JP3908217B2 - Release agent application mechanism, fixing device, printing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a release agent application mechanism that applies a release agent such as oil to a fixing roller of a printing apparatus.

Usually, a printing apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer includes a fixing device for fixing a toner image transferred to a printing paper.
Such a fixing device normally performs image fixing by thermocompression bonding of a printing sheet onto which an image has been transferred with a fixing roller (roller pair).

By the way, in such a fixing device, a release agent such as silicone oil is supplied (applied) to the surface of the fixing roller. This is to prevent image transfer (image offset) to the fixing roller and wrapping of printing paper around the fixing roller in order to stably perform image fixing.
Such application of oil is described in Patent Documents 1 to 3.

8 and 9 are explanatory views showing conventional oil application techniques for the fixing roller described in Patent Documents 2-3.
As shown in these drawings, conventionally, a tubular member 105 is supplied from an oil tank 104 that can inject oil from the outside and always stores oil by a piezo-type pump (or electromagnetic pump) 103 on the upper part thereof. Oil is sucked up and supplied to the pipe member 101.

  A plurality of holes (oil discharge holes) are provided in the upper part of the pipe member 101 along the longitudinal direction thereof. Further, a felt 106 and a felt (felt for supplying a release agent) 106 for receiving oil raining down from the pipe member 101 are applied to a fixing roller (applied member) 102 below the pipe member 101. An application roller 107 is provided for this purpose.

  In addition, processing (for example, caulking processing (processing for crushing the tip with a press or the like)) for preventing oil from leaking is performed on the most downstream side (tip portion) of the pipe member 101. Oil spill from the

  Further, the excess oil remaining on the felt 106 without being applied to the fixing roller 102 is collected by a dish-shaped oil pan (release agent receiving tray) 108 formed in the lower part thereof. Then, it is returned to the oil tank 104 by a tubular member 109 connected to the oil pan 108.

A sensor 110 that detects the remaining amount of oil is installed in the oil tank 104. The sensor 110 detects the remaining amount of oil in the tank and transmits the detection result to the control unit of the printing apparatus.
As a result, when the remaining amount of oil is low, a display for prompting oil replenishment is displayed on a display panel or the like provided in the printing apparatus main body, or the printing apparatus is temporarily disabled.

  Note that when the oil supply is partially insufficient in the longitudinal direction of the fixing roller 102, the above-described image offset and printing paper wrapping occur. Accordingly, it is very important to supply the oil uniformly (balance the supply amount) in the longitudinal direction of the fixing roller 102.

  For this reason, in the above-described prior art, a plurality of holes are formed in the pipe member 101 upward (upward). Accordingly, it is possible to simultaneously discharge oil from all the holes in a state where the printing apparatus is installed horizontally (normal state).

Further, in the conventional technology as described above, only the felt and the application roller are provided as an intermediate member provided between the pipe and the fixing roller for diffusing oil in the longitudinal direction.
Therefore, when the viscosity of the oil is relatively high, the oil cannot be sufficiently diffused and may not be uniformly applied in the longitudinal direction.
For this reason, in the techniques of Patent Documents 2 and 3, a guide member is provided on the pipe member 101 so as to achieve uniformity.
JP-A-8-137317 (issue date; May 31, 1996) JP 2002-278345 A (issue date: September 27, 2002) JP 2003-122167 A (issue date; April 25, 2003)

  However, in the prior art that uses a guide member to diffuse oil, oil diffusion relies only on the felt capillary phenomenon. For this reason, there is still a possibility that the oil cannot be sufficiently diffused and cannot be uniformly applied in the longitudinal direction.

  The present invention has been made in view of the conventional problems as described above. An object of the present invention is to provide a release agent coating mechanism that can uniformly apply oil to the fixing roller.

  A release agent application mechanism (main application mechanism) of the present invention is a release agent application mechanism for applying a release agent to a fixing roller of a printing apparatus, and a plurality of holes formed in a pipe extending along the fixing roller. In the release agent application mechanism that discharges the release agent from the pipe and supplies the release agent discharged from the pipe through the release agent guide toward the release agent application roller that rotates while contacting the fixing roller. The release agent guide has a release agent reservoir extending in the longitudinal direction of the pipe in a release agent supply path on the release agent guide.

  In the present application mechanism, the release agent guide has a protrusion extending in the longitudinal direction of the pipe in the release agent supply path, so that a release agent reservoir can be formed.

  Further, in this application mechanism, the release agent guide includes an application member that applies the release agent to the release agent application roller, and the application member is placed on a support member, and the support member The laminated part of the said mold release agent guide and support member which were piled up on the said mold release agent guide, and the structure which the said protrusion part consists of a support member of the said multilayer part may be sufficient.

  In the present application mechanism, it is preferable that the longitudinal width of the protrusion is designed wider than the longitudinal width of the release agent supply path to the protrusion on the release agent guide.

  Further, in the present application mechanism, the support member is fixed to the release agent guide in the stacked portion, and the longitudinal width of the release agent guide is larger than the longitudinal width of the support member. It is preferable that the design is large.

  Moreover, in this application | coating mechanism, it is preferable that the said mold release agent guide in the said lamination | stacking part has the protrusion part which protruded in the upstream of the said mold release agent supply path rather than the said support member in both ends.

  Moreover, in this application | coating mechanism, it is preferable that the said supporting member consists of a metal which has elasticity.

  Moreover, in this application | coating mechanism, it is preferable that the height of the said projection part is 0.025 mm or more and 0.5 mm or less.

  In the present application mechanism, the protrusion may be formed at the end of the release agent supply path on the release agent guide.

  In the present application mechanism, the release agent guide may have a slit extending from the release agent reservoir toward a contact point with the pipe.

  Moreover, in this application | coating mechanism, it is preferable that the said slit extends beyond the contact with a pipe.

  Further, in the present application mechanism, the release agent reservoir may be a groove extending in the longitudinal direction of the pipe.

The fixing device of the present invention includes the above-described coating mechanism.
Further, the printing apparatus of the present invention has a fixing device provided with the present application mechanism.

  A release agent application mechanism (main application mechanism) of the present invention is a release agent application mechanism for applying a release agent to a fixing roller of a printing apparatus, and a plurality of holes formed in a pipe extending along the fixing roller. In the release agent application mechanism that discharges the release agent from the pipe and supplies the release agent discharged from the pipe through the release agent guide toward the release agent application roller that rotates while contacting the fixing roller. The release agent guide has a release agent reservoir extending in the longitudinal direction of the pipe in a release agent supply path on the release agent guide.

This application mechanism applies a release agent to a fixing roller in a printing apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer.
Here, the fixing roller is a roller for fixing the image on the paper by pressing the printing paper on which the image is transferred.
The release agent is applied to the fixing roller in order to prevent image transfer (image offset) to the fixing roller and wrapping of printing paper around the fixing roller. As such a release agent, for example, silicone oil can be used.

  Further, as described above, the present application mechanism has a hollow pipe extending along the fixing roller. This pipe discharges the release agent from a plurality of holes formed in itself.

Further, the present application mechanism includes a release agent application roller.
The release agent application roller is disposed along the fixing roller and rotates while being in contact with the fixing roller. The release agent application roller has a function of applying the release agent discharged from the pipe and supplied to the fixing roller to the fixing roller.

In particular, the present application mechanism is characterized in that the release agent guide has a release agent reservoir extending in the longitudinal direction of the pipe in the release agent supply path on the release agent guide. It is.
Here, the release agent reservoir temporarily stops the flow of the release agent toward the release agent application roller by accumulating the release agent on the release agent guide.
The release agent supply path is a path of the release agent that flows on the release agent guide toward the release agent application roller.

  In the present application mechanism, the release agent discharged from the pipe flows through the release agent supply path on the release agent guide and accumulates in the release agent reservoir on the release agent guide. As a result, in this release agent reservoir, the release agent can be uniformly diffused in the direction in which the release agent reservoir extends (that is, in the direction in which the pipe, the release agent application roller and the fixing roller extend). is there.

  In this application mechanism, the release agent overflowing the release agent reservoir is supplied toward the release agent application roller. Thereby, the release agent diffused in the longitudinal direction of the pipe by the release agent reservoir can be supplied toward the release agent application roller.

Thus, in this application mechanism, after releasing the release agent in the longitudinal direction of the pipe on the release agent guide, the release agent can be supplied toward the release agent application roller. Therefore, the release agent discharged from the pipe can be uniformly supplied to the release agent application roller over its entire length (entire). As a result, it is possible to apply the release agent to the entire area of the fixing roller very uniformly (balance the coating amount).
Further, by providing this fixing mechanism in the fixing device of the printing apparatus, it is possible to realize a fixing device that can uniformly supply the release agent to the fixing roller.

  In the present application mechanism, the release agent guide has a protrusion extending in the longitudinal direction of the pipe in the release agent supply path, so that a release agent reservoir can be formed.

  In this configuration, when the release agent discharged from the pipe flows through the release agent supply path on the release agent guide, the release agent is dammed by the protrusions provided in the path. That is, the protruding portion is a “dam (partition)” formed on the release agent guide.

  The release agent dammed up by the protrusions extends in the direction in which the protrusions extend along the longitudinal direction of the protrusions (that is, the direction in which the pipe, the release agent application roller and the fixing roller extend, and both ends in the longitudinal direction of the protrusions) ). Thereby, a mold release agent reservoir can be formed in the extending direction of the protrusion.

  And in this structure, the mold release agent uniformly spread | diffused by the projection part is supplied toward a mold release agent application roller beyond a projection part. Thereby, the release agent diffused in the longitudinal direction of the pipe in the release agent reservoir formed by the protrusions can be supplied toward the release agent application roller.

  Further, in this application mechanism, the release agent guide includes an application member that applies the release agent to the release agent application roller, and the application member is placed on a support member, and the support member The laminated part of the said mold release agent guide and support member which were piled up on the said mold release agent guide, and the structure which the said protrusion part consists of a support member of the said multilayer part may be sufficient.

  In this configuration, a laminated portion of the support member on which the coating member is placed and the release agent guide is formed on the release agent guide (in the release agent supply path). And the supporting member is piled up on the upper side of the mold release agent guide. That is, the support member protrudes from the release agent guide, and the support member is a protrusion. As a result, the release agent flowing on the release agent guide is dammed by the support member of the laminated portion, and is uniformly diffused in the extending direction of the support member. Therefore, a release agent reservoir can be formed in the longitudinal direction of the support member.

