JP2008116547A - Lubricant application method, lubricant application device, cleaner, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lubricant application method whereby a frictional coefficient can be kept constant for various images, curling of a cleaning blade can be prevented, and a stable image can be supplied, and to provide a lubricant application device, a cleaner, and an image forming apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus has the lubricant application device 26 and uses an image carrier or intermediate transfer body 11 of an endless form. The cleaner 25 for the image carrier or intermediate transfer body 11 includes a toner input detection device 40 that detects a quantity of toner T input in the cleaner. According to the quantity of toner T detected by a sensor means 41 of the toner input detection device 40, the amount of application of a solid lubricant 28 can be changed. This makes it possible to keep a frictional coefficient constant for various images, prevent curling of the cleaning blade, and to supply a stable image. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a FAX, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus having a cleaning device such as an image carrier or an intermediate transfer member.

  Even in an image carrier or intermediate transfer body having a lubricant application device that suppresses an increase in the friction coefficient of the surface, positional deviation of the friction coefficient may occur depending on the presence or absence of toner. There is also a possibility of blade curling. Usually, in such a case, the amount of lubricant applied is set to be larger than the deviation of the friction coefficient. However, excessive application of the lubricant may cause a hollow image due to a decrease in the friction coefficient.

JP 2006-139111 A

  Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for increasing the amount of lubricant applied in accordance with the cumulative image area. However, since the position of the input toner cannot be detected, the deviation of the friction coefficient due to the toner input is suppressed. If there is no coating blade after applying the lubricant, there is a problem that the toner remains on the image carrier or belt and affects the next image.

  Therefore, the present invention detects a toner input amount and input position, and reflects the result on the lubricant application amount, whereby a lubricant application method, a lubricant application device, and a cleaning device can solve the above problems. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an endless image carrier or intermediate transfer member having a lubricant application device, wherein the cleaning device for the image carrier or intermediate transfer member is input into the device. A sensor for detecting the amount of toner to be detected, and the amount of lubricant applied is changed in accordance with the amount of toner detected by the sensor.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lubricant application device according to the second aspect, wherein an endless image carrier or intermediate transfer member having the lubricant application device is used to clean the image carrier or intermediate transfer member. The apparatus has a sensor for detecting the amount of toner input into the apparatus, and the lubricant application apparatus changes the amount of lubricant applied according to the amount of toner detected by the sensor, The mechanism for applying the lubricant has a configuration in which the solid lubricant is brought into pressure contact with the application brush, and the pressure applied between the solid lubricant and the brush is changed according to the amount detected by the sensor of the cleaning device. Features.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the lubricant coating apparatus according to the second aspect, a plurality of the sensors are arranged in the axial direction of the image carrier or the intermediate transfer body.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the lubricant coating apparatus according to the third aspect, the sensor is disposed at an end position of a paper or sheet passing through the image carrier or the intermediate transfer body.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the lubricant coating apparatus according to the third aspect, the sensor is disposed at a position of a density adjustment pattern or a color misregistration adjustment pattern provided on the image carrier or the intermediate transfer body. And

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the lubricant coating device according to any one of the third to fifth aspects, the solid lubricant is divided according to the number and position of the sensors.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the lubricant coating apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the sensor includes a sensor cleaning device.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the lubricant coating apparatus according to the seventh aspect, the sensor is arranged at a position that also serves as a waste toner conveyance path in the cleaning device.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the lubricant coating apparatus according to the seventh aspect, the sensor cleaning device also has a waste toner conveying function.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image bearing member or intermediate transfer member cleaning device comprising the lubricant application device according to any one of the second to ninth aspects.

  An image forming apparatus according to an eleventh aspect includes the lubricant applying apparatus according to any one of the second to ninth aspects.

  An image forming apparatus according to a twelfth aspect includes the cleaning apparatus according to the tenth aspect.

  In the present invention, the friction coefficient can be kept constant for various images, the cleaning blade can be prevented from curling, and a stable image can be supplied.

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

  FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention, which is called a tandem type intermediate transfer type electrophotographic apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to this type of apparatus. .

  The copying machine main body is provided with an endless belt-like intermediate transfer member 11 in the center. The intermediate transfer body 11 has a multi-layer structure, and the base layer is formed of, for example, a fluororesin, PVD sheet, or polyimide resin with little elongation, and the surface is covered with a smooth coat layer such as a fluororesin. . Then, as shown in FIG. 1, for example, it is hung around the support rollers 10, 12, 34, and 35 so that it can be rotated and conveyed counterclockwise in the figure.

  In the illustrated embodiment, an intermediate transfer body cleaning device 25 for removing residual toner remaining on the intermediate transfer body 11 after image transfer is provided on the left of the support roller 10. On the intermediate transfer member 11 stretched between the support roller 12 and the support roller 35, four image forming units a to d of yellow, cyan, magenta, and black are arranged side by side along the conveyance direction. The tandem image forming apparatus is configured. Under the tandem image forming apparatus, an exposure apparatus 4 is further provided as shown in FIG.

