JP2021179501A - Cartridge and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve assemblability of a cartridge.SOLUTION: A cartridge is removably attached to an image forming apparatus, and comprises: a first rotating body; a first bearing that rotatably supports the first rotating body and is attached to a frame body; a first pressing member that presses the first bearing; a second rotating body that is in contact with a surface of the first rotating body; a second bearing that rotatably supports the second rotating body; and a second pressing member that presses the second bearing. The first bearing has a first support part that supports a rotary shaft part of the first rotating body, a holding part that holds the second bearing, and a concave part that is provided in the holding part. The second bearing has a second support part that supports a rotary shaft part of the second rotating body, and a convex part that projects from the second support part. The concave part has an opposing surface opposing to the convex part in a state in which the convex part is engaged with the concave part, and the opposing surface is directed to a direction opposite to a pressing direction of the second pressing member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a cartridge and an image forming apparatus using the cartridge.

Conventionally, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus (hereinafter, also simply referred to as an “image forming apparatus”) requires toner replenishment and maintenance of various process means. In order to facilitate this toner replenishment and maintenance, a photosensitive drum, charging means, developing means, cleaning means, etc. are collectively made into a cartridge in the frame, and a process cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body has been put into practical use. ing. According to this process cartridge method, since the maintenance of the device can be performed by the user himself / herself, the operability can be remarkably improved, and the image forming device having excellent usability can be provided. Therefore, this process cartridge method is widely used in an image forming apparatus.

As the charging means, a contact charging method is used in which a charging roller formed of a conductive member is brought into contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum, and a voltage is applied between the photosensitive drum and the charging roller to charge the surface of the photosensitive drum. Has been widely put into practical use. If foreign matter adheres to the surface of the charging roller when the surface of the photosensitive drum is charged by the charging roller, the photosensitive drum is not uniformly charged and image defects or the like occur. Patent Document 1 discloses a process cartridge including a charging cleaning roller that abuts on the charging roller to clean the charging roller.

Patent No. 6179810

However, in a process cartridge provided with a charging cleaning roller (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a "cartridge"), not only the charging cleaning roller but also a bearing member holding the charging cleaning roller and an urging member for pressing the charging roller. Therefore, the number of parts of the cartridge tends to increase, and the assembly man-hours for producing the cartridge may increase. An object of the present invention is to improve the assemblability of the cartridge. Is.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to this application is
A cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the image forming device.
The first rotating body and
A first bearing that rotatably supports the first rotating body and is attached to the frame body.
The first pressing member that presses the first bearing, and
A second rotating body that comes into contact with the surface of the first rotating body,
A second bearing that rotatably supports the second rotating body, and
A second pressing member that presses the second bearing, and
Equipped with
The first bearing includes a first support portion that supports the rotating shaft portion of the first rotating body, a holding portion that holds the second bearing, and a recess provided in the holding portion. Have and
The concave portion has a facing surface facing the convex portion in a state where the convex portion is engaged with the concave portion.
The facing surface is characterized in that it faces in a direction opposite to the pressing direction of the second pressing member.

According to the present invention, the assemblability of the cartridge can be improved.

Perspective view of the charged roller bearing and the charged cleaning roller bearing according to this embodiment. Cross-sectional view of the main body of the image forming apparatus and the cartridge according to this embodiment. Cross-sectional view of the cartridge according to this embodiment Cross-sectional view and side view of the cleaning frame of the cartridge according to this embodiment. Perspective view of the main body of the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment with the opening / closing door open. Perspective view of the apparatus main body and the cartridge in the state where the tray according to this embodiment is pulled out. Perspective view of the apparatus main body and the cartridge when attaching and detaching the cartridge according to this embodiment. Perspective view of the drive side positioning unit of the cartridge according to this embodiment. Perspective view of the non-driving side positioning portion of the cartridge according to this embodiment. An exploded perspective view of the cartridge according to this embodiment. An exploded perspective view of the cartridge according to this embodiment. An exploded perspective view of the cartridge according to this embodiment. An exploded perspective view of the cartridge according to this embodiment. Partial sectional view of the cleaning unit according to this embodiment Partial sectional view of the cleaning unit according to this embodiment Partial perspective view of the charging roller and the cleaning frame body according to this embodiment. Perspective view of the charged roller bearing according to this embodiment Perspective view of the charge cleaning roller bearing and the charge cleaning roller urging member according to this embodiment. Sectional drawing of charge roller bearing and charge cleaning roller bearing which concerns on this Example Partial perspective view of the cleaning frame body according to this embodiment Partial perspective view of the cleaning frame body according to this embodiment

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be illustrated with reference to the drawings. However, the functions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the components described in the embodiments should be appropriately changed depending on the configuration of the apparatus to which the invention is applied, various conditions, and the like. It is not intended to limit the scope to the following embodiments.

(Example)
Hereinafter, the method of manufacturing the cartridge and the cartridge according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the direction of the rotation axis of the electrophotographic photosensitive drum is the longitudinal direction. Further, in the longitudinal direction, the side on which the electrophotographic photosensitive drum receives the driving force from the image forming apparatus main body is the driving side, and the opposite side is the non-driving side. Further, an arbitrary cross section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction is defined as a short cross section.

The overall configuration and the image formation process will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. 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 the electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the cartridge B according to the present embodiment. Here, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image is an apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium by using an electrophotographic image forming method. Examples of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus include, for example, an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (LED printer, laser beam printer, etc.), a facsimile machine, a word processor, and the like. The apparatus main body A is a portion of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus excluding the cartridge B.

