JP2001166670A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming device which can maintain superior cleaning performance by preventing the burr and wearing of a cleaning member. SOLUTION: This image forming device has a cleaning member temperature control means which controls the temperature of the cleaning member and a control means which controls the cleaning member temperature control means and the impact resilience of the cleaning member is <=40%.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile, and more particularly, to prevent turning and abrasion of a cleaning member and stabilize excellent cleaning performance. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus capable of maintaining the image quality.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoreceptor is developed with toner to form a toner image, and the toner image is transferred to transfer paper to form an image. I do. The untransferred toner remains on the photoreceptor after the toner image has been transferred onto the transfer paper (residual toner). If the process for forming the next image is performed as it is, the residual toner will stain the next image. Therefore, it is necessary to clean and remove the residual toner.

[0003] Usually, as a cleaning method of the residual toner, a cleaning member called a blade is brought into contact with the surface of the photoreceptor, and the photoreceptor is driven to scrape off the residual toner on the photoreceptor for cleaning. I have. At this time, if the contact state between the photoreceptor and the blade is bad, the scraping is insufficient, and streaks or spot-like stains are generated in the next image formation, or the photoreceptor is too strongly contacted. The blade may be turned over, or the blade may be worn, resulting in a problem that shortens the life of the blade.

[0004] As one of measures against this, it is known to use a material having low rebound resilience in order to increase the wear resistance of the blade. Rebound resilience is a physical property defined by JIS K6301. Blades made of a material having a rebound resilience of 40% or less are certainly excellent in abrasion resistance, but when used at low temperatures (room temperature of 15 ° C. or less), the rebound resilience becomes too low, resulting in poor cleaning and poor cleaning. We know the problem of bounding.

On the other hand, an organic photoreceptor provided with a resin layer containing a siloxane-based resin having a cross-linked structure in order to extend the durability of the photoreceptor (hereinafter referred to as a hard coat photoreceptor) has been proposed. This is obtained by applying a resin layer containing a siloxane-based resin (hereinafter, referred to as a hard coat layer) to the surface of the photoreceptor. Although the durability of the photoreceptor is very excellent, in terms of compatibility with the blade, It has been found that the surface torque of the hard coat layer is high, so that problems such as turning over and abrasion of the blade are likely to occur.
Therefore, when the photoconductor is a hard coat photoconductor,
In particular, severe conditions are required in order to prevent blade turning and abrasion and to stably maintain excellent cleaning performance.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus which can prevent the cleaning member from being turned up or worn and can maintain excellent cleaning performance.

[0007]

The object of the present invention has been attained by the following constitutions.

[0008] 1. A photoreceptor for forming an electrostatic latent image, developing means for developing the formed electrostatic latent image with toner in a developer, transfer means for transferring the developed toner image to transfer paper, and transfer In an image forming apparatus having a cleaning member for scraping and removing residual toner remaining on a photoreceptor later, a cleaning member temperature adjusting unit for adjusting the temperature of the cleaning member, and a control for controlling the cleaning member temperature adjusting unit Wherein the repelling elasticity of the cleaning member is 40% or less.

[0009] 2. The image forming apparatus includes a cleaning member temperature detecting unit that detects a temperature of the cleaning member, and the control unit controls the cleaning member temperature adjusting unit in accordance with the cleaning member temperature detected by the cleaning member temperature detecting unit. 2. The image forming apparatus according to the above 1, wherein

[0010] 3. A photoreceptor for forming an electrostatic latent image, developing means for developing the formed electrostatic latent image with toner in a developer, transfer means for transferring the developed toner image to transfer paper, and transfer In an image forming apparatus having a cleaning member for scraping and removing residual toner remaining on the photoconductor later, a photoconductor temperature adjustment unit for adjusting the temperature of the photoconductor, and a control for controlling the photoconductor temperature adjustment unit Wherein the repelling elasticity of the cleaning member is 40% or less.

4. The image forming apparatus includes a photoconductor temperature detection unit that detects a temperature of the photoconductor, and the control unit is configured to control the photoconductor temperature adjustment unit according to the photoconductor temperature detected by the photoconductor temperature detection unit. 3. The image forming apparatus according to the item 3, wherein

5. The image forming apparatus includes a use environment detection unit that detects a use environment temperature or humidity of the image formation device, and the control unit controls the photoconductor in accordance with use environment information detected by the use environment detection unit. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the image forming apparatus controls a temperature adjusting unit.

6. The rebound resilience of the cleaning member is
The image forming apparatus according to any one of the above items 1 to 5, wherein the content is 20% or more.

7. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the photoconductor is an organic photoconductor provided with a resin layer containing a siloxane-based resin having a crosslinked structure.

[8] A photoreceptor for forming an electrostatic latent image, developing means for developing the formed electrostatic latent image with toner in a developer, transfer means for transferring the developed toner image to transfer paper, and transfer An image forming apparatus including a cleaning unit that removes residual toner remaining on the photoconductor, wherein the cleaning unit is configured to contact the photoconductor and scrape off the residual toner; and a holder that holds the cleaning member. And a rotation axis serving as a fulcrum for rotating the holder, wherein the relationship between the contact angle θ ₁ and the fulcrum angle θ ₂ of the cleaning member satisfies 0 ° ≦ θ ₁ −θ ₂ ≦ 7 °. An image forming apparatus, wherein the photoconductor is an organic photoconductor provided with a resin layer containing a siloxane-based resin having a crosslinked structure.

9. A photoreceptor for forming an electrostatic latent image, developing means for developing the formed electrostatic latent image with toner in a developer, transfer means for transferring the developed toner image to transfer paper, and transfer An image forming apparatus including a cleaning unit that removes residual toner remaining on the photoconductor later, the cleaning unit includes a cleaning member that contacts the photoconductor and scrapes the residual toner, and the cleaning unit includes The cleaning member is fixed to a frame supporting both of the cleaning members, and the photoconductor is an organic photoconductor provided with a resin layer containing a siloxane-based resin having a crosslinked structure. Image forming apparatus.

10. Vertical angle θ of the cleaning member
₃ , horizontal angle θ ₄ , free length L ₁ , and bite amount L ₂ satisfy 7 ° ≦ θ ₃ ≦ 13 ° 12 ° ≦ θ ₄ ≦ 18 ° 7 mm ≦ L ₁ ≦ 13 mm 1 mm ≦ L ₂ ≦ 3 mm 10. The image forming apparatus according to the above item 9, wherein

11. A photoreceptor for forming an electrostatic latent image, developing means for developing the formed electrostatic latent image with toner in a developer, transfer means for transferring the developed toner image to transfer paper, and transfer An image forming apparatus comprising: a cleaning member for scraping off and removing residual toner remaining on the photoreceptor, wherein the photoreceptor is an organic photoreceptor provided with a resin layer containing a siloxane-based resin having a crosslinked structure. An image forming apparatus, wherein the cleaning member is provided with a coating layer having a lower frictional resistance than the material of the cleaning member itself.

[12] The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the coating layer is provided on a portion of the cleaning member other than a portion in contact with an image forming area of the photoconductor.

13. The image forming apparatus according to the above item 11 or 12, wherein the coating layer is a fluororesin coating layer.

[0021]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing an embodiment in which the image forming apparatus of the present invention is a copying machine.

In FIG. 1, the copying machine 101 stores the transfer paper 105 in a storage section inside the main body, and carries the transfer paper 105 one by one into a paper feed section 109 by a paper feed roller 106 having a double feed prevention mechanism. I do. The paper feeding unit 109 is disposed immediately before the image forming unit 1 and includes a loop roller 110 and a registration roller 111.

On the other hand, in the image forming section 1, a photosensitive drum 2 as a photosensitive member is rotated in a direction of an arrow A by a driving means (not shown), and a uniform charge is applied by a charging electrode 3 to the scanner section. 112 acquires image information of a document (not shown) placed on the document placing glass 113, performs image processing in an image processing unit GS described later, and scans based on the image information on which the image processing has been performed. The exposure unit 114 irradiates the surface of the rotating photosensitive drum 2 to form an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the document. Next, the electrostatic latent image is developed by a developing unit 5 serving as a developing unit, and is exposed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 as a toner image.

