JPH05134586A - Cleaning device for image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To attain the simplification of a constitution and the improvement of residual toner recovery performance by composing an auxiliary conveyor of a film material formed like a ladder, supporting the long material part of a base end side by means of a supporting shaft in parallel with a screw conveyor, and allowing the long material part of a free end side to face an image carrying surface. CONSTITUTION:When a photosensitive drum 11 is rotated/driven in the direction of the arrow Y1, the screw conveyor A2 is rotated following up with the drum 11, as well. At this time, the short material part 33 of the ladder-like film A3 is driven by the screw part 22 of the screw conveyor A2, so that the short material part 33 is interlocked to the turning of the screw conveyor A2, and followed along the ups and downs of the screw part 22. As a result, the ladder- like film A3 is rocked in the direction of the arrow Y3, centering the supporting shaft 34 of the film A3. Further, the long material part 32 of the free end side of the ladder-like film A3, can scratch residual toner heaped in the vicinity of the image carrying surface 11a of the photosensitive drum 11, and send it to the screw conveyor A2.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cleaning device for an image forming apparatus, and more specifically, it removes residual toner adhering to an image bearing surface of a photoconductor of the image forming apparatus.
The present invention relates to a cleaning device for collecting toner in a toner storage unit.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, an image forming apparatus includes an optical system for illuminating and scanning an original and forming an image of reflected light from the original, and a photosensitive member for carrying an image of the original formed by the optical system as an electrostatic latent image. And a developing device for visualizing the electrostatic latent image carried on the photoconductor into a toner image.The visualized toner image is transferred onto a transfer paper and further fixed by a fixing device. By doing so, a desired image forming process is performed (see, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-17453).

In order to repeat the above image forming process,
After the toner image is transferred onto the transfer paper, a cleaning device is required to remove and collect the residual toner from the photoconductor. As such a cleaning device, the cleaning device 100 shown in FIG. 4 is widely known. With this structure, the cleaning blade 1 is in contact with the image bearing surface P1 of the photoconductor P to scrape off the residual toner.
01 and the cleaning blade 101 below the cleaning blade 101 along the image bearing surface P1 of the photoconductor P, and the residual toner scraped off by rotating in conjunction with the image forming apparatus is transferred to one end side. The screw conveyor 103 that conveys the toner to the toner storage unit 102 that is arranged and the casing 104
It is common to have something inside.

A drive mechanism (not shown) of the image forming apparatus is connected to the photoconductor P, and is rotated clockwise by the drive mechanism as indicated by an arrow Y1. Further, the screw conveyor 103 is coupled to the photoconductor P via a gear mechanism G so as to be driven. Then, when the screw conveyor 103 rotates,
As shown by the arrow Y2 in FIG. 4, the cleaning blade 1
The residual toner scraped off by 01 is stored in the toner storage unit 1
I will carry it to 02.

However, the cleaning blade 10 is simply used.
If the residual toner scraped off by 1 is merely conveyed by the screw conveyor 103, the scraped residual toner cannot be reliably collected in the toner storage unit 102, and as shown by X in FIG. 103
In some cases, the residual toner may accumulate between the image bearing surface P1 of the photoconductor P and the image bearing surface P1 and reach the upper cleaning blade 101. Therefore, when the cleaning device 100 is detached for maintenance work, residual toner is scattered inside the image forming device, and the performance of the cleaning device is deteriorated.

Therefore, in order to prevent the accumulation of residual toner as shown by X in FIG. 5, the cleaning blade 101 is used.
A configuration in which an auxiliary conveyer for guiding the residual toner scraped off by the screw conveyer 103 to the screw conveyer 103 is widely proposed. For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 57-158871 discloses such an auxiliary conveyor, which is an elastic member protruding from the shaft portion of a screw conveyor so as to extend in the radial direction.

Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-13275 discloses an auxiliary collecting blade which is connected to a screw conveyor via a cam mechanism and reciprocates so as to collect residual toner. Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-39986 discloses a rotating member that rotates in conjunction with an auxiliary recovery blade.

Further, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 3-69984 includes a large number of drop pieces arranged in a posture extending along the image bearing surface of a cylindrical photoconductor and extending downward along the rotational direction of the photoconductor. A comb-shaped toner removing rod and a power transmission member for interlocking the toner removing rod with the screw conveyor are disclosed.

[0009]

However, in the structure of (3), it is difficult to project the elastic member on the shaft portion, and there is a possibility that the elastic member may be separated from the shaft portion during use of the product. there were. Further, in the structure of (3), the structure of the cam mechanism that interlocks with the collecting blade is complicated, and thus it is difficult to put it into practical use.

Further, in the above structure, since only the rotating member assists, it is not possible to sufficiently assist the recovery of the residual toner, and it is difficult to obtain the initial recovery performance. It was In the further structure, since the toner removal rod is driven via the power transmission member,
The structure becomes complicated by this power transmission member, and moreover,
Since the shape of the toner removing rod is comb-like along the rotation direction of the cylindrical photosensitive drum, there is a problem that the accumulated residual toner cannot be sufficiently conveyed to the screw conveyor side.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive cleaning device having a simple structure and capable of exhibiting a high residual toner collecting performance.

