JP2015108746A - Fixing device, image forming apparatus, and method of attaching electricity eliminating member - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce electrostatic offset of a rotating member for heating of a heating device with an extremely simple configuration.SOLUTION: An electricity eliminating member 50 that is arranged opposite to the surface 42a of a rotating member 42 for heating, and has the distance to the surface 42a adjusted at a constant distance t by an adjustment member 70 adjusting the distance to the surface 42a constant. The electricity eliminating member 50 is arranged in non-contact with the rotating member 42 for heating, and attached and fixed to a conductive frame member 46 arranged on the periphery of the rotating member 42 for heating.

Description

  The present invention relates to a fixing device provided in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer that forms an image on a recording material by electrophotographic image forming processing.

  For example, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit including a photosensitive drum and each of the surrounding units, and includes a fixing device on the downstream side of the image forming unit in the recording material conveyance path. The image forming unit forms a toner image on the photosensitive drum and transfers the toner image to a recording material. In the fixing device, a recording material is sandwiched in a nip portion between a roller-shaped or belt-shaped heating rotating member and a pressure rotating member, and the toner image is heated and melted while the recording material is being conveyed, thereby the toner on the recording material. The image is fixed.

  Here, in the nip portion, the fixing rotating member or the fixing rotating member is caused by friction between the fixing rotating member and the pressing rotating member, and friction between the recording material and the fixing rotating member, or between the recording material and the pressing rotating member. A so-called electrostatic offset phenomenon occurs in which the pressing rotary member is charged and the toner adheres to the fixing rotary member due to the electrostatic action caused by the charging. When the amount of toner adhering to the fixing rotating member due to the electrostatic offset is large, the fixing rotating member makes one turn and then the toner reattaches to the recording material from the fixing rotating member, or the output image surface is soiled. After toner accumulates on the temperature sensor or the peeling claw as toner stains, the toner adheres to the recording material under some conditions and causes the recording material to become dirty.

  Therefore, conventionally, in order to reduce toner contamination due to electrostatic offset, a fixing rotary member provided with a static eliminating brush has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  Patent Document 1 describes a configuration in which a static eliminating brush is placed in contact with the surface of a fixing rotating member.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a gap size between a first static elimination member (static elimination brush) movably provided so that a gap size between the heating rotary member surface and the surface of the rotary member can be adjusted. A first driving device that drives the first static elimination member for adjustment, a second static elimination member (static elimination brush) that is movably provided so that a gap size between the pressurizing rotary member surface can be adjusted, a second static elimination member, A configuration is described that includes a second drive device that drives the second static elimination member to adjust the size of the gap with the surface of the pressing rotary member.

  That is, in Patent Document 2, when the relationship between the surface potential Hv of the heating rotating member and the surface potential Pv of the pressing rotating member is controlled to | Hv | <| Pv | The neutralizing brush (first neutralizing member) is disposed close to the heating rotary member and brought into contact with the grounding unit to remove static from the surface of the heating rotary member, while the neutralizing brush (second neutralizing member) on the pressing rotary member side is The structure is configured to release the charge removal by retracting from the pressurizing rotary member, away from the grounding unit, and in a non-charge removal position.

JP 2009-128646 A JP2013-29581A

  However, in Patent Document 1, since the static elimination brush is brought into contact with the surface of the fixing rotating member, the arrangement position thereof is outside the range of the recording material conveyance area (that is, the toner image heating area). Provided in the department. However, in this configuration, since the contact area between the static elimination brush and the fixing rotation member is limited to a very narrow range, there is a problem that the static elimination effect cannot be sufficiently obtained, that is, the electrostatic offset cannot be sufficiently reduced. there were.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, in order to control the relationship between the surface potential Hv of the heating rotary member and the surface potential Pv of the pressurizing rotary member to | Hv | <| Pv |, the first static elimination member and the second static elimination member A complicated control is performed such that the drive is individually controlled to the static elimination position or the non-static elimination position. For this reason, there is a problem that the control and mechanism structure for static elimination are complicated.

  The present invention has been devised to solve such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a fixing device capable of reducing electrostatic offset with an extremely simple configuration, an image forming apparatus including the fixing device, and a charge removal member. To provide an attachment method.

