JPH0614222B2 - Electric field curtain - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention a. OBJECT OF THE INVENTION [Industrial field of application] The present invention relates to an electric field curtain as a powder repulsion unit or a powder transfer unit used in a developing device such as an electrophotographic device or an electrostatic recording device. .

[Conventional technology]

Regarding this type of electric field curtain, Japanese Patent Publication No.
No. 2667, No. 57-9856, and No. 58-20
No. 2217 and the like, and is applied as a means for repelling and conveying powder particles.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

However, the conventional electric field curtain has a drawback that the transportability is not so good, and particularly powder particles having a strong cohesive property are hardly transported.

An object of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventional example and improve the transportability of the electric field curtain.

B. Structure of the Invention [Means for Solving Problems] In the present invention, a plurality of electrodes are provided in parallel on a dielectric layer, and an alternating voltage is applied to the electrodes to form an unequal alternating electric field between the electrodes. In the electric field curtain, the curtain substrate or a part thereof is formed of a piezoelectric material.

[Work]

By forming the substrate of the electric field curtain or a part thereof with a piezoelectric material, the piezoelectric material vibrates when an alternating voltage is applied, facilitating the start of transport of the powder particles.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of the present invention, 1 is a thin plate electrode made of copper foil, 2 is a piezoelectric layer made of a polymer piezo film of vinylidene fluoride resin, and 3 is a dielectric made of a polyimide film, for example. Layers, 4 are conducting wires, 5 is a three-phase alternating voltage source, and 6 is powder to be conveyed.

The thin plate strip-shaped electrode groups 1 arranged on the dielectric layer 3 in parallel with each other and insulated from each other at a constant interval are divided into three groups by connecting every other two by conducting wires 4, and further, dividing into three groups. The output of each phase of the alternating voltage source is connected in sequence to each phase. Further, a piezoelectric layer 2 is coated on the dielectric layer 3 and the electrode group 1.

With such a configuration, it is known that a traveling wave alternating nonuniform electric field train is formed inside and on the surface of the piezoelectric layer 2, and the powder particles 6 are transported in the direction of arrow A by this action. Is the same as

In that case, since the present invention has the piezoelectric layer 2, the piezoelectric layer 2 vibrates at the same time due to the action of the alternating electric field, and a trigger action at the time of starting each particle is produced, so that the particles are transported very smoothly.

An electric field curtain substrate 7 composed of the electric layer 3 and the piezoelectric layer 2
Since it has flexibility as is clear from its constituent material, it can be deformed into any shape, and by attaching the electric field curtain substrate to the inner wall of the transport path of powder particles, etc. It is possible to correspond to the conveyance path having the shape of.

Further, it is preferable that the direction in which the piezoelectricity of the piezoelectric layer 2 is high is aligned with the direction in which the powder particles are transported in order to enhance the transportability.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the present invention, in which 1 is a vapor deposition electrode and 2 is
Is the same piezoelectric layer as in the previous embodiment.

In this example, strip-shaped electrode groups 1 are formed on the piezoelectric layer 2 in parallel with each other at regular intervals by an aluminum vapor deposition layer, and by connecting to the three-phase alternating voltage generation source 5 in the same manner as in the previous example, Similar effects can be obtained with a simpler configuration than the previous example.

By forming the electric field curtain substrate or a part thereof with the piezoelectric material as described above, it is possible to easily and lightly start the transportation of the powder particles as described above, and to improve the transportability of the electric field curtain. It will be possible.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of an embodiment in which the electric field curtain substrate of the present invention is formed of the electric conductor layer and a piezoelectric material layer, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of an embodiment in which the substrate is formed of a piezoelectric material layer only. Fig. 1 is an electrode, 2 is a dielectric layer, 3 is a piezoelectric layer, 4 is a conducting wire, 5 is a three-phase alternating voltage source, and 6 is powder.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of electrodes are provided in parallel on a dielectric layer,
An electric field curtain for applying an alternating voltage to the electrodes to form an unequal alternating electric field between the electrodes, characterized in that the curtain substrate or a part thereof is formed of a piezoelectric material.