JPH09290530A - Ion flow recording head - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To form an ion flow recording head having a small nonuniformity of density and forming good images by forming a conductive electric discharge electrode at the side surface of an electric discharge substrate comprising a dielectric material and a conductive induction electrode having an opening at the other side surface holding the dielectric material and a skin film of a fluorine compound on the surface. SOLUTION: The ion flow recording head 1 includes a skin film 7 of a fluorine compound having water repellency on the surface of a solid electric discharge element 2 and surface of an ion flow control electrode 4. When direct current high voltage is applied to a voltage application electrode 21, corona discharge takes place in a minute interstice between the high electric resistor 22 and the control electrode 41, and thereby ionization is effected for gas molecules. Ions produced reach an ion discharge port (b) penetrating through the ion flow control electrode 4 by an electric field between the high electric resistance 22 and the control electrode 41. In addition, a flow rate of ions passing through the ion discharge port (b) is controlled, and ions are pulled up to a counter electrode 6 to subsequently be discharged on an electric charge receptor 5, thereby forming images.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an ion flow recording head.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An ion flow recording head that forms an electrostatic latent image on a charge receptor by controlling the ion flow has the following structure.

FIG. 5 shows an ion flow recording head 1 comprising a solid state discharge element 2 for generating ions by creeping discharge and an ion flow control electrode 4 for controlling the flow rate of the ion flow.
FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the ion flow recording head.

The solid-state discharge element 2 for generating ions by creeping discharge has a discharge electrode 23 on one side surface of a dielectric discharge electrode substrate 24 and an induction electrode 25 having an opening on the other side surface of the discharge electrode substrate 24. When a voltage in which a direct current and an alternating current are superimposed is applied between the discharge electrode 23 and the induction electrode 25, a creeping corona discharge is generated at the opening of the induction electrode 25 to ionize gas molecules. Only the ions having the same polarity as the direct current polarity of the generated ions penetrate the ion flow control electrode 4 by the electric field generated between the induction electrode 25 and the control electrode 41 of the ion flow control electrode 4. reach b. Ion flow control electrode 4
Is disposed with a constant distance from the solid-state discharge element 2 by an insulator spacer 3 having an ion generation space a,
A control electrode 41 is provided on a side surface of the control electrode substrate 42 of the insulator having the ion emission port b on the side of the insulator spacer 3, and a control electrode 43 is provided on a surface of the control electrode substrate 42 on the side of the charge acceptor to control the control electrode 41. The flow rate of ions passing through the ion emission port b is controlled by the electric field between the electrodes 43, and a dark and light electrostatic latent image can be formed on the charge receptor 5.

Another type of ion flow recording head is one having a structure as shown in FIGS. The difference from the ion flow recording head 1 is the configuration of the solid-state discharge element 2 that emits ions. In the solid-state discharge element 2, a high electric resistance 22 is formed on one surface of a conductive voltage applying electrode 21, and a high voltage is applied to the voltage applying electrode 21 to make a minute contact with the control electrode 41 of the ion flow control electrode 4. It is configured to perform corona discharge in the void.

In the conventional ion flow recording head 1, minute water droplets are condensed on the surface of the solid discharge element 2 and the surface of the ion flow control electrode 4 due to changes in humidity and the like. For this reason, corrosion and growth of precipitates gradually progress on the surface of the solid-state discharge element 2 and the surface of the ion flow control electrode 4, the discharge performance and control performance are impaired, and the amount of ion emission becomes uneven, resulting in uneven concentration. Occurred and it was difficult to obtain a good image. In addition, when a large amount of dew condensation occurs, the gap between the solid-state discharge element 2 and the ion flow control electrode 4 is so small that water droplets serve as a short-circuit path and a large current flows, resulting in damage to components and drive circuit failure. Will result.

As described above, as an example of preventing dew condensation due to the influence of humidity, as described in the invention filed under the name of recording head (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-347667), a heating element is used. And a desiccant configured to dry the ion flow control electrode. The invention filed under the name of electrostatic latent image forming device (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-275)
As disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 160), there is a device configured to remove water by providing a filter for removing the water in the blowing means into the ion flow recording head. Further, as described in the invention filed under the name of ion generator (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-174569), an insulating thin film is formed on the exposed surface of the ion flow control electrode to prevent corrosion and wear. There is something you are doing.

[0008]

In the conventional ion flow recording head, minute water droplets are condensed on the surface of the solid discharge element and the surface of the ion flow control electrode due to changes in humidity during non-operation. For this reason, heating and circulation of dehumidified air are performed according to the prior art to remove water droplets, but there is a problem that it takes time to achieve sufficient drying and an operable state. In addition, since it is necessary to heat as necessary so that dew condensation does not occur during operation, there is a problem that power consumption increases.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and the object thereof is to suppress the occurrence of dew condensation on the ion flow recording head to obtain a good image with little density unevenness for a long period of time. It is to provide an ion flow recording head capable of performing.

