JPH0112279Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed explanation of the invention] This invention provides
The present invention relates to an apparatus for applying a photoconductor coating agent using a coating member.

Devices for applying a photoreceptor coating agent to a rotating photoreceptor include a lubricant application device and a cleaning agent application device in copying machines, printing machines, and the like.

For example, one type of so-called cleaning device for removing toner remaining on a photoreceptor of a copying machine is a type in which a cleaning blade is pressed against the photoreceptor. Usually, the cleaning blade brings its tip edge into pressure contact with the surface of the photoreceptor and removes residual toner through strong friction, thus exhibiting an excellent cleaning effect. However, when a relatively soft photoreceptor is used, the photoreceptor surface is easily damaged or worn, resulting in a shortened lifespan of the photoreceptor. Furthermore, even if the photoreceptor is made of a material that is relatively resistant to friction, and the cleaning blade is made of a material such as polyurethane rubber that has excellent wear resistance, the edge of the cleaning blade will wear out, resulting in poor cleaning. There was a drawback that this occurred.

As a means to eliminate such drawbacks of the cleaning blade method, it is possible to reduce the friction between the photoreceptor and the cleaning blade. This involves applying a low coefficient of friction material, such as zinc stearate, to the surface of the photoreceptor. The effect of applying such a low friction coefficient material to a photoreceptor is known, for example, from Japanese Patent Publication No. 51-22380. Experiments have also confirmed that when a low friction coefficient material is applied to the photoconductor, damage to the edges of the photoconductor and cleaning blade is suppressed, and this greatly contributes to improving cleaning performance. I understand.

However, an electrostatic latent image is formed on a photoreceptor in a copying machine, and a visible image with toner attached thereto is formed. Therefore, if an excessive amount of the above-mentioned low friction coefficient material is applied to the photoconductor, the toner tends to separate from the photoconductor, and the visible image that has been formed in the developing section is damaged while passing through the developing section. ,
The toner particles are scraped off by the sliding force of a developing brush such as a magnetic brush or a fur brush, resulting in a phenomenon in which the image density decreases. Of course,
If the amount of the low friction coefficient material applied to the photoreceptor is insufficient, the aforementioned problems such as poor cleaning will occur. Further, if the above-mentioned substance is supplied in excess, there is also the problem that it mixes into the developer and changes the characteristics of the developer.

The present invention was developed in view of the above-mentioned problems, and in particular, it suppresses the negative effect on image quality caused by excessive application of a low-friction coefficient material, and supplies the above-mentioned material to the extent that the cleaning effect is not lost. One object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus, and another object is to suppress wasteful consumption of low friction coefficient materials.

The object of the present invention is to provide a device for applying a photoconductor coating agent to the surface of a rotating photoconductor using a coating member, which includes a photoconductor coating agent disposed at a fixed position, and a photoconductor coating agent arranged at a fixed position. a coating member selectively positioned at a contact position in contact with both the photoconductor surface and a spaced position away from both the photoconductor coating agent and the photoconductor surface; An intermittent coating device for a photoconductor coating agent, comprising an intermittent operating mechanism for positioning the coating member, and a drive mechanism for rotationally driving the application member, and for intermittently applying a photoconductor coating agent to the surface of the photoconductor. achieved by.

According to the present invention, the application member is selectively positioned at the contact position and the separated position, and the photoreceptor coating agent is supplied and applied to the photoreceptor only when the application member is located at the contact position. Therefore, there is no need to over-apply and the image quality does not deteriorate. Further, the photoreceptor coating agent is not wasted. Furthermore, since it is sufficient to intermittently operate the mechanism necessary to hold the application member in the contact position, power consumption can be reduced.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to illustrated embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an electrophotographic copying machine to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. In this figure, numeral 1 indicates a photosensitive drum,
It rotates counterclockwise around the support shaft 1a.
Around the photosensitive drum 1, a charging device 2, a magnetic brush developing device 3, a first static eliminator 4, a transfer device 5,
A separation device 6, a separation claw 7, a cleaning device 8, a drum coating agent application device 9, and a second static eliminator 10 are arranged in this order. In the figure, reference numeral 11,1
2 indicates a pair of registration rollers and a conveyance device, respectively. Since the copying process of the copying machine shown in FIG. 1 is the same as that already well known, a description thereof will be omitted.

