Intermediate Transfer Belt Surface Roughness Control for Toner Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
In electrophotographic image-forming apparatuses, the transfer of toner images from a photosensitive drum to an intermediate transfer belt can result in residual toner on the belt, leading to inefficient cleaning and potential faulty cleaning due to the passage of fine particles through the blade nip portion, causing abrasion of the cleaning blade.
Innovation Solution
The use of toner containing organosilicon polymer protrusions on the surface of toner base particles and external additives like silica, where the surface roughness of the intermediate transfer belt is controlled to be larger than the organosilicon polymer diameter but smaller than the external additive diameter, forming a coating layer that reduces friction and abrasion during the cleaning process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If fine particles are externally added to toner to improve transfer efficiency, then transfer efficiency is improved, but the fine particles may pass through the blade nip portion and scrape the cleaning blade surface causing faulty cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the particle size parameter of external additives, specifying that they should have a particle size of 0.5 μm or more. This parameter change ensures that the additives are large enough to be blocked by the cleaning blade while still maintaining their function in improving toner transfer efficiency, thus resolving the contradiction between transfer efficiency and cleaning quality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple functions into the external additive particles: they serve both as transfer efficiency enhancers and as filtering elements. By making the external additives large enough to be blocked by the cleaning blade, they simultaneously improve transfer efficiency and prevent blade damage, merging the beneficial effects of both requirements
2Ease of operation
If a cleaning blade is used to remove residual toner from the intermediate transfer belt, then cleaning function is achieved, but the blade may be abraded by fine particles causing faulty cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent specifies a minimum particle size of 0.5 μm for external additives, which creates a physical barrier effect where these larger particles are blocked by the cleaning blade during the cleaning process. This prevents finer, more abrasive particles from contacting and damaging the blade, thereby extending blade service life while maintaining cleaning effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The external additives act as an intermediary layer between the toner and the cleaning blade. By being present in the toner composition, they occupy space and create a filtering effect that protects the blade from direct contact with abrasive fine particles, thus preserving the blade while maintaining cleaning function
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution improves toner transfer efficiency and reduces faulty cleaning by preventing external additives from passing through the blade nip portion, thus minimizing blade abrasion and maintaining effective cleaning performance.
Implementation Method 1
forming a coating layer that reduces friction and abrasion during the cleaning process
Implementation Method 2
a collecting device with a cleaning blade that can abut against the belt and with which residual toner on the belt can be collected
Implementation Method 3
A toner image formed on the photosensitive drum of each image-forming portion is primarily transferred to an intermediate transfer belt by applying a voltage from a primary transfer power supply to a primary transfer member
Implementation Method 4
The color toner images primarily transferred from the image-forming portion of each color to the intermediate transfer belt are entirely secondarily transferred from the intermediate transfer belt to a transfer material, such as a paper or OHP sheet, by applying a voltage from a secondary transfer power supply to a secondary transfer member
Data Source
AI summary
Toner contains toner base particles and an organosilicon polymer on the surface of the toner base particles, and silica particles are added to the toner as an external additive. The surface roughness Rz of an intermediate transfer belt, against which a blade abuts, in the width direction of the intermediate transfer belt perpendicular to the belt conveying direction is larger than the average particle diameter Ry of the organosilicon polymer and is smaller than the average particle diameter Rk of the silica particles.