JPS62248662A - Powder image recording method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable images to be recorded simply through impressing a voltage according to an image signal on a counter electrode, by providing a conductive toner flight controlling member which comprises a plurality of minute opening parts and a plurality of controlling electrodes for controlling the passage of a toner through each of the minute opening parts. CONSTITUTION: A toner carrier 1 is rotated in the direction of an arrow, a conductive toner 5 is uniformly adhered to and supported on the surface of the toner carrier 1 by a blade member 6, and is fed toward a conductive toner flight controlling member 2. To record a powder image, the carrier 1 is rotated in the direction of the arrow to feed the conductive toner 5 toward the controlling member 2, while a counter electrode 3 is rotated to move a recording material 4 in the direction of an arrow. Simultaneously, an electrical signal for recording is inputted to a driving voltage impressing means 10, and a voltage is impressed on controlling electrodes 9 based on the signal, whereby the toner 5 is caused to fly toward the recording material 4 through minute opening parts 8 and adhere to the recording material 4, forming a visible image, namely, a powder image on the recording material 4.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a powder image recording method for forming a powder image on a recording medium in response to an electrical signal.

Conventional techniques Image recording methods using powder include electrophotography, electrostatic recording, etc., in which an electrostatic latent image is formed on a latent image carrier, and the electrostatic latent image is developed to form a powder. A known method is to create an image, transfer this powder image onto a recording medium, and fix the transferred powder image on the recording medium, and this method is used in copying machines, printers, facsimile machines, etc. .

The powder image recording method that the invention aims to solve requires multiple recording steps such as charging a latent image carrier, forming an electrostatic latent image, developing process, transfer process, and fixing process. Since it requires several steps, reliability and maintainability are low, and since it requires equipment to carry out each step, the entire device becomes large and expensive.

Means and operation for solving the problem A conductive device comprising a plurality of micro-apertures and a control electrode for controlling passage of toner through each micro-aperture between a toner carrier carrying conductive toner and a counter electrode. A conductive toner flight control member is disposed, and a voltage is applied to the control electrode according to the image signal to cause the conductive toner on the toner carrier to fly toward the control electrode,
This flying toner passes through the minute opening 8 and moves to the counter electrode side and is deposited on the recording medium to form an image, and the image can be formed by simply applying a voltage to the counter electrode according to the image signal. Something that can be formed and recorded.

Embodiment FIG. 1 shows an example of a recording apparatus for carrying out the powder image recording method according to the present invention, in which a toner carrier 1 carrying conductive toner and a flight control member 2 for quadrielectric toner are separated from each other. A counter electrode 3 is provided apart from the conductive toner flight control member 2 so that the recording medium 4 moves while being in contact with the counter electrode 3.

The toner carrier 1 has a roll shape and is rotated in the direction of the arrow, and the conductive toner 5 is uniformly adhered and supported on the surface by the blade member 6 and is conveyed toward the control electrode 2 .

The conductive toner flight control member 2 has a large number of minute openings S formed in the insulating support plate 7 at predetermined minute intervals.
and a control electrode 9 provided around the minute opening g, and each control voltage peak 9 is connected to the 1-section dynamic voltage applying means 1o to perform each control according to the electrical signal to be recorded. A voltage is applied to the electrode 9.

The counter electrode 3 has a roll shape and is rotated in the direction of the arrow, and is connected to a voltage applying means 11 to which a voltage is applied.

K, which records a powder image, rotates the toner carrier 1 in the direction of the arrow to convey the conductive toner 5 toward the conductive toner flight control member 2, and rotates the counter electrode 3 to transfer the conductive toner 5 to the recording medium 4. is moved in the direction of the arrow, and at the same time, an electric signal to be recorded is inputted to the drive voltage applying means 10, and a voltage is applied to the corresponding control electrode 9 based on the electric signal to move the conductive toner 5 into the micro opening. The particles fly toward the recording medium 4 through the recording medium 4 to form a visible image and a powder image on the recording medium 4.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 12 denotes conductive toner that has passed through the minute opening 8 and adhered to the recording medium 4, ie, a so-called printing dot.

Next, the principle of the powder image forming method according to the present invention will be explained with reference to FIG.

Figure 2 (al is the initial state of recording, that is, the control electrode 9 is
! This shows a state in which no pressure is applied, the conductive toner 5 is supported on the toner carrier 1, the conductive toner 5 and the conductor are not in contact with the toner flight control member 2, and the counter electrode 3 is The recording medium 4 is held on the side opposite to the toner carrier 1 in a non-contact manner with the conductive toner flight control member 2, and the recording medium 4 is in contact with the counter electrode 3 and is disposed in a non-contact manner with the conductive toner flight control member 2.

On the other hand, the toner carrier 1 and the control electrode 9 are grounded or held at the same potential, and a predetermined voltage VA is applied to the opposing electrode 3 by the voltage applying means 11.

Because of this, the electric field formed by the voltage V of the counter electrode 3 is shielded by the control electrode 9 and has almost no effect on the conductive toner 5 on the toner carrier 1. is stably supported on the toner carrier 1.

From this state, an electric signal is input to drive voltage applying means 1.
When a predetermined voltage Vc is applied to the control electrode 9 at 0, the second
As shown in FIG. 1bl, the conductive toner 5 in the portion facing the control electrode 9 flies.