[0012]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a cleaning device of the present invention comprises a cleaning blade for scraping off residual toner adhering to an image bearing surface of a photoreceptor of an image forming apparatus, and a cleaning blade below the cleaning blade. A screw conveyor that is disposed along the image bearing surface of the photoconductor and that conveys the residual toner scraped off by rotating in conjunction with the image forming apparatus to the accommodating section, and the residual scraped off by the cleaning blade. In a cleaning device for an image forming apparatus including an auxiliary conveyor that guides toner to a screw conveyor, the auxiliary conveyor is arranged in a posture extending substantially parallel to the screw conveyor, and supported by a support shaft parallel to the screw conveyor. With
A base end side long material portion which is made of a film material which can be swung around a support shaft and which is supported by the support shaft, a free end side long material portion which extends toward the image bearing surface of the photoconductor, and both lengths. It is characterized in that it is a ladder-like one that is provided between the material parts and has a large number of short material parts that engage with the screw conveyor and swing in conjunction with the rotation of the screw conveyor.

[0013]

According to the cleaning device having the above structure,
When the screw conveyor rotates in conjunction with the image forming apparatus, the short piece of the auxiliary conveyor follows the ups and downs of the screw conveyor in conjunction with the rotation, and as a result, the auxiliary conveyor swings around its support shaft. By moving, the long material portion on the free end side of the auxiliary conveyor can scrape the residual toner accumulated near the image bearing surface of the photoconductor to the screw conveyor side.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a main part of a cleaning device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of the cleaning device, and FIG. 3 shows a copying machine 1 as an image forming apparatus including the cleaning device. It is a schematic diagram showing.

Referring to FIG. 3, the copying machine CY includes a main body 10
A photoconductor drum 11 for carrying the image of the original image formed by the optical system O is laterally installed inside. Around the photosensitive drum 11, the charging charger 12 is rotated clockwise.
Developing device 13, transfer charger 14, separation charger 1
5 and the cleaning device A in this order. A drive mechanism 16 is connected to the photosensitive drum 11,
The drive mechanism 16 drives the motor to rotate clockwise as indicated by an arrow Y1.

The cleaning device A includes a cleaning blade A1 and a screw conveyor A2 which is disposed below the cleaning blade A1 and rotates in conjunction with the copying machine CY.
And a ladder-shaped film A3 as an auxiliary conveyor in a casing A4. A5 is a casing A
4 is a toner accommodating portion integrally formed with 4. 1 and 2, the cleaning blade A1 is for scraping off the residual toner adhering to the image bearing surface 11a of the photoconductor drum 11, and is composed of a blade portion 2 supported by the support shaft 1. , Is always in sliding contact with the image bearing surface 11a on the upstream side of the charger 12.

The screw conveyer A2 is similar to the conventional device in that the residual toner scraped off by the cleaning blade A1 is disposed on one end side of the toner accommodating portion A.
It is for transporting into the inside. The screw conveyor A2 is a molded product made of, for example, plastic, which integrally includes a rotating shaft portion 21 and a substantially twisted candy-shaped screw portion 22, and is in a state along the image bearing surface 11a of the photosensitive drum 11. And the photoconductor drum 1 via a gear mechanism (not shown).
1 and is configured to be driven to rotate.

The ladder film A3 is for guiding the residual toner scraped off by the cleaning blade A1 to the screw conveyor A2, and is a substantially ladder-shaped integrally formed film material mainly made of a resin film (including a sheet) or the like. Is. The ladder-shaped film A3 includes a base end side long material portion 31 and a free end side long material portion 32 which form a long portion thereof, and a short material portion 33 which is integrally provided between both the long material portions 31 and 32. It is provided and is arranged in a posture extending substantially parallel to the screw conveyor A2.

The base end side long member portion 31 is arranged in parallel with the screw conveyor A2 and is fixed to a support shaft 34 which is rotatably supported by a casing A4. Further, the free end side long material portion 32 faces the image bearing surface 11a of the photoconductor drum 11 and extends to a portion where the residual toner drops most. The short material portion 33 is engaged with the screw portion 22 of the screw conveyor A2 so that the short material portion 33 can swing in conjunction with the rotation of the screw conveyor A2. In this example,
The short material portions 33 are arranged at equal intervals in the width direction of the photoconductor drum 11, and as a result, the short material portions 33 are collectively formed on the free end side long material portion 32, as described below. It becomes possible to drive. However, the short material portions 33 may be arranged at different intervals so that the short material portions 33 drive the free end side long material portions 32 with a time difference.

