JPS6263975A - Cleaning device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To clean well an image forming body by providing a toner image on the image forming body so that it is operated or the operation is released and controlling a cleaning means so that it is operated and the operation is released in a non-image area in the rotation direction of the image forming body. CONSTITUTION:A three-color toner image is destaticized by the second destaticizer 9 before transfer and is moved to the position facing a transfer device 4. The operation of the transfer device 4 is started when the front end of the three-color toner image reaches said position, and the three-color toner image is transferred to a recording paper Pa because the recording paper Pa is fed synchronously with the three-color toner image by a resist roll 12. The recording paper Pa to which the three-color toner image is transferred to form a multicolor original image is separated from a photosensitive body 1 by a separator 5 and is fed to a fixing device 6 and is fixed. The photosensitive body 1 from which the recording paper Pa is separated is rotated furthermore and is destaticized by the first destaticizer 7 and is cleaned by a cleaning device 8. Thus, a remaining toner stuck to the image forming body is removed after transfer without disturbing each toner image.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Industrial Application Field) The present invention provides an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine,
The present invention relates to a cleaning device for cleaning an image forming body.

(Background of the Invention) In an image forming apparatus, an image forming apparatus rotates an image forming body multiple times.
In recent years, a technique has been studied in which the image is imaged several times and then the image of the original + S is formed on a transfer material, but there are various problems.

For example, a color copying machine which is a color image forming apparatus will be explained. In a commonly used color copying machine, the 12th A [! By repeating the latent image formation I development and transfer steps as shown in @1, y
A multicolor original image (hereinafter referred to as a multicolor image) corresponding to iL is formed on a rolling material such as a recording paper or an intermediate transfer body. The multicolor image is formed by sequentially combining monochromatic toner images formed by monochromatic toner on the transfer material each time the photoreceptor rotates once, so that a transfer lag occurs in each monochromatic toner image. It is difficult to transfer without color, and the resulting multicolor image is colored
There is a problem that l tends to occur. Unfortunately, since it is necessary to transport the transfer sheet to the transfer position in synchronization with the rotation of the photoreceptor in the same number of repetitions, it is difficult to find a way to transport the transfer sheet. There is another problem where 1 is complicated.

In order to solve the above problems, a multicolor toner image corresponding to the original is synthesized on the photoreceptor 2, and the multicolor toner image is transferred onto the transfer plate in one transfer to form a predetermined multicolor image. Image forming apparatuses such as color copying machines that are capable of forming images are being developed. For example, as shown in FIG. 12B, while the photoreceptor rotates multiple times, forming a latent image and developing a monochrome toner image with monochrome toner is repeated multiple times to create a multicolor toner image corresponding to the original. A color copying machine that transfers the multicolor toner image onto a transfer material in one transfer to form a predetermined multicolor image.
As shown in Figure 0, while the photoreceptor rotates multiple times, a latent image is formed once, and then a monochrome toner image is developed with a different monochrome color toner each time the photoreceptor rotates once. This is a color copying machine, etc., in which a multicolor toner image corresponding to an original document is synthesized, and the multicolor toner image is transferred to a transfer substrate in one transfer to form a predetermined multicolor image.

In each of the color copying machines described above, a multicolor toner image corresponding to a document is formed on a photoreceptor, and the multicolor toner image is transferred onto a transfer material by transfer of lrI'iI to form a multicolor image. Therefore, the multicolor image is well formed without color shift, and the transfer material conveying device M#i
It is much simpler than the conventional one. However, toner that was not used for transfer (hereinafter referred to as residual toner) adheres to the photoreceptor at the transfer edge, and it is necessary to remove the residual toner before the next image formation. Appropriate leaning equipment has not been developed. For example, a cleaning device for an image forming body applied in a conventional image forming apparatus is one in which a cleaning member such as a blade, a brush, a magnetic brush, etc. is provided so as to be in constant contact with the image forming body. However, when applied to the color image forming apparatus, the monochromatic toner image that is developed each time the photoreceptor rotates faces the cleaning device without being transferred. Since each monochromatic toner image passes through a plurality of positions, each monochromatic toner image comes into contact with the cleaning section and is disturbed, resulting in a problem that a good multicolor image cannot be formed.

The color image forming devices that have been put into practical use as described above are
There is a problem in that the conveyance device for the transfer sheet is complicated, and the original image formed is unclear due to transfer misalignment.A color image forming apparatus that can solve the above problems is also One of the reasons for this problem is that a cleaning device capable of removing stuck residual toner and effectively cleaning the image forming body has not been developed, and is therefore difficult to put into practical use.

