JP2004101556A - Cleaning blade - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the squeaking and the turn-up of a cleaning blade over a long term with simple configuration. <P>SOLUTION: The cleaning blade 16a extended along an orthogonal direction to the rotating direction of a photoreceptor drum on which a toner image is formed and carried, and arranged to be opposed toward a doctor with respect to the rotating direction of the photoreceptor drum is constituted of polyurethane rubber, and its image forming area opposed part B opposed to the image forming area of the photoreceptor drum is smoothed and irregularities 16b having a low friction coefficient is provided in its image non-forming area opposed part C opposed to the image non-forming area (area other than the image forming area) of the photoreceptor drum. Then, the surface roughness (ten-point average roughness) Rz of the irregularities 16b is set to <0.3μm. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a cleaning blade that is used in a cleaning device used in an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine or a laser printer and that presses against an image carrier to clean the surface thereof.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a conventional image forming apparatus, a rotatable photoconductor drum, a charging device for charging the photoconductor drum to a predetermined potential, an exposure device for forming an electrostatic latent image on the charged photoconductor drum surface, A developing device that develops an electrostatic latent image with toner, a transfer device that transfers the formed toner image to a recording medium such as paper, and a cleaning device that removes residual toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum after the transfer It has been known. Among them, a cleaning device in which an edge of a cleaning blade made of an elastic material such as urethane rubber is brought into pressure contact with the surface of a photosensitive drum is widely used. The cleaning blade is normally used by pressing an edge on the free end side (hereinafter referred to as a blade edge) in a counter direction (doctor direction) with respect to the moving direction of the photosensitive drum.
[0003]
In this type of cleaning device, it is known that the residual toner to be cleaned serves as a lubricant to reduce the frictional force acting between the photosensitive drum and the cleaning blade. However, since both ends in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum face the non-image forming area where the toner image for the image is not formed, both ends in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade that is pressed against the non-image forming area are used for image formation. As a result, the residual toner generated is not supplied. For this reason, at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade, the blade edge may cause chattering due to friction between the photosensitive drum and the cleaning blade, resulting in an abnormal noise (sound of the cleaning blade). If the chattering is severe, the blade edge may be caught in the rotating direction of the photosensitive drum and turned up, resulting in poor cleaning.
[0004]
Conventionally, in order to prevent such a problem, a technique has been proposed in which the side of the blade edge at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade facing the photosensitive drum is cut off obliquely in advance (Patent Document 1). reference).
Also, a technique has been proposed in which the blade edge side of a cleaning blade is coated with a polycarbonate resin having a low coefficient of friction (see Patent Document 2).
Furthermore, a technique has been proposed in which toner is supplied to non-image forming areas of a photosensitive drum corresponding to both ends of a cleaning blade separately from image formation (see Patent Document 3).
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-7-104627 (pages 4 to 5, FIG. 1 (b))
[Patent Document 2]
JP-A-11-73075 (pages 3 to 5, FIG. 7)
[Patent Document 3]
JP-A-2-14884 (page 5, FIG. 4)
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the technique described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that a gap is formed between the photosensitive drum and both ends in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade, and leakage of residual toner occurs.
Further, the technique described in Patent Document 2 has a problem in that the coating applied to the cleaning blade is peeled off with the lapse of time because the thickness of the coating layer is small, so that the durability is reduced.
Further, in the technique described in Patent Document 3, since the toner must be supplied to the non-image forming area of the photosensitive drum separately from the image formation, the control becomes complicated, and the toner consumption increases. Problem.
[0007]
The present invention has been made to solve the above technical problems, and an object of the present invention is to prevent the cleaning blade from squeaking and turning over for a long time with a simple configuration.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The cleaning blade of the present invention is a cleaning blade that extends along a direction perpendicular to the rotation direction of the image carrier on which the toner image is formed and carried, and is disposed to face the doctor direction with respect to the rotation direction of the image carrier. In addition, the image forming apparatus includes a smooth portion provided at a position facing the image forming region of the image carrier, and an uneven portion provided at a position facing a region other than the image forming region of the image carrier. Here, the surface roughness (ten-point average roughness) Rz of the uneven portion can be characterized as being less than 0.3 μm.
