JP2017026718A - Fixing device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress a local accumulation of toner in a direction intersecting with a heating body.SOLUTION: A fixing device comprises: a heating body that revolves in one direction to heat a toner image; and a removing body that moves in the one direction or a direction opposite to the one direction while in contact with the heating body to remove a toner adhered to the heating body, the removing body having a shape that moves the toner to a contact surface with the heating body in an intersecting direction intersecting with the one direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a fixing device and an image forming apparatus.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a fixing device having a cleaning roll that rotates in contact with a heat roll and peels off the residual toner adhering to the heat roll from the heat roll and adheres the toner to itself.

JP 2014-59390 A

  In a fixing device that fixes a borderless toner image on a recording medium conveyed by the rotation of a heating body such as a heating roll and a pressure body such as a pressure roll, the recording medium is In some cases, the toner protrudes from the side edge to the outside, and the toner adheres to the heating body.

  In this case, since the position where the toner adheres to the heating body is a specific position in the crossing direction intersecting the circulation direction of the heating body, the toner is likely to accumulate locally in the crossing direction of the heating body.

  An object of the present invention is to suppress local toner accumulation in the crossing direction of the heating body, as compared with a configuration in which the toner stays at a position where it adheres to the heating body.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heating body that circulates in one direction and heats a toner image, and a toner that moves in the one direction or the opposite direction in contact with the heating body and adheres to the heating body. And a removing body having a shape for moving the toner in a crossing direction intersecting the one direction on a contact surface with the heating body.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heating body that circulates in one direction to heat a toner image, and a toner that moves in the one direction or the opposite direction in contact with the heating body and adheres to the heating body. A removal member that removes toner adhering to the removal member by moving in one direction or the opposite direction while being in contact with the removal member, the contact surface being in contact with the removal member And the removal body having a shape for moving the toner in a crossing direction crossing the one direction.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the shape is formed on one end side in the cross direction of the removal body, and the first shape moves the toner to one end in the cross direction of the removal body, and the cross direction of the removal body. And a second shape that is formed on the other end side and moves the toner to the other end in the intersecting direction of the removal body.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the removing body is a rotating body in which an axial end portion of a shaft portion is supported by a bearing, and the shaft portion is provided with a restricting portion that restricts movement of toner to the bearing. It has been.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming portion that forms a toner image on a recording medium, and a toner image formed by the image forming portion is fixed on the recording medium. An apparatus.

  According to the configuration of the first aspect of the present invention, local toner accumulation in the crossing direction of the heating body can be suppressed as compared with the configuration in which the toner stays at the position where it adheres to the heating body.

  According to the configuration of the second aspect of the present invention, local toner accumulation in the crossing direction of the heating body can be suppressed as compared with the configuration in which the toner stays at the position where it adheres to the heating body.

  According to the configuration of the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to remove the toner from the removal body to one end side in the cross direction and the other end side in the cross direction of the removal body.

  According to the configuration of the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to suppress the toner from entering the bearing as compared with the configuration in which the toner is allowed to move to the bearing.

  According to the configuration of the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to suppress image defects caused by defective removal of the toner from the heating body, as compared with the configuration in which the toner stays at the position where it adheres to the heating body.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a fixing device according to a first embodiment. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a fixing device according to a first embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the groove part which concerns on 1st embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which toner in a toner image without a border protrudes and adheres to a heating roll. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a fixing device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a fixing device according to a second embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the modification which replaced with the cleaning roll and used the cleaning sheet. It is the schematic which shows the modification which changed into the groove part and formed the notch | incision in the cleaning roll. It is the schematic which shows the modification which changed into the groove part and formed the convex part in the cleaning roll. It is the schematic which shows the modification of a groove part. It is the schematic which shows the modification of a restriction | limiting part.

  Below, an example of an embodiment concerning the present invention is described based on a drawing.

(First embodiment)
(Image forming apparatus 10)
First, the configuration of the image forming apparatus 10 will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of the image forming apparatus 10.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 10 includes an image forming apparatus main body 11 (housing) in which each component is housed. Inside the image forming apparatus main body 11, a plurality of storage units 12 that store recording media P such as paper, an image forming unit 14 that forms images on the recording media P, and images formed on the recording media P are stored. And a fixing device 60 for fixing the recording medium P. In the image forming apparatus main body 11, a transport unit 16 that transports the recording medium P from the storage unit 12 to the image forming unit 14 and a control unit 20 that controls the operation of each unit of the image forming apparatus 10 are further provided. It has been. Further, a discharge unit 18 for discharging the recording medium P on which the image is fixed by the fixing device 60 is provided on the upper portion of the image forming apparatus main body 11.

