IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

• US 20200073297A1
• Filed: 08/07/2019
• Published: 03/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Inc.
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Inc.
• Inventors: KAMODA, Yuji, SAKURAI, Shota, SAITO, Hiroyuki, FURUTA, Tatsuya
• Granted Patent: US 10,642,202 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0225 provided with means for cleaning the charging member
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0812 characterised by the developer regulating means, e.g. structure of doctor blade
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0848 Arrangements for testing or measuring developer properties or quality, e.g. charge, size, flowability
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/2025 with special means for lubricating and/or cleaning the fixing unit, e.g. applying offset preventing fluid
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/0011 using a blade; Details of cleaning blades, e.g. blade shape, layer forming
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/0094 fatigue treatment of the photoconductor

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes: an image carrier rotatably supported; a lubricant supplier that supplies lubricant to a surface of the image carrier, a blade that levels the lubricant supplied from the lubricant supplier in a film-like form on the surface of the image carrier, and a controller that controls image formation, wherein the controller has a lubricant removal mode to remove the lubricant accumulated on the blade, the lubricant removal mode includes a plurality of displacement modes each of which imparts different displacement to the blade, in each of the displacement modes, one of a displacement amount, a displacement speed, a displacement period, a displacement angle, and a displacement position of the blade is different, and the controller performs switching between the displacement modes during execution of the lubricant removal mode.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an image carrier rotatably supported;

a lubricant supplier that supplies lubricant to a surface of the image carrier,

a blade that levels the lubricant supplied from the lubricant supplier in a film-like form on the surface of the image carrier, and

a hardware processor that controls image formation, wherein

the hardware processor has a lubricant removal mode to remove the lubricant accumulated on the blade,

the lubricant removal mode includes a plurality of displacement modes each of which imparts different displacement to the blade,

in each of the displacement modes, one of a displacement amount, a displacement speed, a displacement period, a displacement angle, and a displacement position of the blade is different, and

the hardware processor performs switching between the displacement modes during execution of the lubricant removal mode.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a cam-shaped rotary member that is rotatably arranged in vicinity of the blade and can perform, by own rotation, switching between an abutting state and a non-abutting state relative to the blade, wherein

the rotary member has two or more rotation patterns in which one or both of a rotational direction and a rotation speed is/are different, and

switching between the displacement modes is performed by performing switching between the rotation patterns.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the rotary member is arranged on a non-abutting surface side that is included in the blade and does not abut on the image carrier.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a swing member that is rotatably arranged in the vicinity of the blade, can perform by own rotation, switching between an abutting state and a non-abutting state on the blade, and is provided with recesses and projection on a surface that abuts on the blade, wherein

the swing member is swingable along an axial direction of the image carrier, and has two or more swing patterns in which one or both of a swing speed and a swing distance is/are different, and

switching between the displacement modes is performed by performing switching between the swing patterns.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the swing member is arranged on a non-abutting surface side that is included in the blade and does not abut on the image carrier.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a vibration applicator that imparts vibration to the blade, wherein

the vibration applicator has two or more vibration patterns in which one or both of vibration intensity and a vibration frequency is/are different, and

switching between the displacement modes is performed by performing switching between the vibration patterns.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the vibration applicator is arranged on a non-abutting surface side that is included in the blade and does not abut on the image carrier.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the blade includes a rotation mechanism that repeats contacting and separating from the image carrier by repeating rotation in a normal direction and an inverse direction, and has two or more rotation patterns in which one or both of a rotation speed and a rotation angle is/are different, and

switching between the displacement modes is performed by performing switching between the rotation patterns.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the blade includes a swing mechanism that swings along an axial direction of the image carrier, and has two or more swing patterns in which one or both of a swing speed and a swing distance is/are different, and switching between the displacement modes is performed by performing switching between tihe swing patterns.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the blade is arranged in a manner being pressed against the image carrier in a state where a tip of the blade is oriented in a direction same as a rotational direction of the image carrier.