<Overall configuration of electrophotographic image forming apparatus>
The electrophotographic image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 2 is a laser beam printer using an electrophotographic technique in which a cartridge B is attached to and detached from the apparatus main body A. When the cartridge B is mounted on the apparatus main body A, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus forms an electrostatic latent image on an electrophotographic photosensitive drum (hereinafter referred to as a drum 62) as an image carrier of the cartridge B. The exposure device (laser scanner unit) 3 of the above is arranged. Further, a sheet tray 4 containing a recording medium (hereinafter referred to as a sheet material P) to be image-formed is arranged under the cartridge B. Examples of the sheet material P include recording paper and plastic sheets. Further, the apparatus main body A includes a pickup roller 5A, a feeding roller pair 5B, a transport roller pair 5C, a transfer guide 6, a transfer roller 7, a transport guide 8, and a fixing device 9 along the transport direction D of the sheet material P. A discharge roller pair 10, a discharge tray 11, and the like are sequentially arranged. The fixing device 9 is composed of a heating roller 9A and a pressure roller 9B.

<Image formation process>
Next, the outline of the image formation process will be described. When the image process is executed, first, the drum 62 is rotationally driven in the rotation direction R1 at a predetermined peripheral speed (process speed) based on the print start signal. The charging roller 66 as a charging member to which a charging bias (voltage) is applied comes into contact with the drum outer peripheral surface 62A as the surface portion of the drum 62, and uniformly charges the drum outer peripheral surface 62A to a predetermined potential. The charging roller 66 is an example of a first rotating body. The exposure apparatus 3 outputs the laser beam L according to the image information. The laser beam L passes through the laser opening 71H provided in the cleaning frame 71 of the cartridge B, and scans and exposes the drum outer peripheral surface 62A. As a result, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image information is formed on the outer peripheral surface 62A of the drum.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, in the developing unit 20 as a developing device, the toner (developer) T in the toner chamber 29 is the rotation of the first transport member 43, the second transport member 44, and the third transport member 50. Is agitated, conveyed, and sent out to the toner supply chamber 28. The toner T is supported on the surface of the developing roller 32 as a developing agent carrier by the magnetic force of the magnet roller (fixed magnet) 34. In this way, the first transport member 43, the second transport member 44, and the third transport member 50 transport the toner T toward the developing roller 32. The toner T is frictionally charged by the developing blade 42 as a thickness regulating member, and the layer thickness on the outer peripheral surface of the developing roller 32 is regulated. The toner T is developed on the 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 part of the apparatus main body A by the pickup roller 5A, the feeding roller pair 5B, and the transport roller pair 5C together with the output timing of the laser beam L is a seat tray. It is sent out from 4. 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 image is sequentially transferred from the drum 62 to the sheet material P. In this way, the transfer roller 7 as the transfer unit transfers the toner image (developer image) supported on the drum 62 to the sheet material P.

The sheet material P to which the toner image is transferred is separated from the drum 62 and conveyed to the fixing device 9 along the conveying guide 8. Then, the sheet material P passes through the nip portion of the heating roller 9A and the pressure roller 9B constituting the fixing device 9. Pressurization / heat fixing treatment is performed at this nip portion, and the toner image is fixed to 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 transfer is used again in the image forming process after the residual toner on the outer peripheral surface 62A of the drum is removed by the cleaning blade 77 as a drum cleaning member. In this way, the cleaning blade 77 cleans the toner on the drum 62. The toner (removed material) removed from the drum 62 is stored in the waste toner chamber 71B of the cleaning unit 60. In the above, the charging roller 66, the developing roller 32, the transfer roller 7, and the cleaning blade 77 are process means for acting on the drum 62.

<Detachment of cartridge>
Next, attachment / detachment of the cartridge B to / from the apparatus main body A will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the apparatus main body A in a state where the opening / closing door 13 is opened for attaching / detaching the cartridge B. FIG. 6 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 to attach / detach the cartridge B and the tray 18 is pulled out. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the apparatus main body A and the cartridge B when the cartridge B is attached / detached with the opening / closing door 13 opened and the tray 18 pulled out. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the drive-side positioning portion of the cartridge B. As shown in FIG. 7, the cartridge B can be attached to and detached from the tray 18 along the attachment / detachment direction E.

As shown in FIG. 5, an opening / closing door 13 is rotatably attached to the apparatus main body A, and when the opening / closing door 13 is opened, the cartridge insertion slot 17 provided in the apparatus main body A is exposed. A tray 18 for mounting the cartridge B on the apparatus main body A is provided in the cartridge insertion slot 17. The cartridge B can be attached / detached by pulling out the tray 18 from the apparatus main body A to a predetermined position. As shown in FIG. 6, 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 the cartridge B is mounted on the tray 18.

As shown in FIG. 8, the drive side plate 15 of the apparatus main body A has a first drive shaft 14 and a second drive shaft 14 for transmitting a driving force to the first coupling 70 and the second coupling 21 provided on the cartridge B. A drive shaft 19 is provided. The first drive shaft 14 and the second drive shaft 19 are driven by a motor (not shown) of the apparatus main body A. As a result, the drum 62 connected to the first coupling 70 receives a driving force from the apparatus main body A and rotates. Further, the driving force is transmitted from the second coupling 21 to the developing roller 32, and the developing roller 32 rotates. Further, the charging roller 66 and the developing roller 32 are fed from a feeding unit (not shown) of the apparatus main body A.

