JP2012083453A - Fixing device, and image forming device including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fixing device in which residual toner adhered to a heated rotation member is removed with a simple configuration, and an image forming device including the same.SOLUTION: A fixing device 5 fixes a toner image carried on a paper sheet 9 by heating and pressing by a fixing roller 18 and a pressing roller 19, and includes a disturbing member 61 that scratches the toner adhered to the surface of the pressing roller 19 and scatters the toner on the surface of the pressing roller 19 with a nip part NC that pressure-contacts the surface of the pressing roller 19. The disturbing member 61 includes a plurality of protrusion parts 62 formed with inclination to the rotation direction (Y-direction) of the pressing roller 19, and groove sections 63 formed between the plurality of protrusion parts 62. Each protrusion part 62 is arranged so that at least a part thereof faces an adjacent protrusion part 62 in an area of the nip part NC and in the rotation direction (Y-direction).

Description

  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fixing device used in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, or a composite machine using an electrophotographic method, and an image forming apparatus including the fixing device, and in particular, toner remaining on a heated rotating member. The present invention relates to a fixing device capable of cleaning the image and an image forming apparatus including the same.

  Conventionally, in a fixing device used in an electrophotographic system, a sheet on which a toner image is formed is sent to a fixing nip portion between a heated fixing roller and a pressure roller, and the toner on the sheet is melted by the heating action of the fixing roller. At the same time, the toner image is fixed to the paper by applying a pressure action to the melted toner image from the pressure roller.

  The toner that could not be fixed on the paper remains on the surfaces of the fixing roller and the pressure roller. If the toner remaining on the surfaces of the fixing roller and the pressure roller is not removed from the surface until the next fixing step, it adheres as it is on the image, and an image defect occurs.

  Therefore, in Patent Document 1, a cleaning member is provided to remove toner remaining on the surface of the fixing roller. The cleaning member includes a mesh portion that collects toner remaining on the surface of the fixing roller, and a toner storage portion that stores toner collected below the mesh portion, and the mesh portion and the toner storage portion are integrated with each other. It is configured. The mesh portion is composed of a plurality of wire rods, and is formed in a lattice shape when the wire rods cross each other. The mesh portion comes into contact with the surface of the fixing roller, and the toner remaining on the surface of the fixing roller is collected at the mesh portion. The collected toner is accommodated in a toner accommodating portion, and the toner remaining on the surface of the fixing roller is removed.

  Patent Document 2 includes a heat detection device that detects the surface temperature of the fixing roller, and a blade that is disposed opposite to the upstream position of the heat detection device and removes toner remaining on the surface of the fixing roller. The blade is disposed to be inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the fixing roller. When the blade is disposed in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the fixing roller, the toner adhering to the surface of the fixing roller abuts on the surface of the blade at a right angle and is prevented. As the amount of toner remaining on the blade increases, it becomes a large lump of toner and cannot keep the state of adhesion to the fixing roller, and the residual toner falls on the paper and contaminates the printing surface of the paper. However, in Patent Document 2, since the blade is not arranged in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the fixing roller, the removed toner moves in the longitudinal direction as fine particles along the inclined blade, and does not become a lump of toner. The adhesive force to the surface of the fixing roller is maintained, the sheet does not fall, and the printing surface of the paper is not contaminated.

JP 2007-94345 A (paragraphs [0130] to [0132], FIG. 5) JP-A-4-166773 (pages 3-5, Fig. 1)

  However, in Patent Document 1 described above, a toner recovery unit that accommodates toner recovered by the mesh portion of the cleaning member is required, which has a disadvantage that the cleaning member has a complicated configuration and the number of parts increases.

