JP2012237787A - Cleaning device and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To more favorably recover toner from inside of a brush than before in a constitution where swing operation of raised bristles in a first cleaning brush roller 101 is generated by a first flicker projection 105.SOLUTION: A layout is employed where the first flicker projection 105 is brought into contact to a brush roller portion of the first cleaning brush roller 101 at a region that has passed through a contact position with an intermediate transfer belt 8 and is before entering to a contact position with a first recovery roller 102 among the whole brush roller in a circumferential direction of the first cleaning brush roller 101. In this layout, after most of the toner in the brush is shaken out of the brush by the first flicker projection 105, the remaining minute amount of toner is recovered by the first recovery roller 102. Thus the toner is more favorably recovered than before.

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaning device that scrapes off deposits adhering to the surface of an object to be cleaned with a cleaning brush roller, and an image forming apparatus including the same.

  Conventionally, as this type of image forming apparatus, the one described in Patent Document 1 is known. In this image forming apparatus, a toner image is formed on the surface of the photoconductor by an electrophotographic process and transferred onto a recording paper, and then the transfer residual toner adhering to the surface of the photoconductor is removed by a cleaning device. The cleaning device includes a cleaning brush roller, a collection roller, a scraper, an auger roller, a flicker plate, and the like, and scrapes off the transfer residual toner on the surface of the photosensitive member by a cleaning brush roller that rotates. A recovery roller to which a recovery bias having a polarity opposite to that of the toner is applied is in contact with an area of the cleaning brush roller in the circumferential direction after passing through the contact position with the photosensitive member. The toner scraped from the surface of the photosensitive member by the cleaning brush roller is collected from the brush to the collecting roller at a contact position between the brush and the collecting roller. Then, after being scraped off from the surface of the collecting roller by the scraper, it is conveyed toward the outside of the cleaning device by the auger roller that is driven to rotate.

  In the cleaning device having such a configuration, if a large amount of toner is to be removed from the photoconductor in a short time, a large amount of toner scraped by the cleaning brush roller cannot be collected by the collection roller, and a large amount of toner is put in the brush. I will leave it. In some cases, the toner is reversely transferred from the brush to the photosensitive member to cause a cleaning failure.

  Therefore, in the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1, toner collection from the brush is promoted by forcibly shaking the brush of the cleaning brush roller by the flicker plate. Specifically, the flicker plate contacts the region before entering the contact position with the photoreceptor after passing through the contact position with the collection roller in the entire area of the cleaning brush roller in the circumferential direction. As described above, the brush portion after passing through the contact position with the collection roller may contain a large amount of toner that could not be removed by the collection roller. The flicker plate comes into contact with the brush portion that may contain a large amount of toner on the upstream side of the photoreceptor. And the movement of the front-end | tip part of the raising which comprises the brush location is restrained temporarily, and a raising is bent greatly. When the cleaning brush roller rotates away from the flicker plate as the cleaning brush roller rotates, the raised bristles that have greatly bent due to the contact with the flicker plate return to the original straight posture by vigorously shaking the tip side in the rotational direction (hereinafter this operation). Is called a run-out action). At this time, the toner collected in the brush is shaken off from the brush, thereby promoting the collection of the toner from the brush.

  However, the cleaning device described in Patent Document 1 may cause cleaning failure even if toner recovery is promoted in this way. Specifically, in a brush that contains a large amount of toner that could not be removed by the collecting roller, most of the toner particles in the toner do not directly contact the surface of the raised brush, and other toner particles. It becomes a state sandwiched between. Since such toner particles have a weaker adhesion to the raised hair than toner particles that are in direct contact with the surface of the raised hair, the toner particles are easily shaken off between the raised hair by the raising motion of the raised hair. However, since the toner particles that are in direct contact with the surface of the raised hair exhibit a relatively large adhesive force to the raised hair, the raised hair may not be shaken off from the surface even if the raised hair is shaken. The toner particles move to the contact position with the photosensitive member as the cleaning brush roller rotates and reversely transfer to the photosensitive member, thereby causing a cleaning failure.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above background, and an object thereof is to provide the following cleaning device and image forming apparatus. That is, a cleaning device or the like that can collect adhering substances such as toner from the inside of the brush better than before in a configuration in which the raising motion of the raised brush is generated by a brush contact member such as a flicker plate.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 comprises a rotatable rotating shaft member and a brush roller portion comprising a plurality of raised brushes standing on the peripheral surface of the rotating shaft member, and the surface of the object to be cleaned. A cleaning brush roller that scrapes off deposits adhering to the brush roller portion, and rotating while contacting the brush roller portion in a state where a recovery bias is applied, thereby removing the deposit in the brush roller portion. A recovery member that transfers and recovers the surface of the brush roller; and a brush contact member that is disposed so as to come into contact with a region that has moved to a predetermined rotational position in the entire circumferential direction of the brush roller portion. After the brushed portion is temporarily bent at the contact position between the brush roller part and the brush contact member, the raised brush that has passed through the contact position is returned to its original posture by the strength of the waist. In the cleaning device that shakes off the adhered matter trapped in the brush roller portion from the brush roller portion by returning, it passes through the contact position with the object to be cleaned in the entire area in the circumferential direction of the brush roller portion. Then, the brush contact member is brought into contact with a region before entering the contact position with the recovery member.
The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein a layout is adopted in which a tangent at the tip position with respect to a virtual circular orbit that is concentric with the rotating shaft member and passes through the tip position of the brush contact member intersects the surface of the recovery member. It is characterized by that.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the cleaning device of the second aspect, after passing through a contact position with the brush roller portion in the entire circumferential direction of the surface of the recovery member, the deposit is removed from the surface. The tangent line intersects with the region before entering the contact position with the scraping member to be scraped off.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the cleaning device of the first aspect, a transport member is provided for transporting the deposits separated from the surface of the recovery member, and is concentric with the rotating shaft member and of the brush contact member. A layout is adopted in which a tangent at the tip position with respect to a virtual circular orbit passing through the tip position intersects the surface of the conveying member.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the cleaning device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the brush contact member is integrally formed on an inner wall of a casing containing the cleaning brush roller and the recovery member. It is what.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the cleaning device of the fifth aspect, the region immediately after passing through the contact position with the brush contact member in the entire circumferential direction of the brush roller portion, and the inner wall of the casing Is made larger than the distance between the region immediately before entering the contact position with the brush contact member and the inner wall of the casing, out of the entire region in the circumferential direction of the brush roller portion. is there.
Further, the invention according to claim 7 is the cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the stay is in the vicinity of the brush contact member and upstream of the brush contact member in the rotation direction of the cleaning brush roller. The brush contact member is provided with a through-hole for receiving the deposit and moving it to a position downstream of the brush contact member in the rotational direction.
The invention according to claim 8 is the cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein an amount of biting of the brush contact member with respect to the brush roller portion is equal to or less than an amount of biting of the collecting member with respect to the brush roller portion. It is characterized by that.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image carrier that carries a toner image, a toner image forming unit that forms a toner image on the surface of the image carrier, and a deposit that adheres to the surface of the image carrier. An image forming apparatus including a cleaning device that scrapes off and cleans toner that is used, and the cleaning device according to claim 1 is used as the cleaning device.

  In these inventions, after passing through the contact position with the object to be cleaned and out of the entire region in the circumferential direction of the brush roller portion of the cleaning brush roller, against the raising of the region before entering the contact position with the recovery member Swaying motion due to contact with the brush contact member is generated. And, by this swinging operation, most of the deposits that are not directly in contact with the surface of the raised hair are shaken off from the brush among the large amount of deposits captured in the brush roller section. Thus, the brush portion after the deposit is shaken off is in a state in which only a small amount of deposit that is in direct contact with the surface of the raised hair remains. Then, prior to entering the contact position with the object to be cleaned as the cleaning brush roller rotates, the cleaning brush roller enters the contact position with the recovery member. In this contact position, the electric field formed by the potential difference between the recovery member to which the recovery bias is applied and the raised hair exceeds the adhesion force of the raised hair to a small amount of toner particles that are in direct contact with the raised surface. Electrostatic force is applied. When a large amount of deposits in the brush are to be collected on the surface of the recovery member by the action of the electric field, as in a conventional cleaning device, a large amount of deposits are attached to the recovery member from the brush by friction between particles. It will inhibit the transfer of kimono. This leaves a lot of deposits in the brush. On the other hand, in the present invention, after most of the deposits are shaken off by the shaking operation of the raised brush, the deposits slightly remaining on the brushed surface are transferred from the brush to the collecting member by the action of the electric field. The frictional force between the particles of the deposits does not hinder the transfer of the deposits to the recovery member. For this reason, it is possible to transfer the deposit slightly remaining on the raised surface to the recovery member and collect almost the entire deposit. Therefore, compared to the conventional case where many deposits remain in the brush after the recovery process by the recovery member, the deposits can be recovered better from the brush.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a main part of a printer according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is an enlarged configuration diagram illustrating a belt cleaning device of the printer and its surroundings in an enlarged manner. The partial cross-sectional view which shows the 1st cleaning part in the belt cleaning apparatus. The apparatus partial cross section for demonstrating the distance of the brush front-end | tip and casing inner wall in the periphery of the 1st flicker protrusion of the said 1st cleaning part. The apparatus partial cross-sectional view for demonstrating the collection | recovery roller biting amount and protrusion biting amount in the said 1st cleaning part. The side view and partial front view which show the 1st flicker protrusion of the printer which concerns on 2nd Example.

  Hereinafter, as an embodiment of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied, a so-called tandem type intermediate transfer type printer (hereinafter simply referred to as a printer) will be described. First, the basic configuration of the printer will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a main part of the printer. The printer includes four process units 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K for generating toner images of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black (hereinafter referred to as Y, M, C, and K). The four process units 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K have drum-shaped photoreceptors 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K, respectively. Around the photoreceptors 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K, charging devices 2Y, 2M, 2C, and 3K, developing devices 5Y, 5C, 1M, and 1K, drum cleaning devices 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 1K, a neutralization device (not shown) ) Etc. The process units 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K use Y, M, C, and K toners of different colors, but have the same configuration.

  Above the process units 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K, there is an optical writing unit (not shown) for irradiating the surface of the photoreceptors 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K with laser light L to write an electrostatic latent image. It is arranged.

  Further, below the process units 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K, a transfer unit 7 is disposed as a belt device including an endless intermediate transfer belt 8 that is a belt member. In addition to the intermediate transfer belt 8, a plurality of stretching rollers disposed inside the loop, a secondary transfer roller 18, a tension roller 16, a belt cleaning device 100, a lubricant application device 200, and the like disposed outside the loop. have.

  Inside the loop of the intermediate transfer belt 8 are four primary transfer rollers 9Y, 9M, 9C, 9K, a driven roller 10, a drive roller 11, a secondary transfer counter roller 12, and a first cleaning counter roller 13. A second cleaning counter roller 14, a third cleaning counter roller 15, and an application brush counter roller 17 are provided. Each of these rollers functions as a stretching roller that stretches the intermediate transfer belt 8 around a part of its peripheral surface to stretch the belt. The necessary conditions for the first cleaning counter roller 13, the second cleaning counter roller 14, and the third cleaning counter roller 15 do not necessarily have to act to apply a constant tension, and the intermediate transfer belt 8. The motor may be driven to rotate as the motor rotates. The intermediate transfer belt 8 is moved endlessly in the clockwise direction in the drawing by the rotation of the driving roller 11 that is driven to rotate clockwise in the drawing by a driving means (not shown).

  The four primary transfer rollers 9Y, 9M, 9C, and 9K disposed inside the belt loop sandwich the intermediate transfer belt 8 between the photoreceptors 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K. As a result, primary transfer nips for Y, M, C, and K where the front surface of the intermediate transfer belt 8 and the photoreceptors 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K come into contact are formed. A primary transfer bias having a polarity opposite to that of the toner is applied to the primary transfer rollers 9Y, 9M, 9C, and 9K by a power source (not shown).

  Further, the intermediate transfer belt 8 is sandwiched between the secondary transfer counter roller 12 disposed inside the belt loop and the secondary transfer roller 18 disposed outside the belt loop. As a result, a secondary transfer nip where the front surface of the intermediate transfer belt 8 and the secondary transfer roller 18 abut is formed. A secondary transfer bias having a polarity opposite to that of the toner is applied to the secondary transfer roller 18 by a power source (not shown). In addition, the intermediate transfer belt 8 and the paper conveyance belt are placed between the secondary transfer roller 18 and the secondary transfer counter roller 12 between the secondary transfer roller, several support rollers, and a driving roller. It is good also as a structure inserted | pinched.

  The first cleaning counter roller 13 disposed inside the belt loop sandwiches the intermediate transfer belt 8 between the first cleaning brush roller 101 of the belt cleaning device 100 disposed outside the belt loop, and the first cleaning nip. Is forming. The second cleaning counter roller 14 disposed on the inner side of the belt loop sandwiches the intermediate transfer belt 8 between the second cleaning brush roller 111 of the belt cleaning device 100 disposed on the outer side of the belt loop, and secondly. A cleaning nip is formed. Further, the third cleaning counter roller 15 disposed inside the belt loop sandwiches the intermediate transfer belt 8 between the third cleaning brush roller 121 of the belt cleaning device 100 disposed outside the belt loop and the third cleaning roller 15 is interposed. A cleaning nip is formed. The belt cleaning device 100 can be integrally replaced with the intermediate transfer belt 8. However, when the belt cleaning device 100 and the intermediate transfer belt 8 have different life settings, the belt cleaning device 100 is replaced with the intermediate transfer belt 8. May be independently detachable from the printer body. Details of the belt cleaning apparatus 100 will be described later.

  The printer includes a paper feed unit (not shown) having a paper feed cassette for storing the recording paper P and a paper feed roller for feeding the recording paper P from the paper feed cassette to the paper feed path. In addition, a registration roller pair (not shown) that receives the recording paper sent from the paper feeding unit and feeds it at a predetermined timing toward the secondary transfer nip is provided on the right side of the secondary transfer nip in the drawing. In addition, a fixing device (not shown) that receives the recording paper P sent out from the secondary transfer nip and fixes the toner image to the recording paper P is provided on the left side of the secondary transfer nip in the drawing. . Further, Y, M, C, and K toner supply devices (not shown) for supplying Y, M, C, and K toners to the developing devices 5Y, M, C, and K are provided as necessary.

