JPS597103B2 - Electronic copying method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an electronic copying method suitable for obtaining both a small number of copies and a large number of copies.
After charging the photoconductive photoreceptor, an electrostatic latent image is formed by exposing a reverse image (if a small number of copies are to be obtained) or a normal image (if a large number of copies are to be obtained) to light, and then deposited on a support as appropriate. Transferring the electrostatic latent image to a recording medium formed by forming a dielectric thermoplastic resin layer having micropores extending over the entire surface of the support,
After developing with conductive toner, it is fixed with a heating and pressure roller, and if the resulting recording medium is a normal image, it can be used as a hard copy, or if it is a reverse image, it can be used as a master plate and its surface can be charged. An electronic method in which an electrostatic latent image is formed using a computer, developed with toner, the toner is transferred to a transfer object such as a piece of paper, and the process is fixed to obtain copies.The process from the master plate onwards is repeated to obtain multiple copies. This relates to copying methods.

According to the present invention, a larger number of copies can be produced in a shorter time and at a lower cost with good clarity and stability of the conductive toner image than with the xerographic method, and it is also easier to handle than with simple offset printing. It is very easy to make copies, and it is also suitable for making a small number of copies with good image strength and clarity of the conductive toner image.

j Below, the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the drawings.
As shown in the figure, after a photoconductive photoreceptor 2 having a photoconductive material layer formed on a metal drum 1 is charged by a corona discharger 3, an image of an original document 15 is exposed to form an electrostatic latent image. do.

If a small number of copies are to be obtained, the reverse image of the original 15 is exposed through the mirrors 57, 5T, a lens 60, and a Datsuha prism 61 as shown in the same figure, and if a large number of copies are to be obtained, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the Datsuha prism 61 is replaced with a mirror 59 to expose the normal five images of the original 15.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoconductive photoreceptor 2 is transferred onto a support 4 using a dielectric film having micropores extending over the entire surface of the support 4. thermoplastic resin layer 5
is transferred onto a recording medium 6 formed by forming a.

As a result, when a reverse image is exposed, the electrostatic latent image on the recording medium is a normal image, so after the phenomenon and fixing process described later, the recording medium itself can be used as a hard copy 6' and a normal image can be created. When exposed, the recording medium is used as a master plate 6'.

After transferring the electrostatic latent image to the recording medium 6, as shown in FIG.
By developing with the conductive toner 7 and then fixing it with a heating/pressure roller, the conductive toner 7 is allowed to penetrate into the dielectric thermoplastic resin layer 5, as shown in FIG. As a result, a recording body 9 consisting of a conductive portion 8 and an insulating portion is obtained.

Of course, the conductive portion referred to here is a conductive portion in an electrostatic sense. Here, the recording medium 6 on which the image has been fixed in this manner is taken out as it is as a visible hard copy 6' if it is a normal image, or is used as a master plate C for electronic copying if it is a reverse image. The process of electronic copying using this master version r will be explained below.

As shown in FIG. 6, this master plate σ is fixed to the surface of a grounded metal plate, such as a drum 81, and charged by corona irradiation or the like, so that only the insulating portion 9 is charged and an electrostatic latent image is formed.

Next, as shown in the figure, the toner 10 is developed by a method such as a magnetic brush method or a cascade method using the toner 10 charged to the same polarity as the charge charged by the corona irradiation, so that the toner 10 forms a conductive portion 8. It adheres only to the surface, forming a dull positive image.

Note that if development is performed using toners charged with different polarities, a positive-negative image will be formed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7, a piece of copy paper 11 is placed on the master plate 5'' which has been developed with the toner 10, and a corona having a polarity different from that of the toner 10 is irradiated from the back side of the piece of paper. The toner 10 on σ is transferred to the piece of paper 11.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8, the paper piece 11 is separated from the master plate v, and the toner 10 is fixed on the paper piece 11 by heating.

Here, as a photoconductive substance that can be used in the present invention, Se
、． cds,. znOl polyvinylcarbazole (PV
K), etc., but composite systems such as PVK-Se can also be used.

In addition, the recording medium must be capable of penetrating the conductive toner into the dielectric thermoplastic resin layer through a fixing process, and specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, , a support coated with a dielectric thermoplastic resin such as acrylic resin or polystyrene resin can be used.

