JPH079172Y2 - Cleaning device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial field of application) The present invention relates to a photoconductor in an apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine, a facsimile, or an electronic printer that forms a toner image on the surface of a photoconductor drum using toner. In particular, in a cleaning device for cleaning toner and paper dust remaining on the surface of a photoconductor by using an elastic roller alone or in combination with other cleaning means, the toner and the like adhered to the elastic roller are cleaned. For scrapers that do
A device for positioning that maintains a relationship with an elastic roller.

(Prior Art) In an apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine, a facsimile, or an electronic printer that uses toner to form a toner image on a photosensitive drum and transfers the toner image onto paper, the image of the original The electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum by the information of the above, and the toner image is formed by adhering toner to the electrostatic latent image.

Then, after the toner image on the photosensitive drum is transferred to a transfer material such as paper by a transfer device, the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum is removed by a cleaning device,
The formation of the next toner image is not affected. Further, when cleaning with the above-described cleaning device, not only the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum but also paper dust, dust, etc. generated from the paper are cleaned at the same time. As the cleaning device as described above,
Generally, a blade cleaning device, a device using a brush roller, or various devices such as a system using an elastic roller is used. Among these cleaning devices, the blade cleaning device is the most commonly used method, in which a plate-shaped blade made of an elastic body is uniformly pressed against the surface of the photosensitive drum, This is a device for scraping off the toner with a blade.

Further, in a device using a brush roller, a brush-shaped rotating body such as a fur brush is pressed against a photosensitive drum to rotate, and toner scraped by the brush is collected by a vacuum suction device. Is configured as a device. The roller cleaning device is a device having a structure as shown in FIG. 3, and comprises an elastic roller 30 in contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 10 and the elastic roller 30.
And a scraper 40 provided for the.

Then, the roller 30 is rotated at different peripheral speeds in the same direction with respect to the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 10, the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum is scraped off by the elastic roller 30, and the surface of the elastic roller is removed. Scraper 40 for transferred toner
Thus, the operation of causing the scraping auger 22 to carry out the toner to the outside of the housing of the cleaning device is performed. Further, in the above-described conventional cleaning device, the blade of the cleaning device 20 is provided in the housing of the cleaning device 20 together with the roller cleaning device, and toner or paper dust that cannot be removed by the roller cleaning device is removed by the blade 25 of the blade device. To remove it.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In the conventional roller cleaning device as described above, the elastic roller 30 supported via the arm 32 includes the spring 34
After being pressed by the photoconductor drum 10, the elastic roller 30 is swingably supported by the arm 32 with respect to the housing of the cleaning device. Further, the scraper 40 that comes into contact with the elastic roller 30 is provided in a state of protruding to a predetermined position of the housing, and the cleaning device 20 is arranged with respect to the photosensitive drum 10 in a designed state. If scraper 40
The elastic roller 30 is configured so that the cleaning effect thereof can be excellently exhibited.

However, the fixed position of the photoconductor drum and the fixed position of the cleaning device in the copier are rarely set under the same condition at all times, and when the copier is actually assembled, the cleaning of the photoconductor drum is performed. The fixed position of the device often changes. Even in such a case, the elastic roller 30 can be pressed against the photosensitive drum 10 in a good state by the spring 34,
It is inevitable that the positional relationship between the elastic roller 30 and the scraper 40 provided at the fixed position will be incorrect.

Further, there may be a difference in the contact condition between the elastic roller and the scraper between one end and the other end of the long elastic roller, and such an uneven contact relationship between both members may occur. When it occurs, the amount of toner or paper dust remaining on the surface of the elastic roller locally increases, which interferes with the contact of the elastic roller with the photoconductor drum, causing problems such as cleaning failure of the photoconductor drum. There is.

Further, as described above, as a device in which the elastic roller is not swingably provided via the arm, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-10077 is used.
Although a cleaning device as shown in Japanese Patent No. 8 is known, in the case of such a conventional device, the shaft of the elastic roller is provided in a state of being fixed to the housing of the cleaning device. is there. Therefore, in the cleaning device as described above, it is necessary to use a means for adjusting the pressing force of the elastic roller against the photosensitive drum at the time of setting the housing, which is relatively difficult to adjust. The problem occurs.

(Object of the Invention) The present invention solves the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventionally used roller cleaning device. The contact relationship of the scraper with the elastic roller is always the same. It is an object of the present invention to provide a device that prevents the cleaning device from operating in a good state by preventing the cleaning failure from occurring.

