WO2003003125A1 - Dispositif de developpement et dispositif de formation d'images le contenant - Google Patents
Dispositif de developpement et dispositif de formation d'images le contenant Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO2003003125A1 WO2003003125A1 PCT/JP2002/006446 JP0206446W WO03003125A1 WO 2003003125 A1 WO2003003125 A1 WO 2003003125A1 JP 0206446 W JP0206446 W JP 0206446W WO 03003125 A1 WO03003125 A1 WO 03003125A1
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- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- belt member
- driving
- developing device
- belt
- roller
- Prior art date
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Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
- G03G15/00—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern
- G03G15/06—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern for developing
- G03G15/08—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern for developing using a solid developer, e.g. powder developer
- G03G15/0806—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern for developing using a solid developer, e.g. powder developer on a donor element, e.g. belt, roller
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- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
- G03G15/00—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern
- G03G15/06—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern for developing
- G03G15/08—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern for developing using a solid developer, e.g. powder developer
- G03G15/0806—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern for developing using a solid developer, e.g. powder developer on a donor element, e.g. belt, roller
- G03G15/0808—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern for developing using a solid developer, e.g. powder developer on a donor element, e.g. belt, roller characterised by the developer supplying means, e.g. structure of developer supply roller
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- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
- G03G2215/00—Apparatus for electrophotographic processes
- G03G2215/06—Developing structures, details
- G03G2215/0634—Developing device
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a developing device that develops an electrostatic latent image formed on an image carrier using a developer, and an image forming apparatus including the same.
- the present invention relates to a traveling wave having a constant potential distribution and a traveling direction.
- the present invention relates to a method of transporting a developer using an electric field which changes with time (hereinafter referred to as a traveling wave electric field).
- a developing device used in an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic process such as a copying machine or a laser printer
- development is performed without bringing a developer carrier such as a developing sleeve into contact with an image carrier such as a photosensitive drum.
- Attention has been paid to a developing device that performs the above.
- a developing device for example, a developing device of a powder dark loud system, a jumbo developing system, or a system using a traveling wave electric field has been proposed.
- Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-181, I (published on Oct. 15, 1998)
- Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-189 A developing device disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 371 (published October 26, 1998) o
- Each of the developing devices described in the above two publications includes a power supply for generating alternating voltages having phases different from each other, and a plurality of electrodes arranged at predetermined intervals on a plate-like developer conveying member. With alternating voltage applied to each electrode The developer is supplied to the photosensitive drum by the obtained traveling wave electric field.
- the present inventors have arranged a loop-shaped belt member provided so as to cover the developer conveying member, and arranged to contact an inner peripheral surface of the belt member.
- a developing device that includes a driving roller and rotates the driving roller to move the belt member, thereby removing charge on the surface of the developer conveying member that conveys the developer and removing the residual developer.
- the developing device it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the image quality due to the charging of the developer conveying member and the uneven density.
- the traveling wave electric field formed on the surface of the belt member becomes non-uniform, and the developer cannot be stably conveyed. May be. If the developer cannot be stably conveyed in this manner, uneven density occurs in the developed image. Therefore, in the above-described developing device, the developer conveying member and the belt member need to be brought into uniform contact with each other in a state close to close contact.
- the developer conveying member and the belt member are close to each other. If the contact is made even in this state, a load is applied to the rotation of the belt member due to the frictional force between the developer conveying member and the belt member. That is, in the developing device, it is necessary to rotate the belt member by the driving roller so as to overcome the rotational load due to such frictional force.
- the first method is to increase the driving force by increasing the tension of the belt member.
- the tension of the belt member is increased, a problem arises that the rotational load due to the frictional force between the developer conveying member and the belt member is rather increased.
- the second method is a method of reducing the rotational load itself due to friction between the developer conveying member and the belt member by relaxing the tension of the belt member.
- the tension of the belt member is relaxed, a slight gap is created between the developer transport member and the belt member, and the belt member whose tension is loosened vibrates due to the traveling wave electric field formed in the developer transport member.
- unpleasant noise is generated.
- a third method is to increase the size of the drive roller so that the contact area between the drive roller and the belt member increases.
- increasing the size of the driving roller causes a problem in that the size of the entire developing device is increased and the cost is increased.
- the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and is provided with a developing device which is highly silent, can be reduced in size and costs, and is provided. It is an object to provide an image forming apparatus. Disclosure of the invention
- the developing device of the present invention includes a developer transport unit that transports the developer toward the image carrier using an electric field whose potential distribution changes in a traveling wave shape having a certain traveling direction.
- a belt member provided so as to cover the surface of the developer conveying means facing the image carrier; and a driving means for rotating the belt member around the developer conveying means in contact with the belt member.
- a driving auxiliary means provided so as to sandwich the belt member between the driving means and the driving means. That is, in the developing device of the present invention, the developer is transported toward the image carrier by the developer transporting means using an electric field (traveling wave electric field) in which the potential distribution changes in a traveling wave shape having a certain traveling direction. .
- the surface of the developer conveying means may be charged by contact with the developer, or the developer may be fixed on the developer conveying means.
- the developer transport means is charged in this way, the transport of the developer may become unstable, or density unevenness may occur in an image obtained by developing the electrostatic latent image.
- the belt member provided so as to cover the surface of the developer conveying means facing the image carrier, and the belt member in contact with the belt member and moving the belt member around the developer conveying means. And a driving means for rotating.
- the traveling wave electric field appearing on the surface of the belt member from the developer conveying means via the belt member becomes non-uniform, and the developer is conveyed. In some cases, it cannot be transported stably.
- the developing device of the present invention particularly includes a driving auxiliary means provided so as to sandwich the belt member between the developing means and the driving means. That is, the belt member is sandwiched between the driving means and the driving auxiliary means. Therefore, the contact pressure between the driving means and the belt member increases, and the belt member can be rotated so as to overcome the rotational load caused by the frictional force between the developer conveying means and the belt member.
- the driving means can rotate the belt member even when the belt member has a certain rotational load. Therefore, since it is not necessary to lower the tension of the belt member in order to reduce the rotational load, unpleasant noise generated by the vibration of the belt member can be prevented, and the quietness can be improved.
- the driving means and the driving auxiliary means only need to increase the force for clamping the belt member. There is no need to increase the contact area with Therefore, sufficient driving force can be obtained even with a small driving means. Therefore, the size of the developing device can be reduced, and the cost of the developing device can be reduced.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing one embodiment of a developing device according to the present invention.
- FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus including the developing device.
- FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a toner conveying member in the developing device.
- FIG. 4 is a waveform diagram showing an example of a voltage waveform of an alternating voltage applied to each electrode of the toner conveying member.
- FIGS. 5A and 5B are explanatory diagrams showing states of a driving auxiliary roller, a belt driving roller, and a belt member in the developing device.
- FIG. 5A shows a state where the surface of the driving auxiliary roller is the surface of the belt driving roller.
- (B) shows the state of the belt member when the surface of the driving auxiliary roller is harder than the surface of the belt driving roller.
- FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram showing another embodiment of the developing device according to the present invention.
- FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram showing still another embodiment of the developing device according to the present invention.
- the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a cylindrical photosensitive drum (image carrier) 2 rotatable clockwise as indicated by an arrow A in FIG.
- An exposure device 4, a developing device 5, a transfer device 6, a cleaning device 7, a static elimination device 8, and a fixing device 9 of the present invention are provided.
- the charging device 3, the exposure device 4, the developing device 5, the transfer device 6, the cleaning device 7, and the static eliminator 8 are arranged along the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 2 in this order. In addition, they are arranged on the outer circumference of the photosensitive drum 2 respectively.
- the photoreceptor drum 2 carries an electrostatic latent image formed by the exposure device 4, and has a base layer 10 formed on its outer peripheral surface, and further has an outer peripheral surface of the base layer 10. Has a thin-film photoconductive layer 11 formed thereon.
- the base layer 10 is formed of a metal such as aluminum.
- the photoconductive layer 11 is formed of a material such as amorphous silicon (a-Si), selenium (Se), an organic photoconductor (OPC), or the like.
- the charging device 3 uniformly charges the photoconductive layer 11 on the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 2 to a predetermined potential.
- a corona charger including a charging wire such as a stainless steel wire, a metal shield plate, and a grid plate, a charging roller, and a charging brush can be used.
- Exposure device 4 is provided around outer periphery of photoreceptor drum 2 charged by charging device 3.
- the photoconductive layer 11 on the surface is exposed to laser light or the like based on, for example, image data from a host computer to form an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductive layer 11.
- a semiconductor laser or a light emitting diode can be used as the exposure device 4, for example, a semiconductor laser or a light emitting diode can be used.
- the developing device 5 supplies the toner (developer) T onto the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 and visualizes the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 as a toner image.
- the developing device 5 is a feature of the present invention, and a detailed description thereof will be described later.
- the transfer device 6 transfers the toner image visualized on the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 to a recording medium P such as PPC (Plain Paper Copy) paper.
- a recording medium P such as PPC (Plain Paper Copy) paper.
- a corona transfer device, a transfer roller, or a transfer brush can be used.
- the cleaning device 7 removes toner T, paper dust, and the like remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 2.
- a blade formed of a brass plate can be used as the cleaning device 7, for example.
- the static eliminator 8 removes a potential remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 2.
- a static elimination lamp can be used.
- the fixing device 9 transfers the toner image transferred to the recording medium P onto the recording medium P.
- the image forming apparatus 1 performs recording by a so-called electrophotographic process, which includes a charging step by a charging unit 3, an exposure step by an exposure unit 4, a development step by a development unit 5, and a transfer step by a transfer unit 6. A desired image is formed on the medium P.
- Conveying member (developer conveying means) A certain distance is provided between the photoconductor drum 2 and the photoconductor drum 2, and the developing device 5 transfers the electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor drum 2 in a non-contact state. It is configured to develop.
- the configuration for developing the electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor drum 2 is not limited to this configuration, and the toner-conveying member 15 is brought into contact with the photoconductor drum 2 to perform development. It may have a configuration.
- the developing device 5 includes a housing 12, a mixing paddle 13, a toner supply roller 14, a toner conveying member 15, a belt member 16, and a toner collection roller 17.
- the housing 12 accommodates the toner T therein, and supports the members constituting the developing device 5 as necessary.
- the mixing paddle 13 rotates inside the housing 12 and mixes the toner T and the carrier with each other.
- the toner supply roller 14 is for supplying the toner T to the toner conveying member 15, is in contact with the surface of the belt member 16, and is rotatably provided.
- the toner supply roller 14 is made of, for example, silicon rubber, urethane, solid rubber that is EDM (Ethylene Propylene Diene Methylene), or foam rubber.
- conductivity may be imparted by adding a conductive agent to the toner supply roller 14 to the surface of the toner supply roller 14.
- a conductive agent to the toner supply roller 14 to the surface of the toner supply roller 14.
- One T can be electrostatically attracted and supplied to the toner conveying member 15.
- a thin plate-shaped supply blade 20 made of the same material as the toner supply roller 14 is provided in front of the toner supply roller 14 and is electrostatically attracted by the supply blade 20. It is also possible to supply the toner to the toner conveying member 15.
- the toner conveying member 15 is a plate-like body that generates a traveling wave electric field for conveying the toner ⁇ on a belt member 16 described later, and includes a multi-phase AC power supply 21 and a developing bias power supply 22. It is connected. The configuration for causing the toner transport member 15 to generate a traveling wave electric field will be described later.
- the toner conveying member 15 is provided on the housing 12 via a supporting member 23 so as to face the photosensitive drum 2 (FIG. 2).
- the support member 23 holds the toner conveying member 15 in a state where the toner conveying member 15 is opposed to the photosensitive drum 2, and is made of ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) resin or the like. Can be formed.
- the surface of the toner conveying member 15 facing the photoconductor drum 2 is formed into a curved surface that swells (protrudes) toward the photoconductor drum 2.
- the shape of the surface of the toner conveying member 15 facing the photoreceptor drum 2 is not limited to the above-described curved surface, and may be a curved surface having a semi-circular cross-section. It may be a flat surface.
- the belt member 16 prevents the toner conveying member 15 from being charged and also prevents the toner T from sticking to the toner conveying member 15.
- the belt member 16 is formed in an endless track shape, is disposed so as to cover the periphery of the toner conveying member 15, and is connected to a belt drive roller 18 described later by an arrow B in FIG. Direction (belt on photoreceptor drum 2 (The direction opposite to the moving direction of the position facing the member 16).
- the belt member 16 is made of polyimide, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene propylene, PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), or the like.
- Organic insulating material, or a rubber material such as silicon, isoprene, or butadiene.
- the thickness of the belt member 16 is in the range of 5 / zm to 200 / zm, and preferably in the range of 10 / zm to 100im.
- the toner collecting roller 17 is for collecting the toner T which does not contribute to the development of the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 2 and returning it to the inside of the housing 12.
- the belt member 16 is rotatably provided in contact with the belt member 16 on the downstream side in the driving direction.
- the toner collection roller 17 the same one as the toner supply roller 14 described above can be used.
- the toner supply roller 14 and the toner collection roller 17 may be provided so as not to contact the belt member 16 or may be provided not to rotate.
- the belt drive roller 18 is formed in a cylindrical shape and drives the belt member 16. At the same time, the belt member 16 is neutralized, and the toner T remaining on the belt member 16 is removed.
- the belt drive roller 18 is provided so as to contact the inner peripheral surface of the belt member 16.
- the belt drive port 18 is rotated at a predetermined peripheral speed by a drive mechanism (not shown).
- the belt driving roller 18 drives the belt member 16 within a speed range of about 110 to 1/1100 with respect to the conveying speed of the toner T on the belt member 16. It is preferable.
- the transfer speed of the toner T can be measured, for example, by providing two infrared sensors and detecting the time at which the toner T arrives with each sensor, or by using a high-speed video camera. Yes (see IS & Ts NIP 15: 1999 International Conference on Digital Printing Technologies, pp. 262-265) 0
- the belt drive port 18 can use a metal roller such as stainless steel (SUS) or iron. Further, the surface of the belt driving roller 18 is preferably coated with an elastic member such as silicon rubber, urethane, solid rubber such as EPDM, foam rubber, film, or sponge. .
- SUS stainless steel
- an elastic member such as silicon rubber, urethane, solid rubber such as EPDM, foam rubber, film, or sponge.
- the surface of the belt drive opening 18 may be made conductive by adding a ionic black conductive agent to the above-mentioned material.
- the belt drive roller 18 may have a plate shape or a prism shape.
- the drive assist roller 19 is formed in a cylindrical shape having a smaller diameter than the belt drive roller 18 so that the belt drive roller 18 can drive the belt member 16 more efficiently. And the belt via belt member 16 The drive roller 18 is provided so as to be in contact with the drive roller 18. In other words, the drive assist roller 19 and the belt drive roller 18 sandwich the belt member 16 therebetween, thereby increasing the contact pressure between the belt member 16 and the belt drive roller 18. .
- the belt member 16 In order to increase the contact pressure, the belt member 16
- biasing means such as a plate panel or a coil spring that biases toward 8.
- the drive assist roller 19 is provided rotatably with respect to the housing 12.
- the rotation of the driving assist port 19 is performed by being connected to the belt driving port 18 by a gear (not shown), even if it is driven by the rotation of the belt member 16.
- the belt drive roller 18 is connected to the belt drive roller 18 by a pulley (not shown) and a belt (not shown). It may be performed by a source.
- the drive assist roller 19 is rotated at a peripheral speed different from the peripheral speed of the belt drive roller 18.
- the peripheral speed of the drive assist roller 19 is set to a value greater than the peripheral speed of the belt drive roller 18.
- the drive assist roller 19 may be plate-shaped or prismatic, like the belt drive roller 18.
- a metal mouth made of metal such as stainless steel (SUS) or iron can be used as the driving assist roller 19 .
- the surface of the drive assist roller 19 be covered with an elastic member such as rubber, film, sponge or the like.
- a conductive agent may be added to the surface of the drive assist roller 19 by adding a conductive agent to these materials. It is preferable that the surface of the driving auxiliary roller 19 is covered with a member softer than the surface of the belt driving roller 18. The reason for this will be described later.
- the developing device 5 can supply the toner ⁇ ⁇ stirred by the mixing paddle 13 in the housing 12 to the belt member 16 by the toner supply roller 14. Then, the toner supplied on the belt member 16 can be moved on the belt member 16 by the traveling wave electric field generated by the toner conveying member 15 and supplied to the photosensitive drum 2.
- the toner transport member 15 is formed by stacking three layers. That is, the toner conveying member 15 includes a surface protective layer 24 formed on the side facing the photoreceptor drum 2 (FIG. 2) and a base material layer 2 formed inside the developing device 5 (FIG. 2). 5 and an insulating layer 26 formed between the surface protective layer 24 and the base material layer 25.
- polyimide having a thickness of about 25 m can be used.
- a plurality of electrodes 27 are buried inside the insulating layer 26 so that the intervals t between the adjacent electrodes 27 are equal to each other.
- the interval t between adjacent electrodes 27 is 85 ⁇ m to 500 ⁇ m (50 dpi to 3 It is set within the range of 0 0 dpi).
- the width W of the electrodes 27 is set in the range of 40 m to 250 m according to the value of the distance t between the electrodes 27 described above.
- the electrodes 27 a copper electrode having a thickness of about 18 m can be used. Further, the electrodes 27 are connected to a polyphase AC power supply 21 and a development bias power supply 22.
- the polyphase AC power source 21 used here generates a four-phase AC voltage.
- alternating voltages having four different phases are applied from the polyphase AC power supply 21 to the four electrodes 27 in each set. .
- electrodes 27a to 27d have Alternating voltages having different voltage waveforms shifted by 90 ° from each other are applied.
- the polyphase AC power supply 21 may generate a three-phase alternating voltage.
- the voltage waveform of the alternating voltage generated by the polyphase AC power supply 21 is not limited to a square wave as shown in FIG. 4, and may be a sine wave or a trapezoidal wave.
- the voltage value of the alternating voltage is preferably in the range of 100 V to 3 kV.
- the frequency of the alternating voltage is preferably in the range of 100 Hz to 5 kHz. Note that these voltage values and frequencies are set to appropriate values in consideration of the shape of the electrodes 27, the transport speed of the toner T, the type of the toner T, and the like. It should just be set, and it is not limited to the numerical value in the above range.
- the potential distribution has a certain traveling direction.
- An electric field that changes with time in the form of a wave that is, a traveling-wave electric field, is formed.
- the toner transport member 15 can transport the toner T on the surface of the belt member 16 (FIG. 1) by the traveling wave electric field formed as described above.
- the belt member 16 becomes the drive assist roller 19.
- the radius of the belt driving roller 18 is larger than the radius of the driving auxiliary roller 19
- the amount by which the belt member 16 is pushed in does not become large enough to bend. That is, since the belt member 16 does not bend at the above-described portion, it is possible to prevent the belt member 16 from wrinkling. Therefore, it is preferable that the surface of the drive assist port 19 is covered with a softer member than the surface of the belt drive roller 18.
- the toner transport member 15 that transports the toner T toward the photosensitive drum 2 using the traveling wave electric field, and the photosensitive drum 15 of the toner one transport member 15 A belt member 16 provided so as to cover the surface opposing the belt member 2, and a belt drive roller 18 that contacts the belt member 16 and rotates the belt member 16 around the toner conveying member 15.
- the developing device 5 includes a driving assist port 19 provided to hold the belt member 16 between the developing device 5 and the belt driving roller 18.
- the developing device 5 of the present embodiment is configured by the toner conveying member 15.
- the toner T is transported toward the photosensitive drum 2 using the traveling wave electric field.
- the surface of the toner-transport member 15 may be charged by contact with the toner T, or the toner T may adhere to the toner transport member 15. is there. If the toner transport member 15 is charged in this way, the transport of the toner T may become unstable, or density unevenness may occur in an image obtained by developing the electrostatic latent image.
- the belt member 16 provided to cover the surface of the toner conveying member 15 facing the photoreceptor drum 2, and the belt member 16 in contact with the belt member 16. 6 around toner transport member 1 5 And a belt drive roller 18 that rotates.
- the uncharged surface or the surface of the velorette member 16 on which the toner T is not fixed can be opposed to the photosensitive drum 2.
- the toner T can be stably conveyed, and an image without density unevenness can be developed.
- the traveling wave electric field that appears on the surface of the belt member 16 from the toner conveying member 15 via the belt member 16 is not uniform. In some cases, toner T may not be transported stably. However, if the toner conveying member 15 and the belt member 16 are brought into close contact with each other in a uniform state, the frictional force between the toner conveying member 15 and the belt member 16 causes the rotation of the belt member 16. The load will end up.
- the developing device 5 of the present embodiment is provided with a driving auxiliary roller 19 provided so as to sandwich the belt member 16 between the developing device 5 and the belt driving roller 18.
- the belt member 16 is sandwiched between the belt drive roller 18 and the drive assist port 19. Therefore, the contact pressure between the belt drive roller 18 and the belt member 16 increases, and the belt member 16 is rotated so as to overcome the rotational load caused by the frictional force between the toner conveying member 15 and the belt member 16. be able to.
- the belt driving port 18 has some degree of rotational load on the belt member 16. Even rotate belt member 16 be able to. Therefore, since it is not necessary to lower the tension of the belt member 16 to reduce the rotational load, unpleasant noise generated by the vibration of the belt member 16 can be prevented.
- the belt driving roller 18 and the driving auxiliary roller 19 need only increase the force with which the belt member 16 is nipped. Need not be increased to increase the contact area between the belt drive roller 18 and the belt member 16. Therefore, a sufficient driving force can be obtained even with a small belt driving roller 18, so that the size of the developing device 5 can be reduced and the cost of the developing device 5 can be reduced.
- the belt driving roller 18 is provided so as to be in contact with the surface of the belt member 16 opposite to the surface on which the toner T is transported.
- the surface of the belt member 16 that conveys the toner T may be contaminated with the toner T.
- the frictional resistance between the belt member 16 and the belt driving roller 18 increases. Is lower than when the toner is not stained with the toner T, so that the driving force of the belt driving roller 18 may be weakened.
- the accumulation of dirt on the belt member 16 causes a significant reduction in the driving force of the belt driving roller 18 to the belt member 16, which may adversely affect the rotation of the belt member 16. There is a potential.
- the belt driving roller 18 is provided so as to contact the surface of the belt member 16 opposite to the surface on which the toner T is transported. Have been.
- the frictional resistance between the belt member 16 and the belt drive roller 18 is reduced. It can be maintained as it was when the device 5 was used.
- the belt driving roller 18 and the driving auxiliary roller 19 are in contact with the belt member 16 at different peripheral speeds and rotate.
- the speed at which the belt driving roller 18 sends out the belt member 16 and the driving auxiliary roller 19 Is different from the speed at which the belt member 16 is fed.
- the belt member 16 tries to deform so as to cancel the speed difference. This increases either the contact pressure between the belt member 16 and the belt driving roller 18 or the contact pressure between the belt member 16 and the driving auxiliary roller 19.
- the driving force of the belt driving port 18 or the driving auxiliary port 19 increases, and the belt member 16 is brought into close contact with the toner conveying member 15 in a more uniform state. be able to.
- the toner T can be transported more stably, and the image can be developed with a stable density.
- the driving auxiliary roller 19 is The belt is rotated in contact with the belt member 16 at a peripheral speed greater than that of the belt drive roller 18.
- the drive assist roller 19 transports the toner T of the belt member 16 rather than the speed at which the belt drive roller 18 sends out the surface of the belt member 16 that transports the toner T and the surface on the back side.
- the speed at which the surface to be sent is increased.
- the amount of deformation of the belt member 16 on the side where the toner T is conveyed becomes larger than the amount of deformation on the back side of the conveying surface. Therefore, tension is applied to the belt member 16 on the side where the toner T is transported, so that the belt member 16 contacts the toner transport member 15 in a more uniform state, and the belt member 16 The contact pressure between the belt drive roller 18 and the belt drive roller 18 also increases.
- the toner T can be stably conveyed, the quietness of the belt drive can be improved, and an image can be developed with a stable density.
- the friction coefficient between the belt member 16 and the belt driving roller 18 is larger than the friction coefficient between the belt member 16 and the driving auxiliary roller 19.
- the drive assist roller 19 when the drive assist roller 19 is disposed on the side of the belt member 16 that conveys the toner T, the drive assist roller 19 applies a drive force to the belt member 16 depending on the adhesion state of the toner T.
- the power fluctuates.
- the frictional force between the drive assist roller 19 and the belt member 16 is set to be strong, the belt driving force fluctuates greatly, and stable belt driving may be difficult.
- the belt member 16 and the belt drive port The coefficient of friction with the roller 18 is set to be larger than the coefficient of friction between the belt member 16 and the drive assist roller 19.
- the belt member 16 can be driven more stably, the toner T can be stably conveyed, and an image can be developed with a more stable density.
- a portion of the belt driving roller 18 that contacts the belt member 16 is formed of an elastic member.
- the contact between the belt driving roller 18 and the belt member 16 is improved, and a more stable belt driving force can be obtained.
- the belt member 16 can be driven more stably, the toner T can be stably conveyed, and an image can be developed with a more stable density.
- the portion of the drive assist roller 19 that contacts the belt member 16 is formed of an elastic member.
- the contact between the drive assist roller 19 and the belt member 16 is improved, and a more stable belt driving force can be obtained.
- the belt member 16 can be driven more stably, the toner T can be stably conveyed, and an image can be developed with a more stable density.
- the belt driving roller 18 and The drive assist roller 19 is a cylindrical body that rotates in contact with the belt member 16, while the radius of the belt drive roller 18 is larger than the half diameter of the drive assist roller 19,
- the elastic member at the portion of the belt drive port 18 that contacts the belt member 16 is also soft.
- the driving auxiliary roller 19 when the surface of the driving auxiliary roller 19 is covered with a member harder than the surface of the belt driving roller 18, at a portion sandwiched between the belt driving roller 18 and the driving auxiliary roller 19, The belt member 16 is pushed toward the belt drive roller 18.
- the driving auxiliary roller 19 connects the belt member 16 to the belt driving port. The amount of pushing into the la 18 becomes large, and the belt member 16 is bent at the above-mentioned portion.
- Such bending may cause wrinkles in the belt member 16, which may affect the conveyance of the toner T.
- the elastic member of the portion of the drive assist roller 19 that contacts the belt member 16 is a member that is softer than the elastic member of the portion of the belt drive roller 18 that contacts the belt member 16. ing.
- the belt member 16 is pushed toward the drive assist roller 19 at a portion sandwiched between the drive assist roller 19 and the belt drive port 18.
- the radius of the belt driving roller 18 is larger than the radius of the driving auxiliary roller 19, the amount by which the belt member 16 is pushed in does not become large enough to bend.
- the toner T can be transported.
- the surface of the belt driving roller 18 and / or the driving auxiliary roller 19 is formed of a conductive member.
- the belt member 16 needs to transmit the traveling wave electric field generated in the toner conveying member 15 to its surface, and is made of a material having a certain high resistance. Therefore, the belt member 16 may be charged up due to the contact with the toner ⁇ , the toner conveying member 15, the belt driving roller 18, or the driving auxiliary port — roller 19 which is conveyed on the belt member 16. Often happens.
- the surfaces of the belt driving roller 18 and / or the driving auxiliary roller 19 are formed of a conductive member.
- the charge on the belt member 16 can be removed by discharging the charge charged on the belt member 16 to the belt driving roller 18 or the driving auxiliary roller 19.
- the belt member 16 can be neutralized, the toner can be more stably conveyed, and the image can be developed with a stable density. Further, since there is no need to newly provide a special configuration for removing static electricity from the belt member 16, the developing device 5 can be made compact and inexpensive. Can be provided.
- the developing device 5 of the present embodiment it is possible to apply a voltage having a polarity opposite to that of the belt member 16 to the belt driving rollers 18 and Z or the driving auxiliary roller 19.
- a voltage having a polarity opposite to that of the belt member 16 can be applied to at least one of the belt driving roller 18 and the driving auxiliary roller 19. As a result, the belt member 16 can be more efficiently discharged.
- the developing device 5 of the present embodiment it is possible to apply an alternating voltage to the belt driving roller 18 and / or the driving auxiliary roller 19.
- the belt member 16 since the belt member 16 needs to transmit the traveling wave electric field generated by the toner conveying member 15 to the surface of the belt member 16, the belt member 16 is formed of a member having a relatively high resistance value. . Therefore, the contact resistance between the belt member 16 and the belt driving roller 18 or between the belt member 16 and the driving assist roller 19 increases, and applying only a voltage of a constant potential will cause the surface of the belt member 16 to have an increased resistance. It may be difficult to effectively remove charges. Therefore, in the present embodiment, in particular, the belt driving roller 18 and the or the auxiliary driving roller 19 are set so that an alternating voltage can be applied.
- the length of the portion of the belt member 16 sandwiched between the belt driving roller 18 and the driving auxiliary roller 19 is the width of the belt member 16. Shorter.
- the belt driving roller 18 and the driving auxiliary roller 19 have low resistance in order to effectively remove the static electricity from the belt member 16.
- the belt driving roller 18 and the driving auxiliary roller 19 come into contact with each other when the resistance value of the belt driving roller 18 and the resistance value of the driving auxiliary roller 19 are both low, the charge is leaked. May occur. In such a case, the electric field between the belt member 16 and the belt driving roller 18 or the driving auxiliary roller 19 is weakened, and the static elimination effect may be reduced.
- the length of the portion of the belt member 16 sandwiched between the belt driving roller 18 and the driving auxiliary roller 19 is set to be greater than the width of the belt member 16. It is configured to be shorter.
- the belt driving roller 18 and the driving auxiliary roller 19 do not come into contact with each other, and no leakage of electric charge occurs between the belt driving roller 18 and the driving auxiliary roller 19.
- the electric field formed between the belt driving roller 18 or the driving auxiliary roller 19 and the belt member 16 is not weakened, and the belt member 16 can be more effectively neutralized. it can.
- the belt member 16 has a volume resistance. Anti-rate, 1 x 1 0 8 ⁇ ⁇ en! 11 ⁇ 10 1 ⁇ ⁇ ⁇ cm.
- the volume resistivity of the belt member 16 is too large, the belt member 16 may not be sufficiently discharged. On the other hand, if the volume resistivity of the belt member 16 is too low, the traveling wave electric field generated by the toner conveying member 15 does not sufficiently appear on the belt member 16 and the toner T is stably conveyed. May not be possible.
- the toner T can be stably transported on the belt member 16 and the belt member 16 It was found that the electricity could be sufficiently removed.
- the toner ⁇ can be stably conveyed, and the belt member 16 can be sufficiently discharged.
- the developing device according to the first embodiment is different from the developing device according to the first embodiment except that the developing device includes a cleaning blade (cleaning means) 30 and a partition wall 31. It has the same configuration as device 5. Therefore, this point will be described below.
- the cleaning blade 30 is for removing the toner T adhered to the surface of the belt member 16, and the housing 12 is configured to contact the belt drive roller 18 via the belt member 16. It is fixed to.
- the toner T removed by the cleaning blade 30 is accumulated in the housing 12 and forms an electrostatic latent. Recycled for image development.
- the cleaning blade 30 can be formed of stainless steel (SUS), nickel-coated iron, urethane, silicon rubber, or the like.
- the partition wall 31 prevents the toner T accumulated in the casing 12 from adhering to the belt member 16.
- the partition member 31 and the toner T accumulated in the casing 12 The belt member 16 extends on the lower side (on the side opposite to the opposing surface of the photosensitive drum 2) so as to partition between the two. Further, the partition wall 31 is arranged adjacent to the cleaning blade 30.
- the developing device 5 of the present embodiment includes the cleaning blade 30 for removing the toner T on the belt member 16.
- the toner T adheres to the surface of the belt member 16. If the attached toner T is left unattended, the toner T may adhere to the belt member 16. As a result, the belt member 16 may not be able to stably transport the toner T, or may not be able to develop an image having an appropriate density.
- a cleaning blade 30 for removing the toner T on the belt member 16 is provided.
- the cleaning blade 30 removes the toner T on the belt member 16.
- the toner T can be transported more stably, and an image having an appropriate density can be developed.
- the cleaning blade 30 is provided in the rotation direction of the belt member 16 with respect to the driving auxiliary roller 19. It is provided on the upstream side.
- the toner T adheres to the surface of the belt member 16.
- the driving force of the belt member 16 by the driving auxiliary roller 19 may fluctuate.
- the cleaning blade 30 is provided on the upstream side in the rotational movement direction of the belt member 16 with respect to the drive assist roller 19. Therefore, the drive assist roller 19 always contacts the surface of the belt member 16 from which the toner T has been removed.
- the contact state between the drive assist roller 19 and the belt member 16 is kept constant, and is not affected by the adhesion state of the toner T on the surface of the belt member 16.
- the belt member 16 can be rotated more stably, the toner T can be transported more efficiently, and an image having an appropriate density can be developed.
- the developing device 5 includes a tension adjusting port (tension adjusting means) 40 and a biasing means (not shown),
- tension adjusting port tension adjusting means
- biasing means biasing means
- the tension adjusting roller 40 applies a tension to the belt member 16, contacts the inner peripheral surface of the belt member 16, and is higher than the drive assist roller 19. It is provided on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the tilt member 16.
- the tension adjusting roller 40 As the tension adjusting roller 40, a metal roller such as stainless steel (SUS) or iron can be used. Further, the surface of the tension adjusting roller 40 is covered with an elastic member such as rubber, film, sponge or the like. Further, the tension adjusting roller 40 may have a plate shape or a prism shape.
- SUS stainless steel
- the tension adjusting roller 40 may have a plate shape or a prism shape.
- the tension adjusting port 40 so as to be rotatable with respect to the housing 12, the rotational load of the belt member 16 due to friction between the tension adjusting roller 40 and the belt member 16 is reduced. be able to. Even if the tension adjusting roller 40 is not provided rotatably with respect to the housing 12, a member having a small coefficient of friction may be provided between the belt member 16 and the tension adjusting roller 40. With the intervening, the above-mentioned rotational load can be reduced.
- the rotation of the tension adjusting roller 40 may be performed by following the rotation of the belt member 16 or may be performed by connecting the belt driving roller 18 with a gear (not shown). Even if the belt drive roller 18 is connected to a pulley (not shown) and a belt (not shown), the belt drive roller 18 is driven by a drive source different from the belt drive port 18. There may be.
- the urging means urges the tension adjusting roller 40, and for example, a plate panel or a coil spring can be used.
- the urging means urges the tension adjusting roller 40 in the direction indicated by the arrow D in FIG. 7, that is, toward the outside of the belt member 16. By adjusting the force with which the urging means urges the tension adjusting roller 40, the belt tension can be adjusted to a desired tension.
- the developing device 5 of the present embodiment applies tension to the belt member 16. It is provided with a tension adjusting port 40 capable of adjusting the tension while providing the tension.
- the belt member 16 itself may be stretched by the tension applied to the belt member 16. Further, the circumference of the belt member 16 may be different for each developing device due to manufacturing variations.
- the driving force of the belt member 16 changes, and the belt member 16 and the toner conveying member 15 do not contact uniformly, so that the toner T cannot be stably conveyed. 6 may vibrate and generate noise.
- the belt member 16 is provided with a tension adjusting roller 40 capable of applying a tension and adjusting the tension.
- the belt member 16 can be adjusted by the tension adjusting port 40 so that an appropriate tension is applied to the belt member 16.
- the belt member 16 can be stably driven, the toner T can be transported more efficiently, and an image having an appropriate density can be developed.
- the tension adjusting roller 40 is in contact with the surface of the belt member 16 that carries the toner T and the surface on the back side.
- the tension adjusting roller 40 is a member for the toner of the belt member 16. The surface that transports T and the back surface are in contact.
- the tension adjusting roller 40 always contacts the belt member 16 in a constant state, and applies a constant tension to the belt member 16. Thereby, the belt member 16 can be rotated more stably.
- the developing device of the present invention described above can be expressed as the following developing device.
- the developing device of the present invention is a developing device that develops an electrostatic latent image formed on an image carrier, and has a plurality of electrodes arranged at predetermined intervals in a base material.
- a belt member that covers at least a peripheral surface of the developer conveying unit has at least a developer conveying unit that forms a traveling wave electric field by applying a phase voltage and conveys the developer toward the image carrier.
- the driving member of the belt member may be arranged on a back side of a surface on which the developing agent is conveyed.
- the driving member and the driving auxiliary member may have a peripheral speed difference, and the rotational peripheral speed of the driving auxiliary member is set to be faster than the rotational peripheral speed of the driving member. It is preferable.
- the friction coefficient between the belt member and the driving member is set to 1, and the friction coefficient between the belt member and the driving auxiliary member is set to //
- the configuration may satisfy 1> ⁇ 2.
- a portion of the drive assisting member that contacts the belt member may be formed of an elastic member, and the drive assisting member is preferably formed of a soft member together with the drive member.
- the developing device having the above configuration may include a cleaning member for removing the developer on the belt member, wherein the cleaning member is arranged in a direction of rotation of the belt member.
- the cleaning member is arranged in a direction of rotation of the belt member.
- At least one of the driving auxiliary member and the driving member may be configured to have conductivity.
- an arbitrary voltage or an alternating voltage may be applied to at least one of the driving auxiliary member and the driving member.
- the configuration may be such that the length of one of the driving auxiliary member and the driving member is longer than the width of the belt member.
- the volume resistivity of the bell Bok member is 1 X 1 0 8 ⁇ ⁇ cn ! Preferably, it is in the range of ⁇ 1 X 10 16 ⁇ ⁇ cm.
- the image forming apparatus of the present invention may have a configuration including the developing device having any one of the configurations described above.
- the developing device of the present invention can be applied to a space by applying an arbitrary voltage to an electrode-type image forming apparatus that forms an electrostatic latent image directly on a dielectric or an electrode having a plurality of openings. Form an electrostatic image and apply developer to the recording medium
- the present invention is also applicable to a toner-jet type image forming apparatus that flies.
- Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 6-38081 (published on Jan. 4, 1994) discloses that an elastic roller is provided on the inner peripheral surface of a belt member in order to stabilize the tension of the belt member. Is disclosed.
- differences between the developing device of the present invention and the developing device of the invention described in the above publication will be described.
- the developing device of the present invention includes a driving auxiliary unit provided so as to sandwich the belt member between the developing unit and the driving unit.
- the developing device of the invention described in the above publication has an elastic roller on the inner peripheral surface of the belt member, and does not have a configuration such as the driving assist means of the present invention.
- the configuration of the developing device of the present invention is clearly different from the configuration of the developing device of the invention described in the above publication.
- the developing device of the present invention includes a developer conveying unit that is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the belt member and generates a traveling wave electric field for conveying the toner.
- the developing device of the invention described in the above-mentioned publication does not include the developer conveying means for generating the traveling wave electric field as in the present invention. Also in this respect, the present invention and the invention described in the above publication are clearly different in the configuration.
- the belt member in the developing device of the present invention prevents the developer conveying means from being charged or the developer from being fixed to the surface of the developer conveying means.
- the belt member in the developing device of the invention described in the above publication conveys the developer to the image carrier. That is, the operation of the belt member in the developing device of the present invention is significantly different from that of the belt member in the developing device of the invention described in the above-mentioned publication.
- the developing device of the present invention is different from the developing device of the invention described in the above-mentioned publication in the structure and operation.
- the developing device will be described by examining the relationship between the toner transportability and the belt member's volume resistivity of the belt member and the static elimination efficiency of the belt member. That is, in this embodiment, the body volume resistivity of the belt member 1 6 1 X 1 0 6 ⁇ ⁇ cn! In the range of 1 ⁇ 10 17 ⁇ ⁇ cm, a four-step evaluation was conducted on the toner transportability and the static elimination efficiency of the belt member. Based on the evaluation results, a comprehensive evaluation was conducted on what value of the volume resistivity of the belt member can be used.
- the pitch between the electrodes 27 of the toner conveying member 15 was set to about 250 m, and the electrodes 27 having a width of about 120 m were used.
- a voltage of 0 ⁇ 500 V was applied at a frequency of 1 kHz as an applied voltage to the electrodes 27.
- the belt member 16 is rotated at a speed of about 10 mm, s to ground the belt drive roller 18, and the drive auxiliary roller 19 is provided with 500 to 100 Hz, 0 ⁇ A voltage of 100 to 500 V was applied to remove electricity.
- the developing device of the present invention includes a developer transport unit that transports the developer toward the image carrier using an electric field whose potential distribution changes in a traveling wave shape having a certain traveling direction.
- a belt member provided so as to cover the surface of the developer conveying unit facing the image carrier; and a driving unit for rotating the belt member around the developer conveying unit by contacting the belt member.
- a driving auxiliary means provided so as to sandwich the belt member between the driving means and the driving means. That is, in the developing device of the present invention, the developer is transported toward the image carrier by the developer transporting means using an electric field (traveling wave electric field) in which the potential distribution changes in a traveling wave shape having a certain traveling direction. .
- the surface of the developer conveying means may be charged by contact with the developer, or the developer may be fixed on the developer conveying means.
- the developer transport means is charged in this way, the transport of the developer may become unstable, or density unevenness may occur in an image obtained by developing the electrostatic latent image.
- a belt member provided so as to cover the surface of the developer conveying unit facing the image carrier, and the belt member in contact with the belt member and moving the belt member around the developer conveying unit And a driving means for rotating.
- the traveling wave electric field appearing on the surface of the belt member from the developer conveying means via the belt member becomes non-uniform, and the developer is conveyed. In some cases, it cannot be transported stably. However, if the developer conveying means and the belt member are brought into close contact with each other in a uniform flat state, a load is applied to the rotation of the belt member due to the frictional force between the developer conveying means and the belt member.
- the developing device of the present invention particularly includes a driving auxiliary unit provided so as to sandwich the belt member between the driving unit and the driving unit.
- the belt member is sandwiched between the driving means and the driving assistance means. Therefore, the contact pressure between the driving means and the belt member increases, and the belt member can be rotated so as to overcome the rotational load due to the frictional force between the developer conveying means and the belt member.
- the driving means can rotate the belt member even when the belt member has a certain rotational load. Therefore, since it is not necessary to lower the tension of the belt member to reduce the rotational load, unpleasant noise generated by the vibration of the belt member can be prevented, and the quietness can be improved.
- the driving means and the driving auxiliary means only need to increase the force for clamping the belt member, and the driving means is increased in size to increase the driving means and the belt member. There is no need to increase the contact area. Therefore, a sufficient driving force can be obtained with a small driving means, so that the size of the developing device can be reduced and the cost of the developing device can be reduced. 3 ⁇ .
- a developing device configured as described above, wherein the driving unit is configured to contact a surface of the belt member opposite to a surface that conveys the developer. It is characterized by being provided
- the surface of the belt member that conveys the developer may be contaminated by the developer.
- the driving means comes into contact with the surface of the contaminated belt member in this way, the frictional resistance between the belt member and the driving means is lower than when the surface of the belt member is not contaminated with the developer. Therefore, the driving force of the driving means may be weakened.
- the accumulation of dirt on the belt member may cause a drastic reduction in the driving force of the driving means with respect to the belt member, which may adversely affect the rotation of the belt member.
- the driving means is provided so as to contact the surface of the belt member opposite to the surface on which the developer is conveyed.
- the developing device of the present invention in the developing device having the above-mentioned configuration, wherein the driving unit and the driving auxiliary unit rotate by contacting the belt member at different peripheral speeds. It is characterized by having. According to the above configuration, the driving unit and the driving auxiliary unit are rotated at different peripheral speeds. This causes a difference between the speed at which the drive means feeds out the belt member and the speed at which the drive assisting means feeds out the belt member.
- the belt member tries to deform so as to cancel the speed difference. This increases either the contact pressure between the belt member and the driving means or the contact pressure between the belt member and the driving auxiliary means.
- the driving force of the driving means or the driving force of the driving auxiliary means is increased, and the belt member can be brought into close contact with the developer conveying means in a more uniform state.
- the developing device of the present invention in the developing device having the above-described configuration, wherein the driving auxiliary unit rotates by contacting the belt member at a peripheral speed higher than the driving unit. It is characterized by having. According to the above configuration, the speed at which the drive assisting unit sends out the developer conveying surface of the belt member becomes higher than the speed at which the driving unit sends out the back surface of the belt member with respect to the developer conveying surface.
- a developing device having the above configuration wherein a friction coefficient between the belt member and the driving unit is a friction coefficient between the belt member and the driving auxiliary unit. It is characterized by being larger than
- the drive assisting means when the drive assisting means is arranged on the side of the belt member on which the developer is conveyed, the driving force applied to the belt member by the drive assisting means varies depending on the state of the developer. In such a case, if the frictional force between the drive assisting means and the belt member is set to be strong, the belt driving force fluctuates greatly, and stable belt driving may be difficult.
- the friction coefficient between the belt member and the driving means is set to be larger than the friction coefficient between the belt member and the driving auxiliary means.
- the belt member can be driven more stably, the developer can be stably conveyed, and the image can be developed with a more stable density. Can be.
- the developing device of the present invention is characterized in that, in the developing device having the above-described configuration, a portion of the driving unit that contacts the belt member is formed of an elastic member. .
- the contact between the driving means and the belt member is improved, and a more stable belt driving force can be obtained.
- the belt member can be driven more stably, and the developer is stably conveyed.
- the image can be developed at a more stable density.
- the developing device of the present invention is characterized in that, in the developing device having the above-described configuration, a portion of the driving auxiliary unit that contacts the belt member is formed of an elastic member.
- the contact between the drive assisting means and the belt member is improved, and a more stable belt driving force can be obtained.
- the belt member can be driven more stably, the developer can be stably conveyed, and the image can be developed with a more stable density. Can be.
- the driving unit and the driving auxiliary unit are cylindrical bodies that rotate in contact with the belt member.
- the radius of the driving unit is larger than the radius of the driving auxiliary unit, and the elastic member of the driving auxiliary unit in contact with the belt member is the elastic member of the driving unit in contact with the belt member. It is also characterized by softness.
- the belt member is pushed toward the drive means at a portion sandwiched between the drive means and the drive assisting means.
- the driving means is a cylindrical body and its radius is larger than the radius of the driving auxiliary means which is a cylindrical body, the amount of the driving auxiliary means pushing the belt member toward the driving means becomes large, and The bracket member is bent at the above-mentioned portion.
- Such bending may cause the belt member to wrinkle, which may affect developer conveyance.
- a portion of the drive assisting means that contacts the belt member is also a soft member.
- the belt member is pushed toward the drive assist unit at a position sandwiched between the drive assist unit and the drive unit.
- the radius of the driving means is larger than the radius of the driving auxiliary means, the amount by which the belt member is pushed in does not become large enough to bend.
- the developing device of the present invention in the developing device having the above-mentioned configuration, wherein the surfaces of the driving unit and the driving auxiliary unit are formed of a conductive member. It is characterized by That is, the belt member needs to transmit the traveling wave electric field generated by the developer conveying means to its surface, and is made of a material having a certain high resistance. For this reason, the belt member is often charged up by contact with the developer, the developer conveying means, the driving means, or the driving auxiliary means which is conveyed on the belt member.
- the surface of the auxiliary means is formed of a conductive member.
- the driving means and the driving auxiliary means has conductivity. Therefore, the electric charge charged on the belt member is transferred to the driving means Alternatively, by discharging the belt member to the drive assisting means, the belt member can be neutralized.
- the belt member can be discharged, and the developer can be transported more stably to develop an image with a stable density. Further, since there is no need to newly provide a special configuration for removing static electricity from the belt member, the developing device can be made compact and can be provided at low cost.
- a voltage having a polarity opposite to that of the belt member can be applied to the driving unit and the driving auxiliary unit. It is characterized by
- a voltage having a polarity opposite to that of the belt member can be applied to at least one of the driving unit and the driving auxiliary unit.
- the belt member can be more efficiently discharged.
- the developing device of the present invention is characterized in that, in the developing device having the above configuration, an alternating voltage can be applied to the driving unit and the driving auxiliary unit. I have.
- the belt member is required to transmit the traveling wave electric field generated by the developer conveying means to the surface of the belt member, and is formed of a member having a relatively high resistance value. Therefore, the contact resistance between the belt member and the driving means or between the belt member and the driving auxiliary means increases, and it is difficult to effectively remove charges on the surface of the belt member only by applying a constant potential voltage. It may be. Therefore, in the present invention, it is set so that an alternating voltage can be applied to the driving means and / or the driving auxiliary means.
- the alternating voltage to at least one of the contact area between the belt member and the driving means and the contact area between the belt member and the driving assistance means.
- the impedance of at least one of the contact resistance between the belt member and the driving means or between the belt member and the driving assist means is reduced. Can be done.
- the belt member can be more effectively discharged.
- the developing device of the present invention in the developing device having the above configuration, has a length of a portion of the belt member sandwiched between the driving unit and the driving auxiliary unit, The width is shorter than the width of the belt member.
- the driving means and the driving assisting means have low resistance.
- both the resistance value of the driving means and the resistance value of the driving auxiliary means are low, if the driving means and the driving auxiliary means come into contact with each other, charge leakage may occur. In such a case, the electric field between the belt member and the driving means or the driving auxiliary means is weakened, and the static elimination effect may be reduced.
- the length of a portion of the belt member sandwiched between the driving means and the driving auxiliary means is configured to be shorter than the width of the belt member.
- the driving means and the driving assisting means do not contact each other, There is no charge leakage between the auxiliary means.
- the electric field formed between the driving means or the driving auxiliary means and the belt member is not weakened, and the charge on the belt member is more effectively removed. be able to.
- the developing device of the present invention in the developing device having the above-described configuration, has a volume resistivity of the belt member in a range of 1 ⁇ 10 8 to 1 ⁇ 10 16 ⁇ cm. It is characterized by having.
- the volume resistivity of the belt member is too large, it may not be possible to sufficiently remove the electricity from the belt member.
- the volume resistivity of the belt member is too low, the traveling wave electric field generated by the developer transport means does not sufficiently appear on the belt member, and the developer cannot be transported stably. There is.
- the volume resistivity of the belt member is within the above range, the developer can be stably transported on the belt member, and the belt member is sufficiently discharged. I found that I could do it.
- the developer can be stably conveyed, and the belt member can be sufficiently discharged.
- an image forming apparatus having the above configuration, further comprising a cleaning means for removing the developer on the belt member. .
- the present invention particularly includes cleaning means for removing the developer on the belt member. That is, the developer on the belt member is removed by the cleaning means.
- the developer can be transported more stably, and an image having an appropriate density can be developed.
- the cleaning device is configured such that the cleaning means is provided on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the belt member with respect to the driving assist means. It is characterized by being carried out.
- the developer adheres to the surface of the belt member.
- the driving force of the belt member by the driving auxiliary means may fluctuate.
- the cleaning means is provided on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the belt member with respect to the drive assist means. Therefore, the drive assisting means always contacts the surface of the belt member from which the developer has been removed. That is, the state of contact between the drive assisting means and the belt member is kept constant, and is not affected by the state of developer adhesion on the belt member surface.
