JP7484543B2 - Lubricant application device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a lubricant application device and an image forming device.

In electrophotographic image forming devices, a charged photoconductor is irradiated (exposed) with laser light based on image data to form an electrostatic latent image, and toner is supplied to the photoconductor on which the electrostatic latent image has been formed, making the electrostatic latent image visible and forming a toner image. This toner image is transferred directly or indirectly to paper, and then heated and pressed to fix it, forming an image on the paper.

Since untransferred toner and the like remain on the photoreceptor surface after the toner image is transferred, the photoreceptor surface is cleaned to prevent these from adversely affecting the formation of the next image. A commonly known method for cleaning the photoreceptor surface is to rub a cleaning blade made of an elastic material such as rubber against the photoreceptor surface to remove the untransferred toner and other adhering matter.
However, the cleaning blade wears over time as it continues to rub against the photoreceptor, and there is a problem in that the cleaning performance deteriorates due to chipping, deformation, etc.
Therefore, in image forming apparatuses, lubricant application devices have been put into practical use to apply a lubricant having a lubricating effect to the surface of the photoreceptor in order to reduce the frictional resistance between the photoreceptor and the cleaning blade and eliminate problems such as wear of the cleaning blade.

In such lubricant application devices, the lubricant is a consumable item, and the lubricant must be replaced with a new one every time it is used up, which is a time-consuming task. In order to solve this problem, a lubricant cartridge has been disclosed that allows the replacement of lubricant molded parts in a short time without using tools (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2012-155094 A

However, the lubricant cartridge disclosed in Patent Document 1 above has a problem in that waste lubricant accumulated inside the lubricant application device leaks outside the device when the lubricant cartridge is replaced.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide a lubricant application device and an image forming apparatus that can prevent waste lubricant accumulated in the lubricant application device from leaking outside the device when replacing the lubricant unit.

In order to solve the above problem, the invention described in claim 1 is:
a lubricant retaining mechanism for retaining a solid lubricant obtained by solidifying the lubricant;
a lubricant application member disposed in contact with the solid lubricant and configured to apply the lubricant scraped off from the solid lubricant to an image bearing member;
A lubricant application device comprising:
The lubricant retaining mechanism is configured to be detachable from the device body,
a powder storage section for storing powder scattered within the device;
a shielding member that blocks the powder reservoir from being connected to the outside of the apparatus through an opening that is formed when the lubricant retaining mechanism is removed from the apparatus body;
Equipped with
When the lubricant retaining mechanism is attached to the device body, the opening is closed by the lubricant retaining mechanism.
It is characterized by:

The present invention relates to a lubricant application device comprising :
The shielding member is configured to be switchable between a non-shielding state in which a connection between the powder storage portion and the outside of the device via the opening is not cut off and a shielding state in which the connection is cut off,
When the lubricant retaining mechanism is removed from the device body, the shielding member is switched from the non-shielding state to the shielding state, thereby cutting off the connection between the powder storage portion and the outside of the device via the opening.
It is characterized by:

The present invention relates to a lubricant application device comprising :
the shielding members are provided on the upstream side and the downstream side of the lubricant retaining mechanism in a moving direction of the image carrier,
the shielding state is a state in which a tip of the shielding member provided on the upstream side is brought into contact with the image carrier on the upstream side in the movement direction of the image carrier with respect to the lubricant application member, and a tip of the shielding member provided on the downstream side is brought into contact with the image carrier on the downstream side in the movement direction of the image carrier with respect to the lubricant application member.
It is characterized by:

The invention described in claim 4 is the lubricant application device described in claim 3 ,
The shielding member has a flexible member at a tip thereof.
It is characterized by:

The invention described in claim 5 is the lubricant application device described in any one of claims 2 to 4 ,
an operation unit for switching the shielding member between the non-shielding state and the shielding state;
It is characterized by:

The invention as set forth in claim 6 is the lubricant application device as set forth in claim 5 ,
Further comprising a maintaining means for maintaining the operating part at a desired position.
It is characterized by:

The invention described in claim 7 is the lubricant application device described in any one of claims 1 to 6 ,
The shielding member is a sheet-like member.
It is characterized by:

The invention described in claim 8 is the lubricant application device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 ,
The lubricant holding mechanism includes the solid lubricant, a pressure spring for pressing the solid lubricant against a lubricant applying member, and a frame.
It is characterized by:

The invention described in claim 9 is the lubricant application device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 ,
The lubricant application member is a brush having slanted bristles.
It is characterized by:

The invention described in claim 10 is the lubricant application device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 ,
The lubricant application member is a foam.
It is characterized by:

The invention described in claim 11 is
an image forming section for transferring a toner image onto a recording medium;
The lubricant application device according to any one of claims 1 to 10 ,
The image forming apparatus is characterized by comprising:

According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the waste lubricant accumulated in the lubricant application device from leaking outside the device when replacing the lubricant unit.