  The image forming unit 14 is capable of forming an edgeless image on the recording medium P that does not have a margin at the edge. Specifically, the image forming unit 14 includes image forming units 22Y, 22M, 22C, and 22K (hereinafter referred to as toner forming images) that form toner images of respective colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). , And 22Y to 22K), and an intermediate transfer belt 24 to which the toner images formed by the image forming units 22Y to 22K are transferred. Further, the image forming unit 14 transfers the toner images formed by the image forming units 22 </ b> Y to 22 </ b> K to the intermediate transfer belt 24 and transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 24 by the first transfer roll 26. And a second transfer roll 28 for transferring the toner image from the intermediate transfer belt 24 to the recording medium P. The image forming unit 14 is not limited to the above-described configuration, and may be another configuration as long as it forms an image on the recording medium P.

  The image forming units 22 </ b> Y to 22 </ b> K are disposed inside the image forming apparatus main body 11 while being inclined with respect to the horizontal direction. Each of the image forming units 22Y to 22K has a photoreceptor 32 that rotates in one direction (for example, the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 1). Since the image forming units 22Y to 22K are configured in the same manner, the reference numerals of the respective portions in the image forming units 22M, 22C, and 22K are omitted in FIG.

  Around each photoconductor 32, a charging roll 23 as a charging device for charging the photoconductor 32 and the photoconductor 32 charged by the charge roll 23 are exposed in order from the upstream side in the rotation direction of the photoconductor 32. An exposure device 36 that forms an electrostatic latent image on 32 and a developing device 38 that develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoreceptor 32 by the exposure device 36 to form a toner image are provided.

  The exposure device 36 is configured to form an electrostatic latent image based on the image signal sent from the control unit 20. Examples of the image signal sent from the control unit 20 include an image signal acquired by the control unit 20 from an external device.

  The developing device 38 includes a developer supply body 38A that supplies the developer to the photoconductor 32, and a plurality of transport members 38B that transport the developer applied to the developer supply body 38A while stirring.

  The intermediate transfer belt 24 is formed in an annular shape and is disposed on the upper side of the image forming units 22Y to 22K. On the inner peripheral side of the intermediate transfer belt 24, winding rolls 42, 43, and 44 around which the intermediate transfer belt 24 is wound are provided. The intermediate transfer belt 24 circulates (rotates) in one direction (for example, the clockwise direction in FIG. 1) while being in contact with the photoreceptor 32, for example, when the winding roll 44 is rotationally driven. . The winding roll 42 is an opposing roll that faces the second transfer roll 28.

  The first transfer roll 26 faces the photoconductor 32 with the intermediate transfer belt 24 interposed therebetween. A space between the first transfer roll 26 and the photoconductor 32 is a first transfer position at which the toner image formed on the photoconductor 32 is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 24.

  The second transfer roll 28 faces the winding roll 42 with the intermediate transfer belt 24 interposed therebetween. A space between the second transfer roll 28 and the winding roll 42 is a second transfer position where the toner image transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 24 is transferred to the recording medium P.

  The transport unit 16 is disposed along the transport path 48 and is transported along a transport roll 48 for transporting the recording medium P stored in the storage section 12, a transport path 48 for transporting the recording medium P transported to the transport roll 46. And a plurality of transport rolls 50 for transporting the recording medium P sent out by the roll 46 to the second transfer position.

  The fixing device 60 is disposed on the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to the second transfer position, and fixes the toner image transferred to the recording medium P by the second transfer roll 28 on the recording medium P. On the downstream side of the fixing device 60 in the transport direction, a plurality of transport rolls 52 that transport the recording medium P on which the toner image is fixed to the discharge unit 18 are provided. A specific configuration of the fixing device 60 will be described later.

  Next, an image forming operation for forming an image on the recording medium P in the image forming apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment will be described.

  In the image forming apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, the recording medium P sent out from the storage unit 12 by the sending roll 46 is sent to the second transfer position by the plurality of conveying rolls 50.

  On the other hand, in the image forming units 22 </ b> Y to 22 </ b> K, the photosensitive member 32 charged by the charging roll 23 is exposed by the exposure device 36 to form an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive member 32. The electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing device 38 to form a toner image on the photoreceptor 32. The toner images of the respective colors formed by the image forming units 22Y to 22K are transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 24 at the first transfer position to form a color image. Then, the color image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 24 is transferred to the recording medium P at the second transfer position.

