Cleaning device and image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11318768-B2
Application number	US-202016885915-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 28, 2020
Priority date	May 30, 2019
Publication date	May 3, 2022
Grant date	May 3, 2022

Abstract

A cleaning device cleans a surface of a sheet conveyance member that conveys a sheet in an image forming apparatus which executes image forming processing, using a liquid recording material. The cleaning device includes a cleaning member having a contact surface configured to be brought into contact with the surface of the sheet conveyance member. A contact angle of the contact surface with the recording material is smaller than a contact angle of the surface of the sheet conveyance member with the recording material.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cleaning device that cleans a surface of a sheet conveyance member that conveys a sheet in an image forming apparatus which executes image forming processing, using a liquid recording material, the cleaning device comprising:
a cleaning member having a contact surface configured to be brought into contact with the surface of the sheet conveyance member,
wherein a contact angle of the contact surface of the cleaning member with the liquid recording material is smaller than a contact angle of the surface of the sheet conveyance member with the liquid recording material, and wherein the contact angles are indices representing wettability of the liquid recording material relative to the contact surface of the cleaning member and relative to the surface of the sheet conveyance member.

2. The cleaning device according to claim 1 , wherein
the recording material is water-based ink.

3. The cleaning device according to claim 1 , wherein
a contact angle of a contact surface of the cleaning member with the recording material is 30 degrees or less, and
a contact angle of a surface of the sheet conveyance member with the recording material is 50 degrees or more.

4. The cleaning device according to claim 1 , wherein
a contact surface of the cleaning member is made of a material containing a PE aramid fiber.

5. The cleaning device according to claim 1 , wherein
the cleaning member is a web of a strip shape, the web forming the contact surface that comes in contact with a sheet conveyance member, and
the cleaning device further comprises:
a pressing roller that presses the web against the sheet conveyance member;
a feed-out roller that feeds out the web so as to cause a part of the web that comes in contact with the sheet conveyance member to shift; and
a take-up roller that takes up the web.

6. An image forming apparatus comprising:
an image forming unit that executes image forming processing, using a liquid recording material;
a sheet conveyance unit that conveys a sheet to the image forming unit, the sheet conveyance unit including a sheet conveyance member that comes in contact with the sheet; and
the cleaning device according to claim 1 .

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising:
a sheet reversing unit that reverses the sheet carrying an image that is formed on one surface of the sheet at the image forming unit, the sheet reversing unit conveying the reversed sheet having a front surface and a back surface switched to each other, to the sheet conveyance unit,
wherein the sheet conveyance member is disposed at a place where the sheet conveyance member comes in contact with the sheet carrying the image formed on the one surface.

Assignees

• Kyocera Document Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Satake Kenichi
• Tamai Hiroatsu
• Watanabe Takeshi
• Sakane Hiroki
• Tamekuni Yusuke
• Usui Masato
• Yuasa Yuzuru
• Michishita Yasuhiro
• Miyakoshi Naoto
• Yamasaki Shunsuke
• Ohata Shinobu

Classifications

• B41J29/17 Primary

  Cleaning arrangements · CPC title

• G03G21/10 Primary

  Collecting or recycling waste developer · CPC title

• B41J29/377

  Cooling or ventilating arrangements · CPC title

• B41J13/02

  Rollers (roller platens B41J11/04) · CPC title

• B41J3/60

  for printing on both faces of the printing material · CPC title