An apparatus and method for image formation with a liquid developer

A liquid developer image forming apparatus, using a liquid developer containing a solvent and a plurality of toner particles, comprising;

• a latent image retaining body comprising a photosensitive layer, the photosensitive layer configured to retain a latent image comprising image and non-image regions and having a relative dielectric constant εp [C2/Nm2], and an average thickness dp [m];
• a developing surface facing the latent image retaining body at a development station, the developing surface being supplied with an electrical potential for a development and configured to provide the liquid developer to the latent image retaining body;
• and
• a squeezing surface facing the latent image retaining body at a squeezing station, the squeezing surface being supplied with an electrical potential for squeezing, the electrical potential for squeezing having an electrical potential difference ΔV1 [V] from an electrical potential of the non-image region of the photosensitive layer, the latent image retaining body supporting an image of the liquid developer, the plurality of toner particles of the image at the squeezing station having a relative dielectric constant ε0r [C2/Nm2], an average radius r [m], a density of electrical charge q0r [C/kg], a volume density of toner particles ρ0m [kg/m3], and a surface density m0r [kg/m2], the image of the liquid developer at the squeezing station having an average thickness d0r [m], the first liquid developer having an average thickness dt [m] at the squeezing station, and a relative dielectric constant εt [C2/Nm2];
• wherein the following equations are satisfied,
• 16 6 × 10 - 11 ⁡ [ N ] ≤ 4 ⁢ ⁢ π ⁢ ⁢ r 3 ⁢ ρ 0 ⁢ m ⁢ q 0 ⁢ r 3 ⁢ ( - q 0 ⁢ r ⁢ m 0 ⁢ r ϵ 0 ⁢ r ⁢ d 0 ⁢ r ⁢ ( d 0 ⁢ r - 1 A ⁢ d 0 ⁢ r m 0 ⁢ r ⁢ ( - Δ ⁢ ⁢ V q 0 ⁢ r + ( d 0 ⁢ r 2 ⁢ ⁢ ϵ 0 ⁢ r + d t ϵ t ) ⁢ m 0 ⁢ r ) ) ) ≤ 3 × 10 - 9 ⁡ [ N ] , and ⁢ ⁢ A = d p ϵ p + d 0 ⁢ r ϵ 0 ⁢ r + d t ϵ t .

An image developing method comprising;

• providing a first liquid developer on a latent image retaining body at a first development station, the latent image retaining body having a photosensitive layer, the photosensitive layer retaining a first latent image having image and non-image regions, the first liquid developer comprising a solvent and a plurality of toner particles, the photosensitive layer having a relative dielectric constant εp [C2/Nm2] and an average thickness dp [m];
• forming a second latent image on the photosensitive layer retaining an image of the first liquid developer, the second latent image having image and a non-image regions, and
• providing a second liquid developer on the latent image retaining body by means of a developing surface at a second development station, the toner particles of the first liquid developer at the second development station having a volume density ρm [kg/m3], a relative dielectric constant εr [C2/Nm2], an average radius r[m], a density of electric charge qr [C/kg], and a surface density mr [kg/m2], the image of the first liquid developer at the second development station having an average thickness dr [m], the second liquid developer having an average thickness dt [m] at the second development station and a relative dielectric constant εr [C2/Nm2], the electrical potential of the non-image region of the second latent image having an electrical potential difference ΔV [V] from an electrical potential of the development surface, wherein the following equations are satisfied,
• 17 1 × 10 - 11 ⁡ [ N ] ≤ 4 ⁢ ⁢ π ⁢ ⁢ r 3 ⁢ ρ m ⁢ q r 3 ⁢ ( - q r ⁢ m r ϵ r ⁢ d r ⁢ ( d r - 1 A ⁢ d r m r ⁢ ( - Δ ⁢ ⁢ V q r + ( d r 2 ⁢ ⁢ ϵ r + d t ϵ t ) ⁢ m r ) ) ) ≤ 8 × 10 - 9 ⁡ [ N ] , and ⁢ ⁢ A = d p ϵ p + d r ϵ r + d t ϵ t .

An image developing method comprising

• developing a latent image formed on a photosensitive surface of a latent image retaining body with a liquid developer containing a solvent and a plurality of toner particles, the photosensitive layer having a relative dielectric constant εp [C2/Nm2] and an average thickness dp [m];
• and
• squeezing the solvent formed on the latent image retaining body by means of a squeezing surface at a squeezing station, the squeezing surface being supplied with a electrical potential having an electrical potential difference εV1 [V] with an electrical potential of the non-image region of the photosensitive layer, the plurality of toner particles of the image having a relative dielectric constant ε0r [C2/Nm2], an average radius r [m], and a density of electrical charge q0r [C/kg], a volume density of toner particles ρ0m [kg/m3], and a surface density m0r [kg/m2], the image at the squeezing station having an average thickness d0r [m] at the squeezing station, the liquid developer having an average thickness dt [m] at the squeezing station, and a relative dielectric constant εt [C2/Nm2], wherein the following equations are satisfied,
• 18 6 × 10 - 11 ⁡ [ N ] ≤ 4 ⁢ ⁢ π ⁢ ⁢ r 3 ⁢ ρ 0 ⁢ m ⁢ q 0 ⁢ r 3 ⁢ ( - q 0 ⁢ r ⁢ m 0 ⁢ r ϵ 0 ⁢ r ⁢ d 0 ⁢ r ⁢ ( d 0 ⁢ r - 1 A ⁢ d 0 ⁢ r m 0 ⁢ r ⁢ ( - Δ ⁢ ⁢ V q 0 ⁢ r + ( d 0 ⁢ r 2 ⁢ ⁢ ϵ 0 ⁢ r + d t ϵ t ) ⁢ m 0 ⁢ r ) ) ) ≤ 3 × 10 - 9 ⁡ [ N ] , and ⁢ ⁢ A = d p ϵ p + d 0 ⁢ r ϵ 0 ⁢ r + d t ϵ t .