  In recent years, in addition to plain paper that has been widely used as recording paper, special recording paper that is used for thermal transfer such as special paper having an uneven surface or iron print as a design has been increasingly used. When such special paper is used, transfer defects are more likely to occur when the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 8 on which the color toners are superimposed is secondarily transferred onto the paper, as compared with conventional plain paper. Therefore, in the present printer, an elastic layer having low hardness is provided on the intermediate transfer belt 8 so that the toner layer and recording paper with poor smoothness can be deformed at the transfer nip portion. By providing the intermediate transfer belt 8 with an elastic layer having low hardness and making the intermediate transfer belt 8 elastic, the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 8 can be deformed following local irregularities. Thereby, without excessively increasing the transfer pressure with respect to the toner layer, good adhesion can be obtained, there is no loss of transfer of characters, and there is no transfer unevenness even on paper with poor smoothness, A transfer image having excellent uniformity can be obtained.

  In this printer, the intermediate transfer belt 8 includes at least a base layer, an elastic layer, and a surface coat layer.

  Examples of the material used for the elastic layer of the intermediate transfer belt 8 include elastic members such as elastic material rubber and elastomer. Specifically, butyl rubber, fluorine rubber, acrylic rubber, EPDM, NBR, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene. Rubber, natural rubber, isoprene rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, butadiene rubber, urethane rubber, syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene, epichlorohydrin rubber, polysulfide rubber, polynorbornene rubber, thermoplastic elastomer (for example, polystyrene series) , Polyolefins, polyvinyl chlorides, polyurethanes, polyamides, polyureas, polyesters, fluororesins) and the like can be used. However, it is not limited to those materials.

  The thickness of the elastic layer depends on the hardness and the layer structure, but is preferably in the range of 0.07 to 0.5 [mm]. More preferably, the range of 0.25-0.5 [mm] is good. Further, if the thickness of the intermediate transfer belt 8 is as thin as 0.07 [mm] or less, the pressure on the toner on the intermediate transfer belt 8 at the secondary transfer nip portion becomes high, and transfer loss is likely to occur. The toner transfer rate decreases.

  The hardness of the elastic layer is preferably 10 ° ≦ HS ≦ 65 ° (JIS-A). Although the optimum hardness differs depending on the layer thickness of the intermediate transfer belt 8, if the hardness is lower than 10 ° JIS-A, transfer deficiency tends to occur. On the other hand, when the hardness is higher than 65 ° JIS-A, it is difficult to stretch the roller, and since it is stretched by long-term stretching, there is no durability and early replacement is necessary.

  The base layer of the intermediate transfer belt 8 is made of a resin with little elongation. Materials used for the base layer include polycarbonate, fluororesin (ETFE, PVDF, etc.), polystyrene, chloropolystyrene, poly-α-methylstyrene, styrene-butadiene copolymer, styrene-vinyl chloride copolymer, styrene-vinyl acetate. Copolymer, styrene-maleic acid copolymer, styrene-acrylic acid ester copolymer (styrene-methyl acrylate copolymer, styrene-ethyl acrylate copolymer, styrene-butyl acrylate copolymer, styrene- Octyl acrylate copolymer and styrene-phenyl acrylate copolymer), styrene-methacrylic acid ester copolymer (styrene-methyl methacrylate copolymer, styrene-ethyl methacrylate copolymer, styrene-phenyl methacrylate) Copolymer), styrene-α-c Styrenic resin (monopolymer or copolymer containing styrene or styrene-substituted product), methyl methacrylate resin, butyl methacrylate resin, acrylic, such as methyl acrylate acrylate copolymer, styrene-acrylonitrile-acrylate ester copolymer Ethyl acid resin, butyl acrylate resin, modified acrylic resin (silicone modified acrylic resin, vinyl chloride resin modified acrylic resin, acrylic / urethane resin, etc.), vinyl chloride resin, styrene-vinyl acetate copolymer, pinyl chloride-vinyl acetate Polymer, rosin-modified maleic resin, phenol resin, epoxy resin, polyester resin, polyester polyurethane resin, polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutadiene, polyvinylidene chloride, ionomer resin, polyurethane resin, silicone resin, keto Resins, ethylene - can be used ethyl acrylate copolymer, xylene resin and polyvinyl butyral resin, polyamide resin, one kind or two kinds or more selected from the group consisting of modified polyphenylene oxide resin. However, it is not limited to those materials.

  In order to prevent the elastic layer made of a rubber material having a large elongation from extending, a core layer made of a material such as a canvas may be provided between the base layer and the elastic layer. Examples of materials for preventing elongation used in the core layer include natural fibers such as cotton and silk, polyester fibers, nylon fibers, acrylic fibers, polyolefin fibers, polyvinyl alcohol fibers, polyvinyl chloride fibers, and polyvinylidene chloride fibers. , One or more selected from the group consisting of synthetic fibers such as polyurethane fiber, polyacetal fiber, polyfluoroethylene fiber and phenol fiber, inorganic fibers such as carbon fiber and glass fiber, and metal fibers such as iron fiber and copper fiber Threaded or woven fabric can be used. Of course, the material is not limited to the above. The above-described yarn may be twisted in any manner, such as one or a plurality of filaments twisted, one-twisted yarn, various twisted yarns, double yarn, or the like. Further, for example, fibers of a material selected from the above material group may be blended. Of course, the yarn can be used after being subjected to an appropriate conductive treatment. On the other hand, the woven fabric can be any woven fabric such as knitted weave, and of course, a woven fabric that has been woven can also be used and can be subjected to a conductive treatment.

  The coat layer on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 8 is for coating the surface of the elastic layer, and is composed of a layer having good smoothness. The material used for the coating layer is not particularly limited, but in general, a material that increases the secondary transferability by reducing the amount of toner adhering to the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 8 is used. For example, one or more of polyurethane, polyester, epoxy resin, etc., or a material that reduces surface energy and increases lubricity, such as fluororesin, fluorine compound, fluorocarbon, titanium oxide, silicon carbide, etc. One type or two or more types, or those having different particle sizes as required can be dispersed and used. Further, it is also possible to use a material such as a fluorine-based rubber material in which a heat treatment is performed to form a fluorine layer on the surface and the surface energy is reduced.

  If necessary, the base layer, the elastic layer, or the coating layer is used for the purpose of adjusting resistance, for example, carbon black, graphite, metal powder such as aluminum or nickel, tin oxide, titanium oxide, antimony oxide, indium oxide, titanic acid. Conductive metal oxides such as potassium, antimony oxide-tin oxide composite oxide (ATO), and indium oxide-tin oxide composite oxide (ITO) can be used. Here, the conductive metal oxide may be coated with insulating fine particles such as barium sulfate, magnesium silicate, and calcium carbonate. However, it is not limited to those materials.

  The surface of the intermediate transfer belt 8 is coated with a lubricant by a lubricant coating device 200 in order to protect the belt surface. The lubricant application device 200 is a coating that abuts on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 8 with a solid lubricant 202 such as a zinc stearate lump and a lubricant powder that comes into contact with the solid lubricant and is scraped off from the solid lubricant by rotation. And a coating brush roller 201 as a member. The printer includes the lubricant application device 200, which may be appropriately provided depending on the toner to be used, the material of the intermediate transfer belt 8, and the surface friction coefficient.

