JP2013057703A - Cleaning device, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cleaning device that requires less maintenance costs for the cleaning device than before.SOLUTION: A cleaning device is configured to include: a first unit that causes a first upper sub-unit casing 106c to hold a first cleaning brush roller 102, a first recovery roller 103, and a first scraping-off blade 104; and a second unit that causes a first lower sub-unit casing 106d to hold a first screw 105. The first scraping-off blade 104 is further configured to be attached to the periphery of the first upper sub-unit casing 106c.

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaning device that cleans deposits adhering to the surface of an object to be cleaned, and an image forming apparatus including the cleaning device.

  In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, or a printer, a toner image is transferred from an image carrier such as a latent image carrier or an intermediate transfer belt onto a transfer target, and then adhered to the surface of the image carrier. The transfer residual toner, which is a deposit, is removed by a cleaning device. Various cleaning apparatuses have been conventionally proposed as cleaning apparatuses included in the image forming apparatus.

  For example, Patent Document 1 describes an image forming apparatus including the following cleaning device. In this image forming apparatus, a transfer nip is formed by bringing a transfer roller into contact with an intermediate transfer belt as an image carrier. Then, the toner image formed on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt is transferred to a recording paper sandwiched between transfer nips. On the surface of the intermediate transfer belt after passing through the transfer nip, a small amount of untransferred toner that has not been transferred to the recording paper is adhered. The transfer residual toner is removed from the belt surface by a cleaning device. The cleaning device includes a first cleaning member (cleaning brush roller) as a cleaning member, and a second cleaning member provided downstream of the first cleaning member in the intermediate transfer belt surface movement direction. doing.

  The first cleaning member and the second cleaning member rotate while contacting the surface of the intermediate transfer belt, which is the object to be cleaned, to scrape off the transfer residual toner from the surface of the intermediate transfer belt. The transfer residual toner scraped off by each cleaning member is collected by a corresponding collecting member (collecting roll) and scraped off from the collecting member by a scraping member (scraper). That is, a first unit (brush cleaning mechanism) having a first cleaning member, a corresponding recovery member, and a scraping member, and a second unit having a second cleaning member, a corresponding recovery member, and a scraping member. The untransferred toner is removed from the surface of the intermediate transfer belt by the two units. In the configuration described in Patent Document 1, the first unit and the second unit are held by the same holding body (accommodated in the housing).

  With this configuration, even if the transfer residual toner that cannot be completely removed from the surface of the intermediate transfer belt is generated in the first unit, it can be removed by the second unit. Therefore, even when a large amount of toner needs to be removed, such as when it is necessary to remove not only the transfer residual toner but also the toner image itself due to the occurrence of jammed paper, the large amount of toner is cleaned well. It can be done.

  However, the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1 has a problem of increasing the maintenance cost of the cleaning device for the following reason. Among the constituent parts of each unit, the cleaning member is increased in resistance and reduced in outer diameter with repeated use due to toner removal, contact rotation with the intermediate transfer belt, and contact rotation with the metal recovery member. . As a result, the service life is often reached earlier than the recovery member. The scraping member also wears due to scraping of the toner from the collecting member and contact with the collecting member, and the wear progresses while it is used. Many times it will reach its end of life.

  In the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the cleaning member and the scraping member are held by the same holder as the collection member. Therefore, when either the cleaning member or the scraping member reaches the end of its life, it is necessary to disassemble the holder and replace the member that has reached its end of life or replace the entire cleaning device with a new one. When the holder is disassembled, the maintenance cost may increase due to the following reasons. That is, in this case, it may be necessary to remove not only the members that have reached the end of their life but also the plurality of members of each unit. After exchanging a member that has reached the end of its life, the removed part is attached to the holding body again, and after adjusting the position of all the members, the work of assembling the holding body to the image forming apparatus is required. . Because of these operations, depending on the configuration of the cleaning device, the cost of maintenance becomes higher when the holder is disassembled than when the parts that have reached the end of their life are replaced without disassembling the holder. Also, when replacing the entire cleaning device with a new one, other members that are still in a fully usable state will also be replaced, so that maintenance costs will be lower than replacing only parts that have reached the end of their service life. High cost.

  In addition, the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1 has a configuration in which the removed transfer residual toner is accommodated in the holding body. Conventionally, the removed transfer residual toner is removed from the cleaning device using a conveyance member such as a conveyance screw. That is, a configuration in which the toner is accommodated in a waste toner container or the like provided separately from the holding body has become widespread. The conveying member used in such a configuration often has a longer life than the cleaning member or the scraping member. However, in the configuration in which the conveying member is also held by the same holding body, when either the cleaning member or the scraping member reaches the end of its life, the holder is disassembled and the member that has reached the end of life is replaced. The conveying member may also need to be removed and assembled. Further, when the entire cleaning device is replaced with a new one, the conveying member is also replaced together. Therefore, when replacing a part that has reached the end of its life, the number of parts that are removed and assembled or replaced together with the part that has reached the end of its life will increase, further increasing the maintenance cost. .

