JP2017097254A - Cleaning device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cleaning device that can stabilize the amount of biting of a seal over time from an initial stage to prevent leakage of toner.SOLUTION: When a cleaning device 17 operates, a lubricant 65a scraped off through rotation of an application brush 66 is applied to a surface of an intermediate transfer belt 20. When the lubricant 65a is consumed over time, a spring member 65c is urged to a lubricant holder 65b to be deformed, and thereby the position of the lubricant 65a is moved. In conjunction with the movement, the engagement position of the lubricant holder 65b and an entrance seal holder 64 is moved, and the angle of the entrance seal holder 64 is changed, and thereby the amount of biting of an entrance seal 63 into the intermediate transfer belt 20 is increased. Thus, a constant amount of biting can be maintained over time from an initial stage, and good toner sealability can be secured.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaning device and an image forming apparatus including the cleaning device.

  In the cleaning device provided in the image forming apparatus, an inlet seal is disposed in order to prevent waste toner removed by the cleaning blade from flowing out from the upstream side. However, if the amount of biting of the cleaning blade with respect to the intermediate transfer belt is too small, the toner sealing force becomes weak and toner leakage occurs. On the contrary, if the amount of biting is too large, the residual toner is scraped off at the contact portion between the intermediate transfer belt and the inlet seal, and there is a problem that the cleaning blade cannot be guided.

  Therefore, it is necessary to arrange the inlet seal with an appropriate biting amount that does not cause the above-described problem. However, when the cleaning device is operated, the inlet seal is deformed with time and the like, and the amount of biting into the intermediate transfer belt is reduced. For this reason, in order to increase the service life of the apparatus, it is necessary to have a configuration that can secure a predetermined amount of biting of the inlet seal including time.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which the bending rigidity of the free end base portion of the inlet seal is larger than the bending rigidity of the tip portion.

  However, with the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is possible to reduce the amount of deformation of the inlet seal over time. However, since the deformation does not stop, the amount of bite is insufficient when aiming for a longer life. There is a problem that can be considered.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a cleaning device that can stabilize the amount of biting of a seal even from the initial time and prevent toner leakage, and an image forming apparatus including the cleaning device.

  The cleaning device according to claim 1 of the present invention is a cleaning device for cleaning the surface of the image carrier, and removes toner remaining on the surface of the image carrier from above the surface of the image carrier. A removing means for removing, a toner conveying means for conveying the removed toner to the outside of the apparatus casing, and a possibility for preventing the removed toner from flowing out of the apparatus casing to the upstream side in the traveling direction of the image carrier. A flexible seal member, and the seal member is disposed in a state of being bitten into the image carrier by a predetermined amount, and the seal member is attached to the image carrier in accordance with the operation time of the cleaning operation. It is characterized by varying the amount of biting.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to stabilize the biting amount of the flexible seal member for preventing the removed toner from flowing out with respect to the image carrier and to prevent toner leakage from the initial state to the time-lapse state. is there.

1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the cleaning apparatus with which the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is provided. It is sectional drawing of the cleaning apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the cleaning apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, a cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention and an image forming apparatus including the cleaning device will be described.
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The image forming apparatus includes a copying machine main body 100, a paper feed table 200 on which the copying machine main body 100 is placed, a scanner 300 attached on the copying machine main body 100, and an automatic document attached on the scanner 300. It is mainly composed of a transfer device (ADF) 400.

  The scanner 300 is placed on the contact glass 32 as the first traveling body 33 equipped with a document illumination light source or mirror and the second traveling body 34 equipped with a plurality of reflecting mirrors reciprocate. Scanning of a document (not shown) is performed. The scanning light sent out from the second traveling body 34 is condensed by the imaging lens 35 on the imaging surface of the reading sensor 36 disposed behind it, and then read as an image signal by the reading sensor 36.

