JPH0372982B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a static eliminator that removes electrical charges from a sheet member in an image forming apparatus, that is, a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, a plotter, etc. The present invention relates to a static eliminator comprising a guide member.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in copying machines and the like, in order to eliminate charges from a charged sheet member, such as copy paper, on which a toner image has been transferred and fixed, a charge removal brush is provided at the discharge port of the sheet member. Examples of its configuration are shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 1 shows an oven-type fixing device part of a copying machine. Reference numeral 1 denotes a ribbon heater, and both ends of the ribbon heater are stretched over protrusions 2a, 2a provided in a support frame 2. It is stored and maintained in the section. 3 is a guide wire that guides the copy paper 8, and is placed at the edge of the support frame 2 at a distance from the ribbon heater 1 so that the copy paper 8 does not come into contact with the ribbon heater 1. Multiple windings are fixed along the line. The two support frames 2, 2 configured in this way are placed between the guide wires 3, 3 with copy paper 8.
The fixing device 9 is arranged so as to face each other at an appropriate interval so as to form a conveyance path. 4, 4 are conveyance rollers arranged near the front end of the fixing device;
It functions to feed the copy paper 8 onto which the toner image has been transferred to the fixing device 9. Reference numerals 5 and 5 denote discharge rollers provided near the rear end of the fixing device, which discharge the copy paper 8 fixed by the fixing device 9 to the outside of the main body 6 of the copying machine. Reference numeral 7 denotes a static elimination brush, which is attached to the discharge port of the copying machine main body 6 near the paper discharge rollers 5, 5, and its tip 7a is arranged so as to come into contact with or approach the surface of the copy paper. In the fuser section configured as described above, first, when the copy paper 8 on which the toner image has been transferred is transported into the fuser 9 by the transport rollers 4, the copy surface 8a is aligned with the upper guide wire 3. Be careful not to touch the lower guide wire 3.
During this time, the ribbon is heated and fixed by ribbon heaters 1, 1, and then gripped by paper discharge rollers 5, 5 and discharged outside the machine. At this time, the electrical charges on the copy paper 8 are eliminated by causing discharge with the tip 7a of the neutralization brush 7.

FIG. 2 shows a heat roller type fixing device portion, where 10 is a heat roller, which is heated by a heater 11 that is a heat source provided inside the heat roller. 12
is a biasing roller, and the heat roller 10 is applied with moderate pressure.
The copy paper 8 on which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed while being held between both rollers, and the copy paper 8 is heated and fixed during this time. 13, 13 are both rollers 1
Peeling claws 14, 14 are rotatably mounted on the guide plates 13, 13 with shafts 14a, 14a. roller 10,1
The copy paper 8 attached to the surface of either roller 10 or 12 is peeled off. 5, 5 are discharge rollers, guide plate 1
The copy paper 8 guided by 3 and 13 is discharged to the outside of the machine. 7 is a static eliminating brush similar to that shown in FIG. In the heat roller type fixing device section configured as described above, when the copy paper 8 on which the toner image has been transferred is inserted between both rollers 10 and 12,
The sheet is conveyed while being held between both rollers and fixed by heat, and is peeled off by either of the rollers 10 or 12 by either of the upper or lower peeling claws 14, and then guided by the upper or lower guide plates 13, 13 and discharged. It is inserted into rollers 5, 5 and discharged outside the machine. At this time, the static eliminating brush 7 provided at the discharge port functions to eliminate the electric charge on the copy paper, similar to the one shown in FIG.

However, the static elimination effect of the static elimination brush alone in the conventional device configured in this way is not perfect, and copy paper that is easily charged has a voltage of several KV (2 to
It maintains a charged state of about 10KV). Moreover, even if the fuser guide wire shown in FIG. 1 and the guide plate shown in FIG. With copy paper, there is no needle-like contact, but surface or linear contact.
It is not possible to eliminate static charges, and the paper has the drawback that it is not possible to store the copy paper in an orderly manner on the paper ejection roller.

The present invention has been made in order to improve the drawbacks of such conventional static eliminators, and provides a static eliminator that can satisfactorily eliminate electric charges on a sheet member in a conveyance path of the sheet member. With the goal.

Next, the present invention will be described in detail based on Examples. 3 and 4 show conductive flocked wires used in the static eliminator according to the present invention,
What is shown in FIG. 3 is a structure in which a large number of conductive fibers 16 made of carbon fiber or the like are twisted between each wire strand 15a constituting the conductive stranded wire 15. A conductive flocked wire 17 is formed by simultaneously twisting the wires 15 so as to protrude from the surface thereof. In the wire shown in FIG. 4, a conductive flocked wire 17 is constructed by attaching a large number of conductive fibers 16 made of carbon fiber or the like to the surface of a single conductive wire 18. In both of the conductive flocked wires 17 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the conductive fibers 16 are flocked at an angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of the wire, and when guiding copy paper, etc. , is configured so as not to impede its progress.

