JPS6383766A - Electrophotographic device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To permit a cleaning means to remove toner particles stuck to the carrying confronted surface of a stepless belt means and to clean a transfer and conveyance device by providing the stepless belt means having a part made of a semiconductor material with a specific electrical resistance and a supporting means for the belt means. CONSTITUTION:A conveyance belt 26 is provided with a grounding roller 30 made of a semiconductor material with the electric resistance of 10<10>-10<13>OMEGA-cm and a transfer charger 34 as a charge supply source. The grounding roller 30 is provided as a charge buffer. Negatively electrified toner particles on a photosensitive body 10 is attracted by a + true charge on the conveyance belt 26 or a polarization charge on the form 17 in the vicinity of an abutting part against the photosensitive body 10 and the conveyance belt 26. The toner particles are transferred on the copying from attracted on the conveyance belt 26. A cleaning blade 38 is used as a cleaning device, and a supporting member 40 made of an elastic material whose surface has the low coefficient of friction against the conveyance belt 36 is provided on the back of the conveyance belt 26. Thus the surface of the belt means can be kept clean, and a satisfactory transfer action is maintained.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to an electrophotographic apparatus using the so-called Carlson process for copying an image of a document surface onto plain paper.
In particular, a method for cleaning a belt means of an electrophotographic apparatus having a transfer device capable of stable toner image transfer using a belt means made of a semiconductor device material capable of retaining electric charge is proposed.

Conventional technology Transfer performance 1 Development of a transfer/conveyance device with good paper passing performance is essential for realizing stable copying functions.

An example of an electrophotographic apparatus having a conventional transfer/transport device will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 6 is a front view showing the configuration of an electrophotographic apparatus having a conventional transfer/convey device. In FIG. 6, 10 is a rotatable photoreceptor as a latent image holding means, 12 is a charger No. 1 for applying an electric charge to the photoreceptor 10, and 14 is a toner charged with an electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor 10. developer for supplying particles, 16
17 is a paper feeder for feeding copy paper in the direction of the photoreceptor 10, 18 is a copy paper, and 18 is a number 2 for applying charges of opposite polarity to the toner particles to the paper 17 fed by the paper feeder 16. 20 is an AC charger that applies an alternating current voltage to eliminate electricity from the paper 1γ charged by the second charger; 22 is a conveyor belt that carries the paper leg 7 sent out from the photoreceptor 1o; This is a fixing device for fixing toner paper 17. In Figure 6,
- by the number 1 charger 12 on the rotating photoreceptor 10
After applying a charge in the same manner as described above, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the original surface image is formed on the photoreceptor 10 by exposing the original surface image to light through a required optical system (not shown). The developing device 14 charges toner particles in a substantially negative manner and supplies them to the surface of the photoreceptor 10, thereby developing the electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor 10 into a visible image. A paper feeder 16 supplies copy paper 17 toward the photoreceptor 1o in synchronization with the rotation of the photoreceptor 10. The No. 2 charger 18 feeds the paper 17 in conjunction with the operation of the paper feeder 16.
Gives a total charge like -. The charge applied to the paper 17 by the No. 2 charger 18 has a polarity opposite to that of the toner particles adhering to the photoconductor 10, and the charged paper 1 is charged on the surface of the photoconductor 10. The charged toner particle image attached to the surface of the photoreceptor 10 is electrostatically transferred onto the paper 17 while being in contact and being electrostatically attracted. The AC charger 2o charges the paper 17 that is electrostatically attracted to the surface of the photoconductor 1o, and uses the mechanical rigidity of the paper 1T to separate it from the photoconductor 1o.
It operates in synchronization with 8. As the photoreceptor 1o rotates, it is separated from the photoreceptor 1o and sent in the direction of the conveyor belt 22. The conveyor belt usually has an opening in the portion facing the paper 17, and is configured to suck air through the opening by a fan (not shown). The paper 17 is attracted to the surface of the conveyor belt 22 by the suction force of this fan, and
The image is fed from the photoreceptor 10 to the fixing device 24. Fuser 2
4 carries the paper 1a fed by the conveyor belt 22 to 2
By inserting the book between the rollers, heating and applying pressure, the toner particles on the paper 17 are melted and pressed, and the toner particles on the paper 17 are fixed on the paper while the paper 17 is discharged from the apparatus.

