JPH0412384A - Cleaner for image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify constitution, to make it compact, and to collect waste toner in one place by providing a cleaning means common to a photosensitive material and an intermediate transfer body. CONSTITUTION:The cleaning means common to the photosensitive material and the intermediate transfer body is provided. A cleaning case 31 for the means is supported in such a way that it can be rocked freely around the shaft center of a photosensitive drum 7 via a rocking lever 32, and also, a conductive brush 33 is always brought into contact with the photosensitive drum 7 in the cleaning case 31, and also, is supported in such a sway that it can be brought into contact with an intermediate transfer belt 9 corresponding to the rocking position of the rocking lever 32. Thereby, the constitution can be simplified compared with that when the cleaning means is provided separately, and also, it is comprised compactly, and the waste toner can be collected in one place, which enables processing for collection to be easily performed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to a cleaning device for an image forming apparatus equipped with a photoreceptor and an intermediate transfer member.

(Prior art) Conventionally, a photoreceptor and an intermediate transfer member are provided, and a developed image obtained by developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the photoreceptor is transferred to the intermediate transfer member. 2. Description of the Related Art Image forming apparatuses that retransfer a developed image onto a transfer material are known. This type of image forming apparatus has the advantage of being able to form a multicolor image on a transfer material in one pass, and to form images on both sides of the transfer material.

In an image forming apparatus including a photoreceptor and an intermediate transfer member, a cleaning device and a waste toner box are usually provided for each of the photoreceptor and the intermediate transfer belt. Furthermore, a device in which waste toner discharged from each cleaning device is stored in one common waste toner case has also been proposed.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, if a cleaning device and a waste toner box are provided for each of the photoreceptor and the intermediate transfer member, the number of parts will be large, which will increase costs, and it will not be possible to construct a compact structure. Since they are provided separately, there are problems such as the time required to dispose of waste toner.

Further, even when a single waste toner box is used, waste toner is transported from each cleaning device to the waste toner box. Each means is required, which increases costs, and when processing waste toner, it is necessary to separate the connection points between the two transport means and the waste toner box to prevent the toner from overflowing, which is a problem. .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above conventional problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device that can be easily and compactly constructed and can also easily dispose of waste toner in an image forming apparatus equipped with a photoreceptor and an intermediate transfer member. do.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, a cleaning device for an image forming apparatus according to the present invention develops an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoreceptor and transfers the developed image to an intermediate transfer state. An image forming apparatus that transfers images onto a photoreceptor and electrostatically retransfers a developed image on an intermediate transfer member to a transfer material, characterized in that a cleaning means common to the photoreceptor and the intermediate transfer member is provided. .

(Function) According to the above structure of the present invention, since a common cleaning means is provided for the photoreceptor and the intermediate transfer member, the structure is simpler and more compact than when they are provided separately, and waste toner can be removed. can be collected in one place and processed easily.

(Embodiment) Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a copying apparatus capable of forming multicolor images will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

In FIG. 3 showing the overall configuration, ■ is a document table glass on which a document is placed, and below this document table glass 1, a light source 2 consisting of a halogen lamp is provided, and first to
An imaging optical system 6 consisting of third mirrors 3a to 3c, an imaging lens 4, a color selection means 5 that selectively reflects only the light of the color to be used, and a fourth mirror 3d is provided. The image forming apparatus is configured to form an analog image obtained by scanning an original on the photoreceptor drum 7. The color selection means 5 is constructed by radiating a plurality of color selection mirrors 5a to 5d corresponding to the colors to be used, and arranged radially around the rotation axis, and each color selection mirror 5a to 5d selectively selects only the light of the color to be used. It is constructed by forming a color separation filter on a reflective surface so as to reflect the light.

A developing section 8, an intermediate transfer belt 9, a cleaning device 10, an erase lamp 11, and a charger 12 are arranged around the photosensitive drum 7 in the direction of rotation of the photosensitive drum 7 from the exposure section. The developing section 8 includes a yellow developing device 8.
A Y and magenta developer 8M, a cyan developer 8C, and a black developer 8B are installed. Further, each developing device is equipped with a developing sleeve, a grain cutting shutter, a toner concentration detector, a toner replenishing device, and the like.

The intermediate transfer belt 9 is made of a flexible semiconductor with good environmental resistance, for example, a volume resistivity of 1 x 1010 to lXlO12.
It is composed of an endless belt with a thickness of about 0.6 mm made of polyurethane rubber or the like with an Ω-CI of about 11.

Around the intermediate transfer belt 9, there are a first transfer charger 13 and a static elimination charger 14 that transfer images from the photoreceptor drum 7 to the intermediate transfer belt 9, and a second transfer charger 14 that transfers images from the intermediate transfer belt 9 to transfer paper. A transfer charger 15, a static elimination charger 16, and the like are provided.

Further, the intermediate transfer belt 9 is connected to the first transfer charger 1.
3, a pressure roller 17 on one side, a cleaner roller 18 that also serves as a driving roller on the other side, a retransfer roller 19, a guide roller 20, and a tension roller 21, which are five straight rollers.

