JP5742145B2 - Lubricant coating apparatus, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a lubricant application device, a process cartridge, and an image forming apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus, a commonly used lubricant such as zinc stearate is used as an image carrier, for example, a photoreceptor, using a lubricant application roller such as a brush roller or a sponge roller. And an intermediate transfer belt or the like to improve the cleaning properties of the photosensitive member and the intermediate transfer belt, improve the service life, and improve the transfer properties such as anti-worming measures during image transfer.

  For example, an application roller is rotatably arranged on the image carrier side surface of the image carrier, and the application roller is driven or rotated as the image carrier rotates, and the application roller rotates. The solid lubricant is contacted with a predetermined pressure.

  The solid lubricant is pressed and urged by using the weight of the lubricant, the weight of the weight, or the elastic force of the spring. The solid lubricant is pressed against the application roller by securing a predetermined pressure. It is scraped off by the rotation of the application roller to form a powdery lubricant, which is applied to the image carrier in contact with the application roller.

  In the conventional configuration, the solid lubricant is pressed and urged by its own weight or the elastic force of the spring to secure a predetermined pressure. However, since it is actually powdered by the rotation of the coating roller, the elasticity of the spring Not only pressing means using force, but also pressing in the rotational tangential direction due to rotation of the application roller is added, and it is difficult to keep it uniform with the desired pressing force.

  A brush roller is used as a coating roller. As a structure thereof, there is a structure in which a belt-like sheet in which brush fibers are planted is wound spirally around a rotation shaft (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Such a belt-like sheet is wound spirally around a rotation shaft. In the case where a brush roller configured with a brush is used as a coating roller, a force for conveying the solid lubricant to one side in the longitudinal direction of the brush roller acts depending on the winding direction or the rotation direction of the brush roller. .

  In the conventional example, the brush roller is held so as to be rotated at a fixed position. The solid lubricant is held by the holding table and is located in the accommodation space. The solid lubricant and the base are limited in movement within the accommodation space in the axial direction of the brush roller, can move in the contact / separation direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the brush roller, and are pressed by a pressurizing spring. A solid lubricant is pressed against the brush roller. When the brush roller rotates in this state, the solid lubricant receives a conveying force in the axial direction of the brush roller according to the winding direction of the brush fiber and the rotation direction of the brush roller. When the brush roller is regarded as a bolt and the solid lubricant is regarded as a nut, the direction of the conveying force corresponds to a direction in which the nut moves when the bolt is rotated at a fixed position.

  Due to this conveying force, the solid lubricant (or the holding table holding the solid lubricant) comes into contact with one wall portion of the housing space in the brush roller axial direction. This contact causes a sliding load due to frictional resistance, and the applied pressure of the solid lubricant to the brush roller received by the pressure spring is biased between both axial ends of the brush roller as compared to the other end side. Therefore, a deviation occurs in the lubricant application amount in the longitudinal direction of the image carrier parallel to the axial direction of the brush roller.

  In this way, if there is a deviation in the amount of lubricant applied, the coefficient of friction of the photoconductor will also have a deviation, resulting in a decrease in cleaning performance at locations where the amount of application is small, and shaving of the photoconductor film (image bearing side surface). There is a possibility that the photosensitive member will have a short life due to a problem such as acceleration of the photosensitive member.

  For example, the amount of lubricant consumed on the side where the amount of application is small can be adjusted so that it becomes the reference amount of consumption, and the deviation can be left as it is. On the side where the amount is large, excessive application is performed, and there is a concern that the charging roller disposed downstream of the application roller in the rotation direction of the photosensitive member may be contaminated. In addition, since the excessive application is performed, a large amount of the solid lubricant is required, resulting in a configuration that is contrary to low cost and space saving.

  As countermeasures against deviations in the amount of lubricant applied, it is possible to improve the slidability of the inner wall surface in the storage space where the solid lubricant is set and to make the posture of the solid lubricant uniform so that it can be pressed. Although it is possible, the number of parts may increase.

  In the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the pressure applied to the lubricant is changed in the longitudinal direction for the purpose of preventing deviations in the amount of lubricant applied, but a pressure arm is required in addition to the spring, reducing costs. Contrary to the reduction in the number of parts. In addition, the number of parts for changing the pressing force increases. Further, since the pressing force is changed in the longitudinal direction, the set direction must be specified, which causes an assembly error. In addition, if incompatible parts are attached to prevent this assembly error, the number of parts is further increased, which is contrary to cost reduction.

