JP2001066858A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely setting a cleaning member either in a state of parting from an electrostatic charging member or a state in contact with the charging member. SOLUTION: A CPU 26, when detecting that contact work of the cleaning member in driving cleaning member attach/detach detecting means 24 during the cleaning work of a charging member by the cleaning member is not performed, is made so as to perform a cleaning by making the cleaning member driven after temporarily setting the cleaning member at the contact position in driving a motor of the cleaning member. In such a manner, the transfer member is made so as possible to surely perform the cleaning of the charging member by the cleaning member.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention forms an image by charging a photosensitive member by bringing a charging member such as a charging roller into contact with the photosensitive member and forming an electrostatic latent image on the charged photosensitive member. It belongs to the technical field of an image forming apparatus, and in particular, removes foreign matters such as toner adhered to the charging member by bringing a cleaning member detachably provided to the charging member into contact with the charging member. Belongs to the technical field of image forming apparatuses.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An image forming apparatus such as an electrostatic copying machine or a printer is provided with a charging device for charging a photosensitive member, and corona charging has been widely used as a charging device. However, since the corona charging generates ozone and nitrogen oxides and adheres to the surface of the photoreceptor, there is a problem that an image defect is caused.

A contact charging system in which a charging member made of, for example, urethane rubber or the like to which a voltage is applied is brought into contact with the photosensitive member to charge the photosensitive member is proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-149668. Have been. According to the contact charging method, the problem caused by the corona charging described above is solved.

However, in the contact charging method, since the charging member is in contact with the photoreceptor, foreign substances such as toner on the photoreceptor slipped from the cleaning device and toner scattered from the developing device adhere to the surface of the charging member. Would. For this reason, charging failure of the photoconductor is caused, and image deterioration occurs.

[0005] For this reason, an image forming apparatus provided with a cleaning member for removing foreign substances such as toner adhered to the surface of the charging member is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent No. 2853208 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 07-128954. Proposed. If the cleaning member of these image forming apparatuses is constantly in contact with the charging member, the surface of the charging member will be damaged and charging failure will occur. The cleaning member is brought into contact with the charging member only when cleaning the charging member, and is set to be separated from the charging member when not cleaning the charging member. In this case, the cleaning of the charging member is generally performed regularly, and therefore, the operation of separating and connecting the cleaning member is also performed regularly. According to the image forming apparatus provided with the cleaning member, the surface of the charging member is cleaned, and the charging of the photoconductor is improved.

[0006]

However, in such an image forming apparatus provided with a cleaning member which can be separated from and brought into contact with the charging member, if the cleaning member is not in contact with the charging member, the charging member is surely removed. There is a problem that it cannot be cleaned.

If the cleaning member is not separated from the charging member, the cleaning member always comes into contact with the charging member regardless of whether the charging member is being cleaned or not. For this reason, the charging member may be damaged by the cleaning member, which may cause a charging failure of the photoconductor. Further, if the power supply of the main body is turned off during the cleaning operation or the separating operation of the charging member, the cleaning member remains in contact with the charging member, and the charging member is similarly damaged, which causes a charging failure of the photoconductor. There is a risk that it will.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to reliably set a cleaning member in a state of being separated from a charging member or in a state of being in contact with a charging member. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus as described above. Another object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of reliably performing a cleaning operation while reliably setting a separation / contact state of a cleaning member.

[0009]

In order to solve this problem, the present invention is directed to a photosensitive member on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, and a charging member for charging the photosensitive member by contacting the photosensitive member. And a cleaning member provided to be detachable from the charging member and cleaning the charging member, wherein the cleaning member detects a state of separation and contact with the charging member. It is characterized in that a separation detecting means is provided.

Further, according to a second aspect of the present invention, the cleaning member abuts on the charging member in a state where the cleaning operation of the cleaning member is not performed based on a detection result of the cleaning member separation / contact detecting means. A control unit for performing a separating operation for separating the cleaning member from the charging member when the charging member is provided.

Further, according to the present invention, a photosensitive member on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, a charging member which contacts the photosensitive member to charge the photosensitive member, and which can be separated from and connected to the charging member. An image forming apparatus provided with at least a cleaning member for cleaning the charging member, wherein a control unit for performing a separating operation for separating the cleaning member from the charging member when the power of the image forming apparatus main body is turned on is provided. It is characterized by having.

Further, according to the present invention, a photosensitive member on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, a charging member which contacts the photosensitive member to charge the photosensitive member, and which can be separated from and connected to the photosensitive member. An image forming apparatus including at least a cleaning member provided to clean the charging member, wherein a storage unit is provided for storing information on a start of a cleaning operation of the cleaning member and information on a completion of a cleaning operation of the cleaning member. Control means for checking the information stored in the storage means when the power of the image forming apparatus main body is turned on, and performing a separating operation for separating the cleaning member from the charging member when the cleaning operation is not completed. Is provided.

Further, according to the present invention, a photoreceptor on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, a charging member for charging the photoreceptor by contacting the photoreceptor, and a charging / discharging member capable of being separated from the charging member. An image forming apparatus including at least a cleaning member provided to clean the charging member, wherein a storage unit is provided for storing information on a start of a cleaning operation of the cleaning member and information on a completion of a cleaning operation of the cleaning member. When the power of the image forming apparatus main body is turned on, the information stored in the storage unit is checked, and when the cleaning operation is not completed, a separation operation for separating the cleaning member from the charging member is performed. A control means is provided for performing the cleaning operation from the beginning or, when the cleaning operation is not completed, continuing the remaining cleaning operation as it is.