In the conventional electrophotographic apparatus described above, the second charger 18 provides the charge necessary to transfer the toner particle image onto the paper 17, and the AC charger 20 serves to erase and neutralize the charge provided by the second charger 18. Normally, a corotron that utilizes corona discharge is used.Furthermore, due to their functions, the No. 2 charger 18 and the AC charger 2o are often placed close to each other as shown in FIG. The charging area of 18 and the neutralization area of AC charger 20 are often set to partially overlap.

Further, the conveyor belt 22 needs to be provided near the photoreceptor 1o, and also has the function of conveying the paper 17 holding the toner particles before being fixed, so that the toner particles do not adhere to the surface. Although surface contamination is unavoidable, there was usually no means to clean the surface.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention In the conventional electrophotographic apparatus described above, the toner particle image on the photoreceptor 10 is transferred to the paper 1A, and this paper 17 is transferred to the fixing device 24.
There are the following problems with feeding the material to the position.

First, in order to transfer the toner particle image on the photoreceptor 1o to the paper 17, the paper 17 must have an electric charge, and on the other hand, in order to separate the paper 17 from the photoreceptor, the paper 17 must be charged. This is due to the fact that the contradictory actions of requiring sufficient static elimination have to be performed in extremely close locations, resulting in poor transfer of the toner particle image or poor separation of the paper 17 from the photoreceptor 10. . That is,
In order to ensure transfer, the voltage applied to the No. 2 charger 18 can be increased to increase the charge applied to the paper 17, but in this case, the AC charger 2°
There is a risk that the paper 17 will not be separated from the photoconductor 10 and will wind up while adsorbed to the photoconductor 10 due to insufficient charge removal. If the action of AC charger 2o is strengthened, the static elimination action of AC charger 2o will extend to the charging range of No. 2 charger 18.
Charging becomes insufficient, and the transfer of the toner particle image on the photoreceptor 1o to the paper 17 is impaired. In order to ensure good transfer of the toner image and reliable separation of the paper 17 from the photoreceptor 1Q, it is necessary to adjust the strength of the action between the No. 2 charger 18 and the AC charger 20, but the stable range is adjusted to be narrow. The work is difficult.

The second problem is that the paper 17 holds the charge necessary to transfer the toner particle image on the photoreceptor 10, and the paper 17 is in direct contact with the photoreceptor 1o. . As described above, the second charger 18 charges the paper 17 and the AC charger 20 removes the charge on the paper 17.
Since the paper 17 is provided in close proximity to the No. 2 charger 18 as a charge supply source and the charger A as a charge absorption source, the paper 17 is
Since the paper 17 acts as an electrical resistor connecting it to the C charger 2o, the magnitude of the electrical resistance value of the paper 17 changes the amount of charge held by the paper 17. Therefore paper 1
In order for No. 7 to have the necessary charge for transfer, it is necessary to adjust the amount of charge applied by No. 2 charger 18 according to the electrical resistance of paper 17. However, there is only one type of copying paper used in electrophotographic devices. However, its electrical resistance value is also not a constant value. Furthermore, it is well known that the electrical resistance of a single type of copy paper changes greatly depending on the environment in which it is placed, especially humidity conditions. It is extremely difficult to maintain transcription of . Furthermore, in order to transfer a toner image, the surface potential of paper 17 is usually 2.
However, when paper 17 having such a high potential X charge comes into direct contact with photoreceptor 10, dielectric breakdown of the photoreceptor layer of photoreceptor 10 occurs, causing damage to the photoreceptor layer. There is a risk of damaging the

Third, the copy paper 17, which has been electrostatically attracted to the photoreceptor 10 after being charged by the second charger 18, is transferred to the photoreceptor 10.
This problem is caused by the fact that the force that separates the sheet 17 from the sheet 17 is due to the mechanical rigidity of the sheet 17 itself. AC charger 2
0 eliminates the charge held by the paper 17, but does not apply a force to actively separate the paper 17 from the photoreceptor 1o.

