JP2013182126A - Lubricant supply device, cleaning device, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lubricant supply device capable of stably supplying lubricant on an image carrier with a simple configuration in an image forming process, a cleaning device, a process cartridge, and an image forming apparatus.SOLUTION: A lubricant supply device includes: solid lubricant 45; a brush-like rotating member 25b that rotates to scrape off lubricant from the solid lubricant 45, and applies the lubricant on an image carrier 21; a power source 50 that applies voltage to the brush-like rotating member 25b; a temperature sensor 59 that measures a temperature of the brush-like rotating member 25b; and a control unit 70 that controls a voltage applied to the brush-like rotating member 25b from the power source 50 according to the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 59 to adjust the amount of toner attached to the brush-like rotating member 25b.

Description

  The present invention relates to a lubricant supply device that supplies a lubricant onto an image carrier such as a photosensitive drum, a photoreceptor belt, and an intermediate transfer belt, a cleaning device including the lubricant supply device, a process cartridge, and an image forming apparatus. It is about.

  Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic method such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, or a composite machine thereof, the deposits such as untransferred toner adhered on an image carrier such as a photosensitive drum are cleaned. A technique is known that uses a lubricant supply device that supplies a lubricant onto the image carrier in order to reliably clean the device and reduce wear of the image carrier and the cleaning blade (for example, Patent Documents). 1, see Patent Document 2, Patent Document 3, etc.).

Specifically, the untransferred toner remaining on the image carrier after the transfer process should be completely removed by a cleaning blade (cleaning device) that contacts the image carrier.
However, when the cleaning blade deteriorates with time due to contact with the image carrier (abrasion), cleaning failure may occur due to slipping through the gap between the cleaning blade where the untransferred toner is worn and the image carrier.
Even when the cleaning blade is not deteriorated, when small toner or spherical toner is used, the toner enters a slight gap between the cleaning blade and the image carrier and eventually passes through the gap. A cleaning failure sometimes occurred.
Furthermore, if toner or an external additive or paper dust contained in the toner slips through the gap between the cleaning blade and the image carrier, it adheres to the image carrier and forms a film. There was also.

  For such problems, a lubricant supply device that applies a lubricant on the image carrier is used to reduce the coefficient of friction on the image carrier and prevent the cleaning blade and the image carrier from deteriorating. At the same time, it is possible to improve the detachability of deposits such as non-transferred toner adhering to the image carrier, and to prevent the occurrence of poor cleaning and filming over time.

Specifically, the lubricant supply device includes a brush-like rotating member (brush-like roller) that is in sliding contact with the image carrier, a solid lubricant (lubricant molding) that is in contact with the brush-like rotating member, and the like.
Here, the lubricant supply device is provided in the cleaning device, and the cleaning blade is in contact with the image carrier (photoconductor) on the downstream side of the brush-like rotating member.
Then, the lubricant is gradually scraped off from the solid lubricant by the brush-like rotating member rotating in a predetermined direction, and the lubricant scraped off by the brush-like rotating member is applied (supplied) to the surface of the image carrier.
Further, deposits such as untransferred toner remaining on the image carrier are removed by a cleaning blade disposed on the downstream side of the brush-like rotating member. At this time, deposits such as untransferred toner remaining on the image carrier are also removed by the brush-like rotating member.

  On the other hand, in Patent Document 1, the amount of toner input to a cleaning device (cleaning means) is adjusted for the purpose of applying a lubricant stably and quickly to an image carrier, and the linear velocity of the image carrier is adjusted. A technique for controlling the amount of lubricant applied according to the above is disclosed. Specifically, when a print job is input to the main body of the image forming apparatus and the linear velocity of the image carrier is determined by judging the content (image, paper type, etc.) of the print job, the amount of toner input to the cleaning device Is determined. As a method of controlling the toner input amount to the cleaning device, a method of controlling the potential difference between the image carrier and the developing roller or turning off the transfer bias is disclosed.

Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for controlling the amount of lubricant applied to the image carrier in accordance with the state of toner input to the lubricant application device. Specifically, the solid lubricant is divided into a plurality of parts in the longitudinal direction, and each of the divided solid lubricants can be brought into contact with and separated from the brush-like rotating member. Accordingly, the number and position of the solid lubricant to be brought into contact with the brush-like rotating member are adjusted.
Patent Document 3 discloses a technique for controlling the amount of lubricant applied in accordance with the linear velocity of the image carrier. Specifically, the amount of lubricant scraped off from the solid lubricant is controlled by controlling the voltage applied to the brush-like rotating member and adjusting the amount on the image carrier to be removed by the brush-like rotating member.

The conventional lubricant supply apparatus described above has a problem that the amount of lubricant supplied to the image carrier changes when the temperature in the apparatus changes during the image forming process. This is due to the fact that the bristle hardness of the brush-like rotating member varies with temperature changes, and the amount of lubricant scraped by the brush depends on the amount of toner held by the brush. For example, in the case of a brush-like rotating member with bristles made of resin that cures in a low-temperature environment, the amount of lubricant that can be retained by the bristles is increased in a low-temperature environment, so the amount of lubricant scraped increases. To do. For this reason, the amount of lubricant supplied to the image carrier increases. On the other hand, in a high-temperature environment, the amount of toner that can be retained decreases due to softening of the hairs, so that the amount of lubricant scraped decreases. For this reason, the amount of lubricant supplied to the image carrier is reduced. If the supply amount of the lubricant to the image carrier is insufficient, the original function as the lubricant supply device is deteriorated, resulting in deterioration of the cleaning blade, poor cleaning, and filming. .
On the other hand, if the amount of lubricant supplied to the image carrier becomes excessive, the charging device may be contaminated by excessively applied lubricant, or the lubricant may be filmed on the image carrier. It will be frustrating.
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides a lubricant supply device capable of stably supplying a lubricant onto an image carrier with a simple configuration in an image forming process. It is to provide.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the present invention according to claim 1 collects the lubricant and the toner held on the image carrier, and removes the lubricant scraped from the lubricant to the image carrier. Measured by the temperature sensor that measures the temperature around the brush-like rotating member or the brush-like rotating member. And a controller that controls a voltage applied to the brush-like rotating member from the power source in accordance with the temperature that has been applied to adjust the amount of toner that adheres to the brush-like rotating member.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to stably supply the lubricant onto the image carrier with a simple configuration in which the voltage applied to the brush-like rotating member is controlled according to the temperature measured by the temperature sensor. .

