JP2002189373A - Web cleaning device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a web cleaning device capable of surely preventing toner from sticking to a member to be cleaned such as a cleaning roller, capable of avoiding the occurrence of an abnormal noise and the breakage of a cleaning web, and capable of maintaining a good cleaning performance at all times. SOLUTION: As for the web cleaning device for cleaning the surface of a member to be cleaned by bringing the cleaning web in press contact with the member to be cleaned through a pressure member, the pressure member is provided with a local pressure increasing member for locally increasing the press contact pressure of the cleaning web against the member to be cleaned along the circumferential direction.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a heating and fixing device used in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer employing an electrophotographic system or the like. The present invention relates to a web cleaning device for cleaning.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer adopting the above-described electrophotographic method, as a technique for forming a high quality image, the development toner is reduced in particle size and speed is increased. ing. In recent years, interest in reusing resources such as environmental problems has increased, and recycling of paper has been rapidly spreading, and demand for recycled paper has been increasing. As described above, when the development toner is reduced in particle size and speed is increased, stains such as paper dust and the like increase with the demand for offset toner in the heat fixing device and also for recycled paper (recycled paper). In the cleaning technique, there is a problem that a sufficiently satisfactory cleaning performance cannot be obtained, and that a fixing defect due to a defective cleaning and a life of the fixing roller are affected.

That is, as shown in FIG. 22, a cleaning web 101 supplied from a supply roll 100 is wound on a take-up roll 1 as shown in FIG.
02, the winding web 1
01 by the web pressure roller 103
4, the cleaning web 101 removes offset toner, paper powder, and the like attached to the surface of the fixing roller 104.

However, in the case of the above-described conventional web-type cleaning device, the configuration of the device is simple,
As a first problem, in order to obtain a sufficiently satisfactory cleaning performance with a conventional web-type cleaning apparatus, it can be improved to some extent by increasing the winding amount of the cleaning web per sheet. In addition, there is a problem that the so-called running cost increases because the consumption of the web increases.

[0005] As a second problem, if the surface of the fixing roller 104 is contaminated with a large amount of toner when a paper jam or the like occurs, the cleaning web 101 becomes more contaminated, and conversely, the collected toner becomes less clean. Fixing roller 104
Again, causing a problem that the fixed image is stained or offset.

As a third problem, since the fixing roller 104 and the cleaning web 101 slide directly, the surface of the color fixing roller is particularly susceptible to scratches by the web or foreign matter collected on the web. It also has a point.

[0007] To solve such a problem, Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. Sho 61-79365 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.
6979, JP-A-9-319275, JP-A-2000-267491, JP-A-2000-987
The technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 86 and the like has already been proposed.
These techniques focus on the pressing member that presses the cleaning web against the surface to be cleaned, and improve the cleaning performance of the cleaning web as compared with the related art. However, the third problem remains.

A web cleaning apparatus according to Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 61-79365 is a web cleaning apparatus for cleaning residual toner on a photoconductor by sandwiching a web between the photoconductor and an elastic roller. And a structure in which an elastic coating having projections on the outer peripheral surface thereof is provided inside of a porous elastic member.

The fixing device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-96979 is a fixing device for fixing a toner image to a transfer material by passing a transfer material carrying unfixed toner through a pair of heat rollers. The edge of the elastic member is brought into contact with the surface via a cleaning web.

Further, the cleaning device according to the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-319275 has a projection in a cleaning device for pressing a web against a surface to be cleaned and cleaning the surface to be cleaned by relative movement between the two. A pressing surface is provided, and a pressing member for pressing the web against the surface to be cleaned is provided on the pressing surface.

[0011] Furthermore, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-26749.
The fixing device according to Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 1-2005-175686 includes a fixing roller that heats and fixes the toner by contacting the toner image formed on the transfer material;
In a fixing device provided with a web for removing and cleaning the toner attached to the fixing roller,
The contact pressure of the web against the fixing roller is set to be larger than that during normal image formation until a predetermined number of images have been formed before the fixing roller starts multi-rotation.

Further, the fixing device according to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-98786 discloses a fixing roller for heating and fixing toner by contacting a toner image formed on a transfer material, and removing the toner attached to the fixing roller. In a fixing device provided with a web for cleaning, when the number of continuous prints is equal to or more than a predetermined number, the winding amount of the web is changed after the fixing roller is stopped after printing is completed.