  On the other hand, a secondary transfer device is provided on the side of the intermediate transfer body 11 facing the support roller 35. In the illustrated embodiment, the secondary transfer device is configured by spanning a secondary transfer belt 100, which is an endless belt, between two rollers 111 and 112, and is pressed against the support roller 35 via the intermediate transfer body 11. The image on the intermediate transfer body 11 is transferred to a sheet. Some secondary transfer devices use a secondary transfer roller. A fixing device 30 for fixing the transferred image on the sheet is provided on the secondary transfer device. The fixing device 30 is configured by pressing a pressure roller against a fixing roller.

  The secondary transfer device described above is also provided with a sheet transport function for transporting the image-transferred sheet to the fixing device 30. Of course, a transfer roller or a non-contact charger may be arranged as the secondary transfer device. In such a case, it is difficult to provide this sheet conveying function together.

  When a start switch (not shown) is pressed, one of the support rollers 10, 34, and 35 is also rotationally driven by a drive motor (not shown), the other four support rollers are driven to rotate, and the intermediate transfer member 11 is rotated and conveyed. . At the same time, the photoreceptor 1 is rotated by the individual image forming means to form yellow, cyan, magenta, and black monochrome images on the photoreceptor 1 of the image forming means a to d, respectively. Then, along with the conveyance of the intermediate transfer body 11, the single color images are sequentially transferred to form a composite color image on the intermediate transfer body 11. On the other hand, when the start switch is pressed, one of the paper feed rollers 5 of the paper feed table is selected and rotated, and the sheet P is fed out from one of the paper feed cassettes 4 provided in multiple stages in the paper bank. Each sheet is separated and placed in the paper feed path 2, transported by a transport roller, guided to the paper feed path 2 in the copying machine body, and abutted against the registration roller 3 and stopped. Then, the registration roller 3 is rotated in synchronization with the composite color image on the intermediate transfer body 11, the sheet P is fed between the intermediate transfer body 11 and the secondary transfer device, and the sheet is transferred by the secondary transfer device. A color image is recorded on P.

  The sheet P after the image transfer is conveyed by the secondary transfer device and sent to the fixing device 30, and heat and pressure are applied by the fixing device 30 to fix the transferred image. Then, the sheet P is discharged by the discharge roller 32 and discharged. Stack on the tray 6.

  On the other hand, the intermediate transfer body 11 after the image transfer is removed by the intermediate transfer body cleaning device 25 to remove residual toner remaining on the intermediate transfer body 11 after the image transfer, and is prepared for re-image formation by the tandem image forming apparatus.

  FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the lubricant application device 26 in the cleaning device 25. The reason why the lubricant is applied to the belt by the lubricant application device 26 is to suppress an increase in the friction coefficient of the belt surface, and the effect of prolonging the cleaning life, prevention of blade wrinkling and adhesion of foreign matter on the belt surface. There is an effect of preventing (filming). Normally, the application apparatus 29 is configured such that the application brush 29 is solid by energizing with a pressure member (compression spring) 27 to bring the solid lubricant 28 into pressure contact with the application brush 29 and rotating the application brush 29. The lubricant 28 is scraped off and applied to the intermediate transfer body 11. In the figure, reference numeral 25a denotes a cleaning blade of the cleaning device 25.

  FIG. 3 shows a toner input detection device 40 having a sensor for detecting the amount of toner input provided in the vicinity of the lubricant application device 26 in the embodiment described above. In this example, the sensor means 41 is one that detects the input amount of toner by its weight, and its configuration is illustrated. In this apparatus, when the toner T is placed on the sensor member 41, the weight of the sensor member 41 increases, and the fulcrum member 42 is interposed between the solid lubricant 28 and the sensor member 41. It is possible to adjust the amount of lubricant applied in accordance with toner input. This mainly has the effects of simplifying the lubricant application device, saving space, and reducing costs in the present invention.

  That is, since the friction coefficient of the intermediate transfer body 11 is different immediately after cleaning between the position where the toner is input and the position where the toner is not input, even if the lubricant is uniformly applied in the axial direction of the support roller 10, the toner input is performed. There is a problem that it is difficult to suppress the deviation of the friction coefficient. Therefore, if the position where the toner is input can be detected by a sensor and the amount of lubricant applied can be changed, the above problem can be solved and the coefficient of friction can be kept constant for all images. The cleaning blade can be prevented from curling, and a stable image can be supplied. Specifically, the simplest method for changing the application amount is to change the pressure applied between the lubricant and the application brush.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the pressurizing force is usually applied by a pressurizing member 27 such as a spring, but the pressurizing force can be varied by providing the pressurizing force from the sensor member 41 in addition to that. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, there are a plurality of sensor members in the axial direction of the support roller 10, and the position of the sensor member 41 is set at the position of the end of the paper size generally used. Accordingly, even when sheets having different widths are alternately passed, the deviation of the friction coefficient at the boundary at the sheet edge can be suppressed, and a stable image can be provided. That is, since the friction coefficient of the intermediate transfer body 11 varies between the sheet-existing side and the sheet-excluding side depending on the position of the end of the sheet P, this deviation can be suppressed. Examples of sheet and paper sizes that are commonly used here include sizes used in design drawings such as A4 and A3, and letter sizes used overseas.

