JP6252407B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

  In an image forming apparatus typified by a digital multifunction peripheral or the like, after an image of a document is read by an image reading unit, light is irradiated to the photoconductor provided in the image forming unit based on the read image, and the photoconductor An electrostatic latent image is formed thereon. Thereafter, a developer such as charged toner is supplied onto the formed electrostatic latent image to form a visible image, and then transferred to a sheet, fixed, and discharged outside the apparatus.

  Here, the image forming apparatus is installed under various environments. For example, when the image forming apparatus is installed in an environment where the temperature changes rapidly, there is a possibility that the members forming the image forming unit may be condensed inside the image forming apparatus. Since condensation of members inside the image forming apparatus may reduce the quality of an image to be formed, it is necessary to avoid such a situation.

  Techniques relating to prevention of condensation on the photosensitive member are disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-40413 (Patent Document 1) and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-146426 (Patent Document 2). According to Patent Document 1, in an electrophotographic apparatus in which an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoconductor is developed and transferred to a sheet, and the image transferred on the sheet is heated and fixed by a fixing unit, the heat source of the fixing unit and the photosensitive A technique related to a photosensitive member heating apparatus is disclosed in which a body is connected by heat conduction means such as fixing oil.

  Further, Patent Document 2 discloses an endless type in which air is forcibly circulated in the vicinity of the heat roller and the rotation center of the photosensitive drum in an image forming apparatus including a heat fixing device including a heat roller and a pressure roller. Temperature detection for detecting the surface temperature of the photosensitive drum while providing an air circulation pipe and forming a heat absorption part near the heat roller of the air circulation pipe and a heat radiating part at the rotation center of the photosensitive drum There is disclosed an image forming apparatus comprising a control means for providing a means and maintaining the surface temperature of the photosensitive drum within a predetermined temperature range based on temperature detection information from the temperature detection means. ing.

JP-A-5-40413 JP-A-9-146426

  According to Patent Documents 1 and 2, it is necessary to provide a conduit for circulating fixing oil and an air circulation conduit in the vicinity where the photoconductor is arranged, and the apparatus configuration may be complicated. Further, the techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 cannot cope with the case where an exposure apparatus that exposes a photosensitive member to form an electrostatic latent image has condensed. If it does so, there exists a possibility that the exposure by an exposure apparatus may receive the influence of condensation and cannot obtain a high quality image.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus having an inexpensive configuration and capable of obtaining a high-quality image under various environments.

An image forming apparatus according to the present invention is a cylindrical and rotatable photosensitive member, an exposure device that is provided at a distance from the photosensitive member and exposes the light from a light transmitting surface that transmits light toward the photosensitive member. And a position that avoids the optical path of light exposed from the exposure apparatus, and is provided between the photoconductor and the exposure apparatus, and a heating device that heats the photoconductor and the exposure apparatus, and a detachable attachment to the exposure apparatus It is possible, and is provided so as to be interposed between the heating device and the exposure device, and includes a heating device holding unit that holds the heating device .

  According to such an image forming apparatus, since the heating device is provided between the photosensitive member and the exposure device at a position that avoids the optical path of light exposed from the exposure device, it affects image formation. Therefore, both the photoreceptor and the exposure apparatus can be efficiently heated. Therefore, the risk of condensation can be reduced even under various environments, and high-quality images can be obtained. In this case, it is not necessary to provide a pipe or a circulation path for circulating a medium for transferring heat. Therefore, according to such an image forming apparatus, it is possible to obtain a high-quality image under an inexpensive configuration under various environments.

