JP2018084706A - Process cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a process cartridge that has improved performance to seal a toner between a blade member and an end sealing member and between a frame body and the end sealing member.SOLUTION: A process cartridge comprises end sealing members 104 each including an adhesion layer 104a that is provided at an end in the longitudinal direction of a blade member 77 to be adhered to a frame body 71, an intermediate layer 104b that is laminated on the adhesion layer 104a and has flexibility, and a surface layer 104c that is laminated on the intermediate layer 104b and in contact with a rotating body 62. The frame body 71 includes a convex part 71n opposing to the end sealing member 104 in a direction intersecting with the longitudinal direction and a direction in which a stationary surface extends; an end face in the longitudinal direction of the blade member 77 is in contact with the end seal 104; when viewed from a direction orthogonal to the stationary surface 71m, part of the blade part 77 is arranged to overlap with the adhesion layer 104a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a process cartridge.

  In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “image forming apparatus”), an electrophotographic photosensitive member that is generally a drum type as an image carrier, that is, a photosensitive drum is uniformly charged. Next, an electrostatic latent image (electrostatic image) is formed on the photosensitive drum by selectively exposing the charged photosensitive drum. Next, the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum is developed as a toner image with toner as a developer. The toner image formed on the photosensitive drum is transferred to a recording material such as recording paper or a plastic sheet, and the toner image is further transferred to the recording material by applying heat or pressure to the toner image transferred onto the recording material. The image is recorded by fixing it to the surface.

  Such an image forming apparatus generally requires toner replenishment and maintenance of various process means. In order to facilitate this toner replenishment and maintenance, the photosensitive drum, charging means, developing means, cleaning means, etc. are put together into a cartridge to form a cartridge, and a process cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body is put into practical use. Has been.

  According to this process cartridge system, since the user can perform maintenance of the apparatus himself, the operability can be remarkably improved, and an image forming apparatus excellent in usability can be provided. For this reason, this process cartridge system is widely used in image forming apparatuses.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a process cartridge is known in which end seal members are provided at both longitudinal end portions of a cleaning member in order to prevent leakage of toner at the longitudinal end portion of a cleaning member that is a blade member that acts on a rotating body of the process cartridge. (Patent Document 1).

  In this configuration, the end seal member is provided with a concave shape, and the frame body is provided with a convex shape, and the end seal member and the frame body are intertwined in an uneven shape. This prevents the toner from leaking due to a gap between the end seal and the frame in the longitudinal direction due to variations in the position where the end seal member is attached.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-43539

  The present invention is a further development of the prior art. There is a demand for a structure that further improves toner sealing performance at the longitudinal end of the cleaning member. Specifically, there is a configuration in which toner leakage from between the end seal member contacting the longitudinal end of the cleaning member can be further suppressed while suppressing toner leakage from between the end seal member and the frame. It has been demanded.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a process cartridge in which the toner sealing performance between the blade member and the end seal member and between the frame and the end seal member is further improved.

  In order to achieve the above object, a process cartridge that can be attached to and detached from an apparatus main body of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application includes a frame body that contains a developer and a fixed surface that is rotatably supported by the frame body. A blade member, and a support member that is fixed to the fixed surface and supports the elastic member, and is provided at an end of the blade member in the longitudinal direction of the blade member. An end seal member comprising: an adhesive layer for adhering to the frame; a flexible intermediate layer laminated on the adhesive layer; and a surface layer laminated on the intermediate layer and contacting the rotating body. Have. The frame body includes a convex portion facing the end seal member in the longitudinal direction and a direction intersecting with the direction in which the fixing surface extends, and the end surface in the longitudinal direction of the blade member is in contact with the end seal. A part of the blade portion is arranged so as to overlap the adhesive layer when viewed from the orthogonal direction.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a process cartridge in which the toner sealing performance between the blade member and the end seal member and between the frame and the end seal member is further improved.