This is because a Km field is formed between the control electrode 9 and the toner carrier 1 due to the voltage VC applied to the control electrode 9, and an electric charge is induced in the conductive toner 5 by the electric field, causing electrostatic attraction. Depends on the situation.

A part of the above-mentioned flying conductive toner 5 passes through the minute opening 8 and is attracted toward the counter electrode 3 by the electric field formed by the counter electrode 3, and adheres to the recording medium 4 to form a printed dot 12. This forms a powder image.

On the other hand, the remaining portion of the aforementioned flying conductive toner 5Q adheres to the control electrode 9.

The conductive toner 5 adhering to the control electrode 9 is induced with a charge of opposite polarity by the electric field between the control electrode 9 and the toner carrier 1, and flies toward the toner carrier 1 again. The toner is carried on the toner carrier 1, and the same flight is repeated as long as the voltage Vc is applied to the control electrode 9.

Then, when the voltage VC of the control electrode 9 is removed, tC in FIG.
It becomes as shown in r. In other words, the electric field formed by the voltage VA applied to the counter electrode 3 acts on the conductive toner 5 attached to the recording body 4, but no charge is injected from the recording body 4 and it returns to the control electrode 9 side. Never.

On the other hand, since the electric field between the control electrode 9 and the toner carrier 1 disappears, the conductive toner 5 remains attached to the control electrode 9 and the toner carrier 1 in accordance with the state when the voltage VC was removed.

Then, when the voltage VC is applied to the control electrode 9 again, the above-described operation is performed, but at this time, the conductive toner 5 remaining on the control electrode 9 is moved toward the toner carrier 1 by the electric field between the control electrode 9 and the toner carrier 1. Since the conductive toner 5 is easily accumulated and deposited on the control electrode 9, a stable state is maintained even if the powder image is formed by repeating the operation.

Therefore, there is a large amount of conductive toner 8 in the minute opening 8: tK
Since the toner does not adhere and accumulate, and the minute openings 8 are not clogged with the conductive toner 5, stable powder images can be recorded continuously.

That is, electric charges are induced between the control electrode 9 and the toner carrier 1 in the conductive toner 5 by the action of the electric field formed between the control electrode 9 and the toner carrier 1 .

By repeating the flight, it is possible to prevent the conductive toner 5 from slipping and clogging the minute openings 8, thereby making it possible to continuously and stably record powder images.

On the other hand, when high-resistance or insulating toner is used, the electric field formed between the control electrode and the toner carrier does not induce charge in the toner, or the time required for induction is long, resulting in the formation of a powder image. The toner cannot be repeatedly ejected within the time required, and the toner that has previously been ejected due to frictional electrification and slipped onto the control electrode adheres to and accumulates on the control electrode after powder image formation is completed. However, during continuous and repeated image recording, the minute openings become clogged, making it impossible to record stable powder images, resulting in decreased reliability.

Note that by changing the voltage applied to the control electrode 9 to alternating current and applying an alternating electric field between the control electrode 9 and the toner carrier 1, the toner described above is caused to fly and return between the control electrode 9 and the toner carrier 1. However, doing so does not make the drive for applying the alternating current complicated, and it is not practical because it requires uniformity and sufficient control of the charges on the toner.

This is because in conductive toner, the amount of charge necessary for flight is induced, whereas in the case of the above-mentioned high-resistance or insulating toner that is frictionally charged, the amount of charge is determined in advance. This is because even if the electric field acting on the toner is constant, there will always be toner that can fly and toner that cannot fly depending on the magnitude of the charge.

Furthermore, in the case of conductive toner, the amount of charge tends to fluctuate depending on the environment, especially humidity, causing a loss of operational stability, but in the case of conductive toner, changes in resistance due to moisture absorption have no effect on the amount of induced charge. Since no difference is given, the operation is stable.

3 to 5 show a second embodiment, and the recording apparatus has a first toner carrier between a roll-shaped toner carrier 1 and a roll-shaped counter electrode 3, as shown in FIG. A second conductive toner flight control member 2t-2* is provided, and a second conductive toner flight control member 2t-2* is provided. As shown in Figure M4, the second conductive toner flight control member 2+-2t has a first conductive toner flight control member 2+-2t. + #7t to 1st j
A large number of second minute openings 81.8t are formed at minute intervals, and each of the first and second minute openings 81.8t is formed at minute intervals. Second minute opening g.

8, around the 1st. The second control electrodes q, , q, are arranged respectively, and the first control electrodes q, , q, respectively. Second control electrode? +, 9t
is the first. Second connection! +3+.

13! via the 1st. Second drive voltage application means 10+-1
0 are connected to each other.

Note that the other configurations are the same as the recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1, so the reference numerals are the same and the explanation will be omitted.

According to such a recording device, FIG. 5 [al, (bl
As shown in , a powder image is formed on the recording medium 4 by a recording operation that is substantially the same as the recording method described above. control electrode q,
, q is different in that the polarity of the voltage VCItvC* applied to the toner carrier 1 is reversed or has a potential difference so that an electric field is generated between them. 1st. Second control electrodes 9, . 9
．． Printing speed is increased because it can be accelerated by the electric field between.

In other words, the recording speed can be increased and the speed can be increased, and at the same time, the recording speed can be increased and the 1j second control electrode? ,,9. 1st. The conductive toner 5 passing through the second minute opening Bs and Fix is
．． The applied voltage of the second control pole 1 9+, 9t changes the toner density as a toner cloud, so the density of the printed dots attached to the recording medium 4 can be changed! I4 can do it.

