JP2020067628A - Image forming apparatus and cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

To solve the problem in which: when an image forming apparatus attached with a cartridge is dropped by mistake in a rotation axis direction of a photoreceptor drum, an impact due to the drop is concentrated on a positioning part of the cartridge, and the positioning part may be damaged.SOLUTION: A cartridge has a part to be regulated having a surface to be regulated that is opposite, with a gap, to a regulating surface of a regulating part of an apparatus body; the surface to be regulated is provided inside an end face in a rotation axis direction of a frame body; the regulating surface and a surface to be regulated are not in contact with each other during image formation, and are brought into contact when the image forming apparatus receives an impact from the outside to regulate rotation of the cartridge.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic image forming process and a cartridge used for the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus is, for example, a copying machine, a laser beam printer, an LED printer, or a facsimile. The cartridge is configured such that a photosensitive drum and a process unit that acts on the photosensitive drum are integrally formed into a cartridge and can be attached to and detached from the apparatus body of the image forming apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art As an image forming apparatus, there is known an apparatus in which a cartridge in which a photosensitive member and a process unit that acts on the photosensitive member are integrally made into a cartridge can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body.

  Here, Patent Document 1 discloses a cartridge having a longitudinal positioning portion for positioning the photosensitive drum in the rotation axis direction with respect to the apparatus body of the image forming apparatus.

JP, 2017-58517, A

  However, when a cartridge having a heavier weight than that of the prior art document 1 can be mounted in the apparatus body of the image forming apparatus, the following problems occur. When the image forming apparatus in which the cartridge is mounted is accidentally dropped in the rotation axis direction of the photoconductor drum, the impact due to the drop is concentrated on the longitudinal positioning portion of the cartridge, and the positioning portion may be damaged. If the positioning portion of the cartridge is damaged, the position of the cartridge with respect to the apparatus main body in the direction of the rotation axis of the photoconductor is not fixed, which may cause an image defect.

  A first aspect of the present invention is a cartridge including an image carrier that carries a toner image and having a frame, and an apparatus main body configured such that the cartridge can be attached and detached, and the cartridge when the cartridge is mounted. And an opening / closing member movable between an opening position for opening the opening and a closing position for closing the opening, and a positioning unit provided in a portion of the apparatus main body excluding the opening / closing member. And an apparatus main body having a positioning portion that comes into contact with a positioned portion of the cartridge so that the position of the image carrier of the cartridge in the rotational axis direction with respect to the apparatus main body is determined, The apparatus main body is configured to restrict rotation of the cartridge with the positioned portion as a rotation fulcrum when the opening / closing member is in the closed position. The cartridge has a regulation portion having a regulation surface, and the cartridge has a regulation portion having a regulation surface facing the regulation surface with a gap, and the regulation surface is the rotation of the frame body. By being provided inside the end face in the axial direction, the regulation surface and the regulated surface do not contact each other during image formation, but contact each other when the image forming apparatus receives an impact from the outside. It is characterized in that the rotation is restricted.

  A second aspect of the present invention is an apparatus main body of an image forming apparatus, which includes an opening, and an opening / closing member movable between an open position that opens the opening and a closed position that closes the opening. And a cartridge that is attachable to and detachable from an apparatus body including a frame body and an image carrier, and the apparatus body by passing through the opening in a direction intersecting a rotation axis direction of the image carrier. And a positioned portion that comes into contact with a positioning portion of the apparatus main body so that the position in the rotation axis direction with respect to the apparatus main body is determined; A regulated surface provided on the upstream side and inside the end surface of the frame in the direction of the rotation axis, and contacts a regulating portion provided on the opening / closing member when the opening / closing member is in the closed position. Before by Characterized in that it comprises a controlled portion having the regulated surface of rotation of the cartridge is provided so as to be restricted to a rotation fulcrum portion to be positioned, a.

