JP2016001250A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus that suppresses, in attaching or detaching a developing cartridge, the occurrence of contact between a developing sleeve on the developing cartridge and a photosensitive drum on an apparatus body side.SOLUTION: An apparatus body 100 and a developing cartridge 3 are coupled to each other by a coupling part 201 and an Oldham coupling including a driving part 103, intermediate part 102, and engaging part 101. The apparatus body 100 includes the Oldham coupling, and the developing cartridge 3 includes the coupling part 201. With this configuration, the intermediate part 102 can be arranged at a position where the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate part 102 does not face a projection part 35. Therefore, the movement of the intermediate part 102 is not controlled by the projection part 35, and thereby a large amount of movement of the intermediate part 102 can be ensured compared to before. When a large amount of movement of the intermediate part 102 is ensured, contact between the developing sleeve 31 and a photosensitive drum can be suppressed in attaching or detaching the developing cartridge 3 to/from the apparatus body 100.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including a cartridge that is detachable from an apparatus main body.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a facsimile machine, a copier, or a multifunction machine that forms an image on a recording material using an image forming process is known. In the image forming apparatus, the image forming process means is singly or in combination as a unit, and is detachably attached to the apparatus main body as a cartridge. Examples of the cartridge include a developing cartridge in which a developing device is unitized, a photosensitive drum, a charging device, and a drum cartridge in which a photosensitive drum cleaner is unitized.

  In the image forming apparatus having such a configuration, the image forming process means on the cartridge side does not operate alone, but operates by receiving a rotational driving force from a driving source such as a motor provided in the apparatus main body. In order to operate the image forming process means on the cartridge side, an Oldham coupling is conventionally provided in the cartridge, and the cartridge and the apparatus main body are sometimes connected by Oldham coupling (Patent Document 1). The Oldham coupling is provided in each of a driven part fixed to an image forming process means (for example, a developing sleeve) on the cartridge side, a driving part connected to a rotating body on the apparatus main body side, and the driving part and the driven part. And an intermediate portion having key grooves on both sides for engaging the protrusions. The intermediate portion is provided between the driving portion and the driven portion, and slides while maintaining the engagement with the driving portion and the driven portion, thereby absorbing the shaft misalignment from the rotating body on the apparatus body side to the cartridge side. A rotational driving force (torque) is transmitted to the image forming process means.

  Further, when the apparatus main body and the cartridge are connected by Oldham coupling, the cartridge can be moved between the attachment / detachment position and the driving position by utilizing the fact that the intermediate portion can slide with respect to the driving portion and the driven portion. I have to. That is, the cartridge reciprocates between the attachment / detachment position where the cartridge can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body and the drive position where the image forming process means on the cartridge side efficiently receives the rotational driving force from the apparatus main body as the intermediate portion slides. Is done.

JP 2011-170378 A

  By the way, when the cartridge is attached to and detached from the apparatus main body, if the image forming process means on the cartridge side and the image forming process means on the apparatus main body are extremely close to each other, they are likely to come into contact with each other. For example, when a developing cartridge that can be inserted and removed along the rotational axis direction of the photosensitive drum provided on the apparatus main body side is attached or detached, if the developing sleeve on the cartridge side and the photosensitive drum on the apparatus main body contact, The sleeve or the photosensitive drum may be damaged. Therefore, in order to prevent contact of the image forming process means that may occur when the cartridge is attached / detached, it is preferable to increase the length from the attaching / detaching position to the driving position as described above, that is, to ensure the maximum amount of movement of the intermediate portion.

  However, in the conventional configuration in which the Oldham coupling is provided in the cartridge, it may be difficult to ensure a large amount of movement of the intermediate portion. For example, in the case where the developing cartridge has a protruding portion that protrudes in the rotational axis direction of the photosensitive drum at the end portion to be inserted into the apparatus main body, the amount of movement of the intermediate portion that slides in the direction intersecting the rotational axis direction of the photosensitive drum is It is difficult to secure large. In this case, when the developing cartridge is attached to or detached from the apparatus main body, the developing sleeve on the developing cartridge side and the photosensitive drum on the apparatus main body side may come into contact with each other.

  As described above, in the conventional configuration in which the Oldham coupling is provided in the cartridge, the moving amount of the intermediate portion cannot be secured sufficiently. Therefore, when the cartridge is attached or detached, the image forming process means on the cartridge side and the image on the apparatus main body side are used. Contact was likely to occur with the forming process means.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and is an image forming apparatus in which contact between the image forming process means on the cartridge side and the image forming process means on the apparatus main body hardly occurs when the cartridge is attached to and detached from the apparatus main body. For the purpose of provision.

  An image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes an apparatus main body having a driving source, a first rotating body provided in the apparatus main body and rotated by the driving source, and a rotation axis direction of the first rotating body with respect to the apparatus main body. And a cartridge having a projecting portion projecting in the direction of insertion into the apparatus main body at an end portion on the side to be inserted into the apparatus main body, and provided at a position away from the projecting portion at the end of the cartridge. Provided between the second rotating body and the first rotating body and the second rotating body, and is movable in a direction intersecting with a rotation axis direction of the first rotating body and perpendicular to each other. An intermediate portion that engages with each of the first rotator and the second rotator and transmits a rotational driving force from the first rotator to the second rotator. Engaged with one rotating body and the second rotating body In than the protrusion, characterized in that positioned in the apparatus main body.