It is explanatory drawing which expanded the periphery of the edge part sealing member based on embodiment which can apply this invention. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus main body and a process cartridge of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment to which the present invention can be applied. It is sectional drawing of the process cartridge based on embodiment which can apply this invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view for explaining attachment / detachment of a cartridge to / from an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applicable. It is an exploded view of a process cartridge according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applicable. It is an exploded view of a process cartridge according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applicable. It is an exploded view of a process cartridge according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applicable. It is an exploded view of a process cartridge according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applicable. It is sectional drawing inside the cleaning container of a process cartridge based on embodiment which can apply this invention. It is a perspective view of the cleaning unit of the state which decomposed | disassembled the cleaning member based on embodiment which can apply this invention. It is explanatory drawing of a structure of the edge part seal member based on embodiment which can apply this invention. It is explanatory drawing which expanded the periphery of the edge part sealing member based on the modification which can apply this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the direction of the axis of rotation of the electrophotographic photosensitive drum is the longitudinal direction. In the longitudinal direction, the side on which the electrophotographic photosensitive drum receives driving force from the image forming apparatus main body is defined as a driving side, and the opposite side is defined as a non-driving side.

  The overall configuration and the image forming process will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus main body (hereinafter referred to as apparatus main body A) and a process cartridge (hereinafter referred to as cartridge B) of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the cartridge B. Here, the apparatus main body A is a part obtained by removing the cartridge B from the image forming apparatus.

  The process cartridge is a cartridge in which an electrophotographic photosensitive drum and process means acting on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum are integrally formed, and is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus main body. For example, a cartridge in which at least one of an electrophotographic photosensitive drum and at least one of a developing unit, a charging unit, and a cleaning unit as a process unit is integrated into a cartridge can be used. The image forming apparatus forms an image on a recording medium using an electrophotographic image forming system. Examples of the image forming apparatus include an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (such as an LED printer and a laser beam printer), a facsimile machine, and a word processor.

<Overall configuration of image forming apparatus>
The image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 2 is a laser beam printer using an electrophotographic technique in which a cartridge B is detachable from the apparatus main body A. When the cartridge B is mounted on the apparatus main body A, a latent image is formed on an electrophotographic photosensitive drum 62 (hereinafter referred to as the drum 62) as an image carrier that is a rotating body provided in the cartridge B. An exposure device 3 (laser scanner unit) is arranged. In addition, a sheet tray 4 that stores a recording medium (hereinafter referred to as a sheet material P) that is an image forming target is disposed below the cartridge B.

  Further, the apparatus main body A includes a pickup roller 5a, a feeding roller pair 5b, a conveyance roller pair 5c, a transfer guide 6, a transfer roller 7, a conveyance guide 8, a fixing device 9, along the conveyance direction D of the sheet material P. A pair of discharge rollers 10, a discharge tray 11, and the like are sequentially arranged. The fixing device 9 includes a heating roller 9a and a pressure roller 9b.

<Image formation process>
Next, an outline of the image forming process will be described. Based on the print start signal, the drum 62 is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow R with a predetermined peripheral speed (process speed) (FIG. 3). The charging roller 66 to which the bias voltage is applied contacts the outer peripheral surface of the drum 62 and uniformly charges the outer peripheral surface of the drum 62.

  The exposure device 3 outputs a laser beam L corresponding to the image information. The laser light L passes through a laser opening 71 h provided in the cleaning frame 71 of the cartridge B, and scans and exposes the outer peripheral surface of the drum 62. As a result, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image information is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the drum 62.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, in the developing unit 20 that is a developing device, the toner (developer) T in the toner chamber 29 is rotated by the first conveying member 43, the second conveying member 44, and the third conveying member 50. The toner is agitated and conveyed by the toner and sent to the toner supply chamber 28. The toner T is carried on the surface of the developing roller 32 by the magnetic force of the magnet roller 34 (fixed magnet). Thereafter, the toner T carried on the surface of the developing roller 32 is regulated by the developing blade 42 while being frictionally charged, and the layer thickness on the circumferential surface of the developing roller 32 is regulated. Then, the electrostatic latent image formed on the drum 62 is developed with the toner T on the circumferential surface of the developing roller 32 in which the layer thickness is regulated, and is visualized as a toner image.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the sheet material P stored in the lower part of the apparatus main body A is moved to the sheet tray by the pickup roller 5a, the feeding roller pair 5b, and the conveying roller pair 5c in accordance with the output timing of the laser beam L. 4 is sent out. Then, the sheet material P is conveyed to the transfer position between the drum 62 and the transfer roller 7 via the transfer guide 6. At this transfer position, the toner images are sequentially transferred from the drum 62 to the sheet material P.

