Anti-static brush

Abstract

To provide an anti-static brush with a new structure which discharges charged static electricity.SOLUTION: In an anti-static brush 1, a large number of conductive wire materials 2 are held by two insulating tapes 3a and 3b made of synthesis resin as an electric insulating body and also as a holding material from both sides, the conductive wire materials being formed of a bundle of flexible and conductive thin wires. In both vertical directions of a longer side part 3c of the insulating tapes 3a, 3b, the large number of conductive wire materials 2 arranged at predetermined intervals are drawn out as electrode parts 4a and 4b in the shape of a brush. One of the electrode parts 4a is used to collect static electricity and the other 4b is used to discharge static electricity.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a static eliminator brush for eliminating static electricity.

Background Art

[0002] The static eliminator brush is mainly used in OA equipment such as printers, copiers, and facsimiles to remove static electricity charged on paper, film, drums, etc. There are several types of this static eliminator brush, but generally, the static eliminator brush a shown in FIG. 4 is used. This static eliminator brush a sandwiches a large number of conductive wires b from both sides with conductive tapes c and d, suspends the conductive wires b below the conductive tapes c and d in a brush shape to form an electrode portion e.

Disclosure of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] However, in order to discharge the static electricity collected at the electrode portion e of the conductive wire b of this conventional static eliminator brush a to the ground, it is necessary to hold the conductive wire b with the conductive tapes c and d of the electrical conductor. However, the use of the conductive tapes c and d, which are metal bodies, increases the price of the static eliminator brush a.

[0004] An object of the present invention is to solve this problem, use an electrical insulator for the holding body that sandwiches the conductive wire, and provide two electrode portions in which the conductive wire extends bidirectionally from both long side portions of the holding body, thereby providing a static eliminator brush that can be manufactured at low cost.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The static eliminator brush according to the present invention for achieving the above object includes a large number of parallel conductive wires having flexibility, two strip-shaped electrically insulating holding members that are adhered to both sides of the conductive wires with their long side portions orthogonal to the conductive wires, and two electrode portions formed by extending the conductive wires in a predetermined length in both directions from the two long side portions of these holding members.

Effects of the Invention

[0006] According to the static eliminator brush of the present invention, an electrical insulator is used for a holding member that sandwiches a conductive wire extending in both directions, and static electricity collected by an electrode portion that is one of the conductive wires is discharged to the ground by an electrode portion that is the other conductive wire.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] The present invention will be described in detail based on the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a static eliminator brush 1 according to an embodiment. In the static eliminator brush 1 according to the present embodiment, a plurality of conductive wires 2 are arranged so as to be orthogonal to the long side portions 3c of, for example, two insulating tapes 3a and 3b made of a synthetic resin, which are electrical insulators as holding members, and are sandwiched by adhesion from both sides by the insulating tapes 3a and 3b. These conductive wires 2 arranged adjacent to each other at a predetermined interval are drawn out in a brush shape as electrode portions 4a and 4b in the vertical direction from both long side portions 3c of the insulating tapes 3a and 3b. Further, fixing holes 3d are provided at both ends of the insulating tapes 3a and 3b.

[0010] The conductive wire 2 is composed of a bundle of a plurality of thin wires having flexibility and conductivity, and is a bundle of one or a plurality of types of fibers such as metal fibers such as SUS, carbon fibers, and conductive fibers having a metal film formed on the surface of synthetic resin fibers.

[0011] As the insulating tapes 3a and 3b, electrical insulators such as synthetic paper and synthetic resin sheets can be used, and they may be in the form of plates instead of tapes.

[0012] As for the dimensions of this static eliminator brush 1, for example, the length of the insulating tapes 3a and 3b is 270 mm, the width is 10 mm, the interval between the conductive wires 2 is 5 mm, and the length of the electrode portions 4a and 4b is 15 mm, but it is not limited to these dimensions.

[0013] This static eliminator brush 1 is fixed to a frame of an OA device or the like using the holes 3d of the insulating tapes 3a and 3b. One electrode portion 4a is brought into contact with a charged object such as copy paper, and the collected static electricity can be discharged to the ground by the other electrode portion 4b brought into contact with a frame of a conductive member or the like. Note that the discharge of the collected static electricity can also be performed by spark discharge with a slight gap even without bringing the electrode portion 4b into contact with the conductive member. Also, the frame or the like to which the insulating tapes 3a and 3b are fixed may be a conductor or a non-conductor.

[0014] Illustrating the manufacturing method of the static eliminator brush 1, it consists of a wire drawing process, a holding member adhesion process, and a wire cutting process. Also, a semi-finished product winding process can be interposed between the holding member adhesion process and the wire cutting process.

[0015] Fig. 2(a) is a schematic explanatory view of the wire drawing process, the holding member adhesion process, and the wire cutting process as seen from above, and Fig. 2(b) is a schematic explanatory view as seen from the side.