  Even if the image forming apparatus is accidentally dropped, the impact applied to the positioning portion of the cartridge is mitigated, and damage to the positioning portion can be suppressed.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a state of the cartridge and the opening / closing member when the image forming apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment is dropped in the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment. It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the cartridge which concerns on a present Example. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a drum unit and a developing unit according to this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus before the cartridge according to the present exemplary embodiment is attached to the apparatus main body. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a positional relationship between the opening / closing member and the cartridge when the cartridge is mounted on the apparatus main body according to the present embodiment, and a perspective view showing a longitudinal positioning portion of the cartridge and the apparatus main body. 6A and 6B are a cross-sectional view and a top view showing a regulated portion of the cartridge according to the present embodiment. It is the perspective view and front view which show the control part of the opening / closing member of a present Example. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between the regulated portion of the cartridge and the regulation portion of the opening / closing member according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a state of the cartridge and the opening / closing member when the image forming apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment is dropped in the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum. FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a state of a cartridge and an opening / closing member on a driving side when the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment is dropped in a direction perpendicular to a rotation axis direction of a photosensitive drum. FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a state of a cartridge and an opening / closing member on a non-driving side when the image forming apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment is dropped in a direction perpendicular to a rotation axis direction of a photosensitive drum.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[Configuration of image forming apparatus]
The image forming apparatus 1000 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the image forming apparatus 1000.

  The image forming apparatus 1000 is a laser beam printer using an electrophotographic technique that includes a cartridge B and an apparatus main body A in which the cartridge B is detachably configured.

  The image forming apparatus includes an opening 101 and an opening / closing member 13 that is movable between an open position K (see FIG. 5) that opens the opening 101 and a closed position H that closes the opening 101. When the opening / closing member 13 is in the open position K, the cartridge B can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body A (see FIG. 5). After the cartridge B passes through the opening 101 and is attached to the main assembly A of the apparatus, the opening / closing member 13 is moved to the closed position H to enable image formation.

  A laser scanner 3 as an exposure device is arranged above the cartridge B mounted in the apparatus main body A in the vertical direction, and a recording medium for forming an image below the cartridge B in the vertical direction (hereinafter referred to as a sheet material P and The sheet tray 4 accommodating (described) is arranged. Further, in the apparatus body A, along the conveyance direction D of the sheet material P, the pickup roller 5a, the feeding roller pair 5b, the conveyance roller pair 5c, the transfer guide 6, the transfer roller 7, the conveyance guide 8, the fixing device 9, A pair of discharge rollers 10 and a discharge tray 11 are sequentially arranged. The fixing device 9 is composed of a heating roller 9a and a pressure roller 9b.

[Cartridge configuration]
The overall structure of the cartridge B will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the cartridge B.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the cartridge B has a drum unit (first unit) 60 and a developing unit (second unit) 20. The drum unit 60 includes a cleaning frame 71, a photosensitive drum 62 that is rotatably supported by the cleaning frame 71, a charging roller 66 that charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 62, and a cleaning blade 77 that cleans the surface of the photosensitive drum 62. Have. The photosensitive drum 62 is an image carrier that carries a toner image. The cleaning frame 71 is a member that is long in the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 62.

  On the other hand, the developing unit 20 regulates the bottom member 22, the developing container 23, a developing roller (developer carrying body) 32 that carries toner and supplies the toner to the photosensitive drum 62, and the layer thickness of toner on the developing roller 32. It has a developing blade 42. Both the developing container 23 and the developing blade 42 are members that are long in the rotation axis direction of the developing roller 32. The developing unit 20 further includes a magnet roller 34 and a conveying member 43.

  FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the cartridge B in this embodiment. FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the drum unit 60 and the developing unit 20 before they are assembled. FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the drum unit 60 and the developing unit 20 after they are assembled.

  The drum unit 60 and the developing unit 20 are rotatably coupled to each other by the coupling member 75, so that the cartridge B is configured. Holes 26bL and 26bR parallel to the direction of the rotation axis of the developing roller 32 are formed at the tips of the arm portions 26aL and 26aR formed on the first side member 26L and the second side member 26R at both longitudinal ends of the developing unit 20, respectively. It is provided. Further, fitting holes 71 a for fitting the joining members 75 are formed at both longitudinal ends of the cleaning frame 71. Here, the bottom member 22, the developing container 23, the first side member 26L, and the second side member 26R are combined to form a developing frame body 220.

