JP2009122406A - Image forming apparatus, image carrier unit and assembling method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent streak noise caused when a lubricant fallen from a cleaning member adheres to a charging member. <P>SOLUTION: A photoreceptor unit 3 containing a photoreceptor 10, a charging roll 26, a cleaning blade 62 having a lubricant applied to an area in contact with the photoreceptor 10, and a charging roll cleaner 28 to which the same lubricant as that applied to the cleaning blade 62 is applied is constituted to be attachable to and detachable from a main body. After detecting installation of the new photoreceptor unit 3 to the main body, the charging roll 26 and the charging roll cleaner 28 are rotated in contact with each other at a predetermined time before image forming, so that the lubricant on the surface of the charging roll cleaner 28 are transferred onto the charging roll 26 side, thereby coating the surface with the lubricant. The lubricant applied to the charging roll 26 functions as an extremely thin protective layer or water-repellent layer, so that the lubricant is prevented from being fallen from the cleaning blade 62 to adhere to the surface of the charging roll 26, thereby suppressing streak noise. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction machine having these functions, and a process cartridge also referred to as a photosensitive unit used in the image forming apparatus. And its assembly method.

  When an electrophotographic system is used in an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction machine having these functions, it is generally called a photoconductive insulator or a photoconductor. An electrostatic latent image is formed on the image carrier by applying a uniform electrostatic charge to the cylindrical image carrier in advance by a charging device and irradiating the image carrier with a light image by various means. Next, the formed latent image is developed and visualized using powder (toner) supplied from a developing device, the toner powder image is transferred to a recording medium such as paper by a transfer device, and then the toner powder image is transferred to a paper by a fixing device. To obtain a printed matter. The image carrier after the transfer process is cleaned (removed) of powder remaining on the surface thereof by a cleaning device.

  Examples of the mechanism of various apparatuses used in such an electrophotographic image forming apparatus include those described in Patent Documents 1 to 4.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 02-082283 JP 09-022234 A JP 2002-278262 A JP 2002-092331 A

  In Patent Document 1, as a method of applying a powder lubricant to a cleaning blade of a cleaning device for an image forming apparatus, lubrication in which a powder lubricant is dispersed in a volatile liquid in a region where the cleaning blade is in pressure contact with an image carrier. A method is disclosed in which a powder lubricant is applied to an area in contact with the image carrier of the cleaning blade by applying a liquid agent and then volatilizing the volatile liquid.

  Patent Document 2 discloses that when spherical particles are used as a lubricant, the lubricity of the particles themselves is very high and the effect as a lubricant is excellent, but they are easily peeled off from the edge of the cleaning blade. Therefore, the problem is that the edge part will fall off due to the vibration of the edge part, and the area corresponding to the charging roller end part of the surface of the photosensitive drum is roughened by charging and the friction coefficient increases. Long-term lubrication is ensured by applying an irregular-shaped lubricant that does not easily peel off from the edge only in the corresponding irregular-lubricant-coated area, and the other parts are spherical lubricants. It is disclosed that the above is prevented.

  Patent Document 3 discloses an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a contact charging member configured to be brought into pressure contact with the photosensitive member and driven to rotate relative to the photosensitive member, a developer, a developer carrying member, and a developer regulating member. Is a developing device used in a process cartridge having a developing device provided therein, and the developer carrier and the developer in a state where the developer is not present before putting the developer into use and starting the use. It is disclosed that a lubricant is applied to a contact portion with a regulating member.

  In Patent Document 4, when a general rubber roller such as urethane rubber is used as the charging member, a free external additive such as silica (SiO 2) as a developer is produced during manufacture or initialization operation of the image forming apparatus. By pre-adhering and accumulating fine powder on the charging member, this external additive eliminates the tackiness characteristic of rubber, weakens the adhesion of the developer to the charging member, and thereby the cleaning ability of the charging member 9 by the cleaning member is reduced. It is disclosed to ensure a substantially constant high capacity from the initial time to after durability.

