JPH0143716Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] This invention is a recording device that uses colored particles to develop an electrostatic latent image or a magnetic latent image formed on a recording medium, in which the colored particles remaining on the recording medium are removed from the recording medium. The present invention relates to a recording body cleaning device for cleaning.

As is well known, an electrostatic latent image is formed on a recording medium by, for example, electrophotography or electrostatic recording, and after this is developed with colored particles called toner, the developed image is transferred to a transfer sheet. It is common practice to obtain copies by Since colored particles remaining after transfer adhere to the surface of the recording medium after the transfer, it is necessary to remove these particles in preparation for the next copying, and the device for this purpose is a recording medium cleaning device.

2. Description of the Related Art Among recording body cleaning devices, a device is known that uses a non-magnetic sleeve, which has a magnet arranged inside and short fibers planted on the surface, as a cleaning member. For example, on the surface of a non-magnetic sleeve made of aluminum, fibers with a thickness of about 0.3 to 1 mm, such as synthetic fibers such as nylon and rayon, natural fibers such as cotton and wool, conductive fibers such as carbon and metal, etc. is adhered to form a sleeve, and this is rotated while maintaining a distance of about 0.2 to 0.5 mm from the surface of the recording medium, that is, with the fibers on the sleeve surface in contact with the surface of the recording medium of about 0.1 to 0.5 mm. , to remove residual magnetic toner on the surface of the recording medium. The residual magnetic toner on the recording medium is mechanically peeled off by the fibers on the sleeve surface, and is attracted and held on the sleeve surface by the magnetic force of the magnet inside the sleeve, and is transported by the rotation of the sleeve. Ru.

In such a cleaning device, in order to perform cleaning well, it is necessary to maintain a constant distance between the sleeve and the surface of the recording medium. In other words, uniform contact between the fibers on the sleeve surface and the recording medium surface is maintained. If not, cleaning will be uneven and
Toner that remains uncleaned or insufficiently cleaned can result in poor subsequent copying. For this reason,
Conventionally, bearings with a diameter slightly larger than the sleeve diameter are provided at both ends of the sleeve, and by rotating these bearings in contact with the surface of the recording medium, the distance between the sleeve and the surface of the recording medium is maintained constant. Something was being done. However, this method has drawbacks such as a complicated mechanism, high cost, and foreign matter such as toner adhering to the contact area between the bearing and the recording medium, which gradually reduces the accuracy of maintaining the gap. This situation also exists in cleaning devices that use fur brushes, magnetic brushes, blades, etc. as cleaning members.

The recording body cleaning device according to this invention is a cleaning device of a type that removes residual toner on the surface of the recording body by holding a moving recording body between a cleaning member and an opposing member, and at least the portion of the opposing member that contacts the recording body. The cleaning member is made of a flexible material such as brush bristles, sponge, rubber, felt, or a material containing an amorphous substance such as liquid, and the cleaning member and the opposing member are brought into pressure contact via a recording medium. Features. As a result, the cleaning member comes into uniform soft contact with the surface of the recording medium, and the contact state is maintained stably, so that good cleaning can be performed. Further, in a preferred embodiment of this invention, at least one of the cleaning member and the opposing member is disposed to be substantially freely movable, so even if the cleaning member and/or the opposing member are not parallel to the surface of the recording medium. Even if they are not in contact with each other, they "learn" from each other when pressed against each other, so that a uniform contact state can always be obtained.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a recording medium cleaning device that allows a cleaning member to come into soft and uniform contact with the surface of a recording medium, thereby ensuring good cleaning at all times.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 schematically shows an example of a recording apparatus to which this invention is applied. As a record,
A belt-shaped photoreceptor 1 is used, which is supported by two support rollers 2, 3 and driven in a clockwise direction. Roller 2 is a driving roller, and roller 3 is a driven roller. In this recording device, in order to facilitate photoconductor replacement and device maintenance, the photoconductor support mechanism and the developer are integrated into a unit, and the photoconductor unit 4 is removably attached to the developer unit 5. A developing unit 5 holding a photoreceptor unit 4 is removably attached to the main body of the recording apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the photoreceptor unit 4 with the photoreceptor belt removed, FIG. 3 is a side view thereof,
FIG. 4 shows a front view thereof. The photoreceptor unit 4 includes a photoreceptor belt 1 (not shown).
and the two rollers 2 and 3 that this is passed over.
and a side plate 6 that supports these two rollers 2 and 3.
a, 6b and a top plate 6c that supports the upper belt portion of the photoreceptor belt 1, and a gear 7 that is fixed to the shaft 2a of the drive roller 2 and receives power from the outside. The shaft 3a of the driven roller 3 is attached to the side plates 6a and 6b on the driven roller 3 side.
Springs 8 and 9 for tensioning the photoreceptor belt are provided between them. Both side plates 6a, 6b
The elongated hole 10 provided in the unit is for the purpose of reducing the weight of the unit and making it easier to hold the unit. The shafts 2a and 3a of each roller are attached to the support member 6 via bearings 11, 12, 13, and 14, and the rotating shaft 2a of the drive roller 2 is further provided with another bearing for supporting the developing unit. 15 and 16 are attached.

