JP2004269215A - Paper powder removing device, paper carrying device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To effectively remove paper powder sticking to a rubber member such as a driving roller with a simple constitution. <P>SOLUTION: This paper powder removing device is composed of a cleaning member 31 for removing the paper powder by abutting a surface capable of having the paper powder, and a brush 40 positioned on the moving directional upstream side of the surface, and similarly abutting on the surface. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a paper transport device, and more specifically, to a paper transport member attached to an image forming apparatus configured as a copier, a facsimile, a printer, or a multifunction peripheral having at least two of these functions. The present invention relates to a structure for removing paper dust.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The image forming apparatus includes a mechanism that transports paper fed from a paper feed cassette or a paper feed tray to a print transfer position, and records an image on the paper at that position. As a conventional paper feeder, for example, in a paper feeder of an electrophotographic printing device, a paper cleaning device disposed upstream of a print transfer position in a paper feeder, and a paper dust removing brush is attached at a leading end. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. H10-163,087 discloses a paper cleaning device including a cleaner housing, a hose connecting the cleaner housing and the suction device, and a filter provided between the cleaner housing and the suction device.
[Patent Document 1]
Published Japanese Utility Model Application No. 1-140556
Further, there is also known a technique for removing paper dust on the surface of a sheet by blowing or sucking air toward the sheet before the sheet comes into contact with the electrophotographic photosensitive member (Patent Document 2).
[Patent Document 2]
JP-A-2-73285
These are proposals for cleaning the transported paper itself. On the other hand, in a configuration in which paper is conveyed from a paper feed cassette or a manual feed tray to the image forming unit, when paper dust adheres and accumulates on the registration roller, the friction coefficient of the registration roller is reduced to reduce the paper conveyance force or to reduce paper conveyance. There is a known problem that an abnormal image is generated due to the movement of the powder to the image forming unit. Patent Document 3 discloses that in order to remove and collect paper dust adhering to such a registration roller, a cleaning blade is brought into contact with one surface of the registration roller, and the paper dust on the roller is rotated as the roller rotates. Is physically stripped off.
[Patent Document 3]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-225981
However, if the blade is brought into contact with a driving roller having a high friction coefficient such as a rubber roller by a counter method, the tip of the cleaning blade is entangled by the roller. In the trailing abutting method, no entanglement occurs, but it is difficult to scrape off the paper powder stuck to the roller, and removal leakage is likely to occur. For these reasons, the use of the cleaning blade is generally limited only to the driven roller side mainly composed of a metal roller or a resin roller.
[0006]
In order to solve such a problem, there is a method in which a rotating brush is brought into contact with a registration roller to scrape paper dust. However, it requires a lot of space for driving the rotating brush and a large number of special parts, and is difficult to assemble. Therefore, it is not suitable for a machine that sells a low-priced and small space.
[0007]
Even when applying the configurations disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 to a registration roller, a large number of dedicated components and a space for the components are required, and mounting is difficult. Further, there is known a means for removing paper dust by bringing a block member of foamed polyurethane into contact with a roller. However, in this method, cleaning performance is low, it is difficult to scrape off paper powder or the like which has strong adhesion to the registration roller, and removal leakage is likely to occur.
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In view of the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to effectively remove paper dust attached to a rubber member such as a driving roller of a fixing roller pair with a simple configuration.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning member for removing paper dust by contacting a surface that may have paper dust, and a brush that is located upstream in the moving direction of the surface and also contacts the surface according to the present invention. This is achieved by configuring a paper dust removing device.
[0010]
In a paper transport apparatus comprising a transport unit for nipping and transporting a sheet and a cleaning member for removing paper dust attached to the transport unit, the cleaning member contacts at least one of a pair of members constituting the transport unit. It is possible to effectively dispose a brush that comes into contact with the transport member that comes into contact with the cleaning member on the upstream side of the cleaning member in the paper transport direction, and to effectively remove paper dust in the paper transport in the image forming apparatus. Preferably, the brush is made of a conductive material.
[0011]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
The invention is explained in more detail below on the basis of a preferred embodiment with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 schematically shows an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. An image forming unit 2 having a photosensitive drum 3 as a latent image carrier and performing image formation based on a known electrophotographic process is provided in the image forming apparatus main body 1. Below the image forming unit 2, there is provided a sheet feeding unit 4 having a two-stage sheet feeding cassette for feeding sheets for transfer. A manual paper feed unit 5 is also provided on a side surface of the image forming apparatus main body 1, and a duplex unit 6 for reversing the front and back of the paper is also mounted above the manual paper feed unit 5.