Further, the conductive toner 5 attached to the surface of the first control electrode 9° near the toner carrier 1 facing the toner carrier 1 is removed from the first control electrode 9°. Second control '11! Extreme 91.

As soon as the applied voltage in 9 is cut off, the toner carrier 1 returns to the state before the voltage was applied, so that only the conductive toner that forms an image can be used to prevent the scattering of the conductive toner near the toner carrier. 4, the other conductive toner returns to the toner carrier 1, and stable recording can be performed.

In addition, a second control electrode 9 on the recording body 4 side. Recorded by 4
It is possible to prevent toner scattering due to collision with the recording medium, and to control the toner flying speed near the recording medium.

Next, specific examples and comparative examples will be explained.

(Specific Example 1) In the recording device shown in FIG. 3, a magnetic roller with a diameter of 30 m containing a six-pole magnet and having a stainless steel sleeve whose surface is sandblasted is used as the toner carrier 1, and a silicone rubber blade is used as the blade member 6. A thin layer of conductive toner 5 made of conductive magnetic toner (average particle size 9 μmrL) is set, and the counter electrode 3 has a diameter of 80 μm.
The first . The second conductive toner flight control members 2t, 2t are disposed at positions 2 and 4u from the toner carrier 1, and the first and second conductive toner flight control members 2t, 2t are disposed at positions 2 and 4u from the toner carrier 1, respectively. The diameter of the second minute opening part 8+-8t is 80μj11
．． A 120μ door was used.

Then, the voltage of the first control electrode 9t K+500v is set to 30
Input at 0 μs, m2 control electrode 9. A voltage of -100V is applied to the first control electrode 9. was input at 300 μs in synchronization with , and a voltage of 3 K +2ooov was applied to the counter electrode.

As a result, an image of printed dots with a diameter of 150 μm could be formed on the recording medium 4 made of high-quality paper of the storage 1001 on the counter electrode 3, and the optical reflection density of the printed dots was 1.0.

(Specific Example 2) Using the same recording device as in the above-mentioned Specific Example 1, the first control electrode 9. +400V and the second control to pole 9. Recording was carried out by applying a voltage of -200 V to 400 .mu.s synchronous pulses based on the electrical signal for image formation.

Note that a voltage of +2500 V was applied to the counter electrode 317C.

As a result, printed dots with a diameter of 90 μm were obtained on the recording medium 4,
Its optical reflection density is 1.2.

(Comparative Example 1) In a recording apparatus similar to the above-described specific example 1, the second conductive toner flight control member 2. Recording was performed using the same applied voltage as in Example 1 without using.

As a result, printed dots with a diameter of 240 μm were obtained, and the optical reflection density was 0.5.

From this, the first. Second conductive toner flight control member 2. ．． 2. The density of the printed dots can be increased by providing the first dot. It can be seen that by changing the voltage applied to the second control voltage, the density of the printed dots can be modulated, resulting in a recording method with excellent gradation.

Fig. 6+a+~ (The mountain indicates the third embodiment, Fig. 6 18)
After recording in the same manner as in the first embodiment as shown in ~IcJ, the control electrode 9K is
``A voltage V is applied to form an electric field between the two.

In this way, the conductive toner 5 attached to the pole 9 is controlled by injecting and flying charges by applying a voltage. [
It reciprocates between the pole 9 and the toner carrier 1.

At this time, the toner carrier 1 is stopped and no new conductive toner is supplied, and when the aforementioned reciprocating conductive toner 5 is placed on the toner carrier 1, the aforementioned electric field is removed. When the conductive toner moves out of the action area of the toner, it is held on the toner carrier 1. Therefore, the reciprocating conductive toner decreases over time and completely removes the remaining conductive toner 5 that adheres to the control electrode 9. Can be removed.

Note that the voltage applied to the control electrode 9 may be the same as the voltage applied during recording, but it is preferable that the voltage applied during recording is also a higher voltage or is applied for a longer time than during recording. By doing so, the conductive toner remaining on the control electrode 9 can be efficiently removed.

That is, when recording is finished as shown in tel in FIG. 6, the conductive toner 5 adheres to and remains on the control electrode 9. If this residual toner remains on the control electrode 9 for a long time, it may be damaged depending on the surrounding environment. However, it sometimes happens that the residual toner sticks to the control electrode 9. Particularly in a high temperature and high humidity environment, if left for several days after recording, the aforementioned residual toner tends to stick, and when this phenomenon occurs, the minute openings 8 become clogged, making it impossible to maintain stable recording.

Conductive toner is generally made by dispersing and mixing a conductive agent and a colored pigment in an insulating resin, solidifying, and then crushing and classifying. However, if the conductive agent is poorly dispersed, When looking at individual particles, their electrical resistance varies, and some toner particles have a high resistance and are difficult to have an electric charge induced by an electric field.

These toners return from the control electrode to the toner carrier side]
Even if the amount is extremely small, if it accumulates over a long period of time, it can cause clogging of minute openings.

Additionally, dirt, dust, paper powder, etc. present in the air can also cause clogging of minute openings.

