JPH0717075Y2 - Cleaning device - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] <Industrial Application Field> This invention is a cleaning method for cleaning an object to be cleaned such as a corona discharger, a discharge lamp, and a cleaning blade, which is provided in an image forming apparatus such as an electronic copying machine. Regarding the device.

<Prior Art> As an object to be cleaned, for example, a corona discharger equipped in an electrostatic copying machine applies a high voltage to a thin discharge wire provided near the surface of a photoconductor to ionize ambient air. However, it imparts ions, that is, charges, to the surface of the photoreceptor. Foreign substances such as toner and dust are easily attached to the discharge wire, and when the foreign substances are attached, the charge on the photoconductor corresponding to the portion becomes uneven, and an appropriate image cannot be obtained.

Therefore, conventionally, a cleaning device has been proposed in which a cleaning member such as a sponge body, a non-woven fabric, a felt, or a brush is slid along a shield case so that the cleaning member slides on the discharge wire to scrape off foreign matter.

In this cleaning device, a cleaning member is slidably attached along a shield case in which a discharge wire is installed. The cleaning member is fixed to a drive wire provided along the discharge wire, and the drive wire is wound around a pair of pulleys installed at both ends of the discharge wire. The pulley is driven by a motor that rotates forward and backward, and the cleaning member reciprocates while slidingly contacting the discharge wire by the drive of the motor.

In the above cleaning device, in order to reliably move the cleaning member after cleaning to the slide end portion in spite of fluctuations in frictional resistance with the discharge wire, etc., it is slightly longer than the minimum time required for one-way movement. The drive of the motor is controlled so that the time motor is driven.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> However, according to the cleaning device having the above-described configuration, since the motor driving time has a margin, even if the cleaning member after cleaning reaches the slide end. Regardless, the motor continues to rotate. Therefore, after every cleaning
There is a problem that an abnormal load is applied to the motor and the durability of the motor is poor.

Further, when the cleaning member or the like is abnormally loaded and the moving speed of the cleaning member decreases, the cleaning member does not reach the slide end portion within the predetermined time.

In order to deal with such a problem, an optical sensor or a switch for detecting the arrival of the cleaning member can be provided on both sides of the sliding end portion of the cleaning member, but in this case,
Since two sets of sensors and the like are required, there is a problem that the configuration becomes large and complicated, and the cost increases.

This invention was made in view of the above problems,
An object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device that can improve the durability of a drive unit such as a motor with a simple configuration and can reliably move a cleaning member to a slide end.

<Means for Solving the Problems> In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention has a cleaning member for cleaning foreign matter adhering to a long cleaning object,
The cleaning unit is moved in a direction intersecting the sliding direction at both the drive unit that slides the cleaning member in the length direction of the cleaning object along the cleaning object and the sliding ends of the cleaning member. What is claimed is: 1. An optical sensor, comprising: a guide part separated from an object; and a pair of a light emitting part and a light receiving part for confirming that the cleaning member has moved to a slide end part, the optical sensor intersecting a sliding direction of the cleaning member. An optical sensor having a light emitting portion provided at one slide end of the cleaning member and a light receiving portion provided at the other slide end thereof so that the optical path is blocked or opened by moving in the direction of A cleaning device comprising: stop control means for stopping the drive section in response to a signal from a sensor.

<Operation> According to the cleaning device having the above-described configuration, the optical path of the optical sensor is blocked or opened by the cleaning member that moves in the direction intersecting with the sliding direction, regardless of which slide end the cleaning member moves. Therefore, the detection signal can be output to the cleaning member whose position is to be confirmed only by the pair of the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion. Therefore, by stopping the drive of the drive motor based on this detection signal,
It is possible to prevent an unreasonable load from acting on the motor.

<Embodiment> An embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a cleaning device for cleaning a discharge wire of a corona discharger equipped in an electrostatic copying machine, and FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the cleaning device. A discharge wire (W) is installed in the longitudinal direction inside a shield case (C) having a cross section. The discharge wire (W) has one end fixed and released by a set screw (3) and the other end attached via a spring (4) provided between the discharge wire (W) and the shield case (C).

A pair of pulleys (5) and (5) are provided on both ends of the upper surface of the shield case (C), and these pulleys (5) and (5) are provided.
A drive wire (7) is suspended around it. The cleaning member (6) is formed in a substantially T shape, and one end of the upper part (6a) is fixed to one of the linear drive wires (7), and the other end of the upper part (6a) is fixed. The end side of is extended to the other upper side of the drive wire (7) (see FIG. 2).
Further, the cleaning pad holder (6b) vertically provided through the long hole (C1) formed in the upper part of the shield case (C) is composed of a sponge body such as urethane foam, felt or glass wool on the lower surface thereof. A cleaning pad (6c) is provided. The cleaning pad (6c) contacts the discharge wire (W) from above and cleans foreign matter and the like attached to the discharge wire (W).

