CLEANING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS EQUIPPED WITH THE SAME

Abstract

To provide a cleaning device that can prevent a failure in discharging waste toner while preventing a failure in image formation, and an image forming apparatus including the same.SOLUTION: A cleaning device comprises: a housing; a cleaning blade; a toner conveyance path; a conveying screw; and a first flicker. The conveying screw has a rotation shaft and a spiral blade. The first flicker has a first base that is provided between the rotation shaft and the cleaning blade and extends in the rotation shaft direction and a plurality of first contact pieces that extend from the first base toward the conveying screw and are in contact with an outer peripheral surface of the conveying screw, and presses the conveying screw with each first contact piece in a direction separating from the bottom of the toner conveyance path. The first base has a blade opposite part that extends upward from a fixed part fixed to an inner wall of the housing and is opposite to the cleaning blade in the horizontal direction. The first contact pieces are connected to an upper end of the blade opposite part. A reinforcement member is laminated on the blade opposite part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cleaning device and an image forming apparatus equipped with the same. [Background technology]

[0002] In general electrophotographic image forming devices (copy machines, printers, fax machines, etc.), an electrostatic latent image formed on an image carrier such as a photosensitive drum is visualized by toner (powdered developer) in a developing device, and the toner image is transferred directly or via an intermediate transfer body onto a recording medium, after which a fixing process is performed. Such image forming devices are equipped with a cleaning device for removing residual toner from the surface of the image carrier or intermediate transfer body.

[0003] Such a cleaning device includes a cleaning blade that removes residual toner from the drum surface, a housing in which a toner transport path is formed to transport the removed waste toner, and a transport screw that transports the waste toner in the toner transport path to a waste toner collection container provided outside the housing. An opening is formed in the housing at a position overlapping with the drum surface. The cleaning blade is fixed to a wall of the housing and protrudes toward the opening. The tip of the cleaning blade is in contact with the drum surface while applying pressure. As the image carrier rotates, the tip of the cleaning blade scrapes off the residual toner on the drum surface, and the toner is thrown into the transport path through the opening as waste toner.

[0004] However, mechanical stress can cause the particle shape of waste toner and the adhesion of external additives to become non-uniform, which can lead to poor flowability. Furthermore, the inclusion of paper powder and the like can further deteriorate the flowability of waste toner, making it more likely to solidify. In addition, as the melting point of toner has been lowered in recent years, the flowability of toner is more likely to decrease in high temperature environments. For this reason, waste toner with reduced flowability, particularly in high temperature and high humidity environments, can solidify around the conveying screw (for example, between the spiral blades) provided in the toner conveying path, resulting in a so-called blocking state, which makes it difficult to convey the toner.

[0005] In view of this, various methods have been proposed for suppressing the blocking state caused by waste toner. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a cleaning device employing a configuration in which a film-like flicker is brought into contact with a conveying screw.

[0006] The flicker of Patent Document 1 is provided over the entire axial area of ​​the conveying screw. The flicker abuts against the conveying screw and presses the conveying screw toward the bottom of the toner conveying path at the abutting point. As the conveying screw rotates, the flicker repeatedly goes back and forth between a state where it is lifted up by the spiral blade of the conveying screw and a state where it abuts against the rotating shaft of the conveying screw due to its restoring force, and oscillates while elastically deforming in accordance with the rotation period of the rotating shaft. In this way, the conveying screw rotates with the flicker abutting against the conveying screw, so that the waste toner adhering to the conveying screw is scraped off by the flicker, making it difficult for the waste toner to stick to the conveying screw.

[0007] However, in recent years, with the miniaturization of image forming devices, there is a demand for space saving in cleaning devices as well. For this reason, the space around the waste toner transport path is relatively narrow, and when using the flicker of Patent Document 1, the length of the flicker needs to be relatively short. Then, the length from the fixed end of the flicker to the contact point with the transport screw becomes short, and the pressing force of the flicker against the transport screw becomes large. Then, the flicker becomes easily worn, and the life of the flicker becomes short.

