JP2006126758A - Detachable unit and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a unit that is detachable from an image forming apparatus capable of easily cleaning paper powder, scraped by a cleaning means, such as Mylar (R), off the body of the image forming apparatus, and to provide the image forming apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: In the unit detachable from the image forming apparatus, the cleaning means (21) for cleaning that abuts against the prescribed member (6) of the image forming apparatus is attached to the outer frame 22 of the unit. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a unit and an image forming apparatus that can be attached to and detached from an image forming apparatus including a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a printer, and a multifunction machine of these.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus, paper dust (fiber waste of recording paper) is generated from the recording paper as the recording paper passes, and accumulates in various places in the apparatus, causing various problems. In particular, when paper dust adheres to and accumulates on the registration rollers, the transportability of the recording paper is reduced, and serious troubles such as a reduction in image quality, jamming of the recording paper, and abnormal noise occur. Conventionally, an image forming apparatus as shown in FIG. 5 is known as a countermeasure against such a problem. In FIG. 1, 1 is a fixing unit, 2 is a PCU (Photo Conductor Unit), 3 is a toner unit, and 4 is a writing unit. Reference numeral 5 denotes a paper feeding unit. The configuration of the peripheral part of the PCU 2 is as shown in FIG. Reference numerals 6 and 7 are a pair of registration rollers, and 8 is an electrophotographic photosensitive member on the unit side that rotates in the direction of the arrow. A transfer roller 9 is in contact with the photosensitive member and is rotated in a direction different from that of the photosensitive member 8. Yes. A recording paper 10 is registered by the registration rollers 6 and 7 and is conveyed in the direction of the arrow between the photosensitive member 8 and the transfer roller 9. 11 is a mylar which is installed in the image forming apparatus main body in the vicinity of the registration roller so that the tip thereof is in contact with the registration roller 6, and is generated from the recording paper as the recording paper 10 passes and adheres and accumulates on the registration roller. Is to be scraped off.

  By the way, in the case of the image forming apparatus as described above, even though the paper dust adhered to and accumulated on the registration roller can be scraped off by the mylar 11, the scraped paper dust is placed on the image forming apparatus main body side where the mylar 11 is installed. Even if the PCU 2 can be removed from the image forming apparatus main body, it is difficult to clean and remove the paper dust.

  In addition to the above, there is also known an image forming apparatus in which a paper dust removing mylar is arranged on the bottom side of a process cartridge unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1). However, the mylar described in Patent Document 1 has a structure in which a bracket is attached to the upper surface of the upper guide plate located on the bottom side of the unit, and the mylar is fixed on the upper surface with a double-sided tape or the like. The dropped paper dust still accumulates on the image forming apparatus main body side and is difficult to remove or clean.

JP-A-10-39720

  Accordingly, the present invention solves the problems of the conventional one, and can easily remove and clean the paper dust scraped off by a cleaning means such as a mylar from the image apparatus main body side. An object is to provide a unit and an image forming apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, in a unit detachable from the image forming apparatus, cleaning is performed by contacting an outer frame of the unit with a predetermined member of the image forming apparatus. The detachable unit is provided with a cleaning means.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, the detachable unit is configured such that at least one of a charging unit, a developing unit, and a cleaning unit and an electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrally formed. The process cartridge is detachable from the main body. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the predetermined member is a registration roller.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, the cleaning unit is a cleaning blade that is in contact with the registration roller, and the paper dust reservoir that receives and accumulates the paper dust removed from the registration roller by the cleaning blade. It is characterized by having.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a unit that can be attached to and detached from an image forming apparatus provided with a cleaning unit that performs cleaning by contacting a predetermined member, and the image forming apparatus is cleaned on an outer frame of the unit. A detachable unit characterized in that a paper dust receiving portion is provided in contact with the means for receiving the paper dust removed from the predetermined member.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fifth aspect, the predetermined member is a registration roller, and the cleaning unit is a cleaning blade in contact with the registration roller. A seventh aspect of the invention is characterized in that, in the fifth or sixth aspect, a paper dust reservoir for collecting paper dust is provided in the vicinity of the paper dust receiving portion. The invention according to an eighth aspect is characterized in that, in any one of the fifth to seventh aspects, the paper dust receiving portion is made of an elastic material such as rubber.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus comprising the detachable unit according to any one of the first to eighth aspects.

