JP4630803B2 - Device and method for attaching / detaching damping member - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a detaching apparatus and a detaching method for mounting a damping member on an inner wall of a photosensitive drum used in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

  Conventionally, a photosensitive drum used in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus has a photosensitive layer formed on the surface of a hollow cylindrical substrate. When this is used by being mounted on a copying machine or a printer, depending on the usage conditions. Vibration noise was generated from the photosensitive drum, and this vibration noise was uncomfortable for humans.

  As a solution to this problem, there has been proposed a method in which a vibration damping member is filled in the photosensitive drum (for example, see Patent Document 1). In addition, a method has been proposed in which a viscoelastic material is filled or closely adhered to the inside of the electrophotographic photosensitive member so as to have a certain thickness to prevent noise (for example, see Patent Document 2). In the above two Patent Documents 1 and 2, by filling or closely adhering a damping member, which is a viscoelastic material, the resonance energy between the photosensitive drum and the device main body is absorbed, and the vibration is weakened to generate noise. It is disclosed to be smaller. Specifically, Patent Document 1 has a description that a damping effect can be obtained by a damping member formed of a cylindrical elastic body whose one end is closed. Patent Document 2 describes an apparatus and a method that can smoothly and surely push a silencer inside the photosensitive drum.

  Generally, as a material of the damping member or silencer disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, rubber materials are generally used. When the damping member or silencer is in close contact with the inner wall of the photosensitive drum (except when an adhesive is used), the pressure is applied to the damping member or silencer whose outer diameter is set slightly larger than the inner diameter of the photosensitive drum. After press-fitting, the elastic member is fixed to the inner wall of the photosensitive drum by using the elasticity of the damping member or the silencer.

JP 2003-43862 A JP 2003-66770 A

  By the way, in order to press-fit the above-described vibration damping member or silencer, a pressing force is required. Simply pressing and applying pressure deforms the damping member or the silencer and cannot be pushed in smoothly. To push in smoothly, it is necessary to push the damping member or silencer vertically.

  A more specific explanation will be given. FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram showing a single-end sealed hollow vibration damping member. FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram of a hollow vibration damping member with one end partially opening type. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional operation of pushing the vibration damping member into the photosensitive drum.

  Conventionally, the cylindrical vibration-damping member 6 (FIGS. 8A and 8B) and the vibration-damping member 7 (FIGS. 9A and 9B) are hollow and have one end sealed or partially opened. As shown in FIG. 10, in order to detach the material from the inner wall of the cylindrical photosensitive drum 8 placed on the drum holder 10, an apparatus such as a pushing rod 11 is used. According to such a method, when the damping members 6 and 7 are pushed in, the pushing force varies due to the surface characteristics of the damping members 6 and 7 and the variation in the outer diameter of the damping members 6 and 7. As a result, there is a problem that the damping members 6 and 7 cannot be smoothly mounted on the inner wall of the photosensitive drum.

  Further, when the used photosensitive drum 8 is separated into the photosensitive drum 8 and the damping members 6 and 7 (or silencer) for recycling, for example, the photosensitive drum 8 and the damping members 6 and 7 are separated. It was also difficult to remove the (or silencer) without damaging it. Further, dust generated by frictional contact between the vibration damping members 6 and 7 (or silencer) and the photosensitive drum 8 is expected to adhere to the surface of the photosensitive drum 8, and such dust adversely affects image formation. There was also a problem.

