JPH08694Y2 - Copier cleaning device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial field of application> The present invention relates to a cleaning device for a copying machine, for example, an electrostatic transfer type, which cleans a surface of a photoconductor by sliding a blade.

<Prior Art> Normally, a photoconductor of a copying machine is charged, exposed by an optical device to form an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor, and a developing device forms a visible image. Then, transfer it to the fed paper,
Remove the paper from the photoconductor. Thereafter, the cleaning device removes the toner remaining on the photoconductor.

Some cleaning devices remove toner by pressing a blade formed of an elastic member such as rubber against the photoconductor in order to remove the toner remaining on the photoconductor after transfer.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> However, when the photoconductor is a belt-shaped one having a joint, some unevenness is generated at the joint.
If the blade that cleans the toner on the photoconductor is a fixed type that is constantly in pressure contact with the photoconductor, the edge of the blade may be scratched due to unevenness when passing through the seam, which may accelerate or damage the edge of the edge. To do.

Further, when the blade is pressure-contacted by a leading method, there is a problem that the blade is reversed due to a change in pressure-contact force.

In view of the above, the present invention aims to provide a cleaning device capable of extending the life of the blade by avoiding the influence of the unevenness of the seam on the photoconductor and preventing the blade from reversing. To do.

<Means for Solving Problems> The means for solving the problems according to the present invention is, as shown in FIG. , A contact / separation mechanism 4 for separating and contacting the blade 2 from the photoconductor 1, a detection mechanism 6 for detecting a seam 5 of the photoconductor 1, and a blade 2 separated from the photoconductor 1 by a seam detection signal of the detection mechanism 6. A control unit 7 that outputs a separation drive signal to the separation / contact mechanism 4 is provided, and an auxiliary blade 37 that is arranged so as to weaken the pressure contact force to the photoconductor 1 than the blade 2 is provided.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, an auxiliary separating / contacting mechanism 40 for separating and contacting the auxiliary blade 37 with respect to the photosensitive member 1 is provided, and after the blade 2 is separated from the photosensitive member 1, the auxiliary blade 37 is attached to the photosensitive member 1. It is a pressure contact.

<Operation> In the above means for solving the problem, the belt-shaped photoreceptor 1 having the seam 5 is rotated in the arrow direction by driving the process system. The blade 2 is pressed against the photoconductor 1, and after the toner is transferred, the toner remaining on the photoconductor 1 is scraped off and collected by the blade 2. Then, the seam 5 of the photoconductor 1
When the blade approaches the blade 2, the optical sensor 36 detects the notch 35 of the photoconductor 1 and outputs a seam detection signal. As a result, the control unit 7 outputs the separation drive signal to turn on the separation / contact mechanism.
Is driven to separate the blade 2 from the photoconductor 1. Here, the toner remaining on the photoconductor 1 is cleaned by the fixed auxiliary blade 37 that is always in contact with the photoconductor 1 or the auxiliary blade 37 that is brought into contact with the photoconductor 1 by driving the auxiliary separating / contacting mechanism 40.

When the seam 5 of the photoconductor 1 passes through the blade 2, a pressure contact drive signal is output from the controller 7 and the separation / contact mechanism 4
Is driven to bring the blade 2 into pressure contact with the photosensitive member 1 again.

<Embodiment> An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a cleaning device of a copying machine showing a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the same photoconductor, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a controller of the cleaning device.

As shown in the drawing, in a cleaning device 3 of a copying machine for cleaning the surface of the photoconductor 1 by sliding the blade 2 into contact with the surface of the photoconductor 1, a separating / connecting mechanism 4 for separating and contacting the blade 2 with the photoconductor 1.
And a detection mechanism 6 for detecting the seam 5 of the photoconductor 1, and the blade 2 is moved to the photoconductor 1 by the seam detection signal of the detection mechanism 6.
And a control section 7 for outputting a separation drive signal to the separation / contact mechanism 4 so as to separate the connection / disconnection mechanism.

The cleaning device 3 of the present invention is used in a general copying machine as shown in FIG. That is, in the copying machine, as shown in the drawing, the photoconductor 1 serving as an endless recording medium wound around a pair of drive rollers 8 and 9, and the photoconductor 1
A plurality of developing tanks 10, 11, 12 and 13 which are arranged close to each other and can be switched between a developing attitude and a non-developing attitude, and the one driving roller 8
Side endless belt-shaped intermediate transfer member 17 wound around rollers 14, 15 and 16 and contacting the photosensitive member 1, a main charger 18 disposed on the other driving roller 9 side, and the intermediate transfer member 17 The first transfer charging device 19 disposed on the first transfer charging device 19, the second transfer charging device 21 disposed on the lower side of the transfer sheet conveyed to the intermediate transfer member 17, and the present invention disposed on the lower side of the photoconductor 1. And a cleaning device 3. In FIG. 4, 22 is a sheet feeding device, 23 is a fixing device, and 24 is a fixing device.
Is an exposure apparatus. An auxiliary tank 25 is arranged above the developing tanks 10 to 13.

