Cleaning device and image forming device

Abstract

The present invention provides a cleaning device and an image forming apparatus. The cleaning device comprises: a cleaning portion that cleans a moving object by bringing a contact portion extending in a width direction intersecting the moving direction of the object into contact with the object, the cleaning portion having a supported surface on the downstream side in the moving direction; and a supporting portion having a supporting surface facing the supported surface, the supporting surface having an adhesive portion bonded to the supported surface, the supporting portion supporting the cleaning portion via the adhesive portion, the adhesive portion being provided midway along the supporting surface extending toward the object, the supporting portion having an extending portion extending further from the adhesive portion toward the object.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a cleaning device and an image forming device. Background Art

[0002] Image forming apparatuses of the type that form a toner image and transfer the toner image to paper for fixing are well known. Such image forming apparatuses widely use a plate-shaped cleaning member made of a hard rubber material, known as a cleaning blade. This cleaning blade is pressed against an image holder and an intermediate transfer belt to remove residual toner after transfer. The image holder holds the toner image until the toner image is transferred, and the intermediate transfer belt receives the toner image transferred from the image holder and holds the toner image until it is transferred again to paper.

[0003] Here, since the cleaning blade is pressed against the object to be cleaned, such as the photoreceptor and the intermediate transfer body, and the object to be cleaned moves, the cleaning blade is subjected to a large force due to friction, which may cause plastic deformation called curling. Suppressing this curling is a major issue.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-176175 discloses a structure in which additional metal plates are provided at both widthwise end portions of a cleaning blade to suppress curling of the cleaning blade.

[0005] Furthermore, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-258483 discloses a structure in which a back metal plate supporting a cleaning blade is extended toward an object to be cleaned at both widthwise ends.

[0006] Furthermore, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-012569 discloses a structure in which a metal plate is provided on the side of a cleaning blade where curling occurs, and an adhesive is added to prevent separation between the cleaning blade and the metal plate.

[0007] To prevent the curling of a cleaning element such as a cleaning blade, the following method is effective: a support portion is provided that extends along the surface of the cleaning blade on the side where curling occurs, i.e., the surface of the cleaning blade on the downstream side of the moving direction of the cleaning element, and extends as close to the cleaning element as possible. The portion of the support portion that is as close to the cleaning element as possible is fixed to the cleaning element. However, in order for the cleaning element to fully perform its function of cleaning the cleaning element, it must have a moderate degree of softness. This means that the support portion can only fix the portion of the cleaning element that is appropriately separated from the cleaning element. Summary of the Invention

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device that suppresses curling while ensuring appropriate softness of a cleaning portion, and an image forming apparatus including the cleaning device.

[0009] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning device comprising:

[0010] a cleaning portion that cleans the moving object by bringing a contact portion extending in a width direction intersecting the moving direction of the object into contact with the moving object, the cleaning portion having a supported surface on a downstream side in the moving direction; and

[0011] The supporting portion includes a supporting surface facing the supported surface, the supporting surface including an adhesive portion bonded to the supported surface, and the supporting portion supports the cleaning portion via the adhesive portion.

[0012] The adhesive portion is provided at a midway position of the support surface extending in a direction approaching the object to be cleaned, and the support portion includes an extending portion further extending from the adhesive portion in a direction approaching the object to be cleaned.

[0013] According to the second aspect of the present invention, the extension portion extends in a direction approaching the object to be cleaned while being spaced apart from the supported surface.

[0014] According to the third aspect of the present invention, the extending portion is bent and extended in a direction away from the supported surface.

[0015] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the extending portion is provided at least at locations corresponding to both widthwise end portions of the cleaning portion.

[0016] According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, a soft body that is softer than both the cleaning portion and the supporting portion is interposed between the extending portion and the supported surface.

[0017] According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the soft body is an elastic adhesive.

[0018] According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus comprising:

[0019] an image holding portion that holds the toner image while moving until the toner image is transferred; and

[0020] The cleaning device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects is configured to contact the portion of the image holding portion to which the toner image has been transferred, and clean the image holding portion.

[0021] The image forming apparatus forms an image composed of a fixed toner image on a sheet of paper.

[0022] (Effect)

[0023] According to the first and seventh aspects, it is possible to suppress curling while ensuring appropriate softness of the cleaning portion.

[0024] According to the second aspect, compared with the case where the extension portion is in contact with the supported surface, it is possible to more reliably ensure appropriate softness of the cleaning portion.