  In order to solve the above problems, a fixing device of the present invention includes a heating rotary member and a pressurizing rotary member, and the recording material is transported while being pinched by the pair of rotary members, thereby unfixed on the recording material. A fixing device for fixing toner on the recording material, wherein the distance from the surface is adjusted to a constant distance by an adjustment member that adjusts the distance from the surface to be constant against the surface of the heating rotating member. A neutralizing member is disposed in non-contact with the heating rotating member, and the neutralizing member is attached and fixed to a conductive frame member disposed around the heating rotating member. Yes.

  According to this configuration, since the static eliminator is arranged at a precise distance from the surface of the heating rotary member, the static eliminator can be heated while preventing the static eliminator from contacting the surface of the heating rotary member. Since the rotating member surface can be disposed as close as possible, electrostatic offset can be reliably reduced (that is, accumulation of electric charges on the surface of the heating rotating member can be suppressed).

  In the fixing device of the present invention, the fixed distance is set within a range of 0.5 to 1.0 mm. According to this configuration, the gap between the surface of the heating rotary member and the charge removal member can be accurately arranged and fixed at a constant distance within a range of 0.5 to 1.0 mm.

  Further, in the fixing device of the present invention, the static elimination member is constituted by a long body arranged over the entire length in the width direction of the surface along the rotation axis direction of the cylindrical rotating member for heating. Also good. According to this configuration, the static elimination member faces the entire length in the width direction of the surface of the heating rotary member.

  In the fixing device of the present invention, the static elimination member may be a static elimination brush including a holding portion and a conductive wire held by the holding portion. Further, in the fixing device of the present invention, the static eliminating member is a conductive long body, and is a static elimination brush having a configuration in which one edge facing the surface is formed in a continuous mountain shape. Also good. According to these configurations, the electrostatic offset can be reliably reduced by the static elimination brush.

  Further, the image forming apparatus of the present invention is configured to include the fixing device having the above-described configurations. According to this configuration, the electrostatic offset can be reliably reduced in the fixing device, and the fixing performance can be improved.

  Further, the method of attaching the static eliminator according to the present invention is a method of attaching and fixing the static eliminator to the frame member in the fixing device having the above-described configuration, and is opposite to the surface of the static eliminator attached to the frame member. When the adjustment member is attached to the side surface with a detachable adhesive, one edge portion of the adjustment member that faces the surface of the heating rotation member faces the surface of the heating rotation member of the charge removal member. A step of attaching the fixed member to the frame member in a state where the one edge portion of the adjustment member is in contact with the surface of the rotating member for heating. And a step of removing the adjustment member from the charge removal member.

  According to this configuration, the gap between the surface of the heating rotary member and the charge removal member can be accurately arranged and fixed at a constant distance within a range of 0.5 to 1.0 mm.

  Moreover, in the attachment method of the static elimination member of this invention, the said adjustment member is as a structure arrange | positioned over the width direction full length of the surface of the said rotation member for heating according to the said static elimination member, or the multiple places of the width direction. Also good.

  According to the above configuration, when the adjustment member is arranged over the entire length in the width direction of the surface of the heating rotary member, the entire surface of the adjustment member (full length) is brought into contact with the entire surface of the heating rotary member, A certain distance from the surface of the heating rotary member can be easily set.

  Further, even when the adjustment members are arranged at a plurality of positions in the width direction of the heating rotary member surface, by bringing the adjustment members into contact with the opposing surfaces of the heating rotary member, respectively, the static elimination member and the heating rotary member surface A certain distance between can be easily set. In this case, where there is no adjustment member, it can be directly confirmed by visual observation or the like that the distance between the charge removal member and the heating rotating member surface is a constant distance.

  Moreover, in the attachment method of the static elimination member of this invention, it is preferable that the said adjustment member is transparent. By making the adjustment member transparent, alignment when the adjustment member is attached to the charge removal member is facilitated.

  Since the present invention is configured as described above, the static elimination member is arranged at a precise distance from the surface of the heating rotary member, so that the static elimination member can be prevented from contacting the surface of the heating rotary member. The static elimination member can be arranged and fixed in a state where it is as close as possible to the surface of the heating rotary member. Therefore, the electrostatic offset generated in the heating rotating member can be reliably reduced.

