JP2014077924A - Cleaning body, cleaning device, charging device, assembly, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cleaning body capable of suppressing fluctuation of a nip part formed between a cleaning target body and the cleaning body.SOLUTION: A cleaning body includes: a shaft part; and a cleaning layer 107 that is spirally wound around and fixed to the shaft part from one end side to the other end side, so as to be wound the same number of times in any phases along the shaft direction of the shaft part, and makes a contact surface to be in contact with a rotating cleaning target body contact the cleaning target body to be driven to rotate so as to clean the cleaning target body.

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaning body, a cleaning device, a charging device, an assembly, and an image forming apparatus.

  A cleaning member that cleans the outer peripheral surface of the charging roll by winding an elastic body spirally around the shaft, extending in the axial direction of the charging roll, and rotating in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the charging roll Is conventionally known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2011-145408 A

  An object of this invention is to obtain the cleaning body which can suppress the fluctuation | variation of the nip part between to-be-cleaned bodies.

  In order to achieve the above object, the cleaning body according to claim 1 according to the present invention includes a shaft portion and an arbitrary portion along the axial direction of the shaft portion from one end side to the other end side of the shaft portion. The object to be cleaned is rotated by being rotated while being in contact with the object to be cleaned while contacting the rotating object to be cleaned. And a cleaning layer for cleaning.

  Moreover, the cleaning body according to claim 2 according to the present invention is fixed to the shaft and the body to be cleaned that is wound and fixed spirally from one end to the other end of the shaft. A cleaning layer that cleans the cleaning target body by rotating the contact surface in contact with the cleaning target body, and the length of the region of the shaft portion around which the cleaning layer is wound. The relationship between the spiral angle θ and the number of turns T is expressed by the equation tan θ = T × S / W, where W is the outer peripheral length including the cleaning layer, and S is the number of turns of the cleaning layer. It is characterized by that.

  Moreover, the cleaning body of Claim 3 is the cleaning body of Claim 1 or Claim 2, Comprising: The winding angle of the said cleaning layer with respect to the said axial part is less than 45 degrees, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  Moreover, the cleaning body of Claim 4 is a cleaning body of any one of Claims 1-3, Comprising: The outer diameter containing the said cleaning layer differs from the outer diameter of the said to-be-cleaned body. It is characterized by that.

  Moreover, the cleaning body of Claim 5 is a cleaning body of any one of Claims 1-4, Comprising: The outer diameter containing the said cleaning layer is rather than the outer diameter of the said to-be-cleaned body. It is characterized by being large.

  Moreover, the cleaning apparatus of Claim 6 which concerns on this invention cleans the said to-be-cleaned body, contacting the rotating to-be-cleaned body and rotating by rotation. And a support member that rotatably supports both axial ends of the shaft portion.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a charging device comprising: the cleaning device according to the sixth aspect; and a charged body as the cleaned body that rotates.

  An assembly according to an eighth aspect of the present invention includes the cleaning device according to the sixth aspect, a charged body, and a charged body as the cleaned body that charges the charged body while rotating. , Is assembled to the apparatus main body so as to be detachable integrally.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus according to the sixth aspect, the cleaning apparatus according to the sixth aspect, an image holding body capable of holding an image, and the object to be cleaned that charges the image holding body while rotating. A charged body as a body, an exposure device that exposes the image carrier charged by the charged body to form an electrostatic latent image, and an electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier by the exposure device is developed And a developing device.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the cleaning layer spirally wound around the shaft portion is different from the configuration in which the number of turns is not the same in any phase along the axial direction of the shaft portion. The fluctuation of the nip portion can be suppressed.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to suppress the fluctuation of the nip portion between the object to be cleaned and the structure in which the relationship between the spiral angle θ and the winding number T is not represented by the above formula.

  According to invention of Claim 3, compared with the structure whose winding angle of the cleaning layer with respect to a axial part is 45 degrees or more, the component force which does not contribute to rotation of a cleaning body can be reduced.

  According to invention of Claim 4, compared with the structure where the outer diameter containing a cleaning layer is the same as the outer diameter of a to-be-cleaned body, it is suppressed that a cleaning layer cleans with respect to a to-be-cleaned body in the same area | region. can do.

  According to invention of Claim 5, compared with the structure whose outer diameter containing a cleaning layer is smaller than the outer diameter of a to-be-cleaned body, the area of the contact surface used each time with respect to the total area of the contact surface side in a cleaning layer This ratio can be reduced.

  According to the invention described in claim 6, the cleaning performance for the object to be cleaned can be improved as compared with the configuration not including the cleaning body described in any one of claims 1 to 5.

  According to the invention described in claim 7, it is possible to suppress the charging failure caused by the cleaning failure as compared with the configuration not including the cleaning device according to claim 6.

  According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to suppress the charging failure caused by the poor cleaning as compared with the configuration not including the cleaning device according to the sixth aspect.

  According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, image defects due to poor cleaning can be suppressed as compared with the configuration that does not include the cleaning device according to the sixth aspect.

Side view showing schematic configuration of image forming apparatus Side view schematically showing the configuration of the cleaning device as seen from the axial direction of the shaft The top view which shows the structure of a cleaning apparatus seeing from the direction orthogonal to the axial direction of a shaft Top view showing a spiral cleaning member The top view which expands and shows a part of spiral cleaning member Schematic diagram showing the elastic layer of the spiral cleaning member developed. The top view which shows typically the shape of the contact surface of the elastic layer with respect to a charging roll Explanatory drawing which shows the cleaning operation | movement of the helical cleaning member with respect to a charging roll.

  Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. An image forming apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment is a tandem-type full-color image forming apparatus, for example, as shown in FIG. In FIG. 1, the arrow UP is the upward direction of the image forming apparatus 10. First, a schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus 10 will be described.

<Schematic configuration of image forming apparatus>
As shown in FIG. 1, inside the image forming apparatus 10, a photosensitive member 12 as an example of an image holding member (a member to be charged), a charging roll 14 as an example of a charged member, a developing device 24, etc. (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) are provided in order from top to bottom as process cartridges 18Y, 18M, 18C, and 18K as an example of an assembly for each color.