2 is a functional block diagram showing a control configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a main part of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming unit. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a cleaning unit. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a lubricant unit. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an upstream shielding unit. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a portion of the shielding member, the operating portion, and the tip member that constitute the upstream shielding unit. FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram showing a method for removing the lubricant unit when the lubricant unit is attached to the cleaning section, and FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram showing the lubricant unit when the lubricant unit is removed from the cleaning section. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing the operating procedure of the operating part of the upstream shielding unit, in which (a) shows the state when a clamp provided at the end of the operating part is loosened when switching the shielding member from a non-shielding state to a shielding state, and (b) shows the state when a clamp provided at the end of the operating part is tightened when the shielding member is switched to the shielding state. 13 is a schematic diagram showing the cleaning section when the shielding members of the upstream side shielding unit and the downstream side shielding unit are switched to a shielded state. FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing the cleaning section with the lubricant unit removed. 13 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the cleaning portion when the shielding member of the upstream shielding unit and the shielding member of the downstream shielding unit are switched to the shielded state. FIG.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. However, the scope of the invention is not limited to the illustrated examples.

First, the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described.
Fig. 1 is a functional block diagram showing the control configuration of the image forming apparatus 100. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the main parts of the image forming apparatus 100. In Fig. 2, common components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the image forming device 100 includes, for example, a paper feed unit 10, an image forming unit G, a fixing unit 40, an operation display unit 50, a control unit 60, and a memory unit 70.

The paper feed unit 10 has multiple trays (not shown), each of which holds paper P of a different size. The paper P held in each tray is transported to the image forming unit G via a specified transport path.

The image forming unit G forms an image on paper using the color toners yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) based on an image forming job sent from an external device, for example. Note that the image forming unit G may also be configured to form a monochrome image on paper.

The fixing unit 40 applies heat and pressure to the paper on which the toner image has been formed by the image forming unit G to fix the toner image to the paper.

The operation display unit 50 includes a display unit that displays various information on the display screen, and an operation unit that is used by the user to input various instructions.

The control unit 60 is composed of, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The CPU of the control unit 60 reads out various programs such as system programs and processing programs stored in the storage unit 70, expands them into the RAM, and executes various processes such as image formation processing according to the expanded programs.

The storage unit 70 is configured, for example, with a hard disk drive (HDD) or a semiconductor non-volatile memory.
The storage unit 70 stores various programs, including system programs and processing programs executed by the control unit 60, and data required for executing these programs. For example, the storage unit 70 stores setting information required for executing image formation processing.

Next, the detailed configuration of the image forming section G will be described.
The image forming section G includes image forming units 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20K for forming images on paper using the respective color toners of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), an intermediate transfer body 26, a secondary transfer roller 27, and the like.
Since the image forming units 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20K have the same configuration, the configuration of the image forming units will be described below using the image forming unit 20Y.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the image forming unit 20Y.
As shown in Fig. 3, the image forming unit 20Y includes a drum-shaped photoconductor 21 which is an image carrier rotated in the direction of the arrow B in Fig. 3, a charging section 22 which uniformly charges the surface of the photoconductor 21, an exposure section 23 which exposes the surface of the photoconductor 21 charged by the charging section 22 to form an electrostatic latent image, a developing section 24 which visualizes the electrostatic latent image formed by the exposure section 23 using a developer containing toner, a primary transfer section 25 which transfers the toner image formed on the photoconductor 21 to an intermediate transfer body 26 in a transfer region, and a cleaning section 30 which removes the toner on the photoconductor 21 which has passed through the transfer region. The cleaning section 30, together with the photoconductor 21, constitutes a photoconductor unit.

The charging unit 22 uses a charger to charge the surface of the photoconductor 21 to a constant potential.
The exposure unit 23 is formed of, for example, a semiconductor laser, and irradiates the photoconductor 21 with laser light corresponding to an image of each color component. An electrostatic latent image of each color component is formed on the surface of the photoconductor 21 due to a potential difference with the surroundings.

The developing unit 24 contains a developer of each color component, and adheres the toner of each color component to the surface of the photoconductor 21, thereby visualizing the electrostatic latent image and forming a toner image.
Specifically, the developing unit 24 includes a developing sleeve 24a disposed so as to face the photoconductor 21 across a developing region. A developing bias is applied to the developing sleeve 24a, for example, a DC developing voltage having the same polarity as the charging polarity of the charging unit 22, or a developing bias in which an AC voltage and a DC voltage having the same polarity as the charging polarity of the charging unit 22 are superimposed, thereby performing a reversal development in which toner adheres to the electrostatic latent image formed by the exposure unit 23.

The developer used in this embodiment contains toner and a carrier for charging the toner.
The toner is not particularly limited, and a commonly used known toner can be used, and a toner in which a colorant and, if necessary, a charge control agent and a release agent are contained in a binder resin and treated with an external additive can be used. As the external additive, fine particles of metal oxides such as silica and titania are used, and the size can range from a small particle size of 30 nm to a relatively large particle size of 100 nm. The toner particle size is preferably, for example, about 3 to 15 μm, but is not limited thereto.
The carrier is not particularly limited, and a commonly used known carrier can be used, such as a binder type carrier, a coat type carrier, etc. The carrier particle size is preferably, for example, about 15 to 100 μm, but is not limited thereto.

