JP2005266272A - Cleaning device, process cartridge and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cleaning device which enhances a cleaning performance of spherical toner remaining on the surface of image carrier by means of a cleaning blade and reduces the wear between the blade and the image carrier when carrying out image formation by using the spherical toner. <P>SOLUTION: Mixed integrated material 15 as solidified material which is prepared by integrating a lubricant and indefinite particles is ground by a supplying means 14 and the indefinite particles are supplied to the image carrier 1. The supplied indefinite particles get into an abutted part between an edge part of the cleaning blade 13 and the image carrier surface 1a and are deposited, the deposited indefinite particles prevent the spherical toner from passing through the abutted part and, therefore, the cleaning performance of the toner is enhanced. Therein, even when the indefinite particles get into the abutted part between the edge part of the cleaning blade 13 and the image carrier surface 1a, the lubricant is also directly applied onto the image carrier 1 at the same time and, therefore, the wear between the cleaning blade 13 and the image carrier 1 can be reduced. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaning device, a process cartridge, and an image forming apparatus using a cleaning blade system.

  In recent years, an image forming apparatus is required to have a high resolution so that a high-precision and high-definition image can be formed. One means for achieving this is to use a toner having a smaller particle size.

  Furthermore, in order to improve the transfer rate, a toner (spherical toner) having an indefinite shape and a shape closer to a sphere has been used.

  When such a small particle size spherical toner is used, after the toner image is transferred from the image carrier carrying the toner image to a recording medium or the like, the residual toner remaining on the image carrying surface of the image carrier is cleaned with a cleaning blade. In this case, the spherical toner easily slips between the cleaning blade and the image carrier surface of the image carrier on which the cleaning blade is in contact, and the residual toner on the image carrier surface tends to be poorly cleaned.

  For this reason, various inventions have been proposed in which the cleaning performance of residual toner by a cleaning blade is improved even when spherical toner is used (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 4).

  In Patent Document 1, in a cleaning device that cleans residual toner on an object to be cleaned, amorphous silica, which is a blocking powder other than toner that blocks toner with a shape factor of 100 to 125, is removed from the cleaning blade. It is supplied upstream and is deposited and held on the edge of the cleaning blade.

  In Patent Document 2, an image forming apparatus including a cleaning device using a blade is provided with a developer containing spherical toner and a developer containing irregular toner, and the tip of a non-image area is formed with irregular toner (black). The image area is developed with a spherical toner.

  In Patent Document 3, an irregularly shaped particle supplying means for supplying irregularly shaped particles to the cleaning blade of the photoreceptor via the intermediate transfer member is provided in the image forming apparatus having the intermediate transfer member, and the magnetic conductive roll is used as the irregularly shaped particle supplying means. Is used.

  In Patent Document 4, in an image forming apparatus having a plurality of developing units, an intermediate transfer member, a primary transfer member, a secondary transfer member, and a cleaning blade for cleaning a photosensitive member, a powder for supplying amorphous powder onto the intermediate transfer member. A body supply means is provided to transfer onto the photoreceptor.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-6710 JP-A-8-254873 JP 2001-166659 A JP 2002-72802 A

  However, in the case of Patent Document 1, silica is harder than toner, and the use of silica damages the cleaning blade and the object to be cleaned.

  In the case of Patent Document 2, although spherical toner is used for improving the image quality, the image quality deteriorates because the irregular toner is used for one developing device.

  In the case of Patent Document 3, the amorphous particles are supplied using electrostatic force. However, the amorphous particles are not sufficiently supplied to the photoconductor, and the cleaning property is not sufficiently improved. In addition, since the irregularly shaped particles are supplied to the photoreceptor via the intermediate transfer member, the irregularly shaped particles cannot be supplied at the time of image formation, and as a result, continuous supply is not possible. The image forming speed is reduced. In this respect, if the intermediate transfer member is set to be an integral multiple of the image occupation area or more, it can be continuously supplied to the intermediate transfer member during image formation, but the size is increased. In addition, the supplied irregularly shaped particles must be brought into contact with and separated from the intermediate transfer member, resulting in a complicated mechanism and an increased cost.

  In the case of Patent Document 4, the irregularly shaped particles are made of a resin by a pulverization method and are transparent and have a charging polarity opposite to that of the spherical toner, but the supply to the photoreceptor is not sufficient, and the cleaning property is improved. Is insufficient.

  It is an object of the present invention to improve the cleaning property of a spherical toner that remains on or adheres to the image carrying surface of an image carrier when the image is formed using a spherical toner. It is to improve the quality of the image and reduce wear between the cleaning blade and the image carrier.

  The cleaning device according to the first aspect of the present invention is a cleaning blade in which an edge portion is brought into contact with an image carrying surface of an image carrier that carries a toner image of spherical toner, and a lubricant and amorphous particles as a solidified material. And a supply unit that supplies the image carrier with the lubricant and the irregularly shaped particles by cutting the mixture and upstream of the cleaning blade along the rotation direction of the image carrier. It comprises.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the cleaning apparatus according to the first aspect, the supply means is a brush roller that rotates while contacting the mixed integrated body and the image carrier.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the cleaning device according to the first aspect, the supply means rotates while contacting with the scraping roller that rotates while contacting the mixing unit, and while contacting the scraping roller and the image carrier. And a brush roller.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the cleaning device according to any one of the first to third aspects, an intermittent supply mechanism is provided that intermittently supplies the lubricant and the amorphous particles from the mixed monolith.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the cleaning device according to the fourth aspect, the intermittent supply mechanism is a mechanism for contacting and separating the brush roller and the mixed integrated object.

  A sixth aspect of the present invention is the cleaning apparatus according to the fourth aspect, wherein the intermittent supply mechanism is a mechanism for contacting and separating the shaving roller and the mixed integrated object.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the cleaning device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the supply timing of the lubricant and the amorphous particles from the mixed integrated body is during non-image formation.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the cleaning device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the supply timing of the lubricant and the irregularly shaped particles from the mixed integrated body is after completion of the predetermined number of image formations. .

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the cleaning device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the supply timing of the lubricant and the amorphous particles from the mixed integrated body is the next after the recording medium is conveyed. This is when the recording medium is being conveyed.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the cleaning device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the supply timing of the lubricant and the irregularly shaped particles from the mixed integrated body is after the completion of one continuous image forming operation. It is.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the cleaning device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the supply timing of the lubricant and the irregularly shaped particles from the mixed integrated body is a warm-up time.

  A process cartridge according to a twelfth aspect of the present invention is an image carrier that carries a toner image on an image carrier surface, a cartridge case that rotatably holds the image carrier, and a cartridge case that is held in the cartridge case. 12. A developing device that supplies spherical toner that forms a toner image to be opposed to a carrying surface to the image carrying member, and is held in the cartridge case and arranged to face the image carrying surface. A cleaning device according to claim 1.

  According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, wherein an image bearing member that carries a toner image using spherical toner on an image bearing surface, and the image bearing surface are disposed opposite to each other. And a cleaning device as described.

  According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus comprising: an image bearing member that forms a toner image on an image bearing surface; and a spherical toner that is disposed opposite to the image bearing surface to form a toner image. A plurality of developing devices for supplying to a body, and a cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 11 disposed to face the image carrying surface.

