JPH0475056A - Toner carrying member - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain the brush-shaped toner carrying member suitable for high- speed coating without generating unequal coating by flocking fibers on a seamless cloth. CONSTITUTION:A pile band 22 is a belt formed by uniformly flocking the fibers on the seamless woven fabric. A color developer T is supplied to the pile band 22 as a supply roller 23 rotates. The color developer T is electrified to, for example, plus (+) by friction under contact with the pile band 22. This color developer T is uniformly stuck to the pile band 22 and is transported in this state up to a color developer applying region 25. Since the color developer T electrified in such a manner sticks uniformly to the pile band 22, the surface coated with the color developer transferred on a base P is correspondingly uniformized. The brush-shaped toner carrying member capable of uniformly carrying a large amt. of the toner is obtd. in this way.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a toner carrier mounted in an electrostatic coating device that applies toner such as a color developer in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, a color copying machine has been put into practical use that exposes microcapsule paper to light, then presses it onto developer paper, and then copies a desired image onto the developer paper. . This color developer paper is a commercially available product that has been previously processed as a color developer paper.

Therefore, a color developer application device has been proposed that can easily produce color developer paper from plain paper or the like without using conventional commercially available color developer paper.

This color developer application device is composed of a toner carrier and a counter electrode. This toner carrier carries a charged color developer and conveys this color developer to the vicinity of the counter electrode. The counter electrode is disposed facing the toner carrier without contacting it. A voltage with a polarity opposite to that of the charged color developer is applied to this counter electrode. Furthermore, a support such as paper is adsorbed to this counter electrode, and
transported. As a result, the color developer is applied to the support in a -like manner.

Incidentally, a brush roller is sometimes used as the toner carrier of this color developer application device. Since this brush roller can carry a large amount of color developer, it is advantageous for high-speed application of color developer. As shown in FIG. 3, this brush roller 4
0 is a roller in which a pile band 41 (a cloth band in which polymeric fibers such as Teflon or nylon are implanted) is spirally wound around a metal core 42. The color developer rubs against the brush roller and becomes electrically charged.

Then, the color developer adheres to the brush roller by electrostatic force, and is conveyed to the vicinity of the counter electrode.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, as shown in FIG. 3, the brush roller 40 has a pile band 41 wound around a metal core 42 in a spiral manner. Therefore, the density of the polymer fibers becomes low at the seam portion. When the color developer is supplied to this brush roller, the color developer supplied to this joint portion does not come into contact with the brush and is therefore not charged. The color developer supplied here is not transferred to the support. As a result, the surface coated with the color developer was uneven. .

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a brush-shaped toner carrier suitable for high-speed coating without causing uneven coating.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve this object, the toner carrier of the present invention has the following features:
A seamless pile band with fibers planted in it is used.

[Operation] According to the present invention having the above-described configuration, the toner such as a color developer rubs against the toner carrier while being in contact with the toner carrier, and is uniformly charged. Then, this charged toner is uniformly supported on the toner carrier.

[Example] Hereinafter, an example embodying the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus including a developer coating device equipped with a toner carrier of the present invention. In the figure, the image forming apparatus M includes an exposure device 1, a developer coating device 2, a pressure developing device 3, and a heat fixing device 4. A microcapsule sheet (photosensitive pressure sensitive paper) 7 runs between a paper feed roll 5 and a winding roll 6. This microcapsule sheet 7 is exposed by the exposure device 1. The color developer coating device 2 of the present invention is provided in the center of the casing of the image forming apparatus M. This developer coating device 2 applies a developer onto a support to create developer paper. A paper case 16 is provided beside it.

This paper case 16 stores a support P such as plain paper. Then, the support P is supplied from the paper case 16 to the developer coating device 2 through the insertion port 31. A pressure developing device 3 is provided near the color developer coating device 2. In this pressure developing device 3, the exposed microcapsule sheet 7 and color developer paper are superimposed and pressure developed. As a result, the image on the microcapsule sheet 7 is transferred to the color developing paper. The color developing paper subjected to pressure development by the pressure developing device 3 is sent to a heat fixing device 4. Then, the color developing paper is fixed by this thermal fixing device 4.

