JPS6063564A - Image forming method and its device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To form an image having an extremely high quality by executing an image exposure from the inside to a photosensitive body on which a toner is applied uniformly, removing the toner whose adhering force has dropped, and transferring a remaining toner image of a black ground part of an original. CONSTITUTION:As for a photoconductive drum 30, a light transmitting conductive layer and a photoconductive layer are formed on a light transmitting substrate, they are charged electrostatically by a charger 31, and a toner of a toner applying device 32 is applied uniformly. Subsequently, when an image exposure is executed from the inside of the drum 30 by an image exposing device 33, a toner whose adhering force has been weakened is collected into a collecting device 34, a toner image corresponding to a black ground part of an original is left on the surface of the drum, and this image is transferred to a transfer material 37 by applying a DC whose polarity is opposite to the toner, to an opposed electrode 35a. Therefore, deterioration of the image quality due to influence of an edge effect does not occur, and an optical intensity is taken enough, and accordingly, the image which causes no density drop and has an extremely high quality can be formed.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to an image forming method and apparatus for printers, copying machines, etc., and particularly to an image forming method for forming a toner image using a photoreceptor having a photoconductive layer. and regarding equipment.

[Technical background of the invention and its problems] In recent years, with the development of office automation, printers, copiers, facsimile machines,
There is an increasing demand for improved performance of hard copy devices and the like as computer output terminals. In particular, the ability to use plain paper as recording paper; 2) high image quality;
There are strong demands for excellent maintenance and reliability. Inkjet recording and thermal transfer recording were developed to meet these demands.

Recording devices using various methods such as electrophotographic recording have been developed.

Among these, inkjet recording has maintenance and reliability problems such as nozzle clogging due to ink, and thermal transfer recording has the ink film consumed while leaving unused ink behind, leaving a negative image on the ink film.
There are problems with economy and confidentiality. Furthermore, it is relatively difficult to obtain high image quality in both cases. In contrast, electrophotographic recording is attracting attention as a technology that can relatively easily obtain high quality images.

A typical image forming method currently in practical use that applies electrophotographic recording is to develop an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoreceptor by image exposure, and then print a toner image on plain paper. Examples include the xerographic method, in which a toner image is transferred onto a transfer material such as, to obtain a copy, and the electrofax method, in which a toner image is formed on a photoreceptor to obtain a copy. All of these methods require a development step, making the equipment complex and expensive. In addition, there are fundamental problems caused by developing an electrostatic latent image, such as blanking due to the edge effect that occurs due to the difference in electric field strength between the center and the edge of the latent image, even though the latent image has a uniform charge distribution. It has image quality deterioration factors such as ghosting.

As an attempt to eliminate these drawbacks of electrophotographic recording, US Pat.
-22645, JP-A-49-76531, etc. are known. All of the techniques described in these publications uniformly apply a charged photoconductive toner onto a grounded conductive support and perform imagewise exposure to form a bond between the support and the photoconductive toner. The photoconductive toner is transferred from the support to the transfer material after the electrostatic attraction is weakened or removed according to the image configuration.

However, in this method, the light does not sufficiently reach the lower part of the photoconductive toner (conductive support) during image exposure, and the contact resistance between the photoconductive toners is large, so the charge on the toner is Due to the fact that the light does not reach the conductive support during exposure, the photosensitivity is 10 to 100 times lower than that of general electrophotography using a normal photoreceptor. This poor photosensitivity manifests itself in image quality deterioration such as a decrease in image density and the occurrence of fog. For this reason, the development of photoconductive toners and processes with high photosensitivity is progressing (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 53-1037
No. 39, etc.), but the reality is that nothing that can be put to practical use has yet been obtained.

[Objective of the Invention] The object of the present invention is to have a simple process without a developing step, and to obtain sufficient photosensitivity without using special toner.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming method and apparatus capable of forming high-quality images with sufficiently high density without image quality deterioration or fogging due to edge effects.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an image forming method and apparatus capable of transferring an image onto a transfer material such as plain paper.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an image forming method and apparatus with high toner usage efficiency.