  The arm portions 26aL and 26aR are aligned with predetermined positions of the cleaning frame 71, and the coupling pins 75 are inserted into the holes 26bL and 26bR and the fitting holes 71a corresponding to them. As a result, the drum unit 60 and the developing unit 20 are rotatably connected to each other about the connecting pin 75. At this time, the urging member 46 attached to the bases of the arm portions 26aL and 26aR contacts the cleaning frame 71, and urges the developing unit 20 to rotate in the direction toward the drum unit 60. As a result, the developing roller 32 is biased in a direction toward the photoconductor drum 62. Then, the developing roller 32 is held at a predetermined distance from the photosensitive drum 62 by a distance holding member (not shown) attached to both ends of the developing roller 32.

[Image forming process]
Next, an outline of the image forming process will be described. Based on the print start signal, the photosensitive drum 62 is rotationally driven in the arrow R direction at a predetermined peripheral speed (process speed). The charging roller 66 to which the voltage is applied contacts the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 62 and uniformly charges the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 62. The exposure device 3 outputs a laser beam L according to image information. The laser light L passes through an exposure window (not shown) on the upper surface of the cartridge B to scan and expose the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 62. As a result, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image information is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the photoconductor drum 62. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, in the developing unit 20 as the developing device, the toner T in the toner containing portion 29 is stirred and conveyed by the rotation of the conveying member 43, and is sent to the developing chamber 28.

  The toner T is carried on the surface of the developing roller 32 by the magnetic force of the magnet roller 34 having a fixed magnet. The toner T is frictionally charged by the developing blade 42, and the layer thickness of the peripheral surface of the developing roller 32 is regulated. The toner T is transferred to the photoconductor drum 62 according to the electrostatic latent image and is visualized as a toner image. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the sheet material P stored in the lower portion 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 synchronization with the output timing of the laser light L. 4 is fed in the direction of arrow D. Then, the sheet material P is supplied to the transfer position between the photosensitive drum 62 and the transfer roller 7 via the transfer guide 6. At this transfer position, the toner image is sequentially transferred from the photosensitive drum 62 to the sheet material P. The sheet material P to which the toner image is transferred is separated from the photoconductor drum 62 and is conveyed to the fixing device 9 along the conveyance guide 8. Then, the sheet material P passes through the nip portion between the heating roller 9a and the pressure roller 9b which form the fixing device 9. The toner image is fixed on the sheet material P by applying pressure / heat fixing processing at this nip portion. 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 residual toner on the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 62 after transfer is removed by the cleaning blade 77, and the photosensitive drum 62 is used again in the image forming process. The toner removed from the photoconductor drum 62 is stored in the waste toner chamber 71b of the drum unit 60. In the above, the charging roller 66, the developing roller 32, and the cleaning blade 77 are process means that act on the photosensitive drum 62.

[Structure of Regulating Portion of Opening / Closing Member and Regulated Portion of Cartridge]
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the cartridge B and the apparatus body A before being attached to the apparatus body A. FIGS. 6A and 6B are cross-sectional views perpendicular to the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 62 when the cartridge B is mounted in the apparatus main assembly A. FIG. 6A is a diagram showing a state in which the opening / closing member 13 is at the open position K and the cartridge B is being mounted in the apparatus main assembly A, and FIG. 6B is a diagram showing how the cartridge B is mounted in the apparatus main assembly A. It is a figure which shows the state which is completed and the opening / closing member 13 is in a closed position. FIG. 6C is a perspective view showing the positioning of the photosensitive drum 62 with respect to the apparatus main body A of the cartridge B in the rotation axis direction.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the opening / closing member 13 has a rotating shaft 79a at both ends in the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 62. The rotary shaft 79a includes a drive-side rotary shaft 79aR and a non-drive-side rotary shaft 79aL that are supported by the cover member 102 of the apparatus main body A. An imaginary line passing through the center of the rotating shaft 79aR and the center of the rotating shaft 79aL is the rotating axis of the opening / closing member 13.

