JPH0568704B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for manufacturing an endless belt-shaped photoreceptor. Prior Art The above-mentioned photoreceptor is used, for example, in a copying machine, and in that case, a light image from an original document is generally formed on the photoreceptor to form an electrostatic latent image thereon. It is well known that such photoreceptors include drum-shaped ones and endless belt-shaped ones. Drum-shaped photoreceptors are generally manufactured by forming a photosensitive layer on a rigid cylindrical support such as aluminum by dip coating. Because of its shape, there is little freedom in terms of space when arranging the developing units, transfer units, etc. required for copying work around the photoreceptor. This is one of the reasons that hinders the miniaturization of copying machines. On the other hand, the endless belt-like photoreceptor is flexible and uses a belt-like support, so it is advantageous because it does not have the above-mentioned drawbacks seen in the drum-like photoreceptor. The method for manufacturing this belt-shaped photoreceptor is to use an endless belt-shaped film made of polyethylene terephthalate or polyimide resin as a support, and then apply a photosensitive material to the support by spraying, roll coating, or dipping. There is a way to apply it. Comparing these methods, the dipping method, the so-called dipping method, is the most advantageous in terms of film uniformity, cost, equipment management, etc., and is commonly used. However, in this dipping method, if the belt-shaped support is subjected to dipping treatment, it is difficult to prevent the front and back sides of the support from being coated at the same time, and the support is flexible. Due to the nature of the coating, uniform coating is difficult due to deformation of the support during dipping. Therefore, in the conventional method of manufacturing an endless belt-like photoreceptor using a dipping method, a support is formed into a sheet in advance, a photosensitive layer is formed on the sheet-like support by a dipping method, and then the sheet is coated. Generally, both ends are joined by a joining method such as ultrasonic welding to form a belt. However, with such photoreceptors, it is not possible to create an image at the joint, so a process of controlling the position of the photoreceptor and the timing of the image forming position is essential, which reduces copying speed and cost. disadvantageous in terms of Furthermore, there is a risk that the cleaning member such as the blade may be damaged by the joint, resulting in deterioration of image quality such as black streaks on the finished copy product. Purpose: In view of the above points, the present invention is based on a dipping method that is easy to work with and is inexpensive, and is capable of producing an endless belt-like photoreceptor having a uniform photosensitive layer without any misaligned parts such as joints. The purpose is to provide a manufacturing method. Configuration To achieve the above object, the present invention forms a sealed chamber by a bottomed cylindrical body made of a rubber-like member and a circular lid that is brought into close contact with the open end surface of the cylindrical body, either directly or via a cylindrical pressing tool. A holding means is inserted inside an endless belt-like support, and the holding means is expanded outward to hold the outer circumferential surface of the support in close contact with the support, and then the support in this state is applied to a photosensitive layer forming material. We propose a method for manufacturing an endless belt-like photoreceptor by manufacturing the photoreceptor by immersion. Furthermore, in order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a support holding means that can be inserted into the inside of an endless belt-like support and can spread outward to securely hold the support, and a photosensitive layer forming material. and an immersion tank containing a substrate, the support held by the support holding means can be taken in and out of the photosensitive layer forming material in the immersion tank, and the support holding means is made of a rubber-like member. An endless device comprising a cylindrical body with a bottom and a circular lid that is brought into close contact with the open end surface of the cylindrical body, and a pressure medium introduction pipe and a recovery pipe are inserted into a sealed chamber formed by the cylindrical body and the circular lid. We propose a manufacturing device for belt-shaped photoreceptors. Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on drawings showing embodiments. In FIG. 1, a support holding means 2 for holding an endless belt-shaped support 1 made of polyethylene terephthalate or the like is open at one end (the upper end of the figure) and closed at the other end (the lower end of the figure). It is formed in a cylindrical shape, and is made of an elastic material such as chemical-resistant silicone rubber (hereinafter simply referred to as a rubber member). The support 1 has an endless belt shape as shown in Fig. 2, but the outer diameter of the rubber member 2 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the support 1. 2 can be inserted into the inner side 1a of the support 1. FIG. 1 shows the state after insertion, and the support body after insertion is temporarily fixed by a fixing ring 3. The rubber member 2 has a flange 2a at its open end, and a stopper 4 is attached at the flange 2a.