[Summary of the Invention] 10- In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention uses a photoreceptor formed by laminating a light-transmitting conductive layer and a photoconductive layer on a light-transmitting substrate. is uniformly charged, and a toner charged to a polarity opposite to that of the photoconductive layer due to this charging is uniformly applied. At this time, the toner firmly adheres to the photoreceptor due to electrostatic attraction between the toner and the photoconductive layer on the photoreceptor. Next, image exposure is performed on the photoreceptor from the light-transmitting substrate side. By this image exposure, only the areas of the photoconductive layer that are irradiated with light become conductive, and the charges on the light-transmitting conductive layer that contribute to toner adhesion are erased, thereby weakening the toner adhesion force. Therefore, at the same time as or after this image exposure, the toner on the image exposure area whose adhesion force has been weakened is removed. As a result, toner remains selectively on the photoreceptor corresponding to dark areas that have not been irradiated with light during imagewise exposure.

Then, by applying a DC voltage having a polarity opposite to the charge polarity of the toner to a counter electrode provided opposite to the light-transmitting conductive layer through the photoconductive layer, the toner is applied to the counter electrode or the counter electrode. and the photoconductive layer to form a toner image. In this case, if the photoconductive layer is irradiated with light from the light-transmissive substrate side, a transfer efficiency close to 100% can be obtained. Note that when a toner image is formed on the counter electrode, this may be transferred onto a transfer material after that.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, toner is selectively removed and a toner image is formed by utilizing the adhesion of the toner onto the photoreceptor, which eliminates the need for the conventional method which has an electrostatic latent image development step. Compared to conventional methods, there is essentially no image quality deterioration such as missing areas or ghosts due to edge effects. Furthermore, toners similar to those conventionally used in electrophotographic recording can be used regardless of whether they are magnetic or non-magnetic.

Furthermore, it is possible to form extremely high-quality images that eliminate the reduction in image density and the occurrence of fog caused by insufficient photosensitivity in systems using photoconductive toner.

Further, in the present invention, plain paper can be used as the transfer material, that is, recording paper, as in inkjet recording and thermal transfer recording.

Further, according to the present invention, toner that is not transferred onto the counter electrode or the transfer material can be collected and reused, and there is an advantage that toner usage efficiency is high.

Further, according to the present invention, the elements of each process can be arranged along the rotating or moving photoreceptor, the image exposure section and the transfer section can be arranged facing each other in the same place, and the toner application means and toner Since the collecting and transport means can be integrated, the apparatus can be realized compactly.

[Embodiments of the Invention] FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing the structure of a photoreceptor used in the present invention. This photoreceptor 10 has a light-transmissive conductive layer 12 made of Nesa film, indium film, etc. formed on a light-transparent substrate 11 made of transparent glass, a transparent sheet, etc., and further coated with amorphous selenium, ZnO, OPG, etc. This is a structure in which a photoconductive layer 13 of a-8i, cd3, etc. is formed. Note that the term "light transmittance" used herein means that the material is transparent to at least the wavelength of light used in imagewise exposure, and is not necessarily required to be colorless and transparent. The photoconductive layer 13 has appropriate spectral sensitivity including the wavelength of light used for imagewise exposure. Regarding the thickness of this photoconductive layer 13, in the case of a selenium photoreceptor, for example, the thickness of the photoreceptor used in conventional electrophotography is 50 to 60.
On the other hand, in the present invention, it is necessary for the light to reach near the surface layer of the photoconductive layer 13 to which the toner adheres, so although it has a relationship with the wavelength of the light, it is thinner than this (e.g. In the case of a selenium photoreceptor, better results can be obtained by reducing the amount by 1 to 20 μTrL).

Next, the image forming process according to the present invention will be explained with reference to FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 2(a), the photoreceptor 10 shown in FIG. 1 is uniformly charged to a constant polarity (positive polarity in the example shown) in the dark using a charger 21. As shown in FIG.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2(b), toner 22 charged to a polarity opposite to that shown in FIG. 2(a) is uniformly applied to the entire surface of the photoreceptor 10. Methods for applying this toner include a method in which charged toner is applied with a blade or the like, a magnetic brush method in which a powder made of a mixture of magnetic carrier and toner is combined with a magnetic roller,
The cascade method uses a powder mixture of toner and relatively coarse bead-like substances, the fur brush method uses toner and a fur brush, and the powder cloud method uses toner sprayed from a small diameter metal tube to form a mist. Can be mentioned.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2(C), light 23 corresponding to the image information to be recorded on the photoconductive layer 13 from the light-transmissive substrate 11 side through the light-transparent conductive layer 12 is applied to an image surface such as the document surface. Image exposure is performed by irradiating light according to the original image from the image. At this time, the area of the photoconductive layer 13 irradiated with the light 23, that is, the image-exposed area becomes conductive, and the charge contributing to the adhesion of the toner on the image-exposed area on the surface of the photoconductive layer 13 becomes a light-transmitting conductive area. It escapes to ground through layer 12 and disappears.