Therefore, when using paper that is thin and has low rigidity, even if a small amount of charge remains on the paper, there is a high risk that the paper will not be separated from the photoreceptor 10 and a paper jam will occur.

Furthermore, the paper 17 is separated from the photoreceptor 10 due to the rigidity of the paper itself, and it takes a certain amount of time determined by the rigidity of the paper to separate the sheets. Therefore, when the rotational speed of the photoreceptor 10 is high, the separation speed of the paper 17 is relatively slow, increasing the risk of separation failure and paper jam.

Fourth, the conveying force of the conveyor belt 22 to convey the paper 17 is generated by the suction force of the fan and the size of the opening provided in the conveyor belt 22, so it is not necessarily strong enough. Due to this problem, sufficient paper conveyance force cannot be obtained for paper with a small suction area, such as small-area paper or curled paper, and the paper is often not fully conveyed to the fixing device 24, resulting in paper jams.

The fifth problem is caused by the fact that the conveyor belt 22 does not have a means to remove and clean toner particles attached to its surface. There is a risk that it will adhere to the back side of the paper and cause so-called back staining of the copy paper.

In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention eliminates the need for an AC charger for static elimination, enables good toner image transfer regardless of the type of paper or the environmental conditions in which it is placed, and forcibly removes the paper from the photoreceptor after transfer. An electrophotographic apparatus equipped with a new electrostatic transfer/conveyance device having the power to separate, hold, and convey is disclosed, and a cleaning device for keeping the transfer/conveyance device clean at all times is disclosed.

Means for Solving the Problems The electrophotographic apparatus of the present invention includes a toner particle conveying means for holding and conveying charged toner particles on an electrostatic latent image, and a developing device for supplying the charged toner particles to the conveying means. and a portion adjacent to the conveying means.

The electrical resistance is 1010 to 1013.
An endless belt means having a portion made of an Ω-leaf semiconductor material, a belt driving means for driving the belt means, and a charge applying means for applying an electric charge having a polarity opposite to that of the toner particles to the belt means. a copy paper feeding means for feeding the copy paper so as to enter the vicinity of the conveyance means and the belt means; a cleaning means for cleaning a surface of the belt means facing the conveyance means; The cleaning means and support means for the belt means provided at opposing positions with the belt means interposed therebetween, the toner adhered by the cleaning means to the surface of the endless belt means facing the conveying means. It is configured to remove particles.

According to the above-described structure, the charge imparting means is formed of a semiconductor material having an electrical resistance of 1010 to 10"Q-cm of the belt means in the vicinity of the vicinity of the toner particle conveying means and the belt means. By applying a charge to the copy paper fed by the paper feeding means, the electrostatic charge between the polarized charge due to electrostatic induction of the copy paper and the true charge of the belt means is eliminated, without directly applying a charge to the copy paper fed by the paper feeding means. The copy paper is attracted and conveyed onto the belt means by gravity.

The transfer of the toner particles is performed by the charge applying means applying the electric charge to the belt means to have a polarity opposite to that of the toner particles on the conveying means. That is, the toner particles are attracted toward the belt means by the electrostatic attraction between the charges on the belt means and the charges on the toner particles, and are transferred onto the copy paper adsorbed on the belt means. Furthermore, since the copy paper does not have a true electric charge and is attracted onto the belt means by polarized charges, there is no need to eliminate static electricity from the copy paper when separating the toner particle conveying means from the copy paper, and in addition, the above-mentioned copy paper The electrostatic adsorption force between the paper and the belt means acts as a forcing force that separates the copy paper from the toner particle transport means, making it more stable than conventional electrophotographic devices that rely on the mechanical rigidity of the copy paper. The separated copy sheets are separated.