1 is an overall configuration diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows an image formation part. (A) is an enlarged view showing a state when the amount of toner collected on the brush roller is small, and (B) is an enlarged view showing a state when the amount of toner collected is large. (A) is sectional drawing which shows the lubricant supply apparatus at the time of low temperature, (B) is sectional drawing which shows the lubricant supply apparatus at the time of high temperature. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the travel distance of the conventional image carrier, and the consumption of a lubricant. It is a graph which shows the lubricant consumption rate at the time of the conventional low temperature, and the lubricant consumption rate at the time of high temperature. It is a graph which shows the lubricant consumption rate at the time of low temperature, and the lubricant consumption rate at the time of high temperature.

<Embodiment>
Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
In addition, in each figure, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the part which is the same or it corresponds, The duplication description is simplified or abbreviate | omitted suitably.
The “process cartridge” in the present invention means a charging device (charging unit) for charging an image carrier, a developing device (developing unit) for developing a latent image formed on the image carrier, and an image carrier. It is defined as a unit in which at least one of the cleaning devices (cleaning unit) for cleaning the top and the image carrier are integrated and installed detachably with respect to the image forming apparatus main body.

First, the configuration and operation of the entire image forming apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.
In FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment is roughly constituted by an image forming apparatus main body (hereinafter referred to as “apparatus main body”) 1 of a color copying machine and a document conveying unit 51.
The apparatus main body 1 includes a writing unit 2, a process cartridge 20, a developing device 23, a transfer unit 35, a document reading unit 55, a paper feeding / conveying unit 60, and a fixing unit 66.

  The writing unit (exposure unit) 2 includes a light source (not shown), a polygon mirror 3, lenses 4, 5, mirrors 6 to 15 and the like, and applies laser light based on the image information read by the document reading unit 55 to each process cartridge 20Y. , 20M, 20C, and 20BK.

The process cartridges 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK corresponding to the respective colors (yellow, magenta, cyan, and black) each include a photosensitive drum 21 that is an image carrier, a charging unit 22 that charges the photosensitive drum 21, and a photosensitive drum. And a cleaning device (cleaning unit) 25 that collects untransferred toner on the body drum 21. That is, the process cartridges 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK of the present embodiment are obtained by integrating the photosensitive drum 21, the charging unit 22, and the cleaning device 25. Each process cartridge 20Y, 20M, 20C, 20BK is exchanged with respect to the apparatus main body 1 in a predetermined exchange cycle.
Image formation of each color (yellow, magenta, cyan, black) is performed on the photosensitive drum 21 in each of the process cartridges 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK.
Developing devices (developing units) 23Y, 23M, 23C, and 23BK develop an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 21. The developing devices 23Y, 23M, 23C, and 23BK are also exchanged with respect to the apparatus main body 1 in a predetermined exchange cycle.
The toner replenishing units 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32BK replenish the developing devices 23Y, 23M, 23C, and 23BK with toner of each color.

The transfer unit 35 includes a transfer bias roller 24, an intermediate transfer belt 27, a second transfer bias roller 28, an intermediate transfer belt cleaning unit 29, a conveyance belt 30, and the like.
The transfer bias roller 24 transfers the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 21 to the intermediate transfer belt 27. The intermediate transfer belt 27 transfers toner images of a plurality of colors in a superimposed manner. The second transfer bias roller 28 transfers the toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 27 to the recording medium P. The intermediate transfer belt cleaning unit 29 collects untransferred toner on the intermediate transfer belt 27. The conveyance belt 30 conveys the recording medium P on which the four color toner images are transferred.

The paper feeding / conveying unit 60 includes a paper feeding roller 62, a conveyance guide 63, a registration roller 64, and the like. It is conveyed toward the position of the transfer bias roller 28.
The fixing unit 66 includes a heating roller 67, a pressure roller 68, and a paper discharge roller 69, and an unfixed image on the recording medium P conveyed by the conveyance belt 30 at the nip between the heating roller 67 and the pressure roller 68. To fix.

Hereinafter, an operation during normal color image formation in the image forming apparatus will be described.
First, the document D is transported from the document table in the direction of the arrow in the drawing by the transport roller of the document transport unit 51 and placed on the contact glass 53 of the document reading unit 55. Then, the document reading unit 55 optically reads the image information of the document D placed on the contact glass 53.

Specifically, the document reading unit 55 scans the image of the document D on the contact glass 53 while irradiating light emitted from the illumination lamp.
Then, the light reflected by the document D is imaged on the color sensor via the mirror group and the lens.
The color image information of the document D is read for each RGB (red, green, blue) color separation light by the color sensor, and then converted into an electrical image signal.
Further, the image processing unit (not shown) performs color conversion processing, color correction processing, spatial frequency correction processing, and the like based on the RGB color separation image signals, and color image information for yellow, magenta, cyan, and black. Get.

Then, the image information of each color of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black is transmitted to the writing unit 2.
Then, laser light (exposure light) based on the image information of each color is emitted from the writing unit 2 toward the photosensitive drums 21 of the corresponding process cartridges 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK.

On the other hand, the four photosensitive drums 21 rotate in the clockwise direction in FIG.
First, the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 is uniformly charged at a position facing the charging unit 22 (charging process). Thus, a charged potential is formed on the photosensitive drum 21.
Thereafter, the surface of the charged photosensitive drum 21 reaches the irradiation position of each laser beam.
In the writing unit 2, laser light corresponding to the image signal is emitted from the light source corresponding to each color. The laser light is incident on the polygon mirror 3 and reflected, and then passes through the lenses 4 and 5. The laser light after passing through the lenses 4 and 5 passes through different optical paths for each of the yellow, magenta, cyan, and black color components (exposure process).

  The laser beam corresponding to the yellow component is reflected by the mirrors 6 to 8 and then irradiated onto the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 of the first process cartridge 20Y from the left side of the drawing. At this time, the yellow component laser light is scanned in the rotation axis direction (main scanning direction) of the photosensitive drum 21 by the polygon mirror 3 that rotates at high speed. Thus, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the yellow component is formed on the photosensitive drum 21 charged by the charging unit 22.

Similarly, the laser beam corresponding to the magenta component is reflected by the mirrors 9 to 11 and then irradiated to the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 of the second process cartridge 20M from the left side of the paper, thereby causing an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the magenta component. An image is formed.
The cyan component laser light is reflected by the mirrors 12 to 14 and then irradiated onto the surface of the photosensitive drum 212 of the third process cartridge 20C from the left side of the drawing to form a cyan component electrostatic latent image.
The black component laser light is reflected by the mirror 15 and then irradiated on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 of the fourth process cartridge 20BK from the left side of the paper, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image of black component.

