JP2009063884A - Cleaning unit and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cleaning unit preventing toner from leaking outside by eliminating a gap between the longitudinal end part of the cleaning blade and a sealing member with a simple and easy constitution, and to provide an image forming apparatus with the cleaning unit. <P>SOLUTION: The cleaning unit that is loaded to the electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes: the cleaning blade 5 for removing the residual toner on the surface of the photoreceptor 1 as an image carrier in slide contact with the surface of the photoreceptor 1; and the sealing member 18 that comes in contact with the cleaning blade 5 so as to prevent the residual toner from leaking from the longitudinal end part of the cleaning blade 5. When the cleaning blade 5 and the sealing member 18 do not come in contact with the surface of the photoreceptor 1 yet, the cleaning blade 5 and the sealing member 18 have such a positional relation that a distance between the surface of the photoreceptor 1 and the surface of a rubber member 16 constituting the cleaning blade 5 is larger than a distance between the surface of the photoreceptor 1 and the surface of the sealing member 18. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaning unit including a sealing member that abuts against a cleaning blade in order to prevent leakage of residual toner from a longitudinal end portion of the cleaning blade in an apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine or a printer, and the cleaning The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine and a printer including a unit.

An electrophotographic copying machine, printer, or the like forms an image using a photoreceptor. In this image forming process, it is necessary to remove the residual toner on the surface of the photoconductor, and the toner is generally removed by bringing a cleaning blade into contact with the surface of the photoconductor.
At that time, the size and the mounting position of the cleaning blade are set so that the cleaning blade comes into contact with a portion corresponding to the image forming surface on the photosensitive member surface. On the other hand, a configuration is known in which a seal member such as a sponge is brought into contact with the end portion in the axial direction of the photoconductor to prevent the toner removed by the cleaning blade from leaking from the end of the photoconductor to the outside (for example, , See Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-228688 prevents the occurrence of a toner leak due to a variation in the relationship between the cleaning blade longitudinal direction position and the seal member position at a position where the cleaning blade longitudinal direction end and the seal member abut, and recycling work and An image forming apparatus capable of improving the efficiency of replacement work is disclosed.
In Patent Document 1, a cleaning blade that is fixed to a frame of a developing unit and removes residual toner on a photoconductor, a seal that prevents toner from leaking from an end of the cleaning blade, and a developing unit that holds the seal A seal bracket fixed to the frame, and the seal bracket can be attached to and detached from the end of the cleaning blade.
JP 2006-243023 A

However, the technique of Patent Document 1 does not mention a combination of the shape of the cleaning blade and the seal. That is, if there is a gap at the contact portion between the longitudinal end of the cleaning blade and the seal member for preventing toner leakage, the toner leaks. If there is a portion where such leakage occurs, a seal member must be added to prevent toner leakage.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning unit that can prevent toner leakage to the outside by eliminating the gap between the cleaning blade longitudinal end and the seal member with a simple configuration in consideration of the above-described circumstances. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus provided with this.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the invention described in claim 1 is provided in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus and is in sliding contact with the surface of the photoreceptor as an image carrier, thereby remaining toner on the surface of the photoreceptor. In the cleaning unit comprising: a cleaning blade that removes the toner and a seal member that contacts the cleaning blade to prevent leakage of the residual toner from a longitudinal end portion of the cleaning blade, the cleaning blade and the seal member However, the cleaning unit has a positional relationship in which the distance between the surface of the photosensitive member and the surface of the rubber member constituting the cleaning blade is larger than the distance between the surface of the photosensitive member and the surface of the seal member in a state before contact with the surface of the photosensitive member. It is characterized by.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the area of the mutually facing surfaces of the seal member and the holding member holding the seal member is larger than the area of the joining member, and the seal member and the holding member oppose each other. The cleaning unit according to claim 1, wherein the non-bonded region of the surface is disposed on a side adjacent to the cleaning blade.
Further, the invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the cleaning unit according to claim 1 or 2 is characterized in that a longitudinal contact portion of the cleaning blade and a portion where the seal member abuts are combined in an oblique state. To do.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the cleaning unit according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the density of the sealing member is 150 kg / m ³ or more.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier is developed and visualized with toner, the toner image is transferred onto a recording medium, and the toner image on the recording medium is transferred. An image forming apparatus for fixing the toner image on the recording medium with heat and pressure, wherein the image forming apparatus is equipped with the cleaning unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

  According to the present invention, in a state before the rubber member and the seal member of the cleaning blade come into contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum, “distance between the surface of the photosensitive drum and the rubber member> distance between the surface of the photosensitive drum and the seal member”. Because of the positional relationship, when the seal member abuts on the surface of the photosensitive drum, the seal member swells in the lateral direction, and the gap between the abutment portion between the rubber member and the seal member can be closed, thereby The toner can be prevented from leaking from between the sealing members.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of a laser printer which is an image forming apparatus to which the present invention can be applied. A laser printer A in FIG. 1 cleans a photosensitive drum 1 as a scanning object, a charging charger 2 disposed around the photosensitive drum 1, a developing roller 3A of a developing device 3, a toner cartridge 4, and a cleaning unit 15. A blade 5 is included.
Further, in FIG. 1, the laser printer A has a paper feed tray 6, a paper feed roller 7, a registration roller pair 8, a transfer charger 11, a fixing roller 9a and a lower part of the photosensitive drum 1 in FIG. A fixing device 9 including a pressure roller 9b, a paper discharge roller 12, a paper discharge tray 10, and an optical scanning device 14 in the upper right portion of the photosensitive drum 1 in FIG.
The charging charger 2, the developing roller 3 </ b> A, the transfer charger 11, and the cleaning blade 5 are each disposed near the surface of the photosensitive drum 1. The charging charger 2, the developing roller 3 </ b> A, the transfer charger 11, and the cleaning blade 5 are arranged in this order with respect to the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 1.

A photosensitive layer is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1. Here, the photosensitive drum 1 is configured to rotate clockwise (in the direction of the arrow) within the plane in FIG. The charging charger 2 is provided to uniformly charge the surface of the photosensitive drum 1.
In brief, the optical scanning device 14 irradiates the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 charged by the charger 2 with light modulated based on image information from a host device (for example, a personal computer).
As a result, on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1, the electric charge disappears only in the portion irradiated with light, and a latent image corresponding to the image information is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1. The latent image formed here moves in the direction of the developing roller 3 </ b> A as the photosensitive drum 1 rotates.
By the way, the longitudinal direction (direction along the rotation axis) of the photosensitive drum 1 is generally called a “main scanning direction”, and the rotational direction of the photosensitive drum 1 is generally called a “sub-scanning direction”. Yes. In the main scanning direction from the scanning start position to the scanning end position on the photosensitive drum 1, an area where a latent image is formed is also referred to as an “effective image forming area”.
A toner cartridge 4 for storing toner is disposed on the right side of the developing roller 3A in the drawing, and the toner is supplied to the developing roller 3A. The amount of toner in the toner cartridge 4 is checked when the power is turned on or when printing is completed. When the remaining amount is low, a message prompting replacement is displayed on a display unit (not shown).

As the developing roller 3A rotates, the toner supplied from the toner cartridge 4 is charged on the surface thereof, and is attached thinly and uniformly. Further, the developing roller 3A has electric fields in opposite directions between a charged portion (a portion not irradiated with light) and an uncharged portion (a portion irradiated with light) in the photosensitive drum 1. A voltage is generated to generate.
Due to this applied voltage, the toner adhering to the surface of the developing roller 3 </ b> A adheres only to the portion of the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 that has been irradiated with light. In other words, the developing roller 3A causes the toner to adhere to the latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 to visualize the image information. Here, the latent image to which the toner is attached moves in the direction of the transfer charger 11 as the photosensitive drum 1 rotates.
A recording medium 13 as a transfer object is stored in the paper feed tray 6. A paper feed roller 7 is arranged in the vicinity of the paper feed tray 6. The sheet feeding roller 7 takes out the recording medium 13 one by one from the sheet feeding tray 6 and conveys the recording medium 13 toward the registration roller pair 8.
The registration roller pair 8 is disposed in the vicinity of the transfer charger (transfer roller) 11, temporarily holds the recording medium 13 taken out by the paper feeding roller 7, and adjusts the recording medium 13 in accordance with the rotation of the photosensitive drum 1. It is sent out toward the gap (nip) between the photosensitive drum 1 and the transfer charger 11.

A voltage having a polarity opposite to that of the toner is applied to the transfer charger 11, and the toner on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 is electrically attracted to the recording medium 13 by this voltage. With this voltage, the latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 is transferred to the recording medium 13. The recording medium 13 transferred here is sent to the fixing roller 9.
In the fixing device 9, heat and pressure are applied to the recording medium 13 by the fixing roller 9 a and the pressure roller 9 b, whereby the toner is fixed on the recording medium 13. The recording medium 13 fixed here is sent to the paper discharge tray 10 via the paper discharge roller 12 and is sequentially stacked on the paper discharge tray 10.
The cleaning blade 5 of the cleaning unit 15 removes toner (residual toner) remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 after transfer. The removed residual toner is used again. The surface of the photosensitive drum 1 from which the residual toner has been removed returns to the position of the charging charger 2 again.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of the cleaning unit. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the thickness direction, the vertical direction, and the horizontal direction of the seal member, which shows the vicinity of the seal member in FIG. 2 in an enlarged manner.
In the cleaning unit 15 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cleaning blade 5 for removing the residual toner on the surface of the rotating photosensitive drum 1 is composed of a rubber member 16 and a metal holder 17 to which the rubber member 16 is bonded. Yes.
A seal member 18 is provided at the longitudinal end of the cleaning blade 5 in order to prevent toner from leaking from the longitudinal end. The seal member 18 is fixed on the holding member 19 with a joining member 20 such as a double-sided tape or an adhesive material.
A gap 21 is generated at the position of the contact portion between the longitudinal end of the cleaning blade 5 and the seal member 18 due to component accuracy, sticking position variation, and the like. Hereinafter, means for eliminating the gap 21 will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, expressions such as a thickness direction, a horizontal direction, and a vertical direction of the seal member 18 are used, which are directions shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a first embodiment of the cleaning unit according to the present invention in a state of a rubber member and a seal member before contacting the surface of the photosensitive drum. FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a state in which the rubber member and the seal member are brought close to the surface of the photosensitive drum in the first embodiment of FIG. 4, and the seal member is compressed in the thickness direction and expanded in the lateral direction. is there. FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a state where the surface of the photosensitive drum and the rubber member are in contact with each other in the first embodiment of FIG.
FIGS. 4 to 6 are schematic views for explaining a state when the rubber member 16 and the seal member 18 are brought into contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 in the present invention. FIG. The states of the rubber member 16 and the seal member 18 are shown.
In the present invention, when the distance between the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 and the surface of the rubber member 16 and the distance between the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 and the surface of the seal member 18 are compared, respectively, the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 and the rubber member 16 are compared. The distance between the surfaces is larger than the distance between the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 and the surface of the seal member 18, that is, “distance between the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 and the surface of the rubber member 16> the distance between the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 and the surface of the seal member 18”. It is structured as follows.
In this case, when the rubber member 16 and the seal member 18 are brought closer to the surface of the photosensitive drum 1, the seal member 18 contacts before the rubber member 16 contacts the surface of the photosensitive drum 1, and the rubber member 16 and the photosensitive drum. Until one surface abuts, the seal member 18 is compressed in the thickness direction and swells in the lateral direction as shown in FIG.
The state where the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 and the rubber member 16 are in contact with each other is shown in FIG. In this state, the gap 21 (FIG. 2) generated between the rubber member 16 and the seal member 18 can be closed by the seal member 18 swelled in the thickness direction (FIG. 3).

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing a second embodiment of the cleaning unit according to the present invention in a state of a rubber member and a seal member before contacting the surface of the photosensitive drum. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the rubber member and the seal member are brought close to the surface of the photosensitive drum in the second embodiment of FIG. 7, and the seal member is compressed in the thickness direction and expanded in the lateral direction. is there. FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing a state in which the surface of the photosensitive drum and the rubber member are in contact with each other in the second embodiment shown in FIG.
In FIG. 7, in the state where the area of the joining member 20 is smaller than the area where the seal member 18 and the holding member 19 are in contact, the rubber member 16 constituting the cleaning blade 5 (FIG. 2) for the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 and the seal The positional relationship of the member 18 is demonstrated.
FIG. 8 illustrates a state in which the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 is in contact with the seal member 18 and the seal member 18 is compressed. In FIG. 9, the area of the joining member 20 is the same as that of the seal member 18 and the holding member 19. When the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 is in contact with the rubber member 16 and the seal member 18 of the cleaning blade 5 in a state smaller than the contact area, the seal member 18 is compressed to swell laterally, and the cleaning blade 5 ( A state in which the rubber member 16) is pressed against the end portion in the longitudinal direction is described.

In the embodiment of the cleaning unit, the area of the surfaces of the seal member 18 and the holding member 19 facing each other is larger than the area of the bonding member 20, that is, the area of the surfaces of the seal member 18 and the holding member 19 facing each other> The area of the joining member 20. In addition, as shown in FIG. 7, the non-adhesive region 22 on the surfaces of the seal member 18 and the holding member 19 facing each other is disposed on the side adjacent to the cleaning blade 16.
Therefore, when the seal member 18 comes into contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 1, it is possible to increase the amount of the seal member 18 that swells in the lateral direction, and the clearance between the rubber member 16 and the seal member 18 is increased. By blocking, toner can be prevented from leaking from between the rubber member 16 and the seal member 18.
When the seal member 18 was compressed in the thickness direction, the amount of the seal member 18 expanding in the lateral direction was compared by the difference in density of the seal member 18. In this case, a silicon sponge TT4101 made by INOAC Corporation was used as the product number of the seal member 18.
The condition of the seal member 18 is
Dimensions (mm): Thickness 10, length 20, width 20
Density (kg / m ³ ): 50, 100, 150, 200, 300
Compression amount: 10 mm thickness was compressed to 5 mm thickness.
And the sample for a measurement fixed the sealing member 18 to the metal plate-shaped holding member 19 (FIG. 2) using the double-sided tape of 20 mm long and 20 mm wide. In this case, the amount of lateral bulge was calculated by the following equation.
(Horizontal dimension when inflated-lateral dimension before inflating) / 2

FIG. 10 is a graph showing the relationship between the swelling amount and density of the seal member. The results are shown in FIG. As can be understood from FIG. 10, the bulge amount increases from a density of around 150 kg / m ³ , and the bulge amount exceeds 0.5 mm.
Generally, the amount of the gap 21 (FIG. 2) in the lateral direction can be set to 0.5 mm or less from the component accuracy and assembly accuracy. Therefore, it is understood that if the density of the seal member 18 is 150 kg / m ³ or more, the gap 21 between the rubber member 16 and the seal member 18 can be closed.
As described above, when the density of the seal member 18 is 150 kg / m ³ or more, when the rubber member 16 and the seal member 18 are brought into contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 1, the amount of the seal member 18 bulging in the lateral direction is increased. Is possible. As a result, the gap at the contact portion between the rubber member 16 and the seal member 18 can be closed, and toner can be prevented from leaking between the rubber member 16 and the seal member 18.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing a third embodiment of the cleaning unit according to the present invention in a state of a rubber member and a seal member before contacting the surface of the photosensitive drum. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the rubber member and the seal member are brought close to the surface of the photosensitive drum in the third embodiment of FIG. 11, and the seal member is compressed in the thickness direction and expanded in the lateral direction. is there. FIG. 13 is a schematic view showing a state where the surface of the photosensitive drum and the rubber member are in contact with each other in the third embodiment of FIG.
In FIG. 11, the cleaning blade for the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 in which the longitudinal contact portion of the rubber member 16 constituting the cleaning blade 5 (FIG. 2) and the portion where the seal member 18 abuts is an oblique combination. The positional relationship between the rubber member 16 and the seal member 18 constituting FIG. 5 (FIG. 2) is described.
FIG. 12 illustrates a state in which the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 is in contact with the seal member 18 and the seal member 18 is compressed. In FIG. 13, the area of the joining member 20 is smaller than the area where the sealing member 18 and the holding member 19 are in contact, and the position where the longitudinal end of the rubber member 16 and the sealing member 18 abuts is in an oblique state ( It explains that it is a combination of inclined surfaces.
That is, when the rubber member 16 of the cleaning blade 5 and the seal member 18 come into contact with the inclined surface on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1, the seal member 18 is compressed to swell laterally, and the cleaning blade 5 (rubber member 16). It will be in the state pressed against the edge part in the longitudinal direction.

When the sealing member 18 was strongly pressed against the longitudinal end portion of the cleaning blade 5 (rubber member 16), the size of the joining member 20 (FIG. 2) was changed, and the amount by which the sealing member 18 bulges in the lateral direction was measured. The product number of the seal member 18 was silicon sponge TT4101 manufactured by Inoac Corporation.
The condition of the seal member 18 is
Dimensions (mm) Thickness: 10, Vertical: 20, Horizontal: 20
Density (kg / m ³ ): 150
Compression amount: 10 mm thickness was compressed to 5 mm thickness.
The size of the joining member 20 was fixed at 20 mm in length, and the width was 5 mm, 10 mm, 15 mm, and 20 mm. The joining member 20 was attached to the center position of the seal member 18 in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 5 (rubber member 16).
The sealing member 18 with the joining member 20 was fixed to a metal plate-like holding member 19. In this case, the amount of swelling in the lateral width direction was calculated by the following equation.
(Horizontal dimension when inflated-original lateral dimension 20 mm) / 2

FIG. 14 is a graph showing the relationship between the amount of swelling and the lateral width of the joining member. As shown in FIG. 14, it can be understood that the narrower the lateral width of the joining member 20, the easier the deformation of the sealing member 18 and the greater the amount of swelling of the sealing member 18.
That is, in the case of FIG. 13 showing the state in which the seal member 18 is in contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 1, when the seal member 18 is pressed against the rubber member 16, the smaller the lateral width of the joining member 20 is. As a result, the amount of swelling increases, and the seal member 18 is strongly pressed against the rubber member 16.
When the non-bonding region 22 where the joining member 20 and the seal member 18 are not in contact is different from that in FIG. 7, the rubber member 16 and the seal member 18 are on the opposite side adjacent to each other. It is obvious that the amount of swelling of the seal member 18 is not large, and the pressing force of the seal member 18 against the rubber member 16 is weak.

FIG. 15 is a schematic view showing a cleaning unit according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention in a state where a rubber member and a seal member are in contact with each other. FIG. 16 is a schematic view showing a shape in which the contact portions of the rubber member and the seal member are inclined.
In FIG. 15, when the seal member 18 is pressed against the rubber member 16, the seal member 18 has a convex portion 23 on the surface of the photosensitive drum (not shown), near the boundary between the rubber member 16 and the seal member 18. Become.
In order to prevent the state of the convex portion 23, the contact angle between the rubber member 16 and the seal member 18 is inclined as shown in FIG. The product number of the seal member 18 was silicon sponge TT4101 manufactured by Inoac Corporation.
The condition of the seal member 18 is
Dimensions (mm): Thickness 10, Vertical: 20, Horizontal: 20
Density (kg / m ³ ): 150
The thickness (mm) of the rubber member 16 is 5, and the angle α (°) of the oblique cut portion at the longitudinal end of the cleaning blade 5 is 60 to 120.
As shown in FIG. 16, when the rubber member 16 and the sealing member 18 are brought into contact with each other and the sealing member 18 is compressed to 5 mm, an amount h (the height of deformation) h that rises to the surface of the photosensitive drum (not shown) is compared. .
Here, h is a height (deformation height) that bulges to the photosensitive drum surface side at the end portion in the longitudinal direction of the rubber member 16 and the contact portion of the seal member 18 constituting the cleaning blade 5 (FIG. 2). is there.

FIG. 17 is a graph showing the relationship between the amount of deformation and the angle. From the results shown in FIG. 17, the smaller the angle α, the smaller the swell amount h when the seal member 18 is compressed.
If the angle α is too small, the tip of the rubber member 16 becomes an acute edge and the rigidity is lowered, so that the ability to remove residual toner on the surface of the photoreceptor 1 is lowered. Therefore, the angle α can ensure the residual toner removing capability according to the value of the rubber member 16 such as hardness, and the bulge amount (height of deformation) h when the seal member 18 is compressed is reduced. Setting is required.
Since the contact portion between the rubber member 16 and the seal member 18 is an oblique combination as shown in FIG. 11, when the seal member 18 is brought into contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 1, it is shown in FIG. The swelling amount h of the seal member 18 can be reduced. Accordingly, the toner 21 can be prevented from leaking between the rubber member 16 and the seal member 18 by closing the gap 21 at the contact portion between the rubber member 16 and the seal member 18.
At the same time, the height h of the convex portion 23 of the seal member 18 that contacts the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 can be reduced. Therefore, the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 5 (rubber member 16) that contacts the seal member 18 can be reduced. The end portion easily comes into contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 1, and the residual toner on the photosensitive drum 1 is easily removed.

If an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine or printer includes the cleaning unit according to the present invention, when the seal member 18 is brought into contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 1, the amount of the seal member 18 bulging in the lateral direction is increased. It is possible to prevent the toner from leaking from between the rubber member 16 and the seal member 18 by closing the gap 21 at the contact portion between the rubber member 16 and the seal member 18.
Therefore, by installing the cleaning unit of the present invention in the image forming apparatus, it is possible to provide a copying machine, a printer, and a laser printer that do not leak toner from the cleaning unit, and it is possible to provide good image quality. .

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of a laser printer that is an image forming apparatus to which the present invention can be applied. It is a perspective view explaining the structure of a cleaning unit. It is the schematic explaining the thickness direction of the sealing member which expands and shows the sealing member vicinity of FIG. 2, the vertical direction, and a horizontal direction. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a first embodiment of the cleaning unit according to the present invention in a state of a rubber member and a seal member before contacting the surface of the photosensitive drum. FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a state where a rubber member and a seal member are brought close to the surface of the photosensitive drum in the first embodiment of FIG. 4 and the seal member is compressed in the thickness direction and swelled in the lateral direction. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a state where the surface of the photosensitive drum and a rubber member are in contact with each other in the first embodiment of FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a second embodiment of the cleaning unit according to the present invention in a state of a rubber member and a seal member before contacting the surface of the photosensitive drum. FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing a state where a rubber member and a seal member are brought close to the surface of the photosensitive drum in the second embodiment of FIG. 7 and the seal member is compressed in the thickness direction and swelled in the lateral direction. FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing a state where a surface of a photosensitive drum and a rubber member are in contact with each other in the second embodiment of FIG. 7. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the swelling amount and density of a sealing member with a graph. It is the schematic which shows 3rd Embodiment of the cleaning unit by this invention in the state of a rubber member and a sealing member before contact | abutting on the surface of a photoreceptor drum. FIG. 12 is a schematic view showing a state where a rubber member and a seal member are brought close to the surface of the photosensitive drum in the third embodiment of FIG. 11 and the seal member is compressed in the thickness direction and swelled in the lateral direction. FIG. 12 is a schematic view showing a state where the surface of a photosensitive drum and a rubber member are in contact with each other in the third embodiment of FIG. 11. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the amount of swelling and the horizontal width of a joining member with a graph. It is the schematic which shows 4th Embodiment of the cleaning unit by this invention in the state which the rubber member and the sealing member contact | abutted. It is the schematic which shows the shape which made the contact part of a rubber member and a sealing member slanted. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the height of a deformation amount, and an angle with a graph.

Explanation of symbols

A image forming apparatus, 1 photosensitive member (image carrier, photosensitive drum), 5 cleaning blade, 6 paper feed tray, 9 fixing device, 9a fixing roller, 9b pressure roller, 11 transfer charger (transfer roller), 13 recording Medium, 15 Cleaning unit, 16 Rubber member, 17 Holder, 18 Sealing member, 19 Holding member, 20 Joining member, 21 Gap, 22 Non-adhesion area, 23 Convex upper part, α When the longitudinal end of the cleaning blade 5 is oblique Angle, h inflating height (height of deformation)

Claims (5)

  A cleaning blade that is mounted on an electrophotographic image forming apparatus and removes residual toner on the surface of the photosensitive member by sliding contact with the surface of the photosensitive member, and prevents the residual toner from leaking from the longitudinal end of the cleaning blade. A cleaning member that abuts the cleaning blade, and the cleaning blade and the sealing member constitute the cleaning blade and the cleaning blade in a state before the cleaning blade and the sealing member are in contact with the photosensitive member surface. The cleaning unit is characterized in that the distance between the surface of the rubber member to be performed is larger than the distance between the surface of the photoreceptor and the surface of the seal member.   The area of the surfaces of the seal member and the holding member holding the seal member facing each other is larger than the area of the bonding member, and the non-adhesive region of the surfaces of the seal member and the holding member facing each other is the cleaning blade. The cleaning unit according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning unit is disposed on a side adjacent to the cleaning unit.   The cleaning unit according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a portion where the longitudinal end portion of the cleaning blade comes into contact with the seal member is an oblique combination. The cleaning unit according to claim 1, wherein the density of the sealing member is 150 kg / m ³ or more.   The electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier is visualized by developing with toner, the toner image is transferred onto a recording medium, and the toner image on the recording medium is fixed on the recording medium with heat and pressure. An image forming apparatus to which the cleaning unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is mounted.

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