  The recording medium P to which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed to the fixing device 60, and the transferred toner image is fixed by the fixing device 60. The recording medium P on which the toner image is fixed is discharged to the discharge unit 18 by the transport roll 52. As described above, a series of image forming operations are performed.

(Fixing device 60)
Next, the configuration of the fixing device 60 according to the present embodiment will be described. 2 and 3 are schematic views showing the configuration of the fixing device 60 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the fixing device 60 rotates in one direction (clockwise direction in FIG. 2) and in one direction (counterclockwise direction in FIG. 2). And a pressure roll 64 (an example of a pressure body). At least one of the heating roll 62 and the pressure roll 64 is rotationally driven. In the configuration in which one of the heating roll 62 and the pressure roll 64 rotates, the other rotates in a driven manner.

  The heating roll 62 and the pressure roll 64 are aligned in the axial direction and are in contact with the outer peripheral surface to form a contact region N1 (nip portion). In the fixing device 60, the recording medium P introduced between the contact areas N <b> 1 is heated by the heating roll 62 and pressed by the pressure roll 64 to fix the toner image on the recording medium P.

  Specifically, the heating roll 62 and the pressure roll 64 have base materials 62A and 64A, elastic layers 62B and 64B, and surface layers 62C and 64C, respectively.

  The base materials 62A and 64A are formed in a cylindrical shape. Examples of the material of the base materials 62A and 64A include metals such as aluminum, iron, and stainless steel.

  Each of the elastic layers 62B and 64B is formed in a cylindrical shape. The inner peripheral surfaces of the elastic layers 62B and 64B are joined to the outer peripheral surfaces of the base materials 62A and 64A, respectively. Examples of the material of the elastic layers 62B and 64B include elastic materials (rubber materials) such as silicone rubber and fluorine rubber.

  The surface layers 62C and 64C are each formed in a cylindrical shape. The inner peripheral surfaces of the surface layers 62C and 64C are joined to the outer peripheral surfaces of the elastic layers 62B and 64B, respectively. As an example of the material of the surface layers 62C and 64C, a resin material such as a fluororesin can be given.

As described above, the heating roll 62 and the pressure roll 64 are configured by laminating the elastic layers 62B and 64B and the surface layer 62C on the outer circumferences of the base materials 62A and 64A, respectively. A heat source 62D such as a halogen lamp is arranged inside the base material 62A of the heating roll 62. The heating roll 62 is heated by the heat source 62D.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the fixing device 60 includes a cleaning roll 70 (an example of a removal body, an example of a rotating body) that cleans the surface layer 62 </ b> C of the heating roll 62. The cleaning roll 70 is disposed below the heating roll 62 in a state where the axial direction is along the axial direction of the heating roll 62.

  Specifically, the cleaning roll 70 includes a shaft portion 70A and an elastic layer 70B. The shaft portion 70A is formed in a columnar shape or a cylindrical shape. Examples of the material of the shaft portion 70A include metals such as aluminum, iron, and stainless steel. As shown in FIG. 3, bearings 78 are arranged at both axial ends of the shaft portion 70 </ b> A of the cleaning roll 70. The bearing 78 rotatably supports both axial end portions of the shaft portion 70A.

  The elastic layer 70B is formed in a cylindrical shape. The inner peripheral surface of the elastic layer 70B is joined to the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 70A. Thus, the elastic layer 70B is laminated on the outer periphery of the shaft portion 70A. Accordingly, the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 70A is covered with the elastic layer 70B except for both end portions in the axial direction. That is, the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 70A is exposed only at both end portions in the axial direction.

  Examples of the material of the elastic layer 70B include elastic materials such as silicone rubber. As an example, the hardness of the elastic layer 70 </ b> B is lower than the hardness of the surface layer 62 </ b> C of the heating roll 62. Specifically, a rubber having a JISA hardness of about 15 degrees is used.

  In the cleaning roll 70, the elastic layer 70B is in contact with the surface layer 62C of the heating roll 62 with a predetermined load. As a result, a contact area N2 (see FIG. 2) between the cleaning roll 70 and the heating roll 62 is formed. Moreover, the cleaning roll 70 is comprised as a drive roll rotated in one direction with the drive force of a drive part. Specifically, the cleaning roll 70 rotates in the same direction as the heating roll 62 (clockwise direction in FIG. 2). For this reason, friction occurs at the contact portion between the cleaning roll 70 and the heating roll 62.

