JPH01206382A - Cleaning mechanism for fixing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To effectively attain cleaning of waste from the outside surface of a rotary body by providing a means for giving a rotational resistance in a fluctuation state to a cleaning rotary body by following up the driven rotation of the cleaning rotary body. CONSTITUTION:The title mechanism is provided with a rotational resistance giving means 29 for giving a rotational resistance in a fluctuation state to the cleaning rotary body 27 by following up a driven rotation of the cleaning rotary body 27. Whenever the rotational resistance given to the cleaning rotary body 27 becomes high, large damping force is applied to the cleaning rotary body 27, and when a high rotational resistance activates the cleaning rotary body 27, it is brought to driven rotation like a slip on the outside surface S of the fixing rotary body 21, by which a function for wiping off waste from the outside surface S1 of the rotary body 21 is generated in the cleaning rotary body 27. In such a way, the cleaning efficiency of waste from the outside surface of the fixing rotary body 21 can be enhanced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a cleaning mechanism for a fixing device installed in an image forming bag such as an electrostatic photocopier or a facsimile machine.

(Prior Art) As the ?ff cleaning mechanism of the above-mentioned fixing device, a cleaning rotor is disposed in contact with the outer surface of the fixing rotor in a biased state, and as the fixing rotor rotates, the cleaning There is a type in which the rotating body for ++i is driven to rotate.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

According to the above configuration, when the 1/7 sweeping rotor rotates drivenly while being pushed 1; By transferring dirt such as paper powder to the cleaning rotating body, the outer surface of the fixing rotating body is cleaned 1+9, but the conventional cleaning rotating body has a circular outer Ya surface shape. , the cleaning rotor is simply driven to rotate around the center of the circle, and the cleaning rotor has the same circumferential speed as the fixing rotor and the fixing rotor. This is an improvement in that the cleaning efficiency is surprisingly low, as it simply rotates in a wave motion while in contact with the outer surface of the rotating body under constant pressure, and has no function of wiping toner etc. from the outer surface of the fixing rotating body. There was room for this.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and
The object of the present invention is to provide the cleaning rotating body with a function of wiping off dirt through a very simple improvement, thereby increasing the cleaning efficiency of dirt.

[Means for solving problems]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention disposes a cleaning rotor in contact with the outer surface of the fixing rotor in a biased state, and as the fixing rotor rotates, the cleaning rotor is moved. A fixing device that rotates drivenly? The ft sweeping mechanism is characterized in that it is provided with rotational resistance applying means for applying rotational resistance to the t/r sweeping rotating body in a fluctuating state as the cleaning rotating body undergoes driven rotation.

[Effect]

According to the above characteristic configuration, each time the rotational resistance applied to the cleaning rotational body increases, a large braking force is applied to the cleaning rotational body, and the large rotational resistance acts on the cleaning rotational body. At this time, the cleaning rotor rotates in waves with a slight slip on the outer surface of the fixing rotor, so that the cleaning rotor has a function of removing dirt [λ] from the outer surface of the rotor.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. FIG. 2 shows an electrostatographic copying machine as an example of an image forming apparatus, in which a photoreceptor 3 is placed horizontally on an apparatus main body 2 having a document presser 1 on the top. At the same time, a charging device 4, a developing device 5, a transfer device 6, a paper separating device 7, and a cleaning device 8 are arranged around the photoconductor 3 in that order in the rotational direction of the photoconductor 3, and An exposure device 9 with a movable optical system is provided in the upper space of the main body 2, and a manual feed section 10 or a cassette case 1 is provided.
A paper feed conveyance device 12 that conveys the paper from 1, a paper discharge conveyance device 14 that conveys the paper after separation to the fixing device 13, and a paper discharge device 14 that conveys the paper after fixing to the tray 15.
6.17 pairs are provided.

The fixing device 13 and the paper ejection rollers 16 and 17 are unitized and can be inserted into and removed from the apparatus main body 2, and are constructed as follows.

