JP2006243619A - Cleaning system and image forming apparatus using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cleaning system which prevents the size over the entire part of an image forming apparatus from increasing and can perform stable cleaning of a toner with satisfactory accuracy, and also to provide an image forming apparatus using the same. <P>SOLUTION: The cleaning apparatus for removing the toner on an object to be cleaned which is adhered with the toner on the surface and moves is equipped with a blade which has a plate shape, extends to an upstream side in the moving direction of the object to be cleaned, and the top end of which abuts on the surface of the object to be cleaned and scraps off the toner from the surface, and a toner holding member which is disposed on the rear surface side with respect to the surface facing the object to be cleaned of the front and rear surface of the blade, partly protrudes to the upstream side of the top end of the blade, holds the toner between the protruding portion and the object to be cleaned, and is provided with a flow passage to allow the held toner to flow toward the rear surface side of the blade. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaning device for removing toner on a member to be cleaned, which is moved by adhesion of toner to the surface, and an image forming apparatus using the same.

  Conventionally, the surface of a charged photoreceptor is exposed to form a latent image, the latent image is developed to form a toner image, and the toner image is directly or via an intermediate transfer member, 2. Description of the Related Art Image forming apparatuses that finally transfer onto a recording medium are known. The toner image is not transferred onto the surface of the photosensitive member or intermediate transfer member after transfer of the toner image (hereinafter, the photosensitive member or intermediate transfer member on which the toner image is carried is collectively referred to as an image carrier). In general, such an image forming apparatus is provided with a cleaning device for removing the residue in preparation for the next image forming process. As this cleaning device, there are a device using a fur brush, a magnetic brush, etc., a device using a cleaning blade, etc., but since the structure is simple and inexpensive, it remains on the surface of the image carrier with the cleaning blade. Cleaning devices of the type that scrape off things are widely used.

  In a cleaning device using a cleaning blade, since the cleaning blade is pressed against the surface of the image carrier, the edge of the cleaning blade and the surface of the image carrier are worn and worn if used for a long time. Performance deteriorates. As a result, the toner remaining without being cleaned is transferred onto the recording medium, and the image quality of the image formed by the image forming apparatus deteriorates. Normally, the external additive applied to the toner plays a role of a lubricant that lowers the friction between the image carrier and the cleaning blade, and plays a role of improving the life of the cleaning blade and the image carrier. Yes.

  Incidentally, in recent years, a polymerization method has been used as a method for producing toner. The toner produced by the polymerization method has a small-diameter sphere, can improve the reproducibility and transferability of dots formed on the image carrier, and can form a high-quality image. . However, the toner produced by the polymerization method tends to slip through between the cleaning blade and the image carrier due to its shape, and in order to surely clean, it is necessary to strongly press the cleaning blade against the image carrier. For this reason, there is a problem that the cleaning blade and the image carrier are easily worn, and the cleaning performance is remarkably deteriorated.

  In this regard, Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2, and Patent Document 3 provide a technique for providing a sheet for damming toner at a contact portion between the cleaning blade and the image carrier to suppress wear of the cleaning blade and the image carrier. Are listed.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a cleaning device provided with a toner blocking sheet. Here, the upper direction in FIG. 1 will be described as a vertically upward direction, and the lower direction in FIG. 1 will be described as a vertically downward direction.

  Part (A) of FIG. 1 includes a cleaning device 1100 to which the techniques of Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 are applied, and an image carrier that has a drum shape and rotates in the direction of arrow A with toner 1000 attached to the surface. A body 1001 is shown. The cleaning device 1100 includes a blade 1120 that scrapes off the toner 1000 when a plate-shaped one surface (hereinafter referred to as a surface that contacts the image carrier) contacts the image carrier 1001 and the removed toner 1000 is accommodated. And a protective member 1130 for preventing the image carrier 1001 from being damaged by the storage box 1110, and a toner receiving port 1110 a of the storage box 1110. The sheet 1140 is attached so as to cover the back surface of the blade 1120, and the transfer mechanism 1150 is configured to transfer the toner 1000 in the depth direction in FIG. 1 along the direction in which the image carrier 1001 extends.

  The toner 1000 scraped off by the blade 1120 is partially dammed up by the sheet 1140 and held at the contact portion between the blade 1120 and the image carrier 1001, and the remaining toner 1000 passes over the upper side of the sheet 1140. The sheet 1140 passes through the hole 1140 a and is stored in the storage box 1110.

  Also, part (B) of FIG. 1 shows a cleaning device 1002 to which the technique of Patent Document 3 is applied and an image carrier 1002 that circulates in the direction of arrow B. The cleaning device 1002 includes a blade 1220 that contacts the image carrier 1002 from below and scrapes off the toner 1000, a storage box 1210 that stores the removed toner 1000, and a sheet that is attached to the back surface of the blade 1220. 1230 and a transfer mechanism 1240 that transfers the toner 1000 in the depth direction of FIG. The leading edge of the sheet 1230 protrudes beyond the leading edge of the blade 1220, and the toner 1000 scraped off by the blade 1220 is temporarily received by the leading edge of the sheet 1230 and is held at the contact portion between the blade 1220 and the image carrier 1002. The toner 1000 overflowing from the sheet 1230 is stored in the storage box 1210.

As described above, the toner blocking sheet is provided in the cleaning device, so that the toner as the lubricant is always held at the contact portion between the blade and the image carrier. As a result, the friction between the image carrier and the blade is reduced, and the cleaning performance of the cleaning device is maintained over a long period of time.
JP 11-161125 A JP 2001-75445 A JP-A-9-16046

  However, according to the cleaning apparatus 1100 shown in Part (A) of FIG. 1, for example, when the image forming apparatus is used under high temperature and high humidity, or when the image forming apparatus has not been used for a long time, moisture is absorbed. Since the lump of toner 1000 that has become distorted is supplied to the blade 1120, the sheet 1140 falls down as shown by the dotted line. Once the sheet 1140 falls down, the removed toner 1000 accumulates on the sheet 1140, and the sheet 1140 cannot be returned to its original position while being fallen down, and the toner 1000 cannot be blocked. Such a situation may occur when an image having a high image density such as a photographic image is created and a large amount of toner 1000 is supplied to the blade 1120.

  Further, in the cleaning device 1200 shown in Part (B) of FIG. 1, the old toner 1000 first supplied to the blade 1220 is pushed by the new toner 1000 and is not discharged into the storage box 1210, and the blade 1220, the photoconductor 1002, and the like. It is difficult for the toner 1000 held at the contact portion to be replaced. As a result, the old toner 1000 is fixed to the contact portion between the blade 1220 and the photoreceptor 1002 due to frictional heat generated during cleaning, and the particle property of the toner 1000 is lost and the cleaning performance is deteriorated. In the cleaning device 1200, the toner 1000 scraped off by the blade 1220 is temporarily received on the sheet 1230, and the toner 1000 overflowing from the sheet 1230 falls into the storage box 1210 and is collected. For this reason, it is necessary to arrange the cleaning device 1200 vertically below the image carrier 1002, and the arrangement positions of various elements constituting the image forming apparatus are largely restricted, which may increase the size of the entire image forming apparatus. .

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides a cleaning device that can suppress the enlargement of the entire image forming apparatus provided with the cleaning device and can clean toner accurately and stably, and an image forming device using the same. For the purpose.

The cleaning device of the present invention that achieves the above-described object is a cleaning device that removes toner on a member to be cleaned, on which the toner adheres and moves.
A blade having a plate shape, extending upstream in the moving direction of the object to be cleaned and having an upper end on the upstream side of the plate in contact with the surface of the object to be cleaned, and scraping off toner from the surface;
Provided on the back side of the front and back surfaces of the blade with respect to the surface facing the object to be cleaned, and a part protrudes upstream from the upper end of the blade. The toner is held between the protruding part and the object to be cleaned. And a toner holding member provided with a flow path for flowing the held toner to the back side of the blade.

  According to the cleaning device of the present invention, a part of the toner scraped off by the blade is blocked by the toner holding member and held between the toner holding member and the member to be cleaned. It is collected on the back side of the blade through a flow path provided in the holding member. That is, in the cleaning device of the present invention, since the toner is collected on the back side of the blade in a flow different from the flow in which the toner is supplied to the blade, the old toner and the new toner are easily exchanged. A new toner is always held at the contact portion. In addition, when a large amount of toner or a lump of toner is removed by the blade, the protruding portion of the toner holding member may turn over due to the stress of the toner, but the blade and the toner holding member extend in the same direction. Therefore, when the toner is caused to flow from the turned portion or the flow path to the back side of the blade, the turning is naturally eliminated. Therefore, new toner is reliably held at the contact portion between the blade and the member to be cleaned, and accurate cleaning is performed over a long period of time. In the cleaning device of the present invention, the toner can be removed at any position on the object to be cleaned. Therefore, the arrangement position in the image forming apparatus is not restricted, and the overall size of the image forming apparatus is increased. Can be suppressed.

  In the cleaning device of the present invention, it is preferable that at least a part of the toner holding member is made of a substance having a strength sufficient to maintain a shape even when stressed from the held toner. It is.

  According to the cleaning device of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, even when a large amount of toner is removed by the blade, the deformation of the space formed by the toner holding member and the member to be cleaned is suppressed to a predetermined amount or less. Therefore, the amount of toner held by the toner holding member is kept substantially constant, and highly accurate cleaning is continuously maintained.

Further, in the cleaning device of the present invention, the toner holding member covers the back surface of the blade, which is made of a material having a strength enough to maintain the shape even when subjected to stress from the held toner.
It is preferable that the blade has a chamfered shape in which the upper end portion is in surface contact with the surface of the object to be cleaned.

  By covering the back surface of the blade with a high-strength toner holding member, the amount of toner held by the toner holding member can be kept constant accurately, but deformation of the blade itself is also restricted, so that the object to be cleaned A large force is applied to the upper end of the blade that is in contact with. Since the upper end portion of the blade has a chamfered shape that comes into surface contact with the surface of the object to be cleaned, the problem that the upper end portion of the blade is missing is reduced, and the cleaning performance can be maintained over a long period of time.

  The cleaning device of the present invention further includes an application unit that applies a lubricant to the surface of the object to be cleaned further upstream than the position where the blade contacts the object to be cleaned in the moving direction of the object to be cleaned. Is preferred.

  By applying the lubricant to the surface of the object to be cleaned, friction between the blade and the object to be cleaned can be suppressed, but if this lubricant is applied excessively, Accumulation at the contact portion reduces the effect of lubrication and damages the blade edge. Due to the nature of this lubricant, it is easy to slip through the blade, and it is difficult to scrape only the lubricant with the blade.

  In the cleaning device of the present invention, as described above, since new toner is constantly supplied to the blade, this toner acts as an abrasive, and excess lubricant is scraped together with the toner at the upper end of the blade. And recovered. Therefore, by providing the application part as described above, an appropriate amount of lubricant can be applied to the object to be cleaned with a uniform thickness, and the wear of the blade and the object to be cleaned can be further reduced. Can do.

  An image forming apparatus of the present invention that achieves the above object includes an electrophotographic photosensitive member and the cleaning apparatus of the present invention.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, since high-precision cleaning performance is maintained over a long period of time, a high-quality image can be acquired over a long period of time.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cleaning device capable of suppressing the enlargement of the entire image forming apparatus and cleaning the toner accurately and stably, and an image forming apparatus using the same.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a main part of a printer which is an image forming apparatus to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the printer 1 includes four image forming units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K. Each image forming unit includes a photoconductor 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K, and a charging unit. Devices 12Y, 12M, 12C, 12K, exposure devices 13Y, 13M, 13C, 13K, developing devices 14Y, 14M, 14C, 14K, primary transfer members 15Y, 15M, 15C, 15K, cleaning devices 16Y, 16M, 16C, 16K, The neutralizers 17Y, 17M, 17C, and 17K, an intermediate transfer belt 30, an intermediate transfer belt cleaner 31, a secondary transfer body 32, a fixing device 33, and a tension roller 34 are provided.

  The printer 1 is capable of full-color printing, and the symbols Y, M, C, and K added to the end of each of the above components are yellow, magenta, cyan, and black images, respectively. It is a component for formation.

  A basic operation of the printer 1 in image formation will be described.

  First, as preparation for forming an image, the photoconductors 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K for each color are rotated in the direction of arrow A, and the chargers 12Y, 12M are formed on the surfaces of the photoconductors 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K. , 12C, and 12K respectively give predetermined charges.

  Subsequently, image data representing a color separation image obtained by separating the image into yellow, magenta, cyan, and black is given to the corresponding image forming units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K by the control unit 35.

  Next, toner image formation by the yellow image forming unit 10Y is started, and the exposure device 13Y irradiates the surface of the photoconductor 11Y with exposure light corresponding to a yellow color separation image, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image (electrostatic latent image). Image) is formed. The electrostatic latent image is developed by a developing voltage applied to a developing position between the developing device 14Y and the photosensitive member 11Y with yellow toner contained in the developer circulated and supplied by the developing device 14Y. A yellow toner image is formed on the body 11Y. The toner image is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 30 by the primary transfer body 15Y.

  The intermediate transfer belt 30 circulates in the direction of arrow B, and is synchronized with the timing at which the yellow toner image transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 30 reaches the primary transfer body 15M of the next color image forming unit 10M. The magenta image forming unit 10M forms a toner image so that the next color magenta toner image reaches the primary transfer body 15M. The magenta toner image formed in this way is transferred onto the yellow toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 30 so as to be superimposed on the primary transfer body 15M.

  Subsequently, toner images are formed by the cyan and black image forming units 10C and 10K at the same timing as described above, and are sequentially superimposed on the yellow and magenta toner images of the intermediate transfer belt 30 in the primary transfer members 15C and 15K. Is transcribed.

  Here, when the toner images on the photoconductors 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K are transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 30, the cleaning devices 16Y, 16M, 16C, and 16K as an embodiment of the cleaning device of the present invention are used. The waste toner remaining on the photoconductors 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K is removed. The cleaning devices 16Y, 16M, 16C, and 16K will be described in detail later. Further, the controller 35 applies a static elimination voltage to the static eliminators 17Y, 17M, 17C, and 17K. In the static eliminators 17Y, 17M, 17C, and 17K, residual charges remaining on the photoreceptors 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K. Is removed.

  In this way, the multicolor toner image transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 30 is secondarily transferred onto the paper 2 by the secondary transfer member 32, and the multicolor toner image is conveyed along with the paper 2 in the direction of arrow C, and the fixing device 33. As a result, the image is fixed on the paper 2 to form a color image.

  Basically, a color image is formed as described above.

  Next, the cleaning devices 16Y, 16M, 16C, and 16K that are an embodiment of the cleaning device of the present invention will be described in detail. Since the cleaning devices 16Y, 16M, 16C, and 16K have the same configuration, they are collectively described as the cleaning device 16 below for convenience of explanation.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the cleaning device 16 and the photoconductor 11 cleaned by the cleaning device 16. Hereinafter, in various elements constituting the cleaning device 16, a surface facing the photoconductor 11 is referred to as a front surface, and a surface far from the photoconductor 11 is referred to as a back surface. Further, the front side (front side in FIG. 3) in the direction in which the drum shape of the photoconductor 11 extends is referred to as front, and the back side (back side in FIG. 3) in the direction in which the drum shape of the photoconductor 11 extends is referred to as back.

  The cleaning device 16 shown in FIG. 3 includes a toner storage box 110, a blade 120, a toner holding member 130, a cleaning brush 140, and a toner transfer device 150.

  The blade 120 has a plate shape and is attached to a casing portion 111 connected from the main body casing of the printer 1. The lower edge of the blade 120 is in contact with the photoconductor 11, and the toner 200 remaining on the photoconductor 11 without being transferred is scraped off by the contact portion. The blade 120 corresponds to an example of a blade according to the present invention.

  The toner holding member 130 is a thin sheet made of PET film, and is adhered to the back side of the blade 120. The toner holding member 130 extends longer than the lower edge of the blade 120, and the toner 200 scraped off by the blade 120 is held in a space P formed by the toner holding member 130 and the photoconductor 11.

  Here, the description of the entire cleaning device 16 is temporarily interrupted, and the shape of the toner holding member 130 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

  FIG. 4 is a view of the blade 120 and the toner holding member 130 as seen from the back side.

  A plurality of notches 130 a that connect the space P shown in FIG. 3 and the space on the back side of the blade 120 are provided at the lower edge of the toner holding member 130. The toner 200 held in the space P is discharged to the back side of the toner holding member 130 through the notch 130 a, or the toner 200 and the photosensitive member 11 are reflowed back to the flow in which the toner is supplied to the blade 120. It falls from the gap and is collected in the toner storage box 110. The toner holding member 130 is an example of a toner holding member according to the present invention, and the notch 130a corresponds to an example of a flow path according to the present invention.

  Returning to the cleaning device 16 shown in FIG.

  The cleaning brush 140 rotates in the direction of arrow B to remove the toner on the photoconductor 11, scrapes off the solid lubricant 300, and applies the granular lubricant 310 to the surface of the photoconductor 11. The cleaning brush 140 corresponds to an example of an application unit according to the present invention.

  The toner transfer device 150 has a rotation axis in a direction along the rotation axis of the photoconductor 11, rotates in the direction of arrow C, and transfers the toner 200 collected in the toner storage box 110 to the back side.

  The cleaning device 16 is basically configured as described above.

  Here, a procedure for removing the toner 200 by the cleaning device 16 will be described.

  The toner 200 remaining on the photoconductor 11 without being transferred is first supplied to the cleaning brush 140 as the photoconductor 11 rotates in the direction of arrow A. In the cleaning brush 140, the toner 200 on the photoreceptor 11 is removed, and the solid lubricant 300 is scraped off and the lubricant 310 is applied to the surface of the photoreceptor 11. The toner 200 removed by the cleaning brush 140 is removed from the cleaning brush 140 by a flicker brush (not shown) and collected in the toner collection box 110.

  Further, the toner 200 that cannot be removed by the cleaning brush 140 and the lubricant 310 applied on the photoconductor 11 are supplied to the blade 120 as the photoconductor 11 rotates.

  In the blade 120, the toner 200 is scraped off from the surface of the photoreceptor 11, and excess lubricant 310 is removed together with the toner 200. Part of the scraped off toner 200 and lubricant 310 is retained by the toner holding member 130 and held in the space P, and the rest passes through the notch 130a and the gap between the toner holding member 130 and the photoconductor 11. The toner is recovered in the toner recovery box 110. The external additive applied to the toner 200 plays a role of a lubricant that suppresses friction between the blade 120 and the photosensitive member 11, and the toner 200 is blocked by the contact portion between the blade 120 and the photosensitive member 11. As a result, the wear of the blade 120 and the photoreceptor 11 is reliably reduced, and the cleaning performance is maintained over a long period of time. The lubricant 310 that has been applied excessively by the cleaning brush 140 is scraped off by the blade 120 using the toner 200 as an abrasive. As a result, an appropriate amount of lubricant 310 is applied to the surface of the photoconductor 11 with a uniform thickness, and the friction between the blade 120 and the photoconductor 11 is further reduced.

  When creating a high-density image or when creating an image under high temperature and high humidity, a large amount of toner 200 is supplied to the blade 120, or the toner 200 absorbs moisture and a lump of toner is supplied to the blade 120. May be. In such a case, the toner holding member 130 may be turned up due to the stress from the toner 200, but the toner 200 passes through the turned-up portion and is collected in the toner collection box 110, and the toner holding member 130 is turned up. Is restored. Therefore, cleaning can be performed with high precision even when a high-density image is created or when an image is created under high temperature and high humidity.

  Further, when toner is supplied to the blade 120 one after another, the old toner 200 first supplied to the blade 120 is pushed by the new toner 200 supplied along with the rotation of the photoreceptor 11, and the toner holding member. It is difficult to discharge from below 130. In the cleaning device 16 of the present embodiment, the old toner 200 previously supplied to the blade 120 is provided not only under the toner holding member 130 that is a passage through which the new toner 200 is supplied, but also on the toner holding member 130. The toner passes through the notch 130a and is collected in the toner collection box 110. For this reason, the old toner 200 and the new toner 200 are smoothly exchanged, and the new toner 200 is always supplied to the contact portion between the blade 120 and the photoconductor 11, and the cleaning performance is maintained for a long time.

  Above, description of 1st Embodiment of this invention is complete | finished and 2nd Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. The first embodiment and the second embodiment of the present invention have substantially the same configuration except for the shape of the toner holding member attached to the blade. Description will be made by paying attention to differences from the first embodiment.

  FIG. 5 is a view of the blade and the toner holding member provided in the cleaning device according to the second embodiment of the present invention as seen from the back side.

  The cleaning device of this embodiment is also provided with a blade 120 similar to that of the cleaning device 16 of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, but the toner holding member 131 of this embodiment shown in FIG. The shape is different from the toner holding member 130 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. The toner holding member 131 of FIG. 5 is provided with a notch 131a similar to the toner holding member 130 of FIG. 4, and a plurality of holes 131b connecting the space P shown in FIG. Is provided. Both the notch 131a and the hole 131b correspond to an example of the flow path according to the present invention.

  Part of the toner 200 scraped off by the blade 120 is held in the space P by the toner holding member 131, and the rest passes through the notch 131 a and the hole 131 b and is collected in the toner collection box 110. Thus, by providing both the notch 131a and the hole 131b in the toner holding member 131, the toner supplied to the blade 120 can be efficiently replaced, and cleaning can be performed with higher accuracy.

  Above, description of 2nd Embodiment of this invention is complete | finished and 3rd Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. The third embodiment of the present invention has substantially the same configuration as that of the first embodiment and the second embodiment except for the material and shape of the toner holding member. The description will be made paying attention to differences from the first embodiment and the second embodiment.

  FIG. 6 is a view of the blade and the toner holding member provided in the cleaning device according to the third embodiment of the present invention as seen from the back side.

  The cleaning device of this embodiment shown in FIG. 6 includes a blade 120 having a different shape of the contact portion with the photoconductor 11 from the first embodiment and the second embodiment, and the toner holding of the second embodiment of FIG. A toner holding member 132 made of a strong aluminum plate having a hole 132a similar to the hole 131a provided in the member 131 is provided. The toner holding member 132 is attached so as to cover the entire back surface of the blade 120.

  FIG. 7 is a side view of the blade and the toner holding member of this embodiment.

  In this embodiment, the edge of the blade 120 is chamfered, and the contact portion Q between the blade 120 and the photoconductor 11 is in surface contact. The toner holding member 132 is made of a high-strength material such as an aluminum plate, and the back surface of the blade 120 is covered, so that deformation of the toner holding member 132 due to stress from the toner 200 can be suppressed, and the toner holding member 132 can be stabilized. A certain amount of toner 200 can be held. However, the deformation of the blade 120 is also suppressed by the toner holding member 132, the elasticity of the blade 120 is reduced, and the pressure applied to the contact portion Q between the blade 120 and the photoconductor 11 is increased. In this embodiment, since the edge of the blade 120 is chamfered and the contact portion Q is in surface contact, the problem that the blade 120 is missing is reduced, and cleaning is performed with high accuracy over a long period of time.

  Above, description of 3rd Embodiment of this invention is complete | finished.

  Here, in the above description, a toner holding member made of PET or an aluminum plate is shown as an example of the toner holding member according to the present invention. However, the toner holding member according to the present invention holds toner. Any material may be used as long as it is made of a substance having a strength capable of producing

  In the above description, the example in which the cleaning device of the present invention is applied to a cleaning device for a photoconductor has been described. However, the cleaning device of the present invention is applied to a cleaning device that removes toner remaining on an intermediate transfer belt. May be.

  Examples of the present invention will be described below.

  8 and 9 are diagrams for explaining an embodiment of the present invention.

  FIG. 8 shows a cleaning device having substantially the same configuration as the cleaning device of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 4 and the cleaning device of the second embodiment shown in FIG.

  Part (A) in FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining common items of the cleaning devices shown in part (B) and part (C) in FIG. 8.

In the cleaning device shown in FIG. 8, a blade 420 (polyurethane elastic body, thickness W ₁ = 2 mm) and a toner holding member 430 (PET film, thickness W ₂ = 75 μm) are used. The lower edge of the blade 420 is in contact with the photoconductor 410, and a toner holding member 430 is attached to the back surface side of the blade 420 so as to protrude by a length l = 15 mm from the lower edge of the blade 420. Yes. Here, the toner holding member 430 is also in contact with the photoreceptor 410 (distance d = 0).

  FIG. 9 shows a cleaning device having substantially the same configuration as the cleaning device of the third embodiment shown in FIG.

  Part (A) of FIG. 9 is a side view of a part of the cleaning device shown in part (B) of FIG. 9.

In the cleaning device shown in FIG. 9, a blade 520 (polyurethane elastic body) and a toner holding member 530 (aluminum plate, thickness W ₂ = 1 mm) are used. The blade 520 has a lower edge with a thin portion thickness e = 1.63 mm, a thick portion heat W ₁ = 2 mm, and a contact portion angle θ ₀ = θ ₁ (10 °) with the photoconductor 410. The angle is + 90 °, and the photoconductor 410 and the blade 520 are in surface contact. Further, the toner holding member 530 is attached so as to cover the entire back surface of the blade 520 so as to protrude by a length l = 7.21 mm from the lower edge of the blade 520. Here, the distance d = 1 mm is provided between the toner holding member 530 and the photoconductor 410.

  First, as examples of the present invention, four examples in which the shape of the toner holding member and the presence or absence of the cleaning brush 140 shown in FIG. 3 are different in the cleaning device shown in FIGS.

  Next, as comparative examples for the above-described embodiment, three comparative examples in which the shape of the toner holding member in the cleaning device shown in FIGS.

Example 1
Example 1 uses a toner holding member 430_1 provided with a plurality of notches 431 as shown in part (B) of FIG. 8 in the cleaning device shown in part (A) of FIG. The notch 431 is formed by cutting out the lower edge of the toner holding member 430_1 along the longitudinal direction (the axial direction of the photoconductor 410) and a regular triangle having a side length l1 = 10 mm. In the first embodiment, a toner holding member 430_1 made of a low-strength material is used, and the toner holding member 430_1 is provided with only one type of flow path according to the present invention.

(Example 2)
In Example 2, in the cleaning device shown in Part (A) of FIG. 8, as shown in Part (C) of FIG. 8, in addition to the notch 431 similar to that of Example 1, five holes 432 are provided. The toner holding member 430_2 is used. The holes 432 are formed by equally cutting out five holes having a diameter r = 5 mm along the longitudinal direction of the toner holding member 430_2. In the second embodiment, two types of flow paths according to the present invention are arranged side by side on a toner holding member 430_2 made of a low-strength material.

(Example 3)
Example 3 uses a toner holding member 530 in which five holes 531 having a diameter r = 5 mm are cut out as shown in part (B) of FIG. 9 in the cleaning device shown in part (A) of FIG. In the third embodiment, a toner holding member 530 made of a high-strength material is provided with a flow path referred to in the present invention, and the upper end portion of the blade 520 is chamfered so as to be in surface contact with the photoreceptor 410.

Example 4
In Example 4, the cleaning brush 140 shown in FIG. 3 is provided in the cleaning device of Example 3, and a lubricant (zinc stearate) is applied with the cleaning brush 140. In Example 4, in addition to the toner holding member 530, the application portion referred to in the present invention is provided.

(Comparative Example 1)
Comparative Example 1 is obtained by removing the toner holding member 430 from the cleaning device shown in FIG. This comparative example 1 lacks the toner holding member referred to in the present invention.

(Comparative Example 2)
In Comparative Example 2, instead of the toner holding member 430 in the cleaning device shown in FIG. 8, a rectangular toner holding member with no cutouts or holes is used. The comparative example 1 is provided with a low-strength toner holding member that is not provided with a flow path according to the present invention.

(Comparative Example 3)
In Comparative Example 3, instead of the toner holding member 430 in the cleaning device shown in FIG. 9, a rectangular toner holding member with no notches or holes is used. The comparative example 3 is provided with a high-strength toner holding member that is not provided with the flow path according to the present invention.

Next, evaluation results for these examples and comparative examples will be described.
(Evaluation results)
Here, the cleaning device shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 is used by being mounted on a Docu-Center Color 500 (printer manufactured by Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.). Using such a printer, a running test was conducted on a total of 400,000 sheets, 200,000 sheets each in high temperature and high humidity (28 ° C, 85% RH) and low temperature and low humidity (10 ° C, 15% RH) environments. did.

Detailed evaluation items are as follows.
1. Photoconductor Wear Amount The thin film of the photoconductor before and after the running test was measured with an eddy current film thickness meter (Fischer Instruments MMS) and the difference was calculated.
2. Photoconductor scratches The surface roughness of the photoconductor before and after the running test was measured by measuring the 10-point average roughness (Rz) with a surface roughness meter (Surfcom 1400A, manufactured by Tokyo Seimitsu Co., Ltd.). Judge as follows.

○: Rz ≦ 3.0 μm
Δ: 3.0 <Rz <3.5 μm
×: Rz ≧ 3.5 μm (white stripes can be confirmed on the image)
3. Cleaning performance 1 (blade damage)
The prints in the above test were visually confirmed, and the cleaning performance was sensory evaluated. Judgment criteria are as follows.

○: No problem with cleaning performance (no problem on image)
Δ: The toner has been cleaned, but the discharge product remains (white spots appear on the image under high temperature and high humidity)
×: Cleaning failure occurred (residual toner is transferred on the image)
4). Cleaning performance 2 (toner scattering during transfer)
The toner scattering during the transfer was sensory evaluated by visually confirming the print in the above test. Judgment criteria are as follows.

○: No problem with toner scattering Δ: Slight toner scattering ×: Clearly scattering compared with the conventional machine (see Part (A) in FIG. 1) In-machine contamination The inside of the printer after the running test was visually confirmed and subjected to sensory evaluation. Judgment criteria are as follows.

○: No in-flight contamination problem △: No problem in traveling, but the inside of the aircraft is somewhat contaminated ×: The inside of the aircraft is clearly contaminated compared to the conventional machine (see Part (A) in Fig. 1) Table 1 It is a table | surface which shows the above-mentioned Example and comparative example, and also the evaluation result with respect to them.

  As shown in Table 1, regarding Examples 1 to 4, good evaluation results were obtained in all tests. In Example 1, although the cleaning performance 1 was deteriorated and the inside of the apparatus was contaminated, it was of a level that had no problem in practical use.

  The difference between Example 1 and Example 2 is that Example 2 has more channels provided in the toner holding member. Only in the first embodiment, the deterioration of the cleaning performance 1 and the cause of the contamination inside the machine are as follows. In the first embodiment, the old toner previously supplied to the blade cannot be discharged from the flow path, and the new toner is replaced by the blade. This is probably because it was not supplied. In Example 1, when a large amount of toner is supplied between the blade and the photoconductor, excess toner that could not be discharged from the flow path moves in a direction along the axial direction of the photoconductor, and the photoconductor It was discharged into the printer at both ends of the shaft, causing contamination inside the printer. In addition, since new toner that also serves as an abrasive was not supplied to the blade, the discharge products finer than the toner were not sufficiently removed. From the above, it was confirmed that it is preferable to provide a sufficient number of channels for the toner holding member to efficiently discharge the toner.

  Example 3 is different from Example 4 only in that the lubricant is applied only in Example 4. In Example 3 and Example 4, it was confirmed that the wear amount of the photoconductor is smaller in the case of Example 4, and the wear of the photoconductor can be reliably reduced by applying a lubricant.

  In Comparative Example 1, problems occurred in all items other than in-machine contamination. This is considered to be because the toner holding member is not provided in Comparative Example 1, so that the toner is not held between the blade and the photosensitive member, and the blade and the photosensitive member are worn.

  In Comparative Example 2, blade damage has occurred (cleaning performance 1: x). As a cause of this, in Comparative Example 2, since a toner holding member (low strength) without a flow path is used, the old toner first supplied to the blade is pushed by the new toner and discharged to the toner recovery box. It is thought that this is because the old toner is fixed at the contact portion between the blade and the photosensitive member due to frictional heat generated by the cleaning. When the toner is fixed, a large pressure is applied to the blade, and the blade is worn.

  In Comparative Example 3, in-flight contamination occurred (in-flight contamination: x). For this reason, in Comparative Example 3, since a toner holding member (high strength) without a flow path is used, excess toner that could not be discharged from under the toner holding member is moved in the axial direction of the photoreceptor. It is considered that contamination in the machine occurred due to movement in the direction along the axis and being discharged into the printer at both ends of the shaft of the photoreceptor.

  In the following, supplementary conditions applicable to the present invention will be described.

  First, the configuration of the cleaning device will be described.

  In a cleaning apparatus having a low-strength toner holding member as shown in FIG. 8, the distance (distance d) between the tip of the toner holding member and the photosensitive member depends on the particle size, adhesion strength, etc. of the residual toner to be cleaned. Accordingly, the length is set to about 0 mm (contact) to about 2 mm, preferably about 0 mm to 1 mm, and the length of the protruding portion of the toner holding member (the length l in FIG. 8) is determined accordingly. Although it depends on the thickness of the blade (thickness W1 = 2 mm in FIG. 8) and the contact angle (about 10-20 °), it is about 5-20 mm.

  Residual toner adhering to the photoconductor enters the space formed by the photoconductor, the blade, and the toner holding member by slightly pushing up the toner holding member from the gap between the toner holding member and the photoconductor. This space is filled with a certain amount of residual toner according to the strength of the toner holding member, and holds a high pressure against the outside air. By storing a certain amount of toner in the space, it is possible to obtain a pressure necessary for the toner as a lubricant to protect the blade tip.

  For the purpose of adjusting the amount of toner held in the space, replacing the toner in the space, and protecting the toner holding member, a toner inflow / outflow channel is provided at the tip of the toner holding member. The shape and number of the flow paths are appropriately determined according to the size and adhesion strength of the residual toner, and are not limited to a round shape or a sawtooth shape.

  The material of the toner holding member may be anything as long as it has elasticity and can be easily bonded and fixed to the blade, but is appropriately determined according to a desired pressure value. Examples include polyethylene terephthalate, urethane rubber, polyurethane resin, and the like. The pressure can also be adjusted by the thickness of the toner holding member. Depending on the material of the residual toner and the material and width of the toner holding member, a thickness of about 50 to 100 μm can be used if the polyethylene terephthalate has a width of 10 mm.

  Further, in the cleaning device provided with the high-strength toner holding member as shown in FIG. 9, the rear end of the toner holding member is bonded and fixed so as to seal substantially the entire longitudinal direction of the blade, thereby restricting the deformation of the blade. The tip of the toner holding member protrudes from the tip of the blade, and forms a gap of 0.5 to 2.0 mm, preferably around 1 mm, with the photoreceptor. The length of the toner holding member protruding from the blade tip is set to about 5 to 10 mm. The gap and the length of the toner holding member are appropriately set according to the thickness of the blade.

  Residual toner adhering to the photosensitive member enters a space formed by the photosensitive member, the blade, and the toner holding member through a gap between the toner holding member and the photosensitive member. The restricted space is filled with a certain amount of residual toner, and a high pressure is maintained against the outside air by the intervention of the toner layer. By storing a certain amount of toner in the space, it is possible to obtain a pressure necessary for the toner as a lubricant to protect the blade tip.

  Since the deformation of the blade is regulated by the toner holding member, an excessive load is applied to the tip of the blade depending on the thickness of the blade, and the blade is severely damaged. As shown in FIG. 9, the corner of the tip is adjusted so that the contact portion of the blade is substantially parallel to the surface of the photoreceptor. The thickness of the portion in contact with the photoconductor is determined by the shape of the toner holding member and the blade. For example, a tangent to the photosensitive member at the intersection of a line segment connecting the tip of the toner holding member and the center of the photosensitive member and the surface of the photosensitive member and the toner holding member are arranged in parallel so that the gap d is 1 mm. The angle θ formed between the minute and the tip of the blade in contact with the photoreceptor is 10 °. In this case, the length of the back plate protruding from the blade tip is 7.21 mm, and the thickness e of the non-contact portion of the blade is 1.63 mm. When the thickness of the blade is 2 mm, the thickness is 0.37 mm.

  Whether the toner holding member is an elastic member or a rigid member, deterioration of the staying toner may be a problem. If the remaining toner is not replaced, the toner as a lubricant will not be supplied to the tip of the blade due to the aggregation of the toner, and excessive pressure will be applied to the blade, resulting in poor cleaning and damage to the blade. Problems arise. This problem is solved by providing a flow path in the toner holding member.

As a material for the high-strength toner holding member, a metal such as aluminum or stainless steel or a plastic plate is used. However, a material with good adhesiveness to the blade that does not peel off due to the cleaning operation is desired. The thickness of the back plate is required to be 1 mm or more which is not substantially deformed by the cleaning operation.
<Blade>
As the material of the blade used in the cleaning device of the present invention, urethane rubber, silicon rubber, fluorine rubber, chloroprene rubber, butadiene rubber, or the like can be used. Among them, it is preferable to use a polyurethane elastic body because of its excellent wear resistance. As the polyurethane elastic body, a polyurethane generally synthesized through an addition reaction between an isocyanate and a polyol and various hydrogen-containing compounds is used. As the polyol component, a polyether-based polyol such as polypropylene glycol or polytetramethylene glycol, Polyester polyols such as adipate polyols, polycaprolactam polyols, polycarbonate polyols are used, and polyisocyanate components include aromatics such as tolylene diisocyanate, 4,4'diphenylmethane diisocyanate, polymethylene polyphenyl polyisocyanate, toluidine diisocyanate, etc. Polyisocyanate, hexamethylene diisocyanate, isophorone diisocyanate, xylylene diisocyanate, dicyclo It is manufactured by preparing a urethane prepolymer using an aliphatic polyisocyanate such as xylmethane diisocyanate, adding a curing agent to the urethane prepolymer, pouring it into a predetermined mold, crosslinking and curing, and then aging at room temperature. ing. As the curing agent, a dihydric alcohol such as 1,4-butanediol and a trihydric or higher polyhydric alcohol such as trimethylolpropane or pentaerythritol are usually used in combination. As the physical properties of the cleaning blade, for example, hardness (JISA scale) 50 to 90, Young's modulus (kg / cm ² ) 40 to 90, 100% modulus (kg / cm ² ) 20 to 65, 300% modulus (kg / cm ²⁾ ) 70-150, Tensile strength (kg / cm ² ) 240-500, Elongation (%) 290-500, Rebound resilience (%) 30-70, Tear strength (kg / cm ² ) 25-75, Permanent Those having an elongation (%) of 4.0 or less can be used. The pressure contact force of the blade is preferably 10 to 60 (gf / cm), and the contact set angle is preferably 17 to 30 (°).
<Cleaning brush>
Examples of the material of the cleaning brush include polyester and acrylic resin. The cleaning brush is formed by spirally winding a pile woven fabric around the rotation support shaft, and the rotation support shaft and the base fabric portion of the fabric are bonded via a conductive adhesive or the like. High resistance brush fibers are provided on the outer periphery of the base fabric portion, and the fiber thickness is in the range of 3 to 17 denier. Denier here is expressed in mass (gram) per 9000 m of fiber length, and is used as a unit representing fiber thickness. High resistance brush fibers are formed at a density of 50,000 to 150,000 fibers / (inch) ^{2 on} the outer periphery of the base fabric portion.

In the cleaning brush, when the free length of the brush fiber excluding the base fabric portion is shortened due to the limitation of the configuration, the variation in the tip force increases with the thickness and the high fiber density of the high brush fiber. Therefore, when a cleaning brush with a short free length is used, the brush fiber thickness and fiber density can be appropriately selected so that the variation in the tip force is within the above range. Here, the tip force means a moment force applied from the cleaning brush to the photosensitive member when the cleaning brush rotates and contacts the photosensitive member.
<Solid lubricant>
As the solid lubricant, for example, a dry solid hydrophobic lubricant is used, and typical examples thereof include zinc stearate, barium stearate, iron stearate, nickel stearate, cobalt stearate, copper stearate, stearic acid. Strontium, calcium stearate, cadmium stearate, magnesium stearate, zinc oleate, manganese oleate, iron oleate, cobalt oleate, lead oleate, magnesium oleate, copper oleate, palmitic acid, cobalt palmitate, palmitic acid Copper, magnesium palmitate, aluminum palmitate, calcium palmitate, lead caprylate, lead caproate, zinc linolenate, cobalt linolenate, calcium linolenate, and cadmium ricolinoleate It can be mentioned fatty acids such as. Natural waxes such as carbanau wax can also be used. These lubricants are solidified in a plate shape having a rectangular cross section. The length of the solid lubricant is slightly longer than that of the cleaning brush and the image area of the photoreceptor.

  The lubricant support member that supports the solid lubricant supports the solid lubricant, is rotatably supported via a rotation shaft that is parallel to the cleaning brush, and generates a moment around the rotation shaft. The solid lubricant supported by the supporting portion may be brought into contact with the cleaning brush by the moment. Since the support member is restricted from moving in the circumferential direction by the rotating shaft, the nip amount (biting amount) of the solid lubricant with respect to the rotating brush is always kept constant in the rotating brush shaft direction. Further, since the lubricant support member that supports the solid lubricant generates a moment around the rotation shaft, the solid lubricant can be brought into contact with the rotary brush at a predetermined contact pressure by the moment, and the rotary brush The rotation of the solid lubricant does not cause random movement such as jumping up, so that the solid lubricant can be stably supplied over a long period of time with a predetermined contact pressure.

  Next, preferable examples of various elements constituting the entire printer will be described.

  In the present invention, the charging method of the charger is not limited to the contact charging method or the non-contact charging method.

In addition, the configurations of the exposure unit (latent image forming unit), the developing unit (developing unit), the transfer unit (transfer unit), the static eliminator, and the fixing unit are not particularly limited in the present invention, and are conventionally used in the field of electrophotography. Any known configuration can be applied as it is. In the case of a configuration using a contact charging type charger as in this example, the static eliminator is not necessarily provided.
<Toner>
The toner suitably used in the cleaning device of the present invention will be described below.

  The cleaning device of the present invention is effective when a spherical toner having a problem of cleaning properties is used as the toner. In particular, toner having a shape having an average shape index SF represented by the following formula (1) of 100 to 135 (toner particles when an external additive is included) has a problem of rolling at a minute deformation portion at the tip of the cleaning blade. If the cleaning device of the present invention is used, residual toner when such toner is used can be removed extremely effectively.

SF = 100 × πML ² / 4A (1)
ML: Absolute maximum length of toner particles A: Projected area of toner particles The average shape index SF of 100 to 125 can be used to ensure higher developability and transferability. High-quality images can be obtained.

The toner used in the present invention is preferably composed of at least toner particles composed of a binder resin and a colorant and an external additive. Hereinafter, the toner suitably used in the present invention will be described in detail for each component.
<Toner particles>
The toner particles are composed of at least a binder resin and a colorant, and contain a release agent and other components as necessary.

  As the binder resin for toner particles, styrenes such as styrene and chlorostyrene; monoolefins such as ethylene, propylene, butylene, and isoprene; vinyl esters such as vinyl acetate, vinyl propionate, vinyl benzoate, and vinyl butyrate; Α-methylene aliphatic monocarboxylic acid esters such as methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, dodecyl acrylate, octyl acrylate, phenyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, butyl methacrylate, dodecyl methacrylate Homopolymers and copolymers of vinyl ethers such as vinyl methyl ether, vinyl ethyl ether, vinyl butyl ether, vinyl ketones such as vinyl methyl ketone, vinyl hexyl ketone, vinyl isopropenyl ketone, etc. Particularly representative binder resins include polystyrene, styrene-alkyl acrylate copolymer, styrene-alkyl methacrylate copolymer, styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer, styrene-butadiene copolymer, styrene- Mention may be made of maleic anhydride copolymers, polyethylene, polypropylene and the like. Further examples include polyester, polyurethane, epoxy resin, silicone resin, polyamide, modified rosin, paraffin wax and the like.

  The toner particle colorants include magnetic powders such as magnetite and ferrite, carbon black, aniline blue, calcoil blue, chrome yellow, ultramarine blue, DuPont oil red, quinoline yellow, methylene blue chloride, phthalocyanine blue, and malachite green oxalate. , Lamp Black, Rose Bengal, C.I. I. Pigment red 48: 1, C.I. I. Pigment red 122, C.I. I. Pigment red 57: 1, C.I. I. Pigment yellow 97, C.I. I. Pigment yellow 17, C.I. I. Pigment yellow 74, C.I. I. Pigment yellow 180, C.I. I. Pigment blue 15: 1, C.I. I. Pigment Blue 15: 3 can be exemplified as a representative one.

  Typical examples of the release agent that can be contained in the toner particles include low molecular polyethylene, low molecular polypropylene, Fischer-Tropsch wax, montan wax, carnauba wax, rice wax, and candelilla wax. .

  In addition, a charge control agent may be added to the toner particles as necessary. Known charge control agents can be used, but azo metal complex compounds, metal complex compounds of salicylic acid, and resin type charge control agents containing polar groups can be used. When toner particles are produced by a wet process, it is preferable to use a material that is difficult to dissolve in water in terms of controlling ionic strength and reducing wastewater contamination.

  The toner particles that can be used in the present invention may be either a magnetic toner containing a magnetic material or a non-magnetic toner containing no magnetic material.

  The volume average particle size of the toner particles that can be used in the present invention is preferably in the range of 2 to 9 μm, more preferably in the range of 3 to 7 μm.

The method for producing toner particles that can be preferably used in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as the shape index and the particle diameter are satisfied, and a known production method can be applied. The toner particles can be produced, for example, by kneading and pulverizing a kneading, pulverizing, and classifying a binder resin and a colorant, and if necessary, a release agent and a charge control agent; A method of changing the shape by impact force or thermal energy; emulsion polymerization of a polymerizable monomer of a binder resin, formation of a dispersion, a colorant, a mold release agent, a charge control agent, etc. Emulsion polymerization aggregation method to obtain toner particles by mixing and aggregating and heating and fusing the dispersion; polymerizable monomer and colorant for obtaining binder resin, release agent, charge control agent as required Suspension polymerization method in which a solution such as a suspension is polymerized by suspending in a water-based solvent; granulation by suspending a solution of a binder resin, a colorant, a release agent, and a charge control agent, if necessary, in a water-based solvent Dissolution suspension method; and the like. In addition, a manufacturing method may be performed in which the toner particles obtained by the above method are used as a core, and aggregated particles are further adhered and heat-fused to have a core-shell structure.
<External additive>
In the cleaning device of the present invention, it is desirable that at least one of the external additives contains particles in the range of 50 to 500 nm in the toner from the viewpoint of further improving the cleaning property. The external additive having an average particle size of 50 to 500 nm contained in the toner is deposited on the minute deformation portion of the cleaning blade tip, thereby effectively suppressing the penetration of the spherical toner into the edge tip deformation of the cleaning blade. Rolling can be suppressed (sealing effect), and the cleaning property can be improved.

  In order to easily supply particles having an average particle size of 50 to 500 nm to the tip of the cleaning blade, it is most effective to add and adhere to the toner as an external additive, and the tip of the edge of the cleaning blade can be stably provided. In order to supply the toner to the portion, it is effective that the toner particles are carried to the edge of the cleaning blade while being held on the surface of the toner particles. The external additive held on the surface of the toner particles is detached from the surface of the toner particles due to the frictional friction with the cleaning blade, and is effectively supplied to the cleaning blade tip deformed portion.

  If the external additive contained for improving the cleaning property is smaller than 50 nm, it is difficult to form an effective seal because it hardly stays at the deformed portion of the cleaning blade. If it is larger than 500 nm, it is difficult to adhere to the surface of the toner particles, and it is easily detached from the surface of the toner particles by the stirring force in the developing device, and cannot be effectively supplied to the cleaning blade and stable for a long time. Thus, the sealing effect and the cleaning blade behavior stabilizing effect cannot be exhibited. The average particle size of the external additive contained for improving the cleaning property is more preferably in the range of 80 to 300 nm.

  The specific gravity of the external additive contained for improving the cleaning property is preferably in the range of 1.3 to 1.9. When the specific gravity is greater than 1.9, peeling of the external additive from the toner particles tends to be accelerated due to stress in the developing machine, and the supply to the cleaning blade may not be effectively performed. On the other hand, when the specific gravity is less than 1.3, the external additive tends to aggregate and disperse, the earing of the external additive becomes uneven, and stress is selectively applied to the convex portion. The peeling of the agent from the toner particles is accelerated, so that the agent cannot be effectively supplied to the cleaning blade, and the sealing effect may not be exhibited stably over a long period of time.

  The external additive contained for improving the cleaning property is preferably spherical. Since the external additive is spherical, it can be uniformly dispersed on the surface of the toner particles, and peeling of the external additive can be effectively suppressed. The definition of the sphere can be discussed with Wadell's true sphericity, and the sphericity Ψ is preferably 0.6 or more, and more preferably 0.8 or more.

  The content of the external additive contained for improving the cleaning property is preferably 0.5 to 5 parts by weight, more preferably 1 to 3 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the toner particles. If the amount is less than 0.5 parts by weight, the cleaning property of the spherical toner tends to be deteriorated, and cleaning failure may occur. If the amount exceeds 5 parts by weight, filming / comment on the photosensitive member is likely to occur. Each is not preferred.

It is considered that the effect of the external additive having a spherical shape is enhanced as the external additive is closer to monodispersion. Here, the definition of monodispersion can be discussed in terms of standard deviation with respect to the average particle diameter including aggregates, and it is desirable that the standard deviation is D ₅₀ × 0.22 or less.

