JP5073418B2 - Lubricant supply structure, cleaning device, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a lubricant supply structure used in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer that forms an image by an image forming process such as an electrophotographic system or an electrostatic recording system, and more specifically, an image carrier in the image forming apparatus. The present invention relates to a lubricant supply structure that supplies a lubricant to the surface of the toner, a cleaning device including the same, and an image forming apparatus.

  Conventional image forming apparatuses such as copying machines and printers are configured to form a visible image visualized with toner on a sheet such as recording paper and fix the image to form an image on the sheet. ing.

  Among such conventional image forming apparatuses, for example, an image forming apparatus that forms an image by an electrophotographic image forming process generally charges the surface of a photoconductor that acts as an image carrier, and in the charged area. By exposing the image to form an electrostatic latent image, visualizing the electrostatic latent image with toner, and electrostatically transferring and fixing the visualized visible image on the photoreceptor to a sheet, An image is formed on the sheet.

  There is also an image forming apparatus in which a visible image visualized by toner is once formed on an intermediate transfer member that acts as an image carrier, and is transferred from the intermediate transfer member to a sheet and fixed.

  In addition, there is a color image forming apparatus that forms a visible image on each sheet such as cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, and forms a color image on the sheet by fixing the image.

  In such a conventional image forming apparatus, a part of the visible image visualized by the toner remains on the surface of the image carrier after the transfer process. For this reason, the image forming apparatus is provided with, for example, a cleaning device in order to remove (clean) the remaining toner. This cleaning device is generally provided with a cleaning blade arranged so as to abut on the image carrier.

  Furthermore, some cleaning apparatuses and image forming apparatuses including a cleaning blade include a lubricant supply structure that supplies a lubricant to the surface of the image carrier from the viewpoint of improving the cleaning performance of the cleaning blade.

For example, in Patent Document 1 below, when the residual toner remaining on the photosensitive drum is scraped off by a cleaning blade, a part of the residual toner is collected by a roller-shaped rotating brush (brush roller) and solidified by the brush roller. In addition to the configuration in which the lubricant obtained by shaving the lubricant is applied to the photosensitive drum, the residual toner is further removed by a toner removing means comprising an elastic roller provided upstream of the brush roller in the rotational direction of the photosensitive drum. A cleaning device is disclosed in which a part is collected to further improve the cleaning performance.
JP 2004-334092 A

  However, in the cleaning device described in Patent Document 1, of the lubricant scraped from the solid lubricant by the brush roller, the lubricant at the tip portion of the brush bristles that contacts the photosensitive drum is moved to the photosensitive drum side. Although it is easy to transfer, the lubricant that has entered the base side that does not come into contact with the photosensitive drum is difficult to be discharged by rubbing against the photosensitive drum, and remains on the brush roller without being transferred to the photosensitive drum side, which is wasted. May end up.

  Further, when the lubricant is scraped off from the solid lubricant with the brush roller and applied onto the photosensitive drum, the residual toner is removed by the toner removing means upstream in the rotational direction of the photosensitive drum, thereby affecting the influence of the residual toner on the brush roller. Although it can be difficult to receive, it is necessary to separately provide an elastic roller as a toner removing means, and accordingly the size of the cleaning device and the image forming apparatus is increased.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides a lubricant supply structure capable of efficiently supplying a lubricant to an image carrier and avoiding an increase in size of the apparatus, and a cleaning device and an image forming apparatus including the lubricant supply structure. Objective.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides the following lubricant supply structure, cleaning device, and image forming apparatus.
(1) Lubricant supply structure A lubricant supply structure for supplying a lubricant to the surface of the image carrier in the image forming apparatus, and the surface moves with a cleaning blade arranged so as to contact the image carrier. A rotating brush arranged on the upstream side of the cleaning blade in the surface movement direction of the image carrier and a solid lubricant so as to abut against the rotating brush by its own weight or to press and urge toward the rotating brush. A holding contact member to be held; and in a rotating direction of the rotating brush, a downstream side of a portion of the rotating brush that rubs against the solid lubricant, and an upstream side of a portion of the rotating brush facing the image carrier. A flicker member disposed in contact with the rotating brush on the side, and a contact surface of the solid lubricant with the rotating brush is in an initial state of the rotating brush The holding contact member is formed so as to match the shape of the contact portion with the solid lubricant, and the rotation of the solid lubricant is performed when the solid lubricant is brought into contact with the rotating brush. as towards the downstream side of the upstream side in the rotation direction of the rotating brush in contact side end portion of the brush close to the rotating brush, the contact side of the solid lubricant in the circumferential direction before Symbol rotating brush The rotation in a state in which a virtual orthogonal line orthogonal to a virtual normal line at the center of the end portion is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to a virtual tangent at a portion to be pressed by the solid lubricant on the outer periphery of the rotating brush The solid lubricant is held so as to be movable in the contact / separation direction with respect to the brush, and the solid lubricant is pressed against the rotary brush when the rotary brush rotates. And said Lubricant supply structure the virtual normal form lubricant, characterized in that matches the normal to the outer peripheral shape of the rotating brush.
(2) Cleaning device A cleaning device for removing residual toner remaining on the image carrier in the image forming apparatus, comprising the lubricant supply structure according to the present invention.
(3) Image forming apparatus An image forming apparatus having an intermediate transfer member, comprising the lubricant supply structure according to the present invention or the cleaning apparatus according to the present invention.

