JPH10333516A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the leakage of toner, while maintaining the degree of rotational freedom of a blade, in a rotary cleaning mechanism by arranging a leakage preventing member which comes into contact with another leakage preventing member, stuck to a sidewall part and coming into contact with a cleaning blade, on a toner recovering space side and covers the retreat part of another leakage preventing member, in a holder. SOLUTION: In a piece of moquette (leakage preventing member) 162, a base material is stuck to the sidewall part of a cleaner casing 151, a radiused cut part (retreat part) which is cut so as to avoid the shape of the U-shaped groove 154 of the sidewall part is provided and the length of flocked fibers is greater than clearance formed between the sidewall part and the cleaning blade. Further, a molt plane (second leakage preventing member) 165 made of foamed resin and stuck to the beam of the holder 156 comes into light contact with the fibers flocked in the moquette 162, on the toner recovering space side, to cover the radiused cut part (retreat part) of the moquette 162. The molt plane 165 is moved with the rotation of a roller 157 as well and the fibers of the moquette 162 follow up the molt plane 165, in the light contact state, in accordance with the movement.

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 provided with a cleaning blade for recovering toner remaining on an image forming member after transferring a toner image from the image forming member.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a mechanism for performing cleaning for removing residual toner, paper dust, abnormally attached carriers, and the like after transferring a toner image formed on an image forming body to recording paper,
Various cleaning mechanisms are known. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a conventional rotary cleaning mechanism. FIG.
FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing a gap of a conventional rotary cleaning mechanism. The rotary cleaning mechanism 250 is well known as an example of a cleaning mechanism.

In general, in a copying machine, a charger, an optical system, a developing device, a transfer electrode, a separation electrode, a rotary cleaning mechanism 250, and the like are sequentially arranged around a photosensitive drum 131.
After the toner image has been transferred to the recording paper, the rotary cleaning mechanism 250 performs cleaning.

In FIG. 9, a cleaner housing 251 is made of resin and forms a toner collecting space a (see FIG. 9C) for collecting toner and the like removed from the photosensitive drum 131 together with a cleaning blade 255. Cleaner housing 2
Reference numeral 51 denotes a cleaner housing 25 having a side wall substantially flush with the flange surface of the photosensitive drum 131 and a partition wall, and a cleaning blade 255 attached to the blade holder 256.
1, a substantially closed toner collecting space a is formed.

The cleaning blade 255 includes a holder 2
It is attached to 56. The roller 257 is fixed to the holder 256, and is further dropped into the U-shaped groove 254. The rotary cleaning mechanism 250 uses the holder 2
Reference numeral 56 is attached so as to be rotatable about an axis X parallel to the rotation axis of the image forming body. The holder 256 is provided with an equalizer 258 such as a spring or a weight.

[0006] One end of the equalizer spring 258 is connected to the bar 26.
It is fixed at 4. The bar 264 is a cleaner housing 251
Are fixed with screws (not shown). In addition, fixing screw 266
When the holder 256 is fastened to the bar 264 by this, the cleaning blade 255 is positioned without contacting the surface of the photosensitive drum 131. When the fastening of the fixing screw 266 is released, the equalizer 258 functions, and the cleaning blade comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 131 at an appropriate angle and an appropriate pressure at the ridgeline 255a.

Generally, problems caused by the cleaning blade 255 being kept in contact with the photoreceptor include the problem that the cleaning blade 255 has a tendency to bend and the deterioration of the photoreceptor due to the diffusion of a substance at the contact portion. Have been. In the rotary cleaning mechanism, while the image forming apparatus is shipped from the factory and transported to the user, the cleaning blade 255 is retracted from the photosensitive drum 131 by the fixing screw 266, and the fixing screw 266 is set at the installation location designated by the user. Since these problems can be solved by canceling the fastening, the method is adopted in many image forming apparatuses.

However, in the rotary cleaning mechanism 250, a clearance is provided for the cleaning blade 255 to rotate. Since this clearance becomes a gap between the cleaner housing 251 and the cleaning blade 255, the removed toner and the like are scattered. In FIGS. 8, 9A and 9B, the gap Y is the cleaner housing 2.
This is a gap between the holder 51 and the holder 256. For the purpose of solving this problem, a technique for preventing leakage by filling the gap Y with a flexible material such as malt plane or sponge (hereinafter also referred to as a leakage prevention member) is known. In the leak prevention member 262a, a part of the outline is shown by a broken line in FIG.

