JP2002162878A - Color image forming device and color image forming method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a color image forming device and color image forming method which prevent the deterioration of color images generated by adhesion of the paper dust, dust, toner powder, etc., between electrophotographic photoreceptors and make it possible to stably obtain the bright images with high resolution without drum flaws and the density unevenness of the images when the color images are repetitively formed by using the color image forming device of a tandem system. SOLUTION: The color image forming device having a plurality of image forming sections provided with respective devices for electrostatic charging, exposing, developing, transferring and cleaning around the electrophotographic photoreceptor is constituted by arranging a polishable member 52 contained or adhered with polishable particulates at the cleaning device 5.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a tandem type color image forming apparatus for forming a color image using a plurality of electrophotographic photosensitive members and a color image forming method using the apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in a color image forming apparatus such as a color copying machine or a color printer, toner images of different colors are respectively formed on a plurality of electrophotographic photosensitive members (hereinafter, also simply referred to as photosensitive members) and transferred. A tandem type color image forming apparatus that sequentially transfers a color image to a body to form a color image is a conventional color image forming apparatus such as a transfer drum type that forms a color image using a single photoreceptor or a multi-development collective transfer type Attention has been paid to the fact that a color image can be formed at a higher speed than that of the above.

However, in the above-described tandem type color image forming apparatus and the image forming method using the apparatus, it is difficult to stabilize the image forming process for each photosensitive member. Variations in characteristics occur between them, making it difficult to obtain a stable color image. In particular, when a large number of monochrome images (normally, black images) are formed using the tandem-type color image forming apparatus and then a color image is formed, the color image obtained is remarkably disturbed. This is because, when a black image is formed, development is not performed on the photoconductor for forming a chromatic image, contact with a transfer member such as paper is repeated, paper dust, dust, etc. adhere and accumulate. It causes disturbance.

[0004] The above problem is particularly problematic when forming a color image using a current color image forming apparatus, in which the ratio of the frequency of use of the color image / the frequency of use of the black image is low and the frequency of black image formation is high. In such a case, when a large number of images are output, the disturbance of the image quality of a color image in particular increases.

[0005] These are problems that could not be sufficiently recognized at the product development stage, and one of the causes is that the use of the color image forming apparatus in the market could not be predicted.

That is, as a result of analyzing the market claims,
In a color image forming apparatus such as a color printer or a color copier, a copy of a black image substantially occupies a majority, and the accumulation of paper dust and the like is smaller than that of a photoconductor that forms a black image.
It has been found to be remarkable in a photoreceptor that forms a chromatic image.

Furthermore, since there is a difference in the frequency of use of the photoreceptor between the photoreceptors for forming a chromatic image, color image quality is disturbed when a color image is formed repeatedly. Therefore, various studies have been made to keep the image quality of each photoconductor constant, but none of them has been able to obtain a sufficient effect. Further, in the tandem type color image forming apparatus, since it is an apparatus that forms an image using a plurality of photoconductors, assembly of the apparatus is complicated, and there is a problem that jam processing in a cleaning apparatus is particularly troublesome. .

[0008]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been proposed in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object the following:
When a color image is repeatedly formed using a color image forming apparatus having a plurality of image forming units having respective devices of charging, exposure, development, transfer and cleaning around the photoconductor, paper dust between the photoconductors, A color image forming apparatus which prevents deterioration of a color image caused by a difference in adhesion of dust, toner powder, and the like, has no scratches on a drum or unevenness in image density, and can stably obtain a clear image with high resolution and a color image forming apparatus. Another object of the present invention is to provide a color image forming method used.

[0009]

As a result of diligent studies by the present inventors, a color image forming apparatus having a plurality of image forming sections provided with respective devices of charging, exposure, development, transfer and cleaning around a photoreceptor is disclosed. When a color image is repeatedly formed by using the toner, the deterioration of the color image caused by the difference in adhesion of paper powder, dust, toner powder, etc. between the photoconductors is caused by polishing the cleaning member such as a blade, a roller, a brush or a sheet. It has been found that the problem can be solved by adding the conductive fine particles.

That is, the present inventors have found that when an organic photoreceptor having a hardened layer on a surface layer, which is conventionally considered to be difficult to remove a deposited layer such as paper dust, has a uniform particle size and a small number of corners. When developing with a round polymerized toner, and even when using an organic photoreceptor having a hardened layer on the surface layer and using a round polymerized toner with a small corner, paper powder, dust, toner powder, etc. A tandem-type color image forming apparatus and a color image forming method using the same that can obtain a high-resolution clear image without generation of image-forming, drum scratches, image density unevenness, and the like have been found. It is.

Therefore, the above object of the present invention is achieved by the following constitution. 1. In a color image forming apparatus having a plurality of image forming units provided with respective devices for charging, exposing, developing, transferring and cleaning around an electrophotographic photosensitive member, polishing is performed by containing or attaching abrasive fine particles to the cleaning device. A color image forming apparatus, wherein a color member is disposed.

2. 2. The color image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of image forming units include a black image forming unit that forms a black image and a chromatic image forming unit that forms a chromatic image.

3. 3. The color image forming apparatus according to 1 or 2, wherein the abrasive member is a brush-like member.

4. 3. The color image forming apparatus according to 1 or 2, wherein the abrasive member is a blade-shaped member.

[0015] 5. 3. The color image forming apparatus according to 1 or 2, wherein the abrasive member is a sheet-shaped member.

6. 3. The color image forming apparatus according to 1 or 2, wherein the abrasive member is a roller-shaped member.

[7] The color image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the abrasive fine particles are any of inorganic fine particles, organic fine particles, and composite fine particles obtained by attaching inorganic fine particles to the organic fine particles.

[8] The color image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the abrasive fine particles have a different compound or a different primary average particle diameter between at least two image forming units.

9. A plurality of types of abrasive particles contained or adhered to the abrasive member used in the plurality of image forming units are formed in one image forming unit, and the mixing ratio of the plurality of types of abrasive particles is black. 9. The color image forming apparatus according to any one of 1 to 8, wherein the image forming unit is different from the chromatic image forming unit.

[10] Regarding the primary average particle diameter of the abrasive fine particles in the plurality of image forming sections, the primary average particle diameter of the abrasive fine particles in the black image forming section is smaller than the primary average particle diameter of the abrasive fine particles in the chromatic image forming section. 10. The color image forming apparatus according to any one of the above items 1 to 9, wherein

11. The plurality of image forming units have a plurality of chromatic image forming units, and the primary average particle diameter of abrasive fine particles of each chromatic image forming unit is different between at least two types of chromatic image forming units. The color image forming apparatus according to any one of the above items 1 to 10, which is characterized by the following.

12. The color image forming apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 11, wherein the toner used in the developing device is a toner obtained by polymerizing a polymerizable monomer in an aqueous medium.

13. 13. The color image forming apparatus according to any one of 1 to 12, wherein the shape factor of the toner used in the developing device is 1.2 to 1.5.

14. The surface layer of the electrophotographic photoreceptor has a cross-linked structure.
Item 10. A color image forming apparatus according to item 9.

[15] 15. The color image forming apparatus according to any one of 1 to 14, wherein the abrasive member is color-coded between at least two different image forming units.

16. 16. The color image forming apparatus according to any one of 1 to 15, wherein the abrasive member has a foolproof mechanism between at least two different image forming units.

17. A color image forming method, comprising: forming a color image by using the color image forming apparatus according to any one of 1 to 16.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail. According to the present invention, in a tandem type color image forming apparatus having a plurality of image forming units provided with respective devices of charging, exposure, development, transfer and cleaning around a photoreceptor, abrasive particles described later are attached to a cleaning device or The present invention is characterized in that the abrasive member contained therein is disposed, whereby the paper powder, dust, toner powder and the like adhering to the surface of the photoreceptor are polished and removed.

Hereinafter, the abrasive fine particles adhered to and contained in the abrasive member disposed in the cleaning device will be described. Note that the configuration of the abrasive member will be described in an embodiment of the invention described later.

<Abrasive Fine Particles> The abrasive fine particles used in the present invention are preferably any of inorganic fine particles, organic fine particles, and composite fine particles obtained by attaching inorganic fine particles to the organic fine particles. This will be described below.

(Inorganic Fine Particles) As the material constituting the inorganic fine particles used as the abrasive fine particles, various inorganic oxides, nitrides, borides and the like are preferably used. For example,
Silica, alumina, titania, zirconia, barium titanate, aluminum titanate, strontium titanate, magnesium titanate, zinc oxide, chromium oxide, cerium oxide, antimony oxide, tungsten oxide, tin oxide, tellurium oxide, manganese oxide, boron oxide , Silicon carbide, boron carbide, titanium carbide, silicon nitride, titanium nitride, boron nitride and the like.

Further, the above-mentioned inorganic fine particles may be subjected to a hydrophobic treatment. When performing the hydrophobizing treatment, it is preferable to perform hydrophobizing treatment with a so-called coupling agent such as various titanium coupling agents and silane coupling agents, and silicone oil, and further, aluminum stearate, zinc stearate, and calcium stearate. Hydrophobization treatment with a higher fatty acid metal salt such as described above is also preferably used.

Examples of the titanium coupling agent include tetrabutyl titanate, tetraoctyl titanate, isopropyl triisostearoyl titanate, isopropyl tridecylbenzenesulfonyl titanate, and bis (dioctyl pyrophosphate) oxyacetate titanate. Further, as the silane coupling agent, γ- (2-aminoethyl) aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, γ- (2-aminoethyl)
Aminopropylmethyldimethoxysilane, γ-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, N-β- (N-vinylbenzylaminoethyl) γ-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane hydrochloride, hexamethyldisilazane, methyltrimethoxysilane, butyltrimethoxy Silane, isobutyltrimethoxysilane, hexyltrimethoxysilane, octyltrimethoxysilane, decyltrimethoxysilane, dodecyltrimethoxysilane, phenyltrimethoxysilane, o-methylphenyltrimethoxysilane, p-methylphenyltrimethoxysilane, etc. Can be

The fatty acids and metal salts thereof include, for example, undecylic acid, lauric acid, tridecylic acid, dodecylic acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, pentadecylic acid, stearic acid, heptadecylic acid, arachiic acid, montanic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid Long-chain fatty acids such as acid and arachidonic acid are exemplified, and examples of metal salts thereof include salts with metals such as zinc, iron, magnesium, aluminum, calcium, sodium and lithium.

Examples of the silicone oil include dimethyl silicone oil, methylphenyl silicone oil, amino-modified silicone oil and the like. These compounds have a mass of 1 to the inorganic fine particles.
It is preferable to add and coat 10 to 10%, more preferably 3 to 7% by mass. Further, these materials can be used in combination.

(Organic Fine Particles) Examples of the organic fine particles used as the abrasive fine particles include styrene resin particles, styrene acrylic resin particles, polyester resin particles, and urethane resin particles.