  In the lubricant supply structure, the cleaning device, and the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, in the rotation direction of the rotating brush, the downstream side of the portion of the rotating brush that slides on the solid lubricant, and the rotating brush. Since the flicker member disposed in contact with the rotating brush is provided upstream of the portion facing the image carrier, the lubricant stored in the rotating brush by being scraped from the solid lubricant by the rotating brush is stored. The flicker member disposed in contact with the rotating brush can be ejected from the rotating brush toward the image carrier. Thereby, the lubricant in the rotating brush can be transferred from the rotating brush to the image carrier side. In this way, by ejecting the lubricant from the rotating brush toward the image carrier side by the flicker member arranged in contact with the rotating brush, not only the tip of the brush bristles of the rotating brush but also the inside of the brush bristles. Also, the lubricant that has entered can be effectively discharged to the image carrier side. Further, by using the flicker member, it is possible to save space as compared with the case where an elastic roller is provided as in the prior art.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently supply the lubricant to the image carrier and to avoid an increase in the size of the apparatus.
By the way, at the end of the solid lubricant in contact with the rotating brush, the upstream side of the rotating brush tends to be inclined closer to the rotating brush than the downstream side in the rotating direction of the rotating brush as the rotating brush rotates. It is in. In this regard, in the present invention, the holding contact member is configured to rotate the rotating brush at a contact-side end of the solid lubricant with the rotating brush when the solid lubricant contacts the rotating brush. The downstream side is closer to the rotating brush than the upstream side (specifically, in the circumferential direction of the rotating brush, it is orthogonal to the virtual normal line at the center of the contact-side end of the solid lubricant. The contact / separation direction in which the virtual orthogonal line contacts / separates with respect to the rotating brush in a state where the virtual orthogonal line is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the virtual tangent at a portion to be pressed by the solid lubricant on the outer periphery of the rotating brush. The solid lubricant is held so as to be freely movable, so that the solid lubricant can be consumed evenly on the upstream side and the downstream side in the rotation direction of the rotating brush without waste. It becomes.
In addition, the holding contact member has a virtual normal line at the center of the contact-side end portion of the solid lubricant in the circumferential direction of the rotary brush that is normal to the outer peripheral shape of the rotary brush when the rotary brush rotates. (Specifically, when the rotating brush rotates, the solid lubricant is pressed and urged toward the rotating brush, and the virtual normal of the solid lubricant is The solid lubricant can be reduced to the minimum size required for performance, for example, downsizing the cleaner to a cleaner unit or a process cartridge. Can contribute.
In addition, when the solid lubricant contact side end surface with the rotating brush is different from the shape of the contact portion of the rotating brush with the solid lubricant in the initial state, the initial stage of the solid lubricant The amount of lubricant consumed in the tank tends to increase. In this regard, in the present invention, the contact surface of the solid lubricant with the rotating brush is initially matched with the shape (for example, curved surface shape) of the contact portion of the rotating brush with the solid lubricant. By being formed (for example, on a curved surface), it is possible to suppress the amount of lubricant consumed in the initial stage of the solid lubricant, and the lubricant can be supplied stably throughout.

  By the way, the lubricant scraped off from the solid lubricant by the rotating brush, for example, by the above-described action, once transferred to the surface of the image carrier, and the lubricant transferred to the surface of the image carrier is The image carrier is leveled by the cleaning blade on the downstream side in the surface movement direction. However, if the point where the lubricant of the image carrier adheres from the contact portion of the image carrier with the cleaning blade, the remaining toner remaining on the image carrier is lubricated to the contact portion. Agent supply loss tends to increase.

  From this point of view, in the present invention, the flicker member is configured so that the rotating brush brushes off the lubricant that is scraped from the solid lubricant and stored in the rotating brush toward the tip of the cleaning blade. It is preferable that they are arranged in contact with each other. By doing so, since the lubricant scraped from the solid lubricant by the rotating brush and stored in the rotating brush can be supplied to the vicinity of the tip of the cleaning blade, the cleaning blade of the image carrier and The supply loss of the lubricant to the abutting portion can be reduced, and the lubricant can be efficiently supplied to the contacting portion.

  Further, as the rotating brush rotates, the hair falls easily with time due to contact with the solid lubricant and the flicker member. From this point of view, in the present invention, it is preferable that the bristles of the rotating brush have been previously fallen in the rotating direction of the rotating brush. In this way, in addition to the effect of stably maintaining the performance of the rotating brush by being previously fallen in a direction that cancels against the fall due to the contact between the solid lubricant and the flicker member, The restoring force of the brush hair when supplying the lubricant to the image carrier can be increased, and the lubricant can be supplied to the image carrier more efficiently.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the rotating brush is disposed in a non-contact manner with respect to the image carrier. By doing so, banding (strip-shaped density unevenness appearing in the halftone portion of the image) due to contact of the rotating brush with the image carrier, damage such as scratches on the surface of the image carrier, etc. Thus, it is possible to prevent image degradation.

  In the present invention, a toner intrusion preventing member for preventing toner from entering a contact portion of the rotating brush with the solid lubricant is further provided, and the toner intrusion preventing member is arranged in the rotating direction of the rotating brush. It is preferable that it is arrange | positioned upstream from a contact part. In this case, the toner intrusion preventing member can prevent the toner from entering between the rotating brush and the solid lubricant, stabilize the contact pressure of the solid lubricant on the rotating brush, and supply the lubricant. It is possible to stabilize the amount.

  The present invention further includes a toner discharge member for discharging toner in the rotary brush, wherein the toner discharge member is a contact portion of the rotary brush with the solid lubricant in the rotation direction of the rotary brush. It is preferable that it is arranged on the further upstream side so as to contact the rotating brush. By doing so, the rotating brush can be rubbed against the solid lubricant while being maintained in a refreshed state for a long time by the toner discharge member, whereby the lubricant is applied to the image carrier. It becomes possible to supply stably.

  In the present invention, the holding contact member includes a holding member that holds the solid lubricant, and a guide that guides the solid lubricant held by the holding member so as to contact and separate from the rotating brush. The aspect provided with the member and the urging member which presses and urges | biases the said solid lubricant currently hold | maintained at the said holding member toward the said rotating brush can be illustrated.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the lubricant supply structure capable of efficiently supplying the lubricant to the image carrier and avoiding the enlargement of the apparatus, the cleaning device including the same, and the image forming apparatus are provided. Can be provided.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the following embodiment is an example which actualized this invention, Comprising: The thing of the character which limits the technical scope of this invention is not.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of an image forming apparatus provided with a lubricant supply structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  In this embodiment, the image forming apparatus A shown in FIG. 1 forms a multicolor or single color image on a sheet such as a recording sheet based on image data transmitted from the outside by an electrophotographic image forming process. To do.

  The image forming apparatus A includes an electrostatic latent image carrier 3 (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d) acting as an image carrier, a charging device 5 (5a, 5b, 5c, 5d), an exposure device 1, and Developing device 2 (2a, 2b, 2c, 2d), intermediate transfer member 7, primary transfer device 6 (6a, 6b, 6c, 6d), secondary transfer device 11, fixing device 12, and cleaning device 4 (4a, 4b, 4c, 4d) and a static eliminator (not shown). Further, the image forming apparatus A includes an intermediate transfer member cleaning device 9 here.

  The image data that can be handled by the image forming apparatus A uses black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) colors in addition to those corresponding to a single color image. Including those corresponding to color images. Accordingly, the developing device 2 (2a, 2b, 2c, 2d), the electrostatic latent image carrier 3 (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d), the cleaning device 4 (4a, 4b, 4c, 4d), and the charging device 5 (5a). , 5b, 5c, 5d), four primary transfer devices 6 (6a, 6b, 6c, 6d) are provided to form four types of images corresponding to the respective colors.

  Here, the end codes a, b, c, and d correspond to black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y), respectively.

