JPH117225A - Cleaning device and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a compact inexpensive cleaning device capable of making the cleaning/destaticization of a photoreceptor simultaneous, for always forming an image of high quality by electrically connecting a cleaning blade and a supporting metallic plate therefor, with a conductive coating material. SOLUTION: The conductive cleaning blade 16 is constituted in such a manner that an ion conductive agent or carbon is dispersed in a base raw material made of urethane. The conductive blade 16 and the metal plate 24 are stuck with a hot-meltable adhesive 26. The conductive blade 16 and the metal plate 24 are electrically connected by the conductive coating material 42, to stabilize the resistance of a connecting part. A region coated with the coating material 42 is extended up to the free end of the blade 16, to make an adjustment for obtaining the resistance sufficient for the destaticization. The conductive coating material 42 is constituted in such a manner that the carbon is dispersed in a urethane coating material.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cleaning device capable of cleaning and removing transfer residual toner remaining on a photoreceptor and simultaneously removing unnecessary charges applied to the photoreceptor. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an image forming process using a reversal developing method has been applied to this type of image forming apparatus. In this image forming process, a charge having a polarity opposite to that of a photosensitive member in a transfer portion is applied. Is applied to the paper to transfer toner having the same polarity as the charged polarity of the photoconductor to the paper.

In such an image forming process, a charge having a polarity opposite to the charge polarity of the photoconductor is applied to the photoconductor due to transfer of the transfer charge to the photoconductor, leakage of the transfer charge to a portion having no paper, or the like. A case is assumed.

Conventionally, an organic photoreceptor has been used in an image forming apparatus, and it is difficult to remove charges of the opposite polarity imparted to the organic photoreceptor by light erasing or the like. in this case,
For example, when uneven charging occurs due to the opposite polarity charge applied to the paper edge portion or the opposite polarity charge applied based on the presence or absence of toner, and as a result, image unevenness (so-called memory image) occurs There is.

[0005] For this reason, in image forming apparatuses such as digital copiers and high-speed printers that require high image quality, the charge of the opposite polarity of the photoreceptor is erased after transfer to make the charge polarity of the photoreceptor uniform. Is provided.

According to such a configuration, first, the surface of the photoreceptor is uniformly charged by the charging charger, and then,
The photoreceptor is exposed to a predetermined light to form a predetermined latent image on the photoreceptor surface. Subsequently, the toner is developed with respect to the latent image on the photoconductor by a reversal development method. Next, a charge having a polarity opposite to the charging polarity of the photoconductor is applied to the back surface of the paper, and the toner is transferred to the front surface of the paper. Next, after removing excess reverse polarity charges on the surface of the photoreceptor with a charge removing charger, the transfer residual toner remaining on the surface of the photoreceptor is removed by cleaning with a cleaning blade. After the charge of the charge polarity of the photoreceptor is erased by appropriate light and the surface charge of the photoreceptor is made uniform, the process shifts to the charging process again, and a predetermined image is formed on the paper surface by repeating the above-described process. Is done.

[0007]

In recent years, image forming apparatuses such as copiers and printers have been required to be reduced in size and cost, and to be environmentally friendly. It is difficult to reduce the size, and the addition of a static elimination charger leads to an increase in the amount of ozone generated, an increase in cost, and a deterioration in environmental performance.

In order to reduce the size and cost of the apparatus and to cope with environmental issues, there has been proposed an image forming process in which the cleaning and charging of the photosensitive member are performed simultaneously by a cleaning blade.

However, even when such an image forming process is used, the problem of uneven charging and image unevenness (a so-called memory image) due to the opposite polarity charge during transfer still exists, so that a low-speed copying machine or printer can be used. It can be said that the technique is not applicable to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a high-speed printer which requires high image quality.

Further, the above-described image forming process requires a cleaning blade having an optimum resistance value for removing static electricity while securing physical properties as a cleaner. A cleaning blade satisfying this requirement is required. It is difficult to manufacture a base material (e.g., an elastic material such as rubber), and its development has been hindered.