(Object of the Invention) The present invention was developed in view of the above-mentioned conventional circumstances, and its purpose is to create a toner image by sequentially forming a plurality of toner images into dust images while an image forming member rotates a plurality of times. A cleaning device that cleans an image forming body, which can be applied to an image forming apparatus that synthesizes a toner image on an image forming body and then transfers the synthesized toner image to a transfer material to form a document image; It is an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning device that can effectively clean an image forming body by removing residual toner without impairing the image forming function.

(Structure of the Invention) The present invention has been completed in order to achieve the above object, and its structure is to develop a plurality of toner images in sequence while an image forming body rotates a plurality of times. In an image forming apparatus that forms a document image by transferring the synthesized toner image onto a transfer material after being synthesized on an image forming body, an image forming apparatus is provided to be activated and deactivated with respect to the image forming body, and is configured to be activated and deactivated with respect to the image forming body. A cleaning device characterized in that the cleaning means is controlled to be activated and deactivated in a non-image area in the rotational direction of the image forming body.

(Example) Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a color copying machine for explaining the present invention in detail. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a drum-shaped photoreceptor which is an image forming member.

2 is a charger consisting of a scorotron discharge electrode.

3 is a color dust imager capable of performing three-color development of blue, red, and black; numeral 3 is a blue imager, B-red imager, and O is a black developer. 4 is a transfer device consisting of a corotron discharge electrode; 5 is a separator consisting of an AC corona discharge electrode; and 6 is a fixing device consisting of a fixing roller. Reference numeral 7 denotes a first static eliminator consisting of a static eliminator, a static eliminator, and the like, which is turned on during a cleaning operation to eliminate static from the photoreceptor and residual toner after transfer. Reference numeral 8 denotes a cleaning device for cleaning the photoreceptor 1, which includes a first blade, a urethane-based cleaning device disposed upstream of the first blade in the rotational direction of the photoreceptor 1, and rotatably supported;
It has a first cleaning member 83 consisting of a toner receiving member 82 made of a sponge-like roller made of chloroprene or the like. The first blade and the toner receiving member 82 are provided to be activated (contacted) and deactivated (released from contact) with respect to the photoreceptor l, as will be described later in FIGS. 5 and 6. Further, it is preferable that the toner receiving member 82 has a scraper or the like for scraping off toner adhering to the sponge roller. 9
1 is a second static eliminator comprising a static eliminator and a static eliminator lamp, which is turned on after the layer image is formed to eliminate static from the photoreceptor 1 and the toner forming the toner image before transfer. lO is a paper feed cassette that stores the recording paper Pa as a transfer material, and a paper feed roller + that feeds out the paper feed cassette 10 containing 11 recording papers Pa.
12 is the recording paper Pa sent out by the paper feed roller 11
This is a registration roller that feeds paper to the transfer device 4 in synchronization with the toner image formed on the photoreceptor 1. L is an image exposure for irradiating the photoreceptor 1 to form a latent image corresponding to the original 14;
The projected light from the original 14 that has been optically scanned by the image exposure lamp 15 is introduced into the image pickup device 19 via the color filter 162 reflection@17 and the lens 18, which are replaced in the order of blue, red, and black for each optical scan. , the image sensor 19
After reading the optical information of the original 14 through photoelectric conversion, an image processing unit 20 performs arithmetic processing on the optical information.
and is generated by a laser optical system 13 operated via a storage section 21 that stores image data from the image processing section 20.

2A and 2B are diagrams explaining the operating state of the cleaning device 8, which is the main part of FIG. , and FIG. 2B also shows the state in which contact is released.

FIG. 5 is a time chart illustrating an example of the operating state of the color copying machine shown in FIG. Indicates the operating status of the main parts expressed as axes, blue,
A case is shown in which two original images in the three primary colors of red and black are successively formed.

FIG. 6 shows the operating state of each member operated according to the time chart shown in FIG. This is a time chart showing the time when the toner images formed on the photoreceptor 1 reach the position where the photoreceptor 1 faces the nail, and the photoreceptor passes through the position where each toner image formed on the photoreceptor 1 faces the first blade of the first cleaning member 83. The rotation speed is expressed as a reference time axis.