It is fixed in a metallic circular shape 5 by. As a result, a sealed chamber 6 is formed inside the rubber member 2.
is formed. This sealed room 6 has a tank 7
An introduction pipe 8 for introducing a pressure medium such as water, silicone oil, etc. stored therein, and a recovery pipe 9 for recovering the introduced pressure medium into the tank 7 are inserted. When a pressure medium is fed into the sealed chamber 6 by a pump 10 installed in the middle of the introduction pipe 8, the rubber member 2 expands uniformly in the radial direction, and as a result, the support 1 is brought into close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the rubber member 2. will be retained. If the support 1 and the rubber member 2 are immersed in the photosensitive layer forming material 12 in the dipping tank 11 in this state,
A desired photosensitive layer can be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the support 1. A uniform photosensitive layer can be obtained over the entire area without the occurrence of misalignment areas such as the bonded portions that occur when sheets are bonded as in the conventional method. Note that the photosensitive layer of a photoreceptor is generally constructed as a laminate, such as a charge transport layer provided on a charge generation layer. What is necessary is to repeat the dipping operation and drying operation in sequence. In FIG. 1, a solenoid valve 13, a pressure sensor 14, and a controller 15 provided in the middle of a pressure medium recovery pipe 9 are used to appropriately adjust the pressure within a sealed chamber 6. Furthermore, the heater 16 is disposed within the pressure medium tank 7 in order to heat the pressure medium to an appropriate temperature, and the reason for doing so is as follows. In other words, since the heat capacity of the support 1 is generally small, when the support 1 is pulled up after immersion, the heat of vaporization is taken away by the solvent of the immersed material and the surface temperature of the support 1 decreases, causing moisture in the atmosphere to be absorbed by the support. This is to prevent the so-called brushing phenomenon in which dew condenses on the surface of the coating material 1 and, as a result, the coating film is not formed smoothly and the surface becomes cloudy. By feeding the heated pressure medium into the sealed chamber 6, the rubber member 2 and the support body 1 are heated to an appropriate temperature, thereby preventing dew condensation and thus avoiding the above-mentioned brushing phenomenon. In FIG. 1, the controller 17 is connected to the heater 16.
The reason why the heat generation of the heater 16 is adjusted based on the temperature information from the temperature sensor 18 housed in the sealed chamber 6 is to prevent the temperature of the pressure medium from increasing more than necessary. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a modification of the holding means for the support body 1. In FIG. Other structures such as the pressure medium introduction and recovery means and the immersion tank are the same as in FIG. 1.
This modification differs from the one in FIG. Thus, an annular sealed chamber 6' is formed. The inlet pipe 8 and the recovery pipe 9 are connected to an inlet 20 and an outlet 21 provided in the metal member 19, respectively, and the temperature sensor 18 is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the metal member 19. By forming the sealed chamber into an annular shape in this manner, the efficiency in expanding the rubber member 2 by introducing the pressure medium is improved. Further, there is no need to consider airtightness between the circular lid 5 and the tubes 8 and 9. FIG. 4 shows yet another modification of the holding means for the support 1. In both of the previous two examples, the rubber member 2 was expanded using a pressure medium such as water, but in this example, the support body 1 is fixed by expanding the rubber member 2 using mechanical force. Details are as follows. The circular lid 5' has four pressing members 22 on its bottom surface.
a to 22d (in Figure 4, two of them are 22a,
22b is shown), and these pressing members each include arcuate portions 23a to 23d and ribs 24a to 24d, as shown in FIG. A plate-shaped heater 25 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the arcuate portions 23a to 23d, and a rubber member 2 is fixed to the outside thereof. On the other hand, the ribs 24a to 24d
As shown in FIG. 4, they are tapered so that the distance between them becomes narrower from the bottom to the top of the figure. A tapered member 26 is disposed in the center surrounded by the pressing members 22a to 22d, and is screwed to the circular lid 5' and extends downward, and its tapered portion is in contact with the tapered portions of the ribs 24a to 24d. . With the above configuration, if the tapered member 26 is twisted and moved upward with respect to the circular lid 5', the rib 24
a to 24d expand in the radial direction, and as a result, the rubber member 2 expands and the support body 1 is fixedly held. Note that the temperature sensor 18 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the rubber member 2. Hereinafter, experimental results obtained when photoreceptors were actually manufactured using each of the above-mentioned examples will be explained. Experimental Example 1 First, an endless belt-shaped support made of polyethylene terephthalate was used, and aluminum was deposited thereon by vacuum deposition to form a conductive layer. However, the conductive layer may be made of other metals or alloys other than aluminum, such as chromium, nickel, titanium, nichrome, etc., and the formation method is not limited to vacuum deposition, but may also be formed by dispersing a conductive material in a binder. A method of coating the surface of the support may also be used. The support with the conductive layer thus formed was set on a rubber member 2 like the support 1 shown in FIG. The temperature was controlled at 20°C. A charge generating layer (CGL; Charge Generating layer) of the photosensitive layers to be formed on the above conductive layer.
The following material (CGL liquid) was prepared as the material for the layer. In other words, a disazo pigment with the following structure and a polyester resin (trade name: Vylon 200,

[Chemical] Solid content of Toyobo Co., Ltd.) was mixed at a weight ratio of 5:2, and the solid content was mixed with a dispersion medium containing tetrahydrofuran and ethyl cellosolve at a weight ratio of 4:6. %. The following material (CTL liquid) was prepared as a material for the charge transport layer (CTL) of the photosensitive layer. That is, a phenylstilbene derivative with the following structure, polycarbonate, and tet

[Chemical] Rahhydrofuran in a weight ratio of 1:1:8, respectively.