Furthermore, a cleaning means is provided for the belt means which is disposed close to the toner particle conveying means and whose surface is unavoidably contaminated by toner particles, and the cleaning means is ensured to act on the belt means. By providing support means for the belt means, the surface of the belt means can always be kept clean and good copying operation can be maintained.

EXAMPLE Hereinafter, an electrophotographic apparatus according to an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the configuration of an electrophotographic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of essential parts of an electrophotographic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 2 is a partial front view for explaining the toner particle transfer operation of the electrophotographic apparatus.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, 1o is the latent image holding means and L.
7 rotatable photoconductors; 11 is a grounded conductor provided on the back surface of the photoconductor 10; 12 is a charger No. 1 for charging the photoconductor 1o; 14 is a static conductor on the photoconductor 10; a developing device for supplying charged toner particles to the electrostatic latent image, 16 a paper feeder for supplying copy paper in the direction of the photoreceptor 10, 17 a copy paper, and 26 supplied by the paper feeder 16; The electrical resistance for conveying paper 1γ is 10
A conveyor belt as an endless belt means made of a semiconductor material with a resistance of 10 to 1013 Ω-α; 28 is a drive roller that is rotationally driven to drive the conveyor belt; 3o;
3 is a rotatable grounding roller whose portion that contacts the inside of the conveyor belt 26 is a conductive portion made of an electrically conductive material; 31 is a grounding spring for grounding the conductive portion of the grounding roller 30; and 32 is a conveyor belt. 26 is a winding roller for contacting the photoreceptor 1o at a required winding angle, 34 is a transfer charger as a charge applying means for applying electric charge to the conveyor belt 26, and 36 is a roller for cleaning the surface of the conveyor belt 260. It is a cleaning device.

The operation of the electrophotographic apparatus configured as described above will be described below. In FIG. 1, after a charge is uniformly applied to the rotating photoreceptor 1o by the No. 1 charger 12, an image of the document surface is exposed to light through a required optical system (not shown), so that the photoreceptor 10 is placed on the photoreceptor 10. An electrostatic latent image corresponding to the original surface image is formed.

The developing device 14 charges the toner particles in a substantially negative manner, and charges the toner particles in the photosensitive member 1.
The electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor 1° is developed and visualized by supplying it to the surface of the photoreceptor 1°. A paper feeder 16 feeds copy paper toward the photoreceptor 10 in synchronization with the rotation of the photoreceptor 10 . The drive roller 28 is rotated in conjunction with the paper feeder 16, and at the same time, the transfer charger 34 supplies electric charge to the conveyance belt 26. The transfer charger 34 is a corona discharger made of a thin tungsten wire stretched as a discharge body,
The photoreceptor 10 and the discharge surface are arranged so as to face each other through the contact point between the photoreceptor 1o and the conveyor belt 26, and the grounded conductor portion 11 provided on the back surface of the photoreceptor 10 is placed opposite to the photoreceptor 10. It is configured to generate a corona as an electrode and apply an electric charge to the conveyor belt 26 near the point of contact with the photoreceptor 1o. At this time, if the winding roller 32 is made of a grounded conductive material, the winding row 232 can also act as a counter electrode for the discharge of the transfer charger 34.
The charge image applied from the transfer charger 34 to the conveyor belt 26 can be controlled. Since the conveyor belt 26 is made of a semiconductor material with an electrical resistance of 10 to 10 Ω-m, it is provided with a ground roller 30 or a winding roller 2.
Even if 32 is formed of a grounded conductive material, it acts as a stable resistor between the transfer charger 34 as a charge supply source and the ground roller 30 and winding row 232 as charge relaxation sources, and the transfer charger The charge supplied from 34 is held stably. According to measurements, when the voltage applied to the transfer charger 34 is +6.5 W, a surface potential of 2.5 W to 3 KV can be obtained on the surface of the conveying belt 26 in the vicinity of the contact point with the photoreceptor 1o. FIG. 3 shows the toner particle transfer operation. In FIG. 3, a charge is applied to the conveyor belt 26 by the transfer charger 34.

