JP2008170960A - Process cartridge and electrophotographic image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a process cartridge which can be inserted in an image forming apparatus main body with one hand and to/from which a protecting cover is easily attached/detached with one hand, and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus to/from which the process cartridge is attached/detached. <P>SOLUTION: A positioned portion 70b positioned in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body 100A and an engaged portion 70c to be held therein are provided at the leading end in an insertion direction of the protecting cover 70 mountable in a longitudinal direction attached to the process cartridge 7. Guide portions 70f and 70g guiding the process cartridge 7 to the attaching position in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body 100A are provided on the protecting cover 70. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a process cartridge and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus that mounts a process cartridge and forms an image.

  Here, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus forms an image on a recording medium using an electrophotographic image forming system. Examples of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus include an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (for example, a laser beam printer, an LED printer, etc.), a facsimile apparatus, a word processor, and the like.

  Further, the process cartridge is a cartridge in which a charging unit, a developing unit or a cleaning unit as a process unit and a photosensitive drum are integrally formed, and the cartridge can be attached to and detached from the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus. is there. The process cartridge is a cartridge in which at least one of a charging unit, a developing unit, and a cleaning unit and a photosensitive drum are integrally formed so as to be detachable from the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus. Further, the process cartridge refers to a cartridge in which at least the developing means and the photosensitive drum are integrally formed so as to be detachable from the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, a process cartridge system has been adopted in which a photosensitive drum and process means acting on the photosensitive drum are integrally formed into a cartridge, and this cartridge can be attached to and detached from the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus. ing. According to this process cartridge system, the maintenance of the apparatus can be performed by the user himself / herself without depending on the service person, so that the operability can be remarkably improved. Therefore, this process cartridge system is widely used in electrophotographic image forming apparatuses.

  In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, light corresponding to image information such as a laser, an LED, or a lamp is irradiated onto a photosensitive drum. As a result, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum. The electrostatic latent image is developed by a developing device. Further, the developed image formed on the photosensitive drum is transferred to a recording medium. Thereby, an image is formed on the recording medium.

  In the above-described process, the process cartridge needs to expose a position where the photosensitive drum faces the recording medium when the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body is mounted and a portion facing the main body side process means acting on the photosensitive drum.

  Therefore, a protective cover that can be attached to and detached from the process cartridge is provided so as not to damage the surface of the photosensitive drum when the process cartridge is inserted or distributed. When the process cartridge is used, it is attached to the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body with its protective cover removed.

As a process cartridge insertion method using a protective cover, for example, there is a method described in Patent Document 1. In this method, a protective cover that is removable in the longitudinal direction is provided, and the process cartridge is positioned in a state where the convex portion provided at the lower end of the protective cover in the insertion direction is fitted into the concave portion of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body and positioned. It is a method of guiding and wearing.
Japanese Patent No. 3535604

  The present invention is a further development of the above configuration.

  In the conventional configuration, the positioning is performed only by fitting the convex portion provided on the protective cover into the concave portion of the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus. Therefore, when the process cartridge is mounted on the apparatus main body, it is necessary to hold the protective cover with one hand so that the protective cover does not move, and push the process cartridge with the other hand to insert it.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a process cartridge and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus in which the process cartridge can be easily mounted without having to hold the protective cover when the process cartridge is mounted on the apparatus main body.

  Another object of the present invention is to easily align the position of the process cartridge with respect to the apparatus main body when the process cartridge is mounted on the apparatus main body, and to insert the process cartridge smoothly. A forming apparatus is provided.

The above object is achieved by a process cartridge and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to the present invention. In summary, according to the first aspect of the present invention,
In a process cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body,
A photosensitive drum;
A photosensitive unit on which the photosensitive drum is rotatably mounted;
A protective cover which can be attached to the apparatus main body and protects the photosensitive drum exposed from the photosensitive unit, and guides the process cartridge into the apparatus main body along the longitudinal direction of the photosensitive drum. A guide portion and a positioned portion provided at a distal end in an insertion direction for inserting the process cartridge into the apparatus main body, and abuts against a positioning portion provided in the apparatus main body, and the protective cover is attached to the apparatus main body. Are positioned in a direction crossing the longitudinal direction, and are engaged portions provided at the distal end in the insertion direction, and engaged with an engaging portion provided in the apparatus main body. A protective cover having an engaged portion for restricting the protective cover from being removed from the apparatus main body to the upstream side in the insertion direction;
A process cartridge is provided.

