JP2005148187A

JP2005148187A - Image forming apparatus

Info

Publication number: JP2005148187A
Application number: JP2003382157A
Authority: JP
Inventors: Yoshinori Ono; Masataka Yagi; 昌隆八木; 嘉典大野
Original assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Inc; コニカミノルタビジネステクノロジーズ株式会社
Priority date: 2003-11-12
Filing date: 2003-11-12
Publication date: 2005-06-09
Anticipated expiration: 2023-11-12
Also published as: JP4285207B2

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus whose structure is simplified by reducing the number of rollers where an intermediate transfer belt is stretched even though the image forming apparatus is of a four cycle system. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus includes a photoreceptor drum 2, an intermediate transfer belt 10 which runs with its external face kept in contact with the photoreceptor drum 2, and a belt drive roller 11 and a secondary transfer opposite roller 12 which run supporting the intermediate transfer belt 10. The image forming apparatus transfers a toner image formed on the photoreceptor drum 2 to the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 10. The image forming apparatus further includes a primary transfer roller 13 which is located inside the intermediate transfer belt 10 and faces the photoreceptor drum 2 across the intermediate transfer belt 10. The primary transfer roller 13 moves in a direction perpendicular to its rotary shaft and presses the intermediate transfer belt 10 against the photoreceptor drum 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer. More specifically, the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having an endless belt rotated by a plurality of rollers.

Conventionally, there is a color image forming apparatus having an intermediate transfer belt stretched by a plurality of rollers. In such an image forming apparatus, a color image is formed by superimposing the toner images of the respective colors on the intermediate transfer belt, and performing secondary transfer and fixing on a sheet. In such an image forming apparatus, an appropriate tension is applied to the intermediate transfer belt as necessary, and at the time of transfer, the intermediate transfer belt is wound around a photosensitive member or a transfer roller with a winding amount within a predetermined length or angle range. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

In particular, in a four-cycle type color image forming apparatus, toner images of different colors are superimposed for each cycle of the intermediate transfer belt, and one color toner image is formed by four cycles. For this reason, the cleaner blade and the secondary transfer roller for cleaning the intermediate transfer belt are not always pressed against the intermediate transfer belt, but need to be pressed or separated at the same timing. For this reason, a configuration for applying an appropriate tension to the intermediate transfer belt or giving a predetermined winding amount to the photosensitive member is more complicated than a tandem image forming apparatus (for example, (See Patent Document 2).

Conventionally, in a general four-cycle color image forming apparatus, as shown in FIG. 7, five rollers for stretching and driving an intermediate transfer belt are used. The intermediate transfer belt 101 is rotated by a belt driving roller 102. Further, cleaning is performed by the belt cleaner 103 at an appropriate timing. Further, it is wound around the photosensitive member 106 by the winding roller 104 and the primary transfer roller 105 at a predetermined winding angle θ. When a toner image for one image has been formed on the intermediate transfer belt 101, the sheet 109 is conveyed between the secondary transfer roller 107 and the secondary transfer counter roller 108, and secondary transfer onto the sheet 109 is performed. Is called. Further, the tension roller 110 applies an appropriate tension to the intermediate transfer belt 101 by moving in the direction of the arrow in the figure.
JP 2003-91174A (page 4-5, FIG. 1) JP 2001-92271 A (Fig. 1-3)

However, in the conventional image forming apparatus described above, as many as five rollers are required to stretch and appropriately drive one intermediate transfer belt 101. On the other hand, there was a request to reduce the number of rollers to make the configuration simpler. Therefore, first of all, it is conceivable that the function of the tension roller 110 is combined with the belt driving roller 102 or the secondary transfer counter roller 108 which is a driven roller. That is, this is a method of adjusting the tension by changing the distance in the left-right direction in the drawing where the intermediate transfer belt 101 is stretched. Generally, this method is adopted in a tandem image forming apparatus.

However, as described above, in the four-cycle method, the cleaner blade 103 and the secondary transfer roller 107 need to be contacted and separated. Further, the pressure contact force to the intermediate transfer belt 101 is also adjusted to an appropriate value. Therefore, when the belt driving roller 102 or the secondary transfer counter roller 108 is movable, the moving configuration of the cleaner blade 103 or the secondary transfer roller 107 must be changed accordingly. Such a change has a problem that the configuration of the apparatus becomes more complicated than the simplification of reducing the number of rollers.

The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the conventional image forming apparatus described above. That is, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus having a simplified structure by reducing the number of rollers for stretching an intermediate transfer belt even in a four-cycle image forming apparatus.

