Patent Application
20120087702
This disclosure relates in general to copier/printers, and more particularly, to cleaning residual toner from an external heater roll and system for cleaning and rejuvenating an external surface of a fusing member in a toner image producing machine.
In a typical electrophotographic printing process, a photoreceptor or photoconductive member is charged to a uniform potential to sensitize the surface thereof. The charged portion of the photoconductive member is exposed to a light image of an original document being reproduced. Exposure of the charged photoconductive member selectively dissipates the charges thereon in the irradiated areas. This process records an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductive member corresponding to the informational areas contained within the original document. After the electrostatic latent image is recorded on the photoconductive member, the latent image is developed by bringing a developer material into contact therewith. Generally, the developer material comprises toner particles adhering triboelectrically to carrier granules. Toner particles attracted from the carrier granules to the latent image form a toner powder image on the photoconductive member. The toner powder image is then transferred from the photoconductive member to a copy sheet. Heating of the toner particles permanently affixes the powder image to the copy sheet. After each transfer process, the toner remaining on the photoconductor is cleaned by a cleaning device.
In order to fix permanently or fuse the toner material onto a substrate or support member such as plain paper by heat, it is necessary to elevate the temperature of the toner material to a point at which constituents of the toner material coalesce and become tacky. This action causes the toner to flow to some extent onto the fibers and/or into the pores of the support member or otherwise upon the surface thereof. Thereafter, as the toner material cools, solidification of the toner material occurs causing the toner material to be bonded firmly to the support member.
Most current fusing systems include a system for automatically cleaning the fuser roll and/or supplying the fuser roll with a lubricant or release agent. For example, the surface of the fuser roll may be cleaned and/or lubricated by means of a web that is pressed against the surface of the fuser roll at a location generally away from the nip formed by the pressure and fuser rolls. The webs of known systems provide either a textured surface or a tacky or sticky surface for removing adhered toner particles from the fuser roll. The web may also provide amounts of lubricant or release agent to the fuser roll. However, web cleaning techniques are not capable of driving contamination out of the valleys of the rough surface. This material stays bonded to the support member leading to a reduction in the functionality of the surface.
For the reasons stated above, and for other reasons stated below which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present specification there is need in the art for systems, apparatus, and/or methods that cleans and remove bonded material from a surface.
According to aspects of the embodiments, there is provided an apparatus and method to maintain a clean and effective external heat roll surface in a printing system. The disclosed embodiment's uses a cleaning roller in contact with the external heat rollers designed to dislodge and displace contamination products that would otherwise accumulate on and in the external heat roller rough surface. The cleaning roller rotates concurrently with the heating roller so that the cleaning media cleans the roller from a picking action as opposed to a wiping motion. This provides maximum cleaning action with the undesirable wear and tear of the bristles that would occur with the conventional method of a wiping motion.
In accordance with various aspects described herein, systems and methods are described that facilitate cleaning a surface in a xerographic imaging device using a cleaning roller. The cleaning roller system comprises a shaft and a cleaning medium mounted around the shaft forming a cylinder. The shaft is mounted in an apparatus that captures the ends of the shaft in sealed bearings and allows for rotation concurrent with the motion of the external heat rollers. A load is applied to the mounting apparatus such that the normal force between the cleaning roller and the external heat roller is sufficient to provide traction drive to the cleaning roller. The cleaning roller is allowed to roll freely against the heat roller where the brush tips or abrasive points come in to contact with the external roll.
Aspects of the disclosed embodiments relate to a contact cleaner roll cleaning system in a printing system comprising a frame; a movable surface having a major surface with debris thereon; a rotatable cleaner roll supported on the frame disposed for rolling contact with the major surface, wherein the rotatable cleaner roll has a textured outer surface with embedded sharp grit to remove the debris on the movable surface; and a controller to control the rotational speed of the rotatable cleaner roll relative to the movable surface.
In yet another aspect the disclosed embodiment is to a system wherein the speed of the cleaner roll is matched to the linear surface speed as the movable surface it is cleaning.
In yet another aspect the disclosed embodiment is to a system wherein the movable surface is selected from the group consisting external heat roll, belt fuser, spreader.
In yet another aspect the disclosed embodiment is to a system wherein the rotatable cleaner roll is formed from a material having a surface energy which allows the debris to be dislodged and displaced from the major surface.
In yet another aspect the disclosed embodiment is to a wherein the rotatable cleaner roll comprise a brush made of wire or other stiff fibers that can withstand a movable surface operating temperature.
In yet another aspect the disclosed embodiment is to a wherein the material for the sharp grit selected from the group consisting of alumina, tungsten carbide or silica.
In yet another aspect the disclosed embodiment is to a wherein the dislodged material is carried out by a print media in the printing system.
Aspects of the disclosed embodiments relate to a method of cleaning a surface in a printing system, the method comprising moving a movable surface having a major surface with debris thereon; rotating a rotatable cleaner roll supported on a frame disposed for rolling contact with the major surface, wherein the rotatable cleaner roll has a textured outer surface with embedded sharp grit to remove the debris on the movable surface; and controlling the rotational speed of the rotatable cleaner roll relative to the movable surface.
Aspects of the disclosed embodiments relate to a fusing system used in an electrophotographic imaging apparatus comprising in an operative relationship, at least one external heat roll, a fuser roll, a pressure roll, and a rotatable cleaner roller, the rotatable cleaner roll has a textured outer surface with embedded sharp grit enabled to clean the at least one external heat roll, the fuser roll in operative contact at a first location with the pressure roll, the fuser roll in operative contact at a second location with the at least one external heat roll, an external heat roll having two functions, to transfer heat to the fuser roll and to clean the debris or contamination from the fuser roll surface, said external heat roll having a predetermined surface roughness extending throughout its length and having substantially a same length as the fuser roll, and enabled to contact substantially the entire length of the fuser roll and enabled to effectively remove debris on substantially any portion of the surface of the fuser roll in a cleaning step.
In yet another aspect the disclosed embodiment is to a cleaning cartridge to remove debris from a movable surface comprising a frame; and a rotatable cleaner roll supported on the frame disposed for rolling contact with the major surface, wherein the rotatable cleaner roll has a textured outer surface with embedded sharp grit to remove the debris on the movable surface.
The term “print media” generally refers to a usually flexible, sometimes curled, physical sheet of paper, plastic, or other suitable physical print media substrate for images, whether precut or web fed.
The term “image forming machine” as used herein refers to a digital copier or printer, electrographic printer, bookmaking machine, facsimile machine, multi-function machine, or the like and can include several marking engines, as well as other print media processing units, such as paper feeders, finishers, and the like. The term “electrophotographic printing machine,” is intended to encompass image reproduction machines, electrophotographic printers and copiers that employ dry toner developed on an electrophotographic receiver element.
The solid ink printer 700 includes a phase change ink loader 20 that is configured to receive phase change ink in solid form, referred to herein as solid ink or solid ink sticks. The ink loader 20 also includes a phase change ink melting assembly (not shown) for melting or phase changing the solid form of the phase change ink into a liquid form. Phase change ink is typically solid at room temperature. The ink melting assembly is configured to heat the phase change ink to a melting temperature selected to phase change or melt the solid ink to its liquid or melted form. Currently, common phase change inks are typically heated to about 700 .degree. C. to 160 .degree. C. to melt the solid ink for delivery to the printhead(s). Thereafter, the phase change ink handling system is configured to communicate the molten phase change ink to a printhead system including one or more printheads, such as printhead 32 and 34. Any suitable number of printheads or printhead assemblies may be employed.
As further shown, the phase change ink image producing machine or SI printer 700 includes a substrate supply and handling system 40. The substrate supply and handling system 40, for example, may include sheet or substrate supply sources 42, 44, 46, 48, of which supply source 48, for example, is a high capacity paper supply or feeder for storing and supplying image receiving substrates in the form of cut sheets 49, for example. The substrate supply and handling system 40 also includes a substrate or sheet heater or pre-heater assembly 52. The SI printer 700 as shown may also include an original document feeder 70 that has a document holding tray 72, document sheet feeding and retrieval solid ink printers 74, and a document exposure and scanning system 76.
Operation and control of the various subsystems, components and functions of the machine or SI printer 700 are performed with the aid of a controller or electronic subsystem (ESS) 80 which is similar to controller 28 described in
As illustrated, the solid ink printer 700 is a multicolor imaging solid ink printer includes a phase change ink handling system 20 configured for use with multiple different colors of solid ink, typically cyan 22, magenta 24, yellow 26, and black 28 (CMYK). The solid ink printer 700, however, may be configured to use more or fewer different colors or shades of ink. The melting assembly (not shown) includes an thermally conductive ink melt perimetric constraint 54 formed by one or multiple vertically oriented side wall(s) that at least partially enclose an internal melting area that is configured to expose a solid ink stick received therein to a much greater surface area than is generally possible using a flat heated plate.
Ink sticks (22, 24, 26, and 28) of each color are delivered through a corresponding individual one of the feed channels. Each of the ink sticks (22, 24, 26, and 28) includes an electronically-readable memory device 21A-21D, also known as a customer replaceable unit monitor or CRUM. With electrical connection between the individual CRUM and a coupler 88 can read the electronic data from the CRUM and/or write electronic data to the CRUM. The coupler 88 is connected to controller 80 to provide exchange of data with work stations and other computers.
It will be appreciated that various of the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications. Also that various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims.
It is believed that the foregoing description is sufficient for purposes of the present application to illustrate the general operation of an electrophotographic printing machine. Moreover, while the present invention is described in an embodiment of a single color printing system, there is no intent to limit it to such an embodiment. On the contrary, the present invention is intended for use in multi-color printing systems as well, or any other printing system having a cleaner blade and toner. It will be appreciated that various of the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications. Also, various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art, and are also intended to be encompassed by the followings claims.