[0014]

In the image forming apparatus according to the first and second aspects of the present invention, the cleaning member is separated from the charging member by the cleaning member separation / contact detecting means, or the cleaning member is separated from the charging member. It is detected whether or not they are in contact. In this way, by detecting the state of separation and contact of the cleaning member, for example, when cleaning of the charging member by the cleaning member is performed, when it is detected that the cleaning member is not in contact, First, the charging member can be cleaned after the cleaning member is surely set at the contact position. Thereby, the charging member can be reliably cleaned.

In addition to the above, according to the present invention, when the cleaning member is detected by the cleaning member separation / attachment detection unit to be in contact with the charging member at the time of turning on the power supply of the main body, the control unit detects the contact. The separation operation of the cleaning member is performed,
The cleaning member is separated from the charging member. This allows
For example, the cleaning member abuts on the charging member when the cleaning process is not performed after the main body power is turned on again in a state where the main body power is turned off during the cleaning operation or during the separating operation of the cleaning member, Damage to the charging member is prevented.

According to the third aspect of the invention, when the power of the image forming apparatus main body is turned on, the cleaning member is always separated by the control means irrespective of the state of separation and contact of the cleaning member. Separated from This allows the cleaning member to come into contact with the charging member when the main body power is turned off and the cleaning process is not performed after the main body power is turned on, for example, during the cleaning operation or the cleaning member separating operation. This does not occur, and similarly, the charging member is prevented from being damaged.

Further, according to the invention of claim 4, information on the previous start of the cleaning operation of the cleaning member and information on the end of the cleaning operation of the cleaning member are stored in the storage means. Then, when the power of the image forming apparatus main body is turned on, the information stored in the storage unit is confirmed, and as a result, when it is determined that the cleaning operation is not completed, the control unit performs the separating operation of the cleaning member. Then, the cleaning member is separated from the charging member. This prevents the charging member from being similarly damaged. Further, as described above, by storing the cleaning operation in the storage unit and managing the information based on the information, a mechanical safety mechanism for the separation operation such as the above-described cleaning member separation / detection unit becomes unnecessary, and the mechanical The problem of durability degradation of the mechanism does not occur, and the number of parts is reduced.

Further, according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the storage means stores information on the start of the previous cleaning member cleaning operation and information on the end of the cleaning member cleaning operation. When the power of the main body of the image forming apparatus is turned on, the information stored in the storage unit is checked, and as a result, when it is determined that the cleaning operation is not completed, the separating operation of the cleaning member is performed by the control unit. After the cleaning member is separated from the charging member, the cleaning operation is performed from the beginning, or the remaining cleaning operation is continuously performed. Therefore, even if the cleaning operation is stopped during the cleaning process,
The cleaning operation is always performed after the main power is turned on. This ensures that the cleaning process is performed to the end,
The charging member is kept almost always in a clean state.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a full-color intermediate transfer type image forming apparatus to which a first embodiment of the image forming apparatus of the present invention is applied.

As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 of the first example includes a photosensitive member (hereinafter also referred to as OPC) 2, a charging device 3, an exposure device 4, a developing device 5, an intermediate transfer device 6, and A transfer device that includes a cleaning device 7 and transfers an intermediate transfer image (not shown) transferred to the transfer belt 6a of the intermediate transfer device 6 to a transfer material such as transfer paper, and fixes the transfer image transferred to the transfer material. The fixing device is provided. The charging device 3, the exposure device 4, the developing device 5, the intermediate transfer device 6, and the cleaning device 7 are arranged around the OPC 2 in the same order as in the conventional image forming apparatus, clockwise in the figure.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2A and 2B, the charging device 3 includes a charging roller rotatably supported by a housing 8 so as to contact the OPC 2 and charge the OPC 2. The charging member 9 is provided so as to be detachable from the charging member 9, holds a cleaning member 10 for cleaning the surface of the charging member 9, and holds the cleaning member 10.
And a resilient member 1 comprising a V-shaped spring provided on the surface of the holding member 11 opposite to the side on which the cleaning member 10 is held.
2 is provided. The elastic member 12 has one side of the V-shaped spring fixed to the holding member 11 and the other side of the V-shaped spring in a free state.

In FIG. 1, the elastic member 12 for pressing the cleaning member 10 against the charging member is described as a coil spring, but this is simply illustrated schematically in FIG. This is only described, and in the image forming apparatus 1 of the first example, as shown in FIGS.
2 uses a V-shaped spring. Of course, in the present invention, it goes without saying that a coil spring can be used for the elastic member 12.