  According to the present invention, when the cartridge is attached to or detached from the apparatus main body, it is possible to prevent the image forming process means provided on the cartridge side from contacting the image forming process means provided on the apparatus main body side.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing a developing cartridge. FIG. 2 is a schematic top view showing a developing cartridge. It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of Oldham coupling. It is a perspective view explaining a drive part and an intermediate part. It is a figure explaining a guide part. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining mounting of a developing cartridge. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of an attachment / detachment position and a drive position, and an engaging part. FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a connected state of the developing cartridge and the apparatus main body. It is the schematic which shows the connection state of a drum cartridge and an apparatus main body. It is a figure explaining mounting | wearing of a drum cartridge.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. First, a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

[Image forming apparatus]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and shows a color image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic system. An image forming apparatus 60 shown in FIG. 1 is a so-called intermediate transfer tandem apparatus in which four color image forming units 600 are arranged in the apparatus main body 100 so as to face the intermediate transfer belt 61.

  A recording material conveyance process of the image forming apparatus 60 will be described. The recording material S is stored in a form that is stacked in a recording material storage (cassette) 62 and is fed by the paper feed roller 63 in accordance with the image formation timing. For example, a friction separation method is used for paper feeding from the recording material storage (cassette) 62. The recording material S sent out by the paper supply roller 63 is conveyed to a registration roller 65 arranged in the middle of the conveyance path 64. Then, after the skew correction and timing correction of the recording material S are performed in the registration roller 65, the recording material S is sent to the secondary transfer portion T2. The secondary transfer portion T2 is a transfer nip portion formed by the opposing secondary transfer inner roller 66 and secondary transfer outer roller 67, and applies a predetermined pressure and electrostatic load bias on the recording material S. The toner image is adsorbed to the toner.

  A process of forming an image sent to the secondary transfer portion T2 at the same timing as the conveyance process of the recording material S to the secondary transfer portion T2 described above will be described. First, the image forming unit 600 will be described. Since the configurations of the image forming units of the respective colors are basically the same except for the color of the toner, the black (BK) image forming unit 600 will be described below as a representative. To do.

  The image forming unit 600 mainly includes a photosensitive drum 1 (photosensitive member, image carrier), a charging device 2, a developing device 3 (developer carrier), a photosensitive drum cleaner 5, and the like. The surface of the photosensitive drum 1 to be rotated is uniformly charged in advance by the charging device 2, and then an electrostatic latent image is formed by the exposure device 68 that is driven based on the image information signal. Next, the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 1 is visualized through toner development by the developing device 3. Thereafter, a predetermined pressing force and an electrostatic load bias are applied by the primary transfer device 4 disposed so as to face the image forming unit 600 and the intermediate transfer belt 61, and the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 1 is intermediate. Primary transfer is performed on the transfer belt 61. The transfer residual toner slightly remaining on the photosensitive drum 1 is removed by the photosensitive drum cleaner 5 to prepare for the next image forming process again. In the case of the structure shown in FIG. 1, the image forming unit 600 described above includes four sets of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (BK). However, the number of colors is not limited to four, and the color arrangement order is not limited to this. The developing device 3 uses a two-component developer in which toner and a magnetic carrier are mixed as a developer. The toner is supplied from the toner bottle 605 set in the image forming apparatus 60 to the developing device 3 via a toner supply device (not shown).

  The intermediate transfer belt 61 will be described. The intermediate transfer belt 61 is an endless belt that is stretched by the tension roller 6, the secondary transfer inner roller 66, and the driven rollers 7 a and 7 b and is conveyed and driven in the direction of arrow C in the drawing. Here, the secondary transfer inner roller 66 also serves as a driving roller for driving the intermediate transfer belt 61. The image forming process of each color processed in parallel by each of the above-described Y, M, C, and BK image forming units 600 is performed at the timing of sequentially superimposing on the upstream color toner image that is primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 61. Done. As a result, a full-color toner image is finally formed on the intermediate transfer belt 61 and conveyed to the secondary transfer portion T2. The transfer residual toner after passing through the secondary transfer portion T2 is collected by the transfer cleaner device 8.

  As described above, with the conveyance process and the image forming process described above, the timing of the recording material S and the full-color toner image coincide with each other in the secondary transfer portion T2, and the secondary transfer is performed. Thereafter, the recording material S is conveyed to the fixing device 9, and the toner image is melted and fixed on the recording material S by a predetermined pressure and heat amount. The recording material S on which the image has been fixed in this way is selected to be discharged directly onto the discharge tray 601 or to form a double-sided image by the forward rotation of the discharge roller 69.