[0025] According to the third aspect, the cost can be reduced compared to a case where a support body is provided in which the thickness of the extension portion is reduced so that the extension portion is separated from the supported surface.

[0026] According to the fourth aspect, the two end portions where curling occurs are effectively acted upon.

[0027] According to the fifth aspect, it is possible to suppress dust such as suspended toner from entering the gap between the extending portion and the supported surface.

[0028] According to the sixth aspect, the gap between the extending portion and the supported surface can be stably filled, compared to a case where another member such as a sponge is inserted into the gap between the extending portion and the supported surface. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1 It is a perspective view of the appearance of an image forming apparatus as one embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 2 It is shown in Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the internal structure of an image forming apparatus showing the external appearance.

[0031] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram showing the characteristic portion of the cleaner according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 4 (A) is the width direction of the intermediate transfer belt (with Figure 3 The direction perpendicular to the paper) is shown on the left and right Figure 3 FIG. 1 shows a characteristic portion of the cleaner, Figure 4 (B) is from Figure 3 Observing the same direction shows Figure 3 FIG. 4 is a diagram of the characteristic parts of the cleaner shown in FIG.

[0033] Figure 5 (A) is the width direction of the intermediate transfer belt (with Figure 3 The direction perpendicular to the paper) is shown on the left and right Figure 3 FIG. 1 shows a modified example of the characteristic portion of the cleaner shown in FIG. Figure 5 (B) is from Figure 3 Observe in the same direction Figure 3 FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a modified example of the characteristic portion of the cleaner shown in FIG.

[0034] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram showing a characteristic portion of a cleaner according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram showing a characteristic portion of a cleaner according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram showing the characteristic portion of the cleaner according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 9 It is a schematic diagram showing the characteristic portion of a cleaner according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described.

[0039] Figure 1 It is a perspective view of the appearance of an image forming apparatus as one embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] The image forming apparatus 1 includes a scanner 10 and a printer 20 .

[0041] The scanner 10 is mounted on a device casing 90 serving as a frame of the image forming apparatus 1 , and the printer 20 is configured within the device casing 90 .

[0042] Figure 2 It is shown in Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the internal structure of an image forming apparatus showing the external appearance.

[0043] The printer 20 includes four image forming units 50Y, 50M, 50C, and 50K arranged in a roughly horizontal row. These image forming units 50Y, 50M, 50C, and 50K form toner images using toners of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), respectively. When describing these image forming units 50Y, 50M, 50C, and 50K together, the reference numbers Y, M, C, and K, indicating the toner colors, are omitted and the unit is referred to as the image forming unit 50. This applies similarly to components other than the image forming units.

[0044] Each image forming section 50 includes an image holding member 51. The image holding member 51 receives a driving force and rotates in the direction of arrow A. An electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the image holding member 51, and a toner image is formed by development.

[0045] Each image forming unit 50 includes a charger 52, an exposure unit 53, a developer 54, a primary transfer unit 62, and a cleaner 55 around each image holding member 51. The primary transfer unit 62 is located so that an intermediate transfer belt 61, described later, is sandwiched between the primary transfer unit 62 and the image holding member 51. The primary transfer unit 62 is not an element of the image forming unit 50 but an element of the intermediate transfer unit 60, described later.

[0046] The charger 52 uniformly charges the surface of the image holding member 51 .

[0047] The exposure device 53 irradiates the uniformly charged image holding member 51 with exposure light modulated according to an image signal, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image on the image holding member 51 .

[0048] The developing device 54 contains a developer containing a carrier and a toner of a color corresponding to each image forming portion 50. In the developing device 54, the electrostatic latent image formed on the image holding member 51 is developed using the toner of the color corresponding to each image forming portion 50, thereby forming a toner image on the image holding member 51.

[0049] The primary transfer device 62 transfers the toner image temporarily held on the image holding member 51 onto an intermediate transfer belt 61 to be described later.

[0050] The cleaner 55 removes residual toner and the like on the image holding member 51 after transfer.

[0051] An intermediate transfer unit 60 is disposed above the four image forming units 50. The intermediate transfer unit 60 includes an intermediate transfer belt 61. The intermediate transfer belt 61 is supported by multiple rollers, including a drive roller 63a, a driven roller 63b, and a tension roller 63c. The intermediate transfer belt 61 is driven by the drive roller 63a to circulate in the direction of arrow B along a circulation path that includes a path along the four image holders 51 included in the four image forming units 50.

