JP2015068865A - Replacement unit for image forming apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a replacement unit of an image forming apparatus which can be stocked in a long period without affecting the characteristics of the peripheral surface of a photoreceptor drum, and which requires no special work at the time of unit replacement and an image forming apparatus.SOLUTION: A replacement unit 30 of an image forming apparatus configured such that a photoreceptor drum 1 and a peripheral member disposed in the periphery are made into a unit so as to be integrally replaced includes: a lock device 31 for locking the peripheral member in a separated state in which the peripheral member is separated from the peripheral surface of the photoreceptor drum 1; and a protection member 50 having a cover part 51 for covering at least the exposed section of the photoreceptor drum 1, a contact part 52 for removing the cover part 51 in contact with the specific portion of the image forming apparatus at the time of unit replacement, and a lock release part 53 for releasing the lock of the lock device 31 during the motion of removing the cover part 51.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus replacement unit and an image forming apparatus.

  The image forming apparatus is configured to form an electrostatic latent image on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum, develop the electrostatic latent image with toner, and transfer the developed toner image onto a predetermined sheet. There is something. Around the photosensitive drum, for example, a charging roller that charges the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum, a cleaning member that cleans toner remaining on the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum after transfer, and the like are disposed to face each other.

  The photosensitive drum is unitized with peripheral members disposed around the photosensitive drum, and the peripheral members can be replaced together (for example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2). The replacement unit includes a cover member that covers an exposed portion of the photosensitive drum, and protects the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum that affects the image quality. When replacing the unit, the cover member is removed and attached to the image forming apparatus.

JP 2001-188456 A JP 2004-038194 A

By the way, many replacement units of the image forming apparatus are assembled and stocked as replacement parts. Since the replacement unit includes a peripheral member that is close to the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum, if the replacement unit is left for a long period of time, for example, a phenomenon in which the material of the charging roller is transferred to the photosensitive drum (so-called bleed) may occur. In some cases, the distortion of the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum may occur due to the pressing of the cleaning member.
For this reason, conventionally, some material evaluations have been performed on the material of the charging roller, a material that is difficult to shift to is selected, and a mechanism that releases the pressing state of the cleaning member is added. It was necessary to remove the lock.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and can be stocked for a long period of time without affecting the properties of the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum, and does not require any special work when replacing the unit. An object of the present invention is to provide an exchange unit for an image forming apparatus and an image forming apparatus.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides an exchange unit for an image forming apparatus in which a photosensitive drum and a peripheral member disposed around the photosensitive drum are unitized so as to be integrally replaceable. A locking device that locks the photosensitive drum in a separated state separated from the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum, a cover that covers at least an exposed portion of the photosensitive drum, and a specific portion of the image forming apparatus when the unit is replaced. And a protective member having an abutting portion for removing the cover portion and a lock releasing portion for releasing the lock of the locking device during the movement of removing the cover portion.
By adopting this configuration, in the present invention, the peripheral member of the photosensitive drum is locked in a separated state by the locking device before the replacement unit is mounted on the image forming apparatus. It is possible to avoid affecting the properties. In addition, a protective member for protecting the photosensitive drum is attached to the replacement unit. However, in the present invention, when the unit is replaced, the protective member comes into contact with a specific part of the image forming apparatus and moves. In particular, no special work is added to release the separated state of the peripheral members.

In the present invention, the protection member employs a configuration in which the protection member has a claw portion that locks the unit housing and forms a rotation fulcrum of movement for removing the cover portion.
By adopting this configuration, in the present invention, a claw portion that is locked to the unit housing is provided on the protection member, and a rotation fulcrum for the movement to remove the cover portion is formed, so that the movement that removes the protection member is regular. The lock can be released more reliably when replacing the unit.

In the present invention, the peripheral member is biased toward the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum in the separated state, and the locking device is configured to rotate the peripheral drum of the peripheral member by the biasing. A movable member that is movable between a restriction position that restricts movement toward the surface and a restriction release position that releases the restriction, and the lock release part moves the member in the movement of removing the cover part. A configuration is adopted in which the pressure is pressed toward the restriction release position.
By adopting this configuration, in the present invention, the moving member is positioned at the restriction position, the peripheral member is separated from the biasing force, and the moving member is pressed by the unlocking portion of the protective member, By moving to the restriction release position, the peripheral member can be automatically returned to the use position by urging.

