JP2005172856A - Image forming apparatus and transfer unit used therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the positioning precision of a contact transfer member and a transfer material guide member and to keep maintenance workability of both good while securing jam processing workability. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus composes at least a part of the contact transfer member 2 and the transfer material guide member 4 as one transfer unit 5, and is provided with an openable door cover 8 by facing a transfer material conveying passage 7 at a part corresponding to the transfer unit 5 of an apparatus body 6, and with a positioning mechanism 9 for detachably holding the transfer unit 5 on the door cover 8 and capable of positioning the transfer unit 5 when closing the door cover 8. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus using a contact transfer member in which a transfer material is sandwiched in a transfer region between the image carrier and the image forming apparatus. The present invention relates to the improvement of the rolling unit.

Conventionally, as an example of this type of image forming apparatus, for example, an electrophotographic system, a transfer device is disposed facing an image carrier such as a photosensitive drum, and the transfer device is formed on the image carrier. There has already been provided an electrostatic transfer of a toner image to a transfer material.
As this type of transfer device, there is also a non-contact type device composed of a transfer unit such as corotron. However, from the viewpoint of suppressing the generation of ozone and the like, the transfer material is transferred in the transfer area with the image carrier. A contact-type device composed of a transfer unit such as a transfer roll that is sandwiched is often used.
In an embodiment using such a contact-type device, the transfer material is securely placed in close contact with the image carrier in the transfer area between the image carrier and the transfer roll, and the transfer performance by the transfer roll is kept good. Is requested.

  In order to satisfy such a requirement, conventionally, in order to guide the transfer material to the transfer area between the image carrier and the transfer roll, a transfer material guide device is provided upstream of the transfer area in the transfer material conveyance path. There is a known arrangement. This transfer material guide device has a pair of guide chutes through which the transfer material is guided and conveyed, and in addition to a mode in which the guide chutes guide directly to the transfer area, the transfer material guide device uses the waist of the transfer material to the image carrier side. There is also known one in which a transfer material is pressed and the transfer material is closely arranged on an image carrier in a transfer area (for example, see Patent Documents 1 to 3).

Further, in this type of image forming apparatus, there is a concern that a jam may occur near the transfer site, and therefore it is necessary to adopt a configuration that enables jam processing.
In order to enable this kind of jam processing, conventionally, a door cover is provided at a position facing the transfer material conveyance path in the apparatus main body so that the door cover can be opened and closed, and a transfer unit and a transfer material are provided on the door cover side. There has already been provided one that secures a jam processing space by attaching one guide chute of the guide device and opening the transfer material conveyance path when the door cover is opened (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-273868 (Example, FIG. 1) JP 2000-231321 A (Embodiment of the Invention, FIG. 2) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2003-76154 (Embodiment of the Invention, FIG. 2)

By the way, in this type of image forming apparatus, in a mode in which the door cover is opened and closed, a method of positioning the transfer unit and one of the guide chutes on the door cover side is employed, but the rigidity of the door cover itself is adopted. However, the positioning accuracy of the transfer unit and the guide chute is likely to be adversely affected.
In this regard, for example, Patent Document 2 proposes that the vertical position of the door cover can be adjusted when the door cover is opened and closed. However, since the position other than the vertical direction cannot be adjusted, the positioning of the transfer unit and the guide chute is not possible. There is a limit to accuracy.
Also, during the maintenance of the transfer unit and the guide chute, it is necessary to replace each part or to remove and clean the part once, but it is very difficult to position each part individually. There is also a technical problem.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above technical problems, and is capable of positioning a contact transfer member (for example, a transfer roll) and a transfer material guide member (guide chute) while ensuring jam handling workability. In addition, an image forming apparatus and a transfer unit used for the image forming apparatus can be provided that improve the maintenance workability of the two.

  That is, according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, an image carrier 1 that carries an image and a transfer material 3 in a transfer area n between the image carrier 1 and an image on the image carrier 1 An image forming apparatus comprising: a contact transfer member 2 that electrostatically transfers the image; and a transfer material guide member 4 (for example, 4a, 4b) that guides the transfer material 3 to a transfer area n between the image carrier 1 and the contact transfer member 2. In FIG. 1, the contact transfer member 2 and at least a part of the transfer material guide member 4 are configured as one transfer unit 5, while a portion corresponding to the transfer unit 5 of the apparatus body 6 faces the transfer material conveyance path 7. An openable / closable door cover 8 is provided. The door cover 8 is provided with a positioning mechanism 9 that can hold the transfer unit 5 in a removable manner and can position the transfer unit 5 when the door cover 8 is closed. To do.

In such technical means, the present application is directed to an image forming apparatus including a contact transfer member 2 and a transfer material guide member 4.
Here, the image carrier 1 is mainly intended for a drum shape, but may be a belt shape stretched around a stretch roll. In addition to an image forming carrier such as a photoconductor, an intermediate transfer member is also included. Further, the contact transfer member 2 only needs to hold the transfer material 3 in the transfer area n between the image carrier 1 and is normally placed in contact with the image carrier 1, but is placed close to the image carrier 1. It can be done.

In addition, an image material such as toner is used for the image on the image carrier 1, and the charging characteristics of the image material are arbitrary. However, when a high tribo image material is used, a low tribo image material is used. Since a higher transfer voltage (current) is required as compared with this, if the adhesion between the image carrier 1 and the transfer material 3 is impaired in the transfer area n, transfer failure tends to occur. It is necessary to improve the positioning accuracy of the transfer material guide member 4 (particularly, the transfer material guide member near the transfer region). In this regard, the present application is intended to improve the positioning accuracy of the both, and therefore, the present application is particularly effective when a high tribo image material is used. The high tribo image material here refers to a material having a charging characteristic of 10 to 40 μC / g under a high humidity environment (for example, temperature 28 ° C./humidity 85%). The low tribo image material refers to a material having charging characteristics of 3 to 10 μC / g under a high humidity environment.
Further, the present application is particularly effective because the average particle diameter of the image material is a small diameter of 8 μm or less, and the non-magnetic toner as the image material easily leads to high tribo.

