JPH09101691A - Image generator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically put sheet member in page order and to guarantee an excellent image, even at the time of executing consecutive original processing. SOLUTION: This image generator is provided with an endless belt 16 extended between a pair of rollers 18 and 20, to be wound and having the arrangement of a photoreceptor on the surface of the belt 16, a transfer corona discharger 26 and a fixing device 60. The corona discharger 26 is arranged above the belt 16. Then, feeding rollers 52 and 54 and carrying rollers 56 and 58 are constituted so that the sheet members are fed in a moving direction 24 at the time of transferring along an upper traveling part, 16a, to transfer images formed on the surface of the photoreceptor to the rear sides of the sheet members by transfer work from the front sides of the sheet members by the transfer corona discharger 26. A nip part, by a pair of fixing rollers 62 and 64 is arranged on a horizontal extension of the upper traveling part 16a.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as an electrostatic copying machine, and more particularly to an endless belt wound between a pair of rollers and having a photosensitive member on at least a part of its surface. A transfer means for transferring the image formed on the surface of the photoconductor to a sheet member such as copy paper; a sheet member conveying means for feeding the sheet member; and a fixing means for fixing the image transferred on the sheet member. , A fixing device including a fixing roller pair.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an electrostatic copying apparatus of the above-mentioned conventional type, for example, an endless belt wound between a pair of rollers and having a photosensitive member provided on at least a part of its surface,
Image forming means for forming an image on the surface of the photoconductor, transfer corona discharger for transferring the image formed on the surface of the photoconductor to copy paper, and copy paper conveying means for feeding the copy paper And a fixing device including a fixing roller pair for fixing the image transferred to the copy paper, and the belt is moved in a predetermined direction during image formation to form an image on the surface of the photoconductor. It is known that the belt is configured to move in a direction opposite to a predetermined direction at the time of transfer for transferring an image formed on the surface to a copy sheet (for example, JP-A-57-5).
8179). In the same device, the image forming means is
It includes a charging corona discharger and a developing and cleaning device.

[0003]

In the above apparatus, the transfer corona discharger and the copy paper conveying means are arranged below the belt, and the copy paper conveying means is the lower surface side of the copy paper by the transfer corona discharger. The copying paper is fed under the belt so that the image formed on the surface of the photoconductor is transferred to the upper surface side of the copying paper by the transfer action from. Due to this configuration, the copy paper is ejected with the transferred image side facing up, so that when continuous copying (original processing) is performed, page alignment of the copy paper is not performed,
In addition, there is a problem that toner scattered from the developing and cleaning devices is likely to adhere to the copy paper.

In view of the above fact, the corona discharger for transfer, that is, the transfer means is arranged above the belt, the copy paper is conveyed along the upper surface of the belt by the copy paper conveying means, and the copy paper is conveyed above the copy paper by the transfer means. The above-mentioned problem can be solved by improving the transfer function of the image formed on the surface of the photoconductor to the lower surface side of the copy paper.

In the apparatus improved as described above, the copy paper after the transfer operation is carried is conveyed to the fixing device in a state where the toner image is transferred on the lower surface side thereof.
Therefore, as compared with the case where the copy sheet having the toner image transferred to the upper surface side is conveyed, problems such as disturbance of the toner image and toner scattering may occur. If the above problem occurs, a good image cannot be obtained. The above problems are common to devices of the same type other than the electrostatic copying device, for example, an image generating device such as a printer.

The present invention has been made on the basis of the above facts, and its main purpose is to automatically perform page alignment of sheet members even when continuous document processing is performed and to obtain a good image. Is to provide a new image generation device which is guaranteed.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above main object, according to the present invention, an endless belt wound between a pair of rollers and having a photosensitive member disposed on at least a part of its surface, A transfer unit for transferring the image formed on the surface of the photoconductor to a sheet member, a sheet member conveying unit for feeding the sheet member, and a fixing roller pair for fixing the image transferred on the sheet member. And a fixing device including a fixing device that includes an upper traveling portion that is moved from one of the rollers toward the other of the rollers at the time of the transfer and that extends substantially horizontally. The transfer means is disposed above the upper traveling portion corresponding to the transfer area in an image generating apparatus in which a peeling area exists in relation to a portion of the roller wound around the other side, and the sheet member is provided. The transfer means is a transfer means by the transfer means. The sheet member is moved along the upper running portion of the belt in the moving direction so that the image formed on the surface of the photosensitive member is transferred to the lower surface side of the sheet member by the transfer action from the upper surface side of the belt member. The fixing device is arranged downstream of the upper running portion of the belt in the moving direction, and the nip portion of the pair of fixing rollers is a substantially horizontal extension of the upper running portion. An image generating device is provided, the image generating device being arranged on the image generating device.