The fixing process for this recording medium is performed by applying heat and pressure using a heating and pressure roller to soften the resin of the recording medium and allow the conductive toner to penetrate into the resin. Further, as a recording medium, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, supports 100 and 101 are used as appropriate.
It is necessary to have resin layers 103 and 104 whose surfaces are porous and have micropores 102 extending over the entire surface of the support. Specifically, a dielectric resin in which insulating fine particles such as clay are dispersed is coated on an appropriate support, a porous support such as paper is coated with a dielectric resin, After coating a dielectric thermoplastic resin mixed with a blowing agent such as zinc chloride double salt of P-diazo-N-N-dimethylaniline chloride on a support, the blowing agent is foamed to form micropores. There are also those in which a dielectric thermoplastic resin is coated on a support and then micropores are mechanically formed on the entire surface of the thermoplastic resin to reach the top of the support.
The support that can be used in the present invention must be one that allows corona charges to escape, such as an aluminum plate, a copper plate,
Metal plates such as iron plates, nickel plates, and brass plates can be used, and in addition to metal plates, multilayer films or paper on which metals are vapor-deposited or laminated, or paper coated with conductive resin or treated with conductivity can be used.

Furthermore, even materials that do not have good conductivity, such as ordinary paper, cannot be used. Examples of dielectric thermoplastic resins include vinyl acetate resin, acrylic resin, butyral resin, salt-and-acetate bipoval resin, styrene resin, and vinyl chloride resin, and mixtures of two or more of these resins can also be used.

Furthermore, in order to facilitate the penetration of conductive toner into the dielectric resin described above, it is recommended to mix fillers such as clay or kaolin into the resin. Next, as the conductive toner 7, copper, iron, aluminum, silver, zinc, black iron oxide, copper oxide,
A material made of conductive powder such as copper chloride, silver oxide, cobalt oxide, indium oxide, carbon black, etc. and an appropriate resin such as styrene resin, vinyl chloride resin, vinyl butyral resin, etc. can be used. The size of the conductive toner particles is generally 1 to 50 microns, preferably 5 to 30 microns.

Further, the fixing of the conductive toner 7 by penetrating into the dielectric thermoplastic resin layer 5 is carried out using a heating/pressure roller treated with Teflon resin or silicone resin, and the heating/pressure roller is further coated with silicone oil. By replenishing the toner, it is possible to prevent the conductive toner 7 and the dielectric thermoplastic resin layer 5 from adhering to the heating/pressure roller. Next, the electronic copying apparatus of the present invention will be explained.

In this explanation, the details of the recording body mechanism, the charging mechanism, etc. are generally well known in electronic copying apparatuses such as the xerographic method, so detailed explanations of the structure, operation, etc. will be omitted. Further, in this example, the photoconductive photoreceptor is a PVK-Se type, and the recording medium is a conductive-treated paper with micro holes of about 7 μm formed on the entire surface so as to reach the paper.
A dielectric thermoplastic resin layer is formed.

The conductive toner is made of magnetite (black iron oxide), carbon black, polystyrene, and epoxy resin.

The apparatus used in the present invention is as shown in FIG.
First, the plate-making section A will be explained. The recording medium 6 as described above is cut into predetermined sizes such as A-4 and B-5, and is transferred to the sheet feeding recording medium mechanism 50. The recording bodies 6 are fed one by one to the transfer mechanism 53 by this recording body feeding mechanism 50.

In the figure, numerals 51, 51, . . . , are rollers that convey or guide the recording medium 6 to various mechanisms at a predetermined speed. Further, the photoconductive photoreceptor 2 having a photoconductive material layer formed on the metal drum 1 is charged by the corona electrode 3 of the charging mechanism 52, and then sent to the exposure mechanism 54, where it is to be copied. A reverse image (if a hard copy is obtained) or a normal image (if a master version is obtained) of the original 15 is exposed.

As shown in the figure, the exposure mechanism 54 includes an original holder 55 that is moved in synchronization with the photoconductive photoreceptor 2 which is rotated at a constant speed by the metal drum 1, and an original 15 placed on the original holder. It consists of an optical system that forms an image on a photoconductive photoreceptor 2.

In the figure, 56 is a light source that illuminates the original, 57 and 57 are mirrors, and 60
and 61 are lenses and a Dach prism for forming a reverse image, and 58 and 59 are lenses and mirrors for forming a normal image. The figure shows a state in which the lens 60 and the Datsuha prism 61 are inserted relative to the optical axis 0 (the state in which a hard copy is obtained).
is shown, which is rotated about axis 62 to replace lens 58 and mirror 59 when obtaining a master plate. The electrostatic latent image formed on the photoconductive photoreceptor 2 by the exposure mechanism 54 is transferred onto the recording medium 6 by the transfer mechanism 53, and is sent to the next developing mechanism 65, where it is developed.