Further, since means for conducting a base material (for example, an elastic material such as rubber) necessary for forming a cleaning blade to a sheet metal is not known at present, for example, a conductive tape or the like is used to connect between the two. Conducted.

However, when a conductive tape is used, a variation in resistance (non-uniform resistance) may occur in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade due to a mounting error (attachment error) or a difference in adhesive pressing force. as a result,
Charging unevenness occurs in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade.

As a method for making the cleaning blade conductive, for example, a method of dispersing an ionic conductive agent in a base material of the cleaning blade (an ion conductive agent dispersion method) and a method of dispersing carbon (a carbon dispersion method). It is conceivable that both methods are not suitable for mass production at present.

In the ionic conductive agent dispersion method, it is necessary to mix and disperse a large amount of the ionic conductive agent in order to reduce the resistance of the ester urethane material used for the cleaning blade. As a result, bleeding (phenomena of leaching of the ion conductive agent) is likely to occur. Further, according to the formulation of the ionic conductive agent, the resistance greatly depends on the environment. Therefore, a resistance difference of about two digits occurs between a low-temperature low-humidity environment and a high-temperature high-humidity environment. In addition, there is a problem that the resistance is hardly reduced even if a large amount is added.

On the other hand, carbon (carbon black) used in the carbon dispersion method has a large structure capable of realizing low resistance (the connection between carbons is long).
And has a structure with good electric conductivity. However, carbon having a large structure is difficult to finely and uniformly disperse in the base material of the cleaning blade, and therefore, the resistance tends to be non-uniform. Furthermore,
Since uniform dispersion is difficult, the physical properties of the cleaning blade may be significantly reduced, or carbon pieces may be mixed into the edge of the cleaning blade, which may cause poor cleaning or damage to the photoconductor. obtain.

In this case, for example, by using carbon having a small structure, it is conceivable to improve the dispersibility, make the resistance uniform, and prevent carbon pieces from being mixed into the edge portion. However, in order to achieve low resistance, it is necessary to increase the amount of carbon, and when the amount of carbon is increased, the physical properties of the base material of the cleaning blade greatly change, and the cleaning performance deteriorates. In some cases.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a small-sized, low-cost apparatus capable of simultaneously forming a cleaning member and removing static electricity to form a high-quality image. A cleaning device and an image forming apparatus are provided.

[0018]

An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a charging means for uniformly charging the photoreceptor, and an exposing means for exposing the photoreceptor to form a predetermined latent image on the photoreceptor. Developing means for developing the latent image created on the photoconductor with toner, transfer means for transferring the toner developed on the photoconductor to predetermined paper, and residual toner remaining on the photoconductor. At the same time as cleaning and removing the transfer residual toner, a cleaning device capable of removing unnecessary charges given to the photoconductor, and irradiating the photoconductor with light having a predetermined wavelength, thereby cleaning the photoconductor. Light removing means for making the surface potential uniform.

An image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the charging means uniformly charges the photoreceptor, the exposing means for exposing the photoreceptor to form a predetermined latent image on the photoreceptor, Developing means for developing the latent image formed on the photoreceptor with toner, transfer means for transferring the toner developed on the photoreceptor to a predetermined sheet, and cleaning and removing transfer residual toner remaining on the photoreceptor At the same time, a cleaning device capable of eliminating unnecessary charges given to the photoconductor, and irradiating the photoconductor with light having a predetermined wavelength to make the surface potential of the photoconductor uniform The cleaning device includes a cleaning blade made conductive so as to maintain a predetermined resistance value, and a bias voltage having the same polarity as the charging polarity of the photoconductor. And capable of applying power to over training blade is provided.