  The process cartridges 18Y, 18M, 18C, and 18K are configured to be detachable from the image forming apparatus 10. Further, as the photoconductor 12, for example, a conductive cylinder having an outer peripheral surface (front surface) coated with a photoconductor layer made of an organic photosensitive material or the like is used, and is rotated by a motor (not shown). Yes.

  The outer peripheral surface of the photoconductor 12 is charged by a charging roll 14 disposed so as to be in contact with the outer peripheral surface, and then is exposed from an exposure device 16 disposed downstream of the charging roll 14 in the rotation direction of the photoconductor 12. The exposure is performed by the emitted laser beam LB. As a result, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image information is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the photoreceptor 12.

  The electrostatic latent image formed on the outer peripheral surface of the photoreceptor 12 is developed by the developing devices 24Y, 24M, 24C, and 24K for each color of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). The toner image is developed to be a toner image of each color.

  For example, when a full-color image is formed, charging, exposure, and development processes are performed on the outer peripheral surface of each color photoconductor 12 in black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y). A toner image corresponding to each color of black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the photoconductor 12 of each color. It is configured.

  The black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) toner images formed on the outer peripheral surfaces of the respective photoreceptors 12 are recorded on the recording paper conveyed on the paper conveying belt 20. The images are sequentially transferred to P. The sheet conveying belt 20 is supported from the inner peripheral surface side while being tensioned by the support rolls 40 and 42, and the recording sheet P is fed to a place where each transfer device 22 and each photoconductor 12 described later come into contact with each other. It is designed to be transported sequentially.

  Then, the recording paper P onto which the toner image is transferred from the outer peripheral surface of each photoconductor 12 is conveyed to the fixing device 64 and heated and pressed by the fixing device 64, whereby the toner image is formed on the recording paper P. Has become established. The recording paper P is taken out from the paper storage container 28 by the take-out roll 30 and is conveyed to the paper transport belt 20 by the transport rolls 32 and 34.

  Here, in the case of single-sided printing, the recording paper P on which the toner image has been fixed is discharged as it is onto a discharge unit 68 provided at the top of the image forming apparatus 10 by a discharge roll 66. On the other hand, in the case of double-sided printing, the discharge roll 66 rotates in the reverse direction while the rear end portion of the recording paper P having the toner image fixed on the surface thereof by the fixing device 64 is sandwiched by the discharge roll 66, and the recording paper The P transport path is switched to a double-sided paper transport path 70.

  Then, the recording paper P whose front and back are reversed is transported again onto the paper transport belt 20 by the transport roll 72 disposed in the paper transport path 70 for double-sided printing, and each photoconductor is placed on the back surface of the recording paper P. A toner image is transferred from the outer peripheral surface of the twelve. The recording paper P with the toner image transferred to the back surface of the recording paper P is fixed on the toner image by the fixing device 64, and the recording paper P with the toner image fixed on the back surface is discharged onto the discharge unit 68. It is like that.

  Further, residual toner, paper dust, and the like remaining on the outer peripheral surface of the photoconductor 12 after the toner image transfer process is completed are more photoconductive than the portion where the transfer device 22 contacts each time the photoconductor 12 rotates. 12 is removed by a cleaning blade 26 disposed on the downstream side in the rotational direction of the rotation member 12, and the outer peripheral surface of each photoconductor 12 is prepared for the next image forming step.

<Cleaning device>
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the charging roll 14 is formed in a roll shape in which a conductive elastic layer 14B is formed around a conductive shaft 14A, for example, and the shaft 14A is rotatably supported. Has been. The charging roll 14 is pressed against the photoconductor 12 by applying a load to both end portions of the shaft 14A, and elastically deforms along the outer peripheral surface of the elastic layer 14B, thereby forming a nip portion N1 and photosensitivity. The body 12 is driven to rotate. The configuration of the charging roll 14 will be described in detail later.

  Further, the outer peripheral surface (surface) of the charging roll 14 opposite to the photoreceptor 12 is rotated while being in contact with the outer peripheral surface, thereby transferring dirt such as toner and external additives on the outer peripheral surface. A cleaning device 100 that removes (cleans the outer peripheral surface) is disposed. The charging device 50 includes the charging roll 14 and the cleaning device 100, and the charging roll 14 is also an example of an object to be cleaned.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning device 100 supports a spiral cleaning member 102 as an example of a cleaning body and a cap member 108 (described later) of the spiral cleaning member 102 so as to be rotatable (rotatable). And a bearing member 110 as an example of a member. The helical cleaning member 102 does not need to be provided with the cap member 108. In this case, both end portions of the shaft 104 described later are rotatably supported by the bearing member 110.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the spiral cleaning member 102 is provided on a shaft 104 as an example of a shaft portion (core body) disposed along the axial direction of the charging roll 14, and around the shaft 104 (outer peripheral surface). As an example of a belt-shaped (strip-shaped) elastic sheet 106 that is wound spirally and fixed by bonding, and a pressing member that is fitted to both ends of the shaft 104 so as to press both ends of the elastic sheet 106 The cap member 108 is provided.

  The shaft 104 of the spiral cleaning member 102 is formed in a cylindrical shape (circular cross section) except for both ends thereof, and is disposed so as to extend along the axial direction of the charging roll 14. That is, the total length of the shaft 104 is, for example, 236 mm, and the length of the shaft 104 in the image forming region (the region around which the elastic sheet 106 is wound) inside the cap member 108 is, for example, 224 mm. Has been.

  As shown in FIG. 2, when a load is applied to the cap member 108 by the bearing member 110, the spiral cleaning member 102 is pressed against the charging roll 14, and the elastic sheet 106 is moved to the charging roll 14. The nip portion N2 is formed by elastically deforming along the outer peripheral surface. The shape of the elastic sheet 106 at the nip portion N2 will be described in detail later.

  The shaft 104 of the spiral cleaning member 102 is mainly made of a metal material such as aluminum, stainless steel, or brass, and the material and the surface treatment method are appropriately selected according to applications such as slidability. Yes. In addition, when using the material which does not have electroconductivity for the shaft 104, you may process by general processes, such as a plating process, and may perform an electroconductive process, but you may use as it is.