According to a second aspect of the invention,
In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium,
(I) a positioning portion;
(Ii) an engaging portion;
(Iii) a photosensitive drum;
A photosensitive unit on which the photosensitive drum is rotatably mounted;
A protective cover that protects the photosensitive drum exposed from the photosensitive unit and can be attached to the apparatus main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, wherein a process cartridge is disposed along the longitudinal direction of the photosensitive drum. A guide portion for guiding the inside of the apparatus, and a positioned portion provided at a distal end in the insertion direction for inserting the process cartridge into the apparatus main body, and abuts on the positioning section provided in the apparatus main body to A positioned portion for positioning the cover with respect to the apparatus main body in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction; and an engaged portion provided at a distal end in the insertion direction; A protective cover having an engaged portion for restricting movement of the protective cover to the upstream side in the insertion direction with respect to the apparatus main body;
Mounting means for detachably mounting the process cartridge having:
(Iv) conveying means for conveying the recording medium;
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus is provided.

  According to the present invention, since the protective cover is attached without being detached from the image forming apparatus main body, the process cartridge can be easily mounted without having to hold the protective cover when the process cartridge is mounted on the apparatus main body. Therefore, user operability and insertability can be improved.

  Furthermore, when the process cartridge is mounted on the apparatus main body, the position of the process cartridge with respect to the apparatus main body can be easily adjusted and can be smoothly inserted. Therefore, user operability and insertability can be improved.

  Hereinafter, a process cartridge and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

Example 1
An embodiment of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus is a color electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

(Overall configuration of electrophotographic image forming apparatus)
First, the overall configuration of the color electrophotographic image forming apparatus of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  A color electrophotographic image forming apparatus (hereinafter referred to as “image forming apparatus”) 100 shown in FIG. 1 has four process cartridges (hereinafter referred to as cartridges) 7 (7a) that are arranged in parallel with an inclination with respect to the horizontal direction. 7b, 7c, 7d). The cartridge 7 is detachably attached to the attachment opening 82b (see FIG. 3).

  The cartridge 7 includes a drum-shaped electrophotographic photosensitive member (hereinafter referred to as “photosensitive drum”) 1 (1a to 1d) as an image carrier on the top. The photosensitive drum 1 is driven to rotate clockwise in the figure by a driving member (not shown). Around the photosensitive drum 1, the following components are arranged in order according to the rotation direction.

  That is, the cleaning member 6 (6a to 6d) for removing the developer remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 after the transfer, the charging roller 2 (2a to 2d) for uniformly charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 1, and the image information Based on the above, a scanner unit 3 for irradiating a laser beam to form an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 1 is disposed.

  Further, an electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 1 is developed around the photosensitive drum 1 using a developer (hereinafter referred to as “toner”), and a developed image (hereinafter referred to as “toner”). The developing unit 4 (4a to 4d) is referred to as an “image”.

  A transfer unit 5 is disposed around the photosensitive drum 1. The transfer unit 5 may have either a configuration using an intermediate transfer belt or a configuration using a paper transport belt. In this embodiment, a case where an intermediate transfer belt is used will be described. That is, in this embodiment, the transfer unit 5 is an intermediate transfer unit 5 that collectively transfers toner images of four colors on the photosensitive drum 1. The intermediate transfer unit 5 includes an intermediate transfer belt 9 that is stretched around rollers 56, 57, and 59 and rotates in the direction of arrow A.

  Here, the photosensitive drum 1, the cleaning member 6, the charging roller 2, and the developing unit 4 are integrally formed into a cartridge to constitute a cartridge 7.

  A primary transfer roller 51 (51a to 51d) is provided at a position facing the photosensitive drum 1 with the intermediate transfer belt 9 therebetween.

  Further, on the right side in FIG. 1, the intermediate transfer belt 9 is opposed to and in contact with the secondary transfer roller 52.

  Under the image forming apparatus main body (hereinafter referred to as “apparatus main body”) 100A, a paper feed cassette 17a for storing a recording medium S as a transfer material, and a paper feed roller 54 for feeding the recording medium S are provided. A feeding device 17 having a pair of conveying rollers 76 for conveying the recording medium S is provided.

