JP2020052113A - Cleaning device and image formation device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide means of preventing an attachment from leaking from the end along the length of cleaning means while allowing a behavior of the cleaning means, compared with the case where a behavior of the end along the length of the cleaning means is regulated.SOLUTION: A cleaning device comprises: plate-like cleaning means 261 for removing an attachment attached onto a member to be cleaned; film-like reserving means 265 provided on the surface of the cleaning means opposite to the surface facing the member to be cleaned so as to protrude toward the member to be cleaned for reserving the attachment removed by the cleaning means along the length of the cleaning means; and film-like regulation means 266 for regulating the outward movement of the attachment along the length of the cleaning means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

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

  Conventionally, as a cleaning device, for example, a technology disclosed in Patent Literature 1 or the like has already been proposed as a technique for improving the cleaning property of a member to be cleaned such as an intermediate transfer belt.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a cleaning member in which a blade member is attached to a distal end portion of a thin plate member along a longitudinal direction, and the blade member in the cleaning member is brought into contact with the surface of the image holding member, and the surface of the image holding member is In the cleaning device for removing the toner in the above, and collecting the removed toner in the housing, a foam seal member is provided between the longitudinal end of the cleaning member and the housing, and the foam seal member and the above-described foam seal member are provided. An end protecting member for covering the foam cell of the foam seal member is provided between the cleaning member and the thin plate member.

JP 2017-156489 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device in which movement of an end portion along a longitudinal direction of the cleaning device is restricted, while allowing the behavior of the cleaning device, and removing an object from the end portion along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning device. Is to suppress leakage.

The invention according to claim 1 is a plate-like cleaning unit that cleans an adhered substance adhered to a member to be cleaned,
The cleaning means is provided on the surface opposite to the surface facing the member to be cleaned so as to protrude toward the member to be cleaned, and deposits removed by the cleaning means stay along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning means. Film-like stagnation means,
A film-shaped regulating unit that regulates the movement of the attached matter to the outside along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning unit,
It is a cleaning device provided with.

  The invention described in claim 2 is the cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the regulating means is provided on both end surfaces along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning means so as to project toward the member to be cleaned. is there.

  The invention described in claim 3 is the cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein the restricting means has an amount of protrusion of the cleaning means from the end on the member to be cleaned side larger than the staying means.

  The invention described in claim 4 is the cleaning device according to claim 3, wherein the staying means has an amount of protrusion of the cleaning means from the end of the cleaning member side of 0.5 mm or more.

  The invention described in claim 5 is the cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the staying means is respectively arranged over a predetermined length inside both ends along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning means. is there.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the cleaning device according to claim 5, wherein the staying means is arranged at least 0.5 mm inside an end of the cleaning means along the longitudinal direction.

  The invention according to claim 7, wherein the regulating means is arranged such that an edge on the member to be cleaned side is shifted from a front surface of the cleaning means to a back surface side. It is a cleaning device.

  In the invention described in claim 8, the regulating means is bent so as to close a gap between the cleaning means and an adjacent means outward from an end along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning means. A cleaning device according to any one of the above.

An image holding means for holding a toner image,
Cleaning means for cleaning the surface of the image holding means,
An image forming apparatus using the cleaning device according to claim 1 as the cleaning unit.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the movement of the cleaning unit is allowed and the movement of the cleaning unit along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning unit is allowed, as compared with the case where the movement of the end of the cleaning unit along the longitudinal direction is restricted. Leakage of attached matter from the bent end can be suppressed.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the regulating means is provided with a cleaning function as compared with a case in which the regulating means is not provided on both end surfaces along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning means so as to project toward the member to be cleaned. Leakage of extraneous matter from the end along the longitudinal direction of the means can be further suppressed.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, the regulating means is retained by the retaining means as compared with a case where the amount of protrusion of the cleaning means from the end of the member to be cleaned is smaller than the retaining means. It is possible to further suppress the attached matter from leaking from the longitudinal end of the cleaning means.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, the staying means has a longer length than the length of the cleaning means as compared with a case where the amount of projection of the cleaning means from the end on the member to be cleaned side is less than 0.5 mm. The attached matter can be further moved to the ends along the direction.

  According to the invention as set forth in claim 5, the cleaning means is compared with the cleaning means which is not disposed over a predetermined length inside both ends along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning means. Leakage of the deposit from the end along the longitudinal direction of the means can be suppressed.

