JP2018041039A - Image formation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a stable cleaning performance without damaging an intermediate transfer belt in an image formation apparatus.SOLUTION: An image formation apparatus includes: a cleaning blade 21 which is brought into contact with an intermediate transfer belt 17 and removes a primary residual object on the intermediate transfer belt 17; a scraper 41 which is brought into contact with the intermediate transfer belt 17 on the downstream side of the cleaning blade 21 and on the upstream side of a photoreceptor drum, and removes a secondary residual object on the intermediate transfer belt 17; a storage part 30 which stores the primary residual object removed by the cleaning blade 21 in a storage space 35 on the upstream side with respect to the cleaning blade 21; a drive part 24 which drives the cleaning blade 21; and a control part which separates the cleaning blade 21 from the intermediate transfer belt 17 by driving the drive part 24, and executes supply processing of supplying the primary residual object stored in the storage space 35 to the scraper 41 with rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 17.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known an image forming apparatus that forms a toner image on a photosensitive member, transfers the toner image to an intermediate transfer belt, and transfers the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt onto a sheet. In such an image forming apparatus, a cleaning unit is provided on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the intermediate transfer belt with respect to the transfer position to the sheet, and toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt is removed. .

  As the cleaning unit for the intermediate transfer belt, for example, there is a unit that scrapes off toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt with a blade in contact with the intermediate transfer belt. This blade reaches the end of its life due to wear, but by the end of its life, paper dust, external additives, and their aggregates are bitten into the blade edge, causing toner to slip through and causing poor cleaning. was there. For this reason, the structure which installed scrapers, such as stainless steel (SUS), for example in the downstream of the braid | blade is proposed (for example, refer patent document 1).

JP2012-155253A

  However, in such a configuration, the external additive that has passed through the blade may be scraped off and aggregated by the scraper, and this aggregate may damage the intermediate transfer belt.

  An object of the present invention is to enable a stable cleaning performance to be obtained without damaging an intermediate transfer belt in an image forming apparatus.

In order to solve the above problems, according to the present invention,
In an image forming apparatus for transferring a toner image formed on the surface of a photoreceptor to an image carrier, and secondarily transferring the toner image transferred to the image carrier to a sheet,
A first cleaning member that contacts the image carrier and removes primary residues remaining on the image carrier after secondary transfer;
The image carrier after contacting the image carrier on the downstream side of the first cleaning member and the upstream side of the photosensitive member as viewed in the rotation direction of the image carrier and being removed by the first cleaning member A second cleaning member for removing the secondary residue on the top;
A storage section for storing the primary residue removed by the first cleaning member in a storage space on the upstream side of the first cleaning section in the rotational direction of the image carrier;
A drive unit for bringing the first cleaning member into and out of contact with the image carrier;
The drive unit is driven to move the first cleaning member away from the image carrier, and the primary residue stored in the storage space is supplied to the second cleaning member by rotation of the image carrier. A control unit that executes supply processing;
It is characterized by providing.

  According to the present invention, stable cleaning performance can be obtained in an image forming apparatus without damaging the intermediate transfer belt.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus in an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a control configuration of the image forming apparatus. FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of a cleaning mechanism. It is a figure which shows the state in the process of supply of a cleaning mechanism. It is a schematic diagram which shows the modification of a cleaning mechanism. It is a schematic diagram which shows the modification of a cleaning mechanism.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the scope of the invention is not limited to the illustrated examples.

[Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus]
First, the configuration of the image forming apparatus in the present embodiment will be described.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of the image forming apparatus 100. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a control configuration of the image forming apparatus 100.
1 and 2, the image forming apparatus 100 includes an image forming unit 10, a cleaning mechanism 200, a paper feeding unit 50, a control unit 61, an operation unit 62, a display unit 63, a storage unit 64, a communication unit 65, and the like. Each part is connected by a bus.

  The image forming unit 10 includes photosensitive drums 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K corresponding to yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) colors, and charging units 12Y, 12M, 12C, and 12K. , Exposure units 13Y, 13M, 13C, 13K, developing units 14Y, 14M, 14C, 14K, primary transfer rollers 15Y, 15M, 15C, 15K, photoconductor cleaning units 16Y, 16M, 16C, 16K, and an image carrier An intermediate transfer belt 17, a secondary transfer roller 18, and a fixing unit 19 are provided.

The charging units 12Y, 12M, 12C, and 12K uniformly charge the photosensitive drums 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K.
The exposure units 13Y, 13M, 13C, and 13K are composed of laser light sources, polygon mirrors, lenses, and the like, and scan and expose the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K with laser beams based on the image data of each color. An electrostatic latent image is formed.
The developing units 14Y, 14M, 14C, and 14K store developers corresponding to yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), respectively, and are photosensitive drums 11Y, 11M, and 11C. , 11K, the toner of each color is attached to the electrostatic latent image, and development is performed.

  As the developer, for example, a two-component developer composed of toner and carrier is used. For the toner constituting the two-component developer, for example, silica having a particle size of 10 to 1000 nm, titania, etc. for the purpose of imparting fluidity to the toner and improving charging property, developing property, transfer property and cleaning property, etc. An external additive made of alumina or the like is added.

The primary transfer rollers 15Y, 15M, 15C, and 15K sequentially transfer the toner images of the respective colors formed on the photosensitive drums 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K onto the intermediate transfer belt 17 (primary transfer). That is, a color toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 17 by superimposing four color toner images.
The photoconductor cleaning units 16Y, 16M, 16C, and 16K remove the toner remaining on the peripheral surfaces of the photoconductor drums 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K after the transfer.

  The intermediate transfer belt 17 is an endless belt, is stretched by a plurality of rollers (a driving roller, a driven roller, a backup roller R1, a tension roller R2, and the like), and is driven in a direction indicated by an arrow A in FIG.

  The secondary transfer roller 18 collectively transfers the color toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 17 onto one surface of the sheet P as a transfer target supplied from the sheet feeding unit 50 (secondary transfer). Transcription).

  The fixing unit 19 fixes the toner transferred on the paper P onto the paper P by heating and pressing.

  The cleaning mechanism 200 removes residual toner and paper dust remaining without being transferred to the paper P from the intermediate transfer belt 17 after the color toner image is transferred to the paper P by the secondary transfer roller 18. A mechanism for cleaning the intermediate transfer belt 17. Details of the configuration of the cleaning mechanism 200 will be described later.

  The paper feed unit 50 is provided in the lower part of the image forming apparatus 100 and includes a detachable paper feed cassette 51. The paper P stored in the paper feed cassette 51 is sent out one by one from the uppermost one by the paper feed roller 52 to the transport path.

  The control unit 61 is configured by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like, and comprehensively controls the processing operation of each unit of the image forming apparatus 100. The CPU reads various processing programs stored in the ROM, expands them in the RAM, and executes various processes according to the expanded programs.

  The operation unit 62 includes a touch panel formed so as to cover the display screen of the display unit 63 and various operation buttons such as numeric buttons and a start button, and outputs an operation signal based on a user operation to the control unit 61.

  The display unit 63 is configured by an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), and displays various screens according to instructions of a display signal input from the control unit 61.

  The storage unit 64 includes a storage device such as a nonvolatile semiconductor memory or a hard disk, and stores data related to various processes.

  The communication unit 65 transmits and receives data to and from an external device connected to a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network).

[Configuration of cleaning mechanism]
Next, the configuration of the cleaning mechanism 200 will be described.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the cleaning mechanism 200. Each part constituting the cleaning mechanism 200 is elongated along the width direction of the intermediate transfer belt 17.
As shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning mechanism 200 includes a casing CA, a first cleaning unit 20 provided in the casing CA, and a storage unit 30 provided below the first cleaning unit 20 in the casing CA. And a second cleaning unit 40 provided downstream of the first cleaning unit 20 in the rotational direction of the intermediate transfer belt 17.

