JPS5891470A - Toner modulator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent a clogging by providing a toner flow control passage with a larger exit than an entrance. CONSTITUTION:Magnetic toner 9 is carried by being held on a drum 10 by the magnetic force of a rotating magnet 11. Toner 13 reaching a recording part is carried onto a paper 6 on a back electrode 5 by the electrostatic force generated by a voltage applied between a base electrode 3 and a signal electrode 1. A passage 4 for the toner has an exit spreading more than an entrance, so no clogging is caused. When ''Teflon '' is used for an electrode holding insulating member 2 which constitutes the passage 4, the toner becomes further hard to stick.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus using an electric field, and in particular, a powder toner is directly transferred to an electrode by an electric signal. However, this method utilizes a control hand edge (hereinafter referred to as an aperture board) in which two electrodes are provided with an insulating layer in between, and an aperture is provided in the control edge (hereinafter referred to as an aperture board), and the charged toner is transferred to this aperture board. The toner is supplied and the passage of the toner through the opening is controlled by the potential difference between the electrodes on both sides of the aperture board.Then, the toner is used to directly obtain an image on a recording member provided on the opposite side of the toner supply source. However, this method has the disadvantage that toner tends to adhere to the openings of the aperture board and cause clogging, etc., and has not been put into practical use. The objective is to solve the problems that occur when modulating 1), specifically, to prevent toner from clogging the opening during modulation and to provide an fji@1 device that can be stably used.

The present invention achieves the above object by adjusting the diameter of each opening of a first electrode having an opening, and a second electrode having an opening at a position corresponding to the opening of this electrode and at the same time being apart from the first electrode.
Set the toner application side smaller than the outlet side. and,
By providing a potential difference between each electrode, an electric field is created within the aperture to modulate the toner.

With the above configuration, the aperture of the transformation device can be prevented from being damaged by toner as much as possible, making it possible to form images stably over a long period of time.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail according to an example by Ichito.

FIG. 1 shows a sectional view of a body shaping apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

In the figure, l is the signal electrode that is the first pole that applies an integrated signal voltage, 3 is the base electrode that is the second electrode, and the insulating member 2 electrically insulates the signal electrode 1 and the base electrode 3. are doing.

Signal 'fIt pole l, base electrode 3, which constitutes the modulator;
An opening 4 passes through the insulating member 2.

Further, the recording member 6 is densely layered on the back electrode 5 and is moved at a constant speed in the direction of the arrow.

At the bottom of the modulation device there are means 7 for transporting the toner to the recording position. Regarding the conveying means 7, the toner 9 in the toner container 8 is a one-component magnetic toner, which rotates in the direction of the arrow inside the toner conveying member 10, which is a non-magnetic cylinder, so that magnetic poles of different polarities are alternately y#. Due to the magnetic force of the polarized magnet 11, the toner is conveyed on the toner conveying member 10 in a direction opposite to the rotation of the magnet 110. The toner on the conveying member 10 is formed into four uniform layers by the action of the doctor blades 1 and 2 and reaches the recording position 13.

The toner that has reached the recording position 13 is moved by the force that causes the electrode 3 and the toner transport member 10 to reciprocate due to the action of the AC electric field supplied between the base electrode 3 and the toner transport member 10 from the AC power supply 14. ★Receive. At this time, when a voltage is applied to the signal electrode 1, a force is applied to the toner in the direction of the signal electrode 1,
The toner passes through the opening 4. Pottery.

Reference numeral 16 is a DC power supply, and by applying a DC voltage to the base electrode 3 and the back electrode 5, the recording member 6 is further accelerated by the DC electric field before it adheres to the signal electrode 1.
Attach to.

The electrodes 1 and 3 having the apertures 4 are provided over the entire width of the recording member 6, and multiple images are formed by applying signals controlled by each independent signal.

Normally, a diameter of 10 to 20 lAm is used, and the diameter of the opening 4 is usually 10 to 300 μm.
The degree is chosen. However, if the diameter of the toner becomes approximately the same as the diameter of the opening 4 due to aggregation of toner particles or the introduction of coarse foreign matter due to long-term use, the diameter of the opening 4 may be removed. Favorable results are not obtained.

#I2 (a) is an explanatory diagram of the opening 4 in Fig. 1 above.
．． Direction 0 showing the vicinity of the opening 4 in an enlarged front view;
The same numbers as in FIG. 1 indicate the same functions. In the figure, 9a is the agglomerated toner whose diameter is basically smaller than that of the opening 4, and 9b is the agglomerated toner that is slightly smaller in diameter than the opening 4.
It is an agglomerated toner with a large page diameter.

Now, when the diameter of the opening s4 is set to 240 μm, when the agglomerated toner 9a has a diameter of 200 μm, when the toner 9a passes through the opening 4, the agglomerated toner 9a#'i insulating member 2 and the signal electrode l Figure 2(b) shows an example of the opening form of the present invention.
This is an example in which the insulating member 2 and the opening 4 of the signal electrode 1 are continuously widened in a round shape to prevent the toner 9a from coming into contact with the inner wall of the opening 4. Regarding the diameter ratio, if the diameter of the signal pole 1 is made 1.2 to 2 times the diameter of the base 1 and pole 3, it will be effective against toner clogging. As a result of using /Jm, it is possible to prevent toner #I as much as possible, and when it cannot pass through the opening 4 like agglomerated toner 9b, /ri
, AC 1 to 4! Preferably, this agglomerated toner will not cause the opening 4 in the toner conveying member 10 to become closed.

As explained above, the diameter of 1 base electrode 3 is equal to the signal electrode 1.
By increasing the diameter of the toner, it is possible to prevent the agglomerated toner 9a from clogging the opening 4, and it is possible to perform stable printing over a long period of time.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the present invention, in which the diameters of the insulating member 2 and the No. m electrode 1 are made wider than the diameter of the base electrode 3, and
By making the diameters of the insulating member 2 and the signal electrode l the same, the adhesion of the aggregated toner 9a to the inner wall of the opening s4 is reduced.

In addition, in the second embodiment, the insulating material forming the opening is made of low surface energy material such as Teflon! 1
By mixing [[] or coating the #11 portion of the opening, it is possible to further enhance the effect of preventing toner clogging.

As explained above, according to the present invention, the insulating member 2 and the signal electrode lL/)iIiii10
The simple structure of increasing the diameter prevents agglomerated toner and
464 can reduce the influence on the aperture 4, and stable recording can always be performed.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention can be applied;
Figures (a) and 2(b) are enlarged sectional views of the modulation means;
The figure is a cross-sectional view showing another actual m%J of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a signal electrode, 2 is an insulating member, 3 is a base electrode,
9 indicates one toner.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A first electrode that has an opening, and a second electrode that has an opening at a position that corresponds to the opening of this electrode and is located at a distance, and generates a potential difference between the two electrodes to open the opening. A toner modulation device that modulates toner by forming an electric field inside the toner modulator, in which the aperture diameter of the electrode on the toner application side is smaller than the aperture diameter of the electrode on the toner exit side.