  According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, there are provided a plurality of image carriers on which toner images are formed on an image bearing surface, and a toner image is formed so as to be opposed to the image bearing surface of each of the image carriers. A developing device that supplies spherical toner to the image carrier, and a cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 11 disposed opposite to the image bearing surface of each of the image carriers.

  According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, there are provided a plurality of image carriers on which toner images are formed on an image bearing surface, and a toner image is formed so as to face the image bearing surface of each of the image carriers. A developer for supplying spherical toner to the image carrier, an intermediate transfer member to which a toner image formed on the image carrier is transferred, and an image carrier to which the toner image of the intermediate transfer member is transferred And a cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 11 disposed opposite to each other.

  According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus comprising: an image bearing member on which a toner image is formed on an image bearing surface; and a spherical toner which is disposed opposite to the image bearing surface and forms a toner image. A developing device to be supplied, and a recording medium which is in contact with the image carrying surface and presses the recording medium against the image carrying surface to transfer the toner image to the recording medium and to which the toner image on the image carrying surface is transferred A transfer belt conveyed toward a fixing device, and a cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 11 disposed opposite to an image carrying surface of the transfer belt.

  According to an eighteenth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the thirteenth to seventeenth aspects, the image carrier is a drum-shaped photoreceptor, and an amorphous silicon surface layer is provided on the surface of the photoreceptor. It has been.

  According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the thirteenth to seventeenth aspects, the image carrier is a drum-shaped photoconductor, and a filler is added to a surface layer of the photoconductor. .

  According to the cleaning device of the first aspect of the present invention, the irregularly shaped particles generated by scraping by the feeding means from the mixed integrated body in which the lubricant and the irregularly shaped particles are integrated as a solidified substance are directly supplied to the image carrier. The supplied amorphous particles enter and accumulate on the contact portion between the edge portion of the cleaning blade and the image bearing surface of the image carrier, and the spherical toner adheres to the contact portion between the edge portion of the cleaning blade and the image bearing surface. Since the passage of the toner particles is prevented, the amorphous particles can be sufficiently and continuously supplied to the image carrier, and the cleaning performance of the spherical toner by the cleaning blade is improved without reducing the image forming speed. Thus, the quality of the image formed can be improved. At this time, even if the irregularly shaped particles enter the contact portion between the edge portion of the cleaning blade and the image bearing surface, the lubricant is simultaneously supplied and applied onto the image bearing member. Wear can also be reduced. In addition, since a mixed and integrated material in which the lubricant and the irregularly shaped particles are integrated as a solidified substance is used, it is advantageous for reducing the size of the cleaning device.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the cleaning device according to the first aspect, the supply means is a brush roller that rotates while contacting the mixed integrated object and the image carrier, so that the mixed integrated object is scraped by a small amount. As a result, the life of the mixture can be extended.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the cleaning device according to the first aspect, the supply means is a scraping roller that rotates while contacting the mixed unit, and a brush roller that rotates while contacting the scraping roller and the image carrier. Therefore, the irregularly shaped particles and the lubricant can be reliably generated from the mixture, and the irregularly shaped particles and the lubricant can be reliably supplied to the image carrier, so that the cleaning property and the wear reduction are surely improved. be able to.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the cleaning device according to any one of the first to third aspects, an intermittent supply mechanism is provided that intermittently supplies the lubricant and the amorphous particles from the mixed integral. Therefore, by operating the intermittent supply mechanism, it is possible to prevent excessive supply of the irregularly shaped particles and the lubricant, and it is possible to extend the life of the mixture.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the cleaning device according to the fourth aspect, the intermittent supply mechanism is a mechanism for contacting and separating the brush roller and the mixing unit, so that the brush roller and the mixing unit are separated from each other. Accordingly, the supply of the irregular shaped particles and the lubricant can be stopped, and the life of the mixed integral can be extended.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the cleaning device according to the fourth aspect, the intermittent supply mechanism is a mechanism for contacting and separating the shaving roller and the mixing unit, so that the shaving roller and the mixing unit are separated from each other. Accordingly, the supply of the irregular shaped particles and the lubricant can be stopped, and the life of the mixed integral can be extended.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, in the cleaning device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, since the supply timing of the lubricant and the irregularly shaped particles from the mixed integral is during non-image formation, image formation is performed. During the time, the supply of the amorphous particles and the lubricant can be stopped, and the life of the mixture can be extended.

  According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, in the cleaning device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the supply timing of the lubricant and the irregularly shaped particles from the mixed monolith is set after the predetermined number of images have been formed. Therefore, the supply of the amorphous particles and the lubricant can be stopped until a predetermined number of image formations are completed, and the life of the mixed integral can be extended.

  According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, in the cleaning device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the supply timing of the lubricant and the irregularly shaped particles from the mixed integral is after the recording medium is conveyed. Since the next recording medium is being transported, the supply of amorphous particles and lubricant can be stopped while the recording medium is transported, and the life of the mixture can be extended. .

  According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, in the cleaning device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the supply timing of the lubricant and the irregularly shaped particles from the mixed integrated body is one continuous image forming operation. Since it is later, the supply of the irregular shaped particles and the lubricant can be stopped while one continuous image forming operation is being performed, and the life of the mixture can be extended.

  According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the cleaning device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, since the supply timing of the lubricant and the amorphous particles from the mixed integral body is at the time of warming up, it is not at the time of warming up. Can stop the supply of irregular shaped particles and lubricant, and can prolong the life of the mixture.

  According to the process cartridge of the twelfth aspect of the present invention, since the cleaning device according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects is provided, the cleaning ability of the spherical toner by the cleaning device can be improved, and the cleaning blade Wear with the image carrier can be reduced, and the quality of an image formed using such a process cartridge can be improved.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, since the cleaning device according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects is disposed so as to face the image bearing surface, the spherical toner by the cleaning device in the image bearing member is provided. The cleaning performance can be improved, the wear between the cleaning blade and the image carrier can be reduced, and the quality of an image formed by such an image forming apparatus can be improved.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, one image carrier on which a toner image is formed on the image carrying surface, a plurality of developing devices arranged opposite to the image carrying surface, and the image carrying surface Since the cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 11 disposed opposite to each other is provided, the cleaning performance of the spherical toner by the cleaning device in the image carrier can be improved, and the cleaning blade, the image carrier, Further, it is possible to reduce the wear of the toner, and further, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of color mixture in which spherical toners of different colors are mixed on the image carrying surface of the image carrier, thereby improving the quality of the image formed by this image forming apparatus. be able to.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the fifteenth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of image carriers and a developing device for supplying the image carrier with spherical toner that is disposed opposite to the image carrier surface of each image carrier and forms a toner image. And the cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 11 disposed to face each image bearing surface, so that the cleaning performance of the spherical toner by the cleaning device in each image carrier can be improved. The wear between the cleaning blade and the image carrier can be reduced, and the quality of an image formed by such an image forming apparatus can be improved.

  According to an image forming apparatus of a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, wherein the toner image formed on the image bearing member is disposed so as to face the image bearing surface of the intermediate transfer member. Since the cleaning device is provided, the cleaning property of the spherical toner by the cleaning device in the intermediate transfer member can be improved, and the wear between the cleaning blade and the image carrier can be reduced. The quality of the formed image can be improved.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the seventeenth aspect of the present invention, since the cleaning device according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects is disposed opposite to the image carrying surface of the transfer belt, the image forming surface of the transfer belt is provided with the cleaning device. The cleaning performance of the carried spherical toner can be improved, the wear between the cleaning blade and the image carrier can be reduced, and the occurrence of the backside contamination of the recording medium can be prevented.