The composition of the organic fine particles is not particularly limited, and generally, vinyl organic fine particles are preferable. The reason for this is that it can be easily produced by a production method such as an emulsion polymerization method or a suspension polymerization method. Specifically, styrene, α-methylstyrene, p-chlorostyrene, 3,4-dichlorostyrene,
p-phenylstyrene, p-ethylstyrene, 2,4-
Styrene or styrene derivatives such as dimethylstyrene, pt-butylstyrene, etc., methyl methacrylate,
Ethyl methacrylate, n-butyl methacrylate, isopropyl methacrylate, methacrylate derivatives such as 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate, methyl acrylate,
Ethyl acrylate, isopropyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate, t-butyl acrylate, isobutyl acrylate, n-octyl acrylate, acrylate derivatives such as 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, ethylene,
Olefins such as propylene and isobutylene, halogenated vinyls such as vinyl chloride, vinylidene chloride, vinyl bromide, vinyl fluoride, and vinylidene fluoride; vinyl esters such as vinyl propionate and vinyl acetate; vinyl methyl ether; vinyl ethyl Vinyl ethers such as ethers, vinyl ketones such as vinyl methyl ketone, vinyl ethyl ketone, vinyl hexyl ketone, N-vinyl compounds such as N-vinyl carbazole, N-vinyl indole, N-vinyl pyrrolidone, vinyl naphthalene, vinyl pyridine and the like. Vinyl compounds, acrylonitrile, methacrylonitrile, acrylamide, N-butylacrylamide, N, N-dibutylacrylamide, methacrylamide, N-butylmethacrylamide, N-octadecylacrylamide, etc. Is acrylic acid or methacrylic acid derivatives. These vinyl monomers can be used alone or in combination.

The organic fine particles can be produced by an emulsion polymerization method or a suspension polymerization method. The emulsion polymerization method is a method in which the above-mentioned monomer is added to water containing a surfactant and emulsified, followed by polymerization. As the surfactant, sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate, polyvinyl alcohol, an ethylene oxide adduct, Any substance that is used as a surfactant such as alcohol sodium sulfate can be used and is not particularly limited. Further, the use of a reactive emulsifier, a hydrophilic monomer, for example, polymerization with a persulfate initiator such as vinyl acetate or methyl acrylate, a method of copolymerizing a water-soluble monomer, a water-soluble resin, So-called non-emulsion polymerization methods such as a method using an oligomer, a method using a decomposable emulsifier, and a method using a cross-linkable emulsifier are also suitable. Examples of the reactive emulsifier include sulfonic acid salts of acrylic acid amide and salts of maleic acid derivatives. The non-emulsion polymerization method is not affected by the residual emulsifier, and is suitable when organic fine particles are used alone.

Polymerization initiators necessary for synthesizing organic fine particles include peroxides such as benzoyl peroxide and lauryl peroxide, and azo-based polymerization initiators such as azobisisobutyronitrile and azobisisovaleronitrile. Agents. The addition amount of these is preferably 0.1 to 2% by mass based on the monomer. If the amount is less than this, the polymerization reaction becomes insufficient, and the problem of residual monomer itself occurs. Further, when the amount is too large, a decomposition product of the polymerization initiator remains and affects the chargeability, and furthermore, the polymerization reaction is too early to cause a problem that the molecular weight becomes small. Further, in an emulsion polymerization method or the like, potassium persulfate, sodium thiosulfate, or the like can be used as a polymerization initiator.

(Composite Fine Particles) The composite fine particles used as abrasive fine particles are obtained by fixing inorganic fine particles on the surface of organic fine particles.

In the preparation of the composite fine particles, inorganic fine particles are added and mixed with the above organic fine particles. Then, after the inorganic fine particles are completely attached to the organic fine particles and a mixed state in which there is no excess particles released therefrom, a so-called ordered mixture state is formed, and after the inorganic fine particles are electrostatically attached to the organic fine particle surface, The inorganic fine particles are fixed to the surface of the organic fine particles by applying mechanical energy. Here, the fixation refers to a state where the fixation rate described in JP-A-4-291352 is 25% or more.

That is, the fixation ratio defines the state of fixation of the inorganic fine particles, and defines the state of embedding of the inorganic fine particles in the organic particles serving as nuclei. This sticking rate is specifically calculated by the following equation.

The specific surface area of the organic fine particles is Sa, the specific surface area of the inorganic fine particles is Sb, the specific surface area of the composite fine particles after fixing the inorganic fine particles on the surface of the organic fine particles is Sh, and the addition ratio of the inorganic fine particles to the organic fine particles is x. Then, the sticking rate = ｛1- [Sh / [(1-x) × Sa + x × S
b]]｝ 100. The fixing rate is preferably 25% or more and less than 100%. In particular, 40 to 80% is preferable. Fixing rate is 25
%, The degree of fixation of the inorganic fine particles to the organic fine particles becomes low, and the inorganic fine particles existing on the surface are liberated. For this reason, if used repeatedly over a long period of time, the problem of damage to the photoreceptor due to release of inorganic fine particles occurs.
The fixing rate can be adjusted by variously controlling the conditions in a manufacturing apparatus for fixing.

In the case of forming an ordered mixture, in the present invention, the T of the resin constituting the surface of the organic fine particles is reduced.
It is preferable to manufacture at an ambient temperature of not more than g. That is, Tg
This is because when the ordered mixture is formed at the above temperature, coalescence of the organic fine particles occurs.

The ratio between the inorganic fine particles constituting the composite fine particles and the organic fine particles serving as the nucleus depends on the respective particle diameters, and the inorganic fine particles may be added so as to uniformly cover the organic fine particles serving as the nucleus. Generally, inorganic fine particles are 5 to organic fine particles.
-30% by mass is preferred.

In order to form the ordered mixture, any apparatus can be used as long as it can uniformly and electrostatically attach the inorganic fine particles to the surface of the organic fine particles serving as nuclei. For example, Henschel mixer, OM
Examples include a dither, a turbular mixer, a Lodige mixer, and a V-type mixer.

As a mechanical energy applying device for fixing the inorganic fine particles electrostatically attached to the surface, "Hybridizer" (manufactured by Nara Machinery Co., Ltd.) and "Freedom Mill" (Nara Machinery Co., Ltd.), which are modified impact-type pulverizers, are used. Manufactured by Seisakusho), "Ongmill" (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron), "Cryptron" (manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries) and the like can be used. In the case of fixing inorganic fine particles on the surface of organic fine particles using the above-described apparatus, not only mere mechanical energy is applied,
It is also possible to heat or cool from outside. That is, when a mechanical impact force is applied in a device that rotates at a high speed, heat is generated by the energy of the collision, and the internal temperature rises. If the inside of the apparatus is heated to a temperature higher than the Tg of the organic fine particles, there is a problem that the organic fine particles are fused to each other to generate aggregated particles. For this purpose, it is necessary to perform cooling and control. On the other hand, if the internal temperature is lower than Tg by 30 ° C. or more, excessive energy is required for fixing, the collision energy is increased, and problems such as pulverization of organic fine particles occur. In order to solve this problem, it is necessary to raise the temperature to about Tg, and in this case, it is necessary to externally heat.

As a method for controlling the temperature from the outside, it is preferable to circulate the heated medium through a jacket provided outside and control the temperature. The internal temperature is measured by the temperature of the circulating air measured by a thermometer installed at a portion for fixing the organic fine particles and the inorganic fine particles. The medium for circulation includes water or oil.

The charge amount of the composite fine particles is 1 to 40 in absolute value.
μC / g is preferred. The control of the charge amount can be performed by controlling the chargeability of the inorganic fine particles adhered to the surface and controlling the chargeability of the organic fine particles serving as nuclei.

The organic fine particles serving as nuclei are not particularly limited, but those composed of a vinyl polymer are preferred.

Specifically, aromatic vinyl monomers, (meth) acrylate monomers, vinyl ester monomers, vinyl ether monomers, monoolefin monomers, diolefin monomers Monomers, halogenated olefin monomers and the like can be used. As the aromatic vinyl monomer, for example, styrene, o-methylstyrene, m-
Methylstyrene, p-methylstyrene, p-methoxystyrene, p-phenylstyrene, p-chlorostyrene,
p-ethylstyrene, pn-butylstyrene, pt
tert-butylstyrene, pn-hexylstyrene,
pn-octyl styrene, pn-nonyl styrene,
pn-decylstyrene, pn-dodecylstyrene,
Styrene-based monomers such as 2,4-dimethylstyrene and 3,4-dichlorostyrene, and derivatives thereof.

The (meth) acrylate monomers include methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, cyclohexyl acrylate, phenyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, and ethyl methacrylate. Butyl methacrylate, hexyl methacrylate, 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate, ethyl β-hydroxyacrylate, propyl γ-aminoacrylate, stearyl methacrylate, dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate, diethylaminoethyl methacrylate, and the like.

Examples of the vinyl ester monomer include vinyl acetate, vinyl propionate, vinyl benzoate and the like.

Examples of the vinyl ether monomer include vinyl methyl ether, vinyl ethyl ether, vinyl isobutyl ether, vinyl phenyl ether and the like.

Examples of the monoolefin-based monomer include ethylene, propylene, isobutylene, 1-butene, 1-pentene, 4-methyl-1-pentene and the like.

Examples of the diolefin monomer include butadiene, isoprene, chloroprene and the like.

As the halogenated olefin-based monomer,
Vinyl chloride, vinylidene chloride, vinyl bromide and the like.

<Preferable Conditions of Abrasive Fine Particles> In the abrasive fine particles used in the present invention, (1) the abrasive fine particles are different between at least two photosensitive members, and (2) the abrasive fine particles are different. There are a plurality of types, and it is a preferable condition that the mixing ratio of the abrasive fine particles differs between the black image forming portion and the chromatic image forming portion. Further, in the abrasive fine particles used in the present invention, (3) the primary average particle diameter of the abrasive fine particles in the black image forming portion is smaller than the primary average particle diameter of the abrasive fine particles in the chromatic image forming portion; (4) The preferable condition is that the primary average particle diameter of the abrasive fine particles used in the chromatic image forming section differs depending on the type of the chromatic image forming section. That is, the abrasive fine particles contained in the abrasive member of the present invention are used by controlling the type of abrasive fine particles, the primary average particle diameter, the mixing ratio of different types of abrasive fine particles, and the like depending on the use conditions. That is, the more frequently used photoreceptors, the more abrasive fine particles are used. For example, the photoreceptor in the black image forming section is used frequently, and weak abrasive fine particles (small primary average particle diameter) are used. The photoreceptor in the chromatic image forming section is used infrequently, Fine particles (having a large primary average particle diameter) are used.

In the present invention, the primary average particle diameter of the abrasive particles is determined by observing 100 abrasive particles by magnifying the abrasive particles by 100,000 times by transmission electron microscope observation, and observing the particles by image analysis. The particle size was measured and indicated as an average value. The primary average particle size is 10 to 15
00 nm is preferable, and more preferably 10 to 1000 n
m. If it is less than 10 nm, the polishing property is reduced, and the effect of the present invention may not be exhibited. On the other hand, if it exceeds 1500 nm, the photosensitive member may be damaged, which is not preferable.

The shape factor (SF) of the abrasive fine particles used in the present invention is a coefficient representing the degree of sphericity. In the present invention, SF is preferably 1.00 to 2.00, and more preferably SF. , 1.20 to 1.70. The method of measuring the shape factor is, for example, magnification of 100,000 times by observation with a transmission electron microscope, randomly sampling 100 polishing fine particle images, and using the image information via an interface to an image analyzer manufactured by Nicole. (Luzex
Introduced and analyzed in 3), calculated by the following equation, and defined the obtained value as shape factor (SF).

[0061]

(Equation 1)

In the formula, MXLNG represents the maximum diameter of the abrasive fine particles, and AREA represents the projected area of the abrasive fine particles. Even when the target particles are composite fine particles, the calculation is performed by regarding the composite fine particles as one particle.

By using an abrasive member containing abrasive fine particles having the above-described properties and configurations, in addition to the untransferred toner remaining on the photoreceptor, a filler such as talc contained in the transfer paper, or cellulose, By polishing and removing the adhesion of paper powder such as starch to the photoreceptor, image disturbance of the photoreceptor can be eliminated.

