Charging Roller Cleaning Unit with Low Amine Elastic Layer
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In image forming apparatuses, corotron members generate ozone, leading to material degradation and contamination, and existing cleaning devices for corotron wires are cumbersome, while charging rollers suffer from dirt accumulation affecting uniform charging.
Innovation Solution
A charging member cleaning unit with an elastic layer having an amine content of not more than 60 ppm, preferably 30 ppm, and a hardness between 100 N and 500 N, using materials like polyurethane foam to ensure effective cleaning without damaging the charging roller.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a cleaning device is added to clean the corotron wire, then cleaning capability is improved, but device complexity and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the cleaning function with the charging roller itself by providing a cleaning layer on the charging roller surface. This integrated design eliminates the need for a separate cleaning device, thereby maintaining cleaning capability while reducing device complexity and space requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The charging roller is designed to perform multiple functions: charging the photoreceptor drum and cleaning the corotron wire simultaneously. The cleaning layer on the charging roller provides cleaning functionality without requiring an additional dedicated cleaning device, thus achieving multi-functionality.
2Reliability
If a cleaning device is added to clean the corotron wire, then cleaning capability is improved, but space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning function is merged into the charging roller structure through the cleaning layer, eliminating the need for a separate cleaning device. This integration significantly reduces the space required for cleaning operations within the compact image forming apparatus.
Solution Approach 2:
The charging roller serves dual purposes: charging the photoreceptor and cleaning the corotron wire. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for additional space-consuming cleaning devices while maintaining effective cleaning capability.
3Reliability
If amine content in the elastic layer is high, then cleaning performance is improved, but image quality deteriorates due to amine migration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent precisely controls the amine content parameter in the cleaning layer, maintaining it at not more than 60 ppm. This parameter optimization ensures sufficient cleaning performance while preventing amine migration that would cause image quality deterioration, thus resolving the contradiction between cleaning effectiveness and image quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning layer is designed with specific local properties: controlled amine content (≤60 ppm), specific hardness (100-500 N), and appropriate thickness (0.1-5.0 mm). These localized quality specifications ensure the layer provides effective cleaning without causing image defects through amine migration.
Data Source
AI summary
A charging member cleaning unit, that contacts a charging member that charges the surface of an image holding member provided in an image forming apparatus, and is used for cleaning the surface of that charging member, has an elastic layer, and has an amine content within the elastic layer of not more than approximately 60 ppm.