The image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a rectangular casing having a front surface and a rear surface that are substantially parallel to each other, and is disposed adjacent to the depth direction from the front inside the casing. Four corresponding image forming units, a transfer belt to which a visible image formed on each image forming unit is transferred, a transport unit for transporting paper, and a visible image transferred to the transfer belt on the paper transported by the transport unit An image forming unit that includes a transfer roller that transfers an image and forms an image on a sheet, and a first sheet cassette that stores the sheet are provided. The image forming apparatus is provided separately from the first paper feed cassette so as to be detachable from the lower part of the housing, and the length in the depth direction is longer than the length in the depth direction of the first paper feed cassette. A second paper feed cassette for storing paper, and a second paper feed cassette disposed behind the first paper feed cassette in the depth direction, for transporting the paper stored in the first paper feed cassette to the image forming unit. One feed roller and the second feed cassette in the depth direction behind the first feed roller and in the depth direction behind the first feed roller, and stored in the second feed cassette Ru and a second paper feed roller for conveying the sheet to the image forming section. The position of the front face in the depth direction of the first paper feed cassette and the position of the front face in the depth direction of the second paper feed cassette are configured to be equal to the front face of the housing. The second paper feed cassette can store paper having a size longer in the depth direction than the maximum size paper that can be stored in the first paper feed cassette. The second paper feed cassette is formed so as to protrude rearward from the rear surface of the housing, and includes a guide portion serving as a guide when transporting the paper to the image forming portion.

1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an external appearance of a digital multifunction peripheral when an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to the digital multifunction peripheral. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a digital multifunction peripheral when an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to the digital multifunction peripheral. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming unit provided in a digital multifunction peripheral according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of an LSU provided in a digital multi-function peripheral according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of an LSU provided in a digital multi-function peripheral according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the figure which looked at LSU from the upper side. It is the side view which looked at LSU from the side. It is the figure which looked at LSU from the back side. It is sectional drawing at the time of cut | disconnecting LSU shown in FIG. 6 in the IX-IX cross section in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the heater holding | maintenance part holding a heater and a heater. It is an expansion perspective view which expands and shows the appearance of a cleaning part.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. First, the configuration of a digital multifunction peripheral when the image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to the digital multifunction peripheral will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an external appearance of a digital multi-function peripheral when an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to the digital multi-function peripheral. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the digital multifunction peripheral when the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is applied to the digital multifunction peripheral.

  1 and 2, the digital multifunction peripheral 11 includes a control unit 12 that controls the entire digital multifunction peripheral 11, and a display screen 21 that displays information transmitted from the digital multifunction peripheral 11 side and user input contents. , An operation unit 13 for inputting image forming conditions such as the number of copies to be printed and gradation and power on / off, an image reading unit 14 for reading an image of a document, and a read image or a network 25 An image forming unit 15 that forms an image based on image data, a hard disk 16 that stores transmitted image data, input image forming conditions, and the like, and a public line 24 are connected to the facsimile transmission and facsimile reception. And a network interface unit 18 for connecting to the network 25. The digital multi-function peripheral 11 includes a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) for writing and reading image data, and the illustration and description thereof are omitted. In addition, arrows in FIG. 2 indicate the flow of data regarding control signals, control, and images.

  The digital multifunction machine 11 operates as a copying machine by forming an image in the image forming unit 15 using the original read by the image reading unit 14. Further, the digital multifunction peripheral 11 forms an image in the image forming unit 15 and prints it on a sheet using image data transmitted from the computers 26a, 26b, and 26c connected to the network 25 through the network interface unit 18. It works as a printer. That is, the image forming unit 15 operates as a printing unit that prints the requested image. Further, the digital multifunction peripheral 11 forms an image in the image forming unit 15 via the DRAM using the image data transmitted from the public line 24 through the facsimile communication unit 17, and also by the image reading unit 14. The image data of the read original is transmitted to the public line 24 through the facsimile communication unit 17, thereby operating as a facsimile apparatus. That is, the digital multifunction peripheral 11 has a plurality of functions such as a copying function, a printer function, and a facsimile function with respect to image processing. Further, each function has functions that can be set in detail.

  The image forming system 27 including the digital multifunction peripheral 11 includes the digital multifunction peripheral 11 and a plurality of computers 26a, 26b, and 26c. Specifically, the image forming system 27 includes the digital multifunction peripheral 11 having the above-described configuration and a plurality of computers 26 a, 26 b, and 26 c connected to the digital multifunction peripheral 11 via the network 25. In this embodiment, three computers 26a to 26c are shown. Each of the computers 26 a to 26 c can print by making a print request to the digital multi-function peripheral 11 via the network 25. The digital multi-function peripheral 11 and the computers 26a to 26c may be connected by wire using a LAN (Local Area Network) cable or the like, or may be connected wirelessly. A configuration in which a digital multifunction peripheral or a server is connected may be used.