In the image generating apparatus according to the present invention, the transfer means is arranged above the upper traveling portion, and the sheet member conveying means is transferred onto the surface of the photoreceptor by the transfer action from the upper surface side of the sheet member by the transfer means. In order to transfer the formed image to the lower surface side of the sheet member, the sheet member is sent along the upper running portion of the belt in the moving direction at the time of transfer. As a result, the sheet members are sequentially ejected with the transferred image side down, so that when continuous document processing (processing such as copying and document reading) is performed, page alignment of the sheet members is automatically performed. To be done. Therefore, since it is not necessary to perform the page alignment work after the document processing is performed, the work efficiency is improved and the labor can be reduced. Further, since the sheet member is fed along the upper part of the belt, the toner is located at a relatively high position, toner scattered from the developing device or the like does not easily adhere to the sheet member, and the sheet member can be prevented from being soiled. Also, since the sheet member is sequentially discharged with the transferred image side down,
Even if the toner adheres to the sheet member, it is on the opposite side of the image surface, so that the image surface is not contaminated.

In the image generating apparatus according to the present invention, the fixing device is arranged on the downstream side in the moving direction at the time of transfer with respect to the upper traveling portion, and the nip portion of the fixing roller pair is located on the upper traveling portion. It is arranged on a substantially horizontal extension.
That is, since a substantially horizontal linear conveyance path is formed between the upper traveling portion and the nip portion of the fixing roller pair in the fixing device, the sheet member is horizontally and vertically connected from the upper traveling portion to the fixing device. It is transported in a straight line. As a result, the transfer action was performed without causing troubles such as toner image disturbance and toner scattering, which are likely to occur when the sheet member is conveyed in a curved manner or when it is conveyed in an oblique direction. The sheet member is conveyed from the upper traveling unit to the fixing device. As a result, a good image is formed.

According to the present invention, in addition to the above-described structure, there is further provided an image generating apparatus in which the fixing device is arranged immediately downstream of the upper traveling portion. According to this configuration,
Since it is not necessary to dispose a conveying roller or a guide member between the upper traveling unit and the fixing device, the troubles such as the disturbance of the toner image and the toner scattering can be prevented more reliably and effectively in combination with the above-mentioned configuration. It is possible to reduce the size of the device,
This contributes to rapid processing of image formation.

According to the present invention, in addition to the structure described in the first aspect, there is further provided an image generating apparatus in which the transfer means is disposed in the vicinity of the other of the rollers. That is, according to this structure, the transfer means is disposed not only above the upper traveling portion but also near the other of the rollers, so that the distance between the transfer area and the peeling area can be increased. The sheet member is set to be as short as possible, and after the transfer operation is performed by the transfer unit, the sheet member is immediately conveyed to the separation area and separated from the upper traveling unit. As a result, the sheet member after the transfer action is performed is disturbed even though the toner image simply transferred to the lower surface side is conveyed in a state of being sandwiched between the sheet member and the belt. Problems such as toner scattering are prevented as much as possible, and good images are guaranteed. Further, since the transfer means is arranged not only above the upper traveling portion but also near the other of the rollers, one of the rollers from the arrangement position of the transfer means is disposed above the upper traveling portion. The available space is secured across
It becomes possible to dispose a part of the sheet member conveying means. As a result, it is possible to suppress the increase of the size of the entire device in the same direction as much as possible even though the endless belt, which has a strong tendency to increase in the sheet member conveying direction compared to the photoconductor drum, is applied. Therefore, the device can be made compact.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An embodiment of an electrostatic copying apparatus constructed according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an improved electrostatographic reproduction apparatus in accordance with the present invention will be described. The illustrated electrostatic copier comprises a copier housing, generally designated 2. An original placing mechanism 8 is mounted on the upper surface of the housing 2 so as to be able to reciprocate in directions indicated by arrows 4 and 6. The document placing mechanism 8 includes a transparent plate 12 on which a document 10 to be copied is placed, a transparent plate 12 and the document 10 placed on the transparent plate 12.
An openable and closable document holder 14 (shown in FIG. 1 in an open position that opens the transparent plate 12 and in a closed position that covers the transparent plate 12 and the document 10 placed on it in FIG. 2). (Shown).

