JP2011158588A - Assembling method of development device, and assembling method of process cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To restore a sealing member which has been bitten in at assembling, to a state which is not a bitten in state. <P>SOLUTION: An assembling method includes an arrangement step for the sealing member 30, for arranging the sealing member 30 in an interior space of a cylindrical projection 143; an insertion step for inserting a driving force transmission member 20 into the interior space of the cylindrical projection 143, fitting a section to be sealed 201 of the driving force transmission member 20 to a central hole of the sealing member 30, and allowing a tip of the driving force transmission member 20 to reach the inside of a toner storage container 14, by making the tip of the driving force transmission member penetrate a through-hole 142; and a movement step for the driving force transmission member 20, that allows the driving force transmission member 20 to move repeatedly in the inserting direction and in the returning direction which is opposite to the insertion direction, while making the member 20 rotate in the forward and in reverse directions. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a developing device assembling method and a process cartridge assembling method.
Here, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus using a developing device or a process cartridge forms an image on a recording medium using an electrophotographic image forming system. Examples of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus include an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (for example, a laser beam printer, an LED printer, etc.), a facsimile apparatus, a word processor, and the like.
In the process cartridge, an electrophotographic photosensitive drum, a charging device, a developing device, and a cleaning device are integrated into a cartridge, and the cartridge can be attached to and detached from the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus. Alternatively, the process cartridge is a cartridge in which the electrophotographic photosensitive drum and at least the developing device are integrally formed, and the cartridge can be attached to and detached from the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

In the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, an electrophotographic photosensitive member and a process unit such as a developing device acting on the electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrally formed into a cartridge, and the cartridge is detachably attached to the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus. Is adopted. According to this process cartridge system, the apparatus can be maintained by the user himself / herself without depending on the service person, so the operability can be remarkably improved. For this reason, the process cartridge system is widely used in electrophotographic image forming apparatuses.
As such a process cartridge (hereinafter referred to as a cartridge), a cartridge in which a means for stirring and conveying the developer (hereinafter referred to as a stirring member) is disposed in the developing device or the cleaning device has been put into practical use. Such a stirring member receives a rotational driving force from a driving input means arranged outside the developing device via a driving force transmission member connected to one end of the stirring member. The driving force transmitting member is inserted from the outside to the inside of the developing device through a through hole that penetrates the wall of the developing device. For this reason, a seal member for preventing the developer from leaking from the through hole through which the driving force transmitting member has been penetrated is disposed outside the developing device. Conventionally, as a seal member for preventing the developer from leaking from the through hole, an elastic seal composed of an elastic member having a lip shape or a felt seal using wool felt has been used. Some cheaper seal members use foamed sponge seal members (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2004-70245 A

In the technique of Patent Document 1, the driving force transmission member is inserted into the seal member and the through hole while compressing the seal member during assembly. At this time, the side of the seal member that contacts the driving force transmission member is dragged in the insertion direction, and a part of the sealing member is formed between the through hole provided in the wall of the developing device and the driving force transmission member that is passed through the through hole. There was a case where it bites into the gap between them. Thereby, there existed a problem that the stirring drive torque at the time of the action | operation which operates a stirring member will raise.
An object of the present invention is to return a seal member bitten at the time of assembly to a state where it is not bitten.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention
A developer container;
A stirring member for stirring the developer inside the storage container;
A transmission member having a shaft portion for transmitting a rotational driving force for causing the stirring member to perform a stirring operation from the outside of the storage container;
A through-hole provided in a wall that partitions the outside and the inside of the storage container, and through which the transmission member is inserted from the outside to the inside;
A cylindrical protrusion surrounding the through hole on the outside of the storage container of the wall, and having a larger inner diameter than the diameter of the through hole;
A seal member that is disposed inside the cylindrical protrusion and prevents the developer inside the storage container from leaking from the through hole;
With
The seal member is a cylindrical seal member in which the shaft portion fits into a center hole, the outer peripheral surface of the seal member contacts the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical protrusion, and the inner peripheral surface of the seal member is the shaft. An assembling method for assembling a developing device that seals by contacting the outer peripheral surface of the part,
i) an arrangement step of arranging the seal member inside the cylindrical protrusion;
ii) Insert the transmission member into the cylindrical projection, fit the shaft portion into the center hole of the seal member, and penetrate the tip of the transmission member through the through hole to reach the inside of the storage container. Insertion process to be
iii) a moving step in which the transmission member is repeatedly moved in the insertion direction and the return direction opposite to the insertion direction while rotating forward and backward;
It is characterized by having.