  When image information is sent from a personal computer or the like, the printer rotates the drive roller 11 to move the intermediate transfer belt 8 endlessly. The stretching rollers other than the driving roller 11 are driven and rotated by the belt. At the same time, the photosensitive members 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K of the process units 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K are rotationally driven. Further, an electrostatic latent image is formed by irradiating the charged surface with laser light L while uniformly charging the surfaces of the photoreceptors 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K with the charging devices 2Y, 2M, 2C, and 2K. To do. The electrostatic latent images formed on the surfaces of the photoreceptors 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K are developed by the developing devices 5Y, 5M, 5C, and 5K, so that the Y, M on the photoreceptors 1Y, 1M, 1C, 1K are developed. , C, K toner images are obtained. The Y, M, C, and K toner images are primarily transferred while being superimposed on the front surface of the intermediate transfer belt 8 in the above-described primary transfer nips for Y, M, C, and K. As a result, a four-color superimposed toner image is formed on the front surface of the intermediate transfer belt 8.

  On the other hand, in a paper feed unit (not shown), the recording paper P is sent out from the paper feed cassette one by one by the paper feed roller and conveyed to the registration roller pair. Then, at a timing that can be synchronized with the four-color superimposed toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 8, the registration roller pair is driven to feed the recording paper P to the secondary transfer nip, and the four-color superimposed toner image on the belt is transferred. Batch transfer onto the recording paper P is performed. Thereby, a full-color image is formed on the surface of the recording paper P. The recording paper P after the formation of the full-color image is conveyed from the secondary transfer nip to a fixing device and subjected to a toner image fixing process.

  For the photoreceptors 1Y, M, C, and K after the Y, M, C, and K toner images are primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 8, the remaining toner is cleaned by the drum cleaning devices 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K. Apply. Then, after neutralizing with a neutralizing lamp (not shown), it is uniformly charged with the charging devices 2Y, 2M, 2C, and 3K, and is ready for the next image formation. Further, the intermediate transfer belt 8 after the primary transfer to the recording paper P is subjected to a cleaning process for residual toner by the belt cleaning device 100.

  FIG. 2 is an enlarged configuration diagram showing the belt cleaning device 100 and its surroundings in an enlarged manner. In the figure, a belt cleaning apparatus 100 includes a first cleaning unit for roughly removing residual toner on the intermediate transfer belt 8 and unnecessary toner images, and a normal charging polarity (on the intermediate transfer belt 8). A second cleaning unit that removes toner charged to a polarity opposite to (negative polarity) (positive polarity), and a third cleaning unit that removes toner charged to a regular charge polarity on the intermediate transfer belt 8.

  The first cleaning unit includes a first cleaning brush roller 101 as a cleaning member and a first flicker protrusion 105 as a brush contact member. Also, a first recovery roller 102 as a recovery member that recovers toner attached to the first cleaning brush roller 101, a first scraping blade 103 as a scraping member that contacts the roller and scrapes the toner from the roller surface, and the like. It has. Further, a first conveying screw 104 is provided as a conveying member that conveys the toner scraped by the scraping blade 103 toward the outside of the casing of the belt cleaning device 100.

  Since most of the toner constituting the untransferred toner image is charged with a normal charging polarity (negative polarity), a voltage having a polarity (positive polarity) opposite to the normal charging polarity is applied to the first cleaning brush roller 101. The negative transfer toner on the intermediate transfer belt 8 is electrostatically removed. Further, a positive recovery bias larger than that of the first cleaning brush roller 101 is applied to the first recovery roller 102. In the belt cleaning apparatus 100, a voltage applied to the first cleaning brush roller 101 is set so that 90% of the untransferred toner image is removed by the first cleaning brush roller 101.

  The second toner cleaning unit is disposed adjacent to the first cleaning unit on the downstream side in the moving direction of the intermediate transfer belt 8, and is charged with a polarity (positive polarity) opposite to the normal charging polarity (negative polarity) of the toner. Is provided with a second cleaning brush roller 111 that electrostatically removes. Further, a second collection roller 112 that collects the reversely charged toner attached to the second cleaning brush roller 111, a second scraping blade 113 that contacts the roller and scrapes the reversely charged toner from the roller surface, and the like are also provided. Further, a second flicker projection 115 as a brush contact member is also provided. A negative voltage is applied to the second cleaning brush roller 111, and a negative recovery bias greater than that of the second cleaning brush roller 111 is applied to the second recovery roller 112. In addition, the second cleaning unit applies a negative charge to the toner on the intermediate transfer belt 8, and the polarity control means for aligning the charging polarity of the toner on the intermediate transfer belt 8 with the normal charging polarity (negative polarity). It also has a function as

  The third cleaning unit is disposed adjacent to the second cleaning unit on the downstream side in the moving direction of the intermediate transfer belt 8, and includes a third cleaning brush roller 121 that electrostatically removes toner charged to a normal charging polarity. It has. Further, a third collecting roller 122 that collects the normally charged toner attached to the third cleaning brush roller 121 and a third scraping blade 123 that contacts the third collecting roller 122 and scrapes the normally charged toner from the roller surface are also provided. Further, a third flicker projection 125 as a brush contact member is also provided. A positive voltage is applied to the third cleaning brush roller 121, and a negative recovery bias greater than that of the third cleaning brush roller 121 is applied to the third recovery roller 122.

  Each of the three cleaning brush rollers (101, 111, 121) includes a metal rotary shaft member that is rotatably supported and a brush portion that includes a plurality of raised brushes erected on the peripheral surface thereof. The outer diameter is φ15 to 16 [mm]. The raised nail has a two-layer core-sheath structure in which the inside is made of a conductive material such as conductive carbon and the surface portion is made of an insulating material such as polyester. As a result, the lead has substantially the same potential as the voltage applied to the cleaning brush roller, and the toner can be electrostatically attracted to the raised surface. As a result, the toner on the intermediate transfer belt 8 is electrostatically attached to the raised hair by the action of the voltage applied to the cleaning brush roller.

  The raising of the three cleaning brush rollers (101, 111, 121) may be composed of only conductive fibers. Moreover, you may make it the so-called oblique hair planted in the attitude | position inclined with respect to the normal line direction of a rotating shaft member. Further, the raised portions of the first cleaning brush roller 101 and the third cleaning brush roller 121 may have a core-sheath structure, while the raised portions of the second cleaning brush roller 111 may be composed of only conductive fibers. By configuring the raised portions of the second cleaning brush roller 111 with only conductive fibers, charge injection from the second cleaning brush roller 111 to the toner is likely to occur. Therefore, the second cleaning brush roller 111 can satisfactorily align the toner on the intermediate transfer belt 8 with negative polarity. On the other hand, the brushing of the first cleaning brush roller 101 and the third cleaning brush roller 121 has a core-sheath structure, so that charge injection into the toner can be suppressed, and the toner on the intermediate transfer belt 8 is charged positively. To suppress. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the first cleaning brush roller 101 and the third cleaning brush roller 121 from generating toner that cannot be removed electrostatically.

