Image forming apparatus

Abstract

To suppress the occurrence of uneven paper loading in a paper loading device positioned on the downstream side of a non-paper loading device in a paper conveying direction.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus 100 comprises: non-paper loading devices 3A and 3B placed adjacent to the downstream side of an image forming apparatus body 2 in a paper conveying direction to execute post-processing on paper output from the image forming apparatus body 2; and paper loading devices 3D and 3E on the downstream side of the non-paper loading devices 3A-3C in the paper conveying direction. In the image forming apparatus 100, a charge neutralizer 4 is disposed adjacent to at least the upstream side of the paper loading device 3D in the paper conveying direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in order to prevent sheets of paper from sticking together, an image forming apparatus has been proposed in which a charge adjusting device (neutralizing device) capable of applying a charge that repels each other is placed immediately after the image forming unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Furthermore, a static eliminator has been proposed that is capable of applying an appropriate voltage according to the paper transport speed to a discharge electrode that is arranged in a non-contact state with respect to the paper (see, for example, Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-157011 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2021-111527 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, after the paper is neutralized by the device described in Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2, when the paper passes through a non-paper stacking device that performs post-processing on the paper and is then loaded onto the paper stacking device, the paper becomes recharged as it passes through the non-paper stacking device due to peeling discharge from the roller and friction with the paper feed guide surface. As a result, the amount of charge on the paper transported to the paper stacking device, which is located downstream of the non-paper stacking device in the paper transport direction, becomes high (see Figure 7A). Furthermore, when paper that has been recharged by the non-paper stacking device is stacked on top of paper loaded on the paper stacking tray of the paper stacking device, the residual charge on the stacked paper accumulates and increases, causing the paper to be stacked unevenly (misaligned).

[0005] An object of the present invention is to prevent misalignment of paper sheets in a paper stacking device located downstream of a non-paper stacking device in the paper transport direction. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention comprises: An image forming apparatus having a non-paper stacking device adjacent to a downstream side of an image forming apparatus main body in a paper transport direction, which performs post-processing on paper output from the image forming apparatus main body, and further having one or more paper stacking devices downstream of the non-paper stacking device in the paper transport direction, The present invention is characterized in that a static eliminator is disposed adjacent to at least one of the sheet stacking devices on the upstream side in the sheet transport direction.

[0007] Furthermore, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention comprises: An image forming apparatus having a non-paper stacking device adjacent to a downstream side of an image forming apparatus main body in a paper transport direction, which performs post-processing on paper output from the image forming apparatus main body, and further having a plurality of paper stacking devices downstream of the non-paper stacking device in the paper transport direction, The present invention is characterized in that a static eliminator is disposed adjacent to each of the plurality of paper stacking devices on the upstream side in the paper transport direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent misalignment of loaded sheets in a sheet loading device located downstream in the sheet transport direction of a non-sheet loading device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] Advantages and features provided by one or more embodiments of the present invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2]10A and 10B are diagrams schematically illustrating the effect of covering the periphery of the static eliminator with an insulating cover. [Figure 3] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the effect of blocking the lower side of the paper path of the static eliminator with an insulating guide plate. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which a static eliminator is installed between two post-processing devices. [Figure 5] 10 is a diagram showing a state in which a connection portion when a static eliminator is attached between two post-processing devices is viewed from above. FIG. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing a locking mechanism when a static eliminator is attached between two post-processing devices. [Figure 7A] 10 is a graph showing the change in the amount of charge on one sheet of paper as the sheet passes through a conventional image forming apparatus that does not include a static eliminator. [Figure 7B] 10 is a graph showing the change in the amount of charge on one sheet of paper as the paper passes through an image forming apparatus in which a static eliminator is disposed adjacent to the upstream side of a paper stacker in the paper transport direction. [Figure 7C] 10 is a graph showing the change in the amount of charge on one sheet of paper as the paper passes through an image forming apparatus in which static eliminators are disposed adjacent to two paper stacking devices on the upstream side in the paper transport direction. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an image forming apparatus in which a static eliminator is disposed adjacent to each of two paper stacking devices on the upstream side in the paper transport direction. [Figure 9] 7A to 7C are graphs showing the change in the accumulated charge amount when 1 to 100 sheets of paper are loaded in the paper loading device of each image forming apparatus whose change in charge amount is shown in FIGS. 7A to 7C. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating a state in which static eliminators are arranged above and below the paper path. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the scope of the invention is not limited to the illustrated examples.