Next, the toner and developer used for development when forming a color image using the color image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described.

<Toner and Developer> The toner used in the present invention is preferably a polymerized toner obtained by polymerizing a polymerizable monomer in an aqueous medium. The aqueous medium referred to in the present invention is a medium containing at least 50% by mass or more of water, and includes a colorant and, if necessary, a release agent, a charge control agent, and a polymerization initiator in a polymerizable monomer. And the various constituent materials are dissolved or dispersed in the polymerizable monomer using a homogenizer, a sand mill, a sand grinder, an ultrasonic disperser or the like. The polymerizable monomer in which the various constituent materials are dissolved or dispersed is dispersed in an aqueous medium containing a dispersion stabilizer into oil droplets having a desired size as a toner by using a homomixer or a homogenizer. Thereafter, the stirring mechanism is moved to a reaction device, which is a stirring blade described later, and heated to cause the polymerization reaction to proceed. After completion of the reaction, the toner of the present invention is prepared by removing the dispersion stabilizer, filtering, washing and drying.

As a method for producing a toner, a method in which resin particles are prepared by associating or fusing them in an aqueous medium can also be mentioned. Although this method is not particularly limited, for example, JP-A-5-265252, JP-A-6-329947, and JP-A-9-1590.
No. 4 publication can be mentioned.

A method of associating a plurality of dispersed particles of a constituent material such as a resin particle and a colorant, or a plurality of fine particles composed of a resin and a colorant, particularly by dispersing these particles in water using an emulsifier, followed by critical aggregation At the same time as adding a coagulant over the concentration and salting out, the formed polymer itself is heated and fused at the glass transition temperature or higher to gradually grow the particle size while forming fused particles. At that point, a large amount of water was added to stop the growth of the particle size, and further heating and stirring were performed to smooth the surface of the particles while controlling the shape, and the particles were heated and dried in a fluid state while still containing water. A toner can be formed. Here, an organic solvent that is infinitely soluble in water may be added together with the coagulant.

As the polymerizable monomer constituting the resin, styrene, o-methylstyrene, m-methylstyrene, p-methylstyrene, α-methylstyrene, p-chlorostyrene, 3,4- Dichlorostyrene,
p-phenylstyrene, p-ethylstyrene, 2,4-
Dimethylstyrene, p-tert-butylstyrene, p
-N-hexylstyrene, pn-octylstyrene,
pn-nonylstyrene, pn-decylstyrene, p
Styrene or a styrene derivative such as -n-dodecylstyrene, methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate,
N-butyl methacrylate, isopropyl methacrylate,
Methacrylate derivatives such as isobutyl methacrylate, t-butyl methacrylate, n-octyl methacrylate, 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate, stearyl methacrylate, lauryl methacrylate, phenyl methacrylate, diethylaminoethyl methacrylate, and dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate. , Methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, isopropyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate, t-butyl acrylate, isobutyl acrylate,
N-octyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, stearyl acrylate, lauryl acrylate, acrylate derivatives such as phenyl acrylate, olefins such as ethylene, propylene, isobutylene, vinyl chloride, vinylidene chloride, vinyl bromide, Vinyl fluoride,
Halogen vinyls such as vinylidene fluoride, vinyl esters such as vinyl propionate, vinyl acetate and vinyl benzoate, vinyl ethers such as vinyl methyl ether and vinyl ethyl ether, vinyl methyl ketone, vinyl ethyl ketone, vinyl hexyl ketone, etc. Vinyl ketones, N-vinyl carbazole, N-vinyl indole,
There are N-vinyl compounds such as N-vinylpyrrolidone, vinyl compounds such as vinylnaphthalene and vinylpyridine, and acrylic acid or methacrylic acid derivatives such as acrylonitrile, methacrylonitrile and acrylamide. These vinyl monomers can be used alone or in combination.

Further, it is more preferable to use a polymerizable monomer constituting the resin in combination with one having an ionic dissociation group. For example, those having a substituent such as a carboxyl group, a sulfonic acid group, and a phosphoric acid group as a constituent group of a monomer, specifically, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, maleic acid, itaconic acid, cinnamic acid, and fumaric acid. Acid, maleic acid monoalkyl ester, itaconic acid monoalkyl ester, styrenesulfonic acid, allylsulfosuccinic acid, 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid, acid phosphooxyethyl methacrylate, 3
-Chloro-2-acid phosphooxypropyl methacrylate and the like.

Further, divinylbenzene, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, ethylene glycol diacrylate, diethylene glycol dimethacrylate, diethylene glycol diacrylate, triethylene glycol dimethacrylate, triethylene glycol diacrylate, neopentyl glycol dimethacrylate, neopentyl glycol diacrylate, etc. Can be used as a crosslinked resin.

These polymerizable monomers can be polymerized using a radical polymerization initiator. In this case, an oil-soluble polymerization initiator can be used in the suspension polymerization method. As the oil-soluble polymerization initiator, 2,2'-azobis- (2,4
-Dimethylvaleronitrile), 2,2'-azobisisobutyronitrile, 1,1'-azobis (cyclohexane-1-carbonitrile), 2,2'-azobis-4-methoxy-2,4-dimethylvalero Azo or diazo polymerization initiators such as nitrile and azobisisobutyronitrile, benzoyl peroxide, methyl ethyl ketone peroxide, diisopropyl peroxycarbonate, cumene hydroperoxide, t-butyl hydroperoxide, di-t-butyl peroxide , Dicumyl peroxide, 2,4-dichlorobenzoyl peroxide, lauroyl peroxide, 2,2-bis-
Examples thereof include peroxide-based polymerization initiators such as (4,4-t-butylperoxycyclohexyl) propane and tris- (t-butylperoxy) triazine, and polymer initiators having a peroxide in a side chain. .

When the emulsion polymerization method is used, a water-soluble radical polymerization initiator can be used. As the water-soluble radical polymerization initiator, potassium persulfate, persulfates such as ammonium persulfate, azobisaminodipropane acetate,
Azobiscyanovaleric acid and salts thereof, hydrogen peroxide and the like can be mentioned.

Examples of dispersion stabilizers include tricalcium phosphate, magnesium phosphate, zinc phosphate, aluminum phosphate, calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, calcium hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide, aluminum hydroxide, calcium metasilicate, and calcium sulfate. , Barium sulfate,
Bentonite, silica, alumina and the like can be mentioned. Further, a surfactant generally used as a surfactant such as polyvinyl alcohol, gelatin, methyl cellulose, sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate, ethylene oxide adduct, and higher alcohol sodium sulfate can be used as a dispersion stabilizer.

The resin excellent in the present invention preferably has a glass transition point of 20 to 90 ° C. and a softening point of 8 ° C.
The thing of 0-220 ° C is preferred. The glass transition point is measured by a differential calorimetric analysis method, and the softening point can be measured by a Koka flow tester. Furthermore, these resins have a number average molecular weight (Mn) of 10 as measured by gel permeation chromatography.
00 to 100000, weight average molecular weight (Mw) 200
Those having 0 to 1,000,000 are preferred. Further, as a molecular weight distribution, Mw / Mn is 1.5 to 100, particularly 1.8.
-70 are preferred.

The flocculant to be used is not particularly limited, but those selected from metal salts are preferably used. Specifically, as a monovalent metal, for example, a salt of an alkali metal such as sodium, potassium, and lithium, and as a divalent metal, for example, a salt of an alkaline earth metal such as calcium and magnesium, or a divalent metal such as manganese or copper Salt,
Examples include salts of trivalent metals such as iron and aluminum, and specific salts include sodium chloride, potassium chloride, lithium chloride, calcium chloride, zinc chloride, copper sulfate, magnesium sulfate, and manganese sulfate. Can be.
These may be used in combination.

It is preferable to add these coagulants at a concentration higher than the critical coagulation concentration. The critical aggregation concentration is an index relating to the stability of the aqueous dispersion, and indicates the concentration at which aggregation occurs when a coagulant is added. This critical aggregation concentration is
It varies greatly depending on the emulsified component and the dispersant itself. For example, Seizo Okamura et al.
7, 601 (1960), edited by The Society of Polymer Science, Japan, and the like, and a detailed critical aggregation concentration can be determined.
As another method, a desired salt is added to the target particle dispersion at a different concentration, the 、 (zeta) potential of the dispersion is measured, and the salt concentration at which this value changes is defined as the critical aggregation concentration. You can also ask.

The amount of the coagulant added may be at least the critical coagulation concentration, but is preferably at least 1.2 times the critical coagulation concentration.
More preferably, it is better to add 1.5 times or more.

The solvent which is infinitely soluble means a solvent which is infinitely soluble in water, and in the present invention, a solvent which does not dissolve the formed resin is selected.
Specifically, methanol, ethanol, propanol,
Examples thereof include alcohols such as isopropanol, t-butanol, methoxyethanol and butoxyethanol, nitriles such as acetonitrile, and ethers such as dioxane. Particularly, ethanol, propanol and isopropanol are preferred.

(Colorant) Examples of the colorant include inorganic pigments, organic pigments, and dyes.
Conventionally known ones can be used. Specifically, the following inorganic pigments are preferably used.

Examples of black pigments that can be used in the black developer include carbon blacks such as furnace black, channel black, acetylene black, thermal black, and lamp black;
Magnetic powder such as ferrite is also used. These inorganic pigments can be used alone or in combination of two or more as desired. The amount of the pigment added is 2 to the polymer.
20% by mass, preferably 3 to 15% by mass. When used as a magnetic toner, the above-mentioned magnetite can be added. In this case, from the viewpoint of imparting predetermined magnetic properties, it is preferable to add 20 to 60% by mass to the toner.

As the organic pigments and dyes that can be used in the chromatic color developer, conventionally known organic pigments and dyes can be used. Specifically, the following are preferably used as organic pigments and dyes.

Examples of magenta or red pigments include C.I. I. Pigment Red 2, C.I. I. Pigment Red 3, C.I. I. Pigment Red 5, C.I. I. Pigment Red 6, C.I. I. Pigment Red 7, C.I.
I. Pigment Red 15, C.I. I. Pigment Red 16, C.I. I. Pigment Red 48: 1, C.I. I. Pigment Red 53: 1, C.I. I. Pigment Red 5
7: 1, C.I. I. Pigment Red 122, C.I. I. Pigment Red 123, C.I. I. Pigment Red 13
9, C.I. I. Pigment red 144, C.I. I. Pigment Red 149, C.I. I. Pigment Red 166,
C. I. Pigment Red 177, C.I. I. Pigment Red 178, C.I. I. Pigment Red 222 and the like.

The orange or yellow pigments include
For example, C.I. I. Pigment Orange 31, C.I. I. Pigment Orange 43, C.I. I. Pigment Yellow 1
2, C.I. I. Pigment Yellow 13, C.I. I. Pigment Yellow 14, C.I. I. Pigment Yellow 15,
C. I. Pigment Yellow 17, C.I. I. Pigment Yellow 93, C.I. I. Pigment Yellow 94, C.I.
I. Pigment yellow 138, C.I. I. Pigment yellow 180, C.I. I. Pigment Yellow 185,
C. I. Pigment yellow 155, C.I. I. Pigment Yellow 156 and the like.

Examples of green or cyan pigments include C.I. I. Pigment Blue 15, C.I. I. Pigment Blue 15: 2, C.I. I. Pigment Blue 15:
3, C.I. I. Pigment Blue 16, C.I. I. Pigment Blue 60, C.I. I. Pigment Green 7 and the like.