  The cleaning roll 70 rotates while being in contact with the surface layer 62C of the heating roll 62, thereby removing the toner adhering to the heating roll 62 and attaching the removed toner to its own elastic layer 70B.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 3, a spiral groove 72 (an example of the first shape) is respectively provided at one end and the other end of the cleaning roll 70 in the axial direction on the surface of the elastic layer 70 </ b> B of the cleaning roll 70. And the groove part 73 (an example of a 2nd shape) is formed. This groove part 72 is formed in a continuous spiral shape that turns counterclockwise from the axial center side of the cleaning roll 70 toward the axial one end side (A direction) as viewed in the direction A.

  As a result, the rotation of the cleaning roll 70 causes the toner in the contact region N2 (see FIG. 2) where the edge 72A on the axially central side of the groove 72 is in the contact area N2 (see FIG. 2) between the cleaning roll 70 and the heating roll 62 ( (A direction), it moves to the axial direction one end side (A direction).

  Moreover, the groove part 73 is formed in the continuous spiral shape which turned clockwise from the axial direction center side of the cleaning roll 70 toward the other axial direction side (B direction) by B arrow direction.

  Thus, the rotation of the cleaning roll 70 causes the edge 73 </ b> A on the axially central side of the groove 73 to remove the toner in the contact area N <b> 2 (see FIG. 2) between the cleaning roll 70 and the heating roll 62. Push in (B direction) and move to the other axial end side (B direction).

  As the groove portions 72 and 73, for example, a groove whose edge is formed in a V shape (see FIG. 4A), a groove whose edge is formed in a U shape (semicircle), or the like (see FIG. 4). (B)), and a groove (see FIG. 4C) having a rectangular cross section. In FIG. 4, the elastic layer 70 </ b> B of the cleaning roll 70 is illustrated in a flat plate shape.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the groove 72 is formed from the center in the axial direction to one end in the axial direction from the position X <b> 1 through which the side end of the recording medium P passes in the contact region N <b> 1 (see FIG. 2). The groove 73 is formed from the center in the axial direction to the other end in the axial direction from the position X2 through which the side end of the recording medium P passes in the contact region N1.

  Note that when a plurality of recording media P having different sizes (widths) pass through the contact area N1, for example, the groove portion 72 has an axis more than the position X1 through which the side end of the recording medium P having the minimum size (width) passes. It is formed from the direction center side to one end in the axial direction. The same applies to the groove 73. Further, when a plurality of recording media P having different sizes (widths) pass through the contact region N1, for example, the groove 72 has a size (width) that is frequently used when forming a borderless toner image. The recording medium P may be formed from the axial center side to the axial end rather than the position X1 through which the side edge passes. The same applies to the groove 73. In FIG. 2, the size (width) of the recording medium P is indicated by the symbol W.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the width (the length along the axial direction of the cleaning roll 70) of the first formation region Z1 in which the groove portion 72 is formed and the second formation region Z2 in which the groove portion 73 is formed are the same. ing. Further, a non-formation region Z3 in which no groove is formed is disposed between the first formation region Z1 and the second formation region Z2. The width of the non-forming region Z3 is made wider than the widths of the first forming region Z1 and the second forming region Z2. Note that the width of the non-formation region Z3 may be narrower than the widths of the first formation region Z1 and the second formation region Z2. Moreover, the structure which does not have the said non-formation area | region Z3 may be sufficient. That is, even if the end portion on the axially central side of the cleaning roll 70 in the groove portion 72 and the end portion on the axially central side of the cleaning roll 70 in the groove portion 73 are arranged at the same position in the axial direction of the cleaning roll 70. Good. Further, the end portion of the groove portion 72 and the end portion of the groove portion 73 may overlap with each other in the axial direction of the cleaning roll 70 as long as the amount is a little.

  As described above, the cleaning roll 70 has a shape for moving the toner in the axial direction (crossing direction intersecting the rotation direction). In addition, when the cleaning roll 70 rotates reversely, the groove parts 72 and 73 become a spiral of reverse winding.

  Further, a restriction portion 90 that restricts the movement of the toner to the bearing 78 is provided on the inner side in the axial direction with respect to the bearing 78 at both axial end portions of the shaft portion 70 </ b> A of the cleaning roll 70. The restricting portion 90 is an annular shape having an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of the shaft portion 70 </ b> A of the cleaning roll 70, and is formed in a plate shape having a thickness in the axial direction of the cleaning roll 70.

