JP2016007745A - Cleaning mechanism, and optical scanner and image forming apparatus using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cleaning mechanism which can suppress occurrence of non-wiped parts and uneven wiping at a low cost without making a user take much time for cleaning.SOLUTION: A cleaning mechanism 1 which is provided to an optical scanner 10 configured by storing a plurality of scanning optical systems that emit light for writing latent images to an image carrier in the inside of a frame 2 and by covering emission ports 3 of light to be emitted from the respective scanning optical systems with a dust-proof glass 4 to clean the dust-proof glass 4, comprises: a screw shaft 11 rotating interlocked with an operation of inserting and extracting a paper cassette 30 into/from an image forming apparatus by a user; a cleaning member 12 that cleans the surface of the dust-proof glass 4 by reciprocating on the surface of the dust-proof glass 4 in a main scanning direction while making the screw shaft 11 be normally and reversely rotated; a holding member 13 that holds the cleaning member 12; and guide rail members 14 at two upper and lower stages having an upper guide rail 15 and a lower guide rail 16 that restrict the movement of the holding member 13 in the main scanning direction.

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaning mechanism, and an optical scanning device and an image forming apparatus using the cleaning mechanism.

  In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer that employs an electrophotographic system, a photosensitive member (image carrier) that is uniformly charged by a charging unit is irradiated with light for writing an electrostatic latent image from an optical scanning device. After forming an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor, each electrostatic latent image is developed with toner by a developing device to be visualized as a toner image.

  The optical scanning device accommodates a scanning optical system that emits light for writing an electrostatic latent image to a photosensitive member, and an emission port of light emitted from the scanning optical system and a dust-proof glass (cover glass) covering the same. ). For example, in the case of a color image forming apparatus, one exit port and one dustproof glass covering each of the magenta (M), cyan (C), yellow (Y), and black (B) colors are provided. There are a total of four.

  In such an optical scanning device, if dirt or dust adheres to the surface of the dust-proof glass, the optical characteristics deteriorate, so it is necessary to periodically clean the surface of the dust-proof glass, and an automatic cleaning mechanism has been proposed for that purpose. Yes. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an automatic cleaning mechanism that uses four screw shafts to move four cleaning members in the long-side direction (longitudinal direction) of the governor glass and clean the four cover glasses at the same time. Proposed.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, a photoconductor or a solid is provided via an optical member that reflects or transmits reflected light that illuminates an image surface of an original placed on transparent glass or an original conveyed on the transparent glass. In an image reading apparatus that forms an image on an image sensor and reads image information of a document, a cleaning unit that cleans the surface of the optical member, and a posture position of the cleaning unit is in contact with the surface of the optical member. Switching means for switching between a first position where the optical member can be cleaned and a second position retracted from the surface of the optical member, and moving means for reciprocating the cleaning means in the longitudinal direction of the optical member There has been proposed an image reading apparatus including:

  However, in Patent Document 1, since the glass cleaning mechanism uses a dedicated DC motor, a clutch, or the like to branch the drive source from the main body drive train, a dedicated drive for the DC motor, the clutch, or the like. There was a problem that the cost for providing the source increased.

  On the other hand, a method of manually cleaning the dust-proof glass with a cleaning rod or the like is also performed, but there is a problem that the user is troubled with cleaning.

  Therefore, in Patent Document 2, in an electrophotographic process type image forming apparatus having a paper feeding cassette that can be taken in and out of the main body of the apparatus, it operates in conjunction with the loading and unloading of the paper feeding cassette and is contaminated by repeated operation. A dustproof glass cleaning member for cleaning glass has been proposed.

JP 10-164289 A JP 2002-333802 A

  However, in Patent Document 2, there is a problem that toner is left on the dust-proof glass surface and uneven wiping occurs.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and the object thereof is to provide a cleaning mechanism that can suppress the occurrence of unwiping and wiping unevenness at low cost without requiring the user to perform cleaning. It is an object to provide an optical scanning apparatus and an image forming apparatus using the above.