The copy paper 17 is polarized by this electric charge, and the conveyor belt 2
The copy paper 17 is attracted onto the conveyor belt 26 by generating electrostatic attraction between the true charges on the copy paper 6 and the polarized charges on the copy paper 17.

The θ-charged toner particles on the photoreceptor 1o are attracted to the conveyor belt 26 by electrostatic attraction with the true charge on the conveyor belt 26 or the polarized charge of the paper 17 near the contact point between the photoreceptor 10 and the conveyor belt 26. direction, the conveyor belt 26
The image is transferred onto the copy paper that is adsorbed above. Photoreceptor 1
When selenium is used as zero, its surface potential is 800V.
In order to overcome this selenium surface potential and transfer toner particles, the surface potential of the conveyor belt 26 needs to be 2 KV or more. 2.51 for the conveyor belt!
A high potential of y~3KV can be obtained and good transfer can be achieved.

As described above, the toner particles on the photoreceptor 1o are transferred to the copy paper 17.
The force for transferring the image is generated by the electric charge applied to the conveyor belt 26. Therefore, if the electrical resistance value of the conveyor belt 26 is determined, the type of copy paper 1 and the copy paper 17 to be used can be determined.
Stable toner particle transfer can be maintained regardless of the environment in which the toner particles are placed. Furthermore, there is essentially no need for an AC charger for neutralizing the copy paper as in the conventional example, and stable toner particle transfer can be performed because there is no component that interferes with the transfer function.

The paper 17 with the toner particles transferred and retained from the surface of the photoreceptor 10 is conveyed as driven by the conveyor belt 26, separated from the conveyor belt 26 at the position of the grounding roller 3o, and sent in two to the fixing device 24. The surface of the conveyor belt 26 that has separated the paper 17 is cleaned by a cleaning device 36, and is again driven to the toner particle transfer position. As the cleaning device, it is possible to use the method used for cleaning the g-light body 10, and cleaning blades, fur brushes, etc. are useful. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a cleaning blade 38 is used, and the back surface of the conveyor belt 28 with which the cleaning blade 38 comes into contact is made of an elastic material and has a surface that has a low coefficient of friction with the conveyor belt 26 and low sliding resistance. By providing the support member 4o made of a material, it is possible to ensure that the cleaning blade 38 is in contact with the conveyor belt 26 and to prevent the load of driving the conveyor belt 26 from increasing.