Thereafter, the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 on which the electrostatic latent images of the respective colors are formed reaches positions facing the developing devices 23Y, 23M, 23C, and 23BK, respectively.
Then, the respective color toners are supplied onto the photosensitive drum 21 from the developing devices 23Y, 23M, 23C, and 23BK, and the latent image on the photosensitive drum 21 is developed (development process).
Thereafter, the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 after the development process reaches the position facing the intermediate transfer belt 27 after passing the position facing the photosensor 41 (see FIG. 2).
Here, the transfer bias roller 24 is installed at each facing position so as to contact the inner peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 27.
Then, at the position of the transfer bias roller 24, the images of the respective colors formed on the photosensitive drum 21 are sequentially superimposed and transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 27 (first transfer step).

Then, the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 after the first transfer process reaches a position facing the cleaning device 25.
Then, the untransferred toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 21 is collected by the cleaning device 25 (cleaning process).
Thereafter, the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 passes through a static elimination unit (not shown), and a series of image forming processes on the photosensitive drum 21 is completed.

On the other hand, the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 27 on which the images of the respective colors on the photosensitive drum 21 are transferred in an overlapping manner travels in the direction of the arrow in the drawing and reaches the position of the second transfer bias roller 28.
Then, the full color image on the intermediate transfer belt 27 is secondarily transferred onto the recording medium P at the position of the second transfer bias roller 28 (second transfer step).
Thereafter, the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 27 reaches the position of the intermediate transfer belt cleaning unit 29.
Then, the untransferred toner on the intermediate transfer belt 27 is collected by the intermediate transfer belt cleaning unit 29, and a series of transfer processes on the intermediate transfer belt 27 is completed.

Here, the recording medium P at the position of the second transfer bias roller 28 is transported from the paper feeding unit 61 via the transport guide 63, the registration roller 64, and the like.
Specifically, the recording medium P fed by the paper feeding roller 62 from the paper feeding unit 61 that stores the recording medium P passes through the conveyance guide 63 and is guided to the registration roller 64.
The recording medium P that has reached the registration roller 64 is conveyed toward the position of the second transfer bias roller 28 in synchronization with the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 27.

Thereafter, the recording medium P on which the full-color image is transferred is guided to the fixing unit 66 by the conveyance belt 30.
In the fixing unit 66, the color image is fixed on the recording medium P at the nip between the heating roller 67 and the pressure roller 68.
Then, the recording medium P after the fixing process is discharged as an output image by the paper discharge roller 69 to the outside of the apparatus main body 1, and a series of image forming processes is completed.

Note that the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment is configured such that a deceleration mode for decelerating the process linear velocity (conveying speed of the recording medium P) is automatically and manually selected.
Specifically, when passing a thick recording medium P (thick paper), the user manually operates the “thick paper mode” button on the operation panel (not shown) of the image forming apparatus main body 1 to decelerate. The mode is selected, and the fixing property to the thick paper is sufficiently ensured.
Further, when the temperature (fixing temperature) on the heating roller 67 of the fixing unit 66 detected by a temperature sensor (not shown) becomes a predetermined value or less during continuous paper feeding, the deceleration mode is controlled by the control unit. This is automatically selected, and the fixing property of the output image is secured as the heating temperature of the heating roller 67 is secured.
The selection of the deceleration mode is not limited to the specific example described above.
When the deceleration mode is selected, the conveyance speed of the recording medium P is lowered by the low-speed driving of the conveyance motor as compared to the normal mode, and the photosensitive unit is driven by the low-speed driving of a drive unit (not shown) for performing the image forming process. The rotational speed (running speed) of the body drum 21, the developing roller 23a, the brush-like roller 25b (brush-like rotating member), and the like is reduced.

Next, the image forming unit of the image forming apparatus will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the image forming unit.
The four image forming units installed in the apparatus main body 1 have substantially the same structure except that the color of the toner T used in the image forming process is different. Therefore, the alphabet of reference numerals in the process cartridge, the developing device, and the toner replenishing unit. (Y, M, C, BK) is omitted for illustration.
As shown in FIG. 2, the process cartridge 20 mainly contains a photosensitive drum 21 as an image carrier, a charging unit 22, and a cleaning device 25 integrally in a case 26.

Here, the photosensitive drum 21 as an image bearing member is a negatively charged organic photosensitive member, in which a photosensitive layer or the like is provided on a drum-shaped conductive support.
Although not shown, the photosensitive drum 21 has a conductive support as a base layer, an undercoat layer as an insulating layer, a charge generation layer and a charge transport layer as a photosensitive layer, and a protective layer (surface layer) sequentially. Are stacked. As the conductive support (base layer) of the photosensitive drum 21, a conductive material having a volume resistance of 10 ¹⁰ Ωcm or less can be used.

The photosensitive layer of the photosensitive drum 21 can have a laminated structure or a single layer structure.
First, a case where the photosensitive layer has a laminated structure including a charge generation layer and a charge transport layer will be described. The charge generation layer is a layer mainly composed of a charge generation material.
A known charge generation material can be used for the charge generation layer.
Specifically, as the charge generation material, monoazo pigment, disazo pigment, trisazo pigment, perylene pigment, perinone pigment, quinacridone pigment, quinone condensed polycyclic compound, squalic acid dye, other phthalocyanine pigment, na A phthalocyanine pigment, an azulenium salt dye, or the like can be used.
These charge generation materials can be used alone or in combination of two or more.
In the charge generation layer, the charge generation material is dispersed in a suitable solvent together with a binder resin as necessary using a ball mill, attritor, sand mill, ultrasonic wave, etc., and this is dispersed on the conductive support (or below). It is formed by applying on the pulling layer and drying.
As a coating method for the coating solution, a dip coating method, spray coating, beat coating, nozzle coating, spinner coating, ring coating, or the like can be used.
The film thickness of the charge generation layer is suitably about 0.01 to 5 μm. Furthermore, it is preferably about 0.1 to 2 μm.

The charge transport layer can be formed by dissolving or dispersing the charge transport material and the binder resin in a suitable solvent, and applying and drying the solution on the charge generation layer.
If necessary, one or more plasticizers, leveling agents, antioxidants and the like can be added.
The amount of the charge transport material is 20 to 300 parts by weight, preferably 40 to 150 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the binder resin.
The thickness of the charge transport layer is preferably 25 μm or less from the viewpoint of resolution and responsiveness.
The lower limit value varies depending on the image forming process (particularly, charging potential), but is preferably 5 μm or more.

