JP2011069960A - Cleaning device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable toner removed from the surface of an image carrier by a cleaning blade to be also appropriately held on the leading edge of the cleaning blade brought into firm contact with the surfaces of the widthwise ends of the image carrier. <P>SOLUTION: The cleaning device 10 removes toner t remaining on the surface of the image carrier after the transfer of a toner image by bringing the leading edge of the cleaning blade 11 into firm contact with the surface of the image carrier and conveys the removed toner along a waste toner conveyance path 12, the cleaning blade 11 being disposed along the width of the image carrier, which intersects the moving direction of the image carrier 1 rotated and driven. In the cleaning device 10, using toner guide members 21 and 22 driven by a rotation member 13 disposed in the cleaning device, toner removed from the surface of the image carrier is supplied to the leading edge of the cleaning blade brought into firm contact with the surfaces of the widthwise ends of the image carrier. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaning blade provided along the width direction of an image carrier that intersects the moving direction of the image carrier after the toner image held on the image carrier to be rotated is transferred to a transfer medium. A cleaning device that removes the toner remaining on the surface of the image carrier after the toner image is transferred, and a copying machine or a printer using such a cleaning device. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus. In particular, in the cleaning device as described above, the toner removed from the surface of the image carrier by the cleaning blade is also appropriately held at the tip of the cleaning blade that is pressed against the surface of the end in the width direction of the image carrier. It has the feature in the point made to do.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, after transferring a toner image held on a rotationally driven image carrier onto a transfer medium, the image carrier intersects with the moving direction of the image carrier. The tip of a cleaning blade provided along the width direction is pressed against the surface of the image carrier to remove the toner remaining on the surface of the image carrier after the toner image is transferred. .

  Here, the cleaning blade is generally formed of a resin material such as urethane rubber, and the cleaning blade and the image carrier are in contact with each other with high frictional resistance. Then, when the cleaning blade and the image carrier are in contact with each other with a high frictional resistance, the tip of the cleaning blade is brought into pressure contact with the surface of the image carrier that is rotationally driven as described above. When the toner remaining on the surface is removed, the cleaning blade vibrates greatly to cause a cleaning failure, or the cleaning blade is pulled and reversed by the rotationally driven image carrier, and the cleaning blade is greatly worn. Etc. occurred.

  Therefore, conventionally, the toner removed from the surface of the image carrier by the cleaning blade is generally held at the tip of the cleaning blade in contact with the surface of the image carrier, and the cleaning blade In addition to reducing the frictional resistance with the image carrier, the surface of the image carrier deteriorated due to charging by a charging device or the like is polished with an additive such as metal compound fine particles contained in the toner.

  However, when image formation is performed in the image forming apparatus, generally, a toner image is not formed over the entire width direction of the image carrier, and a non-image area where no toner image is formed at both ends in the width direction of the image carrier. In such a non-image area, the toner removed from the surface of the image carrier is not held at the tip of the cleaning blade that comes into contact with the ends on both sides in the width direction of the image carrier.

  For this reason, the frictional resistance between the cleaning blade and the image carrier increases at both ends in the width direction of the image carrier, and the cleaning is still performed when the toner remaining on the surface of the image carrier is removed. The blades vibrated greatly, resulting in problems such as poor cleaning, and the cleaning blades being pulled and reversed by the image carrier that is driven to rotate.

  Further, depending on the image forming apparatus, the surface potential of the image carrier is measured in a non-image area at the end in the width direction of the image carrier where a toner image is not formed, and a leak is generated between the image carrier and the developing roller. Detection or adjustment of a developing bias voltage applied between the developing roller and the image carrier, a charging bias voltage applied to a charging device for charging the surface of the image carrier, or the like is performed.

  However, in such an image forming apparatus, the toner removed from the surface of the image carrier is not held at the tip of the cleaning blade that is in contact with the non-image area at the end in the width direction of the image carrier as described above. In the non-image region at the end in the width direction of the image carrier, the surface of the deteriorated image carrier is not properly polished, and the image forming region on the image carrier on which the toner image is formed and the non-image region described above , The surface potential of the image carrier is different, and it becomes impossible to properly detect the occurrence of leakage between the image carrier and the developing roller, and the above-described development bias voltage, charging bias voltage, and the like are appropriately adjusted. This also makes it impossible to form a good image.

  For this reason, conventionally, as shown in Patent Documents 1 to 4, a storage unit for storing the toner removed from the surface of the image carrier by the cleaning blade is provided in the vicinity of the cleaning blade and stored in the storage unit. It has been proposed that the toner is guided to the tip of a cleaning blade that comes into contact with the ends on both sides in the width direction of the image carrier.

  However, in the case where the accumulation unit for accumulating the toner removed from the surface of the image carrier by the cleaning blade is provided as described above, if continuous image formation with a high image density is performed, excessive toner is accumulated in the accumulation unit. There is a problem in that a part of the toner accumulated and excessively passes between the cleaning blade and the image carrier and a defective cleaning occurs.

JP 2001-34135 A JP 2001-34139 A JP 2007-10806 A JP 2007-248646 A

  The present invention relates to a cleaning blade provided along the width direction of an image carrier that intersects the moving direction of the image carrier after the toner image held on the image carrier to be rotated is transferred to a transfer medium. The above-mentioned problems in the image forming apparatus provided with a cleaning device that removes the toner remaining on the surface of the image carrier after the toner image is transferred by pressing the tip of the image on the surface of the image carrier are solved. It is an object to do.

  That is, according to the present invention, in the image forming apparatus provided with the cleaning device as described above, the toner removed from the surface of the image carrier by the cleaning blade is excessively accumulated, and the space between the cleaning blade and the image carrier is increased. The toner removed from the surface of the image carrier is properly held also at the tip of the cleaning blade that is pressed against the surface of the image carrier in the width direction. It is said. When the toner remaining on the surface of the image carrier is removed by properly holding the toner also at the tip of the cleaning blade pressed against the surface of the end portion in the width direction of the image carrier in this way. The cleaning blade vibrates greatly to prevent cleaning failure, and the cleaning blade is prevented from being pulled and reversed by the rotationally driven image carrier, and also deteriorated at the end in the width direction of the image carrier. An object of the present invention is to prevent the surface of the image carrier from being properly polished and to prevent the surface potential of the image carrier from changing at the width direction end portion and the central portion.

  In the cleaning device of the present invention, in order to solve the above-described problems, an image of the tip of the cleaning blade provided along the width direction of the image carrier that intersects the moving direction of the image carrier to be rotationally driven is provided. A cleaning device that is brought into pressure contact with the surface of the carrier to remove the toner remaining on the surface of the image carrier after the toner image is transferred, and transports the removed toner in the waste toner conveyance path. The toner removed from the surface of the image carrier by the toner guide member driven by the rotating member provided is supplied to the tip of the cleaning blade that is pressed against the surface of the widthwise end of the image carrier. I made it.

  In the above cleaning device, even when the end in the width direction of the image carrier is a non-image area where a toner image is not formed on the surface of the image carrier, the surface of the image carrier is formed by the toner guide member. The toner removed from the toner is supplied to the tip of the cleaning blade that is pressed against the surface of the end in the width direction of the image carrier, which is a non-image area.

  Further, in the above cleaning device, the toner removed from the surface of the image carrier by the toner guide members at the tip portions on both sides of the cleaning blade pressed against both ends in the width direction of the image carrier. Is preferably supplied.

  In the cleaning device, the rotating member may be a waste toner conveying member provided with conveying blades on the outer periphery of a rotating shaft for conveying the toner removed from the surface of the image carrier in the waste toner conveying path. Can be used.

