JPH0157344B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a protective cover for covering a photoreceptor of an electrophotographic copying device.

Photoreceptors in electrophotographic copying devices often have a Se-based photosensitive layer, but although it takes a lot of time and steps to manufacture, it does not peel off even with the slightest impact or blow. It has the disadvantage that it can become damaged and become unusable. Furthermore, when a Se-based photoreceptor is exposed to fat, saliva, sweat, etc. due to contact with hands, fingers, etc., red crystallization of the photosensitive layer occurs, resulting in abnormal images.

For this reason, the photoreceptor is protected from blows and shocks not only during its production and transportation stages, but also during repair and replacement. It must be stored so that it does not get contaminated.

Incidentally, an electrophotographic copying apparatus generally has a charging device, a developing device, a static eliminator, a cleaning device, etc. arranged close to the outer periphery of a photoconductor, and in particular, the developing roller, squeeze roller, etc. of the charging device, developing device, etc. It is arranged as close as possible to the outer peripheral surface of the photoreceptor in order to obtain a high quality copy image. The photoreceptor is inserted into a space surrounded by the various devices described above and loaded at its proper position. At this time, the photoreceptor is exposed to damage due to contact with the various devices described above. It must be loaded so that it cannot be hit or shocked. In response to this, conventionally, various types of guide devices have been incorporated into copying machines to smoothly load the photoreceptor into its proper position.

However, a guide device that completely prevents the photoreceptor from coming into contact with various devices around it when loading it has not yet been developed, and even if such a device were developed, it would be extremely expensive. Therefore, it is difficult to put it into practical use as a product.

In current electrophotographic copying machines, the photoreceptor is replaced at regular intervals due to deterioration of its performance, but the actual reason for replacement of the photoreceptor is due to performance deterioration due to long-term use. Rather, in many cases, this is due to lack of peeling of the photosensitive layer due to unsmooth movement during attachment and detachment of the photoconductor, causing the outer surface to stick, or red crystallization of the photosensitive layer due to adhesion of fat, saliva, sweat, etc. The reality is that this is one of the causes of high running costs and service costs for copying machines.

Furthermore, since the entire outer circumferential surface of a photoreceptor is generally a photosensitive layer, it is difficult for service personnel to grasp the photoreceptor with their hands when attaching or removing it, resulting in very poor workability. This is one of the causes of damage to the photosensitive layer during attachment and detachment. Furthermore, if a serviceman accidentally touches the photosensitive layer of the photoreceptor with his hand, finger, etc., the photosensitive layer will crystallize into red color due to fat deposited thereon.

Therefore, the applicant first molded a cylindrical protective cover 1 shown in FIG. 1 or a sheet-like protective cover 2 shown in FIG. Cover the photoreceptor 3 before loading with this protective cover 1, or wrap it around the photoreceptor 3 and attach both edges with pressure sensitive adhesive 2a, and insert it into the machine in this state. , when the protective cover 1 or 2 is inserted slightly before the normal loading position, the protective cover 1 or 2 is removed from the photoconductor 3, leaving the photoconductor 3 in that position.
We thought of either pulling it out more gently and then further inserting the photoreceptor 3 into the normal position to load it, or inserting it all at once to the normal loading position and then gently pulling out the protective cover 1 or 2. By doing this, the photosensitive layer of the photoconductor is covered with a protective cover before it is attached to the aircraft, so even if it is hit or shocked, the photosensitive layer will not peel off or be lost. This prevents fat, saliva, sweat, etc. from adhering to the photoreceptor due to contact with hands, fingers, etc., and also allows service personnel to freely grasp the photoreceptor from outside the protective cover. The workability of loading the photoreceptor has been significantly improved, and the occurrence of work errors has been reduced. However, since a synthetic resin film such as polyester is used, if the humidity is high, condensation will occur on the surface of the photoreceptor due to temperature changes, and the protective cover will stick to it, causing damage such as streaks, black spots on solid white, uneven black on white, etc. It has disadvantages in that it tends to produce abnormal images, is difficult to attach and detach due to poor slippage, and has poor transportability because it is relatively heavy.

In the present invention, the above-mentioned protective cover is made of a fibrous material such as paper or nonwoven fabric to improve moisture absorption and slipperiness, thereby eliminating the drawbacks of the conventional cover.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention shown in the attached FIGS. 3 to 10 will be described in detail. Reference numeral 10 denotes a protective cover made of a fibrous sheet made of paper, non-woven fabric, etc., which has the rigidity to maintain its sheet shape when left in the natural state, and is opaque to light. The surface roughness of the contact side 10a with the photoreceptor is JIS R (Z).
A plurality of notches 10b are provided at the upper end so that the thickness is 1μ or more. Note that the above-mentioned fiber material may be laminated on paper or film.

Next, how to use it will be explained. When the photoreceptor is a drum, the protective cover 10 has a cylindrical shape with the contact side 10a facing inward as shown in FIG. , and its substantially central outer surface is attached with adhesive tape 11. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7, both side edges 10c and 10d may be overlapped and an adhesive tape 11 may be attached to the substantially central outer surface thereof. After attaching the cylindrical protective cover 10 to the photosensitive drum, as shown in FIG. The charger, developing device, and
It can be installed without being hit by static eliminators, cleaning equipment, etc. When removing the photoreceptor drum, use the 9th
As shown in the figure, the tip of the cylindrical protective cover 10 attached to the photoreceptor drum in the take-out direction is shifted with fingers as shown by the arrow to shorten it into a tapered shape and take it out from the machine for easy removal. When the photoreceptor 12 is flat as shown in FIG. 10, the contact side 10a of the protective cover 10
is contacted and polymerized with the photosensitive layer of the photoreceptor 12.

According to the present invention, a fibrous sheet made of paper, non-woven fabric, etc. is used, and it has the rigidity to maintain its sheet shape when left alone, and is non-transparent to light, so when it is placed over the photoreceptor, the cover Even if the outside of the attached photoreceptor becomes highly humid, the cover absorbs it and prevents condensation. In addition, even if condensation occurs, the moisture is absorbed by the protective cover, so the protective cover will not be adsorbed to the photoreceptor, and the surface roughness of the contact side of the protective cover is 1μ or more according to JIS R (Z) due to the fiber quality. It is designed to be smooth and easy to attach and detach, and it is also lighter than conventional synthetic resin films such as polyester, so it is less likely to get scratched when handled, and has good transportability and lower costs than conventional ones. It can be less than half of Furthermore, since the photosensitive layer of the photoreceptor is easily affected by light, especially ultraviolet rays, it is preferable to store it in a dark place, but the protective cover of the present invention is made of a material that does not transmit light or a material that has been treated to be opaque to make it opaque. Therefore, even when the photoreceptor is replaced, there is almost no time for exposure to light, so the degree of fatigue of the photoreceptor can be reduced.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional protective cover when using a first comparative example, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a conventional protective cover when using a second comparative example, and Fig. 3 is a plan view of an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of A-A in Figure 3, and Figure 5.
Figure 6 is a perspective view of the first example in use, Figure 7 is a perspective view of the second example in use, and Figure 8 is an explanatory view of the first and second examples when installed on the aircraft. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram when removed from the aircraft, and FIG. 10 is a front view of a third example when in use. 10...Protective cover, 10a...Contact side.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 Photoreceptor A photoreceptor for an electrophotographic copying device whose side in contact with the photosensitive layer is made of fibrous material such as paper or non-woven fabric, has rigidity to maintain a sheet-like shape when left alone, and is light-opaque. protective cover.