  As described above, the problems that occur in the cleaning device that cleans the intermediate transfer belt as the image carrier have been described. However, not only the intermediate transfer belt but also a configuration of a cleaning apparatus using a latent image carrier such as a photoconductor as an image carrier to be cleaned can cause the same problem.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device that can reduce the maintenance cost of the cleaning device as compared with the conventional art.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is a cleaning member that cleans deposits adhering to the surface of the object to be cleaned while abutting the surface of the object to be cleaned, and the cleaning member A collecting member that collects the deposits cleaned by the cleaning member, a scraping member that scrapes off the deposits collected by the collecting member, and an attachment scraped off by the scraping member. In a cleaning device including a first transport member that transports a kimono, a first unit that holds the cleaning member, the recovery member, and the scraping member on a first holding body, and the first transport member The second unit held by the two holding bodies, and the scraping member is attached to the outer peripheral portion of the first holding body. It is an butterfly.
In the present invention, the cleaning member and the scraping member, which are members that are likely to reach the end of their service life, are different from the second unit in which the first holding member having a longer life is held by the second holding body. It is held by the first holding body of the first unit. Therefore, if at least the first unit and the second unit are separated, a member that is likely to reach the end of its life is removed from the first holding body and replaced without removing the first transport member from the second holding body. Becomes easy.
If the recovery member is disposed at a position where it can contact the cleaning member so that the adhered matter cleaned from the cleaning member can be recovered, and the scraping member can be contacted with the recovery member so that the adhered matter recovered from the recovery member can be scraped off. good. Therefore, these members are arranged at positions that do not hinder removal of the cleaning member when the size of the opening is configured so that the cleaning member can be removed from the opening that contacts the surface of the object to be cleaned. It is possible. In this way, by configuring the size of the opening and the arrangement position of other members to be held by the first holding body, only the cleaning member is removed and replaced from the opening of the first holding body of the removed first unit. it can. Therefore, it becomes easy to remove and replace only the cleaning member from the first holding body without removing the collecting member and the scraping member that have not yet reached the end of their life from the first holding body of the first unit.
In addition, since the scraping member is attached to the outer peripheral portion of the first holding body, for example, it is possible to loosen the mounting screw and remove only the scraping member from the first holding body of the removed first unit and replace it. Therefore, it is easy to remove the replacement member from the first holding body and replace it with the scraping member without removing the recovery member and the cleaning member that have not yet reached the end of their life from the first holding body of the first unit.
Therefore, when performing maintenance, in order to replace a part that has reached the end of its life as in the past, the member that has reached the end of its life by disassembling the holder is replaced and a plurality of members are removed and assembled, Instead of replacing the entire cleaning device, it is possible to replace only the member that has reached the end of its life and leave the member that has not reached the end of its life for use.

According to the present invention, when maintenance is performed, only members that have reached the end of their life are replaced, and members that have not reached their end of life can be used as they are.
Therefore, it is possible to provide a cleaning device that can reduce the maintenance cost of the cleaning device as compared with the conventional case.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a main part of a printer according to an embodiment. The enlarged block diagram which expands and shows a belt cleaning apparatus and its periphery. The expanded block diagram which shows the 1st subunit of a belt cleaning apparatus. The expanded block diagram which shows the 2nd subunit of a belt cleaning apparatus. The expanded block diagram which shows the 3rd subunit of a belt cleaning apparatus. The perspective view which showed the 1st subunit from the one end side of the longitudinal direction. The perspective view which showed the belt cleaning apparatus from the one end side of the longitudinal direction. The side view which showed the main frame of the subunit holding body of the belt cleaning apparatus from the one end side of the longitudinal direction. The side view which showed the side plate of the subunit holding body from the back surface side. The top view which showed the transfer unit from the upper part. The perspective view which showed the transfer unit from the one end side of a roller axial direction.

  Hereinafter, as an embodiment of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied, a so-called tandem 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 illustrating a main part of the printer according to the present embodiment. 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 respectively have photoreceptors 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K that are drum-shaped latent image carriers. 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 intermediate cleaning belt 8 is sandwiched between the first cleaning counter roller 13 disposed inside the belt loop and the first cleaning brush roller 102 of the belt cleaning device 100 disposed outside the belt loop. Thus, the first cleaning nip is formed by the first cleaning counter roller 13 and the first cleaning brush roller 102 with the intermediate transfer belt 8 interposed therebetween. Further, the second cleaning counter roller 14 disposed inside the belt loop sandwiches the intermediate transfer belt 8 between the second cleaning brush roller 112 of the belt cleaning device 100 disposed outside the belt loop. Thus, the second cleaning nip is formed by the second cleaning counter roller 14 and the second cleaning brush roller 112 with the intermediate transfer belt 8 interposed therebetween. Further, the third cleaning facing roller 15 disposed inside the belt loop sandwiches the intermediate transfer belt 8 between the third cleaning brush roller 122 of the belt cleaning device 100 disposed outside the belt loop. Thus, the third cleaning nip is formed by the third cleaning counter roller 15 and the third cleaning brush roller 122 with the intermediate transfer belt 8 interposed therebetween. 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. As described above, the printer includes the lubricant application device 200, but may be provided as appropriate 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. Thereafter, the charge is removed by a charge removal lamp (not shown) and then charged uniformly by the charging devices 2Y, 2M, 2C, and 2K to prepare 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. As shown in FIG. 2, the belt cleaning apparatus 100 includes three cleaning members: a first cleaning brush roller 102, a second cleaning brush roller 112, and a third cleaning brush roller 122. A second cleaning brush roller 112 is provided adjacent to the downstream side of the first cleaning brush roller 102 in the belt moving direction. A third cleaning brush roller 122 is provided adjacent to the downstream side of the second cleaning brush roller 112 in the belt moving direction.

  The first cleaning brush roller 102 roughly removes the transfer residual toner that is a deposit on the intermediate transfer belt 8 that is the object to be cleaned and the toner that forms the toner image carried on the intermediate transfer belt 8 when jammed paper is generated. It is intended to be removed. It has a metal rotating shaft member and a brush roller portion made up of a plurality of conductive fibers standing on the peripheral surface of the rotating shaft member, and contacts the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 8 after passing through the secondary transfer nip. A first cleaning nip is formed in contact therewith. A first cleaning bias having a polarity (plus in this example) opposite to the normal charging polarity of toner (minus in this example) is applied to the rotating shaft member of the first cleaning brush roller 102 by a power source (not shown). Most of the transfer residual toner adhering to the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 8 after passing through the secondary transfer nip is mostly the first cleaning brush roller due to the electrostatic force and the physical scraping effect by the first cleaning bias. It is captured in the brush roller section 102. However, some toner may not be completely removed and may remain on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 8. Then, from the bottom of the drawing of the first cleaning brush roller 102, the first recovery roller 103, which is a recovery member of the toner captured in the brush roller portion, contacts the first cleaning brush roller 102 to form a first recovery nip. Yes.

  A first recovery bias having a polarity opposite to the normal charging polarity of the toner and having an absolute value larger than that of the first cleaning bias is applied to the first recovery roller 103. The toner in the brush roller portion of the first cleaning brush roller 102 is transferred from the brush to the surface of the first recovery roller 103 by the electrostatic force due to the first recovery bias. The toner transferred to the surface of the first recovery roller 103 in this way is scraped off from the roller surface by the first scraping blade 104 which is a scraping member in contact with the first recovery roller 103. Note that a first scraping bias having a polarity opposite to the normal charging polarity of the toner and having an absolute value larger than the first recovery bias may be applied to the first scraping blade 104. The toner scraped off from the surface of the first recovery roller 103 is moved outside the belt cleaning device 100 by the rotational drive of the first screw 105 that functions as a first transport member that transports the toner scraped off by the scraping member. Discharged.