  When the toner guide member is driven by the rotating member and the toner removed from the surface of the image carrier is supplied to the tip of the cleaning blade that is pressed against the surface of the end of the image carrier in the width direction. Alternatively, a sheet-like toner guide member may be used, and the toner guide member may be attached to the rotating member, or may be attached to the cleaning device in contact with the rotating member. In addition, an endless belt-shaped toner guide member is used, and the toner guide member is provided in the vicinity of the rotating member and the front end portion of the cleaning blade that is pressed against the surface of the end portion in the width direction of the image carrier. And can be driven to rotate.

  In the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the cleaning device as described above is used as a cleaning device for removing toner remaining on the surface of the image carrier after the toner image is transferred from the surface of the image carrier. I made it.

  When the above-described cleaning device is used in the image forming apparatus, the toner removed from the surface of the image carrier is also present at the tip of the cleaning blade that contacts the widthwise end of the image carrier where a toner image is not formed. The deteriorated surface of the image carrier is polished at both ends in the width direction of the image carrier by the additives such as metal compound fine particles contained in the toner. For this reason, even when a detection device for detecting the surface potential of the image carrier is provided at the position of the end in the width direction of the image carrier, the surface potential of the image carrier is at the end in the width direction and at the center. The surface potential of the image carrier can be appropriately measured without being changed.

  In the cleaning device of the present invention, the toner removed from the surface of the image carrier by the toner guide member driven by the rotating member provided in the cleaning device removes the surface of the end portion in the width direction of the image carrier. Since the toner is supplied to the tip of the cleaning blade pressed against the toner, the toner is also held at the tip of the cleaning blade in contact with the non-image area at the widthwise end of the image carrier on which the toner image is not formed. The frictional resistance between the image carrier and the image carrier is reduced.

  As a result, when the tip of the cleaning blade is brought into pressure contact with the surface of the image carrier that is rotationally driven to remove the toner remaining on the surface of the image carrier, the cleaning blade vibrates greatly, resulting in poor cleaning. In addition, it is possible to prevent the cleaning blade from being reversed by being pulled by the rotationally driven image carrier, and from being greatly worn by the cleaning blade.

  In addition, since the toner is also held at the tip of the cleaning blade that is in contact with the end in the width direction of the image carrier where no toner image is formed as described above, the image is added by an additive such as metal compound fine particles contained in the toner. The deteriorated surface of the image carrier is also polished at the end in the width direction of the carrier.

  As a result, the surface potential of the image carrier is prevented from changing at the width direction end and the central portion, and the non-image area at the width direction end of the image carrier where the toner image is not formed is also detected by the detection device. The surface potential of the image carrier can be appropriately measured, and the occurrence of a leak between the image carrier and the developing roller is appropriately detected, and the image carrier is caused to act between the developing roller and the image carrier. The development bias voltage, the charging bias voltage applied to the charging device for charging the surface of the image carrier, and the like can be appropriately adjusted, and favorable image formation can be performed.

  Further, in the present invention, the toner removed from the surface of the image carrier by the toner guide member driven by the rotating member provided in the cleaning device as described above, the widthwise end of the image carrier. In order to supply to the tip of the cleaning blade that is pressed against the surface of the toner, an image forming portion having a high image density is formed as in the case where an accumulating portion for accumulating the toner removed from the surface of the image carrier is provided near the cleaning blade. When the toner is continuously performed, a part of the toner excessively accumulated in the accumulating portion does not slip through the cleaning blade and the image carrier to cause a cleaning failure.