This weakens the adhesion of the toner in the image-exposed area.

Therefore, at the same time as this image exposure or immediately after, the blower 24
The toner with weakened adhesion in the image exposure area is removed by
Toner is selectively left on the photoreceptor 10 corresponding to dark areas where no light is irradiated. Other methods for removing toner include a method using a conductive roller, a method using a combination of a conductive roller and a dielectric roller, and a method using a dielectric thin film and a corona charger to charge it. be.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2(d), a DC voltage with a polarity opposite to the charging polarity of the toner is applied to a counter electrode 25 disposed opposite to the light-transmitting conductive layer 12 via the photoconductive layer 13 from a DC power supply 26. Apply more. Due to the action of the electric field between the light-transmissive conductive layer 12 and the counter electrode 14 due to the application of voltage from the DC power source 26, the toner remaining on the photoreceptor 10 leaves the photoconductor @13 and is transferred onto the counter electrode 25 or the counter electrode 14. Electrode 25 and photoconductive layer 13
The toner image is transferred onto a transfer material (not shown) held between the toner image and the toner image.

At this time, at the same time as a voltage is applied from the DC power supply 26 to the counter electrode 25, light is irradiated from the light-transmitting substrate 11 side to the photoconductive layer 13 through the light-transmitting conductive layer 12 by the transfer lamp 27. By weakening the adhesion of the upper toner, the toner image can be transferred more efficiently. In this way, a toner image is formed on the counter electrode 25 or the transfer material. The magnitude of the voltage applied to the DC current 1i26 varies depending on the type and structure of the counter electrode 25 and the type of transfer material, but generally a lower voltage is required than in the case of toner image transfer in conventional electrophotographic recording. When light irradiation is performed using the transfer lamp 27, this DC voltage 26 can be lowered and the transfer efficiency can be increased to approximately 100%.
%, and it is also possible to omit the cleaning step after transfer.

On the other hand, the toner removed in the step of FIG. 2(C) is collected and transported to be reused in the toner application step of FIG. 2(b). In this way, a series of image forming processes is completed.

Next, a printer as an example of an image forming apparatus that implements the above-described image forming process will be described.

FIG. 3 shows a 17th embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an LED printer. In FIG. 3, the photoreceptor 30
is a so-called photoreceptor drum formed in a cylindrical shape,
As the photoconductive layer, for example, selenium with a thickness of 5 μm is used, and as the light-transmitting conductive layer, for example, a vapor deposited film of In0z is used. The photoconductive layer is arranged on the outer peripheral surface side of the photoreceptor drum 30. The photosensitive drum 30 is rotated counterclockwise in the figure in accordance with the recording speed, and a charger 31. Toner application device 32. Li exposure device 33 and toner removal/recovery device 34. The transfer devices 35 are arranged in sequence, and a toner conveying device 36 is provided between the toner removal/recovery device 34 and the toner application device 31. Note that 37 is a transfer material, and 38 is a fixing section.

Next, the detailed structure and operation of each part shown in FIG. 3 will be explained. First, the photoreceptor drum 30 is charged by the charger 31 to a surface potential of approximately +200V. Next, the toner in the toner application device f32 is agitated by the charging roller 32a, charged to a negative polarity, and uniformly applied onto the photoreceptor 30 by the 18-blade 32b.

