JP2734524B2 - Cleaning equipment - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cleaning device for an image carrier such as a photoconductor or an electrostatic recording medium in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer using an electrophotographic process. In particular, in order to arbitrarily pull out the cleaning device unit and the image carrier unit from the device main body and perform operations such as inspection,
The present invention relates to a sealing device capable of performing a good sealing action at an opening of a housing of the device when the device is moved.

(Prior Art) An electrophotographic copying machine using a photosensitive belt as an image carrier is, for example, as shown in FIG. In the electrophotographic copying machine shown in FIG. 9, a belt-shaped photoreceptor 10 is wound around three rubber rolls 11. Then, when the photoconductor 10 travels in the direction of the arrow, first,
This surface is charged by the charger 12. While the photoconductor 10 is running, a flash lamp (not shown) is turned on at a predetermined timing to irradiate the entire surface of the document 8 placed on the platen. The reflected light forms an image on the photoreceptor 10 via the lens 18 to form an electrostatic latent image. The electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor 10 is developed with toner particles at a location facing the developing device 14 to form a toner image.

On the other hand, the sheets stored in the sheet tray 21 of the sheet feeding unit 20 are
The paper is sent out by the paper feed roller 24. The fed sheet is superimposed on the toner image formed on the photoconductor 10 via the guide plate 26. The toner image on the photoconductor 10 is transferred to the superposed paper by the action of the transfer corotron 15.

The sheet after the transfer is separated from the photoreceptor 10 by the action of the static eliminator. Thereafter, the sleeping paper is sent to the fixing device 28 by the transport belt 27 having an air suction mechanism, and is fixed, and then discharged to the discharge tray 3 via the guide plate and the discharge roller 29, respectively.

After the toner image is transferred to the sheet, the toner remaining on the photoconductor 10 is removed by the pre-cleaning corotron and then cleaned by the cleaning device 30. The photoreceptor used is a material in which a photosensitive material is laminated on a flexible translucent belt support.

Further, in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a cleaning pre-processing step, a cleaning step, a dust collection step, and a toner collecting step are generally provided in order to remove the developer remaining on the photoconductor of the copying machine. It is necessary.

Of these steps, the pre-cleaning process is
This is performed in order to sufficiently exert the cleaning ability in the cleaning process, and performs an operation of controlling the charge of the toner of the developer adhered to the photoconductor.

As one of the methods, in order to electrically neutralize both the toner and the photoconductor and weaken the adhesion of the toner to the photoconductor, a method of performing an AC corona discharge by a pre-cleaning corotron, Alternatively, a method of irradiating light with a pre-cleaning lamp or the like is used. As another method, there is known a method in which a DC corona discharge is performed from a pre-cleaning corotron so as to give a charge of a specific polarity to the toner, and then the toner is removed by electrostatic attraction.

As a cleaning method in the cleaning process, magnetic cleaning means such as magnetic brush cleaning and magnetic roll cleaning, brush cleaning,
There are mainly mechanical cleaning means such as blade cleaning, web cleaning, and foam roll cleaning.

In the case of a magnetic cleaning means, there are advantages such as a small mechanical impact on the photoconductor, small size, low cost and low noise. There are disadvantages such as being greatly affected by the characteristics of the cleaning agent, and having a large environmental dependency of the cleaning ability.

Of the mechanical cleaning means, the brush cleaning device has a fan noise,
In order to prevent toner from leaking out of the cleaning device, there is a problem that it is necessary to sufficiently seal the housing of the device. However, since the cleaning device has a stable cleaning performance, it is applicable to a high-speed copying machine. Excellent in nature.

Further, the blade cleaning device rubs the surface of the photoreceptor with the edge of a rubber blade made of polyurethane or the like to mechanically scrape the toner. This apparatus is used mainly for low-medium-speed copying machines, taking advantage of low manufacturing cost, low noise, small space, etc., but is inferior in reliability to other cleaning methods. It is said to be a thing.

The dust collection process is particularly problematic in a brush cleaning device. It is necessary to provide a mechanical separation mechanism to separate the toner that is mixed with air and discharged, and discharge only air to the outside. There is.

At present, (a) a filter bag, (b) a cyclone filter, and (c) a scavenging roll are practically used as means for that purpose.

Further, a blade cleaning device and a brush cleaning device may be provided side by side, but a special device for separating the toner and air may be omitted by appropriately combining a brush roller and blade cleaning.