(Operation according to the first embodiment)
In the present embodiment, when the image forming unit 14 forms a borderless toner image on the recording medium P and the toner image is fixed by the fixing device 60, the outer peripheral surface (surface) of the heating roll 62 is as follows. The toner adheres to the outer peripheral surface of the layer 62C.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, in the toner image G without a border, the toner is transferred to the side end PS side on the surface of the recording medium P. For this reason, when the recording medium P is pressurized in the contact area N1 (see FIG. 2), as shown in FIG. 5B, the toner protrudes outward from the side end PS of the recording medium P and is heated. It adheres to the outer peripheral surface of 62.

  In this way, the toner protrudes outward from the side end PS of the recording medium P and adheres to the outer peripheral surface of the heating roll 62, so that the position X1, X2 (see FIG. 3) through which the side end PS of the recording medium P passes The toner tends to adhere to the outer areas Y1 and Y2 (see FIG. 3).

  The cleaning roll 70 rotates while being in contact with the surface layer 62C of the heating roll 62, thereby removing the toner adhering to the heating roll 62 and attaching the removed toner to its own elastic layer 70B.

  Here, in the configuration using the cleaning roll 70 that does not have the groove portions 72 and 73 (comparative example), the toner adhering to the heating roll 62 does not move in the axial direction of the heating roll 62 but adheres to the heating roll 62. Stay in position (regions Y1, Y2). For this reason, the toner locally accumulates in the axial direction (cross direction) of the heating roll 62. When the toner is locally accumulated, the toner removing performance is deteriorated at the portion where the cleaning roll 70 is accumulated. Further, when the toner is locally accumulated, a portion having a low contact pressure is formed between the cleaning roll 70 and the heating roll 62. Due to the above, toner removal failure (cleaning failure) with respect to the heating roll 62 occurs.

  On the other hand, in this embodiment, the rotation of the cleaning roll 70 causes the edge 72 </ b> A on the axially central side of the groove 72 to remove the toner in the contact region N <b> 2 between the cleaning roll 70 and the heating roll 62. It pushes to the side (A direction), and it moves to an axial direction one end side (A direction). As a result, the toner is removed from the cleaning roll 70 toward one end in the axial direction of the cleaning roll 70. The toner removed to one end in the axial direction of the cleaning roll 70 is restricted from moving to the bearing 78 by the limiting portion 90 provided at one end in the axial direction of the cleaning roll 70. For this reason, the toner can be prevented from entering the bearing 78 as compared with the configuration in which the movement of the toner to the bearing 78 is allowed.

  In addition, the rotation of the cleaning roll 70 causes the edge 73A on the axially central side of the groove 73 to push the toner in the contact region N2 between the cleaning roll 70 and the heating roll 62 toward the other axial end (B direction). , Move to the other axial end side (B direction). Thereby, the toner is removed from the cleaning roll 70 to the other axial end side of the cleaning roll 70. The toner removed to the other end in the axial direction of the cleaning roll 70 is restricted from moving to the bearing 78 by the restricting portion 90 provided at the other end in the axial direction of the cleaning roll 70. For this reason, the toner can be prevented from entering the bearing 78 as compared with the configuration in which the movement of the toner to the bearing 78 is allowed.

  Thus, since the toner adhering to the heating roll 62 is moved in the axial direction, local toner accumulation in the axial direction (crossing direction) of the heating roll 62 is suppressed. As a result, toner removal failure (cleaning failure) due to local accumulation of toner and image failure due to toner removal failure are suppressed.

(Second embodiment)
A fixing device 160 according to the second embodiment will be described. 6 and 7 are diagrams showing the fixing device 160. FIG. In addition, about the part which has the same function as 1st embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected suitably and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the fixing device 160 includes a heating roll 62 and a pressure roll 64, similarly to the fixing device 60. Further, the fixing device 160 includes a cleaning roll 170 (an example of a removal member) that cleans the surface layer 62C of the heating roll 62, and a cleaning roll 180 (an example of a removal body) that cleans the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning roll 170. doing.

  The cleaning roll 170 has a shaft portion 170A and an elastic layer 170B. The shaft portion 170A is configured in the same manner as the shaft portion 70A of the cleaning roll 70, except that the restriction portion 90 is not provided. The elastic layer 170B is configured in the same manner as the elastic layer 70B of the cleaning roll 70 except that the elastic layers 170B do not have the groove portions 72 and 73.

