JP2562973Y2 - Cleaning device for image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cleaning device for an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile, a printer, and the like. More specifically, a cleaning blade supporting member pressed against the surface of an image carrier and removed from the surface of the image carrier by the cleaning blade. The present invention relates to a cleaning device having a closing mechanism for closing a gap with a storage case for storing the used toner.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An example of a conventional cleaning apparatus of this type will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 5A, an image carrier, for example, a drum-shaped photoconductor 1 is formed by an image forming unit (not shown).
An image is formed by the toner powder on the surface of the sheet, and is transferred to transfer paper by a transfer unit (not shown), and then moves to the position of the cleaning device 2 with the residual toner adhered. In the cleaning device 2, the toner is removed from the photoreceptor 1 by passing through a seal 3 on the entrance side of the cleaning device 2 and electrically adhering and mechanically rubbing by a fur brush roller 4 for cleaning. Here, the above-mentioned seal 3 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), a mounting plate 3a made of a relatively hard material is attached to a wall of the case bottom wall 2a facing the surface of the photoconductor 1 so as to extend in the drum axis direction of the photoconductor 1. It is fixed. The fur brush roller 4 has a large number of conductive brushes implanted on a cored roller to which a predetermined bias is applied, and is rotationally driven in a predetermined direction by a drive motor (not shown). The toner powder attached to the fur brush roller 4 is attracted to the collecting roller 5 to which a bias voltage is applied at a higher voltage than the fur brush roller 4, and
The toner on the collection roller 5 is mechanically scraped off by the scraper member 6. The scraped toner powder is discharged to a predetermined place such as in a waste toner bottle by rotation of a discharge member (coil or roller) 7. Further, the cleaning blade 8 abuts on the photoconductor 1 downstream of the fur brush roller 4 in the rotation direction of the photoconductor 1, and forms the toner that has passed through the fur brush roller 4 and background stain due to re-adhesion from the fur brush roller 4. The toner particles are removed and fall on the upper part of the fur brush roller 4 below, and are conveyed by the fur brush roller 4.

[0003] Here, the cleaning blade 8 of this example is used.
The following support mechanism is adopted so that a state in which the photosensitive member 1 is pressed against the surface of the photosensitive member 1 and a state in which the photosensitive member 1 is separated from the surface can be selectively taken. First, a blade holder 9 which is a support member to which a cleaning blade 8 is fixed at a distal end portion is rotatably attached to a holder bracket 11 at a base end thereof with a stepped screw 10. By being rotatable, the cleaning blade 8 can be uniformly pressed against the surface of the photoconductor 1 in the longitudinal direction. The holder bracket 11 has a base end fixed to a support shaft 12 rotatably supported on the apparatus side plate, and a plunger of a solenoid 13 for rotating the support bracket 12 counterclockwise around the support shaft 12 at the distal end. Are linked. The tip of the holder bracket 11 extends through the notch of the case back wall 2a to the back side of the case back wall 2b, and extends around the support shaft 12 to the portion extending to the back side. A pressure spring 14 for applying a clockwise urging force is locked.

[0004] The case bottom wall 2a to which the seal 3 is attached, the case back wall 2b, the cleaning blade 8, the blade holder 9, the surface of the photoreceptor 1, and the toner accommodating space sealed by the case front and rear walls (not shown). In order to form the case back wall 2b and the blade holder 9
There is provided a closing mechanism for closing the gap between the first and second members. The closing mechanism of this example includes a flexible Mylar seal plate 20 having a base end fixed to the inner surface of the case back wall 2b and a leading edge contacting the lower surface of the blade holder 9. ing. In addition, as shown in FIG. 5 (c), the base end is fixed to the inner surface of the case back wall 2b and the lower surface of the blade holder 9, respectively, and provided so that the front ends contact each other. There is also known one in which a closing mechanism is formed by a pair of flexible Mylar seal plates 21 and 22. A side seal member (not shown) is provided to close a gap between the front and rear walls of the photoreceptor 1 and a gap between the inner surface of the case front and rear walls and both end faces of the cleaning blade. Is also provided.