<Cartridge support>
As shown in FIG. 5, the apparatus main body A is provided with a drive side plate 15 and a non-drive side plate 16 for supporting the cartridge B. As shown in FIG. 8, the drive side plate 15 is provided with a first support portion 15A, a second support portion 15B, and a rotation support portion 15C. As shown in FIG. 9, the non-driving side plate 16 is provided with a first support portion 16A, a second support portion 16B, and a rotation support portion 16C. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the non-driving side positioning portion of the cartridge B.

On the other hand, the first supported portion 73B and the second supported portion 73D of the drive side drum bearing 73, the drive side boss 71A of the cleaning frame body 71, the non-drive side protrusion 71F, and the non-drive side boss 71G are provided on the cartridge B, respectively. Has been done. Then, the first supported portion 73B is supported by the first supported portion 15A, the second supported portion 73D is supported by the second supported portion 15B, and the drive-side boss 71A is supported by the rotational support portion 15C. Further, the non-drive side protrusion 71F is supported by the first support portion 16A and the second support portion 16B, and the non-drive side boss 71G is supported by the rotation support portion 16C, so that the cartridge B is positioned in the apparatus main body A. Will be done.

<Structure of the entire cartridge>
Next, the overall configuration of the cartridge B will be described with reference to FIGS. 3, 4, 10, 11, 12, and 13. 3A and 3B are a sectional view of the cartridge B in the lateral direction, FIG. 4A is a sectional view in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning frame 71, and FIG. 4B is a side view of the cleaning frame 71 in the lateral direction. 4 (A) shows a cross section along the alternate long and short dash line D1-D2 of FIG. 4 (B). 10, FIG. 11, FIG. 12, and FIG. 13 are exploded perspective views of the cartridge B for explaining the configuration of the cartridge B. 11 and 13 are partially enlarged views of the points in the dotted line portions of FIGS. 10 and 12 enlarged at different angles. In this embodiment, the screws for connecting the parts will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 3, the cartridge B has a cleaning unit 60 and a developing unit 20. In the process cartridge, the electrophotographic photosensitive member and at least one of a charging means, a developing means, and a cleaning means as a process means acting on the electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrally formed into a cartridge, and the device main body A is formed. It is removable. In this embodiment, the process cartridge has at least one of a cleaning unit 60 and a developing unit 20.

As shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning unit 60 includes a drum 62, a charging roller 66, a charging cleaning roller 90, a cleaning blade 77, and a cleaning frame 71 as a frame supporting these. Further, the cleaning unit 60 has a charged roller bearing 67 that can be attached to the cleaning frame 71 and a lid member 72 that is fixed to the cleaning frame 71 by welding or the like. The cleaning frame 71 rotatably holds the drum 62. In the cleaning unit 60, the charging roller 66 and the cleaning blade 77 are arranged in contact with the drum outer peripheral surface 62A of the drum 62, respectively. The charged cleaning roller 90 as a cleaning member is arranged so as to be in contact with the surface of the charged roller 66, and cleans the surface of the charged roller 66. The charging cleaning roller 90 is an example of a second rotating body.

As shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning blade 77 has a rubber blade 77A which is a blade-shaped elastic member made of rubber as an elastic material, and a support member 77B which supports the rubber blade 77A. The rubber blade 77A is in contact with the drum outer peripheral surface 62A of the drum 62 in the counter direction with respect to the rotation direction of the drum 62. That is, the rubber blade 77A is in contact with the drum 62 so that its tip end faces the upstream side in the rotation direction of the drum 62.

Waste toner is removed from the surface of the drum 62 by the cleaning blade 77. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the removed waste toner is conveyed by the first screw 86, the second screw 87, and the third screw 88 as the waste toner conveying member, and is conveyed by the cleaning frame 71 and the lid member 72. It is stored in the formed waste toner chamber 71B.

Further, the first screw 86 rotates by transmitting a driving force from the coupling 21 shown in FIG. 13 by a gear (not shown). The second screw 87 receives driving force from the first screw 86, and the third screw 88 receives driving force from the second screw 87 to rotate. The first screw 86 is arranged in the vicinity of the drum 62, the second screw 87 is arranged at the longitudinal end of the cleaning frame 71, and the third screw 88 is arranged in the waste toner chamber 71B. Here, the rotation axis of the first screw 86 and the third screw 88 is 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.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a squeeze sheet 65 for preventing waste toner from leaking from the cleaning frame body 71 is provided at the edge of the cleaning frame body 71 so as to come into contact with the drum 62. The drum 62 is rotationally driven in the rotation direction R1 according to the image forming operation by receiving a driving force from a main body driving motor (not shown) which is a driving source. As shown in FIG. 3, the developing unit 20 includes a developing roller 32 and a developing container 23 that supports the developing roller 32.
And has a developing blade 42 and the like. A magnet roller 34 is provided in the developing roller 32. Further, in the developing unit 20, a developing blade 42 for regulating the toner layer on the developing roller 32 is arranged.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 12, spacing holding members 38 are attached to both ends of the developing roller 32, and when the spacing members 38 and the drum 62 come into contact with each other, the developing roller 32 is drummed. It is held with a slight gap between 62 and 62. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a blowout prevention 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 come into contact with 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 transport member 43, the second transport member 44, and the third transport member 50 agitate the toner contained in the toner chamber 29 and transport the toner to the toner supply chamber 28.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 12, the cartridge B has a cleaning unit 60 and a developing unit 20 rotatably coupled to each other by a coupling pin 69. As shown in FIGS. 3, 10 and 12, the cleaning unit 60 is provided with a drive-side drum bearing 73 and a drum shaft 78 for rotationally supporting the cleaning frame 71, the lid member 72, the drum 62, and the drum 62. Has been done. As shown in FIG. 13, on the drive side, the drive side drum flange 63 provided on the drive side is rotatably supported by the hole portion 73A of the drive side drum bearing 73 on the drive side. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11, on the non-driving side, the drum shaft 78 press-fitted into the hole portion 71C provided in the cleaning frame body 71 can rotate the hole portion (not shown) of the non-driving side drum flange 64. Support.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 10, and 12, 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. Further, the developing roller 32 is rotatably attached to the developing container 23 by bearing members 27 and 37 provided at both ends of the developing roller 32 in the direction of the rotation axis.