[0008] To address this problem, in order to increase the length of the flicker to reduce the above-mentioned pressing force, it is possible, for example, to configure the flicker so that it extends from a fixed part fixed to the housing toward the opening and is bent downward at a midpoint so as to contact the outer peripheral surface of the conveying screw. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-158170 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] In the flicker having such a bent portion, the portion between the fixed portion and the bent portion is not fixed to the housing. Therefore, particularly when the flicker is in contact with the portion of the spiral blade that has the maximum outer diameter, the bent portion bends significantly away from the conveying screw. When the contact piece swings with the rotation of the conveying screw, the bent portion also swings, so the pressing force of the flicker against the conveying screw becomes unstable, and the ability to scrape off the waste toner on the surface of the conveying screw decreases, which may cause poor waste toner discharge.

[0011] Furthermore, if such a flicker is disposed horizontally between the rotating shaft and the cleaning blade due to the space inside the housing, the bent portion of the flicker will bend so as to approach the cleaning blade. If the flicker comes into contact with the cleaning blade, the pressing force of the cleaning blade against the image carrier surface becomes unstable, and the residual toner on the image carrier surface cannot be completely removed, which may lead to defective image formation, such as the residual toner being transferred to the recording medium.

[0012] In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device capable of suppressing waste toner discharge failure while suppressing image formation failure, and an image forming apparatus including the cleaning device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] In order to achieve the above object, a first configuration of the present invention is a cleaning device including a housing, a cleaning blade, a toner transport path, a transport screw, and a first flicker. The housing has an opening facing the outer peripheral surface of the image carrier, and waste toner removed from the outer peripheral surface of the image carrier is fed into the inside through the opening. The cleaning blade protrudes from the opening toward the outer peripheral surface of the image carrier, and a tip portion of the cleaning blade abuts against the outer peripheral surface of the image carrier. The toner transport path is provided at the bottom of the housing, and transports the waste toner fed through the opening. The transport screw has a rotating shaft rotatably supported inside the toner transport path, and a helical blade formed on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft. The first flicker is provided between the rotation shaft and the cleaning blade in the horizontal direction, and has a first base portion extending in the direction of the rotation shaft, and a plurality of first contact pieces extending from the first base portion toward the conveying screw and abutting on a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the conveying screw below the rotation shaft, aligned along the direction of the rotation shaft, and each of the first contact pieces presses the conveying screw in a first direction away from the bottom of the toner conveying path. The first base portion has a fixed portion fixed to the inner wall of the housing, and a blade facing portion extending upward from the fixed portion and facing the cleaning blade in the horizontal direction. The first contact piece is connected to an upper end of the blade facing portion. A reinforcing member is laminated on the blade facing portion. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the first configuration of the present invention, a reinforcing member is laminated on the blade facing portion, so to speak, it is reinforced. Therefore, the blade facing portion is less likely to deform, and even if the first contact piece swings with the rotation of the conveying screw, the blade facing portion connected to the first contact piece is less likely to bend. This makes it possible to suppress a decrease in the pressing force of the first contact piece against the conveying screw, and to suppress a decrease in the scraping ability of the first flicker. Therefore, it is possible to provide a cleaning device that can suppress a decrease in the scraping ability of the flicker against the conveying screw, and an image forming apparatus equipped with the cleaning device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus 100 equipped with cleaning devices 7a to 7d of the present invention. [Diagram 2] An enlarged view of the image forming section Pa in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the cleaning device 7a according to the embodiment of the present invention in FIG. 2 and its surroundings. [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view of the first flicker 34 and the second flicker 31 in FIG. 3 cut in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the periphery of a conveying screw 29 of a cleaning device 7a according to an embodiment; [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the periphery of the conveying screw 29 of the cleaning device 7a according to the embodiment, viewed in a radial direction (perpendicular to the rotation shaft 29a). [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing another example of the reinforcing member 44 according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Hereinafter, a first embodiment of cleaning devices 7a-7d and an image forming apparatus 100 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus 100 equipped with cleaning devices 7a-7d of the present invention. Four image forming sections Pa, Pb, Pc, and Pd are arranged in the main body of the image forming apparatus 100 in this order from the upstream side in the transport direction (the left side in FIG. 1). These image forming sections Pa-Pd are provided corresponding to images of four different colors (magenta, cyan, yellow, and black), and sequentially form images of magenta, cyan, yellow, and black through the respective processes of charging, exposure, development, and transfer.

