JPH07122762B2 - Recording device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a recording device.

[Prior Art] An electrophotographic recording apparatus normally forms an electrostatic latent image on a photoconductor using a laser beam or the like, supplies toner by a mag roller or the like, and adheres the toner to the electrostatic latent image portion. Recording is performed by transferring this toner to a recording medium and fixing it by a fixing unit.

However, in the above method, since an electrostatic latent image has to be formed, the apparatus becomes complicated and large, and maintenance of the latent image forming section is complicated. So to solve this,
As a compact, simple, and low-cost configuration, Japanese Patent Publication No. 55-47977
As shown in the publication, the toner is uniformly distributed and supplied from the toner supply unit onto the recording paper facing the magnetic field generation unit, and the recording paper is scanned by the heat-generating energy rays modulated by the image signal to remove the toner. An image recording apparatus is disclosed that is configured to selectively fix and remove unnecessary toner in a cleaner section.

In this way, the toner on the recording medium is uniformly dispersed by the predetermined means, and the toner on the printing portion is heated and fixed by the predetermined heating means such as a laser beam that directly heats the toner on the recording medium according to the image signal. By doing so, it is not necessary to form an electrostatic latent image, and therefore, the transfer means to the recording medium and the fixing means after the transfer are unnecessary, and the degaussing means is also unnecessary.

[Problems to be solved] However, the toner to be used usually does not soften at 100 ° C or lower in order to prevent softening during storage, etc. Therefore, a thin toner layer on a recording medium is selectively heated and fixed only in a predetermined portion. In order to do so, the portion must be heated to 150 ° C. or higher, preferably 200 ° C. or higher, and therefore, the heating device such as the laser light irradiation device is enlarged or the heating time is lengthened, and thus recording is performed. There was a problem that the speed had to be slowed down.

Then, the objective of this invention is providing the recording device which can speed up a recording device, without enlarging a heating device.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, in the recording apparatus of the present invention, the toner is uniformly supplied and adhered to the recording medium from the toner supply unit.
In a recording device that selectively heat-fixes the above-mentioned toner by a heating device and collects toner other than the toner that has been heat-fixed on the recording medium to the toner collecting means, it is uniformly supplied onto the recording medium at a temperature lower than the softening temperature of the toner. Bias heating means is provided for heating the deposited toner and for assisting the heating power of the heating device.

A laser beam irradiation device can be used as the heating device.

[Operation] Since heat from both the heating device and the bias heating means is applied to the toner and the recording medium, the heating device can be downsized and the heating time by the heating device can be shortened.

[Embodiment] An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIG.

The recording paper 1 is transferred from a recording paper supply device (not shown) to a first charging device 2, a toner supply device 3, a bias heating device 5, a laser light irradiation device 6, and a second charging device by a predetermined recording paper conveying device. The paper is conveyed along the container and the toner collecting means 8 and is sent to a recording paper receiver (not shown).

The first charger 2 charges the recording paper 1 with static electricity. The recording paper 1 has a polarity opposite to the charging polarity of the toner 4 in the toner supply means 3 described later, and the toner 4 is applied to the mag roller 3a. A predetermined amount of static electricity is charged so as to generate a force that overcomes the magnetic force of 1 to attract to the recording 1 side. The first charger 2 is adapted to perform corona discharge using a DC voltage.

The toner supply unit 3 is provided so as to face the first charger 2, the mag roller 3a is rotatably supported by the container 3b, and the magnetic toner 4 is stored in the container 3b. A magnet (not shown) is provided inside the mag roller 3a.
The toner 4 is rubbed by rotation of the mag roller 3a or the like, and is charged positively or negatively depending on the material of the toner 4 and the material of the surface of the mag roller 3a. Further, the toner 4 is attracted by an internal magnet as the mag roller 3a rotates, and adheres and rotates on the surface of the mag roller 3a.

Next, bias heating means 5 is provided in contact with the recording paper 1 on the back surface of the recording paper 1 at a position a predetermined length s before the laser light irradiation position of the laser light irradiation device 6 described later. The bias heating means 5 has a length that extends over the width of the recording paper 1, and a heating coil is embedded in the lengthwise direction. The predetermined length s between the position of the bias heating means 5 and the irradiation position of the laser light is recorded at the position of the bias heating means 5 in consideration of the speed at which the heat of the bias heating means 5 is transmitted to the recording paper 1. Recording paper 1 after being transmitted to paper 1
It is set so that the recording paper 1 and the toner 4 are in the best heating state when reaches the laser light irradiation position.
Further, the heating temperature of the bias heating means 5 is set to a predetermined temperature lower than the softening temperature of the toner 4, and the bias heating means 5 is set.
Only the toner 4 is prevented from softening and melting.