  Further, toner that has not been transferred from the first cleaning brush roller 102 to the first recovery roller 103 is scattered in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 2 as follows. As the first cleaning brush roller 102 rotates, it flies in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 2 due to flicking at the nip portion where the first cleaning brush roller 102 and the first recovery roller 103 are in contact. The toner scattered in the A direction is conveyed by the rotational drive of the second screw 115 functioning as a second conveying member provided in the scattered direction, and is discharged to the outside of the belt cleaning device 100. Here, in this printer, when the entire solid image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 8 enters the first cleaning nip without secondary transfer due to a jam, about 90% is obtained. A first cleaning bias, a nip width, and the like are set so that the first cleaning brush roller 102 can remove them.

  The second cleaning brush roller 112 is for removing the reversely charged toner that is charged to a polarity opposite to the normal charged polarity from the transfer residual toner that cannot be completely removed by the first cleaning brush roller 102. . It has a metal rotating shaft member and a brush roller portion made of a plurality of conductive fibers erected on the peripheral surface of the metal rotating shaft member, and on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 8 after passing through the first cleaning nip. A second cleaning nip is formed by contact. A second cleaning bias having the same polarity as the normal charging polarity of the toner is applied to the rotating shaft member of the second cleaning brush roller 112 by a power source (not shown). Of the transfer residual toner that could not be completely removed by the first cleaning brush roller 102, the reversely charged toner is contained in the brush roller portion of the second cleaning brush roller 112 due to the electrostatic force and physical scraping effect by the second cleaning bias. Be captured. Then, from the bottom of the drawing of the second cleaning brush roller 112, the second collection roller 113, which is a collection member of the toner trapped in the brush roller portion, contacts the second cleaning brush roller 112 to form a second collection nip. Yes.

  A second recovery bias having the same polarity as the normal charging polarity of the toner and having an absolute value larger than the second cleaning bias is applied to the second recovery roller 113. The toner in the brush roller portion of the second cleaning brush roller 112 is transferred from the brush to the surface of the second recovery roller 113 by the electrostatic force due to the second recovery bias. The toner transferred to the surface of the second recovery roller 113 in this way is scraped off from the roller surface by the second scraping blade 114 which is a scraping member in contact with the second recovery roller 113. Note that a second scraping bias having the same polarity as the normal charging polarity of the toner and having an absolute value larger than the second recovery bias may be applied to the second scraping blade 114. The toner scraped off from the surface of the second recovery roller 113 is moved to the outside of the belt cleaning device 100 by the rotational drive of the second screw 115 that functions as a first transport member that transports the toner scraped off by the scraping member. Discharged. Further, as described above, the second screw 115 also discharges the toner scattered by the flicking at the nip portion between the first cleaning brush roller 102 and the first recovery roller 103 to the outside.

  Further, the toner that has not been transferred from the second cleaning brush roller 112 to the second recovery roller 113 is scattered in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 2 as follows. As the second cleaning brush roller 112 rotates, it flies in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 2 by flicking at the nip portion where the second cleaning brush roller 112 and the second collection roller 113 are in contact with each other. The toner scattered in the B direction is conveyed by the rotational drive of the third screw 125 that functions as a second conveying member provided in the scattered direction, and is discharged to the outside of the belt cleaning device 100.

  The third cleaning brush roller 122 is for removing the toner charged to the regular charging polarity from the toner that could not be completely removed by the first cleaning brush roller 102. It has a metal rotating shaft member and a brush roller portion made of a plurality of conductive fibers erected on the peripheral surface of the metal rotating shaft member, on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 8 after passing through the second cleaning nip. A third cleaning nip is formed by contact. A third cleaning bias having a polarity opposite to the normal charging polarity of the toner is applied to the rotating shaft member of the third cleaning brush roller 122 by a power source (not shown). Of the transfer residual toner that could not be completely removed by the first cleaning brush roller 102, the normally charged toner is in the brush roller portion of the third cleaning brush roller 122 due to the electrostatic force and the physical scraping effect by the third cleaning bias. Be captured. Then, from the lower side of the third cleaning brush roller 122 in the figure, the third recovery roller 123, which is a recovery member of the toner trapped in the brush roller portion, contacts the third cleaning brush roller 122 to form a third recovery nip. Yes.

  A third recovery bias having a polarity opposite to the normal charging polarity of the toner and having an absolute value larger than that of the third cleaning bias is applied to the third recovery roller 123. The toner in the brush roller portion of the third cleaning brush roller 122 is transferred from the brush to the surface of the third recovery roller 123 by the electrostatic force due to the third recovery bias. The toner transferred to the surface of the third recovery roller 123 in this way is scraped off from the roller surface by the third scraping blade 124 that is a scraping member in contact with the third recovery roller 123. A third scraping bias having a polarity opposite to the normal charging polarity of the toner and having an absolute value larger than the third recovery bias may be applied to the third scraping blade 124. The toner scraped off from the surface of the third recovery roller 123 is moved to the outside of the belt cleaning device 100 by the rotational drive of the third screw 125 that functions as a first transport member that transports the toner scraped off by the scraping member. Discharged. Further, as described above, the third screw 125 also discharges the toner scattered by the flicking at the nip portion between the second cleaning brush roller 112 and the second recovery roller 113 to the outside.

  Further, the toner that has not been transferred from the third cleaning brush roller 122 to the third recovery roller 123 is scattered in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 2 as follows. As the third cleaning brush roller 122 rotates, it flies in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 2 by flicking at the nip portion where the third cleaning brush roller 122 and the third recovery roller 123 are in contact. The toner scattered in the C direction is conveyed by the rotational drive of the fourth screw 135 provided in the scattered direction, and is discharged to the outside of the belt cleaning device 100.