Therefore, it is important to completely remove the conductive toner that remains attached to the control electrode in order to perform stable recording over a long period of time.1 The inventor has conducted various experiments. As a result, as shown in the above-mentioned Figure 6, it was discovered that the remaining conductive toner could be completely removed by simply applying a voltage to the control electrode 9 after the recording was completed. If the voltage applied to the control electrode 9 in FIG. 6 (ψ) is an alternating voltage, the toner removal efficiency will be even higher.

In other words, as mentioned above, high-resistance toner and dust are caused by poor dispersion during the preparation of conductive toner.

Foreign matter such as dust is difficult to fly under an electric field caused by a direct current because sufficient charge is not induced or injected, but under an electric field caused by an alternating voltage, they easily fly off due to the true charge caused by their own friction, so high-resistance toner and Foreign matter can also be removed well.

Here, if we examine in detail the toner removal process shown in FIG. However, it flies from the microscopic opening of the control electrode toward the counter electrode.

If this flying toner is left unattended, it may adhere to the side surface of the counter electrode or the counter electrode of the control electrode), exist in a cloud state, and cause the inside of a copying machine with a built-in recording device to become dirty, so it should be collected once. There is a need.

Examples of methods for collecting toner include a method of collecting toner using an air flow, a method of providing an insulating layer on the counter electrode and applying a voltage to the counter electrode to adsorb the toner and collect it electrostatically. However, the simplest method is to shield the minute opening with a shielding member during the toner removal step to prevent flying toner from being discharged from the minute opening toward the counter electrode.

7 to 12 show a fourth embodiment, and FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a recording device, in which the counter electrode 3 is a roll-shaped main body 3a whose surface is coated with a silicone rubber layer 3b. In addition, a heat roll 22 having a built-in heater 21 in a hollow cylindrical elastic layer 20 is pressed against the counter electrode 3, and the recording medium 4 is passed through the nip thereof.
The other configurations are the same as the recording apparatus of the first embodiment.

Incidentally, the conductive toner flight control member 2 is shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 9, the insulating support plate 7 has many minute openings g.
g in a linear or staggered pattern, and control electrodes 9 are provided around each, or as shown in FIG. Control poles 9 are provided on both sides of the minute opening g at a minute interval.The shape of the minute opening g may be polygonal or oval instead of circular, and the size of the printing dot 12 What is necessary is to form a toner passage opening for conductive toner corresponding to .

Alternatively, the conductive toner 5 may be supplied in a uniform thin layer onto the toner carrier 1 using a developing machine used for ordinary electrophotographic development.

In such a recording apparatus, when a pulse voltage of an appropriate magnitude is applied between the control electrode 9 and the toner carrier by the drive voltage applying means 10 according to the image information, the conductive toner 5 is applied in the same manner as in the first embodiment. flies onto the counter electrode 3 to form printed dots 12, and the printed dots 12 are transferred and fixed onto the recording medium 4 by the heat roll 22 to perform recording.

At this time, the voltage applied to the control electrode 9 is such that the electric field acting on the conductive toner 5 on the toner carrier 1 is 5 X I O'
It is desirable to set it to V/m or more.

Here, since the surface of the counter electrode 3 is a silicone rubber layer 3b, which has low hardness and high adhesiveness, the flying conductive toner 5 does not spread and adheres tightly to the micro openings 8. Print dots 12 having the same size as the toner passage opening can be formed.

That is, the surface of the counter electrode 3 is made of PET or polyimide, and plain paper is placed in contact with the counter electrode 3 as the recording material 4, and the paper flies! - When applying toner to plain paper and printing it, the flying toner collides with a part made of a hard, low-adhesive material, resulting in printed dots that are spread out and not compacted, resulting in unclear records. becomes.

The reason for this is not clear, but as shown in FIG. 11 (al), the flying conductive toner 5 bounces when it collides with the counter electrode 3 side, and the printed dot 1 as shown in FIG.
It is presumed that this is caused by one or both of the following: electric charge switching between the first layer toner and the second layer toner of No. 2, and the toner of the m2 layer flying again.

Note that the printed dots 12 on the counter electrode 3 are printed on the heat roll 2.
When passing through the nip between the dots 2 and 2, it is pressurized and heated, melting it, penetrating the recording medium 4, transferring and fixing the printed dots. Electrostatic transfer is also possible, but the above-mentioned method is most suitable due to its high transfer efficiency and minimal disturbance of printed dots during transfer. Since two steps can be performed simultaneously, the number of steps that can cause failures is reduced, reliability is increased, and the recording apparatus can be made smaller.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 12, a heater 21 may be provided within the rolled main body 3a of the counter electrode 3.

That is, according to the recording method according to the present invention, the distance m between the counter electrode 3 and the control electrode 9 can be increased, so even if the heater 21 is provided inside the counter electrode 3, the heat is transferred to the control electrode 9 and the toner. Since there is very little conduction to the carrier 1, there is no adverse effect caused by the heater 21.

In this way, the toner forming the printed dots 12 on the silicone rubber layer 3b is heated in advance and brought into contact with the recording medium 4 in a molten state, resulting in high transfer efficiency and high speed transfer. It is possible.

As described above, in the fourth embodiment, the flying conductive toner can firmly adhere to the silicone rubber layer 3b on the counter electrode 3 without diffusion and form printed dots.
Good recording can be done.

FIG. 13 shows a fifth embodiment, which prevents the flying toner from spreading on the counter electrode 3 side as described in the fourth embodiment. By using a material with strong adhesion, the adhesion of the flying and highly conductive toner 5 to the recording medium 4 is increased to prevent diffusion, as shown in FIG. It is possible to form bright printed dots 12.

