EP0816935B1 - Vorrichtung zum Entwickeln eines latenten elektrostatischen Bildes - Google Patents

Vorrichtung zum Entwickeln eines latenten elektrostatischen Bildes Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0816935B1
EP0816935B1 EP19960201825 EP96201825A EP0816935B1 EP 0816935 B1 EP0816935 B1 EP 0816935B1 EP 19960201825 EP19960201825 EP 19960201825 EP 96201825 A EP96201825 A EP 96201825A EP 0816935 B1 EP0816935 B1 EP 0816935B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
developer
screw
developing device
mixer
toner
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP19960201825
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English (en)
French (fr)
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EP0816935A1 (de
Inventor
Luc c/o Agfa-Gevaert N.V. IIE 3800 van Goethem
Robert c/o Agfa-Gevaert N.V. IIE 3800 Janssens
William c/o Agfa-Gevaert N.V. Waterschoot
Erik c/o AGfa-Gevaert N.V. van Echelpoel
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Xeikon Manufacturing NV
Original Assignee
Xeikon International NV
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Xeikon International NV filed Critical Xeikon International NV
Priority to EP19960201825 priority Critical patent/EP0816935B1/de
Priority to DE1996631125 priority patent/DE69631125T2/de
Priority to JP9187206A priority patent/JPH1069169A/ja
Priority to US08/886,691 priority patent/US5809383A/en
Publication of EP0816935A1 publication Critical patent/EP0816935A1/de
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0816935B1 publication Critical patent/EP0816935B1/de
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
    • G03G15/00—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern
    • G03G15/06—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern for developing
    • G03G15/08—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern for developing using a solid developer, e.g. powder developer
    • G03G15/0822—Arrangements for preparing, mixing, supplying or dispensing developer

