JPH0264682A - Image recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To automatically wipe off an optical member's soiling by providing a cleaning member on a processing cartridge side, in a position where it can be abutted on the optical member on a main body side when the processing cartridge is attached/detached, and providing a guiding member, which guides the cleaning member to the optical member side. CONSTITUTION:A primary electrifying device 12, a photosensitive drum 14, a developing device 3, and a cleaning device 9 are contained in a cartridge case 26, becoming a processing cartridge 11. Then, when the processing cartridge 11 is to be exchanged, etc., the cleaning member 21, which is provided in a part able to come into contact with a reflecting mirror 13 with the tip in the inserting direction of the processing cartridge 11, comes into direct contact with the mirror surface, cleaning, further, guide members 20a and 20b, which guide the cleaning member 21, are provided in the edge part of the reflecting mirror 13, in the traveling direction of the processing cartridge 11, and the perfect contact pressure for cleaning without strain is applied to the mirror surface. Thus the optical system soiling can be automatically cleaned.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION "Field of Industrial Application" The present invention relates to a cleaning device for an optical device of an image recording apparatus.

"Conventional technology" FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of a small laser beam printer.

In this device, a laser beam corresponding to an image signal to be recorded is emitted as image light from a laser scanning unit 16, rotated in the direction of the arrow through a reflection mirror 16, and uniformly charged by a primary charger 12. By irradiating the photosensitive drum 14, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 14. The electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 14 is transferred to the developing device 3.
The image is then developed with toner and transferred to the transfer charger 5. The toner images are sequentially transferred from the paper feeding section 1 to the paper P fed between the photosensitive drum 14 and the transfer charger 5 in synchronization with the rotation of the photosensitive drum 14. Further, toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 14 without being transferred to the paper P is collected by the cleaning device 9.

Here, a photosensitive drum 14, a developing device 6, a cleaning device 9,
- The secondary charger 12, etc. are integrated as the process car) IJ joint 11.

Now, the paper P on which the toner image has been transferred is sequentially separated from the surface of the photosensitive drum 14 by a separating member (not shown), and then transferred to the paper transport section 27.
The image is introduced into the fixing device 7 through the tray 10b, and the image is fixed on the tray 10b.
Alternatively, it is discharged onto the tray 10a.

``Problems to be Solved by the Invention'' By the way, the surface of the reflecting mirror 13 gradually becomes dirty due to scattered toner, minute dust, etc. around the process cartridge 11. In this case, the reflection efficiency of the laser beam on the reflection mirror 13 decreases, which also affects the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 14, resulting in a decrease in the quality of the image printed on the paper. Conventionally, a part of the mirror has been sealed with a dust-proof material made of glass or other material to prevent the mirror surface from being directly contaminated, but this increases cost and also causes the image quality to deteriorate as the dust-proof material gets dirty. .

Conventionally, as a countermeasure for these problems, service personnel and users have had to clean the reflective mirror surface and the dust-proof member with felt or the like once every tens of thousands of sheets, which is extremely troublesome.

In addition, when the reflecting mirror 13 and the like are located above the process cartridge 11 as in the conventional example described above, the reflecting mirror 1
3 etc. are hard to get dirty, but if there is a reflective mirror 13 etc. below the process cartridge 11 as shown in Figure 1, it becomes very easy to get dirty especially by the scattered toner from the developing device 3. In extreme cases, dozens of sheets In some cases, the image quality may be affected. This has resulted in extremely short maintenance intervals, which has become a problem.

The present invention provides an image recording device that can prevent the disadvantages of the conventional example described above, namely, the staining of the optical device due to scattered toner and dust by automatically cleaning it using a simple means, and prevent the deterioration of the image quality of printed images. The purpose is to provide.

"Means for Solving the Problems" The present invention includes an optical device that sends image light to a photoreceptor in a main body,
In an image recording device that is removably equipped with a process cartridge that integrates at least two of devices such as a photoreceptor, a developer, a cleaning device, and a charger, the optical device must be removed when the process cartridge is installed or removed from the main body. A cleaning member is provided in pressure contact with the optical member through which the image light passes, and a guide member is provided at the end of the optical member in the process cartridge attachment/detachment direction for guiding the cleaning member so as to compress it toward the surface of the optical member to be cleaned. This is an image recording device characterized by the following.