  In the present invention, a plurality of scanning optical systems that emit light for writing a latent image to an image carrier are accommodated in a frame, and the light exits from the respective scanning optical systems are covered with dust-proof glass. A cleaning mechanism for cleaning the dust-proof glass, and a screw shaft that rotates in conjunction with a paper cassette insertion / extraction operation performed by a user on the image forming apparatus. A cleaning member for reversing and moving back and forth on the dust-proof glass surface in the main scanning direction to clean the dust-proof glass surface, a holding member for holding the cleaning member, and restricting movement of the holding member in the main scanning direction A sweeping mechanism including an upper guide rail and an upper and lower guide rail members having an upper guide rail and a lower guide rail is a first gist.

  In the present invention, a plurality of scanning optical systems that emit light for writing a latent image to the image carrier are accommodated in a frame, and the light exits from the respective scanning optical systems are made of dust-proof glass. An optical scanning apparatus that covers the optical scanning apparatus including the cleaning mechanism according to the first aspect is defined as a second aspect.

  The third aspect of the present invention is an image forming apparatus including the optical scanning device according to the second aspect.

  According to the present invention, the surface of the dust-proof glass is cleaned by the cleaning mechanism in conjunction with the operation of inserting and removing the paper cassette into the image forming apparatus performed by the user. Therefore, it is possible to perform glass cleaning at low cost without requiring the user to perform cleaning, and it is possible to suppress unwiping and occurrence of uneven wiping.

It is the perspective view which looked at the optical scanning device provided with the cleaning mechanism used as one embodiment of the present invention from the slanting upper part. It is an enlarged view which shows schematic structure of the cleaning mechanism used as one Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, the scale of each member is appropriately changed to make each member a recognizable size.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an optical scanning device 10 having a cleaning mechanism 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed obliquely from above, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing a schematic configuration of the cleaning mechanism 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

  The optical scanning device 10 is provided in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, or a multifunction machine that employs an electrophotographic system. In the present embodiment, a laser scanning unit (LSU) provided in a color image forming apparatus in which four photosensitive drums are arranged in parallel for magenta, cyan, yellow, and black is shown as the optical scanning device 10. In the housing 2 of the optical scanning device 10, four scanning optical systems that emit laser light for exposing the surfaces of the four photosensitive drums are arranged and accommodated.

  The casing 2 is formed with four rectangular elongated exit ports 3 through which laser beams respectively emitted from the four scanning optical systems pass. Each exit port 3 is covered with a transparent elongated dustproof glass 4 that transmits light. Each exit port 3 and dust-proof glass 4 have a shape extending in the main scanning direction (left-right direction in FIG. 1) in which each photoconductor is irradiated with laser light, and the surface of each dust-proof glass 4 is cleaned by the cleaning mechanism 1. The The cleaning mechanism 1 is provided so that two adjacent dust-proof glasses 4 can be cleaned.

  The cleaning mechanism 1 includes a screw shaft 11, a cleaning member 12, a holding member 13, and two upper and lower guide rail members 14 (see FIG. 2).

  The housing 2 is provided with a screw shaft 11 extending in the main scanning direction (left-right direction in FIG. 1). As for the screw shaft 11, the side end part by which the rotating shaft connects with a drive mechanism (it mentions later for details) is pivotally supported by the bearing.

  FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing a schematic configuration of the cleaning mechanism 1, and shows one of the four dustproof glasses 4 shown in FIG. 1 (the frontmost side in FIG. 1).

  The cleaning member 12 is configured by an elastic blade member (silicon pad) or the like, and is disposed on the dust-proof glass 4.

  The holding member 13 that holds the cleaning member 12 has a cylindrical shape, and is fitted to the screw shaft 11 and provided integrally. Since the cleaning member 12 is held by the holding member 13, it moves back and forth in the same direction as the holding member 13, that is, on the surface of the dust-proof glass 4 in the main scanning direction (left-right direction in FIG. 2).

  The upper and lower guide rail members 14 include an upper guide rail 15 and a lower guide rail 16.

  The end portion of the holding member 13 is pivotally supported by the upper and lower two-stage guide rail members 14, thereby restricting the moving direction of the holding member 13. In FIG. 2, only one end (the back side of the drawing) of the holding member 13 is shown, but the other end (the front side of the drawing) of the holding member 13 is also pivotally supported by two upper and lower guide rail members (not shown). Thereby, the holding member 13 can reciprocate on the surface of the dust-proof glass 4 in the main scanning direction (left-right direction in FIG. 1).