1 is a side view illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus including a fixing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a roller fixing type fixing device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a schematic sectional drawing in alignment with the AA of FIG. It is a schematic sectional drawing in alignment with the BB line of FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating a configuration example of a charge removal member according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating a configuration example of a charge removal member according to Embodiment 2. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows 1 process of the attachment method of the static elimination member of this invention, and is a perspective view which shows the process of attaching an adjustment member to a static elimination brush. It is explanatory drawing which shows 1 process of the attachment method of the static elimination member of this invention, and is a perspective view which shows the state which attached the adjustment member to the static elimination brush. It is explanatory drawing which shows 1 process of the attachment method of the static elimination member of this invention, and is a side view which shows the state which attached the adjustment member to the static elimination brush. It is explanatory drawing which shows 1 process of the attachment method of the static elimination member of this invention, and is a partially expanded sectional view which shows a mode that the static elimination brush is attached to a support plate. It is explanatory drawing which shows 1 process of the attachment method of the static elimination member of this invention, and is a partially expanded sectional view which shows a mode that the static elimination brush is attached to a support plate. It is a perspective view which shows the process of attaching an adjustment member to a static elimination brush using the adjustment member which concerns on Embodiment 4. FIG.

  Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The following embodiment is an example embodying the present invention, and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

<Description of Overall Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus>
FIG. 1 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  An image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a recording material (hereinafter referred to as a recording material) such as a color or single color image of a document read by a document reading device (not shown) or an image indicated by image data received from the outside. It is referred to as a sheet.

  The image forming unit 10 includes an exposure device 11, developing devices 12 to 12, photosensitive drums 13 to 13 acting as an image carrier, cleaner devices 14 to 14, chargers 15 to 15, and an intermediate transfer roller 24 acting as a transfer unit. To 24, an intermediate transfer belt device 16, a fixing device 17, a paper feed tray 18 that functions as a paper feed unit, a paper discharge tray 19 that functions as a paper discharge unit, and a sheet conveying device 20.

  The image data handled in the image forming unit 10 corresponds to a color image using each color of black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), or a single color (for example, black). This corresponds to the monochrome image used. Accordingly, four each of the developing device 12, the photosensitive drum 13, the cleaner device 14, the charger 15, and the intermediate transfer roller 24 are provided so as to form four types of images corresponding to the respective colors.

  The photoconductor drum 13 is disposed substantially at the center in the vertical direction of the main body 1a of the image forming apparatus 1. The charger 15 is a charging unit for uniformly charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 13 to a predetermined potential. Here, the exposure device 11 is a laser scanning unit including a laser diode and a reflection mirror, and exposes the surface of the charged photosensitive drum 13 according to image data, and electrostatically according to the image data on the surface. A latent image is formed. The developing device 12 develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 13 with (K, C, M, Y) toner. The cleaner device 14 removes and collects toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 13 after development and image transfer.

  In addition to the intermediate transfer roller 24, the intermediate transfer belt device 16 disposed above the photosensitive drum 13 includes an intermediate transfer belt 21, an intermediate transfer belt driving roller 22, a driven roller 23, an intermediate transfer belt cleaning device 25, and a tension. A roller 26 is provided.

  The intermediate transfer belt driving roller 22, the driven roller 23, the intermediate transfer roller 24, and the tension roller 26 stretch and support the intermediate transfer belt 21, and support the intermediate transfer belt 21 in a predetermined sheet conveyance direction (the direction of arrow C in the figure). Move around. The intermediate transfer roller 24 is rotatably supported inside the intermediate transfer belt 21 and is pressed against the photosensitive drum 13 via the intermediate transfer belt 21. The intermediate transfer belt 21 is provided so as to be in contact with each photoconductive drum 13, and a color toner image (each color is transferred by sequentially superimposing and transferring the toner image on the surface of each photoconductive drum 13 onto the intermediate transfer belt 21. Toner image). Transfer of the toner image from the photosensitive drum 13 to the intermediate transfer belt 21 is performed by an intermediate transfer roller 24 that is in pressure contact with the inner side (back surface) of the intermediate transfer belt 21. A high-voltage transfer bias (for example, a high voltage having a polarity (+) opposite to the charging polarity (−) of toner) is applied to the intermediate transfer roller 24 in order to transfer the toner image.