  Further, in Patent Document 2 described above, residual toner is removed in a facing region facing the heat detection device, but adhered to the surface of the fixing roller in a non-facing region not facing the heat detection device in the longitudinal direction. The toner remains, and the toner that has moved from the facing region adheres. As described above, when toner is removed in the opposite area of the fixing roller and covered with residual toner in the non-opposing area, the fixing performance becomes non-uniform in the longitudinal direction of the fixing roller, and the toner adheres to the fixing roller. If it is left as it is, there is a disadvantage that the service life of the fixing roller is shortened.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides a fixing device that removes residual toner adhering to a heated rotating member with a simple configuration and an image forming apparatus including the same. The purpose is to do.

  In order to achieve the above object, a first invention provides a fixing device for fixing a toner image carried on a recording medium on a recording medium by heating and pressing the toner image with a heating member and a pressing member. A rotating member that is heated by the surface, and a disturbing member that scratches toner adhering to the surface of the rotating member at a nip portion pressed against the surface of the rotating member and scatters the toner on the surface of the rotating member. Has a plurality of ridges formed to be inclined with respect to the rotation direction of the rotating member, and a groove provided between the plurality of ridges, and each of the ridges includes the nip. In the region of the portion, at least a part of the rotating member is disposed so as to face the adjacent protruding portion in the rotation direction of the rotating member.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the above fixing device, the protrusion and the groove are formed of an elastic material.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the fixing device, the protrusion and the groove are formed of a fluororesin tube, and the surface of the rotating member is covered with a fluororesin coat.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the above fixing device, the rotating member is a pressure member that is pressed against the heating member.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fixing device, the rotating member is a soaking roller that contacts the pressure member and dissipates heat of the pressure member.

  According to a sixth aspect of the invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus including the fixing device having the above-described configuration.

  According to the first aspect of the invention, the recording medium carrying the toner image is heated and pressurized, the toner image is fixed on the recording medium, and the toner that cannot be fixed on the recording medium remains on the surface of the rotating member. When the rotating member rotates, the disturbing member scratches the residual toner adhering to the surface of the rotating member at the ridge, and scatters the toner scratched along the inclination of the groove on the surface of the rotating member. At this time, each protrusion is arranged so that at least a part thereof is opposed to the adjacent protrusion in the rotation direction of the rotating member in the nip area, and therefore, toner is trapped in the entire area of the nip. There is no risk of scratching, scattering, and clumping of toner. The scattered toner can be attached from the surface of the rotating member to, for example, the back surface of the recording medium to be fixed. Therefore, the toner adhering to the heated rotating member can be removed with a simple configuration in which the disturbance member having the predetermined protrusion and groove is provided.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the protrusion formed of the elastic material is surely pressed along the surface of the rotating member, so that when the rotating member rotates, the toner attached to the surface of the rotating member protrudes. Scratched toner is satisfactorily scratched at the strip, and the toner thus scratched is well scattered on the surface of the rotating member along the inclination of the groove.

  Further, according to the third invention, the protrusions and grooves of the disturbing member are made of a fluororesin tube, and the rotating member is coated with the fluororesin coat on the surface thereof, so that the protrusions of the disturbing member The groove has less toner adhesion than the surface of the rotating member, and the toner scratched from the surface of the rotating member by the ridge is difficult to adhere to the ridge and the groove, and is easily scattered on the surface of the rotating member.

  According to the fourth invention, when the pressure member rotates, the residual toner adhering to the surface of the pressure member is scratched by the disturbance member and scattered on the surface of the pressure member, and the recording medium is fixed. The scattered toner is transferred and adhered from the surface of the pressure member to the back surface of the recording medium. Therefore, the surface (printing surface) of the recording medium is not contaminated.

  According to the fifth aspect of the invention, when the soaking roller rotates, the residual toner adhering to the surface of the soaking roller is scratched by the disturbance member and scattered on the surface of the soaking roller, and the scattered toner is soaked. Transition from the surface of the roller to the surface of the pressure member. When the recording medium is fixed, scattered toner is transferred from the front surface of the pressure member to the back surface of the recording medium and adheres thereto. Therefore, the surface (printing surface) of the recording medium is not contaminated.