[0011] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus 100 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, image forming apparatus 100 is configured by arranging, from the upstream side in the paper transport direction, a paper feeder 1, an image forming apparatus main body 2, a non-paper stacking device 3A, a non-paper stacking device 3B, a non-paper stacking device 3C, a paper stacking device 3D, and a paper stacking device 3E in this order. That is, image forming apparatus 100 is configured by arranging non-paper stacking devices 3A to 3C adjacent to the downstream side in the paper transport direction of image forming apparatus main body 2, and by arranging a plurality of paper stacking devices 3D and 3E further downstream.

[0012] Non-paper stacking device 3A, non-paper stacking device 3B, non-paper stacking device 3C, paper stacking device 3D, and paper stacking device 3E are post-processing devices that process paper on which images have been formed by image forming device main body 2. In this embodiment, an image forming device 100 is described as an example that includes three non-paper stacking devices downstream in the paper transport direction of image forming device main body 2, and two paper stacking devices further downstream of the three non-paper stacking devices, but the number of non-paper stacking devices and paper stacking devices is not particularly limited. In the following description, when there is no need to distinguish between the non-paper stacking devices 3A to 3C and the paper stacking devices 3D to 3E, they will be referred to as post-processing device 3.

[0013] In addition, in the image forming apparatus 100 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a static eliminator 4 is disposed adjacent to the upstream side of at least one of the paper stacking devices 3D and 3E in the paper transport direction.

[0014] The paper feeder 1 stores paper sheets and feeds the paper sheets to the image forming apparatus main body 2 under the control of the image forming apparatus main body 2. The base material of the paper sheets used in the image forming apparatus 100 is not particularly limited, and may be a resin film or paper such as plain paper or high-quality paper whose main component is paper pulp.

[0015] The image forming apparatus main body 2 includes a control unit, an image forming unit, a fixing unit, a paper transport unit, etc. The image forming apparatus main body 2 forms an image on paper fed from the paper feeder 1 by electrophotography, and outputs the paper with the image formed to the non-paper stacking device 3A. A static eliminator 21 is provided downstream of the fixing unit within the housing of the image forming apparatus main body 2. The static eliminator 21 eliminates static from the paper with the image formed that is transported from the fixing unit. The static eliminator 21 may be one that comes into contact with the paper to eliminate static from the paper, or one that eliminates static from the paper without coming into contact with the paper.

[0016] Non-paper stacking devices 3A to 3C are post-processing devices that have functions to perform processes other than stacking of paper, such as punching, folding, binding, and bookbinding, on paper output from image forming apparatus main body 2. The paper stacking devices 3D to 3E are post-processing devices dedicated to paper stacking, and stack the paper that has passed through the non-paper stacking devices 3A to 3C.

[0017] The static eliminator 4 is a non-contact ion-type static eliminator (ionizer). The static eliminator 4 generates positive and negative ions and discharges the ions by delivering them to the transported paper. Methods for generating ions in non-contact ion-type static eliminators include corona discharge, plasma, and soft X-ray methods, and the static eliminator 4 may use any of these methods to generate ions. In this embodiment, the static eliminator 4 applies a voltage to the electrode needles using an AC (alternating current) method, but may also use a DC (direct current) method, pulsed AC method, pulsed DC method, or high-frequency AC method. The static eliminator 4 may also use a radiation method, windless method, air method, gun method, or the like to deliver the generated ions to the paper. The static eliminator 4 is not limited to a non-contact ion-type method, and may also use an electric field radiation method to eliminate static on paper.