That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the unit receiver has a fixing case 19 equipped with a tool 18, and a rotating body 2 for heat fixing and pressure fixing.
0.21 and the paper ejection roller 16, 17 are pivotally connected, and the pressure fixing rotating body 21 and the paper ejection roller 17 are
A paper discharge guide 22 is provided between the fixing member and the fixing member, and a paper peeling claw 23 is provided to separate the paper from the rotating member 20 when the fixed paper adheres to the upper fixing member 20. , an outer surface S of the fixing rotating body 21 on the lower side;
A cleaning mechanism A is provided for cleaning dirt such as toner and paper powder adhering to the paper.

The cleaning mechanism A, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4,
Left and right side plates (
Only one side is shown. ) 24 is formed with a notch 25 extending in the radial direction of the fixing rotary body 21, and a bearing 26 is attached so as to be movable back and forth along the longitudinal direction of the notch 25;
In addition, a cleaning rotor 27 is installed on the core bearing 26, and a biasing tool 2B for urging the cleaning rotor 27 to come into contact with the outer surface S1 of the fixing rotor 21 is attached to the bearing 2.
6 and attached to the side plate 24, the cleaning rotor 27 is driven to rotate in a state in which it is brought into biased contact with the outer surface S1 of the fixing rotor 21, and the cleaning rotor 27
A rotational resistance imparting means 29 is provided for imparting rotational resistance to the cleaning rotating body 27 in a freely changeable manner as the rotating body 27 for 1-2 undergoes wave rotation.

The cleaning rotary body 27 is formed by fitting a soft cleaning cylindrical body 30 made of felt or urethane externally onto a shaft member 32 having a rotary shaft 31 connected thereto. The outer peripheral surface shape and the inner peripheral surface shape of the body 30 and the outer peripheral surface shapes of the rotating shaft 31 and the shaft member 32 are formed circularly around an axis that shares the rotation center P.

On the other hand, the rotational resistance applying means 29 is configured as follows. That is, the rotating shaft 31 into which the rotating shaft 31 is fitted
A circular hole 33 having the same diameter as is bored in the disc member 34, and
The center P1 of the outer circumferential surface shape of the disc member 34 is slightly offset in the radial direction with respect to the center of the circular hole 33 (that is, the rotation center P of the cleaning rotary body 27), and the rotation center P
A rotating body 35 of different diameters whose radius from to the outer circumferential surface gradually changes around the rotation center P is formed, and
A keyway is provided on the outer surface of the shaft end of the rotor 1 and on the inner surface of the rotating body 35 with different diameters.

By providing a key A and driving a key a into both key grooves C, the different diameter rotary body 35 is fixed to the shaft end of the rotary shaft 31, and the center of rotation P of the rotary shaft 31 is fixed. Plugs 71 and 37 having face members 36 in orthogonal directions are connected to the bearing 26, and a load applying member 38 formed by bending a plate-shaped spring member into a curved shape is attached to the different diameter rotating body 3.
5 is provided on the surface member 36 so as to be in biased contact with the outer circumferential surface of the surface member 36.

According to the above configuration, as the fixing rotor 21 rotates, the different diameter rotor 35 rotates integrally with the cleaning rotor 27, and the rotation of the different diameter rotor 35 causes Accordingly, the pressing load by the load applying member 38 is applied to the different diameter rotary body 35 in a fluctuating manner, and as a result, rotational resistance is applied to the cleaning rotary body 27 in a fluctuating manner.

Therefore, each time the rotational resistance applied to the cleaning rotating body 27 increases, a large braking force is applied to the '/N sweeping rotating body 27, and a large rotational resistance acts on the cleaning rotating body 27. When this occurs (the state shown in FIG. 4), the cleaning rotary body 27 rotates driven by the outer surface S of the fixing rotary body 21 in a slightly sliding manner.

in this way,? ,? The sweeping rotary body 27 is the fixing rotary body 21
By rotating with a slight slip on the outer surface S, the cleaning rotating body 27 has a function of wiping dirt on the outer surface S1 of the rotating body.
cleaning efficiency can be improved.

