JPH01225979A - Photosensitive body reproducing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To surely remove an adhered matter on a photosensitive body and to reuse it for a long period by constituting the title device so that a relative speed difference is given to a photosensitive body and a transfer belt and providing a cleaning device which removes adhered matter from the transfer belt. CONSTITUTION:The length of the belt 4 is integer-multiplied by the largest transfer sheet and a part of the belt 4 is made of a rubber layer or the surface is roughed thereby, friction coefficient increase processing part 9 is formed. When there is no transfer sheet 5, adhered matter is removed from the photosensitive drum 1 by sliding the friction coefficient increase processing part 9 and the photosensitive drum 1. Moreover, a cleaning blade 10 which scrapes away adhered matter from the belt 4 is disposed at the lower part of a roller 2 and a collecting container 11 is also disposed. Thus, adhered matter is surely removed and the photosensitive body can be reused for a long period.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field] The present invention relates to a photoreceptor regeneration device used for regenerating a photoreceptor installed in an electrophotographic apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, or a printer.

[Prior Art] Photoreceptors installed in copying machines, etc. are used to remove (clean) residual toner after the transfer process and to erase the potential (
Although it can be used repeatedly by removing static electricity,
As the number of times it is used increases, image quality deteriorates (white smudges, black streaks, etc.) due to deposits (filming, etc.) on the photoconductor that are difficult to remove in the toner removal cleaning process, so cleaning and replacement should be performed regularly by a service person. It is necessary to do so.

Therefore, in the past, the cycle of cleaning and replacement work has been extended by providing a toner removal means that mainly removes toner and a foreign matter removal means that is arranged to mechanically rub against the photoreceptor. There is.

However, in such conventional methods, although the foreign matter removal means can remove foreign matter from the photoconductor, the foreign matter removal means is constantly rubbed against the photoconductor, resulting in damage to the photoconductor. Ta. In other words, in order to use the photoreceptor for a long period of time, it is necessary to minimize damage to the photoreceptor during the cleaning process.
If the foreign matter removing means is constantly rubbed against the photoconductor, the foreign matter removing means itself will deteriorate due to toner stains, etc., causing partial defects, etc., and it will not only be unable to perform its functions evenly, but also On the contrary, the photoreceptor deteriorates and is damaged, making it difficult to reuse the photoreceptor for a long period of time.

[Objective] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a photoconductor recycling device that reliably removes deposits on a photoconductor and enables long-term reuse of the photoconductor.

[Structure] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a photoconductor and a transfer belt that transfers a toner image formed on the photoconductor to a transfer paper, and the present invention includes a photoconductor and a transfer belt that transfers a toner image formed on the photoconductor to a transfer paper. A structure configured to provide a relative speed difference between the photoreceptor and the transfer belt in order to remove the deposits by rubbing on the transfer belt, and further comprising a cleaning device for removing the deposits on the transfer belt. shall be.

When the photoreceptor and the transfer belt are driven with a relative speed difference during non-transfer operation, the photoreceptor is rubbed against the transfer belt, so that the deposits on the photoreceptor are removed by the transfer belt. Further, the deposits on the transfer belt are removed by a cleaning device.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1 and 2 show an embodiment of the present invention, in which a charging device, an exposure device, a developing device, a static eliminating device, and a cleaning device are all used as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 81-40990. (not shown) are arranged at predetermined positions around the photosensitive drum 1, and are arranged at the bottom of the photosensitive drum 1 to be rotated in the six directions of arrows. 3, and an insulating film (for example,
An endless transfer/transport belt 4 made of polyester film (with a thickness of 125 μm) is hung so that the belt 4 can be moved in the direction of the arrow. In addition to arranging the charger 6, a power source 7 formed by connecting a DC power source 7a and an AC power source 7b in series is connected to the corona charger 6, and the roller 3 is formed of a conductive material and the roller 3 is grounded. This serves as a counter electrode for the corona charger 6, and further, a conductive roller 8 is disposed facing the photoconductor tram 1 with the belt 4 interposed therebetween and grounded.
The belt 4 is charged by discharging a charge having a polarity opposite to that of the toner image formed on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 1 by the corona charger 6.
In an electrophotographic apparatus that is capable of transferring a toner image to a transfer paper 5 brought into contact with or close to a surface of the transfer paper 5 using Coulomb force acting between the surface charge of the belt 4 and the toner image, the length of the belt 4 is A friction coefficient increasing treatment portion 9 is formed in a portion of the belt 1 by making the length an integral multiple of the maximum transfer paper length and by making a portion of the belt 4 a rubber layer or roughening the surface. , when there is no transfer paper 5, the friction coefficient increasing treatment section 9 and the photoreceptor drum 1 are rubbed against each other to remove deposits (a mixture of toner and foreign matter) on the photoreceptor drum 1; At a lower position of the roller 2, there is a cleaning blade 10 for scraping off the deposits adhering to the belt 4, and a collection container 11 for collecting the deposits scraped off by the cleaning blade 10.
are arranged respectively.

