JPH06161171A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To retreat a charged member such as a charged roller and/or a transfer roller from the fixed position to facilitate the fitting/ removal of a cartridge to/from a device body and clean the charged member effectively with simple constitution in an image forming device especially of a cartridge system although unlimited to this. CONSTITUTION:An image forming device is provided with a means for retreating a charged member from an image carrier 5-1 according to the start/stop of the main driving force of the image forming device, according to the insertion/ removal of a cartridge 5 to/from a device body, or according to the division release action in a two-piece system device. Or the image forming device is provided with a means for cleaning a charging means 7 and also a means for displacing the cleaning means in the axial direction of the image carrier 5-1; or a means for operating the displacement means reacting copying function reset action or the transmission/stop of the turning force of the device body.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

[Object of the Invention]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus using an electrostatic transfer process such as an electrostatic copying machine and a printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A photosensitive layer on the surface of an image carrier is uniformly charged, an image signal is projected on the charged surface to form an electrostatic latent image, and toner is applied to the latent image. In a known image forming apparatus including a step of transferring the toner image onto a transfer material such as paper after forming the image, a means for uniformly charging the surface of the image carrier, a toner on the image carrier As a means for transferring an image to a transfer material, a charging roller, an image carrier such as a transfer roller, a charging member or a transfer member that contacts the transfer material, etc. have been proposed.

Compared with the known corona discharger, this kind of charging means has less advantages such as generation of ozone and nitrogen oxides, does not require a high-voltage power source, and has high transfer efficiency. It is becoming practical. On the other hand, on the other hand, it is not easy to control the resistance value, the physical property value of the surface and the internal substance, and the like in order to maintain the stability of the action of the charging roller or the transfer roller as the charging means, and the image carrier In order to keep the contact pressure on the axis constant,
As shown in FIG. 33, the charging roller 7 is not easy to manufacture because it is formed on a drum-shaped surface having a large diameter at the center with respect to the cylindrical image carrier 5-1. For that reason, it was inevitable that the cost would increase.

By the way, in recent years, a plurality of image forming members such as a charging member, a developing device, and a cleaner are integrally formed around the image carrier to form a cartridge. For example, when the toner in the developing device is consumed, the cartridge is used. The one that replaces the whole with a new one is in practical use.

In such a process cartridge, when all the toner in the developing device is exhausted, the cleaner is full and the image bearing member and the charging roller have their lives. Although it is preferable that the toner cannot be used uniformly, it is difficult to deal with such a situation, and according to the experiments of the applicant, in the member in the process cartridge, the image bearing member, the developing sleeve, the cleaning blade, and the sliding bearings of the respective parts are used. It has been confirmed that the life is extended in the order of charging rollers.

From the above description, it is an object of the present invention to remove a cartridge from a main body in an image forming apparatus using a contact type one such as a charging roller as a charging means in a process cartridge type apparatus. When removing the cartridge, the charging roller is left on the main body side, or the contact charging member such as the charging roller is displaced so as not to interfere with the insertion / removal of the cartridge, so that the cartridge can be replaced, and the maintenance and operation at the time of jam processing can be performed. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that is effective for improving the usability of the user and contributes to cost reduction.

Although the use of the charging roller as the charging means has the above-mentioned advantages, on the other hand, due to long-term use, floating toner in the apparatus, dust, and fine paper powder generated from paper which is often used as a transfer material are attached. If so, stable charging may not be maintained. Also, by copying a large number of images (ruled lines, etc.) that are parallel to the running direction of the transfer material, only the relevant portion of the charging roller may change in characteristics and a blank image may be generated, or a narrow transfer paper may be used frequently. As a result, the paper dust at the end of the transfer paper may be transferred to the charging roller, deteriorating the charging function, and when a wide transfer material is used, an image defect such as white spot may occur at a position corresponding to the end. .

In order to avoid the above problems, it has been proposed to bring a cleaning member into contact with the charging roller. However, in the case of image defects such as ruled line traces and image traces at the edge of the paper as described above. At present, it does not show sufficient effects, which also causes an increase in cost.

Another object of the present invention is to cope with the above situation, and in an apparatus provided with a means for cleaning the charging roller, both of them are relatively moved in the axial direction of the charging roller. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus capable of solving the above-mentioned drawbacks.

In an image forming apparatus equipped with a contact type charging means such as a charging roller that contacts an image carrier and a cleaning member for cleaning the charging roller, the charging roller and the cleaning member are relatively displaced. As described above, the means for preventing the charging roller from being contaminated has a certain effect, but the equipment for this purpose, for example, drive switching clutch means, transmission gear train, belts, etc. It is not preferable to separately provide it from the viewpoint of space saving and cost reduction.

Therefore, still another object of the present invention is to
When relatively displacing the charging roller and the means for cleaning the charging roller, the auxiliary mechanism required for the relative displacement is reduced as much as possible to realize further space saving and cost reduction, and an image forming apparatus capable of reducing the noise of the apparatus. To provide

In an apparatus equipped with a charging roller as described above and a cleaning means for cleaning the charging roller, if the charging roller is always brought into contact with the image carrier,
The elastic member causes permanent deformation and physical property change at the contact portion, and oil leaking from the elastic member adheres to the image carrier and contaminates it. The one that abuts is proposed.

In such an apparatus, a driving source such as a solenoid and a motor is required to bring the charging roller into and out of contact with the image bearing member. Therefore, the apparatus is complicated and an extra space is required, resulting in an increase in cost. Is not preferable because it invites Further, even if the cleaning member is always in contact with the charging roller, it is necessary to press the cleaning member against the charging roller in order to expect a sufficient cleaning function. On the contrary, since it adheres strongly, there is a possibility that the charging function may be deteriorated.

Still another object of the present invention is to turn on / off the operation of the contacting / separating means of the charging roller and / or its cleaning member with respect to the image carrier and the charging roller in the image forming apparatus as described above. An object of the present invention is to provide a highly reliable image forming apparatus which is realized by a compact and simple driving means by the switching means.

In the cartridge type image forming apparatus as described above, the main body of the image forming apparatus is divided into upper and lower parts, the lower half is fixed, and the upper half is rotated and opened and closed. What to do has already been proposed. In this way, by configuring the transfer material transport passage to be exposed to the outside when the upper half portion is released, there are advantages such as jam handling, maintenance, and repair.
Even in this case, it can be easily understood that it is preferable that the charging roller is positioned so as to be separated from the image carrier at the time of releasing. It's about time.

That is, another object of the present invention is to provide a cartridge type image forming apparatus in which the main body is divided into two, and a charging roller is integrally provided on the upper half side of the main body to interlock with the releasing operation. The charging roller is separated from the cartridge along with the upper half of the cartridge to facilitate the insertion / removal of the cartridge and the jam processing, thereby providing an image forming apparatus which is easy to maintain and easy to use.