[0009]
Further, the cleaning blade of the present invention extends along a direction perpendicular to the rotation direction of the image carrier on which the toner image is formed and carried, and is disposed to face the doctor direction with respect to the rotation direction of the image carrier. A blade, an elastic member provided at a position facing the image forming area of the image carrier, and an image carrier provided at a position facing the area other than the image forming area of the image carrier, And a low friction member having a low coefficient of friction with respect to. Here, the low-friction member can be characterized by being formed of a plate-shaped member attached to the elastic member or a tape-shaped member attached to the elastic member.
[0010]
Further, the cleaning blade of the present invention extends along a direction orthogonal to the rotation direction of the image carrier on which the toner image is formed and carried, and is disposed to face the doctor direction with respect to the rotation direction of the image carrier. The blade is characterized in that the brittleness of a portion facing both ends in a direction perpendicular to the rotation direction of the image carrier is reduced.
[0011]
Still further, the cleaning blade of the present invention extends along a direction orthogonal to the rotation direction of the image carrier on which the toner image is formed and carried, and is disposed to face the doctor direction with respect to the rotation direction of the image carrier. The cleaning blade is characterized in that a portion opposed to both ends in a direction perpendicular to the rotation direction of the image carrier has a greater plate thickness than other portions.
[0012]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
-Embodiment 1-
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment, and shows a so-called tandem type digital color printer. The image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 includes, in a main body 1, an image processing system 10 for forming an image corresponding to gradation data of each color, a sheet conveying system 40 for conveying a recording sheet (sheet), such as a personal computer or an image reading apparatus. An image processing system (IPS) 50, which is connected to a device or the like and performs predetermined image processing on received image data, is provided.
[0013]
The image processing system 10 includes four image forming units 11Y and 11M of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), which are arranged in parallel at predetermined intervals in the horizontal direction. , 11C, 11K, a transfer unit 20 for multiplex-transferring the toner images of each color formed on the photosensitive drums 12 of the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K onto an intermediate transfer belt 21, and image forming units 11Y, 11M, A ROS (Raster Output Scanner) 30, which is an optical system unit that irradiates the laser beams to 11C and 11K, is provided. Further, the main body 1 includes a fixing device 29 for fixing the image on the recording paper (sheet) secondary-transferred by the transfer unit 20 to the recording paper using heat and pressure. Further, toner cartridges 19Y, 19M, 19C, and 19K for supplying toner of each color to the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K are provided.
[0014]
The transfer unit 20 includes a drive roll 22 that drives an intermediate transfer belt 21 that is an intermediate transfer body, a tension roll 23 that applies a constant tension to the intermediate transfer belt 21, and a secondary transfer of a superimposed toner image of each color onto recording paper. And a cleaning device 25 for removing residual toner and the like existing on the intermediate transfer belt 21. The intermediate transfer belt 21 is wound around the drive roll 22 and the tension roll 23 and the backup roll 24 with a constant tension, and is rotationally driven by a dedicated drive motor (not shown) excellent in constant speed. The drive roller 22 is driven to circulate at a predetermined speed in the direction of the arrow. The intermediate transfer belt 21 is, for example, a belt material (rubber or resin) that does not cause charge-up and whose resistance is adjusted. The cleaning device 25 includes a cleaning brush 25a and a cleaning blade 25b. The cleaning device 25 removes residual toner, paper dust, and the like from the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 after the toner image transfer process is completed, and performs the next image forming process. It is constituted so that it may be prepared.
[0015]
The ROS 30 deflects and scans a laser beam (LB-Y, LB-M, LB-C, LB-K) emitted from the laser diode (LD) in addition to a laser diode (LD) and a modulator (not shown). 31 are provided. In the example shown in FIG. 1, since the ROS 30 is provided below the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K, there is a risk of contamination due to a drop of toner or the like. Therefore, the ROS 30 is provided with a rectangular frame 32 for sealing each component, and a glass window 33 through which laser light (LB-Y, LB-M, LB-C, LB-K) passes. Is provided above the frame 32 so as to enhance the shielding effect together with the scanning exposure.
[0016]
The sheet transport system 40 includes a paper feeder 41 for stacking and supplying recording paper (sheets) on which images are recorded, a nager roll 42 for picking up and supplying the recording paper from the paper feeder 41, and a supply from the nager roll 42. A feed roll 43 is provided for separating and transporting the separated recording paper one by one, and a transport path 44 for transporting the recording paper separated by the feed roll 43 one by one toward the image transfer unit. Further, a registration roll 45 that conveys the recording paper conveyed via the conveyance path 44 toward the secondary transfer position in a timely manner is provided. And a secondary transfer roll 46 for secondary transfer of an image. Further, there is provided a discharge roll 47 for discharging the recording paper on which the toner image has been fixed by the fixing device 29 to the outside of the main body 1, and a discharge tray 48 for stacking the recording paper discharged by the discharge roll 47. Further, a double-sided conveyance unit 49 is provided which enables the recording paper fixed by the fixing device 29 to be reversed and double-sided recording is possible.
[0017]
Next, the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K in the image processing system 10 will be described in detail.
FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K. Here, the yellow (Y) image forming unit 11Y and the magenta (M) image forming unit 11M are shown. Have been. The other image forming units 11C and 11K have substantially the same configuration.
[0018]
The image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K are charged by a photosensitive drum 12 as an image carrier for carrying a toner image, a charger 13 for charging the photosensitive drum 12 using a charging roll 13a, and a charger 13. , A developing device 14 for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 12 by a laser beam (LB-Y, LB-M, LB-C, LB-K) from the ROS 30 by a developing roll 14a; A primary transfer roll 15 that is provided opposite to the photosensitive drum 12 with the belt 21 interposed therebetween and transfers the toner image developed on the photosensitive drum 12 onto the intermediate transfer belt 21, and remains on the photosensitive drum 12 after the transfer The cleaning device 16 is provided for removing the residual toner with a cleaning blade 16a. The details of the cleaning device 16 will be described later.
[0019]
In the present embodiment, the image forming unit 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K are integrated with the photosensitive drum 12, the charger 13, and the cleaning device 16 to form the process cartridge 60 shown in FIG. Only the process cartridge 60 is detached from the main body 1 of the forming apparatus, and only the process cartridge 60 can be attached to the main body 1 so that the user can replace the cartridge. Each of these process cartridges 60 has a nonvolatile memory unit (not shown) mounted thereon. The process cartridge 60 is mounted on the non-volatile memory unit in a predetermined image forming unit 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K such as, for example, the number of rotations of the photosensitive drum 12, the high voltage application time, and the number of prints. At this time, the cartridge use history information is stored. These process cartridges 60 can be used interchangeably among the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C and 11K. Since the non-volatile memory unit is mounted on each of the process cartridges 60, even when the process cartridges 60 are used in different image forming units, their own use history information can be stored in the process cartridges 60 in total. You can save yourself. As a result, for example, a correct life can be determined for each process cartridge 60.
[0020]
Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 will be described. A color material reflected light image of a document read by a document reading device (not shown) and color material image data formed by a personal computer (not shown) include, for example, R (red), G (green), and B (blue). The data is input to the IPS 50 as 8-bit reflectance data. In the IPS 50, predetermined image processing such as shading correction, position shift correction, brightness / color space conversion, gamma correction, various image editing such as frame erasing, color editing, and moving editing is performed on the input reflectance data. Is done. The image data subjected to the image processing is converted into four color material gradation data of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) and output to the ROS 30.
[0021]
The ROS 30 converts the laser light (LB-Y, LB-M, LB-C, LB-K) emitted from the laser diode (LD) (not shown) according to the input color material gradation data. The light is emitted to the polygon mirror 31 via an f-θ lens (not shown). The polygon mirror 31 modulates the incident laser light in accordance with the gradation data of each color, scans the laser light, scans the laser light, and performs image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K via an imaging lens (not shown) and a plurality of mirrors. Of the photosensitive drum 12. In the photoconductor drums 12 of the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K, the charged surface is subjected to scanning exposure to form an electrostatic latent image. The formed electrostatic latent image is developed as a toner image of each color of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) in each of the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K. Is done.
[0022]
The toner images formed on the photosensitive drums 12 of the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K are multiplex-transferred onto an intermediate transfer belt 21 that is an intermediate transfer body. At this time, the black image forming unit 11K for forming a black toner image is provided on the most downstream side in the moving direction of the intermediate transfer belt 21, and the black toner image is finally transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 21 by the primary transfer. Is done.
[0023]
On the other hand, in the sheet transport system 40, the nudger roll 42 rotates in synchronization with the timing of image formation, and a recording sheet of a predetermined size is supplied from the sheet feeding device 41. The recording paper separated one by one by the feed roll 43 is conveyed to a registration roll 45 via a conveyance path 44 and temporarily stopped. Thereafter, the registration roll 45 rotates in accordance with the movement timing of the intermediate transfer belt 21 on which the toner image is formed, and the recording paper is transported to a secondary transfer position formed by the backup roll 24 and the secondary transfer roll 46. . A toner image in which four colors are multiplexed is sequentially transferred in the sub-scanning direction to the recording paper conveyed upward from below at the secondary transfer position by using a pressing force and a predetermined electric field. Then, the recording paper on which the toner images of each color are transferred is subjected to a fixing process by heat and pressure by a fixing device 29, and then is discharged by a discharge roll 47 to a discharge tray 48 provided at an upper portion of the main body 1. The recording sheet fixed by the fixing unit 29 may be reversed by the double-sided conveyance unit 49 without switching the conveyance direction to the discharge tray 48 without changing the conveyance direction by a switching gate (not shown). After the inverted recording paper is conveyed to the registration roll 45, an image is formed on the other unprinted surface by the same flow as described above, so that an image can be formed on both sides of the recording paper. Become.
[0024]
Next, an image forming operation in the image forming unit 11Y shown in FIG. 2 will be described in detail. The same applies to the other image forming units 11M, 11C, and 11K.
When the image forming operation is started, the photosensitive drum 12 starts rotating, and the surface of the photosensitive drum 12 is charged to a predetermined potential by the charging roll 13a. Then, the surface of the photosensitive drum 12 charged to a predetermined potential is selectively irradiated with the laser beam LB-Y to form an electrostatic latent image corresponding to an image to be created. Next, the toner T is selectively transferred from the rotating developing roll 14a to the photosensitive drum 12 in accordance with the formed electrostatic latent image, and a toner image corresponding to an image to be formed is formed. Further, the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 12 is transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 21 by the primary transfer bias applied to the primary transfer roll 15. The residual toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 12 without being transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 21 is scraped off by the cleaning blade 16a.
[0025]
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a cross section on the end side of the process cartridge 60. In this embodiment, the process cartridge 60 is provided with a cleaner housing 61 that houses the cleaning device 16 (cleaning blade 16a) and a charging housing 62 that houses the charger 13 (charging roll 13a). The cleaner housing 61 and the charging housing 62 can be attached to and detached from the process cartridge 60.
[0026]
Here, the cleaning device 16 includes a cleaning blade 16a that is disposed so that the blade edge A on the free end side is pressed against the moving direction of the photosensitive drum 12 in the doctor direction, and a cleaning blade 16a formed of a sheet metal and having the cleaning blade 16a fixed thereto. And a screw 72 for fixing the holder 71 to the cleaner housing 61. In addition, one end is fixed to the cleaner housing 61 and a seal is provided so that the free end is in contact with the photosensitive drum 12 on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 12 as viewed from the contact portion between the photosensitive drum 12 and the cleaning blade 16a. A film 73 is attached. The seal film 73 is made of, for example, PET (polyethylene terephthalate), and is disposed so that the free end side contacts the wiper direction with respect to the moving direction of the photosensitive drum 12. Thereby, the toner removed by the cleaning blade 16a and stored in the cleaner housing 61 can be prevented from leaking outside. In the cleaner housing 61, an auger 74 is provided along the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 12, and the toner collected in the cleaner housing 61 is transferred to a collection bottle (not shown) provided outside. It is designed to be transported toward.
[0027]
FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a mounting position of the holder 71 in the process cartridge 60. In FIG. 5, the charger 13 is removed from the process cartridge 60.
The holder 71 holding the cleaning blade 16a is screwed with screws 72 (specifically, 72a and 72b) at both longitudinal ends (corresponding to both axial ends of the photosensitive drum 12) of the holder 71. Thereby, it is fixed to the cleaner housing 61. This fixed position is in a non-image forming area of the photosensitive drum 12 described later.
[0028]
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the cleaning blade 16a used in the present embodiment. The cleaning blade 16a is made of, for example, a polyurethane rubber having a thickness of 2 mm, and has a blade edge A that is pressed against the photosensitive drum 12 (see FIG. 4). Further, the cleaning blade 16a includes an image forming area facing portion B facing an image forming area (a region where a toner image corresponding to an image is formed) at a central portion in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 12, and a non-forming portion at both axial ends. A non-image forming area opposing portion C opposing an image forming area (an area where a toner image corresponding to an image is not formed);
[0029]
In this embodiment, the non-image forming area facing portion C of the cleaning blade 16a is subjected to sandblasting, and the blade edge A of the non-image forming area facing portion C has a surface roughness (ten-point average roughness) Rz of 0. An uneven portion 16b having a thickness of less than 3 μm is formed. By forming the uneven portion 16b, the friction coefficient of the blade edge A of the non-image forming region facing portion C can be reduced as compared with the blade edge A of the image forming region facing portion B of the cleaning blade 16a. The surface roughness Rz of the blade edge A corresponding to the image forming area facing portion B is about 0.05 μm.
[0030]
Therefore, when the cleaning blade 16a is pressed against the photosensitive drum 12, the frictional force applied to both ends of the cleaning blade 16a is reduced, and chattering is less likely to occur. Can be. Further, since the portion where the uneven portion 16b is formed is located outside the image forming area of the photoconductor drum 12, the normal cleaning is not affected at all. Further, since the unevenness formed on the uneven portion 16b is extremely small, the residual toner collected in the cleaning device 16 does not leak outside through the uneven portion 16b. Furthermore, since it is only necessary to sandblast both ends of the cleaning blade 16a, the cost can be kept low.
The method of forming the concave and convex portions 16b is not limited to the sandblasting described above, and various methods such as, for example, scratching with sandpaper or the like can be applied.
[0031]
-Embodiment 2-
This embodiment is almost the same as the first embodiment, except that an elastic plate is attached instead of forming the uneven portion 16b on the blade edge A at both ends of the cleaning blade 16a. . In the present embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the detailed description thereof will be omitted.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the cleaning blade 16a used in the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, a thin plate 16c made of polyimide or nylon and having a thickness of 200 to 300 μm is attached to the non-image forming area facing portion C of the cleaning blade 16a on the surface in contact with the photosensitive drum 12 to form the blade edge A. It has become. In addition, by forming in advance a recess for fitting the thin plate 16c in the cleaning blade 16a, the cleaning blade 16a and the thin plate 16c adhered thereto form a smooth blade edge A without a step. It has become. As a method of attaching the thin plate 16c to the cleaning blade 16a, for example, a method of adhering using a double-sided tape or the like, a method of adhering or heat-sealing the thin plate 16c at the time of molding the cleaning blade 16a, and the like are used.
[0032]
By adhering the thin plate 16c to the cleaning blade 16a in this manner, the friction coefficient of the blade edge A of the non-image forming area facing portion C can be reduced as compared with the blade edge A of the image forming area facing portion B.
Therefore, when the cleaning blade 16a is pressed against the photosensitive drum 12, the frictional force applied to both ends of the cleaning blade 16a is reduced, and chattering is less likely to occur. Can be. In particular, in the present embodiment, since the thin plate 16c of polyimide or nylon having higher elasticity than polyurethane rubber is attached to both ends of the cleaning blade 16a, the rigidity of both ends of the cleaning blade 16a can be further increased. This is effective for preventing squealing and curling of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 16a. Further, since the portion where the thin plate 16c is attached is outside the image forming area of the photosensitive drum 12, it does not affect the normal cleaning at all. Further, since there is almost no step between the cleaning blade 16a and the thin plate 16c, the residual toner collected by the cleaning device 16 does not leak to the outside. And since the thickness of the thin plate 16c is much larger than the thickness of the coat layer of Patent Document 2, performance can be maintained for a long period of time.
[0033]
-Embodiment 3-
The present embodiment is almost the same as the first embodiment, except that taping is performed instead of forming the uneven portions 16b on the blade edges A at both ends of the cleaning blade 16a. In the present embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the detailed description thereof will be omitted.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the cleaning blade 16a used in the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, a 20 to 30 μm-thick laminated tape 16 d in which polyimide or nylon is laminated is attached to the non-image forming area facing portion C of the cleaning blade 16 a to form the blade edge A.
[0034]
By adhering the laminating tape 16d to the cleaning blade 16a in this manner, the friction coefficient of the blade edge A of the non-image forming area facing portion C can be reduced as compared with the blade edge A of the image forming area facing portion B.
Therefore, when the cleaning blade 16a is pressed against the photosensitive drum 12, the frictional force applied to both ends of the cleaning blade 16a is reduced, and chattering is less likely to occur. Can be. Further, since the portion where the laminate tape 16d is attached is outside the image forming area of the photosensitive drum 12, it does not affect normal cleaning at all. Further, since there is almost no step between the cleaning blade 16a and the laminating tape 16d, the residual toner collected by the cleaning device 16 does not leak to the outside. And, since the thickness of the laminate tape 16d is much larger than the thickness of the coat layer of Patent Document 2, the performance can be maintained for a long time.
[0035]
-Embodiment 4-
This embodiment is almost the same as the first embodiment, but instead of forming the uneven portion 16b on the blade edge A at both ends of the cleaning blade 16a, this portion is altered. In the present embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the detailed description thereof will be omitted.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the cleaning blade 16a used in the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the non-image forming area facing portion C of the cleaning blade 16a is irradiated with ultraviolet rays to form the altered portion 16e. By forming such an altered portion 16e, the brittleness of the blade edge A of the non-image forming region facing portion C can be reduced as compared with the blade edge A of the image forming region facing portion B.
[0036]
Therefore, when the cleaning blade 16a is pressed against the photosensitive drum 12, both ends of the cleaning blade 16a are easily shaved, and chattering is less likely to occur. Further, since the portion where the uneven portion 16b is formed is located outside the image forming area of the photoconductor drum 12, the normal cleaning is not affected at all. Further, since the altered portion 16e is scraped off according to the shape of the photosensitive drum 12, the residual toner collected in the cleaning device 16 does not leak outside through the altered portion 16e.
[0037]
The above-mentioned altered portion 16e can be formed by exposing both ends of the cleaning blade 16a to an ozone atmosphere instead of irradiating the ultraviolet rays.
Further, when manufacturing the cleaning blade 16a, the altered portion 16e can also be formed by changing the crosslinking condition (vulcanization condition) of the image forming region facing portion B and the non-image forming region facing portion C. This can be achieved, for example, by shortening the crosslinking time (vulcanization time) or lowering the crosslinking temperature (vulcanization temperature) of the non-image forming area facing part C as compared with the image forming area facing part B.
[0038]
-Embodiment 5-
This embodiment is almost the same as the first embodiment, except that the irregularities 16b are formed at the blade edges A at both ends of the cleaning blade 16a, but the thickness of both ends is thicker than the center. is there. In the present embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the detailed description thereof will be omitted.
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the cleaning blade 16a used in the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the thickness of the non-image forming area facing portion C of the cleaning blade 16a is set to 300 to 400 μm, which is larger than the thickness (200 to 300 μm) of the image forming area facing portion B. In this embodiment, a step is provided on the surface of the non-image forming area facing portion C of the cleaning blade 16a that is not in contact with the photosensitive drum 12 because of the necessity of forming a smooth blade edge A.
[0039]
As described above, since both ends of the cleaning blade 16a are thicker than the central portion, the rigidity of both ends of the cleaning blade 16a can be increased, and furthermore, the squeal and the curling of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 16a can be prevented. be able to. Further, since the difference in the thickness of the cleaning blade 16a does not affect the smoothness of the blade edge A, the residual toner collected by the cleaning device 16 does not leak outside.
[0040]
In each of the above-described embodiments, the cleaning blade 16a disposed in pressure contact with the photosensitive drum 12 has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the intermediate transfer belt 21 as an image carrier may be used. The present invention can be similarly applied to the cleaning blade 25b which is disposed under pressure.
Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, the cleaning blade 16a that is constantly pressed against the photosensitive drum 12 has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the cleaning blade 16a is not limited to the cleaning blade 16a. The same can be applied to a cleaning blade that is freely detachable.
[0041]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the cleaning blade from squeaking or turning over for a long time with a simple configuration.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an entire configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment;
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming unit.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a process cartridge.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a cleaning device.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a cleaning device.
FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a cleaning blade used in the first embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a cleaning blade used in the second embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a cleaning blade used in a third embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a cleaning blade used in a fourth embodiment.
FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a cleaning blade used in a fifth embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Main body, 10 ... Image process system, 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K ... Image forming unit, 12 ... Photoconductor drum, 13 ... Charging device, 13a ... Charging roll, 14 ... Developing device, 14a ... Developing roll, 15 ... Primary transfer roll, 16: cleaning device, 16a: cleaning blade, 16b: uneven portion, 16c: thin plate, 16d: laminated tape, 16e: altered part, 17: erase lamp, 20: transfer unit, 21: intermediate transfer belt, 29 ... Fixing device, 30 ROS, 31 Polygon mirror, 40 Sheet transport system, 50 IPS, 60 Process cartridge, 61 Cleaner housing, 62 Charging housing, 71 Holder, 72 Screw, 73 Seal film , 74 ... Ogre

Claims (7)

A cleaning blade that extends along a direction perpendicular to the rotation direction of the image carrier on which the toner image is formed and carried, and is disposed to face the doctor direction with respect to the rotation direction of the image carrier,
A smoothing portion provided at a position facing an image forming area of the image carrier,
A concavo-convex portion provided at a position opposing a region other than the image forming region of the image carrier. 2. The cleaning blade according to claim 1, wherein a surface roughness (ten-point average roughness) Rz of the uneven portion is less than 0.3 μm. 3. A cleaning blade that extends along a direction perpendicular to the rotation direction of the image carrier on which the toner image is formed and carried, and is disposed to face the doctor direction with respect to the rotation direction of the image carrier,
An elastic member provided at a position facing the image forming region in the image carrier;
A low-friction member provided at a position facing the area other than the image forming area in the image carrier, and having a lower coefficient of friction with respect to the image carrier than the elastic member. Cleaning blade. The cleaning blade according to claim 3, wherein the low friction member is formed of a plate-shaped member attached to the elastic member. The cleaning blade according to claim 3, wherein the low friction member is formed of a tape-shaped member attached to the elastic member. A cleaning blade that extends along a direction perpendicular to the rotation direction of the image carrier on which the toner image is formed and carried, and is disposed to face the doctor direction with respect to the rotation direction of the image carrier,
A cleaning blade, wherein the brittleness of a portion opposed to both ends in a direction perpendicular to the rotation direction of the image carrier is reduced. A cleaning blade that extends along a direction perpendicular to the rotation direction of the image carrier on which the toner image is formed and carried, and is disposed to face the doctor direction with respect to the rotation direction of the image carrier,
A cleaning blade, wherein a thickness of a portion facing both ends in a direction orthogonal to a rotation direction of the image carrier is greater than other portions.

Images