Liquid development apparatus, liquid development method, and image forming apparatus and image forming method using liquid development

A liquid development apparatus in which an electrostatic latent image formed on an image carrier is developed by means of a liquid developer including charged toner dispersed in a carrier liquid, comprising:

• a liquid developer carrier which transports said liquid developer toward a predetermined developing position while carrying said liquid developer on its surface;
• density adjusting means which performs adjustment of a toner density in said liquid developer on said liquid developer carrier;
• a container which holds said liquid developer;
• liquid developer supplying means which supplies said liquid developer held in said container to said liquid developer carrier,
• wherein said density adjusting means controls an amount of toner contained in said liquid developer which is supplied to said liquid developer carrier from said container by said liquid developer supplying means, whereby said adjustment is performed, wherein
• said liquid developer supplying means comprises a liquid developer coating member which carries said liquid developer held in said container on its surface, brings thus carried liquid developer into contact with said liquid developer carrier and makes a portion of said liquid developer move toward said liquid developer carrier to thereby make said liquid developer carrier carry said liquid developer, and
• said density adjusting means controls the amount of toner contained in said portion of said liquid developer which moves toward said liquid developer carrier from said liquid developer coating member.

A liquid development apparatus in which an electrostatic latent image formed on an image carrier is developed by means of a liquid developer including charged toner dispersed in a carrier liquid, comprising:

• a liquid developer carrier which transports said liquid developer toward a predetermined developing position while carrying said liquid developer on its surface;
• density adjusting means which performs adjustment of a toner density in said liquid developer on said liquid developer carrier;
• a container which holds said liquid developer;
• and
• a plurality of liquid developer supplying means which supply said liquid developer held in said container to said liquid developer carrier,
• wherein said density adjusting means controls an amount of toner contained in said liquid developer supplied from said container to said liquid developer carrier by each one of said plurality of liquid developer supplying means, whereby said adjustment is performed.

A liquid development apparatus in which an electrostatic latent image formed on an image carrier is developed by means of a liquid developer including charged toner dispersed in a carrier liquid, comprising:

• a liquid developer carrier which transports said liquid developer toward a predetermined developing position while carrying said liquid developer on its surface;
• density adjusting means which performs adjustment of a toner density in said liquid developer on said liquid developer carrier;
• a container which holds said liquid developer,
• wherein said density adjusting means comprises at least one stripping member which is disposed facing against an area on said liquid developer carrier located on a downstream side to said developing position along liquid developer transporting direction for transportation by said liquid developer carrier, and which contacts said liquid developer remaining on said liquid developer carrier after the end of development and accordingly strips off a portion of said liquid developer,
• an amount of toner contained in said portion of said liquid developer stripped off by said stripping member is controlled, whereby said adjustment is performed, and
• said portion of said liquid developer stripped off by said stripping member is returned back to said container.

A liquid development apparatus in which an electrostatic latent image formed on an image carrier is developed by means of a liquid developer including charged toner dispersed in a carrier liquid, comprising:

• a liquid developer carrier which transports said liquid developer toward a predetermined developing position while carrying said liquid developer on its surface;
• density adjusting means which performs adjustment of a toner density in said liquid developer on said liquid developer carrier;
• a container which holds said liquid developer;
• and
• a cleaning member which removes said liquid developer remaining on said liquid developer carrier at a cleaning position on said liquid developer carrier located on a downstream side to said developing position along a liquid developer transporting direction for transportation by said liquid developer carrier,
• wherein said density adjusting means comprises at least one stripping member which is disposed facing against an area on said liquid developer carrier extending from said developing position to said cleaning position, and which contacts said liquid developer remaining on said liquid developer carrier after the end of development and accordingly strips off a portion of said liquid developer,
• an amount of toner contained in said portion of said liquid developer stripped off by said stripping member is controlled, whereby said adjustment is performed,
• said cleaning member removes said liquid developer remaining on said liquid developer carrier after said stripping member has stripped off said portion of said liquid developer, and
• said liquid developer removed by said cleaning member is returned back to said container.

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

• exposure means which forms an electrostatic latent image on a surface of an image carrier;
• developing means which develops said electrostatic latent image by means of a liquid developer including charged toner dispersed in a carrier liquid and accordingly forms a toner image;
• transfer means which transfers said toner image thus formed onto a transfer medium,
• wherein said developing means comprises a liquid developer carrier which transports said liquid developer toward a predetermined developing position while carrying said liquid developer on its surface, and density adjusting means which performs adjustment of a toner density in said liquid developer on said liquid developer carrier;
• and
• optical density detecting means which detects an optical density of a toner image which is obtained as said developing means develops said electrostatic latent image,
• wherein said density adjusting means performs said adjustment based on said optical density thus detected.

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

• an image carrier structured to carry an electrostatic latent image on its surface;
• a container which holds a liquid developer including charged toner dispersed in a carrier liquid;
• a liquid developer carrier which transports said liquid developer toward a predetermined developing position while carrying said liquid developer on its surface, brings said liquid developer into contact with said image carrier at said developing position, and accordingly supplies said liquid developer to said image carrier;
• image forming means which makes toner contained in said liquid developer supplied to said image carrier from said liquid developer carrier adhere to said image carrier, visualizes said electrostatic latent image and accordingly forms a toner image;
• and
• collecting means which collects said carrier liquid contained in said liquid developer supplied from said liquid developer carrier at said developing position and adhering to said image carrier, and returns said carrier liquid back into said container,
• wherein a returning amount of said carrier liquid returned by said collecting means back into said container is adjustable.