  That is, the image forming apparatus A includes a developing device 2a, an electrostatic latent image carrier 3a, a charging device 5a, a cleaning device 4a, and a primary transfer device 6a, a black (K) image station, a developing device 2b, A cyan (C) image station including an electrostatic latent image carrier 3b, a charging device 5b, a cleaning device 4b, and a primary transfer device 6b, a developing device 2c, an electrostatic latent image carrier 3c, a charging device 5c, and a cleaning device. A magenta (M) image station having a device 4c and a primary transfer device 6c, and a yellow (having a developing device 2d, an electrostatic latent image carrier 3d, a charging device 5d, a cleaning device 4d, and a primary transfer device 6d. Y) image station. Hereinafter, the last reference numerals of these members will be omitted.

  Here, the electrostatic latent image carrier 3 is a drum-shaped photoreceptor (hereinafter referred to as a photoreceptor drum). The charging device 5 is for charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 3, and is a charger here. The exposure apparatus 1 is for forming an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 3, and is an exposure unit here. The developing device 2 is for visualizing the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 3 with toner, and is a developing device here.

  The intermediate transfer member 7 is for temporarily transferring a visible image (toner image) on the photosensitive drum 3 visualized by the developing device 2. Here, the intermediate transfer member 7 is a belt-like intermediate transfer member (hereinafter referred to as an intermediate transfer belt). It is said that). The primary transfer device 6 is for temporarily transferring the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 3 to the intermediate transfer belt 7 and is here a primary transfer roller.

  The secondary transfer device 11 is for transferring a toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 7 to a sheet, and is a secondary transfer roller in this example. The fixing device 12 is for fixing a transfer image on a sheet to the sheet, and is a fixing unit here.

  The cleaning device 4 is for removing residual toner that is not transferred by the primary transfer roller 6 and remains on the surface of the photosensitive drum 3, and is a cleaner unit here. The static eliminator is for neutralizing residual charges remaining on the surface of the electrostatic latent image carrier 3. Further, the intermediate transfer member cleaning device 9 is for removing residual toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 7 without being transferred by the secondary transfer device 11, and is here a transfer belt cleaning unit. .

  In the present embodiment, the lubricant supply structure is provided in the cleaning device 4. Accordingly, the cleaning device 4 includes a cleaning mechanism that removes residual toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 3 and a lubricant application mechanism that applies a lubricant to the surface of the photosensitive drum 3.

  The intermediate transfer member cleaning device 9 may be provided with a lubricant supply structure. In this case, the intermediate transfer member cleaning device 9 removes residual toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer member 7 without being transferred by the secondary transfer device 11 and supplies a lubricant to the surface of the intermediate transfer member 7. Can do.

  Further, the image forming apparatus A may be the one in which the intermediate transfer body 7 and the secondary transfer apparatus 11 are removed. In this case, the primary transfer device 6 can be a transfer device that transfers the toner on the photosensitive drum 3 to a sheet.

  Further, the photoreceptor 3 may be a belt. The intermediate transfer member 7 may be a drum. As the charging device 5, for example, a contact charging type or a non-contact charging type such as a scorotron type can be used.

  In the present embodiment, each photosensitive drum 3 is pressed against each primary transfer roller 6 via an intermediate transfer belt 7. The surface of each photosensitive drum 3 moves in a predetermined direction (in the direction of arrow X in the figure). The surface of the intermediate transfer belt 7 moves in the same direction as the surface movement direction X of the photosensitive drum 3 (in the direction of arrow B in the figure). As a result, each photosensitive drum 3 is rotationally driven together with the intermediate transfer belt 7 at the same peripheral speed as that of the intermediate transfer belt 7, and each primary transfer roller 6 rotates following the intermediate transfer belt 7. It is like that.

  Each charger 5 is a charging means for uniformly charging the surface of each photosensitive drum 3 to a predetermined potential. As each charger 5, in addition to a charger-type or brush-type charger, as shown in FIG. 1, a contact-type roller-type charger that contacts the surface of each photosensitive drum 3 can be used.

  The exposure unit 1 is a laser scanning unit (LSU), and a plurality of laser irradiation units 1 a that emit laser beams to the respective photosensitive drums 3 and a plurality of laser beams that guide the respective laser beams to the respective photosensitive drums 3. A reflection mirror 1b is provided. The exposure unit 1 irradiates and exposes the surface of each charged photosensitive drum 3 while modulating each laser beam according to the image data, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image corresponding to each image data. It is like that. The exposure unit 1 may be a write head in which light emitting elements such as EL and LED are arranged in an array.

  Each developing device 2 develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the respective photosensitive drum 3 with toner (black (K) toner, cyan (C) toner, magenta (M) toner, yellow (Y) toner). It is to be imaged. Specifically, a two-component developer composed of toner and a magnetic carrier is accommodated in the developer tank 21 of each developing device 2. Each developing device 2 mixes and agitates the two-component developer in the developer tank 21 and frictionally charges the toner and the magnetic carrier, thereby causing the electrostatic latent image on the surface of each photosensitive drum 3 to have a different color. Charged toner is adhered and adsorbed to form toner images of the respective colors on the surface of each photosensitive drum 3. Each developing device 2 is provided with a toner replenishing device 22. Each toner replenishing device 22 is mounted with a toner container 23 containing black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) toner, and the developing device 2 develops from these toner containers 23. Each color toner is supplied to the agent tank 21. The developer accommodated in the developing device 2 is a two-component developer here, but may be a one-component developer.

  In the image forming apparatus A, in addition to the intermediate transfer belt 7, each primary transfer roller 6 and the secondary transfer roller 11, a transfer belt driving roller 71, a transfer belt driven roller 72, and a transfer belt tension roller 73 are provided. The transfer / conveying belt unit 8 is configured. The transfer / conveying belt unit 8 is disposed above each photosensitive drum 3, and the intermediate transfer belt 7 is stretched over the transfer belt driving roller 71, the transfer belt driven roller 72, and each primary transfer roller 6, and an arrow B It is supported so that it can rotate in the direction. Then, the transfer conveyance belt unit 8 presses each primary transfer roller 6 against each photosensitive drum 3 via the intermediate transfer belt 7 in a state where the intermediate transfer belt 7 is stretched by the transfer belt tension roller 73. At the same time, the secondary transfer roller 11 is pressed against the transfer belt drive roller 71.

