Image Forming Device and Image Bearing Member Unit

• US 20100272467A1
• Filed: 03/26/2010
• Published: 10/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: SATO, Shougo
• Granted Patent: US 8,488,991 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 399/110
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0121 for developing
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/168 with means for conditioning the transfer element, e.g. cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/105 Arrangements for conveying toner waste
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/12 Toner waste containers
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/1661 of transfer belt

Abstract

An image forming device includes: a housing; a conveying belt; and a retaining member. The retaining member retains a plurality of image bearing members such that the image bearing members are juxtaposed with one another and that are arranged spaced apart from one another, the retaining member being slidingly movable relative to the housing in a direction that the image bearing members are juxtaposed. The retaining member retains the image bearing members such that the image bearing members confront the conveying belt and such that the image bearing members and the conveying belt are arranged in a reference direction, the image bearing members being configured to form images on the recording medium that is conveyed by the conveying belt. The retaining member includes: a cleaning member that is configured to remove a residual developing agent from the conveying belt; and a guide unit that is configured to guide the recording medium to the conveying belt. The guide unit and the cleaning member are arranged in the reference direction such that the guide unit is located on the image bearing member side and the cleaning member is located on the conveying belt side with respect to the reference direction, at least part of the guide unit overlapping at least part of the cleaning member when projected in the reference direction.

Claims

1. An image forming device comprising:

a housing;

a conveying belt that is mounted in the housing and that is configured to convey a recording medium thereon; and

a retaining member that retains a plurality of image bearing members such that the image bearing members are juxtaposed with one another and that are arranged spaced apart from one another, the retaining member being slidingly movable relative to the housing in a direction that the image bearing members are juxtaposed,

the retaining member retaining the image bearing members such that the image bearing members confront the conveying belt and such that the image bearing members and the conveying belt are arranged in a reference direction, an image bearing member side and a conveying belt side being defined along the reference direction such that the image bearing members are located on the image bearing member side and the conveying belt is located on the conveying belt side with respect to the reference direction, the image bearing members being configured to form images on the recording medium that is conveyed by the conveying belt,

the retaining member including;

a cleaning member that is configured to remove a residual developing agent from the conveying belt; and

a guide unit that is configured to guide the recording medium to the conveying belt,

the guide unit and the cleaning member being arranged in the reference direction such that the guide unit is located on the image bearing member side and the cleaning member is located on the conveying belt side with respect to the reference direction, at least part of the guide unit overlapping at least part of the cleaning member when projected in the reference direction.

2. The image forming device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the retaining member has a waste developing agent accommodating unit that is configured to accommodate therein the developing agent collected by the cleaning member, and

wherein the waste developing agent accommodating unit is located on an opposite side of the cleaning member with respect to the guide unit.

3. The image forming device as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a plurality of developing agent containing units that is provided in one to one correspondence with the plurality of image bearing members and that contains developing agent therein, and

wherein one of the developing agent containing units is integrally provided with the waste developing agent accommodating unit.

4. The image forming device as claimed in claim 2, wherein each image bearing member is elongated in its longitudinal direction and has a first end and a second end opposite to the first end in the longitudinal direction, a first end side and a second end side being defined along the longitudinal direction such that the first end is located on the first end side and the second end is located on the second end side with respect to the longitudinal direction,

the image forming device further comprising:

a first conveying member that is provided in the cleaning member and is configured to convey the developing agent collected by the cleaning member in a direction from the first end side to the second end side; and

a second conveying member that is provided in the retaining member and that is configured so as to be capable of receiving the developing agent from the first conveying member and conveying the received developing agent to the waste developing agent accommodating unit.

5. The image forming device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the retaining member includes a first side plate and a second side plate that are arranged in confrontation with each other and are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the image bearing members such that the first side plate is disposed on the first end side and the second side plate is disposed on the second end side with respect to the longitudinal direction of the image bearing members, the first side plate supporting the first end of each image bearing member and the second side plate supporting the second end of each image bearing member such that each image bearing member is rotatable relative to the first and second side plates,

wherein the second conveying member is provided on the second side plate at a position between the first and second side plates.

6. The image forming device as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a drive force transmission member that is provided at a position between the second side plate and the second conveying member and that is configured to transmit a drive force to the second conveying member.

7. The image forming device as claimed in claims 4, further comprising a third conveying member that is provided within the waste developing agent accommodating unit and that is configured to convey the developing agent conveyed into the waste developing agent accommodating unit in a direction from the second end side to the first end side.

8. The image forming device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image bearing members and the conveying belt are arranged in a vertical direction such that the image bearing members are located on an upper side of the conveying belt, wherein the guide unit and the cleaning member are arranged in the vertical direction such that the guide unit is located on an upper side of the cleaning member, at least part of the guide unit being overlapped with at least part of the cleaning member when projected in the vertical direction.

9. The image forming device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the conveying belt moves in a conveying direction, the guide unit guides the recording medium to a position on the conveying belt, the position being downstream in the conveying direction from a cleaning position on the conveying belt, at which the cleaning member removes the residual developing agent from the conveying belt, and being upstream in the conveying direction from confronting positions on the conveying belt, at which the image bearing members confront the conveying belt.

10. The image forming device as claimed in claims 5, wherein the cleaning member and the guide unit are disposed between the first side plate and the second side plate, and the second conveying member is disposed between the second side plate and the guide unit.

11. An image bearing member unit for being slidingly movably provided in a housing of an image forming device, a conveying belt being provided in the housing of the image forming device and being configured to convey a recording medium thereon, the image bearing member unit comprising:

a plurality of image bearing members that is juxtaposed with one another, that is arranged spaced apart from one another, and that is configured to form images on a recording medium that is conveyed by a conveying belt mounted in a housing of the image forming device;

a retaining member that is slidingly movable relative to the housing of the image forming device in a direction that the image bearing members are juxtaposed and that retains the image bearing members,

the retaining member including;

a cleaning member that is configured so as to be capable of removing a residual developing agent from the conveying belt; and

a guide unit that is configured so as to be capable of guiding the recording medium to the conveying belt,

the guide unit and the cleaning member being arranged in a reference direction, a guide unit side and a cleaning member side being defined along the reference direction such that the guide unit is located on the guide unit side and the cleaning member is located on the cleaning member side with respect to the reference direction, at least part of the guide unit overlapping at least part of the cleaning member when projected in the reference direction,

the retaining member retaining the image bearing members at a location such that relative positions among the image bearing members, the guide unit, and the cleaning member defining a conveying belt locating position where the conveying belt is located when the image bearing member unit is mounted in the housing of the image forming device, the image bearing members confronting the conveying belt locating position and the image bearing members and the conveying belt locating position being arranged in the reference direction such that the image bearing members are located on the guide unit side and the conveying belt locating position is located on the cleaning member side with respect to the reference direction.

12. The image bearing member unit as claimed in claim 11, wherein the retaining member has a waste developing agent accommodating unit that is configured to accommodate therein the developing agent collected by the cleaning member, and

wherein the waste developing agent accommodating unit is located on an opposite side of the cleaning member with respect to the guide unit.

13. The image bearing member unit as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a plurality of developing agent containing units that is provided in one to one correspondence with the plurality of image bearing members and that contains developing agent therein, and

wherein one of the developing agent containing units is integrally provided with the waste developing agent accommodating unit.

14. The image bearing member unit as claimed in claim 12, wherein each image bearing member is elongated in its longitudinal direction and has a first end and a second end opposite to the first end in the longitudinal direction, a first end side and a second end side being defined along the longitudinal direction such that the first end is located on the first end side and the second end is located on the second end side with respect to the longitudinal direction,

the image bearing member unit further comprising:

a first conveying member that is provided in the cleaning member and is configured to convey the developing agent collected by the cleaning member in a direction from the first end side to the second end side; and

a second conveying member that is provided in the retaining member and that is configured so as to be capable of receiving the developing agent from the first conveying member and conveying the received developing agent to the waste developing agent accommodating unit.

15. The image bearing member unit as claimed in claim 14, wherein the retaining member includes a first side plate and a second side plate that are arranged in confrontation with each other and are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the image bearing members such that the first side plate is disposed on the first end side and the second side plate is disposed on the second end side with respect to the longitudinal direction of the image bearing members, the first side plate supporting the first end of each image bearing member and the second side plate supporting the second end of each image bearing member such that each image bearing member is rotatable relative to the first and second side plates,

wherein the second conveying member is provided on the second side plate at a position between the first and second side plates.

16. The image bearing member unit as claimed in claim 15, further comprising a drive force transmission member that is provided at a position between the second side plate and the second conveying member and that is configured to transmit a drive force to the second conveying member.

17. The image bearing member unit as claimed in claims 14, further comprising a third conveying member that is provided within the waste developing agent accommodating unit and that is configured to convey the developing agent conveyed into the waste developing agent accommodating unit in a direction from the second end side to the first end side.

18. The image bearing member unit as claimed in claim 11, wherein the guide unit and the cleaning member are arranged in a vertical direction such that the guide unit is located on an upper side of the cleaning member, at least part of the guide unit being overlapped with at least part of the cleaning member when projected in the vertical direction, and wherein the image bearing members and the conveying belt locating position are arranged in the vertical direction such that the image bearing members are located on an upper side of the conveying belt locating position.

19. The image bearing member unit as claimed in claim 11, wherein the position where the guide unit is exposed to the conveying belt locating position is disposed between a position where the image bearing members are exposed to the conveying belt locating position and a position where the cleaning member is exposed to the conveying belt locating position along a direction in which the conveying belt conveys the recording medium.

20. The image bearing member unit as claimed in claims 11, wherein the retaining member further includes a positioning member that is configured so as to be capable of positioning the retaining member relative to the housing of the image forming device such that when the image bearing member unit is mounted in the housing of the image forming device, the image bearing members confront the conveying belt and the image bearing members and the conveying belt are arranged in the reference direction with the image bearing members being located on the guide unit side and the conveying belt being located on the cleaning member side with respect to the reference direction.

21. An image forming device comprising:

a plurality of photosensitive drums that are arranged parallel to and spaced apart from one another in a first direction;

a first roller and a second roller that are disposed parallel to each other and arranged spaced apart from each other in the first direction;

a conveying belt that is stretched around the first roller and the second roller, with a top portion of the conveying belt opposing and contacting each of the photosensitive drums from below;

a belt cleaner that is disposed diagonally above the first roller and in confrontation with the first roller; and

a paper guide that is configured to guide a paper to the conveying belt and that is disposed above the belt cleaner so as to overlap the belt cleaner at least partly when projected in an upper-to-lower direction.

22. The image forming device as claimed in claims 21,

wherein the paper guide is integrally provided with the belt cleaner.

23. The image forming device as claimed in claims 21,

wherein the first roller is a driven roller and the second roller is a drive roller.

24. The image forming device as claimed in claims 21 further comprising:

a main casing; and

a process frame that retains the photosensitive drums, and that is configured to be slidingly movable in the first direction relative to the main casing.

25. The image forming device as claimed in claims 24,

wherein the process frame is integrally provided with the paper guide and the belt cleaner.

26. The image forming device as claimed in claims 21,

wherein the belt cleaner includes:

a belt cleaning roller that contacts a part of the conveying belt that is stretched around the first roller;

a relay roller that is disposed at a position diagonally above the belt cleaning roller and that is in contact with the belt cleaning roller;

a scraper having an end that contacts a lower edge of the relay roller from below; and

a cleaner-side waste toner retaining section.

27. The image forming device as claimed in claims 21 further comprising:

a waste developing agent accommodating section that is configured to accommodate therein the developing agent collected by the belt cleaner and that is located on an opposite side of the belt cleaner with respect to the paper guide.

28. The image forming device as claimed in claim 27, wherein each photosensitive drum is elongated in its longitudinal direction and has a first end and a second end opposite to the first end in the longitudinal direction, a first end side and a second end side being defined along the longitudinal direction such that the first end is located on the first end side and the second end is located on the second end side with respect to the longitudinal direction,

the image forming device further comprising:

a first screw that is provided in the belt cleaner and is configured to convey the developing agent collected by the belt cleaner in a direction from the first end side to the second end side; and

a lift that is provided in the process frame and that is configured so as to be capable of receiving the developing agent from the first screw and conveying the received developing agent to the waste developing agent accommodating section.

29. The image forming device as claimed in claims 28, further comprising a second screw that is provided within the waste developing agent accommodating section and that is configured to convey the developing agent conveyed into the waste developing agent accommodating section in a direction from the second end side to the first end side.

30. An image forming device comprising:

a conveying belt that is configured to convey a recording medium thereon;

a plurality of image bearing members that are juxtaposed with one another and that are arranged spaced apart from one another, the image bearing members confronting the conveying belt, the image bearing members and the conveying belt being arranged in a reference direction, an image bearing member side and a conveying belt side being defined along the reference direction such that the image bearing members are located on the image bearing member side and the conveying belt is located on the conveying belt side with respect to the reference direction, the image bearing members being configured to form images on the recording medium that is conveyed by the conveying belt;

a cleaning member that is configured to remove a residual developing agent from the conveying belt; and

a guide unit that is configured to guide the recording medium to the conveying belt, the guide unit and the cleaning member being arranged in the reference direction such that the guide unit is located on the image bearing member side and the cleaning member is located on the conveying belt side with respect to the reference direction, at least part of the guide unit overlapping at least part of the cleaning member when projected in the reference direction.