JP2004246104A - Cleaning device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To secure and keep a sufficient cleaning property on the surface of an image carrier by making it possible to effectively perform the refreshing of a brush by a simple and high space-efficient configuration. <P>SOLUTION: A cleaning device 10 for cleaning the surface of the image carrier performing rotating operation by removing a removal object substance 7 from the surface is provided with: one or more brushes 11 rotated by coming into contact with the surface of the image carrier 1; and a brush cleaning member 12 coming into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the brush 11. Then, the brush cleaning member 12 is formed of the aggregate of beams 12a whose size is equal to or smaller than that of a substance having a maximum size out of the removal object substance 7 or the continuous complex of the beams 12a. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a cleaning device suitable for use in an image forming apparatus that forms an image using electrophotographic technology.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Generally, in an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic technique, a toner image is formed on a surface of an image carrier such as a photosensitive drum or an intermediate transfer belt, and then the toner image is transferred onto recording paper. In some cases, some of the toner is not transferred to the recording paper and remains on the surface of the image carrier as residual toner. It is necessary to remove foreign matters on the image carrier typified by such residual toner from the image carrier to clean the surface in order to form a good image.
[0003]
It is known that a foreign matter (object to be removed) on an image carrier is removed from the surface of the image carrier using, for example, a cleaning brush (rotating brush) that is in rotational contact with the surface of the image carrier. However, when the surface of the image carrier is cleaned using a brush, while the object to be removed such as toner is removed from the surface of the image carrier, the object to be removed gradually accumulates in the brush and causes clogging. , There is a possibility that the cleaning property is reduced.
[0004]
For this reason, conventionally, as a cleaning device that removes an object to be removed from the surface of the image carrier and cleans the surface, in addition to the cleaning brush that is in rotational contact with the surface of the image carrier, the removal device attached to the cleaning brush is also used. A device having a scrape member for scraping a target object has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1). In addition, the cleaning device further includes, in addition to a rotating brush that is in rotational contact with the surface of the image carrier, a collecting member that is rotated while being in contact with the rotating brush, and transfers toner and the like from the rotating brush to the collecting member. Some devices have a function of forming an electric field in the direction of transition (for example, see Patent Document 2).
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2000-75745
[Patent Document 2]
JP-A-2000-122497
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the conventional cleaning device described above may have the following problems.
[0007]
For example, in a cleaning device that scrapes an object to be removed from a cleaning brush with a scrape member, the object to be removed from the cleaning brush is simply scraped off by simply pressing a flat scrape member. It is difficult to scrape the object to be removed. Therefore, there is a possibility that the object to be removed accumulates on the brush surface while the cleaning brush makes many turns, and as a result, the object to be removed is left unwiped on the surface of the image carrier. This can be a cause of giving a fatal obstacle to a low-cost contact type charger, for example. Further, since the scraping member scrapes the object to be removed from the cleaning brush, the object to be removed may be scattered at the time of the scraping, and a so-called cloud phenomenon may occur. From these facts, it can be said that a cleaning device that scrapes the object to be removed from the cleaning brush with the scrape member may not be able to ensure sufficient cleaning performance.
[0008]
On the other hand, a cleaning device that transfers toner and the like from the rotating brush to the collection member by using an electric field is considered to be able to ensure sufficient cleaning performance. An operation is required in which the brush contacts the image carrier, and when the rotating brush is refreshed (during cleaning), the rotating brush separates from the image carrier and contacts the collection member. That is, in addition to the mechanism for forming the electric field, a mechanism for moving the rotating brush is also required, so that the configuration of the apparatus is inevitably complicated. Such an increase in the complexity of the device configuration causes an increase in the size of the device, which is inconsistent with the recent technological trend that demands a reduction in the size of the device.
[0009]
In view of the above, the present invention effectively performs detoning (refreshing) of the brush, thereby ensuring and maintaining sufficient cleaning performance on the surface of the image carrier, and using a simple and space-efficient configuration of the brush. It is an object to provide a cleaning device capable of performing detoning.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention is a cleaning device devised to achieve the above object. That is, a cleaning device for removing an object to be removed from the surface of an image carrier that performs a rotating operation and cleaning the surface, wherein one or more brushes that rotate in contact with the surface of the image carrier And a brush cleaning member that comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the brush, and the brush cleaning member is an aggregate of beams having a thickness approximately equal to or less than the largest diameter object of the objects to be removed or It is characterized by comprising a continuous complex of the beam.