  According to the invention described in claim 6, the stagnation means is disposed in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning means in comparison with a case where the stagnation means is not arranged at least 0.5 mm inside the end along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning means. Can be prevented from leaking from the end along the edge.

  According to the invention described in claim 7, the regulating unit is configured such that the regulating unit has a configuration in which the regulating unit has an edge on the side of the member to be cleaned that is not displaced from the front surface of the cleaning unit to the back surface. Interference with the member to be cleaned can be avoided.

  According to the invention described in claim 8, the restricting means is not bent so as to close a gap between the cleaning means and an adjacent means outward from an end along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning means. As a result, it is possible to prevent the attached matter from leaking from the gap between the regulating means and the adjacent means.

  According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, as compared with a case where the cleaning device according to any one of the first to eighth aspects is not used as the cleaning unit, the cleaning unit has a longer end than the cleaning unit. Leakage of attached matter can be suppressed.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus to which a cleaning device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention has been applied. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a cleaning device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state of removal of the attached matter by the cleaning blade. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram illustrating an arrangement of a cleaning blade of the cleaning device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective block diagram which shows the effect | action of the cleaning device as a comparative example. FIG. 2 is a perspective configuration diagram illustrating a main part of the cleaning device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side configuration diagram illustrating a main part of the cleaning device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front configuration diagram illustrating a main part of the cleaning device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram and a chart each showing Experimental Example 1. It is a block diagram and a chart each showing Experimental Example 2. FIG. 2 is a perspective configuration diagram illustrating an operation of the cleaning device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating the operation of the cleaning device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective block diagram which shows the effect | action of the cleaning device as a comparative example. FIG. 3 is a side view showing a modification of the cleaning device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram illustrating a main part of an image forming apparatus to which a cleaning device according to a second embodiment of the present invention is applied.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[Embodiment 1]
FIG. 1 schematically shows an entire image forming apparatus to which the cleaning device according to the first embodiment is applied. In the drawings, an arrow X indicates a width direction along the horizontal direction, Y indicates a depth direction along the horizontal direction, and Z indicates a vertical direction.

<Overall Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus>
The image forming apparatus 1 is configured as, for example, a color printer. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 includes an image forming apparatus 10 as an example of a plurality of image forming units that form a toner image that is developed with toner constituting a developer, and each of the image forming apparatuses 10. And an intermediate transfer device 20 which holds the toner images formed in step (1) and conveys them to a secondary transfer position T2 where the toner images are finally transferred to a recording sheet 5 as an example of a recording medium. A sheet feeding device 50 for accommodating and transporting the required recording paper 5 to be supplied to the position T2, a fixing device 40 for fixing the toner image on the recording paper 5 secondary-transferred by the intermediate transfer device 20, and the like are provided. I have. Reference numeral 1a denotes an apparatus main body formed of a support structure member, an exterior cover, and the like.

  The image forming apparatus 10 includes four image forming apparatuses 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K that form toner images of four colors, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), respectively. It is configured. These four image forming apparatuses 10 (Y, M, C, K) are arranged in a row in a state inclined in the horizontal direction X in the internal space of the apparatus main body 1a.

  As shown in FIG. 1, each of the image forming apparatuses 10 (Y, M, C, and K) includes a photosensitive drum 11 as an example of a rotating image holding unit. The following devices are mainly arranged. The main devices include a charging device 12 that charges a peripheral surface (image holding surface) of the photoconductor drum 11 on which an image can be formed to a required potential, and image information ( And an exposure device 13 as an example of an electrostatic latent image forming unit that forms an electrostatic latent image (for each color) having a potential difference by irradiating light based on the signal (signal). , M, C, and K), and a developing device 14 (Y, M, C, and K) as an example of a developing unit that forms a toner image by developing with a toner of a developer. A primary transfer device 15 as an example of a primary transfer unit for transferring, a drum cleaning device 16 for removing and cleaning adhered matters such as toner remaining on the image holding surface of the photosensitive drum 11 after the primary transfer, and the like. .

  The photoconductor drum 11 is formed by forming an image holding surface having a photoconductive layer (photosensitive layer) made of a photosensitive material on a peripheral surface of a cylindrical or columnar base material to be grounded. The photosensitive drum 11 is supported so as to rotate in a direction indicated by an arrow A when a driving force is transmitted from a driving device (not shown).