Then, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 13, the cleaning unit 60 and the developing unit 20 are rotatably coupled to each other by the coupling pin 69 to form the cartridge B. Specifically, the developing container 23 on both ends in the longitudinal direction of the developing unit 20 is provided with a developing first support hole 23A and a developing second support hole 23B. Further, the cleaning frame body 71 on both ends in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning unit 60 is provided with a first suspension hole 71I and a second suspension hole 71J. By fitting the coupling pin 69 press-fitted and fixed to the first hanging hole 71I and the second hanging hole 71J, the developing first support hole 23A, and the developing second support hole 23B, the cleaning unit 60 and the developing unit 20 rotate with each other. It is movably connected.

As shown in FIG. 13, the first hole portion 46RA of the drive side urging member 46R is hung on the boss 73C of the drive side drum bearing 73, and the second hole portion 46RB is hung on the boss 26A of the drive side development side member 26. ing. Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the first hole portion 46FA of the non-drive side urging member 46F is hung on the boss 71K of the cleaning frame body 71, and the second hole portion 46FB is hung on the boss 37A of the bearing member 37. There is. In this embodiment, the drive side urging member 46R and the non-drive side urging member 46F are formed of a tension spring. By urging the developing unit 20 to the cleaning unit 60 by the urging force of this spring, the developing roller 32 can be reliably pressed toward the drum 62. Then, as shown in FIG. 10, the developing roller 32 is held from the drum 62 at a predetermined interval by the spacing members 38 attached to both ends of the developing roller 32.

<Holding configuration of charging roller and charging cleaning roller>
Next, the holding configuration of the charging roller 66 and the charging cleaning roller 90 will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 to 16. 14 and 15 are partial cross-sectional views of a cleaning unit 60 for explaining a holding configuration of the charging roller 66 and the charging cleaning roller 90. FIG. 16 is a partial perspective view of the charging roller 66 and the cleaning frame 71 for explaining the holding configuration of the charging roller 66. In this embodiment, regarding the holding configuration of the charging roller 66 and the charging cleaning roller 90, only one of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning unit 60 will be described, but the other of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning unit 60 will also be described. It has a similar structure.

As shown in FIGS. 14 to 16, the charging roller 66 has a conductive rubber portion 66a and a core metal portion 66b as a rotating shaft portion. The cleaning unit 60 has a charged roller bearing 67 as a first bearing. The charging roller bearing 67 is a bearing member that rotatably supports the charging roller 66. Core metal portions 66b are rotatably attached to both ends of the cleaning frame 71 in the longitudinal direction (direction substantially parallel to the rotation axis direction of the drum 62) via the charging roller bearing 67. The cleaning unit 60 has a charging roller urging member 68 as a first pressing member that presses the charging roller bearing 67. When the charging roller urging member 68 presses the charging roller bearing 67 in the direction in which the drum 62 is arranged, the charging roller 66 supported by the charging roller bearing 67 is pressurized toward the drum 62. The charging roller bearing 67 is pressed by the charging roller urging member 68, and the charging roller 66 is pressed toward the drum 62, so that the rubber portion 66a is pressed against the drum 62. The charging roller 66 comes into contact with the drum 62 and rotates driven by the rotation of the drum 62. The charging roller urging member 68 is an elastic member, for example, a cylindrical or coil-shaped spring member (spring member). One end of the charging roller urging member 68 is attached to the charging roller bearing 67, and the other end of the charging roller urging member 68 is attached to the cleaning frame 71.