The toner image formed on the photoconductor 21 by the developing unit 24 is carried to a transfer area formed between the photoconductor 21 and the primary transfer unit 25. In the transfer area, a voltage of the opposite polarity to the toner is applied to the primary transfer unit 25, and the toner image on the photoconductor 21 is transferred onto the intermediate transfer body 26.

The toner remaining on the photoconductor 21 without being transferred onto the intermediate transfer body 26 in the transfer region is transported to the cleaning unit 30 and collected by the cleaning unit 30 .
Furthermore, the photoconductor 21 from which the toner on the surface has been collected by the cleaning section 30 is again charged by the charging section 22, and the next electrostatic latent image is formed, and the process of forming a toner image is repeated.

The intermediate transfer member 26 is made up of an endless belt, and runs at a constant speed in the direction of arrow A in FIG.
The intermediate toner image formed by sequentially superposing the toner images of the respective colors on the intermediate transfer body 26 (primary transfer) is secondarily transferred onto the paper P by pressing the intermediate transfer body 26 against the paper P by the secondary transfer roller 27. Thereafter, the paper P is transported to the fixing unit 40.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the cleaning unit 30. As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, the cleaning section 30 includes a cleaning blade 31, a recovery screw 32 provided substantially below the cleaning blade 31, an application roller (lubricant application member) 33 provided downstream of the cleaning blade 31 in the rotation direction of the photoconductor 21, a lubricant unit 34 as a lubricant holding mechanism for supplying lubricant to the application roller 33, a shielding unit 35, a guide member 36, and a fixed blade 37 provided downstream of the application roller 33 in the rotation direction of the photoconductor 21.
The cleaning unit 30 and the control unit 60 constitute a lubricant application device.

The cleaning blade 31 is a flat plate made of an elastic material such as polyurethane rubber, and is positioned so that its tip rubs against the photoreceptor 21 to scrape off and remove any untransferred toner and other deposits remaining on the surface of the photoreceptor 21.

The recovery screw 32 rotates in one direction and transports the toner that has been scraped off by the cleaning blade 31 and fallen to a waste toner box (not shown).

The application roller 33 is a roll-shaped brush member that is positioned so that its tip can come into contact with the photoconductor 21. The application roller 33 is also slanted. Under the control of the control unit 60, the application roller 33 rotates counter-rotatingly in the opposite direction to the rotation direction of the photoconductor 21, or rotates with the photoconductor 21 in the forward direction.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the lubricant unit 34. As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5 , the lubricant unit 34 includes a lubricant rod 341 , a supporting metal plate 342 , a holder 343 , a pressure spring 344 , and a storage case 345 .

The lubricant rod 341 is a solidified lubricant made by melting and shaping a powder of metal soap such as zinc stearate. The lubricant rod 341 is placed in a position where the tip of the application roller 33 can contact it, and the tip is scraped off by the rotation of the application roller 33. The scraped off lubricant is transported directly to the photoreceptor 21 and supplied to the surface of the photoreceptor 21. On the other hand, the scraped off lubricant that was not supplied to the surface of the photoreceptor 21 and the waste lubricant such as the lubricant blocked by the fixed blade 37 described later are accumulated on the bottom surface of the housing of the cleaning unit 30. Hereinafter, the area where the waste lubricant is accumulated on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the photoreceptor 21 with respect to the application roller 33 and the lubricant unit 34 is referred to as the upstream powder storage section ST1, and the area where the waste lubricant is accumulated on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the photoreceptor 21 is referred to as the downstream powder storage section ST2 (see FIG. 4).

The support metal plate 342 is a metal plate for supporting the lubricant rod 341.

The holder 343 is a member for supporting the pressure spring 344, which will be described later. The holder 343 is provided on the back side (the side opposite to the side supporting the lubricant rod 341) of the support metal plate 342, at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the support metal plate 342. The holder 343 also has a positioning protrusion 343a on the side opposite the guide groove 345a, which will be described later.

The pressure spring 344 is a compression spring for pressing the lubricant rod 341 against the application roller 33, and is provided on the back side of each holder 343.

The storage case 345 is a case for storing the integrated lubricant rod 341, the support metal plate 342, the holder 343, and the pressure spring 344. The storage case 345 is a case that is rectangular in plan view and has an open top. In addition, the storage case 345 is provided with guide grooves 345a on each of the inner side surfaces on the short sides to allow the protrusions 343a described above to slide in the vertical direction.

When the lubricant stick 341, the supporting metal plate 342, the holder 343 and the pressure spring 344 are stored in the storage case 345, at least the upper part of the lubricant stick 341 protrudes upward from the upper surface of the storage case 345 and comes into contact with the tip of the application roller 33. When the lubricant is scraped off from the lubricant stick 341 by the rotation of the application roller 33, the volume of the lubricant stick 341 decreases, and the pressure spring 344 expands accordingly, causing the lubricant stick 341 to move up.

As shown in Figs. 8(a) and 8(b), the bottom plate 345b constituting the storage case 345 is provided so as to be movable in the up and down direction (the direction in which the protrusion 343a slides) within the case. The storage case 345 has insertion holes 345c1 formed in the lower part of each of the side plates 345c on the longer side constituting the storage case 345. The insertion holes 345c1 are holes for inserting the locking claws 345b1 provided on the bottom plate 345b.