The image forming apparatus of the present invention, which has been made for the purpose of solving this problem, includes a photosensitive drum, an endless belt that runs while contacting the photosensitive drum on the outer surface, a first roller that runs while supporting the endless belt, and a first roller. In an image forming apparatus that has two rollers and transfers a toner image formed on a photosensitive drum onto an endless belt, a pressure contact roller that is positioned inside the endless belt and faces the photosensitive drum across the endless belt The pressure roller is moved in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis and presses the endless belt against the photosensitive drum.

According to the present invention, the endless belt is supported by the first roller and the second roller, and travels in contact with the photosensitive drum. If the endless belt is a transfer belt, for example, the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum is transferred onto the endless belt. Alternatively, if the endless belt is a paper carrying belt, the toner image is transferred to the paper carried on the belt. The present invention further includes a pressure roller, and the endless belt is pressed against the photosensitive drum by the movement of the pressure roller, so that the endless belt is wound around the photosensitive drum while being held at an appropriate tension. That is, both the functions of the winding roller and the tension roller can be imparted to the pressure roller without impairing the functions of the other rollers. As a result, even in the case of a four-cycle image forming apparatus, the number of rollers for stretching the intermediate transfer belt is reduced and the structure is simplified.

Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable that the arm member rotate about the central axis of the photosensitive drum, and the rotation shaft of the pressure roller is attached to the arm member.
In such a case, the rotation shaft of the pressure roller rotates about the central axis of the photosensitive drum. Therefore, according to this pressure contact roller, the endless belt is wound along the photosensitive drum, and the tension of the endless belt is adjusted by the winding amount.

Furthermore, in the present invention, it is desirable to have a roller member that is sandwiched between the pressure roller and the photosensitive drum and that is positioned on the outer side in the width direction of the endless belt.
In such a case, the roller member makes the rotation of the photosensitive drum independent of the rotation of the pressure contact roller itself and the arm member. Therefore, it becomes easy to control the rotation of the arm member. Here, the roller member is positioned on the outer side in the width direction of the endless belt. That is, the position where the roller member is provided is the end portion in the width direction of the pressure roller or the photosensitive drum and is not related to the transfer. Therefore, the photosensitive layer may not be provided in a portion of the photosensitive drum where the roller member contacts.

Furthermore, in the present invention, it is desirable that the moving direction of the pressure roller is parallel to a portion of the endless belt that is stretched between the pressure roller and the photosensitive drum.
In this way, the length or angle of the portion of the endless belt that is wound around the photosensitive drum is constant. Therefore, the transfer efficiency from the photosensitive drum to the endless belt becomes stable.

Further, in the present invention, the pressure contact roller presses the endless belt against the photosensitive drum by moving to the downstream side in the running direction of the endless belt, and also transfers transfer power for transferring the toner image on the photosensitive drum onto the endless belt. It is desirable to also serve as a member.
In this way, since the transfer roller can also be used as the pressure roller, the number of rollers can be further reduced and the configuration can be simplified. Here, in general, the transfer roller is disposed on the downstream side of the endless belt with respect to the photosensitive drum. Therefore, if the pressure roller is arranged on the downstream side of the endless belt with respect to the photosensitive drum and moved to the downstream side in the running direction of the endless belt, the tension of the endless belt can be adjusted while also serving as the transfer power feeding member by the pressure roller. Is possible.

Furthermore, in the present invention, in addition to the pressure contact roller, a transfer power supply member for transferring the toner image on the photosensitive drum onto the endless belt is provided, and the pressure contact roller moves upstream of the endless belt in the running direction. Is preferably pressed against the photosensitive drum.
In this case, a non-contacting endless belt can be used as a transfer power supply member that is provided separately from the pressure contact roller. In this case, generally, the transfer power supply member is disposed on the downstream side of the endless belt with respect to the photosensitive drum. Therefore, if the pressure roller is arranged upstream of the endless belt with respect to the photosensitive drum and moved upstream of the endless belt in the traveling direction, the tension of the endless belt can be adjusted without affecting the transfer power supply member. It becomes possible.

According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, even in the case of a four-cycle image forming apparatus, the number of rollers for stretching the intermediate transfer belt is reduced and the structure is simplified.

"First form"
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the best mode for embodying the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to a four-cycle color image forming apparatus.

As shown in FIG. 1, the 4-cycle type image forming apparatus 1 has a charging device 3, an exposure device 4, a developing device 5, and a transfer device 6 around a photosensitive drum 2. Further, the sheet 7 is supplied, and an image is formed on the sheet 7. The charging device 3 uniformly charges the photosensitive drum 2. The exposure device 4 exposes the photosensitive drum 2 to form an electrostatic latent image. When the developing device 5 is rotated, the developing rollers 5C, 5M, 5Y, and 5K of the respective colors are sequentially opposed to the photosensitive drum 2, and a toner image of that color is formed on the photosensitive drum 2. These are all general configurations.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the transfer device 6 includes an intermediate transfer belt 10, a belt driving roller 11, a secondary transfer counter roller 12, a primary transfer roller 13, and belt cleaners 14, 2 provided around the intermediate transfer belt 10. A next transfer roller 15 is provided. The intermediate transfer belt 10 is rotatably held by three rollers: a belt driving roller 11, a secondary transfer counter roller 12, and a primary transfer roller 13. The belt drive roller 11 and the secondary counter transfer roller 12 are opposed to the belt cleaner 14 and the secondary transfer roller 15, respectively, with the intermediate transfer belt 10 interposed therebetween. The cleaner blade and the secondary transfer roller 15 of the belt cleaner 14 are movable as indicated by arrows in FIG. 2 in order to contact and separate from the intermediate transfer belt 10 as necessary. The configuration for these movements is the same as the conventional one.