(Means for Solving Problems) The present invention is directed to an elastic roller member that is pressed against an image bearing member such as a photosensitive drum and rubs and cleans the surface of the image bearing member, and toner attached to the elastic roller. The present invention relates to a cleaning device provided with a member configured by combining with a scraper for scraping off the like. In the present invention, an arm member for supporting the elastic roller in a direction in which it separates from and comes into contact with the photosensitive drum is provided so as to be swingable with respect to the housing of the apparatus via a support shaft and a biasing means, and the elastic roller is The scraper supporting member rotatably provided coaxially with the scraper supporting the scraper in a state where the tip of the scraper is in contact with the surface of the elastic roller, and the scraper supporting member includes:
There is provided stopper means that is brought into contact with a part of the inner wall of the housing of the cleaning device to restrict rotation of the scraper support member in the same direction as the rotation direction of the elastic roller.

(Operation) Therefore, in the cleaning device of the present invention, even if the elastic roller is swung via the arm and the contact position with respect to the photosensitive drum changes, the contact state of the scraper with the elastic roller does not change. And
By configuring as described above, the scraper is pressed by the elastic roller under the same condition over the entire width thereof, and the ability to scrape toner and the like from the surface of the elastic roller is set to be uniform. You can

Further, in the present invention, since the frictional resistance of the scraper with respect to the elastic roller is transmitted in the fixing direction of the housing of the apparatus main body through the scraper supporting member, there is no problem that the roller vibrates. . On the other hand, for example, when the roller member and the scraper are simply integrated, the friction of the scraper with respect to the roller becomes a resistance against the rotation of the roller, which causes vibration of the roller and the position of the roller with respect to the photosensitive drum. It also causes instability.

Further, in the present invention, the action of pressing the scraper against the elastic roller can be maintained in a constant pressing state at all times, and the elastic roller is cleaned in a good state by the scraper, and the cleaning effect on the photosensitive drum is obtained. Can be demonstrated. Further, in the cleaning device of the present invention, even when the elastic roller is separated from or brought into contact with the photosensitive drum with the cleaning device main body fixed to the copying machine main body, the relationship between the elastic roller and the scraper changes. Does not occur, and the contact relationship between both members can be set in a uniform state in the axial direction.

(Example) The configuration of the cleaning device of the present invention will be described with reference to the illustrated example. As shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning device 20 of the present invention comprises a housing 21 having an opening formed on the front surface corresponding to the photosensitive drum 10, a blade cleaning device provided on the housing 21, and a roller cleaning device. The toner, paper dust, and the like scraped from the surface of the photosensitive drum 10 by both cleaning means are dropped toward the auger housing 23, and are discharged to the outside of the housing 21 by the auger 22. Among the cleaning means, the blade cleaning device is a blade 25 that projects from the opening of the housing 21 toward the photosensitive drum.
And a blade holder 26 that supports the blade 25, and a blade shaft 27 that supports the blade holder 26. As the blade 25, a hard plastic plate member or the like is used similarly to the blades that have been conventionally used. Further, the roller cleaning device includes an elastic roller 30 that is in contact with the photosensitive drum 10, an arm 32 that supports the elastic roller 30, and a scraper support member that supports the scraper 40 via the shaft 31 of the elastic roller 30. Composed.

The elastic roller 30 is supported by a shaft 31, the shaft 31 is rotated counterclockwise by a drive mechanism (not shown), and the photosensitive drum 10 rotated in the clockwise direction has the same contact surface direction. Will be moved to. Since the peripheral speed of the elastic roller 30 is set to be higher or lower than the peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum, the toner adhering to the surface of the photosensitive drum 10 is removed from the elastic roller 30.
Performs an action like scraping. The elastic roller 30
The arm 32 that supports the elastic roller 30 is supported by the housing 21 via the support shaft 33, and is set in a state of pressing the elastic roller 30 toward the photosensitive drum 10 by the spring 34 connected to the end portion.

As shown in FIG. 2, scraper support members 42 are provided on both sides of the elastic roller 30 coaxially with the elastic roller.
The scraper support member 42 is supported on the shaft 31 via a ball bearing so that even if the shaft 31 rotates, it is not affected by the rotation. The scraper support member
42 is formed in a substantially crescent shape, the central portion thereof is supported by the shaft 31, and the scraper holder 41 is provided so as to connect the lower protruding ends of the scraper supporting members 42 on both sides of the elastic roller. . And the scraper holder 41
The scraper 40 is provided so as to project upward, and the scraper 40 is constituted by a plate member made of hard plastic.

The scraper holder 41 and the scraper 40 configured as described above are always set in parallel with the elastic roller 30, and the scraped portion at the tip of the scraper 40 is the surface of the elastic roller 30. The same pressing state is obtained at the left and right ends. Therefore, by configuring as described above, the scraper is pressed against the elastic roller under the same condition over the entire width thereof, and the ability to scrape toner and the like from the surface of the elastic roller is set to be uniform. can do.