Next, a case where the photosensitive layer has a single layer structure will be described.
The photosensitive layer having a single-layer structure is obtained by dissolving or dispersing the above-described charge generating substance, charge transporting substance, binder resin, etc. in an appropriate solvent and coating it on a conductive support (or undercoat layer). It can be formed by drying.
You may comprise from a charge generation material and binder resin, without containing a charge transport material.
Moreover, a plasticizer, a leveling agent, antioxidant, etc. can also be added as needed.
As the binder resin, in addition to the binder resin used when the charge transport layer is formed, a binder resin used when the charge generation layer is formed may be mixed and used.
Furthermore, polymer charge transport materials can also be used favorably.
The amount of the charge generating material is preferably 5 to 40 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the binder resin, and the amount of the charge transporting material is preferably 0 to 190 parts by weight. More preferably, it is 50-150 weight part.
The photosensitive layer with a single-layer structure is a dip coating method or spray coating method in which a coating solution in which a charge generating material and a binder resin are dispersed together with a charge transporting material using a solvent such as tetrahydrofuran, dioxane, dichloroethane, and cyclohexane by a dispersing machine. It can be formed by coating with bead coat, ring coat or the like. The film thickness of the photosensitive layer is suitably about 5 to 25 μm.

The undercoat layer of the photosensitive drum 21 is generally composed mainly of a resin. However, considering that the photosensitive layer is applied with a solvent on these resins, it has a high solvent resistance with respect to a general organic solvent. A resin is desirable.
Examples of such resins include water-soluble resins such as polyvinyl alcohol, casein, and sodium polyacrylate, alcohol-soluble resins such as copolymer nylon and methoxymethylated nylon, polyurethane, melamine resin, phenol resin, alkyd-melamine resin, and epoxy. Examples thereof include a curable resin that forms a three-dimensional network structure such as a resin.
A fine powder pigment of metal oxide such as titanium oxide, silica, alumina, zirconium oxide, tin oxide, and indium oxide may be added to the undercoat layer in order to prevent moire and reduce residual potential.
In addition, these undercoat layers can be formed using an appropriate solvent and coating method in the same manner as the photosensitive layer described above. The thickness of the undercoat layer is suitably about 0 to 5 μm.

The protective layer of the photosensitive drum 21 is for reducing mechanical wear on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21.
The protective layer in the present embodiment is formed of a binder resin having a crosslinked structure.
The crosslinked structure is a three-dimensional network structure formed by using a reactive monomer having a plurality of crosslinking functional groups in one molecule and causing a crosslinking reaction using light or thermal energy.
The binder resin having this network structure exhibits high wear resistance.
From the viewpoint of electrical stability, printing durability, and life, a monomer having a charge transporting ability can be used in whole or in part as the reactive monomer.
By using such a monomer, a charge transport site is formed in the network structure, and the function as a protective layer is sufficiently exhibited.

Examples of the reactive monomer having charge transporting ability include a compound containing at least one charge transporting component and a silicon atom having a hydrolyzable substituent in the same molecule, and a charge transporting component in the same molecule. A compound containing a hydroxyl group, a compound containing a charge transporting component and a carboxyl group in the same molecule, a compound containing a charge transporting component and an epoxy group in the same molecule, a charge transporting component in the same molecule And a compound containing an isocyanate group can be used.
These charge transport materials having a reactive group may be used alone or in combination of two or more.
A reactive monomer having a triarylamine structure can also be used as the monomer having a charge transporting ability because of its high electrical and chemical stability and high carrier mobility.
In addition, monofunctional and bifunctional polymerizable monomers and polymerizable oligomers are used in combination for viscosity adjustment during coating, stress relaxation of the cross-linked charge transport layer, low surface energy, friction coefficient reduction, and other functions. You can also
As these polymerizable monomers and oligomers, known ones can be used.

The protective layer is formed by polymerizing or crosslinking the hole transporting compound using heat or light.
When performing the polymerization reaction by heat, there are cases where the polymerization reaction proceeds only with thermal energy and a polymerization initiator is required, but in order to advance the reaction efficiently at a lower temperature, the initiator Is preferably added.
In the case of polymerization by light, it is preferable to use ultraviolet light as light, but the reaction rarely proceeds only by light energy, and a photopolymerization initiator is generally used in combination.
The polymerization initiator in this case mainly absorbs ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of 400 nm or less, generates active species such as radicals and ions, and initiates polymerization.
In addition, it is also possible to use together the heat | fever and photoinitiator mentioned above.

The protective layer having a network structure formed in this manner has high wear resistance, but has a large volume shrinkage during the crosslinking reaction, and may become cracked if it is too thick.
In such a case, the protective layer has a laminated structure, a protective layer made of a low molecular weight dispersion polymer is formed on the lower layer (photosensitive layer side), and a protective layer having a crosslinked structure is formed on the upper layer (surface side). You may do it.
As described above, in this embodiment, since the hard protective layer formed of the binder resin having a crosslinked structure is provided on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21, the function as the photosensitive drum 21 is not impaired. In addition, the photoconductor film can be prevented from being scraped by the cleaning blade 25a and the first brush-like roller 25b.

Referring to FIG. 2, the charging unit 22 is a charging roller formed by covering an outer periphery of a conductive metal core with an intermediate resistance elastic layer.
A predetermined voltage is applied to the charging roller 22 from a power supply unit (not shown), thereby uniformly charging the surface of the opposing photosensitive drum 21.

The developing device (developing unit) 23 mainly faces the first conveying screw 23b via the developing roller 23a facing the photosensitive drum 21, the first conveying screw 23b facing the developing roller 23a, and the partition member 23e. The second conveying screw 23c and a doctor blade 23d facing the developing roller 23a are configured.
The developing roller 23a includes a magnet that is fixed inside and forms a magnetic pole on the circumferential surface of the roller, and a sleeve that rotates around the magnet.
A plurality of magnetic poles are formed on the developing roller 23a (sleeve) by the magnet, and the developer G is carried on the developing roller 23a.

In the developing device 23, a two-component developer G composed of carrier C and toner T is accommodated.
As the toner T, a spherical toner having a circularity of 0.980 or more is used to improve the image quality.
The “circularity” is an average circularity measured by a flow type particle image analyzer “FPIA2000” (manufactured by Toa Medical Electronics Co., Ltd.).
Specifically, 0.1 to 0.5 ml of a surfactant (preferably an alkylbenzene sulfonate) is added as a dispersant to 100 to 150 ml of water from which impure solids have been removed in advance. Further, about 0.1 to 0.5 g of a measurement sample (toner) is added.
Thereafter, the suspension in which the toner is dispersed is subjected to a dispersion treatment with an ultrasonic disperser for about 1 to 3 minutes, and the dispersion liquid concentration is set to 3000 to 10000 / μl in the above-described analyzer. Then, the shape and distribution of the toner are measured.