  The casing CA is a housing that covers each member constituting the first cleaning unit 20 and the storage unit 30.

  The first cleaning unit 20 intermediately transfers a cleaning blade (first cleaning member) 21, a blade holder 22 that holds the cleaning blade 21, a pressing spring 23 that is connected to the base end of the blade holder 22, and the cleaning blade 21. A drive unit 24 and the like for contacting and separating from the belt 17 are provided.

The cleaning blade 21 is a plate body made of an elastic body such as urethane rubber having a length of about 10 mm and a thickness of about 2 mm, for example.
The cleaning blade 21 comes into contact with the intermediate transfer belt 17 whose front end circulates, thereby scraping off the primary residue containing, for example, residual toner, paper powder, etc. on the intermediate transfer belt 17 and performing intermediate transfer. The belt 17 is cleaned.
Specifically, the cleaning blade 21 is fixed to the blade holder 22 at the base end, and comes into contact with the intermediate transfer belt 17 in a state where the front end faces in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the intermediate transfer belt 17 (counter direction). . The contact angle of the cleaning blade 21 with respect to the intermediate transfer belt 17 is set to be about 25 °, for example. The pressure contact force (contact pressure) with which the cleaning blade 21 is pressed against the intermediate transfer belt 17 is set to be, for example, about 30 N / m.

  The blade holder 22 is rotatably attached to a support shaft G provided in the casing CA, and holds the cleaning blade 21.

  The pressing spring 23 urges the blade holder 22 to rotate counterclockwise around the support shaft G, and is backed up by the backup roller R1 with the tip of the cleaning blade 21 facing the counter direction. The intermediate transfer belt 17 is disposed so as to come into pressure contact with the contact position C. With this configuration, when the intermediate transfer belt 17 rotates, the cleaning blade 21 can scrape and remove the primary residue on the intermediate transfer belt 17.

The drive unit 24 is a drive motor that rotates the blade holder 22, and rotates the blade holder 22 clockwise about the support axis G under the control of the control unit 61, so that the tip of the cleaning blade 21 is moved to the intermediate transfer belt. Separated from 17.
The blade holder 22 and the cleaning blade 21 can return to their original positions by the contraction force of the pressing spring 23.

The storage unit 30 stores the primary residue scraped off by the first cleaning unit 20.
The storage unit 30 includes a storage roller 31 installed below the cleaning blade 21, a storage sheet 32 as a discharge regulating member, a holding member 33 that holds the storage sheet 32, and scattering prevention installed further below the storage roller 31. A sheet 34 and the like are provided.

The storage roller 31 is a roller member made of foamed urethane or the like having a diameter of about 17 mm. The intermediate transfer belt is upstream of the pressure contact position C between the cleaning blade 21 and the intermediate transfer belt 17 in the rotational direction of the intermediate transfer belt 17. 17 is arranged so as to abut against 17. The amount of biting of the storage roller 31 into the intermediate transfer belt 17 is set to about 1 mm.
The storage roller 31 is rotated in a width direction (a direction along the rotation direction of the intermediate transfer belt 17) with respect to the rotation direction of the intermediate transfer belt 17 by a driving unit (not shown) at a contact position with the intermediate transfer belt 17. Is configured to do.

The storage sheet 32 is a plate made of, for example, a PET (polyethylene terephthalate) sheet having a thickness of about 0.1 mm.
One end of the storage sheet 32 contacts the surface of the storage roller 31 at a position opposite to the contact position between the storage roller 31 and the intermediate transfer belt 17, and the other end is provided above the storage roller 31. It is fixed to the member 33 and restricts discharge of the primary residue scraped off by the cleaning blade 21 to the outside of the storage space 35.

  The holding member 33 is fixed to a protruding portion inside the casing CA by a screw or the like, and holds the storage sheet 32.

  With the above configuration, a space surrounded by the intermediate transfer belt 17, the storage roller 31, and the storage sheet 32 is formed. This space forms a storage space 35 for storing the primary residue scraped from the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 17 by the cleaning blade 21.

