JPS643268B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a cleaning device for a copying machine or the like.

In a copying machine or other recording device that forms a latent image on the surface of an image carrier, visualizes the latent image with toner, and then transfers the toner image to a transfer sheet, the image after the transfer is It is unavoidable that toner remains on the surface of the image carrier, and if this is left unattended, the next transfer sheet will be contaminated, so the remaining toner on the surface of the image carrier is cleaned by a cleaning device.

This type of cleaning device includes a cleaning blade that presses against the surface of an image carrier to remove residual toner from the surface, a holder that holds the blade, a holder support member that supports the holder, and a copy of the holder support member. 2. Description of the Related Art Apparatuses having a plurality of positioning means for positioning relative to a main body of a machine, etc., have been widely known. In this case, the holder is supported so as to be rotatable as needed with respect to the holder support member, and the holder is rotated to adjust the pressing force of the cleaning blade against the image carrier. Cleaning devices have already been proposed. This type of cleaning device is designed so that the holder support member can be accurately positioned and attached to the main body of a copying machine etc. using the plurality of positioning means. It is convenient that the holder support member can be attached to the main body of a copying machine, etc., accurately and easily even when it is constructed so that it can be detachably attached to the main body of a copying machine or the like. However, in order to accurately position the holder support member relative to the main body of a copying machine, etc., when manufacturing this type of cleaning device, it is necessary to accurately determine the distance (pitch) between the positioning means to a predetermined size. It is necessary to pay close attention. Therefore, dimensional variations in each component must be strictly suppressed, which inevitably increases the manufacturing cost of the cleaning device. Furthermore, if the holder support member is made of a material that easily deforms due to heat such as resin, even if the positioning means is manufactured at an accurate position, the holder support member may be thermally deformed during use of the device. There was also a risk that it would not be possible to accurately position the

The present invention aims to provide a cleaning device that eliminates the above-mentioned conventional drawbacks, and the present invention is constructed based on the following facts. That is, the purpose of accurately positioning the holder support member with respect to the main body of a copying machine, etc. is to accurately position the cleaning blade held by the holder with respect to the image carrier, and to maintain a predetermined pressing force of the blade against the image carrier. The goal is to ensure that the Therefore, in a cleaning device configured to adjust the pressing force of the cleaning blade against the image carrier by rotating the holder relative to the holder support member,
The rotation axis of the holder can be positioned at a predetermined and accurate position relative to the main body of the copying machine, etc.
It is sufficient to position the holder support member. The present invention focuses on this point and proposes that at least one of the plurality of positioning means for the holder support member is provided on the rotation axis of the holder. According to this configuration, if the positioning means provided on the rotational axis of the holder is accurately positioned and manufactured when manufacturing the device, the rotational axis of the holder can be accurately positioned on the main body of the copying machine, etc. Therefore, even if the positioning means not related to the positioning of the rotation axis are arranged inaccurately to some extent, the positioning function of the positioning means will not be hindered. Therefore, the distance between the positioning means provided on the rotational axis of the holder and the positioning means not involved in the positioning of the rotational axis can be roughly set to a certain extent, and variations in manufactured parts can be reduced over a fairly wide range. acceptable. In addition, as for the positioning means that is not involved in positioning the rotational axis of the holder, its position can be determined roughly, and even if this positioning means has some degree of play, it will not impair the positioning function, so this positioning There is also an advantage that the means can be used as a transmission means for other elements (for example, toner conveying means) without causing any trouble.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the main parts of a copying machine, and numeral 1 in the figure is an image carrier configured as a photosensitive drum. When this photosensitive drum 1, which is rotatably supported by the main body of the copying machine, is driven to rotate in the direction of arrow A, the surface of the drum is charged by the charger 2, and this charged portion is shown in the figure as indicated by arrow B. An electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the drum when it is irradiated with light from an original document. When this latent image passes through the developing device 3, it is visualized by toner powder,
The toner image thus formed is transferred to the transfer sheet 4 fed in the direction of arrow C. After the transfer, the transfer sheet 4 is separated from the drum 1 and sent to a fixing device (not shown). 5,5a
are chargers used during the transfer and separation operations, respectively.

It is inevitable that a small amount of residual toner will adhere to the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 after the transfer has been completed as described above, and this residual toner is cleaned by the cleaning device 6 according to the present invention.

The cleaning device 6 has a casing 7 that extends along the drum 1 (as described later, this casing 7 constitutes a holder support member in this example), and inside this casing there is a casing 7 that extends along the rotating drum 1. A cleaning blade 8 that scrapes off the toner by pressing the tip thereof, a blade holder 9 that holds this blade, a conveyance member that conveys the toner scraped off by the blade 8 to the outside of the casing, and is fixedly arranged on the casing, A sealing member 8a is provided to prevent the toner from leaking out of the casing.
It is made up of. The casing 7 and the aforementioned elements 8, 8a, 9, 10 installed therein form one unit 11.