The technique according to the above-mentioned conventional proposal improves the cleaning property of the web as compared with the prior art, and
However, since the fixing roller and the cleaning web slide directly with each other, the surface of the fixing roller of the color is particularly easily damaged by the web and dirt and foreign matter collected on the web. As a technique for solving these problems and further extending the life of the conventional fixing roller by about twice, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. Hei 10-186932 and Hei 1
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 1-7216, 10-186931, and 11-174889 have already been proposed by the present applicant.

As shown in FIG. 23, a cleaning device for a fixing device according to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-186932 includes a cleaning roller 201 rotatably disposed in contact with a fixing roller 200 of the fixing device. And a cleaning web 202 movably disposed in contact with the cleaning roller 201.
Plane smoothness is measured by a Beck tester using the smoothness test method (J
(ISP 8119).

The fixing device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-7216 discloses a fixing roller for heating and fixing an unfixed image on a recording material, and a fixing roller which is disposed in contact with an outer peripheral surface of the fixing roller to externally fix the fixing roller. And an external heating roller that heats the toner from above, the external heating roller is made of a metal that transfers the offset toner remaining on the fixing roller, and the metal surface has an average surface roughness of 0.07 mm or less. The cleaning means has a configuration in which a cleaning web that can be wound around the external heating roller is disposed in contact therewith.

Further, a cleaning device for a fixing device according to the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-186931 is a cleaning roller that is rotatably disposed in contact with a fixing roller of the fixing device, and the fixing roller and the cleaning roller. And a cleaning web movably disposed in contact with the cleaning roller, and the cleaning web comes into contact with the cleaning roller downstream of the fixing roller in the rotation direction of the fixing roller.

Furthermore, the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-174889.
As shown in FIG. 24, a fixing device according to Japanese Patent Application Publication No.
And an external heating roller 301 that rotatably abuts the fixing roller 300 and externally heats the surface of the fixing roller 300, and moves by abutting the surfaces of both the fixing roller 300 and the external heating roller 301. The cleaning device is provided with a cleaning web 302 to be cleaned. In the illustrated example, the cleaning web 302 does not directly contact the surface of the fixing roller 300, and the cleaning web 302 cleans the surface of the fixing roller 300 via the cleaning roll 303.

[0018]

However, the prior art described above has the following problems. That is, in the case of the web cleaning device according to the above-mentioned Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 61-79365, an elastic roller for pressing the web against the surface of the photoreceptor has a protrusion on the outer peripheral surface inside the porous elastic member. Although it has a structure with an elastic coating, it has a sufficient effect to remove the residual toner electrostatically attached to the surface of the photoreceptor. However, there is a problem that it is difficult to obtain the same cleaning property because of strong fusion (melting).

Further, in the case of the fixing device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-96979, the edge portion of the elastic member is brought into contact with the surface of the fixing roller via a cleaning web. The problem is that the sliding resistance between the motor and the cleaning web increases, and the load on the winding motor for winding the cleaning web is large. Further, there is a problem that it is difficult to uniformly contact the edge of the elastic member along the axial direction of the fixing roller. Furthermore, if the wrap angle of the cleaning web with respect to the edge of the elastic member is not adjusted appropriately, the edge of the elastic member floats up from the surface of the fixing roller due to the tension of the web, and there is a risk that defective cleaning may occur. .

Further, in the case of the cleaning device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-319275, a pressing surface having a projection is provided, and a pressing member for pressing the web against the surface to be cleaned is provided on the pressing surface. However, it is difficult to uniformly press the fixedly arranged pressing member along the axial direction of the surface to be cleaned, and the pressing member has a pressing surface having a projection. In order to wind up the web pressed against the surface to be cleaned, the sliding resistance between the edge of the pressing member and the web is increased, and a winding motor having a large force is required, resulting in an increase in size and cost of the apparatus. Have a point. Further, when the web is wound up in a state where the web from which the toner has been removed is fitted in the gap portion located between the protrusions of the pressing member, the dirt accumulated on the edge of the pressing member is located below the protrusion. Since the edge of the pressing member is lifted up to cause the cleaning, defective cleaning occurs, and even if the cleaning property at the edge of the projection is high, the web located in the gap between the projections does not receive the load, so the nip of the pressing member is not received. Also, there is a problem that the overall cleaning efficiency is low.

Furthermore, the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-26749
In the case of the fixing device disclosed in JP-A-2000-98786 or Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-98786, a cleaning web for removing and cleaning the toner attached to the fixing roller is directly pressed against the surface of the fixing roller by a web pressing roller. As in the first-mentioned apparatus, there is a problem that the surface of the fixing roller is easily damaged.