In FIGS. 5 and 6, the photoreceptor 1 undergoes three preliminary rotations after completing the formation of the two original images after the start command and before being stopped, and the photoreceptor 1 performs three preliminary rotations for forming each original image. It is controlled to rotate at a constant speed for 9 rotations in total. Preliminary rotation is controlled to be performed once before and after the image forming process, and once between the forming process of the first original image and the forming process of the second original image, but as shown in FIG. It may be controlled to be performed only before and after the forming process, or it may be controlled to be performed before and after the forming process of each document image, or at one side. The charger 2 is moved by a time earlier than the time at which the photoreceptor 1 completes its preliminary rotation, that is, a time corresponding to the time required for the photoreceptor 1 to reach the image exposure position from the position of the charger 2. It is controlled so that it starts operating at a certain time and stops after performing charging corresponding to two original images. Each time the photoreceptor 1 rotates once, the image is exposed.The blue part and the red part of the original are exposed.

The projected light from the black part is projected onto the photoreceptor in the above order.
□ a+ +
bl r C+ These are latent images corresponding to the blue part, red part, and black part of the original 14 in the process of forming the first original image. a2) b2+02 is also a latent image in the process of forming the second original image. Developer N3
is a blue developer A every time the photoreceptor 1 rotates once in the process of forming each original image.

Red developer B and black developer 0 are operated in order,
Blue latent image a1 + a2, red latent image b1 + b
21 black latent image 0. + 02 are sequentially developed to form a blue toner image A1r A2 r red toner image B1 r B2
It is controlled to sequentially form r black toner images 01+02 and synthesize a three-color toner image. Note that after each developing device A, B, zero, and image exposure start, the operation is started after the time required for the photoreceptor 1 to reach the operating position of each developing device from the position where image exposure is performed, It is controlled to stop after a period of time corresponding to the length of the latent image, that is, the length of the image area. After the transfer device 4 and the black developing device C start operating, the operation starts immediately before the photoreceptor 1 reaches the position of the transfer device 4 from the position of the black developing device 0, and a black toner image C1102 is formed. The operation is controlled so that the operation is stopped after the rear end of the image forming position passes the position of the transfer device 4. That is, black toner image 01
After t02 is formed and the three-color toner image begins to be combined, the transfer device 4 starts operating when the leading edge of the three-color toner image reaches the position of the transfer device 4, and the three-color toner image ( The operation is controlled so that the operation is stopped after the rear end of the formed position on the photoreceptor passes the position of the transfer device 4.

Note that the operation start time of the transfer device 4 is the red toner image B1.
+ It may be at any point between when the rear end of B2 passes the position of the transfer device 4 and until the leading edge of the combined three-color toner image reaches the position of the transfer device 4.

The operation of the transfer device 4 is stopped after the trailing edge of the three-color toner image (position N on the photoconductor where it was formed) has passed, during the process of forming the first original image, and during the process of forming the next original image. Until the leading edge of the blue toner image A2 reaches the position of the transfer device 4 or in the process of forming the second original image, the process of forming the second original image is completed and the photoreceptor 1 is stopped. It may be done at any time between the three colors, but preferably immediately after the trailing edge of each three-color toner image has passed.

The timing at which the toner image on the photoconductor passes (opposes) the cleaning blade is shown. As particularly shown in FIG. 6, FIG. 7, FIG. 9, and FIG. be done. The contact operation starts immediately after the rear end of the toner image, on which the red toner image is also formed, passes the position facing the first blade, and immediately after the rear end of the toner image, on which the red toner image is also formed, passes the position facing the first blade. The timing may be any time immediately before the tip comes to the position facing the first blade. Further, the time for releasing the first cleaning blade and the toner receiving member 82 which are in contact operation after the contact operation is performed is from immediately after the rear end of the residual toner image passes, to when the blue toner image for forming the next image is released. The timing may be any time immediately before the leading end faces the toner receiving member 82 .

Incidentally, in the above example, the operation of the toner receiving member 82 is deactivated at approximately the same time as the first blade, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the point is that the tip of the first toner image is
The first blade does not come into contact with the toner receiving member 82 from just before passing through the toner image until the rear end of the toner image immediately before the last toner image has passed.
The toner receiving member 82 must not come into contact with the toner receiving member 82 from just before the leading edge of the toner image passes through the toner receiving member 82 until the trailing end of the toner image immediately before the last toner image that is formed passes through the toner receiving member 82. It's good.

