WET ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS

Abstract

A wet electrophotographic apparatus includes an intermediate transcriptional unit that includes a rubber member on a surface thereof, the intermediate transcriptional unit being configured to transcribe a toner image formed by toner held on a surface of the rubber member onto a printed subject, a cleaning solution applying unit configured to apply cleaning solution to the surface of the rubber member after transcribing the toner image onto the printed subject, and a toner removing unit configured to have a higher stiffness than that of the rubber member and to be in contact with the rubber member under a predetermined pressure so as to remove residual toner, which is left on the intermediate transcriptional unit even after transcribing the toner image onto the printed subject, with the cleaning solution.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 schematically shows a configuration of a wet electrophotographic apparatus in a first embodiment according to one or more aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a portion of the wet electrophotographic apparatus in the first embodiment according to one or more aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 3 schematically shows a configuration of a carrier solution conveying unit in the first embodiment according to one or more aspects of the present invention.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are illustrations for explaining how residual toner on an intermediate transcriptional roller is scraped by a fourth blade in the first embodiment according to one or more aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 5 schematically shows a portion of a wet electrophotographic apparatus in a second embodiment according to one or more aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 6 schematically shows a portion of a wet electrophotographic apparatus in a third embodiment according to one or more aspects of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wet electrophotographic apparatus, comprising: an intermediate transcriptional unit that includes a rubber member on a surface thereof, the intermediate transcriptional unit being configured to transcribe a toner image formed by toner held on a surface of the rubber member onto a printed subject;a cleaning solution applying unit configured to apply cleaning solution to the surface of the rubber member after transcribing the toner image onto the printed subject; anda toner removing unit configured to have a higher stiffness than that of the rubber member and to be in contact with the rubber member under a predetermined pressure so as to remove residual toner, which is left on the intermediate transcriptional unit even after transcribing the toner image onto the printed subject, with the cleaning solution.

2. The wet electrophotographic apparatus according claim 1, wherein the toner removing unit is formed from rubber with a rubber hardness of 60° to 80°.

3. The wet electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rubber member included in the intermediate transcriptional unit is configured to have a JIS K6253 hardness of 20 to 60.

4. The wet electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rubber member included in the intermediate transcriptional unit is configured to have a surface roughness of 1 μm to 5 μm in a value of ten-point height of irregularities.

5. The wet electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the toner removing unit is configured as a plate blade that mechanically scrapes the residual toner away from the intermediate transcriptional unit.

6. The wet electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the toner removing unit is configured as a cleaning roller, to which a predetermined bias voltage with a polarity opposite to the toner is applied, so as to mechanically scrape and electrostatically attract the residual toner away from the intermediate transcriptional unit.

7. The wet electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a bias voltage higher than that applied to the intermediate transcriptional unit is applied to the toner removing unit.

8. The wet electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning solution applying unit is provided with a function of a cleaning roller, to which a predetermined bias voltage with a polarity opposite to the toner is applied, so as to mechanically scrape and electrostatically attract the residual toner away from the intermediate transcriptional unit.

9. The wet electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a bias voltage higher than that applied to the intermediate transcriptional unit is applied to the cleaning solution applying unit.

10. The wet electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning solution is carrier solution for conveying the toner.

11. The wet electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 1, further includes a cleaning solution supplying unit configured to supply carrier solution for conveying the toner as the cleaning solution to the cleaning solution applying unit.

12. The wet electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the cleaning solution applying unit is shaped as a roller that is configured to be rotated around a rotational axis thereof, andwherein the cleaning solution supplying unit includes a cleaning solution conveying mechanism that is configured to be helical and rotated around a rotational axis parallel to the rotational axis of the cleaning solution applying unit so that the cleaning solution can be conveyed along the rotational axis of the cleaning solution applying unit accompanying rotation of the cleaning solution conveying mechanism.

13. The wet electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 1, further includes a cleaning solution supplying unit configured to supply waste liquid, ejected from the wet electrophotographic apparatus, which includes carrier solution for conveying the toner, as the cleaning solution to the cleaning solution applying unit.

14. The wet electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 13, further includes a photoconductive drum configured to transcribe the toner image onto the intermediate transcriptional unit, wherein the cleaning solution supplying unit is configured to supply waste liquid, ejected from the photoconductive drum after transcribing the toner image onto the intermediate transcriptional unit, as the cleaning solution to the cleaning solution applying unit.

15. The wet electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the cleaning solution applying unit is shaped as a roller that is configured to be rotated around a rotational axis thereof, andwherein the cleaning solution supplying unit includes a cleaning solution conveying mechanism that is configured to be helical and rotated around a rotational axis parallel to the rotational axis of the cleaning solution applying unit so that the cleaning solution can be conveyed along the rotational axis of the cleaning solution applying unit accompanying rotation of the cleaning solution conveying mechanism.

16. A wet electrophotographic apparatus, comprising: a photoconductive drum configured to electrostatically attract toner onto an electrostatic latent image formed thereon so as to form a toner image corresponding to the latent image;an intermediate transcriptional unit that includes a rubber member on a surface thereof, the toner image being transcribed onto a surface of the rubber member of the intermediate transcriptional unit, the intermediate transcriptional unit being configured to transcribe the toner image on the surface of the rubber member onto a printed subject;a cleaning solution applying unit configured to apply cleaning solution to the surface of the rubber member after transcribing the toner image onto the printed subject;a cleaning solution supplying unit configured to supply waste liquid including carrier solution for conveying the toner, which has been ejected from the photoconductive drum after transcribing the toner image onto the intermediate transcriptional unit, as the cleaning solution to the cleaning solution applying unit; anda toner removing unit configured to have a higher stiffness than that of the rubber member and to be in contact with the rubber member under a predetermined pressure so as to remove residual toner, which is left on the intermediate transcriptional unit even after transcribing the toner image onto the printed subject, with the cleaning solution.

17. The wet electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 16, wherein a predetermined bias voltage with a polarity opposite to the toner is applied to the toner removing unit so that the toner removing unit can electrostatically attract the residual toner left on the intermediate transcriptional unit.