Cleaning Roller Toner Layer Regulation for Drum Speed

Solution Overview

Problem

Image forming apparatuses face issues with image flow due to slower rotating rates of the photosensitive drum, leading to toner image defects and surface charge ununiformity, especially when handling cardboard, which requires improved cleaning performance to prevent toner and discharge product adherence.

Innovation Solution

A cleaning device with a cleaning roller, blade, toner layer forming member, and regulating member that adjusts the thickness of the toner layer on the cleaning roller in response to varying drum speeds, ensuring effective toner removal and surface grinding, even at slower drum speeds.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Speed

If the rotating rate of the photosensitive drum is slowed down to convey cardboard, then the conveying speed matches the stiffness requirements of cardboard, but image flow occurs due to discharge product adhesion and surface charge ununiformity

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconveying speedVSAvoidimage quality

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The cleaning blade performs preliminary scraping action on the photosensitive drum surface before the toner transfer process. By removing discharge products in advance, the blade prevents image flow from occurring during the slower conveying process for cardboard, thus maintaining image quality while enabling reduced conveying speed

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The cleaning blade acts as an intermediary between the discharge products and the toner image formation process. It intercepts and removes the harmful discharge products that would otherwise cause surface charge ununiformity and image flow, allowing the system to operate at lower speeds without quality degradation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Speed

If the rotating rate of the photosensitive drum is slowed down for cardboard conveying, then conveying speed is reduced, but cleaning performance must be improved to prevent toner and discharge product adherence

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverotating rateVSAvoidcleaning performance

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The cleaning blade performs preliminary scraping action on the photosensitive drum surface before the toner transfer process. By removing discharge products in advance, the blade prevents image flow from occurring during the slower conveying process for cardboard, thus maintaining image quality while enabling reduced conveying speed

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The cleaning blade acts as an intermediary between the discharge products and the toner image formation process. It intercepts and removes the harmful discharge products that would otherwise cause surface charge ununiformity and image flow, allowing the system to operate at lower speeds without quality degradation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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 solution enhances cleaning performance and reduces image flow occurrences by maintaining effective toner removal and surface grinding, even at slower drum speeds, thereby improving image quality and stability.

Implementation Method 1

a cleaning roller coming into contact with the photosensitive drum and rotating

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectFriction: Friction

Implementation Method 2

carries a toner layer to grind a surface of the photosensitive drum by the toner layer

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectAbrasion: Abrasion

Implementation Method 3

a cleaning blade comes into contact with the image carrier at a downstream side from the cleaning roller and scrapes toner adhered to the image carrier

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectMechanical Force: Mechanical Force

Data Source

PatentUS10108133B1Image forming apparatus

Publication Date: 2018.10.23 KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS INC

AI summary

A cleaning device includes a cleaning roller, a cleaning blade, a toner layer forming member and a regulating member. The cleaning roller comes into contact with a surface of a rotating image carrier and rotates. The cleaning blade comes into contact with the image carrier at a downstream side from the cleaning roller in a rotating direction of the image carrier and scrapes toner adhered to the image carrier. The toner layer forming member receives and collects the toner scraped by the cleaning blade and feeds the toner to the cleaning roller to form a toner layer on the cleaning roller. The regulating member comes into contact with the cleaning roller to regulate thickness of the toner layer. The regulating member is controlled so as to thicken thickness of the toner layer formed on the cleaning roller as rotating rate of the image carrier becomes slower.