Further, in the toner collecting step, the toner collected as described above is carried out from the cleaning device,
In many cases, processing such as accommodation in a collection container provided separately from the apparatus is performed. On the other hand, in an apparatus that reuses the collected toner, the toner collected from the cleaning device is returned to the developing device again for reuse.

As an apparatus for removing toner from a photoconductor as described above, for example, there is an apparatus as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-205971. In this conventional cleaning device, a blade and a cleaning roller
The cleaning device is configured so that the toner remaining on the photoreceptor can be removed, and even if the toner removed by the toner scraping means floats as a toner cloud inside the housing of the cleaning device, the toner is cleaned. Seal members are arranged on both sides of the opening of the housing so as to prevent leakage to the outside of the housing of the device.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In the conventional cleaning device as described above, the side seal disposed on the side of the opening of the housing of the cleaning device is formed of an elastic body such as urethane foam. And by the elasticity of the elastic body,
The sealing function can be performed.

Therefore, if there is a manufacturing error or the like on the side of the housing that supports the seal member, and the seal member cannot be brought into contact with the photosensitive member in a uniform state, defects such as leakage of toner from the gap occur. It's easy to do.

Further, when the cleaning device is pulled out of the copier main body to perform inspection and repair, in the case of a conventional device, the cleaning device is retracted in a direction to separate the housing of the cleaning device from the photoconductor, and then the cleaning device is removed. An operation of pulling out the device from the main body is performed.

However, in many types of copiers, each unit of the main body of the copier is often mounted in a very compact state, and it is not possible to provide an extra space for retracting a cleaning device or the like. Therefore, such an apparatus is configured to perform an operation of linearly pulling out each unit from the main body without retracting each unit.

Therefore, when the above-described unit is moved linearly such that the unit is pulled out of the copying machine main body, the side seal provided on the side of the opening of the housing slides on the photosensitive member and slides on the surface thereof. There is a drawback that a problem such as scratching or damage due to the seal member coming into contact with the frame of the photoreceptor unit easily occurs.

(Object of the Invention) The present invention solves the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventionally used apparatus, and enables the sealing operation to be performed in an excellent state at the opening of the cleaning apparatus. It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for preventing the image carrier from being damaged by the seal member even when the unit slides on the image carrier.

(Means and Actions for Solving the Problems) The present invention is to remove a toner remaining on the surface of an image carrier after transferring a toner image formed on the image carrier to a sheet, and remove the removed toner. The present invention relates to a cleaning device configured to collect the cleaning liquid.

In the present invention, an upper seal and a lower seal made of a film are provided at an upper portion and a lower portion of the opening of the housing of the cleaning device, and the upper seal is disposed with a slight gap from the image carrier, The distal end of the lower seal is arranged in a state of being in contact with the image carrier, and a side portion of the housing includes a flocked member in contact with the image carrier, and a cushion member provided between the flocked member and the housing. A configured side seal is provided.

Therefore, in the cleaning device of the present invention,
The seal with the film on the upper and lower portions of the housing and the side seals on both sides of the opening enable good sealing on the image carrier side and can prevent toner from leaking from the opening. Become.

Further, since the side seal of the present invention is constituted by the flocked member and the elastic body on the back surface thereof, even when the side seal is in contact with the image carrier, the contact is not strong, and there is a manufacturing error or the like on the side of the housing. The effect does not appear on the seal.

Further, even when the cleaning unit is slid with respect to the image carrier, good sliding properties are maintained by the saddle seal, and the surface of the image carrier is prevented from being damaged.

(Example) The configuration of the cleaning device of the present invention will be described with reference to the illustrated example.

The cleaning device of the present invention is provided in a copying machine in which an image carrier is constituted by a photoreceptor belt 10, and the copying machine is configured as described below with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. , The photoreceptor belt is disposed at a portion after the image transfer section.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the photoreceptor belt used as the image carrier of the image carrier unit, as shown in the conventional example, has a relatively flexible translucent belt member on the surface of an organic material. Resin is laminated.
Therefore, when the sealing member formed around the housing of the cleaning device is brought into contact with the photosensitive member as described above, it is difficult to strongly press a sealing member such as a sealing member for a normal photosensitive drum. Since it is not possible, a relatively soft member as described below is used for the seal.

Further, as a cleaning device to which the seal member of the present invention is applied, a device having a configuration as shown in FIG. 3 is used. The overall configuration of this cleaning device will be described later.

The embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 shows an example in which a side seal 50 is provided on a side frame of a housing 33. The side seal 50 shown in FIG.
As shown in detail in the figure, the cushion member 55 is attached to the frame, and the flocked member 51 is provided on the surface thereof.

In the side seal 50 configured as described above,
As the cushion member, a sheet-like member having a high elasticity such as urethane rubber is used, and the thickness of the sheet is set to 1 to 1.5 mm. Further, as the flocked member 51, a member in which the bristles 53 are planted on the surface of the base cloth 52 is used, and the flocked member is, for example, a brush-like member of polypropylene, 26000 fibers / 17 denier fibers. The one configured in in ² can be used.

The side seal 50 made of the above-described composite material has an overall thickness of 7 to 9 mm. In this embodiment, the distance between the frame and the photoconductor is 4 to 5 mm. Is set to

Accordingly, when the cleaning device is set in contact with the photoconductor unit, the side seal is in a state where the hair portion is depressed by the hair portion being pressed by the photoconductor 10. Thus, the function of the seal can be performed.

As shown in FIG. 2, the side seal 50 of the present invention is provided on the side of the opening where the blade 40 and the brush roller 45 are exposed. It is arranged in contact with the photoreceptor 10 so as to press the photoreceptor.

Therefore, the side seal of the present invention allows a constant pressing force to act on the photoconductor by the combined action of the flocking member and the cushion material, and can absorb vibrations and the like of the photoconductor. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the speed fluctuation of the photosensitive member due to the vibration.

Further, the side seal of the present invention can reliably perform a sealing action with the photoreceptor due to the elasticity of the cushion material, even if the surface of the housing frame has irregularities or the mounting dimensions and positions vary. Thus, it is possible to prevent the toner from leaking from the side of the housing.

Further, in the case of a conventional polyurethane foam sealing member, if the seed seal is strongly pressed against the photoconductor, the speed of the photoconductor may fluctuate irregularly, or the driving load of the photoconductor may be reduced. Problems such as an increase in Further, if the pressing force is set to a low value, the toner leaks from the seal portion, and the inside of the copier main body is contaminated with the toner.

However, even when the side seal made of the composite material of the present invention is provided with a relatively low pressing force, the sealing performance is not affected at all, and the toner leaks out and the other device of the copying machine main body is not affected. No problem such as soiling occurs. In addition, the side seal of the present invention can sufficiently cope with the vibration of the photoconductor by providing the cushion material.

Further, in the side seal of the present invention, since the bristle portion of the flocked member is set to press the photoconductor, the cleaning unit may be slid with respect to the photoconductor unit. Even when the cleaning unit is moved, even if the seal slides on the photoreceptor, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of an inconvenient state such as scratching the photoreceptor surface.

Then, even when each unit is mounted on the copying machine main body and the copying operation is started again, the side seals can normally perform the sealing action and are not affected by sliding or the like. .

In the apparatus of the present invention, by providing the film seals above and below the opening and the side seals as described above, the operation of pulling out the cleaning unit directly from the copier main body without retracting the cleaning unit is performed. Even when the operation is performed, the operation of the sealing members can be performed normally.

As shown in FIG. 3 and the like, the cleaning device of the present invention includes a cleaning unit 30, a toner conveying device 70, and a toner collection bottle 80. An opening 35 is formed in the housing 33 on the side of the photoreceptor belt 10, and a blade 40 for cleaning the photoreceptor and a brush roller 45 are arranged in the opening 35.

An upper seal 36 is provided on the upper and lower portions of the opening 35.
And a film seal 37 as a lower seal, so that the cloud-shaped toner generated in the housing 33 is sealed so as not to leak out of the housing 33.

As described above, the blade 40 and the brush roller 45 are provided inside the housing 33 of the cleaning device of the present invention, and the blade 40 is supported by the blade holder 41, and the holder 41 is supported by the support shaft 42. doing.

By retracting the shaft 42 by a shaft drive mechanism (not shown), a retract mechanism is configured so that the tip end of the blade 40 comes into contact with the photosensitive belt.

Further, the brush roller 45 rotates in the same direction as the moving direction of the photoconductor belt 10, and its rotation speed is set slightly higher than that of the photoconductor belt 10, and compared with the speed of the photoconductor 10 , It is set to operate at about 1.3 times the speed. The brush roller 45 of the present invention
Is formed by winding the brush 47 around the surface of the shaft 56 and integrally forming the shaft. For example, a polypropylene pile height of about 7 mm can be used as the material of the brush.