The casing A4 has a sealing blade 41 for sealing between the casing A4 and the photoreceptor image bearing surface 11a.
Is fixed. Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. According to the above configuration, when the photosensitive drum 11 is rotationally driven in the arrow Y1 direction, the screw conveyor A2 is also driven and rotated. Accordingly, the short material portion 33 of the ladder-shaped film A3
Is driven by the screw portion 22 of the screw conveyor A2 and is interlocked with the rotation of the screw conveyor A2, and is driven along the ups and downs of the screw portion 22. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ladder-shaped film A3
Of the ladder film A3 swings around the support shaft 34 in the arrow Y3 direction, and the free end side long material portion 32 of the ladder film A3 transfers the residual toner accumulated near the image bearing surface 11a of the photosensitive drum 11 to the screw conveyor A2. Can be scraped off.

As described above, according to the cleaning apparatus of this embodiment, the ladder film A3 is used as the auxiliary conveyor, and the base end side long material portion 31 of the ladder film A3 is supported by the support shaft 34 parallel to the screw conveyor A2. The long end portion 32 on the free end side of the photosensitive drum 11
Since the free end side long material portion 32 can be arranged in the space where the residual toner drops most, the screw conveyor A2 accumulates in the vicinity of the photoconductor drum image carrying surface 11a. As a result of being able to scrape the remaining toner left over to the screw conveyor A2 very efficiently, it is possible to prevent the cleaning performance from deteriorating, and further, to prevent the casing A4 from being damaged.
When detaching from the main body 10 (FIG. 3) of the copying machine CY,
A remarkable effect that residual toner can be prevented from scattering inside the copying machine main body 10 is obtained.

Moreover, since the short material portion of the ladder-shaped film A3 is engaged with the screw conveyor A2 so that it can swing in conjunction with the rotation of the screw conveyor A2, it is not necessary to employ a special drive mechanism. As a result of being able to drive the ladder-shaped film A3, there is also an advantage that the configuration is simplified and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Also a ladder film A3
Can be easily manufactured from a resin film material, and the existing screw conveyor A2 or the like can be used as it is, so that the manufacturing cost can be prevented from increasing.

Therefore, if this embodiment is adopted, it is possible to provide an inexpensive cleaning device A having a simple structure and capable of exhibiting a high residual toner collecting performance. It is needless to say that the above-described embodiments are merely preferable specific examples of the present invention, and various design changes can be made without changing the gist of the present invention.

[0024]

As described above, according to the cleaning device of the present invention, the auxiliary conveyor is formed of a film material formed in a ladder shape, and the base end side long material portion is formed by the support shaft parallel to the screw conveyor. Since it is swingably supported and the free end side long material portion faces the image bearing surface of the photoconductor, the free end side long material portion can be arranged in the space where the most residual toner falls. The residual toner accumulated in the vicinity of the photoconductor image bearing surface of the screw conveyor can be scraped off to the screw conveyor very efficiently, so that the deterioration of cleaning performance can be prevented and the casing can be removed from the main body of the image forming apparatus. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the residual toner from scattering inside the image forming apparatus.

Moreover, since the auxiliary conveyor is formed of a ladder-shaped film material, and the short material portion of the auxiliary conveyor is engaged with the screw conveyor so that it can be rocked in conjunction with the rotation of the screw conveyor, a special drive is provided. As a result of being able to drive the auxiliary conveyor without employing a mechanism, there is also an advantage that the configuration is simplified and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Further, the auxiliary conveyor can be easily manufactured from a resin film material, and the existing screw conveyor or the like can be used as it is, so that the manufacturing cost can be prevented from increasing.

Therefore, by adopting the present invention, it is possible to provide an inexpensive cleaning device having a simple structure and capable of exhibiting a high residual toner collecting performance.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a main part of a cleaning device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of the cleaning device.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a copying machine as an image forming apparatus including the cleaning device.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a main part of a conventional cleaning device.

FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view of a conventional cleaning device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A Cleaning Device A1 Cleaning Blade A2 Screw Conveyor A3 Ladder Film (Auxiliary Conveyor) 11 Photoreceptor 31 Base End Side Long Material 32 Free End Side Long Material 33 Short Material 34 Support Shaft

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Hiroshi Kusumoto 1-2-2 Tamatsukuri, Chuo-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture Mita Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Hideki Ishida 1-2-2 Tamatsukuri, Chuo-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture No. 28 within Mita Industry Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A cleaning blade for scraping off residual toner adhering to an image bearing surface of a photoconductor of an image forming apparatus, and a cleaning blade disposed below the cleaning blade along the image bearing surface of the photoconductor. Cleaning device for an image forming apparatus, which includes a screw conveyor that conveys the residual toner scraped off by rotating in association with the storage unit, and an auxiliary conveyor that guides the residual toner scraped off by the cleaning blade to the screw conveyor. In the above, the auxiliary conveyer is arranged in a posture extending substantially parallel to the screw conveyer, is supported by a support shaft parallel to the screw conveyer, and is made of a film material that can swing around the support shaft, and A base end side long member supported by the support shaft, and a free end side long member extending toward the image bearing surface of the photoreceptor. An image formation characterized by being a ladder-like one that is provided between both long material parts, and has a number of short material parts that engage with the screw conveyor and swing in conjunction with the rotation of the screw conveyor Equipment cleaning device.