1/100,000 of its total weight of silicone oil (trade name: KF50, manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) was added. Immerse the belt-shaped support in the above CGL solution,
Then, it was pulled up and dried, thereby providing a charge generation layer with a thickness of 0.5 μm on the conductive layer. Then,
The support was immersed in the above CTL solution, pulled up and dried to provide a charge transport layer with a thickness of 20 μm. In this way, a desired photoreceptor was manufactured. In this experiment in which the temperature of the water, which is the pressure medium, was set 5° C. higher than the outside temperature, no brushing phenomenon occurred after immersion and lifting twice. Experimental Example 2 Using the same equipment as Experimental Example 1 and using air at the same temperature as the outside temperature as the pressure medium, CGL,
A slight brushing phenomenon was observed in each soaking process of CTL. It is thought that this was caused by the heat of vaporization. Experimental Example 3 Using the apparatus of the example shown in Figure 4, a belt-shaped support made of polyethylene terephthalate was used, and when the outside temperature was 20°C, the surface temperature of the support was
The plate heater 25 was controlled so that the temperature was 25° C., and a photoreceptor was produced with the same photosensitive layer configuration as in Experimental Example 1. As a result, as in Experimental Example 1, no brushing phenomenon occurred and a uniform photosensitive layer surface was obtained. In Experimental Example 1 above, the conductive layer was formed by vapor deposition, but the method is not limited to vapor deposition.A binder in which a conductive material (metal powder, metal oxide powder, carbon, etc.) is dispersed can be used as a photosensitive layer forming material. It is also possible to apply the method and device according to the invention as The same applies to the undercoat layer on the conductive layer. Furthermore, as an example of the support holding means, the rubber member 2 is expanded by a pressure medium or mechanical means, but it can be inserted into the inside of the support 1, and the support can be expanded by expanding outward. Any means may be used as long as it has a structure that can securely hold the body. Effects As described above, according to the present invention, a photoreceptor is manufactured by fixing and holding an endless belt-shaped support by spreading it out from the inside, and immersing it in a photosensitive layer forming material in this state. Therefore, it is possible to easily and inexpensively obtain a uniform photosensitive layer without any mismatched portions such as joints.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a first embodiment of a photoconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an example of a support, and FIG. 3 is a side view of a main part of a second embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a side sectional view of a main part of a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line V-V in FIG. 4. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Support body, 2... Rubber member (support body holding means), 5, 5'... Circular lid, 6... Sealed chamber, 8...
...Introduction pipe, 9...Recovery pipe, 12...Photosensitive layer forming material, 11...Immersion tank, 19...Cylindrical member, 22a
~22d...pressing member, 23a-23d...circular portion, 24a-24d...rib, 26...tapered member.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A holding means in which a sealed chamber is formed by a bottomed cylindrical body made of a rubber-like member and a circular lid that is brought into close contact with the open end surface of the cylindrical body either directly or through cylindrical pressing, is supported in the form of an endless belt. The photoreceptor is manufactured by inserting the photoreceptor into the inside of the body, holding the outer circumferential surface of the support in close contact with the support by expanding the holding means outward, and then immersing the support in this state in a photoreceptor layer forming material. A method for manufacturing an endless belt-like photoreceptor, characterized in that: 2. A support holding means that can be inserted into the inside of an endless belt-like support and can spread outward to securely hold the support, and a dipping bath containing a photosensitive layer forming material, The support held by the holding means can be taken in and out of the photosensitive layer forming material in the immersion bath, and the support holding means is brought into close contact with a bottomed cylindrical body made of a rubber-like member and its open end surface. An apparatus for producing an endless belt-shaped photoreceptor, comprising: a circular lid; and a pressure medium introduction pipe and a recovery pipe inserted into a sealed chamber formed by the cylindrical body and the circular lid. . 3. A support holding means that can be inserted into the inside of an endless belt-like support and can spread outward to securely hold the support, and a dipping bath containing a photosensitive layer forming material; The support held by the holding means can be taken in and out of the photosensitive layer forming material in the immersion tank, and the support holding means includes a bottomed cylindrical body made of a rubber-like member and an inner side of this cylindrical body. A cylindrical member having a diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the endless endless body is provided, and a pressure medium introduction pipe and a recovery pipe are opened into an annular sealed chamber formed by the cylindrical member and the cylindrical member. Manufacturing equipment for belt-shaped photoreceptors. 4. A support holding means that can be inserted into the inside of an endless belt-like support and can spread outward to securely hold the support, and a dipping bath containing a photosensitive layer forming material; The support held by the holding means can be taken in and out of the photosensitive layer forming material in the immersion bath, and the support holding means includes a bottomed cylindrical body made of a rubber-like member; Endless characterized by having a plurality of pressing members each having a rib having a fixed circular arc portion and a tapered portion, and a tapered member movable along the tapered portion while engaging with the tapered portion. Manufacturing equipment for belt-shaped photoreceptors.