Next, the configuration of the image forming unit 15 provided in the digital multifunction peripheral 11 will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the image forming unit 15 provided in the digital multi-function peripheral according to the embodiment of the present invention. Arrows D ₁ of the in Figure 3, the rear side of the digital MFP 11, i.e., the front side from the back side, that is, the direction toward the front side. An arrow D ₂ in FIG. 3 indicates the direction toward the upper side from the lower side of the digital multifunction peripheral 11. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the digital multifunction machine 11 cut along a plane extending in the vertical direction. Further, from the viewpoint of easy understanding, the hatching of members is omitted.

1 to 3, the image forming unit 15 includes four photoconductor units 31a, 31b, 31c, and 31d corresponding to four colors of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, and four photoconductor units 31a. To the four developing units 32a, 32b, 32c, and 32d provided corresponding to each of the image forming units 31d to 31d, and exposure devices that expose the four photosensitive units 31a to 31d based on the read images and transmitted image data, respectively. LSUs (Laser Scanner Units) 33a and 33b, and a transfer unit 34 for temporarily transferring the visible images developed by the developing units 32a to 32d onto the paper. LSUs 33a and 33b are indicated by alternate long and short dash lines. The LSU 33a exposes the yellow photoreceptor unit 31a and the cyan photoreceptor unit 31b. That is, the LSU 33a is a combination of two exposure devices that respectively expose the yellow photosensitive unit 31a and the cyan photosensitive unit 31b. The LSU 33b exposes the magenta photosensitive unit 31c and the black photosensitive unit 31d. In other words, the LSU 33b is a combination of two exposure apparatuses that expose the magenta photosensitive unit 31c and the black photosensitive unit 31d, respectively. The LSUs 33a and 33b are disposed below the photoreceptor units 31a to 31d and the developing units 32a to 32d. LSU33a, 33b is exposed upward side from the lower side shown by the arrow _{D 2.} The transfer unit 34 is disposed above the photoconductor units 31a to 31d and the developing units 32a to 32d. The image forming unit 15 has a so-called quadruple tandem configuration capable of forming a full-color visible image by sequentially transferring four colors of yellow, cyan, magenta, and black to an intermediate transfer member. Although the photosensitive units 31a to 31d and the developing units 32a to 32d are different in color, the basic configuration is the same.

  The yellow photoconductor unit 31a includes a cylindrical photoconductor 36a that is rotatable, a cleaning unit 37 that cleans the surface of the photoconductor 36a, and a polishing roller 38 that polishes the surface of the photoconductor 36a. The photoconductor 36a can rotate around a rotation center axis 39 extending in the front and back direction of the drawing in FIG. The axial direction of the rotation center shaft 39 is the main scanning direction in the digital multifunction machine 11. The photoconductor 36a is irradiated with laser light from the LSU 33a disposed on the lower side. An electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive member 36a based on the laser beam irradiated based on the image read by the image reading unit 14 and the transmitted image data. The configurations of the cyan photoconductor unit 31b, the magenta photoconductor unit 31c, and the black photoconductor unit 31d are the same as those of the yellow photoconductor unit 31a, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  The yellow developing unit 32a includes a developing container 41 that contains a developer therein, a developing roller 42 that supplies toner to the surface of the photosensitive member 36a, a developer that is supplied to the developing roller 42, and the developer container 41 in the developing container 41. And two stirring rollers 43 and 44 for stirring the developer. In the developing unit 32a, the developing roller 42 is provided at a position close to the photosensitive member 36a in order to supply the developer to the photosensitive member 36a. The developing roller 42 and the agitation rollers 43 and 44 agitate and convey the developer while rotating around the respective rotation center axes extending in the front and back direction of the paper surface in FIG. The configurations of the cyan developing unit 32a, the magenta developing unit 32c, and the black developing unit 32d are the same as those of the yellow developing unit 32a, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  The transfer unit 34 includes an endless transfer belt 46 and a pair of drive rollers 47 and 48 that rotate the transfer belt 46. The transfer belt 46 is transferred with a visible image formed by the photosensitive units 31a to 31d of four colors of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black while being rotated in one direction by a pair of driving rollers 47 and 48. Thereafter, the visible image transferred on the transfer belt 46 is transferred to the conveyed paper, and the visible image is fixed on the paper by a fixing unit (not shown), and then is discharged out of the digital multifunction peripheral 11.