  In the present invention, when a lubricant is applied in advance to a cleaning member that contacts the image carrier and cleans the surface thereof, the lubricant is dropped from the cleaning member and charged by contacting the image carrier. An object is to suppress the occurrence of image defects caused by adhering to the charging member when it slips through the contact portion between the member and the image carrier.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image carrier that holds an image, a charging member that contacts the surface of the image carrier and charges the surface of the image carrier, and a contact member that contacts the surface of the image carrier. A cleaning member that cleans the developer remaining on the surface of the holding body is integrally removable from the main body of the image forming apparatus, and the image holding body with respect to the cleaning member is in a region where the cleaning member and the image holding body are in contact with each other. An image carrier unit characterized in that a lubricant for lubricating the movement of the surface is applied, and the lubricant is applied to the surface of the charging member.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image holding member for holding an image, a charging member for contacting the surface of the image holding member to charge the surface of the image holding member, and a surface of the charging member for contacting the surface of the charging member. An electrostatic cleaning member for cleaning, and a cleaning member for cleaning the developer remaining on the surface of the image holding member in contact with the surface of the image holding member can be integrally attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body, and the cleaning member A lubricant that lubricates the movement of the surface of the image carrier relative to the cleaning member is applied to a region where the image carrier and the image carrier are in contact with each other, and the lubricant is applied to the surface of the charging cleaning member. An image carrier unit characterized by the above.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image holding body for holding an image, a charging member for contacting the surface of the image holding body to charge the surface of the image holding body, and the image for contacting the surface of the image holding body. A cleaning member for cleaning the developer remaining on the surface of the holding body can be integrally attached to and detached from the main body of the image forming apparatus, and a portion of the cleaning member that contacts the image holding body is on the charging member side. An assembly method of an image carrier unit in which the cleaning member is incorporated, wherein the upstream side in the rotation direction of the image carrier relative to the cleaning member when the image carrier is incorporated in the image carrier unit A lubricant holding member that holds the lubricant in contact with a side composed of a surface that faces the charging member and a surface that opposes the charging member, and is applied upstream in the rotational direction of the image carrier. The tip of the lubricant holding member is An assembly method of the image carrier unit, characterized in that it comprises a step of applying a lubricant to.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image carrier that holds an image, a charging member that contacts the surface of the image carrier and charges the surface of the image carrier, and the image carrier that is charged by the charging member. A latent image forming portion for forming an electrostatic latent image by electrophotography, a developing portion for developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier, and an image developed on the image carrier to a transfer member. A transfer unit for transferring, and a cleaning member for cleaning the developer remaining on the surface of the image carrier by contacting the surface of the image carrier, and cleaning the region where the cleaning member and the image carrier are in contact with each other. In the image forming apparatus, a lubricant for lubricating movement of the surface of the image carrier relative to a member is applied, and the lubricant is applied to the surface of the charging member.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect of the present invention, the image holding member that holds an image, a charging member that contacts the surface of the image holding member and charges the surface of the image holding member, A charging cleaning member for cleaning the charging member; a latent image forming unit that forms an electrostatic latent image on the image holding member charged by the charging member by an electrophotographic method; and an electrostatic forming member formed on the image holding member. A developing unit that develops a latent image, a transfer unit that transfers an image developed on the image carrier to a transfer member, and a developer that contacts the surface of the image carrier and remains on the surface of the image carrier is cleaned. A lubricant that lubricates the movement of the surface of the image carrier relative to the cleaning member is applied to a region where the cleaning member and the image carrier are in contact with each other, and the surface of the charging cleaning member Image formation by the image forming apparatus with the lubricant applied Characterized by applying the lubricant to the surface of the charging member by rotating the charger to the charging cleaning member before work in contact with the charger.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image carrier that holds an image, a charging member that contacts the surface of the image carrier and charges the surface of the image carrier, and a surface of the charging member that contacts the surface of the charging member. An electrostatic cleaning member for cleaning, and a cleaning member for cleaning the developer remaining on the surface of the image carrier in contact with the surface of the image carrier can be integrally attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body. An image in which a lubricant that lubricates the movement of the surface of the image carrier relative to the cleaning member is applied to a region where the image carrier and the image carrier are in contact with each other, and the lubricant is applied to the surface of the charging cleaning member A holding unit, a latent image forming unit for forming an electrostatic latent image on the image holding member charged by the charging member by an electrophotographic method, and development for developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the image holding member; And an image developed on the image carrier. The charging unit is rotated by rotating the charging unit while the charging cleaning member is in contact with the charging unit when detecting that the lubricant needs to be applied to the charging unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a controller that applies an agent including a lubricant applied to a region of the cleaning member that is in contact with the image holding member of the cleaning member.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image carrier that holds an image, a charging member that contacts the surface of the image carrier and charges the surface of the image carrier, and a developer that is developed on the surface of the image carrier. The image forming apparatus main body and a layer thickness regulating member that regulates the thickness of the developer layer held on the surface of the developer holding body. Prior to installation in the apparatus, a lubricant is applied to a region where the developer holder and the layer thickness regulating member face each other, and the developer holder and the layer thickness are formed on the surface of the charging member. An image carrier unit in which an agent including a lubricant applied to a region facing the regulating member is applied.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image carrier that holds an image, a charging member that contacts the surface of the image carrier and charges the surface of the image carrier, and a surface of the charging member that contacts the surface of the charging member. Layer thickness regulation for regulating the thickness of the charging cleaning member to be cleaned, the developer holding body for holding the developer developed on the surface of the image holding body, and the developer layer held on the surface of the developer holding body The member can be integrally attached to and detached from the main body of the image forming apparatus, and before being attached to the image forming apparatus, a lubricant is applied to a region where the developer holder and the layer thickness regulating member face each other. In addition, an image carrier unit in which the surface of the charging cleaning member is coated with an agent including a lubricant applied to a region where the developer carrier and the layer thickness regulating member are opposed to each other. is there.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, compared to the case where the present invention is not adopted, cleaning is performed when a lubricant is applied in advance to a cleaning member that contacts the image carrier and cleans the surface thereof. Suppresses the occurrence of image defects caused by the lubricant falling off the member and adhering to the charging member when it slips through the contact portion between the charging member and the image holding member that is charged by contacting the image holding member. Can do.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to suppress unevenness in the amount of lubricant applied to the surface of the charging roll as compared with the case where the present invention is not adopted.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the adhesion of the lubricant to the portion facing the charging member in the step of applying the lubricant to the cleaning member can be suppressed as compared with the case where the present invention is not adopted. .

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when a lubricant is applied in advance to a cleaning member that contacts the image carrier and cleans the surface thereof, as compared with the case where the present invention is not adopted, cleaning is performed. Suppresses the occurrence of image defects caused by the lubricant falling off the member and adhering to the charging member when it slips through the contact portion between the charging member and the image holding member that is charged by contacting the image holding member. Can do.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, compared with the case where the present invention is not adopted, the non-uniformity in the amount of the lubricant applied to the surface of the charging roll is suppressed in carrying out the fourth aspect of the invention. be able to.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, when the lubricant is applied in advance to the cleaning member that contacts the image carrier of the replaced image carrier unit and cleans the surface of the image carrier unit, lubrication is performed from the cleaning member. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of image defects caused by the agent falling off and adhering to the charging member when it passes through the contact portion between the charging member and the image holding member that is charged by contacting the image holding member.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, when a lubricant is applied in advance to a region where the developer holding member and the layer thickness regulating member face each other as compared with the case where the present invention is not adopted, The occurrence of image defects caused by adhesion of the lubricant to the charging member when the lubricant falls off and slips through the contact portion between the charging member and the image holding member that comes into contact with the image holding member. it can.

  According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to suppress unevenness in the amount of lubricant applied to the surface of the charging roll as compared with the case where the present invention is not adopted.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus using a one-component developer containing at least toner particles or a two-component developer containing at least carrier particles and toner particles will be described.

<Outline of image forming apparatus>
FIG. 1 is a diagram (sectional view) showing a configuration example of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a printing apparatus (printer) or a copying apparatus (copier). Here, FIG. 1 (1) shows an overall outline of the image forming apparatus 1, and FIG. 1 (2) shows details of a charging roll and a charging roll cleaner of the charging apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, the image forming apparatus 1 is an example of an image holding member, and is in contact with the photosensitive member 10 and a photosensitive member 10 that is a cylindrical (drum) -shaped rotating member that rotates about a rotation axis. The charging device 20 arranged in this manner, an example of latent image formation, an exposure device 30 equipped with a laser light source 32, a polygon mirror 34, and a motor 36, and an example of a stirring mechanism and a developer holder not shown in the housing 42. The developing roll 44, the scraper 46, which is an example of a layer thickness regulating member, the developing device 40 containing the developer particles 102, the transfer device 50 having the transfer power source 52 and the transfer roll 54, and the cleaning, which is an example of a cleaning member. A cleaning device 60 having a blade 62 and a fixing device 70 having a roll mechanism arranged at a predetermined position on the downstream side on the paper conveyance path are provided. In addition, the image forming apparatus 1 is provided with a control unit 80 for controlling the entire apparatus, for example.