Note that the recording medium 4 may be plain paper impregnated with an adhesive, a film coated with an adhesive, etc. In order to record these printed dots on plain paper, the method shown in the fourth embodiment is used. If you transfer it to plain paper and fix it, it will work.

14 to 17 show a sixth embodiment, and the recording device has a corona charger 30 disposed opposite to the front side of the counter electrode 30 in the rotating direction, as shown in FIG. 14, and the other configurations are as follows. This is the same as the first embodiment.

According to this recording apparatus, the printing dots 12 can be formed and recorded on the recording medium 4 in the same manner as described above as shown in FIG. The recording medium 4 is charged to have an electric charge, and then the flying conductive toner 5 is attached to the recording medium 4 as shown in FIG. The adhesion force is strengthened by the Coulomb force caused by the electric charge, and the flying toner diffusion described in the fourth and fifth embodiments is eliminated, making it possible to form the printed dots 12 with tight creases, and the recording medium 4 can be moved at high speed. The printed dots 12 do not move slightly even when conveyed, so that image disturbance and toner scattering can be prevented.

Therefore, the interior of a copying machine or the like having a built-in recording device is not contaminated with toner, and printed dots with high resolution and optical reflection image density can be obtained, and excellent recording can be performed.

In addition, in order to apply electric charge to the recording medium 4, as shown in Fig. m16, the core material 31 is made of Teflon #I1. A fur brush 33 having fibers 32 implanted therein may be brought into sliding contact with the recording medium 4 and rotated at a high speed in the opposite direction to the counter electrode 3 for frictional charging, or a conductive roller may be used as shown in Figure 8R17. 34 to record body 4
The conductive roller 34 may be charged by contacting with the bias power supply 35 and rotating the conductive roller 34 at substantially the same speed as the opposing γ electrode 3 to inject charges.

Next, specific examples and comparative examples will be explained.

(Body A side 1) A magnet is arranged in an aluminum sleeve with a roughened surface and a wall thickness of 21Ij and a diameter of 3Ou- to form a roll-shaped toner carrier 1, and a thin film of conductive toner 5 is applied to the surface with a rubber blade. At the same time, the conductive toner 5 has an average particle size &5
A conductive toner containing μm magnetic powder was prepared.

On the other hand, a roll-shaped counter electrode 3 made of stainless steel with a diameter of 130 m is arranged 211 J away from the toner carrier t, and between them K [a conductive toner having a micro opening g with a diameter of 90 μm and a control electrode 9]. The control member 2 is provided 00 μm apart from the surface of the toner carrier 1, the surface of the toner carrier 10 is grounded, -3000V is continuously applied to the counter electrode 3, and -600V is applied to the control electrode 9 for 500μS. A rectangular pulse is applied based on the image signal.

Then, the recording body 4 is conveyed in contact with the counter electrode 3, and the recording body 40 is exposed to a corona discharge of +55 V before the position where the recording body 4 is in contact with the printing part, the tab, and the toner is flying. A charge was applied to the surface.

This recording body 4 was made of high quality paper.

When the image monk was formed as described above, 120
An image of printed dots of μm diameter was formed, and the optical reflection density of the printed dots was 1.2.

(Specific Example 2) A magnetic roller having an output of 1100 Gauss was used as the toner carrier 1 on the surface of an aluminum sleeve with a diameter of 25W, and a thin toner film was created on the sleeve using an aluminum doctor blade, and the toner was mixed with magnetic powder. It was made into a conductive toner.

At a distance of 3 m from the surface of the aforementioned toner carrier 1 and with a diameter of 50 mm.
A roll-shaped counter electrode 3 of wux is arranged, and an annular control electrode 9 is arranged around a circular minute opening 8 having a diameter of 95 μm between them.
When the conductive toner flight control member 2 was provided at a distance of 700 μm from the surface of the toner carrier 1, each control electrode was connected to a drive voltage applying means for applying a voltage based on an image signal.

The surface of the toner carrier 10 is grounded, and the counter electrode 3 is +3000
V is connected continuously and -400V is applied to the control electrode at 7
A rectangular pulse of 00 μs was applied based on the image signal.

The recording medium 4 was made of 50 μm Mylar, and a Teflon fur brush was pressed against it immediately before the printing area and rotated at a linear speed 15 times the conveyance speed of the Mylar, thereby anodic triboelectrically charging the Mylar.

When an image was formed as described above, an image of printed dots with a diameter of 110 μm could be formed on Mylar, and its optical reflection density was 1.1.

(Comparative Example 1) When an image was formed without performing corona charging in Example 1, the optical reflection density of the printed dots was 0.5, and there were some toner-splattered layer areas even in the non-image on the recording medium. .

(Comparative Example 2) In Example 2, when an image was formed by repeatedly performing frictional charging using a 7A brush, the diameter of the printed dot was 190 μm.
The optical reflection density was 0.65 at m.

In view of this, it has been found that if the flying toner is applied to the recording medium 4 after it is charged, the printed dots will be well formed without scattering.

18 to 22 show a seventh embodiment, and the recording device is approximately the same as the T41 embodiment as shown in FIG. In addition, the insulating parts 3' and the conductive parts 3' are formed on the surface of the counter electrode 3 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction as shown in FIG. 19, and as shown in FIG. 20. They are different in that they are formed in a single pine pattern and are formed at equal intervals in the longitudinal direction, as shown in FIG.