In the above embodiment, the rotary shaft 31 is provided with a rotating body 3 having a different diameter.
5 is provided separately, but as shown in FIG. 5, a part of the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft 31 is cut away, and the cut out part forms a rotating body 35 with a different diameter. The rotating body 35 and the load applying member 38 may constitute the rotational resistance applying means 29.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6, the eccentric member 4 is attached to the shaft member 39.
The rotary body 35 of different diameters, which is formed by consecutively connecting the rotary bodies 35 and 35, is pivoted to the bracket 37 in a state in which it is brought into contact with the outer circumferential surface S of the rotary body for cleaning (or the rotary shaft 31) 27. With the driven rotation of the cleaning rotor 27, the different diameter rotor 35
The rotational resistance imparting means 29 may be configured to cause the cleaning rotating body 27 to be rotated in a driven manner and to apply rotational resistance to the cleaning rotary body 27 in a fluctuating state in accordance with the driven rotation of the different diameter rotary body 35.

In the other embodiments described above, the same components as those shown in the embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their explanations will be omitted.

All of the above configurations are the outer surface S of the fixing rotating body 21.

The urging contact pressure of the cleaning rotor 27 against the fixing rotor 21 is constant, and therefore, the following describes another implementation of the cleaning mechanism A in which the urging contact pressure of the cleaning rotor 27 against the fixing rotor 21 varies. An example will be explained based on FIGS. 7 to 10.

In this device, the cleaning rotating body 27 is configured as follows.
The cleaning rotating body 27 itself is provided with a rotational resistance imparting means 29. That is, as shown in the figure, a cleaning rotating body 27 is constructed by externally fitting a soft cleaning cylindrical body 43 onto a shaft member 42 having a rotary shaft 41 connected thereto, and the cleaning cylindrical body 43 Both the outer peripheral surface shape and the inner peripheral surface shape of the shaft member 42 are formed into concentric circular shapes, and the outer peripheral surface shape of the shaft member 42 is also formed circularly, and the outer peripheral surface of the shaft member 42 and the cylindrical body 43 is The rotation axis 4 with respect to the center P2 of the shape
The rotation center P of the cleaning cylinder 29 is slightly offset in the radial direction, and the diameter from the rotation center P to the outer circumferential surface S of the cleaning cylindrical body 29 is gradually varied in the circumferential direction.

According to the above configuration, when the fixing rotary body 21 rotates, the cleaning rotary body is in biased contact with the outer surface S1 of the fixing rotary body 21, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. 2
7 reciprocates along the notch 25 due to the gradual difference in radius, and therefore the cleaning rotating body 27
The fixing rotary body 21 is repeatedly pressed strongly and weakly against the outer surface S of the fixing rotary body 21, so that it is driven to rotate.

As the pressure of the fixing rotating body 21 against the outer surface S1 becomes stronger or weaker, the '/n
Rotational resistance is applied to the sweeping rotary body 27 in a fluctuating state, and the radius from the rotation center P of the I+W rotary body 27 to the outer circumferential surface is gradually varied around the rotation center [ ). This constitutes a rotational resistance imparting means 29, and when the fixing rotary body 21 is strongly pressed against the outer surface S, the cleaning rotary body 27 tends to slip and rotates drivenly.

In this way, the W
As the r-sweeping rotor 27 is driven to rotate with a slight slip, the AI'/n-sweep rotor 27 has the function of wiping off the tη material on the outer surface S1 of the rotor. , cleaning efficiency will be improved.

FIG. 11 shows another embodiment of the cleaning rotating body 27 that is subject to the above-mentioned pressure fluctuations. In this case, the circumferential surface of the shaft member 45, which is the same as the rotating shaft 44, is cut out with a phase of 1'180, and a soft "cleaning cylindrical body 4" is attached to the shaft member 45.
6 are externally fitted, and the radius from the rotation center P of the rotation shaft 44 to the outer circumferential surface S of the cleaning cylindrical body 46 is gradually varied in the circumferential direction.

