JP2008181047A - Developing device, process cartridge and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a developing device capable of securely preventing toner leakage, a process cartridge, a developing machine cartridge, and an image forming apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: The developing device 11 comprises a developing agent regulation blade 17, to a developing roller 15 holding and carrying a developing agent on the outer circumferential face, supporting one end at the downstream side in the carrying direction of the developing agent, and bringing the other end into contact with the outer circumferential face of the developing roller 15, thus regulating the developing agent held at the outer circumferential face of the developing roller 15. The developing device 11 comprises first seal members 641 in contact with the outer circumferential parts of both the edges of the developing roller 15 and second seal members 642 in contact with both the edges of the developing agent regulation blade 17. The seal members 64 are made of different materials, respectively, but are integrated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a developing device for an image forming apparatus in which a latent image is formed on a photosensitive member such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, and the like, and toner is attached to the image by a developing device to visualize the latent image.

In a developing device that uses toner, which is charged fine particles, as a developer and electrostatically attaches this toner to an electrostatic latent image, the toner leaks from the developing device. If the toner leaks from the developing device, the inside of the image forming apparatus main body equipped with the developing device becomes dirty, resulting in defective printing, and the operator's hand and clothes become dirty when the developing device is replaced. There was a case.
In particular, in the case of non-magnetic one-component development in which a thin layer of toner is formed by a layer thickness regulating blade on a developing roller having a function of carrying toner while carrying it, and the development is performed by facing the electrostatic latent image. Therefore, toner leakage from the periphery of the rotating developing roller tends to occur.
Therefore, conventionally, a toner leakage prevention member is provided inside the developing device to prevent the toner leakage as described above. For example, in order to prevent toner leakage from both ends of the developing roller, a toner leakage preventing member called a side seal is slid on the peripheral surfaces of both ends of the developing roller and around the developing roller. In order to prevent toner leakage from the gap between the developing roller formed below and the opening of the toner container, the toner leakage preventing member of the resin film is rubbed against the developing roller below the developing roller. Further, in order to prevent toner leakage from a gap between the developing roller formed above the developing roller and the opening of the toner container, the layer thickness regulating blade is pressed against the developing roller to thereby reduce the layer thickness. The regulating blade is provided with a function as a toner leakage preventing member.

However, both ends of the regulating blade are generally sealed by making contact with the side seal. However, if the contact pressure is strong, the sealing performance improves, but the pressing force against the developing roller increases. , Pressure deviation with the center.
On the other hand, in patent document 1, the contact area with a side seal is reduced and the sealing property is ensured by putting a notch in an edge part. However, the regulating blade generally bends the leaf spring at an angle like an L-shape, and the portion (cross section) that becomes an L-shaped projection pierces the side seal, so the side seal is flexible. If there is no, a repulsive force is generated and a pressure deviation occurs. Or, if worsened, there may be a gap between the inflexible side seal and the L-shaped bent portion of the regulating blade, and toner leakage may occur. In Patent Document 2, toner leakage is prevented by reducing the roughness of the end of the developing roller and reducing the amount of toner attached. Moreover, the sealing performance is also improved by extending and sticking a side seal to the regulating blade. However, since the end of the regulating blade and the side seal cannot be overlapped, if a gap occurs, the toner may wrap around and adhere to the developing roller. Since the toner that has not been thinned and does not pass through the regulating blade is insufficiently charged, it adheres to the drum that is in contact therewith. Although it is outside the image area, the cleaning unit on the drum unit side may be damaged.

  Also, it is common to overlap the entrance seal (resin film, etc.) provided to prevent toner leakage from the lower side of the developing roller and the side seal so as not to create a gap, but the side seal is made of a hard material. If so, the entrance seal will float and toner will leak from there. By floating, the contact surface with the developing roller may change, and the manner of contact with the developing roller changes and leaks from there. In the literature 1, it respond | corresponds by attaching the member for a float prevention. As a developer, polymerized toners that are excellent in fluidity and capable of printing with high image quality have been used in recent years.

