JPH08693Y2 - Image forming device cleaning device - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial field of application] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic method such as an electrophotographic copying machine, and particularly to an image which does not require forced exhaust of a toner cloud by a vacuum device. The present invention relates to a cleaning device for a forming device.

[Conventional technology]

In an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic method such as an electrophotographic copying machine, a charging device, a developing device, a transfer
Although the stripper, the cleaning device, the static elimination lamp, etc. are arranged in this order, in the modular system in which the functional components such as the cleaning device, the static elimination lamp, and the charger are integrated to simplify the maintenance, etc. Functional components are often located close together.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a conventional blade type cleaning device that requires forced exhaustion.

In the figure, the toner 3 scraped from the surface of the photoconductor 2 by the blade 1 rides on the airflow generated by the rotation of the photoconductor 2 when the blade 1 retreats, and the toner 3 and the cleaning device 4 are removed. Through the gap with the downstream surface 6 of the housing portion 5 to the downstream side of the cleaning device 4 to form a toner cloud, which contaminates functional components such as the static elimination lamp 7 and the charger 8 on the downstream side of the cleaning device 4. For this reason, fog on the back surface of the copy caused by a decrease in the amount of light due to stains on the charge eliminating lamp 7, uneven density due to uneven stain on the wire of the charger 8, and increase in current value have been caused. This is particularly noticeable in the modular system in which the functional parts are arranged close to each other, and in order to prevent this, the toner cloud was forcibly exhausted outside the system by a vacuum device (not shown) as indicated by the arrow.

[Problems to be solved by the device]

However, by forcibly exhausting the toner cloud to the outside of the system by the vacuum device, problems such as an increase in the space for the vacuum device, an increase in the size of the machine, an increase in power consumption, and the generation of noise have occurred.

The present invention has been devised in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and by providing an exhaust mechanism for spontaneously exhausting the toner cloud to the outside of the system at the upper part of the housing of the cleaning device, The purpose is to eliminate forced exhaust.

[Means for solving the problem]

In order to achieve the object, the cleaning device of the present invention is an electronic device equipped with a cleaning device for removing the residual toner on the surface of the photoconductor by a blade provided in the housing so as to be movable back and forth with respect to the surface of the photoconductor. In an image forming apparatus using a photographic method, a shield plate for shielding an air flow from the cleaning device to a functional component installed on the downstream side of the cleaning device, one end side of which faces the surface of the photoconductor. And a shield plate having a width corresponding to the entire width of the photoconductor along the axial direction of the photoconductor, and an auxiliary shield plate which is installed on the upstream side of the shield plate and forms a duct by the combination of the shield plate. In the state where the distance between the shield plate and the surface of the photoconductor is smaller than the distance between the auxiliary shield plate and the surface of the photoconductor and the distance between the shield plate and the auxiliary shield plate, An exhaust port is provided in the upper part of the housing part of the leaning device, and an exhaust port communicating with the duct is provided in the upper part of the housing part of the cleaning device, and when the blade retracts, only by the air flow generated by the rotation of the photoconductor The toner cloud of the housing part of the cleaning device is guided to the exhaust port through the duct.

[Action]

In the present invention, by increasing the flow resistance of the gas between the shielding plate provided on the upper part of the housing part of the cleaning device and the surface of the photoconductor, when the blade retracts, the rotation of the photoconductor is accompanied. A duct configured to suppress an air flow flowing from a gap between the shield plate and the photoconductor to the downstream side of the cleaning device, and to form the air flow by a gap between the shield plate and an auxiliary shield plate provided on the upstream side of the shield plate. Through the, the air is guided to the outside of the system from the exhaust port by natural convection accompanying the rotation of the photoreceptor. At this time, since the distance between the shield plate and the surface of the photoconductor is smaller than the distance between the auxiliary shield plate and the surface of the photoconductor and the distance between the shield plate and the auxiliary shield plate, air generated as the photoconductor rotates The flow is efficiently guided along the flow path formed between the shield plate and the auxiliary shield plate. Therefore, the toner cloud floating in the air flow is prevented from being transported to the downstream side.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the features of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of the cleaning device of this embodiment.