On the other hand, in the case of the cleaning device for a fixing device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 10-186932, the planarity of the cleaning web is determined to be 10 s by the Beck tester (JIS P 8119).
ec / 10 ml or more, but in the case of a paper type having low surface smoothness (straw semi-paper) or an abnormality (jam), the nip width or load is increased by using only the elastic layer on the surface of the web pressing roller. However, there is a problem that the webs that can be used are limited. More specifically, in a metal roller having a good cleaning effect (in other words, low releasability from the toner), the offset toner that cannot be transferred to the cleaning web is stuck to the surface of the cleaning roller.

In the case of the fixing device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-7216, the external heating roller is made of a metal that transfers the ossefoot toner remaining on the fixing roller, and the surface of the metal is Has an average surface roughness of 0.07 mm or less, and a cleaning means in which a windable cleaning web is disposed in contact with the external heating roller is provided. As with JP-A-186932, in the case of a metal roller having an excellent cleaning effect (in other words, low releasability from the toner), the surface of the web pressure roller is used when the paper type (straw half paper) has a low surface smoothness or when an abnormality (jam) occurs. However, the elastic layer alone is not enough to increase the nip width or load, and the metal roller surface must be very tight to prevent toner from sticking. It has a problem that it is necessary to process smoothly. In other words, in a metal roller having a good cleaning effect (in other words, a low releasability from the toner), the offset toner that cannot be transferred to the cleaning web is stuck to the surface of the cleaning roller.

Further, in the case of the fixing device according to the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-174889, a cleaning device having a cleaning web that moves while contacting the surfaces of both the fixing roller and the external heating roller is provided. It was done. In the case of a cleaning device for a fixing device according to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 10-186931, a cleaning roller that is rotatably disposed in contact with a fixing roller of the fixing device, and a fixing roller and a cleaning roller that are rotatable. A cleaning web movably disposed in contact with the cleaning roller, and the cleaning web is configured to contact the cleaning roller downstream of the cleaning roller in the rotation direction of the fixing roller. Further, JP-A-11-
In the case of the fixing device according to Japanese Patent Publication No. 174889, a cleaning device including a cleaning web that moves in contact with the surfaces of both the fixing roller and the external heating roller is provided, and the cleaning web is directly fixed. It does not contact the surface of the roller, or it merely contacts auxiliary as a means to further improve paper dust removal.However, like the offset toner adhered to the fixing roller, it is fused and firmly fixed. Since there is no need to press strongly against the fixing roller, the occurrence of scratches due to sliding with the fixing roller is not a problem. Therefore, it has an advantage that the life of the fixing roller can be extended, and since the cleaning web is a multi-stage type in which cleaning is performed by contacting a plurality of rollers, the cleaning efficiency is high, and one cleaning web can be used. The use of the fixing device has an advantage that the installation space can be reduced and the enlargement of the fixing device can be avoided.

However, in the case of the cleaning device of the fixing device, the life of the fixing roller is extended and the so-called offset toner amount is also increased. Therefore, as the cleaning web on the downstream side becomes dirty, the upstream side becomes dirty. As a result, the transfer of the offset toner between the cleaning web and the cleaning roller was not performed favorably, and as a result, the toner was fixed on the surface of the cleaning roller as shown in FIG.

As described above, if dirt such as toner adheres to the surface of the external heating roller or the cleaning roller which directly contacts the surface of the fixing roller, there is a problem that the cleaning property is remarkably deteriorated. Further, when the toner adheres to the cleaning roller or the like, there is a problem that abnormal noise is generated when the toner adhered to the surface of the cleaning roller or the like slides on the web. Also, in the so-called first state of the morning, in a state where the toner fixed on the surface of the cleaning roller is solidified,
There is a problem that the dirty cleaning roller and the cleaning web adhere to each other, and the cleaning web is unwound or torn at the same time as the rotation of the fixing roller.

As one means for solving the above-mentioned problem at the beginning of the morning, after the fixing operation is completed, the cleaning web is excessively wound up to an area where the cleaning web is free from dirt, thereby avoiding sticking of the dirty cleaning roller and the cleaning web. However, since the cleaning web is in contact with a plurality of rollers, the amount of winding of the cleaning web is undesirably increased, resulting in a new problem that the life of the cleaning web is shortened.

Further, as described above, the accumulation of dirt adhered to the cleaning roller causes non-uniform contact with the fixing roller, thereby deteriorating the cleaning property, and causing dirt or offset of the fixed image, or paper or OHP sheet. There is a problem of causing wrapping.

Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to prevent the contamination of toner or the like on a member to be cleaned such as a cleaning roller. An object of the present invention is to provide a web cleaning apparatus capable of reliably suppressing noise, avoiding generation of abnormal noise, breakage of a cleaning web, and the like, and capable of always maintaining good cleaning performance.

[0030]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a web cleaning apparatus for cleaning a surface of a member to be cleaned by pressing the cleaning web against the member to be cleaned by a pressing member. The pressure member is provided with a local pressure increasing member that locally increases the pressure at which the cleaning web is pressed against the member to be cleaned along the circumferential direction.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a cleaning roller rotatably disposed in contact with a fixing roller of a fixing device and a cleaning web pressed against the cleaning roller by a pressing member. 2. The web cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an auxiliary cleaning member that cleans a surface of the fixing roller while cleaning the surface of the cleaning roller.

Further, the invention according to claim 3 is the web cleaning apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the surface of the auxiliary cleaning member is covered with a non-metallic member.

Further, the invention according to claim 4 is the web cleaning apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the cleaning roller comprises a hollow roll.

Further, the invention according to claim 5 is such that, when an abnormality such as jam or web noise occurs, the local pressure increasing member of the pressing member moves to the pressure contact portion of the member to be cleaned. 2. The web cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the web cleaning device is configured as follows.

[0035]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1 FIG. 2 shows an image forming apparatus to which a web cleaning device for a fixing device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is applied.

This image forming apparatus includes four image forming units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1BK for forming toner images of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, and a plurality of paper trays 2 and 3 for storing paper P. And a transfer belt 4 rotatably arranged along the arrangement of the image forming units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1BK and adsorbing and supporting the sheet P.
An adsorption charger 5 for adsorbing the paper P fed from the paper tray 2 or 3 onto the transfer belt 4; a peeling charger 6 for peeling the paper P from the transfer belt 4; A fixing device 9 that heats and presses at a pressure contact position between the pressure roller 7 and the pressure roller 8, a discharge roller pair 10 that discharges the sheet after fixing, and the sheet P for adsorbing the sheet P after fixing to the transfer belt 4 again. And a reversing roller pair 11 for reversing the conveying direction of the sheet, and is capable of forming about 60 copies per minute. Therefore, in such an image forming apparatus, the sheet P fed from the sheet tray 2 or 3 is transferred to the transfer belt 4 by the attraction charger 5.
To each of the image forming units 1Y, 1M, 1C, 1
The toner images of each color are transferred from the BK, are separated from the transfer belt 4 by the separation charger 6, and are heated and pressed by the fixing device 9, thereby forming a full-color image. Further, if the sheet P after fixing is attracted to the transfer belt 4 again, a color image can be formed on both sides of the sheet P.

In such an image forming apparatus, since the sheet P on which the unfixed toner image is formed is sandwiched between the fixing roller 7 and the pressure roller 8, the fixing roller directly contacts the toner at the time of fixing. 7 is contaminated by the melted toner or the like, and the toner or the like is reversely transferred to the paper P at the time of the next image formation, thereby deteriorating the image quality.

Therefore, the fixing device 9 according to this embodiment
As shown in FIG. 1, web cleaning is performed to remove offset toner and paper dust attached to the surface of the fixing roller 7 so that an unfixed toner image can always be heated and pressed in a clean state. It is configured to provide the device 12.

As shown in FIG. 1, the fixing device 9 is provided such that a pressure roller 8 is pressed against the fixing roller 7, and a nip portion between the fixing roller 7 and the pressure roller 8 is provided. Then, the sheet P carrying the unfixed toner image T is inserted into the sheet P, so that the toner image T is fixed on the sheet P by heat and pressure. The fixing roller 7 is
A metal core 13 made of aluminum, iron, or the like, an elastic body layer 14 made of silicon rubber or the like coated on the surface of the metal core 13,
And a release layer 15 made of PFA or the like coated on the surface of the elastic layer 14. Further, a halogen lamp 16 is disposed inside the fixing roller 7 as a heating source, and heats the surface of the fixing roller 7 to a predetermined temperature. On the other hand, the pressure roller 8
Is constituted by coating an elastic layer made of silicon rubber or the like on a surface of a core metal made of aluminum or iron (not shown) and a release layer made of PFA or the like on the surface of the elastic layer. A halogen lamp may be provided inside the pressure roller 8 as a heating source (not shown).

On the surface of the fixing roller 7, an external heating roller 17 for supplementarily heating the surface of the fixing roller 7 from outside is provided so as to be in contact therewith. The external heating roller 17 is configured by disposing a halogen lamp 19 as a heating source inside a metal core 18 made of stainless steel, iron, or the like.