JP2000-242077 JP2001-022179

  Accordingly, the present invention provides a developing device, a process cartridge, a developing device cartridge, and an image forming apparatus that can solve the above problems and reliably prevent toner leakage.

The features of the present invention, which is a means for solving the above problems, are listed below.
In the developing device of the present invention, with respect to the rotating body that holds and conveys the developer on the outer circumferential surface, one end is supported on the downstream side in the developer transport direction, and the other end is brought into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the rotating body, In a developing device having a developer restricting plate that restricts the developer held on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body, a first seal member that contacts the outer periphery of both ends of the rotating body, and a second seal member that contacts both ends of the developer restricting member The sealing members are made of different materials, but are integral.
In the developing device of the present invention, the first seal member is further made of a material having better habitability than the second seal member.
In the developing device of the present invention, the second seal member is made of a softer material than the first seal member.
Further, in the developing device of the present invention, the material of the first seal member is a felt material made of Teflon (registered trademark).
In the developing device of the present invention, the material of the second seal member is further cut.
Further, in the developing device of the present invention, the integrated first and second sealing members are formed with arc portions (in a state before assembly).

The process cartridge of the present invention is characterized in that the developing device described above and at least one means selected from a photosensitive member, a charging means, and a cleaning means are integrally supported and detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus.
The image forming apparatus of the present invention includes the process cartridge described above or the developing device described above.
The image forming apparatus according to the present invention further includes a plurality of the above-described process cartridges or the above-described developing devices.
Further, in the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the toner used in the developing device has a volume average particle diameter of 3 to 8 μm and a ratio of the volume average particle diameter (Dv) to the number average particle diameter (Dn) ( Dv / Dn) is in the range of 1.00 to 1.40.
In the image forming apparatus of the present invention, it is further preferable that the toner used in the developing unit has a shape factor SF-1 in the range of 100 to 180 and a shape factor SF-2 in the range of 100 to 180. Features.

In the developing device of the present invention, the load is not applied by making the material of the second seal member softer than the material of the first seal member 641 so that an excessive load is not applied to the end of the bent blade. And can be sealed. Conventionally, the entrance seal is used by being overlapped with the side seal and sealed by being brought into contact therewith. On the other hand, the inlet seal end is pushed up due to the contact pressure. If the seal to be contacted is hard, it will float and toner leakage will occur from there. Further, when the other end in contact with the developing roller is moved by floating, a gap with the developing roller is generated, and toner leaks from there. Therefore, in the developing device of the present invention, the floating can be reduced by making the second seal member softer than a material that emphasizes conventional habituation. The first seal member 641 to be brought into contact with the developing roller is preferably made of a material having high mobility, and the torque can be reduced by using Teflon (registered trademark) felt or the like. In response to the recent trend toward higher image quality, the toner has become smaller in diameter and is also disadvantageous for toner leakage. According to the present invention, a developing device free from toner leakage can be provided.
In addition, the process cartridge of the present invention can provide a process cartridge with high image quality / high reliability.
In addition, the image forming apparatus of the present invention can provide a high-quality / highly reliable image forming apparatus, and can provide a high-quality image with little background stain.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that it is easy for a person skilled in the art to make other embodiments by changing or correcting the present invention within the scope of the claims, and these changes and modifications are included in the scope of the claims. The following description is an example of the best mode of the present invention, and does not limit the scope of the claims.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus. The structure of the image forming apparatus 1 in which the process cartridge is mounted will be described with reference to FIG. An image reading device 2 that reads an image of a document is mounted on the upper portion of the image forming apparatus 1, and a process cartridge 3 is provided inside. A sheet transport path 4 for guiding the transfer sheet S is formed below the process cartridge 3. The image reading apparatus 2 includes a reading unit 5 that reads a document image and a document tray 6 on which a document to be supplied to the reading unit 5 is placed. The document tray 6 is positioned horizontally around a fulcrum shaft 7. It is supported so that it can rotate from A to a standing position B indicated by a two-dot chain line. The document tray 6 is configured to be stabilized at a horizontal position A and a standing position B indicated by a two-dot chain line by a stopper (not shown).