(Process cartridge)
Next, the cartridge 7 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a main cross section of the cartridge 7 containing a developer, that is, toner.

  The cartridge 7a containing yellow toner, the cartridge 7b containing magenta toner, the cartridge 7c containing cyan toner, and the cartridge 7d containing black toner have the same configuration. Therefore, in the following description, the cartridges 7a, 7b, 7c, and 7d will be collectively referred to as the cartridge 7. Similarly, each cartridge constituent member will be described generically.

  The cartridge 7 includes a photosensitive unit 26 as a first frame including the photosensitive drum 1, the charging roller 2, and the cleaning member 6, and a developing unit 4 as a second frame having a developing member such as the developing roller 25. I know.

  The photosensitive drum 1 is rotatably attached to the cleaning frame 27 of the photosensitive unit 26 via a bearing (not shown). As described above, the charging roller 2 and the cleaning member 6 are disposed on the periphery of the photosensitive drum 1. The residual toner removed from the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 by the cleaning member 6 falls into the removed toner chamber 27a. Then, by transmitting a driving force of a driving motor (not shown) to the photosensitive unit 26, the photosensitive drum 1 is rotationally driven according to an image forming operation. A charging roller bearing 28 is attached to the cleaning frame 27 so as to be movable in the direction of arrow D passing through the center of the charging roller 2 and the center of the photosensitive drum 1. The shaft 2j of the charging roller 2 is rotatably attached to the charging roller bearing 28. The charging roller bearing 28 is in a state of being pressed toward the photosensitive drum 1 by the charging roller pressing member 46.

The developing unit 4 includes a developing roller 25 and a developing frame 31 that rotate in the direction of arrow B in contact with the photosensitive drum 1. The developing roller 25 is rotatably supported by the developing frame 31 via bearing members (not shown) attached to both sides of the developing frame 31. Further, on the circumference of the developing roller 25, a toner supply roller 34 that contacts the developing roller 25 and rotates in the direction of arrow C and a developing blade 35 for regulating the toner layer on the developing roller 25 are respectively disposed. . Further, the toner container 31 a of the developing frame 31 is provided with a toner transport member 36 for stirring the stored toner and transporting the toner to the toner supply roller 34.

  The developing unit 4 is rotatably coupled to the photoreceptor unit 26 around shafts 37R and 37L that are provided in the bearing members 32R and 32L and fit into the holes 32Rb and 32Lb. When the image is formed on the cartridge 7, the developing unit 4 is biased by the pressure spring 38, and thus rotates around the shafts 37 </ b> R and 37 </ b> L so that the developing roller 25 is in contact with the photosensitive drum 1.

(Image forming operation)
Referring to FIG. 1, the image forming operation is as follows.

  First, the photosensitive drum 1 of each cartridge 7 is rotated in accordance with the timing of image formation by a drive transmission unit provided in the image forming apparatus main body 100A. Then, the scanner unit 3 corresponding to each cartridge 7 is driven.

  Then, as the photosensitive drum 1 rotates, the charging roller 2 also rotates. At that time, a charging bias is applied to the charging roller 2. As a result, a uniform charge is applied to the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1.

  The scanner unit 3 irradiates the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 with a laser beam L according to image information. As a result, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1.

  A developing roller 25 rotatably supported by the developing unit 4 develops the electrostatic latent image using toner and forms a toner image on the photosensitive drum 1.

  The toner images are sequentially transferred from the photosensitive drum 1 (1a to 1d) onto the intermediate transfer belt 9 by applying a positive bias to the primary transfer roller 51 (51a to 51d). A color toner image is formed by superimposing four color toner images thereon. This toner image is conveyed to the secondary transfer roller 52 by the intermediate transfer belt 9.

  The recording medium S as a transfer material is fed to the transport roller 76 by the paper feed roller 54 of the feeding device 17 and then transported by the registration roller pair 55, and the intermediate transfer belt 9 and the secondary transfer roller 52 are further connected. It passes through the abutting part that abuts. By applying a positive bias to the secondary transfer roller 52 at the abutting portion, toner images are transferred from the intermediate transfer belt 9 to the recording medium S all at once.

  Thereafter, the recording medium S is conveyed to the fixing unit 106. Then, the developer image is thermally fixed to the recording medium S in the fixing unit 106. Thereafter, the recording medium S is discharged from the discharge unit 107 to the outside of the image forming apparatus 100.

