Electrostatic transportation device, development device and image formation apparatus

An image formation apparatus which causes fine particles to adhere to a latent image carrier to develop a latent image on the latent image carrier, comprising:

• an electrostatic transportation device which moves fine particles by an electrostatic force, and which has a transporting base plate which performs hopping of the fine particles in the vicinity of the latent image carrier by an electrostatic force, the transporting base plate having a plurality of electrodes which generates an electric field which performs transporting and hopping of the fine particles by an electrostatic force, wherein a width of each of the electrodes in a traveling direction of the fine particles is set to be in a range of 1 time to 20 times an average particle diameter of the fine particles, a pitch between the electrodes in the traveling direction of the fine particles is set to be in a range of 1 time to 20 times the average particle diameter of the fine particles, and driving waveforms of n phases or more (n is an integer of 3 or more) are applied to respective electrodes;
• wherein a driving waveform which is applied to the electrodes of the transporting base plate which transports the fine particles by an electrostatic force and a driving waveform which is applied to the electrodes of the transporting base plate which performs hopping of the fine particles are different in frequency and/or voltage application duty cycle.

An image formation apparatus which causes fine particles to adhere to a latent image carrier to develop a latent image on the latent image carrier, comprising:

• an electrostatic transportation device which moves fine particles by an electrostatic force and which has a transporting base plate which transports the fine particles towards a developing section side by an electrostatic force, the transporting base plate having a plurality of electrodes which generates an electric field which performs transporting and hopping of the fine particles by an electrostatic force, wherein a width of each of the electrodes in a traveling direction of the fine particles is set to be in a range of 1 time to 20 times an average particle diameter of the fine particles, a pitch between the electrodes in the traveling direction of the fine particles is set to be in a range of 1 time to 20 times the average particle diameter of the fine particles, and driving waveforms of n phases or more (n is an integer of 3 or more) are applied to respective electrodes;
• and
• an electrostatic transportation device which moves fine particles by an electrostatic force, and which has a transporting base plate which performs hopping of the transporting fine particles in the vicinity of the latent image carrier by an electrostatic force, the transporting base plate having a plurality of electrodes which generates an electric field which performs transporting and hopping of the fine particles by an electrostatic force, wherein a width of each of the electrodes in a traveling direction of the fine particles is set to be in a range of 1 time to 20 times an average particle diameter of the fine particles, a pitch between the electrodes in the traveling direction of the fine particles is set to be in a range of 1 time to 20 times the average particle diameter of the fine particles, and driving waveforms of n phases or more (n is an integer of 3 or more) are applied to respective electrodes;
• wherein a width and/or an electrode pitch, in the travelling direction of the fine particles, of the electrodes of the transporting base plate which perform hopping of the fine particles in the vicinity of the latent image carrier by an electrostatic force is narrower than a width and/or an electrode pitch, in the travelling direction of fine particles, of the electrodes of the transporting base plate which transport the fine particles towards the developing section by an electrostatic force.

An image formation apparatus which causes fine particles to adhere to a latent image carrier to develop a latent image on the latent image carrier, comprising:

• an electrostatic transportation device which moves fine particles by an electrostatic force and which has a transporting base plate which transports the fine particles towards a developing section side by an electrostatic force, the transporting base plate having a plurality of electrodes which generates an electric field which performs transporting and hopping of the fine particles by an electrostatic force, wherein a width of each of the electrodes in a traveling direction of the fine particles is set to be in a range of 1 time to 20 times an average particle diameter of the fine particles, a pitch between the electrodes in the traveling direction of the fine particles is set to be in a range of 1 time to 20 times the average particle diameter of the fine particles, and driving waveforms of n phases or more (n is an integer of 3 or more) are applied to respective electrodes;
• and
• an electrostatic transportation device which moves fine particles by an electrostatic force, and which has a transporting base plate which performs hopping of the transporting fine particles in the vicinity of the latent image carrier by an electrostatic force, the transporting base plate having a plurality of electrodes which generates an electric field which performs transporting and hopping of the fine particles by an electrostatic force, wherein a width of each of the electrodes in a traveling direction of the fine particles is set to be in a range of 1 time to 20 times an average particle diameter of the fine particles, a pitch between the electrodes in the traveling direction of the fine particles is set to be in a range of 1 time to 20 times the average particle diameter of the fine particles, and driving waveforms of n phases or more (n is an integer of 3 or more) are applied to respective electrodes;
• wherein a vertical field intensity at a height position corresponding to the average diameter of each fine particle on the surface in the vicinity of the electrode center of the surface of the transporting base plate which performs hopping of the fine particles by an electrostatic force is 1×106 V/m or more.

An image formation apparatus which causes fine particles to adhere to a latent image carrier to develop a latent image on the latent image carrier, comprising:

• an electrostatic transportation device which moves fine particles by an electrostatic force and which has a transporting base plate which transports the fine particles towards a developing section side by an electrostatic force, the transporting base plate having a plurality of electrodes which generates an electric field which performs transporting and hopping of the fine particles by an electrostatic force, wherein a width of each of the electrodes in a traveling direction of the fine particles is set to be in a range of 1 time to 20 times an average particle diameter of the fine particles, a pitch between the electrodes in the traveling direction of the fine particles is set to be in a range of 1 time to 20 times the average particle diameter of the fine particles, and driving waveforms of n phases or more (n is an integer of 3 or more) are applied to respective electrodes;
• and
• an electrostatic transportation device which moves fine particles by an electrostatic force, and which has a transporting base plate which performs hopping of the transporting fine particles in the vicinity of the latent image carrier by an electrostatic force, the transporting base plate having a plurality of electrodes which generates an electric field which performs transporting and hopping of the fine particles by an electrostatic force, wherein a width of each of the electrodes in a traveling direction of the fine particles is set to be in a range of 1 time to 20 times an average particle diameter of the fine particles, a pitch between the electrodes in the traveling direction of the fine particles is set to be in a range of 1 time to 20 times the average particle diameter of the fine particles, and driving waveforms of n phases or more (n is an integer of 3 or more) are applied to respective electrodes;
• wherein a spacing between the latent image carrier and the surface of the transporting base plate which performs hopping of the fine particles by an electrostatic force is in a range of 2 to 10 times a hopping height of the fine particles.