  In this configuration, the release agent uniformly diffused by the laminated portion can be supplied toward the release agent application roller beyond the laminated portion (that is, beyond the support member of the laminated portion).

  In the present application mechanism, it is preferable that the longitudinal width of the protrusion is designed wider than the longitudinal width of the release agent supply path to the protrusion on the release agent guide.

As described above, the protrusion diffuses the release agent in the longitudinal direction of the protrusion. Therefore, even if the width in the longitudinal direction of the release agent supply path to the protrusion on the release agent guide is narrower than the width in the longitudinal direction of the protrusion, the protrusion causes the release agent to extend in the direction of the protrusion. Diffused into For this reason, the size of the longitudinal direction to the projection part of the mold release agent supply path | route in a mold release agent guide can be comprised small.
Furthermore, by increasing the width of the protrusion in the longitudinal direction, a large amount of release agent can be supplied beyond the protrusion toward the release agent application roller. Thereby, the release agent that flows in the longitudinal direction of the release agent guide and is not supplied to the release agent application roller can be reduced. Therefore, a lot of release agent can be efficiently supplied to the release agent application roller.

  Further, in the present application mechanism, the support member is fixed to the release agent guide in the stacked portion, and the longitudinal width of the release agent guide is larger than the longitudinal width of the support member. It is preferable that the design is large.

  In this configuration, the support member is fixed to the release agent guide in the laminated portion, and the longitudinal width of the release agent guide on the lower side of the laminate portion is larger than the longitudinal width of the support member on the upper side. Is also big. That is, both ends of the release agent guide in the laminated portion protrude in the longitudinal direction. Thereby, the fixed part of a mold release agent guide and a supporting member can be taken widely. Therefore, the support member can be stably fixed to the release agent guide.

  Moreover, in this application | coating mechanism, it is preferable that the said mold release agent guide in the said lamination | stacking part has the protrusion part which protruded in the upstream of the said mold release agent supply path rather than the said support member in both ends.

  In this configuration, in the laminated portion, both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the release agent guide have protrusions protruding toward the upstream side (that is, the pipe side) of the release agent supply path from the support member.

  For this reason, if the mold release agent dammed up by the support member diffuses in the longitudinal direction of the support member, the protrusions stop the flow of the mold release agent. That is, the protrusion stops the flow of the release agent toward both ends in the longitudinal direction of the release agent guide. Thereby, it can prevent that a mold release agent flows toward the longitudinal direction both ends of a mold release agent guide. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the oil supply efficiency from decreasing toward the release agent application roller.

  Moreover, in this application | coating mechanism, it is preferable that the said supporting member consists of a metal which has elasticity.

  As described above, the application member placed on the support member applies the release agent to the release agent application roller. Therefore, by configuring the support member from a metal having elasticity, the application member can be reliably brought into contact (contact) with the release agent application roller. Therefore, it is possible to reliably supply the release agent that has uniformly diffused to the application member to the release agent application roller.

  Moreover, in this application | coating mechanism, it is preferable that the height of the said projection part is 0.025 mm or more and 0.5 mm or less.

In the release agent supply path on the release agent guide, if the height of the protrusion that dams the release agent is too high, the release agent cannot cross the protrusion and the longitudinal direction of the release agent guide Will flow to both ends. In this case, the release agent cannot be efficiently supplied toward the release agent application roller.
On the other hand, if the height of the protrusion is too low, the release agent cannot be sufficiently dammed, and the protrusion exceeds the protrusion before the release agent is diffused and uniformed in the longitudinal direction of the release agent guide. End up. In this case, the release agent cannot be uniformly supplied to the release agent application roller.

Therefore, by setting the height of the protrusions to 0.025 mm or more and 0.5 mm or less, the release agent can be uniformly diffused in the longitudinal direction of the protrusions, and the uniform release agent is used as the release agent. Can be supplied toward the application roller.
In addition, what is necessary is just to set the height of a projection part so that a mold release agent may be exceeded according to the viscosity of a mold release agent.

  In the present application mechanism, the protrusion may be formed at the end of the release agent supply path on the release agent guide.

  Here, the term “end” refers to the end near the release agent application roller (the side far from the pipe; the most downstream of the release agent supply path on the release agent guide).

  Thereby, immediately after a mold release agent flows over a projection part, a mold release agent can be supplied toward a mold release agent application roller. Therefore, it is possible to supply the release agent that is uniformly diffused by the protrusions toward the release agent application roller. That is, the supply of the release agent toward the release agent application roller after flowing beyond the protrusion can be prevented from varying.

  In the present application mechanism, the release agent guide may have a slit extending from the release agent reservoir toward a contact point with the pipe.

Thereby, the mold release agent discharged | emitted from the pipe can be transmitted also to the back surface side of a mold release agent guide through a slit. Therefore, the release agent can be supplied to the application member using both surfaces of the release agent guide, and the supply rate of the release agent can be improved.
In this configuration, the release agent flows through a portion of the release agent guide where there is no slit (between the slits; a guide portion).

In this configuration, the slit preferably extends beyond the contact point with the pipe.
In other words, the release agent discharged from the pipe falls through the outer wall of the pipe and is received by the release agent guide on both sides of the contact point between the pipe and the release agent guide.

Here, both sides of the contact point between the pipe and the release agent guide are the side close to the application member in the release agent guide and the side beyond the contact point as viewed from the application member (the side far from the application member). is there. Note that “close (far) to the coating member” is the closeness (distance) on the path along the release agent guide from the pipe to the coating member, and is not related to the actual distance. is there.
And the mold release agent which fell to the side near the application member in the mold release agent guide reaches the application member through the mold release agent guide as it is.
On the other hand, the release agent that has fallen to the side far from the application member does not flow to the application member as it is because there is a contact point between the pipe and the release agent guide in the path to the application member.
Therefore, by providing a slit in the release agent guide so as to exceed the contact point with the pipe, the release agent that has fallen to the side far from the application member is allowed to escape to the back surface of the release agent guide through the slit. It becomes possible to supply to the application member via the back surface. Thereby, it can avoid that a mold release agent accumulates between a mold release agent guide and a pipe.

  Further, in the present application mechanism, the release agent reservoir may be a groove extending in the longitudinal direction of the pipe.

  In this configuration, a groove extending in the longitudinal direction of the pipe is formed in the release agent guide. When the release agent discharged from the pipe flows through the release agent supply path on the release agent guide, the release agent accumulates in this groove. The release agent guided to the groove flows in the direction in which the groove extends (that is, the direction in which the pipe, the release agent application roller, and the fixing roller extend) until the groove overflows. Thereby, a release agent reservoir can be formed in the extending direction of the groove.

  In this configuration, the release agent uniformly diffused by the groove is supplied toward the release agent application roller beyond the groove (overflowing from the groove). Thereby, the release agent diffused in the longitudinal direction of the pipe by the release agent reservoir formed in the groove can be supplied toward the release agent application roller.

  Therefore, after the release agent is uniformly diffused in the longitudinal direction of the pipe, it can be conveyed toward the release agent application roller.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the copying machine 1, which is a digital color copying machine according to the present embodiment. The copying machine 1 has a function as a facsimile machine and a printer in addition to a function as a normal copying machine.

  First, the configuration of the copying machine 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the copying machine 1 has a configuration in which a RADF 112, a scanner unit 110, an image forming unit 210, and a paper feeding mechanism 211 are provided, and further includes an operation panel (not shown).

  The RADF 112 is a document feeding device in the copying machine 1 and has a function as a double-sided automatic document feeding device (RADF).

That is, the RADF 112 conveys a document set at a predetermined position onto a document table 111 in the scanner unit 110. Then, after the document image is read by the scanner unit 110, it has a function of carrying it out to a predetermined take-out position.
The RADF 112 also has a function of turning over the original after reading the original image by the scanner unit 110 and transporting the original to the original table 111 again. As a result, the copying machine 1 can cause the scanner unit 110 to read images on both sides of the document.

  Further, the RADF 112 can be opened and closed with respect to the document table 111. Therefore, when using the RADF 112, the user can place the document directly on the document table 111 by closing the RADF 112 and opening the RADF 112.

  The scanner unit 110 is for reading an image of a document conveyed by the RADF 112 and is an image input device in the copying machine 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the scanner unit 110 includes a first scanning unit 113, a second scanning unit 114, an optical lens 115, and a CCD 116 in addition to the document table 111 described above.

  The scanning units 113 and 114 are for reading an image of a document placed on the document table 111 by reciprocating in parallel with the document table 111. The first scanning unit 113 includes an exposure lamp that exposes a document image and a first mirror that deflects a reflected light image from the document in a predetermined direction. Then, it is set so as to reciprocate in parallel with the document table 111 at a predetermined scanning speed while maintaining a certain distance from the lower surface of the document table 111.

  The second scanning unit 114 includes second and third mirrors for deflecting the reflected light image deflected by the first mirror in the direction in which the optical lens 115 is positioned. The first scanning unit 113 reciprocates in parallel with the document table 111 while maintaining a constant speed relationship.

  The optical lens 115 reduces the reflected light image from the original deflected by the first to third mirrors and forms an image at a predetermined position on the CCD 116.

  A CCD (Charge Coupled Device) 116 is a photoelectric conversion element (line sensor) for photoelectrically converting the formed reflected light image to generate image information of an electrical signal and outputting it to the image forming unit 210.

  Further, the CCD 116 can read a color image. That is, the CCD 116 can generate image information of line data color-separated for each color component of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) from the color reflected light image.

  The image information generated by the CCD 116 is further transferred to an image processing unit (not shown), subjected to predetermined image processing, and then output to the image forming unit 210.

  The image forming unit 210 is for printing an image on printing paper based on the image information output from the CCD 116. The image forming unit 210 includes a black image transfer unit 301, a yellow image transfer unit 302, a magenta image transfer unit 303, and a cyan image transfer unit 304, as shown in FIG.

  These transfer units 301 to 304 have substantially the same configuration, and are set to transfer a black image, a yellow image, a magenta image, and a cyan image, respectively, to the printing paper based on the image information. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 2, these transfer units 301 to 304 have LSUs 227a to 227d and image forming stations Pa to Pd, respectively.

  Pixel signals corresponding to a black component, a yellow component, a magenta component, and a cyan component in image information are input to LSUs (laser beam scanner units) 227a to 227d, respectively. The LSUs 227a to 227d are set so as to expose photosensitive drums 222a to 222d (described later) in the image forming stations Pa to Pd to generate electrostatic latent images based on these image signals.