1 is a schematic explanatory view showing a cleaning device and an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the cleaning device of the embodiment, the waste toner conveying member provided with a sheet-like toner guide member is rotated on the downstream side in the toner conveying direction, and the toner guide member rotates the waste toner conveying member. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which toner is supplied to the tip of the cleaning blade on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of toner that contacts the surface of a non-image area. FIG. 5 is an explanatory cross-sectional view illustrating a state where a recess is provided at the bottom of the waste toner conveyance path at a position facing the sheet-like toner guide member in the cleaning device of the embodiment. In the cleaning device of the embodiment, the waste toner conveying member provided with the sheet-like toner guide members on both sides is rotated, and the non-image area on both sides of the image carrier on which the toner image is not formed by each toner guide member. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which toner is supplied to a tip portion of a cleaning blade that is in contact with a surface. In the cleaning device according to the embodiment, a waste toner transport in which a sheet-like toner guide member is attached to an upstream portion in the transport direction of the toner t so as to be inclined toward the downstream side of the transport direction of the toner with respect to the radial direction of the rotation shaft. FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional explanatory view showing a state in which the member is rotated and the toner guide member discharges the toner toward the tip of the cleaning blade on the upstream side in the toner transport direction. In the cleaning device of the embodiment, a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which the sheet-like toner guide member is provided in the waste toner conveyance path on the upstream side in the toner conveyance direction so as to contact the rotating waste toner conveyance member FIG. In the cleaning device of FIG. 6, when the sheet-like toner guide member is deformed by contact with the conveyance blade of the rotating waste toner conveyance member, and the deformed toner guide member is elastically restored, cleaning on the upstream side in the toner conveyance direction is performed. FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional explanatory view showing a state in which toner is discharged toward the tip of the blade. In the cleaning device of the embodiment, the sheet-like toner guide member is provided in the waste toner conveyance path on the upstream side in the toner conveyance direction so as to be in contact with the rotating waste toner conveyance member, and the toner guide member is cleaned. It is a schematic cross-sectional explanatory drawing which showed the state which provided the extension part extended to the front-end | tip part of a braid | blade. In the cleaning device of FIG. 8, when the sheet-shaped toner guide member is deformed by contact with the conveying blade of the rotating waste toner conveying member, and the deformed toner guiding member is elastically restored, the image forming area of the image carrier A state in which a part of the toner held at the tip of the cleaning blade that comes into contact is sent to the tip of the cleaning blade that comes into contact with the non-image area of the image carrier on the upstream side in the toner conveyance direction by the above-described extending portion. FIG. In the cleaning device of the embodiment, the endless belt-shaped toner guide member is disposed in the waste toner transport path on the downstream side in the toner transport direction, and is provided in the vicinity of the rotation shaft of the waste toner transport member and the tip of the cleaning blade. It is a schematic sectional explanatory drawing which showed the state provided so that it might span over a member. FIG. 11 is a partial explanatory view showing an example of an endless belt-shaped toner guide member used in the cleaning device of FIG. 10. In the cleaning device of the embodiment, the second rotating shaft that rotates in conjunction with the rotating shaft of the waste toner conveying member, and the tip of the cleaning blade that contacts the surface of the non-image area of the image carrier on the upstream side in the toner conveying direction FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional explanatory view showing a state in which the toner is guided toward the tip of the cleaning blade on the upstream side in the toner conveyance direction by an endless belt-shaped toner guide member that is stretched around a shaft member provided in the vicinity of is there.

  Next, a cleaning device and an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The cleaning device and the image forming apparatus according to the present invention are not limited to those shown in the following embodiments, and can be implemented with appropriate modifications within a range that does not change the gist thereof.

  In the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a charging roller 2 is brought into contact with the surface of an image carrier 1 composed of a rotationally driven photosensitive drum, and the charging roller 2 is supplied with a charging bias power source 2a. A predetermined charging bias voltage is applied to charge the surface of the image carrier 1 to a predetermined surface potential.

  Next, the surface of the image carrier 1 thus charged is exposed according to image information by the latent image forming apparatus 3 using a laser or the like, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the image carrier 1. I am doing so.

  Then, a predetermined developing bias voltage is applied from the developing bias power source 4b to the developing roller 4a provided in the developing device 4, and the developing roller 4a is formed on the surface of the image carrier 1 on which the electrostatic latent image is formed as described above. The toner t is supplied from the toner image to form a toner image corresponding to the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the image carrier 1.