[0052] The toner images on each image holder 51 are sequentially transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 61 in an overlapping manner by the primary transfer device 62. The toner images transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 61 are then transported by the intermediate transfer belt 61 to the secondary transfer position T2. The secondary transfer position T2 is equipped with a secondary transfer device 71. The secondary transfer device 71 transfers the toner images on the intermediate transfer belt 61 to the paper P transported to the secondary transfer position T2. The transport of the paper P will be described later. A cleaner 64 removes any toner and other residues remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 61 after the toner images have been transferred to the paper P.

[0053] The cleaning device 80 includes a cleaning blade 81 and an auger 82. The cleaning blade 81 is used to clean the end edge 811 (see Figure 3 ) is pressed against the intermediate transfer belt 61 to scrape off the residual toner and the like on the intermediate transfer belt 61. The cleaning blade 81 is equivalent to an example of the cleaning section mentioned in the present invention. Figure 2The scraper 80 extends in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface, transports the scraped residual toner, etc., in this direction, and then finally stores the residual toner, etc. in a waste toner tank (not shown). This cleaner 80 corresponds to an embodiment of the cleaning device of the present invention. The details will be described later.

[0054] A toner cartridge 100 containing toner of each color is provided above the intermediate transfer unit 60. As the toner in the developer 54 is consumed by development, toner is replenished from the toner cartridge 100 containing the corresponding color toner to the developer 54 through a toner replenishment passage (not shown). The toner cartridge 100 is detachably mounted on the device housing 90. When it becomes empty, it is removed and a new toner cartridge 100 is installed.

[0055] A sheet of paper P is removed from the paper tray 21 by the pickup roller 24 and conveyed along the conveyance path 99 in the direction of arrow C to the timing adjustment roller 26 by the conveyance roller 25. The paper P conveyed to the timing adjustment roller 26 is then fed toward the secondary transfer position T2 by the timing adjustment roller 26, arriving at the secondary transfer position T2 in time with the arrival of the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 61. At the secondary transfer position T2, the paper P conveyed by the timing adjustment roller 26 receives a toner image transferred from the intermediate transfer belt 61 by the secondary transfer unit 71. The paper P, having received the toner image transferred, is guided by a paper guide toward the fuser 72 located above the secondary transfer unit 71 and further conveyed in the direction of arrow D.

[0056] The toner image on the paper P, which has been transported in the direction of arrow D and reaches the fuser 72, is heated and pressurized by the fuser 72 and fixed to the paper P. Thus, an image composed of the fixed toner image is printed on the paper P. The paper P, on which the toner image has been fixed by the fuser 80, is further transported by the transport rollers 27 and discharged from the paper outlet 29 onto the paper discharge tray 22 by the paper discharge rollers 28.

[0057] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram showing the characteristic portion of the cleaner according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0058] Should Figure 3 The cleaning blade 81, the supporting metal plate 83, the frame 84 and the screw 85 are shown. Figure 3 In the figures thereafter, the auger 82 and the housing of the cleaner 80 are not shown.

[0059] The cleaning blade 81 is bonded to the supporting metal plate 83 by an adhesive 86 . Furthermore, the supporting metal plate 83 is screwed to the frame 84 by screws 85 .

[0060] One of the problems with the cleaning blade 81 is that it may wrap around due to friction with the intermediate transfer belt 61 , and there is a possibility that cleaning failure may occur due to the wrapped portion.

[0061] Therefore, in the inclusion of Figure 3 In each embodiment including the first embodiment shown, research has been conducted to suppress the curling.

[0062] The supporting metal plate 83 is positioned downstream of the cleaning blade 81, that is, on the side in which the frictional force between the cleaning blade 81 and the intermediate transfer belt 61 is applied. In addition, only a portion of the supported surface 819 of the cleaning blade 81, which faces the rear end edge 812 and is located downstream, is adhered to the supporting surface 839 of the supporting metal plate 83, which faces the cleaning blade 81, using adhesive 86. Furthermore, the supporting metal plate 83 includes a screw-fastening portion 831 for screwing to the frame 84, an adhesive portion 832 for attaching the cleaning blade 81 using adhesive 86, and an extending portion 833 that extends beyond the adhesive portion 832 toward the rear end edge 811 of the cleaning blade 81. This supporting metal plate 83 is an example of a supporting portion as described herein.

