JP2006184453A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a unit removable from an apparatus main unit from being neglected to be attached even if maintenance is made easy in an image forming apparatus equipped with the unit. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus is equipped with an intermediate transfer member cleaning device 17 removable from the intermediate transfer unit 70, and the intermediate transfer unit 70 and the intermediate transfer member cleaning device 17 are integrally formed and are removable from the apparatus body. The image forming apparatus body has a first guide section section 71 and second guide section 72 which extend in a rotating axis direction of a photoreceptor 40 and support the united intermediate transfer unit 70 and intermediate transfer member cleaning device 17 from both sides. A first section 73 to be supported which is supported by the first guide section 71 is arranged on the intermediate transfer unit 70 side and the second section 74 to be supported which is supported by the second guide section 72 is arranged on the intermediate transfer member cleaning device 17 side. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a fax machine using an electrophotographic technique, and more particularly to a technique of an intermediate transfer unit and a cleaning member attaching / detaching mechanism in the image forming apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art An image forming apparatus employing an intermediate transfer method is known in which a toner image formed on an image bearing member is primarily transferred to an intermediate transfer member, and the toner image on the intermediate transfer member is secondarily transferred to a transfer material. Yes. In such an image forming apparatus, there is known an image forming apparatus in which a cleaning unit and an intermediate transfer body are integrally formed and detachable from the apparatus main body (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
There is also known an image forming apparatus in which a first container for storing a cleaning member can be inserted into and removed from the image forming apparatus main body integrally with the intermediate transfer unit, and is detachable from the intermediate transfer unit. (For example, refer to Patent Document 2).

JP 2000-338744 A JP 2001-343838 A

However, when the cleaning unit and the intermediate transfer member as described in Patent Document 1 are integrally formed, the other unit (intermediate transfer member) is attached to the main body device in a state where one unit (cleaning unit) is removed. It becomes impossible to do. For this reason, there has been a problem that the image bearing rotating body cannot be cleaned.
Further, in the technique described in Patent Document 2, although each member or unit is detachable, there is a possibility that the member or unit may be forgotten to be attached to the main body device or the like when it is removed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to prevent forgetting to attach a unit in an image forming apparatus including a unit that can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body, while facilitating maintenance. This is the issue.

As means for solving the above problems, the present invention has the following features.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a first unit that is detachable with respect to the apparatus main body, and an image carrier rotating member that bears a toner image; The apparatus includes an abutting member that cleans the carrying rotator, a second unit that can be attached to and detached from the first unit, and the first unit and the second unit are integrally formed, In the image forming apparatus detachable from the main body, the apparatus main body extends in the direction of the rotation axis of the image bearing rotator, and supports the first unit and the second unit combined from both sides. A first supported portion having a guide portion and a second guide portion and supported by the first guide portion is disposed on the first unit side and is supported by the second guide portion. The second supported part is the first Characterized in that it is arranged on the unit side.
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein in the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, the apparatus main body develops a latent image and transfers a plurality of upstream image carriers to the image bearing rotating body. The image carrying rotator is an intermediate transfer rotator for transferring an image transferred from the plurality of upstream image carriers to a transfer material.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, the image carrying rotator in the first unit is a photoreceptor that visualizes a latent image. .
The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the apparatus main body further includes a fixing unit that fixes an image on a transfer material, and the second body. The unit is arranged between the fixing unit and the image bearing rotating body.

As described above, according to the means for solving the above problems, the image forming apparatus of the present invention has the following effects.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the two units are integrated, it is possible to prevent a problem that the image bearing rotating body cannot be cleaned. In addition, since it cannot be attached unless it is integrated, forgetting to attach the intermediate transfer unit can be prevented.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the apparatus further includes a plurality of upstream image carriers that develop the latent image and transfer the image to the image carrier rotator, and the image carrier rotator includes a plurality of upstream image carriers. The invention according to claim 1 can be applied to an image forming apparatus that is an intermediate transfer rotating body that transfers an image transferred from a transfer material onto a transfer material.
According to the invention described in claim 3, the invention described in claim 1 can be applied to an image forming apparatus in which the image carrying rotator in the first unit is a photosensitive member that visualizes a latent image.
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since heat transfer from the fixing unit to the image bearing rotator is reduced, image disturbance due to thermal deformation or the like of the image bearing rotator can be reduced.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a tandem indirect transfer type electrophotographic apparatus. In the figure, reference numeral 100 is a copying apparatus main body, 200 is a paper feed table on which the copying apparatus is placed, 300 is a scanner mounted on the copying apparatus main body 100, and 400 is an automatic document feeder (ADF) mounted thereon.

