Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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MULTI-FUNCTIONAL BELT/BLADE CLEANER
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to surface cleaning, and, more
particularly, to a multi-functional belt/blade cleaner for
removing residual processing material, such as toner, ink, paper
debris, and undesirable films from processing surfaces in
photocopying machines.
Description of the Related Art
During the copying process in an electrophotographic copying
(photocopying) machine, residual processing materials such as
toner particles, paper debris, photoreceptor films, and ink, in
the case of ink imaging systems, can accumulate on processing
surfaces such as photoreceptor belts or drums, intermediate belts,
ink imaging surfaces, and biased transfer surfaces. In ink
imaging photocopiers, the liquid that carries the ink particles
9 ~ may dry onto imaging surfaces" ~uah aG ~-ct~C. The existence of
such materials on photocopier processing surfaces can degrade
i image quality. Accordingly, a device for cleaning the adherent
material from the processing surfaces is necessary to preserve th~
quality of the image.
Photocopying machines have typically used single cleaning
blades in either a wiping mode or a doctoring mode to remove
adherent material from photoreceptors. Due to excessive wear and
insufficient reliability characteristics, however, such single-
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NEGAN, HE~DERSON
F,~RABOW, G.~RRE~ ,, blade cleaning systems lack the durability desirable for high
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Alternatively, brush cle~n;ng systems, some includi~g ablower for detoning the brush with air, have been used to
clean toner and other material from photoreceptors and biased
transfer surfaces. However, such brush systems can be
relatively expensive and, like the single-blade cleaning
system, suffer from decreased effectiveness due to brush wear.
SU~ARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in view of the above
circumstances and has as an object of an aspect thereof a
belt/blade cleaner for efficiently and reliably removing
adherent material from surfaces, such as processing surfaces
in photocopying machines.
Addition objects and advantages of the invention will be
set forth in part in the description which follows, and in
part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned
by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of
the invention will be realized and attained by means of the
elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the
appended claims.
To achieve the above objects and in accordance with the
purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described
herein, the invention is a multi-functional belt/blade cleaner
for removing material from a surface to be cleaned, the
belt/blade cleaner comprising a cleaner belt having a length
extending in a longitudinal direction, a width extending in a
transverse direction substantially perpendicular to the
longitudinal direction, and a predetermined thickness, a
plurality of blades formed from the cleaner belt, the blades
being formed by a plurality of cuts in the cleaner belt, the
cuts being made across
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the width and at predetermined intervals along the length, each o~
the cuts having a depth less than the thickness, wherein areas on
the cleaner belt between adjacent cuts define individual blades
having cleaning edges, and means for mounting the cleaner belt to
dispose the cleaning edges of the plurality of blades in wiping
contact with the surface to remove the material.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general
description and the following detailed description are exemplary
and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as
claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and
constitute a part of this specification, illustrate the
embodiments of the invention and together with the description,
serve to explain the principles of the invention.
Figure 1 illustrates one embodiment of a multi-functional
belt/blade cleaner according to the present invention;
Figure 2 is an enlarged view showing the blade structure of
the belt/blade cleaner of the first embodiment;
Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the blade structure of the
belt/blade cleaner of the first embodiment illustrating blades
oriented at an angle relative to a line perpendicular to the
process direction; and
Figure 4 shows a second embodiment of the multi-functional
belt/blade cleaner of the present invention.
EC,~ .E~'DER50~'' DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
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Reference will now be ma2dle2i5n4detail to the presently
preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are
illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the
same reference numbers are used throughout the drawings to refer
to the same or like parts. Description of the present invention
in conjunction with particular types of processing surfaces is fo~
purposes of example only, and is made in recognition of the
utility of the multi-functional belt/blade cleaner in removing
material from a variety of diverse surfaces.
During a photocopying process, a latent electrostatic image
representing an original image is formed on a photoreceptor belt
or drum and subsequently developed with toner. A biased transfer
device then applies a bias charge to the moving photoreceptor as
it passes, transferring the toner developed according to the
latent electrostatic image to a sheet of paper. The biased
transfer device may be in the form of a drum (a ~biased transfer
roll") positioned opposite the photoreceptor. During the
photocopying process, untransfered toner, paper debris, and
undesirable films may accumulate on both the photoreceptor and the
biased transfer roll (BTR), as well as on intermediate belts,
resulting in reduced image quality. If the BTR is not cleaned,
toner and paper debris on the BTR is transferred to the back of
the copy sheets, appearing as spots and smudges. If duplexed
copies are run, the spots and smudges will appear on both sides o~
the copies.
I~EGA~, HE~DE.~5C~' Figure 1 illustrates one embodiment of the multi-functional
F~R~BOW CARRE,
~ D~ER belt/blade cleaner of the present invention for cleaning
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background toner and other material from processing surfaces in a
photocopying machine. According to this embodiment, the belt/
blade cleaner comprises a continuous cleaner belt 20 carrying a
plurality of cleaning blades 26. The cleaner belt 20 is attached
to a thin supporting belt 10 by adhesive or other means, and
mounted about rollers 12 and 14. As in the first embodiment, the
cleaner belt 20 can be mounted on a thin, elastic supporting belt
10. The cleaner belt 20 and supporting belt 10 are made of
flexible materials enabling them to be wrapped about rollers 12
and 14. The flexible cleaner belt 20 can be constructed, for
example, from a durable material such as urethane, to provide a
long cleaning life. A flexible, elastic material such as mylar i~
suitable for fabrication of the thin supporting belt 10.
As a particular example, the cleaner belt 20 can be readily
fabricated by cutting a belt-like strip from a spin-cast sheet of
urethane, or other suitable material. The blades 26 are then
formed in the cleaner belt 20 by cutting grooves 24 into the
cleaner belt material. The grooves 24 are cut at intervals along
a longitudinal length of the cleaner belt 20, and extend across a
transverse width substantially perpendicular to the length. The
grooves 24 are cut to a predetermined depth to avoid cutting
through the cleaner belt 20. Opposite ends of the cleaner belt 20
are subsequently joined to form a continuous belt.
As shown in Figure 2, each blade 26 can be formed by an
angled cut 21 and a vertical cut 27 defining a groove 24 and land
H'E~IEDSERSON area 22 with a cleaning edge 23. As a result, wedge-shaped
FARABO~ GARRE~
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~ ; plurality of blades 26. In addition to exposing the cleaning
edges 23, the grooves 24 provide a space for deflection of the
blade 26 due to blade loading during the cleaning process, and
facilitate cleaning of the cleaning edges 23 by a brush or pad.
Each resulting blade 26 includes a cleaning edge 23 that is
designed to contact the surface to be cleaned along the entire
length of the blade. With reference to Figure 3, the cleaning
, edge 23 can be oriented perpendicular to the process direction Vpr
as shown by line 40, or may be cut at a slight angle ~ relative
to line 40. The angled cut of the cleaning edge 23 may be
desirable to provide a cutting or shearing action to Le...o~e
stubborn material adhering to the processing surface.
According to a second embodiment of the invention,
illustrated in Figure 4, the flexible cleaner belt 20 includes a
plurality of blades 26 formed by vertical cuts in the belt
surface. Unlike the wedge-shaped grooves of the first embodiment~
only vertical cuts are made at an orientation substantially
perpendicular to the cleaner belt surface, such that the cleaner
belt 20 defines closely spaced blades 26 which fan apart as the
belt moves with rollers 12 and 14. In practice, roller 14 is
mounted adjacent the processing surface so that one portion of the
cleaner belt 20 at which the blades 26 fan apart is used to clean
the adherent material. The blades 26 subsequently can be cleaned
at a position adjacent roller 12, at which the blades 26 also fan
apart.
~EC4~ HE~DERSON In the examples of Figures 1 and 4, the belt/blade cleaner is
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rollers 32 and 34. However, the belt/blade cleaner is suitable
for cleaning a variety of processing surfaces such as
photoreceptor drums, intermediate belts, ink imaging surfaces,
and biased transfer rolls. To remove adherent material, the beltt
blade cleaner includes means for mounting the cleaner belt 20 to
dispose the cleaning edges 23 in wiping contact with the
photoreceptor belt 30 or other surface to be cleaned.
For example, the mounting means may consist of a motor 16,
coupled to one or both of the rollers 12, 14, for slowly revolving
the belt 20. When the cleaner belt 20 is revolved, each of the
cleaning edges 23 of the blades 26 is periodically applied to the
moving surface of the photoreceptor belt 30 to remove the adherent
material. It is noted that, as an alternative to rollers 12 and
14, the cleaner belt 20 and supporting belt 10 could be mounted
about a single cylinder (not shown) for revolution against the
processing surface.
One advantageous feature of the present invention is that
various belt segments designed for diverse cleaning purposes can
be attached to the thin supporting belt 10 to form a unitary,
multi-functional belt, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. For example,
segment A can be constructed from a urethane blade material for
removing toner and paper debris. Segment B, formed from a higher
durometer material designed for the Le-llo~al of photoreceptor
films, can be readily combined with segment A to provide multi-
functional cleaning, improving overall cleaning effectiveness. If
' ~EG~ DER50N ' desired, segment B can also be formed from or treated with an
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~- films or impacted matter from the photoreceptor. Of course, the
multi-functional aspect of the invention is equally applicable to
the belt/blade structures of both the first and second embodiments
of the present invention.
The cleaning efficiency of both the first and second
embodiments of the present invention is enhanced by the flexible
construction of the cleaner belt 20 and blades 26 from flexible
materials such as urethane. For example, the flexible belt/blade
structure allows the blades 26 to flex during revolution, enabling
more than one of the blades 26 to contact the processing surface
at the same time. Thus, when more than one blade 26 contacts the
processing surface, cleaning efficiency can be improved because
the width of the cleaning nip is increased.
Cleaning reliability is also improved by the belt/blade
cleaner of the present invention relative to single-blade cleaning
systems. For instance, in a system in which only a single rigid
blade contacts the processing surface during a cleaning swipe, a
nick in the cleaning edges of the rigid blade may result in a
streak on the processing surface. If a nick develops in a
cleaning edge of one of the plurality of flexible blades 26 of the
present invention, however, any resulting streak will be
eliminated by the cleaning edge of the other flexible blades 26
which contact the processing surface at the same time.
; The belt/blade cleaners shown in Figures 1 and 4 also provide
effective cleaning without substantially affecting the motion
quality of the overal~ photocopying system. For instance, if the
FARAB~W GARRET E
~D.~ER I blades 26 are cut perpendicular to the process direction the
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-- entire blade 26 contacts the cleaning surface. Because more than
one flexible blade 26 engages the cleaning surface at all times,
the frictional drag on the moving surface does not fluctuate.
Thus, the speed of the moving cleaning surface remains constant.
In addition, if the belt/blade cleaners are applied to
cleaning surfaces such as photoreceptor belts or drums and biased~
transfer rolls having connection seams, impact of a blade 26
oriented parallel to such a seam may result in disruption of the
motion quality of the overall photocopying process. Therefore, to
preserve the motion quality of the system, it may be desirable to
make angled cuts in the belt 10, as shown in Figure 3, defining
cleaning edges 23 oriented at a small angle ~ relative to the a
line 40 perpendicular to the process direction.
This type of blade orientation provides a "gravure" type
cleaning action. Because the blade 26 is oriented at an angle ~
relative to the photoreceptor or BTR seams, only a small part of
each blade contacts the seam at any given time. This
significantly reduces the impact of the blade with the seam,
preserving the motion quality of the system. Furthermore, after
the initial portion of the blade 26 impacts a seam, the remainder
of the angled blade tends to glide over the seam, avoiding further
impact. Thus, the gravure blade orientation provides an
improvement, in terms of motion quality, over the parallel blade
orientation in which the entire length of the blade abruptly
collides with the seam.
EGA~ hE~'DERSO~' An additional advantage of the present invention is an
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provides multiple blades 26 for surface cleaning, it can provide
effective cleaning at a relatively slow rate of revolution. In
addition to providing ample time for cleaning or other treatments
such as lubrication, the slow revolution of the belt 20 improves
cleaner reliability in several ways. Because each blade 26
contacts the image surface periodically, the continuous stress on
the cleaning edge 23 is reduced. Cont~min~tesr such as carrier
beads and paper debris are ~,..oved, and localized photoreceptor
defects contact the blade 26 fewer times per photoreceptor cycle.
The slow rotation of the cleaner against the photoreceptor
also allows the toner and the debris on the cleaning edge 23 to be
carried away from the cleaning zone. A detoning area 29 can be
provided within each of the belt/blade cleaners shown in Figures 1
and 4. After the cleaning edges 23 are rotated away from the
cleaning area, material ~e...oved from the cleaning surface can be
cleaned from the blades 26 in the detoning area 29. For example,
the excess toner and debris on the blades 26 can be flicked off
the cleaning edge 23 with a flicker bar, air can be used to vacuum
the edges clean, or the edges can be wiped or brushed clean. As a
result, the cleaning edges 23 are always free of debris that could
cause failure.
The present invention provides a substantial improvement in
blade life over the single-blade system. For example, the average
life of a single blade is approximately five-hundred thousand
copies (500kc) before failure occurs. In belt/blade cleaners
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probability that two adjacent blades will both fail is very low.
As an example, if a belt has 64 blades, each blade is used 64
times less than in a single-blade cleaner. This results in an
expected average B50 life (the point at which fifty percent of the
blades have failed) of 17,000kc, or seventeen million copies.
Thus, the life of the belt/blade cleaner is thirty-four times
longer than the single-blade system. This provides a marked
improvement in reliability.
The belt/blade cleaners shown in Figures 1 and 4 are also
advantageous in that they can be designed and fabricated to fit
into a variety of subsystem architectures in the photocopying
machine. For example, the flexibility of the belt/blade cleaners
enables them to conform to desired processing surfaces, providing
increased blade contact. In addition, the structures can be made
small in diameter to occupy minimql space inside the photocopying
machine.
The utility of the invention is not limited to the removal of
toner and other material from processing surfaces in photocopying
machines. Rather, the multi-functional belt/blade cleaner of the
present invention may be adapted for use in a variety of surface
cleaning applications without departing from the scope of the
invention.
Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those
skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and
practice of the invention disclosed herein. Thus, it is intended
~E~DER50~ that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary
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only, with the true scope and spirit of the invention being
indicated by the following claims.
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