  The three cleaning brush rollers (101, 111, 121) are disposed at a position of 1 [mm] biting into the intermediate transfer belt 8, and brushing is performed at the contact position by a driving unit (not shown). It rotates in the direction to move in the direction opposite to the moving direction (counter direction). By moving the raised brush in the counter direction at the contact position, the difference in linear velocity between the cleaning brush roller and the intermediate transfer belt 8 can be increased. This increases the probability of contact with the raised hair until a portion of the intermediate transfer belt 8 passes through the contact range with the cleaning brush roller, and the toner can be removed from the intermediate transfer belt 8 satisfactorily.

  In the present embodiment, stainless steel rollers are used as the first collection roller 102, the second collection roller 112, and the third collection roller 122, respectively. The three collecting rollers may be made of any material as long as the function of transferring the toner adhering to the cleaning brush roller from the brush to the collecting roller by the potential gradient between the raised brush and the collecting roller can be exhibited. For example, the roller resistance is set to log R = 12 to 13 [Ω] by covering a conductive core metal with a high resistance elastic tube of several [μm] to 100 [μm] or further with an insulating coating. May be. In this embodiment, by using stainless steel rollers as the three collection rollers, there is an advantage that the cost can be reduced and applied voltage (collection bias voltage) can be kept low, and power can be saved. On the other hand, by setting the roller resistance to logR = 12 to 13 [Ω], the charge injection into the toner during collection to the collection roller is suppressed, the toner has the same polarity as the polarity of the collection bias, and the toner collection rate is increased. It can suppress that it falls.

The conditions of the three cleaning brush rollers (101, 111, 121) are as follows.
・ Brush material: Conductive polyester (Contains conductive carbon inside the fiber, the fiber surface is polyester, so-called core-sheath structure)
・ Brush resistance: 10 ^6-8 [Ω]
・ Rotary shaft member applied voltage [V]
First cleaning brush roller: +1600 to +2000 [V]
Second cleaning brush roller: -2000 to -2400 [V]
Third cleaning brush roller: +800 to +1200 [V]
・ Brush flocking density: 100,000 [lines / inch ² ]
・ Brush fiber diameter: about 25 to 35 [μm]
-Brush tipping treatment at the brush tip: Yes-Brush diameter φ: 15-16 [mm]

  The applied voltage to the first cleaning brush roller 101 is set so that a good cleaning performance can be obtained when an untransferred toner image having a large amount of toner attached to the intermediate transfer belt 8 is input. Further, the second cleaning brush roller 111 is set high so that electric charge is injected into the toner on the intermediate transfer belt 8. Further, the brush flocking density, brush resistance, fiber diameter, applied voltage, fiber type, and brush fiber biting amount can be optimized by the system, and thus are not limited thereto. Examples of the types of fibers that can be used include nylon, acrylic, and polyester.

The conditions of the three collection rollers (102, 112, 122) are as follows.
・ Recovery roller core material: Stainless steel (SUS303-G8)
-Brush fiber biting amount into the collection roller: 1.5 [mm]
・ Collecting roller cored bar applied voltage (collection bias):
First collection roller: +2000 to +2400 [V]
Second collection roller: -2400 to -2800 [V]
Third collection roller: +1000 to +1400 [V]
The collection roller material, brush fiber entrapment amount, collection bias, and surface roughness Ra can be optimized by the system, and are not limited thereto.

The conditions of the three scraping blades (103, 113, 123) are as follows.
・ Blade contact angle: 20 [°]
・ Blade thickness: 0.1 [mm]
・ Blade biting amount into collection roller: 1.0 [mm]
The blade contact angle, the blade thickness, and the linear pressure on the collection roller can be optimized by the system, and are not limited thereto.

  In FIG. 1 described above, the untransferred toner image or the untransferred toner image that has passed through the secondary transfer nip due to the contact between the secondary transfer roller 18 and the intermediate transfer belt 8 moves along with the movement of the intermediate transfer belt 8. It is conveyed to a position facing the belt cleaning device 100. Then, it enters the contact position with the first cleaning brush roller 101 in FIG. A voltage having a polarity (positive polarity) opposite to the normal charging polarity of the toner is applied to the first cleaning brush roller 101 and is formed by a potential difference between the surface potential of the intermediate transfer belt 8 and the first cleaning brush roller. The negative toner on the intermediate transfer belt 8 is electrostatically attracted and transferred to the first cleaning brush roller 101 by the electric field. The negative polarity toner transferred to the first cleaning brush roller 101 is transferred to a contact position with the first recovery roller 102 to which a positive polarity voltage larger than that of the first cleaning brush roller 101 is applied. Then, the negative toner in the first cleaning brush roller 101 is electrostatically adsorbed by the electric field formed by the potential difference between the surface potential of the first cleaning brush roller 101 and the surface potential of the first recovery roller 102, and is 1 Transfer to the surface of the collecting roller 102. The negative toner transferred to the surface of the first collection roller 102 is scraped off from the surface of the first collection roller 102 by the first scraping blade 103.

  Of the toner on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 8, the toner that has not been removed by the first cleaning brush roller 101 is conveyed to a contact position with the second cleaning brush roller 111 as the intermediate transfer belt 8 moves. A voltage having the same polarity (negative polarity) as the normal charging polarity of the toner is applied to the second cleaning brush roller 111 and is formed by a potential difference between the surface potential of the intermediate transfer belt 8 and the second cleaning brush roller 111. The positive toner on the intermediate transfer belt 8 is electrostatically attracted and transferred to the second cleaning brush roller 111 by the electric field. At the same time, the polarity of the toner on the intermediate transfer belt 8 is made negative by charge injection or discharge. The positive polarity toner that has moved into the second cleaning brush roller 111 is transferred to a contact position with the second recovery roller 112 to which a negative polarity voltage larger than that of the second cleaning brush roller 111 is applied. The positive toner in the second cleaning brush roller 111 is electrostatically adsorbed by the electric field formed by the potential difference between the surface potential of the second cleaning brush roller 111 and the surface potential of the second collection roller 112. 2 Transfer to the surface of the collecting roller 112. The positive toner transferred onto the surface of the second collection roller 112 is scraped off from the surface of the collection roller by the second scraping blade 113.

  The toner whose polarity has been changed from positive polarity to negative polarity by the charge injection from the second cleaning brush roller 111 and the negative polarity toner that could not be removed by the first cleaning brush roller 101 are accompanied by the movement of the intermediate transfer belt 8. The toner is conveyed to a contact position with the third toner cleaning brush roller 121. A very small amount of toner reaches this point and is negatively charged. For this reason, it is easily electrostatically moved into the third cleaning brush roller 121 to which a voltage having a polarity (positive polarity) opposite to the normal charging polarity of the toner is applied. Then, after transferring from the third cleaning brush roller 121 to the third recovery roller 122, the third scraping blade 123 scrapes off the surface of the third recovery roller 122.

  According to the belt cleaning device 100 having such a configuration, first, the first cleaning brush roller 101 roughly removes the negative-polarity toner that covers most of the untransferred toner image, so that the other two cleaning brush rollers ( 111, 121) toner processing amount is greatly reduced. Then, in the second cleaning unit, a large amount of regular charged toner does not hinder the transfer of the reverse charged toner to the second cleaning brush roller 111, so that the reverse charged toner is transferred by the second cleaning brush roller 111.