  Further, these LSUs 227a to 227d include a semiconductor laser diode (not shown) and a laser control unit that controls the power of the semiconductor laser diode and the timing of light generation in order to generate a dot-shaped laser beam modulated according to image information. And have.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the LSUs 227a to 227d include polygon mirrors 240a to 240d, f-θ lenses 241a to 241d, and mirrors 242a to 242d and 243a to 243d.

  The polygon mirrors 240a to 240d have a function of deflecting a laser beam emitted from the semiconductor laser element in the main scanning direction. The f-θ lenses and mirrors described above are for imaging the laser beams deflected by the polygon mirrors 240a to 240d on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 222a to 222d.

The image forming stations Pa to Pd generate toner images corresponding to the respective colors based on the laser beams emitted from the LSUs 227a to 227d, and sequentially transfer the toner images to the printing paper.
As shown in FIG. 2, these image forming stations Pa to Pd include photosensitive drums 222a to 222d, and further, chargers 223a to 223d, developing devices 224a to 224d, transfer dischargers 225a to 225d, and cleaning. Devices 226a to 226d are arranged around the photosensitive drums 222a to 222d along the direction of arrow F.

  Each of the photosensitive drums (transfer drums) 222a to 222d is a drum-shaped transfer roller having a photosensitive material on its surface, and is set to be rotationally driven in the direction of arrow F. The chargers 223a to 223d are for uniformly charging the photosensitive drums 222a to 222d, respectively.

  The developing devices 224a to 224d contain black, yellow, magenta, and cyan toners, respectively. These toners have a function of developing the electrostatic latent images generated on the photosensitive drums 222a to 222d to generate toner images.

The transfer dischargers 225a to 225d are dischargers for transferring the toner images on the photosensitive drums 222a to 222d to a printing sheet. The power (potential) of these transfer dischargers 225a to 225d is controlled by a power control unit (not shown).
Further, the cleaning devices 226a to 226d shown in FIG. 2 have a function of removing toner remaining on the photosensitive drums 222a to 222d after transfer onto the printing paper.

  The paper feed mechanism 211 conveys the printing paper to a predetermined position of the image forming unit 210 in order to transfer the color toner images generated by the image forming unit 210 onto the printing paper. Further, the paper feed mechanism 211 has a function of discharging the printing paper to the outside after the toner image is transferred.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the paper feed mechanism 211 includes a printing paper cassette 251, a take-out roller 253, a plurality of transport rollers 252, 261, a registration roller 212, a transfer transport belt mechanism 213, a fixing device 217, a transport direction switching gate 218, A paper discharge roller 219 and a paper discharge tray 220 are provided.

The printing paper cassette 251 is for storing printing paper P in the form of cut printing paper used in the copying machine 1.
The take-out roller 252 is a pickup roller for taking out the printing paper P from the printing paper cassette 251 one by one.
Further, the transport rollers 252... Feed the print paper P output from the print paper cassette 251 to the main transport path L and transport it on the transport path L.

  The pre-registration detection switch is for detecting that the printing paper P transported by the transport rollers 252... Has passed a predetermined position on the main transport path L and outputting a predetermined detection signal.

  The registration roller 212 temporarily holds the printing paper P that has been transported along the main transport path L. The toner image on the photoconductive drums 222a to 222d has a function of feeding it to the transfer / conveying belt mechanism 213 at the timing of each image forming station Pa to Pd so that the toner image can be satisfactorily transferred to the printing paper P. .

  That is, the registration roller 212 prints the printing paper P so that the leading edge of the toner image on the photosensitive drums 222a to 222d is pressed against the leading edge of the printing range on the printing paper P based on the detection signal output from the pre-registration detection switch. Is set to be fed into the transfer conveyance belt mechanism 213.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the transfer / conveying belt mechanism 213 includes a driving roller 214, a driven roller 215, a conveying belt 216, and an auxiliary roller 231.

  The conveyor belt 216 is a belt that is placed between the driving roller 214 and the driven roller 215, and is frictionally driven in the direction of arrow Z by the rollers 214 and 215. The printing paper P fed by the registration rollers 212 is electrostatically attracted and transported to the image forming stations Pa to Pd and the fixing device 217.

  That is, each color toner image is transferred and superimposed on the printing paper P conveyed to the image forming stations Pa to Pd. When the transfer by the image forming station Pd is completed, the printing paper P is set to be sequentially peeled off from the conveying belt 216 from the leading end portion thereof by the static eliminator 229 and guided to the fixing device 217.

The fixing device 217 heat-fixes the unfixed toner image transferred to the printing paper P. Then, the heat-fixed printing paper P is conveyed to the conveyance direction switching gate 218.
The fixing device 217 will be described later in detail.

The switching gate 218 selectively switches the transport path of the printing paper P after fixing between a discharge path toward the discharge tray 220 and the sub-transport path S.
The sub-transport path S is a transport path for turning over the printing paper P and re-supplying it to the image forming unit 210.
That is, the printing paper P sent to the sub-transport path S is turned over through the switchback transport path 221 and then transported on the sub-transport path S by the transport rollers 261. It is set to be supplied again.

Next, the fixing device 217 which is a characteristic configuration of the copying machine 1 will be described in detail.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the fixing device 217. FIG. 4 is a front view showing the configuration of the fixing device 217.
As shown in these drawings, the fixing device 217 includes a fixing roller pair including a fixing roller (upper fixing roller) 11 and a pressure roller (lower fixing roller) 12.

These rollers 11 and 12 are arranged so as to be in pressure contact with each other, both of which have rubber layers 11b and 12b made of silicone rubber on the aluminum cores 11a and 12a, and inside the cores The heaters 11c and 12c including halogen lamps are provided.
The fixing roller 11 and the pressure roller 12 both heat and press the sheet, but are given different names for convenience.

  Further, a peeling claw 13, a cleaning roller 14, and a roller temperature detector 15 are disposed around the rollers 11 and 12, respectively. Further, the fixing roller 11 is provided with an oil application roller 16.

The peeling claw 13 peels off the printing paper (recording material) wound around the rollers 11 and 12 from the surface of the rollers 11 and 12.
The cleaning roller 14 is a roller having a felt surface. The cleaning roller 14 is in sliding contact with the rollers 11 and 12 and collects offset toner attached to the surfaces of the rollers 11 and 12.
Here, the offset toner is toner that has moved to the rollers 11 and 12 from the toner image transferred to the printing paper for fixing.

  The roller temperature detector 15 is formed of a thermistor and is in contact with the surfaces of the rollers 11 and 12 to detect the temperature. The temperature detected by the roller temperature detector 15 is sent to a fixing control unit (not shown) provided in the fixing device 217.

This fixing controller controls the output of the power supply unit (not shown) of the heaters 11c and 12c based on the detection results of the two roller temperature detectors 15 provided in the rollers 11 and 12.
As a result, the fixing controller switches the heaters 11c and 12c of the rollers 11 and 12 on and off to adjust the surface temperatures of the rollers 11 and 12.

Next, the oil application mechanism (main application mechanism) provided in the fixing device 217 will be described.
The present application mechanism is provided on the side and lower portions of the rollers 11 and 12, and is for uniformly applying silicone oil (release agent; hereinafter referred to as oil) to the surface of the fixing roller 11. .
The oil used in this coating mechanism has a dimethylpolysiloxane structure and a kinematic viscosity at 25 ° C. of 100 cs.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in addition to the oil application roller 16, the present application mechanism includes an oil tank 21, a pump 22, a tube member 23, a pipe portion 24, a felt 25, an oil pan 26, a tube member 27, an oil sensor. 28 and a blade 29 are provided.

The oil tank 21 is a tank that stores silicone oil, and includes an oil supply port 21a for receiving oil supply from the outside.
The pump 22 sucks up the oil in the oil tank 21 and can be constituted by a piezo pump or an electromagnetic pump.

The tube member 23 is a line that supplies oil sucked from the pump 22 to the pipe portion 24.
The pipe portion 24 is a hollow having substantially the same length as the fixing roller 11 extending along the fixing roller 11 (and the oil application roller 16) along the longitudinal direction of the fixing roller 11 (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 4). Pipe (described later).
And the pipe part 24 has a function which supplies the felt 25 with the oil supplied to this pipe from the whole area of the full length.

  The felt (applying member) 25 extends along the longitudinal direction of the fixing roller 11 below the oil applying roller 16 and extends alongside the fixing roller 11 (and the oil applying roller 16). It is a plate-like felt. Further, the surface of the felt 25 is slightly inclined on the lower side of the oil application roller 16 and is designed to contact the oil application roller 16.

  And the felt 25 has the function (function as an oil supply felt) which makes the oil supplied from the pipe part 24 soak into the whole surface, and supplies it to the whole surface of the oil application roller 16 mentioned later.

  The felt 25 is disposed on an elastic felt base (release agent reservoir / support member / applying member) 25a made of a metal slightly larger than itself (a stainless steel plate having a thickness of 0.2 mm). . The felt 25 is in elastic contact with the oil application roller 16 (biased by the oil application roller 16) by the elastic force of the felt base 25a.

  Further, the end portion of the pipe portion 24 on the side close to the oil application roller 16 has a laminated structure that is overlapped with the felt base 25a so that the end portion is on the lower side. The end portion of the pipe portion 24 and the felt base 25a of this laminated structure are fixed to a sheet metal 300 provided in the casing of the fixing device 217 (or the casing of the copying machine 1). That is, the felt base 25 a is fixed so as to be positioned on the guide sheet 33.

The oil application roller 16 (release agent application roller) has a rubber surface, is in contact with the fixing roller 11, and extends in parallel with the fixing roller 11 and has substantially the same length as the fixing roller 11. It is Sano Roller.
The oil application roller 16 has a function of applying oil supplied from the felt 25 to the surface of the fixing roller 11 by rotating following the fixing roller 11.

  A blade 29 shown in FIG. 4 is a rubber-like member for uniformly extending the oil supplied to the oil application roller 16 to the surface of the roller 16 (in the form of a thin film). 29 is omitted).

A part of the oil supplied to the felt 25 falls from the felt 25 without being supplied to the oil application roller 16.
The oil pan 26 is a dish-shaped member for receiving such oil (surplus oil) that has fallen from the felt 25.
The oil received in the oil pan 26 is returned to the oil tank 21 by the tube member 27.