The blade 8 is made of an elastic material, such as rubber, and has an elongated shape that can come into contact with the drum 1 over substantially its entire width. Also blade holder 9
are the holder body 9a and this holder body 9a.
and a presser member 9b that presses and fixes the blade 8 on the holder body, and the presser member 9b is removably fixed to the holder main body with a screw. The blade 8 can be replaced by removing the holding member 9b from the holder main body 9a. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a first support shaft 12 and a second support shaft 12a that protrude concentrically are attached to both ends of the blade holder 9, and these support shafts 12, 12a
are supported in bearing holes formed in each end wall of the casing 7, that is, the first casing end wall 13 and the second casing end wall 13a (as described later, the first support shaft is directly Specifically, it is supported in a bearing hole of a first positioning pin which will be described later).
Thus, the casing 7 constitutes a holder support member that supports the holder 9. In this case, the spindle holes 14 and 1 formed at each end of the blade holder 9
Insert the support springs 15 and 15a into 4a, respectively,
In addition, a spindle pin 1 protruding from each spindle 12, 12a
6, 16a are respectively fitted into the elongated holes 17, 17a for the spindle formed in the blade holder 9, and the spindle pins 16, 16a are fitted at one end of each elongated hole 17, 17a for the spindle by the action of the springs 15, 15a. It is advantageous if it comes into contact with. In this way, when removing the blade holder 9 from the casing 7, the support pins 16, 16a can be pulled inward (in the direction of arrow D).
The support shafts 12, 12 are compressed by compressing the support shaft springs 15, 15a.
By pulling a into the holder 9, each support shaft 1
2 and 12a can be engaged and disengaged from the casing 7. In addition, the screw 10 for toner conveyance is
extends along the entire length of the casing 7 in the longitudinal direction, and further extends into a toner conduit 18 fixed to the second end wall 13a of the casing 7. This toner conduit 18 serves as a conveyance path for conveying toner into a toner collection container 19, which will be described later. The screw 10 is rotationally driven by a driving means (motor) and a driving force transmitting means, which will be described later, so that the toner can be transported to a toner collection container 19. Further, the sealing member 8a extends parallel to the drum 1 over substantially the entire length thereof,
Its tip is in contact with the drum surface. This sealing member 8a is also desirably made of an elastic material, for example rubber. A guide plate 20 guides the toner scraped off by the blade 8 toward the screw 10.

The casing 7, which forms a unit together with the above elements, is supported by a support member 21 in this example, and the right end (first end) 22 of this support member in FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the first bracket 24 is connected via the two pivot pins 23.
The first bracket 24 is fixed to one side plate 25 of the main body of the copying machine.
A long hole 26 is formed at the other end (second end portion) 22a of the support member 21, and a guide pin 27 is loosely engaged with the long hole 26. The elongated hole 26 extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of the drum 1, and the guide pin 27 is immovably mounted on a second bracket 24a fixed to the other second main body side plate 25a of the copying machine main body. Supported. With this configuration, the support member 21 can rotate around the pivot pin 23 by an amount corresponding to the length of the elongated hole 26 in the directions of arrows E and E', that is, in the direction away from or approaching the drum 1. . A positioning roller 29 is supported on the second main body side plate 25a via a leaf spring 28, and the roller 29 is inserted into a notch 30 formed in the second end 22a of the support member 21 while receiving the action of the leaf spring 28. The support member 21 is thereby held in a predetermined position, ie in a position extending parallel to the drum 1.

The support member 21 has an end wall 31 on its first end 22 side, that is, on the end side supported by the two pivot pins 23.
However, the other end side, that is, the second end side 22a
is open, and through this open end the casing 7 can pass through other elements 8, 8a, attached to it.
Along with 9, 10, and 20, it can be inserted and removed. A guide rail 32 is fixed to the support member 21 and extends in the longitudinal direction of the support member 21.
The upper end of the casing 7 is placed on this rail 32, which serves to guide the casing 7 when it is taken in and taken out.

As mentioned above, since the casing 7 can be taken in and out of the copying machine main body, when the casing 7 is housed in the support member 21, it is necessary to position the casing 7 at a predetermined position with respect to the support member (therefore, the copying machine main body). There is. For this purpose, the cleaning device according to the present invention is provided with positioning means for positioning the casing with respect to the main body of the copying machine. In this example, three positioning means are provided, and the first positioning means is the right end wall (first position) of the casing 7 in FIGS.
A first positioning pin 33 protruding from the end wall) 13
and a first positioning hole 36 formed in the support member 21 and into which the pin 33 is fitted (in the illustrated configuration, the pin 33 is fitted into the hole 36 via a bush). The second positioning means consists of a second positioning pin 34 also attached to the first end wall 13 of the casing 7 and a second positioning hole 37 formed in the support member 21. A positioning pin is rotatably fitted. Similarly, the third positioning means includes a third positioning pin 35 protruding from the other end wall (second end wall) 13a of the casing 7, and a third positioning hole 39 formed in a knob member 38, which will be described later. The positioning pin 35 can be fitted into the third positioning hole 39.

According to the present invention, the first positioning pin 33 in the first positioning means extends concentrically with the two support shafts 12, 12a of the blade holder 9. In this case, the blade holder 9 has its support shaft 12, as necessary, as will be explained in detail later.
The casing 7 is rotated around the casing 12a.
The pressure contact force of the blade 8 against the drum 1 can be adjusted by rotating the holder 9 as will be described later. too,
When blade 8 is not in use, this blade is attached to drum 1.
(This is also done when the camera is kept away from the camera; this will also be explained in detail later). Therefore, the first positioning pin 33 is located on the rotation axis of the blade holder 9.

On the other hand, as described above, the third positioning hole 39 into which the third positioning pin 35 in this example fits is formed in the knob member 38, and this knob member 38 is formed in the knob support plate 40 that supports the knob member. It is fitted into the hole 41 so as to be slidable in the direction of arrow F. In that case, a compression spring 4 is provided between the flange formed at one end of the knob member and the knob support plate 40.
2 is inserted, and normally the knob member 38 is pressed to the right in FIG. 2 by the spring 42, whereby the third positioning pin 35 is fitted into the third positioning hole 39. , when the grip portion 38a of the grip member is pulled to the left in FIG. 2, the pin 35 can be disengaged from the hole 39 of the grip member 38. Hole 41 formed in knob support plate 40
are precisely positioned and placed.

