JP3441158B2 - Fixing device and image forming device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

[Object of the Invention]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus using an electrostatic transfer process, such as an electrostatic copying machine and a printer.
In particular, it relates to the fixing device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the known image forming apparatus as described above, a fixing device is used to fix and fix toner electrostatically formed on a transfer material such as paper to the transfer material. There is. Various types of fixing devices have been proposed, but a transfer material that includes a heated fixing roller and a pressure roller that is in pressure contact with the heated fixing roller, and electrostatically carries a toner image in the pressure contact nip portion of both rollers. It is well known that the one in which the toner image is fixed and fixed to the transfer material by passing through is widely used because of its advantages such as high thermal efficiency, excellent safety, and miniaturization. That's right.

In this type of fixing device, since the toner image comes into direct contact with the fixing roller, a part of the toner forming the toner image adheres to the fixing roller at the time of fixing, and this adhered toner adheres to the next transfer material. There is an unavoidable problem that a so-called offset phenomenon occurs, which is caused by adhesion and deterioration of image quality.

In order to avoid such a problem, measures such as forming the surface of the fixing roller with a material having a good releasability from the toner as much as possible, and further applying silicon oil have been taken. At the same time, however, it is difficult to completely eliminate the offset phenomenon even by using such means, and therefore, a method of cleaning the fixing roller has been proposed.

As such a cleaning means, there has been proposed a method in which a cleaning web made of a non-woven fabric or the like is brought into contact with a fixing roller, which is successively wound up, and at this time, the surface of the fixing roller is rubbed and cleaned. The above
In order to sufficiently rub the web against the fixing roller, it is possible to press the web against the fixing roller with a pressing roller.

The above-mentioned cleaning means is always used.
Since the surface of the fixing roller is rubbed against the fresh web surface, the cleaning function is excellent, and even if the winding speed is extremely slowed to reduce the frequency of web replacement, a sufficient cleaning effect can be expected during normal copying.

At the same time, even such a cleaning means has the following problems. That is, if a jam occurs while the transfer material passes through the fixing device, the fixing device is stopped and the jamming opening / closing door is opened to take out the jammed transfer material. The opening / closing door is usually on the transfer material discharge side and prevents the unfixed toner from contaminating the fingers or the inside of the apparatus when the transfer material is pulled out. Since it is pulled out so as to be rubbed, a large amount of toner is inevitably attached to the roller after the jam processing.

When the image forming operation is started after the jam processing, the cleaning operation of the fixing roller is also started. However, since a large amount of toner adheres to the fixing roller, it exceeds the cleaning web processing function. However, cleaning failure may occur, resulting in deterioration of image quality. Further, the toner adhering to the fixing roller may be transferred to the pressure roller that is in pressure contact with the fixing roller, which may stain the back of the subsequent transfer material.

The present invention has been made to cope with such a situation, and in a fixing device having a web cleaning means, the contamination of the fixing roller after the jam processing can be sufficiently removed, and the image surface of the transfer material can be removed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a device that does not cause contamination of the back surface.

[0010]

[Constitution of the invention]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises a fixing roller and a pressure roller, and allows the transfer material to pass through the nip portion between them.
A fixing device of an image forming apparatus, wherein a cleaning web stretched between a supply shaft and a take-up shaft is brought into contact with the fixing roller, the fixing device having a manual driving means for manually driving the take-up shaft, Alternatively, in the above, a fixing device in which the manual driving unit drives the fixing roller together, or a fixing roller and a pressure roller,
In a fixing device of an image forming apparatus in which a transfer material is made to pass through both nip portions and a cleaning web stretched between a supply shaft and a winding shaft is brought into contact with the fixing roller, A fixing device in which a means for driving the winding shaft at the time of opening and closing the transfer material is provided in the opening / closing lid body for taking out the transfer material from the fixing device, or cleaning by manual driving means in any of the above. In the fixing device in which the winding amount of the web is equal to or larger than the width of the nip portion formed by the fixing roller and the pressing roller that abuts against the fixing roller, or in the second one, the manual driving unit causes the fixing roller to move. In the fixing device, the amount of movement is the minimum usable transfer material length or more.

