JPH04152380A - Cleaning device for latent image carrier - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the generation of a partial cleaning failure caused by a brush crack and laid-down bristles by releasing a brush cleaning flicker part from its intrusion into bristle tips of a brush, while an image forming device stops its operation, and a cleaning brush is held in a stop state. CONSTITUTION:A shaft of a flicker member 11 provided on the lower part of a cleaning brush 2 is supported so as to be freely rotatable, and at the time of image forming operation, while a solenoid is being excited, it is placed in a position in which the tip of the flicker 11 intrudes into the brush 2. Subsequently, when the device stops and the excitation of the solenoid is released, the flicker is turned and displaced centering around the shaft by a spring, and held in a position for releasing the intrusion. Accordingly, even if the device is left as it is in a stop state for many hours, the flicker does not come into contact with the brush, and a bruch crack and laid-down bristles can be suppressed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a cleaning device for a latent image carrier.

[Conventional technology]

In image forming devices such as copying machines, laser printers, and facsimiles, an electrostatic latent image is formed on a latent image carrier, the electrostatic latent image is made visible using toner, and this visible image is transferred to a transfer material. In this type of transfer, after this transfer, toner remains on the surface of the latent image carrier, and if this toner adheres to the next transfer material, it will cause background stains, so this toner should be removed from other materials. It is scraped off from the surface along with foreign matter such as paper dust.

FIG. 4 shows an example of a conventional cleaning device that achieves such a function. The cleaning device of this example is arranged in the axial direction of the drum-shaped photoreceptor 1 and has a cylindrical outer shape. Cleaning brush 2 and photoreceptor 1
A cleaning blade 3 is provided downstream of the cleaning brush 2 with respect to the rotating direction of the photoreceptor.One cleaning brush 2 is in contact with the surface of the photoreceptor so as to bite into it, and the other cleaning blade 3 is provided.

This edge portion is in contact with the surface of the photoreceptor with a predetermined pressure.

The cleaning brush 2 is rotatably driven in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure, which is a direction different from the moving direction of the surface of the photoreceptor 1, and rubs against the surface to remove residual adhesion on the same surface after transfer. Remove toner, paper dust, etc.

Toner and the like that have not been removed by the cleaning brush 2 are further scraped off by the edge portion of the cleaning blade 3, and the surface of the photoreceptor is prepared for the next image formation. The toner removed from the surface of the photoreceptor by the cleaning brush 2 and the cleaning blade 3 is carried by a toner conveying member 5 provided at the bottom of the casing 4 and made of a screw member or a coil member, and is discharged to the outside of the casing 4.

By the way, when the cleaning brush 2 scrapes off residual toner, etc., in addition to the toner that separates from the cleaning brush and falls, there is also toner that remains attached to the cleaning brush itself and is transported along with the cleaning brush. come. Therefore, in this type of cleaning device, a flicker portion 4A is provided over the entire length of the cleaning brush 2 in the axial direction so as to bite into the cleaning brush 2, and the flicker portion 4A attaches to the cleaning brush 2 and is transported. I try to knock off any toner that comes off.

Conventionally, the flicker portion 4A is left embedded in the cleaning brush 2 regardless of whether cleaning is being performed or not.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

With such a conventional configuration, if the image forming apparatus is left stopped for a long time and the biting state is left for a long time, the "brush" as shown by reference numeral 6 in FIG. There is a risk that cracks or one hair may fall, resulting in partial leaning failure.

The purpose of the present invention is to prevent the occurrence of the above-mentioned "brush cracking" and one-bristle falling down, thereby preventing localized or leaning defects and enabling stable cleaning over a long period of time. There is a particular thing.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a cleaning brush that rotates and rubs against the surface of a latent image carrier to scrape and remove toner remaining on the surface of the latent image carrier after transfer; a flicker member that bites into the tip of the cleaning brush to knock off toner adhering to the cleaning brush; and a drive means that operates the flicker member so that the state of biting into the tip is released when the cleaning brush does not rotate. A cleaning device for a latent image carrier is proposed.

〔Example〕

The present invention will be explained below based on one embodiment. In this description, the same reference numerals are used for members that achieve the same functions as in the conventional example.

In FIG. 1, a drum-shaped photoreceptor 1 is an example of a latent image carrier.
A cleaning device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is placed opposite to the cleaning device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. This cleaning device N10 is unitized, and the cleaning brush 2 provided in the casing 14 of this unitized cleaning device is arranged in a direction substantially perpendicular to the moving direction of the surface of the photoreceptor 1. has been done. That is, as mentioned above, they are arranged in the axial direction of the photoreceptor 1.