Here, the recording body 6 is moved in synchronization with the movement of the original stand 55 and the rotation of the photoconductive photoreceptor 2, and the recording medium 6 is moved between the opening rollers 51, 51, . . .
It is transported at a constant speed by .... As shown in FIGS. 3 and 11, the transfer mechanism 53 brings the photoconductive photoreceptor 2 on which the electrostatic latent image is formed into close contact with the recording medium 6 by means of the latent image transfer roller 12. A voltage is applied to the side opposite to the polarity of the electrostatic latent image. By separating the photoconductive photoreceptor 2 and the recording medium 6 while applying a voltage, an electrostatic latent image having the same sign is transferred onto the dielectric thermoplastic resin layer 5 of the recording medium 6. The photoconductive photoreceptor 2 after the electrostatic latent image transfer is an eraser.
13, the remaining electrostatic latent image is erased. The developing mechanism 65 is a magnetic dry type developing mechanism, and the conductive toner 7 as described above supplied in the hopper 66 is supplied to the surface of a cylinder 67 made of aluminum. Inside the cylinder 67, a magnet rotates at high speed in a direction opposite to the moving direction of the recording medium 6, and the rotation of this magnet causes the conductive toner 7 to move on the cylinder 67 in the opposite direction to the rotation of the magnet. When the conductive toner 7 and the recording medium 6 come into contact with each other, the electrostatic latent image on the recording medium 6 is developed. After development, the recording medium 6 is sent to a fixing mechanism 70, and heated and pressurized roll 71
, 71, and adhered to the surface of the recording medium 6 in the form of an image, the conductive toner 7 penetrates deeply into the thermoplastic resin layer 5 of the recording medium 6 and is fused and fixed.

A heater controlled by a thermostat or the like is built into the heating/pressure rolls 71, 71, and the surface temperature thereof is maintained at a temperature at which the conductive toner 7 melts. Further, the surfaces of the heating/pressure rolls 71, 71 are treated with silicone resin or Teflon resin, and furthermore, silicone oil is supplied from a silicone oil reservoir 72 to prevent adhesion of conductive toner.

The recording medium on which the image has been fixed, ie, the hard copy 6' or the master plate, is sent to the branching mechanism 73. This branching mechanism 7
3 is connected to a shaft 62 for switching between a normal image and a reverse image of the optical system, that is, in the state of obtaining a hard copy (the state in which a reverse electrostatic latent image is formed on the photoconductive photoreceptor). is springboard 7
4 is lowered as shown in the figure, and the recording medium 6 is ejected to a hard copy ejection section 75 and stored therein as a hard copy 6'. On the other hand, in a state in which a master plate g'' is obtained (a state in which a positive electrostatic latent image is formed on the photoconductive photoreceptor), the springboard 74 jumps up as shown by the broken line in the figure, and the master plate v is It is sent to printing section B. Printing section B is housed in a box 80 as shown in the figure.

The master plate supplied to the printing section B is sent to a grounded metal drum 81, and is wound and fixed at a fixed position on the outer peripheral surface of the drum.

The drum 81 is attached to a shaft 82 driven by an appropriate power and rotated at a constant speed in the direction of the arrow.

By this rotation, the master plate C is transferred to the charging mechanism 83, and the master plate C is charged by the corona discharge of the charging mechanism, and the electric charge of the conductive portion of the master plate C escapes to the drum.
Only the insulating portion is charged to form an electrostatic latent image. Next, the master plate v is transferred to a developing mechanism 84, which supplies toner 7 onto the surface of the master plate to develop the electrostatic latent image.

Although a magnetic brush type developing mechanism is shown in the figure, a cascade type or other developing type may be used. The developed master plate σ is transferred to the transfer mechanism 85 as the drum 81 rotates. The transfer mechanism is fed by a paper feed mechanism 87 that feeds paper pieces 11 cut to a predetermined size and fed in synchronization with the transfer of the master plate r and at a speed equal to the circumferential speed of the drum 81. A piece of paper 11 is pressed against the master plate v by rollers 86, 86, and a corona discharger 88 discharges the toner 10 attached to the master plate r from the back side of the master plate v, thereby transferring the toner 10 attached to the master plate r to the piece of paper 11.
Next, the paper piece 11 is separated from the surface of the drum 81 and sent to a fixing mechanism 90 by a conveyor belt 89.
The toner 10 is heated by the heater 91 of the sheet of paper 11.
It is fused and fixed to.

After being fixed, the paper pieces 11 are sent to a chute 92 by a conveyor belt 89, and are ejected to a discharge section 93 where they are accumulated.
On the other hand, the master plate σ fixed on the surface of the drum 81 is transferred to a corona discharge section 94 and a brush 95, and the toner 10 remaining on the surface is removed.