Embodiment FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, in which a reflecting mirror is located below a process cartridge. The basic configuration of the main body of the device is almost the same as the conventional example described above, but the arrangement of the units is quite different, and the paper path is configured so that the toner image side of the paper is on the bottom surface when the toner image is transferred above the photoreceptor. .

The main body of the device will be explained below. A laser beam corresponding to the image signal to be recorded is emitted from a laser scanning unit 16 installed at the lower left of the main body, is reflected by a reflecting mirror 16, rotates in the direction of the arrow, and is uniformly charged by a negative charger 12. The photosensitive drum 14 is irradiated with the light, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive member. Next, toner is supplied to the developing device 3 and the image is developed. On the other hand, the paper P loaded in the paper feed section 1 is separated and fed one by one by the rotation of the paper feed roller 2 and the action of the separation pad 17, and is synchronized with the toner image on the photosensitive drum 14 by a pair of registration rollers 4. The toner image on the photosensitive drum 14 is transferred onto the paper P by the corona discharge of the transfer charger 5. The transferred paper P is conveyed by a suction belt 6 using a fan so that its upper surface (back surface) sticks to the belt, is introduced into a fixing device 7, is fixed thereon, and is stacked on a tray 10 by a pair of paper discharge rollers 8. On the other hand, toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 14 after transfer is cleaned by a cleaning device 9.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in the event of a jam, etc., by pressing the open/close button 25, the upper main body unit 25 rotates around a fulcrum 31 pivotally connected to the lower main unit 24 in an alligator shape. It can be opened to make it easier to remove jammed paper. In the above, the negative charger 12, the photosensitive drum 14, the developing device 3, and the cleaning device 9 are housed in the cartridge case 26 to form the process cartridge 11. The case 26 is slidably fitted onto guide rails 15,19 provided on the lower body unit 24.

When replacing the process cartridge 11, etc., a cover 1B is provided on the side of the lower main unit 24 parallel to the plane of the paper in FIG.
Open it and slide the process cartridge 11 in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIG. 1 (in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 6) to remove it.

Next, details of the mirror surface cleaning section when the process cartridge is installed will be explained using FIG. 4. It should be noted that each of FIGS. 41 and 41 is a schematic sectional view viewed from the direction of the arrow in FIG. 6. FIG. 4 (al) shows the beginning of setting the process cartridge 11 into the main body, FIG. 4 (b) shows the halfway point of the set, and FIG. 4 (C) shows the time when the set is completed.

Process car 1 - A cleaning member 21 is provided at a portion that can come into contact with the reflecting mirror 13 at the tip of the IJ joint 11 in the insertion direction. The cleaning member 21 is in direct contact with the mirror surface, and has a two-layer structure made of a flexible member 21a such as urethane foam so that the wool felt 21b to be cleaned and the wool felt 21b can softly contact the mirror surface. It is integrated with adhesive using double-sided tape, etc. Further, the cleaning member 21 is integrated with the cartridge case 26 by adhesive or the like. The surface of the cleaning member 21 at a position away from the reflecting mirror 16 is located inside the reflecting mirror 13 from the mirror surface of the reflecting mirror 13.

On the other hand, the reflection mirror 1S on the main body side has cleaning members 2 at both ends in the insertion direction of the process cartridge 11, that is, at both ends in the longitudinal direction.
1 is mounted on guide members 20a and 20b that are inclined at an angle of about 60 degrees with respect to the mirror surface as shown in the figure, so that the reflective mirror 13 can be contacted smoothly from the end of the mirror 13, and mounted on the main body frame, etc. Fixed (fixing method not shown).

FIG. 5 shows a part thereof in a perspective view. Now, when setting the process cartridge 11 into the main body of an image recording apparatus having such a configuration, first open the cover 18 as shown in FIG. Start inserting it into. When the cleaning member 21 comes into contact with the guide member 20a, the flexible member 21a is appropriately compressed due to its flexibility, and then the fer l-21b slides on the mirror surface while maintaining an appropriate contact pressure as shown in FIG. Clean the mirror surface by wiping off the dirt 22 on the mirror surface. When the setting of the process cartridge 11 is completed, the cleaning member 21 is separated from the mirror surface and the fourth
The compression is released as shown in Figure (C).