[0063] Here, when only preventing the rolling up is considered, it is preferable to use adhesive 86 to stick the supporting metal plate 83 to the cleaning blade 81 as close as possible to the end edge 811, that is, to the end of the extension 833. On the other hand, in order to make the cleaning blade 81 have a good cleaning performance, it is preferable to make the end edge 811 side moderately soft. Figure 3 In the first embodiment shown, the adhesive portion 832 for contact with the cleaning blade 81 is formed only in a portion of the rear edge 812 side, ensuring appropriate flexibility of the cleaning blade 81. Furthermore, when the friction between the cleaning blade 81 and the intermediate transfer belt 61 increases to a level that could cause warping, the extension portion 833 firmly supports the cleaning blade 81, suppressing abnormal deformation of the cleaning blade 81. This prevents warping.

[0064] Figure 4 (A) is the width direction of the intermediate transfer belt (with Figure 3 The direction perpendicular to the paper) is the left and right direction shown in Figure 3 FIG. 1 shows a diagram of the characteristic portion of the cleaner shown in FIG. Figure 4 (B) from and Figure 3 Observe in the same direction Figure 3 Here, for easy understanding, the support metal plate 83 is indicated by hatching.

[0065] In this Figure 4 In the example shown, the adhesive portion 832 and the extending portion 833 of the supporting metal plate 83 are arranged in the width direction ( Figure 4 (A) has the same shape at any position in the left and right directions. Figure 4 In the case of the cleaning blade 81 in the width direction of the intermediate transfer belt ( Figure 4 The same flexibility is ensured at any position in the left and right directions of (A)).

[0066] Figure 5 (A) is the width direction of the intermediate transfer belt (with Figure 3 The direction perpendicular to the paper) is shown on the left and right Figure 3 FIG. 1 shows a modified example of the characteristic portion of the cleaner shown in FIG. Figure 5 (B) is from Figure 3 Observing the same direction shows Figure 3 1 is a diagram of a modified example of the characteristic portion of the cleaner shown in FIG. Here, for ease of understanding, the support metal plate 83 is also shown with hatching.

[0067] In this Figure 5 In the case of the supporting metal plate 83, only the width direction of the intermediate transfer belt ( Figure 5 The two ends (in the left-right direction of the support plate 83) of the support plate 83 extend toward the end edge 811 of the cleaning blade 81. In other words, the extensions 833A and 833B are formed only at the two ends of the support metal plate 83. Furthermore, the middle portion 834 sandwiched between the extensions 833A and 833B terminates at the adhesive portion 832 coated with the adhesive 86.

[0068] The cleaning blade 81 is wound in the width direction of the intermediate transfer belt ( Figure 5 (A) in the left and right direction) starts to generate. Therefore, it can be Figure 5 As shown, the extensions 833A and 833B are provided only at both ends of the support metal plate 83. In this case, the region of the cleaning blade 81 corresponding to the middle portion 834 of the metal plate member 83 is not supported by the support metal plate 83, thereby ensuring greater flexibility.

[0069] Thus, in the case of this embodiment, the extension portion 833 of the support metal plate 83 may also be as follows. Figure 4 (A) is formed in the entire area in the width direction, or it can be formed as shown in FIG. Figure 5 As shown in FIG. 8 (A), only the extension portions 833A and 833B are provided at both ends. This point is also the same for each embodiment after the second embodiment described below.

[0070] Figure 6 Schematic diagram showing the characteristic portion of the cleaning device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 In each embodiment after the second embodiment shown, Figure 3Elements corresponding to the elements in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 are labeled with the same reference numerals even if the shapes, etc. are different. Figure 3 The same reference numerals as those in FIG.

[0071] Should Figure 6 The thickness of the extension portion 833 of the support metal plate 83 in the second embodiment shown is thinner than the bonding portion 832, and a gap 89 is formed between the extension portion 833 and the cleaning blade 81. Figure 3 In the case of the first embodiment shown in FIG, a gap corresponding to the thickness of the adhesive 86 is formed between the extension portion 833 of the support metal plate 83 and the cleaning blade 81. Figure 6 By reducing the thickness of the extension portion 833 and actively forming the gap 89 as in the second embodiment shown, the flexibility and cleaning performance of the cleaning blade 81 can be further improved. Furthermore, when the friction between the cleaning blade 81 and the intermediate transfer belt 61 increases to a level that causes warping, the cleaning blade 81 contacts the extension portion 833, which strongly supports the cleaning blade 81. This prevents abnormal deformation or warping of the cleaning blade 81.