  The charging device 12 includes a contact-type charging roll 120 that is arranged in contact with the photosensitive drum 11. The charging device 12 is supplied with a charging voltage. When the developing device 14 performs reversal development, a voltage or current having the same polarity as the charging polarity of the toner supplied from the developing device 14 is supplied as the charging voltage. On the back side of the charging roll 120, a cleaning roll 121 for cleaning the surface of the charging roll 120 is arranged in contact therewith.

  The exposure device 13 irradiates the photosensitive drum 11 with light according to image information by a plurality of light emitting elements (LEDs) arranged along the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 11 to emit an electrostatic latent image. And a LED print head or the like that forms When a latent image is formed, information (signal) of an image input to the image forming apparatus 1 by any means is transmitted to the exposure device 13. The exposure device 13 irradiates the peripheral surface of the charged photosensitive drum 11 with a laser beam configured in accordance with information of an image input to the image forming apparatus 1, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image. What forms an image may be used.

  Each of the developing devices 14 (Y, M, C, and K) includes a housing 140 in which an opening and a developer accommodating chamber are formed, to a developing region that holds the developer and faces the photosensitive drum 11. The developing roll 141 to be conveyed, the stirring and conveying members 142 and 143 such as a screw auger to convey the developer so as to pass through the developing roll 141 while stirring, and the amount (layer thickness) of the developer held by the developing roll 141 It is configured by arranging a regulating layer thickness regulating member 144 and the like. A developing voltage is supplied to the developing device 14 between the developing roll 141 and the photosensitive drum 11 from a power supply device (not shown). The developing roll 141 and the stirring and conveying members 142 and 143 are rotated in a required direction by a driving force transmitted from a driving device (not shown). Further, as the four color developers (Y, M, C, K), a two-component developer containing a non-magnetic toner and a magnetic carrier is used.

  The primary transfer device 15 is a contact-type transfer device including a primary transfer roll that rotates while contacting the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 11 via the intermediate transfer belt 21 at the primary transfer position T1 and to which a primary transfer voltage is supplied. It is. As the primary transfer voltage, a DC voltage indicating a polarity opposite to the charging polarity of the toner is supplied from a power supply device (not shown).

  The drum cleaning device 16 is disposed inside the container-shaped main body 160 and removes and removes extraneous matter such as residual toner. The drum cleaning device 16 collects and removes extraneous matter such as toner removed by the cleaning blade 161. It is composed of a delivery member 162 such as a screw auger that transports the product to the collection system.

  The intermediate transfer device 20 is disposed at a position above each image forming device 10 (Y, M, C, K). The intermediate transfer device 20 is an intermediate transfer device as an example of an intermediate transfer unit that circulates and moves in a direction indicated by an arrow B while passing through a primary transfer position T1 between the photosensitive drum 11 and a primary transfer device 15 (primary transfer roll). A transfer belt 21, a plurality of belt support rolls 22 to 25 for holding the intermediate transfer belt 21 in a desired state from the inner periphery thereof and supporting the intermediate transfer belt 21 in a circulating manner; A secondary transfer device 30 that is disposed on the outer peripheral surface (image holding surface) side of the image forming apparatus and secondary-transfers the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 21 onto the recording sheet 5; and the intermediate transfer belt 21 that passes through the secondary transfer device 30. And a belt cleaning device 26 as an example of a cleaning device that removes and removes extraneous matters such as toner and paper dust adhered to the outer peripheral surface of the image forming apparatus.

  As the intermediate transfer belt 21, an endless belt made of a material in which a resistance adjuster such as carbon black is dispersed in a synthetic resin such as a polyimide resin or a polyamide resin is used. Further, the belt support roll 22 is configured as a drive roll, the belt support roll 23 is configured as a surfaced roll that holds the running position of the intermediate transfer belt 21, the belt support roll 24 is configured as a tension applying roll, and the belt support roll is configured as a belt support roll. Reference numeral 25 denotes a backup roll for secondary transfer.

  The belt cleaning device 26 is disposed inside the container-shaped main body 260, and removes and removes extraneous matter such as residual toner. The cleaning blade 261 collects and removes extraneous matter such as toner removed by the cleaning blade 261. It is composed of a delivery member 262 such as a screw auger that transports the product to the collection system. The belt cleaning device 26 will be described later in detail.