An image formation apparatus which causes fine particles to adhere to a latent image carrier to develop a latent image on the latent image carrier, comprising:

• an electrostatic transportation device which moves fine particles by an electrostatic force and which has a transporting base plate which transports the fine particles towards a developing section side by an electrostatic force, the transporting base plate having a plurality of electrodes which generates an electric field which performs transporting and hopping of the fine particles by an electrostatic force, wherein a width of each of the electrodes in a traveling direction of the fine particles is set to be in a range of 1 time to 20 times an average particle diameter of the fine particles, a pitch between the electrodes in the traveling direction of the fine particles is set to be in a range of 1 time to 20 times the average particle diameter of the fine particles, and driving waveforms of n phases or more (n is an integer of 3 or more) are applied to respective electrodes;
• and
• an electrostatic transportation device which moves fine particles by an electrostatic force, and which has a transporting base plate which performs hopping of the transporting fine particles in the vicinity of the latent image carrier by an electrostatic force, the transporting base plate having a plurality of electrodes which generates an electric field which performs transporting and hopping of the fine particles by an electrostatic force,
• wherein a width of each of the electrodes in a traveling direction of the fine particles is set to be in a range of 1 time to 20 times an average particle diameter of the fine particles, a pitch between the electrodes in the traveling direction of the fine particles is set to be in a range of 1 time to 20 times the average particle diameter of the fine particles, and driving waveforms of n phases or more (n is an integer of 3 or more) are applied to respective electrodes;
• wherein a spacing between the latent image carrier and the surface of the transporting base plate which performs hopping of the fine particles by an electrostatic force is in a range of ½ to 2 times a hopping height of the fine particles.

An image formation apparatus which causes fine particles to adhere to a latent image carrier to develop a latent image on the latent image carrier, comprising:

• an electrostatic transportation device which moves fine particles by an electrostatic force and which has a transporting base plate which transports the fine particles towards a developing section side by an electrostatic force, the transporting base plate having a plurality of electrodes which generates an electric field which performs transporting and hopping of the fine particles by an electrostatic force, wherein a width of each of the electrodes in a traveling direction of the fine particles is set to be in a range of 1 time to 20 times an average particle diameter of the fine particles, a pitch between the electrodes in the traveling direction of the fine particles is set to be in a range of 1 time to 20 times the average particle diameter of the fine particles, and driving waveforms of n phases or more (n is an integer of 3 or more) are applied to respective electrodes;
• and
• an electrostatic transportation device which moves fine particles by an electrostatic force, and which has a transporting base plate which performs hopping of the transporting fine particles in the vicinity of the latent image carrier by an electrostatic force, the transporting base plate having a plurality of electrodes which generates an electric field which performs transporting and hopping of the fine particles by an electrostatic force, wherein a width of each of the electrodes in a traveling direction of the fine particles is set to be in a range of 1 time to 20 times an average particle diameter of the fine particles, a pitch between the electrodes in the traveling direction of the fine particles is set to be in a range of 1 time to 20 times the average particle diameter of the fine particles, and driving waveforms of n phases or more (n is an integer of 3 or more) are applied to respective electrodes;
• wherein driving waveforms where at least one phase is different in polarity from another phase are applied to the electrodes of the transporting base plate which performs hopping of the fine particles by an electrostatic force.

An image formation apparatus which causes fine particles to adhere to a latent image carrier to develop a latent image on the latent image carrier, comprising:

• an electrostatic transportation device which moves fine particles by an electrostatic force and which has a transporting base plate which transports the fine particles towards a developing section side by an electrostatic force, the transporting base plate having a plurality of electrodes which generates an electric field which performs transporting and hopping of the fine particles by an electrostatic force, wherein a width of each of the electrodes in a traveling direction of the fine particles is set to be in a range of 1 time to 20 times an average particle diameter of the fine particles, a pitch between the electrodes in the traveling direction of the fine particles is set to be in a range of 1 time to 20 times the average particle diameter of the fine particles, and driving waveforms of n phases or more (n is an integer of 3 or more) are applied to respective electrodes;
• and
• an electrostatic transportation device which moves fine particles by an electrostatic force, and which has a transporting base plate which performs hopping of the transporting fine particles in the vicinity of the latent image carrier by an electrostatic force, the transporting base plate having a plurality of electrodes which generates an electric field which performs transporting and hopping of the fine particles by an electrostatic force, wherein a width of each of the electrodes in a traveling direction of the fine particles is set to be in a range of 1 time to 20 times an average particle diameter of the fine particles, a pitch between the electrodes in the traveling direction of the fine particles is set to be in a range of 1 time to 20 times the average particle diameter of the fine particles, and driving waveforms of n phases or more (n is an integer of 3 or more) are applied to respective electrodes;
• wherein a driving waveform which is applied to the electrodes of the transporting base plate which transport the fine particles by an electrostatic force and a driving waveform which is applied to the electrodes of the transporting base plate which perform hopping of the fine particles are different in frequency and/or voltage application duty cycle.