Mainly referring to FIG. 2, an endless belt 16 having a photosensitive member on substantially the entire circumference of its peripheral surface is disposed in the lower portion of the housing 2. A pair of rollers 18 and 20 are arranged in the housing 2 at intervals in the lateral direction (left and right direction in FIG. 2).
The endless belt 16 is wound between the belts 20 and 20. The upper running portion 16a of the endless belt 16 is adapted to be moved in a predetermined direction indicated by an arrow 22 and in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction indicated by an arrow 24. The upper running portion 16a also extends substantially horizontally, as is apparent from FIG.

A corona discharger 26, a lamp 28 and an optical system 30 are arranged above the endless belt 16 in the housing 2. The corona discharger 26 is disposed corresponding to a discharge area 32 existing around the belt 16,
A corona discharge is applied toward. The corona discharger 26 selectively functions as a corona discharger for discharging, a corona discharger for transfer, and a corona discharger for charging. When the corona discharger 26 performs the transfer corona discharge as the transfer corona discharger toward the discharge area 32, the corona discharger 26 constitutes the transfer means and the discharge area 32 constitutes the transfer area. Further, as is apparent from FIG. 2, the corona discharger 26 is arranged above the upper running portion 16 a of the endless belt 16 and near the roller 20.

The lamp 28 and the optical system 30 are arranged corresponding to an irradiation area 34 provided in relation to the upper running portion 16a of the belt 16, and are irradiated by the lamp 28 and the original placing mechanism 8 (original placing mechanism). When the document 10 is placed on the document 8, the light reflected from the document 10) is applied to the irradiation area 34 via the optical system 30. The optical system 30 is composed of a large number of rod-shaped lenses 36 (such rod-shaped lenses include those sold under the trade name “SELFOC” by Nippon Sheet Glass Co., Ltd. of Japan), and a lamp. Reference numeral 28 selectively acts as a document irradiation lamp and a discharge lamp. In order to perform the charging by the corona discharger 26 and the irradiation by the lamp 28 as desired, the discharge area 3 is formed on the upper running portion 16a of the belt 16.
2 and an irradiation area 34 are present, and a support plate 38 is disposed below the upper running portion 16 corresponding to the discharge area 32 and the irradiation area 34 over substantially the entire width thereof.

A developing and cleaning device 40 is disposed on one end side (the right end side in FIG. 2) of the housing 2 so as to face the roller 18. Developing and cleaning device 4
0 is a hollow sleeve 4 rotated in a direction indicated by an arrow 42.
4 and a magnetic brush mechanism 48 having a permanent magnet 46 disposed in the hollow sleeve 44.
The magnetic brush formed by the above acts on the surface of the photoconductor existing in the portion of the belt 16 wound around the roller 18. The developing and cleaning device 40 selectively functions as a developing device and a cleaning device.

Above the belt 16 in the housing 2,
There is a copy paper transport path 50 for sending copy paper as required. The illustrated copy sheet conveying means (which constitutes the sheet member conveying means) that defines the copy sheet conveying path 50 is the feeding roller 5.
2 and 54, conveyance rollers 56 and 58, an upper roller 62 and a lower roller 64 of the fixing device 60, and a discharge roller 66.
And 68. A heating unit 70 such as a heater is provided in the lower roller 64 of the fixing device 60. The upper roller 62 and the lower roller 64 of the fixing device 60 form a fixing roller pair. At the upstream end of the copy paper transport path 50, a paper feed table 7 that guides the copy paper to the copy paper transport path 50 is provided.
2 is provided, and a copy paper receiver 74 for receiving the copy paper discharged through the copy paper transfer path 50 is provided on the downstream end side of the copy paper transfer path 50. Further, a cooling fan 76 for discharging air in the housing 2 to the outside and cooling the housing 2 is provided in the housing 2. Incidentally, reference numeral P in FIG. 1 denotes a copy paper (which constitutes a sheet member) placed on the paper feed table 72.