  The image forming unit 10 further includes a secondary transfer device 27 including a transfer roller 27a that functions as a transfer unit. The transfer roller 27 a is in contact with the outside of the intermediate transfer belt 21. As described above, the toner images on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 13 are stacked on the intermediate transfer belt 21 to form a color toner image indicated by the image data. The stacked toner images of the respective colors are transported together with the intermediate transfer belt 21 and transferred onto the recording sheet P by the secondary transfer device 27. The intermediate transfer belt 21 and the transfer roller 27a of the secondary transfer device 27 are pressed against each other to form a transfer nip region. The transfer roller 27a of the secondary transfer device 27 has a voltage (for example, a polarity (+) opposite to the charging polarity (−) of the toner) for transferring the toner image of each color on the intermediate transfer belt 21 to the recording sheet P. )) Is applied.

  The intermediate transfer belt cleaning device 25 removes and collects residual toner on the intermediate transfer belt 21.

  The paper feed tray 18 is a tray for storing the recording sheets P, and is provided below the image forming unit 10 that is the main body 1 a of the image forming apparatus 1. A paper discharge tray 19 provided on the upper side of the image forming unit 10 is a tray for placing printed recording sheets P face down.

  Further, the main body 1 a of the image forming apparatus 1 is provided with a sheet conveying device 20 for sending the recording sheet P of the paper feed tray 18 to the paper discharge tray 19 via the secondary transfer device 27 and the fixing device 17. Yes. The sheet conveying device 20 has an S-shaped sheet conveying path S, and along the sheet conveying path S, a pickup roller 31, a pair of separation rollers 31a and 31b, a registration roller 32, a pre-registration roller 33, and a fixing device. 17 and a paper discharge roller 34 are disposed.

  The pickup roller 31 is a draw-in roller that is provided at the downstream end of the sheet feeding tray 18 in the sheet conveying direction and supplies the recording sheets P from the sheet feeding tray 18 one by one to the sheet conveying path S. One separation roller 31a passes the recording sheet P between the other separation roller 31b and conveys it to the sheet conveyance path S while separating the recording sheets one by one. In the stopped state, the registration roller 32 abuts the leading end of the recording sheet P that has been conveyed, aligns the leading end of the recording sheet P, and in the transfer nip region between the intermediate transfer belt 21 and the secondary transfer device 27. The recording sheet P is conveyed with good timing in synchronization with the toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 21 so that the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 21 is transferred to the recording sheet P. The pre-registration roller 33 is a small roller for promoting and assisting the conveyance of the recording sheet P.

<Description of Fixing Device According to the Present Invention>
(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating a schematic configuration of the fixing device 40 according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

  In the first embodiment, the fixing device 40 is a roller fixing method, and a heating roller 42 and a pressure roller 43 are arranged in a conductive frame 41 so that their axial directions are parallel to each other and are rotatably supported. Has been. The heating roller 42 and the pressure roller 43 form a nip portion 44 by bringing a part of the peripheral surface into pressure contact with each other. The recording sheet P on which the toner image is transferred is heated and pressurized while passing through the nip portion 44, and the toner image is melted and fixed on the surface of the recording sheet P. The recording sheet P after the toner image is fixed is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 19 by the paper discharge roller 34.

  A guide 45 is fixed to the frame 41. The guide 45 is formed by pressing a metal flat plate, for example, and is disposed so that the tip is close to the nip portion 44. The guide 45 guides the leading end of the recording sheet P conveyed in the arrow X direction to the nip portion 44.

  A support plate (an example of a frame member) 46 is fixed in the frame 41 in the vicinity of the heating roller 42, and a static elimination brush (an example of a static elimination member) 50 is attached and fixed to the support plate 46. . The support plate 46 is formed by pressing a conductive metal flat plate, for example, and includes a fixing piece 46 a for attaching and fixing the static eliminating brush 50 and an attachment piece 46 b attached to the frame 41. The fixed piece 46a is arranged close to the surface 42a of the heating roller 42. As shown in FIG. 3, the support plate 46 having such a configuration is arranged over the entire length between the left and right frames.

