JP2008080613A - Image forming apparatus and its cleaning method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus which can carry out cleaning of a lens array without troubles, and to provide its cleaning method. <P>SOLUTION: An organic EL light emitting element 61 is masked from a rear face of a housing 60 by an opaque cover 66. The housing 60 covers the periphery of a glass substrate 62 and opens the side facing an image carrier 20. 81 is a flange formed at both sides of the image carrier 20 and is constituted to have a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the image carrier 20. An end face 81a of the flange 81 is held in contact with a positioning pin 69 of a line head 23. A length in the image carrier 20 direction (orthogonal to the axis) of the positioning pin 69 is made shorter than a length between a face (output light irradiation face) 65a opposed to the image carrier 20 of an SLA 65 and the image carrier 20. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus capable of cleaning a lens array without hindrance and a cleaning method thereof.

  In general, an electrophotographic toner image forming unit includes a photosensitive member as an image bearing member having a photosensitive layer on an outer peripheral surface, a charging unit that uniformly charges the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive member, and a uniform charging unit using the charging unit. An exposure unit that selectively exposes the outer peripheral surface charged to form an electrostatic latent image, and a toner as a developer is applied to the electrostatic latent image formed by the exposure unit to form a visible image ( Developing means for forming a toner image).

  As a tandem type image forming apparatus for forming a color image, a plurality of (for example, four) toner image forming units as described above are arranged on an intermediate transfer belt, and a photoconductor using these monochromatic toner image forming units. The upper toner images are sequentially transferred to the intermediate transfer belt, and a plurality of color (for example, yellow, cyan, magenta, black) toner images are superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt to obtain a color image on the intermediate transfer belt. There is an intermediate transfer belt type.

  There is also known a color image forming apparatus including an image carrier configured to carry an electrostatic latent image, a rotary developing unit, and a line head. In this image forming apparatus, the rotary developing unit carries toner stored in a plurality of toner cartridges on the surface thereof, and rotates in a predetermined rotation direction so that different color toners are sequentially opposed to the image carrier. Transport to position. A developing bias is applied between the image carrier and the rotary developing unit to move the toner from the rotary developing unit to the image carrier. By such processing, the electrostatic latent image is visualized to form a toner image.

  In the tandem or rotary image forming apparatus as described above, an SLA (Selfoc Lens Array: manufactured by Nippon Sheet Glass Co., Ltd.) may be used for the optical system. When the image forming apparatus is used for a long time, the lens provided on the surface facing the image bearing member of the SLA is contaminated with dust, dust, etc., and the optical characteristics are deteriorated. Therefore, when the image carrier (photoreceptor) is exchanged with the cartridge, an empty space is formed on the lens facing surface of the SLA. Therefore, a cleaning tool (cleaning pad) is inserted to clean the lens surface. It is. In order to accurately position the line head as the exposure means and the image carrier exchanged with the cartridge, a positioning pin is provided on the line head, and the positioning pin is used as a support means (flange surface) for the image carrier. There is a case where a structure fixed to is used.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, in a shell open type image forming apparatus in which the image carrier (photosensitive drum) 1 is replaced with a cartridge, positioning projections 25 and 25 are provided at both ends in the main scanning direction of the write head 3. Examples are described. A hemispherical surface 25a is formed at the tip of the positioning projections 25, 25, and is rotatably supported by the narrow concave portions 28, 28 'provided on the support plates 27, 27 of the image carrier.

No. 6-1822

  In the example described in Patent Document 1, the tip positions of the positioning protrusions 25 are supported at a position deeper than the surface of the image carrier. That is, the lengths of the protrusions 25 and 25 are formed longer than the length of the gap between the writing head 3 and the photosensitive drum 1. For this reason, when the photosensitive drum 1 is extracted with a cartridge and the irradiation head e of the output light of the writing head 3 is to be cleaned with the cleaning pad, the protrusions 25 and 25 are formed at both ends of the writing head 3 in the main scanning direction. There is a problem that the irradiation port e cannot be sufficiently cleaned because it exists.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of cleaning a lens array without hindrance and a cleaning method therefor.