The cleaning device 8 has a cleaning blade 13 that removes toner remaining on the photoreceptor drum 1. Cleaning blade 13
is made of an elastic material such as polyurethane rubber, and is fixed to the blade holder 14 by an appropriate means such as adhesive. This blade holder 14
is fixed to the shaft 15. This shaft 15 is connected to a cleaning casing 16 as shown in FIG.
It is rotatably inserted into both end plates 16a, 16b of. As shown in FIG. 3, one end 15a of the shaft 15 is fitted and supported by a bearing 18 provided on a side plate 17 on the back side of the main body of the copying machine. The other end 15b of the shaft 15
As shown in FIG. 4, the drum support plate 20 is fitted and supported by an alignment bearing 21 provided on a drum support plate 20 that is detachably attached to a side plate 19 on the front side of the copying machine main body.

Therefore, the cleaning casing 16 has the following characteristics:
The shaft 15 is arranged so as to be suspended between the side plates 17 and 19. Detent pins 22 and 23 are fixed to both end plates 16a and 16b of the casing 16, respectively (see FIGS. 2 and 4). One pin 22 extends to the side plate 17 and has an elongated hole 17a in the vertical direction.
As shown in FIG. 4, the other pin 23 is fitted into a vertical elongated hole 20 provided in the drum support plate 20 to prevent the cleaning casing 16 from rotating.

Further, a guide 16c is formed on the upper surface of the cleaning casing 16, and this guide 16c engages with a guide rail 25 fixed to a support plate 24 of the main body. Therefore, the cleaning device is
After the drum support plate 20 (see FIG. 4) is removed from the side plate 19, it is provided so that it can be pulled out along the guide rail 25 toward the front side of the copying machine.

The side of the cleaning casing 16 facing the photoreceptor drum 1 is open, and a member 26 for weakening the physical adsorption force between the photoreceptor and the toner is fixed to the lower edge of this opening. . At the bottom of the casing 16, a toner conveying coil 27 is provided.
is provided. This coil 27 is rotationally driven in one direction by a drive source (not shown) and discharges the removed toner to the outside of the cleaning casing.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a lever 31 is substantially integrally fixed to one end of the shaft 15 by a screw 32. As shown in FIGS. Lever 31 and the end plate 1
A relatively weak tension spring 33 is stretched between the locking pin 23 (see Fig. 4) fixed to the lever 6b, and the spring 33 is stretched counterclockwise (second direction) with respect to the lever. In the figure, the behavior of the direction of rocking is given. Therefore, the cleaning blade 13 is given the habit of swinging away from the surface of the photoreceptor drum 1. Also,
A positioning pin 34 is fixed to one end 31a of the lever 31.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the side plate 1
A support shaft 35 is fixed to the support shaft 9, and a stopper lever 36 and a pressure lever 37 are rotatably supported on this support shaft 35. One end 36 of the stopper lever 36
A is for regulating the swinging of the positioning pin 34. An adjustment lever 38 is integrally fixed to the stopper lever 36, and a scale 38a is provided at the lower end of the lever. This scale 3
8a is provided so that the amount of penetration of the tip of the blade into the drum, which will be described later, can be magnified and adjusted, and can be visually observed through a window hole 19a provided in the side plate 19. The lever 38 is fixed to the side plate 19 by tightening a screw 39 after adjusting the amount of penetration of the blade.

One arm 37a of the pressure lever 37 extends above the positioning pin 34 and can move toward and away from the positioning pin 34. An operating rod 41a of a solenoid 41 is connected to the other arm 37b of the lever 37 via a link 40.
and a spring 42 which imparts a clockwise rocking habit to the lever. This solenoid 41 is
After a print button (not shown) is turned on and the photosensitive drum 1 starts rotating, it is energized for only a few seconds.

Next, the operation of this device will be explained.