  According to the eighteenth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the thirteenth to seventeenth aspects, since the amorphous silicon surface layer is provided on the surface of the photoconductor as the image carrier, the amorphous The silicon-based surface layer has high hardness and high wear resistance, and the surface of the photoconductor is difficult to be scraped, so that the durability of the photoconductor can be improved.

  According to the nineteenth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the thirteenth to seventeenth aspects, since the filler is added to the surface layer of the photoconductor as the image carrier, the surface is added by adding the filler. The wear resistance of the layer is improved, and the surface of the photoconductor is hard to be scraped, so that the durability of the photoconductor can be improved.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal front view schematically showing the configuration of the main part of an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine.

  In this image forming apparatus, a drum-shaped photoconductor 1 that is an image carrier that carries a toner image is disposed at a substantially central portion in a main body case (not shown), and the photoconductor 1 can rotate about an axis. It is supported by. The clockwise rotation around the axis of the photosensitive member 1 is performed by driving a motor (not shown) connected to the rotating shaft 1 b of the photosensitive member 1.

  Around the photosensitive member 1, in accordance with the electrophotographic process along the rotation direction of the photosensitive member 1, the static elimination lamp 2, the light shielding plate 3, the charging roller 4, the developing device 5, the transfer roller 6, the separation claw 7, and the cleaning device 8. Etc. are arranged.

  Further, in the main body case, a recording medium storage cassette (not shown) that stores the recording medium S to which the toner image is transferred, and the recording medium S is transferred to the toner image transfer position A (by the photoreceptor 1 and the transfer roller 6). The registration roller 9 fed toward the nip position), the guide plate 10 for guiding the recording medium S fed to the registration roller 9 toward the transfer position A, and the recording medium S passing through the transfer position A toward the fixing device 11. A conveyance guide plate 12 for guiding, an optical writing device (not shown) for irradiating the surface of the photoreceptor 1 with laser light L corresponding to image data, and the like are provided.

  An outline of an image forming operation in the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment having such a configuration will be described. When a print key for starting an image forming operation is pressed, the photosensitive member 1, the charging roller 4, the developing roller 5a in the developing unit 5, the transfer roller 6 and the like start to rotate, and the charge eliminating lamp 2, the charging roller 4, and the developing roller. 5a, a predetermined voltage or current is applied to the transfer roller 6 at a predetermined timing.

  When the charge eliminating lamp 2 is turned on, the charge on the image bearing surface 1a which is the surface portion of the photoreceptor 1 is erased, and the potential of the image bearing surface 1a becomes constant. Next, the image bearing surface 1 a is uniformly charged (for example, −900 V) by the charging roller 4. The uniformly charged image carrying surface 1a is irradiated with laser light L corresponding to the image data, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the image carrying surface 1a. By supplying toner (spherical toner) from the developing device 5 to the photoreceptor 1 on which the electrostatic latent image is formed, the electrostatic latent image is visualized and a toner image is formed on the image carrying surface 1a. Is done.

  The toner image moves as the photosensitive member 1 rotates, and the recording medium S is sent to the transfer position A when the toner image reaches the transfer position A, and a transfer current (for example, +10 μA) is applied to the transfer roller 6. As a result, the toner image is transferred to the recording medium S.

  The recording medium S to which the toner image has been transferred is separated from the photoreceptor 1 by the separation claw 7 and is conveyed along the conveyance guide plate 12 to the fixing device 11. In the fixing device 11, a fixing process for applying heat and pressure is performed on the recording medium S to which the toner image is transferred, and the recording medium S on which the fixing process has been performed is discharged onto a paper discharge tray (not shown). Paper.

  In the transfer at the transfer position A, a part of the spherical toner forming the toner image is not transferred and remains on the image carrying surface 1a, and this residual toner is moved to the position of the cleaning device 8 as the photosensitive member 1 rotates. And is cleaned by the cleaning device 8.

  In the present embodiment, the contact roller is shown as an example of the charging roller 4, but a non-contact charging roller may be used instead of the contact charging roller 4. May be a charger that is charged by discharge, a charging magnet roller that is charged by a magnetic brush, or the like.

  Under such a configuration, characteristic portions of the present embodiment will be described in order. The cleaning device 8 includes a cleaning blade 13, a brush roller 14 serving as a supply unit, a mixed integrated body 15 in which a lubricant and amorphous particles are mixed and integrated as a solidified material, an intermittent supply mechanism 16, a discharge screw 17, a cleaning case. 18 etc.

  The cleaning blade 13 is a plate-like member formed of an elastic material such as rubber or urethane, and is held by a blade holder 19, and an edge portion of one end is on the image bearing surface 1 a of the photoreceptor 1 and the rotational axis of the photoreceptor 1. Is abutted on a line parallel to the. The residual toner on the image bearing surface 1a is blocked by the cleaning blade 13 by rotating the photosensitive member 1 around the axis while the edge portion of the cleaning blade 13 is in contact with the image bearing surface 1a. The residual toner blocked by the cleaning blade 13 is dropped by the natural fall or when the contact / separation mechanism 20 (see FIG. 4) for bringing the cleaning blade 13 into and out of contact with the photosensitive member 1 is driven. As a result, it is stored in the cleaning case 18.

  The contact / separation mechanism 20 includes a holder shaft 21 that rotatably holds the blade holder 19, a joint shaft 22 that is fixed to the blade holder 19 with an axis parallel to the holder shaft 21, and a link plate 23 that is connected to the joint shaft 22. The solenoid 24 and the spring 25 are connected to the link plate 23 (see FIG. 4).

  In FIG. 1, the solenoid 24 is in an off state, the blade holder 19 is urged counterclockwise around the axis of the holder shaft 21 by the urging force of the spring 25, and the edge of the cleaning blade 13 is the image bearing surface. It is in contact with 1a.

  In FIG. 3, the solenoid 24 is turned on, the blade holder 19 is rotated clockwise around the axis of the holder shaft 21, and the edge portion of the cleaning blade 13 is separated from the image carrying surface 1a.

  The mixture 15 is obtained by mixing the lubricant and the irregularly shaped particles and integrating them as a solidified substance. The irregularly shaped particle component has substantially the same hardness as that of the spherical toner, for example, and the brush roller 14. Are scraped by rotating while in contact with each other to produce irregularly shaped particles. Regarding the lubricant component, for example, zinc stearate (lubricant) is mixed with a different substance to be solidified, and is scraped by rotating while the brush roller 14 is in contact with the lubricant to generate a lubricant.

  The lubricant and amorphous particles will be described in more detail. A dry solid hydrophobic lubricant is used as the lubricant, and typical examples thereof include the following. That is, including the above-mentioned zinc stearate, barium stearate, lead stearate, iron stearate, nickel stearate, cobalt stearate, copper stearate, strontium stearate, calcium stearate, cadmium stearate, magnesium stearate, Zinc oleate, manganese oleate, iron oleate, cobalt oleate, lead oleate, magnesium oleate, copper oleate, zinc palmitate, cobalt palmitate, copper palmitate, magnesium palmitate, aluminum palmitate, palmitate Relatively higher fatty acids such as calcium, lead caprylate, lead caproate, lead linolenate, calcium linolenate, and cadmium ricolinoneate, or carnauba wax, or poly Tetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or a fluorine-based material or the like.

