JP2002213619A - Sealing material - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To display sufficient sealing performance relating to fine toner, provide durability against use for a long period, prevent generation of unnecessary torque for a rotary body, extend the life time and eliminate directivity of a sealing material, and make the proper sealing performance maintainable, even by a slight deviation between the center of mounting and the center of a rotary unit bearing. SOLUTION: This sealing material 20 comes into contact with an external peripheral surface of a rotary unit 21 in the tip end part of first and second lips 31, 32, and a lip seal is respectively performed. The tip ends of a plurality of main unit side lips 33, 34 comes into contact with an internal peripheral surface of a device main unit 22, and a lip seal is carried out. A base unit 30 acts as a buffer part between a side of the rotary unit 21 and a side of the device main unit 22, and even if axial deviation or the like exists between a part received in the side of the device main unit 22 and an external peripheral side of the sealing member 20, its influencing on the lip seal in a side of the rotary unit 21 can be prevented.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sealing material for sealing the periphery of a rotating body, and more particularly to a sealing material for fine particle colored powder used as toner in a dry electrophotographic apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a copying machine or a printing machine for forming an image by an electrophotographic system, a fine-particle colored powder called a toner is used as a developer. The toner is electrically charged to form an image electrically, is partially melted by heating, and is fixed on the surface of a medium such as paper. In a dry electrophotographic apparatus that forms an image by such a dry process, a rotating body such as various rollers is used to handle toner, and a seal is used to prevent toner from leaking to a bearing portion. Need to be provided.

FIG. 4 shows a typical seal structure conventionally used in a dry electrophotographic apparatus. FIG. 4A shows a sponge type seal, and FIG. 4B shows a felt type seal. In FIG. 4, a rotating body 1 is a roller of a developing unit used in, for example, a dry electrophotographic apparatus, and an apparatus main body 2 is a part of a casing of the developing unit. Rotating body 1
Is inserted from the outside of the apparatus main body 2 to the inside of the bearing portion 3, and after the insertion, the retaining portion 4 projects by the bias of the spring. With respect to the direction of the axis a of the rotating body 1, the retaining portion 4
A sliding portion 5 is provided at a portion inside the bearing portion 3 of the device main body 2 and corresponding to the bearing portion 3. Along the axis 1a of the rotating body 1, a seal receiving portion 6 is provided outside the sliding portion 5, and an end portion 7 is formed at the outermost. The periphery of the seal receiving portion 6 is filled with a sponge 8 in FIG. 4A and a felt 9 in FIG. 4B. The sponge 8 and the felt 9 are compressed in the direction of the axis 1 a and pressed outward and inward in the radial direction, so that the inner peripheral surface of the bearing 3 of the apparatus body 2 and the outer peripheral surface of the sliding portion 5 of the rotating body 1 Are respectively sealed.

FIG. 5 shows a state in which an oil seal 10 is used for sealing between the rotating body 1 and the apparatus main body 2 as shown in FIG. The oil seal 10 is originally used to prevent oil and grease from leaking from around the rotating shaft, and is specified, for example, in Japanese Industrial Standard JIS B2402. FIG. 5A shows a state in which the oil seal 10 is used for sealing the rotating body 1 and the apparatus main body 2, and FIG. 5B shows a cross-sectional configuration of the oil seal 10 perpendicular to the circumferential direction. The oil seal 10 shown in FIG. 5 (a) is a housing fixed type which is fixed to the bearing side with respect to the rotating shaft, is a type of outer peripheral rubber without a spring, and is called a G type. The lip packing 12 is baked. The packing 12 has a lip 13 that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft. There is also a dual type oil seal formed by using the packing 12 as shown in FIG. There are also types of peripheral metal and types provided with springs on the back side of the lip.