[0017]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides
In an image forming apparatus having an image carrier and contact-type voltage applying means such as a charging roller and a transfer roller which are brought into contact with and separated from the image carrier, at least one of the voltage applying means is operated depending on whether the image forming apparatus is driven or stopped. A charging roller that has a means for contacting with or separating from the image carrier, or has a cartridge that includes the image carrier and is detachably mountable to the main body of the image forming apparatus, and that contacts with or separates from the image carrier. In an image forming apparatus having a contact type voltage applying unit such as a transfer roller,
There is provided a means for retracting the voltage applying means from a position where it abuts on the image carrier in association with an operation for attaching and detaching the cartridge to the main body of the image forming apparatus, or an image carrier and a charging and releasing means for contacting and separating the image carrier. In an image forming apparatus provided with a contact type voltage applying unit such as a roller and a transfer roller and a unit for cleaning the voltage applying unit, the cleaning unit and the voltage applying unit are relatively arranged in the axial direction of the image carrier. In the image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus is provided with a means for reciprocally moving the image, or with an image carrier, a contact-type voltage applying means for contacting with and separating from the image carrier, and a means for cleaning the voltage applying means. Or a means for performing a relative reciprocating movement between the cleaning means and the cleaning means in conjunction with the copying function returning operation of the image forming apparatus main body, or
An image carrier, a contact-type voltage applying unit such as a charging roller and a transfer roller, and a unit for cleaning the charging unit are provided, and at least one of the voltage applying unit and the cleaning unit is attached to the image carrier or the cleaning unit. In an image forming apparatus provided with a contacting / separating means for contacting / separating, there is a switching means for performing the contacting / separating operation of the contacting / separating means by transmitting or stopping the rotational force of the apparatus body, or a lower half part of a fixed arrangement On the other hand, it consists of the upper half that can be rotated and opened and closed,
In an image forming apparatus in which an image carrier is detachably attached to the upper half portion and which is provided with a voltage applying unit that contacts the image carrier, the voltage is interlocked with the rotation release of the upper half portion. An image forming apparatus comprising means for separating the application means from the image carrier.

With such a configuration, the voltage applying member such as the charging roller that contacts the image carrier is always kept in a clean state, and the voltage is applied when the image carrier is attached to or detached from the image forming apparatus. Since the application member is prevented from interfering to facilitate maintenance and the structure can be simplified as a whole, it greatly contributes to cost reduction, and particularly when applied to a cartridge type image forming apparatus, a remarkable effect can be obtained.

[0019]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of an image forming apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention, in which the main body 1 of the apparatus is centered around a hinge 3 and the upper half section 1-1 is rotated clockwise. Move,
A cartridge 5, which will be described later, disposed in the lower half portion 1-2.
The transport path 13 and the upper half of the fixing device are exposed.

The transfer material (not shown) supplied from the paper feed unit 2 on the right side of the drawing or the cassette 12 below reaches a transfer site where the image carrier 5-1 and the transfer roller 6 face each other along the transport path. Then, the toner image formed on the image carrier by this time is transferred onto the transfer material, and then the transfer material passes through the fixing path 14 via the transport path 13 and reaches the discharge tray 16.

As shown in the figure, the image carrier 5-1 is integrally formed with a developing device 5-3 and a cleaner 5-2 to form a cartridge, which is movable in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing and is located in the lower half of the main body. It is detachably attached to the part.

In the illustrated operating position, the charging roller 7 and the transfer roller 6 are in contact with the image carrier 5-1. When the image forming operation is started, the photosensitive layer on the surface of the image carrier is uniformly charged by the charging bias applied to the charging roller 7, and the image signal forming unit arranged in the upper half portion 1-1 on the charging surface. The reflected light of the original formed by
An image signal E such as an image-modulated laser beam is projected to form an electrostatic latent image on the image carrier.

When the latent image reaches the developing portion where the developing device 5-3 is arranged, toner is supplied from the developing device and adheres to the latent image to form a toner image. When the image carrier rotates and the toner image reaches the transfer portion, the transfer material arrives at the transfer portion at the same timing, and the toner image on the image carrier side is transferred by the transfer bias. Transfer to.

After that, the transfer material is separated from the image bearing member by the action of the separating means 8, and the toner image is fixed and fixed to the transfer material through the conveying path 13 to the fixing portion 14, and the discharge tray 16 is provided.
Is discharged to. On the other hand, the residual toner remaining on the image carrier without contributing to the transfer at the transfer site is removed by the cleaner 5-2, and the image carrier is ready for the next image forming step.

In such an apparatus, in the case of illustration,
As shown in FIG. 2, the charging roller 7 and the transfer roller 6 are
The operating position shown in the drawing and the retracted position shown by a chain line can be selectively set.

FIG. 3 is a partial end view showing the relative arrangement of the image bearing member 5-1, the charging roller 7, and the transfer roller 6.
As can be seen from FIG. 2 and the “FIG. 2”, the charging roller 7,
The transfer roller 6 is pivotally attached to one end of each of the arms 22 and 21, and the other end of the arm is attached to the image carrier 5.
-A shaft 1 that extends in the axial direction of -1 and is rotatably arranged
Attached to 8 and 20.

The right ends of the shafts 18 and 20 are connected to gears 19 and 17 on the apparatus main body side through torque limiters 24 and 23, and these gears mesh with a gear 25 connected to the main body side drive source. ing.

Although not shown, each arm 22, 21 is attached with the other end of a return spring whose one end is attached to a proper position of the main body, whereby the rollers 7, 6 are constantly connected to each other as shown in FIG. It is brought to the retracted position as shown by the chain line.

With this construction, the driving force from the main body side causes the shafts 20 and 18 to rotate via the gear 25, the gears 17 and 19, and the torque limiters 23 and 24, and the arms 21 and 22 to move. Swing, transfer roller 6, charging roller 7
Comes into pressure contact with the image carrier 5-1. At the same time when both rollers come into contact with the image carrier 5-1 the driving force is turned off by the torque limiters 23 and 24, and thereafter the relationship between the image carrier 4-1 and the rollers 6 and 7 is maintained by a certain pressure. The gear 2
When the drive from 5 is stopped, each arm 21, 22 is retracted to the position shown by the chain line in FIG. 2 by the action of a return spring (not shown), and the rollers 6, 7 do not touch the image carrier 5-1. To the position. Therefore, when the cartridge 5 including the image carrier is taken out from the main body, the surface of the image carrier is not exposed by the rollers 6 and 7. In the illustrated apparatus, the separating member 8 is also attached to the arm 21,
The transfer roller 6 and the transfer roller 6 are separated from the image carrier.