As shown in FIG. 3, the primary transfer roller 13 is provided with rollers 16 at both ends thereof. One end of the rotation shaft of the primary transfer roller 13 is connected to the shaft of the photosensitive drum 2 by an arm 17. The roller 16 allows both the rotation of the primary transfer roller 13 itself around the rotation axis and the rotation of the rotation axis of the primary transfer roller 13 relative to the photosensitive drum 2. The arm 17 is rotated about the axis of the photosensitive drum 2, and rotates the rotational axis of the primary transfer roller 13 while maintaining a predetermined distance from the photosensitive drum 2. Note that the primary transfer roller 13 itself actually rotates together with the intermediate transfer belt 10. Further, the rollers 16 may be provided at both ends of the photosensitive drum 2.

In the image forming apparatus 1, the tension applied to the intermediate transfer belt 10 can be changed by moving the position of the rotation shaft of the primary transfer roller 13 by the arm 17. That is, if the arm 17 is rotated in the direction a in FIG. 2, the tension of the intermediate transfer belt 10 is reduced. On the other hand, if the belt is rotated in the direction b in FIG. 2, the tension of the intermediate transfer belt 10 increases and the amount of winding of the intermediate transfer belt 10 around the photosensitive drum 2 can be increased. Thereby, the tension of the intermediate transfer belt 10 can be adjusted by the rotation of the arm 17.

That is, in the image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 2 by the charging device 3, the exposure device 4, and the developing device 5 is primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 10 by the primary transfer roller 13. Is done. At this time, by rotating the arm 17, a tension suitable for primary transfer can be applied to the intermediate transfer belt 10 and a predetermined amount of winding around the photosensitive drum 2 can be obtained. Further, since the primary transfer roller 13 is moved while keeping the distance from the photosensitive drum 2 constant, the distance between the surfaces thereof is also constant, and the transfer current can be stably supplied. Accordingly, stable primary transfer efficiency can be obtained, and a good image with no unevenness can be formed.

By the way, if the primary transfer roller 13 is disposed on the downstream side of the intermediate transfer belt 10 with respect to the photosensitive drum 2 as in the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the transfer efficiency is high, but the image position reproducibility is high. It is disadvantageous in accuracy. Therefore, the exposure position is corrected according to the deviation. For example, a plurality of resist patterns are created on the intermediate transfer belt 10 and read by an optical sensor to detect unevenness in the belt conveyance speed. At this time, the contact and separation of the belt cleaner 14 and the secondary transfer roller 15 may be performed at the same timing as the actual image formation. Thus, if the shift position and the shift amount of each color are detected, the shift of the image printing position can be corrected by adjusting the exposure timing.

As described above in detail, according to the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the intermediate transfer belt 10 is held by the three rollers of the belt driving roller 11, the secondary transfer counter roller 12, and the primary transfer roller 13. Yes. The primary transfer roller 13 is kept at a fixed distance from the photosensitive drum 2 by a roller 16, and its axial position is moved by an arm 17. Therefore, both the tension adjustment of the intermediate transfer belt 10 and the winding around the photosensitive drum 2 can be performed by the primary transfer roller 13. As a result, even in the case of a four-cycle image forming apparatus, the number of rollers for stretching the intermediate transfer belt is reduced to simplify the configuration.

"Second form"
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Since the present embodiment is different from the image forming apparatus of the first embodiment only in the configuration of the primary transfer roller 13 of the transfer device 6, the other portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and will be described. Omitted.

As shown in FIG. 4, the transfer device 6 of this embodiment is configured such that the primary transfer roller 13 can move linearly. The moving direction is a direction parallel to the intermediate transfer belt 10 placed between the photosensitive drum 2 and the primary transfer roller 13. The configuration for this movement may be general. If the primary transfer roller 13 is moved in the direction c in FIG. 4, the tension of the intermediate transfer belt 10 is reduced. On the contrary, if the belt is moved in the direction d in FIG. 4, the tension of the intermediate transfer belt 10 increases.

In this case, the winding angle θ of the intermediate transfer belt 10 wound around the photosensitive drum 2 is constant, and the winding amount is also kept constant. Accordingly, stable primary transfer efficiency can be obtained, and a good image with no unevenness can be formed.

As described in detail above, in the image forming apparatus of this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the number of rollers that stretch the intermediate transfer belt is reduced even in the case of a four-cycle image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus has a simplified configuration.

"Third form"
Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Since the present embodiment is different from the image forming apparatus of the first embodiment only in the configuration of the primary transfer roller 13 of the transfer device 6, the other portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and will be described. Omitted.

As shown in FIG. 5, the transfer device 6 of the present embodiment has a primary transfer roller 13 disposed on the upstream side of the intermediate transfer belt 10 with respect to the photosensitive drum 2. And it is made movable as shown by the arrow in the figure. The moving direction in this case may be a movement at an equal distance from the photosensitive drum 2 by providing the roller 16 and the arm 17 as in the first embodiment. Or it is good also as a linear movement like a 2nd form. Since the transfer device 6 of this embodiment is provided on the upstream side of the photosensitive drum 2, it is advantageous in the accuracy of image position reproducibility.

"Fourth form"
Hereinafter, the 4th form which actualized this invention is described in detail, referring an accompanying drawing. Since the present embodiment is different from the image forming apparatus of the first embodiment only in the configuration of the primary transfer roller 13 of the transfer device 6, the other portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and will be described. Omitted.

As shown in FIG. 6, the transfer device 6 according to the present embodiment uses a transfer brush 18 or a transfer film as a primary transfer member. When such a transfer member is used, it cannot function as a winding roller or a tension roller like a primary transfer roller. Therefore, a winding tension roller 19 is provided on the upstream side of the intermediate transfer belt 10 with respect to the photosensitive drum 2.

Further, the winding tension roller 19 is movable in parallel with the intermediate transfer belt 10 placed between the roller and the photosensitive drum 2 as indicated by an arrow in the figure. By doing so, the tension applied to the intermediate transfer belt 10 can be adjusted by the winding tension roller 19 while keeping the winding amount around the photosensitive drum 2 constant. That is, in this embodiment, the winding tension roller 19 serves only to apply tension to the intermediate transfer belt 10, and the transfer is performed by the transfer brush 18 or a transfer film.

Note that this embodiment is merely an example, and does not limit the present invention. Therefore, the present invention can naturally be improved and modified in various ways without departing from the gist thereof.
For example, the present invention can be used as a configuration for applying tension to the sheet carrying belt instead of the intermediate transfer belt 10.
Further, for example, the configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 other than the transfer device 6 is merely an example, and is not limited to the illustrated configuration and arrangement.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the transfer apparatus which concerns on a 1st form. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of a primary transfer roller. It is explanatory drawing which shows the transfer apparatus which concerns on a 2nd form. It is explanatory drawing which shows the transfer apparatus which concerns on a 3rd form. It is explanatory drawing which shows the transfer apparatus which concerns on a 4th form. It is explanatory drawing which shows the conventional transfer apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 2 Photosensitive drum 10 Intermediate transfer belt (endless belt)
11 Belt drive roller (first roller)
12 Secondary transfer counter roller (second roller)
13 Primary transfer roller (pressure roller, transfer power supply member)
16 Roller (roller member)
17 Arm (arm member)
18 Transfer brush (transfer feeding member)

Claims

A photosensitive drum, an endless belt that runs while contacting the photosensitive drum on the outer surface, and a first roller and a second roller that run while supporting the endless belt, and are formed on the photosensitive drum. In an image forming apparatus for transferring a toner image onto the endless belt,
A pressure roller located inside the endless belt and facing the photosensitive drum across the endless belt;
The image forming apparatus, wherein the pressure contact roller moves in a direction perpendicular to a rotation axis thereof and presses the endless belt against the photosensitive drum.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
An arm member that rotates about the central axis of the photosensitive drum;
An image forming apparatus, wherein a rotation shaft of the pressure roller is attached to the arm member.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2,
An image forming apparatus comprising a roller member that is sandwiched between the pressure roller and the photosensitive drum and that is positioned on the outer side in the width direction of the endless belt.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
The direction of movement of the pressure roller is
An image forming apparatus, wherein the endless belt is parallel to a portion of the endless belt that is stretched between the pressure roller and the photosensitive drum.
In the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The pressure roller is
The endless belt is pressed against the photosensitive drum by moving to the downstream side in the running direction of the endless belt, and
An image forming apparatus that also serves as a transfer power supply member that transfers a toner image on the photosensitive drum onto the endless belt.
In the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
In addition to the pressure roller, a transfer power supply member for transferring a toner image on the photosensitive drum onto the endless belt,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressing roller presses the endless belt against the photosensitive drum by moving to the upstream side of the endless belt in the running direction.