JP5196678B2 - Cleaning device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaning device used in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, and an image forming apparatus including the cleaning device.

In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, an image forming unit is provided with a photosensitive drum. After an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum, toner adheres to the toner image. It is formed.
The toner image is transferred to a transfer medium such as paper, but the toner is not completely transferred and remains on the surface of the photosensitive drum, or discharge products generated when forming an electrostatic latent image are generated on the photosensitive drum. It remains attached to the drum surface. Such residual toner and discharge products hinder the formation of a new image and cause a failure to obtain a good transfer image. For this reason, the image forming apparatus is provided with a cleaning device for removing deposits (toner, discharge products, etc.) on the surface of the photosensitive drum.

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a conventional cleaning device.
The cleaning device (a) includes a cleaning blade (c) that scrapes off the deposits on the surface of the photosensitive drum (b), a cleaning roller (d) that rotates in contact with the photosensitive drum (b), and the cleaning device (a). A recovery screw (e) for recovering deposits is provided.
The cleaning roller (d) in contact with the photosensitive drum (b) holds the toner and forms a toner layer on the surface of the cleaning roller (d) in addition to the function of removing the toner. It also has a function of polishing.
However, in the conventional cleaning device (a), since the amount of toner held on the cleaning roller (d) is not constant, it is difficult to make the thickness of the toner layer formed on the surface of the cleaning roller (d) uniform. Thus, the photosensitive drum could not be stably polished.

Also, when the printing rate is low or when monochrome printing with a color copying machine, if the toner on the surface of the photosensitive drum (b) is scraped off by the cleaning blade (c), the toner becomes insufficient, and the cleaning roller (d) is sufficient It becomes difficult to form a toner layer having a sufficient thickness.
On the other hand, when the printing rate is high or color printing in a color copying machine, the amount of toner scraped off by the cleaning blade (c) increases and the amount of toner supplied to the cleaning roller (d) also increases. Therefore, it becomes difficult to adjust the toner layer thickness.

In order to solve the above problems, Patent Document 1 discloses a cleaning device that stores toner removed from a photosensitive drum by a cleaning blade in a toner receiving member provided below a cleaning roller.
By providing the toner receiving member below the cleaning roller, the toner removed from the photosensitive drum by the cleaning blade can be stored, and a sufficient amount of toner can be supplied to the cleaning roller, thereby enhancing the polishing effect. it can.

However, if the amount of toner adhering to the surface of the photosensitive drum is excessive, the amount of toner stored in the toner receiving member is excessive. Therefore, the amount of toner held on the cleaning roller increases, and a number of toner layers are formed. For this reason, there is a problem that the pressure contact force between the cleaning roller and the photosensitive drum in the thin portion of the toner layer adjacent to the thickened portion of the toner layer becomes weak, and the photosensitive drum is not sufficiently polished. Further, unevenness of the toner layer thickness tends to occur in the axial direction of the cleaning roller, and it has been difficult to polish the photosensitive drum uniformly.
Further, if the amount of toner is too small, sufficient polishing is not performed, so that it is necessary to supply toner.
Therefore, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, since the polishing effect changes depending on the increase or decrease in the toner amount, stable polishing is difficult.

On the other hand, Patent Document 2 discloses a cleaning device including a toner receiving member provided below a cleaning roller and a scraper for scraping off the toner held by the cleaning roller.
The technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-228561 is a technique in which a toner stored in a toner receiving member is held by a cleaning roller, and a scraper is used to scrape the toner in order to adjust the toner amount.
When the disclosed technique of Patent Document 2 is used, a sufficient amount of toner can be supplied to the cleaning roller and the amount of toner can be adjusted by scraping off the toner. Therefore, the polishing effect is not easily changed.

However, in the disclosed technique of Patent Document 2, there is a possibility that the toner held on the cleaning roller is excessively removed, and the toner is fused to each member due to friction between the cleaning roller and the scraper. .
Furthermore, when used over a long period of time, there is a problem that the scraper is partially worn and uniform polishing cannot be performed. That is, when the scraper is partially worn, the amount of toner on the cleaning roller cannot be adjusted, and the toner layer thickness of the cleaning roller is increased. Therefore, the surface of the photosensitive drum is excessively polished.
In addition, the toner layer that comes into contact with other parts than the worn part of the scraper is thinner than the part corresponding to the worn part, so that the pressing force of the cleaning roller to the photosensitive drum is small and polishing is not sufficient. there were. Therefore, even if the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2 is used, it is difficult to polish the photosensitive drum stably over a long period of time.