In the device of the present invention, the upper protruding end portion 43 of the scraper supporting member 42 is provided in contact with the upper surface of the auger housing 23 as shown in FIG. Even if the shaft 31 rotates, the scraper supporting member 42, the scraper 40, and the like serve as stoppers so that they do not rotate in the same direction following the rotation of the shaft elastic roller. The stopper mechanism described above is not limited to the embodiment described above, and any mechanism can be used as long as it has the same effect as the mechanism described above. Therefore, when the elastic roller is pressed against the surface of the photosensitive drum and driven, the influence of the rotation of the shaft 31 is influenced by the scraper support member 42.
Even if it is applied to the scraper, the scraper support member 42 does not rotate with respect to the shaft 31 and the contact relationship between the scraper and the elastic roller does not change.

In the cleaning device of the present invention configured as described above, after the toner image on the photoconductor drum is transferred onto the sheet, the toner remaining on the surface of the photoconductor is scraped off by the elastic roller 30, and After the cleaning by the roller cleaning device, the blade 25 can remove the toner, paper dust, and the like that remain on the surface of the photosensitive drum. Further, the cleaning device of the present invention configured as described above can be mounted without being affected by an error in the mounting position of the housing with respect to the main body of the copying machine or a positional deviation of the photosensitive drum. Further, the contact relationship between the photosensitive drum and the elastic roller and the contact state between the elastic roller and the scraper can be favorably maintained, and the toner removing function can be sufficiently exerted.

Further, the toner and paper dust scraped off by the elastic roller are carried into the housing by the rotation of the elastic roller, and at that time, the toner and the like remaining on the surface of the elastic roller are scraped off by the scraper 40. , And drop it into the auger housing 23,
To carry out. The elastic roller 30 used in the above-described cleaning device of the present invention is the same as the conventionally used cleaning roller, and can be any one from a sponge-shaped roller member to a relatively hard rubber roller. The material can be used to form the roller.

In the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the case where the cleaning device is used for cleaning the photoconductor drum of the copying machine has been described as an example. However, as a device to which the cleaning device of the present invention can be applied, other than the copying machine. In addition, the present invention can be applied to a device that forms an image using toner, for example, a device such as a laser printer or a facsimile, and a device that uses a belt-shaped photoconductor or the like as a photoconductor in addition to the photoconductor drum. It is naturally possible to apply to.

(Effects of the Invention) Since the cleaning device of the present invention has the above-described configuration, it is possible to freely press and release the elastic roller from the photosensitive drum by swinging the arm. It is also possible to prevent problems such as pressure contact deformation of the elastic roller and contamination of the photosensitive drum by the elastic roller. Further, in the present invention, it is only necessary to adjust the relationship between the elastic roller and the scraper at the initial stage of assembling the elastic roller into the cleaning device, and there is no need to perform any adjustment work while the copying machine or the like is in operation. The scraper is pressed against the elastic roller under the same condition over the entire width thereof, so that the cleaning action can always be performed in a good state. Further, when the roller member and the scraper are simply integrated, the friction of the scraper with respect to the roller becomes a resistance against the rotation of the roller, which causes vibration of the roller and destabilizes the position of the roller with respect to the photosensitive drum. Although it may be a cause, in the present invention,
Since the frictional resistance of the scraper is transmitted in the fixing direction of the housing of the apparatus main body through the scraper supporting member,
The above-mentioned problems do not occur. Further, in the present invention, even when the elastic roller is separated from or brought into contact with the photosensitive drum with the cleaning device fixed to the main body of the copying machine, the relationship between the elastic roller and the scraper does not change. Therefore, the contact relationship between both members can be set in a uniform state in the axial direction.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing the construction of the cleaning device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the relationship between an elastic roller and a scraper, and FIG. 3 is a side view of a conventional example. Reference numeral 10 in the figure ... Photosensitive drum, 20 ... Cleaning device, 21 ...
Housing, 22 …… Auger, 23 …… Auger housing, 25 …… Blade, 26 …… Blade holder, 30 ……
Elastic roller, 31 ... Shaft, 32 ... Arm, 33 ... Shaft, 34
...... Spring, 40 …… Scraper, 41 …… Scraper holder, 42 …… Scraper support member, 43 …… Support end.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. An image bearing member such as a photosensitive drum is pressure-contacted,
A cleaning device including a member configured by combining an elastic roller member for rubbing and cleaning the surface of the image bearing member and a scraper for scraping off the toner and the like adhering to the elastic roller, wherein the elastic roller An arm member for supporting the photosensitive drum in a direction in which it separates from and comes in contact with the photosensitive drum is provided so as to be swingable with respect to the housing of the apparatus via a support shaft and a biasing means, and is rotatable coaxially with the elastic roller. The scraper supporting member supports the scraper in a state where the scraper tip is in contact with the surface of the elastic roller, and the scraper supporting member is brought into contact with a part of the inner wall of the housing of the cleaning device to rotate the elastic roller in the rotating direction. A cleaning device provided with stopper means for restricting rotation of the scraper support member in the same direction as the above.