22a and 22b are paper feed cassettes, 23 is a registration roller, 24 is a transfer paper conveyance belt, and 25 is a fixing device equipped with a fixing roller having a built-in heater. 26 is fuser 2
An intermediate tray 27 is disposed in the middle of the transfer paper circulation path that returns the transfer paper discharged from the registration roller 5 to a position in front of the registration rollers 23.

28 is a switchback and paper ejection roller, 29 is a paper ejection tray, and 30 is a switchback and paper ejection roller that selectively guides the transfer paper ejected from the fixing device 25 to the circulation path 26 and the paper ejection tray 29 side. This is a switching claw that guides the transfer paper switched back at the 92nd row to the circulation path.

As shown in detail in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cleaning device 10 has a cleaning case 31 supported so as to be swingable about the axis of the photoreceptor drum 7 via a swing lever 32, and A conductive brush 33 is supported in the case 31 so as to be in constant contact with the photoreceptor drum 7 and to be able to contact the intermediate transfer belt 9 depending on the swing position of the swing lever 32 . A voltage of 1,500 μm is applied to the conductive brush 33 from a power source (not shown).

Additionally, a conductive brush 33 is provided inside the cleaning case 31.
A collection roller 34 is provided which rotates in the counter direction in contact with the roller, and a voltage of 11,200 cm is applied from a power source (not shown). Reference numeral 35 designates a blade that scrapes off the waste toner by pressing against the lower part of the collection roller 34, and reference numeral 36 designates a conveyance screw that discharges the waste toner accumulated in the lower part of the cleaning case 31 to the outside. 37 is cleaning case 3
1 is a solenoid that swings the conductive brush 33 between a position where it is in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 9 and a position where it is separated from the intermediate transfer belt 9.

Next, the operation of the cleaning device 10 will be explained.

In the full-color image forming process, yellow, magenta, cyan, and black toner images sequentially formed on the photosensitive drum 7 are transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 9 in a superimposed manner by the first transfer charger 13 for each color. In this primary transfer step, residual toner on the photoreceptor drum 7 after the primary transfer from the photoreceptor drum 7 to the intermediate transfer belt 9 is removed by the conductive brush 33 rotating in contact with the photoreceptor drum 7. Ru.

That is, a depolar toner is used here, and is cleaned by being attracted to the conductive brush 33 charged to -500V. Further, the waste toner on the conductive brush 33 is charged to -1200V and is further adsorbed and collected by the collection roller 34 rotating in the counter direction, and then the waste toner is collected by the blade 33.
5, and is transported and stored in a collection bottle (not shown) by a transport screw 36. Also, during this primary transfer process, the solenoid 37 is turned on and the cleaning device 10 is turned on.
is swung upward, the conductive brush 33 is separated from the intermediate transfer belt 9, and the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 9 is not disturbed.

Next, the toner image transferred from the photosensitive drum 7 to the intermediate transfer belt 9 is transferred all at once to a transfer paper by a second transfer charger 15. After the secondary transfer from the intermediate transfer belt 9 to the transfer paper, the toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 9 is cleaned in the same manner as described above by turning off the solenoid 37 and bringing the conductive brush 33 into contact with the intermediate transfer belt 9. It will be collected.

The cleaning device 10 swings around the axis of the photoreceptor drum 7 by turning on and off the solenoid 37.
The distance between the photosensitive drum 7 and the conductive brush 33 is kept constant.

In the above embodiment, an example is shown in which the conductive brush 33 is used as the cleaning means, but it goes without saying that a vacuum type fur brush cleaner or blade cleaner can also be used. Further, although an example is shown in which the swinging lever 32 is used to maintain a constant distance between the photoreceptor drum 7 and the cleaning means, the cleaning means is provided with a positioning roller that rolls on the photoreceptor drum 7 to maintain the distance. It can also be configured to keep constant.

Further, in the above embodiment, an example of an image forming apparatus in which the image forming apparatus is formed on the photoreceptor drum 7 is shown, but a paper passing path is provided between the photoreceptor drum 7 and the intermediate transfer belt 9, and the image is transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 9. The cleaning device of the present invention can also be applied to an image forming apparatus capable of forming double-sided images, in which the toner image formed on the photoreceptor drum 7 and the toner image on the photosensitive drum 7 are transferred to both sides of a transfer paper at the same time.

(Effects of the Invention) According to the cleaning device for an image forming apparatus of the present invention, as is clear from the above explanation, a common cleaning means is provided for the photoreceptor and the intermediate transfer member, compared to a case where they are provided separately. The structure is simple and compact, and the waste toner can be collected in one place and its disposal can be easily performed.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 3 show an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a copying apparatus capable of forming multicolor images. FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional front view of the main part, FIG. FIG. 3 is an overall schematic diagram of the copying apparatus. 7--------・-- Photosensitive drum 9 ・-
...-Intermediate transfer belt 10 cleaning device

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) Image formation in which the developed image obtained by developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoconductor is transferred to an intermediate transfer member, and the developed image on the intermediate transfer member is retransferred to the transfer material. A cleaning device for an image forming apparatus, characterized in that a common cleaning means is provided for a photoreceptor and an intermediate transfer member.