  In the three cleaning brush rollers (102, 112, 122), the diameter of the brush roller portion is about 15 to 30 [mm]. The conductive fiber of each brush roller portion has a two-layer core-sheath structure, the core portion is made of a conductive material such as conductive carbon, and the surface portion is covered with an insulating material such as polyester. As a result, the core portion has substantially the same potential as the voltage applied to the cleaning brush roller, and the toner can be electrostatically attracted to the surface of the conductive fiber. As a result, the toner on the intermediate transfer belt 8 is electrostatically attached to the surface of the conductive fiber by the action of the voltage applied to the cleaning brush roller. Instead of the core-sheath structure conductive fiber, a conductive fiber consisting only of the conductive portion may be used. 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, only the first cleaning brush roller 102 and the third cleaning brush roller 122 may be made of conductive fibers having a core-sheath structure, and the second cleaning brush roller 112 may be made of conductive fibers made of only a conductive portion. . By using only the second cleaning brush roller 112 for cleaning the reversely charged toner as the conductive fiber having only the conductive portion, it is possible to easily inject the charge of the normal charge polarity from the brush to the toner in the second cleaning nip. Because. On the other hand, in the first cleaning nip and the third cleaning nip, by making the conductive fiber have a core-sheath structure, charge injection into the toner can be suppressed and reverse charging of the toner can be suppressed.

  Further, the three cleaning brush rollers (102, 112, 122) are respectively bited into the intermediate transfer belt 8 by a biting amount of 1 [mm]. Here, the biting amount is obtained by subtracting the distance between the center of the cleaning backup roller and the center of the cleaning brush roller from the sum of the radius of the cleaning backup roller, the radius of the cleaning brush roller, and the thickness of the intermediate transfer belt 8. Value. The rotation direction of each cleaning brush roller is set to a so-called counter direction that moves the brush surface in the cleaning nip in the direction opposite to the belt. By moving the conductive fibers of the respective brush roller portions in the counter direction in each cleaning nip, the difference in linear velocity between the two can be increased and the toner scraping effect can be increased.

  As the first collection roller 103, the second collection roller 113, and the third collection roller 123, stainless steel rollers in which a shaft member and a roller portion are integrally formed of stainless steel were used. These recovery rollers are made of any material as long as the function of transferring the toner trapped in the cleaning brush roller from the brush to the roller surface by the potential difference between the conductive fibers of the brush and the recovery roller can be exhibited. It doesn't matter. For example, the surface of the conductive metal core is covered with a high resistance elastic tube having a thickness of about several hundreds [μm], and further an insulating coating layer is coated thereon, so that the roller resistance is logR = 12-13. It may be adjusted to about [Ω]. However, by using a stainless steel roller, the cost of the roller can be reduced, and the running cost can be reduced by keeping the applied voltage low. On the other hand, with a roller whose resistance is adjusted to log R = 12 to 13 [Ω], the charge injection into the toner in the collection nip is suppressed, and the collection efficiency is lowered by the charge-up of the toner caused by the charge injection. The occurrence of the situation can be suppressed.

The setting conditions of the three cleaning brush rollers (102, 112, 122) 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: 106-8 [Ω]
・ Rotary shaft member applied voltage [V]
First cleaning bias: +1600 to +2000 [V]
Second cleaning bias: −2000 to −2400 [V]
Third cleaning bias: +800 to +1200 [V]
・ Brush flocking density: 100,000 [lines / inch ² ]
-Diameter of conductive fiber: about 25-35 [μm]
-Brush tipping treatment: Yes-Brush diameter φ: 15-30 [mm] (second and third are 15-16 mm)
-Brush fiber biting amount into the intermediate transfer belt 8: 1 [mm]

  Here, the second cleaning bias is set to a relatively large value so that a negative charge having a normal charging polarity can be injected into the reversely charged toner on the belt in the second cleaning nip. Conditions such as brush flocking density, brush resistance, conductive fiber diameter, bias, conductive fiber type, brush biting amount, etc. are not limited to those exemplified. Examples of the conductive fiber include nylon, acrylic, and polyester.

The setting conditions of the three collection rollers (103, 113, 123) are as follows.
・ Material: Stainless steel (SUS303-G8)
・ Brush biting amount with respect to collection roller: 1.5 [mm]
First recovery bias: +2000 to +2400 [V]
Second recovery bias: -2400 to -2800 [V]
Third recovery bias: +1000 to +1400 [V]
However, these setting conditions are not limited to those exemplified.

The setting conditions of the three scraping blades (104, 114, 124) are as follows.
・ Blade contact angle: 20 [°]
・ Blade thickness: 0.1 [mm]
・ Amount of blade biting into the collection roller: 1.0 [mm]
However, these setting conditions are not limited to those exemplified.

  As described above, in the present printer, the first cleaning brush roller 102 is provided for roughly removing the toner on the intermediate transfer belt 8 first. By providing in this way, even when a large amount of toner has to be removed due to the occurrence of jammed paper, the toner can be cleaned well. This is because most of the large amount of toner is removed by the first cleaning brush roller 102 which first removes the toner on the intermediate transfer belt 8 roughly. This is because the reversely charged toner and the normally charged toner that could not be removed can be reliably removed by the second cleaning brush roller 112 and the third cleaning brush roller 122.

  Next, a characteristic configuration of the printer of this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. 3 is an enlarged configuration diagram showing the first subunit 101 of the belt cleaning device 100, FIG. 4 is an enlarged configuration diagram showing the second subunit 111 of the belt cleaning device 100, and FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged configuration diagram showing a three subunit 121. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the first subunit 101 from one end in the longitudinal direction, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the belt cleaning device 100 from one end in the longitudinal direction. 8 is a side view showing the main frame of the subunit holder 150 of the belt cleaning device 100 from one end side in the longitudinal direction, and FIG. 9 is a side view showing the side plate of the subunit holder 150 from the back side. is there. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the transfer unit 7 from above, and FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the transfer unit 7 from one end side in the roller axial direction.

  As shown in FIG. 2 used in the above description, in the belt cleaning device 100, the first subunit 101 having the first cleaning brush roller 102 is provided on the most upstream side in the moving direction of the intermediate transfer belt 8. A second subunit 111 having a second cleaning brush roller 112 is provided adjacent to the downstream side of the first subunit 101 in the moving direction of the intermediate transfer belt 8. A third subunit 121 having a third cleaning brush roller 122 is provided adjacent to the downstream side of the second subunit 111 in the moving direction of the intermediate transfer belt 8. The belt cleaning apparatus 100 includes a subunit holder 150 that detachably holds each subunit.