In other words, the major feature of this embodiment is that the counter electrode 3 is shaped like a metal roll, and its surface is dotted with insulating parts 3' and conductive parts 3'.

Image formation by such a recording device is performed in the order shown in Fig. 22 (b
J, tel, the process is carried out in substantially the same manner as the first embodiment, but the surface of the counter electrode 3 is dotted with insulating parts 3' and conductive parts 3', and the surface is corona-charged. Since the insulating part 3' is charged by the corona charger 30, a charge is applied to the insulating part 3' by the corona charger 30 before reaching the printing part, and a predetermined voltage is applied to the conductive part 3'.

For this reason, the holding force of the conductive toner adhering to the surface of the recording medium 40 is sufficiently large, and even when the flying conductive toner collides with the recording medium and is splashed by the elasticity of the toner, the toner is immediately removed from the recording medium. 4, the toner charge in the conductive toner does not leak significantly, and the image is not disturbed even when the recording body 4 is conveyed at high speed, so the conveyance efficiency of the recording body can be greatly improved. It has the following advantages.

Next, specific examples and comparative examples will be explained.

(Specific Example 1) The toner carrier 1 is a magnetic roller made of non-magnetic stainless steel, self-cleaning 1.5 W*, with a 6-pole magnet arranged inside a sleeve with a diameter of 28 mm, and a silicone rubber blade is used on its surface. A thin layer of toner 7 was prepared by using the toner, and the toner had an average particle size of 10.3 μm and an electric deflection of 1 when bulk filling was performed.
A conductive toner containing an a-type material with Q'jfm was obtained.

A stainless steel back counter electrode 3 with a diameter of 60 wa is arranged 2 m apart from the toner carrier 1 and f, and the surface of the counter electrode 3 has a single pine pattern with a side length of 20 μm and is made of a stainless steel conductive surface and an insulating photoresist. It is assumed that there are a highly insulating part and a conductive part, and one part is provided between the opposing electrode 3 and the toner carrier 1.
A conductive toner flight control member 2 having a micro opening 6 with a diameter of 00 ρm and a control electrode 9 is placed at a height of 0 from the surface of the toner carrier.
They were placed 0 μm apart.

The surface of the toner carrier is grounded, and the conductive part of the opposing @ pole 3 is
000V is continuously applied, and -700V is applied to the control electrode 9.
Apply it as a 600 μs rectangular pulse based on the image signal.

The surface of the counter electrode 3 has a +5
．． A 5KV corona charge is applied to the insulating part to ++OOV.
gave a charge of

A roll paper was used as the recording material 4 and was conveyed in contact with the counter electrode 3.

When recording was performed in this manner, the optical reflection density of the printed dots on the recording medium 4 was 1.1.

(Concrete Example 2) The counter electrode 3 of Concrete Example 1 has stainless steel conductive surface stripes with a door width of 40 μm and insulating bands of insulating photoresist with a door width of 10 μm alternately along the circumferential direction, and other conditions are specified. When an image was formed in the same manner as in Example 1, the optical reflection density of the printed dots on the recording medium 4 was 1.2.

(Comparative Example 1) In Example 1, when image formation was performed using the counter electrode 3 whose entire surface was a conductive surface made of stainless steel and the other conditions being the same as in Example 1, the optical reflection of the printed dots on the recording medium 4 The concentration was 0.7.

From the above, it can be seen that if the surface of the counter electrode 30 is dotted with insulating parts and conductive parts, printed dots with high optical reflection density can be formed and a good image can be formed.

23 to 26 show an eighth embodiment, and the recording apparatus has a roll-shaped counter electrode 3 disposed above a roll-shaped toner carrier 1, as shown in FIG. This device is provided with a conductive toner flight control member 2, and is substantially the same as the recording device of the first embodiment described above, and has a structure in which the surface of the toner carrier 1 continuously forms irregularities. This is a significant difference and is a feature of this embodiment. 23rd
In the figure, reference numeral 40 denotes a heat fixing roller, and the recording paper 4 is configured to pass through a nip portion between the heat fixing roller 40 and the counter electrode 3.

According to such a recording device, FIG. 26 (a+, (bl
.

As shown in +c+, an image is formed in substantially the same manner as in the first embodiment, but since the conductive toner 5 is supported and conveyed by the unevenness 41 on the surface of the toner carrier 1, it is stably conveyed and supplied as a thin layer. will be done.

As mentioned above, in order to repeatedly form good images in image formation according to the present invention, it is necessary to use the toner carrier 1.
It is necessary to supply a sufficient amount of conductive toner to the top and transport a sufficient amount of the toner, and it is necessary that the toner layer on the toner carrier 1 be thin and uniform.

Therefore, as described above, the surface of the toner carrier 1 is made to have a continuous uneven shape so as to satisfy the above-mentioned requirements.

That is, even if the toner is formed as a uniform thin layer on the surface of the toner carrier 1 by the blade member 6, the toner accumulates in the recesses of the unevenness 41, and a sufficient amount of toner can be transported, thereby improving the toner transport efficiency.

Further, even during high-speed recording, even if the toner carrier 1 is rotated at a speed opposite to the recording speed, the toner is accumulated in the recesses of the unevenness 41, so that scattering does not occur.