  An image forming apparatus of the present invention that achieves the above-described object is an image forming apparatus that irradiates an image carrier with main light of a light source provided in a line head through a lens array. Large diameter protrusions are provided at both ends in the main scanning direction, and the line head is provided with positioning pins at both ends in the main scanning direction, and the positioning pins are brought into contact with the end surfaces of the protrusions. The length of the positioning pin in the direction of the image carrier is shorter than the length of the lens array to the output light irradiation surface.

  The image forming apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that the protruding portion is provided in a cartridge of the image carrier.

  The image forming apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that the light emitting element of the light source is formed of an organic EL light emitting element.

  The image forming apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that the lens array is composed of SLA.

  In the image forming apparatus of the present invention, a cleaning tool for cleaning an output light irradiation surface of the lens array with respect to the image carrier is housed in the main body.

  Further, the image forming apparatus of the present invention is provided with at least two or more image forming stations in which image forming units including a charging unit, a line head, a developing unit, and a transfer unit are arranged around the image carrier, An image is formed by a tandem method by passing the transfer medium through each station.

  The image forming apparatus of the present invention includes an image carrier configured to carry an electrostatic latent image, a rotary developing unit, and a line head, and the rotary developing unit is housed in a plurality of toner cartridges. The toner is carried on the surface, and the toners of different colors are sequentially conveyed to a position facing the image carrier by rotating in a predetermined rotation direction, and between the image carrier and the rotary developing unit. A developing bias is applied, and the toner is moved from the rotary developing unit to the image carrier, whereby the electrostatic latent image is visualized to form a toner image.

  In addition, the image forming apparatus of the present invention includes an intermediate transfer member.

According to the image forming apparatus cleaning method of the present invention, protrusions larger in diameter than the diameter are attached to both ends in the main scanning direction of the image carrier on which the output light of the light source provided in the line head is irradiated through the lens array. The line head is provided with positioning pins at both ends in the main scanning direction, and the length of the positioning pins in the direction of the image carrier is shorter than the length to the output light irradiation surface of the lens array. Each positioning pin is configured to abut against the end surface of each projection,
The image carrier and the line head are separated from each other, and the output light irradiation surface of the lens array is cleaned with a cleaning tool.

  The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of an image forming apparatus to which the line head of the present invention is applied. In this embodiment, an intermediate transfer belt is used as the transfer belt. In FIG. 5, an image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is mounted on a housing body 2, a first opening / closing member 3 that can be opened and closed on the front surface of the housing body 2, and on an upper surface of the housing body 2. And a second opening / closing member 4 (also serving as a paper discharge tray).

  The first opening / closing member 3 includes an opening / closing lid 3 ′ attached to the front surface of the housing body 2 so as to be freely opened and closed. In the housing body 2, an electrical component box 5 containing a power circuit board and a control circuit board, an image forming unit 6, a blower fan 7, a transfer belt unit 9, and a paper feeding unit 10 are disposed. Further, in the first opening / closing member 3, a secondary transfer unit 11, a fixing unit 12, and a recording medium conveying means 13 are provided.

  The transfer belt unit 9 is disposed below the housing body 2 and is driven to rotate by a drive source (not shown), a driven roller 15 disposed obliquely above the drive roller 14, An intermediate stretched between two rollers 14 and 15 and circulated and driven by the drive roller 14 and the driven roller 15 in the direction of the arrow (the contact surface of the primary transfer member 21 is downward in the illustrated example). A transfer belt 16. The cleaning unit 17 is separated and brought into contact with the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 16.

