JP2905267B2 - Positioning device for cylindrical drum - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for positioning a cylindrical drum when an electrophotographic photosensitive member is manufactured by applying a photosensitive liquid to the cylindrical drum.

[Conventional technology]

In manufacturing an organic photoconductor photosensitive drum, which is a photosensitive member used in an electrophotographic apparatus, a photosensitive coating solution is applied to a cylindrical drum. For the application, it is necessary to perform an adjustment operation of positioning a slide hopper or the like at a predetermined position around the cylindrical drum and maintaining a constant clearance between them in the circumferential direction. In this case, since the required thickness of the coating layer is extremely small, even if the cylindrical drum is shifted by 0.1 mm, it causes a large deviation in the thickness of the coating layer as a whole in the circumferential direction.

It is a well-known fact that such a deviation in the thickness of the coating layer causes various problems such as a change in the amount of charge, a non-uniform sensitivity, and a change in the residual potential in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical drum. Therefore, accurate positioning of the cylindrical drum is extremely important.

Conventionally, as a drum positioning device of this kind, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-50537 or Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. The drum is provided with a plurality of turbulent rollers provided in the conveying direction thereof, and is continuously supplied to the coating head while being in contact with the drum. A device that adjusts the relative positional relationship of a coating head with respect to the position is known.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

However, all of the conventional devices perform positioning using a position regulating roller or a drive roller group, and have a problem that the entire length of the cylindrical drum in the longitudinal direction is damaged. It is well known that electrophotographic properties deteriorate when a drum is damaged.

On the other hand, in the device described in the latter publication, it is essential that the position of the coating head be adjusted together with the regulation of the position of the drum, but when the coating head is slidable, the position of the coating head relative to the drum is likely to shift, especially with the drum. It is difficult to keep the coating head coaxial at all times.

On the other hand, in the former example, with respect to the one cylindrical drum being supplied to the coating head, even if positioning is possible, the axis of the subsequent cylindrical drum can be made to coincide with the axis of the previous cylindrical drum. Instead, means for matching the coaxial center separately is required.

If the axis of the subsequent cylindrical drum does not coincide with the axis of the preceding cylindrical drum, for example, when the cylindrical drum is lifted, or when the cylindrical drum is raised with respect to the coating head via the subsequent cylindrical drum, the preceding cylindrical drum The upper surface may collide with the lower surface of the coating head and may not be able to enter the inside. Further, if the cylindrical drum group is raised in a state where a step is formed, the coating liquid drips or runs out at the step, resulting in an uneven coating thickness or uneven coating. Further, according to the technology described in the above-mentioned publication, even if the axes of the preceding cylindrical drums are aligned, if the following cylindrical drums are connected in series and moved upward in a state where a step is generated, the leading cylindrical drums are not moved. It is often supplied to the coating head with an inclined axis.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, each time a step 1A is formed on the inner surface of the end of the cylindrical drum 1 and a spacer S having an outer diameter corresponding to the inner surface of the step 1A is connected to the subsequent cylindrical drum 1,
Means for eliminating the step between the preceding cylindrical drum 1 and the succeeding cylindrical drum 1 by arranging them inside may be considered.

However, in this embodiment, although a high-precision spacer is required, a certain amount of clearance is required to insert the spacer into the step on the inner surface of the cylindrical drum, so that there is a limit to the accuracy of correcting the step. In addition, the spacers need to be inserted and removed each time the connection is completed and each time the coating is completed, so that a large amount of labor is required to be performed manually or two dedicated devices for insertion and removal are required. In addition, during removal and insertion,
Because the bare spacers are contaminated by the spray of the coating liquid, or the accuracy of correcting the step difference is originally poor, the coating liquid often penetrates into the interior from the slight gap created between the cylindrical drums, and the spacers are often contaminated. Spacer management is extremely complicated, for example, the need for cleaning.

The present inventors have found that in order to easily position the cylindrical drum without damaging the entire drum, it is preferable to hold the connecting portion between the cylindrical drums.

However, such a gripping method is preferable when the transport of the cylindrical drum is stopped.However, if gripping is performed in the course of continuous transport, the cylindrical drum slides between the gripper of the gripper. Contact, and may damage the outer surface of the cylindrical drum.

Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to prevent the sliding contact and prevent the cylindrical drum from being damaged even when the cylindrical drum is continuously conveyed, while securing the above advantages. is there.