Note that the knob support plate 40 that supports the knob member 38 can be fixedly arranged on the main body of the copying machine, but in this example, the knob support member 40 is attached to and detached from the core shaft 43 of the drum 1 as shown in FIG. It is integrally attached to a drum positioning member 44 which is freely screwed. This drum positioning member 44 has an appropriate number of arms 45, and pins 46 protruding from the tips of these arms 45 are fitted into positioning holes in the second body side plate 25a, thereby positioning the drum 1 in a predetermined position. positioned in position.

The casing 7 is positioned at a predetermined position and supported at three points by the three positioning pins 33, 34, 35 and the positioning holes 36, 37, 39 into which these pins fit. The blade 8 and the sealing member 8a arranged in a shape are also positioned at a predetermined position and abut against the drum 1 with a predetermined pressure. Casing 7 like this
The purpose of positioning the blade 8 with respect to the copying machine body includes locating the seal member 8a at a predetermined position relative to the drum 1, but the main purpose is to position the blade 8 in the correct position relative to the drum 1 and 1
To make it possible to set the pressing force of a blade to an appropriate magnitude and to obtain an efficient cleaning action. In this case, as mentioned above and will be explained in detail later, the blade holder 9 holding the blade 8 is rotated around the support shafts 12, 12a to adjust the pressing force of the blade 8 against the drum 1. In other words, if the axes of the spindles 12 and 12a are used as the reference for positioning the blade, the axis of rotation of the holder 9 (that is, the axis of the spindles 12 and 12a) will be aligned with the main body of the copying machine (in other words, the drum 1). On the other hand, it is important that the casing 7 be positioned at a predetermined correct position, and this alone is enough to position the casing 7. In the configuration according to the present invention, in view of this point, as described above, the first positioning pin 33 of the first positioning means
is arranged concentrically with the rotational axis of the holder 9, and the position of the rotational axis of the holder 9 with respect to the drum 1 is determined by the positions of the first positioning pin 33 and the third positioning pin 35. There is. Therefore, the positions of the first positioning pin 33 and the first positioning hole 36 are adjusted so that the rotational axis of the holder 9 relative to the drum 1 is held at a predetermined correct position when the casing 7 is attached to the copying machine main body. As long as the positions of the third positioning pin 35 and the third positioning hole 39 are set correctly at the time of manufacturing the device, the function as a means for positioning the casing can be sufficiently performed. In other words, it is not necessary to select and provide the pins 34 and holes 37 of the second positioning means so precisely in their positions.
In this respect, in conventional devices, the first positioning means and the second positioning means
It was necessary to manufacture the device by accurately determining the distance (pitch) to the positioning means, but with the configuration according to the present invention, as long as the position of the first positioning means is set correctly, the distance (pitch) can be set quite roughly. It becomes possible to determine the Therefore, each positioning means can be manufactured relatively easily and at low cost.
Manufacturing variations can also be tolerated fairly widely.

Furthermore, even if the second positioning pin 34 and its hole 37 have some play, the positioning function will not be impaired, so the second positioning pin 34 can be used as a drive shaft or transmission shaft for other elements. It is possible. Focusing on this point, the present invention also proposes a configuration in which the second positioning pin 34 is used as a transmission means for transmitting the driving force to the toner conveying member (screw 10), thereby simplifying the structure of the apparatus. For this purpose, a second locating pin 3
4 is supported on the first end wall 13 of the casing 7 so as to be immovable in the axial direction but rotatable;
Furthermore, one end of the screw 10 is fixedly engaged with this pin 34, and the screw 10 is arranged concentrically with this pin 34. Furthermore, this second positioning pin 34 has a first positioning pin for rotationally driving the second positioning pin 34.
A gear 47 is fixed (FIG. 2), and this first gear 4
The second gear 48 (see FIGS. 5 and 7) that meshes with the first bracket 24 and the first main body side plate 25
The gear shaft 49 is rotatably supported by the gear shaft 49. In this case, the second gear 48 is rotatably supported on the gear shaft 49 but slidable in the axial direction, and the second gear 48 and the first gear
A compression spring 50 inserted between the bracket 24
receives a pressing action to the left in Fig. 5 due to
It is held in the position shown in FIG. 5 by a stopper (not shown). Gear shaft 49
A first sprocket 51 is secured to the outer end of the sprocket and is drivingly connected to a drive motor (not shown) via a drive chain 52. In addition, in Figure 5, for ease of understanding,
The end region of the gear shaft 49 is shown offset downward in the figure.

The following operation can be obtained by the configuration of the driving means and the driving force transmitting means as described above.

Each component in the cleaning device 6 is held at a predetermined position by the above-mentioned positioning means, and when the photosensitive drum portion that has completed the transfer reaches the position of the blade 8 as described above,
The residual toner is scraped off by a blade 8 pressed against the drum 1, and the scraped toner powder is guided to the screw 10 by a guide plate 20. At this time, the screw 10 connects the drive chain 52, the first sprocket 51, the gear shaft 49, the two gears 47, 48 and the second
It is rotationally driven by a drive motor (driving means) via a positioning pin 34, and therefore, the toner that has fallen onto the screw 10 is conveyed from the casing 7 through the toner conduit 18 to the toner collection container 19 by the rotation of this screw. . In this way, the driving force from the drive motor is applied to the second positioning pin 34.
The pin 34 functions not only to position the casing but also as a driving force transmitting means. Therefore, there is no need to provide a rotating shaft as a transmission means other than the second positioning pin 34, and the advantage of simplifying the configuration of the device is obtained.