  Moreover, since a grinding process is not performed at the time of manufacture and it is easy to process, you may use a resin shaft. The outer diameter of the shaft 104 is desirably about 3 mm to 6 mm in accordance with the relationship between the downsizing of the image forming apparatus 10, the bending deformation of the shaft 104 and the manufacturing cost. In the present embodiment, the outer diameter is 4 mm as an example. Has been.

  An elastic sheet 106 of the spiral cleaning member 102 is formed into an elongated belt-like elastic layer 107 as an example of a cleaning layer that is elastically deformable, and the elastic layer 107 is bonded to the entire surface and the back surface is a shaft. And an adhesive layer (not shown) that can be adhered to the outer peripheral surface of 104. In the following, the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the elastic sheet 106 (not the axial direction of the shaft 104) is defined as the width direction of the elastic sheet 106 (elastic layer 107).

  The adhesive layer is made of, for example, an adhesive or an adhesive such as a double-sided tape, and the elastic sheet 106 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 104 by the adhesive layer from one end in the axial direction to the other end. It is designed to be pasted (fixed). The adhesive layer may be a single adhesive layer or a plurality of adhesive layers. When the adhesive layer is composed of a plurality of adhesive layers, a non-adhesive layer such as a conductive layer, a non-conductive layer, a semiconductive layer, a heat insulating layer, or a heat transfer layer is interposed between the adhesive layers. Also good.

  A foam (porous body) is used for the elastic layer 107. That is, the elastic layer 107 is made of a foam having a porous three-dimensional structure, sliced into a desired thickness, cut into a desired width and length by a punching die, etc., and then at a constant speed. The rotated shaft 104 is bonded while being spirally wound at a winding angle θ (see FIG. 4) described later.

  Here, the length of the elastic sheet 106 (elastic layer 107) is uniquely determined by the length and outer diameter of the shaft 104, the winding angle (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “spiral angle”) θ, and the tension at the time of winding. It is like that. The spiral angle θ means an angle (acute angle) at which the longitudinal direction of the elastic sheet 106 (elastic layer 107) intersects the axial direction of the shaft 104, and θ <45 °.

  By setting the helical angle θ to less than 45 °, as shown in FIG. 5, the component force Gm that contributes to rotation out of the frictional force G applied to the helical cleaning member 102 by contact with the charging roll 14 is rotated. It is the structure which becomes larger than the component force Gs which does not contribute to. That is, by setting the spiral angle θ to less than 45 °, the component force Gs that does not contribute to rotation is reduced. The spiral angle θ is preferably θ ≧ 10 °.

  Also, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the elastic sheet 106 is configured to always have the same number of turns (for example, 4 turns) at an arbitrary phase along the axial direction of the shaft 104. That is, one end and the other end of the elastic sheet 106 are configured not to overlap (do not overlap) in the circumferential direction.

  Specifically, the length of the spiral cleaning member 102 excluding the cap member 108 (the length of the image forming area around which the elastic sheet 106 is wound) is W, and the spiral shape includes the elastic sheet 106 (elastic layer 107). When the outer peripheral length of the cleaning member 102 is S and the winding number of the elastic sheet 106 (elastic layer 107) is a natural number T, the relationship between the spiral angle θ and the winding number T is expressed by the equation tan θ = T × S / W. It has come to be.

  4 and 6, the width in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the elastic sheet 106 is the spiral width R. That is, the spiral width R means the width of the elastic layer 107, and R = 3 mm to 5 mm as an example. Incidentally, in the spiral cleaning member 102 according to the present embodiment, as an example, the spiral angle θ = 24 ° and the spiral width R = 4 mm.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the shape of the contact surface 107A (indicated by hatching in FIG. 7) of the elastic layer 107 with the charging roll 14 in the nip portion N2 is on the opposite side 107B along the axial direction of the shaft 104. The shape is a parallelogram with no overlapping (overlapping) regions in the axial direction. Here, the length (nip width) H in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the elastic layer 107 at the nip portion N2 can be regarded as substantially the same as the outer diameter of the shaft 104. Therefore, the spiral angle θ and the spiral width R of the elastic layer 107 are defined by the following equations.

  That is, when the length of the opposite side 107B of the elastic layer 107 shown in FIG. 7 is L and the length of both ends in the width direction intersecting with the opposite side 107B (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “ridgeline portion 107D”) is E, the opposite side 107B. In order not to have an overlapping region in the axial direction, Ecos θ> L should be satisfied.

  When this equation of Ecos θ> L is expressed by a length (nip width) H and a spiral width R, H = E sin θ and R = L sin θ, and therefore H cos θ> R. Here, since the length (nip width) H can be regarded as the same as the outer diameter of the shaft 104, the helical angle θ and the helical width R of the elastic body sheet 106 (elastic layer 107) are obtained by the equation Hcos θ> R. It will be specified.

  Further, the cross-sectional shape in the width direction of the unloaded elastic layer 107 that is not wound around the shaft 104 is a rectangular shape that is long in the width direction. Therefore, the elastic layer 107 in a loaded state wound helically while being pulled by the shaft 104 with a constant tension has at least both ends in the width direction in the cross section in the width direction (cross section in the direction perpendicular to the winding direction). The portion (ridge line portion 107D) is elastically deformed so as to protrude in a convex shape.

  Thus, although the thickness of the elastic body sheet 106 (elastic layer 107) when wound around the shaft 104 is different between the width direction both ends (ridge line portion 107D) and the width direction both ends (width direction center), Desirably, it is generally within a range of 1.5 mm to 4 mm, and in the present embodiment, the thickness of the ridge line portion 107D is set to 4 mm as an example. Therefore, the outer diameter of the spiral cleaning member 102 according to the present embodiment is 12 mm as an example.

  That is, the outer diameter of the spiral cleaning member 102 (including the elastic layer 107) is the length from the rotation center of the shaft 104 to the ridgeline portion 107D of the elastic layer 107 in a cross-sectional view when viewed from the axial direction of the shaft 104. It is twice the (radius). Accordingly, the outer diameter of the spiral cleaning member 102 is, for example, (4 mm / 2 + 4 mm) × 2 = 12 mm.