  The image forming unit 6 includes image forming stations Y (for yellow), M (for magenta), C (for cyan), and K (for black) that form a plurality of (four in this embodiment) different color images. I have. Each of the image forming stations Y, M, C, and K includes a photosensitive member 20 including a photosensitive drum, a charging unit 22 disposed around the photosensitive member 20, a line head 23 that is an image writing unit, and Developing means 24 is provided. A primary transfer member 21 made of a leaf spring electrode is brought into contact with the photoreceptor 20 of the image forming stations Y, M, C, and K corresponding to each color by its elastic force, and the primary transfer member 21 has a transfer bias. Applied. A test pattern sensor 18 is installed at a position close to the drive roller 14.

  The photoconductor 20 is driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow (clockwise direction). The charging means 22 is composed of a conductive brush roller connected to a high voltage generation source, and the outer periphery of the brush is in the reverse direction (counterclockwise direction) with respect to the photoconductor 20 and is 2 to 3 times the photoconductor 20. The surface of the photoconductor 20 is uniformly charged by abutting and rotating on the photoconductor 20 at a peripheral speed of. As shown in FIG. 5, the line head 23 uses an organic EL light emitting element line in which a plurality of organic EL light emitting elements 61 are arranged in a line in the axial direction (main scanning direction) of the photoreceptor 20.

  The line head 23 using the organic EL light emitting element line has a shorter optical path length than the laser scanning optical system, is compact, and can be disposed close to the photoconductor 20, so that the entire apparatus can be downsized. Has the advantage. Further, since the number of parts is not large as in the laser scanning optical system, the configuration is simplified. In this embodiment, the photoconductor 20, the charging unit 22, and the line head 23 of each image forming station Y, M, C, and K are unitized as one photoconductor unit 25.

  Next, details of the developing unit 24 will be described using the image forming station K as an example. The developing unit 24 includes a toner storage container 26 that stores toner (hatched portion in the drawing), a toner storage part 27 formed in the toner storage container 26, and a toner stirring member disposed in the toner storage part 27. 29, and a partition member 30 that is partitioned and formed on the upper portion of the toner storage portion 27. Further, the toner supply roller 31 disposed above the partition member 30, the blade 32 provided on the partition member 30 and in contact with the toner supply roller 31, and the toner supply roller 31 and the image carrier 20 are in contact with each other. And a regulating blade 34 that is in contact with the developing roller 33.

  Next, members provided in the conveyance path of the recording medium PP will be described. The paper feed unit 10 includes a paper feed unit including a paper feed cassette 35 in which the recording media PP are stacked and held, and a pickup roller 36 that feeds the recording media PP one by one from the paper feed cassette 35. In the first opening / closing member 3, a registration roller pair 37 that defines the timing of feeding the recording medium PP to the secondary transfer portion, and a secondary transfer unit that is pressed against the drive roller 14 and the intermediate transfer belt 16. A secondary transfer unit 11, a fixing unit 12, a recording medium conveyance path 13, a discharge roller pair 39, and a duplex printing conveyance path 40 are provided. When performing double-sided printing on a recording medium, the recording medium on which image data has been transferred and fixed on one side is reversely fed from the position of the paper discharge roller pair 39 and conveyed through the double-sided printing conveyance path 40, and again from the registration roller pair 37. It is conveyed by the recording medium conveyance path 13.

  The fixing unit 12 includes a heating roller 45 that includes a heating element such as a halogen heater and is rotatable, a pressure roller 46 that presses and biases the heating roller 45, and is swingable on the pressure roller 46. A belt tension member 47 and a heat-resistant belt 49 stretched between the pressure roller 45 and the belt tension member 47. The color image secondarily transferred to the recording medium is fixed to the recording medium at a predetermined temperature at a nip formed by the heating roller 45 and the heat-resistant belt 49.

  In the example of FIG. 5, the image forming apparatus is provided with at least two or more image forming stations in which image forming units including a charging unit, a line head, a developing unit, and a transfer unit are arranged around the image carrier. The image is formed in a tandem manner as the transfer medium passes through each station.

