JP5310269B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cleaning device for facilitating waste toner treatment, and to provide an image forming apparatus using this. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus includes an image carrier 10 disposed in an apparatus body 100, a transferring/conveying member 28 for transferring a toner image on the image carrier 10 to paper and conveying the paper, the cleaning device 33 having an opening for removing remaining toner on the transferring/conveying member 28, and a waste toner storage vessel 40 for storing the remaining toner conveyed from the cleaning device 33. The transferring/conveying member 28 is disposed in an opening/closing section 34 disposed openably/closably to the apparatus body 100, and can be brought into contact with or separated from the apparatus body 100 in conjunction with the opening/closing operation of the opening/closing section 34. The cleaning device 33 is fixed to the apparatus body 100 and is immovable even in the opening/closing operation of the opening/closing section 34. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to a transfer conveying member and a cleaning device for cleaning the same.

  Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus having an endless conveying belt and a transfer conveying member composed of a roller for transferring an image to a transfer material and conveying the sheet, the unit having the transfer conveying member is accommodated on an openable / closable side. 2. Description of the Related Art An image forming apparatus that facilitates a jam processing operation when a paper jam occurs and a replacement operation of various components and units is known. For example, “Patent Document 1” discloses a configuration in which the transfer / conveyance belt device is unitized and can be replaced as one unit, and “Patent Document 2” electrostatically returns residual toner onto the image carrier and collects it. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-228561 discloses a configuration in which residual toner on a transfer conveyance belt is accommodated in a waste toner container provided in a door portion that is an opening / closing portion, and a recovery container is replaced when the toner is full.

  In the configuration disclosed in the above prior art, there are restrictions in terms of replacement frequency, waiting time, and the like when processing the residual toner on the endless conveyance belt and the transfer roller. For example, the technique disclosed in “Patent Document 1” has a problem that even if the transfer / conveyance belt device itself is in a state where it does not reach the end of its service life, it must be replaced due to restrictions on the collection capacity of residual toner. With the technique disclosed in “Patent Document 2”, it takes time to collect and it is difficult to immediately remove the toner adhering to the transfer belt and the transfer roller after an abnormal process such as when a jam occurs. There is a problem that waiting time occurs because it is necessary. The technique disclosed in “Patent Document 3” has a problem that since the replacement occurs separately from the waste toner on the image carrier side, the number of replacement operations increases and the work efficiency decreases.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a cleaning device that can solve the above-described problems and facilitate waste toner processing, and an image forming apparatus using the same.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image carrier provided in the apparatus main body, a transfer conveyance member that transfers the toner image on the image carrier to a sheet and conveys the sheet, and a residue on the transfer conveyance member. In an image forming apparatus having a cleaning device having an opening for removing toner and a waste toner container for storing residual toner transported from the cleaning device, the transfer transport member is openable and closable with respect to the apparatus main body. The opening / closing member provided is configured to be able to contact and separate from the apparatus main body in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing member , and the cleaning device is fixed to the apparatus main body and is operated during the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing member. It is also characterized by being immobile.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, the cleaning device is disposed closer to the opening / closing fulcrum of the opening / closing member than the transfer / conveying member. .

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the transfer conveying member further includes a plurality of rollers and an endless belt supported by the plurality of rollers.

The invention of claim 4, wherein, in the image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the cleaning device is characterized in that it is arranged in one roller and the counter of the plurality of rollers.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the fourth aspect , the cleaning device is positioned with respect to a rotation center of the one roller .

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the opening of the cleaning device is not opened when the opening / closing member is opened.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the third to fifth aspects, an open / close fulcrum of the open / close member coincides with a rotation center of the one roller .

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the seventh aspect , the cleaning device includes a cleaning member that contacts the endless belt at a position facing the one roller, with the opening / closing fulcrum as a center. The cleaning member remains in contact with the endless belt when the transfer conveyance member is rotated .
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the fourth, fifth, seventh, or eighth aspect, the one roller is a roller positioned at the most upstream of the plurality of rollers in the sheet conveying direction. Features.
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, the transfer conveying member is used when a full-color image is transferred onto a transfer material.

  According to the present invention, it is not necessary to complicatedly configure the connection of the waste toner conveyance path when the door is opened and closed, the cost can be reduced, and a space for accommodating waste toner can be easily secured, and the waste toner replacement cycle. The working efficiency can be improved.

1 is a schematic front view of an image forming apparatus employing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic front view illustrating a door and a transfer conveyer belt cleaning device that are integrally formed with a transfer convey belt device used in an embodiment of the present invention. It is the schematic explaining the positioning state of the transfer conveyance belt cleaning apparatus used for one Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the deformation | transformation of one Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the other modification of one Embodiment of this invention.

