JPH0619379A - Cleaning device for image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the deterioration of cleaning performance caused by the soiling of a photosensitive body due to the sticking of waste toner to a conductive fur brush by preventing the backflow of the waste toner removed from a toner recovering roller, and to maintain stable cleaning performance for a long period by improving the operability of maintenance. CONSTITUTION:In this cleaning device for an image forming device, a flicker member 14 freely turned centering a supporting shaft 15 supported by the casing 2 of a cleaning device 1, is provided, while the cleaning device 1 is fitted to the main body of the image forming device, one end part of the flicker member 1 is abutted on the conductive fur brush 4 with a prescribed gnawing quantity, and while the cleaning device 1 is released from the main body of the image forming device, the other end part of the flicker member 14 is abutted on the toner recovering roller 6.

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 using an electrophotographic process such as a copying machine, a printer and a fax machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Since a cleaning device 1 for a conventional image forming apparatus is mostly the same as the embodiment of the present invention, it will be described with reference to FIG. It is a conductive member provided such that an opening is provided in the casing 2 so as to face the surface of the photoconductor 3 and the outer peripheral portion of the casing 2 partially projects from the opening and is in contact with the surface of the photoconductor 3. Sex fur brush 4
Is held by the toner collecting roller 6 for contacting the conductive fur brush 4 with a certain biting amount to collect the toner 5 from the conductive fur brush 4, and the scraper support member 7 contacting the toner collecting roller 6. The scraper 8 and the carrying coil 9 for discharging the collected waste toner to the outside of the apparatus. In something like this,
After the charge amount of the residual toner 5 on the photoconductor 3 is controlled, it is removed by the electrostatic force of the conductive fur brush 4 to which a bias is applied, and the toner 5 is transferred from the conductive fur brush 4 to the toner collecting roller 6 by the potential gradient. The toner 5 is transferred and scraped off from the toner collecting roller 6 by the scraper 8, and the scraped waste toner 5 falls to the waste toner accumulating portion 10 due to gravity.
The carrying coil 9 carries and discharges the cleaning device 1 to the outside.

In the cleaning device 1 as described above, a flicker bar (not shown) is provided so as to contact the conductive fur brush 4 in order to mechanically remove the paper dust and the toner 5 attached to the conductive fur brush 4. Are used. In such a device, the conductive fur brush 4 is collapsed and worn, and the conductive fur brush 4 is
There is a problem that filming of the toner 5 occurs. As a measure to solve this problem, there is a device provided with a device for rotating a flicker bar. In some cases, the flicker bar is brought into contact with the conductive fur brush 4 during image formation and is separated from the conductive fur brush during non-image formation in accordance with the image formation timing. In addition, there is a device in which a swing member such as an agitator is additionally provided in order to prevent blocking of toner in the cleaning device. However, there is no device that prevents the waste toner 5 removed from the toner collecting roller 6 from flowing backward toward the conductive fur brush 4.
12 and 13 are charging devices, respectively.

[0004]

In the above-described cleaning device, toner and paper powder are easily deposited and fixed between the flicker bar and the casing, and once they form a bridge, waste toner reaches the conveying coil. If it does not fall, toner and paper powder adhere to the conductive fur brush, stains accumulate, and the cleaning performance on the photoconductor deteriorates.Furthermore, the cleaning device is pulled out from the main body of the image forming device and maintenance is performed. When the cleaning device is tilted more than a certain angle, the waste toner removed from the toner collecting roller flows back and reattaches to the conductive fur brush, is scattered to the outside, and the toner reattaches to the conductive fur brush. If the cleaning device is attached to the main body of the image forming device in this state, the waste toner will get inside the conductive fur brush and stick to it. Therefore, the cleaning of the photoconductor is not performed well, the photoconductor is soiled and a high quality image cannot be obtained, and such backflow or scattering of toner is made into a disposable kit of the cleaning device or the process. It becomes a neck when trying to make it into a cartridge, while
Even when a part of the image forming apparatus to which the cleaning device is attached is opened and closed, for example, when the cleaning device is tilted when removing jammed paper, the same problem as described above occurs, and There is a problem in that the same problem occurs when moving or tilting.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, prevent the waste toner removed from the toner collecting roller from flowing backward, and the waste toner adheres to the conductive fur brush to remove the photosensitive member. It does not stain and deteriorate the cleaning performance, and it improves the workability of maintenance and replacement,
Another object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device capable of eliminating the formation of a toner bridge in the cleaning device, preventing the conductive fur brush from collapsing, and maintaining stable cleaning performance for a long period.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a conductive fur brush for removing residual toner on a photosensitive member, and the conductive fur brush. A cleaning device for an image forming apparatus, comprising: a toner collecting roller that comes into contact with a brush to collect toner from a conductive fur brush; and a scraper that comes into contact with the toner collecting roller and scrapes off toner on the toner collecting roller, A flicker member that is rotatable around a support shaft supported by the casing of the cleaning device is provided, and one end of the flicker member bites into the conductive fur brush when the cleaning device is attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus. The other end of the flicker member comes into contact with the toner collecting roller while the cleaning device separates from the main body of the image forming apparatus. And it is characterized in and. According to a second aspect of the present invention, a conductive fur brush that removes residual toner on the photoconductor, a toner collecting roller that contacts the conductive fur brush and collects toner from the conductive fur brush, and the toner collecting roller. In a cleaning device of an image forming apparatus having a scraper that scrapes off toner on a toner collecting roller by abutting against a cleaning roller, a flicker member rotatable about a support shaft supported by a casing of the cleaning device is provided. When one of the flicker members is in operation, one end of the flicker member comes into contact with the conductive fur brush with a predetermined amount of contact, and when the cleaning device is not in operation, the other end of the flicker member comes into contact with the toner collecting roller. To do.