  A tandem type image forming apparatus 10 is disposed in the copying machine main body 100. The tandem-type image forming apparatus 10 includes image forming units 11Y, 11C, 11M, and 11K corresponding to yellow, cyan, magenta, and black toners. Each image forming unit 11 is provided with photosensitive drums 12Y, 12C, 12M and 12K. Around each photosensitive drum 12, a charging device that uniformly charges the photosensitive drum, a developing device that develops a latent image on the photosensitive drum, a photosensitive member cleaning device that removes residual toner on the photosensitive drum, and the like Each means for executing the electrophotographic process is arranged.

  Above the tandem type image forming apparatus 10, there is provided an exposure device 21 that forms a latent image by exposing the photosensitive drum 12 with laser light or LED light based on image information.

  An intermediate transfer belt 20 that is an image carrier made of an endless belt member is disposed at a lower position facing the photosensitive drum 12 of the tandem type image forming apparatus 10. The intermediate transfer belt 20 is supported by support rollers 14, 15 and 16. A primary transfer roller 13 for transferring the toner images of the respective colors formed on the photosensitive drum 12 to the intermediate transfer belt 20 is disposed at a position adjacent to the photosensitive drum 12 via the intermediate transfer belt 20. Further, the intermediate transfer belt 20 is provided with a cleaning device 17 described later for removing toner remaining on the surface thereof.

  Under the intermediate transfer belt 20, secondary transfer is performed in which the toner images formed on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 20 are collectively transferred onto a sheet as a transfer medium conveyed from the paper feed cassette 44 of the paper feed table 200. A roller 22 is arranged. The secondary transfer roller 22 contacts the support roller 16 via the intermediate transfer belt 20, and transfers the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 20 to a sheet (not shown). Hereinafter, the support roller 16 is referred to as a secondary transfer backup roller.

  At a position adjacent to the secondary transfer roller 22, a conveyance belt 24 stretched around the two rollers 23 is provided to convey the secondary transferred sheet. A fixing device 25 is provided at a position adjacent to the conveyance belt 24. The fixing device 25 fixes the image on the sheet conveyed by the conveyance belt 24. The fixing device 25 mainly includes a fixing belt 26 that is an endless belt and a pressure roller 27 that is pressed against the fixing belt 26. Below the secondary transfer roller 22 and the fixing device 25, a sheet reversing device 28 for reversing the sheet is disposed. The sheet reversing device 28 reverses the sheet to record images on both sides of the sheet.

  Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus having the above configuration will be described. First, a document is set on the document table 30 of the automatic document feeder 400 shown in FIG. 1, or the automatic document feeder 400 is opened and a document is set on the contact glass 32 of the scanner 300. close up. When a start switch (not shown) is pressed in this state, when a document is set on the automatic document feeder 400, the document is transported and moved onto the contact glass 32, and then the first traveling body 33 and the second traveling member are moved. The body 34 is caused to travel. When the document is set on the contact glass 32, the scanner 300 is immediately driven to cause the first traveling body 33 and the second traveling body 34 to travel. Then, the first traveling body 33 emits light from the light source, receives reflected light from the document surface, reflects the reflected light toward the second traveling body 34, and further reflects the reflected light by the mirror of the second traveling body 34. To do. Then, the light enters the reading sensor 36 through the imaging lens 35 and the reading sensor 36 reads the content of the document.

  Also, by pressing the start switch of the apparatus, a drive motor (not shown) is driven to rotate one of the support rollers 14, 15, 16 and the other two support rollers are driven to rotate, thereby intermediate The transfer belt 20 is rotated. At the same time, in each image forming unit 11, the photosensitive drum 12 is uniformly charged by the charging device, and then charged by irradiating the writing light L from the exposure device 21 with a laser, LED, or the like according to the reading content of the scanner 300 An electrostatic latent image is formed on each photosensitive drum 12. Toner is supplied from the developing device to the photosensitive drum 12 on which the electrostatic latent image is formed, and the electrostatic latent image is visualized, and black, yellow, magenta, and cyan single-color images are respectively formed on the photosensitive drums 12. Form. A single color image is sequentially primary transferred by the primary transfer roller 13 so as to overlap the intermediate transfer belt 20, and a composite color image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 20. Residual toner is removed from the surface of the photoconductive drum 12 after image transfer by a photoconductor cleaning device, and the charge is removed by a static eliminator to prepare for image formation again.