  Next, the drive mechanism (movement mechanism) of the cleaning mechanism 1 of the optical scanning device 10 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the drive mechanism includes rack teeth 21, a pinion gear 22, and a gear 23.

  The rack teeth 21 are provided on the side surface of the paper feed cassette 30. The paper feed cassette 30 can be inserted into and removed from the image forming apparatus. The paper feed cassette 30 contains normal paper.

  A gear 23 is fixed to an end portion (front side in FIG. 1) of the screw shaft 11 so as to rotate integrally with the screw shaft 11.

  A pinion gear 22 that meshes with the rack teeth 21 and the gear 23 is provided, and the screw shaft 11 is rotationally driven by rotating the pinion gear 22 forward or backward.

  The gear 23 meshes with the pinion gear 22. When the rack teeth 21 are driven by the insertion / extraction operation of the paper feed cassette 30, the gear 23 meshed with the pinion gear 22 rotates and the screw shaft 11 rotates in a predetermined direction. It is supposed to be. The screw shaft 11 is rotationally driven by the rotational driving force from the pinion gear 22. In this way, the rotational driving force due to the insertion / extraction operation of the paper feed cassette 30 is transmitted to the screw shaft 11.

Next, the cleaning mechanism of the optical scanning device 10 in this embodiment will be described.
In the state before cleaning, the paper feed cassette 30 is normally pushed in and closed to the back of the image forming apparatus. In this case, the holding member 13 that holds the cleaning member 12 is located at the end 15 </ b> A (the right side in FIG. 2) of the upper guide rail 15.

  Next, when the user pulls out the paper feed cassette 30 to the front (outward path), the rack teeth 21 are driven in conjunction with the pulling-out operation of the paper feed cassette 30, and the rotation of the pinion gear 22 meshing with the gear teeth 23 To the screw shaft 11. Then, the holding member 13 fitted to the screw shaft 11 moves from the end portion 15A (the right side in FIG. 2) of the upper guide rail 15 to the end portion 15B (the left side in FIG. 2) along the upper guide rail 15. Therefore, the lower guide rail 16 moves to the end 16B (left side in FIG. 2).

  In this outward path, since the cleaning member 12 attached to the holding member 13 is not in contact with the surface of the dust-proof glass 4, the dust-proof glass 4 is not cleaned.

  Subsequently, when the user pushes in the paper cassette 30 that has been pulled out to the front (return path), the rack teeth 21 are driven and meshed with the pushing operation of the paper cassette 30. The rotation of the pinion gear 22 is transmitted to the screw shaft 11 via the gear 23. Then, the holding member 13 fitted to the screw shaft 11 moves from the end portion 16B (left side in FIG. 2) of the lower guide rail 16 to the end portion 16A (right side in FIG. 2) along the lower guide rail 16. Finally, it moves to the end 15A of the upper guide rail 15 (original position before cleaning).

  In this return path, the cleaning member 12 attached to the holding member 13 directly contacts the surface of the dust-proof glass 4. Since the holding member 13 holding the cleaning member 12 moves on the surface of the dust-proof glass 4 in the main scanning direction, the surface of the dust-proof glass 4 is cleaned by the cleaning member 12.

  By the way, when the user inserts / removes the paper feed cassette 30 at a position where insertion / removal of the paper feed cassette 30 is halfway, when the cleaning member 12 is in contact with the surface of the dustproof glass 4, toner or the like is placed on the surface of the dustproof glass 4. There is a possibility that wiping residue and wiping unevenness will occur. However, according to the present embodiment, since the cleaning member 12 is in contact with the dust-proof glass 4 not in the forward path of the movement operation of the paper feed cassette 30, the toner wiping unevenness on the surface of the dust-proof glass 4 is prevented. Occurrence can be suppressed. This is because the user always pushes the paper feed cassette 30 to the end after replenishing paper in the paper feed cassette 30.

  In the above embodiment, the drive mechanism is automatically driven to perform cleaning in conjunction with the insertion / extraction operation of the paper feed cassette 30 performed by the user. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the drive mechanism is driven. An operation button can also be provided. For example, when the user presses a mechanical button for cleaning, the drive mechanism can be driven to perform cleaning. In this case, at the time of simple paper replenishment, the surface of the dust-proof glass 4 can be more efficiently cleaned because cleaning is not performed even if the paper feeding cassette 30 is inserted and removed. The cleaning mechanical button can be displayed on a touch panel type operation panel, for example.