An image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the charging means uniformly charges the photoreceptor, the exposing means for exposing the photoreceptor to form a predetermined latent image on the photoreceptor, Developing means for developing the latent image formed on the photoreceptor with toner, transfer means for transferring the toner developed on the photoreceptor to a predetermined sheet, and cleaning and removing transfer residual toner remaining on the photoreceptor At the same time, a cleaning device capable of eliminating unnecessary charges given to the photoconductor, and irradiating the photoconductor with light having a predetermined wavelength to make the surface potential of the photoconductor uniform and a light discharging means, wherein the cleaning device is 10 ⁴ to 10 ⁹ ohms and a cleaning blade which is conductive to maintain the resistance value of the photosensitive member having the same polarity as the charging polarity of the Bi The scan voltage and capable of applying power to the cleaning blade is provided.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning apparatus comprising: a cleaning blade having both a cleaning function and a static elimination function for a predetermined target surface; and a sheet metal for supporting the cleaning blade. Are electrically connected by a predetermined conductive paint.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning apparatus including a cleaning blade having both a cleaning function and a static elimination function for a predetermined target surface, and a sheet metal for supporting the cleaning blade. So that the cleaning blade and the sheet metal are maintained at 10 ⁴ -10 ⁹ ohms.
The cleaning blade is electrically connected to a predetermined conductive paint which is extended to near a free end of the cleaning blade.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning apparatus comprising: a cleaning blade having both a cleaning function and a static elimination function for a predetermined target surface; and a sheet metal for supporting the cleaning blade. So that the cleaning blade and the sheet metal are maintained at 10 ⁴ -10 ⁹ ohms.
The cleaning blade is electrically connected by a urethane-based conductive paint that extends to near the free end of the cleaning blade and is applied.

An image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the charging means uniformly charges the photosensitive member, the exposing means for exposing the photosensitive member to form a predetermined latent image on the photosensitive member, Developing means for developing the latent image formed on the photoreceptor with toner, transfer means for transferring the toner developed on the photoreceptor to a predetermined sheet, and cleaning and removing transfer residual toner remaining on the photoreceptor At the same time, a cleaning device capable of eliminating unnecessary charges given to the photoconductor, and irradiating the photoconductor with light having a predetermined wavelength to make the surface potential of the photoconductor uniform A cleaning blade having both a cleaning function and a static elimination function for a predetermined target surface, and a cleaning blade for supporting the cleaning blade. And gold is provided, wherein the cleaning blade and the sheet metal, by a predetermined conductive paint, are electrically connected.

[0025]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a cleaning device and an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 schematically shows a configuration of an image forming apparatus in which the cleaning device of the present embodiment is incorporated.

As shown in FIG. 1, a cleaning device 2 incorporated in the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment includes a photoconductive drum 4 made of a negatively charged OPC (organic photoconductor) or the like. Is provided. In addition, the negatively chargeable O
The PC has such a characteristic that it can be neutralized with light for negative charges but cannot be neutralized with light for positive charges (charges of opposite polarity).

In such an image forming apparatus, first,
The surface of the photosensitive drum 4 is uniformly negatively charged by operating the charging charger 6 with the start of the photosensitive drum 4 (charging process).

Subsequently, the photosensitive drum 4 is exposed by the exposure means 8 to form a predetermined latent image (not shown) on the photosensitive drum 4 (exposure step). The exposing means 8 is provided with a light source (not shown) having a wavelength that matches the sensitivity of the photoconductor drum 4.
For example, a laser, a light-emitting diode array, or the like can be used.

Next, toner (not shown) is applied to the latent image created in the exposure area of the photosensitive drum 4 by the developing device 10.
Is developed in reverse (developing step). Note that the developing device 10 applied to the present embodiment is configured to be able to perform a developing process including two components of a carrier and a toner.

Subsequently, the transfer charger 12 applies a transfer charge having a polarity opposite to that of the toner to the back surface of the sheet 14 to transfer the toner to the surface of the sheet 14 (transfer step). Thereafter, the cleaning device 2 removes unnecessary positive charges applied to the photosensitive drum 4 during the transfer process while removing residual toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 4 (cleaning process). .

The cleaning device 2 of the present embodiment
Has a cleaning blade 16 (hereinafter, referred to as a conductive blade 16) having both a cleaning function and a charge removing function. The conductive blade 16 controls the voltage applied from a power supply 17 so that the photosensitive drum 4 can be negatively charged. It is configured so that it can be charged up to the property.