The registration roller 111 is driven in synchronization with the rotation of the photosensitive drum 2, and the transfer paper 105 is sent to the transfer electrode 7 as a transfer means. The toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 2 is transferred to the transfer paper 105 sent to the transfer electrode 7, and then the transfer paper 105 is separated from the photosensitive drum 2 by the separation electrode 8 and the separation claw 9. Then, the transport unit 117 transports to the fixing unit 118. With respect to the separation claw 9, a cleaning unit 11, which is a cleaning unit disposed downstream of the photoconductor drum 2 in the rotation direction, cleans the surface of the photoconductor drum 2 after the transfer, and removes foreign matters, residual toner, and the like. Is removed. Inside the cleaning unit 11, a blade as a cleaning member to be described later is provided. This blade removes the residual toner, and prepares for the next image forming operation.

The recycle pipe 6 conveys the residual toner collected by the cleaning unit 11 to the developing unit 5. The transported toner is used again for development.
The developing unit 5 incorporates new toner supplied from a toner cartridge (not shown), and consumes the new toner by executing an image forming operation. The collected toner is mixed with the new toner. In the present embodiment, the toner in which the collected toner is mixed with the new toner is also regarded as the new toner.

In the fixing unit 118, the transfer paper 105
Is heated and pressurized to fix the toner image. In the case of one-sided copy, the sheet is nipped by the conveyance roller 119 and sent to the sheet discharge tray 123. In the case of double-sided copying, the transfer paper 105 on which the toner image has been fixed is sent to the stacker 120 via the escaping conveyance path 121 by the conveyance rollers 119 and temporarily evacuated. The transfer paper 105 temporarily evacuated into the stacker 120 is sent out again, and
The toner image is conveyed to the paper feed unit 109 via the second transfer unit 2 and the toner image is transferred and fixed again.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control system of the image forming apparatus of FIG. In the image forming section 1, a charging electrode 3, a scanning exposure section 114, a developing unit 5, a transfer electrode 7, a separating electrode 8, a separating claw 9, and a cleaning unit 11 are arranged around the photosensitive drum 2 in this order. It is set up. These are connected to a control means CPU built in the copying machine 101. The control means CPU receives, as setting information, conditions relating to image formation, such as the copy mode and the number of copies, input by the user from the setting means OP, and operates the developing unit 5 and the photosensitive drum 2 to perform control relating to image formation. The control means CPU also controls the temperature of the cleaning member and the temperature of the photoreceptor.
Use environment information such as temperature and humidity of the place where the image forming apparatus is installed, image information from the image processing unit GS,
Setting information from setting means OP, cleaning unit 1
In accordance with temperature information from a blade temperature sensor 11s serving as a cleaning member temperature detecting unit or a drum temperature sensor 2s serving as a photoconductor temperature detecting unit, a blade heater 11h serving as a cleaning member temperature adjusting unit or By operating a drum heater 2h as a photoconductor temperature adjusting unit, a blade 1 as a cleaning member is operated.
1b or the temperature of the photosensitive drum 2 is controlled. Others
The control means CPU executes overall sequence control of the copying machine 101 shown in FIG.

First, the operation of the control means CPU relating to image formation will be described. In the image forming unit 1, a uniform negative charge is applied to the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 by the charging electrode 3, and then the scanning exposure unit 114 is performed based on image information subjected to image processing.
Irradiates the surface of the rotating photosensitive drum 2 to form an electrostatic latent image. The electrostatic latent image is reversely developed with negatively charged toner in the developer carried on the biased sleeve 5 a, and a toner image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 2.

When the transfer paper 105 shown in FIG. 1 is fed in synchronization with the rotation of the photosensitive drum 2, the transfer electrode 7 applies a positive charge to the back surface of the transfer paper 105, and Is transferred to the transfer paper 105. The transfer paper 105 on which the toner image has been transferred is discharged by the discharge of the separation electrode 8, and the attraction force with the photosensitive drum 2 is reduced.
The separation is completed by being guided by the separation claw 9, and is sent to the fixing unit 118 shown in FIG.

On the other hand, toner that has not been transferred remains on the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 after passing through the separation claw 9, and the remaining toner is a blade serving as a cleaning member provided in the cleaning unit 11. 11b, and is collected by the recycling pipe 6 shown in FIG.

Next, the temperature control of the control means CPU will be described with reference to FIG. The basic concept of the control is to always maintain the temperature of the cleaning member in a certain range (15 ° C. or higher) during image formation.
Alternatively, the temperature of the photoreceptor is always maintained within a certain range (20 ° C. or higher). Furthermore, within these temperature ranges, fine adjustments are made from environmental information such as temperature and humidity, image information, setting information, photoconductor temperature information, etc. in consideration of the magnitude of friction between the photoconductor and the cleaning member and the cleaning performance. Is preferred. In the present invention, the temperature of the cleaning member or the photoconductor is controlled by combining with a cleaning member having a rebound resilience of 40% or less or a hard coat photoconductor, which will be described later.

A specific example of the temperature control of the cleaning member or the photosensitive member is as follows. The control means CPU controls the blade heater 11h, which is a cleaning member temperature adjusting means, according to the use environment information from the use environment detection means SK.
To control the temperature of the blade 11b. The use environment detecting means SK is not particularly limited as long as it can measure the atmosphere (temperature and humidity) in the room where the image forming apparatus is installed, and is specifically a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor. Since the use environment detecting means SK detects the atmosphere (temperature and humidity of the use environment) in the room where the image forming apparatus is installed, it is provided in a portion exposed to the room atmosphere outside the image forming apparatus. May be. Also, the control means CP
If U sets acquisition of the usage environment information from the usage environment detection unit SK only immediately after turning on the power to the image forming apparatus, there is no difference in atmosphere between the outside and the inside of the image forming apparatus. For example, control means CPU inside the forming apparatus
It can be arranged at an appropriate place such as on a control board.

The blade heater 11h includes a blade 11b
There is no particular limitation as long as the temperature can be changed, but specifically, a heater such as a heating wire can be used,
It is preferable that the blade 11b can be adjusted in the range of 15 to 40 ° C. For example, the heating wire may be brought into direct contact with the sheet metal holding the blade 11b. Further, the blade temperature sensor 11s as a cleaning member temperature detecting unit provided in the cleaning unit 11 is a non-contact type thermometer or the like, and feeds back cleaning member temperature information to the control unit CPU so that the blade heater 1
It is preferable that the cleaning member temperature be adjusted with high accuracy by operating 1h.

In the present embodiment, the blade heater 11h is taken as an example of the cleaning member temperature adjusting means, but a cooling fan for forced cooling may be provided.

The following is the usage environment information (temperature and humidity)
Table 1 shows an example of the control temperature of the cleaning member by the blade heater 11h according to the temperature. Here, the control temperature of the cleaning member is a set value of the cleaning member temperature scheduled to be adjusted by the cleaning member temperature adjusting unit, and is not an actually measured value of the cleaning member temperature by the cleaning member temperature detecting unit.

[0037]

[Table 1]

Further, it is preferable that the control means CPU controls the temperature of the cleaning member by operating the blade heater 11h, which is a cleaning member temperature adjusting means, according to the setting information from the setting means OP. Normally, setting means O
P is provided in the form of a liquid crystal panel or an input button at a position where the user of the image forming apparatus can easily operate. For example,
In the setting unit OP, when the continuous copy mode for copying a plurality of sheets from the same original image is selected, the residual toner is expected to be small, so the blade heater 11h
Is turned off, the temperature of the blade 11b is lowered, and control is performed to prevent friction with the photosensitive drum 2. If the duplex copy mode is selected, after the image formation on one side of the transfer paper is completed, image formation is performed on the other side. The transfer paper itself becomes hot, and the photosensitive drum 2
Is raised, and the temperature of the blade 11b is easily raised, so the blade heater 11h is turned off.