[0010]

The ion flow recording head of the present invention comprises a solid-state discharge element for ionizing gas molecules,
An ion flow recording head, which is configured by stacking and integrating an insulator spacer and an ion flow control electrode for controlling the ion flow. It is characterized by forming a film of the compound.

According to the present invention, a film of a fluorine compound having a high water repellency is formed on the surface of the high electric resistance and the surface of the ion flow control electrode of the solid-state discharge element which constitutes the ion flow recording head. Even if dew condensation occurs, if a drying means is provided, the water droplets are small, so that drying is fast and it is possible to suppress the occurrence of corrosion and precipitates. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a good image with stable discharge performance and control performance over a long period of time and with less uneven density.

[0012]

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

First, the configuration of this embodiment will be described.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the ion flow recording head according to the present embodiment with some of the constituent members cut away. In FIG. 1, 1 is an ion flow recording head,
2 is a solid-state discharge element, 21 is a voltage application electrode, 22 is a high electric resistor, 3 is an insulator spacer, 4 is an ion flow control electrode,
41 is a control electrode, 42 is a control electrode substrate, 43 is a control electrode, 5 is a charge acceptor, 6 is a counter electrode, 7 is a fluorine compound film, a is an ion generation space, and b is an ion emission port.
The ion generation space a of the insulator spacer 3 and the ion emission port b penetrating the ion flow control electrode 4 are laminated so as to form a flow path of ions, and the ion flow recording head 1 has It is continuous in the longitudinal direction.

Next, the operation of the ion flow recording head 1 of this embodiment will be described.

In the ion flow recording head 1 of the present invention, when a DC high voltage is applied to the voltage application electrode 21, corona discharge is generated in the minute gap between the high electric resistance 22 and the control electrode 41, and gas molecules are ionized. Done. The generated ions reach the ion emission port b penetrating the ion flow control electrode 4 due to the electric field generated between the high electric resistance 22 and the control electrode 41. Further, the ions are controlled by the control electrode 41.
By controlling the applied voltage of the control electrode 43 and the electric field between the control electrodes, the flow rate of the ions passing through the ion emission port b is controlled, and the ions are attracted to the counter electrode 6 and emitted onto the charge acceptor 5. . The electrostatic latent image is formed as a shaded image depending on the concentration of ions released on the charge acceptor 5. Here, the same effect can be obtained by using a solid-state discharge element using creeping corona discharge as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 in addition to the solid-state discharge element as a means for generating ions, and the same effect can be obtained. It is possible to form.

Now, the ion flow recording head 1 of the present invention.
Forms a fluorine compound film 7 having water repellency on the surface of the solid-state discharge element 2 and the surface of the ion flow control electrode 4. As the fluorine compound, Teflon, a fluorinated polyimide resin, a fluorinated epoxy resin, a fluorinated polyurethane resin, or the like can be used. Since these fluorine compounds have a very low surface energy, they have a characteristic that they repel water molecules and are less likely to be condensed. Fluorine compound film 7
In order to further improve the water repellency of the above, it is effective to make the surface area of the object to be coated infinitely close to have a fractal structure. Therefore, the surface of the high electric resistance 22 and the surface of the ion flow control electrode 4 are roughened as shown in FIG. 3, or the oxide fine particle layer of alumina or zirconia is formed as shown in FIG. By forming a fractal structure and forming a film of a fluorine compound on it, strong water repellency can be obtained.

An example of forming a film of a fluorine compound on the solid state discharge element 2 will be described. Although various methods of forming the solid-state discharge element 2 can be considered, a method of forming the solid-state discharge element 2 using a thick film process will be described. For the solid-state discharge element 2, a noble metal paste having high corrosion resistance is printed on an insulating substrate such as alumina or glass and baked to form the voltage application electrode 21, and then ruthenium oxide or the like is mixed with amorphous glass to have a volume resistivity of 1 MΩ
It is formed by printing and firing the high resistance glass paste adjusted to the range of 100 cmΩ to 100 GΩcm on the voltage application electrode 21 several times until the required thickness is obtained, thereby forming the high electric resistance body 22. As described above, when the high electrical resistance body 22 contains amorphous glass as a main component, the surface becomes smooth by firing, so that the adhesion of the fluorine compound film 7 is weak and it is difficult to obtain sufficient durability. Therefore, the surface of the oxide particles 7 such as alumina or zirconia having a submicron thickness is formed on the surface of the object to be coated 71 by roughening the surface by controlling sand blasting or firing conditions, or by sputtering.
Forming No. 2 and forming a film of a fluorine compound on it is effective in obtaining sufficient durability.

