JPH07287493A - Cleaning device for electrophotographic device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To extremely prevent developer from adhering to the peripheral wall of a recovering path in a cleaning device guiding residual developer removed from a photoreceptor after transferring an image to a carrying means side through the recovering path and carrying it to a specified spot by the carrying means. CONSTITUTION:This device is provided with a cleaning member such as a fur brush 35 and a cleaning blade 31 removing the residual developer (t) on the photoreceptor 11 after transferring the image, the recovering path 37 through which the developer (t) removed by the cleaning member is recovered, and a developer carrying screw 39 carrying the developer (t) recovered through the recovering path 37 to the specified spot. A rotating body 42 is constituted of a rotating main body 43 and an auxiliary member 44 attached to the main body 43. The member 44 is made like a ring and plurally provided, then it is attached to the main body 43 to increase a rotational radius and retreated in a direction where the rotational radius of the rotating body 92 is decreased when it collides with the peripheral wall 37a of the recovering path 37 and the screw 39 with the rotation of the main body 43.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention can be applied to an electrophotographic apparatus such as a laser printer, a laser copying machine or a laser facsimile which records on a sheet by using an electrophotographic system.
More specifically, the present invention relates to a cleaning device in such an electrophotographic apparatus that removes residual developer on the photoconductor after image transfer by a cleaning member and conveys it to a predetermined location.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, in a cleaning device of a laser printer, as shown in FIG. 8, a fur brush 2 and a cleaning blade 3 for removing a residual developer on a photoreceptor 1 after image transfer, and a cleaning blade 3 therefor. Some include a recovery path 4 for recovering the removed developer and a developer transport screw 5 for transporting the recovered developer to a predetermined location.

At the time of cleaning, the fur brush 2 and the cleaning blade 3 remove the residual developer t on the photoconductor 1, and the removed developer t is guided to the developer conveying screw 5 side through the recovery passage 4. By rotating the developer conveying screw 5, the developer was conveyed to a predetermined position in the direction orthogonal to the paper surface in the drawing.

However, in such a cleaning device, when the removed developer t is recovered, it adheres to the peripheral wall 4a of the recovery passage 4. Then, the adhered developer t is repeatedly softened and hardened due to the temperature change in the cleaning case to be deposited, and finally becomes a developer bridge 7 as shown in FIG. As a result, there is a problem that the recovery path 4 is blocked and the removed developer t cannot be discharged to the outside.

Therefore, in the conventional cleaning device, as shown in FIG.
There is a configuration in which a rotating body 8 that rotates in the recovery path 4 is provided.

At the time of cleaning, the rotary member 8 is rotated in the recovery passage 4 to remove the developer t adhering to the peripheral wall 4a of the recovery passage 4.

[0007]

However, in such a conventional cleaning device, even if the rotor 8 is rotated,
Since the developer t adhering to the peripheral wall 4a of the recovery passage 4 cannot be sufficiently removed, the developer t gradually accumulates and narrows the recovery passage 4 as shown in the figure, which deteriorates the recovery of the developer t. was there.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to prevent the developer from adhering to the peripheral wall of the recovery path as much as possible in the cleaning device as described above.

[0009]

Therefore, what is stated in claim 1 is, for example, as shown in the following illustrated embodiment,
A cleaning member such as a fur brush 35 or a cleaning blade 31 for removing the residual developer t on the photoconductor 11 after the image transfer, a recovery path 37 for recovering the developer t removed by the cleaning member, and a recovery path thereof. A transporting means such as a developer transporting screw 39 for transporting the developer t collected through 37 to a predetermined position, and a developer t which rotates in the recovery path 37 and adheres to the peripheral wall 37a of the recovery path 37. And the rotating body 42 that
To the rotating body 43 and the rotating body 4 attached to it.
2 and the auxiliary member 44 that retreats in the direction in which the rotation radius of the rotating body 42 decreases when the main body 43 rotates and the collision occurs with the peripheral wall 37a of the recovery passage 37 or the conveying means. It is characterized by