  The secondary transfer device 30 includes a secondary transfer roll 31 that rotates at a secondary transfer position T2 which is an outer peripheral surface portion of the intermediate transfer belt 21 supported by the belt support roll 25 in the intermediate transfer device 20. To the secondary transfer roll 31 or the belt support roll 25 of the intermediate transfer device 20, a DC voltage having a polarity opposite to or the same as the charge polarity of the toner is supplied as a secondary transfer voltage.

  The fixing device 40 includes a belt-shaped or roll-shaped heating rotator 41 heated by a heating unit including an electromagnetic induction heating and a heating source so that the surface temperature is maintained at a predetermined temperature; A roll-shaped or belt-shaped pressurizing rotating body 42 that rotates by contacting the body 41 with a required pressure is arranged. In the fixing device 40, a contact portion where the heating rotator 41 and the pressurizing rotator 42 come into contact is a fixing processing section N for performing required fixing processing (heating and pressing).

  The paper feeding device 50 is arranged so as to exist at a position below the image forming device 10 (Y, M, C, K). The paper feeding device 50 includes a single (or plural) paper container 52 for accommodating the recording paper 5 of a desired size, type, and the like in a stacked state on a loading plate 51, and the recording paper 5 from the paper container 52. It mainly comprises a sending device 53 for sending out one sheet at a time. The paper container 52 is attached so that it can be pulled out, for example, to the front side (side surface facing the user during operation) of the apparatus main body 1a.

  The recording paper 5 is, for example, a thin paper such as a plain paper or a tracing paper used in an electrophotographic copying machine or a printer, or an OHP sheet made of a transparent film-like medium made of a synthetic resin (PET or the like). And the like. In order to further improve the smoothness of the image surface after fixing, it is preferable that the surface of the recording paper 5 is as smooth as possible. For example, coated paper in which the surface of plain paper is coated with a resin or the like, art paper for printing, etc. So-called cardboard having a relatively large basis weight can also be suitably used.

  Between the sheet feeding device 50 and the secondary transfer device 30, a single (or plural) sheet transport roll pair 54 for transporting the recording sheet 5 sent from the sheet feeding device 50 to the secondary transfer position T2, and a transport guide member A paper feed path 57 composed of 55 and 56 is provided. The paper transport roll pair 54 disposed at a position immediately before the secondary transfer position T2 in the paper transport path 57 is configured as, for example, a roll (registration roll) that adjusts the transport timing of the recording paper 5.

  Further, between the secondary transfer device 30 and the fixing device 40, a paper transport path 59 including a transport guide member 58 for transporting the recording paper 5 sent from the secondary transfer device 30 to the fixing device 40 is provided. Have been.

  On the downstream side of the fixing device 40, a sheet transport roll pair 61 for discharging the recording paper 5 on which the toner image has been fixed by the fixing device 40 to a paper discharge unit 60 arranged on the upper part of the apparatus main body 1a, and a paper discharge A discharge conveyance path 65 including a roll pair 62 and conveyance guide members 63 and 64 is provided.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 100 denotes a control device as an example of a control unit that comprehensively controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 1. The control device 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a bus connecting these CPUs and the ROM, a communication interface, and the like (not shown).

<Basic operation of image forming apparatus>
Hereinafter, a basic image forming operation by the image forming apparatus 1 will be described.

  Here, when forming a full-color image constituted by combining toner images of four colors (Y, M, C, K) using the four image forming apparatuses 10 (Y, M, C, K). Will be described. It should be noted that when one or more of the four image forming apparatuses 10 (Y, M, C, and K) are used to form an image combining a single color or a plurality of color toner images, The image forming operation is basically the same.

  Upon receiving the command information of the request for the image forming operation (print), the image forming apparatus 1 controls the four image forming apparatuses 10 (Y, M, C, K), the intermediate transfer apparatuses 20 and 2 under the control of the control apparatus 100. The next transfer device 30, the fixing device 40, and the like start.

  Then, in each of the image forming apparatuses 10 (Y, M, C, and K), first, each photoconductor drum 11 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow A, and each charging device 12 moves the surface of each photoconductor drum 11 to a required position. It is charged to a polarity (minus polarity in the first embodiment) and a potential. Subsequently, the exposure device 13 converts the information of the image input to the image forming apparatus 1 into the respective color components (Y, M, C, and K) on the charged surface of the photosensitive drum 11. Irradiates the light emitted based on the signals of the above, and forms an electrostatic latent image of each color component having a required potential difference on the surface thereof.

