Cartridge

Abstract

The invention provides an improvement on a conventional processing box. The present invention is provided with: a rotatable developing roller; a developing frame for rotatably supporting the developing roller; a toner including toner particles and an external additive; a toner container for accommodating toner; a supply roller in contact with a surface of the developing roller to supply toner to the surface of the developing roller; a regulating blade in contact with a surface of the developing roller to regulate a layer thickness of the toner carried by the surface of the developing roller; and an electrical contact electrically connected to the supply roller and the regulating blade and capable of receiving external power. The toner contains hydrotalcite particles as an external additive. In line analysis in STEM-EDS mapping analysis of the toner, fluorine is present inside hydrotalcite particles.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a box. Background Art

[0002] In a developing device used in an imaging device such as an electrophotographic printer, and in a box that can be detachably mounted to the imaging device, imaging is performed by supplying a toner as a developer from a developer carrying member to an electrostatic latent image carrying member. Generally, with regard to the supply of toner to the developer carrying member, in the case of a single-component non-magnetic toner, the toner is supplied to the surface of the developer carrying member by using a developer supply member that can accommodate the toner in a foam layer. The toner supplied to the surface of the developer carrying member is controlled to an appropriate amount of toner by being controlled by a control scraper that contacts the developer carrying member, and further, an electric charge is imparted to the toner. At this time, in order to increase the toner supply force, a potential difference is provided between the developer supply member and the developer carrying member in some cases. In addition, in order to impart an appropriate charge to the toner, a potential difference is provided between the control member and the developer carrying member in some cases.

[0003] In Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2018-124368, a configuration is described in which a contact between a developer supplying member and a regulating member is shared, and in which a voltage is applied to each of the members. Summary of the invention

[0004] [Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

[0005] It is an object of the present invention to provide a cassette which is a further development of conventional cassettes.

[0006] [Solution to the problem]

[0007] In summary, the box of the present invention includes: a rotatable developing roller; a developing frame for rotatably supporting the developing roller; a colorant containing colorant particles and an external additive; a colorant accommodating portion for accommodating the colorant; a supply roller, which contacts the surface of the developing roller and is used to supply the colorant to the surface of the developing roller; a control scraper, which contacts the surface of the developing roller and is used to control the layer thickness of the colorant carried on the surface of the developing roller; and an electrical contact, which is electrically connected to the supply roller and the control scraper and can receive electricity from the outside, wherein the colorant contains hydrotalcite particles as an external additive, and wherein in the line analysis in the STEM-EDS mapping analysis of the hydrotalcite particles, fluorine is present inside the hydrotalcite particles.

[0008] [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cartridge which is a further development of a conventional cartridge. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus of Embodiment 1.

[0011] Figure 2 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a control mode of the imaging device of Embodiment 1.

[0012] Figure 3 A view including voltage supply (component) parts attached to the process cartridge 1 of Embodiment 1.

[0013] Figure 4 is a circuit diagram of voltage supply from the image forming apparatus to the process cartridge of Embodiment 1.

[0014] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the line analysis of the external additive in Example 1.

[0015] Figure 6 A view including voltage supply (component) parts attached to a process cartridge of a comparative example.

[0016] Figure 7 is a circuit diagram of voltage supply from an image forming apparatus to a process cartridge of a comparative example.

[0017] Figure 8 is a circuit diagram of voltage supply from an image forming apparatus to a process cartridge in a modified embodiment of Embodiment 1.

[0018] Fig. 9 is a circuit diagram of voltage supply from an image forming apparatus to a process cartridge in a modified embodiment of Embodiment 1.

[0019] Fig.10 is a circuit diagram of voltage supply from an image forming apparatus to a process cartridge in a modified embodiment of Embodiment 1.

[0020] Fig.11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus of Embodiment 2.

[0021] Fig.12 2 is a schematic block diagram showing a control mode of the imaging device of Embodiment 2.

[0022] Fig.13 Included is a graph of the relationship between supply roller bias and control blade bias as they change.

[0023] Fig.14 It is a detailed cross-sectional view of the process cartridge of Example 1.

[0024] Fig.15 This is a graph showing the resistance measurement of the developing roller of Example 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the sizes, materials and shapes of the constituent parts described in the following embodiments, as well as the relationship arrangement of these parts, etc. should be appropriately changed according to the configuration and various conditions of the equipment to which the present invention is applied. Therefore, unless otherwise specified, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0026] (Example 1)

[0027] 1. Imaging equipment

[0028] Figure 3 1 is a diagram showing a schematic structure of an imaging apparatus 100 as a first embodiment according to the present invention. Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram during imaging is shown. However, the constituent parts, dimensions, arrangements, etc. in this embodiment should be appropriately changed, and the scope of the present invention is not limited.

[0029] refer to Figure 1 , the overall structure of the imaging device will be described. Figure 1 The schematic structure of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is shown in a cross-sectional view. The image forming apparatus 100 of the present embodiment is a laser printer capable of forming a monochrome image (black monochrome image) by an electrophotographic type.

[0030] The image forming apparatus 100 includes a rotatable drum-type (cylindrical) photosensitive member (photosensitive drum) 11 as an image bearing member. When the image forming operation starts, the photosensitive member 11 is rotated by a drive motor 161 ( Figure 2 ) is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow A1 in the figure (clockwise) by the driving force transmitted by the driving motor, and the driving motor serves as a driving source constituting the driving device. In the present embodiment, the photosensitive member 11 is an organic photosensitive member, which includes a conductive core metal formed of a conductive material such as aluminum, a charge generation layer formed on the conductive core metal, and a charge transport layer formed on the charge generation layer.

[0031] The surface of the rotating photosensitive member is uniformly charged to a predetermined potential of a predetermined polarity (negative polarity in the present embodiment), which is the normal polarity of the toner, by the charging roller 21, which is a roller-type charging member as a charging device. The charging roller 21 forms a charging portion N2 by contacting the surface (peripheral surface) of the photosensitive member 11 at its surface (peripheral surface). In the present embodiment, the charging roller 21 is an elastic (body) roller, which is formed by covering the surface of a cylindrical conductive support with an elastic layer having a predetermined resistance characteristic. The charging roller 21 contacts the surface of the photosensitive member 11 with a predetermined pressing force by being pressed by springs at both ends thereof in the direction of the rotation axis of the conductive support. The charging roller 21 is driven to rotate as the photosensitive member 11 rotates. During the charging process, a charging power source 171 ( Figure 2 ) A predetermined charging voltage (charging bias) is applied to the charging roller 21 at a predetermined timing. In the present embodiment, a negative DC voltage is applied as the charging voltage to the charging roller 21. The uniformly charged surface (non-image portion) of the photosensitive member 11 becomes a negative dark potential.

[0032] The charged surface of the photosensitive member 11 is subjected to scanning exposure by an exposure device (laser exposure unit) 131 as an exposure device (electrostatic image forming device), thereby forming an electrostatic latent image (electrostatic image). The exposure device 131 performs exposure by scanning the surface of the photosensitive member 11 with a laser beam along the main scanning direction of the photosensitive member 11 (substantially parallel to the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive member 11) according to image information (image data). Further, according to the image information, the exposure device 131 repeats exposure along the main scanning direction while matching timing along the sub-scanning direction (substantially parallel to the moving direction of the surface of the photosensitive member 11). Thus, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive member 11. The exposure portion (picture portion, image portion) as the exposed surface of the photosensitive member 11 becomes a bright potential.

[0033] The electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive member 11 is developed (visualized) by supplying a colorant as a developer from a developing device (developing unit) 2 as a developing device, thereby forming a colorant image (toner picture, developer image) on the photosensitive member 11. In the present embodiment, as a developer accommodated in the developing device 2, a single-component non-magnetic colorant is used. The details of the toner will be described later. The developing device 2 includes a developing roller 31 as a developer carrying member (developing member). During development, the developing roller 31 forms a developing portion N1 by contacting the surface (peripheral surface) of the photosensitive member 11 at its surface (peripheral surface). Further, during development, a developing power source 172 ( Figure 2) applies a predetermined development voltage (development bias) to the development roller 31 at a predetermined timing. In the present embodiment, a negative DC voltage is applied to the development roller 31 as the development voltage. In the present embodiment, the toner charged to the same polarity as the charge polarity of the photosensitive member 11 (negative polarity in the present embodiment) is deposited on the exposure portion (picture portion, image portion) on the photosensitive member 11, and the exposure portion has reduced the absolute value of the potential due to exposure after being uniformly charged (reversal development type). That is, in the present embodiment, as described above, the normal charge polarity of the toner (which is the main charge polarity of the toner during development) is negative. Development is performed by the potential difference (development contrast) formed between the development voltage applied to the development roller 31 and the bright potential on the photosensitive member 11, and therefore, a predetermined development voltage is applied to the development roller 31. The magnitude of the surface potential formed on the surface of the development roller 31 and the magnitude of the development voltage applied to the development roller 31 are substantially the same. The development roller 31 is Figure 1 The developing device 2 rotates in the direction of arrow A2 (counterclockwise) in FIG. 1 (the moving direction at the contact portion is the forward direction), which is the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the photosensitive member 11. Further, in the present embodiment, between the surface moving speed of the developing roller 31 and the surface moving speed of the photosensitive member 11, a speed difference is provided (the surface moving speed of the developing roller 31 is faster). In addition, the developing device 2 will be further described later. Here, the surface moving speed of each member may be referred to as the rotation speed of each member.

[0034] Opposite to the photosensitive member 11, a transfer roller 111 as a transfer device is provided, which is a roller-type transfer member. The transfer roller 111 is pressed toward the photosensitive member 11, and forms a transfer portion (transfer nip portion) N3, which is a contact portion between the photosensitive member 11 and the transfer roller 111. The toner image formed on the photosensitive member 11 is transferred to the recording material R sandwiched and conveyed by the photosensitive member 11 and the transfer roller 111 in the transfer portion N3 by the action of the transfer roller 111. During the transfer process, a transfer power source 174 ( Figure 2) applies a predetermined transfer voltage (transfer bias) to the transfer roller 111 at a predetermined timing. In the present embodiment, a DC voltage of positive polarity is applied to the transfer roller 111 as the transfer voltage, and the positive polarity is the polarity opposite to the normal charge polarity of the colorant. A sheet-like recording material (transfer material, recording medium, sheet) R such as paper is supplied from a paper feed section (feed section) 181 toward the transfer section N3. The paper feed section 181 includes a cassette 182 as a recording material accommodating section, a conveying roller 183 as a conveying member, and the like. The recording material R is accommodated in the cassette 182, and is conveyed toward the transfer section N3 by the conveying roller 183 and the like at a timing set according to the toner image on the photosensitive member 11. For the paper feed section 181, see the description later. Fig.11 .