The control means CPU includes an image processing unit GS
It is preferable to operate the blade heater 11h to control the temperature of the blade 11b in accordance with the image information from.
The image processing unit GS is a scanner unit 112 of the image forming apparatus.
The original image read from the photoreceptor according to the setting information input by the user from the setting means OP or the image forming conditions such as automatically determined image magnification, image density, image rotation, black and white reversal, margin shift, etc. This is means for converting into image information for forming a latent image on the drum 2. The latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 2 naturally changes depending on the type of the original image and the image forming conditions, but the state of this latent image depends on how much toner adheres to the photosensitive drum 2. It is equivalent to doing. The amount of adhered toner for image formation and the amount of residual toner are related, and the amount of remaining toner affects the friction between the blade 11b and the photosensitive drum 2 and the cleaning performance. Therefore, for image information expected to have a large amount of residual toner, the blade heater 11h is turned on to improve the scraping performance, and for image information expected to have a small amount of residual toner, the blade heater 11h is turned off. The friction between the photosensitive drum 2 and the blade 11b can be reduced. Specifically, the ON / OFF of the blade heater 11h is controlled based on the blackening ratio (the ratio of the area to which the toner is attached when the area of the entire screen is 100%) and the presence or absence of a solid black portion. Is preferred.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart relating to the setting of the control temperature of the cleaning member and the execution of the temperature adjustment.

After START (S1), the control means CPU
Confirms, for example, whether the mode is the double-sided copy mode from the setting information acquired from the setting means OP (S2). In the case of the double-sided copy mode, since the temperature of the blade 11b is expected to rise, control for turning off the switch of the blade heater 11h is performed (S3). On the other hand, when the mode is not the two-sided copy mode, the control temperature of the cleaning member as shown in Table 1 is set based on the use environment information acquired from the use environment detection means SK (S4).

Next, the control means CPU controls the image processing unit GS
It is checked whether the blackening rate is low in the image information acquired from (S5). As an example, the blackening rate is 20%
If it exceeds, it is determined that the blackening rate is not low, and S
The control temperature set in step 4 is applied as it is.
On the other hand, if the blackening ratio of the image information is less than 20%, it is determined that the blackening ratio is low, and the following determination is made. From the setting information obtained from the setting means OP, it is confirmed whether or not the continuous copy mode is set (S6). In the case of the continuous copy mode, the control temperature set in S4 is applied as it is. On the other hand, when the continuous copy mode is set, the control temperature of the cleaning member set in S4 is set at 5%.
Reset the temperature minus ℃ as the control temperature (S
7).

In this way, the control temperature of the cleaning member set in S4 or S7 is adjusted by the cleaning member temperature adjusting means (S8), and the above flow becomes END (S9).

Further, the control means CPU operates the blade heater 11h as the cleaning member temperature adjusting means in accordance with the photoconductor temperature information from the drum temperature sensor 2s as the photoconductor temperature detecting means, and controls the temperature of the cleaning member. It is preferable to control. As the drum temperature sensor 2s, a non-contact type temperature sensor similar to the above-described blade temperature sensor 11s may be used, or a type of directly contacting the photosensitive drum 2 may be used. Based on the photoconductor temperature information obtained from the drum temperature sensor 2s, the cleaning member temperature adjusting means is operated (or not operated) so as to minimize the difference between the photoconductor temperature and the cleaning member temperature. The difference between the photoconductor temperature and the cleaning member temperature is 2
The temperature must be within 0 ° C, preferably within 10 ° C, more preferably within 5 ° C.

Also, the temperature of the photosensitive drum 2 itself is 20
It is preferable to provide a drum heater 2h as a photoconductor temperature adjusting unit for adjusting the temperature to be higher than or equal to ° C. The drum heater 2h can be the same as the blade heater 11h, and can be provided inside the cylinder of the photosensitive drum 2 so as to be in contact with the photosensitive drum 2.

Table 2 summarizes an example of the control temperature of the photosensitive member by the drum heater 2h according to the use environment information (temperature and humidity).

[0047]

[Table 2]

Further, Table 3 summarizes an example of the control temperature of the cleaning member according to the photoconductor temperature detected by the photoconductor temperature detecting means.

[0049]

[Table 3]

The above control temperature is merely an example, and it is preferable to appropriately design the control temperature in accordance with the properties of the image forming apparatus in order to maintain stable cleaning performance.

Next, the configuration of one embodiment of the cleaning means that can be used in the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 4 is a front sectional view of the cleaning unit 11 of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a section taken along line IV-IV of FIG.

The cleaning unit 11 has a housing 14, a brush roller 16, toner conveying means 17, and a blade 18 as a cleaning member.
Is pressed and contacted (contacted) with the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 to scrape off the residual toner, and the scraped-off residual toner once rides on the brush roller 16 and falls into the screw 17 a of the toner conveying means 17. The screw 17a is rotated by a drive mechanism (not shown) to collect the dropped toner, and the collected toner is sent to the developing unit 5 again through the recycling pipe 6, and is accumulated in the developing unit 5. The toner is mixed with the mixed toner, stirred together, and reused for image formation.

The blade 18 is sandwiched and fixed by a holder 18a composed of two L-shaped cross sections, and the holder 18a is fixed to two holder side plates 22a of the holder body 22. The holder body 22 includes a holder side plate 22a.
The holder top plate 22b and the holder back plate 22c are connected to each other.
3 protrudes. Since the rotation shaft 23 is rotatably supported by both side plates 14a of the housing 14, the holder main body 22 can rotate in two directions as indicated by the arrow C shown in FIG. That is, the rotating shaft 23 is a fulcrum for rotating the holder 18a.

The weight plate 2 is provided on the holder back plate 22c.
4 is locked, and the weight plate 24 is
2 and the blade 18 are given a rotational moment about the rotation shaft 23, and the tip of the blade 18 is moved to the photosensitive drum 2.
The surface is adjusted so that it comes in contact with the surface at a constant pressure.

One end of the rotating shaft 23 penetrates through the side plate 14a and is connected to a cam mechanism 25 as load adjusting means. The cam mechanism 25 is fixed to an end of the rotating shaft 23 to form a follower, a cam 27 for vertically moving the arm 26 to rotate the rotating shaft 23, and a shaft 27a. A driven gear 28 for transmitting a rotational force to the cam 27; and a driving gear 3 connected to the driven gear 28 via an idle gear 29.
0, and a cam drive motor 31 that transmits a rotational force in a predetermined direction to the drive gear 30. Cam drive motor 3
1 controls the cam mechanism 25 under the control of the control means 13, and the pressure at which the blade 18 contacts the photosensitive drum 2 is determined by the degree to which the cam 27 pushes up the arm 26. Note that if the pressure at the time of contact changes, the degree of bending of the blade 18 changes, but the bending of the blade 18 is omitted in FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIG. 6 has been described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.
Contact angle θ of blade 18 in cleaning means₁
And fulcrum angle θ_TwoIt is the schematic diagram shown about. In the figure, P
Indicates that the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 is in contact with the blade 18
It is a contact point. This contact angle θ₁And fulcrum angle θ_TwoDetermine
In the above, the blade P uses a rigid body that does not bend. Exposure
The tangent at the contact point P on the body drum 2 and the blade 18
Is the contact angle θ ₁It is. Also, the photosensitive drum 2
The tangent at the upper contact point P, the contact point P and the center of the rotating shaft 23
Is the fulcrum angle θ_TwoIt is. This contact angle
Degree θ₁And fulcrum angle θ_TwoIs 0 ° ≦ θ₁−θ_Two≦ 7 °, and the photoconductor is a hard-coated photoconductor described below.
The cleaning member is turned over or worn
And maintain cleaning performance with high accuracy.
Becomes possible. The hard coat photoreceptor will be described later.
You.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing another embodiment of the cleaning means used in the present invention. Unlike the cleaning means shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the blade 18 serving as a cleaning member is mounted on the housing 14 of the cleaning unit.
(Frame). Blade 18
Is preferable in that it can be configured simply and inexpensively, as compared with the above-described type in which a rotating shaft that makes the pressure in contact with the photosensitive drum 2 variable is provided. However, unless the contact state between the blade 18 and the photosensitive drum 2 is set within a more strictly selected range, it is difficult to maintain stable cleaning performance and prevent blade turning and abrasion. In the present invention, the vertical angle θ ₃ , the horizontal angle θ ₄ , the free length L ₁ , and the bite amount L ₂ of the blade 18 are defined. The housing 14 is a frame that supports both the blade 18 and the photosensitive drum 2. The blade 18 may be directly fixed to the housing 14 as it is, or may be fixed to the housing 14 via the holder as described above.