In addition, as the transfer material guide member 4, a normal pair configuration is adopted in order to regulate the conveyance direction of the transfer material 3. As a guide mode of the transfer material 3 by the transfer material guide member 4, the transfer material 3 may be guided directly to the transfer area n, or it may be in an upstream part of the image carrier 1 outside the transfer area n. The transfer material 3 may be rushed and guided to the transfer area n while being in close contact with the image carrier 1. However, from the viewpoint of maintaining good adhesion of the transfer material 3 in the transfer area n, the latter mode is used. Is preferred.
As a transfer mode of the transfer material 3 by the transfer material guide member 4, it is preferable to guide and convey the transfer material 3 along the transfer material guide member 4a near the transfer area n. According to this mode, the transfer material 3 Can be stabilized.
Furthermore, as a configuration example of the transfer material guide member 4, it may be configured in an appropriate shape with a material such as resin or metal.

Further, the transfer unit 5 typically includes a transfer material guide member 4a near the transfer area n, but the transfer material guide member 4a does not necessarily have to be the whole, and the transfer material 3 has an entry posture. It may be a part (part) that directly influences.
Furthermore, as a typical mode of the transfer unit 5, there is a unit holder 12 in which the contact transfer member 2 is accommodated, and at least a part of the transfer material guide member 4 is provided on the unit holder 12. Can be mentioned. In this aspect, the unit holder 12 and at least a part of the transfer material guide member 4 do not have to be integrated, but in order to maintain the relative positional relationship between the contact transfer member 2 and the transfer material guide member 4 with high accuracy, they are integrated. Preferably.

Further, the door cover 8 includes any mode as long as it can be opened and closed. However, from the viewpoint of securing a wide jam processing space, a mode in which the door cover 8 is swingable with respect to the apparatus main body 6 is preferable.
Furthermore, as a structure for attaching the transfer unit 5 to the door cover 8, it is necessary to be able to satisfy both of being detachably held and being positioned by the positioning mechanism 9 when the door cover 8 is closed.
Here, as a typical aspect of the structure for attaching the transfer unit 5 to the door cover 8, any structure may be used as long as the transfer unit 5 is held by the door cover 8 via a holding unit 11 that can be relatively moved. In this embodiment, the holding unit 11 functions as an attachment member that holds the transfer unit 5 in a state where it is not restrained by the door cover 8.
At this time, as a typical aspect of the support structure of the holding unit 11 to the door cover 8, it is preferable that the holding unit 11 is elastically supported with respect to the door cover 8. With such an elastic support structure, the holding unit 11 is supported. 11 relative movements are possible.

Further, as a typical aspect of the support structure of the contact transfer member 2 in the transfer unit 5, the transfer unit 5 has a unit holder 12 in which the contact transfer member 2 is accommodated, and the contact transfer member 2 with respect to the unit holder 12. The mode which elastically supports is mentioned. In this aspect, the positioning mechanism 9 may be provided with the elastic support structure.
Furthermore, in a mode in which the transfer material 3 is guided to the transfer area n while the transfer material 3 is in close contact with the image carrier 1 side, it is necessary to suppress the lifting of the transfer material 3. Under such a requirement, as a preferable mode of the transfer material guide member 4 provided on the transfer unit 5 side, the transfer unit 5 is provided with a transfer material guide member 4a near the transfer area n, and the transfer material guide member 4a Examples of the image carrier 1 side end include a protrusion 13 that presses the transfer material 3 in close contact with the image carrier 1 side. According to this aspect, the adhesion of the transfer material 3 to the image carrier 1 can be maintained.

The present invention is not limited to the image forming apparatus as described above, but also targets the transfer unit itself.
In this case, according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, an image carrier 1 that carries an image, and a transfer material 3 is sandwiched in a transfer area n between the image carrier 1 and on the image carrier 1. Used in an image forming apparatus including a contact transfer member 2 for electrostatic transfer of the image and a transfer material guide member 4 for guiding the transfer material 3 to a transfer area n between the image carrier 1 and the contact transfer member 2. Examples of the unit 5 include a unit holder 12 in which the contact transfer member 2 is accommodated, and the unit holder 12 and at least a part of the transfer material guide member 4 are integrally formed.
As such a transfer unit 5, the apparatus body 6 is provided with a door cover 8 that can be opened and closed facing the transfer material conveyance path 7, and is detachably incorporated in the door cover 8 and positioned when the door cover 8 is closed. Those are preferred.

According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the contact transfer member and at least a part of the transfer material guide member form one transfer unit, and the transfer unit is detachably held by a door cover that can be opened and closed with respect to the apparatus body. In addition, since the transfer unit is positioned when the door cover is closed, it is possible to ensure the jam handling workability by opening the door cover, and even if the rigidity of the door cover is not so high, The positioning accuracy of the contact transfer member and the transfer material guide member can be improved, and the maintenance of both the contact transfer member and the transfer material guide member can be realized only by performing maintenance work on one transfer unit. Both maintenance workability can be kept favorable.
Further, according to the transfer unit of the present invention, it is possible to easily construct an image forming apparatus capable of achieving both the positioning accuracy of the contact transfer member and the transfer material guide member and the maintenance workability of both. .

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.
Embodiment 1
FIG. 2 shows the overall configuration of the first embodiment of the image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied.
In the figure, the image forming apparatus includes, for example, an electrophotographic image forming engine 21 in the apparatus main body 20, and supplies a transfer material (transfer paper, OHP sheet) below the image forming engine 21 in the apparatus main body 20. The tray 22 is provided, and the upper portion of the apparatus main body 20 is configured as a discharge tray 27. The transfer material sent from the supply tray 22 is formed on one side of the apparatus main body 20 (corresponding to the left side in FIG. 2). A conveyance path 23 leading to the engine 21 and the discharge tray 27 is provided in a substantially vertical direction.