Further, the cleaning unit 60 has a charged cleaning roller bearing 91 as a second bearing. The charge cleaning roller bearing 91 is a bearing member that rotatably supports the charge cleaning roller 90. The cleaning unit 60 has a charge cleaning roller urging member 92 as a second pressing member that presses the charge cleaning roller bearing 91. One end of the charging cleaning roller urging member 92 is attached to the charging roller bearing 67, and the other end of the charging cleaning roller urging member 92 is attached to the charging cleaning roller bearing 91. A charging cleaning roller bearing 91 can be attached to the charging roller bearing 67. The charging cleaning roller urging member 92 presses the charging cleaning roller bearing 91 in the direction in which the charging roller 66 is arranged, so that the charging cleaning roller 90 supported by the charging cleaning roller bearing 91 is applied toward the charging roller 66. Be pressured. The charging cleaning roller 90 is arranged at a position facing the drum 62 with the charging roller 66 interposed therebetween. Therefore, the charging cleaning roller 90, the charging roller 66, and the drum 62 are arranged in this order in the direction in which the charging cleaning roller bearing 91 is pressed by the charging cleaning roller urging member 92 (the pressing direction of the charging cleaning roller urging member 92). It is arranged in. The charged cleaning roller 90 has a sponge portion 90a and a core metal portion 90b as a rotating shaft portion. The charging cleaning roller 90 is rotatably attached to both ends of the cleaning frame 71 in the longitudinal direction via charging cleaning roller bearings 91 provided at both ends of the charging cleaning roller 90 in the longitudinal direction. The charging cleaning roller bearing 91 is pressed by the charging cleaning roller urging member 92, and the charging cleaning roller 90 is pressurized toward the charging roller 66 and abuts on the charging roller 66, so that the charging cleaning roller 90 is formed by the charging roller 66. It rotates according to the rotation. The charge cleaning roller urging member 92 is an elastic member, for example, a cylindrical or coil-shaped spring member (spring member).

<Assembly method of charging roller, charging cleaning roller, and bearing member>
Next, the configurations and assembly methods of the charging roller 66, the charging cleaning roller 90, the charging roller bearing 67, the charging roller urging member 68, the charging cleaning roller bearing 91 and the charging cleaning roller urging member 92 are described from FIGS. 1 and 17. 19 will be described. FIG. 1 shows a charged roller bearing 67 and a charged cleaning roller bearing 9 for explaining the assembly of the charged roller bearing 67 and the charged cleaning roller bearing 91.
It is a perspective view of 1. FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the charging roller bearing 67 for explaining the configuration of the charging roller bearing 67 and the assembly of the charging roller bearing 67 and the charging roller urging member 68. FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the charge cleaning roller bearing 91 and the charge cleaning roller urging member 92 for explaining the assembly of the charge cleaning roller bearing 91 and the charge cleaning roller urging member 92. FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of a charged roller bearing 67 and a charged cleaning roller bearing 91 for explaining a method of assembling the charged roller bearing 67 and the charged cleaning roller bearing 91.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 17, the charging roller bearing 67 includes a charging roller holding portion 67a, an urging member mounting portion 67b, a guide portion 67c, a slided portion 67d, an elongated hole portion 67e, and a cleaning urging member holding portion 67f. It also has a charged cleaning roller regulation unit 67 g. The charging roller holding portion 67a is a member having a substantially arc shape with a part open. The charging roller holding portion 67a as the first supporting portion supports the core metal portion 66b of the charging roller 66. When the charging roller 66 is attached to the charging roller holding portion 67a, the core metal portion 66b of the charging roller 66 passes through the open region of the charging roller holding portion 67a, so that the charging roller holding portion 67a and the core metal portion 66b are separated from each other. It becomes possible to engage.

The urging member mounting portion 67b has an outer diameter slightly larger than the inner diameter of the charging roller urging member 68. The charging roller urging member 68 is attached to the charging roller bearing 67 by press-fitting the urging member mounting portion 67b into the hole of the charging roller urging member 68. The slidable portion 67d as the holding portion movably holds the charged cleaning roller bearing 91. The slide-to-slide portion 67d is composed of flat plate portions 67d1 and 67d2 arranged at predetermined intervals. The flat plate portions 67d1 and 67d2 as the two first sandwiching portions sandwich the charged cleaning roller bearing 91 between the flat plate portions 67d1 and the flat plate portions 67d2. A long hole portion 67e as a recess is provided in a part of the flat plate portions 67d1 and 67d2. The elongated hole portion 67e penetrates the sliding portion 67d in a direction orthogonal to the pressing direction of the charging cleaning roller urging member 92 and a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis direction of the charging cleaning roller 90. In this embodiment, the elongated hole portion 67e penetrates the slided portion 67d, but the elongated hole portion 67e does not have to penetrate the slided portion 67d. The inner surface of the flat plate portions 67d1 and 67d2 is a flat surface, and the inner surface of the flat plate portion 67d1 and the inner surface of the flat plate portion 67d2 face each other at a predetermined interval. The charging cleaning roller regulating unit 67g as a regulating unit (regulating surface) regulates the movement of the charging cleaning roller 90 in the axial direction of the charging cleaning roller 90. The movement of the charging cleaning roller 90 in the rotation axis direction is restricted by the contact between the charging cleaning roller regulating portion 67g and the core metal portion 90b of the charging cleaning roller 90. The flat plate portions 67d1 and 67d2 are erected in the direction perpendicular to the charging cleaning roller regulating portion 67g. Further, the elongated hole portions 67e are arranged in the flat plate portions 67d1 and 67d2 so that the two elongated hole portions 67e face each other.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 18, the charged cleaning roller bearing 91 has a holding portion 91a, a slide portion 91b, a convex portion 91c, a slit portion 91d, and a spring holding portion 91e. The holding portion 91a is a hole portion formed in the central portion of the charged cleaning roller bearing 91. The spring holding portion 91e has an outer diameter slightly larger than the inner diameter of the charged cleaning roller urging member 92. By press-fitting the spring holding portion 91e into the hole of the charging cleaning roller urging member 92, the charging cleaning roller urging member 92 can be attached to the charging cleaning roller bearing 91. The slide portion 91b as the second support portion supports the core metal portion 90b of the charging cleaning roller 90. The slide portion 91b is composed of holding portions 91b1 and 91b2 formed at intervals slightly narrower than the intervals between the flat plate portions 67d1 and 67d2 of the charging roller bearing 67. The sandwiching portions 91b1 and 91b2 as the two second sandwiching portions sandwich the core metal portion 90b of the charging cleaning roller 90. The outer surface of the sandwiched portions 91b1 and 91b2 is a flat surface, and the inner surface of the sandwiched portions 91b1 and 91b2 is an uneven surface.