In this cleaning means, assuming that the blade 18 is a rigid body which does not bend, the depth of the edge of the blade 18 from the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 is determined by the depth L ₂ (mm). The angle between the direction line of the edge of the blade 18 and the vertical line passing through the center of the photosensitive drum 2 is a vertical angle θ ₃ , and the line in the depth direction of the edge of the blade 18 and the photosensitive drum 2
Is the horizontal angle θ ₄ , and the free length L ₁ (mm) is the length at which the blade 18 can bend without being restricted by the housing 14 or the holder.

It has been found that when these parameters satisfy the following relationship, stable cleaning performance can be maintained and blade turning and abrasion can be prevented.

7 ° ≦ θ ₃ ≦ 13 ° 12 ° ≦ θ ₄ ≦ 18 ° 7 mm ≦ L ₁ ≦ 13 mm 1 mm ≦ L ₂ ≦ 3 mm In the case where the above relationship is satisfied, when the photosensitive member is a hard coat photosensitive member, In particular, the effect is remarkably exhibited. The hard coat photoreceptor will be described later.

As the cleaning member used in the image forming apparatus of the present invention, a blade made of a material such as elastic rubber is preferable, but by controlling the rebound resilience among the physical properties of the blade, the blade can be more effectively turned up. Can be suppressed. Temperature 25 ± 0.2 ℃, humidity 5
The rebound resilience of the blade after leaving it in an environment of 0 ± 5% RH is preferably 40% or less. More preferably 2
0% to 40%. If it exceeds 40%, the blade is likely to be turned up, and if it is less than 20%, the cleaning performance deteriorates. The rebound resilience is a value measured based on the vulcanized rubber physical test method of JIS K6301.

By controlling the rebound resilience of the blade, the blade does not turn over for a long time,
It has become possible to maintain stable cleaning performance. As a result, it is possible to provide a highly durable electrophotographic image forming method which has less wear and excellent cleaning performance.

As the material of the blade, urethane rubber, silicone rubber, fluorine rubber, chloropyrene rubber, butadiene rubber and the like are known. Of these, urethane rubber has excellent wear characteristics as compared with other rubbers. Is particularly preferred in that For example, urethane rubber obtained by reacting and curing a polycaprolactone ester and a polyisocyanate described in JP-A-59-30574 is preferable.

Further, the blade as a cleaning member used in the present invention can further prevent the blade from turning over and abrasion by providing a coating layer having a lower frictional resistance than the material of the blade itself. Can also be maintained stably. Cleaning member having this coating layer,
In particular, the effect is high when combined with a hard coat photoreceptor. Examples of the coating material include fluororesin, silicone oil, zinc stearate, etc. Among them, fluororesin is most preferable. The method of providing the coating layer may be a known method, but spray coating is preferred.

FIG. 8 shows a preferable portion for providing a coating layer in the cleaning member used in the present invention. In the figure, member number 2 is the photosensitive drum, 1
8 is a blade, 18c is a coating layer, and P is a contact point where the blade 18 and the photosensitive member are in contact.

FIG. 8A is a sectional view of the photosensitive drum 2 as seen from the axial direction. In the cross section of the blade 18, the effect can be exhibited as long as the coating layer has at least the contact P. Preferably, a coating layer is provided on two sides including the contact point P of the blade 18 shown by a dotted line.

FIG. 8B is a top view. By providing the coating layer only on both ends outside the image forming area (the maximum area where toner can be attached by the developing means), rather than providing the coating layer over the entire area in the width direction (horizontal direction in the figure) of the blade 18, And abrasion can be reduced, and the cleaning performance can be sufficiently maintained. This is because blade turn-up is likely to occur at the end of the blade where toner is difficult to spread as a lubricant. The width at which the coating layers at both ends of the blade 18 are provided is preferably about 10 to 20 mm.

The above-described cleaning member having a coating layer exerts its effect in combination with a hard coat photoreceptor.

Next, the hard coat photosensitive member used in the present invention will be described. The hard coat photoreceptor has a resin layer containing a siloxane-based resin having a structural unit having charge transport performance and having a crosslinked structure. A siloxane-based resin having a structural unit having charge transport performance and having a favorable structure is produced by a known method, that is, using an organosilicon compound having a hydroxyl group or a hydrolyzable group. The organosilicon compound is represented by the following general formulas (A) to (D).

[0071]

Embedded image

In the formula, R _{1 to} R ₆ represent an organic group in which carbon is directly bonded to silicon in the formula, and Z _{1 to} Z ₄ represent a hydroxyl group or a hydrolyzable group.

When Z _{1 to} Z ₄ in the above general formula are hydrolyzable groups, methoxy, ethoxy,
Examples include a methylethylketoxime group, a diethylamino group, an acetoxy group, a propenoxy group, a propoxy group, a butoxy group, and a methoxyethoxy group. Examples of the organic group in which carbon is directly bonded to silicon represented by R _{1 to} R ₆ include alkyl groups such as methyl, ethyl, propyl and butyl, aryl groups such as phenyl, tolyl, naphthyl and biphenyl, and γ-glycidyl. Epoxy-containing groups such as xypropyl and β- (3,4-epoxycyclohexyl) ethyl;
(Meth) acryloyl groups such as acryloxypropyl and γ-methacryloxypropyl, hydrous groups such as γ-hydroxypropyl and 2,3-dihydroxypropyloxypropyl, vinyl groups such as vinyl and propenyl, and γ-mercaptopropyl , Amino-containing groups such as γ-aminopropyl, N-β (aminoethyl) -γ-aminopropyl, γ-chloropropyl, 1,1,1-trifluorofluoropropyl, nonafluorohexyl, perfluoro Examples include a halogen-containing group such as octylethyl, and other nitro and cyano-substituted alkyl groups. Also, R ₁
-R ₆ may have the same or different organic groups.

In general, when the number n of hydrolyzable groups bonded to silicon atoms of the organosilicon compound used as a raw material of the siloxane-based resin is 1, the polymerization reaction of the organosilicon compound is suppressed. You. n is 2, 3 or 4
In the case of (3), the polymerization reaction is likely to occur.
It is possible to advance the crosslinking reaction to a high degree. Therefore, by controlling these, it is possible to control the preservability of the obtained coating layer liquid, the hardness of the coating layer, and the like.

As a raw material for the siloxane-based resin, a hydrolysis-condensation product obtained by hydrolyzing the organosilicon compound under acidic or basic conditions to form an oligomer or a polymer can also be used.

As described above, the siloxane-based resin is obtained by reacting a monomer, oligomer, or polymer having a siloxane bond in a chemical structural unit in advance (including a hydrolysis reaction, a reaction in which a catalyst or a cross-linking agent is added). It means a resin that has formed and cured a three-dimensional network structure. That is, it means a siloxane-based resin having a cross-linked structure formed by promoting a siloxane bond by a hydrolysis reaction and subsequent dehydration condensation of an organosilicon compound having a siloxane bond to form a three-dimensional network structure.

The siloxane-based resin may be a resin in which colloidal silica having a hydroxyl group or a hydrolyzable group is contained, and silica particles are incorporated in a part of the crosslinked structure.

A siloxane-based resin having a structural unit having a charge transporting property and having a cross-linked structure according to the present invention is a chemical structure having a characteristic of exhibiting electron or hole drift mobility (= a structure having a charge transporting property). (Unit) in a siloxane-based resin as a partial structure.
Specifically, the siloxane-based resin having a structural unit having a charge transporting property of the present invention and having a crosslinked structure includes a compound generally used as a charge transporting substance (hereinafter, also referred to as a charge transporting compound or CTM). It has a partial structure in the siloxane-based resin.

The above-mentioned structural unit having charge transport performance is a structural unit exhibiting the property of having electron or hole drift mobility, or a charge transporting compound residue. Another definition is Time- It can also be expressed as a structural unit or a charge-transporting compound residue from which a detection current due to charge transport can be obtained by a known method capable of detecting charge-transporting performance such as the Of-Flight method.

A charge transporting compound capable of forming a structural unit having charge transporting ability in a siloxane-based resin by reaction with an organic silicon compound will be described below.

