Cleaning apparatus and image forming apparatus

Abstract

This prevents the stirring member from coming into contact with the surface of the component to be cleaned. [Solution] The cleaning device 10 includes a cleaning member 31 that contacts the moving surface of the member to be cleaned 11 to clean the surface of the member to be cleaned 11, a sealing member 32 that contacts the surface of the member to be cleaned 11 upstream of the point where the cleaning member 31 contacts the surface of the member to be cleaned 11 in the direction of surface movement of the member to be cleaned 11, a conveying member 33 that conveys the foreign matter removed from the surface of the member to be cleaned 11 by the cleaning member 31, and a stirring member 34 that stirs the removed foreign matter, and a contact prevention member 36 between the cleaning member 31 and the sealing member 32 that prevents the stirring member 34 from contacting the surface of the member to be cleaned 11.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] As an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus that forms a toner image on the surface of an image carrier and transfers the toner image on the image carrier to a recording medium such as paper is known.

[0003] In such an image forming apparatus, a cleaning device for cleaning the surface of the image carrier is mounted in order to remove foreign substances such as toner remaining on the surface of the image carrier after image transfer.

[0004] The cleaning device includes, for example, a cleaning member that removes foreign substances from the surface of the image carrier, a transport member that transports the foreign substances removed from the surface of the image carrier to a recovery container or the like, and a seal member that prevents the removed foreign substances from leaking out of the cleaning device.

[0005] Also, in some cleaning devices, in order to suppress a decrease in the fluidity of foreign substances due to aggregation of toner or the like contained in the foreign substances recovered in the device, there is a cleaning device provided with a stirring member for stirring the foreign substances. For example, in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent No. 7465437), a configuration of a cleaning device including a shaking member that loosens toner in the cleaning device by shaking in conjunction with the rotational drive of a transport screw is disclosed.

[0006] By the way, the stirring member for stirring foreign substances in the cleaning device can widen the stirring range up to the vicinity of the surface of the cleaning target member such as the image carrier because it is arranged closer to the surface of the cleaning target member. Therefore, it is possible to effectively suppress a decrease in the fluidity of foreign substances due to aggregation of toner or the like.

[0007] However, on the other hand, when the stirring member approaches the surface of the member to be cleaned, there is a risk that the stirring member may come into contact with the surface of the member to be cleaned and damage it. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] Therefore, the objective of the present invention is to prevent the stirring member from coming into contact with the surface of the member to be cleaned. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a cleaning device comprising: a cleaning member that contacts the moving surface of a member to be cleaned to clean the surface of the member to be cleaned; a sealing member that contacts the surface of the member to be cleaned upstream of the point where the cleaning member contacts the surface of the member to be cleaned in the direction of surface movement of the member to be cleaned; a conveying member that conveys foreign matter removed from the surface of the member to be cleaned by the cleaning member; and a stirring member that stirs the removed foreign matter, wherein a contact prevention member is provided between the cleaning member and the sealing member to prevent the stirring member from contacting the surface of the member to be cleaned. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the stirring member from coming into contact with the surface of the member to be cleaned. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram of a belt cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view of a stirring member according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4]This is a perspective view showing the stirring member and the conveying screw arranged side by side according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This is a perspective view of a contact prevention member according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This is a schematic diagram of the belt cleaning device relating to a comparative example. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] The present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. In each drawing used to explain the present invention, components such as members and parts having the same function or shape will be denoted by the same reference numerals as far as possible to distinguish them, and their description will be omitted after they have been described once.

[0013] <Configuration of an image forming apparatus> First, the configuration of an image forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on Figure 1.

[0014] The image forming apparatus 1000 shown in Figure 1 is an electrophotographic image forming apparatus that forms images using toner as a developer. The "image forming apparatus" according to the present invention includes printers, copiers, facsimile machines, or printing presses, as well as multifunction devices that combine two or more of these. Furthermore, "image forming" in the following description includes not only the formation of images with meaning, such as characters and figures, but also the formation of images without meaning, such as patterns.