One of the pulleys (5) is attached to the output shaft of a motor (M) that can rotate in the normal and reverse directions, and when the motor (M) is driven, the drive wire (7) is rotated in a predetermined direction. You can

Further, on the upper surface of the shield case (C), there are provided guide portions (10) for separating the cleaning pad (6c) from the discharge wire (W) in correspondence with both slide ends of the cleaning member (6). It is projected. This guide part (10)
Is formed at such a height that the upper portion (6a) of the cleaning member (6) can be lifted to separate the cleaning pad (6c) from the discharge wire (W) by a predetermined distance. This guide part (1
In the case of (0), the inner surfaces facing each other are inclined surfaces so that the cleaning member (6) that slides can be easily climbed up.

The optical sensor (8) includes a light emitting portion (81) that emits sensor light in the sliding direction of the cleaning member (6) and a light receiving portion (81) that receives light from the light emitting portion (81). There is. The light emitting portion (81) is arranged at the sliding end of the cleaning member (6) between the pulley (5) to which the motor (M) is attached and the guide portion (10).
On the other hand, the light receiving section (82) is provided between the driven pulley (5) and the guide section (10), which is the other slide end of the cleaning member (6). And the light emitting part (81)
The heights of the light receiving part (82) and the light receiving part (82) are such that when the cleaning member (6) moves to the guide part (10) which is the slide end part, the light emitting part (8)
When the sensor light from 1) is blocked by the upper part (6a) of the cleaning member (6) and the cleaning member (6) is at a position other than the guide part (10), that is, between the guide parts (10) and (10), The sensor light from the light emitting portion (81) is mounted at a height such that the light receiving portion (82) can receive the sensor light.

The operation of the cleaning device having the above configuration will be described. First, since the upper part (6a) of the cleaning device rides on the upper part of the guide part (10) before the cleaning device starts to operate, the light emitting part (81).
The sensor light from is blocked by the upper part (6a) of the cleaning member (6).

Next, when the drive wire (7) is moved by driving the motor (M), the upper portion (6a) of the cleaning member (6) is moved to the guide portion (1).
0) down the guide part (1) above the shield case (C)
Slide between 0) and (10). Then, the cleaning member (6)
The sensor light from the light emitting portion (81), which has been blocked by the upper portion (6a) of the, reaches the light receiving portion (82).

The upper part (6a) of the cleaning member (6) is the shield case (C).
When sliding between the upper guide parts (10) (10),
The cleaning pad (6c) provided on the upper portion (6b) is rubbed against the discharge wire (W). The discharge wire (W) sneaks into the inside of the cleaning pad (1), and foreign matter attached to the outer periphery of the discharge wire (W) is transferred to the cleaning pad (1).

When the cleaned cleaning member (6) moves to the other end side of the shield case (C), the cleaning member (6) is moved by the guide portion (10) provided at the other end portion. The cleaning pad (6c) is pulled up in the direction away from the discharge wire (W).

When the cleaning member (6) is pulled up, the upper part (6
The sensor light from the light emitting section (81) is blocked by a). Based on the output signal from the optical sensor (8) at this time, the motor (M) is stopped via a control unit (not shown). Thereby, the cleaning member (6) can be stopped without imposing an abnormal load on the motor (M), and the durability of the motor (M) can be improved. Further, the motor (M) is driven until the cleaning member (6) reaches the slide end and is blocked by the sensor light of the light emitting unit (81), so that the moving speed of the cleaning member (6) becomes slow. However, the entire discharge wire (W) can always be reliably cleaned.

Since the cleaning pad (6c) is separated from the discharge wire (W) when not cleaning as described above, the discharge wire (W)
Does not bend. Therefore, the discharge wire (W) can perform stable discharge operation without changing its height. Further, it is possible to eliminate the risk of leakage from the discharge wire (W) to the cleaning member (6).

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment, which is different from the embodiment of FIG. 1 in that the cleaning pad (6c) is brought into contact with the lower side of the discharge wire (W) and slidably contacted therewith. The cleaning member (6) is
The lower portion (6b) is formed in a U shape in a side view, and the cleaning pad (6c) is attached to the inner upper surface of the lower portion (6b). The guide portion (10) for slidingly contacting the cleaning wire (6c) with the discharge wire (W) is formed to have a high portion except the sliding end portion of the cleaning member (6), and the guide portion (10) is cleaned. When the upper part (6a) of the member (6) rides up,
The cleaning pad (6c) can be brought into sliding contact with the discharge wire (W).