[0017] In these image forming stations Pa to Pd, photoconductor drums 1a, 1b, 1c, and 1d (image carriers) that carry visible images (toner images) of each color are disposed. Furthermore, an intermediate transfer belt 8 that rotates in a counterclockwise direction in FIG. 1 is provided adjacent to each image forming station Pa to Pd. The toner images formed on these photoconductor drums 1a to 1d are transferred sequentially onto the intermediate transfer belt 8 that moves while contacting each of the photoconductor drums 1a to 1d, and then transferred all at once onto a sheet S, which is an example of a recording medium, in a secondary transfer unit 9. Furthermore, after being fixed onto the sheet S in a fixing unit 13, the sheet S is discharged from the main body of the image forming apparatus 100. While the photoconductor drums 1a to 1d are rotated in a clockwise direction in FIG. 1, an image forming process is performed for each of the photoconductor drums 1a to 1d.

[0018] The paper S onto which the toner image is transferred is stored in a paper cassette 16 disposed in the lower portion of the image forming apparatus 100, and is transported to the secondary transfer unit 9 via a paper feed roller 12a and a pair of registration rollers 12b.

[0019] Next, an image forming procedure in the image forming apparatus 100 will be described. When a user inputs a command to start image formation, first, the photoconductor drums 1a-1d start to rotate by a main motor (not shown), and the surfaces of the photoconductor drums 1a-1d are uniformly charged by charging rollers 21 (see FIG. 2) of charging devices 2a-2d. Next, the surfaces of the photoconductor drums 1a-1d are irradiated with a beam of light (laser light) emitted from an exposure device 5, and an electrostatic latent image corresponding to an image signal is formed on each of the photoconductor drums 1a-1d.

[0020] The developing devices 3a to 3d are filled with a predetermined amount of toner of each color, magenta, cyan, yellow, and black. When the ratio of toner in the two-component developer filled in each developing device 3a to 3d falls below a specified value due to the formation of a toner image described later, toner is replenished from the toner containers 4a to 4d to each developing device 3a to 3d. The toner in the developer is supplied onto the photoconductor drums 1a to 1d by the developing rollers 25 (see FIG. 2) of the developing devices 3a to 3d and electrostatically adheres to them. As a result, a toner image is formed according to the electrostatic latent image formed by exposure from the exposure device 5.

[0021] Then, an electric field is applied between the primary transfer rollers 6a-6d and the photosensitive drums 1a-1d by the primary transfer rollers 6a-6d at a predetermined transfer voltage, and the magenta, cyan, yellow and black toner images on the photosensitive drums 1a-1d are primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 8. These four color images are formed with a predetermined positional relationship for forming a predetermined full-color image. Thereafter, in preparation for the subsequent formation of a new electrostatic latent image, the toner remaining on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 1a-1d is removed by the cleaning blades 28 (see FIG. 2) of the cleaning devices 7a-7d.

[0022] When the intermediate transfer belt 8 starts to rotate counterclockwise with the rotation of the drive roller 10 by a belt drive motor (not shown), the paper S is transported from the registration roller pair 12b to a secondary transfer unit 9 provided adjacent to the intermediate transfer belt 8 at a predetermined timing, and a full-color image is transferred onto the paper S. The paper S onto which the toner image has been transferred is transported to a fixing unit 13. The toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 8 is removed by a belt cleaning unit 19.

[0023] The paper S conveyed to the fixing section 13 is heated and pressurized by the fixing roller pair 13a, so that the toner image is fixed to the surface of the paper S, and a predetermined full-color image is formed. The paper S on which the full-color image has been formed is then directed to a different conveying direction by the branching section 14, which branches into multiple directions, and is discharged directly (or after being sent to the double-sided conveying path 18 and printed on both sides) onto the discharge tray 17 by the discharge roller pair 15.

[0024] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the image forming section Pa in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the cleaning device 7a and its surroundings according to the embodiment of the present invention in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the first flicker 34 and the second flicker 31 in FIG. 3 cut in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction. The image forming section Pa including the photoconductor drum 1a, the charging device 2a, and the cleaning device 7a will be described in detail below. The image forming sections Pb to Pd have the same configuration as the image forming section Pa, so the same reference numerals are used for common parts and description will be omitted.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 2, a charging device 2a, a developing device 3a, and a cleaning device 7a are disposed around the photosensitive drum 1a in the drum rotation direction (clockwise direction in Fig. 2), and a primary transfer roller 6a is disposed across the intermediate transfer belt 8. In addition, a belt cleaning unit 19 is disposed upstream of the photosensitive drum 1a in the rotation direction of the intermediate transfer belt 8, facing a tension roller 11 with the intermediate transfer belt 8 in between.