When the cleaning member 10 is separated from the charging member 9, the housing 8 is provided with a no-load state setting means 13 comprising a concave portion for bringing the elastic member 12 of the V-shaped spring into a free state, that is, a no-load state. Is provided. The right side surface 13a of the concave portion of the no-load state setting means 13 is a slope inclined downward to the right, and the slope angle of the slope is substantially the same as the slope angle of another side of the V-shaped spring in the free state. Is set to

A large recess 14 is formed in the housing 8 adjacent to the recess of the no-load state setting means 13, and a lower end of a portion of the housing 8 forming a left side wall 14a of the recess 14 is formed. , A protruding portion 8a protruding in the longitudinal direction is formed. On the other hand, the holding member 11 is provided with a protruding portion 11 a protruding into the recess 14 of the housing 8. The left side surface 11b of the protruding portion 11a facing the protruding portion 8a of the housing 8 is formed as a slant surface inclined downward and to the right.
Is set to be substantially the same as the inclination angle of the right side surface 13a of the concave portion. Further, a connecting protruding pin 11c protrudes from the left end side of the holding member 11 in FIGS. 2A and 2B. The moving member 21 of the driving means 15 is connected to the connecting protruding pin 11c as described later.

2A, the holding member 11 separates the cleaning member 10 from the charging member 9 as shown in FIG. 2A, and holds the cleaning member 10 as shown in FIG.
Can be moved between the contact position and the contact position contacted with a predetermined pressing force. Further, as shown in FIG.
In order to make the cleaning member 10 contact or separate from the charging member 9, a driving unit 15 for moving the holding member 11 in the left-right direction in FIGS. 2A and 2B is provided.

The driving means 15 includes a motor 17 housed in a housing 16 and a rotating shaft 17 of the motor 17.
a first gear 18 attached to the first gear 18, a driving force transmission shaft 19 rotatably provided in the housing 16, and a driving force transmission shaft 19 attached to the left end in the drawing so as to mesh with the first gear 18. A second gear 20 having a diameter larger than that of the first gear 18, a male screw portion 21 provided on a side opposite to the second gear 20 of the driving force transmission shaft 19, and a non-rotatable and axially movable portion of the housing 16; The housing 16
And a connecting portion 22b to which the connecting protruding pin 11c of the holding member 11 is connected, and further receives a spring force in the axial direction. A moving member 22 having a force receiving portion 22c and a pair of spring force acting portions 23a and 23b fixed to the housing 16 and applying a spring force to the spring force receiving portion 22c of the moving member 22 in the axial direction. And a U-shaped leaf spring 23.

The connecting portion 22b of the moving member 22 is formed in a forked shape, and the connecting protruding pin 11c of the holding member 11 is inserted between the forked portions so as to be relatively movable in the vertical direction. And the connecting protruding pin 11c are connected so as to be integrally movable in the axial direction and relatively movable in the vertical direction.

As shown by the dotted line in FIG. 3, the moving member 22 is disengaged from the male screw portion 21 and the female screw portion 22a by the left movement thereof, and the left end position where the moving member 22 does not further move leftward. As shown by the dotted line, the male screw 2
A right limit position where the screwing of the female screw portion 1 with the female screw portion 22a is released and no further right movement is set is set, and the position is moved between these left and right limit positions. When the moving member 21 is at the leftmost position, the cleaning member 10
(A) is a separation position separated from the charging member 9;
Further, when the moving member 21 is at the rightmost position, the cleaning member 10 is set to be in a contact position where the cleaning member 10 contacts the charging member 9 shown in FIG.

Furthermore, the distance between the left edge 22c ₁ of the spring force receiving portion 22c when the left limit position of the movable member 22, the right end 22c ₂ of the spring force receiving portion 22c when the right limit position of the movable member 22 Let X be the gap Y between the pair of spring force acting portions 23a and 23b in the free state of the leaf spring 23 is set smaller than this distance X (X> Y). When the moving member 22 moves leftward, the left end 22 of the spring force receiving portion 22c is moved.
c ₁ comes into contact with one of the spring force acting portions 23a of the leaf spring 23 to elastically bend the spring force acting portions 23a. Further, when the same moving member 22 is gradually moved rightward, the spring force acting portion 23b elastically rightmost 22c ₂ of the spring force receiving portion 22c is in contact with the other spring force acting portion 23b of the leaf spring 23 It is designed to bend.

At the leftmost position of the moving member 22, one spring force acting portion 23a of the leaf spring 23 is elastically maximally bent, and the moving member 22 is caused by the spring force of the spring force acting portion 23a as shown by an arrow. In the axial direction, it is urged rightward to the maximum. In the rightmost position of the moving member 22, the other spring force acting portion 23b of the leaf spring 23 is elastically flexed to the maximum, and the moving member 22 is moved in the axial direction by the spring force of the spring force acting portion 23b as shown by an arrow. To the left.

Further, in the image forming apparatus 1 of the first example, as shown in FIG. 4, a cleaning member separation / contact detecting means 24 for detecting the separation / contact state of the cleaning member 10 is provided. The cleaning member separation / contact detecting means 24 in the illustrated example is configured by a reflection type optical sensor including a light emitting device 24a and a light receiving device 24b. A reflection plate 25 is attached to a side surface of the holding member 11 of the cleaning member 10. Then, when the cleaning member 10 is set at the separated position, the light emitted from the light emitter 24 a emits the light from the holding member 11.
And is reflected by the reflector 25, and the reflected light is received by the light receiver 24b.
When the cleaning member 10 is set at the contact position with the charging member 9, the light emitted from the light emitter 24 a emits light from the holding member 11.
Are arranged so as not to come into contact with the reflection plate 25, not to be reflected by the reflection plate 25, and not to be received by the light receiver 24b.