However, for example, a rotary cleaning mechanism in which a roller 257 is attached to a holder and used as a rotation axis, and the roller 257 is dropped into a U-shaped groove 254 provided in a side wall portion of the cleaner housing 251 to rotate the holder 256. In 250, when the leak prevention member contacts the roller 257 and hinders the rotation of the roller 257, the function of the equalizer 258 is impeded, and the cleaning blade 2
55 does not properly contact the photoconductor surface. Therefore, the leakage prevention member 262a cannot be attached so as to be in contact with the movable portion, and there has been a problem that scattering of toner or the like cannot be prevented after all.

A leak preventing member 262 is provided between the cleaning blade 255 and the side wall of the cleaner housing 251.
If a is disposed so as to be in contact with the cleaning blade 255, the cleaning blade is pulled by the leakage prevention member 262a when it rotates and is deformed. When the cleaning blade 255 is deformed in this manner, the desired cleaning performance cannot be obtained, and the leakage prevention member 262 is not provided.
It was difficult to attach a so as to contact the cleaning blade 255. Therefore, leakage of toner and the like from the clearance between the cleaning blade 255 and the side wall 251 could not be prevented.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to prevent leakage of toner while maintaining the freedom of rotation of a blade by a rotary cleaning mechanism and preventing the cleaning blade from being deformed. I do.

[0012]

The object of the present invention has been attained by an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. In this image forming apparatus, the cleaning blade is supported by the holder and is rotatable. The equalizer unit applies a force to the rotatable holder to stabilize the contact pressure between the front end edge and the photoconductor. The deposits collected by the cleaning blade are collected in a toner collecting space formed by the holder, the side wall, and the partition disposed on the support. A first leakage prevention member that is attached to the side wall portion and that is located between the end portion of the cleaning blade and the side wall portion and that has a shape avoiding the support portion and that contacts the cleaning blade; And a second leakage prevention member disposed in the holder and in contact with the first leakage prevention member on the side where the toner collection space is located to cover the retreat portion, so that the cleaning blade can be rotated. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the adhered substance from leaking from the side wall and the cleaning blade or from between the side wall and the holder from a gap provided as a clearance.

In this image forming apparatus, the first leak preventing member may be made of a flexible material that does not bend the cleaning blade even when the cleaning blade rotates.

In these image forming apparatuses, the first leak preventing member uses a member in which a base material is planted.
The flocking may be attached to the side wall in a state where the direction of the flocking is substantially parallel to the rotation axis.

Further, in these image forming apparatuses, the support portion may include a cylindrical roller member provided on the holder, and a U-shaped groove provided on the side wall portion and into which the roller member fits. .

In these image forming apparatuses, the retracting portion may be a portion obtained by cutting the first leak prevention member into the shape of the U-shaped groove.

[0017]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment.

The copying machine 100 of this embodiment is an example of the image forming apparatus of the present invention, and executes an electrophotographic process to form an image corresponding to a document on a recording sheet. Copier 100
Is provided with an automatic document feeder (hereinafter abbreviated as RADF), a reading / scanning unit 120, an image forming unit 130, a paper feeding mechanism 140, and the like.

In the RADF, when a plurality of originals to be read are set on an original set table 111 and a copy start button is pressed, each page of the original is sequentially fed by an original feed roller 117 and a predetermined number of originals Automatically transport to position. In addition, the original having been read is removed from the platen glass 121 and discharged onto the original discharge tray 116, or a single-sided original is taken out and sent onto the platen glass 121 to complete the image reading on one side. Is moved in the reverse direction, and the original is passed through the reversing path by the driving roller 115 and turned over, and the platen glass 121 is turned over.
At a predetermined position. Thus, RADF
Can handle both-sided and one-sided originals. The drive roller 112 and the driven roller 113, and the transport belt 114 and the like wound around the drive roller 112 and the driven roller 113 are appropriately rotated forward and backward by a motor (not shown). Operate.