  Subsequently, each of the developing devices 14 (Y, M, C, and K) applies a corresponding color (negative polarity) to the electrostatic latent image of each color component formed on the photosensitive drum 11 with a corresponding polarity (negative polarity). The toners of (Y, M, C, K) are supplied and electrostatically adhered to each other for development. As a result of this development, the electrostatic latent images of the respective color components formed on the respective photosensitive drums 11 are visualized as toner images of four colors (Y, M, C, K) respectively developed with the corresponding color toners. Be transformed into

  Subsequently, when the toner image of each color formed on the photosensitive drum 11 of each image forming device 10 (Y, M, C, K) is conveyed to the primary transfer position T1, the primary transfer device 15 causes each color to be transferred. Is primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 21 rotating in the direction indicated by the arrow B of the intermediate transfer device 20 in a state where the toner images are sequentially superimposed.

  In each of the image forming apparatuses 10 (Y, M, C, and K) on which the primary transfer has been completed, the drum cleaning device 16 cleans the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 by scraping off the attached matter. As a result, each image forming apparatus 10 (Y, M, C, K) is set to a state where the next image forming operation can be performed.

  Subsequently, in the intermediate transfer device 20, the toner image primarily transferred by the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 21 is held and transported to the secondary transfer position T2. On the other hand, the paper feeder 50 sends out the required recording paper 5 to the paper feed path 57 in accordance with the image forming operation. In the paper feed conveyance path 57, a pair of paper conveyance rolls 54 as registration rolls feeds and supplies the recording paper 5 to the secondary transfer position T2 in accordance with the transfer timing.

  At the secondary transfer position T2, the secondary transfer roll 31 causes the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 21 to be secondary-transferred onto the recording paper 5 at one time. Further, in the intermediate transfer device 20 after the completion of the secondary transfer, the belt cleaning device 26 removes and adheres to the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 after the secondary transfer, such as toner, and cleans.

  Subsequently, the recording paper 5 on which the toner image has been secondarily transferred is separated from the intermediate transfer belt 21 and the secondary transfer roll 30 and then conveyed to the fixing device 40 along the paper conveyance path 59. In the fixing device 40, the recording paper 5 after the secondary transfer is introduced and passed through a fixing processing section N between the rotating heating roll 41 and the pressing belt 42, thereby performing necessary fixing processing (heating and pressing). ) To fix the unfixed toner image on the recording paper 5. The recording paper 5 after the fixing is completed is discharged to a discharge accommodating portion 60 provided at an upper portion of the apparatus main body 1a by a paper discharge roll pair 62 via a discharge conveyance path 65.

  By the above operation, a full-color image formed by combining toner images composed of four color toners T (Y, M, C, K) is output.

<Configuration of belt cleaning device>
As shown in FIG. 2, the belt cleaning device 26 includes a main body 260 formed of a hollow container having a substantially trapezoidal cross section. The main body 260 has an opening 260 a at a position facing the intermediate transfer belt 21, which is wound around the outer periphery of the belt support roll 22 and whose back surface is supported by the belt support roll 22. In the opening 260a of the main body 260, a cleaning as an example of a plate-shaped cleaning unit for removing residual toner adhered to the peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21, an external additive of the toner, or an adhering substance such as paper dust to perform cleaning. A blade 261 is arranged. The cleaning blade 261 is provided so as to be fixed to an outer surface of a support plate 263 formed of a sheet metal or the like having a substantially L-shaped cross section by means such as a double-sided tape (not shown) or an adhesive via an adhesive. The support plate 263 is fixed to a position corresponding to the opening 260a of the main body 260 by means such as screws.

  As a material of the cleaning blade 261, various elastic base materials generally used can be adopted. Examples of the elastic base material include so-called rubber materials known to have flexibility and shape restoring properties, such as polyurethane rubber, silicone rubber, fluorine rubber, propylene rubber, and butadiene rubber. In this embodiment, the cleaning blade 261 is made of a polyurethane rubber formed in a slender flat rectangular shape having a predetermined thickness t. The thickness t of the cleaning blade 261 is set to, for example, about 1.0 to 2.5 mm.

  The cleaning blade 261 is attached to the support plate 263 such that the edge 261a at the tip thereof is brought into contact with the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 31 deformed in an arc shape by being wound around the outer periphery of the belt support roll 22 with a predetermined nip pressure. ing.

  More specifically, the cleaning blade 261 is arranged so that the free end not fixed to the support plate 263 faces obliquely upward while being inclined with respect to the vertical direction Z. The cleaning blade 261 has a base end located on the downstream side along the movement direction B of the intermediate transfer belt 31 and a free end located on the upstream side along the movement direction B of the intermediate transfer belt 31, and A so-called doctor blade that comes into contact with the transfer belt 31 in a direction opposite to the moving direction B is configured. As shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning blade 261 is attached to the peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 by the edge portion 261 a of the intermediate transfer belt 31 located at its free end abutting against the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21. The adhered substances such as the transfer residual toner T, the external additive of the toner, and the paper powder P are scraped off.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the cleaning blade 261 is set so that the width W1 along the longitudinal direction thereof is smaller than the total width W0 of the intermediate transfer belt 21 and is larger than the maximum image area of the intermediate transfer belt 31. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a delivery member 262 such as a screw auger or the like for collecting attached matter such as toner removed by a cleaning blade 261 near the bottom thereof and transporting it to a collection system (not shown) is provided inside the main body 260. Are rotatably arranged.

  At both ends along the longitudinal direction of the main body 260, as shown in FIG. 4, adhering matter such as residual toner and the like is attached to the main body 260 from a gap between both ends along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 261 and the opening 260 a of the main body. Sealing members 263 and 264 are provided as examples of sealing means to prevent leakage to the outside. The seal members 263 and 264 are formed in a downward substantially L-shape with cutouts 263 a and 264 a provided at portions corresponding to both ends along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 261. The seal members 263 and 264 are made of, for example, a material obtained by bonding a felt member on a substrate, a synthetic resin elasticity, or the like. The seal members 263 and 264 are provided at positions corresponding to both ends of the opening 260a of the main body 260 by means such as a double-sided tape (not shown) or bonding via an adhesive. In addition, the seal members 263 and 264 are provided with a gap G between both ends and the tip of the cleaning blade 261 so that the seal members 263 and 264 do not contact the end of the cleaning blade 261 and prevent the cleaning blade 261 from being elastically deformed. Are formed.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the adhering matter removed by the cleaning blade 260 is attached to the back surface 261 c of the cleaning blade 260 opposite to the front surface 261 b facing the intermediate transfer belt 21. The staying film 265 is provided as an example of a film-like staying means for staying along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 260. The staying film 265 is attached to the back surface 261c of the cleaning blade 260 via a double-sided tape or an adhesive (not shown) so as to protrude from the tip of the cleaning blade 260 toward the intermediate transfer belt 21 by a predetermined length. It is provided in a state fixed by the means.

  As the staying film 265, for example, a Mylar (registered trademark) film having a thickness of about 50 to 100 μm is used.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the staying films 265 are provided at both ends along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 260 over a width W2. In addition, the stagnant films 265 are respectively disposed on the inner side by a width W3 from both ends along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 260. In addition, a gap is formed between both ends along the longitudinal direction of the staying film 265 and inner ends of the seal members 263 and 264.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the adhered matter such as residual toner removed by the cleaning blade 261 is supplied to a region where the edge 261a at the tip of the cleaning blade 261 and the peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 rub against each other, and lubricated. It acts as an agent.

  The end of the intermediate transfer belt 21 corresponding to both ends along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 261 is a non-image area or an area adjacent to the non-image area. For this reason, it is difficult to supply attached matter such as residual toner that acts as a lubricant to both ends along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 261. As a result, both ends along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 261 are easily rubbed against the peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21, and the edge 261a of the cleaning blade 261 is worn, and the edge 261a is chipped. Cheap.

  The stagnant film 265 has a function of stagnating extraneous matter such as residual toner scraped off by the cleaning blade 260 and supplying the same to both ends of the cleaning blade 260 along the longitudinal direction. Therefore, both ends along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 261 are less likely to rub against the peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21, and the occurrence of wear and chipping on the edge 261 a of the cleaning blade 261 is suppressed. You.

  By the way, when the staying films 265 are provided at both ends along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 261 as described above, there is a possibility that the following problems may occur.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 5, a part of the adhered matter such as residual toner moved to both ends along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 261 by the staying film 265 is partially removed by the cleaning blade 261 and the sealing members 263 and 264. From the gap G to the inside of the main body 260. Further, the adhered matter such as residual toner that has moved to both ends along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 261 due to the staying film 265, the remainder moves downward along the end surface along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 261, and Most is collected inside the main body 260, but there is a possibility that a part thereof leaks out of the main body 260 and stains the inside of the apparatus main body 1a.

  Therefore, in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, a regulating film 266 is provided as an example of a film-like regulating means for regulating the movement of the adhered substance to the outside along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 261. ing.

  The regulation film 266 is made of, for example, a Mylar (registered trademark) film having a thickness of about 50 to 100 μm. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the regulating film 266 is provided in a state where the regulating film 266 is fixed to both end surfaces 261d along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 261 by means such as a double-sided tape or an adhesive via an adhesive (not shown). ing. The regulating film 266 is disposed so as to protrude from the tip of the cleaning blade 261 toward the intermediate transfer belt 21 by a predetermined length H. The regulating film 266 is set such that the amount of protrusion H of the cleaning blade 260 from the tip of the cleaning blade 260 is larger than that of the staying film 265.

  The regulating film 266 is disposed at a position shifted to the back surface 261c by a slight distance δ from the front surface 261b of the cleaning blade 261 located on the intermediate transfer belt 21 side, and at a position extending to the back surface 261b. Therefore, in this case, the width W4 of the regulating film 266 is set smaller than the thickness t of the cleaning blade 261.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the regulating film 266 has its tip in contact with the sealing members 263 and 264, which are adjacent members, and the gap G is directed outward from the end along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 261. Are arranged so as to be elastically deformed so as to close off.

Experimental example 1
In addition, the present inventors prototyped a belt cleaning device 26 as shown in FIG. 2, and as shown in FIG. 9A, separated a distance W3 from the end along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 261. Was changed from 0 to 1.0 mm, and an experiment was conducted to relatively evaluate the amount of leakage of residual toner and the like from the end along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 261.

  FIG. 9B is a chart showing the results of Experimental Example 1. In the figure, ○ indicates that the amount of leakage of residual toner or the like from the end along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 261 is zero or a level at which there is no problem in practical use. When the adhered matter such as residual toner leaks slightly from the end along the line, and there is a problem in practical use, x indicates that the adhered matter such as residual toner leaks from the end along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 261. The cases where it is practically impossible are shown.

  As is clear from FIG. 9B, if the separation distance W3 from the end of the cleaning blade 261 in the longitudinal direction is 0.5 mm or more, the residual toner from the end of the cleaning blade 261 in the longitudinal direction is determined. It has been found that the amount of leakage, etc., is zero or can be suppressed to a level having no problem in practical use.

Experimental example 2
Further, the present inventors prototyped a belt cleaning device 26 as shown in FIG. 2, and as shown in FIG. 10A, reduced the amount of protrusion H of the staying film 265 from the tip of the cleaning blade 261 to zero. An experiment was conducted to relatively evaluate how much wear, chipping, and the like occur at the edge 261a at the tip of the cleaning blade 261 by changing the thickness to 1.0 mm.

  FIG. 10B is a table showing the results of Experimental Example 2 described above. In the drawing, ○ indicates that the edge portion 261a of the cleaning blade 261 does not have abrasion or chipping or has no problem in practical use, and Δ indicates that the edge portion 261a of the cleaning blade 261 has abrasion or chipping. In the case where the level has a problem in practical use, the symbol x indicates a case where the edge portion 261a of the cleaning blade 261 is worn or chipped and cannot be practically used.

  As is clear from FIG. 10B, by setting the protrusion amount H of the staying film 265 from the tip of the cleaning blade 261 to 0.5 mm or more, abrasion or chipping or the like occurs at the edge portion 261a of the cleaning blade 261. It was found that they could not be performed or could be suppressed to a level having no practical problem.

<Operation of belt cleaning device>
As shown in FIG. 2, the belt cleaning device 26 removes residual toner and external additives of the toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 after the completion of the secondary transfer, or an adhering matter such as paper dust, using a cleaning blade. 261 to remove and clean.

  In the belt cleaning device 26, attached matter such as residual toner removed by the cleaning blade 261 falls into the main body 260 by gravity and is collected.

  At that time, the attached matter such as the residual toner removed by the cleaning blade 261 is partially retained by the retaining film 265 and moves to both ends along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 260. At this time, the adhered matter such as residual toner is supplied to the rubbing portion between the edge portion 262a of the cleaning blade 260 and the intermediate transfer belt 21, and the occurrence of wear, chipping, and the like on the edge portion 262a of the cleaning blade 260 is suppressed. Is done.