[0007]

According to the present invention as described above, in the cleaning device as described above, the cleaning device is provided with a flicker member rotatable about a support shaft supported by a casing of the cleaning device. Is attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus, one end of the flicker member comes into contact with the conductive fur brush with a predetermined bite amount, and the other end of the flicker member is detached from the main body of the image forming apparatus while the cleaning device is detached from the main body of the image forming apparatus. When the cleaning device is attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus, one end of the flicker member comes into contact with the conductive fur brush with a predetermined amount of contact so that the conductive fur brush comes into contact with the toner collecting roller. When the cleaning device is removed from the main body of the image forming apparatus by scraping off the toner on the brush, the stack is placed between the flicker member and the casing. During the separation, the flicker member separates from the brush, and the other end of the flicker member contacts the toner recovery roller, and the flicker member collects the waste toner accumulation part and the toner. The gap between the collecting roller and the portion having the conductive fur brush is sealed to prevent the collected waste toner from flowing back to the conductive fur brush. According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the above-described cleaning device, a flicker member that is rotatable around a support shaft supported by a casing of the cleaning device is provided, and one end of the flicker member is provided when the cleaning device is operating. When the cleaning device comes into contact with the conductive fur brush with a predetermined amount of contact, the other end of the flicker member comes into contact with the toner collecting roller when the cleaning device is not operating, and when the cleaning device operates, When one end of the flicker member comes into contact with the conductive fur brush with a predetermined bite amount to scrape off the toner from the conductive fur brush, the cleaning device stops operating, and the flicker member separates from the conductive fur brush. , Paper dust, toner, etc. that have accumulated or blocked between the flicker member and the casing are crushed, and are not operating Can abuts the other end portion of the flicker member to the toner recovery roller,
The flicker member seals the gap between the waste toner accumulation portion and the portion having the toner collecting roller and the conductive fur brush, and prevents the collected waste toner from flowing back to the conductive fur brush.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention are shown in FIGS. Figure 1
Since the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 9 and other embodiments other than the above are common in many parts, the description of such parts will be made by referring to the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment. Will be omitted and mainly different parts will be described.

1 to 9 showing the first embodiment, FIG.
A flicker member 14 having a spindle 15 as shown in FIG.
The flicker member 14 is rotatably provided around the conductive fur brush 4 and provided on the casing 2 around the support shaft 15 as shown in FIG. The other end of the flicker member body 18 is biased in the clockwise direction by a coil spring 22 that is locked to a first stopper 23 provided on the casing 2. In FIG. 3 when the flicker member 14 is viewed from the back side (casing 2 side),
The flicker member 14 is made of an electrically insulating material, and is disposed near the center of the flicker member main body 18 in the X direction.
A plurality of ribs in the same direction (Y direction) where the
The ribs 19 serve as stoppers when they come into contact with the casing 2, and the support shaft 15 is fixed to the shaft support member 20 provided on the flicker member body 18. Flicker member body 18
The front end portion 16 of the flicker member 14 has a length sufficient for sealing when the flicker member 14 contacts the toner collecting roller 6 and has a thickness of about 0.05 mm to 0.5 mm, such as polyurethane rubber or polyethylene terephthalate (PET P). ) Etc. is provided. Further, the rear end portion 17 of the flicker member main body 18 on the opposite side through the rib 19 of the flicker member main body 18 serves as a biting portion into the conductive fur brush 4, and has a diameter of 1 to 3 mmφ.
It has been subjected to a degree of cylindrical bending. Flicker member
When 14 is made of a conductive material, such as a metal sheet metal, it needs to be insulated so that it directly contacts the casing 2 and the bias voltage of the conductive fur brush 4 is prevented from being short-circuited through the casing 2. Becomes