For example, hole transport type CTM: xazole, oxadiazole, thiazole, triazole, imidazole, imidazolone, imidazoline, bisimidazolidin, styryl, hydrazone, benzidine, pyrazoline,
Stilbene compound, amine, oxazolone, benzothiazole, benzimidazole, quinazoline, benzofuran, acridine, phenazine, aminostilbene, poly-N-vinylcarbazole, poly-1-vinylpyrene,
A chemical structure such as poly-9-vinylanthracene is contained as a partial structure of the siloxane-based resin.

On the other hand, succinic anhydride, maleic anhydride, phthalic anhydride, pyromellitic anhydride, melitic anhydride, tetracyanoethylene, tetracyanoquinodimethane, nitrobenzene, dinitrobenzene, trinitrobenzene, etc. Tetranitrobenzene, nitrobenzonitrile, picryl chloride, quinone chlorimide, chloranil, bromanyl, benzoquinone, naphthoquinone, diphenoquinone, tropoquinone, anthraquinone, 1-chloroanthraquinone, dinitroanthraquinone, 4-nitrobenzophenone, 4,4'-dinitrobenzophenone, 4-nitrobenzalmalonedinitrile, α-cyano-β- (p-cyanophenyl) -2-
(P-chlorophenyl) ethylene, 2,7-dinitrofluorene, 2,4,7-trinitrofluorenone, 2,
4,5,7-tetranitrofluorenone, 9-fluorenylidenedicyanomethylenemalononitrile, polynitro-9-fluoronylidenedicyanomethylenemalonodinitrile, picric acid, o-nitrobenzoic acid, p-nitrobenzoic acid, 3, Chemical structures such as 5-dinitrobenzoic acid, pentafluorobenzoic acid, 5-nitrosalicylic acid, 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid, phthalic acid and melitic acid are contained as partial structures of the siloxane-based resin.

In the present invention, the structural unit having a preferable charge transporting property is a residue of a commonly used charge transporting compound as described above, and has the following structure via a carbon atom or a silicon atom constituting the charge transporting compound. It is bonded to the linking atom or linking group represented by Y in the formula, and is contained in the siloxane-based resin via Y.

[0084]

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In the formula, X is a structural unit having charge transporting ability, a group bonding to Y in the formula via a carbon atom or a silicon atom constituting the imparting group, and Y is an adjacent bonding atom (Si And divalent or higher atoms or groups excluding C).

However, when Y is an atom having three or more valences, S in the formula
The bond of Y other than i and C is bonded to any constituent atom in the curable resin capable of bonding or has a structure (group) connected to another atom or molecular group.

In the above formula, an oxygen atom (O), a sulfur atom (S), and a nitrogen atom (N) are particularly preferable as the Y atom.

Here, when Y is a nitrogen atom (N), the linking group is represented by -NR-. (R is a hydrogen atom or a monovalent organic group.) The structural unit X having charge transporting performance is shown as a monovalent group in the formula, but the charge transporting compound to be reacted with the siloxane-based resin is 2 When it has two or more reactive functional groups, it may be bonded as a divalent or higher valent crosslink group in the curable resin, or may be bonded simply as a pendant group.

The above-mentioned atoms, that is, the atoms of O, S, and N, are formed by the reaction of a hydroxyl group, a mercapto group, or an amine group introduced into a compound having a charge transporting ability with an organic silicon compound having a hydroxyl group or a hydrolyzable group. It is a linking group that is formed and incorporates a structural unit having charge transport performance into the siloxane-based resin as a partial structure.

Next, the charge transporting compound having a hydroxyl group, a mercapto group, an amine group, and an organic silicon-containing group in the present invention will be described.

The charge transporting compound having a hydroxyl group is as follows:
It is a charge transport substance having a commonly used structure and a compound having a hydroxyl group. That is, typically, a charge transporting compound represented by the following general formula that can form a resin layer by bonding to a curable organosilicon compound can be exemplified, but is not limited to the following structure. Any compound having a charge transporting ability and a hydroxyl group may be used.

X- (R ₇ -OH) _m wherein X: a structural unit having charge transporting ability R ₇ : a single bond, a substituted or unsubstituted alkylene group, an arylene group m: an integer of 1 to 5 Among them, the following are typical ones. For example, a triarylamine-based compound has a triarylamine structure such as triphenylamine as a structural unit having charge-transporting property = X, and alkylene extended through a carbon atom constituting X or extended from X; A compound having a hydroxyl group via an arylene group is preferably used. 1. Triarylamine compounds

[0093]

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2. Hydrazine compounds

[0095]

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3. Stilbene compounds

[0097]

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4. Benzidine compound

[0099]

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5. Butadiene compound

[0101]

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6. Other compounds

[0103]

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Next, a synthesis example of a charge transporting compound having a hydroxyl group will be described. Synthesis of Exemplified Compound T-1

[0105]

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Step A In a four-headed kolben equipped with a thermometer, a condenser, a stirrer, and a dropping funnel, 49 g of the compound (1) and 184 phosphorus oxychloride were added.
g was added and dissolved by heating. 117 g of dimethylformamide was gradually added dropwise from the dropping funnel.
The mixture was kept at ９５95 ° C. and stirred for about 15 hours. Next, the reaction solution was gradually poured into a large excess of warm water, and then slowly cooled while stirring.

The precipitated crystals were filtered and dried, and then purified by adsorption of impurities using silica gel or the like and recrystallization with acetonitrile to obtain Compound (2). Yield 30
g.

Step B 30 g of compound (2) and 100 ml of ethanol were charged into a kolben and stirred. After gradually adding 1.9 g of sodium borohydride, the solution was kept at 40 to 60 ° C. and stirred for about 2 hours. Next, the reaction solution was gradually poured into about 300 ml of water, and stirred to precipitate crystals. After filtration, the resultant was sufficiently washed with water and dried to obtain a compound (3). The yield was 30 g.

Synthesis of Exemplified Compound S-1

[0110]

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Step A In a 300 ml kolben equipped with a thermometer and a stirrer, add C
Then, 30 g of u, 60 g of K ₂ CO ₃ , 8 g of compound (1) and 100 g of compound (2) were added, and the mixture was heated to about 180 ° C. and stirred for 20 hours. After cooling, the mixture was filtered and purified by column to obtain 7 g of compound (3).

Step B A 100 ml kolben equipped with a thermometer, a dropping funnel, an argon gas introducing device and a stirrer was set to an argon gas atmosphere, and 7 g of the compound (3), 50 ml of toluene, and 3 g of phosphoryl chloride were added thereto. While stirring at room temperature, D
2 g of MF was slowly added dropwise, and then the temperature was raised to about 80 ° C. and the mixture was stirred for 16 hours. The mixture was poured into warm water of about 70 ° C. and cooled. This was extracted with toluene, and the extract was washed with water until the pH of the water reached 7. After drying over sodium sulfate, the mixture was concentrated and purified by column to obtain 5 g of compound (4).

Step C 100 ml with an argon gas introducing device and a stirring device
1.0 g of t-BuOK and 60 ml of DMF were charged into the Kolben, and the atmosphere was changed to an argon gas atmosphere. Compound (4)
2.0 g and 2.2 g of the compound (5) were added, and the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 1 hour. This was poured into a large excess of water, extracted with toluene, the extract was washed with water, dried over sodium sulfate,
After concentration, column purification was performed, and 2.44 g of compound (6) was obtained.
I got

Step D Toluene was charged into a 100 ml kolben equipped with a thermometer, a dropping funnel, an argon gas introducing device and a stirrer to make an argon gas atmosphere. 15 ml of a hexane solution of n-BuLi (1.72 M) was added thereto, and the mixture was heated to 50 ° C. To this, 2.44 g of compound (6) was added in 30 ml of toluene.
The dissolved liquid was added dropwise, and the mixture was stirred at 50 ° C. for 3 hours. After cooling to −40 ° C., 8 ml of ethylene oxide was added, the temperature was raised to −15 ° C., and the mixture was stirred for 1 hour.
Thereafter, the temperature was raised to room temperature, 5 ml of water was added, and ether 2 was added.
After extraction with 00 ml, the extract was washed with saturated saline.
After washing the washing solution to pH, it was dried over sodium sulfate, concentrated and purified by column to obtain 1.0 g of compound (7).