  The cleaning roll 180 has a shaft portion 180A and an elastic layer 180B. The shaft portion 180 </ b> A is configured similarly to the shaft portion 70 </ b> A of the cleaning roll 70. The elastic layer 180B is configured similarly to the elastic layer 70B of the cleaning roll 70 except that it is in contact with the elastic layer 170B of the cleaning roll 170. Therefore, the elastic layer 180 </ b> B has groove portions 182 and 183 configured similarly to the groove portions 72 and 73. The groove portions 182 and 183 have edge portions 182A and 183A configured similarly to the edge portions 72A and 73A.

  In the fixing device 160, the cleaning roll 70 rotates while being in contact with the surface layer 62C of the heating roll 62, thereby removing the toner attached to the heating roll 62 and attaching the removed toner to its own elastic layer 70B. Let

  Furthermore, the cleaning roll 180 rotates while being in contact with the elastic layer 170B of the cleaning roll 170, thereby removing the toner adhering to the cleaning roll 170 and attaching the removed toner to its own elastic layer 180B.

  As described above, the fixing device 160 is different from the cleaning roll 70 in that the cleaning roll 180 having the groove portions 182 and 183 removes the toner attached to the cleaning roll 170 instead of the heating roll 62. Further, the cleaning roll 180 may not be provided with the elastic layer 180B and may be configured with the shaft portion 180A exposed. In this case, the groove portions 182 and 183 are formed in the shaft portion 180A. Further, as an example, the surface of the shaft portion 180A may be blasted. By performing blasting, the adhesion force with the toner is improved as compared with the case where the surface of the shaft portion is smooth.

(Operation according to the second embodiment)
In the present embodiment, when the image forming unit 14 forms a borderless toner image on the recording medium P and the toner image is fixed by the fixing device 160, the outer peripheral surface (surface) of the heating roll 62 is as follows. The toner adheres to the outer peripheral surface of the layer 62C.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, in the toner image G without a border, the toner is transferred to the side end PS side on the surface of the recording medium P. For this reason, when the recording medium P is pressurized in the contact area N1 (see FIG. 2), as shown in FIG. 5B, the toner protrudes outward from the side end PS of the recording medium P and is heated. It adheres to the outer peripheral surface of 62.

  In this way, the toner protrudes outward from the side end PS of the recording medium P and adheres to the outer peripheral surface of the heating roll 62, so that the positions X1 and X2 (see FIG. 7) through which the side end PS of the recording medium P passes The toner tends to adhere to the outer areas Y1 and Y2 (see FIG. 7).

  The cleaning roll 170 rotates while being in contact with the surface layer 62C of the heating roll 62, thereby removing the toner adhering to the heating roll 62 and attaching the removed toner to its own elastic layer 70B.

  Further, the cleaning roll 180 rotates while being in contact with the cleaning roll 170, thereby removing the toner attached to the cleaning roll 170 and attaching the removed toner to its own surface.

  Here, in the configuration using the cleaning roll 180 without the grooves 182 and 183 (comparative example), the toner adhering to the cleaning roll 170 does not move in the axial direction of the cleaning roll 170 but adheres to the heating roll 62. It remains at the axial position (the axial position corresponding to the regions Y1 and Y2). For this reason, toner accumulates locally in the axial direction (cross direction) of the cleaning roll 170. When the toner removal capability of the cleaning roll 170 decreases due to the toner accumulation, the toner locally accumulates in the axial direction (cross direction) of the heating roll 62. When the toner is locally accumulated, the toner removing performance is deteriorated at the portion where the cleaning roll 70 is accumulated. Further, when the toner is locally accumulated, a portion having a low contact pressure is formed between the cleaning roll 70 and the heating roll 62. Due to the above, toner removal failure (cleaning failure) with respect to the heating roll 62 occurs.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the rotation of the cleaning roll 180 causes the edge 182A on the axially central side of the groove 182 to remove the toner between the cleaning roll 180 and the cleaning roll 170 on one axial end side ( (A direction), it moves to the axial direction one end side (A direction). As a result, the toner is removed from the cleaning roll 180 toward one end in the axial direction of the cleaning roll 180. The toner removed to one end in the axial direction of the cleaning roll 180 is restricted from moving to the bearing 78 by the limiting portion 90 provided at one end in the axial direction of the cleaning roll 180. For this reason, the toner can be prevented from entering the bearing 78 as compared with the configuration in which the movement of the toner to the bearing 78 is allowed.