[0035] The recording material R on which the toner image is transferred is conveyed toward a fixing device 121 as a fixing means. The fixing device 121 applies heat and pressure to the recording material R on which the unfixed toner image is carried, and fixes (melts, adheres) the toner image to the recording material R. The recording material R on which the toner image is fixed is discharged (output) from a paper discharge portion (discharge portion) 191, and is placed on a tray 192 provided at an upper portion of the image forming apparatus 100.

[0036] The configuration of this embodiment is a so-called cleaner-less configuration. Due to the cleaner-less configuration, there is no cleaning member that contacts the photosensitive member 11 on the photosensitive member 11. The toner (transfer residual toner) that is not transferred to the recording material R in the transfer section N3 and remains on the photosensitive member 11 is not accommodated in a toner accommodating section (residual toner accommodating section) different from the developing unit 2, but is accommodated in the developing device 2 via the developing roller 31 installed in the developing unit 2. Figure 1 and Fig.11 (which is a cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus 100 including a process cartridge 1) and Fig.14 , which shows the details of the process cartridge 1, the members provided so as to be contactable with the photosensitive member 11 in the image forming area of ​​the photosensitive member 11 are only the charging roller 21 and the developing roller 31. That is, the surface of the photosensitive member 11 passing through the charging section N2, which is the contact section between the photosensitive member 11 and the charging roller 21, passes through the developing section N1 without contacting any portion, and the developing section, which is the contact section between the photosensitive member 11 and the developing roller 31. That is, outside the image forming apparatus 100, when the photosensitive member 11 rotates in the state of the process cartridge 1, the surface of the photosensitive member 11 passing through the developing section N1 passes through the charging section N2 without particularly contacting any portion.

[0037] Subsequently, the process of collecting the transfer residual toner by the developing roller 31 will be described. Among the toners forming the toner image, the toner having a charge charged to the opposite polarity (positive charge) and a charge with a low absolute value (the amount of charge is close to 0) mainly becomes the transfer residual toner. Here, most of the toner of the toner image is charged to the negative polarity which is the normal polarity. The pre-exposure device 6 irradiates the photosensitive member 11 on which the transfer residual toner exists with light so that the absolute value of the surface potential formed on the photosensitive member 11 becomes smaller. The photosensitive member 11 is charged to the dark potential by discharge caused by the potential difference between the potential formed on the surface of the photosensitive member 11 and the charging voltage applied to the charging roller 21. At this time, the photosensitive member 11 is charged, and in addition, the transfer residual toner is also charged to the negative polarity at the same time. When the transfer residual toner is charged to the negative polarity, in the contact portion N2 between the photosensitive member 11 and the charging roller 21, the transfer residual toner passes through the contact portion N2 while remaining on the photosensitive member 11 according to the potential relationship thereof. Thereafter, in the contact portion between the photosensitive member 11 and the developing roller 31 (which is the developing portion N1), the transfer residual toner charged to the normal polarity is deposited on the developing roller 31 by the potential relationship between the developing roller 31 and the dark potential (back contrast) and is collected by the developing unit 2. In a cleaner-free configuration as in the present embodiment, it is important to make the amount of the transfer residual toner in the transfer portion N3 as small as possible. For this purpose, it is important that the charge of the toner used for development falls within an appropriate range, that is, the toner used for forming the toner image on the photosensitive member 11 requires the toner to contain the toner charged to the opposite polarity (positive charge) and the toner whose charge is close to 0.

[0038] Incidentally, in the present embodiment, the photosensitive member 11 and the charging roller 21 and the developing device 2 as processing means acting on the photosensitive member 11 integrally constitute a process cartridge 1 that can be detachably mounted to the image forming apparatus 100. Further, a transfer roller 111, an exposure device 131, a fixing device 121, a pre-exposure device 6, a controller 141, various power supplies, and the like are mounted in the image forming apparatus 100.

[0039] 2. Processing box

[0040] Next, the process cartridge 1 in this embodiment will be further described.

[0041] The process cartridge 1 is constituted by including a developing device (developing unit) 2 and a photosensitive member unit 3. As described later, the developing device 2 includes a developing roller 31, a supply roller 32, a developing blade 33, and a developing container 36 also used as a developer containing portion. The developing container 36 also serves as a developing frame for supporting the developing roller 31, the supply roller 32, and the developing blade 33. The photosensitive member unit 3 includes a photosensitive member 11 and a charging roller 21, and supports each of the photosensitive member 11 and the charging roller 21. Further, the developing device 2 and the photosensitive member unit 3 are connected to each other so that the developing device 2 can swing relative to the photosensitive member unit 3 around a rotation axis substantially parallel to the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive member 11. More specifically, the developing container (developing frame) 36 of the developing device 2 and the photosensitive member supporting container (photosensitive member unit frame) 61 of the photosensitive member unit 3 are swingably connected to each other so as to form the process cartridge 1 by integration. Thus, the developing device 2 can be moved to a contact position in which the developing roller 31 contacts the photosensitive member 11 and a separation position in which the developing roller 31 is separated from the photosensitive member 11. By adopting a configuration in which the developing device 2 can be moved to the contact position and the separation position, the developing device 2 and the photosensitive member 11 are suppressed from being consumed uselessly. That is, in the separation position, the rotation of the developing roller 31 and the supply roller 32 is stopped by stopping the driving of the developing device 2, thereby suppressing the consumption of the toner, and preventing the photosensitive member 11 from contacting the developing roller 31, thereby suppressing the wear of the charge transport layer. The surface movement speed of the developing roller 31 is rotated at a speed 1.4 times the surface movement speed of the photosensitive member 11.

[0042] Further, in the process cartridge 1, a nonvolatile memory 34 as a storage device is installed. In the nonvolatile memory 34, a plurality of pieces of information such as life information, which is information on the life of the process cartridge 1, and toner amount information, which is information on the toner amount of the toner in the developing device 2, are stored. Here, as the life information, the rotation distance of the photosensitive member 1, the rotation distance of the developing roller 31, the number of printed sheets of the recording material R, etc. can be listed. When the process cartridge 1 is installed in the image forming apparatus 100, the nonvolatile memory 34 is connected to a controller 141 provided in the image forming apparatus 100. Through this controller 141, reading of information stored in the nonvolatile memory 34 and writing of information into the nonvolatile memory 34 are performed. Thus, when the power of the image forming apparatus 100 is turned off and when a single process cartridge 1 is used in two or more image forming apparatuses 100, appropriate information can be provided to the controller 141.

[0043] 3. Development device

[0044] Next, the developing device (developing unit) 2 in this embodiment will be further described.

[0045] The developing device 2 includes a developing roller 31 as a developer carrying member (developing member) for carrying and conveying a toner as a developer, and for developing an electrostatic latent image by supplying the toner to the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive member 11. Further, the developing device 2 includes a supply roller (supply and stripping roller) 32 as a developer supplying member (developer supply and stripping member) for supplying the toner to the developing roller 31, and further for performing stripping of the toner from the developing roller 31. Further, the developing device 2 includes a developing blade 33 as a regulating member for regulating the toner supplied to the developing roller 31 to a predetermined toner amount. Further, the developing device 2 includes a developing container 36 in which a toner containing portion 37 is formed. In the toner containing portion 37, a single-component non-magnetic toner as a developer is contained.

[0046] Each of the developing roller 31 and the supply roller 32 is rotatably supported by the developing container 36. The supply roller 32 is arranged to contact the surface (peripheral surface) of the developing roller 31 at its surface (peripheral surface). The developing roller 31 carries the toner on its surface by being supplied with the toner by the supply roller 32. The toner carried on the surface of the developing roller 31 is regulated in amount by the developing scraper 33, and is further frictionally charged, and is transported toward the contact portion N1 (developing portion) between the photosensitive member 11 and the developing roller 31. Further, the toner remaining on the surface of the developing roller 31 after passing through the contact portion N1 (developing portion) between the photosensitive member 11 and the developing roller 31 is peeled off from the surface of the developing roller 31 by the supply roller 32, and returned to the inside of the toner containing portion 37.

[0047] In the present embodiment, each of the developing roller 31 and the supply roller 32 is driven by a drive motor 161 ( Figure 2 ) to transmit driving force thereto and to be rotationally driven. Figure 1 The supply roller 32 is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow A2 (counterclockwise) in FIG. The rotation direction of the photosensitive member 11 and the rotation direction of the developing roller 31 are opposite directions. That is, the developing roller 31 is rotationally driven in a direction in which the surface movement direction of the photosensitive member 11 and the surface movement direction of the developing roller 31 in the opposing portion (contact portion) between the photosensitive member 11 and the developing roller 31 become the following direction. Further, the supply roller 32 is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow A2 (counterclockwise). Figure 1The developing roller 31 is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow A3 (counterclockwise direction) in FIG. 1 . The rotation direction of the developing roller 31 and the rotation direction of the supply roller 32 are the same direction. That is, the supply roller 32 is rotationally driven in a direction in which the surface movement direction of the developing roller 31 and the surface movement direction of the supply roller 32 become opposite directions in the opposing portion (contact portion) between the developing roller 31 and the supply roller 32. The surface movement speed of the supply roller is a speed that is 0.83 times the surface movement speed of the developing roller 31.

[0048] In the present embodiment, the developing roller 31 is an elastic roller which is constituted by providing a conductive elastic rubber layer having a predetermined volume resistance as an elastic layer at the periphery of a core metal 31a made of metal. In the following measurement method, the current value of the developing roller 31 in the present embodiment is 1000 μA. Fig.15The measuring method of the current value is described. In an environment of a temperature of 23°C and a humidity of 50% RH, the mirror cylindrical member 51 made of metal is rotated at a peripheral speed of 1.0 rps in a state where a mirror cylindrical member 51 made of metal having a diameter of 30 mm is in contact with the developing roller 31 with a contact load of 500 gf (on each side) over the entire area of ​​the developing roller 31 relative to the longitudinal direction of the developing roller 31. Then, a DC voltage of 50 V is applied between the core metal of the developing roller 31 and the mirror cylindrical member 51 made of metal, and the end-to-end voltage of a resistor of 100 Ω connected to the ground side is measured, and the current value of the developing roller 31 is calculated based on the measured voltage value. In order to measure the voltage, a voltmeter 40 (manufactured by FLUKE Corporation, 189 TRUE RMS MULTIMETER) is used, and a value calculated from the average value in one second between two seconds and three seconds after the voltage application is used. In the present embodiment, the current value of the developing roller 31 can preferably be 100μA to 2000μA. The developing roller 31 includes a base layer and a surface layer. Silicone rubber is used as the base layer, and polyurethane rubber is used as the surface layer. In the polyurethane rubber as the surface layer, polyurethane beads are dispersed, and the desired roughness is set. The supply roller 32 is a foamed elastomer roller, which is formed by providing a foamed polyurethane layer adjusted to a predetermined volume resistivity as an elastic layer at the periphery of a core metal 32a made of metal. In this surface layer which is a foamed polyurethane layer, the foam cells are opened, so that the toner becomes easy to hold and transport. Further, in the present embodiment, the developing scraper 33 is composed of a plate-like member having flexibility and a developing scraper support member 33a for fixing the plate-like member. In the present embodiment, the developing scraper 33 is composed of an elastic plate formed by using SUS (stainless steel) or the like. The developing scraper 33 is arranged so that its longitudinal direction is substantially parallel to the direction of the rotation axis of the developing roller 31. Further, the developing scraper 33 is fixed to the developing container 36 at one end (fixed end) in the short direction thereof. The toner supplied to the developing roller 31 by the supply roller 32 forms a uniform toner coating on the developing roller 31 by being regulated by the developing scraper 33. The developing scraper 33 is arranged so that the plate surface (the side surface extending in the longitudinal direction of the developing scraper 33) of the end on the side close to the other end (free end) in the short direction thereof and the surface of the conductive elastic rubber layer of the developing roller 31 slide (rub) relative to each other. For this reason, by the developing scraper 33, while the toner coating is formed on the developing roller 31, the toner on the developing roller 31 is frictionally charged, and the charge is imparted to the toner.