  According to the sixth aspect of the invention, an image forming apparatus including a fixing device that removes residual toner attached to a heated rotating member with a simple configuration can be provided.

1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus including a fixing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a fixing device according to a first embodiment. The figure which shows schematic structure of the disturbance member which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows schematic structure of the disturbance member which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a fixing device according to a third embodiment.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Further, the use of the invention and the terms shown here are not limited thereto.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus including a fixing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The image forming apparatus 1 is provided with a sheet feeding unit 2 disposed in a lower portion thereof, a sheet conveying unit 3 disposed on a side of the sheet feeding unit 2, and an upper side of the sheet conveying unit 3. The image forming unit 4 includes a fixing device 5 disposed on the discharge side of the image forming unit 4, and an image reading unit 6 disposed above the image forming unit 4 and the fixing device 5.

  The paper feed unit 2 includes a plurality of paper feed cassettes 7 that store paper 9 that is a recording medium. By the rotation of the paper feed roller 8, the paper feed unit 7 selects a paper feed cassette 7 selected from the plurality of paper feed cassettes 7. The paper 9 is sent to the paper transport unit 3 one by one.

  The paper 9 sent to the paper transport unit 3 is transported toward the image forming unit 4 via the paper transport path 10. The image forming unit 4 forms a toner image on the paper 9 by an electrophotographic process. The photoconductor 11 is rotatable in the direction of the arrow in FIG. The charging unit 12, the exposure unit 13, the developing device 14, the transfer unit 15, the cleaning unit 16, and the charge eliminating unit 17 are provided.

  The charging unit 12 includes a charging wire to which a high voltage is applied. When a predetermined potential is applied to the surface of the photoconductor 11 by corona discharge from the charging wire, the surface of the photoconductor 11 is uniformly charged. Then, when light based on the image data of the original read by the image reading unit 6 is irradiated to the photoconductor 11 by the exposure unit 13, the surface potential of the photoconductor 11 is selectively attenuated, and the surface of the photoconductor 11 is irradiated. An electrostatic latent image is formed.

  Next, the developing device 14 develops the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoconductor 11, and a toner image is formed on the surface of the photoconductor 11. This toner image is transferred by the transfer unit 15 to the paper 9 supplied between the photoconductor 11 and the transfer unit 15.

  The sheet 9 on which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed toward the fixing device 5 disposed downstream of the image forming unit 4 in the sheet conveying direction. In the fixing device 5, the paper 9 is heated and pressed by the fixing roller 18 and the pressure roller 19, and the toner image is melted and fixed on the paper 9. Next, the sheet 9 on which the toner image is fixed is discharged onto the discharge tray 21 by the discharge roller pair 20.

  After the transfer by the transfer unit 15, the toner remaining on the surface of the photoconductor 11 is removed by the cleaning unit 16, and the residual charge on the surface of the photoconductor 11 is removed by the charge eliminating unit 17. Then, the photosensitive member 11 is charged again by the charging unit 12, and image formation is performed in the same manner.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the fixing device 5 used in the image forming apparatus 1 described above.

  The fixing device 5 is a roller fixing system, and includes a fixing roller 18 that is a heating member, a pressure roller 19 that is a rotating member that is a pressure member, a heater 43 that is a heat source, a separation claw 51, and a disturbance member 61. And a drive source 42 having a motor and a reduction gear. The fixing roller 18 and the pressure roller 19 are rotatably supported in the longitudinal direction of the casing (not shown) of the fixing device 5, and the drive source 42 and the disturbance member 61 are fixedly held by the casing (not shown).

  As the fixing roller 18, a cylindrical cored bar made of a metal such as aluminum or iron having excellent thermal conductivity is coated with a fluororesin coating or a tube. A heater 43 such as a halogen lamp or a xenon lamp is provided inside the core of the fixing roller 18.