In the present embodiment, the image forming engine 21 employs, for example, an electrophotographic system, and includes a photosensitive drum 31 as an image carrier and a charging device (in this example, a charging device) that charges the photosensitive drum 31. Roll) 32, an exposure device 33 such as a laser scanning device for writing an electrostatic latent image (hereinafter referred to as a latent image) on the charged photosensitive drum 31, and a developing device for developing the latent image on the photosensitive drum 31 with toner. 34, a transfer device 35 that transfers a visible image (toner image) on the photosensitive drum 31 to a transfer material, and a cleaning device 36 that cleans residual toner on the photosensitive drum 31.
Here, the toner used in the developing device 34 is a high tribo nonmagnetic toner having a charge amount of 10 to 40 μC / g under a high humidity environment (for example, temperature 28 ° C./humidity 85%). Those having an average particle size of 8 μm or less are used.
As the supply tray 22, for example, a plurality of (three in this example) cassette trays 41 to 43 and two large capacity trays 44 and 45 are disposed, for example. Each supply tray 22 is provided with a feeder 46 for supplying a transfer material, and each supply tray 22 and a conveyance path 23 extending in a substantially vertical direction are connected to each other via a communication path 47. .

Further, a registration roll 24 for positioning and conveying the transfer material is provided on the upstream side of the photosensitive drum 31 in the conveyance path 23, and a fixing device 25 is disposed on the downstream side of the photosensitive drum 31 in the conveyance path 23. Established.
Immediately after the fixing device 25 in the conveyance path 23, the branch path is bifurcated, one branch path 51 extends toward the discharge tray 27, and the other branch path 52 extends toward one side wall of the apparatus body 20. Between both branch paths 51 and 52, a switching gate 53 for path switching is disposed. In addition, a straight path 54 that linearly connects the two branch paths 51 and 52 is provided, and discharge rollers 55 and 56 are disposed at the exit portions of the branch paths 51 and 52. Reference numeral 57 denotes a transport roll disposed as necessary in the transport path 23 and the communication path 47.
Further, a door cover 80 (see FIG. 3) is provided on the side wall of the apparatus main body 20 facing the conveyance path 23 extending in the substantially vertical direction so as to be openable and closable. It is arranged. A return conveyance path 61 communicating with the branch path 52 and communicating with the upstream side of the registration roll 24 in the conveyance path 23 is provided in the double-sided recording unit 60, and a discharge path is provided in the middle of the return conveyance path 61. 62 is branched, an appropriate number of transport rolls 63 are disposed in the return transport path 61, and a discharge roll 64 is disposed at the exit portion of the discharge path 62. A second discharge tray 65 is provided at a location corresponding to the outlet of the discharge path 62 of the duplex recording unit 60.
In FIG. 2, reference numeral 70 denotes a manual feed tray for manually transferring a transfer material, and 71 denotes a manual feeder provided on the manual feed tray 70.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the door cover 80 of the apparatus main body 20 is supported in a swingable manner with a lower end portion as a swing fulcrum 81.
Further, the transfer device 35 includes a transfer unit 100 that secures a transfer area between the photosensitive drum 31 and the transfer unit 100 is held by the door cover 80 via a holding unit 120.
Further, a transfer material guide device 140 is disposed on the upstream side of the transfer area of the transfer unit 100 in the transport path 23.

More specifically, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the transfer unit 100 includes a unit holder 102 having a substantially J-shaped cross section that can accommodate the transfer roll 101. This unit holder The shaft 102 is rotatably supported at both end shaft portions of the transfer roll 101 via bearing members 103 and 104. Reference numeral 105 denotes an end cap that closes both ends of the unit holder 102.
The unit holder 102 is integrally formed of, for example, a resin material such as ABS or polycarbonate, and includes a positioning protrusion 106 that protrudes outward on the outside of the bottom.
Further, the transfer roll 101 is elastically supported through a positioning mechanism 110 so as to be relatively movable. As the positioning mechanism 110 of this example, a pair of positioning holes (not shown) are opened in the vicinity of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the unit holder 102, and a pair of bearing members 103 and 104 can be fitted in the positioning holes, respectively. A guide protrusion 111 is provided, and the guide protrusion 111 is engaged with the positioning hole, and an elastic spring 112 is wound around the guide protrusion 111 to elastically support the bearing members 103 and 104 so as to be relatively movable. Is used.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a holding unit receiving portion 82 on which the holding unit 120 can be mounted is provided inside the door cover 80, and the holding unit 120 is attached to the holding unit receiving portion 82. It is elastically supported via a predetermined number (for example, four) of elastic springs 121 and is attached to the door cover 80 without being restricted. Reference numeral 83 denotes a detachment stopper projecting from both sides of the holding unit receiving portion 82 in the width direction, and restricts the position of the holding unit 120 in the width direction.
The holding unit 120 is provided with a transfer unit receiving portion 122 on which the transfer unit 100 can be mounted, and a positioning hole (not shown) is opened in the transfer unit receiving portion 122. The positioning unit 106 is detachably attached to the holding unit 120 with the positioning projection 106 of the unit holder 102 engaged with the positioning hole of the transfer unit receiving portion 122.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 8, the transfer material guiding device 140 is located upstream of the transfer area n of the transfer unit 100 (corresponding to the contact nip area between the transfer roll 101 and the photosensitive drum 31) in the transport path 23. The pair of guide chutes 141 and 142 are arranged in the shape. The guide chutes 141 and 142 may be any guides that guide the transfer material into the upstream portion of the photosensitive drum 31 outside the transfer area n. In this example, the transfer material has a stable entry posture h. Therefore, the transfer material is guided and conveyed along the guide chute 141 near the transfer area n. The material of the guide chutes 141 and 142 may be arbitrarily selected regardless of whether it is made of metal or resin.

