JP3135556B2 - Electrophotographic equipment - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electrophotographic apparatus for writing and exposing an image on a photoreceptor by a laser writing optical unit.

2. Description of the Related Art In an electrophotographic apparatus, such as a laser printer, a digital copier, and a laser facsimile, which performs image light writing on a photoconductor by a laser writing optical unit, a laser writing optical system is used on a photoconductor uniformly charged by a charging charger. The electrostatic latent image formed on the photoreceptor by performing optical writing with the emitted laser light is developed by a developing device into a toner image, and is transferred to a transfer sheet fed to the photoreceptor from a sheet feeding unit. After the transfer, the transfer paper is separated from the photoreceptor and fixed by a fixing device to complete the recording.
After the transfer, the toner remaining on the photoreceptor is removed by a cleaning device, and the residual charge is removed by a discharge lamp to prepare for the next image formation.

In the electrophotographic apparatus of this type, as described above, it is necessary to arrange a charging charger, an exposure position, a developing device, a transfer charger, a cleaning device, and a discharging lamp around the photoreceptor. When the photoconductor is a belt-shaped photoconductor or a large-diameter drum-shaped photoconductor, the layout is easy and the problem is less likely to occur. In many cases, the photosensitive drum is used. In this case, since the static elimination lamp and the laser optical unit need to be arranged in the same direction with respect to the photosensitive drum, it is difficult to arrange them in terms of space. In particular, when a light-emitting diode (LED) is used as a static elimination lamp, in order to reduce the number of LEDs and reduce costs, it is necessary to increase the distance between the photosensitive member and the static elimination lamp, and more space is required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above circumstances, the present invention makes it easy to dispose the static elimination lamp even when a small-diameter photosensitive drum is used, and increases the space even if the static elimination lamp is separated from the photoconductor. An object of the present invention is to provide an electrophotographic apparatus provided with a laser writing optical unit that contributes to downsizing of the apparatus without performing the operation.

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, a photoconductor, a laser optical system for optically writing an image thereon and a laser optical unit including a housing for holding the laser optical system, An electrophotographic apparatus having a charge removing lamp for removing a potential remaining on a photoconductor after transfer, wherein the laser optical unit is disposed on a line passing through the photosensitive member and the charge removing lamp. Is integrally mounted on the side plate of the housing of the laser optical unit remote from the photoconductor so as to be inserted into the housing, and a transparent glass or resin is provided on a housing portion located between the static elimination lamp and the photoconductor. A plate is provided.

The static elimination lamp is integrally mounted on the side plate of the housing of the laser optical unit remote from the photoconductor so as to be inserted into the housing, and the housing portion located between the static elimination lamp and the photoconductor has a transparent glass. Alternatively, the provision of the resin plate eliminates the need for a guide rail for mounting the static elimination lamp, which was required when the static elimination lamp is provided independently as in the conventional case, and eliminates the need for a space for installing the guide rail. Even when the lamp is provided away from the photoreceptor, the arrangement becomes easy, and the size of the apparatus can be prevented.

In particular, if the static elimination lamp is attached to the side plate of the housing far from the photoconductor so as to be inserted into the housing, the distance between the photoconductor and the static elimination lamp can be further increased, and the static elimination lamp can be lowered. Can be manufactured at cost.

Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall schematic configuration of an embodiment of a laser printer to which the present invention is applied.

Around the small-diameter photosensitive drum denoted by reference numeral 3 in the drawing, the charging charger 4, the incident position of the laser beam 5 emitted from the laser writing optical unit 11, the developing device 6, A transfer charger 7, a cleaning unit 9, and a discharge lamp 10 are provided. As described above, the toner image formed on the photoconductor drum 3 is transferred to the transfer paper fed from the paper feed tray 1 to the transfer section between the photoconductor 3 and the transfer charger 7, and is transferred by the fixing device 8. It is fixed and discharged outside the machine.

As shown in FIG. 2, the static elimination lamp 10 is mounted on a guide rail 12 provided on the apparatus main body independently of the laser writing optical unit 11, as shown in FIG. As shown in detail in FIG. 3, the laser writing optical unit 11 is attached to a cutout provided at a lower plate position corresponding to a photosensitive member static elimination position of the housing 11a so as to be inserted into the unit from below. I have. A transparent glass or resin plate 13 is attached to the cutout of the corresponding upper plate. It goes without saying that the discharge lamp is attached so that the light path of the laser beam 5 in the laser writing optical unit 11 is not blocked by the discharge lamp 10.

Therefore, as compared with the case where the static elimination lamp 10 is attached to the guide rail 12 as in the related art, not only is the space for attaching the guide rail unnecessary, but also the distance between the static elimination lamp 10 and the photoconductor can be easily increased. On the contrary, the distance between the photoconductor and the laser writing optical unit can be reduced, and the device can be downsized.
Cost can be reduced.

Effects As described above, according to the present invention, in an electrophotographic apparatus having a laser writing optical system, the distance between the photosensitive drum and the discharging lamp can be increased, and the laser writing optical system and the photosensitive drum Can be shortened, so that the effect of cost reduction can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing an overall configuration of a laser printer according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing a positional relationship between a laser writing optical unit and a static elimination lamp of a conventional apparatus, and FIG. FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing a means for attaching a static elimination lamp to the laser writing optical unit of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1; 3 ... Photoreceptor drum 5 ... Laser light 10 ... Electric discharge lamp 11 ... Laser writing optical unit 11a ... Laser writing optical unit housing 13 ... Transparent plate

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-2-210482 (JP, A) JP-A-59-127081 (JP, A) Fully open 57-197063 (JP, U) Really open 1962 170946 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G03G 21/06-21/08 G03G 15/00 550 G03G 21/16-21/18 G03G 15/04

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A laser optical unit comprising a photosensitive member, a laser optical system for optically writing an image on the photosensitive member, and a housing for holding the laser optical system, and removing a potential remaining on the photosensitive member after transfer. An electrophotographic apparatus having a static elimination lamp, wherein the laser optical unit is disposed on a line passing through the photosensitive member and the static elimination lamp, wherein the static elimination lamp is far from a photoconductor of a housing of the laser optical unit. An electrophotographic apparatus, wherein a transparent glass or resin plate is provided in a housing portion which is integrally attached to a side plate of the side so as to be inserted into a housing, and which is located between the static elimination lamp and the photosensitive member.