid 5
2 is the liquid receiver 5 while the toner concentration is still high.
9 and the cleaning liquid 52 temporarily collected by the electrode roller 47 provided in the liquid receiver 59.
Most of the toner inside is electrodeposited on the electrode roller 47 side. The tip 49a of this toner is the electrode roller 47.
The blade 49 scraped by the blade 49 is temporarily stored in the curved portion 49b, and is then collected in the waste toner tank 70 by the rotation of the blade 49.

According to the above embodiment, the liquid receiver 5 is
The cleaning liquid 52 is brought into contact with the electrode roller 47 before the collected cleaning liquid 52 is mixed in the cleaning liquid tank 41, so that the cleaning liquid 52 having a high developer concentration is brought into contact with the electrode roller 47 and is cleaned. Since the contact time between the liquid 52 and the electrode roller 47 can be increased, the electrodeposition effect can be enhanced.

Further, in this apparatus, it is desirable to provide a sponge 71 as a developer removing member at a position in the waste toner tank 70 where the tip portion 49a of the blade 49 contacts. If the sponge 71 is provided, as shown in FIG. 4, when the blade 49 rotates to drop the waste toner into the waste toner bottle, the tip end 49a bites into the sponge 71, and the toner is not attached to the tip end 49a. It will be better prevented.

Further, in this apparatus, it is desirable to use the rotary solenoid as a vibration imparting means for imparting vibration to the blade 49 with the toner inlet of the curved portion 49b facing downward (state shown in FIG. 4). . Specifically, the rotary solenoid is repeatedly turned on / off in a short time to apply vibration to the blade 49.
As a result, the waste toner drops better from the blade 49, and the retention of the toner on the blade 49 and the adhesion of the toner to the tip portion 49a are better prevented.

Further, in this apparatus, the bending portion 49b
It is desirable to provide a fan 72 as a drying means for drying the waste toner which is temporarily held in the above. If the fan 72 blows air to dry the waste toner, the waste toner is prevented from adhering to the blade 49 as in the case where the waste toner is wet with the cleaning liquid. The retention is better prevented.

Further, in this apparatus, the amount of the waste toner in the waste toner tank 70 is detected, and when the tank is filled with the waste toner, the operator is prompted to replace the waste toner tank. It is desirable to provide the waste toner detection means. As the means, for example, a weight sensor 73 for detecting the weight of the waste toner tank is provided, and when the detected weight exceeds a predetermined value, the operation panel (not shown) can be operated to operate the waste toner. It is possible to adopt a configuration for displaying a message prompting replacement of the tank.

[0050]

According to the first to eighth aspects of the present invention,
Since the developer removed from the electrode member does not deposit on the surface of the blade, the developer is insufficiently removed from the electrode member due to the deposition, and the developer cannot be removed satisfactorily from the cleaning liquid. This is prevented, and the developer is satisfactorily removed from the cleaning liquid. Further, unlike the case where a web that can be wound up is used to remove the developer from the electrode member, it is possible to prevent the apparatus from increasing in size.

Further, according to the invention of claim 2, since the developer is not electrodeposited and fixed to the contact portion of the blade which contacts the electrode member, the developer can be removed from the electrode member by the fixing. Insufficient removal of the developer from the cleaning liquid will be better prevented, and the developer will be removed from the cleaning liquid better.

Further, according to the inventions of claims 3 to 7, since the developer accumulated in the developer holding portion can be removed by moving the blade, the removal can be performed by a simple operation. Like

Further, according to the invention of claim 4, since the developer drops from the developer holding portion to the waste developer tank by moving the blade, the deposited developer can be removed by a simpler operation. Like

According to the invention of claim 5, the developer accumulated in the developer holding portion is removed even if the operator does not perform a special operation. Therefore, the accumulated developer can be removed by a simpler operation. Will be able to.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the tip end of the blade comes into contact with the developer removing member to remove the developer adhering to the tip part, so that the developer is deposited and fixed on the tip part. There is nothing to do. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the developer from being removed from the electrode member from being insufficiently removed due to the adhesion, and to prevent the developer from being removed from the cleaning liquid satisfactorily, so that the developer can be satisfactorily removed from the cleaning liquid. become.

According to the seventh aspect of the invention, since the blade is vibrated, the developer can be removed more favorably from the developer holding portion, so that the removal is insufficient. This prevents the developer from being insufficiently removed from the electrode member, and prevents the developer from being properly removed from the cleaning liquid. Therefore, the developer is satisfactorily removed from the cleaning liquid.

Further, according to the invention of claim 8, by drying the developer by the drying means, it is possible to prevent the developer from containing the cleaning liquid and being easily brought into close contact with the developer holding portion. Thus, the removal of the developer from the developer holding portion can be performed better.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a wet image forming apparatus according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a cleaning device of the wet image forming apparatus.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a removing device included in the cleaning device.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing an operation of a blade included in the removing device.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a removing device included in a conventional wet image forming apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 17 Cleaning Device 19 Developing Device Casing 41 Cleaning Liquid Tank 42 Pumping Pump 43 Cleaning Liquid Supply Pipe 44 Cleaning Roller 45 Cleaning Liquid Recovery Pipe 47 Electrode Roller 49 Blade 49a Tip 49b Curved Part 52 Cleaning Liquid 54 Developer Liquid Tank 55 Cleaning Liquid Supply Nozzle 56 Squeezing roller 57 Cleaning liquid diffusion plate 58 Cleaning blade 59 Liquid receiver 60 Shaft 62 Supply pump 63 Supply pipe 64 Float switch 70 Waste toner tank 71 Sponge 72 Fan 73 Weight sensor 147 Electrode roller 152 Cleaning liquid 161 Plate blade

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A latent image carrier, a latent image forming means for forming a latent image on the surface of the latent image carrier, a developing device for developing the latent image with a developer, and the latent image. A transfer device for transferring the visible image formed on the surface of the carrier to a transfer material, a cleaning device for removing the developer remaining on the surface of the latent image carrier after the transfer of the visible image, and a cleaning used by the cleaning device. Wet image including a cleaning liquid tank for storing liquid, a cleaning liquid circulating device for circulating the cleaning liquid between the cleaning liquid tank and the cleaning device, and a removing device for removing the developer from the cleaning liquid A forming device, wherein the removing device is an electrode member arranged so that a part of the surface thereof comes into contact with the cleaning liquid, and an electrode member driving means for moving the surface of the electrode member, To remove the developer adhered to the serial electrode member, and the blade having a developer holding unit for temporarily holding the removed developer, wet image forming apparatus characterized by having a. 2. The wet image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a contact portion of the blade that contacts the electrode member is non-conductive. 3. The wet image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the blade is movable between a position where the blade contacts the counter electrode and a position where a developer receiving port of the developer holding portion faces downward. A wet image forming apparatus characterized by: 4. The wet image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a waste developer tank is provided below the receiving port facing downward. 5. The wet image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the blade moving means for moving the blade and the blade moving means are controlled so that the blade is brought into contact with the counter electrode from the developer. A wet-type image forming apparatus, comprising: a control unit that moves the developer receiving port of the holding unit downward at a predetermined timing. 6. The wet image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a developer receiving port of the developer holding portion is in contact with a front end portion of the blade at a position facing downward, and the developer is fed from the front end portion. A wet image forming apparatus comprising a developer removing member for removing the toner. 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising vibration applying means for applying vibration to the blade at a position where the developer receiving port of the developer holding portion faces downward. Wet image forming apparatus. 8. The wet image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising drying means for drying the developer temporarily held in the developer holding portion.