Next, a specific configuration of the LSU 33a provided in the digital multifunction peripheral 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. 4 and 5 are perspective views showing the external appearance of the LSU 33a provided in the digital multi-function peripheral 11 according to the embodiment of the present invention. 4 and 5 are views seen from different oblique directions. FIG. 6 is a view of the LSU 33a as viewed from above. That is, FIG. 6, the LSU33a, is a view from the arrow _{D 2} opposite to the direction in FIG. 3. FIG. 7 is a side view of the LSU 33a viewed from the side. FIG. 8 is a view of the LSU 33a as viewed from the rear side. That is, FIG. 8, the LSU33a, a diagram viewed from the direction of arrow _{D 1} in FIG. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the LSU 33a shown in FIG. 6 taken along the IX-IX cross section in FIG. Note that hatching in the cross section is partly omitted from the viewpoint of easy understanding. Similarly, from the viewpoint of easy understanding, in FIG. 4, a later-described support shaft provided in an exposure apparatus that exposes the cyan photoreceptor unit 31b, a heater that heats the cyan photoreceptor 36b, and a heater holding that holds the heater are provided. The illustration of the part is omitted, and the support shaft provided in the exposure apparatus for exposing the yellow photoreceptor unit 31a is omitted. 6 and 7, the heater for heating the cyan photoconductor 36b and the heater holding unit for holding the heater are not shown.

  3 to 9, LSU 33a is provided on casing 51 that covers the inside of LSU 33a, and on the inner side of casing 51, and irradiates laser light to each of photoconductors 36a and 36b. Parts 52a and 52b and light transmission plates 53a and 53b covering the upper surfaces of the light irradiation parts 52a and 52b, respectively. The housing 51 is configured by, for example, a resin cover. The light irradiation unit 52a irradiates the yellow photoreceptor 36a with laser light from the back side to the front side in FIG. The upper side of the light irradiation part 52a is covered with a light transmission plate 53a to prevent foreign matters from entering the light irradiation part 52a. Further, the light irradiation unit 52b irradiates the cyan photosensitive member 36b with laser light from the back side to the front side in FIG. The upper side of the light irradiation part 52b is covered with a light transmission plate 53b to prevent foreign matters and the like from entering the light irradiation part 52b side. The light transmission plates 53a and 53b are made of, for example, a transparent glass member. In order to improve the accuracy of forming an electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptors 36a and 36b by laser light, the light transmission plates 53a and 53b need to transmit the laser light with high accuracy. Further, since the light transmission surface 54 located on the upper side of the light transmission plate 53a is exposed to the released space, dirt is likely to adhere and foreign matters such as dust are likely to accumulate.

  Here, the LSU 33 a includes a heater 56 as a heating device for heating the yellow photoreceptor 36 a and the LSU 33 a and a heater holding unit 61 as a heating device holding unit for holding the heater 56. The heater 56 heats the photosensitive member 36a and the LSU 33a, specifically, the light transmission plate 53a provided in the LSU 33a.

  FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the heater 56 and the heater holding portion 61 that holds the heater 56. 3 to 10, the heater 56 has a thin plate shape and is long in the so-called main scanning direction. That is, the heater 56 has a long shape in the direction of the rotation center axis 39 around which the photosensitive member 36a rotates. The heater 56 has a rectangular shape when viewed from above. A plurality of resistance chips are provided in the heater 56 at predetermined intervals. The photoconductor 36a and the LSU 33a are heated by the heat generated by the resistor chip. Regarding heating, depending on the environment in which the digital multi-function peripheral 11 is installed, the periphery of the photoconductor unit 31a and the LSU 33a, specifically, the light transmission plate 53a included in the photoconductor 36a and the LSU 33a is set to about 9 ° C. The power supply to the resistor chip is controlled so as to maintain the temperature. As for the heater 56, the surface 57 positioned on the upper side of the heater 56 is exposed in the space where the upper side is released, so that dirt easily adheres and foreign matters such as dust are likely to accumulate.