  The oil sensor 28 is a sensor that is provided in the oil tank 21 and detects the remaining amount of oil in the tank 21. That is, the sensor 28 detects the remaining amount of oil in the tank 21 and transmits the detection result to the fixing control unit of the fixing device 217.

As a result, when the remaining amount of oil is low, a display prompting oil supply is displayed on a display panel or the like provided in the copying machine 1, or the copying machine 1 is temporarily disabled.
When the oil sensor 28 detects that a sufficient amount of oil has been injected into the oil tank 21, the oil sensor 28 transmits the detection result to the fixing control unit. As a result, the display or print disabled state is eliminated.

Next, the structure of the pipe part 24 is demonstrated.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the pipe portion 24, and FIGS. 5 and 6 are also developed views.
As shown in these drawings, the pipe portion 24 is composed of a pipe 31 and a guide sheet 33.

The pipe 31 is a hollow member having a plurality of holes 41 provided at predetermined intervals.
The holes 41 are arranged side by side in the upper part (top) of the pipe 31 and are for discharging oil supplied to the pipe 31.

Further, one end of the pipe 31 is connected to the tube member 23 described above, and is supplied with oil.
Further, the other end (downstream) of the pipe 31 is subjected to a caulking process (a process of crushing the tip with a press or the like) so as not to leak oil.
Accordingly, all the oil supplied to the pipe 31 is discharged from the hole 41. In addition, the convex part 42 is provided in the both ends of the pipe 31 so that oil may not flow through the pipe 31. The convex portion 42 may be formed by fitting the pipe 31 using an O-ring or the like, or the pipe 31 may be molded.

  The guide sheet (release agent guide, guide member) 33 is a rectangular resin sheet (PET (polyethylene terephthalate) having a thickness of 0.1 mm), which is continuously provided at the upper end 51, the intermediate portion 52, and the lower end 53. is there. That is, the guide sheet 33 has a configuration in which an upper end portion 51 and a lower end portion 53 are provided at both ends of the intermediate portion 52.

Here, the sheet is a thin plate made of a resin capable of allowing the release agent to flow down on the surface or inside.
The guide sheet 33 is used to guide (carry) the oil discharged from the hole 41 of the pipe 31 toward the felt 25 through the side of the oil application roller 16.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, the guide sheet 33 is in a state where the upper end portion 51 is disposed on the pipe 31 side and the lower end portion 53 is disposed on the felt 25 side.

  Moreover, the guide sheet 33 is laminated | stacked on the felt stand 25a so that the lower end part 53 may become the lower side of the felt stand 25a. That is, a laminated portion of the lower end portion 53 and the felt table 25a is formed on the guide sheet 33. That is, in the vicinity of the boundary between the intermediate portion 52 and the lower end portion 53, a protrusion corresponding to the thickness of the felt base 25a extending in the longitudinal direction of the pipe 31 (that is, the tip (protrusion) 50 of the felt base 25a) is formed. ing. The tip 50 can be said to be a partition formed in the oil supply path on the guide sheet 33 and extending in the longitudinal direction of the pipe 31. The tip 50 is at the end of the oil supply path on the guide sheet 33.

  As will be described later, when the oil discharged from the pipe 31 passes through the intermediate portion 52 and is carried to the tip portion 50, the oil is blocked by the thickness of the tip portion 50. In other words, the oil reservoir is formed in the longitudinal direction of the pipe 31 by the tip 50 blocking the oil. Accordingly, the tip 50 is a weir formed on the guide sheet 33. Here, the thickness of the felt table 25a is 0.2 mm. That is, a weir having a height of 0.2 mm is formed on the guide sheet 33 in the longitudinal direction of the pipe 31.

  Further, in the guide sheet 33, most of the intermediate portion 52 is swollen (curved) in a direction away from the oil application roller 16 with respect to the vertical line S extending in the vertical direction from the center of the pipe 31 (center of the hole 41). It has become.

That is, in the guide sheet 33, the lower end 53 is screwed to the sheet metal 300 with screws B so as to be sandwiched between the sheet metal 300 and the felt base 25a (in the screwed portion, the sheet metal 300, the lower end 53). The felt base 25a is stacked in this order, and the lower end 53 is parallel to the oil application roller 16 (felt 25).
Further, the end portion of the felt base 25 a is set so as to overlap the intermediate portion 52 beyond the lower end portion 53.

Further, the intermediate portion 52 has a shape that extends in a direction away from the oil application roller 16 beyond the perpendicular S and then folded back toward the oil application roller 16. The intermediate portion 52 is configured to elastically contact the pipe 31 formed on the upper side of the oil application roller 16 from the oblique lower side in the region closer to the oil application roller 16 than the perpendicular S.
That is, the guide sheet 33 is in contact with the pipe 31 in an inclined state with the side closer to the felt 25 lowered.
Note that “close to (distant from) the felt 25” is the closeness (distant) on the path along the guide sheet 33 from the pipe 31 to the felt 25, and is not related to the actual distance. is there.

Further, in the application mechanism of FIG. 1, the contact point C between the intermediate portion 52 and the pipe 31 is closer to the oil application roller 16 than the normal S. The intermediate portion 52 is in contact with the pipe 31 at the contact point C in an inclined state as described above.
In the present application mechanism, the upper end portion 51 of the guide sheet 33 is disposed so as to avoid contact with the pipe 31.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of slits 61 are formed in the intermediate portion 52 of the guide sheet 33 at predetermined intervals. The slit 61 is formed so as to exceed the tip 50 of the felt base 25a (on the side closer to the oil application roller 16 than the tip 50). That is, the laminated portion of the guide sheet 33 and the felt table 25a has a laminated structure of the intermediate portion 52 and the felt table 25a in the vicinity of the distal end portion 50.

The plurality of slits 61 are gaps (openings) having a width of 4 mm provided in parallel to each other along the direction in which the intermediate portion 52 extends (the direction from the lower end portion 53 toward the contact point with the pipe 31). A space between the two slits 61 and 61 serves as a guide portion 62 for guiding oil.
The guide portion 62 also has a width of 4 mm like the slit 61.
Further, the upper end 51 and the lower end 53 are not provided with such a slit 61, and are in a flush state (the portion having the slit 61 in the guide sheet 33 is the intermediate portion 52, and the both ends thereof The portion without the slit 61 is the end portions 51 and 53).

As shown in FIGS. 1, 5, and 6, there is oil between the felt 25 mounting portion of the felt base 25 a and the portion sandwiched between the lower end portion 53 of the guide sheet 33 and the sheet metal 300. A discharge port 71 is provided.
The oil discharge port 71 is for discharging excess oil to the oil pan 26.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, in the present application mechanism, the longitudinal width Y of the tip 50 of the felt table 25 is such that the guide sheet 33 has a region (release agent supply path) where the guide 62 is formed. It is wider than the width in the longitudinal direction.

  Further, the felt base 25a is a laminated portion and is screwed to the guide sheet 33. And in the lamination | stacking part, the width Z of the longitudinal direction of the guide sheet 33 is designed larger than the width Y of the longitudinal direction of the felt stand 25a.

  Moreover, in this application | coating mechanism, the protrusion part protruded rather than the front-end | tip part 50 of the felt stand 25a toward the contact with the pipe 31 (at the upstream of a mold release agent supply path | route) in the both ends of the guide sheet 33 in a lamination | stacking part. 82. An opening 81 is formed between the region where the guide portion 62 is formed (release agent supply path) and the protruding portion 82.

Next, an oil application operation to the fixing roller 11 by the present application mechanism will be described.
In the oil application to the fixing roller 11, first, the pump 22 sucks up the oil in the oil tank 21 and supplies it to the pipe portion 24 via the tube member 23.
The oil supplied to the pipe portion 24 is stored in the pipe 31 and discharged from the hole 41 when the capacity in the pipe 31 is exceeded.

The oil discharged from the hole 41 falls through the outer wall of the pipe 31 and is received by the surface of the intermediate portion 52 (the surface facing the pipe 31) of the guide sheet 33. The oil received on the surface of the intermediate part 52 is diffused in the longitudinal direction of the pipe 31 by the surface tension between the surface of the intermediate part 52 and the outer wall of the pipe 31.
Thereafter, the oil also enters the back surface (surface on the oil application roller 16 side) of the intermediate portion 52 through the slit 61. Then, it flows on the back surface and the front surface (on the guide portion 62) of the intermediate portion 52 swelled in the direction away from the oil application roller 16 with respect to the perpendicular S.

  Then, when the oil that has flowed on both surfaces of the intermediate portion 52 reaches the tip 50 of the felt base 25a, the oil is dammed by the tip 50. This is because the tip 50 (felt base 25a) protrudes from the guide 62. As a result, an oil sump is formed in which oil diffuses in the direction in which the tip 50 extends (longitudinal direction of the pipe 31). At this time, the oil flowing on the surface of the intermediate portion 52 advances again to the back surface through the slit 61 while being dammed by the tip portion 50.

  Here, the oil sump temporarily stops the flow of oil toward the oil application roller 16 by accumulating oil on the guide sheet 33.

  The oil sump formed at the distal end portion 50 is uniformly diffused in the longitudinal direction on the guide sheet 33. When oil further flows into the oil reservoir, the oil is supplied toward the felt part 25a beyond the tip part 50. In other words, the oil reservoir is sufficiently uniformly diffused in the longitudinal direction 31 of the pipe 31, and then the oil flows toward the oil application roller 16 beyond the tip 50. And the oil is supplied to the felt 25 via the felt part 25a. Therefore, the oil diffused in the longitudinal direction can be supplied to the felt 25.

A part of the oil forming the oil sump is collected in the oil pan 26 as surplus oil from both longitudinal ends of the guide sheet 33.
The oil flowing on the back surface of the intermediate portion 52 is retained by the tip portion 50 as it is to form an oil sump. On the other hand, the oil flowing on the surface of the intermediate portion 52 enters (floats up) the rear surface of the intermediate portion 52 through the slit 61 and merges with the oil from the surface to form an oil reservoir. Each oil overflows from the tip 50 and reaches the felt 25 via the felt base 25a.

Thereafter, the oil is impregnated with the felt 25 and applied to the surface of the fixing roller 11 via the oil application roller 16.
Here, the oil transmitted from the felt 25 to the oil application roller 16 and supplied to the roller 11 is about 10% of the oil reaching the felt 25. The remaining 90% of the oil overflows from the felt 25 and is discharged to the oil pan 26 from the end of the felt 25 (the end on the oil application roller 16 side) and the oil discharge port 71.

  As described above, in the present application mechanism, the guide sheet 33 has an oil sump extending in the longitudinal direction of the pipe 31 in the oil supply path on the guide sheet 33. Then, the oil discharged from the pipe 31 is stored in an oil reservoir, and the oil overflowing from the oil reservoir (beyond the tip 50) is supplied toward the oil application roller 16. .

  As a result, in the present application mechanism, the oil guided to the oil reservoir from the hole 41 of the pipe 31 is diffused in the direction in which the oil reservoir extends (that is, the direction in which the pipe 31, the oil application roller 16 and the fixing roller 11 extend). Is possible.

  In this application mechanism, the oil overflowing the oil reservoir is supplied toward the oil application roller 16. Thereby, the release agent diffused in the longitudinal direction of the pipe 31 by the oil reservoir can be supplied toward the oil application roller 16.

  As described above, in the present application mechanism, oil can be supplied toward the oil application roller 16 after the oil is diffused in the longitudinal direction of the pipe 31 on the guide sheet 33. Therefore, the oil discharged from the pipe 31 can be supplied uniformly to the oil application roller 16 over its entire length (whole). Thereby, it is possible to apply the release agent to the entire area of the fixing roller 11 in an extremely uniform manner (to balance the application amount).

  In the present application mechanism, a weir is formed on the guide sheet 33 by the felt table 25 a stacked on the guide sheet 33. That is, the guide sheet 33 is partitioned by the front end portion 50 (partition; weir) protruding in the longitudinal direction of the pipe 31. For this reason, the oil is uniformly diffused along the longitudinal direction of the distal end portion 50 (in the longitudinal direction of the pipe 31) by damming the oil at the distal end portion 50. Thereby, an oil sump can be formed along (partition part; weir). Therefore, the oil diffused uniformly by the tip 50 can be supplied toward the oil application roller 16.

  In this application mechanism, the guide sheet 33 includes a felt 25 that applies oil to the oil application roller 16, and the felt 25 is placed on the felt table 25a. And on the guide sheet 33, the felt base 25a has a laminated portion of the guide sheet 33 and the felt base 25a.

  Thereby, the oil flowing through the guide sheet 33 is dammed by the felt base 25a of the laminated portion, and is uniformly diffused in the extending direction of the felt base 25a. Accordingly, an oil sump can be formed in the longitudinal direction of the felt base 25a.

  Therefore, the oil that has been uniformly diffused by the laminated portion can be supplied toward the oil application roller 16 by the felt base 25a.

  Further, in the present application mechanism, the longitudinal width Y of the felt base 25a is the width X in the longitudinal direction of the oil supply path (guide section 62) from the end on the pipe 31 side on the guide sheet 33 to the felt base 25a. More widely designed.

For this reason, the size in the longitudinal direction of the oil supply path to the felt base 25a in the guide sheet 33 can be configured to be small.
Further, by increasing the longitudinal width of the felt table 25a, a large amount of oil can be supplied to the oil application roller 16 beyond the felt table 25a. Thereby, the oil (surplus oil) that flows in the longitudinal direction of the guide sheet 33 and is not supplied to the oil application roller 16 can be reduced. Therefore, a lot of oil can be efficiently supplied to the oil application roller 16.

  In the present application mechanism, the felt base 25a is fixed to the sheet metal 300 with the guide sheet 33 interposed therebetween, and the longitudinal width Z of the guide sheet 33 is designed to be larger than the longitudinal width Y of the felt base 25a. Has been.

  Thereby, the fixed part of the guide sheet 33 and the felt stand 25a can be taken widely. Therefore, the felt base 25a can be stably fixed to the guide sheet 33.

  Moreover, in this application | coating mechanism, the guide sheet 33 in the said lamination | stacking part has the protrusion part 53 which protruded in the upstream of the oil supply path (pipe 31 side) rather than the felt base 25a in the longitudinal direction both ends.

  For this reason, when the oil dammed up by the felt table 25a is diffused in the longitudinal direction of the felt table 25a, the protrusion 53 stops the flow of oil. That is, the protrusion 53 stops the flow of oil toward the longitudinal ends of the guide sheet 33. Thereby, oil can be prevented from flowing toward both ends in the longitudinal direction of the guide sheet 33. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the oil supply efficiency from decreasing toward the oil application roller 16.

  Moreover, in this application | coating mechanism, the felt stand 25a consists of a metal plate which has elasticity.

  Thereby, the felt 25 can be reliably brought into contact (contact) with the release agent application roller. Therefore, the mold release agent uniformly diffused in the felt can be reliably supplied to the oil application roller 16.

  In the present application mechanism, the tip 50 is formed at the end of the oil supply path (guide 62) on the guide sheet 33.

  Thus, the oil can be supplied toward the oil application roller 16 immediately after the oil flows out beyond the tip portion 50. Therefore, the oil that is uniformly diffused at the tip 50 can be supplied toward the oil application roller 16. That is, the supply of oil toward the oil application roller 16 after flowing beyond the tip 50 can be prevented from varying.

In this application mechanism, the guide sheet 33 has a slit 61 extending from the oil reservoir toward the contact C with the pipe 33.
Thereby, the oil discharged from the pipe 31 can be transmitted through the slit 61 to the back side of the guide sheet 33 (the side opposite to the side in contact with the pipe 33). Therefore, oil can be supplied to the felt 25 through the felt base 25a using both surfaces of the guide sheet 33, so that the oil supply speed can be improved.

  Further, in the present application mechanism, the slit 61 extends beyond the contact point C with the pipe 31. In other words, the oil discharged from the pipe 31 falls through the outer walls of the pipe 31 on both sides of the perpendicular S passing through the center of the pipe 31 and is received by the guide sheet 31 on both sides of the contact point between the pipe 31 and the guide sheet 31. .

The oil that has fallen to the side closer to the felt base 25a (felt 25; oil application roller 16) in the guide sheet 33 reaches the felt base 25a through the guide sheet 33 as it is.
On the other hand, the oil that has fallen to the side far from the felt table 25a does not flow to the felt table 25a as it is because the contact point C between the pipe 31 and the guide sheet 33 exists in the path to the felt table 25a.
Therefore, by providing the guide sheet 33 with the slit 61 so as to exceed the contact point C with the pipe 33, oil that has fallen to the far side of the felt base 25a is allowed to escape to the back surface of the guide sheet 33 through the slit 61. It becomes possible to supply the felt table 25a through this back surface. As a result, it is possible to avoid the accumulation of oil between the guide sheet 33 and the pipe 31.

  Further, in the present application mechanism, the guide sheet 33 connects the pipe 31 that discharges oil and the felt 25 and the felt base 25 a that supplies oil to the oil application roller 16. The guide carries oil from the pipe 31 to the felt 25.

  In this configuration, the guide sheet 33 is stacked on the lower side of the felt table 25 a and has a laminated portion of the felt table 25 a and the guide sheet 33. That is, the guide sheet 33 and the felt base 25a are overlapped so that the guide sheet 33 is on the lower side. That is, this laminated portion has a two-layer structure of the guide sheet 33 and the felt table 25a, with the felt table 25a being on the upper side of the guide sheet 33.

  And if oil flows into a lamination | stacking part via the guide sheet 33, the front-end | tip part 50 of the felt stand 25a will dam oil. Thereby, an oil sump can be formed in the direction in which the felt table 25a extends (longitudinal direction of the pipe 31). Therefore, after the oil is uniformly diffused in the oil reservoir, the oil beyond the tip 50 of the felt base 25a can be conveyed toward the oil application roller 16.

  The oil that flows down from both ends in the longitudinal direction of the guide sheet 33 can be prevented by forming wall surfaces at both ends of the guide sheet 33.

  However, since the oil flowing down from both ends can be recovered as excess oil in the oil pan 26, the wall surface and the protrusion 82 need not be formed. In this case, by increasing the amount of oil supplied in advance, the oil can be stably supplied to the oil application roller 16 without being insufficiently supplied.

In the present application mechanism, a part of the guide sheet 33 swells away from the oil application roller 16 with respect to the perpendicular S passing through the center of the pipe 31 (a shape curved away from the oil application roller 16). ).
That is, in the present application mechanism, a part of the guide sheet 33 is shaped to avoid the high temperature oil application roller 16 (to bypass the oil application roller 16).

Thereby, in this application | coating mechanism, it becomes possible to keep the oil which conveys the guide sheet 33 away from the hot oil application roller 16. FIG.
Therefore, in this application mechanism, it is possible to suppress the oil flowing through the guide sheet 33 from being deteriorated by the heat of the application roller.

Note that the surface temperature of the fixing roller 11 for heating the printing paper is controlled to be 180 ° C. in a normal state where the temperature control is normally performed (when trouble occurs, it may reach about 200 ° C.).
The oil application roller 16 in contact with the fixing roller 11 has a surface temperature of about 150 ° C.

On the other hand, the ambient temperature in the vicinity of the pipe 31 is normally about 100 ° C., which is significantly lower than the temperature of the oil application roller 16.
Therefore, in the present application mechanism, the guide sheet 33 is shaped so as to bypass the oil application roller 16, so that the temperature at which the oil is exposed to the felt 25 from the guide sheet 33 can be maintained at about 100 ° C. It has become.

  Further, in this application mechanism, the felt base 25a is fixed to the sheet metal 300 with the lower end portion 53 of the guide sheet 33 interposed therebetween, and then the guide sheet 33 is once moved away from the oil application roller 16 from the fixed position to the vertical line S. Further, it is configured by folding back toward the oil application roller 16 side from the perpendicular line S and bringing it into contact with the lower part of the pipe 31.

  That is, in this coating mechanism, the guide sheet 33 is brought into contact with the pipe 31. For this reason, the oil discharged from the pipe 31 is diffused in the longitudinal direction of the pipe 31 (the direction in which the pipe 31 extends) by the surface tension at the contact (tangent) between the pipe 31 and the guide sheet 33, and then the felt 25 It can be carried.

  Therefore, the oil discharged from the pipe 31 can be uniformly supplied to the felt 25 (and the oil application roller 16) over its entire length (entire). As a result, it is possible to apply the oil to the entire area of the fixing roller 11 in an extremely uniform manner (to balance the amount of application).