[0011]
According to the cleaning device having the above configuration, the object to be removed that has been removed by the brush from the surface of the image carrier is scraped off by the brush cleaning member that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the brush. At this time, the brush cleaning member is composed of an aggregate of beams having a thickness equal to or smaller than the largest diameter object among the objects to be removed or a continuous complex of the beams. Here, the thickness equal to or smaller than the maximum diameter object refers to a concept including both the same thickness as the maximum diameter object and a thickness smaller than the same. In addition, a beam aggregate refers to an object in which beam-shaped members are regularly gathered, and a continuous complex of beams refers to an object in which a beam-shaped member is intricately enclosed, such as a sponge-like member. Objects correspond to these. Such an aggregate of beams or a continuous complex has a thickness equal to or smaller than the largest diameter of the objects to be removed, so that when the object to be removed is scraped, You will start to dive into. Moreover, since it is an aggregate of beams or a continuous complex, it is composed of many beams. Therefore, if the object is scraped off by the aggregate of beams or the continuous complex, the object to which the brush is attached is effectively removed, and detoning (refreshing) of the brush can be performed effectively. .
[0012]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a cleaning device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0013]
[First Embodiment]
First, a first embodiment of the cleaning device according to the present invention will be described. Here, the cleaning device according to the first aspect of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration example of a first embodiment of an image forming apparatus including a cleaning device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 schematically illustrates an example of a schematic surface state of an image carrier. FIG.
[0014]
Here, prior to the description of the cleaning device according to the present invention, an image forming apparatus equipped with the cleaning device will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus described here charges the surface (photosensitive layer) of the photosensitive drum 1 around the photosensitive drum 1 as an image carrier that rotates in the direction of the arrow in the figure. A non-contact type or contact type charging unit 2, a latent image forming unit (not shown) for irradiating the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 with light based on image information to form an electrostatic latent image, and a photosensitive drum The image forming apparatus 1 includes a developing device 4 that develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the recording medium 1 with a toner as a developer to form a toner image, and a transfer member 6 for transferring the toner image to a recording sheet 5. Then, the toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 is transferred to the recording sheet 5 conveyed by a conveying belt or the like (not shown) at the position where the transfer member 6 is provided, thereby forming the recording sheet. 5 is formed.
[0015]
Further, a cleaning device 10 is provided downstream of the transfer member 6 in the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 1 to remove an object 7 to be removed typified by residual toner from the photosensitive drum 1. The cleaning device 10 has a function as a cleaning device according to the present invention. An object (a so-called cloud) that is scattered when foreign matter is removed from the photosensitive drum 1 is located downstream of the cleaning device 10 in the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 1, that is, between the cleaning device 10 and the charger 2. It is desirable to provide a cloud receiving plate 8 for receiving the data.
[0016]
Next, the cleaning device 10 will be described in detail. The cleaning device 10 includes one cleaning brush 11 that rotates in contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 and a brush cleaning device that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning brush 11 to clean the surface of the photosensitive drum 1. Forming member 12. Note that a plurality of cleaning brushes 11 may be arranged in contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 instead of one. In that case, the brush cleaning members 12 are also provided corresponding to each of the cleaning brushes 11.
[0017]
The cleaning brush 11 has substantially the same configuration as that of the related art (for example, see Patent Document 1). Specifically, for example, if the toner used as a developer has an average particle size of about 10 μm and particles having an average particle size of about 100 nm are used as an external additive of the toner, a 2-denier conductive nylon fiber It is conceivable to use those.
[0018]
The brush cleaning member 12 is for scraping the object 7 to be removed such as toner particles attached to the cleaning brush 11 by contacting the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning brush 11.
