Cleaning blade equipped with a vibration sensor
First Claim
1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
- means for creating a latent image on a photosensitive surface;
means for converting said latent image into a developed image by applying toner on said latent image;
means for transferring said developed image onto a predetermined image medium; and
means for cleaning residual toner remaining on said photosensitive surface, said cleaning means havinga blade member contacting said photosensitive surface,means for pressure loading said blade member against said photosensitive surface, anda sensor on said blade member, said sensor generating an electrical signal to indicate conditions of said blade member; and
a feedback loop to adjust the pressure loading of said blade member against said photosensitive member based on said electrical signal, thereby extending the usable life-span of said blade member.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A piezoelectric sensor is mounted on the cleaning blade and/or the blade support member of a blade cleaning apparatus contained within a electrostatic copying machine. The piezoelectric sensor generates a waveform indicative of the wear characteristics of the cleaning blade and pressure loading of the cleaning blade against the photosensitive surface. A detection circuit monitors the waveform generated by the piezoelectric sensor to predict the imminent failure of the cleaning blade due to wear and damage. The detection circuit also monitors the waveform to detect a build up of frictional and adhesional forces between the cleaning blade and the photosensitive surface and adjusts the pressure loading through a feedback loop to extend the usable life-span of the cleaning blade. Thus, unscheduled maintenance due to sudden and unpredictable failure of the cleaning blade can be avoided and the usable life-span of the cleaning blade can be extended.
52 Citations
32 Claims
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1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
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means for creating a latent image on a photosensitive surface; means for converting said latent image into a developed image by applying toner on said latent image; means for transferring said developed image onto a predetermined image medium; and means for cleaning residual toner remaining on said photosensitive surface, said cleaning means having a blade member contacting said photosensitive surface, means for pressure loading said blade member against said photosensitive surface, and a sensor on said blade member, said sensor generating an electrical signal to indicate conditions of said blade member; and a feedback loop to adjust the pressure loading of said blade member against said photosensitive member based on said electrical signal, thereby extending the usable life-span of said blade member. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 19, 21, 23, 25, 26, 27)
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7. A blade cleaning device for cleaning a surface comprising:
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a cleaning blade member having a portion pressure loading the surface to remove substances from the surface; a sensor on said cleaning blade member, said sensor generating an electrical signal to indicate conditions of said cleaning blade member over a period of use; and a feedback loop to adjust the pressure loading of said blade member against said surface based on said electrical signal, thereby extending the usable life-span of said blade member. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 22, 24, 28, 29, 30)
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18. A blade cleaning device for cleaning a surface comprising:
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a cleaning blade member having a portion pressure loading the surface to remove substances from the surface; and a piezoelectric sensor on said cleaning blade member, said sensor generating an electrical signal to indicate conditions of said cleaning blade member over a period of use. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32)
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Specification