As will be apparent from the description below, the copy paper transporting means transfers an image formed on the surface of the photoconductor to the copy paper by the transfer action of the corona discharger 26 from the upper surface side of the copy paper. Copy paper along the upper side of the belt 16 (that is, the upper traveling portion 1) so that it can be transferred to the lower surface side of the
It is configured to feed in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction (along 6a).

Next, a portion defining the copying machine housing 2 of the electrostatic copying machine will be described. The electrostatographic reproduction apparatus includes a main support structure 84. The main support structure 84 is the bottom wall 8
8 and a vertical front wall and a vertical rear wall (not shown) that are arranged at intervals in the front-rear direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 2). Between the vertical front wall and the vertical rear wall, a connection guide portion 94 and a connection attachment portion 96, which are additional elements, are arranged.
It is formed integrally with the main support structure 84. A guide member 98 extending toward the paper feed table 72 is fixed to one end of the connection guide portion 94 with an adhesive.

Between the vertical front wall and the vertical rear wall of the main support structure 84, the feed roller 52, the transport roller 56, and the ramp 2 are provided.
8, a reflector 100, a rod lens 36, and a corona discharger 26 are arranged. The feeding roller 52 and the conveying roller 56 are rotatably mounted between the vertical front wall and the vertical rear wall. The ramp 28 is supported between the vertical front wall and the vertical rear wall as required. The rod-shaped lens 36 is fixed in an elongated through hole formed in the connection mounting portion 96. In addition, the corona discharger 26 has a frame 102, and the frame 102 is mounted in a recess formed on the lower surface of the connection mounting portion 96. A guide member 104 is integrally provided at one end of the frame body 102 and extends above the irradiation area 34 toward the transport roller 58. With this integrated structure, the number of parts is reduced, and the structure can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

As is apparent from FIG. 2, the guide member 104 includes a horizontal guide portion 104a extending substantially parallel to the upper running portion 16a, and a further upstream direction from the upstream end of the horizontal guide portion 104a in the arrow 24 direction. An inclination guide portion 104b that inclines upward (to the right in FIG. 2) is provided. The guide member 104 is formed with an elongated slit opening 106 that restricts the light projected from the lamp 28 to the photoconductor through the rod-shaped lens 36. In the embodiment, the guide member 104 is formed integrally with the frame body 102, but it may be configured as a dedicated guide member separately from the frame body 102, and the guide member may be provided with a slit opening. One end of the reflector 100 passes through the upper surface of the rod-shaped lens 36 and is fixed to the upper surface of the connecting attachment portion 96, and the other end thereof is fixed to a part of the fixing unit 108. An elongated opening is formed at one end of the reflection plate 100 so that the light from the lamp 28 is incident on the rod-shaped lens 36.

The electrostatic copying apparatus further includes a front cover defining the front surface of the housing 2 and a rear cover defining the rear surface of the housing 2, but the description thereof is omitted. Further, the fixing unit 108, the transport unit 114, and the document placing mechanism 8 are mounted on the main supporting structure 84 described above, and the discharging supporting structure 86 is mounted on the fixing unit 108.
An upper roller 62 and a lower roller 64 are rotatably mounted on a fixing unit 108 mounted on a bottom wall 88 of the main support structure 84, and a cooling fan 76 is rotatably supported. The feeding roller 54 and the feeding roller 58 are rotatably attached to the feeding unit 114. The document placing mechanism 8 is supported on the upper ends of the vertical front wall and the vertical rear wall of the main support structure 84 so as to be movable in the directions indicated by arrows 4 and 6. The document placing mechanism 8 includes a transparent plate 12, and support members 145 and 146 are mounted on the front and rear ends of the transparent plate 12. An original document positioning member 152 is adhered to the upper surface of the left end of the transparent plate 12 over substantially the entire width, and a tape 154 having a white surface is attached to the lower surface of the transparent plate 12 corresponding to the original document positioning member 152. Has been.
The document placing mechanism 8 can reciprocate between the scanning exposure start position, the scanning exposure end position, and the charge removal position.