As the spherical toner, it is possible to use an irregularly shaped toner (pulverized toner) whose shape is distorted by a pulverization method that has been widely used so far, which is spheroidized by heat treatment or the like, or a toner manufactured by a polymerization method. it can.
When such a spherical toner is used, conventionally, there is a case where a slight gap between the cleaning blade 25a and the photosensitive drum 21 enters the gap and eventually passes through the gap, resulting in poor cleaning.
However, in the present embodiment, the lubricant Q is supplied to the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 by a brush-like roller 25b, a solid lubricant 45, a compression spring 46, and a flicker 47 (plate member) constituting a lubricant supply device 25 described later. In order to improve the toner releasability (removability) on the photosensitive drum 21 by applying the toner to the photosensitive drum 21, the occurrence of defective cleaning is suppressed.

The cleaning device 25 has a function as a lubricant supply device that supplies a lubricant onto the photosensitive drum 21, as well as an original function of removing deposits such as untransferred toner attached on the photosensitive drum 21. ing.
The cleaning device 25 (lubricant supply device) is provided with a cleaning blade 25a (blade member) that comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 21 (image carrier) and brush bristles 25b1 that come into sliding contact with the photosensitive drum 21 around the cored bar. A brush-like roller 25b as a brush-like rotating member, a solid lubricant 45 slidably in contact with the brush-like roller 25b, a compression spring 46 that urges the solid lubricant 45 toward the brush-like roller 25b, and a brush hair 25b1 of the brush-like roller 25b A flicker 47 (plate-like member) as a removing member that comes into sliding contact with the temperature sensor 59, a temperature sensor 59 that measures the temperature in the apparatus, and the like.

The cleaning blade 25a is made of a rubber material such as polyurethane rubber, silicone rubber, nitrile rubber, or chloroprene rubber, and is in contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 at a predetermined angle and a predetermined pressure.
The cleaning blade 25a preferably has an elastic modulus of 20 to 80 (%) and a thickness of about 1 to 6 (mm).
The cleaning blade 25a mechanically scrapes off deposits such as untransferred toner adhering to the photosensitive drum 21 and collects them in the cleaning device 25.
Here, as the deposits adhered to the photosensitive drum 21, in addition to the untransferred toner, paper dust generated from the recording medium P (paper), discharge products generated on the photosensitive drum 21 during discharge by the charging unit 22. And additives added to the toner.
In the present embodiment, the cleaning blade 25 a is in contact with the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 21 in the counter direction, but the photosensitive member is arranged in the trailing direction with respect to the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 21. The drum 21 may be contacted.
In addition to the above-described cleaning function, the cleaning blade 25a also has a function as a thinning blade for thinning the lubricant supplied onto the photosensitive drum 21 by the brush roller 25b.

The brush-like roller 25b serving as the brush-like rotating member is a brush-like roller 25b having a length (hair foot) of 0.2 to 20 mm (preferably 0.5 to 10 mm) in which brush hair 25b1 is planted on the base fabric. It is wound around a metal core in a spiral shape, and rotates in the counterclockwise direction of FIG. 2 in a state where the brush bristles 25b1 are in contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 21.
The brush bristles 25b1 of the brush-like roller 25b (brush-like rotating member) are formed of low resistance fibers having an electric resistance (brush resistance) of 10 ⁵ to 10 ¹⁰ (Ω · cm).
Specifically, the brush bristles 25b1 can be formed by adding a conductivity-imparting agent such as carbon to resin fibers such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate), nylon, rayon, acrylic, vinylon, polyester, and vinyl chloride.
The brush bristles 25b1 preferably have a brush density of 1 to 50 (10,000 / inch2). In this embodiment, the brush length is 5 (mm), the brush density is 10 (10,000 / inch2), and the brush resistance is low. 10 5 (Ω · cm) is used.
The brush-like roller 25b functions as a cleaning brush that assists in scraping off deposits such as untransferred toner that adhere to the photosensitive drum 21.
More specifically, deposits such as untransferred toner adhering to the photosensitive drum 21 are scraped off by the brush-like roller 25b, removed to some extent by the flicker 47, and then collected in the cleaning device 25.
The configurations and operations of the brush roller 25b, the solid lubricant 45, the compression spring 46, and the flicker 47 constituting the lubricant supply device 25 will be described in detail later.

The image forming process described above will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.
The developing roller 23a rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG.
The developer G in the developing device 23 is supplied from the toner replenishing portion 32 to the toner replenishing port by the rotation of the first transport screw 23b and the second transport screw 23c arranged with the partition member 23e interposed therebetween. It circulates in the longitudinal direction while being agitated and mixed with the toner T replenished through 23f (in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 2).

Then, the toner T that is frictionally charged and adsorbed on the carrier C is carried on the developing roller 23 a together with the carrier C.
The developer G carried on the developing roller 23a then reaches the position of the doctor blade 23d.
The developer G on the developing roller 23a is adjusted to an appropriate amount at the position of the doctor blade 23d, and then reaches a position (developing region) facing the photosensitive drum 21.

Thereafter, in the development area, the toner T in the developer G adheres to the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21.
Specifically, the toner T is latently exposed by the electric field formed by the potential difference (development potential) between the latent image potential (exposure potential) of the image area irradiated with the laser light L and the development bias applied to the development roller 23a. Adhere to the image.

Thereafter, most of the toner T adhering to the photosensitive drum 21 in the developing process is transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 27.
The untransferred toner T remaining on the photosensitive drum 21 is collected in the cleaning device 25 by the cleaning blade 25a and the brush-like roller 25b.

Here, a toner replenishing unit 32 provided in the apparatus main body 1 includes a toner bottle 33 configured to be replaceable, and a toner hopper unit 34 that holds and rotates the toner bottle 33 and replenishes the developing device 23 with new toner T. And is composed of.
Also, a new toner T (any one of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black) is accommodated in the toner bottle 33.
In addition, a spiral protrusion is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the toner bottle 33.

The new toner T in the toner bottle 33 is appropriately replenished into the developing device 23 from the toner replenishing port 23f as the toner T (existing toner) in the developing device 23 is consumed.
The toner T in the developing device 23 is consumed indirectly or directly by the reflective photosensor 41 facing the photosensitive drum 21 and the magnetic sensor 40 installed below the second conveying screw 23c of the developing device 23. Detected.