5A and 5B show an embodiment of a static eliminator using a guide wire according to the present invention, in which a conductive flocked wire 17 configured as shown in FIG. Instead of the lower guide wire 1 in the figure, a plurality of wires are wound and arranged along the traveling direction of the copy paper 8, and the wire 17 is grounded or biased to a specific potential. When the charged copy paper 8 is conveyed to the fixing device 9 in which the conductive flocked wire 17 is arranged as a guide wire, it comes into contact with the surface of the conductive wire via the conductive fibers 16, and the paper discharge roller 5 ,5
will be supported and guided towards. At that time, the conductive fibers 16 provided on the surface of the conductive wire that come into contact with the copy paper 8 are laid down, so that the fallen conductive fibers 16 do not perform good static elimination. Since the conductive fibers 16 are provided along the surface of the conductive wire, when the tips of the conductive fibers 16 on both sides of the portion laid down by the copy paper 8 approach or come into contact with the copy paper, A good static elimination effect is achieved.

The conductive fiber 16 that performs the static eliminating action in this way is
Since it does not support and guide the copy paper 8 by itself, it can be thin and short with low rigidity.Therefore, even if the conductive fibers 16 provided on the surface of the conductive wire are slightly irregular, they are generally uniform. The copy paper 8 can be brought close to or in contact with the copy paper 8, and static electricity can be efficiently removed. Therefore, with the conductive flocked wire 17 having an extremely simple structure in which conductive fibers 16 are provided on the surface of the conductive wire, the static elimination of the copy paper 8 is promoted over the entire length of the wire 17. The static eliminating brush 7 conventionally provided at the discharge port removes the static electricity again, and the copy paper 8 is almost completely neutralized.

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment in which the conductive flocked wire according to the present invention is applied to the apparatus equipped with the heat roller type fixing device shown in FIG. Instead, a wire support 19, 19 is provided, the wire support 19,
19, the conductive flocked wire 17 shown in FIG. 3 or 4 is placed along the traveling direction of the copy paper 8.
Multiple wires are installed and biased to ground or a specific potential. In this example as well, the fifth
As in the case of FIGS. A and B, the copy paper 8 is conveyed while being fixed by both rollers 10 and 12, and is peeled off by a peeling claw. Paper ejection rollers 5, 5
The conductive flocked wire 17 removes static electricity along the way.

As explained above in detail based on the examples,
According to the present invention, during the conveyance path of the sheet member,
Since the static eliminator is equipped with a guide member made by stretching a conductive flocked wire with a large number of conductive fibers on the surface of the conductive wire, the charged sheet member can be effectively neutralized while being transported. It will be held in Furthermore, if the conductive fibers to be flocked on the surface of the conductive flocked wire are provided at an angle in the direction of movement of a sheet member such as copy paper, it is possible to obtain effects such as being able to eliminate static electricity without interfering with the progress of the sheet member. It will be done.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 and 2 are partially sectional front views of a fixing unit provided with a static eliminator of a conventional copying machine, and FIG. 3 is a conductive flocked wire used in the static eliminator using a guide wire according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a front view of another embodiment of the conductive flocked wire, and FIGS. 5A and 5B are a part of an embodiment of the static eliminator using a guide wire according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is a partially sectional front view showing another embodiment of the static eliminator using a guide wire according to the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a ribbon heater, 2 is a support frame, 3 is a guide wire, 4 is a conveyance roller, 5 is a paper ejection roller,
6 is the copying machine main body, 7 is a static elimination brush, 8 is copy paper, 9 is a fixing device, 10 is a heat roller, 11 is a heater, 12 is an urging roller, 13 is a guide plate, 14 is a peeling claw, 15 is a conductive Stranded wire, 1
6 is conductive fiber, 17 is conductive flocked wire, 18
19 represents a conductive single wire, and 19 represents a wire support.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In a static eliminator that removes electrical charges from a sheet member in an image forming apparatus, a conductive flocked wire in which conductive fibers are flocked on the surface of the conductive wire is stretched in a conveyance path of the sheet member. What is claimed is: 1. A static eliminator, characterized in that a guide member is arranged. 2. The static eliminator according to claim 1, wherein the conductive flocked wire is constructed by flocking conductive fibers on the surface of the conductive wire so as to be inclined in the direction of movement of the sheet member. 3. A conductive flocked wire is constructed by twisting a large number of conductive fibers between each wire strand constituting the conductive stranded wire such that their tips protrude from the surface of the stranded wire. A static eliminator according to claim 1 or 2. 4. The static eliminator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the conductive flocked wire is constructed by attaching a large number of conductive fibers to the surface of a single conductive wire.