  The open / close member 13 reaches the open position K when the open / close member 13 rotates about 90 degrees around the rotation axis of the open / close member 13 from the closed position H. At the open position K, the cover member 102 regulates the opening / closing member 13 so as not to open any further.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the apparatus main assembly A includes a drive-side guide rail 12aR and a non-drive-side guide rail 12aR for guiding the cartridge B until the cartridge B moves to an image forming position for image formation (the position of the cartridge B shown in FIG. 2). It has a drive side guide rail 12aL.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the opening / closing member 13 has a driving side end portion and a non-driving side end portion in the rotation axis direction of the opening / closing member 13, respectively, in a direction intersecting the rotation axis direction of the opening / closing member 13. It has a restricting portion 103 and a restricting portion 110 that project. Here, as shown in FIG. 6A, when the opening / closing member 13 is at the open position K, the restricting portion 103 is a cartridge when the cartridge B is attached to or detached from the apparatus main body A when viewed in the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 62. It is arranged outside the passage area C1 through which B passes. The restriction unit 110 is also arranged similarly to the restriction unit 103.

  The drum unit 60 has a positioned portion 106, as shown in FIG. The positioned portion 106 engages with the positioning portion 107 provided on the apparatus main body A to determine the position of the photosensitive drum 62 of the cartridge B with respect to the apparatus main body A in the rotation axis direction. In this embodiment, the positioning portion 107 is a convex portion that projects in a direction intersecting the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 62, and the positioned portion 106 is a concave portion. Further, the positioning portion 107 is provided at the end portion of the apparatus main body A in the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 62.

  Next, the regulated portion 105 included in the developing unit 20 will be described. FIGS. 7A and 7B are views of the cartridge B viewed from the driving side and the non-driving side of the photosensitive drum 62 in the rotation axis direction. FIG. 7C is a view of the cartridge B as viewed from directly above (a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum 62). The regulated portion 105 is provided on the second side member 26R included in the developing unit 20. A first regulated surface 105a, a second regulated surface 105b, and a third regulated surface 105c are formed on the regulated portion 105. The first side member 26L of the developing unit 20 includes a regulated portion 111 having a regulated surface 111a. Here, the end surface on the drive side in the rotation axis direction of the developing roller 32 of the developing unit 20 (developing frame 220) is T1, and the end surface on the driven side is T2. All of the first regulated surface 105a, the second regulated surface 105b, and the third regulated surface 105c of the developing frame body 220 inside the end surface T1 and inside the end surface T2 in the rotation axis direction of the developing roller 32. It is located in the area.

8A and 8B are a perspective view and a front view showing the restriction portion 103 of the opening / closing member 13, respectively. 9A and 9B are cross-sectional views of the opening / closing member 13 in the closed position H and the cartridge B as seen from the driving side and the non-driving side in the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 62. 9 (c) and 9 (d) are cross-sectional views seen from the directions of (c) and (d) shown in FIG. 9 (a), respectively.
As shown in FIG. 8, a first regulation surface 103a, a second regulation surface 103b, and a third regulation surface 103c are formed on the regulation portion 103 on the drive side of the opening / closing member 13. A fourth regulated surface 110a is formed on the non-driving side regulating portion 110.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 9C, at the time of image formation in which the opening / closing member 13 is in the closed position H, the first regulated surface 105a does not contact the first regulated surface 103a and a gap is opened. To face each other. Similarly, as shown in FIGS. 9D, 9A, and 9B, the second regulated surface 105b is the second regulated surface 103b, and the third regulated surface 105c is the third regulated surface 103c. On the other hand, the regulated surface 111a faces the fourth regulated portion 110a without a contact and with a gap.

  The regulated portion 105 is located upstream of the positioned portion 107 in the mounting direction of the cartridge B.

[Install cartridge]
Next, mounting of the cartridge B on the apparatus main body A will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, the cartridge B is configured to be moved in the direction intersecting the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum 62 and mounted in the apparatus main assembly A.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, drive-side bosses 71dR and 71eR and non-drive-side bosses 71dL and 71eL are formed on both longitudinal end surfaces of the cleaning frame 71 of the cartridge B. The drive-side bosses 71dR and 71eR are arranged along the drive-side guide rail 12aR, the non-drive-side bosses 71dL and 71eL are arranged along the non-drive-side guide rail 12aL, and the cartridge B is placed inside the apparatus main body A in the direction of arrow S1. insert. As a result, the cylindrical portion 71f of the cartridge B enters along the lower guide 12bL as shown in FIG. 6 (b). The groove widths of the drive-side guide rail 12R and the non-drive-side guide rail 12L are set to be larger than the outer diameters of the bosses 71dL, 71eL, 71dR, and 71eR of the cartridge B, so that the cartridge B can be smoothly inserted and removed. it can.