  The mixed integrated body 15 in which the lubricant and the amorphous particles are mixed may be, for example, a mixture obtained by mixing amorphous stearate with amorphous particle powder. The amorphous particles may be, for example, the same polyester resin as that of a normal toner, a polycarbonate resin as the surface material of the photoreceptor, or silica.

  The color of the irregularly shaped particles is preferably colorless and transparent or the same color as the spherical toner in the developer.

  The integrated unit 15 is not always located at a position where it comes into contact with the brush roller 14, but by the action of the intermittent supply mechanism 16, a contact position where it comes into contact with the brush roller 14, and a separation position where it is separated from the brush roller 14. It is possible to move to.

  The brush roller 14 is a member that is disposed on the upstream side of the cleaning blade 13 along the rotation direction of the photosensitive member 1 and is driven to rotate. The tip of the brush roller 14 moves to a contact position with the image carrying surface 1 a of the photosensitive member 1. It arrange | positions in the position which contacts the mixing integrated object 15 which is doing. As the brush roller 14 rotates while being in contact with the mixed integral 15, the mixed integral 15 is scraped to produce irregular shaped particles and a lubricant. The generated irregular particles and lubricant are carried by the brush roller 14 and supplied to the image carrying surface 1a. Further, when the brush roller 14 rotates while being in contact with the image carrying surface 1 a, the residual toner on the image carrying surface 1 a is disturbed, and the cleaning blade 13 is likely to be dammed up. The brush roller 14 may be rotated counterclockwise or clockwise. The brush roller 14 may be made of either insulating or conductive material, and in the case of conductivity, a voltage may be applied. When a voltage is applied, a voltage having a polarity opposite to the transfer residual toner polarity (usually + polarity) is applied.

  The intermittent supply mechanism 16 is a mechanism for moving the mixed integrated object 15 to a contact position where the mixed integrated object 15 contacts the brush roller 14 and a separated position where the mixed integrated object 15 is separated from the brush roller 14. The slide shaft 27 fixed to 26, the eccentric cam 28 disposed opposite to the other end of the slide shaft 27, and the slide shaft 27 urged so that the other end of the slide shaft 27 contacts the outer peripheral surface of the eccentric cam 28. The spring 29 and the like are configured. When the eccentric cam 28 is driven to rotate, the slide shaft 27 slides in the axial direction, and the mixed integrated object 15 held by the holder 26 moves to the contact position or the separation position.

  The discharge screw 17 is a member that conveys residual toner that has fallen into the cleaning case 18 to a residual toner collection unit (not shown).

  In such a configuration, when the mixing unit 15 is positioned at the contact position by rotating the eccentric cam 28 to the position shown in FIG. 1, the brush roller 14 rotates while contacting the mixing unit 15. As a result, the mixture 15 is scraped by the brush roller 14 to produce a lubricant and irregular shaped particles. The generated lubricant and amorphous particles are conveyed by the brush roller 14 and supplied to the image bearing surface 1a.

  When the irregularly shaped particles supplied to the image bearing surface 1a enter the contact portion between the edge portion of the cleaning blade 13 and the image bearing surface 1a, the irregularly shaped particles have an irregular shape. It is difficult to pass through the contact portion between the image bearing surface 1a and the image carrying surface 1a, and it gradually accumulates. In FIG. 2, B shows the deposit in which the irregular-shaped particle | grains which entered into the contact part of the edge part of the cleaning blade 13 and the image carrier surface 1a accumulated in the wedge shape.

  When amorphous particles accumulate in a wedge shape at the contact portion between the edge portion of the cleaning blade 13 and the image carrying surface 1a, then spherical toner that has become residual toner is formed between the edge portion of the cleaning blade 13 and the image carrying surface 1a. Even if the toner is conveyed to the abutting portion, the spherical toner is also dammed up due to the deposit B of irregular-shaped particles in the abutting portion, and the abutting portion between the edge portion of the cleaning blade 13 and the image carrying surface 1a It is prevented from passing between. In FIG. 2, C indicates a spherical toner deposit that is blocked.

  Such actions and effects will be described more specifically with an example in which zinc stearate is used as a lubricant. Zinc stearate is shaved with a cleaning brush 14 and applied to the photoreceptor 1. Zinc stearate is applied in the form of irregular particles, part of which forms a weir at the edge of the cleaning blade 13, and part of the zinc stearate is stretched and adhered to the surface of the photoreceptor 1 by the pressing of the cleaning blade 13. pass. Since zinc stearate adhering to the surface of the photoreceptor 1 is a low friction coefficient substance, the relative friction coefficient with the cleaning blade 13 is lowered, and wear between the cleaning blade 13 and the photoreceptor 1 is reduced. In addition, the irregularly shaped particles previously mixed with zinc stearate are applied to the photoreceptor 1 and accumulated on the edge of the cleaning blade 14 to form the weir B. The irregular shaped particles are blocked by the cleaning blade 14 as in the case of the conventional irregular shaped toner. When the spherical toner C is supplied to the cleaning blade 14, the spherical toner C adhering to the photosensitive member 1 by electrostatic force is indefinitely shaped by the cleaning blade 14 contacting the photosensitive member 1 with a pressing force stronger than the electrostatic force. Displace particles and dam. The subsequent spherical toner C is blocked by a weir B formed of irregularly shaped particles and cleaned.

  In this way, even when image formation is performed using spherical toner, the spherical toner that has become residual toner after transfer can be reliably dammed and removed by the cleaning blade 13, and the residual toner (spherical toner) can be cleaned. Improves. By improving the cleaning property of the residual toner, it is prevented that the residual toner adheres to the outer peripheral surface of the charging roller 4 and deteriorates the charging performance. Also, the spherical toner (residual toner) used for the previous image formation is reduced. It is prevented from being mixed during the next image formation, and the quality of the formed image is improved.

  When the amorphous particles are supplied to the image bearing surface 1a, the lubricant which is a low friction coefficient material is also applied to the image bearing surface 1a at the same time, the relative friction coefficient with the cleaning blade 13 is lowered, and the cleaning blade 13 and the photosensitive material are exposed. Since wear with the body 1 is reduced, even if the irregularly shaped particles enter the contact portion between the edge portion of the cleaning blade 13 and the image carrying surface 1a, the cleaning blade 13 and the photoreceptor 1 are not damaged. .

  The supply of the lubricant and the amorphous particles from the mixing unit 15 is performed only when the mixing unit 15 is moved to the contact position by the rotation of the eccentric cam 16c, and the mixing unit 15 is moved to the separation position. In this case, the supply of the lubricant and the amorphous particles can be stopped. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the mixed integrated body 15 is located at the contact position and is in contact with the brush roller 14 to supply the lubricant and the amorphous particles. When the eccentric cam 16c is rotated 180 ° from this state, the slide shaft 16b is slid downward by the urging force of the spring 29, the mixed integrated object 15 moves to the separation position, and the mixed integrated object 15 contacts the brush roller 14. The supply of lubricant and amorphous particles is stopped.

  As shown in FIG. 2, it is not necessary to supply the irregular shaped particles after the deposit B of irregular shaped particles is formed, so that the lubricant and the irregular shaped particles are not required by moving the mixing unit 15 to the separation position. Therefore, the excessive supply can be stopped, and the life of the mixing unit 15 can be extended.