  The sheet material P to which the toner image has been transferred is separated from the drum 62 and conveyed to the fixing device 9 along the conveyance guide 8. The sheet material P passes through the nip portion between the heating roller 9a and the pressure roller 9b constituting the fixing device 9. A pressure / heat fixing process is performed in the nip portion, and the toner image is fixed on the sheet material P. The sheet material P that has undergone the toner image fixing process is conveyed to the discharge roller pair 10 and discharged to the discharge tray 11.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, the drum 62 after the transfer is used again in the image forming process after the residual toner on the outer peripheral surface is removed by the cleaning member 77 which is a blade member. The toner removed from the drum 62 is stored in the toner recovery chamber 71b of the cleaning unit 60 which is a photosensitive unit.

  In the above, the charging roller 66, the developing roller 32, the transfer roller 7, and the cleaning member 77 are process means that act on the drum 62.

<Removal of cartridge>
Next, attachment / detachment of the cartridge B with respect to the apparatus main body A will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the apparatus main body A with the open / close door 13 opened in order to attach and detach the cartridge B. FIG. FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the apparatus main body A and the cartridge B in a state where the opening / closing door 13 is opened and the tray 18 which is a cartridge tray is pulled out in order to attach and detach the cartridge B. FIG. 4C is a perspective view of the apparatus main body A and the cartridge B when the cartridge B is attached and detached with the open / close door 13 opened and the tray 18 pulled out. The cartridge B can be attached to and detached from the tray 18 along the attaching / detaching direction E.

  An opening / closing door 13 is rotatably attached to the apparatus main body A, and a cartridge insertion opening 17 is provided when the opening / closing door 13 is opened. A tray 18 for mounting the cartridge B to the apparatus main body A is slidably supported in the cartridge insertion opening 17 by the driving side plate 15 and the non-driving side plate 16. When the tray 18 is pulled out to a predetermined position, the cartridge B can be attached and detached. The cartridge B is mounted in the apparatus main body A along a guide rail (not shown) in the direction of arrow C in the figure while being placed on the tray 18.

<Configuration of the entire cartridge>
Next, the overall configuration of the cartridge B will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 5 to 9. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the cartridge B, and FIGS. 5 to 8 are perspective views for explaining the configuration of the cartridge B. FIG. 6 and 8 are partial enlarged views in which portions within the dotted line portions of FIGS. 5 and 7 are enlarged at different angles. In the present embodiment, the screws for connecting the components will be omitted.

  The cartridge B has a cleaning unit 60 and a developing unit 20. In general, the process cartridge is a cartridge in which an electrophotographic photosensitive member and at least one of a charging unit, a developing unit, and a cleaning unit acting as a process unit acting on the electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrally formed with respect to the main body of the image forming apparatus. The one that can be removed. In this embodiment, the process cartridge has at least a cleaning unit 60 according to the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning unit 60 is fixed to the drum 62, the charging roller 66, the cleaning member 77, the cleaning frame 71 that is a frame that supports them, and the cleaning frame 71 by welding or the like. The lid member 72 is provided. In the cleaning unit 60, the charging roller 66 and the cleaning member 77 are disposed in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the drum 62.

  The cleaning member 77 includes a rubber blade 77a that is an elastic portion of a blade-like elastic member formed of rubber as an elastic material, a support portion 77b that is fixed to the fixing surface 71m of the cleaning frame 71 and supports the rubber blade, (FIG. 1). The rubber blade 77 a is in contact with the drum 62 in the counter direction with respect to the rotation direction of the drum 62. That is, the rubber blade 77 a is in contact with the drum 62 so that the tip end portion thereof faces the upstream side in the rotation direction of the drum 62.

  9A is a side view of the cartridge B as viewed from one end in the longitudinal direction, and FIG. 9B is a sectional view taken along line GG in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 9, the toner removed from the surface of the drum 62 by the cleaning member 77 is transported by a first screw 86, a second screw 87, and a third screw 88 as toner transport members. The toner removed from the surface of the drum 62 is stored in a toner recovery chamber 71 b formed by the cleaning frame 71 and a lid member 72 connected to the cleaning frame 71. Further, the first screw 86 is rotated by a drive transmitted from the coupling 21 shown in FIG. 8 by a gear (not shown). The second screw 87 receives the driving force from the first screw 86 and the third screw 88 rotates from the second screw 87, respectively. The first screw 86 is disposed near the drum 62, the second screw 87 is disposed at the longitudinal end of the cleaning frame 71, and the third screw 88 is disposed in the toner recovery chamber 71b. Here, the rotation axes of the first screw 86 and the third screw 88 are parallel to the rotation axis of the drum 62, and the rotation axis of the second screw 87 is orthogonal to the rotation axis of the drum 62.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 3, a drum contact sheet 65 for preventing toner from leaking from the cleaning frame 71 is provided at the edge of the cleaning frame 71 so as to contact the drum 62.