[0019]
However, the brush cleaning member 12 is formed of an aggregate of beams 12a having a thickness equal to or smaller than the largest diameter of the objects 7 to be removed or a continuous complex of the beams 12a. Here, the thickness equal to or smaller than the maximum diameter object refers to a concept including both the same thickness as the maximum diameter object and a thickness smaller than the same. For example, when the object 7 to be removed is the above-described toner particle and its external additive, the average particle size of the toner particle, which is the object having the maximum diameter, is about 10 μm, and therefore, 10 μm or less is the object having the maximum diameter. It is equivalent to the same thickness or less. Further, the aggregate of the beams 12a refers to an object in which the beam-like members are regularly assembled, and the continuous complex of the beams 12a refers to an object in which the beam-like members are complicatedly inserted. A specific example of such a brush cleaning member 12 is, for example, a sponge-like member made of a melamine resin foam, which is an aggregate of fibers having an average thickness of the constituent fibers of about 10 μm (in FIG. 1). In section A).
[0020]
In the cleaning device 10 configured as described above, since the cleaning brush 11 rotates in contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 1, even if the object 7 to be removed such as toner particles is on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1, The object 7 to be removed is scraped off the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 by the cleaning brush 11.
[0021]
However, in this state, the object 7 to be removed accumulates on the cleaning brush 11, and as shown in FIG. 7 is left unwiped. In order to prevent this, a flat scrape member may be pressed against the cleaning brush 11 as in the related art. However, as described above, it is difficult to completely scrape the object 7 to be removed from the cleaning brush 11 simply by pressing the scrape member. Therefore, as in the case where nothing is done, the wiping residue on the photosensitive drum 1 does not clearly appear from a short period (the second rotation of the cleaning brush 11), but gradually becomes less frequent during the number of rotations of the cleaning brush 11. The removal target object 7 may accumulate, and as a result, the amount of unwiped residue may increase.
[0022]
On the other hand, in the cleaning device 10 described here, since the brush cleaning member 12 is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning brush 11, the cleaning target object 7 that the cleaning brush 11 scrapes off from the photosensitive drum 1. Is further scraped off from the cleaning brush 11 by the brush cleaning member 12.
[0023]
At this time, the brush cleaning member 12 is composed of an aggregate of beams 12a having a thickness equal to or smaller than the largest diameter of the objects to be removed 7 or a continuous complex of the beams 12a. When scraping, the beams 12a forming the aggregate or the continuous complex come under (behind) the object 7 to be removed. Moreover, since it is an aggregate or a continuous complex of the beams 12a, it is constituted by many beams 12a. That is, many beams 12a come into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning brush 11 one after another. Therefore, the object 7 to be removed is effectively removed from the cleaning brush 11 by the brush cleaning member 12 that comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface. This is due to the same reason that, in general, a small object or a material that enters a small gap can be effectively scraped out according to a large number of members (beams). .
[0024]
Here, the cleaning effect maintaining effect when the brush cleaning member 12 is used will be described with a specific example. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of the cleaning effect maintaining effect. In the drawing, in addition to the case where the brush cleaning member 12 is used (“fine beam PAD”), for comparison, the case where the object 7 to be removed is not scraped from the cleaning brush 11 (“brush only”) and A specific example is also shown when a conventional scraping member is used (“conventional flicker”).
[0025]
In the case where only the brush is used as shown in the example of the drawing (see the black square mark in the figure), the object 7 to be removed accumulates on the cleaning brush 11. Thus, the remaining amount of the object to be removed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 is also increased. Also, in the case of the conventional flicker (see the black triangle mark in the figure), it is difficult to completely scrape the object 7 to be removed from the cleaning brush 11. Also, the remaining amount of the object to be removed is increased with an increase in the integrated rotation speed. On the other hand, in the case of the fine beam PAD (see the black circle in the drawing), the object 7 to be removed is effectively removed from the cleaning brush 11, so that even if the integrated rotation speed increases, the object to be removed is not removed. It is understood that the increase in the unwiped amount can be suppressed as much as possible.
[0026]
As described above, according to the cleaning device 10 described in the present embodiment, the cleaning brush 11 is removed from the cleaning brush 11 using the brush cleaning member 12 formed of an aggregate or a continuous complex of beams 12a having a thickness equal to or smaller than the object 7 to be removed. Since the object 7 to be removed is scraped off, detoning (refreshing) of the cleaning brush 11 can be performed effectively, and the object 7 to be removed gradually accumulates on the cleaning brush 11 and clogging is minimized. Can be suppressed. That is, by bringing the brush cleaning member 12, which is an aggregate having a beam thickness equal to or smaller than the toner particle diameter, into contact with the cleaning brush 11, almost all of the object 7 to be removed on the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning brush 11 is scraped off. As a result, the cleaning property equivalent to that of the first rotation of the brush can be maintained for a considerably long period of time.