Next, the web cleaning device 12 used in combination with the fixing device 9 configured as described above will be described.

This web cleaning device 12 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, a delivery roll 21 around which a long cleaning web 20 made of a heat-resistant nonwoven fabric or the like is wound. The cleaning web 20 supplied from the delivery roll 21 is wound around the surface of a web pressing roller 23 for an external heating roller via a tension applying rod 22, and then a cleaning roller for cleaning the surface of the fixing roller 7. The roller 24 is arranged so as to be pressed by a web pressure roller 25 for a cleaning roller as a pressing member and wound up by a winding roll 26. The web pressing roller 23 for the external heating roller is formed by thickly covering an outer periphery of a metal shaft with an elastic body such as a sponge, and is configured to press against both surfaces of the external heating roller 17 and the fixing roller 7. Are located. A cleaning web 20 is wound around the surface of the web pressing roller 23 for the external heating roller so as to contact both surfaces of the external heating roller 17 and the fixing roller 7. The cleaning roller 24 is a metal roller made of stainless steel, aluminum, or the like. When the cleaning roller 24 comes into pressure contact with the surface of the fixing roller 7, it adheres to the surface of the fixing roller 7, such as offset toner or paper powder. Is removed and collected. Furthermore, the web pressure contact roller 25 for the cleaning roller is basically configured by thickly covering an outer periphery of a metal shaft with an elastic body such as a sponge. The configuration will be described later. The web pressing roller 25 for the cleaning roller is disposed so as to press against the surface of the fixing roller 7. The cleaning web 20 is wound around the web pressure contact roller 25 for the cleaning roller so as to contact the surface of the cleaning roller 24. Further, the take-up roll 26 is configured to be intermittently rotated by a predetermined amount at a predetermined timing by a take-up motor (not shown) to take up the cleaning web 20.

In this embodiment, the cleaning web is pressed against the member to be cleaned by the pressing member, and the pressure at which the cleaning web is pressed against the member to be cleaned is applied to the pressing member. It is configured to provide a local pressure increasing member that locally increases along the circumferential direction.

That is, in this embodiment, FIG.
As shown in (a), a web pressure contact roller 25 for a cleaning roller is configured by thickly covering an outer periphery of a metal shaft 27 with an elastic body 28 such as a sponge. Also,
On the web pressure contact roller 25 for the cleaning roller, a metal wire 29 as a local pressure increasing member made of wire or the like having a predetermined thickness is linearly arranged on the surface thereof along the axial direction. Both ends of the metal wire 29 are fixed to the metal shaft 27. Further, the metal wire 29 does not protrude from the surface of the web pressing roller 25 for the cleaning roller, and is disposed flush with the surface of the web pressing roller 25 for the cleaning roller. The metal wire 29 is used to make the web pressure contact roller 25 for the cleaning roller the cleaning roller 24.
With the elastic body 28 elastically deformed,
Elastic body 2 located around the back side of metal wire 29
8, the cleaning web is pressed against the surface of the cleaning roller 24 by the restoring force of the cleaning roller 24.
The pressure to be pressed against is locally increased.

FIGS. 3 (b), 3 (c) and 4 show modifications of the local pressure increasing member provided on the web pressure contact roller 25 for the cleaning roller.

FIG. 3B shows that the metal wire 29 is not linearly arranged on the surface of the web roller for cleaning roller 25 along the axial direction, but is spirally curved along the axial direction. It is arranged as follows.

FIG. 3C shows that the metal wire 29 is not disposed on the surface of the web roller 25 for the cleaning roller, but the metal wire 29 is placed inside the elastic body of the web roller 25 for the cleaning roller. The wire 30 is embedded in a straight line along the axial direction. In this case, the thickness of the metal wire 30 may be set to be thicker than when the metal wire is provided so as to be exposed on the surface.

Further, FIG. 4A shows that the metal shaft 27 of the cleaning roller web pressing roller 25 is not fixed to the cleaning roller web pressing roller 25 by using a metal wire as a local pressure increasing member. And the pressure at which the cleaning web 20 is pressed against the cleaning roller 24 is locally increased at the corners of the metal shaft 27 formed in the hexagonal column shape. .

FIG. 4B shows the cleaning roller web press roller 25 coated with a thin metal layer 31 on the surface thereof. The cleaning roller web pressure roller 25 is pressed against the cleaning roller 34. At this time, the metal thin layer 31 is locally deformed, so that the cleaning web 20 is
It is configured to locally increase the pressure in contact with the contact.