  The cleaning blade 62 of the cleaning device 60 is an example of a cleaning member that comes into contact with the photoconductor 10 after transfer processing to a transfer member such as printing paper and cleans the developer remaining on the surface of the photoconductor 10.

  The charging device 20 is a DC power supply 22, an AC bias power supply 24, a charging roll 26 (Bias Charge Roll) that is an example of a charging member, and is a cylindrical rotating body that contacts the photosensitive member 10 and charges the surface thereof. A cylindrical rotating body that contacts the charging roll 26 and cleans the surface thereof, and has a charging roll cleaner 28 that is an example of a charging cleaning member.

  When an image is formed by the image forming apparatus 1, first, the charging device 20 generates a charging potential (initial potential) by superimposing the AC bias voltage from the AC bias power source 24 on the DC voltage from the DC power source 22. The surface of the photoconductor 10 is charged to a uniform surface potential with the charging potential.

  After that, a polygon mirror 34 that is rotated by a motor 36 with a laser beam emitted from a laser light source 32 provided on the exposure device 30 on the surface of the photoreceptor 10 in accordance with image data obtained by scanning the original with a reading device (not shown). Scanning, the surface of the photoconductor 10 is exposed to form an electrostatic latent image having a desired latent image potential.

  Subsequently, the developing device 40 forms the toner particles in the developer particles 102 on the surface of the photoreceptor 10 while mixing the developer particles 102 including toner particles and carrier particles of a predetermined color in a stirring mechanism (not shown). A toner image is formed on the surface of the photoconductor 10 by being superimposed on the electrostatic latent image.

  Thereafter, the transfer device 50 transfers the toner image formed on the surface of the photoconductor 10 onto a printing sheet which is an example of a transfer member conveyed from the outside. A predetermined range where the photoconductor 10 and the transfer roll 54 face each other is referred to as a transfer region.

  The transferred sheet is conveyed to the fixing device 70 side, and the fixing device 70 fixes the toner image onto a printing sheet as a transfer body by heating, melting and pressing. The fixed paper is discharged out of the image forming apparatus 1 by a discharge device (not shown).

  On the other hand, the cleaning device 60 removes residual toner remaining on the surface of the photoreceptor 10 after being transferred by the transfer device 50. Since the residual potential remains on the surface of the photoconductor 10 after cleaning, the residual potential is removed by a neutralizing means (corotron, lamp, etc.), or the initial potential is simultaneously removed by the charging device 20 when applied. Used in the electrophotographic process.

  In the case where the image forming apparatus 1 for color image formation is configured, as a configuration of a main part related to image formation, for example, the toner image of the photoconductor 10 is directly applied to a sheet by a transfer device 50 on a sheet as a transfer body. For example, a plurality of engines corresponding to output colors of K (black), Y (yellow), M (magenta), and C (cyan) are inlined in the order of K → Y → M → C, for example. The K, Y, M, and C images are processed in parallel (simultaneously) by four engines, that is, the photosensitive member 10 is placed on the intermediate transfer belt one color at a time according to the arrangement position. The toner image may be transferred (particularly referred to as primary transfer), and then the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt may be transferred onto the paper (particularly referred to as secondary transfer). .

  In such an electrophotographic process, a plurality of steps of charging the photosensitive member 10, exposing a scanned original image, developing, that is, applying toner to the photosensitive member 10, transferring toner to a sheet and fixing the toner, and cleaning the photosensitive member 10 are performed. Have.

  Here, in the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, it is preferable that at least the photosensitive member 10, the charging roll 26 of the charging device 20, and the cleaning blade 62 which is an example of a blade mechanism of the cleaning device 60 are integrally formed. A photoconductor unit 3 (details will be described later with reference to FIG. 2), which is an example of an image carrier unit configured to be detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus 1, is configured. Of course, as a cartridge replacement type configuration, it is not essential that the photoconductor 10, the charging roll 26, and the cleaning blade 62 are integrally incorporated in the housing. It is also possible to configure them and to incorporate them separately into a housing and to be integrated into the apparatus main body.

  The charging roll 26 is configured as a conductive member whose surface layer exhibits conductivity (details will be described later with reference to FIG. 1B). The surface of the charging roll 26 abuts on the photoreceptor 10 and is supported by a means (not shown) so as to be able to rotate (referred to as driven rotation) as the photoreceptor 10 rotates. By contacting the photoconductor 10, the photoconductor 10 can be rotated with the photoconductor 10 even if it does not have a driving unit, and functions as a charging unit. Note that some driving means may be attached to the charging roll 26 and may be charged by being rotated at a peripheral speed different from that of the photoreceptor 10.

  As a method of charging the photoreceptor 10 using the charging roll 26 configured as a conductive member, a voltage is applied to the charging roll 26, but the applied voltage may be a DC voltage using only the DC power supply 22. Alternatively, it is preferable to superimpose the AC bias voltage generated by the AC vice power supply 24 on the DC voltage output from the DC power supply 22. As the voltage range, the DC voltage is preferably positive or negative 50 to 2000 V, particularly preferably 100 to 1500 V, depending on the required photoreceptor charging potential. When the AC voltage is superimposed, the peak-to-peak voltage is 400 to 1800 V, preferably 800 to 1600 V, and more preferably 1200 to 1600 V. The frequency of the AC voltage is 50 to 20,000 Hz, preferably 100 to 5,000 Hz. As the waveform, any of a Sin wave, a triangular wave, and a square wave can be selected.

  The charging roll cleaner 28 is in contact with the charging roll 26 and is supported by the charging roll 26 by means (not shown) so as to be able to follow the rotation of the charging roll 26 (referred to as driven rotation). As the charging roll cleaner 28, for example, a brush-like one or a foamed sponge-like one can be used.

  As shown in FIG. 1 (2), the charging roll 26 constituting the charging device 20 is a conductive charging as a method for charging the surface of the photoconductor 10 prior to forming an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor 10. This is used to employ a contact charging method in which a member is brought into direct contact with the surface of the photoreceptor 10. The charging roll 26 used in this contact charging method includes a shaft body 26a, an innermost elastic layer 26b (conductive elastic body layer) made of a special foam containing a conductive agent on the outer periphery of the shaft body 26a, an intermediate layer It has a resistance layer 26c as a layer and a protective layer 26d as an outermost layer.