  The fixing and fixing of the static elimination brush 50 to the fixing piece 46a can be performed using an adhesive such as a conductive double-sided tape. Further, the support plate 46 may be separately attached to the frame 41 for exclusive use of the static elimination brush 50. However, since the static elimination lamp and the like (not shown) are also arranged around the heating roller 42, this static elimination lamp The support plate for attachment can also be used as the support plate for attaching the static elimination brush 50.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 3, and is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a peripheral portion of the static elimination brush 50 attached and fixed to the support plate 46. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the static elimination brush 50.

  The neutralizing brush 50 is formed of a conductive metal material (for example, stainless steel), and as shown in FIG. 5, the holding portion 51 that is a long plate member and one of the holding portions 51 in the longitudinal direction. And a plurality of conductive wires 52 held so as to protrude a predetermined length in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the length of the neutralizing brush 50 in the longitudinal direction is the total length in the width direction Y along the rotational axis direction of the surface of the opposing heating roller 42 (hereinafter also referred to as the heating roller surface) 42a. The length is almost equal. That is, the tip of the conductive wire 52 of the static elimination brush 50 is provided so as to be evenly opposed over almost the entire length in the width direction Y of the heating roller surface 42a. According to this structure, since the static elimination brush 50 opposes over the full length of the width direction Y of the heating roller surface 42a, an electrostatic offset can be reduced reliably. The configuration of the static elimination brush 50 is not limited to the above configuration, and various types of conventionally known static elimination brushes can be used in the first embodiment.

  Here, in the first embodiment, it is important to keep the distance between the front end of the conductive wire 52 of the static elimination brush 50 and the surface 42a of the heating roller 42 at a constant distance and arrange them in a non-contact state. is there. When the conductive wire 52 is in contact, the effect of suppressing charge accumulation on the surface 42a of the heating roller 42 can be sufficiently expected, but on the other hand, the surface 42a of the heating roller 42 may be damaged. There is not preferable. On the other hand, when the arrangement is made in a non-contact state, if the tip of the conductive wire 52 is too far from the surface 42 a of the heating roller 42, the charge accumulation on the surface 42 a of the heating roller 42 cannot be sufficiently suppressed. Therefore, in the case of non-contact, it is necessary to keep the distance between the tip of the conductive wire 52 of the static elimination brush 50 and the surface 42a of the heating roller 42 at a constant distance.

  Here, the fixed distance t is an arbitrary distance within the range of 0.5 to 1.0 mm in the first embodiment. This is because when the constant distance t is 1.0 mm or more, the function of suppressing charge accumulation on the surface 42a of the heating roller 42 is rapidly reduced. On the other hand, in terms of suppressing charge accumulation, it is advantageous to make the fixed distance t as close as possible to 0.5 mm or less. However, if the distance is too close, the conductive wire 52 of the static elimination brush 50 may come into contact with the surface 42a of the heating roller 42 and be damaged due to an installation error when attaching the static elimination brush 50, a secular change due to long-term use, or the like. In view of these, the fixed distance t is preferably in the range of 0.5 to 1.0 mm.

  As a method of attaching and fixing the static eliminating brush 50 to the support plate 46 while maintaining such a constant distance t, an adjusting member 70 described later can be used, which will be described later.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 6 shows a configuration example of the charge removal member according to the second embodiment.

  In the first embodiment, as the charge removal member, the charge removal brush 50 in which a large number of conductive wire members 52 are formed to protrude from one edge of the holding portion 51 is used. However, in the second embodiment, as the charge removal member, FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the conductive long body 61 is cut into a continuous mountain shape at one edge in the longitudinal direction facing the heating roller surface 42 a of the long body 61 to form the protrusion 62. The static elimination brush 60 has the formed configuration. According to this configuration, since it is only necessary to process one long body 61 made of, for example, aluminum, an inexpensive static elimination brush 60 can be manufactured.

(Embodiment 3)
In the third embodiment, a method of attaching and fixing the static eliminating member to the support plate 46 in the fixing device having the above configuration will be described. However, here, the neutralizing brush 50 according to the first embodiment will be described as an example.

  In the method of attaching the charge removal member of the present invention, the charge removal brush 50 is mounted on the frame 41 by rotatably mounting the heating roller 42 and the pressure roller 43, and then attaching the frame 41 to the apparatus main body of the image forming apparatus. Implemented before.

