Cleaning Apparatus Surface Roughing for Vibration Noise Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image forming apparatuses using electrophotographic techniques experience noise due to vibration of the cleaning member, primarily caused by increased friction on worn photosensitive drums, which is not effectively addressed by existing solutions that require costly lubricative particles or complex coating operations.
Innovation Solution
A cleaning apparatus with a sheet member that contacts the image bearing member, featuring surface roughing to reduce friction and prevent peeling of external additives, thereby minimizing noise from vibration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a coating layer containing lubricative particles is provided on the collection sheet member to reduce friction, then noise from vibration is suppressed, but production costs increase due to material costs and complex coating operations
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a disposable process cartridge with a collection sheet member that has surface roughing applied directly during manufacturing. This eliminates the need for expensive reusable lubricative particles and complex coating operations, while achieving the same noise reduction effect through a simpler, more cost-effective surface treatment that can be applied during sheet production
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the surface parameter of the collection sheet member by applying surface roughing with specific roughness values (Ra: 0.35-0.8 μm, Rz: 1.5-3.0 μm). This parameter change creates micro-asperities that prevent direct contact between the sheet and photosensitive drum, reducing friction and noise without requiring additional lubricative materials or complex coating processes
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the coefficient of friction of the photosensitive drum surface is kept small throughout its life, then noise from stick-slip vibration is suppressed, but existing solutions require expensive lubricative particles that increase production costs
Solution Approach 1:
The invention eliminates the need for expensive lubricative particles by using a disposable process cartridge design where the collection sheet member has surface roughing applied during manufacturing. This provides the necessary low-friction surface without requiring additional lubricative materials, thereby reducing material costs while maintaining noise suppression throughout the cartridge's service life
Solution Approach 2:
The surface roughing on the collection sheet member creates self-lubricating micro-asperities that automatically reduce friction between the sheet and photosensitive drum. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for external lubricative particles, allowing the system to maintain low friction throughout its operation without additional material input or cost
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The surface roughing on the collection sheet member effectively reduces noise throughout the life of the process cartridges by maintaining a large amount of external additives on the photosensitive drum, decreasing friction and stick-slip, and thus suppressing vibration-induced noise.
Implementation Method 1
The noise occurs when the photosensitive drums and a developing apparatus become worn away, increasing a coefficient of friction μ of the surfaces of the photosensitive drums. An increased coefficient of friction μ of the surfaces of the photosensitive drums causes a stick-slip of the cleaning member.
Implementation Method 2
surface roughing is applied on a contact part of the sheet member that contacts the image bearing member
Data Source
AI summary
An object of the present invention is to reduce noise which results from vibration of a cleaning member. A cleaning apparatus 23 includes a cleaning member 3 that removes developer on an image bearing member 1, a container 5 in which the developer removed by the cleaning member 3 is contained, and a sheet member 4 that contacts the image bearing member 1. A part of the sheet member 4 that contacts the image bearing member 1 is subjected to surface roughing.