Further, after recording is completed, the surface of the toner carrier 1 has traces of flying toner and the amount of toner decreases, but the blade member 6 can replenish the toner in a uniform layer, and the replenished toner can be distributed over the uneven surface 4. Since the toner is deposited in the recessed portion of the toner, a sufficient amount of toner replenishment can be obtained.

Further, the amount of induced charge to the toner can be stably provided, the amount of charge to the toner is constant, and variations in image density are reduced.

In addition, the pitch of the unevenness 41 is in the range of 5 μm to 100 μm, preferably in the range of 20 μm to 40 μm, and the depth of the recess is preferably in the range of 3 μm to 80 μm, preferably in the range of 5 μm to 20 μm, The pitch and depth of these irregularities are determined by the particle size of the toner, and the toner particle size is determined by the size of a printing dot (one pixel), the fluidity of the toner particles, or the electrical resistance value.

In addition, the material of the surface of the toner carrier is lQ'gc.
Any conductive material with a resistance value of rn or less may be used, but it is preferably a material with a resistance value of 1QtJ2IM or less and high mechanical strength and rigidity, such as metals in general, hard polymer materials with electrical conductivity, etc. - Next, a specific example will be explained.

A magnet was provided in an aluminum sleeve with a wall thickness of 2 μm and a diameter of 30 mm to form a magnetic roller, and the surface of the sleeve was knurled to form unevenness with a pitch of 20 μm and a depth of 10 μm to form a toner carrier 1. , the electrical conductivity was 10゛61 Jcm.

A silicone rubber blade with a thickness of 3 μm was pressed onto the surface of the toner carrier 1, and the average particle size was 9 μm and the conductivity was 1039 μm.
A thin layer of conductive toner 5 was formed to have a uniform thickness.

A conductive roller having a diameter of 50+gaM is provided as a counter electrode 3 and is spaced apart from the toner carrier 1, and plain paper for recording is conveyed as a recording body 4 on the upper surface of the roller, and between the recording body 4 and the toner carrier 1. A conductive toner flight control member 2 provided with a control electrode 9′f is placed around a micro opening 8 having a diameter of 90 μm and is spaced apart from the toner carrier 1 by 200 μm and from the counter electrode 3 by 400 μm. was connected to a drive voltage applying means, and a voltage was applied in the form of a 500 μs rectangular pulse based on the image signal.

A voltage of 700 V was applied to the control electrode 9, a voltage of 2500 V was applied to the counter electrode 3 in synchronization with the control electrode signal pulse, and the toner carrier 1 was grounded to have zero potential.

When an image was formed in this way, a 100μ
An image of printed dots with a diameter of m and a visible density of 1.2 was formed.

FIG. 27 shows a ninth embodiment, in which the recording device is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment, and conductive toner is deposited on the surface of the toner carrier 1.
The means for attaching and supporting the material differs from the first embodiment.

That is, the toner carrier 1 becomes a conductive roll 50 and is rotatably provided in a conductive case 51.
A big wire 54 is arranged at the bottom of the circle, and the pink wire 5 is connected to an alternating voltage source 55 to supply an alternating voltage to the big wire 54. is applied to induce a charge on the conductive toner 51C to fill the closed space 53.
The particles are made to fly in the air to form a cloud state, and thereby adhere to the surface of the conductive roll 500.

The surface of the conductive roll 50 after the toner has finished flying is brought into sliding contact with the blade member 56 to scrape off the remaining toner and allow the toner to adhere uniformly again.

In this way, if an alternating voltage is applied to the pick wire 54 and the conductive toner 5 is made to adhere to the surface of the conductive roll 500 in a cloud state only by the action of the electric field, there is no need to use a sliding member or an air flow. The reliability of the device is high.

Moreover, the entire device can be downsized.

Further, since the adhesion of the conductive roll 50 to the conductive tray 5 is performed by electrostatic adsorption due to the charge of the toner in the cloud state, the toner is attached to the conductive roll 10 compared to the toner in the cloud state that has no charge. Supply efficiency increases.

Further, the toner layer formed by adhering to the surface of the conductive roll 50 is formed into a layer by adsorbing toner in a cloud state, so that the toner layer has a very uniform thickness and adheres to the conductive roll 50. The charged toner leaks charge to the conductive roll 50 side and retains no charge or only a minute charge, so it does not stick to the conductive roll 50 and easily flies off during image formation. It is ideal for use in forming.

In FIG. 27, every other pick wire 54 is connected to both ends of an alternating current power supply 55, so that voltages of different phases are applied to every other pick wire 54. The efficiency of cloud generation can be improved by applying an electric field between the big wires.

Note that the method of connecting the pick wires 54 is not limited to this; for example, a three-phase alternating current may be used, and each phase may be applied to every third pick wire.

The conductive toner 5 adhered to the conductive roll 50 as described above is conveyed toward the control electrode 9, and an image is formed on the recording medium 4 in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

During image formation, it is important that the toner layer of the conductive toner formed on the conductive roll 50 has a uniform thickness, and if the toner layer does not have a uniform thickness, a voltage is applied to the control electrode 9. Sometimes, the amount of reciprocating conductive toner fluctuates, and even if the same pulsed voltage is applied to the control electrode 9, the density of the printed dots on the recording medium 4 will vary, and the density of one image will fluctuate.