  By pressing the start switch, one of the paper feed rollers 42 of the paper feed table 200 is selected and rotated, and the sheet is fed out from one of the paper feed cassettes 44 provided in multiple stages in the paper bank 43. Then, the paper is separated one by one by the separation roller 45 and inserted into the paper feed path 46, transported by the transport roller 47, guided to the paper feed path 48 in the copying machine main body 100, abutted against the registration roller 49 and stopped. On the other hand, when the sheet is manually fed, the sheet feeding roller 50 is rotated to feed the sheet on the manual tray 51, and the sheet is separated one by one by the separation roller 52 and inserted into the manual sheet feeding path 53. Similarly, the registration roller Stop at 49. Next, the registration roller 49 is rotated in synchronization with the composite color image on the intermediate transfer belt 20, the sheet is fed between the intermediate transfer belt 20 and the secondary transfer device 19, and transferred by the secondary transfer device 19. Transfer the color image onto the sheet.

  The sheet carrying the unfixed toner image that has passed through the secondary transfer roller 22 is conveyed to the fixing device 25, and heat and pressure are applied by the fixing device 25 to fix the transferred image as a permanent image. The sheet after image fixing is switched by the switching claw 55 and discharged by the discharge roller 56 and stacked on the paper discharge tray 57, or switched by the switching claw 55 and introduced into the sheet reversing device 28. Then, it is reversed here and led again to the transfer position, and an image is recorded also on the back surface, and then discharged onto the discharge tray 57 by the discharge roller 56. At this time, the residual toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 20 after the image transfer is removed by the cleaning device 17 to prepare for the image formation by the tandem type image forming apparatus 10 again.

  Here, the registration roller 49 is generally used while being grounded. This is because the intermediate transfer method generally does not require the transfer of paper dust because the paper dust of the sheet is difficult to move to the photosensitive drum 12. However, it is also possible to apply a bias to the registration roller 49 in order to remove paper dust from the sheet. For example, a bias is applied using a conductive rubber roller. The surface is a conductive NBR rubber having a diameter of 18 mm and a thickness of 1 mm. The electrical resistance is about 10 ↑ 9Ω · cm in terms of the volume resistance of the rubber material, and the applied voltage is about −800 V applied to the toner transfer side (front side), and about +200 V is applied to the back side of the paper. . Further, a DC bias is applied as the applied voltage, but this may be an AC voltage having a DC offset component in order to more uniformly charge the sheet. Thus, the sheet surface after passing through the registration roller 49 to which a bias is applied is slightly charged on the negative side. Therefore, in the transfer from the intermediate transfer belt 20 to the sheet, there are cases where the transfer conditions are changed and the transfer conditions are changed as compared with the case where no voltage is applied to the registration roller 49.

  The cleaning device 17 is generally performed by bringing a rubber blade represented by polyurethane rubber into contact with the belt. This is because an inexpensive and reliable cleaning property can be expected. However, in this blade cleaning method, when paper dust is caught between the blade and the belt, a cleaning failure occurs. In the present embodiment, since the sheet is in direct contact with the intermediate transfer belt 20, entry of paper powder is inevitable. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a cleaning device 17 described later is employed in order to prevent the influence of paper dust and to ensure cleaning properties.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the configuration of the cleaning device. The cleaning device 17 shown in FIG. 2 is provided at a position facing one counter roller 67 among the rollers that stretch the intermediate transfer belt 20. The cleaning device 17 includes a cleaning blade 18 a that contacts the opposing roller 67 via the intermediate transfer belt 20 and removes residual toner. Further, a brush roller 18b serving as a paper dust removing member that contacts the counter roller 67 via the intermediate transfer belt 20 and removes paper dust is provided upstream of the cleaning blade 18a in the moving direction of the intermediate transfer belt. The installation of the brush roller 18b has an effect of suppressing the deterioration of the toner aggregation due to the mixing of paper dust and suppressing the problem of toner fixation.

  Here, the brush roller 18b may be rotated together with the intermediate transfer belt 20, but it is desirable that the brush roller 18b is driven. Here, PET resin is used as the material of the brush hair. As described above, by placing the brush roller 18b on the upstream side of the cleaning blade 18a, it is possible to reduce the deterioration of the cleaning property due to the paper powder always being caught by the cleaning blade 18a and to reduce the image formation with a simple configuration without impairing the image formation. Can be prevented. Further, since the paper dust removing member is formed by the brush roller 18b, the toner can be removed at the same time as the paper dust removal, and the effect of reducing the burden on the cleaning blade 18a and extending the life of the cleaning blade 18a is also achieved. I can expect.

<Embodiment 1>
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the cleaning device 17 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The illustrated cleaning device 17 includes a cleaning blade 18 a and removes toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 20.
Further, on the upstream side of the cleaning blade 18a, a flexible inlet seal 63 for preventing the removed toner from flowing out of the cleaning device 17 is provided. The inlet seal 63 is disposed in a state where it is glued to the inlet seal holder 64 and bites into the intermediate transfer belt 20 by a predetermined amount.

  The cleaning device 17 includes a lubricant part 65 and an application brush 66, and the lubricant 65a of the lubricant part 65 is configured to be pressurized against the application brush 66 with a predetermined pressure. The lubricant portion 65 includes a lubricant 65a, a lubricant holder 65b, and a spring member 65c that presses and biases the lubricant holder 65b in the right direction in the drawing. Further, as shown in the drawing, the lower end portion of the right side of the lubricant holder 65b is engaged with the inlet seal holder 64, and the lubricant portion 65 is pressed against the application brush 66 by the bias of the spring member 65c. Yes.

  The inlet seal 63 is disposed so as to have an appropriate biting amount with respect to the intermediate transfer belt 20. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the toner removed by the cleaning blade 18a from flowing out of the cleaning device 17. Further, the residual toner on the intermediate transfer belt 20 is not scraped off by the inlet seal 63, and the residual toner can be guided to the cleaning blade 18a.

  When the cleaning device 17 is activated by the operation of the image forming apparatus, the application brush 66 rotates, and the lubricant 65 a of the lubricant portion 65 scraped by the rotation is applied to the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 20. For this reason, the lubricant 65a is consumed over time, and accordingly, the lubricant holder 65b is deformed by the urging of the spring member 65c, and the position of the lubricant 65a moves to the right in the drawing. Then, the engaging position of the lubricant holder 65b and the inlet seal holder 64 is moved in conjunction with the movement of the lubricant a65, and the angle of the inlet seal holder 64 is changed in conjunction with this, and as a result, the inlet seal 63 is changed. The amount of biting into the intermediate transfer belt 20 increases.

  As described above, the amount of change in the amount of biting of the inlet seal 63 with respect to the amount of movement of the lubricant holder 65b is adjusted to match the amount by which the inlet seal 63 sags over time. Therefore, a constant biting amount can be maintained over time from the initial state, and good toner sealability can be ensured.

  As described above, the inlet seal 63 is disposed in order to prevent waste toner removed by the cleaning blade 18a from flowing out from the upstream side of the cleaning blade 18a. However, if the amount of biting into the intermediate transfer belt 20 is too small, the toner sealing force becomes weak and toner leakage occurs. On the other hand, if the amount of biting is too large, the residual toner is scraped off at the contact portion between the intermediate transfer belt 20 and the inlet seal 63, and there is a problem that the cleaning blade 18a is not guided. It is necessary to arrange the inlet seal 63 with an appropriate biting amount that does not cause such a problem. However, when the cleaning device is operated, the inlet seal 63 is deformed over time (due to sagging deformation), and the amount of biting is reduced. Therefore, in order to extend the life of the cleaning device, it is necessary to set the predetermined amount of entrance seal bite over time.

  Therefore, by adopting the configuration of the present embodiment, the amount of biting can be increased in accordance with the sag of the inlet seal 63 in a manner linked to the operating time of the cleaning device. Therefore, the amount of biting of the inlet seal can be stabilized from the beginning to the lapse of time, and toner contamination due to toner leakage or scraping can be prevented.

  Further, as described above, the lubricant moves toward the application brush 66 as the cleaning device is operated and the lubricant 65a is consumed. As a result, the amount of biting of the inlet seal 63 increases, so that the amount of biting of the inlet seal 63 can be varied according to the operating time of the cleaning device with a simple configuration without adding a new driving source or driving mechanism. Is possible.

<Embodiment 2>
FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of a cleaning device 17 according to another embodiment of the present invention. The cleaning device 17 is engaged with a lower end portion of the lubricant holder 65b sandwiched between a pair of inlet seal holders 64. An inlet seal 63 is disposed in each of the pair of inlet seal holders 64. The present embodiment has the same configuration as the previous embodiment except that the engagement form of the lower end portion of the lubricant holder 65b to the inlet seal holder 64 is different. Therefore, description of the common configuration is omitted.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and many variations are possible by those having ordinary knowledge in the art within the technical idea of the present invention.

10: Tandem type image forming apparatus 11: Image forming unit 12: Photosensitive drum 13: Primary transfer rollers 14-16: Support roller 17: Cleaning device 18a: Cleaning blade 18b: Brush roller 19: Secondary transfer device 20: Intermediate transfer Belt 21: Exposure device 22: Secondary transfer roller 23: Roller 24: Conveying belt 25: Fixing device 26: Fixing belt 27: Pressure roller 28: Sheet reversing device 30: Document table 32: Contact glass 33: First traveling body 34: second traveling body 35: imaging lens 36: reading sensor 42: paper feed roller 43: paper bank 44: paper feed cassette 45: separation roller 46: paper feed path 47: transport roller 48: paper feed path 49: registration Roller 50: Paper feed roller 51: Manual feed tray 52: Separation roller 53: Manual feed 55: switching claw 56: discharge roller 57: discharge tray 63: inlet seal 64: inlet seal holder 65: lubricant 65a: lubricant 65b: lubricant holder 65c: spring member 66: application brush 67: counter roller 100: Copier body 200: paper feed table 300: scanner 400: automatic document feeder L: writing light

JP 2010-014834 A

Claims (5)

A cleaning device for cleaning the surface of an image carrier,
Removing means for removing toner remaining on the surface of the image carrier from the surface of the image carrier;
Toner conveying means for conveying the removed toner out of the apparatus casing;
A flexible seal member for preventing the removed toner from flowing out of the apparatus casing to the upstream side in the traveling direction of the image carrier;
With
The seal member is disposed in a state of being bitten into the image carrier by a predetermined amount,
Varying the amount of biting of the seal member into the image carrier in accordance with the operating time of the cleaning operation;
A cleaning device. The cleaning device according to claim 1,
A lubricant, and an application brush for applying the lubricant to the image carrier,
Varying the amount of biting of the seal member into the image carrier in accordance with the amount of movement of the lubricant due to consumption of the lubricant;
A cleaning device. The cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein
A lubricant holder for holding the lubricant;
A spring member that presses and urges the lubricant against the application brush with a predetermined pressing force;
A seal holder for holding the seal member;
With
When the lubricant holder is engaged with the seal holder and the lubricant is consumed over time, the lubricant holder is deformed by the urging of a spring member, and the position of the lubricant is determined by the position of the image carrier. Moving to the body side, the seal holder is deformed in conjunction with the movement of the lubricant, the amount of biting into the image carrier of the seal member increases,
A cleaning device. The cleaning device according to claim 3.
A pair of the seal holders are provided,
Holding the lubricant holder between a pair of the seal holders,
A cleaning device. An image forming apparatus comprising the cleaning device according to claim 1.