As shown in FIG. 5, the cleaning member separation / contact detecting means 24 is a central processing unit (CPU) 2 of the image forming apparatus 1.
The motor 26 of the cleaning member 10, the respective motors (not shown) of the charging member 9 and the OPC 2 are also connected to the CPU 26.

Then, in the sequence control for cleaning, for example, the CPU 26 executes the cleaning member separation / contact detecting means 24.
Was activated to emit light from the light emitter 24a, and the reflected light of the light was not received by the light receiver 24b, and no light receiving signal was input from the light receiver 24b, whereby the contact operation of the cleaning member 10 was performed. When this is detected, the motor of the charging member 9 is driven to rotate the charging member 9 to perform cleaning. When the CPU 26 detects that the contact operation of the cleaning member 10 is not performed by the reflected light of the light from the light emitter 24a being received by the light receiver 24b and receiving the light reception signal, Once the cleaning member 10 is set to the contact position by driving the motor 17 of the cleaning member 10, the charging member 9 is rotated to perform cleaning.

The developing device 5 includes yellow, magenta, cyan, and black developing devices 27, 28, 29, and 30, similarly to the developing device of the conventional full-color image forming apparatus. Containers 27, 28, 29, 30 are OPC
2 are arranged along the outer periphery. In this case, the arrangement order of the developing units 27, 28, 29, and 30 for each color is not limited to the above-mentioned order, and is arbitrarily set. In the following description, for convenience of explanation, each developing unit 2 is arranged in the order of the aforementioned colors, that is, in the order of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black.
7, 28, 29, and 30 are provided.

The cleaning device 7 also includes a cleaner housing 31 and a cleaning blade 32 as in the conventional full-color image forming apparatus. In that case, the cleaner housing 31 is formed integrally with the housing 8 of the charging device 3 as shown. Note that the cleaner housing 31 can be formed separately from the housing 8.

The operation of the first example of the image forming apparatus 1 will now be described. First, the moving member 22 is normally set at the leftmost position, and the upper surface 11d of the holding member 11 is in contact with the lower surface 8b of the housing 8 as shown in FIG. And is separated from the charging member 9. At this time, the spring force acting portion 2
The movable member 22 is biased rightward in the axial direction by its spring force.

In this state, when the image forming apparatus 1 is operated to form an image, the surface of the OPC 2 is charged by the charging member 9 in the same manner as in a conventional general image forming apparatus. Are exposed as electrostatic latent images. Then, the electrostatic latent images on the OPC 2 are developed by yellow, magenta, cyan, and black developing units 2 respectively.
The developed images are sequentially developed at 7, 28, 29 and 30 to be visualized, and the developed image on the OPC 2 is sent to the transfer device via the intermediate transfer device 6, where the color matching is performed by the transfer device and the transfer material is transferred to the transfer material. After the image is transferred, the image is fixed by a fixing device, so that a desired image can be obtained on the transfer material.

After the developed image is transferred to the transfer material, the residual toner remaining on the OPC 2 is removed by the cleaning blade 32 of the cleaning device 7 and is stored in the cleaner housing 31. Thus, the image forming apparatus 1 completes the image formation, and after the OPC 2 is neutralized, the OPC 2 is charged again by the charging member 9 for the next image formation, and the same image forming process is performed thereafter.

After the transfer, the residual toner remaining on the OPC 2 is
2 and is accommodated in the cleaner housing 31, but a part thereof is not removed, but passes through the cleaning blade 32 and moves toward the charging member 9, and adheres to the charging member 9. Become like Further, the toner scattered from the developing device during the image formation for a predetermined period may adhere to the charging member 9, or the scattered dust and dust around the photoconductor 2 may adhere to the charging member 9. . For this reason, in the image forming apparatus 1 of this example, the foreign matter attached to the charging member 9 is periodically removed by the cleaning member 10.

In this cleaning step, first, the driving unit 1 moves the moving member 22 from the leftmost position to the rightmost position.
When the drive 5 is driven, the drive power transmission shaft 19 and the external thread 21 rotate together via the first and second gears 18 and 20. When the male screw portion 21 rotates, the moving member 22 is urged rightward in the axial direction by the spring force of the spring force acting portion 23a of the leaf spring 23.
a starts screwing into the male screw portion 21. Since the female screw portion 22a moves rightward relative to the male screw portion 21 by screwing the female screw portion 22a and the male screw portion 21, the moving member 22 moves rightward in the axial direction toward the rightmost position, The holding member 11 connected to 22 also moves rightward in the axial direction.
Due to the right movement of the holding member 11, in FIG.
Immediately, the other side of the V-shaped spring of the elastic member 12 comes into contact with the right side surface 13a of the concave portion of the no-load state setting means 13. Further, when the holding member 11 moves to the right, the other side of the V-shaped spring of the elastic member 12 moves down along the right side surface 13a.
The holding member 11 and the cleaning member 10 move down, and the cleaning member 1
0 indicates that the charging member 9 approaches the charging member 9 from an oblique direction.

[0041] The rightward movement of the movable member 22, the left end 22c ₁ of the spring force receiving portion 22c is separated from one of the spring force acting portion 23a, then the right end 22c ₂ of the spring force receiving portion 22c and the other the spring force acting portion 23b Abut. Thereby, while one spring force action part 23a returns to a free state,
The other spring force acting portion 23b is elastically bent, and the moving member 2
2 is urged leftward in the axial direction by the spring force of the spring force acting portion 23b.