  The scattering prevention sheet 34 is a plate body made of, for example, a PET (polyethylene terephthalate) sheet. One end of the anti-scattering sheet 34 is bonded to the bottom of the casing CA facing the intermediate transfer belt 17, and the other end is installed so as to make light contact with the intermediate transfer belt 17. Prevent falling.

The second cleaning unit 40 is for collecting residues that could not be removed (passed through) by the first cleaning unit 20 on the intermediate transfer belt 17.
Since the second cleaning unit 40 is an auxiliary unit that collects residues that could not be removed by the first cleaning unit 20, the cleaning performance may be inferior to that of the first cleaning unit 20.

The second cleaning unit 40 includes a scraper (second cleaning member) 41 supported by a support unit (not shown).
The scraper 41 is disposed downstream of the first cleaning unit 20 and upstream of the primary transfer roller 15Y in the rotational direction of the intermediate transfer belt 17.
More specifically, the scraper 41 is installed between the backup roller R1 and the tension roller R2 so that the tip thereof is in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 17.

The scraper 41 is, for example, a plate made of a metal such as SUS (stainless steel) or a resin having a length of about 10 mm and a thickness of about 0.1 mm, and the tip of the scraper 41 is attached to the circulating intermediate transfer belt 17. Contact. As a result, the scraper 41 removes secondary residues on the intermediate transfer belt 17 that could not be removed by the first cleaning unit 20, for example, containing external additives that have passed through the cleaning blade 21. It becomes.
The scraper 41 is also set so that the tip of the scraper 41 is in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 17 in the counter direction and the contact angle with the intermediate transfer belt 17 is, for example, about 15 °. The pressure contact force (contact pressure) with which the scraper 41 is pressed against the intermediate transfer belt 17 is set to be, for example, about 5 N / m.

[Operation of cleaning mechanism]
Next, the operation of the cleaning mechanism 200 in the present embodiment will be described.

  In the image forming apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the cleaning mechanism 200 scrapes off the primary residue remaining without being transferred from the intermediate transfer belt 17 to the paper P by the cleaning blade 21 of the first cleaning unit 20. Further, the secondary residue on the intermediate transfer belt 17 after being removed by the cleaning blade 21 is removed by the scraper 41 of the second cleaning unit 40.

Here, the controller 61 separates the cleaning blade 21 from the intermediate transfer belt 17 at a predetermined timing and supplies the primary residue stored in the storage space 35 to the scraper 41 (hereinafter referred to as “supply processing”). ”).
Specifically, when the rotational distance of the intermediate transfer belt 17 reaches a predetermined distance, the control unit 61 drives the drive unit 24 to center the blade holder 22 around the support shaft G as shown in FIG. The tip of the cleaning blade 21 is separated from the intermediate transfer belt 17 by rotating clockwise.

As a result, a gap is generated between the tip of the cleaning blade 21 and the intermediate transfer belt 17, and the primary residue stored in the storage space 35 is supplied to the scraper 41 as the intermediate transfer belt 17 rotates. Become.
Since the toner contained in the primary residue supplied to the scraper 41 has been scraped off once by the cleaning blade 21, the originally added external additive is removed, and the external additive is removed from the beginning. The amount held is decreasing.
For this reason, when scraped off by the scraper 41, the toner contained in the primary residue is easily adsorbed to the external additive accumulated in the vicinity of the scraper 41, and the external additive aggregates around the scraper 41. The effect which prevents can be acquired.

<Change in supply frequency depending on the installation environment of the image forming apparatus>
The execution timing of the supply process is preferably changed according to the installation environment of the image forming apparatus 100.
This is a control performed in view of the tendency that the amount of the external additive passing through the cleaning blade 21 is large when the installation environment of the image forming apparatus 100 is low temperature and low humidity.
That is, in the low temperature and low humidity environment, it is preferable to increase the frequency of supplying the primary residue stored in the storage space 35 to the scraper 41.

