Carrier Liquid Separation in Image Forming Apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
The recurring recycling of liquid developers in electrophotographic image forming apparatuses leads to a decrease in volume resistivity of the carrier liquid, resulting in image defects, which can be mitigated by periodic container exchange but increases maintenance and operational costs.
Innovation Solution
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus that separates the carrier liquid into a first substance with opposite polarity to the toner and a second substance with higher volume resistivity using an electric field, allowing for the collection and reuse of each substance, thereby maintaining the volume resistivity of the carrier liquid.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the liquid developer is periodically exchanged to suppress image defects, then the generation of image defects is suppressed, but the running cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the low-volume-resistivity substance from the carrier liquid using an electric field in a separating device. This allows the carrier liquid to be purified and reused without periodic disposal, resolving the contradiction between maintaining image quality and reducing material loss.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of discarding the entire carrier liquid when volume resistivity decreases, the patent recovers and removes only the problematic low-resistivity substance while retaining and reusing the majority of the carrier liquid, thus reducing waste and running costs.
2Reliability
If the liquid developer is periodically exchanged to suppress image defects, then the generation of image defects is suppressed, but the maintenance load increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-service system where the separating device automatically removes low-volume-resistivity substances from the carrier liquid during normal operation. This automated process eliminates the need for manual periodic exchange and maintenance intervention, resolving the contradiction between image quality and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The separating device operates continuously or periodically during the printing process to maintain carrier liquid quality, eliminating the need for停机 maintenance and reducing maintenance load while ensuring continuous image quality.
3Quantity of substance
If the carrier liquid is reused after recycling, then resource efficiency is improved, but the volume resistivity lowers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses an electric field-based separating device to extract and remove the low-volume-resistivity substance that accumulates during recycling. This extraction process maintains the volume resistivity of the carrier liquid, allowing continuous reuse without quality degradation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical-chemical parameters of the carrier liquid by removing substances with low volume resistivity through electric field separation. This parameter change maintains the electrical properties necessary for image quality while enabling continuous reuse of the carrier liquid.
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 approach effectively suppresses the lowering of volume resistivity in the reusable carrier liquid, reducing the likelihood of image defects and minimizing maintenance and operational costs by enabling the continuous reuse of high-resistivity carrier liquid.
Implementation Method 1
separate the carrier liquid into the first substance charged to an opposite polarity to a charge polarity of the toner and the second substance by applying an electric field to the liquid developer collected from the image forming portion so as to collect each of the first substance and the second substance
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member to form a toner image on a recording material with a liquid developer containing a toner and a carrier liquid, wherein the carrier liquid contains a first substance, charged to an opposite polarity to a charge polarity of the toner, for imparting an electrical polarity to the toner, and a second substance, higher in volume resistivity than the first substance, a cleaning portion to collect the liquid developer remaining on the image bearing member after the toner image is transferred onto the recording material, a toner separating device to separate the collected liquid developer into the toner and the carrier liquid, and a carrier separating device to separate the carrier liquid into the carrier liquid containing the first substance and the carrier liquid containing the second substance by applying an electric field to the carrier liquid.