  The pressure roller 19 has an elastic layer made of silicon rubber or the like formed on a cylindrical base material made of synthetic resin, metal or other material, and the surface of the elastic layer is formed of a tetrafluoroethylene / perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer. Those coated with a fluororesin coat such as (PFA) are used. The pressure roller 19 is pressed against the fixing roller 18 with a predetermined pressure, and when the pressure roller 19 is driven to rotate, the fixing roller 18 is driven to rotate.

  The drive source 42 is geared to the pressure roller 19 and transmits the driving force from the motor to the pressure roller 19 via the gear. When the motor is driven to rotate, the pressure roller 19 rotates in the direction of the arrow, and the rotation of the pressure roller 19 causes the fixing roller 18 in pressure contact with the pressure roller 19 to rotate in the direction of the arrow. Instead of the configuration in which the drive source 42 is gear-connected to the pressure roller 19, the drive source 42 may be connected to the fixing roller 18, and the pressure roller 19 may be driven to rotate by the rotation of the fixing roller 18.

  A fixing nip portion N is formed at a portion where the fixing roller 18 and the pressure roller 19 come into contact with each other while rotating in reverse. The sheet 9 is guided by the conveyance guide 40 and conveyed to the fixing nip portion N, and the fixing nip portion N is heated and pressed by the fixing roller 18 and the pressure roller 19, whereby the powder on the sheet 9 is conveyed. The toner in the state is fixed by melting under pressure.

  The separation claw 51 separates the sheet 9 after the fixing process from the surface of the fixing roller 18, and is arranged on the downstream side of the fixing nip portion N in the rotation direction of the fixing roller 18, and its leading end is fixed. It is disposed in contact with or close to the surface of the roller 18. A plurality of separation claws 51 are provided side by side in the axial direction of the fixing roller 18.

  The disturbing member 61 forms a nip portion NC at a portion pressed against the pressure roller 19 that is a rotating member with a predetermined pressure, and scratches and scatters toner adhering to the surface of the pressure roller 19 in the nip portion NC. is there. Usually, the heat of the heated fixing roller 18 is also transmitted to the surface of the pressure roller 19 and the surface of the pressure roller 19 is heated. On the surface of the pressure roller 19, toner that cannot be fixed on the paper 9 remains and adheres to the surface of the pressure roller 19 that has been heated. Since the wax contained in the toner is exposed on the surface layer of the adhered toner and the wax is excellent in releasability, it adheres even if another roller or paper 9 contacts the surface of the pressure roller 19. The transferred toner does not transfer to another roller or paper 9. Therefore, as described above, the toner adhering to the surface of the pressure roller 19, that is, the toner surface layer where the wax is exposed is scratched by the disturbing member 61, thereby reducing the releasability of the toner surface layer, and the surface of the pressure roller 19. The toner adhering to the toner is easily transferred to another roller or paper 9.

  A detailed configuration of the disturbance member 61 is shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view (FIG. 3A) showing a schematic configuration of the disturbing member, and a cross-sectional side view (FIG. 3B). In FIG. 3A, the X direction corresponds to the axial direction (longitudinal direction) of the pressure roller 19 that is in pressure contact with the disturbance member 61. On the other hand, the Y direction corresponds to the rotation direction of the pressure roller 19, and Y1 in the Y direction corresponds to the upstream side in the rotation direction, and Y2 in the Y direction corresponds to the downstream side in the rotation direction.

  The disturbing member 61 includes a rectangular plate-like base material 65 made of a rigid body made of synthetic resin, metal, or other material, and an elastic layer 64 formed on the base material 65. The elastic layer 64 is made of a fluororesin tube such as tetrafluoroethylene / perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer (PFA), has a thickness approximately half that of the substrate 65, and is fixed on the substrate 65 with an adhesive. The The elastic layer 64 may be attached to the base member 65 by integral molding. Further, the disturbance member 61 may be an arc plate shape along the outer periphery of the pressure roller 19 in place of the flat plate shape so that the nip portion NC is large.