  Table 1 is an example of a setting table for setting the installation environment (temperature and humidity) of the image forming apparatus 100 and the execution timing of the supply process. Note that such a setting table is stored in the storage unit 64 in advance, and the contents can be changed as appropriate by the user's operation on the operation unit 62.

In Table 1, when the temperature is less than 15 ° C. and the humidity is less than 65%, the supply process is executed every time the intermediate transfer belt 17 rotates [300 m]. In this supply process, the cleaning blade 21 is moved to the intermediate transfer belt 17. The intermediate transfer belt 17 is set to move by [30 mm] from when it is separated from the position until it comes into contact with the intermediate transfer belt 17 again.
When the temperature is 25 ° C. or higher and the humidity is 65% or higher, the supply process is set not to be executed.
In other cases, the supply process is executed every time the intermediate transfer belt 17 rotates by [600 m]. In this supply process, the cleaning blade 21 is separated from the intermediate transfer belt 17 and then moved to the intermediate transfer belt 17 again. The intermediate transfer belt 17 is set to move [30 mm] until it comes into contact.
That is, in Table 1, the frequency of supply processing is increased in a low temperature and low humidity environment.
Note that such supply processing may be performed at a timing at which the image pattern does not pass the cleaning blade 21 during the image forming operation, or may be performed at the start-up sequence immediately after the above environment is reached.

  With such control, the supply process can be executed at an appropriate timing.

  The supply amount of the primary residue in the supply process is preferably changed according to the coverage (printing rate) of the toner image or the state of the primary residue stored in the storage space 35.

<Change in supply amount due to toner image coverage>
For example, it is possible to perform control to change the supply amount for supplying the primary residue stored in the storage space 35 to the scraper 41 by the total coverage of the four colors of the toner image.
Specifically, the following control is mentioned, for example.
When the total coverage is less than 60%, the supply process is not performed.
When the total coverage is 60% or more and less than 120%, the supply process is performed according to Table 1 above.
When the total coverage is 120% or more, the supply process is executed in accordance with Table 1 above. In this supply process, the cleaning blade 21 is separated from the intermediate transfer belt 17 and then the intermediate transfer belt 17 is again used. The moving distance of the intermediate transfer belt 17 until it comes into contact with is changed to, for example, [45 mm].

  In calculating the total coverage, coverage in the entire main scanning direction may be used, or determination may be made using a high coverage in each region obtained by dividing the main scanning direction into several equal parts.

<Change in supply amount depending on the state of stored primary residue>
In addition, it is preferable that the toner contained in the primary residue supplied to the scraper 41 has less adhesion of the external additive because the external additive is easily adsorbed by the scraper 41.
Therefore, after the toner that has not been subjected to secondary transfer on the intermediate transfer belt 17 is removed by the cleaning blade 21 during image stabilization processing or jam recovery, the primary residue of the storage space 35 is supplied to the scraper 41. In this case, it is possible to control to increase the supply amount of the primary residue to the scraper 41.

Specifically, when the toner that has not been subjected to the secondary transfer is removed by the cleaning blade 21 during the counting of the rotation distance of the intermediate transfer belt 17, the supply process is executed according to Table 1 above. In the supply process, the moving distance of the intermediate transfer belt 17 from when the cleaning blade 21 is separated from the intermediate transfer belt 17 until it comes into contact with the intermediate transfer belt 17 again is changed to, for example, [45 mm].
When the toner that has not been subjected to the secondary transfer is not removed by the cleaning blade 21 during the counting of the rotation distance of the intermediate transfer belt 17, the supply process is performed according to Table 1 above.