  As a material of the shaft body 26a, it has conductivity, and generally iron, copper, brass, stainless steel, aluminum, nickel, etc. are used. Or the resin molded product etc. which disperse | distributed the other electroconductive particle etc. can also be used.

The elastic layer 26b is made of a material having conductivity or semiconductivity, and is generally a material in which conductive particles or semiconducting particles are dispersed in a rubber material. As the rubber material, EPDM, polybutadiene, natural rubber, polyisobutylene, SBR, CR, NBR, silicon rubber, urethane rubber, epichlorohydrin rubber, SBS, thermoplastic elastomer, norbornene rubber, fluorosilicone rubber, ethylene oxide rubber, etc. are used. . Examples of conductive particles or semiconductive particles include carbon black, zinc, aluminum, copper, iron, nickel, chromium, titanium, and other metals, ZnO—Al ₂ O ₃ , SnO ₂ —Sb ₂ O ₃ , In ₂ O _3. Metal oxides such as —SnO ₂ , ZnO—TiO ₂ , MgO—Al ₂ O ₃ , FeO—TiO ₂ , TiO ₂ , SnO ₂ , Sb ₂ O ₃ , In ₂ O ₃ , ZnO, and MgO can be used. These materials may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

  As the material of the resistance layer 26c and the protective layer 26d, conductive particles or semiconductive particles are dispersed in a binder resin and the resistance is controlled. The resistivity is 10 ^ 3 to 10 ^ 14 (" ^ "Indicates power) Ωcm, preferably 10 ^ 5-10 ^ 12 Ωcm, more preferably 10 ^ 7-10 ^ 12 Ωcm. Moreover, as a film thickness, 0.01-1000 micrometers, Preferably it is 0.1-500 micrometers, More preferably, 0.5-100 micrometers is good. Binder resins include acrylic resin, cellulose resin, polyamide resin, methoxymethylated nylon, ethoxymethylated nylon, polyurethane resin, polycarbonate resin, polyester resin, polyethylene resin, polyvinyl resin, polyarylate resin, polythiophene resin, PFA, FEP Polyolefin resin such as PET, styrene butadiene resin, etc. are used.

  As the conductive particles or semiconductive particles used as the material of the resistance layer 26c and the protective layer 26d, the same carbon black, metal, and metal oxide as those of the elastic layer 26b are used. If necessary, an antioxidant such as hindered phenol and hindered amine, a filler such as clay and kaolin, and a lubricant such as silicone oil can be added. As a means for forming these layers, a blade coating method, a Meyer bar coating method, a spray coating method, a dip coating method, a bead coating method, an air knife coating method, a curtain coating method, or the like can be used.

  The charging roll cleaner 28 includes a shaft body 28a and a cleaning layer 28b provided on the outer periphery of the shaft body 28a. As a material of the shaft body 28a, it has conductivity, and generally iron, copper, brass, stainless steel, aluminum, nickel or the like is used. In addition, a resin molded product in which conductive particles are dispersed can be used. This is the same as the shaft body 26a for the charging roll 26.

  For the cleaning layer 28b, a foamable elastic material such as polyurethane foam, polyethylene foam, rubber sponge, microcell polymer (trade name Polon), or a brush material described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 07-140763 can be used. is there.

<Outline of photoconductor unit>
FIG. 2 is a diagram (cross-sectional view) showing an outline of the photoconductor unit 3. As shown in the figure, basically, the housing of the cleaning device 60 and the housings of the charging roll 26 and the charging roll cleaner 28 are composed of the same member. As shown in FIG. 1, in the photosensitive unit 3, the photosensitive member 10, the charging roll 26, the charging roll cleaner 28, and the blade mechanism 62 are integrally incorporated in the housing 3a. The cleaning blade 62 is disposed between the charging roll 26 and the inner wall surface 3 b on the cleaning blade 62 side of the housing 3 a that houses the charging roll 26. A space 3 c is formed in a region surrounded by the photoreceptor 10, the charging roll 26, and the cleaning blade 62.

  The charging roll 26 and the charging roll cleaner 28 are rotatably supported by the housing 3a by a support member (not shown). The cleaning blade 62 is attached to a blade holder 63 which is an example of a support member, and the blade holder 63 is fixed to the housing 3a with screws.

<Method of applying powder lubricant to scraper>
3 and 3A are diagrams schematically showing an example of a method of applying a powder lubricant to the cleaning blade 62. FIG. Here, FIG. 3 is a plan view of the cleaning blade 62 viewed from the photoreceptor 10 side. 3A (1) and 3A (2) are cross-sectional views seen from the direction of the arrows shown in FIG. In FIG. 3A (1) and FIG. 3A (2), in order to make it easy to understand the relationship between the members, the photoconductor and the charging roll in the assembled state as the photoconductor unit 3 are indicated by dotted lines.

  When the use of the cleaning blade 62 used in the electrophotographic process is started, the cleaning blade 62 and the surface of the photoconductor 10 are not activated due to a large frictional resistance, or the cleaning blade 62 is turned up. It is known that the body 10 and the cleaning blade 62 may be damaged. Once activated and the electrophotographic process is completed, the developer particles (toner) scraped off act as a lubricant for the cleaning blade 62, so this problem does not occur.

  Therefore, also in the cleaning device 60 according to the present embodiment, a powder lubricant is applied to the cleaning blade 62 in advance in order to improve slippage at the start of use. Examples of the powder lubricant used here include fluorine-containing polymers such as polyvinylidene fluoride and polytetrafluoroethylene, and acrylic resins such as polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA).

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 3A (1) and (2), a cleaning blade 62 is attached to the blade holder 63, and the photosensitive portion at the tip of the cleaning blade 62 on the 3b side in the vicinity of the cleaning blade 62 of the housing 3a is exposed. The blade end portion 62a which is an edge portion (end portion) in contact with the body 10 is a portion to which the powder lubricant is applied.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the inner wall surface 3b side of the housing 3a, which is a housing (chamber) in which the charging roll 26 is accommodated, is disposed near the blade end 62a to which the powder lubricant is to be applied. From this direction, a brush (brush) 90 is applied at an angle of about 30 to 45 degrees (in the direction of arrow A in the figure), and moved in the direction of arrow B to move the blade end 62a. A powder lubricant (for example, PMMA) is applied over the entire length.