  Further, the rotation of the cleaning roll 180 causes the edge 183A on the axially central side of the groove 183 to push the toner between the cleaning roll 180 and the cleaning roll 170 toward the other end in the axial direction (B direction). Move to the other end side (direction B). As a result, the toner is removed from the cleaning roll 180 to the other axial end side of the cleaning roll 180. The toner removed to the other end in the axial direction of the cleaning roll 180 is restricted from moving to the bearing 78 by the restricting portion 90 provided at the other end in the axial direction of the cleaning roll 180. For this reason, the toner can be prevented from entering the bearing 78 as compared with the configuration in which the movement of the toner to the bearing 78 is allowed.

  Thus, since the toner adhering to the cleaning roll 170 is moved in the axial direction, local toner accumulation in the axial direction (cross direction) of the cleaning roll 170 is suppressed. Thereby, the removal performance of the cleaning roll 170 is maintained, and local toner accumulation in the axial direction (cross direction) of the heating roll 62 is suppressed.

  Toner removal failure (cleaning failure) due to local accumulation of toner and image failure due to toner removal failure are suppressed.

  Moreover, in 2nd embodiment, since the cleaning roll 170 which contacts the heating roll 62 does not have a groove part, it is suppressed that the surface layer 62C of the heating roll 62 is damaged by the edge part of a groove part, etc.

(Modification of the second embodiment)
The cleaning roll 170 described above did not have a groove, but may be configured in the same manner as the cleaning roll 70 having the grooves 72 and 73. Thereby, the toner adhering to the heating roll 62 is moved in the axial direction (crossing direction) of the heating roll 62, and local toner accumulation in the axial direction (crossing direction) of the heating roll 62 is effectively suppressed.

(Modifications of the first embodiment and the second embodiment)
In 1st embodiment and 2nd embodiment, although the cleaning roll 70 and the cleaning roll 180 were used as a removal body, it is not restricted to this. As the removal body, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, a cleaning sheet 270 (web) may be used. The example shown in FIG. 8 is an example in which the cleaning sheet 270 is used instead of the cleaning roll 70.

  In the example shown in FIG. 8, the cleaning sheet 270 is made of, for example, a strip-shaped nonwoven fabric having a length. The cleaning sheet 270 is wound in a roll shape and one end in the length direction is unwound, so that the cleaning sheet 270 moves in the E direction (length direction) while being in contact with the heating roll 62 to remove the toner.

  At one end in the width direction of the cleaning sheet 270, the toner between the cleaning sheet 270 and the heating roll 62 is pushed toward the one end in the width direction (A direction) by the movement of the cleaning sheet 270, and one end in the width direction (A direction). ) To be moved to ().

  At the other end in the width direction of the cleaning sheet 270, the toner between the cleaning sheet 270 and the heating roll 62 is pushed toward the other end side in the axial direction (B direction) by the movement of the cleaning sheet 270. Unevenness 273 to be moved in the (B direction) is formed. The irregularities 272 and 273 are formed by, for example, inclining the direction of the fibers of the cleaning sheet 270 made of a nonwoven fabric outward in the width direction with respect to the moving direction.

  In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the cleaning roll 70 and the cleaning roll 180 have the groove portions 72 and 73 and the groove portions 182 and 183, respectively, but are not limited thereto. The cleaning roll 70 and the cleaning roll 180 may have a cut 278 as shown in FIG. 9 instead of the groove portions 72 and 73 and the groove portions 182 and 183.

  Furthermore, the cleaning roll 70 and the cleaning roll 180 may have a convex portion 280 as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B instead of the groove portions 72 and 73 and the groove portions 182 and 183. The convex portion 280 may have a semicircular cross section as shown in FIG. 10 (A), or may have a triangular cross section as shown in FIG. 10 (B). The convex portion 280 may be formed by spirally winding a wire or tape around the surfaces of the cleaning roll 70 and the cleaning roll 180. Therefore, the convex part 280 may be comprised by elastic layer 70B, 180B or the shaft part 180A, and another member.

  In 1st embodiment and 2nd embodiment, although the groove parts 72, 73, 182, and 183 of the cleaning rolls 70 and 180 were each made into the continuous spiral shape, it is not restricted to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, a configuration in which a plurality of linear groove portions 288 are arranged stepwise may be used. As described above, the groove may be formed continuously as in the above-described embodiment, or may be formed discontinuously as in the modification. . In addition, FIG. 11 expands and shows the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning rolls 70 and 180 in a planar shape.