[0005]

In a dry electrophotographic apparatus, in order to improve the image quality formed in recent years, the toner is atomized. That is, conventionally 9 to 10 μm
Although a toner having a diameter of m is used, a toner having a diameter of 6 μm has recently been used. On the other hand, a conventional method of producing a toner is a pulverization method, but a polymerization method characterized by uniformity of characteristics is also being used. The toner produced by the polymerization method has a shape close to a true sphere. For these recently used toners, conventional sponge-type or felt-type seals
It is not possible to sufficiently seal the minute and nearly spherical toner. This is because the gap between the sealing material and the rotating body is large, and it is becoming difficult to sufficiently seal the toner. In addition, a sponge-type or felt-type seal basically has a sealing effect by pressing the surfaces. With the speeding up of devices using seals, such as dry electrophotographic devices,
As the rotation speed of the rotating body 1 to be sealed increases, torque increases due to pressure contact and heat is generated, and wear becomes difficult for long-term use. Further, since the sponge 8 is porous and the felt 9 has gaps between the fibers, minute toner intrudes into these gaps, and
The toner is melted and adhered due to pressure or heat generated by rotation, and the sealing property is impaired, making it difficult to use for a long time.

[0006] In an oil seal 10 as shown in FIG.
The metal ring 11 and the rubber packing 12 are integrated,
Although called a seal, there is a problem that it is expensive. In the case of a general single lip type as the oil seal 10, the shape of the lip 13 has directionality.
Therefore, in the case as shown in FIG. 5A, the metal ring 11 is first placed on the side of the apparatus body 2 where the rotating body 1 is not combined.
And the lip 13 is spread out,
It is necessary to insert the rotating body 1 from the right side in FIG. If the lip 13 is inserted from the opposite direction, the lip 13 may be damaged. Further, the part including the metal ring 11 is
It is necessary to press-fit into the recess formed on the side. At this time, it is necessary that the center of the metal ring 11 and the center of the bearing portion 3 of the device main body 2 completely coincide with each other. If the center is shifted, the contact between the rotating body 1 and the lip 13 does not become uniform over the entire circumference. The sealing effect is significantly impaired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a sealing material that reliably seals the periphery of a rotating body, withstands long-term use, does not generate unnecessary torque on the rotating body, and reduces the directionality during insertion. An object of the present invention is to provide a sealing material which can maintain good sealing performance even when the center of attachment of the rotating body and the center of the rotating body bearing are slightly shifted.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to an apparatus body having a rotating body, which is provided at a portion for accommodating the rotating body at an interval so as to be rotatable, and has an outer peripheral surface of the rotating body and an inner peripheral surface of the apparatus body. A first lip having a distal end elastically in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body and a proximal end side separated from the outer peripheral surface along the axis of the rotating body; At a position away from the base end of the lip along the axis of the rotating body, the distal end elastically contacts the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body, and the base end approaches the first lip side along the axis of the rotating body. A second lip that separates from the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body, a plurality of main body-side lips whose distal end elastically contacts the inner peripheral surface of the device main body, and whose base end is positioned away from the inner peripheral surface of the device main body; The rotating body is arranged at an interval from the outer circumferential surface of the rotating body and the inner circumferential surface of the apparatus main body. A surface facing the outer peripheral surface and a surface facing the inner peripheral surface of the apparatus main body, and supporting the base ends of the first lip and the second lip on the surface facing the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body; And a base member that supports the base member on a surface facing an inner peripheral surface of the apparatus main body.

According to the present invention, the annular sealing material is a first sealing material.
An apparatus main body including a lip, a second lip, a plurality of main body side lips, a projection body, and a rotating body, which is provided at a portion for accommodating the rotating body at a rotatable interval, and having an annular outer peripheral surface and the apparatus body Between the inner peripheral surface of the seal. The first lip has a distal end elastically in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body and a proximal end side separated from the outer peripheral surface along the axis of the rotating body. The second lip has a distal end elastically in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the rotator at a position separated from the first lip along the axis of the rotator and a first end along the axis of the rotator. It approaches the lip side and separates from the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body. The main body side lip has a distal end elastically in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the apparatus main body and a proximal end located in a direction away from the inner peripheral surface of the apparatus main body. The base is disposed at an interval from the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body and the inner peripheral surface of the device main body, and has a surface facing the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body and a surface facing the inner peripheral surface of the device main body. The base end of the second lip is supported by a surface facing the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body, and the base end of the main body side lip is supported by a surface facing the inner peripheral surface of the apparatus main body. The distal ends of the first lip and the second lip contact between the sealing material and the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body to seal. The tips of the plurality of body-side lips contact and seal between the inner peripheral surface of the apparatus body and the sealing material. A base is disposed between the first lip and the second lip and the plurality of body-side lips, and even if the first lip or the second lip receives an uneven load, or the load is uneven among the plurality of body-side lips. However, the bias of the load is reduced at the base portion, and there is no influence from the first lip or the second lip to the main body lip, and the bias of the load from the main body lip to the first lip or the second lip is also reduced. It avoids the influence and performs uniform sealing as a whole, secures good sealing performance, does not have uneven wear, withstands long-term use, has a long service life, and does not generate unnecessary torque on the rotating body. Further, since the first lip and the second lip are symmetrical, there is no directionality as a sealing material, and good sealing properties are maintained even if the center of attachment of the sealing material and the center of the rotating body bearing are slightly shifted. Can be.

Further, in the present invention, the first lip and the second lip are formed of a rubber material selected in advance as having good mechanical slidability.

According to the present invention, the first lip and the second lip are formed of a rubber material having good mechanical slidability. In addition, the life can be extended by avoiding abrasion.

Further, in the present invention, the first lip, the second lip, the main body side lip and the base are integrally formed of the same material.

According to the present invention, since the sealing material including the first lip, the second lip, the main body side lip and the base is integrally formed of the same material, it can be compared with an oil seal combined with a metal frame. And can be formed at low cost.

In the present invention, the material is a rubber material selected in advance as having good mechanical slidability.

According to the present invention, the integrally formed sealing material can be formed of a rubber material having good mechanical slidability.

In the present invention, the rubber material is NBR. According to the present invention, since nitrile rubber called NBR is used as the rubber material, the mechanical properties and elasticity are excellent, and the abrasion resistance and gas permeation resistance can be improved.

In the present invention, the NBR contains a fatty acid amide or a silicone rubber.

According to the present invention, since NBR contains a fatty acid amide or a silicone rubber, the mechanical slidability is improved, the torque generated in the rotating body is reduced, and the abrasion is reduced. Life can be extended.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows a rotating body 21 using a sealing material 20 and an apparatus main body 22 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 shows a configuration of a seal portion between the two. This seal part
For example, the apparatus main body 22 is a container for storing toner,
The rotating body 21 is an agitator for stirring the toner in the container or supplying the toner to the developing roller and the like. A rotating body 21 such as an agitator is rotatably supported by a bearing 23 disposed on a wall side of an apparatus main body 22 as a container. The sealing material 20 is disposed inside the bearing 23 so as to surround the rotating body 21 so that the toner in the container does not enter the bearing 23 or flow out. When an oil seal 10 as shown in FIG. 5 is used as a seal member, it is press-fitted into a concave portion provided on a side wall of the apparatus main body 22. This oil seal 10
It is necessary to prevent the toner from entering the gap between the metal frames 11, so that considerable accuracy is required. Since the sealing member 20 of the present embodiment also has a plurality of elastic lips on the device body 22 side, a sufficient sealing effect can be obtained only by lightly fitting the lip.

FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional configuration perpendicular to the circumferential direction of the sealing material 20 of the present embodiment. A base 30 is provided at the center of the sealing member 20, and the base 30 is disposed at a position spaced from the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 21 and the inner peripheral surface of the apparatus main body 22. The base 30 has a surface facing the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 21 and a surface facing the inner peripheral surface of the apparatus main body 22, and the first lip 3 extends from the surface facing the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 21.
The first and second lips 32 have substantially symmetric shapes and the rotating body 21
Projecting toward the outer peripheral surface side of. That is, the first lip 31 contacts the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 21 at the distal end, and the base end is supported by the surface of the base 30. The second lip 32 contacts the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 21 at a position spaced from the tip of the first lip 31 with respect to the axis 21 a of the rotating body 21. The interval between the first lip 31 and the second lip 32 is increased on the tip side,
The base end is closely supported on the surface of the base 30.

Two body-side lips 33 and 34 protrude from the surface of the base 30 facing the inner peripheral surface of the apparatus body 22. The main body side lips 33 and 34 of the present embodiment are
Like the first lip 31 and the second lip 32 on one side,
The space in the direction of the axis 21a is widened on the tip end side, and the surface of the base 30 is inclined and protrudes so as to approach. It is preferable that such a sealing material 20 is integrally formed of, for example, a rubber material having excellent elastic properties, or that at least the first lip 31 and the second lip 32 are formed of a rubber material. The first lip 31 and the second lip 32
Then, the portions of the plurality of main body side lips 33 and 34 that come into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 21 and the inner peripheral surface of the apparatus main body 22 are not sharp edges but have a rounded smooth shape. Thus, it is possible to prevent the rotating body 21 and the apparatus main body 22 from being damaged when assembled.

When the portion of the base 30 is formed of a rubber material having excellent elasticity, the portion of the base 30 is formed by the first lip 31 and the second lip 32 and the rotating body side lip and the main body side lip 3.
It acts as a buffering part for relaxing the load imbalanced between the lips 3 and 34, so that stress or deformation due to the pressure from the lip on each side does not affect the lip on the other side. Further, due to the buffering action of the base 30, even if the inner diameter of the concave portion on the side of the device main body 22 into which the sealing material 20 is inserted is slightly deviated from the reference value, the sealing effect of the rotating body 21 can be maintained. Further, even if the outer periphery of the seal member 30 is slightly deviated from the position of the concentric circle with the inner periphery of the bearing portion 23, the outer diameter of the seal member 20 is provided with the main body side lips 33, 34. It is possible to absorb the deviation of the concentric circles and not to affect the state of the first lip 31 and the second lip 32 of the inner diameter. This can prevent the rotating body 21 from affecting the sealing effect. The base 30 can be formed using any material such as metal, plastic, and rubber. In particular, the first lip 31, the second lip 32,
If they are integrally formed using the same material as the body side lips 33, 34, etc., the production becomes simple and the production cost can be significantly reduced.

If the entire sealing material 20 or at least the first lip 31 and the second lip 32 are formed using a rubber material having excellent slidability, for example, NBR, it is excellent in wear resistance and high elasticity. , Sealability is good,
The service life can be extended. Further, in order to prevent the toner from adhering, a material having excellent releasability may be applied to the surface or kneaded into the rubber material itself. As the material having excellent releasability to be kneaded into the rubber material itself, for example, fatty acid amide or silicone rubber can be suitably used.

FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional configuration perpendicular to the circumferential direction of a sealing material 40 as another embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, portions corresponding to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted. The sealing member 40 of the present embodiment includes two main body side lips 41,
42 and 43 project. Body side lips 41, 42, 43
Is relatively shorter than the first lip 31 and the second lip 32. The sealing material 40 of the present embodiment includes:
It can be used in a state where the gap between the rotating body 21 and the apparatus main body 22 is smaller than that of the sealing material 20 shown in FIG.

In the above description, the sealing material 20 of the present invention,
Although 40 is used to prevent toner leakage in a dry electrophotographic apparatus, it can be used as a general oil seal or the like.

[0026]

As described above, according to the present invention, both the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body and the inner peripheral surface of the apparatus main body have an effect of lip sealing, so that the present invention is also suitable for fine powder or spherical toner. A good sealing property can be ensured. The sealing on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body and the sealing on the inner peripheral surface of the apparatus main body are performed by a lip seal, so that the device can withstand long-term use and have a long life. The first lip and the second lip
Since the direction is opposite to the lip, the directionality as the seal material is lost, and even if the center of attachment of the seal material and the center of the rotating body bearing are slightly displaced, the biased load on the base is alleviated, and good sealing is achieved. Sex can be maintained.

Further, according to the present invention, since the first lip and the second lip are formed of a rubber material having good mechanical slidability, the lip seal on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body can be reliably performed. .

Further, according to the present invention, since the entire sealing member is integrally formed of the same material, the sealing member can be formed at a lower cost as compared with the case where the sealing member is formed in combination.

Further, according to the present invention, since a rubber material having good mechanical slidability is used as the integrally formed material, the contact can withstand long-term use and generate unnecessary torque on the rotating body. Without doing so, the service life can be extended.

According to the present invention, since NBR is used as the rubber material, a sealing material having excellent mechanical properties can be obtained.

Further, according to the present invention, since NBR contains fatty acid amide or silicone rubber, mechanical slidability is improved, long-term use is possible, and unnecessary torque is not generated on the rotating body. And a longer life can be achieved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a simplified cross-sectional view showing a configuration for sealing between a rotating body 21 and an apparatus main body 22 using a sealing material 20 as one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the circumferential direction of a sealing material 20 of FIG.

FIG. 3 shows a sealing material 40 as another embodiment of the present invention.
It is sectional drawing perpendicular to the circumferential direction of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a simplified cross-sectional view showing a conventional gland packing type seal structure using sponge or felt.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional sealing portion between a rotating body and an apparatus main body using an oil seal and an oil seal configuration.

[Explanation of symbols]

 20, 40 Sealing material 21 Rotating body 21a Axis line 22 Device main body 23 Bearing part 31 First lip 32 Second lip 33, 34, 41, 42, 43 Main body side lip 30 Base

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) C10M 107/50 C10M 107/50 149/08 149/08 169/04 169/04 G03G 15/08 505 G03G 15 / 08 505C // C10N 40:34 C10N 40:34 (72) Inventor Katsuhiko Gotoda 567-1 Fusehata, Igawaya-cho, Nishi-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo F-term within T & M Corporation 2H077 CA13 FA22 3J006 AE16 AE30 AE39 CA01 CA03 4H017 AA03 AA31 AB01 AB15 AD06 AE05 4H104 BE11A CE04C CJ03A PA04 PA19 QA21

Claims (6)

[Claims] An apparatus body having a rotating body, which is provided at a portion for rotatably housing the rotating body at an interval and seals a space between an outer peripheral surface of the rotating body and an inner peripheral surface of the apparatus main body. A first lip having a distal end portion elastically in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body and a base end side separated from the outer peripheral surface along the axis of the rotating body; and a rotating body at a proximal end side of the first lip. At a position separated along the axis of the rotating body, the distal end portion elastically contacts the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body, and the base end side approaches the first lip side along the axis of the rotating body and separates from the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body. A second lip, a plurality of body-side lips having a distal end elastically in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the apparatus main body and a base end positioned in a direction away from the inner peripheral surface of the apparatus main body; an outer peripheral surface of the rotating body and the apparatus main body; The surface and the surface facing the outer surface of the rotating body are spaced from the inner surface of It has a surface facing the inner peripheral surface of the apparatus main body, supports the base ends of the first lip and the second lip on the surface facing the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body, and supports the base end of the main body side lip on the inner periphery of the apparatus main body. A sealing material comprising: a base supported on a surface facing the surface. 2. The sealing material according to claim 1, wherein the first lip and the second lip are formed of a rubber material selected in advance as having good mechanical slidability. 3. The sealing material according to claim 1, wherein the first lip, the second lip, the main body side lip and the base are integrally formed of the same material. 4. The sealing material according to claim 3, wherein the material is a rubber material selected in advance as having good mechanical slidability. 5. The sealing material according to claim 2, wherein the rubber material is NBR. 6. The NBR according to claim 5, wherein the NBR contains a fatty acid amide or a silicone rubber.
The sealing material described.