FIG. 5 shows a state where the cleaning operation is not being performed, the photosensitive drum 1 is stopped, and the power to the solenoid 41 is cut off.
In this state, the cleaning blade 13
is swung counterclockwise about the shaft 15 by the elasticity of the spring 33, and the one end 14a of the blade holder 14 is connected to the part 16d of the casing 16.
The tip of the blade 13
a is spaced apart from the surface 1b of the photoreceptor drum 1. Further, the pressure lever 37 is moved to a position where the other arm 37b abuts against the stopper 43 due to the elasticity of the spring 42, that is, the one arm 37a is placed on the positioning pin 3.
It is swung to a position away from 4.

In the state shown in FIG. 5, when a print button (not shown) is pressed, the photosensitive drum 1 starts rotating counterclockwise. At approximately the same time as the rotation of the drum 1 starts, the solenoid 41 is energized, causing the pressure lever 37 to swing counterclockwise.
is brought into contact with the positioning pin 34, and the lever 31 is swung clockwise against the elasticity of the spring 33. The swing of the lever 31 is caused by the shaft 15 and the blade holder 1.
4 to swing the cleaning blade 13 clockwise around the shaft 15. This state is shown in FIG. 6, and it is sufficient for the solenoid 41 to be excited and the pressure lever 37 to swing until the tip 13a of the cleaning blade 13 collides with the surface 1b of the photoreceptor drum 1. It is. At this time, a gap g is formed between the positioning pin 34 pressed by the pressure lever 37 and one arm 36a of the stopper lever 36.

The tip 13a of the cleaning blade 13 that abuts against the surface 1b of the photoreceptor drum 1 is dragged in the rotational direction by the friction between the cleaning blade 13 and the rotating surface 1b. Therefore, the cleaning blade 13
As shown in FIG. 2, the tip portion of the drum is bent, and the edge of the tip 13a is pressed against the drum surface in the trailing direction. The energization of the solenoid 41 continues at least until the cleaning blade changes from the state shown in FIG. 5 to the state shown in FIG. 6, preferably until it occupies the cleaning operation position as shown in FIG. It takes a very short time for the cleaning blade 13 to swing from the inoperative position shown in FIG. 5 to the drum abutting position shown in FIG. can do.

The second
As shown in the figure, the swinging of the cleaning blade 13 placed in the cleaning operation position is regulated by the positioning pin 34 colliding with the stopper lever 36 . What is important in maintaining this position is that the contact position between the tip of the cleaning blade 13 and the photoreceptor drum surface 1b is located upstream in the direction of rotation of the drum relative to the line l connecting the rotation centers of the two. It's about being located. This cleaning operation position is maintained by a positioning pin 34 and a stopper lever 36. Further, the amount of penetration of the blade into the drum at this position can be adjusted by using a screw 3 screwed into the adjustment lever 38.
9, and compare the mutual positions of the scale 38a and the window hole 19a (see Fig. 2) while enlarging the lever ratio of each lever. After adjustment, tighten the screw 39 and move the lever 38 to the side plate. Fixed at 19.
In FIG. 2, reference numeral 19b indicates a long hole drilled in the side plate 19, through which the fixing screw 39 passes.

After the cleaning blade 13 is placed in the cleaning operation position shown in FIG.
1 is not required to be energized. Therefore, pressure lever 3
7 swings back to its original position by the elasticity of the spring 42, as shown in FIG.

When the copying operation is completed and the rotation of the photosensitive drum 1 stops, there is no longer anything to restrain the deflection of the cleaning blade 13, so the blade uses its own elasticity and the elasticity of the spring 33 to As shown in FIG. 5, the blade holder 14 swings back to the cleaning non-operating position in which it is in contact with the casing 16.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cleaning blade 1
3 is in contact with the photoreceptor drum 1, a toner image is formed on the drum surface through a known copying process, this is transferred, and residual toner is brought to the cleaning section. but,
This residual toner is removed by the edge of the blade 13.

As already mentioned, the smaller the friction between the cleaning blade 13 and the photoreceptor drum surface 1b, the better the cleaning performance will be, and the less damage and abrasion there will be.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in which the present invention is applied to a low friction coefficient material application device for cleaning aid.