With these controls, the supply process can be executed with an appropriate supply amount.
Here, the supply amount of the primary residue is changed from the viewpoint of not reducing the productivity, but the coverage (printing rate) of the toner image or the primary residue stored in the storage space 35 is changed. Depending on the state, the supply frequency of the primary residue may be changed instead of the supply amount of the primary residue.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the toner images formed on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K are transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 17, and the toner images transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 17 are transferred. In the image forming apparatus 100 that secondarily transfers the toner image onto the paper P, the cleaning blade 21 that contacts the intermediate transfer belt 17 to remove the temporary residue remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 17 after the secondary transfer, and the intermediate transfer belt 17. In contact with the intermediate transfer belt 17 on the downstream side of the cleaning blade 21 and on the upstream side of the photosensitive drums 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K. A scraper 41 for removing the next residue and an upstream side of the cleaning blade 21 in the rotational direction of the intermediate transfer belt 17. The storage unit 30 that stores the primary residue removed by the cleaning blade 21 in the storage space 35, the drive unit 24 that brings the cleaning blade 21 into and out of contact with the intermediate transfer belt 17, and the drive unit 24 are driven to perform cleaning. A control unit 61 that performs a supply process of separating the blade 21 from the intermediate transfer belt 17 and supplying the primary residue stored in the storage space 35 to the scraper 41 by the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 17.
For this reason, the toner contained in the primary residue supplied to the scraper 41 by the supply process is adsorbed with the external additive accumulated in the vicinity of the scraper 41, so that the external additive aggregates around the scraper 41. Can be prevented.
Therefore, in the image forming apparatus 100, stable cleaning performance can be obtained without damaging the intermediate transfer belt 17. Further, the durability of the intermediate transfer belt 17 can be improved.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the control unit 61 performs the supply process according to the rotational distance of the intermediate transfer belt 17.
For this reason, the supply process can be executed at an appropriate timing according to the rotational distance of the intermediate transfer belt 17.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the control unit 61 changes the timing for executing the supply process according to the installation environment of the image forming apparatus 100.
For this reason, the supply process can be executed at an appropriate timing according to the installation environment.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the control unit 61 changes the supply amount by the supply process according to the coverage of the toner image or the state of the primary residue stored in the storage space 35.
For this reason, the supply process can be executed with an appropriate supply amount.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the contact pressure of the cleaning blade 21 to the intermediate transfer belt 17 is higher than the contact pressure of the scraper 41 to the intermediate transfer belt 17.
For this reason, the cleaning performance of the cleaning blade 21 can be higher than that of the scraper 41.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the hardness of the scraper 41 is higher than the hardness of the cleaning blade 21. Specifically, the cleaning blade 21 is a rubber member, and the scraper 41 is a metal member.
For this reason, the residue on the intermediate transfer belt 17 that could not be removed by the cleaning blade 21 can be collected more effectively.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the storage unit 30 includes the storage roller 31 that rotates in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 17 on the upstream side of the cleaning blade 21 in the rotational direction of the intermediate transfer belt 17, and the storage roller 31. The storage sheet 32 is in contact with the storage roller 31 at a position opposite to the position in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 17, and the storage space 35 is formed by the intermediate transfer belt 17, the storage roller 31, and the storage sheet 32. The
For this reason, the primary residue scraped off by the cleaning blade 21 can be stored in the storage space 35, and the stored primary residue can be conveyed to the edge portion of the cleaning blade 21.

  The embodiments to which the present invention can be applied are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the rotational speed of the intermediate transfer belt 17 is not mentioned. However, in order to reduce the cleaning load applied to the scraper 41, the rotational speed of the intermediate transfer belt 17 is determined when the supply process is executed. It may be slower than the time.
For example, the rotation speed of the intermediate transfer belt 17 is 400 mm / sec during normal image formation, but the rotation speed of the intermediate transfer belt 17 is changed to about 200 mm / sec when the supply process is executed.

Further, in the above embodiment, the storage roller 31 is configured to rotate in the width direction with respect to the rotation direction of the intermediate transfer belt 17, but for example, as shown in FIG. It is good also as a counter direction by reversing the rotation direction of the storage roller 31.
By doing so, since the storage roller 31 rotates in the counter direction with respect to the intermediate transfer belt 17, the primary residue can be efficiently supplied onto the intermediate transfer belt 17 and the primary residue stored in the storage space 35 can be supplied. Even when the amount of the product is small, the primary residue can be supplied to the scraper 41 more effectively.