  When the photoreceptor unit 3 is assembled, the above method is used before the cleaning blade 62 and the blade holder 63 are attached to the casing 3a, that is, before the charging roll 26 and the charging roll cleaner 28 are mounted in the casing 3a. A powder lubricant is applied to the blade end portion 62a of the cleaning blade 62 with a brush 180 which is an example of a lubricant holding member. Then, after applying the powder lubricant, the charging roll 26 and the charging roll cleaner 28 are mounted in the housing 3a. When applying PMMA with the cleaning blade 62 and the cleaning holder 63 incorporated in the housing 3a, the tip of the brush (brush) may be placed on the side where the charging roll is accommodated from the placement of the housing 3a. is there.

  Here, when a powder lubricant is applied to the cleaning blade 62, the powder lubricant applied to the cleaning blade 62 is dropped, so that the charging roll 26 that charges the surface of the photoconductor 10 to be cleaned is applied to the charging roll 26. If the dropped powder lubricant adheres, the part corresponding to the attached part will become charged abnormally, and black streaks, white streaks and color streaks appear on the printed output at the beginning of operation of the machine, resulting in poor image quality. To do. In particular, as described above, when the tip of a brush (brush) to which the powder lubricant is applied is arranged on the side where the charging roll 26 is accommodated, the powder lubricant is likely to be scattered when the powder lubricant is applied. (Brush) tends to adhere to a region other than the housing that accommodates the charging roll 26 and the blade end 62a that opposes the charging roll 2 from the tip of the brush.

  In this embodiment, when the photoconductor unit 3 is assembled, as shown in FIG. 3A (2), the tip of the brush (brush) is arranged on the side not facing the charging roll when the photoconductor unit 3 is assembled. After the powder lubricant is applied, the cleaning blade 62 and the blade holder 63 are attached to the casing 3a, and after the powder lubricant is applied, the charging roll 26 and the charging roll cleaner 28 are mounted in the casing 3a. Thus, the powder lubricant that scatters from the tip of the brush (brush) when applying the powder lubricant is reduced from adhering to the charging roll.

  The mechanism by which the powder lubricant falls off the cleaning blade 62 and adheres to the charging roll 26 depends on the arrangement relationship between the charging roll 26 and the cleaning blade 62. For example, when the cleaning blade 62 is disposed above the charging roll 26 that charges the surface of the photoconductor 10 (with the direction of gravity being downward), the powder adhered to the inner wall surface of the cleaning device 60 or the cleaning blade 62. It is conceivable that the lubricant falls due to gravity and adheres directly to the surface of the charging roll 26.

  Further, for example, as in the arrangement mode shown in FIG. 1, when the charging roll 26 is arranged above the arrangement position of the inner wall surface of the cleaning device 60 or the tip of the cleaning blade 62 (with the gravitational direction being down) The powder lubricant adhering to the inner wall surface of the cleaning device 60 or the cleaning blade 62 does not fall by gravity and directly adhere to the surface of the charging roll 26, but the powder lubricant adhering to the tip of the cleaning blade 62 It is conceivable that the agent is peeled off by contact with the photoconductor 10 and falls and adheres to the photoconductor 10 and is carried to the charging roll 26 by the rotation of the photoconductor 10 to contaminate the surface of the charging roll 26. It is difficult to apply the powder lubricant only to the blade end portion 62a of the cleaning blade 62 with the photosensitive member 10 and the portion other than the inner wall surface of the cleaning device 60 and the cleaning end portion 62a of the cleaning blade 62. It is thought that such a thing occurs by adhering to.

  Therefore, the charging roller 26, the charging roller cleaner 28, and the cleaning blade 62 according to the present embodiment have as much streak noise as possible even if the powder lubricant applied to the cleaning blade 62 falls off and adheres to the charging roller 26. A mechanism to prevent the occurrence of The basic idea of the mechanism is that a small amount of powder lubricant is applied to the charging roll 26 in advance. In this case, although details will be described later, it is based on the finding that the generation of streak noise can be suppressed even if the powder lubricant dropped from the cleaning blade 62 adheres to the surface of the charging roll 26. Is.

  As a mechanism for applying a small amount of powder lubricant to the charging roll 26 in advance, a first method of directly applying a small amount of powder lubricant to the charging roll 26 before product shipment may be employed. Alternatively, a small amount of powder lubricant is applied to the charging roll cleaner 28 before product shipment, and before the image forming operation at the initial operation of the image forming apparatus 1 or the photoreceptor unit 3, the charging roll 26 and the charging roll cleaner are used. The powder lubricant on the charging roll cleaner 28 side is applied to the charging roll 26 side by rotating in a state where it is in contact with 28, and a state in which the powder lubricant is applied to the surface of the charging roll 26 is formed. You may take the method of 2. When the second method is adopted, the control is performed by, for example, the control unit 80 that controls the entire apparatus.

  Hereinafter, the technical knowledge found by the present inventor and each of the first technique and the second technique of the mechanism of streak noise suppression based on the knowledge will be specifically described.

<Basic experiments and technical knowledge>
4 to 8 are diagrams for explaining experimental results regarding streak noise caused by the powder lubricant dropped from the cleaning blade 62 adhering to the charging roll 26 and technical knowledge based on the experimental results. . Here, FIG. 4 shows an application part 262 (powdered part of the powder lubricant) where the powder lubricant is applied to the charging roll 26 and a non-application part 264 (powder where the powder lubricant is not applied) in the experiment. It is a figure explaining the method of forming the non-spreading part of body lubricant. FIG. 5 is a view for explaining a lump (powder) of the powder lubricant that adheres to the charging roll 26 after dropping from the cleaning blade 62. FIGS. 6 and 7 are diagrams for explaining the results of a printing experiment using the charging roll 26 equivalent to the one in which a lump of powder lubricant dropped from the cleaning blade 62 is attached. The results of the second experiment are shown, and FIG. 7 shows the results of the second experiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the examination of the experimental results.

  First, the lubricant application (hereinafter simply referred to as “preliminary application”) on the charging roll 26 in advance (meaning before the normal image forming process) is performed as follows. Examples of powder lubricants used for pre-coating include fluorine-containing polymers such as polyvinylidene fluoride and polytetrafluoroethylene, and acrylic resins such as polymethyl methacrylate, as well as Kyner and zinc stearate. There are known ones. In this experimental example, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) was used.

