Image forming apparatus

• US 8,305,419 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2009
• Issued: 11/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Morita, Shinji
• Primary Examiner(s): Meier, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): BISHOP, JEREMY S
• Application Number:
  US12/391,093
• Publication Number:
  US 20090213203A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,352 Days
• Field of Search: 347/241, 347/33, 347/34, 347/36, 399 98-100, 399/123
• US Class Current: 347/241
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/451 Special optical means therefor, e.g. lenses, mirrors, focusing means
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/17 Cleaning arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/04054 by LED arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/1666 for the exposure unit
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/0409 Light-emitting diodes, i.e. LED-array
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2221/1636 for the exposure unit

Abstract

An image forming apparatus, including: an image carrier; an exposure section, having a light emitting surface which is positioned above the image carrier, to focus the light rays on the surface of the image carrier; a cleaning section, having a cleaning member, to make the cleaning member to come into contact with the light emitting surface and to move the cleaning member on the light emitting surface, so that the cleaning member removes dust particles accumulated on the light emitting surface, wherein the cleaning section makes the cleaning member to move to an outside of an end portion of the light emitting surface; and a dust receiving section, mounted under the outside of the end portion of the light emitting surface, to receive the dust particles removed from the light emitting surface by the cleaning section.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus, comprising:

an image carrier;

an exposure section, including in a unit;

a light source in which plural light emitting bodies are aligned;

a lens array which focuses the light rays emitted from the light source at the surface of the image carrier mounted below the exposure section, wherein the exposure section is opened by being moved in an upper direction; and

a light emitting surface which is positioned above the image carrier, to focus the light rays on a surface of the image carrier;

a hinge section to support the exposure section so that a distance between the exposure section and image carrier is altered during opening or shuttering of the image forming apparatus;

a cleaning section, having a cleaning member, to make the cleaning member to come into contact with the light emitting surface, and to move the cleaning member on the light emitting surface, so that the cleaning member removes dust particles accumulated on the light emitting surface, wherein the cleaning section makes the cleaning member to move to an outside of an end portion of the light emitting surface; and

a dust receiving section, mounted under the outside of the end portion of the light emitting surface, to receive the dust particles removed from the light emitting surface by the cleaning section, wherein the dust receiving section includes

an opening section facing the light emitting surface of the exposure section, and

plural dust receiving pocket sections to receive the dust particles removed by the cleaning member,

wherein the plural dust receiving pocket sections are positioned above outsides of both ends of the image carrier in an axial direction of the image carrier.

2. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the dust receiving section includes a barrier to prevent the dust particles from scattering outside the pocket section.

3. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cleaning section makes the cleaning member to move along the opening section.

4. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein a surface of the dust receiving section facing the image carrier is configured to shape along the surface of the image carrier.

5. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the exposure section is supported by a supporting member to alter the distance between the exposure section and the image carrier by a hinge.

6. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, comprising

plural image carriers;

and

plural exposure sections,

wherein the plural image carriers and the plural exposure sections are united in a single unit.