The reading scanning unit 120 includes a platen glass 121 on which a document is placed, and an exposure lamp 122 and a first mirror 12 below the platen glass 121 and in the apparatus main body.
3, a second mirror 124, a third mirror 125, a reflection mirror 127, and an imaging lens 126. Exposure lamp 1
Reference numeral 22 denotes a halogen lamp.

The exposure lamp 122 emits light and irradiates the original placed on the platen glass 121. The light reflected on the document surface becomes exposure light, and irradiates the photosensitive drum 131 via an optical path indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. In addition, the irradiation light was indicated by a two-dot chain line together with the optical path. Exposure lamp 122
And the first mirror 123 translate in the direction indicated by the arrow A. Further, the second mirror 124 and the third mirror 125 facing the exposure lamp 122 and the first mirror 123 integrally follow the first mirror 123 in the same direction at half the speed. The image of the original placed on the platen glass 121 is represented by an exposure lamp 122, a first mirror 123,
The scanning is performed from the front end to the tail end by the operation of the second mirror 124 and the third mirror 125, and the first mirror 123 and the second mirror 125 are scanned.
Mirror 124, third mirror 125, and imaging lens 126
Is reflected by the reflection mirror 127 through the
It is imaged up. A latent image is formed by the formed image of the exposure light. When scanning is completed, the first mirror 123, the second mirror 124, and the third mirror 125 return to their original positions, and wait for the next image formation.

The copying machine 100 is capable of performing variable magnification copying. Magnification copying refers to changing the size of a recorded image with respect to the image size of a document. Imaging lens 12 in the optical path
If the position or the optical path length of the photoreceptor drum 131 is changed, the image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 131 is enlarged or reduced. Therefore, when performing the variable-magnification copying, the position of the imaging lens 126 is changed to a predetermined position corresponding to the magnification. And the moving speed of each member of the reading and scanning unit 120 is changed.

The image forming unit 130 includes a photosensitive drum 131
, Pre-charging exposure unit PCL, charging unit 132, and erasing exposure unit CE
L, a developing device 200, a transfer device 134, a separator 135, a cleaning device 136, and a fixing device 137, and execute each process after the exposure process of the electrophotographic process. Photoreceptor drum 131, pre-charging exposure device PC
L, erasing exposure device CEL, charging device 132, developing device 200
The cleaning device 136 includes the drum cartridge 40.
0 (see FIG. 2) so that they can be integrally taken out of the main body during jam processing and maintenance of each process member.

The photosensitive drum 131 is negatively charged O
PC (Organic PhotoConducto)
r) A drum coated with a photoreceptor. Photoconductor drum 13
1 rotates at a linear velocity of 145.5 mm / sec. The linear velocity is
This is the image forming speed of the entire copying machine 100, which is equal to the peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 131, and the transport speed of the recording paper is also equal to the linear speed.

As the charger 132, a scorotron charger was used. The charger 132 performs a charging process for uniformly charging the photosensitive drum 131 to a predetermined voltage prior to the latent image forming process.

The erasing exposure unit CEL is an LED array that exposes a region where a latent image is not formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 131 uniformly charged. The erasing exposure unit CEL changes the irradiation area in accordance with the size of the recording paper, and sets the charging potential in an area where a latent image is not formed to approximately 0 V, thereby preventing unnecessary development.

The developing device 200 stirs a two-component developer in which the toner and the carrier are controlled to a predetermined concentration (% by weight) with a stirring screw to charge the toner to a predetermined charge, and rotates the developing sleeve outside the magnet roller. A magnetic brush is formed on the outer periphery of the developing roller, and a predetermined bias voltage is applied to the developing sleeve to visualize the latent image in the developing area facing the photosensitive drum 131 into a toner image.

The transfer unit 134 superposes the recording paper on the toner image electrostatically carried on the photosensitive drum 131, and discharges electric charges from the back side of the recording paper. Thus, the toner is transferred onto the recording paper. The transfer device 134 shares the transfer process of the electrophotographic process. Although a scorotron discharger is used in the present embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and a corotron discharger or a device that electrostatically transfers a toner image onto recording paper by a charging roller can be used.

