|||||||||||||III USOO525644A United States Patent (19) 11 Patent Number: 5,125,644 Masaki Et Al
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|||||||||||||III USOO525644A United States Patent (19) 11 Patent Number: 5,125,644 Masaki et al. (45) Date of Patent: Jun. 30, 1992 (54). SEPARATING DEVICE FOR SHEET-LIKE 56) References Cited MEMBER INCLUDING SEPARATING PAWL U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS COATED WITH AMORPHOUS CARBON LAYER 4,824,753 4/1989 Hotomi et al. ...................... 430/08 4,836,136 6/1989 Natsuhara ..... 18A657 4,847,653 7/1989 Doi et al. ............................ 355/245 75) Inventors: Kenji Masaki; Shuji Iino; Isao Doi; 4,893,146 1/1990 Tachibana ....................... 27 1/308 X Izumi Osawa, all of Osaka, Japan FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS 56-3535 l/1981 Japan . 73) Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha, 57-27285 2/1982 Japan. Osaka, Japan 60-162275 8/1985 Japan . 61-277985 12/1986 Japan. (21) Appl. No.: 558,659 1-90484 4/1989 Japan . Primary Examiner-Richard A. Schacher Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Willian Brinks Olds Hofer 22 Filed: Jul. 26, 1990 Gilson & Lione (30) Foreign Application Priority Data 57 ABSTRACT This invention relates to a separating pawl installed in a Aug. 4, 1989 JP Japan .................................. 1-204139 copying machine wherein at least an edge of the sepa rating pawl is composed of an amorphous carbon layer; 51) Int. Cl. ............................................. B65H 29/56 the edge of the separating pawl being in contact with a 52 U.S. Cl. .................................... 271/308; 271/900; surface of a photosensitive member or a surface of a 118/245; 355/315 fixing roller to separate a sheet like member. 58) Field of Search ........................ 27 1/308, 306-33, 271/900; 118/245; 355/315 31 Claims, 5 Drawing Sheets L O2 U.S. Patent June 30, 1992 Sheet 1 of 5 5,125,644 Afg. / Afg. 2 U.S. Patent June 30, 1992 Sheet 2 of 5 5,125,644 U.S. Patent June 30, 1992 Sheet 3 of 5 5,125,644 Afg. 6 O9 U.S. Patent June 30, 1992 Sheet 4 of 5 5,125,644 Afg. 9 5,125,644 1. 2 ler, resulting in the failure of the separation of the sheet SEPARATING DEVICE FOR SHEET-LIKE like member, such as transfer paper. MEMBER INCLUDING SEPARATING PAWL The adherence of toner particles to the separating COATED WITH AMORPHOUS CARBON LAYER pawl for separating the sheet-like member from the photosensitive member is observed outstandingly at BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION high temperature and under high humid condition. Therefore, it is also required that the separating pawl is The present invention relates to a separating device excellent in water repellancy. for a sheet-like member used in an electronic copying Such the adherence is often observed when the sur machine, a printer, a facsimile and the like, in particular O face of the photosensitive member is formed of an amor to a separating device with a separating pawl for sepa phous carbon layer. This reason is not necessarily clear, rating a sheet-like member from members to be sepa but it is thought that the amorphous carbon is very rated, such as a photosensitive member, a fixing roller active to charge electrically the separating pawl. There and other media such as an intermediate transfer men fore, toner particles are liable to adhere to the separat ber used in a multi-color development, by pawl. 15 ing pawl electrostatically. When a toner image is transferred onto a sheet-like It is further required that the separating pawl is excel member, such as transfer paper, from a photosensitive lent in wear resistance. There is a problem as to wear member or an intermediate transfer member used in a resistance when the separating pawl is mainly com multi-color development, in particular, when the photo posed of resin components. sensitive member having a large radius of curvature and 20 the intermediate transfer member having a large radius SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION of carvature or the sheet-like member having a small The present invention is to solve the above described stiffness is used, the sheet-like member is wound around problems caused when a sheet-like member is separated the photosensitive member or the intermediate transfer from members to be separated, such as a photosensitive member due to an electrostatic attraction and the like, 25 member, fixing rollers and an intermediate transfer The sheet-like member is also apt to be curled to a member used in the multi-color development, by means great extent by a heat in a fixation process so as to wind of a separating pawl. around fixing rollers, when the toner image transferred The object of the present invention is to provide a onto the sheet-like member is fixed on the sheet-like separating pawl excellent in smoothness, which does member by means of the fixing rollers. 30 not wear a photosensitive member and/or a fixing rol Accordingly, separating pawls have been used at ler. these places to be brought into contact with the photo Another object of the present invention is to provide sensitive member, the intermediate transfer member and a separating pawl excellent in the resistance to adher the fixing roller, whereby the separating pawls separate ence of a toner, even under high-temperature and high 35 humidity conditions, in particular, when used in combi the sheet-like member from the photosensitive member, nation with a photosensitive member having a surface the intermediate transfer member and the fixing roller. layer of amorphous carbon. A large number of performances have been required Another object of the present invention is to provide for such the separating pawls. a separating pawl excellent in wear resistance. At first, smoothness and sliding properties are re These objects are achieved by forming at least a por quired. If the separating pawl is poor in smoothness, a tion, which is brought into contact with the members to surface of the photosensitive member is scratched in be separated, of the separating pawl of an amorphous contact with the separating pawl, and an electrostatic carbon layer (hereinafter referred to as a-C layer) in a charge is not given to these scratched portions, result separating device for separating the sheet-like member ing in the formation of white-striped noises in copied 45 from the members to be separated, such as a photosensi images. Moreover, these injured portions are filled with tive member, an intermediate transfer member and fix toners to interrupt the irradiation of light. Therefore, ing rollers, by means of the separating pawl. the surface potential does not decrease, resulting in the formation of black-striped noises in copied images. In BRIEF EDESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS particular, organic photosensitive members, which 50 FIG. 1 is a schematical perspective view showing one have been widely used in recent years, have exhibited example of a separating pawl used in the present inven remarkably such the problems due to the softness of the tion; surface thereof. FIG. 2 is a schematical perspective view showing The separating pawl for separating a sheet-like mem another example of the separating pawl used in the ber from fixing rollers also wears a surface of the fixing 55 present invention; rollers. FIG. 3 is a side view showing a state of the contact of Then, it is required that a toner does not adhere to the an edge of a separating pawl with a photosensitive separating pawl. If a toner particle adheres to the sepa member; rating pawl, the adhered toner particles fall onto the FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state of the contact of sheet-like member in contact with the photosensitive an abdomen of a separating pawl with a surface of a member or the fixing roller, resulting in black spot-like photosensitive member; noises in copied images. Moreover, the adhered toner FIG. 5 is a schematical sectional view of a copying particles are fused by heat generated by the friction of machine to show conceptually how to separate sheet the photosensitive member with the separating pawl or like member from a surface of a photosensitive member by heat of the fixing rollers to fix onto a surface of the 65 by a separating pawl. separating pawl. The fixation of toner particles causes FIG. 6 is a schematical perspective view of a cleaner the obstruction of the normal contact of the separating equipped with a separating pawl, to which a photosensi pawl with the photosensitive member or the fixing rol tive member is detatchable. 5,125,644 3 4 FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 show to explain the movements of hen, selinene, caryophyllene, santalene, cedrene, cam separating pawls. phorene, phyllocladene, podocarprene, mirene, etc.; FIG. 9 is a schematical sectional view showing a state and steroids. of the contacts of separating pawls with a pair of an Aromatic hydrocarbons are exemplified by; upper fixing roller and a lower fixing roller to separate benzene, toluene, xylene, heminellitene, pseudocu a sheet-like member from the fixing rollers; and mene, mesitylene, prehnitene, isodurene, durene, penta FIG. 10 is a schematical view of an apparatus for methyl benzene, hexamethyl benzene, ethylbenzene, producing an amorphous carbon layer. propyl benzene, cumene, styrene, biphenyl, terphenyl, diphenylmethane, triphenylmethane, dibenzyl, stilbene, DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE O INVENTION indene, naphthalene, tetralin, anthracene, and phenan threne. The present invention provides a separating device Compounds used for a plasma-polymerization are not for separating a sheet-like member including a separat always gaseous at normal temperature and normal pres ing pawl in engaging contact with a surface from which sure. Any compound may be used so far as it is capable the sheet-like member is separated, the contact portion 5 of being gasified through the melting, the evaporation, of the separating pawl being formed of an amorphous the sublimation and the like by heating or depressuriz carbon layer.