[0026] The photoconductor drum 1a is formed by laminating a photosensitive layer on the outer surface of an aluminum drum tube. The photosensitive layer may be, for example, an organic photosensitive layer (OPC) using an organic photoconductor, or an inorganic photosensitive layer such as an amorphous silicon (a-Si) photosensitive layer formed by deposition of silane gas or the like.

[0027] The charging device 2a has a charging roller 21 that contacts the photosensitive drum 1a and applies a charging bias to the drum surface, and a brush roller 22 for cleaning the charging roller 21. The developing device 3a has two stirring and conveying members, consisting of a stirring and conveying screw 23 and a supply and conveying screw 24, in a developing container 20, and a developing roller 25, and develops the electrostatic latent image into a toner image by scattering the toner carried on the surface of the developing roller 25 onto the surface of the photosensitive drum 1a.

[0028] 2 and 3, the cleaning device 7a includes a housing 26, a toner transport path 37 formed in the bottom of the housing 26, and a rubbing roller 27, a cleaning blade 28, a transport screw 29, a first flicker 34, and a second flicker 31 housed in the housing 26. The housing 26 is adjacent to the photosensitive drum 1a in the horizontal direction, and an opening 30 is formed in a location adjacent to the photosensitive drum 1a. The toner transport path 37 houses the waste toner fed through the opening 30.

[0029] The rubbing roller 27 contacts the surface (outer peripheral surface) of the photosensitive drum 1a through the opening 30, and is rotatably supported on a side plate (not shown) in the front-rear direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 3) of the housing 26. The rubbing roller 27 is driven to rotate in the same direction (with direction) on the contact surface with the photosensitive drum 1a by a driving means (not shown), thereby removing residual toner on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1a and rubbing and polishing the surface of the photosensitive drum 1a. The residual toner removed by the rubbing roller 27 is fed as waste toner into a toner transport path 37 of the housing 26 through the opening 30.

[0030] The linear speed of the rubbing roller 27 is controlled to be faster (for example, 1.2 times) than the linear speed of the photosensitive drum 1a. The rubbing roller 27 may have a structure in which a foam layer made of EPDM rubber with an Aska C hardness of 55° is formed as a roller body around a metal shaft. The material of the roller body is not limited to EPDM rubber, and may be other rubber materials or foam rubber bodies, and those with an Aska C hardness in the range of 10 to 90° are preferably used.

[0031] 3 and 4, among the multiple walls constituting the housing 26, there is a blade fixing wall 38 that rises from the side end portion closer to the photosensitive drum 1a in the horizontal direction of the bottom surface 41 of the toner transport path 37. The cleaning blade 28 is fixed to this blade fixing wall 38. The cleaning blade 28 protrudes from the blade fixing wall 38 toward the opening 30.

[0032] The tip 28a of the cleaning blade 28 is in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 1a while being pressed against the outer circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 1a. As the photosensitive drum 1a rotates, the toner on the outer circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 1a is scraped off by the tip 28a of the cleaning blade 28. The tip 28a of the cleaning blade 28 is located downstream of the contact portion between the photosensitive drum 1a and the rubbing roller 27 in the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 1a (clockwise direction in FIG. 3).

[0033] For example, a polyurethane rubber blade having a JIS hardness of 78° and a thickness of 2 mm is used as the cleaning blade 28. The material, hardness, dimensions, attachment angle to the photosensitive drum 1a, biting amount, contact pressure, etc. of the cleaning blade 28 are appropriately set according to the specifications of the photosensitive drum 1a.

[0034] The conveying screw 29 has a rotating shaft 29a provided in the toner conveying path 37 and a spiral blade 29b formed integrally with the outer circumferential surface of the rotating shaft 29a. The rotating shaft 29a is rotatably supported by a side plate in the front-rear direction (the paper surface direction of Figs. 3 and 4) of the housing 26. The waste toner contained in the toner conveying path 37 is conveyed in the axial direction (the direction along the rotating shaft 29a) as the conveying screw 29 rotates, and is discharged to the outside of the cleaning device 7a.