  The disturbing member 61 has a length in the X direction (longitudinal direction) equal to or longer than the axial direction of the pressure roller 19 (see FIG. 2), and is on the upper side (downstream side) in the Y direction (rotating direction). The nip NC is formed at As described above, the nip portion NC is formed at the pressure contact portion between the disturbing member 61 and the pressure roller 19 and is in a broken line region shown in FIG. The nip portion NC may be formed so as to extend to both end portions in the X direction of the disturbing member 61, or may be formed at the center portion or the lower side of the disturbing member 61 in the Y direction.

  The elastic layer 64 of the disturbing member 61 has a plurality of protrusions 62m, 62n, 62p, 62q and the like, and a plurality of grooves 63m, 63n, 63p, 63q and the like. In addition, although the protrusion part and the groove part are arranged continuously in the X direction, a part of the protrusion part and the groove part is omitted in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b). Further, in the following description, the configuration and operation of the ridges 62m and 62n and the grooves 63m and 63n will be described. Therefore, the description is omitted, and the symbols m and n of the ridges and the grooves are omitted, and the symbols are attached only when necessary.

  The plurality of protrusions 62 have a trapezoidal side surface cross section (see FIG. 3B) in which one is a right angle and the other is inclined at 45 °, and the inclination angle A with respect to the rotation direction (Y direction) is 45 °. They are arranged parallel to each other. When the pressure roller 19 (see FIG. 2) rotates, the protrusion 62 is in pressure contact with the surface of the pressure roller 19, so that it rubs strongly against the surface of the pressure roller 19 and is applied within the area of the nip NC. The toner adhering to the surface of the pressure roller 19 is scratched. At this time, each protrusion 62 scratches toner in a range in which the protrusion 62 inclined at 45 ° is projected in the X direction.

  The plurality of grooves 63 have a right-angled triangular side cross-section space (see FIG. 3B) between the adjacent protrusions 62, and the inclination angle A with respect to the rotation direction (Y direction) is 45 °. When the pressure roller 19 rotates, the groove 63 moves (scatters) the toner scratched by the protrusion 62 in the X and Y directions within the area of the nip NC. At this time, each groove portion 63 moves (scatters) toner within a range in which a groove inclined at 45 ° is projected in the X direction.

  The protrusion 62m and the protrusion 62n are adjacent to each other, and a groove 63m is provided between the two protrusions 62m and 62n. The upstream end 62ma of the protrusion 62m is located on the upstream side Y1 in the area of the nip NC surrounded by the broken line, and is disposed at a position facing the ridge line 62nb of the adjacent protrusion 62n in the Y direction (rotation direction). Is done. In addition, you may arrange | position the downstream end of the protrusion part 62m in the position which opposes the ridgeline 62nb of the adjacent protrusion part 62n in a Y direction (rotation direction). In other words, the protrusion 62m is arranged so that at least a part thereof faces the protrusion 62n in the Y direction (rotation direction) in the region of the nip NC.

  By arranging the adjacent protrusions 62m and 62n as described above, the protrusion 62m is inclined in the region of the nip NC when the pressure roller 19 rotates in the Y direction. Since the toner is scratched within the range where the portion 62m is projected in the X direction, and the protruding portion 62n scratches the toner within the range where the inclined protruding portion 62n is projected in the X direction, each projected range is It overlaps in the X direction and no scratch remains in the X direction of the nip NC. Similarly, when the pressure roller 19 rotates in the Y direction, in the region of the nip portion NC, the groove portion 63m scatters toner within a range in which the inclined groove portion 63m is projected in the X direction, and the groove portion 63n. Since the toner is scattered within the range in which the inclined groove 63n is projected in the X direction, the projected ranges overlap in the X direction, and no remaining scattering occurs in the X direction of the nip NC.