In particular, in the present embodiment, the guide chute 141 near the transfer area n is configured integrally with the unit holder 102 of the transfer unit 100 as shown in FIGS. In other words, the guide chute 141 has a conveyance surface 143 extending along the transfer material conveyance path 23 from the end of the transfer area n near the transfer area n of the unit holder 102 having a substantially J-shaped cross section. The entry posture h of the transfer material is regulated according to the inclination posture.
A protrusion 144 protruding toward the photosensitive drum 31 is integrally formed at the connecting portion between the unit holder 102 and the guide chute 141.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the transfer material entry posture h and the gap k between the photosensitive drum 31 and the projection 144 are selected as follows.
That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the contact surface M at the transfer material entry portion to the photosensitive drum 31 and the transfer material entry posture h (in this example, corresponding to the direction of the conveyance surface 143 of the guide chute 141 near the transfer region n). ), The angle (transfer material entry angle) is θ, and 45 ° ≦ θ ≦ 60 ° is satisfied. With respect to this numerical range, when the rush angle θ of the transfer material is less than 45 °, the adhesion between the photosensitive drum 31 and the transfer material becomes difficult, whereas when θ exceeds 60 °, the transfer area n This is based on the fact that the transferability of the transfer material to the substrate is impaired.

The gap k between the photosensitive drum 31 and the protrusion 144 is set so as to satisfy 0.1 mm ≦ k ≦ 2.5 mm. With respect to this numerical range, if the gap k is less than 1.0 mm, the transferability of the transfer material is impaired. If the gap k exceeds 2.5 mm, the transfer material between the photosensitive drum 31 and the transfer material is lifted due to the stiff rise of the transfer material. Based on the loss of adhesion.
Here, the entry point of the transfer material with respect to the photosensitive drum 31 may be shifted to the upstream side of the photosensitive drum 31 with respect to the linear position connecting the photosensitive drum 31 and the center of the transfer roll 101. In order to ensure the adhesion of the transfer material at n, the deviation angle is preferably 10 ° or more, and the deviation angle is preferably less than 90 ° in consideration of transferability of the transfer material.

In this embodiment, a flexible pressing member 145 is provided on the guide drums 141 and 142 on the photosensitive drum 31 side. The flexible pressing member 145 is made of a flexible film piece such as polyethylene terephthalate, for example, and is flexible to the guide chute (guide chute located on the right side in the drawing) 142 on the side away from the transfer area n. The flexible film piece is supported near the exit of the transfer material conveying surface 143 (see FIG. 7) of the guide chute (guide chute located on the left side in the figure) 141 near the transfer area n. The free ends are elastically contacted.
The flexible pressing member 145 prevents the transfer material conveyance surface 143 of the guide chutes 141 and 142 from being soiled by the toner cloud from the developing device 34 (see FIG. 3) and suppresses the trailing edge jump of the transfer material. Thus, vibration of the transfer material accompanying the trailing edge jump of the transfer material is prevented, and transfer defects (such as image disturbance) in the transfer area n are suppressed in advance.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, when the distance between the tip of the guide chute 141 near the transfer area n (specifically, the tip of the projection 144) and the tip of the contact portion of the flexible pressing member 145 is d. Satisfies 3.5 mm ≦ d ≦ 5.5 mm. As for this numerical range, if it is less than 3.5 mm, there is a concern about the contamination of the transfer material due to the contamination of the tip of the flexible pressing member 145. On the other hand, if it exceeds 5.5 mm, the image is disturbed due to the trailing edge of the transfer material. Is based on concerns.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, a control device (not shown) controls a transfer bias power supply (not shown) and applies a predetermined bias to the transfer roll 101. Various control methods are available. You can adopt it.
For example, as shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9A, when a transfer material (for example, transfer paper) passes through the transfer area n of the transfer unit 100 (at the time of paper passing), a normal transfer bias Vt is applied to transfer the transfer material. When the transfer material does not pass through the area n (when paper is not passed), for example, a cleaning bias V0 (a voltage lower than the transfer bias Vt or a reverse polarity bias) is applied so that toner adhesion to the transfer roll 101 is reduced. It has become. There is also a method in which the cleaning bias V0 is not applied when paper is not passed.
Further, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9B, a normal transfer bias Vt is applied to a portion other than the rear end portion Pr of the transfer material during paper feeding, and the rear end portion Pr of the transfer material is applied. A corresponding portion may be applied with a peeling bias Vt ′ having a polarity opposite to that of the transfer bias Vt. Since the peeling bias Vt ′ gives a polarity repelling to the photosensitive drum 31 to the rear end portion Pr of the transfer material, the rear end portion Pr of the transfer material is easily peeled off from the photosensitive drum 31, and the transfer material is peeled accordingly. The trailing edge jump of the transfer material at the time is effectively suppressed, and the image distortion accompanying the trailing edge jump of the transfer material is effectively prevented. Further, instead of applying the transfer bias Vt in place of the peeling bias Vt ′, the electrostatic adhesive force due to the transfer bias Vt at the rear end portion Pr of the transfer material may be weakened. Note that, as indicated by the phantom line in FIG. 9B, if the peeling bias Vt ′ is applied or not applied to the front end portion Pf of the transfer material, the transfer material can be further reduced. The peeling performance of the is improved.
Further, as shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9C, the normal transfer bias Vt is applied to the portion other than the rear end portion Pr of the transfer material during the sheet passing, and the rear end portion Pr of the transfer material is applied. A low transfer bias Vt1 having the same polarity as the transfer bias Vt and a low current or low voltage may be applied to the corresponding portion. Here, the low current means that the current is lower than the normal transfer current when the constant current control is performed, for example, and the low voltage means the normal transfer bias when the constant voltage control is performed, for example. Means a lower voltage. According to this aspect, since the electrostatic adhesion force to the photosensitive drum 31 is weakened at the rear end portion Pr of the transfer material, the transfer material is easily peeled off. Note that, as indicated by the phantom line in FIG. 9C, if a low transfer bias Vt1 is applied corresponding to the front end portion Pf of the transfer material, the image transferability is further improved at the front end portion Pf of the transfer material. Is maintained to some extent, and the transfer material peeling performance is improved.

In particular, in this embodiment, as the transfer roll 101, a semiconductive member in which at least a semiconductive elastic layer is formed on the outer periphery of a conductive support (roll base) is used. The semiconductive member is a conductive and semiconductive member used as various devices of an image forming apparatus, such as a charging member, a transfer member, a primary transfer member and a secondary transfer member in an intermediate transfer system, a cleaning member, and a charge eliminating member. It is a conductive member (hereinafter referred to as a semiconductive member), and the shape thereof is not limited to a roll shape but may be a blade shape.
Next, the semiconductive member used in the present embodiment has the following components (A) to (C) as essential components, and the total amount of the components (A) and (B) is 100 parts by mass. The component (C) is formed of a rubber composition containing 10 to 80 parts by mass.
(A) Epichlorohydrin-allyl glycidyl ether copolymer (B) Acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR)
(C) Electroconductive agent

Thus, it is essential that the semiconductive member used in the present embodiment has a semiconductive elastic body layer containing the components (A) to (C).
As in the present embodiment, a semi-conductive rubber composition comprising a combination of epichlorohydrin-allyl glycidyl ether copolymer (component A) having high ion conductivity and NBR (component B) having low ion conductivity. By forming the elastic layer, the conductivity of the semiconductive elastic layer is governed by ionic conduction, and the voltage dependency of the electrical resistance is reduced. And by blending a predetermined amount of an electron conductive conductive agent (component C) into this rubber composition, the electrical resistance under low temperature and low humidity becomes low and close to the electrical resistance under high temperature and high humidity. As a result, the electrical resistance value does not fluctuate greatly even under high temperature and high humidity or low temperature and low humidity, and it is difficult to be influenced by the environment such as temperature and humidity, that is, the environmental dependency is reduced. Further, since no low molecular ion conductive agent is added, there is no problem of blooming, and as a result, contamination of the surface of the semiconductive member and the surface of the photoreceptor can be prevented.

The rubber components used in the present embodiment are epichlorohydrin-allyl glycidyl ether copolymer (component A) and NBR (component B). The epichlorohydrin-allyl glycidyl ether copolymer (component A) and NBR (component B) are highly compatible and are uniformly dispersed when blended. As a result, the rubber material has a small resistance variation. The compounding ratio of the epichlorohydrin-allyl glycidyl ether copolymer (component A) and NBR (component B) can be set in the range of (A) / (B) = 80/20 to 20/80 in terms of mass ratio. preferable. More preferably, (A) / (B) = 60/40 to 40/60.
That is, when the epichlorohydrin-allylglycidyl ether copolymer (component A) is less than 20 (NBR (component B exceeds 80)) in the blending ratio (blending ratio), the obtained semiconductive member In the case where the initial electrical resistance tends to increase, and the epichlorohydrin-allyl glycidyl ether copolymer (component A) exceeds 80 [NBR (component B) is less than 20), the ion conductivity becomes strong, The environmental dependency of electrical resistance tends to be high. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the addition amount of the electron conductive conductive agent, which may cause problems such as an increase in roll hardness.

Moreover, when the epichlorohydrin-allyl glycidyl ether copolymer (A component) and NBR (B component) are used together as a rubber composition which forms the said semiconductive elastic body layer like this Embodiment, NBR ( Since the component B) can be made into a low-viscosity polymer, the extrusion pressure can be reduced and the effect of improving the extrusion skin can be obtained in extrusion molding and the like.
As the forming material of the semiconductive elastic layer, as described above, epichlorohydrin-allyl glycidyl ether copolymer (component A), NBR (component B), and electron conductive conductive agent (component C) are used. With respect to 100 parts by mass (hereinafter, abbreviated as “part” as appropriate) of the above-mentioned components (A) and (B) that are essential components and rubber components, A rubber composition set in the range of 80 parts is used. More preferably, the component (C) is in the range of 30 to 70 parts. When the component (C) is within this range, it is possible to effectively reduce the fluctuation range of the electric resistance due to the environmental change and voltage change of the obtained semiconductive member.
That is, when the blending amount of the electron conductive conductive agent (C component) is less than 10 parts, there is a tendency that the effect of electron conduction that affects the fluctuation range is not observed. There may be a problem that the hardness of the conductive roller becomes hard and the nip pressure at the transfer portion increases.

Examples of the electron conductive conductive agent (component C) include metals such as carbon black, graphite, aluminum, nickel, and copper alloys, or alloys, tin oxide, zinc oxide, kalim titanate, tin oxide-indium oxide, and tin oxide. -Metal oxides, such as antimony oxide complex oxide, etc. are mentioned, Among these, carbon black is preferable.
Carbon black suitable as an electron conductive conductive agent (component C) has a property of binding in a chain form in the rubber composition to which this is added, and the resistance value of the rubber composition depends on the length of the chain bond. Will be different. If this chain bond is long, the conductivity of the semiconductive elastic layer is improved and its resistance value is lowered. On the other hand, if the chain bond is short, the conductivity of the semiconductive elastic layer is lowered and its resistance value is increased. That is, when carbon black that forms a long chain bond is added, the amount of carbon black added to develop a desired resistance value can be reduced compared to carbon black that forms a short chain bond. Since the resistance value changes greatly, it is impossible to reduce the variation in the resistance value in the semiconductive elastic layer described above.

In addition, as the electron conductive conductive agent (C component) in the present embodiment, it is also preferable to use two types of carbon blacks having different characteristics such as surface characteristics.
The length of the above-mentioned chain bond depends on the particle size and surface activity of the individual particles of carbon black. As one index indicating this, DBP (dibutyl phthalate) defined in ASTM D2414-6TT is used. ) Oil-absorbing. This DBP oil absorbency is expressed by whether the DBP amount (ml) absorbed by 100 g of carbon black is large or small. Carbon blacks with higher DBP oil absorption, that is, more oil absorption are considered to form longer chain bonds.
If only the carbon black having a high DBP oil-absorbing property is added to the rubber composition to adjust the resistance value of the elastic layer, the resistance value greatly changes even if the addition amount is slightly increased or decreased. Therefore, a predetermined resistance value cannot be imparted to the elastic layer unless the addition amount and dispersion state of carbon black are strictly defined. On the other hand, if only the carbon black having a low DBP oil absorbency is added and the resistance value of the elastic layer is adjusted, the carbon black is substantially less in the rubber composition than the case where only the carbon black having a high DBP oil absorbency is added. Since it disperses uniformly, the rate of change in resistance value with an increase or decrease in the amount added decreases. However, in order to impart a predetermined resistance value to the elastic layer, it is necessary to add a larger amount of carbon black than when adding only carbon black having high DBP oil absorption. As a result, since the blending ratio of carbon black in the rubber composition is increased, the rubber composition becomes highly viscous when kneaded with a Banbury mixer, a kneader or the like, so that processing becomes difficult. Moreover, the problem that the obtained elastic layer becomes high hardness may generate | occur | produce.
Therefore, it is preferable to use two or more types of carbon blacks having different DBP oil absorption properties of carbon black having a high DBP oil absorption property and carbon black having a low oil absorption property.

The carbon black added to the material for forming the semiconductive elastic layer may be any carbon black having a difference in DBP oil absorption, but if this difference is too small, it is the same as the case where one kind of carbon black is added. Will produce negative results. Accordingly, carbon black having a certain degree of difference in DBP oil absorption is preferable. Carbon oil with high DBP oil absorption has an oil absorption of 250 ml / 100 g or more, and carbon black with low oil absorption has an oil absorption of 100 ml / 100 g. It is preferable to combine the following.
Specifically, as carbon black having high oil absorption, for example, HS-500 (made by Asahi Carbon Co., Ltd.) with an oil absorption amount of 447 ml / 100 g, Ketjen Black (made by Lion Azo Co., Ltd.) with an oil absorption amount of 360 ml / 100 g And carbon black such as Vulcan XC-72 (manufactured by Cabot Corporation) having an oil absorption of 288 ml / 100 g and Vulcan XC-72 having an oil absorption of 265 ml / 100 g. Moreover, as carbon black with low oil absorption, Asahi Thermal FT (Asahi Carbon Co., Ltd.) having an oil absorption of 28 ml / 100 g, Asahi Thermal MT (Asahi Carbon Co., Ltd.) having an oil absorption of 35 ml / 100 g, etc. Thermal black etc. are mentioned.

In addition to the components (A) to (C), a cross-linking agent, a filler, a foaming agent, and the like are appropriately blended in the semiconductive elastic body layer as necessary. However, the component constituting the semiconductive elastic body layer in the present invention does not include an ion conductive conductive agent.
The crosslinking agent is not particularly limited, and conventionally known ones such as thiourea, triazine, sulfur and the like can be mentioned. Examples of the filler include insulating fillers such as silica, talc, clay and titanium oxide, and these may be used alone or in combination. Moreover, as said foaming agent, any of an inorganic type foaming agent and an organic type foaming agent may be used, for example, These may be used independently and may be used together 2 or more types.
In the present embodiment, the semiconductive elastic layer in the semiconductive member is produced by using a mixer such as a tumbler, a V-type blender, a nauter mixer, a Banbury mixer, a kneading roller, or an extruder. Can do. Moreover, when manufacturing the semiconductive elastic body layer in the present embodiment, the mixing method of each component and the order of mixing are not particularly limited. As a general method, all components are mixed in advance with a tumbler, V blender, etc., and uniformly melt-mixed by an extruder. Depending on the shape of the components, two or more types of molten mixtures in these components are used. Alternatively, a method of melt-mixing the remaining components can be used.

Hereinafter, the semiconductive member according to the present embodiment will be described in more detail.
The conductive support in the semiconductive member of the present embodiment is made of a metal such as SUS or SUM, for example. In the case of a semiconductive member having a roll-like structure, the conductive support is disposed so as to penetrate the axial direction of the semiconductive member, and can also function as a rotating shaft of the semiconductive member. Further, since an external power supply is connected to the conductive support and a desired bias is applied, it also functions as a voltage application means to the semiconductive member together with the external power supply.
The semiconductive elastic body layer is formed on a conductive support, and as described above, is composed of a specific rubber composition containing the components (A) to (C), and has a hardness according to the use of the semiconductive member. The surface characteristics (surface roughness, friction coefficient), electrical characteristics (electric resistance), etc. are adjusted. By appropriately adjusting various conditions such as electrical characteristics and surface characteristics of the semiconductive elastic layer, it can be suitably used not only for transfer rolls but also for various other members (charging members, charge removal members, etc.). .
Further, specifically, as the surface characteristics, the roll hardness is preferably adjusted to a range of 10 ° to 70 ° with an Asuka C hardness described in JISK-7312. For example, when used as a transfer roll More preferably, it is in the range of 10 ° to 50 °. When used as a charging member, it is more preferably in the range of 20 ° to 70 °.
Specifically, as the electrical characteristics, the volume resistance value of the semiconductive elastic layer is preferably adjusted to a range of 10 ³ to 10 ¹⁰ Ω, and more preferably 10 ⁶ to 10 when used as a transfer roll. The range is ¹⁰ Ω. When used as a charging member, it is more preferably in the range of 10 ⁵ to 10 ⁸ Ω.