[0018] Here, as shown on the left side of Fig. 2, when discharge occurs from the static eliminator 4, sparks are generated on the exterior metal plate of the adjacent post-processing device 3, and the static elimination capability for paper is reduced. Therefore, as shown on the right side of Fig. 2, it is preferable to cover the periphery of the static eliminator 4 with an insulating cover 45. This makes it possible to suppress the reduction in static elimination capability. Here, the symbol P in Figs. 2 and 10 indicates paper.

[0019] Furthermore, as shown on the left side of Fig. 3, if discharge occurs in the static eliminator 4 when no paper is passing through, sparks may occur on the metal ground surface 47. Therefore, as shown on the right side of Fig. 3, it is preferable to cover the underside of the paper path with an insulating guide plate 46. This prevents sparks from occurring on the ground surface 47. Here, the dotted line in Fig. 3 indicates the paper path.

[0020] The static eliminator 4 is a unit that can be easily attached and detached by inserting it from the front between the post-processing devices 3 of the image forming apparatus 100. Between the post-processing devices 3 means between non-paper stacking devices, between a non-paper stacking device and a paper stacking device, or between paper stacking devices. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing how the static eliminator 4 is attached between two post-processing devices 3. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing how the static eliminator 4 is attached between two post-processing devices 3, viewed from above. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the area indicated by a rectangle 71 in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a locking mechanism that secures the static eliminator 4 between two post-processing devices 3. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the area indicated by a rectangle 72 in FIG. 4.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 5, pins 31 for connecting to other devices are provided at two upper and lower locations on the rear side of the downstream side 33 of each post-processing device 3. Members having pin holes 32 for connecting to other devices are provided at two upper and lower locations on the rear side of the upstream side 34 of each post-processing device 3. When two post-processing devices 3 are connected, the pins 31 of the upstream post-processing device 3 and the pin holes 32 of the downstream post-processing device 3 are engaged at two upper and lower locations indicated by dotted rectangles in Fig. 4 (ST11 in Fig. 5). The pins 31 and pin holes 32 are connection parts for connecting other devices to the post-processing device 3.

[0022] As shown in Fig. 6, fixing brackets 35 are provided at two upper and lower locations on the front side of the downstream side 33 of each post-processing device 3. Fixing brackets 36 are provided at two upper and lower locations on the front side of the upstream side 34 of each post-processing device 3. Pin hole 35a, screw hole 35b, and screw hole 35c are provided in fixing bracket 35. Pin hole 36a, screw hole 36b, and screw hole 36c are provided in fixing bracket 36. When two post-processing devices 3 are connected, pin hole 35a, screw hole 35b, and screw hole 35c of fixing bracket 35 overlap with pin hole 36a, screw hole 36b, and screw hole 36c of fixing bracket 36, respectively, and locking bracket 5 is attached (ST21 in Fig. 6).

[0023] 5, pin receivers 41 are provided at two locations, one above the other, indicated by the dashed-dotted rectangles in Fig. 4, on the rear side of an upstream side surface 43 of the static eliminator 4. Pins 42 are provided at two locations, one above the other, indicated by the dashed-dotted rectangles in Fig. 4, on a downstream side surface 44 of the static eliminator 4. The pin receivers 41 and the pins 42 are connecting members that are connected to the connecting portion of the post-treatment device 3.