What is important here is that the conveyor belt 26 is made of a semiconductive material having an electrical resistance of 10 to 10 ohms. As mentioned above, the conveyor belt 26 is attached to the photoreceptor 1o.
A photoreceptor 10 is used to transfer the toner particles on the paper 17.
It is necessary to have a surface potential of 2KV or more in the vicinity of the contact point with the photoconductor 1o, but at the same time, after passing through the entire vicinity of the contact point with the photoreceptor 1o, the retained charge must be gradually relaxed. is desirable. One of the reasons for this is that the paper 1, which is attracted to the conveyor belt 26 and conveyed, must be separated from the conveyor belt 26 at the position of the ground roller 3o and sent to the fixing device 24, but the sheet is conveyed at the position of the ground roller 30. If belt 26 still holds a high charge, paper 1
7 becomes difficult to separate from the conveyor belt 26. Furthermore, as long as the conveyor belt 26 performs the function of transferring charged toner particles, it is inevitable that the charged toner particles will adhere to the surface thereof, so a cleaning device 36 is provided to clean the entire surface of the conveyor belt 26. However, if the conveyor belt 26 has a high charge and a strong electrostatic attraction is exerted between it and the toner particles, it becomes difficult to stably separate and remove the toner particles from the surface of the conveyor belt 26. . For example, the cleaning blade 38
Cleaning is possible by increasing the contact pressure on the conveyor belt 26, but this increases the frictional resistance between the conveyor belt 26 and the cleaning blade 38, increasing the driving load on the conveyor belt 26, and furthermore, the conveyor belt 26 and the contact portion of the cleaning blade 38 with the conveyor belt 26 increases, causing problems such as a shortened cleaning life. When the conveyor belt 26 is made of a material with a low electrical resistance of less than 10Ω-α, the ground roller 30
Rapid charge relaxation occurs, and the potential required for transfer cannot be obtained on the surface of the conveyor belt 26. Although it is possible to raise the surface potential of the conveyor belt 26 to the required value by grounding the ground roller 3o through a high resistance of about 100, this will reduce the potential of the conveyor belt 26 through the ground roller 3Q. There is a great risk that charge relaxation will be hindered and the problems described above will occur. When the electrical resistance of the conveyor belt 26 is lowered, the paper 17
Since the interfacial resistance between the conveyor belt 26 and the conveyor belt 26 becomes smaller, the true electric charge of the conveyor belt 26 transfers to the paper 17, and the sheet 17 has the same polar charge as the conveyor belt 26, so that the paper 17 and the conveyor belt 26
It has been observed that the suction force between the paper 17 and the photoreceptor 10 decreases, resulting in poor separation between the paper 17 and the photoreceptor 10 and poor conveyance of the paper 17, making it unsuitable for practical use.

Conversely, if the conveyor belt 26 is made of a material with a high electrical resistance of 10 Ω-m or more, the surface potential of the conveyor belt 26 will be sufficiently high, but the relaxation of the charge from the ground roller 3° will be extremely small. In addition to the above-mentioned problems, when charges are repeatedly applied to the conveyor belt 26 from the transfer charger 34, the conveyor belt 260 gradually
This method is not suitable for practical use because the surface potential increases, and there is a risk that dielectric breakdown of the photoreceptor 10 may occur in the vicinity of the contact portion with the photoreceptor 1o.

As mentioned above, in this embodiment, the conveyor belt 26 is
It is essential that it be constructed of a semiconducting material with an electrical resistance of ~10 Ω-(7). Further, the grounding roller 3o is useful for alleviating the electric charge that the conveyor belt 26 has. In this embodiment, this is also used as a driving means for stretching and driving the conveyor belt 26, simplifying the configuration of the apparatus, but it may of course be provided separately from the driving means for the conveyor belt 26. In addition to the grounding roller, it is also conceivable to use a member having a static elimination function, such as a so-called static elimination brush.

In this embodiment, a corona discharger is used as the transfer charger 34. There is also a method of applying a charge by energizing, such as by bringing a conductive brush into contact with the conveyor belt 26 and applying a voltage to the conductive brush, but this method tends to cause pinholes and other damage to the photoreceptor 1Q, and the dielectric strength is low. When the current is low, too much current flows from the scratched part, causing so-called leakage, which makes it difficult to maintain a stable charging force, and in severe cases, there is a risk of damaging the photoreceptor 10. There are problems in practical use.

Further, when a corona discharger is used as the transfer charger 34, the conductor portion 11 on the back surface of the photoreceptor 10 can be used as a counter electrode for corona discharge. Conveyor belt 2θ
The fact that the corona discharger is interposed between the transfer charger 34 and the photoreceptor 10 does not impair the function of the corona discharger. Of course, it is also possible to actively provide other counter electrodes other than the conductor portion 11 on the back surface of the photoreceptor 10 to adjust and control the operation of the corona discharger, but it is possible to adjust and control the operation of the corona discharger. In order to apply an electric charge to the conveyor belt 26 near the contact point, it is convenient to dispose the transfer charger 34 so as to substantially face the conductor portion 11 of the photoreceptor 1o with the conveyor belt 26 interposed therebetween.