The roller 45 acts to float the toner remaining on the surface of the photoreceptor belt from the adhering surface thereof, and also floats paper dust and dust adhering to the photoreceptor belt, so that the subsequent In the process, the blade
The function 40 enables the adherent to be scraped off easily.

The auger 43 disposed at the lower portion of the housing 33 has the same configuration as a screw conventionally provided in a cleaning device, and drives the auger 43 via a drive mechanism (not shown). It is configured to convey the toner falling to the lower part of the housing toward the side of the housing.

The toner collected by the auger 43 as described above is stored in a toner collection bottle provided in another portion of the main body of the copying machine via a connecting cylinder connected to an end of the unit 30 and a toner conveying device. It has become.

Further, in the cleaning device 30 of the present invention, the backup roller 48 is located at a position facing the brush roller 45.
The backup roller 48 is configured to press the belt 10 from the back surface of the photoreceptor 10 toward the brush roller 45 by the backup roller 48, and the brush surface of the brush roller 45 is pressed by the backup roller 48. The interval s1 between bites into the photoreceptor is set to be about 1 mm.

Further, a flicker bar 49 is disposed at a rear portion of the brush roller 45, and the flicker bar 49 is configured to cut into the surface of the brush roller at a predetermined interval (s2 = 0.5 mm). By doing so, it is configured to perform an action of knocking off the toner attached to the brush.

In the cleaning device of the present invention configured as described above, the brush roller 45 has an action of scraping off the toner remaining on the surface of the photoreceptor by the action of the roller itself, like a conventionally used brush roller. Rather, it acts to weaken the adhesion of toner to the photoreceptor and also acts to weaken the adhesion of paper dust and talc to the photoreceptor. It is configured to perform an auxiliary action to make it easily scraped off.

As shown in FIG. 3, a lower seal 37 provided below the opening of the housing of the present invention comprises a bracket 38 provided below the housing, and two films 39 attached to the bracket 38. , 39a.

In the lower seal 37, as the seal film 39, a polyurethane sheet having a thickness of about 50 to 300 μm is used, and the projecting length thereof is set to about 10 mm, and the assist film 39a is pressed against the rear from the rear. To 5
Use a PET film (polyethylene terephthalate film) with a thickness of about 0 μm, and set the projecting length of the film to 4 m.
By setting the length to about m, the strength of the polyurethane film can be compensated, and the sealing action between the photoreceptor and the lower part of the housing can be performed well.

In the above-described combination of seals or plate members for sealing, since the seal film 39 comes into direct contact with the surface of the photoreceptor, it is necessary to use a relatively soft material. Polyurethane film is very stiff, and with the strength of the film itself,
There is a problem that the shape of the contact portion cannot be maintained along the photoconductor.

Therefore, in the sealing member of the present invention, a relatively stiff assist film 39a presses from the rear portion of the film 39 and receives a pressing action from the rear portion, so that the sealing effect of the sealing film 39 can be exerted well. It is configured as follows.

Further, in the sealing film of the present invention described above,
When a polyurethane film is used as the seal film 39, if a film having a thickness in the range of 100 to 200 μm is used, the sealing performance can be sufficiently exhibited. In addition, an SK mat having a thickness of about 50 μm (trade name) ) Can also be used. Further, as the assist film, the SK mat as described above can be used, and as such a film, a film material having another similar property can be used.

In the cleaning device 30 having the above-described configuration of the present invention, the collected toner is stored in a toner bottle 80 provided in another portion of the main body of the copying machine via a collection path as shown in FIG. It has become.

In the toner recovery path shown in FIG. 4, a connecting cylinder 60 is provided so as to protrude from the housing of the cleaning device, and the connecting cylinder 60 is connected to a joint 68 provided at a distal end portion of the toner conveying device 70. The toner carried out by the auger at the bottom of the conveying device can be introduced into the pipe 75 of the conveying device.

The connecting portion between the connecting cylinder 60 and the joint 68 according to the present invention is configured as shown in FIG. 4a, and the connecting cylinder 68 is provided in a semicircular connecting recess provided on the upper part of the joint 68.
Is locked so that the toner can be circulated.

Further, in the joint 68, a gear 71 of the transport device is driven by a drive gear 72 from the copying machine main body,
The gear 71 rotates a coil auger provided inside the pipe 75 of the transfer device 70, so that toner can be transferred inside the pipe 75.

FIG. 5 shows the structure of the connection tube 60 of the present invention. The connection tube 60 protruding from the housing of the cleaning device of the present invention to the side portion connects an inner pipe 61 to an outlet of a conveying means by an auger for conveying the toner inside the housing, and connects the inner pipe 61 to the outlet. Opening 62 near the tip of
Is formed.

Further, an outer pipe 65 is slidably disposed with respect to the inner pipe 61, and the outer pipe 65 is connected to the side plate 32 of the cleaning device.
The opening 62 is formed so as to be closed by an outer pipe 65.

When the connecting cylinder 60 is connected to the joint 68, the flange 66 of the outer pipe 65 is
Is pressed, the outer pipe 65 is slid to the right side in the figure against the pressing force of the spring 67, and the opening 62 is opened, so that the toner can be supplied to the transport device 70.

Further, as the transfer device 70 of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 6, a coil auger 77 is mounted inside a pipe 75, the rear end of the auger 75 is connected to a spindle 78, and the pipe 75 It is supported by a bearing 79 provided at the rear end.

In addition, the other end of the auger 77 is supported by a shaft of a gear 71 as shown in FIG. 4a. The water is discharged from the opening 76 at the tip of the bottle 75 toward the bottle.

Therefore, in the toner recovery system of the present invention, the pipe 75 is connected to the insertion port 81 of the bottle 80 as shown in FIG.
And the collected toner is stored in the bottle 80, so that the toner can be easily transported even when the cleaning device and the bottle are spaced apart from each other. Then, the amount of toner accumulated in the bottle 80 is detected by a sensor 83 provided in the bottle 80, and a full indication or the like can be performed.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, the pipe 75 of the toner conveying device 70 is made of aluminum, and the auger 77 is made of stainless steel wire formed in a coil shape. The toner can be satisfactorily conveyed in the conveying device. Further, when the toner conveying path is long, the pipe can be locked at a predetermined position with respect to the frame 73 of the copying machine main body by a fixing member, and the position of the pipe can be set accurately.

A copier equipped with a cleaning unit having the above-described configuration is configured as an apparatus as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. As shown in detail in FIG. 8, the illustrated copying machine 1 uses a photoreceptor belt 10 as an image forming apparatus, and the photoreceptor belt 10 includes a plurality of rubber rolls 11, 11,. … Is driven.

In addition, around the photoreceptor belt 10, a charged corotron
12, photosensitive unit 13, developing devices 14 and 14a, image transfer and peeling part by transfer / peeling corotron 15, cleaning device 40
Are arranged in the same manner as in the case of a conventionally used xerographic apparatus.

Further, on the lower surface of the platen provided on the upper part of the copying machine main body, an optical system device having the same mechanism as that of a general copying machine is arranged. An image is radiated, the reflected light is reflected by a combination of a plurality of mirrors 19, 19,... And a lens 18 to form an image, and a photosensitive portion 13 provided around the photosensitive belt 10
Then, the photosensitive belt is irradiated.

In the copying machine of the present invention having the above-described configuration, the photosensitive belt 10 is uniformly charged by the charging corotron 12 in a portion before the photosensitive unit 13, and thereafter, the photosensitive unit
During the passage of the toner image 13, image light irradiation is performed to form an electrostatic latent image, toner is selectively supplied from the developing devices 14 and 14 a, and the electrostatic latent image is converted into a visible image as a toner image. Become

Next, at the image transfer unit by the transfer / peeling corotron 15, for the paper guided through the guide plate 26,
The toner image is transferred, and the toner remaining on the photoreceptor belt after the transfer is cleaned by the cleaning unit 40 so that the next image formation can be dealt with.

In the photoreceptor belt 10 as the image carrier, since two developing devices are provided as indicated by reference numerals 14 and 14a, in the copying machine of the present invention, black and red or
By storing toner of any other color in those developing devices, a multicolor copy can be easily created.

The image carrier having the above-described configuration is provided in the copying machine 1 shown in FIG. 7, and is provided in a plurality of paper trays 21a to 21c provided inside the copying machine main body, or provided outside the main body. The toner image formed on the photoreceptor belt is transferred onto a sheet supplied from a large-capacity sheet tray 22 to which a sheet conveying path is connected.

In the copying machine 1 described above, an apparatus such as an automatic document feeder 5 is provided corresponding to the platen 6 provided on the upper part of the main body, and the image of the document sent from the automatic document feeder 5 is optically converted. The electrostatic latent image is formed by irradiating the photosensitive belt 10 with the light, and the toner is adhered to the electrostatic latent image to be visualized as a toner image. Then, the toner image formed on the photoreceptor belt 10 is transferred to a sheet conveyed through the sheet conveyance path 25, and the sheet carrying the unfixed toner image is fixed through the fixing device 14, and is discharged from the discharge roller 29. The sheet is discharged toward the discharge tray 3 or the sorter 4.

Further, in the copying machine 1 of the present invention, a control panel and a display unit 2 are provided at an upper portion of the copying machine main body in order to control the apparatus, and control is performed according to information displayed on the display unit. The panel can be operated.

Further, since the intermediate tray 21d, the sheet reversing mechanism 21e, and the like are arranged in the sheet conveying path of the copying machine 1 of the present invention, by using those mechanisms organically,
It can be used as an automatic double-sided copying machine or as a device having a multiplex copying function, and the usable range of the copying machine can be expanded.

In the above-described embodiment of the present invention, an example in which an electrophotographic copying machine is used as an image forming apparatus and a photoreceptor belt is used as an image carrier is shown.
The image forming apparatus according to the present invention can be applied to other printers and facsimile machines using an electrophotographic process. Further, the cleaning device of the present invention can be applied to a device using a drum or the like in addition to a belt as an image carrier.

(Effects of the Invention) Since the cleaning device of the present invention has the above-described configuration, it is possible to satisfactorily seal the photosensitive member at the opening of the housing of the cleaning device. It is possible to prevent the toner from leaking out.

Further, the side seal of the present invention can maintain a good pressing state against the photoconductor, and when the photoconductor unit or the cleaning unit is pulled out from or mounted on the copying machine main body, the seal member rubs the photoconductor. Also, it is possible to prevent the surface of the photoreceptor from being damaged and to prevent problems such as damage to the seal.

Therefore, in a copying machine to which the apparatus of the present invention is applied, it is not necessary to pull out the cleaning device after retracting the cleaning device as in the case of the conventional device. It is not necessary to provide a simple space, and the apparatus can be made compact.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing the relationship between the side seal of the present invention and the photosensitive member, FIG. 1a is a sectional view showing the structure of the side seal of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of the side seal of the present invention, FIG. FIG. 4 is a side view of the cleaning unit of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a side view of the collected toner conveying system of the present invention, FIG. 4a is an explanatory view of the connection relationship between the connecting cylinder and the joint, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the rear end of the toner conveying device. FIG. 7 is an explanatory view of a copying machine to which the cleaning device of the present invention can be applied. FIG. 8 is a configuration of a photoconductor and an optical system. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional example. Reference numeral 1 in the figure: copying machine, 10: photoreceptor belt, 20: paper feeder,
25 Paper transport path, 30 Cleaning unit, 31
... Frame, 33 ... Housing, 35 ... Opening, 37 ...
Lower seal, 38 ... Bracket, 39 / 39a ... Film, 40 ... Blade, 41 ... Blade holder, 42 ...
Support shaft, 43 ... Auger, 45 ... Brush roller, 48 ...
Backup roller, 49 Flicker bar, 50 Side seal, 51 Flocking member, 52 Base fabric, 53 Bristles,
55: Cushion member, 60: Connection cylinder, 68: Joint, 70: Toner conveying device, 75: Pipe, 77: Coil auger, 80: Collection bottle.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Hirohisa Hoshino 2274 Hongo, Ebina-shi, Kanagawa Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-62-279382 (JP, A) JP-A-63-26859 (JP, A) JP-A-59-155877 (JP, A) JP-A-57-198485 (JP, A) Japanese Utility Model Showa 60-16154 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Showa 58-159548 (JP, U)

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] A cleaning device configured to remove a toner remaining on a surface of the image carrier after transferring a toner image formed on the image carrier to a sheet, and to collect the removed toner; An upper seal and a lower seal made of a film are provided at an upper portion and a lower portion of an opening of a housing of the cleaning device, wherein the upper seal is disposed through a slight gap with an image carrier, and The tip is disposed in contact with the image carrier, and a side formed by a flocked member in contact with the image carrier on a side of the housing, and a cushion member provided between the flocked member and the housing. A cleaning device comprising a seal.