JPH0336432B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to the structure of an electrostatic recording device equipped with a belt-like image carrier.

[Prior art]

As an image carrier used in an electrostatic recording device, in addition to a general drum-shaped photoconductor, there is also a recording device using an endless belt-shaped photoconductor.

Because the belt-shaped photoreceptor has a flexible photosensitive surface, it is easy to form locally bent portions, which provides flexibility in the arrangement and configuration of each process member for image formation. It has the advantage that the transfer paper on which the toner image has been transferred can be separated from the photosensitive surface by using the bending part and transported to the fixing part without using a separation electrode.

Especially since it has recently become possible to reduce the level difference that occurs at the joints at both ends of the belt to 100 microns or less using ultrasonic fusion, cleaning and developing devices can be temporarily retracted at the joints of the belt. Since it is no longer necessary and the mechanism has been simplified,
Due to its light weight and economical advantages, the number of recording devices equipped with a belt-shaped photoreceptor is gradually increasing.

However, when such a belt-shaped photoconductor wears out and is removed from a recording device in order to be replaced with a new one, the cleaning device is opened and the toner inside is scattered, and the toner adhering to the belt-shaped photoconductor itself is also dropped and dissipated for recording. It has the disadvantage that it pollutes the inside of the device, and its handling requires great care and is difficult.

Therefore, when replacing the belt-shaped photoreceptor, we take measures to simultaneously replace and dispose of the entire belt-shaped photoreceptor, including the cleaning device and belt-shaped photoreceptor holding roll, etc., thereby preventing the toner scattering as described above. Although scatter-proof recording devices are available, it is very uneconomical to dispose of the still usable expensive cleaning devices as well as the photoreceptor holding rolls, thus making the cost per copy very high. is unavoidable.

In addition, the belt-shaped photoreceptor is operated for two cycles for each copy, and the residual toner on the photoreceptor is cleaned by the magnetic brush of the developing device during the second cycle, thereby eliminating the need for a conventional cleaning device. Although some proposals have been made, it is necessary to remove static electricity prior to cleaning with the magnetic brush mentioned above, and the rubbing force of the magnetic brush against the photoconductor must be increased, resulting in a decrease in image quality and the quality of copies. I can't escape it.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

The present invention aims to keep the inside of the recording device clean at all times by preventing toner from scattering or falling from the cleaning device or the cleaning surface of the photoconductor, which occurs when a belt-shaped photoconductor is removed from the recording device. be.

[Means for solving problems]

The present invention provides a cleaning device and a roller for supporting a belt-like image carrier disposed opposite to the cleaning device on a common small substrate, and when the substrate is removed from the recording device, the cleaning device The device and the supporting rollers are configured so that they can be removed simultaneously while holding the belt-shaped image carrier, and it includes a cleaning unit that removes the belt-shaped image carrier and the toner remaining on the image carrier. This is achieved by an electrostatic recording apparatus characterized in that, among the rollers for tensioning and rotating the image carrier, the cleaning unit and a roller placed opposite to each other are configured to be attached and detached at the same time while being integral.
Although an electrophotographic photoreceptor is most commonly used as the image carrier, it may also be a dielectric material that holds an electrostatic image.

〔Example〕

One embodiment of an electrostatic recording device according to the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

In this recording apparatus, a belt-shaped photoreceptor 1 is used as an image carrier, and holding rollers 2a, 2b,
2c, and is configured to be circulated and conveyed clockwise by the rotational drive of the holding roller 2a.

On the outer periphery of the belt-shaped photoreceptor 1, a charging electrode 3, a focusing light transmitting member 4,
A developing unit 5 is disposed opposite the transfer pole 6, the retaining roller 2a, and a cleaning unit 7 is disposed opposite the retaining roller 2c.

Each of the above-mentioned devices is installed directly on a large substrate (not shown) forming the main body of the recording device, but in the present invention, a small-sized device is specially provided with only the holding roller 2c and the cleaning unit 7. After being attached to the support plate P, the support plate P is further fixed to the above-mentioned substrate, thereby achieving a linkage function with each of the above-mentioned devices.

That is, when the belt-shaped photoreceptor 1 rotates clockwise by the drive of the holding roller 2a at the start of a copying operation, the photoreceptor surface is given a potential by the charged electrode 3, and then synchronized with the photoreceptor 1. The image of the original pressed onto the original platen 8, which moves in the opposite direction.
The image is projected and scanned via the convergent light transmitter 4 to form an electrostatic latent image.

Next, the belt-like photoreceptor is synchronously fed from a paper feed cassette 9 via a registration roller 10 to a transfer pole 6 after the latent image on the photoreceptor surface is converted into a toner image by a developing unit 5. The image is transferred onto a transfer paper, and the transfer paper is separated by changing direction at a sharp angle via the holding roller 2b.

The separated transfer paper fuses the transferred toner powder by the fixing section 11 and is discharged from the recording apparatus via the paper discharge roller 12, while the belt-shaped photoreceptor 1
is the cleaning unit 7 provided on the support plate P.
In this step, the toner powder remaining on the photosensitive surface is peeled off and cleaned, and the copying cycle is completed.

If the image quality of the belt-shaped photoreceptor 1 deteriorates due to abrasion of the photoreceptor surface or deterioration of performance due to repetition of such copying cycles,
In the electrostatic recording apparatus of the present invention, the belt-shaped photoreceptor 1 is replaced with a new one by the holding roller 2c provided on the support plate P.
On the other hand, the support plate P is relatively small and is attached so that it can be easily attached to and detached from the main body of the recording apparatus, so that the belt-shaped photoreceptor 1 is held between the holding rollers. It is possible to separate and take out the recording device together with the cleaning unit 7 while still being wound around the cleaning unit 2c.

For this work, the belt-shaped photoreceptor 1 must naturally be removed from the holding rollers 2a and 2b, but since it remains wound around the holding roller 2c, the container of the cleaning unit is closed. This serves to prevent the toner powder that has been peeled off by the cleaning action and accumulated in the container from scattering and floating and contaminating the inside of the apparatus.

Therefore, the belt-shaped photoreceptor 1, which has been removed from the recording apparatus along with the cleaning unit 7 by the support plate P, is removed in a place where there is no risk of contaminating the recording apparatus, the room, etc., and replaced with a new one, and then used for recording again. attached to the device.

As shown in FIG. 2, the holding roller 2a may be attached to the support plate P in a one-sided supported manner, or may be attached on both sides of the support plate P in a manner that does not obstruct attachment and detachment of the belt-shaped photoreceptor 1. It is assumed that there is

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, when replacing the belt-shaped photoreceptor of a recording device, leakage of toner from the cleaning unit, which was conventionally unavoidable, can be prevented.
As a result, it has become possible to provide an electrostatic recording device in which the inside of the device is always kept clean and copies with good image quality can be obtained by using a photoreceptor with good performance.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an electrostatic recording device according to the present invention.
Figure 2 is a main part diagram showing the AA cross section. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Belt-shaped photoreceptor, 2a, 2b, 2c... Holding roller, 3... Charging electrode, 4... Focusing light transmission body, 5...
Developing unit, 6... Transfer pole, 7... Cleaning unit, 8... Document table, 9... Paper feed cassette, 10...
Registration roller, 11... Fixing unit, 12... Paper discharge roller, P... Support plate.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A belt-shaped image bearing member, a cleaning unit that removes toner remaining on the image bearing member, and a roller that is opposed to the cleaning unit among the rollers that tension and rotate the image bearing member are simultaneously attached and detached as one unit. An electrostatic recording device characterized by being configured to.