JP6135300B2 - Cleaning device, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaning device used in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, a plotter, or a multifunction machine having a plurality of functions thereof, a process cartridge using the same, an image equipped with a cleaning device or a process cartridge The present invention relates to a forming apparatus.

  As a method for cleaning and collecting residual toner on a photoreceptor in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, for example, a technique described in Patent Document 1 is known. In the technique described in Patent Document 1, a cleaning brush charged upstream in the rotation direction of the photoconductor and a cleaning blade downstream are arranged, and residual toner on the photoconductor is removed by the cleaning brush and the cleaning blade. Thereafter, the toner collected and held by the cleaning brush is recovered by a charged recovery roller that comes into contact with the cleaning brush (meaning that it comes into contact with the abutting state). Moreover, the technique currently disclosed by FIG. 2 of patent document 2 and FIG. 4 of patent document 3 is mentioned. In these techniques, a flicker plate and a flicker cover (hereinafter also simply referred to as “flicker”) wrapped with a cleaning brush are provided to remove toner that could not be collected by a collecting roll. In such a configuration, toner that cannot be completely removed by the collecting roll and adheres to the cleaning brush over time or toner of reverse polarity is mechanically removed by flicker.

  However, in the techniques described in Patent Documents 2 and 3, an air flow is generated by the rotation of the cleaning brush, the air flow is blocked by flicker, and the pressure of the portion increases, so that the pressure decreases in the direction of the opening. Occurs. Then, there is a problem that toner blown off by flicker is scattered outside the apparatus along the flow and an abnormal image is generated.

  Further, the technology described in Patent Document 2 has a very complicated configuration. Furthermore, in the technologies described in Patent Documents 2 and 3, the flicker is disposed downstream in the rotation direction of the cleaning brush from the contact position between the cleaning brush and the collection roll. Therefore, the reverse polarity toner adhering to the cleaning brush comes into contact with the collecting roll before being mechanically removed by flicker. At this time, since the proper bias for removing the reverse polarity toner is not applied to the recovery roll, the reverse polarity toner may be rubbed between the recovery roll and the cleaning brush and may be filmed on the recovery roll. is there.

  On the other hand, as in Patent Document 4, for example, a cleaning device provided with a flicker (metal plate) that comes into contact with a cleaning brush (rotating brush) separately from a collecting roller (bias roller) is known. In addition, the member terminology and code | symbol in a parenthesis have shown what is used by patent document 4. FIG. In the configuration disclosed in FIG. 3 of Patent Document 4, the flicker (metal plate 8) is more clean than the contact position between the cleaning brush (rotary brush 2) and the collection roll (bias roller 3). It is arrange | positioned in the upstream in the rotation direction. Therefore, the problem (the reverse polarity toner filming on the collecting roll) as in the techniques described in Patent Documents 2 and 3 does not occur. However, the technique disclosed in FIG. Problems similar to those described will occur.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 9, since there is no space between the partition (end surface (1a) of the container (1)) and the flicker (metal plate (8)), the cleaning brush (rotating brush (2)) is rotated. The generated air current is blocked by flicker (metal plate (8)) or partition (end surface (1a) of container (1)). When this air flow is blocked by flicker (metal plate (8)) and the pressure at that portion increases, an air flow in which the pressure decreases in the opening direction X (direction toward the image carrier (5)) is generated. The toner blown off by the flicker is scattered along the flow to the outside of the apparatus, and an abnormal image is generated.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and reliably removes toner adhering to a cleaning brush, prevents toner scattering after cleaning, and prevents the occurrence of abnormal images resulting from them, and is compact and low-cost. And an object of the present invention is to provide a long-life cleaning device.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides a brush-like rotator that contacts an image carrier and removes and holds the toner on the image carrier, and the brush-like rotator. contacting the toner recovery rotating body for collecting toner held on the brush-shaped rotating body, and the recovery blade member in contact with the toner collecting rotary member scrapes off the toner adhering to the toner recovery rotating body, the collecting blade member And a toner transport rotator that collects and transports the toner scraped off by the toner, and the rotation center of the brush-like rotator and the rotation center of the toner transport rotator are the same as those of the toner recovery rotator. Arranged below the rotation center, disposed between the brush-like rotator and the toner transport rotator, and substantially the same as the rotation center of the toner transport rotator. And a partition portion above and above the partition portion, and disposed upstream of a contact position between the brush-like rotator and the toner recovery rotator in the rotation direction of the brush-like rotator, A flicker member that contacts the brush-like rotator and repels the toner held by the brush-like rotator, and a rotation shaft of the brush-like rotator is provided between the partition portion and the flicker member. A gap is provided in the length direction of the toner, and is disposed downstream of the brush-like rotator in the rotation direction of the image carrier, and contacts the image carrier and passes through the brush-like rotator. A cleaning blade member that scrapes off, and the image carrier, the brush-like rotator, and the toner collecting rotator are configured to rotate in the same direction. The tangent line at the contact portion of the outer circumference circle centered on the axis of the brush-like rotator passing through the contact portion with the toner recovery rotator is on the opposite side of the portion of the cleaning blade member that contacts the image carrier. The cleaning blade member, the brush-like rotator, and the toner collecting rotator are arranged so as to have an intersection that intersects the non-contact surface, and the vertical line passing through the intersection is the point of the brush-like rotator. It is set so as to exist in a range from a position closer to the toner collection rotator than the center to a position passing through the center of the brush-like rotator .

According to the present invention, with the above configuration, even if the brush-like rotating body and the toner collecting rotating body rotate in the same direction, the toner blown off from the brush-like rotating body reattaches to the image carrier, It can be prevented from splashing outside. This reliably removes toner adhering to the brush-like rotator, prevents toner scattering after cleaning, and the occurrence of abnormal images due to them, and provides a compact, low-cost and long-life cleaning device. be able to.

1 is a schematic front view of an image forming apparatus including a cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a process cartridge and its surroundings showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of a cleaning device installed in the process cartridge of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a more specific enlarged cross-sectional view of the cleaning device of FIG. 3. It is a typical enlarged front view for explaining the behavior of the cleaning brush at the contact portion between the cleaning brush and the metal roller. FIG. 5 is a somewhat schematic enlarged cross-sectional view showing an arrangement configuration of a cleaning brush, a metal roller, a cleaning blade and the like, and an arrangement of a seal member. (A) is an arrangement configuration example in which the vertical line passing through the intersection is located closer to the metal roller than the rotation center of the cleaning brush, and (b) is positioned so that the vertical line passing through the intersection passes through the rotation center of the cleaning brush. (C) is a diagram showing an arrangement configuration example in which the vertical line passing through the intersection is positioned closer to the photosensitive drum than the rotation center of the cleaning brush. It is a partial cross section bottom view including the sealing member which looked upward from V5-V5 in the cleaning apparatus of FIG. It is a block diagram explaining the problem of the conventional cleaning apparatus.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In each of the embodiments and modifications, components having the same functions, shapes, etc. will be omitted by giving the same reference numerals after having been described once unless there is a possibility of confusion. In order to simplify the drawings and the description, even if the components are to be represented in the drawings, the components that do not need to be specifically described in the drawings may be omitted as appropriate.