With this configuration, when a jam occurs in the fixing device of the image forming apparatus, the processing can be easily, quickly, and surely performed.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS "FIG. 1" is a schematic perspective view of a fixing device provided in an image forming apparatus, and is a downstream side of an image forming portion including an image carrier of the image forming apparatus (of a transfer material). The fixing roller 4 is disposed in the running direction only) and includes a fixing roller 4 heated to an appropriate temperature and a pressure roller 40 that is in pressure contact with the fixing roller 4.

A transfer material 20 that electrostatically holds a toner image, formed in an image forming portion (not shown), is conveyed in the direction of arrow B, guided by the pressure contact nip portion N of both rollers, and passes therethrough. It is assumed that the toner image is fused and fixed to the transfer material by the heat and pressure applied at this time and then discharged to the outside of the apparatus.

In such a fixing device, as shown in the drawing, the cleaning web 1 is stretched between the supply shaft 5 and the take-up shaft 2, and the cleaning web 1 is pressed against the fixing roller 4 by the pressing roller 3. Is the
The bush 1 is in contact with the fixing roller 4 with an appropriate nip width.

A drive motor 6 and gear trains 6a and 6b are arranged at one end of the winding shaft 2.
As a result, the cleaning web 1 is wound up at an appropriate speed, and the surface of the fixing roller is rubbed and cleaned.

A gear 7 is provided at the other end of the winding shaft 2.
9 is provided, and a gear 77, a knob 7,
A manual drive unit described below including the spring 8 and the like is provided.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the manual drive section. A shaft 53 having a manual knob 7 at its outer end is slidably and rotatably disposed in openings formed in a supporting plate 52, which is an immovable portion in the image forming apparatus, and a frame 50 provided therein. A gear 77 is arranged at the other end of the shaft 53.

Since the spring 8 is arranged between the gear 77 and the frame 50, in the normal state, the shaft 53, the knob 7 attached to the shaft 53, and the gear 77 elastically move to the left in the drawing. It is biased, and the stepped portion 74 at the tip of the large diameter portion formed on the knob 7 comes into contact with the support plate 52 and stops at this position.

A small-diameter portion 73 loosely fitted to the support plate 52 is formed further ahead of the large-diameter portion of the knob 7, and a ridge 71 is provided in the axial direction of the small-diameter portion. In the stopped state shown in the drawing, the protrusion 71 is fitted in a recess (not shown) formed at a corresponding position of the support plate 52. A stopper 51 is provided on the shaft 53.

As shown in the drawing, in the normal state, the gear 79 arranged on the winding shaft 2 of the cleaning web 1 and the gear 77 provided on the shaft 53 do not mesh with each other. Grasp the knob 7 in this normal state and pull it in the direction of the arrow F in the figure,
Against the action of the spring 8, the knob 7, the shaft 53, and the gear 77 are
The stopper 51 moves in the same direction until it comes into contact with the frame body 50.

At this time, the protrusion 71 formed on the small-diameter portion 73 of the knob 7 also moves to the right and comes out of the fitting recess formed on the support plate 52, so that the knob 7 can freely rotate .
Further, at this time, the gear 77 also moves rightward and engages with the gear 79 at the end of the web winding shaft 2. When the knob 7 is rotated once, the protrusion 71 comes to the recessed position of the support plate 52, so that the knob 8, the shaft 53, and the gear 77 are returned to the illustrated positions by the action of the spring 8 and are regulated by the stepped portion 74. Stop at position.

With this construction, the cleaning web 1 is wound around the winding shaft 2 by an amount corresponding to that while the knob 7 is pulled out and rotated once. At this time, the winding amount is about the amount corresponding to the nip width formed by the web 1 abutting on the fixing roller 4, and the knob is 1
It is preferred that the rotation causes the new surface of the cleaning web to come into contact with the fixing roller 4.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the essential part showing another embodiment. A frame 83 is attached to a support plate 82, which is an immovable portion in the main body of the apparatus, and a shaft 81 is rotatably arranged in an opening provided in these.

A knob 80 is provided at the outer end of the shaft 81, and a gear 78 is provided at the other end of the shaft 81.
The gear 78 is engaged with the end gear 79 of the winding shaft 2 of the cleaning web 1.