In this configuration, the guide sheet 33 is provided with a slit 61 extending from the fixed lower end 53 toward the contact point with the pipe 31.
Thereby, the oil discharged from the pipe 31 can be transmitted to the back side of the guide sheet 33 through the slit 61. Therefore, oil can be supplied to the felt 25 using both surfaces of the guide sheet 33. For this reason, the supply speed of oil can be improved.

Moreover, in this application | coating mechanism, while arrange | positioning the intermediate part 52 of the guide sheet 33 with the pipe 31, it arrange | positions so that the upper end part 51 may avoid contacting the pipe 31. FIG.
This is because when the pipe 31 and the upper end 51 without the slit 61 are in contact, the oil overflowing from the hole 41 to the oil application roller 16 side (the side far from the felt 25) This is because they accumulate in the middle and spill out from both ends in the longitudinal direction.

  That is, when the intermediate portion 52 and the pipe 31 are in contact with each other, the oil overflowing from the hole 41 to the oil application roller 16 side is drained to the back surface side through the slit 61 of the intermediate portion 52, and the guide portion 62. Can be conveyed to felt 25.

Further, in the present application mechanism, the guide sheet 33 is in contact with the pipe 31 in an inclined state with the side closer to the felt 25 lowered.
In this configuration, the guide sheet 33 is in a state of rising from the side closer to the felt 25 toward the far side with the contact C with the pipe 31 interposed therebetween.
Thereby, the oil received by the guide sheet 33 on the side close to the felt 25 can be allowed to flow through the felt 25 as it is. On the other hand, it is possible to prevent the oil received on the side far from the felt 25 from flowing in a direction far from the felt 25 (a direction away from the felt 25 on the guide sheet 33).

  Further, in the present application mechanism, the guide sheet 33 is brought into contact with the pipe 31 by the elastic force of the sheet itself. Therefore, it is not necessary to stick the guide sheet 33 to the pipe 31 using an adhesive or the like. For this reason, it becomes easy to assemble this application mechanism.

Moreover, it is also possible to avoid that the diffusibility (uniform supply property) of the oil is partially impaired due to the variation in the bonded part (mixed with the part that is bonded and the part that is not bonded) (the part that is not bonded) If there is, the diffusibility will fall).
Further, it is possible to prevent the guide sheet 33 from being peeled off from the pipe 31 due to a decrease in the adhesive force during use of the present application mechanism. Furthermore, it is easy to replace the guide sheet 33.

  In the present application mechanism, a guide sheet 33 having low rigidity (that is, having elasticity) is used. For this reason, the lower end portion 53 of the pipe 31 can be screwed to the sheet metal 300 so as to urge the pipe 31 with the elasticity of the guide sheet 33. Thereby, the assembly of the present application mechanism is further facilitated.

Further, in the present application mechanism, the felt base 25 a is provided with a plurality of discharge ports 71 so that excess oil can flow into the oil pan 26.
If a large amount of oil is included in the felt 25, the uniformity of oil application to the oil application roller 16 is likely to be impaired. Therefore, it is preferable to provide the oil discharge port 71 and allow the oil pan 26 to collect excess oil.

  In the present application mechanism, the guide sheet 33 is connected to the felt base 25 a and the felt 25, and oil is supplied to the oil application roller 16 through the felt 25. However, the guide sheet 33 may be provided with a partition portion extending so as to protrude in the longitudinal direction of the pipe 33, and oil may be dammed by this partition portion to form an oil reservoir.

  In this case, the oil sump is preferably formed at the end of the guide sheet 33. Here, the term “end” refers to an end portion on the side close to the oil application roller 16 (the side far from the pipe 31; the most downstream side of the oil path on the guide sheet 33).

  Thereby, oil can be supplied to the oil application roller 16 immediately after overflowing the oil sump. Therefore, the oil diffused uniformly can be reliably supplied to the oil application roller 16. That is, it is possible to prevent the oil supply to the oil application roller 16 from being varied after overflowing the oil reservoir.

  Moreover, in this application | coating mechanism, the thickness of the front-end | tip part 50 is 0.2 mm. However, in this application mechanism, the height of the partition portion provided on the guide sheet 33 or the thickness of the felt base 25a in the laminated portion of the guide sheet 33 and the felt base 25a is 0.025 mm or more and 0.5 mm or less. It is preferable that

If the thickness of the felt base 25a (tip portion 50), that is, the height of the member for damming the oil on the guide sheet 33 is too high (too large), the oil cannot exceed the felt base 25a, and the guide It flows to both ends in the longitudinal direction of the sheet 33. For this reason, oil cannot be efficiently supplied toward the oil application roller 16.
On the other hand, if the height is too low (too small), the felt base 25a cannot sufficiently dampen the oil, and before the oil is made uniform in the longitudinal direction of the guide sheet 33, the felt base 25a is exceeded. End up. For this reason, oil cannot be uniformly supplied to the oil application roller 16.

Therefore, by setting the thickness of the felt base 25a (tip portion 50) to be 0.025 mm or more and 0.5 mm or less, the oil can be uniformly diffused in the longitudinal direction, and the uniformized oil is supplied to the oil application roller 16. Can supply.
In addition, what is necessary is just to set the height of a partition part and the thickness of the felt stand 25a so that oil may be exceeded according to the viscosity of oil.

  Further, in the present application mechanism, the tip portion 50 forms a weir (partition) to stop the oil and form an oil sump in the longitudinal direction of the pipe 31. However, the oil sump can also be constituted by a groove extending in the longitudinal direction of the pipe 31.

  When the oil discharged from the pipe 31 flows through the oil supply path (guide portion 62) on the guide sheet 33, the oil accumulates in this groove. The oil guided to the groove flows in the direction in which the groove extends (that is, the direction in which the pipe 31, the oil application roller 16, and the fixing roller 11 extend) until the groove overflows. Thereby, an oil sump can be formed in the extending direction of the groove.

  In this configuration, the oil uniformly diffused by the groove is supplied toward the oil application roller 16 over the groove (overflowing from the groove). Thereby, the oil diffused in the longitudinal direction of the pipe by the oil reservoir formed in the groove can be supplied toward the oil application roller.

  Therefore, the oil can be uniformly conveyed in the longitudinal direction of the pipe 31 and then conveyed toward the oil agent application roller.

  However, when the groove is formed in the guide sheet 33, the felt base 25a is on the upper side in the laminated portion with the felt base 25a, so that the guide sheet 33 is formed like a case where a weir or a partition is formed in the guide sheet 33. I can't hold it down.

  Further, in the present application mechanism, a part of the guide sheet 33 is shaped so as to avoid the high temperature oil application roller 16 (to bypass the oil application roller 16).

  However, it is of course possible that the guide sheet 33 does not bypass the oil application roller 16. That is, the guide sheet 33 has an oil reservoir in the oil supply path, and after the oil is diffused in the longitudinal direction of the pipe 33, the oil is supplied to the oil application roller 16 in any configuration. It may be. For example, the oil application mechanism shown in FIG. 7 can be used. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the oil application mechanism. As shown in the figure, in the present application mechanism, the guide sheet 33 is S-shaped from the pipe 31 toward the felt base 25a. Even in such a configuration, the oil discharged from the pipe 31 can be uniformly supplied to the oil application roller 16 over the entire length (the whole) as described above. As a result, it is possible to apply the oil to the entire area of the fixing roller 11 in an extremely uniform manner (to balance the amount of application).

In the present embodiment, PET having a thickness of 0.1 mm is used as the material for the guide sheet 33.
Here, if the guide sheet 33 is too thin, the guide sheet 33 is likely to be damaged when the copying machine 1 is assembled, and the elastic force of the guide sheet 33 is lowered, which is not preferable.
Therefore, the thickness of the guide sheet 33 is preferably set in the range of 0.025 mm to 0.25 mm.

That is, as the material of the guide sheet 33, it is preferable to use a material that can be formed into a thin plate having a thickness range as described above and has a heat resistance of about 200 ° C. and an oil resistance.
For example, a thin plate (film) of plastic (polyimide, polyethylene terephthalate, polyamide, etc.) or a thin plate of metal (stainless steel plate, etc.) can be used as the material of the guide sheet 33.

  In particular, as the material of the guide sheet 33, it is preferable to use a material that prevents the oil overflowing from the pipe 31 from permeating (a material that can prevent permeation of oil), that is, a material having oil resistance.

That is, the present application mechanism is configured to diffuse oil in the longitudinal direction by utilizing the surface tension generated by bringing the guide sheet 33 into contact with the pipe 31.
On the other hand, when a permeable material (for example, felt or the like) is used for the guide sheet 33, the oil is diffused only by a capillary phenomenon in the guide sheet 33. For this reason, the diffusibility of the oil in the longitudinal direction is reduced. Further, the oil stays inside the guide sheet 33 and tends to deteriorate.

Furthermore, since a certain amount of oil is accumulated in the guide sheet 33, the oil flow rate must be increased, which is uneconomical.
That is, when the guide sheet 33 of a type that soaks oil is used, the oil cannot be transmitted to the felt 25 unless the guide sheet 33 is soaked with a sufficient amount of oil. For this reason, a large amount of oil is required at the start of use of the present application mechanism (at the time of preparation for use) (the flow rate needs to be about 4 to 5 cc / min), and preparation for use takes time.
Further, since it cannot be determined from the outside whether or not the guide sheet 33 is dry (whether or not the guide sheet 33 is sufficiently soaked with oil), the oil flow rate is always 4 to 5 cc / min even when the use is not started. It is necessary to keep the degree.

  On the other hand, if the oil-resistant guide sheet 33 is used, it is not necessary to soak oil into the guide sheet 33. For this reason, the amount of oil can be reduced to 2 to 3 cc / min, and the preparation time for use can be greatly shortened.

Further, when a thin guide sheet 33 is used, it is preferable to handle the present application mechanism so as to avoid deformation of the guide sheet 33.
In particular, in the present application mechanism, the guide sheet 33 and the pipe 31 are brought into contact with each other using the elastic force (repulsive force) of the guide sheet 33. Therefore, when assembling the present application mechanism, the guide sheet 33 is easily deformed because of the action against the repulsive force of the guide sheet 33.