Here, in the present embodiment, the toner density (TC) is controlled to be within a predetermined range.
Specifically, from the toner replenishing unit 32, the detection result of the magnetic sensor 40 or the reflection type photosensor 41 becomes an output value corresponding to the above-described toner density (ratio of the toner T in the developer G). The toner is supplied to the developing device 23 through the toner supply port 23f.

Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the lubricant supply device, which is characteristic in the present embodiment, will be described in detail.
As shown in FIG. 2, the lubricant supply device is installed integrally with the cleaning device 25.
The lubricant supply device has a brush shape in which a cleaning blade 25a that comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 21 and brush hairs 25b1 (see FIG. 3) that come into sliding contact with the photosensitive drum 21 and the solid lubricant 45 are implanted around the cored bar. Brush-like roller 25b as a rotating member, solid lubricant 45, compression spring 46 that presses (biases) solid lubricant 45 toward brush-like roller 25b, and removal member that removes deposits attached to brush-like roller 25b Flicker 47 (plate-like member), temperature sensor 59 and the like.
In addition to the original cleaning function, the cleaning blade 25a also has a function of thinning the lubricant supplied to the photosensitive drum 21 by the brush roller 25b.

The brush-like roller 25b is disposed on the upstream side in the rotation direction (traveling direction) of the photosensitive drum 21 with respect to the cleaning blade 25a.
The brush-like roller 25b has a length (hair foot) of 0.2 to 20 mm, preferably 0.5 to 10 mm of brush hair 25b1 is wound on the base fabric in a spiral manner on the core metal It is a thing.
The brush-like roller 25b is arranged so that the brush bristles 25b1 bite into the photosensitive drum 21 by a predetermined amount.
When the length of the brush bristles 25b1 exceeds 20 mm, the brush bristles 25b1 fall down in a predetermined direction due to repeated rubbing with the photosensitive drum 21, the solid lubricant 45, and the flicker 47 over time. Scraping ability is reduced.
On the other hand, if the length of the brush bristles 25b1 is less than 0.2 mm, the physical contact force with respect to the solid lubricant 45 will be insufficient.
Therefore, the length of the brush bristles 25b1 is preferably in the above range.

The brush roller 25b rotates in the opposite direction to the photosensitive drum 21 rotating in the clockwise direction in FIG. 2 (counterclockwise in FIG. 2).
The brush-like roller 25b is arranged so as to be in sliding contact with the solid lubricant 45, and the lubricant Q is scraped off from the solid lubricant 45 by the rotation of the brush-like roller 25b (see FIG. 3). The agent Q is applied on the photosensitive drum 21.
A compression spring 46 is disposed behind the solid lubricant 45 in order to eliminate contact unevenness between the brush-like roller 25b and the solid lubricant 45, and urges the solid lubricant 45 to the brush-like roller 25b. Yes.

In the present embodiment, the solid lubricant 45 is formed of zinc stearate.
Specifically, the solid lubricant 45 is preferably prepared by dissolving a lubricating oil additive mainly composed of zinc stearate, having no side effects due to overcoating and having sufficient lubricity.
Zinc stearate is a typical lamellar crystal powder.
A lamellar crystal has a layered structure in which amphiphilic molecules are self-organized, and when a shearing force is applied, the crystal breaks along the layers and is slippery. Therefore, the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 can be made low in friction.
That is, the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 can be effectively covered with a small amount of lubricant by the lamellar crystal that uniformly receives the shearing force and covers the surface of the photosensitive drum 21.

In addition to the zinc stearate, the solid lubricant 45 includes stearic acid groups such as barium stearate, iron stearate, nickel stearate, cobalt stearate, copper stearate, strontium stearate, calcium stearate and the like. The thing which has can be used.
In addition, the same fatty acid group zinc oleate, barium oleate, lead oleate, the same compound as stearic acid, zinc palmitate, barium palmitate, lead palmitate, the following compound similar to stearic acid May be used.
In addition, caprylic acid, linolenic acid, corinolenic acid and the like can be used as the fatty acid group.
In addition, waxes such as candelilla wax, canrunauba wax, rice wax, wax, coconut oil, beeswax, and lanolin can also be used. These easily become organic solid lubricants and have good compatibility with the toner.
Further, boron nitride may be used as the solid lubricant. Boron nitride is a material that is particularly excellent in film formability because it is easily cleaved and lubricated because the hexagonal mesh planes in which atoms are tightly combined overlap with each other at a wide interval and the force acting between the layers is only weak van der Waals force. It is. Further, since boron nitride is an inorganic substance, it is chemically and thermally stable, and even when a charging hazard is applied, the lubricant does not decrease unlike a fatty acid metal salt.
Moreover, what mixed the zinc stearate and boron nitride and made it the solid lubricant by melt molding or compression molding is used suitably. The mixing ratio of zinc stearate and boron nitride is more preferably 90/10 to 70/30. If the amount of zinc stearate is larger than 90/10, the lubricity is lowered when a charging hazard is applied. Conversely, if the amount of zinc stearate is smaller than 70/30, the surface of the photoreceptor is removed from the charging hazard. The film cannot be sufficiently protected, and filming and film removal of the photoreceptor occur.

As shown in FIG. 2, the flicker 47 as a removing member is a plate-like member made of stainless steel or the like that is in sliding contact with the brush bristles 25b1 of the brush-like roller 25b, and the brush bristles 25b1 toward the rotation center of the brush-like roller 25b. It is arrange | positioned so that it may bite into.
The flicker 47 is on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the brush roller 25 b with respect to the position where the brush roller 25 b and the photosensitive drum 21 face each other, and the flicker 47 is brushed with respect to the position where the brush roller 25 b and the solid lubricant 45 face each other. It is arrange | positioned in the rotation direction upstream of the roller 25b.
The flicker 47 removes, to some extent, deposits such as toner T collected from the photosensitive drum 21 by the brush roller 25b from the brush roller 25b.
As described above, the brush-like roller 25b removes deposits such as toner T (untransferred toner) adhered on the photosensitive drum 21 in addition to the function of supplying the lubricant Q onto the photosensitive drum 21. It has a function.
Then, the brush bristles 25b1 of the brush-like roller 25b to which the toner T is adhered are bent in the direction opposite to the rotation direction at the position of the flicker 47 (after falling down) and then slip through the position of the flicker 47 and vigorously. It will be restored (standing up).
At this time, an energizing force is generated when the brush bristles 25b1 are restored, and a part of the toner T (adhered matter) carried on the brush-like roller 25b flies, and the toner T (adhered matter) is ejected from the brush-like roller 25b. A part of will be removed.
As will be described later, the toner T necessary for the scraping property (polishing effect) of the solid lubricant 45 remains without being removed from the brush roller 25b.