As shown in FIG. 1, the separating / connecting mechanism 4 switches the mounting plate 26 for supporting the blade 2 and switches the mounting plate 26 between the sliding contact position of the blade 2 and the separating position of the photosensitive member. A freely rotating shaft 27, a solenoid 28 for switching the mounting plate 26 to the photoconductor sliding contact position of the blade 2, and a force for biasing the mounting plate 26 away from the photoconductor of the blade 2. And a tension spring 29.

The blade 2 is held by an L-shaped blade holder 30, and the holder 30 is fixed to the mounting plate 26. The upper portion of the mounting plate 26 is fitted on the rotary shaft 27. The spring 29 is provided on the lower side of the rotary shaft 27, and the pin 26 of the mounting plate 26
It is interposed between a and a box-shaped device body 3a located on the front side of the mounting plate 26 in the traveling direction of the photoconductor.

Further, the solenoid 28 is arranged rearward of the mounting plate 26 in the advancing direction of the photoconductor, and the plunger 28a of the solenoid 28 and the pin 26b of the mounting plate 26 are connected by a connecting rod 31. .

Further, a holder 32 for restricting the position of the cleaning device 3 is arranged at a position facing the cleaning device 3 with the photoconductor 1 interposed therebetween and is in contact with the photoconductor 1. Then, a scraping plate 33 for removing foreign matters on the surface of the photoconductor 1 is attached to the apparatus body 3a, and a toner receiver 34 having a semi-circular cross section for receiving the toner removed by the blade 2 is formed in the apparatus body 3a. A screw roller 34a for transporting the toner to a waste toner container (not shown) is provided inside the toner receiver 34.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the detection mechanism 6 includes a detection notch 35 formed at the end of the photoconductor 1 on the front side of the joint 5 with respect to the rotation direction thereof, and the passage of the notch 35. And a light sensor (photointerrupter) 36 having a light emitting section 36a and a light receiving section 36b.

As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 7 is composed of a general one-chip microcomputer, has an internal data RAM, a program ROM, an ALU, etc., and uses the seamless signal from the detection mechanism 6 to drive the blade. It also has a function of outputting a pressure contact drive signal to the separation / contact mechanism 4 so as to press the photosensitive member 2 onto the photosensitive member 1.

In the above structure, the belt-shaped photoreceptor 1 having the seam 5
Is rotated in the direction of the arrow by driving the process system. The blade 2 is pressed against the photoconductor 1, and after the toner is transferred, the toner remaining on the photoconductor 1 is scraped off and collected by the blade 2. Then, when the seam 5 of the photoconductor 1 approaches the blade 2, the optical sensor 36 detects the notch 35 of the photoconductor 1 and outputs a seam detection signal. As a result, the control unit 7 outputs the separation drive signal and turns off the solenoid 28. Then, the mounting plate 26 is rotated by the biasing force of the spring 29 toward the photosensitive member separation posture side of the blade 2, so that the blade 2
Are separated from the surface of the photoconductor 1.

When the separation drive signal is output from the control unit 7 and the seam 5 of the photoconductor 1 passes the blade 2 after a certain period of time, a pressure contact drive signal is output from the control unit 7 and the solenoid 28 is turned on. The blade 2 is pressed against the photoconductor 1 again.

Therefore, since the blade 2 is not subject to the shock caused by the passage of the seam 5, the edge portion of the blade 2 is protected and the life thereof can be extended. Further, in the case of the reading method, it is possible to prevent accidents such as the reversal of the blade 2.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a cleaning device of a copying machine showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the figure, the cleaning device of this embodiment is provided with a fixed auxiliary blade 37 which is in constant contact with the photoconductor 1 on the rotation side of the photoconductor 1 with respect to the blade 2.
When the toner is separated from the photoconductor 1, the toner remaining on the photoconductor 1 is prevented from being sent to the subsequent process as it is, and the toner removal process, the toner scattering, the toner scattering, or the In the color copying machine, it is possible to prevent the toners of respective colors from being mixed in the developing tank.

The auxiliary blade 37 is held by an auxiliary blade holder 38 and fixed to an auxiliary blade mounting plate 39 mounted on the apparatus body 3. The auxiliary blade 37 weakens the pressure contact force of the blade 2 with respect to the photoconductor 1, and is arranged so that the sliding contact angle is small. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

In the above configuration, the blade 2 on the front side with respect to the traveling direction of the photoconductor 1 cleans only the image area on the surface of the photoconductor 1. Further, when the blade 2 is separated, the auxiliary blade 37 cleans the toner in the non-image area remaining on the photoconductor 1.