  Further, the toner conveyed to the third cleaning unit by the movement of the intermediate transfer belt 8 is changed to a very small amount of regular charged toner, so that the toner remaining on the belt surface is reliably removed in the third cleaning unit. be able to.

  In the present embodiment, the polarity of the toner that passes through the second cleaning unit is normalized by injecting a charge of normal polarity (negative polarity) from the second cleaning brush roller 111 to the toner on the belt surface. Although polarity control is performed so as to match the polarity, this polarity control is not necessarily performed.

  The third cleaning unit may be a reversely charged toner cleaning unit, and the second cleaning unit may be a regular charged toner cleaning unit. In this case, the polarity control may be performed to inject the charge of the opposite polarity to the toner that passes through the second cleaning unit, and to align the polarity of the toner to the opposite polarity. The polarity control may not be performed.

  Further, the second cleaning unit may be changed to a toner polarity control unit so that the positive toner on the intermediate transfer belt 8 is not removed. In this case, the polarity of the toner on the intermediate transfer belt 8 that has passed through the position facing the first cleaning brush roller 101 is made negative by the polarity control unit, and then downstream of the polarity control unit in the belt moving direction. It is removed by the adjacent third cleaning section. Examples of means for injecting negative charge into the toner on the intermediate transfer belt 8 by the polarity control unit include a conductive brush, a conductive blade, and a corona charger.

  Further, instead of aligning the charging polarity of the toner to the negative polarity, the toner may be removed by the third cleaning unit adjacent to the polarity control unit downstream in the belt moving direction after being aligned to the positive polarity. In this case, a cleaning brush for applying a negative voltage is disposed in the third cleaning unit to remove the positive toner on the intermediate transfer belt. Even in such a configuration, the toner of the non-transferred toner image is roughly removed from the intermediate transfer belt 8 by the first cleaning brush roller 101 to reduce the amount of processed toner in the polarity control unit. Can be easily aligned. Therefore, the toner on the intermediate transfer belt 8 can be satisfactorily removed in the third cleaning unit adjacent to the polarity control unit on the downstream side in the belt movement direction.

  In each cleaning section, a voltage is applied to the cleaning brush rollers (101, 111, 121) and the collection rollers (102, 112, 122). A metal roller is used as the collection roller, and only the collection roller is used. A voltage may be applied. In this case, a state in which a bias voltage somewhat lower than the recovery bias applied to the recovery roller is applied to the cleaning brush roller in a form through the contact portion with the recovery roller due to a potential drop due to the fiber resistance of the cleaning brush roller. It becomes. Thereby, a potential difference is formed between the collection roller and the cleaning brush roller, and the toner can be electrostatically moved from the cleaning brush roller to the collection roller by a potential gradient in the direction of the collection roller.

  In the first cleaning unit, a first conveyance path for conveying the toner toward the outside of the casing is formed below the first collection roller 102 in the drawing. Similar to the first cleaning brush roller 101 and the first collection roller 102, the first conveyance path extends along a direction parallel to the belt width direction. The toner scraped from 102 is received. The first conveying screw 104 having a rotating shaft member rotatably received by a bearing (not shown) and a spiral blade standing in a spiral manner on the peripheral surface of the first conveying screw 104 follows the direction of the axis thereof. It is arranged in the 1st conveyance way in the posture to make it do. Then, the toner received in the first transport path is transported along the direction by being driven to rotate by a driving unit (not shown). In the example shown in the figure, the toner as an adhering substance is moved toward the outside of the casing by being conveyed from the near side to the far side in the direction orthogonal to the drawing sheet.

  In the second cleaning unit, a second conveyance path for conveying the toner toward the outside of the casing is formed below the second collection roller 112 independently of the first conveyance path. Like the second cleaning brush roller 111 and the second recovery roller 112, the second transport path extends along a direction parallel to the belt width direction, and the second scraping blade 113 performs the second recovery. The toner scraped from the roller 112 is received. The second conveying screw 114 having a rotating shaft member rotatably received by a bearing (not shown) and a spiral blade standing in a spiral shape on the peripheral surface of the second conveying screw 114 follows the direction of the axis thereof. It is arranged in the 2nd conveyance way in the posture to make it do. Then, the toner received in the second transport path is transported along the direction by being driven to rotate by a driving means (not shown). In the example shown in the figure, the toner as an adhering substance is moved toward the outside of the casing by being conveyed from the near side to the far side in the direction orthogonal to the drawing sheet.

  In the third cleaning unit, a third transport path for transporting the toner toward the outside of the casing is independent of the first transport path and the second transport path below the third collection roller 122. Is formed. Like the third cleaning brush roller 121 and the third recovery roller 122, the third transport path extends along a direction parallel to the belt width direction, and the third scraping blade 123 performs the third recovery. The toner scraped from the roller 122 is received. The third conveying screw 124 having a rotating shaft member rotatably received by a bearing (not shown) and a spiral blade standing in a spiral manner on the peripheral surface of the third conveying screw 124 follows the direction of the axis thereof. It is arranged in the 3rd conveyance way in the posture to make it. Then, the toner received in the third transport path is transported along the direction by being driven to rotate by a driving unit (not shown). In the example shown in the figure, the toner as an adhering substance is moved toward the outside of the casing by being conveyed from the near side to the far side in the direction orthogonal to the drawing sheet.

  The cleaning device 100 transports the toner scraped from the belt surface by the three cleaning brush rollers (101, 111, 121), respectively, by the three transport screws (104, 114, 124) and discharges the toner to the outside of the casing. In such a configuration, it is possible to perform the final processing of the toner removed from the belt surface without performing the attaching / detaching operation of the cleaning device 100 having a complicated structure, thereby improving the maintainability.

  The first transport path is disposed to correspond to the first cleaning brush roller 101, the second transport path is disposed to correspond to the second cleaning brush roller 111, and the third transport path is the third cleaning brush. The rollers 121 are disposed so as to correspond to the rollers 121. These conveyance paths are for individually conveying the toner individually scraped from the belt surface by the three cleaning brush rollers toward the outside of the casing. By individually transporting the toner scraped off from the belt surface by the three cleaning brush rollers, it is not necessary to move the toner by its own weight along the taper surface of the casing and collect it at one place. In such a configuration, since the toner is not moved along the tapered surface for a long distance, the formation of a toner lump on the tapered surface is avoided, and the reverse transfer of the toner from the cleaning device 100 to the belt surface is generated. Can be suppressed.

  Further, in the case where the regular charged toner and the reversely charged toner on the belt surface are individually removed as in the belt cleaning device 100 according to the present embodiment, the electrostatic charges of the both are individually conveyed. Generation of a toner lump due to adsorption can be avoided.

Next, a characteristic configuration of the printer according to the embodiment will be described.
FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the first cleaning unit in the belt cleaning apparatus 100. In the drawing, the first flicker projection 105 passes through a contact position with the intermediate transfer belt 8 in the entire circumferential direction of the brush roller portion of the first cleaning brush roller 101, and then the first collection roller 102 serving as a collection member. It is arrange | positioned so that it may contact the area | region before approaching a contact position. Then, after the brush raising is temporarily bent, the transfer that is trapped in the brush is performed by performing a swinging operation that returns the raising that has passed through the contact position with itself to the original posture at once by the strength of the waist. Shake off the remaining toner from the brush.