In the present invention, a configuration is adopted in which a plurality of the peripheral members are provided, and the locking device has a link mechanism that interlocks the unlocking of the plurality of peripheral members.
By adopting this configuration, in the present invention, by providing the link mechanism, it is possible to unlock the plurality of peripheral members by the movement of one protective member.

In the present invention, the peripheral member includes a charging roller that charges the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum.
By adopting this configuration, in the present invention, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of bleeding in which the material of the charging roller is transferred to the photosensitive drum when left for a long period of time. Further, in the present invention, since the occurrence of bleeding can be prevented, the range of materials for selecting the charging roller can be widened.

In the present invention, the peripheral member includes a cleaning member that cleans the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum.
By adopting this configuration, in the present invention, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of minute distortions on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum due to the pressing of the cleaning member by leaving for a long time.

  In the present invention, an image forming apparatus having an attachment portion to which the replacement unit described above can be attached is employed.

  According to the present invention, there is provided an exchange unit and an image forming apparatus of an image forming apparatus that can be stocked for a long period of time without affecting the properties of the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum, and that do not require special work when replacing the unit. can get.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state of the image forming apparatus when a drum unit is replaced in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an attachment portion of a drum unit of the image forming apparatus in the embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the exchange unit in embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the protection member in embodiment of this invention. It is a section lineblock diagram showing the exchange unit in the embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the cleaning blade seen from the arrow A direction shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the charging roller seen from the arrow B direction shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the movement of the protection member at the time of unit replacement | exchange of the replacement | exchange unit in embodiment of this invention, and the movement of lock release of a locking device.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus P according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The image forming apparatus P includes a discharge unit a, a toner storage unit b, an image forming unit c, and a paper unit d. In addition, the image forming apparatus P is provided with a transport unit e from the sheet unit d located at the lower part to the discharge unit a located at the upper part.

The discharge unit a is configured such that a sheet (sheet material) on which a predetermined image is formed is discharged through the transport unit e. The bottom surface of the discharge portion a is inclined so that when a plurality of sheets are discharged, the one end side is aligned and stacked.
The toner storage unit b is made of, for example, a black toner (BK) toner container, and is configured to supply toner to the developing unit c2 of the image forming unit c.

The image forming unit c includes a laser scanning unit c1, a developing unit c2, a drum unit c3, a transfer unit c4, and a fixing unit c5.
Similarly to the known laser scanning unit, the laser scanning unit c1 includes a light beam generator that generates laser light, a polygon mirror that scans a light beam emitted from the light beam generator, and the polygon mirror. And an fθ lens (both not shown) that forms an image on the photosensitive drum 1 described later.

The developing unit c <b> 2 develops an electrostatic latent image formed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 by supplying toner to the photosensitive drum 1. The developing roller 2 is disposed so as to face each other in the radial direction.
The drum unit c3 is a photosensitive drum on which an electrostatic latent image is generated on the peripheral surface of the drum by using the laser scanning unit c1 and a toner image is formed by toner supplied from the toner storage unit b to the developing unit c2. 1

Around the photosensitive drum 1, a charging roller 3 for charging the peripheral surface thereof, a cleaning blade 4 (cleaning member) for removing toner remaining on the peripheral surface after the transfer, and the like are opposed to each other as peripheral members. . The charging roller 3 and the cleaning blade 4 of the present embodiment are detachably united with the photosensitive drum 1 as a drum unit c3.
The transfer unit c4 includes a transfer roller 5 that is disposed to face the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 1 in the radial direction. The transfer roller 5 is provided so as to press the photosensitive drum 1.

  Accordingly, when the photosensitive drum 1 is driven to rotate, the transfer roller 5 can rotate along with the rotation. In addition, when a predetermined sheet material, for example, a sheet has been conveyed through the conveying unit e, the transfer roller 5 can be rotated while the sheet is interposed between the photosensitive drum 1 and the sheet. The sheet can be conveyed to the fixing unit c5 side.

  The fixing unit c5 is provided in a part of the transport unit e on the downstream side of the transfer unit c4, and is a pair of rollers arranged so as to sandwich the paper transported through the transport unit e. It is configured. The fixing unit c5 is configured so that the toner image on the paper transferred by the transfer unit c4 by being pressed and heated by the pair of rollers can be fixed on the paper.

  The paper portion d includes a paper feed cassette that is provided so as to be freely drawn out from the apparatus main body 10. The sheet feeding cassette is configured to be able to supply sheets one by one to the transport unit e.