FIG. 4 is an end view of the essential part showing another embodiment. In this case, the transfer roller 6 is explained, but the charging roller side can basically have the same structure. The image carrier 5-1 is assumed to be driven by a gear 26 on its axis, and the helical gear 5 is provided at the end of the image carrier.
4 is attached, and this gear 54 is arranged in a proper position on the main body side so as to be displaceable while rotating in the axial direction.
It meshes with 8. The other end of a coil spring 31 whose one end is fixed to the main body is in contact with one side surface of the gear 28.

The transfer roller 6 is supported by a holding member indicated by reference numeral 27, and a pin 30 is provided at a proper position in the main body of the apparatus.
A link arm 29 is pivotally attached to the link arm 29, and an end portion of the link arm 29 is in contact with the coil spring side end surface of the tooth gear 28 and the holding member 27 as shown in the drawing.

When the image carrier 5-1 rotates, the tooth gear 2 meshes with the helical gear 54 attached to the image carrier 5-1.
8 receives the thrust and is displaced rightward in the figure against the action of the spring 31.

As a result, the link arm 29 is rotated clockwise in the drawing to a position as shown by a chain line, and the transfer roller 6 is brought into contact with the image carrier 5-1 via the support member 27 so that transfer can be performed. It becomes a state.

When the driving of the image carrier is stopped, the tooth gear 28 is returned to the old position by the action of the spring 31, and the link arm 29 is actuated by the return spring 33 attached thereto. While returning to the position shown by the solid line in the figure, the transfer roller 6 also returns to the position shown by the solid line in the figure separated from the image carrier by a return spring (not shown).

Next, another embodiment in which the charging roller is retracted from its operating position when the cartridge is inserted or removed will be described.

FIG. 5 is a side view of an essential part showing an embodiment of the present invention, showing only a portion near the cartridge in the apparatus main body, and the overall structure of the image forming apparatus is the same as that shown in FIG. The same reference numerals are given to the corresponding parts, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In the illustrated apparatus, the charging roller 7 is designated by reference numeral 8 when the cartridge is inserted into or removed from the main body at a position where it comes into contact with the image carrier 5-1 as indicated by reference numeral 7 in FIG. The retracted position is as shown. This will be described below.

FIG. 6 shows only the portion of the image carrier and the charging roller inside the cartridge, and the image carrier with the drive gear 5-4 attached at the end between the cartridge side walls F and F. 5-1 is rotatably attached.

A bearing 7-2 is pivotally attached to a supporting member 192 mounted at a proper position of the cartridge slide immovable portion by a pin 7-3, and one shaft portion of the charging roller 7 is locked to the bearing 7-2. I am doing it. The other shaft portion of the charging roller 7 is mounted on a bearing 7-1. The bearing 7-1 has a spring 182.
Thus, the charging roller 7 is pulled in the direction away from the image carrier 5-1. Furthermore, the same figure A-A
As can be seen from "FIG. 7" shown along the line, the bearing 7-1 slides in the long hole 20-1 provided in the guide member 202, and the charging roller for the image carrier 5-1 is charged. Position 7 is regulated.

On the left side of the main body of the image forming apparatus, on the side where the operator normally stands, a front lid 17-1 which is rotatable and openable by a pin 17-3 is arranged. 5 is taken out.

In the operating position of the image forming apparatus shown by the solid line in the figure, the front lid 17-1 is in a closed state, and the protrusion 17-2 formed on the front lid at this time is the bearing 7-1 of the charging roller 7.
To hold the roller in the actuated position. When the front lid 17 is released for cartridge replacement or the like, the protrusion 17-2 is disengaged from the bearing 7-1, and the action of the spring 182 causes the bearing 7-1, and thus the charging roller 7 to center on the pin 7-3. It rotates clockwise in the drawing to take the position of the chain line, separate from the image carrier, and retract to the position where it does not interfere with the insertion and removal of the cartridge.

FIG. 8 shows an embodiment in which the charging roller 7 and the transfer roller 6 are separated from the image carrier when the cartridge is removed. As shown in the figure, the charging roller 7 is arranged at one end of a lever 21 which is rotatably arranged on a pin 21-1 attached to a fixed portion of the main body. Since the turning habit is imparted in the direction, the charging roller 7 is thereby brought into contact with the image carrier 5-1 with a predetermined pressure.

Although not shown in the drawing, the transfer roller 6 is attached to a roller shaft or the like which supports a belt forming a conveying path by means of an appropriate arm or the like, and the conveying path 13 as a whole is The belt supporting roller shaft at the left end in the figure is swung between the solid line position and the chain line position in the figure.

For exchanging the cartridge or for other purposes, the transfer roller 6 is moved to the retracted position shown by the chain line in the figure by moving the conveying path 13 from the position shown by the solid line in the figure to the position shown by the chain line by operating a release handle (not shown).

At the same time, the transport path 1 is operated by operating the release handle.
A hook member 23a provided at an appropriate position of 3 engages with the lever 21 and descends to rotate the lever 21 counterclockwise to retract the charging roller 7 to a position separated from the image carrier.
As described above, since the charging roller 7 and the transfer roller are retracted to the position away from the image carrier, the cartridge 5 can be inserted into and removed from the main body without damaging the photosensitive layer of the image carrier.

Next, an embodiment provided with means for cleaning the charging and transfer rollers will be described.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the main part of an image forming apparatus having a charging and transfer means that abuts like an image carrier, and a means for cleaning these charging means and the like. 3, the image carrier 5-1 is integrally provided with the cleaner 5-2 and the like to form a cartridge. In the illustrated apparatus, a charging roller 7 is used as a charging / transferring means.
A sleep transfer roller 6 is arranged, and a cleaning member 9 is arranged in the vicinity of these members so as to be freely contactable and separable.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged side view showing the relational structure between the image carrier 5-1 and the charging roller 9, which is arranged at the end edge of the oscillating plate 183 attached to the shaft 18-1 described later. A cleaning pad 9, which is a cleaning member, is attached to an elastic plate 173 having a substantially U-shape, and the swinging plate 183 is constantly operated by a spring 193 as shown by a two-dot chain line in the drawing. Is maintained at a position retracted from the charging roller 7.

An arm 223 is swingably disposed on a pin 22-1 arranged at a fixed position in the main body of the apparatus, and the other end 22-3 of the arm 223 abuts on the swing plate 183. And always takes the position as shown by the chain line in the figure. The arm 223 is provided with a protrusion 22-2 connected to the plunger of the solenoid 233.

FIG. 11 shows the structure shown in FIG. 10 seen from the left side, and as shown in the figure, the shaft 18-1 is pivotally supported by the body side plates 243, 263. It is biased to the left in the drawing by a spring 253. The left end of the shaft 18-1 is a gear 21 that obtains a driving force from the main body side.
3 is in contact with one end surface of the gear 203 meshing with 3,
The end surface is formed on a tapered cam surface a as shown. Therefore, the shaft 181 is always in contact with the cam surface by the action of the ridge 253.