  Note that the tension when the elastic sheet 106 is wound around the shaft 104 may be such that there is no gap between the shaft 104 and the adhesive layer, and it is desirable that tension is not applied as much as possible. This is because if the tension is applied too much, the permanent elongation becomes large, and the elastic force necessary for cleaning decreases. Therefore, it is desirable that the tension be 1% to 5% of the length of the original elastic sheet 106.

  Further, the elongation of the elastic layer 107 when the shaft 104 is wound with tension is different in the thickness direction. That is, the elongation of the elastic layer 107 is larger on the outer surface side than on the inner surface side. Therefore, it is desirable to apply tension so that the elongation on the outer surface side after winding is 1% to 5%. In this embodiment, the thickness of the ridgeline portion 107D of the elastic layer 107 wound with a tension such that the elongation on the outer surface side after winding is 5% is set to 4 mm as an example.

  In addition to the tension when the elastic sheet 106 is wound around the shaft 104, the elastic layer 107 is stretched by the radius of curvature (or curvature) of the elastic sheet 106 wound around the shaft 104 and the thickness of the elastic sheet 106. The radius of curvature (or curvature) of the elastic sheet 106 is controlled by the outer diameter of the shaft 104 and the helical angle θ of the elastic sheet 106.

  As the foam constituting the elastic layer 107, a foamable resin such as polyurethane, polyethylene, polyamide or polypropylene, or NBR, EPDM, SBR, CR, silicone rubber, fluorine rubber, urethane rubber, chlorinated polyisoprene, Isoprene, acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, hydrogenated polybutadiene, butyl rubber and other rubber materials are selected from one or a blend of two or more, and if necessary, a foaming aid, Auxiliaries such as foaming agents, catalysts, curing agents, plasticizers, vulcanization accelerators are added.

  However, in order to efficiently remove foreign substances such as external additives by driven sliding rubbing with the charging roll 14, and to prevent the outer peripheral surface of the charging roll 14 from being scratched by rubbing, it is necessary to maintain a thousand for a long period of time. In order to prevent breakage and breakage, it is particularly desirable to select a polyurethane that is strong against tearing and pulling forces.

  Polyurethanes such as polyester polyols, polyether polyesters and acrylic polyols, 2,4-tolylene diisocyanate, 2,6-tolylene diisocyanate, 4,4-diphenylmethane diisocyanate, and tolidine diisocyanate are not particularly limited as polyurethane. 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate and other isocyanate reactions may be involved, and it is desirable that a chain extender such as 1,4-butanediol and trimethylolpropane is mixed.

  In general, polyurethane is foamed using a foaming agent such as water, azodicarbonamide, azo compounds such as azobisisobutyronitrile. Moreover, you may add adjuvants, such as a foaming aid, a foam stabilizer, and a catalyst, to foamed polyurethane as needed. Of the polyurethane foams, ether-based polyurethane foams are preferred. This is because the ester-based foamed polyurethane tends to be subject to wet heat degradation.

  Ether-based polyurethane mainly uses a silicone oil foam stabilizer. However, there is a risk that the silicone oil may be transferred to the object to be cleaned (for example, a charging roll) by storage (particularly, long-term storage under high temperature and high humidity). This may cause image quality defects. Therefore, it is desirable to suppress image quality defects of the elastic layer 107 by using a foam stabilizer other than silicone oil.

  Here, specific examples of the foam stabilizer other than silicone oil include organic surfactants that do not contain Si (for example, anionic surfactants such as dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid and sodium lauryl sulfate). It is done. Further, the elastic layer 107 may have a single-layer structure or a stacked structure. Specifically, the configuration of the elastic layer 107 may be, for example, a configuration composed of one layer of foam or a configuration composed of two layers of a solid layer and a foam layer.

  The coefficient of dynamic friction of the elastic sheet 106 in the spiral cleaning member 102 is preferably 0.1 to 1.0. If the dynamic friction coefficient of the elastic sheet 106 is less than 0.1, sufficient cleaning properties may not be obtained, and as a result, vertical stripes may be generated on the image quality. If the dynamic friction coefficient of the elastic sheet 106 exceeds 1.0, the charging roll 14 may be damaged, charging defects may be caused at the damaged portion, and color points or minute color lines may be generated on the image quality. .

  Such image defects include surface contamination (mainly toner external additives) of the charging roll 14 and the spiral cleaning member 102 (elastic body sheet 106), contamination of foreign matters (mainly paper dust), and discharge products. Since adhesion or the like occurs as a trigger, the risk of occurrence increases with longer use.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the cap member 108 is provided at both end portions of the shaft 104 so as to prevent peeling of both end portions of the elastic sheet 106 spirally wound around the shaft 104. The end portion 107 </ b> C of the elastic sheet 106 (elastic layer 107) is assembled between the outer peripheral surface of the cap member 108 and the inner peripheral surface of the cap member 108.

  And it is being fixed to the both ends of the shaft 104 so that it may rotate integrally with the shaft 104. That is, both end portions of the shaft 104 have a cross-sectional shape that is prevented from rotating, for example, D-cut, and the insertion hole into which the end portion of the shaft 104 of the cap member 108 is inserted is also prevented from rotating. It has a cross-sectional shape such as a cut.

  Thereby, the cap member 108 is configured to rotate integrally with the shaft 104. In addition, as a method of fixing the cap member 108 to the shaft 104, for example, a method of fixing the cap member 108 to the shaft 104 with an adhesive, a double-sided tape, or the like can be given.

  Further, the cap member 108 has a circular outer shape viewed from the axial direction of the shaft 104 in order to ensure the followability of the charging roll 14 and the spiral cleaning member 102, and the outer peripheral surface thereof is The charging roller 14 is configured to come into contact with both end portions, specifically, the outer peripheral surface outside the image forming area (printing area) (see FIG. 3).

  That is, not only the spirally wound elastic sheet 106 (elastic layer 107) but also the cap member 108 is in contact with the charging roll 14 so as to be driven to rotate, and the outer diameter of the cap member 108 and the spiral cleaning member. The outer diameter of 102 (including the elastic layer 107) is the same.

