JP5208298B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus capable of cleaning a transmission member provided in a light irradiation opening of an optical unit.

  Image forming apparatuses such as laser beam printers and copiers form an electrostatic latent image by irradiating a photosensitive drum, which is an image carrier, with laser light corresponding to an image signal, and developing the electrostatic latent image with toner. To visualize it. Such an image forming apparatus is covered with a main body cover having an openable / closable cover so that laser light does not leak outside during operation.

  However, the opening / closing cover may be opened while the main switch is being input, such as when replacing consumables such as process cartridges, removing paper jams during operation, or during maintenance. In particular, in the case of laser light, it is necessary to prevent the laser light from leaking outside the apparatus even when the interlock switch malfunctions when the open / close cover is open.

  Therefore, a laser shutter device is used. The laser shutter device is disposed in the laser optical scanning device or an image forming apparatus using the laser optical device. The shutter is configured to operate. In other words, the laser shutter device blocks the laser light path when the user or service person opens the open / close cover of the image forming apparatus for the purpose of attaching or detaching a process cartridge or handling a paper jam. This is to prevent exposure.

  For example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a laser shutter having a shape that covers the entire length of a folding mirror that reflects laser light is rotatably attached, and an open / close cover that opens and closes when a process cartridge is attached or detached or a paper jam is removed. In some cases, the laser shutter is rotated in conjunction with the laser beam so as to block the laser light path reaching the folding mirror.

  On the other hand, since recent electrophotographic image forming apparatuses use toner as a developer, the toner may scatter in the image forming apparatus and dust and dust may float. Since the laser scanner, which is an exposure unit of the image forming apparatus, dislikes toner, dust, dust, and the like, the inside of the laser scanner is sealed so that toner, dust, dust, and the like do not enter the laser scanner.

  The image forming apparatus has an opening through which laser light emitted from the laser scanner passes. In order to prevent toner, dust, dust, and the like from entering the laser scanner from the opening, a cover glass through which the laser beam can pass is attached to the opening.

  With such a configuration, toner, dust, or dust that falls or floats from the developing device in the process cartridge enters the optical path of the laser beam and adheres to the cover glass to block the optical path. Missing images may occur. Therefore, in order to prevent density reduction and image loss, a configuration in which toner, dust, dust or the like does not adhere to the cover glass, or a configuration in which the adhering material is cleaned is necessary.

  Therefore, a user or a service person accesses the inside of the image forming apparatus and cleans the cover glass with a soft cloth or the like. However, since the area of the cover glass is small and it must be cleaned so as not to damage the surface of the cover glass, it is very difficult to perform and it has been difficult to clean.

  In order to solve this problem, as disclosed in Patent Document 2, there has been proposed a cleaning configuration capable of removing toner, dust, dust and the like adhering to the dust-proof glass. Specifically, a configuration in which toner, dust, dust, etc. attached to the dust-proof glass can be removed by sliding a cleaning member provided in the optical scanning device along the dust-proof glass by the user or service person is realized. doing.

JP-A-11-337859 JP 2005-246901 A

  In recent years, tandem color image forming apparatuses have been reduced in size and increased in output speed, and it has become an important theme to arrange and configure the main elements of image formation in a compact manner. In particular, in a tandem color image forming apparatus using a plurality of photosensitive drums and a plurality of laser beams, an image forming unit for each color is required, and how to design the image forming unit compactly has been a problem.

  Naturally, the tandem color image forming apparatus requires a plurality of laser shutter devices for user protection, and the mechanism becomes complicated. In addition, a space for arranging the laser shutter mechanism is required between the photosensitive drum and the laser scanner, so that the degree of freedom of arrangement of each element in the image forming area is lost, which hinders downsizing of the apparatus.

  Moreover, as shown in Patent Document 2, in the configuration in which the dust-proof glass is cleaned by sliding the cleaning member, the cleaning member slid at the time of cleaning is positioned at one end of the dust-proof glass and outside the laser light irradiation region. Let me.