[0027]
Therefore, if the cleaning device 10 described in the present embodiment is used, a sufficient cleaning property can be ensured, so that it is possible to prevent the removal target object 7 from being left unwiped on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1. And no fatal trouble is given to the charger 2 or the like. In addition, the brush cleaning member 12 may be simply brought into contact with the cleaning brush 11 and the brush cleaning member 12 may be formed as an aggregate having a beam thickness equal to or smaller than the toner particle diameter. This does not complicate the device, and it is easy to cope with miniaturization of the device. Further, since only the cleaning brush 11 comes into contact with the photoconductor drum 1, there are few obstacles such as abrasion of the photoconductor drum 1 and streak-like scratches, which is suitable for realizing a longer life of the image forming apparatus. Become. In addition, compared to a conventional scraping member in which solid solids are brought into contact with the cleaning brush 11 from the outside, the generation of clouds around the contact portion is significantly reduced. Can be suppressed.
[0028]
[Second embodiment]
Next, a cleaning device according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Here, the cleaning device according to the second aspect of the present invention will be described. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration example of a second embodiment of the image forming apparatus including the cleaning device according to the present invention. Note that the same components as those in the above-described first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.
[0029]
In the cleaning device described here, the brush cleaning member 13 is made larger than in the case of the first embodiment, and the contact area between the brush cleaning member 13 and the cleaning brush 11 is increased. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the brush cleaning is performed so that the contact width in the circumferential direction between the brush cleaning member 13 and the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning brush 11 is equal to or larger than the radius of the outer peripheral surface. A member 13 is formed. As described above, by increasing the contact area between the brush cleaning member 13 and the cleaning brush 11, the ability to refresh the cleaning brush 11 is improved, and good cleaning performance can be maintained even with a higher transfer remaining amount.
[0030]
Here, the effect of maintaining the cleaning property when the brush cleaning member 13 is enlarged will be described with a specific example. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of the cleaning effect maintaining effect. In the drawings, the contact width between the brush cleaning member 13 and the cleaning brush 11 in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface is 4 mm (“Pad width 4 mm”), and the contact width is 8 mm (“Pad width 8 mm”). ) Shows specific examples.
[0031]
As shown in the figure, the object to be removed on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 1 is 8 mm in the pad width (see the black triangle in the figure) and 4 mm in the pad width (see the black square in the figure). It can be seen that the increase in the unwiped amount of the object can be suppressed, but the increase in the unwiped amount of the object to be removed can be further suppressed in the case of the pad width of 8 mm as compared with the case of the pad width of 4 mm. Note that the Pad width 8 mm shown here is a size that is approximately equal to or greater than the radius of the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning brush 11. That is, based on an empirical rule obtained by an experiment, the size of the brush cleaning member 13 (the outer peripheral surface of It is considered that if the contact width in the direction is formed, better cleaning performance can be maintained.
[0032]
As described above, according to the cleaning device described in the present embodiment, the brush cleaning member 13 is configured such that the contact width in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning brush 11 is substantially equal to or greater than the radius of the outer peripheral surface. Since the cleaning brush 11 is formed, the efficiency of detoning (refreshing) of the cleaning brush 11 can be further improved as compared with the case of the first embodiment, and it is possible to further maintain the cleaning performance.
[0033]
[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the cleaning device according to the present invention will be described. Here, a cleaning device according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of a main part of a cleaning device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Note that, also here, the description of the same components as those in the above-described first or second embodiment will be omitted.
[0034]
As described in the first or second embodiment, cleaning the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning brush 11 improves the cleaning performance of the cleaning brush 11. The same applies to a brush cleaning member that scrapes the object 7 to be removed from the cleaning brush 11. Therefore, in maintaining good cleaning properties, it is important how to keep the surface of the brush cleaning member clean and effectively keep the cleaning brush 11 refreshed.