  The drum 62 is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow R in the drawing according to an image forming operation by receiving a driving force from a main body driving motor (not shown) as a driving source. The charging roller 66 is rotatably attached to the cleaning unit 60 via a charging roller bearing 67 at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning frame 71 (substantially parallel to the rotation axis direction of the drum 62). The charging roller 66 is in pressure contact with the drum 62 by the charging roller bearing 67 being pressed toward the drum 62 by the biasing member 68. The charging roller 66 rotates following the rotation of the drum 62.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the developing unit 20 includes a developing roller 32, a developing container 23 that supports the developing roller 32, a developing blade 42, and the like. A magnet roller 34 is provided in the developing roller 32. In the developing unit 20, a developing blade 42 for restricting the toner layer on the developing roller 32 is disposed. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a spacing member 38 is attached to the developing roller 32 at both ends of the developing roller 32, and the spacing roller 38 and the drum 62 abut so that the developing roller 32 is a drum. 62 and a slight gap. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a developing roller contact sheet 33 for preventing toner from leaking from the developing unit 20 is provided at the edge of the bottom member 22 so as to contact the developing roller 32. Further, the toner chamber 29 formed by the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 is provided with a first transport member 43, a second transport member 44, and a third transport member 50. The first conveyance member 43, the second conveyance member 44, and the third conveyance member 50 agitate the toner stored in the toner chamber 29 and convey the toner to the toner supply chamber 28.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the cartridge B is configured by combining the cleaning unit 60 and the developing unit 20.

  The cleaning unit 60 is provided with a cleaning frame 71, a lid member 72, a drum 62, and a drum bearing 73 and a drum shaft 78 for rotatably supporting the drum 62. As shown in FIG. 8, on the drive side, the drum 62 is rotatably supported by a drive-side drum flange 63 provided on the drive side by a hole 73 a of the drum bearing 73. On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, on the non-driving side, the drum shaft 78 press-fitted into the hole 71 c provided in the cleaning frame 71 can rotate the hole of the non-driving side drum flange 64. It becomes the structure which supports.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 5, and 7, the developing unit 20 includes a bottom member 22, a developing container 23, a driving side developing side member 26, a developing blade 42, a developing roller 32, and the like. The developing roller 32 is rotatably attached to the developing container 23 by bearing members 27 and 37 provided at both ends.

  Then, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, the cartridge B is configured by coupling the cleaning unit 60 and the developing unit 20 to each other by a coupling pin 69 so as to be rotatable. Specifically, the development container 23 is provided with a development first support hole 23 a and a development second support hole 23 b at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the development unit 20. In addition, a first suspension hole 71 i and a second suspension hole 71 j are provided in the cleaning frame 71 at both longitudinal ends of the cleaning unit 60. The coupling unit 69 press-fitted and fixed in the first suspension hole 71i and the second suspension hole 71j is fitted with the development first support hole 23a and the development second support hole 23b, so that the cleaning unit 60 and the development unit 20 are rotated with each other. It is linked movably.

  The first hole 46Ra of the driving side biasing member 46R is hooked on the boss 73c of the drum bearing 73, and the second hole 46Rb is hooked on the boss 26a of the driving side developing side member 26.

  Further, the first hole 46Fa of the non-driving side urging member 46F is hooked on the boss 71k of the cleaning frame 71, and the second hole 46Fb is hooked on the boss 37a of the bearing member 37.

  In the present embodiment, the driving side biasing member 46R and the non-driving side biasing member 46F are formed by tension springs. The developing unit 20 is urged toward the cleaning unit 60 by the urging force of the spring so that the developing roller 32 is surely pressed toward the drum 62. The developing roller 32 is held at a predetermined interval from the drum 62 by a spacing holding member 38 attached to both ends of the developing roller 32.