- the belt member can be rotated more stably, the developer can be transported more efficiently, and an image having an appropriate density can be developed. it can.
- the developing device of the present invention in the above-described developing device, includes a tension adjusting unit that applies tension to the belt member and can adjust the tension. Is characterized by O
- the belt member itself may be stretched by the tension applied to the belt member. Also, due to manufacturing variations, the circumference of the belt member may vary from one developing device to another.
- the driving force of the belt member changes, and the belt member and the developer conveying means do not contact uniformly, so that the developer cannot be stably conveyed, or the belt member vibrates and noise is generated. May occur.
- the belt member is provided with tension adjusting means capable of applying tension to the belt member and adjusting the tension.
- the belt member can be adjusted by the tension adjusting means so that an appropriate tension is applied to the belt member.
- the belt member can be driven stably, the developer can be transported more efficiently, and an image having an appropriate density can be developed.
- the developing device of the present invention in the developing device having the above configuration, is characterized in that the tension adjusting means is in contact with a surface on the back side of the developer conveying surface of the belt member. It is a feature.
- the tension adjusting means is in contact with the surface of the belt member on the back side with respect to the developer conveying surface.
- the tension adjustment means always keeps the belt constant. It contacts the member and applies a certain tension to the belt member.
- the belt member can be rotated more stably.
- an image forming apparatus including any of the above-described developing devices.
- an image forming apparatus including a developing device that is highly silent and that can be reduced in size and cost.
- a possible developing device and an image forming apparatus including the same can be provided.
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP02741349A EP1400868B1 (en) | 2001-06-27 | 2002-06-26 | DEVELOPING DEVICE using a traveling wave electric field |
DE60219787T DE60219787T2 (de) | 2001-06-27 | 2002-06-26 | ENTWICKLUNGSEINRICHTUNG mit elektrischem Feld in Form von Wanderwellen |
US10/363,718 US6697592B2 (en) | 2001-06-27 | 2002-06-26 | Developing device, and image forming device having the same |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP2001-195281 | 2001-06-27 | ||
JP2001195281A JP3626119B2 (ja) | 2001-06-27 | 2001-06-27 | 現像装置およびそれを備える画像形成装置 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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WO2003003125A1 true WO2003003125A1 (fr) | 2003-01-09 |
Family
ID=19033287
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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PCT/JP2002/006446 WO2003003125A1 (fr) | 2001-06-27 | 2002-06-26 | Dispositif de developpement et dispositif de formation d'images le contenant |
Country Status (6)
Country | Link |
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US (1) | US6697592B2 (ja) |
EP (1) | EP1400868B1 (ja) |
JP (1) | JP3626119B2 (ja) |
CN (1) | CN1293432C (ja) |
DE (1) | DE60219787T2 (ja) |
WO (1) | WO2003003125A1 (ja) |
Families Citing this family (14)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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EP1400867B1 (en) * | 2001-06-28 | 2008-11-19 | Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha | Developing device and image forming device provided with it |
JP3845593B2 (ja) * | 2002-03-13 | 2006-11-15 | 株式会社リコー | 分級装置、現像装置、画像形成装置、分級方法、現像方法及び画像形成方法 |
JP2004109706A (ja) * | 2002-09-19 | 2004-04-08 | Ricoh Co Ltd | ベルト駆動装置・転写駆動システム・画像形成装置 |
US20070081839A1 (en) * | 2005-10-12 | 2007-04-12 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Toner conveying unit and electrophotographic image forming apparatus using the conveying unit |
US7725056B2 (en) * | 2006-01-10 | 2010-05-25 | Ricoh Co., Ltd. | Triboelectric charging device and field assisted toner transporter |
JP2009080267A (ja) * | 2007-09-26 | 2009-04-16 | Brother Ind Ltd | 画像形成装置 |
US7929887B2 (en) * | 2008-01-24 | 2011-04-19 | Xerox Corporation | Direct imaging system with addressable actuators on a development belt |
JP4618372B2 (ja) * | 2008-12-22 | 2011-01-26 | ブラザー工業株式会社 | 現像剤供給装置 |
JP4618373B2 (ja) * | 2008-12-22 | 2011-01-26 | ブラザー工業株式会社 | 現像剤供給装置 |
JP4711000B2 (ja) * | 2009-03-25 | 2011-06-29 | ブラザー工業株式会社 | 現像剤供給装置 |
JP4911329B2 (ja) * | 2009-09-16 | 2012-04-04 | ブラザー工業株式会社 | 現像剤供給装置 |
JP4932014B2 (ja) * | 2010-03-01 | 2012-05-16 | シャープ株式会社 | 現像装置および画像形成装置 |
GB2493752A (en) * | 2011-08-17 | 2013-02-20 | Edwards Ltd | Apparatus for treating a gas stream |
RU201492U1 (ru) * | 2020-06-18 | 2020-12-17 | Олег Владимирович Клименко | Жилет спасательный надувной |
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JPH05346725A (ja) * | 1992-06-12 | 1993-12-27 | Ricoh Co Ltd | 画像形成装置 |
JP2002091160A (ja) * | 2000-09-19 | 2002-03-27 | Sharp Corp | 現像装置 |
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JPS5346725A (en) * | 1976-10-08 | 1978-04-26 | Canon Inc | Exposure controller of cameras |
JPS59181371A (ja) | 1983-03-31 | 1984-10-15 | Toshiba Corp | 現像装置 |
JPS59189371A (ja) * | 1983-04-12 | 1984-10-26 | Toshiba Corp | 現像装置 |
US4647179A (en) * | 1984-05-29 | 1987-03-03 | Xerox Corporation | Development apparatus |
JPS638813A (ja) * | 1986-06-27 | 1988-01-14 | Nec Corp | ロ−カルエリアネツトワ−クに於ける時刻統一方式 |
JP2836537B2 (ja) | 1995-08-30 | 1998-12-14 | 日本電気株式会社 | 現像装置 |
US5602632A (en) * | 1995-11-21 | 1997-02-11 | Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Ag | Belt applicator for developing ink or toner on a print member |
US6175707B1 (en) * | 1999-05-17 | 2001-01-16 | Xerox Corporation | Integrated toner transport/toner charging device |
-
2001
- 2001-06-27 JP JP2001195281A patent/JP3626119B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
2002
- 2002-06-26 EP EP02741349A patent/EP1400868B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 2002-06-26 WO PCT/JP2002/006446 patent/WO2003003125A1/ja active IP Right Grant
- 2002-06-26 US US10/363,718 patent/US6697592B2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 2002-06-26 CN CNB028028473A patent/CN1293432C/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2002-06-26 DE DE60219787T patent/DE60219787T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
Patent Citations (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JPH05346725A (ja) * | 1992-06-12 | 1993-12-27 | Ricoh Co Ltd | 画像形成装置 |
JP2002091160A (ja) * | 2000-09-19 | 2002-03-27 | Sharp Corp | 現像装置 |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
CN1473285A (zh) | 2004-02-04 |
DE60219787T2 (de) | 2008-01-17 |
DE60219787D1 (de) | 2007-06-06 |
JP2003015416A (ja) | 2003-01-17 |
EP1400868A4 (en) | 2004-08-11 |
US20030175052A1 (en) | 2003-09-18 |
EP1400868A1 (en) | 2004-03-24 |
CN1293432C (zh) | 2007-01-03 |
EP1400868B1 (en) | 2007-04-25 |
JP3626119B2 (ja) | 2005-03-02 |
US6697592B2 (en) | 2004-02-24 |
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