  FIG. 7 to FIG. 10 are explanatory views showing the respective steps of the method for attaching the static elimination member of the present invention. Hereinafter, the method for attaching the static eliminator of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  7, 8 </ b> A, and 8 </ b> B, it can be attached to and detached from the upper surface 51 a of the holding portion 51 of the static elimination brush 50 (that is, the surface opposite to the lower surface 51 b attached and fixed to the fixing piece 46 a of the support plate 46). The adjustment member 70 is attached with an adhesive. However, as shown in the side view of FIG. 8B, the adhesive layer 54 is also formed on the lower surface 51b of the holding portion 51 of the static elimination brush 50, and the release paper 55 is pasted on the adhesive layer 54 in advance. To do.

  The adjustment member 70 is formed of a long tape member having substantially the same length as the static elimination brush 50, and the width W <b> 1 is wider than the width W <b> 2 of the static elimination brush 50. An adhesive layer 71 (shown with dots in FIGS. 7 and 8A), which is a detachable adhesive member, is formed on the lower surface of the adjustment member 70 over almost the entire length in the longitudinal direction. Yes. The pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 71 is not formed at least in the area of the surface facing the conductive wire 52 of the static elimination brush 50. That is, the adhesive layer 71 is formed only in the area of the surface facing the upper surface 51 a of the holding portion 51 of the static elimination brush 50. In addition, as such an adjustment member 70, it is possible to use a conventionally well-known double-sided tape in which an adhesive layer is formed on one surface of a release paper, for example.

  The adjustment member 70 having such a configuration is attached to the upper surface 51 a of the holding portion 51 of the static elimination brush 50. At this time, the adjustment member 70 has one edge portion 72 that faces the surface 42a of the heating roller 42 and one edge portion (that is, the edge portion 72 of the static elimination brush 50 that faces the surface 42a of the heating roller 42). Affixed by a predetermined distance t from the tip of the conductive wire 52). That is, the sticking layer 71 does not exist on the lower surface of the adjustment member 70 at the protruding portion. The other edge 73 of the adjustment member 70 is preferably configured to protrude from the other edge 53 of the holding portion 51 of the static elimination brush 50. When the other edge 73 of the adjustment member 70 is protruded from the other edge 53 of the holding portion 51 of the static elimination brush 50, the adjustment member 70 is finally removed (peeled) from the static elimination brush 50. The adjustment member 70 becomes easy to peel off by having the part which has been done.

  In the next step shown in FIG. 9, first, the release paper 55 on the lower surface 51 b of the holding portion 51 of the static elimination brush 50 is peeled to expose the adhesive layer 54 on the lower surface side. Next, in a state where one edge 72 of the adjustment member 70 attached to the static elimination brush 50 is in contact with the surface 42a of the heating roller 42, the lower surface 51b (that is, the adhesive layer 54) of the holding portion 51 of the static elimination brush 50. Is placed in alignment with the fixed piece 46a of the support plate 46, and the static eliminating brush 50 is attached and fixed (adhesive fixed) to the fixed piece 46a of the support plate 46 by the adhesive layer 54 of the lower surface 51b. At this time, since one edge portion 72 of the adjustment member 70 is in contact with the surface 42a of the heating roller 42, the distance between the tip of the conductive wire 52 of the static elimination brush 50 and the surface 42a of the heating roller 42 is increased. , The constant distance t is maintained.

  That is, when the adjustment member 70 is disposed over the entire length in the width direction Y of the surface 42a of the heating roller 42, the entire adjustment member 70 (full length) is brought into contact with the entire surface 42a of the heating roller 42, thereby eliminating static electricity. The distance between the tip of the conductive wire 52 of the brush 50 and the surface 42a of the heating roller 42 can be set to a constant distance t over its entire length.

  As a result, since the static elimination brush 50 is arranged at a precise distance t with respect to the surface 42a of the heating roller 42, the electrostatic offset is prevented while preventing the static elimination brush 50 from contacting the surface 42a of the heating roller 42. Can be reliably reduced.

