JP4784231B2 - Cleaning device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cleaning device and a solid lubricant employed in an image forming apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an image forming apparatus that records an image on a recording sheet by forming a toner image on a rotating image carrier and finally transferring and fixing the toner image on the recording sheet is provided in an image forming apparatus. In some cases, the image carrier is in contact with a cleaning blade that removes residual toner remaining on the surface of the image carrier after the toner image on the carrier is transferred.

  However, in an image forming apparatus that performs cleaning by bringing a cleaning blade into contact with the image carrier, there is a problem that the wear of the image carrier is intensified due to friction generated between the cleaning blade and the image carrier. Has been.

  Accordingly, a brush is provided which rotates in contact with the transferred portion of the toner image on the image carrier on the upstream side of the cleaning blade in the rotation direction of the image carrier and removes residual toner in this portion. Thus, a proposal has been made to reduce the frictional force by lowering the contact pressure of the cleaning blade to the surface of the photosensitive member by disturbing the residual toner remaining on the surface of the image carrier after the toner image is transferred.

In addition, a solid lubricant is provided at a position in contact with the brush, and the lubricant scraped with the brush is applied to the surface of the photoconductor to reduce the frictional force between the cleaning blade that contacts the photoconductor and the surface of the photoconductor. Proposals have been made (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2003-058009 A

  However, even in the image forming apparatus proposed in Patent Document 1, when a new solid lubricant is used, a portion of the solid lubricant that cannot contact the brush in the initial stage is in the initial stage. It has been reported that this is likely to occur, and this results in large uneven application of the lubricant to the image carrier, and the image carrier is worn at this stage.

  Therefore, it is conceivable to increase the pressing force of the solid lubricant to the brush as compared with the conventional case. However, even if the application amount is appropriate in the initial stage, the application amount may be excessive after the initial stage has passed. There is.

  In addition, it may be possible to provide a mechanism that can switch the pressing force of the solid lubricant on the brush between the initial stage and the subsequent stage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device devised to suppress uneven application of lubricant on the surface of an image carrier with a simple configuration, and a solid lubricant suitable for the cleaning device. And

In order to achieve the above object, the cleaning device of the present invention comprises:
This image carrier is employed in an image forming apparatus for recording an image on a recording paper by forming a toner image on a rotating image carrier and finally transferring and fixing the toner image on the recording paper. In the cleaning device for removing residual toner remaining on the surface of the image carrier after the toner image on the body is transferred, from the image carrier,
A brush that rotates in contact with the transferred portion of the toner image on the surface of the image carrier and removes residual toner in this portion;
A cleaning blade that abuts on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the image carrier from the portion of the image carrier surface that is in contact with the brush and scrapes remaining toner;
It is provided with a solid lubricant provided at a position in contact with the brush and having a surface in contact with the brush formed to be uneven.

  In the cleaning device of the present invention, since a convex portion of the irregularities on the surface of the solid lubricant contacts the brush in the initial stage when using a new solid lubricant, the flat surface of the solid lubricant from the initial stage Compared to the conventional case where the brush is pressed on the entire surface, the pressing force of the brush to the solid lubricant can be increased, and at the stage where the convex portion of the surface is scraped off, the brush is now flat as the solid lubricant. Since it comes in contact with the entire surface, the pressing force of the solid lubricant against the brush is lower than in the initial stage. That is, in the cleaning device of the present invention, the solid lubricant to be applied to the brush in the initial stage is used only when the surface of the solid lubricant to be used is formed uneven, and in the initial stage when using a new solid lubricant and thereafter. Can be made higher than the subsequent pressing force. Therefore, according to the cleaning device of the present invention, uneven application of the lubricant to the surface of the image carrier can be suppressed with a simple configuration.

  Here, it is preferable that the solid lubricant has a surface formed in contact with the brush and has a plurality of grooves.

  If the unevenness is a groove in this way, formation is easy and convenient.

According to the cleaning device of the present invention and the solid lubricant of the present invention, uneven application of the lubricant to the image carrier surface can be suppressed with a simple configuration.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printer in which an embodiment of the cleaning apparatus of the present invention is employed.

  The printer 1 shown in FIG. 1 has exposure light generated by an exposure device 12 based on image data transmitted to the surface of a photoconductor 10 rotated in the direction of arrow A, to which a predetermined charge is applied by a charger 11. The electrostatic latent image is formed by irradiating the toner, and the formed electrostatic latent image is developed with toner carried on the developing roller 131 with the toner contained in the developing device 13, and the toner image obtained by this development is Monochrome image dedicated machine that forms an image on a recording sheet by transferring it by a transfer unit 14 onto a recording sheet pulled out from a sheet tray 16 by a sheet conveying device 16a and conveyed in the direction of arrow B, and fixing it by a fixing unit 15. It is.

  Further, the printer 1 is disposed at a position in contact with the brush 172, the cleaning blade 174, and the brush 172 that removes and collects residual toner on the surface of the photoconductor 10 carrying the toner image from the photoconductor 10. A cleaning device 17 having the solid lubricant 171 is provided. The cleaning device of the present invention may be applied to a color image machine instead of a monochrome image dedicated machine.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the cleaning device shown in FIG.

  The cleaning device 17 shown in FIG. 2 includes a housing 170, a solid lubricant 171, a brush 172 that rotates in the direction of arrow B, a flicking member 173 that knocks off residual toner attached to the brush 172, a cleaning blade 174, and a solid lubricant 171. The rotating arm 175 is held and rotatable about a rotating shaft 1751.

  The brush 172 shown in FIG. 2 rotates in the direction of arrow B while rotating the brush tip on the surface of the photoconductor 10 while contacting the surface of the photoconductor surface with the transferred portion of the toner image. The removal assists the removal of residual toner by the cleaning blade 174.

  The brush 172 rotates while the tip of the brush is in contact with the surface of the photoreceptor, and the tip of the brush is also applied to the surface of the solid lubricant 171 having a plurality of grooves 171a (see FIG. 3) formed on the surface. It is in contact.

  The solid lubricant 171 is mainly composed of zinc stearate, is held by a rotating arm 175 that is rotatable about a rotating shaft 1751, and is attached to the rotating shaft 1751 (not shown). Due to the moment generated by the torsion spring, the solid lubricant 171 is pressed against the brush 172 with a constant pressure regardless of the remaining amount.

  FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the solid lubricant.

  FIG. 3 (a) shows a state where irregularities formed of a plurality of grooves 171a are formed on the surface of the solid lubricant on which the brush tip of the brush 172 contacts.

  FIG. 3B shows a state in which a plurality of cylindrical protrusions 171b arranged regularly are formed on the surface of the solid lubricant 171. In the cleaning device of the present invention, the solid lubricant The surface may be formed with such irregularities.

  FIG. 4 is a graph showing the relationship between the pressing load of a new solid lubricant against the brush and the passage of time in the cleaning device of this embodiment.

  In FIG. 4, the change with time of the pressing load of the new solid lubricant 171 to the brush 172 in the cleaning device 17 shown in FIG. 3 is indicated by a solid line. In the cleaning device 17, the cleaning device 17 As a comparative example, the change with time of pressing weight when a conventional solid lubricant having a flat surface is used instead of the solid lubricant 171 used is shown by a dotted line.

  From FIG. 4, the pressing load after the initial stage has passed is the same, but the solid lubricant 171 having the groove 171 a formed on the surface is used, which is employed in the cleaning device 17 of this embodiment. It can be seen that the pressing load at the initial stage is stronger than when a conventional solid lubricant is used.

  In the cleaning device 17 of the present embodiment, at the initial stage when a new solid lubricant 171 is used, the convex portion between the groove 171a and the groove 171a formed on the surface of the solid lubricant is in contact with the brush. From the initial stage, it is possible to increase the pressing force of the brush against the solid lubricant compared to the conventional method in which the brush is pressed against the entire flat surface of the solid lubricant, and at the stage where the convex part of the surface is scraped off, This time, the brush 172 comes into contact with the entire flat surface of the solid lubricant 171 as before, so the pressing force of the solid lubricant 171 against the brush 172 is lower than in the initial stage. In other words, in the cleaning device 17 of the present embodiment, the initial stage when using a new solid lubricant 171 and the subsequent stage are used only by forming a plurality of grooves 171a on the surface of the solid lubricant 171 to be employed. The pressing force of the solid lubricant 171 to the brush 172 can be made higher than the subsequent pressing force. Therefore, according to the cleaning device 17 of the present embodiment, uneven application of the lubricant to the surface of the photoreceptor can be suppressed with a simple configuration.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printer in which an embodiment of a cleaning device of the present invention is employed. It is a schematic block diagram of the cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. It is an external appearance perspective view of a solid lubricant. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the pressing load of the new solid lubricant with respect to a brush, and time passage in the cleaning apparatus of this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer 17 Cleaning device 171 Solid lubricant 171a Groove 171b Protrusion 172 Brush 173 Flicking member 174 Cleaning blade 175 Rotating arm 1751 Rotating shaft

Claims (1)

The image carrier employed in an image forming apparatus for recording an image on the recording paper by forming a toner image on the rotating image carrier and finally transferring and fixing the toner image onto the recording paper. In the cleaning device for removing residual toner remaining on the surface of the image carrier after the toner image on the body is transferred, from the image carrier,
A brush that rotates in contact with a portion of the surface of the image bearing member after the transfer of the toner image and removes residual toner in the portion;
A cleaning blade that abuts on the downstream side in the rotational direction of the image carrier from the portion of the surface of the image carrier that is in contact with the brush and scrapes remaining toner;
A pivot arm pivotable about a pivot axis;
A solid lubricant disposed at a position in contact with the brush of the rotating arm ;
A torsion spring for applying a moment in a direction to press the solid lubricant at a constant pressure against the rotating arm;
The solid lubricant is a concavo-convex formed of a plurality of cylindrical protrusions regularly arranged on the surface in contact with the brush, and the solid lubricant is in an initial stage where the concavo-convex convex portion contacts the brush. The cleaning apparatus is characterized in that the pressure on the brush is relatively high and the unevenness where the pressure on the brush is relatively low is formed at a stage after the convex portion is scraped off .

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