  The conveyance part e is provided from the paper part d located in the lower part to the discharge part a located in the upper part, and includes a plurality of conveyance rollers and a guide plate. The transport unit e is configured to transport the sheets supplied from the sheet unit d one by one toward the discharge unit a.

  In the image forming apparatus P configured as described above, an electrostatic latent image is formed by irradiating the photosensitive drum 1 with laser light corresponding to the image data from the laser scanning unit c1, and the toner image is developed with the supplied toner. The The toner image carried on the photosensitive drum 1 is transferred to a sheet by the transfer unit c4, and then subjected to a fixing process by being pressurized and heated by the fixing unit c5. Finally, the sheet on which the image is printed is discharged to the discharge unit a.

Next, a configuration for replacing the drum unit c3 of the image forming apparatus P having the above configuration will be described.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a state of the image forming apparatus P when the drum unit c3 is replaced in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the attachment portion 11 of the drum unit c3 of the image forming apparatus P in the embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus P is provided with a side cover 12 of the apparatus body 10 that can be opened and closed. The side cover 12 has a rotating shaft 13 at the lower end and is configured to rotate with respect to the apparatus main body 10. The side cover 12 supports a transfer unit c4. When the side cover 12 is opened, the drum unit c3 is exposed to the outside of the apparatus.

  The image forming apparatus P includes a mounting portion 11 for the drum unit c3. As shown in FIG. 3, the attachment portion 11 is a groove formed on the inner side surface of the apparatus main body 10 and extends in the horizontal direction. The drum unit c3 has a configuration in which both end portions engage with the mounting portion 11 and can be inserted and removed in the horizontal direction. In addition, the code | symbol 14 shown in FIG. 3 is an attaching part (groove) of the developing unit c2.

Next, the configuration of the replacement unit 30 of the drum unit c3 attached to the image forming apparatus P having the above configuration will be described.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the replacement unit 30 in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the protection member 50 in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram showing the replacement unit 30 in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram showing the cleaning blade 4 viewed from the direction of the arrow A shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram showing the charging roller 3 viewed from the direction of arrow B shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the replacement unit 30 includes a drum unit c <b> 3 and a protection member 50. As shown in FIG. 6, the drum unit c <b> 3 includes a charging roller 3 and a cleaning blade 4 as peripheral members of the photosensitive drum 1. The charging roller 3 and the cleaning blade 4 are each urged toward the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 1, and can be separated from the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 1 against the urging.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the cleaning blade 4 is supported by a support plate 15. The support plate 15 has a support shaft 16, and the support shaft 16 is rotatably supported with respect to the unit housing 23. The support plate 15 has a spring receiving portion 17 on the side opposite to the cleaning blade 4 with the support shaft 16 interposed therebetween. The spring receiving portion 17 receives urging force from the urging spring 18 and is provided so as to protrude on the side opposite to the cleaning blade 4 as shown in FIG. The urging spring 18 is, for example, a coil spring, and is configured to urge the cleaning blade 4 toward the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the charging roller 3 has a rotating shaft 19, and the rotating shaft 19 is rotatably supported by the roller housing 20. The roller housing 20 is configured to be close to and away from the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 by a slide groove (not shown). The roller housing 20 is provided with a spring receiving portion 21. The spring receiving portion 21 receives a biasing force from the biasing spring 22 and is provided so as to protrude on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the roller housing 20. The biasing spring 22 is, for example, a coil spring, and is configured to bias the charging roller 3 toward the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the replacement unit 30 includes a lock device 31 that locks the charging roller 3 and the cleaning blade 4 in a separated state in which the charging roller 3 and the cleaning blade 4 are separated from the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1. The lock device 31 of this embodiment includes a link mechanism 32 that interlocks unlocking of the charging roller 3 and the cleaning blade 4. The lock device 31 is provided inside the unit housing 23 of the drum unit c3.

  The link mechanism 32 includes a first lock member 33 (moving member) and a second lock member 34 (moving member). The first lock member 33 is for locking the cleaning blade 4 in a separated state. As shown in FIG. 6, the first lock member 33 is a plate-like member that is bent in an approximately L shape in a side view, and a rotation shaft 35 is provided at a position corresponding to the bent portion. The rotating shaft 35 is rotatably supported with respect to the unit housing 23. An engaging claw 36 is provided at an end portion extending downward of the first lock member 33. The engagement claw 36 is for engaging with the support plate 15 to restrict the rotation of the cleaning blade 4.

