Cleaner, image forming apparatus using the cleaner, and voltage setting device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9354589-B2
Application number	US-201414255306-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 17, 2014
Priority date	Apr 30, 2013
Publication date	May 31, 2016
Grant date	May 31, 2016

Abstract

A cleaner is provided. The cleaner includes at least two cleaning brush members to electrostatically remove residual toner on an object; a memory; a voltage applicator to apply a voltage to the cleaning brush members based on the setup voltage values stored in the memory; a current detector to detect the amounts of currents flowing through contact portions of the object with the cleaning brush members; and a setup voltage changing device to change the setup voltage values based on the amounts of currents detected by the current detector. The setup voltage changing device performs change of the setup voltage values for the cleaning brush members at a time.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
an image bearing member;
a toner image forming device to form a toner image on the image bearing member using a toner;
a transferring device to transfer the toner image on the image bearing member to either an intermediate transfer medium or a recording medium at a transfer position;
a recording medium feeding member to feed the recording medium to the transfer position;
a cleaner including at least two cleaning brush members to electrostatically remove residual toner particles after a transferring process or a non-transferred toner image from a surface of any of the image bearing member, the intermediate transfer medium, and a feeding belt;
a memory to store setup voltage values;
a voltage applicator to apply voltages to the cleaning brush members based on a voltage values stored in the memory;
a current detector to detect amounts of current flowing through contact portions of any of the image bearing member, the intermediate transfer medium, and the feeding belt with the cleaning brush members; and
a setup voltage changing device to change the setup voltages based on the amounts of current detected by the current detector, the setup voltage changing device performing change of the setup voltage values for the cleaning brush members at a predetermined time and performing the setup voltage changing process for a first voltage for removing the non-transferred toner image prior to the setup voltage changing process for a second voltage for removing a residual toner particles.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the toner has a shape factor SF-1 of from 100 to 180.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the image forming apparatus has a full color image print mode and a monochrome image print mode, and
the setup voltage changing device changes the setup voltages based on the amounts of current detected by the current detector and a target current that based on whether the image forming apparatus is in the full color image print mode or the monochrome image print mode.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the transferring device includes a primary transferring device to transfer the toner image on the image bearing member to the intermediate transfer medium; and a secondary transfer device to transfer the toner image on the intermediate transfer medium to the recording medium; and
wherein the primary transferring device and the intermediate transfer medium are separated from the image bearing member.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the transferring device includes a primary transferring device to transfer the toner image on the image bearing member to the intermediate transfer medium; and a a secondary transfer device to transfer the toner image on the intermediate transfer medium to the recording medium by applying a secondary transfer voltage to the secondary transfer device at a secondary transfer portion; and
wherein the secondary transfer voltage is applied when the setup voltage changing process is performed.

Assignees

• Sugiura Kenji
• Kogure Seiichi
• Fujita Junpei
• Ichikawa Junichi
• Yogosawa Kazuki
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sugiura Kenji
• Kogure Seiichi
• Fujita Junpei
• Ichikawa Junichi
• Yogosawa Kazuki

Classifications

• G03G21/0035 Primary

  using a brush; Details of cleaning brushes, e.g. fibre density (G03G21/0064 takes precedence; magnetic brushes G03G21/0047) · CPC title

• G03G2215/0141

  the linear arrangement being horizontal · CPC title

• G03G15/161

  with means for handling the intermediate support, e.g. heating, cleaning, coating with a transfer agent · CPC title

• G03G2215/1661

  of transfer belt · CPC title

• G03G15/168

  with means for conditioning the transfer element, e.g. cleaning · CPC title