[0035]
For this reason, in the cleaning device described here, the brush cleaning member, more specifically, an aggregate or continuous complex of the beams 14 constituting the brush cleaning member is formed as shown in FIG. That is, the brush cleaning member is formed such that the gap between the beams 14 constituting the brush cleaning member has an average space diameter of 10 times or more the average diameter of the largest diameter object among the removal target objects 7. Have been. Therefore, for example, when the average particle diameter of the toner having the largest diameter is about 10 μm, the brush cleaning member has an average thickness of the beams 14 of about 10 μm or less and a gap between the beams 14 of about 100 μm. It has the above average space diameter.
[0036]
Further, the brush cleaning member is used by being pressed from below the cleaning brush 11 in the direction of gravity. That is, the brush cleaning member is disposed below the cleaning brush 11 so that the object to be removed drops by gravity into the gap between the beams.
[0037]
Also in the cleaning device using such a brush cleaning member, the object to be removed 7 is scraped from the cleaning brush 11 by the brush cleaning member coming into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning brush 11. . However, the gap between the beams 14 in the brush cleaning member has an average space diameter that is 10 times or more that of the object to be removed. Therefore, when the object 7 to be removed is scraped, so-called packing that the object 7 to be removed is clogged in the gap between the beams 14 does not occur. That is, the scraped object 7 to be removed falls by gravity into the gap between the beams 14 without being clogged near the surface of the brush cleaning member. Accordingly, in the contact area with the cleaning brush 11, the surface of the brush cleaning member is kept clean, and the cleaning beam 11 is always in contact with the cleaning beam 11, and as a result, the cleaning brush 11 can be efficiently cleaned. Can be continuously performed.
[0038]
Here, the effect of maintaining the cleaning property when the gap between the beams 14 in the brush cleaning member is sufficiently ensured will be described with a specific example. 7 and 8 are explanatory diagrams showing a specific example of the cleaning effect maintaining effect. In the drawing, for example, while the average particle diameter of the toner having the largest diameter among the objects to be removed 7 is about 5 μm, the gap between the beams 14 is 10 times or more that of the object to be removed. In addition to the case of having a space diameter (“space diameter of 80 μm”), a nonwoven fabric having an average space diameter of about 5 times the average diameter of the particles 7 to be removed is used as a brush cleaning member for comparison (“space diameter”). A diameter of 30 μm ”) also shows a specific example.
[0039]
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, when the space diameter is 30 μm (see the black triangle in the figure), the cleaning brush 11 is refreshed initially, but the toner amount is large or the toner is continuously used. If the cleaning is continued, the object 7 to be removed is packed in the gap between the fibers and does not drop, so that the refreshing efficiency is reduced, and as a result, the cleaning performance of the cleaning brush 11 is also reduced. When the diameter is 80 μm (see the black square in the figure), the scraped object 7 drops by gravity into the gap between the beams 14 without packing in the gap between the beams 14. It can be seen that even when the object to be removed is used repeatedly or continuously, an increase in the remaining amount of the object to be removed can be suppressed as much as possible. In other words, based on empirical rules obtained by experiments, if the gap between the beams 14 in the brush cleaning member has an average space diameter that is 10 times or more the object to be removed, better cleaning performance can be maintained. it is conceivable that.
[0040]
As described above, according to the cleaning device described in the present embodiment, the average space diameter of the gap between the beams 14 in the brush cleaning member is secured 10 times or more as large as the object to be removed. Is disposed below the cleaning brush 11, the object 7 to be removed falls by gravity into the gap between the beams 14 without being clogged near the surface of the brush cleaning member. Therefore, even when the amount of the object 7 to be removed is large or when the object 7 is continuously used, it is possible to maintain good cleaning performance, and it is possible to continuously refresh the cleaning brush 11 efficiently. Can be.
[0041]
[Fourth Embodiment]
Next, a fourth embodiment of the cleaning device according to the present invention will be described. Here, the cleaning device according to the invention of claim 6 will be described. FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing a configuration example of a main part of a cleaning device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Note that, also here, the description of the same components as those in the above-described first to third embodiments will be omitted.
[0042]
In the cleaning device described here, the beam 15 constituting the brush cleaning member has a polygonal (for example, triangular) cross-sectional shape as shown in FIG. 9 and the effective curvature of the cross-sectional corner portion of the polygon. It differs from the first to third embodiments in that the diameter is formed to be approximately the same as the average diameter of the smallest diameter object among the removal target objects 7. For example, when a developer is used in which toner particles 7a having an average particle diameter of about 6 μm and external additive particles 7b having an average particle diameter of 100 nm and 50 nm are used, the object 7 to be removed naturally corresponds to the developer. Therefore, the beam 15 of the brush cleaning member has, for example, a length of one side of a triangular cross section of 6 μm or less, which is almost the same as the toner particle diameter, and an effective curvature diameter (corner) of a corner which is a vertex of the triangular cross section. The diameter of the external additive particles when the shape of the portion is approximated by an arc (the arc diameter is approximately 50 nm) is approximately the same as the average diameter of the external additive particles (see the portion B in FIG. 9).
[0043]
Also in the cleaning device using such a brush cleaning member, the object to be removed 7 is scraped from the cleaning brush 11 by the brush cleaning member coming into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning brush 11. . However, the removal target object 7 includes, in addition to the toner particles 7a, external additive particles 7b having an average particle diameter smaller than that of the toner particles 7a. Therefore, in some cases, the toner particles 7a can be scraped off satisfactorily, but the external additive particles 7b accumulate on the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning brush 11, and as a result, are thin on the photosensitive drum 1 during cleaning. It is also conceivable that a layer of the external additive particles 7b is left. However, if the effective curvature diameter of the cross-sectional corner of the beam 15 of the brush cleaning member is substantially the same as the average diameter of the external additive particles 7b, the cross-sectional corner of the external additive particles 7b is sunk. Since the external additive particles 7b are also scraped off better at the corners of the cross section, the external additive particles 7b do not accumulate on the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning brush 11.
[0044]
As described above, according to the cleaning device described in the present embodiment, the effective curvature diameter of the cross-sectional corner of the beam 15 of the brush cleaning member is substantially equal to the average diameter of the external additive particles 7b. 7, that is, not only the toner particles 7 a but also the external additive particles 7 b can be scraped off from the cleaning brush 11 satisfactorily. Therefore, accumulation of the external additive particles 7b on the cleaning brush 11 is suppressed, and it is possible to effectively prevent a thin layer of the external additive particles 7b from remaining on the photosensitive drum 1 during cleaning. become.
[0045]
[Fifth Embodiment]
Next, a fifth embodiment of the cleaning device according to the present invention will be described. Here, the cleaning device according to the third aspect of the present invention will be described. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration example of an image forming apparatus including a cleaning device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. Here, the description of the same components as those in the above-described first to fourth embodiments will be omitted.
[0046]
In the cleaning device described here, the brush cleaning member 16 is further enlarged compared with the case of the second embodiment, and the contact area between the brush cleaning member 16 and the cleaning brush 11 is increased. is there. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, the brush cleaning member 16 is formed in a curved shape, and the cleaning brush 16 is removed except for the contact portion with the photosensitive drum 1 and the installation portion of other components. 11 is arranged to cover the outer peripheral surface. As described above, the contact width between the brush cleaning member 16 and the cleaning brush 11 is not limited to being equal to or larger than the radius of the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning brush 11 as in the second embodiment, By covering the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning brush 11, the contact area between the brush cleaning member 16 and the cleaning brush 11 can be maximized.
[0047]
Here, the effect of maintaining the cleaning property when the brush cleaning member 16 is maximized will be described with a specific example. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of the cleaning effect maintaining effect. In addition, in the drawing, in addition to the case where the brush cleaning member 16 covers the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning brush 11 (“contact width 16 mm (wrapping)”), it is similar to the case of the second embodiment (see FIG. 5). Also, a specific example is shown when the contact width between the brush cleaning member and the cleaning brush is 4 mm (“contact width 4 mm”). As shown in the example of the drawing, both in the case of a contact width of 16 mm (envelopment) (see a black triangle in the figure) and in the case of a contact width of 4 mm (see a black square in the figure), both are on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1. The increase in the remaining amount of the object to be removed can be suppressed, but the increase in the remaining amount of the object to be removed can be further suppressed in the case of the contact width of 16 mm (wrapping) as compared with the case of the contact width of 4 mm. You can see that.
[0048]
As described above, according to the cleaning device described in the present embodiment, since the brush cleaning member 16 is arranged to cover the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning brush 11, the brush cleaning member 16 and the cleaning brush 11 Contact area can be maximized. Therefore, the ability to refresh the cleaning brush 11 is dramatically improved, and the efficiency of detoning (refreshing) of the cleaning brush 11 can be further improved, so that it is possible to further maintain the cleaning performance.
[0049]
[Sixth Embodiment]
Next, a cleaning device according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described. Here, the cleaning device according to the seventh aspect of the present invention will be described. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration example of a sixth embodiment of the image forming apparatus including the cleaning device according to the present invention. Here, the description of the same components as those in the above-described first to fifth embodiments will be omitted.
[0050]
In the cleaning device described here, as shown in FIG. 12, the position of the brush cleaning member 17 at which contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning brush 11 (refer to the portion C in the figure) gradually increases. The third embodiment is different from the fifth embodiment in that it is formed so as to approach. That is, the brush cleaning member 17 is angled so that the edge of the brush cleaning member 17 gradually approaches the outer peripheral surface side of the cleaning brush 11 at the contact start position with the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning brush 11. Is molded. Specifically, for example, the gap between the brush cleaning member 17 and the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning brush 11 at the upstream edge in the rotation direction of the cleaning brush 11 is about 1 mm, and the gap downstream therefrom in the rotation direction of the cleaning brush 11 is It is conceivable to form the brush cleaning member 17 such that the brush cleaning member 17 contacts the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning brush 11 at a position of about 3 mm on the side.
[0051]
Also in the cleaning device using such a brush cleaning member 17, the object 7 to be removed is scraped off from the cleaning brush 11 by the brush cleaning member 17 being in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning brush 11. ing. However, even in this case, since the distance between the brush cleaning member 17 and the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning brush 11 is gradually reduced, the contact between the brush cleaning member 17 and the cleaning brush 11 can be reduced. Can be reduced, and the generation of the cloud of the removal target object 7 can be reduced. Furthermore, the generated cloud can be collected by the brush cleaning member 17 and settled in the gap between the constituent beams.
[0052]
Therefore, according to the cleaning device described in the present embodiment, it is possible to drastically reduce the generation of the cloud of the object 7 to be removed as compared with the case where the conventional scraping member is used, and as a result, sufficient cleaning performance is obtained. Can be secured.
[0053]
[Seventh Embodiment]
Next, a seventh embodiment of the cleaning device according to the present invention will be described. Here, a cleaning device according to an eighth aspect of the present invention will be described. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration example of an image forming apparatus including a cleaning device according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention. Here, the description of the same components as those in the above-described first to sixth embodiments will be omitted.
[0054]
As shown in FIG. 12, the cleaning device described here has, in addition to the case of the sixth embodiment described above, a point where the brush cleaning member 18 comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning brush 11 (D in FIG. 12). ) Is formed so that the distance from the outer peripheral surface gradually increases. That is, the edge of the brush cleaning member 18 gradually moves from the outer peripheral surface side of the cleaning brush 11 not only at the contact start position with the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning brush 11 but also at the contact end position. It is molded at an angle so that it goes away. Specifically, for example, at a position about 3 mm upstream from the downstream edge of the cleaning brush 11 in the rotation direction in the rotation direction, the brush cleaning member 18 is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning brush 11. It is conceivable that the brush cleaning member 18 is formed such that the gap between the brush cleaning member 18 and the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning brush 11 is about 1 mm at the downstream edge of the cleaning brush 11 in the rotation direction. However, the forming with such an angle may be performed on both the contact start position and the contact end position as shown in the example of the drawing, or may be performed on only one of them.
[0055]
Also in the cleaning device using such a brush cleaning member 18, since the distance between the brush cleaning member 18 and the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning brush 11 is gradually increased, the brush cleaning member 18 It is possible to reduce the generation of a cloud of the object 7 to be removed due to the repulsion of the brush bristles when the contact with the cleaning brush 11 is released. Furthermore, the generated cloud can be collected by the brush cleaning member 18 and settled in the gap between the constituent beams.