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, 7, a projection 24 is provided at one end of the support shaft 15 so as to project to the outside of the casing 2.
The bearing 25 attached to the machine frame 50 forms a hollow portion that is fitted with the fitting member 26 and is movable in the axial direction, and a flange portion 40 that serves as a stopper for the fitting member 26 is provided on the front surface thereof. Inside the bearing 25, the convex portions 43, 44 provided at the positions facing each other in the radial direction of the fitting member 26 are fitted, and the concave portions 41, 44 movable in the axial direction are provided.
Provide 42 grooves. The fitting member 26 is mounted in the hollow portion of the bearing 25 so as to be movable in the axial direction via a compression spring 27 between the fitting member 26 and the machine frame 50. The fitting member 26 is provided with a through hole 45 through which the support shaft 15 is inserted, and a sliding surface 46 is formed on an end surface facing the support shaft 15. The sliding surface 46 is an inclined surface and has a step portion. 47 are formed.

When the cleaning device 1 is not mounted on the main body of the image forming apparatus, the fitting member 26 mounted on the hollow portion of the bearing 25 is pressed forward by the compression spring 27 as shown in FIG. The front surfaces of the convex portions 43, 44 provided on the fitting member 26 are in a position where they come into contact with the flange portion 40 of the bearing 25 and stop. When the cleaning device 1 is mounted on the main body of the image forming apparatus,
As shown in FIG. 7, the cleaning device 1 is guided by the guide rail 30 shown in FIG. 5 provided in the main body of the image forming apparatus, inserted in the direction of arrow A, and mounted at a predetermined position. At that time, the projection 24 of the support shaft 15 slides on the sliding surface 46 of the fitting member 26, the support shaft 15 rotates, and the flicker member 14 rotates counterclockwise. When the cleaning device 1 is mounted on the main body of the image forming apparatus, the protrusion 24 of the support shaft 15 hits the stepped portion 47 and does not stop its rotation before the rib 19 of the flicker member 14 comes into contact with the casing 2 and stops. The rotation angle of the flicker member 14 at such a position, that is, when the cleaning device 1 is attached to the image forming apparatus main body and when it is removed is about 60 °, so that when the cleaning device 1 is attached, it is about 10 °. It is provided at a position away from the step 47 with a margin. The projection 24 may be slid on any part within the range of the arrow B of the sliding surface 46 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 as long as it can cover 60 ° plus 10 °. Further, while the projection 24 slides on the sliding surface 46, the support shaft 15 is inserted into the through hole 45, and the flicker member 14
When the rib 19 of the
When the rotation of 14 is stopped and the support shaft 15 further enters the machine frame 50 side, the fitting member 26 resists the repulsive force of the compression spring 27 and the machine frame 50.
Move in the direction of. In the stationary state of the support shaft 15, the fitting member 26 is further provided with a margin Z of 3 to 6 mm in the axial direction. The actual moving distance out of this margin is determined by the spring constant of the compression spring 27.
A member in which the fitting member 26 is stationary due to the repulsive force of the compression spring 27 until 19 comes into contact with the casing 2 is selected.
Otherwise, the insertion force of the support shaft 15 exceeds the urging force of the compression spring 27, the support shaft 15 pushes the fitting member 26 toward the machine frame 50 via the protrusion 24, and the support shaft 15 rotates. Because it will disappear.

While the cleaning device 1 is attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus, the state shown in FIG.
The rear end portion 17 of the flicker member is in contact with the conductive fur brush 4 with a biting amount of 0.5 to 3 mm, and fulfills the flicker effect of the conductive fur brush 4.

The flicker member 14 is used for the cleaning device 1.
Is removed from the main body of the image forming apparatus, the flicker member
Reference numeral 14 is a coil spring 22 which rotates clockwise to reach the state shown in FIG. By this operation, the blocked toner 5 is broken between the conductive fur brush 4 and the flicker member 14, and the flicker effect of the conductive fur brush 4 is maintained. Further, when the seal member 21 is in contact with the toner collecting roller 6, the seal member 21 comes into contact with the surface pressure enough to allow the toner 5 and the like adhering to the toner collecting roller 6 to pass even if the toner collecting roller 6 rotates. In order to allow the cleaning device 1 to have a second stopper 31 on the side plate of the casing 2.
Is provided to position the flicker member 14, and the seal member 21 is always in a state of abdominal contact with the toner collecting roller 6.