In the above embodiment, the contact pressure of the storage roller 31 to the intermediate transfer belt 17 is constant. However, when the supply process is performed, the contact pressure of the storage roller 31 to the intermediate transfer belt 17 is increased. It's also good.
For example, as shown in FIG. 6, a configuration is provided that includes a facing member 36 that is separated from the intermediate transfer belt 17 during normal image formation and that contacts the storage roller 31 via the intermediate transfer belt 17 when the supply process is performed. Thus, the contact pressure of the storage roller 31 to the intermediate transfer belt 17 can be increased.
By doing so, the primary residue can be efficiently supplied onto the intermediate transfer belt 17, and even when the amount of the primary residue stored in the storage space 35 is small, the scraper 41 is more effectively supplied. Primary residue can be supplied.

100 Image forming apparatus 10 Image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K Photosensitive drum 17 Intermediate transfer belt (image carrier)
R1 Backup roller R2 Tension roller 200 Cleaning mechanism 20 First cleaning unit 21 Cleaning blade (first cleaning member)
22 Blade holder 23 Press spring 24 Drive part G Support shaft 30 Storage part 31 Storage roller (roller member)
32 Reservation sheet (discharge regulation member)
33 holding member 34 scattering prevention sheet 35 storage space 36 facing member 40 second cleaning unit 41 scraper (second cleaning member)
50 Paper Feed Unit 61 Control Unit 62 Operation Unit 63 Display Unit 64 Storage Unit 65 Communication Unit P Paper

Claims (12)

In an image forming apparatus for transferring a toner image formed on the surface of a photoreceptor to an image carrier, and secondarily transferring the toner image transferred to the image carrier to a sheet,
A first cleaning member that contacts the image carrier and removes primary residues remaining on the image carrier after secondary transfer;
The image carrier after contacting the image carrier on the downstream side of the first cleaning member and the upstream side of the photosensitive member as viewed in the rotation direction of the image carrier and being removed by the first cleaning member A second cleaning member for removing the secondary residue on the top;
A storage section for storing the primary residue removed by the first cleaning member in a storage space on the upstream side of the first cleaning section in the rotational direction of the image carrier;
A drive unit for bringing the first cleaning member into and out of contact with the image carrier;
The drive unit is driven to move the first cleaning member away from the image carrier, and the primary residue stored in the storage space is supplied to the second cleaning member by rotation of the image carrier. A control unit that executes supply processing;
An image forming apparatus comprising:   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit executes the supply process according to a rotation distance of the image carrier.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit changes a frequency of executing the supply process according to an installation environment of the image forming apparatus.   The control unit changes a supply amount of the primary residue by the supply process according to a coverage of a toner image or a state of the primary residue stored in the storage space. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3.   The contact pressure of the first cleaning member to the image carrier is higher than the contact pressure of the second cleaning member to the image carrier. The image forming apparatus described.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hardness of the second cleaning member is higher than the hardness of the first cleaning member.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the first cleaning member is a rubber member, and the second cleaning member is a metal member. The reservoir is
A roller member rotating in contact with the image carrier;
A discharge regulating member that contacts the roller member at a position opposite to the position of the roller member that contacts the image carrier;
With
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage space is formed by the image carrier, the roller member, and the discharge regulating member.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image carrier is an intermediate transfer belt.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the supply process is performed, the control unit makes the rotation speed of the image carrier slower than that during image formation. The reservoir is
A roller member that contacts the image carrier and rotates in the width direction with respect to the rotation direction of the image carrier during image formation;
The controller is
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the supply process is performed, the rotation direction of the roller member is set to a counter direction opposite to the width direction. The reservoir is
A roller member rotating in contact with the image carrier;
The controller is
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a contact pressure of the roller member against the image carrier is increased during the supply process.

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