[0015] As shown in Figure 1, the image forming apparatus 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises an image forming unit 100, a fixing unit 200, a sheet supply unit 300, and a sheet discharge unit 400.

[0016] (Image forming unit) The image forming unit 100 is equipped with four imaging units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk, an exposure device 6, and a transfer device 8.

[0017] The four image forming units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk all have basically the same configuration. Specifically, each image forming unit 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk includes a photoreceptor 2, a charging member 3, a developing device 4, a photoreceptor cleaning device 5, and the like.

[0018] The photoreceptor 2 is, for example, a drum-shaped member that is rotationally driven, and is an example of an electrostatic latent image carrier or an image carrier that carries an electrostatic latent image or a toner image on its surface (outer peripheral surface). As the photoreceptor 2, in addition to a drum-shaped member, an endless belt member wound around a plurality of rollers and rotationally driven may also be used.

[0019] The charging member 3 is composed of a conductive or semiconductive charging roller or the like that applies a voltage to the surface of the photoreceptor 2 to uniformly charge it. There is no particular limitation on the charging member 3 as long as it can charge the surface of the photoreceptor 2, and it may be a contact-type charging member such as a magnetic brush, a fur brush, a film, a rubber blade, or the like, or a non-contact-type charging member that utilizes corona discharge.

[0020] The developing device 4 includes a developing roller or the like that supplies toner as a developer to the surface of the photoreceptor 2. In this case, for each of the plurality of image forming units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk, toners of different colors such as yellow, magenta, cyan, and black are accommodated in the developing device 4, and toners of different colors are supplied to the photoreceptor 2 for each developing device 4.

[0021] The photoreceptor cleaning device 5 includes a cleaning blade or the like as a cleaning member that removes toner and other foreign substances remaining on the surface of the photoreceptor 2. As the cleaning member, a brush roller that rotates while contacting the surface of the photoreceptor 2 may also be used.

[0022] The exposure device 6 includes an optical system that irradiates laser light onto the surface of the photoreceptor 2. Examples of the optical system include a copying optical system, a rod lens array system, a laser optical system, a liquid crystal shutter optical system, an LED optical system, and the like.

[0023] The transfer device 8 includes an intermediate transfer belt 11, a primary transfer roller 12, a secondary transfer roller 13, a belt cleaning device 10, and the like.

[0024] The intermediate transfer belt 11 is an endless belt member that is wrapped around and supported by a plurality of rollers, including the primary transfer roller 12. The intermediate transfer belt 11 is an example of an image carrier that carries a toner image on its surface (outer surface). Furthermore, one of the plurality of rollers supporting the intermediate transfer belt 11 functions as a drive roller, so that the intermediate transfer belt 11 rotates in the direction of arrow A in Figure 1. The belt member constituting the intermediate transfer belt 11 may be a single-layer structure or a multi-layer structure. If it is a multi-layer structure, it is preferable that the base layer, made of a fluororesin with low elongation, or PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride), or a polyimide-based resin, is covered with a coating layer made of a smooth material such as a fluororesin. If it is a single-layer structure, it is preferable that the belt member is made of PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride), PC (polycarbonate), or polyimide.

[0025] Four primary transfer rollers 12 are provided inside the intermediate transfer belt 11 and are positioned to face each photoreceptor 2 via the intermediate transfer belt 11. When each primary transfer roller 12 contacts the inner circumferential surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11 at the position facing the photoreceptor 2, the intermediate transfer belt 11 and each photoreceptor 2 come into contact, forming a primary transfer nip. Note that each primary transfer roller 12 is not limited to being positioned to face each photoreceptor 2 via the intermediate transfer belt 11, but may also be positioned at a predetermined distance (for example, 4 mm to 5 mm) downstream in the surface movement direction of the intermediate transfer belt 11 from the contact point (primary transfer nip) between each photoreceptor 2 and the intermediate transfer belt 11.