  When double-sided image formation is required, the leading edge of the recording material S is conveyed until the trailing edge of the recording material S passes through the switching member 602 by the forward rotation of the discharging roller 69, and then the leading and trailing edges of the recording material S are reversed. Then, it is conveyed to the double-sided conveyance path 603. Thereafter, the sheet is fed again to the transport path 64 by the re-feed roller 604 at the same timing as the recording material of the subsequent job transported from the paper feed roller 63. Subsequent conveyance and back surface image formation processes are the same as those described above, and a description thereof will be omitted.

[Developer cartridge]
In the image forming apparatus 60 according to the present exemplary embodiment, the developing device 3 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 60 without operating alone, and receives driving force transmission, power supply, and the like from the apparatus main body of the image forming apparatus 60. Thus, the developing cartridge is configured to operate. The developing device 3 (developing cartridge) will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The developing device 3 includes a developing container 30 that stores a two-component developer composed of a nonmagnetic toner and a magnetic carrier. The developer is supplied from the developer supply port 32 into the developer container 30 through a toner transport path (not shown) from a toner bottle 605 (see FIG. 1) by a developer supply device (not shown) provided in the image forming apparatus 60. Is done. The inside of the developing container is divided into two transfer chambers (developing chamber and stirring chamber) by a partition, and the developing chamber and the stirring chamber are connected at both ends in the longitudinal direction. The developing container 30 is provided with a plurality of (for example, two) developer conveying means. Specifically, the first conveying screw 33 and the second conveying screw 34 are rotatably supported in the developing chamber and the stirring chamber, respectively. The first and second conveying screws 33 and 34 are arranged in parallel so as to be adjacent to each other and so that their rotation axes are in the same direction as the rotation axis of the developing sleeve 31 described later. The first and second conveying screws 33 and 34 have a screw structure in which a stirring blade made of a nonmagnetic material is provided in a spiral shape around a rotating shaft. The developer is circulated and conveyed between the developing chamber and the agitating chamber as the first and second conveying screws 33 and 34 are driven.

  The developing container 30 is provided with an opening at a position facing the photosensitive drum 1 (see FIG. 1) on the apparatus main body side, and a developing sleeve 31 as a developer carrying member for carrying and transporting the developer from the opening. It arrange | positions so that the part may be exposed. The developer is supplied to the developing sleeve 31 from the developing chamber. The developer supplied to the developing sleeve 31 is carried on the developing sleeve 31 by a magnetic field generated by a magnet roller (not shown) provided in the developing sleeve 31. A regulating blade (not shown) for forming a thin layer of developer on the surface of the developing sleeve 31 is disposed at a position close to the surface of the developing sleeve 31. The developer carried on the developing sleeve 31 is transported to the developing area facing the photosensitive drum 1 with the layer thickness regulated by the regulating blade.

  The developing device 3 (hereinafter referred to as a developing cartridge) is detachably attached to the apparatus main body 100. That is, the developing cartridge 3 can be inserted into the apparatus main body 100 (see FIG. 1) and can be removed from the apparatus main body 100 so as to be slid in the longitudinal direction. The direction in which the developing cartridge 3 is inserted is the same as the direction of the rotation axis of the developing sleeve 31, the first and second conveying screws 33, 34, and the direction of the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum 1 on the apparatus body side is the same. is there. Furthermore, it is also the same direction as the rotation axis direction of the drive unit 103 (see FIG. 4 described later) that is rotatably attached to the apparatus main body. As will be described in detail later, in the image forming apparatus 60 according to the present embodiment, an Oldham coupling that is a shaft coupling member is disposed in the apparatus main body. Therefore, the developing cartridge 3 is provided with a coupling portion 201 as a second rotating body. As shown in FIG. 3, the coupling part 201 is rotated at the cartridge end side (left side in FIG. 3) connected to the Oldham coupling (see FIG. 4 described later) disposed in the apparatus main body 100. The first conveying screw 33 as a member is fixed to one end in the rotation axis direction. That is, the rotational driving force is transmitted from the apparatus main body 100 to the first conveying screw 33. The second conveying screw 34 rotates following the rotation of the first conveying screw 33.

  In the developing cartridge 3 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first and second conveying screws 33 and 34 are arranged in parallel and their ends are arranged at positions shifted in the rotational axis direction. A part of the end of the cartridge connected to the Oldham coupling is formed in a stepped shape having a protruding portion 35 that protrudes toward the apparatus main body 100 side (specifically, the stirring chamber is more than the developing chamber). A developer supply port 32 is provided on the upper surface of the protrusion 35. Here, of the first and second conveying screws 33, 34, the end of one second conveying screw 34 projects in the direction of insertion into the apparatus main body from the end of the other first conveying screw 33. Yes. A developer replenishing port 32 for replenishing the developer is provided on the end side of the second conveying screw 34. This is because the developer supply port 32 is positioned below the developer supply port of a developer supply device (not shown) provided in the apparatus main body 100 in a state where the developing cartridge 3 is mounted on the apparatus main body 100, and the developer. This is to join the supply port and the developer supply port 32 without any gap.