<Toner sealing configuration around cleaning member>
A toner sealing configuration around the cleaning member 77 will be described with reference to FIGS. 10, 11, and 1. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the cleaning unit 60 with the cleaning member 77 disassembled. FIG. 11 is an explanatory view of the configuration of the end seal member 104, FIG. 11 (a) is a front view seen from the surface layer 104c side, and FIG. 11 (b) is a side view. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram in which the periphery of the end seal member 104 is enlarged.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the cleaning member 77 is disposed so that the support portions 77b extend over the fixing surfaces 71m provided at both longitudinal ends, and is fixed with screws (not shown). Accordingly, in order to prevent toner leakage from between the cleaning frame 71 and the support portion 77b in the region between the fixed surfaces 71m of the cleaning frame 71, the support portion seal member 101 is provided on the back surface of the support portion 77b of the cleaning member 77. Is provided over the length. Further, at the longitudinal end portion of the cleaning member 77, in order to prevent leakage of toner that moves from between the cleaning frame body 71 and the support portion 77b to the longitudinal end portion, there is a gap between the cleaning frame body 71 and the support portion 77b. An end auxiliary seal member 103 for sealing is provided.

  Further, in order to prevent toner from leaking from between the drum 62 and the cleaning frame 7, one end of the cleaning unit 60 contacts the drum 62 and the other end is bonded and fixed to the cleaning frame 71 with the double-sided tape 102. A drum contact sheet 65 is provided.

  An end seal member 104 that seals the area surrounded by the cleaning frame 7, the end auxiliary seal member 103, the cleaning member 77, the drum 62, and the drum contact sheet 65 at the end in the longitudinal direction is provided. Yes. The end seal member 104 includes an adhesive layer 104a that adheres to the cleaning frame 71, a flexible intermediate layer 104b that is laminated on the adhesive layer 104a, and a surface layer 104c that is laminated on the intermediate layer 104b and contacts the drum 62. (FIG. 11). The end seal member 104 is fixed to the cleaning frame 7 and has a smaller elastic force than the surface layer 104 c, and the intermediate layer 104 b formed of a soft member is compressed, so that the surface layer 104 c is placed on the peripheral surface of the drum 62. It is made to contact along. Further, the end seal member 104 has a rectangular shape with one corner cut away, that is, an L shape, and is disposed so as to be adjacent to the upstream side in the rotation direction of the drum 62 and the longitudinal end of the cleaning member 77. . More specifically, the corner of the rubber blade 77 a of the cleaning member 77 enters the notch of the end seal member 104. With such a configuration, the end seal members 104 provided at both longitudinal ends of the rubber blade 77a prevent toner leakage between the rubber blade 77a and the cleaning frame 71.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the inner wall of the cleaning frame 71 located on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the drum 62 of the cleaning member 77 is provided with a convex portion 71 n that protrudes toward the cleaning member 77. ing. That is, a convex portion 71n that protrudes in a direction that intersects the longitudinal direction and the direction in which the fixing surface 71m extends from the cleaning frame 71 is provided at a position facing the end seal member 104. In the present embodiment, the convex portion 71 n is provided on the cleaning frame 71 and is integrally formed of the same material as the cleaning frame 71.

  An end surface 77 a 1 in the longitudinal direction of the rubber blade 77 a is assembled so as to contact the end seal member 104. More specifically, the rubber blade 77a is arranged so that a part of the rubber blade 77a overlaps the adhesive layer 104a when viewed from the direction orthogonal to the fixing surface 71m. By bringing the end surface 77a1 and the end seal member 104 into contact with each other in this way, the surface layer 104c that is more difficult to deform than the intermediate layer 104b is pressed, so that the intermediate layer 104b is deformed and the surface layer 104c is in an arrow with respect to the adhesive layer 104a Twist in the F direction. Thereby, the convex portion 71n is bitten into the end seal member 104. That is, when viewed from the direction orthogonal to the fixing surface 71m, a part of the surface layer 104c and a part of the intermediate layer 104b in which a part of the surface layer 104c is laminated in a state where a part of the surface layer 104c does not overlap with the adhesive layer 104a. It arrange | positions so that the convex part 71n may bite into an end surface.