  That is, when the outer diameter of the cap member 108 is larger than the outer diameter of the spiral cleaning member 102, the elastic layer 107 may not be able to contact the charging roll 14, and the charging roll 14 may not be cleaned. . That is, in this case, since the elastic layer 107 cannot perform the original cleaning function, there is a concern that the charging roll 14 may cause a cleaning failure.

  In addition, when the outer diameter of the cap member 108 is smaller than the outer diameter of the spiral cleaning member 102, the cap member 108 may not contact the charging roll 14, and sufficient followability to the charging roll 14 may not be ensured. There is. Therefore, the outer diameter of the cap member 108 and the outer diameter of the spiral cleaning member 102 are the same. Thereby, the followability of the spiral cleaning member 102 with respect to the charging roll 14 is further ensured.

  As described above, the axial contact position between the cap member 108 and the charging roll 14 is outside the image forming area. If the contact position is within the image forming region, there is a concern that cleaning failure may occur in the contact region of the charging roll 14 with the cap member 108 during long-term use. When the contact position is outside the image forming area, it is not necessary to provide the cap member 108 with a function of cleaning the charging roll 14, so that it is possible to select a material specialized only for ensuring followability for the cap member 108. .

  The material of the cap member 108 is not particularly limited, but is preferably made of a plastic such as ABS or POM from the viewpoint of workability and cost reduction. The material of the outer peripheral surface (outer peripheral portion) of the cap member 108 is more preferably the same as that of the charging roll 14. Thereby, the followability of the helical cleaning member 102 with respect to the charging roll 14 is further ensured. Moreover, in order to obtain a desired dynamic friction coefficient, a viscous tape or the like may be pasted on the plastic molded body.

  Furthermore, it is more desirable that the outer peripheral portion of the cap member 108 is made of an elastic body. For example, an elastic body may be laminated on the outer peripheral surface (surface) of the cap member 108. The cap member 108 may have a single layer structure made of an elastic material. For example, the cap member 108 may be composed of only an elastic body such as solid rubber. In addition, the dynamic friction coefficient of at least the outer peripheral portion of the cap member 108 (in the case of an elastic body, the elastic body) is desirably 1.0 to 1.5.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning device 100 includes a pair of bearing members 110 that rotatably support the cap members 108 on the side opposite to the contact side with the charging roll 14. Specifically, each of the bearing members 110 has a shape in which the inner side in the axial direction of the shaft 104 is opened and the outer side in the axial direction is closed by the side wall 110A. The cap member 108 rotates along the circumferential direction of the inner wall while sliding on the inner wall of the bearing member 110.

  The pair of bearing members 110 are fixed to fixing portions 114 formed on the side plates 112 on both sides. Note that the charging roller 14 according to the present embodiment is rotatably supported at both ends in the axial direction by a support member (not shown), and the photosensitive member 12 is rotatably supported at the both ends in the axial direction by the side plate 112. .

<Charging roll>
Next, the configuration of the charging roll 14 will be described in detail. The charging roll 14 only needs to have a desired charging performance, and is not limited to the following configuration.

  The charging roll 14 is obtained by sequentially forming a conductive elastic layer and a surface layer as a charging layer on a conductive shaft 14A. The outer diameter of the charging roll 14 is 8 mm to 12 mm, and in this embodiment, it is 9 mm as an example. The thickness of the charging layer is desirably 1.5 mm to 3 mm. In this embodiment, as an example, the outer diameter of the shaft 14A is 6 mm, and the thickness of the charging layer is 1.5 mm.

  That is, the outer diameter of the charging roll 14 is different from the outer diameter of the spiral cleaning member 102 (including the elastic layer 107). Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the outer diameter of the charging roll 14 is smaller than the outer diameter of the spiral cleaning member 102 (the outer diameter of the spiral cleaning member 102 is smaller than the outer diameter of the charging roll 14. Is larger).

  As the material of the shaft 14A of the charging roll 14, for example, free-cutting steel, stainless steel or the like is used, and the material and the surface treatment method are appropriately selected according to the use such as slidability. In the case of a material that does not have conductivity, the material may be processed by a general process such as a plating process to be conducted.

  The conductive elastic layer constituting the charging layer of the charging roll 14 is formed, for example, by covering the outer peripheral surface of the conductive shaft 14A with an elastic material such as rubber having elasticity. A conductive agent or the like for adjusting the resistance value of the conductive elastic layer may be dispersed, and if necessary, a softener, a plasticizer, a curing agent, a vulcanizing agent, a vulcanization accelerator, an anti-aging agent, silica and Additives added to normal rubber such as fillers such as calcium carbonate may be added.

  As the elastic material (rubber material) constituting the conductive elastic layer, isoprene rubber, chloroprene rubber, epichlorohydrin rubber, butyl rubber, urethane rubber, silicone rubber, fluorine rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, butadiene rubber, nitrile rubber, ethylene propylene Rubber, epichlorohydrin-ethylene oxide copolymer rubber, epichlorohydrin-ethylene oxide-allyl glycidyl ether copolymer rubber, ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer rubber (EPDM), acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymer rubber, natural rubber, and blend rubbers thereof Is mentioned.

  Among these, it is desirable to use silicone rubber, ethylene propylene rubber, epichlorohydrin-ethylene oxide copolymer rubber, epichlorohydrin-ethylene oxide-allyl glycidyl ether copolymer rubber, acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymer rubber, and blended rubbers thereof. These rubber materials may be foamed or non-foamed.

  As the conductive agent, an electronic conductive agent or an ionic conductive agent is used. Examples of electronic conductive agents include carbon blacks such as ketjen black and acetylene black; pyrolytic carbon, graphite; various conductive metals or alloys such as aluminum, copper, nickel, stainless steel; tin oxide, indium oxide, titanium oxide And fine powders such as various conductive metal oxides such as tin oxide-antimony oxide solid solution, tin oxide-indium oxide solid solution; and the like.

  Examples of ionic conductive agents include perchlorates and chlorates such as tetraethylammonium and lauryltrimethylammonium; alkali metals such as lithium and magnesium; perchlorates and chlorates of alkaline earth metals ;

  These conductive agents may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Moreover, the addition amount is not particularly limited, but in the case of the electronic conductive agent, the rubber material: desirably in the range of 1 to 60 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass, , Rubber material: The range of 0.1 to 5.0 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass is desirable.