Next, by irradiating the photosensitive drum 4 with light having a predetermined wavelength by using the optical charge eliminator 18, the negative charges on the photosensitive drum 4 are erased and the photosensitive drum 4 is erased.
The upper surface potential is made uniform (photo-elimination process).

It is to be noted that the photoconductive drum 4 is
A light source (not shown) having a wavelength matching the sensitivity is provided, and an appropriate lamp can be selected as this light source.

Thereafter, the process proceeds to the charging step again, and the above-described image forming process is repeated.
A predetermined image is formed on the surface of the paper 14. Note that, for example, a roller-type contact charger may be applied as the charging charger 6 or the transfer charger 12 of the above-described image forming apparatus.

As described above, according to the cleaning apparatus and the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment, a small-sized and low-cost cleaning apparatus which can simultaneously perform cleaning and static elimination of the photosensitive drum 4 and always form a high-quality image. An image forming apparatus can be provided.

Here, at the time of the transfer process, the photosensitive drum 4
Unnecessary positive charges provided to the semiconductor device will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. FIG.
(G) shows an image forming process when a normal cleaning blade is used for the cleaning device 2;
The change in the surface potential of the photosensitive drum 4 is shown.

After the charging process (see FIG. 2A) is completed, when the toner 20 is developed on the latent image (see FIG. 2B) created by the exposure process, the photosensitive drum on which the toner 20 has been developed is used. The surface potential of No. 4 is lower in the potential of the developing portion than in the other portion (non-developing portion) (see FIG. 2C).

Subsequently, in the transfer step, when a transfer charge is applied to the back surface of the paper 14, the resistance of the paper 14 and the toner 20
Although there is a difference depending on the thickness of the developing part and the non-developing part,
In both cases, the potential is reduced or charged to the opposite polarity (see FIG. 2D). In this transfer process, paper 1
Since the transfer charge is directly applied to the photosensitive drum 4 at the edge portions 14a and 14b on both sides, the photosensitive drum 4 is often charged to the opposite polarity.

Next, after the cleaning process using a normal cleaning blade (see FIG. 2 (e)) is completed, if the light neutralization process is performed, positive charges cannot be erased due to the characteristics of the photosensitive drum 4 and remain. (See FIG. 2 (f)).

As a result, before the charging process is performed again,
Since the surface potential of the photosensitive drum 4 is non-uniform, charging unevenness (see FIG. 2G) occurs in the charging process, and the so-called memory image as described above occurs.

On the other hand, when the conductive blade 16 of the cleaning device 2 of the present embodiment is used instead of the normal cleaning blade, the conductive blade 16 is not used in the cleaning process (see FIG. 2H). The blade 16 cleans the photosensitive drum 4 and removes electricity.

Therefore, the positive charges can be completely erased in the subsequent photo-elimination process (FIG. 2).
(See (i)). As a result, when the charging process is performed again, the surface potential of the photosensitive drum 4 can be made uniform without charging unevenness (see FIG. 2 (j)), so that a so-called memory image as described above does not occur. Thus, it is possible to form a high-quality image without image unevenness.

It should be noted that the same operation as described above can be achieved even if the charge of the opposite polarity of the photosensitive drum 4 is erased by using a charge removing charger (not shown) which erases the charge of the opposite polarity after the transfer process, instead of the conductive blade 16. The effect can be realized.

However, in the present embodiment, it is important that the conductive blade 16 is used for removing charge from the transfer charge, and it is not necessary to provide a space for disposing the charge removal charger in a region after the transfer process. The size of the image forming apparatus can be reduced, and the amount of generated ozone is reduced to 1/10
It can be reduced below.

Next, the cleaning device 2 of the present embodiment
Will be described. The conductive blade 16 is formed by dispersing an ionic conductive agent or carbon in a base material made of urethane.

A technique for obtaining a desired conductivity by dispersing an ion conductive agent or carbon in a base material made of urethane has been realized for a charging roller, a transfer roller, a developing roller, and the like. Not yet implemented.