  As a method of solving such a problem, the shape of the damping members 6 and 7 having a hollow and hermetically sealed or partially opened at one end is changed by suction (the outer diameter of the damping member is reduced). A method of desorption is also conceivable. However, in this method, when the shape of the damping members 6 and 7 is changed by suction of the inner diameter, the outer diameter of the damping members 6 and 7 is reduced, but the shrinkage meat is formed at the end (lower end) on the opening side. Since the thickness is concentrated and the outer diameter is increased, the damping members 6 and 7 cannot be smoothly mounted at the fixed positions of the photosensitive drum 8, and there is a problem that dust is generated due to friction.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to prevent the outer diameter of the end portion on the opening side of the damping member from being increased by suction when the damping member is attached to and detached from the inner wall of the photosensitive drum, so that no pushing force is required. An object of the present invention is to enable the vibration damping member to be attached and detached smoothly without load and to prevent generation of dust due to frictional contact between the vibration damping member and the photosensitive drum.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a suction member that has a hollow shape and is inserted into the hollow of a cylindrical damping member having a hollow and one end sealed or partially open, and the suction A hole provided in the member and penetrating between the hollow of the suction member and the outside. The hole is inserted into the hollow of the vibration damping member, and the hollow of the vibration damping member is deaerated through the hole. Alternatively, by supplying (feeding) gas into the hollow and reducing or increasing the diameter of the damping member, the damping member is attached to or detached from (attached to or detached from) the inner wall of the cylindrical photosensitive drum. A desorption device, wherein a member for pressing against the damping member is a damping member pressing member that slides against the suction member by receiving an axial force of the suction member. A vibration damping member attaching / detaching device is provided on the base end side.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the outer diameter in the normal state (natural state) of the damping member is d, the outer diameter d _{1 of the} damping member is d × 0.99 to d × 0.85. 2. The vibration damping member attaching / detaching device according to claim 1, further comprising a deforming unit that performs suction deformation (reducing diameter) by degassing until the shrinkage rate is 1% to 15%.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, the relationship between the distance L between the tip of the suction member and the pressing member and the vibration member hollow portion length l is “L ≦ l”. Or it is the attachment or detachment apparatus of the damping member of 2.
The invention described in claim 4 is characterized in that the pressing member is always pressed by an elastic body so that the distance L between the tip of the suction member and the pressing member is constant. Ru desorber der the vibration member.
The invention described in 請 Motomeko 5 is a desorber damping member according to claim 4, wherein the elastic body is a spring.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, both ends of the suction member are hermetically sealed, a suction port for degassing the hollow of the suction member, and an air supply for supplying (feeding) gas into the hollow 6. The vibration damping member attaching / detaching device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , further comprising a port.
The invention according to claim 7 is characterized in that the suction member has a pressing member for the photosensitive drum for mounting the vibration damping member at a fixed position on the inner wall of the photosensitive drum. Item 7. The vibration damping member attaching / detaching device according to Item 6 .
The invention according to claim 8 is the vibration damping member attaching / detaching device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the vibration damping member is made of an elastic body.
The invention according to claim 9 is the apparatus for attaching and detaching a vibration damping member according to claim 8 , wherein the elastic body constituting the vibration damping member is rubber.

A tenth aspect of the present invention is a detachment method in which the vibration damping member is desorbed (attached or detached) from the inner wall of the cylindrical photosensitive drum by the desorption apparatus according to any one of the first to ninth aspects. When the outer diameter in the normal state (natural state) of the damping member is d, the outer diameter d _{1 of the} damping member is d × 0.99 to d × 0.85 (shrinkage rate = 1% to 15%), the suction member is deformed (reduced in diameter) by deaeration, and in this state, the damping member is inserted into the photosensitive drum, and then the suction member is released to make the damping member photosensitive. A vibration damping member attaching / detaching method characterized by being attached in close contact with an inner wall of a body drum.

  In the invention according to claim 1, when the vibration damping member is sucked in a state where it is fixed by the suction member tip and the pressing member, the outer diameter of the vibration damping member is deformed and becomes small, but only the opening portion thereof is While the outside diameter increases due to the influence of the single piece due to the suction, which prevents the photosensitive drum from being detached, the influence of the single piece is eliminated by sliding the pressing member in the axial direction. The outer diameter becomes smaller as a whole due to suction, so that it is possible to perform detachment that can shorten the work time for detaching the photosensitive drum, improve the work accuracy, and reduce dust adhesion.

In the invention of the invention and claims 10 to claim 2, the vibration damping member outer diameter d ₁ is sucked deformed until d × 0.99~d × 0.85, and the damping member in the reduced diameter state Since the damping member is mounted in close contact with the inner wall of the photosensitive drum by releasing the suction deformation after being inserted into the photosensitive drum, the above-described effect of the invention of claim 1 is further enhanced. Can do.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, by setting “L ≦ l”, the inner diameter end face of the vibration damping member is in close contact with the tip of the suction member, and a reliable suction is possible without any loss during suction.
In the invention according to claim 4, since the damping member pressing member that slides in the axial direction is always at a fixed position, the inner diameter end face of the damping member is in close contact with the tip of the suction member, and loss during suction is eliminated. reliable suction Te is Ru can.
In the invention described in 請 Motomeko 5, the elastic body is a spring, it is possible to exhibit the elastic function in a simple, inexpensive configuration.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the vibration control member can be attached and detached easily and freely by the both-end sealed hollow structure, the suction port and the air supply port of the suction member.
According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the suction member has the photosensitive drum pressing member, the vibration damping member can be mounted at a fixed position on the inner wall of the photosensitive drum.
In the invention described in claim 8 , a simple and inexpensive structure can be provided as the damping member, and in the invention described in claim 9 , a material made of an optimum material can be provided as the damping member.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a suction member serving as a desorption device of the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view thereof. 4 to 7, the shaft-like suction member 2 has a pressing member 9 that is pressed against the end portion on the opening side for the damping members 6 and 7 on the base end side. Further, a pressing member 5 for the photosensitive drum 8 for attaching and detaching the damping members 6 and 7 to a fixed position on the inner wall of the photosensitive drum 8 is also provided on the base end side.

  The outer diameter of the photosensitive drum 8 is DA, the outer diameter of the damping members 6 and 7 is DB, the inner diameter of the damping members 6 and 7 is DC, and the outer diameter of the pressing member 9 for the damping members 6 and 7 is DD. When the outer diameter of the pressing member 5 for the photosensitive drum 8 is DE, “DE> DA> DB> DD> DC”, and the outer diameter of the damping members 6 and 7 before suction is the photosensitive drum. It must be larger than the inner diameter of 8.

  The suction member 2 makes the tip part contact the inner diameter end face of the damping members 6 and 7 to fix the position of the damping members 6 and 7 and prevent suction air leakage from the end gap. The suction member 2 can be slid by receiving the axial force of the suction member 2, and the pressing member 9 is urged by the elastic force of the elastic body 15, so that the tip of the suction member 2 and the damping members 6 and 7 can be The pressing member 9 is provided such that the relationship between the distance L to the pressing member 9 and the hollow portion length l of the damping members 6 and 7 satisfies “L ≦ l”. The pressing force of the elastic body 15 is equal to or less than the weight of the damping members 6 and 7. The outer diameter of the photosensitive drum 8 is DA, the outer diameter of the damping members 6 and 7 is DB, the inner diameter of the damping members 6 and 7 is DC, and the outer diameter of the pressing member 9 for the damping members 6 and 7 is DD. In this case, “DA> DB> DD> DC”.

  The inside of the suction member 2 is hollow and sealed at both ends, and has a suction port 13 for degassing from the inside and an air supply port 14 for supplying air to the inside. Further, the suction member 2 has at least one suction / air supply hole 12 that is a hole connecting the hollow portion and the outside, and the damping member 6 is connected to the suction port 13 and the air supply port 14 through the hole 12. , 7 The gas or fluid inside is sucked and supplied. The hole diameter of these holes is a diameter that does not cause resistance to suction and air supply.

  The material of the damping members 6 and 7 is flexible such as butyl rubber, nitrile rubber, natural rubber, etc., which can be deformed (reduced diameter / expanded) in response to the suction or supply of gas or fluid inside the damping members 6 and 7. Must be a good material. For the purpose of the present invention, a flexible material is indispensable because an adhesion effect and a vibration damping effect are obtained by elasticity.

  Further, in order to fix the damping members 6 and 7 at a fixed position on the inner wall of the photosensitive drum 8, and to eliminate the need for the bonding process, the outer diameter of the damping members 6 and 7 is set to It is necessary to set the outer diameter slightly larger than the inner diameter of the drum 8. Therefore, when the inner diameter of the photosensitive drum 8 is D and the outer diameter of the damping members 6 and 7 is d, it is preferable that “D <d” or “D = d”.

In this detaching device, the damping members 6 and 7 are inserted into the suction member 2, and then the gas or fluid inside the damping members 6 and 7 is sucked from the suction port 13, so that vibration is suppressed before suction, that is, in a natural state. When the outer diameter of the member is d and the outer diameter of the damping member after suction is d ₁ , “d> d ₁ ” is satisfied. When the outer diameter of the damping members 6 and 7 is defined as d, it is deformed by suction to 1 to 5%, preferably 5% to 10%, more preferably 10% to 15% of d. In this way, the damping members 6 and 7 are detached from the inner wall of the photosensitive drum 8.

  Thereby, by optimizing the suction, it can be utilized not only at the time of insertion but also at the time of removing the damping members 6 and 7 at the time of recycling the used photosensitive drum 8.

  FIG. 3 shows that the relationship between the distance L between the upper end of the suction member 2 and the pressing member 9 and the length l of the damping member is “L” by sliding in the axial direction of the suction member 2. It is a block diagram of the suction and air supply system of the suction member 2 having a pressing member 9 that satisfies ≦ l ″. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram when the damping members 6 and 7 are attached to the suction member 2 having the pressing member 9. FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing the contraction of the damping members 6 and 7 by the suction operation when the suction member 2 having the fixed pressing member 9 that does not slide as described above is used.

  As shown in FIG. 3, it is preferable that the desorption device has a mechanism for evacuating the hollow portions inside the damping members 6 and 7. As a mechanism for creating a vacuum, for example, an ejector 1 that is a well-known technique is used. This is a device that includes a pair of nozzles and a diffuser, generates a high-speed flow from the nozzle toward the diffuser, sucks ambient gas or fluid, and is discharged from the diffuser to the atmosphere via a silencer or the like. The ejector 1 preferably has a mechanism for releasing the gas from the vacuum portion after the hollow portions inside the damping members 6 and 7 are evacuated. For example, as a mechanism for releasing the vacuum, the tact-up can be achieved by supplying atmospheric air into a vacuum state.

Examples of the present invention and comparative examples will be described below in detail. Needless to say, these are merely examples of the present invention and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention.
In the following examples, the damping members 6 and 7 are applied to the photosensitive drum 8 in which an undercoat layer, a charge generation layer, and a charge transport layer are sequentially applied on an aluminum drum having an outer diameter of 60 mm, an inner diameter of 57 mm, and a length of 350 mm. Is prepared with an outer diameter of 58 mm, an inner diameter of 45 mm, a length of 275 mm, and one end sealed with butyl rubber, so that the damping members 6 and 7 can be fixed at a position 37.5 mm from one end of the photosensitive drum 8. The working time and the pressing force were measured for 100 photoconductor drums 8 and the state of dust adhesion was confirmed.

[Example 1]
An insertion experiment was performed with the desorption apparatus described in FIG. The work flow is shown below.
<Work flow>
1). The damping members 6 and 7 are inserted into the suction member 2 from the direction in which one end is opened, and are inserted until the inner diameter end surfaces of the damping members 6 and 7 contact the tip of the suction member 2. At this time, the damping members 6 and 7 receive the pressing force of the spring 15 upward via the pressing member 9 that slides in the axial direction, but since “the pressing force ≦ the damping member weight”, the damping member The inner diameter end faces 6 and 7 are in close contact with the upper end of the suction member 2.
2). The suction hand valve 3 is turned ON, and compressed air is once supplied.
3). Next, the ejector 1 is turned on, and suction is performed from the suction port 13 in order to contract the damping members 6 and 7.
4). The gas or fluid in the hollow portions of the damping members 6 and 7 is sucked to be in a vacuum state. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 4, the damping member contracted, and the outer diameter of the damping members 6 and 7 became 51 mm. The damping member pressing member 9 moved several mm downward. As a result, the degree of deformation (diameter reduction) of the damping member was 12%. That is, [(58−51) / 58] × 100 = 12%. The photosensitive drum 8 is inserted from the outside of the vibration damping members 6 and 7 to the pressing member 5 for the photosensitive drum of the suction member 2 until one end of the photosensitive drum hits. As a result, the distance from the end of the photosensitive drum 8 to the end of the damping members 6 and 7 becomes 37.5 mm (see FIG. 6).
5). The suction hand valve 3 is turned OFF.
6). Turn off the ejector 1.
7). The vacuum release hand valve 4 is turned ON (compressed air is supplied from the air supply port), the vacuum state is rapidly released on the inner wall of the photosensitive drum 8, and the damping members 6 and 7 try to return to the original outer diameter. . Accordingly, the damping members 6 and 7 are in close contact with and fixed to the inner wall of the photosensitive drum 8 by the elasticity of the damping members 6 and 7. This state is shown in FIG.
8). Turn off the vacuum release hand valve 4.
9). The photosensitive drum 8 is taken out (a damping member is inserted in the inner wall).

[Example 2]
The damping members 6 and 7 inserted in Example 1 were extracted in the reverse manner to Example 1.

[Comparative Example 1]
An insertion experiment was performed with the desorption apparatus described in FIG. The work flow is shown below.
<Work flow>
1). The damping members 6 and 7 are inserted into the suction member 2 from the direction in which one end is opened, and are inserted into the pressing member 9 for the fixed damping member until the one ends of the damping members 6 and 7 come into contact.
2). The suction hand valve 3 is turned ON, and compressed air is once supplied.
3). Next, the ejector 1 is turned on, and suction is performed from the suction port 13 in order to contract the damping members 6 and 7.
4). The gas or fluid in the hollow portions of the damping members 6 and 7 is sucked to be in a vacuum state. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, most of the outer diameter of the damping member contracted to 51 mm, but the lower opening side end portion expanded to 60 mm. The photosensitive drum 8 was tried to be inserted from the outside of the damping members 6 and 7 to the pressing member 5 of the suction member 2 until one end of the photosensitive drum 8 hits, but was caught by the outer diameter expansion portion and pushed forcibly.
5). The suction hand valve 3 is turned OFF.
6). Turn off the ejector 1.
7). The vacuum release hand valve 4 is turned on (compressed air is supplied from the air supply port), and the vacuum state is rapidly released on the inner wall of the photosensitive drum 8, and the vibration damping members 6 and 7 try to return to the original outer diameter. Accordingly, the damping members 6 and 7 are in close contact with and fixed to the inner wall of the photosensitive drum 8 by the elasticity of the damping members 6 and 7.
8). Turn off the vacuum release hand valve 4.
9). The photosensitive drum is taken out (a damping member is inserted in the inner wall).

[Comparative Example 2]
The damping members 6 and 7 inserted in Comparative Example 1 were extracted in the reverse manner of Comparative Example 1.
The confirmation results of the above examples are shown in Tables 1 and 2.

It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the suction member which is one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. It is a block diagram of the suction of a suction member and an air supply system. It is explanatory drawing at the time of vibration damping member mounting | wearing to the suction member which has a pressing member. It is explanatory drawing which shows shrinkage | contraction of the damping member by suction operation when using the suction member which has a fixed pressing member which does not slide. It is explanatory drawing explaining the Example of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the Example of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the subject of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the subject of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the subject of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

2 Suction member 6, 7 Damping member 8 Photosensitive drum 9 Pressing member 15 Elastic member

Claims (10)

A suction member that has a hollow shape and is inserted into the hollow of a cylindrical damping member that has a hollow and has one end sealed or partially open, and a hollow of the suction member that is provided in the suction member And a hole penetrating between the outside and the outside, and is inserted into the hollow of the damping member, and the inside of the hollow of the damping member is degassed or gas is supplied into the hollow through the hole. A desorption device that desorbs the vibration damping member from the inner wall of the cylindrical photosensitive drum by reducing or expanding the vibration damping member,
As a member to be pressed against the damping member, a damping member pressing member that slides against the suction member by receiving an axial force of the suction member is provided on the proximal end side of the suction member. A vibration damping member attaching and detaching device characterized by the above. When the outer diameter of the normal state of the damping member is d, the deformation means for sucking deformed by the evacuated to the outside diameter d ₁ of the damping member is d × 0.99~d × 0.85 The vibration damping member attaching / detaching device according to claim 1, further comprising:   3. The damping member according to claim 1, wherein a relationship between a distance L between the tip of the suction member and the pressing member and a damping member hollow portion length l is “L ≦ l”. Desorption device.   4. The vibration damping member attaching / detaching device according to claim 3, wherein the pressing member is constantly pressed by an elastic body so that a distance L between the tip of the suction member and the pressing member is constant. The apparatus for attaching / detaching a vibration damping member according to claim 4, wherein the elastic body is a spring. The suction member is sealed at both ends, and has a suction port for degassing the inside of the hollow of the suction member and an air supply port for supplying gas into the hollow. The desorption apparatus of the damping member in any one of 1-5 . 7. The vibration damping member according to claim 6 , wherein the suction member includes a photosensitive drum pressing member for mounting the vibration damping member at a fixed position on the inner wall of the photosensitive drum. Desorption device. Desorber damping member according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the damping member is characterized by comprising an elastic body. The apparatus for attaching and detaching a vibration damping member according to claim 8 , wherein the elastic body constituting the vibration damping member is rubber. A desorption method for desorbing the damping member from an inner wall of a cylindrical photosensitive drum by the desorption device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 ,
If the outer diameter of the normal state of the damping member is d, and sucked deformed by the evacuated to the outside diameter d ₁ of the damping member is d × 0.99~d × 0.85, the state The damping member is inserted into the photosensitive drum, and then the suction deformation is released, so that the damping member is mounted in close contact with the inner wall of the photosensitive drum. Desorption method.

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