  By the way, according to the conventional configuration, the Oldham coupling is arranged on the developing cartridge 3 side, specifically, at one end in the rotation axis direction of the first conveying screw 33. In this case, it is difficult to ensure a large amount of movement of the intermediate portion. That is, since the outer peripheral surface of the Oldham coupling faces the protruding portion 35, the size (specifically, the size of the diameter) of the Oldham coupling is limited by the protruding portion 35. If the Oldham coupling diameter cannot be increased, the amount of movement of the intermediate portion (the length capable of moving in the direction intersecting the rotation axis direction of the first conveying screw 33) also decreases. In the first place, since the intermediate portion moves in a direction intersecting the rotation axis direction of the first conveying screw 33, the movable range of the intermediate portion is limited by the protrusion 35. For these reasons, in the conventional configuration in which the Oldham coupling is provided in the developing cartridge 3, it is difficult to ensure a large amount of movement of the intermediate portion. If a large amount of movement of the intermediate portion cannot be secured, the developing cartridge 3 is attached to and detached from the apparatus main body 100 at a position where the distance between the developing sleeve 31 on the developing cartridge side and the photosensitive drum 1 on the apparatus main body side is short. Then, when the developing cartridge 3 is shaken when the developing cartridge 3 is attached to or detached from the apparatus main body, the developing sleeve 31 and the photosensitive drum 1 may come into contact with each other due to the shake and damage the surfaces thereof.

  In view of this, in the image forming apparatus 60 according to the present embodiment, an Oldham coupling, which is a shaft coupling member, is provided in the apparatus main body, so that the amount of movement of the intermediate portion is ensured to be larger than that of the related art. This will be described below.

[Oldham coupling]
The Oldham coupling will be described with reference to FIGS. The Oldham coupling shown in FIG. 4 includes an engaging portion 101, an intermediate portion 102, and a driving portion 103. The drive unit 103 as the first rotating body is attached to the apparatus main body so as to be rotatable and the rotation axis is substantially parallel to the insertion direction into the apparatus main body, and drives a motor or the like as a rotating member provided in the apparatus main body. It rotates by receiving a rotational driving force generated by a source (not shown). As shown in FIG. 5, the driving portion 103 is integrally provided with a rib 105 as an engaging member, and the intermediate portion 102 is formed with a groove 111 as an engaged member. The ribs 105 and the grooves 111 are slidably fitted so that the intermediate part 102 can move along the ribs 105 in a direction intersecting the rotational axis direction of the drive part 103. However, since the outer edge portion 103 a that protrudes toward the cartridge side is provided on the outer periphery of the driving portion 103, the intermediate portion 102 reciprocates only within the driving portion 103. That is, the outer edge portion 103a restricts the movement of the intermediate portion 102.

  Further, a groove 112 is formed in the intermediate portion 102 on the surface opposite to the surface engaged with the driving portion 103. The engaging portion 101 is engaged with the groove 112 (see FIG. 4). The engaging portion 101 can move along the groove 112 in a direction crossing the rotational axis direction of the driving portion 103. The engaging portion 101 is engaged with a coupling portion 201 provided on the first conveying screw 33 on the side opposite to the intermediate portion 102.

  Thus, the intermediate part 102 is disposed between the drive part 103 and the engaging part 101 (see FIG. 4), and grooves 111 and 112 that are orthogonal to each other are formed on both surfaces of the intermediate part 102 (see FIG. 4). (See FIG. 5). Therefore, when the engaging portion 101 is fixed, the intermediate portion 102 intersects the rotation axis direction of the engaging portion 101 and the driving portion 103 while maintaining the engagement with the engaging portion 101 and the driving portion 103, respectively. And it becomes possible to move in two directions orthogonal to each other. Due to the movement of the intermediate portion 102, the Oldham coupling absorbs the shaft misalignment between the driving portion 103 and the engaging portion 101, and the rotational driving force generated in the apparatus main body 100 is further supplied to the developing cartridge 3 side via the coupling portion 201. To the first conveying screw 33.

[Guidance Department]
The guide part 104 holds the engaging part 101 rotatably. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the guide unit 104 includes an arm 104a extending in the left-right direction in the figure (horizontal direction with respect to the main body grounding surface) and an upper side in the figure (on the opposite side to the main body grounding surface) And an arm 104b extending in a substantially T-shape. Both ends of the arm 104 a are locked to a restricting portion 107 fixed to the apparatus main body 100. The restricting portion 107 is provided with a groove 107a extending in the vertical direction (perpendicular to the main body grounding surface) in the figure, and the tip of the arm 104a is fitted in the groove 107a. Therefore, the guide portion 104 moves only in the vertical direction in the figure by the restricting portion 107 while holding the engaging portion 101. Then, the movement of the intermediate portion 102 engaged with the engaging portion 101 is restricted, so that the intermediate portion 102 reciprocates between the attaching / detaching position shown in FIG. 6A and the driving position shown in FIG. 6B. Be guided to. In this way, the developing cartridge 3 is correctly positioned at the attaching / detaching position and the driving position.