However, in the conventional closing mechanism as described above, since the front edges of the Mylar seal plates 20, 21, and 22 are only in line contact with the surface of the mating member, sufficient sealing properties can be obtained. Absent. For this reason, there is a problem that the toner accommodating space cannot be sealed, and the toner scatters outside the cleaning device 2 to stain the inside of the device. Further, in the above-described conventional example, when the cleaning device 2 is configured to be detachable from the image forming apparatus main body in the axial direction of the photoconductor drum while the photoconductor 1 is left in the apparatus main body, the cleaning device 2 is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body. At the beginning of the operation of inserting
There is a possibility that the rear end of the mounting plate 3a made of a relatively hard material to which the seal 3 on the entrance side of the cleaning device 2 is fixed as shown in FIG. There was a problem that there is. In order to solve this problem, a guide mechanism (not shown) of the cleaning device 2 guides the cleaning device 2 at a position relatively distant from the surface of the photoreceptor 1 at the beginning of the operation of inserting the cleaning device 2 into the image forming apparatus main body. It is also known that the cleaning device 2 is configured to be guided while approaching the surface of the photoreceptor 1 when the cleaning device 2 is inserted until it reaches a substantially predetermined position in the main body. The problem that the structure of the guide mechanism becomes complicated remains.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and a first object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning blade supporting member which is brought into pressure contact with the surface of an image bearing member and an image bearing member provided by the cleaning blade. A second object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device having a closing mechanism capable of closing a gap with a storage case for storing toner removed from a body surface more favorably than before. A sealing member attached to a lower end edge of the opening facing the surface of the image carrier with a mounting member extending in a direction transverse to a moving direction of the surface of the image carrier; In a cleaning device of an image forming apparatus which is detachably supported in a direction crossing the surface movement direction, the mounting portion is provided at an early stage of an operation of setting the cleaning device in the image forming apparatus main body. The end is to provide a cleaning apparatus capable of preventing damaging the image bearing meaning surface.

[0007]

In order to achieve the first object, the invention of claim 1 is to provide a cleaning blade supporting member which is pressed against the surface of the image carrier and the cleaning blade is used to separate the supporting member from the surface of the image carrier. In a cleaning device of an image forming apparatus having a closing mechanism for closing a gap with a storage case for storing removed toner, an elastic member fixed to one of the support member and the storage case is provided. And a seal plate having a base end fixed to the other end and extending so that the front end comes into surface contact with the elastic member. In order to achieve the first and second objects, the invention according to claim 2 is directed to the lower end edge of the opening of the storage case facing the image carrier surface in a direction crossing the image carrier surface moving direction. 2. The cleaning device for an image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a seal member attached by an extending attachment member, and being detachably supported on the image forming apparatus main body in a direction transverse to a moving direction of the image carrier surface. The mounting member, at least the end on the downstream side in the mounting direction at the time of mounting to the image forming apparatus main body,
It is characterized in that it is formed in a shape that curves away from the surface of the image carrier.

[0008]

The cleaning device according to claims 1 and 2 is
An elastic member fixed to one of a support member of the cleaning blade and a storage case for storing toner, and a sheet having a base end fixed to the other and extending so that a front end comes into surface contact with the elastic member. The member satisfactorily closes the gap between the support member and the storage case. Further, in the cleaning device according to the second aspect, a side of a mounting member for mounting a seal member at a lower end edge of an opening facing the surface of the image carrier of the storage case is a downstream side in a mounting direction when mounted on the image forming apparatus main body. Is formed in a shape curved away from the surface of the image carrier, whereby the end of the mounting member and the surface of the image carrier can be disposed at the beginning of the operation of attaching the cleaning device to the image forming apparatus main body. Can take a relatively distant state.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 1A is a front view illustrating a schematic configuration of the cleaning device according to the present embodiment. The basic configuration of the cleaning device according to this embodiment is the same as that shown in FIG.
This is the same as the conventional cleaning device shown in FIG. That is, fur brush roller 4 and cleaning blade 8 as cleaning members, collection roller 5 for removing toner from fur brush roller 4, scraper member 6, toner discharge member 7, case bottom wall 2a, case back wall 2b, and the like are provided. I have.

In the cleaning device of this embodiment, a closing mechanism for closing the gap between the case back wall 2b and the blade holder 9 is provided by a sponge seal 23 fixed to the lower surface of the blade holder 9 with an adhesive or the like. A base plate is fixed to the inner surface of the case back wall 2b, and is formed of a seal plate 24 provided so that the front end thereof is pressed against the surface of the sponge seal 23. The sponge seal 23 is preferably made of foamed polyurethane, for example.
The mylar seal plate 24 is preferably a flexible mylar seal plate made of, for example, a polyethylene film.

According to the construction of the closing mechanism described above, since the front end of the mylar seal plate 24 is in pressure contact with the sponge seal 23, the press contact portion of the sponge seal 23 is deformed and the front end of the mylar seal plate 24 is in contact with the sponge seal 23. Contact, whereby sufficient sealing performance can be exhibited. Also, while the cleaning blade 8 shifts between the pressed state and the retracted state with respect to the photoconductor 1 by turning on and off the solenoid 13, the sponge seal 23 and the distal end of the mylar seal plate 24 maintain the pressed state. Sufficient sealing performance can be demonstrated. In particular, when the mylar seal plate 24 is made flexible, the sponge seal 23 and the mylar seal plate 2 can be used when the cleaning blade 8 is in any of the above states.
4 so as to maintain the pressure contact state with the Mylar seal plate 24.
The degree of freedom in designing the shape and arrangement of the sponge seal 23 can be increased, and the contact area with the sponge seal 23 can be further increased. In the illustrated example, the sponge seal 23 is fixed to the lower surface of the blade holder 9 and the base end of the mylar seal plate 23 is fixed to the inner surface of the case back wall 2b. The base end of 23 may be fixed to the lower surface of the blade holder 9 and the sponge seal 23 may be fixed to the inner surface of the case back wall 2b.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1A, the mounting plate 3a for mounting the entrance side seal 3 in the present embodiment is formed by bending both ends of the mounting plate 3a away from the surface of the photoreceptor 1. A flexible seal 3 is affixed to the surface of the mounting member 3a on the surface of the photoreceptor 1 including both ends with an adhesive or the like. The mounting plate 3a is fixed to the wall of the case lower wall 3a facing the surface of the photoreceptor 1 by screws or the like (not shown).

According to the configuration of the mounting plate 3a for the seal 3, the end of the mounting plate 3a on the back side of the main body is bent away from the surface of the photoreceptor 1, whereby the cleaning device 2 can be used for image formation. When the photoreceptor 1 is mounted on the apparatus main body in parallel with the drum shaft, mounting can be started with the end of the mounting plate 3a on the back side of the main body relatively far from the surface of the photoreceptor 1, so that the end Is less likely to hit the surface of the photoconductor 1. In this example, the end of the mounting plate 3a on the front side of the main body is also bent in a direction away from the surface of the photoconductor 1, whereby the cleaning device 2 is moved from the main body of the image forming apparatus in parallel with the drum shaft of the photoconductor 1. At the time of removal, the removal can be started with the end of the mounting plate 3a on the front side of the main body relatively far from the surface of the photoconductor 1, so that even if the guide mechanism of the cleaning device 2 has some backlash, It is less likely that the end will hit the surface of the photoconductor 1.

Next, a description will be given of a side seal member mounting mechanism suitable for the cleaning device 2 as shown in FIG. 1A. A conventional side seal member for closing the gap between the front and rear walls of the front and rear walls of the photosensitive member 1 and the surface of the photosensitive member 1 and the gap between the inner surface of the front and rear walls of the case and both end surfaces of the cleaning blade are housed. The front and rear walls of the case were attached to the inner surface of the edge of the photosensitive member 1 on the surface side by bonding or the like. However, according to this configuration, since the side seal member is always in contact with the surface of the photoreceptor 1, when the cleaning device 2 is detached from the image forming apparatus main body as described above, the side seal member and the photosensitive member 1 are in contact with each other. There was a problem that friction with the surface of the body 1 became a resistance of the desorption operation. When a mechanism for swinging the cleaning blade 8 in the drum axis direction of the photosensitive member 1 is provided in order to maintain uniform contact of the cleaning blade 8 with the surface of the photosensitive member 1, The movement causes a gap between the cleaning blade 8 and the side blade member, and there is also a problem that toner scatters from the gap.
Therefore, in order to solve such a problem, holding portions for the side seal members are formed at both end portions of the holder bracket 11, and the side seal members are provided in the holding portions.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show an example in which such a side seal member mounting mechanism is applied to the cleaning device shown in FIG. 1A, and FIG. FIG. 3B is a front view showing the configuration, and FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the mounting mechanism. In FIG. 3A, the illustration of the side wall of the storage case is omitted. In the mounting mechanism of the side seal member of this example, the front and rear end portions of the holder bracket 11 are bent downward to form the side seal holding portions 30. Alternatively, the side seal holding portion 30 may be formed by attaching separate members having a predetermined shape to the front and rear ends of the holder bracket 11 with screws or the like, as shown in FIG. This side seal holding portion 30
Is formed so that the inner surface thereof faces the end surface of the cleaning blade 8 and the end on the surface side of the photoconductor 1 is close to the surface of the photoconductor 1. And this side seal holding part 3
On the inner surface of the photosensitive member 1, a side seal member 31 made of, for example, urethane foam is provided on the inner surface of the photosensitive member 1, and the inner surface of the side seal holder 30 and the cleaning blade end surface. Is fixed with an adhesive or the like so as to close the gap between them.

The cleaning blade 9 of this embodiment is configured to swing the support shaft 12 to which the bracket holder 11 is fixed in the longitudinal direction, thereby swinging the cleaning blade 9. As a mechanism for this swing, a surface cam 40 is provided on the back side of the support shaft 12 in the apparatus, and a roller 41 abutting on the cam surface of the surface cam 40 rotates at the end of the support shaft 12 on the back side of the device. Mounted freely.
The support shaft 12 in this example is constantly urged by a sprint or the like (not shown) so that the roller 41 always contacts the cam surface of the surface cam 40. FIGS. 3A and 3B are left side views showing the vicinity of the surface cam 40 in an enlarged manner, and show a state where the rotational positions of the surface cam 40 are different from each other by 90 degrees. Reference numeral 42 in the figure denotes a side plate that supports the support shaft 12 rotatably on the back side of the apparatus. Reference numeral 40a is a gear for inputting rotational force formed integrally with the surface cam 40. Note that the holder bracket 11 may be rotatably mounted on the support shaft 12, and the position of the holder bracket 11 in the longitudinal direction of the support shaft 12 may be fixed by a stopper.

In the above configuration, the side seal member 3
1 is in contact with both end surfaces of the cleaning blade 8, the photosensitive member 1 moves even when the toner scraped off from the surface of the photoreceptor 1 by the cleaning blade 8 rises due to an air current near the surface of the photoreceptor 1. Leakage to the downstream side in the direction can be prevented. When the cleaning device 2 is attached to and detached from the main body of the image forming apparatus, the holder bracket 11 is moved to the state shown in FIG.
The side seal member 31 fixed to the side seal holding portions 30 formed at both ends of the holder bracket 11 is also rotated counterclockwise around the support shaft 12 from the state shown in FIG. Withdraws from the surface of the photoconductor 1 together with the cleaning blade 8. Therefore, the cleaning device 2
When the image forming apparatus is detached from the image forming apparatus main body, the side seal member 31 is automatically retracted from the surface of the photoreceptor 1, so that it is possible to prevent the friction between the two and the resistance of the detaching operation. When the cleaning blade 8 is released, the contact between the side seal member 31 and the surface of the photoconductor 1 is also released. Therefore, when the side seal member 31 is formed of an elastic material, the elasticity of the side seal member 31 is always photosensitive. The sealing performance is not deteriorated as compared with the one pressed against the surface of the body 1, and therefore, a good sealing performance can be exhibited for a relatively long time. Further, even when the cleaning blade is rocked by the rocking mechanism of the cleaning blade 8, the cleaning blade 8 and the side seal member 31 are rocked together with the holder bracket 11 while maintaining the mutual contact state. It is possible to prevent the toner from scattering from the gap due to the gap.

[0018]

According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, a closing mechanism for closing the gap between the support member of the cleaning blade and the storage case for storing the toner is provided on one of the support member and the storage case. A fixed elastic member and a seal member having a base end fixed to the other end and a distal end extending so as to be in surface contact with the elastic member, whereby the elastic member and the seal member distal end are formed. Since the surfaces are brought into surface contact with each other, there is an excellent effect that the gap can be closed more favorably as compared with the conventional case where the leading edge of the seal member is in linear contact with the lower surface of the support member. Further, according to the invention of claim 2, the mounting member for mounting the seal member at the lower end edge of the opening facing the surface of the image carrier of the storage case is located downstream in the mounting direction when mounted on the image forming apparatus main body. The end on the side of the image bearing member is formed in a shape curved away from the surface of the image carrier, so that the end of the mounting member and the surface of the image carrier at the beginning of the operation of attaching the cleaning device to the image forming apparatus main body. Can be relatively separated from each other, so that the surface of the image carrier can be prevented from being damaged by the end of the mounting member at the beginning of the operation of setting the cleaning device in the image forming apparatus main body.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is a front view illustrating a schematic configuration of a cleaning device according to an embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view of an entrance seal and an attachment member of the cleaning device.

FIG. 2A is a front view for explaining a side seal holding unit of the cleaning device, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the side seal holding unit.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are explanatory diagrams for explaining a cleaning blade swinging mechanism of the cleaning device. FIGS.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing another configuration example of the side seal holding unit of the cleaning device.

5A is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a cleaning device according to a conventional example, FIG. 5B is a perspective view of an entrance seal of the cleaning device and a mounting member thereof, and FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of a holder of a cleaning blade of the cleaning device.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 1 photoreceptor, 2 cleaning device 2a case lower wall, 2b case back wall 3 seal, 3a mounting plate 4 fur brush roller, 8 cleaning blade 9 blade holder, 11 holder bracket 12 support shaft, 13 solenoid 14 pressurizing spring, 23 sponge Seal 24 Myra seal plate

Claims (2)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] An image forming apparatus having a closing mechanism for closing a gap between a support member of a cleaning blade that is in pressure contact with the surface of an image carrier and a housing case that stores toner removed from the surface of the image carrier by the cleaning blade. In the cleaning device, the closing mechanism is configured such that an elastic member fixed to one of the support member and the storage case and a base end portion is fixed to the other and a distal end portion is in surface contact with the elastic member. A cleaning device for an image forming apparatus, comprising: an extending seal member. A sealing member attached to a lower end edge of an opening of the housing case facing the surface of the image carrier with a mounting member extending in a direction transverse to a moving direction of the surface of the image carrier; 2. The cleaning device of an image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mounting member is supported on the image forming apparatus main body so as to be detachable in a direction transverse to a moving direction of the surface of the image carrier. 2. The cleaning device for an image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an end on the downstream side is curved in a direction away from the surface of the image carrier.