  Therefore, at the time of assembling the application mechanism, it is preferable to put a double-sided tape on the contact surface of the lower end 53 with the felt table 25a. Then, it is preferable that the guide sheet 33 is bent so as to contact the pipe 31 in a state where the felt base 25a is temporarily fixed to the guide sheet 33 by the double-sided tape. Thereby, the workability regarding the attachment of the guide sheet 33 can be improved, and the deformation of the guide sheet 33 can be prevented.

  The width (length in the longitudinal direction) of the oil application roller 16 and the felt 25 is preferably designed to be slightly longer than the width of the maximum size sheet used for printing. The width of the blade 29 is preferably wider than the width of the oil application roller 16, and the width of the fixing roller 11 is preferably designed to be substantially the same as the width of the oil application roller 16. The pressure roller 12 is designed wider than the width of the fixing roller 11 (FIG. 6).

Moreover, in this application | coating mechanism, it is preferable that oil is fully diffused in a longitudinal direction between the outer wall surface of the pipe 31 and the intermediate part 52 (slit 61 and guide part 62) of the guide sheet 33 by surface tension.
For this reason, the width of the slit 61 in the guide sheet 33 is preferably about 0.5 mm to 5 mm.

As a result, the oil can be diffused in the longitudinal direction of the pipe 31 by surface tension without clogging the paper dust or dust in the slit 61.
In addition, when the width of the slit 61 is 0.5 mm or less, there is a possibility that dust or paper dust is clogged in the slit 61.
If the width of the slit 61 exceeds 5 mm, the surface tension becomes difficult to work. Therefore, the oil diffusion state deteriorates, and it becomes difficult to spread the oil to all the guide portions 62 and the slits 61.
Further, the guide portion 62 of the guide sheet 33 may be formed so as to become wider toward the felt 25.

In the present application mechanism, it is preferable to provide as many slits 61 (guide portions 62) as possible over the entire width of the intermediate portion 52 (width in the longitudinal direction) with respect to the intermediate portion 52 of the guide sheet 33 ( For example, it is preferable to form more slits 61 than the number of holes 41 of the pipe 31).
The oil flowing through the intermediate portion 52 is difficult to move so as to cross (over) the slit 61. For this reason, if a large number of slits 61 are formed, the oil diffused in the longitudinal direction by the surface tension between the pipe 31 and the guide sheet 33 (intermediate portion 52) reaches the felt 25 while maintaining its diffusion state. It becomes possible.

  The length L (see FIG. 1) from the contact point C to the pipe 31 in the guide sheet 33 (see FIG. 1) is preferably 1 mm or more. Thereby, it is possible to avoid clogging with dust and paper dust in the slit 61 in the vicinity of the contact C. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the trouble that oil accumulates up to the upper end 51 between the guide sheet 33 and the pipe 31 and the oil flows from both ends of the pipe 31 in the longitudinal direction.

Further, in the present embodiment, the guide sheet 33 is composed of the intermediate portion 52 provided with the slit 61, and the upper end portion 51 and the lower end portion 53 that are located at both ends thereof and are not provided with the slit 61.
Here, the slit 61 may be provided also in the lower end portion 53.

Further, as described above, a piezo-type pump or an electromagnetic pump can be used as the pump 22 of the coating mechanism.
Piezo-type pumps operate at the frequency of an AC power source, and are more expensive (about twice the price of an electromagnetic pump) than an electromagnetic pump driven by a DC power source. For this reason, it is also preferable to use an inexpensive electromagnetic pump.

As an electromagnetic pump constituting the pump 22 of the coating mechanism, one that can be driven by a DC pulsed current (a pulse current having a period of 30 ms to 300 ms and a pulse width of 3 ms to 50 ms) can be used.
Further, the flow rate of such an electromagnetic pump can be adjusted to 1 to 10 cc / min. By adjusting the pulse width and period of the supplied pulse current. Can be set within the range.

As described above, when the oil-resistant guide sheet 33 is used, the flow rate for suitably using this coating mechanism is usually 2 to 3 cc / min. Range.
On the other hand, when a material having permeability (such as felt) is used as the material of the guide sheet 33, 4 to 5 cc / min. It is necessary to supply oil at a flow rate of.

In the present embodiment, the kinematic viscosity of the oil used in the coating mechanism is 100 cs at 25 ° C. However, this coating mechanism can use 100-300 cs at 25 ° C.
Here, oil less than 100 cs has a low flash point and is dangerous when used in the fixing device 217. In addition, oil having a kinematic viscosity exceeding 300 cs is difficult to supply with a piezo-type or solenoid-type pump.

In the present embodiment, silicone oil having a dimethylpolysiloxane structure is used. This oil has a relatively small viscosity change with temperature, the kinematic viscosity at 0 ° C. is about twice as high as that at 25 ° C., and the kinematic viscosity at 50 ° C. is about ½ at 25 ° C. It has the characteristic of becoming low.
In addition, the change of the viscosity with respect to the temperature in the oil that can be used in the application mechanism is not limited to the above characteristics. Of course, it is also preferable to use an oil having a smaller kinematic viscosity than the above characteristics. Moreover, what is necessary is just to adapt the structure of each part according to the characteristic, when using oil with large dynamic viscosity.

  In the present embodiment, silicone oil is used as the release agent. However, this application mechanism is not limited to silicone oil, and any other release agent can be used.

  In the present embodiment, oil is applied to the fixing roller 11 of the fixing device 217 by the application mechanism. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the oil application roller 16 may be brought into contact with the pressure roller 12 which is the other fixing roller to apply the oil to the pressure roller 12. Further, oil may be applied to both the rollers 11 and 12.

  In the present embodiment, the oil application roller 16 is rotated by following the fixing roller 11. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the oil application roller 16 may be rotated by a driving mechanism different from the fixing roller 11. The rotation direction of the oil application roller 16 may be the same direction as the fixing roller 11 or the opposite direction.

  In this embodiment, a heat-resistant nomex felt having a thickness of 3 mm is used as the felt 25. Here, as the felt 25, it is possible to use a heat-resistant nomex felt having a thickness of about 1 mm to 5 mm.

In the present embodiment, the guide sheet 33 and the felt 25 are shown as separate members. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the guide sheet 33 and the felt 25 may be integrally formed.
That is, the lower end portion 53 of the guide sheet 33 may be extended to the vicinity of the oil application roller 16 and the felt 25 may be disposed thereon. In this case, the oil discharge port 71 is provided in the lower end portion 53. Further, the lower end 53 is screwed to the sheet metal 300.

In the present embodiment, the laser writing units 227a to 227d scan and expose a laser beam to perform optical writing on the photosensitive member. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and instead of the laser writing units 227a to 227d, a solid scanning writing optical system (LED head) including a light emitting diode array and an imaging lens array may be used.
The LED head is smaller than the laser writing units 227a to 227d and has no moving parts and is silent. Therefore, it can be suitably used for an image forming apparatus such as a tandem digital color copying machine that requires a plurality of optical writing units such as the copying machine 1.

In the present embodiment, the copying machine 1 is a printing apparatus (color image forming apparatus) capable of color printing.
In a color image forming apparatus, the use of a release agent is very important, and the print quality (image formation quality) depends greatly on the state of the release agent. Therefore, it is very effective to use this coating mechanism.
However, as a matter of course, the same effect can be obtained even when the application mechanism is applied to a printing apparatus for monochrome printing (monochrome image forming apparatus).

  Further, conventionally, a release agent (silicone oil or the like) that overflows and drops from a plurality of holes of a release agent supply pipe member is dropped near a member to be coated (a fixing roller or a pressure roller). Therefore, the viscosity of the release agent is relatively high although it is through an intermediate member (release agent application roller or release agent supply felt) that supplies the release agent in contact with the member to be applied. It can be said that there is a problem that the toner cannot be sufficiently diffused and the release agent supply in the longitudinal direction is not uniform, and a good toner image cannot be fixed on the paper. Further, when the supply path is provided close to the portion having a high temperature when the release agent is supplied to the supply body via the guide member, there is a problem that the release agent is easily deteriorated due to the influence of the high temperature. It can be said that there is. In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a guide member between the supply target and the pipe member, and after the mold release agent is diffused by the guide member and the pipe member, the guide member is provided in a portion where the ambient temperature is low. By providing a supply path for guiding the release agent, the release agent can be supplied to the supply object without being exposed to a very high temperature. It can be said that the present invention is to provide a release agent supply device that enables supply of the agent, a fixing device including the device, and an image forming apparatus including the fixing device.

  The guide sheet 33 is heat resistant and can be a thin one having a thickness of about 0.025 mm to 0.25 mm. However, though it depends on the material, if it is too thin, the guide sheet 33 is likely to be damaged at the time of assembly in the factory, and the elastic force is lowered. The guide sheet 33 is preferably made of a thin material such as plastic or metal. Any material having heat resistance (about 200 ° C.) and oil resistance can be used, and a metal plate such as polyimide, polyethylene terephthalate, polyamide or stainless steel plate is used. For example, when a film or metal thin plate is used as the guide sheet 33, the guide sheet 33 is attached toward the pipe 31 using the elasticity of the film member or metal thin plate. It is fixed to the base by a fastening member such as a screw so as to be biased. At this time, since the guide sheet 33 and the pipe 31 are not bonded to each other, the oil overflowing on the opposite side of the pipe 31 is also transmitted to the back surface of the guide sheet 33 from the opening that is a partition portion between the pipe 31 and the guide sheet 33. be able to. Then, the guide sheet 33 is guided by using the both sides of the guide portion of the guide sheet 33 toward the fixing roller which is the supply body by the inclination of the guide sheet 33.

  The size of the opening (slit 61) in the guide sheet 33 is such that the release agent (silicone oil) is removed by capillary action between the outer wall surface and the guide portion of the pipe 31, and the outer wall surface and the opening portion (slit 61) of the pipe 31. Since it is necessary to diffuse in the longitudinal direction, the width of the opening is preferably about 0.5 mm to 5 mm. This is because the oil can be diffused in the longitudinal direction of the pipe 31 by capillary action without clogging with paper dust or dust. If it is less than 0.5 mm, dust and paper powder may be clogged. If it exceeds 5 mm, the capillary phenomenon becomes difficult to work and not only the diffusion state of the release agent deteriorates, but also the release agent is spread and supplied to the guide part. It falls without being able to. For the above reason, L is set to 1 mm or more so that the trouble that the release agent overflowing above the inclined part of the guide sheet 33 due to clogging with dusts or the like flows down from both ends in the longitudinal direction does not occur.