  The surface layer constituting the charging layer is formed to prevent contamination by foreign matters such as toner, and the material of the surface layer may be any of resin, rubber, etc. Is not to be done. For example, polyester, polyimide, copolymer nylon, silicone resin, acrylic resin, polyvinyl butyral, ethylenetetrafluoroethylene copolymer, melamine resin, fluororubber, epoxy resin, polycarbonate, polyvinyl alcohol, cellulose, polyvinylidene chloride, polyvinyl chloride , Polyethylene, ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer and the like.

  From the viewpoint of preventing contamination by external additives, polyvinylidene fluoride, tetrafluoroethylene copolymer, polyester, polyimide, and copolymer nylon are preferably used. The copolymer nylon includes one or more of 610 nylon, 11 nylon, and 12 nylon as polymerized units, and other polymer units contained in the copolymer include 6 nylon, 66 nylon and the like.

  Here, it is desirable that the ratio of polymer units composed of 610 nylon, 11 nylon, and 12 nylon to be contained in the copolymer is 10% or more in total by weight ratio. When the polymerized unit is 10% or more, the composition is excellent in liquid preparation and film-forming properties during coating of the surface layer, and in particular, there is little abrasion of the resin layer and adhesion of foreign matter to the resin layer during repeated use, and the charging roll 14 Durability is excellent, and changes in properties due to the environment are reduced.

  In addition, the said polymeric material may be used independently, and 2 or more types may be mixed and used for it. Moreover, you may make it contain a electrically conductive agent in the said surface layer, and may adjust resistance value. As the conductive agent for the purpose of adjusting the resistance value, carbon black, conductive metal oxide particles, or a material in which a material that conducts electricity using electrons and / or ions as charge carriers, such as an ionic conductive agent, is used. It is possible.

  Carbon blacks include Degussa's “Special Black 350”, “Special Black 100”, “Special Black 250”, “Special Black 5”, “Special Black 4”, and “Special Black 4A” "Special Black 550", "Special Black 6", "Color Black FW200", "Color Black FW2", "Color Black FW2V", Cabot "MONARCH1000", Cabot "MONARCH1300", Cabot “MONARCH1400”, “MOGUL-L”, “REGAL400R”, etc. manufactured by the same company may be mentioned.

  The carbon black has a pH of 4.0 or less, and has better dispersibility in the resin composition due to the effect of oxygen-containing functional groups present on the surface as compared with general carbon black. By blending carbon black having a pH of 4.0 or less, it becomes possible to improve the charging uniformity as compared with those not blended, and to further reduce the fluctuation of the resistance value.

  In addition, the conductive metal oxide particles, which are conductive particles for adjusting the resistance value, had conductivity such as tin oxide, tin oxide doped with antimony, zinc oxide, anatase titanium oxide, ITO, etc. Any conductive agent that uses particles and electrons as charge carriers can be used, and is not particularly limited. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

  In addition, the conductive metal oxide particles may have any particle size, but from the viewpoint of resistance value adjustment and strength, tin oxide, tin oxide doped with antimony, and anatase titanium oxide are desirable. Tin oxide and antimony-doped tin oxide are desirable. By controlling the resistance value with such a conductive agent, the resistance value of the surface layer does not change depending on environmental conditions, and stable characteristics can be obtained.

  Furthermore, it is desirable to use a fluorine-based or silicone-based resin for the surface layer. In particular, the surface layer is preferably composed of a fluorine-modified acrylate polymer. Further, fine particles may be added to the surface layer. Thereby, the surface layer becomes hydrophobic, and adhesion of foreign matter to the charging roll 14 is further suppressed or prevented.

  Further, insulating particles such as alumina and silica are added to give irregularities to the outer peripheral surface (surface) of the charging roll 14, thereby reducing the burden at the time of rubbing against the photoreceptor 12. It is also possible to improve the mutual wear resistance between the toner and the photoconductor 12.

  The micro hardness of the charging roll 14 is preferably 45 to 60 degrees. When the micro hardness is higher than 60 degrees, even when the cleaning device 100 is attached, the stability of the nip portion N1 with the photoconductor 12 is not ensured, and density spots are generated.

  When it becomes softer than 45 degrees, the stability of the nip portion N1 with the photoconductor 12 is ensured without the cleaning device 100, but in order to reduce the hardness, the amount of plasticizer added is increased or the silicone is added. It is necessary to use a low hardness material such as rubber. In the former case, the plasticizer oozes out and causes problems such as image quality degradation, and in the latter case, the cost is greatly increased.

  Further, the developer used in the image forming apparatus 10 preferably contains spherical silica as an external additive. The reason for this is that silica has a refractive index of around 1.5, and even when the particle size is increased, the transparency decreases due to light scattering, particularly the PE value (light transmission index) during image formation on the OHP surface. It has no effect.

  On the other hand, general fumed silica has a specific gravity of 2.2, and the maximum particle size of 50 nm may be a limit in production. Further, although it is possible to increase the particle size as an aggregate, uniform dispersion may be difficult, and the sealing effect may not be exhibited stably.

  Silica suitable as an external additive material contained for improving the cleaning property, particularly spherical monodispersed silica having a specific gravity of 1.3 to 1.9 can be obtained by a sol-gel method which is a wet method. Since the sol-gel method is a wet method and is a method of manufacturing without firing, the specific gravity can be controlled to be lower than other methods such as a vapor phase oxidation method.

  Further, the specific gravity can be further adjusted by controlling the type of hydrophobic treatment agent or the amount of treatment in the hydrophobization treatment step. The particle diameter of the silica can be freely controlled by the hydrolysis of the sol-gel method, the mass ratio of alkoxysilane, ammonia, alcohol, water in the condensation polymerization step, the reaction temperature, the stirring rate, and the supply rate. Monodispersed and spherical silica can be formed by the sol-gel method.

  A specific method for producing silica is as follows. First, a silane compound such as tetramethoxysilane is dropped into a mixed solution of water and alcohol while stirring the ammonia water as a catalyst and the temperature is increased. Next, the produced silica sol suspension is centrifuged to separate it into wet silica gel, alcohol and aqueous ammonia.