  In the first subunit 101, as shown in FIG. 3A, the first cleaning brush roller 102, the first recovery roller 103, the first scraping blade 104, the second screw 115, and the first screw 105 are the first one. It is held by the subunit casing 106. Each member constitutes a part of the first subunit 101. Further, as described above, the first subunit 101 is detachable from the subunit holder 150. Further, the first subunit casing 106 of the first subunit 101 includes a first upper subunit casing 106c which is a first holding body by removing a screw 106e and a first lower subunit casing 106d which is a second holding body. And can be divided into

  A first screw 105 as a first conveying member is held in the first lower subunit casing 106d as a second holding body, and constitutes a second unit. The other members are held by the first upper subunit casing 106c, which is the first holding body, and constitute the first unit. When the second unit is removed from the first sub-unit 101, only the first unit is in a state. That is, when the first lower subunit casing 106d is removed from the first subunit casing 106, only the first upper subunit casing 106c shown in FIG. And the component hold | maintained at the 1st upper side subunit casing 106c becomes the same as the component hold | maintained at the 2nd subunit 111 and the 3rd subunit 121 which are mentioned later.

  In this way, the first cleaning brush roller 102 and the first scraping blade 104, which are likely to reach the end of their life in an early stage, have the first screw 105 having a longer life than these held in the first lower subunit casing 106d. The first upper subunit casing 106c of the first unit different from the second unit is held. Therefore, if at least the first unit and the second unit are separated, a member that has a high possibility of reaching an early life can be obtained without removing the first screw 105 from the first lower subunit casing 106d. It is easy to remove and replace the unit casing 106c.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 3B, the first recovery roller 103 is in contact with the first cleaning brush roller 102 from below so that the adhered matter cleaned from the first cleaning brush roller 102 can be recovered. Has been placed. The first scraping blade 104 is disposed so as to come into contact with the first recovery roller 103 from below so that the deposits recovered from the first recovery roller 103 can be scraped off. Further, in FIG. 3B of the first cleaning brush roller 102, the second screw 115 can also transport the deposits scattered from the contact position between the first cleaning brush roller 102 and the first recovery roller 103. It is arranged at a position diagonally below the left. Therefore, these members can be removed from the opening provided at a position diagonally upward to the right in FIG. 3B in which the first cleaning brush roller 102 is brought into contact with the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 8. Even when the size of the portion is configured, the first cleaning brush roller 102 is disposed at a position that does not hinder the removal.

  Thus, the first cleaning brush roller is formed from the opening of the removed first upper subunit casing 106c by configuring the size of the opening and the arrangement position of other members to be held by the first upper subunit casing 106c. Only 102 can be removed and replaced. Therefore, only the first cleaning brush roller 102 is moved to the first upper side without removing the first collection roller 103, the second screw 115, and the first scraping blade 104, which have not yet reached the end of their life, from the first upper subunit casing 106c. It is easy to remove and replace the subunit casing 106c.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3 (b), the first scraping blade 104 is attached to the outer periphery of the lower left portion in FIG. 3 (b) of the first upper subunit casing 106c. By loosening, only the first scraping blade 104 can be removed and replaced from the first upper subunit casing 106c. Therefore, only the first scraping blade 104 is moved to the first upper side without removing the first collection roller 103, the second screw 115, and the first cleaning brush roller 102, which have not yet reached the end of their life, from the first upper subunit casing 106c. It is easy to remove and replace the subunit casing 106c.

  Therefore, when performing maintenance, in order to replace a part that has reached the end of its life as in the past, the member that has reached the end of its life by disassembling the holder is replaced and a plurality of members are removed and assembled, Instead of replacing the entire belt cleaning device, it is possible to replace only the member that has reached the end of its life and use the member that has not reached the end of its life as it is. Therefore, it is possible to provide the belt cleaning device 100 that can reduce the maintenance cost as compared with the prior art.

  In the second subunit 111, as shown in FIG. 4, the second cleaning brush roller 112, the second collection roller 113, the second scraping blade 114, and the third screw 125 are the first holding bodies. Each of them is held by the subunit casing 116 and constitutes a part of the second subunit 111. The second subunit 111 functions as a second first unit. Further, as described above, the second subunit 111 is detachable from the subunit holder 150. Similarly to the first subunit 101, when performing maintenance, in order to replace a part that has reached the end of its life as in the conventional case, the holder is disassembled and a member that has reached the end of life is replaced. Instead of removing and assembling the members or replacing the entire belt cleaning device, it is possible to replace only the members that have reached the end of their life and use the members that have not reached the end of their life as they are.

  In the third subunit 121, as shown in FIG. 5, the third cleaning brush roller 122, the third recovery roller 123, the third scraping blade 124, and the fourth screw 135 are the first holding bodies. The three subunit casings 126 hold each of them and constitute a part of the third subunit 121. The third subunit 121 functions as a third first unit. Further, as described above, the third subunit 121 is detachable from the subunit holder 150. Similarly to the first subunit 101, when performing maintenance, in order to replace a part that has reached the end of its life as in the conventional case, the holder is disassembled and a member that has reached the end of life is replaced. Instead of removing and assembling the members or replacing the entire belt cleaning device, it is possible to replace only the members that have reached the end of their life and use the members that have not reached the end of their life as they are.

  The first lower subunit casing 106d, which is the second holder of the second unit, is provided at the lowermost part of the subunit holder 150 (the most upstream side in the moving direction of the intermediate transfer belt 8). Then, the first upper subunit casing 106c, the second subunit casing 116, and the third subunit casing 126, which are the first holding bodies of the plurality of first units, are arranged above the first lower subunit casing 106d (intermediate). It is provided on the downstream side in the moving direction of the transfer belt 8. In the first upper subunit casing 106c, the second subunit casing 116, and the third subunit casing 126, the second screw 115, the third screw 125, and the fourth screw 135, which are second conveying members, are respectively provided. keeping. These second transport members transport the scattered toner in the first holding body of each first unit to a waste toner container or the like, and hold it on the first holding body of the other first unit provided above. The deposits scraped off by the scraping member are conveyed to a waste toner container or the like.

  Since it is transported in this way, the deposits scraped off by the scraping member held by the first holder of each first unit are respectively placed below all the first units in order to transport them to a waste toner container or the like. There is no need to provide a second unit or to hold a new transport member on the first holder. Therefore, in the first units other than the lowermost first unit, when replacing a member that has reached the end of its life, the labor of separating the second unit can be omitted, and a new conveying member can be provided to reach the end of the life. There is no hindrance to replacement of the member. Even when a plurality of first units are arranged in this way, if a unit that holds a member that has reached the end of its life is removed, the member that has reached the end of its life can be removed from each holding body of another unit without removing the respective holding member. It is easy to remove and replace the unit from the holder holding the unit. The second conveying member can be replaced with the first holder while the first conveying member is held on the second holder, so that the member that has reached the end of its life can be replaced. In addition, the assembly does not occur, and when the entire cleaning device is replaced with a new one, it is not replaced. Therefore, even in a configuration in which a plurality of cleaning members are provided, it is possible to provide the belt cleaning device 100 that can reduce the maintenance cost as compared with the related art.