  In the next step shown in FIG. 10, the adjustment member 70 is peeled from the static elimination brush 50. In this case, as shown in FIG. 10, when the adjustment member 70 is peeled off, the adhesive layer 71 may remain on the upper surface 51 a of the holding portion 51 of the static elimination brush 50. For example, when a conventionally known double-sided tape is used as the adjusting member 70, the adhesive layer often remains on the adherend side as it is when the release paper as the adjusting member is peeled off. However, depending on the material of the static elimination brush 50, the adhesive force to the static elimination brush 50 may be weak. In this case, when the release paper is peeled off, the adhesive layer may be peeled off from the adherend together with the release paper. Recently, a micro-adhesive double-sided tape has also been provided. Therefore, in such a case, when the adjusting member 70 is peeled off from the static elimination brush 50, the adhesive layer 71 having a slight adhesive force is also neatly peeled off from the upper surface 51a of the holding portion 51 of the static elimination brush 50. Only the static eliminating brush 50 is bonded and fixed by the adhesive layer 54.

  Even if the adhesive layer 71 remains on the upper surface 51a side of the holding portion 51 of the static elimination brush 50, the adhesive layer 71 remains only on the upper surface 51a of the holding portion 51 and does not come into contact with the surface 42a of the heating roller 42. Although there is no particular problem, a coating member such as an aluminum sheet is preferably affixed on the adhesive layer 71 in consideration of subsequent dust adhesion.

  By carrying out the above steps, the tip of the conductive wire 52 of the static elimination brush 50 is accurately arranged and fixed at a constant distance t within a range of 0.5 to 1.0 mm with respect to the surface 42a of the heating roller 42. be able to.

  In the above description, a double-sided tape is illustrated as the adjustment member 70, but it is also possible to use a sticky note or the like that has an adhesive with originally weak adhesive strength. When this is used, when the adjustment member 70 is peeled off from the static elimination brush 50, the problem that the adhesive layer remains on the static elimination brush 50 side does not occur.

(Embodiment 4)
In the third embodiment, a long tape member having substantially the same length as that of the static eliminating brush 50 is used as the adjustment member 70. However, in the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. Use multiple tape members. The adjustment member 70A used in the fourth embodiment is the same as the adjustment member 70 described in the third embodiment except that the length thereof is short, and the width thereof is W1.

  The adjustment member 70 </ b> A having such a configuration is attached to, for example, two places on both ends of the upper surface 51 a of the holding portion 51 of the static elimination brush 50 in the same manner as in the steps shown in FIGS. FIG. 11 shows a state where the adjustment member 70 </ b> A is attached to the static elimination brush 50.

  In order to keep the distance between the tip of the conductive wire 52 of the static elimination brush 50 and the surface 42a of the heating roller 42 at a constant distance t, it is only necessary that the adjusting members 70A are provided at least at two left and right positions.

  That is, even when the adjustment members 70A are arranged at a plurality of positions in the width direction Y of the surface 42a of the heating roller 42, the conductive wires of the static elimination brush 50 can be obtained by bringing the adjustment members 70A into contact with the surface 42a of the heating roller 42, respectively. The distance between the tip of 52 and the surface 42a of the heating roller 42 can be easily set to a fixed distance t. In this case, in the absence of the adjustment member 70A, it is directly confirmed by visual observation or the like that the distance between the tip of the conductive wire 52 of the static elimination brush 50 and the surface 42a of the heating roller 42 is a fixed distance t. be able to. Further, compared with the case where the adjustment member is attached to the entire static elimination brush 50, the subsequent removal is also easy.

  In the fourth embodiment, the strip-shaped adjustment member 70A is provided at two locations on both ends, but may be provided at the central portion in the width direction of the static elimination brush 50, for example, at three locations. In other words, any number of locations may be used as long as it is two or more, but it is preferable to provide at least two locations on both ends.

(Embodiment 5)
In the above embodiment, the adjustment members 70 and 70A are not limited to transparent and opaque, but in the fifth embodiment, the adjustment members 70 and 70A are transparent sheets. By using a transparent sheet, when the adjustment members 70 and 70A are attached to the upper surface 51a of the holding portion 51 of the static elimination brush 50, the visibility of the conductive wire 52 of the static elimination brush 50 through the adjustment members 70 and 70A can be improved. it can. That is, it is easy to confirm the bonding position between the adjustment members 70 and 70A and the static elimination brush 50. In this case, if it is completely colorless and transparent, there is a possibility that it is difficult to confirm the bonding position between the adjustment members 70 and 70A and the charge eliminating brush 50. Therefore, the adjustment members 70 and 70A are colored in a transparent manner (for example, , Blue, etc.). This increases the visibility of the static elimination brush 50 through the adjustment members 70 and 70A (that is, the adjustment members 70 and 70A and the static elimination brush 50 can be easily distinguished), and the static elimination brush 50 and the adjustment members 70 and 70A (Particularly, the positional relationship between the tip of the conductive wire 52 of the static elimination brush 50 and the one edge portion 72 of the adjusting members 70 and 70A (that is, the constant distance t)) can be more easily matched.