The conductive fur brush 4 is a brush in which conductive fibers, for example, chemical fibers containing carbon are planted on a core metal of a conductive metal such as stainless steel or aluminum. It is desirable to set 10 ⁵ to 10 ⁹ Ω · cm. The toner collecting roller 6 to which the bias voltage is applied is a conductive roller made of a metal whose surface is polished, such as stainless steel. The surface of this roller may be coated with a fluorocarbon resin, for example, a resin containing carbon in Teflon, Lumiflon, etc., in order to maintain the life of the scraper 8 for a long time.

Although the bias voltage is applied to the conductive fur brush 4 and the toner collecting roller 6, the core metal of the conductive fur brush 4 is electrically floated and the bias voltage is applied only to the toner collecting roller 6. However, since a potential difference is generated due to the electric resistance of the brush, the same toner adsorption effect can be obtained. The conductive fur brush 4 rotates in the counter direction with respect to the photoconductor 3, and the toner collecting roller 6 rotates in the counter direction with respect to the conductive fur brush 4. The linear velocity ratio is the photoconductor 3 to the conductive fur brush 4, and
It is set to 1: 0.6 to 1 together with the conductive fur brush 4 and the toner collecting roller 6.

The second embodiment of the present invention differs from the first embodiment in the portions shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, and has a solenoid 35 having a plunger 34 driven by a drive power source (not shown) outside the cleaning device. Is provided, one end of the tension spring 37 is locked to the plunger 34, the other end of the tension spring 37 is locked to one end of the lever 36, and one end of the main body side support shaft (not shown) is fixed to the other end of the lever 36. The other end of the main body side support shaft and the support shaft 15 to which the flicker member 14 is attached are connected by a joint (not shown) so that a rotational force is transmitted, and the main body side support shaft and the support shaft 15 are cleaning devices. 1 is configured to be detached when it is detached from the image forming apparatus main body. The support shaft 15 of the flicker member 14 is inside the cleaning device 1, and the flicker member 14 is the power source of the solenoid 35.
As shown in Fig. 10, lever 36 and tension spring are driven by N drive.
It is configured to be pulled by the plunger 34 via 37 and rotate counterclockwise to come into contact with the conductive fur brush 4. ON / OFF of the power source of the solenoid 35 is controlled so as to be synchronized with image formation. When the image is not formed or when the image forming apparatus is not used, the cleaning operation is stopped and the solenoid 35 is turned off.
As shown in FIG. 1, the flicker member 14 is rotated clockwise about the support shaft 15 by the urging force of the coil spring 22, and the seal member 21 of the flicker member 14 comes into contact with the toner collecting roller and stops. There is no difference from the example.

In the second embodiment, the cleaning device 1
When the cleaning device 1 is stopped, or when the cleaning device 1 is removed from the main body of the image forming apparatus or when the jammed paper is removed, or when the cleaning device 1 is moved or the image forming apparatus is tilted or impacted, The toner does not flow back and adhere to the conductive fur brush 4.

In the second embodiment, when the cleaning operation is started, the power source of the solenoid 35 is turned on and the lever 36 is pulled through the tension spring 37. The lever 36 is centered on the main body side support shaft. Rotate it counterclockwise,
The flicker member 14 rotates clockwise about a support shaft 15 connected to the main body support shaft. The flicker member 14 is
The rib of the flicker member 14 is opposed to the force of the coil spring 22.
Rotate until 19 contacts casing 2 and stop. In this state, when the conductive fur brush 4 receives a drive from the main body (not shown) and starts to rotate, the rear end portion 17 of the flicker member main body 18 is supported by the mechanical resistance of the bristle of the conductive fur brush 4 as a support shaft. Since the counterclockwise rotating force about 15 is received, the pulling force of the solenoid 35 may or may not be present. Turn on the solenoid 35 only when starting brush rotation, and then turn it off. Good. Further, since the flicker member 14 vibrates due to the change of the mechanical resistance of the brush, the toner 5 is hard to adhere.

