JP2011133762A - Developing cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a developing cartridge in which a plurality of divided bodies can be uniformly welded. <P>SOLUTION: The developing cartridge 7 includes a frame 31 which supports a developing roller 10 carrying toner and which stores the toner. In the developing cartridge 7, the frame 31 is constituted of the respective divided bodies 51 divided in a right-and-left direction, and the frame 31 is formed by welding the respective divided bodies 51 to each other. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a developing cartridge provided in an image forming apparatus such as a laser printer.

A drum cartridge that holds a developing roller and holds a photosensitive drum, and a developing cartridge that is detachably attached to a printer main body are known.
As such a developing cartridge, for example, a developing cartridge in which a lower frame holding a developing roller and an upper frame combined with the lower frame are welded has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2009-16993 A

However, in the developing cartridge described above, the lower frame is formed in an upper open box shape extending in the longitudinal direction of the developing roller, and the upper frame is a lid shape along the longitudinal direction so as to cover the upper open port. Is formed.
Therefore, in order to weld the upper frame and the lower frame, it is necessary to weld a large area along the longitudinal direction of the developing roller, and it may be difficult to weld such a large area uniformly.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a developing cartridge capable of uniformly welding a plurality of divided bodies.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention is a developing cartridge, and includes a developer carrying member that carries a developer, a housing wall that supports the developer carrying member, and contains the developer. A housing, the housing comprising a plurality of divided bodies divided in the longitudinal direction of the developer carrier.

According to the present invention, the housing that supports the developer carrier is composed of a plurality of divided bodies that are divided in the longitudinal direction of the developer carrier.
Therefore, a plurality of divided bodies can be welded on the surface orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, and the area to be welded can be reduced as compared with the case of welding on the surface along the longitudinal direction.
As a result, a plurality of divided bodies can be welded uniformly.

It is a sectional side view showing one embodiment of a printer. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the first embodiment of the developing cartridge shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the right rear side. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the developing cartridge shown in FIG. 2 along AA. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the developing cartridge shown in FIG. 2 as viewed from the right rear side. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the second embodiment of the developing cartridge shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the left rear side. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing the third embodiment of the developing cartridge shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the right rear side.

1. Overall Configuration of Printer As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 1 includes a main body casing 2.
The main casing 2 is formed in a box shape having a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the side, and a front cover 9 for attaching / detaching a process cartridge 3 (described later) is formed on one side wall thereof. The front cover 9 is provided to be swingable with respect to the main body casing 2 with a lower end portion as a fulcrum.

  In the following description, the side on which the front cover 9 is provided (the left side in FIG. 1) is the front side, and the opposite side (the right side in FIG. 1) is the rear side. In addition, when the printer 1 is viewed from the front side, the left and right reference is used. That is, the front side in FIG. 1 is the right side and the back side is the left side. The left-right direction is the same as the longitudinal direction of the developing roller 10 (described later).

A process cartridge 3 is detachably mounted in the main body casing 2 via a front cover 9 at the center. A scanner 4 that emits laser light (see the broken line in FIG. 1) is disposed in the main body casing 2 above the process cartridge 3.
The process cartridge 3 includes a photosensitive drum 5, a charger 6 and a developing cartridge 7. The photosensitive drum 5 and the charger 6 are held by a drum frame 8. The developing cartridge 7 includes a developing roller 10 as an example of a developer carrier. The developing cartridge 7 is detachably mounted on the drum frame 8 so that the rear end portion of the developing roller 10 contacts the photosensitive drum 5.

  As the photosensitive drum 5 rotates, the surface of the photosensitive drum 5 is uniformly charged by the charger 6. Thereafter, the surface of the photosensitive drum 5 is selectively exposed by the laser beam from the scanner 4 based on the image data. By this exposure, electric charges are selectively removed from the surface of the photosensitive drum 5, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 5. A developing bias is applied to the developing roller 10. When the electrostatic latent image faces the developing roller 10, toner is supplied from the developing roller 10 to the electrostatic latent image due to a potential difference between the electrostatic latent image and the developing roller 10. As a result, a toner image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 5.

  A paper feed cassette 11 that accommodates the paper P is disposed at the bottom of the main casing 2. The sheets P are sent one by one from the sheet feeding cassette 11 and supplied between the photosensitive drum 5 and the transfer roller 12 disposed to face the photosensitive drum 5. The toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 5 is transferred to the paper P that has entered between the photosensitive drum 5 and the transfer roller 12 when facing the transfer roller 12.