  With reference to FIG. 1, the configuration and operation of the entire image forming apparatus including the cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 shows an image forming apparatus provided with a cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, a printer 100 as an image forming apparatus has an intermediate transfer unit 80 disposed substantially at the center of the apparatus main body 110. In the intermediate transfer unit 80, an endless intermediate transfer belt 52 as an image carrier or an intermediate transfer member is arranged (arranged) by being looped around a plurality of support rollers in a tensioned state. Or that the position is determined).
Here, the support roller includes a driving roller 81 that rotates the intermediate transfer belt 52 in the clockwise direction in the drawing, a secondary transfer backup roller 82 that is a member facing the secondary transfer roller 27 described later, driven rollers 83 and 84, It consists of four primary transfer rollers 18y, 18c, 18m and 18k. The subscripts y, c, m, and k attached to the end of the reference numeral of the primary transfer roller 18 indicate yellow, cyan, magenta, and black members.

The intermediate transfer belt 52 is stretched (meaning that the intermediate transfer belt 52 is stretched in a tensioned state) on each of the support rollers in an approximately inverted triangular posture. Process belts 11y, 11c, 11m, and 11k (hereinafter, referred to as 11 in the representative description) for four colors as image forming units are disposed above the belt upper tension surface corresponding to the bottom of the inverted triangular shape of the intermediate transfer belt 52. They are sequentially arranged in the horizontal direction.
The process cartridge 11 y accommodates a yellow image forming unit, and the formed yellow toner image is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 52. Similarly, the process cartridge 11m forms a magenta image forming section, the process cartridge 11c forms a cyan image forming section, and the process cartridge 11k forms a black image forming section. The toner images of the respective colors are transferred from the process cartridges 11 of the respective colors to the intermediate transfer belt 52 at the primary transfer position facing the primary transfer roller 18. The color toner image primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 52 is sent to the secondary transfer unit 20 as the intermediate transfer belt 52 travels.

In FIG. 1, above the four process cartridges 11y, 11c, 11m, and 11k, exposure light L based on image information is irradiated onto a photosensitive drum 14 as an image carrier, and for y and m and c and k. A pair of exposure units (optical writing units) 13 are provided. The pair of exposure units 13 receives plate data of each color based on the image information of the document transmitted from the scanner or the like (not shown) to the control unit 50 and receives four semiconductor lasers (not shown) by a laser control unit (not shown). To emit four exposure lights L. The photosensitive drums 14y, 14c, 14m, and 14k (hereinafter referred to as “14” in the representative description) as image carriers of the process cartridge 11 are scanned with the exposure light L, respectively, and y, Write electrostatic latent images for c, m and k.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 20 denotes a secondary transfer unit that collectively transfers a full-color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 52 onto a recording paper P as a sheet-like recording medium, and reference numerals 21 and 22 denote the recording paper P. Reference numeral 24 denotes a housed paper supply unit, reference numeral 24 denotes a fixing unit for fixing an unfixed toner image transferred onto the recording paper P, and reference numeral 10 denotes a toner bottle.

Next, with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the process cartridge 11 will be described as a typical process cartridge 11y for y (arranged on the left end side in FIG. 1). In FIG. 1, only the process cartridge 11y is shown with reference numerals of the respective devices disposed around the photosensitive drum 14y, and the other process cartridges 11c, 11m, and 11k are indicated with reference numerals. The illustration is omitted. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a process cartridge and its periphery showing an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2, for the sake of simplifying the drawing, illustration of a partition portion, a flicker member, a conveying screw, and the like is omitted.
1 and 2, reference numeral 15 denotes a charging device that charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 14, reference numeral 16 denotes a developing device that develops an electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 14, and reference numeral 19 denotes a photosensitive member. A cleaning device for collecting untransferred toner on the drum 14 is shown. Reference numeral 51 denotes a static elimination lamp, and reference numeral 28 denotes a lubricant application device.

The photosensitive drum 14y and each of the devices disposed around the photosensitive drum 14y are supported by a casing 120 (see FIG. 2) indicated by a two-dot chain line as a common support, and constitute one process cartridge 11y. . The process cartridge 11y is detachably attached to the apparatus main body 110 through the casing 120, thereby improving maintenance.
The process cartridge 11y for y has been described above, but the process cartridges (11c, 11m, 11k) of other colors have the same configuration as that for y except that the color of the toner to be used is different. .

  Next, the operation of the process cartridge 11 during image formation will be described. First, image information is transmitted to the control unit 50 from a scanner (not shown) or the like, and the captured image information is separated into four colors. Among these, for example, the image information of yellow y is transmitted to the exposure unit 13 corresponding to the process cartridge 11y after being converted into an electrical signal. Then, exposure light L such as laser light based on the image information of the electrical signal is emitted from the exposure unit 13 toward the photosensitive drum 14.

The photosensitive drum 14 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 2, and the outer peripheral surface (hereinafter also simply referred to as “surface”) is uniformly charged at a position facing the charging device 15. The surface of the charged photosensitive drum 14 reaches the irradiation position of the exposure light L, and an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image information is formed at this position.
The electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 14 then reaches a portion facing the developing device 16, and the electrostatic latent image is visualized by the developing device 16. The toner in the developer in the developing device 16 is mixed with a carrier by a stirring roller (not shown) together with toner supplied from a toner hopper (not shown). The frictionally charged toner is supplied onto the developing roller 161 together with the carrier. Thereafter, the toner carried on the developing roller 161 passes through the doctor blade 162 and is formed into a uniform layer, and then reaches a portion facing the photosensitive drum 14. Adhere to the electrostatic latent image. The toner supplied from a toner hopper (not shown) is appropriately replenished as the toner in the developing device 16 is consumed, and the toner consumption state (toner concentration) in the developing device 16 is a light (not shown) facing the photosensitive drum 14. It is detected by a toner density sensor comprising a sensor.