With this configuration, when the switch of the apparatus is turned on for the first time every day, for example, every time a predetermined number of copies are made, the solenoid is turned on for a predetermined time, and the arm 223 becomes " Figure 10 "
Is rotated to move the rocking plate 183 to bring the cleaning pad 9 into pressure contact with the surface of the charging roller 7 and, at this time, drive the gear 203 so that the shaft 18-1 is shown in FIG. As described above, the pad 9 comes into contact with the side surface cam surface a and reciprocates left and right, and the pad 9 slides and cleans the surface of the charging roller 7.

Next, in a cartridge type image forming apparatus as shown in FIG. 9, a cleaning member (pad) 9 is used.
There will be described an embodiment in which the charging roller and the transfer roller are brought into contact with and separated from the image carrier without the above. As described above, by arranging the charging roller and the transfer roller so that they are not always in contact with the image carrier, the surface of the image carrier is scraped, the toner is fused, and the oil oozing from the roller contaminates the image carrier. It is possible to prevent the deterioration of the image quality due to it.

Although not specifically shown in the drawings, the above-described operation can be achieved by simply replacing the cleaning pad 9 of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 with a charging roller and a transfer roller. Is possible.

Next, with respect to the apparatus for bringing the charging roller, the transfer roller and the like into contact with and separating from the image carrier and rubbing them, "FIG. 12" and "FIG. 13"
Explained by.

FIG. 12 is a side view thereof, in which the charging roller 7 is disposed in contact with the image carrier 5-1. The charging roller 7 is attached to the shaft 27-1 provided at a proper position in the stationary portion. A shaft 323 having one end of the swing arm 273 and the charging roller 7 attached to the other end is arranged so as to be slidable in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface.

As shown in the figure, the arm 273 is provided with a spring 303 and a solenoid 233, whereby the arm always moves the charging roller 7 from the image carrier 5-1 as shown by a chain line in the figure. When the solenoid 233 is biased while being separated from each other, the arm 273 is rotated clockwise against the action of the spring 303 so that the charging roller 7 is brought into contact with the image carrier 5-1. .

In such a device, as shown in FIG. 13, the shaft 323 and the charging roller 7 attached thereto have the other end of the spring 313 whose one end abuts at a suitable position such as the arm 273. They abut and abut these on a gear 293 having a tapered cam surface a. The gear 293 is arranged on the fixed shaft 27-1 and is integrated with the swing arm 273.
It meshes with a gear 283 having a one-way clutch 28-2.

Therefore, when the arm 273 swings,
As a result, the gears 283 and 293 rotate by a predetermined amount to move the shaft 323 and the charging roller 7 in the axial direction thereof.
93 according to the height difference of the cam surface a,
It will reciprocate in a cycle synchronized with one rotation of 3.

14 and 15 are a side view and a front view, respectively, showing another embodiment. In this apparatus, the cleaning member 9 which comes into contact with and separates from the charging roller 7 is operated. ing.

As shown in FIG. 14, the image carrier 5-1.
The charging roller 7 is in contact with the charging roller 7, and the position where the cleaning pad 9 attached to the other end of the U-shaped spring 333 in which the pin 343 is arranged at one leg end contacts the charging roller 7. It is located at.

One end is pivotally attached to the shaft 423 on the main body side,
The other end of the arm 353, which is given a turning tendency in the counterclockwise direction by the spring 373, comes into contact with the spring 333,
The cleaning member 9 is in contact with the charging roller 7 as indicated by the solid line in the figure.

A shaft 413 arranged at a proper position of the arm 353.
A plunger 393 of a solenoid 383 is connected to the solenoid 383, and the solenoid is energized at a timing such as when a predetermined number of copies are made when the image forming apparatus is switched on. When the solenoid 383 is urged, the arm 353 is rotated as shown by a chain line in the figure to rotate the spring 33.
Since 3 is loosened, the pressure contact state of the cleaning member 9 with the charging roller 7 is released.

The shaft 413 of the arm 353 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4 ”, a ratchet 403 is provided,
The ratchet 403 meshes with the ratchet wheel 363. One end surface of the ratchet wheel 363 is formed on a tapered cam surface a, and a pin 343 arranged on the spring 333 supporting the cleaning member 9 is in contact with the cam surface a.

Although not shown, the spring 333 is
Is the direction in which the pin 343 is always in contact with the cam surface a by a spring or the like arranged at the end opposite to the pin 343, as shown in the above-mentioned FIG. 11 and FIG. It is supposed to be biased to.

With this configuration, each time the solenoid is energized once, the ratchet 403 rotates the ratchet wheel 363 by a predetermined amount, and the springs 333,
Therefore, the cleaning member 9 is moved by the double-headed arrow in the figure.

In each of the above embodiments, the configuration on the charging roller side has been mainly described, but it is needless to say that the same configuration can be applied to the transfer roller side if necessary.

Next, a description will be given of an embodiment in which the charging / transferring means and the cleaning means can be moved relative to each other, and the structure can be simplified as much as possible and the noise can be reduced.

FIG. 16 is a side view of the main part of such an image forming apparatus of the cartridge type. The developing device 5-3,
A cartridge 5 in which a cleaner 5-2, an image carrier 5-1 and the like are integrated is arranged inside the apparatus main body.

A charging roller 7 and a transfer roller 6 are arranged in contact with the image carrier 5-1. Further, a cleaning pad 9 as a cleaning member is arranged in contact with each roller.

FIG. 17 is an enlarged side view showing the vicinity of the image carrier 5-1 and the charging roller 7 of the above apparatus, and FIG.
Is a plan view thereof. An oscillating plate 194 pivotally attached to the shaft 204 at one end is provided near the charging roller 7, and a cleaning roller 9 is rotatably provided at the other end of the oscillating plate 194. In the case of the illustrated apparatus, the cleaning roller 9 is in contact with the charging roller 7 by its own weight, taking the position shown by the solid line in FIG.

The shaft 204 for pivotally mounting the swing plate 194 is supported by the main body side immovable portion 234 so as to be rotatable and slidable.
The cleaning roller 9 is rotatably supported by a shaft 9.1 supported by a swing plate 194.

A stay 184 extending in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing is provided on the main body side, and the cleaning roller 9 is fitted in the elongated hole 18-1 provided therein. The stay 1
A support member 174 is slidably and detachably disposed on the 84. When this support member is brought to a fixed position, a long hole 17-1 is formed at a position corresponding to the long hole 18-1. The charging roller 7 is axially supported by the supporting member 174 so that the charging roller 7 faces this portion, and the charging roller 7 is attached to the image carrier 5-1 and the cleaning roller 9 at a predetermined position.
Respectively come into contact with the charging rollers.

A cam 17-3 is formed at the end of the support member (above "FIG. 18"). The cam 17-3 is
As shown in FIG. 19, the support member 1 is provided with tapered portions a and c and a horizontal portion b at an intermediate position thereof.
When the screw 74 is moved downward in FIG.
It is arranged so as to abut.

End of the support member (upper side of "FIG. 18")
An elastic hooking claw 17-2 is formed in the ratchet wheel 22 which is arranged concentrically with the cam 214.
4 is engaged with the claw. The shaft 204 which pivotally supports the rocking plate 194 is always in contact with the cam surface of the cam 214 by spring means or the like (not shown).

Since it has such a configuration,
7 ", from the fixed position as shown in FIG. 18", the support member 1
When 74 is pulled out together with the charging roller 7 (on the front side of the paper in FIG. 17), the cam surface a of the cam 17-3 comes into contact with the oscillating plate 19 and moves it counterclockwise (in FIG. 17). The cleaning roller 9 moves away from the charging roller 7 by rotating (seeing), maintains a predetermined angle in the range of the cam surface b, and returns to the old position at the cam surface c.

At the same time, the pawl 17-2 engages with the ratchet wheel 22w and rotates by a small amount, so that the rotational direction position of the cam 214 is changed before and after the support member 174 is pulled out. Then, since the shaft 204 contacting this is displaced, the relative position between the cleaning roller 9 and the charging roller 7 also changes.

When the support member 174 is attached to the stay 184, the charging roller 7 can be arranged at a predetermined position by the action opposite to the above, but at this time, the pawl 17-2 is in a state of idling with the teeth of the ratchet wheel. Therefore, the position of the cam 214 does not change.

In the above case, since the charging roller 7 is in contact with the image carrier by its own weight as described above, the above-mentioned cam 17-3 is not always necessary. The presence of this cam is indispensable when the image bearing member 5-1 is strongly pressed.

Further, since the charging roller 7 and the cleaning roller 9 may be moved relative to each other, it is possible to reciprocate the charging roller. Further, similarly to the case of each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the transfer is performed. Of course, it can also be applied to rollers.

FIG. 20 is a side view of a main portion of a further embodiment, showing only the portion near the cartridge disposed in the image forming apparatus.

In the case of this apparatus, the cartridge is composed of an image carrier 5-1, a cleaning device 5-2 and a charging roller 7. The charging roller 7 can selectively take a chain line position in which the charging roller 7 comes into contact with the image carrier and is driven to rotate, and an inoperative position separated from the image carrier.

The back end of the shaft 7-1 of the charging roller extending in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface is brought into contact with the side surface of the ratchet wheel 244 by a spring (not shown) from the front side of the paper surface. The sides of the foil 244 are
As shown in FIG. 21, a tapered cam surface is formed. Therefore, the charging roller 7 is displaced in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface with the rotation of the ratchet wheel to change the contact position with the image carrier 5-1.

Guide member 264 for supporting the developing device 5-3
Is movable in the left-right direction in the drawing, and can take an operating position as shown by the reference numeral 264a for producing a developing action in the vicinity of the image carrier and a retracted position as shown by the reference numeral 264b. When the developing device is replaced, or when the cartridge is attached to or detached from the main body, the guide member 264 is brought to the retracted position indicated by reference numeral 264b on the right side of the drawing to facilitate the handling of the developing device and the cartridge. The image carrier is prevented from being damaged.

In such an apparatus, the top surface of the guide member 264 has a portion corresponding to the upper portion of the ratchet wheel 244 extending leftward as shown in the drawing to have elasticity, and its tip has A pawl 26-1 is formed at a position where it engages with the ratchet wheel 244.

With the above-described structure, the pawl 261 is moved to the ratchet wheel 244 every time the guide member 264 is retracted from the cartridge 5 as necessary.
It is possible to change the relative positional relationship between the charging roller 7 and the image carrier 5-1 by engaging with and rotating it by a predetermined amount.

FIG. 22 is a side view of essential parts showing another embodiment. In this image forming apparatus, the main body is divided into an upper half part 1-1 and a lower half part 1-2, and both half parts are It is possible to take an overlapping operable position and a release position in which the upper half portion is rotated around the pin 3 as shown in the drawing. In the release position shown, the cartridge 5 is attached to the upper half portion. Be present.

At the operating position where the two halves 1-1 and 1-2 are superposed, the charging roller 7 takes the position shown by the two-dot chain line in the figure to perform a predetermined charging action.

The charging roller 7 is rotatably supported at one end of a link 274, and the other end of the link is in contact with a cam 324 attached to the pin 3, and the link 274 is a shaft. It is attached to 374.

The shaft 374 extends in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface and is slidable in that direction, and one end of the shaft 374 is elastically abutted on the side surface of a gear 334 having a built-in one-way clutch. I am doing it. Further, the side surface of the gear 334 is formed into a tapered cam surface similar to the ratchet wheel shown in the above-mentioned "FIG. 15" and "FIG. 21", and its rotation causes the shaft 374 and the link 274 to intervene. Charging roller 7
Is displaced in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing to change the relative positional relationship between this and the image carrier 5-1.

The gear 334 meshes with a gear 384 attached to the pin 3 via an intermediate gear 344. Therefore, when the upper half 1-1 is rotated and opened as shown for replacement of the cartridge, the cam 3
24 rotates from the position of the chain line in the figure to the position of the solid line, whereby the link 274 swings and the charging roller 7 is displaced to the position of the solid line retracting from the image carrier 5-1.

At the same time, when the pin 3 rotates, the gear 334 rotates a predetermined amount through the gears 384 and 344 attached to the pin 3, and the shaft 374 is displaced in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface, whereby the charging roller 7 is rotated. The position of the image carrier with respect to the image carrier 5-1 is changed. In this way, the position of the charging roller 7 with respect to the image carrier 5-1 sequentially changes with one rotation of the gear 334 as a cycle. When the upper half portion is rotated and brought to the operating position, the charging roller 7 does not move because it idles due to the action of the one-way clutch built in the gear 334.

FIG. 23 is a plan view of an essential part showing still another embodiment. In this apparatus, the position of at least one of the charging roller and the cleaning roller with respect to the axial direction of the image carrier can be sequentially changed when the cartridge 5 including the image carrier 5-1 is attached to and detached from the main body.

Explaining this, the cartridge 5
Is to be attached to and detached from the main body by moving in the vertical direction on the paper surface. An engaging member 5-5 made of an elastic material is attached to the inner side of the cartridge in the inserting / removing direction, and a claw 5-5 'is formed at the tip thereof.

A ratchet wheel 224 is arranged at a proper position facing the engaging member, and a cam 214 is attached to the ratchet wheel 224, and a protrusion 204 is provided on the side surface of the cartridge facing the ratchet wheel 224. It is provided and is in contact with the cam 214.