  In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention devised the shape of the brush roller for applying lubricant, and the amount of lubricant applied in the longitudinal direction of the image carrier caused by the conveying force in the winding direction and rotation direction of the brush fibers. It is an object of the present invention to reduce the deviation without increasing the number of parts.

In order to achieve the object, the present invention has the following configuration.
(1): a solid lubricant and a brush for applying a lubricant that is applied to an image carrier by scraping the solid lubricant as a powdered lubricant by contacting the solid lubricant while rotating. A roller and pressure means for pressing the solid lubricant against the brush roller in order to give the contact force, and the brush roller has a brush fiber implanted on a mandrel serving as a shaft. The brush roller having a configuration in which a sheet is spirally wound, and the shape of the brush roller outer diameter in the axial direction is received by the solid lubricant according to the winding direction of the brush fiber and the rotation direction of the brush roller A lubricant application device having a larger diameter at the other end on the downstream side with respect to the one end on the upstream side in the direction of the conveying force in the axial direction is provided.
(2): In the lubricant application device according to (1), the shape of the brush roller outer diameter in the axial direction is gradually increased from one upstream end to the other downstream end in the conveying force direction. A taper shape in which is increased (claim 2).
(3): In the lubricant application device according to (1), the shape of the brush roller outer diameter in the axial direction is set to a large diameter only at the other end on the downstream side in the direction of the conveying force.
(4): In the lubricant application device according to any one of (1) to (3), the outer shape of the brush roller is formed by changing a diameter of a mandrel of the brush roller. (Claim 4).
(5): at least of an image carrier, a charging unit that charges the image carrier, a developing unit that supplies toner to the image carrier, and a cleaning unit that collects toner remaining on the image carrier (1) to (4) are provided with the lubricant application device according to any one of the process cartridges configured to be detachable from the image forming apparatus main body ( Claim 5).
(6): an image carrier, a charging unit for charging the image carrier, an exposure unit for exposing the image carrier to create an electrostatic latent image, and supplying toner to the image carrier for static A developing unit that visualizes the electrostatic latent image with toner, a transfer unit that transfers the visible image formed on the image carrier to a transfer target, and a cleaning that recovers toner remaining after transfer to the image carrier. An image forming apparatus including the means includes the lubricant application device according to any one of (1) to (4).
(7): In the image forming apparatus described in (6), the image forming apparatus includes a driving unit that rotates the brush roller, and a control unit that changes a rotation speed of the driving unit, and the brush roller is rotated by the control unit. The speed can be changed (claim 7).
(8): In the image forming apparatus according to (7), the image forming apparatus includes an image pattern determining unit that reads an image pattern formed on the image carrier, and according to the image pattern read by the image pattern determining unit. The rotation speed of the brush roller is changed by the control means.
(9): The image forming apparatus according to any one of (7) and (8), further including a temperature / humidity detection unit that detects a temperature / humidity of a use environment, wherein the control unit sets a value of the temperature / humidity detection unit. Accordingly, the rotational speed of the brush roller is changed (claim 9).

  By devising the shape of the brush roller for lubricant application, the deviation of the lubricant application amount in the longitudinal direction of the image carrier caused by the conveying force in the winding direction and rotation direction of the brush fiber can be increased without increasing the number of parts. Can be reduced.

It is principal part sectional drawing of the lubricant coating device of this invention. It is the comparative example which generalized and showed the prior art. It is principal part sectional drawing of the lubricant coating device as a modification of this invention. (A) is a front view of the brush roller mandrel concerning this invention, (b) is a front view of the brush roller which uses the mandrel of (a). It is a schematic front view of a process cartridge. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the process cartridge and its peripheral portion showing the control unit and the like taken out from the process cartridge mounted in the image forming apparatus.

Example 1.
The embodiment of the present invention will be described in comparison with a comparative example.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a lubricant material application device 44 according to the present invention, and one end on the upstream side in the direction 6 of the conveying force in the axial direction of the brush roller received by the solid lubricant according to the rotation direction of the brush roller 1. The other end side (right end side in the figure) on the downstream side with respect to the side (left end side in the figure) has a large diameter, and as an aspect thereof, the outer diameter gradually increases from the one end side to the other end side. Is.

  In FIG. 1, a belt-like sheet in which brush fibers are planted is spirally wound around a rotation shaft around a lubricant application brush roller 1. The brush roller 1 is often formed by obliquely winding a belt-like sheet in which brush fibers are planted around a mandrel serving as a shaft, and this example also follows this. Here, for example, if it is configured to wind once in the circumferential direction of the mandrel, there may be joints throughout the longitudinal direction at the start and end positions, which may cause the load to fluctuate for each round of the brush. . In addition, there are concerns such as peeling off from the joints due to the rotating operation. Therefore, a brush roller produced by winding a sheet of brush fibers obliquely is widely used. In this method, the force applied in the direction that is inclined with respect to the rotation direction and peeled off can be distributed, and the structure can flexibly cope with a roller having a different length.

  For such winding, a spiral strip K such as a spiral screw having the width of the belt-like sheet as a pitch is formed on the peripheral surface of the brush roller 1 for applying lubricant. In this example, it is formed in the same winding direction as that of the right screw, and is wound clockwise as viewed from the upper left side in the axial direction of the brush roller 1 as indicated by an arrow 8 in FIG. It has become. In a region facing the brush roller 1, a lubricant storage holder 31 for storing a solid lubricant and its pressing means is disposed, and the lubricant storage holder 31 stores these solid lubricant and its pressing means. A concave storage space 2 is formed. The storage space 2 is a rectangular concave space in which a portion facing the brush roller 1 is opened.

The storage space 2 is a rectangular concave space in which a portion facing the brush roller 1 is opened.
In the storage space 2, a long rectangular parallelepiped solid lubricant J that is loosely fitted in the space is held by a plate-like holding table 3. Between the holding table 3 and the bottom of the storage space 2, extensible pressure springs 4 are arranged at two locations in the axial direction of the brush roller 1. Due to the elasticity of the spring 4, the solid lubricant J is pressed toward the brush roller 1 side. The movement of the solid lubricant J toward the brush roller 1 due to the elasticity of the spring 4 is prevented by the surface portion of the solid lubricant J coming into contact with the brush roller 1. The solid lubricant J and the holding table 3 have a gap that can move in the storage space 2 in a direction in which the solid lubricant J contacts and separates from the brush roller 1 (the pressing direction by the spring 4). Although not shown, the lubricant application brush roller 1 is in contact with a drum-shaped photoconductor as an example of an image carrier.

  The solid lubricant J is configured by using two springs 4 having the same strength so as to be evenly scraped off in the axial direction of the brush roller 1. In the case of being driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow 5 corresponding to the direction of loosening the right screw as viewed from the left (counterclockwise direction), the solid lubricant J is moved by the brush roller 1 to the arrow due to the relationship between the bolt and the nut. It is displaced by receiving a conveying force to the right indicated by 6 and conveyed. Due to this conveying force, the base 3 (or solid lubricant J) comes into contact with the inner wall on one side of the storage space 2.

  In this example, the side wall surface 3a inside the storage space 2 and the holding table 3 are in contact with each other on the downstream side in the transport direction of the solid lubricant J. This contact location is indicated by a dashed ellipse mark 7. Because of this contact, the brush roller 1 is subjected to an excessive rubbing resistance only on one side (right end portion) in the longitudinal direction of the shaft, and the pressure applied to the brush roller 1 received by the two springs 4 having the same strength is deviated. Will occur.

  In this configuration, the contact force of the solid lubricant J on the right end side of the brush roller becomes weak, and as a result, the amount of lubricant applied to the photoconductor also causes a deviation in the application amount that the right end side decreases. In the example, the outer diameter shape of the brush roller is changed in the longitudinal direction to correct the variation in lubricant consumption. As illustrated, the axial shape of the outer diameter of the brush roller 1 is determined in the axial direction of the brush roller received by the solid lubricant J in accordance with the winding direction of the brush fibers and the rotation direction of the brush roller. The diameter of the downstream side (right end side) is larger than the upstream side (left end side) in the direction of the conveying force indicated by the arrow 6.

  In this example, the diameter of the brush roller 1 has a tapered shape that is gradually enlarged and changed toward the downstream side (right end side) in the conveyance force direction 6. By increasing the outer diameter of the brush roller 1 on the downstream side (right end side) of the conveying direction according to the winding direction and the rotating direction of the brush fiber, the ability of the brush roller 1 to scrape the solid lubricant is improved. Yes. Increasing the diameter of the brush roller 1 increases the contact surface between the brush roller and the solid lubricant, and increases the amount of applied lubricant, resulting in a decrease in the applied pressure due to the sliding resistance of the solid lubricant. In response to the difference in the diameter of the brush roller, the variation in the amount of lubricant applied is corrected.

  FIG. 2 is a comparative example showing a lubricant application device 44X according to the prior art.

  In this comparative example, except for the brush roller 100, there is no difference from FIG. Accordingly, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. The brush roller 100 has the same axial diameter as the outer diameter.

  In this example, when the lubricant application brush roller 100 is rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow 4 corresponding to the direction of loosening the right screw as viewed from the left side (counterclockwise direction), the same as described in FIG. The solid lubricant J is displaced in response to the conveying force in the direction, and the holding base 3 comes into contact with the right side wall surface 3a of the storage space 101. As a result, the pressure applied to the brush roller 100 received by the spring 3 is influenced by the left and right. Deviation occurs and deviation occurs in the amount of lubricant applied in the longitudinal direction of the image carrier.

  The embodiment of the present invention in FIG. 1 and the comparative example in FIG. 2 have the same configuration except for the shape of the brush roller. In the present invention, the brush fiber winding direction and rotation can be achieved only by changing the outer diameter shape of the brush roller from the conventional shape, that is, by devising the shape of the brush roller for lubricant application required in the lubricant application device. The deviation of the lubricant application amount in the longitudinal direction of the image carrier caused by the conveying force in the direction can be prevented without increasing the number of parts.

Example 2.
FIG. 3 is another example of the lubricant material application device 44 according to the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the conveying force in the axial direction of the brush roller received by the solid lubricant according to the rotation direction of the brush roller 1. In the direction 6, the other end side (the right end side in the figure) on the downstream side is larger than the one end side on the upstream side (the left end side in the figure), and as a mode, only the other end part on the downstream side in the direction of the conveying force It has a large diameter shape.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the brush roller 10 has a diameter at the right end portion 10a in the axial direction larger than the outer diameter portion other than the right end portion 10a, and other outer diameter portions excluding the right end portion 10a. Is the same diameter that does not change. In the right end portion 10a, if the taper shape has a larger diameter as it goes to the right, the diameter change at the right end portion becomes smooth, which is preferable in terms of uniform coating.

  As in this example, the force to scrape off the lubricant is increased at the right end portion 10a portion where the one end side of the brush roller 10 is concerned about the decrease in the applied pressure on the downstream side indicated by the arrow 6 which is the conveying direction of the solid lubricant J. If it is a shape, the deviation of the lubricant application amount in the longitudinal direction of the image carrier can be prevented without increasing the number of parts, as in Example 1.

  1 and 3 show a method in which the solid lubricant J is pressurized using the two springs 4. However, the number, arrangement, and strength of the springs may be different, and other cases. Even when the pressurization method (method using an arm and a tension spring) is adopted, the solid lubricant or its holding base abuts against the inner wall of the storage space, and the same problem as in the present invention occurs. In the first and second embodiments, the present invention deals with the aspects of the present invention to obtain the action and effect terms of the present invention.

  As described above, in the lubricant application device according to Examples 1 and 2, the conveying direction of the solid lubricant is determined by the winding direction and the rotating direction of the brush fibers. By devising the shape of the brush roller on the downstream side in the conveying direction, it is possible to obtain a shape that increases the amount of application, and deviation of the lubricant application amount can be prevented. Currently, as a lubricant application device, it is possible to take measures against deviations in the amount of application by simply changing the shape of the brush roller, which is essential for scraping off solid lubricant and applying it to the image carrier. An easy configuration can be achieved without increasing the number.

  In addition, since the same pressure applied by the spring is applied to the left and right sides of the solid lubricant, the setting direction is not restricted, and there are no concerns such as assembly errors. Although the assembly direction is restricted by changing the shape of the brush roller, since it has been configured in the conventional assembly direction in consideration of the direction in which the drive is applied, the lubricant accommodating holder 31 that is the holding portion has a large structure. The assembling direction is restricted by designating and indicating the diameter side, and the known means can be used also in the lubricant application device of the present invention.

Example 3 FIG. 4 shows a configuration example in which the shape of the outer diameter direction of the brush roller 1 in Example 1 is formed by changing the diameter of the mandrel of the brush roller. As a method of forming the outer diameter of the brush roller 1 in a tapered shape as shown in FIG. 1, (b) a configuration in which the length of the brush fiber is changed using a mandrel having the same diameter in the axial direction, and (b) The lengths of the brush fibers are the same, and the mandrel has a tapered shape. In order to obtain the effects of the present invention such as uniform application amount, the above method (b) is desirable.

  For example, in the configuration (b) in which the length of the brush fiber is changed, the force of scraping from the solid lubricant varies depending on the difference in the fiber length. In addition, when wound around a mandrel, it is necessary to use a sheet having different lengths of brush fibers planted from the brush application position to the end position, which complicates the creation.

  On the other hand, in the configuration (b) in which the shape of the mandrel is changed, the length of the brush fiber is the same, and the shaving force of the lubricant by the brush fiber can be made uniform in the axial direction of the brush roller. Thus, the difference in the cutting force due to the difference in the outer diameter can be clarified. In addition, the sheet member in which the brush fibers are planted can be formed by winding the same sheet member regardless of the attaching position, so that there is an advantage that work efficiency is improved. 4A shows a tapered mandrel 1a according to the method (b), and FIG. 4B shows a brush roller 1 formed by winding a sheet having the same length of brush fibers around the mandrel 1a. doing.

Example 4 This is an example in which a lubricant application device is incorporated in a process cartridge.

  FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of a process cartridge 45 that is mounted with the lubricant application device according to the present invention described in Examples 1 and 2 and is detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus. In the process cartridge 45, a charging unit 41 for charging the photoconductor 40, a developing unit 42 for supplying toner to the photoconductor, the lubricant application device 44 of the present invention, and the photoconductor 40 are provided around the photoconductor 40 as an image carrier. And a cleaning unit 43 for collecting the toner remaining in the toner. Note that, on the photoconductor 40, the area between the charging unit 41 and the developing unit 42 is irradiated with the laser beam for exposure.

  In general, an image forming apparatus has a complicated configuration, and it is often difficult to easily replace each constituent unit. However, an integrated process cartridge as in this example is used. The operability and maintenance at the time of replacement can be improved.

  In FIG. 5, the lubricant application device 44 is arranged on the upstream side of the cleaning blade 43a with respect to the rotation direction of the photoreceptor 40 indicated by the arrow 46, but as a modification, the lubricant application device 44 is lubricated on the downstream side of the cleaning blade 43a. The same advantage can be obtained with a configuration in which the agent coating device 44 is disposed and a second blade (coating blade) is provided downstream of the lubricant coating device 44. Further, the rotation direction of the brush roller for applying the lubricant is not limited.

  In the example of FIG. 5, the process cartridge 45 includes all of the photosensitive member 40, the charging unit 41, the developing unit 42, and the cleaning unit 43 in addition to the lubricant application device 44. 40, a process cartridge including at least one of charging means 41, developing means 42, and cleaning means 43 and a lubricant application device 44 may be used.

Example 5. This is an example in which the lubricant application device of the present invention is incorporated in an image forming apparatus.
The image forming apparatus of the present invention includes an image carrier, a charging unit that charges the image carrier, an exposure unit that exposes the image carrier to create an electrostatic latent image, and a toner on the image carrier. A developing unit that supplies an electrostatic latent image to a visible image with toner; a transfer unit that transfers a visible image formed on the image carrier to a transfer target; and a toner that remains on the image carrier after transfer The lubricant application device used in the image forming apparatus including the cleaning means for collecting the lubricant regulates the variation of the lubricant in the axial direction of the brush roller caused by the conveying force of the solid lubricant in the brush winding direction and the rotation direction. Therefore, any transfer method (direct transfer method or intermediate transfer method) in the image forming apparatus can be applied.

FIG. 6 illustrates a direct transfer type image forming apparatus in which the lubricant application apparatus of the present invention can be mounted.
FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view showing an example of an image forming apparatus capable of forming a full color image. The image forming apparatus shown here is an endless recording medium conveyance belt 63 that is wound around a plurality of support rollers 54, 55, and 56 and driven to rotate in the direction of arrow A, and is opposed to the recording medium conveyance belt 63. The first to fourth process cartridges 45Y, 45C, 45M and 45BK are provided. Each of the process cartridges 45Y to 45BK has photoreceptors 40Y, 40C, 40M, and 40BK as image carriers on which toner images of different colors are formed, and each toner image formed on each photoreceptor is Then, the recording medium is transferred onto the recording medium conveyed by the recording medium conveying belt 63. Instead of the drum-shaped photoreceptor, a photoreceptor composed of an endless belt can be used. Further, reference numeral 15 in FIG. 6 indicates the image forming apparatus main body.

  A configuration in which a toner image is formed on each of the photoreceptors 40Y to 40BK of the first to fourth process cartridges 45Y to 45BK and the toner image is transferred to a recording medium is substantially different only in the color of the toner image. Since all are the same, only a configuration in which a toner image is formed on the photoreceptor 40Y of the first process cartridge 45Y and transferred to a recording medium will be described.

  FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the first process cartridge 45Y mounted in the image forming apparatus main body 15. The photosensitive member 40Y of the process cartridge 45Y shown here is rotatably supported by the unit case 16, and is driven to rotate clockwise by the driving device 17. At this time, a charging voltage is applied to the charging means 41 by a charging roller rotatably supported by the unit case 16, whereby the surface of the photoreceptor 40 </ b> Y is charged to a predetermined polarity. The charging unit 41 constitutes an example of a charging device that charges the photosensitive member.

  The charged photoconductor 40Y is irradiated with light-modulated laser light L emitted from the exposure device 18, which is the exposure means shown in FIG. 6, which is separate from the process cartridge 45Y. An electrostatic latent image is formed. As described above, the exposure device 18 exposes the charged surface of the photoconductor based on the image data to form an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor.

  The electrostatic latent image is visualized as a yellow toner image by the developing means 42. The developing means 42 shown here has a developing case 19 constituted by a part of the unit case 16, and this developing case 19 contains a two-component dry developer D having toner and carrier. Yes. The developing case 19 includes two screws 13 and 14 for stirring the developer D and a developing roller 23 that is driven to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. The developer D drawn up by the toner is carried on the peripheral surface of the developing roller 23, conveyed in the rotation direction of the developing roller 23, and the developer passing through the doctor blade 24 is between the developing roller 23 and the photoreceptor 40Y. To the development area. At this time, the toner in the developer is electrostatically transferred to the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoreceptor 40Y, and the latent image is visualized as a toner image. The developer that has passed through the developing region is separated from the developing roller 23 and stirred by the screws 13 and 14. In this way, a toner image is formed on the photoreceptor 40Y. A developing device using a one-component developer having no carrier can also be employed.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, at the lower part of the image forming apparatus main body 15, a paper feeding device 48 having a paper feeding cassette 46 and a paper feeding roller 47 containing a recording medium P made of, for example, transfer paper or resin film. And the uppermost recording medium P is fed in the direction of arrow B by the rotation of the paper feed roller 47. The recording medium P sent out in this way is sent between the photosensitive member 40Y that rotates in the clockwise direction and the recording medium conveyance belt 63 that is driven to rotate in the direction of arrow A, and is carried by the recording medium conveyance belt 63. Then transported.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a transfer device configured as a transfer roller 49 is disposed at a position substantially opposite to the photoreceptor 40 </ b> Y across the recording medium conveyance belt 63, and a transfer voltage is applied to the transfer roller 49. The toner image that has been applied and thereby visualized on the photoreceptor 40Y is transferred to a recording medium P as a transfer medium that is carried and conveyed by the recording medium conveyance belt 63. The recording medium P constitutes an example of a transfer target to which the toner image on the photoreceptor 40Y is transferred, and the transfer roller 49 constitutes an example of a transfer unit that transfers the toner image on the photoreceptor to the transfer target. It is.

  The transfer residual toner adhering to the photoconductor 40Y after the toner image transfer is removed by the cleaning means 43 shown in FIG. The cleaning means 43 of this example includes a cleaning case 57 constituted by a part of the unit case 16, a cleaning blade 43a having a leading edge pressed against the surface of the photoreceptor 40Y, and a blade holder 58 that holds the cleaning blade 43a. And a toner conveying screw 59 disposed in the cleaning case 57.

  The above-mentioned blade holder 59 is fixed to the cleaning case 57, and the cleaning blade 43a is disposed in the counter direction with respect to the surface movement direction of the photoreceptor 40Y. The cleaning blade 43a is made of an elastic body such as urethane rubber, silicon rubber, or other rubber, and the base end side of the cleaning blade 43a is fixed to the blade holder 58 with an adhesive, for example. When the leading edge portion of the cleaning blade 43a comes into pressure contact with the surface of the photoreceptor 40Y, the transfer residual toner attached to the surface of the photoreceptor 40Y after the toner image transfer is scraped off and removed. The removed toner is conveyed out of the cleaning case by a toner conveying screw 59 that is driven to rotate. In this way, the cleaning blade 43a of the cleaning means 43 serves to remove the transfer residual toner adhering to the surface of the photoconductor after the toner image is transferred.

Even if the brush roller 1 and the lubricant application device having a solid lubricant are arranged on either the upstream side or the downstream side in the rotation direction of the image carrier relative to the blade used as the cleaning means, the effect of the present invention is achieved. Is the same.
Here, an example in which the blade is disposed on the upstream side of the blade will be described with reference to FIG.
The brush roller of the lubricant application device performs the lubricant application, and at the same time plays a role of assisting a cleaning blade for removing the toner remaining on the photoreceptor after transfer. The toner collected by the brush roller is configured to be removed from the brush by a centrifugal force or a flicker member before reaching the contact position of the solid lubricant J. The toner collected by the brush roller or the cleaning blade is conveyed by a conveying member and stored in a storage unit in the process cartridge, a toner collecting container provided in the image forming apparatus, or the like. Since the image forming apparatus has the above-described configuration, the image forming apparatus can be used with the lubricant application device of the present invention mounted thereon, and the effect can be exhibited.

  Although the image forming apparatus shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 uses a process cartridge, the charging, developing, and cleaning means may be individually attached to the image forming apparatus main body without using the process cartridge. Of course, the lubricant application device of the present invention can be applied to the cleaning means.

  Further, the present invention is not attached to the image forming apparatus according to the direct transfer system as in the present example, but attached to a cleaning device provided around the photoconductor as an image carrier in the tandem type image forming apparatus or the like according to the intermediate transfer system. In the same tandem type image forming apparatus, the lubricant applying apparatus of the present invention can be provided in addition to the intermediate transfer belt cleaning apparatus.

Example 6 This is an example in which the rotation speed of the brush roller can be changed.
The required amount of lubricant varies depending on the usage situation of the photoreceptor 40. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7 in which the part of the process cartridge 45Y mounted in the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 6 is taken out, it has control means 66 for changing the rotational speed of the lubricant application brush roller, and lubrication is performed. Optimize agent coating amount.

  The control unit 66 may also serve as a control unit that controls various members related to image formation of the image forming apparatus. In this example, the control means 66 is used as means for variably controlling the rotation speed of the drive device 17 such as a motor as a drive source connected to the rotation shaft of the brush roller 1. By making the rotation speed of the brush roller 1 variable, problems such as roller contamination in the charging means 41 due to overcoating, load on the blade due to lack of lubricant, and so-called film scraping that damages the photosensitive layer of the photoreceptor 40 are generated. And the solid lubricant J itself can be used effectively.

  In the present invention, since the outer diameter of the brush is only changed in the longitudinal direction, for example, when the rotational speed of the brush roller 1 is increased, the conveying force of the solid lubricant J in the direction of the arrow 6 increases. However, since the shaving amount of the solid lubricant J by increasing the rotation speed of the brush roller 1 also increases, as a result, it is possible to obtain a state in which the pressure deviation due to the sliding resistance is corrected.

Example 7. This is an example in which the rotation speed of the brush roller can be changed according to the image area ratio.
The surface state of the photoreceptor changes depending on the image area ratio of the toner image formed on the photoreceptor, and the required amount of lubricant also changes. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, it has an image pattern determination means for reading an image pattern formed on the photoreceptor 40Y, and a brush roller is controlled by the control means 66 according to the image pattern read by the image pattern determination means. The rotational speed of 1 is changed. The image pattern here is an image area ratio of a toner image formed on the photoreceptor 40Y, and is an information that is grasped by the control means 66 in the image forming apparatus. . Therefore, the rotation speed of the brush roller 1 is changed by the control unit 66 using information on the image area ratio of the image pattern determination unit 66a provided in the control unit 66. The control means 66 has a data table such as an image area ratio and an experiment of an appropriate rotation speed corresponding to the image area ratio, and performs control to achieve an appropriate rotation speed. For example, in order to increase the coating amount from the solid lubricant J when the image area ratio is high and to decrease the coating amount from the solid lubricant J when the image area ratio is low, the rotational speed of the brush roller 1 is controlled. It was.

Example 8 This is an example in which the rotation speed of the brush roller can be changed according to the temperature and humidity of the use environment.
In the lubricant application device 44, the lubricant state and the amount of shaving with the brush change depending on the temperature and humidity of the usage environment, and the amount of lubricant applied changes. Therefore, also in the lubricant application apparatus of the present invention, the temperature / humidity detection sensor 67 is provided in the installation environment of the image forming apparatus, and the detected temperature / humidity information is input by the control means 66, and the brush is selected according to the magnitude of the temperature / humidity information. Change the rotation speed of the roller. The control means 66 has a data table such as an experiment of temperature and humidity and an appropriate rotation speed corresponding to the temperature and humidity. When the temperature and humidity information is high, the solid lubricant is easily scraped. Since the solid lubricant is hard and difficult to cut, control is performed so as to achieve an appropriate rotation speed, such as a high-speed tendency. Further optimization can be achieved by changing the rotation speed of the brush roller according to the temperature and humidity. In addition, appropriate rotational speed information considering both the temperature / humidity information from the temperature / humidity detection sensor 67 and the image area ratio from the image pattern determination means 66a is obtained from the data table, and the drive device 17 is controlled. You can also.

Brush roller 1, 10, 100
1a mandrel storage space 2
Holding stand 3
Side wall surface 3a
Spring 4
Arrows A, B, 5, 6, 8, 46
7 Ellipse mark 10a Right end portion 13, 14 Screw 15 Image forming apparatus main body 16 Unit case 17 Driving device 18 Exposure device 23 Developing roller 24 Doctor blade 31 Lubricant accommodation holder 40, 40Y, 40C, 40M, 40BK Photoconductor 41 Charging means 42 Developing means 43 Cleaning means 43a Cleaning blades 44, 44X Lubricant application devices 45, 45Y, 45C, 45M, 45BK Process cartridge 46 Paper feed cassette 47 Paper feed roller 48 Paper feed device 49 Transfer rollers 54, 55, 56 Support roller 57 Cleaning Case 58 Blade holder 59 Toner conveying screw 63 Recording medium conveying belt 66 Control means 66a Image pattern determination means 67 Temperature / humidity detection sensor D Developer J Solid lubricant K Spiral L L Laser light P Recording medium

JP 2010-145877 A

Claims (9)

A solid lubricant, a brush roller for applying lubricant to the image carrier by scraping the solid lubricant as a powdered lubricant by contacting the solid lubricant while rotating; and Pressure means for pressing the solid lubricant against the brush roller in order to give a force for contact,
The brush roller has a configuration in which a sheet in which brush fibers are planted on a mandrel serving as a shaft is spirally wound, and the shape of the brush roller outer diameter in the axial direction depends on the winding direction of the brush fibers and the brush. The other end on the downstream side has a larger diameter than the one end on the upstream side in the direction of the conveying force in the axial direction of the brush roller received by the solid lubricant according to the rotation direction of the roller. Lubricant application device. The lubricant application device according to claim 1, wherein
Lubricant application characterized in that the axial shape of the brush roller outer diameter is a tapered shape in which the outer diameter gradually increases from one upstream end to the other downstream end in the conveying force direction. apparatus. The lubricant application device according to claim 1, wherein
The lubricant application device characterized in that the brush roller outer diameter in the axial direction has a large diameter only at the other end on the downstream side in the conveying force direction. In the lubricant application device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A lubricant application device, wherein the shape of the brush roller in the outer diameter direction is formed by changing a diameter of a mandrel of the brush roller. At least one of an image carrier, a charging unit that charges the image carrier, a developing unit that supplies toner to the image carrier, and a cleaning unit that collects toner remaining on the image carrier. In the process cartridge configured to be detachable from the image forming apparatus main body,
A process cartridge comprising the lubricant application device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. An image carrier, charging means for charging the image carrier, exposure means for exposing the image carrier to create an electrostatic latent image, and supplying toner to the image carrier to form an electrostatic latent image A developing unit that forms a visible image with toner; a transfer unit that transfers a visible image formed on the image carrier to a transfer target; and a cleaning unit that collects toner remaining on the image carrier after transfer. In the image forming apparatus,
An image forming apparatus comprising the lubricant application device according to claim 1. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6.
An image forming apparatus comprising: a drive unit that rotates the brush roller; and a control unit that changes a rotation speed of the drive unit, and the control unit can change the rotation speed of the brush roller. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7,
An image pattern determination unit that reads an image pattern formed on the image carrier, and the rotation speed of the brush roller is changed by the control unit according to the image pattern read by the image pattern determination unit; An image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7 or 8,
An image forming apparatus comprising temperature / humidity detection means for detecting temperature / humidity of a use environment, wherein the control means changes a rotation speed of a brush roller in accordance with a value of the temperature / humidity detection means.

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