  Next, a transfer member 6 such as a recording medium or an intermediate transfer belt is guided between the image carrier 1 on which the toner image is thus formed and the transfer roller 5, and the toner image formed on the surface of the image carrier 1. Is transferred to the transfer member 6 by the transfer roller 5.

  In this embodiment, the tip of the cleaning blade 11 provided in the cleaning device 10 is attached to the surface of the image carrier 1 after the toner image is transferred to the transfer member 6 in this manner. And the toner t remaining on the surface of the image carrier 1 after transfer is removed from the surface of the image carrier 1 in this way. A part of the removed toner t is held at the tip of the cleaning blade 11, and the removed toner t is guided to the waste toner conveyance path 12.

  Further, in the waste toner transport path 12, a waste toner transport member 13 having a transport blade 13b provided on the outer periphery of the rotation shaft 13a is provided as a rotation member 13 along the length direction of the cleaning blade 11. The toner conveying member 13 is rotated so that the toner t guided to the waste toner conveying path 12 is conveyed.

  Here, when the toner image is formed on the image carrier 1 as described above, the image forming area 1a where the toner image is formed is not the entire width direction of the image carrier 1, as shown in FIG. A non-image area 1b where no toner image is formed is present at both ends of the image carrier 1 in the width direction.

  Therefore, the tip of the cleaning blade 11 is pressed in the width direction of the image carrier 1 as described above, and the toner t remaining on the surface of the image carrier 1 after transfer is removed from the image carrier 1. When the toner image is removed from the surface, a part of the toner t removed from the surface of the image carrier 1 is held at the tip of the cleaning blade 11 in the image forming region 1a where the toner image is formed. However, the toner t is not held at the tip of the cleaning blade 11 that is in pressure contact with the non-image area 1b.

  In this embodiment, the sheet-like toner is directed toward the radial direction of the rotating shaft 13a on the downstream side of the waste toner conveyance member 13 provided in the waste toner conveyance path 12 in the conveyance direction of the toner t. A guide member 21 is attached, and the toner guide member 21 is rotated together with the waste toner conveying member 13. As a result, the toner t conveyed in the waste toner conveyance path 12 by the waste toner conveyance member 13 is scooped up by the toner guide member 21 rotating together with the waste toner conveyance member 13, and the toner t Is supplied to the tip of the cleaning blade 11 on the downstream side in the transport direction of the toner t, and the toner t is also applied to the tip of the cleaning blade 11 in contact with the surface of the image carrier 1 in one non-image area 1b where the toner image is not formed. Will be held.

  Here, when the toner t is held at the tip of the cleaning blade 11 in contact with the surface of the image carrier 1 in one non-image area 1b, the image forming area is also formed in the non-image area 1b. Similar to 1a, the frictional resistance between the cleaning blade 11 and the image carrier 1 is reduced. As a result, when the toner t remaining on the surface of the image carrier 1 is removed, the cleaning blade 11 is vibrated greatly to cause a cleaning failure, or the cleaning blade 11 is pulled by the image carrier 1 that is rotationally driven. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the cleaning blade 11 from being reversed or from increasing in wear.

  Further, the image carrier deteriorated also in the non-image area 1b due to the additive such as metal compound fine particles contained in the toner t held at the tip of the cleaning blade 11 in contact with the non-image area 1b. The surface of 1 is polished.

  Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, in the non-image area 1b of the image carrier 1 that comes into contact with the cleaning blade 11 that is supplied and held at the tip, the image carrier 1 and A detection device 7 is provided so as to face each other, and the surface potential of the image carrier 1 is detected by the detection device 7. Then, the result detected by the detection device 7 is output to the control device 8, and the control device 8 applies the charging bias voltage applied from the charging bias power source 2a to the charging roller 2 or the developing bias power source 4b. The developing bias voltage applied to the developing roller 4a is controlled.