[Means for solving the problem]

The above object is an apparatus for positioning a cylindrical drum when surrounding the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical drum and applying a coating liquid to the outer peripheral surface in a process of moving the cylindrical drum while continuously connecting the cylindrical drum in the axial direction. Gripping means for correcting the step by gripping only the outer surface of the connecting portion between the cylindrical drums from outside, and transporting means for transporting the cylindrical drum group, wherein the gripping portion of the gripping means is a cylinder formed by the transporting means. A moving means for moving the drum at substantially the same speed as the transport speed of the drum is provided.

[Action]

In the present invention, the outer surface of the connecting portion between the cylindrical drums is grasped from the outside by the grasping member to correct the step.

Therefore, the spacer is not required, and a dedicated device or an operator for inserting and removing the spacer is not required. Further, the outer surfaces of the connecting portions of the cylindrical drums are gripped from the outside by the gripping members, so that the outer surfaces of the adjacent cylindrical drums can be accurately matched.

In addition, when correcting the step, only the connecting portion is sufficient, so that the entire length of the cylindrical drum in the longitudinal direction is not damaged as in the conventional publication.

Furthermore, since the moving means for moving the grip portion of the grip means at substantially the same speed as the transport speed of the cylindrical drum by the transport means is provided, there is no sliding contact which occurs when the grip portion of the grip means is fixed in position. Therefore, the outer surface of the cylindrical drum can be prevented from being damaged.

〔Example〕

 Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to Examples.

FIGS. 1 to 3 show an embodiment, wherein 1 is, for example, a hollow cylindrical drum which is conveyed upward while chucking a lower cylindrical drum 1 by a robot or the like. In the embodiment, the conveying means 3 performs chucking by the chucks 3A and 3B, and after the chucking, the chucks 3A and 3B are rotated by the screw screws 3C and 3C.
It is configured to increase by rotating it. Instead of this transporting means, a transporting means configured to be raised by a cylinder or the like via the bottom surface of the lower cylindrical drum can be used.

Reference numeral 2 denotes an annular coating head for applying the photosensitive liquid to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical drum 1, which is fixed to the ground and continuously feeds the photosensitive liquid from an outlet opened on the inner surface side during the rising process of the cylindrical drum 1. Is applied by discharging the ink.

As a coating head as a coating means used in the present invention, a coating head which is disposed around the outer surface of the cylindrical drum 1 and has a basic structure for coating a coating liquid on the outer surface of the cylindrical drum 1 can be used. 58-189061, JP-A-60-50537 and the like can be appropriately employed.

This example is shown in FIG. The coating head 2 is a slide hopper type coating head.

To explain this, the coating head 2 includes a cylindrical drum 1
A narrow coating liquid distribution slit 22 having a coating liquid outlet 21 opening to the side is formed in the horizontal direction. This slit
Reference numeral 22 is connected to a liquid reservoir header 23, and the photosensitive liquid L is supplied to the liquid reservoir header 23 by a pressure pump (not shown).

On the other hand, a liquid slide surface 25 is formed on the lower side of the coating liquid outlet 21 of the slit 22 so as to continuously incline in a downward constriction and terminate at a dimension slightly larger than the outer dimension of the cylindrical drum 1,
Further, a lip 26 extends downward from the end of the liquid slide surface 25.

When such a coating head 2 is used, the photosensitive liquid L is extruded from the slit 22 and the coating liquid outlet 21 in the process of lifting the cylindrical drum 1 and flows down along the liquid slide surface 25. The photosensitive liquid L that has reached the lip 26 is applied to the outer surface of the cylindrical drum 1 with a thickness substantially corresponding to the clearance between the lip 26 and the cylindrical drum 1.

For this type of coating head 2, cylindrical drums 1, 1,.
In order to supply concentrically in a state where the groups are connected without a step,
A gripping means 10 is provided.

The gripping means 10 of the embodiment has a slide rail 11, a slide block 12 fitted to the slide rail 11, and a contact / separation cylinder 13 for pressing and retracting the slide block 11 against the outer surface of the cylindrical drum 1. A plurality of slide blocks 12 can be provided, for example, four at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, as shown in FIG. 3, and a cushioning material 12a such as rubber is preferably provided on the front surface of the cylindrical block 1 in order to reduce the impact on the outer surface of the cylindrical drum 1. Can be provided.
The slide rail 11 is fitted on a Y-axis rail 14 and can be moved up and down by rotating a screw screw 16 by an elevating motor 15.

Further, in order to determine the operation timing of the gripping means 10, a joint detecting means 4 is provided. As the connecting portion detecting means 4, an optical means that includes a light projector and a light receiving device and detects that brightness decreases at the connecting portion can be used.

Under the device thus configured, as shown in FIG.
When the lower cylindrical drum 1A is raised by the transport means 3, 3 together with the lower cylindrical drum 1, 1 toward the position of the gripping means 10, 10, the slide blocks 12, 12
Is located at a position retracted from the outer surface of the cylindrical drum.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, when the upper cylindrical drum 1 and one connecting portion are detected by the connecting portion detecting means 4 as shown in FIG. 2, the distance between the connecting portion detecting means 4 and the gripping means 10 is set in advance. Since the length is set to an integral multiple of the length of the cylindrical drum 1, it is determined that the connecting portion between the cylindrical drums 1A and 1B has reached the position of the gripping means 10 and 10, and the contact / separation cylinders 13 and 13 are operated to operate the slide block. 12 and 12 are advanced, and thereby the cylindrical drum 1
Hold A and 1B and correct those steps.

In the present invention, in particular, the rotation angle of the rotation drive motor 3D of the conveying means 3 is detected by a rotation speed detector 5 such as a pulse generator, and the detected rotation angle is used as the conveying speed of the group of cylindrical drums by the conveying means 3 to the elevating motor 15. Then, the ascending speed of the slide rail 11, in other words, the sliding block 12, is synchronized with the ascending speed of the cylindrical drum 1 group. In this embodiment, the slide rail 11 and the elevating motor 15 constitute a moving means according to the present invention.

As described above, when the correction of the step is completed by the gripping by the slide blocks 12 which rises in synchronization with the rising speed of the cylindrical drum 1 group, the slide blocks 12, 12 retreat, and the whole gripping means 10 descends. While returning to the initial position, the ascending by the transport means 3 and 3 is performed again.

The correction of the step is basically performed for each connecting portion.

In the present invention, other modifications of the gripping means, the moving means of the gripping portion of the gripping means, and the transport means of the cylindrical drum itself can be easily estimated by those skilled in the art.

As described above, the present invention is extremely effective as a coating device for producing an electrophotographic photosensitive member. As the photosensitive liquid in this case, an inorganic photosensitive material such as zinc oxide or cadmium sulfide, or a liquid in which an organic photosensitive material such as polyvinyl carbazole and trinitrofluorene is dispersed in a polymer binder can be used. In recent years, a function-separated type photosensitive layer in which a charge generation layer and a charge transport layer are laminated can also be used in order to increase sensitivity and improve durability.

For example, the charge generation layer disperses an azo face, a quinone pigment, a perylene pigment, a phthalocyanine pigment, an anthranthrone pigment, etc. in a polymer binder such as polycarbonate,
The charge transport layer can be obtained by dispersing a polycyclic aromatic compound, a nitrogen-containing cyclic compound and the like in a polymer binder. The thickness of the charge generation layer is from 0.01 to 10 μm, preferably from 0.05 to 5 μm, and the thickness of the charge transport layer is preferably from 5 to 30 μm. The viscosity of the photosensitive solution is in the range of 0.5 to 700 cp, preferably 1 to 700 cp.
It is in the range of ~ 500cp.

Examples of the hollow drum for electrophotography include aluminum, stainless steel, plastic on which a conductive layer is formed, and the like. Further, an undercoat layer or a charge generation layer may be formed first.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, according to the apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the entire drum and the scratch caused by the sliding contact between the gripper and the outer surface of the drum, and it is possible to reliably and easily correct the step. The advantage is brought about.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a state of a positioning device according to an embodiment of the present invention before a step is eliminated, FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a state where a step is eliminated, FIG. 3 is a plan view of an example of an arrangement of slide blocks, FIG.
The figure is a longitudinal sectional view of an example of a coating head, and FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part of an example in which a step is prevented by using a spacer. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Cylindrical drum, 2 ... Coating head, 3 ... Conveying means, 4 ... Connecting part detection means, 5 ... Rotation drive motor, 10
… Grip means, 12… Slide block, 13… Contact cylinder, 14… Slide rail, 15… Elevating motor.

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Kazuyuki Shimizu 1 Sakura-cho, Hino-shi, Tokyo Inside Konica Corporation (56) References JP-A-60-95546 (JP, A) JP-A-56-101149 (JP, A) JP-A-60-244363 (JP, A) JP-A-2-62550 (JP, A) JP-A-1-243064 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶⁾ , DB name) G03G 5/00-5/16

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] An apparatus for positioning a cylindrical drum when surrounding the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical drum and applying a coating liquid to the outer peripheral surface in a process of moving the cylindrical drum while continuously connecting the cylindrical drum in the axial direction. A gripping means for gripping only the outer surface of the connecting portion between the cylindrical drums from the outside to correct a step, and a transporting means for transporting the cylindrical drum group, wherein the gripping portion of the gripping means is moved by the transporting means. Moving means for moving at substantially the same speed as the transport speed of the cylindrical drum.