The surface of the photosensitive drum 14 developed in the developing device 16 reaches a portion facing the primary transfer roller 18, and the toner image on the photosensitive drum 14 is primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 52 at this position. .
After this transfer process, a small amount of untransferred toner that is not transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 52 exists on the photosensitive drum 14. Here, the surface of the photosensitive drum 14 that has passed through the primary transfer roller 18 removes the electrostatic potential remaining on the photosensitive drum 14 by light irradiation of the static elimination lamp 51 and resets the potential. After being neutralized in this way, the surface of the photosensitive drum 14 having untransferred toner reaches the cleaning device 19 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the container 191 indicated by a two-dot chain line of the cleaning device 19, the cleaning brush 30 that is in contact with the photosensitive drum 14 and is positively charged (+) and is positively charged by the charger 321. A metal blade 35 is disposed. By these electrostatic removal means, the untransferred toner on the photosensitive drum 14 is collected.
Residual toner that could not be removed by the cleaning brush 30 reaches the cleaning blade 31 on the downstream side in the rotational direction indicated by the arrow in the drawing of the photosensitive drum 14. The cleaning blade 31 is formed of urethane rubber (elastic member), has a rectangular plate shape with a rectangular cross section, and is attached to a container 191 on the casing 120 side via a support bracket 39 as a blade support member. ing. The cleaning blade 31 reliably scrapes and removes a relatively small amount of residual toner that has passed through without being removed by the cleaning brush 30.

The toner collected by the cleaning device 19 including the cleaning blade 31 is transported as waste toner toward a waste toner bottle (not shown) via a toner transport screw 49 (see FIG. 3) through a waste toner transport path (not shown). Is done. The cleaning device 19 will be specifically described later.
In this embodiment, the cleaning blade 31 and the support bracket 39 are formed so as to extend in the longitudinal direction (axial direction) of the photosensitive drum 14. The portion where the cleaning blade 31 is supported and fixed to the support bracket 39 is in close contact with the longitudinal direction of the photosensitive drum 14 so that the residual toner bounced off by the cleaning brush 30 cannot pass as described later. preferable.

  After the residual toner is removed by the cleaning device 19, the photosensitive drum 14 is coated with wax as a lubricant (for example, zinc stearate) on the surface of the photosensitive drum 14 by the lubricant application device 28, so that the outer peripheral surface is the same. Protected.

The lubricant application device 28 includes a solid wax 282 made of, for example, zinc stearate, a spring 283, and a rotating brush 284. A solid wax (for example, zinc stearate) 282 is provided in the lubricant casing 281 so as to freely advance and retract. The spring 283 is a compression spring that biases (means that momentum is applied) so that the wax 282 protrudes in a direction in which the wax 282 comes into contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 14. The rotating brush 284 is connected to a motor (not shown), and is rotated at an appropriate time so as to apply the wax powder scraped off from the contact end surface with the wax 282 onto the photosensitive drum 14.
On the downstream side of the rotating brush 284 in the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 14, an application blade 285 for leveling the wax powder so as to uniformly adhere to the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum is provided. As a result, the wax is adjusted to an appropriate film thickness to prevent the cleaning blade 31 on the cleaning device 19 side from being caught as described later.

As described above, the toner images of the respective colors are transferred from the process cartridges 11y, 11c, 11m, and 11k for four colors to the intermediate transfer belt 52, and the color toner image primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 52 is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 52. It is sent to the secondary transfer section 20 shown in FIG.
The recording paper P fed to the secondary transfer unit 20 operates as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, first, one of the paper feeding units 21 and 22 of the printer 100 is selected automatically or manually (operation on the operation unit). In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the upper sheet feeder 21 is selected. When the paper feed roller 41 is driven, one of the recording papers P stored in the paper feed unit 21 is fed toward the transport path K, and the recording paper P that has passed through the transport path K is a pair of registration rollers. 42 is reached and stopped. Then, when the registration roller pair 42 rotates at a predetermined timing, the recording paper P is fed toward the secondary transfer unit 20 at a timing aligned with the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 52.

The recording paper P after the transfer process onto which the toner image has been transferred in the secondary transfer unit 20 passes through the secondary transfer unit 20 and then is sent to the fixing unit 24 via a conveyance path. In the fixing unit 24, the unfixed toner on the recording paper P is melted and fixed on the recording paper P by heat and pressure, and the recording paper P after the fixing process is discharged from the printer 100 as an output image.
When the intermediate transfer belt 52 that has passed through the secondary transfer unit 20 reaches the belt cleaning unit 45, the intermediate transfer belt 52 is placed on the intermediate transfer belt 52 by a scraping blade 47 at a portion facing the guide roller 46 of the belt cleaning unit 45. Residual toner is removed. The guide roller 46 here has a function of applying a constant tension to the intermediate transfer belt 52 and facilitates the scraping operation of the scraping blade 47. The scraping blade 47 has a shorter life than the intermediate transfer belt 52, and is therefore replaced in a timely manner. With the above operation, a series of image forming processes is completed.

Next, a cleaning device 19 that removes residual toner on the surface of the photosensitive drum 14 included in the process cartridge 11 will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the cleaning device installed in the process cartridge of FIG. In FIG. 3, in order to simplify the drawing, the accurate arrangement state of the partition portion and the illustration of the flicker member are omitted. For the same purpose, all cross-sectional hatches are omitted in the subsequent cross-sectional views including FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, each of the cleaning devices 19y, 19m, 19c, and 19k (hereinafter referred to as 19 in the representative description) is a photosensitive drum 14y, 14m, 14c, and 14k (hereinafter referred to as an image carrier). The toner remaining on the surface (represented as 14 in the representative description) is removed and collected.
As shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning device 19 includes a cleaning brush 30, a metal roller 32, a metal blade 35, a toner conveying screw 49, and a cleaning blade 31. The cleaning brush 30 functions as a brush-like rotating body or a fibrous rotating body that contacts the surface of the photosensitive drum 14 and removes and retains residual toner from the surface of the photosensitive drum 14. The metal roller 32 functions as a toner collection rotating body that contacts the cleaning brush 30 and collects the toner held by the cleaning brush 30. The metal blade 35 functions as a recovery blade member that contacts the metal roller 32 and scrapes off the toner adhering to the metal roller 32. The toner transport screw 49 functions as a waste toner transport member or a toner transport rotating body that discharges the collected toner (waste toner) toward a waste toner bottle (not shown). The toner conveying screw 49 is rotationally driven by a driving motor as driving means (not shown). The cleaning blade 31 is disposed downstream of the cleaning brush 30 in the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 14, and functions as a cleaning blade member that contacts the photosensitive drum 14 and scrapes off the toner T slipped from the cleaning brush 30.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning brush 30 rotates counterclockwise (same direction as the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 14) to electrostatically remove residual toner on the surface of the photosensitive drum 14 (as described above). The toner is adhered and held. The metal roller 32 in contact with the cleaning brush 30 rotates counterclockwise, electrostatically attracts the toner T held on the outer peripheral portion of the cleaning brush 30, and collects it by adhering it to the outer peripheral surface. The metal blade 35 employs a configuration in which the edge j is elastically brought into contact with the surface of the metal roller 32 and the toner T is mechanically removed.