In FIGS. 2 and 3, a drum coating agent application device 9 is disposed downstream of the cleaning device in the rotational direction of the photosensitive drum 1. As shown in FIG.
The coating device 9 includes a casing 44 and a coating brush 4 as a coating member rotatable within the casing.
5, and a drive mechanism 46 that rotationally drives this brush.
, a low friction coefficient material (hereinafter referred to as a "cleaning aid") 47 as a drum coating agent, and a contact position where the brush 45 is brought into contact with both the surface of the photoreceptor drum and the cleaning aid, and the brush is brought into contact with both the surface of the photoreceptor drum and the cleaning aid. and an intermittent operating mechanism 48 for selectively positioning it in a spaced position apart from the ground.

The casing 44 is fixed to the support plate 24 with fixing screws 49, and surrounds an applicator brush 45, which will be described next. This casing 44 supports a pivot shaft 52 by a pair of bearings 50 and 51, and one end 52a of this shaft is fitted into the side plate 17.

Brush support arms 53 and 54 are fixed to the pivot shaft 52, respectively. One brush support arm 53
is substantially integrally fixed to the pivot shaft 52 by a screw 55, and its one arm 53a has a
A support shaft 56 is rotatably supported via a pair of bearings 55, 55. One end 56a of the support shaft 56 is formed into a tapered shape, and an engagement pin 57 is fixedly planted in a direction perpendicular to the shaft.

The other brush support arm 54 is attached to the other end 5 of the pivot shaft 52.
2b, and is integrated with the pivot shaft 52 in the rotational direction by engaging the fork portion 54a with a detent pin 58 fixed to the pivot shaft. Further, a threaded portion 52c (see FIG. 11) is formed at the shaft end of the pivot shaft 52, and a fixing screw 59 is screwed into this, and the pin 58 and the threaded portion 52c rotate the brush support arm 54 in the axial direction. Movement is fixed. Therefore, each brush support arm 53, 54 is
They can swing integrally via the pivot shaft 52. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a brush support shaft 60 having a tapered tip is firmly planted on the brush support arm 54, facing the support shaft 56.

The application brush 45 is supported by the support shafts 56 and 60 that oppose each other. Application brush 45
is a paper tube 61 and fixed around this paper tube,
It consists of a brush body 62 made of animal hair, natural fibers, synthetic fibers, etc., alone or in a blend, and a pair of bearings 63 and 64 fixed to both ends of a paper tube 61. As shown in FIG. 3, the shaft 63 is formed with an engagement groove 63a in which a rotation prevention engagement pin 57 engages, and the engagement between the two prevents the support shaft 56 and application brush 45 from rotating. become one with the world.

A drive mechanism 46 that rotates the application brush 45
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 10, the support shaft 5
The gear 65 fixed to the other end 56b of 6 and the side plate 1
7 and is constantly rotated counterclockwise by a drive source (not shown); and both gears 66 are rotatably supported on the pivot shaft 52 and are
5 and 66, and meshing gears 67, respectively.

Therefore, the applicator brush 45 is always rotating counterclockwise in FIG. 2.
Further, the axial length of the application brush 45 is set to be equal to or slightly longer than the width of the image forming area of the photoreceptor drum 1 in the axial direction.

The cleaning aid 47 is made by solidifying a known low friction coefficient material such as zinc stearate into a plate shape, and is fixed to the holder 68.
This holder 68 is inserted into a guide groove 44a formed in the casing 44, and can be pulled out together with the cleaning aid 47.

The applicator brush 45 is swingable about a pivot shaft 52, and has two contact positions, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG.
The operating mechanism will now be described.

