JPS5894481A - Image former - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent a toner from clogging at the opening of a controlling member and enable to record stably, by blowing air between a toner-generating source and a toner flow controlling member which is provided between the toner-generating source and a recording member. CONSTITUTION:In an electrostatic recorder, a recording member 5 such as a paper or a resin film is placed oppositely to a toner-generating source 7, 13 for generating a particulate developer (toner) such as an electrified toner or an electrified ink, a flow of the toner moved in the direction from the toner-generating source 7, 13 toward the recording member 5 by a voltage is set up, and a controlling member 2 for controlling the flow of the toner by an electric field in an opening 4 is provided. In said recorder, an air flow 4 is set up between the controlling member 2 and the toner-generating source 7, 13. For example, by blowing air to a part in proximity to the recording position by a fan 18 of an air flow generator 17 through a duct 19, an air flow is set up in the opening 4.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention is an image forming apparatus that utilizes an electric field generated in a tit aperture, in which particulate developer such as charged toner or ink (hereinafter referred to as toner) passes through the aperture in response to an electric signal. The present invention relates to a device that obtains an image by controlling the image.

A conventional direct recording technique of this type has been proposed in US Pat. No. 3,689,935. This method utilizes a toner control member in which two electrodes are provided through an insulating layer and a row of holes are formed in the toner control member, and the passage of charged toner is controlled by this control member. The objective is to obtain an image using toner that has passed onto a recording member provided with K. However, in this conventional method, toner is not supplied uniformly, which tends to cause unevenness in the image on the recording member, making high-speed recording difficult. Therefore, it has not been put into practical use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus that eliminate the drawbacks of the above-mentioned conventional examples, and at the same time, enable stable toner supply and long-term stable image formation.

The present invention achieves the above object by using a particulate developer (
a cylindrical generation source that generates toner); a member such as paper or resin film placed opposite to this generation source;
An i+Ult1 member is provided between these toner generation sources and the recording member, and controls the flow of toner moving from the generation source toward the recording member by an electric field by an electric field in the aperture, and this control member and the toner generation source By creating an air flow between the! This prevents toner from dripping into the apertures of the control member.

It is sufficient that the above-mentioned glossy airflow has enough erosion to prevent toner unnecessary for recording from reaching the apertures, and of course does not hinder the movement of the toner consumed for modulation. Furthermore, the preferred air flow profile is the simultaneous presence of air flow through the apertures in the control member to the toner source.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in more detail according to a collection of examples.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the configuration of a control member to which the present invention can be applied, and the I-1 line 0IF of FIG. 1 II-FIG.
FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing an example of toner cost adjustment by the control member, and FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

In the #N1 diagram, 1 is a signal electrode that can be independently and individually applied with a voltage, 3 is a pace electrode to which a ground or constant potential is applied, and 3 is continuous over all or a plurality of 6 electrodes, The signal electrode 1 and the pace electrode 3 are electrically insulated by the 2#-i insulating member.

Connect the signal electrode 1, base electrode 3 and insulating member 2 through the 4#'i hole.
A hole W is formed through the same area.

The toner fluctuation opening operation by the control member will be explained using FIG. 2. FIG. 6t is the back electrode, and the 5Vi recording member is in close contact with the member 5#-i back electrode 6. 7 is a toner transport section made of non-magnetic material;
A component-insulating magnetic toner is uniformly applied onto the toner transport member 7. The control members described in Fig. 1 M and B are as follows:
The back electrode 6 and the signal electrode 1 are arranged between the back electrode 6 and the toner transport member 7, and the back electrode 6 and the signal electrode 1 are opposed to each other.
and a pace electrode are opposed to each other. In addition, the AC power source 8 is connected to the pace electrode, the DC power source #9U is connected to the back electrode 6 and the base power source 1i3, and the signal power source 1
0 is connected to the signal electrode 1 and pace electrode 3.

In the above configuration, when the pace electrode 3#-i is normally electrically grounded and an AC voltage or a biased DC voltage is applied to the toner conveying member from the AC power source 8, the toner 11 on the toner conveying member 7 is transferred to the pace electrode. 3 and toner conveying member 1
It moves in between. At this time, when a voltage is applied to the signal electrode 1 and the pace electrode 3 from the signal electrode source 10, the moving toner 11 passes through the cylindrical hole 1illS4 and is attracted to the signal electrode 1.

Furthermore, a DC IT source 9i is connected between the KV surface electrode 6 and the base electrode 3.
%, the toner 11 is further concentrated and adheres to the recording member 5.

When there is no signal voltage from the signal voltage jilo to the id@ electrode 1 and the pace electrode 3, or when an opposite electric field is applied within the aperture, the dynamic toner does not pass through the aperture 4. Further, due to the action of the electric field caused by the AC voltage between the pace electrode 3 and the toner conveying member 7, the toner moves back and forth and at the same time has a cleaning effect. As described above, when a signal is applied to the signal electrode 1 in an imagewise manner, an image of a toner image is formed on the recording member, and then the toner image is fixed on the recording member 5 by heating or pressure.