An image forming method in which an electrostatic latent image formed on an image carrier is developed by means of a liquid developer including charged toner dispersed in a carrier liquid, comprising:

• a liquid developer supplying step of transporting said liquid developer toward a predetermined developing position while carrying said liquid developer on a surface of a liquid developer carrier, bringing said liquid developer into contact with said image carrier at said developing position, and accordingly supplying said liquid developer to said image carrier;
• an image forming step of making toner contained in said liquid developer supplied to said image carrier from said liquid developer carrier adhere to said image carrier, visualizing said electrostatic latent image and accordingly forming a toner image;
• and
• a collecting step of collecting said carrier liquid contained in said liquid developer supplied from said liquid developer carrier at said developing position and adhering to said image carrier, and returning said carrier liquid back into said container,
• wherein said returning amount of said carrier liquid returned back to said container at said collecting step is adjusted.

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

• an image carrier structured to carry an electrostatic latent image on its surface;
• a liquid developer carrier which transports a liquid developer including charged toner dispersed in a carrier liquid toward a predetermined developing position while carrying said liquid developer on its surface, brings said liquid developer into contact with said image carrier at said developing position, and accordingly supplies said liquid developer to said image carrier;
• and
• image forming means which makes toner contained in said liquid developer supplied to said image carrier from said liquid developer carrier adhere to said image carrier, visualizes said electrostatic latent image and accordingly forms a toner image,
• wherein a consumption amount of said carrier liquid which is consumed for formation of the toner image is adjusted.

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

• an image carrier structured to carry an electrostatic latent image on its surface;
• a liquid developer carrier which transports a liquid developer including charged toner dispersed in a carrier liquid toward a predetermined developing position while carrying said liquid developer on its surface, brings said liquid developer into contact with said image carrier at said developing position, and accordingly supplies said liquid developer to said image carrier;
• image forming means which makes toner contained in said liquid developer supplied to said image carrier from said liquid developer carrier adhere to said image carrier, visualizes said electrostatic latent image and accordingly forms a toner image;
• transfer means which transfers the toner image on said image carrier onto a transfer medium at a predetermined transfer position;
• and
• stripping means which strips off said carrier liquid from said liquid developer on said image carrier in a developed image carrying area which extends from said developing position to said transfer position,
• wherein a stripping amount of said carrier liquid which is stripped off by said stripping means is adjustable.

An image forming method, comprising:

• an image forming step of transporting a liquid developer including charged toner dispersed in a carrier liquid toward a predetermined developing position, making toner contained in said liquid developer adhere to an image carrier at said developing position, visualizing an electrostatic latent image formed on said image carrier, and accordingly forming a toner image;
• a transfer step of transferring the toner image on said image carrier onto a transfer medium at a predetermined transfer position;
• and
• a stripping step of stripping off said carrier liquid from said liquid developer on said image carrier in a developed image carrying area which extends from said developing position to said transfer position,
• wherein a stripping amount of said carrier liquid at said stripping step is adjusted.

An image forming apparatus in which developing means is positioned to a predetermined development-permitting position relative to a latent image carrier which moves in a predetermined travel direction while carrying an electrostatic latent image on its surface, a liquid developer including charged toner dispersed in a carrier liquid is accordingly supplied from said developing means to said latent image carrier, said electrostatic latent image is visualized and a toner image is formed, said apparatus comprising:

• an image carrier structured to carry N toner images (where N is an integer equal to or larger than 2) in a direction which corresponds to said travel direction;
• and
• transfer means which transfers the toner image on said latent image carrier onto said image carrier,
• wherein said developing means is structured to move between said development-permitting position and a clear-off position which is off said latent image carrier and at which therefore said liquid developer does not contact said latent image carrier, and
• when said image carrier is to carry (N−1) or fewer toner images, said developing means is positioned to said clear-off position so as to be responsive to a non-carrying area which does not carry a toner image.

An image forming apparatus, comprising:

• a latent image carrier structured to carry an electrostatic latent image on its surface;
• a liquid developer carrier which transports a liquid developer including charged toner dispersed in a carrier liquid toward a predetermined developing position while carrying said liquid developer on its surface, brings said liquid developer into contact with said latent image carrier at said developing position, and accordingly supplies said liquid developer to said latent image carrier;
• image forming means which makes toner contained in said liquid developer supplied to said latent image carrier from said liquid developer carrier adhere to said latent image carrier, visualizes said electrostatic latent image and accordingly forms a toner image;
• an image carrier structured to carry on its surface the toner image formed on said latent image carrier;
• and
• transfer means which transfers the toner image on said latent image carrier onto the surface of said image carrier at a predetermined transfer position,
• wherein said liquid developer carrier is structured to move between a development-permitting position, at which said liquid developer on said liquid developer carrier is brought into contact with said latent image carrier at said developing position, and a clear-off position at which said liquid developer on said liquid developer carrier does not contact said latent image carrier,
• said image carrier is formed by a rotation member whose surface moves passed said transfer position when said rotating member rotates, and the circumference of said image carrier is capable of carrying N toner images (where N is an integer equal to or larger than 2) in the rotation direction, and
• at the time of transfer of (N−1) or fewer toner images by said transfer means onto the circumference of said image carrier, during a period which corresponds to a non-transfer area on said image carrier, said liquid developer carrier retracts to said clear-off position from said development-permitting position.