  In this case, the portion of the non-image area 1b of the image carrier 1 where the surface potential is detected by the detection device 7 is deteriorated in the same manner as the image forming area 1a of the image carrier 1 where the toner image is formed. Since the surface of the image carrier 1 is polished, an appropriate surface potential corresponding to the surface potential of the image carrier 1 in the image forming region 1a where the toner image is formed is detected by the detection device 7. Based on this, the above-mentioned charging bias voltage and developing bias voltage are appropriately controlled, and good image formation can be performed.

  Here, when the toner t is supplied to the tip of the cleaning blade 11 on the downstream side in the transport direction of the toner t by the toner guide member 21 rotating together with the waste toner transport member 13 as described above, as shown in FIG. In addition, a recess 12 a can be provided at the bottom of the waste toner conveyance path 12 at a position facing the toner guide member 21. As a result, the toner t conveyed by the waste toner conveying member 13 is accumulated in the concave portion 12a, and the toner t accumulated in the concave portion 12a is scooped up by the toner guide member 21, and the toner t The toner t is sufficiently supplied to the tip of the cleaning blade 11 on the downstream side in the transport direction.

  In this embodiment, the toner is only held at the tip of one end of the cleaning blade 11 that is in contact with one non-image area 1b in the width direction of the image carrier 1 where no toner image is formed. However, it is more preferable that the toner is held at the tip portions on both sides of the cleaning blade 11 in contact with the non-image area 1b on both sides in the width direction of the image carrier 1 on which no toner image is formed.

  Then, when the toner is held at the tip portions on both sides of the cleaning blade 11 in contact with the non-image area 1 b on both sides in the width direction of the image carrier 1, friction between the cleaning blade 11 and the image carrier 1 is achieved. When the toner t remaining on the surface of the image carrier 1 is further reduced in resistance and the cleaning blade 11 is vibrated greatly, a cleaning failure occurs, or the image carrier 1 is driven to rotate. The surface of the image carrier 1 is deteriorated in the non-image region 1b on both sides of the image carrier 1 in the width direction. It will be properly polished.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 4, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, the toner is held at the tip portions on both sides of the cleaning blade 11 in contact with the non-image area 1b on both sides in the width direction of the image carrier 1 as described above. Further, when the conveying blade 13b is provided on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft 13a in the waste toner conveying member 13, the direction of the conveying blade 13b on the both sides from the central portion of the rotating shaft 13a is reversed, and both sides of the waste toner conveying member 13 are disposed. It is possible to attach a sheet-like toner guide member 21 to the end of the toner and rotate the toner guide member 21 together with the waste toner conveying member 13. In this way, the toner t in the waste toner transport path 12 is transported from the central portion to both sides by the rotation of the waste toner transport member 13, and the toner t transported to both sides in this way is the waste toner transport member. The non-images on both sides where the toner image is not formed on the image carrier 1 are scooped up from the respective toner guide members 21 provided at the end portions on both sides rotating together with 13 and supplied to the tip portions on both sides of the cleaning blade 11. The toner t is also held at the tip portions on both sides of the cleaning blade 11 in contact with the surface of the region 1b.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5A, the toner t in the waste toner transport member 13 provided in the waste toner transport path 12 on the upstream side in the transport direction of the toner t with respect to the radial direction of the rotary shaft 13a. The sheet-like toner guide member 21 is attached to be inclined toward the downstream side in the transport direction, and the toner guide member 21 can be rotated together with the waste toner transport member 13. In this way, the toner t transported from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction of the toner t in the waste toner transport path 12 is scooped up by the toner guide member 21 that rotates together with the waste toner transport member 13. As shown in FIG. 5B, when the toner guide member 21 rotates and moves away from the tip of the cleaning blade 11, the toner t scooped up by the toner guide member 21 is transported by the toner t. The toner t is appropriately held also at the front end of the cleaning blade 11 that is discharged toward the front end of the cleaning blade 11 on the upstream side in the direction and contacts the non-image area 1b of the image carrier 1 on the upstream side in the transport direction of the toner t. Will come to be.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the sheet-like toner guide member 21 is inclined downward into the waste toner conveyance path 12 on the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the toner t so as to come into contact with the waste toner conveyance member 13. Can be provided. In this way, as shown in FIG. 7A, the toner guide member 21 is bent downstream in the transport direction of the toner t by the contact of the rotating waste toner transport member 13 with the transport blade 13b. As shown in FIG. 7B, the waste toner conveyed to the downstream side by the waste toner conveying member 13 when the contact with the conveying blade 13b is released and the bent toner guide member 21 is elastically restored. The toner t in the toner transport path 12 is discharged toward the tip of the cleaning blade 11 on the upstream side in the transport direction of the toner t, and comes into contact with the non-image area 1b of the image carrier 1 on the upstream side in the transport direction of the toner t. The toner t is appropriately held also at the tip of the cleaning blade 11.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, a sheet-like toner guide member 21 is provided in the waste toner conveyance path 12 on the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the toner t so as to come into contact with the waste toner conveyance member 13. The toner guide member 21 can be provided with an extending portion 21 a extending to the tip of the cleaning blade 11. In this way, as shown in FIG. 9A, the toner guide member 21 is bent downstream in the transport direction of the toner t due to the contact of the rotating waste toner transport member 13 with the transport blade 13b, and the above described 9a is brought into contact with the surface of the image carrier 1 in the image forming area 1a and guided to the tip of the cleaning blade 11 on which the toner t is held, and then, as shown in FIG. When the contact with the blade 13b is released and the bent toner guide member 21 is elastically restored, the extending portion 21a causes the cleaning blade 11 to come into contact with the image forming region 1a of the image carrier 1 when the bent toner guide member 21 is elastically restored. A part of the toner t held at the tip is sent to the upstream side in the transport direction of the toner t and contacts the non-image area 1b of the image carrier 1 on the upstream side in the transport direction of the toner t. Toner t comes to be properly held in the tip portion of the.

