JPS6033582A - Cleaning device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the toner carrying performance of a guide roller by covering the guide roller with a sponge layer having distributed holes which are larger than the grain size of a developer and has diameters smaller than a specific value, and allowing the guide roller to be driven on the surface of an image formation body. CONSTITUTION:The elastic surface layer 7a having distributed holes with diameters larger than the grain size of the developer and smaller than 200mum on the surface is used, and the guide roller 7 is driven to rotate in contact with the surface of the image formation body 1; the guide roller 7 then rotates without any slip on the surfce of the image formation body because of the superior compressibility and coefficient of friction of the elastic surface layer 7a, reducing the abrasion of its surface. Further, the holes in the surface of the elastic surface layer 7a catch and carry the toner fallen down with a scraping member 4, so the carrying performance is improved. Further, the edges of the holes deform by being pressed by a separating member 8, and the toner jumps out of the holes by the deformation to make the separation of the toner sufficient. Thus, the toner carrying performance of the guide roller is improved.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a cleaning device for an image forming body of a recording device such as an electrophotographic copying machine, and in particular to a cleaning device for scraping off residual toner from the surface of a moving image forming body. A removing member, a guide roller that receives the scraped developer on its surface and conveys it away from the surface of the image (1), and a guide roller that comes into contact with the guide roller to separate the developer from the guide roller. The present invention relates to a cleaning device equipped with a separation member that is dropped by the user.

[Prior art]

As mentioned above, the leaning device generally has a structure as shown in FIG. In Figure 1, 1
2 is an image forming drum that has an image forming layer made of an electrophotographic photoreceptor or a dielectric material on its surface and rotates in the direction of the arrow; 2 is a cleaning device frame that can be rotated counterclockwise around a support shaft 3; , 4 are held by a holding frame 6 rotatably attached to the cleaning device frame 2 around a shaft 5,
A scraping member 7 is made of a rubber plate or a resin plate, the tip of which is pressed against the surface of the image forming drum 1, and a scraping member 7 removes developer such as residual toner scraped off from the surface of the image forming drum 1 by the scraping member 4. A guide roller 8 that rotates in the direction of the arrow receives the surface of the image forming body drum 1 and transports it away from the surface of the image forming body drum 1. A guide roller 8 contacts the surface of the guide roller 7 to separate the toner, etc. from the guide roller 7 (2). This is a separating member made of a resin plate made of polyester or the like.

In the conventional cleaning device having such a structure, the guide roller 7 has an elastic surface layer 7a made of an elastic material such as rubber with a smooth surface.

The guide roller 7 is brought close to the surface of the image forming body drum 1 to prevent toner from spilling from the gap between the guide roller 7 and the image forming body drum 1, and foreign substances such as dust and paper powder are placed between the guide roller 7 and the image forming body drum 1. This is to prevent the surface of the image forming member drum 1 from being damaged even if the image forming member drum 1 is caught in the guide roller 7, and to improve the conveyance of toner, etc. on the surface of the guide roller 7.

However, even with the elastic surface layer 7a, since the surface is smooth, toner and the like can easily slip and accumulate particularly in the area where the guide roller 7 and the surface of the photoreceptor drum 10 are close to each other. When toner etc. accumulates in this way, it may have a negative effect on the performance of the image forming body.
Further, when maintenance is performed by rotating the cleaning device frame 2 counterclockwise, toner or the like may contaminate the inside of the spring recording device.

In order to prevent this toner from accumulating, the elastic surface layer 7
It is easily possible to improve the conveyance performance of the guide roller 7 by adding unevenness or grooves to the surface of the guide roller 7. However, this may result in the separating member 8 not being able to sufficiently separate the toner etc. from the surface of the guide roller rough, or the separating member 8 vibrating and scattering the toner etc., causing the cleaning device frame 2 and the image This poses problems such as toner blowing out from the gaps in the forming drum 1 and severe wear and tear on the separating member 8.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems with conventional cleaning devices, and improves the conveying performance of the guide roller to eliminate the accumulation of toner etc. between the guide roller and the surface of the image forming body. Moreover, the separation of toner, etc. from the guide roller was sufficiently performed, and the separating member was worn out.
- To provide a cleaning device that does not scatter toner or the like and does not damage the surface of an image forming body.