  In the present embodiment, the fixing unit 12 can be disposed in a space formed obliquely above the intermediate transfer belt 16, in other words, in a space opposite to the image forming unit 6 with respect to the intermediate transfer belt 16. become. Therefore, heat transfer to the electrical component box 5, the image forming unit 6, and the intermediate transfer belt 16 can be reduced, and the frequency of performing the color misregistration correction operation for each color can be reduced.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing the line head 23 of the present invention in an enlarged manner. In FIG. 6, the light emitting unit 63 has an organic EL light emitting element line in which organic EL light emitting elements 61 are arranged in a line in the main scanning direction on a glass substrate 61. The light emitting unit 63 is held in a housing 60 that is elongated in the main scanning direction. In the present embodiment, two light emitting element lines are provided in the main scanning direction, but the organic EL light emitting element lines can be a plurality of lines in three or more rows.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, a positioning pin 69 and a screw insertion hole 68 are provided to accurately position the line head 23 with respect to each photoconductor 20 attached to the photoconductor unit 25. The positioning pins 69 are inserted into the opposing positioning holes of the case of the line head 23 (not shown). The positioning pins 69 and the positioning holes are fitted with a slight gap in the main scanning direction, and are set so that the position of the line head 23 in the main scanning direction can be adjusted. Each line head 23 is fixed at a predetermined position by screwing a fixing screw into a screw hole of the case of the line head 23 through screw insertion holes 68 provided at both ends of the long opaque housing 60. The

  A gradient index rod lens array (SLA) 65 constitutes an imaging optical system, and has a gradient index rod lens 66 arranged in front of the light emitting unit 63. In the present embodiment, the gradient index rod lens 66 is employed as the imaging optical system, but a micro lens may be employed as the imaging optical system. The housing 60 covers the periphery of the glass substrate 62 and the side facing the photoreceptor 20 is open. In this way, the light beam R is emitted from the gradient index rod lens 66 to the photosensitive member (image carrier) 20.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view in the main scanning direction of the image carrier 20 and the line head 23 of FIG. About the line head 23, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same member as FIG. 6, and detailed description is abbreviate | omitted. The organic EL light emitting element 61 is shielded from the back surface of the housing 60 by an opaque cover 66. The cover 66 is pressed against the back surface of the housing 60 by a fixed leaf spring 67 to seal the inside of the housing 60 in a light-tight manner. The housing 60 covers the periphery of the glass substrate 62 and the side facing the image carrier 20 is open. A light-absorbing member (paint) is provided on the surface of the housing 60 that faces the end surface of the glass substrate 62.

  Reference numeral 81 denotes flanges (protrusions) attached to both sides of the image carrier 20, and has a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the image carrier 20. An end surface 81 a of the flange 81 is in contact with the positioning pin 69 of the line head 23. In the example of FIG. 1, the length of the positioning pin 69 in the direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the image carrier 20 is longer than the length of the SLA 65 facing the image carrier 20 (output light irradiation surface) 65a. Also shortened.

  With this configuration, when the image carrier 20 having the flanges 81 and 81 is extracted in the main scanning direction in order to replace it, that is, when the image carrier 20 and the line head 23 are separated, the output light of the SLA 65 A space appears around the irradiation surface 65a. Since the position of the positioning pin 69 is lower than the position of the output light irradiation surface 65a in this space, there is no member that becomes an obstacle in the main scanning direction. Therefore, the output light irradiation surface 65a of the SLA 65 can be cleaned without any trouble by the cleaning pad described later in FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view in the main scanning direction of the image carrier 20 and the line head 23 of FIG. 5 showing another embodiment of the present invention. The difference from FIG. 1 is that a shaft 20 a is provided at both ends of the image carrier 20, and each shaft 20 a, 20 a is supported by a cartridge 82. An end surface 82 a of the cartridge 82 is in contact with the positioning pin 69 of the line head 23. The length of the image carrier 20 in the main scanning direction is set to be longer than the length between the positioning pins 69 and 69. Also in the example of FIG. 2, the length of the positioning pin 69 in the direction of the image carrier 20 is shorter than the length of the surface of the SLA 65 facing the image carrier 20 (output light irradiation surface) 65a. .