Further, a convex portion 91c protruding from the slide portion 91b is provided on a part of the upper end side of the slide portion 91b. The convex portion 91c protrudes in a direction orthogonal to the pressing direction of the charging cleaning roller urging member 92 and in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis direction of the charging cleaning roller 90. The convex portion 91c provided on the sandwiching portion 91b1 and the convex portion 91c provided on the sandwiching portion 91b2 project in opposite directions. The distance between the two convex portions 91c is larger than the distance between the flat plate portion 67d1 and the flat plate portion 67d2 of the charging roller bearing 67. Specifically, the distance between the tip surfaces of the two convex portions 91c is larger than the distance between the inner surface of the flat plate portion 67d1 and the inner surface of the flat plate portion 67d1. The tip surface of each convex portion 91c is a flat surface. Further, each convex portion 91c has an inclined surface inclined from the upper end side to the lower end side of the slide portion 91b. Further, a concave slit portion 91d is provided on the lower end side of the slide portion 91b. The slit portion 91d provided in the sandwiching portion 91b1 and the slit portion 91d provided in the sandwiching portion 91b2 are recessed so as to face each other. The slit portion 91d provided in the sandwiching portion 91b1 is a portion of the sandwiching portion 91b1 that is thinner than the portion (contact portion) that abuts on the core metal portion 90b of the charging cleaning roller 90. The slit portion 91d provided in the sandwiching portion 91b2 is a portion of the sandwiching portion 91b2 that is thinner than the portion (contact portion) that abuts on the core metal portion 90b of the charging cleaning roller 90. The slit portion 91d extends in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the charged cleaning roller bearing 91 is pressed by the charged cleaning roller urging member 92 (the pressing direction of the charged cleaning roller urging member 92).

Next, the assembly of the charged cleaning roller bearing 91 to the charged roller bearing 67 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 19. First, the arrows shown in FIGS. 1 and 19A show the charged cleaning roller bearing 91 to which the charged cleaning roller urging member 92 is attached so that the slide portion 91b engages with the sliding portion 67d of the charged roller bearing 67. Assemble to the charged roller bearing 67 from the Y direction. Then, the convex portion 91c of the charged cleaning roller bearing 91 comes into contact with the sliding portion 67d of the charged roller bearing 67.

Here, the two convex portions 91c are provided on the charge cleaning roller bearing 91 so that the distance between the two convex portions 91c is larger than the distance between the flat plate portion 67d1 and the flat plate portion 67d2. When the two convex portions 91c pass between the flat plate portion 67d1 and the flat plate portion 67d2, one of the two convex portions 91c abuts on the inner surface of the flat plate portion 67d1 and the other of the two convex portions 91c is the flat plate portion 67d2. It abuts on the inner surface. Therefore, the charged cleaning roller bearing 91 is inserted into the charged roller bearing 67 while bending inward (in the direction of arrow K shown in FIG. 19B) with each slit portion 91d as a base point. In this way, the charged cleaning roller bearing 91 can be inserted inside the charged roller bearing 67. When the charged cleaning roller bearing 91 is inserted into the charged roller bearing 67, the sliding portion 91b of the charged cleaning roller bearing 91 bends when each convex portion 91c comes into contact with the slided portion 67d. Therefore, when the charged cleaning roller bearing 91 is attached to the charged roller bearing 67, the convex portions 91c come into contact with the flat plate portions 67d1 and 67d2, so that the sandwiching portion 91b1 and the sandwiching portion 91b2 approach each other (FIG. 19B). Move in the direction of the arrow K shown in. Since each convex portion 91c has an inclined surface, the impact when each convex portion 91c comes into contact with the slided portion 67d is alleviated. Therefore, the charged cleaning roller bearing 91 can be smoothly inserted into the charged roller bearing 67.

Further, the charge cleaning roller bearing 91 is moved in the arrow Y direction (insertion direction) shown in FIG. 19 (B). The front end surface of each convex portion 91c is a flat surface, and the inner side surfaces of the flat plate portions 67d1 and 67d2 of the slide-to-slide portion 67d are flat surfaces. Therefore, when the charged cleaning roller bearing 91 is inserted into the charged roller bearing 67, each convex portion 91c slides and moves with respect to the slided portion 67d. In this way, the charged cleaning roller bearing 91 is slidable with respect to the charged roller bearing 67. Therefore, the charging cleaning roller bearing 91 can be slid and moved with respect to the charging roller bearing 67, and the charging cleaning roller bearing 91 can be attached to the charging roller bearing 67.

The convex portion 91c moves to the position of the elongated hole portion 67e provided in the sliding portion 67d, and the convex portion 91c penetrates into the elongated hole portion 67e, so that the bending of the charged cleaning roller bearing 91 is released. That is, when the convex portion 91c engages with the elongated hole portion 67e, the bending of the slide portion 91b of the charged cleaning roller bearing 91 is eliminated. As shown in FIG. 19C, the convex portion 91c of the slide portion 91b engages (fits) with the elongated hole portion 67e of the slide portion 67d, so that the charged cleaning roller bearing 91 is attached to the charged roller bearing 67. It is held movable. In this case, the sandwiching portions 91b1 and 91b2 are arranged between the flat plate portion 67d1 and the flat plate portion 67d2.