  In advance, PMMA is applied to about half of the charging roll 26 using a brush or brush. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4, PMMA is previously painted on a medium 190 (for example, black paper), about half of the longitudinal direction of the charging roll 26 is placed on the medium 190, and further rotated and rotated by its own weight. Do a glare. In this experimental example, in order to confirm the effect of PMMA application, the method shown in FIG. 4 was adopted, and only about half of the charging roll 26 was covered with PMMA. In this way, the application part 262 in which PMMA is applied to the half and the non-application part 264 in which PMMA is not applied to the other half are intentionally made.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a PMMA lump (for example, a PMMA mass (for example, Drop one by one. Further, the charging roll 26 having the coating part 262 and the non-coating part 264 and the charging roll cleaner 28 having a PMMA lump in the coating corresponding part 282 and the non-coating corresponding part 284 are accommodated in the housing 3 a of the photosensitive unit 3. The PMMA lump on the charging roll cleaner 28 is transferred to the charging roll 26 by rotating the charging roll 26 and the charging roll cleaner 28 in contact with each other before the image forming operation.

  The reason why the powder lubricant lump was dropped on the surface of the charging roll cleaner 28 without directly dropping the PMMA lump as an example of the powder lubricant on the surface of the charging roll 26 is as follows. This is because it is expected that the lump that has dropped is immediately separated, and the effect of the countermeasure against streak noise by the mechanism of this embodiment cannot be sufficiently grasped.

  The photosensitive unit 3 thus configured was mounted on the image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. Printing was performed on a full-size A4 size magenta with a halftone (HT) 30% pattern, and the occurrence of streaks at that time was observed. The printing speed was 15 sheets per minute for A4. The printing experiment was performed twice.

  6 and 7 show the results. (1) of each figure is a diagram showing a comparison result of a halftone 30% density transition for each of the coating part 262 and the non-coating part 264. The horizontal axis represents the number of printed sheets and the vertical axis represents the density. Further, (2) in each figure is a diagram showing the streak noise classified into classes based on the result of (1), wherein the horizontal axis indicates the number of prints, and the vertical axis indicates the streak (white streak, color streak). The grade is shown. In (2), in the case of white streak noise, the direction of increasing grade is shown in the minus (−) direction, and in the case of color streak noise, the direction of increasing grade is shown in the plus (+) direction. In any case, the higher the absolute value of the grade, the higher the visual level of the streak noise, that is, the worse the image quality.

The following can be said from the results of the two experiments.
1) In both the PMMA application part 262 and the non-application part 264, the place where the PMMA lump is dropped becomes white stripes at first.
2) After that, when the number of prints advances, the white stripes of the PMMA application part 262 become thin and finally disappear.
3) On the other hand, in the non-application part 264 of PMMA, the color streak does not disappear as it is instead of the white streak.

  Next, although not shown in the figure, the PMMA lump was not dropped on the charging roll cleaner 28 from the beginning, but after a certain number of prints were dropped, an experiment was conducted in the same manner. Specifically, after 100 prints, a lump of powder lubricant was dropped on each of the application part 262 (application-corresponding part 282) and non-application part 264 (non-application-corresponding part 284), and the occurrence and transition of streaks were observed. However, the result was the same as the case where a lump was present from the beginning.

  Although not shown, an experiment was performed in the same manner as for the charging roll 26 with respect to the charging roll cleaner 28 instead of the powder lubricant (PMMA or the like) applied in advance. . That is, an application part in which PMMA is applied to half of the charging roll cleaner 28 and a non-application part in which PMMA is not applied to the other half are intentionally made. After that, as shown in FIG. 5, one PMMA lump is dropped on each of the application part corresponding to the area of the application corresponding part 282 and the non-application part corresponding to the area of the non-application part 264. Further, a charging roll cleaner 28 having a coating part and a non-coating part, each having a lump of PMMA, and a new charging roll 26 are accommodated in the housing 3a.

  Thereafter, the photoconductor unit 3 having such a configuration was mounted on the image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1, and the image was printed in the same manner as described above to confirm the generation of streaks. Note that the PMMA or PMMA lump in the coating portion on the charging roll cleaner 28 is transferred to the charging roll 26 by rotating the charging roll 26 and the charging roll cleaner 28 in contact with each other before the image forming operation. The Similar results were obtained in such experiments.

  From this, it was found that the pre-application of PMMA to the charging roll 26 and the charging roll cleaner 28 has a great effect on the generation of streak noise caused by the PMMA lump dropping. This point will be further discussed with reference to FIG.

<Consideration of experimental results>
FIG. 8 is a diagram focusing on the streaks of the charging roll 26 after the experiment (after running). When the surface of the charging roll 26 after the experiment was confirmed, the following points were found.
1) The application part 262 to which PMMA is applied in advance is not glossy as compared with the non-application part 264.
2) The portion where the PMMA lump is attached (referred to as the PMMA dama portion) is an area where both the coating portion 262 and the non-application portion 264 are circularly glossy (referred to as ring-shaped filming). .
3) The ring-like filming of the PMMA dama part is clearer in the application part 262.

  From these things, it is related to the suppression effect with respect to generation | occurrence | production of a streak noise that the powder lubricant (here PMMA) adhering to the surface of the charging roll 26 becomes glossy by repeating a printing process. I think that. For such a phenomenon, for example, it is considered that there is technical support (foundation) from the following two viewpoints.

  1) In the first aspect, when a powder lubricant is previously applied to the charging roll 26 as in the experiment, the powder lubricant adheres uniformly to the surface of the charging roll 26 so as not to interfere with the discharge action. Occurs. When this PMMA adhesion occurs, it is considered that an extremely thin protective layer (coating layer) of PMMA is formed on the surface of the charging roll 26. When the coating layer is formed due to the adhesion of the PMMA, it acts as a barrier against a large amount of the powder lubricant due to the subsequent dropping from the cleaning blade 62, thereby preventing excessive adhesion. It is considered to suppress the generation of muscle. At this time, it is considered that the charging roll cleaner 28 that functions as a cleaning unit for the charging roll 26 plays a role of promoting uniformization when the powder lubricant adheres to the surface of the charging roll 26. Focusing on the function as a coating and the degree of action that inhibits the function, a powder lubricant made of the same material as that applied to the blade end 62a of the cleaning blade 62 is applied in advance. It is considered preferable to keep it.