First, in the case of the technique of dispersing the ionic conductive agent (the ionic conductive agent dispersion type), it is considered that the urethane material is different. That is, ester-based urethane, which is effective for mechanical properties, is used for the cleaning blade, whereas ether-based urethane is generally used for the rollers. Ether-based urethane has good compatibility with the ionic conductive agent, and easily lowers electric resistance. On the other hand, when an ether-based urethane is used, physical properties required as a cleaning blade cannot be obtained, so that problems such as poor cleaning are likely to occur, and there is a limit to lowering the resistance.

Second, in the case of the technique of dispersing carbon (carbon dispersion type), since the conductivity is obtained by the connection of the carbon structure, a lump of carbon is easily generated. In particular, if a lump is formed on the edge of the cleaning blade, there is a problem that the photosensitive drum is damaged or cleaning is poor. Further, since the dispersion unit is large, the resistance width increases, and the desired resistance width increases. Is difficult to obtain.

For the carbon dispersion type, a method of suppressing the resistance width can be dealt with by using carbon having a small structure and easy to disperse. However, since it is difficult to lower the resistance, it is necessary to mix a large amount of carbon. When a large amount of carbon is mixed, there arises a problem that the physical properties of the rubber are reduced.

As described above, a blade material having both a cleaning function and a charge removing function has not been developed so far. FIGS. 3A and 3B show a conductive blade 16 having a low resistance while maintaining a cleaning function.
The relationship between the applied voltage and the resistance is shown. As shown in FIG. 3C, this relationship is configured based on measurement data of a measuring device provided with the aluminum tube 22 constituting the photosensitive drum. In this case, a DC power supply (DC power supply) was used as the power supply 17.

As is clear from FIG. 3 (a), in the case of the ionic conductive agent dispersion type, the variation in resistance depending on the measurement location is small, but the resistance change due to the measurement environment is large, and especially the resistance at low temperature and low humidity is high. I understand. In this case, in order to eliminate the charge on the photosensitive drum, the resistance needs to be 109 ohms or less at the actual use voltage and use state, but does not reach this value at low temperature and low humidity.

On the other hand, as is clear from FIG. 3B, in the case of the carbon dispersion type, in the case of carbon A with good dispersion, the variation in resistance depending on the measurement point is small as in the case of the ion conductive agent dispersion type. Is difficult to fall. On the other hand, when the conductive carbon B is used, the variation in resistance increases.

As described above, in the carbon dispersion type, since the resistance has a voltage dependency, it is possible to reduce the resistance to a desired resistance by increasing the applied voltage. However, as the applied voltage increases, the resistance varies. It is not realistic because there is a problem that current leaks due to pinholes of the photosensitive drum and the like.

Next, advantages of the conductive blade 16 having both the cleaning function and the charge removing function will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 shows a conductive blade 1 when a DC voltage (DC voltage) is applied from a power supply 17 to the conductive blade 16.
6 shows the relationship between the resistance 6 and the surface potential of the photosensitive drum 4.

As is apparent from FIG. 4, the surface potential is 5
The resistance of the conductive blade 16 needs to be lower than this value because it is stable at × 10 ⁸ ohms or less. However, for a resistance lower than this value, the potential may fluctuate depending on the size and number of the pinholes and the like of the photosensitive drum 4. For this reason, in order to stably charge the photosensitive drum 4, as a result of the experiment, the resistance of the conductive blade 16 needs to be higher than 10 ⁷ ohms. That is, the conductive blade 16 for use as a charged photosensitive drum 4, it is preferable to set the resistance of the conductive blade 16 in the range of 10 ⁷ to 10 ⁸ ohm.

On the other hand, when the conductive blade 16 is used for neutralizing the photosensitive drum 4, in the above-described image forming process, the conductive blade 16 is used by the conductive blade 16.
After the static elimination is performed, the charging process by the charging charger 6 is performed, so that the influence on the image is small as compared with the case of using for charging. In this case, the conductive blade 1
6 is sufficient if it has a resistance enough to remove a so-called memory image. As a result of an experiment, it is sufficient to set the resistance within a range of 10 ⁴ to 10 ⁹ ohms, preferably 10 ^{5 to} 5 × 10 ⁸ . Easy to mass-produce.

