JP3451170B2 - Cleaning equipment - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is used in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer and a facsimile machine,
The present invention relates to a cleaning device for removing toner and the like remaining on the surface of a photosensitive drum. In particular, the present invention relates to a cleaning device suitable for a small image forming apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to an image to be formed is formed by exposing a uniformly charged photosensitive drum by an exposure device. The electrostatic latent image is developed into a toner image by the developing device. The toner image is transferred to a sheet by, for example, discharging a transfer charger, and then the toner particles are fixed on the sheet by a fixing device, whereby the image is formed.

After the toner image is transferred onto the paper, some toner particles remain on the surface of the photosensitive drum without being transferred onto the paper. In order to remove this residual toner from the surface of the photosensitive drum, the image forming apparatus is usually equipped with a cleaning device. As this cleaning device, for example, a plate type cleaning blade made of rubber is pressed against the surface of the photoconductor drum to mechanically remove the toner adhering to the surface of the photoconductor drum. Things are known.

In the blade type cleaning device, when the cleaning blade is fixed and contacts the surface of the photosensitive drum at the same position, foreign matter such as paper dust is caught between the surface of the photosensitive drum and the cleaning blade. , Undesired images such as black streaks may be recorded on the paper. Therefore, in the conventional cleaning device, by reciprocally displacing the cleaning blade in the axial direction of the photoconductor drum, foreign matter is prevented from being caught between the surface of the photoconductor drum and the cleaning blade.
No. 155080, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 62-19675).

[0005]

By the way, in recent years,
There is a demand for miniaturization of the printer main body so that the printer or the like can be used by each individual. For that purpose, it is necessary to reduce the diameter of the photosensitive drum and the miniaturization of the cleaning device. However, when the photoconductor drum and the cleaning device are downsized, if the contact position of the cleaning blade with respect to the photoconductor is slightly deviated in the rotation direction of the photoconductor drum, the angle of the cleaning blade with respect to the tangential direction of the photoconductor drum (hereinafter, The “pressing angle”) changes significantly, and good cleaning performance cannot be achieved. Further, there is a possibility that a problem may occur in which the cleaning blade rolls up in the moving direction due to the movement of the surface of the photoconductor. Therefore, in a small cleaning device, the cleaning blade is generally fixed to the housing.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, and to prevent foreign matter from being caught between the surface of the photosensitive drum and the cleaning blade, and to always provide good cleaning performance. It is to provide a device.

[0007]

A cleaning device according to claim 1 for achieving the above object is provided in an image forming apparatus, and a toner image remains on a surface of a photoconductor after being transferred to a sheet. the by which toner a cleaning device for removing, the longitudinal of the cleaning blade in the axial direction of the photosensitive member, the cleaning blade is held in a state where its longitudinal edge is in contact with the photosensitive member surface blade a holding mechanism, so that the angle of the cleaning blade does not change with respect to the tangential direction of the photosensitive member when viewed in the axial direction of the photosensitive member, and a thrust mechanism for reciprocally displacing the blade holding mechanism in the axial direction of the photosensitive member , The blade protection
The holding mechanism is a transfer mechanism to which the above cleaning blade is attached.
The moving plate, the roller attached to this moving plate, and the roller
It has a pair of upper and lower regulating plates, the moving plate,
By the above roller and a pair of regulation plates,
It is fixed with respect to the crossing direction, and in the axial direction of the photoconductor
It is characterized by being displaceable .

Generally, the angle of the cleaning blade with respect to the tangential direction of the photosensitive member (press contact angle) when viewed in the axial direction of the photosensitive member is one of the factors that determine the cleaning performance. For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, when the contact angle A is small, the residual toner on the surface of the photoconductor cannot be scraped off well by the tip portion of the cleaning blade, and the toner remains on the surface of the photoconductor. I will end up. In addition, the toner remaining on the surface of the photoconductor is pressed against the surface of the photoconductor by the cleaning blade,
There is also a risk of sticking to the surface of the photoconductor.

