JPS6267565A - Ozone decomposition processor for electrophotographic device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce a manufacturing cost and to compact a device itself by using an air suction blower and the cycronblower of a cyclone type toner separation device in common. CONSTITUTION:While a photosensitive drum, etc., make one turn, an electrified corotron 2, a standby transfer corotron 3, a transfer corotron 4, a peel-off corotron 5, an destaticized corotron 6, etc., are corona-discharged by impressing a voltage, whereby an electrostatic charge is electrostatically charged and destaticized. Ozone caused by corona discharge is moved to one end side of the inner wall side of the shield of each corotron along said side together with air due to the negative pressure of the cyclone blower 12 of a cyclone type toner separation device 11, and is sucked into an air suction tube 7. Then the ozone is passed through a standby ozone decomposition filter 14 to decompose, and sucked in the cyclone blower 12 of the cyclone type toner separation device 11. On the other hand, the air after toner is separated from the cyclone type toner separation device 11 is sucked into the cyclone blower 12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to an ozone decomposition treatment device used in an electrophotographic device.

(Prior Art) A charging corotron, a preliminary transfer corotron, a transfer corotron, a peeling corotron, and a static eliminating corotron are installed around the photoconductor drum, etc. installed in the machine body of a conventional electrophotographic apparatus such as a copying machine, along the rotation direction. etc. were arranged in order.

During a copying operation, each of these corotrons generates a corona discharge on the surface of the photosensitive drum or belt during one rotation to charge or eliminate static charges. Therefore, it was impossible to avoid generating ozone inside the machine body each time the corotrons were subjected to corona discharge. Moreover, since the ozone was a gas with extremely strong oxidizing power, if it was left as it was, it would oxidize the parts and mechanisms inside the machine, the photoreceptor, etc., and cause a decrease in their electrical resistance. This has the drawback that it not only causes unpleasant odors, but also spreads undesirable odors around the machine body, or even affects human safety if the amount exceeds the permissible level.Conventionally, this drawback has been avoided. In order to do this, an air suction blower is provided at a suitable location within the machine body, and an air suction tube is placed between the air suction blower and one end of the shield of each of the corotrons. is equipped with an ozone decomposition filter, and the ozone generated in each corotron is sucked into the air suction blower together with the air in the vicinity through the air suction tube, and the ozone-containing air sucked into the blower is The air was passed through an ozone decomposition filter to decompose the ozone, and only the air purified by decomposing the ozone was discharged to the outside of the aircraft.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the above-mentioned ozone decomposition treatment apparatus, a relatively large-capacity blower had to be used for sucking air containing ozone. The ozone decomposition treatment device itself is inevitably expensive, and in order to install it within the machine body, a corresponding amount of space must be secured in advance within the machine body. This had the drawback that it was extremely difficult to make the machine itself compact.

The present invention has been made in order to eliminate the drawbacks of the conventional ozone decomposition treatment apparatus described above.

(Means and actions for solving the problem) For this purpose, shields such as a charging corotron, a pre-charging corotron, a transfer corotron, a peeling corotron, and a static eliminating corotron are arranged around the photoreceptor drum in order along its rotation direction. Attach one end of the air suction tube to one end. Then, the other end of the air suction tube is connected to the air suction side of a cyclone blower that is connected to a cleaning device conventionally arranged on one outer periphery of a photoreceptor drum or the like via a cyclone type toner separation device using an air duct, The cyclone blower is equipped with an ozone decomposition filter. This causes the negative pressure of the cyclone blower to suck the cleaned toner in the cleaning device together with the surrounding air into the cyclone toner separation device;
After the air containing the toner is separated from the toner by a toner separation device, only the air is discharged from the cyclone blower to the outside of the machine. The ozone-containing air and the air from which the toner has been separated are subjected to secondary toner separation and ozone decomposition within the cyclone blower, and then sent out of the machine. This makes it possible to reduce the size of the ozone separation treatment device since it does not require a dedicated air suction blower.At the same time, the ozone two-ilter is connected to the cyclone blower. If there is a concern that the ozone will be decomposed with the one installed, install another one at a suitable location between the air suction tubes installed from one end of the shield of each corotron to the air suction side of the cyclone blower. An ozone decomposition filter is provided, and the ozone-containing air is decomposed twice by this ozone decomposition filter and the ozone decomposition filter.

(Example) The present invention will be described in detail below based on an example shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an embodiment of the ozone decomposition apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a front view of the same.

In these figures, around the photoreceptor drum or belt, there are charged corotrons 2. Pre-transfer corotron3. Transcription corotron4. A peeling corotron 5, a static eliminating corotron 6, etc. are arranged in this order. And these corotron 2. 3.
4. 5. Urethane etc. on one end side of the shield No. 6.
Air suction tube 7 made of material with good ozone resistance
...Attach one end to each. Among them, two air suction tubes 7 are attached to the shield of the charged corotron 2, and these air suction tubes 7...
... are combined into one large-diameter tube 9 at the joint part 8. The other end of the large diameter tube 9 is connected to the air suction side of a cyclone blower 12 of a cyclone type toner separation device 11 using an air duct 10 to a cleaning device disposed around one outer periphery of a photoreceptor drum or belt. Connect to. On the other hand, a main ozone decomposition filter 13 is attached to the air discharge side of the cyclone blower 12, and a preliminary ozone decomposition filter 13 is installed in the middle part of the large diameter tube 9 provided from the joint part 8 to the air suction side of the cyclone blower 12. Install filter 14.

The present invention is constructed as described above. Next, its operation will be explained.

Said charged corotron2. Preliminary transfer corotron 3, transfer corotron 4. Peeling corotron 5. The static eliminating corotron 6 or the like applies a voltage to each of the photosensitive drums or belts during one rotation to cause corona discharge, thereby charging and eliminating static charges on the photosensitive drums or belts. .

At this time, if the main body of the machine is of a two-cycle type, the above-mentioned operation is performed while the photosensitive drum, belt, etc. rotate twice. Then, the ozone generated during the corona discharge is moved together with the air along the inner wall of the shield of each corotron to one end thereof by the negative pressure of the cyclone blower 12 of the cyclone type toner separation device 11. Air suction tube 7 attached to the location from the side...
...suction each inward. After that, the ozone-containing air is collected in one place at the joint part 8 and passed through a preliminary ozone decomposition filter 14 installed in the middle of the large diameter tube 9 to decompose the ozone. The air is transferred to a cyclone type toner separation device 1.
1 into the cyclone blower 12.

On the other hand, air after the toner has been separated from the cyclone type toner separation device 11 is sucked into the cyclone blower 12 . After the transfer process is completed, residual toner, paper powder, etc. adhering to the surface of the photoreceptor drum or belt are scraped off from the surface by a cleaning device, and then the air is transferred from the cleaning device to the cyclone. This is the air that is sucked together when being sucked into the cyclone type toner separation device 11, and is the air that has been separated from toner and paper dust in the cyclone type toner separation device 11.

In the cyclone blower 12, the air that has passed through the preliminary ozonolysis filter 14 and the air that has passed through the cyclone toner separation device 11 are combined. After the combined air is separated into toner and air again using the toner filter installed in the cyclone blower 12, the air is then passed through the main ozone decomposition filter 13 to completely decompose the ozone. The cleaned air is discharged from the machine body in the direction shown by the arrow in the figure.

(Effects of the Invention) The present invention is constructed and used as described above. Then, the ozone generated by each corotron is sucked together with the air in its vicinity into an air suction blower through an air suction tube, and is decomposed by an ozone decomposition filter provided on the air suction blower and then released outside the machine. In discharging the toner to the toner, the air suction blower is provided so as to be used as a cyclone blower of a conventional cyclone type toner separation device connected to a cleaning device disposed around one outer periphery of the photoreceptor drum or belt. Since the ozone decomposition device is equipped with a dedicated air suction blower, the production cost of the device can be reduced accordingly, and at the same time, space can be saved. Using this, it is also possible to make the electrophotographic apparatus itself more compact. In addition, the ozone decomposition processing apparatus uses a preliminary ozone decomposition filter 14 and a main ozone decomposition filter 13 to remove ozone generated in each of the corotrons.
Since the ozone is decomposed twice, it is possible not only to improve the ozone decomposition efficiency but also to extend the life of the main ozone decomposition filter 13 and the preliminary ozone decomposition filter 14. Since the present invention is also useful for resource saving, it has the effect of improving the reliability of electrophotographic devices such as copying machines that use the present invention.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an embodiment of an ozone decomposition treatment apparatus for an electrophotographic apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a front view of the same.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) The end of the air suction tube for suctioning the ozone generated by the corotron placed inside the machine body of the electrophotographic device together with the air in the vicinity, and the The end of an air duct for sucking the cleaned toner together with the air in the vicinity into a cyclone type toner separation device is connected to a cyclone blower, and an ozone decomposition filter is attached to the cyclone blower. Ozone decomposition treatment equipment for electrophotographic equipment. (2) The ozone decomposition treatment apparatus for an electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an ozone decomposition filter provided at a suitable location in the middle of the air suction tube.