  The cleaning brush 30 and the metal roller 32 are rotatably supported by a pair of side plate walls (not shown) disposed on the near side and the far side of the paper surface orthogonal to the paper surface in the container 191. The cleaning brush 30, the metal roller 32, and the metal blade 35 are formed so as to extend in the axial direction (longitudinal direction) of the photosensitive drum 14, respectively. The cleaning brush 30 and the metal roller 32 are connected to a drive motor (not shown) as drive means via drive transmission means such as a gear (not shown), and are rotationally driven as described above.

The container 191 has an attachment portion 192 for attaching / fixing the metal blade 35 as will be described later, and a brush facing recess 193 facing the outer peripheral portion of the cleaning brush 30 in the axial direction (longitudinal direction) of the photosensitive drum 14. It is formed to extend. The container 191 is integrally formed of an appropriate resin.
As described above, the cleaning brush 30, the metal roller 32, and the metal blade 35 are accommodated in the container 191. The cleaning brush 30, the metal roller 32, and the metal blade 35 are provided with a cleaning blade 31, a support bracket 39, and a pair of side plate walls 194a and 194b (FIG. 8). (See below).

  Since the cleaning brush 30 rotates counterclockwise, the toner T passes through the gap 195 between the brush facing recess 193 on the mounting portion 192 side of the container 191 and the cleaning brush 30, and then the toner T is transferred to the metal roller 32. Or the metal blade 35. Therefore, the scraped toner T can easily flow down to the toner conveying screw 49 side immediately below, the toner removal path is shortened, and toner scattering can be suppressed.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, since the configuration uses-(minus) charged toner, the cleaning brush 30, the metal roller 32, and the metal blade 35 are configured to be + (plus) charged. Therefore, in the configuration using the + charged toner, it is a matter of course that the cleaning brush 30, the metal roller 32, and the metal blade 35 are configured to be negatively charged.

Here, characteristic values of the cleaning brush 30 and the metal roller 32 used in the cleaning device 19 will be described. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 30 a denotes a single unit of bristle that constitutes many brush-like fibers of the cleaning brush 30.
(Cleaning brush 30)
・ Material of bristle fiber: conductive polyester ・ Diameter: 18 mm
-Hair length: 5mm
-Biting amount to the photosensitive drum 14: 1 mm
・ Line speed: 224 to 246 mm / sec (counter contact with photosensitive drum 14)
・ Volume resistivity (electrical resistivity) of hair feet (raw yarn): 10 ⁸ Ω · cm
・ Brush flocking density: 20,000 / inch ²
-Material of shaft 30b: Free-cutting steel (SUM)
The cleaning brush 30 is formed by brushing conductive polyester brush-like fibers around a free-cutting steel (SUM) shaft 30b.

(Metal roller 32: collection roller)
・ Material: Stainless steel (SUS)
・ Diameter: 11mm
・ Line speed: 122-133mm / sec
・ Voltage: 1200V is applied, but variable by control (600V-1200V)
The voltage is applied via the charger 321 (see FIG. 2) and the metal blade 35. A metal blade 35 is disposed at a position facing the cleaning brush 30 via the metal roller 32.
The linear speeds of the cleaning brush 30 and the metal roller 32 differ depending on the process linear speed.

(Metal blade 35)
・ Material: Phosphor bronze sheet material ・ Thickness: A thin sheet of t = 0.15 mm is bent and used, but in some cases, the thickness is about 0, 1 to 0, 6 mm. Also good. The metal blade 35 is disposed oppositely along the longitudinal direction of the metal roller 32, and is fastened and fixed at a plurality of locations by using screws 43 to the attachment portion 192 on the container 191 side of the cleaning device 19 via the fixing member 142.
Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the metal blade 35 is bent so as to have an L-shaped cross section, and extends in a straight line while maintaining the same cross section in a direction perpendicular to the cross section (perpendicular to the paper surface). Is formed. Here, with respect to the bent portion e in the L-shaped section, one side is formed as an edge portion side half 351 and the other side is formed as a fixed portion side half 352. The edge part side half part 351 is attached so that the edge part j makes a uniform contact state with the outer peripheral surface of the metal roller 32.

With reference to FIG. 4, the cleaning apparatus 19 which concerns on the characteristic part of this invention is demonstrated. FIG. 4 is a more specific enlarged cross-sectional view of the cleaning device shown in FIG. In FIG. 4 etc., Z shows the up-down direction (vertical direction).
As shown in FIG. 4, the cleaning brush 30, the metal roller 32, and the toner transport screw 49 have a rotation center 30 c of the cleaning brush 30 and a rotation center 49 a of the toner transport screw 49 located below the rotation center 32 b of the metal roller 32. It is arranged to be. Further, a partition portion 1 is provided between the cleaning brush 30 and the toner conveying screw 49 so as to be substantially the same height as the rotation center 49 a of the toner conveying screw 49. Here, “substantially the same height” means the height position of the partition portion 1 that is within ± 1 mm from the height position of the rotation center 49 a of the toner conveying screw 49. Although this partition part 1 is provided integrally with the container 191 also called a frame in the present embodiment, it may be constituted by another member.

  The reason why the partition portion 1 is provided is to prevent the backflow of the toner that is transported by the toner transport screw 49 to the cleaning brush 30, and the partition portion 1 has substantially the same height as the rotation center 49 a of the toner transport screw 49. The reason for the arrangement is as follows. That is, for example, if the partition portion 1 is too lower than the rotation center 49 a of the toner transport screw 49, it is not preferable because backflow toner from the toner transport screw 49 is generated. On the other hand, for example, if the partition portion 1 that is too higher than the rotation center 49a is provided, it is not preferable because it is difficult to make the device compact when considering the mounting of a flicker member 200 described later. That is, when the flicker member 200 is provided above the partition portion 1, the metal roller 32 is substantially the same in that it has to escape further upward.

  With the above-described configuration, according to the present embodiment, the cleaning brush 30, the metal roller 32, and the toner conveying screw 49 can be disposed close to each other, and the cleaning device 19 can be made compact. In addition, by providing the partition portion 1 at the above height, the toner conveyed by the toner conveying screw 49 does not reattach to the cleaning brush 30, the refreshing property of the cleaning brush 30 is maintained, and the cleaning property is long-lasting. And the toner scattering can be prevented.