  The drive position is a position where the axis of the drive unit 103 and the axis of the engagement unit 101 substantially coincide. In the driving position, the first conveying screw 33 of the developing cartridge 3 connected to the engaging portion 101 via the coupling portion 201 is efficiently rotated from a driving source (not shown) of the apparatus main body 100 via the driving portion 103. Can receive driving force. On the other hand, the attachment / detachment position is a position where the axis of the drive unit 103 and the axis of the engagement unit 101 are deviated (that is, decentered) from the drive position. At the attachment / detachment position, the user can attach / detach the developing cartridge 3 to / from the apparatus main body 100 by engaging / disengaging the engaging portion 101 and the coupling portion 201. The developing sleeve 31 is close to the photosensitive drum 1 provided on the apparatus main body 100 side in the driving position, and the developing sleeve 31 is separated from the photosensitive drum 1 provided on the apparatus main body 100 side in the attachment / detachment position.

  An urging member 106 made of an elastic member such as a spring is attached to the arm 104b. The other end of the urging member 106 is fixed to the apparatus main body 100. The urging member 106 urges the guide portion 104 downward in the drawing. Accordingly, when the developing cartridge 3 is not inserted, the guide portion 104 is naturally lowered by gravity so that the engaging portion 101 is positioned at the attachment / detachment position.

  By the way, the developing cartridge 3 is moved from the attaching / detaching position shown in FIG. 6A to the driving position shown in FIG. 6B in conjunction with opening and closing of the door provided in the apparatus main body, and attached to the apparatus main body 100. Is done. Therefore, the mounting of the developing cartridge 3 to the apparatus main body 100 will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 7A to 7D and FIGS. 8A and 8B.

  FIG. 7A shows a state in which the developing cartridge 3 has started to be inserted into the apparatus main body 100. The door 40 is in an open state. The developing cartridge 3 is inserted into the apparatus main body 100 from the door 40 side in the direction of arrow E (the longitudinal direction of the developing cartridge 3) in the drawing. In this state, as shown in FIG. 8A, the engaging portion 101 stands by at the attachment / detachment position. In addition, although the coupling part 201 exists in the position which opposes the engaging part 101, it is not engaging with the engaging part 101. FIG.

  FIG. 7B shows a state in which the developing cartridge 3 is inserted all the way into the mounted main body. The door 40 remains open. When the developing cartridge 3 is inserted to the back of the apparatus main body (right side in the figure), the coupling part 201 engages with the engaging part 101. However, the engaging part 101 (and the coupling part 201) remains in the attachment / detachment position shown in FIG. That is, the developing cartridge 3 is positioned in the longitudinal direction, but is not positioned in the vertical direction (perpendicular to the main body ground plane) in the figure.

  FIG. 7C shows a state in which the door 40 is slightly closed from the state shown in FIG. When the door 40 begins to close, the support member 50 provided in the apparatus main body 100 slides and is positioned below the developing cartridge 3 (on the main body grounding surface side), and the supporting member 50 contacts the lower surface of the developing cartridge 3. I support this. Even in this state, the engaging portion 101 (and the coupling portion 201) remains in the attachment / detachment position shown in FIG.

  On the lower surface of the developing cartridge 3, pressed members 36 are respectively provided at a plurality of locations (here, 2 locations) on the door 40 side and the back side of the apparatus main body. The member to be pressed 36 is formed in, for example, a triangular cross section having an inclined surface with a downward protrusion amount increasing from the door 40 side toward the back of the apparatus main body. On the other hand, a pressing member 51 protruding toward the developing cartridge 3 is formed on the support member 50 at a predetermined position corresponding to the pressed member 36 of the developing cartridge 3. The pressing member 51 is disposed on the support member 50 so as to be positioned closer to the door 40 than the pressed member 36 of the developing cartridge 3 when the supporting member 50 is positioned below the developing cartridge 3.

  FIG. 7D shows a state in which all the doors 40 are closed. When the door 40 is further closed from the state shown in FIG. 7C, the protrusion 41 provided on the door 40 comes into contact with the end surface of the support member 50, and the support member 50 is pushed into the back of the apparatus main body. In accordance with this, the pressing member 51 of the support member 50 contacts the inclined surface of the pressed member 36 and presses the pressed member 36. Then, the developing cartridge 3 is pushed upward in the figure (on the side opposite to the main body grounding surface) until the pressed member 36 is placed on the pressing member 51. Accordingly, the engaging portion 101 (and the coupling portion 201) is moved by the guide portion 104 from the attachment / detachment position shown in FIG. 8 (a) toward the driving position shown in FIG. 8 (b). At this time, the engaging portion 101 (and the coupling portion 201) is moved from the attaching / detaching position toward the driving position by the guide portion 104 described above. When all the doors 40 are finally closed, the engaging portion 101 (and the coupling portion 201) is positioned at the driving position shown in FIG. 8B. Thus, the support member 50 supports the developing cartridge 3 in conjunction with opening and closing of the door 40 and moves in the guide direction of the guide unit 104. As a result, the developing cartridge 3 is also positioned in the vertical direction in the drawing and is correctly mounted on the apparatus main body 100.