[0042] one after the abutment to the spring force acting portion 23b of the right end 22c ₂ of the spring force receiving portion 22c, the cleaning member 10 comes into contact with the charging member 9. In this state, the pressing force of the cleaning member 10 against the charging member 9 is not generated because the elastic member 12 is still in the no-load state. When the holding member 11 is moved from the separated position shown in FIG. 2A, the left side surface 11b of the protruding portion 11a of the holding member 11 is always in contact with the tip of the protruding portion 8a of the housing 8. 11 moves.

When the holding member 11 further moves to the right, the protrusion 1
The left side surface 11b of 1a is separated from the tip of the protrusion 8a, and the V-shaped spring of the elastic member 12 is gradually positioned on the lower surface 8b of the housing 8. Then, since the V-shaped spring is compressed by applying a load from the housing 8, the V-shaped spring generates a spring force. Due to the spring force of the V-shaped spring, that is, the elastic force of the elastic member 12, the cleaning member 1
0 is pressed by the charging member 9. Then, as the holding member 11 moves rightward, the load on the elastic member 12 increases, so that the elastic force generated by the elastic member 12 also increases, and the pressing force of the cleaning member 10 against the charging member 9 also increases.

After the cleaning member 10 contacts the charging member 9,
When the moving member 22 further moves rightward by a predetermined amount, the internal thread portion 2
2a comes off the male screw portion 21, and the moving member 22 is at the rightmost position. At the rightmost position of the moving member 22, the cleaning member 10 is set to the contact position shown in FIG. In this state, the pressing force of the cleaning member 10 against the charging member 9 is maximized, and the pressing force is sufficient to obtain a predetermined cleaning ability.

After the cleaning member 10 comes into contact with the charging member 9 as described above, the charging member 9 is rotated to start cleaning the charging member 9. It is conceivable that the charging member 9 rotates and the charging member 9 is cleaned in a state in which the charging member 9 is not set from the separated position to the contact position. If the cleaning member 10 is not in contact with the charging member 9 as described above, the charging member 9
Cleaning is not performed reliably. Then, the CPU 26 activates the cleaning member separation / contact detecting means 24, and the reflected light of the light from the light emitter 24a is received by the light receiver 24b and a light receiving signal is input, whereby the contact operation of the cleaning member 10 is performed. Is detected, the motor 17 of the cleaning member 10 is once driven to reliably set the cleaning member 10 at the contact position.

After the driving of the motor 17 is stopped and the charging member 9 is rotated after the cleaning member 10 is set to the contact position, the charging member 9 slips through the cleaning blade 32 and accumulates on the charging member 9 as described above. The foreign matter that has scattered from the developing device while image formation is
The foreign material such as dust and dust that adheres and accumulates on the charging member 9 and scatters around the photoreceptor 2 and accumulates on the charging member 9 is removed by the cleaning member 10 as the charging member 9 rotates. The foreign matter removed by the cleaning member 10 is accommodated in the cleaner housing 31 or, if a housing portion is provided separately from the cleaner housing 31, in the housing portion.

When the charging member 9 has been rotated for a predetermined time, the charging member 9 is stopped. Thereafter, when the motor 17 of the driving means 15 is driven in the direction opposite to the above, the male screw portion 21 also rotates in the reverse direction. At this time, since the moving member 22 is urged leftward in the axial direction by the spring force of the spring force acting portion 23b, the female screw portion 22a of the moving member 22 is
Start screwing. Since the female screw portion 22a is relatively moved leftward with respect to the male screw portion 21 by the screwing of the female screw portion 22a and the male screw portion 21, the moving member 22 moves leftward in the axial direction toward the leftmost position, The holding member 11 connected to 22 also moves leftward in the axial direction.

Then, the load on the elastic member 12 applied by the housing 8 gradually decreases, and the elastic member 12
When most of the elastic member 12 is located in the concave portion of the no-load state setting means 13, the elastic member 12 can no longer receive a load from the housing 8 and enters a no-load state. In this state, the pressing force of the cleaning member 10 on the charging member 9 also disappears.
Further, the left side surface 11b of the protrusion 11a of the holding member 11 comes into contact with the tip of the protrusion 8a of the housing 8.
When the holding member 11 further moves to the left, the left side surface 11b of the protruding portion 11a is in contact with the tip of the protruding portion 8a.
The holding member 11 moves obliquely upward to the left along the inclined surface of the left side surface 11b. Therefore, the cleaning member 12
Is separated from the charging member 9.

[0049] at a distance from each other in tandem from the charging member 9 of the cleaning member 10, away from the right edge 22c ₂ spring force acting portion 23b of the spring force receiving portion 22c, then the left edge 22c ₁ of the spring force receiving portion 22c is one Abuts on the spring force acting portion 23a.
As a result, the other spring force acting portion 23b returns to the free state, the one spring force acting portion 23a is elastically bent, and the moving member 22 is biased rightward in the axial direction by the spring force of the spring force acting portion 23a. Will be.

When the moving member 22 further moves leftward,
The female screw portion 22a comes off the male screw portion 21, the moving member 22 is again at the leftmost position, and the motor 17 stops. At the leftmost position of the moving member 22, the cleaning member 10 is in the position shown in FIG.
Are set to the separated positions shown in FIG. Thus, a series of sequence control for cleaning the charging member is performed, thereby completing the cleaning process.