Next, the L
An image exposure device 33 that combines an ED array and a rod lens array as a light guide system irradiates the photoconductive layer with light from the inside of the photoreceptor drum 30, that is, from the light-transparent substrate side through the light-transparent conductive layer. . In this case, the LED array is driven according to an image information signal to be recorded given from an external drive circuit. The image exposure device 33 is also adjusted so that the photoconductive layer is located within its depth of focus. In this way, image exposure is performed on the photoreceptor drum 30. Simultaneously with this image exposure, the toner whose adhesion has weakened due to this image exposure is transferred to the photoreceptor drum by the action of the electric field caused by the positive DC voltage applied to the toner removal roller 34a in the toner removal/recovery device 34. 30 Peeling roller 34 from above
It adheres to the surface of a. In this example, the roller 34a is 5j
The volume resistivity value of lalφ A1 O-La is 1000
It consists of a conductive roller with a size of about 13#lφ wrapped with conductive rubber of about Ω・α.
It contacts the photoreceptor drum 30 with a pressure of about 9/cd and rotates in accordance with the rotation of the photoreceptor drum 30. Appropriately, the voltage applied to this roller 34a is around +120V.

The toner attached to the toner removal roller 34a is removed and collected by the collection blade 34c, and the toner conveying device 36
The toner is transported and supplied to the toner coating device [32] by the transport chain 36a inside, and the toner is reused.

In this way, through the image exposure and toner removal steps, a toner image corresponding to the dark area that is not exposed to light is formed on the photoreceptor 30, and this toner image is transferred to the transfer device 30.
The image is transferred onto a transfer material 37 made of plain paper by light irradiation from the opposing electrode 35a and the transfer lamp 35b in the transfer material 37. In this example, the counter electrode 35a uses a corona charger, and the distance from the photoreceptor drum 30 to the corona wire is 15
M.

The voltage applied to the corona wire was +5.5 kv.

The toner image formed on the transfer material 37 in this way is
The image is outputted via the fixing section 38. This toner image, that is, the output image, has a uniform image density in the so-called solid printing area, and clear lines in the line drawing area.
Good images were obtained for various image patterns.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a copying machine, and unlike the case of FIG. 3, a web-shaped photoreceptor is used. Compared to a cylindrical photoreceptor drum, such a web-like photoreceptor has an open side on one side, so it can escape from limitations such as the size and optical path length of an image exposure system, and can be used as described in this example. In addition to easily realizing a copying machine or the like, it is also possible to combine the present invention with an image exposure system that requires a relatively large space, such as a light scanning optical system using laser light.

In FIG. 4, the web-like photoreceptor 40 has a thickness of, for example, 50 μm.
Palladium was vapor-deposited as a light-transmitting conductive layer on a m-thick Mylar (trade name of polyethylene terephthalate) film, and a 2l-8e-As-Te based photosensitive material was formed thereon to a thickness of approximately 5 μm as a photoconductive layer. , and moves from the supply roller 49 to the take-up roller 53 in accordance with the recording speed. At this time, appropriate tension is applied to the photoreceptor 40, and the rollers 50, 51.
52 so that flatness is maintained well in each step. Along the moving direction of the web-like photoreceptor 40, a charger 41, a toner application device 42, . Image exposure device 43 and toner removal/recovery device 44. Transfer devices 45 are sequentially arranged. 46 is a toner conveying device, 47 is a transfer material,
48 is a fixing section.

In the above configuration, the web-like photoreceptor 40 is moved in accordance with the recording speed as described above, and the elements of each process operate at a constant timing in accordance with this movement. That is, the photoreceptor 40 is first charged to a surface potential of about +200V by the charger 41, and then toner is uniformly applied by the toner application device 42. In this case, in this embodiment, a magnetic brush method is used in which powder consisting of a mixture of a magnetic carrier and toner is combined with a magnetic roller, and the friction between the carrier and the toner is 22.
− Apply toner that is negatively charged by rubbing.

The amount of toner applied can be electrically controlled by changing the voltage (for example, about +50 to +100 V) applied to the magnetic row from a control power source (not shown), and the recorded image output by increasing or decreasing the amount of toner applied can be electrically controlled. The overall concentration can be varied arbitrarily.

Next, the photoreceptor 40 coated with the toner is transferred to an image exposure device 43.
Image exposure is carried out by In this example, the image exposure device 43 places an original 43b with the original surface facing down on a transparent original table 43a, illuminates the original surface with an illumination light source 43c, and uses an imaging lens 43d to photoconduct the photoreceptor 40. It is arranged and adjusted so that the image is formed on the layer. In this case, the image formation on the document surface covers the entire document size in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface, and is limited in the direction perpendicular to this, and the document size is Image exposure corresponding to the image is performed.