[0012]
In the image forming apparatus having such a configuration, the sheet fed from the sheet feeding unit 4 or the manual sheet feeding unit 5 is sent to the pair of registration rollers 11 via the common conveyance roller 10, and is exposed by the pair of registration rollers 11. The toner image formed on the body drum 2 is conveyed to the transfer unit in time. The transfer section is provided with a transfer belt 7, the unfixed toner image is transferred to the surface of the sheet by traveling of the transfer belt 7, and the sheet is further transported upward and nipped by a pair of fixing rollers 8. The unfixed toner image is fixed on the sheet as a permanent image by the action of heating and pressurization by the sheet passing between the fixing rollers 8, and is conveyed upward.
[0013]
Above the fixing roller pair 8, there is disposed a switching claw 12 for selectively switching the sheet conveyance destination to a paper discharge unit (paper discharge roller pair 9) or the duplex unit 6. The switching claw 12 guides the paper to the paper discharge unit 9 when it is at the position shown by the solid line, and guides the paper to the duplex unit 6 when it is at the position shown by the chain line.
[0014]
In the double-sided unit 6, a reversing claw 13 is arranged near the entrance, and a reversing roller 14 is provided following the reversing claw 13. First, the sheet conveyed into the duplex unit 6 by the switching claw 12 outside the duplex unit is sent to the switchback path 15 by the inversion roller 14 because the inversion claw 13 is initially at the position of the solid line, and the trailing edge of the sheet is inverted. When the claw 13 passes through, the claw is switched to the position indicated by the dashed line, and the reversing roller 14 starts reverse rotation. By this switching, the sheet is again sent to the registration roller pair 11 through the duplex unit conveyance path 16 with the rear end at the top. At this time, since the sheet is turned upside down, an image is formed on the back surface by the image forming process.
[0015]
FIG. 2 shows a paper dust removing device attached to the registration roller pair 11. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing the state of contact between the brush and the cleaning member.
In FIG. 2, a sheet guided by a registration upper guide plate 20 and a registration lower guide plate 21 is conveyed to a transfer unit by a registration roller pair 11 including a registration drive roller 11a and a registration driven roller 11b, with a timing. A guide mylar (trade name) 23 is provided at the tip of the stay 22 located on the downstream side of the registration roller pair 11 in the sheet conveyance, and guides the sheet to the transfer unit. A sheet-shaped scraper 31 as a cleaning member is attached to the tip of the holder 30, and abuts against the resist driving roller 11a under arbitrary conditions, thereby removing paper dust adhering to the surface of the resist driving roller during paper transport. In addition, the conductive brush 40 is in contact with the registration drive roller 11a on the upstream side of the contact position of the scraper 31, and the paper dust adhered to the surface of the registration drive roller 11a is lifted, thereby removing the paper dust by the scraper 31. Is easy.
[0016]
As can be seen from FIG. 3, the conductive brush 40 is grounded via the stay 22. The holder 30 forms a container together with a collection case 33 for accumulating the collected paper dust, and is provided on the stay 22. When the paper dust is full, the holder 30 is integrally taken out of the image forming apparatus, and the collected paper dust is disposed of. I do. If a problem such as wear or chipping is found in the scraper 31, the holder 30 is replaced and replaced in the image forming apparatus. Even in the case of using a block member of foamed polyurethane as a cleaning member and wiping paper powder, the same effect can be exerted by the presence of the conductive brush.
[0017]
【The invention's effect】
According to the paper dust removing device of the first aspect or the paper transporting device of the second aspect, the brush abuts on the surface of the paper transporting member on the upstream side of the cleaning member. The adhesive force can be reduced, and the paper dust removing performance is improved.
[0018]
The brush which is in contact with the surface of the sheet conveying member on the upstream side of the cleaning member is made of a conductive material. And the paper dust removal performance is improved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus.
FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a paper dust removing device according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged view illustrating a contact state of a brush and a cleaning member of the paper dust removing device.
[Explanation of symbols]
11 registration roller pair 31 scraper 33 holder 40 conductive brush

Claims (4)

A paper dust removing device, comprising: a cleaning member for contacting a surface that may have paper dust to remove paper dust; and a brush positioned upstream of the surface in the moving direction and also in contact with the surface. In a paper transporting apparatus including a transporting unit for nipping and transporting a sheet and a cleaning member for removing paper dust attached to the transporting unit, the cleaning member contacts at least one member of a pair of members constituting the transporting unit. A paper transport device, further comprising a brush that comes into contact with the transport member that is in contact with the cleaning member and that comes into contact with the cleaning member upstream of the cleaning member in the paper transport direction. 3. The sheet conveying device according to claim 2, wherein the brush is made of a conductive material. An image forming apparatus comprising the sheet conveying device according to claim 2.

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