  The guide portion of the guide sheet 33 may be formed so as to become wider toward the supply target side. However, in the embodiment, the width may be kept as it is, and the ratio may be 1: 1, which is not limited thereto. The ratio may be varied without any change. When a guide sheet 33 formed of a thin steel plate or plastic (film or thin molded product) is used in contact with the pipe 31, the guide sheet 33 is reliably brought into contact with the pipe 31 using the elastic force of the guide sheet 33. Thus, the guide sheet 33 may be urged toward the pipe 31 by using a fastening member such as a screw so as to be urged. Since the guide sheet 33 is not affixed to the pipe 31 using an adhesive or the like, it is easy to assemble, and the oil diffusibility (uniform supply property) may be partially impaired due to variations in the use of the adhesive. Absent. Moreover, it does not peel off during use, and only the guide sheet 33 can be easily replaced at the time of replacement.

  In this embodiment, a color image forming apparatus is described as the image forming apparatus. This is because the use of a release agent is very important in a color image forming apparatus, and the quality of image formation is greatly affected by the state of the release agent. However, it goes without saying that the present invention is also effective for a monochrome image forming apparatus.

    The present invention can also be expressed as the following first to eighth release agent supply devices, first fixing devices, and first image forming devices. In other words, the first release agent supply device is a release agent supply device that supplies a release agent to a fixing device having a fixing unit including a rotating fixing roller and a pressure roller in pressure contact with the fixing roller. An intermediate guide means is provided by allowing a release agent supplied from a release agent supply pump to overflow from the plurality of holes from a cylindrical body disposed on the top of the roller and provided with a plurality of holes in the axial direction of the upper surface. In the release agent supply device for supplying the release agent to at least one of the fixing roller and the pressure roller, the supply of the release agent from the guide member forming the intermediate guide means is performed over the weir. It is the structure which was made to be. According to this configuration, by providing a weir in the release agent supply path of the guide member, the release agent guided by the guide member can be diffused again in the longitudinal direction to be uniform, and the release by the guide member can be achieved. Even when the guide amount of the mold is partially different, a uniform state can be obtained.

  Further, the second release agent supply device is a configuration in which the weir is located at a final end of the release agent supply path by the guide member in the first release agent supply device. According to this configuration, by setting the final end of the release agent supply path of the guide member, the non-uniformity generated when guiding the release agent by the guide member is corrected and supplied to the next member. can do.

  Further, the third release agent supply device is the second release agent supply device, wherein the weir elastically contacts a fixing roller or an application roller member for applying the release agent to the fixing roller. It is the structure formed of the supporting member which supports the supply member which supplies According to this configuration, the mold is guided by the guide member because the weir is formed by the support member that elastically supports the supply member that supplies the mold release agent to the supply target. After the agent is made uniform by the weir, the release agent over the weir can be supplied uniformly to the supply member.

  Further, the fourth release agent supply device is the third release agent supply device, wherein the support member is formed of a thin steel plate having spring properties, and the dam is formed at an end of the thin steel plate. It is a configuration. According to this configuration, by forming the support member from a thin steel plate having spring properties, the supply member can be stably brought into contact with the supply target, and even a thin plate is sufficient. The contact force by the elastic force can be obtained, the height of the weir can be formed low, and the diffusibility in the longitudinal direction can be obtained without hindering the guide of the release agent by the weir.

  Further, the fifth release agent supply device is the first to fourth release agent supply devices, wherein the weir is wider than the total width in the longitudinal direction of the guide portion for guiding the release agent of the guide member. is there. According to this configuration, since the release agent has a property of easily diffusing, even if the guide portion for guiding the release agent is configured to be slightly narrower than the width of the supply target, the longitudinal direction can be sufficiently achieved by the effect of the weir. Since the guide portion is formed narrow, the longitudinal size of the release agent supply device can be reduced, and the release agent spreads too far on both sides in the longitudinal direction. The release agent that does not function as a small amount is reduced so that an efficient release agent can be supplied.

  Further, the sixth release agent supply device is the fifth release agent supply device, wherein the guide member includes a tip portion that is pressed and fixed so that the end portion of the guide member is covered with a support member from above. The portion has a width equal to or greater than the width of the support member forming the weir, and the distal end of the distal end portion of the guide member extends beyond the distal end of the base positioned below the distal end portion. . According to this configuration, the front end portion of the guide member is sandwiched and supported by the support member, but the front end portion has a width equal to or greater than the longitudinal width of the support member, and the support member and the guide member are fixed. Since the distal end of the distal end portion of the guide member extends beyond the distal end of the base, the support member can be stably fixed to the base without tilting.

  Further, the seventh release agent supply device is the fifth release agent supply device, wherein the release agent overflowing from the cylindrical body is arranged in contact with the outer wall surface of the cylindrical body and the cylindrical body. Is diffused in the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical body, and the diffused release agent is diffused by an opening as a partition part for dividing the guide part formed in the guide member in the longitudinal direction. In the release agent supply device that is guided while being maintained and dispersed on both sides of the guide portion, the partition portion extends beyond the weir and extends below the support member. According to this structure, it guides, maintaining the diffused state by dividing the mold release agent diffused in the longitudinal direction by the cylindrical body and the guide member arranged in contact with the cylindrical body into a plurality of portions by the openings. Although the guide is guided on both sides of the part, the release agent cannot be guided in the partition part, and the release agent guided on the back side can be easily returned to the front side by using the opening of the partition. The release agent can be made uniform and supplied.

  Further, in the eighth release agent supply device, in any one of the first to seventh release agent supply devices, both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the distal end portion of the guide member protrude from the weir to the release agent supply source side ( The second partition part is formed between the guide part and the guide part. According to this configuration, both ends of the leading end portion of the guide member are formed so as to protrude toward the release agent supply side from the weir, and the second partition portion is formed between the guide portion and the guide member. Thus, the release agent can be prevented from flowing to both ends in the longitudinal direction, and the supply efficiency of the release agent is not lowered.

  The first fixing device is a fixing device having a rotating fixing roller and a fixing unit composed of a pressure roller that is in pressure contact with the fixing roller. The first fixing device is disposed above the fixing roller and has a plurality of holes in the axial direction on the upper surface. The release agent supplied from the release agent supply pump is caused to overflow from the plurality of holes from the cylindrical body provided with the intermediate member, and is supplied to at least one of the fixing roller and the pressure roller. In the fixing device including the release agent supply device to be supplied, any one of the first to eighth release agent supply devices is provided. According to this configuration, the above-described effect can be obtained in the fixing device. In addition, the tenth release agent supply device includes the first fixing device. According to this configuration, the above-described effect can be obtained by providing the fixing device in the image forming apparatus, and favorable image formation can be performed.

  The present invention can be suitably implemented in a release agent coating mechanism, a fixing device, and a printing device that apply a release agent to a fixing roller of a printing device.

It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the pipe part in the oil application mechanism concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of a digital color copying machine which has a fixing device provided with the oil application | coating mechanism shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a fixing device provided in the digital color copying machine shown in FIG. 2 and having the oil application mechanism shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a fixing device provided in the digital color copying machine shown in FIG. 2 and having the oil application mechanism shown in FIG. 1. It is an expanded view which shows the structure of the pipe part shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a development view showing another configuration of the pipe section shown in FIG. 1. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the pipe part in another oil application mechanism concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the conventional oil application technique. It is explanatory drawing which shows the conventional oil application technique.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Fixing roller 12 Pressure roller 13 Peeling claw 14 Cleaning roller 15 Roller temperature detector 16 Oil application roller (release agent application roller)
21 Oil tank 22 Pump 23 Tube member 24 Pipe part 25 Felt (coating member)
25a Felt stand (release agent reservoir / protrusion / support member)
26 Oil pan 27 Tube member 28 Oil sensor 29 Blade 31 Pipe 33 Guide sheet (release agent guide)
50 Tip (projection)
51 Upper end portion 52 Intermediate portion (release agent supply path)
53 Lower end portion 61 Slit 62 Guide portion 71 Oil discharge port 82 Projection portion 217 Fixing device 300 Sheet metal B Screw C Contact S Perpendicular

Claims (11)

A release agent application mechanism for applying a release agent to a fixing roller of a printing apparatus,
The release agent is discharged from a plurality of holes formed in a pipe extending along the fixing roller,
In the release agent application mechanism that supplies the release agent discharged from the pipe through the release agent guide toward the release agent application roller that rotates while contacting the fixing roller.
The release agent guide has a release agent reservoir extending in the longitudinal direction of the pipe in the release agent supply path on the release agent guide,
The release agent reservoir is formed by a protrusion extending in the longitudinal direction of the pipe,
The release agent guide includes an application member that applies a release agent to a release agent application roller, the application member is placed on a support member, and the support member is attached to the release agent guide. A release agent application mechanism having a laminated portion of the release agent guide and a support member, wherein the protruding portion is formed of a support member of the laminated portion.   The width in the longitudinal direction of the protrusion is designed to be wider than the width in the longitudinal direction of the release agent supply path to the protrusion on the release agent guide. Mold application mechanism. In the above laminated part,
The support member is fixed to the release agent guide;
The release agent application mechanism according to claim 2, wherein a width in the longitudinal direction of the release agent guide is designed to be larger than a width in the longitudinal direction of the support member.   3. The release agent according to claim 2, wherein the release agent guide in the laminated portion has a protruding portion protruding at an upstream side of the release agent supply path from the support member at both ends. Application mechanism.   The release agent application mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the support member is made of an elastic metal.   The mold release agent application mechanism according to claim 1, wherein a height of the projection is 0.025 mm or more and 0.5 mm or less.   2. The release agent application mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is formed at a terminal end of a release agent supply path on the release agent guide. A release agent application mechanism for applying a release agent to a fixing roller of a printing apparatus,
The release agent is discharged from a plurality of holes formed in a pipe extending along the fixing roller,
In the release agent application mechanism that supplies the release agent discharged from the pipe through the release agent guide toward the release agent application roller that rotates while contacting the fixing roller.
The release agent guide has a release agent reservoir extending in the longitudinal direction of the pipe in the release agent supply path on the release agent guide,
The release agent application mechanism, wherein the release agent guide has a slit extending from the release agent reservoir toward a contact point with the pipe.   The release agent coating mechanism according to claim 8, wherein the slit extends beyond a contact point with the pipe. A fixing device having a release agent coating mechanism according to any one of claims 1-9. A printing apparatus comprising the fixing device according to claim 10 .

Images