  It is assumed that a large amount of transfer residual toner has entered between the first cleaning brush roller 101 and the intermediate transfer belt 8 and that a large amount of toner has been captured in the brush. As a result, most of the toner particles in the toner are not directly in contact with the brushed surface of the brush and are sandwiched between other toner particles. When the raised fluffing operation is performed by the first flicker protrusion 105, most of the toner particles that are not directly in contact with the raised surface among the toner particles captured in the brush are shaken off from the brush. For this reason, the brush portion after passing through the contact position with the first flicker protrusion 105 is in a state of leaving only a small amount of deposits that are in direct contact with the surface of the raised hair. The brush portion in such a state enters the contact position with the first recovery roller 101 before entering the contact position with the intermediate transfer belt 8 as the first cleaning brush roller 101 rotates. The first collection roller 102 is applied from the inside of the brush by applying an electrostatic force exceeding the adhesion force to the raised hair by the electric field formed by the potential difference between the first collecting roller 101 to which the collection bias is applied and the raised hair. Transfer to the surface. At this time, in the brush where only a few toner particles that are in direct contact with the brushed surface are left, the remaining few toner particles hardly inhibit movement due to friction with other toner particles. Without receiving, it smoothly moves in the brush and transfers well to the surface of the first collection roller 102. Therefore, the toner can be recovered more favorably from within the brush than in the conventional case where a large amount of deposits remain in the brush after the recovery process by the recovery roller.

  In FIG. 3, a circle drawn with a dotted line labeled C <b> 1 is a virtual circular orbit that is concentric with the rotary shaft member of the first cleaning brush roller 101 and passes through the tip position of the first flicker protrusion 105. Further, a straight line drawn by a one-dot chain line labeled with L1 is a tangent line in contact with the virtual circular orbit C1 at the tip position of the first flicker projection 105. At the brush portion where the brushing movement occurs due to the contact with the first flicker protrusion 105, most of the toner in the brush is blown from the right side to the left side in the drawing along the trajectory on the tangent L1. As shown in the figure, since the tangent line L1 intersects the surface of the first collection roller 102, most of the toner blown out from the brush by the brushing motion of the brushing adheres to the surface of the first collection roller 102. . As described above, in the printer according to the embodiment, the layout is made so that the tangent line L1 intersects the surface of the first recovery roller 102, so that most of the toner that has been blown out from the brush by the brushing movement of the first recovery roller. It can be adhered to the surface of the roller 102.

  The tangent line L1 intersects the following region in the entire area in the circumferential direction of the surface of the first collection roller 102. That is, it is an area before entering the contact position with the first scraping blade 103 that scrapes the toner from its surface after passing through the contact position with the first cleaning brush roller 101. For this reason, of the entire area in the circumferential direction of the surface of the first collection roller 102, the area where the toner that has been blown out from the brush due to the fluffing operation of the raised brush is attached to the first cleaning roller 102 as the first collection roller 102 rotates. Prior to entering the contact position with the brush roller 101, the contact position with the first scraping blade 103 is entered. Then, after the toner on the surface is scraped off by the first scraping blade 103, it enters the contact position with the first cleaning brush roller 101. In such a configuration, the toner that is blown from the brush by the brushing operation and adhered to the surface of the first collection roller 102 does not reversely transfer to the first cleaning brush roller 101, and the first collection roller 102 Can be scraped off the surface.

  The first flicker projection 105 is integrally formed on the inner wall of the casing containing the first cleaning brush roller 101 and the first recovery roller 102 by a known molding method. In such a configuration, the work of assembling the first flicker projection 105 to the inner wall of the casing can be omitted, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the apparatus for explaining the distance between the brush tip and the inner wall of the casing around the first flicker protrusion. In the figure, G1 indicates the distance between the region immediately after passing through the contact position with the first flicker projection 105 in the circumferential direction of the brush roller portion of the first cleaning brush roller 101 and the inner wall of the casing. ing. G2 indicates the distance between the region immediately before entering the contact position with the first flicker projection 105 and the inner wall of the casing in the entire area. In the printer according to the embodiment, as can be clearly seen from the drawing, the distance G1 is larger than the distance G2. By doing so, the capacity of the space between the brush tip and the casing inner wall on the downstream side in the brush rotation direction with respect to the first flicker protrusion 105 (hereinafter referred to as the flicker downstream space) is made larger than that of the first flicker protrusion 105. It is larger than the capacity of the space (hereinafter referred to as flicker upstream space) between the brush tip and the casing inner wall on the upstream side in the brush rotation direction. In such a configuration, the toner remaining in the flicker upstream space is smoothly moved from the flicker upstream space to the flicker downstream space by being put on the air flow generated by the fluffing motion of the raised hair. As a result, an increase in staying toner in the flicker upstream space can be suppressed.

  FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the apparatus for explaining the collection roller biting amount and the protrusion biting amount. In the figure, K1 indicates the amount of protrusion biting that is the amount of biting of the first flicker protrusion 105 with respect to the brush roller portion of the first cleaning brush roller 101. The protrusion biting amount K1 is specifically the distance from the outer edge of the brush roller portion to the tip of the first flicker protrusion 105. Further, K2 indicates a collection roller biting amount that is a biting amount of the first collection roller 102 with respect to the brush roller portion. Specifically, the collection roller biting amount K2 is a value obtained by subtracting the distance between the axes of both rollers from the sum of the radius of the first cleaning brush roller 101 and the radius of the first collection roller 101.

  In the printer according to the embodiment, the protrusion biting amount K1 is set to a value equal to or smaller than the collection roller biting amount K2. In such a configuration, even if the brush raising of the brush occurs during the process of repeatedly contacting and separating from the first flicker projection 105 over a long period of time, the raising with the hair falling is first recovered. The roller 102 is surely brought into contact. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of poor toner collection from the brush due to hair folds.

Next, printers according to the respective examples in which a more characteristic configuration is added to the printer according to the embodiment will be described. Note that the configuration of the printer according to each example is the same as that of the embodiment unless otherwise specified.
[First embodiment]
In the printer according to the first embodiment, the following layout is adopted instead of the layout in which the tangent line L1 described above intersects the surface of the first collection roller 102. That is, the layout intersects the surface of the first conveying screw 104. In such a configuration, most of the toner that has been blown out from the brush due to the fluffing operation of the brush is dropped directly onto the first conveying screw 104, thereby improving the toner collection efficiency compared to the case where it is dropped indirectly. be able to.

[Second Embodiment]
6A and 6B are a side view and a partial front view showing the first flicker projection 105 of the printer according to the second embodiment. As shown in the drawing, the first flicker projection 105 is provided with a plurality of through-holes 105a. These through-holes 105a receive the toner staying in the above-described flicker upstream space and move it to the above-described flicker downstream space. As a result, an increase in staying toner in the flicker upstream space can be suppressed.

  So far, in the embodiment and each example, the first cleaning unit has been described in detail, but the same configuration as the first cleaning unit is adopted for the second cleaning unit and the third cleaning unit. Further, the belt cleaning apparatus 100 for cleaning the intermediate transfer belt as the member to be cleaned has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to a configuration in which a member different from the intermediate transfer member such as a photosensitive member is used as the member to be cleaned. is there. Further, the belt cleaning apparatus 100 provided with three cleaning brush rollers has been described, but the present invention can be applied to a configuration in which only two cleaning members or four or more cleaning members are provided.

