JP2000019819A - Main charger cleaning device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically clean the charger wire of a main charger and to make an imaging unit inexpensive by coupling a driving mechanism and a moving mechanism for a charger wire cleaning member when the imaging unit is housed in an image output equipment main body. SOLUTION: A printer body 1 is provided with a gear 61 having a free rotable movement at a position where it is meshed with a gear 53 when the imaging unit 2 is housed at a prescribed position in the body 1. The gear 61 is coupled to a motor for cleaning a main charger arranged in the body 1 through a power transmission mechanism arranged in the body 1. Therefore, when the motor for cleaning a main charger is driven, the wire cleaning member is moved along the charger wire so as to clean the charger wire. The motor for cleaning a main charger is automatically driven every time that the printing of the prescribed number of sheets is executed, for example. Thus, the charger wire is automatically cleaned.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a copier (PPC) having an imaging unit (IU), a facsimile apparatus, a printer, and a multifunction printer (MF).
The present invention relates to a main charger cleaning device in an image output device such as P).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Some printers include an imaging unit (IU) in which a developing device, a photosensitive drum, and a main charger for uniformly charging the photosensitive drum are unitized. In such a printer, for example, when the toner runs out or when image deterioration occurs, the imaging unit is replaced.

Recently, since the life of the imaging unit has been prolonged, there is a problem that silica or the like as an additive outside the toner adheres to the charger wire of the main charger, the corona discharge capability is reduced, and image deterioration occurs.

Accordingly, a cleaning member for the charger wire,
An imaging unit that has a moving mechanism for moving the cleaning member along the charger wire and that manually moves the cleaning member has been developed. However, in such an imaging unit, since the user must manually move the cleaning member, there is a problem that the operation is troublesome and the user has to determine when to perform cleaning.

Therefore, a cleaning member for the charger wire,
An imaging unit including a moving mechanism for moving the cleaning member along the charger wire and a driving device such as a motor for driving the moving mechanism has been developed. However, such an imaging unit has a problem that the cost is high.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a main charger cleaning apparatus which can automatically perform cleaning of a charger wire of a main charger and can reduce the cost of an imaging unit.

[0007]

A main charger cleaning device according to the present invention includes an imaging unit in which a developing device, a photosensitive drum, and a main charger for uniformly charging the photosensitive drum are unitized. In the main charger cleaning device of the image output device, the imaging unit is provided with a cleaning member for cleaning the charger wire of the main charger, and a cleaning member moving mechanism for moving the cleaning member along the charger wire. A driving device for driving the cleaning member moving mechanism on the image output device main body side;
A coupling mechanism for coupling the driving mechanism and the cleaning member moving mechanism when the imaging unit is accommodated in the image output device main body is provided.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a printer will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a printer main body and an imaging unit set in the printer main body. FIG. 2 shows a basic configuration of the imaging unit. FIG. 3 shows a main charger cleaning mechanism provided in the imaging unit.

The imaging unit 2 includes a developing device 10
, A photosensitive drum 20, a main charger 30, and a main charger cleaning mechanism.

The developing device 10 includes a casing 11, a developing roller 12 provided in the casing 11, and a toner 13 stored in the casing 11.

The main charger 30 includes a charger shield 31 and a tungsten charger wire 32 stretched inside the shield 31. On the upper surface of the charger shield 31, a cleaning member guide hole 33 extending in the longitudinal direction is formed. Main charger 30
Are arranged such that the charger wire 32 faces the surface of the photosensitive drum 20 via the corona discharge opening of the charger shield 31. And the charger wire 32
When a high voltage is applied to the photosensitive drum 20, a corona discharge is induced, and corona ions generated thereby come into contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 20, and the surface of the photosensitive drum 20 is charged.

The main charger cleaning mechanism includes a wire cleaning member 51 for contacting the charger wire 32 and removing deposits such as silica adhered to the charger wire 32.
And a moving mechanism for moving the wire cleaning member 51 along the charger wire 32. A screw hole is formed at the upper end of the wire cleaning member 51. The wire cleaning member 51 is connected to the charger wire 3 by a cleaning member guide hole 33 formed in the charger shield 31.
It is guided so as to be movable along 2.

The moving mechanism includes a male screw member 52 having a male screw formed therearound and rotatably supported by the casing 40 of the imaging unit 2 and having one end protruding outward from the casing 40, and a male screw member 52 extending outward from the casing 40 of the male screw member 52. And a gear 53 attached to the protruding one end. The male screw member 52 is screwed into a screw hole of the wire cleaning member 51. When the male screw member 52 rotates, the wire cleaning member 51 moves along the charger wire 32.

A gear 61 is rotatably provided on the printer main body 1 at a position where the imaging unit 2 is engaged with the gear 53 when the imaging unit 2 is housed at a predetermined position in the printer main body 1. The gear 61 is connected to a main charger cleaning motor (not shown) provided in the printer main body 1 via a power transmission mechanism (not shown) provided in the printer main body 1. The main charger cleaning motor is a driving device for driving the moving mechanism. The gear 61 and the power transmission mechanism constitute a connecting mechanism for connecting the main charger cleaning motor to the moving mechanism.

Accordingly, when the main charger cleaning motor is driven, the wire cleaning member 51 is moved along the charger wire 32.
The charger wire 32 is cleaned. The main charger cleaning motor is automatically driven, for example, every time a predetermined number of prints are executed. Therefore, each time a predetermined number of prints are performed, the cleaning of the charger wire 32 is automatically performed.

[0017]

According to the present invention, there is provided a main charger cleaning apparatus which can automatically clean the charger wire of the main charger and can reduce the cost of the imaging unit.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic partial perspective view showing a printer main body and an imaging unit set in the printer main body.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a basic configuration of an imaging unit.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a main charger cleaning mechanism provided in the imaging unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer main body 2 Imaging unit 10 Developing device 20 Photoreceptor drum 30 Main charger 31 Charger shield 32 Charger wire 33 Cleaning member guide hole 51 Wire cleaning member 52 Male screw member 53, 61 Gear

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Hirotsugu Ogawa 1-2-2 Tamazuki, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka F-term in Mita Kogyo Co., Ltd. (reference) 2H003 AA12 BB11 CC01 EE09 2H071 BA04 CA05 DA06 DA08 DA15 DA26

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A main charger cleaning apparatus for an image output apparatus, comprising: an imaging unit in which a developing device, a photosensitive drum, and a main charger for uniformly charging the photosensitive drum are unitized. Is provided with a cleaning member for cleaning the charger wire of the main charger, and a cleaning member moving mechanism for moving the cleaning member along the charger wire. A drive device for driving the mechanism and a connection mechanism for connecting the drive mechanism and the cleaning member moving mechanism when the imaging unit is housed in the image output device main body are provided. Main charger cleaning device.