  When all the doors 40 of the apparatus main body 100 are opened from the closed state, the operation described with reference to FIG. 7A to FIG. Is moved from the drive position shown in FIG. 8B toward the attachment / detachment position shown in FIG.

  FIG. 9 shows a connected state of the developing cartridge 3 and the apparatus main body 100 in the image forming apparatus 60 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The apparatus main body 100 and the developing cartridge 3 are connected by an Oldham coupling including a driving unit 103, an intermediate unit 102, and an engaging unit 101, and a coupling unit 201. As can be understood from FIG. 9, the intermediate portion 102 engaged with each of the driving portion 103 and the engaging portion 101 is the end portion side of the developing cartridge 3 formed in a step shape (the side connected to the Oldham coupling). ) Is located closer to the apparatus main body 100 than the protrusion 35.

  As described above, in the image forming apparatus 60 according to this embodiment in which the Oldham coupling is provided in the apparatus main body 100 and the coupling portion 201 is provided in the developing cartridge 3, the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate portion 102 does not face the protruding portion 35. The intermediate portion 102 can be disposed in the middle. As such, the movement of the intermediate portion 102 is not limited by the protrusion 35. The image forming apparatus 60 according to the present embodiment is limited only by the size of the drive unit 103. Similarly to the intermediate portion 102, the driving portion 103 can be disposed at a position where the outer peripheral surface does not face the protruding portion 35, so that the size (diameter) of the driving portion 103 is not limited by the protruding portion 35. Therefore, it is possible to arrange the drive unit 103 having a larger diameter. In other words, the amount of movement of the intermediate portion 102 can be easily adjusted simply by changing to the driving portion 103 having a different diameter. As described above, in the image forming apparatus 60 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to ensure a large movement amount of the intermediate unit 102 as compared with the conventional case. Since a large amount of movement of the intermediate portion 102 can be secured, even if the developing cartridge 3 is shaken when the developing cartridge 3 is attached to or detached from the apparatus main body 100, the developing sleeve 31 and the photosensitive drum 1 do not contact with each other due to the shake.

Further, the guide unit 104 moves the developing cartridge 3 so as to reciprocate between the attaching / detaching position shown in FIG. 6A and the driving position shown in FIG. The developing cartridge 3 can be reliably engaged with the engaging portion 101. Further, when the developing cartridge 3 is automatically moved in conjunction with the door 40 to be attached to the apparatus main body 100, the developing cartridge 3 can be correctly positioned at the driving position or the attaching / detaching position.

  The configuration according to the present embodiment can be similarly applied to an image forming apparatus in which a drum cartridge in which the photosensitive drum 1, the charging device 2, and the photosensitive drum cleaner 5 are integrated is mounted on the apparatus main body 100. Therefore, an image forming apparatus in which the drum cartridge is mounted on the apparatus main body will be described with reference to FIGS. For the sake of illustration, the charging device 2 is not shown.

[Drum cartridge]
FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing a connected state of the drum cartridge and the apparatus main body. Compared with the developing cartridge 3 shown in FIG. 9, the drum cartridge 200 is provided with the photosensitive drum 1 at the position of the first conveying screw 33 and the recovered toner conveying screw 71 at the position of the second conveying screw 34. Further, a developer discharge port 72 is provided on the lower surface side of the protruding portion 35. A photosensitive drum cleaner 5 is provided at a position facing the photosensitive drum 1, and the photosensitive drum cleaner 5 can remove the transfer residual toner slightly remaining on the photosensitive drum 1. The collected transfer residual toner is conveyed to a developer discharge port 72 by a collected toner conveying screw 71 as a developer conveying means and discharged to the outside. The drum cartridge 200 is mounted in the apparatus main body 100 so that the developer discharge port 72 communicates with an opening of a discharged developer bottle (not shown). The drum cartridge 200 having such a configuration is provided with a shutter 73 that opens and closes the developer discharge port 72 in accordance with the attaching / detaching operation so that the developer does not leak when the attaching / detaching to the apparatus main body 100 is performed. In the case of the drum cartridge 200, the photosensitive drum 1 is close to the developing sleeve 31 provided on the apparatus main body 100 side in the driving position, and the photosensitive drum 1 is separated from the developing sleeve 31 provided on the apparatus main body 100 side in the attachment / detachment position. To do.

  The drum cartridge 200 is attached to and detached from the apparatus main body 100 (see FIG. 1) so as to slide in the longitudinal direction. That is, the attaching / detaching direction of the drum cartridge 200 is the same direction as the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 1 and the collected toner conveying screw 71 and also the same direction as the rotation axis direction of the developing sleeve (not shown) on the apparatus main body side. Similar to the developing cartridge 3 described above, since the Oldham coupling is disposed in the apparatus main body 100, the drum cartridge 200 is provided with a coupling portion 201. As shown in FIG. 10, the coupling portion 201 is fixed to one end in the rotational axis direction of the photosensitive drum 1 on the cartridge end side (left side in FIG. 10) connected to the Oldham coupling. That is, the rotational driving force is transmitted from the apparatus main body 100 to the photosensitive drum 1.