[0049] Further, the imaging device 100 is configured so that the potentials (applied voltages) of the developing roller 31, the supply roller 32, and the developing blade 33 can be appropriately set. The voltage applied to the developing roller 31 is set to a voltage that makes the contrast (development contrast, background contrast) for the above-mentioned light potential and dark potential appropriate. Further, the voltage applied to the supply roller 32 is set to a voltage that makes it appropriate to mainly supply the toner to the developing roller 31. Further, the voltage applied to the developing blade 33 is set to a voltage that makes it appropriate to mainly give the charge to the toner. For this reason, each of the voltage applied to the supply roller 32 and the voltage applied to the developing blade 33 is set to a voltage suitable for the voltage applied to the developing roller 31. In the present embodiment, the voltage applied to the supply roller 32 and the voltage applied to the developing blade 33 are the same, and are set so that the potential difference relative to the voltage applied to the developing roller 31 becomes -100V. Specifically, the voltage applied to the developing roller 31 is -325V, and the voltage applied to the supply roller 32 and the voltage applied to the developing blade 33 are -425V. This is because a negatively chargeable toner is used in this embodiment. That is, each of the potential of the supply roller 32 and the potential of the developing blade 33 is set so that the potential difference relative to the potential of the developing roller 31 becomes a potential difference on the negative side. That is, each of the potential of the supply roller 32 and the potential of the developing blade 33 is set so that the potential difference relative to the potential of the developing roller 31 becomes a potential difference on the negative side. That is, each of the potential of the supply roller 32 and the potential of the developing blade 33 is set so that the potential difference becomes a potential higher than the potential of the developing roller 31 on the side of the normal charge polarity (in this embodiment, negative polarity) of the toner. Thus, the toner is pushed from the supply roller 32 to the developing roller 31, so that the toner can be properly supplied to the developing roller 31. Further, through the developing blade 33, the charge of the normal charge polarity can be properly given to the toner. Further, the light potential was set to -70 V, and the dark potential was set to -525 V. That is, the potential difference for development (development contrast) was 255 V, and the potential difference for non-image formation (background contrast) was 200 V.

[0050] Will use Figure 3 and Figure 4 The voltages applied to the developing blade 33 and the supply roller 32 are described in more detail. Figure 3 A perspective view of a voltage supply component 300 (which includes a voltage supply component) Figure 3 ), a front surface view of the voltage supply part 300 ( Figure 3 ), and a rear surface view of the voltage supply part 300 ( Figure 331 , the supply roller 32, and the developing blade 33 are supplied with voltage from the developing voltage main assembly contact 182 and the supply / control main assembly contact 183. The front surface view is a view of the voltage supply part 300 observed from the side where the voltage supply part 300 is installed in the image forming apparatus, and the rear surface view is a view of the voltage supply part 300 observed from the side where the voltage supply part 300 is installed relative to the developing roller 31, the supply roller 32, and the like. That is, the front surface view is a view of the voltage supply part 300 observed from the side where the developing roller 31, etc. are arranged, and the rear surface view is a view of the voltage supply part 300 observed from the side where the voltage supply part 300 can be seen when the process cartridge 1 is observed from the outside. Figure 4 1 is a circuit diagram in which voltage is applied from the developing voltage main assembly contact 182 and the supply / regulation voltage main assembly contact 183 of the image forming apparatus 100 to the developing roller 31, the supply roller 32, and the regulating blade 33 of the process cartridge 1. The voltage supply part 300 includes a developing voltage contact 301 that contacts the developing power supply main assembly contact 182 provided in the image forming apparatus 100, and a supply / regulation voltage contact 302 that contacts the supply / regulation voltage contact 183. The conducting path 311 is formed of a conductive resin so as to electrically conduct the developing voltage contact 301 and the developing roller holding portion 310 ( Figure 3 Similarly, the conductive path 321 is used to electrically conduct from the supply / control voltage contact 302 to the supply roller holding portion 320 for holding the shaft 32a of the supply roller 32 and the control blade contact 330 for contacting the control blade 33 ( Figure 3 301 to the developing roller holding portion 310 and the conductive resin 321 from the supply / regulating voltage contact 302 to the supply roller holding portion 320 and the regulating blade contact 330 are independently formed. Therefore, independent voltages can be applied (see Figure 4 As described above, the power source for supplying voltage from the image forming apparatus 100 to the supply roller 32 and the developing blade 33 is one, and is the supply / control power source 173 ( Figure 2). When the supply / control main component contact 183 of the supply / control power supply 173 provided in the image forming apparatus 100 and the supply / control voltage contact 302 of the voltage supply part 300 attached to the developing unit 2 are in contact with each other, the output voltage of the main component of the image forming apparatus 100 becomes available to be supplied to the developing unit 2. The process cartridge 1 is mounted in the image forming apparatus 100, whereby the supply / control voltage contact 302 is connected to the supply / control main component contact 183, thereby supplying the voltage from the supply / control power supply 173. Similarly, the development voltage main component contact 182 of the development power supply 172 provided in the image forming apparatus 100 and the development voltage contact 301 of the voltage supply part 300 attached to the developing unit 2 are in contact with each other, so that the output voltage of the main component of the image forming apparatus 100 becomes available to be supplied to the developing unit 2. The process cartridge 1 is mounted in the image forming apparatus 100, whereby the development voltage contact 301 is connected to the development voltage main component contact 182, thereby supplying the voltage from the development power supply 172. As described above, the voltage from the same power source is branched so that the same voltage can be applied to the developing scraper 33 and the supply roller 32. In the case where the power source for supplying the voltage to the supply roller 32 and the power source for supplying the voltage to the developing scraper 33 are different, even when the supplied voltage is made the same voltage, due to the individual differences between the power sources, strictly speaking, the supplied voltages are different from each other. Therefore, it is difficult to make the potentials of the supply roller 32 and the developing scraper 33 the same. Generally, in the case of using an inexpensive power source, the voltage deviation caused by the individual differences of the power source becomes large. Therefore, the developing unit 2 is provided with the above-mentioned voltage application structure, so that even for the individual differences between the power sources of the imaging device 100, a voltage without a potential difference can be supplied to the developing scraper 33 and the supply roller 32 with an inexpensive structure. In the present embodiment, the voltage supply from the imaging device 100 to the processing box 1 is realized by using a conductive resin provided in the voltage supply part 300 as a conduction path. The voltage supply is not necessarily realized by the conductive resin, and the conductive resin can be replaced by a metal, or a part of the conductive resin can be replaced by a metal.

[0051] Therefore, during development, a development voltage is supplied from the development power source 172 ( Figure 2 ) applies a predetermined development voltage (development bias) to the development roller 31. In the present embodiment, as the development voltage, a DC voltage of negative polarity is applied to the development roller 31. Further, during development, at a predetermined timing, a DC voltage is supplied from a supply / control power source 173 ( Figure 2) applies a predetermined voltage (supply / control bias) to the developing blade 33 and the supply roller 32. In the present embodiment, as the supply / control voltage, a DC voltage is applied to the developing blade 33 and the supply roller 32, which is higher than the developing voltage on the normal charge polarity (in the present embodiment, negative polarity) side of the toner.

[0052] 4. Toner

[0053] <Toner Structure>

[0054] Next, the toner in this embodiment will be further described.

[0055] Hereinafter, the description of "XX or more and YY or less" and "XX to YY" indicating a numerical range refers to a numerical range including the lower limit and the upper limit as endpoints, respectively. In the case of describing the numerical range step by step, the upper limit and the lower limit of each numerical range can be arbitrarily combined. "(Meth)acrylic acid" means "acrylic acid" and / or "methacrylic acid".

[0056] The toner in this embodiment is a toner comprising toner particles and hydrotalcite particles, and the toner particles contain a binder resin. The hydrotalcite particles are easily charged to a positive polarity and can act as a microcarrier for charging the toner particles to a negative polarity. In addition, the hydrotalcite particles of the toner in this embodiment contain fluorine. The hydrotalcite particles are particles with high charging performance to a positive polarity and therefore have a strong positive polarity. Fluorine is contained in the hydrotalcite particles so that the charging performance of the hydrotalcite particles and the polarity of the hydrotalcite particles can be adjusted. Fluorine is contained in the hydrotalcite particles so that the hydrotalcite particles can be suppressed from being charged to a strong positive polarity, and therefore the toner can be suppressed from having a strong negative polarity. As an example, a toner in which a hydrotalcite not containing fluorine is added to toner particles (toner 2 described later), a toner in which a hydrotalcite containing fluorine is added to the same toner particles (toner 1 described later), and a toner in which a hydrotalcite is not added to the same toner particles regardless of the presence or absence of fluorine (in toner 2 described later, hydrotalcite is not added to toner particles) are prepared, and the charge amount distribution of the toner is measured. By using the imaging device 100 and the process box 1 in this embodiment, a pure color (pure white) image formation is performed on a sheet, and thus the toner on the developing roller 31 is collected. The toner collection position on the developing roller 31 is a position downstream of the contact position of the developing blade 33 and upstream of the developing section N1 with respect to the rotation direction of the developing roller 31, and the toner is collected in this position and the charge amount of the collected toner is measured. The charge amount is measured using an E-Spart Analyzer manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Corporation.

[0057] First, the percentage of the number of toners with positive charge per unit weight Q / M was compared. It was confirmed that the percentage of the number of toners with positive charge was reduced by 16% in the toners with added hydrotalcite containing no fluorine, and the percentage of the number of toners with positive charge was reduced by about 22% in the toners with added hydrotalcite containing fluorine, compared with the toners without added hydrotalcite. That is, this result shows the effect of hydrotalcite as a microcarrier for making the toner negatively charged.

