A new fixing system has been developed. This system is employed in Canon's portable copying machine, the FC-2. Using this system, zero warm-up time and reduced power consumption have been realized. This system consists of a fusing film in the shape of a seamless tube and a heater with a low heat capacity. We named this system “SURF.”
In this paper, we will describe the construction of this system, the effect of film thickness on power consumption, and the temperature control system. By reducing the thickness of the film from 50 to 30 micrometers, we were able to reduce power consumption by 15%. Through the use of a multiple level temperature regulation system, the degree of fluctuation in heater temperature was reduced, resulting in improved nxability. We will also describe the features of the SURF system in comparison with a heated roller type fusing system.

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Photoconductivity in organic pigment as the charge carrier generation material for electrophotography was studied by means6fmicrowave method. In the microcrystal of β-form metal free phthalocyanine (β-H₂&mdot;Pc), the photo-generated carrier life time was 10.5 ms. Under the electric fields of 1.3 × 10² - 10³ V/cm, microwave photoconductivity was constant in spite of increase in electric field. When 2, 4, 5, 7-tetranitro Fuorenone (TeNF) was added to microcrystal surface of H₂&mdot;Pc, the microwave photoconductivity was increased remarkably because of interaction between H₂&mdot;Pc and TeNF molecules.
Through the measurement of Q (quality factor) change of cavity with some volume samples, it was found that the microwave (x-band) ac conductivity of β-H₂&mdot;Pc was 1.1 × 10^-5 S&mdot;cm^-1.
In perylene derivative pigment (N, N'-3, 5-xylyl-3, 4, 9, 10-perylenetetracarboxylic diimide), it was ascertained that microwave photoconductivity was consistent with electrophotographic sensitivity of double layered photoreceptor.

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Xerographic properties of Se-SeTe (Te=10, 20, 30 %) and As, Se, photoreceptors overcoated with ferrocenes-dispersed polymer films have been studied. The dark decay of all the photo-receptors increases due to positive charge injection from the overcoat layer to the photoreceptors. The injection rate in overcoated Se-SeTe photoreceptors increases with Te concentration. The overcoated As₂Se₃ photoreceptor shows the largest rate among all these photoreceptors and the charge acceptance is extremely low. The injection rate depends on the dopants in the films, and it decreases in the order of ferrocene, 1, 1'-dimethyl ferrocene and decamethyl ferrocene. From the results of ionization potential measurement using low energy photoelectron spectroscopy, it is found that the charge injection from the overcoat layer to the photoreceptor is closely related to the ionization energy difference between the ferrocenes and the photoreceptors.

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In negatively charged multi-layerd photoreceptors, electrophotographic properties, particularly the corona charge acceptance were investigated, from the view point of space charge effect accumulated in the carrier generation layer (CGL). Thickness and other parameters of layer in direct contact with the substrate electrode influenced significantly the charge acceptance. The undercoat layer (UCL) inserted between the substrate electrode and CGL affected electrophotographic propaties in a complicated way. The charge acceptance decreased linearly with the thickness of CGL, suggesting that the charge acceptance was controlled by the hole injection rate from the substrate, which was detemined by the local electric field at the very neighborhood of the electrode. Based on this concept, the space charge density built up in CGL (H₂&mdot;Pc) during corona-charging was estimated to be about 6×10¹⁶ cm^-3.
The UCL was found to be able to modify the amount of space charges in CGL, and consequently to improve the photosensitivity in some caces.
By giving an ability of electron transport to the CGL materia1, the fatigue due to the electrostatic stress corresponding to charging-photodischarging cycles was improved.This fact was interpreted based on an assumption that removal of negative space charges kept the local electric field in CGL constant, even during the illumination.

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Development of the urethane/silicone overcoating layer (OCL) for multiple-layerd positive charging organic photoconductor has been carried out. Film life time of OCL increases exponentially with increasing film thickness. Wear behabior which is related to tonerfilming in practical PPC machine depend strongly on urethane/silicone ratio. It was noted that hardening of OCL and frictional coefficient between cleaning blade and OCL play important roles in tonerfilming.