  In addition, it is preferable that the supply timing of the lubricant and the amorphous particles from the mixed integrated body 15 is set at the time of non-image formation. Thereby, the deposit B of irregular shaped particles can be formed at the contact portion between the edge portion of the cleaning blade 13 and the image carrying surface 1a before residual toner is generated by image formation. As a timing at the time of non-image formation for supplying the lubricant and the amorphous particles from the mixed integral 15, for example, after the formation of a predetermined number of images, the recording medium S is transported to the next recording medium. While S is being transported, for example, at the time of warming up after the print key is pressed after one continuous image forming operation is completed.

  When a deposit B of irregular shaped particles is formed at the contact portion between the edge portion of the cleaning blade 13 and the image bearing surface 1a, and further a deposit C of residual toner is formed, these deposits B and C are It grows gradually. When these deposits B and C grow to a certain size, a gap is formed between the edge portion of the cleaning blade 13 and the image carrying surface 1a, and slipping of irregular particles and spherical toner starts from the gap. The cleaning performance by the cleaning blade 13 is reduced. In that case, as shown in FIG. 3, the solenoid 24 is turned on, and the blade holder 19 is rotated clockwise around the axis of the holder shaft 21. When the blade holder 19 is rotated clockwise around the axis of the holder shaft 21, the cleaning blade 13 is also rotated integrally with the blade holder 19, and the edge portion of the cleaning blade 13 is separated from the image carrying surface 1a. At this time, the deposits B and C are separated and dropped from the cleaning blade 13 and the image carrying surface 1 a and fall into the cleaning case 18. The deposits B and C that have fallen into the cleaning case 18 are conveyed to the residual toner collecting section by the discharge screw 17.

  The deposits B and C dropped in the cleaning case 18 can be returned to the developing device 5 and the residual toner can be reused. In this case, since the color of the amorphous particles is the same as that of the colorless and transparent or spherical toner, even if the irregular particles enter the developing device 5 together with the residual toner, the image quality is deteriorated due to the mixture of the irregular particles. Is prevented, and the recyclability of the residual toner can be improved.

  When the solenoid 24 is turned on after the solenoid 24 is turned on and the solenoid 24 is turned off, the urging force of the spring 25 causes the blade holder 19 and the cleaning blade 13 to rotate counterclockwise around the axis of the holder shaft 21. And the edge portion of the cleaning blade 13 is brought into contact with the image carrying surface 1 a of the photoreceptor 1.

  As shown in FIG. 5, as the photoreceptor 1, a conductive support 100 is heated to 50 to 400 ° C., and a vacuum deposition method, a sputtering method, an ion plating method, a thermal CVD method, a light is applied on the support 100. An amorphous silicon photoconductor (hereinafter referred to as “a-Si photoconductor”) having a photoconductive layer 101 made of a-Si can be used by a film formation method such as a CVD method or a plasma CVD method. Among them, a plasma CVD method, that is, a method in which a source gas is decomposed by direct current, high frequency or microwave glow discharge and an a-Si deposited film is formed on a support is preferably used.

  Examples of the layer structure of the amorphous silicon photoreceptor include the following. In the amorphous silicon photoconductor shown in FIG. 5A, a photoconductive layer 101 made of a-Si: H, X and having photoconductivity is provided on a support 100.

  In the amorphous silicon photoconductor shown in FIG. 5B, a photoconductive layer 101 made of a-Si: H, X and having photoconductivity is provided on a support 100, and an amorphous silicon surface layer 102 is provided. ing.

  The amorphous silicon photoconductor shown in FIG. 5C has a photoconductive layer 101 made of a-Si: H, X and having photoconductivity, an amorphous silicon surface layer 102, and amorphous silicon on a support 100. A system charge injection blocking layer 103 is provided.

  In the amorphous silicon photoconductor shown in FIG. 5D, a photoconductive layer 101 and an amorphous silicon-based surface layer 102 are provided on a support 100. The photoconductive layer 101 includes a charge generation layer 104 and a charge transport layer 105 made of a-Si: H, X.

  The support 100 may be conductive or electrically insulating. Examples of the conductive support include metals such as Al, Cr, Mo, Au, In, Nb, Te, V, Ti, Pt, Pd, and Fe, and alloys thereof such as stainless steel. Also, the surface on the side of forming at least the photosensitive layer of an electrically insulating support such as a synthetic resin film or sheet such as polyester, polyethylene, polycarbonate, cellulose acetate, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene or polyamide, glass or ceramic. It is also possible to use a support obtained by conducting a conductive treatment.

  The shape of the support 100 can be a smooth or uneven surface cylindrical or plate-like shape, or an endless belt shape, and the thickness thereof is appropriately determined so that a desired photoreceptor for an image forming apparatus can be formed. However, when flexibility as a photoreceptor for an image forming apparatus is required, it can be made as thin as possible within a range in which the function as a support can be sufficiently exhibited. However, the support is usually 10 μm or more from the viewpoint of production and handling, such as mechanical strength.

  The amorphous silicon photosensitive member that can be used in the present invention has a function of blocking the injection of charges from the conductive support 100 side between the conductive support 100 and the photoconductive layer 101 as necessary. It is more effective to provide a certain charge injection blocking layer 103 (see FIG. 5C). That is, the charge injection blocking layer 103 has a function of blocking charge injection from the support 100 side to the photoconductive layer 101 side when the photosensitive layer is subjected to a charging process with a constant polarity on its free surface. It has a so-called polarity dependency in which such a function is not exhibited when it is subjected to a charging process with a reverse polarity. In order to provide such a function, the charge injection blocking layer 103 contains a relatively large number of atoms for controlling conductivity as compared with the photoconductive layer 101.

  The layer thickness of the charge injection blocking layer 103 is preferably 0.1 to 5 μm, more preferably 0.3 to 4 μm, and most preferably 0.5 from the viewpoints of obtaining desired electrophotographic characteristics and economic effects. It is desirable that the thickness be ˜3 μm.

  The photoconductive layer 101 is formed on the undercoat layer as necessary, and the layer thickness of the photoconductive layer 101 is appropriately determined as desired from the viewpoint of obtaining desired electrophotographic characteristics and economic effects, preferably It is desirable that the thickness is 1 to 100 μm, more preferably 20 to 50 μm, and most preferably 23 to 45 μm.

  The charge transport layer 105 is a layer mainly having a function of transporting charges when the photoconductive layer 101 is functionally separated. The charge transport layer 105 includes at least silicon atoms, carbon atoms, and fluorine atoms as constituent elements, and is made of a-SiC (H, F, O) including hydrogen atoms and oxygen atoms as required. Photoconductive properties, particularly charge retention properties, charge generation properties, and charge transport properties. In the present invention, it is particularly preferable to contain an oxygen atom. The layer thickness of the charge transport layer 105 is appropriately determined as desired from the viewpoint of obtaining desired electrophotographic characteristics and economic effects, and is preferably 5 to 50 μm, more preferably 10 to 40 μm, and most preferably 20 to 30 μm. It is desirable that

  The charge generation layer 104 is a layer mainly having a function of generating charges when the photoconductive layer 101 is functionally separated. This charge generation layer 104 is composed of a-Si: H containing at least silicon atoms as components and substantially no carbon atoms and, if necessary, hydrogen atoms, and has desired photoconductive properties, particularly charge generation. Characteristics and charge transport characteristics. The layer thickness of the charge generation layer 104 is appropriately determined as desired from the viewpoints of obtaining desired electrophotographic characteristics and economic effects, and is preferably 0.5 to 15 μm, more preferably 1 to 10 μm, and most preferably 1. It is desirable that the thickness be ˜5 μm.

