Cleaning Device Protective Sheet Toner Seal Pressure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cleaning devices for image carriers in image forming apparatuses face issues with toner leakage due to increased contact pressure from accumulated toner and paper dust clumps, leading to defects such as toner leakage and contamination of sheets.
Innovation Solution
The cleaning device is designed with a protective sheet that covers the toner seal member, preventing toner accumulation and reducing contact pressure, and is positioned to guide toner towards the image carrier, while the toner seal member is placed upstream in the rotating direction to prevent paper dust clumps from forming.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the cleaning device is disposed above the photoreceptor drum to clean residual toner, then the cleaning function is improved, but toner accumulates on the toner seal member causing increased contact pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the problematic toner accumulation zone by introducing a protective sheet that covers the toner seal member. This sheet captures falling toner before it accumulates on the seal member, effectively removing the source of increased contact pressure while preserving the cleaning function above the photoreceptor drum.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective sheet acts as an intermediary element between the cleaning device and the toner seal member. It intercepts toner particles that would otherwise fall onto and accumulate on the seal member, preventing the transmission of toner weight to the seal member and maintaining stable contact pressure.
2Reliability
If the contact pressure of the toner seal member is high to prevent toner leakage, then toner containment is improved, but paper dust forms clumps causing the leading end to lift
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful effect of high contact pressure (which causes paper dust clumping and seal lifting) into a beneficial outcome by using the protective sheet to capture toner. This allows the system to maintain effective toner containment through the cleaning action while eliminating the harmful pressure buildup that causes instability.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective sheet segments the toner containment function from the sealing function. By capturing toner on the sheet surface, the system separates the toner containment mechanism from the toner seal member, allowing the seal to maintain stable, uniform contact without the destabilizing effect of paper dust clumps.
3Productivity
If the cleaning member is disposed above the photoreceptor drum, then cleaning efficiency is improved, but residual toner falls from the periphery causing contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The protective sheet serves as an intermediary that intercepts residual toner falling from the cleaning member periphery. It captures these toner particles before they can contaminate the photoreceptor drum or surrounding areas, maintaining cleaning efficiency while eliminating the harmful contamination effect.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful falling toner into a beneficial captured resource. The protective sheet captures the residual toner that would otherwise fall and cause contamination, and this captured toner can be collected and reused, transforming a waste problem into a potential resource.
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
This configuration effectively inhibits toner leakage and contamination by reducing contact pressure on the image carrier, ensuring accurate toner removal and preventing paper dust clumps from forming, thus maintaining image quality and apparatus reliability.
Implementation Method 1
a rotating member... includes a peripheral face which comes into contact with the cylindrical face above the rotating axis... is rotatively driven in a same direction as the image carrier at a contact position which comes into contact with the cylindrical face, and recovers a toner which has attached on the image carrier
Data Source
AI summary
A cleaning device includes a case, a rotating member, a sheet member, and a cover member. The rotating member includes a peripheral face which comes into contact with the cylindrical face of an image carrier, is rotatively driven in a same direction as the image carrier at a contact position, and recovers a toner which has attached on the image carrier. The sheet member extends toward a direction approaching a straight line that connects the rotating axis of the image carrier and the contact position of the rotating member, and includes a leading end which comes into contact with the cylindrical face. The cover member is provided in the case so as to cover an upside of the sheet member, extends toward the direction approaching the straight line, and reaches a position above the leading end of the sheet member.