  The first lock member 33 is a restriction position (indicated by a solid line in FIG. 6) for restricting the movement of the cleaning blade 4 toward the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 by the biasing of the biasing spring 18 and a restriction for releasing the restriction. It is configured to be movable between a release position (indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 6). The first lock member 33 is biased by a biasing spring 37. The urging spring 37 is, for example, a torsion coil spring, and is configured to urge the first lock member 33 from the restriction release position toward the restriction position, as shown in FIG.

  The second lock member 34 is for locking the charging roller 3 in a separated state. As shown in FIG. 6, the second lock member 34 is a plate-like member that is bent in an approximately L shape in a side view, and a rotation shaft 38 is provided at a position corresponding to the bent portion. The rotating shaft 38 is rotatably supported with respect to the unit housing 23. An end portion extending upward of the second lock member 34 is located in a movement region of an end portion extending downward of the first lock member 33, and the first lock member 33 and the second lock member 34 rotate in conjunction with each other. It has a possible configuration.

  As shown in FIG. 6, an engagement claw 39 is provided at an end portion extending to the right side of the second lock member 34. The tip of the engaging claw 39 is bent downward. On the other hand, the roller housing 20 is provided with an engagement claw 40 with which the engagement claw 39 can be engaged. The tip of the engaging claw 40 is bent upward. When the engaging claw 39 and the engaging claw 40 are engaged, the movement of the charging roller 3 can be regulated.

  The second lock member 34 is a restriction position (indicated by a solid line in FIG. 6) that restricts the movement of the charging roller 3 toward the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 by the biasing of the biasing spring 22, and a restriction that releases the restriction. It is configured to be movable between a release position (indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 6). The second lock member 34 is biased by the biasing spring 41. The urging spring 41 is, for example, a torsion coil spring, and is configured to urge the second lock member 34 from the restriction release position toward the restriction position, as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a protection member 50 is attached to the drum unit c3 having the above configuration. The protection member 50 is attached to the rear in the unit insertion direction (the left direction in FIG. 6). As shown in FIG. 5, the protection member 50 includes a cover part 51, a contact part 52, a lock release part 53, and a claw part 54. As shown in FIG. 6, the cover 51 covers at least the exposed portion of the photosensitive drum 1 and has a curved shape.

  The contact part 52 is provided below the cover part 51. The abutting portion 52 abuts against a specific portion (developing unit c2 in the present embodiment) of the image forming apparatus P when the unit is replaced, and removes the cover portion 51. The contact portion 52 has a rib 55 that contacts the development unit c2 prior to unit replacement. The rib 55 is formed in a right triangle shape in a side view, and protrudes forward in the unit insertion direction as it goes downward.

  The unlocking part 53 is provided above the cover part 51. The lock release portion 53 projects forward in the unit insertion direction, and releases the lock of the lock device 31 while the contact portion 52 contacts the developing unit c2 and removes the cover portion 51. The unlocking part 53 has a pressing part 56 that presses the first locking member 33 toward the restriction releasing position during the movement of removing the cover part 51. The pressing portion 56 is provided by bending downward at the distal end portion of the lock releasing portion 53.

  The tip of the pressing portion 56 has a semicircular curved shape when viewed from the side. As shown in FIG. 4, an opening 24 is formed in the upper part of the unit housing 23, so that the internal locking device 31 can be accessed. As shown in FIG. 6, the pressing portion 56 proceeds to the opening 24 during the movement of removing the cover portion 51, and has a configuration capable of pressing the end portion extending rightward of the first lock member 33 downward. Yes. When the first lock member 33 moves to the restriction release position due to the pressing, the second lock member 34 also moves to the restriction release position, and the unlocking of the cleaning blade 4 and the charging roller 3 can be interlocked.

  The claw portion 54 is provided above the cover portion 51. The claw portion 54 is engaged with the unit housing 23 and forms a pivot point for movement to remove the cover portion 51. The claw portion 54 is provided behind the pressing portion 56 in the unit insertion direction. The claw portion 54 is formed in a right triangle shape in a side view, and protrudes downward toward the rear in the unit insertion direction. With respect to the distance to the claw portion 54 serving as a rotation fulcrum, the pressing portion 56 is closer to the abutting portion 52, and the pressing force by the pressing portion 56 is secured by the lever principle.

Next, unit replacement work of the replacement unit 30 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the movement of the protective member 50 and the movement of unlocking the lock device 31 when the exchange unit 30 is replaced in the embodiment of the present invention.

  To replace the drum unit c3, first, as shown in FIG. 2, the side cover 12 of the image forming apparatus P is opened. When the side cover 12 is opened, the drum unit c3 is exposed to the outside of the apparatus body 10. When the drum unit c <b> 3 is exposed, the drum unit c <b> 3 is gripped and extracted in the horizontal direction along the attachment portion 11. Thereby, the drum unit c3 can be removed from the image forming apparatus P.

  Next, an exchange unit 30 for the drum unit c3 is prepared. As shown in FIG. 6, the replacement unit 30 includes a lock device 31 that locks the charging roller 3 and the cleaning blade 4 in a separated state in which the charging roller 3 and the cleaning blade 4 are separated from the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1. Accordingly, during storage before the replacement unit 30 is mounted on the image forming apparatus P, the charging roller 3 and the cleaning blade 4 can be locked in a separated state, which affects the properties of the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1. Can not be.

  Specifically, when the charging roller 3 is left for a long period of time, it is possible to prevent the bleeding that the material of the charging roller 3 moves to the photosensitive drum 1. Moreover, in this embodiment, since generation | occurrence | production of a bleed can be prevented, the breadth of material selection of the charging roller 3 can be expanded. In addition, by leaving for a long time, it is possible to prevent the generation of minute distortions on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 due to the pressing of the cleaning blade 4. For this reason, it is possible to suppress a decrease in image quality.

  When this replacement unit 30 is prepared, it is inserted in the horizontal direction along the attachment portion 11 (see FIG. 6). A protection member 50 that protects the photosensitive drum 1 is attached to the replacement unit 30. The protection member 50 has a contact portion 52 that contacts the developing unit c2 when the unit is replaced. As shown in FIG. 9, when the contact portion 52 contacts the developing unit c2, the protection member 50 rotates rearward and the cover portion 51 is removed.

  The protection member 50 has a claw portion 54 that is locked to the unit housing 23. The claw portion 54 serves as a rotation fulcrum for the movement of removing the cover portion 51. Thus, the claw part 54 which latches to the unit housing 23 is provided in the protection member 50, and the regularity is given to the movement which the protection member 50 removes by forming the rotation fulcrum of the movement which removes the cover part 51. be able to.

  The protection member 50 includes a lock release portion 53 that releases the lock of the lock device 31 during the movement of removing the cover portion 51. When the protection member 50 rotates about the claw portion 54 as a fulcrum, the pressing portion 56 provided at the distal end portion of the unlocking portion 53 enters the opening portion 24, and the first locking member 33 provided inside the unit housing 23. Press the right end downward. In this way, the lock release unit 53 presses the first lock member 33 toward the restriction release position during the movement of removing the cover unit 51.

  When the first lock member 33 rotates about the rotation shaft 35 by the pressing, the engagement state between the engagement claw 36 and the support plate 15 is released. The first lock member 33 restricts the movement of the cleaning blade 4 toward the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 by the urging of the urging spring 18, and when the restriction is released, the cleaning blade 4 is moved to the photosensitive drum. It automatically returns to the use position close to the peripheral surface of 1. Specifically, when the support plate 15 rotates about the support shaft 16, the cleaning blade 4 comes close to the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1.

  When the first lock member 33 rotates about the rotation shaft 35, the second lock member 34 pushed by the first lock member 33 rotates about the rotation shaft 38. When the second lock member 34 rotates about the rotation shaft 38, the engagement state of the engagement claws 39, 40 is released. The second lock member 34 restricts the movement of the charging roller 3 toward the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 by the urging of the urging spring 22. When the restriction is released, the charging roller 3 is moved to the photosensitive drum. It automatically returns to the use position close to the peripheral surface of 1. Specifically, when the roller housing 20 moves along a slide groove (not shown), the charging roller 3 comes close to the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1.

As described above, the lock device 31 of the present embodiment includes the link mechanism 32 including the first lock member 33 and the second lock member 34. By adopting this configuration, the plurality of charging rollers 3 and the cleaning blade 4 can be unlocked in conjunction with one movement of the protection member 50.
When the replacement unit 30 is inserted to the home position, the protection member 50 is removed, and the side cover 12 is closed as shown in FIG.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, in the replacement unit 30 of the drum unit c3 that is periodically replaced, the charging roller 3 and the cleaning blade 4 are separated by the protective member 50 that is automatically detached in conjunction with the unit replacement operation. The state can be released at the same time. That is, in this embodiment, when the unit is replaced, the protection member 50 comes off by contacting a specific part of the image forming apparatus P, and the separated state of the charging roller 3 and the cleaning blade 4 is released during the movement. No special work will be added.

  Therefore, according to the above-described embodiment, the photosensitive drum 1 and the peripheral members disposed around the photosensitive drum 1 are the replacement unit 30 of the image forming apparatus P in which the replacement is unitized so as to be integrally replaceable. Is locked in a separated state separated from the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1, a cover portion 51 that covers at least an exposed portion of the photosensitive drum 1, and a specific portion of the image forming apparatus P when the unit is replaced. And a protection member 50 having an abutment portion 52 that abuts the cover device 51 and removes the cover portion 51, and a lock release portion 53 that unlocks the lock device 31 in the movement of removing the cover portion 51. Can be stocked for a long time without affecting the properties of the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1, and replacement that does not require any special work when replacing the unit. Knit 30 and the image forming apparatus P is obtained.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described referring drawings, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. Various shapes, combinations, and the like of the constituent members shown in the above-described embodiments are examples, and various modifications can be made based on design requirements and the like without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration has been described in which the locking device locks both the charging roller and the cleaning blade in the separated state as the peripheral member disposed around the photosensitive drum. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. A configuration may be adopted in which the lock device locks either the charging roller or the cleaning blade in a separated state.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the cleaning member is a cleaning blade has been described. However, the configuration is not limited to this configuration, and a configuration in which the cleaning member is a cleaning roller may be employed.

  Further, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the contact portion of the protective member comes into contact with the developing unit when the unit is replaced has been described, but the contact portion is not limited to this configuration, and the image forming apparatus A configuration that abuts against the apparatus main body or other built-in mechanism may be employed.

  Further, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the lock device has a link mechanism that interlocks the unlocking of the charging roller and the cleaning blade has been described. However, the lock device is not limited to this configuration, and the locking device is the charging roller and the cleaning blade. A configuration in which the lock release is independently performed may be employed.

  Further, for example, the present invention can be applied to an exchange unit of an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copying machine, and a facsimile machine and the image forming apparatus.

1 Photosensitive drum 3 Charging roller (peripheral member)
4 Cleaning blade (cleaning member, peripheral member)
7 Mounting portion 23 Unit housing 30 Replacement unit 31 Lock device 32 Link mechanism 33 First lock member (moving member)
34 Second lock member (moving member)
50 Protective member 51 Cover portion 52 Contact portion 53 Unlocking portion 54 Claw portion c3 Drum unit P Image forming apparatus

Claims (7)

A replacement unit of an image forming apparatus in which a photosensitive drum and peripheral members arranged around the photosensitive drum are unitized so as to be integrally replaceable.
A locking device that locks the peripheral member in a separated state separated from the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum;
The cover part that covers at least the exposed part of the photosensitive drum, the contact part that contacts the specific part of the image forming apparatus when replacing the unit, and the movement of removing the cover part An image forming apparatus replacement unit, comprising: a protection member having a lock release unit that releases the lock of the lock device.   2. The image forming apparatus replacement unit according to claim 1, wherein the protection member includes a claw portion that engages with the unit housing and forms a rotation fulcrum of movement for removing the cover portion. The peripheral member is biased toward the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum in the separated state,
The locking device includes a moving member that is movable between a restriction position that restricts movement of the peripheral member toward the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum by the biasing and a restriction release position that releases the restriction. ,
3. The image forming apparatus replacement unit according to claim 1, wherein the lock release unit presses the moving member toward the restriction release position during movement of removing the cover unit. 4. A plurality of the peripheral members are provided,
4. The image forming apparatus replacement unit according to claim 1, wherein the lock device includes a link mechanism that interlocks unlocking of the plurality of peripheral members. 5.   5. The image forming apparatus replacement unit according to claim 1, further comprising a charging roller configured to charge the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum as the peripheral member.   The image forming apparatus replacement unit according to claim 1, further comprising a cleaning member that cleans a peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum as the peripheral member.   An image forming apparatus comprising an attachment portion to which the replacement unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6 can be attached.

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