The color copying machine shown in FIG. 1 is constructed as shown in each of the above figures, and according to the time charts shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a blue toner image, a red toner image, a red toner image, After sequentially developing the toner images and synthesizing a three-color toner image corresponding to the document 14 on the photoreceptor 1, the three-color toner image is transferred to the recording paper Pa to form a three-color document image. The first cleaning member 83 is brought into contact with the photoconductor 1 after the transfer, thereby removing residual toner adhering to the photoconductor 1 and cleaning the photoconductor 1. By contacting and releasing the contact in the image area, it is possible to prevent the toner adhering to the photoreceptor l from remaining in the image area when the contact is released. Below, the operation of forming the original image and the cleaning operation of the photoreceptor 1 will be explained.

When a copy start switch (not shown) is turned on and a start command is issued, the photoreceptor 1 starts rotating. The first rotation of the photoreceptor l is a preliminary rotation, and is cleaned by the first cleaning member 83 that has been in contact with it from the beginning. Immediately before the photoreceptor 1 completes its preliminary rotation, the charger 2 starts operating and uniformly charges the cleaned photoreceptor 1 continuously. When the photoreceptor 1 completes its preliminary rotation and begins its second rotation, the tip of the charged portion has reached the position where the image is exposed, and the projected light from the original 14 passes through the laser optical system 13 to form an image. The photoreceptor 1 is irradiated with light for exposure. Said fl! II! The light is projected light that is introduced into the image sensor 19 through a color-specific filter 16 that is controlled in accordance with the blue color of the original 14, and is applied to the photoreceptor l as image exposure corresponding to the blue part of the original 14. is irradiated to form a blue latent image a1. When the leading edge of the blue latent image a reaches the operating position of the blue developer A, the blue developer A starts operating, and the blue latent image a is developed to form a blue toner image A. When the leading edge of the blue toner image A reaches the operating position of the second static eliminator 9, the second static eliminator 9 starts operating, and the photoreceptor l including the blue toner image A1 is neutralized. After the blue toner image A1 passes through the operating position of the transfer device 4, which is controlled to be in an inactive state, the leading edge of the blue toner image A1 reaches the position facing the first blade of the first printing member 83, that is, the toner receiver. When the first cleaning member 8 reaches the position facing the member 82, the first cleaning member 8
3 is released from contact. That is, when the first cleaning member 83 reaches the position where the rear end of the non-image area substantially faces the toner receiving member 82, contact with the photoreceptor l is released, so that the blue toner image A1, The image passes through a position facing the first cleaning member 83 without being disturbed by the rubbing by the first cleaning member 83 . In addition, at this time, toner may accumulate between the first edge of the blade of the first cleaning member and the photoconductor 1, or toner scraped off by the first blade may accumulate between the first blade and the toner receiving member 82. Even if the toners are attached to the photoreceptor 10 in between, the toners are attached to the non-image area of the photoreceptor L, and fogging occurs due to the toners in the image forming process of the second original image. is prevented. The photoreceptor l is constantly and continuously charged, but after the blue toner image A1 passes through the position facing the first cleaning section 83, it is charged including the blue toner image A1, and the leading edge of the blue toner image A1 is charged. reaches the position where the image is illuminated and enters the third rotation. When photoconductor 1 enters its third rotation, the original is released! An imagewise exposure beam corresponding to the red portion of No. 4 is irradiated, and a red latent image is formed in alignment with the image area of the blue toner image A1. The red latent image b1 is molded by the red plasticizer B1 in the same manner as the blue latent image a1, and is formed into a red toner image B1. At this time, the red toner image B1 is combined with the previously formed blue toner image A1, and a two-color toner image of blue and red is formed on the photoreceptor 1. Since the transfer device 4 is controlled to be in an inactive state and the first cleaning member 83 is in a state of being released from contact, the two-color toner image sequentially passes through the position facing the first cleaning member 83 of the transfer device 4I. Then, as in the case of the blue toner image A1, the charger 2
When the leading edge of the two-color toner image reaches a position where it is exposed, the photoreceptor enters the first to fourth rotations. When the photoreceptor 1 enters the fourth rotation, image exposure light corresponding to the black portion of the original 14 is irradiated, and a black latent image c1 is formed in alignment with the image area of the two-color toner image. The black latent image c1 is developed by a black developing device C to form a black toner image G1. At that time, a black toner image C is added to the previously formed two-color toner image of blue and red.
1 are synthesized, and a three-color toner image of blue, t-red, and black is formed on the photoreceptor 1. After the three-color toner image is neutralized by the second static eliminating device 9 before being transferred, it is moved to a position facing the transfer device 4. The transfer device 4 starts operating when the leading edge of the three-color toner image reaches the opposing position, and since the recording paper Pa is fed by the registration roller 12 in synchronization with the three-color toner image, the three-color toner image The toner image is transferred to recording paper Pa. The recording paper Pa on which the three-color toner image has been transferred to form a multi-color original image is
After being separated from the photoconductor 1 by the separator 5, the fixing device 6
The paper is fed and fixed. On the other hand, after the recording paper Pa has been separated, the photoreceptor l further rotates, and after being neutralized by the first static eliminator 7, it is cleaned by the cleaning device 8. When the first cleaning member 83 of the cleaning device M8 reaches a position where the leading edge of the transferred three-color toner image faces the first blade, that is, the rear end of the non-image area faces the first blade. When the rear end of the two-color toner image, that is, the tip of the non-image area, reaches the position facing the first blade, the photoreceptor 1 is contacted by the first cleaning member 83. The first static eliminator 7 installed on the upstream side in the rotational direction starts its operation early, eliminates the static electricity from the photoreceptor l and the three-color toner image after transfer, and then eliminates the residual electricity that forms the three-color toner image after transfer. The photoreceptor 1 is cleaned by scraping off the toner with the first blade. The scraped off toner adheres to and is collected by a toner receiving member 82, which is a sponge-like roller that is driven to rotate in contact with the photoreceptor 1. After the photoreceptor l completes its fourth rotation, the first cleaning member 83 performs a preliminary rotation for one rotation, and when it enters its sixth rotation, a blue toner image A2, which is the first toner image in the process of forming a second original image, is generated. Before the tip of the blue toner image A2 reaches the position facing the first blade, that is, the tip of the blue toner image A2 reaches the toner receiving member 8.
Since the toner is in contact with the photoreceptor until it reaches the position substantially opposite to the photoreceptor 2, the photoreceptor is rubbed for at least one revolution, and all the remaining toner can be scraped off.