It is assumed that the gear 78 is provided with a one-way clutch that freely rotates only when the gear 79 rotates in the web winding direction . That is,
In the case of the configuration shown in FIG. 3 , the winding shaft 2 is
"Figure 3" symbol H direction times (clockwise direction as viewed from the right in the figure)
It is assumed that the gear 78 is adapted to freely rotate when rolling .

Further, a leaf spring 85 is arranged on the frame 83, and the tip of the spring is engaged with a recess provided in the hub portion of the gear 78.

[0027] Since has such a configuration, during normal operation the cleaning web is operating, the cleaning web 1, the winding direction of the arrow A winding successively progressing to the shaft 2 of "Figure 1" Accordingly, the gear 79 rotates accordingly, but in this case, the gear 78 rotates freely.

When the new surface of the cleaning web 1 is to be brought into contact with the fixing roller 4 after the jam treatment,
If rotating it with the knob 80 in a counterclockwise direction (as viewed from the right in the figure has), the relative rotation direction of the shaft 81 and the gear 78, works one-way clutch because the opposite to that of the gear 78 There rotated, it rotates the take-up shaft 2 in the winding direction via the gear 79.

When the knob 80 is rotated , the spring 85 is disengaged from the groove M of the hub portion of the gear 78, and after one rotation of the knob, the spring 85 again enters into the groove M and stops at the normal position. Therefore, it is preferable to set the winding amount so that the new surface of the cleaning web comes into contact with the fixing roller 4 by one rotation of the knob 80.

In the above apparatus, it is of course possible to use drive transmission means such as a belt or a chain instead of the gear. If the cleaning operation for the fixing roller is performed during the jam processing, the portion of the web that contacts the fixing roller when the unfixed toner rotates while adhering to the fixing roller is soiled. Therefore, the cleaning operation is performed before and after the fixing operation. Is good.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment, and FIG.
[Fig. 3] is a plan view of an essential part of the same. Fixing roller 4 of fixing device
Is rotationally driven by a motor 12 via a drive gear 13. The cleaning web 1 stretched between the supply shaft 5 and the take-up shaft 2 is in contact with the fixing roller 4 by the pressing roller 3. Further, the winding shaft 2 is driven by a motor 6 via a gear 66 to wind the cleaning web 1 and clean the surface of the fixing roller 4.

A gear 9 is provided at the end of the fixing roller, and a gear 99 is provided at the end of the winding shaft 2. Further, on the side where these gears are arranged, as shown in FIG. 5, a shaft 53 is rotatably pivoted over a fixedly arranged support plate 52 and a frame body 50 provided on the support plate 52. A knob 7 is provided at the outer end portion and a gear 78 is provided at the inner end portion. The gear 78 is provided with a jam that pulls the knob 7 downward in the drawing even in the normal state where the fixing operation shown in FIG. meshes constantly gear 9 also during processing, additionally be mounted one-way clutch gear 78, the clutch when the fixing operation shown is performed, so as to idle.

The gear 99 at the end of the winding shaft 2 does not mesh with the gear 78 during the fixing operation, but meshes with the gear 78 only when the knob is pulled.

With such a structure, even if the fixing roller 4 rotates during the fixing operation shown in FIG.
The gear 78 only idles and does not affect the shaft 53, and the winding shaft 2 is driven in a predetermined manner by the motor 6 to wind the cleaning web 1 for cleaning.

When a jam occurs, after stopping the fixing device, the knob 7 is pulled (downward in FIG. 5) and the gear 78 is also meshed with the gear 99, and the counterclockwise direction (see FIG. 5) ( if rotation in the drawing are viewed from below), the knob 7 returns to the position of FIG. after one revolution.

[0036] Rotation During rotation of the knob, since the relative rotational direction of the gear 78 is opposite to that of the one-way Kura <br/> Tsu gear 9 switch acts, gear 99 are both clockwise At this time, by appropriately setting the gear ratios of the gears 78, 9, 99, the new surface of the cleaning web is brought into contact with the fixing roller 4, and the unfixed transfer material is discharged in the direction B in the figure. It becomes possible. In this case, it is preferable that the minimum transfer material that can be copied is discharged by one rotation of the knob 7.

According to the above apparatus, in the case of jam clearance,
Without changing the operator's fingers, the cleaning web replacement position, fixing roller cleaning,
It is possible to remove the jammed transfer material.

FIG. 6 is a schematic side view of the fixing device portion of the image forming apparatus showing still another embodiment, in which the fixing means including the fixing roller 4 and the pressure roller 40 is provided in the image forming apparatus. It is assumed that the transfer material is disposed in the nip portion of both rollers in the direction of the arrow B and fixing is performed. Reference numerals 21 and 22 in the figure denote separation claws.

It is assumed that the cleaning web 1 stretched between the supply shaft 5 and the take-up shaft 2 is pressed against the fixing roller 4 by the pressing roller 3 so that the rubbing cleaning is performed.

Reference numeral 12 in the drawing denotes a lid for releasing the transfer material from the nip portion when a jam occurs, which is pivotally attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus by a pin 15, and the dotted line in the drawing indicates a half-opened state. Shows. When the lid 12 is in the closed position, a gear-shaped winding shaft drive member 10 is arranged on the winding shaft 2 at a position corresponding to the claw portion 11a near the tip of the arm 11 formed on the lid 12. There is.

With this configuration, after the jam processing,
When the lid 12 is closed, the claw portion 11a engages with the drive member 10 to rotate the shaft 2 and wind up the web 1 to perform cleaning. At this time, the winding amount is
The number of teeth of the driving member 10 and the range in which the claw portions 11a come into contact with the driving member 10 may be appropriately set so that the width of the pressure contact nip portion between the pressing roller 3 and the fixing roller 4 is about the same.

In this device, the claw portion 11a is pivotally attached to the arm 11 as a separate body, and is rotatably arranged only in the clockwise direction in the drawing so that the lid body 12 is driven when released. It is also possible to drive the winding shaft 2 via the member 10 to wind the cleaning web 1.

[0043]

As described above, according to the present invention,
In a fixing device that performs cleaning by sequentially rubbing the cleaning web against the fixing roller of the fixing device, when the jam occurs, the cleaning web or the fixing roller is manually wound up. A great amount of toner adhering to the roller can be cleaned, and thereafter, a new surface of the cleaning web can be brought into contact with the fixing roller to perform a good cleaning operation. Further, by rotating the fixing roller together with the cleaning web, it is possible to remove the jammed transfer material without the operator directly touching it.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a cleaning unit of a fixing device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the main part of the manual operation knob side of the same as above.

FIG. 3 is a side view of essential parts showing another configuration of the manual operation knob mechanism.

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a cleaning unit according to another embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the main part in the vicinity of the manual operation knob shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a schematic side view of a cleaning unit of a fixing device showing still another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols] 1 cleaning web 2 winding shaft 3 Pressing roller 4 fixing roller 5 supply rollers 6 motor 7 knobs 8 springs 9 gears 11a Winding shaft drive member 12 Lid 53 axes 77, 78, gear 79, 99 gears

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A fixing roller and a pressure roller are provided,
Allow the transfer material to pass through the nip between the two and clean the cleaning web stretched between the supply shaft and the take-up shaft.
In a fixing device of an image forming apparatus that is brought into contact with the fixing roller, a manual drive hand for manually driving the fixing roller.
A step, and the winding shaft is manually driven by the manual drive means.
A fixing device that is characterized by being made . 2. The manual driving means drives the fixing roller when removing a transfer material having a paper jam at or near the fixing roller. Fixing device. Wherein said take-up shaft, the manual drive means using when driving the fixing roller, according to claim 1 or claims, characterized in that it is intended to be driven in conjunction with the drive Item 3. The fixing device according to item 2. 4. A fixing roller and a pressure roller are provided,
So as to pass through the transfer material to the nip portion therebetween, the fixing roller, provided with a fixing device comprising abut the cleaning web which is stretched between the supply shaft and the take-up shaft, transfer
In an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a material, an opening / closing lid body provided in a main body of the image forming apparatus for taking out a transfer material from a fixing device is provided with the winding member at the time of the opening / closing operation.
The take- up shaft is driven by the abutment of the claw part that abuts the take-up shaft.
An image forming apparatus characterized by. 5. A winding amount of the cleaning web according to the manual drive means, the fixing roller and this of claims 1 to 3 was width similar to no more nip formed by pressure roller in contact with The fixing device according to any one of the above. 6. A fixing device according to any one of said manual drive means by a length to more is preceding claims minimum transfer material amount of moving the fixing roller can be used 3 .