JPH01277861A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To maintain image quality for a long time by providing a grid on the peripheral surface of a shield case so that it can rotate and move endlessly and providing a cleaning means for performing cleaning simultaneously with the above-mentioned rotation and movement in said grid. CONSTITUTION:In a scorotron type electrostatic charger 11 for uniformly electrostatically charging charges on the surface of an image carrier, the grid 33 is provided on the peripheral surface of the shield case 31 through a guiding roller 34 so that it can rotate and move endlessly. A cleaning pad 35 made of felt material, which is the cleaning means, is provided on the way of the grid so that it can slide and contact and performs cleaning as soon as the grid 33 rotates and moves. Thus, the grid 33 can be cleaned with a simple constitution and the image quality can be kept for a long time.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Objective of the Invention (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that forms an image using, for example, an electrophotographic process, and particularly relates to an image forming apparatus that forms an image using an electrophotographic process. ) This invention relates to an improvement of an image forming apparatus in which a method is devised to clean a Scotron type charger that uniformly charges the surface of the image forming apparatus.

(Prior Art and its Problems) In general, one of the serious problems of electrophotographic technology using static electricity in image forming apparatuses, such as electronic copying machines, is contamination due to developer and the like.

This kind of contamination occurs because if the developing device, which is the source of developer (hereinafter referred to as toner) scattering, is placed in complete contact with the surface of the photoreceptor, latent electricity due to static electricity on the surface of the photoreceptor may cause This is due to the fact that sealing is not possible due to the need to provide a small gap between them, which would disturb the image.

For this reason, in conventional image forming apparatuses, the grid surface of the scorotron-type 'liF charger, which is placed around the photoreceptor and uses corona discharge to uniformly charge the surface of the photoreceptor, is used to transfer toner particles. This poses a problem in that image quality cannot be maintained over a long period of time.

The present invention has been made under the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an image forming apparatus that can maintain the same image quality over a long period of time.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a structure in which a discharge surface arranged around an image carrier in a main body of an image forming apparatus so as to be freely drawn out and loaded is a grid. A scorotron-type charger is provided in a shield case covered with a scorotron-type charger in which a discharge wire is stretched, which uniformly charges, transfers, or peels off the charge on the surface of the image carrier by corona discharge action. In the forming apparatus, the grid is provided on the circumferential surface of the shield case so as to be rotatably movable endlessly, and the endless grid is provided with a cleaning means for cleaning the grid at the same time as the grid is rotated.

(Function) That is, by having the above configuration, the present invention has the following features:
Since the endless grid is rotated and cleaned at the same time, the grid can be cleaned with a simple configuration, thereby making it possible to maintain image quality over a long period of time.

(Embodiment) The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to an illustrated embodiment.

FIG. 3 shows the internal structure of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to the present invention, and numeral 1 in the figure is a main body of the copying machine. A paper feed cassette 2 that can automatically or manually feed paper is installed on the right side of the copying machine main body 1, and a paper output tray 3 is installed on the left side of the main body 1, and a document (not shown) is placed thereon. Top page manuscript 4il! A document table 4 is provided on the placement plate and is capable of reciprocating in the left-right direction (in the direction of arrow a).

A drum-shaped photoreceptor 10 serving as an image carrier is located approximately at the center of the copying machine main body 1 so that it can be rotated in the direction of the arrow in synchronization with the document table 4 by a pump (not shown). The photoreceptor 10 is uniformly charged by a charging charger 11 and transmits an original image irradiated by an exposure lamp 12 to a focusing light transmitter (product name: SELFOC lens array) constituting an optical system device. ) 13 to form an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor ]-0, and a developing device 14 described later supplies and adheres non-magnetic component 1 hener 1 to this electrostatic latent image, and develops it. Image of this developer (
A toner image (hereinafter referred to as a toner image) is sent to the transfer charger 15 side.

The transfer charger 15 transfers a toner image onto copy paper P made of plain paper as a recording paper that is fed from a paper feed cassette 2 that is automatically or manually fed via a paper feed roller 16 and a pair of aligning rollers 17 and 17. The copy paper P after transfer is peeled off from the photoreceptor 10 by a peeling charger 18 using AC corona discharge, passes through a conveyance path 19, fuses and fixes the toner image by a fixing device 2o, and transfers the toner image to a discharge roller pair. 21.21, the paper is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 3.

On the other hand, residual toner on the photoreceptor 10 after the toner image is transferred to the copy paper P and peeled off is cleaned by the cleaning blade 2; The potential of the copying device is kept below a certain level to enable the next copying operation.

The charger 11 is arranged so as to be freely drawn out and loaded around the photoreceptor 10 in the main body 1 of the copying machine, and as shown in FIG. It is constructed of a scorotron type in which a charging wire 32 is stretched and its discharge surface is covered with a grid 33, and the grid 33 is connected to a guide roller 3.
A cleaning pad 35 made of felt material is provided on the circumferential surface of the shield case 31 via the pad 4 so as to be freely rotatable in an endless manner.
is provided so that it can be slidably contacted.

That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the grid 33 is
It has a feed hole 33a on its one side periphery, and this feed hole 33a
The gear pawl 37 of the instant-acting motor 36 provided on the side of the copying machine body 1 so as to be located on one side of the shield case 31 is engaged with the gear pawl 37 of the instant-acting motor 36 to be rotatably movable. The grid surface can be cleaned with a cleaning pad 35 simultaneously with rotational movement. In this case, when the drive motor 36 is locked when the charger 11 is loaded into or pulled out of the copying machine body 1, the grid 33 rotates following the loading or pulling operation of the charger 11. It's something you get.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below.

It goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, a discharge surface disposed around an image bearing member in the main body of an image forming apparatus so as to be freely drawn out and loaded is placed inside a shield case covered with a grid. In an image forming apparatus equipped with a scorotron-type charger, which is provided with a discharge wire that uniformly charges, transfers, or peels off the charge on the surface of the image carrier by a corona discharge action, the grid is , is provided on the circumference of the shield case so that it can rotate freely in an endless manner.

Moreover, since this endless grid is provided with a cleaning means that cleans it at the same time as it rotates, the grid can be cleaned with a simple configuration because the endless grid is cleaned at the same time as it rotates. This has an excellent effect in that image quality can be maintained for a long period of time.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an embodiment of a charger installed in an image forming apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view, and FIG. 3 is an overall internal view of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration. 1... image forming apparatus main body, copying machine main body), 10...
Image carrier (photoreceptor), 11... band, charger, 31... shield case. 32...? tF electric wire. 33...Grid, 35...Cleaning means (cleaning pad). tflt agent patent attorney Suzue Takeshi Industry 1
Figure 2

Claims (1)

[Claims] Inside a shield case, which has a discharge surface covered with a grid and which is disposed around the image carrier in the main body of the image forming apparatus so that it can be pulled out and loaded, the surface of the image carrier is uniformly charged by a corona discharge action. Alternatively, in an image forming apparatus equipped with a scorotron-type charger in which a discharge wire for performing transfer or peeling is stretched, the grid is rotatably provided endlessly on the circumferential surface of the shield case,
An image forming apparatus characterized in that the endless grid is provided with a cleaning means that rotates and cleans the grid at the same time.