JPH079170Y2 - Cleaning device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial field of application) The present invention relates to a cleaning device that removes residual toner adhering to the surface of a photoconductor with a blade member.

(Prior Art) As a conventional cleaning device, as shown in FIG.
A blade member 6 is fixedly provided on a blade support member 4 supported by the housing 2. More specifically,
The blade supporting member 4 includes a rotating shaft 8, a substrate 10 fixed to the rotating shaft 8 with a screw, and a blade mounting plate 14 mounted on the substrate 10 by a pin 12 at substantially the center thereof. It is fixed to the mounting plate 14. substrate
A weight 16 is fixed to the blade member 10 and the blade member 6 is pressed at a predetermined pressure.
Is pressed against the photoconductor 18. The free end 10a of the substrate 10 is projected to the outside of the housing 2 so that the blade member 6 can be connected to the photoconductor 18 by a driving mechanism such as a solenoid or a cam (not shown).

Below the housing 2 is a discharging means 20 consisting of a screw.
Is provided. Further, a receiving blade member 22 is provided at a portion facing the photoconductor 18.

Ribs 24a and 24b project from the side plates 2a and 2b of the housing 2 as shown in FIG. 3, and sealing members 26a and 26b in which acrylic piles are planted are attached to the ribs 24a and 24b, respectively.

In the cleaning device having the above structure, the residual toner 28 adhering to the surface of the photoconductor 18 after the transfer process is wiped off by the blade member 6 and guided by the receiving blade member 22, and is further ejected by the ejecting means 20 to a toner recovery tank (not shown) outside the housing 2. Carried to.

(Problems to be solved by the invention) If there is a gap between the housing side plates 2a, 2b and both ends of the blade member 6, the seal members 26a, 26b are wiped off from the photoconductor 18 by the blade member 6 and float. The remaining toner slips up through the gap together with the photoconductor 18 and the housing 2
The blade member 6 is provided in order to prevent the image forming apparatus from leaking and becoming dirty.
If the gap t between the both ends of the toner is not kept to a minimum, the toner will slip through (the contact with the photosensitive member 18 will hinder the contact and separation of the blade member 6 to some extent). A gap is necessary).

However, if there is an error in the dimension between the blade support member 4 and the housing side plates 2a, 2b, it becomes impossible to adjust the gap between the seal members 26a, 26b. Specifically, the rotation that constitutes the blade support member 4 is prevented. The shaft 8 is supported between the housing side plates 2a and 2b, and is fixed by retaining rings 30a and 30b such as E-type retaining rings so as not to move in the axial direction. With such a configuration, the housing side plates 2a and
When it is larger than the portion 2b, the rotary shaft 8 is movable in the axial direction with respect to the housing side plates 2a, 2b, and it is impossible to control the clearance t between the both ends of the blade member 6 and the seal members 26a, 26b. was there.

The present invention has been devised in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a cleaning device capable of accurately managing the gap between the blade member 6 and the seal member.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the main means adopted by the present invention is a blade supporting member supported between the housing side plates for removing the residual toner adhering to the surface of the photoreceptor. In a cleaning device provided with a blade member provided and a seal member provided on a housing side plate in order to prevent toner from slipping from both sides of the blade member, between the blade support member and the housing side plate. Is a cleaning device in which an elastic member is interposed and the blade supporting member is always urged in one axial direction.

(Operation) According to the above configuration, since the elastic member always urges the blade support member in one axial direction, the gap between the both ends of the blade member and the seal member is kept constant. .

Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3 showing an embodiment of the present invention.
In the following embodiments, the same symbols are used for the elements common to the conventional apparatus shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

In this embodiment, the rotary shaft 32 is set longer than the rotary shaft 8 described above, and the rotary shaft constituting the blade support member is formed.
A coil spring (elastic member) 34 is interposed between the retaining ring 30b of 32 and the housing side plate 2b, and the rotary shaft 32, that is, the blade supporting member 4 is always in one axial direction (to the right in FIG. 3). Being energized. Therefore, the sealing members 26a, 26b
The setting of the gap at the time of sticking is facilitated, and the gap t between the both ends of the blade member 6 and the seal members 26a, 26b is kept constant to prevent the toner from leaking from the housing 2.

Further, in the prior art shown in FIG. 3, when the image forming apparatus is used in a high temperature environment, the housing 2 made of resin or the like expands due to heat, and the side plates 2a and 2b are snap rings 30a and 3b.
When 0b is pressed, the rotation of the rotary shaft 8 is hindered, and when the shaft is locked, proper blade pressure cannot be obtained and cleaning fails, or the photoconductor 18 is not released from the photoconductor 18 and is not released. Although there is a problem of being damaged, in the present invention, since the expansion amount can be absorbed by the coil spring 34, the rotation shaft 32 can be prevented from being locked.

In addition, in one embodiment of the present invention, the coil spring 34 is arranged outside the housing 2, and the retaining ring 30b and the housing side plate 2b are arranged.
The coil spring 34 may be arranged inside the housing 2 and a retaining ring may be newly provided to provide the coil spring between the retaining ring and the housing side plate. Needless to say, sponge or the like may be used instead of the coil spring.

(Effect) As described above, according to the present invention, the gap between the both ends of the blade member and the seal member can be accurately controlled with a simple structure, toner leakage from the housing can be prevented, and the seal member can be easily attached. There is a practical effect such as.

[Brief description of drawings]

 FIG. 1 is a front view of essential parts showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the structure of a cleaning device. FIG. 3 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 …… Housing 2a, 2b …… Housing side plate 4 …… Blade supporting member 6 …… Blade member 18 …… Photosensitive member 26a, 26b …… Seal member 30a, 30b …… Retaining ring 32 …… Rotating shaft 34 …… Coil spring (Elastic member)

Claims (2)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A blade member provided on a blade supporting member supported between side plates of a housing for removing residual toner adhering to the surface of a photosensitive member, and for preventing toner from passing through both sides of the blade member. In the cleaning device having a seal member provided on the housing side plate, an elastic member is interposed between the blade supporting member and the housing side plate, and the blade supporting member is always biased in one axial direction. A cleaning device characterized in that 2. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the blade member is supported so as to be able to come into contact with and separate from the photoconductor.