  Then, a solvent is added to the wet silica gel to form a silica sol again, and a hydrophobizing agent is added to hydrophobize the silica surface. As the hydrophobization treatment, a general silane compound can be used. Next, the target silica is obtained by removing the solvent from the hydrophobized silica sol, drying, and sieve. Further, the silica thus obtained may be treated again by the sol-gel method.

  Further, as the developer toner used in the image forming apparatus 10, it is desirable to use a polymerized toner produced by a polymerization method. If the toner shape is indefinite, even if a flow aid is added, the flowability may decrease over time. In this case, the developability, transferability, and cleaning properties may be deteriorated.

  Further, when the toner collected by cleaning is returned to the developing device 24 and used again, the image quality is more likely to deteriorate. If the flow aid is further increased in order to prevent these, contamination, filming, scratches, etc. on the photoreceptor 12 will occur. For this reason, as a means for intentionally enabling control of the toner shape and the surface structure, a toner production method by an emulsion polymerization aggregation method has been proposed.

  In general, a dispersion of resin fine particles and a colorant particle dispersion in which a colorant is dispersed in a solvent are prepared by a polymerization method such as emulsion polymerization, and after mixing these, heating and / or pH control, aggregation By adding an agent or the like, the resin fine particles and the colorant are aggregated to a desired particle size. Thereafter, the aggregated particles are stabilized at a desired particle size, and then heated and fused to a temperature equal to or higher than the glass transition point (Tg) of the resin fine particles to produce a toner.

  The developer used in the image forming apparatus 10 preferably contains polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) as an external additive, and the blending amount is 0.1 wt% to 1.0 wt%. It is particularly desirable. PTFE can suppress the wear of the photoconductor 12 and is useful for extending the life of the image forming apparatus 10.

  The toner particles obtained by the emulsion polymerization agglomeration method have extremely superior characteristics (particularly the particle size distribution is smaller than those obtained by other polymerization methods typified by the conventional suspension polymerization method). If it is used as a toner, it is possible to obtain high quality image quality over a long period of time.

  In addition, the toner production method by the emulsion polymerization aggregation method is such that the aggregated particles are heated and fused to the glass transition point (Tg) or more of the resin fine particles, so that the shape can be changed from an irregular shape by controlling the heating method and pH. It is possible to produce toners of various shapes up to a spherical particle state toner. That is, in the electrophotographic system used, the shape can be selected in a range from a so-called potato shape to a spherical shape.

<Action>
Next, the operation of the cleaning device 100 configured as described above will be described. Foreign substances such as developer remaining on the outer peripheral surface of the photoconductor 12 without being transferred to the recording paper P are removed from the photoconductor 12 by the cleaning blade 26. However, foreign substances such as external additives having a relatively small particle diameter among the components of the developer pass through the cleaning blade 26.

  Here, the charging roll 14 is loaded on both ends of the shaft 14A and pressed against the photoconductor 12 side, and is elastically deformed along the outer peripheral surface of the elastic layer 14B. A nip portion N1 is formed therebetween. Further, the helical cleaning member 102 is pressed against the charging roll 14 with a load applied to the cap member 108, and the elastic layer 107 is elastically deformed, whereby the nip portion N <b> 2 is formed between the helical cleaning member 102 and the charging roll 14. Is formed.

  Further, the elastic sheet 106 is configured to always have the same number of turns at an arbitrary phase along the axial direction of the shaft 104. Therefore, the spiral cleaning member 102 suppresses the assist fluctuation with respect to the charging roll 14 (the axial fluctuation of the number of contact surfaces with respect to the charging roll 14 and the axial deflection of the charging roll 14), and the nip portion in the axial direction. The fluctuation of N2 is suppressed.

  That is, since the spiral cleaning member 102 also has an auxiliary role for forming the nip portion N2 in the axial direction, the number of windings of the elastic sheet 106 around the shaft 104 is an arbitrary phase along the axial direction. If they are different from each other, the state of the nip portion N2 is periodically changed due to the variation in the number of windings, and charging spots, that is, density spots are generated.

  This phenomenon has little effect on density spots when the number of windings is large (for example, about 9 windings), but there are periodic fluctuations when the number of windings is small (for example, about 4 windings). Since it becomes large, the influence on density spots cannot be ignored. Therefore, as described above, the spiral cleaning member 102 is configured to always have the same number of turns at an arbitrary phase along the axial direction.

  As a result, the fluctuation of the nip portion N1 in the axial direction between the charging roll 14 and the photosensitive member 12 is also suppressed. Therefore, foreign substances such as external additives that have passed through the cleaning blade 26 are efficiently attached to the outer peripheral surface of the charging roll 14. Then, foreign substances such as external additives attached to the outer peripheral surface of the charging roll 14 are contacted with the outer peripheral surface by the elastic sheet 106 (elastic layer 107) of the spiral cleaning member 102 that rotates following the outer peripheral surface. It is removed by wiping.

  Here, in the spiral cleaning member 102, the spiral angle θ, which is the winding angle of the elastic body sheet 106 (elastic layer 107) around the shaft 104, is less than 45 ° (for example, θ = 24 °). That is, of the frictional force G applied to the spiral cleaning member 102 (ridgeline portion 107D) by contact with the charging roll 14, the component force Gs that does not contribute to rotation is reduced, and the component force Gm that contributes to rotation is increased. Yes.

  The cross-sectional shape in the width direction of the elastic layer 107 of the elastic sheet 106 is a shape (ridge line portion 107D) in which both end portions in the width direction protrude upwardly, and the elasticity in the nip portion N2 The shape of the contact surface 107 </ b> A of the layer 107 is a parallelogram shape in which the opposite side 107 </ b> B along the axial direction of the shaft 104 does not have a region overlapping in the axial direction. That is, the length E of the ridge line portion 107D is longer than that in which the spiral angle θ is 45 ° or more.