[0035] Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the periphery of the conveying screw 29 of the cleaning device 7a of the embodiment. Fig. 6 is a plan view showing the periphery of the conveying screw 29 of the cleaning device 7a of the embodiment as viewed in a radial direction (perpendicular to the rotation shaft 29a).

[0036] As shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6, the first flicker 34 comprises a first base 35 extending axially parallel to the rotation axis 29a of the conveying screw 29, and a plurality of first contact pieces 36 extending from the first base 35 toward the conveying screw 29.

[0037] The first base 35 is disposed between the rotating shaft 29a and the cleaning blade 28 in the horizontal direction. The first base 35 has a fixing portion 42 fixed along the inner wall of the housing 26, a blade facing portion 43 extending upward from the fixing portion 42, a plurality of protrusions 39 formed at the upper end of the blade facing portion 43, and a plurality of waste toner passing recesses 40. The fixing portion 42 is positioned between the rotating shaft 29a, the cleaning blade 28, and the opening 30 in the horizontal direction. The fixing portion 42 is laminated on the surface of the blade fixing wall portion 38 on the toner transport path 37 side, and its lower end is fixed to a flicker fixing portion 48 protruding downward from the lower end of the housing 26 by a fixing means such as an adhesive. Note that the fixing means is not limited to an adhesive, and may be, for example, a means for sandwiching the fixing portion 42 between the blade fixing wall portion 38 and the flicker fixing portion 48 and fixing the fixing portion 42 by a fastening member such as a bolt.

[0038] The blade opposing portion 43 extends upward from the fixed portion 42 toward the opening 30 (see FIG. 3). The blade opposing portion 43 faces the cleaning blade 28 in the horizontal direction. The multiple protrusions 39 protrude from the upper end of the blade opposing portion 43 toward the opening 30 at regular intervals along the axial direction.

[0039] The first contact piece 36 is connected to the upper end of the protruding portion 39, bends downward from the upper end of the protruding portion 39, and extends toward the outer circumferential surface of the conveying screw 29. The first contact piece 36 is provided over the entire axial area of ​​the conveying screw 29 (see FIG. 6). The waste toner passing recess 40 is recessed downward from the upper end of the blade facing portion 43 (see FIG. 4). The waste toner passing recess 40 is formed between adjacent first contact pieces 36 (see FIGS. 5 and 6).

[0040] 4 shows tangents (first tangent L1, second tangent L2) of a pair of conveying screws 29 passing through the tip 28a of the cleaning blade 28. The waste toner removed from the photosensitive drum 1a passes through the region between the first tangent L1 and the second tangent L2. The waste toner passing recess 40 opens into the passageway of the waste toner removed from the photosensitive drum 1a.

[0041] 4, 5 and 6, the second flicker 31 includes a second base 32 extending in the axial direction parallel to the rotation shaft 29a of the conveying screw 29, and a plurality of second contact pieces 33 extending from the second base 32 toward the conveying screw 29. The second base 32 is fixed by adhesive or the like to an inner wall of the housing 26 located above the rotation shaft 29a at a position facing the cleaning blade 28 with the rotation shaft 29a in between in the horizontal direction.

[0042] The interval P1 between the first contact pieces 36, the interval P2 between the second contact pieces 33, and the interval P3 between the waste toner passing recesses 40 are substantially equal (see FIG. 6). The first contact pieces 36 and the second contact pieces 33 are alternately arranged along the axial direction so as not to overlap one another. The second contact pieces 33 and the waste toner passing recesses 40 face each other in a direction perpendicular to the rotation shaft 29a (the vertical direction in FIG. 6).

[0043] The width W1 of the first contact piece 36 (the length in the extending direction of the first base portion 35) and the width W2 of the second contact piece 33 (the length in the extending direction of the second base portion 32) are approximately equal. The width W1 of the first contact piece 36 and the width W2 of the second contact piece 33 are equal to or less than the pitch P4 of the spiral blade 29b. The specific size of the width W2 of the second contact piece 33 is preferably, for example, 1 / 5 or more and 1 / 2 or less of the pitch P4 (see FIG. 6). The axial width W3 of the waste toner passing recess 40 is larger than the width W2 of the second contact piece 33. The thickness of the first contact piece 36 is approximately equal to the thickness of the second contact piece 33.