[0058] Next, as a toner with strong negative polarity, the percentage of the number of toners whose charge amount Q / M per unit weight is -30 [μC / g] or more (assessed in absolute value) is compared. Then, it can be confirmed that the toner with fluorine-containing hydrotalcite added has a reduction of about 39% in the percentage of the number of toners with strong negative polarity compared to the toner with fluorine-free hydrotalcite added. That is, by using such a toner, the percentage of the existence of the toner with strong negative polarity is reduced, so that the increase in the necessary development contrast can be suppressed. Therefore, by reducing the toner charged to the positive polarity as much as possible while suppressing the dilution of the development concentration, the fog can be suppressed.

[0059] Further, as a weak negative polarity toner, the number percentage of toners whose charge amount Q / M per unit weight is -0.75 to -2.25 (assessed in absolute value) is compared. It can be confirmed that the toner to which fluorine-containing hydrotalcite is added increases the number percentage of weak negative polarity toner by about 10% compared with the toner to which non-fluorine-containing hydrotalcite is added. Although the toner to which fluorine-containing hydrotalcite is added reduces the toner of positive polarity, for example, in the case where the toner charge amount changes toward the positive polarity side due to external disturbance and thus loses the balance of charge supply, the charge amount tends to become 0 or positive polarity.

[0060] As an example, a toner containing a hydrotalcite containing no fluorine in the toner particles and a toner containing a hydrotalcite containing fluorine in the same toner particles are prepared, and the toner charge amount distribution is measured. By using the imaging device 100 and the process box 1 in this embodiment, a pure color (pure white) image formation is performed on a sheet, and thereafter, the toner on the developing roller 31 is collected. The charge amount of the collected toner is measured. The charge amount is measured using an E-Spart Analyzer manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Corporation. As a toner with strong negative polarity, the percentage of the number of toners whose charge amount Q / M per unit weight is -25 [μC / g] or more (assessed in absolute value) is compared. Then, it can be confirmed that the toner with the hydrotalcite containing fluorine added is reduced by about 23% in terms of the percentage of the number of toners with strong negative polarity compared to the toner with the hydrotalcite containing no fluorine added. That is, by using such a toner, the percentage of existence of the strongly negative toner is reduced, thereby suppressing the increase in the necessary development contrast. Therefore, by suppressing the thinning of the development density while reducing the toner charged to the positive polarity as much as possible, fogging can be suppressed.

[0061] The hydrotalcite particles used in this embodiment will be described in detail. The hydrotalcite particles contain fluorine. Here, the presence or absence of fluorine in the hydrotalcite particles can be confirmed by STEM-EDS mapping analysis. Regarding the analysis conditions, etc., the method described later is adopted. Further, in the line analysis in the STEM-EDS mapping analysis, fluorine is present inside the hydrotalcite particles. Specifically, this means that the EDP line analysis is performed on the periphery of the fluorine-containing hydrotalcite particles relative to the normal direction, and the fluorine present inside the particles is detected. The fluorine inside the hydrotalcite particles detected by the above analysis indicates that fluorine is inserted between the layers of the hydrotalcite particles. Due to the presence (existence) of fluorine inside the hydrotalcite particles, the hydrotalcite particles will not be overcharged to the positive polarity, and the appropriate positive polarity charge amount can be maintained. The reason why the hydrotalcite particles can maintain an appropriate positive polarity charge amount is because there is a strong negative polarity fluorine inside the hydrotalcite particles, and the positive polarity charge on the surface of the hydrotalcite particles can be neutralized by being brought into the interior of the particles. That is, it is expected that the particle surface can be suppressed from being overcharged to the positive polarity.

[0062] Incidentally, the introduction of fluorine into the hydrotalcite particles may be preferably carried out by introducing (intercalating) fluorine ions between the hydrotalcite particles by ion exchange.

[0063] The ratio of the atomic number concentration of fluorine to the atomic number concentration of aluminum in the hydrotalcite particles, F / Al (element ratio), may preferably be 0.01 to 0.65, the atomic number concentration being obtained from the main component mapping of the hydrotalcite particles obtained by STEM-EDS mapping analysis of the toner. Further, the F / Al value may more preferably be 0.02 to 0.60.

[0064] Specifically, by making F / Al 0.01 or more, the surface charge distribution of the hydrotalcite particles can be made uniform, so that the charge stability of the toner becomes good.

[0065] Furthermore, by making F / Al 0.65 or less, the surface charge of the hydrotalcite particles is suppressed from being excessively neutralized, and the temporal stability of the positive charge is enhanced, so that the charge stability of the toner becomes good. As a result, the charge of the toner can be suppressed from becoming strongly negative.

[0066] The atomic number concentration of fluorine in the hydrotalcite particles is not particularly limited, but the atomic number of fluorine detected by STEM-EDS mapping analysis in the hydrotalcite particles relative to the atomic number of all elements may be preferably 0.01 to 5.00 atomic%, more preferably 0.04 to 3.00 atomic%, and further preferably 0.09 to 2.00 atomic%. Within this range, the positive properties of the hydrotalcite particles become appropriate, and the microcarrier characteristics fall within an appropriate range.

[0067] As the hydrotalcite particles, hydrotalcite particles represented by the following composition formula (1) can be used. Incidentally, in the composition formula (1), M and A are represented by ionic states.

[0068] M2+yM3+x(OH)2An-(x / n).mH2O...(1)

[0069] M 2+ and M 3+ They represent divalent and trivalent cations of metals respectively.

[0070] The hydrotalcite particles may be a solid solution containing a plurality of different elements. Further, the hydrotalcite particles may contain a very small amount of monovalent metal.

[0071] However, preferably, 0<x≤0.5, y=1-x, and m≥0.

[0072] M 2+ It may preferably be a divalent cation of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Mg, Zn, Ca, Ba, Ni, Sr, Cu and Fe.

[0073] M 3+It may preferably be a trivalent cation of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Al, B, Ga, Fe, Co and In.

[0074] A n- is an n-valent anion and contains at least F - Except F - In addition, A n- CO3 can also be included 2- OH - , Cl - ,I - Br - 、SO4 2- 、HCO3 - 、CH3COO - and NO3 - etc., and can contain a variety of different anions.

[0075] As the metal serving as the divalent cation, the metal may preferably be Mg (magnesium), and as the metal serving as the trivalent cation, the metal may preferably be Al (aluminum). The hydrotalcite particles may preferably contain aluminum serving as a trivalent cation and magnesium serving as a divalent cation.

[0076] Specific composition formulas include Mg2+8.6Al3+4(OH)25.2F-2CO32-.mH2O and Mg2+12Al3+4(OH)32F-2CO32-.mH2O.

[0077] When the hydrotalcite particles contain aluminum as a trivalent cation and magnesium as a divalent cation, the value of the ratio of the atomic number concentration (atomic %) of magnesium to the atomic number concentration (atomic %) of aluminum (Mg / Al) may preferably be 1.50 to 4.00.

[0078] Further, the hydrotalcite particles may preferably contain water in the molecules thereof, and in the composition formula (1), 0.1<m<0.6 may more preferably hold.

[0079] The number average particle diameter (size) H3 of the primary particles of the hydrotalcite particles may preferably be 40 nm to 1100 nm, and more preferably may be 60 nm to 1000 nm.

[0080] The number average particle size of the hydrotalcite particles falls within the above range so that the charge build-up performance of the toner becomes good.

[0081] The particle size can be measured using a well-known device such as a scanning electron microscope. Furthermore, the particle size can be controlled by controlling the conditions of the reaction step, pulverization step, centrifugation step, classification step and screening step in the production step of the hydrotalcite particles.

[0082] The hydrotalcite particles can be treated to be hydrophobic by a surface treatment agent. As the surface treatment agent, oils such as higher fatty acids, coupling agents, esters and silicone oils can be used. Among them, higher fatty acids can be preferably used, specifically stearic acid, oleic acid and lauric acid.

[0083] The content of the hydrotalcite particles in the toner is not particularly limited. The content of the hydrotalcite particles may preferably be 0.01 to 3.00 parts by mass, more preferably 0.05 to 0.50 parts by mass, and further preferably 0.05 to 0.30 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of the toner particles. The content of the hydrotalcite particles may be quantified using a calibration curve prepared from a standard sample using fluorescent X-ray analysis.

[0084] The fixing ratio of the hydrotalcite particles to the toner particles may preferably be 10% to 95%. The fixing ratio may preferably be 40% to 95%, and may further preferably be 50% to 70%. When the fixing ratio is within the above range, the above effect is easily obtained. The above fixing ratio may be controlled by changing the external addition conditions by a well-known external addition method.

[0085] The area ratio of the hydrotalcite particles relative to the toner particles in the EDS measurement field measured by STEM-EDS mapping analysis may be preferably 0.07% to 0.54%. The area ratio may be more preferably 0.25% to 0.50%, and may be further preferably 0.35% to 0.45%. When the area ratio is within the above range, the above effect is easily obtained. The above area ratio may be controlled by changing the input amount of the above hydrotalcite particles.

[0086] <Method for producing toner particles>

[0087] The method for producing the toner particles is not particularly limited, and well-known means can be used, and a kneading and pulverizing method or a wet production method can be used. From the viewpoint of uniformity of particle diameter, shape control performance, and easy acquisition of toner particles having a core-shell structure, a wet production method is preferred. As the wet production method, a suspension polymerization method, a dissolution suspension method, an emulsion aggregation method, etc. can be cited.

[0088] <Toner Manufacturing Method>

[0089] The toner contains hydrotalcite particles as an external additive. If necessary, another external additive may be added. In this case, the content of the external additive (such as inorganic and organic fine particles containing hydrotalcite particles) may preferably be 0.50 to 5.00 parts by mass in total per 100 parts by mass of the toner particles.

[0090] As a mixing machine for adding the external additive to the toner particles, the mixing machine is not particularly limited, and a well-known mixing machine can be used regardless of whether it is a dry type or a wet type. For example, FM mixer (manufactured by NIPPON COKE & ENGINEERING CO., LTD.), Mitsui Henschel mixer (manufactured by Mitsui MiikeKakoki CO., LTD.), Super Mixer (manufactured by KAWATA MFG.CO., LTD.), Nobilta (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Corporation), Hybridizer (manufactured by Nara Machinery), etc. can be cited. In order to control the coating state of the external additive, the toner can be prepared by adjusting the rotation number, processing time, water temperature / water amount of the jacket of the above-mentioned external adding machine.

[0091] Hereinafter, methods of measuring physical properties of toner and various materials will be described.

[0092] <Identification method of hydrotalcite particles>

[0093] Identification of the hydrotalcite particles can be performed by combining shape observation using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and element analysis using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS).

[0094] The toner was observed in a field of view with a maximum magnification of 50,000 times by using a scanning electron microscope "S4800" (trade name; manufactured by Hitachi, Ltd.). The external additive as the identification object was observed by focusing on the surface of the toner particles. By performing EDS analysis on the external additive as the identification object, the hydrotalcite particles can be identified based on the type of element peaks.

[0095] When an element peak of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Mg, Zn, Ca, Ba, Ni, Sr, Cu and Fe and an element peak of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Al, B, Ga, Fe, Co and In are observed as element peaks, the presence of hydrotalcite particles containing the above two metals can be inferred.