A fixing device 13 is disposed downstream of the process cartridge 3 in the conveyance direction of the paper P. The sheet P on which the toner image is transferred is conveyed to the fixing device 13. In the fixing device 13, the toner image becomes an image and is fixed on the paper P by heating and pressing. The paper P on which the image is thus formed is discharged to the paper discharge tray 14 on the upper surface of the main casing 2 by various rollers.
2. Details of Developing Cartridge As shown in FIG. 2, the developing cartridge 7 of the first embodiment is formed in a substantially box shape extending in the left-right direction, and includes a frame 31 as an example of a housing.

The frame 31 is formed in a substantially box shape extending in the left-right direction, and includes a side wall 32 as an example of a pair of left and right side wall members and a frame member 33 constructed between both side walls 32. Note that the side wall 32 and the frame member 33 constitute an accommodation wall.
The side walls 32 are formed in a substantially rectangular flat plate shape when viewed from the side, and are opposed to each other with a space in the left-right direction. The side wall 32 includes a first portion 36 and a second portion 37.

The first portion 36 is formed in a flat plate shape that is substantially rectangular in a side view and that constitutes the rear portion of the side wall 32. In addition, a through hole 41 is formed in the first portion 36.
The through hole 41 is formed in a substantially circular shape in side view that penetrates the side wall 32 in the left-right direction. In the through hole 41, a developing roller shaft 42 as a rotating shaft of the developing roller 10 is rotatably supported at the end in the left-right direction.

The second portion 37 is disposed adjacent to the front side of the first portion 36 and is formed in a flat plate shape that is substantially rectangular in a side view and that constitutes the front side portion of the side wall 32.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the frame member 33 is formed in a substantially rectangular tube shape extending in the left-right direction. Further, the upper wall of the frame member 33 is formed in a substantially isosceles triangular shape in front sectional view with the center in the left-right direction protruding downward. Further, the lower wall of the frame member 33 is formed in a substantially isosceles triangle shape in front sectional view with the center in the left-right direction protruding upward. That is, the inner surfaces of the upper wall and the lower wall of the frame member 33 are inclined outward in the vertical direction from the center toward both ends in the left-right direction. The inclination corresponds to a draft when each divided body 51 (described later) is formed.

A first opening 34 is formed in the frame member 33.
The first opening 34 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape in rear view extending in the left-right direction so that the rear end surface of the developing roller 10 is exposed below the rear wall of the frame member 33. Further, the first opening 34 is formed over the entire left and right direction of the frame member 33.
Further, the frame member 33 includes a developing roller accommodating portion 39 as an example of a carrier support portion and a toner accommodating portion 40 as an example of a developer accommodating portion.

The developing roller accommodating portion 39 is partitioned as a rear portion that projects the first portion 36 of the side wall 32 in the left-right direction, and accommodates the developing roller 10.
The toner accommodating portion 40 is partitioned as a front portion obtained by projecting the second portion 37 of the side wall 32 in the left-right direction, and is disposed adjacent to the front side of the developing roller accommodating portion 39. The toner storage unit 40 stores toner.

  The frame 31 is divided into three divided bodies 51 as shown in FIG. Specifically, the first divided body 51a composed of the second portion 37 of the right side wall 32, the second divided body 51b composed of the left side wall 32 (the first portion 36 and the second portion 37 thereof), and the right side It is divided into a first divided portion 36 of the side wall 32 and a third divided body 51 c composed of the frame member 33. That is, the frame 31 includes three divided bodies 51 divided in the left-right direction.

Note that the third divided body 51c is formed with a second opening portion 35 having a substantially rectangular shape in side view that is open toward the outside in the left-right direction at both ends in the left-right direction of the frame member 33.
The right side second opening 35 is sized and arranged to correspond to the first portion 36 of the side wall 32, and the left side second opening 35 is formed over the entire left end of the frame member 33. ing.
3. Assembling the developing cartridge To assemble the developing cartridge 7, first, the frame 31 is assembled.

To assemble the frame 31, the first divided body 51a and the second divided body 51b are welded to the third divided body 51c.
In order to weld the first divided body 51a to the third divided body 51c, first, the first divided body 51a is positioned with respect to the second opening 35 on the right side on the right side of the third divided body 51c.
Next, the first divided body 51a is combined with the third divided body 51c from the right side so as to close the second opening 35 on the right side of the third divided body 51c.

At this time, the left end surface of the 1st division body 51a and the right end surface of the 3rd division body 51c are contact | abutted in the left-right direction.
And the left end surface of the 1st division body 51a and the right end surface of the 3rd division body 51c are welded by methods, such as ultrasonic welding.
In order to weld the second divided body 51b to the third divided body 51c, first, the second divided body 51b is positioned with respect to the left second opening 35 on the left side of the third divided body 51c.

Next, the second divided body 51b is combined with the third divided body 51c from the left side so as to close the second opening 35 on the left side of the third divided body 51c.
At this time, the right end surface of the second divided body 51b and the left end surface of the third divided body 51c are in contact with each other in the left-right direction.
And the right end surface of the 2nd division body 51b and the left end surface of the 3rd division body 51c are welded by methods, such as ultrasonic welding.

In this way, the first divided body 51a and the second divided body 51b are welded to the third divided body 51c, and the frame 31 is completed.
In order to mount the developing roller 10 on the frame 31, the right end portion of the developing roller shaft 42 is inserted into the through hole 41 of the third divided body 51c (see FIG. 4), and then the through hole of the second divided body 51b. 41, the left end of the developing roller shaft 42 is inserted, and the second divided body 51b and the third divided body 51c are welded.

Further, the toner is filled in the toner container 40 before the first divided body 51a (or the second divided body 51b) is welded to the third divided body 51c.
4). Action Effect (1) According to the developing cartridge 7, as shown in FIG. 4, the frame 31 that supports the developing roller 10 is composed of three divided bodies 51 that are divided in the left-right direction.

Therefore, each divided body 51 can be welded in a plane orthogonal to the left-right direction (welding between the right end surface of the second divided body 51b and the left end surface of the third divided body 51c, or the first divided body. The welding area can be reduced as compared with the case where welding is performed on the surface along the left-right direction), and the left end surface of 51a and the right end surface of the third divided body 51c.
As a result, each divided body 51 can be welded uniformly.
(2) Further, according to the developing cartridge 7, as shown in FIG. 4, each divided body 51 includes a frame member 33 in which a second opening 35 that is opened outward in the left-right direction is formed, and The side wall 32 closes the second opening 35.

Therefore, the first divided body 51 a composed of the second portion 37 of the right side wall 32, the second divided body 51 b composed of the left side wall 32, the first portion 36 of the right side wall 32 and the third member composed of the frame member 33. The divided bodies 51c can be formed, and each divided body 51 can be formed with a simple configuration.
Then, the second opening portion 35 on the right side of the frame member 33 is closed by the second portion 37 of the right side wall 32, and the second opening portion 35 on the left side of the frame member 33 is closed by the left side wall 32. Each divided body 51 can be welded on a plane orthogonal to the left-right direction (welding of the right end surface of the second divided body 51b and the left end surface of the third divided body 51c, or the first divided body 51a Welding of the left end surface and the right end surface of the third divided body 51c).

Therefore, each divided body 51 can be welded uniformly.
(3) Further, according to the developing cartridge 7, as shown in FIG. 4, the second opening 35 corresponding to the toner accommodating portion 40 of the frame member 33 is formed at the right end portion of the frame 31.
Therefore, when the first divided body 51a and the third divided body 51c are welded, the first divided body 51 is closed so as to close the second opening 35 which is the portion of the side wall 32 corresponding to the toner accommodating portion 40 of the frame member 33. The body 51a and the 3rd division body 51c can be welded, and the area to weld can be reduced more.

As a result, each divided body 51 can be welded more uniformly.
(4) Further, according to the developing cartridge 7, the frame 31 includes the three divided bodies 51 as shown in FIG. 4.
Therefore, the frame 31 can be easily formed by welding the three divided bodies 51.
5. Second Embodiment In the first embodiment described above, the developing cartridge 7 includes a first divided body 51a composed of the second portion 37 of the right side wall 32, a second divided body 51b composed of the left side wall 32, and a right side It is divided into a first divided portion 36 of the side wall 32 and a third divided body 51 c composed of the frame member 33.

On the other hand, in 2nd Embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the flame | frame 31 is provided with the member similar to 1st Embodiment except being divided | segmented into the two division bodies 61. As shown in FIG. In the second embodiment, the same members as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.
Specifically, the frame 31 is divided into two parts: a first divided body 61 a composed of the left side wall 32 and a second divided body 61 b composed of the right side wall 32 and the frame member 33. That is, the second opening 35 is provided only at the left end of the frame member 33.

In the second embodiment, to assemble the developing cartridge 7, first, the frame 31 is assembled by welding the first divided body 61a to the second divided body 61b.
In order to weld the first divided body 61a to the second divided body 61b, first, the first divided body 61a is positioned with respect to the second opening 35 on the left side of the second divided body 61b.
Next, the first divided body 61a is combined with the second divided body 61b from the left side so as to close the second opening 35 of the second divided body 61b.

At this time, the right end surface of the 1st division body 61a and the left end surface of the 2nd division body 61b are contact | abutted in the left-right direction.
And the right end surface of the 1st division body 61a and the left end surface of the 2nd division body 61b are welded by methods, such as ultrasonic welding.
Thereby, the 1st division body 61a is welded to the 2nd division body 61b, and the flame | frame 31 is completed.

In order to mount the developing roller 10 on the frame 31, the right end portion of the developing roller shaft 42 is inserted into the through hole 41 of the second divided body 61b, and then the developing roller shaft is inserted into the through hole 41 of the first divided body 61a. The first divided body 61a and the second divided body 61b are welded through the left end portion of 42.
Further, the toner is filled in the toner container 40 before the first divided body 61a is welded to the second divided body 61b.

The developing cartridge 7 of the second embodiment also has the same effects as the developing cartridge 7 of the first embodiment described above.
Further, according to the developing cartridge 7 of the second embodiment, the frame 31 includes the first divided body 61a and the second divided body 61b.
Therefore, the frame 31 can be easily formed by welding the first divided body 61a and the second divided body 61b.
6). Third Embodiment In the above-described first embodiment, the developing cartridge 7 includes the first divided body 51a including the second portion 37 of the right side wall 32, the second divided body 51b including the left side wall 32, and the right side wall 32. It is divided into a first divided portion 36 of the side wall 32 and a third divided body 51 c composed of the frame member 33.

On the other hand, in 3rd Embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the flame | frame 31 is provided with the member similar to 1st Embodiment except being divided | segmented into the two division bodies 71 in the center of the left-right direction. Note that in the third embodiment, members similar to those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.
Specifically, the frame 31 is divided into a first divided body 71 a composed of the left side wall 32 and the left half of the frame member 33, and a second divided body 71 b composed of the right side wall 32 and the right half of the frame member 33. Has been.

In the third embodiment, to assemble the developing cartridge 7, first, the frame 31 is assembled by welding the first divided body 71a and the second divided body 71b.
In order to weld the first divided body 71a and the second divided body 71b, first, positioning is performed so that the left end surface of the first divided body 71a and the right end surface of the second divided body 71b are opposed to each other in the left-right direction. .
Next, the first divided body 71a and the second divided body 71b are combined so that the left end surface of the first divided body 71a and the right end surface of the second divided body 71b are brought into contact with each other.

And the left end surface of the 1st division body 71a and the right end surface of the 2nd division body 71b are welded by methods, such as ultrasonic welding.
Thereby, the 1st division body 71a and the 2nd division body 71b are welded, and the flame | frame 31 is completed.
In order to mount the developing roller 10 on the frame 31, the right end portion of the developing roller shaft 42 is mounted in the through hole 41 of the second divided body 71b, and then the developing roller shaft is inserted into the through hole 41 of the first divided body 71a. The left end portion of 42 is attached, and the first divided body 71a and the second divided body 71b are welded.

Further, the toner is filled in the toner container 40 before the first divided body 71a and the second divided body 71b are welded.
The developing cartridge 7 of the third embodiment also has the same operational effects as the developing cartridge 7 of the first embodiment described above.
Further, according to the developing cartridge 7 of the third embodiment, the frame 31 is divided at the center in the longitudinal direction.

  Therefore, the left-right direction length of the 1st division body 71a and the 2nd division body 71b can be made into the half or less of the flame | frame 31, and the 1st division body 71a and the 2nd division body 71b can be shape | molded easily.

16 Developing cartridge 22 Developing roller 31 Frame 32 Side wall 33 Frame member 35 Second opening 39 Developing roller accommodating portion 40 Toner accommodating portion 51 Divided body 51a First divided body 51b Second divided body 51c Third divided body 61 Divided body 61a First 1 division body 61b 2nd division body 71 division body 71a 1st division body 71b 2nd division body

Claims (6)

A developer carrying member carrying the developer;
A housing that supports the developer carrier and constitutes a housing wall that houses the developer;
The developing cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the housing includes a plurality of divided bodies divided in the longitudinal direction of the developer carrying body. The plurality of divided bodies are
The developing cartridge according to claim 1, comprising: a frame member formed with an opening extending in the longitudinal direction and opened toward the outside in the longitudinal direction; and a side wall member closing the opening. . The frame member is provided with a developer accommodating portion for accommodating a developer and a carrier accommodating portion for accommodating the developer bearing member so as to be adjacent to each other in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction,
The developing cartridge according to claim 2, wherein the opening is formed to correspond to the developer accommodating portion.   The developing cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the housing includes two divided bodies.   The developing cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the housing includes three divided bodies.   The developing cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the casing is divided at a center in the longitudinal direction.

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