Further, regarding the voltage applied to the conductive blade 16, when the conductive blade 16 is used for charging, the charging non-uniformity is inevitably caused only by applying the DC voltage. Therefore, the AC voltage is superimposed on the DC voltage. Is usually performed. FIG. 5 shows the relationship between the DC applied voltage and the surface potential of the photosensitive drum 4 when the conductive blade 16 of 10 ⁸ ohms is used for charging. As is apparent from this relationship, the surface potential increases in proportion to the applied voltage, but it can be seen that the variation in the surface potential is large.

On the other hand, when the conductive blade 16 is used for static elimination, the light elimination process (FIG. 2) is performed after the static elimination process.
(Refer to (i)). In this case, it is only necessary to shift the potential to the negative side as shown in FIG.
A sufficient static elimination effect can be realized by applying only a voltage or a weak AC voltage.

Next, the relationship between the length (blade length) to the edge (blade free end) of the conductive blade 16 and the resistance will be described with reference to FIG. The conductive treatment between the conductive blade 16 and a sheet metal 24 for supporting the conductive blade 16 (see FIG. 8) is performed by ordinary hot melt bonding since there is no conductive member having conductive and sufficient adhesive force. Agent 26
(See FIGS. 8C and 8D).
6 and the sheet metal 24 are adhered, and a conductive tape (not shown) is stuck to the blade surface side to be actually used to secure conduction. And the voltage is a practical 15
A DC voltage of 00 V is applied.

In this case, as is clear from the relationship shown in FIG. 6, the resistance increases as the blade length increases. As a result, it can be seen that if the blade length is made sufficiently short, the necessary resistance can be obtained at the time of static elimination, but on the other hand, the cleaning property is not satisfactory (see Table 2 described later).

Thus, when the conductive tape was applied to a position near the free end of the blade while maintaining the blade length for obtaining a sufficient cleaning property, the resistance was reduced. It turned out to be uniform.

The reason for this was that resistance unevenness occurred due to a difference in adhesive force along the width direction of the conductive tape (the longitudinal direction of the blade). In addition, since the conductive tape is stuck to the free end of the blade, not only the pressure contact force on the photosensitive drum cannot be controlled, but also the amount of distortion when contacting the photosensitive drum increases, resulting in poor cleaning. It was also found to occur (see Table 2 below).

Therefore, in order to eliminate such a problem and obtain sufficient resistance and stability, the present embodiment employs the following method. The conductive paint electrically connects the conductive blade 16 and the sheet metal 24 to stabilize the resistance of the connection and extend the paint application area to the free end of the blade, which is sufficient for static elimination. Adjust to obtain resistance. Table 1 below shows the physical property values of an example of the conductive paint. Such conductive paint is
It is made by dispersing carbon in urethane paint. It has high adhesive strength to urethane material, high elongation, and low stress, so that it hardly affects blade properties.

[0064]

[Table 1]

Further, in the present embodiment, as an example, a conductive paint in which urethane is mixed with carbon and the solvent is dispersed is used, and its resistance is adjusted to 10 ⁴ ohm or less.

As a coating method, a dipping coating method, a spray coating method, or the like can be applied. However, the conductive coating applied to the present embodiment has a high volatility of a solvent, and thus is dipped coating. Method.

FIG. 7 schematically shows the configuration of a dipping apparatus for realizing the dipping coating method. As shown in FIG. 7, the dipping apparatus includes a support member 28 capable of supporting the conductive blade 16 and an elevating mechanism for elevating the support member 28 in the direction of arrow S in the figure.

The elevating mechanism is provided with a screw member 30 to which the support member 28 is screwed, and by rotating the screw member 30 by a predetermined amount in a predetermined direction, the support member 28 is moved by an arrow S in the figure.
And a rotation control mechanism for raising and lowering in the direction.

The rotation control mechanism includes a rotation control pulley 32 fixed to the screw member 30 and the rotation control pulley 32.
And a transmission pulley 36 for transmitting the driving force of the motor 34 to the rotation control pulley 32. The driving force of the motor 34 is transmitted via a transmission belt 38. After being transmitted to the transmission pulley 36, it is transmitted from the transmission pulley 36 to the rotation control pulley 32 via the rotation control belt 40.

