JPH0685097B2 - Image recorder - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Outline] An image recording apparatus includes an endless photosensitive member including a transparent substrate, a transparent conductive layer, and a photoconductive layer, an image exposing unit on the transparent substrate side, and a toner on the photoconductive layer side. A developing device is provided on the side of the photoconductive layer to remove the toner, and the toner is removed so that a clear image can be output.

[Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus, and more particularly to an electrophotographic image recording apparatus that performs image exposure from the transparent substrate side of a photoconductor.

An image recording device is widely used as an output device in the field of information processing and the like. The electrophotographic process, that is, the Carlson process is known as this image recording apparatus.

The Carlson process is a method in which a photoconductor is used as a recording medium, the photoconductor is uniformly charged, image exposure is performed, and development, transfer, fixing, charge removal, and cleaning are repeated to record an image. is there.

However, since the image recording apparatus to which the electrophotographic process method is applied is large in size, there is a demand for an image recording apparatus capable of downsizing the apparatus and obtaining a clear image.

[Conventional technology]

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a main part of a conventional image recording apparatus, in which the photoconductor 1 is configured as an endless belt and rotates in the arrow direction. Further, the photoreceptor 1 has a transparent substrate 1-3 on the inside, a transparent conductive layer 1-2 on the outside, and a photoconductive layer 1-1 on the outermost side. This transparent conductive layer 1-2 is grounded. The magnetic brush developing device 2-1 of the developing device 2 is filled with a conductive magnetic toner having a volume resistivity value of 10 ³ to 10 ⁸ Ω · cm. The image exposure device 4 is an optical device including a laser or an LED array.

The image recording procedure will be described below. When the image exposure device 4 performs exposure based on the image pattern data in the state where the developing bias is applied to the magnetic brush developing device 2-1 by the power source 3,
The photocarrier generated in the photoconductor 1-1 of the photoconductor 1 is
The latent image charges 6 are formed by moving in the surface direction. The toner having the opposite polarity of the latent image charge 6 is supplied from the magnetic brush developing device 2-1 and adheres to the photoconductor 1 to form the toner image 5.

At this time, the magnetic brush developing machine 2-
An electric field acts between 1 and the transparent conductive layer 1-2 to attach the toner 7. This extra toner 7 has a ground potential and is collected by the magnetic brush developing machine 2-2. The remaining toner 8 is transferred onto the recording paper 9 by the power supply 11 using the transfer roller 10 having a reverse potential.

The transferred toner 12 is fixed by the fixing device 13 and the recorded image 14
Is obtained.

On the other hand, with respect to the toner 15 remaining on the photoconductor 1 after the transfer, the charge of the toner 15 and the latent image charge are removed by the charge eliminating light source 16,
It is collected by the magnetic brush developing machine 2-1.

However, since the toner is conveyed at high speed by the magnetic brush developing machines 2-1 and 2-2, the toner is scattered and the photoreceptor 1
Attached to the transparent substrate 1-3 inside. There is a problem in that the attached toner blocks the charge-removing light and the exposure light to reduce the light transmittance, resulting in non-uniformity in density of an image, loss of image, or reduction in print density.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] The conventional image recording apparatus has a disadvantage that scattered toner adheres to the photoconductor and deteriorates image quality.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an image recording apparatus suitable for miniaturization that does not impair image quality from the above conventional situations.

[Means for solving problems]

In the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, the toner is removed on the transparent substrate 1-3 side of the endless photoconductor 1 including the transparent substrate 1-3, the transparent conductive layer 1-2 and the photoconductive layer 1-1. The removing means 20 is provided.

[Action]

The scattered toner on the transparent substrate 1-3 inside the photoconductor 1 is removed by the removing means, and the deterioration of the image quality is prevented.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of an image recording apparatus according to the present invention. The same parts as those in FIG. 2 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. A different part of the present invention is a magnetic brush developing machine 2-1,
A point 20 is provided to remove the toner scattered from 2-2 and adhering to the back surface of the photosensitive member 1, that is, the transparent substrate 1-3. As the removing means 20, a cloth cleaner, a fur brush, a blade, a sponge, a rotating fur brush, or the like is used.

Although the above description has been made with respect to the image recording apparatus of the electrophotographic photographic recording system, it goes without saying that there is no problem even if it is applied to an image recording apparatus having a transparent base and exposing from the transparent substrate side.

〔The invention's effect〕

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, the toner scattered on the photoconductor is removed, an image with good image quality is obtained, and a very beneficial effect is exhibited.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an embodiment of an image recording apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a main part of a conventional image recording apparatus. In the figure, 1 is a photoconductor, 1-1 is a photoconductive layer, 1-2 is a transparent conductive layer, 1-3 is a transparent substrate, 2 is a developing machine, 4 is an image exposure device, and 20 is a removing means.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A transparent substrate (1-3) of an endless photoreceptor (1) comprising a transparent substrate (1-3), a transparent conductive layer (1-2) and a photoconductive layer (1-1). An image recording apparatus comprising an image exposure means (4) on the side and a toner developing means (2) on the side of the photoconductive layer (1-1), wherein the toner adhered to the side of the transparent substrate (1-3) An image recording apparatus comprising a removing means (20) for removing the.