The separator 135 separates the recording paper by removing static electricity from the recording paper electrostatically attracted to the photosensitive drum 131. The separator 135 shares the separation process of the electrophotographic process. In the present embodiment, a scorotron discharger is used, but a corotron discharger, a charging roller, and the like can be used.

The pre-charging exposure device PCL includes a photosensitive drum 131.
The remaining charge is removed.

The rotary cleaning mechanism 150 presses the cleaning blade 155 against the surface of the photosensitive drum 131 which rotates further after the transfer process, and
The toner, the attached paper dust, the carrier, etc., remaining on the surface of 31 are removed and cleaned. The rotary cleaning mechanism 150 shares a cleaning process of the electrophotographic process.

The fixing device 137 is a device for fixing the toner image on the recording paper by applying heat or heat and pressure to the recording paper carrying the toner image. The fixing device 137 is in charge of the fixing process of the electrophotographic process as one of the members constituting the image forming unit 130 and is also a part of the sheet feeding mechanism 140.

The exhaust device 138 is a device for exhausting air staying inside the copying machine 100. The exhaust device 138 includes a drive motor and a fan, and generates an airflow by rotation of the fan. The exhaust device 138 is provided inside the image forming unit 130 and near the fixing device 137. Copier 10
The air stagnating inside 0 is heated by the heat generated by the exposure lamp 122 of the reading and scanning unit and the heat generated by the fixing device 137 provided in the copying machine 100 to have a high temperature.

The exhaust passage 138b is a passage for the air flow from the scanning section 120 to the image forming section 130. Scanning unit 1
Since both the image forming unit 20 and the image forming unit 130 adopt a configuration with high hermeticity due to the necessity of shielding light, air hardly flows out.
Therefore, an exhaust passage 138b is provided to provide an airflow passage,
Air was made to flow through the reading scanning unit 120 and the image forming unit 130. An exhaust passage 138b is provided, and the reading and scanning unit 120 and the image forming unit 130 are exhausted by one fan.

The exhaust duct 138a is a duct for discharging the air inside the copier 100 to the outside of the copier. Exhaust device 138
The ozone generated by the charging operation of the charger 132 is also exhausted by the exhausting operation of the photoconductor 132 to protect the photosensitive drum 131.

As described above, air flows inside the copying machine 100, and if toner or the like is spilled, there is a possibility that the air will scatter inside the copying machine 100 and even outside.

The paper feed mechanism 140 feeds recording paper to the transfer section and discharges it from the fixing device 137 in synchronization with the toner image carried on the photosensitive drum 131. First paper feed rollers 141a, 142a, 143 for taking out and transporting the recording paper from 143
a, guide members 141b, 142b, 143b, carry-out rollers 141c, 142c, 143c, a pre-shutter sensor S1, a registration shutter 145, an accumulation reversing section 149, and a paper discharge sensor for jam detection disposed in front of a discharge roller of the fixing device 137. 260 and the like.

The registration shutter 145 protrudes by an exciting operation of a solenoid (not shown) and stops feeding of recording paper. Thereby, the skew of the recording paper is corrected and synchronization with the toner image carried on the photosensitive drum 131 is ensured.

The pre-shutter sensor S1 comprises, for example, an actuator and a photocoupler. The actuator is supported by a shaft, and rotates when the recording paper passes. Thus, the optical path of the photocoupler is blocked. Accordingly, the output of the photocoupler is turned on / off depending on whether or not the recording paper has passed.

The paper feed cassettes 141, 142 and 143 are universal cassettes capable of storing recording paper of various sizes.

The paper feed mechanism 140 is provided with the above-described configuration, and the first paper feed roller 141 feeds recording paper of a designated size one by one from the paper feed cassettes 141, 142, 143.
a, 142a, 143a, and unloading roller 1
41c, 142c, 143c and the guide member 141b,
The sheet is fed toward the image transfer section via 142b and 143b. The recording paper is sent onto the photosensitive drum 131 by a registration shutter 145 that operates in synchronization with the toner image on the photosensitive drum 131. The toner image on the photosensitive drum 131 is transferred to the recording paper by the operation of the transfer device 134, is separated from the surface of the photosensitive drum 131 by the charge eliminating operation of the separator 135, and is then sent to the fixing device 137. After being fused and fixed by a heating roller and a pressure roller, the sheet is discharged to a discharge tray 139 outside the apparatus by a discharge roller in the case of one-sided copying.