Then, it is transferred to the charging mechanism 83 again, and the above-described operations are repeated to sequentially perform electrostatic copying on the pieces of paper 11. When operating this electronic copying device, if a small number of copies are required, first set the optical system and branching mechanism described above to the hard copy state (printing section B is inactive) before operating it. For example, the image on the original 15 is copied into a normal image and is ejected to the hard copy ejecting section 75 as a hard copy 6'.

On the other hand, when a large number of copies are required, if the optical system and branching mechanism are operated as a master plate, a reversed image of the master plate can be obtained, and the resulting image will be reversed in the printing section. A true copy of the original is produced.

The master version serves as an electronic copying version in the printing department, and 1
A large number of copies can be obtained from a single master version.

The formation of an electrostatic latent image in the printing section is not done by image exposure as in the xerography method, but by simply irradiating the master plate with corona, making it possible to obtain a large number of copies at extremely high speed. . Since the present invention has the above configuration, it exhibits various effects as shown below.

First, according to the present invention, when a small number of copies are required, a reverse image is exposed on the photoconductive photoreceptor and a normal image is formed on the recording medium to obtain a hard copy. Sometimes, a master plate is obtained by exposing a photoconductive photoreceptor to a normal image and a reverse image is formed on a recording medium, and this master plate is used to repeatedly perform electronic copying, even if a small number of copies are obtained. Even when obtaining multiple copies, copies can be obtained in a short time and at low cost.

Particularly when making a large number of copies, it is superior in that it is faster, cheaper, easier to work with, and cleaner than copying using conventional xerography-type electronic copying machines and offset printing machines. Furthermore, even if the surface of the recording medium is a dielectric resin layer, the micropores on the surface are formed over the entire surface so that they reach the support, and since it is made of thermoplastic resin, the conductive toner can be heated and The heat and pressure applied by the pressure roller allows it to penetrate deep into the resin layer, creating a sufficient potential difference between the image area (conductive toner area) and non-image area, and making the electrostatic latent image transferred onto the recording medium conductive. The electroconductive toner can be developed and fixed extremely faithfully, and furthermore, the image strength and printing durability of the electroconductive toner image on hard copies and master plates are greatly improved.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a reverse image is exposed, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a normal image is exposed, and FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a normal image is exposed. An explanatory diagram showing the transfer of an image onto a recording medium, FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a developed recording medium,
Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a fixed recording medium, Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a developed master plate, Fig. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the transfer process, and Fig. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a fixed piece of paper. , Figure 9,
FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a recording medium in which microholes are formed over the entire surface, and FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of an electronic copying apparatus used in the present invention. 1... Metal drum, 2... Photoconductive photoreceptor, 3,88... Corona discharger, 4,100,
101...Support, 5...Dielectric resin layer, 6...Recording body, 6'. ．． ．． ... Hard copy σ ... Master version, 7 ... Conductive toner 8 ... Conductive part, 9 ...
・Insulating part, 10... Toner 11...
...Paper piece, 12...Latent image transfer roller, 13...
...Eraser 1, 15...Manuscript, 50...
... Recording body mechanism, 51, 86 ... Roller 52 ... Charging mechanism, 53 ... Transfer mechanism, 54 ... Exposure mechanism, 55 ...Manuscript stand, 56...Light source, 57, 59...
・Mirror, 58, 60...Lens, 61...
・Datsuha Rhythm, 62, 82...Axis, 65・
...Development mechanism, 66...Hopper, 67
...Cylinder, 70...Fixing mechanism, 71.
...Heating/pressure roller, 72... Silicone oil storage device, 73... Branching mechanism, 74...
... Jump board, 75 ... Hard copy ejection section, 80 ... Box, 81 ... Drum, 83 ... Charging mechanism, 84 ... ...Development mechanism, 85...Transfer mechanism, 87...Paper feeding mechanism, 90...Fixing mechanism, 91...
Heater, 92... Shoot, 93...
・Paper ejection section, 102...Minor holes, 103, 104
... Resin layer, A ... Plate making section, B ...
...Printing Department.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. When a photoconductive photoconductor is charged and an exposure mechanism capable of optically switching between a normal image and a reverse image is used, a reverse image is produced on the photoconductive photoconductor when a hard copy is obtained, and a normal image is produced when a master plate is obtained. The electrostatic latent image thus formed on the photoconductive photoreceptor is transferred to a dielectric thermoplastic material having micropores extending over the entire surface of the support. It is transferred to a recording medium with a resin layer formed thereon, then developed using conductive toner, and fixed with a heated and pressure roller. In the case of a hard copy, it is taken out as it is, and in the case of a master plate, it is transferred to the master plate. An electronic copying method in which an electrostatic latent image is formed by charging the plate surface, developed with toner, and the toner is transferred to an object and then fixed to obtain a copy.