With this structure, when the cartridge 5 is pulled out from the main body, that is, moved downward in the drawing, the pawls 5-5 'of the engaging member 5-5 engage with the ratchet wheel 224. The cam 214 is rotated by a predetermined amount, and the cam 214 is rotated accordingly.

When the cartridge 5 is mounted on the main body, the protrusion 204 provided on the main body comes into contact with the end surface of the cam 214 which has been rotated and changed its position when the cartridge is pulled out.
It is possible to change the relative positional relationship between the charging roller and the cleaning roller contacting the charging roller.

Although not shown, the reciprocating driving means according to the present invention is applied to the opening / closing operation of the covers at the time of jamming, the opening / closing operation of the conveyance guide plate, the insertion / removal of the cassette to / from the main body, and the like. It can be easily understood that it is possible to move the cleaning roller.

Next, an embodiment will be described in which the contacting / separating operation of the means for contacting / separating the charging roller, the transfer roller, or the like, which is the charging means, with the image carrier or the transfer material responds to the transmission / stop of the rotational driving force.

FIG. 24 is a schematic side view showing only the cartridge portion of the image forming apparatus showing the embodiment of the present invention, particularly the image carrier 5-1, the developing device 5-3 and the cleaning device 5-2. In the figure, a charging roller 7 and a transfer roller 6 are arranged close to the image carrier 5-1 and a cleaning member 9 is arranged in each of them. FIG. 25 is an enlarged side view showing the vicinity of the image carrier 5-1 and the charging roller 7 of this apparatus, and FIG. 26 is a plan view.

A roller 7 is in contact with the charging roller, and the charging roller 7 is contacted with a cleaning member 9 such as a cleaning pad attached to an elastic member 175 provided at one end of the rocking plate 185. Touching. The swing plate 185 normally biases the cleaning member 9 to the retracted position shown by the dotted line in the figure by a spring 195.

An arm 235 is swingably arranged on a shaft 335 attached at a proper position on the apparatus main body side, and a free end of the arm is in contact with a back surface of the swing plate 18, and the arm 235 is provided. The cam 2 attached to the shaft 325 on the rear surface of the
55 is in contact. Therefore, the spring 195 brings the oscillating plate 185 to the dotted line position in the figure as described above, and also brings the arm 235 to the dotted line position, and the rotation of the cam 255 causes the arm 235 and the oscillating plate 18 to move.
The cleaning member 9 comes into contact with the charging roller 7 via 5.

The oscillating plate 185 has the cleaning member 9
The shaft 205 at the end opposite to the side where the shaft is attached is rotatably attached to the main body side immovable parts 345 and 355 so as to swing, and a spring 365 is arranged at one end of the shaft 205. The swing plate 185 is biased to the left as viewed in FIG. 26,
The other end has a gear 215 that meshes with the drive gear 225.
Is in contact with the tapered cam surface a.

Therefore, the oscillating body 185 is constantly in pressure contact with the cam surface a and reciprocates in the left-right direction as shown in FIG. 26 ("FIG. 26") with the rotation of the gear 215 to charge the cleaning roller of the cleaning member 9. The contact position with respect to 7 will be changed.

One end portion of the shaft 325 to which the cam 255 is attached extends laterally, and the spring 2 is attached to the extending portion.
The spring clutch 26 including 6-3, the control ring 26-4, the thrust stopper 375, and the input gear 385 is attached by the screw 37-1.

The actuator 39-1 of the solenoid 395 engages with either one of the protrusions 26-1 and 26-2 provided on the control ring 26-4, and the rotation of the drive side gear 275 causes the input gear 385 to rotate. The shaft 325 is rotated or stopped via the shaft 325.

When the solenoid 395 is energized for a predetermined time at a set timing, such as when the device is switched on for the first time on a certain day for every predetermined number of copies, the actuator 39-1 is first pulled by this and the control ring 26-4 is activated.
½ turn, and the cam 255 also makes a half turn accordingly, and the cleaning member 9 is pressed against the charging roller 7 via the arm 235 and the swing plate 185. When the solenoid 395 is deenergized, the cam 255 again makes a half rotation, the cleaning member 9 is separated from the charging roller 7, and one operation ends.

As shown in FIG. 26, the charging roller 7,
The arm 2 is provided substantially at the center of the cleaning member 9 in the longitudinal direction.
By disposing 35 and arranging the cam 255 at the central portion of the arm 235, the pressing force to the charging roller 7 and the cleaning member 9 can be easily and surely made uniform over the entire length.

Further, by adopting such a constitution, since the charging unevenness due to the bending which occurs when the charging roller is pressed against the image carrier is not generated, the central portion is made large in diameter as shown in FIG. It is possible to make a simple cylindrical shape without the configuration shown in (1), which also contributes to cost reduction.

FIG. 27 shows another embodiment. In this apparatus, only the charging roller is brought into contact with and separated from the image carrier, and the cleaning means for the roller and the reciprocating mechanism are not provided.

The charging roller 7 is rotatably attached to the shaft 405-1 at the other end of the oscillating plate 405 whose end is oscillatably attached to the shaft 405-3. The cam 425 attached to the shaft 435 is in contact with the
The oscillating plate 405, which tends to be separated from the image carrier 5-1 by 5, causes the charging roller 7 to contact and separate from the image carrier 5-1 by rotating the cam.

This apparatus has a simple structure and can displace the charging roller irrespective of the pressing force of the spring 41, which is advantageous in terms of cost. The same effect can be achieved by using a link member instead of the cam. Furthermore, the case where the apparatus shown in FIGS. 25 to 27 is applied to an image forming apparatus capable of being divided into upper and lower parts and opened and closed has been described above.
It will be immediately understood that these are not applicable only to such devices.

Next, a description will be given of an embodiment in which the charging roller is retracted to a position that does not hinder the attachment / detachment of the cartridge at the time of release in the image forming apparatus which can be divided and opened vertically.

FIG. 28 is a side view showing the vicinity of the cartridge, showing this embodiment, and FIG. 29 is a side view showing the upper half of the image forming apparatus released.

The cartridge 5 in which the image bearing member 5-1, the developing device 5-3, the cleaning device 5-2 and the like are integrally formed is provided with an engaging protrusion 5-4 on the upper portion thereof. 5
A shaft 5-5 provided on the upper half portion 1-1 of the device is rotatably engaged with the -4.

A charging roller 7 is disposed on an appropriate supporting portion provided on the upper half portion 1-1 of the apparatus main body. The charging roller 7 is supported by a spring 8 at the closed position shown in FIG. The body 5-1 is configured to be in pressure contact with the body 5-1 with an appropriate pressure.