On the other hand, when the pressure contact angle A is large, the cleaning blade is curved due to the movement of the surface of the photoconductor and rolls up in the moving direction (see FIG. 6B), or the thickness of the cleaning blade is changed by the movement of the surface of the photoconductor. 6C, the cleaning blade bounces on the surface of the photoconductor, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 6C, and the cleaning performance deteriorates. Therefore, in order to exhibit good cleaning performance, the cleaning blade needs to be constantly pressed against the surface of the photoconductor at a predetermined pressure contact angle.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the blade holding mechanism keeps the angle of the cleaning blade constant with respect to the tangential direction of the photoconductor when viewed in the axial direction of the photoconductor. It is reciprocally displaced in the direction. Therefore, good cleaning performance can always be exhibited. Further, since the cleaning blade is reciprocally displaced in the axial direction of the photoconductor, foreign matter such as paper dust is unlikely to be caught between the cleaning blade and the photoconductor surface. Therefore, undesired images such as black streaks are not recorded on the paper due to the toner that cannot be cleaned and remains due to the paper dust that has been caught.

[0011]

Further, the moving plate cleaning blade is mounted, the pair of regulating plates provided above and below the rollers and rollers, is fixed with respect to a direction intersecting the axial direction of the photosensitive member, in the axial direction of the photosensitive member Since it is displaceable, for example, when the drum diameter of the photoconductor is changed, if the pressure contact angle of the cleaning blade needs to be adjusted significantly, it can be adjusted by replacing the roller or the regulation plate. is there.

[0013] According to a second aspect of the invention, the thrust mechanism, whereas the thrust gear plane is a tapered surface which is inclined with respect to the other plane, a slider washer attached to the tapered surface of the thrust gear Further, a thrust pin extending in the axial direction of the photoconductor is attached to one end of the moving plate, and the tip of the thrust pin is always in contact with the slider washer. The cleaning device according to claim 1 .

According to the configuration of this, the tapered surface formed on the thrust gear, with the thrust pin is pushed,
The moving plate is displaced in the axial direction of the photoconductor. At this time, since the thrust pin is in contact with the slider washer provided on the tapered surface, if the slider washer is made of a material having a small friction coefficient, the frictional force generated between the thrust pin and the slider washer can be reduced. The movable plate can be smoothly displaced.

[0015] According to a third aspect, the blade holding mechanism further includes a blade holder in which the cleaning blade is mounted, and an adjustment plate for mounting the blade holder to the mobile plate, the adjustment The board is
The cleaning device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a mounting position with respect to the moving plate can be adjusted in a direction toward and away from the photoconductor.

According to this structure, since the mounting position of the adjusting plate can be adjusted, for example, the material of the photoconductor, the rotation speed of the photoconductor, the toner used for development, the material of the cleaning blade, etc. Te, it is possible to adjust the amount of bite into the photosensitive member cleaning blade, Ru can be exhibited constantly good cleaning performance.

[0017]

[0018]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.
It will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus to which a cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, and specifically, the configuration of an image forming unit of a small copying machine is shown. This copying machine is provided with a photosensitive drum 1 that rotates in the direction of arrow 21. Around the photosensitive drum 1, a main charger 2, an exposure device 3,
A developing device 4, a transfer charger 5 and a cleaning device 6 are provided.

During image formation, the photosensitive drum 1 is rotated in the direction of rotation 2.
1 is rotated at a constant speed. Then, due to the discharge of the main charger 2, the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 is uniformly charged to a predetermined constant potential. As the photosensitive drum 1 rotates, the uniformly charged surface faces the exposure device 3. The exposure device 3 emits light based on the data of the image to be formed, and exposes the surface of the photosensitive drum 1. Then, the charge of the exposed portion escapes, and a high potential region and a low potential region are generated on the surface of the photoconductor drum 1 to form a so-called electrostatic latent image.

The surface of the photosensitive drum 1 on which the electrostatic latent image is formed then faces the developing device 4, and the electrostatic latent image is visualized by the toner. More specifically, the developing device 4
Toner is filled inside, and this toner is supplied to the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 by the developing roller 41, and the toner is exposed to the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1. It adheres to the surface of the body drum 1. As a result, the electrostatic latent image is visualized as a toner image.