The exposure device 1 includes a halogen lamp 8, a document table 17, a lens 11, a color separation filter 9, and the like. The original 10 is placed on the original table 17 . The document 10 is exposed to light by the halogen lamp. This reflected light is then focused by the lens 11 and projected onto the exposure section 18 through the color separation filter 9. A pair of guide rollers 12, 12 are provided on the left and right sides of this exposure section 18. The exposed microcapsule sheet 7 passes through a pair of guide rollers 12 provided on the downstream side thereof.
It is supplied to the pressure developing device 3.

The developer paper produced by the developer coating device 2 is superimposed on the microcapsule sheet 7 by a guide 19. In this state, the color developing paper is sent between the pair of pressure rollers 14 of the pressure developing device 3, and pressure development is performed. The microcapsule sheet 7 that has passed through the pressure developing device 3 passes through a guide roller 13 and is wound up by a winding roller 6. On the other hand, the color developing paper that has passed through the pressure developing device 3 is sent to the heat fixing device 4. Then, this color developing paper is heat-fixed here and discharged to the stocker 15.

Next, an embodiment of the color developer coating device 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 2, an insertion port 31 and an ejection port 32 are provided on the side of the device exterior 33. Inside the apparatus, a support conveying belt 29 is stretched by a rotatable counter electrode roller 26 and a pair of auxiliary rollers 27 .

The support P is inserted into the developer coating device through the insertion port 31 and is attracted to the support conveyance belt 29 . In this state, the support P is conveyed to the take-out port 32 via the developer application area 25. A voltage opposite to the charging polarity of the color developer, for example, a negative (-) voltage, is applied to the counter electrode roller 26 .

A rotatable first roller 20 is provided opposite the counter electrode roller 26 . By this first roller 20 and rotatable second roller 21, the pile band 2
2 is stretched. This pile belt 22 is a belt in which fibers are flocked in a - pattern on a seamless fabric.

A rotatable supply roller 23 is press-fitted upstream of the pile band 22 in the rotational direction. As the supply roller 23 rotates, the color developer T is supplied to the pile band 22. This supply roller 23 is covered by a toner case 24. A color developer T is stored in the toner case 24 .

Next, the operation of the color developer coating device of the present invention will be explained.

As the supply roller 23 rotates, the color developer T is
It is supplied to the pile band 22. At that location, the developer T is
While in contact with the pile band 22, it rubs and is charged, for example, positively (+). The color developer T is uniformly adhered to the pile band 22, and is conveyed in this state to the color developer application area 25.

On the other hand, the support P inserted through the insertion opening 31 is conveyed to the developer application area 25 on the support conveyance belt 28 .

Then, in this color developer application area 25, a positive (+)
The color developing agent T charged is attracted to the counter electrode roller 26 to which a negative (-) voltage is applied. Then, the color developer T is transferred onto the support P. At this time, since the charged color developer T is uniformly attached to the pile band 22, the surface of the color developer transferred onto the support P is also uniform.

The support P coated with the color developer T is transferred to the support conveyor belt 2.
8 and is conveyed to the take-out port 32, and then taken out.

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

For example, the toner carrier may be a brush roller in which a seamless pile band is press-fitted into a metal roller. Since this brush roller also has no seams on its surface, it can support a negative-like charged color developer.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the detailed description above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a brush-like toner carrier that can uniformly support a large amount of toner. Therefore, by mounting this toner carrier, an electrostatic coating device capable of high-speed processing can be provided.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 2 show embodiments embodying the present invention. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus incorporating a developer coating device equipped with a toner carrier of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the developer coating device. Further, FIG. 3 shows an example of a conventional brush-shaped toner carrier. In the figure, 1...exposure device, 2...color developer coating device,
3. Pressure developing device, 4. Heat fixing device, 5. Sheet roller, 6. Winding roller, 7. Microcapsule sheet, 8. Halogen lamp, 9. Color separation. Filter, 11... Lens, 14... Pressure roller, 15... Stocker, 16... Paper '7-
- space, 17... document table, 18... exposure table, 20...
- First roller, 21... Second roller, 22...
Pile band, 23... Supply roller, 24... Toner case, 25... Color developer application area, 26... Counter electrode roller, 27... Auxiliary roller, 28... Support conveyance belt , 31...Insertion port, 32...Ejection port, 3
3... Exterior, P... Support, T... Color developer, E... Power source, M... Image forming device. Patent applicant Yoshihiro Yasui, President and Director of Brother Industries, Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A toner carrier characterized by having fibers flocked to a seamless cloth.