The intermittent operating mechanism 48 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 0, a half-rotation clutch mechanism 69,
A cam 70 and a cam follower 7 that follows this cam
It consists of 1. Half-turn clutch mechanism 69
This is a well-known spring clutch in which two high and low engaging parts are formed with a phase of 180° on the sleeve circumferential surface of the driven side, and by selectively locking these engaging parts, the driving side The rotation is transmitted in half rotation increments. Support plate 7 fixed to side plate 17A
2, the shaft 7 is connected between the rising portions 72a and 72b of this.
3 is supported via bearings 74, 74. As clearly shown in FIG. 12, the cam 70 and a driven sleeve 77 are integrally fixed to this shaft 73. Further, a drive-side sleeve 78 is rotatably supported on the shaft 73, and a gear 75 is integrally formed with this sleeve 78. This gear 75 is supported by the side plate 17A and meshes with a gear 76 that is constantly rotated by a drive source (not shown). A spring 79 is tightly wound around the outer circumferences of the sleeves 77 and 78, and a sleeve 80 is placed around the outer circumferences of the springs 79. The sleeve 80 is formed with a first engaging portion 80a and a second engaging portion 80b having different heights.

Further, a solenoid 81 is fixed to the support plate 72, and a locking lever 82 is pivotally attached to an operating rod 81a of the solenoid 81. The operating rod 81a has
A stopper 81b is provided for regulating the suction length. One end 82a of the locking lever 82 extends downward through the cutout 72c of the support plate 72, and a compressible spring 83 is stretched between this and the cutout 72d of the support plate 72. There is. The other end of the locking lever 82 serves as a locking portion 82b that extends to the circumferential surface of the sleeve 80 and selectively engages with the first and second engaging portions 80a and 80b.

Briefly explaining the operation of the half-rotation clutch mechanism 69, the rotation of the gear 75 meshing with the constantly rotating gear 76 is transmitted to the sleeve 77 by tightening the spring 79 via the sleeve 78. At this time, when either one of the first and second engaging portions 80a and 80b of the sleeve 80 is locked,
The spring 80 cannot be tightened,
The sleeve 78 on the drive side and the spring 80 slip, and rotation is not transmitted. That is, in order to rotate the driven side, it is sufficient to control the restraint and release of the sleeve 80, and this is done by the locking lever 82 and the solenoid 81. As shown in FIG. 9, the cam follower 71
When brought into contact with a, the first engaging portion 80a
is locked by the locking portion 82b of the locking lever 82, and the solenoid 81 is not energized at this time. In other words, when the solenoid 81 is not energized, the locking lever 82 comes into contact with the circumferential surface of the sleeve 80 due to the elasticity of the spring 83 and is positioned so as to be able to engage with the first engaging portion 80a. There is.

Then, when the solenoid 81 is energized, the first
As shown in FIG. 0, the locking lever 82 is swung to a position where it is disengaged from the first engaging portion 80a but can be engaged with the second engaging portion 80b. There is. The position of the locking lever 82 shown in FIG. 10 is determined by the stopper 81b regulating the moving length of the solenoid operating rod 81a. Note that, as shown in FIG. 10, when the second engaging portion 80b is locked, the cam follower 71 is in contact with the large diameter portion 70b of the cam 70. The effect in this case will be described later.

As described above, in the half-rotation clutch mechanism, the position of the cam 70 is determined depending on whether or not the solenoid 81 is energized.

The cam follower 71 is rotatably supported by the free end 84a of the lever 84, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 9. The lever 84 has a base end 84b inserted through the pivot shaft 52, and is fixed to the brush support arm 53 with a screw 85. Therefore, lever 84
and brush support arm 53 are substantially integral. Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the lever 84 has a clockwise direction and the cam follower 71
One end of a spring 86 that provides a rocking behavior in the direction of pressure contact with zero is locked. The other end of the spring 86 is locked to a pin 87 fixed to the side plate 17A.

When the cam follower 71 is in contact with the small diameter portion 70a of the cam 70, as shown in FIG.
When the cam follower 71 is in contact with the large diameter portion 70b of the cam, as shown in FIG. It is adapted to be placed in a contact position where it contacts both.

Hereinafter, the operation of the present invention will be explained in detail.