As the dye, for example, C.I. I. Solvent Red 1, 49, 52, 58, 63
111, 122, C.I. I. Solvent Yellow 1
9, 44, 77, 79, 81, 82, 9
3, 98, 103, 104, 112, 16
2, C.I. I. Solvent Blue 25, 36, 60
70, 93, 95, etc., or a mixture thereof can also be used.

These organic pigments and dyes can be used alone or in combination of two or more as desired. Further, the amount of the pigment to be added is 2 to 20% by mass, preferably 3 to 15% by mass, based on the polymer.

The colorant used in the present invention can be used by modifying the surface of the colorant with a surface modifier. As the surface modifier, conventionally known ones can be used, and specifically, a silane coupling agent,
Titanium coupling agents, aluminum coupling agents and the like can be preferably used.

The toner referred to in the present invention is a resin particle prepared to have a particle size required as a toner by the above-mentioned polymerization method or other conventional pulverization methods, or a colored resin particle containing a colorant or the like in the resin particle. Alternatively, a colored resin particle to which an external additive described below may be added may be used depending on the application, but usually refers to a colored resin particle to which an external additive is added to impart fluidity.

As the above-mentioned external additives, silica, titanium oxide, cesium carbide or those obtained by hydrophobizing them with a titanium coupling agent, a silane coupling agent or the like are preferably used. The particle size of these external additives is preferably 0.05 to 10 μm, more preferably 0.1 to 10 μm in volume average particles.
To 5 μm, and the amount added to the colored resin particles is preferably 0.1 to 5% by mass, more preferably 0.5 to 4.0% by mass.

<Developer> The developer used in the present invention may be a one-component developer or a two-component developer. When used as a one-component developer, a magnetic one-component developer having a magnetic toner as a main component and a non-magnetic one-component developer having a non-magnetic toner as a main component can be used. Can be mixed and used as a two-component developer. In this case, as the magnetic particles of the carrier, conventionally known materials such as metals such as iron, ferrite, and magnetite, and alloys of these metals with metals such as aluminum and lead can be used. Particularly, ferrite particles are preferable. The magnetic particles have a volume average particle size of 15 to
The thickness is preferably 100 μm, more preferably 25 to 80 μm. The volume average particle size of the carrier is typically measured by a laser diffraction type particle size distribution analyzer “HELOS” equipped with a wet disperser (SYMPATE).
C) (manufactured by C).

The carrier is preferably a carrier in which magnetic particles are further coated with a resin, or a so-called resin-dispersed carrier in which magnetic particles are dispersed in a resin.
The resin composition for coating is not particularly limited, but, for example, an olefin resin, a styrene resin, a styrene-acrylic resin, a silicone resin, an ester resin, or a fluorine-containing polymer resin is used. The resin for constituting the resin dispersion type carrier is not particularly limited, and known resins can be used.
For example, a styrene-acrylic resin, a polyester resin, a fluorine resin, a phenol resin, or the like can be used.

The shape factor of the toner used in the present invention is preferably 1.2 to 1.5. The shape factor of the toner in the present invention is synonymous with the shape factor (SF) of the abrasive fine particles described above, and the microscope magnification is 1
The same method was used, except that it was changed to 000-fold.

Next, the photosensitive member used in the present invention will be described. <Photoreceptor> In the present invention, the conductive support used as the base of the photoreceptor may be either a sheet or a cylinder, but in order to design an image forming apparatus compactly, a cylindrical conductive member is used. Supports are preferred. Metal drums such as aluminum and nickel as conductive materials,
Alternatively, a plastic drum on which aluminum, tin oxide, indium oxide, or the like is deposited, or a paper / plastic drum coated with a conductive substance can be used.
The conductive support preferably has a specific resistance of 10 ³ Ωcm or less at room temperature. Further, an alumite substrate or anodized alumite may be used.

In the present invention, a plurality of resin layers are provided on a conductive support, and the resin layers include an undercoat layer, a photosensitive layer, a surface layer, and layers such as a charge generation layer and a charge transport layer. are doing.

The undercoat layer (UC) used in the photoreceptor of the present invention
L) is provided between the support and the photosensitive layer to improve the adhesion between the conductive support and the photosensitive layer or to prevent charge injection from the support. Examples of the material include a polyamide resin, a vinyl chloride resin, a vinyl acetate resin, and a copolymer resin containing two or more of repeating units of these resins. Among these undercoating resins, a polyamide resin is preferable as a resin capable of reducing an increase in residual potential due to repeated use. The thickness of the undercoat layer using these resins is preferably 0.01 to 0.5 μm.

The undercoat layer most preferably used in the present invention is an undercoat layer using a curable metal resin obtained by thermally curing an organic metal compound such as a silane coupling agent or a titanium coupling agent. The thickness of the undercoat layer using a curable metal resin is preferably 0.1 to 2 μm.

The photosensitive layer of the photoreceptor used in the present invention may have a single-layer structure in which a single layer has a charge generation function and a charge transport function on an undercoat layer, but more preferably. It is preferable that the function of the photosensitive layer is separated into a charge generation layer (CGL) and a charge transport layer (CTL layer). By adopting a configuration in which functions are separated, an increase in residual potential due to repeated use can be controlled to be small, and other electrophotographic characteristics can be easily controlled according to the purpose. In the case of a negatively charged photoconductor, it is preferable that a CGL is formed on the undercoat layer and a CTL layer is formed on the CGL. In the case of a positively charged photoreceptor, the order of the layer configuration is opposite to that of the negatively charged photoreceptor. The most preferred constitution of the photosensitive layer of the present invention is a constitution of a negatively chargeable photoreceptor having the function-separated structure.

The constitution of the photosensitive layer of the function-separated negatively chargeable photosensitive member will be described below. CGL is a charge generation material (CG
M) and, if necessary, a binder resin and other additives.

As the CGM, a known CGM can be used. For example, phthalocyanine pigments, azo pigments,
Perylene pigments, azurenium pigments, and the like can be used. Among these, CGM that can minimize the increase in residual potential due to repeated use has a steric and potential structure capable of forming a stable aggregated structure between a plurality of molecules, and specifically, a phthalocyanine having a specific crystal structure And CGM of a perylene pigment.

When a binder is used as a dispersion medium for CGM in the CGL, a known resin can be used as the binder, but the most preferable resin is a formal resin, a butyral resin, a silicone resin, a silicone-modified butyral resin, a phenoxy resin and the like. Is mentioned.

CTL is composed of a charge transport material (CTM) and C
Contains binder resin for dispersing TM to form a film. As other substances, additives such as antioxidants may be contained as necessary.

As the CTM, a known CTM can be used. For example, triphenylamine derivatives, hydrazone compounds, styryl compounds, benzidine compounds, butadiene compounds and the like can be used. These charge transport materials are usually dissolved in a suitable binder resin to form a layer.

Examples of resins used for CTL include polystyrene, acrylic resin, methacrylic resin, vinyl chloride resin, vinyl acetate resin, polyvinyl butyral resin, epoxy resin, polyurethane resin, phenol resin, polyester resin, alkyd resin, and polycarbonate resin. , A silicone resin, a melamine resin, and a copolymer resin containing two or more of repeating units of these resins. In addition to these insulating resins, polymer organic semiconductors such as poly-N-vinyl carbazole may be used. The most preferred binder for these CTLs is a polycarbonate resin. Polycarbonate resin is CT
In improving the dispersibility and electrophotographic properties of M,
Most preferred. The ratio of the binder resin to the charge transporting material is preferably from 10 to 200 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of the binder resin. The charge transport layer has a thickness of 10 to 40 μm.
m is preferred.

In the photoreceptor used in the present invention, it is preferable to provide a crosslinkable siloxane resin layer containing a structural unit having a charge transporting property as a surface layer. The resin layer containing the siloxane resin is typically formed by applying and drying a coating composition using an organosilicon compound represented by the following general formula (1) as a raw material. These raw materials form a condensate (oligomer) of an organosilicon compound by hydrolysis in a hydrophilic solvent and a subsequent condensation reaction. By applying and drying these coating compositions, 3
A resin layer containing a siloxane resin having a three-dimensional network structure can be formed.

Formula (1) (R) _n -Si- (X) _{4-n In the} formula, Si represents a silicon atom, R represents an organic group in which carbon is directly bonded to the silicon atom, and X represents a hydroxyl group. Or, represents a hydrolyzable group, n represents an integer of 0 to 3, and when R or X is plural, they may be the same or different.

The organosilicon compounds represented by the general formula (1) may be used alone or in combination of two or more. However, it is preferable to use an organosilicon compound in which n is 0 or 1 as at least one of the organosilicon compounds represented by the general formula (1).

The surface layer is preferably formed by adding colloidal silica to a composition containing the above-mentioned organosilicon compound or its hydrolytic condensate. Colloidal silica is silicon dioxide particles dispersed in a colloidal form in a dispersion medium. Colloidal silica may be added at any stage of adjusting the composition of the coating solution. Colloidal silica may be added in the form of an aqueous or alcoholic sol,
The aerosol formed in the gas phase may be directly dispersed in the coating solution of the present invention.

The surface layer further comprises a resin containing a siloxane resin containing a charge transporting structural unit by a condensation reaction of the compound represented by the following general formula (2) with the organosilicon compound or the condensate thereof. The layer may be modified.

Formula (2) B- (R ₁ -ZH) _{m In the} formula, B represents a monovalent or polyvalent group containing a structural unit having charge transport performance, and R ₁ represents a single bond or a divalent group. Represents an alkylene group, Z represents an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom or NH, and m represents an integer of 1 to 4.

The compound represented by the general formula (2) may be incorporated into the siloxane resin layer by a condensation reaction with a hydroxyl group on the surface of colloidal silica.

In the present invention, a siloxane-based ceramic resin layer formed by adding a metal hydroxide other than colloidal silica (for example, a hydrolyzate of each alkoxide of aluminum, titanium and zirconium) may be used.

In order to form the siloxane resin layer,
It is preferable to use a condensation catalyst to promote the condensation reaction. The condensation catalyst used here may be a catalyst that has at least one of a catalyst that acts in contact with the condensation reaction and a catalyst that acts to shift the reaction equilibrium of the condensation reaction to the production system.

As a specific condensation catalyst, a known catalyst such as an acid, a metal oxide, a metal salt, and an alkylaminosilane compound which has been conventionally used for a silicone hard coat material can be used. For example, each alkali metal salt of organic carboxylic acid, nitrous acid, sulfurous acid, aluminate, carbonic acid and thiocyanic acid, organic amine salt (tetramethylammonium hydroxide, tetramethylammonium acetate), tin organic acid salt (stanas octoate, Dibutyltin diacetate, dibutyltin dilaurate, dibutyltin mercaptide, dibutyltin thiocarboxylate, dibutyltin malate, etc.).

Although the preferred layer structure of the photoreceptor of the present invention has been described above, the present invention may be applied to a layer structure of a photoreceptor other than the above.

For example, there is a method of processing the surface layer of the photoreceptor so that the contact angle with pure water becomes 90 ° or more.
By setting the contact angle of the surface layer of the photoreceptor to water at 90 ° or more, filming of paper powder, toner powder, and the like on the photoreceptor surface can be further reduced.

In order to make the surface of the photoreceptor provided with the siloxane resin layer have a contact angle with water of 90 ° or more, it is preferable to introduce an F atom-containing group into the siloxane resin. How to introduce,
Method for introducing an aromatic group or water-repellent PTFE
And the like, and a method of adding resin particles or an organic polymer.

Next, as the organic particles and inorganic particles which can be used in combination with the above-mentioned colloidal silica in the resin layer of the present invention or in place of the co-idal silica, the following can be mentioned.