In the present embodiment, the partition portion 1 and the gap D are held above the partition portion 1 and upstream of the contact position between the cleaning brush 30 and the metal roller 32 in the rotation direction of the cleaning brush 30. In this state, the flicker member 200 is arranged. The flicker member 200 has a function of coming into contact with the cleaning brush 30 and blowing off toner (particularly, reverse polarity toner or unstable toner) held by the cleaning brush 30.
The reason why the flicker member 200 is arranged upstream of the contact position between the cleaning brush 30 and the metal roller 32 in the rotation direction of the cleaning brush 30 is that it is necessary to remove reverse polarity toner and unstable toner before reaching the metal roller 32. Because there is. For example, when the flicker member 200 is disposed downstream of the contact position between the cleaning brush 30 and the metal roller 32 in the rotation direction of the cleaning brush 30, it is not preferable from the following points (see Patent Documents 2 and 3 described above). . That is, when the flicker member 200 is arranged on the downstream side, the reverse polarity toner attached to the cleaning brush 30 comes into contact with the metal roller 32 before being mechanically removed by the flicker member 200. At this time, the proper bias for collecting the reverse polarity toner is not applied to the metal roller 32. Therefore, the delivery to the metal roller 32 cannot be performed well, and filming may occur in the metal roller 32 due to the friction of reverse polarity toner or the like between the metal roller 32 and the cleaning brush 30. Because.
The gap D is positioned on the toner conveying screw 49 side so that the toner blown off by the flicker member 200 and the toner floating by the air flow generated by the rotation of the cleaning brush 30 are not scattered outside the cleaning device 19. It is provided so that the pressure can be released.

  In the present embodiment, the amount of space (gap) in the height direction of the space D is 2 mm. However, a space amount of about 1 to 3 mm is preferable, and there is no problem. If the gap amount of the gap D is less than 1 mm, when the toner accumulates on the upper part of the partition part 1 (gap D part) over time, the toner closes the gap D part, and the toner is placed on the photosensitive drum 14 side. It is not preferable from the point that the scattered airflow may be generated. In addition, if the gap amount exceeds 3 mm, it is not preferable because it is difficult to make the apparatus compact.

  Further, the flicker member 200 is arranged so as to bite into the cleaning brush 30. The flicker member 200 has a length at least equal to or larger than the width of the cleaning brush 30 and extends in the direction of the shaft 30b of the cleaning brush 30 so as not to rotate. Both ends of the flicker member 200 are fixed to side plate walls 194 a and 194 b (refer to FIG. 8) also called side frames constituting the cleaning device 19.

  Specifically, as the flicker member 200, a roll-shaped round bar shaft made of stainless steel (SUS) having a diameter (outer diameter) of φ3 mm is used, which is smaller than the diameter φ11 mm of the metal roller 32. The flicker member 200 is not limited to this, a shaft having a diameter (outer diameter) of about φ3 to φ5 mm, a metal shaft (bar-like) member other than SUS, and a sheet metal having a clearance D with the partition portion 1 or the like There is no problem even if it is a metal member constituted by. That is, the flicker member 200 may be a metal member provided over at least the length direction of the shaft 30b of the cleaning brush 30.

  The amount of biting of the flicker member 200 with respect to the cleaning brush 30 is 1 mm, which is the same as the amount of biting between the photosensitive drum 14 and the cleaning brush 30, but there is no problem as long as the biting amount between the photosensitive drum 14 and the cleaning brush 30 is greater. In other words, the amount of biting of the flicker member 200 with respect to the cleaning brush 30 may be equal to or greater than the amount of biting of the metal roller 32 with respect to the cleaning brush 30 (a possible level if in contact).

  Here, the collection path and operation of the toner removed by the flicker member 200 will be supplemented. In FIG. 4, the flicker member 200 is not applied with a voltage unlike the cleaning brush 30 and the metal roller 32, and mechanically blows off and removes the toner held (repaired / held) by the cleaning brush 30. The toner removed by the flicker member 200 is blown off between the metal roller 32 or the metal roller 32 and the toner conveying screw 49 by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the cleaning brush 30. The toner adhering to the metal roller 32 is scraped off by the metal blade 35 and is discharged by the toner conveying screw 49. The toner bounced between the metal roller 32 and the toner conveying screw 49 falls to the toner conveying screw 49 due to its own weight or the like, and is discharged by the toner conveying screw 49.

Here, with reference to FIG. 4, the arrangement and shape of the partition portion 1, the cleaning brush 30, the metal roller 32, the toner conveying screw 49, and the flicker member 200 will be further supplemented. The partition portion 1 is arranged so as to be biased toward the cleaning brush 30 with respect to the rotation center 32b of the metal roller 32 (displaced), and does not interfere with the lowermost portion of the flicker member 200 and secures a gap D. Is set to The partition portion 1 is formed of the same appropriate resin as the container 191, extends in a longitudinal direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 8 described later, and is integrally connected to the side plate walls 194 a and 194 b of the container 191. The thickness in the width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the partition portion 1 is formed in a substantially mountain shape that gradually becomes wider as it goes downward. Furthermore, the upper tip part (substantially mountain-shaped top part) of the partition part 1 may be R-shaped.
In addition, since the partition part 1 has a comparatively thick cross-sectional shape as described above, it is integrally formed with resin. However, the partition part 1 is not limited to this, but is divided according to the difficulty of extraction on the mold structure, and can be appropriately welded. It may be used after being connected and fixed with an adhesive or the like. Moreover, in order to prevent the resin damage etc. resulting from being thin like the modification mentioned later, you may form with the sheet metal etc. which are thin metal board | plate materials.

  In FIG. 4, a part (not shown) of the collected toner to be discarded collected by the toner conveying screw 49 is separated from the outer peripheral portion of the toner conveying screw 49 by the centrifugal force due to the counterclockwise rotation by the toner conveying screw 49. Even if it is scattered, it can be recovered by the rotating metal roller 32. At the same time, even if a part of the collected toner collected and held by the metal roller 32 scatters away from the outer peripheral portion of the metal roller 32, it is collected and conveyed by the toner conveying screw 49 arranged so as to overlap downward. be able to.

According to the present embodiment, the arrangement of the flicker member 200 as described above makes it possible to reliably remove reverse polarity toner or the like that is difficult to collect with the metal roller 32 from the cleaning brush 30 before reaching the metal roller 32. . Further, since the gap D is provided between the partition portion 1 and the flicker member 200, the airflow generated by the rotation of the cleaning brush 30 is not blocked by the flicker member 200 or the partition portion 1. As a result, the pressure in the gap 195 rises and the toner does not flow back to the photosensitive drum 14 side, so that toner scattering to the outside of the apparatus and abnormal image accompanying it can be prevented. Also, the cleaning brush 30 is always reliably refreshed by the metal roller 32, the cleaning performance is maintained for a long time, the toner scattering can be prevented, and the life of the cleaning device can be extended. Become.
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the toner adhering to the cleaning brush 30 is surely removed, the toner scattering after cleaning, and the occurrence of abnormal images due to them are prevented, and it is compact and low cost. Therefore, the long-life cleaning device 19 can be provided.