Therefore, the auxiliary blade 37 that constantly contacts the photoconductor 1
By providing the above, it is possible to prevent the residual toner from having an adverse effect such as scattering in the process after cleaning when the blade 2 is separated.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a cleaning device for a copying machine showing a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a time chart showing the control thereof.

As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, the auxiliary blade mounting plate 39 for mounting the auxiliary blade 37 in the second embodiment is slidably supported by the apparatus main body 3a via the rotary shaft 39a, and the auxiliary blade 37 is a photosensitive member. Auxiliary separating / connecting mechanism 40 to separate / connect to 1
Is provided. The auxiliary separating / contacting mechanism 40 is composed of an auxiliary spring 41 for urging the auxiliary blade 37 in a direction of separating from the photoconductor, and a sub solenoid 43 for switching the auxiliary blade 37 to the photoconductor sliding contact posture. To be done.

The auxiliary spring 41 is interposed between the mounting plate 39 and the device body 3a. The lower end of the mounting plate 39 and the plunger pin 43a of the sub-solenoid 43 are connected via a connecting rod 44.

In the above structure, the solenoid 28 on the blade 2 side,
The drive time with the auxiliary solenoid 43 on the auxiliary blade 37 side is as shown in FIG. That is, in response to the detection of the seam 6, the blade 2 is separated from the photoconductor 1, and after a certain delay, the auxiliary solenoid 37 is turned on so that the auxiliary blade 37 is pressed against the photoconductor 1, and after a certain time t. The auxiliary solenoid 43 is turned off so as to separate the auxiliary blade 37 from the photoconductor 1. The time lag is slightly overlapped to absorb the variation. However, in the time chart of FIG. 7, the blade 2 is pressed against the photoconductor 1 by seam detection,
In this state, a timer or the like is activated, and the blade 2 is controlled to be separated from the photoconductor 1 after a predetermined time T.

In this way, the auxiliary blade 37 can remove toner that cannot be removed by the blade 2. However, if the auxiliary blade 37 is always in contact with the photoconductor 1, the inversion of the blade will occur due to the increased friction between the blade and the photoconductor 1 due to the shortage of the toner adhering to the photoconductor 1. Then, the auxiliary separation / contact mechanism 40 of the auxiliary blade 37 can prevent the blade from being reversed.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and it goes without saying that many modifications and changes can be made to the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

For example, the detection mechanism 6 may include an index portion on the photoconductor side and an optical sensor that detects the presence of the index portion.

<Effects of Device> As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the contact / separation mechanism for contacting / separating the blade with the photoconductor, the detection mechanism for detecting the seam of the photoconductor, and the seam detection signal of the detection mechanism are used. Since a control unit that outputs a separation drive signal to the separation / contact mechanism is provided to separate the blade from the photoconductor, the blade does not undergo shock due to passage of the seam, and the edge portion of the blade is protected. The life of the blade can be extended, and in the case of the reading method, the blade can be prevented from being reversed.

Further, since the auxiliary blade is provided, it is possible to clean the residual toner on the photoconductor that could not be removed by the blade when separating the blade, and prevent the residual toner from being sent to the process as it is, It is possible to prevent the toner from falling off in the subsequent charge eliminating step or in the vicinity thereof, the toner scattering, and the color toners of the respective colors from being mixed in the developing tank in the color copying machine. Further, by providing an auxiliary separating / contacting mechanism so that the auxiliary blade can be contacted / separated with respect to the photoconductor, when the auxiliary blade is always in contact with the photoconductor, due to lack of toner attached to the photoconductor, It is very effective to prevent blade reversal caused by high friction.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a cleaning device of a copying machine showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the same photoconductor, FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a control unit of the cleaning device, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a cleaning device for a copying machine showing a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a configuration of a cleaning device for a copying machine showing a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 and FIG. 7 are time charts showing the same control. 1: photoconductor, 2: blade, 3: cleaning device, 4: separation / contact mechanism, 5: seam, 6: detection mechanism, 7: control unit, 28: solenoid, 2
9: Spring, 39: Mounting plate, 40: Auxiliary connecting / disconnecting mechanism, 43: Sub solenoid.

Claims (2)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A cleaning device for a copying machine, wherein a blade is slidably brought into contact with the surface of an endless belt-like photoconductor for cleaning, and a separation / contact mechanism for bringing the blade into contact with the photoconductor.
A detection mechanism that detects a seam of the photoconductor, a control unit that outputs a separation drive signal to the separation / contact mechanism to separate the blade from the photoconductor by a seam detection signal of the detection mechanism, and the photoconductor rather than the blade. A cleaning device for a copying machine, comprising: an auxiliary blade disposed so as to weaken the pressure contact force with the auxiliary blade. 2. An auxiliary separating / contacting mechanism for separating and contacting the auxiliary blade with respect to the photosensitive member, wherein the auxiliary blade is pressed against the photosensitive member after the blade is separated from the photosensitive member. Copier cleaning device.