  In the above embodiment, when the toner t is held by the sheet-shaped toner guide member 21 at the tip of the cleaning blade 11 in contact with the surface of the image carrier 1 in the non-image area 1b, the sheet-shaped toner Although only one guide member 21 is provided on each end side, it is also possible to provide a plurality of sheet-like toner guide members 21 through a required interval.

  In the above embodiment, the sheet-like toner guide member 21 is used. However, as shown in FIG. 10, an endless belt-like toner guide member 22 is used, and this endless belt-like toner guide member 22 is used. In the waste toner conveyance path 12 on the downstream side of the toner t in the conveyance direction, and the rotation shaft 13a of the waste toner conveyance member 13 and the shaft member 14 provided in the vicinity of the tip of the cleaning blade 11 are bridged. be able to. In this way, as the waste toner transport member 13 rotates, the toner guide member 22 is rotationally driven between the rotation shaft 13a and the shaft member 14 of the waste toner transport member 13, and the toner t is transported downstream in the transport direction. The toner t in the waste toner transport path 12 is transported by the toner guide member 22 to the tip of the cleaning blade 11 that contacts the surface of the image carrier 1 in the non-image area 1b on the downstream side in the transport direction of the toner t. Will be held.

  In order to ensure that the toner t in the waste toner conveyance path 12 is appropriately conveyed to the tip of the cleaning blade 11 by the endless belt-shaped toner guide member 22 as described above, as shown in FIG. As the endless belt-shaped toner guide member 22, it is preferable to use the endless belt-shaped toner guide member 22 provided with a locking protrusion 22 a that holds the toner t at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the toner t in the waste toner transport path 12 is transported to both sides by reversing the direction of the transport blades 13b on both sides from the central portion of the rotating shaft 13a in the waste toner transport member 13. In this case, the endless belt-like toner guide member 22 is connected to the rotation shaft 13a of the waste toner conveyance member 13 and the tip of the cleaning blade 11 on both sides in the axial direction of the rotation shaft 13a of the waste toner conveyance member 13. It can be made to span over the shaft member 14 provided in the vicinity. In this way, the toner t in the waste toner transport path 12 is transported to the tip portions on both sides of the cleaning blade 11 by the toner guide members 22 on both sides, and the image bearing in the non-image area 1b on both sides where the toner image is not formed. The toner t is appropriately held at the tip of the cleaning blade 11 that contacts the surface of the body 1.