FIGS. 4C and 4D show a cleaning roller web press roller 25 coated with a metal mesh 32 on the surface thereof.
Are knitted and crossed.
And, the web pressure contact roller 2 for the cleaning roller
When the cleaning roller 24 is pressed against the cleaning roller 24, the mesh of the metal mesh 32 locally increases the pressing pressure.

With the above configuration, the web cleaning apparatus according to the present embodiment can reliably prevent the accumulation of dirt such as toner on a member to be cleaned such as a cleaning roller as follows. In addition, generation of abnormal noise and damage to the cleaning web can be avoided, and good cleaning performance can be always maintained.

That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the fixing device 9 to which the web cleaning device 12 according to this embodiment is applied is used for an image forming apparatus capable of high speed and high image quality. There is a large number of sheets of paper P to be fixed on the sheet. Therefore, in the fixing device 9, when the unfixed toner image T is fixed on the paper P by the fixing roller 7 and the pressure roller 8 as shown in FIG. The set toner, fine external additives of the toner, or paper powder adhere to the surface of the fixing roller 7. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the adhered matter such as toner and external additives adhered to the surface of the fixing roller 7 moves with the rotation of the fixing roller 7, and
4 moves to the first cleaning section to be pressed against, and
In the cleaning section, most of them are removed by the cleaning roller 24. Deposits such as toner and external additives removed by the cleaning roller 24 are
As the cleaning roller 24 rotates, it is removed by the cleaning web 20. The cleaning web 20 is pressed against the surface of the cleaning roller 24 by a web pressing roller 25 for the cleaning roller so as to remove adhered substances such as toner and external additives adhered to the surface of the cleaning roller 24. Has become.

Next, the fixing roller 7 is moved to a second cleaning section where the web pressure contact roller 23 for the fixing roller is pressed, and the fixing is performed by the web pressure contact roller 23 for the fixing roller in the second cleaning section. Roller 7
The remaining deposits are removed by the cleaning web 20 pressed against the surface of the substrate.

Further, the fixing roller 7 is moved to a third cleaning section to which the external heating roller 17 is pressed, and in the third cleaning section, the external heating roller 17 is pressed.
The remaining deposits are removed. The attached matter removed by the external heating roller 17 is removed by the cleaning web 20 pressed by the web pressing roller 23 for the external heating roller with the rotation of the external heating roller 17. The cleaning web 20 is pressed against the surface of the external heating roller 17 by a web pressure roller 23 for the external heating roller, and removes adhered substances such as toner and external additives adhered to the surface of the external heating roller 17. It is supposed to. The cleaning web 20
Is fixed at a conveyance speed of 0.06 mm / sec at the time of fixing, or intermittently every time one sheet of paper P is fixed.
It is configured to be wound by only 06 mm.

As described above, the web cleaning device 12
Is configured to remove the adhered matter such as toner and external additives adhered to the surface of the fixing roller 7 in multiple stages, so that the toner and external additives adhered to the surface of the heated fixing roller 7 are removed. Can be efficiently removed by the cleaning web 20.

Further, in the web cleaning device 12, attached matter such as toner and external additives adhered to the surface of the fixing roller 7 is removed by the cleaning web 20. When the temperature of the paper, the fixing roller, or the temperature of the fixing roller becomes unnecessarily high, that is, in the case of repetition of a one-shot job that easily causes so-called overshoot, the cleaning web 20
Deposits such as toner and external additives that cannot be completely removed by
There is a possibility that the toner remains on the surface of the cleaning roller 24 and temporarily adheres to the surface of the cleaning roller 24.

In this embodiment, the web pressure roller 2 for the cleaning roller presses the cleaning web 20 against the surface of the cleaning roller 24.
5 is the cleaning roller 2
4 is provided with a metal wire rod 29 for locally increasing the pressure for pressing against the wire 4. Therefore, the pressure at which the cleaning web is pressed against the cleaning roller 24 is locally increased at the timing when the metal wire 29 is pressed against the surface of the cleaning roller 24, so that the toner or the external additive adhered to the surface of the cleaning roller 24 is increased. Deposits such as can be reliably removed by the cleaning web 20. The metal wire 29 provided on the web pressing roller 25
When the number is increased, the number of cycles for removing the fixed toner is increased by that amount, which leads to a more complete but costly increase. Under the stress condition that the amount of the offset toner is increased, a sufficient effect can be obtained even with a single metal wire provided in the web pressing roller (about every 800 cycles).

Therefore, the web cleaning device 12 can prevent the dirt such as toner from being stuck to the cleaning roller 24, and can prevent the generation of abnormal noise and the damage of the cleaning web 20, and the like.
It is possible to always maintain good cleaning properties.