Note that the configuration in which the radius from the rotation center P to the outer circumferential surface S of the cleaning rotary body 27 is gradually varied in the circumferential direction is not limited to the one described above, but can be of various types, such as a triangular shape close to a circle, a square shape, etc. The shape can be changed.

Further, in the embodiment, the rotary body 21 for pressure fixing is illustrated as an object to be attached to the cleaning mechanism A. can be attached to.

Furthermore, in the embodiment, an electrostatic photocopier is shown as an image forming apparatus, but other devices such as a facsimile machine and a printer can be used as the image forming apparatus.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, the cleaning mechanism of the fixing device according to the present invention is provided with a rotational resistance applying means for applying rotational resistance to the 7n cleaning rotor in a fluctuating state as the cleaning jet rotor rotates drivenly. Has characteristics.

[Effect]

According to the above characteristic configuration, each time the rotational resistance applied to the cleaning rotor increases, a large braking force is applied to the cleaning rotor, and when the large rotational resistance acts on the cleaning rotor. , the cleaning rotor rotates with a slight slippage on the outer surface of the fixing rotor, causing the problem to occur. Nf
! The cleaning rotor has the function of wiping dirt from the outer surface of the rotor, and by simply improving the cleaning rotor by applying rotational resistance in a fluctuating state, the cleaning rotor can be easily removed. In addition to the conventional cleaning method that rotates the
It has now become possible to effectively clean dirt from the outer surface of the rotating body.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a fixing device, FIG. 2 is a schematic longitudinal sectional side view of an electrostatographic copying machine as an example of an image forming device, and FIG. 3 is a 7ff
FIG. 4 is a side view of the cleaning rotor, and FIGS. 5 and 6 are side views showing cleaning mechanisms of different embodiments. Fig. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the trt sweeper recirculating body and the vicinity of the bearing showing a cleaning mechanism of another embodiment, Fig. 8 is a side view of the cleaning rotating body equipped in the cleaning mechanism, Figs. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the driven rotation state of the cleaning rotor. FIG. 11 is a side view of another embodiment of the cleaning rotating body in the cleaning mechanism shown in FIG. 7. 20, 21... Rotating body (thermal fixing roller, pressure roller), 26... Bearing, 27... Rotating body for cleaning, 29
...Rotational resistance imparting means, 31...Rotating shaft, 35...
- Different diameter rotating body, 38... Load applying member, P... Center of rotation, S... Outer peripheral surface, Sl... Outer surface. Representative of Sanda Kogyo Co., Ltd. Patent Attorney Hideo Fujimoto External surface Fig. 10, Fig. 11, Fig. 27... Cleaning rotating body 29-, rotation 11 (anti-applying means P, rotation center S, outer peripheral surface Sl... external surface Fig. 8, Fig. 9)

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A fixing device in which a cleaning rotor is disposed in biased contact with the outer surface of a fixing rotor, and the cleaning rotor is driven to rotate as the fixing rotor rotates. A cleaning mechanism for a fixing device, characterized in that the cleaning mechanism is provided with rotational resistance applying means for applying rotational resistance to the cleaning rotor in a fluctuating state as the cleaning rotor is driven to rotate. (2) A rotating body with different diameters is provided on the rotating shaft of the cleaning rotating body, and the radius from the center of rotation to the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft gradually differs around the center of rotation, and the rotating body with different diameters is pressed. A cleaning mechanism for a fixing device according to claim 1, wherein a load applying member for applying a load is integrally connected to a bearing of the rotating shaft to provide the rotational resistance applying means. (3) According to claim (1), the rotational resistance imparting means is configured by gradually varying the radius from the rotation center to the outer circumferential surface of the cleaning rotating body around the rotation center. Cleaning mechanism of the fuser device.