In this example, as an additional configuration of the cleaning device, a support plate 53 is fixedly arranged at the lower part of the support member 21 as shown in FIG.
A magnet 54 is fixedly supported. This magnet 5
4 is for adsorbing the carrier attached to the surface of the photoreceptor drum 1 and preventing the drum from being scratched by the carrier when a two-component developer (toner and carrier) is used in the developing device 3. belongs to. A charger (not shown) can be provided in the space below the magnet 54 to eliminate static electricity from the drum, but if a corona charger is used as the transfer sheet separation device as in this example, this will eliminate static electricity from the drum. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a charger in the space below the magnet 54. In view of this point, this space is used as the toner receiver 55 in this example. During the cleaning operation and toner recovery operation, the seal 8a comes into contact with the drum to prevent the scraped toner from leaking out of the casing. This prevents the carrier from being pressed against the drum by the blade and sealing member and causing damage to the drum.

The drum portion that has passed through the cleaning device operating as described above is again neutralized by the static eliminating charger 56, completing one copying cycle.

Now, when the transfer sheet 4 is not separated from the drum 1 during the copying operation and the transfer sheet jams in the cleaning device, or when replacing the blade 8 with a new one, the cleaning device 6
It is necessary to separate it from the drum 1. In such a case, the positioning roller 29 is disengaged from the notch 30 formed in the second end 22a of the support member, and the casing 7 is removed by pulling the knob 38a of the knob member 38 to the left in FIG. The third positioning pin 35 and the third positioning hole 3 of the knob member 38
Disconnect from 9. This causes the support member 21 together with the casing 7 to move around its pivot pin 23 as shown by the arrow E.
The casing 7 can be moved in a direction away from the drum 1 by rotating in the direction. The state at this time is schematically shown in FIG. 6 by a chain line. In this way, a sufficient gap is formed between the cleaning device 6 and the drum 1, so that a jammed transfer sheet can be inspected or removed. If it is still difficult to take out the transfer sheet due to the casing getting in the way, or when replacing the blade 8, move the unit casing 7 in the direction of arrow G in FIG. 2, that is, in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIG. Just pull it out. In this case, the casing 7 can be moved to the right in FIG. 1
No inconvenience such as collision with 9 will occur. Thus, the first and second locating pins 3 of the casing 7
3 and 34 are engaged and disengaged from the respective positioning holes 36 and 37, and the casing 7 is pulled out from the copying machine main body while being guided by the guide rail 32. When replacing the blade, use the blade holder 9
The holder 9 can be taken out from the casing 7 by retracting the support shafts 12, 12a as described above, and then the holding member 9b of the holder 9 can be removed from the holder main body 9a to remove the blade.

As described above, the toner collection container 19 is evacuated and the casing is pulled out, but if the toner inside the casing is conveyed by the screw at this time, the toner is passed through the toner conduit 18 and transferred to the container.
9 will be discharged outside the machine and pollute the surrounding area. In the illustrated configuration of the cleaning device, such inconveniences are reliably prevented.
That is, as described above, the support member 2 together with the casing 7
When screw 1 is rotated in the direction of arrow E, screw 1
The first gear 47 fixed to the second positioning pin 34 that drives the casing 7 also moves,
This is because the first gear 47 engages and disengages from the stationary second gear 48, so that even if the second gear 48 is driven, the drive of the screw 10 is reliably and automatically blocked. In this way, toner is prevented from scattering outside the machine.

After completing the predetermined work, the cleaning device can be set in the predetermined state by performing the reverse operation of the above operation. That is, the casing is inserted into the support member, the first and second positioning pins 33 and 34 are fitted into the respective positioning holes 36 and 37, and the support member 2
1 around the pivot pin 23 in the direction of arrow E',
The third positioning hole 39 is fitted into the third positioning pin 35 . Thus, as explained above, the casing is mounted in a predetermined position by the three positioning means, particularly the first and third positioning means. However, in this mounting operation, the teeth of the first gear 47 and the second gear 48 may not mesh properly, but in such a case, the second gear 48 moves on the gear shaft 49 to the right in FIG. direction spring 50
is pushed in by the first gear 48 against the action of. When the gear shaft 49 starts rotating with the start of the copying operation, the second gear shaft 49, which was in contact with the first gear 47 while being pressed to the left in FIG.
The gear 48 also begins to rotate, and accordingly, the two gears 47 and 48 are automatically brought into a predetermined meshing state, and the second gear 48 returns to the illustrated position.

When the support member 21 is rotated to a predetermined position again, the positioning rollers 29 engage with the notches 30 and the support member 21 is positioned. At this time, the micro switch 57 disposed on the second bracket 24a
Turned on. If the support member does not reach the specified position,
Therefore, even if the print button (not shown) of the copying machine is pressed while the switch 57 is not turned on, the copying machine will not start operating.

When the support member 21 is rotated, the carrier adsorption magnet 54 and the toner receiver 55 are also rotated, so there is no risk that these will interfere with the removal work of the jammed transfer sheet, and the rotation of the casing will be prevented. When the sealing member 8a separates from the drum 1 during the movement, toner may fall from the casing, but this toner is caught by the toner receiver and does not scatter outside the machine.