  The heater holding portion 61 is configured to be longer than the heater 56 in the main scanning direction, that is, in the direction of the rotation center axis in which the photosensitive member 36a rotates. The heater holding portion 61 is also generally composed of a thin plate member. The heater holding part 61 has a claw-like attachment part 70 for attaching a cleaning part to be described later. The attachment portion 70 is also provided so as to extend straight in the main scanning direction. In the center of the heater holding portion 61, a through hole 62 that is long in the main scanning direction and penetrates in the plate thickness direction is provided. The heater 56 is attached and held such that one end 58 in the longitudinal direction is hooked to an attachment 63 provided on the one end in the longitudinal direction of the heater holding portion 61. The heater 56 is held so as to be placed on the heater holding portion 61. That is, the heater holding part 61 is disposed so as to be interposed between the heater 56 and the LSU 33a. The light transmitting plate 53a included in the photosensitive member 36a and the LSU 33a is heated by the heater 56 held so as to be placed on the heater holding portion 61. Note that the heater holding unit 61 that holds the heater 56 so as to be placed thereon avoids an optical path of light that is exposed from the LSU 33a toward the photoconductor 36a, as can be understood from FIG. 6 and the like. In the position.

  A pair of projecting portions 64 a and 64 b projecting in the main scanning direction is provided at one end of the heater holding portion 61. The pair of projecting portions 64a and 64b are provided at an interval in the sub-scanning direction. In addition, the other end portion of the heater holding portion 61 is provided with a protruding portion 65 that protrudes downward. The heater holding portion 61 is attached to the LSU 33a by the pair of protruding portions 64a and 64b and the protruding portion 65. Specifically, the heater holding unit 61 has a protruding portion 65 inserted through a through-hole 66 penetrating in the vertical direction provided in the casing 51 of the LSU 33a, and penetrates in the main scanning direction provided in the casing 51 of the LSU 33a. The pair of protrusions 64a and 64b are fitted into the pair of through-holes 67a and 67b, respectively, and are attached to the LSU 33a. Moreover, the heater holding | maintenance part 61 can be isolate | separated from LSU33a by removing these fitting. That is, the heater holding part 61 is detachably attached to the LSU 33a. The heater holding part 61 is attached to and detached from the LSU 33a by elastic deformation of the protrusions 64a, 64b, 65 and its peripheral members.

  Further, the LSU 33a is provided with a support portion 68a disposed on the lower side of the heater holding portion 61 when the heater holding portion 61 is attached. The support portion 68a has a rod shape and is disposed so as to extend long in the main scanning direction. A spiral blade portion 69 is provided on the outer diameter side of the support portion 68a.

  The heater holding portion 61 is provided with a cleaning portion 71a for cleaning the light transmitting surface 54 of the light transmitting plate 53a and the surface 57 of the heater 56 on the side where the yellow photoreceptor 36a is located. FIG. 11 is an enlarged perspective view showing an enlarged appearance of the cleaning unit 71a. Referring to FIG. 11, the cleaning portion 71 a includes a rod-shaped portion 72 provided so as to extend in the vertical direction, an extending portion 73 extending in a direction perpendicular to an upper end portion of the rod-shaped portion 72, and the rod-shaped portion 72. A base portion 74 that supports the lower end portion, and a cylindrical portion 75 that is provided on the upper side of the base portion 74 and that has a through hole that passes through the center in the main scanning direction, that is, the axial direction of the rotation center axis And a hook portion 76 provided in a direction in which the extending portion 73 extends from the cylindrical portion 75. The cleaning part 71 a includes a first sliding contact part 77 a provided on the lower side of the extending part 73 and a second sliding contact part 77 b provided on the lower side of the base part 74. Further, the inner diameter surface 78 of the cylindrical portion 75 is provided with a meshing portion 80 that meshes with the spiral blade portion 69 described above. From the viewpoint of easy understanding, in FIG. 11, the meshing shape of the meshing portion 80 is not shown. The cleaning unit 71b has the same configuration as the cleaning unit 71a, and the cleaning unit 71b in the cyan exposure apparatus is also illustrated in FIG.