  In the drum cartridge 200 shown in FIG. 10, the photosensitive drum 1 and the collected toner conveying screw 71 are arranged in parallel and their ends are arranged at positions shifted in the rotation axis direction. The cartridge end on the side connected to the Oldham coupling is formed in a stepped shape having a protruding portion 35 on the side of the collected toner conveying screw 71 that protrudes further toward the apparatus main body 100 than on the photosensitive drum 1 side. Here, of the photosensitive drum 1 and the collected toner conveying screw 71, the end of the collected toner conveying screw 71 protrudes from the end of the photosensitive drum 1 in the insertion direction into the apparatus main body. A developer discharge port 72 for discharging the developer is provided on the end side of the collected toner conveying screw 71.

  By the way, the drum cartridge 200 is moved from the attaching / detaching position shown in FIG. 6A to the driving position shown in FIG. Is done. Therefore, the mounting operation of the drum cartridge 200 to the apparatus main body 100 will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 11A to 11D and FIGS. 8A and 8B.

  FIG. 11A shows a state in which the drum cartridge 200 is started to be inserted into the apparatus main body 100. The door 40 is in an open state. The drum cartridge 200 is inserted into the apparatus main body 100 from the door 40 side in the direction of arrow E (longitudinal direction of the drum cartridge) in the drawing. In this state, as shown in FIG. 8A, the engaging portion 101 stands by at the attachment / detachment position. In addition, although the coupling part 201 exists in the position which opposes the engaging part 101, it is not engaging with the engaging part 101. FIG. The shutter 73 is a position where the developer discharge port 72 is closed.

  FIG. 11B shows a state in which the drum cartridge 200 is inserted all the way to the mounting body. However, the door 40 remains open. When the drum cartridge 200 is inserted to the back of the apparatus main body (right side in the drawing), the coupling part 201 engages with the engaging part 101. However, the engaging part 101 (and the coupling part 201) remains in the attachment / detachment position shown in FIG. That is, the drum cartridge 200 is positioned in the longitudinal direction, but is not positioned in the vertical direction (perpendicular to the ground plane of the apparatus main body 100). The shutter 73 is a position where the developer discharge port 72 is closed.

  FIG. 11C shows a state in which the door 40 is slightly closed from the state shown in FIG. When the door 40 begins to close, the support member 50 provided in the apparatus main body 100 slides and is positioned below the drum cartridge 200 (on the main body grounding surface side). The support member 50 contacts the lower surface of the drum cartridge 200. I support this. Even in this state, the engaging portion 101 (and the coupling portion 201) remains in the attachment / detachment position shown in FIG. Further, the shutter 73 remains at the position where the developer discharge port 72 is closed.

  On the lower surface of the drum cartridge 200, pressed members 36 are provided at a plurality of locations (here, two locations) on the door 40 side and the back side of the apparatus main body 100. The member to be pressed 36 is formed in, for example, a triangular cross section having an inclined surface with a downward protrusion amount increasing from the door 40 side toward the back of the apparatus main body. On the other hand, a pressing member 51 that protrudes toward the drum cartridge 200 is formed on the support member 50 in association with the pressed member 36 of the drum cartridge 200. The pressing member 51 is disposed on the support member 50 so as to be positioned closer to the door 40 than the pressed member 36 of the drum cartridge 200 when the support member 50 is positioned below the drum cartridge 200.

  FIG. 11D shows a state where all the doors 40 are closed. When the door 40 is further closed from the state shown in FIG. 11C, the protrusion 41 provided on the door 40 comes into contact with the end surface of the support member 50, and the support member 50 is pushed into the back of the apparatus main body. In accordance with this, the pressing member 51 of the support member 50 contacts the inclined surface of the pressed member 36 and presses the pressed member 36. Then, the drum cartridge 200 is pushed upward so that the pressed member 36 is placed on the pressing member 51. Accordingly, the engaging portion 101 (and the coupling portion 201) moves from the attachment / detachment position shown in FIG. 8 (a) toward the driving position shown in FIG. 8 (b). At this time, the engaging portion 101 (and the coupling portion 201) is accurately moved from the attaching / detaching position toward the driving position by the guide portion 104. When all the doors 40 are closed, the engaging portion 101 (and the coupling portion 201) is positioned at the driving position shown in FIG. In this way, the drum cartridge 200 is mounted on the apparatus main body 100.

  The pressing member 51 pushes the drum cartridge 200 upward until the engaging portion 101 (and the coupling portion 201) is positioned at the driving position, and then comes into contact with the protruding portion 74 of the shutter 73. When the door 40 is further closed, the pressing member 51 pushes the protruding portion 74 of the shutter 73 toward the back side of the apparatus main body. Then, the shutter 73 that has closed the developer discharge port 72 moves to a position where the developer discharge port 72 is opened. Thus, the developer discharge port 72 is communicated with the opening of the discharged developer bottle (not shown) in the apparatus main body 100.