[Structure of the invention]

The present invention includes a scraping member that scrapes off residual developer from the surface of a moving image forming body, a guide roller that receives the scraped developer on its surface and conveys it away from the surface of the image forming body; A cleaning device comprising a separation member that comes into contact with a guide roller and separates the developer from the guide roller, wherein the guide roller has a sponge layer on the surface of which pores having a diameter of not less than the particle size of the developer and not more than 200 μm are distributed. and a roller that contacts the surface of the image forming body and rotates drivenly.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

The present invention provides a cleaning device as shown in FIG. 1, which includes a sponge having holes of an appropriate size on its surface that allow toner to enter into the elastic surface layer 7a of the guide roller 7;
For example, the above object is achieved by using a sponge made of chloroprene rubber (5) and by making the guide roller 7 contact the surface of the image forming body and rotate as a result of the rotation. If all the holes distributed on the surface of the elastic surface layer 7a made of sponge of the guide roller rough are so small that toner, etc. cannot enter, the conveyance of toner, etc. is almost the same as that of a conventional rubber-coated guide roller. Nothing has changed,
Toner etc. tend to accumulate between the surface of the image forming body and the coefficient of friction with the surface of the image forming body decreases.Furthermore, if the pores on the surface are small, the pores inside are also small. As a result, the compressibility of the elastic surface layer 7a is also reduced, making it easier for the guide roller 7 to slip during the driven rotation, thereby making the surface of the image forming body more likely to wear out. Therefore, the elastic surface layer 7a of the sponge needs to have pores distributed on its surface large enough to allow toner to enter. However, if all of the holes are larger than 200 μm in diameter, problems similar to those caused when the surface of a conventional rubber-coated guide roller is provided with irregularities and grooves (6) will occur. therefore,
The elastic surface layer 7a of the guide roller 7 is required to be made of the above-mentioned sponge, which has many pores distributed on its surface with a diameter larger than the developer particle size and 200 μm or less, and all the pores are within this range. Although it is preferable that the pores have small or large pores, the pores may contain some small or large pores. By using such an elastic surface layer 7a, the compressibility and coefficient of friction of the elastic surface layer 7a are excellent even when the guide roller 7 is brought into contact with the surface of the image forming body and rotates drivenly.
The guide row 27 rotates at the same speed as the surface of the image forming body without slipping, so that the surface of the image forming body is not abraded, and the pores on the surface of the elastic surface layer 7a are scraped off by the scraping part paulownia 4. Since the toner, etc., is carried as if it is caught, the conveyance performance is improved and there is no accumulation of toner, etc., and there is no possibility that the separating member 8 will vibrate or the toner, etc. will be separated from the guide roller 7 by the separating member 8. Excellent results can be obtained without causing insufficient performance.

FIG. 2 shows that the surface of the elastic surface layer 7a of the guide roller 7 transports toner etc. to the separation member 8. This shows a state in which toner etc. are separated, and toner particles adhere thinly and relatively firmly to the surface of the elastic tFJfft7a, including inside the pores, due to intermolecular forces, but the toner etc. , the electrostatic repulsion between the toner particles is also working, and the toner is lightly riding on the toner. The holes in the elastic surface layer 7a do not fill the inside uniformly with toner, etc., but rather leave a considerable space so that the toner and the like are caught and conveyed. When the hole through which toner, etc. has been conveyed in this way reaches the point IM where it is lightly pressed against the separation member 8, the edge of the hole is pressed against the separation member 8, and the shape of the ratio becomes deformed. As a result, the toner and the like that have entered the holes are thrown out as shown in the figure, and the toner and the like separate from the elastic surface layer 7a and fall to the bottom of the cleaning device frame 2. Thereby, the toner etc. conveyed by the guide roller 7 is transferred to the elastic surface layer 7.
Most of the toner is separated from the guide roller 7, and the guide roller 7 can continue to carry it efficiently, except for the toner that adheres thinly to the surface of the toner and protects the remaining surface.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, toner and the like do not fall out or accumulate between the guide roller and the surface of the image forming member, and there is less wear and tear on the image forming member and the separation member. This provides an excellent effect of efficiently transporting toner and the like to the toner reservoir in the cleaning device frame.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an example of a cleaning device related to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the surface portion of a guide roller of the cleaning device of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Image forming body drum, 2... Cleaning device frame, 3... Support shaft, 4... Scraping member, 5...
Shaft, 6... Holding frame, 7... Guide roller, 7a... Elastic surface layer, 8...
Separation member. (9) Diagram 1

Claims (1)

[Claims] a scraping member that scrapes off residual developer from the surface of the moving image forming body; a guide roller that receives the scraped developer on its surface and transports it away from the surface of the image forming body;
A cleaning device comprising: a separating member that comes into contact with the guide roller and separates the developer from the guide ruler;
Place the guide roller on the surface with a particle diameter of 200 μm or more than the developer particle size.
A cleaning device characterized in that the roller has a sponge layer in which holes having a diameter of m or less are distributed and is in contact with the surface of the image forming body and rotates drivenly.