JP2005077487A - Processing cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a processing cartridge, which eliminates a problem in which in order to assemble the processing cartridge composed of a plurality of components, positioning is required for each section for fitting the components together, and a plurality of positioning parts need to be formed on each part in accordance with positioning, and which thereby shortens time required for positioning and ensures improved accuracy in the shapes of the positioning parts. <P>SOLUTION: The frame body of the processing cartridge is provided with a pair of positioning parts for positioning the frame body in a plurality of assembling processes. The positioning parts are projections formed at longitudinal both ends of the processing cartridge. Each of the positioning parts has: a round hole made through the positioning part such that its axis is substantially parallel to the direction of the length of the processing cartridge; a long round hole made through the positioning part such that the axis is substantially parallel to the direction of the length of the processing cartridge; and a face for positioning the frame body with respect to the conveyance device in the direction of the length of the processing cartridge. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a process cartridge that can be attached to and detached from an electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body, and more particularly to a process cartridge that requires a plurality of parts to be assembled with high accuracy to a frame constituting the process cartridge.

  Here, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus is an apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium using an electrophotographic image forming system, such as an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (for example, a laser beam printer, an LED printer, etc.), A facsimile machine and a word processor are included.

  Also, the process cartridge is a cartridge in which at least one of charging means, developing means or cleaning means as process means and an electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrally formed, and this cartridge can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body. To do.

  An image forming apparatus such as a printer using an electrophotographic technique forms a latent image by selectively exposing a uniformly charged photosensitive drum (electrophotographic photosensitive member), and the latent image is developed with toner. At the same time, the toner image is transferred to a recording medium to record an image.

  As an image forming apparatus, the photosensitive drum, the charger, the developing unit, the cleaning member, and the like are integrated into a cartridge to form a cartridge. A photoconductor drum component that can be replaced at the end of its life and that can be easily maintained by a user is widely used. The housing of the cartridge in this case is constituted by combining a plurality of frames such as a developing frame that supports the developing means or a cleaning frame that supports the cleaning means.

  Normally, such a process cartridge transports the cleaning frame and the developing frame, positions the cleaning frame and the developing frame for each section to be assembled, and assembles cartridge parts to each frame. It is assembled by doing. When the assembly of the cartridge parts to the frame in one section is completed, the positioning of the frame is released and the cartridge is transported to the next section. For this reason, positioning for assembling cartridge parts to the frame in multiple sections is performed using the outer peripheral plane and holes required as the product structure of the cleaning frame and development frame. Yes.

Further, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-6080 (Patent Document 1), positioning is performed by combining a hole portion and a convex portion between the developing device main body and each constituent member constituting the developing device. Some are designed to be assembled.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-6080

  However, in order to position the cleaning frame and the developing frame for each section to be assembled, it is necessary to form a positioning portion corresponding to the section for each section to be assembled. The configuration is very complex. In addition, since the positioning operation is performed in each section, the time required for positioning increases, which increases the assembly tact time of the process cartridge, which increases the cost of the product. Further, the positioning operation needs to guarantee the positional accuracy every time it is performed, and it is necessary to improve the configuration of the positioning device and the shape accuracy of the plurality of positioning portions.

  In recent years, the structure of process cartridges has become more and more complex, and the number of parts that make up the process cartridges is extremely large. The size, shape, weight, assembling method of the cleaning frame and developing frame, and the positions of assembling are diverse. I'm talking to you. For this reason, the positioning portions formed on the cleaning frame and the developing frame need to be formed at positions that are sufficiently calculated in advance so that they do not interfere with each other when assembling other components. However, there are only a limited number of outer flat surfaces and holes required as the structure of cleaning frame and developing frame products that can be used as positioning parts. With the method of assembling to the body, it has become impossible to ensure sufficient positioning accuracy and to perform stable positioning.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and shortens the process cartridge assembling time, reduces damage to the frame body due to repeated positioning, and cleaning when assembling the cleaning unit and developing unit consisting of a plurality of parts. The present invention provides a process cartridge having a simple mechanism for assembling parts to a frame and a developing frame. It is another object of the present invention to provide a process cartridge that can be easily assembled even when the number of parts constituting the process cartridge increases.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a process cartridge that can be attached to an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic method, wherein the process cartridge has at least one frame, and the frame includes a plurality of frames. A pair of positioning portions for positioning and fixing the frame body at a predetermined position during assembly work are provided, and the positioning portion has a protruding shape, and includes at least one round hole penetrating the shaft, A process cartridge is provided having at least one oblong hole with parallel axes and at least two positioning planes.

  Further, the present invention provides the process cartridge, wherein the positioning portion is provided at both ends of the process cartridge in the longitudinal direction, and the round hole and the oblong hole are substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge. ing.

  The present invention also provides a process cartridge in which the positioning portion is formed toward the front side of the mounting locus of the image forming apparatus when the process cartridge is mounted on the image forming apparatus.

  The present invention also provides a process cartridge, wherein the frame is a cleaning frame or a developing frame.

  According to the present invention, in the process of assembling a cleaning unit and a developing unit composed of a plurality of parts, the number of times of positioning of the frame body is reduced, so that the process cartridge assembly time can be shortened, and damage to the frame body due to repeated positioning is reduced. Therefore, a high-quality image can be provided. Further, it is possible to make a simple mechanism for assembling the parts to the cleaning frame and the developing frame. Further, even when the number of parts constituting the process cartridge is increased, it can be easily assembled.

  Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the components described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to those unless otherwise specified. Absent. Further, the materials, shapes, etc. of the members once described in the following description are the same as those in the first description unless otherwise described.

  In the following description, the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge is a direction that intersects the direction in which the process cartridge is attached to and detached from the apparatus main body (a direction that is substantially orthogonal, the axial direction of the image carrier) and is parallel to the surface of the recording medium. And a direction intersecting (substantially orthogonal) with the conveyance direction of the recording medium. Further, left and right are left or right when the recording medium is viewed from above according to the conveyance direction of the recording medium. Further, the upper surface of the process cartridge is a surface located above in a state where the process cartridge is mounted on the apparatus main body, and the lower surface is a surface located below.

(Overall description of electrophotographic image forming apparatus)
First, an overall configuration of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus (hereinafter referred to as “image forming apparatus”) will be schematically described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus equipped with a process cartridge according to the present embodiment. More specifically, FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a laser beam printer which is one form of the image forming apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an image forming apparatus (laser beam printer) A according to the present embodiment transmits information light based on image information from an optical system 1 as an optical means to a drum-shaped electrophotographic photosensitive member (image carrier). And an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 7. The electrostatic latent image is developed with a developer (hereinafter referred to as “toner”) to form a toner image. In synchronism with the formation of the toner image, the recording medium (for example, recording paper, OHP sheet, cloth, etc.) 2 is separated and fed one by one from the cassette 3a by the pickup roller 3b and the pressure contact member 3c that is in pressure contact therewith.

  The fed recording medium 2 is conveyed along a conveyance guide 3f1 to a transfer portion T where the photosensitive drum 7 of the process cartridge B and the transfer roller 4 as a transfer unit face each other. The recording medium 2 conveyed to the transfer portion T is transferred with the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 7 by the transfer roller 4 to which voltage is applied, and is conveyed to the fixing unit 5 along the conveyance guide 3f2. The fixing unit 5 includes a driving roller 5a and a heater 5b, and includes a fixing rotating body 5d composed of a cylindrical sheet rotatably supported by a supporting body 5c. The transferred toner image is fixed by applying pressure. The discharge roller 3d conveys the recording medium 2 on which the toner image is fixed, and discharges it to the discharge unit 6 through the reverse conveyance path. In the present embodiment, the pickup means 3b, the pressure contact member 3c, the discharge roller 3d, and the like constitute the conveying means 3.

(Process cartridge)
Next, the overall configuration of the process cartridge will be schematically described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the process cartridge according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the process cartridge B includes a photosensitive drum and at least one process means. Examples of the process means include a charging means for charging the photosensitive drum, a developing means for developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum, and a cleaning means for cleaning the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum. There is.

  The process cartridge B according to the present embodiment rotates the photosensitive drum 7 having a photosensitive layer and applies a voltage to the charging roller 8 as a charging unit to uniformly charge the surface of the photosensitive drum 7. Information light (optical image) based on image information from the optical system 1 is exposed to the charged photosensitive drum 7 through the exposure opening 9b to form an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 7, The electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing unit 10.

  The developing unit 10 sends out toner in the toner chamber 10a, which is a toner container, by a rotatable toner feeding member 10b. Then, the developing roller 10d, which is a developing rotator (developer carrying member) incorporating the fixed magnet 10c, is rotated, and a toner layer imparted with triboelectric charge is formed on the surface of the developing roller 10d by the developing blade 10e. The toner is transferred to the photosensitive drum 7 in accordance with the electrostatic latent image, thereby forming a toner image and making it visible. After the toner image is transferred to the recording medium 2 by applying a voltage having a polarity opposite to that of the toner image to the transfer roller 4, the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 7 is scraped off by the cleaning blade 11a and scooped by the squeeze sheet 11b. The residual toner on the photosensitive drum 7 is removed by a cleaning means that collects and collects in the removed toner storage portion 11c.

  The process cartridge B according to the present embodiment rotatably supports the photosensitive drum 7, and includes a cleaning unit 11 including a cleaning frame 11d in which a cleaning blade 11a and a charging roller 8 are incorporated, a developing roller 10d, The developing unit 10 includes a developing frame 10f1 incorporating a toner chamber 10a. The developing frame 10f1 is rotatably supported with respect to the cleaning frame 11d so that the developing roller 10d can face the photosensitive drum 7 in parallel with a predetermined interval, and the developing roller 10d and the photosensitive drum 7 are supported. Spacers 10m for maintaining the distance between the two are disposed at both ends of the developing roller 10d.

  End members 10g (see FIG. 7) are provided on both side surfaces of the developing frame 10f1. The end member 10g is provided with an arm portion 10g7 in which a coupling hole 10g8 for rotatably suspending the developing unit 10 including the developing roller 10d to the cleaning unit 11 including the cleaning blade 11a is formed. Further, a predetermined pressure is applied between the developing unit 10 and the cleaning unit 11 in order to maintain a gap.

(Cleaning unit)
Next, the configuration of the cleaning unit 11 constituting a part of the process cartridge B will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 is an assembly perspective view of the cleaning unit according to the present embodiment, FIG. 4 is an overall perspective view of the cleaning unit, and FIG. 5 is an overall perspective view of the cleaning unit when viewed from the opposite side (back side of the paper) to FIG. is there.