As shown in FIG. 8A, when the lubricant unit 34 is attached to the cleaning section 30, the locking claw 345b1 of the bottom plate 345b constituting the storage case 345 is locked in a recess 354a formed on the inner side surface of the storage case 354 (described later) constituting the shielding unit 35 via an insertion hole 345c1 of the side plate 345c.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8(b), when removing the lubricant unit 34 from the cleaning section 30, the bottom plate 345b of the storage case 345 is pushed upward from below to release the engagement between the locking claw 345b1 and the recess 354a, thereby making it possible to pull out the lubricant unit 34 from the cleaning section 30.

The shielding unit 35 is intended to prevent the waste lubricant accumulated in the upstream powder storage section ST1 or the downstream powder storage section ST2 from leaking out of the cleaning section 30 or adhering to the application roller 33. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the shielding unit 35 is composed of an upstream shielding unit 35A provided upstream in the rotation direction of the photoconductor 21, and a downstream shielding unit 35B provided downstream. Note that the upstream shielding unit 35A and the downstream shielding unit 35B are provided symmetrically with respect to the central axis of the lubricant unit 34, and have similar configurations, so the configuration of the upstream shielding unit 35A will be described below as a representative.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the upstream shielding unit 35A.
As shown in FIG. 6, the upstream shielding unit 35A includes a shielding member 351 , an operating portion 352 , a tip member 353 , and a storage case 354 .

The shielding member 351 is formed of a sheet-like member such as a urethane sheet, etc. The shielding member 351 is formed to be wider than the application roller 33 and the lubricant bar 341.
The shielding member is not limited to a sheet-like member as long as it has both flexibility and sealing properties.

The operating unit 352 is an operating unit used when opening and closing (switching) the shielding member 351. In order to ensure linearity at the tip of the shielding member 351 attached to the operating unit 352, the operating unit 352 is preferably formed of, for example, a metal member (e.g., stainless steel) or a resin member having a strength equivalent to that of the metal member.

The operating unit 352 is formed of a rod-shaped member that is longer than the longitudinal width of the storage case 354 described later, and has a hook-shaped cross section as shown in FIG. 7. The tip of the shielding member 351 is attached to the side of the operating unit 352, and the tip member 353 described later is attached to the top surface of the operating unit 352 (the surface that contacts the photoconductor 21). The shielding member 351 and the tip member 353 are attached to the operating unit 352 by, for example, double-sided tape.

The tip member 353 is formed of a flexible material (e.g., urethane foam, etc.). This is to prevent the surface of the photoconductor 21 from being damaged when the shielding member 351 is switched from a non-shielding state (described below) to a blocking state (described below) via the operation of the operating unit 352 and the tip member 353 comes into contact with the surface of the photoconductor 21.

The storage case 354 is a case for storing the shielding member 351. As shown in Figs. 8(a) and 8(b), the storage case 354 has a recess 354a on the lower side thereof at a position opposite to the recess 354a provided in the storage case 354 of the downstream shielding unit 35B. The recess 354a is for engaging the locking claw 345b1 formed on the bottom plate 345b.

The guide member 36 is a member for guiding the opening and closing operation (switching operation) of the shielding member 351. Specifically, the guide member 36 is composed of an upstream guide member 36A that guides the opening and closing operation of the shielding member 351 that constitutes the upstream shielding unit 35A, and a downstream guide member 36B that guides the opening and closing operation of the shielding member 351 that constitutes the downstream shielding unit 35B. Note that although the upstream guide member 36A and the downstream guide member 36B have different shapes, they have similar configurations, so the configuration of the upstream guide member 36A will be described below as a representative.

The upstream guide member 36A is a columnar member that is erected on the edge (short edge) of the storage case 354 that constitutes the upstream shielding unit 35A. As shown in Figures 9(a) and 9(b), a vertically long guide hole 361 is formed on the side of the upstream guide member 36A, through which the end of the operating part 352 that constitutes the upstream shielding unit 35A slides when opening and closing (switching) the shielding member 351 that constitutes the upstream shielding unit 35A.

The fixed blade 37 is made of an elastic material such as polyurethane rubber processed into a flat plate shape, similar to the cleaning blade 31. The fixed blade 37 is angled in a direction that causes it to drag the surface of the photoreceptor 21, and is disposed so that its tip rubs against the photoreceptor 21.
The fixed blade 37 spreads the lubricant powder supplied to the surface of the photoreceptor 21 and forms a film (lubricant layer) on the surface of the photoreceptor 21 .
The lubricant layer formed from zinc stearate is characterized by high releasability (high contact angle with pure water) and a small coefficient of friction, and therefore has good transferability and cleaning properties, and furthermore, wear of the photoconductor 21 is suppressed, thereby enabling a longer service life.

Next, we will explain the procedure for replacing the lubricant unit 34.