In the said embodiment, although the case where each inclination angle A of the protrusion part 62 and the groove part 63 was 45 degrees was shown, the inclination angle A is not restricted to 45 degrees, the pitch of the inclination angle A and the protrusion part 62, etc. May have the following configuration. That is, when the length of the nip portion NC in the rotation direction (Y direction) is represented by NCy, the longitudinal direction (X direction) pitch of the protrusion 62 (or groove portion 63) is represented by Px, and the inclination angle is represented by A When Expression 1 is satisfied, the toner adhering to the surface of the pressure roller 19 can be scratched and scattered by the disturbing member 61 in all regions of the nip portion NC.
tanA ≧ Px / NCy Formula 1

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 4 is a plan view (FIG. 4A) showing a schematic configuration of the disturbing member according to the second embodiment, and a cross-sectional side view (FIG. 4B). The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the shape of the protrusions and grooves of the disturbing member, and hereinafter, the description of the same parts as those in the first embodiment is omitted.

  The disturbing member 61 includes a rectangular plate-like base material 65 made of a rigid body made of synthetic resin, metal, or other material, and an elastic layer 64 formed on the base material 65. The elastic layer 64 is made of a fluororesin tube such as tetrafluoroethylene / perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer (PFA), has approximately half the thickness of the substrate 65, and is fixed on the substrate 65 with an adhesive. .

  The elastic layer 64 has a plurality of protrusions 62m, 62n, 62p, 62q and the like, and a plurality of grooves 63m, 63n, 63p, 63q and the like. Although the protrusions and the grooves are continuously arranged in the X direction, in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, the protrusions and the grooves are partially omitted.

  The plurality of ridges 62 have a right triangular triangular cross section (see FIG. 4B), and are arranged in parallel to each other at an inclination angle A of 45 ° with respect to the rotational direction (Y direction). When the pressure roller 19 rotates, the protrusion 62 is in pressure contact with the surface of the pressure roller 19 (see FIG. 2), so that it strongly rubs against the surface of the pressure roller 19 and is applied within the area of the nip NC. The toner adhering to the surface of the pressure roller 19 is scratched. At this time, each protrusion 62 scratches toner in a range in which the protrusion 62 inclined at 45 ° is projected in the X direction.

  The plurality of grooves 63 have a right-angled triangular side cross-section space (see FIG. 4B) between the adjacent protrusions 62, and the inclination angle A with respect to the rotation direction (Y direction) is 45 °. When the pressure roller 19 rotates, the groove 63 moves (scatters) the toner scratched by the protrusion 62 in the X and Y directions within the area of the nip NC. At this time, each groove portion 63 moves (scatters) toner within a range in which a groove inclined at 45 ° is projected in the X direction.

  The protrusion 62m and the protrusion 62n are adjacent to each other, and a groove 63m is provided between the two protrusions 62m and 62n. The upstream end 62ma of the protrusion 62m is located on the upstream side Y1 in the area of the nip NC surrounded by the broken line, and is arranged at a position facing the ridge line 62nb of the adjacent protrusion 62n in the Y direction (rotation direction). Established. In addition, you may arrange | position the downstream end of the protrusion part 62m in the position which opposes the ridgeline 62nb of the adjacent protrusion part 62n in a Y direction (rotation direction). In other words, the protrusion 62m is arranged so that at least a part thereof faces the protrusion 62n in the Y direction (rotation direction) in the region of the nip NC.

  By arranging the adjacent protrusions 62m and 62n as described above, the protrusion 62m is inclined in the region of the nip NC when the pressure roller 19 rotates in the Y direction. Since the toner is scratched within the range where the portion 62m is projected in the X direction, and the protruding portion 62n scratches the toner within the range where the inclined protruding portion 62n is projected in the X direction, each projected range is It overlaps in the X direction and no scratch remains in the X direction of the nip NC. Similarly, when the pressure roller 19 rotates in the Y direction, in the region of the nip portion NC, the groove portion 63m scatters toner within a range in which the inclined groove portion 63m is projected in the X direction, and the groove portion 63n. Since the toner is scattered within the range in which the inclined groove 63n is projected in the X direction, the projected ranges overlap in the X direction, and no remaining scattering occurs in the X direction of the nip NC.

