JP2956188B2 - Toner jet recording device - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a toner jet recording apparatus which is a non-contact image recording apparatus of a direct modulation type applied to a copying machine and a printer.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a toner jet recording apparatus of this type includes an aperture electrode having a large number of openings, a toner carrier, and a counter electrode, as described in, for example, US Pat. No. 3,689,935. The charged toner conveyed to the vicinity of the aperture electrode by the toner carrier is controlled on an electric field by the counter electrode and the aperture electrode disposed behind the support, and is transferred onto the support through the opening. It is to be applied.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, the above-described apparatus has a problem that toner causes clogging of holes. For example, in order to obtain a recording density of 240 dots per inch, the size of a dot is at most 100 μm [micrometer], and the inner diameter of the aperture of the aperture electrode for that purpose needs to be as small as about 50 μm. . On the other hand, the average particle size of the toner is 10μ.
m, the opening easily clogs due to environmental changes or dust. Due to the clogging of the hole, the toner is not applied on the support, and the apparatus becomes unrecordable.
Therefore, there is a problem that the inside of the aperture of the aperture electrode must be frequently cleaned.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and a toner jet recording apparatus capable of easily removing toner clogged in an opening of an aperture electrode and constantly obtaining a stable image output. The purpose is to provide.

[Means for Solving the Problems] To achieve this object, a toner jet recording apparatus according to the present invention has an aperture electrode provided on an insulating layer having a large number of openings and on one surface of the insulating layer. A reference electrode layer, and a number of control electrode layers each independently provided around the opening on the other surface of the insulating layer, and a cavity is provided in the insulating layer near the opening, and the cavity is provided. It is characterized by containing conductive particles inside.

[Operation] When the toner jet recording apparatus of the present invention configured as described above is driven, an electric field is generated between the control electrode layer and the reference electrode layer of the aperture electrode. This electric field causes the conductive particles in the cavity to reciprocate between the reference electrode and the control electrode. Due to the vibration of the conductive particles, the toner attached to the opening from the reference electrode side of the aperture electrode is shaken off.

[Embodiment] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
This will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the configuration of the toner jet recording apparatus of the present invention.

An insertion port 15 is provided on the left side of the apparatus exterior 17, and an extraction port 16 is provided on the right side. A recording unit 1, a heat fixing unit 2 adjacent to the recording unit 1, and a guide 13 are provided between the insertion port 15 and the take-out port 16 inside the apparatus.
An image is recorded on the support P entering through the insertion opening 15 by the recording unit, and the image on the support P is thermally fixed in the fixing unit 2. Then, the support P is taken out from the take-out port 16 via the guide 13.

Inside the recording unit 1, a rotatable toner carrying roller 3, an aperture electrode 9, and a counter electrode 10 are provided. A rotatable supply roller 4 is provided upstream of the toner carrying roller 3 in the rotation direction. The supply roller 4 is covered with a toner case K. The toner T is stored inside the toner case K.

The aperture electrode 9 is disposed above the toner carrying roller 3. As shown in FIG. 2, the aperture electrode 9 includes an insulating layer 6 on which a large number of apertures 5 are formed,
A reference electrode layer 7, a number of control electrode layers 8, and four cavities 30 provided inside the insulating layer 6 near the aperture 5.
It is constituted by and. One cavity 30 extends from the reference electrode layer 7 to the control electrode layer 8 and contains one conductive particle 31 therein.
There are several pieces.

The apertures 5 are openings formed in the insulating layer 6 and are arranged in a line. The reference electrode layer 7 is disposed on the entire surface of the insulating layer 6 on the toner carrying roller 3 side, and has a number of openings communicating with the aperture 5. Each control electrode layer 8 is arranged on the upper surface of the insulating layer 6 so as to correspond to each aperture 5, and each has an opening communicating with the aperture 5.

As shown in FIG. 1, the reference electrode layer 7 is grounded, and each control electrode layer 8 is connected to a signal source S. Further, the toner carrying roller 3 is connected to the positive pole side of the electrode E1.

The counter electrode 10 is disposed above the aperture electrode 9, and the support P passes between the counter electrode 10 and the aperture electrode 9. This counter electrode 10 is connected to the negative pole side of the electrode E2. The negative pole of the power supply E1 and the positive pole of the power supply E2 are grounded.

A guide 13 and a pair of guide rollers 14 are provided on the left side of the recording unit 1, and a support P inserted from an insertion port 15 is provided.
Is transported to the thermal fixing unit 2 via the counter electrode 10 by the guide 13 and the pair of guide rollers 14.

Inside the heat fixing unit 2, a heat roller 11 having a heat source therein and a press roller 12 are provided in contact with each other. The heat fixing unit 2 is configured such that the support P is
And the press roller 12.

Next, the operation of the toner jet recording apparatus having the above configuration will be described.

The toner T adheres to the supply roller 4. The toner T is conveyed to the toner carrying roller 3 by the rotation of the supply roller 4. At this location, the toner T is rubbed while being in contact with the supply roller 4 and the toner carrying roller 3, and is charged, for example, positively (+). The charged toner T adheres to the toner carrying roller 3. Then, the toner T is transported to the vicinity of the aperture electrode 9 by the toner carrying roller 3.