Definitions

  • This invention relates to electrostatography, more specifically to a developing device for developing an electrostatic latent image in which fresh toner is mixed with a developer containing toner particles and carrier particles.
  • a latent image is formed by (i) applying an imagewise charge distribution to a dielectric, (ii) developing the latent image, i.e. converting it to a visible image by depositing thereon selectively light-absorbing particles, called toner particles.
  • the toner particles are mostly electrically charged.
  • the image, made visible by the deposition of toner particles on the latent image that was present on the dielectric, is then transferred to a substratum and fixed thereon to yield the final copy.
  • the dielectric is a photoconductor and an image is formed by (i) uniformly charging a photoconductor, (ii) imagewise discharging it so as to obtain a latent image, (iii) developing the latent image, i.e. converting it to a visible image by depositing toner particles on the latent image.
  • the image made visible by the deposition of toner particles on the latent image that was present on the photoconductor, is then transferred to a substratum and fixed thereon so as to yield the final copy.
  • dry-powder For the application of toner development two methods are known : “dry-powder” and “liquid-dispersion” development. At present the dry-powder method is the most commonly used. More details on the dry-powder development can be found a.o. in IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, Vol. ED-19, no. 4, April 1972, pp. 495-511.
  • the toner particles are charged triboelectrically by mixing them, viz. shaking them together with the carrier particles (toner- and carrier particles have an opposite charge).
  • the mixture of carrier particles and toner particles that are attracted electrostatically by the carrier particles, is the developer.
  • toner particles are released by the carrier particles and deposited on the latent image that has been applied to a dielectric.
  • the toner particles are thus the consumable in the developer. This implies that the developer gets exhausted upon being used, i.e. very few toner particles are left in the mixture with the carrier particles.
  • toner has to be added. This fresh toner particles are still uncharged and have to be mixed (shaken) again in the apparatus with the carrier particles for charging them triboelectrically.
  • Patent Abstract of Japan, vol. 9, no. 296 (P-407) [2019] & JP-A-60 133 484 discloses a developing device of a copying machine that has a stirring roller to stir the developer.
  • the shaft of the stirring roller is mounted vertically, in a twisted position relative to the shaft of the magnet roller of the developing device.
  • a developing device as claimed in claim 1 is set out.
  • two-component developer stands for a mixture of carrier and toner particles that, however, can still contain other components such as fluidity improvers, e.g. silicon or titanium dioxides, or other polymeric particles.
  • the inventive stirring means provides an extremely efficient and rapid mixing of toner with developer. Mixing times shorter than 5 s have been found for obtaining a satisfactory mixing uniformity.
  • the inventive stirring means can operate basically on its own to obtain the desired mixing and triboelectric charging of a two-component developer, it will be understood that in practice said two operations are also carried out by other moving parts of a developer station, e.g. by a helical feed and supply screw provided in corresponding feed passages for circulating the developer through the developer device and applying it on the magnet roller.
  • the stirring device according to the invention can advantageously improve mixing and triboelectrostatic charging of prior art developing arrangements.
  • Suitable embodiments of the invention are as follows.
  • the mentioned wall means has a length smaller than the length of the feed screw, and the upper and lower ends of the feed screw extend beyond said wall means.
  • the annular space extends over 360 angular degrees.
  • the means for conveying a portion of developer to the outlet of the stirring device comprises a slide surface catching a portion of developer overflowing the top edge of the wall means.
  • This wall means can suitably have the form of a cylindrical sleeve.
  • the mentioned slide surface can be formed by a slanting platform angularly surrounding said sleeve over a certain angle, but this slide surface can also be formed by a portion of the top edge of such sleeve in case both the sleeve and the feed screw are mounted obliquely.
  • the mixer shown in Fig. 1 consists of a vertical cylindrical housing 20 with a bottom 21 and a beam 23 on its open top end 24.
  • the housing was made from a transparent material, in the present case Plexiglass (Registered Trade name).
  • a metal cylindrical sleeve 25 with bevelled top and bottom edges 26 and 27 is mounted concentrically within the housing by means of opposed pairs of screws 28 and 29.
  • a helical transport screw 30 is rotatably mounted in the housing by means of bearings 31 and 32.
  • Driving means is provided, not shown, for driving screw 30 in a direction such that its helical blade performs an upwardly directed transport movement.
  • the axis of the screw coincides with the axis of housing 20 and sleeve 25.
  • the diameter of the screw was 30 mm.
  • the gap between the screw and the sleeve amounted to approximately 2 mm.
  • Screw 30 was machined from a plastic cylinder fitting on a stainless steel shaft 34.
  • the efficiency of the mixer was tested by filling it with 400 g of black-coloured developer containing 4 % of toner, reaching a level as indicated by dot-and-dash line 35. Next, an amount of 0.5 g of yellow-coloured toner was poured in the device at the position of arrow 24. It could be seen that developer which was thrown radially outwardly, see arrow 36, by screw 30 rotating at 500 rpm, rapidly catched the toner flowing into the device and intersected the mass thereof as it were with a great plurality of sheets of developer. The mass thus mixed flows downwardly through annular space 38 between sleeve 25 and housing 20 and next is catched by the helical screw, see arrows 37, and moved upwardly while undergoing shearing and compression forces.
  • a mixer as described hereinbefore was incorporated in an electrophotographic developing device, and this device is described hereinafter with reference to Figs. 2 to 9.
  • Fig. 2 is an isometric view of device 40 which on its front side has a so-called magnet roller 41 consisting of a non-ferromagnetic sleeve rotatable around a magnet arrangement and slightly protruding from the device for applying a layer of developer adhering in the form of a brush to its outer surface on a photo-conductor drum which rotates closely adjacent to such magnet roller and bears on its surface an image-wise electrostatic charge pattern that must be developed.
  • This developer system is known as "magnetic brush development.
  • a magnetic brush development system employs a magnetizable developer material including magnetic carrier granules having toner particles adhering triboelectrically thereto.
  • the developer material is continually brought through a directional flux field to form a brush of developer material.
  • the developer particles are continuously moving so as to provide the brush consistently with fresh developer material.
  • the toner image resulting from such development is next transferred from the photoconductor drum to a plain paper receiver sheet and then fixed, all as known in the art.
  • the device is provided with lateral supporting elements 18 and 19 for easily and reproducibly fitting in an electrophotographic engine.
  • the left-hand part of the figure shows the mixer arrangement 42 with a toner hopper 43 whereas the right-hand part is the driving mechanism 45 with inter-engaging gears for the driving of the rotatable rollers of the device.
  • Magnet roller 41 rotates in the direction of arrow 46 and the thickness of the layer of developer supplied to its surface is metered by adjustable doctor blade 47.
  • the representation of toner hopper 43 is diagrammatic only, and it will be understood that in practice the toner addition system will comprise a toner cartridge or bottle suitably and removably connected to the device, and a metering system for feeding controlled amounts of toner to the developer device.
  • Fig. 3 shows the rearside of the device with motor 48 for driving the helical feed and the supply screw 49, resp. 50 of the device, motor 51 for driving magnet roller 41, and motor 52 for driving the helical mixer screw of mixer 42
  • Fig. 4 is a lateral view of the gear mechanism, see arrows 3 and 4 of Fig.2.
  • Fig. 5 is a top view of the device.
  • Fig. 9 is a horizontal sectional view on line 9-9 of Fig. 3 showing the circulation of the developer through the device.
  • Feed screw 49 rotates in a first elongate feed passage 54 for moving developer received from mixer 42 in the direction of arrow 56 towards the opposite lateral end wall of the device.
  • the feed screw has been shown completely sectioned, but it is clear that such screw actually is a shaft provided with a helical blade and is rotated in a direction such that the toner transport occurs in the indicated direction.
  • Feed passage 54 is an elongate gutter-like channel, semicircular in cross-section.
  • a partition wall 57 that separates feed passage 54 from adjacent feed passage 58 has near its end an opening 59 through which the developer can flow from passage 54 into passage 58 in which supply screw 50 causes movement of the developer in the opposite direction, see arrow 55.
  • Both feed passages 54 and 58 run horizontally and are located at the same height, as are the corresponding screws 49 and 50.
  • Magnet roller 41 which is not visible in the view of Fig. 9 since it is located higher than the intersection plane, has a position that coincides practically with that of the open space 60 in the figure.
  • the magnet roller attracts over its complete length developer from supply screw 50, and the thickness of this layer of picked-up developer is metered by doctor blade 47 mentioned already.
  • Supply screw 50 extends through input opening 44 tangentially to screw 63 of mixer 42 and has an end section 61 of reduced diameter.
  • mixer 42 is as follows with reference to Figs. 6 to 8.
  • the mixer basically comprises a housing with a vertical cylindrical cavity 62 in which a rotatable helical mixer screw 63 is drivingly connected with motor 52.
  • a cylindrical sleeve 65 with bevelled top edge 66 is concentrically and stationary mounted within cavity 62 by means of opposed screws such as 67 and 68 passing through the wall of the housing.
  • the length of the sleeve is shorter than the length of screw 63 and the top and bottom end of this screw extend beyond the sleeve.
  • a tapered ring 70 at the bottom of the cavity provides a smooth cross-over from annular space 69 to the lower end of the screw.
  • the annular space is provided at its top end with a slanting wall 71 forming a slide surface connected with the surfaces of both cavity 62 and sleeve 66.
  • Wall 71 has an initial width equal to the diameter of cavity 62 and a width at the bottom equal to the width of feed passage 54.
  • the lower end of this wall 71 has an opening 72 through which the end of feed screw 49 extends up to its journal 73, see Fig. 6.
  • the axis of feed screw 49 intersects the axis of mixer screw 63.
  • Section 74 of sleeve 65 in Fig. 7 results from the cutting of this sleeve on line 7-7 of Fig. 3.
  • the described slide surface 71 is completely below this section plane in Fig. 3 and is therefore not intersected in Fig.7.
  • Supply screw 50 extends further in the mixing device than does feed screw 49. As a matter of fact, screw 50 extends tangentially to the lower end of mixer screw 63, see Figs. 8 and 9.
  • rotating mixer screw 63 moves the developer in mixer 42 upwardly until it flows over the top edge of sleeve 65. Developer flowing over the outside half (180 angular degrees) of this edge falls downwardly through annular space 69 to the bottom of the mixer where it is catched by the screw and moved upwardly again. Developer flowing over the inside half (180 degrees as well) of the top edge of sleeve 65 does not flow into the annular space but, on the contrary, flows over slide surface 71 towards feed screw 49 in feed passage 54. Screw 49 transports the developer towards its opposite end, up to opening 59 in partition wall 57 where it enters into the adjacent feed passage 58. Supply screw 50 in the latter passage returns the developer to mixer 42 and completes in that way the circulation of the developer.
  • Developer returned by screw 50 to the bottom of the mixer becomes mixed with developer flowing downwardly through annular space 69, and is intensively stirred and circulated a plurality of times through the mixer before arriving on slide surface 71 and being fed again to feed screw 49.
  • Supply screw 50 applies developer to magnet roller 41 and as the latter roller develops the latent electrostatic image as described already, the toner concentration of the developer decreases.
  • the toner concentration of the developer may be monitored in any way known in the art, to control a metering system in the circuit of hopper 43 so that appropriate amounts of toner may timely be added to the mixer to become thoroughly mixed with exhausted developer therein.
  • a developing device according to the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described hereinbefore but only by the claims.
  • the feed screw and the supply screw must not necessarly lie in one plane but may be situated at different levels. Also, the feed screw can take a slanting position, as known in the art. Furthermore, the device can comprise two or even more feed screws.
  • the feed and supply screws basically consist of a shaft portion and a helical blade fitted thereon as described already.
  • the pitch of the helical blade may be uniform over the length of the screws but may also vary to obtain appropriate control of the transport, mixing and electrostatic charging functions for the developer.
  • a feed screw can further comprise small, axially spaced zones where the pitch of the helical blade is reversed, so that a local backward feed instead of a forward one is obtained. This arrangement produces local impoundages of developer in the feed passage leading to improved mixing and/or charging.
  • the downstream end of the feed and/or supply screw can have a reversed pitch in order to reduce pressure of the developer on the sealed bearing of the screw(s).
  • the driving mechanism for the feed and supply screws, the magnet roller and the mixer may comprise one instead of three motors.
  • the helical mixer screw and its corresponding sleeve and housing can also take a slanting position instead of a truely vertical one. In this way mixed developer flowing over the lowest point of the correspondingly inclined top edge of the sleeve can flow directly towards a corresponding feed passage without need for a slide surface.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Dry Development In Electrophotography (AREA)