The copying machine main body 100 is provided with an endless belt-shaped intermediate transfer member 10 in the center. As shown in FIG. 1, the intermediate transfer unit 70 is configured by being wound around three support rollers 14, 15, and 16 and being able to rotate and convey clockwise in the drawing. Further, an intermediate transfer body cleaning device 17 for removing residual toner remaining on the intermediate transfer body 10 after image transfer is provided.
Further, among the three images, four images of black, yellow, magenta, and cyan are formed on the intermediate transfer member 10 stretched between the first support roller 14 and the second support roller 15 along the conveyance direction. The tandem image forming apparatus 20 is configured by arranging the forming units 18 side by side.

  An exposure device 21 is further provided on the tandem image forming apparatus 20 as shown in FIG. On the other hand, a secondary transfer device 22 is provided on the side opposite to the tandem image forming apparatus 20 with the intermediate transfer body 10 interposed therebetween. In the illustrated example, the secondary transfer device 22 is configured by spanning a secondary transfer belt 24, which is an endless belt, between two rollers 23, and is pressed against the third support roller 16 via the intermediate transfer body 10. The image on the intermediate transfer body 10 is transferred to a sheet. A fixing device 25 for fixing the transfer image on the sheet is provided beside the secondary transfer device 22. The fixing device 25 is configured by pressing a pressure roller 27 against a fixing belt 26 that is an endless belt.

The secondary transfer device 22 described above is also provided with a sheet transport function for transporting the sheet after image transfer to the fixing device 25. Of course, a transfer roller or a non-contact charger may be arranged as the secondary transfer device 22, and in such a case, it is difficult to provide this sheet conveying function together.
In the illustrated example, under such a secondary transfer device 22 and a fixing device 25, a sheet reversing device 28 for reversing the sheet to record images on both sides of the sheet in parallel with the tandem image forming device 20 described above. Is provided.

Now, when making a copy using this color electrophotographic apparatus, a document is set on the document table 30 of the automatic document feeder 400. Alternatively, the automatic document feeder 400 is opened, a document is set on the contact glass 32 of the scanner 300, and the automatic document feeder 400 is closed and pressed by it.
When a start switch (not shown) is pressed, when the document is set on the automatic document feeder 400, the document is transported and moved onto the contact glass 32, and then the document is set on the other contact glass 32. At that time, the scanner 300 is immediately driven to travel the first traveling body 33 and the second traveling body 34. Then, the first traveling body 33 emits light from the light source and further reflects the reflected light from the document surface toward the second traveling body 34 and is reflected by the mirror of the second traveling body 34 and passes through the imaging lens 35. The document is placed in the reading sensor 36 and the original content is read.

  When a start switch (not shown) is pressed, one of the support rollers 14, 15, and 16 is driven to rotate by a drive motor (not shown), and the other two support rollers are driven to rotate to convey the intermediate transfer member 10. To do. At the same time, the individual image forming means 18 rotates the photoconductors 40 to form black, yellow, magenta, and cyan monochrome images on the photoconductors 40, respectively. Then, along with the conveyance of the intermediate transfer member 10, the single color images are sequentially transferred to form a composite color image on the intermediate transfer member 10.

On the other hand, when a start switch (not shown) is pressed, one of the paper feed rollers 42 of the paper feed table 200 is selectively rotated, and the sheet is fed out from one of the paper feed cassettes 44 provided in multiple stages in the paper bank 43, and the separation roller 45. Then, the sheets are separated one by one into the paper feed path 46, transported by the transport roller 47, guided to the paper feed path 48 in the copying machine main body 100, and abutted against the registration roller 49 and stopped.
Alternatively, the sheet feed roller 50 is rotated to feed out the sheets on the manual feed tray 51, separated one by one by the separation roller 52, put into the manual feed path 53, and abutted against the registration roller 49 and stopped.
Then, the registration roller 49 is rotated in synchronization with the composite color image on the intermediate transfer member 10, the sheet is fed between the intermediate transfer member 10 and the secondary transfer device 22, and transferred by the secondary transfer device 22. A color image is recorded on the sheet.

The sheet after the image transfer is conveyed by the secondary transfer device 22 and sent to the fixing device 25, and heat and pressure are applied to the fixing device 25 to fix the transferred image. The paper is discharged at 56 and stacked on the paper discharge tray 57. Alternatively, it is switched by the switching claw 55 and put into the sheet reversing device 28, where it is reversed and guided again to the transfer position, and the image is recorded also on the back surface, and then discharged onto the discharge tray 57 by the discharge roller 56.
On the other hand, the intermediate transfer body 10 after the image transfer is removed by the intermediate transfer body cleaning device 17 to remove residual toner remaining on the intermediate transfer body 10 after the image transfer, so that the tandem image forming apparatus 20 can prepare for another image formation.

  Here, the registration roller 49 is generally used while being grounded, but it is also possible to apply a bias for removing paper dust from the sheet. For example, a bias is applied using a conductive rubber roller. The surface is a conductive NBR rubber having a diameter of 18 mm and a thickness of 1 mm. The electrical resistance is about 10E9 Ωcm in terms of the volume resistance of the rubber material, and the applied voltage is a voltage of about −800 V on the toner transfer side (front side), and a voltage of about +200 V is applied on the back side of the paper.

In general, in the intermediate transfer system, paper powder does not easily move to the photoconductor, so that it is not necessary to consider paper powder transfer and may be grounded. Further, a DC bias is applied as the applied voltage, but this may be an AC voltage having a DC offset component in order to charge the sheet more uniformly. The paper surface after passing through the registration roller 49 to which a bias is applied in this way is slightly charged on the negative side. Therefore, in the transfer from the intermediate transfer body 10 to the sheet, the transfer conditions may change and the transfer conditions may be changed as compared with the case where no voltage is applied to the registration roller 49.

In the image forming apparatus, the intermediate transfer body cleaning device 17 is detachable from the intermediate transfer unit 70 and is fixed by a fixing screw 75. Positioning between the units is performed by positioning pins 78 as shown in FIG. The intermediate transfer unit 70 and the intermediate transfer body cleaning device 17 can be detached from the apparatus body as a unit. Hereinafter, configurations and relationships of the intermediate transfer unit 70 and the intermediate transfer body cleaning device 17 will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 2 shows the state of the apparatus main body with the intermediate transfer unit 70 and the intermediate transfer body cleaning device 17 taken out. FIG. 3 shows the intermediate transfer unit 70 and the intermediate transfer body cleaning device 17 formed integrally. FIG. 4 shows a state where the intermediate transfer unit is shown, and FIG. 5 shows an intermediate transfer cleaning device.

As shown in FIG. 2, the apparatus main body includes a first guide that extends in the direction of the rotation axis of the intermediate transfer unit 70 and supports the integrated intermediate transfer unit 70 and the intermediate transfer cleaning device 17 from both sides. A part 71 and a second guide part 72 are provided.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the intermediate transfer member cleaning device 17 includes a second supported portion 74 supported by the second guide portion 72, a cleaning blade 76 for cleaning the intermediate transfer belt, and an intermediate portion. A transfer belt pressure roller 80, a reference pin hole 81 for fixing to the intermediate transfer unit 70, and a fixing screw hole 82 are provided.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the intermediate transfer unit 70 includes at least a first supported portion 73 supported by the first guide portion 71 and a fixing screw hole 79. In the state where the fixing screw hole 82 of the intermediate transfer body cleaning device 17 is overlapped with the fixing screw hole 79 (FIG. 3), the fixing screw 75 is screwed, and the intermediate transfer unit 70, the intermediate transfer body cleaning device 17, Is fixed. Note that positioning between the units is performed using positioning pins 78.

That is, the first supported portion 73 supported by the first guide portion 71 is disposed on the intermediate transfer unit 70 side, and the second supported portion 74 supported by the second guide portion 72 is Since they are arranged on the intermediate transfer body cleaning device 17 side, they can be supported by the support portions 71 and 72 of the apparatus main body only when they are integrated.

With the above configuration, the intermediate transfer unit 70 cannot be attached to the apparatus main body in a state where the intermediate transfer body cleaning device 17 is detached from the intermediate transfer unit 70.
Therefore, it is possible to prevent the problem that the intermediate transfer member 10 cannot be cleaned, which has been caused by attaching only the intermediate transfer unit 70 to the apparatus main body. Further, if it is not an integral case and it is not attached, it is possible to prevent forgetting to attach the intermediate transfer unit.

Further, as an accompanying effect, in FIG. 1, since the intermediate transfer member cleaning device 17 is disposed between the fixing unit and the intermediate transfer unit 70, heat transfer from the fixing unit to the intermediate transfer unit 70 is performed by the intermediate transfer cleaning device 17. Therefore, image disturbance due to thermal deformation or the like of the intermediate transfer unit 70 is reduced. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, if a heat insulating material 77 is provided in the intermediate transfer cleaning device 17, the effect is increased.

In the above-described embodiment, the intermediate transfer unit is given as an example of the image carrying rotator. However, as another form (not shown), the image carrying rotator may be a photoconductor that visualizes a latent image. Yes.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a tandem image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. The state figure which removed the intermediate transfer part of the tandem image forming apparatus main body. FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a state in which an intermediate transfer unit and an intermediate transfer cleaning device are combined. Schematic showing an intermediate transfer unit. FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing an intermediate transfer cleaning device.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Intermediate transfer body 14 1st support roller 15 2nd support roller 16 3rd support roller 17 Intermediate transfer body cleaning apparatus 18 Image forming means 20 Tandem image forming apparatus 21 Exposure apparatus 22 Secondary transfer apparatus 23 Roller 24 Secondary Transfer belt 25 Fixing device 26 Fixing belt 27 Pressure roller 28 Sheet reversing device 30 Document table 32 Contact glass 33 First traveling member 34 Second traveling member 35 Imaging lens 36 Reading sensor 40 Photosensitive member 42 Feeding roller 43 Paper bank 44 Paper feed cassette 45 Separator roller 46 Paper feed path 47 Transport roller 48 Paper feed path 49 Registration roller 50 Paper feed roller 51 Manual feed tray 52 Separating roller 53 Manual paper feed path 55 Switching claw 56 Discharge roller 57 Paper discharge tray 70 Intermediate transfer unit 71 1st guide part 72 2nd guide part 73 1st supported Part 74 Second supported part 75 Fixing screw 76 Cleaning blade 77 Heat insulating material 78 Positioning pins 79 and 82 Fixing screw hole 80 Intermediate transfer belt pressure roller 81 Reference pin hole 100 Copying device main body 200 Paper feed table 300 Scanner 400 Automatic document feeder

Claims (4)

A first unit having an image bearing rotating body for carrying a toner image and detachable from the apparatus main body;
A contact member that cleans the image bearing rotator by contacting the image bearing rotator, and a second unit that is detachable from the first unit;
In the image forming apparatus in which the first unit and the second unit are integrally formed and removable from the apparatus main body,
The apparatus main body includes a first guide portion and a second guide portion that extend in a rotation axis direction of the image bearing rotator and support the combined first unit and second unit from both sides. ,
A first supported portion supported by the first guide portion is disposed on the first unit side;
An image forming apparatus, wherein a second supported portion supported by the second guide portion is disposed on the second unit side. The apparatus main body further includes a plurality of upstream image carriers that develop a latent image and transfer an image to the image carrier rotator, and the image carrier rotator is transferred from the plurality of upstream image carriers. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is an intermediate transfer rotator that transfers the formed image onto a transfer material. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image carrying rotator in the first unit is a photosensitive member that visualizes a latent image. 2. The apparatus main body further includes a fixing unit that fixes an image on a transfer material, and the second unit is disposed between the fixing unit and the image carrying rotating body. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3.

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