Trapezoidal Electric Field Toner Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image forming apparatuses face challenges in controlling the consumption of opposite polarity particles and maintaining toner charge stability, especially when printing large quantities of images with small image area ratios, leading to reduced service life and image quality.
Innovation Solution
An image forming apparatus that includes a developer container with toner, a carrier, and opposite polarity particles, where an electric field with a DC component overlapped by an AC component, featuring a trapezoidal wave, is formed between the image carrying member and the toner carrying member to efficiently transfer toner and manage opposite polarity particles, reducing their consumption and maintaining toner charge stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a one-component developing system using only toner is used, then excellent dot reproducibility and uniform image are achieved, but heavy stress on toner causes surface degradation and contamination leading to reduced service life
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the developing system by introducing a two-component system with carrier particles and oppositely charged particles. This fundamentally alters the stress distribution and charge mechanism, reducing mechanical stress on toner while maintaining image quality through controlled electrostatic interactions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite developer system consisting of toner particles, carrier particles, and oppositely charged particles working together. This composite structure distributes mechanical stress across multiple components while the oppositely charged particles prevent contamination buildup, thereby extending service life without compromising dot reproducibility.
2Strength
If a two-component developing system using toner and carrier is used, then smaller stress and greater resistance to toner deterioration are achieved, but contamination of carrier surface by toner or external additive agents causes charge reduction and fogging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces oppositely charged particles as intermediary elements that mediate between the carrier and toner. These particles adsorb onto the carrier surface, creating a protective layer that prevents direct contamination by toner and external additive agents, thereby maintaining carrier charge and preventing fogging while preserving the stress-reduction benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the surface charge parameters of the carrier by introducing oppositely charged particles. This parameter change creates a dynamic charge balance that prevents excessive contamination buildup, maintaining reliable image quality while preserving the mechanical stress benefits of the two-component system.
3Duration of action of moving object
If carrier replacement is performed to maintain charge amount, then service life is prolonged, but apparatus complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the developing system to self-maintain its performance characteristics through the automatic adsorption of oppositely charged particles onto the carrier surface. This self-service mechanism continuously prevents contamination and maintains charge amount without requiring external intervention or complex replacement systems, prolonging service life while maintaining simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The oppositely charged particles act as a self-renewing protective layer on the carrier surface. As these particles are consumed through adsorption, they continuously regenerate the carrier's charge capacity, creating a self-sustaining system that extends service life without requiring complex carrier replacement mechanisms.
4Reliability
If opposite polarity particles are added to reduce carrier deterioration, then carrier charge is maintained, but consumption of opposite polarity particles increases especially with small image area ratio prints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the charge amount parameters of the oppositely charged particles and their concentration in the developer. By carefully controlling these parameters, the system achieves effective carrier charge stabilization while minimizing excessive adsorption and consumption, particularly during small image area ratio printing operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system establishes a feedback mechanism where the charge state of the carrier influences the adsorption behavior of oppositely charged particles. As the carrier charge decreases through contamination, more oppositely charged particles are adsorbed to restore it, creating a self-regulating system that maintains optimal charge stability while controlling particle consumption through natural equilibrium.
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 effectively controls the consumption of opposite polarity particles and stabilizes toner charge, enabling high-quality image formation over a long period, even with high volumes of small image area ratio prints, by preventing excessive consumption and maintaining the toner charging ability of the carrier.
Implementation Method 1
toner is charged by triboelectric charging due to the mixture with a carrier
Implementation Method 2
an electric field with a DC component overlapped by an AC component, featuring a trapezoidal wave, is formed between the image carrying member and the toner carrying member to efficiently transfer toner
Data Source
AI summary
An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus and a method for forming an image that are capable of controlling the consumption of opposite polarity particles and suppressing the reduction of toner charge amount due to the carrier deterioration and can form high quality images over a long period of time even in the case where large quantities of images with small image area ratio are printed. The image forming device includes a developer further including the opposite polarity particles, a developer carrying member, a toner carrying member, and a voltage applying section for applying bias voltage overlapped with alternating current between the toner carrying member and the image carrying member, wherein the bias voltage overlapped with alternating current is a vibrating waveform including a trapezoidal wave, or a vibrating waveform in which a blank is inserted during application of a reverse development side voltage component.