  In addition, although the said embodiment demonstrated the structure which provides the static elimination brush 50,60 in the heating roller 42 side, you may provide the same static elimination brush 50,60 also in the pressurization roller 43 side.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a roller fixing type fixing device is described. However, an endless fixing belt is stretched between a heating roller and a fixing roller arranged in parallel. The present invention can also be applied to a fixing device of a fixing belt type in which a fixing roller and a pressure roller are pressed against each other via a fixing belt. In this case, the heating rotating member described in the claims substantially corresponds to the fixing belt.

  The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and do not serve as a basis for limited interpretation. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention is not interpreted only by the above-described embodiment, but is defined based on the description of the scope of claims. Moreover, all the changes within the meaning and range equivalent to a claim are included.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 20 Sheet conveyance apparatus 31 Pickup roller 32 Registration roller 33 Pre-registration roller 34 Paper discharge roller 40 Fixing apparatus 41 Frame 42 Heating roller 42a Surface (heating roller surface)
43 Pressure roller 44 Nip part 45 Guide 46 Support plate (an example of a frame member)
46a Fixed piece 46b Attachment piece 50 Static elimination brush (an example of a static elimination member)
51 Holding part 51a Upper surface 51b Lower surface 52 Conductive wire material 53 Other edge part 54 Adhesive layer 55 Release paper 60 Static elimination brush (an example of static elimination member)
61 Long body 62 Projection 70, 70A Adjustment member 71 Adhesive layer 72 One edge 73 The other edge P Recording sheet (an example of a recording material)

Claims (9)

A fixing device comprising a heating rotating member and a pressing rotating member, and fixing the unfixed toner on the recording material to the recording material by conveying the recording material while sandwiching the recording material between the pair of rotating members,
A static elimination member whose distance from the surface is adjusted to a fixed distance by an adjustment member that adjusts the distance from the surface to be constant, facing the surface of the heating rotary member, is disposed in a non-contact manner with the heating rotary member Has been
The fixing device, wherein the static eliminating member is attached and fixed to a conductive frame member disposed around the heating rotary member. The fixing device according to claim 1,
The fixing device is characterized in that the fixed distance is in a range of 0.5 to 1.0 mm. The fixing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein
The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the static elimination member is a long body arranged over the entire length in the width direction of the surface along the rotational axis direction of the cylindrical rotating member for heating. A fixing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein
The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the charge eliminating member is a charge eliminating brush including a holding portion and a conductive wire held by the holding portion. A fixing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein
The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the neutralizing member is a conductive long body, and is a neutralizing brush having a configuration in which one edge facing the surface is formed in a continuous mountain shape.   An image forming apparatus comprising the fixing device according to claim 1. The fixing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the static eliminating member is attached and fixed to the frame member.
One edge portion of the adjustment member that faces the surface of the heating rotating member when the adjustment member is attached to the surface opposite to the surface to be fixed to the frame member of the static elimination member with a removable adhesive. A step of attaching the fixed member by projecting the fixed distance from one edge of the neutralizing member facing the surface of the heating rotary member;
Attaching the static elimination member to the frame member in a state where the one edge of the adjustment member is in contact with the surface of the rotating member for heating;
Removing the adjustment member from the charge removal member. A method for attaching the charge removal member. It is a mounting method of the static elimination member of Claim 7, Comprising:
The adjustment member is disposed over the entire length in the width direction of the surface of the rotating member for heating in accordance with the charge removal member or at a plurality of positions in the width direction. A method of attaching a static eliminator according to claim 7 or claim 8,
The method for attaching a static elimination member, wherein the adjustment member is transparent.

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