  The cleaning part 71a hooks the hook part 76 with the attachment part 70 provided in the heater holding part 61, inserts the cylindrical part 75 into the support part 68a, and meshes the blade part 69 and the meshing part 80, whereby the LSU 33a. Attached to. In this case, the hook portion 76 hooked on the attachment portion 70 and the contact portion 79 that contacts the lower surface of the heater holding portion 61 serve as a guide when the cleaning portion 71a moves in the main scanning direction. When the cleaning unit 71 a is attached to the heater holding unit 61, the first sliding contact portion 77 a comes into contact with the upper light transmission surface 54 of the light transmission plate 53 a and the second sliding contact portion 77 b is connected to the heater 56. It abuts on the upper surface, that is, the surface 57 of the heater 56 on the side where the photosensitive member 36a is located.

  The cleaning portion 71a is movable in the main scanning direction by rotating the support portion 68a to engage with the spiral blade portion 69 and the engagement portion 80, and with a guide by the hook portion 76 and the contact portion 79. That is, the cleaning part 71a can be moved in the main scanning direction by rotating the support part 68a. By rotating the support portion 68a and moving the cleaning portion 71a in the main scanning direction, the first sliding contact portion 77a is brought into sliding contact with the light transmission surface 54 of the light transmission plate 53a, and the light transmission of the light transmission plate 53a. The surface 54 can be cleaned, and the second slidable contact portion 77b can be slidably contacted with the surface 57 of the heater 56 on the side where the photosensitive member 36a is located to clean the surface 57. During the exposure of the photoconductor 36a in the LSU 33a, the cleaning unit 71a is controlled so as to be positioned on either one end side so as not to obstruct the optical path of light. Cleaning is performed at an appropriate timing such as when the apparatus is started up or after a predetermined number of prints are made.

  According to such a digital multi-function peripheral 11, the heater 56 is located between the photoconductor 36 a and the LSU 33 a at a position that avoids the optical path of the light exposed from the LSU 33 a, and thus affects image formation. In addition, both the photoconductor 36a and the LSU 33a can be efficiently heated. Therefore, the risk of condensation can be reduced even under various environments, and high-quality images can be obtained. In this case, it is not necessary to provide a pipe or a circulation path for circulating a medium for transferring heat. Therefore, according to such a digital multi-function peripheral 11, it is an inexpensive configuration, and high-quality images can be obtained under various environments.

  In this case, the heater 56 is provided so as to be interposed between the heater 56 and the LSU 33a, and the heater holding unit 61 that holds the heater 56 is provided. Therefore, the heater 56 can be held more appropriately in the digital multi-function peripheral 11. .

  In this case, since the heater holding part 61 is detachably attached to the LSU 33a, it is possible to improve maintainability. Further, it is possible to prevent the mold from becoming complicated during the manufacture of the constituent members such as the casing 51 constituting the LSU 33a. Therefore, the constituent member can be manufactured at a lower cost.

  Further, in this case, the cleaning unit 71a that is guided by the heater holding unit 61 and is movable along the axial direction of the rotation center axis around which the photosensitive member 36a rotates and includes the cleaning unit 71a that cleans the light transmission surface 54 is appropriately provided. Since the light transmission plate 53a that transmits the light of the LSU 33a can be cleaned, a higher quality image can be obtained.

  In this case, since the cleaning unit 71a cleans the light transmitting surface 54 and the surface 57 of the heater 56 on the side where the photosensitive member 36a is located, the cleaning of the thin plate heater 56 also transmits the light of the LSU 33a. The light transmission plate 53a to be cleaned can be cleaned, and cleaning can be performed efficiently.