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Photoconductor resolution is known to deteriorate due to enviromental changes, such as temperature and humidity, and long-time printing. It is argued that the deterioration of resolution is caused by diffusion of electrical charges on photoconductor surface. To confirm this conjecture, measurements of temporal changes in latent images on organic potoconductors were performed by making use of the newly developed high-resolution latent image measuring system. From the measured results, an equivalent circuit model of organic photoconductor was proposed and temporal changes in latent images were simulated. Measured results were in good agreement with the simulated results. Based on these results a now technique was proposed to estimate surface resistance, and resolution of photoconductors was discussed.

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A new numerical method which analyzes the electric discharge process of wide variety of corona devices in electrophotography is proposed. The method predicts the spatial distribution of the time dependent behavior of both positive and negative ions, and charging process of photoconductors, including their rotational and conducting effects. Furthermore, in order to reduce the computational amomt of AC corona discharge anayses, an improvement for the numerical method is shown.
The analyses of charging process using a typical scorotron charger, and of discharge process using an AC applied corotron device are carried out, taken account of the rotation of photoconductor. The numerical results show the good agreement with the experimental results.

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Several charging models have been presented until now including electron transfer, charge control agent (CCA) ion transfer, and water ion transfer models. We studied with the Monte Carlo simulation a 'CCA Ion Transfer Model' in which the toner contains salt-type CCA; we assumed that the CCA ions transfer to carrier by Coulomb's force acting between them, and we estimated the forces and then the transfer probabilities of the CCA ion based on the calculated Coulomb's force.
Comparing the ion transfer probabilities with the experimental triboelectric values, we found that the 'CCA Ion Transfer Model' holds when the surface of the carrier is hydrophilic.

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Recently, Electrophotographic printer using laser beam scanning method widly used many people. One reason is free maintenance coming from the invention of Cartoridge, the other which is the most significant factor is smallness and cheapness of apparatus resulting from inventions of Diode laser and the compensation device system for a polygonal mirror scanning system. I review recent movement of technique for the laser beam scanning system.

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Various kinds of solid-state scanning device have been developed or under examination as optical printheads for photo-printers using various imaging technoloies such as electrophotography, silverhalide photography, Cy-color and so on. And there is a certain demand for realizing ever better printheads having higher resolution, faster response, higher reliability, longer durability and better matching between the light source and the spectral sensitivity of the photoreceptor.
A light shutter array using PLZT, a opto-electronic ceramics showing unique electrooptic effect, is widely regarded to have good atributes enough to satisfy the demand and so much R & D activities on the device has been carried out since the discovery of PLZT in1969.
Recently, a prototype PLZT shutter array was newly materialized with resolution of 400 dpi, print width of 300 mm and a few μsec switching time, and it is expected that this device will lead the direction of future evolution.

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We developed a new type of solid state array: Fluorescent Dot Array (FLDA) for the light source of photoprinter. It is essentially a one-dimensional vacuum nuorescent display (VFD), which operates with low drive current and voltage.
Its features are high luminescent efficiency and fine/uniform fluorescent dot size with 300 dpi over the length of 8.5 inches. The photoprint head has been realized with compact and low cost, using a Roof Mirror Lens Array (RMLA) for a unity magnification imaging device and high density/speed wire-bonding technology for IC-mounting.

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Plasma image bar using gas discharge emission have same theory on DC type plasma display panel (PDP). Technical questions to satisfy optical characteristics demanded to image bar are different from display's. In this manuscript, we describe several ideas to apply gas discharge emission for image bar, and performance of plasma image bar adapting these ideas with resolution of 300 DPI and optical writing speed of 8 PPM on letter sheet.

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We developed the World's first printer head for electrophotographic applications using electro luminescent (EL) devices which emit light from their edges. We can easily make EL edge emitter printer head, which we call EEH, using a thin film process, as a result the emitted light intensity is extremely uniform and it is suitable for high resolution system. And this EEH is good at stability of light inensity for temperature.
So the EEH, which is used solid type emission device, is suitable for the small, light and high performance printer systems. We think that the EEH is the next generation optical imaging head having ideal characteristics.

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Holographic scanners have many functions and many advantages. For example holographic scanners can eliminate fθ lens, because it performs the function as a fθ lens. This can significantly reduce both the cost and size. It can scan straight and scan with small and constant beam spot size. Assembly of the hologram scanner provides a greater allowance for tolerance than that of the polygon scanner. However hologram scanner is very sensitive to the wavelength of the light source. This phnomenon affects the quality of the image. On the other hand, a laser printer must produce higher quality images day after day. Thus the development of hologram scanner for this application may be more dependent on the quality of the images prduced.

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