As shown in FIG. 1, the developer unit 5 includes a developer container 10 containing magnetic toner 17 and a developer roller 18, and one side of the developer container 10 is extended to accommodate a photoreceptor unit holder by means of both side plates and a bottom plate. A section 19a is configured. Receiving part 19a
A groove 20 is provided on both sides of the plate, and this groove 2
0, the bearings 15 and 16 of the drive roller 2 enter the photoreceptor unit 4 and the developing unit 5.
At the same time, the positional relationship between the photoreceptor belt 1 and the developing roller 18 is regulated.

A first static eliminator 21, a cleaning device 22, a second static eliminator 23, a charging device 24, and an exposure device 25 are arranged on the upper belt side of the photoreceptor belt 1.
A transfer device 26 is arranged on the lower belt side. These devices are fixed to the main body of the recording device, and when the developing unit 5 with the photoreceptor unit 4 set is inserted into the main body of the recording device, it is fixed relative to these devices by appropriate positioning means. positioning is performed.

The surface of the photoreceptor belt 1 rotating in a clockwise direction is first uniformly charged to a predetermined polarity by a charging device 24, and then an image to be copied is projected onto it by an exposure device 25, and a static image is projected thereon. A latent image is formed. This electrostatic latent image is visualized by magnetic toner held on the circumferential surface of the developing roller 18. This visible image is superimposed on a transfer sheet 27 under the transfer device 26 and transferred thereto. After the transfer sheet 27 is separated from the photoreceptor belt 1, the potential remaining on the photoreceptor belt 1 is erased by the first and second static eliminators 21 and 23, and the remaining magnetic toner is removed by the cleaning device 22. removed.

Next, the cleaning device 22, which is the subject of this invention, will be explained. The cleaning device 22 according to this invention includes, as a cleaning member, a non-magnetic sleeve 31 that statically houses magnets N and S therein and rotates in a clockwise direction, as shown in FIG. 5, for example. This is a configuration when magnetic toner is used as the developer. sleeve 3
1 may have a brush with fiber bristles on its surface, a roller entirely made of magnet may be used instead of the sleeve, and other fur brushes, magnetic brushes, blades, etc. may be used as cleaning members. I can do it. A facing member 32 made of a flexible material and having approximately the same length as the sleeve 31 is fixed on the top plate 6c at a position facing the sleeve 31. Flexible materials include rubber, sponge,
Felt, brush bristles, etc., or materials with an outer covering or encapsulation of a substance such as a jelly-like substance or liquid may be used, and although it is good to have flexibility, it is more preferable to have elasticity. The flexible material only needs to be applied to at least the portion of the facing member 32 that contacts the photoreceptor belt 1, so the facing member 32 can be constructed by pasting the flexible material onto a rigid material. However, even in such a case, the flexible material must have a thickness that allows it to sufficiently contract when pressed.

The top plate 6c originally supports and guides the upper belt of the photoreceptor belt 1, so the top plate 6c
The surface of c and the back surface of the photoreceptor belt 1 are in contact with or are very close to each other, and the surface of the sleeve 31 which is a cleaning member and the surface of the photoreceptor belt 1 are also
Touching or in close proximity. By interposing the opposing member 32 with a certain thickness between the sleeve 31 and the top plate 6c in such a positional relationship,
The counter member 32 made of a flexible material, upon being subjected to pressure, "learns" to contract against the sleeve surface, bringing the photoreceptor belt 1 into uniform and soft contact with the sleeve surface. As a result, residual magnetic toner on the photoreceptor belt 1 is evenly and uniformly cleaned. The cleaned magnetic toner is attracted by the magnet in the sleeve, transported upward by the rotation of the sleeve, and then transferred to the magnetic roller 33, then scraped off by the blade 34, and passed through the auger. 35 and is discharged out of the device.