  Further, in this case, the LSU 33a is rod-shaped, and the spiral blade portion 69 is provided on the outer diameter side, and includes a support portion 68a that supports the cleaning portion 71a. The cleaning part 71a includes a cylindrical part 75 provided with a through hole penetrating in the axial direction of the rotation center axis. A meshing portion 80 that meshes with the spiral blade portion 69 is provided on the inner diameter surface 78 of the cylindrical portion 75. By comprising in this way, the cleaning part 71a can be hold | maintained more appropriately by the support part 68a. Moreover, the cleaning by the cleaning part 71a in the axial direction of the rotation center axis can be performed more efficiently by the rotation of the support part 68a.

  In the above embodiment, the heater is attached to the heater holding part. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the heater holding part may not be provided, and the heater may be attached to the LSU as it is. . Further, the heater holding part may be fixedly attached to the LSU.

  Moreover, in said embodiment, it is good also as a structure which does not provide the cleaning part. The cleaning unit may be configured to clean at least one of the exposure apparatus and the heater. Of course, it is good also as a structure which provides two cleaning parts and cleans an exposure apparatus in one side and a heater in the other. The cleaning unit is configured to be movable in the main scanning direction by the rotation of the support unit. However, the cleaning unit is not limited to this, and the cleaning unit may be moved by another moving method.

  Note that the heater and the heater holding portion described above do not have to be plate-like. For example, the heater may be configured by a heating element provided with a plurality of intervals in the main scanning direction.

  It should be understood that the embodiments and examples disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and are not restrictive in any respect. The scope of the present invention is defined by the scope of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the scope of the claims.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention has an inexpensive configuration, and is particularly effectively used when it is required to obtain a high-quality image under various environments.

  11 Digital MFP, 12 Control Unit, 13 Operation Unit, 14 Image Reading Unit, 15 Image Forming Unit, 16 Hard Disk, 17 Facsimile Communication Unit, 18 Network Interface Unit, 21 Display Screen, 24 Public Line, 25 Network, 26a, 26b , 26c Computer, 27 Image forming system, 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d Photoconductor unit, 32a, 32b, 32c, 32d Development unit, 33a, 33b LSU, 34 Transfer unit, 36a, 36b Photoconductor, 37 Cleaning unit, 38 Polishing roller, 39 rotation center axis, 41 developing container, 42 developing roller, 43, 44 stirring roller, 46 transfer belt, 47, 48 driving roller, 51 housing, 52a, 52b light irradiation unit, 53a, 53b light transmitting plate, 5 4, 57 face, 56 heater, 58 end, 61 heater holding part, 62, 66, 67a, 67b through hole, 63, 70 mounting part, 64a, 64b, 65 projecting part, 68a support part, 69 blade part, 71a , 71b Cleaning section, 72 Bar-shaped section, 73 Extension section, 74 Base section, 75 Tubular section, 76 Hook section, 77a, 77b Sliding contact section, 78 Inner diameter surface, 79 Contact section, 80 Engagement section.

Claims (6)

A cylindrical and rotatable photoreceptor;
An exposure device that is provided at a distance from the photoconductor and exposes the photoconductor from a light transmitting surface that transmits light; and
A position avoiding an optical path of light exposed from the exposure apparatus, provided between the photoconductor and the exposure apparatus, and a heating device for heating the photoconductor and the exposure apparatus ;
An image forming apparatus , comprising: a heating device holding part that is detachably attached to the exposure device and is interposed between the heating device and the exposure device and holds the heating device. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heating device has a plate shape and is long in a direction of a rotation center axis around which the photoconductor rotates. 3. The cleaning device according to claim 1 , further comprising a cleaning unit that is guided by the heating device holding unit and is movable along an axial direction of a rotation center axis of the photoconductor to clean the light transmission surface. Image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the cleaning unit cleans a surface of the heating device on which the photoconductor is located together with cleaning of the light transmission surface. The exposure apparatus is rod-shaped, a spiral blade is provided on the outer diameter side, and includes a support unit that supports the cleaning unit,
The cleaning part includes a cylindrical part provided with a through hole penetrating in the axial direction of the rotation center axis,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein a meshing portion that meshes with the spiral blade portion is provided on an inner diameter surface of the cylindrical portion. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising an image forming unit in a quadruple tandem format.

Images