Examples of the organic particles include silicone resin, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyvinylidene fluoride, poly (ethylene trifluoride) chloride, polyvinyl fluoride, polytetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkylvinyl ether copolymer, and polytetrafluoroethylene. Fluoroethylene-propylene hexafluoride copolymer, polyethylene-ethylene trifluoride copolymer, polytetrafluoroethylene-propylene hexafluoride-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, metal stearate Salts, polymethyl methacrylate, melamine and the like can be mentioned.

As the above-mentioned inorganic particles, as a metal oxide,
For example, magnesium oxide, calcium oxide, titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, tin oxide, aluminum oxide,
Examples include silicon oxide (silica), indium oxide, beryllium oxide, lead oxide, bismuth oxide, and the like. Examples of the nitride include boron nitride, aluminum nitride, and silicon nitride. Silicon, boron carbide and the like can be mentioned. The above-mentioned inorganic particles may be preferably subjected to a hydrophobizing treatment using a hydrophobizing agent such as a titanium coupling agent, a silane coupling agent, an aluminum coupling agent, or a high-molecular fatty acid.

Further, by adding an antioxidant to the surface layer of the siloxane resin, it is possible to effectively prevent an increase in residual potential and image blur.

The siloxane resin layer of the present invention is preferably dried by heating. The heating promotes the crosslinking / curing reaction of the siloxane resin layer. The conditions for the crosslinking and curing vary depending on the type of solvent used and the presence or absence of a catalyst.
Heating for 10 minutes to 5 hours in the range of ~ 160 ° C is preferable,
More preferably, heating in the range of 90 to 120 ° C. for 30 minutes to 2 hours is preferable.

Solvents used for dispersing and dissolving the CGM and CTM include hydrocarbons such as toluene and xylene; halogenated hydrocarbons such as methylene chloride and 1,2-dichloroethane; ketones such as methyl ethyl ketone and cyclohexanone. Esters such as ethyl acetate and butyl acetate; methanol, ethanol, methyl cellosolve,
Alcohols such as ethyl cellosolve and derivatives thereof; ethers such as tetrahydrofuran, 1,4-dioxane and 1,3-dioxolane; amines such as pyridine and diethylamine; amides such as N, N-dimethylformamide; other fatty acids And phenols; one or more of sulfur and phosphorus compounds such as carbon disulfide and triethyl phosphate.

As a coating method for producing the photoreceptor having the above-mentioned surface layer, dip coating, spray coating, circular amount control type coating and the like of a coating solution can be used.
In particular, in the coating process on the surface layer side of the photosensitive layer, spray coating or circular amount control type coating (a typical example is a circular slide hopper) is used to dissolve the lower layer film as much as possible and to achieve uniform coating process. Is preferred. The spray coating is described in JP-A-3-90250 and 3-26.
No. 9238, etc., there is a description thereof, and the circular amount control type coating is described in JP-A-58-189061.

[0124]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS <Color Image Forming Apparatus and Color Image Forming Method> A tandem type color image forming apparatus preferably used in the present invention and a color image forming method using the apparatus will be described below.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an example of the color image forming apparatus of the present invention. In the main body of the color image forming apparatus, image forming units Pa, Pb, Pc for forming first, second and third chromatic images and an image forming unit Pd for forming a fourth black image are arranged in parallel. The mechanism that constitutes each image forming unit is composed of similar devices and members, and in each image forming unit, a visible image (toner image) of a different color is provided.
Is formed. For example, Pa is an image forming unit that contains a developer containing a yellow (Y) toner and has a developing device that forms a Y toner image, and Pb is a developing device that contains a magenta (M) toner. An image forming unit that contains a developer and forms a toner image of M color; and Pc has a developing device that stores a developer containing cyan (C) toner and forms a C color toner image. An image forming unit. Pd is an image forming unit that contains a developer containing black (K) toner and has a developing device that forms a K color toner image. As described above, for example, in Pa, Pb, and Pc, Y,
A chromatic toner image of M and C is formed, and a toner image of K color is formed at Pd.

The image forming units Pa, Pb, Pc and Pd are:
Each has a dedicated electrophotographic photosensitive drum (hereinafter, also referred to as a photosensitive drum) 1a, 1b, 1c, and 1d.
The images formed on the photosensitive drums 1a, 1b, 1c, and 1d formed by the image forming units Pa, Pb, Pc, and Pd are carried and conveyed on a conveying member 8 that moves adjacent to the image forming units. Is transferred onto the transfer material 6 to be transferred. Further, the image on the transfer material 6 is fixed by heating and pressing in the fixing unit 7, and the transfer material 6 is discharged to the tray 61.

Next, the latent image forming section in each image forming section will be described. Photoconductor drums 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d
Around the discharge lamps 21a, 21b, 21
c, 21d, chargers 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, laser beam exposure device 17 as image exposure means, potential sensor 2
2a, 22b, 22c and 22d are provided. The photoreceptor drums 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d which have been neutralized by the neutralizing exposure lamps 21a, 21b, 21c, 21d are uniformly charged by the chargers 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d. Due to the exposure, on the photosensitive drums 1a, 1b, 1c, and 1d,
An electrostatic latent image that is color-separated according to the image signal is formed.
In the color image forming apparatus of the present invention, as the image exposure unit,
In addition to the laser beam exposure device 17 described above, a well-known multi-value exposure means such as an LED array exposure device capable of irradiating a plurality of lights with light levels other than off in a basic image unit (pixel) is preferable. Can be adopted.

The electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum is developed by a developing means to become a visible image. In other words, the developing unit is a developing device 3 filled with a predetermined amount of each of Y, M, C, and K developers, for example, a two-component developer having a toner and a carrier.
a, 3b, 3c, and 3d. The electrostatic latent images formed on the photosensitive drums 1a, 1b, 1c, and 1d are developed to form a visible image (toner image). Next, the transfer section will be described. The transfer material 6 held in the transfer material cassette 60 is fed to the transport member 8 via the registration rollers 13.

Here, the conveying member 8 is a film made of a dielectric resin such as a polyethylene terephthalate resin film sheet (PET sheet), a polyvinylidene fluoride resin film sheet, or a polyurethane resin film sheet. An endless shape or a belt having no seams (seamless) is used. In the case of a belt having a seam, it is preferable to provide a means (not shown) for detecting a seam position so that transfer is not performed on the seam.

When the conveying member 8 starts rotating, the transfer material 6 is conveyed from the registration rollers 13 onto the conveying member 8. At this time, the image writing signal is turned ON, and an image is formed on the first photosensitive drum 1a at an appropriate timing.

A transfer unit 4a and a transfer pressing member 41a are provided below the first photosensitive drum 1a. The transfer pressing member 41a applies a uniform pressing force toward the photosensitive drum. The transfer device 4a transfers the toner image on the photosensitive drum 1a onto the transfer material 6 by applying an electric field. At this time, the transfer material 6 is held on the conveyance member 8 by electrostatic attraction, the transfer material 6 is conveyed to the second image forming portion Pb, and the next transfer is performed. Hereinafter, the transfer material 6 to which the toner images formed by the third and fourth image forming units Pc and Pd are transferred by the same method as described above
The toner is removed from the conveying member 8 by the attenuation of the electrostatic attraction force, and is conveyed to the fixing unit 7. Fixing unit 7
Are a fixing roller 71, a pressure roller 72, and rollers 71 and 7.
2 and a heater 7 for heating the rollers 71 and 72, respectively.
5, 76, an oil applying roller 77 for applying a release agent oil such as dimethyl silicone to the fixing roller 71, an oil reservoir 78 for supplying the oil, and a thermistor 79 for controlling the fixing temperature.

After the transfer, the photosensitive drums 1a, 1b, 1c,
The toner and the like remaining on 1d are removed by the photoreceptor cleaning devices 5a, 5b, 5c, and 5d, and are prepared for the subsequent latent image formation. Further, the toner and the like remaining on the conveying member 8 are removed by the belt neutralizer 12 to remove the electrostatic attraction force, and then removed by a cleaning blade as a cleaning member in this example. Note that a rotating cleaning brush, a cleaning blade, or the like is used as the cleaning member.

(Cleaning Member and Abrasive Member of Cleaning Device) Next, a description will be given of a cleaning member that can be employed in the cleaning device in the color image forming apparatus of the present invention and four preferable types of abrasive members that can be used in the present invention. . 2 (FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b)) are cross-sectional views of a cleaning device including two types of abrasive members preferably used in the present invention, and FIGS. 3 (FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b)) are books. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a cleaning device including two other types of abrasive members preferably used in the present invention. FIG. 2 (FIG. 2)
(A), (b)), and FIG. 3 (FIGS. 3 (a), (b)), the description of the configuration of a cleaning device using four types of abrasive members preferably used in the present invention is shown in FIG. The cleaning device 5a of the image forming portion Pa (yellow (Y)) of the first color image forming device will be described as a representative example, and will be described as the cleaning device 5 for convenience. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same thing.

In the cleaning device 5 shown in FIG. 2A, reference numeral 51 denotes a commonly used blade cleaning member, reference numeral 511 denotes a cleaning blade made of an elastic material, and reference numeral 511 denotes the cleaning blade support member 5.
14, the cleaning blade supporting member 51
4 is also supported by a cleaning blade fixing member 512. The cleaning blade fixing member 51
2 is rotatably supported by a support shaft 513.

Reference numeral 52 denotes a brush-like polishing member as a polishing member according to the present invention. Reference numeral 521 denotes a cylindrical member rotatably supported in a direction indicated by an arrow on a rotation shaft 522 pivotally supported on a side wall of the cleaning device frame 58. A brush, wherein the brush is provided with the abrasive fine particles according to the present invention to which the abrasive particles are attached or contained to provide abrasiveness.
Filming such as dust and toner powder can be removed by polishing. Reference numeral 56 denotes a toner receiver, 57 denotes a screw conveyor for conveying the toner accumulated in the toner receiver to the outside of the apparatus, and 59 denotes a partition plate. Reference numeral 1 denotes a photosensitive drum that rotates in the direction of the arrow.

Next, the cleaning device 5 shown in FIG. 2B uses a blade-like abrasive member 53 instead of the rotating brush-like abrasive member 52, and the cleaning device 5 shown in FIG. (A) Cleaning device 5
And the blade-like abrasive member 5
In 3, reference numeral 531 denotes a polishing blade made of an elastic body to which the abrasive fine particles according to the present invention are attached or contained and to which polishing is imparted, reference numeral 534 denotes a polishing blade supporting member for supporting the polishing blade 531, and reference numeral 532 denotes the polishing blade supporting member. This is a polishing blade fixing member that holds the polishing blade supporting member 534, and the polishing blade fixing member 532 is supported by a support shaft 533 supported on a side wall of the cleaning device frame 58.

Next, the cleaning device 5 shown in FIG. 3A is different from the cleaning device 5 shown in FIG. 2A except that a rotating abrasive brush member 52 is replaced by a sheet abrasive member 54. In the sheet-like abrasive member 54, the rollers 541, 542, and 543 convey the abrasive sheet 547 to which the abrasive fine particles according to the present invention are attached or contained and the abrasive is imparted, in the direction of the arrow. It is a roller to do. Here, the roller 541 is a main winding roller, the roller 542 is a pressing roller for pressing the guide roller / sheet 547 against the photosensitive member, and the roller 543 is a roller.
Is a take-up roller, and 544, 545, and 546 are rotation axes of the rollers, and these rotation axes are pivotally supported on the side wall of the cleaning device frame 58.