FIG. 29 shows that the upper half of the image forming apparatus is released. As shown in the figure, the upper half 1-1 rotates around the pin 3 counterclockwise with respect to the lower half. It moves and becomes a release state. At this time, the protrusion 5-4 rotates with respect to the shaft 5-5, and the cartridge 5 tends not to rotate.

At this time, the end portion of the cartridge 5 is
A protrusion 5-6 is formed at the right end in the figure, and as the upper half portion 1-1 of the main body of the apparatus rotates, it and the cartridge 5
Even if the cart is relatively rotated, the projections 5-6 serve as stoppers so that the projections 5-6 collide with appropriate positions in the upper half so that the cartridge can maintain the same posture as when it is used.

Due to such a structure, even if the Nogami half section 1-1 of the apparatus main body is released, the toner in the cartridge is not biased or leaked, and the upper portion of the rotating apparatus main body is prevented. Since it is separated from the image carrier together with the half portion, the cartridge can be easily attached and detached.

FIG. 30 shows another embodiment.
The cartridge 5 is supported by a guide member (not shown) provided in the upper half portion 1-1 of the image forming apparatus, and is detachably attached to the apparatus main body from the front side of the drawing.

The upper half portion 1-1 of the main body of the apparatus rotates about the pin half 3 with respect to the lower half portion 1-2, and an operating position where both half portions overlap and a release position as shown in the drawing. Can be selectively taken. A cam 486 is attached to the pin 3, and in the operating position, the cam 486 is located at the position indicated by the chain line in the drawing.
When the upper half portion takes the release position as shown, it takes the position shown by the solid line in the figure.

A link 476 is swingably attached to a pin 47a attached to an appropriate position of the upper half portion 1-1 of the main body of the apparatus, and is always arranged so as to be biased clockwise by a spring or the like (not shown). The charging roller 7 is attached to one end of the 47, the left end in the figure, and the cam 486 is always in contact with the other end. When the main body of the apparatus is in use, the cam 86 pushes the right end of the link 476 in the drawing to bring it to the position indicated by the chain line, whereby the charging roller 7 hits an image carrier (not shown) mounted in the cartridge. Bring it to the touching position.

When the upper half portion 1-1 of the main body of the apparatus is brought to the release position as shown in the drawing, the cam 486 escapes from the position indicated by the chain line to the position indicated by the solid line, so that the link 476 pivots in the clockwise direction. Accordingly, the charging roller 7 is retracted to a position separated from the image carrier as shown in the figure. Therefore, attachment / detachment of the cartridge and maintenance / inspection of the device are facilitated.

FIG. 31 shows still another embodiment, and this device also has a structure in which it can be divided into two vertically. In the illustrated apparatus, the cartridge 5 is the image carrier 5
-1 and a cleaning device 5-2 so that they can be inserted / removed on the front side of the paper surface. The developing device 2 is provided on the side opposite to the cleaning device, close to the image carrier 5-1.
00 is provided.

The developing device 206 is slidable in the left-right direction in the drawing, and is provided in the upper half portion 1-1 of the main body of the apparatus.
96 is removably attached to the guide member 1.
It is assumed that 96 is always biased to the left in the drawing by an unillustrated spring or the like to an operating position (shown by a chain line) close to the image carrier 5-1.

Further, the protrusion 2 is provided on the top of the developing unit 206.
0-1 is provided, and this is the pin 216 provided on the main body side.
An end of a link 216 that is swingably disposed on the -1 is in contact with the link 216, and the charging roller 7 is attached to the other end of the link 216.

At the retracted position of the charging roller shown by the solid line in the figure, the protrusion 206 of the developing device is caused by a spring (not shown).
-1, the charging roller is also separated from the image carrier.

When the developing device 206 moves to the left from the position shown in the figure and reaches an operating position such as a chain line, the protrusion 20
The reference numeral 6-1 rotates the link 216 to bring the charging roller 7 to the operating position where it is pressed against the image carrier.

A connecting portion 196-1 is provided at the rear end portion (right side in the figure) of the guide member 196, and one end of a wire or belt 246 is attached to the connecting portion, and the other end is It is fixed by a suitable means such as a screw 256 to a holding member 236 that is coaxially arranged with the pin 3 via an intermediate roller 246 and that rotates together with the release rotation of the apparatus upper half 1-1.

With this configuration, when the upper half portion 1-1 of the apparatus main body is rotated in the releasing direction, the holding member 236 is rotated by this and pulls the wire 246, so that the guide member 196, Therefore, the developing device 206 mounted on this moves from the operating position shown by the chain line in the figure to the retracted position shown by the solid line.

Along with this, the protrusion 206-1 provided on the top of the developing device is also displaced to the right in the drawing, and the link 216 is formed.
Also, the charging roller 7 is rotated from the chain line position to the solid line position.
From the operating position where it comes into contact with the image carrier to the inoperative position that is separated from it. Therefore, since the charging roller is automatically retracted from the image carrier by releasing the upper half of the operation body, the replaceability of the cartridge 5 and the maintenance and inspection and repair of other parts and units can be easily performed.

FIG. 32 shows still another embodiment, in which the image forming apparatus can be divided into two parts, and the upper half part 1-1 rotates and opens / closes with respect to the lower half part 1-2. The figure shows the state in which the upper half is released.

A pin 27 is provided at an appropriate position on the upper half 1-1 of the main body of the apparatus.
6 is provided, and the arm 2 is swingably arranged on the 6
At the free end of 66, the charging roller 7 is disposed, and in the operating state in which the upper half portion 1-1 is closed, the charging roller 7 contacts the image carrier 5-1 by its own weight. I will contact you.

When the upper half 1-1 is rotated and released, the arm 266 and the charging roller 7 attached thereto swing from the operating position shown by the chain line in the figure to the position shown by the solid line, whereby the charging roller 7 is imaged. Retract to a position away from the carrier 5-1. Therefore, replacement of the cartridge 5, inspection and repair of parts and units can be easily performed.

[0134]

As described above, according to the present invention, conventionally, a charging roller which is incorporated in a process cartridge and comes into contact with an image carrier, and a contact charging and transfer means such as a transfer roller, which is separately provided, are provided. In the image forming apparatus, since the charging means and the like are brought into contact with and separated from the image carrier in response to the stop of the driving of the main body apparatus, the cartridge can be easily attached to and detached from the main body apparatus without damaging the image carrier. The deterioration of the photosensitive layer due to the constant contact of the charging roller with the carrier can be avoided, and the replacement of the charging roller, which is the charging means, the replacement of other parts and the maintenance and inspection become easy, and the life of the image forming apparatus is extended. A remarkable effect can be obtained in reducing the running cost.