[0056]
Therefore, even in the cleaning device described in the present embodiment, the generation of the cloud of the object 7 to be removed can be significantly reduced as compared with the case where the conventional scraping member is used, and as a result, sufficient cleaning performance can be obtained. It is possible to secure.
[0057]
Although the present invention has been described with the preferred specific examples in the first to seventh embodiments, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. For example, in the first to seventh embodiments, the image forming apparatus including the cylindrical or columnar photosensitive drum 1 has been described as an example. For example, the same cleaning device can be used even for an intermediate transfer belt having an endless belt shape. Further, the contents described in the first to seventh embodiments may be arbitrarily combined and realized.
[0058]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the cleaning device according to the present invention is configured such that the brush cleaning member is formed from an aggregate of beams having a thickness equal to or smaller than the largest diameter object among the objects to be removed or a continuous complex of the beams. Therefore, detoning (refreshing) of the cleaning brush can be performed effectively, and sufficient cleaning performance for the surface of the image bearing member can be secured and maintained. Moreover, the brush cleaning member consisting of the aggregate of the beams or the continuous complex of the beams only needs to be brought into contact with the cleaning brush. Brush detoning can be performed with a high configuration.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a first embodiment of an image forming apparatus including a cleaning device according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing an example of an outline of a surface state of an image carrier.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a specific example of a cleaning property maintaining effect in the first embodiment of the cleaning device according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a second embodiment of an image forming apparatus including a cleaning device according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of a cleaning property maintaining effect in a cleaning device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of a main part of a cleaning device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram (part 1) illustrating a specific example of a cleaning property maintaining effect in the cleaning device according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram (part 2) illustrating a specific example of the cleaning effect maintaining effect in the cleaning device according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of a main part of a cleaning device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration example of a fifth embodiment of an image forming apparatus including a cleaning device according to the present invention.
FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of a cleaning property maintaining effect in a cleaning device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 12 is a schematic view illustrating a schematic configuration example of an image forming apparatus including a cleaning device according to a sixth embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 13 is a schematic view illustrating a schematic configuration example of an image forming apparatus including a cleaning device according to a seventh embodiment of the invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Photoreceptor drum, 7 ... Object to be removed, 7a ... Toner particles, 7b ... External additive particles, 10 ... Cleaning device, 11 ... Cleaning brush, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18 ... Brush cleaning member, 12a , 14,15 ... beams

Claims (8)

A cleaning device for removing the object to be removed from the surface of the image carrier performing the rotation operation and cleaning the surface,
One or more brushes rotating in contact with the surface of the image carrier;
With a brush cleaning member that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the brush,
The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the brush cleaning member is formed of an aggregate of beams having a thickness equal to or less than a maximum diameter of the objects to be removed or a continuous complex of the beams. 2. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the brush cleaning member has a contact width in a circumferential direction with an outer peripheral surface of the brush that is equal to or larger than a radius of the outer peripheral surface. 3. The cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein the brush cleaning member is arranged to cover an outer peripheral surface of the brush. The brush cleaning member, wherein a gap between beams constituting the brush cleaning member has an average space diameter of 10 times or more an average diameter of an object having a maximum diameter among the objects to be removed. Item 4. The cleaning device according to item 1, 2 or 3. The cleaning device according to claim 4, wherein the brush cleaning member is disposed below the brush so that the object to be removed drops by gravity into a gap between the beams. The beam constituting the brush cleaning member has a polygonal cross-sectional shape, and the effective curvature diameter of a cross-sectional corner portion of the polygon is substantially equal to the average diameter of the smallest diameter object among the objects to be removed. The cleaning device according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, wherein 7. The brush cleaning member according to claim 1, wherein a contact start portion with the outer peripheral surface of the brush is formed such that a distance from the outer peripheral surface gradually approaches. 8. A cleaning device according to claim 1. 8. The brush cleaning member according to claim 1, wherein the end of contact with the outer peripheral surface of the brush is formed such that the distance from the outer peripheral surface gradually increases. 9. A cleaning device according to claim 1.

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