  In 1st embodiment and 2nd embodiment, although the restriction | limiting part 90 was formed in plate shape, it is not restricted to this. As shown in FIG. 12, the limiting portion may be a limiting portion 290 formed in a concave shape on the inner side in the axial direction, for example.

  In 1st embodiment and 2nd embodiment, although the heating roll 62 was used as an example of a heating body, it is not restricted to this, For example, a heating belt may be sufficient as an example of a heating body.

  In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the pressure roll 64 is used as an example of the pressurizing body. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an example of the pressurizing body may be a pressure belt.

  In the cleaning rolls 70 and 180 described above, the toner is moved to both ends in the axial direction by the grooves 72, 73, 182, and 183. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the cleaning rolls 70 and 180 may be configured to move toner toward the center in the axial direction by a groove. Further, the cleaning rolls 70 and 180 may be configured to move the toner in one axial direction toward the one axial end side by a groove, for example.

  The cleaning rolls 70 and 170 described above are configured to be driven and rotated. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the cleaning rolls 70 and 170 may be configured to be rotated by the heating roll 62. Further, the cleaning roll 180 is configured to rotate by driving, but is not limited thereto, and may be configured to rotate following the cleaning roll 170, for example.

  The cleaning rolls 70 and 170 described above are configured to rotate in the same direction as the heating roll 62 (the clockwise direction in FIGS. 2 and 6), but are not limited thereto. For example, the cleaning rolls 70 and 170 may have a peripheral speed difference with respect to the heating roll 62 and rotate in the opposite direction to the heating roll 62 (counterclockwise direction in FIGS. 2 and 6). . Moreover, although the cleaning roll 180 was the structure rotated in the same direction (clockwise direction in FIG. 6) as the cleaning roll 170, it is not restricted to this. For example, the cleaning roll 180 may have a peripheral speed difference with respect to the cleaning roll 170 and rotate in the direction opposite to the cleaning roll 170.

  In the present embodiment, the restriction unit 90 is provided on the shaft portions 70A and 180A of the cleaning rolls 70 and 180, but is not limited thereto. For example, the shaft part of the heating roll 62 and the shaft part 70 </ b> A of the cleaning roll 170 may be provided.

  In the present embodiment, the limiting portion 90 is provided at both axial end portions of the shaft portions 70A and 180A of the cleaning rolls 70 and 180, but is not limited thereto. For example, the limiting portion 90 may be provided only at one axial end portion of the shaft portions 70A and 180A of the cleaning rolls 70 and 180. That is, the restricting portion 90 only needs to be provided at least at one axial end portion of the shaft portions 70A and 180A of the cleaning rolls 70 and 180.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications, changes, and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the modification examples described above may be appropriately combined.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image forming apparatus 14 Image forming part 60 Fixing apparatus 62 Heating roll (an example of a heating body)
70 Cleaning roll (example of removed body)
90 Restriction Unit 160 Fixing Device 170 Cleaning Roll (Example of Removal Member)
180 Cleaning roll (example of removed body)

Claims (5)

A heating body that circulates in one direction and heats the toner image;
A removal body that moves in the one direction or the opposite direction while being in contact with the heating body, and removes toner adhering to the heating body, wherein the toner is placed on the contact surface with the heating body in the one direction The removed body having a shape that moves in a crossing direction that intersects with
A fixing device. A heating body that circulates in one direction and heats the toner image;
A removal member that moves in the one direction or the opposite direction while being in contact with the heating body to remove toner adhering to the heating body;
A removal body that moves in the one direction or the opposite direction while being in contact with the removal member to remove the toner adhering to the removal member, and the toner is placed on the contact surface with the removal member in the one direction The removed body having a shape that moves in a crossing direction that intersects with
A fixing device. The shape is
A first shape formed on one end side in the cross direction of the removal body and moving the toner to one end in the cross direction of the removal body;
A second shape that is formed on the other end side of the removal body in the cross direction and moves the toner to the other end of the removal body in the cross direction;
The fixing device according to claim 1, comprising: The removing body is a rotating body in which an axial end portion of a shaft portion is supported by a bearing,
The fixing device according to claim 3, wherein the shaft portion is provided with a restriction portion that restricts movement of the toner to the bearing. An image forming unit for forming a toner image on a recording medium;
The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the toner image formed by the image forming unit is fixed on the recording medium.
An image forming apparatus comprising:

Images