The photosensitive drum 1 further rotates and the toner image faces the transfer charger 5. On the other hand, the paper P accommodated in the paper feed tray (not shown) is conveyed along the guide 23, and is stopped with the leading end portion nipped by the registration roller 24 installed near the photoconductor drum 1. There is. At the timing when the toner image formed on the surface of the photoconductor drum 1 and the paper are aligned by the transfer charger 5, the registration roller 24 is rotationally driven to move the paper P.
Are supplied to the photosensitive drum 1. Then, due to the discharge of the transfer charger 5, the toner adhering to the surface of the photoconductor drum 1 moves to the paper P side and adheres to the surface of the paper P.

The paper P on which the toner image is transferred is guided to the fixing device 27 by the conveyor belt 26. Fixing device 27
Is equipped with a pressure roller 28 and a heat roller 29. By the functions of the pressure roller 28 and the heat roller 29,
The toner image transferred to the paper P is fixed on the paper. The sheet P after the fixing process is discharged to the outside of the apparatus by a transport mechanism (not shown).

Photoreceptor drum 1 after the toner image is transferred
Normally, a part of the toner remains on the surface of the sheet P without being transferred to the sheet P. The photoconductor drum 1 is further rotated,
When the surface on which the residual toner adheres faces the cleaning device 6, the residual toner is removed by the cleaning device 6. More specifically, the cleaning device 6 includes a cleaning blade 61 that scrapes off residual toner from the surface of the photosensitive drum 1, and a cleaning blade 6.
A collecting roller 62 that conveys the toner scraped off by No. 1 to the toner collecting unit 63 is provided. The cleaning blade 61 is made of polyurethane rubber, for example, and is a plate-like member elongated in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 1. The collecting roller 62 is formed of, for example, a rubber roller, and is in contact with the photosensitive drum 1 on the upstream side of the cleaning blade 61 in the rotation direction 21 of the photosensitive drum 1.

The cleaning device 6 is further provided with a spiral member 64. The toner conveyed by the collecting roller 62 and collected in the toner collecting section 63 is
The spiral member 64 feeds the paper P in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction, and discards it in a container (not shown) outside the cleaning device 6. FIG. 2 is an end view when the cleaning device 6 is cut in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum 1. Further, FIG. 3 is a plan view of the cleaning device 6 viewed from above. The configuration of the cleaning device 6 will be described more specifically with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

The cleaning device 6 includes the cleaning blade 61, the collecting roller 62, the toner collecting portion 63, and the spiral member 64, as well as the cleaning blade 6.
1 is provided with a blade holding mechanism 80 and a thrust mechanism 90 for reciprocally displacing the cleaning blade 61 in the axial direction of the photoconductor drum 1. These and the photoconductor drum 1 have a common unit housing 65. Held in.

The unit housing 65 includes a pair of side plates 66, 67, a convexly curved main plate 68 connecting the side plates 66, 67, and a thrust base 69 connected to the upper part of the main plate 68. Has been. A pair of side plates 66,
The tip end portion of 67 serves as a drum holding portion that holds the photosensitive drum 1 rotatably. In addition, the collection roller 62
Is also rotatably held by the pair of side plates 66 and 67.

The main plate 68 and the thrust base 69 are made of a metal such as aluminum, and are long in the direction of the rotation axis 11 of the photosensitive drum 1. The thrust base 69 has a holding plate 72 joined to the upper edge of the main plate 68, and a rear face plate 73 that rises upward from the rear edge of the holding plate 72. The space defined by the main plate 68 and the holding plate 72 of the thrust base 69 is the toner collecting section 63. At the tip of the main plate 68, a seal film 70 made of, for example, a PET film is attached over the length of the main plate 68. The seal film 70 is provided upright from the main plate 68, and the tip of the seal film 70 is in contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 1. The seal film 70 is for preventing the toner collected by the cleaning device 6 from scattering to the photosensitive drum 1 side.