The mirror surface of the reflection mirror 15 is cleaned with the hands as described above, but when the process cartridge 11 is finished using and is to be removed from the main body, it is sufficient to slide the process cartridge 11 in the opposite direction to the above. The member 21a is compressed and the fer l-21b is pressed against the mirror surface. Also, at this time, some of the dirt 22 attached to the felt 21b may remain on the mirror surface.
Next, by setting a new process cartridge 11, the process cartridge 11 is thoroughly cleaned as described above.

Furthermore, even if the felt 21b is somewhat dirty, since the mirror surface is mechanically wiped off as described above, the surface is cleaned to a level that does not pose a problem for practical use, and the latent image on the photoreceptor is hardly affected.

In this way, the process car of the reflective mirror 13 of the optical member)
Since guide members 20a and 20b for guiding the cleaning member 21 are provided at the ends of the IJ joint 11 in the moving direction, it is possible to apply the optimum contact pressure for cleaning to the mirror surface without strain.

In addition, the cleaning member 21 can be smoothly removed from the reflecting mirror 13 when removing the IJ screw 11 (process car) without having to keep the cleaning member 21 pressed against the mirror surface outside the effective range of image light passing through the mirror surface. The cleaning member 21 can be pressed against the mirror surface, and there is no need to leave the cleaning member 21 in pressure contact with the mirror surface by forcing the process cartridge 11 to be installed.
1 does not lose its elasticity, and the cleaning action of the cleaning member 21 is ensured when the process cartridge 1 is removed.

Now, in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 described above, the reflecting mirror is directly cleaned by the cleaning member on the process cartridge 11 side, but of course this can also be applied to devices in which the reflecting mirror is covered with dust-proof glass or the like. It is.

FIG. 6 schematically shows a cross section of a portion of the mirror applied to the above embodiment. The reflecting mirror 13 is fixed to a mirror holder 29 made of resin or the like, and its upper part is covered with a dustproof glass 28 which is also fixed to the mirror holder 29.

The laser beam emitted from the laser scanning unit 16 is reflected in the direction of the arrow in the figure and reaches the photoreceptor.

In this way, the mirror surface is sealed between the side wall of the mirror holder 29 and the dustproof glass 2a, and toner powder and dust scattered inside the machine adhere to the outside of the dustproof glass 28, so that the mirror surface cannot be directly mounted. ing. Process cartridge 1
The configuration of the cleaning member on the first side is the same as in the previous embodiment.

Although this example increases the cost by providing dust-proof glass, etc., it has excellent ozone resistance because the mirror surface is sealed, and also has the advantage that the user does not accidentally touch the mirror surface. .

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, the present invention provides a cleaning member on the process cartridge side in a position where it can be pressed against the optical member on the main body side when the process cartridge is attached to and removed from the main body, and a guide member that guides the cleaning member toward the optical member side. By installing and removing the process cartridge, it is now possible to apply appropriate pressure to the surface of the optical member to be cleaned and automatically wipe off dirt. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent the cleaning member from becoming unusable due to creep.

This is particularly effective when, for example, a reflective mirror is located below a developing section or a transfer section and is easily contaminated with scattered toner or paper dust.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 and 2 are longitudinal sectional views of the main body showing an embodiment of the present invention,
Figure 5 is a perspective view of the main body showing opening and closing of the front cover when replacing the cartridge, Figures 4 (al, (b), and (c) are Figures 1-
Figure 3 is a view taken in the direction of arrow A in Figure 1, Figure 5 is a perspective view of one end of the reflective mirror, and Figure 6 is a longitudinal section of a portion of the mirror when the mirror surface is covered with dust-proof glass, etc. 7 are vertical sectional views showing a conventional example. 13...Mirror 21...Cleaning member. Patent applicant Canon Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An image device whose main body is equipped with an optical device that sends image light to a photoreceptor, and a removable process cartridge that integrates at least two of devices such as a photoreceptor, a developer, a cleaning device, and a charger. In the recording apparatus, a cleaning member is provided which presses against an optical member through which image light of the optical device passes when the process cartridge is attached to and removed from the main body, and the cleaning member is attached to an end of the optical member in the direction of attachment and detachment of the process cartridge. An image recording device comprising a guide member that guides the guide member in a compressed manner toward a surface to be cleaned.