Second Embodiment FIG. 7 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and described. The pressing member that is in pressure contact with the fixing roller serving as the fixing rotating body is constituted by an endless pressing belt 35 instead of the pressing roller.

The other configuration and operation are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

Third Embodiment FIG. 8 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and described. The web press roller constituting the web cleaning device is configured to retract from the surface of the member to be cleaned.

That is, in the third embodiment, FIG.
As shown in (a), the external heating roller 17 is configured to retract from the surface of the heat fixing roller 7, and the web pressing roller 25 is configured to retract from the surface of the cleaning roller 24.

In the third embodiment, FIG.
As shown in the figure, the web pressing roller 2 for the external heating roller
3 is configured to retract from the surfaces of the external heating roller 17 and the fixing roller 7, and the web press roller 25 is configured to retract from the surface of the cleaning roller 24.

With this configuration, when the apparatus is stopped (for example, at night), the dirty cleaning web 20 and the fixing roller 7 are prevented from sticking to each other, and the web is formed by winding up the cleaning web 20 excessively. And prevents the web from sagging and unwinding.

The other constructions and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the description is omitted.

Fourth Embodiment FIG. 9 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and described. By removing the sliding portion of the cleaning web from the fixing roller, the cleaning web is prevented from damaging the surface of the fixing roller.

That is, in the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the web pressing roller 23 for the external heating roller is used.
The cleaning web 20 wound around the fixing roller 7 does not contact the surface of the fixing roller 7 but only contacts the surface of the external heating roller 17. The external heating roller 17 is configured to retract from the surface of the fixing roller 7, and the web pressing roller 25 is configured to retract from the surface of the cleaning roller 24.

The other configuration and operation are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the description is omitted.

Fifth Embodiment FIG. 10 shows a fifth embodiment of the present invention. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and described. By blowing air to the inner surface of the cleaning web 20, the cleaning web is cooled, and the toner adhered to the cleaning web is quickly fixed and easily laminated, and the toner removed by the cleaning web is transferred to the cleaning roller 24 again. And the occurrence of dirt is reduced.

The other constructions and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the description is omitted.

Sixth Embodiment FIG. 11 shows a sixth embodiment of the present invention. The same portions as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and described. , External heating roller 17
, The surface of the fixing roller 7 is cleaned by the cleaning roller 24 and the cleaning web 20.

FIG. 12 shows the cleaning web 20.
By blowing air to the inner surface of the cleaning web, the cleaning web is cooled, the toner adhered to the cleaning web is quickly fixed, and the lamination is easy, and the toner removed by the cleaning web is re-transferred to the cleaning roller 24 to generate dirt. It is configured so as to reduce the number of operations.

The other configuration and operation are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the description is omitted.

Seventh Embodiment FIG. 13 shows a seventh embodiment of the present invention. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and described. A cleaning roller rotatably disposed in contact with the fixing roller of the fixing device, and a cleaning web pressed against the cleaning roller by a web pressure roller to clean the surface of the cleaning roller and fix the toner. An auxiliary cleaning member that contacts the roller and cleans the surface of the fixing roller is also provided.

That is, in Embodiment 7, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, an auxiliary cleaning member including a silicon rubber roller 40 is provided on the surface of the fixing roller 7 separately from the cleaning web. The paper dust and the like thus removed and collected
It is configured to scrape off with.

FIG. 14 shows the auxiliary cleaning member 40.
Is arranged upstream of the web cleaning device 12.

FIGS. 15 and 16 show an auxiliary cleaning member 42 constituted by a web cleaning device 42.

As described above, the auxiliary cleaning member 40,
The provision of 42 and 43 makes it possible to further improve the cleaning performance.

The other configuration and operation are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the description is omitted.

Eighth Embodiment FIG. 17 shows an eighth embodiment of the present invention. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and described. , A plurality of external heating rollers are used, and the plurality of external heating rollers 45, 46 are simultaneously cleaned by one web cleaning device.

The other configuration and operation are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

Ninth Embodiment FIGS. 18 and 19 show a ninth embodiment of the present invention. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and described. In the ninth embodiment, the cleaning roller 24 is constituted by a hollow cleaning roller, and by reducing the heat capacity of the cleaning roller 24, toner dirt transferred to the cleaning web 20 is hardly transferred again. 24 is configured to prevent dirt.

In FIGS. 20 and 21, the cleaning roller 24 is a hollow cleaning roller, and the surface of the cleaning roller 24 is
A tube made of FA or the like is coated or a PFA or the like is coated so as to prevent the toner from sticking to the surface of the cleaning roller 24.