Also, to remove drum 1 from the copying machine main body,
Screw 44a of drum positioning member 44 (Fig. 6)
It is necessary to screw out the member 44 from the drum 1 and disengage it from the drum, but if this member 44 is removed from the drum in this way, the knob member 38 will always be in the third position.
The blade 8 is disengaged from the positioning pin 35 and the state in which the blade 8 is strongly pressed against the drum 1 is released. Therefore, for example, even if the drum 1 is pulled out without remembering to rotate the support member 21 in the direction of the arrow E (in a direction perpendicular to the paper plane of FIG. 1), the drum surface may be scratched by the blade 8. There is no risk of damage or damage to the blade. That is, by arranging the grip member on the drum positioning member 44, a safety means is configured to prevent damage to the drum and the blade.

Now, as mentioned above, the blade 8 is in pressure contact with the surface of the drum to remove residual toner, but if this blade is in pressure contact with the stationary drum 1 for a long time, not only will the blade be permanently deformed;
The drum surface may also be deformed and the quality of the drum surface may be altered. Therefore, it is preferable that the blade 8 comes into contact with the drum 1 only when necessary, and that the blade 8 and the drum be separated from each other when the copying machine is not used for a long time. In the illustrated cleaning device, the blade 9 is configured to be rotatable as described above so that this requirement can be met with a simple configuration.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, a drive pin 58 is provided at one end of the blade holder 9 in a protruding position away from the first support shaft 12.
The blade holder 9 is rotated around its support shafts 12, 12a, and the blade 8
is brought into contact with and separated from the drum 1.

In order to obtain the above operation, the drive pin 58
is a hole 61 of a slider 60 that passes through an arcuate elongated hole 59 (FIGS. 1 and 2) formed in the first end wall 13 of the casing 7 and is slidable in the direction of arrow I (FIG. 7). is fitted. As clearly shown in FIG. 7, this slider 60 has an elongated hole 62 formed at one end thereof, and a pin 63 fixed to the first bracket 24 is loosely engaged with the elongated hole 62 of the slider. A first lever 65 is pivotally attached to the other end of the slider 60 via a support pin 64.
The first bracket 24 and the first main body side plate 25
A second lever 67 is further fixed to a drive shaft 66 which is rotatably supported on the drive shaft 66 . A projecting pin 69 is provided in a substantially intermediate region of the second lever 67 to engage one end of a tension spring 68, and the other end of the tension spring 68 is engaged with a so-called spring clutch 70. This locking position will be described later. A tension spring 71 for the lever is engaged with the lower end of the second lever 67, and this spring 71 gives the second lever 67 a clockwise rotation behavior in FIG. The other end of the spring 71 is connected to the first end of the third bracket 73, which will be described later.
It is locked to a stud 91. That is, the other end of the lever spring 71 is attached to the first body side plate 25 with two screws 7.
The first stud 91 of the third bracket 73 is fixed to the first stud 91 by the third bracket 73. The lower part of the second lever 67 fits into a notch 74 (this may be a long hole) formed in the third bracket 73, and a stopper part 75a at one end of this notch 74.
It is possible to come into contact with. Note that the tension force of the lever spring 71 is set smaller than that of the tension spring 68.

As clearly shown in FIG. 5, the spring clutch 70 includes a fixed shaft 75 fixed to the first main body side plate 25, a second sprocket 76 and a boss-shaped disc 77 rotatably supported by the fixed shaft 75. , a coil spring 78 , and a sleeve 79 fitted around the coil spring 78 .
8 is wound so as to surround both boss portions of the second sprocket 76 and disc 77. In this case, one end of the coil spring 78 is connected to the sleeve 79.
It is locked to. The flange portion of the sleeve 79 has two notches 80 and 81 located at an angle of 180°.
(FIG. 7) is formed, and in this notch is a clutch lever 8 rotatably supported on the drive shaft 66.
Two tip claws 82a can be engaged. The other end of the clutch lever 82 is connected to the solenoid 8 via a pin 83.
4, the clutch lever 82 rotates around the shaft 66 in accordance with the energization and deenergization of the solenoid, and its tip claw engages and disengages the notch 80 or 81 of the sleeve 79. It's getting old. In this case, the tip claw 82 of the clutch lever 82
When a is engaged and disengaged from the notches 80 and 81, the coil spring 78 engages the second sprocket 76 and the disc 77.
The rotation of the second sprocket 76 is transmitted to the disk 77 via the coil spring 78 by tightly wrapping it around the boss portion of the second sprocket 76 . However, when the tip claw 82a of the clutch lever engages with the notch 80 or 81, the sleeve 79 is prevented from rotating, and if the second sprocket 76 is rotating at this time, this causes the coil spring 78 to loosen its winding. receives an external force in the direction. Therefore, the rotation of the second sprocket 76 is no longer transmitted to the disk 77, and even if the second sprocket rotates, the disk 77 remains stationary. The second sprocket 76 is drivingly connected to a third sprocket 86 via a transmission chain 85.
The sprocket 86 is the first sprocket 5 mentioned above.
1 and is fixed to a drive shaft 49 integrally. The tension spring 68 has one end locked in the intermediate region of the second lever 67, and the other end locked in a stud 87 projecting from the disc 77 of the clutch.

When the above-described copying operation is performed and therefore it is necessary to press the blade 8 against the surface of the drum 1, the tip pawl of the clutch lever 82 engages with one notch 80 of the sleeve 79, and at this time the disc The stud 87 is located on the right side of the figure as shown by the solid line in FIG. However, since the distal end pawl of the clutch lever engages with the notch 80, the disc 77 is stopped at the position shown. Therefore, the second lever 67 is subjected to the tensile action of the tension spring 68 and comes into contact with the stop portion 75a of the third bracket 73 and is stopped at the position shown by the solid line in FIG. The slider 60 connected to the blade holder 9 is also located at the left stationary end in FIG. 7 together with the drive pin 58 of the blade holder 9. This allows blade 8
is kept in contact with the drum 1 at a predetermined pressure (that is, a predetermined biting amount), and can perform a predetermined cleaning action. In addition, the above-mentioned stop part 7
The position of 5 determines the pressing force of the blade 8 against the drum.

When the copying machine is turned off, or when the copying machine is on standby for a relatively long time, that is, when the blade 8 should not be in pressure contact with the drum, the solenoid 84 is energized, and the clutch lever 82 is activated. Axis 66 in the counterclockwise direction in FIG.
, and its tip claw is engaged and disengaged from the notch 80. Therefore, the rotation of the second sprocket 76 is transmitted to the disk 77, and the disk 77 starts rotating clockwise in FIG. Subsequently, the solenoid 84 is deenergized, and when the disc 77 rotates 1/2, that is, 180 degrees, the tip pawl 82a of the clutch lever 82 engages with the other notch 81 of the sleeve 79. The disc 77 is thus brought to rest with its stud 87 in the left position shown in phantom in FIG. Therefore, the second lever 67 is not subjected to the tensile action of the tension spring 68, but is instead subjected to a weak tensile action of the lever spring 71, and is rotated to the position shown by the chain line in FIG.
Therefore, the slider 60 moves together with the drive pin 58 of the blade holder to the right end position, which is indicated schematically by the dashed line in FIG. During this movement, the blade holder 9 rotates around its support shafts 12, 12a in the counterclockwise direction in FIG.
The tip of the blade is spaced apart from the drum 1 (i.e. the blade is positioned as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 1). When the blade is brought into pressure contact with the drum again, the solenoid is temporarily energized and the disk 77 is moved further by 1/2.
By making two rotations, the second lever 67, slider 60, and drive pin 58 may be brought into the state shown by the solid line in FIG. 7. In this way, the blade can be brought into pressure contact with the drum only when necessary. Note that when the casing 7 is taken out, the drive pin 58 of the blade holder 9 is connected to the slider 60.
Of course, the blade 8 is engaged and disengaged from the hole 61 of the drum, and the one shown at 88 in FIG. Yes, while the blade is away from the drum, this switch 88
The copying machine is configured so that it does not operate due to

The operation of attaching and detaching the casing 7 from the support member 21 has been described above. In this case, when the casing is reinstalled, each component is automatically positioned by the positioning means, and in principle there is no need to readjust the position of each component. However, when replacing the blade 8 or manufacturing a cleaning device, it is necessary to adjust the position of the blade in order to adjust the pressing force of the blade 8 against the drum 1. In the present invention, as explained earlier, the holder 9
The position of the blade can be adjusted by rotating the blade, and the configuration related to this will be explained below.

As mentioned above, the pressing force of the blade 8 against the drum 1 is determined by the position of the stop portion 75a of the third bracket 73. Therefore, in order to adjust the position of the blade, it is necessary to hold this stop portion 75a in a predetermined position. For this purpose, an elongated plate-shaped spacer 89 is arranged in the portion of the third bracket 73 where the notch 74 is formed, and this spacer 89 has an elongated hole so as not to impede the rotation of the second lever 67. 90 (FIG. 5) or notches are formed. The spacer is supported so as not to fall off from the third bracket and to be slidable in the direction of the arrow with respect to the third bracket.

To position the blade 8 relative to the surface of the drum 1, first apply a slight force to the second lever 67 in the clockwise direction in FIG. (The drum is naturally stationary at this time.) In order to achieve this, by loosening the fixing screw 72 of the third bracket 73, the third bracket 73 and the spacer 89 are prevented from hitting the second lever 67, and the third bracket 73 and the spacer 89 are secured to the tip of the second lever 67. Place the other end of the stopped lever spring 71 on the first side of the bracket.
It is engaged and disengaged from the stud 91, and the other end is connected to the second bracket 73, which also projects from the third bracket 73.
It locks onto the stud 92. As a result, a weak spring force is applied to the second lever 67 in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 7, so that the blade abuts against the drum 1 with a relatively weak force as shown by the dotted line in FIG. Next, the right end of the third bracket 73 is brought into contact with the rising portion 89a formed at the right end of the spacer 89 in FIG. 7 as shown in FIG. (Illustrated as viewed from the back of the figure). At this time, the stop portion 75a of the bracket 73 and the end portion 93 of the elongated hole of the spacer 89 are positioned with a predetermined distance J between them. Then, in this state, the elongated hole end 93 of the spacer 89 is brought into contact with the second lever 67 as shown in FIG. 8 (in this case, it should only be brought into contact and should not be pressed). Thus, a predetermined distance J is provided between the stop portion 75a and the second lever 67. Next, slide only the spacer 89 to the left (to the right in FIG. 7) as shown in FIG. 3. Fix it to the bracket 73. Next, the spring 71 is relatched to the stud 91, and the stud 87 on the disk 77 of the spring clutch 70 is held in the position shown by the solid line in FIG.
When the second lever 67 is rotated in the direction shown in the figure), the second lever 67
The holder 9 rotates to the position indicated by the solid line in the figure, that is, the position where it abuts the stopper part 75a, and the holder 9 rotates together with the blade 8 around the support shafts 12, 12a in the clockwise direction in FIG. Rotate to the operating position shown by the solid line in the figure. This allows blade 8
is pressed against the drum 1 at a predetermined pressure to obtain a predetermined penetration amount. In other words, the distance J is predetermined so that the predetermined pressing force of the blade can be obtained.

