US 11,720,046 B2
Image forming apparatus with developer collection
Kazuhiro Funatani, Kanagawa (JP); Shinsuke Kobayashi, Kanagawa (JP); Kensuke Umeda, Kanagawa (JP); Takanori Watanabe, Kanagawa (JP); and Ai Suzuki, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Jun. 21, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/845,073.
Application 17/845,073 is a continuation of application No. 17/335,158, filed on Jun. 1, 2021, granted, now 11,397,400.
Claims priority of application No. 2020-096395 (JP), filed on Jun. 2, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0326651 A1, Oct. 13, 2022
Int. Cl. G03G 21/00 (2006.01); G03G 21/10 (2006.01); G03G 15/08 (2006.01); G03G 15/01 (2006.01); G03G 15/02 (2006.01)
CPC G03G 21/0064 (2013.01) [G03G 15/0131 (2013.01); G03G 15/0233 (2013.01); G03G 15/0808 (2013.01); G03G 21/10 (2013.01); G03G 2215/022 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
an image bearing member;
a charging member that charges the image bearing member;
a first exposure unit that exposes the image bearing member so as to form an electrostatic latent image on the image bearing member;
a developing unit that develops the electrostatic latent image as a developer image by supplying a developer, charged to regular polarity, to the image bearing member;
a transfer member that transfers the developer image from the image bearing member to a recording material;
a brush that collects a deposit on the image bearing member downstream of a transfer portion of the image bearing member at which the developer image is transferred to the recording material by the transfer member, and upstream of a charging portion of the image bearing member charged by the charging member, in a rotation direction of the image bearing member; and
a second exposure unit that exposes the image bearing member downstream of the transfer portion of the image bearing member at which the developer image is transferred to the recording material by the transfer member, and upstream of the charging portion of the image bearing member charged by the charging member, in the rotation direction of the image bearing member,
wherein the developer remaining on the image bearing member without having been transferred to the recording material is collected by the developing unit,
wherein the brush has a plurality of bristles, and a base fabric that supports the plurality of bristles, and
wherein a penetration level of the brush into the image bearing member is in a range from at least 0.75 mm to not more than 1.75 mm, with the penetration level being a difference between a length L1 when a portion of the bristles exposed from the base fabric is straightened and a shortest distance L2 between the surface of the image bearing member and the base fabric when the brush is installed on the image bearing member at a predetermined installation position.