Further, in the optical sensor (8), the light emitting portion (81) is provided on the set screw (3) side and the light receiving portion (82) is provided on the spring (4) side inside the shield case (C). . The heights of the light emitting portion (81) and the light receiving portion (82) are blocked by the sensor light when the lower portion (6b) of the cleaning member (6) is lowered at the slide end portion, and the cleaning member (6). Is provided so that the sensor light can be received by the light receiving section (82) when the sensor is lifted by the guide section (10).

Even with the above configuration, it is possible to obtain the same effects as the embodiment of FIG. That is, when the cleaning member (6) rides on the guide part (10), the optical path is opened and the light receiving part (82) receives the light. When the cleaning member (6) descends from the guide portion (10) at the slide end portion, the optical path is blocked and the light receiving portion (82) is in a non-light receiving state. Therefore, when the cleaning member (6) reaches the slide end, the optical sensor (8)
Since a change occurs in the signal from, the driving of the motor (M) can be stopped by utilizing this.

In each of the above embodiments, when the cleaning member (6) is located at the slide end portion, the sensor light from the light emitting portion (81) is blocked, but the cleaning member (6) is not at the slide end portion. The sensor light from the light emitting section (81) may be blocked at a position so that when the cleaning member (6) moves to the slide end, the sensor light blocked until then is received. For example, the optical sensor may be provided inside the shield case (C) as shown in FIG. 3 in the case where the respective components except the optical sensor (8) are formed as shown in FIG. In this case, during the sliding movement of the cleaning member (6),
When the sensor light is blocked and the cleaning member (6) moves to the slide end and rides on the guide (10),
The light path is opened.

Further, each of the components except the photosensor (8) shown in FIG. 3 may be provided with a photosensor as shown in FIG. Even with the cleaning device having this structure, it is possible to obtain the same effects as those of the above-described embodiments. Besides, the cleaning device of the present invention can be modified in various ways within the scope of the invention.

In the above example, the cleaning device for cleaning the discharge wire of the corona discharger was described, so the object to be cleaned was the discharge wire. However, as the object to be cleaned, a discharge lamp, a discharge lamp, a cleaning blade, a mirror, a paper feed roller, or the like, which is long and has an uneven surface in the longitudinal direction In that case, the present invention can be applied in the same manner as the application to the discharge wire. That is, in this invention, since the cleaning pad is slid along the portion to be cleaned in the length direction of the portion to be cleaned, the portion to be cleaned is not limited to the discharge wire, but may be the above-mentioned static elimination lamp or the like. However, it is applicable.

Furthermore, not only the electrostatic copying machine, but also the above-mentioned objects to be cleaned equipped in a laser printer, a facsimile, etc. can be cleaned by using the cleaning device of the present invention.

Further, in the above embodiment, an example in which one discharge wire is provided as the object to be cleaned is shown. However, for example, when two discharge wires are arranged in parallel, By providing one light emitting unit and one light receiving unit,
The position of the cleaning member for cleaning each discharge wire can be individually confirmed.

<Effect of the Invention> As described above, according to the cleaning device of the present invention, it is confirmed that the cleaning member is moved to the slide end portion by the optical sensor including the pair of the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion, and the motor is based on this. Since it is possible to stop the drive unit such as, etc., it is possible to prevent an abnormal load from being applied to the motor or the like when the cleaning member is stopped, no matter which slide end the cleaning member moves to. The durability of the motor, etc. can be improved. Moreover, since it is sufficient to provide one optical sensor for the cleaning member to be checked, the cleaning device does not become large or complicated.

Furthermore, since the cleaning member can be moved until it is detected that the cleaning member has moved to the slide end, it is not necessary to set the time for driving the motor, and the cleaning member can be reliably moved to the slide end. Therefore, there is a unique effect that the entire discharge wire can be surely cleaned.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the cleaning device, and FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of a cleaning device according to another embodiment. (6) ... Cleaning member, (6c) ... Cleaning pad (8) ... Optical sensor, (81) ... Light emitting part, (82) ... Light receiving part,
(10) ... Guide part, (W) ... Discharge wire.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A cleaning member for cleaning foreign matter adhering to a long object to be cleaned; a drive unit for sliding the cleaning member along the object to be cleaned in the longitudinal direction of the object to be cleaned; At both slide ends of the cleaning member, move the cleaning member in a direction that intersects the sliding direction, and a guide part that is separated from the object to be cleaned, and a pair of confirming that the cleaning member has moved to the slide end part. An optical sensor having a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion, wherein the optical sensor has one sliding end portion of the cleaning member so that the optical path is blocked or opened by the movement of the cleaning member in a direction intersecting the sliding direction. An optical sensor having a light emitting section provided on the other side and a light receiving section provided on the other slide end, and stop control means for stopping the drive section in response to a signal from the optical sensor. Characteristic cleaning device.