4, at the beginning of replacing the lubricant unit 34, the operation part 352 of the upstream shielding unit 35A is in a state of abutting against the inner circumferential surface of the lower end of the guide hole 361 of the upstream guide member 36A, that is, the shielding member 351 of the upstream shielding unit 35A is stored in the storage case 354, and the connection between the upstream powder storage part ST1 and the outside of the cleaning part 30 is not cut off, and the operation part 352 of the upstream shielding unit 35A is in an unshielded state. However, at the beginning of replacing the lubricant unit 34, the opening OP (see FIG. 11), which is the outlet of the lubricant unit 34, is blocked by the lubricant unit 34 itself attached to the cleaning part 30, so that the waste lubricant accumulated in the upstream powder storage part ST1 does not leak out to the outside of the cleaning part 30. Also, at this time, the operation part 352 of the upstream shielding unit 35A is fixed to the upstream guide member 36A by tightening the clamp CL provided at the end of the operation part 352, and the unshielded state is maintained. In other words, the upstream guide member 36A, together with the clamp CL, constitutes a retention means.

In addition, at the beginning of replacing the lubricant unit 34, the operation part 352 of the downstream shielding unit 35B is also in a state of abutting the inner circumferential surface of the lower end of the guide hole 361 of the downstream guide member 36B, that is, the shielding member 351 of the downstream shielding unit 35B is stored in the storage case 354, and the connection between the downstream powder storage part ST2 and the outside of the cleaning part 30 is not cut off, and the operation part 352 of the downstream shielding unit 35B is in an unshielded state. However, at the beginning of replacing the lubricant unit 34, the opening OP (see FIG. 11), which is the outlet of the lubricant unit 34, is blocked by the lubricant unit 34 itself attached to the cleaning part 30, so that the waste lubricant accumulated in the downstream powder storage part ST2 does not leak out to the outside of the cleaning part 30. In addition, like the operation part 352 of the upstream shielding unit 35A, the operation part 352 of the downstream shielding unit 35B is fixed to the downstream guide member 36B by tightening the clamp CL, and the unshielded state is maintained. In other words, the downstream guide member 36B, together with the clamp CL, constitutes a retention means.

Next, when replacing the lubricant unit 34, first, as shown in FIG. 9(a), the clamp CL provided at the end of the operation part 352 of the upstream shielding unit 35A is loosened to release the fixation of the operation part 352 to the upstream guide member 36A. Also, for the downstream shielding unit 35B, the clamp CL provided at the end of the operation part 352 of the downstream shielding unit 35B is loosened to release the fixation of the operation part 352 to the downstream guide member 36B.

Next, the operation part 352 of the upstream shielding unit 35A is lifted until it abuts against the inner circumferential surface of the upper end of the guide hole 361 of the upstream guide member 36A, thereby switching the shielding member 351 of the upstream shielding unit 35A from the non-shielding state to the shielding state. At this time, as shown in FIG. 9B, the clamp CL provided at the end of the operation part 352 of the upstream shielding unit 35A is tightened to fix the operation part 352 to the upstream guide member 36A, so that the shielding state is maintained. Also, for the downstream shielding unit 35B, the operation part 352 of the downstream shielding unit 35B is lifted until it abuts against the inner circumferential surface of the upper end of the guide hole 361 of the downstream guide member 36B, thereby switching the shielding member 351 of the downstream shielding unit 35B from the non-shielding state to the shielding state. Then, the clamp CL provided at the end of the operation part 352 of the downstream shielding unit 35B is tightened to fix the operation part 352 to the downstream guide member 36B, thereby maintaining the shielded state.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the cleaning section 30 when the shielding members 351 of the upstream shielding unit 35A and the shielding members 351 of the downstream shielding unit 35B are switched to the shielded state.
10, when the shielding member 351 of the upstream shielding unit 35A is switched to the shielding state, the connection between the upstream powder storage unit ST1 and the outside of the cleaning unit 30 is cut off, and the connection between the upstream powder storage unit ST1 and the application roller 33 is also cut off. On the other hand, when the shielding member 351 of the downstream shielding unit 35B is switched to the shielding state, the connection between the downstream powder storage unit ST2 and the outside of the cleaning unit 30 is cut off, and the connection between the downstream powder storage unit ST2 and the application roller 33 is also cut off.

Next, in order to facilitate the removal of the lubricant unit 34, the entire cleaning section 30 is tilted 90 degrees as shown in FIG. 11. Next, as shown in FIG. 8(b), the bottom plate 345b of the lubricant unit 34 is pressed to release the engagement between the locking claw 345b1 and the recess 354a, thereby removing the lubricant unit 34 from the cleaning section 30. When removing the lubricant unit 34, the shielding members 351 of the upstream shielding unit 35A and the downstream shielding unit 35B are switched to the shielding state as described above, so that the waste lubricant accumulated in the upstream powder storage section ST1 and the downstream powder storage section ST2 can be prevented from leaking out of the cleaning section 30 or adhering to the application roller 33 or the lubricant unit 34.

In this embodiment, when the shielding members 351 of the upstream shielding unit 35A and the downstream shielding unit 35B are switched to the shielding state, the shielding members 351 are configured to abut against the surface of the photoconductor 21. However, as shown in FIG. 12, when the shielding members 351 of the upstream shielding unit 35A and the downstream shielding unit 35B are switched to the shielding state, for example, the shielding members 351 may be configured to abut against the surface of the application roller 33. In this case, the connection between the upstream powder storage unit ST1 and the application roller 33 and the connection between the downstream powder storage unit ST2 and the application roller 33 are not cut off, but the connection between the upstream powder storage unit ST1 and the outside of the cleaning unit 30 and the connection between the downstream powder storage unit ST2 and the outside of the cleaning unit 30 are cut off.

Next, the results of the evaluation of the degree of contamination by waste lubricant when removing (replacing) the lubricant unit 34, the waste lubricant spill test, and the image evaluation after the waste lubricant spill test are explained using Table 1.

<Conditions>
[Photoconductor unit]
Photoconductor diameter: Φ60mm
Cleaning blade: urethane rubber (counter contact), constant load method (spring) 20N/m
Application member 1 (Example 1, Example 4, Comparative Example 2): Application brush (Φ12 mm, pile length 2.5 mm, no slanting treatment (straight hair), push amount to photoconductor 1.2 mm)
Application member 2 (Example 2, Example 5, Comparative Example 1, Comparative Example 3): Application brush (Φ12 mm, pile length 2.5 mm, slanted, pressing amount against photoconductor 1.2 mm)
Application member 3 (Example 3, Example 6, Comparative Example 4): Foam roller (Φ12 mm, pressing amount onto photoreceptor 1.0 mm)
Fixed blade: urethane rubber (trailing contact), constant displacement method 10N/m
Lubricant rod (lubricant unit): Zinc stearate, solid rod Compression spring (lubricant unit): Compression spring on both ends Total pressure 4N
Holder (lubricant unit): Made of POM Storage case (lubricant unit): Made of SUS, plate thickness 1.0 mm
[Shielding member]
In Examples 1 to 6, a polyurethane sheet (0.07 mm thick) was used as the shielding member, and urethane foam (2 mm square) was used as the tip member. In Comparative Example 1, no shielding member was used. In Comparative Examples 2 to 4, a lid (made of resin) that covers the opening on the top surface of the storage case of the lubricant unit was used as the shielding member (see Patent Document 1 above).
[Shielding mode]
In Examples 1 to 3, the opening OP and the application member are shielded by a shielding member, that is, the shielding member is brought into contact with the surface of the photoreceptor 21 (see FIG. 10). In Examples 4 to 6, the opening OP is shielded by a shielding member, that is, the shielding member is brought into contact with the surface of the application member (see FIG. 12). In Comparative Examples 2 to 4, the opening on the top surface of the storage case of the lubricant unit is closed by a shielding member (lid).

<Evaluation method>
[Evaluation of contamination caused by waste lubricant]
After outputting 10,000 sheets of a mixed character/patch chart with a print rate of 10% using a modified Konica Minolta bizhub PRESS 1070, the lubricant unit was removed and the degree of contamination by the waste lubricant near the opening OP was evaluated.
The evaluation criteria were as follows: no contamination by waste lubricant was marked "good", contamination by waste lubricant ( ¹ mm2 or more) but no adhesion of the waste lubricant to the worker was marked "good", and contamination by waste lubricant ( ¹ mm2 or more) and adhesion of the waste lubricant to the worker was marked "bad".

[Waste lubricant spill test]
The spillage test of the waste lubricant was carried out using a simplified method of JIS Z0202 (drop test method for packaged cargo).
Specifically, first, a photoconductor unit (a unit including a photoconductor and a cleaning unit) that needs to have its lubricant replaced is prepared. Here, for Examples 1 to 6 and Comparative Examples 2 to 4, the shielding member is placed in the shielding state according to the respective shielding modes.
Next, the photoconductor unit is covered with a transparent plastic bag, and the photoconductor unit is stored in a rectangular parallelepiped cardboard box filled with foam. Here, the transparent plastic bag is sealed after covering the photoconductor unit. The foam is placed between the photoconductor unit covered with the transparent plastic bag and the cardboard box so that they do not come into contact with each other. When storing the photoconductor unit covered with the transparent plastic bag in the cardboard box, the opening OP is placed facing the side of the cardboard box.
Next, the cardboard box containing the photoconductor unit is dropped from a height of 5 cm with the bottom side facing down.
Next, the dropped cardboard box is opened, and the lubricant unit is removed from the cleaning section on the transparent plastic bag, and the color of the entire surface of the transparent plastic bag is visually confirmed.
The evaluation criteria were as follows: no spillage of the waste lubricant was marked "good"; and spillage of the waste lubricant was marked "bad."

[Image evaluation after waste lubricant spill test]
After the above-mentioned waste lubricant spill test, a new lubricant unit is attached, and a halftone image (A3 size) is output using a modified Konica Minolta bizhub PRESS 1070. The entire output image is then visually inspected to check for the presence or absence of FD streaks and micro streaks. Here, FD streaks refer to streaks that occur over the entire area in the paper feed direction. Micro streaks refer to streaks that occur partially in the paper feed method.
As evaluation criteria, a case in which neither FD streaks nor micro streaks (less than 1 streak/ ^cm2 ) occurred was marked as "◎", a case in which no FD streaks occurred but micro streaks (less than 1 streak/ ^cm2 ) occurred was marked as "○", and a case in which FD streaks occurred was marked as "×".

As the results shown in Table I show, in the evaluation of stains caused by used lubricants, there was no staining caused by used lubricants in Examples 1 to 6. In addition, in the test for spillage of used lubricants, no spillage of used lubricants occurred in Examples 1 to 6. In addition, in the image evaluation after the test for spillage of used lubricants, neither FD streaks nor micro streaks occurred in Examples 1 to 4, while micro streaks occurred in Examples 5 and 6, but no FD streaks occurred.

On the other hand, in the evaluation of staining caused by used lubricant, staining caused by the used lubricant was confirmed in Comparative Example 1, and adhesion of the used lubricant to the worker was confirmed. In Comparative Examples 2 to 4, staining caused by the used lubricant was confirmed, although no adhesion of the used lubricant to the worker occurred. In the test for spilling of the used lubricant, spilling of the used lubricant occurred in Comparative Examples 1 to 4. In the image evaluation after the test for spilling of the used lubricant, FD streaks occurred in Comparative Examples 1, 3, and 4, and micro streaks occurred in Comparative Example 2, but no FD streaks occurred.

As described above, the cleaning section 30 of the image forming apparatus 100 according to this embodiment includes a lubricant unit (lubricant holding mechanism) 34 that holds a lubricant bar (solid lubricant) 341 in which the lubricant has been solidified, and an application roller (lubricant application member) 33 that is arranged to abut against the lubricant bar 341 and applies the lubricant scraped off from the lubricant bar 341 to the photosensitive body (image carrier) 21. The lubricant unit 34 is detachable from the cleaning section 30 main body, and the upstream powder storage section ST1 and downstream powder storage section ST2 store waste lubricant (powder) that has been scattered within the cleaning section 30. The shielding member 351 blocks the upstream powder storage section ST1 and downstream powder storage section ST2 from being connected to the outside of the cleaning section 30 through the opening OP that is formed when the lubricant unit 34 is removed from the cleaning section 30.
Therefore, according to the cleaning section 30, the shielding member 351 can block the upstream powder storage section ST1 and the downstream powder storage section ST2 from being connected to the outside of the cleaning section 30 through the opening OP, thereby preventing waste lubricant accumulated in the cleaning section 30 from leaking outside the cleaning section 30 when replacing the lubricant unit 34.

In addition, according to the cleaning section 30 of the image forming apparatus 100 of this embodiment, when the lubricant unit 34 is attached to the cleaning section 30 body, the opening OP is blocked by the lubricant unit 34, so that the waste lubricant accumulated in the cleaning section 30 can be prevented from leaking outside the cleaning section 30.

In addition, when the cleaning section 30 of the image forming apparatus 100 in this embodiment removes the lubricant unit 34 from the cleaning section 30 main body, the shielding member 351 is switched from a non-shielding state to a shielding state, thereby cutting off the connection between the upstream powder storage section ST1 and the downstream powder storage section ST2 and the outside of the cleaning section 30 via the opening OP.
Therefore, according to the cleaning unit 30, by keeping the shielding member 351 in the non-shielding state during normal times, the application roller 33 can smoothly apply the lubricant to the photoconductor 21.

In addition, when the cleaning section 30 of the image forming apparatus 100 in this embodiment is switched to a shielding state, the tip of the shielding member 351 of the upstream shielding unit 35A abuts against the photoconductor 21 on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the photoconductor 21 relative to the application roller 33, and the tip of the shielding member 351 of the downstream shielding unit 35B abuts against the photoconductor 21 on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the photoconductor 21 relative to the application roller 33.
Therefore, when the cleaning section 30 is switched to the shielded state, the connection between the upstream powder storage section ST1 and the application roller 33, and the connection between the downstream powder storage section ST2 and the application roller 33 can be cut off, so that when the lubricant unit 34 is removed from the main body of the cleaning section 30, it is possible to prevent the waste lubricant accumulated in the upstream powder storage section ST1 or the downstream powder storage section ST2 from adhering to the application roller 33. As a result, it is possible to prevent the change in outer diameter caused by the waste lubricant getting inside the brush of the application roller 33, and therefore it is possible to prevent the generation of streak noise caused by uneven application of the lubricant.

In addition, according to the cleaning section 30 of the image forming apparatus 100 of this embodiment, a flexible tip member 353 is provided at the tip of the shielding member 351, so that when the shielding member 351 is switched from the non-shielding state to the blocking state and the tip member 353 comes into contact with the surface of the photoconductor 21, the surface of the photoconductor 21 is not damaged.

In addition, the cleaning unit 30 of the image forming device 100 according to this embodiment is equipped with an operation unit 352, so that the switching operation of switching the shielding member 351 between the non-shielding state and the shielding state can be smoothly performed.

In addition, the cleaning unit 30 of the image forming apparatus 100 according to this embodiment further includes a guide member 36 and a clamp CL as a means for maintaining the operating unit 352 at a desired position. Therefore, the shielding member 351 can be maintained in an appropriate state according to the situation, for example, the shielding member 351 is in an unshielded state under normal circumstances, but is in a shielded state when the lubricant unit 34 is replaced.

In addition, according to the cleaning unit 30 of the image forming apparatus 100 of this embodiment, the shielding member 351 is a sheet-like member that can be bent freely, so that the switching operation of the shielding member 351 can be performed appropriately even if the inside of the cleaning unit 30 is complicated.

In addition, according to the cleaning section 30 of the image forming apparatus 100 according to this embodiment, the lubricant unit 34 includes the lubricant rod 341, the pressure spring 344 for pressing the lubricant rod 341 against the application roller 33, and the storage case 345, so that the lubricant rod 341 can be maintained pressed against the application roller 33. As a result, the frequency of replacement of the lubricant unit 34 can be reduced.

Although the present invention has been specifically described above based on an embodiment thereof, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, in the above embodiment, a brush roller with slanted bristles is used as the application roller 33, but, for example, a brush roller with straight bristles or a foam roller whose roller surface is formed from a foam may also be used.

In addition, in the above embodiment, when the shielding member 351 is switched to the non-shielding state, it may be stored in the storage case 354, for example, in a bellows-like folded state or in a rolled-up state.

In the above embodiment, the upstream guide member 36A is erected on one edge of the short side of the storage case 354 constituting the upstream shielding unit 35A, but the upstream guide member 36A may also be erected on the other edge of the short side of the storage case 354 to guide both ends of the operation part 352 of the upstream shielding unit 35A. Similarly, the downstream guide member 36B may also be erected on the other edge of the short side of the storage case 354 constituting the downstream shielding unit 35B to guide both ends of the operation part 352 of the downstream shielding unit 35B.

In the above embodiment, the drum-shaped photoconductor 21 is used as an example of the image carrier, but a transfer belt may be used as the image carrier.
In addition, the detailed configurations and operations of each device constituting the image forming apparatus may be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

100 Image forming apparatus 10 Paper feed section G Image forming sections 20Y, 20M, 20C, 20K Image forming unit 21 Photoconductor (image carrier)
30 Cleaning section (lubricant application device)
31 cleaning blade 32 recovery screw 33 application roller (lubricant application member)
34 Lubricant unit (lubricant retention mechanism)
341 Lubricant rod 342 Supporting metal plate 343 Holder 344 Pressing spring 345 Storage case 35 Shielding unit 35A Upstream side shielding unit 35B Downstream side shielding unit 351 Shielding member 352 Operation unit 353 Tip member 354 Storage case 36 Guide member 36A Upstream side guide member 36B Downstream side guide member 361 Guide hole 37 Fixing blade 40 Fixing unit 50 Operation display unit 60 Control unit (lubricant application device)
70 Memory section OP Opening ST1 Upstream powder storage section (powder storage section)
ST2 Downstream powder storage section (powder storage section)

Claims (11)

a lubricant retaining mechanism for retaining a solid lubricant obtained by solidifying the lubricant;
a lubricant application member disposed in contact with the solid lubricant and configured to apply the lubricant scraped off from the solid lubricant to an image bearing member;
A lubricant application device comprising:
The lubricant retaining mechanism is configured to be detachable from the device body,
a powder storage section for storing powder scattered within the device;
a shielding member that blocks the powder reservoir from being connected to the outside of the apparatus through an opening that is formed when the lubricant retaining mechanism is removed from the apparatus body;
Equipped with
When the lubricant retaining mechanism is attached to the device body, the opening is closed by the lubricant retaining mechanism.
A lubricant application device characterized by: The shielding member is configured to be switchable between a non-shielding state in which a connection between the powder storage portion and the outside of the device via the opening is not cut off and a shielding state in which the connection is cut off,
When the lubricant retaining mechanism is removed from the device body, the shielding member is switched from the non-shielding state to the shielding state, thereby cutting off the connection between the powder storage portion and the outside of the device via the opening.
2. The lubricant application device according to claim 1 . the shielding members are provided on the upstream side and the downstream side of the lubricant retaining mechanism in a moving direction of the image carrier,
the shielding state is a state in which a tip of the shielding member provided on the upstream side is brought into contact with the image carrier on the upstream side in the movement direction of the image carrier with respect to the lubricant application member, and a tip of the shielding member provided on the downstream side is brought into contact with the image carrier on the downstream side in the movement direction of the image carrier with respect to the lubricant application member.
3. The lubricant application device according to claim 2 . The shielding member has a flexible member at a tip thereof.
4. The lubricant application device according to claim 3 . an operation unit for switching the shielding member between the non-shielding state and the shielding state;
The lubricant application device according to any one of claims 2 to 4 . Further comprising a maintaining means for maintaining the operating part at a desired position.
6. The lubricant application device according to claim 5 . The shielding member is a sheet-like member.
The lubricant application device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 . The lubricant holding mechanism includes the solid lubricant, a pressure spring for pressing the solid lubricant against a lubricant applying member, and a frame.
The lubricant application device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 . The lubricant application member is a brush having slanted bristles.
The lubricant application device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 . The lubricant application member is a foam.
The lubricant application device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 . an image forming section for transferring a toner image onto a recording medium;
The lubricant application device according to any one of claims 1 to 10 ,
An image forming apparatus comprising:

Images