Next, specific examples of the charge transporting compound having a mercapto group are shown below. The charge transporting compound having a mercapto group is a charge transporting substance having a commonly used structure and a compound having a mercapto group.
That is, typically combined with a curable organosilicon compound,
Examples of the charge-transporting compound represented by the following general formula capable of forming a resin layer include, but are not limited to, the following structure, having a charge-transporting ability, and having a mercapto group. Any compound may be used.

X- (R ₈ -SH) _m wherein X: a structural unit having charge transporting ability R ₈ : a single bond, a substituted or unsubstituted alkylene, an arylene group m: an integer of 1 to 5 The typical ones are as follows.

[0117]

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The charge transporting compound having an amino group will be described. The charge transporting compound having an amino group is a charge transporting substance having a commonly used structure and a compound having an amino group. That is, typically, a charge transporting compound represented by the following general formula that can form a resin layer by bonding to a curable organosilicon compound can be exemplified, but is not limited to the following structure. ,
Any compound having charge transporting ability and having an amino group may be used.

X- (R ₉ -NR ₁₀ H) _m wherein X: Structural unit having charge transporting ability R ₉ : Single bond, substituted or unsubstituted alkylene, substituted or unsubstituted arylene group R ₁₀ : hydrogen Atom, substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group, substituted or unsubstituted aryl group m: an integer of 1 to 5 Among them, the following are typical examples.

[0120]

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Among the charge transporting compounds having an amino group, in the case of a primary amine compound (—NH ₂ ), two hydrogen atoms may react with an organosilicon compound and be linked to a siloxane structure. In the case of a secondary amine compound (—NHR ₁₀ ), one hydrogen atom reacts with the organosilicon compound, and R ₁₀ may be a group that remains as a branch or a group that causes a cross-linking reaction, and includes a charge transport material. It may be a compound residue.

Further, the charge transporting compound having a silicon atom-containing group will be described. The charge transporting compound having a silicon atom-containing group is a charge transporting substance having the following structure. This compound can also combine with the curable organosilicon compound to form a resin layer.

[0123] X - in _{- (Y-Si (R 11} ) 3-a (R 12) a) n -type, X is a group containing a structural unit having charge transportability, R ₁₁ is a hydrogen atom, a substituted or R ₁₂ represents a hydrolyzable group or a hydroxyl group; Y represents a substituted or unsubstituted alkylene group or an arylene group; a represents an integer of 1 to 3, and n represents an integer.

Among them, the following are typical ones. Raw material for forming the siloxane-based resin: The composition ratio of the above-mentioned general formulas (A) to (D) (hereinafter referred to as (A) to (D)) is as follows: organosilicon compound: 1 mole of component (A) + (B) , (C) + (D) component 0.05 to 1 mol is preferably used.

When the colloidal silica (E) is added, 1 to 30 parts by mass of (E) is used based on 100 parts by mass of the components (A) + (B) + (C) + (D). Is preferred.

The addition amount of the reactive charge transporting compound (F) capable of forming a resin layer by reacting with the above-mentioned organosilicon compound or colloidal silica is the above (A) + (B)
It is preferable to use 1 to 500 parts by mass of (F) based on 100 parts by mass of the total of + (C) + (D) components. (A)
When the + (B) component is used outside the above range,
When the amount of the components (A) and (B) is small, the siloxane resin layer has too low a crosslinking density and insufficient hardness. Also, (A) +
If the component (B) is too large, the crosslink density is too high and the hardness is sufficient, but a brittle resin layer is formed. Excess or deficiency of the colloidal silica component of the component (E) has the same tendency as that of the component (A) + (B). On the other hand, when the amount of the component (F) is small, the charge transporting ability of the siloxane resin layer is small, causing a decrease in sensitivity and an increase in residual charge. Be looked at.

The siloxane-based resin of the present invention having a structural unit having charge transporting ability and having a cross-linked structure may be prepared by adding a catalyst or a cross-linking agent to a monomer, oligomer or polymer having a siloxane bond in the structural unit in advance. A bond may be formed to form a three-dimensional network structure, or a siloxane bond may be promoted by a hydrolysis reaction and subsequent dehydration condensation to form a three-dimensional network structure from monomers, oligomers, and polymers.

In general, a three-dimensional network structure can be formed by a condensation reaction of a composition containing an alkoxysilane or a composition containing an alkoxysilane and colloidal silica.

Examples of the catalyst for forming the three-dimensional network structure include alkali metal salts of organic carboxylic acids, nitrous acid, sulfurous acid, aluminate, carbonic acid and thiocyanic acid, and organic amine salts (tetramethylammonium hydroxide, tetramethylammonium hydroxide). Ammonium acetate), tin organic acid salts (stannas octoate, dibutyltin diacetate, dibutyltin dilaurate, dibutyltin mercaptide, dibutyltin thiocarboxylate, dibutyltin malate), aluminum, zinc octenoic acid, naphthenate, An acetylacetone complex compound is exemplified.

Further, it is preferable to add an antioxidant to the resin layer in the present invention. Antioxidants have a function of inhibiting a radical chain that traps radicals generated by heat, light, etc., for example, a compound having a chemical structure of hindered phenol or hindered amine or a chemical structure having a function of decomposing peroxides. And a compound group having a chemical structure such as thioether and phosphite. Of these, hindered phenols,
Hindered amine antioxidants are highly effective in preventing fogging and image blurring at high temperature and high humidity.

The content of the hindered phenol or hindered amine antioxidant in the resin layer is from 0.01 to 1
% By weight is preferred. When the content is less than 0.01% by mass, there is no effect on fogging and image blur at high temperature and high humidity, and when the content is more than 10% by mass, the charge transport ability in the resin layer is reduced, and the residual potential tends to increase, In addition, a decrease in film strength occurs.

The antioxidant may be contained in the lower charge generation layer, charge transport layer, intermediate layer, etc., if necessary. The amount of the antioxidant added to these layers is preferably 0.01 to 10% by mass with respect to each layer.

Here, hindered phenol refers to compounds having a branched alkyl group at an ortho position to the hydroxyl group of the phenol compound and derivatives thereof (however, the hydroxyl group may be modified to alkoxy).

Examples of the hindered amine include compounds having an organic group represented by the following structural formula.

[0135]

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In the formula, R ₁₃ is a hydrogen atom or a monovalent organic group,
R ₁₄ , R ₁₅ , R ₁₆ and R _{17 each} represent an alkyl group, and R ₁₈ represents a hydrogen atom, a hydroxyl group or a monovalent organic group.

Examples of the antioxidant having a hindered phenol partial structure include, for example, JP-A-1-118137 (P.
7 to P14), but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Examples of the antioxidant having a hindered amine partial structure include, for example, JP-A-1-118138 (P7-
The compounds described in P9) may also be mentioned, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

As the organic phosphorus compound, for example, there are the following compounds represented by the general formula RO-P (OR) -OR. Here, R represents a hydrogen atom, a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group, alkenyl group or aryl group.

Examples of the organic sulfur compounds include, for example, the following compounds represented by the general formula RSR. Here, R represents a hydrogen atom, a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group, alkenyl group or aryl group.

The following are various typical compounds.

[0142]

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[0143]

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[0144]

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[0145]

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[0146]

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[0147]

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The following compounds are commercially available antioxidants, for example, “Irganox 107”.
6, Irganox 1010, Irganox 1098, Irganox 245, Irganox 1330, Irganox 3114, Irganox 1076, 3,5-di-t-butyl-4 −
Hydroxybiphenyl or more hindered phenols,
"Sanol LS2626", "Sanol LS765"
"Sanol LS2626", "Sanol LS770",
“Sanol LS744”, “Tinuvin 144”, “Tinuvin 622LD”, “Mark LA57”, “Mark LA”
67 "," Mark LA62 "," Mark LA68 ",
"Mark LA63" or more is a hindered amine type.

<Organic Fine Particles> The organic fine particles have a volume average particle diameter of 0.05 to 10 μm, preferably 0.1 to 5 μm.
And 0.01 to 50% by mass is added to the outermost resin layer of the photoconductor. Examples of the organic fine particles include polytetrafluoroethylene, polychlorotrifluoroethylene, polyvinylidene fluoride, polyfluoroethylene, polydichlorodifluoroethylene, tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkylvinyl ether copolymer, and tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene copolymer. Coalescing,
Fine particles of resin such as tetrafluoroethylene-ethylene copolymer, tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene-perfluoroalkylvinyl ether copolymer or silicone resin, polyethylene, polypropylene, melamine, etc. Is preferred. The content of these organic fine particles in the resin layer is preferably set so that the coefficient of static friction of the elastic rubber blade applied to the present invention with respect to the photoreceptor is 1.0 or less. The coefficient of static friction is 1.0
By doing so, the turning of the cleaning blade is prevented, and the cleaning of the residual toner becomes easy.