[0096] A standard sample of hydrotalcite particles analogized by EDS analysis is prepared separately, and shape observation is performed by SEM and EDS analysis. The analysis results of the standard sample are compared with the analysis results of the particles as the identification object to determine whether the particles are hydrotalcite particles.

[0097] <Method for measuring the ratio of each element in hydrotalcite particles>

[0098] The measurement of the ratio of each element in the hydrotalcite particles is performed by EDS mapping measurement of the toner using a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM). In the EDS mapping measurement, spectral data is obtained for each image element (pixel) of the analysis area. By using a silicon drift detector with a large detection element area, EDS mapping can be measured with high sensitivity.

[0099] Statistical analysis is performed on the spectrum data of each pixel obtained by the EDS mapping measurement, so that a principal component map that extracts pixels having similar spectra can be obtained, and mapping of the identified components can be performed.

[0100] The samples for observation were prepared in the following manner.

[0101] 0.5 g of the toner was weighed and allowed to stand for 2 minutes under a load of 40 kN using a Newton press, and columnar toner pellets having a diameter of 8 mm and a thickness of about 1 mm were prepared by a columnar mold having a diameter of 8 mm. Thin slices having a thickness of 200 nm were prepared from the toner pellets by an ultramicrotome (Leica Microsystems, FC7).

[0102] The STEM-EDS analysis was performed by the following equipment and conditions.

[0103] Scanning transmission electron microscope: JEM-2800 manufactured by JEOL Ltd.

[0104] EDS detector: JEOL Ltd. JED2300T Dry SD100GV detector (detection element area: 100mm 2 )

[0105] EDS analyzer: NORAN System 7 manufactured by Thermo Fischer Scientific Inc.

[0106] [Conditions of STEM-EDS]

[0107] STEM acceleration voltage: 200 kV

[0108] ·Magnification: 20,000

[0109] Probe size: 1nm

[0110] STEM image size: 1024×1024 pixels (obtain EDS element mapping image at the same position).

[0111] EDS mapping size: 256×256 pixels, dwell time: 30μs, cumulative number of frames: 100

[0112] The ratios of the respective elements in the hydrotalcite particles were calculated based on multivariate analysis in the following manner.

[0113] The EDS map was obtained by the STEM-EDS analysis device. Then, the collected spectral map data was subjected to multivariate analysis using the COMPASS (PCA) mode in the measurement command of the NORMAN System 7, thereby extracting a principal component map image.

[0114] At this time, the setting values ​​are as follows.

[0115] Kernel size: 3×3

[0116] Quantitative graph setting: High (slow)

[0117] Filter fit type: High precision (slow)

[0118] At the same time, through this operation, the area ratio occupied by each extracted principal component in the EDS field of view is calculated. The EDS spectra of each principal component map obtained are quantitatively analyzed using the Cliff-Lorimer method.

[0119] Based on the results of the above quantitative analysis of the obtained STEM-EDS principal component map, identification between the toner particle portion and the hydrotalcite particles is performed. The corresponding particles can be identified as hydrotalcite particles based on the particle size, shape, content of polyvalent metals such as aluminum and magnesium, and their amount ratio.

[0120] <Analysis method of fluorine and aluminum in hydrotalcite particles>

[0121] Based on the mapping data of the STEM-EDS mapping analysis obtained by the above method, the fluorine and aluminum of the hydrotalcite particles were analyzed. Specifically, EDS line analysis was performed with respect to the normal direction of the periphery of the hydrotalcite particles, thereby analyzing the fluorine and aluminum present inside the particles.

[0122] exist Figure 5 A schematic diagram of line analysis is shown in part (a) of FIG. In the hydrotalcite particle 3T adjacent to the toner particle 1T and the toner particle 2T, line analysis is performed with respect to the normal direction of the periphery of the hydrotalcite particle 3T, that is, the direction of 5T. Incidentally, 4T indicates the boundary of the toner particle.

[0123] The range where the hydrotalcite particles exist in the obtained STEM image was selected by a rectangular selection tool, and line analysis was performed on it under the following conditions.

[0124] Line analysis conditions

[0125] STEM magnification: 800,000

[0126] Line length: 200nm

[0127] Line width: 30nm

[0128] Line segmentation number: 100 points (intensity is measured every 2nm)

[0129] The criteria for identifying the presence of relevant elements in hydrotalcite particles are as follows: The peak intensity of fluorine or aluminum in the EDS spectrum of hydrotalcite particles is 1.5 times the background intensity. Figure 5 The case where the element peak intensity of fluorine or aluminum at point a and point b) of the part (a) is not more than 3.0 times the peak intensity at point c. The case where the above two conditions are satisfied is identified as containing the relevant element inside the hydrotalcite particles. Incidentally, point c is the midpoint of line segment ab (that is, the midpoint of the above two ends).

[0130] exist Figure 5 Part (b) and Figure 5 An example of the X-ray intensity of fluorine and aluminum obtained in the online analysis is shown in part (c). In the case where fluorine and aluminum are contained inside the hydrotalcite particles, the X-ray intensity curve graph normalized by the peak intensity is shown as follows Figure 5 The shape shown in part (b) of . In the case where the hydrotalcite particles contain fluorine derived from the surface treatment agent, the X-ray intensity curve graph normalized by the peak intensity has peaks near points a and b at both ends of the curve graph of fluorine. By checking the X-ray intensity derived from fluorine and aluminum in the line analysis, it can be confirmed that fluorine and aluminum are contained inside the hydrotalcite particles.

[0131] <Calculation method of the value of the ratio (element ratio) F / Al of the atomic number concentration of fluorine to the atomic number concentration of aluminum in the hydrotalcite particles>

[0132] The value of the ratio of the atomic number concentration of fluorine and aluminum in the hydrotalcite particles (element ratio) F / Al, obtained from the main component mapping derived from the hydrotalcite particles obtained by the above-mentioned STEM-EDS mapping analysis, is obtained in a plurality of fields of view. Then, the arithmetic mean is taken for more than 100 relevant elements, and the arithmetic mean is used as the value of the ratio of the atomic number concentration of fluorine to the atomic number concentration of aluminum in the hydrotalcite particles (element ratio) F / Al.

[0133] <Calculation method of the value of the ratio (element ratio) Mg / Al of the atomic number concentration of magnesium to the atomic number concentration of aluminum in the hydrotalcite particles>

[0134] Calculations were performed for magnesium and aluminum by a method similar to the above-described calculation method for the value of the ratio of the atomic number concentration of F to the atomic number concentration of aluminum in the hydrotalcite particles (element ratio) F / Al. Then, the ratio of the atomic number concentration of magnesium to the atomic number concentration of aluminum in the hydrotalcite particles (element ratio) Mg / Al was calculated.

[0135] <Calculation method of fluorine atomic number concentration in hydrotalcite particles>

[0136] The atomic number concentration of fluorine in the hydrotalcite particles is calculated based on the mapping data of the STEM-EDS mapping analysis obtained by the above method. The atomic number concentration (element amount) of fluorine in the hydrotalcite particles is quantified in the principal component mapping image of the hydrotalcite particles extracted by the above method.

[0137] The above-mentioned mapping data are obtained in a plurality of fields of view, and the arithmetic mean value of 100 or more hydrotalcite particles is used as the atomic number concentration of fluorine in the hydrotalcite particles.

[0138] <Method for measuring the number average particle size of primary particles of hydrotalcite particles>

[0139] The number average particle diameter S3 of the primary particles of the hydrotalcite particles was measured by combining a scanning electron microscope "S4800" (trade name; manufactured by Hitachi, Ltd.) and an elemental analysis by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The hydrotalcite particles were photographed by observing the toner to which the hydrotalcite particles were added as an external additive in a field of view at a maximum magnification of 200,000 times. The hydrotalcite particles were selected from the photographed images, and the main diameter of the primary particles of the hydrotalcite particles was measured for 100 particles at random, thereby obtaining the number average particle diameter of the hydrotalcite particles. The observation magnification was appropriately adjusted according to the size of the external additive.

[0140] <Method for measuring the fixing ratio of hydrotalcite particles to toner particles>

[0141] First, two types of samples (toner before water washing and toner after water washing) were prepared.

[0142] (i) Toner before water washing: Various toners prepared in Examples described later were used as they were.

[0143] (ii) Toner after washing: In 100 mL of ion exchange water, 160 g of sucrose (manufactured by Kishida Chemical CO., LTD.) is added, and the sucrose is dissolved while being heated in hot water, thereby preparing a sucrose concentrated solution. In a tube for centrifugal separation, 31 g of the above sucrose concentrated solution and 6 mL of Contamiron N (a 10% by mass aqueous solution of a neutral detergent with a pH of 7 for washing precision measuring equipment, which includes a nonionic surfactant, an anionic surfactant and an organic detergent, manufactured by Wako Pure Chemicals Industries, Ltd.) are placed to prepare a dispersion. In this dispersion, 1 g of toner is added, and the toner lumps are loosened with a spatula or the like. Shake with an oscillator at 5.8 s -1 The tubes used for centrifugation were shaken for 20 minutes.

[0144] After shaking, the solution was changed from the tube for centrifugation to a glass tube (50 mL) for a swing rotor in terms of tube, and centrifuged at 58.3 s. -1 Centrifugal separation was performed under the conditions of 50 ℃ and 30 minutes. Sufficient separation of the toner and the solution was visually confirmed, and the toner separated in the uppermost layer was collected with a spatula or the like. The aqueous solution containing the collected toner was filtered through a vacuum filter and then dried for more than 1 hour to prepare a sample.

[0145] Under the following conditions, in a visual field in which 20 toner particles were randomly selected, these samples before and after water washing were subjected to SEM / EDS observation, and the sum of the areas of the hydrotalcite particles was calculated. The fixation ratio of the hydrotalcite particles was calculated by the following formula.

[0146] The fixing ratio of the hydrotalcite particles (%)=(the total area of ​​the hydrotalcite particles of the toner after washing with water) / (the total area of ​​the hydrotalcite particles of the toner before washing with water)×100.

[0147] The equipment and observation conditions of SEM / EDS are as follows.

[0148] Equipment used (SEM): Ultra PLUS manufactured by Carl Zeiss Microscope CO., LTD.

[0149] Equipment used (EDS): NORAN System 7, UltraDry EDSDetector manufactured by Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.

[0150] Accelerating voltage: 5kV

[0151] WD: 7.0mm

[0152] Pore ​​size: 30.0 μm

[0153] Detection signal: SE2 (secondary electrons)

[0154] Observation magnification: 50,000 times

[0155] Mode: Spectral Imaging

[0156] Pretreatment: Sample toner was spread on carbon ribbon and sputtered with platinum.

[0157] Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described in further detail by listing Examples and Comparative Examples, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Unless otherwise specifically stated, the "parts" used in the Examples are based on mass.

[0158] Hereinafter, a toner production example will be described.

