JPH0511172U - Separation device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] To facilitate the maintenance, inspection, or replacement of the separation means that separates the recording paper from the surface of the fixing roll. [Structure] By separating a separation claw 13 and a mounting member 14 for slidingly contacting the peripheral surface of the fixing roll 1 in a direction parallel to the axis of the fixing roll 1, a supporting plate 12 having a base end pivotally supported. The handle is made detachable from the tip and the pivot of the support plate 12 is handled through a fan gear 22, a relay gear 23 and a gear 24.
24a, and the support plate 12 and the mounting member 14 are operated by the operation of the handle 24a so that the separation claw 13 slides on the peripheral surface of the fixing roll 1 and the support plate 12 separated from the position.
It can be reciprocated to and from the attachment / detachment position.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a separating device that separates toner and recording paper attached to the surface of a fixing roll.

[0002]

[Prior Art]

 The recording paper is sent between the fixing rolls with the toner image transferred on its surface, and is heated and pressed between the fixing rolls to melt the toner and fix it on the surface of the recording paper. The formed toner may adhere to the surface of the fixing roll, and the recording paper itself may remain fixed on the surface of the fixing roll. Therefore, as a means for separating the toner from the surface of the fixing roll and separating the recording paper from the surface of the fixing roll, a separation device having a separation claw or a separation plate is usually provided.

The separating device usually pivotally supports the base end of the separating claw or the separating plate around an axis, and urges and holds the tip end side toward the fixing roll surface side by a coil spring or the like to separate the separating claw or the separating plate. The tip of the plate is brought into sliding contact with the peripheral surface of the fixing roll to separate toner and recording paper from the surface.

However, as a result of the tip of the separation claw or the separation plate slidingly contacting the peripheral surface of the fixing roll, toner or the like adheres to the tip easily to be contaminated, and abrasion due to sliding contact with the peripheral surface of the fixing roll, or Deflection due to the heat of the fuser roll may occur, and periodic maintenance and inspections for cleaning and replacement thereof are required.

However, in order to clean or replace the separation claw or the separation plate, it is necessary to remove the fixing roll, and the cleaning or replacement work is troublesome and extremely troublesome. As a countermeasure against this, conventionally, a technology has been proposed in which only the separating claw can be attached and detached (No. 62-137456, Shokai).

[0006]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 However, even with such a conventional technique, the fixing roll does not need to be removed, but the peripheral frame needs to be removed, and the cleaning and replacement work requires a considerable amount of work, which is no different from the conventional technique. was there. The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a separation device in which a separation member such as a separation claw or a separation plate can be easily attached to and detached from a support member that supports the separation member. There is

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 The separating device according to the present invention has a base end pivotally supported, and is biased and held toward the fixing roll peripheral surface so that the leading end is slidably contacted with the fixing roll peripheral surface, and the recording paper is peeled from the fixing roll peripheral surface. In the separating device having the separating means, the separating means is attached to a supporting member whose base end is pivotally supported, and is slidably attached to the peripheral surface of the fixing roll by being attached to the leading end of the supporting member. By separating the member into a detachable detachable member by moving it in a direction parallel to the fixing roll axis, the separating means has a position where the detachable member slides on the peripheral surface of the fixing roll and a fixing member. It is characterized in that a means for moving to a detaching position separated from the peripheral surface of the roll is provided.

[0008]

[Action]

 According to the present invention, the separating means is divided into the supporting member and the separating member, and the separating means can be moved to a position where the separating means is in sliding contact with the fixing roll and a detaching position where it is separated from the fixing roll. Since it can be attached to and detached from the support member by moving in a direction parallel to, the attachment and detachment operation from outside the machine becomes easy.

[0009]

【Example】

 Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings showing an embodiment thereof. (Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a separating device according to the present invention as seen from the outside of its front side plate, FIG. 2 is a schematic side view with the front side plate removed, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the same. In the figure, FC is the front plate of the fixing device, and SW is the maintenance and inspection window of the separation device.