As described above, the image forming apparatus 1 of the first example
According to the method, after the contact operation of the cleaning member 10 is detected and the cleaning member 10 is brought into the state of being securely contacted with the charging member 9,
Since the motor of the charging member 9 is driven, the charging member 9 can be reliably cleaned.

Conversely, the light is reflected from the light emitting device 24a at the contact position of the cleaning member 10, and the reflected light is
The light can be received at 4b. Further, the cleaning member separation / contact detection means 24 can detect the connection / disconnection state of the cleaning member 10 such as an optical sensor other than the reflection type optical sensor or a position detection sensor of the cleaning member other than the optical sensor. Any other detection means can be used.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5, showing a second embodiment of the present invention. In the first example described above, when the charging member 9 is cleaned, the cleaning member 10 is always set to the contact position and then the cleaning is performed, so that the cleaning can be reliably performed. In this second example, after the main body power is turned on, when the cleaning of the charging member 9 is not performed, and when the cleaning member 10 is set at the contact position, the separating operation of the cleaning member 10 is performed. The cleaning member 10 is reliably set at the separated position. That is, in the image forming apparatus 1 of the second example, as shown in FIG. 6, in addition to the first example shown in FIG. 33 is CPU
26.

Then, the CPU 26 activates the cleaning member separation / contact detecting means 24 in response to the detection signal of the power-on of the main body from the power-on detecting means 33, and emits light from the light emitter 24a.
When the reflected light is received by the light receiver 24b and the received light signal is input, and it is determined that the cleaning member 10 is set at the separated position, the motor 17 of the driving means 15 is not driven at all. When the CPU 26 determines that the cleaning member 10 is set at the contact position by not receiving the reflected light of the light from the light emitter 24a by the light receiver 24b and receiving a light receiving signal, the cleaning member The motor 17 is driven so that the cleaning member 10 moves toward the separated position.
Is performed.

As described above, the image forming apparatus 1 of the second example
According to the above, when the main body power is turned on, the main body power is cut off during the cleaning operation or during the separating operation of the cleaning member by detecting the contact position of the cleaning member 10 and performing the separating operation of the cleaning member 10. When the cleaning is not performed after the main body power is turned on again in this state, the cleaning member can be prevented from being held at the contact position, and the charging member 9 can be prevented from being damaged. Thereby, the charging failure of the OPC 2 is prevented. The other configurations and operational effects of the image forming apparatus 1 of the second example are the same as those of the first example.

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 5, showing a third example of the embodiment of the present invention. In the above-described second example, when the cleaning of the charging member 9 is not performed and the cleaning member 10 is set at the contact position, the separating operation of the cleaning member 10 is performed. In the image forming apparatus 1 of the three examples, regardless of whether the cleaning member 10 is in the contact position or the separation position, the cleaning member 10 is always separated when the main body power is turned on. Make sure to set the position. That is, in the image forming apparatus 1 of the third example, as shown in FIG. 7, the cleaning member separation / contact detecting means 24 of the second example shown in FIG. 6 is omitted. Other configurations of the third example are the same as those of the second example.

In the image forming apparatus 1 of the third example configured as described above, when the main body power is turned on and the detection signal is input from the power-on detecting means 33, the CPU 26 moves the cleaning member 10 to the separated position. , The motor 17 is driven to move the cleaning member 10 away. At this time, the motor 17 is
Is driven by a sufficient amount of rotation until it moves from the contact position to the separation position. In that case, when the cleaning member 10 is at the separated position, the motor 17 is driven,
As described above, the driving force transmission shaft 19 and the male screw portion 21 are merely idle.

As described above, the image forming apparatus 1 of the third example
According to this, when the main power supply 28 is turned on, the separating operation of the cleaning member 10 is always performed regardless of the contact position and the separated position of the cleaning member. Therefore, for example, during the cleaning operation of the charging member 9 or the separating operation,
Even when the power supply 8 is disconnected, the cleaning member 10 is always separated when the main power supply 28 is turned on again, so that the state in which the cleaning member 10 is in contact with the charging member 9 is reliably avoided. . Thereby, damage of the charging member 9 can be prevented, and poor charging of the OPC 2 can be prevented. Other functions and effects of the image forming apparatus 1 of the third example are the same as those of the second example.

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 5, showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the above-described second example, when the main body power is turned on, when the cleaning member 10 is determined to be in the contact position by the detection signal from the cleaning member separation / contact detection unit 24, the separation operation of the cleaning member 10 is performed. However, in the image forming apparatus 1 of the fourth example, based on the information of the cleaning operation stored in the memory in advance, the information of the end of the cleaning operation when there is the information of the start of the previous cleaning operation when the main body power is turned on. If there is no, by performing the separating operation of the cleaning member 10,
The cleaning member 10 is reliably set at the separated position.

That is, in the image forming apparatus 1 of the fourth example, as shown in FIG. 8, the cleaning member separation / contact detecting means 24 shown in FIG.
It is connected to the. This memory 34 stores information on the start of the previous cleaning operation and information on the end of the cleaning operation. The memory 34 may be built in the CPU 26 or may be externally attached. Other configurations of the fourth example are the same as those of the second example.

