# US 2013/0156465 A1 · Neutralization device and image forming apparatus

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- Number: US 2013/0156465 A1
- Document ID: US20130156465A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/711,330
- Filed: 2012-12-11
- Published: 2013-06-20
- Earliest claimed: 2011-12-14
- Assignees: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
- Inventors: Jun Nakai; Takeshi Watanabe; Katsuya Ota
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130156465A1

## CPC

- G03G 21/08: using optical radiation
- G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY

## Abstract

The light emitting portions 140 are mounted on the substrate 120, and emit neutralization light. The first end engagement portion 115 is engaged with the first end portion 121 of the substrate 120 opposite to the image carrier 2. The partitioning member 130 is connected to the housing 110, so as to form an opened portion that is opened to face the surface of the image carrier 2. The plurality of restriction protrusions 150 are arranged along an axial direction of the image carrier 2. The first end engagement portion 115 is disposed in the central portion of the plurality of restriction protrusions 150 in the arrangement direction. The arrangement direction of the plurality of restriction protrusions 150 curves, such that a central portion of the restriction protrusions in the axial direction is closer to the image carrier than end portions of the restriction protrusions in the axial direction.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A neutralization device that irradiates a surface of an electrically charged image carrier with neutralization light to discharge electricity of the image carrier, the neutralization device comprising:
a housing;
a substrate that is connected to the housing;
light emitting portions that are mounted on the substrate, and emit neutralization light;
a first end engagement portion that is engaged with a first end portion that is an end portion of the substrate opposite to the image carrier;
a partitioning member, which is disposed to interpose the substrate between the partitioning member and the housing, and which is connected to the housing on a base end portion side, so as to form an opened portion that is opened to face the surface of the image carrier; and
a plurality of restriction protrusions that are arranged along an axial direction of the image carrier, between the surface of the image carrier and a second end portion that is an end portion opposite to the first end portion of the substrate,
wherein the first end engagement portion is disposed in a central portion of the plurality of restriction protrusions in an arrangement direction, and
wherein the arrangement direction of the plurality of restriction protrusions curves in a holoscopic view, such that a central portion of the restriction protrusions in the axial direction is closer to the image carrier than end portions of the restriction protrusions in the axial direction.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The neutralization device according to claim 1,
wherein the substrate has a longitudinal direction along the axial direction of the image carrier, and is supported to the housing as a both-end-supported beam on a pair of third end portions that are end portions thereof in the longitudinal direction, and
wherein an amount of flexure δx in an arbitrary point x of the substrate is expressed by Equation 1 below:
δ
x
=
δ
c
(
3

(

x

+
L
2
)
L
-
4

(

x

+
L
2
)
3
L
3
)
(
1
)
where a middle position of the substrate in the longitudinal direction is a home position, x represents the arbitrary position of the substrate in the longitudinal direction, L represents a distance between positions of supporting the pair of third end portions of the substrate, and δc represents an amount of flexure in the middle position of the substrate.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The neutralization device according to claim 2,
wherein the housing includes third end engagement portions that are engaged with the pair of third end portions, respectively, of the substrate.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The neutralization device according to claim 1,
wherein the restriction protrusions project downward, and
wherein the first end engagement portion is engaged with the first end portion of the substrate from below.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The neutralization device according to claim 2,
wherein the restriction protrusions project downward, and wherein the first end engagement portion is engaged with the first end portion of the substrate from below.

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

The neutralization device according to claim 3,
wherein the restriction protrusions project downward, and wherein the first end engagement portion is engaged with the first end portion of the substrate from below.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The neutralization device according to claim 1,
wherein the light emitting portions emit neutralization light along a direction in which the substrate extends.

### Claim 8 (depends on 2)

The neutralization device according to claim 2,
wherein the light emitting portions emit neutralization light along a direction in which the substrate extends.

### Claim 9 (depends on 3)

The neutralization device according to claim 3,
wherein the light emitting portions emit neutralization light along a direction in which the substrate extends.

### Claim 10 (depends on 3)

The neutralization device according to claim 3,
wherein the light emitting portions emit neutralization light along a direction in which the substrate extends.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The neutralization device according to claim 1,
wherein the plurality of light emitting portions are arranged along the axial direction of the image carrier, and
wherein the plurality of restriction protrusions and the plurality of light emitting portions are alternately arranged in the axial direction of the image carrier.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The neutralization device according to claim 1,
wherein the housing includes ribs that reduce a contact area between the housing and a non-mounting face of the substrate, on which the light emitting portions are not mounted.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

An image forming apparatus, comprising:
an image carrier;
a charging unit that charges the image carrier;
an exposure unit that forms an electrostatic latent image on a surface of the image carrier;
a developing unit that forms a toner image by developing the electrostatic latent image, which is formed by the exposure unit, with toner; and
the neutralization device according to claim 1, which irradiates the surface of the image carrier with neutralization light to discharge electricity of the image carrier.