Fixing rolls 1 and 2 are disposed above and below the front side plate FC so as to face each other, and a guide plate 3 for guiding the recording paper P between the fixing rolls 1 and 2 is provided on one side thereof. On the other side, a guide plate 4 for drawing out the recording paper P from between the fixing rolls 1 and 2 and a separating device 10 according to the present invention are arranged. , A pair of discharge rolls 5a and 5b are disposed below, and the recording paper P on which the toner image is transferred is sent from the guide plate 3 side to between the fixing rolls 1 and 2 to fix the toner image, It is peeled off from the surface of the fixing roll 1 by the separating device 10 and is delivered to a sheet discharge tray (not shown) via the guide plate 4 and the discharge rolls 5a and 5b.

As shown in FIG. 2, the fixing roll 1 is provided with a heater 1a therein, and a coating roll 1b for applying oil for promoting separation of the recording paper P is rotatably contacted to the peripheral surface thereof. An oil removing blade 1c for collecting excess oil applied to the surface of No. 1 is slidably contacted. An oil coating felt 1e extending from the oil tank 1d is slidably contacted with the peripheral surface of the coating roll 1b. On the other hand, a cleaning roll 2a for removing the toner and the like adhering to the fixing roll 2 is rolled around the peripheral surface of the fixing roll 2.

As shown in FIG. 1, one end of the guide plate 4 on the fixing roll 2 side is fixed to the tip of the arm 7, and the base end of the arm 7 is concentric with the fixing roll 2 on a frame (not shown). It is fixed to a pivoted shaft 8. An arm (not shown) that supports the discharge roll 5b and a fan gear 21 are fixed to the shaft 8. The fan gear 21 is meshed with a gear 24 with a handle 24a pivotally supported on a frame (not shown), and the forward and reverse rotations of the gear 24 rotate the fan gear 21 together with the shaft 8 to guide the guide plate 4 and the discharge roll. 5b can be moved back and forth between a working position A shown by a solid line in FIGS. 1 and 2 and a retracted position B shown by a two-dot chain line.

6a is a stopper that restricts the rotation range of the fan-shaped gear 21, 6b is a torsion coil spring wound around the shaft 8, and the torsion coil spring 6b holds the fan-shaped gear 21 toward the stopper 6a side. is there. The guide plate 4 is located at the correct guide position when the sector gear 21 is in contact with the stopper 6a.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the separation claw 13 and the mounting member 14 are removed from the support plate 12. As is apparent from FIG. 4, the support plate 12 of the separation device 10 has a base end portion not shown in the drawing. It is fixed to a support shaft 11 pivotally supported by a frame with a set screw 12a (see FIG. 2), and a separation claw 13 and its mounting member 14 are detachably attached to the tip of the shaft. The support shaft 11 is supported by a bearing member 11a at a plurality of intermediate portions of the support shaft 11 on a frame (not shown), and discharge rollers 11b for assisting discharge of the recording paper P are pivotally fitted at appropriate positions. A fan gear 22 is pivotally supported at one end in the longitudinal direction, and a twisting direction for biasing the separation claw 13 and the attachment member 14 between the fan gear 22 and the support plate 12 toward the peripheral surface of the fixing roll 1. A coil spring 15 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 1, the fan-shaped gear 22 is meshed and connected to a gear 24 with a handle 24a via a relay gear 23, and the support plate 12 and the separation claw 13 are connected to each other as the gear 24 rotates forward and backward. It is reciprocated between a position shown in solid lines in FIGS. 1 and 2 that is in sliding contact with the peripheral surface of the fixing roll 1 and a retracted position (attachment / detachment position) that is not in sliding contact with the peripheral surface of the fixing roll 1 shown by a two-dot chain line. In this retracted position, the separation claw 13 and its mounting member 14 face the substantially central portion of the maintenance / inspection window SW of the front side plate FC.

A slide guide 16 is provided along the front end of the support plate 12, and a mounting member 14 having a fitting portion 14a having a downward U-shaped cross section is mounted so as to straddle the slide guide 16. I am doing it. The slide guide 16 is constructed by fixing a permanent magnet 16b in a groove of a support base 16a made of synthetic resin and having a concave cross section.

On the other hand, the mounting member 14 has a contact piece 14h vertically provided at one end of the fitting portion 14a, a support edge portion 14b extending to the front edge side, and standing pieces 14c at both ends of the support edge portion 14b. 14c are erected upright, the supporting shaft 14d is passed to the upright pieces 14c, 14c, and a plurality of separating claws 13 are inserted into the supporting shaft 14d through a long hole 13a provided at the substantially central portion thereof and separated. A coil spring 14f is stretched between the upper engaging piece 13b of the claw 13 and the bracket 14e standing on the fitting portion 14a so that the tip of the separating claw 13 is directed toward the peripheral surface of the fixing roll 1. It is designed to keep its power. Reference numeral 14g is a handle portion when the separation claw 13 and the mounting member 14 are attached to and detached from the slide guide 16 of the support plate 12.