A container 44 containing a conductive paint 42 in which urethane is mixed with carbon and dispersed in a solvent is disposed below the conductive blade 16 supported by the support member 28.

Next, the operation of the dipping apparatus having such a configuration will be described. After attaching a masking jig (not shown) to the conductive blade 16, the conductive blade 16 is lowered and dipped in the conductive paint 42 in the container 44. Then, after being pulled up at a speed of about 30 cm / min, it is dried at room temperature for about 10 minutes.

After this coating operation, when the adhesive strength was measured,
Since the urethane conductive coating material 42 was applied to the urethane base material of the conductive blade 16, it was difficult to peel off the adhesive force strongly.

The coating thickness can be adjusted by the dipping speed, but in the present trial production, the coating thickness could be about 50 μm due to the change in thickness before and after coating. According to such a dipping method, there is obtained a conductive portion rate 16 in which there is no unevenness in the longitudinal direction of the resistance, and the physical properties as a cleaning blade are not deteriorated due to a large paint elongation and a small film thickness. I was able to. That is, the conductive blade 16 having both the charge eliminating function and the cleaning function was obtained (see Table 2 below).

[0074]

[Table 2]

In the future, preferably, the resistance of the base material of the conductive blade 16 may be reduced. However, it is still possible to achieve sufficient adhesion between the sheet metal 24 (see FIG. 8) and the conductive blade 16 and the electric resistance. Since there is no material capable of realizing the electrical connection at the same time, it is necessary to perform the electrical connection with the conductive paint 42 (preferably, a urethane-based conductive paint) as described above.

In this case, in order to obtain a higher static elimination function and a higher cleaning function, the conductive paint 42 is applied rather than applied to the base end of the conductive blade 16 (see FIGS. 8A and 8C). It is preferable that the conductive blade 16 be extended to near the free end of the conductive blade 16 (see FIGS. 8B and 8D).

As described above, according to this embodiment, the resistance of the base material of the conductive blade 16 is reduced, and the conductive paint 42 is applied to the sheet metal 24 and the conductive blade 16 and the application area is controlled. Thus, a conductive cleaning blade capable of performing static elimination, charging, and the like can be configured. Furthermore, by using the conductive blade 16 of the present embodiment, cleaning after the transfer process and erasing of the opposite polarity charge can be performed at the same time, so that a charger for static elimination is not required, and the number of parts of the apparatus is reduced. It becomes possible to reduce. As a result, the size and cost of the apparatus can be reduced, and the amount of ozone can be reduced.

[0078]

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a small-sized and low-cost cleaning apparatus and an image forming apparatus capable of always forming a high-quality image by simultaneously performing cleaning and discharging of the photosensitive member.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view schematically showing a configuration of an image forming apparatus in which a cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention is incorporated.

FIGS. 2A to 2J are diagrams showing how the surface potential of a photosensitive drum changes when a normal cleaning blade is used and when a conductive blade is used.

3A is a diagram showing a relationship between an applied voltage and a resistance of a conductive blade of an ion conductive agent dispersion type, and FIG.
The figure which shows the relationship between the applied voltage and resistance of the conductive blade of a carbon dispersion | distribution type | formula, (c) is a figure which shows the structure of the measuring device for measuring the relationship of the same figure (a), (b).

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the resistance of the conductive blade and the surface potential of the photosensitive drum when a DC voltage is applied to the conductive blade.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between an applied voltage and a surface potential of a photosensitive drum when a conductive blade is used for charging.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a blade length and a resistance of a conductive blade.

FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of a dipping apparatus for realizing a dipping coating method.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a sheet metal and a conductive blade are electrically connected by a conductive paint, and FIG. 8A illustrates a state in which the conductive paint is applied to a base end of the conductive blade; A perspective view, (b) is a perspective view showing a state in which the conductive paint is applied to near the free end of the conductive blade, (c),
FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line cc in FIG. 4A, and FIG. 4D is a cross-sectional view taken along the line dd in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 16 conductive blade 24 sheet metal 26 hot melt adhesive 42 conductive paint

Claims (7)

[Claims] A charging unit configured to uniformly charge the photoconductor; an exposure unit configured to expose the photoconductor to form a predetermined latent image on the photoconductor; Developing means for developing with toner; transfer means for transferring the toner developed on the photoreceptor to predetermined paper; cleaning and removing transfer residual toner remaining on the photoreceptor; A cleaning device capable of removing unnecessary unnecessary charges, and a light removing unit configured to irradiate the photosensitive member with light having a predetermined wavelength to uniformize a surface potential of the photosensitive member. Characteristic image forming apparatus. 2. A charging unit for uniformly charging a photoconductor, an exposure unit for exposing the photoconductor to form a predetermined latent image on the photoconductor, and a charging unit for exposing the latent image formed on the photoconductor. Developing means for developing with toner; transfer means for transferring the toner developed on the photoreceptor to predetermined paper; cleaning and removing transfer residual toner remaining on the photoreceptor; A cleaning device capable of removing unnecessary unnecessary charges, and a light removing means for irradiating the photosensitive member with light having a predetermined wavelength to uniformize the surface potential of the photosensitive member. The cleaning device is capable of applying a cleaning blade made conductive so as to maintain a predetermined resistance value and a bias voltage having the same polarity as the charging polarity of the photoconductor to the cleaning blade. An image forming apparatus, comprising: a power supply; A charging unit configured to uniformly charge the photoconductor; an exposure unit configured to expose the photoconductor to form a predetermined latent image on the photoconductor; Developing means for developing with toner; transfer means for transferring the toner developed on the photoreceptor to predetermined paper; cleaning and removing transfer residual toner remaining on the photoreceptor; A cleaning device capable of removing unnecessary unnecessary charges, and a light removing means for irradiating the photosensitive member with light having a predetermined wavelength to uniformize the surface potential of the photosensitive member. , the cleaning device, the cleaning and the cleaning blade which is conductive to maintain the resistance value of 10 ⁴ to 10 ⁹ ohm, and the same polarity as the charging polarity of the bias voltage of the photosensitive member Image forming apparatus characterized by the application can supply is provided blade. 4. A cleaning blade having both a cleaning function and a static elimination function for a predetermined target surface, and a sheet metal for supporting the cleaning blade, wherein the cleaning blade and the sheet metal have a predetermined conductive paint. A cleaning device electrically connected to the cleaning device. 5. A cleaning blade having a cleaning function and a charge elimination function for a predetermined target surface, and a sheet metal for supporting the cleaning blade, wherein a resistance value of the cleaning blade is 10 ⁴ to 10 ^9.
The cleaning blade and the sheet metal are electrically connected to each other by a predetermined conductive paint applied so as to extend to near a free end of the cleaning blade so as to maintain an ohmic state. apparatus. 6. A cleaning blade having both a cleaning function and a static elimination function for a predetermined target surface, and a sheet metal for supporting the cleaning blade, wherein a resistance value of the cleaning blade is 10 ⁴ to 10 ^9.
The cleaning blade and the sheet metal are electrically connected to each other by a urethane-based conductive paint that is extended and applied to near the free end of the cleaning blade so as to maintain an ohmic characteristic. Cleaning device. 7. A charging unit for uniformly charging a photoconductor, an exposure unit for exposing the photoconductor to form a predetermined latent image on the photoconductor, Developing means for developing with toner; transfer means for transferring the toner developed on the photoreceptor to predetermined paper; cleaning and removing transfer residual toner remaining on the photoreceptor; A cleaning device capable of removing the unnecessary charges, and a light removing unit configured to irradiate the photosensitive member with light having a predetermined wavelength to uniformize a surface potential of the photosensitive member. The cleaning device includes a cleaning blade having both a cleaning function and a static elimination function for a predetermined target surface, and a sheet metal for supporting the cleaning blade. Serial The cleaning blade and the sheet metal, the image forming apparatus characterized by the predetermined conductive coating, are electrically connected.