On the other hand, when performing double-sided copying on recording paper,
The recording paper is conveyed to the circulating conveyance section 148 and the stacking and reversing section 149
Is stored in. When a predetermined number of recording papers are stored in the stacking and reversing unit 149, they are carried out by the reversing paper feed roller 149a. The conveyed recording sheet is conveyed and conveyed again to the position of the registration shutter 145, and fed and recorded so as to match the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 131.

The copy condition input panel 147 is provided with an input unit for the operator to select a copy condition and a display unit for displaying the currently selected copy condition. Copier 10
The copy conditions included in 0 include selection of image quality switching, magnification selection of variable-size copying, selection of the number of copies, and the like, and other copying conditions.

FIG. 2 is a front sectional view of the drum cartridge 400 of the image forming apparatus of the present invention. The drum cartridge 400 includes a photosensitive drum 1 on a resin frame 401.
31 is rotatably mounted around the photosensitive drum 131, a charger 132, an erasing exposure device CEL, and a developing device 20.
0, the separation claw 17B, the rotary cleaning mechanism 150, and the pre-charging static eliminator PCL. The developing device 20
Numeral 0 is detachable from the drum cartridge 400, and the developing sleeve 223 is mounted in a state facing the photosensitive drum 131. The exposure light path EX indicated by the dashed line is
This is a part of the path from the scanning section 120 to the exposure light reaching the photosensitive drum 131.

The rotary cleaning mechanism 150 includes a toner collecting space a by a cleaner housing 151, a holder 156, a cleaning blade 155, and a toner collecting path 161.
To form The cleaner housing 151 includes a side wall 151a and a partition 151b. FIG. 2 shows the partition 151b.
Are shown, but the side wall 151a is not shown.
The side wall part 151a and the partition part 151b are integrally formed with resin, and form a half space. Holder 156 with cleaning blade 155 attached to cleaner housing 151
Is attached, the substantially half space is closed, and a toner collecting space a is formed. However, since there is a gap between the holder 156 and the side wall 151a as a clearance for rotating, the toner collection space a is not sealed only by attaching the holder 156 to the cleaner housing 151. A screw 160 is disposed at the bottom of the toner collecting space a. The screw 160 carries out the collected toner and the like to the outside of the toner collection space a.

Each end of the holder 156 has one roller 1 at a time.
The holder 156 rotates around the rotation axis of the roller 157 while holding the cleaning blade 155.

The equalizer spring 158 is a coil spring that functions as an equalizer for adjusting the pressure at which the cleaning blade 155 comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 131 to a predetermined strength, and one end of which is fixed to the bar 164. The other end of the equalizer spring 158 pushes the holder 156 in the direction of arrow b in the figure. The holder 156 is pushed out by the equalizer spring 158, and the roller c
, And is stabilized in balance with the stress of the photosensitive drum 131 that the cleaning blade 155 receives. Therefore, even if the photosensitive drum 131 is slightly eccentrically rotated, the cleaning blade 155 can always be pressed against the photosensitive drum 131 with a constant pressure.

Next, each mechanism of the rotary cleaning mechanism 150 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 is a perspective view showing one end of the holder 156 obliquely from below, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the side wall 151a, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state where the holder 156 is rotatably attached to the cleaner housing 151. . FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing a state where the cleaning blade 155 contacts the moquette 162, and FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing a problem when the malt plane 165 is not attached.

The cleaning blade 155 is a member formed by processing silicon rubber into a long plate shape.
55 at one ridgeline 155a in the longitudinal direction.
31 and counter-contact, and rubbing is performed to remove the adhered matter. The ridgeline 155a is an example of the leading edge of the present invention. The width of the ridgeline 155a is substantially equal to the width of the photosensitive drum 131.
More specifically, the width of the ridgeline 155a is
The length is larger than the length of the photoconductor layer provided in 1 in the rotation axis direction, and smaller than the length of the aluminum substrate of the photoconductor drum 131 in the rotation axis direction.