FIG. 9 shows a state in which the applicator brush 45 is placed in a separated position, and at this time, the brush 45 is rotating counterclockwise and the current to the solenoid 81 is cut off. Also, at this time, the gear 75 on the drive side of the clutch is rotating. In this state, when the solenoid 81 is energized, its operating rod 81a is attracted, causing the locking lever 82 to swing clockwise about the notch 72c as a fulcrum, as shown in FIG. This results in
Since the locking part 82b and the first engaging part 80a are disengaged, the rotation of the gear 75 is prevented by the spring 79 (first
(see Figure 2), the rotation on the driving side is transmitted to the driven side. Therefore, the shaft 73 rotates counterclockwise, causing the cam 70 to rotate in the same direction. Also,
The second engaging portion 80b of the rotating sleeve 80 is approximately
When the cam 70 is rotated by 180 degrees, the locking portion 82b of the locking lever 82 is positioned on the rotation locus of the rotation, so that the cam 70 engages the cam follower at the large diameter portion 70b, as shown in FIG. It is locked and stopped at the position where 71 is pushed up.

As the cam 70 rotates through 180 degrees, the cam follower 71 is swung up about the pivot shaft 52, and the brush support arm 53 is swung counterclockwise via the lever 84. As a result, as shown in Fig. 10,
The applicator brush 45 is now positioned at the contact position.

In the state shown in FIG.
are positioned so as to penetrate to some extent into the photoreceptor drum surface 1b and the cleaning aid 47, so the brush tips are bent at their respective contact positions, as shown in FIG. Then, a small amount of the cleaning aid 47 is scraped off by a brush and applied onto the photosensitive drum surface 1b. The application brush 45 applies the cleaning aid 47 while the drum 1 rotates at least once, and during that time, the solenoid 81
This is the length of time the current is applied to the

That is, as shown in FIG. 10, it is the position of the cam 70 that holds the application brush 45 in the contact position, and the solenoid 81 that controls the rotational position of this. Therefore, the operation of the solenoid 81 is controlled by a timer circuit (not shown) that energizes the solenoid 81 only during one rotation of the photoreceptor drum 1, and when the energization is cut off, the locking lever 82 is moved by the elastic force of the spring 83. As a result, it swings counterclockwise about the notch 72c as a fulcrum. When the second engaging portion 80b is released from the locking portion 82b, the cam 70 rotates 180 degrees counterclockwise and stops by locking the first engaging portion 80a (see Fig. 9). ). cam 70
As the cam follower 71 rotates, the lever 84 and the brush support arm 53 are swung clockwise by the elasticity of the spring 86, and the applicator brush 45 is rotated.
as shown in FIG. 9.

By applying the cleaning aid 45 as described above, the coefficient of friction on the surface of the photoreceptor drum is reduced, and abrasion of the cleaning blade 13 is prevented and the durability of the blade is improved.

By the way, when the friction coefficient of the photoreceptor drum decreases below a certain value, the adhesion force between the toner and the photoreceptor surface decreases, resulting in a problem of deterioration of copy image quality. This causes wear and tear on the cleaning blade and drum surface, resulting in lower cleaning performance and lower copy image quality, as well as lowering the durability of the blade. Therefore, it is necessary to control the amount of cleaning aid applied, and this friction coefficient control area is based on the friction coefficient of the drum surface.
It is located between the area where poor cleaning occurs and the area where poor image quality occurs, and the friction coefficient is controlled by turning on and off the solenoid 81 during the copying operation.

According to experiments, the number of rotations of the applicator brush 45 was
164 rpm and the amount of brush penetration into drum 1.
Assuming that r ₁ is 2 mm and the depth r ₂ of the cleaning aid 47 is 3 mm, a B4 size copy can be made from 30 to 30 mm.
When the coating was applied once every 10 sheets, covering one rotation of the photoreceptor drum, no poor cleaning or poor image quality occurred. Furthermore, wear on the edge portion of the cleaning blade 13 could not be determined visually.