Claims (11)

  1. Entwicklungsvorrichtung zum Entwickeln eines elektrostatischen Latentbildes, wobei die Entwicklungsvorrichtung eine Kammer für einen Zwei-Komponenten-Entwickler, einen Magnetroller (46), eine Zuführpassage (58) für den Zwei-Komponenten-Entwickler, eine Einrichtung (49, 50) in der Kammer zum Aufbringen des Entwicklers auf den Magnetroller, eine Einrichtung (43) zum Hinzufügen frischen Toners zum Entwickler zum Aufrechterhalten der Toner-Konzentration auf einem gewünschten Pegel sowie eine Einrichtung zum Umrühren des Entwicklers umfasst, wobei die Umrühreinrichtung (42) eine helixförmige Mischschraube (63) aufweist, die gegenüber der Horizontalen geneigt ist, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die helixförmige Mischschraube (63) drehbar in einem stationären Gehäuse angebracht ist mit, in Benutzung, einem Entwicklereinlass (44) nahe dem Boden und einem Entwicklerauslass (66) auf einem Pegel oberhalb desjenigen des Einlasses, und einer stationären Wandeinrichtung (65), welche die Schraube in dem Gehäuse umgibt, wobei ein ringförmiger Zwischenraum (69) zwischen der Wandeinrichtung und dem Gehäuse belassen ist, der ermöglicht, dass nach oben durch die Mischschraube innerhalb der Wandeinrichtung transportierter Entwickler über den Zwischenraum an das untere Ende der Schraube zurückkehrt und dann wieder nach oben transportierbar ist, und einer Einrichtung zum Befördern eines Teils des nach oben transportierten Entwicklers zur Auslassöffnung.
  2. Entwicklungsvorrichtung nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass der ringförmige Zwischenraum (69) sich über 360 Winkelgrade erstreckt.
  3. Entwicklungsvorrichtung nach Anspruch 1 oder 2, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Wandeinrichtung eine Länge aufweist, die kürzer ist als die Länge der Mischschraube.
  4. Entwicklungsvorrichtung nach Anspruch 3, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass das untere und obere Ende der Mischschraube sich über die Wandeinrichtung erstrecken.
  5. Entwicklungsvorrichtung nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 4, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die stationäre Wandeinrichtung durch eine zylindrische Buchse (65) gebildet ist.
  6. Entwicklungsvorrichtung nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 5, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Einrichtung zum Befördern eines Teils des nach oben transportierten Entwicklers zur Auslassöffnung eine Gleitoberfläche (71) aufweist.
  7. Entwicklungsvorrichtung nach Anspruch 6, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Gleitoberfläche ein Winkelausmaß von 180 Grad um die Buchse aufweist.
  8. Entwicklungsvorrichtung nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 7, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Mischschraube (63) vertikal verläuft.
  9. Entwicklungsvorrichtung nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 7, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Mischschraube geneigt verläuft.
  10. Entwicklungsvorrichtung nach Anspruch 5, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Buchse (65) einen angeschrägten oberen Rand (66) aufweist.
  11. Entwicklungsvorrichtung nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Einrichtung zum Aufbringen des Entwicklers auf dem Magnetroller eine Zuführschraube (49) und eine Versorgungsschraube (50) aufweist, wobei die Zuführschraube sich radial und die Versorgungsschraube sich tangential zur Mischschraube (63) in dem Mischergehäuse erstreckt.
EP19960201825 1996-07-01 1996-07-01 Vorrichtung zum Entwickeln eines latenten elektrostatischen Bildes Expired - Lifetime EP0816935B1 (de)

Priority Applications (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP19960201825 EP0816935B1 (de) 1996-07-01 1996-07-01 Vorrichtung zum Entwickeln eines latenten elektrostatischen Bildes
DE1996631125 DE69631125T2 (de) 1996-07-01 1996-07-01 Vorrichtung zum Entwickeln eines latenten elektrostatischen Bildes
JP9187206A JPH1069169A (ja) 1996-07-01 1997-06-30 静電現像装置
US08/886,691 US5809383A (en) 1996-07-01 1997-07-01 Electrostatic developing device

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP19960201825 EP0816935B1 (de) 1996-07-01 1996-07-01 Vorrichtung zum Entwickeln eines latenten elektrostatischen Bildes

Publications (2)

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EP0816935A1 EP0816935A1 (de) 1998-01-07
EP0816935B1 true EP0816935B1 (de) 2003-12-17

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EP19960201825 Expired - Lifetime EP0816935B1 (de) 1996-07-01 1996-07-01 Vorrichtung zum Entwickeln eines latenten elektrostatischen Bildes

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JP (1) JPH1069169A (de)
DE (1) DE69631125T2 (de)

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP4943239B2 (ja) * 2007-06-11 2012-05-30 株式会社リコー 現像装置及び画像形成装置
JP5471220B2 (ja) * 2009-09-14 2014-04-16 株式会社リコー 現像装置および画像形成装置
CN105664824A (zh) * 2016-03-08 2016-06-15 何小平 一种石油化工产品生产分离设备

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS59201076A (ja) * 1983-04-30 1984-11-14 Mita Ind Co Ltd ２成分系磁気ブラシ現像装置
JPS60133484A (ja) * 1983-12-21 1985-07-16 Sharp Corp 複写機の現像装置
EP0437864B1 (de) * 1990-01-17 1994-03-30 Agfa-Gevaert N.V. Entwicklungsgerät für elektrostatische latente Bilder

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0816935A1 (de) 1998-01-07
DE69631125D1 (de) 2004-01-29
DE69631125T2 (de) 2004-08-26
JPH1069169A (ja) 1998-03-10

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