  Further, in the belt cleaning device 26, as shown in FIG. 11, attached matter such as residual toner removed by the cleaning blade 261, retained by the retaining film 265 and moved to both ends along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 260, The restriction film 266 prevents the cleaning blade 260 from moving to the outside of both ends along the longitudinal direction. As a result, the adhered matter such as residual toner that has moved to both ends along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 260 is prevented from moving outside of both ends by the regulating film 266, and the tip of the cleaning blade 260 and the seal member 263 are prevented from moving. , 264 to the inside of the main body 260. Therefore, the adhered matter such as residual toner that has moved to both ends along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 260 leaks to the outside of the main body 260 from the gap G between the tip of the cleaning blade 260 and the seal members 263 and 264 and is discharged to the outside. Is prevented or suppressed.

  Further, in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, the regulating film 266 is shifted to the back surface 261c by a slight distance δ from the front surface 261b of the cleaning blade 261 located on the intermediate transfer belt 21 side. Are located. Therefore, in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, the regulation film 266 is prevented from coming into contact with (interfering with) the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 and deforming, and the regulation film 266 is prevented from peeling off. .

  As shown in FIG. 14, the regulating film 266 may be disposed at a position shifted to the back surface 261c by a slight distance δ from the front surface 261b of the cleaning blade 261 located on the intermediate transfer belt 21 side. An end of the regulating film 266 located on the back surface 261c side of the cleaning blade 261 may coincide with the back surface 261c of the cleaning blade 261 or protrude from the back surface 261c.

[Embodiment 2]
FIG. 15 is a configuration diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus to which the cleaning device according to the second embodiment is applied.

  The cleaning device according to the second embodiment is not a belt cleaning device 26 but a drum cleaning device 16 applied to the photosensitive drum 11 as a member to be cleaned.

  Other configurations and operations are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus description thereof will be omitted.

  In the above-described embodiment, a full-color image forming apparatus including the respective image forming apparatuses 10 (Y, M, C, K) for yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) is described. Although the description has been made, it goes without saying that the present invention can be similarly applied to a monochrome image forming apparatus including only the black (K) image forming apparatus 10K.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the cleaning target is applied to the intermediate transfer belt or the photosensitive drum has been described. However, the cleaning target is not limited to this, and the photosensitive belt or the primary transfer belt may be used. Alternatively, the present invention can be applied to various means such as a secondary transfer belt and a secondary transfer roll.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image forming apparatus 1a ... Device main body 10Y-10K ... Color image forming apparatus 11 ... Photoconductor drum 26 ... Belt cleaning device 260 ... Main body 261 ... Cleaning blade 262 ... Sending out device 265 ... Stay film 266 ... End film

Claims (9)

A plate-shaped cleaning means for cleaning the adhered matter adhered to the member to be cleaned,
The cleaning means is provided on the surface opposite to the surface facing the member to be cleaned so as to protrude toward the member to be cleaned, and deposits removed by the cleaning means stay along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning means. Film-like stagnation means,
A film-shaped regulating unit that regulates the movement of the attached matter to the outside along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning unit,
Cleaning device equipped with.   The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the regulating unit is provided on both end surfaces of the cleaning unit along a longitudinal direction so as to project toward the member to be cleaned.   3. The cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein the regulating unit has an amount of protrusion of the cleaning unit from an end on the member to be cleaned side larger than the staying unit. 4.   The cleaning device according to claim 3, wherein an amount of the staying unit protruding from an end of the cleaning unit on the cleaning member side is 0.5 mm or more. 5.   2. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the staying units are respectively arranged over predetermined lengths inside both ends along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning unit. 3.   The cleaning device according to claim 5, wherein the staying unit is disposed at least 0.5 mm inside an end of the cleaning unit along a longitudinal direction.   The cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the regulating unit is disposed such that an edge on the member to be cleaned side is shifted from a front surface of the cleaning unit to a back surface side.   The cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the regulating means is bent so as to close a gap between the regulating means and an adjacent means outward from an end portion along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning means. Image holding means for holding a toner image,
Cleaning means for cleaning the surface of the image holding means,
An image forming apparatus using the cleaning device according to claim 1 as the cleaning unit.

Images