  The transfer of the toner image from the photosensitive drum 3 to the intermediate transfer belt 7 is performed by each primary transfer roller 6 that is in contact with the side opposite to the photosensitive drum 3 of the intermediate transfer belt 7. Each primary transfer roller 6 provides a transfer bias for transferring the toner image on the photosensitive drum 3 onto the intermediate transfer belt 7. That is, a high-voltage transfer bias (a high voltage having a polarity opposite to the toner charging polarity (here, -polarity) (here, + polarity)) is applied to each primary transfer roller 6 in order to transfer the toner image. Is done.

  Each primary transfer roller 6 causes each electric field to act on the toner on the surface of each photoconductive drum 3 via the intermediate transfer belt 7 and attracts the toner on the surface of each photoconductive drum 3 to the intermediate transfer belt 7 for transfer. It is supposed to be. As a result, the image forming apparatus A can sequentially transfer and superimpose the toner images of the respective colors onto the intermediate transfer belt 7. Here, the transfer efficiency when the lubricant is not supplied to the photosensitive drum 3 can be exemplified by about 94%, and in this case, a phenomenon of missing characters may occur. On the other hand, the transfer efficiency when the lubricant is supplied to the photosensitive drum 3 can be exemplified by about 98%. In this case, it is possible to improve the lack of characters.

  In order to more stably form the nip area between each primary transfer roller 6 and each photosensitive drum 3, one of each primary transfer roller 6 and each photosensitive drum 3 is made of a hard material. Preferably, the other is formed of an elastic material. For example, the transfer roller may be based on a shaft of a metal (for example, stainless steel) having a diameter of 8 mm to 10 mm, and the surface thereof is covered with a conductive elastic material (for example, a material such as EPDM or urethane foam). It can be a roller. With this conductive elastic material, a high voltage can be uniformly applied to the intermediate transfer belt 7. In this embodiment, a transfer roller is used as the transfer electrode, but a brush or the like can also be used.

  The intermediate transfer belt 7 forms a color toner image (multicolor toner image) by sequentially superimposing and transferring the toner images of the respective colors formed on the respective photosensitive drums 3 on the intermediate transfer belt 7. It has a function. Here, the intermediate transfer belt is formed endlessly using a film having a thickness of about 100 μm to 150 μm. The intermediate transfer belt 7 can be formed of, for example, a synthetic resin film.

  The toner images of the respective colors transferred and superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 7 in this way are conveyed to the nip area between the transfer belt driving roller 71 and the secondary transfer roller 11 as the intermediate transfer belt 7 rotates. The sheet conveyed in synchronization with the toner image of each color on the intermediate transfer belt 7 by the registration roller 14 and the toner image of each color are superimposed, and the toner of each color is applied to the sheet by the secondary transfer roller 11. The image is transferred.

  The secondary transfer roller 11 is supported through the intermediate transfer belt 7 so as to be movable toward and away from the transfer belt drive roller 71, and is urged toward the transfer belt drive roller 71. As a result, the secondary transfer roller 11 sandwiches the intermediate transfer belt 7 with the transfer belt drive roller 71 to form a nip region. The transfer belt drive roller 71 is rotationally driven with each nip area between each primary transfer roller 6 and each photosensitive drum 3 being downstream, while serving as a backup roller for the secondary transfer roller 11. The intermediate transfer belt 7 is pulled and rotated in the arrow direction B, so that each nip region can be stably maintained.

  The cleaner unit 4 uses a cleaning blade to scrape, remove, and collect toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 3 after development and image transfer. The cleaner unit 4 also serves as a lubricant supply device that supplies a lubricant to the surface of the photosensitive drum 3 using a solid lubricant disposed in the cleaner unit 4. The configuration for supplying the lubricant to the photosensitive drum 3 will be described in detail later.

  The transfer belt cleaning unit 9 includes a cleaning blade that is in sliding contact with the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 7, and removes toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 7 so as to prevent fogging of an image formed next time. It has become.

  The fixing unit 12 includes a heat roller 31 and a pressure roller 32. The heat roller 31 and the pressure roller 32 rotate while sandwiching the sheet, whereby the toner of each color on the sheet is heated and melted and mixed, and the toner image of each color is fixed on the sheet as a color image. . The heat roller 31 is set to a predetermined fixing temperature by a control unit based on a signal from a temperature detector (not shown). The heat roller 31 is adapted to heat-press the sheet together with the pressure roller 32.

  The image forming apparatus A further includes a paper feed tray 10, a manual paper feed tray 20, a paper transport path S, and a paper discharge tray 15.

  The paper feed tray 10 and the manual paper feed tray 20 are trays for storing sheets used for image formation, and are provided below the exposure unit 1 here. Here, the paper discharge tray 15 is provided above each image forming station and serves as a tray on which the discharged sheets are placed.

  The paper transport path S is for sending the sheets in the paper feed tray 10 and the manual paper feed tray 20 to the paper discharge tray 15 via the transfer transport unit 8 and the fixing unit 12. A pickup roller 16 (16-1, 16-2), a registration roller 14, a fixing unit 12, and a sheet are conveyed in the vicinity of the sheet conveying path S from the sheet feeding tray 10 and the manual sheet feeding tray 20 to the sheet discharge tray 15. Conveying rollers 25 (25-1 to 25-8) are disposed.

  A plurality of conveyance rollers 25 are provided along the sheet conveyance path S to promote and assist conveyance of the sheet. The pickup rollers 16-1 and 16-2 are drawing rollers that supply sheets from the trays 10 and 20 to the paper transport path S one by one, and are disposed at the ends of the trays 10 and 20.

  The registration roller 14 temporarily holds the conveyed sheet. The registration roller 14 has a function of transporting the sheet in a timely manner in accordance with the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 7 so that the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 7 can be satisfactorily transferred onto the sheet. That is, the registration roller 14 conveys the sheet so that the leading end of the image forming range on the intermediate transfer belt 7 is aligned with the leading end of the image forming range on the sheet based on a detection signal output from a pre-registration detection switch (not shown). It is like that.

  The sheet on which the toner image has been fixed is conveyed by conveying rollers 25-2 and 25-3, and is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 15 with the toner image facing downward. It is also possible to form a monochrome image using only the black image station and transfer the monochrome image to the intermediate transfer belt 7. Similarly to the color image, this monochrome image can be transferred from the intermediate transfer belt 7 to a sheet, fixed on the sheet, and the sheet on which the monochrome image has been formed can be discharged to the sheet discharge tray 15.

  In addition, when performing image formation on both sides as well as on the surface of the sheet, the conveyance roller 25-3 is in the middle of conveying the sheet with the conveyance roller 25-3 after fixing the image formed on the surface of the sheet with the fixing unit 12. 25-3 is stopped and then reversely rotated, the sheet is passed through the reversing path S1, the sheet is turned upside down, the sheet is guided to the registration roller 14, and the back surface of the sheet is formed in the same manner as the surface of the sheet. The image can be recorded and fixed, and the sheet can be discharged to the discharge tray 15.

  Next, the cleaner unit 4 including the lubricant supply structure 40 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the cleaner unit 4 including the lubricant supply structure 40 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  The cleaner unit 4 includes a cleaning blade 46, a rotating brush 42, a holding contact member 41, a flicker member 51, a toner conveying member 48, and an apparatus case 52. The lubricant supply structure 40 includes a cleaning blade 46, a rotating brush 42, a holding contact member 41, and a flicker member 51. Here, the rotating brush 42 is a roller-shaped rotating brush (rotating brush roller) 42. Further, the toner conveying member 48 is here a toner conveying screw 48, and the apparatus case 52 is here a unit case 52. Hereinafter, the rotating brush roller 42 is simply referred to as a brush roller 42.

  The cleaner unit 4 removes and collects the toner remaining on the surface 3 a on the photosensitive drum 3 by the cleaning blade 46, discharges the toner to the outside by the toner conveying screw 48, and discharges the toner to the photosensitive drum 3 by the lubricant supply structure 40. The lubricant L ′ is supplied to the surface 3a of the steel.

  The cleaning blade 46 is disposed so as to come into contact with the photosensitive drum 3 and scrape the residual toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 3, and is here cantilevered by the unit case 52. The brush roller 42 is disposed on the upstream side of the cleaning blade 46 in the surface movement direction X of the photosensitive drum 3 so as to be close to or in contact with the photosensitive drum 3 (here, close). The holding contact member 41 contacts the brush roller 42 while holding the solid lubricant L. The flicker member 51 is on the downstream side of the rubbing portion 42a with the solid lubricant L of the brush roller 42 in the predetermined rotation direction of the brush roller 42 (in the direction of arrow b in the figure), and the photosensitive member of the brush roller 42. The brush roller 42 is disposed in contact with the drum 3 on the upstream side of the portion 42b that is close to or in contact with the drum 3 (here, the portion that is close).

  In the cleaner unit 4 configured as described above, the lubricant (specifically, the fine particles of the solid lubricant L) L ′ scraped off from the solid lubricant L by rubbing with the brush roller 42 of the solid lubricant L is As the brush roller 42 rotates in the direction of arrow b, it is conveyed to the vicinity of the flicker member 51.

  The flicker member 51 is in contact with the brush roller 42 at a position where the lubricant L ′ in the brush roller 42 can be supplied to the photosensitive drum 3. That is, the flicker member 51 is elastically deformed by the rotation of the brush roller 42 when the brush bristles pass through the flicker member 51, and the brush bristles are lubricated by using the restoring force when the bristles are restored after passing through the flicker member 51. It is configured to blow off the agent L ′ to the photosensitive drum 3 side.

  In the conventional configuration in which the lubricant is applied to the photosensitive drum by contact of the brush roller with the photosensitive drum, the lubricant adhering to the tip of the brush hair of the brush roller is transferred to the photosensitive drum, Since the lubricant that has entered the base side of the toner tends to stay as it is and is not easily discharged, not only the lubricant is largely lost, but also the performance of the brush roller itself is degraded.

  In this regard, in the present embodiment, the flicker member 51 is used to repel the lubricant L ′ to the photosensitive drum 3 side by utilizing the restoring force of the brush hair of the brush roller 42. The lubricant L ′ that has penetrated to the roots can be effectively used to supply the lubricant L ′ to the photosensitive drum 3 efficiently, and the releasability of the surface 3a of the photosensitive drum 3 with respect to the toner is improved accordingly. be able to. As a result, transferability to the intermediate transfer belt 7 can be improved, and good image quality can be obtained. Furthermore, as the flicker member 51, for example, a thin plate that is hardly affected by the space is used, so that the space saving can be realized.

  More specifically, the cleaning blade 46 is a long plate-like rubber member whose longitudinal direction is the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 3. In the width direction, one long side of the cleaning blade 46 is supported by the unit case 52, and the other long side is a free end. The cleaning blade 46 comes into contact with the surface 3 a of the photosensitive drum 3 so that the residual toner on the photosensitive drum 3 is scraped off.

  The solid lubricant L is brought into contact with the outer circumference of the brush roller 42 in the radial direction. Here, the solid lubricant L is formed in a horizontally long plate shape extending in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 3. The solid lubricant L can be formed, for example, by melting and cooling and solidifying a material mainly composed of zinc stearate. As the solid lubricant L, in addition to the aforementioned zinc stearate, barium stearate, lead stearate, nickel stearate, cobalt stearate, iron stearate, copper stearate, strontium stearate, calcium stearate, cadmium stearate, Magnesium stearate, 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 cabrylate, lead cabronate, zinc linolenate, cobalt linolenate, cadmium linolenate can be used. Also, natural wax such as colloidal high-temperature silica powder or carnauba wax can be used.

  The brush roller 42 is disposed so as to be parallel to the rotational axis of the photosensitive drum 3, and includes a shaft 42c in which brush hairs are planted. Both ends of the shaft 42c of the brush roller 42 are rotatably supported by the unit case 52. Specifically, the brush roller 42 is a roller-shaped rotary brush having a diameter of about 16 mm, in which a polyester fiber having a hair length of about 5 mm is laid on the outer periphery of a stainless steel core bar having a diameter of 6 mm. The brush roller 42 can have a role for transporting the toner removed and collected from the photosensitive drum 3 by the cleaning blade 46 to the toner transport screw 48 side without any delay.

  The flicker member 51 is a long plate-like member whose longitudinal direction is the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 3. In the width direction, the flicker member 51 has one long side supported by the unit case 52 and the other long side defined as a free end 51a. The flicker member 51 comes into contact with the brush bristles of the brush roller 42 so that the lubricant L ′ on the bristles of the brush roller 42 can be blown off to the photosensitive drum 3 side. ing. Here, the free end 51a of the flicker member 51 is bent toward the brush roller 42 side.

  FIG. 3 is a main part configuration diagram of the lubricant supply structure 40 shown in FIG. 2. Here, if the point where the lubricant L ′ of the photosensitive drum 3 adheres away from the contact portion P of the photosensitive drum 3 with the cleaning blade 46, the residual toner T remaining on the photosensitive drum 3 is reduced. The transfer of the lubricant L ′ to the photosensitive drum surface 3a may be hindered, the supply loss of the lubricant L ′ to the contact portion P tends to be large, and the image resulting from the application spots of the lubricant L ′ This causes the occurrence of density spots.