  The positioned portion 106 engages with the positioning portion 107 during the mounting of the cartridge B in the apparatus main assembly A and is positioned with respect to the apparatus main assembly A in the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 62.

  When the cartridge B is moved to the apparatus main assembly A in the mounting direction near the image forming position of the apparatus main assembly A, the cartridge B is retracted by a spring (not shown) for retracting the cartridge B to the image forming position. As a result, the driving-side bosses 71dR and 71eR, the non-driving-side bosses 71dL, and 71eL reach the normal positions, and the cartridge B is positioned relative to the apparatus main assembly A in the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum (direction intersecting). To be done. At the time of image formation, due to this positioning, the rotation of the cartridge B with the positioned portion 106 as a fulcrum is restricted.

  Finally, in the image forming apparatus 1000, after the cartridge B is positioned at the image forming position with respect to the apparatus main body A, the user moves the opening / closing member 13 from the open position K to the closed position H so that the image can be formed. become.

[Functions of the regulating part of the opening / closing member and the regulated part of the cartridge]
Functions of the restricted portion 105 of the cartridge B and the restriction portion 103 of the opening / closing member 13 of the apparatus body A will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 10. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the states of the regulated portion 105 and the regulated portion 103 when the image forming apparatus is dropped. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a state of the cartridge B and the apparatus main body A when the image forming apparatus is dropped in the opposite direction to the case of FIG.

  As described above, when the opening / closing member 13 is in the closed position H, the first regulated surface 105a is the first regulated surface 103a, the second regulated surface 105b is the second regulated surface 103b, and the third regulated surface is the third regulated surface. 105c is configured to face the third restricting portion 103c with a gap.

  Here, the states of the cartridge B and the apparatus main assembly A when the image forming apparatus 1000 is dropped in the direction of the arrow Q in the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 62 will be described with reference to FIG. The condition of the drop test is that the image forming apparatus 1000 is freely dropped from a height of 80 cm in a direction in which the normal line direction of the side surface of the image forming apparatus 1000 (the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 62) is the vertical direction. When a drop impact is applied to the apparatus body A from the outside, the apparatus body A stops, and the cartridge B receives gravity in the arrow Q direction, so that the cartridge B moves in the arrow Q direction with respect to the apparatus body A. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1A, the first positioning surface 107a of the positioning portion 107 of the apparatus main body A and the positioned surface 106a of the positioned portion 106 of the drum unit 60 come into contact with each other to perform positioning. The surface 106a receives the force F1 from the positioning surface 107a. As a result, the cartridge B rotates in the direction of arrow R with the positioned portion 106 as the rotation fulcrum. Then, as shown in FIG. 1B, the rotation of the cartridge B is regulated by the first regulated surface 105a of the developing unit 20 coming into contact with the first regulated surface 103a of the opening / closing member 13. Further, when the first regulated surface 105a receives the force F3 from the first regulated surface 103a, the force that the positioned surface 106a receives from the positioning surface 107a becomes the force F2. Here, if the components of the force F2 and the force F3 in the direction of the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum 62 (arrow P and Q directions) are F2 'and F3', respectively, the relationship of F1 = F2 '+ F3' is established. Therefore, the force received by the positioning portion 106 of the drum unit 60 is F2 ', which is smaller than F1. That is, when the regulated portion 105 of the developing unit 20 comes into contact with the regulation portion 103 of the opening / closing member 13, the force that the positioned portion 106 of the drum unit 60 receives from the positioning portion 107 of the apparatus main assembly A is reduced, and It is possible to suppress damage to the positioning portion 107.

  Next, similarly, the states of the cartridge B and the apparatus main body A when the image forming apparatus 1000 falls in the arrow P direction in the photosensitive drum axis direction will be described. The condition of the drop test is that the image forming apparatus 1000 is freely dropped from a height of 80 cm in a direction in which the normal line direction of the side surface of the image forming apparatus 1000 (the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 62) is the vertical direction.

