Image Forming Apparatus Cleaning Unit Above Belt
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Solution Overview
Problem
In conventional image forming apparatuses, the removal of cleaning members and waste toner retainers is complicated due to their placement below the endless belt, requiring the removal of other components like developing units and photosensitive drums, which hampers maintenance and waste toner conveyance efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The cleaning unit and waste toner retainer are positioned above the endless belt, with a waste toner conveying unit extending from the cleaning unit to the retainer, allowing for efficient waste toner collection and conveyance without the need to remove other components, and a supporting member with side walls and mounting portions facilitates this configuration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the cleaning member and waste toner retainer are disposed below the endless belt, then the structure is compact, but the removal of cleaning member and waste toner retainer becomes complicated requiring removal of other components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional arrangement by positioning the cleaning member and waste toner retainer above the endless belt instead of below it. This inversion allows the cleaning member to be removed independently without requiring removal of other components, significantly simplifying maintenance operations while the supporting member structure maintains overall device compactness
2Ease of operation
If both cleaning member and waste toner retainer are disposed above the belt, then ease of maintenance is improved, but waste toner conveyance efficiency is lowered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the waste toner conveyance function by introducing a dedicated waste toner conveying unit that extends from the cleaning member to the waste toner retainer. This segmentation allows the cleaning member to be positioned above the belt for easy maintenance while ensuring efficient waste toner conveyance through the specialized conveying mechanism, resolving the contradiction between accessibility and conveyance efficiency
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus includes an endless belt, a plurality of processing units, a cleaning unit, a waste toner retainer, and a waste toner conveying unit. The plurality of processing units is juxtaposed above the endless belt. The cleaning unit is disposed above the endless belt to collect a waste toner deposited on the endless belt. The waste toner retainer is provided in one processing unit in the plurality of processing units. At least one of the other processing units in the plurality of processing units is interposed between the cleaning unit and the one processing unit. The waste toner conveying unit conveys the waste toner collected by the cleaning unit to the waste toner retainer, and extends from the cleaning unit to the waste toner retainer.