The collecting roller 62 is disposed above the main plate 68 and is in contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 downstream of the seal film 70 in the rotation direction 21 of the photosensitive drum 1. On the other hand, at a predetermined position of the main plate 68, the collecting roller 6
A scraper 71 for scraping off the toner adhering to the surface of No. 2 is attached. The tip of the scraper 71 is in contact with the peripheral surface of the collecting roller 62 on the downstream side of the photosensitive drum 1 in the rotation direction 25 of the collecting roller 62, and the toner scraped by the scraper 71 is collected by the toner collecting portion 63. It is supposed to be collected.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 97 is a seal member made of, for example, a sponge, which prevents the toner collected in the toner collecting section 63 from scattering to the photosensitive drum 1 side. The toner seal member 97 is attached to the cleaning blade 6 by a thrust mechanism 90 described later.
Even when 1 is reciprocally displaced in the axial direction of the photoconductor drum 1, no compression is generated between the cleaning blade 61 and the side plates 66 and 67, and the reciprocating displacement of the cleaning blade 61 is not hindered. Is provided.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line IV--IV in FIG.
It is a sectional view of the blade holding mechanism 80. Also, FIG.
6 is a perspective view showing a part of the blade holding mechanism 80 and the thrust mechanism 90, and the coil spring 39 is not shown in the drawing for simplicity. Below, FIG.
2 to 4, the configurations of the blade holding mechanism 80 and the thrust mechanism 90 will be described in detail.

The blade holding mechanism 80 reciprocates in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 1 along the blade holder 81 holding the cleaning blade 61, the adjusting plate 82 to which the blade holder 81 is attached, and the thrust base 69. The movable plate 86 is provided so as to be displaceable. The moving plate 86 is, for example, a long member formed by bending a metal plate in a U-shaped cross section, and the angle when viewed in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 1 does not change, and the thrust base 6 does not change.
9 is reciprocally displaced in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 1.

The blade holder 81 is, for example, a metal angle member, and the surface facing the photosensitive drum 1 is a mounting surface for mounting the cleaning blade 61. The blade holder 81 is fixed to the adjusting plate 82 by three screws 84. Further, the adjusting plate 82 is
It is attached to the moving plate 86 by three screws 85. By loosening the screws 85, the attachment position can be adjusted in the direction of approaching and separating from the photosensitive drum 1. Thereby, for example, the material of the photosensitive drum 1,
By adjusting the mounting position of the adjusting plate 82 according to the rotation speed of the photosensitive drum 1, the toner used, the material of the cleaning blade 61, etc., the amount of the cleaning blade 61 biting into the photosensitive drum 1 is adjusted. be able to. Therefore, good cleaning performance can always be exhibited. In addition, the moving plate 8 is adjusted by the adjusting plate 82.
Since the strength of 6 in the longitudinal direction is increased, even if the cleaning blade 61 is strongly pressed against the photosensitive drum 1, the moving plate 86 does not bend.

The blade holding mechanism 80 further includes three rollers 87, 88, 89 attached to the moving plate 86, a pressing plate 33 attached to the rear plate 73 of the thrust base 69, and the moving plate 86. 3 has pin holding plates 51 and 52 extending to both left and right ends. More specifically, the moving plate 86 has three rollers 87, 88, 8 on the surface facing the rear plate 73 of the thrust base 69.
9 are rotatably attached at a predetermined interval.
The peripheral surface of the second central roller 88 is in contact with the upper surface of the holding plate 72 of the thrust base 69. The peripheral surfaces of the first roller 87 and the third roller 89 provided on both sides of the second roller 88 are
It is not in contact with the holding plate 72, but is in contact with the lower surface of the pressing plate 33 at the upper side.

The pressing plate 33 includes a fixing portion 35 fixed to the rear surface plate 73 of the thrust base 69 with a screw 34,
The holding portion 3 extending in parallel with the holding plate 72 from the upper edge of the fixed portion 35 via the long holes 31 and 32 formed in the rear plate 73.
6, 37 and. The lower surfaces of the pressing portions 36 and 37 are in contact with the peripheral surfaces of the first roller 87 and the third roller 89, respectively, from above.

As described above, the second roller 88 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the holding plate 72 of the thrust base 69, and the pressing portions 36 and 37 are brought into contact with the first roller 87 and the third roller 89, respectively. The plate 83 is reciprocally displaceable in the axial direction of the photoconductor drum 1 (directions of arrows 94 and 95) while being fixed in the direction of arrow 99.