  Also in FIG. 2, when the cartridge 82 is pulled out in the main scanning direction in order to replace the image carrier 20, that is, when the image carrier 20 and the line head 23 are separated from each other, around the output light irradiation surface 65a of the SLA 65. Space appears. Since the position of the positioning pin 69 is lower than the position of the output light irradiation surface 65a in this space, there is no member that becomes an obstacle in the main scanning direction. Therefore, also in this example, the output light irradiation surface 65a of the SLA 65 can be cleaned without any trouble by the cleaning pad. As described above, even in an example in which the length of the image carrier 20 in the main scanning direction is set longer than the length between the positioning pins 69 and 69 for manufacturing reasons, in the embodiment of the present invention, the SLA 65 It becomes possible to clean the output light irradiation surface 65a without any trouble.

  3 is a cross-sectional view in the sub-scanning direction near the image carrier 20 shown in FIG. The conductive brush roller of the charging unit 22 is supported so as to rotate in contact with each image carrier 20 at a predetermined position. On the downstream side of the charging unit 22 in the moving direction of the image carrier 20, the line head 23 is positioned on each image carrier 20 by the positioning pins 69 and supported in parallel with each image carrier 20. The image carrier 20 can be inserted into and removed from the housing of the main body by the cartridge 82. The cartridge 82 is configured as an exterior housing of the image carrier 20, and as described with reference to FIG. 2, a part of the exterior projecting portion (end surface 82 a) contacts the positioning pin 69 provided on the line head 23. ing.

  Reference numeral 86 denotes an opening of the cartridge 82, 88 denotes a shielding part formed between the image carrier 20 and the line head 23, and 87 denotes a shielding part formed between the charging means 22 and the line head 23. The shielding portions 87 and 88, particularly the shielding portion 88 between the opening 86 and the line head 23, prevent ultraviolet rays from reaching the light emitting portion made of the organic EL material in the line head 23 from the outside. Reference numeral 83 denotes a cleaning pad (cleaning tool) for wiping off the gradient index rod lens array 65 that covers the organic EL light emitting element 61 from the front surface. The cleaning pad 83 can be housed in an appropriate place of the main body casing, for example, in the vicinity of the first opening / closing member 3 that is openably / closably attached to the front surface of the main body 2 in the configuration of FIG.

  In FIG. 3, the line pad 23 is lowered and the cleaning pad 83 is inserted in the main scanning direction of the SLA 65 with the cartridge 82 of the image carrier 20 not pulled out from the main body. Thus, in the embodiment of the present invention, the line head 23 can be separated from the surface of the image carrier 20. Also in this case, since the length of the positioning pin 69 of the line head 23 in the direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the image carrier 20 is shorter than the length to the output light irradiation surface 65a of the SLA 65, the cleaning pad 83 is mainly used. It can be inserted in the scanning direction without hindrance. That is, in the embodiment of the present invention, since the output light irradiation surface 65a of the SLA 65 can be cleaned even when the image carrier 20 is housed in the main body, the maintenance time can be arbitrarily set.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of the cleaning pad 83 according to the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 4, a pad 85 is attached to one end of a long handle 84. The handle 84 is formed in a thin rectangular shape, and a groove 84a is provided at the center. For example, even if the groove 84a is forgotten to be extracted after cleaning the output light irradiation surface of the SLA with the cleaning pad 83, the image carrier 20 passes through the SLA without blocking the output light of the light source through the groove 84a. To be irradiated. The pad 85 has a short side length 85a in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the handle 84, and a long side length 85b in a direction orthogonal to the length.

  In the present invention, the line head is naturally applicable to a 4-cycle color printer and a tandem color printer in addition to a monochrome printer. In these color printers, the configuration of the present invention makes it possible to rationally use a plurality of light emitting element lines formed on the line head.