Next, the behavior of the cleaning brush 30 at the contact portion between the cleaning brush 30 and the metal roller 32 and the arrangement configuration of the cleaning brush 30, the metal roller 32, the cleaning blade 31, and the like will be described with reference to FIGS. (Claim 5). FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the behavior of the cleaning brush 30 by enlarging the vicinity of the contact portion between the cleaning brush 30 and the metal roller 32. FIG. 6 is a somewhat schematic enlarged sectional view showing the arrangement of the cleaning brush 30, the metal roller 32, the cleaning blade 31, etc., and the arrangement of the seal member 600.
As shown in FIG. 5, when the cleaning brush 30 comes into contact with the metal roller 32, the tip end portion (hereinafter referred to as “hair tip”) of the bristle leg 30 a constituting the cleaning brush 30 is on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the cleaning brush 30. It contacts the metal roller 32 while falling down. Thereafter, the tip of the cleaning brush 30 recovers from the fall of the brush-like fibers (elastically deformed toward the downstream side in the rotational direction as in the bristle leg 30a shown on the left side in the drawing). Due to the flicking due to this recovery, the toner T adhering to the hair tip is scattered in the direction of the tangent line b indicated by the broken line arrow. That is, the residual toner T cleaned by the cleaning brush 30 in the direction of the tangent b of the outer circumference circle 130 centering on the shaft 30b of the cleaning brush 30 at the contact portion 500 between the cleaning brush 30 and the metal roller 32 in FIG. The movement that mechanically blows off occurs.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the cleaning brush 30 and the metal roller 32 have a tangent line b having an intersection 31 c that intersects the non-contact surface 31 a opposite to the contact portion 31 b of the cleaning blade 31 with the photosensitive drum 14. The cleaning blade 31 was disposed. Further, the tangent line b has an intersection 31c closer to the cleaning blade 31 (closer to the support bracket 39 of the cleaning blade 31) than the contact position (contact portion 31b) between the cleaning blade 31 and the photosensitive drum 14 is. The residual toner T bounced off is scattered in the region of the non-contact surface 31 a of the cleaning blade 31.
In FIG. 6, the contact portion 31 b of the cleaning blade 31 with the surface of the photosensitive drum 14 is indicated by being surrounded by an alternate long and short dash line ellipse.

Since the cleaning blade 31 is in contact with or in contact with the photosensitive drum 14, the toner blown off by the cleaning brush 30 is attached again to the downstream side of the contact portion 31 b in the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 14. There is no. Further, since the intersection point 31c is far from the contact part 31b, a great amount of toner input to the cleaning blade 31 is suppressed, and the wear of the cleaning blade 31 is not adversely affected.
Also, most of the toner bounced off in this area returns to the metal roller 32 or the cleaning brush 30 due to its own weight or the like, and is collected to the waste toner conveyance path (not shown) while repeating a normal cleaning operation. The remaining toner also adheres only to the region of the non-contact surface 31a of the cleaning blade 31 and is maintained without adversely affecting the image forming operation, the wear of the cleaning blade 31, and the like.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the center of the shaft 32 a of the metal roller 32 is disposed above the rotation center 30 c of the cleaning brush 30, and the cleaning blade 31 is vertically above the rotation center 30 c of the cleaning brush 30. It is the structure arrange | positioned.

In the present embodiment, the simple configuration described above, that is, the simple configuration in which the cleaning brush 30, the metal roller 32, and the cleaning blade 31 are arranged so that the tangent line b has an intersection 31c that intersects the non-contact surface 31a of the cleaning blade 31. Have. As a result, as described above, according to the present embodiment, even with the cleaning brush 30 and the metal roller 32 rotating in the same direction, the residual toner bounced off from the cleaning brush 30 is recycled to the photosensitive drum 14. It is possible to prevent adhesion and scattering outside the apparatus. In addition, the life of the cleaning device 19 can be increased.
This effect is confirmed by a test using the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1 provided with the cleaning device 19 having the cleaning blade 31, the cleaning brush 30, the metal roller 32, the metal blade 35 and the like having the above specifications and characteristic values. It is done.
If the length of the cleaning blade 31 in the direction in contact with the photosensitive drum 14 is set to be relatively short, even if the surface of the support bracket 39 is replaced with the non-contact surface 31a of the cleaning blade 31, It goes without saying that the above-described effects of the present embodiment can be obtained.

With reference to FIG. 7, the arrangement configuration of the cleaning blade 31, the cleaning brush 30, and the metal roller 32 will be described in more detail with reference to the positional relationship of the intersection 31 c between the tangent line b and the cleaning blade 31. FIG. 7A is a diagram illustrating an arrangement configuration example in which the vertical line VL indicated by the alternate long and short dash line passing through the intersection 31 c is located closer to the metal roller 32 than the rotation center 30 c of the cleaning brush 30. FIG. 7B is a diagram illustrating an arrangement configuration example in which the vertical line VL passing through the intersection point 31 c passes through the rotation center 30 c of the cleaning brush 30. FIG. 7C is a diagram illustrating an arrangement configuration example in which the vertical line VL passing through the intersection 31 c is positioned closer to the photosensitive drum 14 than the rotation center 30 c of the cleaning brush 30.
In FIG. 7 (a), FIG. 7 (a), and FIG. 7 (b), a preferred arrangement configuration example is an arrangement configuration that belongs to the range shown in FIG. 7 (a) and FIG. 7 (b). .

  First, a part of the residual toner (hereinafter also simply referred to as “toner”) blown off by the cleaning brush 30 and brought into contact with the cleaning blade 31 falls or floats under the influence of its own weight or the like. Here, in the case of FIGS. 7A and 7B, there is a distance from a position immediately below the intersection 31 c in the cleaning brush 30 to a subarc 14 a portion indicated by a partly thick line on the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 14. The subarc portion 14a indicates a part of the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 14 from the contact portion center 30d between the photosensitive drum 14 and the cleaning brush 30 to the contact portion 31b. From the above relationship, in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the surface area of the cleaning brush 30 to which the suspended and dropped toner is reattached becomes large. Here, the surface area of the cleaning brush 30 refers to the surface area formed in the subarc 30e on the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning brush 30 shown by hatching from the contact portion center 30d in FIG. 7 to the intersection with the vertical line VL. Accordingly, the dropped toner is easily collected by being reattached to the subarc 30 e portion of the cleaning brush 30, so that the toner is difficult to adhere to the subarc 14 a portion of the photosensitive drum 14.