The charging cleaning roller bearing 91 is pressed toward the charging roller bearing 67 by the urging force of the charging cleaning roller urging member 92, and the charging cleaning roller bearing 91 slides and moves with respect to the charging roller bearing 67. The side surface of the elongated hole portion 67e of the slide portion 67d is a guide surface that guides the convex portion 91 of the slide portion 91b when the convex portion 91c of the slide portion 91b engages with the elongated hole portion 67e of the slide portion 67d. .. The elongated hole portion 67e of the slide portion 67d has a facing surface (upper surface) 67e1 facing the convex portion 91c in a state where the convex portion 91c of the slide portion 91b is engaged with the elongated hole portion 67e. The facing surface 67e1 of the elongated hole portion 67e faces in the direction opposite to the pressing direction of the charging cleaning roller urging member 92. The charged cleaning roller bearing 91 is held by the charged roller bearing 67 in a state where the charged cleaning roller bearing 91 is pressed toward the charged roller bearing 67 and the convex portion 91c abuts on the facing surface 67e1 of the elongated hole portion 67e. As a result, the charging roller bearing 67, the charging roller urging member 68, the charging cleaning roller bearing 91, and the charging cleaning roller urging member 92 can be integrated into the charging roller bearing unit 95. The charging cleaning roller bearing 91 is pressed by the charging cleaning roller urging member 92, and the convex portion 91c abuts on the facing surface 67e1 of the elongated hole portion 67e, whereby the charging cleaning roller urging member 92 is charged and cleaned in the pressing direction. The movement of the roller bearing 91 is restricted. As a result, after the charging cleaning roller bearing 91 is attached to the charging roller bearing 67, the charging cleaning roller bearing 91 is prevented from being detached from the charging roller bearing 67.

Next, a method of assembling the charging roller bearing unit 95, the charging roller 66, and the charging cleaning roller 90 to the cleaning frame 71 will be described with reference to FIGS. 20 and 21. FIG. 20 is a partial perspective view of the cleaning frame 71 for explaining a method of assembling the charging roller bearing unit 95 to the cleaning frame 71. FIG. 21 is a partial perspective view of a cleaning frame 71 for explaining a method of assembling the charging roller 66 and the charging cleaning roller 90 to the cleaning unit 60.

As shown in FIG. 20, the cleaning frame 71 is provided with a holding portion 71D capable of holding the charged roller bearing unit 95. The charged roller bearing 67 of the charged roller bearing unit 95 can be attached to the holding portion 71D as the attachment portion. The charged roller bearing 67 is provided with a guide portion 67c as a slide portion that can be slidably moved with respect to the holding portion 71D. The charging roller bearing unit 95 is attached to the cleaning frame 71 from the direction of the arrow M shown in FIG. 20 so that the guide portion 67c engages with the holding portion 71D. In this way, the charged roller bearing 67 of the charged roller bearing unit 95 is attached to the cleaning frame 71.

After that, as shown in FIG. 21, the charging cleaning roller 90 is also charged from the arrow M direction so that the core metal portion 90b of the charging cleaning roller 90 engages with the holding portion 91a of the charging cleaning roller bearing 91. Attach to. Further, the charging roller 66 is attached to the charging roller holding portion 67a from the arrow M direction so that the core metal portion 66b of the charging roller 66 engages with the charging roller holding portion 67a of the charging roller bearing 67.

The positional relationship between the convex portion 91c and the slit portion 91d of the charge cleaning roller bearing 91 and the core metal portion 90b of the charge cleaning roller 90 will be described. The convex portion 91c of the charge cleaning roller bearing 91 is located downstream of the core metal portion 90b of the charge cleaning roller 90 in the pressing direction of the charge cleaning roller urging member 92 (arrow L direction shown in FIG. 19C). ing. In other words, the convex portion 91c is located on the downstream side of the core metal portion 90b of the charge cleaning roller 90 in the slide moving direction of the charge cleaning roller bearing 91 when the charge cleaning roller bearing 91 is pressed. When the charging cleaning roller 90 is attached to the charging cleaning roller bearing 91, the core metal portion 90b of the charging cleaning roller 90 is arranged at the position indicated by the dotted line circle in FIG. 19 (C). The slit portion 91d of the charge cleaning roller bearing 91 is located upstream of the core metal portion 90b of the charge cleaning roller 90 in the pressing direction of the charge cleaning roller urging member 92. In other words, the slit portion 91d is located upstream of the core metal portion 90b of the charge cleaning roller 90 in the slide movement direction of the charge cleaning roller bearing 91 when the charge cleaning roller bearing 91 is pressed.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the elongated hole portion 67e is provided in the sliding portion 67d of the charged roller bearing 67, and the convex portion 91c is provided on the upper end side of the slide portion 91b of the charged cleaning roller bearing 91. A slit portion 91d is provided on the lower end side. With such a configuration, when the charged cleaning roller bearing 91 is assembled to the charged roller bearing 67, it becomes easy to bend the charged cleaning roller bearing 91 and the assembling property of the cartridge B is improved. Further, the charging roller bearing 67, the charging roller urging member 68, the charging cleaning roller bearing 91, and the charging cleaning roller urging member 92 can be integrated into the charging roller bearing unit 95. Since the charged roller bearing unit 95 can be attached to the cleaning frame 71, the assemblability of the cartridge B is improved. By bringing the convex portion 91c into contact with the inner surface of the elongated hole portion 67e, the movement of the charged cleaning roller bearing 91 in the direction in which the charged cleaning roller bearing 91 is pressed is restricted. As a result, after the charging cleaning roller bearing 91 is attached to the charging roller bearing 67, the charging cleaning roller bearing 91 is prevented from being detached from the charging roller bearing 67, so that the assembling property of the cartridge B is improved.