In such a configuration, when removing the deposits on the photoreceptor drum 1, the belt 4 is moved in the direction D and the timing is adjusted when there is no transfer paper 5, that is, when the machine is started or at a time other than the transfer process. Then, the friction coefficient increasing treatment section 9 is stopped at the position of the photosensitive drum 1. In this state, when the photoreceptor drum 1 is rotated in six directions, the photoreceptor drum 1 is rubbed against the friction coefficient increasing treatment area 9, so that the deposits on the photoreceptor drum 1 are removed from the friction coefficient increase treatment area. 9 is easily removed. Thereafter, when the belt 4 is moved in the D direction, the deposits adhering to the belt 4 including the friction coefficient increasing treatment section 9 are scraped off by the cleaning blade 10, and the scraped deposits are collected in the collection container 11. recovered by. At this time, the toner removal performance by the cleaning blade 10 is slightly lower in the friction coefficient increasing treatment section 9 than in the portion other than the friction coefficient increasing treatment section 9, but the friction coefficient increasing treatment section 9 is a portion not involved in transfer. Therefore, there is no problem with image quality.

In this manner, when there is no transfer paper 5, the deposits on the photoreceptor drum 1 are removed by the friction coefficient increasing treatment section 9 of the belt 4, and the deposits adhering to the friction coefficient increasing treatment section 9 are removed by the cleaning blade 10. Since deterioration of the friction coefficient increasing treatment section 9 due to scraping is prevented, the photoreceptor drum 1
can be used repeatedly for a long period of time.

Next, FIGS. 3 to 5 show other embodiments of the present invention,
In a configuration similar to that shown in FIGS. 1 and 2,
As a cleaning means for the deposits scraped from the photoreceptor drum 1 by the belt 4, on the return side surface of the belt 4,
While arranging the cleaning roller 12 in contact with the
The cleaning roller 12 is configured such that the deposits attached to the cleaning roller 12 can be scraped off by a blade 13 and collected by a collection container 11, and the cleaning roller 12 is also provided with a function of centering the belt 4. To be more specific, the cleaning roller 12 is rotatably supported by both ends of a bracket 15 whose central portion in the axial direction is swingably supported by a pin 14, and both ends of the cleaning roller 12 are supported with the belt 4 in between. In this case, the tapered rollers 16 are arranged to face each other. In addition, in this example,
By using the belt 4 made of polyester film with a conductive layer formed on the back side and serving as the counter electrode of the corona charger 6, the conductive roller 8 in the above embodiment can be omitted.

In this embodiment as well, the deposits on the photosensitive drum 1 are of course removed by the friction coefficient increasing treatment section 9 of the belt 4 as in the above embodiment, but when the belt 4 is moved, If the belt 4 is shifted to one side in the width direction, the belt 4
is sandwiched between the cleaning roller 12 and the tapered roller 16, so the cleaning roller 12 is attached to the bracket 15.
At this time, the rotating direction of the cleaning roller 12 (X in FIG. 4) and the traveling direction of the belt 4 (Y in FIG. 4) are misaligned. An inward force acts from the roller 12, and a force (Z in FIG. 4) that tries to return the belt 4 acts, and as a result, the force Z that tries to return the belt 4 and the force that tries to pull the belt 4 together are The shift of the belt 4 is stopped in balance, and subsequent meandering of the belt 4 is prevented.

Further, at this time, since slipping occurs between the belt 4 and the cleaning roller 12, the adhering matter on the belt 4 is peeled off and removed by this sliding force. Therefore, it is desirable to select a material for the cleaning roller 12 that has worse releasability than the material for the belt 4.

In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the transfer/transport belt 4 is an insulating film such as a polyester film.
Appropriate resistance value, for example, 109Ω・c, which is preferable for transfer.
It may be made of rubber having a volume resistivity of m or more. Furthermore, when a rubber belt is used, the frictional resistance is greater than that of a polyester film, so there is no need to intentionally form the friction coefficient increasing treatment part 9 in a part of the belt. There is no need to stop it at the position of the body drum 1. Further, in this case, in order to cause the photoreceptor drum 1 to rub against the belt 4, there only needs to be a relative speed difference between the two, so when the photoreceptor drum 1 rotates, it is rotated at a lower speed than the photoreceptor drum 1 or at a lower speed than the photoreceptor drum 1. The belt 4 may be rotated at high speed or reversed. Further, in order to improve the cleaning performance of the rubber belt 4, the cleaning roller 12 is rotationally driven and a bias voltage is applied, thereby improving the toner adsorption performance.

[Effects] As described above, according to the photoconductor recycling device of the present invention, the deposits on the photoconductor are removed by the speed difference between the photoconductor and the transfer belt, and the deposits on the transfer belt are removed. Since it is removed by a cleaning device, the transfer belt does not deteriorate due to toner stains, etc., and the photoreceptor can be used repeatedly for a long period of time. Therefore, as a cleaning device for cleaning residual bacteria on the photoconductor itself, it is sufficient to use a simple configuration with a soft brush, such as a fur brush, which reduces damage to the photoconductor and cleans the photoconductor. It has excellent effects such as being able to further extend the life of the product.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing one embodiment of the photoreceptor reproducing apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partial plan view of a belt, FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. This figure is a partial plan view of FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the cleaning roller portion of FIG. 3. 1... Photosensitive drum, 4... Transfer/transport belt,
5... Transfer paper, 6... Corona charger, 9...
- Friction coefficient increasing treatment section, 10...Cleaning blade, 12...Cleaning roller.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1) A photoreceptor and a transfer belt for transferring the toner image formed on the photoreceptor onto a transfer paper, and the photoreceptor is used to rub and remove deposits on the photoreceptor with the transfer belt during non-transfer operation. 1. A photoreceptor regeneration device, comprising: a cleaning device configured to provide a relative speed difference between a transfer belt and a transfer belt, and a cleaning device for removing deposits on the transfer belt.