JP 2007-108269 A JP 2009-104007 A

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and even if the amount of toner supplied to the cleaning roller increases or decreases, a uniform and sufficient thickness toner layer is formed on the surface of the cleaning roller. CLEANING DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS FOR FORMING AND POLISHING PHOTOSTATIC DRUM STABLE AND POLISHING PHOTOSTATIC DRUM Stable Over A Long Time Without Wearing Members Constructing Cleaning Device Is to provide.

  The invention according to claim 1 is provided with a cleaning roller disposed in contact with the photosensitive drum, and in contact with the photosensitive drum downstream of the cleaning roller in the rotational direction of the photosensitive drum, A cleaning device comprising a cleaning blade that scrapes off toner adhering to the drum surface, a toner layer thickness regulating member that regulates the toner layer thickness adhering to the cleaning roller surface, and a recovery screw that collects waste toner, The toner layer thickness regulating member is a toner layer thickness regulating roller that rotates in contact with the cleaning roller. The roller is provided below the horizontal direction of the center of the cleaning roller, and is removed from the photosensitive drum by the cleaning blade. Toner capable of supplying the removed toner to the toner layer thickness regulating roller The receiving unit is provided below the toner layer thickness regulating roller relates to a cleaning apparatus according to claim.

  The invention according to claim 2 relates to the cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the toner is supplied to the cleaning roller only through the toner layer thickness regulating roller.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the toner receiving portion is a toner receiving member provided along the peripheral surface of the toner layer thickness regulating roller from the vicinity of the cleaning blade. It relates to the cleaning apparatus described.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the cleaning apparatus according to the third aspect, wherein the toner receiving member is extended to a height of a central portion of the toner layer thickness regulating roller.

  The invention according to claim 5 relates to the cleaning device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the cleaning roller, the toner layer thickness regulating roller, and the recovery screw are arranged in a vertical direction.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the cleaning roller, the toner layer thickness regulating roller, and the recovery screw are accommodated in a housing, and the recovery screw is provided below the housing and the toner layer thickness regulating roller. A partition member that is arranged in a horizontal direction and divides the toner layer thickness regulating roller and the recovery screw from the lower side wall of the housing upward in the vertical direction is erected, and the toner receiving portion is the partition The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the space is a space below the toner layer thickness regulating roller among spaces below the housing partitioned by a member.

  The invention according to claim 7 is characterized in that the rotation directions of the photosensitive drum, the cleaning roller, and the toner layer thickness regulating roller are the same in the respective contact portions. It relates to the cleaning device described in 1.

  The invention according to claim 8 relates to the cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the photosensitive drum is made of amorphous silicon.

  A ninth aspect of the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus comprising the cleaning device according to any one of the first to eighth aspects.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the cleaning roller disposed in contact with the photosensitive drum and the downstream side of the cleaning roller in the rotational direction of the photosensitive drum are provided in contact with the photosensitive drum. A cleaning blade that scrapes off toner adhering to the drum surface, a toner layer thickness regulating member that regulates the thickness of the toner layer adhering to the surface of the cleaning roller, and a recovery screw that collects waste toner. The toner layer thickness regulating member is a toner layer thickness regulating roller that rotates in contact with the cleaning roller. The roller is provided below the horizontal direction of the central portion of the cleaning roller, and the photosensitive member is driven by the cleaning blade. The toner removed from the drum can be supplied to the toner layer thickness regulating roller. By the toner receiving portion is provided below the toner layer thickness regulating roller, increase or decrease the supply amount of the toner from the photosensitive drum can keep the thickness of the toner layer on the cleaning roller uniformly be formed.
That is, since the toner stored in the toner receiving portion is supplied to the toner layer thickness regulating roller, a toner layer having a sufficient thickness for polishing the photosensitive drum is formed on the cleaning roller even if the toner amount is reduced. On the other hand, even if the toner amount increases, the toner is supplied to the toner layer thickness regulating roller, so that there is no possibility that the toner layer thickness of the cleaning roller becomes thick.
Accordingly, the surface of the photosensitive drum can be uniformly and sufficiently polished. Further, the wear of each member such as the cleaning roller and the toner layer thickness regulating roller can be reduced, and the photosensitive drum can be stably polished even for a long period of use.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the toner is supplied to the cleaning roller only through the toner layer thickness regulating roller, so that the toner amount is adjusted and the toner layer having a uniform thickness is stably formed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent unevenness of polishing and reduction of polishing power.

  According to the invention of claim 3, the toner receiving portion is a toner receiving member provided along the peripheral surface of the toner layer thickness regulating roller from the vicinity of the cleaning blade. The supplied toner is efficiently supplied to the toner layer thickness regulating roller, and the toner is supplied only to the cleaning roller through the toner layer thickness regulating roller, so that a toner layer having a sufficient and uniform thickness is formed on the cleaning roller. can do.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the toner receiving member extends to the height of the central portion of the toner layer thickness regulating roller, there is no possibility of toner shortage, and the cleaning roller can be stably used. A toner layer can be formed.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the cleaning roller, the toner layer thickness regulating roller, and the recovery screw are arranged side by side in the vertical direction, whereby the size of the cleaning device can be reduced, and the space is saved. be able to. In particular, it is possible to reduce the size of a full-color copying machine or printer.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the cleaning roller, the toner layer thickness regulating roller, and the recovery screw are accommodated in a housing, and the recovery screw is provided below the housing and the toner layer thickness regulation is performed. And a partition member that divides the toner layer thickness regulating roller and the recovery screw from the lower side wall of the housing upward in the vertical direction. By being a space below the toner layer thickness regulating roller among the space below the housing partitioned by the partition member, a toner reservoir can be formed below the toner layer thickness regulating roller with a simple configuration, The toner can be efficiently supplied to the toner layer thickness regulating roller, and the cleaning roller It is possible to form a toner layer having a sufficient thickness.
In addition, with such a configuration, the number of parts can be reduced, and the work at the time of assembly can be simplified.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, when the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum, the cleaning roller, and the toner layer thickness regulating roller is the same in each contact portion, the rotation direction is reverse. As compared with the above, wear of each member can be prevented.

  According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the cleaning roller having a uniform toner layer thickness does not damage the photosensitive layer of the amorphous silicon photoconductor that is liable to cause surface defects such as image flow due to adhesion of discharge products. Thus, a cleaning device capable of positive and stable polishing can be provided.

  According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the cleaning device according to any one of the first to eighth aspects is provided, so that the photosensitive member can be stably and evenly provided that the cleaning roller is not worn even during long-term use. An image forming apparatus in which the drum surface is polished and image defects do not occur can be obtained.

It is a schematic sectional drawing of the cleaning apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows other embodiment of the cleaning apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows other embodiment of the cleaning apparatus which concerns on this invention. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the conventional cleaning apparatus.

Hereinafter, a cleaning device and an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 to 3 are schematic sectional views of a cleaning device according to the present invention.
The cleaning device (1) is provided so as to face the photosensitive drum (2). The cleaning roller (3) rotates in contact with the photosensitive drum (2), and rotates in contact with the cleaning roller (3). And a cleaning blade (5) for scraping off deposits (toner, discharge products, etc.) on the surface of the photosensitive drum (2). Further, below the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4), there is a toner receiving portion (6) for storing the toner removed from the photosensitive drum (2), and it cannot be stored in the toner receiving portion (6) in excess. A recovery screw (7) for recovering the waste toner is provided.
The cleaning roller (3), the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4), and the recovery screw (7) are accommodated in the housing (8).

The toner layer thickness regulating roller (4) rotates in contact with the cleaning roller (3).
The amount of toner on the cleaning roller (3) is determined by the amount of toner supplied from the photosensitive drum (2). Therefore, the toner amount on the cleaning roller (3) is strongly influenced by the print pattern. That is, unevenness tends to occur in the circumferential toner layer thickness in the case of a short print pattern in the circumferential direction, and unevenness tends to occur in the axial toner layer thickness in the case of a print pattern biased in the axial direction.
As described above, when the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4) is rotated in contact with the cleaning roller (3) and the toner layer formed on the surface of the cleaning roller (3) is regulated, the portion where the toner layer thickness is thick takes precedence. Therefore, the difference between the thick and thin portions of the toner layer is reduced. Therefore, even if the amount of toner supplied to the cleaning roller (3) changes, a toner layer having a uniform thickness can be formed both in the circumferential direction and in the axial direction of the cleaning roller (3).
In addition, since both the cleaning roller (3) and the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4) hold toner, the surface layer is rubbed between the rollers covered with the toner, and the cleaning roller (3) and the toner layer thickness regulating roller Wear of (4) is prevented, and wear deterioration of the roller can be prevented even during long-term use.

As described above, by providing the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4), a toner layer having a uniform thickness can be formed on the surface of the cleaning roller (3).
However, when the amount of toner supplied from the photosensitive drum (2) to the cleaning roller (3) increases or decreases, such as when the printing rate is low or high, the cleaning roller (3) has a uniform and sufficient thickness. It is difficult to form a stable toner layer. In other words, if the amount of toner supplied to the cleaning roller (3) decreases, it becomes difficult to form a toner layer due to insufficient toner, while if the amount of toner increases, the toner layer thickness may become too thick. However, the photosensitive drum (2) cannot be polished sufficiently.

  Therefore, in the present invention, the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4) is disposed below the horizontal direction of the central portion of the cleaning roller (3), and a toner receiving portion for storing toner removed from the photosensitive drum (2). (6) is provided below the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4). By doing so, the toner removed from the photosensitive drum (2) is not directly collected by the collecting screw (7), but is temporarily stored in the toner receiving portion (6), and is stored in the toner receiving portion (6). The toner is supplied to the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4) and further supplied to the cleaning roller (3).

The lower part of the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4) is installed so as to be closer to the toner receiving portion (6) than the nip portion with the cleaning roller (3), and the toner passes through the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4). It is preferable that only the cleaning roller (3) is supplied (see FIGS. 1 and 2). Further, an angle formed by a line connecting the center of the cleaning roller (3) and the center of the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4) and a line extending in the horizontal direction from the center of the cleaning roller (3) is 30 to 90 from the horizontal direction. It is more preferable to install it below the range where the angle is.
With this configuration, the toner is efficiently supplied to the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4), and the toner layer thickness of the cleaning roller (3) can be adjusted.

In the example shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the toner receiving portion (6) is curved and installed from the vicinity of the cleaning blade (5) along the peripheral surface of the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4). The shape of the portion (6) is not limited to this, and for example, it may extend in the horizontal direction from the vicinity of the cleaning blade (5).
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, when the toner receiving member (61) is provided along the peripheral surface of the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4), it is removed from the photosensitive drum (2) by the cleaning blade (5). The toner can be stored efficiently.

  The toner receiving member (61) is preferably extended to substantially the same height as the center position of the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4) (see FIGS. 1 and 2). By doing so, a sufficient amount of toner can be stored in the toner receiving member (61), and there is no possibility of running out of toner.

  Examples of the material of the toner receiving member (61) include resins such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and metals such as aluminum (Al) and stainless steel (SUS).

  The toner receiving member (61) is preferably installed at a distance of 0.5 to 3.0 mm from the surface of the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4). The toner receiving member (61) is fixed to the unit of the cleaning device (1), whereas the cleaning roller (3) and the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4) are respectively a spring and a photosensitive drum (2). The position is not fixed because it is pressed by the cleaning roller (3). Therefore, the cleaning roller (3) and the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4) are easily affected by vibrations caused by the rotation of the photosensitive drum (2). Therefore, by installing the toner receiving member (61) in the above range, a sufficient amount of toner can be supplied without the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4) directly contacting the toner receiving member (61). Become. If it is less than 0.5 mm, the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4) and the toner receiving member (61) may come into contact with each other. On the other hand, if it exceeds 3.0 mm, an appropriate amount of toner accumulates in the toner receiving member (61), and it takes time to be stably supplied from the toner receiving member (61) to the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4). At the same time, there is a possibility that it does not adhere, and it is not preferable from the viewpoint of making the cleaning device (1) compact.

The cleaning roller (3), the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4), and the recovery screw (7) are preferably arranged side by side in the vertical direction of the cleaning device (1) as shown in FIG. With such a configuration, waste toner that cannot be accumulated in the toner receiving member (61) can be efficiently recovered by the recovery screw (7), and the cleaning device (1) can be downsized. Thus, space can be saved.
In particular, in full-color copying machines and printers that employ many tandem systems, the image forming units for each color of black, yellow, cyan, and magenta are arranged side by side. To do. Therefore, the configuration shown in FIG. 2 enables space saving in the width direction of the full-color machine.

FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view showing still another embodiment of the cleaning device according to the present invention.
The collection screw (7) is installed below the housing (8), and is arranged in parallel with the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4). The toner layer thickness regulating roller (4) and the collection screw (7) are partitioned by a partition member (62). The partition member (62) is erected vertically upward from the lower side wall (81) of the housing (8).
The lower part of the housing (8) is partitioned by the partition member (62), and the space below the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4) becomes the toner receiving part (6).
With such a simple configuration, a toner reservoir can be formed below the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4), and the toner can be efficiently supplied to the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4). Further, the number of parts of the cleaning device (1) can be reduced, and the work at the time of assembly can be simplified.

By adjusting the height of the partition member (62) in the vertical direction, the amount of toner stored in the toner receiving portion (6) can be adjusted. When the height of the partition member (62) is increased, the amount of stored toner increases, and the amount of toner supplied to the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4) can be increased. That is, the toner layer thickness of the cleaning roller (3) can be increased.
On the other hand, if the height of the partition member (62) is lowered, the amount of stored toner is reduced, the amount of toner supplied to the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4) can be reduced, and the cleaning roller (3) The toner layer thickness can be reduced.

The height of the partition member (62) is preferably set lower than the center position of the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4) and higher than the outer diameter end position below the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4) ( (See FIG. 3). By adjusting the height of the partition member (62) within this range, the toner supply amount to the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4) is adjusted as described above, and the toner layer thickness of the cleaning roller (3) is adjusted. It becomes possible to do.
When the height of the partition member (62) is higher than the center position of the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4), the toner stored in the toner receiving portion (6) becomes excessive, so that the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4 ) Is excessive and it becomes difficult to adjust the toner layer thickness of the cleaning roller (3). On the other hand, if it is lower than the outer diameter end position below the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4), the amount of toner stored in the toner receiving portion (6) becomes too small and is supplied to the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4). The toner becomes insufficient, and it becomes difficult to form a toner layer having a sufficient thickness on the cleaning roller (3).

  In the cleaning device (1) according to the present invention, the photosensitive drum (2), the cleaning roller (3), and the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4) may rotate in the same direction at the respective contact portions. Preferred (arrow direction in FIGS. 1 to 3). By doing so, wear of each roller due to rubbing can be reduced as compared with the case of reverse rotation.

An abrasive such as titanium oxide (TiO ₂ ) may be added to the toner.
The abrasive-containing toner remaining on the photosensitive drum (2) is removed by the cleaning blade (5) and stored in the toner receiving portion (6). The stored abrasive-containing toner is supplied to the toner layer thickness regulating roller (4) and then supplied to the cleaning roller (3) to form a toner layer, which is again used for polishing the photosensitive drum (2). It will be. Therefore, the photosensitive drum (2) can be polished effectively.

The material of the photosensitive drum (2) with which the cleaning roller (3) contacts is not particularly limited, and amorphous silicon, organic photosensitive member (OPC), or the like can be used. Further, when amorphous silicon is used, the outermost layer may be amorphous carbon or the like.
When the cleaning device (1) according to the present invention is used, even the photosensitive drum (2) made of amorphous silicon can be polished stably and sufficiently, and an image defect (image flow or dash mark) is formed during image formation. Etc.).

FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view showing an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.
The image forming apparatus in the illustrated example is a printer, but may be a copying machine or a facsimile.
An image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes the above-described cleaning device (1). The image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 4 is a schematic view when the cleaning apparatus (1) shown in FIG. 3 is provided.

  The image forming apparatus of the illustrated example includes a paper feed cassette (12) stored inside the printer main body (11), and paper (not shown) stored in a storage space (13) of the paper feed cassette (12). A paper feed unit (14) to be taken out, a manual feed tray (15) installed in front of the printer main body (11), and a manual paper feed unit (16) to take out paper (not shown) set in the manual feed tray (15) And a transport path (17) through which the paper supplied from each of the paper feed units (14) and (16) is transported, and a downstream side in the paper transport direction from the junction of the paper feed units (14) and (16) A pair of registration rollers (18) disposed in the image forming unit, an image forming unit (19) disposed downstream of the registration roller pair (18) in the sheet conveying direction, and a downstream side of the image forming unit (19) in the sheet conveying direction. Fixing an image (toner image) placed in And location (20), and a reverse path for pulling back the sheet in the sheet conveyance direction upstream side (21), sheet discharge unit provided at the terminal end of the transport path (17) and (22).

The image forming unit (19) includes a photosensitive drum (2), a cleaning device (1) disposed around the photosensitive drum (2), a charging device (23), a transfer device (24), and a developing device (25). ) And an exposure device (26).
As a result, in the image forming section (19), the photosensitive drum (2) is rotationally driven by a driving means (not shown) at a predetermined process speed (circumferential speed), and the surface thereof has a predetermined polarity by the charging device (23).・ Electrically charged to potential.

  An electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the charged photosensitive drum (2) by the exposure device (26). The exposure device (26) irradiates the surface of the photosensitive drum (2) with laser light (not shown), removes the charge on the laser light irradiation portion of the surface of the photosensitive drum (2), and responds to the image information. An electrostatic latent image is formed.

  The electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum (2) is developed as a toner image by electrostatically adhering toner having a charge supplied from the toner container (27) by the developing device (25). The Further, the toner image is transferred onto the paper as a transfer image by the transfer device (24). At this time, the photosensitive drum (2) on which the toner image is transferred to the sheet is freed of residual toner, discharge products, and the like by the cleaning device (1), and further charged by the charge eliminating device (not shown) during the next image formation. The static elimination process for is performed.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention is an image forming apparatus in which image defects (image flow, dash marks, etc.) do not occur because the surface of the photosensitive drum (2) is stably polished even after long-term use.

  The present invention is preferably used for an image forming apparatus including a cleaning device such as a printer, a copying machine, and a facsimile machine.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cleaning apparatus 2 Photosensitive drum 3 Cleaning roller 4 Toner layer thickness control roller 5 Cleaning blade 6 Toner receiving part 61 Toner receiving member 62 Partition member 7 Collecting screw 8 Housing 81 Lower side wall

Claims (9)

A cleaning roller disposed in contact with the photosensitive drum; and a toner that is provided in contact with the photosensitive drum downstream of the cleaning roller in the rotational direction of the photosensitive drum and adheres to the surface of the drum. A cleaning device comprising a cleaning blade that scrapes off, a toner layer thickness regulating member that regulates the thickness of the toner layer attached to the surface of the cleaning roller, and a recovery screw that collects waste toner,
The toner layer thickness regulating member is a toner layer thickness regulating roller that rotates in contact with the cleaning roller, the roller being provided below the horizontal direction of the central portion of the cleaning roller,
A cleaning device, wherein a toner receiving portion capable of supplying the toner removed from the photosensitive drum by the cleaning blade to the toner layer thickness regulating roller is provided below the toner layer thickness regulating roller. .   The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the toner is supplied to the cleaning roller only through the toner layer thickness regulating roller.   The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the toner receiving portion is a toner receiving member provided along the peripheral surface of the toner layer thickness regulating roller from the vicinity of the cleaning blade.   The cleaning device according to claim 3, wherein the toner receiving member extends to a height of a central portion position of the toner layer thickness regulating roller.   5. The cleaning device according to claim 3, wherein the cleaning roller, the toner layer thickness regulating roller, and the recovery screw are arranged in a vertical direction. The cleaning roller, the toner layer thickness regulating roller, and the recovery screw are housed in a housing,
The recovery screw is provided below the housing and arranged side by side with the toner layer thickness regulating roller in a horizontal direction.
A partitioning member for partitioning the toner layer thickness regulating roller and the recovery screw from a lower side wall of the housing upward in a vertical direction;
The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the toner receiving portion is a space below the toner layer thickness regulating roller in a space below the housing partitioned by the partition member.   The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein rotation directions of the photosensitive drum, the cleaning roller, and the toner layer thickness regulating roller are the same in each contact portion.   The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the photosensitive drum is made of amorphous silicon.   An image forming apparatus comprising the cleaning device according to claim 1.

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