  As described above, in the belt cleaning apparatus 100 according to the embodiment, the first recovery is performed on the tangent line L1 at the same tip position with respect to the virtual circular path C1 that is concentric with the first cleaning brush roller 101 and passes through the tip position of the first flicker projection 105. A layout that intersects the surface of the roller 102 is adopted. In this configuration, as described above, most of the toner that has been blown out from the brush by the brushing motion can be attached to the surface of the first collection roller 102.

  Further, in the belt cleaning apparatus 100 according to the embodiment, after passing through the contact position with the brush roller portion of the first cleaning roller 101 in the entire area in the circumferential direction of the surface of the first collection roller 201, the scraping member is used. A tangent line L <b> 1 intersects the region before entering the contact position with the first scraping blade 103. In such a configuration, as described above, the toner that has been blown from the brush by the brushing motion and adhered to the surface of the first recovery roller 102 does not reversely transfer to the first cleaning brush roller 101, and the 1 It is possible to scrape off the surface of the collecting roller 102.

  Further, in the belt cleaning apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment, a first conveying screw 104 is provided as a conveying member that conveys toner as adhering matter separated from the surface of the first recovery roller 102. The layout is such that the tangent line L1 at the tip position with respect to the virtual circular path C1 that is concentric with the rotation shaft member of the first cleaning brush roller 101 and passes through the tip position of the first flicker projection 105 intersects the surface of the first conveying screw 104. Is adopted. In such a configuration, as described above, most of the toner that has been blown from the brush by the brushing motion of the brush is dropped directly onto the first conveying screw 104, compared with the case where the toner is dropped indirectly. The recovery efficiency can be improved.

  In the belt cleaning device 100 according to the embodiment, the first flicker protrusion 105 is integrally formed on the inner wall of the casing that contains the first cleaning brush roller 101 and the first recovery roller 102. In such a configuration, as already described, the work of assembling the first flicker projection 105 to the casing inner wall can be omitted, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  Further, in the belt cleaning device 100 according to the embodiment, the region immediately after passing through the contact position with the first flicker protrusion 105 in the circumferential direction of the brush roller portion of the first cleaning brush roller 101 and the casing. The distance G1 with the inner wall is set larger than the distance G2 between the region immediately before entering the contact position with the first flicker projection 105 and the inner wall of the casing. In this configuration, as described above, the toner staying in the flicker upstream space is smoothly moved from the flicker upstream space to the flicker downstream space on the airflow generated by the fluffing motion. As a result, an increase in staying toner in the flicker upstream space can be suppressed.

  In the belt cleaning apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment, the toner staying in the vicinity of the first flicker projection 105 and upstream of the first flicker projection 105 in the brush roller rotation direction is received, and the first A through-hole 105 a for moving to a position downstream of the flicker protrusion 105 in the brush roller rotation direction is provided in the first flicker protrusion 105. With such a configuration, it is possible to suppress an increase in staying toner in the flicker upstream space.

  In the belt cleaning device 100 according to the embodiment, the protrusion biting amount K1 that is the biting amount of the first flicker protrusion 105 with respect to the brush roller portion of the first cleaning brush roller 101 is set to the first collection roller 102 with respect to the brush roller portion. The recovery roller biting amount K2, which is the amount of biting in, is equal to or less than that. In such a configuration, as described above, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of poor toner collection from the brush due to hair folds.

8: Intermediate transfer belt (object to be cleaned, image carrier)
101: First cleaning brush roller (cleaning member)
102: 1st collection | recovery roller (collection member)
103: First scraping blade (scraping member)
104: 1st conveyance screw (conveyance member)
105: First flicker protrusion (brush contact member)
111: Second cleaning brush roller (cleaning member)
112: Second collection roller (collection member)
113: Second scraping blade (scraping member)
114: 2nd conveyance screw (conveyance member)
115: Second flicker protrusion (brush contact member)
121: Third cleaning brush roller (cleaning member)
122: Third collection roller (collection member)
123: Third scraping blade (scraping member)
124: Third conveying screw (conveying member)

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-81077

Claims (9)

A brush roller portion comprising a rotatable rotating shaft member and a plurality of raised brushes erected on the peripheral surface of the rotating shaft member, and scrapes adhered matter adhering to the surface of the object to be cleaned by the brush roller portion. A cleaning brush roller;
A recovery member that rotates while contacting the brush roller portion in a state where a recovery bias is applied, thereby transferring the collected matter in the brush roller portion onto its own surface and recovering it,
A brush contact member disposed so as to come into contact with a region moved to a predetermined rotational position in the circumferential direction of the brush roller portion;
The brush is temporarily bent at the contact position between the brush roller portion and the brush contact member, and then the brush that has passed through the contact position is returned to the original posture at once by the strength of the waist, thereby the brush In the cleaning device that shakes off the adhered matter captured in the roller part from the brush roller part,
The brush contact member is brought into contact with the region before entering the contact position with the recovery member after passing through the contact position with the object to be cleaned among the entire region in the circumferential direction of the brush roller portion. A cleaning device. The cleaning device according to claim 1.
A cleaning apparatus, wherein a layout is adopted in which a tangent at the tip position with respect to a virtual circular orbit that is concentric with the rotating shaft member and passes through the tip position of the brush contact member intersects the surface of the recovery member. The cleaning device according to claim 2.
Of the entire region in the circumferential direction of the surface of the recovery member, after passing through the contact position with the brush roller portion, the region before entering the contact position with the scraping member that scrapes the deposit from the surface A cleaning device characterized by crossing the tangent lines. The cleaning device according to claim 1.
While providing a transport member for transporting the deposits detached from the surface of the recovery member,
A cleaning apparatus, wherein a layout is adopted in which a tangent at the tip position with respect to a virtual circular orbit that is concentric with the rotating shaft member and passes through the tip position of the brush contact member intersects the surface of the transport member. In the cleaning apparatus in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 4,
A cleaning apparatus, wherein the brush contact member is integrally formed on an inner wall of a casing that encloses the cleaning brush roller and the recovery member. The cleaning device according to claim 5.
Of the entire region in the circumferential direction of the brush roller portion, the distance between the region immediately after passing the contact position with the brush contact member and the inner wall of the casing,
The cleaning device, wherein the distance between the region immediately before entering the contact position with the brush contact member and the inner wall of the casing is greater than the entire region in the circumferential direction of the brush roller portion. The cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A position in the vicinity of the brush contact member and a position downstream of the brush contact member in the rotational direction by receiving the deposit staying at a position upstream of the brush contact member in the rotational direction of the cleaning brush roller. A cleaning device, wherein a through-hole for moving the brush is provided in the brush contact member. The cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The cleaning device, wherein the amount of biting of the brush contact member with respect to the brush roller portion is equal to or less than the amount of biting of the collecting member with respect to the brush roller portion. An image carrier that carries a toner image, a toner image forming unit that forms a toner image on the surface of the image carrier, and a cleaning that scrapes off and removes toner that is adhering to the surface of the image carrier. An image forming apparatus comprising:
An image forming apparatus using the cleaning apparatus according to claim 1 as the cleaning apparatus.

Images