  In this regard, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the flicker member 51 removes the lubricant L ′ scraped from the solid lubricant L by the brush roller 42 and stored in the brush roller 42. The brush roller 42 is disposed in contact with the tip 46a (more specifically, the contact portion P of the photosensitive drum 3 with the cleaning blade 46).

  That is, the flicker member 51 elastically deforms the bristle 42d of the brush roller 42, and the lubricant L ′ stored in the brush bristle 42d from the elastically deformed brush bristle 42d is recovered by the restoring force of the brush bristle 42d. It is installed so that it can be flipped over the vicinity of the tip 46a of 46 (more specifically, toward the contact portion P of the photosensitive drum 3 with the cleaning blade 46).

  Thus, in the present embodiment, the lubricant L ′ scraped from the solid lubricant L by the brush roller 42 and stored in the brush roller 42 can be supplied to the vicinity of the tip 46a of the cleaning blade 46. The supply loss of the lubricant L ′ to the contact portion P of the body drum 3 with the cleaning blade 46 can be reduced, and the lubricant L ′ can be efficiently supplied to the contact portion P. At this time, the surface free energy due to the contact angle of water at intervals of 10 mm in the longitudinal direction of the photosensitive member was measured. As a result, the brush roller was in contact with the photosensitive drum, applied with a lubricant, and then leveled with a cleaning blade. In this configuration, the water contact angle has a variation of 3 ° or more and, in addition, the density unevenness of the image due to the coating spots is generated, whereas according to the present embodiment, the water contact angle is 1 In addition, it was possible to suppress the variation within ± °, and it was also possible to improve the density unevenness of the image.

  The bristles 42d of the brush roller 42 are preferably fallen in advance in the rotation direction b of the rotary brush roller. In other words, it is preferable that the brush roller 42 is configured so that the hair feet fall in advance in the same direction as the rotation direction b. In this way, the solid lubricant L and the flicker member 51 (or a toner discharge member 50 to be described later) have an effect of canceling against the falling of the hair that occurs over time, and in addition, used when supplying the lubricant. It becomes possible to have the role which raises the restoring force of the hair foot which does.

  The brush roller 42 may be disposed in contact with the photosensitive drum 3, but in the present embodiment, as described above, the brush roller 42 is disposed in proximity to the photosensitive drum 3. Specifically, the brush roller 42 is driven to rotate in the direction of arrow b in a non-contact state with respect to the photosensitive drum 3. Thus, by making the brush roller 42 non-contact with the photosensitive drum 3, it is possible to reduce damage such as generation of banding due to the brush roller 42 and scratches on the surface 3 a of the photosensitive drum 3. Thus, an effect of preventing image deterioration can be obtained.

  Further, the lubricant L ′ scraped from the solid lubricant L and stored in the brush roller 42 is transferred from the brush roller 42 to the photosensitive drum 3, and the residual toner on the photosensitive drum 3 is affected by the brush roller 42. It becomes possible to supply efficiently in the state which is hard to receive.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the holding contact member 41 includes a holding member 45, a guide member 43, and an urging member (here, a compression coil spring) 47 in the present embodiment.

  The holding member 45 is configured to hold the solid lubricant L. The guide member 43 guides the solid lubricant L held by the holding member 45 so that the solid lubricant L can be brought into and out of contact with the brush roller 42 (contact and separation). Here, the guide member 43 is supported by the unit case 52. The biasing member 47 presses and urges the solid lubricant L toward the brush roller 42 via the holding member 45 from the side opposite to the side holding the solid lubricant L of the holding member 45. Yes.

  FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a mounting state of the holding member 45 with respect to the guide member 43 in the holding contact member 41 shown in FIG. Note that both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the guide member 43 and the holding member 45 have substantially the same configuration. In FIG. 4, only one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the guide member 43 and the holding member 45 is shown as a representative. The end portions are not shown.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the guide member 43 is a direction in which the solid lubricant L contacts and separates the brush roller 42 at both ends of the holding member 45 that holds the solid lubricant L (Y direction in FIG. 4). It supports while guiding to reciprocate. The guide member 43 may be configured to directly support the holding member 45, but from the viewpoint of facilitating assembly workability, the holding member 45 is interposed via a slide member 44 (hereinafter referred to as the slider 44). 45 is preferably configured to support 45.

  Specifically, the holding member 45 holds the solid lubricant L fixed. The holding member 45 extends in parallel along the axial direction of the brush roller 42. The holding member 45 is provided with sliders 44 at both ends in the longitudinal direction (Z1 direction in FIG. 4). The slider 44 is movable in the contact / separation direction Y of the solid lubricant L with respect to the guide member 43. The slider 44 supports the holding member 45 so that it can be freely engaged and disengaged. The slider 44 is pressed and urged toward the brush roller 42 from the side opposite to the side where the solid lubricant L of the holding member 45 is fixedly held by the urging member 47.

  Specifically, the guide member 43 has a pair of sliding portions 43a extending along the contact / separation direction Y of the solid lubricant L from both ends in the width direction (Z2 direction in FIG. 4) at both ends in the longitudinal direction Z1. Is provided. The slider 44 is provided with an engaging groove 44 a that is engaged with the pair of sliding portions 43 a of the guide member 43. Further, the slider 44 is provided with an engaging protrusion 44b extending along a direction orthogonal to the contact surface 44c with the holding member 45. The holding member 45 is provided with an engagement hole 45 a that is engaged with the engagement protrusion 44 b of the slider 44. The engagement hole 45 a extends along a direction orthogonal to the contact surface 45 b of the holding member 45 with the slider 44. As shown in FIG. 2, an urging member 47 is provided between the guide member 43 and the slider 44.

  The lubricant L ′ scraped off by rubbing the solid lubricant L with the brush roller 42 is, for example, 25 μg per sheet (recording paper) from the brush roller 42 in contact with the flicker member 52 to the photosensitive drum 3. About 40 μg can be supplied.

  However, when the solid lubricant L is scraped off by rubbing with the brush roller 42, the solid lubricant L may be inclined in the rotation direction b of the brush roller 42. Therefore, the upstream side L1 'in the rotational direction b of the brush roller 42 with which the solid lubricant L abuts is likely to be consumed. On the other hand, the downstream side L1 ″ in the rotational direction b of the brush roller 42 with which the solid lubricant L abuts is not easily consumed, and may remain without being consumed even at the end of the life of the image forming apparatus A.