  The present invention is as described above, and the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is a unit detachable from the image forming apparatus, and the outer frame of the unit contacts a predetermined member of the image forming apparatus. A cleaning unit that performs cleaning by contact is provided, and the invention according to any one of claims 5 to 8 is a unit that can be attached to and detached from an image forming apparatus provided with a cleaning unit that performs cleaning by contacting a predetermined member. In addition, since a paper dust receiving portion that receives the paper dust removed from the predetermined member in contact with the cleaning unit of the image forming apparatus is provided on the outer frame of the unit, by removing the unit from the image forming apparatus main body, The paper dust removed by the cleaning means can be brought out of the image forming apparatus main body together. Therefore, paper dust does not accumulate on the image forming apparatus side as in the past, and it becomes easy to clean and remove the paper dust, and it is possible to eliminate the trouble that has conventionally occurred due to the paper dust accumulating. . The invention described in claim 9 has an excellent effect that an image forming apparatus including the detachable unit described in any one of claims 1 to 8 can be provided.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration diagram of the PCU peripheral portion of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. In this image forming apparatus, parts having the same functions as those of the conventional image forming apparatus shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description will be simplified. The description will mainly focus on different parts. 21 is a mylar as a cleaning blade attached to the unit outer frame 22 of the PCU 2, and is composed of a horizontal mounting base and an inclined tip portion. The tip of the tip portion contacts the registration roller 6 and adheres to the registration roller. -The accumulated paper dust can be scraped off. The mylar 21 is in contact with the entire outer peripheral surface of the registration roller 6 and is in contact with the counter roller in the rotation direction of the registration roller 6.

  The lower side facing the registration roller 6 of the unit outer frame 22 of the PCU 2 to which the mylar 21 is attached is recessed inward, and this recessed space portion is a side plate on both sides of the mounting base portion of the mylar 21 and the space portion. And a paper dust reservoir 24 that receives and accumulates the paper dust scraped off from the registration roller 6 by the mylar 21. The paper dust reservoir 24 is formed over a length facing the entire outer peripheral surface of the registration roller 6.

  The PCU 2 in which the mylar 21 is attached to the unit outer frame 22 and the paper dust reservoir 24 is formed around it is a process cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body. Therefore, when the PCU 2 is removed for replacement from the image forming apparatus main body, both the mylar 21 and the paper dust reservoir 24 are detached from the image forming apparatus main body.

  In such an image forming apparatus, the paper dust adhered and accumulated on the registration roller 6 is scraped off by the mylar 21. The scraped paper powder travels along the inclined surface of the Mylar 21 and is sent to the paper powder reservoir 24 where it is accumulated. Since the PCU 2 is a periodic replacement unit, it is removed from the image forming apparatus main body and replaced in a predetermined number. For this reason, the mylar 21 is also replaced every time the replacement is performed. However, the paper dust accumulated in the paper dust reservoir 24 at the time of the replacement of the PCU 2 is brought outside the image forming apparatus main body, and is removed and cleaned at a predetermined external location. Is called. Thus, the presence of the paper dust reservoir 24 makes it possible to increase the amount of paper dust that can be tolerated before a failure occurs, so that the margin for the PCU 2 replacement span can be increased.

  FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment. The mylar 31 according to the second embodiment includes a horizontal mounting base and an inclined tip portion, and a thin sponge 32 is attached to the resist roller 6 side of the tip of the tip portion, and this sponge is attached to the resist roller 6. It comes to contact. The sponge 32 is in contact with the entire outer peripheral surface of the registration roller 6. The mylar 31 has an attachment base attached to the unit outer frame 22 of the PCU 2. In addition, a portion for receiving the paper dust scraped off by the sponge 32 is formed by a protruding piece 33 projecting horizontally from the unit outer frame 22 below, and this portion serves as a paper dust reservoir 34. The tip of the protruding piece 33 extends to the lower side of the registration roller 6 and is bent slightly upward so that the paper dust scraped off by the sponge 32 can be received reliably. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

  In the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment, the paper dust adhered and accumulated on the registration roller 6 is scraped off by the sponge 32 of the mylar 31 and is accumulated in the lower paper dust reservoir 34 as it is. Then, the paper dust accumulated in the paper dust reservoir 34 is brought out of the image forming apparatus together with the PCU 2 when it is removed from the image forming apparatus main body for replacement in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and is removed and cleaned. Is called.

  FIG. 3 shows a third embodiment. In the third embodiment, the mylar 11 is provided on the image forming apparatus main body side as in the prior art, and only the paper dust receiving portion is provided on the PCU 2 side, and both the mylar and the paper dust receiving portion are provided on the PCU 2 side. This is basically different from the first and second embodiments. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the paper powder receiving portion 41 is provided integrally with the unit outer frame 22 of the PCU 2 so as to contact the entire surface of the mylar 11 with respect to the mylar 11 provided so as to contact the registration roller 6. Yes. The paper dust receiving portion 41 protrudes horizontally from the unit outer frame 22, and its tip is bent slightly upward so that it contacts the mylar 11 without any gap. Further, a paper dust reservoir 42 is formed in the vicinity of the paper dust receiving portion 41 of the unit outer frame 22 of the PCU 2. The lower part of the unit outer frame 22 facing the registration roller 6 is recessed inwardly, and the paper dust reservoir 42 is formed by this recessed space part, and is formed over the entire length of the paper powder receiving part 41. Although both sides of the paper dust reservoir 42 are opened, side plates similar to those in the first embodiment may be provided as necessary. Other configurations are the same as those of the first and second embodiments.

  In the image forming apparatus according to the third embodiment, the paper dust adhering to and accumulating on the registration roller 6 is scraped off by the mylar 11 and received by the paper dust receiving portion 41 installed in the unit outer frame 22 of the PCU 2. And accumulated in the paper dust reservoir 42. The paper dust accumulated in the paper dust reservoir 42 is brought out of the image forming apparatus together with the PCU 2 when the PCU 2 is removed from the main body of the image forming apparatus for replacement in the same manner as in the first and second embodiments. Is done.

  FIG. 4 shows a fourth embodiment. In this Embodiment 4, as shown in FIG. 4, the paper dust receiving part 51 is comprised as another parts with elastic materials, such as rubber | gum. The paper dust receiving portion 51 extends horizontally from the unit outer frame 22 so as to be in contact with the entire surface of the mylar 11 without a gap. Further, a paper dust reservoir 52 is formed in the vicinity of the base end of the paper dust receiving portion 51 of the unit outer frame 22 of the PCU 2. Other configurations are the same as those of the third embodiment. In the case of the fourth embodiment, since the paper dust receiving portion 51 is made of an elastic material such as rubber, the effect of the third embodiment or more can be expected on the removability of the paper dust due to the characteristics of the elastic material.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the cleaning blade is used as the cleaning unit. However, this is merely an example, and other means other than the blade may be used. Although the cleaning blade has been described as a mylar, a cleaning blade made of an elastic material such as rubber may be used. In addition, the detailed configuration of the constituent members can be appropriately changed and modified within the scope of the matters described in the claims.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows the PCU periphery part of the image forming apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a PCU peripheral portion of an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a PCU peripheral portion of an image forming apparatus according to a third embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a PCU peripheral portion of an image forming apparatus according to a fourth embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the conventional image forming apparatus. It is a schematic block diagram which shows a PCU periphery part same as the above.

Explanation of symbols

1 Fixing unit 2 PCU
3 Toner unit 4 Writing unit 5 Paper feeding unit 6, 7 Registration roller pair 8 Photoconductor 9 Transfer roller 10 Recording paper 11 Mylar 21 Mylar 22 Unit outer frame 24, 34, 42, 52 Paper dust accumulation 31 Mylar 32 Sponge 33 Overhang Pieces 41 and 51 Paper powder receiving part

Claims (9)

In a unit detachable from the image forming apparatus,
A detachable unit characterized in that a cleaning means is provided on the outer frame of the unit for cleaning in contact with a predetermined member of the image forming apparatus.   2. The process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein at least one of a charging unit, a developing unit, and a cleaning unit and an electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrally configured to be detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus. The detachable unit according to 1.   The detachable unit according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined member is a registration roller.   4. The detachable unit according to claim 3, wherein the cleaning means is a cleaning blade that is in contact with the registration roller, and has a paper dust reservoir that receives and accumulates paper dust removed from the registration roller by the cleaning blade. In a unit that can be attached to and detached from an image forming apparatus provided with a cleaning unit that performs cleaning by contacting a predetermined member,
An attachment / detachment unit characterized in that a paper dust receiving portion for receiving paper dust removed from the predetermined member in contact with a cleaning means of the image forming apparatus is provided on an outer frame of the unit.   The detachable unit according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined member is a registration roller, and the cleaning unit is a cleaning blade in contact with the registration roller.   The detachable unit according to claim 5 or 6, wherein a paper dust reservoir for collecting paper dust is provided in the vicinity of the paper dust receiving portion.   The detachable unit according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the paper dust receiving portion is made of an elastic material such as rubber.   An image forming apparatus comprising the detachable unit according to claim 1.

Images