The separation claw 13 and the mounting member 14 are fitted to each other so that the fitting portion 14a thereof straddles the slide guide 16 on the support plate 12, and the fitting portion 14a is slid by the magnetic force of the magnet 16b. By making the fitting portion 14a of the attachment member 14 slide along the slide guide 16 while holding the handle portion 14g while being magnetically attached to the support member 16, the support member 12 can be attached and detached. Reference numeral 17 denotes a stopper piece facing the rotation area of the support plate 12, and when the support plate 12 is brought into contact with the stopper piece 17, the tip of each separation claw 13 is brought into contact with the peripheral surface of the fixing roll 1. It is designed to be slidable.

Next, the operation of the separating apparatus according to the present invention will be described. In the state shown in FIG. 1, the guide plate 4 is maintained at a normal guiding position for the recording paper P by urging and holding the arm 7 by the torsion coil spring 6b at a position where the arm 7 contacts the stopper 6a. On the other hand, the separating claw 13 is urged and held at a position where the supporting plate 12 contacts the stopper piece 17 by a torsion coil spring 15 interposed between the fan-shaped gear 22 and the supporting plate 12, and the tip end is attached to the peripheral surface of the fixing roll 1. The parts are kept in sliding contact with each other.

When the separation claw 13 is to be cleaned or replaced, when the handle 24a is rotated counterclockwise from the position indicated by the solid line to the position indicated by the chain double-dashed line, the fan-shaped gear 21 meshing with the gear 24 is rotated clockwise. The guide plate 4 and the lower discharge roll 5b are integrally lowered to the retracted position shown by the two-dot chain line, and at the same time, the fan gear 22 is rotated counterclockwise via the relay gear 23. It rotates to relax the urging force of the torsion coil spring 15.

As a result, after the guide plate 4 and the discharge roll 5b descend, the support plate 12 and the separation claw 13 rotate downward in the counterclockwise direction to separate from the peripheral surface of the fixing roll 1 for maintenance and inspection. It can be moved to a position facing the approximate center of the window SW. After that, as shown in FIG. 4, the separation claw 13 and the handle 14g of the mounting member 14 are held as they are, or if they are pulled out from the magnet 16b against the magnetic force, the separation claw is passed through the maintenance / inspection window SW. It becomes possible to take out 13 and the mounting member 14 from the support plate 12 to the outside of the machine.

When the separation claw 13 and the mounting member 14 are mounted on the support plate 12, the above-described operation may be performed in reverse. The fitting portion 14a of the mounting member 14 is externally fitted to the slide guide 16, and the stopper piece 14h is attached. Positioning of the separation claw 13 is completed by pushing in to a position where it hits the end face of the slide guide 16.

The handle 24a is reversely rotated to move the sector gear 21 to a position where it hits the stopper 6a, and the arm 7 holds the guide plate 4 in the correct working position by the torsion coil spring 6b at this position. At the same time, when the relay gear 23 and the fan-shaped gear 22 rotate to the position where the support plate 12 comes into contact with the stopper piece 17, the tip of the separating claw 13 is almost at the same time as the peripheral surface of the fixing roll 1. The contact is made, and the rotation of the sector gear 22 further strengthens the biasing force of the torsion coil spring 15, and the positioning is completed.

In the first embodiment as described above, the retracting operation of the guide plate 4 and the discharging roll 5b and the retracting operation of the separating claw 13 and its mounting member 14 from the fixing roll 1 proceed at appropriate timings. Preparation for removal is completed by simply rotating the handle 24a.After that, the separation claw 13 and the mounting member 14 can be removed from the support plate 12 by a simple insertion / removal work, and the work can be performed quickly. Can be done.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 5 is a schematic side view showing another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is a state in which a front side plate is removed. FIG. 8 is a schematic side view, FIG. 8 is a perspective view, FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged plan view showing a combined state of a support plate and a separation plate, FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 9, and FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the mounting aspect of the separation plate with respect to a plate.