  First, when the image forming apparatus 1000 is dropped and a shock is applied from the outside, the apparatus main body A is stopped and the cartridge B is subjected to gravity in the arrow P direction. The cartridge B moves in the direction of arrow P with respect to the apparatus main body A. As shown in FIG. 10A, the second positioning surface 107b of the positioning portion 107 of the apparatus main body A and the second positioning surface 106b of the positioned portion 106 of the drum unit 60 are in contact with each other, and the second positioning target The portion 106b receives the force F4 from the second positioning surface 107b. Next, as shown in FIG. 10B, the cartridge B rotates in the direction of the arrow U with the positioned portion 106 as the fulcrum of rotation. At that time, the second regulated surface 105b of the developing unit 20 comes into contact with the second regulated surface 103b of the opening / closing member 13 to regulate the rotation of the cartridge B. Further, when the second regulated surface 105b receives the force F6 from the second regulated surface 103b, the force that the positioned surface 106b receives from the positioning surface 107b becomes the force F5. Here, if the components of the force F5 and the force F6 in the rotation axis direction (arrow P, Q direction) of the photosensitive drum 62 are F5 'and F6', respectively, the relationship of F4 = F5 '+ F6' is established. Therefore, the force received by the positioned portion 106 of the drum unit 60 is F5 ', which is smaller than F4. That is, when the regulated portion 105 of the developing unit 20 comes into contact with the regulation portion 103 of the opening / closing member 13, the force that the positioned portion 106 of the drum unit 60 receives from the positioning portion 107 of the apparatus main assembly A is reduced, and It is possible to suppress damage to the positioning portion 107.

  Next, the states of the cartridge B and the apparatus main assembly A when the image forming apparatus 1000 falls in the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 62 will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. The condition of the drop test is that the image forming apparatus 1000 is freely dropped from a height of 80 cm in a direction in which the normal line direction of the bottom surface of the image forming apparatus 1000 (direction orthogonal to the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 62) is the vertical direction.

  11 and 12 are schematic diagrams showing the states of the cartridge B and the opening / closing member 13 when dropped from the driving side and the non-driving side in the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 62, respectively. The falling direction of the apparatus main body A is the direction of arrow W shown in FIGS.

  On the driving side, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 12A, when the apparatus main body A falls in the direction of the arrow W, the following occurs. Since the drum unit 60 is positioned by the drive-side bosses 71dR and 71eR and the non-drive-side bosses 71dL and 71eL being fitted to the apparatus body A, the movement with respect to the apparatus body A is restricted.

  On the other hand, the developing unit 20 is rotatable about the coupling member 75 with respect to the drum unit 60, and therefore rotates in the arrow V direction. As a result, as shown in FIG. 11B, the third restricted portion 105c of the developing unit 20 contacts the third restricted portion 103c of the opening / closing member 13, and the rotation of the developing unit 20 is restricted.

  As described above, the stress concentrated on the positioning portion of the apparatus main assembly A and the positioned portion of the drum unit 60 is distributed to the regulating portion of the opening / closing member 13 and the regulated portion of the developing unit 20 so that the positioning portion receives the stress. The impact of dropping can be mitigated. Further, as in the present embodiment, by arranging the positioning portion on the drum unit 60 and arranging the regulated portion on the developing unit that contains the toner and tends to increase the weight, the following effects can be obtained. It is easy to guarantee the positional accuracy of the photosensitive drum 62 at the time of image formation, and it is possible to reduce damage to the joint portion between the drum unit 60 and the developing unit 20 when the photosensitive drum 62 is dropped.

  Further, in this embodiment, the regulated portions are collectively arranged on one end side in the rotation axis direction of the developing roller of the developing unit. As a result, the regulated portion can be made compact.

  Further, the regulated portion is at the position farthest from the positioning portion when viewed in the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum. When the cartridge rotates around the positioning portion, the variation in the amount of rotation until the regulated portion regulates the cartridge is reduced.

  Although the regulated portion is provided in the developing unit in the present embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this. It may be provided on any part of the cartridge.