The pin holding plate 51 extends upward from the left end edge of the moving plate 86 in FIG. 5, and a thrust pin 54 is provided at a predetermined position on the outer surface of the pin holding plate 51. ing. The tip of the thrust pin 54 is in contact with a slider washer 92 (described later) included in the thrust mechanism 90. A support shaft 56 is provided on the pin holding plate 51 so as to protrude toward the left side. This support shaft 5
6 is received in a bearing hole (not shown) formed at a predetermined position of the drum support plate 67.

The pin holding plate 52 extends upward from the right end edge of the moving plate 86 in FIG. A support shaft 53 is provided on the pin holding plate 52 so as to project rightward, and the support shaft 53 is received in a bearing hole (not shown) formed in the drum support plate 66. Therefore, the moving plate 86
Is in a state of being axially supported by the drum support plates 66 and 67 by the support shafts 53 and 56, and when the diameter of the photosensitive drum 1 is changed, the three rollers 87, 88 and 89 and the pressing members are pressed. The plate 33 can be changed, and the movable plate 86 can be slightly rotated about the support shafts 53 and 56 so that the cleaning blade 61 can be pressed against the photosensitive drum 1 at an appropriate pressure contact angle.

It should be noted that there is a gap between the leading edge of the moving plate 86 and the leading edge of the holding plate 72 of the thrust base 69, and this gap is a flat plate shape attached to the upper surface of the holding plate 72 and is long. The toner seal sponge 96 prevents the toner collected in the toner collecting section 63 from scattering to the blade holding mechanism 80 side. next,
The thrust mechanism 90 includes a thrust gear 91 rotatably provided on the side plate 67 and a slider washer 92 attached to the thrust gear 91.

As described above, the thrust gear 91 is rotatably provided on the side plate 67. Thrust gear 9
The plane 9 facing the side plate 67 of the plane portion 1
3 is a tapered surface inclined with respect to the other plane, and the thrust gear 91 has a substantially wedge shape when viewed from its radial direction (see FIG. 3). A slider washer 92 made of a material having a relatively small coefficient of friction is provided between the tapered surface 93 and the thrust pin 54 provided on the pin holding plate 51. The tip of the thrust pin 54 is in contact with the slider washer 92, and the thrust pin 54 can move smoothly on the slider washer 92.

When the thrust gear 91 is rotationally driven by a drive mechanism (not shown), the thrust pin 54 is pushed by the tapered surface 93, and the moving plate 83 moves in the direction of arrow 94. Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a coil spring 39 is stretched over the holding portion 36 of the holding plate 33 and the hooking portion 38 provided at a predetermined position of the moving plate 86. The moving plate 83 is constantly urged in the direction of arrow 95 by the elastic force of the spring 39. Therefore,
When the thrust gear 91 is further rotated, the moving plate 83
Moves in the direction of arrow 95 by the elastic force of the coil spring 39. In this way, the moving plate 83 is reciprocally displaced in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 1. Therefore, the cleaning blade 61 is also reciprocally displaced in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 1.

Therefore, foreign matter such as paper dust is unlikely to be caught between the cleaning blade 61 and the surface of the photosensitive drum 1, and even if foreign matter such as paper dust is present between the cleaning blade 61 and the surface of the photosensitive drum 1. Even if it is pinched, the foreign matter is removed by displacing the cleaning blade 61 in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 1. As a result, it is possible to prevent undesired black streaks or the like from being formed on the sheet due to the cleaning performance being deteriorated by the foreign matter that is caught.

As described above, the second roller 88 contacts the upper surface of the holding plate 72 of the thrust base 69, and the first roller 87 and the third roller 89 are pressed downward by the pressing plates 33 and 34, respectively. The movable plate 86 can be displaced in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 1 while being fixed in the direction of arrow 99. Therefore, when the moving plate 86 is reciprocally displaced in the axial direction of the photoconductor drum 1, the tip of the cleaning blade 61 is always pressed against the photoconductor drum 1 at a constant press contact angle, and the shaft of the photoconductor drum 1 is moved. Can be reciprocally displaced in any direction. Therefore, good cleaning performance can always be exhibited.

The blade holder 81 is attached to the adjusting plate 82.
Since it is attached to the moving plate 86 via the
By moving 2 toward and away from the photoconductor drum 1, the amount of the cleaning blade 61 biting into the photoconductor drum 1 can be adjusted. Therefore, the processing accuracy of the individual members of the cleaning device 6 can be relatively moderate.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, in the above description of the embodiment, the case where the cleaning device according to the present invention is provided in the copying machine is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to the copying machine and can be applied to an image forming apparatus such as a printer or a facsimile device. . In addition to this, various modifications can be made within the scope described in the claims.

[0045]

According to the invention described in claim 1, since the pressure contact angle of the cleaning blade is always kept constant,
It is possible to always exhibit good cleaning performance.
Further, since the cleaning blade is reciprocally displaced in the axial direction of the photoconductor, foreign matter such as paper dust is unlikely to be caught between the cleaning blade and the photoconductor surface. Therefore, an undesired image such as a black stripe is not recorded on the paper due to the foreign matter.

[0046] Further, with a simple structure, while maintaining a cleaning blade pressure angle with respect to the photosensitive member at a constant, it can be reciprocated and displaced in the axial direction of the photosensitive member. Also, since the rollers are pressed from above and below, the rollers do not rattle,
You can move smoothly. Further, for example, when the drum diameter of the photoconductor is changed, when it is necessary to greatly adjust the pressure contact angle of the cleaning blade, the adjustment can be performed by exchanging the roller and the regulation plate.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, if the slider washer is made of a material having a small friction coefficient, the frictional force generated between the thrust pin and the slider washer can be reduced, and the moving plate can be smoothly displaced. Can be made. According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the mounting position of the adjusting plate can be adjusted, it is possible to adjust the amount of the cleaning blade that bites into the photosensitive member, and it is possible to exhibit good cleaning performance.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the cleaning device is held together with the photoconductor by the common unit housing, so that the size can be reduced and the cleaning device is suitable for a small image forming apparatus. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus to which a cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a view showing an end surface when the cleaning device is cut in a direction orthogonal to a rotation axis of a photosensitive drum.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the cleaning device as viewed from above.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the blade holding mechanism taken along section line IV-IV in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a part of a blade holding mechanism and a thrust mechanism.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a problem caused by the pressure contact angle of the cleaning blade.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 photoconductor drum 8 cleaning device 33 Press plate 54 Thrust Pin 61 cleaning blade 65 unit housing 69 Thrust base 80 Blade holding mechanism 81 blade holder 82 Adjustment plate 86 moving plate 87,88,89 90 Thrust mechanism 91 Thrust Gear 92 Slider washer 93 Tapered surface

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Akira Matayoshi 1-2-2 Tamatsukuri, Chuo-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture Mita Kogyo Co., Ltd. (56) References: 1-155080 (JP, U) Sho 62-127547 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G03G 21/10-21/12

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A cleaning device, provided in an image forming apparatus, for removing toner remaining on a surface of a photoconductor after a toner image is transferred onto a sheet, the cleaning device extending in the axial direction of the photoconductor. Cleaning blade, a blade holding mechanism that holds the cleaning blade in a state where its longitudinal edge is in contact with the surface of the photoconductor, and the above-mentioned tangential direction of the photoconductor when viewed in the axial direction of the photoconductor. To prevent the angle of the cleaning blade from changing,
The blade holding mechanism includes a thrust mechanism for reciprocally displacing the blade in the axial direction of the photoconductor, and the blade holding mechanism includes a moving plate to which the cleaning blade is attached, a roller attached to the moving plate, and upper and lower sides of the roller. A pair of regulating plates provided on the moving plate, the moving plate is fixed by the roller and the pair of regulating plates in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the photoconductor, and is movable in the axial direction of the photoconductor. A cleaning device characterized in that 2. The thrust mechanism further includes a thrust gear having a tapered surface, one plane of which is inclined with respect to the other plane, and a slider washer attached to the tapered surface of the thrust gear. 2. A thrust pin extending in the axial direction of the photoconductor is attached to one end of the movable plate, and the tip of the thrust pin is always in contact with the slider washer. Cleaning device. 3. The blade holding mechanism further includes a blade holder to which the cleaning blade is attached, and an adjusting plate for attaching the blade holder to the moving plate, wherein the adjusting plate is the moving plate. The cleaning device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a mounting position of the cleaning device can be adjusted in a direction toward and away from the photoconductor.