  Further, by satisfying the conditional expression 1, regardless of the inclination angle A, the toner adhering to the surface of the pressure roller 19 is scratched and scattered by the disturbance member 61 in all regions of the nip portion NC. .

  According to the first and second embodiments, the fixing device 5 heats and presses the toner image carried on the paper by the fixing roller 18 and the pressure roller 19 and fixes the toner image on the paper 9. A disturbing member 61 that scratches the toner adhering to the surface of the pressure roller 19 and scatters the toner on the surface of the pressure roller 19 is provided at the nip NC that is in pressure contact with the surface of the pressure roller 19. The disturbing member 61 includes a plurality of protrusions 62 formed to be inclined with respect to the rotation direction (Y direction) of the pressure roller 19 and a groove 63 provided between the plurality of protrusions 62. Each ridge 62 is arranged so that at least a part thereof faces the adjacent ridge 62 in the rotation direction (Y direction) in the region of the nip NC.

  According to this configuration, the paper 9 carrying the toner image is heated and pressurized, the toner image is fixed on the paper 9, and the toner that cannot be fixed on the paper 9 remains on the surface of the pressure roller 19. When the pressure roller 19 rotates, the disturbing member 61 scratches the residual toner adhering to the surface of the pressure roller 19 at the ridge 62 and removes the toner scratched along the inclination of the groove 63 on the surface of the pressure roller 19. To scatter. At this time, the protrusion 62m is arranged so that at least part of the protrusion 62m faces the adjacent protrusion 62n in the rotation direction Y in the region of the nip NC. There is no risk of being scratched, scattered, and lump. Then, when the paper 9 is fixed, the scattered toner is transferred from the surface of the pressure roller 19 to the back surface of the paper 9 and adheres thereto. Therefore, the toner adhering to the heated pressure roller 19 can be removed with a simple configuration in which the disturbance member 61 having the predetermined protrusion 62 and the groove 63 is provided, and the surface ( The printing surface is not contaminated.

  Further, according to the first and second embodiments, the protrusion 62 and the groove 63 are formed of an elastic material, so that the protrusion 62 is reliably pressed along the surface of the pressure roller 19. Therefore, when the pressure roller 19 rotates, the toner adhering to the surface of the pressure roller 19 is satisfactorily scratched by the ridge 62, and the scratched toner follows the inclination of the groove 63. Scatters well on the surface.

  According to the first and second embodiments, the protrusion 62 and the groove 63 are formed of a fluororesin tube, and the pressure roller 19 is covered with a fluororesin coat on the surface. Since the fluororesin tube has a larger contact angle with the toner than the fluororesin coat, the protrusion 62 and the groove 63 have a smaller toner adhesion than the surface of the pressure roller 19, and The toner scratched from the surface hardly adheres to the protrusions 62 and the grooves 63 and is easily scattered on the surface of the pressure roller 19.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a fixing device according to the third embodiment. In the third embodiment, a soaking roller is provided, and the disturbing member is in pressure contact with the soaking roller.

  Since the fixing device 5 performs a fixing process on a plurality of paper sizes, the fixing roller 18 and the pressure roller 19 have an axial width adapted to the size of the paper having the maximum width. When fixing paper of a small size, heat is consumed in the paper passing area of the fixing roller 18 and the pressure roller 19 for fixing processing, while heat is not consumed in the non-paper passing area. For this reason, the temperature difference between the paper passing area and the non-paper passing area increases.

  The soaking roller 53 dissipates the heat of the pressure roller 19 in order to eliminate the temperature difference between the sheet passing area and the non-sheet passing area, and rotates in contact with the pressure roller 19. It is formed of a material having good thermal conductivity such as aluminum or copper. The surface of the soaking roller 53 is covered with a fluororesin coat such as tetrafluoroethylene / perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer (PFA). When the heat of the pressure roller 19 is dissipated, residual toner that cannot be fixed on the sheet 9 is attached to the soaking roller 53 via the pressure roller 19.