The holder 156 is composed of two metal beams 15 each formed by bending a sheet metal at approximately 90 ° to have an L-shaped cross section.
The cleaning blade 155 is sandwiched and held between 6a and 156d. Beams 156a, 156d
Were bent at the same angle. The bending may be performed on a curved surface having a predetermined radius other than the L-shape, and a plurality of sheet metals may be joined by welding or the like instead of bending. Beam 1
A knob 156e is provided on 56a by bending. The cleaning blade 155 is a beam 156a
Is adhered to a holding surface 156b (see FIG. 7), which is a flat surface, with a double-sided tape.
The cleaning blade 155 is sandwiched by screwing the cleaning blade 156 with the screw 156f (see FIG. 7). Note that FIG.
5 does not show the holding surface 156b and the screw 156f. The beam 156a and the cleaning blade 155
The width of the photosensitive drum 131 in the rotation axis direction was made equal.

In FIG. 3, a roller 157 is a member obtained by processing a resin into a cylindrical shape, and is fixed to a beam 156a. Roller 15
The central axis of the cylindrical shape of No. 7 is attached in parallel with the ridgeline 155a. U-shaped groove 15 in which roller 157 is provided in side wall portion 151a
4 (see FIG. 4), the holder 156 rotates as shown by arrows c and d with the roller 157 as a support shaft and the U-shaped groove 154 as a bearing. U-shaped groove 154 of the present embodiment
The roller 157 is an example of the support of the present invention.

In FIG. 4, the side wall portion 151a is a wall surface provided on a surface orthogonal to the axis of rotation of the roller 157. FIG. 4 shows only one side wall 151a. However, in the rotary cleaning mechanism 150, the cleaning blade 15
The two side wall portions 151a are arranged in parallel with each other at a slightly wider interval than the width of No. 5.

The partition 151b is arranged orthogonal to the two side walls 151a. Further, the partition wall 151b is provided between the photosensitive drum 13 and the cleaning blade 155.
1 and opposite to each other.

A toner recovery path 161 is provided at the bottom of the cleaner housing 151, and a screw 160 extends along the toner recovery path 161. Photoconductor drum 13
1 is dropped onto the upper surface of the recovered PET 159 (see FIG. 2), and the further rotating screw 16
0, the toner is conveyed along the toner collection path 161 and passes through a toner recycling path (not shown) to the developing device 200.
Supplied to The collected toner is applied to the developing device 20.
0 is reused.

The cleaner housing 151 is made of resin,
It is a member in which the two side walls 151a, the partition 151b, and the toner recovery path 161 are integrally formed. Cleaner housing 15
1 forms a hexahedral half space, and four of the six surfaces are surrounded by a partition wall portion 151b, two side wall portions 151a, and a toner recovery path 161 respectively. There are no gaps, holes, etc., from which toner or the like spills out.
If the surface is surrounded without gaps, this half space can be sealed.

The U-shaped groove 154 is provided on the side wall 151a. The U-shaped groove 154 is a bearing for the roller 157, and is a groove in which the R portion faces downward. The diameter of the R portion of the U-shaped groove 154 is substantially equal to the diameter of the roller 157.

The moquette 162 is an example of the first leak prevention member of the present invention. The moquette has a base material planted with thread-like fibers, and is well known as a kind of cloth. A synthetic fiber fabric was used as a base material, and a moquette using synthetic fiber as a fiber was used.
In the present embodiment, the base material is directly adhered to the side wall 151a with a double-sided tape, and the fibers substantially match the direction of the rotation axis of the roller 157. The moquette 162 has an R-cut portion 163 cut away from the shape of the U-shaped groove 154. It goes without saying that the moquette 162 can be removed together with the planted fibers by cutting the base material. The R cut section 163 is an example of the retreat section of the present invention. The length of the planted fiber is determined by the side wall 151a and the cleaning blade 155.
It is longer than the clearance interval provided between them.