According to the above blade position adjustment method, the blade 8
The amount of biting into the drum 1 can be adjusted by the spacer 89, and this biting amount can be enlarged and adjusted by the second lever 67, so the operation is simple and accurate. Once the position of the blade 8 is determined by rotating the holder in this way,
Next, when the casing 7 is removed from the copying machine body and reattached, the casing is placed at a predetermined position by the first positioning means and the second positioning means, and the rotation axis of the holder 9 is positioned at a predetermined position. Therefore, the blade 8 can be placed at a predetermined position and a predetermined pressing force of the blade 8 against the drum 1 can be obtained without readjusting the blade 8.

Next, in order to understand the present invention, the previously described toner collection container 19 and its related configuration will be explained.

In FIG. 2 and FIGS. 10 and 11, the toner collection container 19 has a container main body 100, and a cylindrical lid 101 covered with an upper opening of the main body,
A seal 103 made of a flexible material such as sponge is adhered to a cutout opening 102 formed in the lid 101. And this sticker 1
03 has a circular hole 104 and a notch 105 continuous to the circular hole (see FIG. 12).
A toner conduit 18 protruding from the above-mentioned casing projects into the circular hole 104, and the toner is conveyed from the conduit 18 into the container body. Reference numeral 106 denotes a leaf spring provided around the lid 101. Two support pins 107 are fixed to this leaf spring at opposing positions, and the inwardly protruding ends of these support pins are attached to the peripheral wall of the lid 101. It penetrates through and engages in an annular groove 108 formed in the neck of the container body 100. In this case, the tip of the support pin is pressed against the groove 108 by the action of the leaf spring 106, whereby the container body 100 and the lid 101 are held integrally.

A support plate 109 is fixed to the second main body side plate 25a, and a rotating member 111 is pivotally attached to this support plate 109 via a pivot 110. It can be rotated in the direction shown. A support member 112 that supports the container is pivotally attached to the rotation member 111 by a pin 111a provided integrally therewith, and this support member 11
2 has two sets of arms 114 and 115 protruding from its base 113 in a bifurcated shape. A notch 116 is formed in each of the upper pair of arms 114;
The outer end of the support pin 107 described above is placed in this notch, thereby supporting the container 19 on the support member 112. The lower arm pair 115 is the container body 1
It serves to hold down the body of 00 and help hold the container body.

A projecting pin 117 that passes through the rotating member is protruded from the upper part of the base 113 of the support member 112, and a relatively weak tension spring 118 is stretched between the projecting pin 117 and the rotating member 111. , whereby the container 19 along with the support member 112 is attached to the pin 1.
A slight rotational habit is given around 11a in the clockwise direction in FIG. In this case, when there is no or little toner in the container 19, the container 19 and the support member 112 are slightly inclined as shown schematically by the chain line in FIG. 2, and are held in the state shown by the chain line by a stopper, not shown. Ru.

Furthermore, an actuating member 119 is fixed to the lower arm 115 of the support member 112 and extends in the direction of the rotating member 111.
Actuator 1 of switch 120 located at
21.

The screw 10, which is disposed within the toner conduit 18 and driven to rotate as described above, sequentially moves into the casing 7.
The toner inside is transported into the container 19. When there is a small amount of toner in the container, the container 19 is in the chain line position (FIG. 2) and the actuating member 119 does not actuate the actuator 121 of the switch 120. When the amount of toner in the container 19 becomes large or full, the weight of the toner causes the container 19 to
is rotated slightly counterclockwise in FIG. 2 around the pin 111a against the action of the spring 118.
The position shown by the solid line in the figure is reached. At this time, the actuating member 1
19 operates actuator 121, and switch 120 is turned on. It is thus detected that the container 19 is full of toner, and the signal generated thereby prevents, for example, starting operation of the copying machine or activates an indicator lamp (not shown).
can be made to light up. Container 19
If you replace it with an empty one, the switch 120 will work again.
It can be turned off to start a predetermined copying operation. As described above, the amount of toner in the container can be detected by simply rotating the container 19 slightly.
9 hardly moves in the vertical direction. Therefore, virtually no gap is formed between the toner conduit 18 and the hole 104 of the seal 103, and leakage of toner can be advantageously prevented (this advantage is due to the fact that the This can be better understood by comparing the case where the container is moved downward due to a change in the weight of the toner.In this case, as the container moves downward, the toner conduit hits the upper end of the sealing hole, and the toner conduit and the seal are separated. A gradually larger gap is formed at the lower end of the hole, from which the toner leaks.)

As described above, when pulling out the casing 7 from the support member 21, the rotating member 111 may be rotated in the direction of the arrow K in FIG. In this way, the casing 7 is not obstructed by the container 19. Even when the rotating member 111 is rotated, the tip of the toner conduit 18 is rotated through the notch 105 of the seal 103.
Since the toner conduit 18 can enter the toner conduit 18, there is no risk that rotation of the container will be hindered by the toner conduit 18.

FIGS. 13 to 16 show other configuration examples of the cleaning device, and these configurations will also be explained for better understanding of the present invention.

In the configuration example shown in FIG. 13, a shaft 18a is inserted into the toner conduit 18, and in this case, a screw 1 is attached to the end of the shaft 18a on the toner discharge port side.
0 is locked, and the other end of the shaft 18a is fixed to the second positioning pin 34. With this configuration, the shaft 18a is rotationally driven together with the screw 10 during operation, thereby strengthening the toner conveying force, and the screw 10 is rotated through the toner conduit 18.
This prevents inconveniences such as jumping out of the body.

In addition, in the configuration example shown in FIG. 2, the knob member 3 is
However, in the configuration example shown in FIG. 14, the member having the third positioning hole 39 into which the third positioning pin 35 fits is a sleeve-shaped perforated member 1.
30, and a handle lever 131 is pivotally attached to the tip of this perforated member via a pivot pin 131b. If this handle lever 131 is bent as shown by the solid line, one flat side surface 131a at the tip of the handle lever 131 will be on the same side of the support plate 40 as the knob support plate shown in FIG. 2, or as shown in the figure. The pin 35 is in close contact with the flat surface 132a of the seat member 132 fixed to the support plate 40, and the pin 35 and the hole 39 are fitted together by the action of the spring 42. On the other hand, if the handle lever 131 is rotated clockwise about its pivot pin 131b as shown by the chain line, the tip surface 13 of the handle lever 131
1c is the surface 132a of the seat member 132 (or the support plate 4
0 surface) under the action of the spring 42, and at this time, the pivot pin 131b of the handle lever 131 moves outward, and the perforated member 130 moves to the left, and the pin 35 and the hole 39 are Can be disconnected. In this way, the handle lever is held stably in two positions, and the third positioning pin 3
5 and the third positioning hole 39 can be engaged and disengaged. Furthermore, when the lever 131 is in the position shown by the chain line, if this lever interferes with the closing movement of the door of the copying machine (not shown) and prevents the door from being closed, the casing will not be held in a predetermined position. Hazards such as starting the copier can be prevented (if the door is open, the operator would normally not be able to start the copier, or by closing the door. By providing a switch that is turned on when the door is turned on, it is possible to prevent the copying machine from operating with the door open).

In addition, in the configuration example shown in FIG. 1, the third positioning pin 35 is located at a position slightly away from the center of gravity of the unit 11 consisting of the casing and other elements, so there is a risk that the unit may be slightly twisted by its own weight. However, in the configuration example shown in FIG. 15, since the third position pin 35 is arranged near the center of gravity of the unit, it is also possible to prevent the twisting phenomenon of the unit.

Further, as shown in FIG. 16, the surface cam 140 is brought into contact with the first positioning pin 33 fixed to the casing 7, and the casing 7 is pressed in the direction of the surface cam 140 by the spring 42 shown in FIG. When the surface cam 140 is reciprocated in the direction of the arrow, the entire unit, and thus the blades and seal members, slide a small distance on the surface of the drum in its axial direction. This makes it possible to prevent the blade and the seal member from being locally worn out, making it possible to extend the life of the blade and the seal member.

As can be seen from the above description, according to the present invention, at least one positioning means is provided on the rotation axis of the holder, so by correctly arranging this positioning means, the relative positional relationship of each positioning means can be roughly determined. It has become possible to manufacture the device at low cost. Furthermore, since at least one positioning means does not cause any trouble even if there is a certain amount of backlash, this positioning means can be used as a driving force transmission means for the toner conveying member. This made it possible to simplify the structure of the device.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a copying machine equipped with a cleaning device according to the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a -
A line sectional view, Figure 3 is a - line sectional view of Figure 1,
Fig. 4 is a partially sectional plan view of the cleaning device, Fig. 5 is a partially sectional rear view of the same device, Fig. 6 is a schematic sectional view of the drum and cleaning device, and Fig. 7 shows the supporting member with chain lines for ease of understanding. The right side view of FIG. 5 is schematically shown, and some other members are omitted, and the state of the device is changed. FIGS. 8 and 9 are explanatory diagrams for explaining the blade adjustment state. FIG. A plan view of the toner collection container, FIG. 11 is a front view of the collection container, FIG. 12 is a developed view of the seal, FIG. 13 is a sectional view showing another example of the configuration of the toner conduit, and FIG. 14 is a third positioning pin. FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing a different arrangement of the third positioning pin from FIG. 1, and FIG. 16 is a partial view showing still another example of the configuration. be. 1... Image carrier, 6... Cleaning device,
7...Holder support member, 8...Blade, 9...
…holder.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A cleaning blade that presses against the surface of an image carrier to remove residual toner from the surface, a holder that holds the blade, a holder support member that supports the holder, and a cleaning blade that removes residual toner from the surface of the image carrier. a plurality of positioning means for positioning with respect to a main body of a copying machine, etc., in which case the holder is supported so as to be rotatable as necessary with respect to the holder support member, and the holder is rotated; In a cleaning device for a copying machine or the like configured to be able to adjust the pressing force of the blade against the image carrier, at least one of the plurality of positioning means for the holder support member is connected to the rotation axis of the holder. The cleaning device is characterized in that it is provided on a line. 2. A cleaning blade that presses against the surface of an image carrier to remove residual toner from the surface, a holder that holds the blade, a holder support member that supports the holder, and a holder support member that is attached to the main body of a copying machine or the like. a plurality of positioning means for positioning against the holder support member; a conveying member for conveying the toner removed from the image carrier by the cleaning blade to the outside of the holder support member; a driving means for driving the conveying member; and a driving force of the driving means for conveying the toner. a transmission means for transmitting the information to the image carrier, in which case the holder is supported so as to be rotatable as required with respect to the holder support member, and the holder is rotated to transmit the transmission of the blade to the image carrier. In a cleaning device for a copying machine or the like configured to be able to adjust pressure contact force, at least one of the plurality of positioning means for the holder support member is provided on the rotation axis of the holder, and the at least one The cleaning device, wherein at least one positioning means other than the two positioning means constitutes at least a part of the transmission means.