An example of forming a film of a fluorine compound on the ion flow control electrode 4 will be described. The ion flow control electrode 4 is obtained by forming a metal wiring pattern on both surfaces of an insulating control electrode substrate 42 such as glass epoxy or polyimide by etching to obtain the control electrode 41 and the control electrode 43, and drilling the ion emission port b. Obtained by punching with a press or excimer laser. Since the ion flow control electrode 4 thus obtained is not a material having a particularly smooth surface, the film 7 of the fluorine compound can be directly formed on the object 71 to be coated, but the surface roughening may be performed as necessary. The pretreatment for forming the oxide fine particle layer may be performed.

As described above, since the method of forming the film 7 of the fluorine compound on the surface of the high electric resistance 22 and the surface of the ion flow control electrode 4 requires many manufacturing steps, the high electric resistance 22 and the control electrode substrate 42. A fluorine compound may be used as the material. In this case, it is necessary to use a material in consideration of corona resistance and corrosion resistance, and fluorinated polyimide or the like can be used. For use in the high electric resistance body 22, it is possible to add a conductive substance such as a metal oxide to fluorinated polyimide to adjust the volume resistivity, and thereby good corona discharge can be performed.

As described above, the surface treated with the fluorine compound has the characteristic of repelling water molecules and suppressing the growth of water droplets, so that the frequency of dew condensation and the amount of water are reduced. Therefore, it is possible to prevent corrosion and growth of precipitates in advance, and it is possible to perform stable ion release for a long period of time.

FIG. 5 shows an example of an ion flow printer using the ion flow recording head 1. FIG.
1, 1 is an ion flow recording head having a fluorine compound film formed thereon, 8 is a developing device, 91 is a paper feeding device, 92 is a paper feeding roller, 93 is a resist roller, 94 is a belt conveying device,
5 is a fixing device, and 96 is a cleaning device.

A recording medium such as electrostatic recording paper is fed by a paper feeding device 91.
The sheets are separated one by one by the sheet feeding roller 92 and conveyed to the contact portion between the registration roller 93 and the belt conveying device 94. The recording medium has its leading end aligned by colliding with the contact portion, and then is conveyed by the belt conveying device 94 in one direction of the ion flow recording head at the image forming timing. At this time, the recording medium is electrostatically attracted and conveyed by the bias applied to the belt conveying device 94. The surface of the recording medium is irradiated with ions by the ion flow recording head 1 to form an electrostatic latent image according to the image, and then the toner is adhered by the developing device 8 according to the potential of the electrostatic latent image and visualized. To be done. The visualized image is fixed by the fixing device 95 and then discharged outside the apparatus. Here, an ion flow printer may be configured such that an image is once formed on a charge receptor such as a photoconductor or a dielectric, and finally transferred to a recording medium, but if the image is directly formed on a final recording medium such as paper. It is possible to configure a small printer.

[0024]

According to the present invention, the formation of dew condensation can be prevented by forming a film of a fluorine compound having high water repellency on the surface of the solid-state discharge element and the surface of the ion flow control electrode which constitute the ion flow recording head. Even with a single condensation, the growth of water droplets is small and the contact area is small, so it is possible to suppress the occurrence of corrosion and precipitates. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a good image with stable discharge performance and control performance over a long period of time and with less uneven density.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an embodiment of an ion flow recording head of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing an example in which a surface of a coating target is roughened to form a film of a fluorine compound.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing an example in which an oxide fine particle layer is formed on the surface of a coating target to form a film of a fluorine compound.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an image forming apparatus using an ion flow recording head.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of an example of an ion flow recording head using creeping discharge.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an internal structure of an example of an ion flow recording head using creeping discharge.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of an example of an ion flow recording head using a minute air gap discharge.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an internal structure of an example of an ion flow recording head using a minute air gap discharge.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Ion flow recording head, 2 ... Solid state discharge element, 3 ...
Insulator spacer, 4 ... Ion flow control electrode, 5 ... Charge acceptor, 6 ... Counter electrode, 7 ... Fluorine compound film, 21 ... Voltage applying electrode, 22 ... High electrical resistance, 41, 43 ... Control electrode, 42 ... Control electrode substrate.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A discharge electrode substrate made of a dielectric material is provided with a conductive discharge electrode on one side surface and a conductive induction electrode having an opening on the other side surface with the dielectric material sandwiched therebetween. A solid-state discharge element configured to generate a creeping corona discharge in the opening of the induction electrode by applying an alternating high voltage between the electrodes, an insulator spacer having an ion generation space, and a control electrode substrate made of an insulator. An ion flow control electrode having two electrodes sandwiched between them and an ion emission port penetrating at a position where the two electrodes overlap, the opening of the induction electrode, the ion generation space of the insulator spacer, and the ions. In an ion flow recording head constructed by laminating the above in order to connect the ion emission ports of the flow control electrode, a film of a fluorine compound is formed on the surface of the induction electrode. Flow recording head.