  If necessary, the amorphous silicon photoconductor that can be used in the present invention can be provided with a surface layer on the photoconductive layer 101 formed on the support 100 as described above. The system surface layer 102 is preferably formed. The amorphous silicon-based surface layer 102 has a free surface and can mainly improve moisture resistance, continuous repeated use characteristics, electrical pressure resistance, use environment characteristics, and durability. The layer thickness of the amorphous silicon-based surface layer 102 in the present invention is usually 0.01 to 3 μm, preferably 0.05 to 2 μm, and most preferably 0.1 to 1 μm. If the layer thickness is less than 0.01 μm, the surface layer is lost due to wear or the like during use of the photoreceptor, and if it exceeds 3 μm, electrophotographic characteristics such as an increase in residual potential are observed.

  Regarding the layer structure of the photoreceptor 1, it is effective to add a filler capable of improving the wear resistance to the protective layer of the surface layer. Examples of the organic filler include fluorine resin powder such as polytetrafluoroethylene, silicon resin powder, and a-carbon powder. Examples of inorganic fillers include metal powders such as copper, tin, aluminum, and indium, tin oxide, zinc oxide, titanium oxide, indium oxide, antimony oxide, bismuth oxide, antimony-doped tin oxide, and tin-doped indium oxide. Inorganic materials such as metal oxide and potassium titanate can be mentioned. These fillers can be used alone or in admixture of two or more. These fillers can be dispersed by using a suitable disperser in the protective layer coating solution. The average particle size of the filler is preferably 0.5 μm or less, and preferably 0.2 μm or less from the viewpoint of the transmittance of the protective layer. In the present invention, a plasticizer or a leveling agent may be added to the protective layer.

[Second Embodiment]
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The same portions as those described in FIGS. 1 to 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted (the same applies to the following embodiments).

  The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment is characterized by the supply unit 31 and the intermittent supply mechanism 32, and the configuration of other parts is the same as that of the first embodiment.

  The supply means 31 includes a scraping roller 33 and a brush roller 14. The scraping roller 33 is disposed at a position where the scraping roller 33 contacts the integrated unit 15, and the brush roller 14 is disposed at a position where the tip of the brush roller 14 contacts the scraping roller 33 and the image carrying surface 1 a of the photosensitive member 1. When the scraping roller 33 rotates while coming into contact with the mixed integral 15, the mixed integral 15 is scraped, and a lubricant and irregular shaped particles are generated. The lubricant and irregular particles generated by scraping by the scraping roller 33 move to the brush roller 14 at the contact portion between the brush roller 14 and the scraping roller 33, and are carried by the brush roller 14 to be carried on the image bearing surface 1a of the photoreceptor 1. To be supplied. As a material of the scraping roller 33, metal, rubber, resin, or the like can be used. Further, it is possible to improve the shaving performance by subjecting the surface to sandblasting.

  The mixed integrated object 15 is held by a holder 26 that constitutes a part of the intermittent supply mechanism 32, and the mixed integrated object 15 is directed toward the scraping roller 33 between the holder 26 and the mixed integrated object 15. It is preferable to interpose an urging body for urging. Thereby, even if the mixed integrated object 15 is scraped by the shaving roller 33, the state where the mixed integrated object 15 contacts the scraping roller 33 is maintained.

  The intermittent supply mechanism 32 is a mechanism for moving the mixed integrated object 15 to a contact position where it comes into contact with the scraping roller 33 and a separation position where it is separated from the scraping roller 33. 26, a slide shaft 27 fixed to 26, a rotating mechanism 34 disposed opposite to the other end of the slide shaft 27, a spring 29 for biasing the other end of the slide shaft 27 toward the rotating mechanism 34, and the like. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the rotation mechanism 34 has an L-shaped pressure plate 35, a rotation center shaft 36 that rotatably holds the pressure plate 35, and an axis parallel to the rotation center shaft 36. A joint shaft 37 fixed to the pressure plate 35, a link plate 38 connected to the joint shaft 37, a solenoid 39 connected to the link plate 38, a spring 40, and the like are included.

  In FIG. 8, the solenoid 39 is off, and the pressure plate 35 is urged counterclockwise around the axis of the rotation center shaft 36 by the urging force of the spring 40, and slides on a part of the pressure plate 35. The other end side end of the shaft 27 is in contact. Due to this contact, the mixing unit 15 is located at a contact position that contacts the scraping roller 33.

  In such a configuration, when the solenoid 39 is turned off, the pressure plate 35 is rotated to the position shown in FIG. 8 by the urging force of the spring 40, and the other end of the slide shaft 27 abuts against the pressure plate 35. Thus, the mixing unit 15 is positioned at the contact position. Then, when the scraping roller 33 rotates while contacting the mixed integrated object 15 located at the contact position, the mixed integrated object 15 is scraped to generate a lubricant and irregular particles. The lubricant and irregular particles generated by scraping by the scraping roller 33 move to the brush roller 14 at the contact portion between the brush roller 14 and the scraping roller 33, and are carried by the brush roller 14 to be carried on the image bearing surface 1a of the photoreceptor 1. To be supplied.

  By supplying the lubricant and the irregularly shaped particles to the image bearing surface 1a, the lubricant is applied to the image bearing surface 1a, and the irregularly shaped particles are formed on the edge of the cleaning blade 13 and the image bearing surface 1a as shown in FIG. The spherical toner which has entered the contact portion of the toner and becomes deposit B and becomes residual toner after transfer is prevented from passing between the edge portion of the cleaning blade 13 and the contact portion of the image carrying surface 1a. Thereby, the cleaning performance by the cleaning blade 13 at the time of image formation using spherical toner is improved, and the quality of the formed image is improved.

  When the solenoid 39 is turned on from the state of FIG. 6 or 7, the pressure plate 35 rotates clockwise around the rotation center shaft 36, and the contact state between the pressure plate 35 and the slide shaft 27 is changed. The slide shaft 27 is released and slides away from the scraping roller 33. As a result, the mixed integrated body 15 moves to the separation position where it separates from the scraping roller 33, and the supply of the lubricant and the irregular particles to the image carrying surface 1a is stopped.

  As shown in FIG. 2, it is not necessary to supply the irregular shaped particles after the deposit B of irregular shaped particles is formed, so that the lubricant and the irregular shaped particles are not required by moving the mixed integrated body 15 to the separation position. Therefore, the excessive supply can be stopped, and the life of the mixing unit 15 can be extended.

[Third Embodiment]
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 except that the solid mixture 15 is mixed with the solid lubricant 15a and the irregular particles along the rotation direction of the brush roller 14, respectively. 15b and provided integrally.

  The structure of the other parts is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the same operation and effect as in the case of the first embodiment can be obtained.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of the configuration of the second embodiment in which the mixed integrated product 15 is divided into solid lubricants 15a and irregular shaped particles 15b, respectively, along the rotation direction of the brush roller 14. A modified example is shown.

[Fourth Embodiment]
A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment includes four developing devices 41Y, 41M, 41C, and 41BK (Y is yellow, M) that form toner images of different colors around one photoconductor 1 that is an image carrier. Is a magenta, C is cyan, and BK is black. In addition to the four developing devices 41Y, 41M, 41C, and 41BK, a static elimination lamp 2, a charging roller 4, a cleaning device 42, an intermediate transfer belt 43 that is an image carrier, and the like are disposed around the photosensitive member 1. . Spherical toner is stored in the developing devices 41Y, 41M, 41C, and 41BK. The cleaning device 42 has the same structure as the cleaning device 8 described in the first to third embodiments, and includes a mechanism for supplying a lubricant and amorphous particles onto the image carrying surface 1 a of the photoreceptor 1.

  Around the intermediate transfer belt 43, there are a transfer roller 44 for transferring the toner image transferred on the intermediate transfer belt 43 to the recording medium S, and a cleaning device 45 for cleaning residual toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 43. Has been placed. The cleaning device 45 has the same structure as the cleaning device 42 and includes a mechanism for supplying a lubricant and amorphous particles to the image carrying surface 43 a of the intermediate transfer belt 43.

  In such a configuration, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the image bearing surface 1a of the photoreceptor 1 by irradiation with laser light L corresponding to the image data of each color, and the electrostatic latent image is developed into the developing device 1Y, The toner images are visualized by the spherical toners of the respective colors supplied from 41M, 41C, and 41BK, and the visualized toner images are sequentially transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 43, and a color toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 43. .

  The color toner image is transferred to the recording medium S supplied at a timing by the registration roller 9, and the recording medium S on which the color toner image has been transferred is conveyed to the fixing device 11 by the conveyance belt 46, and is fixed by the fixing device 11. After the fixing process, the paper is discharged onto a paper discharge tray.

  Each time a toner image of each color is formed by the spherical toner supplied from each of the developing devices 1Y, 41M, 41C, and 41BK, and the toner image is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 43, the image carrying surface 1a of the photoreceptor 1 is cleaned. It is cleaned by the device 42. As described in the first to third embodiments, the cleaning device 42 includes a mechanism for supplying a lubricant and irregular particles to the image carrying surface 1a. However, even if toner images of different colors are formed one after another on the same image bearing surface 1a, the residual toner (spherical toner) is highly cleanable and does not cause wear problems. It is prevented that the image is mixed with residual toner of other colors. Thereby, the quality of the formed image can be improved.

  Also, the cleaning device 45 provided on the intermediate transfer belt 43 side has a mechanism for supplying a lubricant and irregular particles to the image bearing surface 43a as in the case of the cleaning device 42. Therefore, when spherical toner is used. Even in this case, the cleaning performance of the residual toner is enhanced on the image carrying surface 43a of the intermediate transfer belt 43, and the problem of abrasion does not occur, and the quality of the formed image can be further improved.

[Fifth Embodiment]
A fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment is a tandem type color printer including four photoconductors 51 (51Y, 51M, 51C, 51BK) and one intermediate transfer belt 52 which is an image carrier and an intermediate transfer body. is there. Around each photosensitive member 51, there are respectively a static elimination lamp 53 (53Y, 53M, 53C, 53BK), a charging roller 54 (54Y, 54M, 54C, 54BK), a developing device 55 (55Y, 55M, 55C, 55BK), A cleaning device 56 (56Y, 56M, 56C, 56BK) and the like are arranged. Each cleaning device 56 has the same structure as the cleaning device 8 described in the first to third embodiments, and includes a mechanism for supplying a lubricant and irregular particles onto the image carrying surface 51a of the photoreceptor 51. ing. Each developing device 55 contains spherical toner.

  A cleaning device 57 is also provided at a position facing the image carrying surface 52 a of the intermediate transfer belt 52. The cleaning device 57 has the same structure as the cleaning device 56 described above, and includes a mechanism for supplying a lubricant and amorphous particles onto the image carrying surface 52 a of the intermediate transfer belt 52.

  In such a configuration, toner images of the respective colors are formed on the image carrying surface 51a of each photoconductor 51, and the toner images are successively transferred onto the image carrying surface 52a of the intermediate transfer belt 52, and the image carrying surface 52a. A color toner image is formed thereon. The color toner image is transferred to the recording medium S at a transfer position where the intermediate transfer belt 52 and the transfer roller 58 form a nip portion. The recording medium S on which the color toner image is transferred is subjected to a fixing process by the fixing device 11 and then discharged onto a discharge tray.

  When a toner image is formed on each photoconductor 51, the image carrying surface 51 a of the photoconductor 51 after the toner image is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 52 is cleaned by the cleaning device 56. As described in the first to third embodiments, each of these cleaning devices 56 includes a mechanism for supplying a lubricant and irregular particles to the image carrying surface 51a. Therefore, when a spherical toner is used. Even so, the cleaning performance of the residual toner on the image bearing surface 51a of each photoconductor 51 becomes high, and the problem of wear does not occur, and the image quality of the toner image formed on each photoconductor 51 becomes high.

  Further, the cleaning device 57 for cleaning the intermediate transfer belt 52 is also provided with a mechanism for supplying a lubricant and irregular particles to the image carrying surface 52a. Even when spherical toner is used, the cleaning device 57 of the intermediate transfer belt 52 is provided. The cleaning performance of the residual toner on the image bearing surface 52a is enhanced, and the problem of wear does not occur, and the quality of the image transferred from the intermediate transfer belt 52 to the recording medium S is enhanced.

[Sixth Embodiment]
A sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment includes one photoconductor 1, a static elimination lamp 2, a charging roller 4, a developing device 5, a cleaning device 8, and the like disposed around the photoconductor. Further, a transfer belt 61 is provided as a member for transferring the toner image formed on the image bearing surface 1 a of the photoreceptor 1 to the recording medium S. The transfer belt 61 is brought into contact with the image carrying surface 1a of the photoreceptor 1, presses the recording medium S against the image carrying surface 1a to transfer the toner image to the recording medium S, and the recording medium S on which the toner image is transferred. It is conveyed toward the fixing device 11.

  A cleaning device 62 is disposed at a position facing the image carrying surface 61 a on which the recording medium S is placed on the transfer belt 61. The cleaning device 62 has the same structure as the cleaning device 8 described in the first to third embodiments, and includes a mechanism for supplying a lubricant and irregular particles onto the image carrying surface 61 a of the transfer belt 61. Yes.

  In such a configuration, a toner image is formed on the image carrying surface 1 a of the photoreceptor 1, and this toner image is transferred onto the recording medium S conveyed by the transfer belt 61. The recording medium S to which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed to the fixing device 11 by the transfer belt 61, and after being subjected to fixing processing by the fixing device 11, it is discharged onto a paper discharge tray.

  The image carrying surface 1 a after the transfer of the toner image is cleaned by the cleaning device 8. Since the cleaning device 8 is provided with a mechanism for supplying the lubricant and irregular particles to the image bearing surface 1a as described above, the cleaning performance of the image bearing surface 1a by the cleaning blade 13 is improved even when spherical toner is used. Also, the problem of wear does not occur.

  The image carrying surface 61 a of the transfer belt 61 may carry spherical toner remaining on the image carrying surface 1 a when contacting the image carrying surface 1 a of the photoreceptor 1. When the recording medium S is conveyed in a state where the spherical toner is carried on the image carrying surface 61a of the transfer belt 61, the spherical toner adheres to the back surface of the recording medium S, and the recording medium S is stained on the back side.

  However, in the present embodiment, by providing the cleaning device 62, the spherical toner carried on the image carrying surface 61 a of the transfer belt 61 can be cleaned by the cleaning device 62. In addition, since the cleaning device 62 has a mechanism for supplying the lubricant and irregular particles to the image bearing surface 61a as described above, the cleaning performance of the image bearing surface 61a by the cleaning blade 13 is improved even when spherical toner is used. The recording medium S can be reliably prevented from being contaminated without any problem of wear.

[Seventh Embodiment]
A seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, the cleaning device 8 described in the above-described embodiment is a component of the process cartridge 71. The process cartridge 71 includes a cartridge case 72, a photoconductor 1 that is an image carrier housed and held in the cartridge case 72, a static elimination lamp 2 that is housed and held in the cartridge case 72 and disposed around the photoconductor 1, The roller 4, the developing device 5, the cleaning device 8, and the like are included.

  The process cartridge 71 is detachably mounted in the image forming apparatus.

  In such a configuration, the image forming operation in the image forming apparatus provided with the process cartridge 71 is the same as the image forming operation of the image forming apparatus of the first embodiment, and the image forming operation is performed on the image bearing surface 1 a of the photoreceptor 1. A toner image is formed, and the toner image is transferred to the recording medium S at a nip position between the photosensitive member 1 and a transfer roller 6 attached to the main body side of the image forming apparatus.

  The image bearing surface 1 a of the photoreceptor 1 after the toner image is transferred is cleaned by the cleaning device 8. Since the cleaning device 8 is provided with a mechanism for supplying the lubricant and irregular particles to the image bearing surface 1a as described above, the cleaning performance of the image bearing surface 1a by the cleaning blade 13 is improved even when spherical toner is used. In addition, the problem of wear does not occur, and the quality of the image formed on the recording medium S is improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a longitudinal front view showing an outline of a configuration of a main part of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a longitudinal front view which expands and shows the state by which spherical toner was dammed up by the deposit formed with the supplied amorphous particle | grains. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional front view showing a state where an edge portion of a cleaning blade is separated from an image bearing surface of a photoreceptor. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an approach / separation mechanism for bringing an edge portion of a cleaning blade into contact with and separating from an image bearing surface of a photoreceptor. It is a schematic diagram which shows the layer structure of a photoreceptor. FIG. 5 is a longitudinal front view illustrating an outline of a configuration of a main part of an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional front view showing a state where an edge portion of a cleaning blade is separated from an image bearing surface of a photoreceptor. It is a perspective view which shows an intermittent supply mechanism. It is a longitudinal front view showing an outline of a configuration of a main part of an image forming apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention. It is a longitudinal front view showing an outline of a configuration of a main part of a modified image forming apparatus. It is a schematic front view which shows the image forming apparatus of the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic front view which shows the image forming apparatus of the 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic front view which shows the image forming apparatus of the 6th Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic front view which shows the process cartridge of the 7th Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image carrier 1a Image carrying surface 8 Cleaning device 13 Cleaning blade 14 Supply means, brush roller 15 Mixing unit 16 Intermittent supply mechanism 31 Supply means 32 Intermittent supply mechanism 33 Shaving roller 41 Developer 42 Cleaning device 43 Image carrier 43a Image Support surface 45 Cleaning device 51 Image support member 51a Image support surface 52 Image support member, intermediate transfer member 52a Image support surface 56 Cleaning device 57 Cleaning device 61 Transfer belt 61a Image support surface 62 Cleaning device 71 Process cartridge 72 Cartridge case 102 Amorphous silicon Surface layer

Claims (19)

A cleaning blade in which an edge portion is brought into contact with an image carrying surface of an image carrier carrying a toner image by spherical toner;
A mixture of a lubricant and amorphous particles integrated as a solidified material;
Supply means for scraping the mixture and supplying the lubricant and amorphous particles to the image carrier upstream of the cleaning blade along the rotation direction of the image carrier;
A cleaning device comprising:   The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the supply unit is a brush roller that rotates while being in contact with the mixed integrated object and the image carrier.   The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the supply means is a scraping roller that rotates while being in contact with the mixed integrated object, and a brush roller that is rotating while being in contact with the scraping roller and the image carrier.   The cleaning device according to claim 1, further comprising an intermittent supply mechanism that intermittently supplies the lubricant and the irregularly shaped particles from the mixture.   The cleaning apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the intermittent supply mechanism is a mechanism that contacts and separates the brush roller and the mixing unit.   The cleaning apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the intermittent supply mechanism is a mechanism for contacting and separating the shaving roller and the mixed integrated object.   The cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the supply timing of the lubricant and the irregularly shaped particles from the mixed integrated body is during non-image formation.   The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the supply timing of the lubricant and the irregularly shaped particles from the mixed integrated body is after a predetermined number of image formations are completed.   The supply timing of the lubricant and the amorphous particles from the mixed integrated body is when one recording medium is transported and then the next recording medium is transported. Cleaning device.   The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the supply timing of the lubricant and the irregularly shaped particles from the mixed integrated body is after the completion of one continuous image forming operation.   The cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a supply timing of the lubricant and the irregularly shaped particles from the mixed integrated body is a warm-up time. An image carrier for carrying a toner image on the image carrying surface;
A cartridge case for rotatably holding the image carrier;
A developer for supplying the image carrier with spherical toner held in the cartridge case and disposed opposite to the image carrying surface to form a toner image;
The cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the cleaning device is held in the cartridge case and arranged to face the surface of the image carrier.
A process cartridge comprising: An image carrier that carries a toner image using spherical toner on the image carrying surface;
The cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, which is disposed to face the image bearing surface;
An image forming apparatus comprising: One image carrier on which a toner image is formed on the image carrying surface;
A plurality of developers for supplying the image carrier with spherical toner which is arranged opposite to the image carrying surface and forms a toner image;
The cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, which is disposed to face the image bearing surface;
An image forming apparatus comprising: A plurality of image carriers on which toner images are formed on the image bearing surface;
A developing device for supplying the image carrier with spherical toner which is disposed opposite to the image carrying surface of each of the image carriers and forms a toner image;
The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning device is disposed so as to face the image carrying surface of each of the image carriers.
An image forming apparatus comprising: A plurality of image carriers on which toner images are formed on the image bearing surface;
A developing device for supplying the image carrier with spherical toner which is disposed opposite to the image carrying surface of each of the image carriers and forms a toner image;
An intermediate transfer member to which a toner image formed on the image carrying surface is transferred;
The cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the cleaning device is disposed to face an image carrying surface to which the toner image of the intermediate transfer member is transferred.
An image forming apparatus comprising: An image carrier on which a toner image is formed on the image carrying surface;
A developing device for supplying the image carrier with spherical toner which is disposed opposite to the image carrying surface and forms a toner image;
Abutting on the image carrying surface, pressing the recording medium against the image carrying surface to transfer the toner image onto the recording medium, and conveying the recording medium on which the toner image on the image carrying surface is transferred to the fixing device A transfer belt,
The cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, which is disposed so as to face an image bearing surface of the transfer belt;
An image forming apparatus comprising:   18. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the image carrier is a drum-shaped photoconductor, and an amorphous silicon surface layer is provided on a surface of the photoconductor. 18. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the image carrier is a drum-shaped photoconductor, and a filler is added to a surface layer of the photoconductor.

Images