  On the other hand, in the case of FIG. 7C, the toner dropped as in FIGS. 7A and 7B reattaches to the subarc 30e portion of the cleaning brush 30, but the subarc 14a portion of the photosensitive drum 14 Therefore, there is a possibility that the toner slips from the surface of the cleaning brush 30. For this reason, there is a possibility that the toner re-adheres to the inferior arc 14a portion of the photosensitive drum 14 and the toner is applied to the cleaning blade 31 downstream in the rotation direction. Further, when the dropped toner floats, the toner may adhere to the inferior arc 14a portion of the photosensitive drum 14 in the same manner.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the intersection point 31 c exists in a range from a position where the vertical line VL is closer to the metal roller 32 than the rotation center 30 c of the cleaning brush 30 to a position passing through the rotation center 30 c of the cleaning brush 30. Is set to

Next, the seal member 600 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 8. FIG. 8 is a partially sectional bottom view of the cleaning device 19 shown in FIG.
The seal member 600 is made of a flexible member such as a PET film or sheet including Mylar. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the seal member 600 is attached to the upper surface of the fixing member 142 of the fixing portion side half 352 of the L-shaped metal blade 35 and has the other end (free end). Is in contact with a support bracket 39 which is a blade support member of the cleaning blade 31. The tip end portion of the seal member 600 on the other end side is in contact with the surface of the support bracket 39 while being elastically bent downward, and this contact state is the longitudinal direction of the photosensitive drum 14 and the cleaning blade 31. It is formed over. The length of the cleaning blade 31 in the longitudinal direction is set to be longer than the length of the sealing member 600 in the longitudinal direction. In FIG. 8, the length of the cleaning brush 30 in the longitudinal direction is set to be longer than the length of the seal member 600 in the longitudinal direction, as indicated by a two-dot chain line in the virtual arrangement position of the cleaning brush 30. . Further, the length of the cleaning blade 31 in the longitudinal direction is set to be equal to or longer than the length of the cleaning brush 30 in the longitudinal direction.

Side seals 700 made of a material different from the seal member 600 (foamed PUR: foamed polyurethane rubber) are affixed to both ends in the longitudinal direction of the seal member 600 to prevent toner scattering from both ends in the longitudinal direction. doing. One end of each side seal 700 is affixed to a pair of side plate walls 194 a and 194 b integrally formed at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the container 191, and the other end overlaps with both ends in the longitudinal direction of the seal member 600. It is provided as follows.
As described above, the open portions above the cleaning brush 30, the metal roller 32, and the metal blade 35 in the container 191 are covered with the cleaning blade 31, the support bracket 39, the seal member 600, and the side seal 700. Therefore, the toner that is blown off by the cleaning brush 30 and floats is prevented from leaking upward by the seal member 600 and the side seal 700.

  The cleaning brush 30, the metal roller 32, and the metal blade 35 being covered with the cleaning blade 31, the support bracket 39, and the seal member 600 mean the following in this embodiment. In other words, the cleaning brush 30, the metal roller 32, and the metal blade 35 are substantially sealed or sealed by the cleaning blade 31, the support bracket 39, and the seal member 600. Since the cleaning device 19 is operating when the power switch (not shown) of the printer 100 is on, the metal blade 35 is positively charged by the charger 321 of FIG. When the cleaning device 19 is not in operation, the contact portion between the photosensitive drum 14 and the cleaning brush 30 (particularly the upstream side in the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 14 at the contact portion) is open so that air or toner can pass through. Inferred to be in a state. However, as shown in FIG. 3, it can be considered that the cleaning device 19 is substantially sealed or sealed including the upstream side of the contact portion between the photosensitive drum 14 and the cleaning brush 30 while the cleaning device 19 is in operation. In other words, when the cleaning device 19 is in operation, the contact portion between the photosensitive drum 14 and the cleaning brush 30 is in a state in which the charged toner can be electrostatically repaired by a large number of charged hairs 30a, and air It is because it is in the state which lets only pass. As shown in FIG. 6, the seal 800 is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 14 on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 14 at the contact portion between the photosensitive drum 14 and the cleaning brush 30. It is because it is arranged. The seal 800 is formed of a flexible member similar to the seal member 600, and is set and formed to be substantially the same as the length of the cleaning blade 31 in the longitudinal direction.

The embodiment described above is an example of the present invention, and the present invention has a specific effect for each of the following modes.
[Aspect 1]
A brush-like rotator such as a cleaning brush 30 that contacts an image carrier such as the photosensitive drum 14 to remove and hold the toner on the image carrier, and a brush-like rotator that contacts the brush-like rotator and is held by the brush-like rotator. A toner collection rotator such as a metal roller 32 that collects toner, a collection blade member such as a metal blade 35 that contacts the toner collection rotator and scrapes off toner adhering to the toner collection rotator, and scrapes off the collection blade member. In a cleaning device such as a cleaning device 19 having a toner transport rotating body such as a toner transport screw 49 that collects and transports the toner that has been collected, the rotation center such as the rotation center 30c of the brush-shaped rotating body and the rotation of the toner transport rotating body The rotation center such as the center 49a is arranged below the rotation center such as the rotation center 32b of the toner collection rotating body. A partition portion such as a partition portion 1 disposed between the brush-like rotator and the toner transport rotator and having substantially the same height as the rotation center of the toner transport rotator; Arranged on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the brush-like rotator with respect to the contact position between the brush-like rotator and the toner collecting rotator, and contacts the brush-like rotator to repel the toner held on the brush-like rotator A flicker member such as the flicker member 200 is provided, and a gap such as a gap D is provided between the partition portion and the flicker member along the length direction of the rotation shaft such as the shaft 30b of the brush-like rotating body. And a cleaning blade such as a cleaning blade 31 that is disposed downstream of the brush-like rotator in the rotation direction of the image carrier and scrapes off the toner that comes into contact with the image carrier and slips out of the brush-like rotator. The image carrier, the brush-like rotator, and the toner collecting rotator are configured to rotate in the same direction, and contact portions such as the contact portion 500 between the brush-like rotator and the toner collecting rotator. A tangent line such as a tangent line b at a contact portion of an outer circumference circle such as an outer circumference circle 130 centered on an axis such as the axis 30b of the brush-like rotating body passing through the contact portion 31b of the cleaning blade member contacting the image carrier The cleaning blade member, the brush-like rotator, and the toner collection rotator are arranged so as to have an intersection such as an intersection 31c that intersects with a non-contact surface such as the non-contact surface 31a opposite to the part. The intersection is such that the vertical line VL passing through the intersection is closer to the toner collection rotator such as the metal roller 32 than the center such as the rotation center 30c of the brush-like rotator such as the cleaning brush 30. It is set so that it exists in the range from the position which exists to the position which passes the center of a brush-like rotary body.