Next, the cleaning device 5 of FIG. 3B is different from the cleaning device 5 of FIG. 2A except that a roller-shaped abrasive member 55 is used instead of the rotating brush-shaped abrasive member 52. In the roller-shaped abrasive member 55, the roller 551 is an elastic roller to which the abrasive fine particles according to the present invention are attached or contained to impart abrasiveness, and 552 is a rotating shaft of the roller 551. The rotating shaft is pivotally supported on the side wall of the cleaning device 5a.

The constructions of the above-mentioned four types of abrasive members will be described more specifically in embodiments described later.

Here, FIG. 2 (a), FIG. 3 (a),
In each cleaning device 5 shown in FIG. 2B, the blade cleaning member 51 is used in combination with the abrasive member, but as shown in FIG. 2B, the blade cleaning member 51 is used.
May be omitted and cleaning and polishing may be performed only by the abrasive member. However, in order to achieve the object of the present invention, it is preferable to use the blade cleaning member 51 and the abrasive member together as shown in FIGS. 2 (a), 3 (a) and 3 (b). Here, in the cleaning device 5 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cleaning blade supporting member 51 is attached to the commonly used blade cleaning member 51.
4. A preferred configuration of the cleaning blade 511 coupled via the cleaning blade fixing member 512 will be described. The contact condition of the cleaning blade 511 with respect to the photoconductor is a contact angle (an angle between a tangent drawn at a point where the blade tip comes into contact with the photoconductor and the blade).
And an elastic body such as urethane rubber or silicone rubber having a hardness of 65 to 75 ° and a rebound resilience of 15 to 60% is preferable, and deviates from these ranges. Then, the toner slips through, and blade scraping easily occurs.

In the embodiment of the present invention, toner images of respective colors are successively superimposed and transferred from a plurality of photoconductors onto the transfer material 6 conveyed by the conveying member 8, and fixed to form a color image. However, each color toner image from a plurality of photoreceptors is superimposed and transferred on an intermediate transfer material to form a color toner image, and the color toner image is collectively re-transferred onto the transfer material, and fixed to form a color toner image. An image may be formed.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the transport member 8 in the form of a horizontally long endless belt is used, and a plurality of image forming units are arranged in a horizontal line above the transport member 8. The color image forming apparatus of the invention may have a configuration in which, for example, a plurality of image forming units are arranged on the outer periphery of a rotating transfer drum.

In the embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of image forming units having respective devices for charging, exposing, developing, and cleaning are provided on the conveying member around the photosensitive drum. Each of the units may be unitized so that the unit can be inserted into and removed from the apparatus main body via a slide rail or the like.

(Color Separation Mechanism) Next, in the color image forming apparatus and the color image forming method of the present invention, it is assumed that the abrasive member provided in the cleaning device is color-coded between at least two different image forming sections. It is a favorable condition. Here, the expression that the abrasive member provided in the cleaning device is color-coded between at least two different image forming units means that each of the cleaning devices in a plurality of image forming units constituting the color image forming device of the present invention. A mechanism for preventing the correct abrasive member corresponding to the inside of the cleaning device from being mounted in the other cleaning device by mistake, and the same color of the abrasive member and the corresponding polishing member to be set. A mechanism that aims to prevent erroneous mounting by providing a mark to enable identification from other cleaning devices.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view for explaining a color mark mechanism, in which M1 and M2 show examples of color marks.
M1 is a color mark provided on a rotating shaft 522, 545, 552 such as a polishing member (for example, polishing members 52, 54, 55) rotatably supported on the side wall P of the cleaning device, and M2 is a color mark. This is a color mark of the same color as M1 provided on the side wall P of the cleaning device frame 58. FIG.
5A is a perspective view for explaining the combination of the color mark mechanism and the foolproof mechanism of the present invention. In the color marks M1 and M2 in FIG.
A color mark provided on a support shaft 533 such as an abrasive member (for example, a blade-like abrasive member 53) rotatably supported on the support shaft 533, and M2 and M1 provided on a side wall P of the cleaning device frame 58. These are color marks of the same color. These color marks are classified into, for example, Y, M, C, and K colors for each of the image forming portions Pa, Pb, Pc, and Pd in FIG. 1 to prevent mounting errors of the abrasive member. be able to.

(Foolproof Mechanism) Next, in the color image forming apparatus and the color image forming method of the present invention, the abrasive member provided in the cleaning device has a foolproof mechanism between at least two image forming sections. Is a preferable condition. The fact that the abrasive member provided in the cleaning device has a foolproof mechanism between at least two image forming units means that the polishing member corresponding to each of the cleaning devices in the plurality of image forming units constituting the image forming device of the present invention. This is a mechanism for preventing the abrasive member from being correctly mounted and being erroneously mounted in another cleaning device, and the abrasive member can be installed only at the corresponding abrasive member installation location. , Means having a mechanism that cannot be installed in other places.

A preferred foolproof mechanism of the present invention is a mechanism for preventing an erroneous mounting of an abrasive member provided in a cleaning device, wherein a component is mounted on an apparatus main body or a component mounted on an apparatus main body. In addition, when mounting other parts or its auxiliary parts, it can be installed if it is an appropriate part or auxiliary part, but it can not be installed if it is an inappropriate part or auxiliary part, This is a mechanism having means for preventing the mounting. In the present invention, in order to prevent erroneous mounting of the abrasive member in the cleaning device, it is more preferable to use, for example, a color mark mechanism and a foolproof mechanism together as shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, the color mark mechanism and the foolproof mechanism shown in FIG. 5 will be described by taking the abrasive member 53 as an example. In the figure,
A support shaft 533 rotatably supports the polishing blade fixing member 532 of the blade-shaped polishing member 53.
A crocodile mouth 538 is provided at the tip of the polishing blade fixing member 532, and a polishing blade 531 is provided in the crocodile mouth 538.
The photosensitive drum 1 is cleaned by sliding and setting the polishing blade supporting member 534 having
Here, the color matching mechanism of the present invention is set between the blade-shaped abrasive member 53 and the side wall P of the cleaning device, and as shown in FIG. When the color mark M1 has the same color as the color mark M2 on the side wall P side, it is determined that the color mark M1 is properly arranged.

Next, the foolproof mechanism of the present invention comprises the above-mentioned polishing blade fixing member 532 and the polishing blade 531.
And the polishing blade supporting member 534 having FIG. 5B shows the polishing blade fixing member 5 of FIG.
32 is a perspective view illustrating a case in which a polishing blade support member 534 having a polishing blade 531 is slidably fitted in the crocodile opening 538 of the thirty-two.
38, a guide concave portion 537 is provided. The polishing blade supporting member 534 is provided with a protrusion 539. The protrusion 539 is slidably fitted into the guide concave portion 537 in the crocodile 538 of the polishing blade fixing member 532. By the combination, the polishing blade supporting member 534 can be fitted to the polishing blade fixing member for the first time, and the blade can be polished on the photoconductor. That is, in FIG. 5B, the distance L ₁ from the end of the guide recess 537 in the crocodile 538 of the polishing blade fixing member 532 becomes the distance L ₂ from the end of the projection 539 of the polishing blade support member 534. When they are equal to each other, it is possible to fit the polishing blade supporting member 534 on the polishing blade fixing member 532 by fitting each other as a proper combination.

The above-mentioned color matching or fool-proof mechanism is prepared in different combinations depending on the type of the image forming portion (Pa, Pb, Pc, Pd). The blade support member 534 can be mounted.

In FIG. 5A, the blade-shaped abrasive member 53 is set in an appropriate image forming section by matching the colors of the color marks M1 and M2. , Polishing blade support member 5
When only 34 is replaced and used, the above foolproof mechanism is applied to select an appropriate polishing blade support member 534 for an appropriate polishing blade fixing member 532.

In the color image forming apparatus and the color image forming method of the present invention, by employing the above-mentioned color matching and foolproof mechanism, assembly of the apparatus, replacement of parts when a jam occurs, and maintenance management of the apparatus become reliable and easy. High quality image formation was always possible.

Reference numerals 535 and 536 denote screws for fixing the polishing blade 531 to the polishing blade support member 534, and 100 denotes a spring for pressing the polishing blade 531 of the blade-shaped polishing member 53 against the photosensitive drum 1. .

[0154]

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to examples.
The present invention is not limited by this. In the description, “parts” means “parts by mass”.

[Production Example of Colored Resin Particles 1 to 4 (Emulsion-Polymerized Associative Toner)] <Production of Colored Resin Particles 1>
0.90 kg of Adeka Hope LS-90 (manufactured by Asahi Denka Co., Ltd., sodium n-dodecyl sulfate) and 10.0 L of pure water were added and dissolved by stirring. To this liquid, 1.20 kg of carbon black (Legal 330R, manufactured by Cabot) was gradually added with stirring, and the mixture was stirred well for 1 hour after the addition. Next, continuous dispersion was performed for 20 hours using a sand grinder (medium type disperser).

After the dispersion, the particle diameter of the dispersion was measured using an electrophoretic light scattering photometer ELS-800 manufactured by Otsuka Electronics Co., Ltd., and as a result, the mass average particle diameter was 122 nm. Also,
The solid content concentration of the dispersion was 16.6% by mass as measured by a static drying method. This dispersion was designated as Colorant Dispersion 1.

(Polymerization Step of Aggregate Particles) In a 10 L stainless steel pot, 0.55 kg of sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (manufactured by Kanto Chemical Co., Ltd.) is added, and 4.0 L of ion-exchanged water is added, followed by stirring at room temperature to dissolve. This was designated as an anionic surfactant solution A.

In a 10 L stainless steel pot, 0.14 kg of Newcol 565C (manufactured by Nippon Emulsion Co., Ltd.) was added, and 4.0 L of ion-exchanged water was added, and the mixture was stirred and dissolved at room temperature. This was designated as nonionic surfactant solution B.

223.8 g of potassium persulfate (manufactured by Kanto Chemical Co., Ltd.) was placed in a 20 L capacity enamel pot, 12.0 L of ion-exchanged water was added, and the mixture was stirred and dissolved at room temperature. this,
Initiator solution C was used.

A 100 L GL (glass lining) reactor equipped with a temperature sensor, a cooling pipe, and a nitrogen introducing device was charged with W.
3.41 kg of AX emulsion (polypropylene emulsion having a number average molecular weight of 3000: number average primary particle diameter = 120 nm / solid concentration = 29.9%), an anionic surfactant solution A and a nonionic surfactant solution B are added and stirred. Started. Next, 44.0 L of ion-exchanged water was added.

The heating is started, and when the liquid temperature reaches 75 ° C., the initiator solution C is added. Thereafter, the liquid temperature is reduced to 7
While controlling the temperature at 5 ° C. ± 1 ° C., 12.1 kg of styrene, 2.88 kg of n-butyl acrylate and 1.0 methacrylic acid were added.
4 kg and 548 g of t-dodecyl mercaptan were charged.

Further, the liquid temperature was raised to 80 ° C. ± 1 ° C.
Heating and stirring were performed for 6 hours. The liquid temperature is cooled to 40 ° C. or less, and the stirring is stopped. The mixture was filtered with a pole filter, and this was used as latex 1-A.

The resin particles in the latex 1-A had a glass transition temperature of 57 ° C., a softening point of 121 ° C., and a molecular weight distribution of weight average molecular weight = 1270,000 and weight average particle size of 12
It was 0 nm.

Next, 0.55 kg of sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (manufactured by Kanto Chemical Co., Ltd.) was placed in a new 10 L stainless steel pot, and ion-exchanged pure water 4.0 was added.
L was added and dissolved by stirring at room temperature. This was designated as an anionic surfactant solution D.