[0159] <Production Example of Toner Particles>

[0160] <Preparation of aqueous dispersion medium>

[0161] · Water 390.0 parts

[0162] · 4.2 parts of sodium phosphate

[0163] The above aqueous solution was prepared and kept at 60°C to prepare sodium phosphate. Next,

[0164] · Water 17.1 parts

[0165] Calcium chloride 2.4 parts

[0166] The above aqueous solution is prepared, and then added to the above sodium phosphate aqueous solution, and stirred at a high speed, thereby preparing an aqueous dispersion medium containing calcium phosphate fine particles.

[0167] <Preparation of polymerizable monomer composition 1>

[0168] · 30.0 parts of styrene

[0169] CI Pigment Blue 15:3 6.0 parts

[0170] Charge control agent (aluminum complex) 0.5 parts

[0171] The above materials were dispersed by an attritor at room temperature for 5 hours, thereby obtaining a polymerizable monomer composition 1.

[0172] <Preparation of polymerizable monomer composition 2>

[0173] ·Polymerizable monomer composition 1 46.8 parts

[0174] · 39.0 parts of styrene

[0175] ·Butyl acrylate 25.0 parts

[0176] Polar resin 1 10.0 parts

[0177] (Styrene-methacrylic acid-methyl methacrylate-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate copolymer, Mw=15200)

[0178] Polar resin 2 4.0 parts

[0179] (Polyester resin, which is a polycondensation product of bisphenol A modified with propoxypropane and terephthalic acid, Mw = 9500)

[0180] Polar resin 3 1.0 part

[0181] (Styrene-2-ethylhexyl acrylate copolymer containing 10% by mass of 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid, Mp=18000)

[0182] · Behenyl Behenate 6.0 parts

[0183] · Hydrocarbon wax (melting point 78°C) 3.0 parts

[0184] The above materials were added to a temperature-adjustable stirring tank, and the temperature thereof was raised to 60° C., followed by stirring for 1 hour, thereby obtaining a polymerizable monomer composition 2.

[0185] <Granulation and polymerization steps>

[0186] The above polymerizable monomer composition 2 was added to the aqueous dispersion medium, and 7.0 parts of a polymerization initiator was further added, and granulation was performed for 10 minutes while maintaining high-speed stirring at a temperature of 60° C. Thereafter, the stirrer was changed to a propeller stirrer, and the temperature was raised to 70° C., followed by reaction for 5 hours. Further, the temperature was raised to 80° C., reacted for 5 hours, and then the reaction mixture was cooled to obtain a polymer fine particle dispersion.

[0187] <Washing, drying, and classification steps>

[0188] 10% hydrochloric acid was added to the above polymer fine particle dispersion, and a calcium phosphate fine particle dispersant was dissolved in the resulting liquid, followed by filtration, washing and drying, and classification was performed using an air classifier to obtain toner particles having a weight average particle diameter of 5.8 μm.

[0189] <Preparation of hydrotalcite particles 1>

[0190] ·3.5 parts of sodium fluoride

[0191] · 350.0 parts of water

[0192] The above aqueous solution was prepared, and 3.5 parts of hydrotalcite (the number average particle size of primary particles was 240 nm) was added thereto. The resulting mixture was stirred at room temperature for 10 hours, followed by filtration, drying and pulverization to obtain hydrotalcite particles 1. In line analysis in STEM-EDS mapping analysis, it was confirmed that fluorine was present inside the hydrotalcite particles, obtaining F / Al=0.11 and Mg / Cl=2.45.

[0193] <Hydrotalcite particles 2>

[0194] The hydrotalcite (the number average particle size of primary particles was 240 nm) used for preparing the hydrotalcite particles 1 was used as the hydrotalcite particles 2. In the line analysis in the STEM-EDS mapping analysis, the presence of fluorine inside the hydrotalcite particles 2 was not confirmed.

[0195] <Preparation of hydrotalcite particles 3>

[0196] · 50.0 parts of methanol

[0197] Fluorine-containing silicone (X-12-2430C, manufactured by Shin-Etsu Silicone CO., LTD.) 0.3 parts

[0198] 5.0 parts of hydrotalcite (the average particle size of primary particles is 240 nm)

[0199] The above materials were added and stirred at room temperature for 10 hours, after which 500 parts of water were added and further stirred for 1 hour, followed by filtration, drying and pulverization to obtain hydrotalcite particles 3. In line analysis in STEM-EDS mapping analysis, the presence of fluorine inside the hydrotalcite particles 3 was not confirmed, but the presence of fluorine at the surface of the hydrotalcite particles 3 was confirmed.

[0200] <Production Example of Toner 1>

[0201] To the toner particles (100.0 parts) obtained above, hydrotalcite particles 1 (0.3 parts) and hydrophobically treated silica (BET 380 m / s) were externally added by a Mitsui Henschel mixer (Mitsui Miike Kakoki CO., LTD.). 2 / g) (1.0 part). The external addition conditions were such that the number of stirring rotations and the mixing time were adjusted so as to provide the desired fixation ratio.

[0202] Thereafter, the resultant mixture was sieved with a mesh having an aperture of 200 μm, thereby obtaining Toner 1. The fixing ratio of the hydrotalcite particles to the toner particles was 30%.

[0203] <Production Example of Toner 2>

[0204] Toner 2 was obtained similarly to the production example of Toner 1 except that the hydrotalcite particles used in the production example of Toner 1 were changed to hydrotalcite particles 2.

[0205] <Production Example of Toner 3>

[0206] Toner 3 was obtained similarly to the production example of Toner 1 except that the hydrotalcite particles used in the production example of Toner 1 were changed to hydrotalcite particles 3 .

[0207] 5. Confirmation of the Effect of the Invention

[0208] The effect of the present invention is confirmed using the above-mentioned toner. By using a modified machine of the printer LPB672C manufactured by Canon Inc., imaging was performed under the conditions of a temperature of 30°C and a humidity of 80% RH, and the fog density was measured. For the measurement of the fog (density), a reflection densitometer (Model TC-MOR-45, manufactured by TokyoDenshoku CO., LTD., using a green filter) is used to perform the measurement of the reflectivity (%). For the fog measurement, POST-IT or the like is pasted on a part of the sheet to be printed, and a solid color (white) image formation is performed and the sheet is output. The reflectivity of the part from which the POST-IT pasted on the output sheet is removed is taken as a reference reflectivity, and the fog measurement is performed. The reflectivity varies depending on the measurement portion, and the difference between the measured value of the part with the smallest value (of the reflectivity) and the measured value (reference reflectivity) of the part on which POST-IT is pasted on the sheet is measured as the fog value. The smaller the value of the measured fog value is, the smaller the amount of fog is, and thus the better the image quality is. With regard to the amount of fog, in the toner prepared in this embodiment, hydrotalcite particles are added, so the toner charge amount is sufficient, so that the amount of fog is good (level). As a specific value of a good amount of fog, there is a value of less than 1%.

[0209] Subsequently, full-surface solid black image formation was performed using the above toner under the conditions of temperature of 10° C. and humidity of 10% RH, and image density measurement was performed. For density measurement, a densitometer eXact manufactured by X-Rite Inc. was used to perform density measurement of black.

[0210] In the full-surface black image under low temperature and low humidity environment, compared with the toner in this embodiment, the concentration reduction is confirmed in toner 2 and toner 3. As the change amount of concentration, the value of the concentration meter is reduced by more than 0.05, and the reduction of concentration is observed on the image. The reason for the reduction of concentration in toner 2 and toner 3 is considered to be due to the hydrotalcite particles giving excessive charge to the toner. On the other hand, in toners other than toner 2 and toner 3, the surface charge distribution of the toner can be uniformized by fluorine-containing hydrotalcite particles, so that excessive charge will not be given as in toner 2 and toner 3. Therefore, it can be considered that there is no reduction in concentration. Specifically, in toners other than toner 2 and toner 3, the value of the ratio F / Al (element ratio) of the atomic number concentration of fluorine in the hydrotalcite particles to the atomic number concentration of aluminum is within an appropriate range (0.01 to 0.70). Therefore, it can be considered that the effect of hydrotalcite particles as microcarriers is obtained, and the gray fog is good (level). Therefore, in order to provide good image quality, it is necessary to place the F / Al of the hydrotalcite particles in an appropriate range.

[0211] Subsequently, by using the toner 1 having good fogging under the above-mentioned high temperature / high humidity environment and good density under the low temperature / low humidity environment, the influence on fogging when each of the control and supply bias voltages is changed is shown. In this process cartridge, the supply / control bias voltages are supplied by the same power supply, but the toner 1 having good fogging under the above-mentioned high temperature / high humidity environment and good density under the low temperature / low humidity environment is used. Fig.13 To describe the changes when each bias voltage is supplied by a different power supply.

[0212] First, the influence on the voltage applied to the supply roller 32 will be described. Fig.13Part (a) of FIG. 1 simply shows the relationship between the supply bias voltage and the developing bias voltage. When the voltage applied to the supply roller changes due to the output deviation Δ of the main component, the amount of toner supplied at the contact portion between the supply roller 32 and the developing roller 31 changes. Here, when the potential difference of the voltage applied to the supply roller 32 relative to the voltage of the developing roller 31 (which is -100V) becomes -120V, the toner has a negative polarity, and therefore, the amount of toner supplied from the supply roller 32 to the developing roller 31 becomes larger. On the other hand, when the potential difference relative to the developing roller 31 is -80V, the amount of toner supplied from the supply roller 32 to the developing roller 31 becomes smaller. When the potential difference becomes larger, the supply amount becomes larger, and the amount of toner entering the regulating scraper 33 increases. When the amount of toner entering the regulating scraper 33 increases, the amount of toner passing through the contact portion between the developing roller 31 and the regulating scraper 33 increases slightly. The charge imparting to the toner is performed by the developing roller 31 and the regulating blade 33 in a certain amount, and therefore, when the amount of toner increases, the amount of charge per unit weight of the toner on the developing roller 31 after passing through the regulating blade becomes smaller than before the amount of toner increases. On the other hand, when the potential difference becomes smaller, the amount of toner supplied from the supply roller 32 to the developing roller 31 decreases. When the supply amount decreases, the amount of toner passing through the contact portion between the developing roller 31 and the regulating blade 33 decreases slightly, and therefore, the amount of charge per unit weight of the toner becomes larger than before the amount of toner decreases.

[0213] Next, the influence of the voltage applied to the regulating blade 33 will be described. Fig.13 Part (b) of the diagram simply shows the relationship between the control scraper bias and the development bias. When the voltage applied to the control scraper 33 changes, the amount of charge per unit weight of the toner changes. The charge of the toner is imparted when the toner passes through the contact portion between the developing roller 31 and the control scraper 33, but the charge imparting characteristics change according to the potential difference formed in the contact portion. The charge is imparted by frictional charging caused by the contact between the toner and the developing roller 31 and between the toner and the developing scraper 33, and by injection charging caused by the potential difference formed between the control scraper 33 and the developing roller 31. This charge imparting to the toner varies depending on the use environment, but generally, when the potential difference between the developing roller 31 and the control scraper 33 becomes larger, the charge of the toner becomes larger. As described above, the amount of charge per unit weight of the toner also changes according to the potential difference between the supply roller 32 and the control scraper 33.