The toner whose adhesion force has weakened due to this image exposure is transferred and adhered to the roller 44a from above the photoreceptor 40 by the action of an electric field caused by a DC voltage applied to the toner removal roller 44a in the toner removal/recovery device 44 at the same time as the image exposure. be done. The structure of the toner removing roller 44a and the voltage applied thereto are the same as those shown in FIG. The toner adhering to the toner removing roller 44a is removed and collected by a collection blade 44c, and is transported and supplied to the toner application device 42 by a transport chain 46a in a toner transport device 46 for reuse.

Through this image exposure/toner removal step, a toner image corresponding to the black background portion of the document surface that was not irradiated with light due to image exposure is formed on the photoreceptor 40, and this toner image is transferred to the transfer device 40.
The image is transferred onto the transfer material 47 by light irradiation from the opposing electrode 45a in the transfer lamp 45 and the transfer lamp 45b. The counter electrode 45a consists of a corona charger as in the case of FIG.

The toner image formed on the transfer material 47 in this way is
The image is outputted via the fixing section 48. The output image obtained is
Similar to the case shown in FIG. 3, the results were good.

As explained above, the present invention performs image exposure on the toner uniformly applied on the photoreceptor, removes the toner on the image exposed area where the adhesion has decreased, and removes the toner remaining on the photoreceptor from the dark areas. A toner image corresponding to the image is transferred and formed on a counter electrode or a transfer material. Therefore, unlike conventional electrophotographic recording, there is no image quality deterioration such as missing areas or ghosts due to the influence of edge effects, and since the photosensitivity is sufficient compared to methods using photoconductive toner, there is no reduction in image density. It is possible to form extremely high quality images without fogging.

Furthermore, this type of image is created by combining conventional electrophotographic processes with image exposure devices such as OFT (optical fiber tubes), LED arrays, etc. that must be placed directly or in close proximity to the photoconductor layer on the photoreceptor. In the forming device, toner adheres to the light exit surface of the image exposure device due to toner scattering and charging, which caused problems in terms of maintenance of the device, but according to the present invention, the image exposure device is In principle, 25
- There is no problem of toner adhesion to the image exposure device system, and the device structure can be realized compactly.

Furthermore, compared to devices using conventional thermal transfer recording methods, it is possible to form images at high speed and high resolution with less energy, and the output images are also excellent in stability. In the thermal transfer recording method, the ink film after transfer is disposable, and its disposal is a problem in terms of confidentiality.
In this invention, since the toner used as a developer is recovered and used again, there is no such problem, and it can be used especially in printers for office automation,
Ideal for copying machines, etc.

It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented with various modifications. For example, the same result can be obtained even if the charge polarity of the photoreceptor and the charge polarity of the toner are reversely combined as in the above embodiment. In addition, the photoconductor layer is not limited to selenium-based materials.
ZNO, OPC, CDS, A-8i, etc. may also be used.

As for the image exposure device, in addition to those using LED arrays and laser beams, OFT and optical switch arrays using liquid crystals or dielectrics and driven in response to image information signals may be used.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing the structure of the photoreceptor used in this invention;
FIG. 2 is a process diagram showing an image forming process according to an embodiment of the invention, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are diagrams showing the configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention. 10.30.40... Photoreceptor, 11... Light-transparent substrate, 12... Light-transparent conductive layer, 13... Photoconductive layer,
21.31.41... Charger, 22... Toner, 2
3... Light, 24... Blower, 25.35a, 45a
...Counter electrode, 27.35b, 45b...Transfer lamp, 32°42...Toner coating device, 33.43...
・Image exposure device, 34.44... Toner removal/collection device, 35.45... Transfer device, 36.46... Toner transport device, 37° 47... Transfer material, 38.48...・
Anchoring part. Applicant's agent Patent attorney Takehiko Suzue 27- Figures 3 and 4

Claims (24)