The coefficient of static friction μ is usually HEI when the photosensitive member is in the form of a sheet, a plate, or an endless belt.
Surface property tester (model HEIDON-1 manufactured by DON)
4).

However, in practice, the photosensitive drum incorporated in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus is mainly a photosensitive drum. In this case, the static friction coefficient μ is measured by measuring the rotational torque T (kg · cm) of the photosensitive drum. Required by

That is, the rotational torque T of the photosensitive drum itself
₁ (kg · cm) and the rotation torque T ₂ of the photosensitive drum with the blade cleaning member pressed against the load F (kg).
(Kg · cm) is measured and calculated by the following equation.

Static friction coefficient μ = (T ₂ −T ₁ ) / (F · γ) where γ is the radius (cm) of the photosensitive drum.

The layer structure of the electrophotographic photoreceptor of the present invention is not particularly limited, but may be a charge generation layer, a charge transport layer, or a charge generation / charge transport layer (a single layer having both functions of charge generation and charge transport). It is preferable to adopt a structure in which a photosensitive layer such as a photosensitive layer) and a resin layer of the present invention are provided thereon. Further, each of the charge generation layer, the charge transport layer, or the charge generation / charge transport layer may be composed of a plurality of layers.

Examples of the charge generating substance (CGM) contained in the photosensitive layer of the present invention include phthalocyanine pigments, polycyclic quinone pigments, azo pigments, perylene pigments, indigo pigments,
Quinacridone pigments, azurenium pigments, squarylium dyes, cyanine dyes, pyrylium dyes, thiopyrylium dyes, xanthene dyes, triphenylmethane dyes, styryl dyes, and the like.
In M), a layer is formed alone or together with a suitable binder resin.

The charge transport material (C) contained in the photosensitive layer
TM) include, for example, oxazole derivatives, oxadiazole derivatives, thiazole derivatives, thiadiazole derivatives, triazole derivatives, imidazole derivatives, imidazolone derivatives, imidazoline derivatives, bisimidazolidine derivatives, styryl compounds, hydrazone compounds, benzidine compounds, pyrazoline derivatives, stilbenes Compound,
Amine derivatives, oxazolone derivatives, benzothiazole derivatives, benzimidazole derivatives, quinazoline derivatives, benzofuran derivatives, acridine derivatives, phenazine derivatives, aminostilbene derivatives, poly-N-vinylcarbazole, poly-1-vinylpyrene, poly-9-vinylanthracene, etc. These charge transport materials (CTM) are usually used to form a layer together with a binder.

As the binder resin contained in the charge generating layer (CGL) and the charge transporting layer (CTL) in the case of a single-layered photosensitive layer and a laminated structure, polycarbonate resin, polyester resin, polystyrene resin, methacrylic resin,
Acrylic resin, polyvinyl chloride resin, polyvinylidene chloride resin, polyvinyl butyral resin, polyvinyl acetate resin, styrene-butadiene resin, vinylidene chloride-acrylonitrile copolymer resin, vinyl chloride-maleic anhydride copolymer resin, urethane resin, silicon resin,
Epoxy resin, silicon-alkyd resin, phenol resin, polysilane resin, polyvinyl carbazole and the like can be mentioned.

In the present invention, the ratio between the charge generating substance and the binder resin in the charge generating layer is from 1:10 to 1 by mass.
0: 1 is preferred. The thickness of the charge generation layer is preferably 5 μm or less, and particularly preferably 0.05 to 2 μm.

The charge transport layer is formed by dissolving the charge transport material and the binder resin in an appropriate solvent, and applying and drying the solution. The mixing ratio of the charge transport material and the binder resin is preferably from 10: 1 to 1:10 by mass.

The thickness of the charge transport layer is usually from 5 to 50 μm, particularly preferably from 10 to 40 μm. When a plurality of charge transport layers are provided, the thickness of the upper layer of the charge transport layer is 10
μm or less, and preferably smaller than the total thickness of the charge transport layer provided below the charge transport layer.

The siloxane-based resin layer of the hard coat photoreceptor used in the present invention may serve as the charge transport layer when the resin layer is a charge transport layer. Although it may be a layer, it is preferably provided as a resin layer separate from these on a photosensitive layer such as a charge transport layer, a charge generation layer, or a single-layer type charge generation / transport layer. In this case, an adhesive layer may be provided between the photosensitive layer and the resin layer of the present invention. Further, a thinner surface layer may be provided on the resin layer for the purpose of improving the surface characteristics of the electrophotographic photosensitive member.

Next, the conductive support of the photoreceptor used in the present invention includes: 1) a metal plate such as an aluminum plate or a stainless steel plate; 2) a support such as paper or a plastic film;
A thin metal layer such as aluminum, palladium, or gold provided by lamination or vapor deposition. 3) On a support such as paper or plastic film,
Examples thereof include those in which a layer of a conductive compound such as a conductive polymer, indium oxide, or tin oxide is provided by coating or vapor deposition.

The material of the conductive support used in the present invention is mainly aluminum, copper, brass, steel,
A belt-shaped or drum-shaped metal material such as stainless steel or another plastic material is used. Among them, aluminum excellent in cost, workability and the like is preferably used, and a thin-walled cylindrical aluminum tube usually formed by extrusion or drawing is often used.

The conductive support may have a surface on which a sealed alumite film is formed.

The shape of the support may be a drum shape, a sheet shape, or a belt shape, and is preferably a shape optimized for the applied electrophotographic apparatus.

The solvent or dispersion medium used in the production of the photoreceptor of the present invention includes n-butylamine, diethylamine, ethylenediamine, isopropanolamine, triethanolamine, triethylenediamine, N, N-dimethylformamide, acetone, methylethylketone,
Methyl isopropyl ketone, cyclohexanone, benzene, toluene, xylene, chloroform, dichloromethane, 1,2-dichloroethane, 1,2-dichloropropane, 1,1,2-trichloroethane, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethane, Tetrahydrofuran, dioxolan, dioxane,
Methanol, ethanol, butanol, isopropanol, ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, dimethyl sulfoxide,
Methyl cellosolve and the like. Although the present invention is not limited to these, dichloromethane, 1,2-dichloroethane, methyl ethyl ketone and the like are preferably used. In addition, these solvents can be used alone or as a mixed solvent of two or more kinds.

Next, as a coating method for producing the photoreceptor used in the present invention, a coating method such as dip coating, spray coating, and circular amount control type coating is used.
The coating process on the resin layer side of the photosensitive layer does not dissolve the lower layer film as much as possible, and in order to achieve uniform coating process, coating process such as spray coating or circular volume control type (a typical example is a circular slide hopper type). Preferably, a method is used. The spray coating is described in, for example, JP-A-3-9025.
No. 0 and JP-A-3-269238, and the circular amount control type coating is described in, for example, JP-A-58-1983.
It is described in detail in JP-A-189061.

The photoreceptor used in the present invention has a temperature of 50 ° C. or higher, preferably 60 to 20 ° C., after the resin layer is formed.
It is preferable to heat and dry at a temperature of 0 ° C. By this heating and drying, the remaining coating solvent can be reduced, and the curable resin layer can be sufficiently cured.

In the photoreceptor used in the present invention, an intermediate layer having a barrier function is preferably provided between the conductive support and the photosensitive layer.

Materials for the intermediate layer include casein, polyvinyl alcohol, nitrocellulose, ethylene-acrylic acid copolymer, polyvinyl butyral, and phenol resin polyamides (nylon 6, nylon 66, nylon 610, copolymerized nylon, alkoxymethyl And an intermediate layer using polyurethane, gelatin, and aluminum oxide, or a curable intermediate layer using a metal alkoxide, an organic metal chelate, or a silane coupling agent as disclosed in JP-A-9-68870. The thickness of the intermediate layer is preferably from 0.1 to 10 μm, particularly preferably from 0.1 to 10 μm.
5 μm is preferred.