[0026] The secondary transfer roller 13 is positioned opposite one of the multiple rollers supporting the intermediate transfer belt 11. By sandwiching the intermediate transfer belt 11 between the secondary transfer roller 13 and the opposing roller, a secondary transfer nip is formed between the secondary transfer roller 13 and the intermediate transfer belt 11.

[0027] The belt cleaning device 10 is a cleaning device that removes toner and other foreign matter remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 11 after it has passed the secondary transfer nip. For this reason, the belt cleaning device 10 is positioned downstream of the secondary transfer nip in the surface movement direction of the intermediate transfer belt 11 (direction of arrow A), and upstream of the primary transfer nip in the surface movement direction. The detailed configuration of the belt cleaning device 10 will be described later.

[0028] (Fixing part) The fixing unit 200 is equipped with a fixing device 20 that heats the sheet to fix the image onto the sheet. The fixing device 20 includes a fixing rotating body 21 that is heated by a heat source such as a heater, and a pressurizing rotating body 22 that is pressed by the fixing rotating body 21 to form a fixing nip.

[0029] (Sheet supply unit) The sheet supply unit 300 is equipped with a paper feed cassette 14 for storing the paper P and a paper feed roller 15 for feeding the paper P from the paper feed cassette 14. Here, the "sheet" on which the image is formed is described as "paper," but the "sheet" is not limited to paper, but may also be an OHP sheet or fabric, a metal sheet, a plastic film, or a prepreg sheet made by pre-impregnating carbon fiber with resin. Furthermore, the "paper" is not limited to plain paper, but may also be cardboard, a postcard, an envelope, thin paper, coated paper (such as coated paper and art paper), tracing paper, etc.

[0030] (Sheet discharge section) The sheet discharge section 400 is equipped with a pair of paper discharge rollers 17 for discharging the paper P, and a paper discharge tray 18 for placing the discharged paper P.

[0031] <Image Formation Process> Next, with reference to Figure 1, the image forming operation of the image forming apparatus 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0032] When the image forming operation begins, toner images are first formed in each of the image forming units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk of the image forming unit 100. Specifically, the photoreceptors 2 of each image forming unit 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk begin to rotate clockwise as shown in Figure 1, and the surface of each photoreceptor 2 is charged to a uniform high potential by the charging member 3. Then, based on the image information of the original document read by the document reader or the image information printed from an external terminal, the exposure unit 6 exposes the surface (charged surface) of each photoreceptor 2. As a result, the potential of the exposed area decreases, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of each photoreceptor 2. Subsequently, toner is supplied from each developing unit 4 to each photoreceptor 2, and toner images of each color are formed on each photoreceptor 2.

[0033] The toner images formed on each photoreceptor 2 reach the primary transfer nip (position of the primary transfer roller 12) as the photoreceptor 2 rotates. At this time, a primary transfer bias with the opposite polarity to the toner charge polarity of the toner image is applied to each primary transfer roller 12, so that the toner images on each photoreceptor 2 are transferred sequentially onto the intermediate transfer belt 11, which rotates in sync with each photoreceptor 2. Thus, a full-color toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 11. Note that image formation is not limited to forming a full-color image using four imaging units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk; a monochrome image may be formed using any one of the imaging units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk, or a two-color or three-color image may be formed using any two or three imaging units. After the toner image is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 11, the surface of each photoreceptor 2 is cleaned by the photoreceptor cleaning device 5. This removes foreign matter such as residual toner from the surface of each photoreceptor 2.

[0034] As described above, the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 11 is transported to the secondary transfer nip (the position of the secondary transfer roller 13) as the intermediate transfer belt 11 rotates, and transferred to the paper P. This paper P is fed from the sheet supply unit 300 toward the secondary transfer nip. Specifically, when the image forming operation starts, the paper feed roller 15 rotates, and one sheet of paper P is fed out from the paper feed cassette 14. The fed paper P hits the timing roller pair 16 on its way to the secondary transfer nip, and its transport is temporarily stopped. Then, the timing roller pair 16 rotates at a predetermined timing, so that the paper P is transported to the secondary transfer nip in sync with the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 11. At this time, a secondary transfer bias with the opposite polarity to the toner charge polarity of the toner image is applied to the secondary transfer roller 13, and the toner image is transferred from the intermediate transfer belt 11 to the paper P. In addition, any foreign matter such as toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 11 after the toner image has been transferred to the paper P is removed by the belt cleaning device 10.

[0035] After passing through the secondary transfer nip, the paper P is transported to the fixing unit 200 and enters the fixing nip between the fixing rotating body 21 and the pressurizing rotating body 22. This heats and pressurizes the paper P, fixing the toner image on the paper P to the paper P. The paper P is then transported to the sheet discharge unit 400 and discharged from the device by the paper discharge roller 17 and placed on the paper discharge tray 18. In this way, the series of image forming operations is completed.

[0036] <Challenges in belt cleaning devices> Here, we will explain the problems in a belt cleaning device with reference to a comparative example other than the present invention.

[0037] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a belt cleaning device according to a comparative example.

[0038] As shown in Figure 6, the belt cleaning device 90 according to the comparative example includes a cleaning blade 91 that removes foreign matter such as residual toner from the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11, a sealing member 92 that prevents the removed foreign matter from leaking out of the cleaning device 90, a conveying screw 93 that transports the foreign matter inside the cleaning device 90 toward a collection container, and a stirring member 94 that agitates the foreign matter inside the cleaning device 90.

[0039] The cleaning blade 91 is in contact with the surface (outer surface) of the intermediate transfer belt 11 such that its tip 91a faces in the opposite direction (counter direction) to the surface movement direction (arrow A direction) of the intermediate transfer belt 11. On the other hand, the sealing member 92 is positioned so that its tip 92a faces the surface movement direction of the intermediate transfer belt 11 and contacts the surface (outer surface) of the intermediate transfer belt 11 upstream of the cleaning blade 91 in the surface movement direction of the intermediate transfer belt 11. The conveying screw 93 is housed in the housing 95 of the belt cleaning device 90 and conveys foreign matter in the axial direction by rotational drive. The stirring member 94 is configured to be displaced between the position shown by the solid line and the position shown by the dotted line in Figure 6 by contacting the rotationally driven conveying screw 93.

[0040] Thus, in the comparative example, the agitator 94 is displaced in conjunction with the rotational drive of the conveying screw 93, which agitates the foreign matter inside the housing 95 and suppresses the aggregation of toner and other substances contained in the foreign matter. This makes it possible to suppress the decrease in the fluidity of the foreign matter that occurs due to aggregation.

[0041] Incidentally, if the type of component being cleaned changes, or if the arrangement of the cleaning blades changes according to the specifications of the belt cleaning device, it may become difficult to effectively agitate foreign matter that accumulates near the surface of the component being cleaned. In particular, when using paper containing a large amount of paper dust as the recording medium, a large amount of paper dust is recovered from the intermediate transfer belt into the cleaning device. If the foreign matter cannot be effectively agitated, the fluidity of the foreign matter will decrease, and there is a risk that the foreign matter will overflow from the belt cleaning device.

[0042] In such cases, extending the tip of the stirring member to near the surface of the member to be cleaned allows for effective stirring of foreign matter near the surface. However, extending the tip of the stirring member to near the surface of the member to be cleaned may cause the stirring member to come into contact with the surface of the member to be cleaned and damage it. For example, in the comparative example shown in Figure 6, the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11 is exposed to the inside of the belt cleaning device 90 between the cleaning blade 91 and the sealing member 92. Therefore, if the tip 94a of the stirring member 94 is extended, there is a risk that the tip 94a of the stirring member 94 will come into contact with the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11 between the cleaning blade 91 and the sealing member 92.

[0043] Therefore, in order to prevent damage to the component to be cleaned, the present invention aims to prevent contact between the stirring member and the surface of the component to be cleaned. The following describes the features of the present invention using a belt cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention as an example.

[0044] <Configuration of the belt cleaning device> Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a belt cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] First, with reference to Figure 2, the basic configuration of the belt cleaning device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in Figure 2, the belt cleaning device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, like the comparative example above, includes a cleaning blade 31 that removes foreign matter such as residual toner from the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11, a sealing member 32 that prevents the removed foreign matter from leaking out of the belt cleaning device 10, a conveying screw 33 that transports the foreign matter inside the belt cleaning device 10 toward a collection container, a stirring member 34 that agitates the foreign matter inside the belt cleaning device 10, and a housing 35 that houses the conveying screw 33.

[0046] The cleaning blade 31 is an example of a cleaning member that contacts the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11 to clean its surface. In this case, the cleaning blade 31 is formed in a blade shape made of urethane or the like, but the material and shape of the cleaning blade 31 can be changed as appropriate. As shown in Figure 2, the cleaning blade 31 is held by a cleaning blade holder 37 such that its tip 31a faces in the opposite direction (counter direction) to the surface movement direction of the intermediate transfer belt 11 (direction of arrow A). In addition, a cleaning backup roller 40 that supports the tip 31a of the cleaning blade 31 is positioned on the inner circumferential surface side of the intermediate transfer belt 11 opposite the tip 31a of the cleaning blade 31. In this way, when the tip 31a of the cleaning blade 31 contacts the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11 while supported by the cleaning backup roller 40, and the intermediate transfer belt 11 moves (rotates) in the direction of arrow A in Figure 2, foreign matter such as residual toner adhering to the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11 is blocked and removed by the tip 31a of the cleaning blade 31.

[0047] The sealing member 32 is positioned to contact the surface (outer circumferential surface) of the intermediate transfer belt 11 upstream of the point where the cleaning blade 31 contacts the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11 in the direction of surface movement of the intermediate transfer belt 11. The sealing member 32 is fixed to the housing 35 so that its tip 32a faces the direction of surface movement of the intermediate transfer belt 11. In this way, by the sealing member 32 contacting the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11 upstream of the point of contact of the cleaning blade 31, leakage of foreign matter blocked by the cleaning blade 31 from inside the housing 35 is prevented. Here, a sheet-like material is used as the sealing member 32, but the sealing member 32 may be made of a material other than a sheet.

[0048] The conveying screw 33 is an example of a conveying member that conveys foreign matter removed from the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11 to a collection container or the like. In this embodiment, a screw with helical blades 331 on the outer circumference of a rotating shaft 330 is used as the conveying screw 33, but the conveying member may be of a shape other than a screw. In this embodiment of the present invention, when the conveying screw 33 rotates, the blades 331 convey foreign matter inside the housing 35 in the axial direction, and the foreign matter is collected in a collection container through a conveying path provided in the main body of the image forming apparatus.

[0049] The stirring member 34 is a component that stirs foreign matter inside the housing 35 to improve the fluidity of the foreign matter. In this case, the stirring member 34 is composed of an elastically deformable sheet-like member that is bent at multiple points. Specifically, the stirring member 34 has a fixed portion 340 at the rear end 36b that is sandwiched and held between the cleaning blade holder 37 and the housing 35, a first stirring portion 341 that extends from the tip of the fixed portion 340 via a bent portion in a direction toward the rotation axis 330 of the conveying screw 33 or toward the intermediate transfer belt 11, and a second stirring portion 342 that extends from the tip of the first stirring portion 341 via a bent portion in a direction toward the rotation axis 330 of the conveying screw 33 or toward the intermediate transfer belt 11. The first stirring portion 341 and the second stirring portion 342 are configured to be displaceable by changing the bending angle of the bent portion or by elastic deformation of themselves. For this reason, the tip 36a of the stirring member 34 is a free end.

[0050] Figure 3 is a perspective view of a stirring member according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] As shown in Figure 3, the first stirring section 341 and the second stirring section 342 constitute a plurality of projections 345 that are spaced apart from each other along the longitudinal direction of the stirring section 342. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, when the stirring member 34 and the conveying screw 33 are assembled, these plurality of projections 345 are arranged at intervals along the axial direction (foreign matter conveying direction) of the conveying screw 33. Therefore, when the conveying screw 33 is rotated, the plurality of projections 345 are moved by alternately contacting the rotation axis 330 and the blade section 331 of the conveying screw 33. In other words, when the conveying screw 33 is driven to rotate, the rotating shaft 330 and the blade portion 331 are arranged to alternately face each projection portion 345, so that each projection portion 345 (the first stirring portion 341 shown in Figure 2) switches between a state in contact with the rotating shaft 330 (the state shown by the solid line in Figure 2) and a state in contact with the blade portion 331 (the state shown by the dotted line in Figure 2). As a result, the stirring member 34 is displaced between the state shown by the solid line and the state shown by the dotted line in Figure 2, and foreign matter inside the housing 35 is stirred by the stirring member 34. Note that the stirring member 34 may be configured to be displaced not only in conjunction with the rotational drive of the conveying screw 33, but also by a dedicated drive source.

[0052] In the belt cleaning device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, a contact prevention member 36 is provided to prevent the agitating member 34 from coming into contact with the intermediate transfer belt 11, in order to prevent the agitating member 34 from coming into contact with the intermediate transfer belt 11 (see Figure 2).

[0053] As shown in Figure 2, the contact prevention member 36 is mounted such that its rear end 36b portion is sandwiched and held between the cleaning blade holder 37 and the housing 35, and its tip 36a is a free end. The tip 36a portion of the contact prevention member 36 (the portion extending from the cleaning blade holder 37) is interposed between the stirring member 34 and the intermediate transfer belt 11, and is positioned to cover the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11 that is exposed between the cleaning blade 31 and the sealing member 32.

[0054] Thus, in this embodiment of the present invention, the tip 36a portion of the contact prevention member 36 is interposed between the stirring member 34 and the intermediate transfer belt 11, and is positioned to cover the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11 that is exposed between the stirring member 34 and the intermediate transfer belt 11. Therefore, when the stirring member 34 approaches the intermediate transfer belt 11, it is possible to prevent the stirring member 34 from coming into contact with the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11. That is, as shown by the dotted line in Figure 2, when the stirring member 34 is displaced in a direction that approaches the intermediate transfer belt 11, the tip 34a of the stirring member 34 abuts against the contact prevention member 36, thereby preventing the stirring member 34 from coming into contact with the intermediate transfer belt 11.

[0055] Thus, in the embodiments of the present invention, even if the stirring member 34 is displaced due to the rotational drive of the conveying screw 33, contact between the stirring member 34 and the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11 is prevented, thereby preventing damage to the intermediate transfer belt 11 caused by contact between the stirring member 34 and the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11. Therefore, in the embodiments of the present invention, the function of the intermediate transfer belt 11 can be maintained well. Furthermore, in the embodiments of the present invention, since contact between the stirring member 34 and the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11 can be prevented, the tip 34a of the stirring member 34 can be brought closer to the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11. This allows for effective stirring of foreign matter accumulating near the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11, thereby improving the fluidity of the foreign matter and enabling smooth transport of the foreign matter to the collection container. In addition, even when using paper containing a large amount of paper dust, the paper dust recovered from the intermediate transfer belt 11 can be transported smoothly, thus preventing image defects caused by paper dust overflowing from the belt cleaning device 10 and adhering to components inside the image forming apparatus.

[0056] Furthermore, in the embodiment of the present invention, since the contact prevention member 36 is made of an elastically deformable sheet-like material, when the tip 34a of the stirring member 34 comes into contact with the contact prevention member 36, the contact prevention member 36 can bend in a direction that brings it closer to the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11. As a result, in the embodiment of the present invention, compared to a configuration in which the contact prevention member 36 does not bend, the tip 34a of the stirring member 34 can be brought closer to the intermediate transfer belt 11, and foreign matter near the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11 can be effectively stirred.

[0057] However, if the contact prevention member 36 bends significantly toward the intermediate transfer belt 11, there is a risk that the contact prevention member 36 may come into contact with the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11. Therefore, in this embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figure 2, the contact prevention member 36 is made to come into contact with the cleaning blade 31 and the sealing member 32 when the contact prevention member 36 bends toward the intermediate transfer belt 11. As a result, the contact prevention member 36 is supported by the cleaning blade 31 and the sealing member 32, preventing contact between the contact prevention member 36 and the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11, thus preventing damage to the intermediate transfer belt 11 caused by the contact prevention member 36 coming into contact with the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11. Here, the contact prevention member 36 is made to come into contact with both the cleaning blade 31 and the sealing member 32, but as long as contact between the contact prevention member 36 and the intermediate transfer belt 11 can be prevented, the contact prevention member 36 may come into contact with only one of the cleaning blade 31 or the sealing member 32.

[0058] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, in the embodiment of the present invention, the contact prevention member 36 is configured to have a shape having a plurality of protruding pieces 365 that are spaced apart from each other along its longitudinal direction. These protruding pieces 365 are arranged at intervals from each other along the axial direction (foreign matter conveying direction) of the conveying screw 33, similar to the plurality of protruding pieces 345 (see Figures 3 and 4) of the stirring member 34, and are positioned to face each of the protruding pieces 345 of the stirring member 34. Therefore, when the stirring member 34 is displaced to approach the intermediate transfer belt 11, each of the protruding pieces 345 of the stirring member 34 comes into contact with each of the protruding pieces 365 of the contact prevention member 36, thereby preventing contact between the stirring member 34 (each of the protruding pieces 345) and the intermediate transfer belt 11.

[0059] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, the contact prevention member 36 has gaps between the multiple protruding portions 365, allowing foreign matter from the cleaning blade 31 side to be moved to the conveying screw 33 side through these gaps. This allows foreign matter removed by the cleaning blade 31 to be smoothly conveyed by the conveying screw 33, and also effectively prevents the accumulation of foreign matter due to its retention on the cleaning blade 31 side. In addition, to allow foreign matter to be smoothly moved from the cleaning blade 31 to the conveying screw 33, it is preferable that the spacing between adjacent protruding portions 365 be 1 mm or more. Note that the contact prevention member 36 is not limited to the shape shown in Figure 5, but may have other shapes as well.

[0060] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, the present invention can be applied not only to a belt cleaning device 10 for cleaning the surface of an intermediate transfer belt 11, but also to a photoreceptor cleaning device 5 for cleaning the surface of a photoreceptor 2 as shown in Figure 1.

[0061] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to applications to cleaning devices for cleaning the surface of an image carrier, such as an intermediate transfer belt 11 or a photoreceptor 2, which carries an image on its surface, but is also applicable to cleaning devices for cleaning the surface of components other than image carriers. When the present invention is applied to a cleaning device for cleaning the surface of components other than image carriers (objects to be cleaned), contact of the stirring member with the surface of the object to be cleaned can be prevented, just as in the above embodiment, thus preventing damage to the object to be cleaned. In addition, since the stirring member can be extended close to the surface of the object to be cleaned, foreign matter can be effectively stirred.

[0062] To summarize the embodiments of the present invention described above, the present invention includes at least the following embodiments.

[0063] [First aspect] The first embodiment is a cleaning apparatus comprising: a cleaning member that contacts the moving surface of a member to be cleaned to clean the surface of the member to be cleaned; a sealing member that contacts the surface of the member to be cleaned upstream of the point where the cleaning member contacts the surface of the member to be cleaned in the direction of surface movement of the member to be cleaned; a conveying member that conveys foreign matter removed from the surface of the member to be cleaned by the cleaning member; and a stirring member that stirs the removed foreign matter, wherein the cleaning apparatus is further equipped with a contact prevention member between the cleaning member and the sealing member to prevent the stirring member from contacting the surface of the member to be cleaned.

[0064] [Second aspect] In the second embodiment, the stirring member is configured to be displaced by contacting the driving conveying member, and when the stirring member is displaced, the stirring member comes into contact with the contact prevention member, thereby preventing the stirring member from coming into contact with the surface of the member to be cleaned.

[0065] [Third aspect] A third embodiment is the cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in the first or second embodiment, when the stirring member comes into contact with the contact prevention member, the contact prevention member comes into contact with the cleaning member, thereby preventing the contact prevention member from coming into contact with the surface of the member to be cleaned.

[0066] [Fourth aspect] The fourth embodiment is configured such that, in any one of the first to third embodiments, when the stirring member comes into contact with the contact prevention member, the contact prevention member comes into contact with the sealing member, thereby preventing the contact prevention member from coming into contact with the surface of the member to be cleaned.

[0067] [Fifth aspect] The fifth embodiment is configured such that, in any one of the first to fourth embodiments, when the stirring member comes into contact with the contact prevention member, the contact prevention member bends in a direction toward the surface of the member to be cleaned.

[0068] [Sixth aspect] The sixth embodiment is one of the first to fifth embodiments, wherein the stirring member has a plurality of projections that are spaced apart from each other in the foreign matter conveying direction in which the foreign matter is conveyed by the conveying member.

[0069] [Seventh aspect] The seventh embodiment is one of the first to sixth embodiments, wherein the contact prevention member has a plurality of projections that are spaced apart from each other in the foreign object transport direction in which the foreign object is transported by the transport member.

[0070] [Eighth aspect] The eighth aspect is an image forming apparatus comprising a cleaning device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 10. Belt cleaning device (cleaning device) 11. Intermediate transfer belt (component to be cleaned) 31 Cleaning blade (cleaning component) 32 sealing member 33. Conveyor screw (conveyor component) 34 Stirring member 35 Contact prevention member 345 Projection part 365 Projection part 1000 Image forming apparatus [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0072] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7465437

Claims

1. A cleaning member that contacts the moving surface of the member to be cleaned and cleans the surface of the member to be cleaned, A sealing member that contacts the surface of the member to be cleaned at a point upstream in the surface movement direction of the member to be cleaned from the point where the cleaning member contacts the surface of the member to be cleaned, A conveying member for conveying foreign matter removed from the surface of the member to be cleaned by the cleaning member, A stirring member for stirring the removed foreign matter, A cleaning device comprising, A cleaning device characterized by comprising a contact prevention member between the cleaning member and the sealing member, which prevents the stirring member from coming into contact with the surface of the member to be cleaned.

2. The stirring member is configured to be displaced by contacting the driving conveying member, The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein when the stirring member is displaced, the stirring member comes into contact with the contact prevention member, thereby preventing the stirring member from coming into contact with the surface of the member to be cleaned.

3. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the stirring member comes into contact with the contact prevention member, the contact prevention member comes into contact with the cleaning member, so that the contact prevention member does not come into contact with the surface of the member to be cleaned.

4. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the stirring member comes into contact with the contact prevention member, the contact prevention member comes into contact with the sealing member, so that the contact prevention member does not come into contact with the surface of the member to be cleaned.

5. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the stirring member comes into contact with the contact prevention member, the contact prevention member is configured to bend in a direction that approaches the surface of the member to be cleaned.

6. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stirring member has a plurality of protruding parts provided at intervals from each other in the foreign matter conveying direction in which the foreign matter is conveyed by the conveying member.

7. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the contact prevention member has a plurality of protruding parts provided at intervals from each other in the foreign object transport direction in which the foreign object is transported by the transport member.

8. An image forming apparatus characterized by comprising the cleaning device described in claim 1.

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