As described above, the first original image is formed and the photoreceptor 1 is cleaned, but the second original image is also formed in the same way, and the photoreceptor 1 is cleaned in the same way. That is, when the photoreceptor 1 enters its seventh rotation, a red toner image B2 is formed, and when it enters its eighth rotation, a black toner C2 is formed, and a three-color toner image corresponding to the original 14 is synthesized. Thereafter, the three-color toner image is transferred to a second recording paper Pa.
A document image is formed. On the other hand, when the leading end of the three-color toner image or the trailing end of the two-color toner image after transfer reaches a position facing the first blade of the first cleaning member 83, the first cleaning member 83
The cleaning member 83 is brought into contact with the photoreceptor 1, and the photoreceptor 1
The residual toner adhering to the three-color toner image is not scraped off by the first blade. The photoconductor enters its 9th rotation, completes one rotation's worth of preliminary rotation, and then stops. However, since the first cleaning member 83 is in contact with the photoconductor l during this period, at least one photoconductor is The toner is rubbed by the upper first cleaning part 83 for one rotation, and all the remaining toner is scraped off.

As described above, the color copying machine shown in Fig. 1 is controlled to operate according to the time charts shown in Figs. Since a three-color original image is formed by combining the images and transferring them onto the recording paper Pa in one transfer, the original image is formed as a clear image with no color shift, and it is possible to transfer the original image to the paper sheet Pa in one transfer. It does not require a transport device. Furthermore, the applied cleaning device 8 is 83
Since the toner is not in contact with the photoreceptor 1, it does not disturb the image of each color toner image during the image forming process, and it is also possible to remove residual toner adhering to the photoreceptor 1 after transfer. be.

Furthermore, since the first cleaning member 83 is released from contact in the non-image area, toner may be scattered between the first edge portion of the blade of the first cleaning member 83 and the photoreceptor 1, or Even if the toner scraped off by the toner adheres to the portion of the photoreceptor 1 between the first blade and the toner receiving member 82, each of the toners is cooked in the non-image area of the photoreceptor 1. ,
In the process of forming the second original image, fogging and the like caused by the toners are prevented from occurring.

In the color copying machine shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning device achieves the object of the present invention as described above, and suppresses as much as possible the deterioration in the performance of the peripheral equipment of the color-contaminated photoreceptor l due to the residual toner of the printers A, B, and O. For this purpose, it is preferable that no toner is attached to the photoreceptor 1 even in the non-image area, and the cleaning device is used as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B.
A second cleaning member is provided on the downstream side of the cleaning member 83 in the rotational direction of the photoreceptor 1, and each cleaning member is operated as shown in FIGS. 3C and 7, for example,
It is preferable that the first cleaning member be configured to remove toner adhering to the photoreceptor 1 when the contact is released.