According to this aspect 1, as described in the above embodiment, even when the brush-like rotating body and the toner collecting rotating body rotate in the same direction, the toner blown off from the brush-like rotating body is transferred to the image carrier. It is possible to prevent reattachment or scattering outside the apparatus. As a result, the toner adhering to the brush-like rotator is reliably removed, toner scattering after cleaning, and occurrence of abnormal images due to them are prevented, and a compact, low-cost, long-life cleaning device is provided. be able to.

[Aspect 2 ]
It can be attached to and detached from an apparatus main body such as the apparatus main body 110 of the image forming apparatus such as the printer 100, an image carrier such as the photosensitive drum 14, a charging means such as the charging apparatus 15, a developing means such as the developing apparatus 16, and the like. the process cartridge such as a process cartridge 11 integrally provided with at least one means selected from the cleaning means such as a cleaning device 19, a cleaning means, a cleaning apparatus of state-like 1 Symbol placement.
According to this embodiment 2, as described in the above embodiment, it is possible to provide a process cartridge demonstrating the effect of the cleaning apparatus of the embodiment 1 Symbol placement facilitates replacement of the cleaning device.

[Aspect 3 ]
An image forming unit for forming an image on a recording medium such as a recording paper P, a process cartridge of a cleaning device or embodiment 2, wherein the aspect 1 Symbol placement, an image forming apparatus such as a printer 100 comprising a.
According to this embodiment 3, as described in the above embodiment, to realize an image forming apparatus demonstrating the effect of the process cartridge of effect or aspect 2, wherein by the cleaning apparatus of the embodiment 1 Symbol mounting can be provided.

  As described above, the present invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments. However, the technical contents disclosed by the present invention are not limited to those exemplified in the above-described embodiments. That is, it may be configured by appropriately combining them, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various embodiments, examples, and modifications can be configured within the scope of the present invention according to the necessity and application. It is.

The image forming apparatus is not limited to the embodiment in which the image is primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 52, but may be an image forming apparatus in which the image is directly transferred to a sheet that is conveyed.
Besides the cleaning device 19 for the photosensitive drum 14, the cleaning device of the present invention may be provided on the intermediate transfer belt 52.

The intermediate transfer member is not limited to the endless belt-like intermediate transfer belt used in the above embodiment, and a drum-shaped intermediate transfer drum or the like can be used.
The image carrier is not limited to the drum-shaped photosensitive drum used in the above embodiment, and an endless belt-shaped photosensitive belt can also be used.
The recording medium is not limited to the recording paper used in the above embodiment, and copy paper, PPC paper, plain paper, or the like may be used, and an OHP film paper formed of PET resin may also be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Partition part 11 Process cartridge 14 Photosensitive drum (an example of an image carrier)
15 Charging device (an example of charging means)
16 Developing device (an example of developing means)
19 Cleaning device (an example of cleaning means)
24 Fixing part (fixing device)
28 Lubricant coating device 30 Cleaning brush (an example of a brush-like rotating body)
30a Hair foot 30b shaft (an example of a brush-like rotating body shaft)
30c Center of rotation (an example of the center of a brush-like rotating body)
30d Contact portion center 31 Cleaning blade (an example of a cleaning blade member)
31a Contact part (an example of a part in contact with the image carrier in the cleaning blade member)
31b Non-contact surface 31c Intersection point 32 Metal roller (an example of a toner collection rotating body)
32a Metal roller shaft 35 Metal blade (an example of a collection blade member)
39 Support bracket (an example of a support member)
49 Toner transport screw (example of toner transport rotor)
52 Intermediate transfer belt (intermediate transfer member)
120 casing (an example of a process cartridge body)
130 outer circumference circle 191 container 200 flicker member 500 contact portion 600 seal member 700 side seal VL vertical line P recording paper (an example of a recording medium)
T Residual toner Y Width direction Z Vertical (vertical) direction

JP 2007-133304 A JP 02-081077 A JP-A-63-249186 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-075744

Claims (3)

A brush-like rotating body that contacts the image carrier and removes and holds the toner on the image carrier;
A toner recovery rotating body for collecting toner held on the brush-shaped rotating body contacts the brush-shaped rotating body,
A collection blade member that contacts the toner collection rotator and scrapes off toner adhering to the toner collection rotator;
A toner conveying rotating body for collecting and conveying the toner scraped off by the collecting blade member;
In a cleaning device having
The rotation center of the brush-like rotator and the rotation center of the toner transport rotator are disposed below the rotation center of the toner collection rotator,
A partition that is disposed between the brush-like rotator and the toner transport rotator and has a height substantially equal to the rotation center of the toner transport rotator;
It is located above the partition and upstream of the contact position between the brush-like rotator and the toner collecting rotator in the rotation direction of the brush-like rotator, and contacts the brush-like rotator. And a flicker member for flipping off the toner held on the brush-like rotating body,
With
Between the partition part and the flicker member, a gap is provided across the length of the rotation axis of the brush-like rotating body ,
A cleaning blade member disposed on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the image carrier from the brush-like rotator and scraping off the toner that has come into contact with the image carrier and slipped out of the brush-like rotator;
The image carrier, the brush-like rotator, and the toner collection rotator are configured to rotate in the same direction,
A tangent line at the contact portion of an outer circumference circle centering on an axis of the brush-like rotator passing through a contact portion between the brush-like rotator and the toner recovery rotator is connected to the image carrier in the cleaning blade member. The cleaning blade member, the brush-like rotator, and the toner recovery rotator are arranged so as to have an intersection that intersects the non-contact surface opposite to the contact portion,
The intersecting point exists in a range from a position where a vertical line passing through the intersecting point is closer to the toner collection rotating body than the center of the brush-like rotating body to a position passing through the center of the brush-like rotating body. A cleaning device characterized by being set . In a process cartridge that is detachable from an apparatus main body of an image forming apparatus and integrally includes an image carrier and at least one unit selected from a charging unit, a developing unit, and a cleaning unit.
The process cartridge in which the cleaning means, characterized in that the cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the process cartridge integrally includes. An image forming unit for forming an image on a recording medium;
An image forming apparatus comprising: the cleaning device according to claim 1; or the process cartridge according to claim 2 .

Images