  The process cartridge 3 has a photosensitive member case 8 formed in a case shape and a photosensitive member 9 rotatably provided, and a charging brush roller 10 and a developing device 11 are disposed around the photosensitive member 9 and attached. Is formed. A transfer portion 12 facing the outer periphery of the lower portion of the photoconductor 9 is provided on the image forming apparatus 1 side. The developing device 11 includes a developing case 13 that is detachably attached to the photoreceptor case 8, a rotatable stirrer 14 that stirs the developer stored in the developing case 13 (toner storage portion 13e), A developing roller 15 that contacts the photosensitive member 9, a supply roller 16 that supplies developer to the developing roller 15, and a blade 17 that contacts the developing roller 15. Further, a latent image forming unit 18 is provided on the upper part of the process cartridge 3 to form an electrostatic latent image by scanning a laser beam modulated based on an image signal on a charged portion of the photosensitive member 9. A tray 19 is provided on one side of the image forming apparatus 1 to support the document read by the image reading apparatus 2 and support the transfer paper S in an obliquely loaded state. The sheet feeding roller 20 that is rotationally driven, the pressure plate 21 that is urged in one direction and presses the transfer sheet S on the tray 19 against the sheet feeding roller 20, and elastically contacts the sheet feeding roller 20, respectively. Thus, a separation pad 22 and a separation roller 23 are provided to prevent the transfer paper S from being double fed.

  The paper feed roller 20, the separation pad 22, and the separation roller 23 are disposed on the entrance side of the paper conveyance path 4. A bottom path 24 located downstream of the paper feed roller 20 is communicated with the paper transport path 4. Further, a fixing unit 25 for fixing the image transferred onto the transfer paper S is disposed on the downstream side of the paper transport path 4. Further, the image forming apparatus 1 is formed with a sheet stacker 26 disposed between the fixing unit 25 and the document tray 6. The sheet stacker 26 has a receiving plate 27 that supports the transfer sheet S and is positioned on the lower extension surface of the document tray 6 when the document tray 6 is rotated to the standing position B. Further, in the vicinity of the side surface of the image forming apparatus 1 on the side opposite to the tray 19, the transfer sheet S discharged from the fixing unit 25 is discharged in the horizontal direction and discharged from the fixing unit 25. A reverse discharge path 29 that reverses the transfer sheet S and guides it to the sheet stacker 26 is formed. A pair of paper discharge rollers 30 are arranged at the upper and lower portions of the reverse paper discharge path 29, and the transfer paper S is discharged at a branch point between the reverse paper discharge path 29 and the paper discharge port 28. A switching claw 31 for switching directions is rotatably provided.

  Next, an image reading operation and a printing operation will be described. When reading an image of a document, the document tray 6 is maintained at a horizontal position A as shown by a solid line in FIG. An image of the supplied original is read by the reading unit 5 and is supported on the tray 19 in a leaning state. The image read in this manner is transmitted to the outside (use form as a facsimile transmission mode), or the transfer sheet S is fed from the tray 19 and the read image is printed on the transfer sheet S (as a copying machine). Use form). Alternatively, an image transmitted from the outside can be printed on the transfer paper S (use form as a facsimile reception mode). In the case of printing, in FIG. 1, the surface of the photoconductor 9 is charged by the charging brush roller 10 while being rotated in the clockwise direction, and the latent image forming unit is based on the read image of the document or the image received from the outside. The electrostatic latent image is formed on the charged portion of the photoconductor 9 by 18, and this electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing device 11. This developed image is transferred to the transfer paper S fed from the tray 19 by the paper feed roller 20. The transfer sheet S on which the image has been transferred is fixed when passing through the fixing unit 25, and is discharged to the sheet discharge outlet 28 or the sheet stacker 26 depending on the direction of the switching claw 31.

  Next, the structure of the process cartridge 3, particularly the structure of the developing device 11, will be described in detail. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the process cartridge. As shown in FIG. 2, the photoreceptor case 8 is formed with a handle 32 for gripping the process cartridge 3 when it is attached to or detached from the image forming apparatus 1, and the process cartridge 3 is removed from the image forming apparatus 1. The shutter 33 covers the lower surface of the photoconductor 9 when the process cartridge 3 is set, and opens the lower surface of the photoconductor 9 when the process cartridge 3 is set in the image forming apparatus 1. The developing case 13 is detachably supported between the outer walls 8 a and 8 b on both sides of the photoconductor case 8. The developing device 11 passes through the developing roller 15, a roller portion 34 formed of an elastic material having a low friction coefficient, such as rubber, in order to charge the one-component toner by friction, and the center of the roller portion 34. And a metal shaft portion 35. The developing case 13 detachably attached between the outer walls 8a, 8b of the photosensitive member case 8 includes support walls 13a, 13b facing each other with a predetermined gap inside the outer walls 8a, 8b. One support wall 13a is formed with a bearing 37 that allows one end of the shaft portion 35 to be rotatable by opening a hole, and the other support wall 13b is formed with a bush by mounting a bush. A synthetic resin gear driven by a motor (not shown) is fitted to one end of the shaft portion 35 protruding from the bearing.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a part of the structure at the end of the developing device. FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a part of the developing device 11 showing the relationship between the regulating blade and the seal member. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, side seals 64 that are in contact with the outer peripheral surfaces of both ends of the roller portion 34 of the developing roller 15 are attached to both sides of the toner outlet 61. Both ends in the longitudinal direction of the outlet seal 63 are overlapped on the side seal 64. Although only one side is illustrated, it is formed by a corner seal 65 that seals a corner where both end edges of the outlet seal 63 in the longitudinal direction and the support walls 13a and 13b of the developing case 13 intersect, and an elastic metal plate. A clip 66 is provided. The clip 66 includes a contact piece 67 that is in contact with the lower surface of the flat surface 62 and a pressing piece 68 that elastically presses the corner seal 65 from above. The flat surface 62, both end portions of the outlet seal 63, and the corner seal 65 are configured to be elastically held between the contact piece 67 and the pressing piece 68 of the clip 66.
Further, in the present embodiment, since the support walls 13a and 13b do not extend to the tip of the flat surface 62, the corner seal 65 placed on the outlet seal 63 and the pressing piece 68 of the clip 66 are As shown in Fig. 3, the support wall 13a, 13b is formed in an L-shape that contacts the inner surface 13c of the support wall 13a and the end surface 13d orthogonal to the inner surface 13c, and the corner seal 65 has two L-shaped sides raised upward. And is configured to come into contact with the inner surface 13c and the end surface 13d. The blade 17 is pressed by the roller portion 34 of the developing roller 15, and a portion extending downward from the blade holder 42 is elastically bent to the back side of the developing case 13, and a bent piece 52 bent into a dogleg shape is formed. Since it is designed to come into contact with the roller portion 34, the position of the contact portion C between the roller portion 34 of the developing roller 15 and the blade 17 is slightly smaller than the lower edge of the blade 17, as shown by a one-dot chain line in FIG. This is the position shown above.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the blade 17 has a wide portion 69 whose both ends in the longitudinal direction oppose the side seals 64, a narrow portion 70 positioned below the wide portion 69, and a step portion 71 that serves as a boundary between them. And are formed. As shown in FIG. 4, the step portion 71 is located above the contact portion C of the blade 17 with respect to the roller portion 34 (downstream in the rotation direction of the developing roller 15), and is located below the step portion 71. The narrow portion 70 is set to a length that can bend toward the back of the toner outlet 61 by the pressure of the developing roller 15 even after the wide portion 69 contacts the side seal 64. That is, the length L <b> 2 of the narrow portion 70 is determined to be longer than the distance L <b> 1 inside the side seal 64 by ΔL. Specifically, the narrow portion 70 overlaps the side seal 64 by a width of ΔL / 2 (0.1 to 0.5 mm). The inner edge of the side seal 64 can be elastically deformed and bent by the pressure of the developing roller 15.

In such a configuration, the blade 17 and the side seal 64 can be brought into contact with each other over the entire length of the roller portion 34, and both ends of the roller portion 34 are moved by the bending action of the narrow portion 70 below the step portion 71. The side seal 64 can be reliably brought into contact with.
Furthermore, the corner seal 65 can seal the corner where the both end edges of the outlet seal 63 in the longitudinal direction and the support walls 13 a and 13 b of the developing case 13 intersect. Further, both end portions of the outlet seal 63 and the corner seal 65 can be simultaneously pressed against the flat surface 62 by the clip 66. At this time, since the corner seal 65 is compressed by the clip 66 and clogs, the toner leakage can be more effectively prevented.
Further, since the blade 17 is formed with a wide portion 69 whose both ends in the longitudinal direction are opposed to the side seal 64, the wraparound of the toner to both sides of the toner outlet 61 can be reduced. In this case, even if the narrow portion 70 is pushed by the developing roller 15, it does not contact the side seal 64 and the bending action is not impaired. Thereby, the outer peripheral surface of the roller portion 34 of the developing roller 15 can be reliably brought into contact with the side seal 64. In addition, since the length L2 of the narrow portion 70 is slightly longer than the interval L1 between the side seals 64, it is possible to suppress the wrapping of toner to both sides of the blade 17. As a result, toner leakage from the periphery of the developing roller 15 can be effectively prevented.

In such an image forming apparatus 1 and the developing device 11, the present invention supports one end on the downstream side in the developer transport direction and the other end of the rotating body that holds and transports the developer on the outer peripheral surface. In the developing device 11 having a developer regulating plate that regulates the developer held on the outer circumferential surface of the rotating body by making contact with the outer circumferential surface of the rotating body, the first seal member 641 in contact with the outer circumferential portions at both ends of the rotating body and the development And a second seal member 642 in contact with both ends of the agent restricting member. The seal members are made of different materials, but are integral.
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration in which the seal member is attached to the developing device.
As shown in FIG. 5, the regulating blade is fixed to the case by a blade holder and contacts the developing roller. The end seal is affixed to the inner surface of the case with a thickness that contacts the developing roller.
The restriction blade is bent at an angle such as a dogleg and an L-shape as shown in the figure, and the end of the bent portion of the convenience restriction blade 17 bites into the end seal.
Further, the entrance seal generally uses a rectangular resin film or a urethane sheet. One end is attached to the developing case, and the other end is brought into contact with the lower side of the developing roller.
In the present invention, the second seal member 642 in which the end seal contacts the both ends of the bent portion of the regulating blade 17 is made of a material different from that of the first seal member 641 in contact with the developing roller.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing the configuration of the seal member. FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the seal member. A part of the second seal member 642 is cut away, and the first seal member 641 is attached to the cut portion. Alternatively, another material may be sewn. The width of the seal is shown in FIG. The length in the axial direction is preferably a width that can sufficiently absorb the finished dimension tolerance and the pasting tolerance with reference to the bent end portion of the regulating blade 17. Since it is a condition that the narrow portion 70 is in contact with the seal member 642, both a1 and a2 are 0 or more. However, both a1 and a2 are surely brought into contact with the seal member 642. It is desirable that it is 0.5 or more. The entrance seal 67 is pasted so as to fit between the second seal members 642. Further, the first seal member 641 is characterized by being a material having better habitability than the second seal member 642. The first seal member 641 may be in contact with the developing roller and a Teflon (registered trademark) felt may be attached for the purpose of reducing torque. By making the first seal member 641 a felt made of Teflon (registered trademark), the maneuverability is improved, the increase in torque can be prevented, and the sealing performance can be ensured, and toner leakage can be prevented. it can. The second seal member 642 is characterized by being softer and more flexible than the first seal member 641.
The integral seal member 64 is characterized in that an arc portion is formed (in a state before assembly). In order to contact the end seal along the arc of the developing roller, it is desirable that the shape of the affixing surface of the developing case is also an arc, and the arc is the same as the seal affixing surface. Now, when sticking a sticker on an arc shape part, the arc shape is less stressed than a flat shape, and wrinkles after sticking are less likely to occur, improving sealing and preventing toner leakage. To do.
In addition, the material of the second seal member 642 is characterized by being cut.
A description will be given of a cut portion in FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing the configuration of the seal member. A notch is made in the second seal member 642 with which the L-shaped bent regulation blade 17 abuts, and a cross-sectional portion of the L-shaped portion is inserted into the notched portion, thereby reducing the contact force with the sponge and preventing toner leakage. be able to. Make a cut in the part corresponding to the bent part of the blade. The depth needs to be long enough to accommodate the blade bend.

Next, the toner suitably used for the image forming apparatus 1 of the present invention will be described. In order to reproduce fine dots of 600 dpi or more, the toner preferably has a volume average particle diameter of 3 to 8 μm. The ratio (Dv / Dn) of the volume average particle diameter (Dv) to the number average particle diameter (Dn) is preferably in the range of 1.00 to 1.40. The closer (Dv / Dn) is to 1.00, the sharper the particle size distribution. With such a toner having a small particle size and a narrow particle size distribution, the toner charge amount distribution is uniform, and a high-quality image with little background stain can be obtained. In addition, the electrostatic transfer method has a high transfer rate. can do.
Next, a method for measuring the particle size distribution of toner particles will be described.
As an apparatus for measuring the particle size distribution of toner particles by the Coulter counter method, there are Coulter Counter TA-II and Coulter Multisizer II (both manufactured by Coulter). The measurement method is described below.
First, 0.1 to 5 ml of a surfactant (preferably alkylbenzene sulfonate) is added as a dispersant to 100 to 150 ml of an aqueous electrolytic solution. Here, the electrolytic solution is an about 1% NaCl aqueous solution prepared using primary sodium chloride, and for example, ISOTON-II (manufactured by Coulter) can be used. Here, 2 to 20 mg of a measurement sample is further added. The electrolytic solution in which the sample is suspended is subjected to a dispersion treatment with an ultrasonic disperser for about 1 to 3 minutes, and the measurement device is used to measure the volume and number of toner particles or toner using a 100 μm aperture as an aperture Volume distribution and number distribution are calculated. From the obtained distribution, the weight average particle diameter (D4) and the number average particle diameter (D1) of the toner can be obtained.

Next, the shape factor SF-1 of the toner is preferably in the range of 100 to 180, and the shape factor SF-2 is preferably in the range of 100 to 180. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing the shape of the toner in order to explain the shape factor SF-1 and the shape factor SF-2. The shape factor SF-1 indicates the ratio of the roundness of the toner shape and is represented by the following formula (1). This is a value obtained by dividing the square of the maximum length MXLNG of the shape formed by projecting the toner on a two-dimensional plane by the drawing area AREA and multiplying by 100π / 4.
SF-1 = {(MXLNG) 2 / AREA} × (100π / 4) (1)
When the value of SF-1 is 100, the shape of the toner is a true sphere, and becomes larger as the value of SF-1 increases.
The shape factor SF-2 indicates the ratio of the unevenness of the toner shape, and is represented by the following formula (2). A value obtained by dividing the square of the perimeter PERI of the figure formed by projecting the toner on the two-dimensional plane by the figure area AREA and multiplying by 100π / 4.
SF-2 = {(PERI) 2 / AREA} × (100π / 4) (2)
When the value of SF-2 is 100, the unevenness does not exist on the toner surface, and the unevenness of the toner surface becomes more remarkable as the value of SF-2 increases. Specifically, the shape factor is measured by taking a photograph of the toner with a scanning electron microscope (S-800: manufactured by Hitachi, Ltd.), introducing it into an image analyzer (LUSEX 3: manufactured by Nireco) and analyzing it. Calculated. When the shape of the toner is close to a spherical shape, the contact state between the toner and the toner or the toner and the photoconductor becomes point contact, so that the adsorbing force between the toners becomes weak and the fluidity increases, and the toner and the photoconductor The attraction force becomes weaker and the transfer rate becomes higher. If either of the shape factors SF-1 and SF-2 exceeds 180, the transfer rate is lowered, which is not preferable.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus. It is the schematic which shows the structure of a process cartridge. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows a part of structure in the edge part of a developing device. It is the schematic which shows a part of developing device which shows the relationship between a control blade and a sealing member. It is the schematic which shows the structure which affixed the sealing member on the image development apparatus. It is the schematic which shows the cross section of a sealing member. It is the schematic which shows the structure of a sealing member.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 3 Process cartridge 8 Photoconductor case 9 Photoconductor 11 Developing device 12 Transfer part 13 Developing case 13a Support wall, case wall 13b Support wall 14, 16 Rotating body 14a, 16a Rotating shaft 15 Developing roller, Rotating body 17 Blade 18 Latent image forming section 25 Fixing section 34 Roller section 35 Shaft section 41 Outer wall 42 Blade holder 43 Reinforcement plate 44 Blade mounting surface 45 Relief surface 56 Buffer material 61 Toner outlet 62 Flat surface 63 Exit seal 64 Seal member 641 First seal member 642 Second seal member 65 Corner seal 66 Clip 67 Entrance seal 69 Wide part 70 Narrow part 71 Step part C Contact part S Transfer sheet

Claims (11)

For the rotating body that holds and conveys the developer on the outer peripheral surface,
Support one end on the downstream side in the developer transport direction,
In the developing device having a developer regulating plate that regulates the developer held on the outer circumferential surface of the rotating body by bringing the other end into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the rotating body.
The developing device includes a seal member for preventing leakage of toner from the developing case,
In the developing device, the first sealing member in contact with the outer peripheral portions at both ends of the rotating body and the second sealing member in contact with both ends of the developer regulating member are made of different materials. The developing device according to claim 1,
The developing device according to claim 1, wherein the first seal member is made of a material having better habitability than the second seal member. The developing device according to claim 1 or 2,
The developing device, wherein the second seal member is made of a softer material than the first seal member. The developing device according to claim 1, 2, 3,
The developing device characterized in that the material of the first seal member is a felt material made of Teflon (registered trademark). The developing device according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4,
A developing device, wherein the second seal member is made of a notch. The developing device according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
The developing device according to claim 1, wherein the seal member has an arc portion. 7. A process cartridge comprising: the developing device according to claim 1; and at least one unit selected from a photosensitive member, a charging unit, and a cleaning unit, which are integrally supported and detachable from an image forming apparatus main body. An image forming apparatus comprising the process cartridge according to claim 7 or the developing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. An image forming apparatus comprising a plurality of process cartridges according to claim 7 or a plurality of developing devices according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 or 9,
The toner used in the developing device has a volume average particle diameter of 3 to 8 μm and a ratio (Dv / Dn) of the volume average particle diameter (Dv) to the number average particle diameter (Dn) of 1.00 to 1.40. An image forming apparatus characterized by being in the range. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 or 9,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the toner used in the developing unit has a shape factor SF-1 in the range of 100 to 180 and a shape factor SF-2 in the range of 100 to 180.