Further, the mounting direction of the charging cleaning roller bearing 91 and the charging roller 66 on the charging roller bearing 67, the mounting direction of the charging cleaning roller bearing 91 on the cleaning frame 71, and the charging cleaning roller 90 on the charging cleaning roller bearing 91. Is the same as the mounting direction of. As a result, the charging roller bearing unit 95, the charging roller 66, and the charging cleaning roller 90 can be attached to the cleaning frame 71 from the same direction, so that the assembling property of the cartridge B is improved. Therefore, it is possible to provide the cartridge B having good assemblability. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which a charging roller bearing 67 that rotatably supports the charging roller 66 and a charging cleaning roller bearing 91 that rotatably supports the charging cleaning roller 90 are unitized. Not limited to this example, this embodiment is used when unitizing a bearing that rotatably supports another rotating body different from the charging roller 66 and a bearing supporting another rotating body different from the charging cleaning roller 90. An example may be applied.

62 ... Drum, 66 ... Charging roller, 66b ... Core metal part, 67 ... Charging roller bearing, 67a ... Charging roller holding part, 67d ... Slided part, 67e ... Slip hole part, 68 ... Energizing member, 71 ... Cleaning frame Body, 90 ... charged cleaning roller, 90b ... core metal part, 91 ... charged cleaning roller bearing, 91b ... slide part, 91c ... convex part, 92 ... urging member, B ... cartridge

Claims (15)

A cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the image forming device.
The first rotating body and
A first bearing that rotatably supports the first rotating body and is attached to the frame body.
The first pressing member that presses the first bearing, and
A second rotating body that comes into contact with the surface of the first rotating body,
A second bearing that rotatably supports the second rotating body, and
A second pressing member that presses the second bearing, and
Equipped with
The first bearing includes a first support portion that supports the rotating shaft portion of the first rotating body, a holding portion that holds the second bearing, and a recess provided in the holding portion. Have and
The second bearing has a second support portion that supports the rotation shaft portion of the second rotating body, and a convex portion that protrudes from the second support portion.
The concave portion has a facing surface facing the convex portion in a state where the convex portion is engaged with the concave portion.
The cartridge is characterized in that the facing surface faces in a direction opposite to the pressing direction of the second pressing member. The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the convex portion is located downstream of the rotation shaft portion of the second rotating body in the pressing direction of the second pressing member. Claim 1 or claim 1, wherein the convex portion protrudes in a direction orthogonal to the pressing direction of the second pressing member and in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis direction of the second rotating body. The cartridge according to 2. The second support portion is a portion that abuts on the rotation shaft portion of the second rotating body on the upstream side of the rotation shaft portion of the second rotating body in the pressing direction of the second pressing member. The cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cartridge has a portion thinner than the wall thickness. Any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the convex portion abuts on the facing surface of the concave portion to restrict the movement of the second bearing in the pressing direction of the second pressing member. The cartridge described in item 1. The first bearing is characterized by having a regulating portion that regulates the movement of the second rotating body in the rotation axis direction by abutting on the rotating shaft portion of the second rotating body. The cartridge according to any one of 5 to 5. The recess is characterized in that it penetrates the holding portion in a direction orthogonal to the pressing direction of the second pressing member and in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis direction of the second rotating body. The cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The frame has a mounting portion to which the first bearing can be mounted.
The cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the first bearing has a slide portion that can be slidably moved with respect to the mounting portion. The second bearing can be inserted inside the first bearing.
When the second bearing is inserted into the inside of the first bearing, the convex portion abuts on the holding portion, so that the second support portion bends.
The first aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the second bearing is inserted into the inside of the first bearing, and the convex portion engages with the concave portion to eliminate the bending of the second support portion. The cartridge according to any one of 8. The holding portion has two first holding portions that sandwich the second bearing.
The second support portion has two second holding portions that sandwich the rotation shaft portion of the second rotating body.
The cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the two second holding portions are arranged between the two first holding portions. The mounting direction of the second bearing to the first bearing, the mounting direction of the first rotating body to the first bearing, and the mounting direction of the first bearing to the frame body. The cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the mounting direction of the second rotating body to the second bearing is the same. Any of claims 1 to 11, wherein one end of the first pressing member is attached to the first bearing, and the other end of the first pressing member is attached to the frame body. The cartridge described in item 1. Claims 1 to 12, wherein one end of the second pressing member is attached to the first bearing, and the other end of the second pressing member is attached to the second bearing. The cartridge according to any one of the above. Further provided with an image carrier rotatably held in the frame,
The first rotating body is a charging member that charges the image carrier.
The cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the second rotating body is a cleaning member that cleans the surface of the charging member. An image forming device that forms an image.
The cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 14,
A transfer unit that transfers the developer image supported on the image carrier to a recording medium, and
An image forming apparatus comprising.

Images