The volume resistance value (R) of the semiconductive elastic layer is determined by applying a load of 500 g to both ends of the semiconductive member on the roll-like semiconductive member on a metal plate or the like. This is obtained by applying a voltage of 1.0 kV (V) to the sex member, reading the current value I (A) after 10 seconds, and calculating by the following equation.
R = V / I
The thickness of the semiconductive elastic layer is generally set to about 2 to 12 mm, and a suitable range is 3 to 5 mm.
Furthermore, the configuration of the semiconductive elastic body layer is not limited as long as the surface characteristics, electrical characteristics, and the like are adjusted according to the application, and the semiconductive elastic body layer may be composed of a single layer or a plurality of layers. Good.

Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, when creating an image, a start switch (not shown) may be operated to start a series of image forming cycles.
In this image forming cycle, a predetermined toner image (image) is formed on the photosensitive drum 31 by the image forming engine 21, while a transfer material is sent out from the supply tray 22, and the registration roll 24 is transferred via the transport path 23. The material is guided to the transfer device 35 via the material guide device 140, and the toner image on the photosensitive drum 31 is transferred to the transfer material, and then the transfer material is discharged to, for example, the discharge tray 27 via the fixing device 25. is there.

When attention is paid to the behavior of the transfer material guided to the transfer area n (transfer area of the transfer roll 101) of the transfer device 35 in such an image forming cycle, as shown in FIG. Then, it is guided and conveyed along the guide chute 141 near the transfer area n of the transfer material guide device 140, enters the photosensitive drum 31 at a predetermined entry angle θ, and then transfers in close contact with the photosensitive drum 31. Proceed to zone n.
At this time, since the rush angle θ of the transfer material is set within a predetermined range (45 ° ≦ θ ≦ 60 °), the transfer material is in a state of being in close contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 31 without impairing the transportability. To be kept.

In the present embodiment, the tip of the guide chute 141 near the transfer area n (the tip of the protruding portion 144) is close to the photosensitive drum 31 with a predetermined gap k (1.0 mm ≦ k ≦ 2.5 mm in this example). For example, even if a stiff transfer material is used, transferability of the transfer material is kept good, and lifting of the transfer material with respect to the curvature of the photosensitive drum 31 is effectively suppressed.
Therefore, the adhesion of the transfer material to the photosensitive drum 31 in the transfer area n is kept extremely good, and a part of the transfer material floats in the transfer area n, and a discharge occurs in the gap generated at that time. Is effectively avoided. For this reason, transfer defects (white spots and scattering) due to discharge in the transfer area n are effectively prevented.
In this embodiment, since the transfer material guide device 140 includes the flexible pressing member 145, the transfer material is effectively prevented from being contaminated by the toner cloud during the transfer material conveyance process. Since the trailing edge of the transfer material is also pressed by the flexible pressing member 145, the image disturbance accompanying the trailing edge of the transfer material is effectively prevented.

In the present embodiment, the transfer device 35 is incorporated in the apparatus main body 20 as follows.
That is, when the transfer device 35 is assembled, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, after the door cover 80 is opened, the transfer unit 100 is held inside the door cover 80 via the holding unit 120, and thereafter The door cover 80 may be closed.
At this time, when the door cover 80 is closed, the transfer roll 101 of the transfer unit 100 comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 31, for example, but the transfer roll 101 can be relatively moved by the positioning mechanism 110. Positioned based on 31 positions.
At this time, since the holding unit 120 is elastically supported with respect to the door cover 80 and the positioning mechanism 110 elastically supports the transfer roll 101, the transfer roll 101 is applied to the photosensitive drum 31 with an appropriate pressure. There will be no concern of being placed in contact with excessive pressure.

In this embodiment, since the guide chute 141 near the transfer area n of the transfer material guide device 140 is integrally formed with the unit holder 102 of the transfer unit 100, the transfer unit 100 is located with respect to the photosensitive drum 31. Therefore, the position of the guide chute 141 near the transfer area n is inevitably fixedly determined. At this time, when the transfer unit 100 and the guide chute 141 are positioned separately, the positional accuracy due to the mounting error slightly decreases between the transfer unit 100 and the guide chute 141. In the embodiment, since the positional accuracy error due to the mounting error described above can be removed, the positional accuracy of the guide chute 141 near the transfer area n can be kept very good.
Therefore, the transfer material entry angle θ and the gap k between the photosensitive drum 31 and the tip of the guide chute 141 (tip of the protrusion 144) can be set very accurately.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the transfer unit 100 is detachably attached to the door cover 80, the transfer unit 100 can be easily replaced.
In particular, in the present embodiment, the transfer material guided to the transfer area n often comes into sliding contact with the tip of the guide chute 141 (tip of the projection 144) of the transfer material guide device 140. For example, the unit holder 102 is made of resin. In such an embodiment, there is a concern that the protrusion 144 gradually wears. However, if the degree of wear of the protrusion 144 is matched with the life of the transfer unit 100, the transfer material guiding device 140 can maintain good transfer material guiding performance in accordance with the replacement timing of the transfer unit 100. Is possible.

Example 1
In this example, an image forming apparatus model (see FIG. 8) according to the embodiment is used, and an angle formed between a contact surface of a photosensitive drum (image carrier) and a transfer material (transfer paper) entry posture (transfer paper entry angle) ) Θ and the gap k between the photosensitive drum (image carrier) and the left guide chute tip are respectively changed as parameters to determine the presence or absence of image quality defects (white spots / scattering) and the paper conveyance performance (Jam). Presence or absence).
In this example,
Photosensitive drum diameter: 30 mm
Diameter of transfer roll: 20mm
Transfer paper entry points:
This is a position that is offset by 20 ° upstream from the center line position of the photosensitive drum and the transfer roll.

The result of Example 1 is shown in FIG.
In the figure, the evaluation criteria are as follows.
White spots / splatters:
○: Image quality with no problem is obtained Δ: Occurs only when stress is around 50% of image coverage ×: Occurs in most halftone images Paper conveyance performance (Jam):
○: Can run without problems △: Some transfer papers (eg thick paper / film paper) that are stiff cannot run x: Most transfer papers cannot run According to the figure, 45 ° ≦ θ ≦ 60 ° In addition, it is understood that 1.0 mm ≦ k ≦ 2.5 mm is necessary for preventing image quality defects and maintaining good paper conveyance performance.
Further, performance evaluation similar to that in Example 1 was performed on each model in which the diameter of the photosensitive drum and the position of the transfer paper entry point were changed. As a result, the transfer paper entry angle θ and the gap k were described above. Similar results were confirmed.

Example 2
This embodiment uses the same image forming apparatus model (FIG. 8) as that of Embodiment 1, and changes the distance d from the tip of the guide chute (left guide chute) near the transfer area to the flexible pressing member as a parameter. Evaluation was made on white spots, trailing edge of the transfer paper, and dirt on the leading edge of the transfer paper.
In this example,
Photosensitive drum diameter: 30 mm
Diameter of transfer roll: 20mm
Transfer paper entry points:
A position offset by 20 ° upstream from the center line position of the photosensitive drum and the transfer roll,
Transfer paper entry angle θ: 40 °
Gap k: 1.5mm
It is.

The results of Example 2 are shown in FIG.
In the figure, the evaluation criteria are as follows.
White spots:
○: Image quality with no problem is obtained Δ: Occurs only when stress is around 50% of image coverage ×: Occurs in most halftone images
○: Impact sound due to splash is not audible ×: Impact sound due to splash is audible Dirt on transfer paper tip:
○: Level that does not become dirty and is not noticeable even if it is dirty ×: Level that worries about dirt According to the figure, 3.5 mm ≦ d ≦ 5.5 mm is white, the trailing edge of the transfer sheet jumps, the leading edge of the transfer sheet It is understood that it is necessary to prevent soiling.
Further, when the same performance evaluation as in Example 2 was performed on each model in which the diameter of the photosensitive drum and the position of the entry point of the transfer paper were changed, the same result as described above with respect to the distance d was obtained. confirmed.

1 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention and a transfer unit used in the image forming apparatus. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing Embodiment 1 of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. It is explanatory drawing which shows the principal part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which open | released the door cover of the apparatus main body in this Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the attachment structure of the transfer unit used by this Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the positioning mechanism of the transfer unit used in this Embodiment. It is sectional explanatory drawing of the transfer unit used by this Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the detail of the transfer material guide apparatus used by this Embodiment. (A)-(c) is a timing chart which shows the transfer control process used by this Embodiment. In the first embodiment, the gap between the image carrier and the tip of the left guide chute and the angle formed by the image carrier contact plane and the transfer paper are changed as parameters, and an explanatory diagram showing the presence or absence of image quality defects in each case It is. In Example 2, it is explanatory drawing which shows the presence or absence of generation | occurrence | production of the image quality defect in each case, changing the distance from the left guide chute tip to the flexible member tip as a parameter.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image carrier, 2 ... Contact transfer member, 3 ... Transfer material, 4 (4a, 4b) ... Transfer material guide member, 5 ... Transfer unit, 6 ... Apparatus main body, 7 ... Transfer material conveyance path, 8 ... Door cover , 9 ... Positioning mechanism, 11 ... Holding unit, 12 ... Unit holder, 13 ... Projection, n ... Transfer area

Claims (10)

An image carrier that carries an image, a contact transfer member that sandwiches a transfer material in a transfer area between the image carrier and electrostatically transfers an image on the image carrier, and an image carrier and a contact transfer member In the image forming apparatus provided with a transfer material guide member for guiding the transfer material to the transfer area of
While configuring the contact transfer member and at least a part of the transfer material guide member as one transfer unit,
A door cover that can be opened and closed facing the transfer material conveyance path is provided at the site corresponding to the transfer unit of the apparatus body.
The door cover holds the transfer unit detachably,
An image forming apparatus comprising a positioning mechanism capable of positioning the transfer unit when the door cover is closed. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.
An image forming apparatus, wherein the door cover is swingable with respect to the apparatus main body. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.
The image forming apparatus, wherein the transfer unit is held by the door cover via a holding unit that is relatively movable. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3.
An image forming apparatus, wherein the holding unit is elastically supported with respect to the door cover. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.
The transfer unit has a unit holder in which a contact transfer member is accommodated, and elastically supports the contact transfer member with respect to the unit holder. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.
The transfer unit has a unit holder in which a contact transfer member is accommodated, and the unit holder and at least a part of the transfer material guide member are integrally configured. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.
The image forming apparatus, wherein the transfer material guide member is a member that causes the transfer material to enter an upstream portion outside the transfer region of the image carrier. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7.
The transfer unit has a transfer material guide member near the transfer area, and an end portion on the image carrier side of the transfer material guide member is provided with a protrusion that presses the transfer material closer to the image carrier side. Image forming apparatus. An image carrier that carries an image, a contact transfer member that sandwiches a transfer material in a transfer area between the image carrier and electrostatically transfers an image on the image carrier, and an image carrier and a contact transfer member A transfer unit used in an image forming apparatus provided with a transfer material guide member for guiding a transfer material to the transfer area of
A transfer unit comprising a unit holder in which a contact transfer member is accommodated, wherein the unit holder and at least a part of a transfer material guide member are integrally formed. The transfer unit according to claim 9, wherein
A transfer unit characterized in that the apparatus body is provided with a door cover that can be opened and closed facing the transfer material conveyance path, and is detachably incorporated in the door cover and positioned when the door cover is closed.

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