The discharge support structure 86 is attached to the fixing unit 108 described above. The illustrated discharge support structure 86
A discharge opening is formed in the paper, and a copy paper receiver 74 is provided in association with the discharge opening. The discharge support structure 86 includes discharge rollers 66 and 68 and upper and lower separation claws 17.
A separation mechanism 170 including 6 is attached. In the illustrated electrostatic copying apparatus, the endless belt 16 on which the photoconductor is arranged is configured as the photoconductor unit 186, the developing and cleaning device 40 is configured as the developing unit 188, and the photoconductor unit 186 and the developing unit 188 are included. Is configured to be detachably attached to the main support structure 84.

A guide member 9 for the copy paper transport path 50.
8, the feed roller 52, the connection guide 94, and the transport roller 5
6 defines the lower side of the upstream side for guiding the copy paper to the discharge area 32, and is provided integrally with the feeding roller 54, the transport roller 58 of the transport unit 114, and the frame body 102 of the corona discharger 26. The guide portion 104 and the like define the upper side of the upstream side portion, and the lower roller 64 of the fixing unit 108, the lower separation claw 176, the discharge roller 66, and the like discharge copy paper from the discharge area 32 to the outside of the housing 2. For defining the lower side of its downstream side for fixing the upper roller 62 of the fixing unit 108,
The upper separation claw 176 and the discharge roller 68 define the upper side of the downstream side portion.

As is apparent from FIG. 2, the fixing device 6 is
As shown in FIG. 2, 0 is disposed downstream (to the left in FIG. 2) in the moving direction during transfer (in the direction of arrow 24 in FIG. 2) with respect to the upper running portion 16a of the endless belt 16. The nip portion of the pair of fixing rollers 62 and 64 is arranged on a substantially horizontal extension of the upper traveling portion 16a. As shown in this embodiment, the fixing device 60 is preferably arranged immediately downstream of the upper traveling portion 16a (a position as close to the roller 20 as possible).

The developing unit 188 has a developing unit frame (not shown). The developing unit frame includes a front wall and a rear wall that are arranged at intervals in the front-rear direction, and a front cover wall (none of which is shown) arranged in front of the front wall. Further, the developing unit 188 has an upper wall 224 and a partition wall 226, the upper wall 224 covers the upper surface between the front cover wall and the rear wall, and the partition wall 226 forms a space between the front wall and the rear wall in the developing container 228. And a toner particle storage container 230.
A magnetic brush mechanism 48, a developer stirring means 232 and a guide plate 234 are arranged in the developing container portion 228, and a housing wall 222 is arranged in the toner particle container 230.
A toner particle supply roller 236 is disposed in an opening existing between the inner surface of the partition wall 226 and the tip of the partition wall 226.

The hollow sleeve 44 and the permanent magnet 46 of the magnetic brush mechanism 48 are rotatably supported between the front wall and the rear wall. An output end of an electromagnetic solenoid (not shown) associated with the permanent magnet 46 is operatively connected to one support portion (not shown) of the permanent magnet 46. The permanent magnet 46 has a cylindrical shape, and two S poles and one N pole are arranged on the peripheral surface portion thereof at intervals in the circumferential direction).

When the electromagnetic solenoid is energized, the permanent magnet 46 is moved to the first angular position shown in FIG. 2, that is, a specific S pole of the two S poles of the permanent magnet 46 (the S pole existing on the lower side). ) Is located in the developer pumping area and the north pole is located substantially opposite area 78. As a result, the developer in the developer container 228 is held by the magnetic brush mechanism 48 in the developer pumping area, and the magnetic brush mechanism 48 is held.
The magnetic brush generated by the above acts on the photosensitive member of the endless belt 16 in the region 78. When the electromagnetic solenoid is deenergized, the permanent magnet 46 is slightly rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 2 so that the north pole is somewhat displaced from the position facing the area 78, and the specific south pole is pumped up by the developer. Some deviation from the area,
Also, the magnetic brush generated by the magnetic brush mechanism 48 does not substantially act on the surface of the photoconductor in the area 78.