In FIG. 5, the roller 157 is dropped into the U-shaped groove 154. The axis of rotation of the roller 157 is a U-shaped groove 154.
Is regulated by the shape. Roller 157 is holder 15
6, two rollers 157 are respectively dropped into U-shaped grooves 154 provided one by one on two side wall portions 151a.

The bar 164 is a metal member and is fixed to the cleaner housing 151 with screws. In FIG. 5, a bar 164 is provided to clearly show the shapes and arrangements of the roller 157 and the U-shaped groove 154.
Is indicated by a dashed line. The bar 164 is integrally provided with a roller pressing portion 164a. Roller 15 in U-shaped groove 154
When the bar 164 is fixed in place by screwing the bar 164 in a state where it has been dropped, the roller pressing portion 164a is
The cover 154 prevents the roller 157 from falling off. When the bar 164 is fixed, the equalizer spring 158 (FIG. 2)
End) is fixed.

The malt plane 165 is a well-known foam resin and is bonded to the beam 156a. The malt plane 165 is adhered to the surface of the beam 156a opposite to the beam 156d, that is, the side of the toner collection space a. Malt plane 165 is an example of the second leak prevention member of the present invention. The malt plane 165 does not come into contact with the rollers 157, but is bonded to the beam 156a in the vicinity of the mounting portion where the rollers 157 are mounted. Malt plane 165
Is in light contact with the fibers planted in the moquette 162. The malt plane 165 also moves with the rotation of the roller 157, and the fibers of the moquette 162 follow with the light movement of the malt plane 165.

In FIG. 6, the base material 162a is a synthetic fiber fabric woven for flocking. The fiber 162b is a soft chemical fiber and is densely implanted in the base material 162a. Holder 1
When the cleaning blade 56 is rotatably attached to the cleaner housing 151, the cleaning blade 155 pushes the fibers apart to form a split 162c between the fibers, and the formed split 16
It fits between 2c. Fiber 162b near crack 162c
Flutters along the shape of the cleaning blade 155,
Closely cover the edge of the cleaning blade 155.

Even when the cleaning blade 155 moves in the direction of the arrow c or the arrow d, the fibers near the split 162c follow the movement of the cleaning blade 155 while covering the edges. Flocked fiber 162b
The direction in which the cleaning blade 155 rises with respect to the substrate 162a (arrow e) and the direction of movement of the cleaning blade 155 (arrows c and d) are substantially orthogonal. The fibers 162b are flexible, and even when the cleaning blade 155 moves, it is hardly deformed because it receives little stress from the moquette 162. If the direction in which the fiber 162b rises and the direction of movement of the cleaning blade 155 (arrows c and d) are substantially parallel,
As the cleaning blade 155 moves, the fibers 1
The cleaning blade 155 may be deformed under stress due to the pressing of the cleaning blade 62b. In addition, since the fibers of the moquette 162 are impeded, powder such as toner hardly passes. Therefore, it is possible to prevent toner from leaking from the clearance between the side wall 151a and the cleaning blade 155.

Next, a clearance provided as a clearance between the cleaning blade 155 and the cleaner housing 151 will be described. 7A is a view of the rotary cleaning mechanism 150 as viewed from the direction of arrow L in FIG. 5, FIG. 7B is a view of the rotary cleaning mechanism 150 as viewed from the direction of arrow M in FIG. 5, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a view of the rotary cleaning mechanism 150 viewed from the direction of an arrow N of FIG. However, FIG.
In (B), the illustration of the moquette 162 and the malt plane 165 is omitted for the sake of explanation. In FIG. 7C, the malt plane 165 is omitted for the sake of explanation, and the moquette 162 is indicated by a dashed line. The gap g is shown in FIG.
(A) and (B), it is open between the cleaner housing 151 and the holder 156 to which the cleaning blade 155 is attached.

As shown in FIG. 7C, the adhered matter removed by the cleaning blade 155 collects on the side of the partition 151b of the cleaning blade 155, that is, in the toner collecting space a. Then, the liquid accumulates below the toner collecting space a, and most of the attached matter is removed by the screw 1.
By 60, the toner is carried out from the toner collecting space a to the developing device 200 through the toner recycling passage. However, some of the deposits are scattered and float inside the toner collection space a.