  Further, when the toner t is transported in one direction in the waste toner transport path 12, as shown in FIG. 12, it is interlocked with the rotating shaft 13a of the waste toner transport member 13 via a gear mechanism 15 such as a bevel gear. A rotating second rotating shaft 16 is provided at an angle to a portion where the toner t is transported in the waste toner transport path 12, and the surface of the non-image area 1b of the image carrier 1 on the upstream side in the transport direction of the toner t. The shaft member 14 is provided in the vicinity of the tip of the cleaning blade 11 in contact with the second rotation shaft 16 in the same manner as the second rotation shaft 16, and the endless belt-shaped toner guide member 22 is connected to the second rotation shaft 15 and the shaft. It can also be made to span the member 14. As a result, the second rotating shaft 16 is rotated in accordance with the rotation of the waste toner conveying member 13, whereby the toner guide member 22 is rotationally driven, and the toner t in the waste toner conveying path 12 is moved. The toner guide member 22 is transported and held at the tip of the cleaning blade 11 in contact with the surface of the non-image area 1b of the image carrier 1 on the upstream side in the transport direction of the toner t.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image carrier 1a Image formation area 1b Non-image area 2 Charging roller 2a Charging bias power source 3 Latent image forming device 4 Developing device 4a Developing roller 4b Developing bias power source 5 Transfer roller 6 Transfer member 7 Detection device 8 Control device 10 Cleaning device 11 Cleaning blade 12 Waste toner transport path 13 Waste toner transport member (rotating member)
13a Rotating shaft 13b Conveying blade 14 Shaft member 15 Gear mechanism 16 Second rotating shaft 21 Sheet-like toner guide member 21a Extension portion 22 Endless belt-like toner guide member 22a Locking protrusion t Toner

Claims (9)

  Image carrier after transferring the toner image by pressing the tip of the cleaning blade provided along the width direction of the image carrier that intersects the moving direction of the image carrier to be rotationally driven against the surface of the image carrier. In a cleaning device that removes toner remaining on the surface of a body and transports the removed toner in a waste toner transport path, a toner guide member driven by a rotating member provided in the cleaning device can A cleaning device, wherein the toner removed from the surface is supplied to a tip portion of a cleaning blade pressed against a surface of an end portion in the width direction of the image carrier.   2. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the end in the width direction of the image carrier is a non-image area where a toner image is not formed on the surface of the image carrier.   3. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein a toner guide member is provided on a front end of each side of the cleaning blade pressed against both ends in the width direction of the image carrier from the surface of the image carrier. A cleaning device that supplies the removed toner.   4. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the rotating member is a waste toner conveying member that conveys the toner removed from the surface of the image carrier in the waste toner conveying path. 5. The cleaning device is characterized in that the waste toner conveying member is provided with conveying blades on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft.   5. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein a sheet-like toner guide member is attached to the rotating member. 6.   5. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein a sheet-like toner guide member is mounted in the cleaning device so as to come into contact with the rotating member. apparatus.   5. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the endless belt-shaped toner guide member is in pressure contact with the rotating member and the surface of the end portion in the width direction of the image carrier. An image forming apparatus, wherein the image forming apparatus is driven to rotate across a shaft member provided in the vicinity of the front end of the image forming apparatus.   8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a cleaning device that removes toner remaining on the surface of the image carrier after the toner image is transferred from the surface of the image carrier. 9. An image forming apparatus using the cleaning device.   9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the detection device for detecting the surface potential of the image carrier is provided at a position of an end portion in the width direction of the image carrier.

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