  From this point of view, in the present embodiment, the holding contact member 41 preliminarily contacts the solid lubricant L with the brush roller 42 at the contact-side end portion L1 of the solid lubricant L with the brush roller 42. The rotation direction b of the brush roller 42 is configured so that the downstream side L1 ″ is closer to the brush roller 42 than the upstream side L1 ′.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the holding contact member 41 has a virtual normal (see α in FIGS. 3 and 4) at the center of the contact-side end L1 of the solid lubricant L in the circumferential direction of the brush roller 42. ) Is normal to the outer peripheral shape of the brush roller 42 (see α ′ in FIG. 3) when the brush roller 42 rotates (here, it passes through the rotation center Q of the brush roller 42).

  That is, the holding contact member 41 has a virtual orthogonal line (see β in FIGS. 2 and 4) orthogonal to the virtual normal α of the solid lubricant L when the solid lubricant L is brought into contact with the brush roller 42. Inclined at a predetermined angle (see θ in FIGS. 2 and 4) with respect to a virtual tangent γ at a portion 42e (see FIG. 3) to be pressed by the solid lubricant L on the outer periphery of the brush roller 42. . In this way, the holding contact member 41 is in contact with the solid lubricant L in the rotation direction b from the upstream side L1 ′ of the contact side end L1 of the solid lubricant L in the rotation direction b of the brush roller 42. The solid lubricant L can be held so that the downstream side L1 ″ of the portion L1 is closer to the brush roller 42. According to the image forming apparatus A having such a configuration, when the brush roller 42 rotates, The virtual normal line α of the solid lubricant L can be matched with the normal line α ′ with respect to the outer peripheral shape of the brush roller 42 (here, the rotation center Q of the brush roller 42 is positioned on the virtual normal line α of the solid lubricant L). The solid lubricant L can be evenly brought into contact with the upstream side L1 ′ and the downstream side L1 ″ in the rotation direction b of the brush roller 42 and can be consumed without waste.

  Specifically, the guide member 43, the slider 44, and the holding member 45 are arranged so that the brush roller 42 is arranged such that the rotation direction b downstream side L1 ″ of the brush roller 42 at the contact side end L1 of the solid lubricant L approaches the brush roller 42. Is inclined at a predetermined angle θ with respect to the virtual tangent line γ.

  Thus, in order to incline the solid lubricant L at the predetermined angle θ, the surface 44c of the slider 44 that contacts the holding member 45 may be inclined as shown in FIG. Note that at least one of the surface 44c of the slider 44 that contacts the holding member 45 and the surface 45b of the holding member 45 that contacts the slider 44 can be inclined.

  The guide member 43 passes through sliders 44 provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction Z1 of the holding member 45 in a state where the solid lubricant L held by the holding member 45 is inclined at a predetermined angle θ with respect to the virtual tangent line γ. It comes to guide you. Specifically, the slider 44 has a virtual position so that the downstream side L1 ″ of the contact side end L1 of the solid lubricant L in the rotation direction b of the brush roller 42 is closer to the brush roller 42 than the upstream side L1 ′. A predetermined angle θ is provided with respect to the tangent line γ, that is, the slider 44 has an inclined surface 44c for inclining the solid lubricant L at a predetermined angle θ with respect to the virtual tangent line γ. 45 is attached to the slider 44 such that a surface 45 b opposite to the surface holding the solid lubricant L is in contact with the inclined surface 44 c of the slider 44.

  The predetermined angle θ is preferably 5 degrees or more, more preferably 10 ± 5 degrees, though it depends on the properties of the solid lubricant L.

  In addition, since the slider 44 and / or the holding member 45 is configured to be inclined with respect to the solid lubricant L, there is no need to move the guide member 43 or the like, and the guide member 43 with respect to the outer peripheral shape of the brush roller 42 is eliminated. The solid lubricant L can be tilted while being arranged along the normal line α ′, and an extra space for moving the guide member 43 can be omitted. The cartridge can be downsized.

  The biasing member 47 can press and bias in the pressing direction (Y1 direction in the figure) along the virtual normal line α of the solid lubricant L when the brush roller 42 rotates. Here, the urging member 47 is disposed on the opposite side of the holding member 45 from the side holding the solid lubricant L, and the solid lubricant L is exchanged with the brush roller 42 when the brush roller 42 rotates. The contact portion can be pressed and biased with a constant load.

  By the way, when the contact-side end surface of the solid lubricant L with the brush roller 42 is different from the curved surface shape of the contact portion of the brush roller 42 with the solid lubricant L in the initial state (for example, a flat surface). The contact area with the brush roller 42 is small, and high surface pressure is likely to occur.

  FIG. 5 shows the amount of consumption of the lubricant L ′ (broken line in the figure) when the contact surface of the solid lubricant L with the brush roller 42 is flat in the initial state, and the brush of the solid lubricant L in the initial state. 6 is a graph comparing the amount of consumption of the lubricant L ′ (solid line in the figure) when the end surface on the contact side with the roller is a curved surface along the outer peripheral shape of the brush roller.

  When the contact end surface of the solid lubricant L with the brush roller 42 is flat in the initial state, the contact end surface of the solid lubricant L is scraped as the number of printed sheets increases as shown by the broken line in FIG. The lubricant L ′ is excessively consumed and supplied to the photosensitive drum 3 until the shape of the outer periphery of the brush roller 42 is aligned (that is, at a relatively early stage).

  This may cause a reduction in image quality due to toner scattering during transfer, which is a subsequent process. From this point of view, in the present embodiment, the contact surface of the solid lubricant L with the brush roller 42 is the shape of the contact portion of the brush roller 42 with the solid lubricant L in the initial state (here, a curved surface shape). (In this case, on a curved surface). Thus, the rubbing surface of the solid lubricant L with the brush roller 42 matches the shape of the contact portion of the brush roller 42 with the solid lubricant L in the initial state (the outer peripheral shape of the brush roller 42). By forming, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 5, it is possible to suppress the excessive consumption of the lubricant L ′ in the initial stage, and thereby the lubricant L ′ can be stably applied to the photosensitive drum 3 throughout. Can be supplied automatically.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, a toner intrusion preventing member 49 is further provided for preventing toner from entering the contact portion of the brush roller 42 with the solid lubricant L. The toner intrusion prevention member 49 is disposed so as to prevent the toner from entering the contact portion upstream of the contact portion of the brush roller 42 with the solid lubricant L in the rotation direction b of the brush roller 45. .

  In the present embodiment, a toner discharge member 50 for discharging toner (for example, clogged toner) in the brush roller 42 is further provided. The toner discharge member 50 is disposed so as to contact the brush roller 42 upstream of the contact portion of the brush roller 42 with the solid lubricant L in the rotation direction b of the brush roller 42.

  FIG. 6 shows the amount of consumption of the lubricant L ′ when the toner intrusion preventing member 49 and the toner discharging member 50 are absent (broken line in the figure), and when the toner discharging member 50 is not present. It is the graph which compared the consumption (lubricant line in a figure) of lubricant L 'with the consumption (the solid line in a figure) of lubricant L' in the case where both exist.