  Next, another embodiment of the image forming apparatus to which the line head according to the invention is applied will be described. FIG. 7 is a vertical side view of the image forming apparatus. In FIG. 7, the image forming apparatus 160 includes, as main constituent members, a rotary developing device 161, a photosensitive drum 165 functioning as an image carrier, and an image writing means (exposure head) 167 provided with an organic EL array. In addition, an intermediate transfer belt 169, a paper conveyance path 174, a fixing roller heating roller 172, and a paper feed tray 178 are provided.

  In the developing device 161, the developing rotary 161a rotates in the arrow A direction about the shaft 161b. The inside of the development rotary 161a is divided into four, and image forming units for four colors of yellow (Y), cyan (C), magenta (M), and black (K) are provided. Reference numerals 162a to 162d are arranged in the image forming units for the four colors. The developing rollers rotate in the arrow B direction, and the toner supply rollers 163a to 163d rotate in the arrow C direction. Reference numerals 164a to 164d are regulating blades that regulate the toner to a predetermined thickness.

  As described above, reference numeral 165 denotes a photosensitive drum that functions as an image carrier, 166 denotes a primary transfer member, 168 denotes a charger, and 167 denotes an image writing unit, which is provided with an organic EL array. The photosensitive drum 165 is driven in the direction of arrow D opposite to the developing roller 162a by a drive motor (not shown), for example, a step motor.

  The intermediate transfer belt 169 is stretched between the driven roller 170b and the drive roller 170a, and the drive roller 170a is connected to the drive motor of the photosensitive drum 165 to transmit power to the intermediate transfer belt. By driving the drive motor, the drive roller 170 a of the intermediate transfer belt 169 is rotated in the arrow E direction opposite to the photosensitive drum 165.

  The paper conveyance path 174 is provided with a plurality of conveyance rollers, a pair of paper discharge rollers 176, and the like, and conveys the paper. An image (toner image) on one side carried on the intermediate transfer belt 169 is transferred to one side of the paper at the position of the secondary transfer roller 171. The secondary transfer roller 171 is separated from and brought into contact with the intermediate transfer belt 169 by a clutch, and is brought into contact with the intermediate transfer belt 169 when the clutch is turned on, so that an image is transferred onto the sheet.

  The sheet on which the image has been transferred as described above is then subjected to a fixing process by a fixing device having a fixing heater H. The fixing device is provided with a heating roller 172 and a pressure roller 173. The sheet after the fixing process is drawn into the discharge roller pair 176 and proceeds in the arrow F direction. When the paper discharge roller pair 176 rotates in the opposite direction from this state, the paper reverses its direction and advances in the double-sided printing conveyance path 175 in the arrow G direction. 177 is an electrical component box, 178 is a paper feed tray for storing paper, and 179 is a pickup roller provided at the outlet of the paper feed tray 178.

  For example, a low-speed brushless motor is used as a drive motor for driving the transport roller in the paper transport path. The intermediate transfer belt 169 uses a step motor because it requires color misregistration correction. Each of these motors is controlled by a signal from a control means (not shown).

  In the state shown in the drawing, a yellow (Y) electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 165, and a high voltage is applied to the developing roller 62a, whereby a yellow image is formed on the photosensitive drum 165. When all of the yellow back side and front side images are carried on the intermediate transfer belt 169, the development rotary 161a rotates 90 degrees in the direction of arrow A.

  The intermediate transfer belt 169 rotates once and returns to the position of the photosensitive drum 165. Next, two images of cyan (C) are formed on the photosensitive drum 165, and this image is carried on the yellow image carried on the intermediate transfer belt 169. Thereafter, the 90-degree rotation of the development rotary 161 and the one-rotation process after the image is carried on the intermediate transfer belt 169 are repeated in the same manner.

  For carrying four color images, the intermediate transfer belt 169 rotates four times, and then the rotation position is further controlled to transfer the image onto the sheet at the position of the secondary transfer roller 171. The paper fed from the paper feed tray 178 is transported by the transport path 174, and the color image is transferred to one side of the paper at the position of the secondary transfer roller 171. The sheet on which the image is transferred on one side is reversed by the discharge roller pair 176 as described above, and stands by on the conveyance path. Thereafter, the sheet is conveyed to the position of the secondary transfer roller 171 at an appropriate timing, and the color image is transferred to the other side. The housing 180 is provided with an exhaust fan 181.

