JP2024073671A - Blade support device having movable blade holder - Google Patents

Abstract

To cause a blade holder to operate between a closed position and an open position in an image forming apparatus to allow exchange of a single blade from a blade support device.SOLUTION: A blade support device according to an aspect comprises: a housing; a blade holder that is supported on the housing, the blade holder including a first member supporting a blade, and a second member movable to a closed position where it allows the blade to be interposed between the first member and the second member and an open position where it is separated from the first member; and a locking device that brings the second member into a locked state to maintain the position of the blade with respect to the first member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The image forming system includes a transport device that transports the print medium, a photoconductor on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, a developing device that develops the electrostatic latent image, a transfer device that transfers the toner image to the print medium, a fixing device that fixes the toner image to the print medium, a discharge device that discharges the print medium, and a cleaning device that removes any toner remaining in the transfer device.

1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary imaging device that can be used to implement various examples disclosed herein. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary blade support apparatus. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the blade support device from the rear side. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the blade support device. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a blade support device. 5A to 5C are cross-sectional views showing the operation of the blade holder. 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating the operation of the opening and closing mechanism. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a first sliding frame. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the first sliding frame taken along line AA in FIG. 8. FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing the periphery of an engagement portion. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a second sliding frame. 11A to 11C are diagrams illustrating a procedure for replacing a blade. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the procedure following FIG. 12 . FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the procedure following FIG. 13 . 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating the movement of an engagement portion. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating the procedure following FIG. 14 . FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a second sliding frame inserted into the housing. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating the procedure following FIG. 16 . FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining the procedure following FIG. 18 . FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the blade support device. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing another modified example of the blade support device.

Below, an image forming apparatus equipped with an exemplary blade support device will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description based on the drawings, the same elements or elements having the same functions will be given the same reference numerals and duplicated descriptions will be omitted. The drawings may be partially simplified or exaggerated to facilitate understanding, and the dimensional ratios and angles, etc. are not limited to those shown in the drawings.

The image forming apparatus according to the present disclosure is, for example, an image forming apparatus such as a printer. This image forming apparatus includes a conveyor that conveys toner, and a blade support device that supports a blade. The blade support device includes a housing and a blade holder that can move between a closed position in which the blade is fixed and an open position in which the blade is opened. In this image forming apparatus, the blade can be replaced individually from the blade support device by moving the blade holder between the closed position and the open position. Therefore, the maintenance cost of the image forming apparatus can be reduced. In the following description, the blade support device is a cleaning device that supports a blade for removing toner remaining on an intermediate transfer belt that performs a second transfer of toner to paper.

1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is an apparatus for forming a color image using each of the colors cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. The image forming apparatus 1 includes a conveying device 10 for conveying a print medium, paper 5, a plurality of developing devices 20C, 20M, 20Y, and 20K for developing electrostatic latent images (hereinafter, when it is not necessary to distinguish between the individual components, they will be referred to as "developing devices 20"). A transfer device 30 for secondary transfer of toner images of each color onto paper 5, a plurality of photoconductors 40C, 40M, 40Y, and 40K on whose surfaces electrostatic latent images are formed (hereinafter, when it is not necessary to distinguish between the individual components, they will be referred to as "photoconductors 40"). A fixing device 50 for fixing the laminated toner image onto paper 5, a discharge device 60 for discharging paper 5, and a blade support device 100 for removing toner from the transfer device 30. The conveying device 10, the developing device 20, the transfer device 30, the photoconductor 40, the fixing device 50, the discharge device 60, and the blade support device 100 are housed within the housing 15 of the image forming device 1.

The conveying device 10 conveys paper 5, which is the print medium on which an image is formed, on a conveying path 12. The paper 5 is stored in a stack in a cassette 7, and is picked up and conveyed by a paper feed roller 11. The conveying device 10 causes the paper 5 to reach the transfer area 13 via the conveying path 12 at the timing when the toner image to be transferred to the paper 5 reaches the transfer area 13.

The developing devices 20C, 20M, 20Y, and 20K are provided for each color. Each developing device 20 is equipped with a developing roller 45 that carries toner on the photoconductor 40. The developing device 20 uses a two-component developer containing toner and carrier as the developer. In other words, in the developing device 20, the toner and carrier are adjusted to a desired mixture ratio, and then mixed and stirred to uniformly disperse the toner and prepare a developer with an optimal charge. This developer is carried by the developing roller 45. Then, when the developer is transported to the development area facing the photoconductor 40 by the rotation of the developing roller 45, the toner contained in the developer carried by the developing roller 45 moves to the electrostatic latent image formed on the peripheral surface of the photoconductor 40, and the electrostatic latent image is developed.

The transfer device 30 transports the toner image formed by the developing device 20 to the transfer area 13 where the toner image is secondarily transferred to the paper 5. The transfer device 30 includes an intermediate transfer belt 31 onto which the toner image is primarily transferred from the photoreceptor 40, a tension roller 34 that tensions the intermediate transfer belt 31, idler rollers 35 and 36, a drive roller 37 that drives the intermediate transfer belt 31, primary transfer rollers 32C, 32M, 32Y, and 32K that respectively hold the intermediate transfer belt 31 together with the photoreceptors 40C, 40M, 40Y, and 40K, and a secondary transfer roller 33 that holds the intermediate transfer belt 31 together with the drive roller 37. The intermediate transfer belt 31 is a rotatable transport body that transports the toner image.

The photoconductors 40C, 40M, 40Y, and 40K are also called electrostatic latent image carriers, photoconductor drums, etc. The photoconductors 40C, 40M, 40Y, and 40K are provided for each color. Each photoconductor 40 is provided along the direction of movement of the intermediate transfer belt 31. A developing device 20, a charging device 41, an exposure unit 42, and a cleaning device 43 are provided around the photoconductor 40.

The charging device 41 is, for example, a charging roller that contacts the photoreceptor 40, and uniformly charges the surface of the photoreceptor 40 to a predetermined potential. The exposure unit 42 exposes the surface of the photoreceptor 40 charged by the charging device 41 according to the image to be formed on the paper 5. This changes the potential of the portion of the surface of the photoreceptor 40 exposed by the exposure unit 42, and an electrostatic latent image is formed. The developing devices 20C, 20M, 20Y, and 20K develop the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoreceptor 40 with toner supplied from the toner tanks 18C, 18M, 18Y, and 18K provided opposite the respective developing devices 20, and generate a toner image. The toner tanks 18C, 18M, 18Y, and 18K are filled with cyan, magenta, yellow, and black toner, respectively. The cleaning device 43 collects the toner remaining on the photoreceptor 40 after the toner image formed on the photoreceptor 40 is primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 31.

The fixing device 50 fixes the toner image that has been secondarily transferred from the intermediate transfer belt 31 to the paper 5 onto the paper 5 by passing the paper 5 through the fixing nip area 14. The fixing device 50 includes a heat roller 51 capable of generating heat, and a pressure roller 52 that is pressed against the outer circumferential surface of the heat roller 51. The fixing nip area 14 is formed between the heat roller 51 and the pressure roller 52. When the paper 5 passes through the fixing nip area 14, the toner image is melted and fixed onto the paper 5.

The discharge device 60 is equipped with discharge rollers 62, 64 for discharging the paper 5 on which the toner image has been fixed by the fixing device 50 to the outside of the device. The blade support device 100 removes the toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 31 after the laminated toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 31 has been secondarily transferred to the paper 5.

The image forming device 1 further includes a control device 80. The control device 80 is a computer equipped with a processor, a memory unit, an input device, a display device, etc., and controls the overall operation of the image forming device 1. The memory unit of the control device 80 stores a control program for controlling various processes executed by the image forming device 1 by the processor.

The blade support device 100 will be described in detail below. The blade support device 100 is provided adjacent to the intermediate transfer belt 31, and collects untransferred toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 31 without being transferred to the paper 5. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an exemplary blade support device 100. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the blade support device 100 from the rear side. FIG. 4 is a side view of the blade support device 100. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along a plane perpendicular to the axis 8 of the blade support device 100.

The blade support device 100 includes a blade holder 22 that supports the blade 21, and a housing 24 that supports the blade holder 22. The blade 21 is, for example, a scraper that scrapes off toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 31. As shown in FIG. 2, the blade 21 includes a plate portion 38 and a sliding portion 39.

The plate portion 38 is a thin metal plate extending in the longitudinal direction. The longitudinal direction is a direction parallel to the axis 8 of the blade support device 100. One or more openings 61 are formed in the plate portion 38 (see FIG. 7(c)). The sliding portion 39 is fixed to one surface of the plate portion 38. For example, the sliding portion 39 is made of an elastic material such as rubber or resin, and extends in the longitudinal direction along the upper end of the plate portion 38. When printing on the paper 5, the sliding portion 39 comes into contact with the intermediate transfer belt 31 and scrapes off the toner from the intermediate transfer belt 31.

The blade holder 22 extends in the longitudinal direction and is operable between a closed position in which the blade 21 is fixed to the blade holder 22 and an open position in which the blade 21 is released from the blade holder 22. As shown in Figs. 2, 4 and 5, the blade holder 22 includes a first member 27, a second member 28 and a hinge 29. The first member 27 is a metal plate extending in the longitudinal direction and is fixed to the housing 24. The first member 27 has one or more openings 63 formed therein that penetrate the first member 27 in the thickness direction (see Fig. 6(a)). When the blade 21 is supported by the blade holder 22, the openings 63 of the first member 27 are aligned with the openings 61 of the blade 21.

The second member 28 is, for example, a metal plate extending in the longitudinal direction. The second member 28 is movable between a closed position in which the blade 21 is interposed between the first member 27 and the second member 28, and an open position in which the second member 28 is spaced apart from the first member 27. The hinge 29 connects the first member 27 and the second member 28 so that the second member 28 can rotate around a rotation axis 44 that extends parallel to the axis 8. The first member 27 and the second member 28 are connected via the hinge 29, so that the second member 28 can move between the closed position and the open position.

Figure 6(a) is a cross-sectional view showing the blade holder 22 in the open position, and Figure 6(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the blade holder 22 in the closed position. As shown in Figure 6(b), when the second member 28 is in the closed position, the blade 21 is sandwiched between the first member 27 and the second member 28. This holds the blade 21 between the first member 27 and the second member. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 6(a), when the second member 28 is in the open position, the second member 28 is positioned at a position separated from the first member. Therefore, the blade 21 is released from the blade holder 22, and the blade 21 can be attached to and detached from the blade holder 22.

The second member 28 has an inner surface 48 located on the first member 27 side and an outer surface 49 located on the opposite side of the inner surface 48. As shown in FIG. 6(b), when the second member 28 is placed in the closed position, the inner surface 48 of the second member 28 faces the first member 27. A recess 57 is formed in the inner surface 48 of the second member 28, recessed toward the outer surface. The recess 57 extends in the longitudinal direction of the blade holder 22.

A pin 58 that protrudes toward the first member 27 is provided on the inner surface 48 of the second member 28. As shown in FIG. 6(a), when the second member 28 is placed in the open position, the pin 58 is placed away from the blade 21 and the first member 27. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6(b), when the second member 28 moves toward the closed position, the pin 58 is inserted through the opening 61 of the blade 21 into the opening 63 of the first member 27. By inserting the pin 58 into the opening 61 of the blade 21 and the opening 63 of the first member 27, the blade 21 is fixed in the longitudinal direction.

The blade support device 100 further includes a locking device that locks the second member 28 to maintain the position of the blade 21 relative to the first member 27 when the first member 27 and the second member 28 are disposed in the closed position. The locking device that maintains the position of the blade 21 can be, but is not limited to, a spring, a magnet, or other locking components. The locking device is combined with the second member 28, which is a movable member, so that when in the locked state, the locking device restricts the movement of the second member 28, and when the locked state is released, the second member 28 is allowed to move between the open position and the closed position. Therefore, the blade can be replaced only when the locked state is released.

The hinge 29 is provided with a spring 46 that biases the second member 28 against the first member 27. The spring 46 functions as a locking device that locks the second member 28 and maintains the position of the blade 21 against the first member 27. The locked state refers to a state in which the second member 28 is maintained in the closed position when no external force is acting on the second member 28. For example, the spring 46 is provided on the rotation shaft 44 of the hinge 29, and biases the second member 28 toward the first member 27, thereby fixing the second member 28 in the closed position.

The blade support device 100 further includes an opening/closing mechanism 47 that moves the second member 28 between a closed position and an open position. Figures 7(a) to 7(c) are diagrams showing the operation of the opening/closing mechanism 47. As shown in Figure 7(a), the opening/closing mechanism 47 includes a camshaft 53, a lever 54, and a cam 55. The camshaft 53 extends in the longitudinal direction parallel to the rotation axis 44 between the first member 27 and the second member 28, and is supported by the first member 27 so as to be rotatable about its axis.

The lever 54 is connected to a cam 55 that is connected to the cam via the camshaft 53. More specifically, the lever 54 is fixed to the longitudinal end of the camshaft 53 and extends in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the camshaft 53. By operating the lever 54, the camshaft 53 rotates about its axis. The cam 55 is rotatably disposed between the first member 27 and the second member 28 so as to rotate the second member 28 about the rotation axis 44 of the hinge 29. The cam 55 rotates as the camshaft 53 rotates.

The cam 55 has a generally cylindrical or disk shape and is fixed to the camshaft 53 at a position eccentric to the center point. In other words, the cam 55 rotates eccentrically between the first member 27 and the second member 28 as the camshaft 53 rotates. The cam 55 is formed with a cam surface 56 that protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the camshaft 53.

As shown in FIG. 7(a), when the second member 28 is in the closed position, operating the lever 54 to rotate the camshaft 53 in the forward direction causes the cam 55 to rotate integrally with the camshaft 53 and the cam surface 56 to come into contact with the second member 28. When the camshaft 53 is further rotated in the forward direction, the cam surface 56 presses against the second member 28 as shown in FIG. 7(b), and the second member 28 rotates in a direction away from the first member 27 against the biasing force of the spring 46.

When the camshaft 53 is further rotated in the forward direction, as shown in FIG. 7(c), the second member 28 rotates away from the first member 27 and is positioned in the open position, and the cam surface 56 fits into the recess 57 of the second member 28. As the cam surface 56 fits into the recess 57, the second member 28 is fixed in the open position.

Conversely, when moving the second member 28 from the open position to the closed position, the lever 54 is operated to rotate the camshaft 53 in the reverse direction. When the camshaft 53 is rotated in the reverse direction, the engagement between the cam surface 56 and the recess 57 is released, as shown in FIG. 7(b). The second member 28 then rotates in a direction approaching the first member 27 due to the biasing force of the spring 46, and is positioned in the closed position, as shown in FIG. 7(a). At this time, the pin 58 of the second member 28 is inserted into the opening 63 of the first member 27 through the opening 61 of the blade 21, as shown in FIG. 6(b).

The housing 24 is disposed adjacent to the blade holder 22 and supports the blade holder 22. As shown in FIG. 5, the housing 24 defines a recovery chamber 16 that contains the toner removed from the intermediate transfer belt 31 by the blade 21. The recovery chamber 16 may be provided with a transport device such as a screw conveyor, and the toner collected in the recovery chamber 16 may be transported to the outside of the housing 24 by operating the transport device.

As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 24 has a longitudinal end 65. The longitudinal end 65 is, for example, in the shape of a plate and is disposed perpendicular to the axis 8. The longitudinal end 65 has an opening 66 for pulling the blade 21 out of the housing 24 in the longitudinal direction. The opening 66 is a slit-shaped through-hole corresponding to the shape of the blade 21, and is formed in the longitudinal end 65 so as to be aligned with the blade 21 supported by the blade holder 22 in the longitudinal direction of the blade holder 22.

As shown in FIG. 3, the housing 24 is formed with a first storage space 67 and a second storage space 68 that respectively accommodate the first sliding frame 25 and the second sliding frame 26. The first storage space 67 and the second storage space 68 are formed in a position adjacent to the blade holder 22. The first sliding frame 25 and the second sliding frame 26 are in the form of a thin plate extending in the longitudinal direction and have a size that allows them to be inserted into the housing 24 through the opening 66 of the housing 24.

The first sliding frame 25 is utilized to engage with the blade 21 supported by the blade holder 22 and pull the blade 21 out of the housing 24. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an exemplary first sliding frame 25. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the first sliding frame 25 taken along line A-A in FIG. 8.

As shown in FIG. 8, the first sliding frame 25 includes a base plate 70 extending in the longitudinal direction, a cover 71 that houses at least a portion of the blade 21, an engagement portion 72 that engages the blade 21 with the cover 71, and a guide rail 73 that guides the first sliding frame 25 in the longitudinal direction.

9, the base plate 70 has a first surface 74 and a second surface 75 opposite the first surface 74. The cover 71 is provided on the first surface 74 of the base plate 70 and extends longitudinally along the base plate 70. The cover 71 has a generally U-shaped cross section and has an internal space 76 that accommodates a part of the blade 21 therein. A gap is formed between the base plate 70 and the end of the cover 71, and the blade 21 is inserted through the gap to accommodate the sliding portion 39 of the blade 21 in the internal space 76 of the cover 71. When the sliding portion 39 of the blade 21 is accommodated in the internal space 76 of the cover 71, the first surface 74 of the base plate 70 faces the plate portion 38 of the blade 21.

A guide rail 73 is provided on the second surface 75 of the base plate 70. As shown in FIG. 9, the guide rail 73 has a substantially L-shaped cross section. Specifically, the guide rail 73 includes a first portion extending from the second surface 75 substantially perpendicular to the base plate 70, and a second portion bending from the first portion and extending substantially parallel to the base plate 70. As shown in FIG. 6(a), when the first sliding frame 25 is inserted into the housing 24 through the opening 66 of the housing 24, the guide rail 73 is placed on the upper end surface of the first member 27 of the blade holder 22 and slides along the first member 27. The sliding of the guide rail 73 guides the first sliding frame 25 in the longitudinal direction.

The engagement portion 72 is disposed at the longitudinal end of the cover 71 and extends longitudinally from the longitudinal end of the cover 71 on the same plane as the upper end surface of the cover 71. FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view of the periphery of the engagement portion 72. The engagement portion 72 includes a protrusion 77 that protrudes toward the internal space 76 of the cover 71. The protrusion 77 is curved in a convex shape toward the internal space 76. As described below, the engagement portion 72 prevents the blade 21 housed in the internal space 76 of the cover 71 from slipping out of the longitudinal end of the cover 71.

As shown in FIG. 8, the first sliding frame 25 may further have a grip portion 78 used as a handle. The grip portion 78 is provided on the end of the base plate 70 opposite the engagement portion 72 in the longitudinal direction, and extends in a direction approximately perpendicular to the base plate 70. By pinching the grip portion 78, the first sliding frame 25 can be easily pulled out from the housing 24. As shown in FIG. 5, the first sliding frame 25 is accommodated in the first accommodation space 67 without holding the blade 21.

The second sliding frame 26 supports the spare blade 23. The spare blade 23 is a replacement part that is replaced with the blade 21. The spare blade 23 has the same configuration as the blade 21. Therefore, the spare blade 23 includes a metal plate portion 38 in which one or more openings 61 are formed, and a sliding portion 39 made of an elastic material such as rubber or resin, which abuts against the intermediate transfer belt 31.

The second sliding frame 26 is inserted into the housing 24 through the opening 66 to place the spare blade 23 in the blade holder 22. The second sliding frame 26 has the same configuration as the first sliding frame. That is, as shown in FIG. 11, the second sliding frame 26 has a base plate 70 extending in the longitudinal direction, a cover 71 that houses at least a part of the spare blade 23, an engagement portion 72 that engages the spare blade 23 with the cover 71, a guide rail 73 that guides the first sliding frame 25 in the longitudinal direction, and a grip portion 78 that is used as a handle. As shown in FIG. 5, the second sliding frame 26 is housed in the second housing space 68 while holding the spare blade 23.

The procedure for replacing the blade 21 with the spare blade 23 will be described below. As shown in FIG. 12(a), when printing on paper 5 with the image forming apparatus 1, the second member 28 of the blade holder 22 is placed in the closed position, and the blade holder 22 holds the blade 21. The sliding portion 39 of the blade 21 abuts against the rotating intermediate transfer belt 31 with a predetermined pressure to remove toner from the intermediate transfer belt 31. The toner removed from the intermediate transfer belt 31 is collected in the recovery chamber 16 of the housing 24. The toner collected in the recovery chamber 16 is transported to the outside of the housing 24 by a transport device such as a screw conveyor.

When the blade 21 has been in use for a predetermined time, the used blade 21 is replaced with a spare blade 23 by a user or worker. When replacing the blade 21, first, as shown in FIG. 12(b), the housing 24 is rotated about the axis 8, and the blade 21 is positioned offset from the intermediate transfer belt 31. Next, the first sliding frame 25 is pulled out of the first storage space 67, and as shown in FIG. 13, the first sliding frame 25 is inserted into the housing 24 through an opening 66 formed in the longitudinal end 65 of the housing 24. At this time, the guide rail 73 of the first sliding frame 25 is slid along the upper end surface of the first member 27 of the blade holder 22, thereby guiding the first sliding frame 25 in the longitudinal direction.

When the first sliding frame 25 is inserted into the housing 24 as described above, the blade 21 supported by the blade holder 22 is inserted into the first sliding frame 25 from the longitudinal end of the first sliding frame 25, as shown in FIG. 14(a). This causes the sliding portion 39 of the blade 21 to be housed in the internal space 76 of the first sliding frame 25.

When the blade 21 is inserted from the longitudinal end of the first sliding frame 25, as shown in FIG. 15(a), the sliding portion 39 of the blade 21 comes into contact with the protruding portion 77 of the engagement portion 72 and pushes up the protruding portion 77. This causes the protruding portion 77 to move upward, forming a passage for the blade 21 to enter the cover 71, and permits the blade 21 to enter the internal space 76 of the first sliding frame 25.

When the first sliding frame 25 is further inserted into the housing 24 and the entire sliding portion 39 of the blade 21 is housed in the internal space 76, as shown in FIG. 15(b), the elastic force of the engagement portion 72 causes the protrusion 77 to return to its original position and protrude toward the passage for the blade 21 to enter. In this way, the engagement portion 72 is interposed between the blade 21 and the longitudinal end of the internal space 76, and the blade 21 held by the first sliding frame 25 is prevented from slipping out of the longitudinal end of the cover 71.

Next, as shown in FIG. 14(b), the blade holder 22 is opened. That is, the lever 54 is operated to rotate the camshaft 53 in the forward direction, and the second member 28 is rotated in a direction away from the first member 27. This places the second member 28 in the open position, making it possible to attach and detach the blade 21 to and from the blade holder 22.

Next, as shown in FIG. 16(a), the first sliding frame 25 is moved backward in the longitudinal direction, and the first sliding frame 25 is pulled out from the opening 66 of the housing 24. At this time, the blade 21 is engaged with the cover 71 by the engagement portion 72, so when the first sliding frame 25 is moved backward in the longitudinal direction, the blade 21 moves in the longitudinal direction together with the first sliding frame 25. Then, the blade 21 is pulled out from the opening 66 of the housing 24 together with the first sliding frame 25.

Next, the second sliding frame 26 is pulled out from the second storage space 68. The spare blade 23 is held in this second sliding frame 26. Then, as shown in FIG. 16(b), the second sliding frame 26 is inserted into the housing 24 through the opening 66. At this time, as shown in FIG. 17(a), the guide rail 73 of the second sliding frame 26 is placed on the upper end surface of the first member 27 of the blade holder 22 and slides along the upper end surface. The second sliding frame 26 is guided in the longitudinal direction by the guide rail 73 sliding along the upper end surface of the first member 27. By guiding the second sliding frame 26 in this manner, the spare blade 23 is positioned appropriately in the blade holder 22 in the vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 17(b), the first member 27 of the blade holder 22 may be provided with a stopper 79 that limits the sliding range of the second sliding frame 26. The stopper 79 is, for example, a step formed on the upper end surface of the first member 27, and when the second sliding frame 26 is inserted to a predetermined position, it abuts against the longitudinal end of the second sliding frame 26 to restrict the longitudinal movement of the second sliding frame 26. The longitudinal movement of the second sliding frame 26 is restricted by this stopper 79, so that the spare blade 23 is positioned at an appropriate position in the longitudinal direction within the blade holder 22. The first sliding frame 25 that is pulled out of the housing 24 together with the blade 21 may be stored, for example, in the second storage space 68.

Figure 18 (a) shows a state in which the second sliding frame 26 is inserted into the housing 24 and the spare blade 23 is placed in the blade holder 22. Next, as shown in Figure 18 (b), the blade holder 22 is closed. That is, the lever 54 is operated to rotate the camshaft 53 in the reverse direction, and the second member 28 is rotated in a direction approaching the first member 27. This places the second member 28 in the closed position, and the pin 58 of the second member 28 is inserted into the opening 63 of the first member 27 through the opening 61 of the spare blade 23. As a result, the spare blade 23 is fixed in the longitudinal direction of the blade holder 22. In this closed position, the second member 28 is biased toward the first member 27 by the spring 46, and the second member 28 is in a locked state.

Next, as shown in FIG. 19, the second sliding frame 26 is pulled out in the longitudinal direction from the opening 66 of the housing 24. Here, since the blade holder 22 is set in the closed position and the spare blade 23 is fixed to the blade holder 22, when the second sliding frame 26 is pulled out from the housing 24, the spare blade 23 comes out from the longitudinal end of the second sliding frame 26 and is left in the blade holder 22. More specifically, when the second sliding frame 26 is pulled out from the housing 24, the sliding portion 39 of the blade 21 comes into contact with the protruding portion 77 of the engagement portion 72 of the second sliding frame 26 and pushes up the protruding portion 77. As a result, the protruding portion 77 moves upward, and the spare blade 23 is released from the cover 71 of the second sliding frame 26. The second sliding frame 26 pulled out from the opening 66 is stored, for example, in the first storage space 67.

As described above, the used blade 21 is replaced with the spare blade 23. In conventional image forming devices, it is necessary to disassemble the blade support device and remove the blade when replacing the blade, so it is common to replace the entire blade support device rather than replacing the blade individually. In contrast, in the above-mentioned blade support device 100, the blade 21 can be easily replaced individually when the blade 21 reaches the end of its life, so that the maintenance costs of the image forming device 1 can be significantly reduced. In addition, the life of the blade support device 100 is generally longer than the life of the blade 21. By replacing the blade 21 individually when the blade 21 reaches the end of its life, the blade support device 100 can continue to be used, so that the life of the blade support device 100 can be extended.

It is to be understood that not all aspects, advantages, and features described herein are necessarily achieved or included in any one particular example and embodiment. Indeed, while various examples have been described and illustrated herein, it should be apparent that other examples can be modified in arrangement and detail. We claim all modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the subject matter claimed herein.

For example, in the example described above, the spring 46 biases the second member 28 against the first member 27 to maintain the second member 28 in the closed position. However, if the biasing force of the spring 46 is insufficient to maintain the second member 28 in the closed position, a magnet 59 may be provided as a locking device on the inner surface 48 of the second member 28, as shown in FIG. 20, for example. The magnetic force of the magnet 59 attracts the second member 28 to the first member 27, thereby placing the second member 28 in a locked state.

The blade support device 100 described above is a cleaning device that removes toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 31, but the blade support device 100 may also remove toner from a transport body other than the intermediate transfer belt 31. For example, as shown in FIG. 21, the blade support device 100 may be disposed adjacent to the photoreceptor 40, and the blade 21 supported by the blade holder 22 may collect toner remaining on the photoreceptor 40 after the toner image is primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 31.

The blade support device 100 may also be used as a layer thickness regulating device that limits the thickness of the toner carried on the outer peripheral surface of the developing roller 45. When the blade support device 100 is used as a layer thickness regulating device, the blade 21 is placed close to the outer peripheral surface of the developing roller 45 in order to form a layer of toner having an appropriate thickness on the developing roller 45. Even when the blade support device 100 is used as a layer thickness regulating device, the maintenance costs of the layer thickness regulating device can be reduced by replacing the blade 21 separately.

In the above example, the first sliding frame 25 inserted into the housing 24 is retracted in the longitudinal direction, and the blade 21 held by the first sliding frame 25 is pulled out from the opening of the housing 24. However, if the blade 21 can be replaced individually, the first sliding frame 25 does not necessarily have to be used. For example, the blade 21 may be removed by pinching it with one's hand while the second member 28 of the blade holder 22 is placed in the open position. Also, the blade holder 22 may be configured to be slidable relative to the housing 24, and the blade support device 100 may be configured so that the blade 21 can be pulled out of the housing 24 by sliding the blade holder 22 longitudinally through the opening 66.

The various examples disclosed in this specification may be combined to the extent that no inconsistencies exist.

Claims (15)

Housing and
a blade holder supported by the housing, the blade holder including a first member supporting a blade, and a second member movable between a closed position in which the blade is interposed between the first member and the second member, and an open position in which the second member is spaced apart from the first member;
a locking device for locking the second member to maintain the position of the blade relative to the first member;
A blade support device comprising: The blade support device of claim 1, wherein the locking device is configured to bias the second member against the first member. the blade holder includes a hinge connecting the first member and the second member such that the second member is rotatable;
The blade support apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the locking device includes a spring coupled to the hinge to bias the second member relative to the first member. The blade support device according to claim 3, further comprising a cam rotatably disposed between the first member and the second member so as to rotate the second member about the hinge. The blade support device of claim 4, further comprising a lever connected to the cam via a camshaft to rotate the cam. The first member has an opening.
2. The blade support apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second member includes a pin insertable through an opening in the blade and into the opening in the first member when the second member is in the closed position to secure the blade relative to the first member. The blade support device according to claim 1, wherein the housing has a longitudinal end formed with an opening for withdrawing the blade. The blade support device of claim 7, further comprising a sliding frame insertable into the housing through the opening in the housing to engage the blade, the sliding frame being retracted to withdraw the blade from the housing. The sliding frame is
a cover extending longitudinally to accommodate at least a portion of the blade;
an engagement portion disposed at a longitudinal end of the cover for engaging the blade with the cover;
The blade support apparatus of claim 8 including: The engagement portion includes a protrusion,
The protrusion is
a cover that is movable to allow the blade to enter the interior of the cover when the blade is inserted into the interior of the cover from the longitudinal end of the cover;
when the blade is pulled out from the housing in the longitudinal direction, the protruding portion protrudes into the cover to prevent the blade housed in the cover from coming out of the longitudinal end portion of the cover.
The blade support apparatus of claim 9. The blade support device according to claim 1, wherein the housing is disposed adjacent to the blade holder and has a storage space for storing spare blades. A rotatable carrier;
a blade support device disposed adjacent to the carrier;
Equipped with
The blade support device is
Housing and
a blade holder supported by the housing, the blade holder including a first member supporting a blade, and a second member movable between a closed position in which the blade is interposed between the first member and the second member, and an open position in which the second member is spaced apart from the first member;
a locking device for locking the second member to maintain the position of the blade relative to the first member;
13. An image forming apparatus comprising: the blade holder includes a hinge connecting the first member and the second member such that the second member is rotatable;
13. The image forming apparatus of claim 12, wherein the locking device includes a spring coupled to the hinge to bias the second member toward the first member. The first member has an opening.
13. The image forming apparatus of claim 12, wherein the second member includes a pin insertable through an opening in the blade and into the opening in the first member when the second member is in the closed position to secure the blade to the first member. Housing and
A blade holder supported by the housing,
A first member supporting the blade;
a second member movably connected to the first member and movable between a closed position that secures the blade to the blade holder and an open position that releases the blade from the blade holder;
The blade holder,
A blade support device comprising:

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