  Further, in the configuration in which a plurality of conventional cleaning members are provided, for example, in the configuration of Patent Document 1, the first unit that removes toner from the surface of the intermediate transfer belt on the upstream side in the belt surface movement direction from the second unit is A larger amount of toner is processed than in the second unit. Because of this process, the first unit usually reaches its end of life earlier than the second unit. In many cases, when the first unit reaches the end of its life, the second unit is still fully usable. However, in the configuration of Patent Document 1, since the first unit and the second holding body are held by the same holding body, the holding body is disassembled when the member of the first unit reaches the end of its life. Therefore, it was necessary to replace the member at the end of the life of the first unit or replace the entire cleaning device with a new one.

  However, in the present embodiment, the first cleaning brush roller 102, the second cleaning brush roller 112, and the third cleaning brush roller 122, which are a plurality of cleaning members, are respectively connected to the first upper subunit casing 106c that is a first holding body. The second subunit casing 116 and the third subunit casing 126 are held. Therefore, the cleaning member can be replaced by removing each subunit casing. For example, even when the first cleaning brush roller 102 reaches the end of its life and is replaced, the first subunit casing 106 is detached from the subunit holder 150, and the first lower subunit casing 106d and the first upper subunit After dividing the unit casing 106c, the first cleaning brush roller 102 can be easily replaced. Therefore, it is possible to provide the belt cleaning device 100 that can reduce the maintenance cost as compared with the configuration described in Patent Document 1.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a first positioning projection 106a and a second positioning projection 106b are provided on one side surface of the first subunit casing 106 so as to protrude in the roller axial direction. Yes. Although not shown hidden behind the back side in FIG. 6, similar first positioning protrusions and second positioning protrusions are also formed on the side surface on the other end side of the first subunit casing 106.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6 and FIGS. 3A and 3B, the first scraping blade 104 held by the first subunit 101 is an outer periphery of the first upper subunit casing 106c, which is the first unit. It is being fixed to the part with the attachment screw 107. FIG. Similarly, in the second subunit 111 and the third subunit 121, first positioning protrusions and second positioning protrusions are formed on both side surfaces of each subunit casing, and a scraping blade is provided for each subunit. It is fixed to the casing with mounting screws.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the subunit holding body 150 mainly includes a main frame 160 and a side plate 190. The side plate 190 constitutes a side wall on one end side of the subunit holder 150 and is fixed to the main frame 160 with screws 192. The main frame 160 constitutes a side wall on the other end side of the subunit holder 150, a back wall, and the like. Two positioning pins 161 protrude from the outer surface of the side wall of the main frame 160. These positioning pins 161 are for positioning the belt cleaning device 100 with respect to the transfer unit 7 by being inserted into the positioning holes provided in the rear plate 71 of the transfer unit 7 as shown in FIG. is there. Further, the side plate 190 is provided with two positioning holes 191. These positioning holes 191 are for positioning the belt cleaning device 100 with respect to the transfer unit 7 by being bolted to the front plate 72 of the transfer unit 7 as shown in FIG.

  As shown in the side view of FIG. 8, the front and bottom walls of the main frame 160 constitute a first subunit receiving portion 167 that receives the first subunit 101 (not shown). On the side wall of the main frame 160, a first main positioning recess 163, a first sub positioning recess 164, a first coupling 165, a first toner discharge opening 166, a second toner discharge opening 176, and the like are provided.

  The first main positioning recess 163 receives the first positioning protrusion 106a (see FIG. 6) provided on the first subunit casing 106 of the first subunit 101 (not shown), thereby allowing the first subunit 101 to move to the main frame 160. It is for positioning with respect to. The first sub-positioning recess 164 receives the second positioning projection 106b (see FIG. 6) provided on the first subunit casing 106 of the first subunit 101 (not shown), thereby allowing the first subunit 101 to be main. This is for positioning with respect to the frame 160. The first main positioning recess 163 has a perfect circular cross-sectional shape, whereas the first sub-positioning recess 164 has an oblong cross-sectional shape. By accepting the second positioning projection 106b with this elongated hole-shaped cross-sectional shape, a slight positional error between the two positioning projections (106a, 106b) in the first subunit casing can be absorbed.

  The first coupling 165 is rotatably provided on the side wall of the main frame 160. The first coupling 165 is integrated with an external coupling (not shown) provided outside the side wall of the main frame 160 and is rotatably supported by the side wall while penetrating the side wall. When the first subunit (not shown) is set in the main frame 160, the drive receiving coupling provided in the first subunit is fitted into the first coupling 163 shown. When the belt cleaning device 100 is set in the printer main body in the fitted state, a driving side coupling (not shown) provided in the printer main body is fitted into an external coupling provided in the main frame 160. Thereby, the rotational driving force of the driving side coupling is transmitted to the various rotating members of the first subunit 101 via the external coupling and the first coupling 165.

  The first toner discharge opening 166 is for discharging toner discharged from the first subunit 101 (not shown) by the rotation of the first screw 105 to the outside of the main frame 160. The second toner discharge opening 176 is for discharging the toner discharged from the first subunit 101 (not shown) by the rotational drive of the second screw 115 to the outside of the main frame 160.

  Further, on the side wall of the main frame 160, a second main positioning recess 173, a second sub positioning recess 174, a second coupling 175, a third toner discharge opening 186, a second subunit receiving portion 177, and the like are also provided. . Similarly to the first main positioning recess 163, the second main positioning recess 173 receives a first positioning protrusion provided on the second subunit casing 116 of the second subunit 111 (not shown), thereby allowing the second subunit 111 to Is positioned with respect to the main frame 160. Similarly to the first sub-positioning recess 164, the second sub-positioning recess 174 receives a second positioning protrusion provided on the second subunit casing 116 of the second subunit 111 (not shown), thereby This is for positioning the unit with respect to the main frame 160. The second main positioning recess 173 has a perfect circular cross section, whereas the second sub positioning recess 174 has an oblong cross section, similar to the first subunit 101. . The role of the second coupling 175 is the same as that of the first coupling 165. The role of the third toner discharge opening 186 is the same as that of the first toner discharge opening 166 of the first subunit 101.

