Image forming apparatus and light concentrating device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9304431-B2
Application number	US-201414319258-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 30, 2014
Priority date	Jul 17, 2013
Publication date	Apr 5, 2016
Grant date	Apr 5, 2016

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, a development device, a transferring device, a static eliminating device, a cleaning device, a light concentrating member and a separating claw. On the image carrier, an electrostatic latent image is formed. The development device develops and visualizes the electrostatic latent image by a toner. The transferring device transfers the toner on the image carrier to a recording sheet. The static eliminating device irradiates the image carrier with a light to eliminate a remained static charge. The cleaning device removes the toner remained on the image carrier. The light concentrating member is arranged between the static eliminating device and image carrier to concentrate the light emitted from the static eliminating device and to irradiate the image carrier with the concentrated light. The separating claw is supported by the light concentrating member to separate the recording sheet from the image carrier.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
an image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed;
a development device developing and visualizing the electrostatic latent image by a toner;
a transferring device transferring the toner on the image carrier to a recording sheet;
a static eliminating device irradiating the image carrier with a light to eliminate a remained static charge;
a cleaning device removing the toner remained on the image carrier;
a light concentrating member arranged between the static eliminating device and image carrier to concentrate the light emitted from the static eliminating device and to irradiate the image carrier with the concentrated light;
a separating claw supported by the light concentrating member to separate the recording sheet from the image carrier; and
a conveyance auxiliary member supported by the light concentrating member to guide the recording sheet so as to prevent the toner on the recording sheet from contacting with components in the periphery of a conveying path of the recording sheet.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the static eliminating device includes a light emitting diode as a light source.

3. An image forming apparatus comprising:
an image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed;
a development device developing and visualizing the electrostatic latent image by a toner;
a transferring device transferring the toner on the image carrier to a recording sheet;
a static eliminating device irradiating the image carrier with a light to eliminate a remained static charge;
a cleaning device removing the toner remained on the image carrier;
a light concentrating member arranged between the static eliminating device and image carrier to concentrate the light emitted from the static eliminating device and to irradiate the image carrier with the concentrated light;
a separating claw supported by the light concentrating member to separate the recording sheet from the image carrier; and
a conveyance auxiliary member supported by the light concentrating member to guide the recording sheet so as to prevent the toner on the recording sheet from contacting with components in the periphery of a conveying path of the recording sheet;
wherein the light concentrating member is made of a resin having a high light transparency with respect to the light.

4. An image forming apparatus comprising:
an image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed;
a development device developing and visualizing the electrostatic latent image by a toner;
a transferring device transferring the toner on the image carrier to a recording sheet;
a static eliminating device irradiating the image carrier with a light to eliminate a remained static charge;
a cleaning device removing the toner remained on the image carrier;
a light concentrating member arranged between the static eliminating device and image carrier to concentrate the light emitted from the static eliminating device and to irradiate the image carrier with the concentrated light;
a separating claw supported by the light concentrating member to separate the recording sheet from the image carrier; and
a conveyance auxiliary member supported by the light concentrating member to guide the recording sheet so as to prevent the toner on the recording sheet from contacting with components in the periphery of a conveying path of the recording sheet;
wherein the light concentrating member has an incident face and an emission face of the light emitted from the static eliminating device, the incident face is formed in a convex lens like shape toward the static eliminating device in a side view, the emission face is a plane face, and an area of the emission face is smaller than a section area of the incident face containing upper and lower edge sides.

5. An image forming apparatus comprising:
an image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed;
a development device developing and visualizing the electrostatic latent image by a toner;
a transferring device transferring the toner on the image carrier to a recording sheet;
a static eliminating device irradiating the image carrier with a light to eliminate a remained static charge;
a cleaning device removing the toner remained on the image carrier;
a light concentrating member arranged between the static eliminating device and image carrier to concentrate the light emitted from the static eliminating device and to irradiate the image carrier with the concentrated light; and
a separating claw supported by the light concentrating member to separate the recording sheet from the image carrier;
wherein the light concentrating member has an incident face and an emission face of the light emitted from the static eliminating device, the incident face is formed in a convex lens like shape toward the static eliminating device in a side view, the emission face is a plane face, and an area of the emission face is smaller than a section area of the incident face containing upper and lower edge sides, and
the light concentrating member has an optical axis extending from the center in upward and downward directions of the incident face to the center in the upward and downward directions of the emission face, and the optical axis coincides with an optical axis of the light.

6. An image forming apparatus comprising:
an image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed;
a development device developing and visualizing the electrostatic latent image by a toner;
a transferring device transferring the toner on the image carrier to a recording sheet;
a static eliminating device irradiating the image carrier with a light to eliminate a remained static charge;
a cleaning device removing the toner remained on the image carrier;
a light concentrating member arranged between the static eliminating device and image carrier to concentrate the light emitted from the static eliminating device and to irradiate the image carrier with the concentrated light;
a separating claw supported by the light concentrating member to separate the recording sheet from the image carrier; and
a conveyance auxiliary member supported by the light concentrating member to guide the recording sheet so as to prevent the toner on the recording sheet from contacting with components in the periphery of a conveying path of the recording sheet;
wherein the cleaning device has a supporting part supporting the static eliminating device, and
the light concentrating member is supported by the supporting part.

7. A light concentrating device arranged between an image carrier, on which a toner image is formed, and a static eliminating device, which eliminates a remained static charge on the image carrier after the toner image is transferred on a recording sheet, comprising:
a light concentrating body concentrating a light emitted from the static eliminating device and irradiating the image carrier with the concentrated light;
a separating claw supported by the light concentrating body to separate the recording sheet from the image carrier; and
a conveyance auxiliary member supported by the light concentrating body to guide the recording sheet so as to prevent the toner image from contacting with components in the periphery of a conveying path of the recording sheet.

Assignees

• Kyocera Document Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Hayashi Kenichi

Classifications

• G03G15/6532

  Removing a copy sheet form a xerographic drum, band or plate (removing sheets from printing cylinders B65H29/02) · CPC title

• G03G15/169

  with means for preconditioning the toner image before the transfer (G03G15/095 and G03G15/11 take precedence) · CPC title

• G03G21/08

  using optical radiation · CPC title

• G03G15/047 Primary

  for discharging non-image areas · CPC title

• G03G21/0005

  for removing solid developer or debris from the electrographic recording medium · CPC title