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the main body 43 of the rotary body 42 serves as the center of rotation in the cleaning device 15 of the electrophotographic apparatus according to the first aspect as shown in the following illustrated embodiment. The shaft portion 45, a linear portion 46 parallel to the shaft portion 45, and a diameter portion 47 connecting both ends of the shaft portion 45 and the shaft portion 45 are formed, and a plurality of the auxiliary members 44 are provided in a ring shape, and the linear portion 46 is provided at the center thereof. It is characterized in that it is attached to the main body 43 by passing it through.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the main body 43 of the rotating body 42 serves as the center of rotation in the cleaning device 15 of the electrophotographic apparatus according to the first aspect as shown in the following illustrated embodiment. A shaft part 45, a linear part 46 parallel to the shaft part 45, and a diameter part 47 connecting both ends of the shaft part 45 and the shaft part 45 are formed, while the auxiliary member 44 is formed in a spiral shape and the straight part 46 is passed through the center thereof. It is characterized in that it is attached to the main body 43.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the main body 43 of the rotary body 42 serves as the center of rotation in the cleaning device 15 of the electrophotographic apparatus according to the first aspect as shown in the following illustrated embodiment. The auxiliary member 44 is formed by a shaft portion 45, a linear portion 46 parallel to the shaft portion 45, and a diameter portion 47 connecting both ends of the shaft portion 45 and the shaft portion 45, and the auxiliary member 44 is an auxiliary linear portion parallel to the linear portion 46 of the main body 43. 52, and an auxiliary diameter portion 53 connecting between both ends thereof and the linear portion 46 of the main body 43.
It is characterized in that it is formed in a swing shape and is attached to the main body 43.

[0013]

In the present invention, when the rotating body 42 is rotated during cleaning, the auxiliary member 44 moves in the direction of increasing the radius of rotation of the rotating body 42. When the auxiliary member 44 collides with the peripheral wall 37a of the recovery path 37, the developer conveying screw 39, or the like during rotation of the rotating body 42, the rotating body 42 is retracted in a direction in which the radius of rotation of the rotating body 42 is reduced.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 7 shows a schematic configuration of a laser printer including a cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Reference numeral 10 in the drawing denotes a printer main body. Inside the printer body 10, a drum-shaped photosensitive member 11 is provided at the substantially center. Around the photoconductor 11, a charging device 12, a developing device 13, a transfer device 14, and a cleaning device 15 according to the present invention are arranged in a driving direction indicated by an arrow in the figure. An optical writing device 16 is arranged above the charging device 12 and the developing device 13. Then, on the right side of the printer body 10 in the drawing, a paper feed cassette 17 accommodating the paper S is detachably provided.

When recording on the paper S using this laser printer, the paper feed roller 18 is rotationally driven to feed the paper S from the paper feed cassette 17 in the direction of arrow A in the figure, and the paper S Is conveyed to the lower side of the photoconductor 11 at a timing by the registration roller pair 19.

The photoconductor 11 is rotationally driven in the clockwise direction shown by the arrow, and at that time, the surface of the photoconductor 11 is uniformly charged by the charging device 12, and thereafter, the laser beam from the optical writing device 16 is irradiated to the photoconductor 11. Form an electrostatic latent image on top. This latent image is visualized by toner when passing through the position of the developing device 13. Then, this visible image is transferred by the transfer device 14 onto the upper surface of the sheet S conveyed to the lower side of the photoconductor 11.

After the image transfer, the sheet S is conveyed to the fixing device 21 by the conveying roller 20, and the transferred image on the sheet S is fixed there. After the fixing, the paper S discharged from the fixing device 21 is discharged by the paper discharge roller pair 22 and is stacked on the paper discharge tray 23.

On the other hand, the residual developer on the surface of the photoconductor 11 after the image transfer is removed by the cleaning device 15.

By the way, the cleaning device 15 is
Specifically, the configuration is as shown in FIG. Reference numeral 25 in the figure
Is a cleaning case. The cleaning case 25 is in the shape of a horizontally long box that is long in the axial direction of the photoconductor 11, and has a horizontally long developer recovery port 26 on the right side surface in the drawing, which is arranged parallel to it toward the photoconductor 11 side. I will do it.

A film-like seal member 27 is attached to the lower edge of the developer recovery port 26. The sealing member 2
7, a base end is attached to the cleaning case 25, and a front end projects obliquely upward from the developer recovery port 26 to be close to the peripheral surface of the photoconductor 11.

In the cleaning case 25, a blade holder 30 is provided above the developer recovery port 26. The blade holder 30 has an L-shaped cross section and is horizontally long. Both ends of the blade holder 30 in the lengthwise direction are supported between the side plates of the cleaning case 25 so as to be rotatable, and are biased in one direction by a biasing member (not shown). . Its blade holder 3
The base end portion of the cleaning blade 31 is fixed to the front end portion of 0. The cleaning blade 31 is formed in a horizontally long plate shape using an elastic material such as polyurethane. Then, the blade holder 30 presses the tip of the cleaning blade 31 against the surface of the photoconductor 11.