  The image forming apparatus and the cleaning method thereof according to the present invention have been described above based on the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications can be made. Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described for cleaning the output light irradiation surface of the SLA, it may be applied to cleaning of the output light irradiation surface of another form of lens array, for example, a micro lens array (MLA). Is possible.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus capable of cleaning a lens array without any trouble and a cleaning method therefor.

It is sectional drawing of the main scanning direction which shows embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the main scanning direction which shows embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the subscanning direction which shows embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows embodiment of this invention. 1 is a longitudinal side view showing a schematic configuration of a tandem image forming apparatus according to the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the line head of FIG. It is a vertical side view of an image forming apparatus showing another embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image forming apparatus, 2 ... Housing main body, 3 ... 1st opening / closing member, 6 ... Image forming unit, 9 ... Transfer belt unit, 10 ... Paper feed unit, 11 ... Secondary transfer unit, 12 ... Fixing unit, 13 ... Recording medium conveyance path, 16 ... Intermediate transfer belt, 20 ... Photoconductor (image carrier), 21 ... Primary transfer Members, 22 ... charging means, 23 ... line head, 24 ... developing means, 25 ... photosensitive unit, 33 ... developing roller, 60 ... housing,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 61 ... Organic EL light emitting element, 62 ... Glass substrate, 63 ... Light emission part, 65 ... Refractive index distribution type rod lens array, 66 ... Refractive index distribution type rod lens, 69 ... Positioning pin, 81... Flange, 82... Cartridge, 83... Cleaning pad (cleaning tool)
160: image forming apparatus, 161: developing device, 165: photosensitive drum, 167: line head, 169: intermediate transfer belt, 171: secondary transfer roller

Claims (9)

An image forming apparatus for irradiating an image carrier with output light of a light source provided on a line head through a lens array, and the image carrier is provided with protrusions having a diameter larger than its diameter at both ends in the main scanning direction. The line head has a configuration in which positioning pins are provided at both ends in the main scanning direction, and the positioning pins are brought into contact with the end surfaces of the protrusions, and the positioning pins move toward the image carrier. The length of is configured to be shorter than the length to the output light irradiation surface of the lens array. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is provided on a cartridge of the image carrier. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting element of the light source is formed of an organic EL light emitting element. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lens array is configured by SLA. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a cleaning tool for cleaning an output light irradiation surface of the lens array with respect to the image carrier is housed in the main body. By providing at least two or more image forming stations, each having image forming units including a charging unit, a line head, a developing unit, and a transfer unit, around the image carrier, and the transfer medium passes through each station. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein image formation is performed by a tandem method. An image carrier configured to carry an electrostatic latent image, a rotary developing unit, and a line head, and the rotary developing unit carries toner stored in a plurality of toner cartridges on the surface thereof, By rotating in a predetermined rotation direction, different color toners are sequentially conveyed to a position facing the image carrier, and a developing bias is applied between the image carrier and the rotary developing unit, so that the toner is 6. The toner image according to claim 1, wherein the electrostatic latent image is visualized to form a toner image by moving the rotary developing unit to the image carrier. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 or 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising an intermediate transfer member. At both ends in the main scanning direction of the image carrier on which the output light of the light source provided on the line head is irradiated through the lens array, protrusions larger in diameter than the diameter are attached. Positioning pins are provided at both ends in the scanning direction, and the length of the positioning pins in the direction of the image carrier is formed to be shorter than the length to the output light irradiation surface of the lens array. Is configured to abut against the end face of
A method for cleaning an image forming apparatus, comprising: separating the image carrier from the line head; and cleaning an output light irradiation surface of the lens array with a cleaning tool.

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