  Therefore, the spiral cleaning member 102 is stably driven to rotate in the direction of arrow F with respect to the charging roll 14 rotating in the direction of arrow J shown in FIG. 8, and the foreign matter attached to the outer peripheral surface of the charging roll 14 is elastic. The layer 107 is scraped efficiently (with good performance) by the outer peripheral surface (contact surface 107A) including both end portions in the width direction (ridge line portion 107D) and the center portion in the width direction. That is, according to the spiral cleaning member 102, the contact pressure of the elastic layer 107 (ridge line portion 107D) with respect to the outer peripheral surface of the charging roll 14 is not insufficient, and the cleaning failure due to the insufficient contact pressure is suppressed or prevented.

  Therefore, the cleaning property with respect to the charging roll 14 is improved as compared with a spiral cleaning member (not shown) that is not configured as described above. Moreover, the outer diameter of the spiral cleaning member 102 is formed larger than the outer diameter of the charging roll 14. Accordingly, the contact surface 107 </ b> A that is used every time with respect to the total area of the elastic layer 107 on the contact surface side is smaller than the configuration in which the outer diameter of the spiral cleaning member 102 is the same as or smaller than the outer diameter of the charging roll 14. The area ratio is reduced.

  That is, the elastic layer 107 is suppressed from being wiped (cleaned) in the same region with respect to the outer peripheral surface of the charging roll 14. Therefore, the life of the elastic sheet 106 (elastic layer 107) in the spiral cleaning member 102 can be extended. Accordingly, it is possible to maintain the cleaning property of the charging roll 14 for a long period of time, and it is possible to obtain the image forming apparatus 10 in which the image quality defect due to the cleaning failure is hardly generated.

  In the spiral cleaning member 102, the spiral angle θ, which is the winding angle of the elastic sheet 106 around the shaft 104, is less than 45 °. Therefore, the number of windings of the elastic sheet 106 around the shaft 104 having a certain length can be reduced (for example, about 4 turns). Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the elastic sheet 106 is reduced. That is, this reduces the manufacturing cost of the spiral cleaning member 102.

  The spiral cleaning member 102 according to the present embodiment has been described with reference to the drawings. However, the spiral cleaning member 102 according to the present embodiment is not limited to the illustrated one, and various modifications and changes can be made. Improvements are possible. For example, the elastic layer 107 of the elastic sheet 106 may be configured by a flocking member.

  In the present embodiment, the mode in which the spiral cleaning member 102 is always in contact with the charging roll 14 and driven to rotate is described. However, the spiral cleaning member 102 is charged only when the charging roll 14 is cleaned. You may make it the aspect rotated by making it contact with the roll 14 and being driven. Further, the spiral cleaning member 102 may be rotationally driven to give a peripheral speed difference to the charging roll 14.

  In the image forming apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, the process cartridge 18 including the photosensitive member 12, the charging device 50 (unit of the charging roll 14 and the cleaning device 100), the developing device 24, and the cleaning blade 26 is described. However, the process cartridge 18 includes a charging device 50, and other components selected from the photosensitive member 12, the exposure device 16, the transfer device 22, the developing device 24, and the cleaning blade 26 as necessary. Also good. Note that these devices and members may be arranged directly on the image forming apparatus 10 without being formed into a cartridge.

  Further, in the image forming apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, the aspect in which the charging roll 14 is employed as the member to be cleaned has been described. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the photosensitive member 12, the transfer device 22, and the like can be cited as the members to be cleaned. It is done. Then, the unit of the object to be cleaned and the cleaning device 100 arranged in contact therewith may be directly arranged in the image forming apparatus 10 or may be formed into a cartridge like the process cartridge 18 to form the image forming apparatus 10. You may arrange in.

  Further, the image forming apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment is not limited to the above configuration, and may be, for example, an intermediate transfer type image forming apparatus. Furthermore, the image forming apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment is an image forming apparatus capable of duplex printing, but may be an image forming apparatus capable of only single-sided printing.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image forming apparatus 12 Photoconductor (an example of an image holding body / charged body)
14 Charging roll (an example of charged / cleaned object)
16 Exposure device 18 Process cartridge (an example of an assembly)
24 Developing Device 50 Charging Device 100 Cleaning Device 102 Spiral Cleaning Member (Example of Cleaning Body)
104 Shaft (Example of shaft)
106 Elastic sheet 107 Elastic layer (an example of a cleaning layer)
110 Bearing member (an example of a support member)

Claims (9)

The shaft,
To the object to be cleaned that is wound and fixed spirally so as to have the same number of turns at an arbitrary phase along the axial direction of the shaft part from one end side to the other end side of the shaft part A cleaning layer for cleaning the object to be cleaned by rotating the contact surface while contacting the object to be cleaned while being in contact with the object to be cleaned;
The cleaning body characterized by having. The shaft,
The shaft portion is wound and fixed in a spiral shape from one end side to the other end side, and the contact surface that contacts the rotating object to be cleaned is driven and rotated while being in contact with the object to be cleaned. A cleaning layer for cleaning the cleaning body;
Have
When the length of the region of the shaft portion around which the cleaning layer is wound is W, the outer peripheral length including the cleaning layer is S, and the winding number of the cleaning layer is a natural number T, the spiral angle θ and the winding number T Is expressed by the formula tan θ = T × S / W.   The cleaning body according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a winding angle of the cleaning layer with respect to the shaft portion is less than 45 °.   The cleaning body according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an outer diameter including the cleaning layer is different from an outer diameter of the body to be cleaned.   The outer diameter containing the said cleaning layer is larger than the outer diameter of the said to-be-cleaned body, The cleaning body of any one of Claims 1-4 characterized by the above-mentioned. The cleaning body according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the cleaning body is cleaned while contacting and rotating following the rotating body to be cleaned.
A support member that rotatably supports both axial ends of the shaft portion;
A cleaning device comprising: A cleaning device according to claim 6;
A charged body as the object to be cleaned that rotates;
A charging device comprising: A cleaning device according to claim 6;
A charged body,
A charged body as the object to be cleaned that charges the body to be charged while rotating; and
Is assembled to the apparatus main body so as to be detachable integrally. A cleaning device according to claim 6;
An image carrier capable of holding an image;
A charged body as the object to be cleaned that charges the image holding body while rotating;
An exposure device that exposes the image carrier charged by the charged body to form an electrostatic latent image;
A developing device for developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier by the exposure device;
An image forming apparatus comprising:

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