FIG. 3 shows an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied, using the control member explained in FIG. 2 as a toner control member. In addition, in the figure, the same reference numerals as in FIG. 2 mean the same functions. In the figure, the recording member 5Fi is in close contact with the back @J electrode 6, and is driven by a drive system (not shown) in the direction of the arrow from the roll-shaped recording member source.

The toner 11 in the toner container 12 is a one-component magnetic toner.
The toner is rotated in the direction of the arrow by the toner conveying member 7 made of a non-magnetic cylinder and conveyed through the modulation aperture 4t of the control member. Magnets 13 are fixed inside the toner conveying member 7 and are magnetized with magnetic poles of different polarity alternately. This magnet 1
The toner 11 being conveyed by the action of 30 is transferred to the toner conveying member 7.
being drawn upwards. In the above configuration, when the toner conveying member 7 rotates in the direction of the arrow, each particle of the toner 11 begins to rotate on the conveying member 7, and first, the toner conveyed by the doctor blade 14 is made into an even thin layer. .

The toner that has reached the aperture 4 for modulation receives a force that causes it to reciprocate between the electrodes due to the action of the AC electric field supplied from the AC power source 8 between the base electrode 3 and the toner transport member 10. A party is now formed.

At this time, when a voltage for reproduction is applied to the signal It pole 1, a force is applied to the signal 11&l, and the toner enters the opening 4. Then, the base electrode 3 and the back surface 11 are connected to the DC power supply 9.
Since a DC voltage is applied to 1a5, the toner that has passed over the aperture is further accelerated by the action of the DC electric field caused by the applied voltage before it adheres to the signal electrode l, and adheres to the recording member 5, where the toner reproduces the image. The form is spreading. The created toner image is fixed onto the recording member 5 by a fixing device 15 using heat or pressure.

By the way, with the configuration within the above-mentioned range, FIG. This includes ψ and uncharged toner. It is easy to contaminate this electrode 1, making it difficult to obtain desirable results. In addition, a force other than the electric field acts to guide the toner to the recording member. That is, the toner conveying member 7
Due to zero rotation or movement, the toner on the conveying member forms an air flow along the moving direction of the conveying member, and the uncharged toner or the slightly charged toner is transferred to the control member. Conveying force acts. FIG. 4 is an easy-to-understand explanation of the contamination development of the control means. The toner flow control position f of the structure shown in FIG. 3 is enlarged and the air flow generated there is indicated by arrow 16. Indicate ψ
Ru. However, since the x speed and air volume were too small, accurate values could not be measured, but the existence and direction of the wind could be observed from the smoke.

As explained above, the toner 11Fi carried by the wind 11
Harmful fine particles and uncharged toner that pass through the apertures 4 and adhere to the non-image area of the recording member promote clogging of the apertures 4 .

In order to solve the above problem B11, the present invention has an air flow generator 17 shown in FIG. 18 of this occurrence 1117 is 7 am, and the wind 1 near the recording position is caused by the duct 19.
is inhaled. Here, the gap between the paste electrode 413 and the toner conveying member 7 is set to 300 μm, and the average grain size is 13 μm.
When using toner 11 of At the same time as the toner is sucked, it is also possible to remove harmful toner that has been floating between the base pole 3 and the toner conveying member. Note that the wind speed of the fan 18 may be set as long as it is for toner, but it depends on the size of the toner particles.

Since it varies depending on the weight, material, or electrical property 11, it cannot be specified clearly, but in this experiment, 04
We actually obtained good results when we conducted the test at a wind speed of about 0.6 m/sec.

By the way, in the present invention, the non-magnetic sleeve and the magnetic generation means inside the sleeve are used as the toner generation source.
Similar to FIG. 4, FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the toner flow control position 1 shown in FIG.

The advantage of this wind flow is that the wind goes from the signal electrode l to the base electrode 3, so as explained in Fig. 3, the wind flow 1
Toner 1 that carries uncharged toner or slightly charged toner to 5IL and adheres to the surface of opening 4II.
Not only does this pull back the toner 11 to the toner conveying member side, thereby not contaminating the recording position of the base electrode, etc., but at the same time, defective toner 11 on the toner conveying member 7 can be sorted out for the above reason, so that good image formation is always possible.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 Aij is a plan view showing an embodiment of the control means that can be used in the device of the present invention, Fig. 1 B#'i is a sectional view taken along the line A of Fig. 1, Fig. 2 is the control of Fig. 1 An explanatory diagram showing the toner modulation source m by members, FIG. 3 is a sectional view of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 4 is a control 14 when the present invention is not applied.
FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the air flow near the 1IiS material, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the turn section when the present invention is applied. In the figure, 1, 2, and 3 tl modulation members, 7 and 13 are toner generation sources, 5tf recording members, and 17 are air flow generating means. Applicant Canon Co., Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A control member having an opening that modulates the flow of the enclosed particles is disposed between the charged colored particle generation source and the recording member, and a K a N member is provided between the control member and the colored particle generation source. An image forming apparatus characterized in that an air flow is generated from a source toward a source. (2) The image forming apparatus as set forth in claim 12, wherein the air flow is generated within the opening of the K1#1m member in the direction from the recording member to the colored particle generation source.