  FIG. 1 shows an image forming apparatus employing one embodiment of the present invention. In this figure, this image forming apparatus employs a tandem type intermediate transfer system, and an intermediate transfer body 10 on an endless belt as an image carrier is disposed in the center of the apparatus main body 100. The intermediate transfer member 10 may have a multilayer structure or a single layer structure. If the intermediate transfer body 10 has a multilayer structure, the base layer is composed of, for example, a fluororesin, a PVDF sheet, or a polyimide resin with little elongation, and the surface has good smoothness such as a fluororesin. If the structure covered with the coat layer is a single layer, it may be composed of a material such as PVDF, PC, or polyimide. In the present embodiment, the material of the intermediate transfer member 10 is not particularly limited, and may be a multilayer material. The intermediate transfer member 10 is wound around the support rollers 12, 13, 14, 15 and is driven to run in the counterclockwise direction in FIG.

  On the left side of the support roller 13, an intermediate transfer body cleaning device 19 is disposed as a cleaning device that removes residual toner remaining on the intermediate transfer body 10 after image transfer. The intermediate transfer member cleaning device 19 has a cleaning member made of a blade material such as urethane that contacts the intermediate transfer member 10 in the counter direction of the running direction. As the cleaning member, a configuration in which residual toner is electrostatically collected using a conductive brush or roller in addition to the urethane blade may be employed. The toner collected by the cleaning member is conveyed to the back side of the apparatus by a conveying member in the intermediate transfer body cleaning device 19 and is stored in the waste toner container 40 by dropping downward due to gravity or the like. The waste toner container 40 is provided with a detection means (not shown) for detecting the amount of collected waste toner, and the waste toner is prevented from overflowing by leaving it alone or stopping the apparatus when it is full.

  Below the lower side of the intermediate transfer member 10, four image forming units of black, magenta, cyan, and yellow are arranged in parallel along the traveling direction of the intermediate transfer member 10. Each image forming unit has a well-known configuration including a photosensitive drum 1, a developing device 2, a charging roller 3, a photosensitive member cleaning device 4, and the like, and is positioned at a position facing each photosensitive drum 1 through an intermediate transfer member 10. Are each provided with a primary transfer roller 5. An exposure device 41 is disposed below each image forming unit, and laser light 6 for forming an electrostatic latent image is irradiated from the exposure device 41 toward each photosensitive drum 1.

  At a position facing the support roller 12 via the intermediate transfer body 10, a secondary transfer roller 21 that secondary-transfers the toner image primarily transferred from each photosensitive drum 1 onto the intermediate transfer body 10 onto the transfer sheet. A transfer / conveying belt device 28 serving as a transfer / conveying member is disposed. The transfer / conveying belt device 28 includes a secondary transfer roller 21, a driving roller 35, support rollers 36 and 37, an endless belt 38, and the like, while transferring an image to a transfer sheet sent from a paper feeding device 31 described later. Transport this. The transfer / conveying belt device 28 is integrally formed with a door 34 as an opening / closing portion provided on the right side of the device main body 100 so as to be openable and closable with respect to the device main body 100, and the door 34 is opened from the device main body 100. 1 is pivoted clockwise in FIG. 1 around a fulcrum provided in the vicinity of the support roller 36, and the support roller 12 and the secondary transfer roller 21 via the intermediate transfer body 10 and the endless belt 38 The contact state of is released. When the door 34 is closed with respect to the apparatus main body 100, the secondary transfer roller 21 is brought into contact with the support roller 12 via the intermediate transfer body 10 and the endless belt 38. Further, the transfer / conveying belt device 28 is configured to be detachable from the apparatus main body 100 when the door 34 is opened, and the components and the unit itself can be replaced. In the present embodiment, the endless belt 38 is driven by the rotation of the driving roller 35. However, the endless belt 38 may be configured to rotate with the intermediate transfer member 10.

  Below the transfer / conveying belt device 28, a transfer / conveying belt cleaning device 33 as a cleaning device for removing residual toner on the endless belt 38 is disposed. The transfer / conveying belt cleaning device 33 removes minute scumming toner generated between papers and an adjustment pattern toner image used when density adjustment and color matching correction are performed on the transfer / conveying belt device 28, and transfers the transfer sheet. It is arranged for the purpose of preventing the backside dirt of the. The transfer conveyance belt cleaning device 33 has a cleaning member that contacts the endless belt 38 and an opening (not shown) that takes in the toner, and the toner removed from the endless belt 38 by the cleaning member is a conveyance member such as a screw or an auger. And is sent into the waste toner container 40. According to this configuration, since the waste toner is accommodated in one place, the number of parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced. Further, by increasing the volume of the waste toner container 40, the replacement cycle can be lengthened, and the working efficiency can be improved. The transfer / conveying belt device 28 and the transfer / conveying belt cleaning device 33 will be described later.

  A known fixing device 30 having a fixing roller and a pressure roller for fixing the image transferred onto the transfer sheet is disposed above the transfer / conveying belt device 28. The transfer sheet on which the image is fixed in the fixing device 30 is discharged onto a paper discharge tray (not shown) provided on the upper portion of the apparatus main body 100 by a discharge roller 32 disposed above the fixing device 30.

  A sheet feeding device 31 is disposed below the apparatus main body 100. The sheet feeding device 31 is separated and fed by a sheet feeding cassette 25 capable of storing a plurality of transfer sheets, a sheet feeding roller 26 for separating and feeding one transfer sheet from the sheet feeding cassette 25, and a sheet feeding roller 26. And a registration roller pair 27 for feeding the transferred sheet to a secondary transfer portion which is a contact portion between the support roller 12 and the secondary transfer roller 21 at a predetermined timing.

The operation of the above-described image forming apparatus will be described below.
When a start key (not shown) is pressed, any one of the support rollers 12, 13, and 14 is rotationally driven to drive the intermediate transfer member 10 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. In each image forming unit, each photosensitive drum 1 is driven to rotate, and black, cyan, magenta, and yellow toner images are formed on the surface thereof by a known method. Each color toner image formed on each photoconductor drum 1 is superimposed and transferred onto the intermediate transfer member 10 by the operation of each primary transfer roller 5, thereby forming a composite color image on the intermediate transfer member 10. Is done.

  On the other hand, when a start key (not shown) is pressed, the paper feed roller 26 is driven to rotate, and one transfer sheet is separated and fed from the paper feed cassette 25. The separated and fed transfer sheet is temporarily stopped by the registration roller pair 27, and the registration roller pair 27 is rotationally driven at a predetermined timing that matches the composite color image formed on the intermediate transfer body 10, whereby the secondary transfer unit. Sent to. When the secondary transfer roller 21 is operated, the composite color image is secondarily transferred onto the transfer sheet sent to the secondary transfer unit, and the transfer sheet on which the image is transferred is sent to the fixing device 30 to display the image. After fixing, the paper is discharged onto a paper discharge tray (not shown) by a discharge roller 32. After the image transfer, the respective photosensitive drums 1 are cleaned by the respective photosensitive member cleaning devices 4, the intermediate transfer member 10 is cleaned by the intermediate transfer member cleaning device 19, and the transfer / conveying belt device 28 is cleaned by the transfer / conveying belt cleaning device 33. In preparation for the next image forming operation.

  FIG. 2 shows a state when the door 34 is opened and closed. As described above, the transfer / conveying belt device 28 is provided integrally with the door 34, and swings and opens together with the door 34 when the door 34 is opened. On the other hand, the transfer / conveying belt cleaning device 33 is fixed to the apparatus main body 100 side without interlocking with the opening / closing operation of the door 34. Accordingly, the residual toner collected from the endless belt 38 of the transfer / conveying belt device 28 into the transfer / conveying belt cleaning device 33 is conveyed and accommodated in a waste toner container by a conveying member (not shown) provided in the apparatus main body 100. Is done.

  With the above-described configuration, the transfer / conveying belt cleaning device 33 is on the apparatus main body 100 side instead of the openable / closable door 34 side, thereby eliminating the need for complicated connection of the waste toner conveyance path when the door is opened and closing. In addition, it is easy to secure a space for accommodating waste toner, and the waste toner replacement cycle can be extended, so that the working efficiency can be improved. If the waste toner container 40 is disposed on the door 34 side, it is difficult to secure a space in the door 34 as compared with the apparatus main body 100, and the recovery capacity is limited, resulting in an increase in replacement parts. According to the configuration, an increase in replacement parts can be suppressed.

  In the above-described configuration, it is desirable to provide the transfer conveyance belt cleaning device 33 at a position close to the swing fulcrum of the door 34. Among them, the optimum swing fulcrum position is the rotation center 36a of the support roller 36, and it is desirable that the transfer / conveying belt cleaning device 33 is positioned with respect to the support roller 36 as shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 3, a U-shaped engagement groove is provided at both ends of the case of the transfer conveyance belt cleaning device 33, and the rotation shaft of the support roller 36 is engaged with this engagement portion, whereby the transfer conveyance belt device. 28 is positioned with respect to the apparatus main body 100. The positioning mechanism of the transfer / conveying belt device 28 with respect to the apparatus main body 100 is not limited to this, and a configuration for fixing the positioning to the door 34 may be adopted.

  With the above-described configuration, the opening of the transfer / conveying belt cleaning device 33 approaches the swing fulcrum of the door 34. Therefore, when the door 34 is opened / closed during jam processing, Touching, toner scattering and toner dropping can be prevented, and contamination by toner can be prevented as much as possible. Further, the center of rotation of the support roller 36 is set as a swing fulcrum of the door 34, and the transfer / conveying belt cleaning device 33 is arranged with respect to this swinging fulcrum, so that the transfer / conveying belt device 28 is always operated even when the door 34 is opened and closed. In contrast, since the transfer / conveying belt cleaning device 33 is positioned, stable cleaning performance can be ensured.

  In the above embodiment, the swing center of the door 34 is provided in the vicinity of the rotation center of the support roller 36. However, the swing center of the door 34 is provided in the vertical direction on the back side of the apparatus main body 100 as shown in FIG. It is good. In this configuration, a transfer conveyance belt device (not shown) is provided on the door 34, and the transfer conveyance belt device contacts and separates from the apparatus main body 100 in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the door 34. A transfer / conveying belt cleaning device 33 is disposed below the door 34, and the transfer / conveying belt cleaning device 33 is fixed to the apparatus main body 100 so as to remain stationary even when the door 34 is opened and closed. With this configuration, the same effects as those of the above embodiment can be obtained. In this configuration, two doors 34 may be provided to form a double door. In this case, the transfer / conveying belt device is configured to swing integrally with one door 34.

  Furthermore, as another modification of the above embodiment, the door 34 may be configured to be slidable relative to the apparatus main body 100 as shown in FIG. Two guide rails 23 are provided on the inner surface of the apparatus main body 100, and the door 34 is configured to be openable and closable with respect to the apparatus main body 100 by being guided by the guide rails 23. Also in this configuration, the transfer conveyance belt device (not shown) is provided on the door 34, and this transfer conveyance belt device contacts and separates from the apparatus main body 100 in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the door 34. A transfer / conveying belt cleaning device 33 is disposed below the door 34, and the transfer / conveying belt cleaning device 33 is fixed to the apparatus main body 100 so as to remain stationary even when the door 34 is opened and closed. With this configuration, the same effects as those of the above embodiment can be obtained.

  In the above-described configuration, an example in which a tandem type full-color image forming apparatus is used as the image forming apparatus is shown. However, the image forming apparatus to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to this, and a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a plotter, and a combination of these. The present invention is also applicable to other image forming apparatuses such as a printer. However, in the present invention, waste toner can be easily accommodated by applying the present invention to a color image forming apparatus having a large amount of waste toner that requires four-color density adjustment and color matching correction. Therefore, a significant cost reduction can be achieved without the need for toner, and an increase in the replacement frequency due to a lack of waste toner storage capacity can be prevented, and work efficiency can be greatly improved.

10 Image carrier (intermediate transfer member)
28 Transfer Conveying Member (Transfer Conveying Belt Device)
33 Cleaner device (transfer conveyor belt cleaning device)
34 Opening and closing part (door)
35 Drive roller 36, 37 Support roller 38 Endless belt 40 Waste toner container 100 Main body of the apparatus

JP 2003-186370 A JP 2004-279474 A JP 2005-164727 A

Claims (10)

An image carrier provided in the apparatus body;
A transfer conveying member that transfers the toner image on the image carrier to the paper and conveys the paper; and a cleaning device having an opening for removing residual toner on the transfer conveying member;
In an image forming apparatus having a waste toner storage container for storing residual toner conveyed from the cleaning device,
The transfer conveying member is provided in an opening / closing member provided to be openable / closable with respect to the apparatus main body, and is configured to be able to contact / separate with respect to the apparatus main body in conjunction with an opening / closing operation of the opening / closing member .
The image forming apparatus, wherein the cleaning device is fixed to the apparatus main body and does not move even when the opening / closing member is opened / closed. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.
The image forming apparatus, wherein the cleaning device is disposed closer to an opening / closing fulcrum of the opening / closing member than the transfer / conveying member. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the transfer conveying member includes a plurality of rollers and an endless belt supported by the rollers. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3.
The image forming apparatus wherein the cleaning apparatus characterized by being arranged one roller and the counter of the plurality of rollers. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4 .
The image forming apparatus, wherein the cleaning device is positioned with respect to a rotation center of the one roller . The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
An image forming apparatus, wherein an opening of the cleaning device is not opened when the opening / closing member is opened. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 5,
An image forming apparatus, wherein an opening / closing fulcrum of the opening / closing member coincides with a rotation center of the one roller . The image forming apparatus according to claim 7.
The cleaning device has a cleaning member that contacts the endless belt at a position facing the one roller,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the cleaning member remains in contact with the endless belt when the transfer conveyance member is rotated about the opening / closing fulcrum. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, 5, 7, or 8,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one roller is a roller positioned at the most upstream of the plurality of rollers in a sheet conveying direction. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the transfer conveying member is used to transfer a full-color image onto a transfer material.

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