The laser light irradiation device 6 is provided on the side on which the toner 4 is supplied and adhered to the recording paper 1, and has a laser light source 6a and a polygon mirror 6b. The laser light source 6a generates and stops laser light according to the image signal, and the laser light emitted from the laser light source 6a is polygon mirror 6b.
Thus, the recording sheet 1 is deflected and scanned in the width direction, and the thin toner layer in the printed portion is selectively heated and fixed. The output of the laser light source 6a does not need to be high enough to melt the toner 4 by itself and soak it into the inside of the recording paper 1 to create the best fixing state.
Therefore, a medium or low output may be used, and a semiconductor laser or the like can be used.

Similarly to the first charger 2, the second charger 7 is also configured to perform corona discharge, and in order to eliminate static electricity generated on the recording paper 1, an AC voltage is applied, and a strong positive charge and a strong negative charge are applied. Electric charges are repeatedly supplied to the recording paper 2 so that the recording paper 2 is not charged positively or negatively as a result.

The toner collecting means 8 is composed of a mag roller 8a and a container 8b similarly to the toner supplying means 3, and when the toner 4 on the recording paper 1 comes to the position of the mag roller 8a, it is fixed to the recording paper by the magnet inside the mag roller 8a. Toners other than the toner are attracted to the mag roller 8a side, moved, and collected.

Next, the operation will be described.

At the same time when the recording apparatus is operated, a current is passed through the heating coil of the bias heating means 5 to heat the bias heating means 5 to a predetermined temperature.

When the recording paper 1 is conveyed from the recording paper supply device by a predetermined conveying means and reaches the position of the first charging device 2, the recording paper 1 is charged from the back side of the recording paper 1 and, therefore, due to the electrostatic force due to this charging. The toner 4 on the surface of the mag roller 3a is transferred to and adheres to the surface side of the recording paper 1 to form a thin toner layer.

Next, when the recording paper 1 reaches the bias heating means 5, the heat of the bias heating means 5 is transferred from the back surface of the recording paper 1 to the recording paper 1 in a horizontal line shape. This heat is transmitted to the inside of the recording paper 1, the surface of the recording paper 1, and the toner 4 while the recording paper 1 advances to the laser light irradiation position, and when the recording paper 1 reaches the laser light irradiation position, The temperature distribution of the toner 4 is an optimum temperature distribution in which the toner 4 is melted and soaks into the inside of the recording paper 1 and is fixed together with the heat amount of the irradiated laser light. However, since the heating temperature of the bias heating means 5 is a temperature at which the toner does not soften, the toner is not melt-fixed at the stage where the laser light is not irradiated.

Next, when the recording paper 1 reaches the laser light irradiation position, laser light is emitted from the laser light source 6a according to the image signal and deflected by the polygon mirror 6b. This laser light is optimally heated by the bias heating means 5. The horizontal lines of the toner 4 and the recording paper 1 having the preheating temperature distribution are selectively irradiated. Then, the toner 4 in the portion irradiated with the laser light is melted by the heat of both the preheating and the heating by the laser light being melted and permeated and fixed inside the recording paper 1.

When the recording paper 1 reaches the second charger 7, an AC voltage is applied to the recording paper 1 so that the recording paper 1 is not positively or negatively charged, and the recording paper 1 reaches the toner collecting means 8. Toners other than the toner that is heat-fixed to the recording paper 1 by the laser light are only heated by the bias heating means and are not fixed. Therefore, these toners are attracted to the mag roller 8a and moved to be collected.

The recording paper 1 from which the unnecessary toner is collected is sent to the recording paper tray.

In the above embodiment, the bias heating means is a heating coil, but it may be bias heating means by irradiation with a lamp or the like. In this case, the recording medium can be heated with a constant width in the transport direction, and therefore the recording medium is Heating can be performed before reaching the laser light irradiation position and also at a position after laser light irradiation at the laser light irradiation position and further ahead of the position. It is also possible to use a linear thermal head as the bias heating means.

[Effect] In the present invention, since the bias heating means is provided and the toner is fixed by the heat of both the bias heating means and the heating device, it is not necessary to upsize the heating device.
Since the heating amount from the heating device can be reduced, the heating time by the heating device can be shortened and the recording speed can be increased.

[Brief description of drawings]

 FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. 1 ... Recording medium, 3 ... Toner supply means, 4 ... Toner, 5 ... Bias heating means, 6 ... Heating device (laser light irradiation device), 8 ... Toner recovery device.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A toner supply unit uniformly supplies and attaches toner to a recording medium, and a heating device selectively heat-fixes the toner, and a toner other than the toner heat-fixed on the recording medium is transferred to a toner collecting unit. In the collecting recording device, a bias heating means for heating the toner uniformly supplied and adhered onto the recording medium at a temperature lower than the softening temperature of the toner and for assisting the heating power of the heating device is provided. Recording device. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heating device is a laser light irradiation device.