The cleaning device is shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B.

This will be explained based on FIG. 3C and FIG. 7. FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams showing the operating state of the cleaning device corresponding to FIGS. 2A and 2B. FIG. 3C is a diagram schematically explaining the process of operation of the cleaning device,
(1) The figure shows the state immediately before the first cleaning member 83 is released from contact.+(2) The figure shows the state immediately after the second cleaning part 1'84 is brought into contact.

(3) The figure shows the state immediately after the second cleaning member 84 is released from contact, and (4) the figure shows the state immediately after the first cleaning member 83 comes into contact when removing residual toner adhering to the photoreceptor 1 after transfer. It is a figure explaining each state. FIG. 7 is a time chart showing the operating state of the cleaning device corresponding to FIG. 6.

In each figure, the same reference numerals as in FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 6 indicate the same functional members. Figures 3A and 3
In Figure B, reference numeral 84 denotes a second IJ-Jung member, which is a urethane member disposed downstream of the first blade of the first cleaning member 83 in the rotational direction of the photoreceptor 1 and driven to rotate in the opposite direction to the photoreceptor 1. The weighing system consists of a sponge-like roller made of Roloprene or the like. A scraper 186 85 is a toner guide member that guides the toner scraped off by the scraper 85 . Second cleaning member 84
As shown in FIGS. 30 and 7, the first cleaning member 83 is operated in conjunction with the first cleaning member 83, and the first cleaning member 83 is released from contact at the rear end R of the image area (FIG. 3C (1)). When the part reaches the position facing the second cleaning member 84, the second cleaning member 84
is in contact (FIG. 3C (1)), and the part that has reached the position facing the toner receiving member 82 also works so that the contact is released when the leading edge F of the image area reaches the position facing the second cleaning member 84. (Fig. 30 (3)). Note that in the figure, X indicates an image area where each toner image is formed. In FIG. 7, ■ to ■ indicate times corresponding to the states shown in the drawing numbers (11 to (4)) in FIG. 30. Since the cleaning device is configured as described above, the times shown in FIG. In the process of image formation according to the chart, the photoreceptor 1 starts rotating, and the tip of the non-image area Y adjacent to the tip of the blue toner image A1 in the process of forming the first original image is operated as follows. is shown in Figure 30 (
As shown in 1), the first cleaning member 83 is in contact and the second cleaning member 84 is out of contact until reaching the position facing the first blade. Immediately after the tip of the non-image area Y reaches a position facing the first blade, the first cleaning member 83 is released from contact, but the second cleaning member 84 is still released from contact.

When the portion of the first cleaning member 83 that reaches the position facing the first blade when the contact is released reaches the position facing the second cleaning member 84, the third C
As shown in FIG. 2, the second cleaning member 84 is brought into contact. Next, when the portion of the first cleaning member 83 that reaches the position facing the toner receiving member 82 when the contact is released reaches the position that faces the second cleaning member 84, as shown in FIG. 3C (3). Then, the second cleaning member 84 is released from contact. When the rear end of the non-image area Y, that is, the front end of the blue toner image A1 reaches a position facing each of the first cleaning member 83 and the second cleaning member 84, each cleaning member 83.
84 is out of contact, and a red toner image Bl r black toner image C1 is sequentially formed on the photoreceptor 1 to synthesize a three-color toner image, and the tip of the non-image area Y adjacent to the rear end of the red toner image B1 As shown in FIG. 3C (4), the first cleaning member 83 is released from contact until it is contacted again immediately after reaching the position facing the first blade of the first cleaning member 83. . After the first cleaning member 83 is brought into contact with it again as shown in FIG. 3C (4), the transferred three-color toner image is rubbed by the first cleaning member 83 to a position facing the first cleaning member 83 due to the force. , and after the photoconductor 1 performs one preliminary rotation, the process of forming the second original image begins, but the tip of the non-image area Y adjacent to the tip of the blue toner image A2 faces the first blade. Immediately after reaching the position where the first cleaning member 83 is located, the first cleaning member 83 is released from contact, and thereafter the respective cleaning members 83, 84 are brought into contact and released from contact in the same manner as described above.

As described above, each cleaning member 83184 is out of contact with the toner image during the document image formation process when it passes through a position facing each cleaning member.
Since the toner image is not disturbed and the three-color toner image after transfer is in contact with it when it passes, residual toner can be removed. The residual toner is removed by the first cleaning member 83, but when the first cleaning member 83 is released from contact, the toner accumulated between the first edge of the blade and the photoreceptor 1 or between the first blade and the toner is removed. Even if the toner adhering to the portion of the photoreceptor 1 between the receiving member 82 passes through the first blade,
Since it can be removed by the second cleaning member 84, the photoreceptor 1 can be sufficiently cleaned. Furthermore, when the second cleaning member 84 is released from contact, there may be a very small amount of toner attached to the photoreceptor 1, but the second cleaning member 84 is released from contact in the non-image area. Therefore, the formed original image hardly has any fogging or the like.

In addition, as a result of testing the cleaning device shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B using an actual machine, the following favorable results were obtained.

Specifications of the main parts of the color copying machine, which is a copying machine> Photoreceptor: OPO with a diameter of 140 m1a, that is, a total length of 440 tss
The first cleaning member 8 consists of a urethane rubber blade having a thickness of 211 m+ and a toner receiving member comprising a urethane sponge-like roller having a diameter of 14111+1 m, and the interval between the two is set to 16 cm.

Second cleaning member: urethane sponge-like roller with a diameter of 14 m Size of original; 84-plate experimental conditions and results
A three-color original image was formed by sequentially viewing images with three-color toners of red, black, and black. At this time, the non-image area that comes into instant contact with the rear end of the three-color toner image after transfer is approximately 76 mm, and the first cleaning member is brought into contact with the first cleaning member immediately after the leading edge thereof reaches a position facing the blade of the first cleaning member. When I canceled it,
Toner was adhered to about 25 cages upstream from the tip of the non-image area over a length of about 25 cages in the rotational direction of the photoreceptor. The second cleaning member is brought into contact with a contact load of 200 f when the tip of the non-image area reaches a position facing the second cleaning member, and is 401"p in the opposite direction to the photoreceptor.
The contact was released after 1.2 seconds. As a result, the toner adhering to the photoreceptor was almost completely removed. Note that when the second cleaning member was released from contact, a slight amount of toner was observed to adhere to the portion of the photoreceptor that was in contact with the second cleaning member. however,
The portion of the photoreceptor is a non-image area, and the original image obtained by the next copying operation is good;
No influence of the toner was observed.

In Figures 3A and 3B, scraper 85+)
The guide member 86 is preferably an elastic member such as a Mylar Larin bronze plate. The second cleaning member 84 may be a fur brush I magnetic brush having a scraper or the like. Also, is there a means for removing residual toner without contacting the photoreceptor 1? For example, the device may have a means for sucking the residual toner by suction force, and the photoconductor 1 can be cleaned in the same manner as described above by performing a suction operation and a suction stop operation according to the rotational state of the photoconductor 1. can.

In the color copying machine shown in FIG. 1, the toner receiving member 82 of the first cleaning member 83 is a sponge-like roller, and can collect the toner scraped off by the first blade without damaging the photoreceptor 1. However, it may also be a sheet-like toner receiving member that is placed in a non-contact state with the photoreceptor 1 at all times. The first cleaning member may be a brush such as a fur brush 1' having a scraper 87 as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, a magnetic brush, etc. When using these, the toner receiving member is omitted. You may. The means for generating image exposure may be based on a slit exposure optical system. Photoreceptor l
Although the three-color toner image formed in the three-color toner image is directly transferred onto the recording paper, it may be indirectly transferred using an intermediate transfer material. The image forming process consists of repeating latent image formation and development as shown in FIG. 12B according to the time charts shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 to synthesize a three-color toner image on the photoreceptor 1, and then The control is such that the toner image is transferred to the transfer material, but as shown in FIG. 120, the latent image is formed once, and a visual image is formed with a different color toner each time the plate-cut photoreceptor l rotates once. and photoreceptor l in the same manner as above.
The three-color toner image (r31) may be controlled to transfer the three-color toner image to the transfer material.