[0024] When installing the static eliminator 4 between two post-processing devices 3, as shown in Figure 4, the user disconnects the two post-processing devices 3, moves the downstream post-processing device 3 by about 50 mm, and inserts the static eliminator 4 into the empty space from the front side (front) in the direction of the arrow to install it. Specifically, the user first removes the locking metal fitting 5 attached to the front side of the connection between the two post-processing devices 3 (ST21 to ST22 in FIG. 6). Next, the user disengages the pin 31 of the upstream post-processing device 3 from the pin receiver 32 of the downstream post-processing device 3, and moves the downstream post-processing device 3 by about 50 mm (steps ST11 to ST12 in FIG. 5, ST23 in FIG. 6). Next, the user inserts the static eliminator 4 between the two post-processing devices 3 (ST13 in FIG. 5), engages the pin 31 of the upstream post-processing device 3 with the pin receiver 41 of the static eliminator 4, and engages the pin receiver 32 of the downstream post-processing device 3 with the pin 42 of the static eliminator 4 (ST14 in FIG. 5). Then, the user inserts the pins 61a and 62a of the locking metal fitting 6 into the pin holes 35a and 36a of the fixing metal fitting 35 and fixing metal fitting 36, respectively (ST24 in FIG. 6), and fastens the locking metal fitting 6 with screws (step ST25). After inserting the static eliminator 4, the user attaches the front cover, and the installation of the static eliminator 4 is completed.

[0025] In the image forming apparatus 100 of this embodiment, a static eliminator 4 is disposed adjacent to at least one paper stacking device on the upstream side in the paper transport direction. Furthermore, the static eliminator 4 is unitized and configured so that the static eliminator 4 can be inserted (connected) between post-processing devices 3. Therefore, in the image forming apparatus 100, the static eliminator 4 can be easily replaced between post-processing devices 3 according to the user's needs.

[0026] The effects of the image forming apparatus 100 configured as above will be described below. FIG. 7A is a graph showing the change in the charge of a single sheet of paper as it passes through a conventional image forming apparatus without a static eliminator 4. The charge (V) was measured at the discharge port of each device constituting the image forming apparatus and is the average value for 30 sheets of paper. The horizontal axis of the graph starts from the right side, corresponding to the arrangement of the sheets when viewed from the front of the image forming apparatus. The same applies to FIGS. 7B and 7C. As shown in FIG. 7A, the charge of a sheet fed by the paper feeder 1 increases due to frictional charging as the transport distance increases. However, the charge of the sheet temporarily decreases due to static elimination by the static eliminator 21 of the image forming apparatus main body 2. However, the charge of the sheet then increases due to frictional charging as the transport distance increases, and the final charge of the sheet at the paper stacker 3E is -2251V. In non-paper stacking devices 3A to 3C, there is no contact between sheets of paper like in paper stacking devices 3D and 3E, so static electricity problems are unlikely to occur. However, in paper stacking devices 3D and 3E, charges accumulate as sheets are stacked, which can cause static electricity problems such as unevenly stacked sheets.

[0027] FIG. 7B is a graph showing the change in the charge of a single sheet of paper passing through an image forming apparatus 100 (FIG. 1) in which a static eliminator 4 is located adjacent to the upstream side of the paper stacker 3D in the paper transport direction. The charge (V) was measured at the discharge outlet of each device constituting the image forming apparatus and is the average value for 30 sheets of paper. As shown in FIG. 7B, the charge of a sheet fed by the paper feeder 1 increases due to frictional charging as the transport distance increases. However, the charge of the sheet temporarily decreases due to static elimination by the static eliminator 21 of the image forming apparatus main body 2. The charge of the sheet then increases again as the sheet passes through the non-paper stacker 3A to the non-paper stacker 3C. However, because the static eliminator 4 is located immediately before the paper stacker 3D, the charge of the sheet transported to the paper stacker 3D is nearly zero. The charge of the sheet then increases as it passes through the paper stacker 3D and the paper stacker 3E, but the final charge of the sheet at the paper stacker 3E is -576V. This is about 1 / 4 of the amount of charge in the sheet stacking device 3E of the conventional image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 7A.