  The cleaning unit 11 includes a photosensitive drum 7, a charging roller 8 that charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 7, a cleaning blade 11a that removes toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 7, and a cleaning frame to which the cleaning blade 11a is attached. 11d, a drum shutter 12 rotatably provided on the cleaning frame 11d, and a bearing member 18c that supports the photosensitive drum 7.

  The first seal member 11e is fixed to a predetermined position of the cleaning frame 11d with a double-sided tape or the like in order to prevent the toner stored in the removed toner storage portion 11c from leaking from the back of the cleaning blade 11a at both ends. The The second seal member 11h is fixed to a predetermined position of the cleaning frame 11d with a double-sided tape or the like in order to prevent the toner stored in the removed toner storage portion 11c from leaking from the back of the cleaning blade 11a. The third seal member 11f is a cleaning member for preventing the toner stored in the removed toner storage portion 11c from leaking from the cleaning blade 11a at both ends, and for wiping off adhering matters such as toner on the photosensitive drum 7. The frame 11d is fixed to a predetermined position by a double-sided tape or the like. The squeeze sheet 11b, which is a scooping member, is fixed to the cleaning frame 11d with a double-sided tape 11n.

  Further, roller bearings 8a and 8b into which one end of the shaft portion of the charging roller 8 is fitted are provided at both longitudinal ends of the cleaning frame 11d. Further, an electrode 8c for supplying power to the charging roller 8 from the image forming apparatus main body A is provided on the cleaning frame 11d so as to contact the roller bearing 8b.

  The photosensitive drum 7 is coupled at one end thereof to a triangular coupling 65 which is a coupling means for driving transmission, and a drum gear 71 in which a gear for transmitting driving to the developing roller 10d and the transfer roller 4 and an earth contact are integrated. A flange 85 having a bearing is coupled to the other end to form a unit. The photosensitive drum 7 includes a bearing member 18c coupled to the triangular coupling 65 side of the cleaning frame 11d by screws, and positioning pins 18d press-fitted so as to be fitted in a positioning portion 18b provided in the cleaning frame 11d. It is supported by.

  The drum shutter 12 can integrally cover the transfer opening 9a and the exposure opening 9b facing the transfer roller 4 of the photosensitive drum 7, and is rotatably provided on the cleaning frame 11d. The configuration of the drum shutter 12 will be described in detail below.

  The drum protection unit 12 a covers the transfer opening 9 a where the photosensitive drum 7 faces the transfer roller 4. The rotating shaft 12b is provided in the vicinity of the charging roller 8 of the cleaning frame 11d, and sliding portions 12b1 and 12b2 and sliding portions 12b1 and 12b2 provided at both ends so as to slide with the cleaning frame 11d. And a shaft portion 12b3 connecting the two. The connecting portion 12c is provided at two positions on the left and right sides so as to connect both ends of the drum protection portion 12a and the rotating shaft 12b on the outside of the rotating shaft 12b. The shutter spring 12d applies a biasing force to the drum shutter 12 in a direction covering the photosensitive drum 7 by a spring force. The rib 12e (see FIG. 5) is provided on the right connecting portion 12c outside the rotating shaft 12b and extends outward in the longitudinal direction of the drum shutter 12. The rib 12e is received by a shutter guide Gb9 (see FIG. 10) of a guide member Gb on the image forming apparatus main body A, which will be described later, and the posture in which the drum shutter 12 is opened is maintained.

  In the state in which the process cartridge B is taken out from the image forming apparatus main body A, the drum shutter 12 is moved by the spring force of the shutter spring 12d as shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. In the state where the image forming apparatus main body A is in the closed state so as to cover the image and the image forming operation is possible, it is rotated by the drum shutter opening / closing means on the image forming apparatus main body A side, and is shown in FIG. Such a transfer opening 9a is exposed so that the photosensitive drum 7 and the transfer roller 4 can come into contact with each other.

  6 and 7 are enlarged views of main parts in which both end portions of the cleaning frame 11d are enlarged. 6 (a) and 7 (a) are enlarged views of the left end of the cleaning frame 11d shown in FIG. 5, and FIGS. 6 (b) and 7 (b) show the cleaning frame shown in FIG. It is the figure which expanded the right of the body 11d. The cleaning frame 11d is provided with a pair of protrusion-shaped positioning portions 30 and 31 at the longitudinal end of the process cartridge, and has round holes 30a and 31a that are substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge and pass through. Oval holes 30b and 31b are provided that are substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the cartridge and pass through. Moreover, the positioning part 30 shown to Fig.6 (a) and Fig.7 (a) is provided with the positioning surface 30c in the inner side, and the positioning surface 30d in the outer side. Further, the positioning portion 31 shown in FIGS. 6B and 7B is provided with a positioning surface 31c on the inner side and a positioning surface 31d on the outer side.

  Next, a method for supplying the cleaning frame 11d to a predetermined position of the component mounting apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 shows a cleaning frame transport apparatus 74 that can position the cleaning frame 11d in the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge and can move three-dimensionally in this state.