In the second embodiment, a separating plate 33 is used as a separating means in the separating device 30 in place of the separating claw. As shown in FIG. 11, a plurality of guide protrusions 32a are provided along the vicinity of the front end of the support plate 32, and the separation plate 33 has its upper end plate 33a and the lower side plate 33a alternately arranged on the base end side in the longitudinal direction. The sandwiching plates 33b are provided at appropriate intervals so as not to overlap each other, and the lower surface of the upper sandwiching plate 33a is formed with a guide groove 33c in which the guide protrusion 32a moves.

When the base end portion of the separation plate 33 is brought into contact with the front end surface of the support plate 32 and the separation plate 33 is moved in the direction parallel to the axis of the fixing roll 1, the support plate 32 is sandwiched between the upper sandwiching plate 33a and the lower sandwiching plate 33b of the separating plate 33, and the guide protrusion 32a moves in the guide groove 33c of the upper sandwiching plate 33a and is positioned in the guide groove 33c. The separation plate 33 is stopped in this state, and the separation plate 33 is prevented from coming off from the support plate 32.

However, in order to prevent the separating plate 33 from moving in the longitudinal direction of the supporting plate 32, when the separating device is in the working position as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, it faces the maintenance / inspection window SW. It opposes the stopper piece 35, and restrains the movement in the left and right directions.

In the second embodiment, when the handle 24a is rotated counterclockwise to rotate the gear 24, the fan gear 21 and the arm 7 are rotated clockwise, and the guide plate 4 and the discharge roll 5b are rotated. Are lowered to the retracted positions indicated by the two-dot chain lines, and at the same time, the relay plate 23 and the fan-shaped gear 22 are rotated so that the support plate 32 and the separation plate 33 slide from the peripheral surface of the fixing roll 1 indicated by the solid lines at two points. It retreats to a retracted position (attachment / detachment position) which is not in sliding contact with the peripheral surface of the fixing roll 1 and is moved to a position not facing the stopper piece 35. As a result, if the separation plate 33 is pulled out to the front side, it can be removed from the support plate 32 to the outside of the machine, and the separation plate 33 can be cleaned and replaced. Other configurations and operations are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment, and corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0030]

[Effect of the device]

 As described above, in the device of the present invention, the separating means for separating the recording paper from the peripheral surface of the fixing roll is configured by dividing the supporting member and the separating member. Since it can be attached to and detached from the support member by moving it in the axial direction, the separation member requiring cleaning and replacement can be easily taken out of the machine. The present invention has excellent effects such that the separation member can be more easily attached and detached because it can be moved to a position where it comes into sliding contact with the surface and a detaching position where it does not come into sliding contact therewith.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a separation device according to the present invention as viewed from the outside of a front plate.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view with a front plate removed.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the same.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which a separation claw and a mounting member are removed from a support plate.

FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of another embodiment of the present invention seen from the outside of the front plate.

6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged side view showing a state in which a front side plate is removed.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the same.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged plan view showing how the separation plate and the support plate are joined together.

10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX of FIG.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a state when the separation plate is attached to and detached from the support plate.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 2 Fixing roll 3, 4 Guide plate 5a, 5b Discharging roll 6a Stopper piece 6b Torsion coil spring 7 Arm 8 Axis 10 Separation device 11 Support shaft 12 Support plate 13 Separation claw 14 Mounting member 15 Torsion coil spring 16 Slide guide 21,22 Fan type Gear 30 Separation device 32 Support plate 33 Separation plate 35 Stopper piece

Claims (1)

[Claims for utility model registration] [Claim 1] A base end portion is pivotally supported, and a tip end portion is biased and held toward the fixing roll peripheral surface so as to be in sliding contact with the fixing roll peripheral surface. In a separating device comprising a separating means adapted to separate from a roll peripheral surface, the separating means is a support member pivotally supported at a base end portion thereof, and is attached to a tip end portion of the supporting member with respect to a fixing roll peripheral surface. It is configured to be divided into a separation member that is slidably contacted and can be detached by moving the support member in a direction parallel to the fixing roll axis, and the separation means slides the separation member on the peripheral surface of the fixing roll. A separating device comprising means for moving to a contacting position and a detaching position separated from the peripheral surface of the fixing roll.