Here, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the lubricant supply device in the present embodiment is configured such that a voltage is applied from a power source 50 to the brush-like roller 25 b (brush-like rotating member). The voltage applied from the power supply 50 to the brush roller 25 b is controlled by the control unit 70 in accordance with the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 59.
The temperature sensor 59 is provided for measuring the temperature of the brush-like roller 25b. For this reason, the temperature sensor 59 is preferably installed, for example, in the vicinity of the brush-like roller 25b or at a position where the temperature of the brush-like roller 25b can be directly measured. As long as it is installed.
The voltage applied from the power supply 50 to the brush-like roller 25b is set so that the polarity thereof is the same as that of the toner T (new toner) (in this embodiment, a negative polarity).
The voltage applied to the brush roller 25b when the temperature inside the apparatus detected by the temperature sensor 59 is higher than a predetermined threshold is lower than the absolute value of the voltage applied to the brush roller 25b. It is controlled to be larger than the absolute value of.
4A is a cross-sectional view showing the lubricant supply device at a low temperature, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view showing the lubricant supply device at a high temperature.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4A, when the temperature inside the apparatus is lower than the threshold value, the controller 70 sets the switch of the power supply 50, and the voltage Va is applied to the brush roller 25b.
On the other hand, when the temperature inside the apparatus is higher than the threshold value, the controller 70 switches and sets the power supply 50 as shown in FIG. 4B, and the voltage Vb (| Vb |> | is applied to the brush roller 25b. Va |).

As described above, in this embodiment, when the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 59 is higher than the predetermined temperature, the absolute value of the voltage applied to the brush roller 25b is the same as the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 59. The photosensitive drum 21 is removed from the brush-like roller 25 when the temperature of the temperature sensor 59 is higher than a predetermined temperature by controlling the absolute value of the voltage applied to the brush-like roller 25b when the temperature is lower. The amount of the upper toner (untransferred toner) is prevented from decreasing. As a result, the reduction in the amount of the lubricant Q that the brush roller 25b scrapes off from the solid lubricant 45 is suppressed. Therefore, the problem that the amount of lubricant supplied onto the photosensitive drum 21 by the lubricant supply device when the temperature is high is suppressed.
The temperature threshold can be arbitrarily set in consideration of temperature fluctuations in the consumption rate of the lubricant scraped off by the brush roller 25b. In the present embodiment, the voltage applied to the brush-like roller 25b is switched by the control unit 70 with a predetermined temperature (temperature threshold) as a boundary. However, a plurality of temperature thresholds are set and the brush-like roller 25b is set. The applied voltage may be switched in three or more stages.

Hereinafter, the above-described content will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.
FIG. 3A is an enlarged view showing a state when the amount of toner collected on the brush-like roller is small, and FIG. 3B is an enlarged view showing a state when the amount of toner collected on the brush-like roller is large. FIG.
The brush-like roller 25b rotates in the direction of the arrow to scrape off the solid lubricant 45, and the powder-like lubricant Q is carried on the brush-like roller 25b. At this time, when the toner T does not adhere to the brush-like roller 25b as shown in FIG. 3A, the toner T adheres to the brush-like roller 25b as shown in FIG. 3B. In comparison, the polishing effect on the solid lubricant 45 is reduced, and the amount of the lubricant Q applied to the photosensitive drum 21 by the brush roller 25b is reduced.
Since the brush roller 25b is in contact with the photosensitive drum 21 by a certain amount, the brush roller 25b applies the lubricant Q to the photosensitive drum 21 and collects the untransferred toner T on the photosensitive drum 21. It has a function to do. Therefore, toner adheres to the brush bristles 25b1 of the brush-like roller 25b.
The toner T adhering to the brush roller 25b greatly contributes to the polishing of the solid lubricant 45. That is, if a large amount of toner T adheres to the brush-like roller 25b, a lot of the lubricant Q is scraped off from the solid lubricant 45.
This is because additives such as silica and titanium oxide are added to the toner T, and these contribute greatly to the polishing of the solid lubricant 45.
The size of an additive such as silica or titanium oxide is 10 to 100 (nm), and is very small compared to a toner having a particle size of 5 to 10 (μm).
Even if the amount of the toner T adhering to the brush roller 25b is too large, the polishing effect on the solid lubricant 45 is lowered.
On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the flicker (removal member) 47 is provided, the above-described problems are prevented from occurring without the toner T exceeding a certain amount adhering to the brush roller 25b. can do.

FIG. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the travel distance of the photosensitive drum 21 and the consumption amount of the lubricant Q in the related art, when the cored bar of the brush roller 25b is grounded.
FIG. 6 is a graph showing a conventional lubricant consumption rate at a low temperature and a lubricant consumption rate at a high temperature.
5 and 6, the consumption amount and consumption rate of the lubricant Q (which is substantially equal to the amount of lubricant applied to the photosensitive drum 21) decrease at high temperatures when the hardness of the brush-like roller 25b is small. I understand that. That is, it can be seen that in a high temperature environment, the amount of toner that can be retained decreases due to softening of the hair of the brush-like roller 25b, so that the amount of lubricant scraping decreases.
Therefore, at a high temperature at which the consumption rate of the lubricant is reduced, the lubricant Q is not sufficiently applied to the photosensitive drum 21, and problems such as defective cleaning occur.
If the lubricant consumption rate at a high temperature is set to an appropriate value in order to eliminate such a problem, the polishing effect on the solid lubricant 45 becomes too large at a low temperature, and the photosensitive drum 21 is moved to. As a result, the amount of the lubricant applied increases, causing problems such as contamination of the charging unit 22.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, in order to keep the consumption rate of the lubricant constant, the control unit 70 applies power from the power source 50 to the core of the brush roller 25b according to the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 59. Since the voltage to be applied is controlled, the amount of toner attached to the brush-like roller 25b can be controlled to control the polishing efficiency for the solid lubricant 45.
The toner used in the present embodiment is charged with a negative polarity to perform the development process.
Therefore, in order to transfer the toner from the photosensitive drum 21 to the intermediate transfer belt 27, a positive voltage is applied to the transfer bias roller 24 to form an electric field between the photosensitive drum 21 and the negatively charged toner. Is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 27.
At this time, all of the toner on the photosensitive drum 21 is not transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 27, and a part of the toner remains on the photosensitive drum 21 as untransferred toner having strong adhesion to the photosensitive drum 21. To do.
Since the untransferred toner on the photosensitive drum 21 is affected by the transfer current, the charging polarity is changed from the negative polarity which is the normal charging polarity to the positive polarity.
Therefore, the toner (untransferred toner) can be positively attached to the brush-like roller 25b by applying a negative polarity (same polarity as the polarity of toner) voltage from the power supply 50 to the brush-like roller 25b.