[0028] FIG. 7C is a graph showing the change in the charge amount of a single sheet of paper passing through an image forming apparatus 100 (FIG. 8) in which static eliminators 4 are located adjacent to and upstream of paper stacker 3D and paper stacker 3E in the paper transport direction. The charge amount (V) was measured at the discharge outlet of each device constituting the image forming apparatus and is the average value for 30 sheets of paper. As shown in FIG. 7C, the charge amount of a sheet fed by paper feeder 1 increases due to frictional charging as the transport distance increases, but the charge amount of the sheet temporarily decreases due to static elimination by static eliminator 21 of image forming apparatus main body 2. As the sheet subsequently passes through non-paper stacker 3A to non-paper stacker 3C, the charge amount of the sheet increases again. However, because static eliminator 4 is located immediately before paper stacker 3D, the charge amount of the sheet transported to paper stacker 3D is nearly zero. After that, the charge on the paper increases as the paper passes through paper stacking device 3D, but because a de-electrification device 4 is also located immediately before paper stacking device 3E, the charge on the paper transported to paper stacking device 3E is almost zero, and the final charge on the paper at paper stacking device 3E is -152V.

[0029] FIG. 9 is a graph showing the change in cumulative charge when 1 to 100 sheets of paper are loaded in the paper loading device 3E of each image forming apparatus whose charge change is shown in FIGS. 7A to 7C. The conventional image forming apparatus corresponding to FIG. 7A is designated as pattern 1. The image forming apparatus 100 (FIG. 1) corresponding to FIG. 7B is designated as pattern 2. The image forming apparatus 100 (FIG. 8) corresponding to FIG. 7C is designated as pattern 3. The charge measuring device used had a measurement range of ±20 kV. As shown in FIG. 9, as the sheets are stacked, the accumulated charge self-discharges toward the paper loading tray, resulting in the charge converging to a value around 50 sheets. The amount of misalignment of the paper stacking is within the specified charge level up to -10 kV, but becomes unspecified when the charge level exceeds -10 kV. In other words, when the charge level exceeds -10 kV, the sheets become misaligned. 9, in the conventional image forming apparatus of pattern 1, the accumulated charge exceeds -10 kV after the third sheet, causing misalignment of the loaded paper. On the other hand, in the image forming apparatuses 100 of patterns 2 and 3, the accumulated charge does not exceed -10 kV even on the 100th sheet, preventing misalignment of the loaded paper.

[0030] Charged paper can cause problems such as sticking when stopped and when the paper comes into contact with each other or with the guide plate. However, such problems are unlikely to occur during paper passage. In other words, problems such as paper sticking are unlikely to occur in the non-paper stacking devices 3A-3C, but problems such as paper sticking are likely to occur in the paper stacking devices 3D-3E. Therefore, it is necessary to neutralize paper before the paper stacking device 3D or 3E where the paper comes into contact with each other. Furthermore, because residual charges accumulate in the paper stacking devices 3D and 3E, it is preferable to reduce the residual charges to near 0V before the paper stacking device 3D or 3E. In the image forming apparatus 100 of this embodiment, a neutralization device 4 is located adjacent to at least one of the paper stacking devices 3D or 3E on the upstream side in the paper transport direction. Therefore, as shown in Figures 7B and 7C, the residual charges can be reduced to near 0V before the paper stacking device. 9, even if residual charge accumulates in the paper stacking device 3D or 3E, it can be kept to a low level, thereby preventing misalignment of paper sheets. In this way, in the image forming apparatus 100 of this embodiment, by arranging the neutralization device 4 adjacent to the upstream side of at least one of the paper stacking devices 3D or 3E in the paper transport direction, it is possible to perform neutralization efficiently in terms of cost and performance.

[0031] Furthermore, in the case of a conventional configuration in which a static eliminator is disposed within each device (unit) constituting an image forming apparatus, the internal configuration of each unit is significantly different, making it difficult to replace the static eliminator. On the other hand, in the image forming apparatus 100 of this embodiment, the static eliminator 4 is configured to be detachable between the two post-processing devices 3. This allows the user to easily replace the static eliminator 4 anywhere between the post-processing devices 3. Furthermore, while conventionally, static eliminators were placed throughout the image forming apparatus (including the post-processing devices), the image forming apparatus 100 of this embodiment has the advantage of enabling efficient static elimination, eliminating the need for such devices.

