Electrophotographic apparatus and method for preventing the lowering of a charging voltage at a photoreceptor

An electrophotographic apparatus, comprising:

• a photoreceptor comprising amorphous silicon;
• means for charging a surface area of the photoreceptor;
• means for forming an electrostatic latent image on the surface area of the photoreceptor;
• means for developing the latent image by a developing agent into a visual image;
• means for transferring the visual image onto a copying sheet;
• means for removing the agent remaining of the surface area of the photoreceptor after the image transfer has been performed by said transfer means;
• means for discharging the surface area of the photoreceptor by a light illumination, said discharging means including a lamp for directing light onto the surface area of said photoreceptor for illumination;
• and
• light shielding means for shielding the light directed from said discharging means onto the surface area of the photoreceptor which has been charged by said charging means, said light shielding means including a plate-like shielding member of such a type that at least a portion thereof in contact with said photoreceptor is made of a material whose hardness is lower than that of amorphous silicon.

An electrophotographic apparatus, comprising:

• a photoreceptor comprising amorphous silicon;
• means for charging a surface area of the photoreceptor;
• means for forming an electrostatic latent image on the surface area of the photoreceptor;
• means for developing the latent image by a developing agent into a visual image;
• means for transferring the visual image onto a copying sheet;
• means for removing the agent remaining of the surface area of the photoreceptor after the image transfer has been performed by said transfer means;
• means for discharging the surface area of the photoreceptor by a light illumination, said discharging means including a lamp for directing light onto the surface area of said photoreceptor for illumination;
• and
• light shielding means for shielding the light directed from said discharging means onto the surface area of the photoreceptor which has been charged by said charging means, said light shielding means including a plate-like shielding member of such a type that a reflection film is formed at least on that portion thereof where said discharging means is provided.