Further, in the cleaning case 25, a fur brush 3 is provided at a lower portion near the developer recovery port 26.
5 is provided. The fur brush 35 is supported between the side plates of the cleaning case 25 and is rotatably provided, and the tip of the brush contacts the photoconductor 11 and the flicker 36 for cleaning the fur brush.

Flicker 36 for cleaning the fur brush
Is a horizontally long plate shape and is formed in the same body as the cleaning case 30.

In the cleaning case 25, a recovery passage 37 for recovering the removed developer t and a recovery chamber 3 are provided.
8 is provided.

A developer carrying screw 39 is provided in the recovery chamber 38. The developer carrying screw 39 is
Both ends are supported between the side plates of the cleaning case 25 so as to be rotatable, and the cleaning case 25 is arranged parallel to the fur brush 35.

As shown in FIG. 1, a rotary member 42 that rotates in the recovery passage 37 is provided between the side plates of the cleaning case 25 at an upper position of the developer carrying screw 39. The rotating body 42 is made of metal, and includes a rotating main body 43 and an auxiliary member 44 attached thereto, as shown in FIG.

The rotating main body 43 is made up of a shaft portion 45 serving as a center of rotation, a linear portion 46 parallel to the shaft portion 45, and a diameter portion 47 connecting both ends thereof and the shaft portion 45. That is, the shaft portions 45 are made of metal and have a short axis, and two shaft portions 45 are arranged on the center line of rotation with a space therebetween. Further, a straight line portion 46 is formed in the center of the shaft portion 45 using a metal wire different from that of the shaft portion 45, and both end portions thereof are bent at a right angle to form a diameter portion 47 in the same body. The tip ends of the diameter portions 47 are welded to the inner end portion of the shaft portion 45.

On the other hand, the auxiliary member 44 is made of a metal material in a ring shape. Then, the linear portions 46 are passed through the centers of the plurality of auxiliary members 44 ..., to be attached to the main body 43, and the inner diameter of the auxiliary members 44 is made considerably larger than the outer diameter of the linear portions 46. As shown by the solid line and the two-dot chain line, it is free to move around the straight line portion 46. The auxiliary members 44 ... Are arranged with a large gap in the axial direction of the linear portion 46 in the figure,
In practice, a large number are used to prevent the straight portion from being offset toward the one end portion side.

During cleaning, however, as shown in FIG. 1, the fur brush 35 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction indicated by the arrow and rubbed with the tip of the brush to rub the residual developer t on the photosensitive member 11.
To remove. Further, the residual developer t on the photoconductor 11 is scraped off on the fur brush 35 by the tip of the cleaning blade 31.

Then, the developer t removed by the fur brush 35 and the cleaning blade 31 is conveyed by the rotation of the fur brush 35, and sent to the collecting chamber 38 through the collecting passage 37. Then, the developer t collected in the collecting chamber 38 is conveyed in one axial direction by the rotation of the developer conveying screw 39, and is discharged to the outside of the cleaning case 25.

By the way, when the fur brush 35 is rotated, the tip of the brush is applied to the flicker 36, and the impact t removes the developer t adhering to the fur brush 35. At this time, the developer t separated from the fur brush 35 is repelled by the restoring force of the brush generated when passing the flicker 36, and adheres to the peripheral wall 37 a of the recovery path 37.

Therefore, during the above-mentioned cleaning, the driving force from the driving source is transmitted to rotate the rotary body 42 together with the fur brush 35 and the developer carrying screw 39,
Thus, the developer t attached to the peripheral wall 37a of the recovery passage 37 is removed. When the rotating body 42 rotates, the rotating body 42
The auxiliary member 44 moves in the direction of increasing the radius of rotation by the centrifugal force of. Therefore, a larger amount of the developer t attached to the peripheral wall 37a of the recovery passage 37 can be removed. However, when the auxiliary member 44 collides with the peripheral wall 37a of the recovery path 37 or the developer transport screw 39 during the rotation of the rotating body 42, the auxiliary member 44 retracts in the direction in which the rotation radius of the rotating body 42 is reduced.

In the illustrated embodiment described above, the rotary member 4
In No. 2, a plurality of auxiliary members 44 are provided in the shape of a ring, and the linear portions 46 are passed through the centers of the auxiliary members 44 to attach the auxiliary members 44 to the main body 43. However, as shown in FIG.
The auxiliary member 44 is formed into a spiral shape, and a straight line portion 46 is formed at the center thereof.
It may be configured to be attached to the main body 43 by passing through.