[0016] In the wire drawing process, as shown in Figs. 2(a) and (b), a plurality of conductive wires 2 are arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval, and the conductive wires 2 wound around the wire supply bobbin 5 are drawn out in the longitudinal direction.

[0017] The drawing of the conductive wire 2 is performed by the wire drawing means 6 until it reaches the wire cutting process. In order to maintain the tension of the drawn conductive wire 2 at a predetermined magnitude, an urging means such as a spring acting in the direction opposite to the drawing direction can be provided on the wire supply bobbin 5.

[0018] In the holding material adhesion process, while the conductive wire 2 is being drawn out in the wire drawing process, as shown in FIG. 3, holding materials are adhered to the drawn conductive wire 2 from both the upper and lower sides at predetermined intervals. Two strip-shaped insulating tapes 3a and 3b coated with an adhesive as the holding materials are adhered to both sides of the conductive wire 2 by an adhesion means 7 to sandwich the conductive wire 2.

[0019] That is, one insulating tape 3a with an adhesive applied on its upper surface is inserted from below the conductive wire 2 in a direction perpendicular to the conductive wire 2, and the adhesive application surface is pressed against the conductive wire 2 for adhesion. Also, the other insulating tape 3b with an adhesive applied on its lower surface is supplied onto the conductive wire 2 from above the adhered insulating tape 3a, and the insulating tapes 3a and 3b are adhered to each other with respect to the conductive wire 2, thereby sandwiching all the conductive wires 2 between the two insulating tapes 3a and 3b. The adhesion interval of the insulating tapes 3a and 3b with respect to the length of the conductive wire 2 can be changed according to the use of the static eliminator brush 1 or the like.

[0020] Also, the adhesive may be applied only to one of the insulating tapes 3a and 3b so that the insulating tapes 3a and 3b can be adhered to each other. In addition to the pressure-sensitive adhesive, a hot-melt adhesive may be used as the adhesive, or the insulating tapes 3a and 3b may be adhered by heat fusion without using an adhesive.

[0021] The two insulating tapes 3a and 3b may be adhered one by one with a time difference, or may be adhered to the conductive wire 2 simultaneously from both sides. Furthermore, while intermittently drawing the conductive wire 2, the insulating tapes 3a and 3b may be adhered in a state where the conductive wire 2 has stopped, or may be adhered during the drawing without stopping the drawing of the conductive wire 2.

[0022] In addition, in this holding material adhesion process, for the reinforcement of the insulating tapes 3a and 3b, strip-shaped reinforcing pieces may be overlapped and adhered to one or both of the insulating tapes 3a and 3b. These reinforcing pieces may be adhered to the insulating tapes 3a and 3b in advance, or may be adhered in the holding material adhesion process.

[0023] In the next wire cutting step, while pulling out the conductive wire 2 sandwiched between the insulating tapes 3a and 3b obtained in the holding material adhesion step by the wire drawing means 6, when the conductive wire 2 is cut at a predetermined position in the middle of the conductive wire 2 by the cutting means 8, as shown in FIG. 1, the static eliminator brush 1 in which the electrode portions 4a and 4b extend in both directions from the insulating tapes 3a and 3b is obtained.

[0024] In the previous description, the process shifted to the wire cutting step after the holding material adhesion step. However, as the next step after the holding material adhesion step, a semi-finished product winding step using a winding drum may be provided. By providing a semi-finished product winding step of winding the conductive wire 2 sandwiched between the insulating tapes 3a and 3b, which are semi-finished products, during the manufacturing process, the cutting of the conductive wire 2 in the wire cutting step may be performed while pulling out the semi-finished product from the winding drum.

[0025] In this embodiment, a method for continuously manufacturing the static eliminator brush 1 has been described. However, the manufacturing of the static eliminator brush 1 is not limited to this method, and a conventionally used method may also be employed.

[0026] The terms up and down, left and right, front and back in this specification are used for the description of the drawings, and the present invention is not limited by these terms.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0027] 1 Static eliminator brush 2 Conductive wire 3a, 3b Insulating tape 3c Long side portion 4a, 4b Electrode portion 6 Wire drawing means 7 Adhesion means 8 Cutting means

Claims

1. A static eliminator brush, comprising: a plurality of flexible parallel conductive wires; two strip-shaped electrically insulating holding members that are adhered to both sides of the conductive wires with their long sides orthogonal to the conductive wires; and two electrode portions formed by extending the conductive wires in a bidirectional manner from the two long sides of the holding members to a predetermined length.

2. The static eliminator brush according to claim 1, wherein the holding member is in the form of a sheet or a plate.

3. The static eliminator brush according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a reinforcing piece is overlapped and adhered to the holding member.

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