In a 10 L stainless steel pot, 0.14 kg of Newcol 565C (manufactured by Nippon Emulsifier) is added, and 4.0 L of ion-exchanged pure water is added, followed by stirring and dissolving at room temperature. This was designated as a nonionic surfactant solution E.

200.7 g of potassium persulfate (manufactured by Kanto Chemical Co., Ltd.) was placed in a 20 L enamel pot, 12.0 L of ion-exchanged water was added, and the mixture was stirred and dissolved at room temperature. this,
Initiator solution F was used.

A WAX emulsion (polypropylene emulsion having a number average molecular weight of 3000: a number average primary particle diameter of 120 nm) was placed in a 100 L GL reactor (a stirring blade was a Faudler blade) equipped with a temperature sensor, a cooling pipe, a nitrogen introducing device, and a comb baffle. / Solids concentration 29.9%) 3.41
kg, anionic surfactant solution D and nonionic surfactant solution E were added, and the mixture was stirred. Next, after charging 44.0 L of ion-exchanged water, heating was started, and the liquid temperature was reduced to 70%.
When the temperature reached ° C, the initiator solution F was added. At this time, 11.0 kg of styrene and n-butyl acrylate 4.
A solution in which 00 kg, 1.04 kg of methacrylic acid and 9.02 g of t-dodecylmercaptan were previously mixed was charged. Thereafter, the liquid temperature was controlled at 72 ° C. ± 2 ° C.
Heating and stirring were performed for hours. Further, the liquid temperature is set to 80 ° C. ± 2 ° C.
And heated and stirred for 12 hours. Liquid temperature 40 ℃
The mixture was cooled below, stirring was stopped, and the mixture was filtered with a pole filter. The filtrate was used as latex 1-B.

The resin particles in latex 1-B had a glass transition temperature of 58 ° C., a softening point of 132 ° C., and a molecular weight distribution of weight average molecular weight = 245,000 and weight average particle size of 115,000.
It was 0 nm.

(Association of Aggregate Particles) In a 35 L stainless steel pot, 5.36 kg of sodium chloride (manufactured by Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) as a salting-out agent and 20.0 L of ion-exchanged water were added.
Stir and dissolve. This was designated as sodium chloride solution G.

In a 2 L glass beaker, FC-170 was added.
C (Nonionic surfactant, manufactured by Sumitomo 3M Limited) 1.0
After adding 0 g, 1.00 L of ion-exchanged water was added and dissolved by stirring. This was designated as nonionic surfactant solution H.

A 100 L SUS reaction vessel equipped with a temperature sensor, a cooling pipe, a nitrogen introducing device, and a comb baffle (the stirring blade was an anchor blade) was charged with the latex 1-A = 2 prepared above.
0.0 kg, latex 1-B = 5.2 kg, colorant dispersion 1 = 0.4 kg, and ion-exchanged water 20.0 kg were stirred. Then, the mixture was heated to 40 ° C., and sodium chloride solution G and isopropanol (manufactured by Kanto Chemical Co., Ltd.) 6.00 k
g, Nonionic surfactant solution H were added in this order. 1
After being left for 0 minutes, the temperature was raised and the liquid temperature was raised to 85 ° C. over 60 minutes. At a liquid temperature of 85 ° C ± 2 ° C,
The mixture was heated and stirred for 6 hours to effect salting out / fusion. Then, at 40 ° C
The mixture was cooled below and the stirring was stopped. The mixture was filtered through a sieve having an opening of 45 μm.

Then, wet cake-like resin particles were collected from association liquid 1 by filtration using a Nutsche. Thereafter, the substrate was washed with ion-exchanged water.

The wet cake-like colored resin particles having been washed as described above are taken out from the nutsche, and the whole paper vat 5 is removed.
Spread them into pieces into pieces. After covering with kraft paper, it was dried with a blow dryer at 40 ° C. for 100 hours to produce colored resin particles 1.

<Production of Colored Resin Particles 2> Colored resin particles 1
In place of carbon black, C.I. I. Pigment Yellow 185 was used to prepare colored resin particles 2 in the same manner.

<Production of Colored Resin Particles 3> Colored resin particles 1
In place of carbon black, C.I. I. Pigment Red 122 was used to produce colored resin particles 3 in the same manner.

<Production of Colored Resin Particles 4> Colored resin particles 1
In place of carbon black, C.I. I. Pigment Blue 15: 3 was used, and colored resin particles 4 were produced in the same manner.

[Production Example of Colored Resin Particles 5 to 8 (Suspension Polymerized Toner)] <Production of Colored Resin Particles 5> 165 g of styrene, 35 g of n-butyl acrylate, and 20 parts of carbon black
g, 8 g of a styrene-methacrylic acid copolymer, and 20 g of paraffin wax (mp = 70 ° C.).
, And uniformly dissolved and dispersed at 12000 rpm with a TK homomixer (manufactured by Tokushu Kika Kogyo Co., Ltd.), and 10 g of 2,2'-azobis (2,4-valeronitrile) as a polymerization initiator was added thereto. And dissolved to prepare a polymerizable monomer composition. Then, 0.1 mol /
L of sodium phosphate aqueous solution (450 g) was added, and 1.0 ml / L of calcium chloride (68 ml) was gradually added while stirring at 10,000 rpm with a TK homomixer to prepare a suspension in which tricalcium phosphate was dispersed. The polymerizable monomer composition was added to the suspension, and the mixture was stirred with a TK homomixer at 10,000 rpm for 20 minutes to granulate the polymerizable monomer composition. Thereafter, the reaction was carried out at 80 ° C. for 10 hours. Tricalcium phosphate was dissolved and removed with hydrochloric acid, followed by filtration, washing and drying to produce colored resin particles 5.

<Production of Colored Resin Particles 6> Colored resin particles 5
In place of carbon black, C.I. I. Pigment Yellow 185 was used in the same manner, except that Pigment Yellow 185 was used.

<Production of Colored Particles 7> In the colored resin particles 5, C.I. I. Pigment Red 122 was used in the same manner as described above.
Was prepared.

<Production of Colored Particles 8> In the colored resin particles 5, C.I. I. Pigment Blue 15: 3 was used, and colored resin particles 8 were produced in the same manner.

[Production Example of Colored Resin Particles 9 to 12 (Pulverized Granulated Toner)] <Production of Colored Resin Particles 9> Styrene acrylic resin 100
Part, quaternary ammonium salt-based charge control agent (Borotron P-
51, manufactured by Orient Chemical Co., Ltd.), 1 part, carbon black 1
0 parts, low molecular weight polypropylene (number average molecular weight = 300
0) 4 parts were melted, kneaded and pulverized to prepare colored resin particles 9.

<Production of Colored Resin Particles 10> In the colored resin particles 9, C.I. I. Pigment Yellow 185, except that Pigment Yellow 185 was used.

<Production of Colored Resin Particles 11> In the colored resin particles 9, C.I. I. Pigment Red 122 was used, and colored resin particles were obtained in the same manner. This was designated as colored resin particles 11.

<Production of Colored Resin Particles 12> In the colored resin particles 9, C.I. I. Pigment Blue 15: 3 was used to obtain colored resin particles in the same manner. This was designated as colored resin particles 12.

Colored resin particles 1 obtained as described above
The volume average particle size of the colored resin particles was measured by a Coulter counter, and the shape factor (SF) of the colored resin particles was measured by the measurement method described above. The results are shown in Table 1. [Production Example of Toner 1 to Toner 12] Colored Resin Particle 1
1 to 12% by mass of the added fine particles shown in Table 1 were added to the resulting mixture, and the mixture was stirred and mixed to obtain a toner. These were designated as Toner 1 to Toner 12. The primary particle diameter of the external additive (hydrophobic silica) used in the preparation of the toner was measured in the same manner as in the method of measuring the abrasive fine particles, and the results are shown in Table 1.

[0186]

[Table 1]

[Production Examples of Developers 1 to 12] Ferrite carriers were mixed with the toners 1 to 12 to prepare developers having a toner concentration of 6% by mass, respectively, and used for printing evaluation. These developers are referred to as Developer 1 to Developer 12, respectively, corresponding to the toner.

[Production Example of Photoconductor 1 and Photoconductor 2] <Production of Photoconductor 1> Photoconductor 1 was manufactured as follows using a cylindrical aluminum substrate having a diameter of 30 mm and a width of 260 mm.

(UCL1) Polyamide resin (Amilan CM-8000: manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc.) 60 g Methanol 1600 ml 1-butanol 400 ml was mixed and dissolved to prepare a UCL coating solution. This coating solution was applied onto the above-mentioned cylindrical aluminum substrate by a dip coating method to form UCL1 having a thickness of 0.3 μm.

(CGL1) Y-type titanyl phthalocyanine as CGM (the main peak value of Bragg angle 2θ with respect to characteristic X-ray of CuKα ray is 9.5 and 27.3) 60 g silicone resin solution (KR5240, 15% xylene -Butanol solution: Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) 700 g 2-butanone 2000 ml was mixed and dispersed using a sand mill for 10 hours.
A coating solution was prepared. This coating solution was applied on the UCL by a dip coating method to form CGL1 having a thickness of 0.2 μm.

(CTL1) CTM1 200 g Bisphenol Z-type polycarbonate (Iupilon Z300: manufactured by Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company) 300 g Dioxolane 2000 ml was mixed and dissolved to prepare a CTL coating solution. This coating solution was applied on the CGL by a dip coating method, and a film thickness of 20 μm was applied.
m of CTL1 were formed.

<Production of Photoreceptor 2> Diameter 30 mm, width 260
The photoreceptor 2 was manufactured as follows using a cylindrical aluminum substrate having a thickness of 2 mm.

(UCL2) Polyamide (X-1874M manufactured by Daicel Huers) 20 g Methanol 800 ml Butanol 200 ml was mixed and dissolved to prepare a UCL coating solution. This coating solution was applied on a cylindrical aluminum with a circular slide hopper to form UCL2 having a thickness of 0.3 μm.

(CGL2) Perylene pigment G (mixture of G ₁ and G ₂ ) as CGM 60 g Butyral resin (manufactured by Esrec BHS Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd.) 30 g MEK 1600 ml Cyclohexanone 400 ml was dispersed with a sand grinder to prepare a dispersion. This coating solution was applied on the UCL with a circular slide hopper to form CGL2 having a thickness of 0.3 μm.

(CTL2) 200 g of CTM2 Z-type polycarbonate resin (Iupilon Z-300) 300 g of “manufactured by Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Co., Ltd.” 300 g of dioxolane was mixed to prepare a coating solution, which was coated with a circular slide hopper to form a film. CTL2 of 20 μm was formed.

<Surface Protective Layer (OCL)> On the CTL2, molecular sieve 4A was added to 10 parts by mass of a polysiloxane resin composed of 80 mol% of methylsiloxane units and 20 mol% of methyl-phenylsiloxane units.
It was left to stand for 5 hours to perform a dehydration treatment. This resin was dissolved in 10 parts by mass of toluene, and 5 parts by mass of methyltrimethoxysilane and 0.2 parts by mass of dibutyltin acetate were added thereto to form a uniform solution. 6 parts by mass of dihydroxymethyltriphenylamine (Compound H) and 0.3 parts by mass of hindered amine (Compound I) were added thereto and mixed.
The photoreceptor 2 was manufactured by applying the composition on L2, drying by heating at 120 ° C. for 1 hour, and curing to form an OCL having a thickness of 2 μm.