(Installation structure of the process cartridge to the image forming apparatus main body)
Next, with reference to FIGS. 3 to 8, a mounting configuration for mounting the cartridge 7, which is a characteristic part of the present invention, to the image forming apparatus main body 100 </ b> A will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state before the cartridge 7 is mounted on the apparatus main body 100A.

  In FIG. 3, the cartridge 7 is provided with a protective cover 70 provided at an upper portion for protecting the photosensitive drum 1 exposed from the photosensitive unit 26. As will be described in detail later, the protective cover 70 can be removed from the photosensitive unit 26 in the longitudinal direction of the photosensitive drum 1, that is, in the rotational axis direction (longitudinal direction) of the photosensitive drum 1. The protective cover 70 is provided with a handle 70p that can be gripped while being attached to the cartridge 7.

  Further, the image forming apparatus main body 100A is provided with a front cover 101 that can be opened and closed in the direction F in the drawing, and a front plate 82 having a mounting opening 82b that is an insertion port for the cartridge 7.

  Then, the front end portion 7e in the insertion direction of the process cartridge 7 is directed toward the mounting opening 82b of the main body front side plate 82 of the image forming apparatus main body 100A, in the longitudinal direction (E direction in the figure), that is, in the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 1. Insert and install.

  The front side plate 82 is provided with a positioning portion 86, which is a U-shaped convex portion (a shape obtained by inverting the substantially U shape), above the mounting opening 82b. As shown in FIG. 6, the positioning portion 86 is formed by an inner member 86a and an outer member 86b having a U-shape (a shape obtained by inverting the substantially U-shape), and between the inner member 86a and the outer member 86b. A U-shaped groove portion 86c (a shape obtained by inverting the substantially U-shape) is formed. As shown in FIG. 5, which will be described later, the groove 86c has a U-shaped (substantially U-shaped inverted shape) formed at the distal end in the insertion direction of the protective cover 70, and is positioned. Part 70b is inserted. In order to facilitate the insertion of the distal end portion 70a, inclined surfaces 86a1 and 86b1 are formed by chamfering at the entrance portions of the groove portion 86c of the inner member 86a and the outer member 86b forming the groove portion 86c.

  Next, FIGS. 4 and 7 show a state immediately before the cartridge 7 is inserted into the apparatus main body 100A.

  In FIG. 4, the protective cover 70 attached to the cartridge 7 is positioned by a positioning portion 86 having a front end portion 70a provided on the front plate 82 of the apparatus main body 100A.

  That is, in the present embodiment, a tip end portion 70 a having a predetermined width (w) is formed in the longitudinal direction of the protection cover 70 at the tip end portion of the protection cover 70 in the insertion direction, as shown in FIG. As described above, the distal end portion 70a can be inserted into the groove portion 86c of the positioning portion 86 provided on the front side plate 82.

  More specifically, referring to FIG. 5, the tip portion 70a of the protective cover 70 is formed with a positioned portion 70b at the tip portion. In this embodiment, the positioned portion 70b of the protective cover 70 is inserted into the groove portion 86c of the positioning portion 86 provided on the front plate 82 of the apparatus main body 100A shown in FIG. As a result, regulation (positioning) of the protective cover 70 in the vertical and horizontal directions (direction intersecting the rotational axis direction of the photosensitive drum 1) is performed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the protective cover 70 is provided with an engaged portion (claw shape) 70c in the upper horizontal portion of the positioned portion 70b of the tip end portion 70a.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a contact portion for abutting an end surface 70 d that is a contacted portion of the positioned portion 70 b of the protective cover 70 is provided on the back side (bottom) of the groove portion 86 c of the positioning portion 86. A certain back side surface 86g is provided.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a portion corresponding to the engaged portion (claw shape) 70 c formed on the distal end portion 70 a of the protective cover 70 on the back side of the groove portion 86 c of the positioning portion 86 is engaged. A joint portion (groove portion) 86d is formed.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the engaged portion 70c has a chamfering process formed especially on the inner peripheral portion of the outer member 86b when the tip portion 70a is inserted into the groove portion 86c of the positioning portion 86 of the front side plate 82. The surface (slope portion) 86b1 is pressed and bent downward, and enters the engaging portion (groove portion) 86d. When the engaged portion 70c is inserted into the engaging portion 86d, the bending of the engaged portion 70c is eliminated. As a result, the claw portion 70k of the engaging portion 70c is locked to the engaging portion side surface 86k of the engaging portion (groove portion) 86d provided in the positioning portion 86. As a result, the engaged portion 70c is engaged with the engaging portion 86d, and the protective cover 70 is prevented from coming off upstream in the insertion direction.

  Then, the front side (upstream side) of the protective cover 70 in the insertion direction is the lower side 70e in the insertion direction of the protective cover 70 with the lower region 70e of the end surface 70d of the positioned portion 70b as a fulcrum due to the weight of the cartridge 7 and the protective cover 70 itself. Tilt in the direction. At that time, an abutting portion (slope portion of the claw portion) 70h provided on the engaged portion 70c of the protective cover 70 abuts on the engaging portion side surface 86k of the engaging portion 86c.

  Therefore, the claw portion 70k is engaged with the engaging portion 86c, and the engaging portion 70c is prevented from coming off. Accordingly, the protective cover 70 is held by the apparatus main body 100A and does not fall from the apparatus main body 100A.

  FIG. 8 shows a state in which the cartridge 7 is inserted into the apparatus main body 100A.

  In FIG. 8, the cartridge 7 positions the protective cover 70 on the front side plate 82 of the apparatus main body 100A and holds it, and is pushed in the longitudinal direction (E direction in the figure), so that the inside of the apparatus main body 100A. Is inserted into.

  At this time, the protective cover 70 is provided with a side plate 70 m as a restricting portion on the front side (upstream side) of the cartridge 7 in the insertion direction, and restricts the end surface of the cartridge 7. Therefore, when the protective cover 70 is positioned on the apparatus main body 100A, the cartridge 7 is prevented from sliding to the near side.

  Accordingly, it is possible to push the cartridge 7 only to the back side, and the cartridge 7 is detached from the protective cover 70 when inserted into the apparatus main body 100A.

(Attachment structure of the protective cover to the process cartridge)
Next, the attachment (locking) state of the protective cover 70 to the cartridge 7 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, in the cartridge 7, the photosensitive drum 1 is rotatably attached to the cleaning frame 27 constituting the photosensitive unit 26 as described above. The photosensitive unit 26, that is, the cleaning frame 27 is provided with guided portions 7 f and 7 g located on both sides of the photosensitive drum 1.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the guided portions 7f (7f1, 7f2) are provided at both longitudinal ends of the cartridge 7, and the guided portion 7g is provided over the entire length.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11, the protective cover 70 has a substantially U-shaped cross section (a shape in which a substantially U shape is turned upside down) so as to cover the photosensitive drum 1, and extends in the longitudinal direction of the cartridge 7. The shape is made. On one end side in the short direction of the protective cover 70, a guide portion 70g continuous in the longitudinal direction is formed over the entire area. On the other side in the short direction, guide portions 70f (70f1, 70f2) are provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction.

  The guide portions 70f of the protective cover 70 are hung on the guided portions 7f provided in the photosensitive unit 26 at both longitudinal ends. A guided portion 70g is hung on the guided portion 7g provided in the photosensitive unit 26 over the entire length. Therefore, the cartridge 7 can slide in the longitudinal direction with respect to the protective cover 70. Therefore, when the protective cover 70 is positioned on the main body front side plate 82, the guide portions 70 f and 70 g of the protective cover 70 serve as guides for the cartridge 70. With this configuration, the cartridge 7 is guided into the apparatus main body 100 </ b> A along the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 1. At that time, the end face 70d (see FIG. 5) of the positioned portion 70b of the protective cover 70 abuts the back side surface 86g (see FIG. 6) of the positioning portion 86, and movement in the insertion direction is restricted.

  That is, the cartridge guide portions 7f and 7g of the cartridge 7 are guided in the mounting direction (the direction of arrow E) by the guide portions 70f and 70g of the protective cover 70. As a result, the cartridge guide portions 7h and 7j (FIG. 10) of the cartridge 7 are guided to the body guides (groove portions) 100a and 100b which are mounting means of the apparatus body 100A shown in FIG. Thereby, the cartridge 7 is mounted on the apparatus main body 100A.

  Further, as described above, after the protective cover 70 and the cartridge 7 are integrally positioned on the apparatus main body 100A, the protective cover 70 is engaged with and held by the apparatus main body 100A. As described above, in this embodiment, the protective cover 70 is prevented from dropping (disengaging) from the image forming apparatus main body 100A even when and after the cartridge 7 is inserted.

  As described above, the protective cover 70 is integrally provided with the handle 70p that enables the cartridge 7 to be gripped integrally and the tip portion 70a that includes the positioned portion 70b that is positioned when the cartridge 7 is mounted. Accordingly, the cartridge 7 can be gripped and inserted and positioned with the same component.

  Therefore, it is difficult to be affected by the backlash and the like between the protective cover 70 and the cartridge 7, so that the operability and mounting performance of the process cartridge 7 can be improved.

  The protective cover 70 is held when the engaged portion 70c of the distal end portion 70a is engaged with the engaging portion 86d of the apparatus main body 100A, so that the protective cover 70 does not fall (detach) from the apparatus main body 100A. It is set as the structure which prevents. Therefore, the cartridge can be easily inserted into the apparatus main body 100A.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13, the handle 70p of the protective cover 70 attached to the cartridge 7 can be held with one hand, and the protective cover 70 and the cartridge 7 can be positioned integrally. After that, as shown in FIG. 14, the user can hold and insert the process cartridge 7 with one hand without holding (holding) the protective cover 70. Therefore, the mounting property of the cartridge 7 can be improved.

  Further, since the protective cover 70 is positioned and held on the apparatus main body 100A, and further includes guide portions 70f and 70g for mounting the cartridge 7, the protective cover 70 is held at an accurate position with respect to the apparatus main body 100A. Is done. Therefore, the cartridge 7 can be smoothly mounted on the apparatus main body 100A.

  In this embodiment, the photosensitive drum 1 is located above the cartridge 7 and a protective cover 70 is attached thereon. Therefore, the cartridge 7 can be inserted by positioning while positioning the positioned portion 70b of the protective cover 70 from above. That is, since it is easy to grasp the positioning position with respect to the main body front side plate 82, the mountability of the cartridge 7 can be improved.

Example 2
Next, another embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus is the same as that of the image forming apparatus described in the first embodiment, and therefore, the description of the first embodiment is used and the description thereof is omitted.

  In the following description, the structure of the characteristic part of the present invention different from the first embodiment will be described. Also in this case, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, detailed description thereof is omitted, and the description of the first embodiment is cited.

  Next, a different part from Example 1 is demonstrated.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the photosensitive drum 1 is disposed downward with respect to a process cartridge (hereinafter referred to as “cartridge”) 7. Further, the protective cover 71 is disposed further below the photosensitive drum 1.

  The image forming apparatus main body (hereinafter referred to as “apparatus main body”) 100A includes a front cover 102 that can be opened and closed in the G direction and a mounting opening 82b that is an insertion port for the cartridge 7, as shown in FIG. A front plate 82 is provided.

  Similarly to the first embodiment, the protective cover 71 is positioned by the positioning portion 87 of the front side plate 82 provided in the apparatus main body 100A. At this time, the positioned portion 71b provided at the front end portion 71a of the protective cover 71 shown in FIG. 17 is replaced with a U-shaped (substantially U-shaped) positioning portion 87 provided on the front side plate 82 shown in FIG. It is inserted into a groove portion 87c having a letter shape (substantially U shape). As a result, the protection cover 71 is regulated (positioned) in the vertical and horizontal directions (directions intersecting the rotational axis direction of the photosensitive drum 1).

  Further, as shown in FIG. 17, the protective cover 71 is provided with engaged portions (claw shapes) 71c at both upper end portions of the positioned portion 71b of the distal end portion 71a. Further, the protective cover 71 is provided with an end surface 71d and a lower portion 71e of the positioned portion 71b.

  As shown in FIG. 18, an engaging portion (groove portion) 87d for engaging a protective cover 71 described later is provided on the downstream side in the insertion direction of the cartridge 7 above the positioning portion 87. A back side 87g that is a contact portion for abutting the end surface 71d that is a contacted portion of the protective cover 71 is provided on the back side (bottom) of the positioning portion 87.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 19, the engaged portion 71c of the protective cover 71 is pressed by the inclined surface portion 87d1 when being inserted into the positioning portion 87, bent downward, and enters the engaging portion (groove portion) 87d. And the to-be-engaged part 71c is canceled, and the nail | claw part 71k of the engaging part 71c hooks on the one end surface 87k of the engaging part (groove part) 87d. Thereby, the engaged portion 71c is engaged with the engaging portion 87d.

  Then, due to the weight of the cartridge 7 and the protective cover 71 itself, the front side (upstream side) of the protective cover 71 in the insertion direction is inclined downward with the lower portion 71e of the positioned portion 71b as a fulcrum. At that time, the abutting portion (slope portion of the claw portion) 71h provided in the engaged portion 71c of the protective cover 71 abuts on the engaging portion side surface 87k of the engaging portion 87d.

  Therefore, in order to prevent the claw portion 71k from engaging with the engaging portion 87d and detaching the engaging portion 71c, the protective cover 71 is held so as not to fall off (do not come off) from the apparatus main body 100A.

  As in the first embodiment, the cartridge 7 is inserted in the direction of arrow E shown in FIG. 16, so that the guide portion of the protective cover 71 is guided to the main body guide portion of the apparatus main body 100A. It is mounted in the apparatus main body 100A. At that time, the end surface 71d (see FIG. 17) of the positioned portion 71b of the protective cover 71 abuts the back side surface 87g (see FIG. 18) of the positioning portion 87, and movement in the insertion direction is restricted.

  As described above, the protective cover 71 is positioned and held on the apparatus main body 100A, and the cartridge 7 is inserted. Therefore, when the cartridge 7 is inserted, there is no need to provide a cradle for the image forming apparatus for placing and positioning the protective cover 71. Therefore, the image forming apparatus main body 100A can be reduced in size.

  Further, since the protective cover 71 is held, it is convenient even when the front door 102 of the apparatus main body 100A is configured to open in the lateral direction as shown in FIG. That is, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, the cartridge 7 can be inserted without gripping the protective cover 71, and in this case, the protective cover 71 can be prevented from falling from the apparatus main body 100A. .

  Therefore, since the cartridge 7 can be held and inserted with one hand, the mountability of the cartridge 7 can be improved.

  Further, since the guide of the protective cover 71 guides the cartridge 7 to a cartridge guide (not shown) which is a mounting means of the apparatus main body 100A, it can be mounted smoothly. Therefore, the mountability of the cartridge 7 can be improved.

  In this embodiment, the description has been made with the configuration in which the claw shape is provided in the protective cover and the groove shape is provided in the image forming apparatus main body. However, the same effect can be obtained even if the relationship is reversed.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a color electrophotographic image forming apparatus which is a first embodiment of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to the present invention. It is sectional drawing of a process cartridge. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state before the process cartridge is inserted into the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state immediately before the process cartridge is inserted into the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body. It is a detailed perspective view which shows the to-be-positioned part and to-be-engaged part of a protective cover. It is a detailed perspective view showing a positioning part of a front side plate of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body. It is a perspective sectional view showing the state where the engaged part of the protective cover was engaged with the engaging part of the front side plate. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a process cartridge is inserted into an electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body. It is a side view of a process cartridge and a protective cover. It is a perspective view which shows the to-be-guided part of a process cartridge. It is a perspective view which shows the guide part of a protective cover. It is a perspective view which shows the guide structure of a process cartridge and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, and shows the state where the protective cover was removed. It is a perspective view which shows operation before insertion of a process cartridge. It is a perspective view which shows insertion operation of a process cartridge. It is a whole block diagram of the color electrophotographic image forming apparatus which is the 2nd Example of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the insertion state of the process cartridge in a 2nd Example. It is a detailed perspective view which shows the to-be-positioned part and to-be-engaged part of a protective cover in a 2nd Example. It is a detailed perspective view of the front side plate of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body in the second embodiment. It is a perspective sectional view showing the form in which the to-be-engaged part of the protection cover was engaged with the front side board in the 2nd example.

Explanation of symbols

1 (1a to 1d) Electrophotographic photosensitive drum 2 (2a to 2d) Charging roller 3 Scanner unit 4 (4a to 4d) Development unit (second frame)
5 Intermediate transfer unit 5a Intermediate transfer belt 6 (6a to 6d) Cleaning member 7 (7a to 7d) Process cartridge 25 (25a to 25d) Developing roller 26 (26a to 26d) Photosensitive unit (first frame)
27 Cleaning frame body 27a Removal toner chamber 31 Developing frame body 70, 71 Protective cover 70a, 71a Tip engagement portion 70b, 71b Positioned portion 70c, 71c Engagement portion (claw shape)
70d, 71d End face 70e, 71e Lower part 70f, 70g Guide part 70h, 71h Contact part (slope part of claw part)
70k, 71k Claw 70m Side plate (Regulator)
70p Handle 82 Front side plate 82b Mounting opening 86, 87 Positioning portion 86a, 87a Inner member 86a1, 87a1 Slope portion 86b, 87b Outer member 86b1, 87b1 Slope portion 86c, 87c Groove portion 86d, 87d Engagement portion (groove portion)
86g, 87g Back side face 86k, 87k Side face of engaging part 87d1 Slope part 100 Image forming apparatus 100A Image forming apparatus main body 100a, 100b Main body guide 101, 102 Front cover

Claims (13)

In a process cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body,
A photosensitive drum;
A photosensitive unit on which the photosensitive drum is rotatably mounted;
A protective cover which can be attached to the apparatus main body and protects the photosensitive drum exposed from the photosensitive unit, and guides the process cartridge into the apparatus main body along the longitudinal direction of the photosensitive drum. A guide portion and a positioned portion provided at a distal end in an insertion direction for inserting the process cartridge into the apparatus main body, and abuts against a positioning portion provided in the apparatus main body, and the protective cover is attached to the apparatus main body. Are positioned in a direction crossing the longitudinal direction, and are engaged portions provided at the distal end in the insertion direction, and engaged with an engaging portion provided in the apparatus main body. A protective cover having an engaged portion for restricting the protective cover from being removed from the apparatus main body to the upstream side in the insertion direction;
A process cartridge comprising:   The said protective cover has a to-be-contacted part which contact | abuts the contact part provided in the said apparatus main body, and controls that the said protective cover moves to the said insertion direction. Process cartridge.   3. The process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the protective cover is provided above the process cartridge so as to protect the photosensitive drum exposed from the photosensitive unit.   The process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the protective cover is provided below the process cartridge so as to protect the photosensitive drum exposed from the photosensitive unit.   The process cartridge according to claim 3, wherein the protective cover has a handle that can be gripped in a state in which the process cartridge is engaged with the guide portion.   The protective cover is a restricting portion provided on the upstream side in the insertion direction, and restricts the process cartridge from moving upstream in the insertion direction when the protective cover is attached to the apparatus main body. The process cartridge according to claim 1, further comprising a restricting portion.   When the protective cover is attached to the apparatus main body, the engaged portion comes into contact with the positioning portion and bends, and when the protective cover is positioned on the positioning portion, the deflection is eliminated and the engagement is performed. The process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the process cartridge is engaged with a portion. In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium,
(I) a positioning part;
(Ii) an engaging portion;
(Iii) a photosensitive drum;
A photosensitive unit on which the photosensitive drum is rotatably mounted;
A protective cover that protects the photosensitive drum exposed from the photosensitive unit and can be attached to the apparatus main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, wherein a process cartridge is disposed along the longitudinal direction of the photosensitive drum. A guide portion for guiding the inside of the apparatus, and a positioned portion provided at a distal end in the insertion direction for inserting the process cartridge into the apparatus main body, and abuts on the positioning section provided in the apparatus main body to A positioned portion for positioning the cover with respect to the apparatus main body in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction; and an engaged portion provided at a distal end in the insertion direction; A protective cover having an engaged portion for restricting movement of the protective cover to the upstream side in the insertion direction with respect to the apparatus main body;
Mounting means for detachably mounting the process cartridge having:
(Iv) conveying means for conveying the recording medium;
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus comprising:   The electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the positioning portion is a groove provided in the apparatus main body that engages with the positioned portion.   2. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes an abutting portion that abuts against a contacted portion provided on the protective cover and restricts movement of the protective cover in the insertion direction. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to 8 or 9.   The electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the engaging portion is provided on the downstream side of the positioning portion in the insertion direction.   The positioning portion and the engaging portion are provided above an opening provided in the apparatus main body for inserting the process cartridge into the apparatus main body. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to any one of 8 to 11.   The positioning portion and the engaging portion are provided below an opening provided in the apparatus main body for inserting the process cartridge into the apparatus main body. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to any one of 8 to 11.

Images