The other structure and operation are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the description is omitted.

Tenth Embodiment FIG. 25 shows a tenth embodiment of the present invention.
In the tenth embodiment, the same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the tenth embodiment, when an abnormality such as a jam or web noise occurs, The pressure increasing member is configured to move to the pressure contact portion of the member to be cleaned.

That is, as shown in FIG. 25, an actuator or the like is attached to a web pressure roller 25 having a local pressure increasing member, and the direction (position) of the local pressure increasing member is detected by a photo sensor or the like, and if necessary, Thus, the winding amount of the web winding motor is calculated and controlled. At this time, for example, the output of the photo sensor is H
The control is performed at a position that changes from L to L.

[0088]

As described above, according to the present invention, accumulation of dirt such as toner on a member to be cleaned such as a cleaning roller can be reliably prevented, and generation of abnormal noise and cleaning web can be prevented. It is possible to provide a web cleaning device that can avoid breakage of the web and can always maintain good cleaning performance.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a fixing device to which a web cleaning device according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing an image forming apparatus to which the web cleaning device according to the present invention is applied.

FIGS. 3 (a) to 3 (c) are configuration diagrams respectively showing web pressing rollers of the web cleaning device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 4 (a) to 4 (d) are configuration diagrams respectively showing web pressing rollers of the web cleaning device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a use state of the web cleaning device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing contamination of the cleaning roller.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram showing a fixing device to which a web cleaning device according to a second embodiment of the present invention is applied.

8 (a) and 8 (b) show Embodiment 3 of the present invention.
1 is a configuration diagram showing a fixing device to which the web cleaning device according to the above is applied.

FIGS. 9A and 9B show a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
1 is a configuration diagram showing a fixing device to which the web cleaning device according to the above is applied.

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram showing a fixing device to which a web cleaning device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are configuration diagrams showing a fixing device to which a web cleaning device according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIGS. 12A and 12B are configuration diagrams showing a fixing device to which a web cleaning device according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram illustrating a fixing device to which a web cleaning device according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 14 is a configuration diagram showing a fixing device to which a web cleaning device according to Embodiment 7 of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 15 is a configuration diagram showing a fixing device to which a web cleaning device according to Embodiment 7 of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 16 is a configuration diagram showing a fixing device to which a web cleaning device according to Embodiment 7 of the present invention is applied.

FIGS. 17A and 17B are configuration diagrams illustrating a fixing device to which a web cleaning device according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 18 is a configuration diagram showing a fixing device to which a web cleaning device according to Embodiment 9 of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 19 is a configuration diagram showing a fixing device to which a web cleaning device according to Embodiment 9 of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 20 is a configuration diagram showing a fixing device to which a web cleaning device according to Embodiment 9 of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 21 is a configuration diagram showing a fixing device to which a web cleaning device according to Embodiment 9 of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 22 is a configuration diagram showing a fixing device to which a conventional web cleaning device is applied.

FIG. 23 is a configuration diagram showing a fixing device to which a conventional web cleaning device is applied.

FIG. 24 is a configuration diagram showing a fixing device to which a conventional web cleaning device is applied.

FIG. 25 is a configuration diagram showing a fixing device to which a web cleaning device according to Embodiment 10 of the present invention is applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

9: fixing device, 7: fixing roller, 8: pressure roller, 1
2: Web cleaning device, 20: Cleaning web, 24: Cleaning roller, 25: Web press roller (pressing member), 29: Metal wire (local pressure increasing member).

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A web cleaning apparatus for cleaning a surface of a member to be cleaned by pressing the cleaning web against the member to be cleaned by a pressing member. A local pressure increasing member for locally increasing the pressure to be applied along the circumferential direction. 2. A cleaning roller, which is rotatably provided in contact with a fixing rotating body of a fixing device, and a cleaning web is pressed against the cleaning roller by a pressing member, so that the surface of the cleaning roller is formed. 2. The web cleaning device according to claim 1, further comprising an auxiliary cleaning member that cleans and abuts on the fixing rotator to clean the surface of the fixing rotator. 3. The web cleaning apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a surface of the auxiliary cleaning member is covered with a non-metallic member. 4. The web cleaning apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the cleaning roller is a hollow roller. 5. The pressure member according to claim 1, wherein the local pressure increasing member of the pressure member moves to the pressure contact portion of the member to be cleaned when an abnormality such as a jam or abnormal web noise occurs. Item 2. The web cleaning device according to Item 1.