The developer stirred by the stirring means 232 is supplied to the magnetic brush mechanism 48, and the magnetic brush mechanism 48 is supplied.
Holds the developer on the peripheral surface of the hollow sleeve 44 and conveys it through the region 78 in the developer pumping region. In the area 78, the developer held on the surface of the hollow sleeve 44 acts on the surface of the photoreceptor on the endless belt 16,
Thus, the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoconductor is developed into a toner image during image formation, and the toner particles remaining on the photoconductor are removed during cleaning. The developer conveyed through the area 78 is then peeled off from the surface of the hollow sleeve 44, moves downward on the guide plate 234, and is dropped on the stirring means 232. When the proportion of toner particles in the developer decreases, the toner particle supply roller 236 is rotated as required, and the toner particle storage container 23
The toner particles inside 0 are the housing wall 222 and the partition wall 226.
It is supplied toward the stirring means 232 in the developing container 230 through an opening provided therebetween.

The copying operation in the above electrostatic copying apparatus is as follows. During image formation for forming an image on the photoreceptor surface, the original placing mechanism 8 is moved in the direction indicated by arrow 4, and the upper running portion 16 a of the belt 16 is moved in the direction indicated by arrow 22. At this time, the corona discharger 26 functions as a charging corona discharger, the lamp 28 functions as a document irradiation lamp, and the developing and cleaning device 40 functions as a developing device. During the image formation, the corona discharger 26 uniformly applies a charge of a specific polarity to the surface of the photoconductor existing in the discharge area 32. Further, the lamp 28 irradiates the original placed on the original placing mechanism 8, and the reflected light from the original is projected onto the irradiation area 34 via the rod-shaped lens 36, and is reflected on the photoconductor of the endless belt 16. An electrostatic latent image corresponding to the original is formed. The photoconductor is further moved in the direction indicated by the arrow 22, and in the region 78 existing around the roller 18, the magnetic brush mechanism 48 of the developing and cleaning device 40 applies toner particles to the photoconductor surface, and the electrostatic latent image becomes a toner image. To be developed.

At the time of transfer for transferring the toner image formed on the photoconductor to the copy paper, the upper running portion 16a of the belt 16 is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow 24. At this time, the corona discharger 26 acts as a corona discharger for transfer. At the time of such transfer, the feeding rollers 52 and 54 and the conveying rollers 56 and 5 which are a part of the copy sheet conveying means.
The copy paper conveyed through the copy paper conveyance path 50 by the guide member 8 is guided downward by the inclined guide portion 104b of the guide member 104 toward the upper surface of the upper traveling portion 16a of the belt 16. Then, the posture of the copy sheet is corrected to be substantially horizontal by the horizontal guide portion 104a (in cooperation with the upper traveling portion 16a). Thus, the copy paper is moved toward the transfer area 32 while being in close contact with the surface of the photoconductor of the endless belt 16. In the transfer area 32, the corona discharger 26 applies corona discharge from the upper surface side of the copy paper which is in close contact with the photoconductor, and the toner image formed on the photoconductor is transferred to the lower surface side of the copy paper. Thus, the copy paper is moved toward the transfer area 32 while being in close contact with the surface of the photoconductor of the endless belt 16. As a result, the copy paper is securely held in a form in which the copy paper is in close contact with the upper surface of the upper running portion 16a of the belt 16, and thus the transfer area 3
2, the distance between the copy paper and the corona discharger 26 is kept substantially constant, so that good transfer is performed. This ensures a good image.

The copy paper on which the toner image has been transferred is then
In the peeling area 80 existing around the roller 20, the toner is peeled off from the surface of the photoconductor as required, and further conveyed to the downstream side and subjected to the action of the fixing device 60. The fixing device 60 is disposed on the downstream side in the moving direction at the time of transfer with respect to the upper traveling portion 16a, and as described above, the fixing roller pairs 62 and 6 are provided.
The nip portion 4 is arranged on a substantially horizontal extension of the upper traveling portion 16a. That is, since a substantially horizontal linear transport path is formed between the upper traveling portion 16a and the nip portion of the fixing roller pair 62 and 64, the copy paper is transferred from the upper traveling portion 16a to the fixing device 60. It is transported horizontally and linearly. As a result, the copy paper on which the transfer action has been performed is conveyed from the upper side traveling unit 16a to the fixing device 60 without causing problems such as disturbance of the toner image and toner scattering. As a result, a good image is formed.