  2) In the second aspect, if a powder lubricant is previously applied to the charging roll 26 as in the experiment, the powder lubricant adheres uniformly to the surface of the charging roll 26 so as not to interfere with the discharge action. Occurs. When this PMMA adhesion occurs, it is considered that an extremely thin water repellent layer of PMMA is formed on the surface of the charging roll 26. When the water repellent layer is formed due to the adhesion of the PMMA, the powder lubricant that falls off from the cleaning blade 62 and then adheres to the surface of the charging roll 26 is prevented from adhering to the surface. It is thought that it blows off and flows to the wake side and is removed on the wake side, and as a result, the generation of streaks is suppressed.

  Of course, the technical support (foundation) related to the suppression effect on the generation of streak noise shown here is merely an example, and is not finalized. However, as can be seen from the experiment and the result, if a powder lubricant is applied directly to the surface of the charging roll 26 or indirectly via the charging roll cleaner 28, the print output is output during the initial operation. It may be considered a fact that the noise observed on the streaks generated on the object is suppressed.

  Next, a method of applying a powder lubricant to the surface of the charging roll 26 in advance based on the above experiment and the result will be described.

<Method of Applying Powder Lubricant to Charging Roll: First Method>
A first method for applying a small amount of powder lubricant to the charging roll 26 is to apply a small amount of powder lubricant directly to the charging roll 26 before shipping the product. At that time, similarly to the above-described experiment, a powder lubricant such as PMMA is applied to the entire charging roll 26 in advance using a brush or a brush. As materials for the brushes and brushes, for example, animal materials such as horse hair, pig hair, weeds, martens, cocoons, and sheep, and chemical fibers such as acrylic and nylon can be used. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4, PMMA is previously painted on a medium 190 (for example, black paper), the entire length of the charging roll 26 is placed on the medium 190, and is further rotated and rotated by its own weight. You may perform a glare.

  Alternatively, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-58442, a liquid in which a powder lubricant is mixed with a volatile liquid is stored in a container, and the charging roll 26 that is a member to be coated is added to the liquid stored in the container. A powder lubricant may be applied to the surface of the charging roll 26 by dipping. At this time, the charging roll 26 is immersed in the liquid stored in the container in a state where the temperature of the container containing the liquid in which the powder lubricant is mixed with the volatile liquid is kept constant. Alternatively, a liquid obtained by mixing a powder lubricant stored in a storage container maintained at a constant temperature with a volatile liquid is poured into the container, and the charging roll 26 is immersed in the liquid contained in the container.

<Method of Applying Powder Lubricant to Charging Roll: Second Method>
In a second method of applying a small amount of powder lubricant to the charging roll 26, a small amount of powder lubricant is applied to the charging roll cleaner 28 before product shipment. Incidentally, as a method of applying a small amount of powder lubricant to the charging roll cleaner 28, the first method of applying a small amount of powder lubricant to the charging roll 26 can be applied in the same manner.

  By rotating the charging roll 26 and the charging roll cleaner 28 in contact with each other before the image forming operation at the initial operation of the image forming apparatus 1 (that is, the photosensitive unit 3), powder lubrication on the charging roll cleaner 28 side is performed. The agent is transferred (transferred and applied) to the charging roll 26. The control is performed by the control unit 80, for example. The second method is applied when a state where it is necessary to apply a lubricant to the charging member is detected. For example, when the photosensitive unit 3 is replaced, a new photosensitive unit 3 is formed. This is also applied when it is detected that the photoconductor unit 3 has been replaced when it is attached to the main body of the apparatus 1. Specifically, when it is detected that the photoconductor unit 3 is new, when the rotation speed, rotation time, drive time, etc. of the photoconductor unit 3 are below a predetermined threshold, when an interlock is detected, When the attachment / detachment is detected, the ID stored in the storage unit of the photosensitive unit 3 changes.

  As the image forming operation before the initial operation, for example, a patch for process control or resist control or a toner band for supplying a powder lubricant to the cleaning blade 62 may be considered. Of course, this is only an example, and any point may be used as long as it is at least before the normal image forming process, and as long as the patch is formed or the toner band is formed.

  Alternatively, a small amount of powder lubricant is applied to the charging roll cleaner 28 before product shipment, and the charging roll 26 and the charging roll are charged before the image forming operation at the initial operation of the image forming apparatus 1 (that is, the photoreceptor unit 3). By rotating the roll cleaner 28 in contact with the roll cleaner 28, the powder lubricant on the charging roll cleaner 28 side is transferred to the charging roll 26 side, and the powder lubricant is applied to the surface of the charging roll 26. You may take the 2nd method to do.

  In the embodiment, the PMMA is applied in consideration of the influence on the image when the PMMA applied to the cleaning blade adheres to the charger. However, a lubricant such as zinc stearate is added to the cleaning blade. In order to reduce the influence of the tackiness of a new charging roll, it may be possible to add an external additive or the like.

  A similar problem occurs when a lubricant (for example, PMMA) is applied to an area where the developing roll and the scraper face each other. However, the lubricant applied to the area where the developing roll and the scraper face each other is applied to the charging roll. The same effect can be obtained by adopting a coating structure.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a photoconductor unit. It is the figure which represented typically an example of the method of apply | coating a powder lubricant to a cleaning blade. It is the figure which represented typically an example of the method of apply | coating a powder lubricant to a cleaning blade. In the experiment, it is a figure explaining the method of forming the application part and non-application part of a powder lubricant in a charging roll. It is a figure explaining the lump of powder lubricant which adheres to a charging roll after falling off from a cleaning blade. It is a figure explaining the result (1st time) of the printing experiment using the charging roll equivalent to what the lump of the powder lubricant which fell from the cleaning blade adhered. It is a figure explaining the result (2nd time) of the printing experiment using the charging roll equivalent to what the lump of the powder lubricant which fell from the cleaning blade adhered. It is a figure explaining consideration of an experimental result.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image forming apparatus, 102 ... Developer particle, 10 ... Photoconductor (an example of an image carrier), 180 ... Brush, 190 ... Medium, 20 ... Charging device, 22 ... DC power source, 24 ... AC vice power source, 26 ... Charging roll, 262... Application part, 264... Non-application part, 26 a .. shaft body, 26 b .. elastic layer, 26 c .. resistance layer, 26 d .. protective layer, 28. Corresponding part, 284 ... non-coating corresponding part 284, 28a ... shaft body, 28b ... cleaning layer, 3 ... photoreceptor unit (an example of a process cartridge), 30 ... exposure device, 32 ... laser light source, 34 ... polygon mirror, 36 ... Motor, 3a ... casing, 3b ... inner wall surface, 3c ... space, 40 ... developing device, 46 ... scraper (an example of a layer thickness regulating member), 50 ... transfer device, 52 ... transfer power source, 54 ... transfer roll, 60 A cleaning device, (an example of a cleaning member) 62 ... the cleaning blade, 62a ... blade end, 63 ... blade holder, 70 ... fixing device 80 ... control unit