[0072] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram showing a characteristic portion of a cleaner according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0073] Should Figure 7 The thickness of the extension portion 833 of the support metal plate 83 of the third embodiment shown is the same as that of the bonding portion 832, but there is a step difference between the extension portion 833 and the bonding portion 832, and the gap 89 is formed between the extension portion 833 and the cleaning blade 81 by utilizing the step difference. Figure 7 In the case of the third embodiment shown, Figure 6 As in the second embodiment shown, the flexibility and cleaning performance of the cleaning blade 81 can be further improved. Furthermore, as in the second embodiment, when the friction between the cleaning blade 81 and the intermediate transfer belt 61 increases to a level that causes warping, the cleaning blade 81 contacts the extension 833, which strongly supports the cleaning blade 81. This prevents abnormal deformation or warping of the cleaning blade 81.

[0074] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram showing the characteristic portion of the cleaner according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[0075] Should Figure 8 The extending portion 833 of the supporting metal plate 83 of the fourth embodiment shown is bent, and a gap 89 is formed between the extending portion 833 and the cleaning blade 81 by the bending. Figure 8 In the case of the fourth embodiment shown, Figure 6 The second embodiment shown and Figure 7 As in the third embodiment shown, the flexibility and cleaning performance of the cleaning blade 81 can be further improved. Furthermore, as in the second and third embodiments, when the friction between the cleaning blade 81 and the intermediate transfer belt 61 increases to a level that causes warping, the cleaning blade 81 contacts the extension 833, which strongly supports the cleaning blade 81. This prevents abnormal deformation or warping of the cleaning blade 81.

[0076] Figure 9 It is a schematic diagram showing the characteristic portion of a cleaner according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

[0077] Should Figure 9 The extension portion 833 of the support metal plate 83 of the fifth embodiment shown in FIG. Figure 6 The second embodiment shown is similarly thinner than the adhesive portion 832. However, the gap created by the thinning of the extension portion 833 is filled with a filler 88. This filler 88 is made of a material that is softer than the cleaning blade 81 and the supporting metal plate 83, such as a rubber-based adhesive with elasticity. This filler 88 is an example of the soft member referred to in the present invention. Alternatively, a stretchable or flexible member such as sponge or rubber may be placed in the gap.

[0078] In this Figure 9 In the case of the fifth embodiment shown, in addition to taking into account the softness of the cleaning scraper 81 and the suppression of curling, it is also possible to prevent dust such as floating colorant that enters the gap between the cleaning scraper 81 and the supporting metal plate 83 and accumulates therein from adhering to the intermediate transfer belt 61 for some reason and dirtying the image.

[0079] In addition, in other embodiments, it is also possible to Figure 9 In the fifth embodiment shown, the gap between the cleaning blade 81 and the supporting metal plate 83 is similarly filled.

[0080] Here, the cleaner 80 for scraping off the colorant and the like remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 61 is described as an example, but the cleaning device of the present invention can also be applied to the cleaner 55 for the retaining body 51, and further, can generally be widely used in situations where a cleaning scraper is used to clean a moving object to be cleaned.

Claims

1. A cleaning device comprising: a cleaning portion that cleans the moving object by bringing a contact portion extending in a width direction intersecting the moving direction of the object into contact with the moving object, the cleaning portion having a supported surface on a downstream side in the moving direction; and The supporting portion includes a supporting surface facing the supported surface, the supporting surface including an adhesive portion bonded to the supported surface, and the supporting portion supports the cleaning portion via the adhesive portion. The adhesive portion is provided at a midway position of the support surface extending in a direction approaching the object to be cleaned, the support portion has an extension portion further extending from the adhesive portion in a direction approaching the object to be cleaned, and the extension portion faces the supported surface with a gap therebetween. The cleaning device includes a soft body that fills the gap and contacts both the supporting surface and the supported surface and is softer than the cleaning portion and the supporting portion.

2. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein The soft body is an elastic adhesive.

3. An image forming apparatus comprising: an image holding portion that holds the toner image while moving until the toner image is transferred; and The cleaning device according to claim 1 or 2, which contacts the portion of the image holding portion to which the toner image has been transferred, and cleans the image holding portion. The image forming apparatus forms an image composed of a fixed toner image on a sheet of paper.

Images