In the embodiment, the fixing device 60 is arranged immediately downstream of the upper traveling portion 16a. Therefore, since it is not necessary to dispose a conveying roller or a guide member between the upper traveling unit 16a and the fixing device 60, the troubles such as the disturbance of the toner image and the toner scattering can be more reliably and effectively achieved in combination with the above-mentioned configuration. Can be prevented,
This contributes to downsizing of the apparatus and rapid processing of image formation.

In the fixing device 60, the toner image on the copy paper is fixed on the surface by the action of the upper roller 62 and the lower roller 64 having the heating means 70, and the copy paper on which the toner image is fixed is discharged by the discharge roller 66 and It is discharged onto the copy paper receiver 74 through the opening 82 formed in the left wall portion of the housing 2 via 68.

As described above, the copy paper is sequentially discharged onto the copy paper receiver 74 with the transferred image side down, so that the page alignment of the copy paper is automatically performed when continuous copying is performed. To be carried out. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform page alignment work after copying is performed. Further, since the copy paper is sent along the upper side of the belt 16, the copy paper is located at a relatively high position, and the toner scattered from the developing and cleaning device 40 is unlikely to adhere to the copy paper, and the copy paper is prevented from being soiled. . Since the copy sheet is sequentially discharged with the transferred image side down, even if toner adheres to the copy sheet, it is on the opposite side of the image surface, and therefore there is no risk of contaminating the image surface. Furthermore, the transfer means 26 (corona discharger 26)
As described above, the transfer area 32 and the peeling area are not only provided above the upper traveling portion 16a corresponding to the transfer area 32 (discharge area 32) but also when it is provided near the roller 20. Since the distance between 80 and 80 is set as short as possible,
The copy paper is immediately transferred to the peeling area 80 after the transfer operation is performed by the transfer means 26, and the copy paper is moved to the upper traveling portion 16a.
Peeled off from As a result, the toner image is disturbed after the transfer action is performed, even though the toner image simply transferred to the lower surface side is conveyed while being sandwiched between the toner image and the belt 16. The occurrence of problems such as toner scattering is prevented as much as possible. Further, when the transfer means 26 is provided not only above the upper traveling portion 16a but also near the roller 20, the transfer means 26 is provided above the upper traveling portion 16a. Since a space available from the position to the roller 18 is secured, a part of the copy paper conveying means, specifically, the feeding rollers 52 and 5 are provided.
4, the transport rollers 56 and 58, the rod-shaped lens 36, the guide member 104, etc.) can be disposed. As a result, although the endless belt 16 having a strong tendency to increase in the conveying direction of the copy paper (left and right direction in FIG. 2) is applied as compared with the photoconductor drum, the size of the entire apparatus is increased in the same direction. It can be suppressed as much as possible, and the device can be made compact.

At the time of cleaning for cleaning the surface of the photoreceptor after transfer, the upper running portion 16a of the belt 16 is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow 22. At this time, the corona discharger 26 acts as a discharging corona discharger (as will be easily understood, in the embodiment, a direct current is supplied when acting as a charging corona discharger and a transfer corona discharger. In addition, when acting as a corona discharger for static elimination, an alternating current is supplied, but when acting as a corona discharger for static elimination during cleaning, instead of an alternating current, it is opposite to the charge applied to the surface of the photoconductor during image formation. Alternatively, a direct current for imparting a charge of polarity, that is, a direct current having a polarity opposite to that of the direct current supplied at the time of image formation may be supplied), and the lamp 28 acts as a discharge lamp and the developing and cleaning device 40. Acts as a cleaning device. In the discharge region 32, the corona discharger 26 performs a corona discharge on the surface of the photoconductor after the transfer, so that the residual charges remaining on the photoconductor are eliminated. Further, in the irradiation area 34, light from the lamp 28 is projected onto the surface of the photoconductor via the rod-shaped lens 36, and the residual charges on the photoconductor are more reliably eliminated. Further, in the area 78, the magnetic brush generated by the magnetic brush mechanism 48 of the developing and cleaning device 40 acts on the surface of the photoconductor to remove the residual toner particles remaining on the photoconductor.