In this cleaning device, a shield plate 9 and an auxiliary shield plate 10 are arranged on the downstream side of the blade 1 so that the gap between them forms a duct. This duct is for guiding the air flow inside the cleaning device 4 to the outside of the system by natural convection. The auxiliary shielding plate 10 has a hole 11 for intake, and the air flow is as shown by a solid arrow, a gap between the shielding plate 9 and the auxiliary shielding plate 10, and an air intake as shown by a dashed arrow. It is guided into the duct from the hole 11 for use.

The airflow inside the cleaning device 4 is guided to the outside of the system by natural convection through the duct even if the intake hole 11 is not provided, but more effective exhaust is possible if the intake hole 11 is opened. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the case where the intake hole 11 is opened will be described.

The shielding plate 9 faces the surface of the photoconductor 2 and has a width corresponding to the entire width of the photoconductor 2 along the axial direction of the photoconductor 2. The gap between the shield plate 9 and the surface of the photoconductor 2 is set to be smaller than the gap between the auxiliary shield plate 10 and the surface of the photoconductor 2 or the gap between the shield plate 9 and the auxiliary shield plate 10.

As a result, the air flow flowing along the surface of the photoconductor 2 is changed from the gap between the shield plate 9 and the auxiliary shield plate 10 having a small resistance to the gap between the shield plate 9 and the auxiliary shield plate 10 as shown by the arrow indicated by the solid line. It flows preferentially into the configured duct, and as the air pressure decreases due to it, as indicated by the dashed arrow,
The airflow also flows into the duct from the intake hole 11 formed in the auxiliary shield plate 10. Therefore, the toner cloud carried on the air flow is less likely to be sent to the downstream side through the gap between the shield plate 9 having a large resistance and the surface of the photoconductor 2, and the charge eliminating lamp 7 and the charger 8 arranged on the downstream side are less likely to be sent. It is possible to prevent functional parts such as the above from being contaminated by the toner cloud.

Then, the toner cloud separated from the surface of the photoconductor 2 flows into the duct formed by the gap between the shield plate 9 and the auxiliary shield plate 10 or the intake hole 11 formed in the auxiliary shield plate 10 for cleaning. It is captured by a filter 13 installed at an exhaust port 12 provided at the upper part of the housing portion 5 of the device 4.

[Effect of device]

As described above, in the present invention, the direction of the air flow that flows along the surface of the photoconductor along with the rotation of the photoconductor is regulated, and the air is discharged to the outside of the system by natural convection. The toner cloud is prevented from leaking. Therefore, the forced evacuation by the vacuum device becomes unnecessary, and the problems such as the size increase of the machine due to the increase of the space, the increase of power consumption, the generation of noise, etc. are solved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment in which the cleaning device of an image forming apparatus of the present invention is applied to a blade type cleaning device, and FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a blade type cleaning device using a conventional vacuum device. . 1: Blade, 2: Photoreceptor 3: Toner, 4: Cleaning device 5: Housing part, 6: Downstream surface 7: Discharge lamp, 8: Charger 9: Shield plate, 10: Auxiliary shield plate 11: Hole, 12: Exhaust port 13: Filter

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. An image forming apparatus using electrophotography, comprising a cleaning device for removing residual toner on the surface of a photoconductor by a blade provided in a housing so as to be capable of advancing and retreating with respect to the surface of the photoconductor. A shield plate for shielding an air flow from the cleaning device to a functional component installed on the downstream side of the cleaning device, one end side of which faces the surface of the photoconductor and is exposed in the axial direction of the photoconductor. A shield plate having a width corresponding to the entire width of the body, and an auxiliary shield plate which is installed on the upstream side of the shield plate and forms a duct by a combination of the shield plate, the shield plate and the photoconductor surface. Is provided above the housing portion of the cleaning device in a state in which the distance between the auxiliary shield plate and the surface of the photoconductor is smaller than the distance between the auxiliary shield plate and the photosensitive member surface. In addition, an exhaust port communicating with the duct is provided in the upper portion of the housing portion of the cleaning device, and when the blade is retracted, the toner in the housing portion of the cleaning device is generated only by the air flow generated by the rotation of the photoconductor. A cleaning device for an image forming apparatus, wherein a cloud is guided to the exhaust port through the duct.