JP7362029B2 - Cleaning device, belt device, and image forming device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cleaning device for removing deposits adhering to the surface of a rotating body, a belt device equipped with the cleaning device, and an image forming device such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction device thereof. It is.

Conventionally, in image forming apparatuses such as copying machines and printers, there is a known technology for installing a cleaning device to remove deposits from the surface of a rotating body such as a roller that stretches and supports an intermediate transfer belt ( For example, see Patent Document 1).

Specifically, the image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 is provided with a roller (rotating body) that comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt to stretch and support the intermediate transfer belt. A cleaning blade (a plate-like member) is installed in contact with the roller to remove foreign matter (adhesive matter) attached to the surface of the roller.

In conventional cleaning devices, the plate-shaped member that comes into contact with the rotating body deforms or wears out over time, reducing the ability of the plate-shaped member to remove deposits from the surface of the rotating body (cleaning performance). There were times when I ended up doing this.

The present invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning device, a belt device, and an image forming device whose cleaning performance does not easily deteriorate over time.

The cleaning device according to the present invention includes a plate-like member that comes into contact with a rotating body rotating in a predetermined rotational direction to remove deposits attached to the surface of the rotating body, and cantilever-supporting the plate-shaped member. A support member having an elongated hole that fits into the rotating shaft of the rotating body, and a support member that is installed downstream in the rotational direction with respect to a position where the plate-like member abuts the rotating body, and a printing operation is performed. a detection means for detecting deposits adhering to the rotating body when the rotating body is being rotated; adjustment means for adjusting the contact state of the plate-like member with respect to the body, the adjustment means for linearly moving the support member along the longitudinal direction of the elongated hole, or for moving the support member linearly and If the plate-shaped member is made of a material that is easily worn, the plate-shaped member is made of a material that is not easily worn. The adjustment means is controlled so that the degree of the linear movement is greater than the rotational movement, and when the plate-like member is made of a material that is easy to bend, the plate-like member is The adjustment means is controlled so that the degree of rotational movement is greater than the linear movement compared to a case where the member is made of a material that is difficult to bend.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cleaning device, a belt device, and an image forming device whose cleaning performance does not easily deteriorate over time.

1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an image forming apparatus in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an image forming section in the image forming apparatus. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing main parts of an intermediate transfer belt device. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing a scraper and a facing roller. (A) An enlarged view showing a state in which the scraper is worn and deformed, and (B) an enlarged view showing a state in which the scraper has been moved. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing main parts of an intermediate transfer belt device as a modification.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In each figure, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations thereof will be simplified or omitted as appropriate.

First, the overall configuration and operation of the image forming apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
As shown in FIG. 1, an intermediate transfer belt device 15 serving as a belt device is installed at the center of the image forming apparatus main body 100. Further, process cartridges 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K corresponding to each color (yellow, magenta, cyan, and black) are arranged in parallel to face the intermediate transfer belt 8 (belt member) of the intermediate transfer belt device 15. .

Referring to FIG. 2, a process cartridge 6Y corresponding to yellow includes a photoreceptor drum 1Y as an image carrier, a charging roller 4Y (charging device) disposed around the photoreceptor drum 1Y, a developing device 5Y, The cleaning device 2Y is configured to be detachable (replaceable) from the image forming apparatus main body 100 as one unit. Then, an image forming process (charging process, exposure process, developing process, transfer process, cleaning process) is performed on the photoconductor drum 1Y, and a yellow image is formed on the photoconductor drum 1Y.

The other three process cartridges 6M, 6C, and 6K (imaging section) have almost the same configuration as the process cartridge 6Y (imaging section) corresponding to yellow, except that the toner color used is different. An image corresponding to each toner color is formed. Hereinafter, explanations of the other three process cartridges 6M, 6C, and 6K (image forming sections) will be omitted as appropriate, and only the process cartridge 6Y (image forming section) corresponding to yellow will be explained.

Referring to FIG. 2, the photosensitive drum 1Y (image carrier) is rotated clockwise by a drive motor. Then, the surface of the photosensitive drum 1Y is uniformly charged at the position of the charging roller 4Y (charging device) (this is a charging process).
Thereafter, the surface of the photoreceptor drum 1Y reaches the irradiation position of the exposure light emitted from the exposure section 7Y (optical writing head), and an electrostatic latent image corresponding to yellow is formed by exposure scanning at this position. (This is an exposure process.)

Thereafter, the surface of the photoreceptor drum 1Y reaches a position (development nip) opposite to the developing device 5Y, where the electrostatic latent image is developed and a yellow toner image is formed (in the developing process). ).
Thereafter, the surface of the photoreceptor drum 1Y reaches a position facing the intermediate transfer belt 8 and the primary transfer roller 9Y, and at this position the toner image on the photoreceptor drum 1Y is transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 8 ( (This is the primary transfer process.) At this time, a small amount of untransferred toner remains on the photoreceptor drum 1Y.

Thereafter, the surface of the photoreceptor drum 1Y reaches a position facing the cleaning device 2Y, and at this position, the untransferred toner remaining on the photoreceptor drum 1Y is removed by the cleaning blade 2a into the cleaning device 2Y (drum cleaning device). (This is a cleaning process.)
Finally, the surface of the photoreceptor drum 1Y reaches a position opposite to a static eliminator (not shown), and the residual potential on the photoreceptor drum 1Y is removed at this position.
In this way, a series of image forming processes performed on the photosensitive drum 1Y are completed.

Note that the above-described image forming process is performed in the other process cartridges 6M, 6C, and 6K (image forming sections) in the same manner as in the yellow process cartridge 6Y (image forming section). That is, from an exposure section disposed above the image forming section, exposure light based on image information is irradiated onto the photoreceptor drums of each process cartridge 6M, 6C, and 6K.
Thereafter, the toner images of each color formed on each photoreceptor drum through a developing process are transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 8 in an overlapping manner. In this way, a color image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 8.

Here, referring to FIG. 1, the intermediate transfer belt device 15 includes an intermediate transfer belt 8, four primary transfer rollers 9Y (see FIG. 2), a driving roller, a driven roller, and the like. The intermediate transfer belt 8 is stretched and supported by a drive roller, a driven roller, and a primary transfer roller, and is moved endlessly in the direction of the arrow (counterclockwise) in FIG. 1 by rotation of the drive roller.

The primary transfer roller 9Y sandwiches the intermediate transfer belt 8 with the photosensitive drum 1Y to form a primary transfer nip. Then, a transfer voltage (transfer bias) opposite to the polarity of the toner is applied to the primary transfer roller 9Y.
The intermediate transfer belt 8 then travels in the direction of the arrow and sequentially passes through the primary transfer nip of each primary transfer roller (9Y). In this way, the toner images of each color on each photoreceptor drum (1Y) are primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 8 in an overlapping manner.

Thereafter, the intermediate transfer belt 8, onto which the toner images of each color have been superimposed and transferred, reaches a position facing a secondary transfer roller 19 (secondary transfer device). At this position, the drive roller (secondary transfer opposing roller) sandwiches the intermediate transfer belt 8 with the second transfer roller 19 to form a second transfer nip. Then, the four-color toner images formed on the intermediate transfer belt 8 are transferred onto a sheet P such as paper that is conveyed to the position of this secondary transfer nip (this is a secondary transfer process). At this time, untransferred toner that has not been transferred to the sheet P remains on the intermediate transfer belt 8.

After that, the intermediate transfer belt 8 reaches the position of the cleaning blade 16 (intermediate transfer belt cleaning device). At this position, the untransferred toner on the intermediate transfer belt 8 is mechanically removed by the cleaning blade 16 that is in pressure contact with the intermediate transfer belt 8. The cleaning blade 16 is a substantially plate-shaped member made of an elastic material such as urethane rubber, and is in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 8 at a predetermined contact pressure and contact angle. Further, the cleaning blade 16 is in contact with an opposing roller 17 (which is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 8) via the intermediate transfer belt 8.
In this way, a series of transfer processes performed on the intermediate transfer belt 8 are completed.

Here, referring to FIG. 1, the sheet P conveyed to the position of the secondary transfer nip is transferred from the paper feed section 26 disposed below the apparatus main body 100 to the paper feed roller 27 and the registration roller pair 28 ( It is conveyed via a pair of timing rollers) or the like.
Specifically, the paper feed section 26 stores a plurality of sheets P, such as paper, stacked one on top of the other. Then, when the paper feed roller 27 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 1, the uppermost sheet P is fed toward between the rollers of the registration roller pair 28.

The sheet P conveyed to the pair of registration rollers 28 temporarily stops at the roller nip position of the pair of registration rollers 28 whose rotational drive has been stopped. Then, the registration roller pair 28 is rotationally driven in synchronization with the color image on the intermediate transfer belt 8, and the sheet P is conveyed toward the secondary transfer nip. In this way, a desired color image is transferred onto the sheet P.

Thereafter, the sheet P on which the color image has been transferred at the secondary transfer nip position is conveyed to the fixing device 30 position (fixing nip). Then, at this position, the color image (toner image) transferred to the surface is fixed onto the sheet P by heat and pressure from the fixing belt 31 and the pressure roller 32 (this is a fixing step).
Thereafter, the sheet P is discharged out of the apparatus by a pair of paper discharge rollers. The sheets P discharged from the apparatus by the pair of paper discharge rollers are sequentially stacked on the stack section (main body cover 110) as an output image.
In this way, a series of image forming processes in the image forming apparatus are completed.

Next, referring to FIG. 2, the image forming section in the image forming apparatus will be described in detail.
As shown in FIG. 2, the process cartridge 6Y includes a photosensitive drum 1Y (image carrier), a charging roller 4Y (charging device), a developing device 5Y, a cleaning device 2Y, and the like.
The photoreceptor drum 1Y as an image carrier is a negatively charged organic photoreceptor, and is rotated clockwise in FIG. 2 by receiving driving force from a drive motor installed on the apparatus main body 100 side.

The charging roller 4Y (charging device) is an elastic roller member in which a medium-resistance foamed urethane layer containing a urethane resin, carbon black as conductive particles, a sulfiding agent, a foaming agent, etc. is formed on a core metal. .
The cleaning device 2Y is provided with a cleaning blade 2a that comes into sliding contact with the photoreceptor drum 1Y, and mechanically removes and collects untransferred toner on the photoreceptor drum 1Y. The cleaning blade 2a is a substantially plate-shaped member made of an elastic material such as urethane rubber, and is in contact with the photoreceptor drum 1Y at a predetermined contact pressure and contact angle.

The developing device 5Y is arranged such that the developing roller 51 as a developer carrier is in contact with the photoreceptor drum 1Y with a predetermined pressure contact force, and there is a gap between the two members 1Y and 51 (developing nip). A development area is formed. Toner as a one-component developer (non-magnetic or magnetic one-component developer) is stored in the developing device 5Y. The developing device 5Y then develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoreceptor drum 1Y (forms a toner image).

Note that, with reference to FIG. 2, the developing device 5Y is a developing device of a contact one-component development type, and a toner container 60 containing toner (one-component developer) for replenishing the developing device 5Y is detachable. Possibly installed.
The developing device 5Y includes a developing roller 51 as a developer carrier, a supply roller 53 as a supply member, a doctor blade 52 as a developer regulating member, a stirring paddle 54 as a stirring member, a transport screw 55 as a transport member, etc. It consists of

The characteristic configuration and operation of the cleaning device 18 (intermediate transfer belt device 15) in this embodiment will be described in detail below.
As previously explained with reference to FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 100 in this embodiment is provided with an intermediate transfer belt device 15 as a belt device.
As shown in FIGS. 1, 3A, etc., the intermediate transfer belt device 15 includes an intermediate transfer belt 8 as a belt member, a cleaning blade 16, an opposing roller 17, and a cleaning device for the opposing roller 17. A device 18, etc. are installed.

The intermediate transfer belt 8 (belt member) is an endless belt that moves in a predetermined direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 1 and in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 3A).
The cleaning blade 16 is a blade-shaped blade that comes into contact with the surface (image bearing surface) of the intermediate transfer belt 8 (belt member) and removes deposits (mainly untransferred toner) attached to the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 8. It is a member. The untransferred toner and other deposits scraped off by the cleaning blade 16 are collected in a case (not shown).
A counter roller 17 as a rotating body is in contact with the cleaning blade 16 via the intermediate transfer belt 8 . By installing the opposing roller 17, the posture of the cleaning blade 16 that comes into pressure contact with the intermediate transfer belt 8 can be easily determined, so that the cleaning performance of the cleaning blade 16 is improved. The rotating shafts 17a at both ends of the opposing roller 17 are rotatably held in the device housing via bearings, and are driven to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. 3 along with the movement of the intermediate transfer belt 8. (I will take them around).

Here, with reference to FIG. 3(A), the cleaning device 18 is for cleaning the surface of the opposing roller 17, and includes a scraper 19 as a plate-like member, a support member 20, and a drive as an adjusting means. It is composed of a mechanism 75, a photosensor 21 as a detection means, and the like.
When printing operations are repeatedly performed in the image forming apparatus 100, deposits W (foreign matter) such as toner, paper dust, and belt scraps may adhere to the inner circumferential surface (back surface) of the intermediate transfer belt 8. . Referring to FIG. 3, when the deposits W attached to the inner circumferential surface of the intermediate transfer belt 8 move to and adhere to the opposing roller 17, the deposits W attached to the opposing roller 17 cause the intermediate transfer. The belt 8 lifts up and the pressure contact state of the cleaning blade 16 changes, resulting in problems such as poor cleaning and blade breakage.
In contrast, in this embodiment, since the cleaning device 18 that cleans the surface of the opposing roller 17 is installed, the occurrence of such problems can be reduced.

Specifically, the scraper 19 as a plate-like member comes into contact with the opposing roller 17 (rotating body) rotating in a predetermined rotation direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 3), and scrapers adhere to the surface of the opposing roller 17. It is a flexible member that removes deposits W. In this embodiment, as the scraper 19, a thin, substantially rectangular plate member made of a resin material such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate) is used. Further, the scraper 19 is in contact with the opposing roller 17 in the counter direction.
The drive mechanism 75 functions as an adjusting means that moves the scraper 19 as a plate-like member and adjusts the contact state of the scraper 19 with the opposing roller 17 (rotating body).
The support member 20 is a rigid body made of a resin material or the like, and supports the scraper 19 (plate-like member) in a cantilevered manner. Specifically, the scraper 19 has its root portion attached to the support member 20, and its tip portion presses against the outer peripheral surface of the opposing roller 17 in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 17a. Further, the support member 20 is formed with an elongated hole 20a (a substantially rectangular hole portion) that fits into the rotating shaft 17a of the opposing roller 17 (rotating body) (in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 17a). (formed at both ends respectively). The support member 20 is rotatably supported by the rotating shaft 17a. In this embodiment, the elongated hole 20a has its longitudinal direction approximately parallel to the direction in which the scraper 19 extends without contacting the opposing roller 17 (the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotating shaft 17a). They are formed to be parallel.

Here, the drive mechanism 75 as an adjusting means moves the support member 20 linearly along the longitudinal direction of the elongated hole 20a in the direction of arrow S1 in FIG. The movement operation is either rotational movement in the direction of arrow S2, or linear movement in the direction of arrow S1 and rotational movement in the direction of arrow S2.
The drive mechanism 75 (adjustment mechanism) in this embodiment moves the support member 20 together with the scraper 19 linearly in the direction of the arrow S1, or moves the support member 20 along with the scraper 19 linearly in the direction of the arrow S1, or around the rotation axis 17a of the opposing roller 17 as shown in the arrow S2. The scraper 19 is configured to automatically adjust the contact state of the scraper 19 by performing one of the following movement operations: rotating in the direction of the arrow S1, or moving linearly in the direction of the arrow S1 and rotating in the direction of the arrow S2. ing.
As the first drive mechanism that linearly moves the support member 20 in the direction of arrow S1, a pinion rack mechanism or the like can be used. Furthermore, a cam mechanism or the like can be used as the second drive mechanism that rotates the support member 20 in the direction of arrow S2. The drive mechanism 75 (adjustment mechanism) is configured by at least one of the first and second drive mechanisms.

In this way, the cleaning device 18 in this embodiment is provided with the drive mechanism 75 (adjusting means) that can adjust the contact state of the scraper 19, so that the scraper 19 can be prevented from being deformed or worn out over time. Even if the cleaning performance of the scraper 19 is likely to deteriorate, the contact state of the scraper 19 with the opposing roller 17 can be adjusted as appropriate, so that the good cleaning performance of the scraper 19 can be maintained even over time. becomes possible.
In particular, the scraper 19 in this embodiment is made of PET or the like, which easily deforms and wears over time, in order to reduce cost, weight, and space. becomes useful.
In this embodiment, the drive mechanism 75 that automatically adjusts the contact state of the scraper 19 under the control of the control unit 70 is used as the adjustment means, but a drive mechanism that manually adjusts the contact state of the scraper 19 is used as the adjustment means. You can also use

Here, referring to FIG. 3, the photosensor 21 is attached to the opposing roller 17 on the downstream side in the rotational direction with respect to the position where the scraper 19 (plate-shaped member) contacts the opposing roller 17 (rotating body). It functions as a detection means for optically detecting the deposit W. The photosensor 21 as a detection means is a reflective photosensor consisting of a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element.The light-emitting element irradiates light onto the surface of the opposing roller 17, and the light-receiving element receives the light reflected from the surface. It receives light and detects the amount of adhered matter W based on the magnitude of the amount of received light.
The drive mechanism 75 (adjusting means) moves the scraper 19 (plate-shaped member) based on the detection result of the photosensor 21 (detecting means). Specifically, when the output value of the photosensor 21 exceeds a predetermined threshold value, the cleaning performance of the scraper 19 decreases, and a large amount of deposits W adheres to the surface of the facing roller 17 at the position facing the photosensor 21. As such, the contact conditions of the scraper 19 are adjusted by the drive mechanism 75.

The specific operation of the cleaning device 18 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3(A) to 3(C).
First, when the scraper 19 is new, the support member 20 is located at the reference position, as shown in FIG. 3(A). At this time, since the scraper 19 is in contact with the opposing roller 17 under the optimal contact condition, the deposits W transferred from the intermediate transfer belt 8 to the opposing roller 17 are removed by the scraper 19, as shown in FIG. 3(A). It will be scraped clean. Therefore, the attached matter W is not detected by the photosensor 21 located on the downstream side.
On the other hand, if the scraper 19 is deformed or bent due to repeated sliding contact with the opposing roller 17 over time, the scraper 19 will not contact the opposing roller 17 under optimal contact conditions. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3(B), the deposits W transferred from the intermediate transfer belt 8 to the opposing roller 17 are not completely scraped off by the scraper 19. Therefore, the attached matter W that has passed through the contact position of the scraper 19 is detected by the photosensor 21 located on the downstream side thereof.
When a certain amount or more of deposits W is detected by the photosensor 21 in this way, the drive mechanism 75 is controlled by the control unit 70 to move the scraper 19 and the support member together as shown in FIG. 20 moves linearly in the direction of arrow S1 and rotationally moves in the direction of arrow S2. As a result, the scraper 19 comes into contact with the opposing roller 17 again under the optimal contact condition, and as shown in FIG. It will be scraped off. Such adjustment by the drive mechanism 75 is performed until the attached matter W is no longer detected by the photosensor 21.
Then, when the scraper 19 is further deformed or bent over time and the attached matter W is detected by the photosensor 21, the same operations as in FIGS. 3(A) to 3(C) are repeated.

Note that in this embodiment, when the photosensor 21 detects a cleaning failure of the scraper 19, the drive mechanism 75 (first drive mechanism and second drive mechanism) removes the scraper 19 (support member 20). A linear movement in the direction of arrow S1 and a rotational movement in the direction of arrow S2 are performed simultaneously.
In contrast, the first drive mechanism and the second drive mechanism in the drive mechanism 75 are controlled separately, and the linear movement of the scraper 19 (support member 20) in the arrow S1 direction and the rotational movement in the arrow S2 direction are separately controlled. It can also be done at the same time.
For example, if the scraper 19 is made of a material that is easily worn, the amount of bite M (see Fig. 4) of the scraper 19 tends to change, and it is optimal to give priority to linear movement in the direction of arrow S1. Since the contact condition can be quickly approached, the degree of linear movement is greater than that of rotational movement. In addition, if the scraper 19 is made of a material that is easily bent (a material that is easily bent), the amount of deflection N (see FIG. 4) of the scraper 19 is likely to change, giving priority to rotational movement in the direction of arrow S2. The degree of rotational movement is greater than that of linear movement because it is possible to quickly approach the optimal contact condition without causing belly contact.
For this reason, linear movement and rotational movement can be performed at different timings as appropriate depending on the characteristics of the scraper 19.

Here, with reference to FIG. 4, the drive mechanism 75 (adjusting means) is configured to prevent the scraper 19 (plate-like member) from making contact with the opposing roller 17 (rotating body). The amount of bite M of the scraper 19 into the opposing roller 17 and the amount of deflection N of the scraper 19 are adjusted so that the contact pressure F is approximately constant.
Note that the "biting amount M of the scraper 19" refers to the amount M of the scraper 19 relative to the scraper (indicated by a broken line in FIG. 4) that is not elastically deformed when the opposing roller 17 is not present. It is defined as the amount by which the rollers 17 overlap.
In addition, the "deflection amount N of the scraper 19" means that when the opposing roller 17 is not present, the scraper (indicated by the broken line in FIG. 4) in a state that is not elastically deformed is the opposite roller 17. It is defined as the amount of elastic deformation and warping (deformation amount) due to contact with the material.

If the amount of protrusion of the scraper 19 in the direction of arrow S1 (see FIG. 3) becomes too large, the amount of deflection N will increase, but the tip of the scraper 19 will not hit the facing roller 17 but will hit the belly, resulting in poor cleaning performance. It will drop.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5(A), if the amount of protrusion of the scraper 19 in the direction of arrow S1 (see FIG. 3) becomes too small, the amount of deflection N' becomes small and the contact pressure F' also decreases. Since the size becomes small (N'<N, F'<F), cleaning performance deteriorates. Furthermore, if the amount of protrusion of the scraper 19 becomes too small, deformation (turning up) as shown by the broken line in FIG. 5(A) is likely to occur due to buckling.
Therefore, when the amount of protrusion becomes smaller due to wear or bending of the scraper 19 over time, as shown in FIG. 5(B), the scraper 19 is moved linearly in the direction of arrow S1 and rotated in the direction of arrow S2. By doing so, the contact conditions (the amount of bite M and the amount of deflection N) are adjusted so that the optimum contact pressure F is maintained within a range where the scraper 19 does not hit the belly and buckling does not occur. ing.

<Modified example>
FIGS. 6A to 6C are diagrams showing the operation of main parts of the intermediate transfer belt device 15 as a modified example, and correspond to FIGS. 3A to 3C in this embodiment. It is.
As shown in FIG. 6, in the modified example, the scraper 19 (plate-shaped member) extends in a state where the long side 20a1 of the elongated hole 20a formed in the support member 20 does not come into contact with the opposing roller 17 (rotating body). (direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotating shaft 17a).
In this case, when the support member 20 is linearly moved by the drive mechanism 75, the support member 20 (scraper 19) is moved in the direction of arrow R (arrow S in FIG. 3) along the slope of the elongated hole 20a. ), which is an oblique direction to the
As a result, even if the drive mechanism 75 does not rotate the support member 20 (scraper 19) around the rotating shaft 17a, the contact conditions of the scraper 19 can be optimized when the scraper 19 is worn or bent. It becomes easier to adjust. Therefore, the configuration of the drive mechanism 75 (adjusting means) is simplified.
Also in the modified example, as in the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the deterioration in cleaning performance caused by the cleaning device 18 (scraper 19) over time.

As explained above, the cleaning device 18 in this embodiment is a scraper that comes into contact with the opposing roller 17 (rotating body) rotating in a predetermined rotational direction and removes the deposits W attached to the surface of the opposing roller 17. 19 (plate-like member) is provided. The cleaning device 18 is provided with an adjusting means 75 that moves the scraper 19 to adjust the contact state of the scraper 19 with the opposing roller 17.
This makes it possible to prevent the cleaning performance of the cleaning device 18 (scraper 19) from deteriorating even over time.

In the present embodiment, a scraper 19 (a plate-shaped member) is used to remove deposits W attached to the surface of the opposing roller 17 (rotating body) that contacts the inner circumferential surface (non-image bearing surface) of the intermediate transfer belt 8. ) The present invention was applied to a cleaning device 18 in which a cleaning device 18 was installed. However, the cleaning device to which the present invention is applied is not limited to this, and includes, for example, a cleaning blade as a plate-like member that cleans a belt member as a rotating body (the image bearing surface of the intermediate transfer belt 8 in FIG. 1). cleaning blade 16 that comes into contact with the photoreceptor drum 1Y in FIG. The present invention can also be applied to a cleaning device equipped with a cleaning device (such as a cleaning device, etc.).
In addition, in this embodiment, an intermediate transfer belt device 15 (belt member) is provided with a cleaning blade 16 above the intermediate transfer belt 8 (belt member) and a counter roller 17 (rotating body) below. The present invention was applied to the device. However, the belt device to which the present invention is applied is not limited to this, and for example, a belt device in which a rotating body is installed above and a cleaning blade is installed below with a belt member sandwiched therebetween. Naturally, the present invention can also be applied to these.
Further, in the present embodiment, the adjustment member (drive mechanism 75) is configured to linearly move and rotationally move the support member 20, and in a modified example, the support member 20 is not rotationally moved and the adjustment member (drive mechanism 75) is Although the adjustment member (drive mechanism 75) is configured to move linearly along the direction, it can also be configured so that the support member is not moved linearly but rotated about the rotation axis of the rotating body.
Even in such cases, the same effects as those of this embodiment can be obtained.

Note that it is clear that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and that this embodiment can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention in addition to what is suggested in this embodiment. be. Further, the number, position, shape, etc. of the constituent members are not limited to those in this embodiment, and can be set to a number, position, shape, etc. suitable for implementing the present invention.

8 Intermediate transfer belt (belt member),
15 Intermediate transfer belt device (belt device),
16 cleaning blade,
17 Opposing roller (rotating body),
17a rotation axis,
18 Cleaning device (opposing roller cleaning device),
19 scraper (plate member),
20 support member,
20a long hole,
20a1 long side,
21 Photo sensor (detection means),
75 Drive mechanism (adjustment means),
100 Image forming device (image forming device main body),
W Adherence.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-91175

Claims (5)

a plate-like member that comes into contact with a rotating body rotating in a predetermined rotational direction to remove deposits attached to the surface of the rotating body;
a support member that supports the plate member in a cantilever manner and is formed with an elongated hole that fits into the rotation shaft of the rotating body;
a detection means installed on the downstream side in the rotational direction with respect to a position where the plate-like member abuts the rotary body, and detects deposits attached to the rotary body when a printing operation is performed;
Adjusting means for adjusting the contact state of the plate-like member with the rotating body by moving the plate-like member while the printing operation is being performed, based on the detection result of the detecting means;
Equipped with
The adjusting means causes the supporting member to move in one of two ways, either linearly moving along the longitudinal direction of the elongated hole, or moving linearly and rotating about the rotation axis,
When the plate-like member is made of a material that is easily worn, the degree of linear movement is greater than the rotational movement compared to when the plate-like member is made of a material that is hard to wear. controlling the adjusting means so as to
When the plate-like member is made of a material that is easy to bend, the degree of rotational movement is greater than the linear movement compared to when the plate-like member is made of a material that is difficult to bend. A cleaning device characterized in that the adjustment means is controlled . The printing operation is accompanied by an operation of transferring a desired image formed on the outer peripheral surface of the belt member to the surface of the sheet,
The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the rotating body is in contact with an inner circumferential surface of the belt member. The adjusting means adjusts the plate-like member relative to the rotating body so that the plate-like member does not contact the rotating body and the contact pressure of the plate-like member against the rotating body is substantially constant. The cleaning device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the amount of bite and the amount of deflection of the plate member are adjusted. A belt device comprising the cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
a belt member that moves in a predetermined direction;
a cleaning blade that comes into contact with the surface of the belt member to remove deposits attached to the surface of the belt member;
an opposing roller as the rotating body that comes into contact with the cleaning blade via the belt member;
A belt device characterized by comprising: An image forming apparatus comprising the cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

Images