In the image forming apparatus 1 of the fourth example configured as described above, the CPU 26 uses the detection signal from the power-on detecting means 33 at the time of turning on the power of the main body, and
The information of the previous cleaning operation start and the information of the cleaning operation end stored in the storage device are confirmed. When the cleaning operation start information is stored but the cleaning operation end information is not stored in memory, that is, when the cleaning operation is not ended, the CPU 26 moves the cleaning member 10 toward the separated position. The cleaning member 10 by driving the motor 17
Is performed.

According to the image forming apparatus 1 of the fourth example, since the cleaning operation is stored in the memory 34 and managed by the information, the cleaning operation is performed by the cleaning member separation / detection means 24 of the second example. This eliminates the need for a mechanical safety mechanism. This allows
It is possible to prevent the mechanical mechanism from deteriorating in durability and to reduce the number of parts. Other functions and effects of the image forming apparatus 1 of the fourth example are the same as those of the second example.

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 5, showing a fifth example of the embodiment of the present invention. In the fourth example described above, when the main body power is turned on, the cleaning operation start information and the cleaning operation end information stored in the memory 34 are checked, and if the cleaning operation is not ended, the cleaning member 10 is separated. However, in the image forming apparatus 1 of the fifth example, the memory 3
The cleaning operation information stored in step 4 is checked. If the cleaning operation is being performed, the cleaning operation by the sequence control is restarted from the beginning, or the cleaning operation is continued.

That is, in the image forming apparatus 1 of the fifth example, as shown in FIG. 9, the CPU 26 includes a motor (not shown) of the charging member 9 in addition to the motor 17 of the cleaning member 10 shown in FIG. The drive of the motor (not shown) of the OPC 2 is also controlled. Another configuration of the fifth example is as follows.
This is the same as the fourth example.

In the image forming apparatus 1 of the fifth example configured as described above, the CPU 26 uses the detection signal from the power-on detecting means 33 at the time of turning on the power of the main body, and
The information of the cleaning operation start and the information of the cleaning operation end stored in are stored. When the information on the end of the cleaning operation is not stored in the memory 34 even though the information on the start of the cleaning operation is stored, that is, when the cleaning operation is not ended, the CPU 26 moves the cleaning member 10 to the separated position. After the cleaning member 10 is set to the separated position by driving the motor 17 so that the cleaning member 10 moves to the right side, a series of cleaning sequence control is started from the beginning as described above. , Motor 1 of cleaning member 10
7. The driving of the motor of the charging member 9 and the motor of the OPC 2 are controlled.

According to the image forming apparatus 1 of the fifth example, when the cleaning operation is stopped during the cleaning, not only the separation operation of the cleaning member 10 is performed when the main power supply 28 is turned on, but also a series of sequences. Since the cleaning operation by the control is reliably performed, the charging member 9 can be always kept in a clean state. Instead of restarting the sequence control from the beginning as described above, if the cleaning operation is not completed as described above when the main power supply 28 is turned on, the cleaning operation is continuously performed by the remaining part of the sequence control. You can also. Other functions and effects of the image forming apparatus 1 of the fifth example are the same as those of the fourth example.

In the above-described example, the cleaning member 10 is moved away from the charging member 9 obliquely in the axial direction and the radial direction. It can also be moved only in the radial direction and separated. The mechanism for performing the separation / contact operation of the cleaning member 10 is not limited to the mechanism illustrated in FIG. 2, and may be any mechanism as long as the cleaning member 10 performs the separation / contact operation with respect to the charging member 9. The driving means 15 is not limited to the means shown in FIG. 3, but may be any means as long as it can move the cleaning member 10 between the separated position and the contact position.

Also, in the above-described example, the present invention
However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an image including a charging member for charging the photoconductor and a cleaning member for cleaning the charging member is described. The present invention can be applied to any image forming apparatus as long as it is a forming apparatus.

[0069]

As apparent from the above description, according to the image forming apparatus of the first and second aspects of the present invention, the cleaning member separation / contact detection means detects the separation / contact state of the cleaning member from the charging member. Accordingly, for example, when cleaning the charging member by the cleaning member, the charging member can be cleaned after the cleaning member is always brought into contact with the charging member. Thereby, the charging member can be reliably cleaned.

In addition to this, according to the invention of claim 2,
Since the cleaning member is always separated from the charging member when the main body power is turned on, for example, when the main body power is turned on again while the main body power is turned off during the cleaning operation or the separating operation of the cleaning member. When the cleaning process is not performed, the cleaning member can be reliably separated from the charging member. This prevents the charging member from being damaged due to the contact of the cleaning member with the charging member, thereby preventing poor charging of the photoconductor.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the cleaning member is always separated from the charging member when the power supply of the image forming apparatus is turned on, regardless of the state of separation and contact of the cleaning member. The cleaning member can be reliably separated from the charging member when the cleaning process is not performed, for example, when the main body power is turned on again while the main body power is turned off during the operation or during the detaching operation of the cleaning member. This prevents the charging member from being damaged due to the contact of the cleaning member with the charging member, thereby preventing poor charging of the photoconductor.