Therefore, according to the recording apparatus shown in FIG. 27 described above, a single layer of toner can be formed with a uniform thickness on the conductive roll 50, so that if the same pulsed voltage is applied to the control electrode 9, the number of printed dots can be reduced. The density becomes the same, and the image density becomes uniform.

Further, the single layer of toner formed on the conductive roll 50 during image formation needs to be conductive, and this is achieved by applying a voltage to the control electrode 9 and causing the toner to undergo reciprocating motion by inductively injecting charges into the toner. This is to make them do the following.

On the other hand, if a charged toner is used or a roll with a dielectric layer is used as a toner carrier, the toner will adhere to the roll with the force of the zero blue charge, making it easier to supply the toner and form a layer of toner. However, the above-mentioned reciprocating motion due to the induced charge injection cannot be performed, and image formation cannot be performed.

In addition, while using a conductive toner as a toner,
By supplying and transporting toner by magnetic force using a donor roll and a magnet roll as toner carriers, it is possible to satisfy toner single-layer formation transport and charge induction injection, but when using a mother conductive toner in this way, magnetic powder , it is not possible to perform color recording with good color development.

On the other hand, according to the recording apparatus shown in FIG. 27, the conductive toner can be formed in a layer of uniform thickness on the conductive roll 50 serving as the toner carrier without using magnetic force, so that good color development can be achieved. It is possible to perform color recording.

For example, as shown in FIG. 28, a plurality of the recording devices described above are arranged in parallel, conductive toner 5 of a different color is placed in the conductive case 51 of each recording device, and an image signal corresponding to each color is applied to the control electrode 9. In such a color recording apparatus, the toner flying to the recording medium 4 is caused by the toner ejected from the minute opening 8 of the control electrode 9 in one direction. Because it is flight.

Toners of different colors in each conductive case 51 do not mix, and color reproduction can be performed satisfactorily without the mixing of toners of different colors that tends to occur in powder color recording.

Effects of the invention By simply applying a voltage to the control electrode 9 according to the image signal, Ki! Since it can be formed and recorded on its own, there is no need for a plurality of recording steps as in the past, which improves reliability and maintainability, and also makes the device smaller and cheaper.

Further, since the electrical field formed between the control electrode 9 and the toner carrier 1 causes the conductive toner 5 on the toner carrier 1 to fly, recording can be controlled by controlling this electric field.
It is easy to configure a recording device by allowing a wide interval between the control electrode 9 and the counter electrode 3 and a wide tolerance, and there are also extremely few restrictions on the thickness and type of the recording body 4. Become.

In addition, since a uniform electric field is sufficient between the control electrode 9 and the counter electrode 3, even if plain paper is used as a recording medium, good recording is possible without being affected by the drop in resistance due to water content and the diffusion of the electric field. I can do it.

Furthermore, since the recording medium 4 is not in contact with the conductive toner, no background fogging of the recording medium 4 occurs.

Furthermore, by changing the voltage applied to the control electrode 9, the amount of toner passing through the minute opening g can be controlled, so that image density can be easily controlled and gradation recording can be easily performed.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show embodiments of the present invention, and FIGS. 1 and 2 show the first embodiment, and FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the recording device.
Figures 2 (Jl) to (cl are explanatory diagrams of the recording operation, Figures 3 to 5 show the second embodiment, Figure 3 is a front view of the recording apparatus,
Figure 4 is a perspective view of the conductive toner flight control member, Figure 51
a+, lb+ are diagrams for explaining the malfunction; , Figure g, Figure 9
figure. FIG. 10 shows different front views of the conductive toner flight control member, and FIG.
2 is a front view showing a modification of the recording device, and FIG. 13 [a+
14 to 17 show the sixth embodiment, FIG. 14 is a front view of the recording apparatus, and FIGS. Figures 16 and 17
The figures are different front views of the recording medium charging means, Figs. 18 to 22.
The figure shows the seventh embodiment, and FIG. 18 is a front view of the recording device.
Figure 19. 20 and 21 are different perspective views of the toner carrier; 24 and 25 are front views and plan views of the conductive toner flight control member, and FIGS. 26 1a), t)
) # (CJ is an operation explanatory diagram, FIGS. 27 and 28 show the ninth embodiment, FIG. 27 is a front view of the recording device, and FIG. 28 is a front view of the recording device.
The figure is an explanatory diagram of an example of its application. 1 is a toner carrier, 2 is a conductive toner flight control member%3
4 is a counter electrode, 4 is a recording medium, 5 is a toner, 8 is a minute opening, and 9 is a control electrode. Figure 1 Figure 3 Soil ~ 41 Rate Figure 4 Figure 5 (a) (b) Figure 8 Figure 9 Figure 11 Figure 14 Figure 18 Figure 20 Figure 23 Figure 24 Figure 25 = 〒qW'ds

Claims (1)

[Claims] Toner carrier 1 carrying conductive toner 5 and counter electrode 3
A conductive toner flight control member 2 including a plurality of micro-apertures 8 and a plurality of control electrodes 9 for controlling toner passage through each micro-aperture 8 is disposed between the toner flight control member 2 and the conductive toner flight control member 2, which is controlled according to an image signal. A voltage is applied to the electrode 9 to cause the conductive toner 5 on the toner carrier 1 to fly to the control electrode 9 side, and this flying conductive toner passes through the micro opening 8 and transfers to the counter electrode 3 side. A powder image recording method characterized by forming an image by depositing it on a recording medium 4.