[0019]

As described above, according to the present invention, the conductive fur brush for removing the residual toner on the photoreceptor and the conductive fur brush are brought into contact with each other to recover the toner from the conductive fur brush. In a cleaning device of an image forming apparatus having a toner recovery roller and a scraper that abuts on the toner recovery roller and scrapes off the toner on the toner recovery roller, the cleaning device rotates about a support shaft supported by a casing of the cleaning device. Provide a free flicker member,
In the invention of claim 1, the cleaning device is attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus, or in the invention of claim 2, the cleaning device has one end portion of the flicker member which contacts the conductive fur brush in a predetermined manner. The other end of the flicker member collects the toner when the cleaning device contacts the main body of the image forming apparatus while the cleaning device is detaching from the main body of the image forming apparatus or when the cleaning device is not operating in the second invention. When the cleaning device contacts the roller, the cleaning device is attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus in the first aspect of the invention, or in the second aspect of the invention, the flicker member is a conductive fur. When the toner of the brush is scraped off and the cleaning device is separated from the main body of the image forming apparatus in the first aspect of the invention, or in the second aspect of the invention when not in operation,
The paper dust, toner, etc. that have accumulated and blocked between the flicker member and the casing are destroyed, and the flicker member seals the gap between the waste toner accumulation part and the other part having the collecting roller and the conductive fur brush. Since the collected waste toner is prevented from flowing back to the conductive fur brush, it is possible to prevent the toner bridge from being formed and prevent the conductive fur brush from collapsing. It is possible to maintain a stable cleaning performance for a long period of time without the need to provide, and at the time of maintenance, the waste toner does not redeposit on the conductive fur brush or scatter to the outside, resulting in good workability. There is an effect that the cleaning device can be easily downsized, a kit, and a process cartridge.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view when a cleaning device according to a first embodiment of the present invention is operating.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view when the above cleaning device is not operating.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the same flicker member.

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the same flicker member.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line C-C in FIG. 2 with the above-described cleaning device attached to the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a flicker member supporting shaft inserted into a fitting member before a cleaning device is mounted on a bearing provided on a side plate of the image forming apparatus main body and the cleaning device is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body; It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state which is not.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus main body in which the fitting member is attached to the bearing provided on the side plate, the cleaning device is attached to the image forming apparatus main body, and the spindle of the flicker member is inserted into the fitting member. It is a longitudinal section showing a state after.

FIG. 8 is a front view showing a state in which a fitting member is mounted on the above bearing.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a state in which a fitting member is attached to the above bearing.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which the power of the solenoid of the second embodiment of the present invention is turned on and the flicker member comes into contact with the conductive fur brush.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a state in which the flicker member comes into contact with the toner collecting roller when the power source of the solenoid is turned off.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Cleaning Device 2 Casing 3 Photoconductor 4 Conductive Fur Brush 5 Toner 6 Toner Collection Roller 10 Waste Toner Accumulation Section 14 Flicker Member 15 Spindle 16 Tip of Flicker Member Main Body 17 Rear End of Flicker Member Main Body 18 Flicker Member Main Body 19 Rib 20 Shaft support member 21 Seal member 22 Coil spring 23 First stopper 24 Protrusion 25 Bearing 26 Fitting member 27 Compression spring 28 Through hole 30 Guide rail 31 Second stopper 34 Plunger 35 Solenoid 36 Lever 37 Tension spring 40 Collar 41 , 42 concave 43, 44 convex 45 through hole 46 sliding surface 47 step 50 machine frame

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A conductive fur brush that removes residual toner on a photoconductor, a toner collection roller that contacts the conductive fur brush and collects toner from the conductive fur brush, and a toner collection roller that contacts the toner collection roller. In a cleaning device of an image forming apparatus having a scraper for scraping off toner on a toner collecting roller, a flicker member rotatable about a support shaft supported by a casing of the cleaning device is provided, and an image of the cleaning device is displayed. One end of the flicker member comes into contact with the conductive fur brush with a predetermined amount of bite while being attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus, and the other end of the flicker member has toner when the cleaning device is separated from the main body of the image forming apparatus. A cleaning device, which is in contact with a collecting roller. 2. A conductive fur brush that removes residual toner on the photoconductor, a toner collection roller that contacts the conductive fur brush and collects toner from the conductive fur brush, and a toner collection roller that contacts the toner collection roller. In a cleaning device of an image forming apparatus having a scraper for scraping off the toner on a toner collecting roller, a flicker member rotatable about a support shaft supported by a casing of the cleaning device is provided to operate the cleaning device. When one end of the flicker member comes into contact with the conductive fur brush with a predetermined amount of contact when the cleaning device is inactive, the other end of the flicker member comes into contact with the toner collecting roller when the cleaning device is not operating. apparatus.