  According to the present invention, the seal member that has been bitten at the time of assembly can be returned to a state in which it is not bitten.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a developing device according to a first embodiment. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a toner storage container according to Embodiment 1. FIG. Explanatory drawing of the assembling method of the developing device according to Embodiment 1. Explanatory drawing of the assembling method of the developing device according to Embodiment 1. Explanatory drawing of the movement process which concerns on Example 1. Explanatory drawing of the movement process which concerns on Example 1. Explanatory drawing of the movement process which concerns on Example 2. Explanatory drawing of the movement process which concerns on Example 3. Explanatory drawing of the movement process which concerns on Example 3.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be exemplarily described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the components described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to those unless otherwise specified. .

<Example 1>
[Electrophotographic image forming apparatus]
First, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus (hereinafter referred to as an image forming apparatus) A to which a process cartridge (hereinafter referred to as a cartridge) B can be attached and detached will be described with reference to FIG. Figure 1
a) shows a configuration of the image forming apparatus A according to the present example. FIG. 1B shows a cross section of a cartridge B that can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus A according to this example. Here, the image forming apparatus A will be described by taking an electrophotographic laser beam printer as an example.
The image forming apparatus A applies a laser beam corresponding to image information from an optical device 1 to a drum-shaped electrophotographic photosensitive member (electrophotographic photosensitive drum, hereinafter referred to as a photosensitive drum) 7 charged by a charging roller 8. Irradiate. The optical device 1 includes a laser diode, a polygon mirror, a lens, and a reflection mirror. As a result, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image information is formed on the photosensitive drum 7. By developing the electrostatic latent image using a developer (hereinafter referred to as toner) of the developing device 19, a visible image, that is, a toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum 7.
On the other hand, in synchronization with the formation of the toner image, the recording medium 2 set in the paper feed cassette 3a is conveyed to the transfer position by the pickup roller 3b and the conveying roller pairs 3c, 3d, and 3e. A transfer roller 4 as a transfer device is disposed at the transfer position, and a toner image on the photosensitive drum 7 is transferred to the recording medium 2 by applying a voltage to the transfer roller 4.
The recording medium 2 that has received the transfer of the toner image is conveyed to a fixing device via a conveyance guide 3f. The fixing device has a driving roller 5a and a fixing roller 5b with a built-in heater, and fixes the transferred toner image on the recording medium 2 by applying heat and pressure to the recording medium 2 passing therethrough.
Thereafter, the recording medium 2 is conveyed by the discharge roller pair 3g, 3h, and discharged to the discharge tray 6 via the reverse path 3i. The discharge tray 6 is provided on the upper surface of the image forming apparatus A. The swingable flapper 3j can be operated to eject the recording medium 2 without going through the reversing path 3i.

[Process cartridge]
Next, the process cartridge B will be described with reference to FIG. The cartridge B according to this example is configured as a unit in which the charging roller 8, the developing device 19, and the cleaning device 17 are arranged around the photosensitive drum 7, and these are integrally incorporated in a frame. It is attached to and detached from the device A.
The process cartridge to which the process cartridge B assembling method of the present invention can be applied is not limited to the cartridge B of this example. The process cartridge includes an electrophotographic photosensitive drum and a developing device that develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum with a developer, and is removable from the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus. If it is.
The cartridge B rotates the photosensitive drum 7 and uniformly charges the surface thereof by applying a voltage to the charging roller 8. Next, a laser beam corresponding to the image information from the optical device 1 is irradiated onto the photosensitive drum 7 to form an electrostatic latent image. The electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing device 19 using toner. The developing device 19 feeds the toner T in the toner storage container 14 by a rotatable stirring member 15 and rotates the developing sleeve 11 that is a developer carrying member incorporating the magnet roller 10 to convey the toner. A toner layer imparted with triboelectric charge by the developing blade 9 is formed on the surface of the developing sleeve 11, and the toner in the toner layer is transferred to the photosensitive drum 7 according to the electrostatic latent image to form a toner image. The toner image on the photosensitive drum 7 is transferred to the recording medium 2. After the toner image is transferred to the recording medium 2, the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 7 is scraped off by the cleaning blade 12 and removed to the waste toner storage unit 13.