When the roller 157 is dropped into the U-shaped groove 154 and the moquette 162 is not attached, the gap g
And the like leaks out of the toner collecting space a. By providing the moquette 162, leakage of toner can be inhibited in most of the gap g.

The R cut portion 163 is cut off so as not to contact the roller 157, and it is necessary to secure a path for dropping the roller 157 into the U-shaped groove 154.
A gap e is formed without being able to seal the vicinity of the upper part of 7. The gap e has two contact points P1 between the R cut portion 163 and the holder 156,
Holder 156 sandwiched between contacts P1 and P2 with respect to P2
And moquette 1 also sandwiched between contacts P1 and P2
It is in a position surrounded by the 62 parts. This gap e
And the powder such as toner leaks out of the toner collecting space a.

To prevent leakage of toner and the like from the gap e, a malt plane 165 is attached. The malt plane 165 is in contact with the portion between the contacts P1 and P2 of the R cut portion 163, and is attached at a position in contact with the portion of the holder 156 between the contacts P1 and P2. Leakage can also be prevented. The moquette 162 and the holder 156 are connected to the contacts P1, P
2 touch each other outside.

In the above embodiment, a moquette has been described as the first leak prevention member of the present invention. However, a Teflon-coated malt plane may be used as the first leak prevention member of the present invention. When a malt plane is used, a raw material processed into a rectangular parallelepiped is processed into a desired shape and used. A malt plane in which one surface of the rectangular parallelepiped is coated with Teflon is processed into the same shape as the moquette 162 in FIG. Then, the surface coated with Teflon is brought into contact with the cleaning blade 155 and the holder 156. The cleaning blade 155 can move without being deformed because the Teflon coating makes it slippery.
Then, the malt plane 165 may be attached.

[0069]

According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, leakage of toner can be prevented by maintaining the degree of freedom of rotation of the blade by the rotary cleaning mechanism and preventing the cleaning blade from being deformed. Was.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a front sectional view of a drum cartridge of the image forming apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing one end of a holder from obliquely below.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a side wall portion.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which a holder is rotatably attached to a cleaner housing.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which a cleaning blade and a moquette are in contact with each other.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing a problem when a malt plane is not attached.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a conventional rotary cleaning mechanism.

FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram showing a gap in a conventional rotary cleaning mechanism.

[Explanation of symbols]

 150 Rotary cleaning mechanism 151 Cleaner housing 151a Side wall 151b Partition 154 U-shaped groove 155 Cleaning blade 155a Ridge 156 Holder 157 Roller 158 Equalizer spring 161 Toner recovery path 162 Moquette 163 R cut section 165 Malt plane a toner recovery space

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A cleaning blade having a leading edge portion for rubbing against a photoreceptor to remove deposits on the photoreceptor, a holder to which the cleaning blade is attached, and both end portions of the holder. A support portion for rotatably supporting the holder, an equalizer portion for applying a force in the direction of rotation of the holder to bring the front end edge into contact with the photoconductor with a stable contact pressure, and the cleaning blade. A side wall that is in non-contact with the supporting part and supports the supporting part; and a partition part that forms a half space with the side part. The holder, the side wall part, and the partition part that are arranged on the supporting part A cleaner housing forming a collection space; and a cleaner affixed to the side wall portion, located between an end of the cleaning blade and the side wall portion, and escaping the support portion. A first leakage prevention member that contacts the cleaning blade, and a first leakage prevention member that is disposed in the holder and contacts the first leakage prevention member on the side where the toner collection space is located. An image forming apparatus comprising: a second leak prevention member that covers the retreating section. 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first leakage prevention member is made of a material that is flexible enough to prevent the cleaning blade from bending even when the cleaning blade rotates. Image forming device. 3. The first leak prevention member uses a member in which a base material is planted, and is attached to the side wall portion in a state where the direction of the planting is substantially parallel to the rotation axis. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: 4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the support portion comprises a cylindrical roller member provided on the holder, and a U-shaped groove provided on the side wall portion and into which the roller member fits. 4. The image forming apparatus according to 2 or 3. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the retracting portion is a portion obtained by cutting the first leak prevention member into the shape of the U-shaped groove. .