  When the cleaning frame transport device 74 grips the cleaning frame 11d from the inside, the gripping portion 50 arranged at the tip of the cleaning frame transport device 74 moves in the X1 direction shown in FIG. 50a is inserted into the round hole 30a of the positioning part 30, and the rotation stop pin 50b is inserted into the elongated round hole 30b of the positioning part 30, respectively, and the positioning plane 50c and the positioning plane 30c abut against each other. At the same time, the gripping part 51 arranged at the tip of the cleaning frame transport device 74 moves in the X2 direction shown in FIG. 6B, and the positioning pin 51a is inserted into the round hole 31a of the positioning part 31 and the rotation stopping pin 51b. Are inserted into the oblong holes 31b of the positioning portion 31, respectively, and the positioning plane 51c and the positioning plane 31c abut against each other. In this way, the cleaning frame 11d is firmly fixed and positioned on the cleaning frame transport device 74.

  Further, the same positioning portions 30 and 31 can be used to perform positioning from the direction opposite to the positioning directions X1 and X2 by the grip portions 50 and 51 shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b). In this case, the grip portions 52 and 53 provided in the opposite direction to the grip portions 50 and 51 are disposed at the front end of the cleaning frame conveying apparatus. As shown in FIG. 7A, the gripping part 52 moves in the Y1 direction, the positioning pin 52a is inserted into the round hole 30a of the positioning part 30, and the rotation stop pin 52b is inserted into the oblong hole 30b of the positioning part 30. The positioning plane 52d and the positioning plane 30d abut against each other. At the same time, as shown in FIG. 7B, the gripping portion 53 moves in the Y2 direction, the positioning pin 53a moves into the round hole 31a of the positioning portion 31, and the rotation stop pin 53b moves into the elongated round hole 31b of the positioning portion 31. Each is inserted and the positioning plane 53d and the positioning plane 31d abut against each other. In this way, the cleaning frame 11d is firmly fixed and positioned on the cleaning frame transport device (not shown).

  In this way, the cleaning frame transport apparatus holds the cleaning frame 11d in a state where it is firmly fixed and positioned from the inside or the outside. Therefore, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 8, the cleaning frame 11d can be brought close to the free angle at three dimensions, and the cleaning frame 11d is transported to a predetermined position of the component assembling apparatus for assembling the first component. Can do.

  Note that the positioning portions 30 and 31 are members that are formed to position the cleaning frame 11d when the cleaning unit 11 is assembled, not members that are required as a process cartridge product to the cleaning frame 11d. Further, only a pair of positioning portions 30 and 31 are formed with respect to the cleaning frame 11d, and the round holes 30a and 31a and the long round holes 30b and 31b enable positioning in a section where all assembly operations are performed. This is because the positioning units 30 and 31 do not interfere with other parts and assembly jigs when assembling other parts, and when the process cartridge described later is attached to the image forming apparatus body, the image forming apparatus body. It is determined by taking into consideration that it is formed toward the front side of the mounting locus that does not interfere with the paper, and that it does not interfere with paper conveyance or laser irradiation when performing an image forming operation.

  For example, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the electrode 8c is attached to the cleaning frame 11d conveyed to a predetermined position of the first component assembly apparatus. In this case, the cleaning frame body transport device 74 transports the cleaning frame body 11d in a direction facing the mounting direction in the vicinity of the electrode 8c. Therefore, the component assembling jig 100 can assemble the electrode 8c to the cleaning frame 11d only by a simple operation in one direction Xa. Alternatively, the electrode 8c can be attached by operating the cleaning frame transport device 74 on the cleaning frame 11d side without operating the component mounting jig 100.

  Next, when the assembling operation of the parts to the cleaning frame 11d in the first part assembling apparatus is completed, the cleaning frame conveying apparatus 74 holds the cleaning frame 11d and releases the positioning without releasing the positioning. The cleaning frame 11d is conveyed to a predetermined position of the assembling apparatus. Therefore, the parts are again assembled to the cleaning frame 11d by the component assembling apparatus, and similarly, the cleaning frame 11d is successively transferred to the component assembling apparatus, and the respective parts are assembled and assembled to the cleaning unit 11.

  As described above, once the cleaning frame 11d is positioned by the cleaning frame transport device 74, the cleaning frame 11d is not positioned for each component assembling apparatus that assembles components to the cleaning frame 11d. Therefore, damage due to repeated positioning of the cleaning frame 11d is reduced, the number of times of positioning of the cleaning frame 11d is reduced, and the assembly process time is shortened.

(Development unit)
Next, the configuration of the developing unit 10 constituting a part of the process cartridge B shown in FIG. 2 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11 are assembled perspective views of the developing unit according to the present embodiment. In order to clarify the configuration of the developing unit 10, the components of the developing unit 10 are shown separately in FIGS. 10 and 11. In FIG. 11, each component shown in FIG. 10 has already been assembled. It consists of a state.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the developing unit 10 combines a developing frame 10f1 and a lid member 10f2 to form a toner chamber 10a and a developing chamber 10i. The developing device frame 10f1 includes a stirring shaft 10b1 for supplying toner and a sheet member 10b2 fixed to the stirring shaft 10b1. Further, the developing frame 10f1 is provided with a toner passage opening 10k through which the toner stored in the toner chamber 10a passes when supplied to the developing roller 10d. The conveyance gear 10b3 is coupled to the agitation shaft 10b1 together with a seal member 10b4 that regulates drive transmission and the longitudinal position of the agitation shaft 10b1 and prevents toner from leaking out of the developing device frame 10f1. The toner seal member 27 is heated and fixed to the seal attachment portion 10h along the edges of the four sides of the toner passage opening 10k. Further, a toner filling port (not shown) for filling the toner chamber 10a with toner is provided at one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the developing device frame 10f1, and is sealed with a cap member 10j after the toner filling.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 11, end seals 10r for preventing toner leakage at both ends of the developing roller 10d are attached to the developing frame 10f1. Further, a seal member 10s for preventing toner leakage at both ends of the developing blade 10e is attached to the developing frame 10f1 and the lid member 10f2 with a double-sided tape or the like. The developing blade 10e is fixed to the developing frame 10f1 by screws with a scraping member 10t that scrapes off the toner at the end of the developing roller 10d at both ends of the sheet metal portion 10e1. At this time, the rib 10f3 with a thin tip of the developing frame 10f1 is set to a size that is surely inserted into the developing blade rubber portion 10e2, and the developing blade rubber portion 10e2 and the developing frame 10f1 are sealed. . End members 80 and 90 arranged on both longitudinal sides of the developing unit 10 are a developing roller gear 10n fixed to the end of the developing roller 10d engaged with a drum gear (not shown) fixed to the end of the photosensitive drum 7. A gear train composed of two idler gears 10p and 10q for transmitting drive from the developing roller gear 10n to the conveying gear 10b3 of the toner feeding member 10b is covered. The toner seal end portion 27a of the toner seal member 27 is folded back at one end in the longitudinal direction of the toner passage opening 10k and pulled out through the hole 10f11 (see FIG. 10) of the developing device frame 10f1.

12 and 13 are enlarged views of main parts in which both end portions of the developing frame 10f1 are enlarged. FIGS. 12A and 13A are enlarged views of the left end of the developing frame 10f1 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, and FIGS. 12B and 13B are FIGS. 11 is an enlarged view of the right side of the developing frame 10f1 shown in FIG. The developing frame 10f1 is provided with a pair of protrusion-shaped positioning portions 32 and 33 at the end in the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge, round holes 32a and 33a that are substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge and pass through, and a process Oval holes 32b and 33b are provided that are substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the cartridge and pass through. Moreover, the positioning part 32 shown to Fig.12 (a) and Fig.13 (a) is provided with the positioning plane 32c inside, and the positioning plane 32d outside. 12B and 13B are provided with a positioning plane 33c on the inner side and a positioning plane 33d on the outer side.
Next, a method for supplying the developing frame 10f1 to a predetermined position of the component mounting apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 14 shows a developing frame carrier transporting device 75 that positions the developing frame 10f1 in the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge and can move three-dimensionally in this state.

  When the developing device frame transport device 75 grips the developing device frame body 10f1 from the inside, the grip portion 54 disposed at the tip of the developing device frame transport device 75 moves in the X3 direction shown in FIG. 54a is inserted into the round hole 32a of the positioning portion 32, and the rotation stop pin 54b is inserted into the elongated round hole 32b of the positioning portion 32, so that the positioning surface 54c and the positioning surface 32c abut against each other. At the same time, the grip portion 55 arranged at the tip of the developing device frame transport device 75 moves in the X4 direction shown in FIG. 12B, and the positioning pin 55a is inserted into the round hole 33a of the positioning portion 33, and the rotation stop pin 55b. Are inserted into the oblong holes 33b of the positioning portion 33, and the positioning plane 55c and the positioning plane 33c abut against each other. In this way, the developing frame 10f1 is firmly fixed and positioned on the developing frame conveying device 75.

  Further, by using the same positioning portions 32 and 34, positioning can be performed in a direction opposite to the positioning directions X3 and X4 by the grip portions 52 and 53 shown in FIGS. 13 (a) and 13 (b). In this case, the gripping portions 56 and 57 provided in the opposite direction to the gripping portions 54 and 55 are disposed at the tip of the developing device conveying apparatus. As shown in FIG. 13A, the gripping portion 56 moves in the Y3 direction, the positioning pin 56a is inserted into the round hole 32a of the positioning portion 32, and the rotation stopper pin 56b is inserted into the elongated round hole 32b of the positioning portion 32. The positioning surface 56d and the positioning surface 32d abut against each other. At the same time, as shown in FIG. 13B, the gripping part 57 moves in the Y4 direction, the positioning pin 57a moves to the round hole 33a of the positioning part 33, and the rotation stop pin 57b moves to the elongated round hole 33b of the positioning part 33. Each is inserted, and the positioning surface 57d and the positioning plane 33d abut against each other. Thus, the developing device frame 10f1 is firmly fixed and positioned on the developing device carrier (not shown).

  In this way, the developing device frame transport apparatus holds the developing device frame 10f1 in a state where it is firmly fixed and positioned from the inside or the outside, so that the developing device frame 10f1 can be freely moved three-dimensionally as indicated by an arrow in FIG. The developing frame 10f1 is transported to a predetermined position of the first component mounting apparatus.

  The positioning portions 32 and 33 are not members required as a process cartridge product to the cleaning frame 11d but members formed to position the cleaning frame 11d when the cleaning unit 11 is assembled. Further, only a pair of positioning portions 32 and 33 are formed with respect to the cleaning frame body 11d, and positioning is possible in the section where all assembly operations are performed by the round holes 32a and 33a and the elongated round holes 32b and 33b. The positioning units 32 and 33 do not interfere with other parts and the assembly jig when assembling other parts, and do not interfere with the image forming apparatus main body when a process cartridge described later is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body. It is determined by considering the formation toward the front side of the mounting locus and the fact that it does not interfere with paper conveyance or laser irradiation when performing an image forming operation.

  Next, when the end seal 10r is attached to the developing device frame 10f1 as shown in FIGS. 21A and 21B, the developing device frame conveying device 75 attaches the developing device frame 10f1 to a predetermined position of a component assembling device (not shown). The component attachment jig 101 is attached with the end seal 10r to the developing frame 10f1 only by a simple operation in one direction Xb. Alternatively, the end seal 10r can be assembled by operating the developing device frame conveying device 75 on the developing frame member 10f1 side without operating the component assembling jig 101.

  For example, as shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B, an end seal 10r is attached to the developing device frame 10f1 conveyed to a predetermined position of the first component assembling apparatus. In this case, the developing device frame conveying device 75 conveys the developing device frame 10f1 in a direction opposite to the attaching direction in the vicinity of the end seal 10r. Therefore, the component attaching jig 101 can attach the end seal 10r to the developing device frame 10f1 only by a simple operation in one direction Xb. Alternatively, the end seal 10r can be attached by operating the developing device frame transport device 75 on the developing device frame 10f1 side without operating the component assembling jig 101.

  Next, when the assembling operation of the parts to the developing device frame 10f1 in the first parts assembling device is completed, the developing device frame conveying device 75 holds the developing device frame 10f1 and releases the positioning without releasing the positioning. The developing device frame 10f1 is conveyed to a predetermined position of the apparatus. Then, the parts are again assembled to the developing frame 10f1 by the component mounting device, and similarly, the developing frame 10f1 is successively conveyed to the component mounting device, and the components are respectively mounted and assembled to the developing unit 10.

  As described above, once the development frame body 10f1 is positioned by the development frame body transport device 75, the development frame body 10f1 is not positioned for each component assembling apparatus that attaches the components to the development frame body 10f1. Therefore, damage due to repeated positioning of the developing device frame 10f1 is reduced, the number of times of positioning of the developing device frame 10f1 is reduced, and the assembly process time is shortened.

(Combination of development unit and cleaning unit)
Next, the assembly of the process cartridge B will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 16 is an assembled perspective view of the process cartridge according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 17 is an overall perspective view of the process cartridge according to the present embodiment. The process cartridge B is assembled by being combined with the developing unit 10 and the cleaning unit 11 described above.

  The two end members 10g arranged at both ends of the developing unit 10 include an arm portion 10g7 protruding toward the cleaning frame body 11d, and a longitudinal coupling hole 10g8 provided at the tip of the arm portion 10g7 and the cleaning frame body. The cleaning frame body 11d and the end members 80 and 90 can be rotatably coupled to each other by a pin 60 fitted in a coupling hole (not shown) provided in 11d. One of the end members 80 and 90 is compressed with a compression coil spring 10g9a whose inner diameter is fitted into the spring stopper between the cleaning frame 11d, and the other is a member between the cleaning frame 11d and the end member 10g. A tension spring 10g9b is hung between them. With this configuration, the spacer 10m provided on both sides of the developing roller 10d and the photosensitive drum 7 are pressed against each other, the developing roller 10d and the photosensitive drum 7 are held with a predetermined gap, and the process cartridge B is completed.

  When the user purchases and uses the process cartridge B, the user holds the toner seal end portion 27a shown in FIG. 17 and pulls it out, thereby opening the toner passage opening 10k of the developing frame 10f1 and removing the toner from the toner chamber 10a. The process cartridge B can be sent out to the developing chamber 10i, and the process cartridge B is ready to be inserted into the image forming apparatus main body A.

(Mounting the process cartridge to the image forming device)
Next, how the process cartridge B assembled as described above is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body A will be described with reference to FIGS. 18 is a schematic perspective view of a left guide provided in the main body of the image forming apparatus, FIG. 19 is a schematic perspective view of a right guide provided in the main body of the image forming apparatus, FIG. 20 is a left side view of the process cartridge, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a right side view of the cartridge.

  The bearing member 18c attached to the cleaning frame 11d of the process cartridge B serves as a mounting guide to the image forming apparatus main body A, and is a circular arc portion 18c1 (see FIG. 4), and a rotation stop portion 18c2 (FIG. 4), which is a second abutting portion having an arc shape for controlling the posture formed at the corner of the bearing member 18c and formed on the bottom surface of the cartridge frame. For example). The arc portion 18c1 is located outside the developing unit 10 in the drum axis direction of the developing unit 10, and is disposed so as to at least partially overlap the developing unit 10 on the cross section. Further, the rotation stopper 18c2 is located outside the developing unit 10 and is formed so as to overlap all the axial directions of the photosensitive drum 7 of the developing unit 10. Further, the rotation stopper 18c2 is disposed behind the arc portion 18c1 in the insertion direction. According to the present embodiment, the triangular coupling 65 that receives the driving force from the image forming apparatus main body A is disposed on the inner side in the drum axial direction than the bearing member 18c.

  As shown in FIG. 19, the image forming apparatus main body A guides the process cartridge B to the image forming position (mounting position) while sliding the two arc portions 18c1 and the rotation stop portion 18c2 described above. A guide member Ga as a main body guide is formed.

  On the other hand, the drum frame 102 on the side facing the bearing member 18c of the process cartridge B in the drum axis direction controls the positioning portion 18b for covering the positioning pin 18d, and controls the position of the process cartridge B at the time of attachment / detachment. A protrusion 11g is formed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 18, in the image forming apparatus main body A, the posture of the process cartridge B controlled on the bearing member 18c side is similarly maintained on the opposite side, and is not inclined with respect to the drum axis direction. A guide member Gb is provided as a second main body guide.

  Next, how the process cartridge B is attached to the image forming apparatus main body A will be described. First, an open / close door member (not shown) constituting the discharge portion 6 of the image forming apparatus main body A is opened, the guide members Ga and Gb are exposed, the arc portion 18c1 of the process cartridge is forward, and the rotation stop portion 18c2 is The arc part 18c1 and the rotation stopper part 18c2 of the process cartridge B are placed on the first guide surface Ga1 of which the front part of the guide member Ga is bent slightly so as to be rearward. Therefore, the positioning portion 18b and the protruding portion 11g of the process cartridge B are in contact with the first guide surface Gb1 of the other guide member Gb. In this state, the process cartridge B is pushed inward of the image forming apparatus main body A. When the process cartridge B is pushed in, the arc portion 18c1 and the rotation stop portion 18c2 of the process cartridge B are formed by a second guide surface Ga2 formed substantially perpendicular to the first guide surface Ga1 and the second guide surface Ga2. It is slid and guided to the mounting position defined by the third guide surface Ga3 formed substantially horizontally and the curved fourth guide surface Ga4 formed to be connected to the third guide surface Ga3.

  Thereby, in the process cartridge B, the arc portion 18c1 is in contact with the fourth guide surface Ga4 as the first main body receiving portion, and the rear curved surface portion of the rotation stopping portion 18c2 is in contact with the second guide surface Ga2. Thus, it is placed on the third guide surface Ga3. In this loaded state, the transfer roller 4 and the photosensitive drum 7 are brought into contact with each other, and a repulsive force is applied to the process cartridge B in the direction of the arrow in FIG. At this time, the third abutting portion 18c3 abuts on the fifth guide surface Ga5 located in the vicinity of the third guide surface Ga3 to prevent the process cartridge B from being displaced. The third contact portion 18c3 may be integrated with the rotation stop portion 18c2 that is the second contact portion, or may be separate.

  On the other hand, the positioning portion 18b and the protruding portion 11g on the opposite side of the process cartridge B have a plurality of second guide surfaces Gb2, third guide surfaces Gb3, fourth guide surfaces Gb4, etc. that are formed continuously with the first guide surface Gb1. It is slid and guided to the mounting position defined by the guide surface. Eventually, the positioning portion 18b is guided to the positioning position Gb5.

  As described above, the process cartridge B is mounted at the mounting position with respect to the image forming apparatus main body A. Next, when the door of the image forming apparatus main body A is closed, the triangular coupling 65 of the process cartridge B fits into the unillustrated torsional concave drive transmission member of the image forming apparatus main body A, and the image forming apparatus main body A. To the process cartridge B.

  As a result, the process cartridge B rotates about the axis of the photosensitive drum 7 about the rotation center axis. At this time, the third contact portion 18c3 of the bearing member 18c that has been in contact with the guide and the fifth guide surface Ga5 have a gap, and the anti-rotation portion 18c2 of the bearing member 18c described above is the defining surface of the guide member Ga. Is in contact with the third guide surface Ga3 and is positioned in the rotational direction.

  On the other hand, the positioning part 18b on the drum axis of the cleaning frame 11d on the opposite side in the drum axis direction fits in a U-shaped groove as a positioning part formed by the fourth guide surface Gb4 when the process cartridge B is mounted. Positioning is performed by a pressing spring (not shown) for suppressing the repulsive force of the roller 4 and the shake during driving. The other protrusion 11g of the cleaning frame 11d is set to a position and size that do not contact the image forming apparatus main body A within the range of parts and assembly accuracy.

  In the drum shutter 12, the rib 12e abuts on the first shutter guide surface Gb7 formed on the guide member Gb in the middle of the mounting manner described above, and the drum shutter starts rotating. Thereafter, the rib 12e abuts on and slides on the second shutter guide surface Gb8 according to the mounting state of the process cartridge B, and finally the drum shutter 12 is moved on the third guide surface Gb9 in FIGS. Hold in the state shown.

  The posture described above becomes the posture of the process cartridge B at the time of image formation, and image formation is started.

  Further, when the process cartridge B is extracted from the image forming apparatus main body A, the apparatus is moved from the mounting position along the guide members Ga and Gb of the corresponding image forming apparatus main body A by an operation reverse to the above-described mounting operation. At the same time, the drum shutter 12 is rotated and closed so as to cover the photosensitive drum 7 at the same time.

  When the process cartridge B is taken out from the mounting position, the protruding portion 11g comes into contact with the fifth guide surface Gb5 on the upper surface of the guide member Gb so that the front side in the take-out direction rotates upward by a predetermined amount or more. It works to regulate what you do.

  With the above-described configuration, the number of times the frame body is positioned in the assembly process of the cleaning unit and developing unit consisting of a plurality of parts is reduced, so that the process cartridge assembly time can be shortened, and damage to the frame body due to repeated positioning is reduced. Therefore, a high-quality image can be provided. In addition, it is possible to use a simple mechanism for attaching parts to the cleaning frame and the developing frame.

  Further, the process cartridge shown in the above-described embodiment is exemplified as a case where a single color image is formed. However, the process cartridge according to the present invention is provided with a plurality of developing means, and a plurality of color images (for example, two color images, three color images) Alternatively, it can be suitably applied to a cartridge that forms a full color or the like.

  Further, the electrophotographic photosensitive member is not limited to the photosensitive drum, and includes, for example, the following. First, a photoconductor is used as the photoreceptor, and examples of the photoconductor include amorphous silicon, amorphous selenium, zinc oxide, titanium oxide, and organic photoconductor (OPC).

  For example, a drum-like or belt-like shape is used for mounting the photoconductor. For example, in the case of a drum-type photoconductor, a photoconductor is deposited or coated on a cylinder made of aluminum alloy or the like. It is what I did.

  As the developing method, various developing methods such as a known two-component magnetic brush developing method, cascade developing method, touch-down developing method, and cloud developing method can be used.

  In addition, the so-called contact charging method is used in the above-described embodiment for the configuration of the charging means. However, as another configuration, a metal shield such as aluminum is provided around three sides of a tungsten wire conventionally used, and the tungsten wire Naturally, it is possible to use a configuration in which positive or negative ions generated by applying a high voltage to the surface of the photosensitive drum are moved to the surface of the photosensitive drum and the surface of the drum is uniformly charged.

  In addition to the roller type, the charging unit may be a blade (charging blade), a pad type, a block type, a rod type, a wire type, or the like.

  Further, as a method for cleaning the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum, the cleaning unit may be configured using a blade, a fur brush, a magnetic brush, or the like.

  The above-described process cartridge includes, for example, an electrophotographic photosensitive member and at least one process means. Therefore, as an aspect of the process cartridge, in addition to the embodiment described above, for example, the electrophotographic photosensitive member and the developing means are integrally formed into a cartridge so that it can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body. Further, there is an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a developing unit, and a charging unit or a cleaning unit that are combined into a single cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body.

  That is, the above-described process cartridge refers to a cartridge in which at least the developing means and the electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrally formed into a cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the main body of the image forming apparatus. The process cartridge can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body by the user. Therefore, maintenance of the apparatus main body can be performed by the user himself.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the laser beam printer is exemplified as the electrophotographic image forming apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an electrophotographic printer such as an electrophotographic copying machine or an LED printer, a facsimile machine, and the like. Of course, it can also be used for an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as an apparatus, a word processor, or a multifunction machine (multifunction printer or the like).

1 is a cross-sectional view of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus in Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the process cartridge according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is an assembly perspective view of the cleaning unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is an overall perspective view of the cleaning unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is an overall perspective view of the cleaning unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of a cleaning frame body according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of a cleaning frame body according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cleaning frame transport apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state of assembling components to a cleaning frame in Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is an assembly perspective view of the developing unit in Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is an assembly perspective view of the developing unit in Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of a developing device frame in Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of a developing device frame in Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the developing device frame conveyance device according to the first exemplary embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing how parts are assembled to a developing device frame in Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is an assembled perspective view of the process cartridge according to the first embodiment. 1 is an overall perspective view of a process cartridge according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a left guide of the image forming apparatus main body in Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a right guide of the image forming apparatus main body in Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a left side view of the process cartridge according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a right side view of the process cartridge according to the first embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

A Image forming apparatus main body B Process cartridge 1 Optical system 2 Recording medium 3 Conveying means 4 Transfer roller 5 Fixing means 6 Ejecting section 7 Photosensitive drum 8 Charging roller 9a Transfer opening 9b Exposure opening 10 Developing unit 10d Developing roller 10e Developing blade 10f1 Developing Frame 11 Cleaning blade 11d Cleaning frame 12 Drum shutter 30, 31, 32, 33 Positioning part 50a, 51a, 52a, 53a, 54a, 55a, 56a, 57a Positioning pin 30a, 31a, 32a, 33a Round hole 30b, 31b , 32b, 33b Oval hole 30c, 30d, 31c, 31d, 32c, 32d, 33c, 33d Positioning surface 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57 Grab part 50b, 51b, 52b, 53b, 54b 55b, 5 b, 57 b rotate stop pin 50c, 51c, 52d, 53d, 54c, 55c, 56d, 57d positioning surface 74 cleaning frame transporting device 75 developing frame conveying device

Claims (5)

  In a process cartridge that can be mounted on an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic method, the process cartridge has at least one frame, and the frame is placed at a predetermined position during a plurality of assembly operations. A pair of positioning portions for positioning and fixing is provided, and the positioning portion has a protrusion shape, and has at least one round hole and at least one shaft having an axis parallel to the axis of the round hole. A process cartridge having an oblong hole and at least two positioning planes.   2. The positioning portion according to claim 1, wherein the positioning portions are provided at both ends of the process cartridge in the longitudinal direction, and the axial direction of the round hole and the oblong hole is substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge. Process cartridge.   2. The process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the positioning portion is formed toward the front side of the mounting locus of the image forming apparatus when the process cartridge is mounted on the image forming apparatus.   The process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the frame is a cleaning frame.   2. The process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the frame is a developing frame.

Images