Claims (8)

An image holding body that holds an image, a charging member that contacts the surface of the image holding body to charge the surface of the image holding body, and a developer that contacts the surface of the image holding body and remains on the surface of the image holding body. The cleaning member to be cleaned can be integrally attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body,
A lubricant that lubricates the movement of the surface of the image carrier relative to the cleaning member is applied to a region where the cleaning member and the image carrier are in contact with each other, and the lubricant is applied to the surface of the charging member. An image carrier unit characterized by comprising: An image holding body for holding an image; a charging member that contacts the surface of the image holding body to charge the surface of the image holding body; a charging cleaning member that contacts the surface of the charging member and cleans the surface of the charging member; and A cleaning member that contacts the surface of the image carrier and cleans the developer remaining on the surface of the image carrier is integrally removable from the image forming apparatus main body,
A lubricant that lubricates the movement of the surface of the image carrier relative to the cleaning member is applied to a region where the cleaning member and the image carrier are in contact with each other, and the lubricant is applied to the surface of the charging cleaning member. An image carrier unit characterized by that. An image holding body that holds an image, a charging member that contacts the surface of the image holding body to charge the surface of the image holding body, and a developer that contacts the surface of the image holding body and remains on the surface of the image holding body. An image in which the cleaning member to be cleaned is detachably attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus, and the cleaning member is incorporated so that the portion of the cleaning member that comes into contact with the image holding member is on the charging member side. A method for assembling the holding unit,
A side composed of a surface facing the upstream side in the rotational direction of the image carrier with respect to the cleaning member when the image carrier is incorporated in the image carrier unit, and a surface facing the charging member A step of applying a lubricant by bringing a tip of the lubricant holding member into an upstream side in the rotation direction of the image carrier in a step of applying a lubricant by bringing a lubricant holding member holding the lubricant into contact therewith A method of assembling the image carrier unit, comprising: An image carrier for holding an image;
A charging member that contacts the surface of the image carrier and charges the surface of the image carrier;
A latent image forming unit that forms an electrostatic latent image on the image carrier charged by the charging member by an electrophotographic method;
A developing unit for developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier;
A transfer portion for transferring the image developed on the image carrier to a transfer member;
A cleaning member that contacts the surface of the image carrier and cleans the developer remaining on the surface of the image carrier;
A lubricant that lubricates the movement of the surface of the image carrier relative to the cleaning member is applied to a region where the cleaning member and the image carrier are in contact with each other, and the lubricant is applied to the surface of the charging member. An image forming apparatus. An image carrier for holding an image;
A charging member that contacts the surface of the image carrier and charges the surface of the image carrier;
A charging cleaning member for cleaning the charging member;
A latent image forming unit that forms an electrostatic latent image on the image carrier charged by the charging member by an electrophotographic method;
A developing unit for developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier;
A transfer portion for transferring the image developed on the image carrier to a transfer member;
A cleaning member that contacts the surface of the image carrier and cleans the developer remaining on the surface of the image carrier;
A lubricant that lubricates the movement of the surface of the image carrier relative to the cleaning member is applied to a region where the cleaning member and the image carrier are in contact with each other, and the lubricant is applied to the surface of the charging cleaning member. ,
The lubricant is applied to the surface of the charging member by rotating the charger in a state where the charging cleaning member is in contact with the charger before an image forming operation by the image forming apparatus. 5. The image forming apparatus according to 4. An image holding body for holding an image; a charging member that contacts the surface of the image holding body to charge the surface of the image holding body; a charging cleaning member that contacts the surface of the charging member and cleans the surface of the charging member; and A cleaning member that contacts the surface of the image carrier and cleans the developer remaining on the surface of the image carrier can be integrally attached to and detached from the main body of the image forming apparatus, and the cleaning member and the image carrier are in contact with each other. An image carrier unit in which a lubricant that lubricates the movement of the surface of the image carrier relative to the cleaning member is applied to a region, and the lubricant is applied to the surface of the charging cleaning member;
A latent image forming unit that forms an electrostatic latent image on the image carrier charged by the charging member by an electrophotographic method;
A developing unit for developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier;
A transfer portion for transferring the image developed on the image carrier to a transfer member;
When it is detected that the lubricant needs to be applied to the charging member, the surface of the charging member is cleaned by rotating the charger while the charging cleaning member is in contact with the charger. An image forming apparatus comprising: a control unit that applies an agent including a lubricant applied to a region of the member that contacts the image holding member. An image holding body for holding an image, a charging member for contacting the surface of the image holding body to charge the surface of the image holding body, a developer holding body for holding a developer to be developed on the surface of the image holding body, and A layer thickness regulating member that regulates the thickness of the developer layer held on the surface of the developer holding body can be integrally attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body.
Prior to mounting in the image forming apparatus, a lubricant is applied to a region where the developer holding body and the layer thickness regulating member face each other, and the developer holding body and the surface of the charging member are An image carrier unit in which an agent including a lubricant applied to a region facing the layer thickness regulating member is applied. An image holding body that holds an image, a charging member that contacts the surface of the image holding body to charge the surface of the image holding body, a charging cleaning member that contacts the surface of the charging member and cleans the surface of the charging member, and the image holding The image forming apparatus main body integrally includes a developer holding body that holds the developer developed on the surface of the body, and a layer thickness regulating member that regulates the thickness of the developer layer held on the surface of the developer holding body. Can be attached to and detached from
Prior to mounting in the image forming apparatus, a lubricant is applied to a region where the developer holding body and the layer thickness regulating member face each other, and the developer holding body is formed on the surface of the charging cleaning member. And an agent including a lubricant applied to a region where the layer thickness regulating member faces the image holding unit.