Electrophotography – Image formation – Development
Patent
1998-04-27
2000-02-22
Beatty, Robert
Electrophotography
Image formation
Development
399249, G03G 1510
Patent
active
060290358
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electrostatic recorder, arranged to develop an electrostatic latent image formed on a recording medium such as paper, film or cloth by using electrostatic recording heads, and in particular to an electrostatic recorder provided with a system for feeding a liquid toner to develop an electrostatic latent image and recovering an excess of liquid toner.
DESCRIPTION OF BACKGROUND
FIG. 8 shows a general color electrostatic recorder of the single path scheme. With this apparatus, a recording medium 10 wound in a roll is conveyed through four primary color recording sections 104a to 104d, for example, related to black, cyan, magenta and yellow, at a predetermined speed with the aid of a feed roller 102. When the recording medium passes through individual primary-color recording sections, images of the respective color components for a recording image are recorded and developed, so that a color image is finally obtained only by one-time passage.
On a recording medium conveyed to the first primary recording section 104a, first, an electrostatic latent image for an image of corresponding color component is formed by using the electrostatic recording head 106a.Next, by a counterclockwise rotating toner roller 108a, a liquid toner of corresponding color is lifted while sticking to a spiral groove (not shown) formed on the surface of the toner roll and applied to a record face of the recording medium 10. The liquid toner includes toner particles charged at the reverse polarity to that of the electrostatic latent image made to be dispersed in a suitable organic solvent. Accordingly, the toner particles sticking to the formed region of the electrostatic latent image is combined with the electrostatic latent image on the recording medium and thus the image is developed.
Then, in a suction device 109a, an unnecessary liquid toner sticking to the underside surface of the recording medium is removed. The suction device 109a includes a groove of U-shaped section and an outer vacuum pump connected through a tube to the bottom of the groove which, sucks an excess of liquid toner sticking to the recording medium by making the interior of the groove a negative pressure with the vacuum pump and sends it to a liquid toner recycling device. Then, by a blast from the underside of the recording medium with a blower 110a, the recording medium wet with the solvent of a liquid toner is dried and the procedure proceeds to the recording in the next primary-color recording section. And, at the stage after the passage of all primary-color recording sections, a color image is obtained.
The system of an electrostatic recorder in which such operations of the formation of electrostatic latent images to the removal of unnecessary liquid toner are carried out in a single path from the primary-color recording sections 104a to 104d is referred to as a single path scheme.
Meanwhile, with the single path scheme, the primary-color recording sections are continuously placed and when the recording medium passes through one primary-color recording section, recording in the next primary-color recording section is performed immediately. Accordingly, if removal of an excess of liquid toner stuck in the preceding recording and its solvent is insufficient, the relevant toner is mixed with the color toner for the preceding stage or the next color toner blots into the preceding-stage solvent in the recording at the next stage, thereby deteriorating the image quality. For this reason, for a sufficient removal and drying of an excess of liquid toner, it is required to slow down the conveyance of the recording medium in a certain degree. Since a large quantity of liquid toner is applied to the recording medium by using a toner roller, the interior of the groove in the suction section is filled with liquid toner and liquid toner jams between the recording medium and the top of the groove with which it makes sliding contact, thereby leaving no room for air to be sucked in. Consequently, an excessive suctio
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Akichika Yoshinori
Kawatsu Toshitatsu
Komatsu Fumito
Takasawa Kiyotsugu
Beatty Robert
Nippon Steel Corporation
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