In order to press the opposing member 32 against the sleeve 31 via the photoreceptor belt 1, a spring 36 can be used as shown in FIG. That is, a recess is provided in the top plate 6c at a position facing the sleeve 31, and the opposing member 32 is placed therein with the spring 36 facing down. As a result, the facing member 32
is pressed upward, bringing the belt 1 into pressure contact with the sleeve 31. Of course, if the facing member 32 is sufficiently thicker than the recess, the spring 36 will be unnecessary. One spring 36 may be provided approximately in the center of the top plate 6c in the depth direction, or one spring 36 may be provided at each end thereof. Since the opposing member 32 is only supported by the spring 36, it can move in any direction.
That is, since the belt 1 can freely move, even if the sleeve 31 and the belt 1 are not parallel, the belt 1 always "learns" to come into uniform contact with the surface of the sleeve 31. In such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 7, an opening for the opposing member 32 is provided in the top plate 6c, and the opposing member 32 is placed on the receiving plate 39 supported by pins 37 and 38 on the top plate 6c. The configuration can be changed to a configuration in which it is mounted via a spring 36.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the support member 6 that supports the rollers 2 and 3 has a top plate 6c and a bottom plate 6d.
When both have the opposing member 32 on the top plate 6c.
A similar effect can be obtained by providing an opening for this and disposing a spring 36 between the opposing member 32 and the bottom plate 6d. This configuration can be changed to a configuration in which a spring 36 is disposed between the receiving plate 39 and the bottom plate 6d, as shown in FIG. In addition, a certain amount of clearance is provided at the fitting portion between the support plate 6 and the rotating shaft of each roller 2, 3,
By pressing the entire support plate 6 upward, the opposing member 32
It is also possible to press the belt 1 into contact with the belt 1.

In this way, in this invention, the facing member 3
Since the upper surface of the photoreceptor belt 2 is always in contact with the back surface of the photoreceptor belt 1, in order to reduce the load by minimizing the contact resistance, or conversely, the upper surface of the photoreceptor belt 1
In order to increase the contact area between the sleeve 31 and the sleeve 31 as much as possible to enhance the cleaning effect, the top surface shape of the facing member 32 can be changed in various ways as shown in FIG. 10. That is, the surface that comes into contact with the photoreceptor belt 1 has rounded corners, a convex curved surface, or a concave curved surface. Further, in each of the above embodiments, since the non-magnetic sleeve 31 containing a magnet therein is used as the cleaning member, as shown in FIG. If a magnet 40 with a polarity opposite to that of the magnet 40 is attached, this magnetic body or magnet 40 will be attracted to the magnet in the sleeve, so that the opposing member can be attached to the photoreceptor belt without using any mechanical pressure contact means. It can be brought into pressure contact with the sleeve via the sleeve.

This invention can also be applied to a photoreceptor unit in which the top plate 6c is movably attached to the rotating shaft of the drive roller 2, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. In this case, the 14th
As shown in the figure, a facing member 32 is provided on the upper surface of the top plate 6c.
A magnetic material or a magnet 40 is fixed to the lower surface of the photoreceptor belt, and the opposing member is magnetically pressed against the photoreceptor belt, or mechanically pressed by a spring 36 as shown in FIG. be able to.
Since the top plate 6c is loosely attached to the rotating shaft of the drive roller 2, the opposing member 32 is attached to the top plate 6c.
It is pressed together with c. In the configuration shown in FIG. 14, it is necessary to provide a stopper 41 for positioning the top plate 6c downward, but in the configuration shown in FIG. 15, the spring 36 also serves as the stopper. If the top plate 6c is movably attached to both roller shafts, such a positioning means is not necessary.

In this way, in this invention, the facing member can be brought into pressure contact with the cleaning member through the recording medium in a "taught" manner by various aspects. In this invention, the opposing member may be fixed and the cleaning member may be moved, or both may be moved to press against each other. Such a configuration is suitable when the recording medium does not have flexibility like a belt, that is, it has rigidity. This invention also allows the use of a dielectric material for electrostatic recording as the recording medium, and the shape of the recording medium can be changed to various shapes such as a plate or a drum, making it suitable for use with other types of recording devices. can also be applied. Therefore, all changes within the spirit and scope of this invention as stated in the claims for utility model registration are included in this invention.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a recording device to which the cleaning device of this invention is applied, and FIG.
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the photoreceptor unit in the recording apparatus with the photoreceptor belt removed, FIG. 3 is a side view of the photoreceptor unit shown in FIG. 2, and FIG.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the photoreceptor unit, FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the cleaning device of this invention, and FIGS. 6 to 9 are main parts of another example of the cleaning device of this invention. Schematic diagram showing the 10th
11 are sectional views of the facing member in the cleaning device of this invention, FIG. 12 is a plan view of another photoconductor unit to which still another example of the cleaning device of this invention is applied, and FIG. 13 is teeth,
Side view of the photoreceptor unit shown in FIG. 12, 14th
15 are schematic diagrams showing the main parts of yet another example of the cleaning device of this invention. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Recording belt, 2, 3... Support roller, 6... Roller support member, 22... Cleaning device, 31... Cleaning member, 32...
Opposing member, 36... spring, 40... magnetic material.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] 1. A recording body cleaning device that removes residual colored particles on the surface of the recording body by holding a moving recording body between a cleaning member and an opposing member, wherein at least the recording body of the opposing member In addition to constructing the part that comes into contact with a flexible material,
A recording body cleaning device in which the cleaning member and the opposing member are brought into pressure contact with each other with the recording body interposed therebetween. 2. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the cleaning member and the opposing member is arranged to be substantially movable.