[0214] Here, in order to generate the voltage of various power supplies of the imaging device 100, the electronic parts are combined with each other to generate the voltage. Further, the electronic parts include deviations such as tolerances, and therefore have an output deviation Δ in terms of the power supply voltage. The power supply includes such an output deviation, so even when the desired voltage is set, a deviation of about several percent is generated in some cases. For example, as a supply / control bias, -100V is set as the potential difference of the developing roller 31, but the potential difference becomes -80V in some cases according to the power supply deviation of the main component, or becomes -120V in another main component. A case will be considered in which: in a main component having such an output deviation Δ of the power supply voltage, the voltage applied to the supply roller 32 and the voltage applied to the control blade 33 are supplied by a common power supply, as described in the present embodiment. The voltage applied to the supply roller 32 and the voltage applied to the control blade 33 are supplied by a common power supply, and therefore, there is no need to consider the voltage output deviation of the power supply that may be generated when the voltage is applied to the supply roller 32 and the control blade 33, respectively.

[0215] More specifically, as a comparative example, a description will be made using a process cartridge 1 in which voltages are supplied from different power sources to the supply roller 32 and the regulating blade 33, respectively. In the configuration of the comparative example, a case will be described in which a voltage providing a potential difference of -100 V with respect to a voltage applied to the developing roller 31 is applied as a set voltage to the supply roller 32 and the regulating blade 33, respectively. Figure 6 A perspective view including a voltage supply part 400 (including a voltage supply part) attached to the developing unit 2 in the process cartridge 1 used in the comparative example ( Figure 6 ), a front view of the voltage supply part 400 ( Figure 6 ), and a rear view of the voltage supply part 400 ( Figure 6 part (c)). Figure 7 1 is a circuit diagram when the process cartridge in the comparative example is installed. The process cartridge 1A in the comparative example is installed in an image forming apparatus 100A, which includes two power supplies (173, 174) for supplying voltage to the supply roller 32 and the control blade 33, respectively. As for the developing power supply 172 and the developing voltage main assembly contact 182, the configuration is the same as that in Embodiment 1. Figure 4The structure is the same. In the processing box 1A, a supply voltage main component contact 193 and a control voltage main component contact 194 are provided, which are used to supply voltage to the supply roller 32 and the control scraper 33 separately. When the processing box 1A is installed in the imaging device 100A, conduction is performed in the following manner. The supply voltage contact 402 and the control scraper voltage contact 403, which are contacts provided in the voltage supply part 400 attached to the processing box 1, are in contact with the supply voltage main component contact 193 and the control voltage main component contact 194 provided in the imaging device 100A, respectively, and are (electrically) conducted to each other. The supply voltage contact 402 is formed by a conductive resin in the voltage supply part 400, and is conducted from the supply voltage contact 402 to the supply roller retaining portion 420 ( Figure 6 , and supplies voltage to the supply roller 32. Similarly, the control scraper voltage contact 403 is conducted to the control scraper contact 430 ( Figure 6 , (a), (b) and (c), pure black portion), and supply voltage to the control blade 33. Figure 3 , the developing voltage contact 401 is conducted to the developing roller holding portion 410, and supplies voltage to the developing roller 31. The developing voltage contact 401, the supply voltage contact 402, and the regulating blade voltage contact 403 are insulated from each other, so that the respective power supply output voltages of the image forming apparatus 100A can be applied separately.

[0216] The main component that outputs the set center voltage is able to obtain an image of the desired quality. However, in a main component with a power supply output deviation, for example, the following situation will be considered. As described above, even when the supply voltage is applied as a target to provide a potential difference of -100V relative to the development voltage, in some cases, the potential difference (supply bias) applied to the supply roller 32 will become -80V relative to the development bias. Of course, it is also assumed that the potential difference becomes greater than -100V. As described above, when the absolute value of the potential difference between the supply bias and the development bias becomes less than the desired potential difference, the charge per unit weight of the toner increases. On the other hand, if the potential difference between the supply bias and the development bias becomes -120V, the charge per unit weight of the toner decreases. As a result, for example, fogging may occur. In particular, in the toner to which the above-mentioned fluorine-containing hydrotalcite is added, the localization of the charge distribution of the toner is small. For this reason, the potential difference between the supply bias and the development bias changes, thereby adopting a structure that is prone to fogging when the charge of the toner decreases. Similarly, when the potential difference of the voltage (control bias) applied to the control blade 33 relative to the development bias becomes smaller than the set value (larger in absolute value) due to the output deviation Δ of the power supply of the main component, the amount of charge per unit weight of the toner decreases. Therefore, fogging occurs. On the other hand, when the potential difference of the control bias relative to the development bias becomes larger than the set value (smaller in absolute value), the amount of charge per unit weight of the toner increases. Therefore, in the developing unit 2 in which the supply roller 32 and the control blade 33 have power supply contacts 402 and 403, respectively, even when the desired voltage setting is intended to be controlled to be the same between the supply roller 32 and the control blade 33, there is a deviation in the output in some cases. That is, due to the output deviation of the power supply of the main component, in particular, in the toner to which fluorine-containing hydrotalcite is added, fogging may occur unexpectedly due to the decrease in the amount of charge per unit weight of the toner. Specifically, in the toner 1 of this embodiment, only the bias voltage was biased, and the potential difference was changed from -100 V (which was the setting center of the potential difference) to -120 V, thereby unexpectedly deteriorating the fog. Under the same conditions, the deteriorated fog value in the toner 1 was about twice the deteriorated fog value in the toner 2.

[0217] Further, the present embodiment is a cleaner-free configuration, and as described above, it is required that the toner forming the toner image on the photosensitive member 11 contains a toner having a charge of the opposite polarity (positive polarity) and contains a small amount of toner having a charge close to 0. From this point of view, the toner with fluorine-containing hydrotalcite added is not easy to be used in the cleaner-free configuration in consideration of the deviation of the supply bias and the control bias. In the toner with fluorine-containing hydrotalcite added, when the supply / control bias is composed of the same contact member as described in the present embodiment, the following situation is formed. For example, a situation is assumed in which: due to the output deviation of the power supply, -120V is outputted relative to the potential difference of the developing roller 31, instead of the desired -100V. The charge of the toner is reduced due to the increase in the potential difference between the supply roller 32 and the developing roller 31. However, on the other hand, the charge of the toner is increased due to the increase in the potential difference between the control blade 33 and the developing roller 31. Therefore, in general, the fluctuation of the charge amount per unit toner weight of the toner can be made smaller. That is, the respective processes can offset the increase and decrease in the charge amount of the toner due to the deviation of the potential difference. Specifically, in the toners other than Toner 2 and Toner 3 in the present embodiment, the potential difference changes from -100 V, which is the set center of the potential difference, to -120 V due to the deviation of the supply bias. Therefore, by making the control bias and the supply bias common to form a stable potential difference, the deteriorated fog value improves by about 20% (as an improvement percentage).

[0218] Similar to the above reason, when the potential difference with respect to the developing roller 31 becomes -80 V, the charge of the toner increases due to the potential difference between the supply roller 32 and the developing roller 31, but the charge of the toner decreases due to the potential difference between the regulating blade 33 and the developing roller 31. Therefore, in general, the fluctuation of the charge amount per unit toner weight of the toner can be made smaller.

[0219] In the configuration of this embodiment, the fluctuation of the charge amount per unit toner amount of the toner can be suppressed, and therefore, for the configuration of the developing unit in which a voltage can be applied to the supply roller and the regulating blade as in the comparative example, the occurrence of fog can be suppressed. The configuration of this embodiment is desirable even in consideration of the fact that it is a cleaner-less configuration.

[0220] In this embodiment, as a configuration for suppressing the influence due to the deviation of the output power of the image forming apparatus 100, the voltage contact for supplying voltage to the supply roller 32 and the regulating blade 33 of the developing unit 2 of the image forming apparatus 100 is made the same. Thus, the charge fluctuation due to the deviation of the main assembly of the image forming apparatus 100 can be suppressed.

[0221] When the voltage supply contacts in the developing unit 2 relative to the image forming device 100 are the same, it is not necessary to make the voltage supplied to the supply roller 32 and the control scraper 33 the same. For example, the contacts between the image forming device 100 and the developing unit 2 are the same, but a resistor, a diode, etc. may be inserted into the voltage supply path through which the voltage is supplied from the contacts to the supply roller 32 or the control scraper 33. By adopting such a structure, the potential difference of the supply roller 32 or the control scraper 33 relative to the developing roller 31 can also be changed. Figure 8 FIG. 4 shows a circuit diagram in which a resistor 340 is inserted into the voltage supply path before the voltage supply path reaches the supply roller 32. Fig. 9 3 shows a circuit diagram in which a resistor 341 is inserted into the voltage supply path before the voltage supply path reaches the control scraper. Even when the resistors 340 and 341 are inserted into the voltage supply path, the effect of the above-mentioned charge imparting effect on the supply roller 32, the control scraper 33, and the toner can be reduced due to the power supply deviation. In addition, in the case of inserting a diode, a similar effect can be obtained.

[0222] Further, in Fig.10 , a circuit diagram is shown when a single power supply 172A and a single voltage output contact 182A of the imaging device 100 are provided. Even when a single voltage output from the imaging device 100 is provided, the voltage can be adjusted in the following manner. By inserting a resistor 342, a diode, etc., the absolute value of the voltage applied to the developing roller 31 through the single contact 301A in the processing box 1 can be made smaller than the absolute value of the voltage applied to the supply roller 32 and the control scraper 33. Therefore, the absolute value of the voltage applied to the supply roller 32 and the control scraper 33 can be made larger than the absolute value of the voltage applied to the developing roller 31, and even when there is an output deviation in the voltage, the voltage applied to the supply roller 32 and the control scraper 33 can be changed as described above.

[0223] Further, the image forming apparatus 100 in the present embodiment has a configuration that enables the process cartridge 1 to be detachably mounted thereto. The effect of the present embodiment is not limited to the process cartridge, but is derived from the voltage supply parts attached to the developing unit 2 and the external addition of the toner. For this reason, the effect of the present embodiment is also effective for an image forming apparatus to which the developing unit 2 and the photosensitive member unit 3 can be separately mounted.

[0224] The box structure of embodiment 1 has the following features. The box structure includes a rotatable developing roller 31, a developing frame 36 for rotatably supporting the developing roller 31, and a toner accommodating portion 37 for accommodating a toner containing toner particles and external additives. The box structure includes a supply roller 32 for supplying toner to the surface of the developing roller 31 in contact with the surface of the developing roller 31, and a control scraper 33 for controlling the layer thickness of the toner carried on the surface of the developing roller 31 in contact with the surface of the developing roller 31. The box structure includes an electrical contact 302, which is electrically connected to the supply roller 32 and the control scraper 33 and can receive power from the outside. The external additive includes hydrotalcite particles, and in the line analysis in the STEM-EDS mapping analysis of the toner, fluorine is present inside the hydrotalcite particles.