[Developer]
Next, the developing device 19 according to this example will be described with reference to FIG. In this example, the developing device 19 is provided in the cartridge B. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the developing device may be provided alone. The developing device 19 provided in the cartridge B includes a toner storage container 14 that stores the toner T. The toner container 14 corresponds to the developer container of the present invention. The toner storage container 14 includes a stirring member 15 that is rotatably supported. The agitating member 15 agitates the toner T inside the toner storage container 14.
Further, a developing chamber 16 in which the toner T is transferred to the photosensitive drum 7 is provided. In the developing chamber 16, a developing sleeve 11 that is a developer carrying member incorporating the magnet roller 10 and a developing blade 9 that forms a toner layer on the developing sleeve 11 are disposed.
The developing sleeve 11 is a nonmagnetic sleeve made of an aluminum alloy or stainless steel material, and is rotatably supported on the side wall in the developing chamber 16. The surface of the developing sleeve 11 is processed to an appropriate surface roughness so that a desired amount of toner T can be conveyed.
In order to regulate the toner layer on the surface of the developing sleeve 11, the developing blade 9 is configured by fixing an elastic member 9 a such as urethane rubber or silicone rubber to the support metal plate 9 b and applies a predetermined pressure to the developing sleeve 11. In contact.
With such a configuration, the toner T attracted to the developing sleeve 11 by the magnetic force of the magnet roller 10 is triboelectrically charged and layer-regulated by rubbing between the developing sleeve 11 and the developing blade 9, and is given an appropriate charge. To the development area.

[Toner container]
Next, the stirring member 15 and the sealing member 30 made of a foam material will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2B shows a perspective view of the toner container 14 according to this example. FIG. 3 shows a configuration for transmitting the rotational driving force to the stirring member 15.
The toner container 14 has an agitating member 15 for agitating the toner T therein. The stirring member 15 is connected to a driving force transmission member 20 having a sealed portion 201 as a shaft portion that transmits a rotational driving force for causing the stirring member 15 to perform a stirring operation from the outside of the toner container 14. The The driving force transmission member 20 corresponds to the transmission member of the present invention. A partition wall 141 constituting the frame of the toner storage container 14 partitions the outside and the inside of the toner storage container 14. The partition wall 141 is provided with a through hole 142. The driving force transmission member 20 passes through the through hole 142 and is inserted from the outside to the inside of the toner storage container 14. The through hole 142 through which the driving force transmission member 20 has been penetrated is sealed by the seal member 30 from the outside.

In the stirring member 15, a sheet-like stirring sheet 32 is integrally attached to a stirring bar 31 made of a resin such as polyacetal.
The driving force transmission member 20 includes a gear part 202, a fitting part 203, a sealed part 201, and a stirring member connecting part 204. A large-diameter portion having a diameter larger than that of the fitting portion 203 is provided at the center of the gear portion 202. The fitting portion 203 has a small diameter from the large diameter portion. The sealed portion 201 has a smaller diameter from the fitting portion 203. The stirring member connecting portion 204 is one step smaller in diameter than the sealed portion 201 and faces the inside of the toner storage portion 14 b of the toner storage container 14. One end 311 of the stirring rod 31 is supported by the stirring member connecting portion 204 facing the inside of the toner storage portion 14b, and the other end 312 of the stirring rod 31 is rotatably supported by the stirring member support portion 145 of the toner storage container 14. ing. The sealed portion 201 corresponds to the shaft portion into which the sealing member of the present invention is fitted. When a rotational driving force is input from a gear train (not shown), the driving force transmitting member 20 receives the rotational driving force by the gear unit 202, and the agitating member 15 rotates via the agitating member connecting unit 204 to store the toner. The toner T inside the container 14 is sent out to the developing chamber 16.
As shown in FIG. 3, on the outside of the toner container 14 of the partition wall 141 around the through hole 142, a cylindrical protrusion 143 that holds the seal member 30 in an internal space whose inner diameter is larger than the hole diameter of the through hole 142. Is formed. The cylindrical protrusion 143 is formed coaxially with the through-hole 142 through which the driving force transmission member 20 penetrates, and the rotational axis direction of the driving force transmission member 20 and the axial direction of the cylindrical protrusion 143 coincide. The fitting portion 203 of the driving force transmission member 20 is rotatably supported by a bearing portion 144 which is an inner peripheral surface forming the inner space of the cylindrical protrusion 143.
The seal member 30 is a foamed urethane seal member, and is pressed into and fixed to the internal space of the cylindrical protrusion 143 in order to prevent leakage of the toner T stored in the toner storage container 14 from the through hole 142. Yes. The seal member 30 has a hollow cylindrical shape, and the sealed portion 201 of the driving force transmission member 20 is fitted into the center hole. The outer peripheral surface of the seal member 30 contacts over the entire circumference of the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical protrusion 143. On the other hand, the inner peripheral surface forming the center hole of the seal member 30 contacts the outer peripheral surface of the sealed portion 201 of the driving force transmission member 20 over the entire periphery. Thereby, the toner T is sealed. Grease is applied to the inner peripheral portion of the seal member 30.

[Assembly method]
Next, an assembling method of the developing device 19 for assembling the stirring member 15, the seal member 30, and the driving force transmission member 20 to the toner container 14 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.
FIG. 4A shows an arrangement process of the seal member 30 in which the seal member 30 is arranged in the internal space of the cylindrical protrusion 143. In the arrangement process of the seal member 30, first, as shown in FIG. 4A, the seal member 30 is press-fitted into the cylindrical protrusion 143 and arranged.
FIG. 4B shows an arrangement process of the agitating member 15 for arranging the agitating member 15 inside the toner storage container 14. After the press-fitting of the seal member 30, in the step of arranging the stirring member 15, as shown in FIG. 4B, the stirring member 15 positions one end 311 of the stirring rod 31 in the vicinity of the through hole 142 of the toner storage container 14, It arrange | positions so that the other end 312 may be supported by the stirring member support part 145. FIG.
FIG. 5A shows a process of inserting the driving force transmission member 20 into which the driving force transmission member 20 is inserted into the internal space of the cylindrical protrusion 143. In the step of inserting the driving force transmission member 20 after the stirring member 15 is arranged, as shown in FIG. 5A, the driving force transmission member 20 is moved from the stirring member connecting portion 204 at the tip of the toner storage container 14. It is inserted inside the cylindrical protrusion 143. As a result, the sealed portion 201 of the driving force transmitting member 20 is fitted into the center hole of the sealing member 30, and the stirring member connecting portion 204, which is the tip of the driving force transmitting member 20, passes through the through hole 142 and passes through the toner storage container. 14 is reached and connected to the stirring member 15.

FIG. 5B shows a state in which a part of the seal member 30 is caught in the clearance between the through hole 142 and the driving force transmission member 20 passed through the through hole 142. When the stirring member connecting portion 204 is connected to the stirring member 15, the corner portions 301 and 302 of the seal member 30 may be dragged to the insertion side by the distal end portion or the step portion 205 of the driving force transmitting member 20 to be inserted. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5B, a part around the corner portion 302 of the seal member 30 may be caught between the through hole 142 and the driving force transmission member 20. If a part of the seal member 30 is still biting, there arises a problem that the agitation drive torque at the time of the operation for agitating the agitating member 15 is increased.
Therefore, as described below, after the stirring member connecting portion 204 is connected to the stirring member 15, the driving force transmitting member 20 is moved in the front-rear direction of the axial direction x of the driving force transmitting member while rotating in the forward and reverse directions. The process of moving the driving force transmission member 20 is repeated. In addition, the front-back direction of the axial direction x means moving in the insertion direction of the driving force transmission member 20 and the return direction opposite to the insertion direction. As a result, part of the seal member 30 is released and returned to a normal state where it is not engaged. According to this, it can avoid that the stirring drive torque at the time of the action | operation which operates the stirring member 15 will raise.

[Moving process of driving force transmission member]
Next, a method for rotating and moving the driving force transmission member 20 in the movement process of the driving force transmission member 20 according to the present example will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 shows the driving force transmission member 20 and the rotation mechanism 40. FIG. 7A shows a state where the driving force transmission member 20 and the rotation mechanism 40 are engaged. FIG. 7B shows a state in which the drive input portion 206 of the driving force transmission member 20 and the engaged portion 401 of the rotation mechanism 40 are engaged. Here, the rotation mechanism 40 is a mechanism that applies a rotational driving force in order to perform a moving process of the driving force transmission member 20.
As shown in FIG. 6, one drive force transmission member 20 is provided with a drive input unit 206 that engages with an engaged portion 401 of the rotation mechanism 40 and inputs drive. The drive input unit 206 has a center on the axis of the drive force transmission member 20. The drive input unit 206 is a protrusion that is twisted so that each cross section in the protruding direction perpendicular to the axial direction does not change with a triangle. In this example, the drive input unit 206 has a triangular cross section, but may have another polygonal cross section. Drive input unit 206
Corresponds to the engaging portion of the present invention.
The engaged portion 401 of the other rotating mechanism 40 is a triangular recess having the same cross section as the drive input unit 206, and each drive section 206 in the recess direction is twisted corresponding to the drive input unit 206. It is a hole to fit.
Then, the rotation mechanism 40 is arranged so that the engaged portion 401 fits into the drive input portion 206. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7A, the position of the rotation mechanism 40 in the axial direction x is such that the engaged portion 401 and the drive input portion 206 are engaged, and the driving force transmission member 20 is in the axial direction. It stops at a position 403 that can move in the axial direction x ′ opposite to x.
As shown in FIG. 7B, when the rotation mechanism 40 rotates in the α direction, an axial force is generated due to the twisted shape of the engaged portion 401 and the drive input portion 206. Therefore, the driving force transmission member 20 moves in the x ′ direction until the end surface 207 of the drive input unit 206 contacts the end surface 402 of the rotation mechanism 40 and rotates in the same direction as the rotation direction α of the rotation mechanism 40. To do.
On the other hand, when the rotation mechanism 40 rotates in the β direction, an axial force is generated due to the twisted shape of the engaged portion 401 and the drive input portion 206. Therefore, the driving force transmission member 20 moves in the x direction until the surface 208 of the driving force transmission member 20 and the cylindrical protrusion tip 146 of the toner storage container 14 come into contact with each other. Rotate in the same direction.
Therefore, when the rotation mechanism 40 alternately repeats forward and reverse rotations in the α direction and the β direction, the driving force transmission member 20 repeats forward and reverse rotation and movement back and forth in the rotation axis direction. As a result, it is possible to release part of the seal member 30 that is generated when the drive force transmission member 20 is assembled.
That is, in this example, in the moving process of the driving force transmission member 20, the driving force transmission member 20 is rotated forward and backward by the rotation mechanism 40. Then, in the relationship between the drive input portion 206 of the drive force transmission member 20 and the engaged portion 401 provided in the rotation mechanism 40 into which the drive input portion 206 is inserted, the insertion direction or the return direction according to the rotation direction. The thrust is generated. Thus, the driving force transmitting member moving step is performed by repeatedly rotating the engaged portion 401 provided in the rotation mechanism 40 in a state where the engaged portion 401 is fitted to the drive input portion 206.
Note that the drive input portion 206 and the engaged portion 401 may be provided on opposite members.

As described above, according to this example, the seal member 30 that has been bitten when the driving force transmission member 20 is inserted during the assembly process of the developing device 19 can be returned to a normal state. . As a result, it is possible to avoid an unintentional increase in the stirring drive torque due to the biting of the seal member 30.
Further, since the driving force transmission member 20 is rotated and moved in the axial direction only by the rotating operation of the rotating mechanism 40, assembly can be automated with a simple configuration and control. By automating the process, the efficiency of mass production can be improved.
Furthermore, by rotating the driving force transmitting member 20 and moving it in the axial direction only by rotating the rotating mechanism 40, the rotating mechanism 40 and the control can be simplified, and the assembly efficiency can be further improved.

<Example 2>
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Description of features that are the same as those in the first embodiment will be omitted, and only the characteristic portions will be described.

[Moving process of driving force transmission member]
FIG. 8 shows the driving force transmission member 21 and the rotation mechanism 41. As shown in FIG. 8, in this example, the gear portion 211 of one driving force transmission member 21 is a helical gear.
The other rotating mechanism 41 also has a helical gear portion 411 that meshes with the driving force transmission member 21. The helical gear portion 411 corresponds to the gear portion of the present invention.
After the stirring member connecting portion 204 is connected to the stirring member 15, the rotating mechanism 41 stops at a position where the helical gear portion 411 meshes with the gear portion 211 of the driving force transmission member 21.
Next, when the rotating mechanism 41 rotates in the γ direction, the rotational driving force in the ζ direction is transmitted to the driving force transmitting member 21 by the helical gear portion 411, and at the same time, the axial force in the x ′ direction is transmitted. The
On the other hand, when the rotating mechanism 41 rotates in the δ direction, the rotational driving force in the ε direction is transmitted to the driving force transmitting member 21 by the helical gear portion 411, and at the same time, the axial force in the x direction is transmitted. The
Therefore, when the rotation mechanism 41 alternately repeats forward and reverse rotations in the γ direction and the δ direction, the driving force transmission member 21 repeats rotation in the ζ · ε direction and movement in the x ′ · x direction. As a result, it is possible to release part of the seal member 30 that is generated when the drive force transmission member 21 is assembled.
That is, in this example, in the moving process of the driving force transmission member 21, the driving force transmission member 21 is rotated forward and backward by the rotation mechanism 41. Then, in the relationship between the gear portion 211 of the driving force transmitting member 21 and the helical gear portion 411 provided in the rotation mechanism 41 that meshes with the gear portion 211, thrust in the insertion direction or the return direction is generated according to the rotation direction. . Thus, the driving force transmission member 21 is moved by repeatedly rotating the helical gear portion 411 provided in the rotating mechanism 41 in a forward and reverse direction with the helical gear portion 411 engaged with the gear portion 211.

<Example 3>
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described. Description of features that are the same as those in the first and second embodiments will be omitted, and only characteristic portions will be described.

[Moving process of driving force transmission member]
9 and 10 show the driving force transmission member 22 and the rotating mechanism 42. FIG. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the large-diameter portion of the gear portion of one driving force transmission member 22 is provided with a pin-like protrusion 221 that protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the driving force transmission member 22. .
The cylindrical engaging portion of the other rotating mechanism 42 is provided with a notch portion 421 into which the pin-like protrusion 221 is inserted. The notch part 421 includes an insertion part 422 through which the pin-like projection part 221 can be inserted straight from the axial direction of the driving force transmission member 22 and a twist part 423 to be inserted by guiding the pin-like projection part 221 so as to twist. Have. That is, the notch part 421 has a shape that opens facing the pin-like protrusion part 221 and guides the movement direction of the pin-like protrusion part 221 in the forward / reverse rotation direction, the insertion direction, or the return direction.
After the stirring member connecting portion 204 is connected to the stirring member 15, the rotation mechanism 42 moves in the x direction so that the pin-like protrusion 221 is inserted into the insertion portion 422, and as shown in FIG. The protrusion 221 stops at a location 424 where it reaches the twisted portion 423.
Next, when the rotation mechanism 42 rotates in the η direction, an axial force is generated in the pin-shaped protrusion 221 due to the shape of the twisted portion 423, and the driving force transmitting member 22 twists in the x ′ direction. It moves until it reaches the end point 425 of the part 423. Thereafter, the rotation mechanism 42 rotates in the same direction as the rotation direction η.
On the other hand, when the rotation mechanism 42 rotates in the θ direction, the driving force transmission member 22 is moved in the x direction by the twisted portion 423, and the surface 222 of the driving force transmission member 22 and the tip end portion 146 of the cylindrical protrusion of the toner storage container 14 contact each other. After contact, it rotates in the θ direction.
Accordingly, when the rotation mechanism 42 alternately repeats forward and reverse rotations in the η direction and the θ direction, the driving force transmission member 22 repeats the rotation in the η · θ direction and the movement in the x ′ · x direction. As a result, it is possible to release part of the seal member 30 that is generated when the drive force transmission member 22 is assembled.
That is, in this example, in the moving process of the driving force transmission member 22, the driving force transmission member 22 is rotated forward and backward by the rotation mechanism 42. Then, in the relationship between the pin-shaped protrusion 221 of the driving force transmission member 22 and the notch 421 provided in the rotation mechanism 42 into which the pin-shaped protrusion 221 is inserted, the insertion direction or the return direction depends on the rotation direction. Produces direction thrust. Thus, the driving force transmitting member moving step is performed by repeatedly rotating the notch portion 421 provided in the rotation mechanism 42 in the forward and reverse directions with the pin-shaped protrusion 221 inserted into the notch portion 421.
In addition, the pin-shaped protrusion part 221 and the notch part 421 may be provided in the reverse member.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 14 ... Toner storage container, 15 ... Stirring member, 19 ... Developing apparatus, 20-22 ... Driving force transmission member, 30 ... Sealing member, 141 ... Wall, 142 ... Through-hole, 143 ... Cylindrical protrusion

Claims (6)

A developer container;
A stirring member for stirring the developer inside the storage container;
A transmission member having a shaft portion for transmitting a rotational driving force for causing the stirring member to perform a stirring operation from the outside of the storage container;
A through-hole provided in a wall that partitions the outside and the inside of the storage container, and through which the transmission member is inserted from the outside to the inside;
A cylindrical protrusion surrounding the through hole on the outside of the storage container of the wall, and having a larger inner diameter than the diameter of the through hole;
A seal member that is disposed inside the cylindrical protrusion and prevents the developer inside the storage container from leaking from the through hole;
With
The seal member is a cylindrical seal member in which the shaft portion fits into a center hole, the outer peripheral surface of the seal member contacts the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical protrusion, and the inner peripheral surface of the seal member is the shaft. An assembling method for assembling a developing device that seals by contacting the outer peripheral surface of the part,
i) an arrangement step of arranging the seal member inside the cylindrical protrusion;
ii) Insert the transmission member into the cylindrical projection, fit the shaft portion into the center hole of the seal member, and penetrate the tip of the transmission member through the through hole to reach the inside of the storage container. Insertion process to be
iii) a moving step in which the transmission member is repeatedly moved in the insertion direction and the return direction opposite to the insertion direction while rotating forward and backward;
A developing device assembling method characterized by comprising:   In the moving step, when the transmission member is rotated forward and backward by a rotation mechanism, the relationship between the engagement portion of the transmission member and the engaged portion provided in the rotation mechanism that engages with the engagement portion The developing device assembling method according to claim 1, wherein thrust in the insertion direction or the return direction is generated according to a rotation direction. Either the engaging part or the engaged part is a protruding part that is twisted so that the shape of each cross section in the protruding direction perpendicular to the insertion direction does not change, and the other is inserted by the protruding part A hole that is twisted corresponding to the protruding portion,
3. The moving step is performed by repeatedly rotating the protrusion or the hole provided in the rotation mechanism forward and backward in a state where the protrusion is inserted into the hole. An assembling method of the developing device. One of the engaging portion and the engaged portion is a helical gear, and the other is a gear portion that meshes with the helical gear,
3. The moving step is performed by repeatedly rotating the helical gear or the gear portion provided in the rotating mechanism forward and backward in a state where the gear portion is engaged with the helical gear. An assembling method of the developing device. One of the engaging portion and the engaged portion is a pin-like protrusion protruding in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction, and the other is opened to face the pin-like protrusion and opens the pin It has a notch that guides the direction of movement of the protrusion,
The moving step is performed by repeatedly rotating the pin-shaped protrusion or the notch provided in the rotating mechanism in a forward and reverse direction with the pin-shaped protrusion inserted into the notch. The developing device assembling method according to claim 2. A process cartridge assembling method, comprising: an electrophotographic photosensitive drum; and a developing device that develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum with a developer. Because
A process cartridge assembling method, wherein the developing device is assembled by the assembling method of the developing device according to claim 1.

Images