[0044] The material for the first contact piece 36 and the second contact piece 33 is not particularly limited as long as it is an elastic material that oscillates in contact with the spiral blade 29b of the conveying screw 29. For example, various synthetic resin sheets with low friction resistance such as a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) sheet (Lumirror sheet (registered trademark)), a Teflon (registered trademark) sheet, Kapton (registered trademark), etc. can be used, with a Lumirror sheet being preferred in terms of cost, durability, etc.

[0045] 4, the first contact piece 36 is in contact with a portion of the transport screw 29 below the rotating shaft 29a at a position farther from the opening 30 of the housing 26 (see FIG. 3) than the rotating shaft 29a (a position closer to the bottom surface 41 of the toner transport path 37 than the rotating shaft 29a). The first contact piece 36 presses the transport screw 29 obliquely upward along a first direction d1 away from the bottom surface 41 of the toner transport path 37.

[0046] The second contact piece 33 is in contact with a portion of the transport screw 29 above the rotation shaft 29a at a position closer to the opening 30 (see FIG. 3) of the housing 26 than the rotation shaft 29a in the vertical direction (a position farther from the bottom surface 41 of the toner transport path 37 than the rotation shaft 29a). The second contact piece 33 presses the transport screw 29 downward from the contact position with the transport screw 29 along the second direction d2 (a direction approaching the bottom surface 41 of the toner transport path 37).

[0047] The tip ends of the first contact piece 36 and the second contact piece 33 are free ends. As the conveying screw 29 rotates, the first contact piece 36 and the second contact piece 33 come into contact with the spiral blade 29b, and oscillate while elastically deforming, repeating a state in which they are lifted up and elastically deformed, and a state in which they abut against the rotating shaft 29a due to a restoring force.

[0048] With the second contact piece 33 raised by the spiral blade 29b, the tip of the second contact piece 33 is located inside the waste toner passing recess 40 (see FIG. 4). When the second contact piece 33 is in contact with the rotation shaft 29a due to a restoring force, the tip of the second contact piece 33 is located outside the waste toner passing recess 40. When the second contact piece 33 oscillates as described above, the second contact piece 33 repeatedly enters and exits the waste toner passing recess 40 without coming into contact with the first flicker 34.

[0049] 4, 5 and 6, a film-like reinforcing member 44 is laminated on the surface of the blade opposing portion 43 that faces the cleaning blade 28. The reinforcing member 44 is located on the upper part of the blade fixing wall portion 38. The reinforcing member 44 is adhered and fixed to the surface of the blade opposing portion 43 that faces the cleaning blade 28 with an adhesive or the like.

[0050] The material of the reinforcing member 44 is not particularly limited as long as it has an elastic modulus equal to or greater than that of the first contact piece 36, and various synthetic resin sheets with low friction resistance, such as a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) sheet (lumiler sheet), a Teflon sheet, or Kapton, can be used similarly to the first contact piece 36, with the lumiler sheet being preferred in terms of cost, durability, etc. The thickness of the reinforcing member 44 is 0.8 to 1.5 times the thickness of the blade facing portion 43.

[0051] The reinforcing member 44 has a base portion 45 extending along the axial direction, and a plurality of protrusions 46 protruding upward from the base portion 45. The base portion 45 is layered on the blade facing portion 43 of the first flicker 34, and each of the protrusions 46 is layered on the protrusion portion 39 of the first flicker 34. That is, each of the protrusions 46 is arranged at equal intervals along the axial direction so as to overlap with the first contact piece 36. Recesses 47 recessed in the vertical direction are formed between each of the protrusions 46. The recesses 47 overlap with the waste toner passing recesses 40 of the first flicker 34 in the axial direction.

[0052] As described above, the film-like reinforcing member 44 is laminated on the surface of the blade facing portion 43 facing the cleaning blade 28, so that the blade facing portion 43 is reinforced. Therefore, the blade facing portion 43 is less likely to deform, and even if the first contact piece 36 swings with the rotation of the conveying screw 29, the blade facing portion 43 connected to the first contact piece 36 is less likely to bend. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the pressing force of the first contact piece 36 against the conveying screw 29, and to suppress a decrease in the scraping ability of the first flicker 34. In addition, the blade facing portion 43 is less likely to come into contact with the cleaning blade 28, so that image formation defects are less likely to occur. Therefore, it is possible to provide the cleaning devices 7a to 7d that can suppress waste toner discharge defects while suppressing image formation defects, and the image forming device 100 equipped with the same.

[0053] In addition, the protrusion 46 of the reinforcing member 44 is laminated on the protrusion 39 of the first flicker 34. Therefore, the blade facing portion 43 is reinforced from the protrusion 39 to the base portion 45, making it more difficult to deform. Therefore, the deterioration of the scraping ability of the first flicker 34 can be more suitably suppressed.

[0054] As described above, the conveying screw 29 is pressed in the first direction d1 obliquely upward from the first flicker 34, and in the second direction downward from the second flicker 31. Therefore, the upward component of the pressing force of the first flicker 34 and the downward pressing force of the second flicker are easily balanced, and the conveying screw 29 is less likely to deform. Then, the conveying screw 29 is less likely to come into contact with the bottom surface 41 of the toner conveying path 37, and the conveying screw 29 is less likely to deform (upward) toward the opening 30, and the gap between the bottom surface 41 of the toner conveying path 37 and the outer circumferential surface of the conveying screw 29 is less likely to widen. This makes it possible to suppress rotation failure of the conveying screw 29, and to suppress waste toner from staying and adhering in the gap due to the widening of the gap between the conveying screw 29 and the bottom surface 41 of the toner conveying path 37, thereby suppressing toner discharge failure.

[0055] As described above, the first contact piece 36 and the second contact piece 33 of the first flicker 34 and the second flicker 31 are in contact with the conveying screw 29 from above and below, respectively. The first contact pieces 36 and the second contact pieces 33 are alternately arranged so as not to overlap in the axial direction, and are not in contact with each other. This makes it possible to prevent waste toner from accumulating and adhering between the first flicker 34 and the second flicker 31.

[0056] As described above, the blade opposing portion 43 is formed with a plurality of waste toner passing recesses 40. The waste toner passing recesses 40 are open to a passage (a region between the first tangent line L1 and the second tangent line L2) of the waste toner removed from the photosensitive drum 1a. This makes it easier for the waste toner removed from the photosensitive drum 1a to reach the toner transport path 37 through the waste toner passing recesses 40, and prevents the waste toner from being blocked from entering the toner transport path 37 by the protrusions 39.

[0057] Moreover, the multiple recesses 47 formed in the reinforcing member 44 are arranged to overlap with the waste toner passing recesses 40 in the axial direction. Therefore, the waste toner removed from the photosensitive drum 1a can easily pass through the waste toner passing recesses 40 without being obstructed by the reinforcing member 44.

[0058] As described above, each second contact piece 33 faces each waste toner passing recess 40 in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, and when the second contact piece 33 swings, it repeatedly moves in and out of the waste toner passing recess 40. This makes it possible to arrange the second flicker 31 closer to the first flicker 34 within a range where the second flicker 31 does not contact the first flicker 34, thereby saving space in the toner transport path 37.

[0059] In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, only the configuration including the rubbing roller 27 and the cleaning blade 28 as the polishing system of the cleaning devices 7a to 7d is described, but the configuration of the present invention can be applied to cleaning devices having various configurations including the conveying screw 29, such as a configuration including only the cleaning blade 28, or a configuration including a cleaning roller having only a cleaning function instead of the rubbing roller 27.

[0060] Further, the cleaning devices 7a to 7d in the above embodiment are configured to include two flickers, the first flicker 34 and the second flicker 31, but a configuration including only the first flicker 34 may also be adopted.

[0061] In the above embodiment, the reinforcing member 44 is formed as a single unit, and is illustrated as having a plurality of protrusions 46 on one base portion 45 (see FIG. 5), but is not limited thereto. For example, as shown in FIG. 7 (a perspective view showing another example of the reinforcing member 44 of the embodiment), a plurality of reinforcing members 44 can be disposed between the blade facing portion 43 and the cleaning blade 28. In this case, each reinforcing member 44 is disposed at a predetermined interval so as to overlap with each protrusion 39 along the axial direction.