  In addition, if the sensor is placed at a position where the density adjustment pattern and full color misregistration adjustment pattern required for image formation process control are written, the deviation of the coefficient of friction will occur in the image formation process control at the start-up or intermediate operation of the machine. Therefore, a stable image can be provided for subsequent images. That is, if there is a sensor at the position of the density adjustment pattern or the color misregistration adjustment pattern during the machine operation, the deviation of the friction coefficient due to the toner input position can be suppressed. Note that reference numeral 43 in FIG. 4 denotes a sensor cleaning member.

  In the case where a plurality of sensor members 41 and only one solid lubricant 28 are used, it is necessary to prevent the adjustment sensitivity of the coating amount with respect to the toner input recognized by the sensor member 41. Therefore, if the solid lubricant 28 is divided at the position of the sensor member 41 in the axial direction of the support roller 10 as shown in FIG. 6, as shown in FIG. The accompanying lubricant application unevenness does not occur, so that the amount of lubricant applied can be easily adjusted. However, in this case, the pressure member 27 is individually disposed on the separated solid lubricant 28. Even when the toner input detection device 40 is not in operation, the solid lubricant 28 must provide the amount of application by the pressure member 27 attached from the beginning. This is because 27 is required.

  FIG. 4 shows a member constituting the waste toner conveyance path 25b of the cleaning device 25 constituting a part of the toner input detection device 40. When the waste toner T enters the conveyance path, the weight of the toner is increased. It is configured to detect pressure and add pressure to the lubricant. By removing the waste toner accumulated on the sensor member 41 with the sensor cleaning member 43, it is possible to prevent the sensitivity of the sensor from being constantly dulled, thereby extending the life of the sensor member 41, that is, a stable friction coefficient. Can be maintained for a long time. By having the cleaning device 25 and the lubricant application device 26 as described above, it is possible to keep the coefficient of friction constant for all images, prevent the cleaning blade 25a from curling, and stable images. Can be provided. Furthermore, the structure can be simplified, the price can be reduced, and the space can be saved, so that a very inexpensive and simple apparatus can be obtained. That is, if the configuration for sensor cleaning also has a waste toner conveying function, there is no need to provide a separate sensor cleaning device, and the device can be made inexpensive and simple.

1 is a conceptual cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. 1 is a perspective view showing a lubricant application device provided in the cleaning device of the apparatus of FIG. The perspective view which shows the cleaning apparatus which has the detection sensor of the same toner input amount Side surface sectional view showing the relationship between the sensor of FIG. 3 and the lubricant application device A perspective view of an example in which a plurality of sensor members are provided in the axial direction of the support roller 10 The perspective view which shows the example which divided | segmented solid lubricant with one of the sensor members The front view which shows the characteristic of the solid lubricant divided in the example of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Photoconductor 2 Paper feed path 3 Registration roller 4 Paper feed cassette 5 Paper feed roller 6 Paper discharge tray 10, 12, 34, 35 Support roller 11 Intermediate transfer body 25 Intermediate transfer body cleaning device 25a Cleaning device cleaning blade 25b Waste toner Conveyance path 26 Lubricant coating device 27 Pressure member (compression spring)
28 solid lubricant 29 application brush 30 fixing device 32 discharge roller 40 toner input detection device 41 sensor means 42 fulcrum member 43 sensor cleaning member 100 secondary transfer belt 111, 112 roller a to d image forming means P sheet T toner

Claims (12)

  In an endless image carrier or intermediate transfer member having a lubricant application device, the image carrier or intermediate transfer member cleaning device has a sensor for detecting the amount of toner input into the device, A method of applying a lubricant, wherein the amount of lubricant applied is changed in accordance with the amount of toner detected by the sensor.   In an endless image carrier or intermediate transfer member having a lubricant application device, the image carrier or intermediate transfer member cleaning device has a sensor for detecting the amount of toner input into the device, A lubricant application device that changes the amount of lubricant applied according to the amount of toner detected by the sensor, wherein the mechanism for applying the lubricant has a configuration in which the solid lubricant is brought into pressure contact with the application brush. And a pressure application force applied to the solid lubricant and the brush according to the amount detected by the sensor of the cleaning device.   3. The lubricant coating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of the sensors are arranged in the axial direction of the image carrier or the intermediate transfer body.   4. The lubricant coating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the sensor is disposed at an end position of a paper or sheet that passes through the image carrier or the intermediate transfer body.   4. The lubricant coating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the sensor is disposed at a position of a density adjustment pattern or a color misregistration adjustment pattern provided on the image carrier or the intermediate transfer body.   6. The lubricant coating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the solid lubricant is divided according to the number and position of the sensors.   7. The lubricant application device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor includes a sensor cleaning device.   8. The lubricant coating apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the sensor is disposed at a position that also serves as a waste toner transport path in the cleaning device.   8. The lubricant coating apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the sensor cleaning device also has a waste toner conveying function.   An apparatus for cleaning an image bearing member or an intermediate transfer member, comprising the lubricant coating device according to claim 2.   An image forming apparatus comprising the lubricant application device according to claim 2. An image forming apparatus comprising the cleaning device according to claim 10.