Further, according to the invention of claim 4, information on the cleaning operation is stored in the storage means, and when the power of the image forming apparatus main body is turned on, the cleaning member is always separated from the charging member based on the information in the storage means. The cleaning member can be reliably separated from the charging member when, for example, the main body power is turned on in a state where the main body power is turned off during the cleaning operation or the separating operation of the cleaning member. This prevents the charging member from being damaged due to the contact of the cleaning member with the charging member, thereby preventing poor charging of the photoconductor. In addition, since the cleaning operation is stored in the storage unit and managed based on the information, for example, a safety mechanism for the mechanical separating operation such as the above-described cleaning member separation / detection unit can be eliminated, and the mechanical mechanism can be eliminated. In addition, it is possible to prevent the mechanical mechanism from deteriorating its durability and reduce the number of parts.

Further, according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the information on the cleaning operation is stored in the storage means, and when the power of the image forming apparatus main body is turned on, the cleaning of the charging member by the cleaning member is performed based on the information in the storage means. Since the cleaning operation is always performed, even when the cleaning operation is stopped in the middle of the cleaning process, the cleaning operation can always be performed after the main body power is turned on. As a result, the cleaning process can be reliably performed to the end, so that the charging member can be kept almost always in a clean state.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a full-color intermediate transfer type image forming apparatus to which each example of an embodiment of the image forming apparatus of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 shows a cleaning member for a charging member used in the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 and explains its operation;
5A is a diagram schematically illustrating a state in which the cleaning member is separated from the charging member, and FIG. 5B is a diagram schematically illustrating a contact state in which the cleaning member is in contact with the charging member.

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating a driving unit of a cleaning member used in the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1;

4A and 4B illustrate an example in which the cleaning member separation / contact state detection unit detects the state of separation / contact of the cleaning member from the charging member in the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1; FIG. 4A illustrates the state of contact of the cleaning member; FIG. 4B is a diagram schematically illustrating a state in which the cleaning member is separated from the cleaning member.

FIG. 5 is used in a first example of an embodiment of the present invention.
Based on the detection result of the cleaning member separation / contact detection means shown in FIG. 4,
FIG. 4 is a control block diagram of a separating operation of a cleaning member.

FIG. 6 is used in a second example of the embodiment of the present invention.
Based on the detection result of the cleaning member separation / contact detection means shown in FIG. 4,
FIG. 4 is a control block diagram of a separating operation of a cleaning member.

FIG. 7 is used in a third example of the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a control block diagram of a separating operation of a cleaning member.

FIG. 8 is used in a fourth example of the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a control block diagram of a separating operation of a cleaning member.

FIG. 9 is used in a fifth example of the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a control block diagram of a separating operation of a cleaning member.

[Description of Signs] 1 ... Image forming apparatus, 2 ... Photoconductor (OPC), 3 ... Charging device, 5 ... Developing device, 7 ... Cleaning device, 8, 16 ...
Housing 9, charging member 10, cleaning member 11, holding member 15, driving means 17, motor 19, driving force transmission shaft 21, male screw 22, moving member 22a female screw portion, cleaning 24 Member separation / contact detection means, 24a ... light-emitting device,
24b: light receiver, 26: central processing unit (CPU), 33
... Power on detection means, 34 ... Memory

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Yujiro Nomura 3-3-5 Yamato, Suwa-shi, Nagano F-term in Seiko-Epson Corporation (reference) 2H003 AA12 BB11 CC05 DD11 EE11 EE16

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A photoconductor on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, a charging member that contacts the photoconductor and charges the photoconductor, and a charging member that is provided so as to be capable of separating from and contacting the charging member. An image forming apparatus comprising at least a cleaning member for cleaning, wherein a cleaning member separation / detection unit for detecting a state of separation / contact of the cleaning member with respect to the charging member is provided. 2. The charging member according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning member is in contact with the charging member in a state in which the cleaning member is not performing a cleaning operation based on a detection result of the cleaning member separation / contact detection means. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising control means for performing a separating operation for separating the cleaning member from the cleaning member. 3. A photosensitive member on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, a charging member which contacts the photosensitive member and charges the photosensitive member, and a charging member which is provided so as to be able to be separated from and connected to the charging member. An image forming apparatus including at least a cleaning member for cleaning, wherein a control unit for performing a separating operation for separating the cleaning member from the charging member when the power of the image forming apparatus main body is turned on is provided. Image forming device. 4. A photosensitive member on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, a charging member that contacts the photosensitive member and charges the photosensitive member, and a charging member that is provided so as to be able to contact and separate from the charging member. An image forming apparatus including at least a cleaning member for cleaning, a storage unit for storing information on a start of the cleaning operation of the cleaning member and information on an end of the cleaning operation of the cleaning member, and an image forming apparatus main body. When the power is turned on, the information stored in the storage unit is checked, and when the cleaning operation is not completed, a control unit that performs a separating operation for separating the cleaning member from the charging member is provided. Characteristic image forming apparatus. 5. A photoreceptor on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, a charging member for charging the photoreceptor by contacting the photoreceptor, and a charging member provided so as to be able to contact and separate from the charging member. An image forming apparatus including at least a cleaning member for cleaning, a storage unit for storing information on a start of the cleaning operation of the cleaning member and information on an end of the cleaning operation of the cleaning member, and an image forming apparatus main body. When the power is turned on, the information stored in the storage unit is checked. If the cleaning operation has not been completed, a cleaning operation is performed from the beginning after performing a separating operation for separating the cleaning member from the charging member. An image forming apparatus provided with control means for performing the remaining cleaning operation as it is when the cleaning operation is not completed.