A flicker member 11 is provided below the cleaning brush 2 and extends substantially parallel to the brush 2, and this flicker member is activated when the cleaning brush 2 is rotating, that is, when cleaning the photoreceptor 1. When the cleaning brush 2 is in use, it is placed in a position where it bites into the tip of the cleaning brush 2, and knocks off toner and paper powder adhering to the cleaning brush 2.

Here, when image formation is not performed or.

When the image forming apparatus is not powered on, the cleaning brush 2 is held in a stopped state, but when the cleaning brush 2 is stopped, the flicker member 11 is rotated, as shown in FIG. , is placed at a position where the state of biting into the tip is released.

In this way, the flicker member 11 is designed not to bite into the tip of the cleaning brush 2 when it is not rotating, so even if the machine is left unused for a long time, It is possible to prevent problems such as brush cracking and falling bristles from occurring.
Even when the cleaning brush 2 is stopped, the photoconductor 1
However, since the surface of the photoreceptor 1 has an extremely small curvature compared to the flicker member 11, there is no risk of the above-mentioned "brush cracking" occurring. .

The flicker member 11 is configured to be displaced between a position where it bites into the cleaning brush 2 and a position where it deviates from this position.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a drive means for such displacement.

A flicker member 11 is attached to the upper end of the rod designated by numeral 12.
A shaft 11a of the rod 12 is fitted and fixed, and a plunger 13a of a solenoid 13 is pivotally attached to the lower end of the rod 12. The pin 15 fixed to the rod 12 and the side plate 1
A tension spring 18 is hung between the pin 17 and the pin 17 fixed to the pin 6.

Further, the shaft 11a of the flicker member 11 is supported to be rotatable about the axis of the shaft 11a as shown by an arrow A with respect to a side plate 16 provided with such a pin 17.

When the solenoid 13 is energized, the flicker member 11 is placed in the biting position shown in FIG. The flicker member 11 is rotated about the axis in the direction of arrow a, and the flicker member 11 is placed in the biting release position shown in FIG. The flicker member 11 can be rotationally displaced by such a driving means.

Regarding the amount of biting of the flicker member 11 into the cleaning brush, if it is larger than necessary, the rotational torque of the cleaning brush 2 will increase, and if it is smaller than necessary, the ability to remove the adhered toner will be deteriorated. So,
It is necessary to carefully consider these points and determine the amount of biting.

For example, as a cleaning brush, the outer diameter is 16.5 m.
+, pile length is 4.25am, rotation speed is 105
When a motor with a speed of around rpm is used.

By setting the initial amount of biting into the tip of the brush to about 1.5 degrees, it is possible to prevent an increase in torque, and at the same time, it is possible to maintain good removability of adhered toner. If this biting amount is larger than 1°5 degrees, the torque required to rotate the cleaning brush 2 will increase, and conversely
．． If it is smaller than 5 m, the adhering toner will be difficult to remove. The cleaning brush 2 may be made of, for example, acrylic conductive fiber.

Note that the driving means for operating the flicker member is such that when the cleaning brush does not rotate, the biting state of the tip of the brush is released.

Means other than those shown in FIG. 3 can be adopted as appropriate.

Further, the present invention provides a drum-shaped photoreceptor as a latent image carrier,
It goes without saying that the present invention can be widely applied to cleaning devices in image forming apparatuses using belt-shaped photoreceptors and image forming apparatuses using latent image carriers other than such photoreceptors.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the invention, for a cleaning brush.

Since this "brush cracking" and "bristle falling" are prevented from occurring, local cleaning failures do not occur, and the surface of the latent image carrier can be stably cleaned over a long period of time.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an operational diagram from FIG. 1 showing a state in which the flicker member is rotated to a position removed from the cleaning brush;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of a rotational displacement driving means for a flicker member, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional example, and FIG. 5 is a view showing a cleaning brush with a cracked brush. 1... Drum-shaped photoreceptor as a latent image carrier 2... Cleaning brush 11... Flicker member representative Patent attorney Nori Hoshino Fugata 4

Claims (1)

[Claims] A cleaning brush that rotates and rubs against the surface of the latent image carrier to scrape off toner remaining on the surface of the latent image carrier after transfer, and a cleaning brush that bites into the tip of the cleaning brush. A latent image carrier characterized in that it has a flicker member that knocks off toner adhering to the cleaning brush, and a drive means that operates the flicker member so that when the cleaning brush does not rotate, the state of biting into the tip is released. Body cleaning device.