When the rotating body 42 rotates, the auxiliary member 44 moves in the direction of increasing the radius of rotation by the centrifugal force of the rotating body 42. However, when the auxiliary member 44 collides with the peripheral wall 37a of the recovery path 37 and the developer transport screw 39 as the main body 43 rotates, the auxiliary member 44 is retracted in the direction in which the rotation radius of the rotating body 42 is reduced.

Further, as shown in FIG.
The auxiliary member 44 may be formed in a swing shape with the auxiliary linear portion 52 parallel to the linear portion 46 of the main body 43 and the auxiliary diameter portion 53 connecting the both ends thereof and the linear portion 46 of the main body 43 and attached to the main body 43. Good. That is, the auxiliary member 44
In addition, a metal wire is used to provide an auxiliary linear portion 52 at the center, and both ends are bent at right angles to provide an auxiliary diameter portion 53. Then, the tip of the auxiliary diameter portion 53 is rotatably wound around the linear portion 46 of the main body 43 to form a swing shape, and is attached to the main body 43.

When the rotating body 42 rotates, the auxiliary member 44 moves in the direction of increasing the radius of rotation of the rotating body 42. However, when the auxiliary member 44 collides with the peripheral wall 37 a of the recovery path 37 or the developer conveying screw 39 as the main body 43 rotates, the auxiliary member 44 sways and rotates.
Retract in the direction that reduces the turning radius of.

In all of the above-mentioned embodiments, the auxiliary member is made of wire. However, although not shown in the figure, a plurality of auxiliary members may be provided in the form of short cylinders, and the auxiliary members may be attached to the main body by passing straight portions through their centers.

[0039]

As described above, according to the present invention, when the rotary member is rotated during cleaning, the auxiliary member moves in the direction of increasing the radius of rotation of the rotary member, so that a larger amount of developer is removed. Therefore, it is possible to further reduce the amount of the developer attached to the peripheral wall of the recovery passage.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of essential parts of a cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a rotating body used in the cleaning device.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the rotating body as viewed from the axial direction.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another example of a rotating body used in the cleaning device.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of still another example of a rotating body used in the cleaning device.

FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a main part of the cleaning device.

FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram of a laser printer including the cleaning device.

FIG. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram of a conventional cleaning device.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating that a developer bridge is formed in a recovery path in another conventional cleaning device.

FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram of another conventional cleaning device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 11 photoconductor 15 cleaning device 31 cleaning blade (cleaning member) 35 fur brush (cleaning member) 37 recovery path 37a peripheral wall of recovery path 39 developer conveying screw (conveying means) 42 rotating body 43 rotating body main body 44 auxiliary member 45 shaft Part 46 Straight part 47 Diameter part 52 Auxiliary straight part 53 Auxiliary diameter part t Developer

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A cleaning member for removing the residual developer on the photoconductor after image transfer, a recovery path for recovering the developer removed by the cleaning member, and the developer recovered through the recovery path to a predetermined location. And a rotating body that rotates in the recovery path and removes the developer adhering to the peripheral wall of the recovery path. The rotating body is attached to the rotating body, and the rotating body is attached to the rotating body. And an auxiliary member that retreats in the direction of decreasing the radius of gyration of the rotating body when the body collides with the peripheral wall of the recovery path or the conveying means as the body rotates. Cleaning device. 2. The main body of the rotating body is made up of a shaft portion serving as a rotation center, a straight portion parallel to the shaft portion, and a diameter portion connecting both ends thereof and the shaft portion, while the auxiliary member is formed into a ring shape. The cleaning device for an electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of cleaning devices are provided and are attached to the main body by passing the straight portions through their centers. 3. The main body of the rotating body is made up of a shaft portion serving as a center of rotation, a straight portion parallel to the shaft portion, and a diameter portion connecting both ends of the shaft portion and the shaft portion, while the auxiliary member is in a spiral shape. The cleaning device for an electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning device is attached to the main body by passing the straight portion through the center thereof. 4. The main body of the rotating body is made up of a shaft portion serving as a rotation center, a straight portion parallel to the shaft portion, and a diameter portion connecting both ends thereof and the shaft portion, while the auxiliary member is provided at the main body. 2. The electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary linear portion parallel to the linear portion and the auxiliary diameter portion connecting both ends thereof and the linear portion of the main body are formed in a swing shape and attached to the main body. Cleaning device.