[0062] Further, the reinforcing member 44 may be fixed to the surface of the blade opposing portion 43 opposing the cleaning blade 28 by being sandwiched between a plate-shaped fixing member and a fastening member such as a bolt.

[0063] In addition, in the above embodiment, the reinforcing member 44 is configured to be laminated on the surface of the blade opposing portion 43 facing the cleaning blade 28, but it can also be laminated on the opposite surface across the blade opposing portion 43 (the surface facing the conveying screw 29 in the horizontal direction).

[0064] Furthermore, the interval P2 at which the second contact pieces 33 are arranged may be different from the interval P3 at which the waste toner passing recesses 40 are arranged, as long as the second contact pieces 33 face the waste toner passing recesses 40. [Industrial Applicability]

[0065] The present invention can be used in a cleaning device that removes waste toner from the surface of an image carrier and transports the removed waste toner. By utilizing the present invention, it is possible to provide a cleaning device that can effectively prevent toner solidification and maintain stable toner transport performance, and an image forming apparatus equipped with the cleaning device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 1a to 1d Photoconductor drum (image carrier) 7a~7d Cleaning device 26 Housing 28 Cleaning blade 28a Tip 29 Conveying screw 29a Rotation axis 29b Spiral Blade 30 Opening 31 Second Flicker 32 Second base 33 Second contact piece 34 1st Flicker 35 1st base 36 1st contact piece 37 Toner transport path 39 Protrusion 40 Waste toner passage recess 42 Fixed part 43 Blade opposing part 44 Reinforcement members 100 Image forming device Pa~Pd Image forming section S Paper (recording medium) d1 1st direction d2 2nd direction

Claims

1. a housing having an opening facing an outer peripheral surface of an image carrier, into which waste toner removed from the outer peripheral surface of the image carrier is introduced through the opening; a cleaning blade that protrudes from the opening toward the outer peripheral surface of the image carrier and has a tip that comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the image carrier; a toner transport path provided at a bottom of the housing and configured to transport the waste toner input through the opening; a conveying screw including a rotating shaft rotatably supported inside the toner conveying passage and a helical blade formed on an outer circumferential surface of the rotating shaft; a first flicker that is provided between the rotation shaft and the cleaning blade in a horizontal direction and has a first base portion that extends in the direction of the rotation shaft, and a plurality of first contact pieces that extend from the first base portion toward the conveying screw and are aligned along the direction of the rotation shaft and abut against a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the conveying screw below the rotation shaft, and that presses the conveying screw in a first direction away from the bottom of the toner conveying path by each of the first contact pieces; a second flicker having a second base portion extending in the direction of the rotation axis, and a plurality of second contact pieces extending from the second base portion toward the conveying screw and abutting on a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the conveying screw above the rotation axis, the second flicker being pressed in a second direction opposite to the first direction by each of the second contact pieces; Equipped with The first base portion is A fixing portion fixed to an inner wall of the housing; a blade facing portion extending upward from the fixed portion and facing the cleaning blade in the horizontal direction; a plurality of protrusions arranged along the rotation axis direction, the protrusions being provided on an upper end of the blade opposing portion and protruding toward the opening; a plurality of waste toner passing recesses that are recessed from an upper end of the blade opposing portion in a direction opposite to a protruding direction of the protruding portion and are arranged alternately with the protruding portions along the rotation axis direction; having The first contact piece is connected to an upper end of the blade opposing portion, A reinforcing member is laminated on the blade opposing portion, The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing member is laminated to at least each of the protruding portions of the first base.

2. 2. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the first flicker and the reinforcing member are formed from a sheet made of polyethylene terephthalate.

3. 3. The cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein the thickness of the reinforcing member is 0.8 to 1.5 times the thickness of the blade facing portion.

4. The first contact pieces and the second contact pieces are arranged alternately along the rotation axis direction, The cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that the width of the waste toner passing recess in the direction of the rotation axis is larger than the width of the first contact piece, and each waste toner passing recess and each first contact piece face each other in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis.

5. 4. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing member is laminated on a surface of the blade opposing portion that faces the cleaning blade.

6. an image forming section that transfers the toner on the image carrier onto a recording medium to form an image; A cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 4; An image forming apparatus comprising:

Images