  Without the toner shield such as the toner intrusion prevention member 49, the toner easily enters around the members that contribute to the supply of lubricant such as the solid lubricant L and the holding member 45. For this reason, a large amount of toner is present on the sliding surface of the lubricant L 'with the brush roller 42, and the pressing force of the solid lubricant L against the brush roller 42 is hindered, and as shown by the broken line in FIG. As the number of printed sheets increases, the amount of lubricant L ′ consumed tends to decrease and become unstable.

  In this regard, as described above, by providing the toner intrusion preventing member 49, it is possible to effectively prevent the toner from entering the contact portion of the brush roller 42 with the solid lubricant L. As a result, the contact pressure of the solid lubricant L with respect to the brush roller 42 can be stabilized, and the lubricant supply amount can be stabilized as shown by the solid line in FIG.

  On the other hand, as described above, the brush roller 42 itself can remove and collect the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 3. Further, the brush roller 42 can also have a role of facilitating scraping of the toner on the cleaning blade 46 side or urging the toner to be peeled off.

  For this reason, if there is no toner removal flicker member such as the toner discharge member 50, the brush roller 42 is placed in an environment where the toner easily adheres, thereby increasing the number of prints as shown by the chain line in FIG. As a result, the amount of consumption of the lubricant L ′ decreases and is likely to become unstable.

  In this regard, as described above, by providing the toner discharge member 50, the toner accumulated in the brush bristles 42d of the brush roller 42 over time can be scraped off and discharged to the outside to refresh the brush bristles 42d. As a result, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 5, the brush roller 42 can stably maintain the same function as the initial state.

  It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is needless to say that various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating an example of an image forming apparatus including a lubricant supply structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the cleaner unit provided with the lubricant supply structure which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a principal part block diagram of the lubricant supply structure shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the attachment state of the holding member with respect to a guide member in the holding contact member shown in FIG. In the initial state, the consumption amount of the lubricant when the contact surface of the solid lubricant with the brush roller is flat, and the contact surface of the solid lubricant with the brush roller in the initial state is the outer shape of the brush roller. It is the graph which compared the consumption of the lubricant in the case of the curved surface along. Of the toner intrusion prevention member and the toner discharge member, the lubricant consumption when there is no toner intrusion prevention member, and the lubricant consumption when there is both the consumption of lubricant without the toner discharge member It is the graph which compared with the amount of consumption.

Explanation of symbols

3 Image carrier (photosensitive drum)
4 Cleaning device (cleaner unit)
7 Intermediate transfer body (intermediate transfer belt)
40 Lubricant supply structure 41 Holding contact member 42 Rotating brush (brush roller)
43 Guide member 45 Holding member 46 Cleaning blade 47 Biasing member (compression coil spring)
49 Toner intrusion prevention member 50 Toner discharge member 51 Flicker member A Image forming apparatus L Solid lubricant L1 Solid lubricant contact side end L1 'Solid lubricant contact side end upstream L1 "Solid lubricant contact Contact end downstream L ′ Lubricant T Residual toner X Surface movement direction b of photosensitive drum b Rotation direction α of brush roller Virtual normal line of solid lubricant α ′ Normal line to outer peripheral shape of brush roller

Claims (9)

A lubricant supply structure for supplying a lubricant to the surface of an image carrier in an image forming apparatus,
A cleaning blade arranged to contact the image carrier;
A rotating brush disposed upstream of the cleaning blade in the surface moving direction of the image carrier on which the surface moves;
A holding contact member for holding the solid lubricant so as to contact the rotating brush by its own weight or to press and bias the rotating lubricant toward the rotating brush;
In the rotating direction of the rotating brush, the rotating brush is in contact with the rotating brush at a downstream side of a portion that rubs with the solid lubricant and an upstream side of a portion of the rotating brush that faces the image carrier. And a flicker member
The contact surface of the solid lubricant with the rotating brush is formed to match the shape of the contact portion of the rotating brush with the solid lubricant in the initial state,
When the solid lubricant is brought into contact with the rotating brush, the holding abutting member is located downstream of the rotating brush in the rotating direction at the end of the solid lubricant in contact with the rotating brush. it is so close to the rotating brush, the virtual orthogonal line orthogonal to a virtual normal line at a center portion of the abutting end portions of the solid lubricant in the circumferential direction before Symbol rotating brush, the outer periphery of the rotary brush The solid lubricant is movable in a contact / separation direction that contacts / separates with respect to the rotating brush in a state inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to a virtual tangent at a portion to be pressed by the solid lubricant Is configured to hold,
When the rotary brush rotates, the solid lubricant is pressed and urged toward the rotary brush, and the virtual normal of the solid lubricant matches a normal to the outer peripheral shape of the rotary brush. Lubricant supply structure. The lubricant supply structure according to claim 1, wherein
The flicker member is disposed in contact with the rotating brush so as to blow off the lubricant stored in the rotating brush by being scraped from the solid lubricant by the rotating brush toward the tip of the cleaning blade. Lubricant supply structure. In the lubricant supply structure according to claim 1 or 2,
The lubricant supply structure, wherein the bristles of the rotating brush are preliminarily tilted in the rotating direction of the rotating brush. In the lubricant supply structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The lubricant supply structure, wherein the rotating brush is disposed in a non-contact manner with respect to the image carrier. In the lubricant supply structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A toner intrusion prevention member for preventing toner from entering a contact portion of the rotating brush with the solid lubricant, wherein the toner intrusion preventing member is more than the contact portion in the rotation direction of the rotating brush; A lubricant supply structure, wherein the lubricant supply structure is disposed upstream. In the lubricant supply structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The rotating brush further includes a toner discharging member for discharging toner, and the toner discharging member is upstream of a contact portion of the rotating brush with the solid lubricant in the rotating direction of the rotating brush. A lubricant supply structure, wherein the lubricant supply structure is disposed so as to abut against the lubricant. In the lubricant supply structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The holding contact member includes a holding member that holds the solid lubricant, a guide member that guides the solid lubricant held by the holding member so as to contact and separate from the rotary brush, and the holding member And a biasing member that presses and biases the solid lubricant held on the rotating brush toward the rotating brush. A cleaning device for removing residual toner remaining on an image carrier in an image forming apparatus,
A cleaning device comprising the lubricant supply structure according to any one of claims 1 to 7. An image forming apparatus having an intermediate transfer member,
An image forming apparatus comprising the lubricant supply structure according to any one of claims 1 to 7 or the cleaning device according to claim 8.

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