  However, when the cleaning member is slid, a member for guiding the cleaning member is required, and an increase in the number of parts and a space are required to configure the member.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of efficiently cleaning foreign matter on a transmission member with a space-saving and simple configuration.

Typical means of the present invention for solving the above problems, an image bearing member you bearing a toner image, having said image bearing member opening for the light irradiation, the light within the opening An optical unit including a transmissive member that transmits light, an optical shutter member that is movable from an opening of the optical unit to a closed position that blocks an optical path of light irradiated to the image carrier, and an open position that opens; an image forming apparatus having a cleaning member for cleaning a member, wherein the cleaning member is supported by the light shutter member movably ability for the light shutter member, the optical shutter of the cleaning member The moving direction with respect to the member is orthogonal to the moving direction of the optical shutter member .

In the present invention, the cleaning member is supported by the optical shutter member so as to be movable in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the optical shutter member, and a dedicated member for guiding the movement of the cleaning member is not necessary and is limited. An optical shutter function and a cleaning function can be configured in a space.

1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an embodiment of a multicolor image forming apparatus. FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of attaching / detaching a process cartridge and attaching a sheet cassette. It is a section explanatory view of a laser shutter and a cleaning member. It is sectional explanatory drawing of the pivotal attachment part of a laser shutter. It is explanatory drawing when a laser shutter exists in a closed position. It is an urging configuration explanatory view of a slider. It is explanatory drawing when a laser shutter exists in an open position. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus as viewed from the left side. It is explanatory drawing which shows the insertion state of a process cartridge, and the sliding state of a cleaning member. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a process cartridge insertion state. It is explanatory drawing which shows the extraction state of a process cartridge, and the sliding state of a cleaning member.

  Next, an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an overall configuration of a color laser printer 100 which is an aspect of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. First, the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus will be outlined.

[Entire configuration of image forming apparatus]
The color laser printer 100 shown in FIG. 1 is equipped with four process cartridges 7 (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d) constituting the first to fourth image forming units. Each image forming unit sequentially forms each color image of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, and has the same configuration except that the color of the toner is different. Therefore, reference symbols a, b, c, and d shown in FIG. 1 indicate members corresponding to the image forming units of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, respectively, but in the following description, it is particularly necessary to distinguish colors. If not, the symbols a, b, c and d are omitted.

  Each process cartridge 7 includes a photosensitive drum 1 as an image carrier. A charging unit 2, a developing unit 4, and a cleaning unit 8 are sequentially arranged around the photosensitive drum 1 in accordance with the rotation direction. The cartridge is integrally formed and is detachably attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus.

  The process cartridge 7 includes a developing unit 4 and a cleaner unit 5 which are developing means. The developing unit 4 includes a developing roller 24, a developer application roller 25, and a toner container. The cleaner unit 5 includes a photosensitive drum 1, a charging roller 2, a drum cleaning blade 8 serving as a cleaning unit, and a waste toner container.

  Further, an intermediate transfer belt unit 30 that is rotatable in contact with the photosensitive drum 1 is disposed above the process cartridge 7, and a laser scanner 3 as an optical unit is disposed below the process cartridge 7.

  A photosensitive drum 1 as an image carrier is configured by applying an organic photoconductive layer (OPC) to the outer peripheral surface of an aluminum cylinder, and both ends thereof are rotatably supported by flanges. Then, a driving force is transmitted to one end portion from a driving motor (not shown), thereby being rotated in the clockwise direction indicated by the arrow in FIG.

  The charging means 2 is a conductive roller formed in a roller shape. The roller is brought into contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 and a charging bias voltage is applied by a power source (not shown) to thereby surface the surface of the photosensitive drum 1. Is uniformly charged.

  The laser scanner 3 is disposed vertically below the process cartridge 7 and performs exposure based on the image signal for each photosensitive drum 1.

  The developing units 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4d are adjacent to the toner storage unit that stores toner of each color of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), and the surface of the photoreceptor, respectively. The image forming apparatus includes a developing roller and the like that are rotated by a unit (not shown) and that develops by applying a developing bias voltage from a developing bias power source (not shown).