[0197]

Embedded image

[0198]

Embedded image

[Production Example of Blade Cleaning Member and Abrasive Member and Others] The cleaning device 5 shown in FIG.
Blade cleaning member 51 incorporated in FIG. 2, FIG.
2A, the blade-like abrasive member 53 in FIG. 2B, the sheet-like abrasive member 54 in FIG. 3A, and the roller-like abrasive member 55 in FIG. 3B. A description will be given of a specific production example and a method of installing the same.

<Blade Cleaning Member 51> The cleaning blade 511 having elasticity has a rubber hardness J.
IS A 70 °, rebound resilience 30%, thickness 2 mm, free length 9 mm, contact angle 20 ° using urethane rubber blade
At a pressure of 20 g / cm against the rotation of the photosensitive drum 1 in the counter direction.

<FIG. 2 (a) Brush-like abrasive member 52> In the brush-like abrasive member 52, first, a SUS having a diameter of 6 mm was used.
An acrylic conductive fiber having a single fiber thickness of 15 denier and a fiber density of 9.3 × 10 ² f / cm ² (filament / c) were formed on a metal core (rotating shaft 522) so as to have an outer diameter of 15 mm.
m ² ) and planted by gluing to form a cylindrical brush 5
Then, strontium titanate (Sr ₂ T) having a shape factor SF and a primary average particle diameter (dnm) shown in Table 2 was applied to the cylindrical brush 521 as abrasive fine particles.
iO ₄ ) was dispersed in a nylon resin solution of a mixed solvent of methanol and butanol, and the resulting dispersion was applied by spraying to prepare a desired brush-like abrasive member 52.

The cylindrical brush 521 of the above-mentioned brush-like abrasive member 52 is set under the blade cleaning member 51 (upstream side) so that the amount of bite into the photoconductor becomes 1 mm. 500 rpm in forward direction
The setting was made so as to operate in synchronization with the photosensitive member at m. At this time, a flicker (not shown) for scraping off the toner was provided to the cylindrical brush 521 so that the biting amount was 1 mm.

<Blade-like abrasive member 5 shown in FIG. 2B)
3> In the blade-shaped abrasive member 53, the blade cleaning member 51 is removed, and the rubber hardness JISA 7 is used similarly to the blade cleaning member 51.
0 °, rebound resilience 30%, thickness 2 mm, free length 9 mm manufactured urethane rubber blade, the rubber blade,
The primary average particle size (dn
m) and mixed powder (P1, P2) of silica particles having polyvinylidene fluoride particles (PVF) with a mixing ratio of 20
/ 80, the shape factor SF of silica is 1.20)
Was dispersed in a nylon resin solution of a mixed solvent of methanol and butanol, and the resulting dispersion was spray-coated to produce the desired blade-shaped abrasive member 53. The obtained blade-shaped abrasive member 53 was brought into contact with the photoreceptor drum 1 at a contact angle of 20 ° and a pressing force of 20 g / cm in the counter direction upstream of the rotation of the photoreceptor.

<Sheet Abrasive Member 54 in FIG. 3A>
In the sheet-shaped abrasive member 54, a polyester sheet having a film thickness of 50 μm is prepared, and the polyester sheet has a shape factor SF shown in Table 2 as abrasive fine particles, and a primary average particle diameter (dnm) shown in Table 2 is obtained. Chromium oxide particles (C
r ₂ O ₃ ) or aluminum oxide (Al ₂ O ₃ ) was dispersed in a nylon resin solution of a mixed solvent of methanol and butanol, and the resulting dispersion was spray-coated to produce the desired sheet-like abrasive member 54. . The obtained sheet-shaped abrasive member 54 is coated on the photoreceptor with a pressing force of 20 g / cm by a roller 542 having a surface rubber hardness of 35 ° by coating the core metal (rotating shaft 545) with urethane rubber from the back side. Contacted.

<Roller-shaped abrasive member 5 in FIG. 3B)
5> In the roller-shaped abrasive member 55, first, Asker C
Open-cell polyurethane with a hardness of 30 ° (pore diameter 25μ)
m, porosity 80%, conductivity 10 ⁻⁵ Ω / cm ⁻¹ )
mm-shaped elastic roller 551 is fixed to a 7 mm-diameter core (rotating shaft 552) to produce a roller-like member, and the roller-like member has a primary average particle diameter (dnm) described below as abrasive fine particles. And a titanium oxide particle (TiO ₂ ) and a polystyrene particle having silica particles and a titanium oxide particle adhered to the surface of the polystyrene particle.
A dispersion obtained by dispersing the composite fine particles having F (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4) in a nylon resin solution of a mixed solvent of methanol and butanol was spray-applied to produce the desired roller-shaped abrasive member 55. The obtained roller-shaped abrasive member 55 was placed below (upstream) the blade cleaning member 51 so that the amount of bite into the photosensitive drum 1 was 1 mm.

In the composite fine particles Q1, Q2, and Q3, the primary average particle size d of the silica particles was 20 nm, the primary average particle size d of the titanium oxide particles was 50 nm, and the primary average particle size d of the polystyrene particles was 200 nm. Primary average particle size d of silica particles = 10 nm Primary average particle size d of titanium oxide particles d = 50 nm Primary average particle size d = 200 nm of polystyrene particles <Image evaluation test> The tandem-type color image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is mounted in combination as shown in Table 3, and the color image forming apparatus is provided with a brush-like abrasive member 52 shown in FIG. 2A and a blade-like polishing member shown in FIG. The abrasive member 53, the sheet-like abrasive member 54 shown in FIG. 3A, and the roller-like abrasive member 55 shown in FIG. 3B are provided and evaluated. Provided color marks mechanism or foolproof mechanism to be described later, the evaluator 1 was prepared evaluator 2, the evaluator 3 and 4 kinds of test modified machine of evaluation machine 4. Further, an evaluator 5 using the evaluator 2 but having no color mark mechanism and no foolproof mechanism was prepared. Furthermore, an evaluation machine 6 (for comparison) having only the blade cleaning member 51 without an abrasive member and requiring no foolproof mechanism was prepared. The image forming units (Pa, Pb, Pc, and Pc) using the respective color toners of Y, M, C, and K of the evaluation machines 1 to 6 respectively.
Table 2 shows the types and various characteristics (primary particle diameter (dnm), shape factor SF, mixing in the case of mixed powder or composite fine particles, etc.) of the abrasive fine particles added to the abrasive member of Pd).

The image evaluation tests of Examples 1 to 5 using the evaluation machines 1 to 5 and Comparative Example 1 using the evaluation machine 6
Under the environment of 60 ° C. and 60% RH, actual running of 10,000 continuous prints of only the black test chart was performed.
The image quality, scratches on the photoreceptor drum, image unevenness, and resolution of the image after 10,000 prints were evaluated, and the results are shown in Table 4.

In the above image evaluation test, the cleaning device of each image forming section was provided with a color mark M1, M2 mechanism (see FIGS. 4 and 5) and a fool proof having guide recesses and protrusions as shown in Table 3. A test was conducted by introducing the mechanism (see FIG. 5), and the difficulty of assembling the apparatus and clearing the jam was evaluated. The results are shown in Table 4.

[0209]

[Table 2]

[0210]

[Table 3]

[0211]

[Table 4]

Table 4 shows that in the image evaluation test using the evaluators 1 to 5 of the present invention, the image quality of the obtained image was excellent even after 10,000 copies, and the occurrence of scratches on the photosensitive drum, image unevenness No resolution and excellent resolution,
Although there is no problem in practical use, the image evaluation test using the comparative evaluator 6 shows that the image quality after 10,000 copies is poor, the image unevenness is large, and the image is not practical. However, when the evaluator 5 of the present invention is used, since it does not have the color mark mechanism and the foolproof mechanism, in the process of performing 10,000 copies,
There was a problem that it took time to troubleshoot a part replacement error or jam.

[0213]

As has been proved by the embodiments, according to the color image forming apparatus and the color image forming method of the present invention, when a color image is repeatedly formed using a tandem type color image forming apparatus, Prevents deterioration of color images caused by differences in filming adhesion of paper powder, dust, toner powder, etc. between photoreceptors, eliminates drum scratches and image density unevenness, stabilizes high-resolution and clear images It has excellent effects such as being obtained. Further, when a color matching mechanism or a foolproof mechanism is introduced for mounting and dismounting the abrasive member provided in the cleaning device of the color image forming apparatus of the present invention, assembling of the apparatus and jam processing are facilitated, and component replacement error is reduced. It also has the effect that it does not occur.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram illustrating an example of a color image forming apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram of a cleaning device including two types of abrasive members according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram of a cleaning device including another two types of abrasive members according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a color mark mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a color mark mechanism and a foolproof mechanism of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d Photoconductor drum 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d Charger 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d Developing device 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d Transfer device 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d Cleaning device 6 Transfer Material 7 Fixing device 8 Conveying member 51 Blade cleaning member 52 Brush-like abrasive member 53 Blade-like abrasive member 54 Sheet-like abrasive member 55 Roller-like abrasive member 56 Toner receiver 57 Screw conveyor 511 Cleaning blade 531 Polishing blade 532 Polishing blade Fixing member 534 Polishing blade support member 537 Guide concave portion 539 Projection

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G03G 21/00 318

Claims (17)

[Claims] 1. A color image forming apparatus having a plurality of image forming sections provided with respective devices of charging, exposing, developing, transferring and cleaning around an electrophotographic photoreceptor, wherein said cleaning device contains abrasive fine particles or A color image forming apparatus, wherein an abrasive member to be adhered is arranged. 2. The color image according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of image forming units include a black image forming unit that forms a black image, and a chromatic image forming unit that forms a chromatic image. Forming equipment. 3. The color image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the abrasive member is a brush-like member. 4. The color image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the abrasive member is a blade-shaped member. 5. The color image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the abrasive member is a sheet member. 6. The color image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the abrasive member is a roller-shaped member. 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the abrasive fine particles are any of inorganic fine particles, organic fine particles, and composite fine particles obtained by attaching inorganic fine particles to the organic fine particles. Color image forming apparatus. 8. The color image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the abrasive fine particles have a different compound or a different primary average particle diameter between at least two image forming units. apparatus. 9. A plurality of types of abrasive fine particles contained or adhered to an abrasive member used in the plurality of image forming units are formed in one image forming unit, and the plurality of types of abrasive fine particles are included. 9. The color image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a mixture ratio of the black image forming section and the chromatic image forming section is different. 10. The primary average particle diameter of the abrasive fine particles in the plurality of image forming sections is such that the primary average particle diameter of the abrasive fine particles in the black image forming section is the primary average particle diameter of the abrasive fine particles in the chromatic image forming section. The color image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the color image forming apparatus has a smaller diameter. 11. The chromatic image forming section, wherein the plurality of image forming sections have a plurality of chromatic image forming sections, and the primary average particle diameter of abrasive fine particles in each chromatic image forming section is at least two types. The color image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the color image forming apparatus differs between the color image forming apparatuses. 12. The toner according to claim 1, wherein the toner used in the developing device is a toner obtained by polymerizing a polymerizable monomer in an aqueous medium. Color image forming apparatus. 13. The color image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the shape factor of the toner used in the developing device is 1.2 to 1.5. 14. The electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 1, wherein the surface layer has a crosslinked structure.
Item 10. A color image forming apparatus according to item 9. 15. The color image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the abrasive member is color-coded between at least two different image forming units. 16. The color image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the abrasive member has a foolproof mechanism between at least two different image forming units. 17. A color image forming method, comprising: forming a color image by using the color image forming apparatus according to claim 1. Description: