EP0740225A2 - Ultrasonic cleaning assist to reduce friction between the cleaner and photoreceptor using normal force vibration - Google Patents

Ultrasonic cleaning assist to reduce friction between the cleaner and photoreceptor using normal force vibration Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0740225A2
EP0740225A2 EP19960302572 EP96302572A EP0740225A2 EP 0740225 A2 EP0740225 A2 EP 0740225A2 EP 19960302572 EP19960302572 EP 19960302572 EP 96302572 A EP96302572 A EP 96302572A EP 0740225 A2 EP0740225 A2 EP 0740225A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
blade
cleaning
free end
particles
photoreceptor
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP19960302572
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Nero R. Lindblad
James R. Beachner
David B. Montfort
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Xerox Corp
Original Assignee
Xerox Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Xerox Corp filed Critical Xerox Corp
Publication of EP0740225A2 publication Critical patent/EP0740225A2/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
    • G03G21/00—Arrangements not provided for by groups G03G13/00 - G03G19/00, e.g. cleaning, elimination of residual charge
    • G03G21/0005—Arrangements not provided for by groups G03G13/00 - G03G19/00, e.g. cleaning, elimination of residual charge for removing solid developer or debris from the electrographic recording medium
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
    • G03G2221/00—Processes not provided for by group G03G2215/00, e.g. cleaning or residual charge elimination
    • G03G2221/0005—Cleaning of residual toner
    • G03G2221/0021—Cleaning of residual toner applying vibrations to the electrographic recording medium for assisting the cleaning, e.g. ultrasonic vibration

Definitions

  • This invention relates generally to a cleaning apparatus, and more particularly concerns an ultrasonic cleaning assist (UCA) method causing vibration in a normal direction to the photoreceptor to clean the imaging surface.
  • UCA ultrasonic cleaning assist
  • Blade cleaning involves a blade, normally made of a rubberlike material (e.g. polyurethane) which is dragged or wiped across the surface to remove the residual particles from the surface. Blade cleaning is a highly desirable method, compared to other methods, for removing residual particles due to its simple, inexpensive structure.
  • blade cleaning is a highly desirable method, compared to other methods, for removing residual particles due to its simple, inexpensive structure.
  • there are certain deficiencies in blade cleaning which are primarily a result of the frictional sealing contact that must occur between the blade and the surface.
  • Dynamic friction is the force that resists relative motion between two bodies that come into contact with each other while having separate motion. This friction between the blade edge and the surface causes wearing away of the blade edge, and damages the blade's contact with the surface.
  • Various blade lubricating materials or toner lubricant additives have been proposed to reduce friction which would thereby reduce wear.
  • lubricants tend to change the operational characteristics of the printing machine undesirably. For example, a polyurethane blade with a good lubricant in the toner can ideally achieve a frictional coefficient of about 0.5, however, this rarely occurs because of the delicate balance involved in achieving the proper weight percent of lubricant in the toner.
  • Normal frictional coefficient values for cleaning blades that remove toner off the imaging surface range from a low of about 0.5 to a high of about 1.5). Without lubrication, the coefficient of friction for urethane cleaning blades is greater than 10, and causes a rapid devastating failure of the blade.
  • blade cleaners presently used have the disadvantage of high friction between the blade and the photoreceptor surface. This causes the blade to intermittently stick, particularly at start-up, to the photoreceptor surface creating a type of bouncing or skipping action of the blade as it rides on the photoreceptor. This bouncing or skipping action can cause copy quality defects and blade failures by over stressing the cleaning edge. Furthermore, blades that exhibit high friction can foldover when placed in pressure contact with the photoreceptor. When failure due to blade foldover, blade skipping, or blade bouncing occurs, the blade must be replaced.
  • US-A-4,111,546 to Maret discloses an electrostatographic reproducing apparatus and process including a system for ultrasonically cleaning residual material from the imaging surface.
  • Ultrasonic vibratory energy is applied to the air space adjacent the imaging surface to excite the air molecules for dislodging the residual material from the imaging surface.
  • pneumatic cleaning is employed simultaneously with the ultrasonic cleaning.
  • a conventional mechanical cleaning system is augmented by localized vibration of the imaging surface at the cleaning station which are provided from behind the imaging surface.
  • US-A-4,007,982 to Stange discloses a cleaning apparatus, electrostatographic machine and process are provided wherein particulate material is removed from the surface of an electrostatographic imaging member by at least one blade member having an edge engaging the surface.
  • the blade edge is vibrated at a frequency sufficiently high to substantially reduce the frictional resistance between the blade edge and the imaging surface.
  • the present invention provides an apparatus for cleaning particles from a surface, comprising: a blade, having a fixed end and a free end opposed to one another, said free end, having a level of force thereon, contacting a side of the surface to form a cleaning edge to remove particles from the surface thereat; and vibrational means positioned opposed from said free end of said blade with the surface being interposed between said free end and said vibrational means, said vibrational means, in use, reducing friction and lowering the level of force on said free end to prevent tucking of said free end in contact with the surface.
  • the present invention provides several advantages.
  • One important advantage is the extension of blade life due to reduced friction from the UCA when used in conjunction with a cleaner blade.
  • the UCA eliminates severe blade tucks that are known to be a major cause of failure for cleaning blades.
  • the elimination of blade tucking is especially important when the blade has to clean low percentage area coverage images from the imaging surface. Without the UCA, the blade is forced to ride on the photoreceptor surface where there is no toner lubrication. In these regions, the blade can severely tuck.
  • Other advantages of the present invention include: ease of removal of spots that tenaciously adhere to the photoreceptor (i.e.
  • the present invention describes positioning the ultrasonic transducer directly opposite the cleaning blade edge of a blade cleaner.
  • the transducer creates a localized vibration area that reduces the intimate contact between the blade and the imaging surface to reduce frictional contact therebetween and thus reduce blade tuck.
  • the localized vibration reduces the adhesion between the toner particles and the imaging surface for easier removal of the residual particles from the surface.
  • the localized vibration area is defined as a region within 1 mm of the centerline of the transducer horn.
  • the UCA reduces the coefficient of friction and the blade load required between the blade and photoreceptor. Therefore, the blade drag (F f ) is significantly reduced because both ⁇ and N L are also reduced.
  • the reduction in friction and blade load extends blade life by eliminating blade tuck. This reduction improves blade reliability and the Weibull slope increases from one to three.
  • the belt drag is also reduced which is important for copiers with limited belt drive capacity. It is also noted that the use of UCA applies to cleaning blades as well as spots
  • Residual toner and debris remaining on photoreceptor belt 10 after each copy is made, may be removed at cleaning station F with a brush, blade or other type of cleaning system 70.
  • a UCA (i.e. U ltrasonic C leaning A ssist) device 150 makes vibrational contact with the under side of the photoreceptive belt 10.
  • FIG. 1 shows a schematic elevational view of the cleaner blade location relative to the UCA (e.g. ultrasonic transducer).
  • the UCA 150 shown in Figure 1 comprises a horn (or waveguide) 110, a piezoelectric ceramic strip or section 125 attached to the transducer horn 110, and a vacuum plenum 130.
  • the overall height of the UCA device 150 shown in Figure 1 is about 32 mm (i.e. approximately 1.25 inches)).
  • the tip 105 of the horn 110 contacts a narrow surface area on the under side of the photoreceptor belt 10, opposite the side containing the imaging surface 11.
  • the vacuum plenum 130 houses the transducer horn 110 and piezoelectric ceramic 125.
  • the vacuum plenum supports a negative pressure that provides sufficient suction to hold the photoreceptor 10 in contact with the vacuum plenum 130 and the transducer horn tip 105. (It should be noted that the vacuum plenum 130 is optional in the present invention.)
  • the transducer is placed in adjacent contact with the underside of the photoreceptor 10 and acts as a back support.
  • the UCA device 150 is an important element of the effectiveness of the present invention to reduce friction between the blade and the surface, is the location of the UCA device 150 in relation to the cleaning blade 100.
  • the length of the cleaning blade 100 is about 10 mm with a thickness of about 1 mm to about 3 mm for urethane materials or a thickness of about 0.05 mm to about 1 mm for thermoplastic or steel materials.
  • the cleaning blade 100 of the present invention is positioned, in contact with the photoreceptor 10, directly opposed to the narrow surface of the transducer horn tip 105 in an area where localized vibration occurs.
  • the UCA significantly improves blade cleaning.
  • the blade load is reduced because the UCA ultrasonically dislodges the toner, therefore reducing the blade force (N L ) required to clean (compare Tables 2 and 3 shown below).
  • the UCA dislodges most of the toner reducing the amount of toner to be dislodged by the blade. Hence, reducing the normal force (N L ) required for effective cleaning.
  • the blade 100 is required to remove all of the residual toner from the photoreceptor 10 and thus a higher blade force is required.
  • Table 1 shows the drag measurements which yield a value for the coefficient of friction between the blade and the belt under different test conditions. A drop occurs in the belt drag and the coefficient of friction with the use of UCA device. (The coefficient of friction is the drag value divided by the blade load. The blade used in these tests was 30 cm long, thus the total load divided by 30 cm yields the blade force in gm/cm.)
  • Table 2 Blade Cleaning without UCA Blade load gm Cleaning Efficiency Comment Total gm/cm 1400 46.6 good more than enough force 1200 40 good enough force 1000 33.3 good enough force 800 26.6 streaks not enough 600 20 poor not enough
  • Table 2 shows the cleaning results without the UCA. A 1000 grams of blade load is required for effective cleaning. This corresponds to 33.3 gm/cm. Table 3 Blade Cleaning with UCA Blade load gm Cleaning Efficiency Comment Total gm/cm 1000 33.3 good more than enough force 800 26.7 good enough force 600 20 good enough force 500 16.7 good enough force 400 13.3 few streaks not enough 200 6.6 poor not enough
  • Table 3 shows the cleaning results with the UCA. These results indicate that 500 grams or 16.6 gm/cm of blade force is required for effective cleaning. This is a 50% reduction in blade load to clean. Now coupled with a lower coefficient of friction this results in a significant reduction in belt drag.
  • the ultrasonic transducer 150 creates a vibratory action against the photoreceptor 10 in a localized area.
  • This vibratory motion is created in Figure 1, by applying a pulsing charge 140 (e.g. AC) to the piezoelectric ceramic strip 125.
  • a pulsing charge 140 e.g. AC
  • This application of a pulsing charge 140 causes the piezoelectric ceramic strip 125 to alternate between expansion and contraction states.
  • the expansion/ contraction motion of the piezoelectric ceramic strip 125 creates a vertical movement of the transducer horn 110 with an amplitude range of about 1 micron to about 2 microns.
  • the vibratory motion of the transducer 150 in contact with the photoreceptor 10 causes localized vibration in the area where the transducer is located. This localized vibration reduces the intimate contact between the blade cleaning edge 102 (i.e. the line contact formed between the blade and the surface upon contact) and the photoreceptor surface 11 to sufficiently reduce the frictional contact and the level of required blade force needed between the blade 100 and the imaging surface 1 1 to eliminate blade tuck.
  • the localized vibration created by the ultrasonic transducer 150 temporarily reduces (or overcomes) the surface adhesion bond of the toner particles 115. (Thereby allowing vibration of the toner particles 115 to a controlled maximum amplitude for easier removal by the cleaning blade 100.)
  • the localized vibration area of the present invention is the region of the photoreceptor 10 where the blade cleaning edge 102 must be positioned for reduced frictional contact between the blade 100 and the imaging surface 11. However, it is noted that this reduced frictional contact, due to the localized vibration, still requires that the cleaning blade 100 maintain sufficient contact with the photoreceptor 10 surface to effectively clean toner particles 115 with reduced surface adhesion (i.e. the blade/imaging surface contact is sufficient to prevent particles from escaping past the blade during localized vibration by the ultrasonic transducer 150).
  • the narrow surface of the transducer horn tip 105 in contact with the photoreceptor 10 is about 3 mm to about 4 mm in width.
  • a centerline 120 is located midway along the width of the narrow surface of the horn tip 105.
  • the blade cleaning edge 102 can be positioned at any point within about a 1mm distance of the centerline 120 of the narrow surface of the horn tip 105 when the horn 110 has a width of about 3 mm to about 4 mm. (This ⁇ mm tolerance relative to the center line 120 is important for manufacturing purposes.) Positioning the blade cleaning edge in this manner keeps it in the localized vibration region for reduced frictional contact between the blade 100 and the imaging surface 11.
  • FIG 2 shows an enlarged view of the blade 100 positioning relative to the horn 110.
  • Lab testing of the positioning of the blade relative to the transducer horn, of the present invention showed that the friction between the urethane cleaning blade and the photoreceptor was dramatically reduced with UCA.
  • the blade was unable to move across an AMAT surface without causing the blade to squeal or chatter.
  • the UCA was turned on, the blade moved over the surface of the AMAT as if the surface was lubricated with fuser oil.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Cleaning In Electrography (AREA)
  • Cleaning In General (AREA)
EP19960302572 1995-04-24 1996-04-12 Ultrasonic cleaning assist to reduce friction between the cleaner and photoreceptor using normal force vibration Withdrawn EP0740225A2 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US42702095A 1995-04-24 1995-04-24
US427020 1995-04-24

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0740225A2 true EP0740225A2 (en) 1996-10-30

Family

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Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19960302572 Withdrawn EP0740225A2 (en) 1995-04-24 1996-04-12 Ultrasonic cleaning assist to reduce friction between the cleaner and photoreceptor using normal force vibration

Country Status (2)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0740225A2 (ja)
JP (1) JPH08292697A (ja)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0816945A1 (en) * 1996-06-27 1998-01-07 Xerox Corporation Cleaning apparatus
EP1918672A1 (de) 2006-11-02 2008-05-07 Hch. Kündig & Cie. AG Vorrichtung zum Verringern der Reibung zwischen zwei Körpern

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP4592290B2 (ja) * 2004-01-14 2010-12-01 株式会社リコー 画像形成装置及びプロセスカートリッジ
JP5427725B2 (ja) * 2010-07-29 2014-02-26 京セラドキュメントソリューションズ株式会社 画像形成装置

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0816945A1 (en) * 1996-06-27 1998-01-07 Xerox Corporation Cleaning apparatus
EP1918672A1 (de) 2006-11-02 2008-05-07 Hch. Kündig & Cie. AG Vorrichtung zum Verringern der Reibung zwischen zwei Körpern
US7856873B2 (en) 2006-11-02 2010-12-28 Hch. Kuendig & Cie. Ag Apparatus for reducing the friction between two bodies

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
JPH08292697A (ja) 1996-11-05

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PUAI Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase

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Inventor name: MONTFORT, DAVID B.

Inventor name: BEACHNER, JAMES R.

Inventor name: LINDBLAD, NERO R.

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