Further, in this embodiment, the conveyor belt 26 is provided so as to partially contact the photoreceptor 1°, but the conveyor belt 26
and photoreceptor 1o are necessarily 1. They do not need to be in contact with each other; toner particles can be transferred even if they are separated by a slight gap. At this time, the copy paper 17 is transferred to the conveyor belt 26.
Providing an auxiliary means for pressing and contacting the paper 17 improves the adhesion between the charged conveyor belt and the paper 17.
The transfer of toner particles and the separation and conveyance of the paper 17 from the photoreceptor are improved.

Effects of the Invention As described above, the present invention provides a toner particle conveying means for holding and conveying charged toner particles on an electrostatic latent image, a developing means for supplying the charged toner particles to the conveying means, and a developing means for supplying the charged toner particles to the conveying means. an endless belt means having a portion made of a semiconductive material having an electrical resistance of 1010 to 1015 Ω1, which is provided in close proximity to the means; a belt driving means for driving the belt means; a charge applying means for applying a charge having a polarity opposite to that of the toner particles; a copy paper feed means for feeding the copy paper so as to be inserted into the vicinity of the conveying means and the belt means; and the belt means. cleaning means for cleaning a surface facing the conveying means, and supporting means for the belt means provided at a position facing the cleaning means and the belt means, the belt means of the cleaning means By ensuring the operation of the belt means, the surface of the belt means, which is unavoidably contaminated by toner particles, can be kept clean at all times, and good copying operation can be maintained.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the configuration of an electrophotographic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of essential parts of an electrophotographic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a partial front view for explaining the toner particle transfer operation of the electrophotographic apparatus in the embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a front view showing the configuration of an example of a conventional electrophotographic apparatus. 10...Photoreceptor, 11...Conductor portion, 1
2...Original...No. 1 charger, 14...Developer, 16.Old...Paper feeder, 17...Copy paper,
18...2nd charger, 20...A
C charger, 22... group/conveyor belt, 24...
...Fuser, 26...Conveyor belt, 28...River/drive roller, 30...Grounding roller, 31...
...Earth spring, 32...Wrap roller, 34
...Song/transfer charger, 36...Cleaning device, 38...Cleaning blade, 4o...
...Supporting member. Name of agent: Patent attorney Toshio Nakao and 1 other person No. 1
Figure 30 Grounding roller Figure 3

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A toner particle conveyance means for holding and conveying charged toner particles on an electrostatic latent image, a developing means for supplying the charged toner particles to the conveyance means, and a portion adjacent to the conveyance means. The electrical resistance provided is 10^1^0
An endless belt means having a portion made of a semiconductor material of ~10^1^3 Ω-cm, a belt driving means for driving the belt means, and an electric charge having a polarity opposite to that of the toner particles to the belt means. a charge applying means for applying;
a copy paper feeding means for feeding the copy paper so as to be inserted into a portion adjacent to the conveyance means and the belt means; a cleaning means for cleaning a surface of the belt means facing the conveyance means; support means for the belt means provided at positions facing each other with the belt means in between, the belt means being charged by the charge applying means in the vicinity of a location where the belt means and the conveyance means are close to each other; configured so as to hold
As a result, the toner particles conveyed to the surface of the conveying means are electrostatically transferred onto the copy paper fed by the copy paper feeding means, and the cleaning means removes the conveying means of the endless belt means. An electrophotographic apparatus characterized in that the electrophotographic apparatus is configured to remove toner particles attached to a surface facing the. (2) The support means for the belt means provided at a position facing the cleaning means across the belt means has a surface that comes into contact with the belt means made of a material having a low coefficient of friction with the belt means. An electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: