JP2007148246A - Exposure device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To dispose an exposure device closer to a photoreceptor by reducing the thickness of a cleaning means for cleaning the external surface of an optical member. <P>SOLUTION: The cleaning means for the exposure device 14 includes: a blade holding member 30 movable in front of a fiber lens array (FLA) 24, which is the optical member; and a cleaning blade 32 held by the blade holding member 30 and moved by it such that one of free ends slides in contact with the external face of the FLA 24. In the cleaning blade 32, the face of the one end, which is in contact with the external face of the FLA 24, has an angle that is not right angle to the direction in which it is moved in front of the FLA 24. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus that irradiates light onto a photoreceptor or the like and uses light emitting elements arranged in a line as a light source, and an image forming apparatus using the same.

  In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, as an exposure apparatus that forms a latent image of an image on a photoconductor surface in accordance with an input image information signal, an exposure apparatus that scans a laser beam to irradiate the photoconductor surface, or a formed image 1 Using a line type exposure apparatus in which one light emitting element corresponds to a pixel and the light emitting elements are arranged in a line, each light emitting element is placed on the surface of the photoreceptor through a lens array (also simply referred to as a lens) as a condenser lens. Those that sequentially emit light are known. As a line type exposure apparatus, a line head using a light emitting diode (LED) element is well known. In addition, an apparatus using an organic electroluminescence (EL) element as a light emitting element has been developed.

  In general, an exposure apparatus using a line type exposure apparatus selectively illuminates each light emitting element and irradiates the light onto the photosensitive body in the very vicinity of the surface of the photosensitive body. Compared with a beam-using one, there is no moving part like a polygon mirror and it is highly reliable. Also, there is an optical system that guides the laser diode light to the photoconductor, and a large optical space that serves as a light path. It is unnecessary and the image forming apparatus can be further downsized.

  However, in the line type exposure apparatus, since the distance between the light emitting surface of the lens array, which is an optical member, and the photosensitive member is very close to each other, it is scattered from the developing roller and the photosensitive member cleaning unit in the image forming apparatus. The toner that adheres to the surface of the light exit surface of the lens tends to cause a decrease in the amount of light and unevenness in the amount of light irradiated through the lens.

  Therefore, the line type exposure apparatus is required to clean the surface of the light emitting surface of the lens array, and various cleaning means have been proposed.

  For example, in an image forming apparatus having a so-called clamshell structure, when the cover of the apparatus is opened, the lens surface of the line type exposure apparatus is opened to the front, and the user can easily wipe off the dirt on the lens surface. Such a configuration is known. Further, in the electrophotographic apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, a cleaning member that opens the frame of the apparatus to expose the lens exit surface of the exposure apparatus and contacts the corotron wire of the charging unit and also contacts the lens exit surface is used. The corotron wire and the lens exit surface are cleaned simultaneously by moving it.

  In an image forming apparatus that does not have a clamshell structure, the cleaning blade is held between the photosensitive member and the lens at a right angle to the surface of the lens, and its holding means (hereinafter referred to as blade holding) is movable along the lens surface. (Referred to as a member), and the blade holding member is moved back and forth while being pressed against the lens surface to clean the toner adhering to the lens surface. . 7 and 8 show an example thereof. FIG. 7A is a perspective view of the cleaning means of the conventional line type exposure apparatus on the photosensitive member side, FIG. 7B is a perspective view of the cleaning means on the exposure apparatus side, and FIG. It is an expanded sectional view of the part of the cleaning blade in a means. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view for explaining an example of the cleaning means of the conventional line type exposure apparatus.

  In (Patent Document 2), a cleaning member made of felt or the like is slidably brought into contact with the lens surface to clean the lens surface. It has been shown that the pressure contact condition during cleaning can be made constant by decreasing and suppressing the change with time.

  In (Patent Document 3), in the structure in which the charger and the LED array are adjacent to each other, a cleaning member that can slide in contact with the light-emitting surface of the LED array is provided at the back of the charger so as to protrude toward the LED array. A configuration is shown in which the luminous flux exit surface of the LED array is cleaned when the charger is pulled out and stored. Further, in the image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 4, the cleaning device in which the cleaning member is attached to the rotatable rotating unit houses the rotating unit when the cleaning member is attached and detached, and the cleaning member slides on the light emission surface during cleaning. The rotating means protrudes toward the LED print head so as to be able to come into contact, and the movement is made to clean the light flux exit slope, so that the cleaning member is also applied to the LED array having positioning pins. The cleaning device can be inserted and removed without touching the pins.

In addition, in the image forming apparatus of (Patent Document 5), a transparent cylindrical dustproof cover that concentrically covers an exposure apparatus including an LED head is provided, and the cylindrical dustproof cover is rotated around the cylindrical center. It is set as the structure which cleans a surrounding surface with a cleaning means.
Registered Utility Model No. 2572294 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 04-014745 JP 05-286206 A JP 2005-14357 A JP 2005-66993 A

  However, in the clamshell structure, the arrangement structure of devices and parts in the image forming apparatus is greatly limited. In particular, multifunction devices in which an image forming apparatus is integrated with a scanner device have become the mainstream product form. In this case, in the clamshell structure, the scanner device is the main body of the multifunction device from the viewpoint of operability. Therefore, the clamshell structure is difficult to adopt because the arrangement structure of the devices and parts is further restricted.

  In addition, even in an apparatus configuration that does not have a clamshell structure, the thing shown in (Patent Document 2) is configured by a movable member including a spring as a mechanism for separating and contacting the cleaning member with respect to the lens surface. Space is required, which is an obstacle to the arrangement of the exposure apparatus close to the photoreceptor and the construction of a small image forming apparatus.

  Moreover, the thing shown by (patent document 3) and (patent document 4) is the structure which cleans the surface of a lens by removing / inserting a charger or a cleaning apparatus, and the arrangement structure of an apparatus is limited or a cleaning apparatus is required. Therefore, it is difficult to reduce the size of the apparatus.

  In addition, the thing shown in (Patent Document 5) covers the exposure device with a cylindrical dustproof cover, and it is difficult to reduce the distance between the lens and the photosensitive member, and the image quality and size of the device are improved. Is difficult to plan.

  In order to improve the image quality of the image forming apparatus, it is necessary to reduce the distance between the lens of the line type exposure apparatus and the photosensitive member. Therefore, a cleaning blade as shown in FIGS. In a configuration in which the blade is arranged at a right angle to the surface, generally, the length of the blade with respect to the lens surface (L shown in FIG. 8), so-called feet, may be shortened, and accordingly, the cleaning performance is poor. Easy enough. In order to suppress this, if the pressing force of the blade is increased or the number of cleaning operations is increased, the wear of the blade also increases.

  Further, in the above-mentioned narrow region, the arrangement / structure of the means for fixing the blade is not always easy, and there is a problem that the fixing is not always sufficient and the blade is likely to come off.

  The present invention solves such a conventional problem, and increases the holding strength of the cleaning blade and reduces the necessary thickness of the holding member so that the exposure apparatus is arranged closer to the photoconductor. An object of the present invention is to provide an exposure apparatus having a cleaning means that can improve the image quality and further reduce the size of the image forming apparatus, and that has a simple configuration and good cleaning performance of the cleaning blade and suppresses deformation over time. And

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an exposure apparatus that irradiates light to a photoconductor or the like in a substantially strip shape, and has an outer surface that is substantially strip-shaped and part of the outer peripheral surface of the apparatus body, and is substantially flat. A blade holding member that includes an optical member that can transmit light or reflect light, and that is movable outside the apparatus main body and on the front surface of the optical member along the substantially strip-shaped length direction; A cleaning blade that is partly held and moved by being moved, and has a released end that is not held in contact with the outer surface of the optical member and can be rubbed on the outer surface. The surface that contacts the outer surface of the optical member on one side thereof is formed so that the depression angle with the outer surface of the optical member is not a right angle.

  Further, in an exposure apparatus that irradiates light to a photoconductor or the like in an approximately strip shape, the outer surface is approximately strip-shaped, forms a part of the outer peripheral surface of the apparatus body, and is substantially flat, and can transmit light or reflect light. A blade holding member that is movable outside the apparatus main body and on the front surface of the optical member, and that is movable along the substantially strip-shaped length direction. A cleaning blade that is a moving thin plate-like object, and a released piece that is not held abuts against the outer surface of the optical member and can be rubbed on the outer surface. You may comprise so that the angle which the direction which touches the outer surface of an optical member makes with respect to either direction moved in the front surface of an optical member may become an acute angle.

  Further, in an exposure apparatus that irradiates light to a photoconductor or the like in an approximately strip shape, the outer surface is approximately strip-shaped, forms a part of the outer peripheral surface of the apparatus body, and is substantially flat, and can transmit light or reflect light. A blade holding member that is movable outside the apparatus main body and on the front surface of the optical member, and that is movable along the substantially strip-shaped length direction. A moving thin plate-like object including a cleaning blade on which an unheld released piece abuts against the outer surface of the optical member and can be rubbed on the outer surface. And for each piece, the angle between the direction of contact with the outer surface of the optical member and any direction moved on the front surface of the optical member is an acute angle, and two or more pieces are located on the front surface of the optical member. The direction to be moved may be configured to include those directions in contact with the outer surface of their optical member is mutually exclusive.

  In addition, two or more cleaning blade pieces are positioned on the far side of the movement, and the pieces touching the obtuse angle are the original pieces of movement. You may comprise so that it may be located in the side.

  In the cleaning blade, when the blade holding member moves and is at the end of the optical member, at least one of the edges or pieces that can contact the outer surface of the optical member is in contact with the outer surface of the optical member. You may comprise so that it may not.

  Further, in an exposure apparatus that irradiates light to a photoconductor or the like in a strip shape, the exposure apparatus is configured to have a cleaning member that cleans a light emission portion and a guide portion that supports the cleaning member so as to be movable in a predetermined direction. Also good.

  The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus having a cleaning blade capable of peeling off deposits adhering to the outer surface of a lens, reflector, or other optical member, and the surface of the cleaning blade in contact with the optical member is the outer surface of the optical member. Is formed as an oblique angle that is not a right angle, it is possible to reduce the necessary thickness of the blade holding member without impairing the holding strength of the cleaning blade. It can be arranged closer to a photoconductor.

  In addition, the cleaning blade is a thin plate-like object, and is attached to the outer surface of the optical member by making the angle in contact with the outer surface of the optical member with respect to any of the moved directions an acute angle. The attached material can be peeled off more strongly in the direction of movement.

  Further, regarding the component in the direction of movement on the front surface of the optical member, the cleaning blade is moved in one direction by using two or more cleaning blade pieces whose directions contacting the outer surface are opposite to each other. Even if there are deposits that could not be peeled off, even if the deposits are moved in the direction opposite to the direction of the previous movement, strong peeling by other pieces in the direction opposite to the above pieces The surface of the optical member can be effectively cleaned in any direction of the bidirectional movement of the blade holding member.

  In addition, cleaning is performed by positioning the piece in contact with the moving direction at an acute angle and positioning the piece in contact with the obtuse angle on the original side of the movement. When moving the blade, a piece that forms an acute angle with respect to the direction of movement is peeled off in a form that peels off deposits on the surface of the optical member prior to other pieces in a direction opposite to the piece. Therefore, it can peel, without the piece which becomes an obtuse angle with respect to the direction of a movement pressing down a deposit | attachment.

  Also, by providing a position where the cleaning blade does not contact the optical member, the cleaning blade peels off due to the friction of the cleaning blade, and the deposits deposited on the cleaning blade surface are moved to that position. At that position, it can be removed from the surface of the cleaning blade, so that the cleaning performance of the cleaning blade can be maintained, and the blade holding member is usually kept in that position, leaving no pressure on the cleaning blade. This is advantageous in that the permanent deformation of the cleaning blade can be prevented.

  The exposure apparatus of the present invention is an exposure apparatus that irradiates light to a photoconductor or the like in a substantially band shape, and has an outer surface that is substantially band-shaped and part of the outer peripheral surface of the apparatus body, and is substantially flat, and can transmit light. A blade holding member that includes an optical member that reflects light and is movable outside the main body of the apparatus and in front of the optical member, and can be moved along the length of the belt. A part of the blade holding member holds the blade holding member. A cleaning blade that is moved along with it and has a released end that is not held in contact with the outer surface of the optical member and can be rubbed on the outer surface. The surface in contact with the outer surface of the optical member is formed so that the depression angle with the outer surface of the optical member is not a right angle. With this configuration, in an exposure apparatus having a cleaning blade that can peel off deposits adhering to the outer surface of the optical member, the surface of the cleaning blade in contact with the optical member is at an oblique angle that is not perpendicular to the optical member As a result, the thickness of the necessary blade holding member can be reduced without impairing the holding strength of the cleaning blade, and accordingly, the apparatus is placed closer to the photosensitive member to be exposed. Can do.

  Further, the present invention provides an exposure apparatus that irradiates light to a photoconductor or the like in a substantially band shape, the outer surface being substantially band-shaped, forming part of the outer peripheral surface of the apparatus body, and being substantially flat so that light can be transmitted or light can be transmitted. A blade holding member that includes a reflecting optical member, is located outside the apparatus main body and on the front surface of the optical member, and is movable along the longitudinal direction of the belt, and a portion is held by the blade holding member, A cleaning blade which is a thin plate-like object which is moved along with it, and a released piece which is not held can abut against the outer surface of the optical member and can be rubbed on the outer surface. The angle formed by the direction in contact with the outer surface of the optical member with respect to any direction moved on the front surface of the optical member is an acute angle. With this configuration, the cleaning blade is a thin plate-like object, and the angle formed by the direction in contact with the outer surface of the optical member and the direction in which the cleaning blade is moved is an acute angle, so that the attachment attached to the outer surface of the optical member. Kimono can be peeled off more strongly.

  Further, the present invention provides an exposure apparatus that irradiates light to a photoconductor or the like in a substantially band shape, the outer surface being substantially band-shaped, forming part of the outer peripheral surface of the apparatus body, and being substantially flat so that light can be transmitted or light can be transmitted. A blade holding member that includes an optical member that reflects and is located outside the apparatus main body and on the front surface of the optical member, and that can move along the longitudinal direction of the belt. A part of the blade holding member holds the blade holding member. A cleaning plate that is a thin plate-like object that moves along with it, and a released piece that is not held abuts against the outer surface of the optical member and can be rubbed on the outer surface. There are two or more, and for each piece, the acute angle is an angle formed by the direction in contact with the outer surface of the optical member with respect to any direction moved on the front surface of the optical member, and the two or more pieces are in front The direction to be moved in, which is constituted orientation in contact with the outer surface of their optical member so as to mutually exclusive. With this configuration, with respect to the component in the direction of movement on the front surface of the optical member, two or more cleaning blade pieces whose directions in contact with the outer surface are opposite to each other are used, so that one direction of one piece of the cleaning blade is achieved. Even if there are deposits that could not be peeled off by the movement of, even if the deposits move in a direction opposite to the direction of the previous movement, the other pieces are in a direction opposite to the one piece. Powerful peeling can be performed, and the surface of the optical member can be effectively cleaned in any direction of bidirectional movement of the blade holding member.

  The present invention also provides that two or more cleaning blade pieces are positioned on the far side of the movement, and the pieces in contact with the obtuse angle are moved. It is configured to be located on the original side. By this configuration, the piece that is in contact with the direction of movement at an acute angle is positioned on the previous side of the movement, and the piece that is in contact with an obtuse angle is positioned on the original side of the movement, When moving the cleaning blade, the piece that forms an acute angle with respect to the direction of movement is peeled off by stripping off the deposit on the surface of the optical member before the other piece in the opposite direction. Therefore, it is possible to perform the peeling without the piece having an obtuse angle with respect to the moving direction pressing the deposit.

  According to the present invention, when the blade holding member moves and is at the end of the optical member, at least one of the side edges or pieces that can contact the outer surface of the optical member is at least one of the outer surfaces of the optical member. It is comprised so that it may not contact | abut. By providing a position where the cleaning blade does not contact the optical member, the cleaning blade peels off due to the friction of the cleaning blade, and deposits deposited on the surface of the cleaning blade are moved to that position. In that position, it can be removed from the surface of the cleaning blade, so that the cleaning performance of the cleaning blade can be maintained, and the blade holding member is usually kept in that position and is not pressed against the cleaning blade. And permanent deformation of the cleaning blade can be prevented.

  According to the present invention, when at least one of the two or more cleaning blade pieces is located at the end of the optical member when the blade holding member is moved, at least one of the cleaning blade pieces is located on the original side of the moved direction. The piece abuts against the outer surface of the optical member, and only the piece located on the front side in the moving direction is configured not to abut against the outer surface of the optical member. In an exposure apparatus having two or more cleaning blade pieces, when the blade holding member moves and is at the end of the optical member, only the cleaning blade piece on the front side of the movement does not contact the optical member. Thus, depending on the direction of movement of the blade holding member, when the blade holding member is moved to the end position, the deposit accumulated on the surface of the cleaning blade piece mainly involved in cleaning is removed. In this position, it can be eliminated and the cleaning performance can be maintained, and since the other cleaning blade piece is in contact with the optical member, it does not prevent the blade holding member from moving in the opposite direction next time. Can be.

  In the present invention, the surface of the cleaning blade is provided with irregularities in a range including at least a portion in contact with the outer surface of the optical member. By providing irregularities on the surface of the cleaning blade that comes into contact with the optical member, it is possible to improve the cleaning performance by rubbing against the optical member with the relatively fine irregularities, and also with the relatively large irregularities. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of poor cleaning due to local floating of the portion.

  Further, in the present invention, two pieces of the cleaning blade are configured by both end portions of a thin plate-like integrated object formed in a substantially V shape. With this configuration, by forming an integral object in a substantially V shape, it is possible to hold two cleaning blades (pieces) only by holding the central part, thereby reducing the number of parts and simplifying the mounting operation. , Stable holding.

  In the present invention, the cleaning blade made of an integral object has elasticity at least at a substantially central portion, and further has a positioning means such as a protrusion, hole, hole or the like in any portion. Protrusions, holes, holes and other restricting means fitted to the positioning means, and holding means for holding the cleaning blade formed in a substantially V shape, and the cleaning blade formed in a substantially V shape, It is attached by elastic force. By attaching the cleaning blade, which is a single unit having elasticity, in a substantially V shape, a screw for attaching and fixing to the blade holding member is unnecessary, and the blade holding member can be made thin. Furthermore, the recording apparatus can be arranged closer to the photoconductor.

  According to the present invention, the cleaning blade is provided with irregularities on the surface in contact with the cleaning blade in a range including at least a portion held in contact with the blade holding member. With this configuration, since the surface of the cleaning blade held in contact with the blade holding member is uneven, slippage during holding can be suppressed, and the holding stability can be improved.

  In the present invention, the width of the optical member and the blade holding member provided on the front surface of the optical member in the width direction of the outer surface which is substantially a belt shape of the optical member is configured to be narrower than the width of the apparatus main body. By making the width of the optical member and the blade holding member narrower than the width of the apparatus main body, in the printer or the like in which the apparatus is incorporated, the optical member provided with the blade holding member is in the vicinity of the photoconductor to be exposed It is easy to arrange closer by inserting it into the.

  The present invention also provides an exposure apparatus having a plurality of light sources and exposing the image carrier with the emitted light, a cleaning member for cleaning the light emitting surface of the exposure apparatus, and moving the cleaning member in a predetermined direction. It is configured to have a guide portion that supports it. With the configuration in which the guide unit is provided on the exposure apparatus side, the cleaning member can be easily moved along the front surface of the light emitting surface, and the accuracy of the distance between the cleaning blade constituting the cleaning member and the light emitting surface is further improved. In addition, the cleaning member can be provided in an integrated form with the exposure apparatus, and the added value of a single product can be improved, and the image forming apparatus equipped with the exposure apparatus can be miniaturized.

  Further, the present invention includes a rod body that is movable in the longitudinal direction of the exposure apparatus on the front surface of the light emitting surface, and is configured such that the cleaning member is moved by the rod body in accordance with the operation. With this configuration, a rod body is provided, and the cleaning member is moved by the rod body, so that the operator can easily perform lens cleaning by operating the rod body.

  Moreover, this invention is comprised so that the knob which can replace a stick | rod body at the front-end | tip is attached. By adopting a structure in which a replaceable knob can be attached to the rod body, the device can be installed in an image forming device without the knob attached, and then the knob can be attached. By preparing a knob for each product type, it is possible to unify the integration of other product types.

  Moreover, this invention comprises the knob which can displace the front-end | tip of a rod. Thus, when not used for cleaning, the knob can be displaced, so that the size of the image forming apparatus on which the exposure apparatus is mounted can be reduced.

  In the present invention, the rod body is configured so as not to obstruct at least the optical path of light emitted from the light emitting surface. As a result, the exposure performance of the exposure apparatus is not hindered by the rod.

  The present invention also provides an exposure apparatus that has a plurality of light sources and exposes the image carrier with the emitted light, and is supported so as to be relatively movable in a predetermined direction along the light emission surface of the exposure apparatus. A cleaning blade is provided, and the cleaning blade has a substantially V-shape, and is configured so that the side on which the substantially V-shape is spread comes into contact with the light emitting surface. As a result, when the cleaning blade is moved in the reciprocating direction along the light emitting surface, it becomes possible to clean the light emitting surface of the exposure apparatus in either direction.

  In the present invention, the cleaning blade includes an elastic body at least in part, and the cleaning blade is configured to be pressed against the light emitting surface by the elasticity of the elastic body. Since the cleaning blade is pressed against the light emitting surface by its own elasticity, no other extra pressing mechanism or the like is required, and the cost for cleaning can be reduced.

  The present invention also provides an image forming apparatus including the above-described exposure apparatus. An exposure apparatus having a cleaning means with good cleaning performance of the cleaning blade and suppressed deformation over time can be disposed closer to the photosensitive member, and the image forming apparatus can be improved in image quality and further downsized.

Example 1
Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  Example 1 uses an exposure apparatus having a line type exposure apparatus in which organic electroluminescence (EL) elements are arranged in a line as light emitting elements, and has a cleaning means on the surface of a lens or the like that transmits the emitted light to the outside. A so-called tandem type image forming apparatus comprising an image carrier that carries a toner image formed of toner for each of a plurality of color materials and arranged side by side along a transfer body on which the toner image is transferred It is.

  The image forming apparatus equipped with the exposure apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment uses four color toners of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) as color materials constituting the color. Is supposed to use.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the main part of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, a paper feed cassette 1 can store a plurality of recording papers 2 such as papers to which toner images are transferred and fixed. The paper feed unit 3 includes a pickup roller, a paper feed roller, a registration roller 4 and the like, feeds the recording paper 2 one by one, and is a recording paper transfer unit formed by a pressing roller 5 and a transfer unit 6 described later. Transport to 7.

  The transfer unit 6 includes a transfer belt 8 that is a transfer body to which a toner image is transferred and rotates. The transfer belt 8 is a drive roller 9 for rotating the transfer belt 8 and is opposite to the drive roller 9. Are stretched by a support roller 10 that is supported by being stretched at a position and a tension roller 11 that applies tension thereto, and abuts against the photoconductors 12Y, 12M, 12C, and 12K that are four image carriers at the time of image formation, or Opposing surfaces are flattened.

  The four photoconductors 12Y, 12M, 12C, and 12K are arranged along the circumference of the transfer belt 8 that rotates while the photoconductors (12Y, 12M, 12C, and 12K) and the transfer belt 8 are partially in contact with each other. It is arranged side by side. In addition, around each photoconductor (12Y, 12M, 12C, 12K), there are a charger (13Y, 13M, 13C, 13K), an exposure device (14Y, 14M, 14C, 14K), a developing device (15Y, 15M). , 15C, 15K) and photosensitive member cleaning units (16Y, 16M, 16C, 16K) are disposed.

  Here, the chargers (13Y, 13M, 13C, 13K) uniformly charge the surface of the photoreceptors (12Y, 12M, 12C, 12K). The exposure devices (14Y, 14M, 14C, 14K) are given from the outside of the exposure devices (14Y, 14M, 14C, 14K) to the surface of the charged photoconductors (12Y, 12M, 12C, 12K). Irradiation (exposure) according to the image signal is performed to form a so-called electrostatic latent image.

  Each exposure apparatus (14Y, 14M, 14C, 14K) has a lens cleaning unit (rod body) 29 (see FIG. 2) as will be described in detail later. A blade holding member constituting the cleaning member 40 by reciprocating the disposed cleaning member 40 (see FIG. 2) in the longitudinal direction along the light emitting surface of the exposure apparatus (14Y, 14M, 14C, 14K). The light emitting surface of the exposure apparatus (14Y, 14M, 14C, 14K) can be cleaned by the cleaning blade 32 (see FIG. 2) housed in 30 (see FIG. 2).

  The developing units (15Y, 15M, 15C, and 15K) each store toner having a color as a color material constituting a color in a developer storage unit, and the toner is almost constant in density. The toner is supplied to the developing unit, and is attached to the surface of the photoreceptor (12Y, 12M, 12C, 12K) according to the latent image, and the latent image is developed into a toner image.

  The photosensitive members (12Y, 12M, 12C, and 12K) transfer the developed toner image to the transfer belt 8 with a part of the circumference thereof in contact with the transfer belt 8. Further, the photoconductor cleaning units (16Y, 16M, 16C, 16K) remove the toner that is not transferred to the transfer belt 8, and clean the surface of the photoconductors (12Y, 12M, 12C, 12K).

  The pressure roller 5 provided in the recording paper transfer unit 7 transfers the toner image transferred onto the transfer belt 8 of the transfer unit 6 to the recording paper 2 conveyed to the recording paper transfer unit 7. A pressing force is applied to the recording paper 2 through the transfer belt 8 from the outer periphery of the circumference 8 toward the support roller 10.

  The belt cleaning unit 17 cleans the surface of the transfer belt 8 by removing toner remaining without being transferred to the recording paper 2.

  The fixing device 18 fixes the toner image transferred onto the recording paper 2 on the surface of the recording paper 2.

  Next, the image forming operation in the above configuration will be described.

  In the image forming apparatus, first, the surface of the photoconductor (12Y, 12M, 12C, 12K) is uniformly charged by the charger (13Y, 13M, 13C, 13K).

  Thereafter, in accordance with an image signal given from the outside of the image forming apparatus, an exposure device (14Y, 14M) while rotating the charged photoconductor (12Y, 12M, 12C, 12K) for each color constituting the color. , 14C, 14K) to irradiate the surface of the photoconductors (12Y, 12M, 12C, 12K) with light to form a latent image due to static electricity of the image, and to add toner of the color. The latent image is developed into the toner image of the corresponding color by the developed developing devices (15Y, 15M, 15C, 15K), and the toner images for all the colors constituting the color are transferred to the photoreceptors (12Y, 12M, 12C, 12K) at a position where the circumferential surface of the photosensitive member (12Y, 12M, 12C, 12K) rotates or rotates in sequence with the rotation of the photosensitive member (12Y, 12M, 12C, 12K).

  At this time, the latent image and the toner image for each color constituting the color are matched with the timing at which the rotating transfer belt 8 reaches or comes into contact with the adjacent photoreceptor (12Y, 12M, 12C, 12K). It is formed or developed on the peripheral surface of the photoconductor (12Y, 12M, 12C, 12K) that rotates, and the image is aligned and transferred.

  On the other hand, the recording paper 2 onto which the toner image is transferred is fed from the paper feed cassette 1 at the start of toner image formation, and further conveyed to the registration roller 4 positioned in front of the recording paper transfer unit 7. It is assumed that the conveyance is stopped by the registration roller 4.

  As described above, the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment forms a plurality of color toner images constituting the color on the transfer belt 8 and waits the recording paper 2 in front of the registration rollers 4. The registration roller 4 is driven so that the recording paper 2 is also conveyed to the recording paper transfer unit 7 at the timing when the toner image on the rotating transfer belt 8 reaches the recording paper transfer unit 7. 8 is transferred to the recording paper 2.

  Then, the recording paper on which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed to the fixing device 18, where the toner image is fixed on the surface of the recording paper by the fixing device 18, and then discharged outside the image forming apparatus.

  In the image forming apparatus, the transfer belt 8 is a so-called intermediate transfer body in which the toner image is directly placed on the surface of the transfer belt 8 in Example 1 and then transferred to the recording paper 2. For example, it may be a so-called transfer paper conveyance body that adsorbs paper on a belt and places a toner image on the paper.

  Next, the exposure apparatus (14Y, 14M, 14C, 14K) in such an image forming apparatus will be described in more detail.

  2 is an enlarged view of the exposure apparatus (14Y, 14M, 14C, 14K) of Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 (a) is a top view of the exposure apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. ) Is an enlarged sectional view of the same. FIG. 2A shows a state where the light irradiation surface is facing down, the depth direction in FIG. 1 is left and right, and a cover 19 described later is removed and viewed from that direction, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a cross section of BB ′ described in 2 (a).

  Since the configuration of the exposure apparatus is the same regardless of the development color, in the following description, unless otherwise required, each exposure apparatus is simply represented as the exposure apparatus 14 without being distinguished by the development color. Similarly, the photoconductor is represented as photoconductor 12.

  The exposure device 14 includes an organic electroluminescence (EL) element array as an exposure light source.

  FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the peripheral portion of the organic EL element array of the exposure apparatus according to the present invention.

  In FIG. 3, an organic electroluminescence (EL) element array (hereinafter simply referred to as an EL element array) 20 is an organic electroluminescence (EL) element (hereinafter simply referred to as an EL element) 21 that is a light emitting element. It is an arrangement that is an irradiation light source of the exposure device 14. In Example 1, the EL element array is formed with a resolution of 600 dpi (dot per inch) in the arrangement direction of the EL elements. The EL element array 20 is formed in a row on a transparent glass substrate 23 together with a thin film transistor (TFT) 22 for driving the EL element array 20, and a glass substrate 23 that transmits light emitted from the EL element 21 will be described below. The fiber lens array (hereinafter referred to as FLA) 24 is positioned on the side of the fiber lens array (hereinafter referred to as FLA) and supported by the housing 25. The housing 25 that supports the EL element array 20 is attached to the chassis 26 in FIG.

  2 and 3, the FLA 24 that is an optical member of the exposure apparatus 14 is an array of rod-shaped gradient index lenses, and collects the light emitted from each EL element 21 at the tip of the light emission of the EL element array 20. Light is applied to the surface of the photoreceptor 12. In the first embodiment, the surface of the FLA 24 is a light exit surface in the exposure unit 14.

  The relay board 27 includes a connector for connecting a signal line for transmitting an electric signal for image formation output from a controller (not shown) provided in the image forming apparatus main body to the EL element array 20. A circuit board provided.

  On the chassis 26, the FLA 24, the relay board 27, and others are attached outside the housing 25 that supports the EL element array 20. The cover 19 is attached to the chassis 26 so as to cover an object attached to the chassis 26 (the object with the cover 19 attached to the chassis 26 is called the exposure apparatus 14 main body for convenience). Here, the chassis 26 and the cover 19 are each formed with a groove 28 on the outer surface that sandwiches the FLA 24. The groove 28 functions as a guide portion of the cleaning member 40 as described later.

  A lens cleaning unit (rod body) 29 that is provided on the front surface of the FLA 24 that is an optical member and cleans the outer surface of the lens (that is, the light emitting surface of the exposure device 14) is a substantially rod-like object, and is cleaned at one end thereof. A blade holding member 30 holding the member 40, that is, the cleaning blade 32 is provided, and a knob 31 is fitted and attached to the other tip.

  4 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the blade holding member 30 in the cleaning member 40 of the lens cleaning unit (rod body) 29. FIG. 4 (a) is an enlarged top view of the blade holder portion according to the present invention. FIG. 4B is an enlarged perspective view of the same. 4A is an enlarged view of the portion C shown in FIG. 2A, and FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the blade holding member 30 portion.

  In FIG. 4, the cleaning blade 32 is a thin plate-like elastic material, and is maintained and held in a substantially V-shaped form by the blade holding member 30. In the first embodiment, the cleaning blade 32 is made of urethane rubber, but silicon rubber may be used.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the exposure apparatus of the present invention is supported so as to be relatively movable in a predetermined direction (direction D and direction opposite to direction D) along the surface of FLA 24, that is, the light emitting surface of exposure apparatus 14. The cleaning blade 32 has a substantially V shape, and is configured such that the side on which the substantially V shape is widened comes into contact with the light emitting surface. Since the cleaning blade 32 itself has elasticity as described above, the cleaning blade 32 is pressed against the surface of the FLA 24 that is the light emitting surface of the exposure apparatus 14 with an appropriate pressure.

  However, since the distance between the surface of the FLA 24 (the light emitting surface of the exposure device 14) and the photosensitive member 12 is only a few millimeters at most, the cleaning blade 32 constituting the cleaning member 40 has, for example, the above-described photosensitive member cleaning units (16Y, 16M, 16C, 16K) (see FIG. 1), it is necessary to form a thinner blade, and in Example 1, the thickness is approximately 0.5 mm.

  In the first embodiment, the cleaning blade 32 is a single thin plate-like elastic member. However, the cleaning blade 32 is functionally separated into a plurality of portions, and only the central portion is made of an elastic body such as urethane rubber, and is configured on both sides thereof. You may comprise a piece with a metal etc., for example.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, the cleaning blade 32 includes an elastic body at least partially, and the cleaning blade 32 is configured to be pressed against the light emitting surface by the elasticity of the elastic body.

  FIG. 5 is a view for explaining the cleaning blade 32, FIG. 5 (a) is a development view of the cleaning blade according to the present invention, and FIG. 5 (b) is a perspective view and an enlarged sectional schematic view for explaining the section. FIG. 5 and FIG. 5C are a perspective view and an enlarged schematic sectional view for explaining the cross section. FIG. 5A shows the development of the plate surface of the cleaning blade 32. FIGS. 5B and 5C are a perspective view of the cleaning blade 32 and an enlarged partial cross section thereof.

  4 and 5, the cleaning blade 32 is provided with a positioning hole 33 at the center thereof, and a protrusion 34 of the blade holding member 30 is fitted into the hole 33, and is fused or adhered to hold the blade. The member 30 is fixed and held. Here, the positioning hole 33 is provided in the center of the cleaning blade 32, so that the mounting orientation condition is not provided, and there is no erroneous insertion during the mounting.

  Further, the cleaning blade 32 has relatively fine irregularities as shown in FIGS. 5B and 5C on both surfaces of the front surface.

  The cleaning blade 32 comes into contact with the outer surface of the FLA 24 in an oblique direction as shown in FIG.

  Thus, the cleaning blade 32 formed such that a thin plate-like object is formed in a substantially V shape and both ends thereof are in contact with the outer surface of the FLA 24, as shown in FIG. 7 of the prior art, The length of the blade relative to the lens surface (the length corresponding to L shown in FIG. 8) is larger than that of a general blade constructed between the photosensitive member and the lens at a right angle to the lens surface. Since the distance can be shortened, the distance between the FLA 24, which is the lens of the exposure device 14, and the photoconductor 12 can be further narrowed, and the image quality of the image forming apparatus can be improved. Further, since the cleaning blade 32 is attached in contact with the blade holding member 30 at the center and in a relatively long portion, the holding strength is sufficiently obtained.

  2 to 4, the blade holding member 30 constituting the cleaning member 40 is attached to the exposure apparatus 14 main body on the outer surface of the FLA 24 so that a part of the blade holding member 30 fits into the groove 28 formed on the outer surface of the chassis 26 and the cover 19. In addition, it is movable in the direction of the groove 28 (direction A shown in FIG. 2A). That is, the exposure apparatus 14 of the present invention has a cleaning member 40 that cleans the FLA 24 that is a light emission part, and a groove 28 that is a guide part that supports the cleaning member 40 so as to be movable in a predetermined direction. Further, the exposure apparatus 14 includes a rod body that is movable in the longitudinal direction of the exposure apparatus 14 on the front surface of the FLA 24 that is a light emitting portion, and the cleaning member 40 is moved by the rod body as the rod body is operated. It is configured as follows. That is, the lens cleaning unit (rod body) 29 already described includes a rod body and a knob 31 for moving the blade holding member 30 constituting the cleaning member 40.

  Here, in the lens cleaning unit (rod body) 29 shown in FIGS. 2A and 4A, the blade holding member 30 constituting the cleaning member 40 is moved to the innermost part of the exposure apparatus 14 main body. State. In this state, the piece 32B of the cleaning blade 32 is not in contact with the FLA 24. Further, when the blade holding member 30 is moved in the direction D shown in FIG. 4A to the foremost side of the main body of the exposure apparatus 14, one piece 32A of the cleaning blade 32 is not in contact with the FLA 24 similarly. It is said.

  FIG. 6 shows an example for explaining the attachment of the rod and knob 31 in the lens cleaning unit (rod) 29, and FIG. 6 (a) shows the rod and knob of the lens cleaning unit according to the present invention. FIG. 6B is a schematic diagram for explaining attachment, and FIG. 6B is a diagram showing a second example of the knob. FIG. 6A shows a schematic diagram of the first example used in Example 1, and FIG. 6B shows a schematic diagram of the second example. In FIG. 6, the knob 31 has a hole at the center thereof, and the fitting portion provided at the tip of the lens cleaning unit (rod body) 29 as shown in FIG. Is inserted and installed. With such a configuration, the knob 31 can be attached (replaced or detached) even after the exposure device 14 is incorporated in the image forming apparatus main body, and the shape and the like thereof are the same as those in the example of FIG. As described above, the exposure apparatus can be adapted to the structure of the image forming apparatus main body in which the exposure apparatus is incorporated, and the exposure apparatus excluding the knob 31 is a fixed object regardless of the structure of the image forming apparatus main body.

  Further, the knob 31 may be fixedly attached to the lens cleaning unit (rod body) 29, and may be configured to be displaceable by, for example, a hinge mechanism, or the knob 31 may be attached to the lens cleaning unit (rod body) 29. On the other hand, it may be configured to be replaceable or detachable, and may be configured to be displaceable after being attached. Thus, when not used for cleaning, the knob 31 can be bent with respect to the lens cleaning unit (rod) 29, for example, so that the size of the exposure apparatus 14 in the longitudinal direction is not substantially enlarged. Can do.

  Next, the operation of the lens cleaning unit (rod body) 29 serving as a cleaning means for the outer surface of the lens of the FLA 24 in the exposure apparatus 14 in the exposure apparatus 14 will be described.

  As described above, the lens cleaning unit 29 (rod body) is on the front surface of the outer surface of the FLA 24 (light emitting surface of the exposure apparatus 14), and the blade holding member 30 constituting the cleaning member 40 is the chassis of the exposure apparatus 14 body. 26 and the groove 19 which is a guide part formed in the cover 19 is configured to be movable. Further, the cleaning blade 32 is maintained in a substantially V shape as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 by the blade holding member 30, and both released tips are arranged on the outer surface of the lens of the FLA 24. 4 (a) can be contacted in an oblique direction, and when the blade holding member 30 is moved, both ends contacting the outer surface of the lens are moved on the outer surface of the lens. It is set as the structure which rubs.

  Further, in the lens cleaning unit (rod body) 29 shown in FIGS. 2A and 4A, the blade holding member 30 constituting the cleaning member 40 is moved to the innermost part of the exposure apparatus 14 main body. The exposure device 14 is normally used for printing or the like in this state in the incorporated image forming apparatus.

  At this time, since the lens cleaning unit (rod body) 29 is disposed in front of the light exit surface of the exposure apparatus 14, the rod body must be configured not to obstruct at least the optical path of the light emitted from the light exit surface. I must. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the lens cleaning unit (rod body) 29 connects and supports the blade holding member 30 at the position G shown in FIG. 2B so as to ensure the optical path. . Of course, when the strength is insufficient due to the single connection and support, the lens cleaning unit (rod) 29 may connect and support the blade holding member 30 with both G and G1 (that is, this). In this case, the lens cleaning unit 29 is composed of two rods). Further, the connecting and supporting portions may be integrally formed as a lens cleaning unit (rod body) 29.

  Here, as described above, in this state, the piece 32B of the cleaning blade 32 is not in contact with the FLA 24. Thus, when lens cleaning is not performed, at least one piece of the cleaning blade 32 is released from the pressure on the FLA 24, and permanent deformation of the cleaning blade 32 can be prevented.

  After that, when printing or the like is used and toner or the like adheres to the lens outer surface of the FLA 24 of the exposure device 14 and it is necessary to clean it, the user of the image forming apparatus or the like uses a lens cleaning unit (rod) 29. 2 is moved in the direction A shown in FIG. 2A, that is, the longitudinal direction of the exposure device 14 (the reciprocating direction thereof), and the lens outer surface of the FLA 24, that is, the light of the exposure device 14 is moved. Clean the exit surface. That is, the exposure apparatus of the present invention includes a rod body that is movable in the longitudinal direction of the exposure apparatus 14 in front of the light emitting surface, and the cleaning member 40 constituted by the cleaning blade 32 is a lens cleaning unit (rod body) 29. By this, it is moved with the operation.

  At this time, the lens cleaning unit (rod) 29 is first moved in the direction D shown in FIG. Here, the direction in which the piece 32A of the cleaning blade 32 is in contact with the outer surface of the lens of the FLA 24 is an acute angle with respect to the direction of movement on the front surface of the lens, that is, the direction in contact with the outer surface of the lens. The component in the rubbing direction is the same direction (D) as the rubbing direction D. Therefore, the piece 32A of the cleaning blade 32 effectively peels off the adhered matter such as the toner strongly adhered on the outer surface of the lens without excessively increasing the pressing force against the lens. can do.

  Further, the cleaning blade 32 has irregularities on the surface thereof, and relatively fine irregularities on the surface of the FLA 24 that contacts the outer surface of the lens as shown in FIG. It becomes a mild file on the lens surface and can improve the cleaning performance by rubbing against the lens surface. Furthermore, even if there is a wave on the lens surface, the elastic material makes the comparison along the wave Since the contact can be made with a large unevenness, the local floating at the contact portion can be suppressed and the occurrence of cleaning failure can be suppressed.

  Thereafter, when the blade holding member 30 is moved in the direction D shown in FIG. 4A to the foremost side of the exposure apparatus main body, one piece 32A of the cleaning blade 32 is released away from the lens surface of the FLA 24. Therefore, an object peeled off during movement can be discharged from the lens surface, and its cleaning performance can be maintained.

  Next, when the blade holding member 30 constituting the cleaning member 40 is moved in the opposite direction to the previous direction D, that is, when the blade holding member 30 is moved to the innermost part of the exposure apparatus 14, the piece 32B of the cleaning blade 32 is The direction of contact with the outer surface of the lens is the same as the direction of rubbing with respect to the component of the rubbing direction, and it is peeled from the opposite direction with respect to the deposit on the outer surface of the lens. Effectively peels off. Thus, since the cleaning blade 32 has the two pieces 32A and 32B, even if there is an adhering matter that could not be peeled off by moving the cleaning blade in one direction, the adhering matter Even in the movement in the direction opposite to the direction of the previous movement, strong peeling can be performed by another piece in a direction opposite to the above piece. Further, the piece that is in contact with the direction of movement at an acute angle is positioned on the previous side of the movement, and the piece that is in contact with an obtuse angle is positioned on the original side of the movement, When moving the cleaning blade, the piece that forms an acute angle with respect to the direction of movement is peeled off by stripping off the deposit on the surface of the optical member before the other piece in the opposite direction. In addition, peeling can be performed without a piece having an obtuse angle with respect to the moving direction pressing the deposit.

  When the blade holding member 30 is moved to the innermost position of the exposure apparatus 14 body shown in FIGS. 2A and 4A, one piece 32B of the cleaning blade 32 is the lens surface of the FLA 24. Since it is released away from the lens, the object peeled off during movement is discharged from the lens surface, and its cleaning performance is maintained.

  In the movement of the blade holding member 30 for the lens cleaning described above, the cleaning blade 32 is attached to the blade holding member 30 as shown in FIG. Thus, the sliding of the cleaning blade 32 with respect to the blade holding member 30 is suppressed, whereby the cleaning blade 32 is stably fixed to the blade holding member 30, and the cleaning blade 32 is coupled with the holding at the central portion of the integral object. The possibility of coming off from the blade holding member 30 is further suppressed.

  As described above, in the exposure apparatus 14 that includes the cleaning blade 32 that can peel off deposits attached to the outer surface of the lens of the FLA 24 that is an optical member, the surface of the cleaning blade 32 that contacts the lens is attached to the lens. By being formed at an oblique angle that is not perpendicular to the blade, the thickness of the blade holding member 30 that is a necessary blade holding member can be reduced without impairing the holding strength of the cleaning blade 32. It is assumed that the exposure device 14 can be arranged closer to a photosensitive member to be exposed.

  Further, the cleaning blade 32 is a thin plate-like object, and the angle formed by the direction in contact with the outer surface of the lens and the direction in which the cleaning blade 32 is moved is an acute angle, so that the adhered matter adhered to the outer surface of the lens is peeled off. The two-tooth structure, in which two pieces having different orientations are in contact with the outer surface of the lens, is effective in any direction of movement.

  Further, by providing a position where the cleaning blade 32 does not contact the lens, the blade holding member 30 removes the deposits which are peeled off by the cleaning blade 32 and deposited on the surface of the cleaning blade 32 by the friction of the cleaning blade 32. When moved to the position, it can be removed from the surface of the cleaning blade 32 at that position, so that the cleaning performance of the cleaning blade 32 can be maintained, and the blade holding member 30 is usually kept in that position and moved to the cleaning blade 32. In other words, the cleaning blade 32 can be prevented from being permanently deformed.

  The rod body and knob 31 of the lens cleaning unit (rod body) 29 are shown in FIG. 6B as an alternative example of the first embodiment, but the rod body included in the knob 31 is the blade holding member 30. It may be a structure that is directly attached to. Thus, the rod body and the knob 31 can be made to correspond to the structure of the image forming apparatus main body in which the exposure device 14 is incorporated.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2B, the height of the FLA 24 and the blade holding member 30 may be lowered with respect to the height of the exposure apparatus 14 main body up to the cover with respect to the chassis. The device 14 can be arranged closer to the photoconductor 12 in terms of arrangement with other objects provided around the photoconductor 12. This makes it easy to design the structure of a so-called tandem color image forming apparatus.

  In addition, as an aspect according to the present invention, an example of the lens cleaning unit (rod body) 29 that cleans the outer surface of the FLA 24 is shown in Example 1, but Example 1 is merely an example, and here, an object to be cleaned is It may be a reflector. Further, for example, in the case of an exposure apparatus in which a protective glass or the like is further provided on the photoreceptor side of the FLA 24, this protective glass means the optical member or light emitting surface mentioned in Example 1, and the glass surface is the object to be cleaned. It goes without saying that.

  Further, in an optical system (that is, a light amount transmission system) that does not have an erecting equal-magnification optical system (that is, an image transmission system) like the FLA 24 and that transmits the emitted light of a minute light source by a microlens or the like. When the surface of the lens or the like has an optical system that folds the emitted light and guides it to the photoconductor, the light folding means also uses a special optical system such as a cylindrical lens that collects the light just before the photoconductor. Needless to say, this cylindrical lens corresponds to the optical member or the light exit surface mentioned in the first embodiment.

  In the first embodiment, the cleaning member 40 is moved and cleaned with respect to the light emitting surface of the exposure apparatus 14. However, what is necessary for cleaning is that the cleaning member 40 is relative to the light emitting surface. Since the cleaning member 40 is fixed to the image forming apparatus side, the present invention can be easily applied to a configuration in which the light emitting surface of the exposure apparatus 14 is cleaned by inserting / removing the exposure apparatus 14. it can.

  Further, it goes without saying that the configuration according to the present invention can also be applied as means for cleaning the surface of a long object such as a charging wire in the charger (13Y, 13M, 13C, 13K).

  The exposure apparatus of the present invention is more compact than before, and improves the degree of freedom in apparatus design of an image forming apparatus that is incorporated and used, and also enables higher image quality. . As a result, the image forming apparatus is further reduced in size and image quality, not only for business use, but also for use in printers, copiers, facsimile machines, etc. for so-called SOHO use, and for the small lot printing market. It can be used as a small on-demand printing machine. Further, the present invention can also be applied to an image forming apparatus that has an RGB light source as an exposure device and directly exposes photographic paper.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. (A) Top view of the exposure apparatus according to the present invention, (b) The same enlarged sectional view The expansion perspective view of the organic EL element array peripheral part of the exposure apparatus which concerns on this invention (A) The enlarged top view of the blade holder part which concerns on this invention, (b) The same expansion perspective view (A) Development view of cleaning blade according to the present invention, (b) The same perspective view and enlarged sectional schematic view for explaining the same cross section, (c) The same perspective view and enlarged sectional schematic view for explaining the same cross section (A) Schematic diagram for explaining the attachment of the rod and knob of the lens cleaning unit according to the present invention, (b) a diagram showing a second example of the knob. (A) A perspective view of the cleaning means of the conventional line type exposure apparatus on the photosensitive member side, (b) a perspective view of the cleaning means on the exposure apparatus side, and (c) an enlarged sectional view of a cleaning blade portion in the cleaning means. Sectional drawing for demonstrating the example of the cleaning means of the conventional line type exposure apparatus

Explanation of symbols

12, 12Y, 12M, 12C, 12K Photosensitive member 14, 14Y, 14M, 14C, 14K Exposure device 19 Cover 20 Organic electroluminescence (EL) element array (EL element array)
21 Organic electroluminescence (EL) element (EL element)
23 Glass substrate 24 Fiber lens array (FLA)
25 Housing 26 Chassis 28 Groove 29 Lens cleaning unit (rod)
30 Blade holding member 31 Knob 32 Cleaning blade 33 Hole 34 Projection 40 Cleaning member

Claims (19)

An exposure apparatus that irradiates light to a photoconductor or the like in a substantially strip shape,
The outer surface is substantially band-shaped, forms part of the outer peripheral surface of the apparatus main body and is substantially flat, and includes an optical member that can transmit light or reflect light,
A blade holding member that is external to the main body of the apparatus and on the front surface of the optical member, and that can move along the length direction of the belt,
A cleaning blade that is partly held by the blade holding member and moves along with the blade, and a released end that is not held abuts against the outer surface of the optical member and can be rubbed on the outer surface;
Including
The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a surface of the cleaning blade that is in contact with the outer surface of the optical member is formed so that a depression angle with the outer surface of the optical member is not a right angle. An exposure apparatus that irradiates light to a photoconductor or the like in a substantially strip shape,
The outer surface is substantially band-shaped, forms part of the outer peripheral surface of the apparatus main body and is substantially flat, and includes an optical member that can transmit light or reflect light,
A blade holding member that is external to the main body of the apparatus and on the front surface of the optical member, and that can move along the length direction of the belt,
A thin plate-like object that is partially held by the blade holding member and moves with the blade holding member, and a released piece that is not held can abut against the outer surface of the optical member and rub on the outer surface. The blade,
Including
The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning blade has an acute angle with respect to any direction in which the direction of the piece in contact with the outer surface of the optical member is moved on the front surface of the optical member. An exposure apparatus that irradiates light to a photoconductor or the like in a substantially strip shape,
The outer surface is substantially band-shaped, forms part of the outer peripheral surface of the apparatus main body and is substantially flat, and includes an optical member that can transmit light or reflect light,
A blade holding member that is external to the main body of the apparatus and on the front surface of the optical member, and that can move along the length direction of the belt,
A thin plate-like object that is partially held by the blade holding member and moves with the blade holding member, and a released piece that is not held can abut against the outer surface of the optical member and rub on the outer surface. The blade,
Including
There are two or more pieces of the cleaning blade, and for each of the pieces, an acute angle is an angle formed by the direction in contact with the outer surface of the optical member with respect to any direction moved on the front surface of the optical member, and 2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the two or more pieces include ones whose directions in contact with the outer surfaces of the optical members are opposite to each other in the direction of movement on the front surface of the optical members. The two or more pieces of the cleaning blade are arranged such that the piece that is in contact with the moving direction at an acute angle is positioned on the far side of the movement, and the piece that is in contact with the obtuse angle is in the moving direction. 4. The exposure apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the exposure apparatus is located on the original side. In the cleaning blade, when the blade holding member moves and is at the end of the optical member, at least one end side or piece that can come into contact with the outer surface of the optical member is at least one end of the optical member. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exposure apparatus is not in contact with the exposure apparatus. Two or more pieces of the cleaning blade are at least one piece of the cleaning blade positioned on the original side in the moved direction at at least one end when the blade holding member moves and is at the end of the optical member. 5. The exposure apparatus according to claim 4, wherein only the piece that is in contact with the outer surface of the optical member and that is located on the front side in the moved direction is not in contact with the outer surface of the optical member. 4. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning blade includes irregularities on a surface thereof in a range including at least a portion in contact with an outer surface of the optical member. 5. The exposure apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the two pieces of the cleaning blade are both end portions of a thin plate-like integrated object formed in a substantially V shape. The cleaning blade made of an integral object has elasticity at least at a substantially central portion, and further has a protrusion, hole, hole or other positioning means in any portion,
The blade holding member includes a protrusion, a hole, a hole, and other restricting means that fit into the positioning means, and a holding means that holds and forms the cleaning blade in a substantially V shape, and 9. The exposure apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the cleaning blade formed in a V shape is attached by its elastic force. The exposure apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the cleaning blade has irregularities on a surface in contact with at least a portion including a portion held in contact with the blade holding member. The width of the optical member and the blade holding member provided on the front surface of the optical member in the width direction of the outer surface of the optical member, which is substantially a band, is narrower than the width of the apparatus main body. The exposure apparatus according to any one of 1 to 3. An exposure apparatus having a plurality of light sources and exposing the image carrier with the emitted light, a cleaning member for cleaning the light emitting surface of the exposure apparatus, and a guide for supporting the cleaning member so as to be movable in a predetermined direction An exposure apparatus having a portion. 13. The front surface of the light emitting surface includes a rod that is movable in a longitudinal direction of an exposure apparatus, and the cleaning member is moved by the rod by the operation thereof. Exposure equipment. 14. The exposure apparatus according to claim 13, wherein a knob capable of replacing the rod body is attached to the tip of the rod body. 14. The exposure apparatus according to claim 13, wherein a tip of the rod is constituted by a displaceable knob. 14. The exposure apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the rod is configured so as not to obstruct at least an optical path of light emitted from the light emitting surface. An exposure apparatus that has a plurality of light sources and exposes the image carrier with the emitted light, and includes a cleaning blade supported so as to be relatively movable in a predetermined direction along the light emission surface of the exposure apparatus, An exposure apparatus characterized in that the cleaning blade has a substantially V-shape and is configured such that the side on which the substantially V-shape expands abuts the light emitting surface. 18. The exposure apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the cleaning blade includes an elastic body at least in part, and the cleaning blade is configured to be pressed against the light emitting surface by the elasticity of the elastic body. An image forming apparatus comprising the exposure apparatus according to claim 1.

Images