When the color copying machine shown in FIG. 1 continuously forms 2g original images, the photoreceptor 1 is pre-rotated in the middle of the process of forming each original image as shown in FIG. Although it has been mentioned above that the cleaning device may be controlled to form an image, the operating state of the cleaning device at that time will be explained based on FIGS. 8 to 1θ. 1st daughter 1. 9 and 10 correspond to FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, respectively, and the same reference numerals indicate the same functional members. The residual toner attached to the photoconductor l after the first original image is formed is removed by bringing the first cleaning member 83 and/or the second cleaning member 84 into contact with the photoconductor l, but the operation thereof is as follows. It is as follows. The first cleaning member 83 and/or the second cleaning member 84 move the blue toner image corresponding to the second original image from immediately after the rear end of the red toner image B1 corresponding to the first original image passes through positions facing each other. Until the tip of A2 arrives, control is being made so that it is in contact. That is, each cleaning member 83+84 has a non-image area adjacent to the rear end of the red toner image B1 corresponding to the first original image and the leading edge of the transferred three-color toner image corresponding to the first draft image, respectively. While passing through opposing positions, the non-image areas that are adjacent to the trailing edge of the three-color toner image and the leading edge of the blue toner image A2 corresponding to the second original image are in contact with each other while passing through opposing positions. contact is set to be canceled. Therefore, the residual toner is scraped off by the first cleaning member 83, and the scraped toner still attached to the photoreceptor 1 after the first cleaning member 83 is released from contact with the second cleaning member 84 will be removed. Note that the cleaning member may be controlled to make contact and release from contact in the non-image area, as shown in FIG. 11, which is a modification of FIG. 9.

As described above, the embodiment of the present invention has been described in terms of a color copying machine that forms a three-color original image, but even if the image is of two or more colors or a single color, development can be performed multiple times while the image forming body is rotated multiple times. It goes without saying that the cleaning device described above can also be applied to an image forming apparatus.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained in the embodiments, the cleaning device of the present invention is deactivated with respect to the image forming body until the toner image corresponding to the document is synthesized and the toner image is transferred. By controlling the toner image so that it does not disturb the image of each toner image in the image forming process, and also allows residual toner adhering to the image forming body to be removed after transfer, the image forming body is Applicable to an image forming apparatus that synthesizes toner images on an image forming body by sequentially visualizing a plurality of toner images while rotating, and then transfers the synthesized toner images to a transfer material to form a document image. It is something that can be done. Further, in the cleaning device, since the cleaning member is deactivated in a non-image area of the image forming body, when the cleaning member is deactivated, toner may adhere to the portion of the image forming body where the cleaning member is activated. However, if the part of the image forming body is in a non-image area and there is a problem with image formation on the + side, etc.
There isn't.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a color copying machine for explaining the present invention in detail. FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams explaining the operation of the cleaning device which is the main part of FIG. 1, and FIGS. 3A and 3B are 3C is an explanatory diagram of the operating process of the cleaning device shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, and FIGS. 4A and 4B. 2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating still another example corresponding to FIGS. 2A and 2B, FIG. 5 is a time chart explaining the operating state of the color copying machine shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 5. A time chart showing the main parts on a different reference time axis, FIG. 7 is FIG. 3A. 6 is a time chart corresponding to FIG. 6 when using the cleaning device shown in FIG. 3B and FIG. 30; 8 to 10 are time charts corresponding to FIGS. 5 to 7 for explaining different operating states of the color copying machine shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 11 shows a modification of the color copying machine shown in FIG. 9. The time charts shown in FIGS. 12A to 120 are flowcharts illustrating the image forming process of a conventional color copying machine. 1... Photoreceptor, 2... Charger. 3...Developing device + 4...Transfer device ν8...
Cleaning gear! , 1st...Blade. 82...Toner receiving member. 83...First cleaning member. a1+ a2... Blue latent image I b11b2... Red latent image Kei 01102... Black latent image. A1+ A2...Blue toner image. Bl + B2...Red toner image. 01 + 02...Black toner image 1X...Image area, y...Non-image area. Patent applicant: Konishiroku Photo Industry Co., Ltd. Figure 24 Figure B Figure 4A Figure 30 Figure 43

Claims (7)

[Claims] (1) While the image forming body rotates a plurality of times, a plurality of toner images are sequentially developed to synthesize a toner image on the image forming body, and then the synthesized toner image is transferred to a transfer material. In an image forming apparatus that forms a document image, the cleaning means is provided to be activated and deactivated with respect to an image forming body, and the cleaning means is configured to be activated and deactivated in a non-image area in a rotational direction of the image forming body. A cleaning device characterized by being controlled by. (2) The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning means comprises a blade. (3) The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning means comprises a brush. (4) The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning means comprises a magnetic brush. (5) The cleaning means has a blade and a toner receiving member disposed upstream of the blade in the rotational direction of the image forming body.
Cleaning device as described in section. (6) The toner receiving member has a roller shape and is provided on the image forming body so as to be activated and deactivated in conjunction with activation and deactivation of the blade. cleaning equipment. (7) The cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the image forming device forms a color original image.