  When the door 40 of the apparatus main body 100 is opened from the closed state, the shutter 73 is first moved from the position where the developer discharge port 72 is opened in accordance with the movement of the support member 50 toward the door 40. Move to the closed position. Then, the operations described with reference to FIGS. 11A to 11D are followed in reverse, and the drum cartridge 200 is lowered. Accordingly, the engaging portion 101 (and the coupling portion 201) is moved from the driving position shown in FIG. 8B toward the attaching / detaching position shown in FIG.

  As described above, the configuration according to the present embodiment can be applied to the drum cartridge 200 in the same manner, and thereby, the same effect as in the case of the developing cartridge 3 described above can be obtained. That is, a large amount of movement of the intermediate section 102 can be ensured, so that even if the drum cartridge 200 is attached to or detached from the apparatus main body 100, the developing sleeve on the apparatus main body 100 side and the photosensitive on the drum cartridge 200 side are exposed. There is no contact with the drum 1. Further, the amount of movement of the intermediate portion 102 can be easily adjusted by simply changing the size (specifically, the diameter) of the drive portion 103. Further, even when the drum cartridge 200 is automatically mounted in conjunction with the door 40, the drum cartridge 200 is correctly positioned at the drive position or the attachment / detachment position by the guide unit 104.

  In the above-described embodiment, a developing cartridge in which only the developing device is unitized or a drum cartridge in which the photosensitive drum, the charging device, and the photosensitive drum cleaner are unitized is shown as the cartridge. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a process cartridge in which a photosensitive drum, a charging device, a photosensitive drum cleaner, and a developing device are unitized may be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Photosensitive drum, 3 ... Developing apparatus (developing cartridge), 5 ... Photosensitive drum cleaner 30 ... Developing container, 31 ... Developing sleeve, 32 ... Developer supply port, 33 ... First conveying screw 34 ... Second conveying screw, 35 ... Projection, 40 ... Door, 50 ... Supporting member 60 ... Image forming apparatus, 71 ... Collected toner conveying screw, 72 ... Developer discharge port 73 ... Shutter, 100 ... Main unit, 101 ... Engagement part, 102 ... Intermediate part , 103: Driving unit 103a ... Outer edge part 104 ... Guide part 105 ... Rib 200 ... Drum cartridge 201 ... Coupling part

Claims (8)

A device body having a drive source;
A first rotating body provided in the apparatus main body and rotated by the driving source;
A cartridge that is provided so as to be insertable / removable in the direction of the rotation axis of the first rotating body with respect to the apparatus main body, and has a protrusion that protrudes in the insertion direction into the apparatus main body at an end portion on the side inserted into the apparatus main body
A second rotating body provided at a position deviated from the protruding portion of the end of the cartridge;
The first rotating body and the second rotating body are provided between the first rotating body and the second rotating body, and are movable in a direction intersecting a rotation axis direction of the first rotating body and perpendicular to each other. An intermediate portion that engages with each of the two rotators and transmits a rotational driving force from the first rotator to the second rotator,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate portion is positioned closer to the apparatus body than the protruding portion in a state of being engaged with the first rotating body and the second rotating body. The intermediate portion is provided in the apparatus main body,
The apparatus main body has a drive position where the axis of the first rotating body and the axis of the second rotating body substantially coincide with each other, and the axis of the first rotating body and the axis of the second rotating body. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a guide portion that guides the intermediate portion between an attachment / detachment position eccentric to the drive position.   The image according to claim 2, wherein the apparatus main body includes a support member that supports the cartridge in conjunction with opening and closing of a door provided in the apparatus main body and moves in a guide direction of the guide portion. Forming equipment.   The first rotating body has an outer edge portion protruding in the rotation axis direction, and the intermediate portion is in contact with the outer edge portion to restrict movement of the first rotating body in a direction intersecting the rotation axis direction. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus.   The cartridge includes a developer container that contains a developer, a developer carrier that carries the developer in the developer container, and a developer transport unit that transports the developer in the developer container. The developer carrier is close to an image carrier provided on the apparatus main body side at the driving position, and the developer carrier is separated from the image carrier at the attachment / detachment position. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4. In the developer cartridge, one end of the developer conveying means arranged in parallel with each other protrudes in the direction of insertion into the apparatus body from the other end, and the end of the developer conveying means protrudes. The protrusion provided with a supply port for supplying developer on the end side;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the second rotator is disposed at the end of the other developer transport unit.   The cartridge includes an image carrier that carries a developer, a cleaner that removes the developer carried on the image carrier, and a developer carrying unit that carries the developer removed by the cleaner. In the cartridge, the image carrier is close to a developer carrier provided on the apparatus main body side at the driving position, and the image carrier is separated from the developer carrier at the attachment / detachment position. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4. In the drum cartridge, the end of the developer transporting unit of the image carrier and the developer transporting unit arranged in parallel with each other protrudes in the direction of insertion into the apparatus main body from the end of the image carrier, The protrusion provided with a discharge port for discharging the developer on the end side of the developer conveying means;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the second rotator is disposed at the end of the image carrier.

Images