[Claims] (1) A photoreceptor formed by laminating a light-transparent conductive layer and a photoconductive layer on a light-transparent substrate is charged, and a toner charged with a polarity opposite to that of the photoconductive layer due to this charging is applied. After that, image exposure is performed from the light-transmitting substrate side,
Simultaneously with or after this image exposure, a toner image is formed on the photoreceptor by removing the toner on the image exposure area of the photoreceptor, and then a transfer material is held opposite the photoconductor layer. An image forming method characterized by transferring a toner image thereon. (2) The image forming method according to claim 1, characterized in that when applying the toner onto the photoreceptor, the toner removed from the image exposure area of the photoreceptor is collected and reused. (3) When transferring the toner image on the photoreceptor onto a transfer material, a counter electrode is provided on the light-transmitting conductive layer and faces the photoconductive layer, and a DC voltage is applied to the counter electrode at the same time. The image forming method according to claim 1, characterized in that the layer is irradiated with light. (4) The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein the image exposure is performed by optically forming an original image on a photoreceptor. (5) a photoreceptor that is formed by laminating a light-transparent conductive layer and a photoconductive layer on a light-transparent substrate and rotates or moves in a predetermined direction; and a photoreceptor provided opposite to the photoconductive layer side of the photoreceptor; a means for charging the photoreceptor; a means provided in front of the charging means for applying a toner charged to a polarity opposite to that of the charging means on the photoreceptor; and a means provided in front of the toner application means. a means for applying *i light to the photoreceptor from the light-transmitting substrate side; and a means provided near or in front of the image exposure means facing the photoconductive layer of the photoreceptor, for image exposure of the photoreceptor. means for removing toner on the area; a counter electrode provided in front of the toner removing means to face the photoconductive layer of the photoreceptor; and a DC voltage having a polarity opposite to the charge polarity of the toner applied to the counter electrode. an image forming apparatus comprising: a transfer means for applying a voltage to transfer a toner image onto a transfer material held between the counter electrode and the photoreceptor; (6) The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the photoreceptor is formed in a cylindrical shape. (7) The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the photoreceptor is formed in a web shape. (8) The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the image exposure means optically forms an original image on an image surface such as a document surface onto a photoreceptor. (9) The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the toner removing means is a conductive roller. (10) The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the toner removing means is a combination of a conductive roller and a dielectric roller. (11) The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the toner removing means comprises a dielectric thin film and a corona charger for charging the dielectric thin film. (12) The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the counter electrode is a conductive electrode. (13) The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the counter electrode is a corona charger. (14) The transfer means includes means for applying a DC voltage to the counter electrode and at the same time applying light to the photoconductive layer from the light-transmitting substrate side of the photoreceptor, as set forth in claim 5. Image forming device. (15) a photoconductor which is formed by laminating a light-transmissive conductive layer and a photoconductive layer on a light-transmissive substrate and rotates or moves in a predetermined direction; and a photoconductor provided opposite to the photoconductive layer side of the photoconductor;
a means for charging the photoreceptor; a means provided in front of the charging means for applying a toner charged to a polarity opposite to that of the charging means on the photoreceptor; and a means provided in front of the toner application means. a means for imagewise exposing the photoreceptor from the light-transmissive substrate side; and an image exposure area of the photoreceptor, provided near or in front of the image-exposure means and facing the photoconductive layer of the photoreceptor; a counter electrode provided in front of the toner removing means to face the photoconductive layer of the photoconductor; and a DC voltage having a polarity opposite to the charge polarity of the toner is applied to the counter electrode. means for applying a toner image to transfer a toner image onto a transfer material held between the counter electrode and the photoreceptor; means for collecting toner removed by the toner removing means; and means for collecting toner removed by the toner removing means; an image forming apparatus comprising means for conveying the toner to the toner application means. (16) The image forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the photoreceptor is formed in a cylindrical shape. (17) The image forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the photoreceptor is formed in a web shape. (18) The image forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the image exposure means optically forms an original image on an image surface such as a document surface onto a photoreceptor. (19) The image forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the toner removing means is a conductive roller. (20) The image forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the toner removing means is a combination of a conductive roller and a dielectric roller. (21) The image forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the toner removing means comprises a dielectric thin film and a corona charger that charges the dielectric thin film. (22) The image forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the counter electrode is a conductive electrode. (23) The image forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the counter electrode is a corona charger. 6- (24) The transfer means includes means for applying a DC voltage to the counter electrode and at the same time applying light to the photoconductor layer from the light-transmitting substrate side of the photoreceptor. image forming device.