[0032] If non-paper stacking devices 3A to 3C are post-processing devices 3 equipped with a paper stacking section, such as a case binding device, saddle stitching device, or multi-folding device, it is preferable to place the neutralization device 4 adjacent to the upstream side of these devices in the paper conveyance direction. This makes it possible to prevent static electricity from being generated when papers are stacked on the stacking section, causing stack misalignment, etc.

[0033] Furthermore, paper that has been printed on both sides in the image forming apparatus main body 2 has a large amount of charge on both sides. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 10, it is preferable to place static eliminators 4 on both the upper and lower sides of the paper path. This reduces the amount of charge on both sides of the paper, and more effectively prevents misaligned paper stacking.

[0034] As described above, image forming apparatus 100 has non-paper stacking devices 3A to 3C that perform post-processing on sheets output from image forming apparatus main body 2, adjacent to the downstream side in the paper transport direction of image forming apparatus main body 2, and further has paper stacking devices 3D and 3E downstream in the paper transport direction of non-paper stacking devices 3A to 3C. In image forming apparatus 100, static eliminator 4 is arranged adjacent to at least the upstream side in the paper transport direction of paper stacking device 3D. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently prevent misalignment of paper sheets in the paper stacking device located downstream of the non-paper stacking device in the paper transport direction. In particular, by providing a static eliminator adjacent to each of the multiple paper stacking devices on the upstream side of the paper transport direction, it is possible to efficiently prevent misalignment of paper sheets in the paper stacking device.

[0035] The above-described embodiment is a preferred example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this.

[0036] In addition, the detailed configuration and operation of each device constituting the image forming apparatus may be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. While embodiments of the present invention have been described and illustrated in detail, the disclosed embodiments are made for purposes of illustration and example only and are not intended to limit the invention, the scope of which is to be construed by the appended claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 100 Image forming device 1 Paper feeder 2. Image forming device main body 3. Post-processing equipment 3A Non-paper stacking device 3B Non-paper loading device 3C Non-paper stacking device 3D Paper Stacker 3E Paper stacking device

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus having a non-paper stacking device adjacent to a downstream side of an image forming apparatus main body in a paper transport direction, which performs post-processing on paper output from the image forming apparatus main body, and further having one or more paper stacking devices downstream of the non-paper stacking device in the paper transport direction, An image forming apparatus, comprising: at least one paper stacking device; a static eliminator disposed adjacent to the upstream side of the paper transport direction of the paper stacking device;

2. An image forming apparatus having a non-paper stacking device adjacent to a downstream side of an image forming apparatus main body in a paper transport direction, which performs post-processing on paper output from the image forming apparatus main body, and further having a plurality of paper stacking devices downstream of the non-paper stacking device in the paper transport direction, An image forming apparatus, characterized in that a static eliminator is disposed adjacent to each of the plurality of paper stacking devices on the upstream side in the paper transport direction.

3. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a static eliminator is insertable between the non-paper stacking devices, between the non-paper stacking devices and the paper stacking devices, or between the paper stacking devices.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the de-ionization device has a connecting member that is connected to a connecting portion provided on the non-paper stacking device or the paper stacking device located on both sides of the de-ionization device by inserting the de-ionization device from the front.

5. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an insulating cover is provided around the static eliminator.

6. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the static eliminator has an insulating guide plate below a paper path through which the paper passes.

7. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the non-paper stacking device is a post-processing device having a stacking section for the paper, a static eliminator is disposed adjacent to the non-paper stacking device on the upstream side in the paper transport direction.

8. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the static eliminators are disposed above and below the paper path through which the paper passes.

9. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the static eliminator is a non-contact ion type.

10. 10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the static eliminator is any one of a radiation type, a windless type, an air type, and a gun type.

11. 10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the static eliminator is one of a plasma type, a corona discharge type, and a soft X-ray type.

12. 10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the voltage application method of the static eliminator is an AC method.

13. 10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the voltage application method of the static eliminator is one of a DC method, a pulse AC method, a pulse DC method, and a high frequency AC method.

Images