Further, according to the present invention, in the above-mentioned image forming apparatus further including a cleaning means such as a charging roller, at least one of the charging means and the cleaning means can be displaced in the axial direction of the image carrier. thing,
Further, by interlocking the means for performing the displacement with the copying function returning operation of the main body apparatus, the cleaning function especially for dirt parallel to the rotation circumferential direction of the image carrier is improved, maintenance is facilitated and the life of the cartridge is extended. It is also effective for extending the cost.

Further, by interlocking with the copying function returning operation, a separate drive member such as a clutch, a solenoid, a gear train, and a belt is not required in addition to the main body drive device, and the structure is simple and a small space can be realized. It is also effective in reducing noise. Further, in the image forming apparatus as described above, a switching means is provided for contacting and separating the charging roller with the image carrier and contacting and separating the cleaning means with the charging roller by transmitting the rotational driving force from the main body side. By doing so, the contacting / separating operation can be smoothly performed regardless of the contact pressure, the contact pressure to the image carrier can be made uniform, and the charging roller and the like are not formed in a drum shape unlike the conventional case, Since it can be formed into a cylindrical shape, it is advantageous in terms of cost, and since a small member such as a spring clutch can be used as the contacting / separating means, it contributes to downsizing of the device and cost reduction.

Further, in an apparatus in which the main body of the image forming apparatus can be divided into upper and lower parts and the cartridge is arranged in the upper half part thereof, the charging roller is connected to the image on the cartridge side in association with the operation of dividing and releasing the main body of the apparatus. Since the charging roller is separated from the carrier, the charging roller can be processed independently of other members, which facilitates insertion and removal of the cartridge and contributes to a reduction in running cost.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side sectional view of an image forming apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side sectional view showing the vicinity of the cartridge as above.

FIG. 3 is a front view of essential parts showing the configuration of reciprocating means such as a charging roller.

FIG. 4 is a front view of essential parts showing reciprocating means such as a charging roller according to another embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an image forming apparatus showing another embodiment of the present invention,
Side sectional view showing the vicinity of the cartridge

FIG. 6 is a front view showing a configuration for displacing the charging roller of the above.

FIG. 7 is a top view of the same.

FIG. 8 is a side sectional view of a portion in the vicinity of a cartridge of an image forming apparatus showing another embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a side sectional view of the vicinity of the cartridge of the image forming apparatus showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a structure of a cleaning member for the charging roller,
Side view showing operation

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the same.

FIG. 12 is a side view showing a configuration in which the charging roller is brought into contact with and separated from an image carrier as in the above.

FIG. 13 Same as above

FIG. 14 is a side view showing the configuration and operation of the cleaning member for the charging roller.

FIG. 15 Same as above

FIG. 16 is a side sectional view of the vicinity of the cartridge of the image forming apparatus showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is the same as the structure of the cleaning means for the charging roller,
Side view showing the action

FIG. 18 is a plan view of the main part of the same as above.

FIG. 19 is a side view of the same as above.

FIG. 20 is a side view of a main part showing another embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a partial front view of the same as above.

FIG. 22 is a side view of essential parts showing another embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a main-portion plan view showing another embodiment.

FIG. 24 is a side sectional view of the vicinity of the cartridge of the image forming apparatus showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a side view showing the configuration and operation of the cleaning roller cleaning means of the same.

FIG. 26 is a plan view of the same as above.

FIG. 27 is a side view showing a means for bringing the charging roller into and out of contact with the image carrier.

FIG. 28 is a side sectional view of the vicinity of the cartridge of the image forming apparatus showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 29 is a side view showing a state in which the upper half of the image forming apparatus is released.

FIG. 30 is a side view of an essential part of an image forming apparatus showing another embodiment.

FIG. 31 is a side view of a main part of an image forming apparatus according to another embodiment.

FIG. 32 is a side view of an essential part of an image forming apparatus showing another embodiment.

FIG. 33 is a perspective view illustrating the shape of a known charging or transfer roller that is in pressure contact with an image carrier.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 image forming apparatus 1-1 upper half of the image forming apparatus 1-2 same upper and lower half 3 pins 5 cartridge 5-1 image carrier 6 transfer roller 7 charging roller 9 cleaning member 17-1 front lid 18, 20 axis 23, 24 Torque limiter 29 Link arm 31, 33 spring 183 swing plate 223 arm 233 solenoid 273 swing arm 283, 293 Gear 28-2 One-way clutch 303 Pane 333 U-shaped spring 353 Arm 363 Ratchet wheel 403 Ratchet 214 Cam 244, 224 Ratchet wheel 264 Guide member 26-1 Claw 26-4 Control ring 264a Operating position 264b Non-operating position 274 Link 324 Cam 374 Oscillating shaft 375 Thrust stop 5-5 Engaging member 185 Oscillating plate 235 Arm 255 Cam 265 Spring clutch

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An image carrier and a charging roller that comes in contact with and separates from the image carrier.
An image forming apparatus provided with a contact type voltage applying means such as a transfer roller is provided with means for bringing at least one of the voltage applying means into contact with or away from an image carrier according to driving or stopping of the image forming apparatus. An image forming apparatus characterized by the above. 2. A cartridge which includes an image carrier and is detachably mountable to the main body of the image forming apparatus, and is provided with contact-type voltage applying means such as a charging roller and a transfer roller which come into contact with and separate from the image carrier. In the image forming apparatus, a means for retracting the voltage applying means from a position where it abuts the image carrier or operating in the opposite direction is provided in association with an operation of attaching and detaching the cartridge to and from the main body of the image forming apparatus. An image forming apparatus characterized by the above. 3. An image carrier, and a charging roller that comes into contact with and separates from the image carrier.
In an image forming apparatus provided with a contact type voltage applying unit such as a transfer roller and a unit for cleaning the voltage applying unit, the cleaning unit and the voltage applying unit are relatively arranged in the axial direction of the image carrier. An image forming apparatus comprising means for reciprocating. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising means for performing a relative reciprocating motion between the voltage applying means and the cleaning means in association with a copying function returning operation of the image forming apparatus body. 5. An image carrier, a contact type voltage applying unit such as a charging roller and a transfer roller, and a unit for cleaning the charging unit. At least one of the voltage applying unit and the cleaning unit is an image carrier or an image carrier. An image forming apparatus provided with a contacting / separating means for contacting / separating with respect to a cleaning means, characterized in that it has a switching means for performing the contacting / separating operation of the contacting / separating means by transmitting and stopping the rotational force of the apparatus body. apparatus. 6. An image carrier comprising a lower half portion of a fixed arrangement and an upper half portion that can be rotated and opened and closed with respect to the fixed half portion, wherein an image carrier is detachably mounted on the upper half portion, and An image forming apparatus including a voltage applying unit that comes into contact with a body, further comprising a unit that separates the voltage applying unit from the image carrier in association with rotation and release of the upper half portion. Forming equipment.