  With the above-described configuration, the photosensitive drum 1 is charged to a predetermined negative potential by the charging roller 2 and then an electrostatic latent image is formed by the laser scanner 3. The electrostatic latent image is reversely developed by the developing unit 4 and negative toner is attached to form Y, M, C, and K toner images, respectively.

  In the intermediate transfer belt unit 30, an intermediate transfer belt 12e is stretched around a drive roller 12f and a tension roller 12g, and the tension roller 12g applies tension in the direction of arrow E. Further, a primary transfer roller 12 is disposed inside the intermediate transfer belt 12e so as to face each photosensitive drum 1, and is configured to apply a transfer bias by bias applying means (not shown).

  In the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 1, each photosensitive drum 1 rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1, the intermediate transfer belt 12e rotates in the direction of the arrow F, and the positive bias is applied to the primary transfer roller 12. Is applied to the intermediate transfer belt 12e sequentially from the toner image on the photosensitive drum 1a. Then, the four color toner images are conveyed to the secondary transfer unit 15 in a state where they overlap.

  The feeding device 13 includes a feeding roller 9 that feeds the sheet S from within the sheet cassette 11 that stores the sheet S, and a conveyance roller pair 10 that conveys the fed sheet S.

  The sheet cassette 11 is configured so that it can be pulled out toward the front side of the main body in FIG. 1. After the user pulls out the sheet cassette 11 and removes it from the apparatus main body, the sheet S is set and inserted into the apparatus main body. Supply is completed.

  The sheets S stored in the sheet cassette 11 are pressed against the feeding roller 9, separated one by one by the separation pad 23 (friction piece separation method), and conveyed.

  Then, the sheet S conveyed from the feeding device 13 is conveyed to the secondary transfer unit 15 by the registration roller pair 17.

  In the secondary transfer unit 15, a four-color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 12 e is secondarily transferred onto the conveyed sheet S by applying a positive bias to the secondary transfer roller 16.

  The sheet onto which the toner image has been transferred is applied with heat and pressure in the fixing unit 14 serving as fixing means to fix the toner image, and is discharged onto the discharge tray 21 by the discharge roller pair 20.

  On the other hand, the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 after the toner image transfer is removed by the cleaning blade 8, and the removed toner is collected in a waste toner container in the cleaner unit 5.

  Further, the toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 12e after the secondary transfer to the sheet S is removed by the transfer belt cleaning device 22, and the removed toner passes through a waste toner conveyance path (not shown) and passes through the back of the device. The toner is collected into a waste toner collecting container (not shown) disposed on the surface.

[Process cartridge installation / removal configuration]
Next, a configuration for attaching and detaching the process cartridge 7 in the color laser printer 100 will be described. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a method for attaching / detaching the process cartridge 7 and a method for attaching / detaching the sheet cassette 11 in the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment.

  In the color laser printer 100, supply of sheets to the sheet cassette 11, attachment / detachment of the process cartridge 7, and collection of printed sheets can be operated from the front side of the apparatus. The process cartridge 7 can be attached / detached in the direction of the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum 1 and on the front side of the apparatus main body.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a cartridge mounting portion 60 is formed in the apparatus main body, and a guide portion for guiding insertion and extraction of the process cartridge 7 is provided. The process cartridge 7 is attached / detached by opening an open / close cover (not shown) and inserting / removing the process cartridge 7 in the longitudinal direction of the photosensitive drum along the guide portion.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the guide portion 33 is configured as a guide rail that guides the lower portion of the process cartridge 7. The guide portion 33 is provided in a partition plate 31 that partitions the process cartridge 7 and the laser scanner 3, and a groove that guides an insertion rib 18 that is formed integrally with the process cartridge 7 is formed. Further, the back end of the guide portion 33 in the cartridge insertion direction is curved upward from the other portions (see FIG. 10). Therefore, when the process cartridge 7 is inserted along the guide portion 33 as will be described later, the process cartridge 7 is mounted so as to move slightly from the bottom to the top at the end of the insertion.

[Laser shutter and cleaning member]
Next, the process cartridge 7, the laser shutter 35, and the cleaning member 61 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The laser scanner 3 of the present embodiment is disposed below the process cartridge 7 and has an opening 80 that is elongated in the longitudinal direction of the photosensitive drum 1 at the top of the unit in order to irradiate the photosensitive drum 1 positioned above. Is provided. Since dust, dust, toner, etc. easily fall into the laser scanner 3 from the opening 80 provided in the upper part of the unit, a cover glass 34, which is a transmission member that transmits light, is attached to the opening 80. The part 80 is closed and sealed. Here, the cover glass 34 has a long shape, and in order to transmit the light emitted toward the photosensitive drum 1, the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 1 and the longitudinal direction of the long cover glass 34 are different. It arrange | positions so that it may correspond substantially.

  A laser shutter 35, which is an optical shutter member formed of black ABS resin, is disposed immediately above the cover glass 34 at a position where the laser light is blocked. The laser shutter 35 is formed in an elongated shape so as to cover the cover glass 34, and has a position (blocking position) for blocking the optical path of light irradiated from the laser scanner 3 to the photosensitive drum 1 and a position (open position) for opening. It is movable. As shown in FIG. 3, when the laser shutter 35 is in the closed position, the laser light transmitted through the cover glass 34 is blocked by the laser shutter 35 and is not irradiated to the photosensitive drum 1.

  The laser shutter 35 is formed of an elastic member and is configured to be elastically deformable. In this embodiment, the laser shutter 35 is made of ABS resin.

  The laser shutter 35 is fitted with a cleaning member 61 for cleaning the cover glass 34 so as to surround the outer periphery thereof. The cleaning member 61 is mainly composed of a base member 62 and a wiping member 64. The base member 62 of the present embodiment is made of ABS resin having a length of about 20 mm, and is supported by the laser shutter 35 so as to be slidable in the longitudinal direction of the laser shutter 35. The cleaning member 61 is guided by the laser shutter 35 and moved in the longitudinal direction of the long cover glass 34 so that the cover glass 34 can be wiped off.

  A tab 63 is integrally formed on the upper part of the base member 62 of the cleaning member 61. The tab 63 engages with a part of the process cartridge 7 when the process cartridge 7 is attached / detached, whereby the cleaning member 61 moves along the longitudinal direction of the laser shutter 35 in conjunction with the insertion / extraction operation of the process cartridge. And slide.

  A wiping member 64 is attached to the lower surface portion of the base member 62. The wiping member 64 of the present embodiment uses a urethane foam having a thickness of 2 mm and a hardness of around 100 N and a polyester nonwoven fabric having a thickness of 1.5 mm adhered by a welding process. As shown in FIG. 3, in the state where the process cartridge 7 is mounted, the polyester nonwoven fabric of the wiping member 64 and the cover glass 34 are disposed at positions separated from each other.

(Laser shutter support structure)
Next, a method for supporting the laser shutter 35 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the color laser printer 100 as seen from the front side, as in FIG. 3, and FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the laser shutter 35 is movable between an open position and a closed position by a link member. Specifically, both ends in the longitudinal direction of the laser shutter 35 are supported by swinging arms 38 and 39 constituting a link member disposed below the laser shutter 35. The oscillating arms 38 and 39 are rotatable about the oscillating fulcrum bosses 42 and 43, and the rotating end portions are pivotally attached to both end portions of the laser shutter 35 by shaft portions.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a compression spring 65 is attached between the laser shutter 35 and the swing arms 38 and 39 so as to urge the laser shutter 35 in a direction away from the cover glass 34. That is, the laser shutter 35 is urged upward in FIG. 4 and is positioned by being regulated in the removal direction by the E-ring 66 attached to the shaft ends of the swing arms 38 and 39.

(Laser shutter opening and closing mechanism)
Next, the laser shutter 35 opening / closing mechanism will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 shows a state in which the laser shutter 35 is disposed at a closed position where the laser light path is blocked. A broken line portion in FIG. 5 indicates the position of the cover glass 34 whose upper portion is covered with the laser shutter 35.

  As shown in FIG. 5, round holes 36 and 37 are provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the laser shutter 35, and the cylindrical bosses 40 and 41 provided in the swing arms 38 and 39 described above are round holes. By fitting into 36 and 37, the laser shutter 35 is supported in a swingable manner. The swing arms 38 and 39 are integrally formed with swing fulcrum bosses 42 and 43 on their lower surfaces. The swing fulcrum bosses 42 and 43 are fitted into holes (not shown) provided in the partition plate 31 described above, and are supported so as to be rotatable about the bosses. With such a configuration, the laser shutter 35 is configured to be movable via the link member with respect to the cover glass 34 on the laser scanner fixed to the apparatus main body.

  The cleaning member 61 described above is supported on the left end portion of the laser shutter 35. The cleaning member 61 is moved from the right side to the left side of the laser shutter 35 while rubbing the surface of the cover glass 34 by mounting the process cartridge 7.

  Further, a cylindrical engagement boss 44 is integrally formed on the upper surface of the swing arm 38 at the end opposite to the boss 40 with the swing fulcrum boss 42 interposed therebetween. The engaging boss 44 is engaged with a deformed hole 46 formed in a slider 45 disposed on the upper portion of the swing arm 38.

  The slider 45 is mounted so that its movement in the vertical direction in FIG. 5 is regulated and slidable in the horizontal direction by guides 47 and 48 formed by bending and raising a part of the partition plate 31 so as to regulate its operation. Yes. Further, one end in the longitudinal direction of the slider 45 is disposed so as to pass through a restriction hole (not shown) provided in the front plate 49 of the apparatus main body and protrude to the front side of the apparatus main body. Further, a convex portion 51 is formed at the end of the opening hole 50 formed in the central portion of the slider, and the right end of the compression spring 52 is fitted into the convex portion 51.

  FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the slider 45 and the compression spring 52 as viewed from the left side of the apparatus. As shown in FIG. 6, the left end of the compression spring 52 is fitted into a spring support shape portion 53 formed by bending a part of the partition plate 31. Therefore, the slider 45 is urged to the right in FIG. 6 by the spring pressure of the compression spring 52. The slider 45 has a step-shaped portion 54 on its side surface (FIG. 5), and is stationary when the step-shaped portion 54 abuts against the front side plate 49.

  Next, the opening / closing operation of the laser shutter 35 will be described. FIG. 7 shows a state where an image can be formed, that is, a state where the front door 26 which is an opening / closing cover of the apparatus is closed and the laser shutter 35 is in an open position where it is retracted from the optical path of the laser beam.

  When the slider 45 slides, the engagement boss 44 fitted in the deformed hole 46 moves. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, when the front door 26 is closed, the convex portion 27 formed on the inner surface of the front door 26 pushes the end of the slider 45. As a result, when the slider 45 slides in the direction of arrow A, the engagement boss 44 moves along the deformed hole 46. Therefore, the swing arm 38 rotates around the swing fulcrum boss 42 in the direction of arrow B in FIG. As a result, the laser shutter 35 pivotally supported by the cylindrical boss 40 moves to the position shown in FIG. The other swing arm 39 that supports the laser shutter 35 rotates in the direction of arrow C around the swing fulcrum boss 43 according to the movement of the laser shutter 35.

  As described above, when the front door 26 is closed, the laser shutter 35 is retracted from directly above the cover glass 34, and the photosensitive drum 1 can be irradiated with the laser light emitted from the laser scanner 3.

  When the front door 26 is opened from the state shown in FIG. 7, the end of the slider 45 is slid rightward in the drawing by the urging force of the compression spring 52 because the convex portion 27 is not pressed. By this slide, the engaging boss 44 fitted in the deformed hole 46 is moved, the swinging arms 38 and 39 are rotated in the reverse direction of the arrows B and C, and the laser shutter 35 is moved, and the state shown in FIG. become. As a result, the laser shutter 35 moves to a position directly above the cover glass 34 and becomes a closed position that blocks the optical path of the laser light.

  FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the color laser printer 100 as seen from the left side. A front door 26 is provided on the right side (front side of the apparatus) in FIG. The front door 26 is a cover for the apparatus and is a door that opens and closes when the process cartridge 7 is attached and detached. The front door 26 is rotatably supported by the apparatus main body about a fulcrum shaft 28 provided in the lower part thereof. On the other hand, the upper part is hooked to the apparatus main body by a latch (not shown).

  When the user replaces the process cartridge 7, the user can open the front door 26 by grasping the handle 29 and pulling it forward. When the front door 26 is opened, the slider 45 slides to the right in FIG. 8 as described above, and the laser shutter 35 moves to the closed position.

  As described above, when the front door 26 is opened to attach or detach the process cartridge 7, the laser shutter 35 is disposed immediately above the cover glass 34. Therefore, dust, dust, toner, etc. that float or fall due to impact during attachment and detachment. Can be prevented from adhering to the surface of the cover glass 34.

(Removal of process cartridge and movement of cleaning member)
Next, the attachment / detachment of the process cartridge 7 and the operation of the cleaning member 61 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  9A to 9D are views of the cover glass 34 and the laser shutter 35 as viewed from the side of the apparatus, and the right side in the figure is the front side of the apparatus, that is, the side where the process cartridge 7 is mounted. The state of FIG. 9A shows a state before the process cartridge 7 is mounted.

  As described above, the laser shutter 35 is biased upward by the compression springs 65 at both ends thereof, and the cleaning member 61 supported by the laser shutter 35 is in a state where the wiping member 64 is separated from the cover glass 34. Has been placed. Further, a rib 68 is formed at the front end side in the insertion direction of the process cartridge and at the lower end.

  When the process cartridge 7 is inserted, the rib 68 interferes with the base member 62 as shown in FIG. However, the rib 68 is engaged with the tab 63 by pushing down the cleaning member 61 downward without being caught by the inclined surface 67 formed on the base member 62. By this depression, the laser shutter 35 moves downward against the urging force of the compression spring 65, and the cleaning member 61 comes into contact with the cover glass 34.

  That is, the laser shutter 35 is deformed so as to protrude downward, thereby creating a state in which the wiping member 64 is in contact with the cover glass 34.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 9C, the process cartridge 7 is inserted in the direction of arrow D while the cleaning member 61 is in contact with the cover glass 34. When the process cartridge 7 is inserted, the wiping member 64 is pushed by the process cartridge 7 and slides along the laser shutter 35 while keeping the wiping member 64 in contact with the cover glass 34. As a result, the cover glass 34 is cleaned by the cleaning member 61. The laser shutter 35 also serves as a member that guides the slide of the cleaning member 61.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 9C, the laser shutter 35 is urged upward by the urging force of the compression springs 65 at both ends thereof, and is moved downward at the position of the cleaning member 61 engaged with the process cartridge 7. It turns out that it has changed so that it may become convex.

  When the process cartridge 7 is further inserted, the state shown in FIG. FIG. 9D shows a state where the wiping member 64 has completed cleaning. The process cartridge 7 moves in the direction of the arrow in FIG. With this locus, the rib 68 is released from the tab 63, the cleaning member 61 is positioned at the cleaning end position, which is the left end of FIG. 9D, and the process cartridge 7 is positioned in the direction of the arrow in the figure.

  As described above, the laser shutter 35 that supports and guides the cleaning member 61 is formed of an elastic body, and the relative positional relationship between the cleaning member 61 and the cover glass 34 is kept constant while utilizing elastic deformation. Yes. With this configuration, the amount of entry of the wiping member 64 with respect to the cover glass 34 can be kept constant by performing dimensional control so that the insertion path of the cover glass 34 that is the object to be cleaned and the process cartridge 7 is parallel. become able to.

  The state where the cleaning member 61 and the cover glass 34 are separated can be easily configured with a simple configuration. Further, in a state where cleaning is not necessary, it is possible to create a state where nothing is touched to the wiping member 64 of the cleaning member 61, and it is possible to wipe out concerns such as deterioration of the wiping member 64.

  That is, it is not necessary to form the laser shutter 35 that also serves as a slide guide for the cleaning member 61 with high rigidity and high accuracy, and a low-cost, simple, space-saving and highly reliable cleaning mechanism can be arranged.

  Further, since the cleaning is performed in the longitudinal direction of the cover glass 34, the wiping member 64 is compact, and the cost and size of the apparatus are reduced while maintaining the reliability of the cleaning performance.

  Here, the configuration in which the insertion locus of the process cartridge 7 moves obliquely upward just before the insertion is completed will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 10A, the process cartridge 7 is guided and inserted into a guide portion 33 provided in the apparatus main body. The guide portion 33 is formed with a first guide 33a for guiding the process cartridge 7 to be inserted. The insertion end portion of the process cartridge 7 is continuous with the first guide 33a, and the second guide 33b is inclined obliquely upward from the first guide 33a. The second guide 33b is continuously located above the first guide. A third guide 33c is formed.

  Therefore, the process cartridge 7 to be inserted is guided by the first guide 33a and inserted into the apparatus. At this time, the cleaning member 61 cleans the cover glass 34 by rubbing. Then, as shown in FIG. 10B, the process cartridge 7 runs from the second guide 33b to the third guide 33c immediately before the insertion is completed. At this time, as shown in FIG. 10C, the convex portion 90 formed at the lower end on the rear end side in the insertion direction of the process cartridge 7 rides on the first guide 33a. As a result, the process cartridge 7 moves upward and the rib 68 is released from the tab 63.

  Further, when the process cartridge 7 moves upward, it is pulled upward by the lifting springs 91 and 92. That is, a lifting spring 91 having a locking boss 93 at the end is provided on the front side of the cartridge mounting portion 60 before the process cartridge is inserted, and the locking boss 93 is formed in the process cartridge 7. And the process cartridge 7 is pulled upward. A lifting spring 92 is also provided on the back side of the process cartridge insertion, and a part of the process cartridge 7 that has moved upward is pushed up by the lifting spring 92 and pulled upward.

  Next, the case where the process cartridge 7 attached to the apparatus main body is pulled out will be described with reference to FIG.

  The state of FIG. 11A shows a state where the color laser printer 100 forms a color image. The wiping member 64 is held in a state of being separated from the cover glass 34. Further, the laser shutter 35 is supported in a state in which a certain distance from the cover glass 34 is reliably maintained by the compression springs 65 at both ends thereof.

  Further, when the process cartridge is mounted on the apparatus main body, the cleaning member 61 has moved to the back side in the mounting portion. When the process cartridge 7 is pulled out from this state, the process cartridge 7 is lowered by being guided by the inclined second guide 33b described above. As a result, the rib 68 at the lower end of the process cartridge is engaged with the left side surface of the tab 63 at the upper end of the cleaning member. As shown in FIG. 11B, a recess 95 is formed in the lower surface of the process cartridge 7 where the rib 68 is provided, and the process cartridge 7 is guided to the second guide 33b. Then, since the concave portion 95 is positioned on the upper portion of the cleaning member 61, the process cartridge 7 does not push down the cleaning member 61. For this reason, the cleaning member 61 maintains a state of being separated from the cover glass 34.

  In this state, the process cartridge 7 moves in the right direction in the figure with the cleaning member 61. At that time, the wiping member 64 is moved away from the cover glass 34. Thus, by returning to the wiping member 64 away from the cover glass 34, the following effects are produced.

  First, it is possible to prevent the cover glass 34 from being soiled again due to the movement of the wiping member 64 in contact with the cover glass 34.

  Next, since the wiping member 64 is used while being pressed against the cover glass 34 during cleaning, the wiping member 64 is subjected to stress and sliding resistance. Therefore, if the wiping member 64 is in contact with the cover glass 34 even when returning to the cleaning start position, the wiping member 64 needs to have durability twice the number of cleanings.

  Therefore, when the cleaning member 61 returns to the cleaning start position, the wiping member 64 is configured to be separated from the cover glass 34, so that the wiping member 64 can be configured with a material that does not require durability of rubbing. Become.

  Further, in addition to a wiping member such as a nonwoven fabric as a cleaning member, a cleaning member having directionality in cleaning ability, such as a blade or a scraper, can be applied.

  When the process cartridge 7 is further pulled out, the state shown in FIG. 11C is reached, and the swinging arms 38 and 39 supporting the laser shutter 35 rotate and the laser shutter 35 moves forward in FIG. 11C. Thus, the tab 63 and the rib 68 are disengaged, and the process cartridge 7 is removed from the apparatus main body.

  The sliding resistance between the laser shutter 35 and the cleaning member 61 is set small with respect to the force for rotating the swing arms 38 and 39, and the tab 63 is positioned at the position on the optical path of the laser beam. And the rib 68 are not disengaged.

  In the present embodiment, the material of the laser shutter 35 is ABS resin, but it may be a metal member such as stainless steel for stainless springs. The same effect can be obtained by utilizing the elastic deformation of the laser shutter 35 and stabilizing the posture of the cleaning member.

  In the present embodiment, cleaning is performed by directly engaging the tab 63 and the cleaning member 61 of the process cartridge 7. However, if the cleaning member 61 moves in conjunction with the attachment or detachment of the process cartridge 7, the apparatus body The structure performed via these members may be used.

1 ... Photosensitive drum (image carrier)
3 ... Laser scanner (optical unit)
7 Process cartridge
34… Cover glass (transmission member)
35 ... Laser shutter (optical shutter member)
60 ... Cartridge mounting part
61… Cleaning member
80… opening

Claims (9)

An image bearing member you bearing a toner image, said image bearing member has an opening for the light irradiation, an optical unit provided with a transparent member through which light is transmitted to the opening, the opening of the optical unit An image forming apparatus comprising: an optical shutter member that can move between a closed position that blocks an optical path of light applied to the image carrier from a portion; and an open position that opens; and a cleaning member that cleans the transmissive member. ,
The cleaning member is supported by the light shutter member movably ability for the light shutter member, the moving direction with respect to the light shutter member of said cleaning member is perpendicular to the moving direction of the optical shutter member An image forming apparatus. An image carrier that carries a toner image, an opening and closing member that can be opened and closed with respect to the apparatus main body, and an opening for irradiating the image carrier with light, and a transmission member through which light passes. An optical unit provided, an optical shutter member movable to a closed position that blocks an optical path of light applied to the image carrier from an opening of the optical unit, and an open position that opens the optical unit, and the transmission member by moving A cleaning member that cleans the image carrier, and the image carrier can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body with the opening and closing member open.
The optical shutter member moves between the closed position and the open position in conjunction with opening / closing of the opening / closing member, and the cleaning member moves in conjunction with attachment / detachment of the image carrier to / from the apparatus main body. An image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the optical shutter member moves from the open position to the closed position by opening the opening / closing member. The cleaning member cleans the transmissive member by moving with respect to the optical shutter member when the optical shutter member is in the closed position. The image forming apparatus described in the item. The transmission member is elongated,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning member cleans the transmissive member by moving in a longitudinal direction of the transmissive member. The image carrier is rotatable, and has a cartridge mounting portion on which a process cartridge having the image carrier is inserted and removed in a rotation axis direction of the image carrier, and the optical shutter member is in the closed position. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the cleaning member is pressed by a process cartridge to be mounted and moves in the longitudinal direction of the transmission member along the optical shutter member. The optical shutter member is an elastic member, an image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the cleaning member is elastically deformed when abutting on the transmission member. When the cleaning member moves from the cleaning start position to the cleaning end position, it moves in contact with the transmission member, and when it returns from the cleaning end position to the cleaning start position, it moves away from the transmission member. the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the optical shutter member is biased in a direction away from the transmission member.

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