Although one embodiment of the electrostatic copying apparatus constructed according to the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Can be modified or modified.

[0039]

According to the image generating apparatus of the present invention, even when continuous document processing is performed, page alignment of the sheet members is automatically performed and a good image is guaranteed. That is, since the sheet members are sequentially discharged with the transferred image side down, when the continuous document processing is performed, the page alignment of the sheet members is automatically performed. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform page alignment work after the manuscript processing is performed, so that work efficiency is improved,
Labor can be reduced. Further, since the sheet member is fed along the upper part of the belt, the toner is located at a relatively high position, toner scattered from the developing device or the like does not easily adhere to the sheet member, and the sheet member can be prevented from being soiled. Further, since the sheet member is sequentially discharged with the transferred image surface facing downward, even if the toner adheres to the sheet member, it is on the opposite side of the image surface, so that the image surface is not likely to be soiled. Further, since the sheet member is conveyed horizontally and linearly from the upper traveling unit to the fixing device, it is apt to occur when the sheet member is conveyed in a curved manner or when conveyed obliquely. The sheet member on which the transfer action has been performed is conveyed from the upper traveling unit to the fixing device without causing problems such as image disturbance and toner scattering. As a result, a good image is formed. When the fixing device is disposed immediately downstream of the upper traveling unit, it is not necessary to dispose a conveying roller or a guide member between the upper traveling unit and the fixing device. It is possible to more reliably and effectively prevent the occurrence of defects such as image disturbance and toner scattering, and to contribute to downsizing of the apparatus and rapid processing of image formation. When the transfer means is disposed in the vicinity of the other side of the belt roller, the sheet member after the transfer action is performed has the toner image simply transferred to the lower surface side thereof being sandwiched between the sheet member and the belt. Even if the toner image is conveyed in the state of being in a state where it is conveyed, troubles such as disorder of the toner image and toner scattering are prevented as much as possible, and a good image is guaranteed. Further, since a space available from the position where the transfer unit is arranged to one of the rollers is secured above the upper traveling unit, it is possible to dispose a part of the sheet member conveying unit and the like. As a result, it is possible to suppress the increase of the size of the entire device in the same direction as much as possible even though the endless belt, which has a strong tendency to increase in the sheet member conveying direction compared to the photoconductor drum, is applied. Therefore, the device can be made compact.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of an electrostatic copying apparatus configured according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the electrostatic copying apparatus of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Copier housing 8 Document placing mechanism 10 Document 16 Endless belt 16a Upper running part 26 Corona discharger 28 Lamp 32 Discharge area 34 Irradiation area 40 Developing and cleaning device 50 Copy paper conveying path 60 Fixing device 62 Upper roller 64 Lower roller 72 paper feed table 74 copy paper tray

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An endless belt wound between a pair of rollers and having a photosensitive member on at least a part of its surface, and an image for transferring an image formed on the surface of the photosensitive member to a sheet member. The belt includes a transfer unit, a sheet member conveying unit for feeding the sheet member, and a fixing device including a fixing roller pair for fixing the image transferred to the sheet member. An upper travel portion that is moved from one to the other of the roller and that extends substantially horizontally, wherein the peeling area is associated with a portion of the upper travel portion that is wrapped around the other of the rollers. In the existing image generating apparatus, the transfer means is disposed above the upper traveling portion corresponding to the transfer area, and the sheet member conveying means is operated by the transfer operation from the upper surface side of the sheet member by the transfer means. , On the surface of the photoconductor The sheet member is configured to be fed in the moving direction along the upper traveling portion of the belt so that the formed image is transferred to the lower surface side of the sheet member. On the other hand, the image generating apparatus is characterized in that it is arranged on the downstream side in the moving direction, and the nip portion of the fixing roller pair is arranged substantially on the horizontal extension of the upper traveling portion. 2. The image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fixing device is arranged immediately downstream of the upper traveling unit. 3. The image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transfer unit is disposed near the other of the rollers.