  In this embodiment, the regulated portion of the cartridge regulates the rotation of the cartridge B when the image forming apparatus is allowed to fall freely. However, when the image forming apparatus receives an impact from the outside, the cartridge B is rotated. It is also thought to have the effect of restricting the rotation of the.

13 Opening / Closing Member 20 Developing Unit 32 Developing Roller 60 Drum Unit 62 Photoreceptor Drum 103 Restricting Part 103a First Restricting Surface 105 Restricted Part 105a First Restricted Surface 106 Positioning Part 107 Positioning Part

Claims (8)

A cartridge including an image carrier that carries a toner image and having a frame;
An apparatus main body configured such that the cartridge is detachable, and is movable between an opening through which the cartridge passes when the cartridge is mounted, and an open position for opening the opening and a closed position for closing the opening. A certain opening / closing member, and a positioning portion provided in a portion of the apparatus main body excluding the opening / closing member, so as to determine the position of the cartridge with respect to the apparatus main body in the rotational axis direction of the image carrier. A device main body having a positioning part that contacts the positioning part;
In an image forming apparatus including
The device body has a restricting portion having a restricting surface configured to restrict the rotation of the cartridge with the positioned portion as a rotation fulcrum when the opening / closing member is in the closed position,
The cartridge has a regulated portion having a regulated surface facing the regulation surface with a gap,
The regulated surface is provided inside an end surface of the frame in the rotation axis direction,
The regulating surface and the regulated surface do not contact each other during image formation, but contact each other when the image forming apparatus receives an impact from the outside, thereby regulating the rotation. An image forming apparatus characterized in that When the regulation surface and the regulated surface are the first regulation surface and the first regulated surface, respectively,
The regulation portion and the regulated portion each have a second regulation surface and a second regulation surface,
The second regulating surface and the second regulated surface do not contact each other during the image formation, but contact each other when the image forming apparatus receives an impact from the outside, so that the cartridge in the opposite direction to the rotation. An image forming apparatus characterized in that the rotation of the image forming apparatus is restricted. The cartridge has a first unit including the image bearing member, and a second unit including a storage unit for storing a developer and a developer bearing member for supplying the developer to the image bearing member. Then
The positioned portion is provided in the first unit, and the restricted portion is provided in the second unit,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the frame body is included in the second unit, has the containing portion, and rotatably supports the developer carrying body.   The said regulated part is provided in the edge part of the said 2nd unit on the same side as the side in which the said to-be-positioned part is provided in the said rotation axis line direction, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. Image forming apparatus. An apparatus main body of an image forming apparatus, which is attachable to and detachable from an apparatus main body including an opening and an opening / closing member movable between an open position for opening the opening and a closed position for closing the opening. A cartridge,
A frame,
An image carrier,
And is configured to be attached to the apparatus main body by passing through the opening in a direction intersecting the rotation axis direction of the image carrier,
A positioned portion that comes into contact with a positioning portion of the device body so that a position in the rotation axis direction with respect to the device body is determined;
A regulated surface provided on the upstream side of the positioned portion in the mounting direction of the cartridge and on the inner side of the end surface of the frame in the rotation axis direction, when the opening / closing member is in the closed position. A regulated portion having a regulated surface provided so that the rotation of the cartridge with the positioned portion as a rotation fulcrum is regulated by the regulating portion provided on the opening / closing member,
Cartridge with. When the regulated surface is the first regulated surface,
The regulated portion has a second regulated surface on the upstream side of the positioned portion in the mounting direction of the cartridge and on the inner side of the end surface of the frame in the rotation axis direction,
The cartridge according to claim 5, wherein the second regulated surface is configured to regulate rotation of the cartridge in a direction opposite to the rotation by contacting the regulation portion. A first unit including the image carrier, a second unit including a container for containing a developer, and a developer carrier for supplying the developer to the image carrier,
The regulated portion is provided in the first unit, the regulated portion is provided in the second unit,
7. The cartridge according to claim 5, wherein the frame body is included in the second unit, has the containing portion, and rotatably supports the developer carrying body.   The said regulated part is provided in the edge part of the said 2nd unit on the same side as the side in which the said to-be-positioned part is provided in the said rotation axis line direction, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. cartridge.

Images