A DC electric field is applied between the toner carrying roller 3 and the reference electrode layer 7 of the aperture electrode 9 by the power supply E1 so that the toner carrying roller 3 becomes a positive pole and the reference electrode layer 7 becomes a negative pole. I have. Due to this DC electric field, a force directed toward the reference electrode layer 7 is always applied to the charged toner T. The toner T is modulated by the aperture electrode 9. That is, when a negative voltage is applied to the control electrode layer 8 of the aperture electrode 9, an electric field is generated inside the aperture 5 to move the charged toner T from the reference electrode layer 7 to the control electrode layer 8. Due to this electric field, the toner T passes through the aperture 5. When the negative voltage applied to the control electrode layer 8 is changed, the intensity of the electric field changes, and the amount of the toner T passing through the aperture 5 changes. If no negative voltage is applied to the control electrode layer 8, the electric field is not generated inside the aperture 5. Therefore, the toner T
Do not pass. As described above, the toner T may or may not pass through the aperture 5. At this time, the toner T that does not pass through the aperture electrode 9 moves from the back surface of the aperture electrode 9 (the surface on which the reference electrode layer 7 is formed) to the aperture 5.
Adheres to the inside by an image force, and blocks the aperture 5.

In the case of the conventional apparatus, the aperture 5 is blocked by the toner T attached to the aperture electrode 9, and recording becomes impossible. However, in the toner jet recording apparatus of the present invention, the conductive particles 31 in the cavity 30 of the insulating layer 6 are generated between the reference electrode layer 7 and the control electrode layer 8 generated by applying a voltage to the control electrode layer 8. Due to the charge injection effect of the electric field, the cavity 30
Reciprocate between the reference electrode layer 7 and the control electrode layer 8 in the inside. The aperture electrode 9 vibrates due to the reciprocating motion of the conductive particles 31. Then, the toner T adhered to the inside of the aperture 5 from the back side of the aperture electrode 9 by this vibration.
Is shaken off. This vibration from the signal source S
This is caused by applying a voltage to the control electrode layer 8. Therefore, every time recording is performed, the aperture electrode 9
Vibrates, and the attached toner T is shaken off.

The support P inserted into the apparatus through the insertion port 15 is transported between the aperture electrode 9 and the counter electrode 10 by the guide 13 and the guide roller 14.

Then, at this location, a signal voltage is applied from the signal source S to the control electrode layer 8 of the aperture electrode 9. Based on this signal voltage, the flow of the toner T between the aperture electrode 9 and the counter electrode 10 is modulated and controlled. That is, when a negative voltage is applied to the control electrode layer 8 from the signal source S, an electric field is generated inside the aperture 5 to cause the positively charged toner T to flow from the reference electrode layer 7 to the control electrode layer 8. This electric field causes the toner T to pass through the aperture 5. When no negative voltage is applied from the signal source S, the electric field does not occur inside the aperture 5. Therefore, the toner T does not pass through the aperture 5.

On the other hand, a negative voltage is applied to the counter electrode 10 by the power supply E2. By this voltage application, the toner T that has passed through the aperture 5 under the modulation control is sucked toward the counter electrode 10. Since the support P is disposed between the aperture electrode 9 and the counter electrode 10, the toner T is applied on the support P. As a result, the support P
An image or the like is formed thereon.

Thereafter, the support P is transported from the recording unit 1 to the heat fixing unit 2. Then, the image on the support P is heat-fixed in the heat fixing unit 2. Since this heat fixing method is a known technique, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The support P that has passed through the heat fixing unit 2 is conveyed to a takeout port 16 via a guide 13 and taken out.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above,
Various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

For example, the number of the cavities 30 in the insulating layer 6 may be any number, and the cavities 30 may be provided in a donut shape around the aperture 5.

[Effects of the Invention] As is apparent from the detailed description above, according to the present invention, a cavity is provided in the insulating layer near the opening, and the conductive particles are put in the cavity. Each time it is driven, the conductive particles in the cavity reciprocate between the reference electrode layer and the control electrode layer, and the powder attached to the opening is shaken off by the reciprocation. Therefore, it is possible to provide a toner jet recording apparatus that can easily remove the toner clogged in the opening of the aperture electrode and can always obtain a stable image output.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1 and 2 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a schematic structural view of a toner jet recording apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged perspective view of an aperture electrode. . In the figure, 3 is a toner terminal roller (carrier), 5 is an aperture (opening), 6 is an insulating layer, 7 is a reference electrode layer, 8 is a control electrode layer, 9 is an aperture electrode, 30 is a cavity, and 31 is conductive. The particles, T, are toner (powder).

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A carrier for supporting a charged powder, an aperture electrode having a large number of openings through which the powder flying from the carrier passes, and a powder passing through the opening. The support electrode, the aperture electrode, an insulating layer having a number of openings, a reference electrode layer provided on one surface of the insulating layer,
On the other surface of the insulating layer, a plurality of control electrode layers are provided independently around the opening, and a cavity is provided in the insulating layer near the opening, and conductive particles are provided in the cavity. A toner jet device comprising: