Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-Kaisha

Masataka Maeda

Kenjiro Nishiwaki

Tomoaki Hazeyama

Tomoaki Hattori

Yasuhiro Maruyama

Mitsukiyo Okamura

Yasuhiro Hattori

Takanori Uno

Yuji Nishigaki

A fixing device may include an endless fixing belt, a facing member facing an outer surface of the fixing belt, a nip member configured to contact an inner surface of the fixing belt to form a nip portion where the fixing belt and the facing member are in contact with each other, and a heat source device configured to heat the nip portion inside the fixing belt. The nip member includes a heat transfer member which is provided at a position corresponding to a portion of the nip portion when seen from a side view, and a heat insulating member which is a portion of the nip member except for the heat transfer member, and is made of a material having thermal conductivity lower than that of the heat transfer member.

Fixing device

A developer supply device is provided, which includes a transfer board including an activating section and an always-transferring section. The activating section is disposed in a position close to a developer holding member and lower than a position where development agent is transferred onto the developer holding member. The activating section is supplied with an activating voltage for making the development agent leave a developer transfer path and drop into the developer storage section during an activating process performed at an initial stage of a developer transferring operation while supplied with the transfer bias voltage after the activating process. The always-transferring section is disposed across a position facing the developer storage section to a position lower than and adjacent to the activating section, and always supplied with a transfer bias voltage during the developer transferring operation.

Developer supply device and image forming apparatus having the same

A developer supply device, comprising: a casing; first electrodes located at a first most downstream position defining a certain distance with respect to the supply target and positions between the casing and the first most downstream position to form a first traveling electric field; a second electrodes that are located at a second most downstream position defining the certain distance with respect to the supply target and positions between the casing and the second most downstream position to form a second traveling electric field; a power circuit that supplies a first voltage and a second voltage having a same frequency respectively to the first electrodes and the second electrodes such that a phase of voltage change of a first most downstream electrode and a phase of voltage change of a second most downstream electrode shift with respect to each other.

Developer supply device

A developer supply apparatus is provided which supplies a toner to a supply object, the developer supply apparatus including a developer storage body which stores a powdery developer, and a transfer body which transfers the developer along the developer transfer path with traveling wave electric fields. The developer includes a toner having a predetermined charging characteristic and an electric neutralizer having an opposite charging characteristic, which is opposite to the predetermined charging characteristic.

Developer supply apparatus and image forming apparatus

There is provided a developer carrying device, including a first carrying body having a first electrode group configured to form a traveling electric field while being applied a voltage sequentially and to circulate charged developer through a facing portion with respect to a developer supply target; and a second carrying body having a second electrode group configured to form a traveling electric field while being applied a voltage sequentially and to circulate the developer through a facing part with respect to the first electrode group so that the developer being carried is supplied to the first carrying body.

Electrode configuration for carrying developer in a developer carrying device and image forming device

A developer supply device, comprising: a developer holding body having a circumferential surface and a rotation axis extending in a main scanning direction and being placed to face a supply target at a developer supply position; a carrying substrate that has a plurality of electrodes arranged along a direction intersecting with the main scanning direction and that carries a developer in a developer transport direction through a traveling electric field generated by application of a multiphase alternating voltage to the plurality of electrodes, the carrying substrate being located such that an end of the carrying substrate in the developer transport direction is positioned to face the developer holding body; and a voltage application unit configured to apply, to the plurality of electrodes and the developer holding body, the multiphase alternating voltage having alternating components synchronizing with each other.

A developer carrying device is provided with a group of carrying electrodes configured to form a traveling wave field as voltages are sequentially applied thereto, charged developer being carried by an effect of the traveling wave field, a developer carrying member having a surface on which the group of carrying electrodes are arranged, and a plurality of leveling electrodes provided above the surface and configured to form electric fields in a direction substantially along the surface, the plurality of leveling electrodes being needle like electrodes extending in a direction intersecting with the surface, the plurality of leveling electrodes being spaced from each other in a direction along the surface and intersecting with a direction in which the developer is carried.

Developer carrying device and image forming device

An image forming apparatus includes a liquid developer holding member and a bias voltage applying unit. The liquid developer holding member includes a conductive core member and a dielectric layer provided on an outer circumference of the core member, and the dielectric layer includes a dielectric material and has at least one concave portion formed on a surface thereof. The at least one concave portion of the dielectric layer holds therein a liquid developer containing a solid developer dispersed in a carrier liquid.

Image forming apparatus and liquid developer holding member including a core member and a dielectric layer with concave portions provided on an outer circumerence of the core member

There is provided an image formation device including a developer holding body having a developer holding surface; and a developer supply unit to supply the developer to a position facing the developer holding surface by carrying the developer in a developer transport direction intersecting with the main scanning direction through use of effect of an electric field. The developer supply unit includes a plurality of carrying electrodes each of which is formed to have a longer side extending along the main scanning direction. The carrying electrodes are arranged along the developer transport direction to carry the developer when a drive voltage is applied to the carrying electrodes. The developer supply unit has a developer carrying area formed such that, in the main scanning direction, the developer carrying area becomes narrower from an upstream side in the developer transport direction toward the position along the developer transport direction.

Image formation device and developer supply device

There is provided an image forming device, including an image holding unit configured to hold an image formed by developing material, a developing material case configured to accommodate the developing material and to have a supplying opening facing the image holding unit, a carrying unit having a plurality of carrying electrodes, the carrying unit being configured to carry the developing material accommodated in the developing material case toward the image holding unit by generating a traveling electric field through the plurality of carrying electrodes, at least one vibrator that vibrates the carrying unit, and a vibrating region moving unit configured to move a vibrating region vibrated by the at least one vibrator along the carrying unit in accordance with an amount of the developing material in the developing material case.

Image forming device having a developing material case with a moving vibrating region

A developer conveying device includes a first guide member, a second guide member, and a plurality of electrodes arranged on the first guide member and the second guide member. The first guide member forms a first section of a conveying path of a charged developer. The second guide member forms a second section of the conveying path which continues from the first section of the conveying path. The plurality of electrodes generate a traveling wave electric field that conveys the charged developer along the conveying path. A following rate at which the developer follows travel of the traveling wave electric field in the second section is different from the following rate in the first section.

Developer conveying device and image-forming apparatus with electrodes for conveying charged developer

In an image forming apparatus, a toner carry roller, the upstream surface of an aperture electrode unit and the downstream surface of the aperture electrode unit are processed so that the surface roughness values thereof are equal to about 2 .mu.m, 0.2 .mu.m or less and about 6 .mu.m in terms of Rz, respectively. Accordingly, at the upstream side of the toner supply direction, the friction coefficient between the toner and the upstream surface is smaller than that between the toner and the toner carry roller surface so that subsequently-supplied toner pushes previously-supplied toner to the apertures of the aperture electrode unit. At the downstream side of the toner supply direction, the friction coefficient between the toner and the toner carry member is smaller than that between the toner and the downstream surface, the toner which is carried and supplied by the toner carry roller is fed to the apertures where it is dammed up by the toner adhering to the downstream surface. The toner fed to the apertures is electrostatically attracted to a supporter side by control electric field and then flies onto the supporter, thereby forming picture elements.

Image forming apparatus using an aperture electrode with improved toner

An edge electrode member includes an insulating sheet preferably made of polyamide, a number of control electrodes and a control voltage applying circuit provided on the insulating sheet. The control electrodes are formed independently of each other at a recording edge portion of the edge electrode member. The recording edge portion member is disposed upstream of the recording position so that the direction of an electric field coincides with the transport direction of the support member when control of flows of toner powder is changed. The image forming apparatus can output an image of a high picture quality free from toner powder trailing.

Image forming apparatus

An edge electrode includes a plurality of control electrodes formed on an insulation sheet. The insulation sheet 2 is a 25 .mu.m thick layer of polymide. A recording surface is provided at a thickness side of the insulation sheet. The edge electrode is disposed so that the recording surface is adjacent to toner borne on a toner-bearing roller. A recording edge is provided as a narrow surface of the insulation sheet bordering the recording surface and confronting a back-electrode roller. The control electrodes are formed on the recording edge confronting a recording medium. Each control electrode is formed to about 1 .mu.m thick on the recording edge. The control electrodes are formed at an interval of about 125 .mu.m. The dimension of the control electrodes in the direction following the recording edge is about 100 .mu.m.

Image forming device having a control electrode for controlling toner

An apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium by deposition of a toner, including a particle-flow modulating electrode member having apertures formed therethrough and control electrodes corresponding to the apertures, a toner supply device including a toner carrier disposed on one of opposite sides of the electrode member, for carrying a layer of the toner to the apertures, and a voltage applying device for applying a controlled voltage to each control electrode, to thereby modulate flows of the toner particles through the apertures toward the recording medium located on the other side of the electrode member. The apparatus includes a device by which corresponding portions of the toner carrier and the particle-flow modulating electrode member which are adjacent to the apertures are biased against each other for contact therebetween.

Growing community of inventors

Aichi, Japan

Masataka Maeda