The time period for which the applicator brush 45 is held at the separated position shown in FIG. 9 is determined experimentally, as described above, and is set in a suitable timer circuit to control the on/off state of the solenoid 81. That is, for example,
When the photosensitive drum 1 rotates once every 2 seconds, the solenoid 81 is energized for 2 seconds and then energized again for 2 seconds 30 seconds later.
1 is periodically excited. By doing this, the applicator brush 45 can be moved to the separated position shown in FIG.
0 and the contact position shown in FIG. In other words, the application brush 45 intermittently applies the cleaning aid 47 to the photoreceptor drum surface 1b, so that the amount of application is not wasted, and it is possible to prevent problems caused by excessive application. Further, by using a half-turn clutch mechanism, less power is consumed to position the applicator brush 45 into the contact position, while at the same time keeping the brush away from the drum surface when the solenoid 81 is off. This has the advantage that it does not get in the way when the photoreceptor drum is attached to and detached from the main body of the apparatus.

Further, the applicator brush 45 according to the present invention is detachably attached to the main body of the apparatus, and this procedure will be explained based on FIG. 11.

FIG. 3 shows a state in which the applicator brush is attached, and in this state, the fixing screw 59 is loosened and the threaded portion 52 of the shaft 52 is removed as shown in FIG.
c, and also pull out the brush support arm 54 from the shaft 52. At this time, the support shaft 60 is removed from the bearing 64. After that, the application brush 45 is pulled out from the other support shaft 56, and the application brush 45 is removed from the window hole (not shown) in the side plate 19.
Pull it out toward the front of the machine. Then, clean or replace the brush, and set the brush by reversing the above procedure. When inserting the application brush, the notch 63a of one of the bearings 63 is engaged with the locking engagement pin 57 of the support shaft 56, and then fixed.

In the above explanation, a photoreceptor drum is used as the photoreceptor, and a cleaning aid is used as the photoreceptor coating agent, but the present invention is not limited to this, and an endless photoreceptor belt is used as the photoreceptor. Moreover, it is not limited to a cleaning aid, and may be a lubricant for other purposes.

Further, in the illustrated embodiment, the applicator brush 4
5, gears 65, 66,
Although a gear train consisting of 67 gears is used, it goes without saying that a chain or a belt may be used to rotate the brush. Furthermore, if a means for detecting the friction coefficient of the photoreceptor is provided instead of setting the solenoid 81 to operate at a constant cycle using a timer circuit, the solenoid 81 may be turned on and off in response to a detection signal from this means, and the solenoid 81 may be operated intermittently. Alternatively, the applicator brush may take both positions.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an electrophotographic copying machine as an example of a device to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is a front sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a plan sectional view of the same. FIG. 4 is a side view showing the positioning means of the cleaning device, FIGS. 5 and 6 are partially cutaway front views illustrating the operation of the cleaning device, and FIG. 7 is a side view showing the positioning means of the cleaning device, and FIG. 8 is a front view showing the state in which the applicator brush is placed in a separated position, FIGS. 9 and 10 are front views illustrating the operation of the present invention, and FIG. 11 is a front view showing the application brush in the separated position. FIG. 12 is an exploded plan view illustrating the attachment/detachment operation of the inventive applicator brush, and FIG. 12 is a plan sectional view showing essential parts of the half-rotation clutch mechanism. 1...Photosensitive drum, 45...Applying brush 47
... Cleaning aid, 52 ... Axis, 53,5
4... Brush support arm, 56, 60... Support shaft, 6
1... Paper tube, 62... Brush body, 63, 64...
Bearing, 65-67... Gear, 46... Drive mechanism,
48... Intermittent operation mechanism, 69... Half-rotation clutch mechanism, 70... Cam, 71... Cam follower, 7
5, 76...Gear, 79...Spring, 80a
...First engaging part, 80b... Second engaging part, 81...
...Solenoid, 82...Latching lever.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A device that applies a photoconductor coating agent to the surface of a rotating photoconductor using a coating member, which contacts both the photoconductor coating agent disposed at a fixed position and the coating agent and the photoconductor surface. an applicator selectively located at a contact position and a spaced position away from both the photoreceptor coating agent and the photoreceptor surface; an intermittent operating mechanism for selectively positioning the applicator at both of the positions;
An intermittent application device for a photoconductor coating agent, comprising a drive mechanism that rotationally drives the application member, and intermittently applies a photoconductor coating agent to a photoconductor.