  As described above, since the end face 77a1 and the end seal 104 in the longitudinal direction of the rubber blade 77a are in contact with each other in the longitudinal direction and there is no gap, toner leakage between the cleaning member 77 and the end seal member 104 is prevented. it can. Further, the contact between the end surface 77a1 and the end seal member 104 deforms the intermediate layer 104b and twists the surface layer 104c in the direction of arrow F with respect to the adhesive layer 104a, so that the convex portion 71n bites into the end seal member 104. Thereby, the amount of biting into the convex portion 71n of the end seal member 104 can be increased as compared with the conventional configuration in which the end surface 77a1 and the end seal member 104 do not contact each other. Further, in the present embodiment in which the convex portion 71n is present, the convex portion 71n of the cleaning frame 71 bites into the end seal member 104 and is more closely attached than in the case where the convex portion 71n is not provided. As a result, the toner sealing performance between the cleaning frame 71 and the end seal member 104 is improved over the conventional configuration.

  Note that the functions, materials, shapes, and relative arrangements of the components described in the present embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to those unless otherwise specified.

[Modification]
Next, a modification of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Note that, in the modification, portions different from the above embodiment will be described in detail. Unless otherwise described, the material, shape, and the like are the same as in the above embodiment. Such parts are given the same numbers and will not be described in detail.

  FIG. 12 is an explanatory view enlarging the periphery of the end seal member 104. In the above-described embodiment, the convex portion is provided on the inner side in the longitudinal direction from the end surface 77a1 of the rubber blade 77a of the cleaning member 77 (FIG. 1). On the other hand, in this modification, the positions where the convex portions are provided are different. As shown in FIG. 12, a convex portion 271n of the cleaning frame 271 is provided on the outer side in the longitudinal direction from the end surface 77a1 of the rubber blade 77a of the cleaning member 77.

  As a result, the intermediate layer 104b is deformed by the contact between the end surface 77a1 and the end seal member 104, and the surface layer 104c is twisted in the direction of arrow F with respect to the adhesive layer 104a. The amount of biting can be made larger than in the above embodiment. As a result, the toner sealing performance between the cleaning frame 71 and the end seal member 104 can be improved as compared with the above embodiment.

  It should be noted that the functions, materials, shapes, and relative arrangements of the components described in the present modification are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to those unless otherwise specified.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 Developing unit 22 Bottom member 23 Developing container 26 Driving side developing side member 28 Toner supply chamber 29 Toner chamber 32 Developing roller (developer carrier)
33 Developing roller contact sheet 37 Bearing member 42 Developing blade (developer regulating member)
60 Cleaning unit (photoreceptor unit)
62 drum (electrophotographic photosensitive drum)
65 drum contact sheet 66 charging roller 67 charging roller bearing 71 cleaning frame body 72 lid member 73 drum bearing 77 cleaning member 78 drum shaft 101 support portion seal member 102 double-sided tape 103 end auxiliary seal member 104 end portion seal member A image formation Device body (device body)
B Process cartridge (cartridge)
C Insertion direction D Transport direction E Detachment direction F Twist direction L Laser beam T Toner (developer)
P sheet material (recording medium)
R direction of rotation

Claims (5)

A frame having a fixed surface for containing the developer;
A rotating body rotatably supported by the frame;
A blade member comprising: an elastic portion that contacts the rotating body; and a support portion that is fixed to the fixed surface and supports the elastic portion;
Provided at an end of the blade member in the longitudinal direction of the blade member, an adhesive layer for adhering to the frame, a flexible intermediate layer laminated on the adhesive layer, and a laminate on the intermediate layer An end seal member provided with a surface layer in contact with the rotating body;
In a process cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the main body of the image forming apparatus,
The frame includes a convex portion facing the end seal member in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction and the direction in which the fixed surface extends,
An end face in the longitudinal direction of the blade member is in contact with the end seal, and a part of the blade part is disposed so as to overlap the adhesive layer when viewed from a direction orthogonal to the fixed surface;
Process cartridge characterized by.   The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate layer has a smaller elastic force than the surface layer.   When viewed from the direction orthogonal to the fixed surface, a part of the surface layer is not overlapped with the adhesive layer, and an end surface of the surface layer and a part of the intermediate layer in which a part of the surface layer is laminated. The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the cartridge is arranged so as to bite into the convex portion.   The process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the convex portion is provided outside the end surface of the elastic portion in the longitudinal direction. The rotating body is an image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image formed on the outer peripheral surface is developed with a developer,
The process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the blade member is a cleaning member that contacts the image carrier and removes the developer.

Images