In the photoreceptor used in the present invention, a coating may be further provided between the support and the intermediate layer so as to compensate for surface defects of the support. A conductive layer can be provided for the purpose of preventing the occurrence of interference fringes. This conductive layer,
It can be formed by applying and drying a solution in which conductive powder such as carbon black, metal particles or metal oxide particles is dispersed in a suitable binder resin. The thickness of the conductive layer is 5
40 μm is preferable, and particularly preferably 10 to 30 μm.

The photoreceptor used in the present invention can be applied to general electrophotographic devices such as copiers, laser printers, LED printers, and liquid crystal shutter printers.
It can be widely applied to devices such as recording, light printing, plate making, and facsimile.

[0173]

The present invention will now be described by way of examples, which should not be construed as limiting the invention.

Embodiment 1 In the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1, the temperature control is performed using the image forming apparatus capable of controlling the temperature of the cleaning member or the temperature of the photosensitive member shown in FIG. The evaluation was performed for the case where the test was not performed. In this experiment, an image was formed by using the hard coat photoreceptor described above as a photoreceptor and a blade made of urethane rubber having a rebound resilience of 23% as a blade.

In the case where the temperature control is performed and the temperature control is not performed, the operating environment temperature of the image forming apparatus is lower than the case where the blade temperature and the photoconductor temperature are constantly maintained at 15 ° C. or higher and 20 ° C. or higher. In some cases, the cleaning performance was not sufficient.

When an image was formed by using a blade having a rebound resilience exceeding 40% and operating the temperature control function, the blade was quickly worn and the durability was poor.

Embodiment 2 In the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus having the cleaning unit shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 is used and the contact angle θ ₁ and the fulcrum angle θ ₂ of the blade are changed. The cleaning performance and turning up of the blade were evaluated. In this experiment, an image was formed by using the hard coat photoreceptor described above as a photoreceptor and a blade made of urethane rubber having a rebound resilience of 23% as a blade. Blade contact angle θ ₁
And only the relationship of the fulcrum angle θ ₂ falls within the present invention,
Both the turning and cleaning properties of the blade showed excellent results.

(Embodiment 3) In the image forming apparatus of FIG.
Image forming apparatus having the cleaning unit shown in FIG.
Vertical angle θ of the blade using the device_Three, Horizontal angle θ_Four, Self
Yucho L₁, Bite amount L_TwoOf the blade when changing
Evaluation of the turning and cleaning performance was the same as in Example 2.
I went. In this experiment, the photoconductor was
The above-mentioned hard coat photoreceptor is repelled as a blade
Image formation using urethane rubber of 23%
Was done. Vertical angle θ of blade_Three, Horizontal angle θ_Four,freedom
Length L ₁, Bite amount L_TwoOnly those that fall within the present invention
Excellent roll-up and cleaning performance
showed that.

[0179]

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus capable of preventing the cleaning member from being turned up or worn and maintaining excellent cleaning performance.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating an embodiment in which an image forming apparatus of the present invention is a copying machine.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control system of the image forming apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart relating to setting of a control temperature of a cleaning member and execution of temperature adjustment.

FIG. 4 is a front sectional view of the cleaning unit 11 of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a section taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a contact angle θ ₁ and a fulcrum angle θ ₂ in the cleaning means described in FIGS. 4 and 5;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing another embodiment of the cleaning means used in the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing a preferable portion in providing a coating layer in the cleaning member used in the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming part 2 Photoreceptor drum 2s Drum temperature sensor 2h Drum heater 3 Charging electrode 5 Developing unit 7 Transfer electrode 8 Separation electrode 11 Cleaning unit 11b Cleaning blade 11h Blade heater 11s Blade temperature sensor 14 Housing 18 Blade 25 Cam mechanism 26 Arm 27 Cam 31 Cam drive motor 112 Scanner unit GS Image processing unit OP setting unit SK Usage environment detection unit CPU control unit

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A photoreceptor for forming an electrostatic latent image, a developing unit for developing the formed electrostatic latent image with toner in a developer, and a transfer for transferring the developed toner image to a transfer paper A cleaning member for scraping off and removing residual toner remaining on the photoreceptor after the transfer, a cleaning member temperature adjusting unit for adjusting the temperature of the cleaning member, and a cleaning member temperature adjustment. An image forming apparatus comprising: a control unit configured to control a unit, wherein a rebound resilience of the cleaning member is 40% or less. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a cleaning member temperature detecting unit configured to detect a temperature of the cleaning member, wherein the control unit controls the temperature of the cleaning member in accordance with the cleaning member temperature detected by the cleaning member temperature detecting unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus controls the temperature of the cleaning member. 3. A photoreceptor for forming an electrostatic latent image, developing means for developing the formed electrostatic latent image with toner in a developer, and transfer for transferring the developed toner image to transfer paper And a cleaning member for scraping off and removing residual toner remaining on the photoconductor after the transfer, a photoconductor temperature adjustment unit for adjusting the temperature of the photoconductor, and the photoconductor temperature adjustment. An image forming apparatus comprising: a control unit configured to control a unit, wherein a rebound resilience of the cleaning member is 40% or less. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a photoconductor temperature detecting unit configured to detect a temperature of the photoconductor, wherein the control unit controls the temperature of the photoconductor according to the photoconductor temperature detected by the photoconductor temperature detecting unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the temperature control unit controls the temperature of the photoconductor. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a use environment detecting unit configured to detect a use environment temperature or a humidity of the image formation device, wherein the control unit uses the use environment information detected by the use environment detection unit. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the photoconductor temperature adjusting unit is controlled in accordance with the condition. 6. The resilience of the cleaning member is 2
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein 0% or more. 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the photoconductor is an organic photoconductor provided with a resin layer containing a siloxane-based resin having a crosslinked structure. apparatus. 8. A photoreceptor for forming an electrostatic latent image, developing means for developing the formed electrostatic latent image with toner in a developer, and transfer for transferring the developed toner image to transfer paper And a cleaning unit for removing residual toner remaining on the photoreceptor after the transfer, wherein the cleaning unit is configured to contact the photoreceptor to scrape off residual toner; A holder for holding the member, and a rotating shaft serving as a fulcrum for rotating the holder, wherein a contact angle θ ₁ and a fulcrum angle θ _{2 of the} cleaning member are provided.
The image forming apparatus satisfies 0 ° ≦ θ ₁ −θ ₂ ≦ 7 °, and the photoconductor is an organic photoconductor provided with a resin layer containing a siloxane-based resin having a crosslinked structure. . 9. A photoreceptor for forming an electrostatic latent image, developing means for developing the formed electrostatic latent image with toner in a developer, and transfer for transferring the developed toner image to transfer paper Means, and an image forming apparatus having a cleaning means for removing residual toner remaining on the photoreceptor after the transfer, wherein the cleaning means has a cleaning member abutting on the photoreceptor to scrape off the residual toner, An organic photoconductor provided with a resin layer containing a siloxane-based resin having a cross-linked structure, wherein the cleaning member is fixed to a frame supporting both the photoconductor and the cleaning member. An image forming apparatus, comprising: 10. The cleaning member has a vertical angle θ ₃ , a horizontal angle θ ₄ , a free length L ₁ , and a bite amount L ₂ of 7 ° ≦ θ ₃ ≦ 13 ° 12 ° ≦ θ ₄ ≦ 18 ° 7 mm ≦ L ₁ The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein satisfies ≦ 13 mm and 1 mm ≦ L ₂ ≦ 3 mm. 11. A photoreceptor for forming an electrostatic latent image, developing means for developing the formed electrostatic latent image with toner in a developer, and transfer for transferring the developed toner image to transfer paper Means, and a cleaning member for scraping off and removing residual toner remaining on the photoconductor after the transfer, wherein the photoconductor is provided with a resin layer containing a siloxane-based resin having a crosslinked structure. An image forming apparatus, comprising: an organic photoreceptor; wherein the cleaning member is provided with a coating layer having a lower frictional resistance than a material of the cleaning member itself. 12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the coating layer is provided on a portion of the cleaning member other than a portion in contact with an image forming area of the photoconductor. 13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the coating layer is a fluororesin coating layer.