  The disturbing member 61 has a length equal to or longer than the axial direction of the soaking roller 53 that is a rotating member, and forms a nip portion NC at a portion that presses the soaking roller 53 with a predetermined pressure. Then, the disturbing member 61 scratches and scatters the toner adhering to the surface of the soaking roller 53 at the nip portion NC. In addition, the structure of the material of the disturbance member 61, a protrusion part, a groove part, etc. is the same as 1st or 2nd embodiment.

  According to the third embodiment, the heat equalizing roller 53 that contacts the pressure roller 19 and dissipates the heat of the pressure roller 19, and the toner adhering to the surface of the heat equalizing roller 53 is scratched to remove the toner from the heat equalizing roller 53. And a disturbing member 61 that scatters on the surface.

  According to this configuration, when the soaking roller 53 rotates, the residual toner adhering to the surface of the soaking roller 53 is scratched by the disturbing member 61 and scattered on the surface of the soaking roller 53, and the scattered toner is scattered. The surface of 53 is transferred to the surface of the pressure roller 19. When the paper 9 is subjected to the fixing process, the scattered toner is transferred from the surface of the pressure roller 19 to the back surface of the paper 9 and attached. Therefore, the toner adhering to the soaking roller 53 can be removed, and the surface (printing surface) of the paper 9 is not contaminated.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a fixing device using a roller fixing method has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a fixing device using a heat source of a belt fixing method or an electromagnetic induction heating method is used. Even if applied, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the protrusion 62 of the disturbance member 61 comprised the trapezoidal shape or the triangular side surface cross section, this invention is not limited to this, The protrusion 62 forms the rectangular side surface cross section. It may be configured. The groove 63 may also have a rectangular side cross section. Moreover, you may comprise the protrusion part 62 and the groove part 63 so that it may incline in a reverse direction with respect to 1st and 2nd embodiment. Furthermore, if each protrusion 62 is arranged so that at least a part thereof faces the adjacent protrusion 62 in the rotation direction (Y direction) in the region of the nip NC, the protrusion 62 is The grooves 63 do not have to be arranged parallel to each other, and the groove portions 63 do not have to be arranged parallel to each other.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for a fixing device used in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, and a composite machine using the electrophotographic method, and an image forming apparatus including the fixing device. The present invention can be used for a fixing device capable of cleaning toner remaining on a member and an image forming apparatus including the same.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 5 Fixing apparatus 18 Fixing roller (heating member)
19 Pressure roller (pressure member, rotating member)
53 Soaking roller (rotating member)
61 Disturbing member 62m, 62n, 62p, 62q Projection portion 62ma Upstream end 62nb Ridge line 63m, 63n, 63p, 63q Groove portion 64 Elastic layer 65 Base material A Inclination angle N Fixing nip portion NC nip portion

Claims (6)

In a fixing device for fixing a toner image carried on a recording medium on a recording medium by heating and pressing with a heating member and a pressure member,
A rotating member that is heated by the heat of the heating member; and a disturbing member that scratches toner adhering to the surface of the rotating member at a nip portion pressed against the surface of the rotating member and scatters the toner on the surface of the rotating member. Prepared,
The disturbing member has a plurality of protrusions formed to be inclined with respect to the rotation direction of the rotating member, and a groove provided between the plurality of protrusions,
The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein each of the protrusions is arranged so that at least a part thereof is opposed to an adjacent protrusion in the rotation direction of the rotating member in the region of the nip portion.   The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion and the groove are formed of an elastic material.   The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion and the groove are formed of a fluororesin tube, and the surface of the rotating member is covered with a fluororesin coat.   The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the rotating member is a pressure member that is pressed against the heating member.   The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the rotating member is a heat equalizing roller that contacts the pressure member and dissipates heat of the pressure member.   An image forming apparatus comprising the fixing device according to claim 1.

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