  The material of the external additive contained for improving the cleaning property is not particularly limited as long as it has the above shape, but it is considered that silica is particularly good. The reason for this is that silica has a refractive index of around 1.5, and even if the particle size is increased, the transparency decreases due to light scattering, particularly the PE value (index of light transmission) during image creation on OHP, etc. It does not affect

  General fumed silica has a specific gravity of 2.2, and the maximum particle size of 50 nm is the limit from the viewpoint of production. Further, although the particle size can be increased as an aggregate, uniform dispersion is difficult and a stable sealing effect cannot be obtained. On the other hand, as other typical inorganic fine particles, titanium oxide (specific gravity 4.2, refractive index 2.6), alumina (specific gravity 4.0, refractive index 1.8), zinc oxide (specific gravity 5.6, refractive). 2.0), all of which have a high specific gravity, and when the particle diameter is larger than 50 nm so that the sealing effect at the edge tip deformed portion of the cleaning blade is effectively exhibited, peeling from the toner particles may occur. May be more likely to occur. In addition, its refractive index is high, which is disadvantageous for color image creation.

  Silica suitable as an external additive material contained for improving the cleaning property, particularly spherical monodispersed silica having a specific gravity of 1.3 to 1.9 can be obtained by a sol-gel method which is a wet method. According to this method, the specific gravity can be controlled to be lower than that of the vapor phase oxidation method or the like because the method is a wet method and is a method of manufacturing without firing. Further, the specific gravity can be further adjusted by controlling the type of hydrophobic treatment agent or the amount of treatment in the hydrophobization treatment step. The particle diameter of silica can be freely controlled by the hydrolysis of the sol-gel method, the weight ratio of alkoxysilane, ammonia, alcohol, water in the condensation polymerization process, the reaction temperature, the stirring speed, and the supply speed. Monodispersed, spherical silica can also be achieved by manufacturing by the sol-gel method.

  A specific method for producing silica is as follows. First, a silane compound such as tetramethoxysilane is dropped and stirred while applying temperature using ammonia water as a catalyst in the presence of water and alcohol. Next, the silica sol suspension produced by the reaction is centrifuged to separate it into wet silica gel, alcohol and aqueous ammonia. A solvent is added to wet silica gel to form a silica sol again, and a hydrophobizing agent is added to hydrophobize the silica surface. A general silane compound can be used as the hydrophobizing agent. Next, the target monodispersed silica can be obtained by removing the solvent from the hydrophobized silica sol, drying, and sieve. Further, the silica thus obtained may be treated again by the sol-gel method as described above.

The said silane compound can use what is water-soluble. Examples of such a silane compound include chemical structural formula R _a SiX _4-a (wherein a is an integer of 0 to 3, R represents an organic group such as a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, and an alkenyl group, and X represents Represents a hydrolyzable group such as a chlorine atom, a methoxy group and an ethoxy group.) Can be used, and any type of chlorosilane, alkoxysilane, silazane, and a special silylating agent can be used. Is possible. Specifically, methyltrichlorosilane, dimethyldichlorosilane, trimethylchlorosilane, phenyltrichlorosilane, diphenyldichlorosilane, tetramethoxysilane, methyltrimethoxysilane, dimethyldimethoxysilane, phenyltrimethoxysilane, diphenyldimethoxysilane, tetraethoxysilane, methyl Triethoxysilane, dimethyldiethoxysilane, phenyltriethoxysilane, diphenyldiethoxysilane, isobutyltrimethoxysilane, decyltrimethoxysilane, hexamethyldisilazane, N, O- (bistrimethylsilyl) acetamide, N, N-bis ( Trimethylsilyl) urea, tert-butyldimethylchlorosilane, vinyltrichlorosilane, vinyltrimethoxysilane, vinyltriethoxy Run, γ-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, β- (3,4-epoxycyclohexyl) ethyltrimethoxysilane, γ-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane, γ-glycidoxypropylmethyldiethoxysilane, γ-mercapto Representative examples include propyltrimethoxysilane and γ-chloropropyltrimethoxysilane.

  Particularly preferred examples of the hydrophobizing agent include dimethyldimethoxysilane, hexamethyldisilazane, methyltrimethoxysilane, isobutyltrimethoxysilane, and decyltrimethoxysilane.

  The external additive contained for improving the cleaning property is supplied to the cleaning blade while being held on the surface of the toner particles. Depending on the image pattern on the surface of the latent image carrier, the supply amount of the external additive may be There may be an extremely small portion. In order to prevent this, it is desirable to create a toner image that is not transferred to the transfer body on the surface of the latent image carrier at any or predetermined timing (interval) in the non-image forming cycle. By creating a non-transferred toner image on the latent image carrier, external additives contained to improve the cleaning performance are supplied to the cleaning blade, stabilizing the behavior of the tip of the cleaning blade, and stable regardless of the image pattern Thus, the cleaning performance can be maintained.

  The “non-image forming cycle” refers to a cycle in which the transfer body is not supplied and the toner image created on the surface of the latent image carrier can be conveyed as it is to the cleaning means (cleaning step). The toner image formed here may be a pattern in which the external additive is supplied to the entire longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade, and may be a solid image, a halftone image, a line image, or the like. . The timing for creating a toner image that is not transferred may be a certain number of sheets, a cycle, a time, or the like, or any timing.

  In the cleaning device of the present invention, an inorganic compound for controlling the fluidity and chargeability of the toner can be contained in the toner as the external additive. In order to control the fluidity and chargeability of the toner, it is necessary to sufficiently coat the surface of the toner particles with an external additive. However, an external additive such as spherical monodispersed silica contained for the purpose of improving the above-described cleaning properties. In this case, a sufficient coating cannot be obtained. Therefore, it is desirable to use a small-diameter inorganic compound together with the external additive contained for improving the cleaning property.

  As the inorganic compound having a small diameter that can be contained in the toner, known compounds can be used. For example, silica, alumina, titanium oxide, barium titanate, magnesium titanate, calcium titanate, strontium titanate, zinc oxide, silica Sand, clay, mica, wollastonite, diatomaceous earth, cerium chloride, bengara, chromium oxide, cerium oxide, antimony trioxide, magnesium oxide, zirconium oxide, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, calcium phosphate, etc. be able to. Depending on the purpose, the surface of these inorganic fine particles may be subjected to a known surface treatment.

  The average particle size of the inorganic compound having a small diameter as described above that can be contained in the toner is preferably less than 50 nm, and more preferably in the range of 5 to 30 nm. Further, the addition amount is preferably in the range of 0.3 to 3.0 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the toner particles.

The toner in the present invention can be produced by mixing the toner particles and the external additive with a Henschel mixer or a V blender. In addition, when the toner particles are produced by a wet method, external addition can be performed by a wet method.
<Career>
The toner may be used as a one-component developer constituting a developer by itself, but is generally used as a two-component developer constituting a developer by being mixed with a carrier. .

  As the carrier, a magnetic metal such as iron, nickel or cobalt; a magnetic oxide such as ferrite or magnetite; a glass bead; or the like is used as a core material. In order to adjust the volume resistivity using a magnetic brush method Is preferably a magnetic material. The average particle diameter of the core material is usually in the range of 10 to 500 μm, preferably 30 to 100 μm.

  In addition, these carriers preferably have a resin coating layer coated with a resin or the like to impart chargeability. Examples of the resin include polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyacrylonitrile, polyvinyl acetate, and polyvinyl acetate. Alcohol, polyvinyl butyral, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl carbazole, polyvinyl ether, polyvinyl ketone, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, styrene-acrylic acid copolymer, straight silicone resin composed of organosiloxane bond or its modified product, fluorine resin , Polyester, polyurethane, polycarbonate, phenol resin, amino resin, melamine resin, benzoguanamine resin, urea resin, amide resin, epoxy resin, etc., but are not limited thereto. No.

  As a method for forming a resin coating layer on the surface of the carrier core material, an immersion method in which the core material is immersed in the coating layer forming solution, a spray method in which the coating layer forming solution is sprayed on the core material surface, and a flow of the core material are performed. It is possible to apply a fluidized bed method in which a coating layer forming solution is sprayed in a state of being suspended by air, a kneader coater method in which a core material and a coating layer forming solution are mixed in a kneader coater, and then a solvent is removed. it can.

In the present invention, the mixing ratio (weight ratio) of the toner and the carrier is preferably in the range of toner: carrier = 1: 100 to 30: 100, more preferably about 3: 100 to 20: 100. Range.
<Charging means>
As a charging method used in an image forming apparatus to which the cleaning device of the present invention is applied, a known charging method can be applied, and examples thereof include a corotron charging method and a contact charging method. In the contact charging method, a roller charging member, a blade charging member, a belt charging member, a brush charging member, a magnetic brush charging member, or the like can be applied. In particular, the roller-shaped charging member and the blade-shaped charging member may be arranged in a contact state or a non-contact state having a certain amount of gap (100 μm or less) with respect to the photoreceptor.

A roller-shaped charging member, a blade-shaped charging member, and a belt-shaped charging member are composed of a material adjusted to an effective electrical resistance (10 ³ Ω to 10 ⁸ Ω) as a charging member, You may be comprised from several layers. The material is mainly composed of synthetic rubber such as urethane rubber, silicone rubber, fluorine rubber, chloroprene rubber, butadiene rubber, EPDM, epichlorohydrin rubber, and elastomers such as polyolefin, polystyrene, vinyl chloride, conductive carbon, metal oxide, ion An appropriate amount of an optional conductivity imparting agent such as a conductive agent can be blended to develop and use an effective electrical resistance as a charging member. Furthermore, a resin such as nylon, polyester, polystyrene, polyurethane, silicone, etc. is made into a paint, and an appropriate amount of any conductivity imparting agent such as conductive carbon, metal oxide, ionic conductive agent, etc. is blended there, and the resulting paint is dipped. They can be laminated and used by any method such as spraying or roll coating.
<Transfer means>
Further, as a transfer means used in an image forming apparatus to which the cleaning device of the present invention is applied, a known transfer method can be applied. For example, a direct transfer method using a transfer corotron or a transfer roll, an intermediate transfer belt, an intermediate transfer belt, or the like. Examples thereof include an intermediate transfer method using an intermediate transfer member such as a drum, and a transfer belt method in which a recording material is electrostatically attracted and conveyed to transfer an image on an image carrier.
<Photoconductor>
The image carrier used in the image forming apparatus to which the cleaning apparatus of the present invention is applied has a single layer structure, a laminated structure composed of a charge generation layer and a charge transport layer, and a surface protective layer provided thereon. Any configuration such as a configuration may be used.

  The conductive substrate is formed by molding aluminum into a cylindrical shape (drum shape). In addition, as such a substrate, a conductive material is applied to a metal material such as stainless steel or nickel in addition to aluminum; a polymer material such as polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polypropylene, nylon, polystyrene, phenol resin, or an insulating material such as hard paper. One obtained by dispersing and conducting a treatment; one obtained by laminating a metal stay on the above insulating material; one obtained by forming a metal vapor deposition film on the above insulating material, or the like can be used. The shape of the substrate may be a sheet shape, a plate shape, or the like.

  Materials for the undercoat layer include zirconium chelate compounds, zirconium alkoxide compounds, organic zirconium compounds such as zirconium coupling agents, titanium chelate compounds, titanium alkoxide compounds, organic titanium compounds such as titanate coupling agents, aluminum chelate compounds, aluminum In addition to organic aluminum compounds such as coupling agents, antimony alkoxide compounds, germanium alkoxide compounds, indium alkoxide compounds, indium chelate compounds, manganese alkoxide compounds, manganese chelate compounds, tin alkoxide compounds, tin chelate compounds, aluminum silicon alkoxide compounds, aluminum titanium Alkoxide compounds, aluminum zirconium alkoxide compounds, etc. Mentioned metal compounds, etc. These organic zirconium compound among organic titanyl compound, organoaluminum compound residual potential are preferably used exhibits excellent electrophotographic characteristics lower. Also, vinyltrichlorosilane, vinyltrimethoxysilane, vinyltriethoxysilane, vinyltris-2-methoxyethoxysilane, vinyltriacetoxysilane, γ-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane, γ-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, γ-amino Propyltriethoxysilane, γ-chloropropyltrimethoxysilane, γ-2-aminoethylaminopropyltrimethoxysilane, γ-mercapropropyltrimethoxysilane, γ-ureidopropyltriethoxysilane, β-3,4-epoxycyclohexyl It can be used by containing a silane coupling agent such as trimethoxysilane.

  Furthermore, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl methyl ether, poly-N-vinylimidazole, polyethylene oxide, ethyl cellulose, methyl cellulose, ethylene-acrylic acid copolymer, polyamide, polyimide, casein, gelatin, polyethylene, polyester, phenol resin, vinyl chloride- A binder resin such as a vinyl acetate copolymer, an epoxy resin, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyvinyl pyridine, polyurethane, polyglutamic acid, or polyacrylic acid can also be used. These mixing ratios can be appropriately set as necessary.

  Further, an electron transporting substance can be mixed and dispersed in the undercoat layer. Examples of the electron transporting substance include organic pigments such as perylene pigments, bisbenzimidazole perylene pigments, polycyclic quinone pigments, indigo pigments, and quinacridone pigments described in JP-A-47-30330, cyano groups, nitro groups, and nitroso. And organic pigments such as bisazo pigments or phthalocyanine pigments having electron-withdrawing substituents such as groups and halogen atoms, and inorganic pigments such as zinc oxide and titanium oxide. Among these pigments, perylene pigments, bisbenzimidazole perylene pigments and polycyclic quinone pigments are preferably used because of their high electron mobility. If the amount of the electron transporting pigment is too large, the strength of the undercoat layer is lowered and a coating film defect is caused. Therefore, the blending amount is preferably 95% by weight or less, more preferably 90% by weight or less. As a method for mixing / dispersing the charge transporting substance, a conventional method using a ball mill, a roll mill, a sand mill, an attritor, an ultrasonic wave, or the like is applied. Mixing / dispersing is carried out in an organic solvent, as long as the organic solvent dissolves a periodical metal compound or resin and does not cause gelation or aggregation when an electron transporting pigment is mixed / dispersed. Anything can be used. For example, methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, n-butanol, benzyl alcohol, methyl cellosolve, ethyl cellosolve, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, cyclohexanone, methyl acetate, n-butyl acetate, dioxane, tetrahydrofuran, methylene chloride, chloroform, chlorobenzene Ordinary organic solvents such as toluene can be used alone or in admixture of two or more.

  The charge generation layer includes a charge generation material and a binder resin. As such a charge generation material, azo pigments such as bisazo and trisazo, condensed aromatic pigments such as dibromoanthanthrone, perylene pigments, pyrrolopyrrole pigments, and phthalocyanine pigments can be used. And metal-free phthalocyanine pigments are preferred, among which hydroxygallium phthalocyanine, chlorogallium phthalocyanine, dichlorotin phthalocyanine and titanyl phthalocyanine having specific crystals are particularly preferred. As the chlorogallium phthalocyanine used in the present invention, for example, a chlorogallium phthalocyanine crystal produced by the method described in JP-A-5-98181 is obtained by using an automatic mortar, planetary mill, vibration mill, CF mill, roller mill, sand mill, kneader. It can be produced by mechanically dry pulverizing with a solvent or the like, or by performing wet pulverization using a ball mill, mortar, sand mill, kneader or the like together with a solvent after dry pulverization. Solvents used in the above treatment are aromatics (toluene, chlorobenzene, etc.), amides (dimethylformamide, N-methylpyrrolidone, etc.), aliphatic alcohols (methanol, ethanol, butanol, etc.), aliphatic polyvalents. Alcohols (ethylene glycol, glycerin, polyethylene glycol, etc.), aromatic alcohols (benzyl alcohol, phenethyl alcohol, etc.), esters (acetic ester, butyl acetate, etc.), ketones (acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, etc.), dimethyl sulfoxide Ethers (diethyl ether, tetrahydrofuran, etc.), a mixture of two or more of these, or a mixed system of water and these organic solvents. The solvent to be used is preferably used in the range of 1 to 200 parts by weight, more preferably 10 to 100 parts by weight with respect to 1 part by weight of chlorogallium phthalocyanine. The treatment temperature is preferably in the range of 0 ° C to the boiling point of the solvent, preferably 10 to 60 ° C. In addition, grinding aids such as sodium chloride and sodium nitrate can be used during grinding. The amount of grinding aid used is preferably 0.5 to 20 times, more preferably 1 to 10 times that of the pigment.

  Dichlorotin phthalocyanine is obtained by pulverizing and solvent-treating dichlorotin phthalocyanine crystals produced by the methods described in JP-A-5-140472, JP-A-5-140473 and the like. be able to.

  Hydroxygallium phthalocyanine is a chlorogallium phthalocyanine crystal produced by the method described in JP-A-5-263007, JP-A-5-279591, etc., and is hydrolyzed or acid pasted in an acid or alkaline solution. Or by performing a solvent treatment directly, or performing a wet pulverization treatment of the hydroxygallium phthalocyanine crystal obtained by synthesis using a ball mill, a mortar, a sand mill, a kneader or the like with a solvent, Or it can manufacture by solvent-treating, after performing a dry-type grinding | pulverization process without using a solvent. Solvents used in the above treatment are aromatics (toluene, chlorobenzene, etc.), amides (dimethylformamide, N-methylpyrrolidone, etc.), aliphatic alcohols (methanol, ethanol, butanol, etc.), aliphatic polyvalents. Alcohols (ethylene glycol, glycerin, polyethylene glycol, etc.), aromatic alcohols (benzyl alcohol, phenethyl alcohol, etc.), esters (acetic ester, butyl acetate, etc.), ketones (acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, etc.), dimethyl sulfoxide , Ethers (diethyl ether, tetrahydrofuran, etc.) or a mixture of two or more thereof, a mixed system of water and these organic solvents, and the like. The amount of the solvent used is preferably 1 to 200 parts by weight, and preferably 10 to 100 parts by weight with respect to 1 part by weight of hydroxygallium phthalocyanine. The treatment temperature is preferably 0 to 150 ° C, preferably room temperature to 100 ° C. In addition, grinding aids such as sodium chloride and sodium nitrate can be used during grinding. The amount of grinding aid used is preferably 0.5 to 20 times, more preferably 1 to 10 times that of the pigment.

  Oxytitanyl phthalocyanine is obtained by acid pasting a oxytitanyl phthalocyanine crystal produced by the method described in JP-A-4-189873, JP-A-5-43813, or the like, a ball mill, a mortar, a sand mill, a kneader or the like. Is subjected to salt milling together with an inorganic salt to form a relatively low crystallinity oxytitanyl phthalocyanine crystal having a peak at 27.2 ° in an X-ray diffraction spectrum, and then subjected to direct solvent treatment or It can manufacture by performing a wet grinding process using a ball mill, a mortar, a sand mill, a kneader, etc. with a solvent. As an acid used for acid pasting, sulfuric acid (concentration is preferably 70 to 100%, more preferably 95 to 100%) is preferably used, and dissolution in sulfuric acid is preferably -20 to 100 ° C, more Preferably it is carried out in the range of 0 to 60 ° C. The amount of sulfuric acid is preferably set in the range of 1 to 100 times, more preferably 3 to 50 times the weight of the oxytitanyl phthalocyanine crystal. As the solvent for precipitating oxytitanyl phthalocyanine crystals after such dissolution, water or a mixed solvent of water and an organic solvent is used in an arbitrary amount, but water and an alcohol solvent such as methanol or ethanol, or water and benzene. A mixed solvent with an aromatic solvent such as toluene is particularly preferable. The temperature at which the oxytitanyl phthalocyanine crystal is precipitated is not particularly limited, but is preferably cooled with ice or the like in order to prevent heat generation. The ratio of the oxytitanyl phthalocyanine crystal and the inorganic salt is preferably 1 / 0.1 to 1/20, more preferably 1 / 0.5 to 1/5, by weight. The solvent used in the above solvent treatment is aromatics (toluene, chlorobenzene, etc.), aliphatic alcohols (methanol, ethanol, butanol, etc.), halogenated hydrocarbons (dichloromethane, chloroform, trichloroethane, etc.) or The mixture of these 2 or more types, or the mixed system of water and these organic solvents, etc. are mentioned. The amount of the solvent used is preferably 1 to 100 parts by weight, more preferably 5 to 50 parts by weight, based on 1 part by weight of oxytitanyl phthalocyanine. The solvent treatment temperature is preferably room temperature to 100 ° C, more preferably 50 to 100 ° C. The amount of grinding aid used is preferably 1 to 10 times that of the pigment.

  The binder resin used for the charge generation layer can be selected from a wide range of insulating resins, and selected from organic photoconductive polymers such as poly-N-vinylcarbazole, polyvinylanthracene, polyvinylpyrene, and polysilane. You can also Preferred binder resins include polyvinyl butyral resin, polyarylate resin (polycondensate of bisphenol A and phthalic acid, etc.), polycarbonate resin, polyester resin, phenoxy resin, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, polyamide resin, acrylic resin. Insulating resins such as polyacrylamide resin, polyvinyl pyridine resin, cellulose resin, urethane resin, epoxy resin, casein, polyvinyl alcohol resin, polyvinyl pyrrolidone resin can be mentioned, but are not limited thereto. One of these binder resins may be used alone, or two or more thereof may be mixed and used.

  The mixing ratio of the charge generating material and the binder resin is preferably in the range of 10/1 to 1/10 by weight. In addition, as a method for dispersing them, a usual method such as a ball mill dispersion method, an attritor dispersion method, a sand mill dispersion method, or the like can be used, but in this case, a condition that the crystal type does not change by the dispersion is required. The Furthermore, it is effective to use particles having an average particle size of 0.5 μm or less, more preferably 0.3 μm or less, and still more preferably 0.15 μm or less during such dispersion. The solvents used for dispersion are methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, n-butanol, benzyl alcohol, methyl cellosolve, ethyl cellosolve, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, cyclohexanone, methyl acetate, n-butyl acetate, dioxane, tetrahydrofuran Ordinary organic solvents such as methylene chloride, chloroform, chlorobenzene and toluene can be used alone or in admixture of two or more.

  The thickness of the charge generation layer is preferably 0.1 to 5 μm, more preferably 0.2 to 2.0 μm. Examples of the coating method for providing the charge generation layer 13 include a blade coating method, a Mayer bar coating method, a spray coating method, a dip coating method, a bead coating method, an air knife coating method, and a curtain coating method. Furthermore, for the purpose of increasing the dispersion stability and photosensitivity of the pigment, or for the purpose of stabilizing the electrical properties, a material obtained by treating the charge generating material with a compound represented by the formula (1) described later may be used. Such a compound may be added to the dispersion of the charge generating material.

The charge transport layer includes a charge transport material and a binder resin. Specific examples of such a charge transport material include oxadiazole derivatives such as 2,5-bis (p-diethylaminophenyl) -1,3,4-oxadiazole, 1,3,5-triphenyl-pyrazoline. 1- [pyridyl- (2)-]-3- (p-diethylaminostyryl) -5- (p-diethylaminostyryl) pyrazoline, pyrazoline derivatives such as triphenylamine, tri (p-methyl) phenylamine, N, Aromatic tertiary compounds such as N′-bis (3,4-dimethylphenyl) biphenyl-4-amine, dibenzylaniline, 9,9-dimethyl-N, N′-di (p-tolyl) fluoren-2-amine Aromatic tertiary diamination such as N, N′-diphenyl-N, N′-bis (3-methylphenyl)-[1,1-biphenyl] -4,4′-diamine Objects, 3- (4 'dimethylaminophenyl) 5,6-di - (4'-methoxyphenyl) -1,2,4-1,2 such triazine,
Hydrazone derivatives such as 4-triazine derivatives, 4-diethylaminobenzaldehyde-1,1-diphenylhydrazone, 4-diphenylaminobenzaldehyde-1,1-diphenylhydrazone, [p- (diethylamino) phenyl] (1-naphthyl) phenylhydrazone, Quinazoline derivatives such as 2-phenyl-4-styryl-quinazoline, benzofuran derivatives such as 6-hydroxy-2,3-di (p-methoxyphenyl) -benzofuran, p- (2,2-diphenylvinyl) -N, N Hole transport materials such as α-stilbene derivatives such as' -diphenylaniline, enamine derivatives, carbazole derivatives such as N-ethylcarbazole, poly-N-vinylcarbazole and derivatives thereof; quinones such as chloranilquinone, bromoanilquinone and anthraquinone Compounds, tetracyanoquinodimethane compounds, 2,4,7-trinitrofluorenone, fluorenone compounds such as 2,4,5,7-tetranitro-9-fluorenone, 2- (4-biphenyl) -5- (4 -T-butylphenyl) -1,3,4-oxadiazole, 2,5-bis (4-naphthyl) -1,3,4-oxadiazole, 2,5-bis (4-diethylaminophenyl)- Electron transport of oxadiazole compounds such as 1,3,4-oxadiazole, xanthone compounds, thiophene compounds, diphenoquinone compounds such as 3,3 ′, 5,5′-tetra-t-butyldiphenoquinone, etc. Examples thereof include a substance; or a polymer having a residue obtained by removing a hydrogen atom or the like from the above compound in the main chain or side chain. One of these charge transport materials may be used alone, or two or more thereof may be used in combination.

  The binder resin for the charge transport layer is not particularly limited, but an electrically insulating resin capable of forming a film is preferable. As such a binder resin, specifically, polycarbonate resin, polyester resin, methacrylic resin, acrylic resin, polyvinyl chloride resin, polyvinylidene chloride resin, polystyrene resin, polyvinyl acetate resin, styrene-butadiene copolymer, Vinylidene chloride-acrylonitrile copolymer, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate-maleic anhydride copolymer, silicone resin, silicone-alkyd resin, phenol-formaldehyde resin, styrene-alkyd resin, poly- N-carbazole, polyvinyl butyral, polyvinyl formal, polysulfone, casein, gelatin, polyvinyl alcohol, ethyl cellulose, phenol resin, polyamide, carboxy-methyl cellulose, vinylidene chloride Polymer waxes, Polyurethane, etc., among which polycarbonate resins, polyester resins, methacrylic resins, acrylic resins compatibility, solubility in solvents of the charge transport material, preferably used is excellent in terms of strength. These binder resins may be used individually by 1 type, and may be used in combination of 2 or more type.

The charge transport layer can be formed using a coating liquid in which the above charge transport material and binder resin are mixed / dispersed in a predetermined solvent. As the solvent used in the coating solution, the solvents exemplified in the description of the coating solution for the charge generation layer can be used, but it is preferable to select a solvent having low solubility in the binder resin of the charge generation layer 13. The blending ratio (weight ratio) between the charge transport material and the binder resin is preferably 3: 7 to 6: 4. When the blending ratio is out of the above range, at least one of electric characteristics and film strength tends to be lowered. A small amount of silicone oil can be added to the coating solution as a leveling agent for improving the smoothness of the coating film. As a dispersion method and a coating method for preparing the coating solution, the same method as that for the charge generation layer 13 can be applied, and the resulting charge transport layer 13 has a thickness of 5 to 50 μm, preferably 10-35 micrometers is suitable.
<Others>
When used in a color image forming apparatus, the present invention can be used in either a single system in which a plurality of developing devices are arranged around an image carrier or a tandem system in which a plurality of image carriers and developing devices are arranged. .

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a cleaning device provided with a toner blocking sheet. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a main part of an image forming apparatus to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a cleaning device 16 and a photoreceptor 11 that is cleaned by the cleaning device 16. FIG. 6 is a view of a blade 120 and a toner holding member 130 as viewed from the back side. It is the figure which looked at the braid | blade and toner holding member with which the cleaning apparatus of 2nd Embodiment of this invention was provided from the back surface side. It is the figure which looked at the blade with which the cleaning apparatus of 3rd Embodiment of this invention was equipped, and the toner holding member from the back surface side. It is the figure which looked at the braid | blade and toner holding member of 3rd Embodiment from the side. It is a figure for demonstrating the Example and comparative example of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the Example and comparative example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer 2 Paper 10Y, 10M, 10C, 10K Image forming part 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K Photoconductor 12Y, 12M, 12C, 12K Charger 13Y, 13M, 13C, 13K Exposure unit 14Y, 14M, 14C, 14K Developer 15Y, 15M, 15C, 15K Primary transfer member 16Y, 16M, 16C, 16K Cleaning device 17Y, 17M, 17C, 17K Static eliminator 30 Intermediate transfer belt 31 Intermediate transfer belt cleaner 32 Secondary transfer member 33 Fixing device 34 Tension roller 110 Toner Storage box 120 Blade 130 Toner holding member 130a Notch 130b Hole 140 Cleaning brush 150 Toner transfer device 300 Solid lubricant 310 Lubricant

Claims (5)

In a cleaning device that removes toner on a cleaning object that moves with the toner adhering to the surface,
A blade having a plate shape, extending upstream in the moving direction of the object to be cleaned, the upper end of the plate abutting on the surface of the object to be cleaned, and scraping off toner from the surface;
Of the front and back surfaces of the blade, provided on the back surface side with respect to the surface facing the object to be cleaned, a part protrudes from the upper end of the blade to the upstream side, and the protruding part and the object to be cleaned And a toner holding member provided with a flow path for holding the toner therebetween and for flowing the held toner to the back side of the blade.   The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the toner holding member is made of a material having a strength enough to maintain a shape even when stress is applied from the held toner. . The toner holding member covers a back surface of the blade, which is made of a substance having a strength enough to maintain the shape even under stress from the held toner.
The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the blade has a chamfered shape in which the upper end portion is in surface contact with the surface of the object to be cleaned.   The coating unit for applying a lubricant to the surface of the object to be cleaned further upstream from the position where the blade contacts the object to be cleaned in the moving direction of the object to be cleaned. The cleaning apparatus according to 1.   An image forming apparatus comprising: an electrophotographic photosensitive member; and the cleaning device according to claim 1.

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