  In the present embodiment, the cleaning member 12 is not brought into contact with the surface of the dust-proof glass 4 in the forward path of the movement operation of the paper feed cassette 30, and the cleaning member 12 is brought into contact with the surface of the dust-proof glass 4 in the return path. Although cleaning is performed, it is possible to reverse the cleaning on the forward and return paths. For example, the cleaning member 12 is brought into contact with the surface of the dust-proof glass 4 in the forward path of the movement operation of the paper feed cassette 30 and the dust-proof glass 4 is cleaned, and the cleaning member 12 is not brought into contact with the surface of the dust-proof glass 4 in the return path. You can also In this case, for example, if four of the four cleaning functions are cleaned on the forward path, and two are cleaned on the return path, the driving load for cleaning can be dispersed.

  The rack teeth 21, the pinion gears 22, and the gears 23 are examples of drive mechanisms, and other drive mechanisms (moving mechanisms) can also be used.

  It should be thought that embodiment disclosed this time is an illustration and restrictive at no points. The scope of the present invention is shown not by the above description of the embodiment but by the scope of claims for patent, and further includes all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims for patent.

  The dust-proof glass cleaning mechanism according to the present invention is applicable to an image forming apparatus (for example, a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, etc.) provided with an optical scanning device.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cleaning mechanism 3 Outlet 4 Dust-proof glass 10 Optical scanning device 11 Screw shaft 12 Cleaning member 13 Holding member 14 Upper and lower two-step guide rail member 15 Upper guide rail 16 Lower guide rail 21 Rack tooth 22 Pinion gear 23 Gear 30 Paper feed cassette

Claims (8)

An optical scanning device in which a plurality of scanning optical systems that emit light for writing a latent image to an image carrier are accommodated in a frame, and the light emission ports emitted from the respective scanning optical systems are covered with dust-proof glass A cleaning mechanism for cleaning the dust-proof glass,
A screw shaft that rotates in conjunction with the operation of inserting and removing the paper cassette into the image forming apparatus performed by the user,
A cleaning member that cleans the dust-proof glass surface by reciprocating in the main scanning direction on the dust-proof glass surface by rotating the screw shaft forward and backward,
A holding member for holding the cleaning member;
A cleaning mechanism comprising: upper and lower guide rail members having an upper guide rail and a lower guide rail for restricting movement of the holding member in the main scanning direction. The cleaning mechanism according to claim 1,
When the paper cassette is pulled out (outward), the movement of the holding member is restricted by the upper guide rail,
A cleaning mechanism, wherein when the paper feed cassette is inserted (return path), movement of the holding member is restricted by the lower guide rail. The cleaning mechanism according to claim 1 or 2,
The cleaning mechanism is characterized in that the moving direction in the main scanning direction is reversed between the forward path and the backward path of the reciprocating operation of the sheet feeding cassette. In the cleaning mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The cleaning mechanism, wherein the cleaning member is in contact with the surface of the dust-proof glass only in one of the forward path and the return path of the reciprocating operation of the paper feed cassette.   An optical scanning device in which a plurality of scanning optical systems that emit light for writing a latent image to an image carrier are accommodated in a frame, and the light emission ports emitted from the respective scanning optical systems are covered with dust-proof glass An optical scanning device comprising the cleaning mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4.   An image forming apparatus comprising the optical scanning device according to claim 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6.
A paper feed cassette that can be inserted into and removed from the image forming apparatus body;
A drive mechanism that is driven in conjunction with the operation of inserting and removing the paper cassette;
The drive mechanism includes rack teeth provided on a side surface of the paper feed cassette;
A gear for rotationally driving the screw shaft;
A pinion gear meshing with the rack teeth and gear,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the driving mechanism is driven in conjunction with the insertion / extraction operation of the paper feed cassette to clean the surface of the dust-proof glass. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 or 7,
An image forming apparatus comprising an operation button for driving the drive mechanism to execute cleaning of the dust-proof glass surface.

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