  Further, on the side wall of the main frame 160, a third main positioning recess 183, a third sub positioning recess 184, a third coupling 185, a fourth toner discharge opening 188, a third subunit receiving portion 187, and the like are also provided. . The third main positioning recess 183 receives the first positioning protrusion provided on the third subunit casing 126 of the third subunit 121 (not shown) to position the third subunit 121 with respect to the main frame 160. belongs to. The third sub-positioning recess 184 receives the second positioning protrusion provided on the third subunit casing 126 of the third subunit 121 (not shown), thereby positioning the third subunit 121 with respect to the main frame 160. Is to do. The third main positioning recess 183 has a perfect circular cross section, whereas the third sub positioning recess 184 has an oblong cross section, similar to the first subunit 101. . The role of the third coupling 185 is the same as that of the first coupling 165. The role of the fourth toner discharge opening 188 is the same as that of the first toner discharge opening 166 of the first subunit 101.

  As shown in the side view of FIG. 9, the side plate 190 also has a first main positioning recess 163, a first sub-positioning recess 164, a second main positioning recess 173, and a second sub-positioning that are the same as those of the main frame. A recess 174, a third main positioning recess 183, and a third sub-positioning recess 184 are provided. Further, the side plate 190 is provided with a screw opening 193 for allowing the screw 192 to pass therethrough and the positioning hole 191 described above.

  In the printer having the above-described configuration, the subunit holder 150 that detachably holds the first subunit 101, the second subunit 111, and the third subunit 121 holds these three subunits. However, it plays the role of positioning the relative position of each subunit. Even if the subunit holding body 150 is disassembled into the main frame 160 and the side plate 190, the individual parts are still accommodated in the respective subunits, and there is no problem even if they are disassembled by the user. In this way, each cleaning brush roller is configured as a subunit (101, 111, 121) that can be attached to and detached from the subunit holder 150 together with each subunit casing. With this configuration, the three cleaning brush rollers can be separated and replaced from the other cleaning brush rollers.

  Specifically, a cleaning brush roller that has reached the end of one of its three cleaning brush rollers can be replaced as follows. When any one reaches the end of its life, the user removes the subunit holding the cleaning brush roller that has reached the end of its life from among the plurality of subunits. Since the cleaning brush roller is held in each subunit so as to come into contact with the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 8 by removing in this way, the cleaning brush roller that has reached the end of its life comes into contact with the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 8. It can be easily exchanged from an opening or the like. Therefore, the cleaning brush roller and its surrounding members that have not reached the end of their life can be used as they are.

  Further, in the present invention, even when any one of the scraping blades (104, 114, 124) reaches the end of its life, each screw that discharges the toner scraped by each scraping blade has a different subunit or This is the first lower subunit casing 106d. Moreover, each scraping blade is fixed to the outer peripheral part of the subunit casing or the first upper subunit casing 106c to be attached by an attaching screw. Because of these, when replacing any scraping blade, each screw can be easily replaced by removing the mounting screw fixed to the sub unit casing to which the screw is not attached. It becomes. Therefore, a member that has not reached the end of its life can be used as it is.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the charge of the normal charge polarity is injected into the reversely charged toner by the second cleaning brush roller 112 has been described. However, the reversely charged toner is not injected but charged. Only the role of cleaning may be performed.

  Further, a cleaning brush roller 122 that cleans regular charged toner that has not been completely removed by the first cleaning brush roller 102 is provided downstream of the cleaning brush roller 112 that cleans reversely charged toner that has not been completely removed. An example was described. However, the positional relationship between the two may be reversed. In this case, a part of the toner is reversely charged by injecting a charge having a polarity opposite to the normal charge polarity to a part of the toner by a cleaning brush roller for cleaning the normally charged toner that has not been completely removed. You may let them. This is because the reversely charged toner can be removed by a cleaning brush roller for cleaning the reversely charged toner on the downstream side. Further, the cleaning roller for cleaning the reversely charged toner that has not been completely removed is made to function only as a charge injection roller for injecting a charge of normal polarity to the reversely charged toner, so that the reversely charged toner is not cleaned. Also good. This is because the charge of the normal polarity is injected into the reversely charged toner to change the reversely charged toner into the normally charged toner, so that the toner can be removed by the downstream cleaning brush roller. A blade, a corona charger, or the like may be used instead of the brush roller as means for injecting a charge of normal polarity.

  Further, the example in which the cleaning bias is applied to the metal rotating shaft member of each cleaning brush roller has been described. However, a metal roller may be used as each collection roller, and a cleaning bias may be applied to the cleaning brush roller via the collection roller. When applied in this way, a bias voltage slightly lower than the bias voltage applied to the collecting roller is applied to the cleaning brush roller in a form through the contact portion with the collecting roller due to a potential drop due to the fiber resistance of the cleaning brush roller. It will be in the state. 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.

Further, the example in which the present invention is applied to the belt cleaning apparatus 100 that cleans the intermediate transfer belt 8 that is the object to be cleaned has been described, but the present invention is also applicable to a cleaning apparatus that cleans an image carrier different from the intermediate transfer belt 8. Applicable. For example, the present invention may be applied to a drum cleaning device 4 that cleans each photosensitive member 1 that is a latent image carrier.
Further, although three examples of the cleaning brush roller have been described, the present invention can also be applied to cleaning devices having other configurations having a cleaning brush. For example, the present invention can be applied to two cleaning brush rollers or one cleaning device.

  As described above, in the printer according to the present embodiment, the first subunit using the second subunit casing 116, the third subunit casing 126, and the first upper subunit casing 106 c each containing the cleaning brush roller as the first holding body. A unit is provided. Further, as the second holding body, the cleaning brush roller 102 of the first subunit 101 is accommodated, and a second unit using the first lower subunit casing 106d is provided. Each scraping blade is configured to be attached to the outer side of the second subunit casing 116, the third subunit casing 126, and the first upper subunit casing 106c. Accordingly, not only the cleaning brush rollers that contact the intermediate transfer belt 8 from the openings of the second subunit casing 116, the third subunit casing 126, and the first upper subunit casing 106c, which are the first holders, The scraping blade can also be easily replaced. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the replacement work time of each cleaning brush roller and each scraping blade and to reduce the maintenance cost by preventing parts replacement before reaching the end of the service life.

What has been described above is merely an example, and the present invention has a specific effect for each of the following modes.
(Aspect A)
A cleaning member such as a first cleaning brush roller 102 that cleans deposits such as transfer residual toner adhering to the surface of the object to be cleaned while being in contact with the surface of the object to be cleaned such as the intermediate transfer belt 8; A collection member such as a first collection roller 103 that contacts the cleaning member and collects the deposits cleaned by the cleaning member, and a first scraping blade 104 that scrapes the deposits collected by the collection member from the collection member. In a cleaning device such as a belt cleaning device 100 including a scraping member such as a first transport member such as a first screw 105 that transports the deposit scraped off by the scraping member, the cleaning member, The recovery member and the scraping member are connected to the first upper subunit casing. A first unit held by a first holding body such as 06c, and a second unit holding the first transport member by a second holding body such as a first lower subunit casing 106d, A dropping member is attached to the outer periphery of the first holding body.
According to this, as described in the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a cleaning device that can reduce the maintenance cost of the cleaning device such as the belt cleaning device 100 as compared with the conventional one.
(Aspect B)
In (Aspect A), the scraping member such as the first scraping blade 104 is detachably attached to the first holding body such as the first upper subunit casing 106c. It is.
According to this, as described in the present embodiment, a cleaning device such as the belt cleaning device 100 that can easily replace the scraping member such as the first scraping blade 104 can be provided.
(Aspect C)
In (Aspect A) or (Aspect B), a second conveying member such as a second screw 115 that conveys deposits scattered from the contact position between the cleaning member and the recovery member is provided, and the first unit The first cleaning brush roller 102, the first recovery roller 103, the first scraping blade 104, and the second screw 115 are held by the first holding body such as the first upper subunit casing 106c. A plurality of the first units are provided so as to be arranged in order along the surface movement direction of the object to be cleaned, such as the intermediate transfer belt 8, and the first unit on the most upstream side in the surface movement direction of the object to be cleaned is further provided. The second unit in which the first screw 105 is held by a second holding body such as the first lower subunit casing 106d is provided on the upstream side. It is an.
According to this, as described in the present embodiment, the maintenance cost of the cleaning device such as the belt cleaning device 100 including the plurality of cleaning members such as the first cleaning brush rollers 102 can be reduced as compared with the related art. Can be provided.
(Aspect D)
An image carrier such as the photosensitive member 1 carrying a toner image, a transfer means such as a primary transfer roller 9 for transferring the toner image carried on the image carrier onto a transfer medium such as an intermediate transfer belt 8; And a cleaning device such as a belt cleaning device 100 that cleans transfer residual toner, which is attached to the surface of the image carrier, after the toner image is transferred from the image carrier to the transfer target. In the image forming apparatus, the cleaning device includes any one of (Aspect A) to (Aspect C).
According to this, as described in the present embodiment, the same effect as that of any one of the (Aspect A) to (Aspect C) can be obtained.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Photoconductor 2 Charging device 4 Drum cleaning device 5 Developing device 6 Process unit 7 Transfer unit 8 Intermediate transfer belt 9 Primary transfer roller 10 Driven roller 11 Drive roller 12 Secondary transfer counter roller 13, 14, 15 Cleaning counter roller 16 Tension Roller 17 Application brush facing roller 18 Secondary transfer roller 71 Rear side plate 72 Front side plate 100 Belt cleaning device 101 First subunit 102 First cleaning brush roller 103 First recovery roller 104 First scraping blade 105 First screw 106 First Subunit casing 106a First positioning projection 106b Second positioning projection 106c First upper subunit casing 106d First lower subunit casing 106e Screw 107 Mounting screw 111 Second sub Knit 112 Second cleaning brush roller 113 Second recovery roller 114 Second scraping blade 115 Second screw 116 Second subunit casing 121 Third subunit 122 Third cleaning brush roller 123 Third recovery roller 124 Third scraping blade 125 Third screw 126 Third subunit casing 135 Fourth screw 150 Subunit holder 160 Main frame 161 Positioning pin 163 First coupling 163 First main positioning recess 164 First sub positioning recess 165 First coupling 166 First Toner discharge opening 167 First subunit receiving portion 173 Second main positioning recess 174 Second sub positioning recess 175 Second coupling 176 Second toner discharge opening 177 Second subunit receiving portion 183 Third main positioning Third recess 184 Third sub positioning recess 185 Third coupling 186 Third toner discharge opening 187 Third subunit receiving portion 188 Fourth toner discharge opening 190 Side plate 191 Positioning hole 192 Screw 193 Screw opening 200 Lubricant application device 201 Application Brush roller 202 Solid lubricant L Laser light

JP 2007-025173 A

Claims (4)

A cleaning member that cleans deposits adhering to the surface of the object to be cleaned while contacting the surface of the object to be cleaned, and a recovery member that contacts the cleaning member and collects the deposits cleaned by the cleaning member A cleaning device comprising: a scraping member that scrapes off the deposit collected by the recovery member from the recovery member; and a first transport member that transports the deposit scraped off by the scraping member.
The cleaning member, the recovery member, and the scraping member are configured by a first unit that is held by a first holding body, and a second unit that is configured by holding the first transport member by a second holding body,
The cleaning device, wherein the scraping member is attached to an outer peripheral portion of the first holding body. The cleaning device according to claim 1,
The cleaning device, wherein the scraping member is detachably attached to the first holding body. The cleaning device according to claim 1 or 2,
Providing a second transport member for transporting deposits scattered from the contact position between the cleaning member and the recovery member, and holding the first transport member on the first holding body;
A plurality of the first units are provided so as to be arranged in order along the surface movement direction of the object to be cleaned, and the second unit further upstream of the first unit on the most upstream side in the surface movement direction of the object to be cleaned. A cleaning device comprising: An image carrier that carries a toner image; transfer means that transfers the toner image carried on the image carrier onto the transfer target; and after the toner image is transferred from the image carrier onto the transfer target, In an image forming apparatus comprising: a cleaning device that cleans transfer residual toner that is a deposit adhered on the surface of an image carrier;
An image forming apparatus comprising the cleaning device according to claim 1 as the cleaning device.

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