Specifically, the negative polarity voltage Vb (see FIG. 4B) applied from the power supply 50 to the brush roller 25b at a high temperature higher than a predetermined temperature (threshold temperature) is higher than the predetermined temperature (threshold temperature). Is set to be larger than the negative polarity voltage Va (see FIG. 4A) applied from the power source 50 to the brush roller 25b at a low temperature.
As a result, the amount of lubricant supplied to the photosensitive drum 21 can be optimized even at high temperatures, as at low temperatures. As a result, problems such as poor cleaning and filming of the photosensitive drum 21 can be prevented.
FIG. 7 is a graph showing a lubricant consumption rate at a low temperature and a lubricant consumption rate at a high temperature when the lubricant supply device according to the present embodiment is used.
It can be seen from FIG. 7 that by controlling the voltage applied to the brush-like roller 25b, the lubricant consumption rate at the low temperature and the lubricant consumption rate at the high temperature are substantially equal.

The brush bristles 25b1 of the brush-like roller 25b are preferably formed of low resistance fibers having an electric resistance of 10 ⁵ to 10 ¹⁰ (Ω · cm).
When the electric resistance of the brush bristles 25b1 is high, an electric field is hardly formed between the bristles 25b1 and the photosensitive drum 21 even when a voltage is applied to the core of the brush-like roller 25b, and the toner with polarity is brushed. It becomes difficult to adhere to the roller 25b.
Further, if the electric resistance of the brush bristles 25b1 is high, the brush-like roller 25b is frictionally charged by sliding contact with the photosensitive drum 21, and the brush bristles 25b1 are in a state of holding electric charge, so that the polar toner However, it is difficult to control by applying voltage.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the voltage applied to the brush-like roller 25b (brush-like rotating member) is controlled according to the temperature even when the temperature inside the apparatus changes in the image forming process. Therefore, the lubricant Q can be stably supplied onto the photosensitive drum 21 with a simple configuration.

In the present embodiment, the cleaning device 25 (lubricant supply device) is integrated with the photosensitive drum 21 and the charging unit 22 to form the process cartridge 20 so that the image forming unit can be made compact and maintenance workability can be improved. We are trying to improve.
Thus, in a compact process cartridge, a lubricant supply device having a small number of parts and a simple configuration as in the present embodiment is particularly useful.
In addition, the cleaning device 25 (lubricant supply device) can be configured to be replaceable in the apparatus main body 1 as a single unit without being a component of the process cartridge.
Even in such a case, the same effect as the present embodiment can be obtained.
In the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to an image forming apparatus equipped with a two-component developing type developing device 23 using a two-component developer. However, a one-component developing type using a one-component developer is used. Of course, the present invention can also be applied to an image forming apparatus equipped with the developing device 23.
Further, in the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to a lubricant supply device that supplies a lubricant to the photosensitive drum 21 as an image carrier. However, the present invention is applied to a photosensitive belt or an intermediate transfer belt as an image carrier. Naturally, the present invention can also be applied to a lubricant supply device that supplies a lubricant.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the present embodiment, and it is obvious that the present embodiment can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention, other than suggested in the present embodiment. is there.
In addition, the number, position, shape, and the like of the constituent members are not limited to the present embodiment, and the number, position, shape, and the like suitable for implementing the present invention can be achieved.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus main body (apparatus main body), 20, 20Y, 20M, 20C, 20BK Process cartridge, 21 Photosensitive drum (image carrier), 22 Charging unit, 23, 23Y, 23M, 23C, 23BK Developing device (developing unit) ), 25 cleaning device (lubricant supply device), 25a cleaning blade, 25b brush-like roller (brush-like rotating member), 25b1 brush hair, 35 transfer section, 45 solid lubricant, 46 compression spring, 47 flicker (removal member) , 50 power supply, 59 temperature sensor, 60 paper feed conveyance unit, 70 control unit, Q lubricant, G two-component developer (developer), T toner, C carrier

JP 2007-286246 A JP 2007-147917 A JP 2010-96988 A

Claims (10)

A lubricant,
A brush-like rotating member that collects the toner held on the image carrier and applies the lubricant scraped from the lubricant onto the image carrier;
A power source for applying a voltage to the brush-like rotating member;
A temperature sensor that measures the temperature around the brush-like rotating member or the brush-like rotating member;
A controller that controls a voltage applied from the power source to the brush-like rotating member according to a temperature measured by the temperature sensor, and adjusts an amount of toner attached to the brush-like rotating member;
A lubricant supply device comprising:   The voltage applied from the power source to the brush-like rotating member has the same polarity as the polarity of the toner, and the control unit is configured to apply the brush-like when the measured temperature measured by the temperature sensor is higher than a predetermined temperature. The absolute value of the voltage applied to the rotating member is controlled to be larger than the absolute value of the voltage applied to the brush-like rotating member when the measured temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature. The lubricant supply device described. The brush-like rotating member has the brush hairs planted on a metal core, and the brush hairs are made of low resistance fibers having an electric resistance of 10 ⁵ to 10 ¹⁰ (Ω · cm). Or the lubricant supply device according to 2;   A removing member that removes deposits adhering to the brush-like rotating member, the removing member being on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the brush-like rotating member with respect to the image carrier and the brush with respect to the lubricant; The lubricant supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the lubricant supply device is disposed on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the cylindrical rotation member.   The lubricant supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the lubricant contains zinc stearate.   The lubricant supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the lubricant contains boron nitride.   7. The image bearing member according to claim 1, wherein the image bearing member includes a protective layer formed on a surface of the binder resin having a crosslinked structure and having a charge transport material dispersed therein. 8. Lubricant supply device.   A lubricant supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, and a cleaning blade disposed on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the image carrier relative to the lubricant supply device to clean the image carrier. And a cleaning device.   9. A process cartridge comprising the cleaning device according to claim 8 and the image carrier.   An image forming apparatus comprising the process cartridge according to claim 9.

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