[0225] Further, fluorine and aluminum may exist inside the hydrotalcite particles, and the value of the ratio (F / Al) of the atomic number concentration (atomic %) of fluorine in the hydrotalcite particles to the atomic number concentration (atomic %) of aluminum in the hydrotalcite particles is 0.01 to 0.65.

[0226] The toner fixing ratio of the hydrotalcite particles to the toner particles is 10% or more.

[0227] The hydrotalcite particles may further contain magnesium. Furthermore, the ratio (Mg / Al) of the atomic number concentration (atomic %) of magnesium in the hydrotalcite particles to the atomic number concentration (atomic %) of aluminum in the hydrotalcite particles is 1.5 to 4.0.

[0228] The number average particle size of primary particles of the hydrotalcite particles is 60 to 1000 nm.

[0229] The electric element 340 may be provided between the supply electrode 302 and the supply roller 32. The electric element 341 may be provided between the supply electrode 302 and the regulating blade 33. The electric element 342 may be provided between the supply electrode 301 and the developing roller 31.

[0230] The developing roller 31 is not electrically connected to the supply roller 32 and the regulating blade 33, but is electrically connected to a second supply electrode (electrical contact) 301 different from the first supply electrode (electrical contact) which is a supply electrode electrically connected to the supply roller 32 and the regulating blade 33. A photosensitive drum 11 as an image bearing member and a charging roller 21 for charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 are provided.

[0231] A cleaner-less configuration is adopted in which, after the toner used for development on the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 is transferred to the outside, the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 is collected by the developing roller 31. Further, in the case where the photosensitive drum 11 is rotated outside the image forming apparatus, during the movement of the region of the photosensitive drum 11 where the developing portion N1 is formed toward the charging portion N2, the region of the photosensitive drum 11 does not contact the contact member. The contact member is a cleaning member for cleaning the surface of the photosensitive drum 11.

[0232] (Example 2)

[0233] Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the imaging device of this embodiment, by adding the same reference numerals or symbols as in Embodiment 1, detailed description of elements having the same or corresponding functions or configurations as those of the imaging device of Embodiment 1 will be omitted.

[0234] 1. Imaging equipment

[0235] Fig.11 : is a schematic cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus 200 of the present embodiment. The image forming apparatus 200 of the present embodiment is a tandem type full-color laser printer which adopts an intermediate transfer type capable of forming a full-color image by using an electrophotographic type.

[0236] The image forming apparatus 200 of the present embodiment includes four image forming sections PY, PM, PC and PK for forming images of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C) and black (K), respectively. With respect to elements having the same or corresponding functions or configurations in the image forming sections PY, PM, PC and PK, suffixes Y, M, C and K are omitted and collectively described in some cases, and the suffixes respectively indicate elements for any one of the relevant colors.

[0237] The imaging unit P includes a process box 1 in a manner that can be detachably installed. The four process boxes 1Y, 1M, 1C and 1K are four process boxes: the colors of the colorants contained in each process box are different from each other, and in addition to the three primary colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M) and cyan (C), black (K) is also included. The construction and operation of the process box 1 in this embodiment are similar to the construction and operation of the process box 1 in Example 1. The process box 1 includes a photosensitive member 11, a charging roller 21 and a developing device 2. Further, the imaging unit P includes a primary transfer roller 211, which is a roller-type primary transfer member as a primary transfer device. Further, in the present embodiment, the imaging device 200 includes an exposure device 131 configured as a single unit for exposing the photosensitive member of each of the four imaging units PY, PM, PC and PK.

[0238] The intermediate transfer belt 213, which is composed of an endless belt rotatable as an intermediate transfer member, is arranged in a manner opposite to the photosensitive member 11 of each imaging portion P. The intermediate transfer belt 213 extends around a driving roller 214 and a tension roller 215 as a plurality of stretching rollers (support rollers), and is tensioned by applying a predetermined tension thereto. The intermediate transfer belt 213 is rotated (circulated and moved) by the rotational drive of the driving roller 214 by a driving force transmitted from a belt driving motor (not shown) as a driving source (which constitutes a driving device). On the inner peripheral surface side of the intermediate transfer belt 213, the above-mentioned primary transfer rollers 211 are provided corresponding to the photosensitive member 11 of each imaging portion P. The primary transfer rollers 211 press the intermediate transfer belt 213 to the photosensitive member 11, and form a primary transfer portion (primary transfer nip) N3, which is a contact portion between the photosensitive member 11 and the intermediate transfer belt 213. Further, on the outer peripheral surface side of the intermediate transfer belt 213, at a position opposite to the driving roller 214 also serving as a secondary transfer counter roller, a secondary transfer roller 212 which is a roller-type secondary transfer member as a secondary transfer device is provided. The secondary transfer roller 212 contacts the driving roller 214 via the intermediate transfer belt 213 and forms a secondary transfer portion (secondary transfer nip portion) N4 which is a contact portion between the intermediate transfer belt 213 and the secondary transfer roller 212.

[0239] For example, during full-color image formation, the toners of the respective colors of Y, M, C, and K formed on the photosensitive member 11 are successively transferred (primarily transferred) in a superimposed manner onto the rotating intermediate transfer belt 213 in the corresponding primary transfer section N3 by the action of the corresponding primary transfer rollers 213. The toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 213 is transferred (secondarily transferred) onto the recording material R conveyed by being sandwiched by the intermediate transfer belt 213 and the secondary transfer roller 212 in the secondary transfer section N4 by the action of the secondary transfer roller 212. The recording material R is conveyed from the paper feeding section 181 toward the secondary transfer section N4 at a timing set in accordance with the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 213.

[0240] Further, the imaging device 200 of the present embodiment is roughly divided into 1Y, 1M and 1K types and 1K type for imaging operation. This is to adapt to monochrome printing, and this is because the imaging operation is performed only in PK during monochrome printing. During monochrome printing, only the developing unit for 1K contacts the photosensitive drum 11K, and the developing units for 1Y, 1M and 1C are in a state of being separated from the photosensitive drums 11Y, 11M and 11C, respectively. By adopting such a configuration, the wasteful consumption of 1Y, 1M and 1C that do not contribute to imaging is suppressed. When full-color printing is performed, imaging is performed for all boxes at appropriate timing.

[0241] In the imaging device 200, the voltage supply type is roughly divided into the voltage supply type of PY, PM and PC and the voltage supply type of PK. That is, the voltage supplied to 1Y, 1M and 1C is configured so that the same voltage is supplied at the same timing ( Fig.12 ). Specifically, for color, a charging power source 171YMC, a developing power source 172YMC, and a supply control power source 173YMC are provided. For monochrome, a charging power source 171K, a developing power source 172K, and a supply / control power source 173K are provided.

[0242] In such a full-color image forming apparatus 200, regarding the output image fog, the fog of the four process cartridges is added together. Even when the fog of a single process cartridge is small, the fog becomes large as a final output image.

[0243] As described in Example 1, in the case where the charge of the colorant is reduced due to the output voltage deviation of the main component power supply for the voltage applied to the supply roller 32 and the control scraper 33, the fog increases. In particular, in the case of a process box structure (which allows the voltage to be applied to the supply roller 32 and the control scraper 33 separately for the color process boxes such as 1Y, 1M and 1C in this embodiment) and the power supply structure of the imaging device, the following phenomenon occurs in some cases. That is, even when the setting of the applied voltage is made the same, the amount of fog of any box will increase according to the voltage output deviation, so that the fog as the output image is further manifested. In addition, when using a toner in which the localization of the charge distribution of the colorant is small (such as a toner with fluorine-containing hydrotalcite particles added), the fog is suppressed by making the contact members to the supply roller 32 and the control scraper 33 in the process box the same, so that the fog does not appear.

[0244] [Industrial Applicability]

[0245] A cartridge suitable for use with the present invention is provided.

[0246] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the following claims are attached to disclose the scope of the present invention.

[0247] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-120177 filed on July 28, 2022 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-079803 filed on May 15, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A box comprising: A rotatable developing roller; a developing frame for rotatably supporting the developing roller; a toner comprising toner particles and an external additive; a toner containing portion, used for containing the toner; a supply roller that contacts the surface of the developing roller and is used to supply the toner to the surface of the developing roller; a regulating blade that contacts the surface of the developing roller and is used to regulate the thickness of a layer of toner carried on the surface of the developing roller; and an electrical contact which is electrically connected to the supply roller and the regulating blade and is capable of receiving power from the outside, wherein the toner contains hydrotalcite particles as the external additive, and In the line analysis in the STEM-EDS mapping analysis of the hydrotalcite particles, fluorine exists inside the hydrotalcite particles.

2. The box according to claim 1, wherein In line analysis in STEM-EDS mapping analysis of the toner, fluorine and aluminum are present inside the hydrotalcite particles, and The ratio of the atomic number concentration (atomic %) of fluorine to the atomic number concentration (atomic %) of aluminum in the hydrotalcite particles (F / Al) is 0.01 to 0.65, and the atomic number concentration is obtained from the principal component map of the hydrotalcite particles obtained by STEM-EDS mapping analysis of the toner.

3. The box according to claim 1, wherein The fixing ratio of the hydrotalcite particles to the toner particles is 10% or more.

4. The box according to claim 2, wherein The hydrotalcite particles contain magnesium.

5. The box according to claim 4, wherein The value of the ratio of the atomic number concentration (atomic %) of magnesium to the atomic number concentration (atomic %) of aluminum (Mg / Al) in the hydrotalcite particles is 1.50 to 4.

00.

6. The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein The number average particle size of the primary particles of the hydrotalcite particles is 60 nm to 1000 nm.

7. The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein An electrical component is disposed between the electrical contact and the supply roller.

8. The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein The electrical element is disposed between the electrical contact and the regulating blade.

9. The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein: The developing roller is not electrically connected to the supply roller and the regulating blade but is electrically connected to a second electrical contact different from a first electrical contact which is an electrical contact electrically connected to the supply roller and the regulating blade.

10. The cartridge according to claim 9, wherein An electrical component is disposed between the electrical contact and the developing roller.

11. A cartridge according to claim 1, comprising a photosensitive drum as an image bearing member and a charging roller for charging a surface of the photosensitive drum.

12. The cartridge according to claim 11, wherein After the toner used for development on the surface of the photosensitive drum is transferred to the outside, the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum is collected by the developing roller.

13. The cartridge according to claim 11, wherein When the photosensitive drum rotates, the area of ​​the photosensitive drum forming the developing portion moves to the charging portion without contacting the contact member.

14. The cartridge according to claim 13, wherein The contact member is a cleaning member for cleaning the surface of the photosensitive drum.

Images